![\"\"](\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/CakewalkPics-044-300x224.jpg\" "\\"Ron")
When it comes to SONAR, many of us often just think of recording and creating music for one medium, but there are many people out there using it in other ways.\u00a0 Pristine Productions is a company based out of Philadelphia that has been using SONAR for many years to record Major Label artists; only not in the traditional sense…<\/p>\n
Week-in and week-out, Ron Cote and his crew are found working with some of the biggest names in the business such as Shinedown, Disturbed, Stone Sour, Staind, Avenged Sevenfold and most recently, the undeniable Adrenaline Mob who are currently making a huge mark in the rock world.\u00a0 When I say \u201cworking with\u201d I am talking about a platform beyond recorded music that extends into the depths of capturing the whole \u201cconcert experience\u201d on video.\u00a0 Ron is hired by Major Labels and directly by bands to go into the trenches and capture those moments that give us all goose-bumps; those moments where a guitar solo just sounds way better than it did on the studio version of the song; or those moments where the lead singer delivered an inspirational melody he\/she should have put on the studio record.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/CakewalkPics-003-300x225.jpg\" "\\"Pristine")
What a dream-job right?\u00a0 Well if you ask Ron, his answer is yes and no.\u00a0 YES, because it is an absolute thrill to be working with all these bands in this capacity \u2013 NO, because the pressure and details that go along with these productions are enough to make your life-years turn into dog-years.\u00a0 If you really think about it, every night that Ron has a production his reputation is riding on the fact that he can satisfy the demands of a manager, a label (usually,) and a top-notch band that most likely has a few colorful personalities to it.\u00a0 And, in this \u201cwhat-have-you-done-for-me-lately\u201d day-in-age that we live in, it would only take one catastrophe for major clients to start looking in other directions for their video needs; but Ron is not worried about all that, he and his crew have their process down like clockwork.<\/p>\n
According to Ron, Pristine production\u2019s recipe for success is layered into a few factors involving both human and technical elements.\u00a0 The human element involves Ron\u2019s ability to identify what his clients are looking for; and then in an organized fashion, pulling it all together for execution.\u00a0 The technical element involves what Ron claims to be his anchor, which is SONAR X1c.\u00a0 \u201cIf I didn\u2019t have the stability of SONAR X1c I would be dead in the water,\u201d Ron told us.\u00a0 \u201cI have never had an audio issue recording any of these shows and that is huge for me.\u00a0 The pressure is ridiculous sometimes, and knowing that my audio is going to work and sound amazing is one thing less that I have to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/CakewalkPics-007-300x225.jpg\" "\\"Pristine")
On a typical show, Ron and his crew prepare for days ahead on coordinating all the logistics.\u00a0 They are talking to the label to find out what they are looking for; they are talking to the management and the band to find out what their vision is, and then everything lands somewhere in the middle in terms of the final product where everyone is happy with the outcome.\u00a0 After loading in all the gear, Ron’s microphones\u00a0are strategically placed\u00a0(in addition to\u00a0the front-of-house mics that are already there)\u00a0around the artist and crowd, and\u00a0they all\u00a0feed directly into Ron\u2019s SONAR rig.\u00a0 Usually somewhere around 50 inputs are fed to the laptop, but Pristine has the capability of much larger setups if needed.\u00a0\u00a0 After everything is setup, a sound-check ensues for the video shoot after the front-of-house sound-check takes place.\u00a0 All the levels are set and all the lines are triple checked to make sure\u00a0every single cable is\u00a0working properly.\u00a0 \u201cIt pretty much never fails when the band starts in that I end up bringing down the overall gain of each channel from where it was at sound check,\u201d Ron\u00a0states with a bit of a smirk.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s like the adrenaline kicks in immediately so I really have to be on my game especially for the first few songs.\u00a0 Unlike a front-of-house mix, these audio tracks coming in are keepers that will be listened to over and over again, and sometimes the band even starts the show with the song they really want to capture, so there\u2019s very little wiggle room for error right from the starting gun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once everything is captured onto the solid state drives, the audio is then brought into Ron\u2019s studio in Philadelphia where he begins the normal tasks of cleaning and mixing the tracks.\u00a0 Unlike mixing for radio, Ron has to keep in mind that he is mixing a live show which yields a bit of a different approach.\u00a0 Unlike squashing everything with a lot of compression, Ron likes to keep his mixes a bit more open to give it an authentic type sound.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t do any sound replacing but instead relies on SONAR\u2019s sound engine along with his preamps to deliver him great sounding tracks.\u00a0 \u201cX1(c) has been a great jump for us from SONAR 8.5.\u00a0 In my world I have to weigh time-efficiency into the project as a whole because we have multiple projects going at the same time in different stages.\u00a0 \u00a0SONAR X1 has saved me a ton of time with features such as the Effects Chains.\u00a0 Now that I have organized a lot of my favorite Effects Chains, I can just drag-and-drop them into the tracks without having to go through multiple menus, multiple times.\u00a0 This came in huge for me recently mixing the Adrenaline Mob as I was on a deadline\u00a0and had to have the song delivered in 2 days; there\u2019s no way I would have made it without the new tools in SONAR X1 (c).\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n ***\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ***\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ***\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ***\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ***\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ***\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ***\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ***\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ***\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ***<\/p>\n CW-AR:\u00a0 Can you give me a quick but specific run-down of the process when a band hires Pristine Productions to shoot video?<\/em><\/p>\n RC:\u00a0 Most of our business is word of mouth and repeat customers.\u00a0 Many of the bands\/artists\/record labels have used us 5, 6, 7 times in the past\u2026 we guess they really love our work if they keep coming back\u2026\u00a0 The preproduction process starts with us obtaining a stage plot and input list from the bands Tour Manager or Production Manager.\u00a0 The scope and costs of each production is dependent upon this information.\u00a0 Many of the bands we work with are hard-rock groups.\u00a0 All of their input lists consist of 30-60 separate \u201ctracks.\u201d\u00a0 We have designed custom base Track Templates in Sonar X1(c) that we use for these shows. \u00a0The last show with Adrenaline Mob (<\/span>www.adrenalinemob.com<\/span><\/a>) had 38 inputs just for the band.\u00a0 We also always use 4-6 extra live microphones for the audience to capture the room\u2019s ambience.\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n The video part of these productions adds another whole level of complexit RC:\u00a0 I think my favorite so far is the Liquid Tension Experiment Anniversary shows we produced.\u00a0 Those guys are all monster musicians as well as awesome-genuine, down to earth people.\u00a0 Adrenaline Mob, the current project we have been focusing on the past two months, is another one of my favorite projects.\u00a0 While these are all stellar musicians in their own right, when they come together and play live it\u2019s like something I haven\u2019t seen in the past 10-15 years.\u00a0 The amount of energy and vibe they give off during their live performances gives you goose bumps.\u00a0 It really comes across in the live video we produced for them during their debut show at the Hiro Ballroom in NYC on June 24th<\/sup> of this year<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n CW-AR:\u00a0 How does everything sync up when you are running 12 different camera angles?<\/em><\/p>\n RC:\u00a0 It\u2019s not too-too bad once you get started.\u00a0 I usually pick a specific audio spot in the footage and mark that in each of the camera\u2019s footage.\u00a0\u00a0 Then they USUALLY all drop in place.\u00a0 The video editing takes us at least twice as long as the audio mixing\/mastering.\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n CW-AR:\u00a0 What are some specific features in X1 that are getting you to another level opposed to SONAR 8.5?<\/em><\/p>\n RC:\u00a0 The new Smart Tools and Edit Filters make my editing-mixing work so much quicker.\u00a0 Going back to that Adrenaline Mob show on June 24th<\/sup>\u2026 the show was on a Friday night.\u00a0 I was able to use Sonar X1 to get the one song completely edited and mixed using these new tools in Sonar X1 in one day!\u00a0 The second day was devoted entirely to the video of the song.\u00a0 I was able to edit all 12 cameras together in a separate program and then bring the footage back into Sonar X1 to use the \u201cAudio for Video\u201d tools.\u00a0 Using the Audio for Video option in X1 allowed me to tighten up the mix to the video and even master the audio.\u00a0 I never would have been able to get this done as quickly in SONAR 8.5 like I can now in SONAR X1.\u00a0 The band and their management were blow away by the turnaround time and the sound quality.\u00a0 Even their fans were commenting on how quickly and how awesome the audio came out!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n CW-AR:\u00a0 Why do you choose SONAR over other DAWs for your line of work?<\/em><\/p>\n RC:\u00a0 In the past we have tried other DAW\u2019s.\u00a0 They were ok\u2026 just ok.\u00a0 Cakewalk has always cared about their users.\u00a0 It shows in the products they deliver.\u00a0 They really listen to their customers and stand behind their products with updates and cutting edge features.\u00a0 The 64BIT audio engine in Sonar has always sounded much richer and been so much more stable than anything else I have ever used.\u00a0 The stability and reliability of SONAR has always been one of the main reasons I stick with Cakewalk.\u00a0 We do MANY high-profile productions every year.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t dare trust another DAW in these live situations.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t seen or heard of any other DAW that can record over 40 live inputs for three plus hours straight\u2026 without a hic-up! That is what Cakewalk and Sonar has done for us year after year!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n CW-AR:\u00a0 Is there a different head-space as a mix engineer for \u201clive music\u201d opposed to recording for a studio demo?<\/em><\/p>\n RC:\u00a0 I think it is more about the vibe and the energy of the mix when producing \u201clive music.\u201d\u00a0 The band and their fans want their stage presence to come through the speakers.\u00a0 If you can keep that in mind while still making it sound \u201cPristine\u201d (Pun Intended\u2026 \u00a0LOL)\u2026 that is always my goal.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n CW-AR:\u00a0 In terms of the actual tracking, what are a few of the key elements to capturing the sound going into SONAR?<\/em><\/p>\n RC: Always try to plan enough head room during sound check.\u00a0 The bands never really play or sing as hard during sound checks.\u00a0 For drums, I ALWAYS like to mic the top and bottom of the snares, as well as two microphones in the kick drums. \u00a0Mic up the Ride cymbals and ALWAYS use two over heads.\u00a0 \u00a0Many bands on the road don\u2019t use these extra microphones when playing out live but it makes a big difference in the final recording.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n CW-AR:\u00a0 What separates Pristine Productions from other video companies competing in the space?<\/em><\/p>\n RC:\u00a0 I think our attention to every little detail; our actual production experience and the final products we deliver really separate us.\u00a0 As I said earlier, everyone that works for us is a musician with years of playing experience.\u00a0 We learn the music before the shows so we can anticipate how to capture the energy of the performance.\u00a0 Over the years I have learned from some of the world\u2019s greatest and most respected musicians on how to approach this business.\u00a0 There were some growing pains over the years, but these experiences have made us one of the most reputable\u00a0and reliable production companies out there.\u00a0 All of our clients love how we can adapt to any setting\/venue and still make them shine!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n CW-AR:\u00a0 Living in the craziness of this rock n roll scene, you must have seen some \u201ccrazy\u201d stuff yourself from capturing all these concerts; anything come to mind [that you can offer up]?<\/em><\/p>\n OMG.. there are so many! (Laugh)\u00a0 The behind the scenes stories are the best!\u00a0 One story that comes to mind happened during an actual performance.\u00a0 I can\u2019t remember if it was in Vegas or Tennessee but I was set up with my DAW over by the monitor-world.\u00a0 This venue had this huge ceiling, like 200 feet high or something like that.\u00a0 They had all these different levels and balconies.\u00a0 About \u00be of the way through the show, some cables and ropes in front of me started moving and shaking.\u00a0 The monitor engineer and I look up and there is this drunken guy who just jumped from the one high balcony to one of the ropes!\u00a0 He tried to climb down the rope to get on the stage; but he lost his grip and slid all the way down the rope at top-speed.\u00a0 I\u2019m telling you he slid like 30 feet down this rope and SLAMMM; right on to the stage!\u00a0 He actually got up and limped over to the guitar player when security tackled him!\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n So as you can see, there are many ingredients that go into the secret successful recipe of Pristine Productions.\u00a0 They are obviously doing things right and the proof is lies in the fact that they continue to get hired back over and over again by high-profile repeat customers.\u00a0 We at Cakewalk are proud to have products working at the core of Pristine Productions and we wish Ron and his crew all the continued success they deserve.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s fair to say that Cakewalk and Pristine Productions both share a similar synergy when it comes to detail, dedication and work ethic.<\/p>\n More Information:<\/strong><\/p>\n SONAR X1 Pristine Productions<\/a><\/p>\n Behind the scenes video interview with Ron Cote<\/a><\/p>\n Adrenaline Mob<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Mike-Portnoy-134x300.jpg\" "\\"Mike")
“I have worked w Ron now with 7 different bands (Adrenaline Mob, Avenged Sevenfold, Neal Morse, Liquid Tension Experiment,\u00a0Yellow Matter Custard, Amazing Journey and Hail) and he has always been a pleasure to deal with.\u00a0He is one of the most thorough and detailed engineers I have ever worked with and that is very important.”\u00a0\u00a0 ~MIKE PORTNOY<\/em><\/p>\n
\ny.\u00a0 Most of the bands require at least a 6 camera shoot to make the video come off half decent.\u00a0 Over the past couple of years, this has been a limitation due to the economy and the state of the Music Industry.\u00a0 It seems to have changed a little this year though.\u00a0 The last couple of projects we have done so far this year have had as many as 12 cameras.\u00a0 All of the guys that work for me are musicians\u2026\u00a0 we\u2019ve all played in bands together over the years and that really helps us be on the same page on the day of a show.\u00a0 We can all kind of read off of each other and really get things done in pressure situations.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/CakewalkPics-050-300x224.jpg\" "\\"Adrenaline")
CW-AR:\u00a0 You have worked with a lot of top-notch rock acts, what were some of your favorite projects?<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/a><\/p>\n