Music is Elemental
Truism or cliche, that expression acknowledges the emotional impact of music.
And many of us who look for melody, harmony (and something that we can listen
to at ear-friendly volume), sometimes lament the apparent
loss of
music in today's broader culture. We feel isolated
among the deluge of vacuous assembly-line pop-rock,
or grated by grade-school rhymes set to soul-less metronomes and delivered with pouty belligerence.
Even "classical" music is impacted to some degree, with some performance entities unable to
take the repertory risks needed to give us new delights in musical experience.
This often is a cost issue, but self-published recordings can sometimes offset those
costs.
Real and innovative music is still out there (you might be a creator/performer of this music),
but it can be a little difficult to find. Getting the complete experience means that
we (as patrons) often have to go to
it, but we can't always do this.
That's where MARS comes in. We're here to capture those
perfect musical moments, and do so in a compelling way, and then in turn help you
bring your music to those who can appreciate it. For some projects this means
an analytical "sound photograph," for others this means additional aural "stage lighting and makeup."
We start with some of the finest microphones and
electronics available today, then guide those signals through a meticulous production process, all the
while maintaining a full-on awareness of your art. We preserve the clarity; your listeners
delight in the performance. They are moved by the power of your art.
And we can help you do this at an affordable price
for the recording portion of the process.
NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS
We've joined the "dark side" -- and now offer Protools for digital mixing
"in-the-box." We'll never do location tracking in Protools, but for
mixing it's not so bad. We'd heard some recent Protools digital mixes that sounded
reasonable -- way more so than in the past. That fact, and client demands alongside
an ever increasingly complex production schedule, have prompted this addition.
For those who have been requesting this, you've been heard (no pun). For those who
want nothing to do with it, the analog chain is alive and well. We will
eventually offer a combination of the two: automation and editing in
Protools with the analog console used as a summation system.
MARS has been busy! We're mixing the new Kirtan album from Benjy and Heather
Wertheimer, Gina Sala, and Napalese flute player Manose. It's a good-sized
project; might need to be released as a two-CD set.
We've captured wonderful performances by Bravo! Vancouver, including Handel's
Messiah and their recent Rhythm & Blues & Brahms concert. Nice space, nice acoustic,
and great people to work with (thanks, folks!).
Our favorite singer/songwriter Brian Granse is back in Portland. Excerpts from three
of the songs on the "American Nobody" CD (mixed by MARS) have been used in the PBS
series "Road Trip Nation"
(hard to find on OPB in Portland). The album has been well received. We're now
working on a live album to show off Brian's amazing talents as a "live looper". Stay
tuned.
We just finished our eighth recording of the Bach Cantata Choir. They keep going
strong, well on their way to performing all the Bach Cantatas over the next 20
years. Just hope we're spry
enough to load in the gear in the year 2028 for the last concert. (Who knows what
form that gear will take.)
Several other smaller projects are also in production. We're gratified that more and
more people have heard the sound we can achieve and the service level offered, and
are seeking us out. Thank you!
Fighting Spam
Recent, huge increases in spam volumes throughout the internet have caused a
number of problems. Side effects
of popular countermeasures include legitimate email not getting out of your facility
to some addresses, or our email not getting back to you.
While a small percentage of legitimate email
is affected in this manner, since the beginning of 2003 we are seeing more of these
problems.
If you can't reach us, or if expected email from us is overdue,
please feel free to call or fax. You won't be bothering us.
By the way, you'll never see spam from us! We only do only occasional mailings
to make announcements or follow up on previous contact you might have had
with us. We never share our customer information with
others.
