Pictured onstage at Winter NAMM 2010 are (L-R) Lennon Tour Bus executive director Brian Rothschild, Yoko Ono Lennon, and Jackson Browne.
NAMM Event Launches Year Celebrating John’s 70th Birthday
One of the major highlights at this year’s annual NAMM Show gathering of musicians and music industry manufacturers was the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus celebration. Yoko Ono chose this Anaheim event to kick off a year celebrating John’s 70th birthday. To accommodate a full year of audio/video creativity, the Lennon Bus called on Integrated Media Technologies to integrate Avid solutions into their video editorial system.
Following a medley of Lennon tunes performed by gifted high school students, Yoko Ono Lennon took the stage with Tour Bus executive director Brian Rothschild and offered words of wisdom and encouragement about the importance of music and video education. “The John
Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a non-profit outreach program with the mission of giving kids a chance to express themselves through music and video productions,” she said. “It has been a living legacy to John’s passion for musical expression and artistic freedom.”
To expand the Bus’ capability for the 2010 tour, Integrated Media Technologies (IMT) was called on to adapt the existing video production studio to the addition of a state-of-the-art Avid Nitris DX video editing system. IMT also upgraded the production monitoring system from an array of 7″ monitors to a single LCD display with a Harris FusionPro+ multiviewer. The Harris FusionPro+ allows live viewing of feeds from the Bus’ six Sony robotic HD cameras, as well as additional media content served from an Apple Mac Mini, to be displayed simultaneously on the LCD display. The result is a flexible production environment that demonstrates the leading professional technologies utilized in real-world production studios.
Pictured (L-R) in the John Lennon Tour Bus are chief engineer Jeff Sobel and creative coordinator Tyler Winick.
Chief engineer Jeff Sobel explained, “I’ve known Chandos Mahon at IMT for a few years and we got in touch when Avid came onboard as a sponsor. We needed help integrating the new gear into the existing studio and many companies only want to be involved from the ground up. But Chandos said tell us what you’ve got and we’ll do what’s necessary to adapt it to what you’re adding.”
“By utilizing the bus and its fine studio set-up,” Yoko said, “thousands of students have written, recorded and produced original songs and videos – students who otherwise might not have had the opportunity to explore these avenues of creativity. At a time with music education in the schools is facing tough funding challenges, the Bus has been a rolling testament to the enduring, positive power of music making.”
All photos by David Goggin.
“IMT is honored to be working on a project that is enjoyed by so many students across the country,” said Chandos Mahon, IMT Vice President of Broadcast and Production Solutions.
About The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus
The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a non-profit 501(c)(3) mobile audio and HD video recording and production facility. Since 1998, the Bus has provided free hands-on programs to hundreds of high schools, colleges, Boys and Girls Clubs, music festivals, concerts, conventions and community organizations. Working together with some of the biggest names in music, the Lennon Bus encourages students to play music, write songs, engineer recording sessions and produce video projects using the latest audio, video, and live sound equipment.
The interior is divided into three separate studio environments that can be opened to create one large studio. The front studio is a cutting-edge audio and video production room. The rear studio offers pro-level recording and mixing at the highest possible resolution, as well as an iso booth for acoustic recordings, and a Reflecmedia Chromatte (green screen) booth. Powered by Apple computers, the studios feature traditional musical instruments and the latest Sony HD products and solutions. Also on-board is a Mackie P.A. system enabling performances on the side of the Bus.
http://www.lennonbus.org/
About Integrated Media Technologies, Inc. (IMT)
Integrated Media Technologies Inc. is a systems integrator for digital media, and information technology. The company delivers products and services that enable clients to achieve their strategic business goals. Through an active engagement with the client, IMT collects project requirements to design the best solution to address the customer’s needs. IMT’s award-winning staff designs, procures, installs, trains, and supports a project from beginning to end. In addition, IMT offers ongoing support through its Remote Managed Services, lowering project risk, cost and assuring maximum uptime.
http://www.imtglobalinc.com/
About the NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission of advancing active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs from the international music products industry. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, visit http://www.nammfoundation.org. For more information on how to support music education programs in your local community, go to http://www.supportmusic.com.
