Founded in 1977 by president and chief engineer Peter Yianilos,Artisan Recorders Inc. is the oldest continuously operated remoterecording company in the Southeast. Yianilos’ philosophy isreflected in the name of the company — Artisan — and hehas focused the company on one market: music. “I love to makemusic and make it well,” says Yianilos. As a result, Artisanhas become the truck of choice for a lengthy list of leadingrecording artists, engineers and producers. These include theRolling Stones (Steel Wheels live album), LucianoPavarotti, Whitney Houston, Trisha Year-wood with the LondonSymphony Orchestra, the Dave Matthews Band, Smashing Pumpkins, andmany more. And for two years, Artisan has been the mobile controlroom throughout the country for Tom Joyner’s acclaimed live musicsyndicated radio program.
Artisan’s first incarnation was as a clever conversion of a GMCmotorcoach, which Yianilos remembers fondly as more of anexpression of youthful exuberance than the result of carefulanalysis of studio design. But that willingness to keep the musicat the center of every decision, business or technical, has been atthe core of Artisan’s success over the last 24 years.
The current Artisan truck came online in 1993, and in 2001,underwent a comprehensive upgrade, with new acoustical, technicaland aesthetic additions that further enhanced Artisan’s alreadyrenowned reputation for music recording and mixing. The extensiveremodeling of the control room by John Arthur of Miami-based JohnArthur Design Group included enhanced isolation, thanks to over2-tons’ worth of mineral-loaded vinyl (no lead content) and MDFboard suspended on springs. “The ability to get this level ofisolation in a remote truck is critical for music,” saysYianilos. “In concert situations, we can get this controlroom as close to the venue as needed and not have the recordingaffected by high SPL.” And this Artisan truck is designedwith a very human touch — Yianilos purposely had the38-foot-long trailer positioned at just 24 inches off the ground.“It might seem like a small thing, but what that serves to dois to make the truck much more inviting from the first moment youencounter it,” he says. “Standard-height trucks can beintimidating. This one actually beckons you aboard.”
An Amek Hendrix console fitted with Super True automation offersanalog warmth and high flexibility; combined with onboard analogand digital sidecar mixers, Artisan offers up to 120 inputs.Vintage analog outboard gear, such UREI 1176 and LA-4 units, and amicrophone array including Neumann, AKG and Sennheiser, truly bringa classic music studio right to any doorstep. Artisan director ofoperations Natalie Eckart says that building a truck and a businessaround music has proven to be a successful plan. “Peter is amusician, and there’s always at least one other musician on thecrew,” she says. “The technical excellence has alwaysbeen there — Peter wouldn’t have it any other way. But thereis also always the fact that we can communicate with musicians in avery unique manner. We speak the same language. We always have,always will.”
SPEC SHEET
Company Name: Artisan Recorders Inc. Contact:Natalie Eckart, Director of Operations. Services Offered:Remote audio recording, editing and mixing; audio production andmastering; audio remote broadcasting; customized equipment flightpack also available. Main Technology Platforms: AmekHendrix (40 mono, 4 stereo, 4 stereo returns; 24 group, 12 auxsends, full Super True automation); Hill Multimix 16×4submixer (2); Yamaha 02R V.2 (2); Yamaha 01V; Sony PCM-800/TascamDA-78 HR digital 8-track with timecode and remote (10); MCI JH11424-track (14-inch reel capacity) with Dolby SR/A noise reduction(2); Ampex ATR102 1/2-inch stereo mastering recorder; Dolby 363SR/A stereo noise reduction; Pro Tools 5.1, 24|Mix system, 888/24I/O, software from Waves, TC Works and Bias; Hafler TRM 8 activemonitors; custom 50-channel active splitter systems, three-wayline-level output, plus direct out/channel 800-foot cable (2).Truck Information: 36×8.5-foot custom-designedtrailer, 370-h.p. Cummins-powered Volvo tractor. Partial CreditList: Barenaked Ladies, Disney/ABC, Gloria Estefan, MTVNetworks, Prince, Sony, Universal, Univision.
Artisan Recorders — Mobile
PO Box 70247
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33307
Tel.: 954/566-1800
Fax: 954/566-3090
Website: www.artisanmobile.com
E-mail: [email protected]
