Every year, regular Mix contributors Rich Tozzoli, Mike Dwyer and Bruce MacPherson mix business with pleasure by decamping to St. John, USVI, where they temporarily turn a house into a studio and record TV cues for popular reality and documentary TV shows. They also use it as a chance to test a ton of new equipment and software, resulting in a bevy of Mix Real-World Reviews written in a unique part of the real world! Enjoy this 10-part series as the trio reviews some of the best equipment that made—and survived—the journey.
Wow, it’s good to be back! This year, we were lucky enough to have the whole gang down to record TV cues and also play a few live shows in some super-cool locations on the island. All the technical preproduction and previous experience paid off, as we were set up within minutes of arriving—after I ushered out an insanely giant spider from the room. Refreshed after a night of sleep from the long journey, tracking began at 6:30 the next morning, inspired by the natural light and bags of Zabars coffee in the French press.
Once again, the recording rig that we flew down was centered around a Universal Audio Apollo X4 interface connected via Thunderbolt to my loaded 16-inch MacBook Pro. Monitors were the compact but mighty IK Multimedia iLoud MTMs, flanked by a number of MIDI controller/keyboards. Essential to quick flow on any mobile rig is a wireless Magic Mouse and wireless keypad. We unhooked the Sony television in the room and used it via HDMI as a second large monitor. Everything else would be hooked into the system on an as-needed basis, keeping the sessions moving along smoothly.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll review 10 of the most-used rockstar pieces of gear on this recording trip, with a brief explanation of how each was put to its creative test. We all agreed how lucky we were to have these in our arsenal, letting both the gear and the location inspire our work.
Sony MDR-MV1 Studio Monitor Headphones — A Mix Real-World Review…in the USVI
IK Multimedia ToneX — A Mix Real-World Review…in the USVI
KIT Plugins Smash — A Mix Real-World Review…in the USVI
Lauten LS-308 Microphone — A Mix Real-World Review…in the USVI
Universal Audio Waterfall Rotary Speaker — A Mix Real-World Review…in the USVI
Roland JX-08 Sound Module — A Mix Real-World Review…in the USVI
Eventide H90 Harmonizer Pedal — A Mix Real-World Review…in the USVI
Cherry Audio GX-80 & Mercury 6 — A Mix Real-World Review…in the USVI
Liquidsonics Seventh Heaven Professional Reverb — A Mix Real-World Review…in the USVI
Laboratory Audio Strikeforce Cinematic Percussion — A Mix Real-World Review…in the USVI
