Pascal Gabriel began his musical career as bass guitarist for punk rockers, The Razors. He quickly earned a reputation for his work with Soft Cell and Yello. In the 1980s, Gabriel saw chart topping success in his work the S'Express and Bomb the Bass and their sample-heavy productions. From the 1990s onward Gabriel has been on an ever-ascending trajectory, having the privilege of working with artists Erasure, Debbie Harry (Blondie), Dido, Natalie Imbruglia, Kylie Minogue, Goldfrapp, and most recently Marina and the Diamonds.
Pascal Gabriel has a knack for recognizing great talent and developing the craft of songwriting together with artists. In 2010, he has shown once again that his finger is on the pulse of pop music. His latest writing and production partner is Marina and the Diamonds, a British singer/songwriter who is enjoying an avalanche of chatter and buzz right now. She just showcased in Los Angeles to unanimous critical acclaim and is performing at the iTunes Festival in London tonight (22 July).
Pascal is a long time Reason user and the brains behind the Melophobia ReFill, which was used extensively on Marina and the Diamonds' debut album. We caught up with him to discuss his latest project with Marina and how Reason fit into his workflow for these songs.
BSS Soundweb London digital building blocks have been used to control three karaoke pods in a new Japanese-themed diner in Clapham’s Battersea Rise.
F1:Sound Company undertook the technical fit-out of the new Asian-inspired lounge and karaoke bar for Sanzaru Ltd — formed by MD Steve Kelly, with Jeff Veitch and Toby Cobb.
The three karaoke pods are running Lucky Voice software and IT as part of the powerby.Luckyvoice scheme (another karaoke concept with which the F1:Sound team are closely associated).
The new venue, which has been lovingly created in collaboration with Focus Design, features three state-of-the-art karaoke pods for up to 20 guests each, down in its basement. Meanwhile, up on the ground floor, which is split into four separate sound zones, guests dine on Asian cuisine and drink cocktails while listening to an eclectic mix of funk, soul, blues, chilled house, Motown and lounge.
F1:Sound’s digital solution has been to provide a Soundweb London BLU-160 for the master processing, adding a BLU-120 to satisfy the additional mic inputs, and a BLU-BOB2 break-out box, which offers eight channels of analogue audio output expansion. Reverb is provided by external reverb units.
Said F1:Sound director, Sam Liston: “We have developed the concept from the original Lucky Voice designs we were involved in. The powerful modular design of the BSS London range meant we could design an efficient system for the venue, with its multiple zones and functions. In the karaoke pods the BLU system handles the microphone and music source inputs, volume controls and mixing of the FX, while customers take control with our custom designed control panels.”
Liston adds, “The finite control over the sound meant microphone feedback was never an issue and the control of the Soundweb over wireless ethernet made commissioning a joy. The system is designed to be as simple as possible, to offer maximum reliability … and it sounds great.”
F1:Sound MD Matt Bate also knew the BSS devices would provide an elegant solution — having worked for the company back in the 1990’s! “The product range has come a long way since then, and now we can use products like BLU-BOB2 break-out boxes to cover a multipurpose venue with minimal hardware.”
The Perception 120 USB is the very first USB-equipped microphone from AKG, offering studio-quality sound performance without requiring any installation or drivers. In its class, the Perception 120 USB is the only USB microphone with an integrated analogue-to-digital converter with 24-bit and 128x oversampling. Instead of the usual one-chip-solutions the high-quality analogue-to-digital converter provides convincing sound quality and low noise.
The Perception 120 USB includes a two-third-inch condenser capsule with a low-mass diaphragm delivering accurate sonic details, an integrated pop filter that avoids plosives, a switchable bass cut filter and an attenuation switch. It supports Windows XP, Windows Vista and MAC OS X but also the new Windows 7.
With the widespread USB standard and its ease of use, this new model allows users without any recording experience to make professional-quality recordings from their home. It is a real plug-and-play device enabling customers to do podcasts, voiceovers and studio-quality rehearsal-recordings quickly and easily.
The Perception 120 USB comes complete with everything you need: a tripod table stand, a swivel mount, a quick start guide and an USB cable.
The AKG Perception 120 USB is available now priced at just £115 RRP ex VAT.
Additional high-resolution images - please click images for high-resolution versions.
The latest (August 2010) issue of Computer Music magazine contains a hugely positive 6-page preview of Propellerhead Reason 5 and Record 1.5.
"The new features offer such huge leaps forward in workflow and creativity, and so much scope for fun, that it'll take months of playing with them before we even begin to take them for granted. And like we said earlier, despite these being beta versions, everything's been running rock-solid and stable for us ... Unless something very strange indeed happens, we'd expect a few awards to be involved ..."
To read the full preview please pick up the August 2010 issue of Computer Music magazine.
New iPhone App brings Wi Fi remote control to SSL’s X-Patch software controlled analogue patch bay
Solid State Logic, the world’s leading manufacturer of professional digital and analogue consoles, has released their first iPhone App. The ‘Remote Control For X-Patch’ can be downloaded for free from the iTunes™ App Store now. The X-Patch Remote Control searches a network over Wi-Fi for SSL's X-Patch devices. If your X-Patch is connected to a Wi fi network the Remote Control enables selection and recall of individual stored Logictivity™ Presets. There are up to 128 presets per X-Patch found, and where more than one X-Patch is found, each device can be independently selected and controlled.
About X-Patch X-Patch is designed to deliver the flexibility of plug-in style routing to boutique analogue signal processing. X-Patch allows analogue signal processing units to be built into favourite processing chains and then easily placed into signal paths, for example, favourite Mic Pre, EQ & Dynamics processors recalled as the perfect vocal chain at a single stroke.
At its heart, X-Patch is an 'intelligent' 16x16 SuperAnalogue™ audio routing matrix. Control of this sophisticated processing is made simple through SSL's unique Logictivity Browser™; this graphical interface allows the creation of X-Y routes and chains with all configurations able to be saved as presets.
In a studio environment X-Patch speeds up workflow and aids creativity by reducing the constant physical re-patching required when using only a patch bay for routing. Each X-Patch unit also has local MIDI IO for connection to footswitches and other utility MIDI program change devices.
X-Patch Key Features • Inserts analogue processors into production workflow like plug-ins • Suited to studio production and live performance applications • Insert ‘chains’ can be created, saved and recalled • Browser software controls routing and set up • Ethernet connection to Mac or PC host computer • 16 x 16 pure analogue routing matrix • Rear panel audio connection via 4 x 25 way D-Sub’s • Front Panel combi inputs and XLR outputs for channels 1 & 2 • SSL SuperAnalogue™ transparent audio performance • MIDI connectivity enables use of Programmable Foot controllers • +4dB and -10dB operating levels facilitate use of guitar pedals etc
The Stage newspaper's top ten lighting and sound products of the year includes AKG's DMS700 digital wireless system and newly released iPhone Wireless monitoring and control App.
The Stage is the UK's trade title for the entertainment world, with a weekly circulation of over 20,000 and over 400,000 monthly unique visitors to its website.
The DMS700 is AKG's flagship digital wireless system, its pristine audio quality, 100% digital signal path and ultra-wide tuning bandwidth (including the future-proof Channel 38 band) makes it a must-try option for theatres or any wireless user considering a system upgrade or expansion.
A Soundcraft Vi6 digital console and JBL VERTEC® line arrays form the heart of the sound system for Erykah Badu’s international 43-night tour which arrives in the UK on July 24th at Brixton Academy, London.
After a demonstration more than three years ago, Kenneth H. Williams, Badu’s production manager and front of house engineer, knew this tour would be the opportunity to bring the board in. “I was totally impressed with the sound quality and the fact that you had so much versatility with the Vi6 console,” said Williams.
When given the opportunity to help design the tour, Williams called upon Gary Sanguinet, touring manager for Sound Image. “I took the Vi6 right off the shelf and everything sounded amazing almost immediately,” said Sanguinet. “Ken was adamant that the Vi6 be used on this tour as it allows us to properly manage all of Erykah’s wide range of instrumentation and vocals. Our ‘Master Patch Dude,’ Fumi Okazaki, couldn’t be happier.”
With the deep sounds the band constructs through its variety of instruments, Williams and Sanguinet use a disparity of musical styles to find the subtle impurities that would drive a soundman wild in the middle of a show. For example, the duo uses country music for the majority of its sound checks to get a broad view of the audio spectrum.
“Erykah always says, ‘stay in the moment,’ and we have to be really flexible to convey these moments to her fans,” continued Williams. “For each 2-hour set, my goal is to bring her vision to the audience, immerse them in her vision without pummeling them in sound. Every aspect of the system, from the Vi6 board to the JBL VERTEC line arrays, allows me to do so.”
“Soundcraft is synonymous with crystal-clear, perfect sound,” Williams concluded.
For more information related to Erykah Badu’s Out My Mind, Just In Time Tour 2010 AD, visit http://www.erykahbadu.com/tour/.
Audioz 
