A familiar fixture at the MTV Movie Awards, Le Mobile—Guy Charbonneau’s iconic jet-black remote recording studio—was back again for the 2009 broadcast on May 31. Parked backstage at Universal City’s Gibson Amphitheater, Le Mobile provided audio mixing facilities for the show’s musical performances, which included Eminem, the Kings of Leon, and a “Lonely Island Medley” sung by Chris Isaak, Lee Ann Rimes and Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker.
Veteran New York City–based engineer Jay Vicari—who is partner/co-owner of independent mobile recording company Music Mix Mobile, and best known for his work on Saturday Night Live as well as for other high-profile television events—mixed the music behind Le Mobile’s immaculately restored and updated Neve console.
Le Mobile has been booked for music mixing at the MTV Movie Awards from the earliest years of the annual televised affair. “We haven’t been there every time, but for most of them—at least 10 or 12,” says Le Mobile owner and chief engineer Guy Charbonneau. “We certainly get invited back more often than the hosts!”
First broadcast in 1992, the MTV Movie Awards were pre-recorded and edited prior to broadcast through 2006. Since 2007, the show has aired live. With the sole exception of comedian Mike Myers, no personality has hosted the show more than once.
For more than three decades, Le Mobile has been recording and mixing concerts, special events and film scoring sessions throughout North America. Both the truck and owner/engineer Guy Charbonneau have received numerous industry awards, including an Emmy Award and dozens of gold and platinum albums. Le Mobile’s stock of fastidiously maintained equipment—the best of the analog and digital domains—comprises 112 channels of Neve preamplifiers, 96 channels of Pro Tools HD, and a pair of mint-condition Studer A800 analog recorders.
Visit Le Mobile at www.lemobile.com.
