Recording and Production in the News

Prism Sound helps save the day for US producer Craig Burbridge

Los Angeles-based Advanced Audio Rentals recently incorporated its stock of Prism Sound ADA-8XR converters into an impromptu mobile recording set up for producer Craig Burbridge.

The renowned US producer was all set to record a live, pre-Christmas performance of a Gospel choir at a church in Santa Ana when he discovered that his usual mobile recording truck was already booked for another project.

“Craig’s second option was to try to get a large-format SSL console into the venue, but when that proved logistically impossible he turned to us for help,” says AAR’s founder Paul Levy.

The show's spec was to record 40 channels direct to ProTools HD at 48khz, with one mic input to one track. The recording was ultimately destined for CD release, which meant there was no requirement for surround.

Paul Levy says: “My recommended solution was to use two Solid State Logic AWS 900 analogue workstations, which were linked together to give 48 channels of analogue front end and summing. Since the SSL AWS 900 normally sends each channel input through its associated direct output, it was already configured perfectly for this application. I also recommended using Prism Sound ADA-8XR converters to record to ProTools HD because of their transparency, and bottom-end response.”

In order to monitor the ProTools outputs, stereo groups were summed inside a Mac G5 and brought back to the console.

“The SSL AWS 900 is a 24 input, 8 bus console,” Levy adds. “It does not have a separate monitor section, so we split the second console and used the last 8 inputs for stereo group monitoring through the last Prism Sound converter. The ADA-8XRs were outstanding in terms of sound quality and ease of set-up. I was in the control room for the gig and was amazed at how clear everything sounded. We used two ProTools HD systems – a main system with the Prism units connected via DigiLink, plus a backup system that  was fed simultaneously via the Prism AES outputs to Digi 192 converters.  Once the job was finished, I created a FW800 backup drive copy, and Craig took that to his own studio to do overdubs.”
 
Levy, whose company has become the first pro audio rental company in the US to incorporate Prism Sound’s ADA-8XR multi-channel converter and processor units into a full 48 I/0 Prism Pro Tools hire system, says he ran through the entire set-up in his workshops the week prior to the event to make sure everything worked.

“The rehearsal also gave Craig a chance to familiarise himself with the equipment and create templates for ProTools, plus do other prep work,” Levy adds. “In the end he was extremely happy with the results achieved. I think he was surprised at how good everything sounded - and the support level of Advanced Audio Rentals in making the job error-free.”

Recently awarded the coveted PAR Excellence Award 2005 by Pro Audio Review and nominated for the 2006 TEC Awards, Prism Sound’s precision eight-channel ADA-8XR operates at sampling rates up to 192kHz and boasts even greater analogue performance than Prism Sound’s successful ADA-8 converters. Since its launch it has proved popular with a variety of recording studios and mastering facilities around the world.