Audio Media - September 2008 - (Page 51) IMAGION ING THE FUTURE > to be authored in five different versions, or DVDs for the entire Stargate series. Wrangling this massive flow of data is done by eight project managers, four for the creative work, and four who take care of the technical side of things. A complete, in-house project management system allows all involved to see exactly which processes have been completed at any time, and whether a project is on time. Data arrives in just about every imaginable form, and has to be quality controlled and transferred to disk. As with all DVD creation work, security is vital and there are two networks, one ordinary office network and one secure network, with no link between the two. Links to clients and pressing plants is done via a Mb data line. Imagion has two audio mastering suites, one audio-for-video and one audio-only, based around racks of SPL analogue equipment. Mastering Engineer Marko Schneider finds himself having to reject between of audio material. “Some recording studios just do not seem to have any quality control, and projects come to us with clicks, pops, dBFSovershoots, and all sorts of issues that anyone who has actually sat down and listened to the material would have spotted straight away!” Michael Becker, who combines responsibilities for audio, with premastering and authoring, is keen to point out the exciting possibilities that Blu-Ray will bring. “You can get GB onto a Blu-Ray disk. We only need GB for a highdef concert, so that leaves thirty for things like ‘The Making Of’, or even alternative mixes and camera angles, or even a multi-track recording for the customer to experiment with. It could also include software or games, and be combined with online access to special websites and chat rooms. The possibilities are just about endless!” Andreas Thran shares this vision of the future, but points out, “Integrating Blu-Ray with various types of software and on-line services into one seamless package is a complex task, and that is why in-depth co-operation with other companies of all types is so important. Record labels and production companies like to deal with one firm that is able to give them a complete and integrated package.” associated artwork and packaging involved in a major project, we could be offering complete packages that still give the customer a choice of engineers, facilities, locations, and a degree of flexibility that would be otherwise impossible. I visited Imagion by chance and prior to going there, I assumed it would be just another DVD authoring facility – a few workstations, a few screens, a few employees. I hardly expected over employees, spread out over several buildings in two locations. More importantly, I hardly expected to see a vision of what may, in the end, prove to be the future of our industry. ∫ I N F O R MAT I O N W www.remotetaxi.com W www.remoterecording.net W www.fleetwoodmobiles.com W www.imagion.de/en Mono, Stereo, 5.1 and Beyond The new SoundField SPS200 ‘software controlled’ microphone generates mono, stereo, 5.1 and beyond and gives the user complete control over all microphone parameters within the audio workstation. Designed and built to the same exacting high standards as other SoundField models, the SPS200 is supplied with its own Surround Zone software for both Pro Tools® HD and VST platforms. By using a single SPS200 microphone and laptop computer, making world class surround and stereo recordings has never been so easy. It is not just the scale of those involved that is really surprising, but the scale of the co-operation. The way Imagion, Peter Brandt, Remote New York, and Fleetwood are working together to create new business should be a lesson to us all. The recording industry may be high-profile, but it remains a cottage industry. The most expensive desk you can buy still costs less than a combine harvester. The largest recording studio represents a small fraction of the investment required for a small manufacturing facility. In other words, we are small and, in parts, getting smaller by the day. Strangely, this malaise is happening when society’s total spend on music is expanding. Medium and smaller facilities often seem to work in isolation of one another, trying (and often failing) to provide a viable range of services. Perhaps we should all be looking at setting up similar joint ventures right across the industry. Rather than expecting a customer to sort out the bookings for studios, engineers, mastering, location recording, video facilities and all the Closing Thoughts The NEW SoundField SPS200 Microphone SoundField • t: +44 (0) 1924 201089 • e: info@soundfield.com • w: soundfield.com SOUNDFIELD ® is a registered trademark of SOUNDFIELD Ltd. AUDIO MEDIA SEPTEMBER 2008 51 http://www.remotetaxi.com http://www.remoterecording.net http://www.fleetwoodmobiles.com http://www.imagion.de/en http://soundfield.com http://soundfield.com
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