A Round Up of some of our favourite blog posts and videos from 2022
As another year comes to a close, we look back at some of our favourite product news and user stories from the past 12 months.
A huge thank you to all of brands, partners and customers for a fantastic 2022!
New Product Launches
Dynaudio appoints Synthax Audio UK as Distributor for UK and Ireland
In September 2022 we were delighted to be appointed as Dynaudio’s exclusive PRO distributor for the UK and Ireland.
Renowned for producing high-quality speakers across the home, installation, automotive and professional audio industries, Dynaudio studio monitors can be found in thousands of home and pro studios around the globe, and we’re super excited to be involved with another iconic pro audio brand.
Ferrofish announces A32pro & A32 pro Dante
Ferrofish unveiled their next-generation successors to their popular A32 and A32 Dante – the A32pro and A32pro Dante.
The latest in a long line of multi-channel audio converters, With a host of new features and additional monitor controls, the A32pro and A32pro Dante are Ferrofish's most accomplished AD/DA converters to date.
RME launches 12Mic-D with Dante at NAMM 2022
RME introduced a new version of the 12Mic featuring Audinate's popular networking format Dante.
Offering an alternative to the AVB-based original model, the 12Mic-D is a high-end network-capable preamp offering 12 channels of transparent, ultra-clean audio capture designed for high-end recording studios and location music recordists.
RME and DirectOut announce the Digiface Ravenna at IBC 2022
RME and DirectOut announced they've teamed up on a new interface designed for the broadcast market.
Combining DirectOut's vast knowledge of the Ravenna format with RME's extensive driver stability and routing flexibility, the Digiface Ravenna is scheduled for release sometime in Q1 2023.
User Stories & Videos
Recording live music for feature films with Victor Chaga, RME and DirectOut
Victor Chaga is a composer, recording engineer and on-set music editor who works primarily in the film industry. Originally from St. Petersburg, Victor studied music and engineering in Chicago before moving to California, working alongside some of the top composers in Hollywood. He currently resides in the UK, operating mostly out of Pinewood Studios and specialising in live, on-set music recording and playback.
A long-time user of RME Audio interfaces and converters, we sat down with Victor for a lengthy chat about his career, and to find out more about a recent recording venture to the beaches of Sardinia for an upcoming feature film, with a rig that also featured the DirectOut Prodigy Series.
Recording with Ben ‘Faz’ Farestvedt at Damage Audio Studios
Ben ‘Faz’ Farestvedt is a producer and mix engineer who runs the Damage Audio studio in Bedford. Having started out as a touring musician and FOH engineer, these days he spends most of his time in the studio, producing and engineering long-standing artists such as The Blockheads (Ian Dury) & Tomirae Brown (James Brown Band), as well as helping to develop and build the careers of newer names such as Don Broco, Sarpa Salpa, The Scruff and Low Girl.
As part of a major refurbishment to his recording space, Faz recently upgraded his main recording rig to an RME HDSPe MADI FX, and we were keen to get his thoughts about RME’s triple-MADI PCIe sound card – including how it’s allowed him to completely swap out his console, with a recording workflow now solely based around RME’s TotalMix FX software mixer (and an ARC USB for monitor control).
Location Recording with Anthony Leung (Ed Sheeran, Holly Humberstone)
Anthony Leung is a Sound Engineer, Sound Recordist and Playback Operator working out of The Crypt Studios in North London. From working with Ed Sheeran and "one-shot" live music videos for Holly Humberstone, to live show recordings with Foals and The National, Anthony has been involved with some of the biggest names in the music industry.
We sat down with Anthony to discuss his path to location recording, his love for RME gear, and how the Ferrofish Pulse 16 MX and MADIface XT fit into The Crypt's 360 Reality Audio work with Sony.
Turning a house into a Recording Studio with Strange Pill
Audio-Visual artists Ben Hardy and Zahara Muñoz-Vicens have been embracing the analogue and digital realms together since 2009.
Primarily working under the name Strange Pill, the duo combines music and field recordings with video and other technologies to create experimental mixed-media collages, blurring the lines between musical performance and interactive art show.
We caught up with Strange Pill in their London home to find out more about their latest project – turning their entire house into a recording studio – with a recording setup that includes the RME 12Mic and the Ferrofish Pulse 16 MX.
DirectOut PRODIGYs shine at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022
Broadcast in over 50 countries, Eurovision remains one of the most popular televised events of the year, with an estimated 200 million tuning in for 2022.
This year’s performances included winners Kalush Orchestra of Ukraine, as well as the U.K.’s own Sam Ryder who finished second with his song ‘Spaceman’.
A huge part of the show’s audio infrastructure was built around DirectOut’s modular Prodigy Series, with a large number of units deployed throughout the system, providing a seamless integration between multiple disciplines within the production – FOH, Monitoring, Playback, Patch Rooms and Broadcast.
Recording the Royal Albert Hall’s Grand Organ
One of the world’s most iconic instruments, the Grand Organ at the Royal Albert Hall certainly lives up to its name. 65ft wide and 70ft high, the instrument weighs around 150 tonnes.
And whilst the Covid-19 lockdown was an uncertain time for live music venues across the country, one positive to arise from the Hall’s temporary closure was the opportunity to create an official sample library for the Grand Organ, endorsed by the RAH itself.
Co-engineering the project (along with chief engineer Oli Jacobs of Real World Studios) was mobile recording engineer Chris Kalcov, who alongside composer James Everingham, kindly gave us a window into this historic recording.
Snarky Puppy Uses 26 Lauten Audio Mics on New Album “Empire Central”
Released in the Autumn of 2022, Snarky Puppy’s album “Empire Central” is a return-to-roots masterpiece, tracked fully-live in front of a studio audience.
Tasked with capturing 19 musicians simultaneously, recording and mix engineer Nic Hard chose to record the group’s 14th album with 26 Lauten Audio microphones.
Beardyman chooses RME Fireface UCX II for his live touring rig
Darren Foreman is a London-based beatboxer, singer, rapper and voice artist who performs under the stage name Beardyman.
A sonic innovator with a keen interest in new music technologies, Beardyman’s unforgettable live performances combine his own wide-ranging vocal talents with live looping, visuals, and even live sampling of the audience itself.
We sat down with the man behind the beard to chat about his recording setup, his ventures into live-streaming during the lockdown, and why RME audio interfaces are crucial to his live performances.
Ravensbourne University upgrades to Calrec Brio broadcast console
Located next to the iconic O2 venue, Ravensbourne University London offers a wide range of practically focused digital media and design courses, from pre-degree and foundation level, to undergraduate and postgraduate, as well as a variety of professional short courses.
With the addition of a Calrec Brio 36 broadcast console (and Hydra2 network) to its studios, Ravensbourne is providing students with the opportunity to hone their audio mixing skills on an industry-standard mixing desk, used in professional broadcast applications worldwide.
The Mixbus: Mixing Live-to-Cinema with Conrad Fletcher & Chris Kalcov
The MixBus is a large-format location recording vehicle, designed to produce up to 5.1 audio from a mobile critical listening environment. The MixBus has provided audio for shows on broadcasters like the BBC and ITV, as well as many state events, including royal weddings and funerals.
Parked outside the National Theatre preparing to record another edition of National Theatre Live, we sat down with Sound Supervisor Conrad Fletcher and Sound Guarantee Chris Kalcov to talk about the pressures of recording Live-to-Cinema events, the evolution of the Mixbus, and the important role of RME, Ferrofish and Appsys devices in their large-format location recording vehicle.
Tutorials
Calrec releases Audio over IP Primer Series (AoIP)
Knowledge of AoIP systems is a valuable skill for audio engineers looking to remain flexible and up to date with the latest developments.
With this in mind, Calrec is keen to help its customers maintain and develop their technical expertise, most notably with the establishment of the Calrec Sound Institute in August 2020. Providing easy access to a number of free resources, in 2022 Calrec added their IP Primer, an 8 part introduction to the technical aspects of AoIP.
Synthax Explains Videos Series - Recording Studio Hardware Explained
Synthax Explains is our video tutorial series where we break down some of the terminology you’re likely to come across in sound engineering, music recording and audio production.
Covering topics like "What is an audio interface" and "What is a microphone preamplifier", we also explain the differences between some of the many professional audio devices we supply from our brands like RME, Ferrofish, Calrec, Appsys and DirectOut.
An introduction to Dynaudio’s BM Classic series of Studio Monitors
Not a tutorial as such, but we thought it would be worthwhile to put together an introduction to Dynaudio's BM Classic series of studio monitors. Alongside Dynaudio's updated LYD Series (and the high-end Core Series), Dynaudio BMs remain popular with engineers who prefer a more traditional sound from their monitor.
Watch our overview video for an introduction to the current models offered by Dynaudio under the “BM Classic” label.
Product Reviews
“There is simply nothing not to like about this microphone”
Headliner Magazine’s Paul Watson puts Lauten Audio’s flagship Eden LT-386 microphone through its paces on a recording session with UK rock band Fuzz Skyler.
Part of Lauten Audio’s Signature Series, the Eden is a large-diaphragm, valve condenser microphone described as “three microphones in one”, with Lauten’s Multi-Voicing technology providing three different microphone “voices” at the flip of a switch.
Over to you, 2023…
So that’s it for 2022 – once again a massive thanks to all of our customers, brands and partners, we wouldn’t be here without you. Best wishes for the holidays and we look forward to seeing even more of you in 2023.
If you’d like to know more about any of the pro audio solutions produced by RME, Ferrofish, Calrec, Dynaudio, DirectOut, Appsys ProAudio or Lauten Audio, give us a call on 01727 821 870 to speak to one of our team or to arrange a demo.
You can also contact us here.