AUGUST 2024
THE LATEST NEWS FROM DYNAMIX
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AUGUST 2024
THE LATEST NEWS FROM DYNAMIX
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AnaDigiFlux
Stuck Between Two Worlds
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AnaDigiFlux
Stuck Between Two Worlds
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Have you ever been stuck trying to make a decision between the latest-and-greatest and the tried-and-true? Like whether you should get the latest iPhone, or stick with the one in your pocket that works just fine. Should you get that novel as an eBook, or as a paperback that you can curl up with beside the fire? You can feel stuck between two worlds. Just like a parallel universe from science fiction, digital and analog audio are still trying to coexist at the same time.
When I started in the audio production industry many decades ago, that world was transitioning to digital. Audio CDs had just been released (or unleashed if you will), digital multi-track tape was the hot new format, MIDI was in its infancy, and digital reverbs were becoming affordable. But in most recording studios, analog still ruled. Instead of rolling in like a tsunami, digital slowly crept into studios.
It wasn't until the very early 1990s that I first started working with digital recording. It was crude early on, but the workflow quickly became so much better than analog. We dreamed of a day when everything in the studio was digital. Like pipe dreams of a paperless office, that would never come to be. Although I could never go completely back to analog, some outboard gear like compressors and microphone pre-amps are still superior to their digital equivalents.
About 10-15 years ago digital audio took the next step, albeit an unusual one: emulating analog. And I mean convincingly, because there had been many botched attempts. Today we're benefiting from a mature technology that continues to evolve and sound just like the classic compressors, EQs and pre-amps we learned to love. Some plugins even emulate noisy tape. It's quite nostalgic for us older engineers, and hopefully inspirational for the younger ones.
Digital audio is still progressing to new heights, mostly driven by AI and machine learning that help us separate sound from background noise or to get a better mix. But has one company taken a step backward by creating a vintage digital sound? Or is it really a step forward in emulation?
I'm talking about the "3348" plugin from software developer Mixland. "3348" emulates a 1980s Sony PCM-3348 digital tape recorder. That's right, we've gone back in time to make a recording that sounds like it's from 1989. The year Taylor Swift was born. The year the Berlin Wall fell. The year The Little Mermaid and The Simpsons captivated us. The year we got hooked on the Gameboy.
The developers hope this $50 plugin will encourage users to subtly enhance tracks, or to experiment by pushing parameters into distortion to create new soundscapes. At the time, the 485-pound, astronomically expensive Sony deck and its derivatives were the gold standard. I guess that's not a bad deal pound for pound: $50 vs $150,000 to get a "vintage digital" sound.
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One of the grimmest threats to narrators and actors is artificial intelligence. Digital golems are replacing them to sell products, read books, and generally attempt to fool audiences. Musicians suffered a similar fate beginning in the 1980s when synthesizers and samplers began supplanting them. Now they have a new adversary to agonize over, and it's straight out of a science fiction B-movie.
In Sweden, the Malmö Symphony Orchestra featured a very special guest violin soloist – a robot. Or more specifically, a pair of robot arms. One arm smoothly pulls the bow, while the other simulates finger presses on the frets. It plays perfectly in time and tune. But it has no vibrato. Or soul. I'm reminded of a Star Trek episode when the android Data plays the violin, "I have been told that my playing is technically flawless, but no one has described it as beautiful." Spot on. I hope this isn't the future because I don't think I could stand watching a robot "shred" a Slash solo.
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On a lighter note, how about an orchestra turning the tables on digital and performing video game music? BBC Radio and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing a live concert later this month (Nov 23, 2024) that will allow listeners to join virtually and interact with other listeners' avatars. Music from Call of Duty, Fortnite, and Tetris are just a few of the numbers on the set list. No word on whether anyone will be keeping score of the musicians' performances.
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Have you ever been stuck trying to make a decision between the latest-and-greatest and the tried-and-true? Like whether you should get the latest iPhone, or stick with the one in your pocket that works just fine. Should you get that novel as an eBook, or as a paperback that you can curl up with beside the fire? You can feel stuck between two worlds. Just like a parallel universe from science fiction, digital and analog audio are still trying to coexist at the same time.
When I started in the audio production industry many decades ago, that world was transitioning to digital. Audio CDs had just been released (or unleashed if you will), digital multi-track tape was the hot new format, MIDI was in its infancy, and digital reverbs were becoming affordable. But in most recording studios, analog still ruled. Instead of rolling in like a tsunami, digital slowly crept into studios.
It wasn't until the very early 1990s that I first started working with digital recording. It was crude early on, but the workflow quickly became so much better than analog. We dreamed of a day when everything in the studio was digital. Like pipe dreams of a paperless office, that would never come to be. Although I could never go completely back to analog, some outboard gear like compressors and microphone pre-amps are still superior to their digital equivalents.
About 10-15 years ago digital audio took the next step, albeit an unusual one: emulating analog. And I mean convincingly, because there had been many botched attempts. Today we're benefiting from a mature technology that continues to evolve and sound just like the classic compressors, EQs and pre-amps we learned to love. Some plugins even emulate noisy tape. It's quite nostalgic for us older engineers, and hopefully inspirational for the younger ones.
Digital audio is still progressing to new heights, mostly driven by AI and machine learning that help us separate sound from background noise or to get a better mix. But has one company taken a step backward by creating a vintage digital sound? Or is it really a step forward in emulation?
I'm talking about the "3348" plugin from software developer Mixland. "3348" emulates a 1980s Sony PCM-3348 digital tape recorder. That's right, we've gone back in time to make a recording that sounds like it's from 1989. The year Taylor Swift was born. The year the Berlin Wall fell. The year The Little Mermaid and The Simpsons captivated us. The year we got hooked on the Gameboy.
The developers hope this $50 plugin will encourage users to subtly enhance tracks, or to experiment by pushing parameters into distortion to create new soundscapes. At the time, the 485-pound, astronomically expensive Sony deck and its derivatives were the gold standard. I guess that's not a bad deal pound for pound: $50 vs $150,000 to get a "vintage digital" sound.
________________________________
One of the grimmest threats to narrators and actors is artificial intelligence. Digital golems are replacing them to sell products, read books, and generally attempt to fool audiences. Musicians suffered a similar fate beginning in the 1980s when synthesizers and samplers began supplanting them. Now they have a new adversary to agonize over, and it's straight out of a science fiction B-movie.
In Sweden, the Malmö Symphony Orchestra featured a very special guest violin soloist – a robot. Or more specifically, a pair of robot arms. One arm smoothly pulls the bow, while the other simulates finger presses on the frets. It plays perfectly in time and tune. But it has no vibrato. Or soul. I'm reminded of a Star Trek episode when the android Data plays the violin, "I have been told that my playing is technically flawless, but no one has described it as beautiful." Spot on. I hope this isn't the future because I don't think I could stand watching a robot "shred" a Slash solo.
________________________________
On a lighter note, how about an orchestra turning the tables on digital and performing video game music? BBC Radio and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing a live concert later this month (Nov 23, 2024) that will allow listeners to join virtually and interact with other listeners' avatars. Music from Call of Duty, Fortnite, and Tetris are just a few of the numbers on the set list. No word on whether anyone will be keeping score of the musicians' performances.
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Push the Right Buttons
A Practical Guide to Becoming and Succeeding as an Audio Engineer and Producer
Know someone that is looking to get into the audio industry? Are you curious about the magic that goes on behind the curtain? Then this book will push the right buttons.
Tape Op reviewed my book:
The next time someone asks me for advice on a career in pro audio I will immediately recommend this book, but with a few instructions: Do not skim read it. Read every one of its 585 pages and then read it again. Take notes. Take more notes. Follow every single suggestion about how to behave in professional situations. Learn how to dress properly for the job, and how to take care of your body when the long days occur (and they will). And do all of this with a smile on your face and a positive attitude.
-Larry Crane
Radio World reviewed it:
'If there was ever a single book that could give aspiring audio engineers an accurate look at the career, “Push the Right Buttons: A Practical Guide to Becoming and Succeeding as an Audio Engineer and Producer” is it."
-James Careless
Excerpt from the book:
The great director Alfred Hitchcock, well known for his chilling movies, capitalized on the audience’s anticipation of a dreadful event rather than the event itself. Uneasiness, fear, then terror would slowly unfold before the stabbing, gunshot, or plunge off the cliff. It’s a lot like simmering a stew in the crockpot all day, penetrating the olfactory senses of everyone in the house and building high anticipation for the evening’s meal. Your job as a sound designer is to lead the listener down the path you want them to take. You can control their emotions with sound cues, and the simpler they are, especially at first, the quicker you’ll tap into the rawest of emotions.
I’ll leave you with one last thought on simplicity of sound. What are some of your most memorable experiences that included sound? The roar of the jet engine the first time you flew or the lapping waves the first time you saw the ocean? In the Preface, I told of my childhood memories on Lake Erie – the ferry boat engine, the waves against the hull, the transistor radio – there were other sounds that hit my ear canals that day, but these singular sounds were engraved in my memory. This is how your soundtracks should be constructed, as if it is the final, finely honed sonic imprint in a listener’s memory.
•Paperback version, 585 pages •eBook version
•Audiobook version
More on our web site here.
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Dynamix Productions, Inc. is an audio production facility in the heart of thoroughbred horse country, Lexington, Kentucky. Some of the many audio services we provide are: sound-for-picture, corporate communications, advertising, narrations, audiobooks, podcasts, live broadcast, SourceConnect, ISDN, location and remote recording, restoration, and tape/LP to digital transfers.
Since our opening 20 years ago in 2003, we have won or been a part of nearly 100 awards; including more than 75 ADDY’s (American Advertising Federation), 10 Telly's, 2 Silver Microphones, 1 PRSA (Public Relations Society of America), an Eclipse Award, and an Emmy nomination.
Why do professionals from desktop producers to Fortune 50 companies choose Dynamix for the highest level of production? We Listen.
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Dynamix Productions, Inc. is an audio production facility in the heart of thoroughbred horse country, Lexington, Kentucky. Some of the many audio services we provide are: sound-for-picture, corporate communications, advertising, narrations, audiobooks, podcasts, live broadcast, SourceConnect, ISDN, location and remote recording, restoration, and tape/LP to digital transfers.
Since our opening 20 years ago in 2003, we have won or been a part of nearly 100 awards; including more than 75 ADDY’s (American Advertising Federation), 10 Telly's, 2 Silver Microphones, 1 PRSA (Public Relations Society of America), an Eclipse Award, and an Emmy nomination.
Why do professionals from desktop producers to Fortune 50 companies choose Dynamix for the highest level of production? We Listen.
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Audiobooks:
- "Shield of Darkeness" by Jonathon Moeller, narrated by Brad Wills
- "Shield of Conquest", by Jonathon Moeller, narrated by Brad Wills
- "Blaze of Our Lives" by Robyn Peterman-Zahn. Narrated by Jessica Almasy
Other projects of note were:
- 2024 Breeder's Cup race video vignettes (Keeneland, Lexington, KY)
- Lexmark "LEAP" web video soundtrack (Lexmark, Lexington, KY)
- Legoland "Santa" Holiday radio campaign (Team Cornett, Lexington, KY)
- Television soundtracks for Fasig-Tipton (Studio 34, Lexington, KY)
- "Keeneland Fall Meet" radio campaign (Team Cornett, Lexington, KY)
- "Beyond the Barrel" podcasts for Ridley-Block (Alltech, Nicholasville, KY)
- A&W Restaurants "Cartoons" and "Tender Heart" TV/radio campaigns (Team Cornett, Lexington, KY)
- UK HealthCare Ortho-Sports Medicine campaign with UK coaches Brooks, Mingione, Pope, and Stoops (Team Cornett, Lexington, KY)
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Audiobooks:
- "Shield of Darkeness" by Jonathon Moeller, narrated by Brad Wills
- "Shield of Conquest", by Jonathon Moeller, narrated by Brad Wills
- "Blaze of Our Lives" by Robyn Peterman-Zahn. Narrated by Jessica Almasy
Other projects of note were:
- 2024 Breeder's Cup race video vignettes (Keeneland, Lexington, KY)
- Lexmark "LEAP" web video soundtrack (Lexmark, Lexington, KY)
- Legoland "Santa" Holiday radio campaign (Team Cornett, Lexington, KY)
- Television soundtracks for Fasig-Tipton (Studio 34, Lexington, KY)
- "Keeneland Fall Meet" radio campaign (Team Cornett, Lexington, KY)
- "Beyond the Barrel" podcasts for Ridley-Block (Alltech, Nicholasville, KY)
- A&W Restaurants "Cartoons" and "Tender Heart" TV/radio campaigns (Team Cornett, Lexington, KY)
- UK HealthCare Ortho-Sports Medicine campaign with UK coaches Brooks, Mingione, Pope, and Stoops (Team Cornett, Lexington, KY)
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RISE is a documentary series which airs periodically as part of 88.9 WEKU’s Eastern Standard weekly radio show/podcast. It came about in response to unprecedented flooding experienced by many southeastern Kentucky communities in July of 2022. The first six episodes, which aired for six consecutive weeks, explored what contributed to the disaster, how communities responded and the leadership, programs and resources needed to address the challenges and opportunities ahead.
The RISE series is produced by a team of reporters, producers, and external collaborators, including Dynamix Productions in Lexington. The team is led by Tom Martin, who is the host and senior editor of Eastern Standard. The team’s goal is to explore important policy issues affecting a region that is in transition due to shifting economic, social, environmental, and political realities.
Since the first six episodes aired, the RISE team has continued to produce occasional episodes focused on specific issues of importance to Eastern Kentucky. RISE is also available on Apple and Spotify.
Listen to all the episodes online at www.weku-rise.org.
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RISE is a documentary series which airs periodically as part of 88.9 WEKU’s Eastern Standard weekly radio show/podcast. It came about in response to unprecedented flooding experienced by many southeastern Kentucky communities in July of 2022. The first six episodes, which aired for six consecutive weeks, explored what contributed to the disaster, how communities responded and the leadership, programs and resources needed to address the challenges and opportunities ahead.
The RISE series is produced by a team of reporters, producers, and external collaborators, including Dynamix Productions in Lexington. The team is led by Tom Martin, who is the host and senior editor of Eastern Standard. The team’s goal is to explore important policy issues affecting a region that is in transition due to shifting economic, social, environmental, and political realities.
Since the first six episodes aired, the RISE team has continued to produce occasional episodes focused on specific issues of importance to Eastern Kentucky. RISE is also available on Apple and Spotify.
Listen to all the episodes online at www.weku-rise.org.
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Dynamix Productions, and WEKU-FM, Eastern Kentucky University’s public radio station in Richmond, KY, partnered in 2018 to move primary production of the popular long-running radio program EASTERN STANDARD to the studios of Dynamix. The first program produced at Dynamix aired on July 19, 2018. By bringing the production to Lexington, producers have easier access to Central Kentucky business, healthcare, and education leaders, as well as local artists, entertainers, and other newsmakers. The move underlines WEKU’s commitment to providing the area’s most concise and in-depth coverage of news, issues, and ideas that directly affect Central Kentuckians.
Hosted by network news veteran Tom Martin, EASTERN STANDARD is a public affairs program that covers a broad range of topics of interest to Kentuckians. Resources for topics include WEKU’s reporting partner, the Ohio Valley ReSource, a partnership with seven public media outlets across three states; the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting; and National Public Radio. EASTERN STANDARD can be heard Thursdays at 11:00 AM / 8:00 PM and Sundays at 6:00 PM on 88.9 WEKU-FM, and online at www.esweku.org.
Did you miss the live show? Listen online.
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Dynamix Productions, and WEKU-FM, Eastern Kentucky University’s public radio station in Richmond, KY, partnered in 2018 to move primary production of the popular long-running radio program EASTERN STANDARD to the studios of Dynamix. The first program produced at Dynamix aired on July 19, 2018. By bringing the production to Lexington, producers have easier access to Central Kentucky business, healthcare, and education leaders, as well as local artists, entertainers, and other newsmakers. The move underlines WEKU’s commitment to providing the area’s most concise and in-depth coverage of news, issues, and ideas that directly affect Central Kentuckians.
Hosted by network news veteran Tom Martin, EASTERN STANDARD is a public affairs program that covers a broad range of topics of interest to Kentuckians. Resources for topics include WEKU’s reporting partner, the Ohio Valley ReSource, a partnership with seven public media outlets across three states; the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting; and National Public Radio. EASTERN STANDARD can be heard Thursdays at 11:00 AM / 8:00 PM and Sundays at 6:00 PM on 88.9 WEKU-FM, and online at www.esweku.org.
Did you miss the live show? Listen online.
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TELEVISION PROGRAMS PRODUCED AT DYNAMIX
THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES on HBO
From Danny McBride (HBO’s Vice Principals), this critically acclaimed comedy follows a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed, and charitable work. Left flailing in the wake of their patriarch Eli Gemstone’s (John Goodman) semi-retirement, Season 3 finds Jesse (McBride), Judy (Edi Patterson), and Kelvin (Adam Devine) in charge of the vast Gemstone empire. When their long-lost cousins come out of the woodwork, the siblings must work together if they want to keep the Gemtsone legacy intact. An irreverent look at the lives of holy rollers, The Righteous Gemstones explores the salacious world of those who offer salvation… to the highest bidder.
GEORGE & TAMMY on Showtime
A limited series chronicling country music’s king and queen, George Jones and Tammy Wynette, whose wild and troubled love story inspired some of the most iconic music of all time.
SCOTT'S VACATION HOUSE RULES on HGTV
Scott turns problem properties into profit in his new series, Scott’s Vacation House Rules. With years of smart real estate investing and renovation experience, Scott and his secret design weapon, Debra Salmoni, unlock the rental potential of even the most uninspired properties. Finding and transforming tired, dated, and rundown spaces into unique and buzz-worthy Canadian cottage hotspots, the series proves that any dream property is always within reach if you follow Scott’s Vacation House Rules.
THE WHITE LOTUS on HBO
A social satire set at an exclusive Hawaiian resort, the series follows the vacations of various hotel guests over the span of a week as they relax and rejuvenate in paradise. But with each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travelers, the hotel’s cheerful employees, and the idyllic locale itself.
SECRET CELEBRITY RENOVATION on CBS
A new one-hour series that gives celebrities in sports, music and entertainment the chance to gift a surprise home renovation to a meaningful person who helped guide them to success. Hosted by Nischelle Turner (ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT), SECRET CELEBRITY RENOVATION provides stars with a hands-on opportunity to show their gratitude to someone who has had a significant impact on their life’s journey by helping to realize the renovation of their dreams. Those participating in making these heartfelt gifts include Emmy® and GRAMMY® Award-winning singer and choreographer Paula Abdul; award-winning singer-songwriter Lauren Alaina; Emmy®-winning actor and comedian Wayne Brady (LET’S MAKE A DEAL); NFL MVP and CBS sports analyst Boomer Esiason; GRAMMY®-winning artist Eve; Emmy®-nominated actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson; SURVIVOR winner “Boston” Rob Mariano; NBA All-Star Chris Paul; GRAMMY®-winning singer, songwriter and actor Anthony Ramos; and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith. The series also features the design team of home improvement contractor and television personality Jason Cameron (“Man Cave,” “While You Were Out”) and interior designer Sabrina Soto (“Design Star,” “Trading Spaces”).
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