Producer Brings His DAD to Orchestra Session

Los Angeles, CA (September 10, 2024)—Producer Christian Amonson specified his favorite converters when he oversaw a new recording of a John Williams theme in honor of the NASA Chandra X-Ray Observatory‘s 25th anniversary.

Amonson, explaining his preference for Digital Audio Denmark’s converters, says, “The ensembles, artists, and halls I work with usually have an established system or history of recording before I get there, and they are still looking to me to deliver a sound that they haven’t heard before. The pressure is on, but with DAD, I know the conversion will be optimal, so I can focus on blend and balance, mic placements, and so on, knowing that every channel is the ‘good channel’. Same with the preamps.”

Digital Audio Denmark AX Center Thunder|Core Audio Interface Launched

The recording of “Across the Stars (Love Theme from Star Wars: Episode II)” was conducted by Raphaela Lacerda with the Hollywood Studio Symphony, accompanied by projections from Chandra on 12-foot screens.

The Chandra X-Ray Observatory is a NASA mission centered on the Chandra X-Ray satellite telescope, one of two remaining “Great Observatories” (Chandra and Hubble). It allows NASA to detect cosmic X-rays that cannot reach the surface of the earth.

“I wanted to continue pushing forward with the Chandra project,” Amonson continues, “especially since the first two pieces from Star Trek and Star Wars are so well known. I suggested adding the AX32 and recording at 192 kHz to over 100 channels. Integrating it into the DAW was the simplest part. The DAD unit is well-equipped with numerous types of connections: DigiLink, MADI, AES, Dante. And after resetting the patchbay and rerouting various D-subs, we had 64 new inputs at 192 kHz to their system.”

He adds, “Preamp-wise, I had 32 channels of outboard preamps: 24 channels in the room, all the mains, Atmos and room mics, plus the eight horns, which then fed the DAD. Winds, harp and piano used the DAD preamps up to channel 56 with the number of preamps I have installed. Channels 57 through 105 used the regular house preamps and A/D. I’m thrilled that we paved some new territory with the AX32 in such an historic studio, and I’m already brainstorming about more ways to expand and integrate for the next session there.”

Amonson is a score mixer and orchestral producer based in Los Angeles and teaches in the Screen Scoring and Music Technology departments at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. His recording philosophy is based on perspective—perceived distance and direction—as the primary cue that our brains need to create a natural blend and balance, and has advocated for new ways to record, including naming and popularizing the OCCO array and pioneering and developing the Twin Tree, used on this recording for the first time ever.