NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 2015: Greg Cohen is an Emmy-nominated, multitalented composer, producer, arranger, re-mixer, and mixer, who works out of MXD Studio in New York City. He has worked on projects with industry superstars such as Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, Estelle, Mary J. Blige, Michael Jackson, Passion Pit, R. Kelly and Usher, and his abbreviated client list includes MTV, RCA, Sony/BMG, Fox Sports, ESPN, Comedy Central, DreamWorks, Warner Bros, Walt Disney, and Virgin Records. Recently, he’s been working with DJ Cassidy on his forthcoming album Paradise Royale (Columbia Records); its two advance singles (“Calling All Hearts” ft. Robin Thicke & Jessie J and “Make The World Go Round” ft. R. Kelly) have charted in the top ten in both the US and the UK. That album – and indeed all of Cohen’s recent work – was completed using a pair of Sonodyne SM 100AK reference monitors, which he praises for their transparency, high-end & low-end frequency extension, and inspiring musicality.
“I wear a lot of hats, and my monitors are my window into everything I do,” Cohen said. “Sometimes, I record tracks here, but usually I get tracks sent to me from all over the world. I have to have a clear image of what I’m working with and where it needs to go.” A while back, Cohen was speaking with a long-time friend, Belgian electronic music producer Kris Vanderheyden about the NS-10M’s Cohen had been using for over a decade. “When I picked them up, that was what everyone was using,” said Cohen. “I figured I should jump on that bandwagon, and over the years I learned to like – and dislike – them for what they are. I learned how to make a good mix on them, but their sound was never exciting. Kris then told me about the Sonodynes. He said they were beautifully transparent and could be listened to all day, without fatigue.”
Cohen then read a few articles about Sonodyne loudspeakers, which are designed and assembled in India by celebrated acoustician Ashoke Mukherjee and distributed in the US by TransAudio Group. He learned that Sweetwater was carrying the Sonodyne line and ordered a pair of SM 100AK reference monitors. “They’re very reasonably priced,” Cohen said. “Given everything I had been told and read about them, I figured it was a safe bet to buy a pair, sound unheard.”
He continued, “When they arrived, I put them up immediately and listened to all of my favorite albums. The SM 100AK’s sounded even better than the reviews suggested. The low frequencies are detailed, the high frequencies are open, natural and everything in between is smooth, accurate, and easy to listen to. Now that I’ve had them up for a while, I find that my workflow has become much faster. The Sonodynes bring a lot of information into focus very quickly, and I immediately know how to treat a particular track and get it to fit into a mix perfectly. The depth of field I experience is a vast improvement over what I was used to. I know where everything sits and I can make the necessary adjustments to minimize any conflict.”
“DJ Cassidy has been very impressed with the low end I’ve been able to get with our songs. He’ll take my mixes to some of the biggest studios around, like MSR in New York City or The Village in Los Angeles while tracking, and crank them up on their main monitors as a point of reference. They always translate really well and, frankly, they sound awesome. Because of this, he purchased a pair of SM 100AK’s for himself. I’m constantly recommending the Sonodyne line to all of my artist, engineer and producer friends.”
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TransAudio Group, founded by industry veteran Brad Lunde, has quickly become the premier U.S. importer/distributor and/or U.S. sales and marketing representative for high-end audio. Success hinges on TransAudio providing dealers and end users with a higher standard of product expertise and support far beyond the norm.
