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February 1, 2011

February 1, 2011 Mix Issue Table of Contents

February 1, 2011

Feature

Surround From Two Channels

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By Kevin Becka

Taking the stereo image beyond its obvious boundaries has been in the engineer’s toolbox since the discovery of mechanically induced flanging in the ’60s and the introduction of hardware effects like the phase shifter and Eventide’s Harmonizer in the ’70s. Later, in the ’90s, QSound and Bedini entered the market with their 3-D sound-processing algorithms and the Bedini Audio Spectral Enhancer (BASE), which promised an enhanced listener experience for music and gaming. …

Near-Field Reference Monitors | Innovation and Accuracy

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By George Petersen

In 1937, when James B. Lansing unveiled the Lansing Iconic—the world’s first recording studio monitor—he probably had no idea that nearly three-quarters of a century later, that original notion would have developed into an industry of its own, with dozens of companies creating reproduction systems for the control room environment. Today, that quest for sonic perfection continues with higher-power, more accurate monitors designed for near- and midfield listening. In the past 18 months, we’ve seen an increase in new models—some three dozen in this report alone—intended for studio applications. …

Product Reviews

Manley MicMAID Review

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By Kevin Becka

It’s seldom that a truly unique audio product comes onto the market, but the Manley MicMAID is one-of-a-kind. Simply put, it is a router that allows for quick recall of any single combination of four mics and four preamps at the push of a button. For instance, you can have a single mic and audition it across four preamps…

Wavemachine Labs Drumagog 5 Review

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By Brandon Hickey

Version 5 of Wavemachine Labs’ drum-replacement software maintains the easy operation of past versions while adding new features and math under the hood, as well as introducing a redesigned GUI, all of which create a powerful, user-friendly production tool. This scalable software lets you opt for as much versatility as you can afford. …

Equator Q12 Studio Monitors Review

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By Bobby Frasier

Coaxial loudspeakers are hardly new, having been around for more than half a century, but Equator Audio Research has modernized this venerable design with its Q Series speakers. Onboard bi-amplification, networking, built-in DSP, calibration software and a continuously variable digital crossover all work together to fine-tune this historic design. …

Sennheiser HD 800 Headphones Review

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By Kevin Becka

Headphone reviews are tricky. As these products are worn by the user, they are more “personal” than other audio gear. It’s like reviewing a pair of shoes: The feel makes a big difference in customer satisfaction. High-end headphones take it up another notch, with components made from rare materials and described in terms reserved for audiophiles. New technology is often in play, as is attention to detail in hopes of offering a unique ownership and listening experience. …

Music

Music: Lindsey Buckingham in Two Worlds

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By Blair Jackson

When Lindsey Buckingham and I hook up by phone one morning in the late fall of 2010, he apologizes for sounding tired, noting, “We did this corporate in Phoenix two nights ago and I got in late from that and I have kids who wake up at six in the morning.” The “corporate” was essentially a large private party, and “we” is Fleetwood Mac. …

Airshow Serves the Live Recording Market With FestivaLink.net

Feb 2, 2011 9:00 AM, By Matt Gallagher

Ever since opening Airshow’s facility in Boulder, Colo., in 1997, company co-founder and chief mastering engineer David Glasser has mastered live releases for top local acts. “In the case of String Cheese Incident, we must have mastered about 150 of their shows,” Glasser says. “They were one of the first bands to do a quick-turnaround CD issue for their concerts. They went to a more economical model when [Internet] downloads became the way to go.” …

Scott Jacoby’s Eusonia Records

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By Barbara Schultz

Grammy-winning composer/producer/engineer/label owner Scott Jacoby started the Eusonia Records label in 2007 after four of the R&B and pop artists he was working with—as composer and/or producer—were dropped by the majors. …

Studio Profile: Meadows Joins Mayfield

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By Barbara Schultz

Glenn Meadows, the revered mastering engineer whose name was long synonymous with Masterfonics Studios, joined Mayfield Mastering several months ago and recently went online with a new room within the facility. Meadows worked with Mayfield associate Mike Poston and contractor John Poston (Mike Poston’s son) to maximize the usability of an 18×16-foot room, and employ the acoustical principles that Meadows has learned after decades of working in Tom Hidley–designed studios. …

Classic Tracks: Buddy Holly “That’ll Be the Day”

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By Ron Skinner

There are two lessons to be learned from this month’s “Classic Track”: First, persistence pays off; and second, sometimes the master is the demo and the demo is the master. n the winter of 1956/57, Buddy Holly was an artist in transition. After being discovered by talent scout Eddie Crandall in the fall of 1955 and signed to Decca Records in Nashville, by late 1956 Holly found himself without a hit and without a contract. Prior to this, Holly had had three separate recording sessions for Decca between January and November 1956 with legendary country music producer Owen Bradley at his Quonset Hut studio on 16th Avenue in Nashville. …

Live

Todd Snider Tour Profile

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By Barbara Schultz

It takes an amusing singer/songwriter performer to command an audience’s undivided attention, armed with little but a guitar and his own songbook. But Todd Snider makes it look easy—even accidental. Singing, picking and story-telling his way through songs like “Beer Run,” “Looking for a Job” and his anthem of sorts, “Conservative Christian, Right-Wing Republican, Straight White American Males.” There’s no stacks, no racks, no effects and often no rock ’n’ roll band to blow people away. …

Dante Out With Peter Gabriel

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By Sarah Benzuly

Peter Gabriel’s New Blood, Scratch My Back Tour saw the artist and a 54-piece orchestra performing cover songs in amphitheaters and arenas throughout Europe. Due to the complexities of delivering orchestral sound to a large arena audience, Brit Row Productions chose Audinate Dante to help control the zones. …

FixIt: Flyleaf FOH Engineer Rich Caldwell

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM

Flyleaf originally wanted a recording truck or mobile setup to come out, but we felt confident that we could capture the audio ourselves and then just hand them a hard drive of the whole tour. Using existing budget, we purchased a Pro Tools HD rig and added a MADI-to-Digilink interface. That instantly turned the [Soundcraft Vi6] desk into a 64-track mobile studio with full virtual soundcheck capability….

Roger Waters The Wall Tour Profile

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By Sarah Benzuly

It’s been 30 years since Roger Waters penned Pink Floyd’s mind-blowing album The Wall. Fast-forward to today, and the same political issues, fear and stress on global matters that formed the basis of that album are still quite relevant—and Waters demonstrates this in his jaw-dropping, two-hour (with half-hour intermission) show. The double-disc album—played in its entirety on this tour—concentrates on the walls people build around themselves for survival. …

All Access: Weezer Memories Tour

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, Photos and Text By Steve Jennings

At each stop on their Memories tour, Weezer holds that city hostage for two nights—one for each of their chart-topping ’90s albums: Weezer (The Blue Album) is performed from top to bottom on the first date, and Pinkerton on the next. While the crowd is rocked down memory lane, the band also throws in some other hits, B-sides and songs from their latest, Hurley. Mix caught the Pinkerton date at San Francisco’s Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium. …

Road-Worthy Gear: New Sound Reinforcement Products, February 2011

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM

ix magazine new sound reinforcement products column in the February 2011 issue of Mix magazine live sound products section article …

Power Tools: Avid VENUE Live Console

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By George Petersen

Over the past couple years, we’ve noticed a trend of more studio engineers going out with the band, taking on a front-of-house mixing role for the tour once the group hits the road. With that in mind, we spoke to Avid senior market specialist (and award-winning live sound mixer) Robert Scovill, who shared some advice for Pro Tools–savvy studio engineers taking this leap into live sound and using Avid’s VENUE Series consoles. …

Get That Guitar!

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By Pete Keppler

The sheer number of different amps, amp simulators, direct-input systems and acoustic pickups on the market today for guitar is pretty staggering—probably not that far from the number of musicians who are out there actually plugging into it all. In the world of guitar amps alone, dozens of boutique companies have sprung up in the past 10 to 20 years, not to mention the major manufacturers that keep cranking out new models every year and bringing out various re-issues of their classic amps from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. With so much gear out there, the quest for a killer guitar tone in your live mix may seem a little daunting. It will take a bit of experimentation, but assuming your player has settled on a rig that they’re comfortable with onstage, it’s relatively easy to zero in on your options and make a choice for the best method of capturing that sound. …

Departments

On the Cover: Ocean Way Recording’s Allen Sides

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By Blair Jackson

Allen Sides really should write a book; very few people in the music business have had as interesting a career. Most Mix readers probably know highlights of Sides’ resumé: He started in the audio business building custom loudspeakers and doing engineering work in a converted Santa Monica, Calif., garage space; he was taken under the wing of L.A. studio owner/audio guru Bill Putnam…

Tech: New Products, February 2011

Feb 1, 2011 9:00 AM

Lehmannaudio’s StudioCube ($499) headphone amp is compact, comes with stand (optional) or desk mount, and is linkable for daisy-chaining multiple units. I/O is on Neutrik ¼-inch TRS headphone outputs and Neutrik XLR/TRS stereo input/thrus. Features include mono/stereo input selector switches, and front panel LEDs to monitor input signal presence and overload. The output is Class-A, and all units are crafted with selected components in Germany. …

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