Santa Monica, Calif. — The Recording Academy® Producers & Engineers Wing®, in partnership with HARMAN® Professional, held a special event titled “From Mic to Mix” on Friday, August 11, 2017, at Nashville’s famed Sound Stage Studios. An eclectic roster of guests from Nashville’s professional audio community, ranging from top engineers and producers to musicians, educators, studio owners, managers, and music recording students, gathered for a cocktail reception and recording and mixing demonstration with GRAMMY®-winning engineer Ryan Hewitt that featured a live performance by the Nashville-based international rock trio Elle Macho. The demonstrations highlighted the latest recording products and technologies from HARMAN Professional brands AKG®, dbx®, JBL® and Lexicon® – including the debut of the highly anticipated JBL 7-Series powered master reference monitors.
The evening began with Sound Stage Studio Manager Nick Autry welcoming the crowd. Then he turned the microphone over to Alicia Warwick, Recording Academy Nashville Chapter Executive Director. Warwick talked about the mission of the Recording Academy and the P&E Wing and the Wing’s role in industry activities including standards and practices, technical guidelines, advocacy for the rights of music creators, and the Wing’s long-standing relationship with HARMAN. Peter Chaikin, Director, Recording Solutions for HARMAN Professional, then addressed the audience, speaking about how HARMAN and the P&E Wing share common goals related to technical innovation, audio excellence and support for music makers.
The crowd then proceeded to Sound Stage’s Back Stage Studio, where Hewitt helmed a live tracking session and mix of a song by Elle Macho. The group, which includes David Mead (guitar/vocals), Butterfly Boucher (bass/vocals), and Lindsay Jameison (drums/vocals) did several takes, capturing the audio via AKG microphones, while Hewitt monitored in the control room with the new JBL 7-Series 705p and 708p Master Reference Monitors. Additionally, throughout Sound Stage there were listening stations set up featuring the latest AKG headphones, while in the Front Stage control room, Chaikin, along with fellow HARMAN associates Ted White, Business Developer, Studio Systems, and JT Taylor, Senior Application Engineer, Recording & Retail, staged one-on-one demos of the 7-Series.
Chaikin commented, “Our relationship with the P&E Wing is a long and rewarding one, and the industry gatherings we produce together are always enjoyable and extremely valuable. Tonight’s Mic to Mix event drew many leaders of Nashville’s wonderful recording scene. It was a terrific opportunity to showcase our recording tools and exchange information with the Nashville P&E Wing community.”
Maureen Droney, P&E Wing Managing Director, concurred, stating, “We are very proud of our partnership with HARMAN Professional and also grateful for their support with our initiatives. The quest for audio excellence is paramount to the P&E Wing, and HARMAN product development has always held to the kind of high bar that makes our relationship so valued. In particular lately, some of our most prominent members have been extremely excited by the sound of JBL’s 7-Series speakers, so we were pleased to be able to showcase that technology to the Nashville community.”
Photo caption: Pictured L-R, standing: David Mead (guitar/vocals, Elle Macho); GRAMMY®-winning engineer Ryan Hewitt; Butterfly Boucher (bass/vocals, Elle Macho); and Lindsay Jameison (drums/vocals, Elle Macho); Pictured L-R, seated: Ted White, Business Developer, Studio Systems, HARMAN Professional; Peter Chaikin, Director, Recording Solutions for HARMAN Professional; Alicia Warwick, Recording Academy Nashville Chapter Executive Director; and Nick Autry, Studio Manager, Sound Stage Studios – gathered at “From Mic to Mix” on Friday, August 11, 2017, at Nashville’s famed Sound Stage Studios. Photo courtesy of the Recording Academy. © 2017.
