Supersonic Wide-Range Omnidirectional Mic Goes to 100kHz

Renowned recording engineer/producer Bruce Botnick recorded the orchestral score of Tom Cruise’s “Jack Reacher” with five Sanken CO-100K microphones. As the music score mixer, he worked with a 100-piece orchestra performing the music of composer Joe Kraemer at Sony’s Barbara Streisand scoring stage.

With a 20Hz ~ 100kHz range, the Sanken CO-100K omni-directional condenser microphone is the world’s first 100kHz microphone designed specifically for professional recording. Botnick utilized a Decca Tree arrangement with three CO-100Ks and two additional Sanken mics for the Surround.

“The clarity and the musicality of these Sanken mics is astounding,” commented Botnick. “You don’t need an equalizer to enhance the high end. No need to boost the 5K, or grab the 16K on a shelf and turn it up. It’s not that they are brighter, it’s just that they extend your frequency range and give more sonic reach and clarity.”

Botnick is well known for his work with The Doors as both their engineer and then producer of their final album with Jim Morrison. Botnick also worked on The Rolling Stones’ “Let It Bleed,” and produced Eddie Money’s first two albums. Botnick had a long-running association with film composer Jerry Goldsmith as his scoring mixer. Botnick first met Goldsmith on 1979′s Star Trek: The Motion Picture and they worked together on most of Goldsmith’s film projects – numbering over 100 – from the 1980s through to Goldsmith’s death in 2004.

“The music recorded for ‘Jack Reacher’ with these Sankens worked especially well with the dialogue,” Botnick continued. “The clarity and musicality of the 100k’s gave Joe Kraemer’s score great transparency, which allowed the music to emotionally enhance the film to its fullest.”

“Jack Reacher” depicts a city thrown into chaos following a shooting that leaves five dead. What at first seems like a simple case to solve becomes complicated when the accused requests that Jack Reacher be put on the case.

Sanken’s CO-100K features very fast transients with an extremely smooth response curve, resulting in great clarity and unprecedented transparency. With the ability to capture sounds in the ultra-high frequency range, the microphone also produces very rich results in the low and mid-range of the audible frequency range.

“Jack Reacher” is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Learn more about Sanken at distributor http://www.plus24.net or phone 323.845.1171

First Edition Signed By Band for Surfrider Foundation Fundraiser

For the Beach Boy’s 50th Anniversary world tour and continuing engagements, the band has chosen the M80 dynamic microphone from TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik in the new “Woody” faux oak finish. The first 15 mics off the handmade assembly line went out on the 50th Anniversary world tour and were signed by the band to raise funds for their favorite charity, The Surfrider Foundation. Additional “Woody” mics are still on the road for continuing Beach Boys engagements.

TELEFUNKEN’s artist liaison Jason Scheuner explained, “Shortly before the tour began, I got a call from their mixer Mark Newman. He was familiar with our M80 dynamic and needed 15 right away. As luck would have it, we had just come up with the new oak finish and it just clicked as reminiscent of the surfer’s favorite old Woody stationwagons of the ’40s. We said if the band would sign them, we would donate and auction them off for their favorite charity.”

Mark Newman has been mixing the Beach Boys live for the past six years and for the first full reunion, he was called on to take care of the 50th Anniversary tour, as well. “It was a joy to work with all of them and have those voices in the mix,” he remarked. “I love the clarity of those mics, because I want the lyrics to be intelligible and I want the audience to be able to connect with the band and the message they are conveying. The M80s do it for me easily. And I love the proximity effect that requires the artist to stay on mic, giving me minimal stage bleed.”

Beach Boys fans can now get the full experience from the reunion tour in the upcoming double album from the trek. The new album, “Live – The 50th Anniversary Tour,” features 41 tracks from the tour and will be released digitally and as a 2 CD set on May 21st. The recordings were captured during the band’s worldwide reunion tour and feature Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, David Marks, and music director Jeffrey Foskett. It was Wilson’s first tour with the band in over two decades.

TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik created the M80 to give the user a superior alternative to the midrange-laden character of typical stage mics. Featuring a wider frequency response and higher SPL capabilities the M80 delivers condenser-like performance in a rugged dynamic design, producing a microphone suitable for voice, instruments or drums on both stage and in the studio.

Mixer Mark Newman added, “I’d also like to give a shout out to the team at TELEFUNKEN. Their quick response for this special request was much appreciated and their customer service is unparalleled — give a call or email and they really make things happen.”

For info about the Beach Boys’ “Live – The 50th Anniversary Tour,” visit:
http://www.thebeachboys.com

To learn about The Surfrider Foundation, dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the worlds oceans, waves and beaches: http://www.surfrider.org

About TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik
TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik produces a comprehensive line of fine microphones, ranging from meticulously engineered replicas of historic vintage microphones handcrafted in the USA, to the R-F-T series of microphones that take advantage of the globalization of technology, as well as innovative dynamic microphones for live and studio performance.

To learn more about TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik, visit: http://www.t-funk.com

X Factor Finalist In Session at Bernie Grundman Mastering

Pop star and X Factor finalist ViNO ALaN has mastered his new single “My Summer” at Bernie Grundman Mastering. The artist was joined by his co-writer/co-producer Will Champlin, recording engineer Adam Berg, and mastering engineer Paul Grundman.

A musical prodigy at the age of seven in his hometown of St. Louis, ViNO ALaN was proficient as a child on drums, piano, saxophone, harmonica and numerous other instruments. After arriving in Los Angeles in 2004, he met Bob Marlette, a producer and fellow musician who helped guide his career and encouraged him to audition for The X Factor reality show, where he found a new audience and attracted world wide legions of Twitter and social media followers.

Mentored by renowned producer LA Reid, ViNO ALaN remains on the musical forefront with his distinctive voice and innovative songwriting, clearly heard in his new single, “My Summer,” from the debut album, “Painting Sunshine.”

“My Summer” is currently available for preview and download at:
http://www.vinoalan.com

Worldwide release on iTunes and popular digital outlets is May, 21, 2013.

For more information about Bernie Grundman Mastering,
visit: http://www.bgmastering.com

Bill Putnam, Jr. and Fab Dupont Introduce Flagship Audio Interface

Universal Audio’s flagship 24-bit / 192 kHz audio interface Apollo 16 made its West Coast premiere at VKLA, Vintage King Audio’s new Los Angeles product showroom and studios. On hand for an in-depth look at the Apollo 16 were UA Founder and CEO, Bill Putnam, Jr. and producer/engineer and educator Fabrice “Fab” Dupont.

A lively presentation included an interview with Putnam by Dupont, with anecdotes such as boyhood memories of Bill Putnam, Sr. teaching his son how to build radios and other electronic gear on Sunday mornings. In a simultaneous live Internet broadcast, UA was profiled and the new Apollo 16 was put through its paces in multiple session file breakdowns and even a live bass performance by rocker Laena Geronimo.

“This was one of the best events we’ve ever hosted,” commented Vintage King’s Director of Partner Marketing & PR, Shevy Shovlin. “Everything from the presentation to the attendance was incredible. Universal Audio’s Apollo 16 is sure to be a great success.”

Apollo 16 is Universal Audio’s new 24-bit / 192 kHz audio interface, delivering world-class conversion with 16 x 16 analog I/O – twice the analog connectivity of the original Apollo model. An uncompromising FireWire/Thunderbolt-ready interface combines superior sound with powerful onboard UAD-2 QUAD processing. Recording engineers can track audio in real time through classic UAD analog emulation plug-ins, on both Mac and Windows 7.

Building upon decades of UA’s analog design heritage, the flagship Apollo 16 offers extremely high-resolution conversion – with the lowest THD and highest dynamic range in its class. While Apollo’s “natural” sound is open and transparent, it can quickly deliver a range of classic analog tones from Ampex, Lexicon, Neve, and more with onboard UAD-2 plug-in processing. Apollo offers compatibility with Intel’s breakthrough Thunderbolt technology, as found on the newest iMacs, MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs.

Founded in 1958 by M.T. “Bill” Putnam Sr., the Universal Audio name and company have been synonymous with innovative recording products for more than 50 years. A favorite engineer of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles and more, the late Bill Putnam Sr. was a passionate innovator who is widely regarding as the father of modern recording – with many of his legendary studio and equipment designs still in use today.

Specifically, Putnam was the inventor of the modern recording console, the multi-band audio equalizer, and the vocal booth, and he was the first engineer to use artificial reverberation in commercial recording. Universal Audio Inc. was re-founded in 1999 by Bill’s sons, James Putnam and Bill Putnam Jr., with two main goals: to faithfully reproduce classic analog recording equipment in the tradition of their father; and to design new digital recording tools with the sound and spirit of vintage analog technology.

Fabrice Dupont, better known as Fab Dupont, is a Canadian Mixing Engineer, Record Producer, and Educator. As an engineer and producer, Dupont uses a hybrid of both analog and digital technology to create records for artists such as Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bebel Gilberto, and Freshlyground. Fab is owner of Flux Studios in New York City as well as co-owner of Puremix.net, an educational website for production and recording techniques.

To set up a demo of the new Universal Audio Apollo 16, visit:
http://vintageking.com/vkla

ABOUT VINTAGE KING AUDIO
Vintage King Audio is a leader in professional audio sales, studio consulting, and comprehensive gear servicing. No matter the scope of a client’s needs or goals – from selecting a new microphone to designing a studio from the ground up – Vintage King distinguishes itself with standard-setting customer service, which begins with the company’s knowledgeable, industry-experienced staff. For more information, visit: http://www.vintageking.com/about-us

Creative Workspaces Feature Designs by Pilchner and Van Haaff

Hit record producer/engineer Tony Maserati (Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Jason Mraz) is teaming up with LA’s hip Bedrock.LA studios in an ambitious strategic partnership with the Standard Oil Investment Group. Bedrock.LA is well-established as the rehearsal center for local and touring musicians throughout the creative Echo Park/Silverlake music community. Maserati, looking for expanded facilities for his Mirrorball Entertainment production group, is relocating to the new Bedrock.LA music center designed for the creative community of LA songwriters, producers and composers.

Multiple Grammy-winner Maserati explained, “I’ve looked all over LA for a place to take my team to the next level — the potential for this project is like no other. The aim is to pioneer a new music environment, a center for production, technology and media, creating a synergistic powerhouse.”

Located a block from the legendary Park Plaza hotel, the 50,000 square foot building owned by The Standard Oil Investment Group already includes fashion designers, filmmakers, software developers and equipment manufacturers. Focused on modern music production studios, the building will combine the modular multi-purpose studio designs of Martin Pilchner (Pilchner-Schoustal) with the innovative vision of designer Vincent Van Haaff. The new venture will house the first campus of acoustically accurate and identical Pilchner rooms within a large multi-floor facility for music production, as well as a variety of site-specific designs by van Haaff.

“Bedrock.LA is a thriving creative hub for developing and established artists,” remarked Marc Bohbot, CEO of Standard Oil. “It means a great deal to for us to develop this ambitious real estate development with Bedrock and Tony.”

KamranV, co-founder of Bedrock’s thriving creative hub, added, “Teams lead by folks like Tony and his Mirrorball Entertainment partners reflect a new workflow in music. This new space is made for the innovators who are re-shaping the music industry.”

At its core, the facility operates around a future-thinking philosophy towards music making. “My colleagues and I have watched the evolution of the music industry over the years,” says Maserati. “This is a really exciting time for music, and we are focused on the latest momentum in music production and delivery to the market.”

Learn more about Bedrock.LA: http://Bedrock.LA
Learn more about Tony Maserati: http://mirrorballentertainment.com/
Learn more about Standard Oil Investments: http://www.thestandardoil.com/

Contact: http://Bedrock.LA/contact

Jon Ginoli Reads “Deflowered” with Engineer Willie Samuels

Pansy Division founder Jon Ginoli has recorded the Audible.com version of his memoir “Deflowered — My Life in the Pansy Division.” Formed in 1991, the band was the prototypical SF gay punk band and has shared the rock stage with such acts as Rancid, The Vandals, Jimmy Eat World, Supergrass, and Green Day.

“It was great coming to Studio Trilogy to record the audio book version of my memoir,” remarked Jon Ginoli. “It was especially nice because my engineer was Willie Samuels, who recorded Pansy Division’s most recent album a few years back. We had a fun time in the studio, hooray! There may be 5 million people in the Bay Area, but it’s nice how paths can unexpectedly converge.”

Pansy Division’s sound was heavily influenced by 1960s pop and 1970s punk rock, most notably bands such as the Ramones, the Buzzcocks and early Beatles: short, catchy pop punk numbers with humorous, in-your-face lyrics that dealt with various aspects of both gay life and life in general.

In 2008, the band was the subject of a documentary film entitled “Pansy Division: Life in a Gay Rock Band,” directed by Michael Carmona. The film has been touring internationally, playing at various LGBT film festivals, and is now available as a DVD.

ABOUT STUDIO TRILOGY
Located in the creative heart of San Francisco, Studio Trilogy offers producers, artists and engineers a World Class recording environment. The 8800 square foot facility houses three state-of-the-art control rooms, four integrated isolation booths, San Francisco’s most versatile large tracking rooms, and an experienced staff.

Designed by John Storyk , Studio Trilogy features Northern California’s only 80-channel SSL 9000K mix console with Ultimation. The tracking suite is outfitted with a 32-channel API 1608 and the post-production suite features a Digidesign ICON D-Control. Included is a prize collection of microphones, plus a full complement of vintage and modern instruments. An onsite 1200 sq.ft. luxury apartment with media lounge and chef’s kitchen is also available.

Learn more at: http://www.studiotrilogy.com

“Producers and Composers Sessions” Featuring New twotwo Speakers

For the fourth year in a row, every day during the ASCAP 2013 “We Create Music Expo”, The Professional Monitor Company (PMC) & Vintage King Audio entertained and educated the ASCAP audience with a star roster of music producers, songwriters, composers and engineers. Industry leaders in pop, rock, indie, urban, hip-hop and metal music shared their knowledge and experience with indepth Q&As.

Presenters included multi Award-winning producers/engineers Tony Maserati & Outfit 27 (Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Jason Mraz) , Deezle (Lil’Wayne, Outkast, DMX), movie score composer Geoff Zanelli (The Lone Ranger, Pacific, Into the West) , songwriters/producers KoOol Kojak (Nicky Minaj,Ke$ha, One Direction) and Scott Spock (Rihanna, Timbaland, David Bowie), mastering engineer Maor Appelbaum (as Sepultura, Yngwie, Malmsteen) and special guests. In addition to scheduled sessions, there were ongoing demonstrations of the new PMC twotwo(tm) near field monitors, presented by Vintage King.

From PMC, the producer of true reference loudspeaker monitors, the all-new twotwo series combines PMC’s world-class design pedigree with sophisticated digital signal processing and active amplification to create a range of stunningly accurate, versatile, and compact two-way reference grade monitors.

The range comprises of three models – the twotwo.5, twotwo.6 and twotwo.8, all designed and built in Britain using state-of-the-art technologies and components. The result is an unrivalled level of clarity, transparency and accuracy for professional compact monitors. twotwo series models all share the same core design and features – the model number refers only to the approximate size (in inches) of the bass driver, with larger numbers denoting increasing cabinet volume, greater bass extension and higher SPL capabilities.

To set up a demo of the PMC twotwo Series please visit:
http://vintageking.com/vkla

ABOUT VINTAGE KING AUDIO
Vintage King Audio is a leader in professional audio sales, studio consulting, and comprehensive gear servicing. No matter the scope of a client’s needs or goals – from selecting a new microphone to designing a studio from the ground up – Vintage King distinguishes itself with standard-setting customer service, which begins with the company’s knowledgeable, industry-experienced staff. For more information, visit: http://www.vintageking.com/about-us.

San Francisco Rockers Cut Rootsy New Album

San Francisco’s Coo Coo Birds have cut their new album, “Mexican Cowboys,” at Ardent Studios in Memphis with recording engineer Adam Hill. Known for their colorful rock ‘n’ roll attitude and an era-spanning sound drawing from garage, psychedelic, and 50_s rock, the Birds came to Tennessee to record with Hill, known for his work with The White Stripes and others at the venerable studio.

“Chuck Gonzales had run into Adam,” explained fellow Coo Coo, Ryan Zweng. “We love his rootsy, raw sound and coming to Memphis brought us to the heart of Americana music. Elvis, Johnny Cash, and one of our favorite groups, Big Star came from Ardent. It was great hanging out with their former drummer Jody Stephens, who is the general manager at Ardent.”

Previous recordings by the Birds include “Don’t Bring Your Boyfriends” and “Psychedelic Warriors.” The new album was funded by the band with a Kickstarter campaign while touring and playing festivals like SXSW.

“This new album has a more robust drum sound and is definitely tighter all around,” continued Ryan Zweng. “Our earlier work had more of a garage band sound — this is a more cleaned up approach, but still has a lot of guts and is a good progression for us. We have a strong beat and an attitude in the lyrics and a playing style that speaks to the audience in a freeing way. We’re a little controversial but definitely uplifting, not self-loathing like a lot of the music these days.”

The band tours together with a posse of 12 Bohemian rock and rollers and partied at Ardent when the work was done. “We brought a keg into the atrium,” added Zweng, “and our ladies fixed up some sandwiches for everyone at the studio. What a great atmosphere here at Ardent, and they treated us great, like ragged royalty.”

See the Coo Coo birds at Ardent in this YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1az6pjo5xI

For information about Ardent Studios, visit:
http://www.ardentstudios.com

Popular Composer/Arranger/Conductor Sets Up Composition Suite

Popular Hollywood composer, arranger, and conductor Chris Walden has taken up residence in Ocean Way’s new Studio C production suite. Walden, who has worked often in Ocean Way’s big Studio’s A and B tracking/mixing rooms is now at work in the new adjacent writing room.

“The advantage of having my own writing room here at Ocean Way is that when I am done with the writing, the recordings can be done right here, as well,” explained Walden. “When the musicians arrive, I can just walk across the hall to conduct the big bands or orchestras.”

Walden previously worked at Ocean Way on such projects as the Paul Anka Christmas album “Songs of December”, which was recorded by Al Schmitt in Studio A, and for the NBC series, “The Playboy Club”, produced by Richard Marx in Studio B.

“I won’t be doing much recording or mixing in Studio C,” added Walden, “but I do have a little Pro Tools HD rig to maybe record a single instrument, listen to a rough mix, or do some editing. I have Finale notation software, which is like pencil and paper for me, and my Yamaha KX-88 is an old master keyboard, but the action feels really nice, like a real piano.”

“We couldn’t have a better client to launch Studio C, the first of a number of our planned production suites,” remarked studio manager Robin Goodchild. “And with our new affiliation with the film/TV Sunset Gower Studios next door, it makes for an even better creative fit.”

Walden is a four-time Grammy nominee, has scored more than 40 feature and TV films, and has written more than a thousand orchestral and big band arrangements for artists including Christina Aguilera, Michael Bublé, Faith Hill, Aretha Franklin, David Foster, Paul Anka, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Christopher Cross, and for orchestras like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Pops, among many more. He has orchestrated for Barbra Streisand, Diana Krall, and Natalie Cole.

Walden’s recent film credits include the feature film “Monster Mutt”, TV movies “Alien Siege”, “Crimson Force”, Gene Wilder’s “The Lady in Question”, and the CBS mini series “Blonde”. Since 2007 Walden has also been a principal arranger for “American Idol” and now works as arranger for “The tonight Show with Jay Leno”. He has been musical director on many TV shows and series, and has worked on more than 100 CDs. As an arranger and bandleader he has worked with jazz artists including Michael Brecker, Peter Erskine, Ernie Watts, Tierney Sutton, Bobby Shew, Pete Christlieb, amongst others.

For more info about Chris Walden, visit:
http://www.chriswalden.com

For information about Ocean Way, visit:
http://www.oceanwayrecording.com
Contact Robin Goodchild for all booking requests.
Email: rob@oceanwayrecording.com or call 323-467-9375.

Matt Berninger Employs U-47 For His Visceral Vocals

Top indie band The National has completed their sixth studio album, “Trouble Will find Me.” Lead singer and founder Matt Berninger picked a new U-47 large diaphragm tube microphone from TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik for his self-described “immediate and visceral” vocals.

“The vocals are key to the maximum impact of our music,” remarked Berninger. “And we couldn’t be more impressed with the new U-47 from TELEFUNKEN. It delivers depth, warmth, clarity and a pure sound that is inspiring to record with.”

The new album follows 2010′s critical and commercial success “High Violet.” Berninger says “Trouble Will Find Me” has a directness, a coherency, and an intimacy that comes from the band’s deep belief in the new material.

Watch a music video of “Demons” from the new album at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N527oBKIPMc

In advance of the album release, the documentary “Mistaken For Strangers” will premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival in NYC as the festival opener on April 17. The film, directed by Tom Berninger, follows The National on its biggest tour to date. Newbie roadie Tom (lead singer Matt Berninger’s younger brother) appears as a heavy metal and horror movie enthusiast, while his moonlighting as an irreverent documentarian creates drama on the road. The film is a look at two very different brothers and a story of their artistic aspirations.

The National was formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1999, and is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. The band’s lyrics, which have been described as dark and melancholy are written and sung by Matt Berninger, a baritone. The rest of the band is composed of two pairs of brothers: twins Aaron (guitar and keyboard) and Bryce Dessner (guitar) and Scott (bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums).

The band’s first album was the eponymous “The National” (2001), followed by “Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers” (2003), “Cheer Tree” (EP, 2004), “Alligator” (2005), “Boxer” (2007), “Dark Was the Night” (2009), and “High Violet” (2010). They have also recorded songs for “Game of Thrones” and Boardwalk Empire,” among others.

“Trouble Will find Me” will be released May 21 on 4AD Records.
Learn more about The National at their website: http://www.americanmary.com/

Since its original development in 1946, the TELEFUNKEN U 47 has been the microphone of choice for generations of recording professionals. The first condenser microphone to offer selectable polar patterns (cardioid and omni), the U47 brought a new level of fidelity to the audio world, and is still considered to be one of the finest microphones ever produced. The new U47 from TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik, houses a new BV8 output transformer and new VF-14k vacuum tube, a “plug and play” replacement for the rare VF-14M tubes found in the original.

About TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik
TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik produces a comprehensive line of fine microphones, ranging from meticulously engineered replicas of historic vintage microphones handcrafted in the USA, to the R-F-T series of microphones that take advantage of the globalization of technology, as well as innovative dynamic microphones for live and studio performance.

To learn more about TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik, visit: http://www.t-funk.com