May 1, 2007

Features

It’s Your Life, Dammit!

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Blair Jackson

Okay, now that we’ve got your attention with that cover we’re not just being dramatic. The fact is that a career in the trenches of the audio industry…

Bring Down the Noise

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Sarah Jones

It all started with the EQ. He found himself reaching for the highs, trying to add back that sizzle his mixes seemed to be missing. At home, he started…

Words From the Wise

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Blair Jackson

Between them, these four engineering giants all familiar to regular Mix readers have more than 500 years of studio experience. Okay, that’s an exaggeration,…

Road Reality Check

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Sarah Benzuly

You get the call: Hey, can you mix for so and so from May to August? It’s a fight to keep busy especially with a shortened touring season and more live…

The Quiet Stage

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By George Petersen

At one time or another, everyone in audio has seen a list of the great lies of rock ‘n’ roll. You know, the ones containing, This is one of Jimi’s old…

Finding Your Oasis

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Kevin Becka

It’s midnight and you’ve been mixing until 3 a.m. every night for six nights straight trying to finish this CD on time. This is in addition to your day…

Striking a Balance

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Barbara Schultz

A career in audio can be fabulously satisfying, but it can also be ridiculously demanding. Many of you never question working nights and weekends. It…

Studio Ergonomics

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By David Weiss

On the surface, the traditional recording studio setup of the ’70s and ’80s looks darn-near ergonomically correct. A large board that you could roll up…

Technology

Tools of the Trade

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM

DK-TECHNOLOGIES STARFISH DISPLAY Designed for surround applications, DK-Technologies’ (www.dk-technologies.com) StarFish display is based on its JellyFish…

Field Test: Primera Bravo SE Disc Duplicator

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Rick Spence

The Bravo SE is a compact, small-run duplicator capable of burning and direct-to-disc printing (4,800 dpi) of up to 20 discs at a time. Primera has a…

Field Test: Chandler Limited TG12413 Zener Limiter

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Michael Cooper

When London’s Abbey Road Studios recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, Chandler Limited design engineer Wade Goeke and the facility’s senior engineer,…

Field Test: Red Type A Tube Studio Condenser Mic

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Kevin Becka

Red Microphones has released a number of products so far, including the Oktava MK-012 microphone preamplifier and the Red Lollipop large-diaphragm replacement…

Field Test: Little Labs Lmnopre Mic Preamp

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Barry Rudolph

The basis for the LMNO’s discrete circuit topology was originally a limited-run mic pre designed by Jonathan Little in the late ’80s. This single-channel…

Live Mix

All Access: My Chemical Romance

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Sarah Benzuly

Skyrocketing to Billboard’s Number 2 slot in its first week of release, The Black Parade from My Chemical Romance has attracted so many fans to the band’s…

Josh Groban

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Sarah Benzuly

For the current Josh Groban U.S. tour, front-of-house engineer/Maryland Sound staff engineer Mickey Beck is manning a Yamaha PM1D. With an extensive input…

FixIt: Andy “Baggy” Robinson

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM

Andy Robinson has worked with George Michael for the past three years and is currently one of two monitor engineers, as well as head of sound, on the…

News

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM

Audio-Technica’s Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF wireless was used with the AEW-T5400 handheld transmitters for frontline vocals on performances by Grandmaster…

On the Road: Machine Head

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM

Machine Head Tour manager/FOH engineer Ted Kistner is once again out with Machine Head; he originally toured with the band in May 2004 and is back on…

Now Playing: Taste of Chaos, The Academy Is…

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM

Taste of Chaos Sound Company: Rat Sound Systems (Oxnard, Calif.) FOH Engineers/Board: Greg Mahler, Andy Turner, John Dunn Levy/two Yamaha PM5D-RH Monitor…

Glass Cactus Gets Boost With New System

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM

Clair Bros. Systems recently installed a WJHW-designed audio system at the new Glass Cactus nightclub in Grapevine, Texas. The system includes JBL VerTec…

Tour Profile: Christina Aguilera

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By David John Farinella

It’s a circus! It’s a concert! It’s a multimedia extravaganza! Christina Aguilera’s Back to Basics world tour is all these and more. The chart-topping,…

Recording Notes

Joe Zawinul

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Blair Jackson

Joe Zawinul is not one to rest on his laurels, or even to revisit his past particularly. The one-time co-leader (with sax giant Wayne Shorter) of the…

The Shins

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By David John Farinella

The Shins have spent much of the past six years standing near the top of the indie music mountain. Gallons of ink have been spilled extolling the band’s…

Classic Tracks: Sinéad O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2U”

May 1, 2007 4:49 PM, By Barbara Schultz

Coast to Coast

L.A. Grapevine

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Bud Scoppa

This month, I’m delighted to offer a pair of feel-good stories. On one end of the spectrum is posh Chalice Recording. It took us awhile to find our niche,…

Nashville Skyline

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Rick Clark

For most of us, the path we take in a music career is a circuitous one. It seems the only way to get anywhere is to learn a lot of different skills and…

New York Metro

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By David Weiss

Wanna be a part of it? Are you sure? Like most illegal drugs, New York City can be exciting, fun and downright addictive. It can also destroy your mind…

Eric Tunison’s Groove Tunes

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Barbara Schultz

As this special edition of Mix focuses on health and well-being, it’s worth noting that sometimes the best way to feel good inside your own skin is to…

Dear Diary…

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, Compiled by Barbara Schultz

Brick City Sound (Chicago) hosted the band Audio Diary, who tracked and mixed their new EP with engineer/producer Brad McGrath in the facility’s Studio…

Family Business

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, Compiled by Barbara Schultz

Prairie Sun Recording (Sonoma County, Calif.) hosted former Moody Blues keyboardist Mike Pinder as he produced his sons’ band, the Pinder Bros., on the…

Track Sheet

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, Compiled by Barbara Schultz

NORTHEAST Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls was at Legacy Recording (NYC) tracking vocals for an upcoming 50 Cent album. Dr. Dre produced and Steve…

Insider Audio

The Healing Power of Music

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Paul D. Lehrman

We all have to be concerned with loud sounds these days, whether it’s making sure our kids don’t suffer from or taking care not to destroy our own eardrums…

Producer’s Desk

The Underdogs

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Elianne Halbersberg

When Harvey Mason Jr. and Damon Thomas first joined forces seven years ago, they brought together their respective credentials as songwriters and producers…

Project Studio

Karney Music and Sounds

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Blair Jackson

Though there are a few big videogame companies with large staffs of in-house visual and sound designers, engineers, composers, etc., by and large, the…

Tech’s Files

Hazardous Materials

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Eddie Ciletti

Studies have shown that enjoying your job is one of the keys to a long life. But what if the job you enjoy is reducing your chances to spend your retirement…

AudioNext

Audio Middleware, Part 3

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Alexander Brandon

In my March and April columns, I began a report on videogame audio middleware, examining the value of this software in game production. In this final…

From the Editor

Confronting Taboos

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM

The issue you hold in your hands is long overdue. Yes, perhaps we went over-the-top with our cover type, but we mean what we say. And we want all Mix…