Feb 16, 2007 5:13 PM

Recording engineer and producer Lawrence Manchester recently used a JBL LSR6300 Series 5.1 surround sound system to mix the soundtracks of two feature films: Across the Universe, built around more than 30 covers of Beatles compositions and scheduled to be released in the summer of 2007, and The Good Shepherd, starring Matt Damon and currently playing in theaters.

Directed by Julie Taymor, Across the Universe is a love story set in the 1960s, with the cast members singing and dancing to a soundtrack comprising Beatles songs. Artists on the soundtrack include Bono, Joe Cocker, the Secret Machines, Eddie Izzard and Salma Hayek. The majority of recording took place at Legacy Recording Studios in New York City and The Village in Los Angeles.

"While mixing the songs for Across the Universe at Legacy, we were searching for a reliable reference monitor," Manchester says. "We went to Studio B next door to listen to Frank Filipetti's LSR6300 system, and from that point on, we were sold."

According to Manchester, the LSR6300 Series monitors provided consistently accurate sound that translated from room to room. "The key is having a studio monitor you can trust, especially on a project like Across the Universe, which contains so many elaborate productions," he says. "The sound from those speakers translated well in movie theaters and other studios. The LSR6300s gave us a reliable reference monitor that gave consistent results."

Additionally, Manchester used a LSR6300 Series 5.1 surround sound setup to mix the score to the new feature film release The Good Shepherd. The film's score, composed by Marcelo Zarvos and Bruce Fowler, was recorded and mixed at Legacy.

"The score for The Good Shepherd is very traditional for modern feature films, which is to say it's very complex," Manchester says. "Many of the orchestrations called for 65 orchestral players and electronics, and the LSR6300 monitors once again served me well in that they played back accurately and consistently when I listened to the mixes in the dubbing theater."

The LSR6300 Series incorporates patented transducer technologies and the RMCTM Room Mode Correction system to minimize the effect of standing waves and acoustic problems in the production environment.

For more information, visit www.jblpro.com and www.lawrencemanchester.com.

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