Soundfield
Takes Centerstage At World Cup
HDTV
Surround Broadcast
AES
BOOTH #1313
The
new SoundField digital DSF-2 broadcast microphone system was used
for
5.1 surround broadcasting during the recent World Cup held in Germany.
The new SoundField
Digital DSF-2 broadcast microphone system was specified by Host
Broadcast Company as the official World Cup surround sound microphone
for live global 5.1 surround HDTV broadcasting. The system also
provided simultaneous stereo audio delivery for SD (standard definition)
broadcast.
A single DSF-2
system was installed in each of the 12 stadium venues across Germany
during the four-week event and provided HDTV/SDTV audio to an estimated
viewing audience of more than 30 billion people during a total of
64 matches.
Housed in a
Rycote Windshield, the DSF-2 microphone was located centrally at
each stadium high above the crowd, and as close to the main wide-shot
camera position as each stadium would allow. The DSF-2 microphone
was situated up to 250 meters from its DSF-2 control unit, which
directly outputs the surround and stereo information digitally on
AES-75 ohm outputs. These signals were then sent down up to one
kilometer of coaxial cable enabling the OB trucks to be situated
1.25 kilometers away from the microphone if necessary.
The DSF-2 stereo
output was sent to the on-site OB truck for SD broadcast, while
the digital SoundField B-Format signals were sent to the IBC (International
Broadcast Centre) in Munich. There a SoundField SP451 surround processor
was used to decode the B-Format to 5.1 surround for HDTV broadcast.
Audio consultant to the World Cup, Robert Edwards of VSS Ltd., comments,
"We specified the DSF-2 for the World Cup because it's the
only system that fulfills our requirements for HD broadcasting -
the World Cup was our most technically challenging project to date.
A single DSF-2 system installed in each of the 12 German venues
generated both digital surround sound and stereo which was sent
simultaneously to the International Broadcast Centre in Munich for
Hi-Def transmission and also to the on-site OB vehicles. The DSF-2
microphone was positioned centrally above the crowd in each stadium
and performed flawlessly under diverse weather conditions ranging
from high temperatures, heavy rain and humidity. Another aspect
of its appeal is it's so easy to rig."
The DSF-2 broadcast
microphone system has been specifically designed to provide both
the surround and stereo soundscapes at large scale outside broadcast
events, such as the World Cup. Its advantage over alternative methods
is that the multi-channel audio it generates from a 'single point'
source is completely phase coherent. This enables the broadcaster
to collapse the surround to stereo or mono for TV and radio feeds
without loss of information, frequency imbalance or any of the other
phase problems associated with spaced microphones or 'dummy head'
arrangements with spaced capsules.
The DSF-2 outputs
stereo left/right (digital and analog), stereo M/S
(digital) and four channels of SoundField B-Format called W, X,
Y and Z
(digital) which is the surround sound information. All microphone
parameters can be remotely adjusted from the DSF-2 controller's
front panel while monitoring the results on the provided headphone
monitoring.
For more info
on SoundField
Digital DSF-2 broadcast microphone system contact Brad
Lunde at LVPA or Phone (702) 307-2700
ATC
Showcases At Blackbird
Studios And During AES
(Demo
Room #270)
Nashville's
Blackbird Studios,
recently installed a custom ATC 5.1 surround system featuring twin
15-inch 300ASLs for the left, center and right and a pair of the
single 15-inch 150ASL subwoofers all across the front wall of the
studio and delivering response below 20Hz
MSRP: $3,500/pair
Co-owned by
seasoned engineer John McBride and his country superstar wife Martina,
Blackbird Studios in Nashville offer a total of six recording and
production areas, plus several pre-production suites. All tracking
and mix areas are equipped with ATC
(Acoustic Transducer Co. UK) self-powered loudspeakers, a high-end
brand specializing in recording, mastering and live sound throughout
the world.
"My goal
has always been to offer the finest audio recording environment
on the planet" confides John McBride. "We feel that the
engineers, producers and artists are painting their individual pictures,
and we want to offer all the colors on the palette. When the time
came to outfit our newest room, Studio F, we turned once again to
ATC, whose SCM300ASL and SCM150ASL Pro systems can be found in all
our other rooms. Since this room was being designed specifically
for use by Justin Niebanks, one of our city's most successful recording
engineer/producers, we consulted with him and chose this system
together. One of the requirements of the room was to be able to
deliver a high SPL without distortion, because of the wide variety
of musical projects that come into the studio."
Having retained
studio designer Mike Cronin to build Studio F, it was during a visit
to Blackbird that ATC owner Billy Woodman and transducer/R&D
engineer Ben Lilly finalized John's idea of a custom subwoofer.
The new room is rectangular with a 750 square-foot floor control
room area within a 30 x24 x 23 foot shell. "We soon realized,"
Lilly recalls, "that to achieve the performance to 20Hz in
Blackbird's new room with high SPLs we needed to develop a custom
subwoofer system. John [McBride] already knew he wanted our twin
15 ATC 300ASLs for the front left, center and right speakers and
the single 15 version (150ASLs) for the rear surrounds. The room
also required an esthetic solution, so we came up with a custom
design that included a pair of left and right subwoofers that feature
the same baffle dimension as the 300s. They are mounted in soffits,
close to the floor, within the concrete-filled front monitor wall."
A front-wall location was chosen so that the subwoofers would be
equidistant from the mix position, in relation to the LCR mains,
and to provide some room loading, therefore increasing low-frequency
extension and efficiency.
"We looked
at vertical and horizontal arrays," Lilly continues, "but
soon realized that for reasons of limited space and symmetry, a
horizontal configuration with three 15-inch drivers arranged in
a line would be the best solution." Each 15-inch ATC SL(r)
sub driver is housed in its own individual enclosure within the
overall sub cabinet and is driven by a dedicated ATC built monoblock
amplifier rated at 650 W into eight ohms.
"That's what makes ATC so different. We have the ability to
engage personally with our customers to achieve exactly what they
need for their exact situation. The science behind loudspeakers
is inescapable, and we develop solutions that enable the customer's
goal to be reached but without compromising our acoustic design
specification."
"The new
5.1 system sounds outstanding," McBride enthuses. "We
have a very accurate, very smooth low-frequency response down below
20Hz and great accuracy up to 20K. The room sounds great and also
translates extremely well to other listening environments. Justin
has mixed a large variety of projects in this room with great success."
"The room
measures down to 16Hz!" stresses Bob Hodas of Bob Hodas Acoustic
Analysis, the firm that regularly voices Blackbird's main production
areas.
"We used a 50Hz crossover frequency to the main five-channel
ATC system and installed a Meyer CP-10 Complementary Phase Parametric
Equalizer. The pair of custom subwoofers ensures a seamless integration
with the other loudspeakers, and offer excellent phase and frequency
response at the crossover frequency. The new system provides an
effortless presentation of bass frequencies. It sounds very, very
good."
"We knew
from our own experience that the SCM300s go low, but we needed 115-120dB
levels at 20Hz," McBride recalls. "The new system delivers
that for us. Bob Hodas added very little room EQ and mixes translate
very well from the control room to the car to the house. We couldn't
be happier with the results from this new ATC system."
ATC drivers
are manufactured in-house to exacting tolerances and are legendary
for their many design innovations, such as the innovative SL magnet
system and the company's renowned Soft Dome mid-range driver, which
achieves exceptionally broad and even dispersion to produce a flat
response anywhere in the room. Situated in Aston Down in rural Gloucestershire,
England, ATC was established in London in 1974 by acoustics engineer
and musician Bill Woodman.
ATC (Acoustic Transducer Company - UK) is introducing the new ATC
passive SCM20SL loudspeakers at AES 2006 San Francisco (Demo Room
#270).
For more
info on ATC
Loudspeakers (UK) contact Brad
Lunde at LVPA or Phone (702) 307-2700
Las
Vegas Pro Audio is the direct sales division of TransAudio
Group. The goal of LasVegasProAudio.com is to provide a personal
long-term relationship with top engineers delivering insightful
and accurate advice, unique equipment and long term support.TransAudio
has quickly become the premier US importer/distributor for high-end
audio. visit the web sites at: www.lasvegasproaudio.com
TransAudio Group's
product lines include A-Designs
(USA) AEA ribbon microphones (USA), ADT
Toolkit, AEA,
ATC
Loudspeakers (UK), Brauner
microphones(Germany), Drawmer
(UK), Geoffrey
Daking & Co. (USA), Enhanced Audio (Ireland), George
Massenburg Labs (GML) (USA), Heil
Sound (USA); Mercury Audio (USA) Mission Audio (UK) Phoenix
Audio (UK), PAULY
Superscreens(Germany), SABRA
SOM(Brazil), Soundelux
(USA), SoundField
Microphones (UK), Z-Systems (USA) and Weiss
Engineering (Switzerland) and Z Systems (USA).
Congrats
to LVPA and Trans Audio Group for all four 2006 Tec Award Nominations
for The A Designs Pacifica, ATC SCM110ASL, Heil PR20 and Soundelux
E251C
Shakira
Leads Latin Grammy Noms
Shakira received six Latin Grammy nominations, including Album Of
The Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Album (both for Fijación
Oral, Vol. 1), and Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best
Short Form Music Video (all for "La Tortura," the duet
with Alejandro Sanz which broke the record for weeks at No. 1 on
the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart). Coming
in behind Shakira are Ricardo Arjona, Gustavo Cerati and Julieta
Venegas, with four noms apiece. The Puerto Rican group Calle 13
garnered three noms, including Best New Artist. There are plenty
of Spanish artists nominated this time round, including Pastora,
Joaquín Sabina, Alejandro Sanz who has a new single out shortly,
Rosario, La Oreja de Van Gogh, and Niña Pastori.
A complete list
of 7th Annual Latin Grammy Nominations can be found here.
The nominations
were announced this week at a press conference held in the Theater
@ Madison Square Garden, New York City. The Latin Grammys will air
live Nov. 2 from Madison Square on Univision.
"These
Days" It's Daking For Nashville's Neal Cappellino
Grammy
award-winning engineer, Neal Cappellino (Vince Gill & Diana
Krall) says Daking gear delivers classic Trident A Range Sound.
A busy recording
engineer around Music City USA, Neal Cappellino likes his favorite
microphone preamps to be close at hand when he's on a tracking or
overdub session. For recent projects with Vince Gill, Joan Osborne
and Mindy Smith, Cappellino has relied heavily on the latest version
of the Mic-Pre/EQ from Geoffrey
Daking & Co. The Vince Gill project (which includes a duet
with Diana Krall) will be featured on Gill's forthcoming four-CD
box set of all-new material, "These Days," due on MCA
Records in October. "These Days" was produced by engineer,
Justin Niebank and keyboard player, John Hobbs. Osborne's album,
her first for Vanguard, will be released later this year or in early
2007.
Aappellino's
discography includes engineering for Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss,
Dolly Parton, and India.Arie album projects. He also engineered
and mixed "The Company We Keep" by the Del McCoury Band,
which won the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album. Indeed,
he shares, "I do my share of bluegrass and acoustic-based music
in Nashville. The Daking Mic-Pre/EQ has a real clarity and responds
well to transients, but also offers a robust low-end so it's great
on everything from drums to mandolin to vocals. Really very versatile,
and the EQ section is responsive and musical."
An admirer of
legendary engineer and producer Ken Scott, Cappellino counts himself
among enthusiasts of the A Range sound. "I read an article
where Ken Scott talked about Trident Studios and the Trident console,
and what that meant to him in recording. What he had to say resonated
with me. It coincided with why I reach for a preamp like the Daking
- Class A, transformer-balanced, fast, high gain - that's all a
big part of it. I have been such a fan of Ken Scott's work, so it
was a moment of synchronicity."
Mr Analog
Meet Mr SSL
DAKING PLUS: THE NEXT GENERATION OF ANALOG
(AES booth #1320)
Geoff Daking
and Dave Thibodeau have created a new joint venture - DakingPlus
- that is producing the next generation of high-end recording equipment
through the application of digital control and automation to analog
tone and circuitry. DakingPlus will be initially available throughout
North America from LasVegasProAudio. The processing modules allow
true analog character to be introduced into the workstation workflow
in place of modeled representations. The initial product is the
DakingPlus EQ500, an adaptation of the famous four-band "A
Range" equalizer for which Daking is famous, that will be available
in versions to fit various manufacturers' rack-mount module frames.
Next will be a rack-mountable DakingPlus Stereo Compressor, which
will offer higher performance than the current Daking FET II mono
compressor by providing remote digital control of the analog circuitry.
Additional products, including microphone preamplifier and auxiliary
buss modules, are planned to follow.
Noted Daking,
"Dave came to me and said, 'Let's take your line of products
and computer control them.' It appears that everybody is convinced
that they have to have an SSL console for a great signal path, so
why not start building a system that bridges the gap between analog
processing and digital workstation plug-ins and offers the best
of both worlds?"
"I have
always liked Geoff's designs and his approach to audio," said
Thibodeau. "He has an excellent sense of what people want and
he is very adept at producing good equipment for low costs. Soon
after I met Geoff I remember sitting in his backyard having a barbecue
and talking about gear design and realizing that we think in similar
ways. It was quite a geek conversation. So I approached Geoff about
designing gear together and the rest is history - or, should I say,
WILL be history!"
www.lasvegasproaudio.com
is a division of TransAudio
Group and is the exclusive U.S. source for Daking
products.
LasVegasProAudio.com offers a select group of imported lines, including
ATC loudspeakers, Daking pro audio gear, and Brauner and SoundField
microphones. LVPA is dedicated to providing their customers with
a long-term partnership that delivers, not only direct pricing but
timely, accurate product information and unparalleled personal customer
service.. Visit the web sites at: www.lasvegasproaudio.com
Phone
(702) 307-2700
Founded by industry
veteran Brad Lunde, TransAudio
Group has quickly become the premier US importer/distributor
and/or US sales and marketing representative for high-end audio.
Success hinges on TransAudio providing dealers and end users with
a higher standard of product expertise and support far beyond the
norm. TransAudio Group's product lines include A-Designs
(USA) AEA ribbon microphones (USA), ADT
Toolkit, AEA,
ATC
Loudspeakers (UK), Brauner
microphones(Germany), Drawmer
(UK), Geoffrey
Daking & Co. (USA), Enhanced Audio (Ireland), George
Massenburg Labs (GML) (USA), Heil
Sound (USA); Mercury Audio (USA) Mission Audio (UK) Phoenix
Audio (UK), PAULY
Superscreens(Germany), SABRA
SOM(Brazil), Soundelux
(USA), SoundField
Microphones (UK), Z-Systems (USA) and Weiss
Engineering (Switzerland) and Z Systems (USA)
Hollywood Cat
write HC for news from your music and audio world...this month:
Prairie Sun
Studios Shows Off A Busy Summer & Cool Gear
l-r: From Sun's guitar collection,
Heavyweights Dub Champion, 16Down,
For a fair portion
of July, Prairie
Sun's Studio A was occupied by Heavyweight
Dub Champion, a mountain of both Prairie Sun and HDC gear, a
web of cables, and somewhere in the middle our good friend, master
mix engineer Oz Fritz. Hailing from Amsterdam, 16 Down came to record
at Prairie Sun for the same reasons local artists often choose the
studios - great rooms, excellent vintage gear and instruments, and
of course on-site lodging in rural Sonoma County, CA. The hard-rockers
tracked with staff engineer Jason D'Ottavio in studio B. After
a day in Studio C tracking a live drummer, Oz and the HDC gang spread
the mixes out across nearly every fader of the 80-channel SSL in
Studio A for the upcoming Heavyweight Dub Champion release "Rise
of the Champion Nation." Featuring contributions from KRS
ONE, Killah Priest, Dr. Israel and Lady K, the new record will
be available this fall.
The Kehoe Nation
was mixing "Devil's Acre Overture" with Oz Fritz manning
the SSL. The record was inspired by the Barbary Coast era of San
Francisco, and was tracked entirely on analog tape in Studios B
and C. Preceding Kehoe in Studio A was rockabilly guitar-slinger
Jinx Jones with engineer Steve Counter taking full advantage of
our brand-new Fulltone Tube Tape Echo, on the studio's Ampex 1/4"
machine, and their classic EMT plate reverbs for a truly authentic
mix.
Audrye Sessions
tracking in Studio C recently with emminent producer/engineer John
Kurzweg for VelvetHammer management. Also in Studio C in recent
weeks were Yardbird's tribute artists The Rave Ups, tracking to
16-track 2" tape with Allen Sudduth engineering. Volker Strifler
recently completed his project with some final mixes in Studio B
with staff engineer Timin Murray. Volker has also been in for further
work on the Linda Ferro project as it continues under the guidance
of producer/engineer Mark "Mooka" Rennick. Prairie Sun
has also hosted a number of metal records this summer, including
Reason One and Pandemic , each working with engineer Jason D'Ottavio,
and CMYK, with Jason engineering and Jeff Fogerty producing.
Northern Cali's
Prairie Sun proudly offers a collection of prized vintage (and some
recent model) guitars and basses. Most of these instruments are
available to artists in session. The folks at Prairie Sun have taken
great care in selecting these instruments with the help of guitar
guru Dan
Alexander, luthier Michael
Dolan, and luthier Frankie
Montuoro. Also, construction of a new Iso booth was completed
with the help of Jeff Fogerty and Gary "Doc" Shaffer.
Last but not least, Mooka reports that Prairie Sun will soon offer
an API 1604 sidecar! "All the key ingredients have already
been purchased, and are being collected for reconditioning, rebuilding,
and reassembly by Old School Audio. When the board makes its debut
at Prairie Sun it will be outfitted with eight mic preamps and eight
EQ units, with the necessary infrastructure to eventually deck it
out a full 16 channels," says owner, Rennick.
Sage &
Sound Open With A New Studio A and Manager
l-r:
Don Smith (Rolling Stones, U2), Michelle Moore, Rocco the dog, &
Producer Billy Cassis in Sage & Sound Studio A.
Legendary Engineer
Don Smith (Rolling Stones, U2) was recently in studio A at Sage
& Sound with producer Billy Cassis mixing Supernova
contestant Patrice Pikes album. When people think of Sage
& Sound Recording, it is the venerable Studio B that comes to
mind. In close proximity to Ocean Way, it has been a tracking or
overdub room for so many great artists since its inception in the
70s. More
recently, Sage & Sound owners Marc and Steffan Fantini completed
the construction of the studios new A room, and enlisted
the services of recording industry veteran Michelle Moore, who has
worked in the administration and management of several Hollywood
studios over the past 15 years. For Booking, please call Michelle
at 323.469.1527
Curb's $10
million Pledge to Northridge University
Mike Curb and Cal
State Northridge President Jolene Koester, Imagine the Arts Center
Project
Curb Records
Chairman and former California Lt. Gov. Mike
Curb has pledged $10 million to California
State University, Northridge to endow his alma mater's nationally
renowned arts college and provide a lead gift for the university's
planned regional performing arts center that also will serve as
a "learning laboratory" for students.
Curb - an award-winning
songwriter, music producer and record company owner - launched his
40-plus-year career as an 18-year-old student composing songs on
the Northridge campus. Cal State Northridge President Jolene Koester,
in announcing Curb's gift, said it is the university's largest single
cash contribution and the largest gift by a Northridge alumnus.
In recognition
of the gift, President Koester said she will ask the California
State University's Board of Trustees to rename Northridge's arts
college as the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication.
The trustees will meet September 19-20 in Long Beach. "I
was really moved when I walked through the music building where
I had launched my company," Curb recalled.
Curb was as
a freshman on the Northridge campus, working in the music building,
that Curb wrote the breakthrough song that helped launch his career
- "You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda (Go Little Honda)"
- and founded his first record company, a predecessor to Curb
Records, nation's largest and oldest independent record labels.
His Nashville, Tenn.-based company has produced more than 250 No.
1 records and launched the careers of scores of stars, including
LeAnn Rimes, Tim McGraw, Wynonna Judd, "American Idol"
finalist Kimberley Locke, Hank Williams Jr. and the Osmonds.
Curb himself
has written more than 400 songs and composed or supervised the music
for more than 50 motion picture soundtracks. Those have included
the hit "Wild Angels" staring Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra,
the Billy Jack movie "The Born Losers," the Clint Eastwood
movie "Kelly's Heroes" and its theme "Burning Bridges,"
and other films featuring Frank Sinatra, George C. Scott, Bette
Davis, Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow and Mike Myers, among others.
New TV Reality
Show Chronicles Pop/Rock Group Nemesis
Jacob & Joshua: Nemesis Rising to premiere October
2006
Logo, a
division of Viacom Inc.'s (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) MTV Networks, has
pickup of original reality series Jacob & Joshua: Nemesis
Rising, which follows Curb Records recording artists Jacob and
Joshua Miller, identical twin brothers from Montana, who make up
the pop/rock group "Nemesis."
The series,
which is currently in production and set to premiere October 16
@ 10 PM ET/PT, chronicles the twins as they attempt to make it in
the cutthroat music industry and, at the same time, come out publicly
about their sexual orientation. After uprooting themselves from
their country home in Montana to Los Angeles, the twins find themselves
at a critical crossroads professionally and personally. They need
a hit record or they face being dropped from their label. Breaking
new ground in the pop music world, the twins will be marketed as
openly gay artists necessitating their "coming out" to
their family, friends and fans.
Complementing
the series will be significant digital, wireless and online features,
including episode availability on download-to-own services and interviews,
diaries and other behind-the-scenes videos at LOGOonline.com. In
addition, the series' first episode will be made available via streaming
video at LOGOonline.com at no cost. Providing Logo's audience with
broad multi-platform content is part of MTV Networks' and Logo's
strategy to give viewers access to entertainment wherever and whenever
they want it.
The production
comes from Logo (nation's leading 24/7 channel and source of entertainment
for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender audience) and STILETTO
Television. The series isexecutive
produced by Mark C. Grove, Garry C. Kief, and Troy P. Queen of STILETTO
Television.
Six Degrees
of Jakob Dylan
Wallflowers
leader Jakob Dylan joined Columbia
Records (his fathers label) this month, and is busy recording
tracks for use on the new J.J. Abrams-produced ABC drama "Six
Degrees." Dylan's rendition of the show's theme, "Here
Comes Now," was produced by Steve Lillywhite and debuted on
Sept. 21 during the season premiere. Additional
tracks will be utilized regularly on the show; Dylan has been recording
material in Santa Monica, Calif., with such musicians as guitarist
Lyle Workman, former Soul Coughing bassist Sebastian Steinberg,
keyboardist Patrick Warren and former Gigolo Aunts drummer Fred
Eltringham.
As for the Wallflowers,
the group parted ways with longtime label Interscope last year but
has yet to announce future plans. Dylan is also in discussions with
T Bone Burnett, with whom he toured earlier this year, to reunite
in the studio, although sources say details are still being worked
out.
Love &
Davis Team Up
When Kurt Cobain
ended his life with a shotgun blast 10 years ago this April, he
left behind a musician wife with a career-making album under her
belt and a drummer without any apparent employment prospects. Courtney
Love hasn't shown much interest in her best role during the
past several years. She has pursued celebrity via supporting gigs
in tepid films (Man on the Moon, 200 Cigarettes, Trapped) and by
cavorting like a Banger sister with Winona Ryder, et al. There's
the tawdry legal battle over her late husband's legacy. The public
spitting match with producer/ex-boyfriend Jim Barber. And the continuing
drug problems--daughter Frances Bean was taken into custody after
Mom overdosed in front of her.
Now rumors have it that Love who recommended that Whitney Houston
work with her own addiction coach (Warren Boyd) has teamed up with
exec Clive Davis to revive her troubled career.
I see a reality show in the works! The legendary artist admits he
wants to overhaul his sound and I'm sure there are plenty in line
who would want to collaborate.
Sir John
Wants The Beats
"I want
to work with Pharrell , Timbaland, Snoop, Kanye, Eminem and just
see what happens," Elton
John says. "It may be a disaster, it could be fantastic,
but you don't know until you try." The 59-year-old says he
is a fan of Blackstreet's "No Diggity" and Tupac Shakur's
"California Love." "I want to bring my songs and
melodies to hip-hop beats," John says. "I love these beats,
but I have no idea how to get them."
He just released a new - his 44th - album "The Captain and
the kid" on September 18, with Matt Stills CO-producing, a
sequel to his 1975 seminal classic album 'Captain Fantastic And
The Brown Dirt Cowboy'. Along
with partner David Furnish, he's just finishing on a new film produced
by Rocket Pictures - "It's a Boy/Girl Thing", Elton has
also written songs for their planned animated movie "Gnomeo
& Juliet". And he'll doubtless celebrate his 60th birthday
with characteristic bravura when it arrives next March, but there
are too many exciting deadlines in his present and future for him
to wallow in the past. Give this man a beat!
Free Music
From Universal Rival To iTunes
The
Music Giant To Unveil Spiral Frog in Dec 06
Despite
the rising success of iTunes, an International Federation of Phonographic
Industries report shows that approximately 40 illegal downloads
exist for every legal one with consumers queuing up for peer-to-peer
networks. Late August came the announcement from the world's largest
music company, Universal Music, who has agreed to support a new
venture enabling consumers to download songs free of charge; the
scheme will rely on advertising for its revenues.
Songs of artists
like Eminem and Gwen Stefani, Elton John and Gloria Estefan, Count
Basie and Hank Williams will be available to users free of cost.
SpiralFrog
will use the Windows Media format for the service. Robin Kent, who
is SpiralFrog's chief executive and the former head of the Universal
McCann advertising agency told The New York Times, "Offering
young consumers an easy-to-use alternative to pirated music sites
will be compelling... SpiralFrog will offer those consumers a better
experience and environment than they can get from any pirate site."
It's important
to point out that it will take some 90 seconds to download a song
from SpiralFrog; 15 to 20 seconds longer than iTunes. Additionally,
there will be measures in the form of software to prevent copying
the songs or sharing them with others, and there will be the question
of device compatibility (ie: not possible to use the popular iPod).
Confirming that
it is in talks with SpiralFrog, EMI said it is experimenting with
a number of different business models and that advertisement-supported
model is one that it is certainly pioneering.
Warner Music
Group confirmed it has held discussions with the firm but did not
give out details.
At the core
of the venture is the fact that young consumers are willing to "endure
advertising as the price for their music. " Research shows
that the young-adult group is receptive to the idea as long as the
brands and products that were advertised were relevant to the audience.
SpiralFrog has
competition from Napster, the former file-sharing firm, which has
already introduced a free music service supported by advertisements.
Napster streams the songs to the users instead of allowing direct
download. Possibly, at a later date, it may allow download. Then
there is Kazaa, another digital file-sharing network, which is also
coming out with a free music download service, again supported by
advertisements.
Others in the
music download domain are retailers HMV and Virgin, which have such
services. Music television channel MTV has recently opened its online
shop Urge. Software major Microsoft too is launching its own music
store and promoting Toshiba-made Zune music players.
The new venture
known as Spiral Frog is a move away from the 99-cent per-song business
model popularized by Apple's iTunes store. Spiral Frog is set to
begin in December.
Gramercy Park
Chic
Ian
Schrager Transforms The Famed New York Hotel
Humphrey Bogart
was married here. Legendary Yankee Babe Ruth liked to drink at its
famous bar. Designed by Robert T. Lyons and built in 1925 by the
famous developer brothers Bing and Bing, the Gramercy
Park Hotel's Haute Bohemian heritage has been honored and renewed
in the transformation by Ian
Schrager.
Its 1600 square
foot/148.6 square meter Penthouse sports a mahogany wood ceiling,
an original Stanford White fireplace and mantle, carefully chosen
antiques from around the world and a series of photographs curated
by artist, Julian Schnabel. The 185 guest rooms are generously scaled
and beautifully appointed. Each is different with its own unique
layout, vivid Renaissance color palette inspired by Raphael and
distinctive collection of art and objects. The Private Roof Club
and Landscaped Garden offers a more personal and intimate version
of the lobby as a new kind of gathering place as introduced by Ian
Schrager at the Royalton Hotel in 1988
It was built on the site of flamboyant architect Stanford Whites
home, where previously the townhouse that Edith Wharton was born
in had stood. It was the headquarters for high bohemia, where artists,
writers and musicians and bonvivants rubbed elbows.
The Record
At Capitol Hill
SSL, GcPro, Advanced Audio All Chip In To Create A Temporary
Studio
Pictured
at the AWS 900 in the temporary recording studio set up in the Cannon
House Office Building Caucus Room are (l-r) producer/engineer Malcolm
Harper, Clarkson and producer/engineer Glenn Lorbecki.
The Recording
Academy®'s Producers & Engineers Wing (P&E Wing) presented
"Making The Record," a highlight of the event, to an audience
of over 200 people including members of Congress. The session, a
demonstration of the recording process including the roles of the
producer and engineer, took place in a temporary recording studio
set up in the Cannon House Office Building Caucus Room.
The studio was
constructed with the help of companies including SSL, Los Angeles-based
equipment rental firm Advanced Audio, and GC Pro, the professional
audio division of Guitar Center.
SSL (Booth #610
at AES) is recognized with four nominations at this years
TEC Awards, to be held Oct. 7 at the Hilton San Franciso for the
C300 Master Studio System; the E Signature Channel; the XLogic X-Rack;
and the LMC-1 Listen Mic Compressor Plug-In. co.
Warner Partners
With YouTube
Edgar Bronfman
Partner or
Infinger?
It
was mid September when Universal CEO, Doug Morris called YouTube
and MySpace copyright infringers of its artists music videos!
Cant build successful business model giving away free products?
Warner Music thinks you can and has partnered with the new media
darling, YouTube.
YouTube, which
hosts more than 100 million videos viewed every day, and Warner
Music, said that the deal would help Warner distribute music
videos, behind-the-scenes footage, artist interviews and original
programming. WMG will have the opportunity to authorize the use
of its content by the YouTube community. YouTube and WMG will share
revenue from advertising on both WMG music videos and user uploaded
videos that incorporate audio and audiovisual works from WMGs
catalog. Halleluliah! Happy attracting those coveted eyeballs!
Think different
WMG
isn't creating a centralized database of songs for YouTube users.
Rather, the label is giving its blessing to YouTube users who take
WMG songs they already own and feature them in videos posted to
the site. Think a wedding video with the happy couple swaying to
"Time of Your Life" by WMG act Green Day.
Then think
again
While
WMG is signing off on its master rights for recordings, two other
rights -- performance and synchronization -- are triggered by YouTube
usage. For the right to perform, or stream, the songs, YouTube already
has obtained a license from BMI. Of the other two performing rights
societies, ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers)
says it is "in sensitive negotiations" with YouTube, and
SESAC (Society of European Stage Authors and Composers) declined
comment.
BMI's blanket
license covers the right to stream all of the society's compositions
for undisclosed percentages of certain defined revenue that YouTube
generates. But until SESAC and ASCAP are onboard, YouTube technically
doesn't have the right to stream roughly half of the available songs
they represent -- sad news for our now less-happy wedding couple,
because "Time of Your Life" is an ASCAP song.
No small
task
Meanwhile,
synch licenses, or the right to synchronize the recorded composition
with a visual image, still need to be cleared with music publishers.
This means more woe for wedding videos. A company source familiar
with the situation says WMG has a framework in place between its
recorded music division and its Warner/Chappell Music publishing
unit to facilitate the sign-off of artists with all WMG deals. That
covers acts like Green Day. But WMG hit songs like "Crazy"
by Gnarls Barkley, "(When You Gonna) Give It Up to Me"
by Sean Paul and "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" by Panic!
at the Disco are not controlled by Warner/Chappell.
For the WMG/YouTube
deal to really work, the label will have to establish a standardized
rate for digital synch rights with all publishers.
Good News,
Bad News
By providing
a new distribution opportunity, we are paving the way for media
companies to harness the vast financial potential of user-generated
content on YouTube. We are thrilled that WMG had the vision to be
the first music company, in partnership with its artists, to support
the use of their content within user videos and to allow our community
to interact with WMG music in new creative ways, says Chad
Hurley, CEO and Co-Founder of YouTube.
Still, some
say that some record companies are keen to avoid repeating the mistake
they believe they made when Viacom Inc.s MTV was set up 25
years ago allowing their artists music to be aired
for free. Morris in his remarks to investors said MTV built
a multibillion-dollar company on our (music)
for virtually
nothing. We learned a hard lesson."
What about
the American soldiers who are filming amateur videos in Iraq and
posting on YouTube? This creates more competition for major networks
like CNN and Fox. I can understand the major network or label perspective
of copyright infringement but its not realistic
especially in the internet age. Legal action won't stop the basic
laws of technology advancement and free competition -- freedom from
physical force to produce for ones own profit.
Just this week
Warner Music yanked its videos from Yahoo Music according
to the Wall Street Journal. According to reports Warner became concerned
that Yahoo was not promoting its videos heavily enough. Stay tuned!
YouTube Leverages
New Technology
Build a site that is user friendly with a simple search
button, no signups, no pop-up advertisements, and a simple search
for your favorite video. One would have thought that labels would
have come up with ideas and platforms to expose artists.
Some do.
Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group, said,
Technology is changing entertainment, and Warner Music is
embracing that innovation. Consumer-empowering destinations like
YouTube have created a two-way dialogue that will transform entertainment
and media forever. As user-generated content becomes more prevalent,
this kind of partnership will allow music fans to celebrate the
music of their favorite artists, enable artists to reach consumers
in new ways, and ensure that copyright holders and artists are fairly
compensated.
Of Exit Strategies
Earlier
this year Warner Music was locked in a $4.6-billion takeover battle
with EMI, with each company trying to buy the other, but hopes of
a deal were quashed in June when a European court annulled approval
of the 2004 merger of Sony Corp.'s (6758.T: Quote, NEWS, Research)
Sony Music and Bertelsmann's (BERT.UL: Quote, Profile, Research)
BMG.
The Down Home Gospel Showcase
Grammy Award winning producer/engineer and owner of Studio D at
House of Blues Memphis Ralph
Sutton (Motley Crew, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder) is tapping
into the gospel community with a love for indigenous music. This
American Idol-styled quartet talent search will hold auditions on
Saturday, October 7, 2006 at Union Baptist Church at 102 East Brooks
Road.
Eight (8) finalists
will be selected to perform at the "Down Home Gospel Showcase"
hosted by Christie Taylor of 95.7 Hallelujah FM. The top finalist
of the showcase will win a recording session with Sutton. The Recording,
Mixing, and Mastering package is valued at $1,000.
The registration fee is $25.00 (non-refundable) and the application
deadline is September 27, 2006. For more information contact KB
Lifestyles at 901-331-9711.
Telefunken
For Vertical Horizon Man
Pictured
in his LA studio is Matt Scannell of Vertical Horizon. Photo by
David Goggin.
Matt Scannell,
songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist for Vertical Horizon, has
purchased the new Telefunken
| USA Ela M250 for the recording of the band's upcoming album.
"It's the best mic I've ever sung through, and I've sung through
original Telefunken microphones which can cost $30,000," says
Scannell. Vertical
Horizon, formed in 1992, achieved double-Platinum sales for their
major label debut, 1999's "Everything You Want." The album
spawned numerous hit singles, and was followed in 2003 with the
equally impressive "Go." Matt Scannell recently set up
his new LA recording studio, which houses a Pro Tools HD Accel system
and a treasure trove of vintage guitars and guitar amplifiers. Visit
AES Booth # 1433 www.telefunkenusa.com
or call 860.882.5919
Friday, October
6th at 8pm, Telefunken | USA hosts a listening session at
Studio Paradiso in San Francisco, CA -- located just one block from
the Moscone Center
Letters to
Editor
"Thanks for the great story on Alex Patsavas and The Chop
Shop. Alex is the best and brightest Music Sup. around, and I've
loved working with her on many projects. She's a true pro, and darn
nice gal on top of it!"
---Brady L. Benton
Vice President of Film, Television and Special Markets
Peermusic - Los Angeles
"I like
what you guys are doing, but I have a feeling some of us "indie
folks" aren't feeling quite connected to most of the topics
and the major label/major artist focus of the studio expresso newsletters.
If you guys could balance it out with some more indie producers,
engineers and bands and smaller studios doing good things, I think
it would be a real boost. Thanks for listening.
--Dylan Magierek,
President
Badman Recording Co., Portland, Oregon
Butterfly
In Yosemite photo: by the C 2006
Thank you
for writing - we will keep your ideas in mind. Keep it coming!--
studioexpresso
"They
signed me just off my freestyling. Once again, there were no contracts,
no demo, no lawyers, or any of that dumb shit. I got fucked in the
long run, but it started out well."
-- Will I
Am (speaking of his experience with Ruthless Records in an interview
with Nathan Rabin of AV club)
Manson
& Dita Von Teese
Wedding Kiss, Vogue 2006 - The bride wore purple. More photos here
including an interview
with Manson on his multi-faceted Celebritarian movement and
the forthcoming
Phantasmagoria films.
"I
want to be heard and seen this way and I can do it right here and
you guys can come here and see it." No one is going to stop
you; no one is going to stop me. That kind of freedom is rare and
worth fighting for nowadays. It has made me have a different appreciation
for the internet and what it can do." -- Marilyn Manson
Happy
Rosh Hashanah!
The
Torah refers to the day as "The Day of the Blowing of the Shofar",
and rabbinic literature and the liturgy itself describe Rosh Hashanah
as "The Day of Judgment" and "The Day of Remembrance".
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