The heart of the audio post experience at Producers’ Choice studios in downtown Toronto is found in the relationship between the engineers and their Studer Dyaxis II digital audio system with MultiDesk. The soul of the place is in its unusual, but welcoming, ambiance and ergonomics.

Founded last winter by 50-50 partners Steve Hurej (president/ engineer) and Marc Siversky (vice-president/executive producer), Producers’ Choice offers sound design for music and sound effects, voice casting and direction, talent bookings and payments, in-studio phone patch, duplication and distribution. It’s running strong with one busy studio in full swing and plans in place for a second to start up by fall. Jobs range from tv and radio ads, through corporate audio, and animation and series work.

Hurej brings two decades as a recording engineer to the equation while Siversky adds 15 years as a broadcast producer. Barbara Wenham is on board as studio manager.

Hurej says Producers’ Choice combines what he sees as the considerable advantages of editing on the Dyaxis II with prices 20% to 30% lower ‘than anybody else in town’ to create an attractive package. He says his shop can offer lower rates because it is not saddled with writing off the purchase or lease costs of analog equipment. He also says the layout of the facility avoids that office building feeling where corridors and boxy spaces reign. At Producers’ Choice, he says, the feel is much closer to that of the Starship Enterprise with curved walls, and alcoves here and there to allow people to work outside of the studio. From one such alcove, as well as from the boardroom, clients can monitor the mixing and editing in-studio and can pass along instructions via the intercom.

In studio, Hurej says producers, other agency and client personnel have been impressed with the Dyaxis II. The first thing he did with the package of boards and boxes which comprise the Dyaxis II MultiDesk was to move them around so they fit to his working style rather than vice versa. He put the edit controller off to the right so producers can get ‘hands-on’ in the edit. On the left, the digital mixer ‘writes the mix onscreen’ as he moves the faders and listens to the effect. All edits and control moves can be stored in the computer for easy recall.

Hurej says the design advantage of the Dyaxis II is that ‘it’s expandable. Instead of buying additional hard drives, you just buy new cards that go into the existing hard drive….The power of the Dyaxis is it gives me six-and-a-half hours of recording time in the system.’

Which brings us to the MultiDesk, described by manufacturer Studer Revox as ‘an assignable control surface designed to dramatically improve speed, accuracy and ease of use.’ Hurej says his clients have been ‘blown away’ by the options the machine offers. He gives an example of a recent commercial for Paramount Canada’s Wonderland for which he had to layer in 128 elements of sound effects in stereo. The effects were going into a 60-second spot which was going to be mixed and matched with 25 different versions of announcer voiceover. Piece of cake, says Hurej. In the analog world, he reckons he would have needed two 48-track machines, minimum. After the spots were done, the client asked to add the sound of fireworks for versions to run around Canada Day. Hurej restored the original sound information and added the fireworks without any trouble – and during the entire process, he’d only occupied six tracks on the computer.

‘The most positive side to the Dyaxis is how much it can store,’ says Hurej. ‘I have yet to come to the point where it had to be downloaded (during a single day’s editing).’

Dyaxis II’s MultiDesk specifications for mixing include touch-sensitive faders, ability to automate eq, pan, trim, sends and returns through assignable controls.

For the controller, features include an edit panel, fade presets, rehearse/locate controls, jog wheel and integrated track ball and dedicated keys to control external machines.