Contact: Laurie Andres
Marketing & Public Relations Specialist
laurie@fullcompass.com
voice: 800.356.5844 x 1305
fax: 608.237.2361
Madison, WI – Full Compass Systems, a national leader in professional audio, video, lighting, A/V and musical instrument sales, in cooperation with Sennheiser®, a global leader in personal and professional audio products, recently hosted an audio recording clinic featuring Grammy® Award Winner, Leslie Ann Jones. The event was held on July 21st in the main production studio at Full Compass’ 140,000-sq. ft. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin.
The presentation was well-attended with participants traveling from all areas of the upper Midwest to as far away as California to hear Leslie share her decades of expertise. Her 30-year career is full of highlights, including: the first woman Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, plus seven Grammy nominations and three Grammy Awards. Her long catalog of film credits includes: Apocalypse Now, Dead Man Walking, Zodiac and Cars 2. She is a great teacher and advocate for women in the recording industry and is currently the Director of Music and Scoring at Skywalker Sound, a Lucasfilm Ltd. company.
Introducing herself, Leslie spoke about the early influence of her parents (her dad was Spike Jones) on her musical growth and about her choice to move from performing to recording music. She also spoke about the role key mentors played in her development as an audio engineer. After playing samples of her work and discussing the challenges and techniques for each of them, Leslie focused on microphone techniques for recording live musical performances. She was joined by Matan Rubinstein on piano, John Schaffer on acoustic bass and John Vitale on classical guitar to assist with the demonstration. Leslie described the choice and placement of microphones for the performance, emphasizing the fact each performance space is different and presents unique opportunities and challenges. Leslie believes that, “A successful audio engineer cannot rely on formulas, but must work to hone their listening skills and sensitivity to music. You have to use your ears. It is important to remember that you are not just recording sound, you are recording music”.
Recordings were made of the musicians playing solo and combo selections. Playback of the recordings and rough mixes of near, far and mid-range microphones gave Leslie the opportunity to comment on how her microphone setup produced the results she was looking for. Throughout the clinic, Leslie enjoyed lively interaction with the audience, fielding questions and sharing insights that enriched the overall experience. She concluded her presentation with a virtual tour of the recording facility at Skywalker Sound and the standards she has set for recording there.
Full Compass Systems is grateful for the support and partnership of Sennheiser in hosting this very successful event. Special thanks also go out to Leslie for her time and generosity in conducting this clinic.
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Full Compass is a national supplier of professional audio, video, AV, lighting and musical instrument products. We offer over 700 comprehensive lines including sound reinforcement, cameras/camcorders, special effects, lighting, AV computers, digital audio workstations, acoustical treatment, video displays, software and security products.
