Composer Russ Landau (pictured) mixed the theme song for the CBS network’s Survivor: China reality television show, which first aired on September 20. The project was recorded and mixed with Landau’s JBL Professional LSR4300 Series studio monitors.
Landau recorded an ancient Russian chant, “Ancient Voices,” which was translated into Mandarin. For the production, Landau employed a women’s choir from Beijing.
Survivor: China is the latest installment of the popular Survivor reality series created by Mark Burnett. For Survivor: China, contestants were delivered to the south central Chinese province of Jiang Xi to engage in high-risk challenges for a $1 million grand prize.
Landau first discovered the LSR4300 Series studio monitors while composing and mixing the soundtrack for Mark Burnett’s spring 2007 reality television show, Pirate Master.
“The producers were in love with the temp mixes of an earlier version of the theme,” Landau explained. “As far as I could tell with my previous monitors, the mixes were all coming out the same. But the producers thought the recent mixes were nowhere near where they should have been. So just for fun, I tried out the LSR4300 Series monitors and A/B’d the separate mixes. I was horrified to find a vast difference in the mixes. The JBL LSR4300 Series studio monitors allowed me to send a mix they loved and saved my life! If the producers are hearing something different than what you hear when you print the mix, that’s a huge problem. Thanks to the LSR4300’s, I know the mixes will translate accurately from studio to studio.”
Landau has created scores for numerous projects, including original soundtracks for Survivor, Fear Factor and Eco Challenge. He has scored extensively for both film and TV, dating back to the 1990s Nickelodeon television cartoon Ren and Stimpy.
For more information, visit www.jblpro.com and www.russlandau.com.
