Michael Jordan is the king of basketball, Tiger Woods is the king of golf, Soundman Shorty is the king of club audio sound systems. World renowned for his massive club systems built for Club Stereo in Montreal and most recently Gspot in Shanghai, China and Lotus Sound Bar in Honolulu, Shorty makes the music sound good. BounceFM is proud to present Soundman Shorty in his own words, here’s some of what he had to say:
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE AS YOU CARRY OUT YOUR WORK?
Well a lot of challenges are in today’s cheap recording technology, you are really at the mercy at how this music is recorded and burned there is no standard or mastering anymore,
SO IF SOMEONE WANTED TO OPEN A CLUB SIMILAR TO CIELO IN NYC, APPROXIMATELY HOW MUCH SHOULD THEY BUDGET FOR THE SOUND SYSTEM?
Well this depends on what they are really trying to achieve. If they are looking for a very efficient system with the smallest cabinets and for it to work properly, it’s a very different approach to design the system for this kind of space with that in mind, because you have to have even consistent coverage that sounds good everywhere, and can be done for approx 30-40K. But if they want a system very hi end for a room of that size that not only has to cover the room properly, but has to be flawless and actually sound way above the expectations of the client, the patron and the DJ, so it can be well above 100K USD easily.
WHAT DO YOU BRING TO THE TABLE AS A SOUND ENGINEER?
Unique tried and true custom designs that do one thing, Sound amazing!
DESCRIBE THE CURRENT STATE OF THE NY CLUB SCENE?
. . . Everything today is just smaller and more loungey, there are no more super clubs being built in NYC that’s a thing of the past. Real estate is so hi, and insurance so expensive, and licensing is very difficult to get . . .
WHO OR WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY EXCITED ABOUT?
. . . We have hi-end Vacuum tube 5 way isolators that everyone is flipping for and is starting to ship now, we will have all kinds of other processors and Amplifiers coming out soon as well.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO UP AND COMING SOUND ENGINEERS?
Take the time to actually listen to what music sounds like, its not jus about a lot of bass.
HOW DO YOU STAY CURRENT ON NEW SOUND TECHNOLOGY AND TRENDS?
I don’t stay up with current trends because I believe I am a trend setter . . .
Here's the full interview:
Soundman Shorty
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR NICK NAME?
Working in a studio engineering and that’s the name they called me cause I was 5ft even and I’m still short so it stuck and its easy to remember and good for marketing so I kept the name.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING CLUB SOUND SYSTEMS?
Since the mid to late 80s.
WHY SHOULD PEOPLE HIRE SOUNDMAN SHORTY?
Cause I provide the best Product & sounding sound system for every budget.
IS THERE REALLY A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANALOG AND DIGITAL?
Yes there is a major difference between the two technologies
WHICH DO YOU PREFER AND WHY?
I prefer a proper Analog sound system and technology over any digital technology hands down. The reason why I prefer Analog over digital is: Analog sounds realistic and natural and is non fatiguing to my ear. It just sounds realistic to me, real easy on my ears. Analog has an emotional sound and makes music have life, it breaths & touches you, where Digital is lifeless, sterile & edgy. It does not sound right to my ear and is non-emotional, the proper Analog system is very emotional and digital hasn’t fulfilled its promises.
WHATS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE MADE WITH CLUB SOUND SYSTEMS TODAY?
Usually I see rooms laid out wrong, not the proper cabinets and drivers in most applications I have come across in recent years, and way over powered and limited to death.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE WORK OF A SOUND ENGINEER FOR THOSE THAT DON’T KNOW?
Well I can only speak for SBS – www.systemsbyshorty.com when it comes to my systems, I look at a room and measure it out & then design it to be the best system for that clients budget, then once they decide on what I have proposed to do, I build the sound system.
But in a lot of cases alot of my clients contact me and want esoteric, money no object sound systems, because of my past experiences building some hi quality, money no object, award winning and nominated sound systems. So it goes above and beyond the basic system design in this case, alot of custom designed and hand made cabinets, electronics and amplifiers come into play with my hi-end systems. So I tend to design really hi-end custom sound systems for most of my clients because they`re always different to anything available today, and a lot of club owners like that kind of unique exclusivity in the design because they have a system no other club has. But I do specialize in custom systems in every budget.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE AS YOU CARRY OUT YOUR WORK?
Well a lot of challenges are in today’s cheap recording technology, you are really at the mercy at how this music is recorded and burned there is no standard or mastering anymore, so this can really have a down side to the playback system. So I have to design my systems to counter act these issues and this is where a lot of my custom products comes in to help this situation. Will it take a really bad recording and make it sound like a properly mastered and recorded 12 inch , no, but with my products it will sound better for my clients application then the competitions product
WALK US THROUGH THE PROCESS OF SETTING UP A SOUND SYSTEM, IF YOU WERE TO CRYSTALLIZE THE PROCESS INTO 10 OR 15 STEPS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
Too many steps to jus mention, but a lot of math goes into my systems design phase, I cant jus narrow it down to a few things, but a lot goes into box calculations and everything I use in the racks to make a SBS system sound proper.
RUMOUR HAS IT YOU BUILD ALL YOUR OWN CABINETS – EXPLAIN
Yes, I build all my cabinets by hand, so I get the best product to my client in every budget. But I design all my cabinets from scratch to get the best results, then load them with the best components available, budget dependent of course for each job. So once I design the cabinets I need to figure out how many sheets of birch I need to order, and build the system around my design for that particular room. It is very labor intensive, I don’t just go to a room look at it and order everything from company ABC, I build everything for the venues with my cabinets because you get the best results PERIOD!
SO IF SOMEONE WANTED TO OPEN A CLUB SIMILAR TO CIELO IN NYC, APPROXIMATELY HOW MUCH SHOULD THEY BUDGET FOR THE SOUND SYSTEM?
Well this depends on what they are really trying to achieve. If they are looking for a very efficient system with the smallest cabinets and for it to work properly, it’s a very different approach to design the system for this kind of space with that in mind, because you have to have even consistent coverage that sounds good everywhere, and can be done for approx 30-40K. But if they want a system very hi end for a room of that size that not only has to cover the room properly, but has to be flawless and actually sound way above the expectations of the client, the patron and the DJ, so it can be well above 100K USD easily.
WHATS THE APPROXIMATE TIME FRAME FROM WHEN A CLIENT APPROACHES YOU, TO WHEN THE SOUND SYSTEM IS DONE?
It depends on how large the system is and where it is going. If it’s here stateside and its a large system 6-8 weeks to build + shipping and a few days to install it.
WHAT BRINGS YOU THE MOST SATISFACTION IN YOUR WORK?
Watching the crowd the DJ and especially my client smile and be very excited about their new SBS System.
HOW DOES YOUR APPROACH DIFFER IN DOING SOUND FOR A BAR VS. A LOUNGE VS. A CLUB?
Well with a small bar / lounge it needs to be designed for constant coverage & hi quality audio with good power behind it so it can play above the ambient noise floor, it doesn’t have to shake the building like in a club design and you usually have no space to work with for sound, so you are very limited. In a lot of aspects, so it is completely different to a club.
BY WHAT METRICS DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS?
Success is so many things, as long as I see people happy with my product I’m successful, some may measure it in $`s but I measure it on consistency and having a great product out there that uplifts my clients venue and that is success.
CAN YOU GIVE PEOPLE A RUN DOWN OF THE COUNTRIES, CITIES AND CLUBS IN WHICH YOU’VE PUT IN YOUR PRODUCTS & SOUND SYSTEMS? Shanghai, China - Gspot,
Honolulu, Hawaii - Lotus Sound Bar,
NY,NY - SBNY/ Splash Bar,
NY, NY - Movida,
NY,NY - Intuition NYC,
Staten Island, NY - SBS Custom Home System,
Asbury, Park New Jersey - Shep Pettibone / Club Paradise,
Acapulco, Mexico - Palladium Nightclub,
Jesilo, Italy - Illmuretto,
Montreal, Canada - Stereo,
Toronto, Canada - Sonic,
DEF MIX/David Morales . . . Jus to name a few
TO DATE, WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST SOUND SYSTEM SUCCESS?
Stereo - Montreal,
Lotus Sound Bar - Honolulu, Hawaii
Gspot - Shanghai, China
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST SOUND SYSTEM?
I did a add on system in Long Island NY, was good not great but the client was happy and its still running to this day and didn’t break.
WHAT DO YOU BRING TO THE TABLE AS A SOUND ENGINEER?
Unique tried and true custom designs that do one thing, Sound amazing!
DESCRIBE THE CURRENT STATE OF THE NY CLUB SCENE?
It’s very different from the NYC club scene I was around and grew up on, its still thriving but in many different ways than back in the day. Everything today is just smaller and more loungy, there are no more super clubs being built in NYC that’s a thing of the past. Real estate is so hi, and insurance so expensive, and licensing is very difficult to get, to open a room that holds a lot of people, unless you have real deep pockets and have a real serious plan to make it work. But the music is good and there are a lot of great DJ’s playing with a lot of different variety being offered in the venues then in the last 10 years.
WHO OR WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY EXCITED ABOUT?
SBS ELECTRONICS , THRIVE AUDIO, and my new SBS system designs. Thrive Audio is a new company I started with 2 brilliant people and I am designing products with them and for them as well. We have hi-end Vacuum tube 5 way isolators that everyone is flipping for and is starting to ship now, we will have all kinds of other processors and Amplifiers coming out soon as well.
So I been working on this company with these 2 brilliant people for the last 4 years and its all becoming available as we speak. Lotus Sound Bar in Honolulu is a SBS & Thrive Audio Showroom. Lotus has our entire line of Handmade Amplifiers and Processors, Namely Our 5 Way Vacuum Tube Isolator. All the DJ’s seem to love the way that room sounds and it has gained quite a reputation for a quality playing experience for DJs & seems to be thee new destination for guys to play that room because of the sound system. A lot of Djs from Tokyo fly there just to play that room. Dimitri from Paris played that room a few months ago, Kevin Hedge, Kenny Bobien last month, and Louie Vega with Anane just performed at Lotus in early June, jus to name a few.
SBS Electronics, This is my new processor line sold with all SBS sound systems My 1st product is a 3 way Xover called the SBS S3X that sounds unbelievable, its amazing how this unit brings out the inner details of a recording. So I’m very excited about these products and where my company is going & the Thrive Audio Product Line.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO UP AND COMING SOUND ENGINEERS?
Take the time to actually listen to what music sounds like, its not jus about a lot of bass. And do research to learn audio read a lot.
HOW DO YOU STAY CURRENT ON NEW SOUND TECHNOLOGY AND TRENDS?
I don’t stay up with current trends because I believe I am a trend setter, and create my own technology & design my own gear & cabinets for my sound systems. I have gone against the grain with audio using my own theories and designs and it has been successful for me. So I don’t follow what the industry is pushing because I don’t believe in the new technology they push on us.
The only thing I have to stay up on is what the latest technology is the DJ’s are using to play back their audio on, some are computer and a lot are CD and even some, not many, still incorporate vinyl. I have to be aware of this so I can know how to implement it in my system so I can design gear to take that product there using and improve it with Thrive Audio
TELL US ABOUT THE SOUND SYSTEM IN YOUR HOUSE. The system in my home is a mixture of vintage speakers and new and prototype products.
Here is a gear list of what I`m using at home to test my products before I implement them in the field.
2 JBL 075 Super tweeters
2 JBL 077 fullrange Tweeters
2 JBL 2395 coustic Lens Horns
2 JBL 2440 comp Drivers
2 Altec Lansing VOTT A-7s 421 8LF loaded (original Never Reconed)
2 SBS Emeralds RLA 18016 RLA / Eminence Loaded
1 SBS ELECTRONICS S3X 3 way xover
1 BSS 966 Opal EQ
2 Bryston 10B xovers SBS Modified
1 Thrive Audio – Vacuum Tube Isolator Prototype
1 Thrive Audio - Bad Neighbor TM. Prototype
2 Trhive Audio - Alva tweeter amps – Proto type
1 Thrive Audio - Syla Mid amp Prototype
1 Thrive Audio – Reya Mid Bass Amp Prototype
1 Thrive Nyla – Subbass Amp Prototype
1 Urei 1620 Mixer
1 Technics 1500 reel to reel
3 Technics 1200 mk2 SBS / Rega tone arm modified
3 Grado Platinum Ref wood body Cartridges
1 California audio labs cd player
WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING IF YOU WERE NOT DOING SOUND?
Selling Home HiFi / Home Theatre
WHATS NEXT?
All kinds on new prototypes to implement in the field.
http://www.systemsbyshorty.com/
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