ProAudio Review - March 2008 - (Page 14)

STUDIO SPOTLIGHT by Heather Johnson Everyone has control of their monitor mix, so everyone can be a winner.” THE VINTAGE AND THE VIRTUAL Over the past year, the studio has seen an increase in outside clients, as well as steady work from Benson, which includes a forthcoming Asleep at the Wheel album featuring Willie Nelson on vocals. The bulk of the studio’s tracking sessions take place in Studio A, which features a vintage API console, with Nuendo 3.0 (with AMD 64-bit dual processing) and Cubase 4 as the main digital platforms. For the analog fans, an MCI 24-track tape machine stands at the ready. “Initially, Ray didn’t want a hardware system,” Seifert says of their digital recording system. “He wanted software, he wanted open architecture.” Austin-based AMD chose Bismeaux as a beta-test site for their 64-bit processors, which allowed them to experiment with some early software-only platforms. When Steinberg released Nuendo 1.6, Benson began using the two technologies in tandem and has avidly supported both companies ever since. “We can run huge projects at any sample rate you want, mix 80, 90 tracks with multiple plug-ins, and we’re not even at 50 percent CPU,” says Seifert. “This is all with no external hardware. Steinberg created a wonderful-sounding platform with a 32-bit floating point and open architecture. That’s why we use it.” Even though Bismeaux has readily adopted the Nuendo production system, they certainly aren’t lacking in tube and transistor technology. Studios A and B both come stocked with ample tube preamps, including some custom designs featuring vintage RCA schematics, as well as Pultec EQs, RCA, Tube Tech, Universal Audio, and UREI compressors, and a mic closet well stocked with both new and vintage varieties. Both studios offer Genelec, Yamaha, and Event Precision 8 studio monitors, with studio B boasting a 5.1 configuration. Completed in 2005, Studio B originated as a DAW engineering school operated by ProMedia Training, with workshops in Cubase, Nuendo, and other platforms taught by local engineer Fred Remmert. Now that the classes have concluded, Studio B and its Yamaha O2R stay busy with frequent overdub and mix projects, along with the occasional surround mix. “The B room opened up a lot of flexibility so that we could book other clients and allow our in-house business to continue,” says Seifert. “It has a matching DAW with the same converters as Studio A, and offers another price point. It takes a lot of BISMEAUX continues on page 48 ➤ Bismeaux Studios Revels in New Cue System ometimes we hang on to things even when they no longer suit us, much like the well-fitting pair of shoes with holes in the soles. But eventually, we know it is time for a change and immediately replace the old with a new and improved model. Early last year, Ray Benson, Asleep at the Wheel frontman and owner of Bismeaux Studios in Austin, Texas, knew it was time to replace his six-channel cue system with a new system that offered more channels and greater flexibility. He found both of those things with the Aviom Pro16 Series Personal Monitor System. Bismeaux’s engineering staff uses Aviom’s A-16II Personal Mixer for each musician’s headphone mix, as well as in the vocal booth. The 16-channel stereo mixer allows each musician to create a customized monitor mix and then recall it the next day, which allows for a more efficient session on both sides of the glass. DIY MONITOR MIXES = SMOOTHER SESSIONS “The engineer is freed up, which saves us a lot of time,” says chief engineer/studio manager Sam Seifert. “From a musician standpoint, to have up to 16 channels of panning, EQ, and muting, and to be able to just sit with piano, bass, and drums, will possibly help the musicians turn in a better performance.” Country music dominates Bismeaux’s client roster, and the fiddle and steel guitar parts in those songs can sound a bit jarring in the headphones, especially when they’re slightly off-key. “To be able to mute certain instruments without creating any animosity makes for a better environment for everyone,” Seifert continues. Even “old school” musicians, presumably resistant to new technology, adapted to the Aviom system. “Obviously, I’ve got to explain the unit to first-time users, but it’s a very simple system,” he says. “Once we label the channels properly, they simply press a button, turn up the volume, and go from there. It does all the basics, and will go as far as a musician wants to take it. Maybe it’s coincidence, but sessions have run a lot smoother since we started using the Aviom system. A lot of that has to do with eliminating a step where there has been or can be problems. What Aviom has done for us is given us a great-sounding, easy-to-use, quality product that achieves everything we want from a cue system. Studio A with its vintage API desk and Yamaha NS-10 nearfields: retro technology at its finest 14 | ProAudio Review | March 2008 Subscribe to the Digital Edition of Pro Audio Review http://www.proaudioreview.com/subscribe www.proaudioreview.com http://www.proaudioreview.com http://www.proaudioreview.com/subscribe

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ProAudio Review - March 2008

ProAudio Review - March 2008 Contents Publisher's Page Studio News and New Products Sennheiser MKH 8040 Microphone Digidesign Mbox 2 Micro Studio Spotlight Upsampler X/Audio Live News and New Products Touring Gear From the Road Broadcast News and New Products ION Audio Tape2PC Cassette Archiving System Brauner VMA Large-Diaphragm Microphone Audio Ltd. RMS 2040 Series Post News and New Products First Look NAB Showcase Buyers Guide Single Slice

ProAudio Review - March 2008

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