Top 10 Songs of 2007, complied by AT40.

1. Fergie: Big Girls Don’t Cry

2. Nelly Furtado: Say It Right

3. Gwen Stefani: Sweet Escape

4. Pink: U + Ur Hand

5. Justin Timberlake: What Goes Around

6. Daughtry: It’s Not Over

7. Timbaland: Give It To Me

8. Fergie: Glamorous

9. Gym Class Heros: Cupid’s Chokehold

10. Rihanna: Umbrella

Thoughts?

McNally Smith at the AES show

McNally Smith College had a huge presence at the Audio Engineering Society’s 123rd Convention in New York City, October 4th thru the 7th. Andre Fischer - Dean of Music Industries, Bryan Forrester – Chair of Music Technology, and Chopper Black – Senior Engineer made the trip on behalf of the college as special guests of Solid State Logic, the industry standard console manufacturer. McNally Smith’s Technology Department recently installed two SSL Duality consoles, being the first educational facility to purchase two of the award winning consoles. One of the highlights of the stay was the opportunity to meet with rock legend Peter Gabriel who is now a principal owner of SSL. “Peter Gabriel has always been a hero of mine ever since his early days with Genesis”, says Forrester.

Besides getting insights into the up and coming releases from manufacturers, attendees had the chance to network with industry peers. “We were invited to a gathering of SSL Educational Partners where we had the opportunity to chat and share ideas with representatives of schools from around the country that use SSL products” said Fischer.

A very special treat was in store for Chopper Black. Chopper had always bemoaned the fact that he had never had the opportunity to meet one of his most respected engineers in the world, Al Schmitt. Dean Fischer, a long time friend of Al, working with him on Natalie Cole’s “Unforgettable” album, lined up a special dinner on Friday night. “I had met all the greats except for Al, until now. This was an evening I’ll remember for a long time”, exclaimed Chopper.

McNally Smith employees also attending the show as representatives of their own company were Jeff Marcovis and Jake Swanson from S&M Audio. “Not only was it a great time to meet face to face with people we have been talking with about our products, but I got to meet a lot of the vendors that I deal with on a daily basis for the school,” said Jake.

Picture 1: Phil Wagner (SSL), Peter Gabriel, Chopper Black, Bryan Forrester, and André Fischer
Picture 2: Chopper Black and Al Schmitt

Studio Renovation=2 New SSL’s

McNally Smith College of Music has chosen a 48-channel Solid State Logic Duality console as the centerpiece for each of its two newly renovated studios.

“When our chair of Recording Technology, Bryan Forrester, decided to upgrade studios One and Two, the clear choice became the SSL Duality console,” explains André Fischer, Dean of Music Industries at McNally Smith College of Music and producer of artists such as Natalie Cole, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Tony Bennett, Gladys Knight and Frank Sinatra. “We needed both practical and functional equipment for the students, many of whom have extensive experience with digital audio software at school and on their home computers. The Duality consoles flawlessly bridge the gap between the all-computer experience of the students and the real-world professional environment in which they will work to create new music.”

With 560-plus students and more than 80 faculty members, McNally Smith College of Music is devoted to excellence in music-industry higher education and development of music industry professionals and entrepreneurs. An accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music, McNally Smith offers music degrees and programs in Recording Technology, Music Business, Performance and Composition. Studios One and Two are back to back and the Duality consoles offer two identical production environments, expanding the college’s scheduling and teaching opportunities.

“The Duality offers all kinds of great options for us,” explains Forrester. “For example, the use of the new ’split signal flow architecture,’ which enables any desired combination of analogue channel processing to be used in conjunction with a DAW record path, is very powerful. SSL installed the consoles and we were up and running right away. The endless features and ease of operation are amazing.”

Each input channel on Duality offers a SuperAnalogue mic preamp and a Variable Harmonic Drive input stage designed to add analogue character to workstation outputs. The harmonic drive control provides the engineer with a wide range of options from the warmth of 50’s tubes to the ‘edge’ of 70’s transistors.

“I am a big fan of SSL consoles because I have had great success using them on past projects,” comments Fischer. “Duality is perfect for McNally Smith’s unique teaching environment and we are thoroughly pleased. SSL always provides a versatile product that is always changing with the times.”

Solid State Logic
www.solidstatelogic.com