reported
by: Mr. Jibby Jacob
Secretary (Term
1996/97)
On 16 Nov. 1996, a bright and
sunny Saturday morning, 10 AES members and their 3 guests visited one of the
premier recording studios in Singapore-"LION STUDIOS". The owner of the
facility, Recording Engineer/Producer Mr. John Herbert was the guest
speaker. The 2 studio facility was originally established in Singapore by
Polygram Studios to record Polygram artistes in the region.
Soon it gained international
popularity, and it became the centre for recording international recording
artistes like the Kenny Bee, Kit Chan, Gloria Yip. As a Jeff Cooper design,
Mr. Herbert spoke of the different "live" and "dead "end of the studio.
|
John Herbert
explained the processes involved in preparing the Master tape -
photograph by Dr. Roland K C Tan. |
The facility boast a 40/24
Input/Output customised Polygram recording console that links to a 24
track analogue Multitrack Recorder with Dolby SR noise reduction system.
A vast collection of microphones, signal processors and musical
instruments from the sixties and earlier to the present were on display.
This was proof of the studio's rich and long history. |
Mr. Herbert who's track records (
which would overflow this page) includes international artistes like Eartha
Kitt, Boney M, Bon Jovi, Ernie Watts, James Last Orchestra to name a few
clientele recounted his entering the recording field by accident in the
early sixties.
Having worked in both Germany &
Hong Kong for a number of years, he was finally posted to Singapore to head
the Polygram studios which later became the LION STUDIOS. With a long
recording history, he regaled the audience with numerous anecdotes of his
recording sessions which included everything from a solo performance to a
symphonic size orchestra along with unusual ethnic musical instruments.
Some of the challenges he faced
includes trying to stay objective throughout the recording without
compromising with the opinions of others, and trying to capture as
"faithfully" as possible the best performance from the artistes. Other
points noted by Mr. Herbert were that in spite of the numerous new and
advanced recording gear appearing in the studio, vintage microphones & old
signal processors are in high demand, as they capture that "something" which
the new digital equipment is unable to. Mr. Herbert's opinion when sought
about Stereo versus Surround sound recording & mixing on newly released
CD's, he felt that conventional stereo recordings will persist for a long
while before the latter becomes the norm.
|
John Herbert
showing a condenser microphone to his audience comprising of 13 members
and guests of the AES Singapore Section at the LION studio -
photograph by Dr. Roland K C Tan |
The tour of the facilities
included a visit to the Pre-Mastering room. The audience was further treated
by Mr. Herbert to some examples of Pre-Mastering music on a Dyaxis digital
Audio workstation.
Here he explained the processes
involved in preparing the Master tape, before it is sent to the manufacturer
for duplication to CD or cassette releases. This is an important step as it
was the last chance to "make changes" or to "improve" the recording before
it was sent to the Plant.
The whole meeting lasted well over
3 hours as the audience warmed up to Mr. Herbert who obliged answering
everyone's questions. |
