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Christopher Holder catches a glimpse at the AC/DC PA Rig!

Text: Andy Stewart

It used to be called ‘The Garden State’ back in the day when pubs booked bands (and pokies were banned). A decade or two later, after several inner-city police shooting incidents involving mentally-ill people wielding broom handles and the like, many in Victoria began coining a different phrase – ‘The Police State’ – though this rarely appeared on the number plate. In 2009 the State of Victoria is perhaps now more deserving of another name: ‘The Wowser State’.
Now this might seem a tad ironic given the amount of alcohol-fuelled violence that’s been reported on the streets of Melbourne’s CBD in recent months. If you’re to believe the hype – and for the benefit of everyone who lives beyond the borders of Australia’s most preoccupied state – drunken stabbings, ‘glassings’ and shootings are now a nightly occurrence in some parts of Melbourne’s CBD. Ten years ago you were far more likely to be lacerated by a startled possum or swooped by a magpie than attacked by a drunken numbskull.
Of course, most people in Australia don’t consider wandering around Melbourne’s inner city at 4am, pissed out of their mind, to be entertainment. A few do of course, rocket scientists all of them.

So what has the unrepresentative slurry of self-serving ex-footballers and accountants down at the Victorian Parliament decided to do about the problem? Crack down on every entertainment venue across the wide state of Victoria by demanding that each business employ a bouncer whenever any form of live entertainment is provided – at least that’s what they’re proposing. This must be stopped.
In what can only be described as a decision worthy of a drunken yob, the Victorian Government’s proposal not only threatens the economic viability of the majority of small entertainment venues, it threatens to tear apart the very fabric of live music as we know it. At $250 (on average) per bouncer per shift, most venues simply cannot afford the added financial burden.
The criminal behaviour of a few thugs in one tiny part of the state is no justification whatsoever for placing an economic millstone around the neck of venues as far flung and diverse as the Downstairs Café in Leongatha and the Bowls Club in Bentleigh – venues where the only history of violence ever reported was the launching of a lamington, accidentally flicked from the fork of a patron in the act of swatting a fly. The blanket knee-jerk reaction by the Victorian Government punishes financially the vast majority of well-behaved music goers at smaller venues where no violence has ever occurred. Surely this wasn’t the aim of the reform? As one person recently put it: “Even a Bouzouki player in your local Greek tavern will require the venue to hire security… to watch over four families eating the mixed grill and Greek salad.”

Indeed, according to the Liquor Control Reform Regulations of 2009, this crackdown goes against its own explicit code: “risk factors need to be substantiated by a sound evidence base and rationale” (page 17).
This reform clearly hasn’t met its own guidelines. The vast majority of venues to which this proposal applies have no history of violence whatsoever, and thus the “sound evidence base” in these cases simply doesn’t exist.
This reform measure will inflict untold damage on the grass-roots music community and cause widespread job losses among the service and entertainment industries. This is where the term ‘Wowser State’ seems so appropriate. The whole reform seems so unreasonable, so illogical and so poorly conceived, you could be forgiven for drawing another conclusion – that the Victorian Government simply doesn’t like people having fun anywhere south of the Murray River, unless its in a sanctioned venue like Crown Casino. Hmm, the plot thickens. Clearly, local venues need to form a lobby group and pay big money for a meeting with the State government to have their voices heard.

NEW SOUTH WALES – THE PLACE TO BE

The New South Wales government, on the other hand – as inept as it has proven to be in other ways – has just removed the requirement of pubs, cafés, restaurants and clubs etc to seek a ‘Place of Public Entertainment’ approval prior to establishing live entertainment as part of their main business practice.
“Entertainment”, in the form of bands, DJs and afternoon jazz performances etc, is now considered part of “normal activities” in NSW, unless adding this aspect to a business “fundamentally changes the principal use of the venue.” This single move will no doubt hasten the revival of the live music scene right across the state. It’s a law designed to encourage and restore (not damage and ignore) the artistic community. It will also inevitably cause its own problems – noise complaints from neighbours are a common issue in Sydney.
It might be time for New South Wales to put a lock on its gate. Musicians all over Victoria may well head north in droves to the greener pastures of ‘The Premier State’, as implausible as that may seem. New South Welshmen should be on the lookout for Victorian number plates that either read: “Victoria: On The Move” or “Victoria: The Place To Be”. The first of these slogans is only just now beginning to make sense, while the irony of the second is inescapable. Having said all that, there’s always South Australia, “The Electronics State.” That’s what at least one number plate I’ve seen over there reads. I kid you not.
Victoria: ‘The Place To Flee’?

Features

THE ART OF PRODUCTION WITH JOE CHICCARELLI

Joe Chiccarelli takes us behind the glass of some of his most recent epics.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A V.O.

AT spends a day in the voiceover suite.

GAME ON

Graeme Hague hooks up with three game composers.

Regulars

YOUR WORD

NEWS

The ARIAs, and the Sydney Opera House, and Spandau Ballet in Space!

WHAT’S ON

Studio roundup, featuring Pony Music and Matthew Gray Mastering.

PC & MAC AUDIO

Martin Walker reckons when it comes to computer monitors, size does matter.

Brad Watts, meanwhile, reckons it’s all about getting hands-on with it.

SOMETHING YOU WON’T LEARN IN AUDIO SCHOOL

PART 1: DIY PHASE CHECKER

Rick has gone and gotten all educational on us!

Tutorials

STAV’S WORD

This issue Stav has us gazing into his crystal ball of ‘quasi’ mastering.

ATTAINING THE OPPOSITE OF CLARITY – THE SUBTLE ART OF ‘MOOSHING’

Who cares how you record it, it’s all gonna get ‘mooshed’ anyway!

TAPE FLANGING IN THE NEW WORLD

If you think your old tape machine is good for nothing these days, Paul McKercher has something for you to try.

Reviews

IN BRIEF

Euphonix MC Transport, Golden Age Projects Pre-73, The Batt-O-Meter,
The Basics Live at The Corner Hotel.

PRESONUS STUDIOLIVE 16.4.2

Digital performance & recording mixer.

EAW KF740

Line Array

KLARK TEKNIK DN530 & DN540

Analogue Outboard Processors

APB DYNASONICS MIXSWITCH

Multi-Channel Audio Switcher

MOTU BPM

Beat Production Software

RME FIREFACE UC

USB 2.0 Interface

GOLDEN AGE PROJECT R1 ACTIVE MKIII

Ribbon Microphone

RADIAL ENGINEERING PRO SERIES

Connectivity Devices

SHURE KSM313 & KSM353

Ribbon Microphones

Features

SLAYER & MEGADETH LIVE
AT dons its black merch for a night of metal mayhem.

A NIGHT AT SING SING
AT goes behind the scenes of a multi-media studio experiment.

LEON ZERVOS – MASTERING MASTER
Australian ex-pat mastering engineer, Leon Zervos, returns to Australia after many years working in the US. Andy Stewart catches up with him for a debriefing.

Regulars

YOUR WORD
Readers’ Letters

NEWS
News and new product information.

HOME GROWN
Brad Watts takes a trip to the bottom of the garden with Alex & the Ramps.

WHAT’S ON
Studio Roundup.

PC & MAC AUDIO
On the Mac front, Brad Watts decides it’s time for a fresh install of Snow Leopard… Meanwhile, Microsoft Windows 7 is finally out and about – Martin Walker urges us to look before we leap.

ROOM TO MOVE – PART II
Rick O’Neil is moving studios… again.

Tutorials

ON THE BENCH
This issue Rob Squire explains how the different types of amplifier designs used in audio circuits function.

STAV’S WORD
This issue, Stav mixes up a storm using the download files from last issue’s Mute or Moot article. It’s a mix with a twist.

Reviews

IN BRIEF
TC-Helicon VoiceLive 2, Nomad Factory Pulse-Tec, Euphonix MC Transport, The Excelsior Hotel gets a speaker upgrade.

DIGIDESIGN ELEVEN RACK
Guitar Amp Modeller

AKG D7
Handheld Dynamic Mic

SSL X-DESK
Analogue Console

QSC K10
Powered PA Speakers

NEUMANN KMS 104 PLUS
Hand-Held Vocal Condenser

SONAR PRODUCER 8.5
DAW

The Base Recording Studios grew out of what was Life Saver Studios in 2004, changing its name to ‘The Base’ and renovating the kitchen, foyer and studios. They installed a ProTools HD system with Millennia, Universal Audio and Avalon preamps, added some great mics, and in 2007, a Yamaha C7 grand piano.

In July 2009 Phil Threlfall and the Base Studios joined forces, with Phil taking over as house engineer and installing his Amek G2520 (circa. 1987) analogue console, more outboard, as well as adding more toys to the mic cabinet and plug-in list.

The recording room is nicely balanced, with wooden floors and treated ceiling and walls – capturing a big drum sound is easy apparently and gives acoustic guitars, strings, horns and other un-amplified instruments a great sense of space.

The in-house Yamaha C7 grand piano is also a great asset to the studio, and sounds fantastic in the room. According to Mr Trelfall, when captured by a combination of tube mics up close and ribbons in the room, it always sounds great in the mix.

In the past few months, The Base has hosted sessions for K-Oscillate, Jerrico, Evermore, DoraMah, Bellusira, Nat Bartsch Trio, Anna Salen, Dennis Dowlut/Electric Empire, Pete Murray, Kingbayler, Compliments of Gus, My Cousin Jack, Ben Smith and many others. Phil’s no stranger to the recording industry, having worked with the likes of Jimmy Barnes, Marcia Hines, Human Nature, Guy Sebastian, Shannon Noll, as well as helping out local unsigned artists.

The Base Recording Studios: (03) 9690 3840 or phil@thebase.com.au

Ben Petch’s North Studios is located at Loxton North, about 10kms out of Loxton in the Riverland of South Australia. Like many, the enterprise is the culmination of tools garnered over a lifetime of writing and playing music. After years of ‘toying around’ with Cubase and suspect PCs in tiny bedrooms, Ben decided to take the plunge and build a purpose built studio to house his newly acquired ProTools HD system, replete with C24 control surface and a Mac Pro. Ben ‘took a break’ from his day job as a vineyard manager to build the studio, which stands close by his main residence. The project took around four months to complete, but now includes a drum room and a vocal booth, combined with a 5.5m x 5.5m control room. Apparently a lot of the insulation was installed to take care of rain and hail noise on the roof, rather than to keep noise from escaping the studio. Ben reckons he’s pretty impressed with a product called ‘Epicrete’, which is apparently rolled onto cement surfaces such as the slab floor of the studio, to prevent any sneaky infiltrations of moisture into the building. Ben tells us he couldn’t have completed the job without the dedication of local builder, Craig Bartsch, or the constant acoustic guidance of Neville Clark of Disk Edits in Adelaide. Check the AT website for a quick flick of the finished results.

North Studios: 0408 087 877 or www.northstudios.com.au

Features

MAKING THE CUT
Brendan Gallagher lands his first film-scoring gig and takes AT along for the ride.

MUSIC FROM THE CELLAR
Australian country music’s dynamic production duo, Rod and Jeff McCormack, invite us into the Music Cellar where many hits are penned, tracked, mixed and mastered.

MOOT OR MUTE?
Chris Vallejo sets up a band and tracks them to two-inch tape, and then repeats the performance on digital multitrack. It’s a mix competition with a twist… you be the judge.

Regulars

YOUR WORD
Readers’ letters.

NEWS
News and new product information, including a sneek peek at the new d&b T Series PA.

HOME GROWN
Jim Moynihan, AKA ‘Spoonbill’, shows us how his unique production style comes together.

WHAT’S ON
Studio roundup.

PC & MAC AUDIO
This issue, Martin Walker investigates Intel’s Core i7 and i5 processors while Brad heads for the snow and discovers bigfoot: 64-bit kernels.

HOW YOU GET THAT CLASSIC TONE
Rick tries to set the record straight about tubes and their so-called ‘warmth’.

Tutorials

I’M ALL EARS
Switching to in-ear monitoring is still the great unknown for many, but it’s a decision more and more people are making. So how do you do it?

STAV’S WORD
Stav mixes back to front with the assistance of real-life faders.

ON THE BENCH
This issue Rob Squire urges us to investigate some DIY kits and learn a bit about what lies beneath the products we all love.

Reviews

IN BRIEF
BBE D82 Sonic Maximizer, EMA A1 Generics, Beyerdynamic MCE55

APPLE LOGIC STUDIO 2
DAW Software

DPA 4099 SERIES
Instrument Microphones

MILAB BDM-01
Bass Drum Condenser

ALTA MODA UNICOMP
Analogue Compressor

PROPELLERHEAD RECORD
DAW

MC2 AUDIO E90
Power Amplifier

GILES AUDIO VD-1
Valve DI

MELLOWMUSE ATA
Plug-in.

MOTU VOLTA
MIDI-to-CV Conversion Plug-in

BLAK HOLL
Acoustic Treatments

UAD-2 SOLO LAPTOP & QUAD
Plug-in Emulation Hardware

]]> http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/magazine/at70-out-now/feed/ 0 http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/studio-features/studio-feature-%e2%80%93-green-sound-music/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=studio-feature-%25e2%2580%2593-green-sound-music http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/studio-features/studio-feature-%e2%80%93-green-sound-music/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:39:49 +0000 admin http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/?p=214 Castle Cove

Tucked away in the leafy northern Sydney suburb of Castle Cove, former Split Enz drummer Mal Green has set up his ideal recording facility, Green Sound Music. The studio not only provides a great space to work in, it also sports a stupendously leafy vista, viewable directly from the control room.

The mainstays of the studio are the Soundcraft 6000 48-channel console, and two sets of Roland V-Drums, a setup Mal reckons provides not only the best drum sound any band could require, but also ensures that the drum sounds can be gained within minutes of setting up. While one kit remains in the main recording space, a second V-kit can be used upstairs if the main studio gets a bit overcrowded.

“As a drummer,” engineer/producer Mal Green explains, “I’ve found the best and the most practical way of recording drums was using Roland’s V-Drums. As you know, acoustic drums are a whole other ball game, but having the V-Drums suddenly means not having to worry about 16 channels of mics and all the cabling and outboard that goes with it. It makes it relatively simple really, only needing a couple of channels because of the MIDI aspect. Then once all the drums are ‘captured’, I record them down into individual audio tracks. I’ve just got the new TDW-1 upgrade for it, which has really improved the sensitivity and the dynamics, and also the sounds themselves.” According to Mal, the new sounds sit a lot better in the track.

Mr Green runs the show using a Mac Pro with Apogee converters, Apogee Symphony 32 card, and Cubase 4. He’s also hugely into his pair of Peach pre-amps – hand crafted by the enigmatic Dave Peach of Coogee. For monitoring, Mal’s happy with the slightly less enigmatic Yamaha NS-10s.

GreenSound Studio: 0434 933 794 or www.greensoundmusic.com.au

]]> http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/studio-features/studio-feature-%e2%80%93-green-sound-music/feed/ 0 http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/studio-features/studio-feature-%e2%80%93-the-attic/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=studio-feature-%25e2%2580%2593-the-attic http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/studio-features/studio-feature-%e2%80%93-the-attic/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:32:14 +0000 admin http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/?p=205 Alexandria, Sydney

Located upstairs at Studios 301 in Alexandria, Sydney, The Attic was set up as a partnership between Graham Thompson from Compass Brothers Records and Brent Clark in April this year: the concept being to offer access to quality production and mixdown facilities. Brent’s noticed many a project fall down at the last hurdle during mixing, simply because the artist couldn’t afford to do it in a studio with good monitoring and quality gear, or couldn’t afford the studio time necessary, not to mention hiring someone who could do the job well.

The idea was to combine the best of digital and analogue equipment to ensure a great result with no compromise in quality.

The studio has its own overdub booth next door, which is suitable for vocals and acoustic instruments. Obviously there’s a few perks being located in the same premises as 301: such as quality wiring and hot and cold running technical support. For larger sessions Brent can tie into the bigger rooms downstairs and record utilising those spaces, along with access to instruments like the grand piano and Hammond organ.

The outboard list is adequate to say the least, and includes an SPL 16-channel Mix Dream summing mixer, Focusrite and API preamps, the staple compression options such as three Distressors, a pair of dbx 160xs, and an 1176, all tied into a ProTools 8, HD2 Accel system running a bucketload of choice plug-ins, including an SSL Duende Card.

The Attic: 0417 675937 or brent_clark@netspace.net.au

]]> http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/studio-features/studio-feature-%e2%80%93-the-attic/feed/ 0 http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/video/george-massenburgs-headline-form-integrate-09/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=george-massenburgs-headline-form-integrate-09 http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/video/george-massenburgs-headline-form-integrate-09/#comments Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:04:22 +0000 admin http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/?p=187

]]> http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/video/george-massenburgs-headline-form-integrate-09/feed/ 0 http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/video/brad-watts-interviews-joe-malone/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=brad-watts-interviews-joe-malone http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/video/brad-watts-interviews-joe-malone/#comments Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:42:33 +0000 admin http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/?p=177

]]> http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/video/brad-watts-interviews-joe-malone/feed/ 0 http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/video/brad-watts-interviews-mick-wordley/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=brad-watts-interviews-mick-wordley http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/video/brad-watts-interviews-mick-wordley/#comments Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:47:58 +0000 admin http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/?p=174

]]> http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/video/brad-watts-interviews-mick-wordley/feed/ 0 http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/integrate/big-guns-roll-out-for-integrate-09/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=big-guns-roll-out-for-integrate-09 http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/index.php/integrate/big-guns-roll-out-for-integrate-09/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:58:27 +0000 admin http://www.audiotechnology.com.au/wordpress/?p=151

George Massenburg speaking at Integrate 09

It’s hard to believe so much could be packed into three days. If you were lucky enough to make it to Integrate 09 in Sydney and if you’re anything like me, well, you’re probably still buzzing. Some of this country’s and, indeed, the world’s brightest audio brains came together for the show, joining the biggest audio manufacturers and developers for Australia’s audio event of the year.

Leading the charge was legend of the industry, George Massenburg. It was George’s first trip to Australia and he hit the ground running (and didn’t stop) – what with his headline presentation, his two marathon mixing masterclasses, as well as appearing on AT’s Remote Mixing & Mastering and Tech forums. George is an extraordinary individual: he’s the mix engineer’s mix engineer, the tech’s tech, the audio designer’s audio designer… in other words he can happily dance between just about every audio discipline – creative and technical – with panache. He’s passionate, he’s gracious, he’s super knowledgeable… and he was an absolute inspiration to all who met him and heard him speak at Integrate.

I mentioned the Tech Forum earlier, which included a rare meeting of two of the world’s foremost technical minds: George Massenburg and Daniel Weiss. The Swiss digital maestro was also in Australia for Integrate 09 ostensibly to talk about a new converter design he’s been working on with Oz/Malaysian audiophile startup company, Maya Acoustics. The flagship converter can be yours for $250,000… I kid you not – less for cash. AT contributor (and mastering engineer-about-town) Adam McElnea was more chuffed to hear about Daniel Weiss’s appearance than most. Sonamax’s Weiss EQ had just packed up and Daniel was only too pleased to bring the parts required in his hand luggage – nice result!

But to dwell on the names Weiss and Massenburg too much would downplay the sterling work of the other (home grown) panelists and seminars. The PA Shootout panel discussion – ably moderated by Auditoria’s Scott Willsallen – began disarmingly with a psychoacoustic sleight of hand to demonstrate just how subjective system comparisons can be… and showed no signs of let-up as TAG’s Tony Russo confounded attendees with predictive plots of his wife’s chest X-rays! Okay, maybe you had to be there.

Possibly the most anticipated slot of the three days was the Stav Session… and he didn’t let the standing-room-only crowd down. Serious recording and mixing tricks were interspersed with magic tricks in a slick and seamless demonstration of how audio rarely behaves in ways you might expect… and, equally, how Stav rarely behaves in ways you might expect. Priceless!

The Sounds of Australia panel discussion was also a highlight. Held in the AFTRS theatre with full cinema sound, some 100 professionals, enthusiasts and students sat spellbound as they heard the story behind the soundtrack of this country’s most lavish (and highest grossing) movie of all time. Like some knockabout platoon of audio soldiers still reeling from their tour of duty, David Hirschfelder, Wayne Pashley, Simon Leadley and Angus Robertson, spoke of frantically re-conforming audio to new edits throughout the night only to discover after two hours kip that Baz had changed the whole thing again – this went on for months. The ordeal sounded like a test of endurance more than anything. Clearly Baz must be one hell of a charismatic bloke to repeatedly lead these guys into battle again and again… “Listen fellas, I know I almost killed you last time, but I promise you, this time it’ll be different”.

Greg Simmons had a busy show. Simmo’s ability to unpack sophisticated audio concepts in ways we can all understand is only matched by his limitless reserve of lame jokes. His Studio Fundamentals sessions were sold out and there was a lot of interest in his Sounds of Asia ‘slide show’… erm, archeo-ethno-audio-musicological multimedia presentation. Simmo has once again nipped off to Asia to stick a microphone in front of more street musos, and we wish him luck.

If you missed Josh Pyke, Rick O’Neil, Wayne Connolly, Paul McKercher, George Massenburg and Andy Stewart talking about the outsourcing of mixing and mastering duties, then you also missed something pretty special.

In fact, if you didn’t manage to get to Sydney for Integrate 09 there were hundreds of reasons to feel pretty darn miserable as you read this: the software workshops, all the new gear on show, the live music, the love in the room… AT’s foosball table! But don’t fret, we had so much fun we’re going to do it all again next year. See you in 2010! – Christopher Holder.

Mark ‘Sparky’ Paltridge isn’t someone fortunate enough to own his own home, but lucky enough to own his own studio. Mark managed this feat by building a complete recording studio within an old refrigerated 20-foot shipping container about four years ago, with the interior being designed by acoustics luminary, John Sayers. He primarily built it within a container, not only because he needed a space that inspired musicians and allow him to capture great sounds to hard drive, but also so he could pick it up and land it at the next house he rented – priorities prevail!

Mark now has a number of albums under his belt, primarily by Sunshine Coast artists, with nearly all clients recording their following albums and projects with him for the second time around.

Recently Mark enlisted Mr. Sayers to design a dedicated tracking room, again within a shipping container. Construction was completed a couple of months ago, with extremely encouraging results; one of the reasons behind the success being John’s slot resonator designs (basically Helmholtz resonators). These correct most of the low-mid problems one tends to find within a square room, or indeed most untreated rooms. The resonators are specifically designed for the room’s dimensions, and every resonator has been built and routed to particular specifications.

Now that tracking takes place in the new room, (via a multicore and video link), Mark finds he’s no longer using the original container’s vocal booth. He’s now in the initial stages of designing a dedicated control room, (again through John and within another hi-cube container), with the intention of selling his original container. The complete studio container is up for sale with all the tie-lines intact (no gear), and the entire air conditioning system. Mark reckons, maybe one day he may even get a house for himself, within which he might just build a permanent studio. Now there’s a concept!

Contact Mark via www.spark1studios.com or 0416 262 319

Astra Merchant, owner of Mudhut Studios on the Gold Coast, has a background in multimedia and film production, but for now she’s kept the stunning, fledgling studio solely focused on music. Merchant commissioned Greg Hooke to design the studio to be flexible. The roof of the main recording room houses baffles wired to a manual pulley system. Each baffle can be rotated on axis to change the acoustic characteristics of the room. So if you’ve set up the drum kit and find the sound just isn’t right, a few tugs on some pulleys may give you what you’re after. “All the baffles are individually wound and we can either give the room a live or a dead sound. There aren’t very many studios that allow you to change the roof baffles. Ours is more personalised and can be unique to the specific sound the client is trying to chase,” explains Merchant. As to the basic sound of the room, she says it’s pretty dead: “There’s a lot of kiln-dried sand in the walls. We also investigated the green glue and other techniques like putting wheat in the wall. We preferred the sand because it’s a lot denser and you can get a deader sound from the room. There’s also a lot of acoustic treatment behind the fabric on the walls to deaden the sound. We just wanted to make a really dead room that would record drums well.” As with most studios nowadays, there’s a mix of digital and analogue gear, centred on a Digidesign D Command console and ProTools HD3 system with an AMS Neve 8816 for 16-channel analogue summing. On the way in, there are eight channels of AMS Neve 1073 preamps and eight 1084s, as well as a total of 32 Focusrite pres. There’s also a bunch of Crane Song compressors if you can’t find something suitable in the Waves Diamond plug-in pack. Microphones include AKG 414s and a Neumann U87. There are three sets of monitors including a pair of Focal SM11s (with matching sub), a pair of Dynaudio BM6As and a surround setup of Adam P11As and the S10 sub, suggesting Merchant may be planning to get back to her roots at some stage.

www.mudhutstudio.com

The original Alchemix Studios kicked off proceedings in 1998 before decamping to Woolloongabba, QLD in July 2004. Since that time the studio has accommodated a number of creative styles, all under the steady hand of Marly Lüske. The studio also acts as an art gallery, which then doubles as a boutique live recording space for underground experimental artists, jazz groups, and classical ensembles.

The studio is made up of two main control rooms, connected to no less than five unique recording environments. The studio runs a Digidesign HD2 Accel ProTools system with 32 channels of Lynx I/O, and also houses a very useful variety of analogue equipment including compression, EQ and preamps. Finally, to augment the ProTools HD environment, Alchemix also runs Universal Audio UAD2 cards along with an external SSL Duende plug-in rack. Custom gear and mods are built in-house by Joe Malone of JLM Audio – who also happens to share a section of the same complex – nice for some!

Alchemix gear highlights include three 1176 compressors and a large amount of JLM gear in the main studio: including TG, 99v and Neve Dual preamps. There’s also a JLM lunchbox in Studio B. The main console is a modified Yamaha PM2000, and yes, you guessed it, Joe Malone did the mods. The desk also includes a few different op amp designs for its bus section, which outputs to two-track tape for projects that suit the traditional console mixdown. An SSL JLM mod rack also helps glue final mixes together before being dispatched to mastering engineer, Dave Neil.

The slanted four- to six-metre high ceiling in the live room leaves plenty of air around the baby grand piano, and there are options galore in the vintage amp and synth departments. There’s also a purpose-built, heavily insulated drum room that is used in different ways depending on the project. Using the live room as a reverb chamber with random mics running through 1176 compression (all buttons in) is also a favourite pastime of the in-house producers, Matt Whitehouse and Tim Baker.  Brad Watts.

Contact Marly Lüske at Alchemix on (07) 3391 2814 or www.alchemix.com.au

There must have been thousands of albums recorded, mixed or mastered at the Production Workshop by David Briggs over the last 29 years. Situated not too far from Melbourne’s Victoria Market, David’s setup has always included a host of analogue gear, including several Neumann U47 mics and Neve preamps, a grand piano and cutting-edge digital equipment, all crammed into his Queensberry St terrace house.

David and his studio are inseparable. There would hardly be a recording musician in Melbourne who hasn’t worked with him at some point. He’s one of Australia’s most knowledgeable engineer/producers, with a room full of Gold and Platinum records awarded for everything from production of the iconic Australian Crawl album, Boy’s Light Up, to the platinum-awarded US release of The Little River Band’s, First Under the Wire. This album included the hit, The Lonesome Loser, which David wrote while playing lead guitar in the band. He even earned a Grammy nomination for said hit.

David is always happy to share his knowledge on any audio-related topic no matter how esoteric it might seem. If you want to know something about acoustics, production and mixing techniques, downsampling mathematics, touring in the US, ProTools, plug-ins… you name it, ‘Briggsy’ will have something informed to say about it. From a personal perspective, there has never been a visit to the Production Workshop where I didn’t walk away more enlightened about audio than when I stumbled in.

The Production Workshop remained virtually unchanged for a couple of decades. Things that were seemingly placed randomly in the corner 15 years ago, occupy the exact same space as they always did – until now that is. Finally, after much deliberation, David has completed construction of a new upstairs mastering room that he’s designed himself using his expansive knowledge of acoustics. Behind the raw hessian walls of this modestly proportioned listening room – hey, it’s a terrace house – are several acoustic treatments designed to ‘flatten’ the room response and reveal the ‘truth’ behind the audio. Centred on a ProTools HD3 rig, the new room caters exclusively to mixing and mastering duties, all within the digital domain – Andy Stewart.

Contact David Briggs at The Production Workshop on: (03) 9328 3085 or www.productionworkshop.com.au

The quietly spoken ‘Idge’ (Andrew Hehir) of Soundpark studios in Melbourne has a popular (and remarkably cheap) studio in the leafy suburb of Northcote. Up on the hill looking down over the inner city, Northcote is where many of Melbourne’s musicians fled to in the late ’90s after they’d been chased out of Fitzroy by the latté-sipping, convertible-driving yuppies that complained to Council (the moment they arrived) about the noise from the pub next door. You can’t make 200% profit in 12 months from the purchase of land, you see, if those pesky musicians are still hanging around…

Idge’s Soundpark studios opened for business about seven years ago now, predominantly as a rehearsal space, and it’s been growing in popularity ever since. Constructed inside a saw-toothed warehouse, the main recording space is high (5m at its peak) and brightly lit with skylights. Three booths adjoin the main tracking room, one of which is big enough to house drums and the other two mainly for acoustic guitars and amp isolation.

As Idge describes it: “The place is built out of stuff I grabbed from skips mostly. I did buy some bits and pieces towards the end, like the acoustic insulation for the walls [to protect the recording space from the rehearsal rooms down the hall] but the joint was built on a shoestring. I hire it out about 50% of the time to other engineers these days, but the rest of the tracking is done by me.”

One thing that can’t have been built on a shoestring is Soundpark’s gear list, which is impressive for the $350-a-day asking price (without engineer). Preamps include Neve 1272s and 33115s, as well as Telefunken, API, Ampex and Giles preamps. Mics include a large collection of Coles, Royer and RCA ribbon mics (many of them vintage) as well as a Neumann M149 and U87, AKG 414s, Beyers, and Sennheisers, rounded out with a large collection of Shure dynamics. The whole place is tied together with a Toft console and ProTools HD. – Ed.

Soundpark Studios: (03) 9481 3318.

Another member of Sydney’s Surry Hills’ studio brethren is Atlas Worx. Established in 1998 and steered by the perpetually steady hand of Mr Ian Gordon, Atlas Worx specialises in multitrack audio production for the exceedingly colourful Sydney Mardi Gras and Sleaze Balls, Fashion Week, Sydney NYE Governor’s Ball, as well as countless corporate functions, night club presentations, and television commercials. In between, Ian tackles remixes and single releases for music monoliths, Virgin EMI, BMG, Warner Bros and Sony.

Ian recently revamped the entire rig, turfing out the ageing dual-G4 Macs and replacing them with an eight-core MacPro running ProTools 8, and a 2.3GHz G5 running ProTools 7.4 – both systems utilise Digidesign 002R interfaces. Ian’s been quite gob-smacked by how much quieter the new machines are, and attests that it took him about a week in Target Mode to transfer all his sound libraries over to serial ATA drives (21 of them in all). His most active equipment includes a Mackie LM3204 line mixer, Behringer B Control surface, two Samsung 22-inch monitors and a central Samsung 37-inch HD monitor, various synths and modules by Roland, Kurzweil and Yamaha. Monitoring is via Tannoy, JBL, and domestic Technics speakers, and a custom DIY ‘artillery array’ for that ‘PA experience’. Mics in use include Behringer, Shure, and Sennheiser.

As you’ll see from the picture, Ian’s favoured colour scheme is black, underpinned with black highlights and accented with further shades of black – spend any amount of time in the Atlas Works arena and you’ll quickly forget what time it is in the outside world.

Atlas Worx: (02) 9280 1424

Part 2

Kat-in-the-back’s guitar and keyboard rig.

More percussion than you can poke a Sennheiser at.

The under-stage Leslie cabinet’s miking setup.

In-ear foldback is the order of the day, with bespoke headsets especially for Ms Pink.

Musical Director, Paul Mirkovich, keeps a pretty tidy flight deck.

Chris Madden at the helm of his favourite console – the Digidesign Venue.

Features

PINK’S FUNHOUSE
AT was invited along to Pink’s Funhouse when she toured Australia back in June, and it wasn’t just the PA that was flown from the rigging.

THE THREE Vs OF VICTOR VAN VUGT
He’s an ex-pat Australian with a passion for production. He’s recorded some of the craziest and moodiest acts of recent decades and lived to tell the tale. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the man whose name is unpronounceable.

RESOLUTE ABOUT RESOLUTION
Mike Piersante, Grammy Award-winning engineer extraordinaire, let’s us in on a few of the secret techniques that have made his recordings shine.

Regulars

YOUR WORD
Readers’ Letters

NEWS
News and new product information including a wrap of Integrate 09.

HOME GROWN
Shane O’Mara has more guitars pedals and amps than you can poke a capo at. AT organises a ram raid.

WHAT’S ON
Studio roundup.

PC & MAC AUDIO
This issue, Martin Walker questions our relentless desire to upgrade hardware and Brad Watts finally becomes a card-carrying iPhone user.

DOING IT WITH YOUR EYES SHUT
Rick comes back from the Integrate Expo full of inspiration… who would have thought?

Tutorial

VINTAGE CROP
Chris Vallejo asks the question: What determines good vintage gear and how do you recognise it?

STEREO MIXING: THE ART, THE SCIENCE, THE FICTION
(PART III – COMPRESSION)
This issue we explore some of the ins and outs of mixing with compressors.

STAV’S WORD
Looking for a professionally executed vocal double track to give your mix some silky textured finesse? Stav has the answer.

SOFTWARE TIPS – EVO
We’ve all used AutoTune before; AT has even done a previous tips ‘n’ tricks column on it! Here’s another perspective on the new Evo software.

Reviews

CAN IT!
Headphone wrap.

ABLETON LIVE 8
DAW

AUDIO-TECHNICA AT2050
Multi-pattern condenser

AKAI APC40
Ableton Live Controller

PMC IB2S
Passive Midfield Monitors

APEX DBC-8
Outboard Compressors

DB TECHNOLOGIES
DVX DM SERIES
Floor/FOH Monitors

massenburg.com

integrate 09