Grammy winning producer Frank Filipetti on Audyssey
Frank Filipetti is one of the most respected names in the music business. As a producer, mixer and engineer he has been at the forefront of digital music and production for decades – working with artists such as Elton John, KISS, Billy Joel and Carly Simon. He won a Grammy for Best Engineered Album for James Taylor’s landmark “Hourglass,” which also won that year’s Best Pop Album. Filipetti continues to work in music and film production and remains a major proponent of the surround sound experience for engineers and consumers alike.
PART I
How did you discover Audyssey?
Totally by accident. A couple of years ago I bought a Denon 5308 receiver, which included a consumer version of Audyssey MultEQ. I’d always been skeptical of automatic digital equalization so I held off on setting it up. But when I did try it I was amazed.
Did that prompt you to check out the Audyssey Sound Equalizer Pro?
Yes. I said to myself, ‘This is very interesting, I wonder if they have a version for professionals?’ So I called Audyssey and eventually got on the line with Chris who told me about the Sound Equalizer Pro. One thing led to another and he ended up coming up to New York and setting up the system for me.
Where did you install the Sound Equalizer Pro?
Chris and I set it up at my control room at Right Track Recording – a room I’ve had for 25 years; it’s been my main mixing and recording room for as far back as I can remember. I had always been happy and comfortable with the room, but it had a slight bump at 60 Hz, dipped at 90 Hz, and bumped again at 120 Hz. I had also been happy with the JBL 6300 monitors since those allow you to tune the low end. So, I had a room and a system that, except for a few small problems, were still excellent for my needs.
We set up the Sound Equalizer Pro and, lo and behold, as good as I thought my room sounded, this suddenly made everything sound so much tighter, cleaner and more focused.
How did the Equalizer improve the sound?
First I noticed the smoothness at the bottom end. Then I heard how spectacular the stereo imaging became. The phantom center was so much more precise. By equalizing both speakers the center imaging was spot on and so, too, the detail and stereo width: the speakers seemed wider and more focused at the same time. You could pinpoint things in the mix. It was quite a dramatic improvement in a room that was already professionally tuned and calibrated. Everyone noticed. Several days later I worked my first session using the Equalizer. I was recording David Sanborn and everyone, David included, was knocked out by the increased fidelity and clarity they heard.
Has the Equalizer changed the way you listen in the studio?
Yes. I typically don’t use big monitors in the studio. But I was so blown away by how good my small monitors sounded, I decided to go to the bigger ones, especially because there’s an option to use eight speakers in the setup. I was able to run both large and near field monitors in stereo through the Audyssey box at the same time. It was a room tuned for hip-hop clientele, and I didn’t like using the big speakers very much, but suddenly the system sounded musical and amazing even on those big monitors.
I setup a 5.1 system with the JBL monitors. The imaging in 5.1 was just frightening. Phantom images were incredibly precise because the speakers are calibrated to sound the same. The comb filtering you usually experience with multiple speakers was simply not an issue; every sound had a really stable place. Overall, I was just incredibly impressed.
What music did you use to test the system?
I test all my rooms and equipment with three tracks: First, the opening track on James Taylor’s “Hourglass” called “Line ‘Em Up.” It has an even frequency response, the bass is really tight and present, and I’m so familiar with James’ voice, I know when it’s right and when it isn’t. The track gives me a real perspective on how everything from sub to low mids to upper mids to air is doing. It’s my main reference track.
Once I’ve done my main tuning with that track, I go to a track off a Korn record I mixed in 2003 called “Another Brick in the Wall.” It’s very powerful with a tremendous amount of energy below 200 Hz.
Then I play the overture and intro to “Wicked.” It’s very orchestral and operatic. I generally listen to those three types of music to give me a broad perspective on how things sound: hi-fi, heavy metal and orchestral.
How did these tracks sound when the Equalizer was on?
Everything just sounded better. If something was punchy it got more punchy; powerful more powerful; high fidelity even higher fidelity.
For instance, listening to James with and without Audyssey was an ‘aha’ moment –an epiphany of sorts. In a room I was very used to and very happy with, I suddenly found an amazing, new degree of detail after only a fifteen-minute setup. It was frightening and exciting: I felt for the first time really comfortable thinking that maybe I could mix outside of the studio with a product like the Audyssey Sound Equalizer Pro.
Did you ever try that?
In fact two months later I was asked to mix an album at Martha’s Vineyard. Carly Simon wanted to mix her new album at her home because she didn’t want to travel to New York City in the summer. So I said, knowing that I had the Audyssey Equalizer with me, ‘I’ve never mixed outside of the studio before, but let’s see what happens.’
I cleared out her guest apartment, put out my system and, eureka, because of the Equalizer I could achieve the sound I needed without any additional floor or wall treatment. The sound was so good we were able to mix nearly the entire album at her home.
After my experience with Carly, I set up a system in my home with the Audyssey Equalizer. Now, I’m doing most of my mixing from home. I’ve recently mixed Billy Joel, Survivor, Dolly Parton and I’m working on a new project for Sony, which I’m completing here. It’s given me incredible freedom and people have been so happy with the results.
I knew things were right when my mastering engineers, Bob Ludwig and Ted Jensen, couldn’t tell the difference between the tracks I mixed at home from those mixed in the studio. That’s when I knew there was a new paradigm in place: we can now effectively operate from a home environment.
How have others colleagues reacted?
They’re a bit skeptical about products that seem to do equalization automatically. But I’ve become evangelical about Audyssey: I tell everybody in the business about this amazing box. The simple fact is it has literally changed the way I operate.
Tune in next month when Frank talks about the format wars, surround sound’s uncertain future, the democratization of the recording industry and the new music that moves him.
