Blackmagic Design today announced that Cezanne Producciones, an audio production facility based in Madrid, has recorded, mixed and mastered “El Loco” (“The Fool”) using DaVinci Resolve Studio’s Fairlight audio post production tools.
Cezanne Producciones was approached to record the Madrid Community Orchestra and Choir (ORCAM) performance of “El Loco,” which will accompany the Spanish National Ballet (BNE) on a tour of the US and Japan in 2024.
“Recording a 70 piece orchestra is among the most complex audio assignments you can attempt,” begins Audio Engineer and Founder of Cezanne Producciones Javier Monteverde. “Add the layering of contemporary musical components in a composition tailored for ballet, and it sends the complexity into overdrive.”
Inspired by the true story of Spanish dancer Félix Fernández, “El Loco” features choreography by Javier Latorre with music by Manuel de Falla, Mauricio Sotelo and Juan Manuel Cañizares.
Tackling the orchestral recording was a challenge relished by Monteverde, whose accolades include multiple Latin Grammy nominations and a win 2021. “It’s impossible to take a full orchestra on tour with the ballet, and in most cases, too expensive or too complicated to hire and prepare a local orchestra,” he affirms.
Multiple recording sessions over five days using 20 mics with dedicated spot mics for select instruments were required, with those takes then uploaded in DaVinci Resolve Studio’s Fairlight page.
“Mixing an orchestra is like assembling a three dimensional puzzle. Fairlight uses the metadata to efficiently and quickly organize the puzzle pieces into timelines within different project folders,” he explains.
Initially, a rough mix with no automation was produced, trying different reverbs to create the feel of a bigger room and adding a sense of depth to the space. “I then discussed the results with the conductor (Manuel Coves), choreographer, and director of BNE (Rubén del Olmo). With everybody comfortable, I began to mix and automate,” says Monteverde.
However, his existing DAW was nearly a decade old so in the months leading up to “El Loco,” Monteverde decided the time was right to upgrade and approached Area Suena, a specialist Blackmagic Design post production reseller.
With operating experience and build quality at the forefront of Monteverde’s wish list, Area Suena specified and installed the Fairlight Desktop Audio Editor with Fairlight Console Channel Fader integrated with DaVinci Resolve Studio.
“Experienced audio engineers like myself love Fairlight and have been intrigued to see where it would go as part of DaVinci Resolve. Combining the hardware with the software was the true test of its new workflow,” reveals Monteverde.
He adds, “I’m not a fan of operating faders using a mouse. I need to touch and move the faders, so the hardware and software experience has to be really good. Testing quickly put to bed any concerns I might have had; the panel’s build quality and experience exceeded all expectations.”
Monteverde has worked with Fairlight for 25 years now. “It remains the pinnacle of sound production,” he concludes. “I have yet to find anything better for editing and mixing classical music. And it’s not just the toolset, but the sonic results. Fairlight’s audio engine is just awesome!”
