VDM Records - MERGING USER STORY · I.Scelsi,!IRTE.M.,!Odeon!Theatre!of!Reggio!Calabria ......
Transcript of VDM Records - MERGING USER STORY · I.Scelsi,!IRTE.M.,!Odeon!Theatre!of!Reggio!Calabria ......
Merging User Story: Igor Fiorini – Rome, Italy Rome is a city steeped in history and in music especially. For two and a half thousand years Rome has been a centre of culture and excellence. But to dwell on the past and the tourist industry would be to miss the vibrancy of modern Rome. Now a centre of excellence for banking and insurance as well as electronics, energy, transport, and aerospace industries, not to mention film, it is a beacon in the European landscape. Romans are famous for their passion and when this is applied to music recording, obsession is not too strong a word. Chairman and CEO of VDM, Igor Fiorini fits this environment perfectly. At the age of nine he began studying the flute and later on composition, graduating from the conservatory in both. While studying at the conservatory Igor worked in a number of jobs so that within two or three years he could afford some decent hi-‐fi. On graduating he became one of the founder members of the magazine “Falaut” and embarked on a career as composer and performer with performances as soloist in festivals and concerts both at home and
abroad including: EWA -‐ Galleries "Niedervolta" Altdorf in Switzerland, Foundation I.Scelsi, IRTE.M., Odeon Theatre of Reggio Calabria, Goethe Institut Rom, Romaeuropa Festival, Festival di Nuova Consonanza, Festival Nuovi Spazi Musicali, Palace of the Ministry of Culture Pernice -‐ Bulgaria, the Musikhochschule in Hamburg -‐ Germany and festival Syracuse – Italy. Igor’s future direction was shaped by two pivotal events; a change of direction into projects with flute and live electronics sparked an interest in electronic music and, crucially, a less than excellent disk of one of his compositions. The result was a decision to open his own studio for his music and electronic music. A mastering facility and record label followed, all under the “VDM” banner. VDM is a “nonsense” acronym but euphonic in Italian. I.e. it just sounds good.
“The route was like many companies, start from nothing and gamble a lot, buying the first things and then working and step by step, continuing to grow. One thing has always been fixed in my mind: the pursuit of excellence and fidelity, so rather than going down market, I have been concentrating on improving the quality of the equipment I use, albeit with a small number of channels. I am convinced especially that the recording chain must be perfect, with no weak points. I have a precise and personal idea of sound and my choices were always for specific brands. Our recording chain equipment consists of: DPA Microphones, Crane Song Preamplifiers Reference cables and of course in premiere position, Pyramix.”
On the VDM website landing page you will find a quote from Glenn Gould:
“ ...instead, what is really important is to have the process accepted in all its complexity,
to convince the skeptics that the recording is an art in itself...”
Situated in a quiet area away from the incessant car horns, south west of central Rome on the edge of a nature reserve, the studio reflects the Igor’s ideals.
“Nowadays our offer is rather rich, we have a post-‐production and mastering studio, a large studio with a control room for orchestras and large projects, a smaller studio for small ensembles and individual instruments that I often use for electronic music projects, a mobile studio and the record label (VDM Records). All of these follow the principles of audiophile recording and the production companies follow our philosophy. All this is to say that the research around quality and perfection of the sound never ends, but the research must have a clear purpose: to relate and to unite the
world of recording, label production, hi-‐fi, composition and execution, as part of the same world, the music universe ...” Pyramix is central to the VDM workflow. Audio quality would mean little if the system could not be relied upon. “I have found it to be stable and rugged. I use it in the studio and for live recording all around the world. It has been with me in vans, on planes and ships; sometimes as a live mixer for concerts and now with Ovation for some live electronics concerts. It is one of my best friends :)” The VDM CV is impressive: Renaud Capuçon and Sir James Galway, and orchestras like the Accademia of Santa Cecilia, the Vienna Philharmonic and the QPO (Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra) are just headlines from a very long list. “Two concert recordings are in my heart as landmarks of our growth. First, a concert at the University Concert Institution of Rome (IUC) with the ‘Savinio Quartet’ and Sandro Cappelletto, a great Italian writer and artist.
Second, the recordings at the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival, where we took 24 channels of recording (and all the necessary peripherals). We created lightweight transport systems and for safety and security we took everything in the cabin, booking a section of the plane, and in Abu Dhabi we met Hiba Al Kawas, one of the most important artists we have worked with and one we are most fond of. It was a huge project with an orchestra and many channels but the key was not the number of the channels but the complexities of the mix and the quality required. It was not just a technical work but really an artistic work, and Pyramix was used like a musical instrument.”
Naturally, Igor was rigorous when it came to selecting the workstation that lies at the heart of his production chain. “I introduced myself to Pyramix four years ago. For several years previously I worked with many different workstations and, after trying several solutions, such as digital and analogue mixers to sum the channels, I started to do some detailed market research. I soon noticed that many important studios devoted to classical music used Pyramix. I tried the system and found a gorgeous sound and higher quality summing of the mixer channels.
I conducted many session tests, bouncing the same files with the same mix settings (as close as possible) in many different programs and then comparing the results by analysis and by listening sessions. I also did the same tests with a digital mixer used like an external summing amplifier. After all these tests I just found that Pyramix it was a perfect solution. It is exactly what is required to work well, quickly and safely. Especially in complex projects with complicated signal routing where the architecture and cleanliness of the mixer separates an excellent job from bad sound. Pyramix benefits my studio in several ways. It has a sound more in keeping with analogue for the digital world. Pyramix is the heart of the studio. To name just a few of its virtues, it can record and mix in audiophile quality, can record and mix DXD projects, it can make a CD Master with a single touch and DDP as well and can make an SACD. It’s perfect for mixing the stems to send to analogue external summing, when editing it’s very fast and the real time fades and crossfades are of the highest sonic quality. If perhaps there is a defect, it is that there is so much in it. (and it is Windows software.... ;))”
With downloads the main focus for distribution nowadays Igor is keenly aware of the issues. “Sound quality has always been of interest to the audiophile customer and to people who love quality in all things and to some musicians. In the past this meant limited distribution on tape. What is lacking right now is accessible downloads offering the highest possible quality. MP3 is low quality; the quality of the CD is NOT SUFFICIENT and the SACD did not take hold. There will always be aficionados of quality. I have argued for many years that people working in all aspects of music should create a movement like the one that brought contemporary art, fashion, design and cuisine to a widespread and large audience. Quality and marketing.... Pyramix is important for the whole music industry, because it was created not ‘for the market’, but to make music. “