3:3:2: STUDIO EXTENDS A LEGEND WITH MIXING AND MASTERING FOR
“CHUCHO VALDES: LIVE AT THE COLON THEATRE”
Elite Buenos Aires Studio Hones Breathtaking Live Solo Piano Performance by Internationally Acclaimed Jazz Great at Esteemed Venue
BUENOS AIRES: When one of the all-time greats of jazz piano performs solo in one of the world’s top venues, that’s a recording worth getting exactly right. The immaculate music of Chucho Valdes Live at the Colon Theatre was mixed and mastered at 3:3:2 Studio (www.332studio.com), Buenos Aires’ world-class audio facility.
One of Cuba’s most beloved pianist/bandleader/composer/arrangers, Valdes selected the 3:3:2 Studio team of Pablo Lopez Ruiz (Chief Engineer) and Diego Calviño (Junior Engineer) to ensure that every moment of his noteworthy evening would come shining through the speakers. First, the deep experience of Lopez Ruiz was called on to record Valdes – both with his band and solo — at the Opera Theatre (Teatro Opera) and Colon Theatre (Teatro Colón) respectively. Next, he was assigned along with Calviňo to handle the mix and master his solo piano songs, the one set from the series specified for widespread release.
“Chucho Valdes is a great artist: You don’t get many chances to work with such a fine musician and player, seated behind a magnificent Steinway piano, at a venue as world-renowned as the Colon Theatre!” Calviňo points out. “3:3:2 Studio was the obvious choice for the mixing and mastering sessions. Pablo is our Chief Engineer, and since he was in charge of the recording process, it was natural for everybody to work here.”
The extremely accurate acoustics and monitoring systems of 3:3:2 Studio, designed by the prestigious Walters-Storyk Design Group, has established it among South America’s premiere mixing and mastering facilities since opening in 2006.
“When you have a great artist and player, with an excellent instrument performing in a perfect theatre (acoustically speaking), there’s plenty to enjoy about the project,” says Calviňo. “Pablo has lots of experience recording acoustic pianos, and it’s also one of his favorite instruments to record. Since it was a live recording, and obviously there was no second take, it was a challenge for Pablo to get the sound he wanted 100% right.”
3:3:2 Studio is outfitted with one recording room and two control rooms, providing South America, and the entire international production community (via FTP), an elite mixing and mastering environment for stereo and 5.1 Surround. In addition to being one of the few Latin American studios to offer DSD-DXD technology, 3:3:2 is also proficient in CD, DVD-V, DVD-A, SACD, Blu-Ray, and theatrical soundtrack formats.
As a result, Lopez Ruiz and Calviňo were more than ready to handle the subtle demands of a masterful solo piano performance, where songs such as “Blue Monk” and “Esta Tarde Vi Llover – My Foolish Heart” constantly astound the ears with Valdes’ incredible agility and artistic passion. “We needed little outboard gear during the mixing process,” Calviňo reports. “We were able to offer pure and clear audio, and this is exactly what Chucho’s production team was looking for. They also felt comfortable with our control room acoustics, and enjoyed listening to the record during the mixing sessions. Some Manley Massive Passive and GML EQ’s were used in that phase, as well as TC Electronic System 6000 reverbs.
“For the mastering session, we used transparent converters, sweet-sounding EQ’s, and no compression. The primary tools were the TC Electronic System 6000 again, as well as Digital Domain’s DD-2 Ambient Enhancement Processor. The record ended up sounding very natural.”
The critical response to Chucho Valdes Live at the Colon Theatre has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic, but for the 3:3:2 Studio duo of Pablo Lopez Ruiz and Diego Calviño, the ultimate compliment came from their iconic client. “After the mastering was complete, Chucho told Pablo that for the first time in his career, he felt that a record reflected his personal sound,” Calviňo concludes. “What he hears on this CD is what he hears and feels while playing!”
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ABOUT 3:3:2 STUDIO:
Co-founded in 2006 by Diego Calviňo and Pablo Lopez Ruiz, 3:3:2 Studio is a world-class recording, mixing, and mastering facility in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Designed by the Walters-Storyk Design Group, the studio is equipped to work in stereo and 5.1 Surround. 3:3:2 Studio is one of the few Latin American studios to offer DSD-DXD technology, and is also highly experienced in CD, DVD-V, DVD-A, SACD, Blu-Ray, and theatrical soundtrack formats. The studio’s credits include Leo Sujatovich’s award winning score for the movie “La Antena”, Chucho Valdes, Sebastian Schon, Los Nocheros, Emanuel Ortega, Strings section mixing of Fito Paez’s film “De quien es el Portaligas?”, Mariano Otero, Liliana Herrero, La Mosca featuring Don Omar, Jorge Lopez Ruiz’s “El Grito” 30th anniversary remastering, to name just a few.
In addition to South American artists, 3:3:2 Studio routinely works with mixing and mastering projects from all over the world via FTP.
For more information, please visit www.332studio.com.
Written by David Weiss from SonicScoop, NYC.