ROBERT HAAS
It's 2000 miles from Nashville to L.A. That sounds like a title for a country song, but that's how far songwriting team Robert Haas and Kristin Massey recently moved. Robert wanted to close down his Nashville studio and setup shop here in Los Angeles, so they relocated from Nashville after many years away. The duo's music career got off to a big start in the late eighties with their band Red Siren, and their 1989 hit song "All Is Forgiven". Today they continue to write and produce music for themselves and other artists. Just as Robert was leaving Nashville, he decided to purchase a new SSL AWS-924 analog mixing console. Audio Perception was asked to design, setup, and integrate the new room in L.A. with two 96 point patch bays and new custom wiring for all his outboard gear and the console. We also installed Primeacoustic panels in the room for proper sound control, along with a pair of Sound Anchor 
speaker stands that make a noticeable difference in the punch and focus of the low end response. Just off the bedroom there is a bathroom that doubles as a vocal booth. AP pulled the necessary wiring, and made a custom snake box for mic, line and headphones, as well as installing Primacoustic Scatter Blocks to finnish off the "Vocal Booth". The area we transformed into Robert's writing and mixing room was fairly small, but with careful planning and Primacoustic room treatments, it's turned into a great sounding and very functional creative space. Robert is thrilled with the new setup and he and Kristin have been busy working on new material.
Our work with Post Modern Creative continues. Over the past few years, Audio Perception has planned and implemented major upgrades for PMG's Pro Tools HD based audio production room in two phases. As their volume of business has steadily increased, the time has come for phase three. For Post Modern Creative to keep up with the audio production work load, they needed to build a complete new second room from scratch to mirror their main room that we built last year. To accomplish this, we had to plan and acquire the necessary hardware and software to match the two rooms. PMG went with two new matching Mac Pro computers, one for the new Studio B, the other to replace the current Mac Pro in Studio A. Their current Pro Tools system is an HD Accel based rig, so we had to track down used HD cards and matching 192 interfaces. Plugins also had to be matched between systems, and a Telos ISDN unit was installed. We also had Audio Perception's custom wiring department create various DB25 analog and digital audio snakes to connect the I/O to the machine room. They already had Mackie monitors in Studio A, so to keep consistent between the rooms, we added a complete set of five Mackie monitors and a JBL sub to Studio B. We also setup both rooms with Studio Technologies Studio Comm Model 74/75 5.1 surround monitor controllers. Once Studio B was up and running, and the upgrades to Studio A were complete, we finally had both rooms properly tuned by Jerry Stecking of JSX Audio. Post Modern Creative is now up and running with two mirrored studios, ready to tackle their growing audio production workload.
Where else can you and 95,000 other music enthusiasts and professionals all meet in a cozy 518,000 square feet? Why, none other than the 2013 NAMM Show! The 2013 event was bristling with activity. Featuring musical instruments from all over the world to be seen and played, incredible celebrity performances filling the daily calendar, and everything from suit and tie wearing piano manufacturers to spiky, purple haired punk rock guitar salesmen, the show is always an experience. Audio Perception was there all four days, keeping up to date with new equipment and software, visiting with old friends and contacts, and making new ones. Radial Engineering, one of the brands we carry, had some great new products at the show. Radial showed its new Voco-Loco
, a microphone preamp in a floor box that lets you add guitar effects pedals to a live vocal performance. The effects loop can be bypassed via a foot switch. The Cherry Picker preamp selector is another new product from Radial. It is a one input to four output switch, offering audio engineers the ability to quickly patch a single microphone through to one of four selectable mic preamp destinations. Also new from Radial is the Cherry Picker's sibling, the Gold Digger.
A four input by one output box that allows you to quickly select which of the four outputs that the single input will feed. Radial always provides a great array of Swiss-army-knife audio products. 
Another manufacturer we carry, Primacoustic, announced that their long awaited paintable sound panels are ready to begin shipping. This technology allows for creative and artful color coordination of panels to the look and color of the install location. All in all, 2013 was another incredible NAMM show.
For over six years, AP has been mastering music for TV and film music libraries. Tom Kenny, the Editor of Mix Magazine, asked APs David Knauer to write an article for this month's "Mastering" issue. For the article, we decided to use our most current and challenging project, mastering the entire Alibi Music Library to showcase how we work. The four page article discusses the entire process from importing the files all the way through to delivering the final masters back to the client. It also covers our setup and equipment used, as well as the plugins we used, and the processes we created to handle thousands of songs. The songs come in from many different composers all created and mixed under different circumstances. This creates a very challenging environment to work in and the article explains how we accomplished the task and achieved the end goal which was to provide a consistent tone and audio level throughout the entire library. The library covers a vast array of music and includes many genres and styles of songs. Check out the December issue of Mix for the entire story, and listen to our work at our mastering page "
This year we have done a lot of updates for our clients. Pro Tools HD to HDX trade upgrades have been popular, as well as many people growing into a newer Mac Pro or DAW software. Each time we do an upgrade for a client, we end up with a surplus of gear that is older but still in great condition. With all this great used stuff available, we decided to start a new consignment program for our clients. AP will now take in your used equipment and list it in our online store, as well as our eBay store and other outlets. That way you can sell your stuff fast and never have to see the buyer or deal with Craigslist ads. It's never been easier to part with your old gear and get some quick cash. Coming next month, we will launch a system in our store that will let you login and see our entire used inventory in a searchable database so you can find what you are looking for. You can also email or call us anytime to see what we have in stock. 
Most of you know that for the last year and a half we have been involved with a massive mastering project covering thousands of songs for the Alibi Music Library. What you may not know is that we have also composed over 65 songs that are currently 
We get a lot of calls from VKLA, Vintage King's Los Angeles office and showroom, to do installs and tech support for their clients. Just this summer we installed a complete control room for Canadian Producer/Songwriter/Engineer team Van Howes, and we got called in to do tech support for Jeffrey Osborne, as well as many other of VKLA's high-end clients. But this month we got a call of a different sort. We were asked to come in and wire the control room for their own new showroom. We installed all of the cabling for the API and the SSL consoles, as well as four racks full of equipment. The most unique feature of the room is a custom audio and speaker routing system that allows the VKLA clients to monitor audio from multiple sources through 2 different consoles. From there you can listen through all of the best brands of audio AD and DA converters and listen through a variety of different sets of speakers.
Win a FREE studio sound-control bundle worth $750.00. Audio Perception is working with 
We have be working closely with NDHS for over ten years now, providing tech services, products, and consulting for their TV Production course. Headed up by Notre Dame's Elisia Harkins, the school has a three year course, TV Production I, II, and III, available for students to take. This year we provided and installed five 24" iMacs running Apple's Final Cut Pro and a whole new updated video control room. We started with a custom made floor box in the stage area where they shoot. It has four SDI video inputs, as well as inputs for mics and hookups for the headphone and tally light systems. This all feeds into the control room where AP installed a brand new DATA Video HD video switcher and communication system, along with a mac tower with an Aja Kona card to record the SDI digital output of the video switcher live. Working closely with the NDHS staff, AP continues to provide an ever-growing, and now digital, production environment for the students to learn in.
Last September Audio Perception was asked to help out New York Artist Samuel Bayer with a live art viewing he was doing in Los Angeles. (Read more 
Want to win a FREE studio bundle worth up to $1200? Audio Perception is working with 
team has been busy working on the next set of 1000 songs ready for a summer update. At our studio, we have been depending heavily on the Slate Digital FGX mastering software to give Alibi its incredibly full sound. Check out the whole Alibi Music library online "
Busy musician and music director Frank Simes, who's worked with such legends as Mick Jagger, Don Henley, and Stevie Nicks, recently finished a stint with Roger Daltry of The Who, taking "Tommy" on the road. Now he's readying a tour of Quadrophenia with Roger and Pete Townsend. A large part of Frank's work with the tour is arranging instrument and vocal parts for the band, planning and recording any backing tracks for the show, and making sure that everything is running without a hitch. For backing track playback on the tour, AP's Jason Atkinson setup Frank's MacBookPro with MOTU's Digital Performer, several sound libraries, Apogee hardware and various plugins. The portable rig was also setup for any composing Frank might need to do while on tour with Roger. In addition, each concert date was recorded into a Pro Tools rig. Having used Pro Tools in the past, Frank is mainly a long time Digital Performer user, but also needed to start using Pro Tools again to do mixes of the shows. Jason was called in again to provide one of Audio Perception's most sought after services, personal instruction. Frank is now back up to speed on the Avid DAW platform and Quadrophenia is well on its way to hitting the road.
AP's tech department went to work on Matt Sorum's personal studio, giving his equipment racks a much needed face-lift. Matt had just brought in a bunch of new gear such as mic preamps from 
Audio Perception will be attending the 2011 AES show in New York City. We will be there Thursday, Friday and Saturday and are planning to firm up a few new equipment and software lines to add to our growing list of products. We offer many lines like 
We ended the summer with something a little different for Audio Perception. David Kemp, the art director for New York City-based artist, Samuel Bayer, contacted us to help him out with a special viewing they were setting up in Hollywood. They built a large art piece to showcase a movie trailer they created for a feature film that B Pictures will be releasing next year. The large "Cocoon" will house three large LCD TVs and four speaker systems that will allow visitors to pass through the length of the exhibit while viewing and hearing the trailer along the way. David contacted AP to help design and install the LCDs and speakers. This was an extra challenge because not only did the A/V system have to be high quality, but it also had to look good as the equipment would become part of the exhibit. AP counted on the live sound and A/V experience of our tech, Craig Martin, to not only design the system, but to install it as well. Check out some photo's 
This month Audio Perception joins the millions of follows worldwide and started a 
Film and TV composer 
Saxophonist, songwriter and producer Boney James called on Audio Perception this month for help in his personal studio. He was introduced to us by our friend, Grammy nominated engineer and producer Dave Rideau. ( Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Janet Jackson, Sting, George Duke, TLC, JLo, George Benson, Earth Wind and Fire) Boney needed to update some of the sound control panels in his studio. AP brought in four foot by two foot 
The Audio Perception store is now stocking the 
The end of February marks the opening of the 
Feb. 27th is the date to join Audio Perception at the Home Recording Boot Camp's Recording Fest 2011. Located in Los Angeles, Recording Fest is a one day Conference – Trade Show – Workshop – Panel event celebrating cool recordings, and the gear, people and techniques that make them. A gathering of people with a passion for making great records, and great music. Guests can check out new gear, learn from the masters and network with other people passionate about recording. The amazing guest panel of producers and engineers will include people like Dave Pensado (Pink, Shakira, Beyonce, Janet Jackson, LL Cool J) and Tony Shepperd, (Madonna, Queen Latifah, Elton John, Kenny Loggins). There will be a raffle with thousands of dollars in prizes, and a trade show with many booths from heavy hitters like Genelec, Neve and Audio Perception. The best part about it is 100% of ticket sales and all net proceeds from the raffle and sponsorship will go to support the recording program at Phoenix House, a program that uses recording and music to help young people recovering from drug addiction. See you there.
Audio Perception Post has been very busy lately. Two films we worked on last year are on the festival circuit. Anti-Samaritan Hotline is a short film written and directed by A. Tad Chamberlain. The film was mixed at APP's downtown Los Angeles 5.1 mix studio by Tad with assistance by David Knauer. The film has already won 2 awards. The first is the 2010 Shocker Award for Overall Excellence, the Shockfest Film Festival’s top award. ASH was nominated for three Shocker awards in total including Best Director. The other award was the CineKink Select Award for Creative Vision in a Short Film at the CineKink NYC Film Festival. ASH has also been shown at numerous other festivals including CineKink in Vegas, Portland and Los Angeles, D.C. and Chicago, and at the Fetsich Film Festival in Kiel, Germany. Another short film APP just completed in December, The Monstrosity, was already in the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and it's looks like it will be accepted into 2 or 3 more in the next few months. Check back here or at the Audio Perception Post web site for more info.
This years NAMM show was as successful as ever. Audio Perception spent all four days walking the floor, making new contacts, attending meetings and setting up all kinds of great new things to come for 2011. Stars of the show this year were software developers and products. Following up AVID's big PT9 release at AES, Steinberg released Cubase 6 which is now 64bit for both Man an PC. MOTU also announced a new version of MachFive, version 3, which will be released soon along with free DP Control app for iPhone/iPad. Other notable releases were Izotope's Stutter Edit and Steven Slate Digital's new line of software and plugins. This year AP also became a member of NAMM. This will allow us to connect with manufactures directly and provide our clients with better service and more products. Watch closely for more new relationships to come together in the next couple months.
Audio perception attended the 129th annual AES convention in San Francisco this month. We spent 4 days meeting with people, making new contacts, and getting a first look at some great new products. We were also there to witness the release of the much anticipated Avid Pro Tools 9. Other hits of the 
show were SSL's AWS console/controller, the AWS 924 and 948, and also their desktop I/O and controller, the Nucleus. In addition to seeing all of the great new products at the show, we also connected with iZotope and will now include their complete line of software products in our studio/showroom. Our clients can come in and try the plugins before they decide to purchase. Having the software in house also expands AP's tech support and teaching possibilities by allowing us to offer better support and education for our clients who use iZotope's plugins.
Audio perception has joined up with GC Pro to become one of their System Integrator affiliates. This allows GC Pro and Guitar Center to sell AP's complete array of services directly to their customers. A GC Pro account manager can now group our install, tech, design or support services along side a client's equipment purchase to deliver a full service package. Take a look at our page on the GC Pro Installation web page by clicking "
Audio Perception was contacted by Kevin Becka (Mix Magazine/Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences) who is helping to put together a project for Esquire magazine in conjunction with Blue Microphones. Each year Esquire builds out a home or living space that is then used to raise money for charities. The house chosen for 2010 is a mansion in the Hollywood Hills overlooking Los Angeles. Last year, Esquire built out a penthouse in Manhattan and included a small recoding studio there. With the studio in New York being such a success, this year they decided to build out a room behind the main house as a complete recording studio, including a control room and vocal booth. Kevin has been working closely with Blue's Tyler Barth to design the room and coordinate all of the equipment. SSL is donating a Duality console, AVID is contributing an HD3 Pro Tools system with the new Avid interfaces, and Genelec is adding in speakers all working together to showcase recordings done with Blue's microphones. Audio Perception is donating it's time to integrate all the equipment and get the studio up and running. We'll be adding some updates here soon including more information and photos as the project unfolds. You can read more about the project by clicking "
Over the past few months we have had quite a few more placements in TV and film from Audio Perception's original music collection. Working with the Beyond Music library, we have 15 songs that they shop to movies and TV. Aside from the Capitol One and Travelosity commercial placed earlier this year, our song "
The AP crew was out at the Transcenders studio this month to help them get ready for the new TV season. Not only are they starting another season of "Gossip Girl" but they are also doing the new NBC show "Outsourced" and it looks they are taking a third show too. To prepare for the heavy work load, Audio Perception's Jason Atknson helped them complete the upgrade of their Studio C Pro Tools HD system, allowing the Transcenders to work on three Pro Tools systems at once. We also cleaned up the other two systems to ensure smooth sailing in the months to come.
Audio Perception's Engineering team was put to work again this month to assist 
AP's Jason Atkinson was at the engineering helm of Michelle Johnson's new audio book self-help CD, "Exercises for Spiritual Growth". When Michelle, who specializes in spiritual well being and alternative healing, decided to produce her first CD, she contacted Jason and they began the pre-production work and then did some test recordings for the initial script. Once Michelle had the script refined and ready to go, the recording sessions and subsequent editing sessions commenced, and were completed with a few weeks. If you 
This month we have another studio move on our hands. As TV and film composer David Baerwald was getting ready for a new season of the CW's series Life Unexpected, he decided to move his private studio to a new location that would better serve his needs. David is a multi-talented songwriter, producer, musician, TV/film composer, and even an artist himself. His credits range from Sheryl Crow, ABC's October Road, Waylon Jennings, and the Bangles front woman Susanna Hoffs, to country star LeeAnn Rimes and Luciano Pavarotti. Headed up by Audio Perception's Jason Atkinson, we sent in a team to design a plan for the new location and then oversee the equipment being moved. Next we added a new Apple Mac Pro running in 64bit mode, hosting Vienna Ensemble Pro, and updated all of his software on two computers. Last we got the two Macs talking to each other and sharing audio through the Apogee Symphony System. David was back up and running in just a few days and starting to score for the new season.
