Sioux Falls, SD – November 2011… Built in 1919, St. Joseph Cathedral is the largest church in South Dakota and one of the larger Roman Catholic cathedrals in the United States. This historic structure recently marked the completion of a massive $17M restoration and renovation with the blessing of the cathedral doors and the dedication of a new altar. Returning the cathedral to its 1920’s-era glory was a huge undertaking and, as part of the project, a new sound reinforcement system was placed into service. Audio processing and wireless microphone technology are an integral part of the new sound setup and, to ensure the best possible performance, the system designers specified equipment from Rio Rancho, NM-based Lectrosonics. more

BLUEFIELDS, NICARAGUA – OCTOBER 2011: Brooklyn-based engineer and producer Michael Gassert, known to his music and film colleagues as “MikeSound,” would appear to spend little time in New York. His uncanny knack for capturing the sonic soul of a musical performance, no matter how remote the location or strained the resources, has earned him the respect of his peers and a full travel calendar. Recently, MikeSound traveled to the Nicaraguan port city of Bluefields (not an easy thing to do) to spend three months recording legendary costeña singers of the regional and endemic musical traditions, most notably Maypole, Mento and Calypso. He relied on a Metric Halo ULN-8′s compact collection of mic-pres, DIs, converters, Character modeling, routing, mixing, and DSP much as an explorer relies on a Swiss Army knife. The ULN-8 was easy to pack and prepared MikeSound to make excellent recordings in unpredictable situations.

A local label, Bluefields Sound System, and MikeSound co-sponsored the project with the help of a small grant from UNESCO. The connection between BSS and MikeSound began five years earlier when together they captured a documentary about the Bluefields musicians. Although MikeSound planned to record some of the same musicians, as well as new performers this time around, the stars of this effort would be two legends of Nicaraguan music, local rivals Mango Ghost and Sabú. Now septuagenarians, the two musicians had defined the musical landscape of Bluefields, but, despite their cultural importance, few recordings of their music have survived. Although young for their age of seventy-something (a local legend has it that Sabú, who still does the splits on stage, is actually more than two hundred years old), the label recognized that the opportunity to record their genius was finite.

Nicaragua’s only international airport is in Managua, on the western side of the country, and a mountain range stands between it and Bluefields on the eastern side of the country. Travel options between the coasts are limited to an eight-hour bus ride plus a three-hour panga boat ride through the jungle, or a mostly reliable puddle jumper instead. MikeSound’s journey with his mobile rig would take him by land, air and sea. “When we conceived the project, I knew mobility and compactness would be essential,” said MikeSound. He began with a four rack-space Calzone case and selected his equipment carefully. “The Metric Halo ULN-8 was the centerpiece,” he said. “That and my MacBook Pro would be the starting point for every recording.” In addition, he brought a Furman P-1800 AR voltage regulator/power conditioner (electricity in Bluefields is reliably unreliable), an RME Fireface 800, and an API 3124 four-channel mic pre.

Bluefields Sound System has makeshift studio, complete with egg crate diffusion and old clothing stuffed into the walls for isolation, that MikeSound planned to use for final vocals, acoustics and keys. However, the studio was too small and dead sounding to do justice to the rhythmic backbone of Mango Ghost and Sabú’s music. Therefore, he spent a month recording the entire songs live to a click in an outdoor restaurant, La Loma, at the highest point in the city. “It’s quiet and calm up there,” he said. To protect himself from the notorious Bluefields thuggery, MikeSound set up and tore down the session every day. He tracked with Digital Performer 7 using a collection of AKG, Shure, Sennheiser, and Schoeps microphones.

“I’ve been a fan of Metric Halo for a long time,” said MikeSound. “They make fantastic preamps and converters, a fact that, by itself, makes their gear stand out. But on top of that, the ULN-8 offers Character modeling, full-blooded DSP, and flexible routing. The character modeling is some of the best I’ve ever heard. It can be very subtle but very authentic and does a nice job of warming things up when needed. And the DSP is also top-notch. The ‘HaloVerb’ sounds as authentic as the UADs I use back in Soho.” MikeSound took advantage of the ULN-8′s flexible routing by creating custom DB-25 cables that allowed him to deliver in-the-box headphone mixes for all of the musicians. “Because I had to set up and tear down so frequently, it was a great time saver to have all of the monitor configurations recallable,” he said.

Currently back in New York and working with partners to launch a new indie label, No Shame, MikeSound also has kept busy for the past six years as the engineer of the Master Musicians of Jajouka, and is completing the mixes for Bluefields Sound System, which will be released in 2012.

ABOUT METRIC HALO Based in New York’s Hudson Valley, Metric Halo provides the world with high-resolution metering, analysis, recording and processing solutions with award-winning software and future-proof hardware. www.mhlabs.com

To learn more about and hear some samples from Bluefields Sound System visit: www.bluefieldsound.com To also check out the Master Musicians of Jajouka at: www.jajouka.com/ and No Shame: www.facebook.com/wehaveNoShame

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 2011: Symetrix announces an addition to the SymNet Solus product line – the Solus 16. “The Solus 4 and Solus 8 already provide two of the most popular form factors requested by integrators,” said Trent Wagner, senior product manager at Symetrix. “But input counts run higher in many types of installations, and we received a barrage of requests for a higher input form factor. The Solus 16 answers that request without requiring a jump to networked DSP or separate expansion I/O devices maintaining the high value for which the Solus line is known.”

Solus is powerful SymNet DSP hardware, ideal for small to mid-sized installations not requiring I/O expansion. The entire family of SymNet hardware, including Solus, is configured using open architecture SymNet Designer software. System designers have the option to use or modify Solus DSP design templates for basic projects, or, to create unique designs entirely from scratch.

The three Solus hardware offerings differ only in their audio input and output counts: Solus 16 with sixteen inputs and eight outputs, Solus 8 with eight mic/line inputs and eight outputs, and Solus 4 with four inputs and four outputs. Ethernet, ARC port, RS-232 port, two control inputs, and four logic outputs complete the control feature set. To simplify set-up, a front panel LCD displays system settings. Solus supports Symetrix ARC wall panels, third party control systems, and SymVue, a SymNet end-user control panel application.

ABOUT SYMETRIX Sound professionals rely upon the performance, value and reliability of audio mixing, routing and processing products from Symetrix. For more information on Symetrix professional audio products, please visit www.symetrix.co or call +1.425.778.7728.

SSL Equipped Studio Complex Services Commercial Clients and Extensive Educational Program

NEUSAESS/AUGSBURG, GERMANY – Vision Seven Media (VSM), a studio complex owned and operated by Vision Seven Media Group International, has installed a Solid State Logic AWS Console/Controller in its Control One. The complex services commercial music and audio for video production and post as well as the Vision Seven Media School of the Arts. The AWS provides VSM’s commercial clients with SSL’s SuperAnalogue™ sound quality, routing capabilities and DAW control, while providing an excellent teaching platform for students. more

New Versions of Industrywide Favorites for Time Code and Clocking Solutions

Brainstorm Electronics, the world leader in time code and clocking solutions, exhibited two new products at the 2011 AES Convention in NYC.

Brainstorm SR-112
Brainstorm’s new SR-112 Time Code Distripalyzer, replaces the industry standard SR-15+. It is a time code reader, distributor, reshaper, analyzer and generator all in a 1U rack mount device. The analyzer indicates format, frame rate, errors and video phase and outputs a comprehensive report; the 1×12 distributor reshapes the signal; the optional generator repairs drop-outs and generates new code. All SMPTE and EBU SD/HD rates are supported. Ethernet is included for reporting and to set parameters and update firmware.

Brainstorm DCD-12
The new single domain DCD-12 Word Clock Distributor/Generator is an excellent companion for the popular DCD-8 an dincludes the same exceptional jitter rejection. The DCD-12 can run as a master generator on internal crystal or locked to an external reference such as WC, Video Sync (HD & SD), AES31, S/PDIF, 10 MHz (GPS or Rubidium clock). The rate of the reference (input) is “learned” by the DCD-12 automatically while the output rate can be identical or set independently. Ethernet is included to monitor and set parameters and update firmware.

About Brainstorm
Brainstorm products deliver complete solutions for all sync requirements in the post- production, recording and broadcast environments. Designed for operations ranging from audio recording studios to large post-production houses and major broadcast facilities or remotes, Brainstorm offers the most comprehensive package for all clocking needs, providing versatility in the widest range of applications.

For more info about Brainstorm, visit distributor plus24:
http://www.plus24.net or phone 323.845.1171

The Music Producers Guild has announced changes to the voting procedure for its Studio of the Year Award. These changes will come into effect immediately and will apply to all Studio of the Year nominations for its 2012 Awards, which take place next February at the Cafe de Paris in London.

In previous years the Award for Studio of the Year was decided by the MPG’s judging panel, which chose the winner from a shortlist drawn up to reflect votes cast by full members of the MPG. Studios on the shortlist were asked to support their nomination with a presentation to the judges in which they highlighted their unique selling points and explained why they felt they deserved the award.

However, after reflecting on this process, the MPG feels that relying purely on a presentation is not the best way to decide the award and that it is far better to allow those who actually use studios on a daily basis to make the decision.

The new procedure will enable all full members of MPG to cast their vote for Studio of the Year, and these votes will then be counted with the Award going to the studio that gathers the most votes.

Steve Levine, chairman of MPG, says: “In many ways this is a far simpler process as it will rely solely on counting votes from working producers. They are the best people to judge just how good a studio is and to allocate the award accordingly. We felt that adjusting the voting procedure for this award is necessary as it will make the process easier for the studios.”

In order to qualify for the MPG’s full membership category, which brings with it the right to vote, members must be professional recording practitioners and be resident in the UK. They must also fulfil a specific set of criteria which are listed on the MPG website.

“Having a full member category is vital to the success of our awards because it ensures that our voting procedures are seen to be fair and transparent,” says Steve Levine. “Full members are all professionals who understand the recording process and are therefore qualified to make accurate and informed decisions.”

Anyone wishing to apply for MPG Full Membership can do so via the website – www.mpg.org.uk. The subscription fee for Full Membership is £120 per year, while Associate members who qualify for Full Membership can upgrade their subscription at a reduced rate.

Nominations for the 2012 MPG Awards are closed and voting for all categories is now is open. Voting for Studio of the Year will remain open until January 8th. The final judging will take place in January and the winners of each category will be announced at the Awards ceremony.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the MPG 2012 Awards and any company that would like to be part of this exciting event should contact Sadie Groom at Bubble & Squeak. Telephone: +44 (0) 207 287 4262. Email: sadie@bubblesqueak.co.uk

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About Music Producers Guild
The Music Producers Guild was conceived and is supported by producers and engineers who are passionate about all aspects of making and recording music. It is a not for profit company and is run by volunteers from the membership. Formed as a Guild rather than a Trade Association, MPG has no party political agenda, but does represent the professional recording community to Government and actively engages with other music industry organisations, to develop a dialogue about and exert an influence on matters of mutual interest and benefit to its members and its industry. The achievements of this creative community are celebrated each year through the MPG Awards event. www.mpg.org.uk

More than 40,000 fans took their seats at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff this month to enjoy Michael Forever, a star-studded tribute to Michael Jackson.

The concert featured performances from a variety of artists including Christina Aguilera, Leona Lewis Smokey Robinson, JLS, Ne-Yo, JLS, Pixie Lott and Cee Lo Green. The fans, many of whom were dressed in Michael Jackson attire, were treated to spectacular performances on a huge stage, which was billed as the largest event rig ever used at a European stadium.

Behind the scenes, broadcast sound specialists Red TX were on hand to record the live audio for subsequent broadcast on Sky Arts and various other television channels around the world. The company employed its new Red II truck, which was manned by Red TX director Tim Summerhayes with assistance from Ollie Nesham and Ben Summerhayes.

Tim Summerhayes says: “This was a complex show to record because there were so many artists involved and many of them were working to such tight schedules that they were not able to be in Cardiff for the pre-show dress rehearsal. Despite that, the event was fantastic and there were some magnificent performances that went down incredibly well with the fans.

“We recorded the whole show as live and then spent some time tidying up the sound in post production. No re-mixing was involved and the only real issue we had to contend with was a radio microphone failure during Alexandra Burke’s performance. This was fixed after the event when she re-recorded the song at Sarm Studios in London and we were able to drop the new recording into our mix.”

Red TX was commissioned to handle the audio recording by Iambic Productions. Producer Dawn Davis says: “I’ve worked with Tim for over 25 years and the recording is always excellent, the in and out seamless, and the dedication tremendous. Red TX have really pulled out all the stops on this one, because despite schedules being impossibly tight and some of the artists under rehearsed, Tim and his team were able to cope with everything and deliver some fantastic audio.”

Although the run up to the event was beset with difficulties, the Michael Jackson Tribute concert delivered everything that was promised on the night. The world’s media was there in force and many of the artists who later took to the stage were happy to oblige them with soundbites and interviews. The show itself was explosive – literally, as it involved a vast array of pyrotechnics during Ne-Yo’s opening performance.

The event came to an end with the Jackson family and the show’s stars packing the stage for a run through of Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough, which had the entire crowd up on their feet and dancing along in tribute to Michael Jackson, one of pop’s greatest performers.

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About Red TX:
Red TX provides a comprehensive concert recording and broadcast service to the music and television industries. The company has state-of-the-art mobile recording facilities and can handle projects of any size or complexity. As well as recording audio for broadcast, the company also records live music events for subsequent release on CD or DVD. It is headed by Ian Dyckhoff and Tim Summerhayes, both of whom have extensive experience in delivering high-quality audio for broadcast. www.red-tx.com

JESSUP, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 2011: After representing API for the past two years, Kimleng Audio has recently been signed as a dealer for the company’s JDK Audio line. The signing is an important step in increasing both API and JDK’s presence in the Asia Pacific.

“After meeting with Thanong Saeheng recently at the Broadcast Asia show in Singapore, I’m even more convinced that Kimleng Audio is the right way for us to go in Thailand,” said Gordon Smart, managing director at API. “They’re focused, street-smart, and tuned into the market. I don’t think we could have made a better choice.”

Thanong Saeheng, owner of Kimleng Audio, said, “We are so glad that API thought of us when it came time to make JDK a prominent audio brand in Thailand. We’re looking forward to helping the brand reach the forefront of the professional audio world.”

ABOUT API (AUTOMATED PROCESSES, INC.)
Established more than 40 years ago, Automated Processes, Inc. is the leader in analog recording gear with the Vision, Legacy Series and 1608 recording consoles, as well as its classic line of modular signal processing equipment. www.apiaudio.com

For information on Kimleng Audio, please visit: www.KimlengAudio.com

Sonnox Announces Compatibility With Avid’s New Pro Tools HDX System

OXFORD, UK: Over the past four years, software developer Sonnox has consistently produced innovative plug-ins to meet the needs of music producers, engineers, TV/radio broadcast and feature film soundmixers. This year, the Sonnox Fraunhofer Pro-Codec (developed in collaboration with the original mp3 inventor) was introduced. Designed to provide real-time auditioning of audio codecs within a DAW environment, the Pro-Codec is considered by many engineers to be a truly game-changing plug-in.

Sonnox has now revealed yet another important advance – compatibility of Oxford plug-ins with Avid’s new Pro Tools|HDX system launched at the AES Show this week. In making the announcement Sonnox Managing Director Rod Densham remarked, “We’re extremely pleased to be an early adopter of the Pro Tools|HDX platform. The new AAX format will undoubtedly become an established plug-in standard, just as TDM has been. In recent months we have doubled the size of our development team to meet increased demand, and we are working overtime to complete the transition to AAX as soon as possible.”

Avid’s new AAX (Avid Audio eXtension) advanced plug-in format, offers improved workflows and sound parity when sharing sessions between DSP-accelerated and native-based Pro Tools systems. The format comes in two versions: AAX DSP plug-ins compatible exclusively with Pro Tools|HDX (TDM is not supported in Pro Tools|HDX); And, AAX Native plug-ins, compatible with any system running Pro Tools/Pro Tools HD 10 software.

“Sonnox consistently sets the pace for superior-sounding, innovative processing for Pro Tools, and we are thrilled to see their portfolio coming to AAX,” comments Ed Gray, Director, Partnering Programs at Avid. “Sonnox plug-ins running on a Pro Tools|HDX system will provide a winning combination for the next generation of audio professionals. We can’t wait to see what Sonnox brings to our users next.”

The highly acclaimed Oxford EQ and Oxford Inflator are the first in a line of many AAX plug-ins from Sonnox. They will be available when Pro Tools|HDX ships.

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For detailed information on Sonnox Oxford Plug-ins please visit: www.sonnox.com

Fishman Acoustic Amplification was both a sponsor and exhibitor at the recent Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase.

Billed as “an alternative guitar show” and held at the Bearsville Theater and Utopia Soundstage, the event was an ideal setting for luthiers to exhibit the highest quality, handmade acoustic guitars and stringed musical instruments. It also featured continuous live music performances, Luthier mini-concerts and special appearances by leading artists.

The Showcase provides a unique opportunity for the public to see, play and experience instruments not generally available in music stores and other retail environments and meet with their makers to discuss custom options for their ultimate “dream instrument.”

More than fifty exhibitors attended the showcase this year, including makers, wood dealers, parts and tool suppliers, inlay artists, lutherie schools and services, string and accessories manufacturers and sponsors such as Fishman.

A popular stop with attendees, Fishman got a positive response with the Loudbox Artist, and Loudbox Mini acoustic amps, the SA220 Solo Performance System, Aura Spectrum DI, Matrix Infinity, Rare Earth and the new Blackstack pickups.

Asked about Fishman’s participation in the Woodstock Invitational, Director of Marketing and Artist Relations Chris DeMaria stated, “This show provides a great opportunity for Fishman to present acoustic amplification options to both the luthiers and attendees.

“With a show this size, you really get to take the time and talk to people in depth about Fishman products for their one-of-a-kind instrument. The number of people who came by to tell us how much they loved the Loudbox amps was amazing.”

For more information about Fishman, go to www.fishman.com.