Sonic branding for spousal trades, tirades, rock stars and preachers.

Sonixphere, a global resource for everything connected to music and audio branding, in association with the award-winning composing team at iSpy Music, kicked off 2012 with the debut of ABC’s highly-anticipated reality series Celebrity Wife Swap. Famous spouses who signed up to swap households, children, and rules of domestic play include Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, songstress Carnie Wilson, Flavor Flav from Public Enemy, and actor Gary Busey, among others.
Greg Allan, CEO and Creative Director of Sonixphere, and Doug Bossi, CEO and lead composer of iSpy Music, combined their extensive music and branding experience to parlay the diverse personalities of the cast into distinct sonic alter egos for each spousal team. Cues throughout each episode play up both the humorous and confrontational aspects of the show, driving the action while adding to the emotional response from viewers. more

BALTIMORE, Maryland – To help the world’s leading broadcasters and advertising agencies fully realize their ideas and visions, Baltimore, Maryland-based Producers Video relies on Fairlight’s XCS Constellation with the Xynergi as a center panel for a professional A/V solution. As Maryland’s premier film, video, audio production and post-production house, Producers Video runs campaigns for nationally known brands such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Under Armour and Toyota, among others.

The addition of Fairlight’s XCS Constellation to Producers Video’s facility has been a catalyst for its continued success and expansion. “We never want to turn away clients or work opportunities as the flexibility and options we receive with Fairlight products is our major strength,” says Bob Bragg, Senior Audio Engineer at Producers Video. “Since the installation, we’ve been able to evolve and learn to incorporate more features that help expand our business and capabilities.”

One of the benefits of Fairlight’s XCS Constellation and Xynergi is their flexibility to work with many file formats. Bragg notes, “Fairlight continues to add new levels of innovation by adding HD video to the timeline as well as the capability to import and export different file formats and VST plug-ins. The ability to work on audio and signal processing on every channel, without a separate program saves a great amount of time and helps to keep workflow constant. There is no need to launch another program or extension, and all the native EQ’s and dynamics are all instantly there.”

On a day-to-day basis, Bragg mentioned some of the challenges of production and how Fairlight consoles help to eliminate issues that can slow down workflow and productivity. The user-friendly footprint of the Constellation provides plenty of inputs and outputs, and the ability to instantly adjust feeds to send to other studios via ISDN with picture lock makes it easy to keep workflow constant.

“It’s great to work with other studios and be able to have both sessions running at the same time, helping to judge the performance and make creative decisions instantly even if you’re not on site. Many of the more compact systems don’t have the versatility and ease of use with parameter adjustments and routing that you get with Fairlight and the Constellation.”

The system comes with very good sounding native EQ and dynamics that are superior to most plug-ins Bragg has used. “The native processing really sounds rich and detailed plus you still have the five plug-ins available to drop in per channel if needed, giving multiple options,” stated Bragg.

“Other features we use often are the AAF import and EDL conform capability. We drag and drop multiple cuts onto a single timeline. When a version is finalized, it’s great to be able to access the original polyphonic broadcast wav files recorded during production. This gives us access to every microphone that was on set or location and can help us sort through the feeds to pick the best audio for the circumstance.”

Working under continuing deadlines makes maintaining constant workflow crucial. For one project, Bragg described that the timeline was extremely short and the project needed to be set up on Friday and mixed for completion by Monday. With no room for leeway, strict deadlines and a tight budget, the quality still needs to be at the highest level. “At Producers, we pride ourselves in being able to do everything in house; production, editing, motion graphics, audio, and color correction. With the Fairlight Constellation and Xynergi,” said Bragg. “We can do audio post for every kind of project. It is a very versatile tool and we use its networking strengths facility wide. We can have different engineers working on different aspects of the project and it’s extremely easy to bring it all together for the final version. We really rely on the gear to perform and push the project through workflow-wise.”

The intuitive layout and ease of use of the Fairlight consoles continue to make the learning process for engineers very easy. “The ongoing support we receive is impeccable. We are constantly reassured of our decision to go with Fairlight and continue to enjoy working with them and the systems,” Bragg continued. “It’s clear Fairlight truly cares about our professional needs.”

For more information on Producers Video, please visit: http://www.producers.tv

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About FairlightUS:
FairlightUS is headquartered in New Jersey USA and is the exclusive distributor for Fairlight products in the North American market. Fairlight has been at the forefront of digital audio development since its inception in 1975. Fairlight designs and manufactures media creation tools including digital audio recording, editing and mixing systems for standard and high definition audio post, broadcast and music production applications. www.fairlightus.com

About Fairlight:
Headquartered in Sydney, Australia Fairlight designs and manufactures media production systems powered by the company’s groundbreaking CC-1 FPGA digital processing engine. The Fairlight product range includes EVO, Xynergi and the new PyxisG2, all of which feature in the world’s leading broadcasters, commercial post facilities, music studios and film production studios. Fairlight has a rich tradition of innovation and development and is at the forefront of green computing technology.

New York, January 30, 2012 — Masterdisk, one of New York City’s foremost mastering facilities, has installed several of Antelope Audio’s Isochrone Trinity Master Clock and 10M Rubidium Atomic Clock units in its mastering suites, to maintain stereo imaging and the overall sonic integrity of projects passing through its studios. Masterdisk is installing multiple Antelope Audio Zodiac D/A converters at listening stations throughout the facility for quality control purposes.

According to owner Scott Hull, Masterdisk’s mastering suites were constructed with very high quality acoustics and solid grounding, and were already well clocked —therefore they did not appear to be candidates for improvement. “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” he says. Yet, the Antelope 10M — which incorporates a reference generator that is 100,000 times more accurate than the quartz oscillators in most equipment — and the Trinity, which offers 64-bit DSP and up to 384 kHz audio streaming, have had a noticeable impact on performance clocking the digital audio converters in the rooms.

“Image stability can’t be generated, and it has to be maintained through the process,” explains Hull. “You can undo certain effects or jitter but you can’t ‘reimage’ something; you can’t get that image back once you lose it.”

As he further elaborates, any component within the signal chain has the potential to degrade the accuracy of the soundstage. “A lot of processors and many, if not all, workstations give you something back that isn’t quite as stable, as rock-solid, as what you put in,” says Hull. However, driving every component in the system from a high quality master clock can reduce the likelihood of any degradation. “Workstations simply work better by being clocked with a more stable clock. Every step along the way where you can give yourself a tenth of a percent, it adds up to something pretty noticeable at the end. And there’s a marked and audible improvement in the final product when everything is Antelope powered,” he states.

Keeping True Quality Control at the Helm
Hull believes that true quality control at the mastering stage has become increasingly overlooked as budgets have become tighter and clients’ time and involvement have decreased. “We really have to know exactly what we’re sending out the door. We have to have at least two sets of ears on every product that we send out. So we’re putting Antelope Zodiac DACs into several listening stations in our facility just to facilitate quality control passes. Suffice it to say we consider that to be one of the best and most open and accurate DACs we can get. Coupled with the headphone amp, this gives us really good functionality for hearing exactly what’s going out the door at 192 kHz or 96k or 44.1.”

As Hull recalls, one of his mastering engineers initially heard about Antelope Audio’s clocks from his clients, and had a unit brought in to evaluate. He also notes that veteran mastering engineer Vlado Meller, who joined Masterdisk when Universal Mastering Studios closed in mid-2011, was a longtime Antelope Audio user. “Once we’d worked with it and got more of the boxes in more of the rooms we came to like what it did,” Hull reports. “The integrity and sonic experience was better overall, and everyone was happy.”

What matters, he continues, is the integrity of the system from beginning to end, and utilizing a high definition master clock can make a difference to the end result. “Sometimes it’s analog, sometimes it’s digital, sometimes it’s digital and analog. But they do like to play together better when they’re locked to a common master reference. When you’re working from a 96k file or a digital device at 96k, through an analog console and back out to a CD master at 44.1, the fact that everything is resolved to a common reference seems to work.” He comments, “I’m just trying to get to an end result that makes the client nod their head.”

“Mastering Your Favorite Records Since 1973”
Established in 1973, Masterdisk has handled projects by a who’s who of the music business over the years, including – to name just a few mastered by Hull – Bob Dylan, Sting, Lou Reed, Steely Dan, Bruce Springsteen, Panic at the Disco, plus many, many others. Hull recently mastered “25 Years”, a retrospective 4-disc box set from Sting, and Vlado Meller recently mastered new albums for Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction — including iTunes-optimized masters to go along with the vinyl and CD.

Sonixphere, a global resource for everything connected to music and audio branding, has once again collaborated with the award-winning composing team at iSpy Music to create the theme and underscore music for History Channel’s suspense-filled auction reality show, Real Deal.

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Hollywood—Supervising Sound Editors Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis of Soundelux are among the nominees for Best Sound Editing in the 84th Annual Academy Awards for their work on Drive. This is the third Oscar nomination for Bender. He previously won the award, with Per Hallberg, in 1996 for Braveheart. This is the first Oscar nomination for Ennis. Winners will be announced February 26th in Los Angeles.

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HOLLYWOOD – Veteran Re-Recording Mixer Andy Koyama has joined independent sound company Todd-AO. Koyama will mix theatrical projects at Todd-AO’s Santa Monica facility. He arrives with more than 60 films to his credit, including the comedy Meet the Parents, the vampire tale New Moon and the summer blockbuster The Incredible Hulk. Most recently, he mixed The Grey, Director Joe Carnahan’s thriller set for release this month.

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Las Vegas, January 9th, 2012 — Antelope Audio will demonstrate its audiophile-grade digital to analog converters (DACs) at T.H.E. Show in Las Vegas between Tuesday, January 10th and Friday, January 6th at The Flamingo Hotel, room 4044.

Antelope Audio’s high-end Zodiac D/A converters (DACs) are based on the company’s proprietary clocking and conversion technologies developed for world’s top mastering professionals and sound engineers in the music, film and television industries. Antelope brings to audiophiles’ home environment the highest audio quality available only at the leading and most technically demanding sound studios around the globe.

During T.H.E. Show, music lovers will have the opportunity to experience the pristine sound quality of all three models – Zodiac, Zodiac+ and Zodiac Gold. All of them utilize Antelope’s famous Oven Controlled Clock and Acoustically Focused Clocking as well as the custom USB chip, which allows audio streaming of up to 384 kHz.

Morten Lindberg the founder of Lindberg Lyd and the music label 2L, and several times Grammy Award nominee says “The Zodiac Gold is now our preferred DAC for proof listening of our 352.8kHz/24bit stereo master files.”

“The best way to experience Antelope Audio is to listen to our products first hand,” explained Marcel James, director of sales for Antelope Audio. “At T.H.E. Show, we will be reaching a very focused contingent of discerning audiophiles, who are keen to take the home listening experience to the next level. With our unique clocking and conversion technology, they can achieve that goal.”

Zodiac DACs: Unprecedented detail and clarity
The Antelope Audio Zodiacs help audiophile consumers and home listeners experience a new level of detail, sound clarity and warmth. Featuring a plug and play interface that connects seamlessly to a Mac, PC or just about any other digital media source, the Zodiacs deliver up to 384 kHz resolution audio, dramatically improving the listening experience on both loudspeakers and headphones. Antelope’s proprietary clocking technology, which is shielded from other electronic components to maintain a consistent temperature, is at the core of the Antelope sound and results in astounding accuracy, dynamics and stereo placement of the audio.

The Zodiacs are also particularly attractive to audio consumers who use headphones, being designed for precise monitoring with a wide range of headphone impedance. Ultra linear, dual stage headphone amplifiers, which are controlled by a dedicated volume knob, deliver smooth sound at both high and low levels.

To learn more about T.H.E. Show or to register, please visit http://www.theshowlasvegas.com.

HOLLYWOOD—Soundelux Supervising Sound Editor Becky Sullivan faced an unusual task in creating sound for In the Land of Blood and Honey¸ Angelina Jolie’s powerful, new film about the Bosnian War. Jolie produced two versions of the film, one in English, the other in Serbo-Croatian and therefore Sullivan and her crew needed to produce two complete soundtracks, one in a language none of them spoke.

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Projection artist Ross Ashton of London, UK based The Projection Studio was invited back to Caerphilly Castle in Wales – by popular demand – to recreate his fabulous “Illuminata” digital art son et Lumière.

The commission – for which Ashton also designed the large format projection system used to bring the work to life – was from Cadw – the Welsh Assembly Government division responsible for preserving and promoting the history and heritage of Wales.
The 2010 event was the first time that an entertainment spectacle of this genre had been commissioned for a Cadw historical monument, and proved such a massive success that they decided to repeat the experience for three evenings this year.
Ashton’s 20 minute work depicted the history and stories of the castle, accompanied by a special audio track produced by sound artist Karen Monid.
Working at Caerphilly Castle again was a “Fantastic” experience enthused Ashton, who has produced detailed and very specific works for many landmark building and site specific locations worldwide. Caerphilly is the largest castle in Wales (and only second to Windsor in the UK) and complete with formidable water defences, one of the largest fortresses in Europe, dating back to 1267.
The projection work was projected onto two buildings in the Inner Ward of the Castle – the rear of the Gatehouse, and the Main Hall, at 90 degrees to its right. The images measured approximately 30 metres wide onto both surfaces and the three Christie HD18 projectors were positioned 50 metres away. These were supplied by QED to the Projection Studio.
A double stacked pair rigged at the top of a scaffolding platform covered the Gatehouse, with the third single machine positioned at the end of a long balcony on the building opposite the Main Hall.
All the content – including some impressive PiP elements shaped and fitted millimetre-perfectly to the architecture of the buildings – was loaded onto 3 OnlyView servers, and programmed by Richard Porter & Karen Monid.
Ashton was engaged for the project by Marilyn Lewis, Director of Cadw. After receiving the original brief, he worked closely with Lewis and Cadw, a storyline was developed from which he chose specific elements that would look best with large video projections, whilst preserving the timeline and events chronology.
A major creative challenge was designing a show without a voice-over accompaniment. Welsh Assembly Government projects need to be fully bilingual; however a show without spoken word effectively removes the need for simultaneous translation. The narrative therefore had to be very strong within the visual material with a minimal amount of text and the atmospheric enhancement of the soundscape.
Original artwork for the show was produced by Ashton and his team of Paul Chatfield and Steve Larkins, together with some 3D animations by Richard Porter. Cadw provided archival material and also commissioned illustrator Mike Cooper (of 2000AD/Judge Dredd fame) to produce original works, which were drawn to the Projection Studio’s specification allowing them to be easily animated when the final show’s video content was edited and composited.
Karen Monid’s sound track was a fusion of sound effects and music, much of it specially written by her for the piece. Other parts were sourced from record labels Naxos and Boosey & Hawkes plus some original recordings, including some red kites, a local bird of prey.
Ashton comments, “This was a great opportunity to work in an amazing environment again, plus a massive honour to be asked back and enjoy the opportunity of bringing the location alive through an entertaining and fun mixed media experience”.
“Illuminata” is the second repeat show that Ashton and The Projection Studio has produced this autumn, following their extremely popular “Crown of Light” projected artwork on Durham Cathedral, which was invited back for the city’s 2011 Lumière event in October.

For more press info on The Projection Studio, please contact Louise Stickland on +44 (0)1865 202679/+44 (0)7831 329888 or Email louise@loosplat.com. To contact The Projection Studio direct, please call +44 20 8293 4270.

Creating the Sound of an Extreme TV Show

Sonixphere, a globally-connected music and sound company, in collaboration with its Los Angeles-based partner iSpy Music, is currently creating original music for Discovery Channel’s Flying Wild Alaska (FWA). The reality series follows the adventures of the unconventional, airborne, millionaire Tweto family as they transport passengers to remote parts of Alaska on their airline, Era Alaska. more