THE ROYALWelsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff has recently purchased a Roland M-480 digital console as part of ongoing refurbishment plans. In June 2011 the college opened its doors to new £22.5 million facilities, including the 180-seat Richard Burton Theatre and the 400-seat Dora Stoutzker Hall (with acoustic design by BFLS). A recording studio was also built to support the concert hall, which can be patched into all the new rehearsal and performance spaces. Supplied by Reading-based
AV hire and sales specialists SFL Group, the M-480 joins an M-400 digital console along with an extensive stock of digital
Odilon Marcenaro gets creative with the M-480
snakes including S-1608 stage units, S-0816 FOH units and a pair of S-0808 8 x 8 I/O units. Lecturer in creative music Odilon Marcenaro commented: “The M-480 is a lovely desk with a small footprint, just stick in a cable and ‘hey presto’ you have 40 channels of input – the ease of use is phenomenal.” www.rolandsystemsgroup.eu
The Istanbul facility is built around SSL consoles
UNITED KINGDOM CARIBBEAN
Germany’s Ambient Recording used a Sound Devices 788T to capture the sounds of the sea, creating a specific underwater housing (SD-UW) for the recorder. The Cannon Crackers of the Pistol Shrimp – the first commercial documentary to feature underwater surround sound –was recorded offshore from the Caribbean island of
Bonaire. Pistol shrimp are one of the loudest animals on the planet; the snapping sound from their claws can reach up to 218dB. Four Ambient TC4042 hydrophones, three TC4013S hydrophones and one TC4032 hydrophone were used with the 788T to capture the ocean’s noises. www.ambient.dewww.sounddevices.com
Professional Loudspeakers Precision Engineered by Celestion
TURKEY
Studio Marsandiz makes a move to Pro Tools HD 10
By Erica Basnicki
Turkish recording facility Studio Marsandiz has installed an Avid Pro Tools HD 10 suite in its Istanbul facility. “We need to follow the latest technology to give our customers the highest performance possible,” said studio co-ordinator Muge Arikan. “Also Pro Tools HD 10 gives you more than you get from other versions, and I have to say we do not think that anything is better.” Marsandiz has been at the heart of the Turkish music industry for nearly 37 years and
recently completed a BBC Persian recording with Iranian vocalist Parisa Arsalani and renowned Azerbaijani musician Alihan Samedov. Marsandiz is built around SSL 4040 G+ and SSL 4048 G+ consoles, the latter being one of only two available in Turkey. Arikan said the upgrade to Pro Tools HD 10 has made for a marked improvement in both the quality of their work, and workflow: “We are able to mix multiple audio file formats and bit depths within the same session, which is great.” www.avid.comwww.marsandiz.com
Celestion compression drivers deliver the high frequencies in many of the world’s leading sound reinforcement systems.