july 2024

This month we check into two facilities to bring you new music. Toto, we're in Kansas and Chicago is heating up with immersive sound! Listen to a producer dancing with ghosts and remember when one studio door closes, another one opens. Send in your application for this sscholarship and meet new label movers and shakers. Add dates to your social calendar and more...

We remain grateful to you, our valued creators, contributors and supporters. Grab an espresso and enjoy this month's serving!

Chicago Heating Up with its Premiere Philharmonic Studios

Interview with Producer Greg Miner

Immersive ATC Monitoring And More...

Above: Producer and studio Owner Greg Miner (middle) with L-R: Nathan East, Lil’ John Roberts, Brian Culbertson and Nicholas Cole at Philharmonic Studios with ATC speakers.

Nestled in an idyllic wooded setting just thirty miles north of Chicago, Philharmonic Studios™ offers a comprehensive array of services to its discerning clientele.

With over twenty five years experience as a producer, recording artist and touring musician, owner, Greg Miner built the studio from ground up.

Studio A (left) is a spacious Live Room with three isolation booths for maximum flexibility. The control room has a 40-Channel API 2448 all-discrete console. "This exciting multichannel format brings new possibilities in recording and performance. It is also a superb studio for stereo mastering, 5.1 mixing and binaural deliverables including an Avid S6 Controller and Dolby ATMOS Renderer," says Miner.

On May 28, Miner hosted a pro audio event in their world-class studio presented by EARS (Engineering and Recording Society), Chicago.

David Seal from ATC monitors was on hand to show their popular speakers in Studio B, one of the finest Dolby ATMOS environments available featuring ATC Loudspeakers in 7.1.4 configuration.

Below: Philharmonic Studio B featuring Dolby ATMOS environment with ATC Loudspeakers in 7.1.4 configuration

Studio C is eminently suited to modern production workflows in Pop, R&B, EDM and other genres.

Here you'll find a 24-Channel SSL AWS Console, a spacious isolation booth adds further flexibility for overdubbing, voice-over work and composition.

The ability to patch into Studio A’s Live Room and isolation booths offers significant creative possibilities for the most demanding projects.

There's a premier selection of outboard from Pultec, Neve, Fairchild and many other features like well-appointed lounges in the award-winning Russ Berger Group Designed studios.

studioexpresso met up with producer and studio owner Greg Miner in July to learn more about Philharmonic studios.

SE: You bring over 20 years of production experience. Who are some artists you've worked with and what can you tell us about your background?

GM: My musical journey began with the violin and classical guitar in grammar school, and then the electric guitar as a young adult. I began writing original music on synthesizers and samplers at this time and it is here that my love of engineering began. After attending Full Sail I apprenticed at numerous studios in Chicago and later toured extensively as a guitarist in the underground rock scene of the 90s and early 2000s. It was during this time that the vision of having my own facility began to take shape. Despite the many responsibilities that comes with bearing a facility owner, I continue to write and record. I recently produced the late Tom Fuller’s Straight From the Heart album, playing many instruments as well as recording and mixing the release. 

SE: What's your preference for speakers?

GM: ATC has been my reference speaker of choice for over 20 years. We value them for their sonic neutrality, low distortion, excellent imaging and their ability to translate well. From stereo to immersive, they inspire the utmost confidence. BTW we feature ATCs in all three of our studios.

SE: Your studio is built from ground up. Who is the designer or builder and what was there before?

GM: This was a four year project from inception to completion. We were fortunate to have a very experienced team of architects, designers and contractors, including Melichar Architects, Russ Berger Design Group, Paul J. Cox Studio Systems and Stuckey Construction. This was originally a wooded area with trees that were over 200 years old. We took great pains to preserve as many of them as possible.

SE: Who has recorded here lately?

GM: Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Mark Tremonti, Brian Culbertson, Nathan East, Shout Section Big Band, Josie Falbo and many others.

SE: Do you provide house engineers?

GM: I am the owner and chief engineer. My assistants and I also take great pride in serving the many freelance engineers who have visited the studio.

SE: Give us a glimpse of what's in Philharmonic studios microphone locker?

GM: I have closely studied the microphone inventories of the world’s top facilities. It is worth noting that each facility is utterly unique in this regard, and so it is with Philharmonic. We have generous quantities of Neumann (M49v, M149, M150, U67) and Telefunken (U47, C12, 251) valve microphones, considerable quantities of AEA (R44, R88) and Royer (121, 122, SF-12, 24, 24v) ribbon mics, many Schoeps (MK2, 4, 21, Decca) Sony CUX-100 (5) and a complete DPA immersive capture array. 

It is our ambition to one day possess one of the most complete microphone collections available.

SE: For long stays, which nearby hotels would you recommend?

GM: For longer engagements we recommend the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort, which is less than ten minutes from the studio and offers superb amenities, dining and golf. And for those who prefer a boutique hotel experience, the Deerpath Inn in Lake Forest offers an upscale experience in close proximity to quaint shopping and Lake Michigan.

O’hare International Airport is located just 20 miles from our facility.

Booking contact: Greg Miner or our Operations Manager, Marivi Miner

at info@philharmonic.com I phone at 847.985.1111

800 Forest Edge Drive, Vernon Hills (Chicago)

Official Philharmonic Studios

studioexpresso Spootlight - Philharmonic Studios

Below: Philharmonic offers ample lounge spaces on its beautiful grounds

Hania Rani is an award-winning pianist, composer and singer. She grew up in Gdansk, Poland and currently divides her time between Warsaw and Berlin. Rani’s new album Ghosts (featuring Duncan Bellamy, Patrick Watson and Olafur Arnalds) was released on Gondwana Records on October 6, 2023. Her Covid era “Live from Studio S2″ performance video has now clocked up almost 6 million views.

When Hania reintroduced herself this spring with Hello, the preliminary taster for her new album, Ghosts, it most likely startled many who’ve come to love her work. Otherworldly yet upbeat, there are 13 tracks and 67 minutes where Rani passes repeatedly and gracefully between worlds, joined sometimes by bassist and Moog player Ziemowit Klimek and Patrick Watson who breathes unearthly life into the ethereal Dancing with Ghosts.

Hania was asked by director Susanna Fanzun to score the documentary about the artist Alberto Giacometti. The soundtrack was recorded in the Swiss mountains with Hania being surrounded by snow and ice which is reflected in the delicate recordings.

Last summer, visitors to Zodiak, the Warsaw Architecture Pavilion, are encouraged to enjoy “Room for Listening”, a sound and spatial art installation, designed with architecture studio Zmir, in which an hour-long composition is looped and streamed through 25 speakers, composed by Rani.

Above Ian Charbonneau of The Recording Project at Topeka Correctional Facility during The Recording of Melissa Etheridge's "I'm Not Broken" album. Ian's fly pack system (below) is capable of 96K recording.

I’m Not Broken is Grammy®-winning Melissa Etheridge's new album released on streaming platforms, cd's and Vinyls by the legendary Sun Label Group. The album was recorded live by Ian Charbonneau of The Recording Project at Topeka Correctional facility for women in Kansas.

The inspiring story of healing and transcendence through the power of music begins when five female residents from the Topeka Correctional Facility, write letters to Etheridge. She then uses the letters as inspiration to create and perform an original song for them.

Charbonneau engineered the live concert using his 96K fly pack system (above). On the recording, Etheridge shines with authenticity and emotion with an endearing message of hope for the prison’s 2,500 female residents. The album opens with her first single, The Shadow Of A Black Crow, dedicated to her son Beckett Cypheridge. He tragically passed away from opioid addiction in 2020. "This is a very special project and the first perpetual album recorded by The Recording Project," says engineer, Ian Charbonneau.

I’m Not Broken comes with a two-part docu-series (Paramount+) following her journey both penning and performing an original song inspired by her correspondence with residents of the TCF, and features raw and rousing versions of specially-curated fan favorites and original songs mixed by Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton and Taylor Swift). I’m Not Broken offers 12 tracks with titles to include: All American Girl, Born Under A Bad Sign, Come to My Window, A Burning Woman, and Love Will Live.

The set list was curated for the women with tracks that dealt with longing, guilt and pain. "I was blown away that they were all mothers. That just really broke my heart," said Etheridge in an interview earlier this month.

Etheridge was 9 years old when Johnny Cash performed two shows at Folsom State Prison in California on January 13, 1968. On her new album, Etheridge walks the line, inspired by Cash. Etheridge is best known for her activism and raspy, smoky vocals. She has remained one of America’s favorite female singers for more than two decades. She's promoting her new album with select tour dates with Jewel, including a show at the YouTube theater, Los Angeles on July 26.

East West's legendary Studio One (Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Rolling Stones) is booked for variety of sessions from single voice to 70-piece symphonic orchestra. Brent Fischer Orchestra recorded in one with a 56-piece ensemble.

Spanning over 61,000 cubic feet with a vibrant sound, the iconic studio comes complete with a spacious isolation booth and a beautiful Bechstein D-280 Concert Grand Piano. The control room features an 80-channel Neve 8078 Console, the largest in the world (originally commissioned for Michael Jackson's best-selling album, Thriller).

Each room at East West is equipped with a DB Technologies db4496 A/D-D/A Converter and ATC SCM25 Pro Mk2 house monitors along with NS10/ProAc speakers and are set up with Pro tools HD.

Right: Grammy-winner producers Brent Fischer and Dave Reitzas in studio one control room during a VIP event hosted by Source Connect

photos: by the C

Housed in 1920s Medinah Temple, the historic landmark studios, for almost six decades, The Village has recorded hundreds of legendary Grammy Award-winning albums and Academy Award-winning movie soundtracks. One of the studio's Grammy-winning, staff engineers, Alex Williams, used ATC 25s on the Jon Batiste We Are sessions, as well as the award-winning Odessa sessions. He also worked with Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Regina Spektor, Perry Farrell and many more. Noted Williams, “The quality of ATC’s design and construction is apparent upon opening the box. From recording to mixing, the ATCs perform flawlessly on rock, pop, hip-hop, jazz, or orchestral. I know what I’m hearing is what I’m getting. I’m thrilled that The Village is outfitting three studios with the new ATC SCM25A Pro Mk2s.”

“Choosing ATC SCM25A Pro Mk2s for Village's main studios is an incredible validation of this product’s excellence,” says Brad Lunde, president and founder of TransAudio Group.

Top Left: Jeff Greenberg, owner and CEO with Snoop Dogg at The Village

Starstruck Entertainment, the parent company of Starstruck Studios was founded in 1988 by Narvel Blackstock. Located on Music Row, Starstruck Studios is considered one of the top iconic Nashville recording facilities, and recently chose an ATC 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos configuration and paired it with their SSL System TS-500 console for their Dolby Atmos room.

"ATC 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos system is cited as the speaker system of choice for the growing number of multichannel immersive sound studios.

Manufactured and designed in the UK to the highest engineering standards, it was only natural ATC could develop this solid niche," says Brad Lunde of Trans Audio Group.

Invest in Good Speaker Stands. Why? While looks can be deceiving, you must have seen concrete blocks and other DIY configurations used in some project studios. Speaker stands may not be on top of your purchasing list, but this 19-minute video by Colt Capperrune @ColtCapperrune may change your mind. $20 block stands are compared with professional stands ranging from $140 Gators to $1,200 Sound Anchor stands. Can you guess which one performs the best? check it out here Adjust-ability is also important for Speakers. For optimum sound quality the speaker’s acoustical axis should be at approximately ear level for the most consistent and best sound.

Sound Anchor adjustable monitor stands allow you to adjust the position of the monitors (height, angle and tilt) so you can place the monitors where they need to be for the highest quality sound.

Sound Anchors and Redmount products are designed and manufactured in Palm Bay, Florida U.S.A. using American parts and skilled American labor. click here for Sound Anchor dealers in USA

ATC models:

SCM25As

SCM45As,

SCM50ASLs

SCM100ASLs

"ATC monitors are something you have to experience. Lets just say that you can hear details you’ve never heard before, leading you to faster, more accurate decisions in your creative process," says Brad Lunde, President of Trans Audio Group

ABOUT TRANSAUDIO GROUP

TransAudio Group, founded by industry veteran Brad Lunde, has quickly become the premier U.S. importer/distributor and/or U.S. sales and marketing representative for high-end audio. Success hinges on TransAudio providing dealers and end users with a higher standard of product expertise and support far beyond the norm.

ATC SCM 25a pro mk2 has been upgraded with ATC’s hand made proprietary SH25-76S Dual Suspension Tweeter, extending the high-frequency response with a reduction in distortion. " Like the original SCM25A, the new upgraded Mk2 is a compact 3-way high-performance active studio monitor loudspeaker, based around the hand made proprietary ATC 3”/75mm soft mid-dome driver and 6.5”/164mm bass driver loaded in a 25-litre vented cabinet," adds Brad Lunde, President of Trans Audio Group. The monitor’s combination of exceptional mid-range clarity, high-output, extended bass response and modest size make it ideal for nearfield monitoring across a wide range of critical applications. ATC of England is the insider’s studio monitor, demanded by the very top level of the music recording community. ATC designs and manufactures nearly all their proprietary components, drivers, and electronics in-house to the absolute highest quality standards. The best of the best rely on ATC monitoring as their main solution for tracking, mixing and mastering. Models range from $5,000 to $50,000 per pair and all share a very similar sound. For larger rooms and midfield, applications check out the SEM45 with dual 6.5-inch drivers and the fantastic SEM150 with a 15-inch woofer and 350 Watts of power. Choose the size that works for your space. More info here

TransAudio Group, U.S. distributer of the finest professional recording equipment in the world, is pleased to announce the new ATC SCS70 Pro, a compact, ultra-high performance subwoofer using ATC’s first, in-house-designed and built sub driver.

Designed by Billy Woodman and his team of engineers, this new 12-inch sub driver delivers the kind of honest and detailed low-frequency information that professionals have come to expect from ATC.  “Subwoofers can be a source of distortion, making the mixing or mastering process a guessing game. Now an ATC system, complete with the one or two SCS70 subs, can deliver full bandwidth audio for any genre, enabling superior translation on any system it gets played on, from ear buds to home hi-fi to clubs and everything in-between. Other subwoofers rely on EQ and poorly implemented ports, transmission lines or passive radiators to boost low end and make their subs sound impressive," says Brad Lunde

USA List Price: $5,490.00 USA MAP: $4,990.00

Sat Aug 17

West LA College, Culver City

Tix range $100-760

Register here before August 7, 6 pm.

The 10th Annual "State Of Music In Media" Conference will take place on August 17th, 2024 at West LA College in Culver City, CA. The Conference was established to provide an environment in which the knowledge, resources, and skills specific to music supervision are expanded and shared as a means to sustain the highest level of professionalism and evolve the collective expertise.

This event is open to Members and Friends of the Guild only.

The Guild Of Music Supervisors is a non-profit organization with the mission to promote the craft of Music Supervision for the mutual benefit of all media stakeholders in film, television, games, advertising, trailers and emerging media.

Congrats to the new class of Emmy-nominated Music Supervisors!

Catherine Grieves - BABY REINDEER

Trygge Toven - FALLOUT

Jen Malone - MR. & MRS. SMITH

Maggie Phillips - FARGO

Bruce Gilbert & Lauren Marie Mikus - ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING

Sue Jacobs - TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY

studioexpresso and Trans Audio Group have featured many producers, and musicians over the past ten years of TEC Track's history at NAMM

Curt Bisquera (Sarah McLachlan, Elton John), Kenny Aronoff (Smashing Pumpkins, John Mellencamp, Sting), Greg Penny (Elton John, KD Lang), Rafa Sardina (Lady Gaga, John Legend), Niko Bolas (Neil Young, LeAnn Rimes), Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hedrix, Kiss), Matt Wallace (Maroon 5, Faith No More), Cheche Alara (Christina Aguilera), Kim Bullard (Elton John, Kelly Clarkson), Cristina Abaroa (Celine Dion, Enrique Iglasias), Brady Leffler (Hot Chelle Rae, Justin Beieber), Al Schmitt (Diana Krall, Paul McCartney), Alex Acuna (LA Phil, Beck), Teddy Campbell (American idol, The Tonight Show w Leno), Ellis Hall (Ray Charles, Tower of Power), Jacob Armen (Prince), Peter Asher (James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt), Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Melody Gardot), Manny Marroquin (Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys), Dave Schiffman (Adele, Limp Bizkit), Gregg Field (Sinatra, Pharell), Sylvia Massy (Tool, Johnny Cash), CJ Vanston (Toto, spinal Tap), Dame Gail Dorsey (David Bowie, Gwen Stefani), Jenny Mason (The Mrs), Neal Pogue (Outkast, Andre 3000), Leland Sklar (Phil Collins, James Taylor), Moogie Canazio (Sergio Mendes, Sarah Vaughan), Daniel Seeff (KJazz, Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz), James Torme, Zev Feldman of Resonance Records (Sarah Vaughan, Bill Evans, Nat King Cole), John Wooler of Mood Media (Flying Lotus, Elton John, Miles Davis), David Benoit, Matt Wong, Ryan Ulyate (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), Ian Charbonneau (Mana, Neil Young, Jake Owen) and Grammy^®-winning Brent Fischer (Usher, Elvis Costello, Symphonic Prince).

Marek Walaszek, inventor and founder of Bettermaker, enjoys a glowing reputation of creating award-winning, professional grade mixing and mastering hardware and software. The new Bettermaker Valve Stereo Passive Equalizer (VSPE) is the first Bettermaker product featuring original tube technology along with new company designed and manufactured transformers.

"The vacuum tubes selected for the VSPE are military grade with very strict requirements for extremely low levels of noise and distortion," says Brad Lunde of TransAudio Group, the distributor of world-class audio equipment.

A breakthrough in audio engineering, the VSPE combines the warmth of a vacuum tube stereo EQ, with the precision of digital control and recall.

Bettermaker’s VSPE includes a DAW plugin that allows you to control and recall all settings of the analog hardware via USB. Along with standard parameter control, it provides high-quality digital HPF and LPF spectrum analyzer session snapshots, dual mono operation, audio level metering, and quantize (step) mode for all hardware knobs. VSPE filters are also adjustable by dragging handles on the EQ curve graph.

“The vintage analog sound of passive EQ’s so loved by engineers is replicated in the new Bettermaker Valve Stereo Passive Equalizer. The VSPE easily captures the musicality and tone of a performance with digital precision,” adds Lunde.

For technical specifications, go to the VSPE Product Page.

Units are Now Available. Price: $2999.00

Bettermaker Mastering Limiter 2.0 Convenient, easy-to-use plug-in control and instant recall.

“From Grammy-award winners, to top international recording artists, home and free-standing recording studios, the original Mastering Limiter is that piece of go-to gear that adds that particular dynamic edge and significant touch towards the end of the recording process.

The Bettermaker Mastering Limiter 2.0 has faster release time, a lowered noise floor and the same 100% analog signal path with the ease of digital plug-in control and recall. This one is a superstar product,” adds Brad Lunde, president, and founder of TransAudio Group

Watch Vlog review by DJ, Producer, Jon Sine of the new Bettermaker Mastering 2.0 here

The Bettermaker Mastering Limiter 2.0 is priced at $3,500 in USA and is now available for shipping.

"The Daking Mic Pre 4T, nominated for a TEC Award 2023, will elevate any recording offering unique solutions to common problems," say Brad Lunde (click top left image for a video presentation by Brad Lunde). The “low-distortion” Jensen input and output transformers offer more linear low-end performance under super dynamic conditions. Daking’s own variable high-pass filter dials out the low-frequency mud that can be subsonic and will decrease available headroom. Built in the USA, Daking uses only high-end parts like Jensen input and output transformers in a high-end design using all-discrete transistor Class A circuitry. Unusually high 24dB of headroom and easy to read twenty segment meters make proper gain staging easy and forgiving under a wider array of conditions.

Auratone Celebrates its 50th anniversary, Auratone and its US distributor, TransAudio Group, introduced the first-ever Active 5C, nominated for TEC Awards at NAMM 2023.

A careful R&D process has been implemented to maintain the original characteristics of the 5C, utilizing the same amplifier design from the NAMM TEC Award winning A2-30 amplifier.

“We were happy to get boutique Polish manufacturer Bettermaker together with Alex Jacobsen, owner, and grandson of founder Jack Wilson, for the perfectly matched A2-30 amplifier. Now, the two companies have collaborated to get a mono amplifier that contains the guts and soul of the A2-30 into each chassis for the active version,” says Brad Lunde, founder, and president of TransAudio Group.

The Auratone Active 5C is now shipping • MAP: $749/pair

Like the other 5C variants, the Auratone ACTIVE 5C is made in the USA.



Trans Audio Group -- The Recording Studio Equipment Experts. Call to order from their trusted brands:

A-Designs (USA), ATC Loudspeakers (UK), Auratone, Bettermaker, Daking Audio, Drawmer, Hakan, Latch Lake, Mojave Audio, Mutec, Pete's Place Audio, Sabra-Som, Subwoofer Pros, and Tube-Tech 

Questions- pricing, availability and dealer locations please email sales@transaudiogroup.com

TransAudio Group, the U.S. distributor of world-class audio recording gear, announces the

Drawmer 1977 – the company’s most versatile channel strip to date.

“For over 45 years, Drawmer has been on the forefront of creating and manufacturing beautiful sounding analog gear,” noted Brad Lunde, president, and founder of TransAudio Group. “With the Drawmer 1977, they combined the richness of analog sound with the functionally needed in today’s recording environments. The concept is legendary. The implementation is difficult. Yet somehow Ivor Drawmer and his team made it happen with the creation of the 1977 Channel Strip. I’m excited to bring this product to market. It’s going to meet the almost eternal quest to bring more of that ‘70s analog sound to today’s recordings.”

The Drawmer 1977 is priced at $1749 and is now available.

The new Drawmer 1971 4-band parametric EQ, available in the U.S. from TransAudio Group.

Trans Audio Group (TAG) has made its mission to deliver creative, problem-solving, and bulletproof products to recording studios around the world. This month, the U.S. Distributor for Drawmer, TAG, is introducing the all new Drawmer 1971 4-Band Parametric EQ. This new edition to the Drawmer 70s series of FET-based gear offers two channels of fully featured 4-band parametric EQ and a new CRUSH button with the ability to deliver a myriad of unique musical applications on each bandwidth.

Noted Brad Lunde, president and founder of TransAudio Group, “Widely popular, the Drawmer 70’s series has received many industry awards, and this new EQ is sure to follow. The features embodied in the 1971, plus the amazing new CRUSH button, allow for fine-tuned tactile tone sculpting. CRUSH is a dramatic tool. Engineers and producers will love the diverse and subtle creative options. Drawmer gear is designed and handmade by Drawmer in the UK – no small feat for a pro audio manufacturer.”

Units are Now Available. Price: $1799.00 Details here

L-R, front row): JoJamie Hahr, Jon Loba, Dan Gill and Tim Reid; (back row): Cyndi Lynott, Shane Cosme, Sean Heydorn, Jecoure Lamothe and Zarah Ortiz. Photo: Sonny Alvarez

Less than six months after being promoted to President of Frontline Recordings for North America, BMG has upped Jon Loba again to President of Frontline Recordings for The Americas.

The Nashville-based industry veteran will lead a team of executives across the United States, including Los Angeles, Miami and Nashville, as well as Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

The news comes as part of BMG’s efforts to refresh the organizational structure. The label group will be responsible for overseeing new music releases across a wide range of genres including pop, rock, R&B/hip-hop, country and Latin. Jamie Hahr, Executive Vice President of Recorded Music at BMG Nashville, will oversee all day-to-day management of Nashville powerhouse BBR Music Group and its imprints. She joined BMG in 2017 following the acquisition of BBR Music Group and will continue to report to Loba.Based in Los Angeles, Dan Gill, Executive Vice President of Recorded Music West Coast, will oversee BMG’s recorded music genre leads for pop, rock, R&B/hip-hop and international outbound repertoire. He reports directly to Loba.

Based in Los Angeles, Cyndi Lynott, Senior Vice President of Marketing, will lead BMG’s recorded frontline pop strategy with a roster of artists. Los Angeles-based Sean Heydorn, Senior Vice President of Rise Records, will now lead recorded frontline rock, including pioneering metal and hard rock label Rise Records. Based in Nashville, Tim Reid, Senior Vice President of Repertoire & Marketing, is responsible for leading the development and focus of R&B/hip-hop, and oversees L.A.-based hip-hop/rap label RBC Records. Los Angeles-based Shane Cosme, Senior Vice President of International Marketing, will serve as the point person responsible for all marketing efforts of outbound global releases from the US-based repertoire to BMG’s international territories. All directly report to Gill.

Jecoure Lamothe, Vice President of A&R and Marketing, oversees the day-to-day operations for hip-hop/rap label RBC Records. Based in Los Angeles, he reports to Reid.

Based in Miami, Zarah Ortiz, Vice President of Repertoire & Campaign Management, will now oversee the developing LATAM repertoire strategy in Mexico and Brazil. In Canada, Bryan Columbus now joins BMG as its newly appointed VP, Recorded Music tasked with leading the company’s frontline recording efforts from its office in Toronto. Both report to Loba.

Grammy® Award-winning American composer, collaborator and Guitarist Bryce Dessner has signed an extensive partnership with Sony Music Masterworks. The versatile composer is also a founding member of Grammy Award-winning rock band The National. The newly inked partnership will see Dessner’s classical compositions released on Sony Classical, while sister label Milan Records will continue to be a home for some of his celebrated soundtracks. This innovative tailored approach will give Dessner maximum artistic freedom to pursue these two essential strands of his creative output.

In addition to his role as one of eight San Francisco Symphony Collaborative Partners, Bryce Dessner is currently Creative Chair of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, and Artist-in-Residence at London’s Southbank Centre and with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. Major new works include a Piano Concerto premièred by Alice Sara Ott and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich in January 2024 and now being performed internationally; a Concerto for Two Pianos premièred by Katia & Marielle Labèque and the London Philharmonic Orchestra; and a Violin Concerto premièred and performed internationally by Pekka Kuusisto. Dessner’s in-demand compositions have been performed by leading orchestras around the world, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Philharmonia Orchestra of London and San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. 

He has co-founded several new-music festivals, including the Cincinnati-based MusicNOW Festival in 2006, Copenhagen’s Haven Festival and the Cork-based Sounds from a Safe Harbour.

Alongside his classical compositions, Dessner is also much sought after as a film composer, with recent and upcoming releases including, "The Two Popes," the film Sing Sing starring Colman Domingo (due for release by A24 in summer 2024), limited series Manhunt (released in March 2024 on Apple TV), and John Crowley’sWe Live in Time (due for release 2024 on A24).

Alexander Buhr, SVP International A&R adds: “Bryce is a uniquely gifted composer and musician, and a very important voice in contemporary music.

Accompanying today’s announcement and album pre-order is the first single from Solos – “Lullaby for Jacques et Brune” – a lullaby for piano, written by Bryce Dessner for his godchildren. "These pieces of mine are often written like poems, where the musical language itself dictates the form and evolution of the piece, and were often opportunities for me to explore more deeply my relationship to the instruments they were composed for. They also represent in each case close collaborative relationships and friendships I have been very lucky to develop with the incredible musicians who play them," says Dessner. Per Hauber, President, Sony Classical added: “As Bryce Dessner embarks on this exciting new chapter with Sony Classical, we look forward to showcasing his extraordinary talent and pushing boundaries of classical music together.

Bryce and Aaron Dessner co-wrote the original motion picture score to C’mon C’mon, the 2021 American black and white drama film written and directed by Mike Mills and starring Joaquin Phoenix.The album features four collaborations with Feist.

From Fernando Meirelles, the Academy Award-nominated director of City of God, The Two Popes is an intimate story of one of the most dramatic transitions of power in the last 2,000 years. 

The soundtrack features music written by Bryce Dessner for the Netflix film starring Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce.

Bryce Dessner and Hamburg-based Ensemble Resonanz release TENEBRE, presenting four of Dessner’s major compositions for string ensemble: Aheym, Tenebre, Skrik Trio and Lachrimae. Together for the first time on disc, these visceral chamber pieces combine tradition and modernity to create a restless, spiritual experience.

Above: Audio educator Chilitos Valenzuela

AES-LA's Hybrid Event took place on Sat 7/20 12p-3p at Audio Graph Beer Co.

1203 South Olive Street Los Angeles. The training on Pro Tools 2024.6 offered Tips, Tricks, Techniques with Chilitos Valenzuela

Chilitos Valenzuela (Internationally renowned audio educator, author, Master Pro Tools Trainer) gave practical review of new features in Pro Tools 2024.6 and show ideas for increasing confidence and efficiency in your workflows with a focus on Shortcuts and Advanced Automation.

AES LA Events take place last Tuesday of the month, 6:30 pm and they are Free to audio community in-person and also via Zoom.

Visit the site and stay tuned for the next event here

On July 10, The Rolling Stones performed a sold-out, 2-hour show at the 70,240- seat SoFi stadium in Los Angeles. This month, front-man Mick Jagger, 80 and guitar legend Keith Richards, 80 went through their hit songs "Start Me Up,” “Wild Horses," "Beast of Burden," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," Sympathy for the devil," "Paint It Black," "Satisfaction," and "Don't Get Angry With Me."



This band is full proof that age means experience, skill, integrity, and grace. Who would you want to play at your party? The Stones or someone who just picked up the guitar, sans hits?! The answer is clear.

Rolling Stones' U.S. tour debut took place in San Bernardino, California 60 years ago.

“Hackney Diamonds” is the Rolling Stones’ 24th studio album. The Stones are one of the most prolific poets and artists of our time.

Sound moves four times faster through water than through the air. It can travel such long distances that whales can hear each other when they are nearly a hundred miles apart.

Sound travels through air at 1,120 feet (340 meters) per second.

There is no sound in space. Sound needs something to travel through like air or water. That means no sound on the moon!

We hear when our eardrum vibrates from the incoming sound waves and sends these vibrations to three tiny bones in the middle ear (malleus, incus, and stapes).

Billions of nerve cells called neurons transmit signals (transforming vibrations into electrical pulses) for the brain to interpret.

How you interpret sounds (words, music, noise) is truly yours!

Hearing is the main sense we use for communicating and connecting with people.

In our music world, every month is a "better hearing" month.

Listen to pleasant sounds, take care of your ears, and, yes, we're listening!

Tell us about your new release, event, or reach out for music production support.

Stay well and in touch, until next month,

Music Lives and Moves!



Claris Sayadian-Dodge, founder/editor

claris@studioexpresso.com