Leading music scoring mixer Simon Rhodes (A Beautiful Mind,The Mask of Zorro, the Harry Potter film, Angela’sAshes) once again turned to DMT Rentals for the high-precisionrecording systems used to capture James Horner’s lilting musical scorefor Revolution Pictures’ Radio, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and EdHarris. Rhodes specified several Pro Tools digital audioworkstations—including a custom-designed DMT Super Pro Tools|HDSystem—while working at Todd Scoring, Studio City, Calif.
Pictured: Simon Rhodes at Todd Scoring Stage, Studio City,Calif>, during Radio mixing sessions. DMT Rental’s presidentDoug Botnick (left) during Radio scoring sessions.
The DMT Super Pro Tools|HD System comprises a combination of eightchannels of Pacific Microsonics Model Two AD/DA converters working at192 kHz and 40 channels of Genex Audio GXA8 A/D converters running at96 kHz, with 40 channels of DMT-customized dB Technologies “Blue”M.DA824 24/44-96 units for D/A conversion. “We also used[DMT-customized] Prism ADA-8 8-channel, 24/96 A/D converters on themain 6-track surround mix,” said Rhodes.
The DMT Super Pro Tools|HD System captured a 100-piece orchestra andvocals from India Irea, a second 64-track/96kHz system replayed varioussynthesizer overdubs and related elements, while a third recorded themain 5.1-mix bus outputs that will be delivered to the dubbing stage.”I was very impressed with the sonic performance of DMT’s Super ProTools|HD System,” Rhodes said. “Digital has come of age at last withthe advent of this system. In terms of outstanding audio quality andtechnical advances, DMT has really taken command of the high ground.The company is continually pushing the standard formats to make themfully accessible to the scoring industry.”
“Our custom-developed Super Pro Tools|HD System,” said DMT Rentalspresident Doug Botnick, ” bypasses the normal Digidesign converters,operates at mixed sampling frequencies and combines all systemcomponents in a fully integrated rack-unit.”
To record the score, Rhodes used a conventional Decca Tree array ofhis five favorite Neumann M50 microphones as his main orchestralpickup, plus two AKG C 12s as string outriggers, two [B&K/DPA]4006s as dedicated surrounds and a Neumann KM130 as a dedicated “boom”mic, plus omnis on woodwind and cardioids on the other instruments.Various Messenger, Millennia and Avalon mic preamplifiers are featuredin Rhodes’s equipment array.
Normally based at Abbey Road Studios in England, the Radioscore was the first session in the United States during which Rhodestracked an orchestra to digital, using Digidesign Pro Tools and iZTechnology RADAR 24 hard disk as backup. “While I have used variousdigital systems in England, this is the first time I have been exposedto DMT’s high-tech systems. The company is really pushing out theboundaries of quality for scoring mixers and providing us with highlyaccessible tools.”
For more, visit DMT Rentals on the Web at www.dmtrentals.com.
