Sonnox Oxford SuprEsser Review By Jason Goldstein

Unfortunately, poorly recorded vocals and instruments are all too commonplace, given today’s do-it yourself production mentality. Poor microphone choice and placement, over-compression, and room noise can wreak havoc on the quality of a recording. The job of cleaning up after a bad recording can be very tedious.

Enter the SuprEsser from Sonnox: a plug-in aimed at making the modern day mix engineer’s janitorial duties, an easier one.

TECHNICAL STUFF

The SuprEsser is a native only plug-in, that comes in RTAS, AU, and VST formats and is available for both the Mac and PC. It comes in three flavors, each adding a higher degree of resolution but at the cost of higher latency. Anywhere from 500 to an astounding 12,000 samples of delay! Soooo, unless you like doing lots of math, this plug-in should be reserved for use only on systems capable of ADC (automatic delay compensation).

WHAT IT IS/WHAT IT DOES

In a nutshell, the SuprEsser is a very sophisticated frequency specific compressor, which allows the user to target only those areas of the audio spectrum where a problem is occurring. This means it can be used as a de-esser, de-popper, or when used in wide band mode, as a more traditional, all-purpose compressor.

THE INTERFACE

In a word, awesome! Although the GUI has a lot going on and may seem confusing at first, in reality it is actually very easy and intuitive to use (there’s even an “easy“ view which simplifies the interface, leaving only the most basic and useful features visible).

The target frequency, threshold and amount of compression are represented both numerically, and visually on an FFT display, making the process of identifying and eliminating unwanted artifacts both quick and simple. Unlike your average de-esser, you will also find controls for attack and release as well as an auto function, which allows the amount of gain reduction to remain consistent regardless of the input level.

As if that weren’t enough you can also choose from two types of “listen” modes. One, called “inside” which is the standard mode found on most de-essers as well as an “outside” mode which allows you to hear which frequencies are NOT being affected by the processing.

SuprEsser IN USE

I was able to test drive the SuprEsser on both Pro Tools native and TDM systems as well as Logic Pro running on my laptop. As a straightforward de-esser, this one ranks among the best I have used. Dialing in just the right amount of compression was quick and easy and there was no dulling of the sound that one normally finds with this type of processor. Plosives, or pops, as they are also called, were also handled with ease.

One of the cooler uses that I have found for a de-esser is for removing unwanted hi hat leakage from snares and toms. I find it sounds much more natural than trying to using a noise gate, which tends to cut off the attack of the drum.

The SuprEsser excelled in this application as well. Being able to vary the attack and release of the compressor and not just the frequency and threshold meant I was able to remove just the right amount of hi-hat without overly affecting the sound of the snare.

Another cool feature found on the SuprEsser is the ability to mix the amount of wet and dry signals being sent to the output. This is similar to parallel compression, allowing you to apply drastic amount of gain reduction to a signal and then blending to taste.

CONCLUSION

The only drawback I could find with this plugin was the aforementioned processing delay. Other than that, the SuprEsser is a veritable Swiss army knife of compression and a welcome addition to my plugin folder.

For more information and to purchase the Sonnox SuprEsser, visit: www.sonnoxplugins.com/supresser.

Jason Goldstein is a NYC-based Grammy-winning mix engineer who’s worked with Beyonce, Jay-Z, The Roots, Ludacris, Jill Scott, R. Kelly, Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blige and more. For more on Goldstein and to get in touch, visit www.jasongoldsteinmixer.com.

Avatar Opens New Studio W

HELL’S KITCHEN, MANHATTAN: Avatar Studios announced that it has opened Studio W, a new 160 sq. ft. Pro Tools/Logic writing room. Acoustically designed by renowned Avatar engineer/mixer/producer Roy Hendrickson (Avatar Studio E, Studio G), the second floor studio was launched to provide an inexpensive but functional room for songwriters/artists to work out song ideas.

Studio W gives users access to the long list of vintage analog gear available at Avatar, and is also equipped with an adjacent vocal booth to make writing, pre-production and vocal overdubs all possible.

“Technically, Studio W has everything you need to write and produce songs at a very high level,” says Tino Passante, General Manager of Avatar Studios. “Aside from the standard Pro Tools, Logic, and Digital Performer DAW’s, there is a nice array of very powerful standalone keyboard workstations from Korg, Yamaha, and Roland.

“But it turns out the strongest feature of the room is the room itself! Anyone can buy a bunch of software and an interface and get to work, but not everyone has the privilege of working in a sonically accurate acoustic environment with proper isolation and treatment. Besides providing a properly acoustically designed professional studio, we took great pains to make sure the vocal chain was of really high quality.”

With the addition of Studio W, Avatar takes advantage of its ability – increasingly unique in NYC due to it’s size and multi-floor layout — to provide clients with “all under one roof” services. “Now there’s no reason to ever leave Avatar,” Passante explains. “You can come here from the ‘idea’ stage and take it right up to mastering with Fred Kevorkian.”

– David Weiss

NYC Hip-Hop’s Next Wave: Brooklyn’s DotDaGenius on Kid Cudi, HeadBanga Muzik, and Genre-Bending Production

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN: New York City hip-hop is no longer dominated by the mixtape artist / major label dichotomy. Flourishing in that space between the artist selling tapes out of his trunk and the international corporate superstar are rising multi-hyphenate artists like Brooklyn native DotDaGenius.

A classically trained pianist and obsessive beat-maker with a thirst for new sounds, Dot personifies the industry-wide shift away from the traditional label model. While most well known for his imaginative production on Kid Cudi’s “Day ‘N’ Nite,” to confine Dot to a label such as ‘producer’ would be to severely undermine his impact.

Ranging from television scoring on hit series such as HBO’s Entourage or MTV programming, to the creation of his own label and production company, HeadBanga Muzik, Dot has been able to take advantage of these recent changes. “I feel like the business model is changing in the music industry period,” Dot stated in a recent interview at The Brewery Studio in Williamsburg. “A lot of people won’t really need to go through a major label to do certain things anymore. People can do it by themselves, maybe not on a level that a major label can, but eventually, it’s going to get to that level.”

When an artist walks into The Brewery — the full-service studio Dot owns with engineer/producer Andrew Krivonos, and HeadBanga HQ — the environment is collaborative and consistent as far as production talent and support. The goal is to create the most effective environment in which artists will thrive.

Dot’s partnership with Kid Cudi serves as the consummate example of how a consistent relationship helps breed success. Instead of sending out demo tracks to low-level A&Rs and trying to hustle together some local momentum, Dot and Cudi worked together in Dot’s home studio while he attended NYU Polytechnic.

Rather than distribute the track to some label (whereat an executive might assign producers to craft more ‘hit’ tracks) in hopes of eventually receiving a release date for physical album sales, Dot and Headbanga provide a more updated approach. In the case of Cudi and “Day ‘N’ Nite,” after two years spent perfecting the track, the two worked together to share their vision online, through Myspace and other social media outlets, allowing the music to speak for itself.

“The internet plays a huge part,” Dot allows. “Literally, without anybody behind us pushing the music, we were putting songs up on Myspace and getting immediate feedback from people all over the world.”

It’s this multi-dimensional approach that Dot sees as the future of the industry: “I feel like, creatively everybody has their direction, and once a couple people create a synergy together where they are in sync creatively, that’s where the best music is made.”

INTER-NETWORKING & TALENT SCOUTING

With the rise of the internet age, artists and producers like Dot, Cudi, Freddie Gibbs, and Drake have been able to utilize online resources to their advantage, pushing their newest work on Myspace and genre-specific blogs in 2DopeBoyz and NahRight.

As Dot explains: “It’s going to get to that point where just through the internet and networking online, you can set up opportunities to tour and link up with other established artists.”

As a result of his web networking, Dot has been able to expand his artist and producer rolodex: “I linked up with [producer] Benny Blanco, he reached out over the internet. I linked up with the Clipse in Hawaii. Even with producers, on a day to day basis I get hit up by producers that, say, ‘Oh you inspired my music, can you check me out?’”

From a business standpoint, this attention to personal relationships is a stark contrast from the model that some major labels have followed, where producers are often chosen for efficiency or name-recognition over quality. Rather than purchase contracts of established artists with an already developed sound, HeadBanga is looking to the greater community for young, raw talent.

Between local showcases and quality internet mixtape artists, Dot and his crew are constantly on the lookout for potential: “I have an A&R team, we’re fully stacked like most labels have, but we’re young. We’re looking for whatever we like, not so much the industry standard.”

GENIUS LOVES COMPANY: HEADBANGA & BLURRING GENRES AND PRODUCTION STYLES

Dot sees HeadBanga’s defining characteristic in its versatility, from both a sonic and business standpoint — serving as more than just a production studio or hip-hop record label. Stocked with photographers, directors, and a public relations team, HeadBanga is essentially able to handle any need relative to entertainment, beyond music production and scoring.

“We are also a media company: we do film, photography, event marketing and promotions,” he points out. “It just doesn’t stop at the music; we’re definitely trying to take over most aspects regarding the entertainment industry. I feel like we need that in order to be the entity that stands out from everybody else.”

Dot also brings this versatility to his sound production, exhibited in the minimal-electro production on “Day ‘N’ Nite.”

Asked about this sound, Dot relays: “If you listen to Cudi’s album, it’s definitely not like most hip-hop albums; I think it’s more musical. Being classically trained, and having the knowledge of theory and music contributes to it. The other producers that we work with all have their different levels of musical knowledge that blend, and there’s no area [of music] that’s not covered.”

Arranging music that lends itself to other genres has quickly become the trend in hip-hop, with rappers like Kid Cudi and Kanye West, as well as hybrid DJs like A-Trak blurring the lines between hip-hop and other genres, especially electronic music. Dot’s ability to produce an eclectic sound can be equally attributed to his classical training as well as the use of feedback mechanisms.

As evidenced by his approach with Cudi, the expanding social media market is an extremely useful tool in reaching out to large, young audiences, many of whom are willing critics: “People from Paris, people from Germany just responding [on Myspace] saying, ‘I really like your song, is there anywhere I can download it?’ That immediately told us that were on to something.”

Due in large part to his willingness to look to the internet for commentary and inspiration, Dot developed “Day ‘N’ Nite” into a track that can be appreciated by fans of all types of music, from all over the world. The amount of international remixes of “Day ‘N’ Nite”, spanning a number of genres, is ultimately what propelled it to its chart-topping position. This merging of genres has resulted in an influx of new sounds, with hip-hop at the forefront of the experimentation.

As a result, the other members of the Headbanga staff also infuse myriad styles into their work, making it difficult to define a distinctive feature in their sound, other than simply its quality.

“I pride myself and my team on being able to tackle all genres, not just hip-hop,” Dot shares. “Most people would just expect me to come out with a hip-hop artist or an R&B artist, but honestly if I come across a good alternative group or rock group, I‘m with it, because I appreciate all that music and it’s definitely something I want to tackle more of.”

Dot’s business partner, Brewery co-owner Andrew Krivonos, voiced a similar sentiment about their ability to diversify the sound of their work, which ranges from rappers like JoJo Pelligrino and Raekwon, to pop singer/songwriter Brian Hong and Latin band Junior Rivera: “We are all kind of young dudes who are very much in it, so we are able to service a broad range of needs. That’s why I think we get so much variety in our clientele.” This unique ability to cloud the lines between genres has been a huge factor in both the Headbanga group and Dot’s personal success.

With his current work on the upcoming Kid Cudi sophomore album, Man on the Moon: The Legend of Mr. Rager (tentatively due out October 26), Dot has yet again found a way to work with an artist on developing a new sound, rather than settling for the status quo:

“The album is different from Man on the Moon, the music is really going to speak for itself. I feel like Cudi has really stepped it up himself; as an MC, he’s always working, always trying to make something better. When you have somebody who doesn’t settle for ‘let’s just rock with this,’ it’s better for the music. The process is tedious, sometimes it can get a little hectic, but it’s always rewarding when the music comes out, and the music is sounding great.”

From his first hit with “Day ‘N’ Nite” to his scoring for television and advertising to the upcoming Kid Cudi follow-up release, we can continue to look forward to the one constant in Dot’s work: unique and quality sound production.

“I pride myself in trying to diversify,” he explains. “If I have a beat CD with ten tracks, I want somebody to listen to it and think all ten tracks came from somebody different, but with the same quality. I think with the influences of New York and the other genres of music, I’m just trying to implement it and make it my own.”

– Alex Edelstein

The Next Era of Pro Tools: Avid Unveils New Pro Tools HD Series Interfaces and HEAT Software

Avid announced today that it has introduced a new series of hardware and software solutions for Pro Tools|HD. In addition to changing the way Pro Tools|HD users work with their systems, the company is hopeful that these new tools — HD I/O, HD OMNI, HD MADI, and HEAT (Harmonically Enhanced Algorithm Technology) — can help usher in a new era of how users look at the audio side of Avid.

On the hardware side are three new Pro Tools|HD Series interfaces, all of which have been designed to attain a serious upgrade in A-D and D-A conversion quality. According to Avid, the HD I/O, HD OMNI and HD MADI Pro Tools|HD interfaces will enable users to achieve extremely high quality audio via digital audio conversion quality improvements, realize a variety of new configuration options, and experience increased support for open digital standards like the MADI protocol. Features of the new interfaces include advances in design, filtering and clocking and flexible digital I/O connectivity, supporting a variety of formats.

There is also a new soft-knee analog limiter called Curv in the HD OMNI and HD I/O systems, which is intended to cut the time users spend re-recording and editing by tracking hotter signals when recording, preventing distortion when overloading inputs.

HARDWARE DEBUT: HD I/O, HD OMNI, HD MADI

Starting with the HD I/O, Avid is offering its Pro Tools|HD users a system intended to give users highest-quality audio record and playback, with the option of three space-saving configurations — 16×16 analog, 16×16 digital and 8x8x8 analog and digital — in a 2 RU rack mountable interface. Pricing for the system begins at $3,995.

“The HD I/O is a product that’s customer-driven,” says Tony Cariddi, segment marketing manager for Avid audio. “A top concern across the board for independent professionals is sound quality and fidelity, and a big request was for a unit to do 16 I/O, symmetrically.

“The HD I/O does both of those. It will exceed customer expectations for sound quality — we’ve seen that in initial listening sessions with some guests [including Butch Vig]. I think people will respond well to the 16×16 I/O.”

Gearheads will have to give the sleekly designed HD OMNI ($2995) a good hard look. A compact 1RU unit, it provides Pro Tools|HD users with an everything-under-one-roof solution for recording, mixing and monitoring. Its features include state-of-the-art conversion, two world-class mic pre-amps, headphone outputs, a full-featured surround monitor section and a 14×26 channel persistent mixer that functions even when the computer is off, meaning that users can users can listen to CDs, MP3 players, keyboards and drum machines without the need for an additional mixer.

According to Max Gutnik, director of Avid audio product management, the market for the HD OMNI is independent professional and post customers in single-suite environments. “They’re saying, ‘We’d love a solution where we can record, do conversion, monitor and track, and we don’t want to have to buy eight rack spaces of gear in order to do that,’” he explains. “They want a more compact form factor.

“Obviously, this type of product has been done before. We said what we want to be able to provide for this customer is an all-in-one box that doesn’t compromise the quality in any way. That’s the challenge.”

Gutnick acknowledges the difficulties in making a unit that does a lot of different things well, but he contends that Avid has achieved just that with OMNI. “Historically, when one puts a box together that’s a jack-of-all-trades, it’s generally a master of none,” he notes. “So we paid attention to every facet here. It’s a pretty innovative box in that it sounds amazing, functions great, and integrates well into Pro Tools. Listening to the problems of the customer gave us something that does surround, tracking and monitoring in one box.

“So to sum up, the HD OMNI is for someone who wants to be able to accomplish everything they need to do with one box.”

For the hardcore user in MADI-land, HD MADI ($4,995) was designed to enhance workflow and speed up production time for broadcast, live sound and post production sound professionals, offering them the ability to easily connect Pro Tools|HD systems to industry-standard MADI infrastructures, without the need for a format converter. The system features built-in sample rate conversion on all inputs and outputs, so that users can integrate into workflows with multiple sample rates (upstream and downstream) via a single, 64-channel 1 RU rack mountable interface.

MEET THE HEAT

No one ever accused Pro|Tools HD of having that elusive analog warmth, but that just may change with the introduction of the HEAT (Harmonically Enhanced Algorithm Technology) software suite ($495). Knowing that street cred was essential to roll out something like this, Avid recruited no less than digital/analog expert Dave Hill of Crane Song.

With the HEAT software option, Pro Tools|HD systems are intended to come much closer to providing mixers with the warmth and sound of tubes, tape machines and analog consoles, but achieved sans outboard or by managing plug-in changes across multiple tracks. Instead, HEAT is designed to provide the summing yumness of real-world hardware to every track in the Pro Tools mixer using a single, global control.

“HEAT brings the magic, if you will, for Pro Tools mixes,” explains Tom Graham, segment marketing manager, Avid audio. “We recently were at a shootout with Tony Cariddi at (Los Angeles studio) The Village. We spent the day bringing up a mix on an analog Neve board, then A/B’d comparing to a Pro Tools mix summed in the box.

“So it was a Pro Tools mix summed in the Neve with 16 channels of output, and then a Pro Tools mix summed internally with the HEAT option turned on. The response from the people there was very enthusiastic. It’s an exciting thing.”

REBOOTING PRO TOOLS

As Avid rings in the new, they are most definitely ringing out the old. The Digidesign name, a music production mainstay since the mid-80’s (the company was originally founded as Digidrums in 1984), went from being a symbol of innovation and progress in audio to one associated more closely with frustration and aggravation in the years since its acquisition by Avid in 1995.

Even as its flagship product, Pro Tools, achieved ubiquity in professional audio environments of every stripe, Digidesign’s name also became synonymous with poor customer service, questionable upgrade policies and general aloofness. Arguably, Digidesign was a victim of its own success and some accompanying shortsightedness: It had made a product that did enough things so well that everyone bought it, then fell short in supporting its customers sufficiently after the sale.

Now, in the summer of 2010, the Digidesign brand has been completely laid to rest, and Avid wants the new HD products to serve notice that the mistakes of the past won’t be repeated. Welcome, if you will, a company that plans to do a better job of listening to its many, many customers.

“In April of 2009, we announced that we were joining our five businesses — Avid, Digidesign, M-Audio, Sibelius and Pinnacle — under the Avid brand,” Tony Cariddi says. “Creating a single business unit lets us leverage innovation across our audio and video technology portfolio for all of our customers — from the enthusiast to the enterprise.

“This brought about some internal realignment to better support our efforts — we now market to customer segments, rather than by product — and has led to some external changes — a new Avid logo, a new Web site, new packaging, new branding on Avid products, etc…

“After talking with many of our Digidesign customers, we discovered that most people identified more with the product names — such as Pro Tools, VENUE, ICON — instead of the company name. As such, all Digidesign products are now branded ‘Avid’ – for example, Avid Pro Tools; Avid VENUE, and on.

“Another significant change at Avid that has actually been in the works for several years is our concerted focus on the customer and their needs,” Cariddi continues. “The HD Series interfaces and HEAT are a perfect example of customer-driven product development. Our professional users told us that sound quality, ease of use and flexibility were their top priorities and these products are the answer to these requests.

“What we didn’t change, however, is our core Digidesign team of audio experts — the same seasoned professionals that have brought you a myriad of Digidesign audio innovations over the years are also behind the breakthrough hardware and software Avid is talking about today.

“In terms of what to expect from Avid and our Pro Tools line, you’ve seen a taste of what can be accomplished when we apply our collective engineering skills — products like Pro Tools M-Powered, Video Satellite between Media Composer and Pro Tools, and Sibelius integration into Pro Tools. While we can’t offer comments on future development, you’ll continue to see us focused on becoming even more ‘open’ across all of our product lines to give our customers more flexibility and choice when it comes to workflows. We also remain committed to innovation and answering customer requests for new features and solutions.”

Whether all this will result in shorter wait times for technical support calls, or pricing policies that are viewed as fair and reasonable across the board — both huge priorities to Pro Tools’ customer base — remains to be seen. But Avid believes strongly that in answering their users’ other stated desires, company and customer can inch back to loving each other and, yes, making beautiful music together.

“People are saying, ‘What’s different now that Digidesign is Avid?’” Max Gutnik says. “We’re really trying to take what we call an ‘outside-in’ approach. We start with the customer’s problems and needs, and translate that into what the right solution is. I don’t know if that’s always been the case, but it certainly is the philosophy of Avid: solving customer needs.

“So we’ve solved customer problems, what does that mean? We want to make sure people know that means we’re providing the best product money can buy, built with customer input. Between the I/O quality and HEAT, we’re really trying to change the game around expectations of our systems.”

“Clearly, the theme for this launch is sound quality,” Cariddi adds. “That was overwhelming, the strongest feedback we received from our customers is that sound quality is the most important thing to them.

“We’re really addressed that with these solutions. They let people work the way they want to work: HD OMNI, an all-in-one unit, HD MADI and the sound quality and flexibility of building HEAT into the Pro Tools mixer. The conversion is the underlying theme that connects all of this together.”

– David Weiss

Studio Sweet Spot: QuadStudios Lakeside in Greenwood Lake, NY

Facility Name: QuadStudios Lakeside

Website: www.quadlakeside.com

Location: On the shores of beautiful Greenwood Lake , Orange County NY about one hour north of NYC

Neighborhood Advantages: We have lots of stores and restaurants to augment the country/lake environment. For overnight stays, the house accommodates six comfortably and the guest house an additional four. Full kitchen use is available in both houses, and the lake is just steps from the studio. It’s a great place to relax and be creative.

Date of Birth: The Quad Family of studios was started in 1978. Lakeside became active the spring of 2008.

Facility Focus: We have a wonderful large tracking room right on the lake. Two large iso booths and the sound lock can make a third. Just last week we had an 18-piece swing “big band” and recorded 20 songs in front of a studio audience of 50 — it was a session to remember fondly.

Mission Statement: To continue to have good music and talented performers here to make the best recordings.

Clients/Credits: Western Swing band with award-winning Junior Daugherty, Morris Tancredi mixing Billy Ray Cyrus, Broadway show singer Becky Barta, King Phaze, Jay Ungar and Molly Mason

Key Personnel: Lou Gonzalez founder and engineer. Rick Slater Engineer. Mike Garafolo Assistant Engineer.

System Highlights: We have the new SSL AWS 900+SE analogue work station, 48 In/Out Pro Tools, plus analog recording with a new Studer 827 24-track and ½-inch analogue mixdown. We have a large selection of mics both tube and dynamic and a very large outboard package for analogue recording and mixing. We also have a great Pro Tools rig with the usual plug-in favorites. We have it ALL.

Distinguishing Characteristics: The studio sits a close 15 feet from the lake with windows looking out on the water. Go for a swim, walk in the woods, BE CREATIVE. You can work with no interruptions, or bring friends to entertain you while you record.

The building is on fire, you only have time to grab ONE thing to save, what is it? The Steinway “B” grand piano built in 1910 and restored to NEW by Steinway. What a pleasure to play.

Rave Reviews: People love the ability to create without interruption in a warm safe and Relaxing environment. This studio is about a place and a vibe where the artist can work in tune with the surroundings here and leave the distraction of their daily lives back home.

Most Memorable Session Ever: The 18 piece swing “BIG BAND”. I had a great time recording it. The musicians said they had never before heard themselves with such clarity, dynamics, and sound. They will be back.

Session You’d Like to Forget: Gee … we haven’t had any bad ones. We did have one where the drummer went thru FIVE sets of headphones.

Dream Session: Hank Williams, Norah Jones, Keith Richards.

– Lou Gonzalez, Founder/Engineer of Quad Lakeside

Welcome to the Upper West Side: Theberge Music Works Opens Advanced New Tracking, Mixing Room

GRAMMY-nominated artist and LP Music endorser, Chris Theberge (Groove Collective) has brought a welcome addition to the New York City landscape, opening the studio component of Theberge Music Works (TMW) Inc. on the Upper West Side.

The boutique tracking/mixing facility is situated in the former Foothill Digital space, which was previously the professional home of the award-winning and highly innovative mastering engineer Allan Tucker. The completely redesigned space, located within a 1916 Beaux-Arts building, was penned by engineer/consultant Christos Tsantillis (50 Cent, Patti LaBelle, The Roots, Diddy) and built by Michigan-based custom studio builder Ken Capton (Eminem, Kid Rock).

“The new facility is consistent with our aim of providing the highest caliber music, production and facilities while tapping into the world’s cultural metropolis that is New York City,” Theberge said. “Music Works studios is poised to address the needs of today’s producers and engineers.

“Faced with new recording industry realities, many established professionals work out of personal studios and are in need an intimate yet top-tier facility to bring clients, without the distractions and burdens of the larger commercial studios.”

Equipped with an Avid Protools HD3 system, Music Works Studios is completely remotely controllable and turn-key, allowing for operation of the entire facility by the client without the need of staffing and related overhead.

Theberge made sure that the distinctive look and feel of TMW would stand out aesthetically as well as technically.  “I wanted it to look like an artistic futuristic spaceship – but have some warmth to it as well,” he explains. “My initial target is the pro-level engineer/ producer who worked on major label projects and is now transitioning to more independent work. These folks are used to the well appointed larger rooms, but now find themselves working more in-the-box, so I want them to have the feel a top-end larger facility, but scaled down to a small digital boutique studio with that same quality feel – so every detail had to be perfect.

“To that end,  the various design elements, logos and color schemes were built into everything from the legs on the custom-welded control desk, to the custom diffusers to the headphone and microphone stands – even the monogrammed towels in the bathroom!”

TMW has been a music production company and provider of music for special events for over 10 years, working with a wide range of musical and corporate clients that include Discovery Networks, Harvard University, Lifetime Television and Archon Media Asia. The company maintains offices in New York and New Jersey and continues to produce music for special events, sound design for online games, and music production for domestic and international clients.

Apogee Intros Symphony I/O Multichannel Audio Interface

Apogee Electronics has announced its new Symphony I/O multi-channel audio interface with “next-generation converter quality,” Logic and Pro Tools compatibility and total I/O flexibility.

Symphony I/O is a modular based system which can function in StandAlone Mode or connect directly to a Mac via any Mac-based audio workstation.

With flexible and scalable I/O architecture, the new Symphony System now allows end-users to define a system to their specific needs while benefiting from a new feature set which includes “ground-breaking digital audio conversion technology” and new Maestro 2 software.

Symphony I/O’s base chassis can accommodate up to 2 I/O modules, creating any combination of analog and digital I/O with USB 2.0, Symphony and Avid’s Pro Tools connectivity.

The new Maestro 2 offers integral control of Symphony I/O with a “clean and clear software interface that makes workflow easy by removing the guesswork from routing, mic pre adjustment, input and output calibration and hardware control.”

Connect Symphony I/O to the Symphony 64 PCI or Symphony Mobile Express/34 card for ultra low latency with Apple Logic, and all Apple Core Audio applications.

Symphony I/O systems will be available starting in August and starting at $3,690.

Current Symphony I/O modules include:
8 Analog I/O + 8 Optical I/O
8 Analog I/O + 8 AES I/O
8 Mic Preamp
16 Analog IN + 16 Optical OUT
16 Analog OUT + 16 Optical IN
Audio Interface Mode (AIM): Configure Symphony I/O from the front panel for these modes:
- Symphony (connect to Symphony PCIe card or Symphony Mobile Express/34 card for ultra low latency use with Logic or any Core Audio application)
- Pro Tools HD (connect directly to Pro Tools PCIe card)
- USB (connect to high-speed USB 2.0 port)
- StandAlone (I/O inputs routed directly to I/O outputs)
Front panel control including two encoder knobs for selectable input gain and output level adjustment and sixteen (16) high-resolution meters, audio system and clocking indication
Two (2) studio quality headphone outputs
Four (4) word clock connections
Ethernet and USB computer connectivity to be available with a future firmware update.
Available with feet for desktop use or rack ears for rack mounting

Maestro 2 allows control of all Apogee hardware inputs, outputs, low latency monitoring and routing paths for single or multiple devices. The new version has a completely redesigned interface featuring a single window design and quick/easy access to essential controls such as audio system, clocking, sample rate, headphone output and output level.

For more information and a full release schedule, visit Apogee at www.apogeedigital.com.

In-Depth Review: Geoff Sanoff On The Waves Vocal Rider

Let’s face it, compression is a great tool, but it doesn’t solve all the problems of keeping a vocal or dialogue track out in front. Compressors have a sonic footprint that, while often desirable, is not always what’s called for. By contrast, the non-compression tool we have for controlling dynamics in the modern DAW is automation. But while automating a channel’s volume/gain is a comparatively artifact-free option, it can be also be a significantly more time consuming process.

Enter Waves Vocal Rider, a new offering that has taken an interesting approach to the age-old problem of keeping the human voice up front in a mix. What makes Vocal Rider’s approach interesting is that it combines the efficiency of “set it and forget it” compression with the artifact-free response of fader automation.

Visually, Vocal Rider is fairly straightforward. It has the familiar fader that moves as you’d expect it to and has a small set of parameters that are used to adjust the plug-in until the vocal sits where it’s wanted.

First let me just say that Vocal Rider is designed specifically for the human voice. I tried it on kick drum and bass guitar and it was a no go. After speaking with the very helpful tech support at Waves, I was able to confirm that Vocal Rider is intended entirely for singing and speech. To be honest, this was kind of a relief as the possibility of this technology eliminating another class of jobs in the music business (the mixer) was the thought that drove me to want to review this product in the first place.

You are supposed to put Vocal Rider as the last insert on the channel you intend to use it on. It needs to be post EQ and post compression in order to do its job most effectively.

The parameters Vocal Rider gives you to adjust are below. They are reasonably straightforward conceptually, but getting used to how they interact in practice can be a bit of a process.

Sensitivity:  this discriminates what’s noise from what’s wanted in both the vocal and the side chain (if you engage this function). According to Waves, the “Vocal Sensitivity” distinguishes the vocal from ambience and sets word length (not to ride breaths or word endings). The Music Sensitivity is completely different — it sets how much of the music level will be accounted for when riding the vocals, so when music gets louder the vocal will get louder as well.

Target range: this is the overall level you want the vocal to sit at in a mix

Speed: the speed (fast or slow) at which Vocal Rider responds to level changes

Range: the overall db range of gain the fader will add or subtract. When you change this from its preset level, it changes the resting position of the fader to the midpoint of the overall range. So setting a maximum of +4 and minimum of -2 will put your center at  +1db. This is important to note, because it’s where the fader will sit when no actionable signal is present. Additionally, the Idle line arrow adjusts the idle position.

IN PRACTICE: RADIO MAGIC, LANGUAGE BARRIERS & VOILA! VOCALS

Sensitivity is probably the most important variable, and the one that gave me the most issues.  When it’s set right, Vocal Rider is like magic. It just keeps the words at the level you want them at and keeps the other stuff like headphone bleed or breaths below the surface.

On VO for some radio spots I was producing, I found it to be the best thing since sliced bread. It easily achieved the clarity I wanted without the extra squash of compression. It saved me from hours of doing vocal rides, and kept the VO on top and the breathing and artifacts of speech at a minimum.

I actually liked using it before a limiter too because I could get the dynamics right and then get that compression sound without bringing the breaths too far forward.

With music projects, I found it to be a little more complicated.

In addition to a sensitivity control for the vocal, there is a sensitivity control for the side-chain. You can set Vocal Rider to respond to both the incoming vocal as well as the rest of the instrumental track. But to do this you need to send the entire instrumental track to a bus. And that means you have to have delay compensation, otherwise getting this feature to work correctly is a big pain in the neck.

My initial test of Vocal Rider was on Japanese artists, Asian Kung Fu Generation. My thought was that since they sing in a language I don’t understand, this might be a quick tool to keep the levels where they ought to be. And because these songs were being mixed on a Pro Tools HD system, I could take advantage of its music side-chain function.

The producer’s reaction to Vocal Rider was amazement and I was excited that I’d been able to deal with the vocal issue so quickly. But as it turned out, lead singer Gotch’s reaction was less enthusiastic, as he felt that he could hear it kicking in too quickly (like a compressor) and that having his vocals so much on top made his voice sound unnatural. Backing Vocal Rider off, and moving it into Slow mode, didn’t solve this problem and only served to make it less effective. In the end we went back to riding the vocals the old fashioned way for these songs.

I felt like Vocal Rider could have worked if I knew Japanese and could have set it to respond more subtly. So I thought I’d try it on the Swedish folk-pop band Raymond & Maria who sing in English. It was definitely easier to hear what had made Gotch unhappy when listening to it on singing in a familiar language. In fast mode, Vocal Rider really can grab the transients in a noticeable way. Sometimes this is useful, like with VO, but on a nice jangly pop song, fast mode felt a little too static and controlled.

In contrast Slow mode while perhaps a tad too slow, was overall much closer to where I wanted it. And in general I found it to be better on singing in this mode.

On some singers, like Maria (of Raymond & Maria), Vocal Rider was pretty straightforward, and getting the sensitivity correct was not difficult. Having gotten it to properly identify the singing from the noise, I set the target where it seemed right in the track and then give her a roughly 6 db range (+3 db to -3 db’s). After putting it into the Slow mode, it was voila, vocals in front.

AUTOMATING VOCAL RIDER: FASTEST WAY TO A THOROUGH MIX

With a more stylistic singer like Obits’ Sohrab Habibion, using Vocal Rider was a somewhat complicated process. As a singer, Sohrab has a tendency to trail off his words for effect. It’s an approach that requires the mixer to use judgment as to how to make those trails sit right.

On the more sibilant trails, those that cut right through a track, you don’t need to ride them up. If anything they can be ridden down so they sink into the track, like an afterthought.

But knowing the intention of the singer is not something you can design software to anticipate. And so I found that setting Vocal Rider to ignore those passages often led it to ignoring the quiet passages where I wanted it to increase the gain. The same problem then existed for me in reverse, setting the quieter sections to be at the correct level, meant those stylistic trailings were often much louder than they needed to be, and required me to manually correct for them.

In those cases I found the most useful way to work was to record Vocal Rider’s automation and then to tweak the recorded automation manually. When in default mode, with automation disengaged, Vocal Rider’s response can vary from pass to pass depending on where you are starting playback. Starting from a loud vocal passage right before a quiet section, causes Vocal Rider to respond somewhat differently then it might, starting right on the quiet section. The upshot is that when you automate Vocal Rider, it works best when automating starting at the beginning of the track.

Once you’ve got your automation recorded, you can either put Vocal Rider into Read Mode where it will respond to this automation, and execute the same moves every time, or using the Pro Tools command  <copy automation to current parameter> you can copy Vocal Rider’s automation onto the volume automation for the track. [Note: this function is not officially supported by Waves.]

In practice, I wanted to do this but found that having the volume automation as a separate trim to the more specific Vocal Rider automation a better way to work. That way, Vocal Rider would keep all the syllables in a given passage at an even level and then I could adjust the overall level relative to the section of the song I was working on. Thus if the overall vocal level in a chorus needed to come up, but was otherwise even relative to itself, I could boost the volume automation a dB in the chorus and let Vocal Rider handle the duties of keeping each syllable audible.

Working this way also made it easy to correct the things I didn’t want in Vocal Rider’s automation, like the previously mentioned vocal trails that are more of a judgment call then something you can program automatically. In this example, Vocal Rider wasn’t the fastest way to a quick mix, but it was the fastest way to a thorough mix and I was very happy with the results.

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

Overall, I’d say that if you are doing production work — commercials, narration, books on tape, things with a lot of speech — you should run to the store tonight and buy this plug-in. It will save you time and give you cleaner results then a compressor, and in the pressurized environments in which these jobs often take place, that’s a big deal.

If you are working on music production, Vocal Rider is more of a nice option than a necessity. Once I got used to how it works, I found that the trick was to try it at the beginning of a mix. It became clear quickly which singers it would work easily with and which would require more effort. When Vocal Rider worked quickly it was great. When it was more of a tweak-out, then sometimes it still saved me time and sometimes it was too much of a hassle.

It’s definitely more useful if you work on a platform that has delay compensation like Pro Tools HD or Logic. The ability to sidechain Vocal Rider to the instrumental mix is one of its most useful features. On a platform like Pro Tools LE, using the Vocal Rider’s sidechain can turn into a number-crunching, delay calculating headache which renders this feature almost useless. (Perhaps someday LE will have full ADC built in)

The one arena in which I didn’t try the plug-in was the live sound version Vocal Rider Live, which includes an additional parameter to adjust for stage spill. It’s similar to the sensitivity parameter on the regular version. I don’t know how it works in practice, but I can imagine that it would be a fantastic asset to the live sound person in a club, if for no other reason that it will safely enable a stress-free, mid-set bathroom run.

If you are in the business of wearing many different hats and work across genres, then Vocal Rider is a very useful product. When it comes to a time crunch or a rough mix, Vocal Rider is something you’ll be glad to have available. In that sense it’s a very Waves product, a utility addressing a simple problem with a very thoughtful solution.

This has been a review of the:
Waves Vocal Rider
RTAS version
Pro Tools LE/HD
Native: $415
TDM: $830
http://www.waves.com/content.aspx?id=9945

Geoff Sanoff is a GRAMMY-winning NYC-based producer/engineer and musician who’s worked with Fountains of Wayne, A Camp, Obits, Blk Jks, Keith Urban, Michael Stipe and Green Day (among many others!). Contact Geoff through his management, Just Managing.

Tainted Blue Stage II: The Story of an NYC Studio Console Switch

MIDTOWN, MANHATTAN: Hard to believe, but it’s been almost five years exactly since the storied penthouse of Quad Studios was sold and became an entirely separate facility, Tainted Blue.

Then, as now, the top-end NYC studio scene felt like a big mystery, and many a big room has gone since 2005 (Sony, the Hit Factory, Legacy A509, Sound on Sound, Clinton Recording all RIP). But at the respectfully competitive Times Square address of 723 Seventh Avenue, which houses Quad and Tainted Blue, as well as Premier Studios NY on consecutive floors, the tracking/mixing beat goes furiously on.

Today, Tainted Blue owner Andrew Koss feels wiser – and no doubt older – as the landscape continues to shift. For the world-class studios that remain, the choice of large format console remains one of the most critical decisions, and Koss just shifted gears in a surprising way: His advanced Lawrence P. Swist-designed control room no longer houses an SSL 9080J, but a newly acquired Euphonix System 5.

Tainted Blue’s switch from a flagship analog board to a digital audio mixing system raised a lot of eyebrows citywide, but as we were reminded in our latest chat with Koss: everything happens for a reason.

How do you feel the studio business has evolved since you opened Tainted Blue?
It’s certainly been interesting to watch the rise, fall and challenges of how studios are trying to restructure themselves in the city. But I also think there’s been a swing back in the last few years to larger production, larger sound. There was a run of the indie style, where minimal was cool, and you could do it in the bedroom with a laptop. But if you look at the Billboard Top 50 now, none of the tracks are like that today.

So I think maybe producers and musicians hit the wall, which I think I hit before I opened up the studio here — the frustrations and limitations of what you could do at home with a minimal setup. You start wanting more creativity, and a sound you just can’t capture without the acoustics of a live room.

The challenges have been that it’s a new generation of engineers, and new generation of producers who grew up with a very different education. The way they work is so different that you have to be able to cater to their needs. They’ve learned the software version, and then they come in and see the hardware version of the LA-2As and Pultecs.

We’re not catering towards the older generation of engineers, who really have their own spaces and their own environments that they work at, so we try to cater to the younger, next generation of engineers who are more comfortable in a digital format, and in a hipper more stylistically designed room, where the vibe is more important to them than it ever was to the older clients. It’s really the younger guys who want that exclusive, luxury feel and we’ve worked hard to provide that.

We built this as a boutique studio. And it’s a little more refined — the feeling when you’re here. Having a piano that’s always tuned and ready to go, instruments and drumkits at hand, and we don’t charge rental fees for any of this. They’re here to be used.

I think there’s more potential clients than we’ve seen in years. But it’s a different kind of project. Sure, people can do pre-production at home, and because of that, the project they bring in doesn’t require a week of studio time, they just need six hours. But there’s so many of those people, that it’s all right that we only get them for one day, instead of twelve-day lockouts. There’s plenty of that business out there — it’s just a different kind of booking.

What makes a large console format remain important in those considerations?

There’s certainly a lot of people who work in the box and don’t need the audio channel capacity that we have. But at the same time having a console like the Euphonix System 5, that can turn into a control surface makes our approach to that market that much easier.

That’s because if they want to they can work in software and the console can turn into a  controller with the EuCon software. It caters to people that don’t necessarily need the large format console, and just want the control space and to be able to retain access to all our outboard gear. At the same time, having 116 audio channels and near infinite routing options for the people that want to work across the console give us the perfect blend of both of these worlds.

I think also that the live room and the gear is still appealing to a lot of producers: being able to track drums, live piano and multiple musicians at the same time will always have its place.

We also have clients who come in and just take their mix out of the box through our outboard gear — bounce it out of the box, and go home. They put it through the EQs, bus compressors, print it, and take it home and keep mixing. As much a fan as I am of plug-ins, there are some things I just can’t create without a Thermionic Culture Phoenix compressor, or an LA-2A, for example.

What did you consider leading up to your decision to switch to a Euphonix System 5 from an SSL 9080J?

The cost and upkeep of the SSL was becoming difficult for us in a business where we have to think outside of the box, and try to find ways to keep revenue coming in.

The energy cost of the SSL was extreme with two air conditioners running 24 hours a day, even in January! The other issue was that the younger clients didn’t have experience on an old J console. If they did, they used it rarely for what it could do, and it wasn’t getting the use that demanded having it here, as parts were starting to go and setup times were increasing. Now because of the System 5 and its Patchnet system, if we have six hours to work with an artist, I can zero the room out in :30, as opposed to two hours. If someone wants to come in and play their session from last night, they can come in, open up the files and it’s exactly where they left it, including all routing and outboard patching.

Of course, the SSL sounded great, and a big concern with the Euphonix was getting a console that a lot of people hadn’t tried themselves. It takes a little convincing to show them what it can do, and seeing that it’s not just a digital control surface. People see it and they think “ICON”, whereas this is a true console, with 116 audio channels, 24 group busses, 24 mix busses –and not just stereo because they can be in 7.1, 5.1 and stereo all at the same time.

I’ll bet a lot of manufacturers wanted to get their board into Tainted Blue next. Why did you settle on the Euphonix?
We looked at a few choices out there. There’s actually less digital consoles on the market that are geared towards music production/tracking/mixing. Many of them are post production video type workstations.

Then we met Jay Spears over at Euphonix and we started talking about the System 5. He took me over to Studio B at what’s now MSR Studios, and I had never seen anything like it. The Euphonix seemed to be the most out in front with the technology with a 40-bit point floating point processing system, being so modular that you could have control surface and audio tracks right next to each other, or wherever you wanted them – this as opposed to some consoles that are either in controller mode or audio mode, one or the other.

And the support was a big issue. Jay and his team took the time to show the staff my board, and physically set it up with my team which was pretty spectacular. Having a company large enough that I knew I could count on was really important, and having them understand we were taking a risk with them: We’re a big room in Manhattan, there’s not a lot of us left, and this was a major change.

You bought your System 5 right before Avid acquired Euphonix…
The merger with Avid is a huge plus for us. The integration with Pro Tools is going to go through the roof, now that Avid’s involved, so for our clients it will be a win-win. It will be everything the ICON is, and way more because of the actual audio processing. I believe you’ll see the System 5 becoming Avid’s flagship console.

I think for studio owners switching consoles is the next most-dreaded prospect to moving studios altogether. Was making the physical switch from the SSL to the Euphonix difficult?

The buyers were responsible, thankfully, for the decommission of the SSL, but we weren’t sure what spider webs we’d find underneath it. We did the decommission in two days, which was remarkably fast, and the installation of the Euphonix took about eight hours. The slow part of the process was the patch bay, because we had to sell the old patch bay with the SSL, which meant we had to rewire the audio DL’s  into the wall, and add some new gear as well.

But we used that time to problem-solve issues with the room that have been here since it was built, reducing some noise and grounding problems. In Manhattan, there’s always issues with electricity, and (Tainted Blue Studio Manager) Sax took the time to reduce noise floor on the gear. It took a week to turn over, but the studio has never sounded this good, and it’s been here thirty years. I think they reduced noise in the mic lines by about 20 dB, which is pretty dramatic.

The System 5 setup itself couldn’t have been easier. Four rack pieces and it plugs into the wall! With Ethernet, it’s so easy. One DeltaLink handles all 116 audio channels i/o of Pro Tools. Two DigiLink cables and two SSL Alpha-Links handle all the outboard gear.

[See a time lapse video of the console switch at Tainted Blue right here:]

Now that the board’s in place, what are the impressions — yours and your clients’?
Since I work here all the time, for my work it’s the greatest thing that could have happened. The Euphonix computer controls our entire patch bay, and every time I open a session, all of my outboard gear is routed back to that session, so buss compressors, inserts, outboard EQ, reverbs, etc… are all brought back to where they were the last they were used. Obviously you have to move the knobs on the outboard gear, but the patching which was a such tedious aspect is now gone. I can A/B different vocal chains with the press of a button in real time. So it’s done a lot for me, before the session even starts.

Clients have been having a blast because it’s something new to play with, but also because we can contour the templates to their workflow. We know if they work out of the box, we’ll directly route Pro Tools to the monitoring section. Or if they want to use the control surface on one side and audio on the other, they can do that.

People love the EQs and dynamics of the System 5, because there so clean – “surgical” is the word I’d use. Reminiscent of an Oxford console to me, which is why we added some outboard gear with lots of sound — I went with outboard gear that’s dirty and crazy and fun.

There was a visual impact the SSL had, but I’ve been surprised about the number of people who have seen the way the room looks with the extra space, and say that it looks like 2010, not the late ‘90s. The 24’ LCD screen with Cinema Display dead center is an awesome way to work in an era when clients are hands-on now, not sitting in the back making calls but doing the editing and effects. It’s a clear, clean listening field and makes for a nice comfortable experience.

We’ve talked a LOT about gear just now. Any intangibles to take note of?

Just recently we’ve made Sax our studio manager. He’s been in the studio scene for 15-20 years now. He’s seen it since the heyday, and really knows what make studios succeed and fail. He’s working very hard on how the whole experience transfers on to the client.

In the end, the energy that clients feel coming in is so important. And while you’d think it would be intuitive that the gear is the most important factor, it’s not: the experience and how they feel while they’re here really matters. It’s so important.

Along with that, we’ve been out trying to find new ways to bring in business for us that are outside the box. Using the studio as more than just a place to record, be it for film, photos, and our “From the Penthouse” series where we’ve been doing small artist showcases here.

We’re really having a blast, and we’re sharing that with the people who come in — it’s a fun place to work. We’re excited to let people see that and have them create their music here.

– David Weiss

5 Questions for Hamacide: An Electronic Music Inventist Releases His Mighty Little Machine

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN: We could tell you a whole lot of blah blah background about Hamacide, but maybe it’s better if you just read a little and listen a lot.

The Williamsburg-based artist aka Yusuke Hama dropped his new digital download album, Mighty Little Machine, this week, and that’s a welcome development for adventurous ears. It’s an existentially experimental blend of sounds with a lot of everything you want more of anyway – perfect beats, searing basses, instant hooks, ouija calls, intergalactic static and much imagination.

Your first listen of Hamacide could very well prove to be a memorable moment – it certainly was for us.

What lured you to Brooklyn?
I was born and raised in Atlanta. My parents are from Japan, so I think I was required to play classical music at an early age. Brooklyn was supposed to be a pit stop before moving to Manhattan — back in the day, living in Bushwick/Williamsburg was actually cheaper than living in the East Village. Imagine THAT. After seven years, I’m still in Brooklyn. I think it worked out well.

You have multiple musical personas, but it seems like you’re concentrating pretty heavily on Hamacide these days…
It takes up most of my free time. I’ve just finished my first record as Hamacide titled Mighty Little Machine that will be available for digital download on July 13th. There are a whole bunch of guest collaborators on it: To name a few there are songs with a folk singer from Michigan, a rapper and R&B singer from Japan, and a singer/songwriter from Chicago who sings in a bizarre fictional language. It’s pretty wild.

Our mutual friend, “Grammy Award-Winner” Matt Shane — he does not make me call him that! — mixed it, and I’m super excited about it. It will be a digital-only release, and it’ll be available for download on July 13th.

I’m also releasing a limited, vinyl-only remix EP of one the songs off of Mighty Little Machine. Remixers will include Prefuse 73, LebLaze, Epstein, and others. A little later, I’ll be releasing a Hamacide remix EP of songs by LEYODE, my previous project. It is actually done, but I just have to get Matt Shane to master it at Masterdisk. He’s a busy man, you know.

Oh YES, we can barely keep up with the guy! The new sounds of Hamacide are a mind-altering substance. How do you put it together?
I mainly work in a tiny room with whatever gear and software I can get to work, and I grab sounds from wherever I can. Everything ends up in Pro Tools where either I or Matt Shane will mix it.

My approach is pretty different from song to song. I guess a lot of it depends on whether I work with a vocalist, and how they’re most comfortable working. Sometimes I start out with a cool sample, a melody, or just a drum beat. Other times, I’ll just compose something on guitar and leave it at that — whatever works.

I thought it was interesting that you double as a live sound rat, doing FOH for bands. How does that sharpen your instincts?
Well, the greatest thing for me is that it puts in perspective how stuff will sound super loud. Since Hamacide is one guy doing a lot of electronic/beat-oriented stuff, I think, “If a DJ plays my songs, will it bump in a live environment?”

If I see a band perform and the crowd is super-hype, no matter what genre of music it is, I think about how I can get my tunes to bring that reaction based solely on what’s coming out of the speakers.

What? I can’t hear you! This darn music is too LOUD!!! Just kidding. So what makes you glad that you settled down in our fair city, instead of moving on?
I think NYC is just as good a place as any to be a musician — I guess it depends on what you’re into. There’s tons of everything in this city, and I’m inspired by all kinds of stuff whether it’s concerts, food, people, or just walking around.

However, I do wonder how nice it would be to live somewhere quiet and beautiful, and to work on music all day without having to worry about quickly going broke. I guess that’s how I imagine Boards of Canada makes music. I feel like time is money, and time seems to fly by in NYC.

– David Weiss

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