TECHNOLOGIES
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic
Arthur C. Clarke
A SERVICE ROOTED IN TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
Craftsmanship and technological breakthroughs are at the base of all what we do, and we hope that you’ll be enjoying our work as much as we are enjoying performing it. We use remarkable tools involving novel technologies on many fronts, combined with years spent to develop and streamline our processes.
DIGITAL BREAKTHROUGHS
In the recent years, we have seen the arrival of a plethora of new digital tools. We are able to manipulate the sound in ways which were never possible before, and were not even thought about. One of the most dramatic improvement has been the incorporation of artificial intelligence. Overall those tools are great for addressing audio problems within the content, or for enhancing it psycho-acoustically. The slogan of one of our providers expresses very well the current climate of enthusiasm to break new frontiers 🙂 :
Impossible? Awesome, let’s DOOOO IT!
— Zynaptiq company credo
ANALOG BREAKTHROUGHS
For a very long time we have been researching tools to work with audio inside a computer. A few years ago, we came across an Italian company who has developed a technology which has literally amazed us. And with all of the advancements this technology has continued to make, we remain as amazed today as we were when we discovered it! It has been an important factor which has made this service possible, and encouraged us to create this company. What is this technology?
To explain it, let’s first talk about the difference between analog versus digital audio.
Analog vs Digital
Digital audio is when you manipulate the sound with “1”s and “0”s, and analog audio is when the sound go through real analog gear like preamps, mixing console, tape machine, etc. Nowadays, almost the entire handling of the audio is done digitally; and there has been a debate going on for a long time about the analog audio sounding better than the digital one. Countless audio software developers have worked so hard to try to replicate the analog sound digitally. In order to do so, they have been writing algorithms to model the behavior of real analog gear.
Breaking the rules
The technology developed by this Italian company is diametrically opposed. Instead of trying to model the behavior of analog hardware, they’ve developed a way of sampling it! With a sampled behavior, 100% of your audio has to go through the samples of real analog audio gear, as if it were really passing through it… Is this magic?
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic
— Arthur C. Clarke
This technology which requires a massive processing power, is really revolutionary and requires very complex operations to happen extremely rapidly. As the technology is getting refined and refined, it becomes easier to work with it; but when we started, you really needed to borrow a computer from the NASA to make it work! 😉
We have invested in those tools quite massively, and we have at our disposal what could be called the “Sonic footprints museum”.
Audio transformation
In terms of sound, the main advantage of this technology is that it “gels” with the original material like nothing else. It is really able to transform your material like only analog gear can achieve. The difference is that we have access to virtually any of the equipment you will find in the fanciest recording studios throughout of the world! And among those equipment, the most iconic and best sounding tools ever made! Some are very rare and impossible to find! Even if you could find and store all of those tools (which is just impossible), it would then again be impossible to rapidly test your material through different equipment, to see how your material responds to it…
BUILDING MAGIC
There are no magic buttons, and the real magic comes from the creative combining of those tools. It is like cooking with spices, you have to find the perfect combination which will make your dish delicious! Combining well chosen sonic flavors together will get you very far… We want to touch the listener, carry emotions, attitude and feelings…
All this becomes an art, and with all those amazing breakthrough technologies to support it, we have the means to massage your material, giving it a little bit of love, and even a big hug!
Connecting the listener with the intended message,
through the sound
UNIQUENESS
Every material IS unique.
We recognize the uniqueness of your material, and we recognize it at the actual level by processing it with a unique set of tools.
Soul: how do we work?
There is a place where you find exactly the right tools. When this happens, everything fall into place naturally and effortlessly. It is like finding the unique perfect match. And this combination of the material and the tools really “seals the deal”.
SONIC FOOTPRINTS’ MUSEUM
We use a kind of reverse engineering which give us access to a wide palette of sonic footprints covering almost the entire history of sound processing, including pristine rare old devices which at times can be “magical”.
What kind of gear do we have access to?
Basically everything.
Everything that an audio engineer could be eager of owning and using, is there…
Everything that you could find in the most fancy recording studios around the world, is there…
Old, rare, pristine, unique pieces of equipment have been refurbished and expertly sampled; for us to use without the associated instability, bulk and noise.
Real, big, massive, Analog Mixing Consoles which have a life and a sound on their own, and are being abandoned. With this technology we have a sort of time machine, and can go back in time and use those tools. It can be modern or vintage, or everything in between… Every single piece of hardware is unique, it has its own unique character.
It is not just the mixing consoles, it is also the fancy peripheral outboard gears which are available. For example, rare Equalizers from an other era when gold circuit boards was not too extreme to manufacture… Extremely expansive equalizers only available in the most fancy mastering studios are available. So many different design and philosophies are represented. And they are all different, they all give different results…
The best Compressors which are necessary to shape up the dynamic range, and give character to the reproduction.
Pristine Delays and Reverbs are available.
The list goes on and on and on…
A lot of this equipment have a tube design and/or custom hand built transformers, all of which adds color and flavor to the sound. Even the sound of vinyl discs is available, and it has its own character.
Tape machines from different eras, which are being widely abandoned, but are still necessary in many cases to break down the sound, making it more human, more palpable.
Here are a few examples in images:
Gigantic or small, from the recent years or from another era, every Analog Mixing Console brings life to the reproduction in its own personal way. Sonically, they constitute a frame in which your content evolves…
To forge the sound, Equalizers or “EQ” are among the most powerful tools an engineer has. With all the different designs available, which can be ingeniously combined, a lot can be achieved!
Opening the boxes reveals a world of differences in design philosophies, components employed and manufacturing processes. Subsequently, they all sound different and impart their own dimension to the sound…
Controlling the dynamic range is achieved with various compressors. They help reveal and magnify what is happening. They also bring a lot of character and personality along the way…
Often needed to finish the sound, Tape has this almost indescribable way of subtly breaking down the sound, and melting it into something which is more palpable and alive.
WORKING WITH THE PALETTE
The sonic palette we have is indeed unbelievably wide and rich.
Working with it is like painting.
It’s an art…
Pivotal breakthroughs
in MONITORING technologies
A GALAXY OF POSSIBILITIES
Through which system your content will be heard? There are so many different playback devices (phone, computer, tablet, stereo, PA, headphones, etc), and the reality is that they all sound very different.
Where your content is going to be listened? In which environment? With what kind of room’s acoustics?
When you take into account all of those things, you realize that there is a galaxy of endless possibilities!
TAKING MAGIC OUT OF THE STUDIO
At Indigo Mixing And Mastering we take translation of our work on various playback devices / systems very seriously, and scientifically. Indeed, our process includes extensive real world translation tests. All of our monitoring chain has been designed around those translation tests, and we use in house custom built breakthrough technologies.
Our monitoring chain, which took so much time and effort to develop, is now the best asset of our company. While it is relatively easy to make a material sound great on one system, it is unbelievably difficult to make it sound great on ALL systems. Our monitoring chain and work process have been designed to accomplish just that…
Extensive speaker research & listening sessions. More importantly, extensive mixing tests to find out
what helps to make the best mixing decisions, which are going to translate magnificently on all devices!
Lots of research, design and in-house construction… Moreover, lots of critical listening tests…
Using high-end modules with breakthrough technologies. Built in-house with our proprietary “direct-wire” technology.
In-house acoustical treatment fabrication.
Delicate and often overlooked, skillfully controlling the acoustics is an unavoidable step to achieve superior audio results…
Best speakers, best amp technology, mastering grade converters, custom cables, etc. Proprietary and innovative arrangement of those components, with integrated digital breakthroughs in crossover and room correction.
AN EXPERIENCE
The only way to make your work translate on all systems, is to remove the monitoring chain out of the equation, by making it so pure that it disappears… Any distortion or blurring will disturb the decision process, and will prevent you from achieving higher results (which will translate everywhere).
After having removed so many curtains in the monitoring chain, it becomes very pure; and the action of listening becomes a full experience in which your entire being gets immersed. The frontiers get removed, and in a way you’re “inside” the content. This is where it gets interesting, because if you really want to bring life to the content, you need to fully experience it first.
CONSULTING
Our monitoring system is the pivotal part which makes all of our work shine (or break if it wasn’t there). The exact details are kept confidential, because it is a competitive advantage. Nevertheless, we are offering consulting services to help others improve their monitoring system and listening experience. This can include a wide area of service based on your needs, for example: equipment selection, speaker placement and measurements, acoustic counselling and custom treatment fabrication, custom cables, etc. Do not hesitate to reach out to us to talk about your project!
It’s not just
about Sound,
it’s about SOUL