Stefan Du Randt breaks down the mixing of DOBBY’s “Ancestor” in Dolby Atmos Music and highlights the tricks and techniques to mixing a track in spatial audio.
From surrounding to immersive, Dolby Atmos is the next step in the evolution of spatial audio. Dolby Atmos Music takes your listening experience beyond the ordinary and puts you “inside” of every song, giving you unparalleled clarity for every detail of the music.
With more access to this technology than ever before, there’s never been a better time to take your listeners on a cinematic journey with Dolby Atmos Music. Ready to take your music to the next level?
The way we listen to audio is changing – it’s becoming bigger, bolder and more immersive than ever before.
While the Dolby Atmos logo can now be found practically everywhere (on your TV, in your local cinema, even on your phone), have you ever wondered what makes it special? How is it different from surround sound? And how does it work in comparison to the familiar stereo format?
In this blog post we’ll answer all of those questions and more, exploring the history of audio playback and all of the exciting things Dolby Atmos is bringing to the table.
All About Stereo
Early Gramophone Patent. United States Patent Office, Washington, D.C, 1895 (source)
Taking a quick look into the history of sound reproduction, we can see four main steps leading up to the creation of Dolby Atmos.
We began in ‘mono’ – a single channel recorded with a single microphone.
Around the 1930s, stereo audio began to appear. This type of audio can be recorded with two microphones positioned around the sound source (a guitar or piano are common examples) with the signals from each microphone assigned to either the left or right channel. The sound reaches each microphone with slight differences in timing and frequency creating the illusion of width and space when we listen back on stereo speakers.
A stereo listening setup involves two speakers. When a stereo track is played, an imaginary 1-dimensional ‘sound field’ is created between the speakers. To hear the most convincing ‘sound field’, you’ll either need to use headphones or stay equally distant from the left and right speakers.
We can move the position of a sound in between the left and right channels by decreasing either side’s signal level – this is called ‘panning’. A louder signal on the left side will move the sound towards the left and vice versa. We can also use mixing tools like EQ, dynamic control and reverb to give the illusion that sounds are closer or further away. Still, they remain trapped in the 1-dimensional sound field between the speakers.
Adding Other Dimensions
5.1 Surround Sound Setup
The next step after stereo was to add another dimension to our listening setup. A conventional surround sound format is described as either 5.1 or 7.1, meaning 5 or 7 speakers surrounding you at ear level (plus an added subwoofer, or the .1). This creates a 2-dimensional sound field where we can move sounds front-to-back as well as left-to-right.
5.1 is the most common surround sound speaker layout and is usually what you’ll find in a home cinema. It consists of centre, left and right speakers in front of the listener, plus surround left and right speakers slightly behind the listener. With this layout, we can pan sounds not just between a left and right speaker, but between any combination of the 5.
A 7.1 system uses 4 surround speakers, allowing us to split up the rear and side sound effects. In this layout, the side speakers are positioned at about 90 degrees to the listener, while the rear speakers sit behind.
These two layouts can be scaled up for commercial use. In a commercial surround sound cinema, for example, there will be multiple speakers in each position to account for the larger audience.
Expanding on this surround setup even more we can add either 2 or 4 height channels (written as .2 or .4) above the listener to reach the final step in our journey: a 3-dimensional sound field. With setups like these (such as 7.1.2), you become immersed in audio travelling front-to-back, left-to-right and up-and-down. Combining these makes for endless directional possibilities and adds a whole new creative dimension to the art of audio mixing.
All of these surround sound systems share one similar goal: to reproduce audio in a way that replicates how we hear in real life. It’s almost as if the sound is turned into a physical object within the space…
Channel-Based vs. Object-Based
Conventional stereo or surround formats are channel-based, meaning individual tracks in a mix are routed to a single stereo or surround output channel. A pan control on each track determines which speaker(s) the signal is sent to, whether it be left, right, back left, etc. In this format, the mix is committed to a specific number of channels, meaning that in order to listen to the mix, you need a playback device which is optimised for that type of mix and has the right number of speakers.
An object-based system like Dolby Atmos removes this restriction. Instead of panning a sound between a fixed number of channels, Dolby Atmos can store the position as metadata similar to X,Y and Z coordinates in the 3 dimensional sound field. When mixing, this metadata along with the audio for that track are sent separately to the Dolby Atmos rendering software. They are then re-combined to make an ‘object’.
However, the renderer software is not entirely object-based. You can also use it like a conventional channel-based system. This means that you can route some of your tracks to a surround output bus (like 7.1.2) and the surround panning position is baked into the signal rather than stored separately as metadata. These specific channels are referred to as the ‘bed’ in the Dolby Atmos Renderer.
Which should we use, object or bed? It’s easier to use a ‘bed’ for signals that won’t move around the 3D space, or those recorded in stereo or surround (with 2 or more microphones). Only tracks that are routed as a bed can be sent to the LFE channel, so that means any bass-heavy sounds should use a bed.
Objects are better for providing a really precise spatial location, or for signals that are going to move around. Objects can only have one audio signal, so multi-signal recordings like stereo would need multiple objects.
The vital part of Dolby Atmos is its renderer. With the renderer, the finished Dolby Atmos mix can be played back on systems with any speaker layout: stereo, 5.1, 7.1.2 etc. The renderer turns the signals into a channel-based output which fits the speaker layout it’s about to be played on.
Of course, this means that the more speaker channels you have available, the more accurate and precise the 3D sound field will be.
What About Headphones?
Stereo has always been our preferred listening format for music. Whether this means a pair of speakers in your home, at a live music venue, or on-the-go with your phone and a pair of headphones. But how can we make immersive audio with just a standard pair of headphones?
You may be familiar with binaural audio. This involves a recording technique where microphones are placed in a mannequin head to record a sound as if they were human ears. When we listen back on headphones, it’s as if we are inside a 3D sound field reconstruction of the recording location.
Our ears can detect the position of a sound by comparing volume, frequency content and timing differences between the sound in each ear. These differences are created by the physical distance between your ears and the shape of your head or ‘head shadow’. You can artificially recreate this by applying the same principals to an audio signal, a technique called binaural rendering.
Binaural rendering uses HRTF (Head Related Transfer Function) algorithms. It creates a virtual human head based on the average head shape and uses this to process the signal. Unfortunately, this means that the further away from the average shape you are, the less realistic the 3D binaural experience will be.
Measuring your personalised HRTF previously required measuring your head shape with complex technology in a sound-proofed room – not very easy to access. However, the release of iOS 16 this month has made ‘Personalised Spatial Audio’ available to iPhone users. To use it, you’ll need one of the more recent AirPods models plus an iPhone with iOS 16 and a ‘TrueDepth’ camera. The phone can then scan your face and ears in order to optimise the audio output for your unique facial profile.
As well as various speaker systems, Dolby Atmos mixes can also be rendered to binaural audio. This is the vital feature which unlocks the world of Dolby Atmos music for average listeners using conventional headphone or stereo setups. Apple Music’s Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos uses a similar system. Apple Music can now play Dolby Atmos tracks on all AirPods or Apple headphones, plus their latest devices with the right built-in speakers.
Dynamic head tracking is another important element in Apple Music’s Spatial Audio. This involves monitoring the position of your head and adjusting the audio so it appears to stay in the same place as you move. This enhances music-listening by not only recreating a live music experience but also allowing for our natural head movements when listening to sound.
Is Dolby Atmos the future of music?
At first it seemed unlikely, but with all of these developments towards integrating Dolby Atmos into every listening device and setup we use, the world of immersive audio is effortlessly establishing itself in our everyday lives just as stereo once did.
Dolby Atmos Music is the latest in surround sound technology from Dolby Laboratories. With Dolby Atmos (also referred to as “Spatial Audio” on Apple Music) you can experience an immersive auditory environment while watching a film or TV show, playing a video game or listening to your favourite music.
While originally developed for film – launching in LA’s Dolby Theatre for the 2012 premiere of Disney animation Brave – Dolby Atmos is now gaining a lot of attention in the music world with the release of Apple’s Spatial Audio, allowing Apple Music listeners to experience immersive audio right from their headphones and compatible Apple devices.
So how does Dolby Atmos Music differ from the surround sound systems that we are used to? There are two key elements that define Dolby Atmos Music:
Height channels. In a typical surround sound setup, you have a circle of either 5 or 7 channels in front, to the sides, and behind you. Dolby Atmos adds channels from the ceiling as well, meaning sound can appear from above and all around you, creating a virtual 3D space.
Object-based audio. With typical surround sound we use channel-based audio, where audio is mixed for a specific speaker setup (e.g. a 7-channel surround sound). Dolby Atmos instead uses coordinates in a virtual space to map out different discretely placed sounds, meaning the mix can be played back on almost any type of setup, from headphones to a cinema!
What is the difference between “channels” and “speakers”?
To better understand Dolby Atmos, we first need to understand the difference between channels and speakers.
A typical 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos Speaker Setup via dolby.com
In a small setup such as a home cinema, you might only have one speaker per channel – three at the front (left, right, centre), two to the sides (left mid surround and right mid surround) and two behind (left surround and right surround). Scale this up to a commercial cinema filled with hundreds of people and you’ll probably need more than one speaker per channel, especially along the sides. You might have 6 speakers spread along the left wall, so if a sound is sent to the left, it will play out at equal volume from all 6 of these speakers.
A Dolby Atmos system adds finer detail to this. It figures out how many speakers there are, and can then control each of them independently to move a sound around the space in an incredibly realistic way. The benefit of object-based audio is whether you have 5, 7 or 128 speakers around the listener, the format is completely scalable, meaning the instrument or effect you have moving around the virtual 3D space will be replicated perfectly across all Dolby Atmos setups.
A Dolby Atmos setup can be as simple as 2 speakers and a subwoofer. via dolby.com
More complex setup with 11 speakers around the listener 11.1.8 Dolby Atmos Setup. via dolby.com
History of Dolby Atmos
Debuting in 2012 with Disney Pixar’s “Brave” as the first film with spatial audio means that Dolby Atmos has been around for a decade now! This is the latest audio innovation from Dolby Laboratories, with American engineer Ray Dolby introducing surround sound to cinemas shortly after he founded the company.
Surround sound began with the 5.1 setup – 5 surrounding channels plus a subwoofer (also called an LFE or Low Frequency Effects). This was followed by the 7.1 setup, adding two more channels behind the listener. Then Dolby Atmos arrived, adding 2 to 4 height channels on the ceiling, creating the possibility of 5.1.2, 5.1.4, 7.1.2 and 7.1.4 speaker setups.
Both surround sound and Dolby Atmos have largely been saved for the cinema or your recording studio. If you’re lucky enough to have a home cinema, you may have enjoyed these experiences without having to travel. Now, Dolby Atmos is more accessible than ever, with a number of streaming services and playback devices replicating the immersive experience of a studio or cinema wherever you are.
Can I Listen to Dolby Atmos in my Headphones?
The short answer is yes! Even with just two headphone speakers, you can experience immersive audio. So why are there Dolby Atmos-enabled headphones if any pair of headphones can play Dolby Atmos?
While most of the processing is done on your playback device and any pair of headphones will work for the binaural version of the mix, Spatial Audio headphones often come with multiple drivers and may also include additional sensors that enable dynamic head-tracking. This allows you to look around the 3D space as you move your head. For example, if a keyboard is set to be on the right of the listener, by turning your head to the right you will be able to hear that keyboard in front of you (as if you were looking at it) and everything that was previously in front of you is now coming from your left.
Why Mix in Dolby Atmos Music?
The ability to listen to Dolby Atmos Music mixes on virtually any device is an exciting step forward for musicians and producers. Spatial audio is now no longer limited to those with complex speaker setups or cinema technology – it can be accessed by the everyday music fan.
TIDAL and Amazon Music both added support for Dolby Atmos Music in 2019. This was followed by Apple Music, who announced their ‘Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos’ in June 2021.
The main benefit of producing and mixing in Dolby Atmos Music is the new level of freedom. You’ll have the opportunity to use a new dimension of creativity when it comes to sound placement. Studios 301 Dolby Atmos engineer Stefan Du Randt explains,
“It really is the future of music. The format can make your mixes feel cinematic and immersive, almost like you’re watching the story of the song unfold.”
Stefan Du Randt
Another benefit is the ability to create more separation between sounds by adding physical space between them. A busy mix can be organised with instruments above, behind and beside you so they can all be heard clearly. This also gives you the opportunity to create even larger mixes, packing a huge range of sounds into one mix without losing sight of any of them. The format also allows you to have more control over mapping effects. If you want a sweeping sound to travel from behind the listener into the central speaker in front of them, you can do that with Dolby Atmos Music.
How can I release my music in Spatial Audio?
If you’re ready to make your music as immersive and exciting as possible, then you’re ready for Dolby Atmos Music!
Before you book a session, make sure you have the following:
Final, signed off stereo master file (remember that stereo and Dolby Atmos Music are two separate formats. In order to fulfil a Dolby Atmos mix, we require the finished stereo master. This also ensures that the Dolby Atmos mix will match the vibe and loudness of the stereo version. If you don’t have a stereo mix yet, you can book in a “Full Mix” which includes Stereo and Dolby Atmos)
Joining the Studios 301 team in 2022, Laura comes from a bookings, communications and events background and started her journey into music writing gig reviews and features whilst working for some of the biggest festivals and clubs in Sydney back in the early 2000s.
With a strong passion for events and the music industry, Laura has worked across a variety of sectors within the music, arts and travel industries and curates local parties for the Sydney Street Dance scene.
A request we frequently receive at the studios is:
“Do you have a copy of my files? My laptop/hard drive died and I don’t have them anymore”.
With the rise of digital audio, computer and cloud-based data storage, we thought it may be helpful to provide some tips on good practice to keep your files safe and accessible for the long term.
It may be a tedious chore, but it is essential you back-up your important files. If the session files for your ground-breaking / genre-bending new music are only stored in one place, i.e. on your laptop, then you’re one tech disaster away from heartbreak. Hard drives have a relatively short lifespan; you should not expect them to last longer than 3 to 5 years, and sometimes much shorter than that. I’ve had drives fail that were mere months old. If you have your files only on the one hard drive that gives out, it can cost many thousands of dollars with a specialist to try and retrieve them.
A great and easy-to-remember concept for this is the “3-2-1 backup rule”, which you can read more about here. To surmise,
You want three copies of your files
On two different storage types
And one offsite backup
A practical example of this is to keep any important session files neatly organised on your computer, have a copy on an external hard drive, burn them to a DVD, and another copy in the cloud. That way you have more than covered the 3-2-1 rule and nothing short of armageddon will keep you from your files.
The next question then is, what should you keep? Well technically you can probably keep everything related to a session. Space is cheap these days so it may be worth holding onto all your files, i.e. the out-takes, the demos, the mixes, the masters. But then it’s also worthwhile considering future proofing your sessions. In 15+ years time it’s highly unlikely that you will be running the same system you are today, and if you try to open the project session you may find it incompatible, as plugins won’t load etc. It’s therefore good practice to render out the multitracks of your mixes into two sets of 32bit floating point WAV files, one set with plugins on and one set with them off, so if in the distant future you want to remix the tracks, you can recall all the elements with minimal fuss.
Key Takeaways:
Hard drives WILL fail so if you only have a single copy of important files you are setting yourself up for heartbreak.
Set aside an afternoon every few months to make sure your backups are up to date and remember to test them.
Be kind to your future self and assume your current projects won’t be compatible in the future so render as much as you can into WAV format.
MusicNSW is back with the 2020 Levels program: a one-on-one audio engineering workshop for women, trans and non-binary applicants. Levels 2020 will be held at Studios 301 on Saturday, 27 June 2020 and you can apply at musicnsw.com
The hour-long workshops will be packed with personalised advice on producing and mixing your track, from world-class audio engineers Antonia Gauci(Will.I.Am, Kesha, DMA’s) and Georgia Collins (Birds of Tokyo, Body Type, Bachelor Pad).
It’s a perfect opportunity to take your sound to the next level. Come prepared with your track session and your questions loaded up, and make the most of this rare learning experience.
We are continuing to dig through the archives to bring you more tasty sounds from the Studio! This week, we’re bringing you a collection of Egyptian Clay Tabla recordings made in Studio 1. It features percussionist Tarek Sawires and was recorded by in-house engineer Jack Prest.
Jack had this to say about the recording:
“The RCA77DX is my go-to on percussion. It gives defined but soft transients and feels reminiscent of 1950’s records, which is my favourite vibe for percussion. I always mic at least a few feet back from the drum so you really capture the full sound of the instrument. For these recordings, I used 2 RCA’s – one in front and one behind the instrument, which I have panned slightly left and right to give the samples a nice 3D quality. I can’t remember exactly, but I’m pretty sure we ran these through the AEA RPQ500 Ribbon preamps, which sound fantastic. If not, it would have been the Neve 88R Console we have in Studio 1. Other than that, these are raw and unprocessed, straight out of the Pro Tools session at 24bit 96kHz.”
You are free to use these samples in any of your recordings – something we will hope will encourage some creativity in these troubling times.
There has been a great deal of discussion about target loudness for streaming services recently, particularly in relation to Spotify. This can be problematic for the mastering process, so let’s break it down from a mastering perspective.
Spotify specifies it ‘volume normalises’ all music on the platform to -14 LUFS (measured by ReplayGain as an approximation of LUFS as specified by ITU 1770), so that users can have a consistent listening experience when jumping between songs on playlists. The function is turned on by default when installing the app. As a result, there’s growing speculation that Spotify-specific masters should be delivered at -14 LUFS.
Generally speaking, current masters in most music genres average around the -10 to -6 LUFS region. If you receive a master at say -9 LUFS, and visit a website like Loudness Penalty, you may worry that your track will be turned down when ingested to Spotify. The issue here is, it’s essentially moot whether Spotify or your mastering engineer turns down your track. However, if you do supply Spotify with a -14 level master, the song will be very quiet for subscribers with loudness normalisation disabled.
Much is made of the loudness wars however I’d argue that with the majority of modern music being made with compression in mind, having an incredibly dynamic master at -14 LUFS will likely sound abnormal by comparison. The most important thing with a master, is that it sounds good within itself.
As an example, take ‘Perfekt Dark’ by Lorn, an electronic artist who uses compression as a sound design technique. Listening to the track on Spotify, with loudness normalisation off, the track has a peak level of -0.1 as we would expect. With loudness normalisation on, the new peak level is -1.8, so the track has been turned down. One might conclude that you could potentially get an extra 1.7dB of range out of the dynamics, however this would require backing off compression/limiting to let peaks through, which may in turn change the tone of texture of the track. The compression is playing a role in keeping the percussion in balance with the synthesizers and bass within the track. If the mastering engineer was mastering to hit a target number instead of using his/her ears to make it sound nice and balanced, the overall mastering would perhaps not be as effective.
Key Takeaways:
Not everyone uses Spotify loudness normalisation
It’s a moving target. Spotify uses -14LUFS as it’s target number, but in the past it was -12, and that number may change again in the future. In fact, Spotify already have plans to change the way they measure -14 LUFS
It’s more important that a master sounds good within itself, than be compromised to hit a number. Let the music dictate how loud and how compressed it should be.
If your master gets turned down, well that’s OK. If it sounds good at a peak of -0.1 it will sound good if it peaks at -2
Following the old adage about life and lemons we are taking advantage of self-isolation by digging back through the archives for some great sounds to share with you. You are free to use these samples in any of your recordings – something we hope will encourage some creativity.
This first pack comes from the recording session for the first album by Sydney based new-jazz innovators Godtet. The session was engineered by Studios 301 in-house producer Jack Prest at our Mitchell Road facility in 2016.
Recorded in the drum booth of Studio 1 with the exposed rock wall for extra slap!
The gear used includes FET 47, Neve 1073 Pre-Amps, Shure SM-57 for the snare, and a pair of Neumann 87s smashing through an 1178 on the rooms. It features Sydney drummer Tully Ryan. We will be bringing you a bunch more sample packs in the coming weeks.
Expect a night of fascinating stories, insights into running your own studio business and lifting the lid off the so called “Black Art” of Mastering.
Here’s an opportunity where you can ask all you ever wanted to know about mastering and how we go about it, and also mingle with some of the most talented crew in the country at the panel event and BBQ provided.
The panel will cover:
how to best set up a new studio business in the current economic climate
best way(s) to take a new business to the next level and get momentum working back in your favour
share the strategies that have allowed him to not only stay in business in a commercial facility, but thrive in it during a time where others are down sizing or getting out of the business all together
the best way to get clients and maintain relationships in an ever-competitive market
the myth of “work / life balance”.
mixing and mastering technical approach and workflow practice(s)
With a continuing commitment to quality, we are excited to announce the recent installation of a Prism Sound MEA-2 Precision Mastering Equalizer into Steve Smart’s Mastering Room.
The MEA – 2 is a four band stereo Mastering EQ with shelves on each band, offering a rich golden silky sound. The Equalizer can easily be switched into M/S or Stereo configuration with the push of a button.
Steve’s other collection of Mastering EQs are (Abbey Road, EMI) TG 12412 and the API 5500, as well as the Amtec (Pultec) Tube Programme Equalizer PEQ-1A (Mastering Pair).
Studios 301 recently hosted the legendary Cold Chisel recording their new album in Studio 1 with producer Kevin Shirley. Our assistant engineer Owen Butcher who was on the sessions gives his recap of the experience and working alongside arguably the biggest act in Australian Rock.
written by Owen Butcher
Despite working at a well known studio it’s not every day you get to work with musicians that qualify for legendary status. You meet a lot of young, exciting and upcoming artists, but bands you grew up listening to on the radio are a different breed. You know all the words and how all the songs go, but as you don’t know them personally you make up your own stories and ideas of how they are as individuals. This can be a bit of a shock when they arrive at the studio as there is usually a certain amount of re-adjustment you need to do. Luckily in the case of Cold Chisel the band members are exactly as you’d imagine. Jimmy is excited and keen to get singing, Ian very thoughtful and considered in what he’s going to play, Don is all about the song and attention to detail, Phil is polite but always up for playing a mean bassline, and Charley is caring and always looking to push the songs to their limits. Kevin Shirley was producer on the record, and he liked to be very hands on with the Pro Tools, the band and the songs.
Fans of the band will be pleased to note that almost everything was tracked live with minimal overdubs. In almost all cases it was everyone in the room playing together. We set them up with Charley out in the large room to give the drums a bit of space, with Phil standing near the drumkit with a baffle in between them. We did this so Phil and Charley could communicate with each other visually through the window in the baffle, but also keep Phil’s headphone mix clear. Ian was also sitting in the same live room with his pedals and amp heads, with the speaker cabinet in a booth. We ended up keeping the booth door open and making what I dubbed a ‘sound corridor’ with baffles and tontine. This isolated the guitar amp enough from the drum mics, but also gave Ian the feedback he needs from the amp on the guitar strings and kept him as close to the drumkit as possible. When playing the upright and grand pianos, Don was in the other booth for isolation purposes. We took the front of the upright piano off to expose all the strings and make the piano less boxy sounding. When we was playing other keyboards he was sitting in the live room with everyone else as we could DI any Wurlitzer and Nord parts. Hammond organ was run through the Lesile cabinet (Don during recording: “You should see what I learned you could do with a Leslie back in the day after carrying it up 4 flights of stairs at the Grafton RSL club!!)”. Jimmy was actually singing in the Control Room. He liked to be near Kevin to discuss ideas, and he sings so loud that the studio monitors don’t cause big enough bleed issues.
Equipment and microphone wise, we used mostly basic microphones for the setup as they’re a straight up rock band (U47 kick drum, 421’s Toms, 57’s on guitars, snare etc), though we did add some Sony High Resolution microphones to the mix as Overheads (Sony C-100) and on the upright piano (Sony ECM-100N) to help give a bit more extended range to the other traditionally less detailed sounding mics. We used a Neumann M149 on vocals because it can take a higher SPL than our other vocal mics. All of these were run through the Neve 88R preamps and EQ, with compression from the 1176 on Vocals, LA2A and Pultec EQP1A on the bass and a touch of Amek 9098 compression on the piano.
After all the main tracking was completed, we finalised the guitar solos for each of the songs with Ian. This was a fun process, where we isolated the amp we were tracking in the booth with the door shut, but split the signal from his amps to another Marshall cabinet which we put near him. Any feedback or FX he could use the Marshall the create them, but they would play out of the amp in the booth. In addition to this, we have Genelec 1031A monitors from Mitchell Rd hung from the ceiling of the line room, so the whole band mix was pumped through that like a PA system as though he was playing at a live concert! This made him at feel more at home during tracking and we all know this produces much better results.
The band were a pleasure to work with. They worked very hard and purposefully throughout, making sure as they went to record what was best for each of the songs to do them justice. I also noted that they can appreciate a nice Whisky or two during any downtime, so they’re always welcome in a studio I’m working in.
August was headlined by legendary Australian rock band Cold Chisel locked out in our flagship space Studio 1 for 18 days to record a full album, produced by Kevin Shirley and assisted by Owen Butcher.
Ricochet Songwriting Camp locked out 3 of our main recording spaces for an all-female/non-binary rap and hip-hop writing camp over the length of a week. The camp featured artists such as Mirrah, KLP, Coda Conduct, Janeva, imbi the girl, Erin Marshall, Zeadala. Other sponsors included Hilltop Hoods, Thundamentals, Urthboy, Hermitude, KLP, Elefant Traks, Dew Process, Native Tongue, Warner Music, Nando’s, Yulli’s Brews, PPCA and Nike. Read more here
EMI were in Studio 2 for 2 days tracking drums with Australian singer-songwriter Odette. The sessions were engineered by six-time Grammy nominated record producer Damian Taylor, and assisted by Jesse Deskovic.
Other sessions included Australian Navy Band, Jess Kent Vocal Recording with Simon Cohen, Redbull 64 Bars recording, AB Original: Briggs and Trials, Jay Tee Hazard, Australian Jazz vocalist Emma Pask, XMPLAlive recording and filming, Safia x Spotify and more.
Leon Zervos mastered new music for Birds of Tokyo, Stan Walker, Samantha Jade, Yorke, Clare Bowditch, Kota Banks, Isaiah, Lila Gold, Tuka, Guy Sebastian, Jack River, Shag Rock, Furnace and the Fundamentals and Jordan Gavet (NZ).
Steve Smart worked on releases for Alex The Astronaut, Washington, Elk Road, Hollow Coves, Cheetah Coats, Jack Gray, NOT A BOYS NAME, Aydan, Wharves, Vast Hill, Dande and The Lion, Casey Barnes, Machine Age, Ivey and a remastering project for Col Nolan.
Andrew Edgson mastered tracks for CLYPSO, Ainsley Farrell, Thomston, darby, Camp 8, SCABZ and Good Lekker.
Ben Fegganshas been mastering music for Mallrat, Keelan Mak, Hype Duo, Nick Cunningham, Diana Rouvas (remixes), Johnny Hunter, micra and Johniepee.
Harvey O’Sullivanworked on releases for The Lazy Eyes, møment and a remix for Billy Davis.
C3 Church hosted a live band recording in Studio 1 for a worship album facilitated by Assistant Creative Minister Ryan Gilpin. The live album recording featured a full band accompanied by an audience of 120 guests and was engineered by Stefan Du Randt and assisted by Jack Garzonio.
RØDE Microphones were in Studio 2 for a product demonstration and shoot out, testing some of their microphones
Warner Music Australia have been utilising Studio 1 for listening party showcase events introducing their newly signed artists
RØDE Microphones ran a session in Studio 1 with Jack Prest for one of their endorsed artists. Jack recorded ‘Battle Ax’ – which is an experimental classical/fusion viola player with the assistance of RØDE microphones and their technicians.
A$AP Twelvyy recorded for 3 days with Tom Garnett from the Warner tenancy room (Studio 8). A$AP was on tour here for a few weeks and brought along Kid Laroi to track vocals on a collaboration.
MusicNSW and 301 hosted the Levels Masterclass series in the studios on the 18th of May. This featured 4 x studios with over 50 students working across songwriting, production and mixing techniques with Milan Ring, Mookhi, Sparrows and Rebel Yell.
SIMA and ABC Classics hosted a live album recording for Julien Wilson‘s jazz quartet in Studio 1. There were over 110+ in attendance, with Owen Butcher facilitating a live record and stream to ABC radio.
“Thank you so much for a seamlessly successful event for our Sydney Symphony Vanguard members program. I was so impressed by your professionalism, friendliness and accommodation of all of our requests. The event was well staffed and the team went out of their way to make us feel at home. […] It was a huge honour to hold an event in such an iconic space and we are so grateful for your hospitality at all stages of event planning.”
Leon Zervos has been working on new releases for The Veronicas, Jess Mauboy, Stan Walker, Jungle Giants, Montaigne, Slum Sociable, Cyrus, Sahara Beck, JEFFE, Fergus James and Dawn Avenue (Mexico).
Steve Smart has mastered music for Dean Lewis, Vance Joy, Spookyland, No Frills Twins, Oh Reach, Lakyn, RedHook, Abi Tucker, Danielle Spencer, Dande and the Lion, PLANET, and Ivey.
Andrew Edgson has worked on tracks for The Lulu Raes, The Laurels, Yeevs, Foreign Architects, Merpire, Black Aces, The Paddy Cakes, Noah Dillon, Jack Botts and Fatin Husna (Malaysia).
Ben Feggans has been mastering for Luboku, Oh My My, Emma Hewitt, Love Deluxe, Nick Cunningham and remixes for Alison Wonderland and Owl Eyes.
I had the opportunity to discuss this topic on a panel at the Fast Forward music technology conference alongside members of the Australian industry and media. From the role of a studio manager, I am able to observe the content creation process from a bird’s eye view. It’s not unusual to have an internationally acclaimed major label artist, an independent songwriter or bedroom producer, and an orchestra under the same roof working simultaneously.
People are quick to assume that record labels have become irrelevant and cumbersome, unable to adjust to the convergence of media spearheaded by streaming platforms.
The truth is, infrastructure and technology has disrupted all industries; music has just been hit a lot harder than most.
Does the rise of independent content creation spawn a threat to the major labels?
Will labels enter into mass acquisition of independent channels in order to beef up their current offerings and widen their spread? Will streaming platforms soon provide label services from under their own banner and create a self-sustaining machine?
The answer to all of these questions is likely yes, but this is only a prediction.
It is evident that times have changed dramatically, and the route to market is easier than ever.
Technological advancements and mass production of recording equipment has enabled artists to bypass the traditional industry gatekeepers and release content instantaneously. Artists revel in the low cost and risk free environment of content creation from their bedrooms and basements, where they can craft their product offering in a timely and decisive manner. This is a far cry from the golden age of the record boom.
Prior to home recording becoming an economic option, there was no other choice than to visit a studio to record music and hope for the support from one of the majors. Labels would screen endless talent and take a punt on “the next big thing” in the hopes they were betting on the right horse. Without the meaningful data and consumer insights we have today, it was the equivalent of betting on a horse without knowing the odds of winning.
Sure, the horse has a history of winning and a talented breeder, but did it actually have the gusto to win?
The labels were the tastemakers, and the few artists who rose to the top were fine wine. Today’s media market is flooded, noisy, and feels like everyone has, well, frankly had too much to drink.
Perhaps within the future exists a self-managed ecosystem of flexibility from both sides of the fence, where short-term artist projects can be economically cycled through distribution channels until something sticks.
If Content is King, then surely Curation is Queen.
One thing is evident; we are consuming more media now than we have in recorded history and this will not slow down any time soon, not to mention the channels of distribution that have drastically changed and will continue to do so.
Labels are just like any other corporation who has had to paddle their way through the digitally disrupted currents, so it’s high time we gave them a break.
I don’t think the question is as simple as “will they sink or swim,” it’s more likely to be “when will the storm cease?”
It’s more important than ever to have strong and diverse role models in the creative industries, especially in music production where women comprise less than 2% of engineers and producers working professionally. The statistics of music university graduates tell a different story however; nearly half of graduates who majored in music in university are female, but by the time they hit the workforce this number drops dramatically. There is a clearly defined disconnect between the entry of young women into creative industries, and the occupational pathways that lead them into professional careers.
Studios 301 is committed to championing diversity and gender equality within the music industry, co-hosting a series of collaborative events aimed at engaging, educating, and motivating young women and non-binary to take up roles in audio engineering and music production. The initiatives, spearheaded by Studio Manager, Shelley Bishop,and Mastering/Tenancies Manager, Lynley White-Smith,who comprise half of the management team at Studios 301, intend to provide an environment of support and encouragement for young professionals.
To celebrate International Women’s Day 2019, Studios 301 and APRA AMCOS have partnered on a national workshop series, aimed at promoting the growth of female and non-binary music producers. Over 100 producers in Sydney alone applied through APRA AMCOS for the full day experience, where industry facilitators walk through production techniques across band recording, pop/contemporary music, and film and TV composition. Presenters include acclaimed, multi-award winning Australian Screen composer and current president of the Australian Guild of Screen Composers, Caitlin Yeo, highly sought-after classically trained screen composer Bryony Marks,multi-talented producer / engineer / musician Antonia Gauci, genre-defying producer Jan Skubiszewski, Ableton expert Jane Hanley, electronic music innovator Eve Klein, and producer / electronic musician stars-on-the-rise Ninajirachi and Mookhi.
Later in the month, homegrown non profit organisation Women in Music Sydney and Studios 301 are collaborating on an immersive studio experience and panel discussion entitled The Recording Process, featuring an in depth look at the recording industry through the eyes of female audio engineers. Panelists include ARIA Awarding winning sound engineer Virginia Read of ABC Studios, Warner Music’s Christina Thiers,Studios 301 producer / audio engineers Antonia Gauciand Tahlia Coleman, and Studio Manager / producer / musician Shelley Bishop moderating.
Studios 301 and industry partners actively seek to improve the hire and retention rates of women in the music industry, and provide mentorship and support for young professionals entering the workforce.
For more information or to follow upcoming events at the studio, subscribe to our newsletter:
Congratulations to all of this year’s ARIA nominees, with a special shout out to our incredible clients and their teams that have been nominated including Amy Shark, Esoterik, Adam Eckersley & Brooke McClymont, Jessica Mauboy and Jimmy Barnes. Additional kudos to our Studios 301 team who have worked on their releases.
Our Nominated Clients And Works As Follows:
https://studios301.com/our-work/love-monster/
Apple Music Album Of The Year / Best Female Artist / Best Pop Release Wonderlick Recording Company Mastered by Leon Zervos
https://studios301.com/our-work/my-astral-plane/
Best Urban Release Flight Deck/Mushroom Group Mastered by Leon Zervos
https://studios301.com/our-work/adam-brooke/
Best Country Album Lost Highway Australia / Universal Music Australia Mastered by Leon Zervos “Be like you” and “Awake” vocal engineered by Stefan Du Randt
Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album “Texas Girl At the Funeral of Her Father”recorded at Studios 301 Engineered by Owen Butcher, Assistant Engineer Tom Garnett
