Headliner Magazine Issue 52

SoundOn is TikTok’s all-in one platform for music creators

Paul Watson CEO

Keith Watson Chairman

Rian Zoll-Kahn COO

Dan Gumble Head of Content

Colby Ramsey

Group Editor

Alice Gustafson Editor

Adam Protz

Senior Writer

Rick Dickerson

Reviews Editor

Marc Henshall

Head of Digital

Grace Mcguigan

Artist Relations Manager

Rae Gray Head of Design

Welcome to Headliner Issue 52.

As the sun set over Worthy Farm, Glastonbury 2024 closed out an eclectic mix of music, culture and camaraderie. Headlined by Coldplay, Dua Lipa and SZA, this year’s festival proved to be a celebration of diversity, nostalgia and artistic prowess.

Emily Eavis (the daughter of Glasto founder Michael Eavis) has already confirmed that the festival will not take place in 2026, and while she also defended this year’s line up after receiving criticism for a perceived lack of rock acts on the main stages, the festival boasted one of the most diverse and globally representative lineups in the British festival calendar.

For the first time, two women were among the three Pyramid Stage headliners: UK pop singer Dua Lipa and American singer SZA – who became the first black woman and the first R&B artist to headline the Pyramid Stage since Beyoncé in 2011.

Dispelling any lingering sentiment about the lack of rock acts, Kasabian came in hot with a secret set at Woodsies on the Friday night, although some fans were left questioning why the UK indie rockers couldn’t have played a bigger stage. Frontman and this month’s cover star Serge Pizzorno rightly kept his lips

sealed on the news of the secret set, but was however keen to discuss the band’s eighth album Happenings –said to be their most melodic record to date – in our cover interview.

Pizzorno tells Headliner about the laws he laid down for himself in producing the record, how he feels about embarking on his second outing as frontman, and why the fire that fuelled the band’s debut album, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, continues to burn brighter than ever.

Elsewhere in this issue, we hear from British DJ and producer Jonas Blue as he shifts his production mindset to a ‘less is more’ approach; Jack Savoretti speaks candidly about loss and the power of Italian music; and Ken Scott – known for being one of the five main engineers for The Beatles – reveals what it was like to work on some of the The Fab Four’s greatest hits in their heyday. Enjoy!

Colby Ramsey Group Editor

By Dan Gumble

By Dan Gumble

By Colby Ramsey

By Alice Gustafson

WORDS by ADAM

FINKEL MUSICAL MATRIMONY

Defiantly alternative indie-pop, concept albums about the frozen Mackinac Island, and all on top of being married to each other, these are a few of the tidbits associated with Los Angeles-based Jane and Brian Spencer, AKA Finkel. Following up the incredible concept album Islanders from 2022, they bring us Priorities, their new EP which combines introspective and party music moments coupled with deep questions.

Fittingly, especially when you’ve heard the tight harmonies in Finkel’s music, the Spencers met each other at an acapella group while at college. Their romantic and musical relationship began more or less in tandem, spawning a pre-Finkel project.

“Finkel started in 2018 but we’ve been playing together a lot longer than that,” Brian says from their Californian home via Zoom, with the morning L.A. sun pouring in from the window behind them. “Our previous project was called Less Is More, which we started in 2013 — that was

a lot more Troubadour-style, just us singing with guitar.”

“I had my ukulele too,” Jane says. “It was such a sweet time period, and we learned so much, but it was never really our writing style.”

The music of Finkel is often tied into a strong concept, and this tone was set very firmly with their debut five-track EP, Backpack Of Snacks. They had recently moved from Michigan to Los Angeles, which triggered in Jane the zany idea that the EP would be based on.

Photograph Credit: BErin Soorenko

“We wanted it to be something beyond music,” Jane says. “We’re both very visual artists and creative in different avenues. Backpack Of Snacks started because I wanted to move to L.A. and wear coloured lenses. I was like, ‘I’m out of Michigan, baby! I’m going wild and weird.’ And Brian said, ‘What if I also wear them?’ And then we saw what the different colours did to us.

“So that quickly became a sevenmonth-long commitment where we would wear a specific coloured lens for about a month at a time, write a tonne of demos around pink and blue and green and orange. And we only didn’t wear them when we were working out or when we were sleeping or showering, or every once in a while a rogue moment where I was like, ‘I can’t stand it anymore!’”

To push the concept album even further, the Spencers decided their first full-length LP would be written with and accompanied by a documentary. Islanders, which was released in 2022, which was written and recorded in Jane’s childhood home of Mackinac Island, sitting in Michigan’s Lake Huron, with the Canadian border hovering just above it. It’s famous for having completely car-free streets and as a summer resort, however, Finkel made the album and documentary during the Winter when the island essentially freezes over entirely.

As if making an album in these remote, icy conditions and bringing a film crew along for the ride wasn’t already impractical and ambitious enough, Finkel reveals the more outrageous original idea that was halted by the COVID lockdown.

“We started the album concept back in 2018,” Brian says. “We’re big (Anthony) Bourdain fans, and the travel series that he did.” “We

watched an episode where he went to Antarctica,” Jane recalls. “And Brian, every once in a while, kind of similar to the Backpack Of Snacks premise, he will get a look in his eye, where I know there’s no turning back. He said to me, ‘We have to go to Antarctica, we have to make music in Antarctica.’ And I was like, ‘Whoa, it’s Tuesday!’”

The Spencers had already recruited a film crew to develop this Antarctica album idea and were working on researching grants to make it a reality, which was put on ice by the pandemic lockdowns that shortly followed. The film crew, however, when learning the Spencers planned to return to Jane’s home island and make music there, suggested making the frozen-themed documentary there instead.

The Islanders album reflects its geographical setting brilliantly, with

some of Finkel’s finest tunes thus far including Original Form, I Am Machine, Dray Doctor, and Snow Globe. “It’s a 500-person Island, eight miles around, no cars, snowmobiles in the winter, and bicycles and horses in the summer,” Jane says. “The majority of the land is the state park; it’s just beautiful forests and beautiful rocky beaches. I have such a close relationship with that land, and the people have such a rigid identity of who is and isn’t an islander, which is something I’ve grappled with because I haven’t lived there yearround since I was 18.”

Going from that huge body of work to the present day, Finkel has just dropped their new three-track EP, Priorities. In keeping with Finkel’s history, each third of the EP is completely distinct and unique to the rest.

Photograph

Credit: BErin Soorenko

“I WANTED TO MOVE TO L.A. AND WEAR COLOURED LENSES. I WAS LIKE: I’M OUT OF MICHIGAN, BABY! I’M GOING WILD AND WEIRD!”

Photograph Credit: BErin Soorenko

First up is Slow Down, an opening track which examines modern life expecting us to live at an unrelenting pace, always looking to do and achieve more and never taking a moment for ourselves. It’s a delightful slice of indie-pop with fuzzy guitars and synths, with Jane and Brian trading stunning vocal arpeggios and melodies in its chorus. It comes with a music video that could spoil the most ardent sweet tooth, as the Spencers and Dave B (guest emcee on the song) are put through a gruelling pieeating contest.

“We’ve been moving at 100 miles an hour since we came out to L.A.,” Brian says. “So we wanted to have a piece to remind ourselves to take life a little bit easier, to be more gentle. It’s a reminder for everybody, I think.”

“For the video, we wanted a gross visual representation of what it looks like, what it feels like to not slow down – that awful feeling that your body has when you have no time for rest or recuperation,” says Jane.

“You’re unintentionally traumatising yourself. And those pies were the worst. We didn’t have a big pie budget for the video, so they are Walmart pies. Our poor friend Dave B — he’d had a big night out the night before as well! My mum saw the video and said, ‘Janie, I never need to watch that again.’”

Following the excessive pie consumption, the Spencers thankfully do get to let their hair down with Miami Vacation. It could be described as Finkel’s party song, with hazy and intoxicated vocals atop a bed of lo-fi pop. It’s a fully visual EP, and the second music video is a compilation of time spent with friends and partying. The more literal inspiration for the song were coinciding bachelor and bachelorette parties in Miami the Spencer’s attended, perfectly following the first track with lyrics about not taking life too seriously.

“Brian and I are very reflective people,” Jane says. “We enjoy the thoughtful pausing times in life. But we also love to party. We love having fun with our friends and being silly. I’ve been known to dance on a table or two. Why not? Life is not that serious.”

“I won’t be dancing on any tables,” Brian adds with a laugh.

Somehow, this all culminates with Digging, an indie ballad with a goosebumps-inducing piano intro. Lyrically, the Spencer’s approach this track from different but ultimately interconnected places — for Jane it was a traumatic experience in 2021.

“I had a crazy misdiagnosis that ended in major surgery that I didn’t need,” she says. “It messed with my mind a lot, thinking I had something that I didn’t have, but being totally convinced, and then healing from this major surgery took a long time. But it did bring the opportunity to slow down and experience my emotions and my life. I used to have this weird idea that because I’ve had a privileged life, I’m not worthy of feeling upset and feeling my emotions, so I started experiencing a lot of stuff properly for the first time.”

“That experience caused us both to go into therapy for the first time,” Brian says. “But we came out of that as more rounded people, I think. My verse is also speaking to us pushing our music career as independent artists, largely funding this ourselves, but also having to put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads. We’re often put in the position of wondering if we’re doing the right thing, and I sometimes worry it’s even a narcissistic endeavour. I ultimately do remember it’s the right decision, but it is something I grapple with.”

Finally, the Spencers ponder on what ‘play out loud’ means to them. For Brian, it brings to mind “having the ability as artists to express ourselves

in ways that folks who aren’t in the art world perhaps can’t. For me, it means putting 110% into that and never being shy or quiet about our music, which is something we try to live by.” “Amen,” Jane says.

Priorities, the three-track extravaganza of different sounds and moods that belies its short runtime, is out everywhere to buy and stream now. And, in keeping with the spirit of this visually-leaning pop duo, be sure to check out the three wonderful music videos that accompany each song. And if you’re stuck for something in a longer format to watch tonight, the Islanders documentary is available to watch in full, with a few websites offering it for free. The Spencers refer to their fans as ‘The Finkel Fam’, and perhaps it’s time for you to count yourself among them.

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IT’S GOOD TO BE BRUTAL WITH YOURSELF

On July 5, Kasabian released their eighth album Happenings, a short, sharp explosion of electro-driven psych pop that sees the band shred all but the bare essentials to create their most melodic record yet. Headliner caught up with songwriter and frontman Serge Pizzorno to discuss the laws he laid down for himself in producing the record, how he feels about embarking on his second outing as frontman, and why the fire that fuelled the band’s debut album, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, continues to burns brighter than ever…

“We’re doing The One Show tonight, which is sort of hilarious,” a smiling Serge Pizzorno laughs as he joins Headliner via Zoom. He’s filling us in on what he’s been up to in the run up to the release of Kasabian’s adrenaline rush of an eighth studio album Happenings, which was released on July 5. Our conversation takes place one week to the day ahead of the release, and we soon discover, 24 hours in advance of a storming secret show at Glastonbury.

“We played in Italy last weekend, which was incredible,” he continues. “It’s such a special vibe there. The connection with Italy from the start has always been amazing. There is a romance there. It’s beautiful and it put us on a really good vibe. Then we played in Denmark the weekend before, which was old school winning people over. Back to the trenches, like, these people have no idea who we are, which is really fucking good for you. It means

you have to call upon all those tools you’ve learnt over the years on how to entertain people who have no idea who you are. It keeps you in check. Because if you can’t be arsed and are pissed off that no one knows who you are… fuck that! If you’re like that you’re in trouble. You need to be ‘let’s go’ [rubbing hands together] these people need to understand!”

Right from the off, Pizzorno is in fine form. He sits before us, the embodiment of the unfiltered confidence and self-assuredness that infuses all things Kasabian, in front of what looks like a large fireplace, staring straight down the camera. He’s wearing a bright yellow t-shirt and sporting a thick beard. A large eyeball with wings is emblazoned on a black and white striped wall behind him, while the mantlepiece is adorned with candelabras holding large pink and white candles. It’s a suitably vibrant and surreal setting for an artist on the precipice of unveiling one of their brightest and boldest pieces of work to date.

He’s an intriguing presence. His demeanour, at times intense and impassioned, is offset by a gentle tone of voice. And it becomes apparent very quickly that Happenings is not only an album he’s profoundly proud of, but one that he’s impatient to share with the masses.

The record is Kasabian’s second with Pizzorno serving as de facto frontman, following the departure of original frontman Tom Meighan, who was fired from the band after being convicted of assaulting his fiancée Vikki Ager in 2020. Despite having always been the band’s chief songwriter and occasional lead vocalist, Pizzorno’s transition to the band’s focal point was always going to be a significant one. It is, perhaps unsurprisngly, a role he has taken on with relish, largely freeing himself from guitar duties onstage and adopting a kinetic, frenetic performance style, as opposed to simply shuffling a few yards left to centre stage and resuming business as usual.

His first outing in this capacity came in the form of 2022’s The Alchemist’s Euphoria, an album that fused Kasabian’s electronic and traditional rock roots to create one of the band’s most compelling records. It also

instilled a sense of certainty that the band could not only survive in its new form but enter a new era. It is from this spirit that Happenings was born.

“This album came a year into the campaign for the last album,” says Pizzorno, explaining the origins of the record. “It was straight back into the studio; the energy of those big live shows and wanting to capture that on tape and get it out as quickly as possible so we could play them. These songs were designed to be played in big fields, with people on each other’s shoulders, singing their hearts out, hitting them with no verses, just pure choruses and hooks for the whole thing. It’s a joyous explosion. Really simple.

“IT’S GOOD TO BE BRUTAL WITH YOURSELF. I LIKE THE CONFLICT WITHIN MY OWN HEAD.”

“The idea of ‘happenings’ comes from getting art out of the art gallery,” he continues, elaborating on the album’s title. “I always loved that concept of bringing it out to the people - art is trapped in this building but it should be on the streets. It’s like, there were the late ‘60s psychedelic happenings, then there were rave happenings, and now it’s like, let’s do some Kasabian happenings! It’s bringing people together and entertaining them.”

A “joyous explosion” is certainly a fitting description for Happenings, as are the opening lines of latest single Algorithms: ‘We’re not here for a long time, we’re just here for a good time’. Its 10 songs clock in at just 26 minutes and are the result of a very specific blueprint laid down by Pizzorno to ensure zero self-indulgence and total commitment to the song.

“That was always the plan for this album,” he states. “Everything has been about cutting away anything we don’t need. Do we need that?

No? Cut it. Don’t be precious about third verses or double choruses. This album is not that. The box was made, and if it didn’t fit, it didn’t go in. I had strong laws on the whole record. And I find it exciting when an idea has to be a certain way. It eases the process when it has to be something. When it can be anything… that’s when it can get a bit crazy [laughs].”

It is such self-imposed limitations or parameters, he insists, that have kept things interesting for him with each album.

“I’ve written eight albums with Kasabian and the way I write has never changed,” he explains. “But I need different angles, different ways of attacking it to keep me inspired and to keep everyone second guessing and on their toes. So, when you get to eight albums, it’s really important that you change and are curious and make new shit for people to listen to. There’s always going to be, ‘why doesn’t it sound like the old stuff?’ and, ‘it’s not different enough’.

You can’t win if you go down that road. It’s over. You look at the greats and you don’t get to make music for three decades by making the same album over and over again. We all know what that sounds like. Plus, as an artist, it’s just boring. I signed up to this to be excited every day, and be challenged, and be like, wow, what’s this new thing I’ve found? It just makes life so much more exciting.

“You know, I love a 90-minute film,” he continues after a pause. “Films are three and half hours now and it’s a slog [laughs]. There are some great three-hour films, but this is just where my head was at. But I didn’t want to keep the structures simple - there’s still a lot going on in the songs - but it felt like an interesting way to be brutal. It’s good to be brutal with yourself. I like the conflict within my own head going, ‘musically it needs this’. But it was like, ‘shut your mouth, that’s gone, I’m moving on to the next one’.”

As our conversation edges further towards Pizzorno’s methods, he explains that he views every new idea through the prism of a producer as well as a writer.

“I was a producer the same day I was a writer, as I got a sampler as my first bit of kit,” he notes. “In terms of my songwriting process, I’m looking for loops, drum beats, riffs, or if I’m not doing that it’s more traditional, just at the piano or with a guitar. I’ve been doing it like that for 20 years, and I feel like I’ve gotten better at it, but ultimately, it’s the same thing. As a human being I’m at different stages of my life, and each album is a different snapshot. Which is nice for my boys; if they need to know what their dad was like at 28, that’s a good indication. There are some clues in there.”

In January of this year, Kasabian’s self-titled debut album celebrated its 20th anniversary. Spawning a string of classic singles that remain tightly woven into the fabric of 21st century UK indie rock, including the likes of Club Foot, LSF, Reason Is Treason, and Processed Beats, it earmarked Pizzorno and co as natural heirs to the Gallaghers’ throne. The band, as remains the case, were never short of a choice quote and never shy in asserting why they were the new best band in the world.

They backed up their claims by garnering a reputation as an incendiary live act, while the pressure that can often cause bands to buckle after releasing such a hyped and acclaimed debut only seemed to fuel their ambitions for world domination.

Today, Pizzorno is philosophical about Kasabian and the path it set them on when pondering its anniversary.

“If you’d have asked me at the time, I’d have been happy with that one album,” he states. “If no one liked it and that was all we did, that would have been enough for me. Genuinely. That’s all I ever wanted to do, to see a physical copy of an album I made in my hands. Then, as the albums pass, you get addicted to the feeling and the process and the art, and albums become my life. They consume every part of my soul. I commit so heavily and deeply into them that they become huge chunks of my life, which is incredible.

18 KASABIAN

“In terms of 20 years, the only way this band can celebrate an anniversary is to make another record. It’s never been about nostalgia. It’s never been that. If you look at each of our albums there is not a lot of respect for where we’d been before. I thought the best way to celebrate the anniversary was to make a new album. And a really fucking good one!”

When asked about his memories of the years preceding the release of Kasabian

and the buzz that had been building around the band from their earliest days performing the pubs and bars circuit in their hometown of Leicester, Pizzorno is emphatic in his response.

“We were just fearless and driven,” he says with palpable passion in his voice. “It was all or nothing. I was so desperate to do it and not be an alsoran. That mentality is powerful. If you are like, we don’t give a fuck, get out the way… there is an arrogance to it,

but if you don’t have that attitude you don’t get out of Leicester. You don’t get out of the pub gigs; you have to have a sense of…” he trails off, considering his next words. “You know, you do let the bullies knock you down. You do hear the local fuckwits go ‘you’re never gonna do anything, look at your long hair, you’re shit’, and you have to be strong and stand up to that.

“So, when you embark on this journey, you have that fucking anger in your brain,” he says, the volume of his voice rising, his fists clenching as he becomes increasingly animated. “That’s how you have the motivation to get out and prove everyone wrong. And that doesn’t end. When you’re on that stage you’re ripping the place to pieces because you have to; because if we don’t, we’re back, and we’re getting dropped, and it’s over. That mentality has stuck with me today, to the point where I feel every note when I’m recording and playing live. And it’s tiring because it’s a lot to take on, but that’s just how I’ve done it, and it’s testament to why we’re still around.”

Though the spirit he speaks of remains a constant in his life, he does note, on reflection, that he has found different ways to channel it.

“I think over the years it’s been a fuel that I’ve needed, and it’s got me to where I need to get,” he says thoughtfully. “And there are times when I even manifest it myself because it’s a powerful energy. Over the years I have learned to get there in a different way. Artistry has become more important. When you become a dad, you have to set a good example for your kids, and just being good at your job is enough motivation: being a good songwriter, being respected, coming offstage and feeling like you’ve entertained the people who have paid money to come and see you play. That is as powerful an energy as telling everyone to fuck off [laughs]. And probably a much nicer way of getting there.”

Two decades into his career, he now considers it a duty of sorts to impart that energy to others, whether inspiring new artists to take on the world, or simply providing listeners with a moment of escapism.

“I want to empower people,” he says. “I want them to hear the music and feel that anything is possible. I love music that motivates you to dream of something new; something better. And if a kid who is having the worst time listens to one of our tunes and it brings them out of it, then I’ve done my job. To me, that’s everything.”

WORDS BY COLBY R A

THE BIG SECRET

CHASSANDFORD

Singer-songwriter, producer, studio owner, and the recipient of 12 ASCAP ‘Most Performed Songs’ awards – Chas Sandford – recently spoke to Headliner about his creative process, some of his most memorable projects from down the years, and the Augspurger® monitoring setup at his Franklin, TN-based studio – Secret Sound, where he has been getting to grips with immersive mixing…

“I couldn’t hold a conversation, but I was a guitar slinger, like Billy the Kid,” begins Sandford as he laments buoyantly on his early days in music. Having moved to California at just 15, he soon found his calling after a chance meeting with Ike Turner led to him jamming in the studio with some of the biggest names in the business.

Thrown in at the deep end, Sandford began taking sessions with the who’s who of popular music, working his way from songwriting to covers and eventually into production. Some of his most memorable projects, he says, include working on Chicago’s 1988 album Chicago 19, working with Rod Stewart, Roger Daltrey, Sammy Hagar, and many more.

“At that time, I was working with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ronnie Wood and Don Johnson Monday through Friday, and then I would get on a Virgin flight to London and go straight to the studio with Roger to work with him on the weekends,” he recalls. “Then I’d do the reverse on Monday. I did that for about a month and that was a pretty incredible time.”

Sandford wears several different hats in the studio these days, yet his beginnings are arguably as humble as they are impressive.

“The engineer that I had done my first solo record with had got copies of some of my new songs, and he gave them to Jimmy Iovine,” he explains.

“Jimmy put it on the seat of his car and it slid under the seat never to be seen again. Six months later, Jimmy is driving home from a session and someone runs a red light. He slams on the brakes and this cassette comes out and hits him in the heel. He calls me at two o’clock in the morning. I’d never spoken to him before, and when I answered I wasn’t convinced it was Jimmy Iovine! After about five minutes thinking it wasn’t him, he ended up talking me into doing the record with Stevie Nicks. So I went into the studio the next day and we spent quite a while recording Stevie’s vocal on it. They overdubbed clavinet and drum samples and a couple of other things, but I played all the instruments on that.”

Sandford’s musical history, he says, is littered with these examples of chance, destiny or fate; call it what you will. “I often say I’m the Forrest Gump of the music business, just happening to be in the right place at the right time,” he chuckles.

Secret Sound, Sandford’s residential recording facility situated on a 53-acre farm in rural Franklin, Tennessee, has existed in a number of different guises for at least 30 years now. Originally based out of L.A, he would welcome the likes of Def Leppard and many others through his doors until he eventually moved to Nashville.

“I wanted to move to Nashville to be a better writer, because I was just running out of people to write with in L.A,” he explains. “That’s when my setup evolved into the hybrid world. Having a big console with 64 of the same modules was not attractive anymore when Pro Tools came in.

And although I’m now working on control surfaces, we have a tonne of analogue outboard gear here, including 40 mic pres that are tube and discreet and various vintages.

“I’ve honed it down to what I really like to use all the time. Everything’s always set up; the drums are always miked and I have plenty of inputs for whatever else pops up. The studio looks out over a pond and it’s a great creative environment.”

Sandford tells Headliner that he built the studio as an extension of his creativity, so he could do anything he wanted, whenever he wanted. Changing over to his current setup, he handpicked all the gear and was especially conscientious about his monitor selection.

“I’ve been friends with Dave at Augspurger® for a long time,” he reveals. “I’d heard them and just finally

decided to make the leap. It was one of the best things I ever did because I can listen really low or really loud, and they sound great. Dave invited me to speak on a panel for Augspurger® at the NAMM Show, so I went out to that and it was all immersive. I really decided then that I was either at a point where I’m gonna go off into the sunset, or really expand what I’m doing. Immersive mixing allows me to really start anew, because it’s a wild frontier. I spent my whole career trying to fit everything into two speakers; getting big sounds in the beginning and then shaving it off, wedging it into the left or the right, or cramming it somewhere in the middle. It’s such a luxury now to have the real estate to spread stuff around. People are doing really interesting things with it and nobody’s doing it the same way. To me, it’s just a really exciting and creative thing.”

“I OFTEN SAY I’M THE FORREST GUMP OF THE MUSIC BUSINESS, JUST HAPPENING TO BE IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME.”

Sandford is using Augspurger® Duo 8s with subs, which gives him “plenty of power, and they really move some air,” he says. “We track most of the band in the control room, except for the drummer, so I didn’t want to have a big monitoring setup where they were cumbersome, or where we had to put racks up. I wanted it to be seamless, and to keep the environment I already had. I decided to go with PMCs with LEA amps, which ended up being great because everything is working through Dante. This allowed me to work in stereo and then seamlessly switch to Dolby Atmos, with everything just sounding great. Then having the Augspurger® monitors as the main central point is a little more seamless going into the bottom end than just the PMCS by themselves.”

Aside from having lots of album projects to keep him busy until the end of the year, Sandford is keen to carve out some time to get familiar with Dolby Atmos and hone his immersive mixing skills. And having effortlessly moved with the times since the golden era of analogue,

it surely won’t be long until he’s up and running in his 9.1.4 mixing room.

“It’s really complex to set up, so I have to get my workspace and templates and all that stuff in order so I can get it to be second nature,” he concludes. “I’ve got to move

everything aside to have some time to really wrap my head around using it, so I can do some creative things and be proficient with it.”

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JONAS BLUE MOVING MOUNTAINS

Jonas Blue – one of the biggest crossover artists in the world with 17 billion streams and seven singles certified platinum and multiplatinum in the UK – recently spoke to Headliner about his latest track Mountains , his creative process and studio setup, as well as why he’s taking a ‘less is more’ approach to his touring schedule for this year…

British DJ and producer Guy James Robin – known professionally as Jonas Blue – has been on a high since he released his debut album Blue in 2018, a record that was certified gold in the UK and was the winner of the BRIT certified Breakthrough Award. He has continued to replicate the album’s success in the years following, having been nominated for five BRIT Awards and collaborated with some of the biggest names in dance and pop, from Becky Hill, Rita Ora and Joe Jonas to Paloma Faith, Nina Nesbitt and RAYE. His electronic dance version of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car, as well as his track Perfect Strangers with fellow songwriter JP Cooper, have each reached a billion streams on Spotify alone.

Calling from his London studio, Blue tells Headliner that he’s planning to use the month of June as a benchmark to get a bunch of songs wrapped up and finished. His latest track Mountains, a massive, unwavering floor-filler featuring Galantis and Zoe Wees, has already set the tone for the summer, and has gone down a storm since its release. As far as his touring schedule for this year goes, Blue reveals that he’s “definitely trying to do less”, having performed at a staggering 100 shows in 2023.

Photo credit: Frank Fieber

“To be able to tour, make music, and mix my songs was too much, so this year I’m just trying to find a better balance,” he says. “I’ve taken on less shows this year, and I’ve just been in the studio a bit more to get this music finished, because things move so fast these days with release schedules and whatnot. I really love touring but being on the road 24/7 is a lot. I love to be in studio sessions writing songs, and being home with family and friends a bit more.”

Describing tour life as “one big everlasting party”, Blue will be back in Vegas soon for his residency at nightclub Zouk, a spot he has held for the last three years. He’s also looking forward to playing at LIV in Miami, showcasing his ongoing project in collaboration with Dutch DJ and producer Sam Feldt. “Then I’ll have a show in November at KOKO, which I’ve never played before, so I’m looking forward to that,” he reveals.

Like many, Blue is keen on keeping his fitness and wellbeing in check, which can sometimes prove tricky when faced with such a packed touring schedule. To that end, he’s been making some small changes to his routine to make sure he stays active physically, mentally and musically:

“I was training really intensely preJonas blue, and then I kind of let it slip because my music career ended up getting so busy,” he recalls. It’s just a lifestyle thing for me now. I still train every day if I can. The first question I ask when I get to a hotel at 10 in the evening is if the gym is 24 hours. It’s about changing that perspective in your head and making it part of your routine, even if it’s 10 minutes on the treadmill, because you would spend that time sitting on your phone looking at Instagram anyway.”

When it comes to his creative process, Blue writes music in a surprisingly

traditional way. With his music being so melody-based, he tends to always start on the piano – an interesting acoustic approach for a dance music producer. Sometimes it begins with a Splice loop to kickstart the session, but he admits that he never usually prepares too much because he gets bored easily.

“For me it’s just a case of whatever comes to my head and through my fingers onto the piano,” he says. “I’ll never start with a kick drum, bassline or vocal chop. It will always be the melody first.”

Over the last few years, Blue has gone fully inside the box with his production, and admits that while he does have some really nice outboard gear knocking about his studio, the time sensitivity of some of his projects means he rarely gets the chance to load up analogue synths into his chain.

“One of my favourite things is the grand piano that we have here in

the live room,” he says. When I start a session on that as opposed to the computer, with everyone standing around you, gives a real energy and there’s something really special about it. We’ll just be there for a solid half an hour vibing out ideas, and I’ll start building out the production in my head before I even get to the computer.”

When he does make it to the computer, Blue has a number of plugins that he finds himself going back to on his mixes, yet simultaneously tries not to overcomplicate things. Serum from Xfer Records is a staple, he says, and he often finds himself getting lost in all the new sounds and presets available. Diva is another that he uses heavily for bass, along with Monark – available within Reaktor – which he describes as “almost like a mini Moog replica, amazing for sub basses and for getting a real thick tone.

“I’LL NEVER START WITH A KICK DRUM, BASSLINE OR VOCAL CHOP. IT WILL ALWAYS BE THE MELODY FIRST.”

“I used to have this thing printed out in one of my old studios. It was a quote from Max Martin, which said, ‘If you can’t hear it, delete it.’ So for me now, it’s actually about trying to add as little as possible, while also making the song sound as big and as full as possible. When it comes to the mix downs, it’s more just a case of balancing for me these days. I use as little compression as I can, and try to keep things organic and minimalistic.

“I’m just trying things out and looking to do different things this

year,” he continues as we round up the conversation. “I’m going to release a mini album at some point soon with JP Cooper; it’ll be just me and him because we write together so much. I think there’s such great history there from the songs that we’ve done together. A lot of people don’t know this, but JP wrote Polaroid as well, so we’ve been writing together for years. I thought, you know what, why don’t we just put out an album, where it’s just a bunch of the amazing songs sitting on my drive that should be out there in the world! So this year is just

going to be focused on singles, with a couple of collaborations here and there. I’m also going to be upping the remixes this year; there’ll be the mini album with JP at some point, and then hopefully a fully fledged one next year!

JONASBLUE.COM

Photo credit: Frank Fieber

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THE MUSIC WORKS

MIKEL MEDLEY

Mikel Medley, award-winning dance vocalist and Bristol-based ‘mic man’, Dread MC, has cemented himself in the drum and bass scene and has played at Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds and Exit Festival. He’s also won awards for his background in social work practice and youth, and is currently the youth support manager for The Music Works in Gloucestershire. He joins Headliner to discuss his important work with young people, including the organisation’s efforts to tackle knife crime in the UK.

Not enough young people in Gloucestershire are currently benefiting from access to music provision, especially those in challenging circumstances, says The Music Works. There are many reasons for this, from lack of youth provision to a national curriculum that has moved away from the arts, while barriers like economic difficulties, disability, health conditions or behavioural issues also play a part. This is why The Music Works was founded. Today, it provides accessible opportunities so that all young people in Gloucestershire can access the transformative benefits of music.

“I was born in Gloucester. I grew up with Malaki Patterson [artistic director at The Music Works],” says Medley from The Music Works’ state of the art studio. “I would say I’m addicted to music,” he continues. “It’s been a part of my whole life, growing up. I came from challenging circumstances. I’ve lived in different places and the reason I ended up going to all these places is to be able to branch out in music and to pursue my passion. Malaki set up his own label and was the first to book certain garage artists. We were really young at the time – we just wanted to put Gloucester on the map,” he recalls, “and that is what we’re trying to do now with The Music Works. I wish we had something like this here when I was younger.

“If you’ve got money or financial support, that helps massively,” he says, acknowledging that it’s easier for young people with more privileged backgrounds to access a career in music. “A lot of people can’t afford to have lessons or buy equipment to make music. I remember when I was younger, I had a couple of friends who would save up money and they had decks. I was going round there nearly every week to record and there would be about six or seven MCs and two or three DJs in a tiny box bedroom, completely sweaty, just making music. Those are probably the best days of my life to be honest,” he reflects. “We’d be in a back room of someone’s house or in a garden shed – nothing like what we have here at The Music Works facility! Normally that would be hand-medown equipment, or something would be broken, but you’d still be doing music.”

Fast forward to today, and Medley and Patterson are working out of high end facilities at The Music Works –“It looks really bougie in here,” grins Medley, glancing around.

The Music Works is a charity that harnesses the power of making music to connect and engage with young people, nurturing talent across the country and helping disadvantaged and underrepresented young people access the music industry.

“My background is youth work and social work practice, and I am a musician and MC myself, so to marinate both of those skills and to have this amazing facility and environment to work in, with an amazing team, has been absolutely incredible,” he enthuses. “We are

“THE DOMINO EFFECT HAS BEEN REALLY GOOD TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGE.”

creating opportunities for young people from different backgrounds.”

The Music Works caters for everyone, from first access through to talent and career development, delivering one-to-one music mentoring, small group work, accredited training, apprenticeships and internships, festivals and events, artist and career development and business incubation. Programs and activities take place in The Music Works’ state-of-the-art studio spaces, schools and through outreach with its community partners.

“There were hardly any youth clubs around here when I lived in Gloucester, so to have this completely bougie space at The Music Works, in a safe environment, is really nice. The way we’ve set up the culture here is that anybody can walk through that door and feel welcomed. It’s great to have really high level equipment here, so if people want to do production, they can do production. Or if you want to jam in a room with a band, you can. We have so many projects here, it’s actually pretty incredible. We try to cater for everybody for the community,” he elaborates. “We have loads of people with disabilities that come here and

we have different programmes for different ages. It’s a safe environment that people can access.”

The charity also boasts a mobile recording studio called The Music Bus – a state-of-the-art studio on wheels, which aims to reduce antisocial behaviour incidents in the area by giving young people positive opportunities to take part, and a chance to make the music they love.

“Almost everybody I meet and work with here comes from challenging circumstances,” he discloses. “Some of the stuff that they have shared… he trails off. “I’ve gone home crying with joy, because I know that the work we’re doing is life changing, and the young people have actually said that the work that we have done is life changing. That’s actually really major. I remember one young person saying they would probably be in a madness – meaning that they would probably be in prison – if they weren’t doing this one programme with us. The domino effect has been really good to make positive change.”

A year ago, the renowned Knife Angel sculpture, which is made from 100,000 seized blades, visited Gloucester Cathedral. As part of the Knife Angel programme, The Music Works collaborated with six young individuals (who formed a collective called G-CODA), whose lives have all been impacted by knife crime, on a showcase at the cathedral, which saw them produce an album called Lights Out

“There’s been some horrific murders that have happened in our county,” nods Medley. “Knife crime does impact almost everybody, so it’s good to raise awareness about it and to honour the people we have lost. For those young people, it’s been an amazing and heartfelt journey –sometimes I do get a bit emotional about it. The impact has been a lot more widespread than those six individuals. It makes me proud of everyone that’s been involved and the positive impact that it has had.”

The Lights Out project encapsulates the highs and lows of being young in Gloucestershire with big dreams. Because of this work, The Music Works was named as a charity partner of Idris Elba’s ‘Don’t Stop Your Future’ campaign, which demands urgent government action

to tackle knife crime in the UK and calls for an immediate ban of zombie knives and machetes.

“Young people have the biggest impact on other young people,” Medley acknowledges, “so it’s really good to have them on board. I’m hoping that this is something we can really support Don’t Stop Your Future with, because the work that we do is all youth-led.”

An important aspect of The Music Works’ initiative is to provide young people with access to the best music production equipment available. One of the sponsors of The Music Works is Genelec – a manufacturer that works hard to support the creative community in terms of the arts, education and training. The Music Works’ flagship facility, consisting of a production room and live room for song-writing composition, beatmaking, recording instruments and vocals, production and mixing, features Genelec monitors, which are also found inside The Music Bus.

“On The Music Bus, the Genelec speakers look small, but they’re so powerful! We can take it out to rural places everywhere; the sound quality is the thing that gets complimented, especially from the young people;

they’re always really impressed by them. Also, when people are in a professional space, they respect it a little bit more. There’s a bit of a wow factor when they come into the spaces and see the things that we have on offer.”

Medley shares what’s next for The Music Works: “Honestly, there’s loads of projects that we’re involved in,” he enthuses. “I’m working with a group called Youth Social Action, and these are young people from the ages of 13-18. We took some of them to 10 Downing Street to talk about their project. And only today, I got invited by Children In Need to take some of our young people to an event in Manchester. Our Music Bus is going all over Gloucestershire, plus we’re doing these 10 week programmes in areas that might have antisocial behaviour, or areas where there is not much for young people to do. It’s an opportunity for them to get on a studio with wheels and make music. We’re gonna have a new studio space built in the Forest Of Dean as well with the same kind of fancy facilities,” he smiles.

LD SYSTEMS LIVE SESSIONS

EVALINA

In the ninth LD Systems Live Sessions, powered by Headliner, Londonbased singer-songwriter EVALINA performed original song, Happy You’re Happy, live at Signal House Studios. EVALINA performed through an LD Systems MAUI G3 rig and MON 15 A G3 Stage Monitors, into an Earthworks SR117 vocal mic. We caught up with her after the performance…

What have you been up to these last few months?

I’ve been working on my debut EP, which I’m really excited to release. I’ve been wanting to release it for quite some time now, and I’m finally getting to put it out. I’m hoping to release music every six weeks this year. I’ve been busy in the studio writing lots of music, and developing my sound a bit more. A lot of the songs on the EP I actually wrote when I was about 20 –about three years ago – and I feel like it’s kind of closing that chapter.

Behind the scenes, I’m already working on new music for the next EP

and thinking ahead. I’m just constantly thinking about how my sound can develop and how it can progress from my previous releases.

How did you first get into music?

I first got into music by doing musical theatre classes, which I used to go to every Saturday. It was quite funny actually, because it wasn’t really for any particular reason. It was just because my dad would take my brothers to rugby on a Saturday morning, and my mum just needed me out of the house for a few hours so she could have some alone time. I really took to it like a duck to water,

and just absolutely loved it. From the moment I was about four, I just loved performing. I found a real sense of community in creative spaces and around creative people.

When I was 14, I ended up going to the BRIT School, and studied musical theatre there. I always knew that I wanted to do music, because I was always writing songs, but I think the musical theatre training really helped to develop my voice and my confidence as well. And then when I was 15, I started working in studios with songwriters and producers, and making my own music.

“INSTEAD OF IT BEING A REALLY ON THE NOSE, AGGRESSIVE, ANGSTY SONG, I WANTED IT TO FEEL A BIT MORE PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE.”

Tell us the backstory to your new track, Happy You’re Happy.

Happy You’re Happy is actually not at all about being happy that somebody else is happy. I think we’ve all experienced that moment where, maybe in our first relationships, we’ve taught somebody how to be a better person and how to treat us right and how to love us. And it really feels a bit like a kick in the teeth when they can’t do that for you. But then they go on, and they treat the next person well because of all the lessons that they learned from you.

So, in the song, I’m like, bitterness and envy and jealousy, that’s not me, but actually, it is me - like I’m totally not happy that you’re happy. I just thought instead of it being a really on the nose, aggressive, angsty song, I wanted it

to feel a bit more passive aggressive. If you played it without knowing the backstory to it, you might feel like it is a genuinely happy song, and that it’s really wholesome talking about being happy for your ex. But yeah, it’s totally not about that; I just wanted to put an interesting spin on that situation.

What’s it like being an independent artist in today’s industry?

I am really enjoying being an independent artist; I feel like I have a lot of creative freedom over what I’m doing. There is a really nice community of other independent artists in London and the South. I’m part of this group chat called Loud LDN; there’s probably about over 100 of us now, and it’s a mixture of signed artists and independent artists. It’s a group full of women and non-binary creatives in the industry, and it’s really cool - we’re always supporting each other, going to each other’s gigs, presaving each other’s songs.

When you win as an independent artist, I feel like it means just that little bit more, because you know that you

did it off your own back. On my last release, I made it into quite a big Spotify playlist called Fresh Finds, and Fresh Finds Pop, and honestly, I could’ve cried when I found that out. I’ve had editorial support before, but getting it from an independent release just came as such a shock and a surprise; I just wasn’t expecting it. I just think in general, the small wins really feel that much bigger as an independent artist. I’m loving it so far.

How did you find your vocals cut through the Earthworks mic today, and what are your thoughts on the LD Systems rig?

The Earthworks mic was really nice to use. I felt like I was in very safe hands with the sound that it was projecting, and it gave my voice a really nice, crisp and clear tone.

I would definitely recommend this LD Systems setup to anybody who is looking for a good sound system. The sound was really crisp and clear, and it really cut through. It was great performing through the system.

LDSYSTEMS.COM

INSTA: @EVALINA

MAKING MISS ITALIA

JACK SAVORETTI

On May 17, Jack Savoretti released his first all-Italian speaking album Miss Italia. Written in the wake of the death of his father, it sees the singer songwriter reconnect with his roots like never before. Headliner sat down with him for a candid chat about family, coping with loss, and the power of Italian music to “make you cry your eyes out without understanding a word”.

“I’m at home in an almost sunny Oxfordshire where it’s a quintessentially British day,” a smiling Jack Savoretti says breezily as he joins us over Zoom on an early May morning. “It goes from freezing to boiling… It’s cardigan weather.”

At the time of our conversation, Savoretti is less than two weeks away

from the release of his eighth studio album Miss Italia. Sung entirely in Italian and featuring an assortment of guests, including the likes of Natalie Imbruglia, Miles Kane, and Zucchero, it represents some significant firsts and departures for the artist. The fact it is his first Italian-speaking record being just one of them.

His 2021 album Europiana was a vehicle of escapism. Written and recorded at the height of Covid lockdown restrictions, it was a celebration of everything humanity had been momentarily denied. As he told Headliner ahead of its release, he made a conscious decision to resist the urge to turn inward and reflect on the darkness of the time.

“I wasn’t going to put my family through a year of the unknown and me being a miserable bastard singing about it,” he said at the time. “I

decided, I’m going to put the red nose on and jump on the table and open champagne every Friday night. We’re going to get dressed up and have the most glamorous year of our lives. I was thinking, ‘how will my kids remember this’? I really embraced it, and it definitely comes across on the record.”

Two and a half years on, the follow-up to Europiana is suggestive of a similar proposition on the surface but is an altogether different beast underneath.

“It’s ironic that an album called Miss Italia, sung in all-Italian, is not really about escapism at all,” says Savoretti, as he offers some context to the record. There’s an ease and a warmth in his demeanour that rarely wavers. He’s articulate and philosophical, speaking openly about the influence of his late father and the impact his loss had on the creation of the album.

“It’s the most introspective album I’ve made,” he continues. “My father passed away two and a half years ago and that was the catalyst for the entire physical need to do this. There was no strategic ‘I should do an Italian album’ thought. It was a genuine calling after losing my father where I felt the need to re-engage with my Italianity – a word I just made up [laughs] – and I wanted to lean into my Italian heritage.

“I found tremendous comfort in everything that was Italian because my father was my link to that part of my heritage. When I thought of my father I thought of Italy, and when I thought of Italy I thought of my father. So, when I lost him I found him in Italy. I find him in Italian music, I find him just by being in Italy – people sound like him, smell like him, dress like him. There is a link, and it keeps him alive. It allows me to process this loss in a comforting, wonderful way. As a result of that I found myself writing in Italian a lot.”

Despite living in different countries, Savoretti explains how the influence of his father permeated each and every aspect of his life. Right up until his death, they maintained a tight relationship, whether in-person or via FaceTime.

“He shaped me as a man, as a musician, as a father, as a son,” states Savoretti. “He was very influential on me, for the good, the bad, and the ugly, as every father should be. We were very open with each other. We engaged with each other as much as we could. We’d challenge each other, we were supportive of each other, critical of each other. But engagement was never lacking. Even with distance we still managed to engage with each other a lot.

“With this album, I hadn’t intentionally set out to make an Italian album. I started writing before he passed, and the first song, which is the first song on the album, was called Come Posso Raccontare. To sort of explain our relationship, I was sat right here where I am now at about 3am one night having drank too much after coming back from a party, and I began writing. And I started writing my first ever Italian song. So, I FaceTimed him and played it to him. That was our relationship; that was totally normal. And that was before I decided to make an Italian album. That’s the only song he heard that I did in Italian.”

Much of the music Savoretti’s father was passionate about seeped into the fabric of Miss Italia. As Savoretti illustrates, Italian music was his father’s Achilles heel. He loved American music – Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson are both namechecked – but it was the music of his homeland that possessed the power to strip him of his “imposing” veneer. This power, Savoretti explains, was something he was keen to harness.

“What was always amazing to me about Italian music was how it could floor this beast of a man who was my father,” he says with a hint of awe in his tone. “He was quite imposing, in a wonderful way. You would notice his presence. He lived in England during my childhood as an Italian immigrant and when he would listen to Italian music it would floor him. It would emotionally trigger him. I’d see tears in his eyes. Goosebumps on his arms. He’d squeeze his fist on certain parts of songs because he loved it. It impressed me how this music could do that to him.”

At this point, the focus shifts to the emotionally charged yet intangible components of Italian music that make it such a potent force.

“Italian music is incredibly emotive, and understanding is just a part of it,” he elaborates. “It’s all about feeling.

There is a reason you can go to the opera and cry your eyes out without understanding a single word. You feel it. Italian culture is incredibly emotive, it’s visceral. When you taste the food, it is about feeling; when you listen to the music, it’s about feeling; when you talk about art and the architecture, it’s about feeling it and not just seeing it. When you hear Italians talk about the sea it’s as if it is something within them, not just something they get to witness. All of that is exemplified in Italian music.

He continues: “It’s funny because friends of mine who have heard this album who don’t speak a word of Italian say it sounds more like me than my English albums. Or I play it to them, and they get choked up without understanding a word. I can’t really explain it, it just is. There is a presence to the culture that impacts quite intensely. When it’s genuine,” he strongly asserts. “When it’s pastiche-y or imitated it can be ridiculed, but when it’s genuine there is so much history to this culture. And Italian is incredibly expressive as a language. Culture seeps into language, language seeps into culture. It’s a constant revolving door. And that’s wonderful.”

As for the writing process of Miss Italia, Savoretti embarked on a lengthy process of education on how to write lyrically in Italian. Bilingual since childhood, understanding the language itself wasn’t an issue, but understanding the nuances and dichotomies that exist between English and Italian lyricism meant navigating a steep learning curve.

“I had to really work at it,” he recalls. “I didn’t want it to be an ‘Italian album’, I wanted it to be my new album but in Italian. It took a year and a half to get there. When I started, I was imitating. Not intentionally, it was just happening. The themes I was choosing were far-fetched because they were themes that Italian songwriters I love would go to, so it took me a while to write like Jack but just in Italian.

“I went to Italy to write a lot and then I came home and kept writing here, and that’s when the Eureka moment happened. Everything I learned in Italy I brought home and put into practice, and then it came naturally to sit at the piano and start singing in Italian.”

So, what were the key differences between these two contrasting styles?

“There are such different ways of approaching writing in Italian,” he begins. “In English, colloquialism is really appreciated and poetry can be considered a bit cheesy. Being able to use colloquial, everyday language poetically is genius in English. That’s what Bob Dylan does, it’s what Bruce Springsteen does. It’s everyday language used in a way you’re not used to, rather than throwing Shakespearean or overly poetic sentences, which can seem a little bit twee or too much.

“Italian is the opposite. The more colloquial it is, the cheesier it is. It’s cheap if you use everyday language. But if you are more poetic it’s like, wow! It’s super

sophisticated. I tried to mix the two. Let’s see how we do [laughs]. I don’t know how it’ll be received.”

Part of the learning curve involved Savoretti working through a variety of ideas and themes before striking the right balance.

“I went through a few songs at first, but only a few though,” he grins. “Now I’d bring them back, but I couldn’t have introduced the initial idea with them. They were too advanced for where I was at, which meant I was imitating. They were too Italian, too poetic. I remember my producer being like, ‘are you sure about this song’? I would say, I love it. He was like, ‘I love it too, but you’ve never done this before and if you just show up with that it won’t be taken seriously’. It’s like showing up on a first date in a tuxedo - it’s a little too much [laughs]. You might be overcooking it. But now that we’ve done it, I wouldn’t mind putting that tuxedo back on [laughs].”

In recalling the various permutations Miss Italia took in its initial stages of development, he takes a moment to consider and appreciate the fact that eight albums into his career he was still able to test himself in ways both new and profound.

“This one has taught me a whole new way of expressing something I had never felt before,” he says. “I knew what I was feeling was unique. The pain you feel, the overwhelming amount of love and grief you feel when you lose a parent is so unique and I didn’t want to confront it the way I’ve confronted other things in my life. It was so different, so extreme that I couldn’t fathom using the tools I usually use to get through things for something so different.

“I have never had so much fun writing an album [pauses, taking a moment to reflect] not fun, but I’ve never had such a life affirming experience, without sounding incredibly cliché.

I felt a physical need to do this, and I haven’t felt that in a while. It was really cathartic at a time when I needed support and comfort. It did me a lot of good.”

Despite our conversation centering largely on the loss of his father, Savoretti’s tone, much like the record itself, is one of celebration rather than melancholy. He is clearly excited to be pushing the boundaries of his craft nearly two decades into his career, and understandably proud to have poured the sense of love and the grief he has experienced over the past two-and-a-half years into a love letter to his father, his heritage, and his musical roots.

“This experience left me walking away with my bag of life a little bit fuller,” he beams, signing off with the same excitement and enthusiasm with which he greeted us. Eager to release it into the world, he can’t wait to see how listeners respond, for better or worse.

“I’ve never been so curious about how an album is going to be received,” he closes. “Usually, we can gauge vaguely what the interest is or if there’s anybody listening! With this one I really don’t know. And I’m OK with that, I’m just very curious… this might be the last time we ever talk [laughs].”

JACKSAVORETTI.COM

Featuring: Stephanie Snyder

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GUSTAFSON JAKE JACKSON

THE FIRST OMEN

What comes to mind when you think of the most spine-chilling horror film music? The Exorcist’s foreboding Tubular Bells? Halloween’s eerie main title theme? Or could it be The Omen’s ominous Ave Satani? The latter has been disturbing horror fans since 1976 after it was featured in The Omen, and in 2024, Ave Satani was given a new lease of life in the classic horror film’s prequel, The First Omen. Jake Jackson recorded and mixed Mark Korven’s score for the new horror flick at London’s AIR Studios. He explains how he recorded a dark soundtrack worthy of the antichrist.

The First Omen, (now streaming on Disney Plus, for those that missed it at the cinema), sees a young American woman sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, where she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate. When it came to the music, the composer wanted to enhance the horrific elements of the film by creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and unpredictability. Then it was over to Jackson to do his part to ramp up the terror, although he has a confession:

“I am always unsettled with that type of film,” he laughs from the safety of

his home studio. “I don’t watch these kinds of films for pleasure – I don’t watch them unless I’m working on them. So I guess if it was unsettling me even more than it would normally, then I knew I was going in the right direction! The thing was to try and accentuate – within the recordings and within the mix – those elements to make sure that it stayed unsettling. I was uncomfortable in what I was doing; I felt that if I was getting too comfortable with it, then obviously it was becoming too tame! I had to make sure that I was on the edge of my seat.”

Director Arkasha Stevenson wanted something special and original from the music while paying homage to the original 1970s Jerry Goldsmith score. While Korven’s score greatly differs from the original, he brought back the original Ave Satani theme towards the end of the film to add nostalgia for the audience. As memorable as it is straight up evil-sounding, Ave Satani was a triumph in its heyday and was nominated for Best Original Song after the film’s release in ‘76. The piece was composed by Goldsmith to be a sacrilegious and Satanic inversion of a Gregorian chant, complete with bellowing chorals. Jackson recalls the moment he heard the infamous horror classic for The First Omen being performed during the AIR Studios recording session:

“It’s always spectacular to hear something that you know, and even if I’m not a fan of The Omen I still still know that piece of music,” he says. “It always sends chills down your spine when you hear a new recording of something you know so well, whether it be In the Hall of the Mountain King, or some Star Wars stuff that I’ve done. Ave Satani is incredible; it takes you back to a time. The musicians obviously try as hard as they can for everything they do, but if they know something, you see them start to play it – even if it’s not got the right name on it; they start to recognise it and you see them get into it and smile to themselves. It’s always nice to record something that you know that people will actively go out and listen to, and for a new version of something like this, it just gives that extra bit of, ‘I’ve got to be on my A-game here,’ because people are going to want to listen to this. We’ll do one extra take with the orchestra or take that moment to just listen to it and go, ‘Okay, this is a special moment’.”

The film’s signature tune was saved for a pivotal moment in the narrative for maximum payoff:

“Mark and the director saved it for the right moment in the film,” Jackson nods. “It was very deliberate not to have it in too soon. It’s a prequel, so you can’t start with it, but it’s a great payoff when it comes in for sure.”

The orchestration in Korven’s score mainly consists of strings and choir, with additional sound design elements created from unconventional sources like samples of opening an old ironing board and Korven’s very own sinister-sounding instrument which he calls The Apprehension Engine. The composer created motifs for specific characters and themes, including for the jackal, utilising subsonic male voices, and a motif for the church.

“Essentially, we were recording the replacement to the ‘fake’ orchestrations, and then adding that to Mark’s weird and wonderful selection of prerecorded sounds,” Jackson explains. “I’m used to recording and mixing whatever

people give me, but I always enjoy mixing these projects. Even if it’s an ironing board, it’s done with that extra bit of human soul, and to have those real sounds really helps to integrate it into a mix. Sometimes they’re not as well recorded as if I’d done it myself – I don’t mean that negatively,” he says quickly, “but they may have recorded with four mics, but they’ve only given me a stereo sound. That’s where my experience comes in and what my role as a mixer is: to take what I’ve been given and make it work with what we’re doing. Obviously, someone’s ironing board isn’t going to be recorded in The Hall at AIR, or The Apprehension Engine is done in Mark’s home studio, and that’s a different sonic space than The Hall, which is a very big recording studio. I’ve got a few tips and tricks up my sleeve to make sure they blend and it sounds like it’s all within that same sonic space.”

AIR Studios is home to various unique Neve consoles – Jackson making use of a 96-channel Neve 88R for The First Omen’s score recording in the studio’s famous Lyndhurst

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“I LOVE THAT THE NEVE 88R HAS 96 CHANNELS – IT’S THE BIGGEST ONE IN LONDON, WHICH IS REALLY HELPFUL FOR A RECORDING SESSION.”

Hall – which happens to be one of the world’s largest recording rooms. The live area accommodates a full symphony orchestra and choir simultaneously, making it perfect for film scoring, orchestral recordings and live performances. Jackson reveals that he was there the day the console was installed in AIR Studios: “I’ve got a long history with this particular console, because I started working at AIR in 1998, and I was there the very morning that the old desk got ripped out and this new one came in,” he recalls. “I happened to be doing an all-nighter the night before, and I was woken up at around eight o’clock in the morning on the couch by the team coming in to rip [the old desk] out. So I’ve kind of been there since it was born, so to speak. I was involved in choosing some of the features on it, like something as boring as the labelling that was done in a certain way just so that it made sense.

“It’s a great desk,” he enthuses. “I love the fact it’s got 96 channels – it’s the biggest one in London, which is really helpful for a recording session. Even if you don’t use all the channels, to be able to put all the mics out and all the returns out that you want, I find really helpful. As for how we used it for The First Omen, I can’t imagine me ever wanting to record on a digital console. An analogue console, for me, is imperative; to be able to work your way through the sound, even if you’re not going to mix on it, but to be able to tweak the sound and ideas and being able to easily access and see everything you need to get to, is really important. As an engineer, I see myself as being the go-between for the orchestral performance and

the technical side of things. I try to make sure that I’m almost invisible to a certain degree, apart from when I can give notes. I don’t want to be somebody who’s getting in the way of the recording by being too technical, so I make sure it’s all relatively simply set up and the microphones are coming in in a sensible place to make sure the musicians are happy. To make sure that they are hearing what they need to hear is the number one important thing, and an analogue console can do that. A good analogue console like the Neve 88R, is fantastic – to be able to visually see if something’s not right, you can fix it almost instantly, which is great. Or if you need to swap out a channel or expand something for someone’s needs, you can do that immediately with that big console. You don’t have to head scratch and spend five minutes working out a way of adding a new reverb or adding a new headphone send, because it’s all done in real time. That’s really important to me.”

The 88R boasts 48 channels of Neve AIR Montserrat remote mic preamps, which Jackson shares he also made good use of on The First Omen: “You only get a 5dB step of gain, but they sound fantastic, so they’re always where we put all our main mics through. With this setup, we probably would have been able to use all of them for this recording – both for the strings and the choir separately, so obviously we can do that well within those 48. They sound great. Again, I’m kind of trying to be invisible, so I want a really clean-sounding mic pre and I choose microphones that do the same really. I want the best quality recording possible.”

Jackson then mixed the project within Pro Tools, premixing at his home studio and then finishing the mix once he had all the recorded elements. He explains why this was an usual process for him: “The schedule meant that it was a bit tight to mix the entire project before it needed to be delivered,” he explains.

“The music execs suggested that I could do some pre-mixing, which is kind of new to me really. I hadn’t had much of a chance to discuss with Mark what happened beforehand, but I got sent through all the sounds, and it was really helpful to be able to go in and not be distracted by the recordings and purely spend four days over the pre-mixing. So it was literally almost like making those work by themselves, without the need for the strings and orchestra. But it also helped me get into the film so that I could understand what was going on; A, so I could look and I wouldn’t be scared,” he laughs, “but then B, so that I could understand when the director would ask something, I knew exactly what she was talking about and knew the music had already got where it was aiming to go. It really helped change the angle of attack and it meant that when I got to the mix stage, I was already totally inside the music, which made for a much better mix, I think. It’s something that I will definitely try and do again in the future on a project of this scale because I really liked to be able to understand exactly what Mark was trying to do, which made me a better producer for him as well.”

Jackson shares that he’ll take the rest of the year to psych himself up to watch The First Omen, as it creeps towards awards season. “Because hopefully, it’ll get some awards nominations, because I think the music is fantastic,” he says. “So I will force myself to sit down and watch it, but probably with the lights on, a sofa I can hide between and my dog by my side to cuddle up to.”

JOE ELLIOTT

DEF LEPPARD | LEAD SINGER | 8424 CONSOLE

Our Engineer Ronan and I wanted a Neve, and we identified the 8424 - which is a magic desk. I have one in my studio here, and Ronan has one in his studio - it works really well.

CAPTURING CREATIVITY

Guildhall School of Music & Drama is a vibrant, international community of musicians, actors and production artists in the heart of the City of London. Established in 1880 and ranked number one in Arts, Drama & Music by the 2024 Complete University Guide, the school offers training in all aspects of classical music and jazz, along with drama and production arts. Driven by a need to capture film soundtracks performed by their newly instituted Alumni Session Orchestra and Alumni Session Choir, their recording and AV program recently added 20 AUDIX A231 large diaphragm condenser microphones and a DP5A five-piece professional drum microphone kit to their production arsenal. Headliner sat down with Guildhall’s professor Julian Hepple, head of recording and AV, and Mimi Hemchaoui, audio operations manager, to learn more about the amazing work they are doing with AUDIX microphones today and their future plans…

What’s your background with AUDIX?

JH: I’ve used AUDIX forever. In 2014 I was front-of-house for Prince on his Hit n Run tour and we used AUDIX mics, specifically the i5,D2, D4 and D6 on the drum kit. In fact, pretty much every drum kit I’ve ever mixed usually

ends up being captured by AUDIX. I’ve produced four albums for a sitar player named Anoushka Shankar. We used the AUDIX drum microphones along with a pair of SCX25A on the piano. When I’m working with Robert Glasper, we use AUDIX. I could go on.

I’ve always chosen AUDIX because I always feel like I got a bit more than what I paid for, which you don’t always get with other microphones. They sound great and you can throw them around. They’re solid, I know it’s safe to put them in a Pelicase under a plane and feel comfortable that they’re going to work when they come out on the other side.

Tell us about the microphones you just acquired for Guildhall, starting with the A231 large diaphragm condensers.

JH: The specifics of buying 20 A231 microphones centered around the launch of the school’s Alumni Session Orchestra, a paid orchestra of alumni that do full film tracking at proper studio specifications. I wanted something very quick to deploy and very solid, so the internal shock mount was a huge feature going for the A231. The fact that there is no pad or high pass filter on the A231 is brilliant. I think a lot of that kind of stuff is a hangover from the ‘80s, it’s not a requirement anymore. No one

is filtering on a mic, you just dial it in as you go. You don’t need 20dB pads anymore because the technology has moved on. You just want to point it in the right place and go.

MH: When we do sessions, we might have 100 people or more in the room. Because we’re using condenser microphones, they’ll pick up a lot of unwanted sound, but if they’ve got great off-access rejection like the A231 does, that means that even though you’ve got 20 mics in the same space, there’s not going to be many phasing issues.

JH: We originally bought them to be able to capture the 20-piece alumni group in a super clean, not phasey, easy, stress-free way. But they’re also an especially useful get-out-of-jail-free card to have 20 of them available at any given time. For example, we’ll have a Jazz Festival where we might have eight bands a day, and often the tech riders will be as improvised as the performances. We might have a trombone, we might have a cellist, we might have a whatever, but the A231 will get me where I need to be. The A231 is relatively flat, but warm where you want it warm. Its pointand-shoot nature is super smart for what we need to be able to do. Plus, they’re super useful for festivals, and events like that, where just having a drawer of them is like “Right. Bang. Away we go.”

What do you like about the DP5A professional drum microphone package?

JH: Well, to start, everyone uses a D6, it’s the best kick drum mic. It just always works. D2s and D4s are tuned well so they sit nicely with each other. Everyone uses D2s on rack toms, D4s on floor toms, but you don’t have to necessarily treat them differently because the EQ scoops on the mic follow the frequency pattern down, so they work collectively. And the i5s are so transparent and accurate.

MH: One thing that I love about the DP5A drum kit set, is it’s great to have a cohesive set of mics. It just makes the sound seamless when they’re all coming from the same manufacturer. As far as I’m aware, no other manufacturer offers a set like that. I especially like the D6. When we’re capturing a jazz kick drum, it can be notoriously difficult to mix and with the D6, it always sounds great.

Can you tell us more about your new Dolby Atmos configuration?

MH: We use 11 A231 microphones to enable 11-point Atmos recordings of an orchestra. It’s super fun. The configuration is called a PCMA 3D Array. It is an immersive array of 12 microphones (11 channels + Low Frequency Effects channel) arranged in a 1x1 meter cube. We use the model SB-3D11 by Grace Designs to mount the microphones.

The idea is that each of the captured channels is intended to be played back through a speaker in a 7.1.4 configuration. We arrange the microphones to mirror that

setup from the listener’s perspective, therefore allowing an incredibly lifelike, live Atmos capture of a performance. Where you position the mic array in the room depends on where you want the listener to feel they are, because it is an immersive experience. Usually with orchestral recordings in a concert hall, whether it’s the Guildhall Alumni session orchestra or a Guildhall Studio Orchestra live show, we place the array in the middle of the orchestra so that the listener feels as though they are in the middle of all the action. It’s more surreal and allows for more creative mixing techniques. For a more natural effect, we can place the mic array in the audience to create the impression that you are an audience member.

Guildhall prides itself on being at the forefront not just of the conservatoire network, but the AV industry in general. We record Dolby Atmos live, not many companies do that, let alone conservatoires, and we’re also doing 3D volumetric capture, infrared camera tracking, and more. We’re really just curious creatures.

“CONSIDERING ALL THE MICROPHONES ON THE MARKET THROUGH A FILTER OF SIMPLICITY, UTILITY, SUPERIOR QUALITY, AND AFFORDABILITY, AUDIX WAS THE LOGICAL CHOICE.”

Why did you choose AUDIX?

JH: There’s a nice “built in the USA” ruggedness to AUDIX microphones. I can give an AUDIX mic in a little mic pouch to a student who will then go and do their own thing with it, and I don’t need to worry about it coming back broken or damaged because AUDIX mics are not brittle. It’s not the same as giving them an old ribbon mic. With those, if you touch it the wrong way, it dies.

If there is a problem, when you’re using an AUDIX mic, usually you change the cable first before you swap the mic. Whereas if there’s a problem with other microphones you first assume that the mic is the culprit. And their build quality is better than everyone else.

MH: Julian pretty much covered it, but I’d like to add that AUDIX microphones have active circuitry that prevents

leakage and protects the signal from being degraded by electrical signals in the room, which is always useful.

What’s on the horizon for you at Guildhall and how do the AUDIX mics fit into that?

JH: This term we’re finishing eight short films with our actors that are full green screen virtualisations. We’ll be using the AUDIX mics for the session orchestra recording for those short films. We have 250 final student recitals. Each of those will be multicam filmed and recorded so their final performances can be used as showreels when they spring into the industry. In the next 10 weeks, we’ll be recording two full-scale operas, two full-scale plays, 40 or so music concerts, there’s a jazz festival… essentially, there are seven or eight things a day and our AUDIX mics are essential.

AUDIXUSA.COM

WORDS BY DANGUM B EL

WALLACHIA SEASON 1

STELLAR SOUND

Earthworks Audio partnered with esports giant PGL to provide professional sound to its Dota 2 tournament, Wallachia Season 1 - as Headliner recently discovered…

The pro audio specialist’s involvement in one of the world’s largest gaming tournaments highlights its continued growth in all sectors of the entertainment world, including live sound, studio, and live-streaming.

“We’ve been so eager to work more with PGL ever since we started this partnership back in 2021,” says Mike Dias, VP of sales and marketing at Earthworks Audio. “Tournaments like Wallachia Season 1 are major entertainment events, and they deserve great audio just as much as events like the Grammys or the Billboard Music Awards.

“Making incredible microphones is one thing, but to see them used everywhere - touring with major pop stars, recording in world-renowned studios, and now capturing legendary moments in gaming tournaments - is simply outstanding.”

Outside of the gaming realm, Earthworks mics can be found on the largest stages (Coachella, Governors

Ball), top studios (Manny Marroquin’s Larrabee Studios, Brad Pitt & Damien Quintard’s Miraval Studios), and with the biggest stars (Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Karol G, BLACKPINK, Arctic Monkeys, Willow, etc.).

PGL Wallachia Season 1 was watched by over one million unique viewers, with 40 million views and over 14 million watch hours accumulated by the end.

“Partnering with Earthworks Audio for PGL DOTA 2 Wallachia Season #1 significantly elevated our broadcast quality,” says Alexandru Calin, PGL audio engineer. “Their microphones provided exceptional clarity and detail, capturing the excitement and intensity of our live matches perfectly. The technology’s ability to handle complex sounds ensured a flawless audio experience that truly immersed our audience in the action.

“We are extremely pleased with the results and look forward to future collaborations. Earthworks

Audio has truly set a new standard for our broadcasts, enhancing the overall production value and viewer experience. This partnership has been a game-changer for us, and we are excited to see what we can achieve together in the future.”

PGL has several more gaming tournaments scheduled, including the second Wallachia season this November.

OW R D S byCOLBY

RAMSEY

MIXING PHISH AT SPHERE

FRONT & CENTRE

In the last issue of Headliner, we discovered how a seasoned audio team mixed front-of-house, monitors and a live broadcast for Phish’s four-night, 68-song run at Sphere in Las Vegas – delivering an enhanced concert experience that left audiences captivated. Once the stage was set, the team was poised and ready to use the latest AV technology to execute the American rock band’s show, including the venue’s comprehensive in-house audio routing and mixing system from German manufacturer Lawo and Holoplot’s revolutionary immersive speaker array. Here, FOH engineer Garry Brown delves deeper into the show’s requirements, and reveals why Lawo mc² 56 mixing consoles made his job that much easier…

When did you start using the Lawo mc² 56 in your workflow?

I switched to Lawo around 18 months ago. I came across it when we did a demo for the Holoplot system in Burbank. I heard the difference in the sound quality compared to another console that was there, and basically decided to try it. I took it out for two shows, and sonically it was just far superior than where I had been. We then went on tour with it, and the

workflow was amazing. I enjoyed mixing on it and getting around the surface was easy. Those previous two shows had been the Trey Anastasio Band and then Phish for New Years; after that we basically made the decision to take it to the big band. On the first night I was nervous because I hadn’t done it with them before, but afterwards I couldn’t go back - it just sounds so good.

“JUST LIKE TREY WORKS ON HIS GUITAR RIG, I HAVE TO WORK ON MY WORLD. HE’S GOT BEAUTIFUL TRAINWRECK AMPS, AND I’VE GOT A BEAUTIFUL LAWO.”

Are there any functionality or redundancy features on the Lawo consoles that have proved invaluable?

We have to make sure everything is redundant. I have two surfaces at front of house; the main one is the big 48-fader console, and I have a second one which is a 32 fader console – both of them are mc² 56. The brains for the consoles are on stage, and we have a Dell Cluster that gives us redundancy. I think the Dell cluster can do nine consoles, and we have three sets – each has a redundant pair going. So we’re technically running six consoles on the redundant cluster. Each of them has redundant processing. And then we have redundant stage racks, we’ve actually got three sets of them because of the three worlds. There’s 160 inputs coming from the stage so everyone has 160 preamps.

Which

features do you like most about the Lawo consoles?

For me, it’s all about sound. I switched to Lawo because there was a noticeable improvement in the sound quality of the show. Every input opened up, it breathed, it became natural sounding – the summing and width was great. Trey the guitarist is a perfectionist and is always pushing the boundaries to get as good as we can get; he does it with his guitar playing so I have to do the same. Lawo gave us a massive step up sonically.

As I’ve grown as a mixer, I’ve tried to make sure I’m going to the right place for the right gear, so I don’t become stuck in my ways and just use something that I’m comfortable with. The steps I’ve made to where I am now have all been sonic driven. It’s all about improving the sound

of a show and delivering a better show experience for the fans. Just like Trey works on his guitar rig, I have to work on my world. He’s got beautiful Trainwreck amps, and I’ve got a beautiful Lawo.

Technically the console has two modes. You’ve got faders hard patched to the surface, and then you have Reveal. You hit a VCA, you hit a group, you hit an AUX, and it rolls out what is technically in that. I live in Reveal; in my normal show I have a lot of groups as opposed to VCAs purely because I have group processing. For the Sphere show I had to change away from that, and it’s all VCAs, so I live in the centre section with 16 faders in front of me. Because of the sonic quality of the console, I’m not doing a lot in terms of EQ-ing, and I don’t have a lot of outboard gear. You’ve got to make it right at the source; the band has great instruments and plays amazing, so I’m basically just capturing what they’re doing and making it work for the room.

Which pieces of outboard gear are you using?

I have a summing mixer – a Burl Audio B32 Vancouver. With my normal setup, eight stereo pairs go into that, then that goes through a master bus processor from Rupert Neve Designs, into a Kush Audio Clariphonic. So that’s essentially my stereo bus that just comes back as an insert return. Outside of that I have some groups on my normal setup. There’s a drum group which has an Overstayer M-A-S, and that goes into a Rupert Neve master bus processor as well. Then the bass group has a Rupert Neve Shelford Channel and the distressor and that’s basically the insert rack. I then have two Bricastis that are doing vocal reverb and drum reverb.

I do use a Waves SoundGrid server, and it’s basically just doing choruses, any other reverbs, and delays. I’ve got two inserts; one on the key Moog, a C4 Multi-Band Compressor, and one on a Nord Effects channel which gives haunted house sounds. There’s a C4 on there as well, just to help them sit in the mix. I run two Pro Tools multitrack systems – a main and a redundant. They’re connected via

MADI HD so we’re up to 192 channels for each of those. We also then have two smaller Pro Tools rigs that are doing 32 channels and recording stems. One is a stem backup of the broadcast world, and one is a stem version of my world. With Phish, we capture everything right from when they’re on stage doing soundcheck. Everything is multi tracked, it all goes to the archive, and then they do whatever they want to do with it.

For Sphere, all I did – apart from the summing mixer – was duplicate my stereo bus insert. So I have eight more channels of Rupert Neve master bus processor and eight more channels of the Kush Audio Clariphonic. The mix is the same; my console, my faders - all that is the same, but how I’m driving it out of the console is now different. I basically had to direct assign from inputs to arrays. I had to sit down and decide where I’m placing these instruments and where I want each of them to have their home position; I now have the ability to take them out of that home position and put them into an object, and that object will then move it around the room.

Were any special effects used with regards to the 3D capabilities of the system, and did this throw up challenges?

The movement of sound sources around the room is the special effect. I’ve got 64 drivelines to make it immersive; I’m not doing a surround bus – I’m having to think about how I place things. It’s about choosing to have the clavinet going backwards and forwards across the room, or having the bass guitar spinning around the room. Now things have homes to make it sound nice and wide, and bring a real sense of immersion. There can be time-based issues and you have to be mindful of how you place things. Because the Sphere is so big, you can make the song fall apart if you don’t place things in the right place.

LAWO.COM

HOLOPLOT.COM

SHAPING THE BEATLES’ BIGGEST HITS

KEN SCOTT

In 1964, 16 year old Ken Scott landed a job as a tape operator at EMI Studios (later known as Abbey Road Studios). His first ever session was on side two of The Beatles’ album, A Hard Day’s Night, and his life was never the same.

“That’s been this amazing life that I’ve had,” reflects the English record producer and engineer from his home in the UK, where at the time of interview, he is working on his speech after being awarded an MPG Special Recognition Award this year.

“The first session I’m ever working on is a Beatles session. The first session that I was the main engineer on is The Beatles. I’d never sat behind a mixing console before! And here I am with the biggest artists in the world. Insanity!” he laughs, shaking his head. “Then my first production ever is Hunky Dory with Mr. Bowie. I go on to manage a band in the States called Missing Persons, and

we finished up selling 800,000 albums and playing in front of 183,000 people at a festival. It is the most ridiculous life ever,” he insists. “All old people say the same thing: it just feels like yesterday! It really doesn’t seem anything like 60 years. My start was listening to Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly on 78s on a wind up gramophone in the spare bedroom. These days, I’m at home mixing multi tracks for big name artists, going into the studio and doing Atmos mixes, doing sessions in Nashville and going around doing master classes and lectures throughout the world. It’s insane,” he says humbly.

2024 celebrates Scott’s 60th year in the industry. In addition to being one of the five main engineers for The Beatles, he went on to engineer for Elton John, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Duran Duran, the Jeff Beck Group, Supertramp, and many more. His career spans decades and genres, he’s worked with some of the biggest names in music on iconic records, and has left an indelible mark on the landscape of recorded music. Despite his outstanding contribution to music and engineering and producing hundreds of records that many consider to be the soundtracks to their lives, until his recent MPG Award, he had gone largely unrecognised.

“Believe me, I have had problems with people coming up to me and thanking me and saying, ‘Your music has been part of my life’,” he says of his music legacy, which he speaks of fondly with equal parts pride and disbelief – frequently recalling vivid memories with some of the most well known musicians in the world, yet without an ounce of braggadocio.

“I was doing something that I loved and I was doing it for myself, for no one else, and because of that, I feel guilty when they place so much importance on what I did in their lives. I eventually realised – hang on – I have to thank them as well. The record-buyers have to be thanked because, let’s face it, without the fans buying the music, I wouldn’t have had the life that I did. They are almost more important than the act, because without them spending their well earned money, we wouldn’t be doing what we were doing.”

Going back to being thrown in the deep end with The Beatles, Scott

quickly went from working in the tape library to second engineer at EMI where he found himself winging it behind an enormous mixing desk. His first project in his new role was with The Beatles again on Your Mother Should Know. Scott, a natural storyteller, remembers the moment like it was yesterday:

“It was terrifying!” he recalls. “I had no idea what I was doing. I knew that there were things on the board and I could push something up and it would make something louder, and pull it down and it’ll make it quieter, but actually doing it was a whole different ball game. I’d watched some of the greats do it, and now it was my turn. It was scary, and luckily, the session was a write off! We didn’t get anything good. The Beatles had gone to an outside studio to record Your Mother Should Know, and Paul wanted to try a different arrangement of the song,” he explains, “and the new arrangement didn’t work, so it didn’t matter that I’d completely screwed it up. It was fine. A few days after that write-off session, I was doing the orchestra on I Am the Walrus, so yeah, it worked out,” he grins.

The Beatles’ The White Album sessions have long been painted as a difficult time for the band. Scott is keen to set the record straight on these sessions, which he says were, for the most part, a joy, and certainly typical of any studio session he’d worked on with a group:

“There was lots of talk about how badly The Beatles were getting along at the time of doing The White Album, and I’ve always fought that because we had a blast. It was great fun. They weren’t always at each other’s throats. Yes, it happened every now and again. I’ve done two week projects where at some point or another, someone will lose their temper. It happens,” he shrugs. “Being in the studio at times is a very stressful situation; people get on edge and they get touchy and that ‘s what it was like during The White Album. They were back to what they used to be – they were a rock and roll band again and they were loving it. When the original Let It Be documentary sessions were edited, it seemed as if it was all done to completely highlight them not getting along.”

The Beatles’ sound got more and more experimental (and psychedelic) as the years went by. Starting around 1965 with the Rubber Soul sessions, The Beatles increasingly used the studio as an instrument in itself, spending long hours experimenting and writing. Goodbye, Love Me Do, hello Revolution 9

“I lapped up their experimentation,” Scott enthuses. “I learned because of their experimentation. As I said, when I started with them on Your Mother Should Know, I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Working with The Beatles, they were a one-off band, they had no monetary problems, they had no time problems, and they wanted everything to sound different every time they would record it, so that gave me the freedom as a trainee engineer, which I considered myself at that time, to experiment. I always knew that I could completely fuck up with them. I could use completely the wrong mics in completely the wrong place, screw up reverbs, screw up compression, all of these different things, and there was

as much chance of them walking up the stairs, hearing it and saying, ‘That sounds like shit,’ as it was them walking up the stairs and saying, ‘That sounds like shit, but I like it, we’ll use it’. The freedom that that gives you to learn your art is astounding. I don’t think anyone ever has, or ever will, have the freedom that I had to learn my craft. It was astounding”

Dubbed “the last Beatles song,” Now and Then was released at the end of 2023 - a psychedelic soft rock ballad that Lennon wrote and recorded around 1977 as a solo home demo but that was left unfinished. The song was completed by his surviving bandmates McCartney and Starr, using overdubs and guitar tracks by Harrison from the abandoned 1995 sessions, while Lennon’s voice was extracted from the demo using the machine-learning-assisted audio restoration technology commissioned by director Peter Jackson for his 2021 documentary The Beatles: Get Back

“WITH THE BEATLES, YOU ALWAYS HAD TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT YOU’D SAY TO THEM, BECAUSE YOU MIGHT BE JOKING AND THEY TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.”

Headliner asks Scott’s opinion of Now and Then: “So you want to talk about David Bowie, do you?” he answers quickly. “That’s what I think about it. It’s more to do with the fact that I know that George was not particularly fond of finishing it off back in the day. To me, it’s kind of milking a dead cow. It’s putting something together to sell more records, kind of thing. It’s that, ‘if there are differences between the mono and stereo, we may be able to sell twice as many records; If we put out a new single that we put together, it doesn’t matter if it’s not quite as good as our old stuff, but it will boost the interest again, so maybe we’ll sell more records’. I almost get that feeling, and I could be completely wrong,” he says, holding up his hands.”But that’s what turns me against it.”

Headliner enquiries as to if Scott has heard any of The Beatles’ albums that have been remixed in Atmos, particularly songs he engineered in an immersive context? “I will be honest with you. I haven’t heard any of them in Atmos,” he answers. “Quite honestly, I don’t particularly want to hear them. There are things about the new mixes that I know The Beatles didn’t want in there and it bothers me.”

One of the things that has set Scott apart during his career is not just his technical skill but his willingness to experiment, including accommodating any of The Beatles’ more unusual requests in the studio: “With The Beatles, you always had to be very careful about what you’d say to them, because you might be joking and they take it seriously,” he discloses. “By the side of the control room in Abbey Road there used to be this very small room that housed a four track machine. It was almost like a broom closet – very small. We were recording a song that didn’t finish up going on The White Album, a song called Not Guilty (one of George’s songs), and he was having difficulty getting the feeling that he wanted to get from his vocal. So we were trying lots of different ways of letting him hear it and letting him sing it to try and get that feel. During one playback, because we were trying some silly things, I turned to John and I said, ‘The way things are going, you guys are gonna want to record in there next,’ and pointed to this very small room. I meant it as a joke. He didn’t think it was funny. The next day, he comes in and says, ‘Okay, we’re going to record a new song. It’s called Yer Blues, and we’re going to record it in there – and he pointed to that little

room. We had to fit in all four Beatles, their instruments and a live vocal, all in that small room to record Yer Blues, and you had to make it work. You’ve got two guitars and bass being picked up on the drum mics – there was really no separation between anything really. But it worked. You had to make it work and it still is one of my favourite drum sounds. That’s what they were after all the time – a different sound.

“When dealing with The Beatles, you’d go through all of those kinds of things all of the time,” he says as a parting thought. “I can’t tell you the number of times I was called up to the manager’s office and given a talking to because I’d done something which was against studio policy. But if you’ve got the biggest band in the world saying,

‘We’re going to do this,’ you can’t turn around and say, ‘No, we’re not – it’s against protocol,’ you have to go along with it and suffer the consequences later. Dealing with interesting situations was very much a part of working with The Beatles,” he smiles.

MPG.ORG.UK

‘THE SOUND SYSTEM IS THE HEART OF THE CLUB’

INSIDE BOOTSHAUS

Situated in Cologne, Germany, Bootshaus is the world’s number five-ranked club in the world. Its booths have been graced by some of the biggest and most influential dance acts on the planet, from the likes of Skrillex and David Guetta, to Diplo and Avicii to name but a few. But while its glittering array of performers, as well as the laser and pyrotechnic shows that regularly delight fans may help to illustrate its world class status, it is, says the club’s CEO Tom Thomas, the sound system that remains its beating heart. Here, he explains how and why its new L-Acoustics A Series system is set to take this legendary location to greater heights than ever before.

For 20 years, Bootshaus has been serving up a potent blend of electrohouse, dubstep, and drum’n’bass for clubgoers. As one of the country’s first techno-culture hubs, it has built a formidable reputation inside Germany, where it consistently ranks #1 in the nation and #5 on the world stage.

However, the 1,900-cap space, which includes three dance floors, each with its own DJ booth, and a large outdoor area overlooking the Rhine, hasn’t achieved its iconic status by standing still. And with a focus on ensuring that its sonic capabilities continue to be worldbeating, Bootshaus CEO Tom Thomas decided the time was right for a significant overhaul of its sound system.

“After our old system had brought Bootshaus to the fifth place in the world over 12 years, it was time for an upgrade, especially since some issues had started to arise,” Thomas tells Headliner. “We always strive to keep up with the times, and currently, L-Acoustics is the way to go. So, we explored their offerings and ultimately decided to go with them!”

One of those issues was getting sound to each of the dance floors, with the previous system, installed over a decade ago, failing to reach the entirety of the space. “This new system promises to fill the Bootshaus with an unprecedented sound experience

and offer our guests a completely new musical experience,” Thomas continues. “Bootshaus has a very unique layout and needs to work for many different event concepts. We consider not only our needs but also those of our long-term partners who host their events here, where the DJ might perform from different locations within the club. Additionally, Bootshaus also hosts concerts where the stage in the club is used, so the system needs to be adaptable to everything.”

Photographer: Jonathan Braasch

L-Acoustics Certified Provider Distributor Babbel & Haeger was tasked with specifying the perfect system for the venue in consultation with production company Laserframe, whose relationship with Bootshaus extends over almost two decades.

According to Babbel & Haeger’s application delegate Tobias Hemmersbach, L-Acoustics mapping software Soundvision was crucial in helping the team arrive at the perfect solution.

“We only had 20-year-old, 2D files, but things have changed a lot there in that time,” he explains. “Because of all the different areas and heights of the venue – the dancefloor being the lowest point and the VIP decks being on the roof of the building

- Soundvision was very crucial to simulating all the various heights of the different venue spaces and to achieving Bootshaus’ audio objectives for each one.”

Tobias and his team decided on a final design that featured left/right hangs of two A15 Focus over one A15 Wide on either side of the DJ booth for the main dance floor. Seven KS28 subwoofers embedded under the stage provide a low-end thump. Two further hangs of one A15 Focus over one A15 Wide ensure the entire floor is filled with energy. Nine X12 coaxial enclosures are used throughout the remaining spaces to ensure even, dynamic coverage. For the upper VIP Deck, three X12 and two KS21 subwoofers cover the space. DJs are treated to monitoring via one A15 Wide and one KS21 per side.

For Thomas, the specification of the perfect system was essential in maintaining the club’s status, such is the scrutiny placed upon its ability to deliver best in class sound for each and every audience member and performer.

“The most important aspect has always been and will always be the sound quality that covers every genre,” he states. “We are not just a techno or dubstep club; we want to cover all facets of electronic music. For this, we need a sophisticated sound system, which we now have with L-Acoustics. At Bootshaus, the sound system is the heart of the club. Our guests come to celebrate music, and the system needs to be at the highest level for that.”

Photographer: Sebastian Biesen

“AT BOOTSHAUS, THE SOUND SYSTEM IS THE HEART OF THE CLUB.”

For Thomas and the rest of the Bootshaus team, the response to the system has been unanimously positive.

“Already, our audience recognises a major quality upgrade in the sound,” he affirms. “We’ve achieved everything we wanted - great quality audio throughout, and of course,

the excellent low-end that clubgoers expect. We have a lot of very happy DJs now.

“The investment in this system underlines our commitment to exceeding guest expectations and to staying at the forefront of the club scene.

“We invite all music lovers to experience this exciting new era with us. Be ready to become part of a revolutionary sound journey in the boathouse. It will captivate you and never let go.”

Words by dangum b l e

20 YEARS OF HOPES AND FEARS

KEANE

Image

For the band’s Keane20 tour, which celebrated 20 years since their debut album, Hopes and Fears was released, Keane’s FOH and monitor engineers deployed DiGiCo Quantum 338 and SD12 consoles with KLANG-DMI for a streamlined, efficient workflow. Headliner discovers how DiGiCo is continuing to push the envelope in the evolution of live shows…

For Philip Harvey at the front of house position and Hannah Brodrick on monitors, it was important the set up was as streamlined as possible, so using DiGiCo consoles for shared stage racking was essential.

Utilising KLANG for immersive mixes kept the monitor footprint compact, while at front of house, the integration of Quantum’s onboard technologies ensured the workflow was efficient and consistent across all venues.

Harvey is an engineer with over 25 years of experience touring with

exceptional artists. For the Keane20 tour the brief was clear: working within the ethos of a striped back, clean-lined stage design, the sound set-up needed to justify every centimetre of space and DiGiCo’s hard working consoles were the way forward.

“In the formative days of the tour, the request was made to keep production as simple and as compact as possible,” Harvey says. “The Quantum 338 features were a key factor in the choice to use DiGiCo. The availability of dynamic EQs and multi-band compressors on every channel provides a safety net to catch and compress potentially offending frequencies that might jump out of an input (or output) inadvertently from song to song.”

Brodrick has also toured with high profile artists for many years and is co-director and co-founder of Women in Live Music. For her, it is KLANG that has been a surprise bonus. DMI-

KLANG integrates seamlessly into the workflow of the SD12, creating immersive mixes without any additional outboard equipment.

“I’m using an SD12 96, running at 96kHz, with one SD Rack and a Nano Rack for extra inputs, all with 32bit input cards,” she says. “I don’t need any external kit for KLANG or recording, just the two cards that sit in the back of the desk and a couple of bits of ethernet! I had read an article about rock band Sigur Rós’s monitor set up and they were using a SD12 with KLANG. Everything fitted neatly into a flight case that was the same width as the desk sitting on top and I thought, ‘Yep that’s how I want to roll (quite literally) this summer!’. I was a little daunted by the idea of KLANG to begin with, but talking to Phil Kamp and following the YouTube videos really helped. It’s a compact set-up and the processing power of the SD12 is just right.”

“I NEEDED A POWERFUL DESK THAT CAN HANDLE ANYTHING I THROW AT IT. WITH DIGICO I NEVER HAVE TO REPLY TO AN OUTLANDISH REQUEST WITH: SORRY THAT’S NOT POSSIBLE.”

Having an intuitive set-up is important for any console, but when mixing monitors it is important that response times are quick. The onboard Macro function guarantees that often-used functions can be executed at the touch of a button, and the versatility of the SD12 has meant that Brodrick is very comfortable using it on this extended tour.

“I needed a powerful desk that can handle anything I throw at it. With DiGiCo I never have to reply to an outlandish request with, ‘Sorry that’s not possible,” Brodrick continues.

“I can program a Macro to fire several commands at once which other desks simply can’t do. Timecode functionality for Snapshot changes is useful and although I’m quite happy using other consoles for smaller oneoff gigs, I’m sure I would hit a limit with most, in terms of versatility and automation in the long run.”

Macros are also an important function at the front of house position, with Harvey using them in a variety of ways. “There are a couple of key features that I really love about DiGiCo consoles; namely Macros, but also the availability of dynamic EQs and multi-band compressors on every channel,” he explains.

“I have a few Macros set up: engage Copied Audio for virtual soundcheck; select the Alt Input for our Lead Vocal Spare mic; turn drum gates on and off; as well as Save Session and engage my ‘Between Songs’ setting. This last setting mutes all vocal effects, but leaves the vocal mics unmuted so all band members can speak to

the audience as they prefer. I rely on the Macro buttons quite heavily.”

The powerful flexibility of DiGiCo consoles ensures they suit any engineer perfectly. With so many features and often so little time, it is easy to get stuck with the safe and familiar but, for Brodrick and Harvey, unusual solutions have arisen throughout the tour, with Brodrick using built in features to support her artists on stage and Harvey utilising the onboard integrated technologies to stay ahead of the game at front of house.

“Years ago, I started incorporating timecode to fire my Snapshots, which I’ve really grown to appreciate,” says Harvey. “It keeps my mind in creative mode and means I can think of mixing moves vs logistical ones. I’m also really enjoying the different types of Mustard compressors for use in parallel on the Groups with my introduction to the Q338. These are a really nice addition to the Quantum desks.”

“I used the onboard oscillator to help a backing vocalist pitch once for a particular song,” Brodrick explains. “I dialled in 440Hz (middle A) and would fade it into her mix so she could make sure she was in tune. We also had a short notice stand-in guitarist for a few shows. I set up sessions for him where he could practise playing along with the live multitrack using the listen safe function on guitar and talkback channels. This allowed me to work with him on his mix. If another band member wanted to join in, it was great to be able to just hit listen safe and switch from playback to live without having to stop the session.”

Keane20 is a celebration of 20 years of growth and evolution, with music that has defined a generation and is still being enjoyed by today’s teens. With the release of the DiGiCo D5 Live in 2002, it is a timeframe of growth that DiGiCo consoles align to.

“I still remember mixing on the D5!” Harvey concludes. “I think the evolution of DiGiCo’s desks, with their technological and user workflow advancements, has been extraordinary. The Quantum Series is definitely the pinnacle of this evolution. The ability to walk up to one of these desks and easily dial in a show on the fly with a limited amount of time to do so, or drilling deep down and creating very complex programming for a mix is equally attainable. With the inclusion of technologies such as OSC, L-ISA, KLANG and Fourier all natively onboard, DiGiCo is really keeping pace as well as pushing the envelope in the evolution of live shows.”

DIGICO.BIZ

DROW S by ALICE GUSTAFSON

TURNING TRAGEDY INTO TIKTOKS

ALEX WARREN

Overcoming unimaginable personal tragedies and then being made homeless, California-born singer-songwriter Alex Warren has overcome the odds to build an online community of 26M followers. In this Emerging Headliner interview powered by JBL, he reveals that no one cared about his music until he filmed himself singing on the toilet from a burner account. Allow him to explain…

“There was no plan B in my life. It was always: do something in entertainment. I was obsessed with singing and making music, but I never found success in it, funnily enough,” says an immediately candid Warren from his home in L.A, where he shares that he’s in full on music promo mode – “which is posting a tonne of TikToks. It’s definitely been an interesting challenge to go from making TikToks that make people laugh, to getting them to like my music.”

Considering his intimidating social media following today, it’s hard to imagine a time when every video he posts didn’t go viral, and that’s not even factoring in the hardships he’s had to overcome to get to where he is today. Not that he wallows in self pity for even a second during the interview. He’s open and pragmatic about his struggles, weaponising the tell-tale dark humour of someone who’s lost one, or in his case, both parents.

“When I became homeless, I was sleeping in cars with my girlfriend [and now fiance] and we would film these random videos,” he recalls. “I thought she was one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. I posted a singing video and I got five views, and then I posted a cute video of me and her messing around in a car right before we went to bed and I woke up and that had around 6 million views. So I kept filming us when we had funny moments, I would post them and they did really well. I stayed away from music for a little bit when that happened because I was like, ‘No one wants to hear me sing. No one cares about that’. Maybe two years later, I was singing on the toilet and I filmed myself. I posted it on some random spam account that no one knew about and I woke up and that had 10 million views. I don’t know what’s up with me and waking up to a tonne of views, but it happened and it’s the best feeling in the world,” he laughs. “That’s the craziest part. I was like, ‘I’ll post it because no one’s gonna ever see it’. So when that went viral, I was stoked because I’m like, ‘People actually want to hear me sing?’ This was at the time when TikTokers were becoming musicians, so I waited a whole year before I started doing music because I didn’t want to fall into that category. But there’s part of me in the back of my head where I’m like, ‘Why did that one have to blow up?’”

Despite not trying to make it as a TikTok artist, music has always been a constant for Warren, guiding him through the most difficult times of his life. His father passed away when Warren was nine, and the stress of raising four children and managing multiple investment properties in the midst of the market crash of 2008 weighed heavily on his mother, who descended into violent alcoholism, taking out her frustrations on Warren in a cycle of physical and mental abuse. Tensions boiled over to the point where she kicked him out at the age of 17, which led to him living

in friends’ cars for almost half a year. “The reason I’m so grounded is because I had a few friends who genuinely helped me at the time,” he says. “It’s a gesture I will never take for granted.”

Warren tried therapy at a young age, but shares that the experience wasn’t right for him. Instead, he turned to music to express how he was feeling, finding the beauty in melodically making something beautiful out of something so tragic. “My mum always said, ‘You can’t do music because it’s not possible,’” he recalls. “However, you couldn’t take singing away from me. I always had a negative connotation with therapy growing up, but when I sit in front of a piano and write melodies about the things I’m going through, it’s almost as if you’re speaking them out loud. I had so much going on that I would just keep it bottled up. I wouldn’t tell anyone about it. I didn’t want anyone to know. I didn’t think anyone cared; it wasn’t their issue to deal with. It was mine. When I started playing piano and singing about these things, I was worried that no one would relate to it. I always thought I was alone. I saw the response to people listening to my songs about the trauma I went through, and they were like, ‘I lost my parents and they’re not going to be my wedding,’ and they would start telling their personal stories, almost like I was their therapist and they were unloading to me. It’s like a group of people who need therapy, but talk to each other. I think it’s really powerful.”

How does one begin to cope with such hardships? In Warren’s case, he makes jokes. His social media is a blend of promoting his music and self deprecating black humour – one TikTok video called ‘unboxing my mom’ sees him react to the bizarre nature of having his mother’s ashes mailed to him in a ziplock bag, whereby he playfully introduces his mother’s ashes, to his father’s. One fan asks if

his siblings also get some, to which he replies, “Yes, sharing is caring”. Meanwhile, his Twitter bio reads: ‘I make music about dead people’.

“I like the way it throws people off,” he says of addressing a morbid topic in a humorous way.

“If you’ve ever lost someone, especially a parent, the comedy is not the part that’s the most shocking. A lot of people who haven’t lost anyone, to hear those type of jokes, it throws them so off guard because they’re like, ‘How the f*ck can you say that?’ It’s almost like we have a club – it’s a club of f*cked up humour that you can cope with. Once you lose someone like that, you get to join the club. I think it’s a coping mechanism, if anything,” he muses. “I always beat people to the punch. I’m actually laughing at a time where I should be sad; I think there’s something so powerful about dancing when you’re supposed to be crying. At a funeral, instead of it being mourning time, it’s a celebration of loss. What’s perfect is having that balance of emotions.”

Aside from videos that make people nervous-laugh, his music is undeniably a big hit on TikTok. Recent track, Yard Sale doesn’t break that streak, having amassed over 4M global streams and counting, while the TikTok sound has over 151M views and 32K creates. Warren is baffled by the continuous hit posts. “I could not tell you,” he remarks as to how he accounts for his online success. “Although I’ve noticed the more I am myself and the more I tell my story…” he trails off. “I think my story is something that a lot of people magnetise to. Everyone on the internet tries to be perfect and I do things differently. I think people like that. I don’t try to be perfect, I don’t think I’m perfect. I don’t have a perfect life. I’ve gone through a lot of traumatic things and I write all my music about all the traumatic things I’ve gone through.”

Image

Cameron Driskill

“YOU UNLOCK SPECIAL FEATURES; I COULD NEVER GO BACK NOW THAT I’VE HEARD JBL MONITORS.”

Being a self confessed hopeless romantic growing up also feeds into new single, Before You Leave Me “It’s another depressing song that’s quick,” he deadpans. “It’s about if you’ve ever lost someone you love. Growing up, when I felt like there was a girl breaking up with me, I would compensate for it. I’d bike to their house and I’d be throwing rocks at their windows trying to have a special, cute moment in the rain. Then they would just break up with me then, and that kind of sped it up,” he shrugs. “This song is about how a girl wanted to break up with me and we had one more night, so I said, ‘Let’s make the best of this night so we remember the good and not the bad.’”

Warren cites songwriter and producer Finneas as someone he looks up to in terms of self-production. “He’s a huge inspiration when it comes down to how he makes music, productionwise. It’s really inspirational.” When it comes to his own production, in his home studio Warren shares he is using an AKG P220 mic, K240 MKII headphones and a pair of JBL 305P MKII powered studio monitors.

“I have two studios in my house for some reason,” he reveals. “I have my JBL monitors downstairs in my studio, and I really like the way they sound. They are very nice-sounding and crispy. Monitors are a hyper specific thing that you have with music creation, because it’s a reflection of what you just made. I just got a master

back for Before You Leave Me and I listened on those – you can really hear a lot of the things that you wouldn’t typically hear using headphones. It’s as if I have extra access to things that I wouldn’t have – you can hear a lot of the things that are happening on the record. Say you’ve been listening to the same record five to 10 times over and over, but then if you listen to it on studio monitors, you’re going to hear stuff that you didn’t hear before. That’s really cool because it’s almost like you unlock special features. I could never go back now that I’ve heard them.”

His AKG mic is one he likes to pair with a guitar in particular. “It’s a very warm mic,” he points out. “It’s something that gives my guitars a very airy vibe. I have some vintage guitars so it gives it more of an ‘I’m in the room with you’ vibe. My vocal tone is very warm, so when I record vocals with it, it’s almost like a doubling down. Whenever I cut a vocal I always think ‘I want warm tones,’ and this did that, which was a very pleasant surprise.”

His professional over-ear, semiopen headphones deliver a wide dynamic range, increased sensitivity and high sound levels. Warren shares that these come in handy when showing consideration to his roommates. “The biggest thing is the ease of access; being able to just throw them on,” he says. “I have a whole studio up here, so being able to throw my headphones on when my roommates are yelling at me

because I’m blasting my monitors helps me out a lot.”

From being homeless and sleeping in friends’ cars to now, Warren has shared his life with the internet for more than 11 years. Looking back, could he have ever foreseen what his life would go on to become? “I thought this wasn’t possible,” he says after a pause. “I thought things like this didn’t happen to people who went through things like I did. I didn’t think it was in my cards, or I was meant to be some lawyer or real estate agent like every other kid in my hometown. Whenever I attempted to do stuff like this, I ran into a roadblock or bad things would happen in my life. I looked up at God like, ‘Why are you doing this?’ I blamed everything but myself and I think that was one of the bigger problems. I think the younger me would be in disbelief. I think that’s the most honest answer I can give. I can give some bullsh*t answer like, ‘I always knew,’ but genuinely, I think if you told a 12 year old me I’d be here, he’d be like, ‘You’re full of sh*t ,’” he laughs wickedly.

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PRISM SOUND AT THE OPERA

A ROYAL UPGRADE

As part of a major overhaul of its technical facilities, the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden has installed Prism Sound Dream ADA128 multichannel converters to handle analogue to digital conversion across its entire audio workflow, as Headliner recently learned…

A total of seven Dream ADA-128 units are now up and running on the Royal Opera House’s new Dante network, with an eighth unit on order for later in the year.

Daniel Arif, Sound, Video and Broadcast Project Coordinator for the Royal Opera House (ROH), says: “I looked at numerous different audio converters but chose Prism

Sound because the Dream ADA128 had none of the shortfalls I was finding with other products. It delivers exceptional sound quality; it integrates well with our other equipment; it has plenty of inputs, and it doesn’t take up a lot of rack space. In short, these units do exactly what we want them to do, and we are very happy with them.”

The need to upgrade the ROH’s facilities was identified shortly before the Covid pandemic when the ROH Board commissioned a health survey of the entire building. This highlighted various shortcomings, and a budget was allocated to resolve them.

“No major work had been carried out at ROH since the mid-1990s and the survey clearly indicated that many parts of the building - from the technical infrastructure through to the back of house areas - were not where they should be,” Arif says. “Work

needed to be done to bring everything up to standard.”

As one might expect from a venue the size of the Royal Opera House, there is a massive amount of infrastructure to be considered. On the technical side, Arif says the obvious place to start was the existing sound studio because it could be remodelled quickly without impacting the rest of the building.

“Although the sound studio picks up audio from various places in the building, the room itself and the equipment in it is self-contained,” Arif explains. “For this reason, we knew that the studio was the ideal place to start as it would give us a good indication of what could be done elsewhere.”

Originally built in 2004 when the Royal Opera House began broadcasting performances live to cinemas across the UK and Europe, the studio is also used to capture audio for CD and DVD release. Prior to the refit it contained a Studer console and 5.1 monitoring and, in terms of workflow, behaved very much like a traditional broadcast studio.

During the refit, which involved Munro Acoustics improving the acoustics and making the space much more comfortable for ROH staff, Arif and his team overhauled the entire equipment list to change and improve the workflow.

“A lot of our material is mixed by freelance engineers who like to edit in their own studios, which could be anywhere in the country,” Arif says. “They wanted us to make it easier to move recordings around, so to accommodate that we decided to move to an ‘in the box’ workflow using Pro Tools and Pyramix. This meant changing the console as a traditional broadcast desk was no longer suited to that style of working. Our solution was to invest in an Avid control surface, along with two Macs that run simultaneously as our main and redundant systems.”

Once the decision to go fully digital was made, Arif began looking at I/O and working out how to link up with the multitude of microphones that are used during each performance. A large number of inputs was vital – Arif specified 128 – as was rack space because the ROH studio has a relatively small machine room.

“It was at this point that I began advocating for the Prism Sound Dream ADA-128,” he adds. “I’d used Prism Sound converters while working at Abbey Road and had always loved their audio quality. When I saw an online demo for the ADA-128 I realised it was ideal for our needs and arranged a meeting with Prism Sound’s managing director, Jody Thorne.”

Due to unavoidable manufacturing delays, Dante cards for the new ADA-128 units were late shipping so Prism Sound set ROH up with a temporary solution involving its Atlas audio interfaces. Once the Dante cards were delivered, ROH switched to Dream ADA-128 units and is now using them to handle all Dante to Pro Tools conversion: “We are still using Atlas interfaces to connect our analogue microphones, but when the ADA-128 Mic cards become available we will be doing everything through the new units,” says Arif.

At present, three ADA-128s are housed in the studio’s machine room, which handles 128 microphone inputs from the orchestra pit and stage. Another ADA-128 is in a rack room on the seventh floor where it handles microphones rigged in the opera house’s ceiling and all the amplifiers for the front of house PA.

“We also have another ADA-128 in a flight case on wheels, which we use for concerts that have awkward staging,” Arif continues. “Our sixth unit is in the ballet studio, a small theatre where we record Insight events for YouTube. Finally, we have a seventh unit that is used for mass audio distribution.”

“The Dream ADA-128 is the only thing that comes close to doing everything we need,” Arif remarks. “I/O from FOH and for our broadcast networks is shared through our Dante system and we can switch things around as and when we need to. We recently installed a new Yamaha FOH sound desk and we have locked down the gains on that and the Prism Sound units so that no one can touch them. If anything needs adjusting it can be done digitally at the destination.”

Upgrading the sound studio and installing the new Dante network took just two months, from July to September 2023. At the same time the new FOH sound desk was installed and linked to the Dante network, which is working perfectly.

“We still have a massive analogue infrastructure that runs alongside our new digital set-up, but the whole point of these upgrades is to move to fully digital in the future,” Arif says. “The goal is to save time, deliver workflow efficiencies by creating presets for certain shows, and make the entire system easier to navigate. This is important because the ROH is a busy and important venue, and we need it to be future proof.”

Prism Sound is now working closely with the Royal Opera House to develop new features for the Dream ADA-128 that will specifically benefit the live sound market.

“Most sound engineers associate Prism Sound with recording studios and don’t initially realise what this unit can deliver,” Arif concludes. “The fact is that

live sound and performance venues such as the ROH want and need high density interfaces, which is what you get with an ADA-128. We couldn’t be happier with our choice of converter, or with the service and instant back up we get from Prism Sound. We are happy to test new features for them because we like building relationships with the companies we work with.” PRISMSOUND.COM

S by ALICE GUSTAFSON

PIERCING THE QUIET AND BEYOND

TRITONAL

Producer and composer Dave Reed – one half of electronic music duo, Tritonal – reflects on the evolution of Tritonal’s production and his thoughts on their early work, and shares his unorthodox production techniques.

In May 2011, Tritonal released their debut album, Piercing the Quiet Looking back at the album, can you see how your production style has developed, and is there anything that you would do differently now?

From a producer standpoint, from Piercing the Quiet, we were entering into this industry at that time, and there was so much to learn. We knew that there was still so much to learn – we could never call any one of the productions we were doing complete. It always felt that there was some sort of magic missing. It took time for us to understand that as producers. When I look back at that album, I see that album as a catalogue of the life that I

was having then as a producer. When I listen to it, I can hear the mistakes, I can hear the issues, I can hear all sorts of sonic mixes that are incorrect. But people listen to it and go, ‘Wow! This record changed my life,’ and you change your perspective a bit. I value that because it’s like, ‘Well, this album did something for people, and they liked it’. But I’m over here like, ‘Wow, that was not written very well,’ or, ‘That could have been better; that was poorly mixed in,’ and stuff. So yeah, I look back at the Piercing the Quiet album and there’s so much growth that has happened since, all the way to the newer works.

Have the fans been with you since the beginning, regardless of any changes to your production style?

I’m sure that there are still fans from then, all the way to now that have felt that growth. Maybe they’ve not liked it, but also they kind of understand that it’s a journey that we’re actively living, and as a producer, actively learning. I want to apply these new skills to new records and these new ideas to new things, and always try to be different. I don’t want to paint the same painting each time. One of the things I’ve noticed within certain trance and dance music is that there is a redundancy of things. But that’s kind of normal – that’s just how it is. But it’s always good to change things up with different types of melodies and movements and stuff. It’s definitely been such a growing experience looking back at that album,

“I’M NOT SAYING PIERCING THE QUIET WAS A FAILURE – IT WAS A REMINDER OF WHERE I’VE COME FROM, AS A PRODUCER.”

all the way to the Coalesce album – it’s so different.

What advice would you give to your younger self on music production?

Looking back, if I could tell myself anything, I would tell myself, ‘It’s okay. It’s fine. This is a journey that I need to grow as a producer – understanding things’. Nobody can learn this stuff overnight. If you want to go out and be a lawyer, you have to go to law school, and you’re going to have failures, right? I’m not saying Piercing the Quiet was a failure – what I’m saying is that it was a reminder of where I’ve come from, as a producer. I’m sure I’ll look back on what I’m working on now as a reminder of how I’ve grown; I continue to learn and grow every day. There is no magic switch where you’re like, ‘I’ve got it all correct’. You have to call it and decide when it’s done to be like, ‘This record is cooked, it is finished’. But internally, maybe it’s not…but I can learn from that, and in the next record, I will apply those new failures and aspects.

When it comes to plugins, Waves plugins seem to be a constant on your tracks: L3 is the final limiter on many Tritonal singles; H-Delay is your go-to tape delay plugin, and SSL G-Master is the first on your master chain on most records. What is it that keeps you returning to these three in particular?

I’m always changing them around, but those come to mind because I noticed

that when I’m working through the beginnings of a song, the SSL G-Master is great. It’s something that works really well. When I was introduced to it, funnily enough by Super8 & Tab a long time ago, I didn’t know this plugin existed because it’s buried in the millions of plugins within the Waves catalogue. So when we got to working with it, I loved the sound, I liked the control that it had. It’s one of those things where on the first day of a production, I will immediately go grab it and slap it on a bus or a master or something to give a meaningful idea on the shape that I’m working with. And the H-Delay still to this day, is incredible. It has a great Tape feature that can decay the output delay on a vocal, and just does it well. One of the ones that we used this past week, because we were recording a vocal, was CLA Vocals, which is perfect when you’re recording vocals and trying to get something done quickly. Something we do say is, ‘If it’s good, it’s good. If there’s no need for an improvement, there’s no need’. Sometimes that CLA vocal just does it – it’s there, you’ve got the basic compression done and it’s met your needs for that particular piece of the vocal and you can move on. There are a handful of plugins from Waves, like Clarity, which are absolutely amazing. I’ve had a chance to get my head around it and get used to it. It’s definitely cleaned up so much stuff as well.

What is it that keeps you coming back to the L3 multiband peak limiter plugin?

Like many limiters out there, the L3 is great for the master chain. But I tend to use the L3 mainly on my buses, so when I’m doing drums, or maybe a bass, like if I want to have the bass and kick go to the same bus. I like to have my low end go to one bus before it hits my premix into my master, and the L3 is there to slightly touch it. That can also help to give it a bit more transparency, and then I can bring that down just a bit to keep that. It does a good job, especially with not giving the kick top a little distortion at the same time. I’m able to push it without the transparency being degraded, if you will.

Are you using any Waves plugins in unusual ways?

Oh, my God, Yeah! So there’s the H-Reverb. I would put that on – and maybe other producers are doing this too – but I would put it on a send, then I would sidechain it to a drum or a vocal and then would automate the decay of the H-Reverb to really emphasise a tail

of certain things. For instance, over one of our records, Everything Is Beautiful, I did use it on our vocal bus to sidechain. But I wasn’t side chaining with the normal compressor, I was simply automating the decay up and down, so I would have the decay sharply come up and then down, just to show the vocal releasing. It’s probably not the most orthodox way to use it, but it was definitely a lot of fun because it gave me a sound and that’s what I liked. I’m gonna do things that not everyone may agree with, but I do things to give me a sound that I want. I can always come back and polish it and make it a little bit better – freeze it, clean it up, and then it’s there. Some people might say, ‘Well why don’t you take a compressor and just sidechain it to the compressor?’ Well, that’s okay; You can do it that way. I’m doing it a different way. That’s how I do it!

Has a Waves plugin ever saved a project for you?

You know what? RVox has been something that’s helped me with certain things, like radio shows. It’s

incredible for vocals as well. There was this vocal, but it was incredibly bad how it was produced, and I was going from plugin to plugin trying to fix it. I remembered RVox and I put it on there and played with it for maybe 10, 20 minutes. I took a break, came back and I’m like, ‘This is magic’. It’s like the vocal was recorded completely differently and it just completely changed everything for me. I still, to this day, use RVox on so much stuff.

ALICEGUS

ANDY MILNE TIME WILL TELL Words

Two-time Juno Award winning pianist and composer Andy Milne reflects on his route into the jazz world, his approach to scoring Star Trek documentaries for William Shatner, arranging for the hit Showtime series Fellow Travelers and the life changing real events that inspired his brand new album, Time Will Tell.

Milne begins the interview by recalling a piece of advice he received long ago, which at the time, he didn’t pay much attention to:

“Years ago, I had mentors that would say things like, ‘You just gotta keep doing what you’re doing’. And I was like, ‘Really? You got nothing else?’ But I kind of did follow that advice in some ways, which made me come full circle because I just kept on doing what I was going to do,” he recalls from his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “And at some point, I got

better at it, and people started to take notice. I think overall, the arc of where I’ve gone with music has enabled me to be more prepared for different types of situations. So it’s never one thing for me – it’s this long arc of acquiring keystrokes, so I guess it just sort of happened to coincide,” he says modestly.

His career has indeed been diverse though. Born in Ontario, Canada, Milne showed an early interest in music. His formative years were marked by classical piano training,

which laid a solid foundation for his future explorations in jazz. Milne’s passion for improvisation and composition led him to study at York University in Toronto, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He later pursued advanced studies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, further honing his skills under the mentorship of jazz legends like Oscar Peterson. “I grew up in Canada, and Oscar Peterson was a huge influence,” he nods. “He became a teacher, but seeing him at a young age was pretty profound.”

“A LOT OF THE MUSIC IS A REACTION, REFLECTION AND A COMMENT ON THE EMOTIONAL STATE THAT I WAS IN.”

Milne’s career took off in the ‘90s when he moved to New York, a vibrant hub for jazz innovation - where he quickly became a prominent figure in the city’s jazz scene. In 1998, Milne formed Dapp Theory, a band that epitomises his genre-blending style, followed by forming his first piano trio, Andy Milne and Unison, whose celebrated 2020 debut release, The reMission was awarded the 2021 Juno Award for Jazz Album of the Year: Group. His second Juno Award came in 2019, awarded for one of his most ambitious projects yet, The Seasons of Being , which showcased a 10-piece edition of Dapp Theory. Commissioned by Chamber Music America, the music explores the body, spirit and mind of music, using the diagnostic principles of homoeopathy to captivate the emotional characterisation of each soloist.

“That one’s very specific,” he acknowledges with a smile on the album’s unique concept.

“I started seeing a classical homoeopathy healer and at some point conversations with him led me to start thinking about the way we go about diagnosing people. Essentially, the album came into being over many years of research into ways that I could harness healing modality to write music to be in the sweet spot for the performer and the

specific improviser. I tried to write based upon the ways in which the homeopathist was giving me insights on people that he had never met, but strangely enough, he was very spot on in terms of their backstory,” he considers.

To date, Milne has released 11 recordings as a leader or co-leader, his most recent being the album, Time Will Tell, which was released this year. He reveals he started thinking about the album the day he recorded The reMission: “It wasn’t clear as to where and how it was going to manifest,” he admits, “but I started thinking about it literally that day, as we were preparing to do The reMission. Fast forwarding into the pandemic time period and whatnot, and I had a pretty profound life change, which was meeting members of my birth family – because I’m adopted – and I’ve not ever had any connection with them in my whole life,” he discloses. “I found my birth cousin, and then eventually my birth mother – it was pretty deep. A lot of the music is a reaction, reflection and a comment on the emotional state that I was in, and it also coincided with a time when I started really focusing more on writing for film and improving my skill sets in that area. This album is a marriage of personal experience and the evolution of my trio and my writing. They all came together in a nice way; it was very hard to ignore something so massive in my life.”

The TV and film world he alludes to turning his focus to started in 2011, when Milne composed, performed and produced the score to William Shatner’s documentary film, The Captains . The relationship led to Milne scoring six subsequent Star Trek -themed films directed by Shatner. In addition to appearing in one of the films, Milne released The Captains soundtrack CD in partnership with Shatner and was a featured performer at numerous Star Trek conventions with actor and singer Avery Brooks. “I was untested as a film composer, so they were taking a risk, but they were doing it on the endorsement of Avery, who knew me musically very well, and felt that I was certainly the person that could tackle what they wanted,” he recalls. “At the time, they really thought they wanted an improvised score, which evolved a lot, but in certain ways, there was still a lot of improvisation that I was able to infuse into the score and be a third voice in some of these conversations that were happening in the documentaries. Some of it was definitely outside of my wheelhouse in certain ways, but in other ways, because there was an improvisational quality to things almost all the time, that was where I could really live.”

More recently Milne acted as the music arranger and director in the new Showtime series Fellow Travelers, where he also made a brief appearance as a cast member. “I mean, I was acting to the degree that I was playing a pianist in a club, so something I’m pretty familiar with doing,” he laughs. “But I had to mime to my own arrangements that I had produced, and was coaching the actors in the performances and the pre-records for all the live on-screen performances. It was fun to have the experience and to be able to see it come together, because it was really well-produced and the score is beautiful. It was monumental to be associated with it.”

Milne provides an insight into his home studio, including the software he couldn’t do without: “I’ve been using Cubase since I was using an Atari computer in the early ‘90s,” he enthuses. “I’m going way back! It was the ideal thing for a musician and was state of the art. I began to get inside the programme from the point of view as a MIDI sequencer, and it evolved into Cubase on the PC and then eventually on a Mac. In the last four years I’ve really rolled my sleeves up to try to learn and harness the power of the programme as it’s evolved. As my needs changed, I began to start thinking about other aspects of the programme, and I really started to learn how to use the project logical editor and working with more macros, and the control room. Now I’ve got this crazy setup with the expression maps – I actually had somebody who’s much more technically savvy in terms of coding who helped me with some fairly important lines of code for an open stage controller that talks to my expression maps,” he explains.

“It’s a really beautiful way to take what’s in the box and put it outside the box and have some sort of tactile, interactive relationship with what I’m doing with different articulations in my various sample libraries,” he adds. “It’s been a nice journey to get more inside the programme, and having some film projects to work on certainly escalates the necessity for that.”

As soon as a friend introduced him to Cubase in the ‘90s, Milne remembers immediately liking the look of Cubase –a fact which hasn’t changed in the present day. “The layout

of the programme just makes sense for me,” he nods. “I like having the flexibility due to the way it’s laid out – there’s a lot of options. I’m really getting into the new MIDI remote, which is a slick new development that I really dig. I also really love the Control Room and the ease in which I can have a lot of controller lanes in the key editor, which is where I spend a lot of time.”

Despite not appreciating its benefits until more recently, Milne is also now a big fan of Dorico, Steinberg’s music notation software, which he recently used for a new chamber music piece using a piano quintet. “When I was working on this larger chamber music piece, it made perfect sense, because I was able to just bring these things together after I’d worked on them individually,” he says. “In terms of the flow, all of a sudden I was like, ‘I get it’. I’m probably about 10 years behind many Dorico users in terms of the sophistication, but I’m working towards getting to that level where I’m at with Cubase. I’m way more inside the programme than when I started for sure, and I look forward to getting into expression maps in Dorico.”

In addition to his multiple projects, Milne is a soughtafter educator, serving as an assistant professor of music at The University of Michigan and the assistant director at The School for Improvisational Music. “I tell all my students and encourage them to really think about building their relationship with Dorico, because it’s a long term relationship with any notation programme because you invest time in learning those keystrokes, but then you’ve got all this catalogue that is residing in a platform, so you’re sort of marooned if you decide to switch. I like the fact that, especially on a laptop using Dorico, there’s a lot of power in the desktop publishing side of the programme. I can’t say enough great things about it, but it took me a while to get going! I’m really happy I made this switch.”

Milne’s Steinberg studio kit extends to hardware too, as he shares that he’s also the owner of an AXR4 audio interface and CC121 controller. “The interface was a huge upgrade from the point of view of making recordings,” he says. “I got it right when I got the gig doing Fellow Travelers because I have a beautiful Yamaha handmade S6 grand piano in my studio, so I did all the piano for the show in my studio. I was like, ‘I gotta up the ante with a better interface,’ so I decided to take the plunge because it seemed like a really well made device and I loved the integration that was baked into Cubase. I love the fact that there’s two headphone jacks on it, because there’s these discrete controls on it and it’s a really clean-sounding interface – I probably wish I’d done it sooner! Like I wished I’d switched to Dorico sooner,” he smiles.

Words by COLBY RA M YES

THE HIGHEST ORDER

URANIA HALL

SLX has installed a Tommexdesigned CODA Audio system in a recently rebuilt iconic Olsztyn venue, as Headliner discovers…

The Urania Hall has been an architectural gem in the Polish city of Olsztyn since 1978. In a significant step towards improving the city’s cultural and sporting landscape, the hall recently underwent a comprehensive rebuild and refurbishment. Now, with a rebuilt main arena, new dome, modern

architecture, and additional spaces such as a small arena, indoor ice rink, and underground parking, it serves as a key venue for a wide variety of events.

Essential to the modernisation and rejuvenation of the venue was to ensure that its technical provision was of the highest order. Specialist integrator SLX Sp. z o.o. was engaged to install the audio elements of the project and chose CODA Audio systems for the main and small Arenas. The system was

designed and supplied by leading pro audio specialist and CODA Audio distributor, Tommex.

Volleyball, basketball, and tennis are just some of the spectator sports played in the main arena, which can hold more than 4000 spectators in advanced mobile stands. With a multifunctional floor area of 2380 sqm and a height of 29 metres, the arena can also accommodate events such as motocross acrobatic shows.

The small arena, with a seating capacity of 1,000, is primarily intended for handball, volleyball, or basketball training. This space can also be rearranged into two or three sectors with full-size courts, thus adapting to current needs from training ses -

sions to corporate meetings, banquets, or celebrations.

The facility presented a number of challenges. In the main arena, the combination of a small space between the hall’s acoustic ceiling and

the minimum mounting heights of technical elements on the playing area meant that the system had to be lightweight and compact, whilst still powerful enough to ensure the necessary SPL and even distribution.

A total of 60 CODA N-RAY line array units supported by 12 SCV-F subwoofers were chosen for the main arena, combining power and clarity with deep and powerful bass. Using EASE simulation software and CODA’s proprietary System Optimiser prediction software, the Tommex team was able to design a system which delivers perfectly balanced audio to every seat in the venue.

Sound reinforcement for the playing area was achieved with the use of six of CODA’s versatile G712-Pro 3-way full range loudspeakers, ensuring a uniformity of sonic signature across the entire space. A further six G712-Pro took care

of reinforcement in the 100 capacity small arena, with the systems in both arenas powered by CODA Audio LINUS14D DSP amplification.

“Our friends at SLX confidently overcame some tricky structural elements to deliver a very successful installation,” comments Marcin Zimny, commercial director at Tommex. “The Urania Hall now boasts the modern, cutting-edge CODA Audio sound system that a venue of its significance deserves.”

CODAAUDIO.COM

No-compromise 9.1.6 immersive audio package from Merging Technologies

Provides 12 analog outputs, 3 headphone outputs, 8 AES/EBU I/O, 8 ADAT I/Oplus 2 Mic/Line inputs with control at your fingertips.

Words

by

JAY PEABODY, LOUDSPEAKERS PLUS

THE CELESTION INTERVIEW

Loudspeakers Plus, a leading supplier of loudspeaker components to music dealers across the United States, has carved a unique niche in the industry by providing a one-stop shop for replacement and repair parts for major loudspeaker brands. With 25 years of experience, founder and CEO Jay Peabody credits the company’s success to its commitment to delivering the right products at the right prices, combined with exceptional customer service.

In an exclusive interview with Celestion, Peabody discusses the origins of Loudspeakers Plus, the secrets to great customer service, technological advancements in the speaker industry and the company’s future outlook.

Peabody’s journey into the audio industry began through a combination of experiences in mass

communications, music performance and working for a microphone connectors company before founding Loudspeakers Plus in 1999. Since then, the company has become a trusted partner for music retailers, speaker designers, musicians, DJs, PA companies and installers, offering a wide range of speaker parts and components for various applications.

“Loudspeakers Plus will not only help provide the original speaker parts that you need to design or build something, but we’ll also help replace and service them to get up and running fast,” says Peabody. “If we can’t help you, we’ll direct you to who you need to speak with.”

“ADVANCEMENTS HAVE MADE SPEAKERS BASICALLY UNRECOGNISABLE FROM PRODUCTS EVEN 20 OR 30 YEARS AGO.”

Reflecting on the company’s philosophy, Peabody emphasises the importance of customercentricity and personal connections in an era increasingly dominated by digital interactions. He highlights Loudspeakers Plus’ hands-on approach to customer service, where every team member is empowered to assist customers promptly and effectively.

“Everyone in our company can be consulted to a point and do other things, outside of their job description to help customers, whatever it takes,” he points out.

Regarding technological advancements in the industry, Peabody reflects on the evolution of speaker components and the impact of materials, acoustics and design on speaker performance. He notes innovations such as neodymium magnets and advancements in acoustic cabinet design as key contributors to improved speaker quality and performance:

“The basic physics of speakers hasn’t changed much, but the technology and materials and the understanding of acoustics and acoustic design have changed considerably,” he remarks. “Those

advancements have made speakers basically unrecognisable from products even 20 or 30 years ago, let alone 100 years ago.”

When asked about his proudest accomplishment, Peabody expresses pride in earning the trust and respect of customers over the years, citing long-term relationships built on reliability and support.

“We’ve built relationships where people can really rely on us and not just when they need something in an emergency,” he says. “Of course, we come through in those moments, but I’m also talking about the day-to-day whether they’re planning a club install or getting a back line ready for a tour, they know who to call.”

He also shares insights into Loudspeakers Plus’ company culture, characterised by a willingness to go above and beyond to meet customer needs: “My philosophy is, when someone asks you if you can do something, you’ll say ‘Yes, I can do it.’ If you can’t do it personally, you talk to another team member, and they’ll help you,” he enthuses.

Looking ahead, Peabody discusses Loudspeakers Plus’ resilience as a small business, poised to adapt quickly to industry changes and customer demands. He emphasises the importance of customer relationships and referrals in driving the company’s growth and success:

“I can’t tell you how many phone calls we get that start with, ‘I talked to someone and they said you could help,” he says. “In most cases, this is the start of a relationship that we’ll have for years to come.”

In closing, Peabody expresses gratitude for the longstanding partnership with Celestion, highlighting the recent 100th Anniversary Celebration at NAMM as a testament to collaborative success and shared achievements within the industry.

“We’ve already done the work to be successful and it was just about celebrating how we got to where we are through working together. Celestion’s 100th Anniversary Celebration is one of those times I’ll think back on and fondly remember,” he smiles.

CELESTION.COM LOUDSPEAKERSPLUS.COM

CONSUMERS NEED CONVINCING ON POWER OF IMMERSIVE AUDIO

RENÉ MÖLLER

For nearly 25 years, producer and engineer René Möller has been plying his trade as one of the most revered exponents of his craft at Berlin’s Teldex Studio. One of the biggest private studios in the world, its legendary recording hall, as well as its combination of vintage gear and cutting edge products has made it a popular location for classical orchestras across the globe. Here, Möller discusses his role with the studio to date, as well as the need to convince the masses of the power of immersive audio, and how Merging Technologies has played a pivotal part in his working process.

How did you get into the world of production and engineering?

I don’t know exactly! It started when I finished school, but I was never really ‘the keyboard guy’ or ‘the soldering guy’. I was brought up in a boys choir boarding school. And somehow I got this idea of combining music and technology. And this stayed with me from there.

I started studying in Berlin, and I think I was quite lucky at some moments in life. I did an internship at Teldex Studio – formerly Warner – where one of my university teachers was working. And I got stuck there!

Due to some probably lucky coincidences, it was at the time when Warner started DVD audio. So, there was a lot of extra work requiring double control rooms, double editing, and double approval. So I had a very smooth transition from university to ‘real life’. And it could have gone badly because Warner disappeared more or less and shut down the facilities at Teldex. Luckily, my colleagues started the Teldex Studio on the same premises and they kept me on and got me working there while they founded a new company.

I had a lot of freedom to experiment in all areas, be it musical, be it technological. And, of course, this was the time when the transition to digital audio workstations had already begun, although not to the extent that we imagine today.

That’s basically where I still am. In 2010 I had the chance to join the company as a partner and I still have the opportunity to work on great music in great surroundings with great artists. And I have the privilege of doing both the musical work and the technological or sound creation work.

Also, about 10 years ago, I was asked if I would like to apply for the professorship at the University of Arts where I studied myself. And I was lucky enough to somehow get selected. So, I have the privilege of passing this knowledge on to the next generation.

Were there any ‘big break’ moments that helped push your career to new levels?

To name a single project would be unfair. I see it more as an evolution, and having the opportunity to work with world-class musicians enables

you to do the same thing again and again. And on the musical side you can establish a trustworthiness with the artist, which leads to word of mouth and that can bring breakthrough points.

Having the opportunity to work with the world’s most famous orchestras, be it Vienna Philharmonic or Berlin Philharmonic, is a privilege that can’t be overstated. And then on the other hand, having the chance to work with chamber musicians and singers in a very intimate studio setting is another amazing aspect.

To help produce a media interpretation of what they’re doing is a real privilege, it’s like you become an invisible part of that. And that’s where technology comes in and gives us the tools to be able to do this.

Has the evolution of technology during your career changed any of the core principles of your craft as an engineer or a producer? Or are the fundamentals of your work still largely the same?

It’s workflow, basically. And that workflow has become more and more streamlined. As gear has become smaller yet still as reliable as

“AS AN INDUSTRY WE MIGHT NOT BE BEING BOLD ENOUGH TO CONVINCE THE CUSTOMER OF THE POWER OF IMMERSIVE AUDIO.”

before, it has made it possible to do a lot more work at short notice.

On the other hand, for example, editing and mixing has merged into a single process; the worlds of engineering and producing have become closer and closer and more or less unified. What you can do with a workstation today might not differ so much from a workstation from 10 years ago, but from 20 years ago, it’s a huge difference.

What are your thoughts on the rise of immersive audio? Have you done a lot of work in this area?

Well, I think we started out on immersive work rather late. I think it was in early 2020 that I constructed our first immersive control room. And actually, it’s the biggest joy to work in immersive audio, whether classical music or acoustic music. I think immersive audio is brilliant.

However, I’m a little worried that we [as an industry] might not be being bold enough to really convince the customer of the power of immersive audio. The customer must somehow be blown away by the sonic experience, and the problem is that we need the right musical setting to demonstrate to the customer something that is really different from stereo. There are some amazing enhancements that can be achieved with immersive audio, but it’s nothing that will convince most non-professionals of the need for immersive audio.

Tell us about your relationship with Merging Technologies. How did that come about and what role does its products play in your working process?

Our traditional workstation back in the early 2000s was from Sonic Solutions. And I think we more or less pushed it to its limits. We did a 24-track editing of the St. Matthew Passion in 2000 or 2001. This was probably the technological limit of the day. Subsequently, by word of mouth amongst colleagues, we decided to

try out the Pyramix and we’ve been using it ever since. This was due to very, very good and direct support by the German distributor back then. But Merging proved to be a very direct, approachable company. They have always been open to comments, to remarks, to requests, and have been very reactive. And that’s probably

because they are as passionate about their product as we are about music production.

The flexibility and scalability of their virtual mixer has been so useful as we use no mixer at all when we are on the road. We started going on the road around 2007 with just a converter and

a Pyramix. And about the same time, their Horus came on the market.

I think we were one of the first to get one, and I still remember when Claude Cellier [Merging founder and CEO] was calling me and telling me about the product and how I could make use of it. And we still have that same machine.

You also make use of the Merging Technologies Anubis. How does that figure into your work?

The Anubis has become very interesting. In the immersive audio world, it’s an amazing monitoring control surface. It fits in here perfectly. We started its Monitor Mission feature where you can just

design as many sources as you want. You can even include other hardware outputs, for example, and control it via the Anubis. And this in connection with the talkback facilities is filling in a missing link in the way you can establish a DAW workflownot only in post-production, but also with location recording.

I’m always fascinated by how people use the Anubis because everyone you speak to seems to have a different function for it. There’s so much you seem to be able to do with it. You can even fry an egg on the backside!

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BIG WEEKEND

Photograph

Simonds

Headliner discovers how LDs Sam Tozer, Tom Campbell and Louie Hodgson flexed GLP’s new generation of IP fixtures at Radio 1’s Big Weekend…

GLP’s latest generation products were out in force at BBC Radio 1’s recent Big Weekend, held over the May Bank Holiday at Stockwood Park in Luton, UK. The event drew crowds of around 100,000 across the weekend and featured headliners Coldplay, Sabrina Carpenter and Rudimental.

Long-time GLP advocate Sam Tozer once again custom-lit the stage for electronic duo Chase & Status, drawing on large quantities of new generation impression X5 IP Bar 1000s, XDC1 IP Hybrid and JDC1 hybrid strobes. Over 160 fixtures were supplied by LCR (Lights Control Rigging).

Tozer has been working with Chase & Status since their What Came Before album in 2022. “Since then,” he says, “I’ve watched the project grow dramatically to where they are today.” Luton marked the launch of the

duo’s new visual show, designed to accompany their latest album 2 RUFF, Vol. 1. The LD had previously carried a quantity of GLP’s impression X4 Bars and JDC1s on an earlier arena run, “so it was a natural progression to bring them to the festival.” In addition to 16 JDC1, used as a floor package, he introduced 50 of the newer X5 IP Bar 1000s and 108 XDC1 IP.

Explaining the deployment, he says: “There was obviously an existing house lighting package, but we wanted to ensure the stage felt different from other acts. Carrying the long linear line of impression X5 Bars on the DSE added a new key feature to the stage.” His choice had been based on the need for an IP65-rated linear fixture: “impression X5 IP Bar was my go-to fixture – the upgrade helped considerably with output and colour quality for the TV cameras.”

By augmenting this with XDC1 IP Hybrid he could create additional punch and strobe dynamic necessary for the type of performance that Chase & Status commands. The

fixture merges a high-performance strobe with a powerful wash light, and its power and strength also helped compensate for a video heavy stage. “I needed fixtures that could compete with the mass of screens,” he explains. “The XDC1s gave us the intense energy needed to match the power of their music, while the X5 IP Bars helped frame the bottom of the stage with a wall of light.”

Sam Tozer admits he was fortunate that the XDC1 IP Hybrids had just come off the Ed Sheeran tour. “This meant that LCR had enough in stock for this show,” he says. “They provide great service and high-quality kit as well as excellent general support.”

Naturally the GLP fixtures were programmed in full mode: “Using MA3’s new software, it was easy to programme and scale, and also allowed us the capability to create dynamic looks with individual pixel control.”

“THIS COMBINATION ALLOWED US TO CREATE A DYNAMIC SHOW WITH A VERY OBVIOUS LIGHTING CHANGE FOR EACH SONG.”

The man responsible for this, and for directing the show, was Olly Walker. “His knowledge of MA3 helped speed up the process and unlock more programming capabilities,” praises Tozer. “This combination allowed us to create a dynamic show with a very obvious lighting change for each song. Being able to rely on the upgraded fixtures with a small run of arenas earlier in the year allowed us to balance the show better for both the audience and TV.”

Another experienced LD, long familiar with the impact to be derived from GLP’s LED portfolio, is Tom Campbell. He has been working with DJ/

producer Joel Corry – who also featured at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend – since spring 2023.

For the event he specified a quickto-install, wheel-on/wheel-off floor package to complement existing elements of the house design. This included 24 of the new JDC2 IP Hybrid strobes and eight of the JDC Line 1000 (retained from previous iterations around the edge of the riser). “As the show was in daylight it focused heavily on fixture brightness to ensure it translated well to the audience and cameras on the day,” emphasises Campbell.

The 24 JDC2 IP were integrated into the video screens using their NDI mode. “That said, we also tried to use all the functionality in the fixture, overlaying the video surface with pixel effects to accent the drops, switching in and out of NDI to allow the video moments to stand alone,” states co-designer and programmer, Louie Hodgson. “Using the JDC2 IP and JDC Line enabled us to hone the consistency across the stage, as their beam plates allowed for the same types of strobe effects across the fixture types.”

Fixtures were programmed in Mode 5 (127 DMX channels), each fixture patched in 10 parts. “This allowed each element of functionality to be controlled and programmed independently of the others, keeping the cues clean,” notes Hodgson.

“Programming a fixture in 10 parts is inherently more complex than simply a moving light. But as I got further into the process, I could see that treating each element as its own sub fixture was definitely the right way to go – and it helped speed up the programming massively.”

Assessing the new JDC2 IP Hybrid Tom Campbell believes “it really

raises the bar for video content integration onstage.” He explains: “The fact that JDC2 simply takes the NDI signal directly and plays the content across the plate is a very powerful idea.”

While the JDC2 IPs were sub-hired by Colour Sound Experiment from Dry Hire Lighting, the former supplied the remainder of the floor package. “Colour Sound did a fantastic job, ensuring that they were prepped correctly for the NDI control,” concludes Campbell.

Photograph Credit: BBC Radio

1 Big Weekend 2024. BBC Public Service, Sarah Jeynes / Jamie Simonds

Image courtesy of A24

OSCAR-WINNING SOUND

THE ZONE OF INTEREST

At the 96th Academy Awards ceremony, The Zone of Interest won Best Sound, which was accepted by production sound mixer Tarn Willers and sound engineer and designer, Johnnie Burn. Here, Willers explains how the audio team captured Oscar-winning sound for a director that asked its actors to embrace acting as if they were not in a film.

The Zone of Interest is a historical drama film written and directed by Jonathan Glazer, co-produced between the UK and Poland. Starring Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller as the Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig, it focuses on the pair as they strive to build a dream life for their family in a home in the ‘zone of interest’ – which just so happens to be next to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Glazer opted against visually portraying the atrocities within the concentration camp, preferring that they be conveyed through sound alone. He has referred to the film’s sound as “the other film” and, arguably, the core of the film.

In pursuit of this vision, Burn meticulously assembled a 600page dossier comprising pertinent events at Auschwitz, witness testimonies and a comprehensive map of the camp to accurately gauge distances and echoes of sounds. Burn dedicated a year to crafting a sound library, encompassing noises from manufacturing machinery, crematoria, furnaces, boots and period-authentic gunfire. The sounds emanating from behind the camp walls include the piercing screams of prisoners, the aggressive shouts of guards, and the ominous reverberation of the gas chambers and crematorium – all set as an ominous backdrop to mundane, everyday events taking place within

a manicured residence within sight of the camp’s chimneys.

Glazer insisted on an immersive set in which the actors scarcely knew they were in a film, which presented mixing lead Willers and his department with unprecedented challenges.

“Jonathan Glazer wanted the actors to exist entirely inside a world, with no evidence of film paraphernalia in sight,” he explains. “We had 10 cameras hidden in the main house. The actors improvised a great deal. They didn’t have marks. The dog was real, the baby was real, and if one of them did something unpredictable, the actors were directed to respond as one would

in real life. As much as possible, he wanted the actors not to feel like they were making a movie. I had to get great range and clarity on two floors, through thick concrete walls and across the outdoor garden. The house was live, with no one except the actors allowed in during shooting. So, no boom operators. We could not have RF or dropout issues, period, because we couldn’t just run in and check things. Much of the time, the actors didn’t know where the cameras were. Sound from every source had to be flawless, all the time.”

Willers relied on Lectrosonics wireless kit to capture what was needed, using SMB, SMDB and HMa transmitters as well as SRb receivers mounted in an Octopack multi-coupler. Indeed, Willers and re-recording mixer Burn depended heavily on wireless:

“We had radio mics on the actors, plus several plant mics placed strategically throughout the house and garden,” he recalls. “I used SMB and SMDB transmitters. I also had HMa transmitters for the plant mics. My SRb receivers are mounted in an Octopack. Just over the garden wall was a container dressed to look like a guard shack. Inside that shack were me with my receivers, Jonathan with his monitors, and the video playback.”

Within this matrix of microphones, actors would sometimes do long walk-and-talks. “For example,” says Willers, “from the bedroom down the stairs, through the kitchen and out into the garden.” When asked if he consistently received clear audio free of dropouts or interference, Willers’ answer was simple: “Yes, the setup worked. It had to.”

Though much of the film’s scenes involved interiors, a scene involving a family canoe excursion tested Lectrosonics’ reputation for durability under adverse conditions.

“We shot that scene on a scorching hot day, as was scripted. It was also scripted that a storm would hit and made them return home,” he recalls.

“Lo and behold, an actual monsoonlike rain occurred, so I suppose creatively speaking, the weather gods were with us! The kids and Christian were just wearing vests, and I had been directed that at any point, one or more of them might jump into the river to push the canoe. So, no body packs were used.”

Instead, Willers placed his SMBs closer to water than any other mixer would perhaps dare tell a rental house about. “Around the inside rim of the canoe, there’s a lip just wide enough to hide assets,” he shares. “I planted five mics on SMB transmitters. Aqua-packs would’ve

“NO

ADR WAS NEEDED FOR AUDIO OR TECHNICAL REASONS; WHAT YOU HEAR IN THE CINEMA IS THE ACTORS SPEAKING ON SET.”

been seen, so I wrapped them in cling film. Even though a little bit of water got through, the transmitters performed all the way through the sequence with no issues whatsoever. Some of the mics were casualties of war, but the transmitters lived.”

The ultimate proof of Willers’ and Lectrosonics’ wireless mettle was the near absence of any automatic dialogue replacement (ADR) in the entire film. “No ADR was needed for audio or technical reasons,” he nods. “There might have been a couple of lines added creatively, but that was it. What you hear in the cinema is the actors speaking on set.”

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