DALY CITY, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Avid Technology) - Digidesign, a part of Avid Technology, Inc, is pleased to report that recordings in which Digidesign Pro Tools systems had been used were honored with numerous nominations and awards at the 2008 Grammy Awards, which celebrated its golden anniversary last Sunday with a star-studded cast of nominees, winners, and performers. As in previous years, Pro Tools was used prominently in the recordings of both winners and nominees across a diverse set of categories and genres, from rock, hip hop, and country to soundtrack, comedy, and surround sound recordings.
It was an especially big night for Best New Artist winner Amy Winehouse. Pro Tools was used in the production of her breakout album Back to Black, for which producer Mark Ronson was awarded the Grammy for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. Winehouse ended the night with a host of Grammys, including Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album.
Not only was Pro Tools used heavily in the production of Back to Black, it was also used in the recording and production process for numerous other Grammy-winning releases from a variety of artists, including Vince Gill, Foo Fighters, and Album of the Year winner Herbie Hancock. Other winning songs and albums recorded with Pro Tools spanned a broad range of categories, including Best Hard Rock Performance (the Foo Fighters' 'The Pretender'), Best R&B Album (Chaka Khan's Funk This), Best Country Album (Vince Gill's These Days), Best Latin Pop Album (El Tren De Los Momentos by Alejandro Sanz), Best Folk Album (Levon Helm's Dirt Farmer), Best Reggae Album (Stephen Marley's Mind Control), and Best Surround Sound Album (The Beatles' Love).
Gil Norton, who produced the Foo Fighter's Grammy-winning album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, which also spawned the Grammy-winning single, 'The Pretender,' was quick to point out the powerful contributions of Pro Tools to his process. 'I think for any producer using Pro Tools, or any kid who picks it up, it's important to use it to its fullest extent,' he reported. 'But you have to honor the human element of what happens when someone plays music too. There's a whole world inside Pro Tools that you can use to enhance what you do.'
'It was a great night for artists who use Pro Tools - their recordings took home major wins in almost every category across the board,' said Dave Lebolt, Avid vice president and general manager of Digidesign. 'Pro Tools|HD's versatility in helping to produce stellar recordings across every musical and artistic genre is reflected in the wide range of awards in nearly every conceivable category. Our heartfelt congratulations to our many loyal customers among the winners and nominees alike.'
For the Grammy Awards telecast, Pro Tools along with Digidesign ICON integrated consoles also played critical roles in the HDTV and 5.1 surround sound broadcast from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
From their XM/Effanel mobile production trailer, the Grammy telecast audio engineers incorporated dual Digidesign 32-fader ICON D-Control systems to deliver simultaneous real-time 5.1 surround and 2-channel audio mixes for every live performance and presentation during the telecast. The unique dual system configuration allowed sound engineers to successfully create high-quality custom mixes for all on-air performances.
Hank Neuberger, co-broadcast audio supervisor, commented on the positive impact Digidesign ICON systems make to the telecast: 'In the past three years we've come to rely heavily on the power and flexibility of the dual ICON systems. Thanks to the tremendous workflow advantages made possible by these systems, we're literally able to capture more pre-mix time for our music mixers to create the very best balances. This allows performers and their producers more [collaboration time] with our music mixers to create a better sounding show overall. In the end, the results speak for themselves.'
