Chris David (left) and Leslie Schatz at the SSL C300 HD digital audio console. Photo: Ed Colver
Wildfire Post-Production Studios in Los Angeles, formerly Wilshire Stages, recently installed an SSL C300 HD digital audio console with an XLogic Delta-Link MADI HD system in the newly remodeled Stage C. Wildfire will use the C300 to deal with a variety of input sources and output formats, while the Delta-Link MADI HD system supplies data transfer between the C300 and Wildfire’s Pro Tools HD systems.
Wildfire was recently purchased by veteran feature film and Academy Award nominated mixers Chris David and Leslie Schatz (pictured). The four-room facility now features the 48-fader 256-channel C300 HD film console in Studio C, which is designed for film and TV post along with film score mixing. The console also features two film center sections and recently introduced Pec/Direct recorder controls for multi-operator film and HDTV post mixing.
“The C300 is a fantastic console,” David says. “It not only encompasses effortless digital mixing of surround stems, it works with all DAW formats through its unique workstation control interface. This is very powerful, as sometimes work comes in from a variety of outside sources and DAWs.”
David adds that the SSL C348’s handling of multichannel input sources is also important. “A lot of our business revolves around stereo source material that is multichannel, and clearly the C300 enjoys the most sophisticated and elegant handling of this task. For instance, when you bring in a 6-channel mix on the C300, you can control an entire 6-channel mix with one channel. This really helps to save on console resources and greatly improves our workflow.”
Wildfire is already pumping out productions on the C300. Recent projects include premixes for a movie called Transylmania, the film Southland Tales by Richard Kelley, and in the near future, Rambo 4 starring Sylvester Stallone and Elegy with Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz.
“The C300 also has a very good monitoring system,” David continues. “It is very easy to switch channels and formats. For example, a single DVD release quite often requires 5.1, 6.1 and Dolby 2-track that demands 4-channel monitoring. The C300 will switch between those very conveniently. I like the Delta-Link system because it enables us to pass 64 direct-output Pro Tools channels to the console without needing any additional interface. The fact that we are able to run down a single cable for MADI formatted communication makes life much easier. The console has the most powerful, best sounding digital signal processing of any digital console. We have a very powerful creative tool to offer our clients.”
For more information, visit www.solid-state-logic.com and www.wildfirepost.com.
