Jeff Rona: Surrounded by Sound
Jeff Rona: Surrounded by Sound
In-demand Hollywood composer relies on M-Audio monitors and controllers to craft diverse scores
In-demand Hollywood composer relies on M-Audio monitors and controllers to craft diverse scores
Award-winning artist/musician/film composer Jeff Rona has found success in nearly every corner of the music and recording industry. Prior to becoming a renowned film composer, Rona was instrumental in developing the MIDI spec, and he is a contributor to Keyboard magazine. With a list of credits that include contributions to Black Hawk Down, Traffic, Exit Wounds, The Mothman Prophesies, Thin Red Line, Brotherhood, Profiler, Homicide and many more, Rona’s unique ability to combine classic instrumentation with cutting-edge sound design and electronic music elements has made him one of the most in-demand composers in Hollywood. And you’ll find M-Audio technology at the heart of his personal studio. From the Studiophile BX8a monitors to the Trigger Finger and the FireWire 1814, Rona uses M-Audio hardware and software at every step of the creative process.
In your main studio, describe what M-Audio gear you’re currently using and why.
On the MIDI front, I’ve got a Keystation 88es, which is an unweighted 88-key controller. I really love the touch on it. Since I‘m not a trained pianist, it’s the perfect keyboard for me. I also have a pair of Trigger Fingers that are great for tapping in various rhythm parts.
Because virtually all of my work is in film and TV, I’m always monitoring in surround. So for monitors, I’ve been using five of the BX8a monitor speakers with the BX10s subwoofer, and that’s it. The whole setup is just incredible. With theater surround systems, the mixing engineers are really very picky about how much overlap you have between the speakers and the overall spread of the sound. The monitor setup from M-Audio that I’m using has proven to be really accurate and balanced. I tried a ton of monitors including some really expensive ones, and I kept getting calls from people telling me that my work sounded muddy. When I switched to the BX8a’s, I started getting phone calls from the dub stage telling me that my stuff sounds terrific. That’s all I needed to hear.
A lot of film composers spend a fair amount of time recording on location. What kind of tools do you use when on the road?
I often need to be out of the studio recording anything from guitars and drums to singers and small ensembles. In those situations, I use my laptop with the FireWire 1814 and the Octane, and track straight into Pro Tools M-Powered. This enables me to be really efficient on the road and achieve very high quality recordings.
We recently recorded a Japanese drumming ensemble here in an L.A. concert hall, and the Octane proved indispensable. We were able to use eight discrete mics set up all over the space—close, far, up on the ceiling—and we got a fantastic sound. We then brought it back into my studio for editing and final mix, but first chopped it up a bit in Ableton Live. By having a number of discrete mics and channels instead of just stereo, the material was a natural fit for multi-channel formats, and it’s amazing that it’s possible to accomplish that with such a portable setup.
In your main studio, describe what M-Audio gear you’re currently using and why.
On the MIDI front, I’ve got a Keystation 88es, which is an unweighted 88-key controller. I really love the touch on it. Since I‘m not a trained pianist, it’s the perfect keyboard for me. I also have a pair of Trigger Fingers that are great for tapping in various rhythm parts.
Because virtually all of my work is in film and TV, I’m always monitoring in surround. So for monitors, I’ve been using five of the BX8a monitor speakers with the BX10s subwoofer, and that’s it. The whole setup is just incredible. With theater surround systems, the mixing engineers are really very picky about how much overlap you have between the speakers and the overall spread of the sound. The monitor setup from M-Audio that I’m using has proven to be really accurate and balanced. I tried a ton of monitors including some really expensive ones, and I kept getting calls from people telling me that my work sounded muddy. When I switched to the BX8a’s, I started getting phone calls from the dub stage telling me that my stuff sounds terrific. That’s all I needed to hear.
A lot of film composers spend a fair amount of time recording on location. What kind of tools do you use when on the road?
I often need to be out of the studio recording anything from guitars and drums to singers and small ensembles. In those situations, I use my laptop with the FireWire 1814 and the Octane, and track straight into Pro Tools M-Powered. This enables me to be really efficient on the road and achieve very high quality recordings.
We recently recorded a Japanese drumming ensemble here in an L.A. concert hall, and the Octane proved indispensable. We were able to use eight discrete mics set up all over the space—close, far, up on the ceiling—and we got a fantastic sound. We then brought it back into my studio for editing and final mix, but first chopped it up a bit in Ableton Live. By having a number of discrete mics and channels instead of just stereo, the material was a natural fit for multi-channel formats, and it’s amazing that it’s possible to accomplish that with such a portable setup.
