May 1, 2001 12:00 PM, Dan Daley

Design FX Remote Recording came into being in 1991 when Design FX Audio, one of the professional audio industry's leading equipment rental companies, purchased one of the original Record Plant remote recording trucks and proceeded to completely remodel and upgrade it. Jack Crymes, the original designer of both the Record Plant trucks and the early Wally Heider trucks, came onboard to oversee and direct all of the technical engineering, along with Design FX tech Allen Baca and master carpenter Dave Mailand. The result is a superb combination of technology, creativity and mobility.

The remodeled truck, equipped with a vintage 44-input API console, made its debut at the 1991 MTV Music Awards, which were broadcast live from L.A.'s Universal Amphitheater. The mobile studio was later moved onto a more powerful International cab, and since then, the Design FX Remote unit has been from Vancouver to Mexico City and many points in between.

In 1994, Design FX decided to further upgrade the truck's classic API console. Jack Crymes, a pioneer in remote recording for the past 25 years, joined forces with API specialists John Dressel, Jeff Bork and Design FX Audio president Gary Ladinsky to design a new custom API input module, one adapted especially to live music recording. Retaining the classic API components, such as the 2520 op amps and the legendary 550A EQs, the design team added an entirely new level of flexibility for live recording applications with modifications such as additional aux sends, dual-mix buses, direct outs, P&G faders, fader flips and a versatile solo system.

Design FX Remote Recording has an unusual advantage: As a division of a leading equipment rental company, the remote truck operation can call upon an extensive menu of both stock and exotic audio devices, from mixers to microphones, outboard gear to hard disk recording systems. And, as Ladinsky points out, access to such a wide array of equipment has given the staff of Design FX Remote Recording a tremendous depth of knowledge and operational experience. “We're in the unique position of being able to not only supply any hardware you could want, but also the expertise to operate it to its maximum potential,” says Ladinsky. “Our clients get a crew that has probably done it all on anything you can think of under any circumstances and at every type of venue. We've done live recordings directly to Pro Tools, and we can do that with the same level of confidence that you would get with an open-reel multitrack machine. The range of hands-on experience we can bring to a project is very, very intense.”

That kind of performance is what's behind a long and acclaimed list of Design FX Remote Recording clients. In addition to an Emmy Award for Best Sound for a Special Presentation (Natalie Cole's “Unforgettable-With Love”), the truck and its crew were responsible for this year's Grammy for Best Jazz Album (Dianne Reeves' In the Moment), plus five Emmy nominations, various TEC Award nominations and Golden Reel awards.

“It's a great remote truck,” says Ladinsky. “But behind the door, there's more than a control room — there's a huge wealth of human and technological resources at your service.”

SPEC SHEET

Company Name: Design FX Remote Recording. Contact: Scott Peets, Remote Recording Manager. Services Offered: Remote audio recording, remote broadcast, mixing, transfers, field packages available. Main Technology Platforms: 44-input API analog console with 55A EQ and expanded input modules; every type of recording media, from tape (analog and digital) to MDM to hard disk is available through Design FX Audio Rental Divisions. Vehicle Information: International cab, 37-foot box. Layout: Control room area: 14×6'6" (from console edge). Partial Client List: Elton John, Vanessa Williams, Babyface, Faith Hill, Seal, David Foster, Clint Black, Eagles' Hell Freezes Over tour, Sheryl Crow, Tony Bennett, Aerosmith, Neil Young, Barbra Streisand, Guns N' Roses, American Music Awards, Tom Petty, Santana, Sting.

Design FX Remote Recording
PO Box 491087
Los Angeles, CA 90049-9087
Tel.: 818/843-6555
Fax: 818/562-6978
Website: www.dfxaudio.com
E-mail: remote@dfxaudio.com

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