Tech and Media

From a photo session for Waves by Brian Petersen with Tony Maserati in Studio D at the Village Recorder in West L.A.

The man behind the sound of the Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Puff Daddy, Beyoncé, Usher, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Jason Mraz, Macy Grey, Mary J, Blige, Rob Thomas, Sting, David Bowie, Tupac Shakur, Ricky Martin, Notorious B.I.G.

Read more: http://www.waves.com/Content.aspx?id=8873#ixzz13PWelf3l
Visit Tony’s site at http://tonymaserati.com/

Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses regarding this image. © 2010 Brian Petersen

About Tony Maserati

Widely regarded as the principal architect of the legendary New York Sound, Tony Maserati is one of the world’s most respected mixing engineers. In a dazzling career with countless hit records for superstars ranging from Sting and David Bowie to Macy Gray and Alicia Keys, Tony has done more than simply make the songs sound great. He has played a major role in redefining the aesthetics of R&B, hip-hop, and pop.

After completing his studies at Berklee’s program for production and engineering, Maserati got his start at the legendary Sigma Sound Studios in New York during the mid-’80s, hooking up with early rap legends like Heavy D and Brand Nubian. Working closely with Bad Boy Entertainment’s roster of heavyweight talent—including Mary J Blige, Faith Evans, Notorius B.I.G. and Lil Kim—he helped create what became known as the sound of New York hip hop. It wasn’t long before he was leaving his mark on smash pop hits including Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs”, Marc Anthony’s “I Need to Know”, and R. Kelly’s “I Wish”.

Today, as an active producer / mixing engineer as well as instructor at Tisch School of the Arts / New York University, Tony mentors up-and-coming engineers and artists. He’s won two Grammy® awards, one for Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love” and one for Sergio Mendes’s Timeless, and is the recipient of a 2006 TEC Award. He is an active member of The Recording Academy, and this year received his seventh Grammy nomination, for Jason Mraz’s We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

Maserati says “I’ve been using Waves from the beginning. From dynamics and EQs to special effects, most of the tracks I’ve mixed have Waves on them. Waves did an amazing job turning my personal processing chains into custom plug-ins.”

Selected Discography

• Marc Anthony: “I Need To Know”
• James Brown: JB (Best of the Best)
• Mariah Carey: “Honey,” “The Roof”
• Destiny’s Child: “Survivor,” “Bootylicious”
• R. Kelly: “Like a Real Freak,” “TP-2″
• Jennifer Lopez: “Play,” “Ain’t It Funny,” “I’m Real”
• Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera: “Nobody Wants To Be Lonely”
• Maxwell: “Fortunate”
• Mýa: “Best of Me”
• Notorious B.I.G.: “Mo Money Mo Problems”
• Puff Daddy: “Been Around the World”
• The Simpsons: The Yellow Album
• Jessica Simpson: “Sweet Kisses”
• Tupac: “Changes”
• Vitamin C: “I Know What Boys Like”
• Anouk: “Hotel New York” Album
• Jason Mraz: “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.”

I’m out here in Phoenix at the Christian Musician Summit training sound techs on Waves. Everyone is having a great time and I wanted to post a couple recap thoughts from our time with the guys. Here are some basics on MultiRack and using Waves live.

Here is a link to the Waves site for more info on MultiRack.

What is MultiRack?

MultiRack is a host platform for Waves audio processing plug-ins, designed especially for live sound applications. It provides a software equivalent to outboard hardware processing Racks, and signal flow to and from your console is similar to what you’re accustomed to with traditional hardware Racks. MultiRack allows you to program up to 1000 Snapshots per Session, so you can seamlessly change setups between or even within songs.

What do you need to get up and running?

It’s pretty simple to setup with any FOH rig and here are the basic things you need:
1. Connect your console to the sound card or external I/O
2. Create a new Session and set the preferences
3. Add new Racks and set their audio signal flow
4. Add plug-ins for sound processing
5. Create Snapshots for easy recall of Racks and processors
6. Organize Racks into groups for ease of operation and latency management
7. Set up your MIDI environment for remote control

Who is using it?

Daniel Green
FOH Engineer / Coldplay

[info][blockquote cite="Daniel Green / FOH Engineer / Coldplay"]
For vocals, I always use the C4. Chris’s voice has very wide range, so it’s great to have dynamic control across 4 frequency bands. I combine the C4 with a Renaissance EQ and Renaissance Compressor. For vocal effects, I think H-delay, is best sounding delay plugin

For the guitars, I use a PuigChild. followed by the Renaissance EQ.

I use two bass drum mics, each using the same chain: PuigChild, Renaissance EQ, MaxxBass. Both are routed to a single group for further processing using the API 2500 compressor and a little more EQ with the API 550B.

What about bass and master buss?
Nothing on the master buss. On the bass, I use a PuigChild 660 into a Renaissance EQ.
[/blockquote][/info]

Brett Dicus
FOH / Sound Designer (Norah Jones, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr)

[success][blockquote cite="Brett Dicus FOH / Post Production Sound Designer (Norah Jones, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr)"]
On Drums: MaxxBass, Kramer PIE Compressor, Renaissance Reverb – I like the sounds and response. I’ve been using the PIE Compressor for my compressed drum group.

On Guitars: Renaissance Compressor, PIE Compressor, PS22, Cranesong Phoenix. My current tour already has great guitar sounds, so not much processing is necessary. The plugins I’ve listed I use to help me find a place in the mix for everything. Turning mono sources into stereo, creating distinct tone signatures for similar sources, and getting mid-range sources to mix together is a big challenge in a live show.

On Vocals: C4, Renaissance Vox, Renaissance Reverb, H-Delay. The C4 has proven my favorite plugin of all time when contouring vocals. I use the solo feature of the band pass to help focus on issues just as I would in the studio. Now, if I need to work on the sibilance of the vocal or the low-mid I am a lot more efficient having band passes available with the push of one button.

I use Renaissance Reverb and H-Delay because they sound great. Their parameters are efficiently mapped to the control surface making operation just outright enjoyable.

On Bass: MaxxBass, C4 – Every venue is different. There is no perfect system tuning for a room that works for every show. You can’t fix problems in a mix with system tuning either. So having the ability with C4 to contour the threshold and release times makes system tuning easier, and allows us to use less EQ in the low and sub bands.

On Master Outs: Renaissance Compressor, Q10, Brainworx Control V2, V-EQ4. Nothing fancy.
[/blockquote][/success]

Paul David Hager
FOH / Studio Mix Engineer (Miley Cyrus, Goo Goo Dolls, Jonas Brothers)

[info][blockquote cite="Paul David Hager FOH / Studio Mix Engineer (Miley Cyrus, Goo Goo Dolls, Jonas Brothers)"]
For drums: SSL E-Channel, API 550B, L1 Ultramaximizer, IR-1 Convolution Reverb

For guitars: API 550A, Renaissance EQ, CLA-76

For vocals: SSL G-Equalizer, C4 Multiband, CLA-3A

For bass: L1 Ultramaximizer, PuigTec EQs, PuigChild

For keys: C4 Multiband, L1 Ultramaximizer, PuigChild

For live master outs: PuigTec EQs, L2 Ultramaximizer, API 2500

[/blockquote][/info]

I had the joy of engineering this record. Take a look at the video below and give the album a listen.

“Here Is Your God,” is the latest worship album from Grace Evangelical Free Church in La Mirada.

Watch
Watch as Walt Harrah and Erik Thoennes discuss the theology behind the songs from the new album.

Here Is Your God: Interview with Erik Thoennes and Walt Harrah from Grace EV Free on Vimeo.

Listen
Listen to samples and download the album now

Isaiah 40 opens up with a word we could all use in these hectic times – it’s the word comfort. It is said twice, even. Israel was probably in captivity at the time Isaiah was written, and these words must have been like a drink of cool water to God’s desperately thirsty people. If they had lost any hope of restoration, the words of chapters 40-66 of Isaiah were meant to flood the driest of hearts with the living water of God’s glorious plan and purpose.

What would it be like to sing some of these truths, so that our hope gets reawakened as well? The God who reveals himself in these chapters is still in charge, and while his ultimate plan is yet unfolding, we need all the help we can get to make it to the finish line. Surely these words were meant to give us endurance and encouragement as well.

God promised that his word would never return to him without having accomplished its purpose. May you experience revival and renewal as you listen, to the ultimate glory of God.

Songs

1. Here Is Your God : Song lyrics and description : Sheet Music
2. The Best Is Yet To Come : Song lyrics and description : Sheet Music
3. Life Everlasting : Song lyrics and description : Sheet Music
4. Prepare The Way : Song lyrics and description : Sheet Music
5. I Belong To The Lord : Song lyrics and description : Sheet Music
6. Despised, Rejected : Song lyrics and description : Sheet Music
7. Beauty From Ashes : Song lyrics and description : Sheet Music
8. Set Things Right : Song lyrics and description : Sheet Music
9. The Light Of The Lord : Song lyrics and description : Sheet Music
10. True Religion : Song lyrics and description : Sheet Music
11. Just Wait And See : Song lyrics and description : Sheet Music

All songs by Walt Harrah 2010 Seedsower Music ASCAP
The above links will give you more info about these songs and let you download the sheet music for free at www.waltharrah.com

Credits

Produced by Walt Harrah
Engineered by Brian Petersen
Mixed and mastered by Ted Blaisdell
Cover art and layout by Becky Griswold

Musicians

Drums: Nate Warne
Bass: Andrew Braine
Electric guitar: Dale Bryson
Acoustic guitar: Kenny Clark, Drew Brokke
Percussion: Will Gearhart, Nate Warne
Violins: Lindsay Orr, Laurel McMillen, Amanda Sansonetti
Viola: Megan Grafton-Cardwell
Cello: Meghan Zeikle
String bass: Andrew Braine
Piano, pads: Walt Harrah

Vocalists

Here Is Your God
Kenny Clark and Marla Bustad
The Best Is Yet To Come
Kenny Clark
Life Everlasting
Marla Bustad
Prepare The Way
Kenny Clark
Walt Harrah and Drew Brokke, bgvs
I Belong To The Lord
Marla Bustad
Anna & Elijah Price, Chayila & Ransom Kleist, Maryn & Anna Joseph, Caroline Thoennes, choir
Despised, Rejected
Kenny Clark
Beauty From Ashes
Mindy Price
orchestrated by and piano performed by Trevor Gomes
Set Things Right
Kenny Clark
The Light Of The Lord
Marla Bustad
True Religion
Kenny Clark and Marla Bustad
Just Wait And See
Kenny Clark and Mindy Price
Walt Harrah and Mindy Price, bgvs

Grace

© 2010 Grace Evangelical Free Church
12717 S. Santa Gertrudes Avenue
La Mirada, CA 90638
(562) 943-3791
www.waltharrah.com
www.songsofgrace.org
www.graceevfree.org

Songs of Grace is a worship ministry of Grace Evangelical Free Church in La Mirada, CA.

Grace Evangelical Free Church is a community that exists to glorify God as we follow Jesus Christ. By God’s grace we seek to glorify Him through reverent worship. In His Spirit we endeavor to reach the La Mirada area and the world with the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ. Through His Word we strive toward maturity in Christ, encouraging and equipping one another to be His ambassadors. As Christ’s body we build faithful relationships and families.

At Grace every member of the body is necessary and important for us to do the work that God has called us to do. Our members need to be active if we are going to be faithful to our mission. Our Elders equip the body, but the entire body is to be active in service.

Read more about our ministry values here

Soundcraft MH4 mixer at the front of house mix position at Hume Lake Ponderosa Chapel.

http://www.soundcraft.com/products/product.aspx?pid=123
http://www.humelake.org/

Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses regarding this image.
© 2010 Brian Petersen

The legendary Ted Blaisdell at Westlake Studios. Visit his site at http://tedblaisdell.com/

Ted Blaisdell
c/o Host Pro Media
10866 Washington Blvd #442
Culver City, CA 90232
Email:info@tedblaisdell.com

Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses regarding this image.
© 2010 Brian Petersen

This digi 002 portable pro tools rig was used to track an album and pitch vocals while the main HD rig was mixing in P1 at the Westlake Studios in West L.A.

Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses regarding this image.
© 2010 Brian Petersen

Mic pres during a drum recording session by Brian Petersen.

Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses regarding this image.
© 2010 Brian Petersen

From a Resonate worship service at Bethany Church

Long Beach – California – January 2004

Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses or to purchase this image.

See this on my flickr page
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bpbp/400787508/

From a string recording session at Grace EV Free for the Isaiah worship CD coming out in September.

Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses regarding this image.
© 2010 Brian Petersen

Thatcher Kelly is a legendary videographer in the Los Angeles area. Check out his setup and the video he shot here.

2010 Grace EV Free Adventure Week from Grace EV Free on Vimeo.

Enjoy this from Grace Adventure Week 2010!

Kid’s Adventure Week 2010 was hosted by Grace Evangelical Free Church of La Mirada. We spent the evenings with family during the week of June 28 – July 2. We journeyed back into the medieval times, we went on a quest to discover what the Kingdom of God is all about through the parables, or stories, that Jesus told. It was a fun week of Bible stories, hilarious skits, great music, fun games, and exciting crafts and activities.

http://www.kidsadventureweek.org/
http://www.graceevfree.org/

handheld/mounting rig: http://handyslr.com/

monitor: http://www.filmtools.com/marshall-7-lcd-field-monitor-w-hdmi-panasonic-battery-mt.html

follow focus: http://redrockmicro.com/mff_product.htm

mattebox: http://www.evsonline.com/genus-gmkdslr-77-dslr-mattebox-kit-with-77mm-step-down-ring.html

Shots from a photo session with the legendary Chris Lord-Alge at Mix L.A.

Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses regarding this image.
© 2010 Brian Petersen

Church live sound recording using Pro Tools, Yamaha M7, and Waves

Many people wonder how they can record live worship in their church sanctuary using affordable gear to get the job done right. Here is a basic setup using Pro Tools LE 8, a Yamaha M7, and Waves plug ins.

Design by Brian Petersen at Grace EV Free, La Mirada.
Gear and installation by Steve Prado and Jeff Clark at ELS

Signal flow
- Inputs come from the stage to the snake at Front of House (FOH).
- XLR snake lines then plug into to the back of the mixer, a Yamaha 48 channel M7
- The M7 mic pres set the gain for the mixer channel and the direct out
- direct outs from each mixer channel is routed to an output card on the M7
- 2 installed analog cards on the back of the M7 go to a Digi 003+rack
- Inputs come into a Digi 003+ rack running Pro Tools LE 8
- The Digi 003+ rack connects via firewire 400 to the iMac
- 8 other outputs from the board are run into a ADAT lightpipe interface connected to the Digi 003+ via lightpipe providing 16 total analog inputs to Pro Tools

- The tracks are then recorded in Pro Tools 8 on an older iMac with no active plug ins
- The files from the worship services are moved to another computer.
- The 16 tracks are then mixed using SSL, Masters, and the Diamond Bundle of Waves plug ins.
- The audio mix is then manual sync to the recorded camera feeds in Final Cut Pro

Inputs:
2 flown room mics at 20ft. facing the congregation
1 wireless Shure Beta 87 for lead vocal
1 wireless Shure lav W185 mic for preaching pastor
1 wireless Shure Beta 87 for announcements
2 wired Shure Beta 58 for female lead and background vocals
1 Audix D6 for kick drum
1 Sennheiser e604 for snare
1 Sennheiser e604 for toms
1 Shure KSM 106 for drum overhead
1 Rapco DI for electric bass
1 Shure SM 58 for electric guitar
1 Radial DI for acoustic guitar
2 Shure KSM 109 for grand piano (only 1 channel goes to pt)
1 Shure KSM 27 for violin/fiddle

Waves Plug-ins
Waves SSL G-Master Buss Compressor for main mix buss
Based on the renowned master buss center compressor of the SSL 4000 G console, the Waves SSL G-Master Buss Compressor captures the unique sound of the original’s IC input and twin VCA gain-reduction amplifier design.

Waves L2 Ultramaximizer for main mix buss
For mixing, mastering, and more, the L2’s legendary combination of look-ahead brickwall peak limiting, level maximization, and ultra high resolution give you the power and extra gain you need with crystal-clear results every single time.

Waves S1 Stereo Imager for main buss before the compressor
Ideal for stereo tracks as well as full mixes, the S1 is a unique and powerful set of tools that uses psycho-acoustic spatial imaging techniques to enhance and alter stereo separation.

Waves SSL E-Channel for most channel EQ and compression
The SSL E-Channel delivers the incomparable sound of the Solid State Logic 4000-series console’s all-discrete design and its Class A, VCA chip.

Waves Renaissance Compressor
Featuring a streamlined, optimized interface, the Renaissance Compressor delivers classic warm compression and expansion utilizing technologies from our renowned C1 Parametric Compander and the legendary L1 Ultramaximizer™.

Waves Renaissance Axx for bass
Engineered especially for guitar, Renaissance Axx is the ideal compressor for musicians and engineers who need to dial in dynamic levels quickly. With its three efficient controls, Renaissance Axx features a fixed ratio curve, automatic release value, and an output limiter to prevent clipping.

Waves H-Delay for main vocal and electric gt delays
From real old school PCM42-style effects like filtering, flanging, and phasing, to slap-back echo, ping-pong delay, and tempo-sync with modulation, H-Delay delivers the goods, controlled by a super intuitive interface that lets you get right down to business.

Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses regarding this image.
© 2010 Brian Petersen

String players on a recording session for “So Much Joy” at Grace EV Free in La Mirada.

Arrangements by William Gearhart
Engineering by Brian Petersen

Session signal path

Neumann M 149 Tube microphone
running into a Great River ME-1NV preamplifier
Digi 002 Mixer with firewire 400
Digidesign Pro Tools

Studio Projects LSD-2 stereo microphone
going into a Universal Audio 2108 preamplifier
Digi 002 Mixer with firewire 400
Digidesign Pro Tools

Neumann TLM 49 microphone
Universal Audio LA-610 Tube pre / T4 Optical Compressor
Digi 002 Mixer with firewire 400
Digidesign Pro Tools

Full size image at
“>http://www.flickr.com/photos/bpbp/4589559727/

Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses to this image.

Nathaniel Warne on drums during a pre production session at Grace EV Free in La Mirada.

Full size at
www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses to this image.

Get the full image at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bpbp/4523907327/

Isaiah 53: Good Friday 2010 at Grace EV Free from Grace EV Free on Vimeo.

Adopted in Christ from Grace EV Free on Vimeo.

Thatcher Kelly sets up his DSLR camera rig at Grace for the recording of Songs from Isaiah.