Independent post-production sound company Todd-AO announces that it has completed the final phase in its upgrade to its facilities for episodic television.
Five television-mixing stages at the company’s Todd-AO Burbank facility have been fitted with new Avid ICON controllers. The controllers complement Avid Pro Tools digital audio workstations and Projection Designs HD projection systems previously installed on the stages. Similar upgrades have been made to a television mixing stage at Todd-AO’s Hollywood facility.
Todd-AO provides creative sound services for such shows as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Entourage, Mad Men and Family Guy.
The upgrades achieve standardization of technology across Todd-AO’s television operations using the industry’s most sophisticated tools. “We don’t add technology to be fashionable; we do so solely to maximize benefits for our clients,” says Bill Johnston, senior vice president of engineering at Todd-AO’s parent company, CSS Studios. Johnston adds that the new consoles and audio workstations will streamline workflows and provide added flexibility to mixing sessions.
Three studios at Todd-AO Burbank have been equipped with Avid ICON D-Control consoles, while two others have been equipped with ICON D-Command consoles. All five stages have identical Pro Tools HD DAWs and Projection Designs F30 HD digital projectors. The stages with the D-Control consoles will also be equipped for feature film mixing.
“These are significant improvements and in line with industry expectations,” Johnston says. “The Pro Tools engines and HD projectors are tools required by our clients; now we’ve enabled our mixers to do their work more efficiently.”
Todd-AO states that it was among the first facilities in Hollywood to employ Pro Tools technology for episodic television, having installed an earlier version of the system at its Burbank facility in 2000. The system has since become a standard tool in television production.
Visit Todd-AO at www.todd-ao.com.
