Pro Sound News Online Index: June 2020 – Premium vinyl record cleaners

on the cover

Pro Audio Manufacturers Ready for the Rebound, by Clive Young
Some pro audio manufacturers are scraping by during the pandemic, while others are doing surprisingly well, but one thing all the companies we’ve spoken to have in common is that while they are clear-eyed about the situation today, they are also strikingly optimistic about tomorrow.

Studios Vie for CARES Relief with Mixed Results, by Steve Harvey
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law on March 27, includes provisions that are bringing welcome relief to recording studios forced to shutter in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Miking and Mixing Mrs. Maisel, by Steve Harvey
Production sound mixer Mathew Price and re-recording mixer Ron Bochar share the ins and outs of capturing era-appropriate sounds on the Emmy Award-winning Amazon Prime comedy The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Exclusive: Yamaha’s Rivage Update, by Clive Young
Take an exclusive sneak peek at Yamaha’s most ambitious expansion for the Rivage series yet, as the company introduces two new consoles—the PM5 and PM3—as well as a pair of new DSP engines—DSP-RX and DSP-RX-EX—and version 4 firmware.

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Survey Explores Female Representation in AV, by Clive Young
A new report by Women in AV provides a breakdown of demographic and industry-based statistics outlining women’s presence in the AV workplace.

Nexo Resumes Loudspeaker Production, by Daniel Gumble
Nexo loudspeaker production is restarting as the French live sound manufacturer began reopening its operations on May 11.

Listen Acquires ExXothermic
Listen Technologies has acquired ExXothermic Inc., a manufacturer working in the realm of low-latency Wi-Fi audio technology.

SSL Nets Queen’s Award
Solid State Logic lands an honor in its homeland, taking home a Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

Stage Tec Wins iF Award
Stage Tec has won the iF Design Award for the third time.

Roy Williams, FOH for Robert Plant, Dead at 73, by Clive Young
A veteran of the live concert business who wore many hats across his career, Roy Williams tackled the FOH position for multiple Robert Plant tours and additionally co-engineered the 2007 Led Zeppelin reunion show at London’s O2 Arena.

Producer/Engineer Knox Phillips, Dead at 74, by Clive Young
The son of Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, Knox Phillips made his own way, recording the likes of Willie Nelson, John Prine and Jerry Lee Lewis before becoming an emissary of Memphis’ music scene.

Sam Clayton Jr., FOH Engineer, Dead at 58, by Clive Young
The producer/engineer, who worked with acts like Steel Pulse and Toots and the Maytals, was also a founding member of the storied Jamaican bobsled team that competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Library of Congress Aims to Jumpstart Collage Hip-Hop with Citizen DJ, by Steve Harvey
The LoC’s Citizen DJ project creates new ways for the public to discover, access and use public domain audio and video material for music making.

Best of Show Awards, NAB Special Edition Winners
Pro Sound News announced the winners of its Best of Show NAB Special Edition Awards: Allen & Heath AHM-64 96 kHz Audio Matrix Processor, Audio Design Desk AI-Assisted DAW, and Q5X QT-AD10 Axient Digital PlayerMic.

Sweetwater Moves GearFest 2020 Online
With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, internet pro audio retailer Sweetwater will hold GearFest 2020 online June 26-27.

Shure Donates $79,000 in Earphones
Providing students and teachers with Shure SE215 earphones for online learning is just one of the pandemic-related efforts the pro-audio manufacturer has made.

Yorkville Sound Pivots to Produce Ventilators During Pandemic Crisis
Pro audio manufacturer Yorkville Sound has teamed up with Starfish Medical to design and produce ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic.

IFPI: Streaming Drives Global Revenues Up for Fifth Straight Year, by Steve Harvey
Streaming accounted for more than half of global recorded music revenue in 2019, according to the IFPI’s newly released annual Global Music Report.

Levels Networks Audio for Dubai’s Hutong
Hutong, a high-end Chinese restaurant in Dubai, is using a Xilica Solaro QR1 to provide audio for diners and bar patrons across multiple zones.

Denmark Rolls Out Drive-In Concerts, by Clive Young
Danish singer/songwriter Mads Langer played to a packed—but socially distant—house for a sold-out, drive-in concert in Aarhus, Denmark.

Brit Row Brings Outline Newton to MTV Europe Awards
Britannia Row Productions used Outline’s Newton multi-source audio processors on audio systems provided for Brit Awards and the MTV Europe Music Awards.

Hip-Hop Production Thrives Despite Pandemic, by Keith Nelson Jr.
Roddy Ricch, YBN Cordae and Young Thug are among the artists striving to keep the hits coming during quarantine, as studios plan the best way to keep artists and owners safe once it’s time to reopen.

Tenderdyn Arts Beats Remote Recording Latency, by Steve Harvey
While many artists and musicians have taken to streaming during the coronavirus pandemic in order to stay connected with fans, few, if any, have attempted real-time collaboration.

Studio Showcase: Soultrain Sound Studios, by Steve Harvey
Canadian recording artist Johnny Reid has acquired the historic Scruggs Sound facility near Nashville, rebuilding the studio from scratch with new gear and a B room, all spec’d by mix engineer Justin Cortelyou.

Tracks – June 2020
Tracks is a monthly look at the recording process behind 10 new releases by artists across the musical spectrum.

Tweed Recording Goes All-In with Danley
The new studio/venue/classroom has Danley loudspeakers not only in live performance spaces but also in the studio’s control room

Mojave Captures the Sound of Cuba
Composer/producer Yalil Guerra’s Cuba: The Legacy, nominated for a Latin Grammy in the best classical album category, was captured with Mojave Audio microphones.

Hardwell Takes Genelecs on a Caribbean Holiday
Studio designer Jan Morel recently designed a recording studio, outfitted with Genelec studio monitors, for Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer Hardwell’s private Caribbean retreat.

Funk Studios Opens New Studio A
Salt Lake City’s new Funk Studios has opened with three rooms, including its Studio A, centered around an SSL Duality desk.

The Bachelor Hooks Up with Lectrosonics
The long-running reality TV series The Bachelor is captured via 14 cameras and related audio pros running at all times

Post Companies Partner to Serve Game Developers
Periscope Post & Audio and Unlock Audio will provide game developers with an integrated single source for sound and music services

Deluxe Launches One Dub for Remote Audio Cloud Recording
One Dub allows actors, engineers and directors to record remotely with the aid of secure streaming video.

Inside Upmixing Midsommar to Atmos
Sound editor and sound designer Ruy Garcia elected to use Nugen Audio’s Halo Upmix to upmix Midsommar and Wendy.

Live on KEXP Blurs the Lines, by Jim Beaugez
When engineer Kevin Suggs records a live session for Seattle’s KEXP, it becomes the raw materials for podcasts, radio broadcasts, streaming and other formats.

Hit Podcast Mogul Goes with the Workflow, by Jim Beaugez
Take a deep dive into the production workflow of Gimlet’s hit Mogul as lead producer Matthew Nelson shares how they took the new spinoff, The Mogul Mixtapes, from concept to launch in three weeks, despite the pandemic.

Sound Innovations: Renkus-Heinz ICLive X Series Loudspeakers, by Ralph Heinz
Ralph Heinz, CTO at Renkus-Heinz, looks back at the development of the ICLive X Series—a journey that starts roughly two decades ago and ends with what he feels is a solution for 99 percent of the pro audio market.

Sound Innovations: Lectrosonics DPR Digital Plug-On Transmitter, by Karl Winkler
Since the mid-1980s, the plug-on transmitter has been a cornerstone of Lectrosonics’ wireless offerings. Karl Winkler, vice president of sales and service, recounts the history and highlights how that effort has led to the company’s new offering, the DPR Digital Plug-On Transmitter.

Review: Focal Elegia Closed-Back Reference Headphones, by Rich Tozzoli
Our review team recently put Focal Elegia closed-back reference headphones to the test while in the Virgin Islands. Here’s how it went.

Review: Eventide H3000 Factory Plug-In, by Rich Tozzoli
Our review team put Eventide’s H3000 Factory plug-in to the test.

Review: Softube Kerry King Signature Plug-In, by Rich Tozzoli
Our reviewer Rich Tozzoli and friends recently put Softube’s Kerry King Signature Plug-In to the test.

Review: Universal Audio LUNA, by Jojo Buchanan
Inspired by the fast real-time workflow of analog recording, the LUNA recording system offers music recording, editing and mixing with analog immediacy.

Eventide Spring Plug-In, by Rich Tozzoli

Studio Products

Sound Reinforcement Products

Exclusive: Yamaha Launches Rivage PM5, PM3 Desks, DSPs, More, by Clive Young
Take an exclusive sneak peek of Yamaha’s most ambitious expansion for the Rivage series yet, as the company introduces two new consoles—the PM5 and PM3—as well as a pair of new DSP engines—DSP-RX and DSP-RX-EX—and Version 4 firmware.

Danny Leake, Legendary Studio/Live Engineer, Dead at 69, by Clive Young
In addition to working as Stevie Wonder’s FOH engineer for three decades, Danny Leake also recorded dozens of top artists in the studio, leading to six Grammy nominations for his efforts.

Special Report: Houses of Worship
The pandemic may be preventing large groups from gathering, but when the economy reopens, houses of worship will be among the first sites to host crowds again. With that in mind, we look at various recent audio installations in worship spaces around the world.

Expanding Church Adds Audio Updates
Gateway Church has centered the audio systems at its seven satellite locations and broadcast center around DiGiCo consoles.
Lake Hills Church Goes All in on Allen & Heath
A cornucopia of Allen & Heath gear can be found throughout the audio system at Austin, TX’s Lake Hills Church.
House of Worship Sound Moves Outside
When Orlando’s Experience Christian Center moved its Good Friday service outdoors to maintain social distancing, it called on local audio provider MTI Sound, Lighting and Staging.
Supermarket Turned Church Gets Audio Reinvention
Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock recently turned a supermarket into its new community center with an 800-seat venue covered by Danley Sound Labs speakers.
Sight and Sound Sets Colorado Church’s New System
Sight and Sound Technologies replaced an aging sanctuary P.A. system for Colorado Springs, CO’s The Springs Church.
BAPS Brings on Renkus-Heinz in Uganda
Building a new facility in Uganda, International Hindu organization BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha installed a Renkus-Heinz ICLive X system for audio.

From the Editor: Lava Cantina Serves Up Safe Concerts, by Clive Young
When the pandemic calms down, how do we re-open live music? Lava Cantina, a hangout outside Dallas, TX, is an early example of trying to open up right—and for the right reasons.

The METAlliance Report: Embracing Another New Format, by Niko Bolas
Chuck Ainlay, Frank Filipetti, George Massenburg, Elliot Scheiner and Al Schmitt have named producer/engineer Niko Bolas a new member of the METAlliance. Bolas, in turn, shares insights about the uphill climb of learning to mix in Dolby Atmos—and why it’s worth it.

Recording All-Stars Welcome Niko Bolas to METAlliance
Chuck Ainlay, Frank Filipetti, George Massenburg, Elliot Scheiner and Al Schmitt have named producer/engineer Niko Bolas as a new member of the METAlliance.

View from the Top: Dusty Wakeman and Colin Liebich, Mojave Audio, by Clive Young
Mojave Audio president Dusty Wakeman and CFO Colin Liebich trace the boutique mic manufacturer’s long and winding road from the garage of designer David Royer in 1985 to today, as the company is poised to introduce a number of intriguing offerings.

People: Hires and Promotions in the Audio Industry for June 2020
Industry moves this month include promotions and hires at Audix, Point Source Audio, Dirac, Yamaha Corp. of America, Synthax, L-Acoustics Creations, Xilica, d&b audiotechnik, Stage Tec, Shure, Martin Audio and Riedel Communications.

Music Etc. – Huey Lewis and the News Deliver Weather Report, by Steve Harvey
Johnny Colla, founding member and longtime producer of Huey Lewis & the News, talks about their latest album, Weather; mixing with Bob Clearmountain; and how highpoint “One of the Boys” came together.