Vance Powell Adopts Audiomovers AIRCASTER

Multi-GRAMMY® Award–winning producer, mixer and engineer Vance Powell has adopted Audiomovers’ AIRCASTER plugin to streamline how he references mixes across consumer playback systems, embracing a faster, real-time approach to checking how music translates beyond the studio.

The announcement was made during The NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, where Audiomovers highlighted Powell’s use of the macOS-based plugin at his Nashville studio, Sputnik Sound. Known for his work with artists including Chris Stapleton, Jack White, Phish and Elle King, Powell says referencing mixes across multiple listening environments is essential to his workflow.

AIRCASTER allows Powell to send a live mix directly from his DAW to any AirPlay-enabled speaker, removing the need for exporting files or transferring audio between devices. In his control room, Powell works across a traditional monitoring setup before checking mixes in more everyday listening scenarios.

"I'm mixing on ATCs – the bigs," he explained. "Small ProAcs are my mid and near fields. And then NS-10s, of course."

For Powell, consumer-style playback remains a critical reference point. "I use AIRCASTER to throw to one of my Sonos speakers, in glorious mono, over to the side, like it might be in your kitchen."

That ability to audition a mix instantly on real-world devices has become central to his decision-making process. "A TV speaker, or a boombox – anything someone would realistically listen on."

Before adopting AIRCASTER, Powell says the process was cumbersome and inefficient. "I'd have to put the mix into my iTunes library," Powell said. "Let it upload, using iTunes Match so it would show up on my phone. Because Sonos is tied to my AirPlay, I'd play it from the phone. It's a lot of steps. It’s semi-insecure – more insecure than secure."

Every mix revision required repeating that entire workflow. AIRCASTER replaces it by transmitting audio straight from the mix bus to the speaker in real time. "You don't have to print. You don't have to waste any time," Powell said. "It's simple."

Sputnik Sound also features multiple AirPlay-connected systems throughout the building, including televisions and a lounge sound system, allowing Powell and his team to audition mixes in different spaces instantly. "One of the televisions has stereo audio that goes to my lounge," Powell explained. "I can throw the mix up there and send people to listen on connected speakers in real time. Or use the Apple TV. Anything with AirPlay works – and AIRCASTER works really great with all of it."

Multiple instances of AIRCASTER can run at once, enabling different channel pairs to be sent to speakers across several rooms or locations simultaneously.
The plugin complements Audiomovers' LISTENTO, which Sputnik Sound already uses to share immersive mixes and binaural renders with remote clients. Together, the tools reduce friction in both local and remote review, helping accelerate creative decisions grounded in real-world listening.

audiomovers.com