Studio Action Newsline

Future Disc Systems of Hollywood, Calif., hired mastering engineer Kris Solem and production engineer Pete Thomas, both of whom formerly worked at nearby facility 52nd Street Digital Mastering. Future Disc president Gary Rice says, 'We have added two very talented engineers to our staff. Kris will be working in Studio 2 and has more than 10 years of mastering experience and is an accomplished Sonic Solutions editor. Peter has extensive experience in radio production. In addition, he is also highly experienced in CD-R technologies.'
Solem's prior mastering experience includes titles by Michael Feinstein, Filter, and Shadowfax; Thomas has edited tracks for artists including Skold, Suga Free, and the Elevator Drops. Solem and Thomas join veteran mastering engineers Steve Hall, Tom Baker, and Kevin Gray at the mastering studio, which has six rooms that offer 20- and 24-bit state-of-the-art services. Last year, Eddie Schreyer left Future Disc to open his own facility, Oasis Mastering.
In other news, Future Disc has installed a Kodak PCD600 Writer with an automatic disc transporter that writes at six times real time and feeds up to 75 discs sequentially. 'This has enabled us to expand our services by offering multiple quantities of advance CDs and by bringing in new CD-R duplication business from the broadcast industry,' says Rice.
Veteran recording engineer Kevin Nettleingham has opened his own mastering studio, Nettleingham Audio, in Vancouver. Nettleingham most recently worked in Portland, Ore., area studios Dog Fish Sound and Musicraft Recording and Duplicating. With 16-track hard-disc recording capabilities, the new facility will specialize in mastering, editing, forensic audio, voice-overs for radio spots, videos, CDs, and books on tape.
Chicago-area sound reinforcement company db Sound, a relative unknown in a field dominated by longtime stalwarts, has been drawing critical raves nationwide for its work on the Rolling Stones' Bridges to Babylon tour. Critics for The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, and USA Today praised the Stones' sound for its clarity and robustness.
Db Sound partner Harry Witz says, 'The Stones' sound engineers flew around the world to find the best sound reinforcement--requiring each company to give live demonstrations of their wares.' The company's other partner, Barry Dane, adds, 'The Stones were looking for a marked improvement in every category, and they were only willing to change from their previous sound company if there were compelling reasons.'
Db Sound came to the Stones' attention through the band's live sound engineer for the Babylon tour, Robbie McGrath, who had previously used db Sound systems on an AC/DC tour, according to Witz. For the Stones tour, db debuted the X-Array system, which the company co-developed with speaker and microphone manufacturer Electro-Voice. Witz says the X-Array reduces the amount of reflected sound the audience hears and is 'musically richer and more dynamic, lighter and more compact, powerful, and easier to rig' than previous systems. Dane adds that the X-Array saved the Stones two trucks, a generator, and two crew people over the band's previous tour. 'This can translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars of savings over the course of a tour,' says Dane.
Euphonix Corp. has appointed Tom Fristoe to the newly created position of VP of worldwide sales, according to Barry Margerum, CEO of the Palo Alto, Calif.-based console manufacturer. Fristoe was most recently VP of sales and marketing for Specular International, a software publisher of 3D design, automation, and Internet design tools. In a related announcement, Euphonix appointed pro audio industry veteran Chris Pelzar to the new position of East Coast director for broadcast system sales. Pelzar was VP of the Eastern region for Euphonix competitor AMS/Neve.
Margerum joined Euphonix in July 1997 following former chairman/CEO James Dobbie's decision to relinquish his CEO duties (he continues as chairman). Margerum was most recently president/GM of the Computer and Mobile Systems division of Plantronics Inc. of Santa Cruz, Calif. In other Euphonix news, longtime VP of marketing John Carey has left the company.
Cinram International Inc. reported strong results for the three months ended Sept. 30. Sales increased 59% in the quarter to $136.8 million from $86.2 million in the corresponding quarter in 1996. Net earnings in the third quarter of 1997 were $12.2 million, or $0.41 per share, compared with $7.7 million, or $0.32 per share, in the third quarter of 1996. For the nine months ended Sept. 30, sales were $334 million, compared with $233 million in the comparable period in 1996. Net earnings in the nine months ended Sept. 30 were $24.4 million, or $0.87 per share, compared with $16.6 million, or $0.70 per share, in the period ended Sept. 30, 1996. A Cinram statement attributes the growth to recent acquisitions 'and to generally improved demand for the company's products.' Cinram also cites its DVD capacity as one of its assets, although the statement acknowledges that DVD production will not have a 'material impact' on its results for another three to five years.

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