Recording and Production in the News

Prism Sound’s Lyra 2 Brings ‘Off The Scale’ Sound Quality to US Band UNA

American band UNA are delighted with their new Prism Sound Lyra 2 Audio Interface, which they won at NAMM after entering our prize draw competition.

Cambridge, UK: April 10th 2018: Brought together by a focus on storytelling through music, UNA consists of Jennifer Nice on vocals, multi-instrumentalist Richard Larsen on keys and production, Eddie Barajas on turntables and Scott Eric Olivier on guitar and drums. Downtempo and electronica loom large in the quartet's repertoire, but so do blues, jazz, Latin influences – all delivered with sultry vocals, expansive basslines and gritty instrumentation.

US Band UNA win their new Prism Sound Lyra 2 at NAMM

The addition of a Prism Sound Lyra 2 to the band’s equipment arsenal is most welcome, says Richard Larsen. “I was aware that Prism Sound was the pinnacle of converters and we had always wanted one, since we are concerned about sound quality. We use a pristine vocal chain. Whatever noise is on our recordings, we put there, so having a great converter was a huge desire.”

Jennifer Nice adds: “We were looking at half rack converters we could use in a Live show setting, as well as in the studio, since we're playing live to promote our new 2018 release Noise of the Wing. When we heard we had won a Lyra 2, we fell off our chairs with excitement. We’ve already had a chance to try it out and it is totally amazing!”

Prism Sound’s Lyra 2 Brings ‘Off The Scale’ Sound Quality to US Band UNA

With microphones, instruments and a CDJ on stage, UNA needs a reasonable amount of I/Os. “We perform with a keyboard, DJ, and guitar,” Larsen says, “so the Lyra 2 was perfect for that. The ability to operate it in stand-alone mode was a surprising added feature through the included USB Audio app. Right now, we are using it in the studio. Normally we switch on lots of outboard gear but with the Lyra, the studio is operational immediately after launching our DAW.”

UNA are currently using their Lyra 2 in the studio where they are mixing final stems while EQ’ing and making level changes. They are also planning to use Lyra 2 on new tracks that will focus on just voice and one instrument.

“The sound quality is off-the-scale,” Larsen says. “It is unbelievable how great everything sounds. Of course, we pay attention to making tracks with very low noise thresholds, but the Lyra 2 brings it to a new level of clarity. When we are listening to all frequency ranges, and getting total detail of the sound, it puts a big smile on our faces.”

He adds that Lyra will open doors for the band in other formats because it is a superior product for recording 2-4 tracks and adding digital stems. “We are also totally thrilled with the idea of using Lyra 2 in a Live Performance setting and we can’t wait to hear how amazing that sounds to the FOH and our audience,” he says. “The near-zero input latency combined with S/PDIF digital makes this a total joy. We are beaming good thoughts to the generosity of Prism Sound and their great product line. They are the mountain that others have to climb, that is, if they can!”

To find out more about UNA, please follow these link: www.unamusic.net and SoundCloud