Archive notice: This article was originally published on December 4, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
In October 2009, Wallner received the prestigious German ECHO Klassik music award in the “Bestseller of the Year” category for an album of Gregorian chants, The Cistercian Monks of Heiligenkreuz Abbey—Chant: Music for Paradise.
“To achieve an authentic sound and convey the mood and atmosphere correctly, we decided to make the recordings in the monastery itself,” explains Marco Nola of Seven Rays Music in Bremen, who carried out the mobile recordings at Heiligenkreuz Abbey and subsequently mixed the reading. “For this production, I used a BB4 Desktop Box with two Black Pres and two Black Comps, which is the perfect solution for mobile recording.”
The BB4 Desktop Box can accommodate up to four Black Series modules and is ideally suited to use outside the studio due to its compact dimensions. For optimum adaptation to users’ requirements, the modules can be installed in any order thanks to the integrated rear connection panel. The four bays can be fitted with analogue modules or, alternatively, four Black ADC A/D converter modules. Power is supplied by an integrated power supply. “With the Black Series preamps, I achieve exceptional sound quality. At the same time, the neutral but refined sound leaves many options open when mixing in the studio,” Nola continues.
Alongside his role as recording engineer for the on-location sessions, Nola composed and mixed many additional pieces of music, soundtracks and interludes for this CD production. He combined a classical female voice with viola and oboe. “I also use the Black Series in the studio for mixing and all recordings, although with support from the Universal Audio UAD plug-in collection. The Black Series and UAD are an unbeatable team for me, even in post-production.”
Designed as a modular rack system, the Black Series combines the uncoloured signal path associated with Audient with an extremely versatile palette of tonal colours provided by a discrete, transformer-coupled circuit. The Black Series comprises a microphone preamplifier, EQ, compressor, A/D converter and word-clock generator.
Nola’s final conclusion: “The Audient Black Series is the perfect tool for all my requirements. Recording, mixing and post-production: with the modular system, I can handle every one of my production assignments at any location.”
The CD “Die Weihnachtsgeschichte von Peter Karl Wallner” was released through Universal Music Classics & Jazz on November 20. Marco Nola has previously produced film and radio-play music for ARD, NDR, SAT.1 and ProSieben, as well as audiobooks for Universal Music Family Entertainment.