The 2010 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in southern California was once again an overwhelming success, drawing a record attendance of 225,000 people over a 3-day span. At Coachella’s Mojave Stage, Ian C. Charbonneau of Le Mobile Remote Recording relied on JBL LSR2328 studio monitors to mix a roster of top artists for live webcast.
During the Festival’s three days, the Mojave Stage hosted performances by 30 acts, including Devo, Grizzly Bear, Imogen Heap, Julian Casablancas, Shooter Jennings and Les Claypool. In other words, rest was not an option for Charbonneau. “When you’re mixing live from 10 AM to 1 AM for three days, it’s a tough gig for the ears,� Charbonneau said, “but it’s such a great time doing it, especially when you love music and you love what you do.�
Not only does the schedule itself pose a challenge, but Charbonneau notes that mixing
live music for broadcast leaves little room for error. “With live broadcasts and recording live music, you always have to be on top of everything, because you only have one chance to get it right,� he said. “When you work in an environment like that you never know what you’re up against, so it’s very important to be comfortable with your monitors.�
To that end, Charbonneau selected a stereo pair of JBL LSR2328 studio monitors as part of his setup at Coachella, having first used them when recording the Andrea Bocelli and David Foster “My Christmas� concert at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, which aired on PBS television on November 26.
“I couldn’t believe how good they sound while being so affordable,� Charbonneau said. “I figured Coachella would be the ultimate test for the LSR2300’s. It’s non-stop operation in a loud environment. “When recording or mixing live in such a challenging environment, you can easily be thrown off by so many elements. Having monitors you know well and that you can rely on sonically, surely is one of the most important things.�
According to Charbonneau, the LSR2328 monitors passed the test with flying colors. “I was very pleased with the results,� Charbonneau said. “It has lots of power, a very nice low end, clarity and ultimately, it’s really proven to be a workhorse.�
Charbonneau, an independent engineer, mixer, consultant and producer, specializing in live broadcast and studio project, has quite an impressive list of projects under his belt. Founded by Ian’s father, Guy Charbonneau, Le Mobile Remote Recording offers full production services for a variety of events and is recognized as one of the mobile recording industry’s most successful companies for more than 35 years. “As a kid, I grew up with several pairs of JBL speakers at home; they were my toys, JBL has played an important role in my musical upbringing,� Ian added. “Now that I do this for a living, it’s great to see JBL continuing to make great-sounding products for the studio.�
For more information on Le Mobile Remote Recording, please visit www.lemobile.com
HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets – supported by 15 leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 20 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 11,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported sales of $3.2 billion for the last twelve months ended March 31, 2010. The Company’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.
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