Riot audio engineers (L-R) Chris Basta, Karl Gentner and Matt Melberg.
ATLANTA - Riot Atlanta kicks off the summer with the opening of three new audio post suites. The studio recently took delivery of three DREAM Constellation systems, Fairlight's audio editor/mixer that will serve as the centerpiece of the newly-design studios.
Riot's new suites were built with floating floors and are acoustically accurate for 5.1 mixing. Fairlight's DREAM Constellation system can edit automation and audio simultaneously, enabling editors to move clips, tracks, or entire projects along with their previously written automation moves. Combined with the DREAM Constellations is Fairlight's MediaLink, which will provide networking capabilities for all three mixing suites; Virtual Studio Runner, the file manager program that handles conversion and exchange; and Pyxis, Fairlight's nonlinear video editing and recording system. The mixer/editors were installed by Media Gear US, Fairlight's North American distributor.
"The nature of our business requires fast production timelines without compromising one stitch of quality for our customers," says Buddy Hall, managing director of Riot Atlanta. "The bottom line is workflow. The Fairlight DREAM Constellation enables us to work seamlessly throughout our three studios, recalling past sessions with speed and accuracy. Fairlight tools like MediaLink, Virtual Studio Runner and Pyxis allow us to further maximize our work output. The Fairlight system is true a workhorse."
DREAM Constellation offers up to 240 channels returned to up to 72 mix busses, with full 6-band EQ and filtering, and two-stage dynamics processing. This channel structure delivers into a multi-format bussing system, which allows simultaneous generation of multiple surround formats via the system's buss reduction system. The grouping and three dimensional panning system allows smooth and simple manipulation of the mix matrix, ensuring that complex surround sound mixes can be accomplished with ease.
According to Hall, Riot explored the entire market of audio consoles and returned to Fairlight for its reliability and functional firepower. "We spent many, many demo hours evaluating consoles and at the end of the day, Fairlight was the only one standing. We opened our doors in 1996 with two Fairlight MFX3plus consoles. Throughout the years they've been more dependable and powerful than we ever imagined. The DREAM Constellation is the next generation, and we look forward to continuing our long relationship with Fairlight."