Chris explains why he upgraded his system and how Focusrite RedNet has helped him streamline and perfect the new workflow required by Dolby Atmos.
"Once I figured out what level worked and the headroom, I found the sound of the A16R MkII was much better and clearer and more open."
— Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge is a five-time GRAMMY®-winning mix engineer who has Green Day, Keith Urban, Madonna, and Rod Stewart amongst his clients. He has recently upgraded Studio A at his MIX L.A. complex for Dolby Atmos® work, facilitated by an interface and converter infrastructure based on Focusrite RedNet components. The Dante®-networked RedNet setup helps interconnect two Avid Pro Tools workstations and a new 9.1.4 Ocean Way Audio speaker system with Chris' beloved Solid State Logic SL4064E mixing console.
Improving Performance And Sound
For many years, Chris' mixing workflow required projects to be initially transferred to a 48-track Sony DASH tape machine, which he favoured for the performance of the converters and the metering (he eventually eliminated all use of tape and just used the machine's converters). He has now replaced that machine with a Pro Tools HDX rig, operating at 96 kHz/48-bit, that feeds a pair of Focusrite RedNet HD32R 32-channel HD Dante network bridges. Using Dante Controller, Chris selects the tracks for distribution over the Dante network through four Focusrite RedNet A16R MkII 16-channel analogue interfaces and into the mixing desk. His stereo mix from the console is then routed back through one of the A16R MkII units and an HD32R HD Bridge and captured in the Pro Tools computer.
The converters in the A16R MkII units offer a noticeable improvement in performance over the DASH machine, Chris says, plus he no longer has the hassles of his former setup, where he had to synchronize the DASH machine and two Pro Tools rigs. “Once I figured out what level worked and the headroom, I found the sound of the A16R MkII was much better and clearer and more open," he reports.
A Dedicated Dolby Workflow
A second Pro Tools system is now dedicated solely to mixing in Dolby Atmos, which is natively 48 kHz/24-bit. “I get a great stereo mix of the record with all my colours of analogue gear and an analogue console, and we break that out. Once I've done my stereo mix and I've created all the stems I need for Atmos, into computer number two they go. So, my Atmos mixes are made from stems that are created with all the vintage outboard gear. Then computer number two with the Dolby renderer becomes my second playback system," stated Chris.
“The second Pro Tools system doesn't need I/O because it's all in-the-box," he continues. “All I need is one RedNet PCIeR Card, which gives me 128 channels over Dante at 48/24, connecting through a Mac Mini as the Dolby renderer. So Pro Tools can send 128 objects to the renderer and the monitoring. None of this would be possible without RedNet."
While it does take some time to print all the stereo stems from his mix and create a session for the second Pro Tools system for mixing in Atmos, Chris says, “At this point in time, that is the way that works for me. I use the Atmos computer and the renderer for the object placement and the three-dimensionality of the mix. But for the actual nuts and bolts of creating the sonics inside the mix, I use my stereo rig."
The MIX L.A. complex is now fully wired for Dante and RedNet, he says. “The whole room is networked with RedNet and so is my new studio next door. We can capture from there; they can capture from here. I'm able to use Dante to connect to my other studios and move forward into the future. And it works seamlessly."
Lord-Alge, who by his own estimate has mixed more than 25,000 tracks in stereo, admits that he is a Dolby Atmos novice:
“I am completely a newbie. But I'm learning about the future, about how it works and what can be done."
To that end, he says, he has received welcome support from the Focusrite team in the US.“The Focusrite support is undeniably amazing," Chris says. “Because it's one of those things that, once you get the puzzle pieces correct, it boots and works every time. But you have to understand how it works, and I didn't."