METHODS TO MONITORING MADNESS: ENGINEER/PRODUCER TONY SHEPPERD USES NEW YAMAHA MSP10 SPEAKERS

BUENA PARK, CA (December 8, 2000)—At age 38, studio owner Tony Shepperd is already a veteran of the recording industry, having engineered and produced projects for such marquee acts as Whitney Houston, Elton John, Boyz II Men, Barbra Streisand and others. This past year, the in-demand engineer/producer decided that it was time to set up shop in his Van Nuys, California home when he found himself spending 18 hours at a time away from his wife and four children. Months of planning and design came to fruition when, in June 2000, Tonysound Studios was officially up and running. The foundation for Tonysound is Shepperd's 20 x 20 ft. garage, complete with floating floors, walls and ceiling.

With a studio in his Van Nuys, CA home, engineer/producer Tony Shepperd can take an album project from concept to completion.

Shepperd has been hard at work in the fresh facility with acts from his own record label RUACH (which means, "to breathe the creative breath of God"), soundtrack and scoring for the hit television show Popular, and most recently completed overdubs and mixes with pop group Backstreet Boys for their latest release.

"My goal for this studio is to have a versatile room that puts out high quality product," Shepperd says, "and to be able to take an album from pre-production through mastering making a quality product." The basic setup of Tonysound finds a D8B mixer, Macintosh G3 333 computer, Pro Tools MixPlus with two 888s, a variety of plug-ins, an Otari RADAR system with a UFC 24 universal format converter, and Logic Audio software.

Shepperd's studio monitoring is achieved in a rather unique way. He frequently uses a pair of Yamaha MSP10 powered monitors. "My [Yamaha] NS10s and Bryston amp make the room very accurate," Shepperd continues. "The NS10s are my main reference point. I use the MSP10s for bottom-end monitoring and even bring them with me to other studios, like The Enterprise and Sonora. Yamaha has consistently been making excellent monitors for years so I know I can bank on them."

Tonysound Studios, featuring Yamaha MSP10 monitors.

Shepperd shared his discovery of the Yamaha MSP10s with Donnie Markowitz of Donald J. Music, who he collaborated with on Popular. " I remember telling him after listening to the MSP10s, 'you've gotta' get these.' And he did. It takes two minutes to hook them up."

Shepperd says that when he switches to the MSP10s, he positions them atop the D8B in place of the NS10s, approximately three to four feet from his seat at the board. "With the depth of the room being 13 x 19 ft., the MSP10s give a full, round sound with good imaging." He notes that the monitors' internal power offers a consistency that comes in handy when doing sessions at commercial facilities. "Powered monitors offer fast setup for on-the-go work," Shepperd reports. "I don't have to wonder what I've got in terms of power. I bring them with me so I know what the sound is going to be." Shepperd also explains how he monitors using both sets of Yamaha speakers. "I get up a mix on the NS10s and then polish it with the MSP10s," he says. "When I have both sets up, I toggle between them. I also check the bottom end and then toggle to check for accuracy."

While Tonysound Studios has yet to celebrate its first birthday, Shepperd has already set his sights on future upgrades. "I'd like to go surround 5.1," he says, "then, I'd get five MSP10s."

 

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