TELEFUNKEN Sponsors Unstoppable Recording Machine Contest
Pictured is Nail the Mix winner Thomas Ferrell with his prize TELEFUNKEN AK-47 MkII microphone at Sphere Studios in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles, CA, April 2018 – TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik, manufacturer of historic recreations of classic microphones alongside their own proprietary designs, sponsored the recent Nail the Mix contest presented by The Unstoppable Recording Machine. Out of hundreds of mix entries, Thomas Ferrell won a TELEFUNKEN AK-47 MkII large diaphragm tube microphone.
The Unstoppable Recorded Machine is helmed by producers Joey Sturgis (Asking Alexandria, Of Mice & Men), Eyal Levi (Chelsea Grin, August Burns Red) and Joel Wanasek (Machine Head, Vinyl Theater), who get together each month with fellow top music producers to talk shop. They provide information, inspiration and most of all actionable insights in every episode.
Learn more at: http://urm.academy
March’s Nail the Mix contest featured the band Bring Me the Horizon and their song “Doomed.” Each student at URM was given the raw multi-tracks that were used on the released album by the band and submitted their own mixed version of the song. The community and staff of URM then voted on mixes that are given a number, to keep it anonymous, and then a winner is announced at the end of the month. Thomas Ferrell was one of hundreds of other entries in the contest.
At the end of the month, URM hosts a live stream after the mix contest ends with the engineer or producer that worked on the album for it’s release. In this case, Dan Lancaster, the mixing engineer for Bring Me the Horizon’s album “That’s the Spirit,” did a step-by-step demonstration of how he took raw multi tracks that the students downloaded, and made it what it was on the finished album. “That’s the Spirit” came out in 2015 and peaked at #2 on the Billboard charts.
TELEFUNKEN’S Connor Rowen explained, “The Unstoppable Recording Machine is an educational community of many young and enthusiastic producers and engineers that maintains the feeling of being in a close and personal classroom through a dedicated staff and helpful group of peers. Eyal, Joel, and Joey were extremely easy to work with and made the process quite enjoyable. Through Nail the Mix, Mix Lab, and other courses provided, the guys at URM give aspiring producers and engineers the tools they need for success on levels that, as a degree holder in the field, I have not seen in any other educational setting by far. We are more than satisfied with our sponsorship of Nail the Mix and intend to work again with Eyal, Joel, and Joey in the near future.”
URM Academy co-founder Eyal Levi is best known for his work with bands such as Chelsea Grin and The Black Dahlia Murder. He comments, “What is there to say about Telefunken that hasn’t already been said? They’re one of the true classic audio gear manufacturers and have created gear that actually makes a difference. In recording it’s very common to say ‘it’s the ears, not the gear’ and while there’s a lot of truth to that, when you enter the realm of quality companies like Telefunken, it’s starts to invalidate that statement. I know this sounds like a paid commercial but it’s not. Their microphones are some of the very best out there, regardless whether you’re spending $25k or $250.”
This month’s Nail The Mix is a double header: First, Paul Leavitt (All Time Low, Yellowcard, The Used) mixes “The Permanent Rain” by The Dangerous Summer. He’ll actually be mixing the song twice, once in Pro Tools and once on an SSL analog console – then we’ll compare the two mixes and analyze the differences. Then Andrew Wade (A Day To Remember, Wage War, Neck Deep) will be mixing “Three 6” by Attila – a very fun, yet surprisingly nuanced session with nearly 100 tracks, including tons of cinematic effects and post-production. URM members get the complete, raw multi-track sessions for both songs as well as a front row seat to the live mixing sessions where they’ll watch Andrew and Paul walk through exactly how the songs were mixed on the albums, and take member questions live on air.