Taking the ‘band sets up own studio’ model to a new level, the Annie Moses Band are set up to record in DSD and have their own a 4K video stage – a move made yet more bold by the facility’s location on Nashville’s doorstep.
Although now commonplace in the classical recording world with the majority of concert halls and opera houses being DSD equipped, DSD recording is relatively unusual for a studio set up to serve other musical genres. Called ManAlive Studios, the new set-up uses Merging Technologies’ Pyramix MassCore with 2 Horus Networked Audio Converters.
The Annie Moses Band is very much a family venture, blending traditional American folk songs with a strong classical influence. Their live and predominantly acoustic performances influenced the design of ManAlive Studios – aiming to capture a live performance in the best quality audio and video, which is not something you can typically do in neighbouring Nashville studios. The plan crystallised about six months ago and includes a 4,000sq-ft sound stage with full lighting, six 4K cameras, Pyramix and Pro Tools HDX recording and an SSL AWS console. The idea is to have the ability to stream, broadcast or just record the music with or without a live audience. Flexibility and quick turnaround are key to the studio’s philosophy.
ManAlive has only been open a few weeks following another successful tour by the band, but the first few recording in DSD have already been made. As with any new studio, the first challenge is to get familiar with the new equipment, so to have successful recordings completed already is impressive. The choice of DSD and Merging came as a recommendation from an engineer friend who suggested that this would be more akin to capturing ‘an event’ on tape. This concept of ‘expanded realism’ was just what the band felt was needed.
‘We have been extremely impressed by the depth and audio quality of DSD,’ reports Studio Manager and Annie Moses Band member and producer, Alex Wolaver. ‘It is creatively exciting and meets our own regular media needs, allowing us to do it as we are most comfortable – live and together in one space. These days, fans have given way to followers – and the job of the artist has shifted from making one album every year and a half to being a Content Creator releasing a steady stream of content weekly, or even daily. Recording live speeds up that process and feeds the social media machine.’
‘ManAlive Studios is a production facility marrying hi-resolution audio and video workflows with the immediacy of today’s social media demands,’ adds Senior Audio Engineer, Scott Dupre. ‘The live room features six Blackmagic 4k cameras and 40 I/O channels of Merging Technologies DSD preamps and converters; the studio can easily produce a full live band, with a live audience, streaming live to the web, with DSD quality audio capture and a 4k video workflow. The audio package is geared towards the artist who desires an honest, lush, and three-dimensional sound. The centre of the control room is a 24-channel SSL AWS console that handles analogue mixes and all the necessary monitoring. The combination of the Merging preamps and converters through the SSL’s transparent busing and into a pair of PMC TwoTwo8s results in a near holographic soundscape that is very revealing. The studio includes both a PC/Pyramix and a Mac/Pro Tools workflow with DAW EuCon control provided by an Avid S3.’
