Franklin, TN (February 21, 2018)—The Annie Moses Band has launched ManAlive Studios in Franklin, TN, featuring a 4,000-sq.-ft sound stage with full lighting, six 4K cameras, an SSL AWS console, Pro Tools | HDX and DSD recording using Pyramix MassCore with two Horus networked audio converters.
The Annie Moses Band is a family venture, blending traditional American folk songs with a strong classical influence, and has appeared at Carnegie Hall and the Grand Ole Opry and on PBS. Scott Dupre, senior audio engineer and part of the family, explains, “ManAlive Studios is a production facility marrying hi-resolution audio and video workflows with the immediacy of today’s social media demands. The live room features six Blackmagic 4K cameras and 40 I/O of Merging Technologies DSD preamps and converters; the studio can easily produce a full live band, with a live audience, streaming live to the web, with DSD quality audio capture and a 4K video workflow.
“The audio package is geared towards the artist who desires an honest, lush and three-dimensional sound. The center of the control room is a 24-channel SSL AWS console that handles analog mixes and all the necessary monitoring. The combination of the Merging preamps and converters through the SSL’s transparent bussing and into a pair of PMC TwoTwo8s results in a near holographic soundscape that is very revealing. The studio includes both a PC/Pyramix and a Mac/Pro Tools workflow with DAW Eucon control provided by an Avid S3.”
The choice of DSD and Merging came as a recommendation from an engineer friend who suggested that this would be more akin to capturing an event on tape. “We have been extremely impressed by the depth and audio quality of DSD,” comments Alex Wolaver, studio manager, producer and Annie Moses Band member. “It is creatively exciting and meets our own regular media needs, allowing us to do it as we are most comfortable—live and together in one space.
These days, fans have given way to followers, and the job of the artist has shifted from making one album every year and a half to being a content creator releasing a steady stream of content weekly, or even daily. Recording live speeds up that process and feeds the social media machine.”
Merging Technologies • www.merging.com
