The S&V Interview

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The S&V Interview
Director John Badham Reflects on 40 Years of Saturday Night Fever
Mike Mettler  |  May 04, 2017  | 
“It’s just part of our audio culture,” believes Saturday Night Fever director John Badham, who supervised the 4K 1080p print restoration and English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD surround sound updates for the film's Director’s Cut, which was released by Paramount on Blu-ray on May 2 in celebration of the film’s imminent 40th anniversary. Badham, 77, called in from Southern California to discuss how to maintain a gritty look in 4K, matching song tempo to what was being filmed, and the song originally used during the infamous dance-contest rehearsal that had to be replaced at the literal last minute.
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The S&V Interview
Disney's Dave Bossert
Aimee Giron  |  Oct 28, 2005  |  First Published: Aug 28, 2005  | 
With such Disney credits as Pocahontas, The Lion King, and, most recently, the restoration of the classic film Bambi attached to his name, lead restoration animator Dave Bossert shares his experience in bringing back the spirit of the famed deer and why we still chase after that light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how old we get.
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The S&V Interview
Displace Offers a New Take on TV
Bob Ankosko  |  Dec 14, 2023  | 

15 Minutes with Balaji Krishnan, Displace Founder & CEO

Displace, the San Diego-based startup founded by serial entrepreneur Balaji Krishnan in 2022, has a bold vision for the future of TV. He envisions a world in which we are surrounded by a network of super smart TVs that integrate seamlessly into our daily lives. The kind of TV he has in mind was previewed almost a year ago at CES 2023 and is now close to being ready for prime time: It’s super lightweight, runs on batteries, and literally sticks to the wall with the ability to be easily moved from one spot to another. We reached out to Krishnan to get an update on where things stand with his remarkable TV. Here’s what we learned.

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The S&V Interview
Don Felder Welcomes Us to Hotel High-Resolution
Mike Mettler  |  Feb 11, 2015  | 
Don Felder has found his groove. The former lead guitarist of the Eagles is now flourishing as a solo artist, having found his sea legs on record with the broad reach of Road to Forever (INgrooves/Forever Road Music) — only his second solo album in 30-odd years, following 1983’s Airborne — and a quite muscular live set, which features Eagles favorites and deep cuts alike, ranging from “Life in the Fast Lane” to “Those Shoes,” all interspersed between powerful readings of solo favorites like “You Don’t Have Me” and “Heavy Metal.” Before heading out on his winter solo tour, Felder, 67, and I got together to discuss his thoughts on sound quality, the very mystique of California itself, and how he came to create the acoustic intro that turned the already indelible “Hotel California” into a revamped classic. Ah, such a lovely place.
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The S&V Interview
Dream Theater’s John Petrucci: Master of Time Signatures & Sonic Space
Mike Mettler  |  Jun 26, 2019  | 
Dream Theater guitarist/producer John Petrucci got on the line with us to discuss why the music on their fine new album Distance Over Time is so well-suited for surround sound, how new ideas spring from having a band work together in the same room, and why physical packaging remains critical to their success.
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The S&V Interview
Drummer’s Drummer Steve Gadd Is the Consummate Team Player
Mike Mettler  |  Apr 04, 2018  | 
Steve Gadd is the true drummer’s drummer who’s also quite well-respected by the audiophile community. We recently got on the line with the man who's backed the likes of Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Steely Dan, and Paul Simon to discuss the dynamics of the tasteful jazz that permeates the 11 master-class tracks on the recently released self-titled Steve Gadd Band.
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The S&V Interview
Electronic Music Pioneer Klaus Schulze Emerges Anew With Silhouettes
Mike Mettler  |  Nov 21, 2018  | 
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
Elliot Scheiner, Surround Sound Mixmaster
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 25, 2018  | 
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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Director's IntentThe S&V Interview
Elton John: Farewell Yellow Brick Road
Matt Hurwitz  |  Apr 20, 2023  | 
How do you close a 50+ year career in America, one which has brought music and magic to millions of fans, to celebrate with them? Well, if you’re Elton John, by returning to the city where it started—Los Angeles—and to one of the locations which symbolizes his incredible success, Dodger Stadium, where he famously played in 1975.
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The S&V Interview
Eric Schenkman Puts a New Spin on the Blues
Mike Mettler  |  Feb 13, 2019  | 
Guitar maestro Eric Schenkman (of Spin Doctors fame) called us from his homebase in Toronto to discuss the creative process behind his new blues-tastic solo album Who Shot John?, his inherent audiophile tendencies when it comes to vinyl playback, and where he currently fits in on the “totem pole” of visionary musicianship.
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The S&V Interview
Exclusive Video Interview: Steven Wilson
Mike Mettler  |  Nov 15, 2011  | 

“I’ve been thinking about doing this for a long time,” Steven Wilson told me backstage about an hour before his groundbreaking live quad show unfolded at the Performing Arts Center at Temple University in Philadelphia on Saturday, November 12.

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The S&V Interview
Film Editor Thelma Schoonmaker
Chris Chiarella  |  Oct 28, 2005  |  First Published: Nov 28, 2005  | 
Film editor Thelma Schoonmaker on movie quotes, fact versus fiction, and "Marty withdrawal."

Thelma Schoonmaker has been director Martin Scorsese's editor of choice ever since their shared career-defining turn on Raging Bull. With a collaboration spanning almost four decades, Schoonmaker recently won her second Academy Award and has been nominated for three others in the past. She took time off from her work on the upcoming crime drama The Departed to rewind with us.

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The S&V Interview
For the Love of Music
Lawrence B. Johnson  |  May 31, 2002  | 
Meridian's chief designer and chairman Bob Stuart speaks out on musical truth as the Holy Grail of audio.
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The S&V Interview
Former BoDeans Vocalist Sam Llanas Owns the Sound of the Night
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 28, 2015  | 
“I’ve always been a fan of records that tastefully use effects to enhance the listening experience,” says Sam Llanas, former vocalist/guitarist for roots-rock pioneers BoDeans, now ensconced in a full-time solo career. Llanas’ distinct vocal tone — which resides somewhere between gravel and grace — has touched the soul of indelible songs like “Closer to Free,” “Feed the Fire,” and “Rickshaw Riding,” and on The Whole Night Thru (Llanas Music), Llanas opens up his palette on deeply personal tracks like “Deja Vu” and “I’m Still Alive” to achieve an even more honest aural identity. “We did decide early on that we would like to make a record that would be engaging on headphones,” he reports. Here, Llanas, 53, and I discuss the importance of equipment choices and microphone placement, how to make a record that hits “hard and fast,” and his favorite BoDeans album. The man is very much still alive and kicking.
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The S&V Interview
Former Magnificent Moody Blues Mellotron Maven Mike Pinder
Mike Mettler  |  Feb 12, 2014  | 
“We would have done surround sound at the time if it had been available.” Original Moody Blues keyboardist Mike Pinder is discussing the always-enveloping signature orchestral sound of the band he was a part of for its first 15 years. Much of the Moodies’ core "Classic Seven" catalog has since seen a series of 5.1 releases in the interim, and Pinder’s innovative usage of the mellotron helped take many of those mixes (“Higher and Higher,” “Watching and Waiting,” “Legend of a Mind”) to the threshold of aural perfection.
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