Urban Fashion and Music Awards Contact: Quiz Company: Quiz Media phone 0121 370 4840 mobile 07837434104

Event Details
The Urban fashion and music worlds' most anticipated conference and showcase is here, in the city appropriately dubbed, the “Second City”. July 2010, the most sought after urban clothing labels, designers, executives, music industry professionals and agents will converge in Birmingham to answer questions from the hundreds in attendance. Presented by Quiz Media this two day, multi platform event offers entertaining workshops and highly informative panels covering a mixture of topics regarding the business behind fashion and music. For more information visit http://www.urbanfashionandmusicom or call 07837434104

Quiz Media Details
Quiz Media is an artist and label support company based in Birmingham. We offer products and services including; video production, printing, promotion, CD duplicating and marketing.

Past clients include Def Jam, Sony Music, Dada Footwear, Roc-a- Fella Records and many others. We work with major and independent entertainment companies.

Sheffield Doc/Fest, in partnership with Wide Eye Pictures, Screen WM and The Flatpack Festival, invites you to THE ENGINE ROOM PITCH

THE ENGINE ROOM PITCH is an intensive 2 day proposal development and pitching workshop to help you prepare your factual project for UK and international funding.

THE ENGINE ROOM PITCH is suitable for all levels of experience, from senior producers and directors to new entrants.  You can attend either as a pitcher with project, or as an observer.

Applicants must be West Midlands-based filmmakers. The cost of the workshop is £30 for all attendees.

To express interest, email Doc/Fest Marketplace Producer Charlie Phillips via charlie@sidf.co.uk with a one-page proposal for a factual/documentary project (single, series or cross-platform doc) and brief information about yourself. Projects can be at any stage of development, for any platform, as long as it is a factual project.

See http://sheffdocfest.com/view/pitchworkshops for full information

Are you a media graduate or undergraduate interested in the film industry?

Do you have a passion for film and dream about making your own films?

Are you working in another profession altogether and thinking about making a career change?

Come and find out more about the reality of working in the film industry from 4 of the region’s most experienced producers who will talk about their career as film and television producers and they will be on hand to answer your questions.

If this event is not suitable for you, please feel free to forward it on to anyone who you feel it would be relevant to.

You are invited to the following event:
New Producer Training
Date: Monday, February 22, 2010 from 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM (GMT)
Location: Staffordshire University, The Pavilion, College Road, ST4 2DE Stoke On Trent

For more information or to attend this event Click Here

Post Production for HD Mon 22 & Tues 23 Feb 10am – 4pm phone 01902 716055 email info@light-house.co.uk web www.light-house.co.uk

Light House is now offering structured and bespoke continuous professional development in High Definition production techniques. Post Production for High Definition is a 2-day workshop covering aspects of post production including operation of Final Cut Pro and Avid HD suites.

Cost: £105 + VAT. Lunch included.

Applications for this workshop must be submitted by 12 Feb.

Please note these workshops are only open to applicants who have some professional experience of working in the film & TV industry and are heavily subsidised by Skillset.

David Mitson

David Mitson
MASTERED OR NOT?
The art and ethics of turning a tape into a record

David Mitson introduced himself as a Mastering Engineer who, by definition, has a different set of ‘listening’ criteria than say a Mixing Engineer. Mastering takes a macro view and adjusts overall sound quality rather than reworking the recording as such.

We were told about the original process, of transfer from tape to vinyl, being one of literally fitting in the grooves onto the record before the groove end, or doing what had to be done to get the recording onto disc. This would sometimes involve rolling volume and bass off to make room. In time, limiters were discovered which enhanced sound, making it louder but with more clarity and more ‘presence’ in the speakers. The process became an art in itself.

A change came about in 1949 as a result of the confiscation, by the Americans, of magnetic tape from the Nazis, the 12 inch record playing at 33 and 1/3rd rpm became a format standard. At that point, mastering entered a new phase where engineers had more scope to improve overall listening quality.

David is on a mission to demystify the mastering process and he’s now interested in what he can achieve with up and coming artists, collaborating with them to produce something pure. He’s set up a small operation, with a studio in his home that can function at a tenth of the price charged elsewhere.

With the advent of CDs, mastering should be redundant because there’s no requirement to 'cut' the disc as one would a record. Digital formats are reproduced as clones (allegedly). So mastering is not technically necessary, yet it is still part of the production because it quite simply 'works'.

David played us an example of a track from a local band, before and after it had been mastered. There wasn’t anything missing from the first version, but the second had a fuller sound and it seemed as though there was more of it. This overall enhancement is not something that’s achieved on the initial recording mix stage. Consideration must be given to how the track will sound in different places, circumstances and at different times. Mastering makes for a more cohesive sound and consequently it requires a different set of listening criteria compared to those applied to the mixing process.

At this point, David admitted to having a particular issue with present day volume levels which he thinks are misused and are often detrimental to the end product.

Mastering also raises some questions of ethics. Up to 1985, in a little known contractual clause, bands had the right of refusal over re-issues of their music on vinyl and cassette. However, in the small print, artists had no rights over tracks released on any future media format; the record companies retained those rights. The Chieftains, the world’s most popular Irish traditional music group, suffered at the hands of their original record company who didn’t allow them any say over decisions about releases and formats.

There are obvious limitations as to what you can achieve where re-mastering of records is concerned, with CDs all sorts of changes can be made but what should you do? It’s not as if you can read the minds of the artists themselves, so it’s often a case of finding the middle ground and not doing so much that the original nature of a track is destroyed.

A mastering engineer has to search their conscience, there is more to the role than simply doing whatever you can with the tools at hand, it’s a case of only doing what should be done. Unnecessary noise can be removed but on earlier recordings a certain amount of tape hiss adds to the atmosphere and would be missed if removed completely. The aim is to achieve a 'real' sound because after all it’s not as if we live in silent rooms. Ambient sound can be all important.

The point was illustrated with a story about how Fox in the U.S.A. would record the football stadiums when empty and this 'atmos' would be mixed into live radio broadcasts to obtain a more true to life effect. The listener is not necessarily aware that the sound effect has been added but would notice something odd if it was absent. A useful analogy is to think of this process as the creation of 3D from a 2D source.

When a band or artist reaches the mastering stage they must accept that the track is already mixed; now it needs to be listened to with fresh ears to perfect a sound that is 'right'. But everyone hears differently, so a mastering engineer has to be open to trying things that the client may request. It's no good saying that things can’t be done, sometimes trying something out will result in a better overall sound.

David described how the calculations that apply to sound compression, ratio, attack, release and gain etc., whilst they can be measured, can also be visualised to get an idea of the bigger picture. It's a technique he employs when mastering to ensure an overall balance. Editing and pacing of gaps is also important to the way a piece of music flows and can enhance the listening experience. Apparent volume levels have to be judged alongside the levels showing on equipment, loudness is what you hear and meters can sometimes appear to be liars. The energy of music and its dynamics can create the illusion of loudness, or quietness for that matter. How you hear it is what makes the client happy.

Returning to his earlier mention of the modern day prevalence to use volume for volume's sake, providing no particular benefit to listeners, David made a plea for more considered volume control. He hopes that the next generation of mastering engineers will avoid loudness for its own sake because it lends nothing to a finished track. Some current recorded music comes at you full tilt with no subtlety or variety. Whereas orchestral music uses volume to best effect, producing suitable mood changes where appropriate, bombastic at one moment yet interspersed with quieter interludes elsewhere.

Metallica added 10Db of volume levels to their release last year; the result was that it had to be recalled because consumers regarded the product as being faulty. David said his personal all time favourite album in terms of considered, state of the art, mastering is Paul Simon's 'Graceland'.

Our audience took the opportunity to quiz David, so much so that he praised them for being so attentive and for asking such intelligent and insightful questions. In an email the following day, David said the evening gave him every reason to be optimistic about the next generation of sound engineers and the future of the art, controversy about volume being set at eleven not withstanding!

We thanked David for being our keynote speaker for the evening and taking the time to educate us in the black art of mastering. We showed our appreciation with deserved applause for our guest and the evening came to an appropriately loud close. The event was filmed and the video will be posted on the Creative Networks website as soon as possible.

Cham Athwal
Faculty of Technology, Engineering and the Environment, Birmingham City University
phone 0121 331 5400
email cham.athwal@bcu.ac.uk
web www.bcu.ac.uk

More than 30 staff with expertise in:
Web Technologies
Interactive Media Technologies
TV and Film Technology and Production
Sound and Music Technologies

Available to support you with realising and implementing projects

KTP schemes provide you with:
a recent graduate recruited and supported by University academic
access to University facilities
financial support for training, travel and consumables (including laptop)

Classic KTP – 18 to 36 month projects
Shorter KTP – 10 to 40 week project

Contact: Shamiela Ahmed - Development Manager UnLtd, Unit G2, The Ground Floor, The Arch, 48 - 52 Floodgate Street, Birmingham B5 5SL phone 0121 766 4570 email ShamielaAhmed@unltd.org.uk web www.UnLtd.org.uk

UnLtd is a charity which supports social entrepreneurs - people with vision, drive, commitment and passion who want to change the world for the better. We do this by providing a complete package of funding and support, to help these individuals make their ideas a reality.

UnLtd have launched their joint awards programme with 4iP, offering individuals up to £5,000 to get their socially motivated digital media off the ground.

4iP is an innovation fund, created by Channel 4, to stimulate public service digital media across the UK. It supports great ideas for websites, games and mobile services which help people improve their lives.

UnLtd and 4iP have teamed up to help individuals develop early stage digital media ideas and prototypes. Together they will build the skills, capabilities and partnerships to turn prototypes into social businesses.