ATLANTA, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 2011: When producer Dan Hannon and engineer Brad Fisher decided to purchase an analog console for their production company, they knew just where to turn to get the sound they’d been looking for-an API 1608.

“We fell in love with the ease of working on a console after working in the box for so long,” said Hannon, who, when researching consoles, had traveled with Fisher to Nashville’s Blackbird Studio for a 1608 demo. “We almost decided on the spot that we wanted our own. Even before going to Blackbird, we’d heard great things about the board from Joe Chiccarelli, who had worked on The Killers’ own 1608, and was actually at Blackbird doing overdubs on the desk when we visited. Then we watched the Foo Fighters documentary ‘Back and Forth,’ which was a great endorsement.”

Already having an established working relationship, Hannon and Fisher formed Eldest Only Productions in 2009, offering songwriting, production, recording, engineering, mixing and artist management services. The two had previously worked together in the summer of 2006 when Fisher interned for Hannon’s first company, Counterfeit Mistress Productions, while on a break from Berklee College of Music. Since acquiring their own 1608 earlier this year, Eldest Only Productions has recorded and produced multiple projects including the album Simple Math by Manchester Orchestra and young rock band Asherel’s debut record.

“We’ve really been euphoric ever since we got it,” said Hannon. “It’s absolutely fantastic. There are so many advantages to having it, never mind that it’s an API.” Hannon and Fisher specifically cited a much faster mix time than when they mixed solely in Pro Tools, easier tracking and overdubbing, and flexible routing with the 1608.

Fisher added, “Its aggressiveness allows us to both track and mix very quickly, which is really, really awesome. The finished products retain all the energy of the original tracks. Having the availability of all that headroom was something we weren’t accustomed to with Pro Tools and the results we’ve had so far are just amazing.”

The team at Eldest Only Productions recently finished the band Art Decade’s debut full-length album, Western Sunrise, and is currently working on Right Away, Great Captain!’s third album titled The Church of the Good Thief as well as rock trio Cusses debut LP – all with the help of the studio’s 1608.

According to Fisher, “The sound we’ve been chasing so long is finally at our fingertips.”

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

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 2011: It’s a fact that high school students in the United States are, on average, falling behind their international peers in the foundational subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Numerous initiatives are in place to address this ominous knowledge gap, but none are so viscerally appealing as the National Flight Academy (NFA). Set to “sail” in early 2012, NFA is an immersive, high-tech, aviation-inspired learning program on the grounds of the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. Its multi-story building uses state-of-the-art virtual reality and technological wizardry to replicate the experience and STEM-demanding missions of a U.S. aircraft carrier. Students commit to serve several days on the “carrier,” during which they dramatically increase their STEM proficiency and, perhaps more importantly, enthusiasm. Ashly Audio amplifiers contribute to the convincing air of the NFA environment by providing 24/7-reliable power for sound effects and paging.

David Ebbert of Pensacola-based Walthall & Associates designed the sound system for NFA with an uncompromising view toward realism, reliability and user control. He was brought in at the project’s earliest stages and, over the course of seven years, contributed substantially to its realization. It’s safe to say that the installation benefited for Ebbert’s input. “We initially suggested immersing students in the sounds of a real aircraft carrier,” he said. “We wanted to bring the scenario to life. Every aspect should resonate the experience of what it would be like to be on a real aircraft carrier.” Brian Smith, operating out of the Pensacola office of Pro Sound & Video, oversaw system installation. Smith added, “The NFA officials want complete control over the sound effects, and they want them to be utterly convincing. Reliability is critical. Students will be traveling to NFA from all over the country, and there’s no way to offer up a ‘raincheck’ in the event of malfunctions. So that means the NFA has to run with no system failures!”

The faux aircraft carrier is primarily comprised of a Ward Room, where meetings – complete with HD VTC – take place, together with a First Deck, Second Deck, Third Deck, and Hanger Bays, where the business of actually completing missions occurs. In general, the sound system is broken into two components, a background audio (BGA) component and a foreground audio component (1MC). The BGA is composed of multiple discreet audio tracks that are mixed and routed between full-range and very-low-frequency loudspeaker components in different zones of the facility. These sounds include the persistent rumble of the engine and the infrequent “catapult,” the loud device that launches fixed-wing aircraft off a carrier’s short runway. “All of the BGA loudspeakers and subwoofers had to be invisible,” said Ebbert. “Everyone agreed that a student should never be able to point out a BGA loudspeaker. Nevertheless, we still had to deliver even coverage.” The 1MC uses surface-mounted shipboard loudspeakers that reproduce the ship’s clock and alarms, and all announcements and pages. Together, ten Denon DN-F400 digital audio players and one Denon DN-F650R digital audio recorder/player are controlled by a Crestron AV2.

Ashly amplifiers provide power to every loudspeaker and subwoofer in the system. A single Ashly TRA-2150 powers one SoundTube CM1001d-T in-ceiling subwoofer and six SoundTube CM800i in-ceiling loudspeakers in the Ward Room. A Crestron AV2 paired with an Apple iPad wi-fi remote provide a state-of-the-art user interface. Nine Ashly ne800 amplifiers provide low-impedance power on the three decks and hanger, while six Protea-enabled Ashly PE-800 amplifiers provide power plus supplemental DSP in the same areas. Six Ashly ne800.70 amplifiers deliver 70-volt power where needed. A total of thirty-two JBL Control SB210 subwoofers and six JBL ASB6128 subwoofers deliver believable rumble and catapults. Over sixty SoundTube full-range, surface-mount loudspeakers deliver the full-range content.

“One of the huge advantages of going with these Ashly amplifiers is that they ship network-ready,” said Smith. “We set them up for IP-based control and monitoring. Faults report into the Crestron system seamlessly. Also, the installation went more smoothly with Ashly amplifiers because we could set levels from one place on the network. They integrated very nicely.” Ebbert agreed and added, “Ashly’s reputation for reliability was a critical factor. The last thing anyone needs to be doing is dealing with failed components. That said, this is the real world and things sometimes go wrong. In such rare instances, Ashly stands behind its products and makes things right with speedy, cooperative support.”

The installation needed all the help it could get. Pro Sound & Video was brought into the project after everything else was nearly complete. Therefore, they had to take extra care in pulling cables, mounting loudspeakers, and hiding subwoofers so as to maintain a transparent aesthetic. Anything that had to remain visible by necessity received a final coat of custom paint to match the ship’s appearance. “We were successful,” asserted Smith.

Today, Ebbert is designing phase two of the project with the same end in mind – to create a very realistic ship environment that is so powerful and realistic that it transports students from land to sea.”

ABOUT ASHLY AUDIO With a greater than thirty-seven year history, Ashly Audio Inc. is recognized as a world leader in the design and manufacturing of quality signal processing equipment and power amplification for use in the commercial sound contracting and professional audio markets.

www.ashly.com

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – NOVEMBER 2011: Symetrix announced that EDA Pro Group, LLC of Snellville, Georgia earned its “Fiscal Year 2011 U.S. Representative of the Year Award” for the second year in a row. EDA Pro Group represents Symetrix products in the southeastern United States and has consistently returned sales well beyond expectation.

“Symetrix makes technology that wins bids for integrators,” said EDA Pro Group President Mark Adams. “That puts us in the enviable position of providing, rather than pushing, solutions that excite our clients. In the past few years, Symetrix has been rolling out one hit after another. The simplicity and power of the Jupiter line continues to reinvent the small- to mid-size installation market, and the new open-architecture Solus line is doing the same for installations requiring more customized processing. But the biggest buzz is Symetrix ARC-WEB user interface. It allows users to control their Jupiter and Zone Mix 761 systems from their smartphones, which delivers a bid-winning combination of practicality and wow-factor.”

“We’re proud to have an impressive network of Symetrix sales rep firms around the country,” said Paul Roberts, director of sales and marketing for Symetrix. “Thus, winning our U.S. Representative of the Year Award two years in a row is a reflection of EDA Pro Group’s truly phenomenal performance. We appreciate their efforts and look forward to continued success in the coming year.”

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.

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA – NOVEMBER 2011: Grant Memorial Baptist Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba was founded by Scandinavian immigrants in 1894. In the hundred-plus years that followed, Grant Memorial grew steadily into a cornerstone of Winnipeg civic life. Today, a residence for seniors and a K-12 school (serving over 800 students) share the modest property that also includes the church’s over 1,500-seat sanctuary (1,123 Main/430 Balcony) and multi-purpose auditorium. Until recently, the school’s renown for performing arts education was a bit of an irony, as the A/V system in the auditorium that supported its public performances, as well as weekend services, did not match the caliber of the content or talent. With some brotherly advice, Grant Memorial recently celebrated, as part of a number of other capital projects, a new Danley Sound Labs-based sound reinforcement system that is now perfectly musical and intelligible.

“My understanding is that the church purchased some slightly used equipment that flooded the market at the close of the Pan American Games some years ago,” explained Dan Castor, A/V designer and consultant with Washington DC-based Momentum Systems and the brother of Tom Castor, Grant Memorial’s lead pastor. As is the case with large sporting events like the Olympics and Pan Am Games, the sponsoring manufacturers offer deep discounts on technology that is used to support the Games. A deal like that is tempting for churches especially. While the technology is often considered state-of-the-art, the cost-effectiveness often overrides whether that technology is appropriate to the specific application. In the case of Grant the system was under powered and the ‘point and shoot’ placement meant that the off-axis interference created issues, the fiberglass boxes never produced appreciable bass, and the sheer number of sources set largely volunteer sound techs up for failure. The subsequent band-aids that the church applied as components failed only made things worse.”

Grant Memorial turned to Castor as a source of unbiased, trustworthy advice. “We considered a lot of systems from a lot of manufacturers,” he said. “I like Danley’s no-nonsense approach to audio. It’s all based on the science and there’s no smoke and mirrors. Although there were other systems that would have been much better than their existing system, I felt that Danley was the right choice for three reasons. First, the budget was tight, and Danley’s efficiency makes it quite affordable. Second, Danley’s sound is transparent and musical – exactly the sort of thing that Grant Memorial so desperately needed. Finally, after watching the techs struggle with so many boxes in their existing system, I knew a Danley system would require the fewest number of loudspeakers and subs.” Castor reached out to Danley and was pleased to have the manufacturer’s help in designing the system. Danley’s Ivan Beaver executed the design and D-Lite Productions installed it.

A modest total of six Danley loudspeakers and two subwoofers now perfectly cover the space that was so imperfectly covered by several times that number previously. Three Danley SH-96s in an exploded mono array cover most of the main floor and the balconies. Below each one, a Danley SH-95 provides front fill. With those six boxes, the system already provides more authentic low end than did the previous system. Nevertheless, two beefy Danley TH-218 subwoofers flown just in front of the center SH-pair propel the low-end response into the 21st century. A modest rack of QSC PL-Series amplifiers power the boxes. A BSS London processor provides input conditioning and routing logic, and a Danley DSLP48 provides loudspeaker management.

Because both the school and the church use the room extensively – and for very different productions – they each occupy separate mix positions. The school’s mix position is on the main floor and contains a new Roland digital mixer with a digital snake. An architectural quirk prevented seats from being placed in the middle of the balcony, and the church has since made good use of it as a mix position. “Because its coverage is so even, the new Danley loudspeaker arrangement delivers a representative mix to both positions,” said Castor. “Some acoustical treatment at the rear of the church’s balcony mix position sweetened it up even further.” To allow Grant Memorial to realize the full scope of the productions it was hoping for, Castor suggested a workhorse Digidesign Profile mixing system.

Although Castor himself hasn’t yet journeyed north to experience the very recent changes at his brother’s church, all reports sent to him are glowing. “They’re very happy,” he said. “The sound has an integrity it never had before, and they’re finally realizing the production value that their efforts have always deserved.”

ABOUT DANLEY SOUND LABS Danley Sound Labs is the exclusive home of Tom Danley, one of the most innovative loudspeaker designers in the industry today and recognized worldwide as a pioneer for “outside the box” thinking in professional audio technology.

www.danleysoundlabs.com

Studio and technical design consultancy White Mark Ltd has designed and installed two new audio suites at the Soho-based facility of Award-winning post production company Wave.

Established by sound designers Warren Hamilton and Johnnie Burn, Wave has a worldwide reputation for audio excellence and a client base that reads like a who’s who of advertising and film making.

Wave’s London-based facility already has seven dubbing studios, all running Soundtracs mixing consoles and 48 track Fairlight MFX3 digital workstations. However, demand for the company’s services had left these rooms at capacity and Wave needed to expand in order to meet client requirements.

Tari Singh, Wave’s General Manager, explains: “Fortunately we were able to acquire more space on the ground floor of our existing building and this gave us the opportunity to build two new audio suites, add some new offices and expand our production area. This has been a major building project but it has all come together very well and we are delighted with the work both White Mark and their builder Oakwood have carried out on Audio Suites 8 and 9. Both rooms are equipped with new Fairlight EVO workstations and Genelec monitoring and have Nuendo sound design capability. As with our existing suites, these new rooms are linked to a central server giving them instant access to a sound library with over 500,000 sound effects.”

Wave’s relationship with White Mark goes back many years – the company designed and installed Wave’s very first audio studios when the facility opened in 1999.

“Having White Mark design our new rooms was a great chance to work with the team again,” Singh adds. “Apart from the ongoing relationship with Wave, I have know the White Mark for a number of years. When it comes to designing audio facilities, they have the experience and the knowledge. They are incredibly easy to deal with and answer any questions that arise very quickly and competently. We wanted first-rate audio suites and that is what they have delivered.”

David Bell, Managing Director of White Mark, adds: “It bears testament to our long view of facility planning that so many clients return to us when they consider further development. It is easy for designers to offer quick or cheap solutions but it has always been our aim to have long term relationships with those who trust us with their projects and it is very satisfying to find, over the years, how many reciprocate that feeling. We are very pleased to have been asked to become involved with this latest chapter in the successful development of Wave’s facilities and have enjoyed working again with everyone there, all of whom we have long regarded as friends.”

Both Audio Suites are now up and running and attracting work from Wave’s extensive client base, which includes many of the UK’s top advertising agencies and film makers.

-ends-

About White Mark:

Established in 1997 by David Bell, John Dunnill, Derek Buckingham and Alan Cundell, White Mark Ltd specialises in production facilities for music recording and the film and television industries. Over the last decade it has designed and supervised the construction of over 170 audio production suites worldwide. The company’s impressive client list encompasses some of the world’s most famous music recording facilities including Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in the UK, Hit Factory in New York (for which the company won a coveted TEC Award for Best Acoustic Design), Hit Factory/Criteria Recording Studios in Miami, Strongroom in London and private studios for producers and musicians such as William Orbit and Damon Albarn. In the area of audio post production, White Mark has completed over 100 studios for more than 40 companies in Soho alone. The list includes Grand Central, Hackenbacker, Envy, Scramble, Lipsync, Molinare, Ascent Media, Wave and Boom. This impressive achievement means that a significant proportion of mainstream British television output passes through rooms designed by White Mark.

Personal Mixers Ensure Students Graduate With Knowledge of Professional Gear

DALLAS, NOVEMBER 9, 2011—At the start of the new school year, Dallas Baptist University (DBU) opened the doors to its new Joan and Andy Horner Music Hall—built specifically to support its creative degree programs for music and engineering. The new 12,000-square-foot, $5-million multi-purpose academic building houses the disciplines of music business, communication theory, broadcast communication and graphic design communication, as well as the College of Fine Arts academic leadership program. To encourage a well-rounded educational experience for its music and engineering undergraduates, the new recording studios inside the facility have been equipped with Aviom A-16II Personal Mixers. more

Chatsworth, CA, November 10, 2011—Prominent independent music publisher/production music library Black Toast Music and its CEO/owner/founder Bob Mair have made a number of significant announcements today regarding new company activities.

Black Toast Music and Mair have announced the addition of 275 new songs and instrumentals to the Black Toast Music catalog. Among the featured new artists are:
British Electronic Pop: Geoff Pinckney
Alternative Country: Kelly Pardekooper
Indie Singer Songwriters: Jen And Them, Paul Otten, Adrian Klineberg, Brent Magstadt, Rob Ahlers
Pop/R&B: Crystal Web, DJ Unwind & Manifest
Psychedelic Rock: Endless Wave
Alternative Rock: Brian Hacksaw Williams
Latin/Cuban: Hermanos de Alma
Reggaeton Compilation (By Miami-based producer, Dennis Nieves): Joselito, South Rican, Los Trombolicos, Iman feat. MarBel, Hanzel Y Ruben, Alex Z, Maleah

In additional company news, Black Toast and Mair have launched the company’s newly streamlined, and much improved, website. To enhance the online experience of its clients, Black Toast Music’s website now offers the following new features:
** New Layout & Search: As always, the website remains simple and easy-to-use. Black Toast Music has created a powerful new search engine with “Advanced Search” capabilities to help clients quickly find exactly what they are seeking, either from their computer or mobile device.
** New Download Options: Clients now have the ability to download Black Toast Music in WAV, AIF, and MP3 (320kbps or 160kbps) formats.
** New Customizable Profile: Registered Black Toast Music clients can now customize their account password and profile. Keeping it simple, existing clients’ login information remains the same –they can sign in as they normally would.
Regarding the use of the Black Toast Music website, Michael Hill, Music Supervisor for “Nurse Jackie” and “Bored to Death,” said, “Black Toast is among a handful of music sites I can always rely upon for last minute placements. I can usually find the right, compatible music I’m looking for at Black Toast—they are competitive with anyone else out there. I know I can always count on them to deliver what I’m looking for, and Bob Mair is an easy guy to work with.”

Adds Gary Calamar, Music Supervisor for “True Blood,” “Dexter” and “House, MD,” “Black Toast is one of the music libraries that I find reliable. They are very easy to work with, they’re flexible with their fees and they have great music, much of which they create themselves. Bob Mair has a great ear for authentic-sounding music. It doesn’t sound canned—it sounds like a real band playing real music, no matter what era that music comes from. Their website is also very easy to navigate and download from. The Black Toast team knows their clients, their needs, and what they respond to.”

Finally, Mair also announced that Black Toast Music has recently placed its music within a diverse group of popular TV shows. These include “Dexter” (Season 6), “Necessary Roughness,” “Switched at Birth,” “Person of Interest” and “Raising Hope.”

ABOUT BLACK TOAST MUSIC:

Founded in l990 by noted musician/composer/producer Bob Mair, Black Toast Music is a leading independent music publisher/production music library and record label based in Chatsworth, CA. Since its launch, the company has placed music in many hundreds of television series, including such hits as “True Blood,” “Dexter,” “Treme” and “The Wire.”

Black Toast also supplies music to TV specials and TV movies; dozens of high profile motion pictures, including “Arthur,” as well as “When In Rome,” “I Love You, Phillip Morris,” “Dead Silence,” “Jiminy Glick,” and others; videogames such as “Dance Dance Revolution” for Konami; broadcast and Internet advertising campaigns, and numerous, multi-media presentations.

Black Toast Music contributed the main title theme (composed by Bob Mair and David Feldstein) for the hit Nickelodeon animated TV series “Glenn Martin, DDS” (created by Michael Eisner’s company Tornante). The series airs on Nick @ Nite.

In late 2011, Mair launched Black Toast Records as an independent record label. Black Toast Records is designed to give fans of the company’s music the means by which they can find, listen, and buy the latest releases from dozens of great indie artists and singer/songwriters whose music has been placed through Black Toast in hit TV series and movies.

For more information about Black Toast Music and Black Toast Records, please see www.blacktoastmusic.com

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DALLAS, November 9, 2011 – Outline, the maker of high quality, industry leading speaker systems for touring, installation and studio applications, is proud to announce its new Advanced Technology Audio System Initiative (ATASI) at WFX 2011 (Live Sound Compact Loudspeaker Demo – Hall D, Booth J). ATASI is centered on Outline’s advanced iMode technology, as expressed in the Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. active line array system and iSM floor monitor systems. iMode technology embeds a Linux-based CPU — with integrated DSP chip, parameter control software, Web server and power amplifier — right into the speaker cabinets, thereby streamlining setup and control by eliminating the outboard gear between the console and power amplifier. These systems combine to offer the house of worship, educational institution, theatre or other small- to medium-sized venues exceptional sound quality, streamlined operation, and space efficiency as well as AC mains and HVAC savings.
“With the advent of iMode technology, both the Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. and iSM speaker have been completely transformed from great-sounding, space-saving systems into advanced technology platforms,” says Tom Bensen, senior vice president and managing director of Outline North America. “Because of the power and control possibilities of iMode, installations like a house of worship will benefit through efficient use of system operators and engineers, the removal of side-of-stage amplifier racks and related heat- and power-draw issues, while offering the capability to shape and direct sound in any acoustic space. Outline’s ATASI has no match in the market and will deliver superior performance from installation to operation in any venue.”

The benefits of Outline’s ATASI are numerous, covering every aspect of a live sound installation. Through iMode, the audio signal, either analog or digital, travels directly to the cabinets, significantly reducing installation time and costs. As all system parameters can be addressed via any Web-enabled device, including iPad and iPad 2 through an Outline iPad app, an engineer, administrator or custodian can access system parameters from within the auditorium, an office or even from home, if necessary. An engineer can now stand on stage and tune the floor monitors by directly listening to them. The system is also tamper-proof, as everything the system needs to operate is enclosed within the speaker cabinets and is password protected.

Auditoriums present unique sonic challenges given the wide range of facilities ranging from sonically well engineered to overly bright, feedback-prone rooms. Because the Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. high-frequency section passes through Outline’s award-winning, patented COMpact Polar Adjustable Sound System integrated wave guides, this frequency spectrum can literally be aimed to cover the audience, minimizing reflections on the walls, thereby reducing feedback problems. The iSM floor monitors incorporate the patented folded wave guide with horn flare within the cabinet to provide tight and consistent control of the high frequency spectrum in both the horizontal and vertical planes, maximizing gain before feedback to help direct sound to the performer or lecturer. As the resulting audio quality is stunning, sermons, lectures and performances enjoy a high level of intelligibility, yielding better attention and retention from the audience or congregants.

“Everything about Outline’s Advanced Technology Audio System Initiative is of benefit to the end user,” continues Bensen. “With iMode, Mini-COM.P.A.S.S. and iSM, a house of worship, auditorium or theatre will have increased flexibility, ease of operation and maintenance while realizing savings on installation, reduced staff and running costs that, over time, begin to pay for the system. In this age of restricted budgets and green sensibilities, Outline’s ATASI delivers the right technology at the right time.”

About Outline
Outline S.r.l., based in Brescia, Italy, is a leading manufacturer of high quality loudspeakers of both powered and un-powered configurations. Founded in 1973, the company has a rich history in the development of high quality loudspeaker systems, test and measurement systems, and holds numerous technology patents. With offices in Italy and the USA and over 50 distributors on five continents with more than 4000 venues and users to its credit, Outline has assumed its place among the leaders in the professional audio market.