How long have you worked with Two Door Cinema Club and how is 2012 looking so far?
I have been working with Two Door Cinema Club for nearly 4 years, looking after monitors from March 2010.  The band took some time off to write after finishing up a two-week tour on the West Coast of America in December 2011.  However February 2012 saw them take a break from the studio to headline the NME Awards Tour in the UK, culminating at Brixton Academy, shortly after which we had two shows in South Africa. The second album tour schedule and festival season begins in late May.

What are your main reasons for taking a multi-channel playback system on tour?
Two Door Cinema Club have always used some form of playback.  Since making the first album and the introduction of a live drummer, there has been opportunity to enhance and add to the live performances with the subtleties of the recorded album.

How did you hear about the BlackBox Player?
The Blackbox Player was brought to my attention after PLASA a few years ago, through word of mouth and reputation building within the industry.

What has made the Player a preferred option, compared with other available systems?
Working with a band that tours around the world, spending a lot of time on planes, the BlackBox Player offers a lightweight and compact solution. Auto sensing voltage makes it very adaptable to the various regions.  The flexibility of the memory is a great option. Our previous system would succumb to vibrations that interrupted playback, whereas the Flash memory we have installed has yet to stutter or fail and it can be replaced or duplicated cheaply and quickly anywhere in the world.  The functionality of the unit itself, with setlists pre-programmed, Auto Load for the next song and a simple “GO” footswitch triggered by the drummer practically removes any so called, ‘Pilot Error!’ Wrong button combinations etc. that can happen on other machines can really slow performances, however the result with the BlackBox Player is a smoother song transition and flow to the set.  Then there is the audio quality: An immediate improvement in the quality was noted by all performers and engineers. Also, the flexibility of the file format will allow future studio sessions and files to be used with ease.

How have your BlackBox Players been integrated into the band’s current technical set-up and what playback tracks do they provide?
Our BlackBox Players are wired into a Radial Passive DI within the playback rack. They travel everywhere with the band, regardless of whether we are flying or carrying production.

As we have only been running a few playback tracks to date - stereo pre-mixed stems and a couple of clicks - the BlackBox system has simply replaced an older device. But of course we now have the ability to change the channel count in the future, giving much more flexibility.  Also, the old system had no back up: It required a physical re-patching of cables into the other machine.  As we have two BlackBox Players in our set-up, simultaneously triggered by a footswitch, we now have an armed back up running so should the main fail, the other unit takes over without any break in audio.

Which BlackBox Player features do you find especially useful in a live environment?
All the features mentioned earlier make the BlackBox Player useful in a live environment.  The auto sensing voltage, the flexible memory and various track formats, the Playlist function, the armed back up and the footswitch trigger all fit so well within the current Two Door Cinema Club set-up.  With the band constantly writing and looking to advance the live show, I look forward to seeing the BlackBox Player meet any future requirements as needed.

www.twodoorcinemaclub.com

(Interview March 2012)

What made you decide to use a BlackBox Recorder at the Grammys?
I have been looking for a simple low cost recording unit that works with MADI for sometime. The Denali Summit truck I use at the Grammys has tons of MADI i/o, and was a great opportunity to check out its features.

How was the BBR integrated into your technical set-up?
I connected it to an available 64 channel MADI stream and routed 64 of my console’s inputs. I routed the same 64 channels back to a second input, or an insert return on the console. I plugged a small drive into the BBR, and started recording. This allowed me to play back rehearsals and tweak settings when there was a bit of time in the schedule.

What features of the BBR did you find particularly useful?
Ease of use and no computer crashes to worry about! Just three connections in the back (MADI in/MADI out and LTC). It took about two minutes to plug it in, figure it out and start recording. Another thing I like is its ability to recover audio files in case of power failure. I yanked out the drive (on purpose) in the middle of a test record and then plugged that drive into my laptop. Sadly, no files. But, when I plugged the same drive into the BBR again, it said "found damaged files, fixing them" and a minute later, there were the files with all audio up to the point of me pulling the drive out. I don't know of another HDR that will do that.

What has happened to your captured audio from the various events?
For the Grammys, the files were for my professional use on site, as they normally archive everything on multiple computer-based systems. On NBA Allstars, the multi-tracks went with production, and at BET's Rip the Runway they were sent to post. I always recommend two recording systems, as all it takes is one hiccup, and no more audio. The BBR really can take the worry out of a recording session.

Image: Tom is interviewed by Dolby Laboratories at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dolbylaboratories/6843944469/in/set-72157629237777081

(Interview from February 2012)

Please tell us a little about the band’s touring schedule
Wishbone Ash tour the UK, Europe and the USA.  We do between 100 and 150 gigs a year with our own back line, plus a few festivals in Japan and more far flung places with hired back line.

What were the main reasons for taking a multi-channel recording system on the current tour?
We wanted to release live albums, as that's what many of the audience at a gig want to buy. They can get the studio albums in the music shop or online.  After seeing and enjoying a gig, many of them want a memento of the occasion and a recent live CD is a great option. We recorded one gig from a UK tour and released that. Then we got an outboard truck to a gig in Hamburg the following year to record a gig.  

There are many potential disadvantages to recording a single gig for a live album. You might have a bad one. There might be technical issues. You might not want to tailor your set just so you can have certain tracks on a live CD.

The beauty of the BlackBox Recorder is that it has a permanent place in our touring rig and it's extremely easy to record a multi-track of every single gig. Our plan is to record every gig on the tour and pick good performances of the songs we want to include on the next live CD.

Why did you choose the BlackBox Recorder? What features made it a preferred option to systems you had previously used (or had heard of others using)?
The BBR is compact and feels like a very sturdy solution to the problem of recording a gig. We contemplated buying an audio interface and a MacBook Pro, but that had the disadvantage of having to open up a DAW and hope it keeps up with the audio. Also, you need a way of splitting the signals to get the feeds to the interface (the BlackBox can just be used on insert points from the FOH console).  There didn't seem to be anything else on the market that fitted so well with what we wanted to do - which is essentially to get a multi-track recording in a format ready for importing direct into a DAW project. I briefly looked at multi-track hard disk recorders, but it looked like you had to do file conversions and a whole bunch of other stuff to get the files into a DAW.

How is the BlackBox Recorder integrated into the overall technical set-up?
We use a Yamaha 01V96 on stage for in-ear monitoring. All of the signals are split and fed into that. The 01V96 has the ADAT option card fitted, which gives us 24 outputs.  We just use 3 optical cables to connect the O1V to the BBR and it's ready to roll. There really couldn't be a neater solution. I just plug in a 32GB USB stick every night and hit record.  Then after the show I archive the files off to a storage disk (you could record straight to the disk, but there's something reassuring about having an SSD device that you can carry on stage in your pocket and plug in as you sit down behind the kit)

What features of the BBR do you find particularly useful?
The simplicity of the BBR is what I find most useful about it. I'm not using any of the looping functions or virtual soundcheck things. I'm simply using it to record. The track mark feature is the most useful thing about it. Between songs I just hit the record button and it splits the files - so after the gig I have separate multi-track files for each song.  That's a blessing when it comes to taking different songs from different gigs.

What has happened to the captured audio?
It's been archived to disk. I use track 24 to record a mono mix of the gig (set up in the 01V) and we listen to that to decide whether or not various songs are 'keepers'.

Final thoughts?
We're very happy with the BlackBox Recorder and would recommend it to anyone who wants to record their gigs.

Joe talks some more about touring with the BlackBox Recorder on our Videos page

www.joecrabtree.com
www.wishboneash.com

(Interview from January 2012)

How have the technical requirements for Symphonica differed from previous George Michael tours?
AR: For any of George Michael's tours the technical demands are always high, but for this tour we have simply increased the volume. We have more inputs and outputs than ever before - the addition of an orchestra has upped our numbers considerably.

With a potential for recording up to 2 lots of 256 channels via 8 x BBR64-MADI systems, surely this must be one of the largest live recordings ever made?
AR: It certainly is for us! I know from speaking with the DiGiCo boys that by using 5 SD7s on our Royal Opera House show at Covent Garden, we put together the biggest DiGiCo system. So I would also think that within the live world, recording 256 channels of audio twice is also quite rare.

GB: That’s correct.

How many musicians are on stage during each performance and how were the consoles and recorders configured?
AR: There are 50 on stage altogether, including George Michael, 6 band members, 4 backing vocalists and a 39-piece orchestra.

How big is the crew and what are your actual roles?
GB: There are 66 crew members altogether, including sound, lights, video, catering and truck drivers.

AR: We have a sound team of 8 people. I’m monitoring engineer for George Michael and I have the title "Head of Audio" – the person responsible for turning the ideas into reality. Gary Bradshaw is the FOH sound engineer and Simon Hall takes care of monitoring for the band and orchestra. Then we have Don Parks, System Tech and Crew Boss; George Hogan our RF Professor, Nick Mooney, System Tech and Conor Dunne and Ralph Smart who are both System/Stage Techs.

What are the technical challenges of putting on such a large show?
AR: We have designed our system to be flexible to the brief we were given. Because of its orchestral content, this tour has visited some very different venues. We have performed in opera houses, theatres, large and small arenas, town squares and outdoor venues that have included a stadium in Poland. The brief has left us able to remote sections of the system in order to fit into some of these venues. For us to be able to position the orchestra in a pit in a venue, rather than on stage for example, we’ve used two racks - the DiGiCo stage rack for ins and outs and an amp rack that powers the orchestra headphone mixes. These can be positioned in the pit local to their requirements, using house power provided locally under the stage, then connected to the system via 150m Optocore cables, which is a long way but there are no earthing issues! We’ve also been able to remote the monitor desk into the basement of the Albert Hall, as there simply wasn't room for us on stage there!

Other than that, we’ve tried to keep things simple; good mics in the right place into a DiGiCo stage rack, keeping the signal digital for as long as possible, with one analogue conversion before hitting the amps!

GB: From a sound point of view, the main challenge has been handling the large number of inputs. There is a 6-piece band, an orchestra and 4 backing singers, plus a number of Pro Tools tracks and of course George. Adding to this challenge has been the fact that the orchestral personnel have changed. For example, our one show at the stadium in Wroclaw, Poland, was with a predominantly Polish orchestra. The shows in Ireland had an Irish orchestra and there have been other changes for UK and mainland Europe. Another problem has been trying to cope with the large number of radio frequencies utilized in this production.

Why did you choose the BBR64-MADI for live audio capture? What features made it a preferred option to systems you had previously used?
AR: Because it focuses on recording as its primary function, rather than other systems I have used that are software packages that try and do it all. The BB64-MADI is a box that takes a Madi signal, you press record and you have your content captured. You can be recording a show from scratch within 20 minutes and most of that time has been spent plugging in the cables.

How have the BlackBox Recorder systems been integrated into the overall technical set-up and who is responsible for their operation?
AR: We have 4 BlackBox Recorders at FOH with Gary. He records every sound check and show. We archive it all! Gary has the added benefit of also being able to play back show content during system check. Simply brilliant!

GB: The rack containing the 4 BlackBox Recorders is part of my FOH set-up. There is a small BNC loom, which connects the rack to my DiGiCo SD7. We also carry 32 Glyph 1TB hard drives, which is enough space to record all 64 shows. I am responsible for recording the shows every night and keeping a log of what show is recorded on which set of drives.

What were the reasons behind your decision to expand from 4 to 8 BBR64-MADI systems during the tour?
AR: We added another 4 BlackBoxes to the tour for our Royal Opera House show because we added a broadcast desk to generate (broadcast) mixes for that particular show, taking us up to 5 SD7s in total. The extra rack of BlackBoxes was with the 5th SD7 running an additional record and also acting as a playback engine for tweaking the broadcast mix.

Which features of the BlackBox Recorder have you found particularly useful for large-scale live audio capture?
AR: The record button and its 10-second safety "Yes, I do want you to stop now"!

GB: The system has no problem in recording all 256 channels over the length of the show. During the rehearsal period we would record an entire session of three or more hours, with all 256 channels in record without any problems. I don’t know of any other system that is capable of doing that.

What is happening to the captured audio? Virtual sound checking / repurposing?
AR: We use it for virtual sound check, or for broadcast engineers to practise. We are also archiving everything as there is work being done towards an album of the tour. As and when that will be available is not yet known, but watch this space!

GB: The audio files for each show are recorded onto a set of 4 1TB Glyph hard drives .One set of Glyph drives can hold 8 or more complete shows. During the set-up period for each day I can replay the previous night’s show, or any other show, in Virtual Soundcheck mode to help EQ and balance the system. The Symphonica Tour is unusual in that the majority of shows are in large indoor arenas, but in amongst these are one or two much smaller opera houses. The acoustics of these two types of venue are completely different. So for the recent show at the Royal Opera House in London, I used recordings from the Prague Opera House to help EQ the PA system.

Thank you for talking to us.

Image used by kind permission.

For the Symphonica Tour, BlackBox Recorders were supplied by Wigwam Acoustics Ltd. and JoeCo Limited. www.wigwamacoustics.co.uk

What were your main reasons for wanting a multi-channel recording system for this concert?
A number of channels were involved, 47 in total. Since we were using a digital desk the obvious solution was to do it via MADI. I’d been looking at the JoeCo recorders for a while and thought that the concept seemed very sensible.

As Marco Vecchi, the live mix engineer, was going to be using a Yamaha DM2000 desk, I approached HHB to see if they could find me some MADI cards for it.  We had tried everywhere and in the end they went direct to Yamaha who kindly supplied an MY16-MD64 and two MY16-EX cards. (The Yamaha architecture only allows for 16 channels per card, so I needed three in total.)

How was the BlackBox Recorder integrated into the technical setup?
I set the cards to do 56-channel legacy MADI and fed the channels into the JoeCo. I also had a Calrec Soundfield Microphone, which I wanted to use for recording ambiance in both B- Format and stereo, so I used 6 of the JoeCo’s 8 additional analogue channels which I set the JoeCo to insert at MADI channels 1-8. The total channel output from the JoeCo went as 64-channel MADI, via an RME ADI-648, split to two further back-up machines, as it was a live recording. This also gave me an additional source of metering, although the JoeCo modulated LEDs were surprisingly good. Regardless of any potential limitations imposed by the unit’s compact size, I could always tell what was going on.

The venue was a big empty barn of a place that used to be a wool blending shed. There was a Portakabin right next door to the main mix position that was used as a Green Room. So although I was in the Portakabin, I was literally next door to the desk and we only needed a 5-metre optical cable from the desk’s digital output.

The concert itself was recorded as one huge 75-minute file set, as it was a continuous performance. But we also recorded a whole day of sessions beforehand. These were done in 10-minute chunks – one movement at a time in various takes.

Which features of the BBR64-MADI did you find particularly useful?
I love the track naming capability – plug in a keyboard and you can name your tracks as you're working. And you not only have the track names but also the song names appearing in the output file names. From the day’s recording I ended up with 150GB of audio, 832 individual files, so if they were just numbered 1,2,3, etc, it would be really hard. Instead I know exactly what each file is – brilliant!

The error reporting is also very nice, as is the info telling you what's going on with the sync in the MADI stream. And of course it can record 64 channels onto a USB hard drive. We bought a Glyph GT062E to use for the recording, because that has mirrored drives and JoeCo recommend it, so I actually had two backup sources. (I think you can never have too many!)

What will happen to the recorded audio?
We’re going to hopefully make an album from it. There may well be an actual release of the concert, but then we also have the whole day of recorded sessions. So that audio might get mixed down into a more conceptual surround sound album of the piece, rather than a direct representation of the live performance. It’s an improvisational piece; no two performances are identical.

Final thoughts?
I found that the BlackBox Recorder gave me a sense of confidence that allowed me to feel almost relaxed during the concert recording since it had performed faultlessly during the day's sessions.

Thank you for talking to us.

Evan Parker's ElectroAcoustic Ensemble
http://www.evanparker.com/electroacoustic.php

Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
http://www.hcmf.co.uk

Photos © Matt Saunders and Caroline Forbes 2011.

How did you become involved in this project?
The idea was to do a live event at the Royal Festival Hall and to release an album of popular video games music. I was brought in by Andrew Skeet, who was to orchestrate the album and conduct both the recording sessions and the concert. On this project, there were a number of pieces of music that involved a fair amount of sound design and programming, so Andrew asked me to produce backing tracks both for the album and to be run live at the performance.

What made you decide on a BlackBox for live playback?
We discussed various options and settled on using a hard disk machine, as the idea of running on a laptop was too scary! As there were quite a few different types of track (Pads/ Percussion/Bass/FX etc, we needed something that had at least 8 tracks. We initially looked at the Alesis HD24 but a friend suggested we try JoeCo. The things that I immediately liked about the BlackBox were the fact that the screen was incredibly bright and simple (the gig was fairly dark so quite hard to see!) and the fact that the unit was so compact (I knew I'd have to carry it around to a tech rehearsal or two, so it was great that it was so portable.

What was involved in producing the backing tracks?
This consisted of tempo mapping the original pieces and then programming the electronic parts alongside Andrew's MIDI files, which he had prepared for the recording sessions. The sessions themselves were done at both Angel Studios and Watford Town Hall (Abbey Road Mobile) so as and when tracks had been recorded, I got sent rough mixes of the LPO, which I could fly in and that allowed me to adjust for any timing differences between the records and the original tracks. I could then sit the programmed parts within the orchestral material.

Preparing the backing tracks for transfer involved bouncing stereo stems from Logic and also a mono click for the conductor, drummer and bass player. These were done as BWAV files. We were initially going to have a lot of stems running on separate tracks but were worried about the number of inputs on the RFH FOH desk (the orchestra were close mic'd so the desks were pretty full!) So we decided to keep it simple and for most items we just had a few stereo stems (Main Backing/Percussion/Bass) plus a mono click track.

How did you manage the process of triggering the tracks during the performance?
As I was going to trigger the tracks manually, the unit was situated by the monitor console so that I could see Andrew and get visual cues. Connection wise, the FOH engineer took the analogue outs from the BlackBox and ran them through DI's into the monitor console. From there, the click was sent to the conductor, bass player and drummer and the stereo stems went to the FOH desk to be mixed with the orchestral tracks.

The backing tracks themselves were stored in the session folder on my Glyph drive (GT050) and came up in the order they were to be played. I then triggered each track manually on cue from Andrew. It all ran beautifully on the day and the concert went very well.

www.lpo.co.uk/heroes

How did you first hear about the BlackBox Recorder?
I heard about the BlackBox Recorder a few years ago from a colleague, but only seriously looked into it for use on the recent MTV Geordie Shore project for Lime Pictures. I came to the BVE Exhibition at Earls Court earlier in the year, spoke with Joe and tried it for the first time. It was simple and did exactly what I needed it to do.

What were your reasons for choosing the BBR1B balanced analogue version?
The reasoning behind my choice of analogue, as opposed to either of the digital versions, was to allow maximum flexibility when operating in the many different project environments that we encounter. I thought I had a better chance of getting analogue feeds from various desks or installations across the world. For this particular project, the BBR1B also offered me a better and safer signal path with direct Iso’s from the preamps, while I utilised ADAT light pipes for monitor and sub group mixes.

How were the BBRs used on the reality TV project?
The installation was designed to allow maximum possibilities for audio capture and 24/7 coverage from whichever camera that was shooting at the time. We had four fixed remote cameras with infrared capabilities and four main cameras following the action in the house and out in the city. I generated Time of Day time code sent via a DA to feed all the remote cameras, the two BlackBox Recorders and spike lines that fed all the Ambient lockit boxes attached to the PSC cameras. The BBRs were used to multi-track all the audio in the house, which was split into two main set-ups. 

JoeCo "A" was set up to record all the planted microphones, which were rigged to capture any audio from the five house zones that were covered by the remote cameras and a few additional mics for better coverage. We used over 600m of cabling to hand wire this bespoke installation, making sure that it could all be hidden without damaging the property. The mics were powered by preamps that fed the BBR directly from 1/4-inch jack outputs. All the tracks were named on the BBR and drawn up in a diagram with positioning for the post production report to help with the track laying. I used 22 tracks for this purpose alone, but also had a caller side feed of all telephone conversations made in the house.

JoeCo "B" dealt with the isolated tracks of the radio mic installation. I used Tracks 1 - 8 to record the cast, tracks 9 - 12 allowed for guests either on individual TXs or using the two radio booms. All twelve radio channels were fed directly from the racks to the BBR and again sent by ADAT light pipe to the desk for later monitoring and mixes. Guide zone mixes were then sent down to individual isolated tracks using light pipe out through the A to D converter of one of the preamps and back into the BBR on channels 17-24. The BBR then fed the record units of the remote cameras from the direct outputs laying down a guide mix to help with post production

Which features did you find particularly useful?
Whatever format I record to, I always want to have easy access to monitoring tracks, groups and any sub mixes. This I found fast and effective with the BlackBox Recorder. The unit was recording for 24 hours a day over 6 weeks and remained solid throughout. It was fast to mount drives and format them. On one occasion when we had a power cut, the "Safe n Sound” record recovery feature saved data that would have otherwise been lost. The hold/stop record feature prevented mistakes from happening, as it forced you to be certain that you wanted to stop the recording. The machine was simple to use and proved a cost effective way to multi-track with confidence during this installation.

How do you envisage the BlackBox Recorder being used on future projects?
Sabsound is hoping to run out the same system on a second series of the show if all goes well.
I work on a project by project basis across many different types of location recording and use multiple recording formats depending on the technical specifications of a job. I plan to use the BBR on anything that has multiple mics or radio mic installations, as I want the confidence of knowing that I can record isolated tracks or master mixes to it. Also, with 24 tracks I know I can cover many types of television productions. 

I feel that the BlackBox Recorder will become a regular solution to my recording requirements as it offers me flexibility and security. I’m confident that it will be used on a range of future projects including reality shows, music and conference work.

www.sabsound.co.uk

(Interview from June 2011)

Where did you first come across the BlackBox Recorder?
I think it was at the PLASA Show in London during 2009, when the recorder was quite new on the market. I was looking for a non-computer based solution that was easy to operate. I knew Joe Bull from his days at SADiE and had always found him incredibly helpful and supportive. This was one of the factors that actually influenced our initial decision to purchase the first of our BlackBox Recorders, the balanced BBR1B version.

Tell us something about your work
Sound Moves’ “core business” is essentially location sound recording and live broadcast for radio, terrestrial and satellite TV.  We do an extensive amount of recording and mixing of live music to air, both classical and rock/pop, as well as coverage of sport events, theatre and light entertainment.  In addition, I work as a TV sound supervisor/sound designer on a range of different projects, as well as doing HD installations for high profile clients.

Were your BlackBox Recorders bought with a specific project in mind?
Yes. I was working as Sound Supervisor/Designer on a reality TV show in the autumn of 2010. This involved a significant number of radio mics and room mics.  We needed something that could not only record large numbers of tracks, but would also enable the recorded audio to be made quickly available to post production.  The project involved a 48-track double-head recording, using a total of four BlackBox Recorders.  The track count gradually decreased over the course of the series as contestants were eliminated and one big advantage was the ability to quickly reconfigure and rename tracks, making life clearer and easier for the post production team.

How are your BlackBox Recorders generally used?
On a weekly basis, we tend to use the recorders both as a main record path and as add-ons for location recording projects that have a smaller footprint. In fact, I’m just about to go and record a solo artist performing in a barber’s shop window and will be taking along one of the BBR units! We find them reliable, compact, easy to operate and they sound great. They are particularly good for the simple, “straight to hard drive” recording projects that require a small box count. As such, they have quickly become part of our portfolio of “problem solvers”.

Any particularly notable projects so far this year?
At the start of 2011, we worked on a series of shows for HMV that involved recording over a hundred bands during a ten-day period. We had five different recording teams out altogether and used BlackBox Recorders at one of the venues, The Relentless Garage in North London. We recorded up to five bands a night at the venue, moving the recorders between the upstairs and downstairs performance areas. This was another 48-track double-head record involving four machines, used as both main and backup systems for added security. However, I’m happy to say that none of the backup material was actually used as the BBRs delivered 100% recording reliability throughout.

Future plans?
I’ve had some very positive conversations with Joe Bull about the use of the product and about potential developments that might occur in the future, some of which I believe are due to materialise shortly. This may well result in further purchases, for example the new Dante or MADI systems.

Any final thoughts?
Most importantly it’s worth remembering there is a quiet passion in Joe Bull and that is that his kit must sound good.  At the end of the day that is what we are all trying to deliver to our customers. That is why we use it!

www.sound-moves.com

(Interview from May 2011)