AES Partner News Blog

AES Show Spring 2021 will open its virtual doors May 25 – 28, and Iron Mountain Entertainment Services (IMES) is serving as one of the convention’s Platinum Partners. IMES will be contributing to the program with an informative panel, “Nurturing the Next Generation of Archivist Talent.” The session will include four members of the IMES team – Bethany Boarts, Imaging Project Manager at the IMES Boyers digital studio; Jen Greenwood, IMES UK Music Account Manager; Tom Holderness, IMES Junior Audio Engineer; and Alex Tomlin, IMES Senior Manager of Engineering for Western Europe – co-presenting “interview-style,” discussing their pathway, chosen field, and what future media archivists should do to prepare for the future of the discipline – all centered around the idea of stressing the importance of safely archiving our cultural heritage assets through music. The session will stream live at AESEurope.com on Friday, May 28, at 11am CEST / 10am GMT / 5am EDT and will be open to all virtual attendees of the convention. The session will last 60 minutes and will subsequently be available for post-event viewing on the dedicated AES Show Spring 2021 On Demand portal. Visit https://sched.co/jJKt for more information on the event, and visit IMES’s Platinum Partner page at https://www.aeseurope.com/partners/iron-mountain-entertainment-services/. 

More info on the panelists:

Bethany Boarts

Bethany Boarts is the Imaging Project Manager at IMES’s digital studio, based in Boyers, PA (USA) since 2004. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Photojournalism from The Pennsylvania State University in 2001. After college, she worked for the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, winning awards in Sports and Editorial Journalism, before joining the Iron Mountain Entertainment Services family. Bethany founded the Imaging Department for IMES – designing workflows, improving techniques, and crafting standard operating procedures in use today. She was recognized as Mountaineer of the Year in 2014, 2015 and 2017, and she prides herself on her communication skills and pronounced attention to detail. When she isn’t in the studio, she continues pursuing her art and photography by managing a successful photography business.

Jen Greenwood 

Jen Greenwood joined IMES as UK Music Account Manager in October 2020, after 20 years in A&R and artist management. Starting her career in music at the legendary Barfly venue in Camden Town as a Live Music Content Producer – recording live shows for webcast – she moved into A&R and Management at Simon Fuller’s 19 Entertainment, working on the Idol franchises in Europe and the USA, with artists including Kelly Clarkson, Will Young and members of the Spice Girls, as well as various other songwriters and producers.  Deciding to specialize in producer and songwriter management, Jen went onto 140dB to work with clients including Flood and Gil Norton on recording projects including PJ Harvey, Foo Fighters, Depeche Mode, Charli XCX and The Killers. Jen then set up her own writer/producer management company – successfully placing original compositions for TV advertising campaigns with global brands including Nike, Dick’s, Xbox and Apple and managing Ivor Novello Award-winning songwriter Steve Booker. Most recently at Disney Music Group, Jen was A&R Director for EMEA, working across Walt Disney franchises, TV, film and artist projects, including Frozen, Star Wars, Marvel, Disney Channel series, New Hope Club and Demi Lovato.

Tom Holderness

Tom Holderness is the Junior Audio Engineer at IMES, currently based at the Feltham studios, where he handles the digitization of legacy audio recordings. He recently graduated from SAE Institute Oxford back 2019 with a First Class BSc in Audio Production, where he worked with BBC Introducing artists Stone Cold Fiction, as well as recent Metal Hammer-featured band After Smoke Clears. Since university, Tom has also spent time assisting Air Studios and Shepperton Studios.

Alex Tomlin

Alex Tomlin leads the Engineering team and studio technology client solution development for IMES Western Europe. He is a client-focused manager, technologist, media engineer and archivist qualified in music technology with 20 years of experience in the entertainment business servicing the creative industries, particularly the music industry. Alex started working in the recording studio system in late 1990s in Manchester, England. He worked with Zomba Records archives at Inflight Studios in London, leading to global digitization projects with Sony Music, WMG, UMG and BMG. After Inflight was acquired by Bonded Services, he built the UK digital studios in the vaults. 

About Iron Mountain Entertainment Services

Iron Mountain Entertainment Services (IMES), the media and entertainment division of Iron Mountain Incorporated®, is the go-to physical and digital media archiving service for the media and entertainment industries. IMES partners with clients ranging from the broadcast, film, music and sports sectors to brand archives and individual artists' collections and estates, to protect and activate media archives to preserve our collective cultural heritage. A global leader in media preservation, restoration and archive management, IMES offers industry-leading archive, storage, chain-of-custody processes and physical and digital content preservation solutions  to ensure the complete protection of some of the world’s most treasured and iconic assets. Visit https://www.imes.media for more information.

About Iron Mountain

Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM), founded in 1951, is the global leader for storage and information management services. Trusted by more than 225,000 organizations around the world, and with a real estate network of more than 90 million square feet across more than 1,480 facilities in over 50 countries, Iron Mountain stores and protects billions of valued assets, including critical business information, highly sensitive data, and cultural and historical artifacts. Providing solutions that include information management, digital transformation, secure storage, secure destruction, as well as data centers, cloud services and art storage and logistics, Iron Mountain helps customers lower cost and risk, comply with regulations, recover from disaster, and enable a digital way of working. Visit http://www.ironmountain.com for more information. 

More Information

— The AES utilizes member expertise and resources to launch online AES Show to a worldwide cast of attendees and presenters eager to connect at the biggest pro audio event of the year —

Throughout the changes to the audio engineering industry in 2020, the Audio Engineering Society has persisted in forwarding its mission to promote advances in audio and disseminate new knowledge and research through its latest online interactive events and programs. Taking that mission further still, this year’s AES Show Fall 2020 Convention was organized and produced by a behind-the-scenes cast that fulfilled and exceeded the Society’s expectations, providing everything for the digital networking infrastructure that ported hundreds of livestreamed and on-demand sessions to a worldwide audience, and coordinating and scheduling sessions for hundreds of the top names in audio engineering and production, including presentations by GRAMMY®-winning producers, engineers and artists alongside leading professional audio researchers and innovators.

Delivering the AES Show to nearly 4,400 attendees worldwide over a full month of livestreamed events, various forms of on-demand content, and interactive live discussions and Q&A required a host of engineers, along with much appreciated help from the Central Sound team at Arizona PBS. Video and live feeds took over multiple control rooms at Central Sound for audio and video production, utilizing a variety of production software and services such as the Adobe Creative Suite, OBS, StreamYard, Source Elements, Rendezvous Conferencing, and Zoom, which were further switched and encoded via Wirecast for distribution on various platforms. Streamguys proved invaluable as the primary CDN and streaming solution partner for the live technical convention. “The logistics of funneling a worldwide audience the hundreds of sessions that make up an AES Convention across three websites were daunting,” said Central Sound at Arizona PBS Manager, Executive Producer and Engineer Alex Kosiorek, who headed up streaming and on-demand content delivery. “Our team of committed professionals rose to the occasion to ensure the success of a multi-faceted, complex online event.”

Bringing together the outstanding lineup of award-winning engineers, producers and entertainers for the AES Show’s Special Events series brought its own challenges yet resulted in a number of highlights for the thousands who logged on to catch inspirational and technical insights from some of the biggest names in the industry. From featured livestreamed events with FINNEAS, Jackson Browne and Friends, Imogen Heap, and the AES Show opening statement from New York State Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Hochul, to the Platinum Panels series, hosting top recording engineers, producers, and mastering engineers, a theme of connection and collaboration rang throughout AES Show 2020. Special Events Chair Lisa Roy commented, “More than ever, leading artists, engineers and producers were enthusiastic about supporting the AES Show and reaching out to their peers around the world, to share their knowledge and to share their message of us all working together to navigate these troubled times. Inspiration and insights were shared in abundance!” 

Once again, AES Show attendees were also treated to a series of AES Show TechTours, now in virtual form and dubbed “7 Audio Wonders of the World,” taking visitors to an international host of some of the most iconic studios around the globe. Featured tours included Skywalker Sound (Nicasio, CA), Galaxy Studios (Mol, Belgium), The Village Studios (Los Angeles, CA), Blackbird Studios (Nashville, TN), Abbey Road Studios (London, UK), United Recording Studios (Los Angeles, CA), and Capitol Studios (Los Angeles, CA), and included live Q&A sessions with studio hosts and talent. AES Show TechTours Chair John Krivit stated, “Unbound by the virtual nature of AES Show 2020, attendees had unparalleled insider access to world-leading facilities followed by engaging dialog with the staff and engineers who provide the environments for chart-topping creativity.” 

Exemplifying another highlight of AES Conventions was a series of open-session roundtable discussions that allowed attendees to log on and join in on a variety of topical conversations in virtual face-to-face chat rooms, moderated by AES Show organizers and industry experts. Topics included Hip-Hop and R&B, Immersive and Spatial Audio, Audio History, Networked Audio, Sound Reinforcement, Game Audio and XR, Immersive Music, and an Audio Builders Workshop session. AES Show Sound Reinforcement Track Chair and Historical Track Co-Chair Dan Mortensen, who also hosted several of the discussion, commented, “People were so eager to reconnect with their peers and mentors, particularly enjoying getting ‘face-time’ with special guests like legendary Woodstock engineer Bill Hanley, who not only stopped in but graciously went overtime to continue the conversation. My AES Section (Pacific Northwest) has discovered that one of the few upsides of these times is the easy ability to very personally network in real time with people who are sitting literally anywhere in the world and share our mutual love of audio on an ongoing basis. These roundtable discussions showed that this capability is translatable to a full-sized Convention.”

Adding to the value and accessibility of the AES Show Fall 2020 Convention, all presentations will remain online and open to registered attendees through November 30, with additional Partner Showcase exhibitions and virtual booths remaining open through December 18. Showcase registration is free for AES Members, while non-members can register for just $25, or for free with a VIP promo code from one of the AES Show Partners (special thanks to AES Show Fall 2020 Convention Platinum Partners Amazon Devices, Focusrite, Focusrite Pro, Genelec, NTP Technology [DAD, Penta], and The Recording Academy Producers and Engineers Wing). For everything AES Show 2020 has to offer, including the comprehensive Technical Program, All Access Registration is still available, starting at just $149 for AES Members and $99 for AES Student Members.

Register Now at AESShow.com. 

AES Show Partner Message:

Austrian Audio has been announced as a nominee for the 36th Annual NAMM Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Awards in the category of Outstanding Technical Achievement. Presented by The NAMM Foundation, The NAMM TEC Awards are bestowed annually in celebration of the pro audio community by recognizing the individuals, companies and technical innovations behind today’s sound recordings, live performances, films, television, video games and

other media.

“We are excited and honored to be among the nominees,” said Martin Seidl, CEO, at Austrian Audio. “I

am proud of our team who managed to develop truly innovative technology, like our unique ceramic

capsule design or our proprietary Hi-X drivers.”

The nomination announcement follows a four-month call for entries of standout technical and creative

products and projects that have made a significant impact on modern sound and music. A panel of

respected industry voters from pro audio publications as well as members of professional music,

technical and creative organizations, along with select NAMM members carefully evaluated each entry

before selecting the Austrian Audio large-diaphragm condenser microphone OC818 and the

professional over-ear headphones Hi-X55 for the nomination.

Handmade in Vienna, the OC818 is a multi-pattern dual-output Large-diaphragm condenser

microphone equipped with a world-first: optional wireless control. Its unique design and outstanding

sonics, combined with new wireless control technologies offering highly optimised workflows, has

garnered the OC818 five-star reviews from all over the world in its first three months on the market.

The professional over-ear Hi-X (High Excursion) headphones are of the same “Made in Austria” quality

from a team that stands behind the all-new design. The proprietary high excursion drivers make these

comfortable headphones the go-to choice for all music professionals who crave high-quality sound and

stable construction.

The NAMM TEC Awards will be held in January 2021 in conjunction with Believe in Music Week, the

global, online gathering to unite and support the people who bring music to the world. Learn more

about the TEC Awards at www.tecawards.org .

MEDIA CONTACT:

Music Marcom

Martina McConnon

email: [email protected]

ABOUT AUSTRIAN AUDIO

Austrian Audio opened its doors in 2017 following the closure of the AKG offices in Vienna and set out to

create something new, challenging, and respectful to its heritage. The new company started with a

core team of previous AKG personnel from management, acoustics, electronics, test and

measurement, mechanical design, RF/wireless and software/firmware, bringing 350 years of cumulative

engineering experience to the new company. More information at https://austrian.audio/

A Message from AES Show Partner API:

Since singer songwriter Cowboy Jack Clement opened his studio in Nashville in 1969, Sound Emporium has been making history and creating magic. Now, the original Studio A is set for a new era of groundbreaking recording with the installation of a 48-channel API Legacy AXS console.

Owned today by Lipscomb University, Sound Emporium – which started life as Jack Clement Recording Studios – was the first of its kind in Nashville. Over the years, Studio A has hosted iconic sessions by countless artists, from Todd Rundgren in the opening week to Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand, Shania Twain and Kenny Chesney. Movie work includes T Bone Burnett’s soundtrack for the Coen Brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou?as well as Smokey and the Bandit, Walk The Line and Cold Mountain, while the facility has grown to encompass four studios.

A 48-channel API Legacy Plus console was installed into Studio B several years ago, and the client demand this has created was part of the decision to replace the console in Studio A with a new API Legacy AXS, according to Mike Stankiewicz, chief engineer of the Sound Emporium.

“When we were ready to update something as large and critical as a new console, we knew we would absolutely need to have client approval,” he explains. “An obvious choice for everyone at Sound Emporium was API, after the Legacy Plus that we put into the B room in 2014 completely transformed that room. Our clients were hard pressed to think of a more fitting option than a second API console – it's the heartbeat and core sonic stamp of such a legendary room.” 

Sound Emporium’s 98% booking and occupancy rate is in no small part due to president/COO/general manager Juanita Copeland, who’s worked in Nashville since joining Mercury Records three decades ago, clocking up 25 years within the walls of Sound Emporium. The studio’s enviable occupancy rate allows for virtually no down time, and the API gives Sound Emporium the confidence it needs to operate seamlessly and flawlessly. “Time is money in our world, and that is why it’s so important to have the best gear and staff to tend to issues quickly when they arise,” says Copeland. “We have a great relationship with Lipscomb and they have committed to preserving our history and allowing us to continue as a commercial facility. They have been true to their word of preserving our legacy, especially by stepping up and purchasing the API Legacy AXS for us to install into our crown jewel Studio A control room.” 

“Even though the university doesn’t have a true audio program, it does have a commercial music department and a college of entertainment and art that has a very robust ‘entrepreneurial artist’ program that will allow students to learn in a real world environment – which is priceless.”

While recording moved into the digital era long ago, Stankiewicz is keen to point out that Nashville is a musicians’ town, with analog recording thriving. “Although there’s no shortage of electronic and pop music made here, we still record bands; it's what Nashville has always been about,” he says. “We're in a digital age, but computers still have limitations. Who doesn't want to carve their sound on the front end, push up faders and get inspired while recording? It's thrilling for everyone who sits down in front of the API console to work. I've found there to be a lot of gear that can be replicated ‘in the box’ very well these days. One thing that has proven this wrong is the sound of the Legacy AXS console. If you compare a mix split out and summed through the desk to the same balance in a DAW, it leaves a lot to be desired. That just isn't true for every board or piece of gear these days. The Legacy AXS is special and just sounds stunning!”

“We are so excited to welcome Sound Emporium Studios to our API family,” says API director of engineering, Todd Humora. "It is great that our AXS console is able to help continue the literally 50-plus years of music history in Studio A. I wish I could be a fly on the wall to see the amazing music that the engineers will be creating through the console.”

Fifty years after it opened, Sound Emporium’s original Studio A is equipped to move forward into the next era. Cowboy Jack, inducted into the Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 1973 and whose songs were recorded by Ray Charles, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves, Jerry Lee Lewis, Cliff Richards and many more, would be proud that the studio he founded is still mirroring his stratospheric success.  

[This article provided by API which is solely responsible for its content.]

Audio-Technica is offering four new bundles targeted for content creators, including podcasters, videographers, live-streamers, YouTubers, and beyond. Developed in direct response to customer input, these “highly cost-effective” bundles provide turnkey microphone/headphone solutions for all aspects of content creation. Two bundles feature USB outputs to directly connect with computers, while two feature XLR outputs for more flexibility to connect with professional mixers or digital interfaces. All bundles feature a microphone with mount, ATH-M20x Professional Monitor Headphones and a new custom boom arm with desk mount. The boom arms are pre-threaded with a USB or XLR microphone cable compatible with the included microphone for a “sleek, clutter-free” appearance.

The AT2005USBPK bundle includes an AT2005USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone with ATH-M20x headphones and custom boom arm. The AT2020PK bundle includes an AT2020 Cardioid Condenser Microphone, ATH-M20x headphones and custom boom arm. The AT2020USB+PK bundle includes an AT2020USB+ Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone, ATH-M20x headphones and custom boom arm. The AT2035PK bundle includes an AT2035 Cardioid Condenser Microphone, ATH-M20x headphones, custom boom arm and shock mount.

Gary Boss, Audio-Technica Marketing Director, Professional Markets, remarks, “All four of these bundles offer a high level of value, with microphone models that have proven to be a hit with all manner of content creators in recent years. Whether your setup uses a separate digital interface or if you prefer to connect the mic direct via USB, we have you covered with these cost-effective bundles.”

These four content creation bundles will be available fall 2018 with U.S. street pricing from

$129 to $199.

<style type="text/css"> </style> For more information, visit www.audio-technica.com.

<style type="text/css"> Audio-Technica is offering four new bundles targeted for content creators, including podcasters, videographers, live-streamers, YouTubers, and beyond. Developed in direct response to customer input, these "highly cost-effective" bundles provide turnkey microphone/headphone solutions for all aspects of content creation. Two bundles feature USB outputs to directly connect with computers, while two feature XLR outputs for more flexibility to connect with professional mixers or digital interfaces. All bundles feature a microphone with mount, ATH-M20x Professional Monitor Headphones and a new custom boom arm with desk mount. The boom arms are pre-threaded with a USB or XLR microphone cable compatible with the included microphone for a "sleek, clutter-free" appearance.</style>

At AES New York 2018, Neutrik is featuring its NA2- IO-DLINE Line I/O Dante Interface. A two-in/ two-out device, the NA2-IO-DLINE simultaneously converts analog signals to Dante and Dante signals to analog. Genuine Neutrik input and output XLRs, along with a locking ether-CON connector, provide professional-level connectivity. Four LED indicators provide network status as well as Dante SYS and SYNC status. The NA2-IODLINE is offered as an interface solution for everything from installed AV applications to the most challenging stage conditions. For versatility in use, the unit’s rubber protection can be removed and optional mounting brackets and rackmount panels are available for attaching the NA2-IO-DLINE to floors, walls, tables or racks.

The new NA2-IO-DLINE has the ability to transmit signals up to 100 meters (328 feet) via CAT5e cable and functions with nearly any network switch that provides Power over Ethernet (or with power provided by employing a PoE injector). Creating and saving routing configurations is said to be quick and easy using Audinate’s free Dante Controller software. The NA2-IO-DLINE is AES67 compliant.

Focusrite is demonstrating its entire product range at exhibition booth 632 at AES New York 2018 and highlighting key target customers for whom Focusrite products are paramount, including podcasters, studio owners, musicians and more. These solutions include Scarlett, Clarett, and OctoPre interfaces from the Focusrite brand, as well as Red and RedNet ranges of modular AoIP interfaces, which together make up the Focusrite Pro division.

A dedication to designing and manufacturing class-leading audio interfaces for every music and audio production sector is cited by Focusrite as making the company “the number-one interface brand in the world”. Behind their commitment to being “The Interface Company” stands over 30 years of experience in creating high-quality audio products for creative minds.

Benefiting the attendees from the neighboring NAB show, as well as the high volume of broadcast attendees at AES, Focusrite Pro will be presenting setups engineered to improve the workflow of the Broadcast community, while showing the benefits of a Dante™-enabled modular system to Educators and Engineers.

Studio owners, guitarists, singer-songwriters and podcasters can experience tailor-made setups at the Focusrite booth that demonstrate how the company believes that the I/O options, sound and build quality, operation and performance of Focusrite interfaces will help these customers capture their best sound and performance.

Product and system specialists from both Focusrite and Focusrite Pro will be on hand to aid show attendees in finding which interface fits their needs, regardless of whether they are just starting out or a seasoned professional. 

Dan Dugan Sound Design Inc. is showing the new Model E-2A, an automatic microphone mixing controller with analog and ADAT I/O. The E-2A incorporates 28 channels of processing (12 balanced analog plus 16 ADAT) and supports all Dugan algorithms: Speech System, Music System and Gain Limiting. Channels may be grouped into three independent automixers. A six bus pre/post matrix mixer is also provided, with 56 x 6 capability. Four switched Ethernet ports are available for control. A bright OLED front panel enables setup directly from the device. The Model E-2A may be controlled remotely via the Dugan Control Panel for Java (included) or the Dugan Control Panel for iPad (sold separately); tactile remote control is available via the Dugan Model K Control Surface, also sold separately. This model replaces the Dugan Model E-2, which was Dugan’s prior top-of-the-line analog mixer.

Audionamix is showcasing its range of audio separation solutions for music production, pro audio and post-production, as part of the Avid Partner Pavilion at AES NY 2018. Audionamix is introducing dramatic improvements to its XTRAX STEMS software at the show. The company will also have its new IDC: Instant Dialogue Cleaner plug-in on display.

XTRAX STEMS is software designed to improve the workflows and creative processes of DJs, remix artists and producers looking to separate songs into vocal, drum, and remaining music components for easy sampling and remixing. XTRAX STEMS 2, which is scheduled to be released this month, will be powered by faster, more advanced vocal and drum separation algorithms. Audionamix states that the IDC: Instant Dialogue Cleaner plugin uses deep neural network (DNN) artificial intelligence to automatically clean up speech, with a “unique and effective” dialogue cleaning technology controlled an” intuitive interface”, offering “powerful cleanup with the turn of a knob.”