How did you initially start out in this business?

After graduating from Huddersfield Uni, I got my first job at British Grove Studios in west London as a runner/assistant. A friend of mine called Rich Cooper, who has gone on to become a brilliant producer, worked there at the time and enabled me to get my foot in the door.

British Grove is a big studio but it has a family feel. You get thrown in the deep end quite quickly there and you’re not just waiting for someone to quit to get your big break, which may be the case at some of the other big studios and institutes. It was just me and Rich as the two assistants for the first couple of years so a lot of the work came straight to us. It’s definitely a great place to learn and the equipment there is amazing.

There’s also a lot of variety in the work, so it’s great for someone new who is unsure about what they want to specialise in as the opportunities come thick and fast. It was a great education for me to observe some of the top producers and engineers at work there.

So when did you receive your ‘big break’ and how do you think you have you managed to get so far at such a young age?

Getting my foot in the door at British Grove in the first place was great, but my big break came after I had been working there for five or six years when Ellie Goulding booked in. I ended up engineering the session and we’ve worked together ever since – I just happened to be the guy there on the day and it turned into a fantastic opportunity because I do production, mixing and sometimes even writing with her now.

I have British Grove to thank for getting me started in the industry but I have also been super determined and very career driven. I find I’m quite good at keeping in touch with clients and their management after a job. The networking side is sometimes overlooked I think by engineers and mixers – some people forget that it is still a human industry and that you need to keep good relationships going, as well as doing a good job.

You’ve worked with some big names in pop. Do you have any particular highlights?

I pretty much do pop music exclusively now. I like working with Ellie because she does things a little bit left of centre so it’s more experimental and interesting. I’ve also enjoyed doing a lot of mixing and vocal production for Little Mix and have worked with Hurts. I really enjoyed working with Kasabian on Velociraptor and 48:13 too.

Could you tell us about the setup at your own studio? 

Now I’m working freelance it’s up to me how much work I take on, which is great but it’s also quite daunting as you have to really keep yourself occupied and stay proactive. When you’re in-house there’s a list of things that need to be done for someone else. In that respect, it’s nice being part of a bigger team, but when you’ve got an idea it’s sometimes a bit nerve-wracking to show it to a group when it’s not yet fully realised.

My setup is very humble. It’s based around a Pro Tools HD system and is basically a small programming mix room. There’s some nice pres and a few bits of outboard here but I tend to not use those so much as the workflow’s 98% in the box for me. It all comes down to convenience because of how you need to be with recalls – when you’re on three or four projects at once and you need to be bouncing between mixes and productions, there isn’t time to be recalling stuff so having everything there in front of you makes the process much easier.

I use a [Avid] D-Command as a main control surface and for monitoring I use ProAc Studio 100s, which I really like. With regard to plug-ins, Soundtoys is my favourite in terms of making things sound fun. My go-to EQ for everything is the FabFilter Pro-Q 2 and the Valhalla reverb is a favourite of mine as well. I also like the Waves Andrew Scheps 1073 EQ. The top end on it is really good and it sounds really musical and smooth.

How important is it to be versatile in terms of the type of work you are able to take on?

I did some film scoring work while I was at British Grove but haven’t done much since leaving – the versatility in my CV as it were stems from there. Since going freelance I’ve specialised a lot more in the pop vocal work. I do enjoy being varied though because it keeps projects fresh and interesting. I’ve had a bit of free time to concentrate more on writing, which I really like doing, especially with people who have the same kind of ideas and who you can get on a level with. From a technical standpoint, I like all different aspects of the job and the whole process. For example I enjoy the solidarity of mixing alone without someone on your shoulder, when it’s just you and the music but equally I love being in a room with two or three other writers working on a new track. I try to keep my diary full with a variety of sessions to keep it interesting.

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Former Metropolis, Strongroom Studios and Air Studios engineer, Matt Ward, has joined Jigsaw24 as the company’s new head of audio.

As well as having worked as an engineering lead for some of London’s most successful audio and post facilities, Ward is a fully paid-up member of the AES, IEEE, SMPTE and IET, and has worked on projects as diverse as moving ITV’s post department to MediaCityUK, setting up Dolby Atmos certified mixing and QC rooms, and building audio facilities from the ground up, taking care of everything from wiring to helping with acoustic specifications.

“People have always known us as an Avid supplier and a fantastic technical support resource, but I want people to know they can rely on Jigsaw24 for long-term audio advice, and to take responsibility for complete solutions that work, not just providing equipment,” said Ward. “The audio and post-production landscape is changing, and we have a team that’s able to help people navigate those changes and implement new solutions, whether that’s getting to grips with audio over IP, dealing with 3D sound mixes, or implementing shared storage and other infrastructure.

“Our focus now is very much on asking engineers what they want to achieve, and helping them get there, whatever is required,” he added. “We’re here to bridge the gap between manufacturers and end users, making sure all our clients have the integration and technical advice they need to keep their business ahead of the curve.

“If you need hardware at the eleventh hour, we can still help with that. But we can also help your head engineer figure out how they’re going to support you over the next five years of expansion.”

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Acoustic consultancy White Mark has helped Pixelogic transform a former office building in London’s West End into a state of the art facility for content localisation and distribution.

Working closely with Laurence Claydon, Pixelogic’s technical consultant and programme manager, White Mark has designed and installed five Dolby Atmos approved sound mixing and screening theatres, each of which supports a variety of immersive audio formats and is equipped with the latest laser projector technology for 4K and HDR.

Pixelogic’s London premises underwent an intense period of redevelopment to create the new facilities. This entailed completely reconfiguring the interior space to make room for the theatres (three large and two small), plus two recording booths for ADR work. There is also room for a sixth theatre, which will open later this year.

The three larger theatres are equipped with Avid Pro Tools systems and JBL monitoring (32, 30 and 28 channels respectively) and all five theatres are networked using the latest Dante technology.

With additional screening facilities in California, Pixelogic provides localisation and distribution services to film studios, broadcasters and digital retailers. Pixelogic’s London facility provides subtitling, foreign language dubbing, access services, text and metadata translation, audio services including mixing, graphics design and versioning, digital cinema mastering and key fulfilment, post-theatrical distribution mastering, compression and authoring for physical media formats, transcoding and packaging for digital distribution products, and archive mastering.

Since its formation in 1997, White Mark has designed and supervised the construction of over 600 audio facilities for music, film and TV post-production clients worldwide, including over 50 companies in London’s Soho.

“This project saw White Mark devising layouts within a challengingly shaped building that would allow the required number of technical spaces to be developed, meeting the high standards of performance that are expected both by our clients and by the Atmos specification,” said David Bell, managing director of White Mark. “Our increasing experience with the general architecture of large developments, together with our long history of working with Laurence, helped us to incorporate the necessary rooms into a facility that flows well throughout the building. We are particularly happy with the performance of the finished suites, with acoustic responses that translate superbly to the outside world whilst supporting accurate mixing and editing.”

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Epic Studios, a leading TV and entertainment centre in Norwich, UK, recently arranged for the permanent installation of Martin Audio’s MLA Compact PA system following a £250,000 investment in its technology.

The procurement of Martin Audio’s flagship system followed a push by management to establish the venue as the best, most technologically-advanced in East Anglia, and followed a shoot out between many premier brands.

“After contacting Richard Van Nairn, Martin Audio brought in a system for a demo day, when I also tested many other systems,” said technical manager Matt Rabong. “We ultimately chose MLA for its sound quality, particularly the punchy subs and its ‘Hard Avoid’ feature, which allows us to steer the sound away from our roof where the most leakage is, as well as our back wall which houses our production gallery.”

Their previous PA had also been a Martin Audio system, comprising Wavefront W8C and WSX subs as well as F12s as stage monitors: “I was very happy to stick with Martin Audio as I trusted the brand to deliver great sound quality as well as supporting a British manufacturer,” he added. “The W8Cs and F12s will remain in service as sidefills when required.”

The new system comprises 12 x MLA Compact (six elements per L/R hang), eight DSX subs, five CDD-LIVE 15s plus a CSX-LIVE 118 sub, eight LE200 wedge monitors plus all necessary amps and distro. Epic Studios also invested in upgraded digital mixing desks for FoH and monitors.

The rig was supplied and installed by locally-based Saturn Audio Visual, while Martin Audio’s product support engineer, Ben Tucker assisted with the install and staff training.

The initiative – which began last year with an additional £250,000 investment in lighting and effects – is part of a drive to establish Epic Studios as a top-tier small arena, with plans to increase capacity towards its full-scale 3,000-strong audience area.

The facility will now be used by third parties as well as their own promotions. It is already fully customisable for events of all type/size/function etc. to include television programmes, sporting events, arena gigs and intimate shows. Matt Rabong says they will also be holding MLA training for local sound engineers to get hands-on experience and hear it in action.

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Adlib was recently the audio provider for Snow Patrol’s sold-out UK arena tour as the Northern Irish rockers headed out on the road after a seven year break.

Nigel Pepper mixed FOH and Jamie Hickey was on monitors. Adlib provided crew, with top systems specialist Sam Proctor and an L-Acoustics system K1 system specified by Nigel. Sam was joined by Terry Smith who looked after stage and monitors for Jamie, plus Aaron Greig and Neil Dodd who completed the audio crew.

Adlib had supplied a small PA and control package for some warm up shows mid-last year and has previously worked with both Nigel and Jamie to provide a touring control package to their specification on the band Foals.

The Snow Patrol tour’s standard system configuration was 14 x K1 speakers a side with four KARA downfills – perfect for delivering the band’s characteristic robust and solid sound – together with eight K1 subs flown behind the main hangs to help direct the low end towards the back of arenas. These were supplemented by two side hangs of 12 x K2 speakers each.

On the floor were 21 x KS28 subs in a spaced array. Seven stacks of three high subs, each with a single L-Acoustics X8 on top for front fill.

This allowed each stack to be driven by a single amplifier, leading to tidy and logical cabling. The spaced sub array is Nigel and Sam’s preferred set-up for getting even and efficient coverage across the various rooms.

A flown cluster of four KARAs spec’d by Nigel eliminated the need for any infills, helping to keep the stage completely free, which was both an acoustic and an aesthetic decision leaving a clear stage and a flat floorspace.

All speakers were driven by L-Acoustics’ LA12x amplifiers and all the processing completed at FoH via a Newton multi-source processor. Nigel’s console of choice is the Midas PROX which he ran with a selection of carefully chosen outboards. He used some UAD plug-ins for the first time on this tour which he likes – especially the extra distressors which can “glue everything together”.

“Compression is really important to me, especially for those sections when I’m mixing right up to dB limits” he commented. “Some of the old-skool things sound very nice. As well as great reproduction, you can actually hear so distinctively what they do!”

He multi-tracks the show each night, which is used for virtual sound checks, effectively replicating the real musicians and show volumes to give a good representation of what the mix will do in a venue and how the acoustics will interact – all to get the best possible result.

Gary Lightbody uses a Sennheiser SKM5200ii RF transmitter with a DPA D:facto capsule.

Jamie is using Sennheiser 2000 IEMs, and there are five band mixes plus a spare. Additional mixes include a guest mix, five tech mixes, a management mix and a cue mix.

With 88 inputs coming from the stage, Jamie’s desk was a DiGiCo SD7 which he ran with 32-bit input preamp cards.

Jamie has worked with Adlib before, initially in 2012 with the Liverpool based company as his audio vendor, and then in reverse role the next year when he was one of the technical team for the Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium – a gig serviced by Adlib for the last several years.

The challenge at the stage end of the Snow Patrol equation was literally ‘doing monitors’. The band are all very experienced with “high standards” relates Jamie. “They are very straight-up, but they have certain standards that have to be met”. After establishing this, it was down to him to evolve and make it a seamless process.

Adlib also supplied a full touring mics-and-stands package for the two opening acts together with a support monitor system and two Midas PRO2 consoles. 

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PLASA Focus Leeds is back for 2019 taking place at the Royal Armouries Museum from 14-15 May.

With the show floor selling out, 120 brands – representing each sector of the industry – will span across two halls. Many of which will use the show as a UK launch pad for new products, fresh from debuts at the international shows.

Visitors can expect to see audio companies such as d&b audiotechnik, Funktion-One and Shure. Additionally, there will be plenty of lighting, rigging, staging and production specialists.

The wide range of exhibitors brings the show’s appeal to professionals working across live events, concert touring, production, performing arts and installation. The show welcomes several new exhibitors for 2019 including Wharfedale Pro Audio, known for their powerful loudspeakers and Cambridge Sound Management from the USA, offering bespoke sound masking solutions.

In addition to the show floor there will be a full programme of seminars, panel discussions and workshops, while experts who worked on some of the most exciting projects over the last year will discuss their creative and technical processes.

“PLASA Focus Leeds continues to be one of the most anticipated events in the calendar; it’s the perfect place for people to get together, share knowledge and find out about the latest technology,” said Sophie Atkinson, PLASA’s head of events. “Our team is currently building an exciting programme of seminars and workshops, celebrating some of the most exciting projects from across the industry – we look forward to announcing the line-up in the coming weeks.”

PLASA Focus Leeds is at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds from 14-15 May 2019. Register for free and find out more about the show here: www.plasaleeds.com. 

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Over 350 music industry VIPs and celebrities filled London’s Grosvenor House last night for the 2019 Music Producers Guild Awards – an annual event that recognises the creativity, skill and talents of music recording professionals.

The top accolade of Producer Of The Year was won by James Ford for his work on the Arctic Monkey’s sixth studio album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, Everything Everything’s fourth studio album A Fever Dream and Gorillaz’s sixth studio album The Now Now.

For the second year running female recording professionals made their presence felt at the MPG Awards by carrying off a quarter of the accolades, including Breakthrough Engineer of the Year – a category dominated by women and was ultimately won by Dani Bennett Spragg.

Other notable award winners were Skepta, who was given the MPG Inspiration Award; Hugh Padgham, who received the PPL Present The MPG Award For Outstanding Contribution To UK Music, and Rockfield Studios founder Kingsley Ward and his family who received a Special Recognition Award. Their contribution was marked by a unique live performance featuring a number of artists who have recorded seminal projects at Rockfield over the years, including James Dean Bradfield from the Manic Street Preachers.

The full list of 2019 MPG Award winners and sponsors are below:

• UK Producer Of The Year, sponsored by Flare Audio

James Ford

• Recording Engineer Of The Year, sponsored by AMS Neve

Matt Wiggins

• Mix Engineer Of The Year, sponsored by Miloco Studios

David Wrench

• Re-mixer Of The Year, sponsored by Synchro Arts
  Shura

• Breakthrough Producer Of the Year, sponsored by Focusrite

Dilip Harris

• Self-Producing Artist Of The Year, sponsored by Spitfire Audio

Jon Hopkins

• Breakthrough Engineer Of The Year, sponsored by Genelec

Dani Bennett Spragg

• International Producer Of The Year, sponsored by RME

Greg Kurstin

• Mastering Engineer Of The Year, sponsored by Kii Audio

Mandy Parnell

• UK Album Of The Year, sponsored by Universal Audio

Everything Everything: A Fever Dream

• UK Single Song Release Of The Year, sponsored by Shure

Anna Calvi: Don’t Beat The Girl Out Of My Boy

• The A&R Award, sponsored by DAFT Studios

Gilles Peterson

• Studio Of The Year, sponsored by Soundgas

Strongroom

The MPG 2019 Awards categories in the gift of the MPG are:

The MPG Inspiration Award, sponsored by Audio Note, which was awarded to Skepta

PPL Present The MPG Award For Outstanding Contribution To UK Music, sponsored by PPL and awarded to Hugh Padgham

The Special Recognition Award, sponsored by Steinberg, was given to the Ward Family and Rockfield Studios.

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BVE has announced that it will be moving its dates to June for next year’s show.

The show will still be located at ExCeL London.

Terry Washington, BVE event director, commented: “As the organiser of BVE, ITE Group PLC are committed to delivering the best possible show for our audiences and moving the date of the show is a vital step in ensuring we do so. By capitalising on a new position within the global industry calendar, we can bring brand new elements to the show with clearly defined sectors which recognise the future direction of our industry.

“With our June 2020 date, we will continue to be optimally placed between NAB and IBC and by bringing new products and solutions for the European market to the fore, we can establish a prominent position as a valuable European show,” he added. “A key drive for our date change has been to position BVE after NAB in the events calendar in order to secure our position as the European launch platform for the media and entertainment sector.”

BVE is also looking to expand its international audience by adding more areas of interest to the show next year.

Washington concluded: “AV, Live Production, and Connected Media are significant growth areas for the industry, as validated by IABM, which has driven our decision to expand further into these areas.”

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The Music Producers Guild has revealed that recording artist, writer, producer, Mercury Prize winner and BRIT Award nominee Skepta will be the recipient of the 2019 Inspiration Award.

The prestigious award, sponsored by Audio Note, is given to a recording professional who, in the opinion of the MPG Awards board of directors, is responsible for a body of work that has significantly inspired others. Previous recipients have included Imogen Heap, Nile Rodgers, Roni Size, Damon Albarn, Glyn Johns and Sylvia Massy.

Since emerging as a producer and MC back in 2004, Skepta has become one of the most important British artists working in music today. He has built an era defining catalogue of hits, releasing four studio albums and appearing as a featured artist on numerous successful releases. Skepta’s music has been predominantly associated with the grime scene but he has built up a broad, and diverse fan-base with his influence felt across contemporary culture on a global scale.

Bruno Ellingham, executive director of the MPG, said: “Skepta has been at the forefront of the grime scene for some time, his influence now crosses genres and is felt not only in music but in the art and fashion worlds too. Now feels like the perfect time to acknowledge his achievements and we are thrilled to be presenting him with this prestigious award.”

The MPG Awards will take place at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London on February 28 2019. The shortlists for each of the MPG 2019 Awards categories are as follows:

• UK Producer Of The Year

Cam Blackwood

Dave Eringa

James Ford

• Recording Engineer Of The Year, sponsored by AMS Neve

Guy Massey

Matt Wiggins

Sean Genockey

• Mix Engineer Of The Year, sponsored by Miloco Studios

Cenzo Townshend

David Wrench

Mark ‘Spike’ Stent

• Re-mixer Of The Year

IYEARA

Matthew Herbert

Shura

• Breakthrough Producer Of the Year, sponsored by Focusrite

Dilip Harris

Mark Rankin

Rhiannon Mair

• Self-Producing Artist Of The Year, sponsored by Spitfire Audio

Four Tet (Kieran Hebden)

John Hopkins

Tori Amos

• Breakthrough Engineer Of The Year, sponsored by Genelec

Cecile Desnos

Dani Bennet Spragg

Rhiannon Mair

• International Producer Of The Year, sponsored by RME

David Byrne

Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) and Ludwig Goransson

Greg Kurstin

• Mastering Engineer Of The Year, sponsored by Kii Audio

John Davis

Mandy Parnell

Tim Young

• UK Album Of The Year, sponsored by Universal Audio

Arctic Monkeys: Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Everything Everything: A Fever Dream

Nadine Shah: Holiday Destination

• UK Single Song Release Of The Year, sponsored by Shure

Anna Calvi: Don’t Beat The Girl Out Of My Boy

George Ezra: Shotgun

The 1975: Love It If We Made It

• The A&R Award

Briony Turner

Gilles Peterson

Holly Manners

• Studio Of The Year, sponsored by Soundgas

British Grove Studios

Strongroom

Urchin Studios

The MPG 2019 Awards categories in the gift of the MPG are:

The MPG Inspiration Award, sponsored by Audio Note

PPL Present The MPG Award For Outstanding Contribution To UK Music, sponsored by PPL

The Special Recognition Award

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Yamaha Commercial Audio and London’s SW19 Studios are joining forces next month to host an exclusive, two-day Welcome to the World of RIVAGE event.

Taking place on Thursday 7 and Friday 8 March at SW19 Studios in Wimbledon, it comprises a free series of technical training seminars which offer professional and aspiring sound engineers an opportunity to get up close and personal with Yamaha’s RIVAGE PM7 and PM10 digital mixing systems.

Day one will focus on showcasing RIVAGE PM7 as a solution for live venue and festival engineers, creating audio for today’s touring bands. Yamaha product specialists and SW19 staff will be on hand to deliver an overview of the system, highlighting key features and demonstrating its applications in a high quality rehearsal environment.

There will be plenty of time for hands-on exploration during the 90 minute sessions, which will help guests get to grips with the console and take advantage of the many features, networking with I/O and being ‘festival ready’ for when they find themselves behind a RIVAGE console.

For those wanting extra information about the sound quality, a special ‘critical listening session’ will be set up in one of the studios, allowing guests to experience the full detail of the system pre-amps, including the Rupert Neve Designs SILK Red and Blue emulations.

Day two offers those with some experience of RIVAGE and/or those who want to delve deep into the system. Through a series of bookable one-on-one sessions, guests can book to spend time with a Yamaha product specialist and a RIVAGE system. Content will be customised to the needs of the guest – everything from converting an existing show file through to specifying and setting up a complex system for an upcoming tour.

Participation is free, but pre-registration is essential. Please book your place via http://bit.ly/worldofrivage

Places are limited and will be secured on a first come first served basis. Sessions will be taking place on Thursday March 7 at 14:00 / 16:00 / 18:00 / 20:00 and on Friday March 8 at 10:00 / 12:00 /14:00 /16:00. 

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