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16 l June 2013


www.psneurope.com SOUNDBITES Studio WORLD


French plug-in developer Audiogaminghas released its fourth procedural audio tool, AudioSteps. The plug-in is based on the company’s real-time audio manipulation engine, and features a library of over 100,000 high- definition recorded files, allowing sound designers to create realistic footstep sounds without the need for additional recording. AudioWind, one of the company’s first plug-ins, was recently used by Djangosound designer Harry Cohen. www.audiogaming.net


UK indie-rock band Hard-Fi has upgraded its Cherry Lips studio (a former taxi cab office) with an AudientASP4816 console. The band first used it to record a cover of Quick Joey Small – originally a ’60s hit for Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus. “It is straightforward, easy to use and sounds great – and we have really noticed that,” said vocalist and guitarist Richard Archer. The band will be using the new Audient ASP4816 to record the follow-up to its UK top 10 album,Killer Sounds. www.audient.com


New Jersey-based mixing/ mastering engineer Dave McNair recently lent his expertise to David Bowie’s 24th studio album, The Next Day, taking particular advantage of the Sonnox Fraunhofer Pro-Codec. “It’s become invaluable in previewing various codecs on the mastered higher resolution files for clients who will be making MP3s or lower resolution files for digital distribution,” he said. www.sonnox.com


Recording engineer/producer Bruce Botnick recorded the orchestral score of Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacherwith five Sanken CO-100K microphones. The condenser mic features a 20Hz- 100kHz frequency range, and according to the company, is the world’s first 100kHz microphone designed specifically for professional recording. For Jack Reacher, Botnick utilised a Decca Tree arrangement with three CO- 100Ks and two additional Sanken mics for the surround. www.sanken-mic.com


Digital Village German deal met with questions


As UK retailer closes branches and shifts operation to Cologne, industry body asks if correct procedures were followed, writes Erica Basnicki


ON 10 MAY,White Rabbit Records Limited, the parent of audio equipment retailer Digital Village, went into administration and had its business and assets taken over by a new company (DV247) owned by Cologne-based Music Store director Michael Sauer. The story has been covered extensively by PSNEurope sister-title MI Pro.


UNITED KINGDOM An Extreme build for White Mark By Erica Basnicki


EXTREME MUSIC, the worldwide production music division of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, recently moved out from its parent company’s Golden Square facilities in London and into a multi-use office building in Market Place near Oxford Street. The move also included an


investment of approximately £300,000 (€355,000) in two new mastering suites, and three audio editing suites designed and built by studio specialists White Mark. Additional investment included a Sterling Modular Desk, a Bryston 4B SST2 amp, a second custom workdesk by AKA design, an Ardis DDP12D audio server, a Universal Audio Apollo interface and a pair of PMC IB1S-A monitors. Creating suitable and properly


isolated studio spaces within an office building saw White Mark managing director David Bell grapple with a few challenges:


That same morning, seven of Digital Village’s eight retail branches closed. Finance specialist Grant Thornton UK’s Adam Mitchell confirmed that his firm had been appointed administrator for White Rabbit. According to the ‘Dig Vig’s’ DV247.com website, new arrangements were already in place as it proclaimed: “Today we’re much bigger and better.”


The following day, MI Pro


reported that Mark Thompson, managing director of pro-audio supplier Funky Junk, wrote on his blog that he was extremely critical of the motives behind the company’s ‘pre-pack’ administration, defined in the UK as “an arrangement under which the sale of all or part of a company’s business […] is negotiated with a purchaser prior to the appointment of an administrator, and the administrator effects the sale immediately on, or shortly after, his appointment”.


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Subsequently, the Music Industries Association (MIA) called into question the legality of the deal. In a statement, the trade body raised several concerns, including that “the DV website had been managed by the purchaser prior to the company going out of business/ceasing to trade. This would seem to be contrary to best practice and possibly illegal.” The MIA says it is awaiting the SIP16 report from the administrator to confirm that the pre-pack arrangement was carried out on a valid basis. The MIA is also supporting the 31 Digital Village employees who were made redundant following the store closures. Music retailer Absolute Music has signed on eight ex-employees to act as a new nationwide sales force. At press time, further news


was expected. n www.dv247.com


In order to satisfy himself


that the completed studios wouldn’t disturb the offices around him, Extreme Music’s VP Dan Pounder put on “loud, filthy dubstep” in one of the mastering studios, and then introduced himself both upstairs and downstairs. “They didn’t know that we


were making as much noise as possible. I came back to our floor and I thought Nick (Cooke, mastering engineer) had switched the music off. Then I opened the doors and went in and – oh, wow, it’s still on. That’s just perfect.” Cooke, who took an active


role in the build process, is thrilled with his new space, and the completed audio suites in general. “You go around Soho, and


Extreme Music’s Dan Founder and Nick Cooke in Mastering Suite 1


“London buildings are designed as offices, not as studios, so the height is difficult, getting the air conditioning to work is quite difficult and meeting the


expectation of landlords is quite tough as well: they are happy to have their buildings used as offices but if you say ‘studio’ they get quite worked up.”


you look at all the post production houses and studios there, and (White Mark) has done most of them,” he said. “We’re in a big mixed-purpose building and we can’t upset anyone around us, and they just know how to work with these buildings.”n www.extrememusic.com www.whitemark.com


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