MADISON, WI — Full Compass Systems, a provider pro audio and video gear, recently collaborated with Sennheiser to host an audio recording clinic featuring Grammy winner, Leslie Ann Jones. The event was held on last month in the main production studio at Full Compass’ headquarters in Madison.
Leslie, whose career spans 30-years, has seven Grammy nominations and three Grammy wins. She served as the first woman Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and her list of film credits includes Apocalypse Now, Dead Man Walking, Zodiac and
Cars 2. She is an advocate for women in the recording industry and is currently the director of music and scoring at Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Sound.
Jones spoke of her early influences and 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, Jones focused on microphone techniques for recording live musical performances.
Jones detailed the choice and placement of microphones for the demo performance, emphasizing the fact each space is different and presents unique opportunities and challenges. Recordings were made of musicians playing solo and combo selections. Playback of the recordings and rough mixes of near, far and mid-range microphones gave her the opportunity to comment on how the mic setup produced the results she was looking for. Throughout the clinic, she interacted with the audience, fielding questions and sharing insights. She concluded her presentation with a virtual tour of the recording facility at Skywalker Sound and the standards she has set for recording there.