SSL Axiom-MT Brings Digital Surround Sound to All That (New Oreleans) Jazz;MT Flawlessly Marries Audio with HD Video of Superstar Sting at New Orleans Jazz Festival
,Thursday, June 15, 2000
SSL Axiom-MT Brings Digital Surround Sound to All That (New Oreleans) Jazz;MT Flawlessly Marries Audio with HD Video of Superstar Sting at New Orleans Jazz Festival
The New Orleans Jazz Festival, featuring superstars from all walks of the music industry, was captured in dazzling 5.1 surround by Sheffield Audio Video Productions’ 96-input Solid State Logic Axiom-MT digital multi-track console in Sheffield’s remote truck. The MT serviced the broadcast audio recording needs of the annual super-event, including flawlessly marrying Sting’s audio with the high-definition (HD) video of his performance.
“Every year, Michael Murphy Productions produces television for the New Orleans Jazz Festival,” says Richard “Vance” Van Horn, president of Sheffield Audio Video Productions. “We used the MT primarily for the big-name acts and everyone was extremely pleased with the audio quality and its ease of use. If you like music, it is very cool to go to this event. If you produce music, it is very cool to use the MT.”
The New Orleans Jazz Festival takes place at a huge racetrack featuring 10 stages and several smaller tents. Different corporations sponsor each stage, with each successive group moving to a different stage with less than 1/2 hour between performances. The Axiom-MT’s automation made the changeover simple for Sheffield.
“We got a sound check, for example, with Sting early in the morning,” explains Van Horn. “We got everything we needed way ahead of time and committed it to the MT’s memory. When it was time for Sting to come on, we just hit the recall button and the console instantly went to the settings we had previously created. The speed and accuracy of the changeover takes the stress out of our job so we can relax and focus on the creative energy needed for capturing live performance audio.”
The high-definition video production of Sting’s performance required interfacing with the equipment in the video remote truck. “We received the 5.1 surround tracks from the MT and the sound was very clean,” says Gary
Standard, chairman of Video Applications for Southern California PBS. “We have not experienced any technical issues while interfacing with the MT. Everything worked flawlessly and flawless is very good for live capture. The MT marries very well with our video truck, which features the latest equipment for high-definition technology from Panasonic. The MT delivered an excellent sound very reliably.”
The sound quality that the MT offers was also critical because the
top-level engineers brought in to mix the concerts are accustomed to working on the very best equipment. One of the more interesting segments, according to Van Horn, was the 15-minute drum solo performed by the two drummers of the Allman Brothers. “Listening to the drum solo in 5.1 surround was amazing,” he says. “We were working with Guy Charbonneau, in my opinion one of the best engineers in the world, and he was blown away by the sound of the MT. Guy has built his reputation around vintage analogue sound and he simply loved the sound quality produced by the MT. All in all, the MT made the whole experience of working on a show of this magnitude fun.”
For more information, contact SSL New York at 212-315-1111.
www.solid-state-logic.com