The S&V Interview

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The S&V Interview
Scott Kirkland Reboots The Crystal Method
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 12, 2018  |  0 comments
Scott Kirkland of The Crystal Method got on the line with us to discuss getting back to his core electronic music values on The Trip Home after parting ways with his longtime collaborative partner Ken Jordan, his thoughts about remixing new and catalog material in Dolby Atmos, and refocusing his goals following brain surgery.
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The S&V Interview
Ted Nugent: The Music Made Me Do It
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 07, 2018  |  5 comments
The Motor City Madman himself, Ted Nugent, got on the line with us to discuss the sonic impetus for his new album The Music Made Me Do It, the never-ending importance of capturing the right guitar tone, and the connection we all have with where and how music itself ultimately originated.
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The S&V Interview
Jean-Michel Jarre Dives Deep Into Equinoxe Infinity
Mike Mettler  |  Nov 28, 2018  |  0 comments
We got on the line with electronic music maestro Jean-Michel Jarre to discuss his adventurous new album Equinoxe Infinity, his far-reaching “multi-mono” surround sound goals, how to best harness the way music moves through space, and how he fielded a “spatial” performance suggestion from noted sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke.
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The S&V Interview
Electronic Music Pioneer Klaus Schulze Emerges Anew With Silhouettes
Mike Mettler  |  Nov 21, 2018  |  0 comments
We check in with Berlin-born electronic-music maestro Klaus Schulze about his excellent new ambient album Silhouettes, his view of surround sound, how the many significant socio-political changes in Germany over the past 60-plus years have affected his creativity, and what future generations might make of his endlessly fascinating “picture music.”
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The S&V Interview
Steven Wilson Dissects His Latest 'Home Invasion'
Mike Mettler  |  Nov 07, 2018  |  1 comments
Photo by Hajo Mueller.

We called Steven Wilson, the once and future king of surround sound, to discuss the differences between mixing live quad for a performance venue and then mixing the same show for his Home Invasion: In Concert at the Royal Albert Hall Blu-ray, the importance of creating dynamics and tension release, and how to keep an audience engaged for 3 uninterrupted hours.

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The S&V Interview
Is There Sound on Mars?
Mike Mettler  |  Oct 24, 2018  |  0 comments
The concept of whether sound exists and actually could flourish in space — or not — was very much on my mind as I sat down with the creative and scientific teams behind National Geographic’s groundbreaking series MARS, which returns for a second season on the National Geographic Channel (a.k.a. Nat Geo) on November 12. I asked nine members of the MARS creative team about the aural choices they had to make about scoring the show, the science of sound in space, and whether they’d sign up for a mission to Mars themselves.
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The S&V Interview
JD Souther on the Legend of Longbranch/Pennywhistle
Mike Mettler  |  Oct 10, 2018  |  0 comments
This is the ballad of Longbranch/Pennywhistle, the legendary 1969 collaboration between late Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey and his longstanding songwriting compadre, JD Souther. We got on the line with Souther to discuss the reissue’s sonic-restoration process, whether he thinks Longbranch/Pennywhistle pioneered the country rock movement, the origins of a truly unique band name, and the singular legacy of Glenn Frey.
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The S&V Interview
Tommy Shaw on Mixing Styx’s ‘The Mission’ in 5.1
Mike Mettler  |  Sep 26, 2018  |  0 comments
Some long-gestating sonic missions are simply worth the wait. Case in point: Styx’s June 2017 studio concept album The Mission (Alpha Dog 2T/UMe), which recently entered into the 5.1 stratosphere via the 24-bit/96kHz surround sound mix found on the just-released two-disc CD + Blu-ray Edition of the album. As good and enveloping as The Mission sounds in stereo, it sounds even better in its hi-res 5.1 mix — and that’s due in no small part to the creative synergy between the record’s three chief sonic architects: Styx guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw, producer/guitarist/vocalist Will Evankovich (Shaw-Blades, The Guess Who), and producer/engineer Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Wilco, Dixie Chicks). I spoke with Shaw and Evankovich to delve into the making of the surround sound mix of The Mission.
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The S&V Interview
Robbie Robertson on the 50th Anniversary of The Band’s Music From Big Pink
Mike Mettler  |  Sep 12, 2018  |  1 comments
Photo: Elliot Landy (1968)

Released 50 years ago this past July 1, The Band's Music From Big Pink immediately set the world of popular music on its collective ear, and it's now being celebrated in a super-deluxe box set that includes a 24/96 5.1 mix of the album on Blu-ray. We get on the line with Band mastermind Robbie Robertson to discuss the secret to the overall intimacy of the Big Pink recording itself, the key elements that make the 5.1 versions of “The Weight” and “Chest Fever” instant benchmark reference tracks, and what Band album he’d be interested in having remixed in 5.1 next.

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The S&V Interview
Lennie James, Morgan Jones on The Walking Dead
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 22, 2018  |  0 comments
The peak-era TV juggernaut known as The Walking Dead continues to roll-roll-roll along on its bloody and unbowed path, and it remains one of the best-shot, best-designed, best-looking, and best-sounding shows being broadcast today. That said, TWD is actually best enjoyed on hi-res disc, and its ever-galvanizing eighth season was just released by Lionsgate on Blu-ray and DVD. Lennie James, who plays the struggling pacifist Morgan Jones, discusses why his character endures, why he feels the show’s soundscapes are underrated, and how two other cult-favorite characters he’s portrayed over the years might fare if they met Morgan on the road in the zombie apocalypse.
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The S&V Interview
Tom Bailey, Synth-Pop Songcrafter
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 08, 2018  |  0 comments
Photo by James Cumpsty

Tom Bailey, the chief architect of the super-successful ’80s synth-pop masters Thompson Twins (“Hold Me Now,” “Love on Your Side”) is back with a cosmically named solo album, Science Fiction. We called him during a tour stop in Houston to discuss the sonic structure of the album, how he once built his own P.A. speakers, and reconnecting with listening to music on vinyl.

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The S&V Interview
Elliot Scheiner, Surround Sound Mixmaster
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 25, 2018  |  0 comments
Legendary producer/engineer Elliot Scheiner at LA's iconic Capitol Studios.

“I make these records, so I know what the artists want to hear,” notes legendary producer/engineer Elliot Scheiner (a.k.a. ELS) while perched behind the main mixing board in Capitol Records Studio A in Los Angeles. I sat down exclusively in the control room with Scheiner and the members of acclaimed indie/folk-rockers Dawes to discuss their mutual and individual goals for surround sound recording and mixing, and how well it all comes across in the ELS Studio 3D premium audio system in the 2019 Acura RDX.

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The S&V Interview
Steve Cropper, Soul Man of the Stax Sound
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 11, 2018  |  1 comments
Steve Cropper is the king of the song intro and one of the chief architects of the legendary Stax Records sound. To get the scoop on his recorded history, I called the once and forever Booker T. & The MG’s guitarist/producer to discuss the process of going from mono to stereo in the studio, the true origin of Sam Moore’s indelible “Play it, Steve!” exclamation on “Soul Man,” and the compositional sizzle behind the Booker T. instrumental masterpiece, “Green Onions.”
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The S&V InterviewAudio Video News
Qobuz: Coming to America
Bob Ankosko  |  Jun 21, 2018  |  10 comments
15 Minutes with David Solomon

Move over Tidal. Qobuz (pronounced “ko-buzz”) is coming to the States this fall, armed with a 2-million-track arsenal of hi-res music and a web portal that makes Tidal’s slick homepage seem confined. We checked in with AV industry veteran David Solomon, newly appointed Chief High-Res Evangelist for Qobuz, to learn more about the music service and its unusual name.

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The S&V Interview
Bluesmaster Buddy Guy Is 'Alive and Well'
Mike Mettler  |  Jun 20, 2018  |  1 comments
There are legends, and then there’s Buddy Guy. The Chicago-based octogenarian blues guitarist originally from Lettsworth, Louisiana just keeps going and going. And if his new album, The Blues Is Alive and Well (Silvertone/RCA) is any indication, the Guy train won’t be making its final stop anytime soon.
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