Broadcast News

Bookmark and Share
07/02/2013

Sound Devices Equips Watson Wu Studios

News Image
Specializing in providing professional audio content for film, television, commercials and video games, Watson Wu Studios has come to rely on Sound Devices portable mixers, recorders and interface gear for field recording, voice-over and music recording session projects.
Composer/Sound Designer/Field Recordist Watson Wu has worked on several projects that utilize Sound Devices gear.
Most recently, his company completed a project for Korean video game Metro Conflict by Red Duck, which is slated to be released next year. Sound Devices 788T, 552, 442, 744T and MixPre-D were all used on location in order to capture several firearms recordings.
Watson Wu Studios also recently completed work on the AAA video game Assassin's Creed 3, where Wu was contracted to find, arrange and record the sounds of full-scale cannons being deployed. With an abundance of microphones placed strategically around the cannons and in the background, Wu and his team captured more than 24 channels of audio using various Sound Devices 744T and 722 Recorders, 302 Mixers and a 702 Recorder.
“Many years ago, I had the opportunity to listen to various unedited firearms recordings from colleagues who used Sound Devices recorders," says Wu. "I was extremely impressed with how the microphone brands sounded so different from each other. Before that, most of the guns sounded like popcorn, and this was true from one brand of microphone to the other. My experiences and observations in the field prompted me to rent, and then eventually buy, my first Sound Devices field recorder, the 702. Now I’m using several Sound Devices products regularly, including the 442 Mixers, the USBPre 2 Audio Interface and the 788T-SSD Recorder."
During the production for Dodge’s Guts, Glory, Ram TV commercials, Wu relied on his Sound Devices 442 Mixer to maintain control of beefy truck sounds. Wu has also worked on projects for the NBA, NHL and Lexus, where he composed and recorded music utilizing various microphones connected to the Sound Devices USBPre 2 Audio Interface.
“Sound Devices has always been the most reliable recording gear I’ve used," adds Wu. "Since I often carry my entire rig on location, the lightness and thinness of Sound Devices gear is essential. Most of my recordings are done in super hot weather. Rarely do I encounter freezing temperatures, but the few cold-weather sessions I have been in have proven the reliability of the Sound Devices systems. Sound Devices also records true high-resolution sample rates, which is important, since most of my clients need 96 kHz and sometimes up to 192 kHz. There are other brands to choose from, but I really need the features and the robustness provided by Sound Devices."
During a few projects, Wu worked particularly long days at outdoor sessions, where the temperature rapidly rose by 30 degrees. "At the peak of the super hot day, the non-Sound Devices brands started to fail," he recalls. "They either stopped responding or we had to keep adjusting the uncontrollable recording gains. During all of this, the Sound Devices gear we had just kept going without any problems."
For current undisclosed projects, Wu is using his Sound Devices 442 Mixers, along with a 552 Production Mixer, to go in front of his 778T-SSD Recorder, as well as a 702 Recorder. This setup is being used to record full automatic weapons and exotic vehicles.
Wu incorporates Sound Devices gear into his portable setup for vehicle engine recordings by rigging DPA, Rode and other lavalier mics inside the engine compartment. He then routes the mic cables to 442 Mixers and sometimes a rented 552 Production Mixer. In addition, he also places various Sennheiser, Rode and Shure dynamic mics onto the body of the vehicle to capture exhaust sounds. The Sound Devices mixers’ incredibly fast responding limiters allow the recorders to capture these controlled extreme sounds. For external pass-by shots, Wu either uses Sennheiser MKH-418s or Neumann RSM-191s stereo shotgun mics connected to a Sound Devices 702 recorder.
"What I really like about all Sound Devices recorders is that I can use both external as well as the attached Sony L rechargeable batteries," concludes Wu.
www.sounddevices.com
Solidmate Ltd Memory Card Hire London

Top Related Stories
Click here for the latest broadcast news stories.

22/05/2014
Sound Mixer Relies On Sound Devices' Digital Recorder For Audio Production
Veteran Sound Mixer Danny Michael, whose recent portfolio includes the high-profile feature films The Secret Life of Walter Mitty with Ben Stiller, Jo
17/09/2012
Sound Devices Mixer Cast For Game of Thrones
An Emmy-nominated Production Sound Mixer Ronan Hill, currently on set for the third season of HBO's Game of Thrones, has tapped digital audio recorder
17/08/2015
Sound Devices 664 and CL-6 Assist Sound Mixer Sharon Frye
Field Mixer Sharon Frye spends the bulk of her time working on such reality television projects as MTV's The Real World and, most recently, Oxygen's B
24/08/2012
The Sound Of Game Of Thrones
Emmy-nominated production sound mixer Ronan Hill is on set in Belfast for the third season of Game Of Thrones, HBO's fantasy epic adapted from the nov
03/06/2014
Sound Devices Launches Video Devices
Sound Devices has launched Video Devices, a new brand and identity for its line of video products. The company introduced its first video product, the
22/04/2015
Mark LeBlanc Selects Sound Devices For Filming Needs
As a Production Sound Mixer and the owner of Louisiana Film Sound, Mark LeBlanc's credits include the 2013 Oscar-nominated Beasts of the Southern Wild
03/10/2012
Industry Veteran Brings More Than 20 Years of Experience To Sound Devices
Sound Devices, developer of audio and video products for field production, has announced Pat McConnell as sales manager. In his new position, Pat will
22/10/2014
Sound Devices Launch Firmware 2.10 For Rack-Mounted Recorders
Sound Devices introduce Firmware 2.10 - the latest software update for its 970 audio rack-mounted and PIX 250i, PIX 260i and PIX 270i video rack-mount
23/09/2009
Series Recorder Takes First Place At 'Truth In 24'
Sound Devices digital recorders recently 'rode shotgun' for Truth in 24, an NFL Films production created on behalf of car manufacturer, Audi, which is
03/10/2023
EditShare And DXM Install Large Network Of EFS Storage Devices At Pixcom
EditShare® and Canadian Channel Partner, DXM, have installed a large network of EFS storage devices at Pixcom, a leading Canadian production company.
15/05/2014
Sound Devices Announces New Appointments
Sound Devices, supplier of audio and video products for production, has announced the appointment of Paul Isaacs to VP of Marketing and Product Design
07/07/2016
Companies Partner To Release Integrated Workflow
Sound Devices, Timecode Systems and PureBlend have teamed up to release firmware and software upgrades that aim to make sharing timecode and metadata
17/07/2012
Sound Devices Keeps Its Cool in One of the World's Harshest Environments, The Cave of Crystals
When Nine Network Australia Sound Recordist Charles "Chick" Davey was given the almost impossible task of recording audio in the extreme environment o
24/06/2015
Sound Devices' New 688 Brought To Variety Series
Not long after Sound Devices introduced its groundbreaking new 688 mixer/recorder, veteran sound engineer Daniel S. McCoy, CAS, became one of the firs
24/03/2014
Sound Devices To Showcase 260i Production Video Recorder At NAB
Sound Devices is showcasing the latest functionality of its PIX 260i Production Video Recorders at the 2014 NAB Show (Booth C2546). The PIX 260i seaml