Robin Walsh beats a tight deadline with Amphion
Published: MEA
SOUTH AFRICA: Veteran mixing engineer Robin Walsh relied on a setup of Amphion monitors recently when issued with the challenge of mixing 14 songs in just 20 hours. The initial request for Mr Walsh to mix 13 singles for the next episode of The Voice South Africa already created a tall task due to its Thursday morning deadline, with live band recordings not being available until the previous Wednesday afternoon. To add to that formidable undertaking, the mixing engineer was also asked to mix another track before the same deadline for The Voice Nigeria.
Mr Walsh’s setup comprised Amphion’s One18 monitor and BaseOne25 extension system, which were powered by the Amp500 stereo amplifier. ‘No other monitor that I have ever worked with would have helped me achieve such fast results,’ said Mr Walsh. ‘The confidence in having to make such fast decisions was a lifesaver. After 14 songs mixed and mastered in 20 hours I could have just carried on working. The combination of the One18’s, Amp500 and BaseOne25 was sublime.’
The mixing engineer, whose work has seen him twice nominated for The South African Music Awards (SAMA), stated that approximately 80 per cent of the mixing for this project was completed using only the Amphion units. ‘I uploaded the Nigerian mix at 4:30am and the rest of the 13 tracks by 8:00am,’ Mr Walsh noted. ‘The result: Not one comeback on any of the mixes.’
The project was reportedly deemed a success, with a couple of the tracks placing at the top of the iTunes South Africa charts, while the album reached the number three spot. ‘The record company, the musical director and the Voice people were ecstatic,’ concluded Mr Walsh.