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I now understand how important great Monitors are
I remember the first time I set my eyes on a pair of Genelec 1029A’s & 1091A subwoofer which I would refer to as the “ducks nuts” in later years. I stood looking at them and thinking “what’s all the fuss over these speakers? they’re tiny . . .
In 2001, I had just been offered a position/job to design and develop a DJing & production program for secondary students that would run over the school holidays, and help manage a tiny yet amazingly designed digital recording studio which had been built in the basement of the head office of Red Bull New Zealand Headquarters.
The word on the street was there was a studio that had been built, but no one seemed to know much about it. I was naturally curious to find out more and quietly chuffed that I could possibly pounce on the opportunity to run a recording studio.
The timing could not have been more perfect, as I was building my own studio and wanted to further my musical journey and chance my arm at some music production. The decision to do so was a natural progression after 15 years as a club 7 party DJ.
My first complete studio setup consisted of - hardware - Akai MPC 3000, Apple G4/RME Hammerfall Soundcard, Mackie 824 monitors - software - Logic, Reason, Battery, and a bunch of VST plugins.
I was very wary of other studios I had seen with rooms full of studio gear that would soon become outdated or to my disgust, unused. It was evident New Zealand had a lack of skilled engineers, and/or high end studios that could cater towards electronic music. There was an underground movement of mainly Logic but also Reason/Cubase producers emerging around the globe and I wanted to be part of it.
I set off to Red Bull for a meeting and received a proposition, would I be interested? I was taken downstairs and shown the studio which was hidden in the basement, it was quite the business, not the gear itself by any means, but the feel of the room was great. I took two steps and thought “you can’t be serious” the room was awesome ! All the walls had customized designed panels and all other surfaces were covered with this pyramid foam insulation which I had never seen in a studio before (only egg cartons and matresses). I could not help but feel excited as the studio was sprayed bright “Lou Feringo”green and yes, I was feeling like David Banner.
The acoustics in the room were awesome, which I would learn were designed and fitted by Doug Jane & the team from Buzz Audio. It was a no corners cut, state of the art treatment of the room. The gear consisted of a Apple G3, Pro Tools, ASR10 a Yamaha 01V and a Roland keyboard and the Gene’s ...
Now just take a deep breath as I take a step back for you to understand what events had transpired for me to arrive here. It was early 90’s an entrepeneur Josef Roberts had, after being turned down with several attempts successfully secured the license for an energy drink which would soon be known as the coolest can on the planet ... Red Bull.
Josef was an avid supporter of electronic music, clubs, bars and djs since Red Bull launched. During this time I had been djing in NZ for over a decade and after a brief excursion in Australia on my pilgrimage for a bit of a knees up and my discovery of “House Music” had returned back to NZ. I then began touring international Djs through my Australian contacts I had met. The idea was if I was going to do anything to help change and promote the music scene, it best I start promoting an eclectic mix of DJs of which I hugely respected and liked their music. I was in awe of their studio productions, the likes of Sasha, Kevin Saunderson, Jeff Mills, Tony De Vit, Paul Van Dyk, Cari Lekebusch, Adam Beyer, Chris & James, Brandon Bloc had all played under the Spooky Banner, my production company. I was slowly learning about the time and effort required to be a professional producer.
So with over 10 year carting around record boxes of vinyl and djing in clubs, bars concerts, and halls I had become accustomed to having a large monitor as my right hand man so this introduction to Nearfield monitors was going to take some getting used too.
I had friends with Yamaha MSP 5’s and others had Event 101’s but I was keen on the Mackie speakers especially a pair of 824’s but I knew Genelec had a very good reputation but there were two important factors preventing me setting my eyes on a pair of Genelec 8030A’s, this was the price. In fact I had a huge shopping list for the studio and like so many other studio enthusiasts some things have to wait, bizarrely it is always the monitors. I was going to have to make do with these tiny Genelecs, even though I was certain a speaker that small surely couldn’t cope with the sonic playback I intended to deliver them repeatedly in the coming months.
So it began, two major upgrades in hardware and software in 4 years. When the studio first started we were primarily, a digital recording studio. Production wise we were mainly working with electronic artists. On the side we had two educational programs focused towards secondary school students with either a passion in djing or music production. These courses would run over 12 weeks of the year, the remainder of the year was spent helping and working with local artists.
Our Digital Recording Studio: the first upgrade included Logic, a new G4 8oo Mhz (A machine which was outdated in a matter of weeks by the G5 !) Some Mackie 824’s to sit next to the 1029A’s and a bunch of DJ gear, turntables, DJ Mixers Vestax/Allen & Heath, Pioneer CDJs and a bunch of headphones, with a couple of nice AKG vocal mics.
It soon became evident that coming from a DJ background the Genelec 1029A’s were too small and when thrashed or pushed over the edge the mid range they suffered, which resulted in the Mackie 824’s being purchased mainly due to the price.
Our Live Studio: I had begun my Djing career playing with live bands and electronic music seemed to be becoming stagnant. I found myself wanting to pull away from digital recording and wanting to work with musicians. I was djing on a student radio station which feature an annual “live to air” during NZ music month. I thought if I could build a decent live room I may have a shot at broadcasting these sessions live and so began phase two. There was a room right next to the studio used for storing boxes - you might as well say it never got used.
This room was not big by any means, 6 m x 6 m and deciding to cut a huge whole in the room and replacing it with a glass window meant that I potentially was opening a can of worms in regards to a perfectly sounding room.
The second upgrade consisted of, wait for it ... yes, a complete 5.1 Surround Genelec monitoring system including 5 x 8240A DSP Loudspeakers, one 7270A LSE Subwoofer and Genelec GLM / AutoCal Software, a Malcolm Toft ATB mixing console, Apogee Rosetta, Apogee Ensemble, Apple Mac Pro, Dangermouse Music Monitoring Controller and a whole bunch of Shure Mics SM 57 & 58’s, a 16 channel Aviom fold back system with four junction boxes, Applied Acoustic Sound Insulation and custom made sound baffles from Buzz Audio.
We began our first “Live to Air” sessions in 2005 which were broadcasted live across a student radio station, 95bFM. This involved 15 bands playing across five days. Since then we have recorded and broadcast over 200 sessions live, with all genres being catered for which included performances from Kasabian, Jose Gonzalez, The Black Seeds, Rodney P & Skitz to name a few ...
The room is now complete with a 5.1 surround system and is one, if not the best sounding non-commercial recording studios in the country. The studio has been responsible for recordings with NZ artists such as Nathan Haines, The Mint Chicks, Collapsing Cities, Die Die Die, The White Birds & Lemons and many international producers and djs.
The one thing I have noticed since having the pleasure of working with Genelec monitors is how it has changed everything I do when mixing down, it has help immensely with giving me the confidence to master live recordings on a weekly basis with ease. My learning and understanding of the mid range frequencies with these monitors has meant we spent less time experimenting and more time achieving what we set out to do.
Personally I hate high end frequencies that are not sitting in the mix right, I could go on and on about how good Genelec monitors are but I guess just like me if your a non believer you will just have to walk the same journey to realize this. The proof is in the pudding and if you listen to any of the live sessions on this link you can make up your own mind . . . http://www.redbullstudio.co.nz/liveair.p5?id=3108
Not a day spent in a tertiary school or institute or with a sound engineer, and I’m extremely proud and humbled that we can produce works to the standard we do.
After 7 years working in this room, I am now looking to build another studio, this time the 2nd for my own pure passion. I hope to continue to be able to support and help, not just young and emerging artists but also recognized and established NZ artists. This time the monitors are top of the list, as I now know and understand how important great monitors are.
Thank you Genelec, it’s been music to my ears
In 2001, I had just been offered a position/job to design and develop a DJing & production program for secondary students that would run over the school holidays, and help manage a tiny yet amazingly designed digital recording studio which had been built in the basement of the head office of Red Bull New Zealand Headquarters.
The word on the street was there was a studio that had been built, but no one seemed to know much about it. I was naturally curious to find out more and quietly chuffed that I could possibly pounce on the opportunity to run a recording studio.
The timing could not have been more perfect, as I was building my own studio and wanted to further my musical journey and chance my arm at some music production. The decision to do so was a natural progression after 15 years as a club 7 party DJ.
My first complete studio setup consisted of - hardware - Akai MPC 3000, Apple G4/RME Hammerfall Soundcard, Mackie 824 monitors - software - Logic, Reason, Battery, and a bunch of VST plugins.
I was very wary of other studios I had seen with rooms full of studio gear that would soon become outdated or to my disgust, unused. It was evident New Zealand had a lack of skilled engineers, and/or high end studios that could cater towards electronic music. There was an underground movement of mainly Logic but also Reason/Cubase producers emerging around the globe and I wanted to be part of it.
I set off to Red Bull for a meeting and received a proposition, would I be interested? I was taken downstairs and shown the studio which was hidden in the basement, it was quite the business, not the gear itself by any means, but the feel of the room was great. I took two steps and thought “you can’t be serious” the room was awesome ! All the walls had customized designed panels and all other surfaces were covered with this pyramid foam insulation which I had never seen in a studio before (only egg cartons and matresses). I could not help but feel excited as the studio was sprayed bright “Lou Feringo”green and yes, I was feeling like David Banner.
The acoustics in the room were awesome, which I would learn were designed and fitted by Doug Jane & the team from Buzz Audio. It was a no corners cut, state of the art treatment of the room. The gear consisted of a Apple G3, Pro Tools, ASR10 a Yamaha 01V and a Roland keyboard and the Gene’s ...
Now just take a deep breath as I take a step back for you to understand what events had transpired for me to arrive here. It was early 90’s an entrepeneur Josef Roberts had, after being turned down with several attempts successfully secured the license for an energy drink which would soon be known as the coolest can on the planet ... Red Bull.
Josef was an avid supporter of electronic music, clubs, bars and djs since Red Bull launched. During this time I had been djing in NZ for over a decade and after a brief excursion in Australia on my pilgrimage for a bit of a knees up and my discovery of “House Music” had returned back to NZ. I then began touring international Djs through my Australian contacts I had met. The idea was if I was going to do anything to help change and promote the music scene, it best I start promoting an eclectic mix of DJs of which I hugely respected and liked their music. I was in awe of their studio productions, the likes of Sasha, Kevin Saunderson, Jeff Mills, Tony De Vit, Paul Van Dyk, Cari Lekebusch, Adam Beyer, Chris & James, Brandon Bloc had all played under the Spooky Banner, my production company. I was slowly learning about the time and effort required to be a professional producer.
So with over 10 year carting around record boxes of vinyl and djing in clubs, bars concerts, and halls I had become accustomed to having a large monitor as my right hand man so this introduction to Nearfield monitors was going to take some getting used too.
I had friends with Yamaha MSP 5’s and others had Event 101’s but I was keen on the Mackie speakers especially a pair of 824’s but I knew Genelec had a very good reputation but there were two important factors preventing me setting my eyes on a pair of Genelec 8030A’s, this was the price. In fact I had a huge shopping list for the studio and like so many other studio enthusiasts some things have to wait, bizarrely it is always the monitors. I was going to have to make do with these tiny Genelecs, even though I was certain a speaker that small surely couldn’t cope with the sonic playback I intended to deliver them repeatedly in the coming months.
So it began, two major upgrades in hardware and software in 4 years. When the studio first started we were primarily, a digital recording studio. Production wise we were mainly working with electronic artists. On the side we had two educational programs focused towards secondary school students with either a passion in djing or music production. These courses would run over 12 weeks of the year, the remainder of the year was spent helping and working with local artists.
Our Digital Recording Studio: the first upgrade included Logic, a new G4 8oo Mhz (A machine which was outdated in a matter of weeks by the G5 !) Some Mackie 824’s to sit next to the 1029A’s and a bunch of DJ gear, turntables, DJ Mixers Vestax/Allen & Heath, Pioneer CDJs and a bunch of headphones, with a couple of nice AKG vocal mics.
It soon became evident that coming from a DJ background the Genelec 1029A’s were too small and when thrashed or pushed over the edge the mid range they suffered, which resulted in the Mackie 824’s being purchased mainly due to the price.
Our Live Studio: I had begun my Djing career playing with live bands and electronic music seemed to be becoming stagnant. I found myself wanting to pull away from digital recording and wanting to work with musicians. I was djing on a student radio station which feature an annual “live to air” during NZ music month. I thought if I could build a decent live room I may have a shot at broadcasting these sessions live and so began phase two. There was a room right next to the studio used for storing boxes - you might as well say it never got used.
This room was not big by any means, 6 m x 6 m and deciding to cut a huge whole in the room and replacing it with a glass window meant that I potentially was opening a can of worms in regards to a perfectly sounding room.
The second upgrade consisted of, wait for it ... yes, a complete 5.1 Surround Genelec monitoring system including 5 x 8240A DSP Loudspeakers, one 7270A LSE Subwoofer and Genelec GLM / AutoCal Software, a Malcolm Toft ATB mixing console, Apogee Rosetta, Apogee Ensemble, Apple Mac Pro, Dangermouse Music Monitoring Controller and a whole bunch of Shure Mics SM 57 & 58’s, a 16 channel Aviom fold back system with four junction boxes, Applied Acoustic Sound Insulation and custom made sound baffles from Buzz Audio.
We began our first “Live to Air” sessions in 2005 which were broadcasted live across a student radio station, 95bFM. This involved 15 bands playing across five days. Since then we have recorded and broadcast over 200 sessions live, with all genres being catered for which included performances from Kasabian, Jose Gonzalez, The Black Seeds, Rodney P & Skitz to name a few ...
The room is now complete with a 5.1 surround system and is one, if not the best sounding non-commercial recording studios in the country. The studio has been responsible for recordings with NZ artists such as Nathan Haines, The Mint Chicks, Collapsing Cities, Die Die Die, The White Birds & Lemons and many international producers and djs.
The one thing I have noticed since having the pleasure of working with Genelec monitors is how it has changed everything I do when mixing down, it has help immensely with giving me the confidence to master live recordings on a weekly basis with ease. My learning and understanding of the mid range frequencies with these monitors has meant we spent less time experimenting and more time achieving what we set out to do.
Personally I hate high end frequencies that are not sitting in the mix right, I could go on and on about how good Genelec monitors are but I guess just like me if your a non believer you will just have to walk the same journey to realize this. The proof is in the pudding and if you listen to any of the live sessions on this link you can make up your own mind . . . http://www.redbullstudio.co.nz/liveair.p5?id=3108
Not a day spent in a tertiary school or institute or with a sound engineer, and I’m extremely proud and humbled that we can produce works to the standard we do.
After 7 years working in this room, I am now looking to build another studio, this time the 2nd for my own pure passion. I hope to continue to be able to support and help, not just young and emerging artists but also recognized and established NZ artists. This time the monitors are top of the list, as I now know and understand how important great monitors are.
Thank you Genelec, it’s been music to my ears