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Media Contact: Robert Clyne
Clyne Media, Inc.
Robert@clynemedia.com
Tel: (615) 662-1616
Fax: (615) 662-1636FOR IMMEDIEATE RELEASE
MICHAEL W. SMITH USES ENDLESS ANALOG’S REVOLUTIONARY CLASP® SYSTEM ON SESSIONS FOR NEW ALBUM
— Legendary artist dusts off his tape machine, and with CLASP®, brings analog warmth and tone into his digital workstation —
— Award-winning producer/engineer Bryan Lenox works closely with Smith to achieve the very best tone —
NASHVILLE, TN, May 11, 2010 — Over the course of his career, legendary contemporary Christian recording artist Michael W. Smith has sold more than 13 million albums and has been the recipient of 40 Dove Awards and three GRAMMY®s, in addition to countless other accolades and achievements. Smith has a reputation for being particularly tuned-in to the details and textures of his records, leaving no stone unturned sonically. Working on material for his next album, Smith was introduced to the revolutionary CLASP® (Closed Loop Analog Signal Processor) system, the critically acclaimed product that finally brings the worlds of analog and digital audio together. CLASP was developed, manufactured, and is exclusively distributed by Nashville-based Endless Analog, and Smith has become an ardent fan of the system. GRAMMY-winning producer/engineer Bryan Lenox has also been floored by the system, and together Smith and Lenox are integrating CLASP into the way they track and mix, aiming to make Smith’s next album a landmark album sonically.
“If there’s a downside to the digital revolution, it’s that we lost the warmness of what tape did. It makes a huge difference on some of the old records,” notes Smith. “But CLASP bridges both worlds, getting that big warmness of tape and being able to operate that in Pro Tools or another DAW. You have the brightness and fatness of two-inch tape, which you can run at 30, 15 or 7.5 ips – and the streamlined workflow of digital. I’m in the middle of making a new record, and we are using this piece of technology, and it’s pretty much blowing my mind. I’m so glad I didn’t sell my tape machine 20 years ago – it’s back in my studio and operating along with the CLASP, and it’s rocking.”
Smith notes that the CLASP has been particularly successful for him as he tracks vocals. He adds, “Every time we use CLASP, I am impressed, because it brings out the right sounds and colors. I’ve got a love song on the new record for my incredible wife called ‘Forever Yours,’ and obviously I’m recording all the vocals with CLASP. The tone is wonderfully warm, and it perfectly complements the song’s melody and lyrics in a special way. The vocal is so present that there’s no denying what you’re hearing, because you feel like you can almost touch it, it’s that present.”
Producer/engineer Bryan Lennox is similarly vocal in his admiration for CLASP: “When we set up CLASP and first demoed it, it made a massive difference – a difference that I hadn’t heard in probably over ten years. I came back to the mix room to review the tracks, and it was definitely a groundbreaking, ‘ooh-ah’ experience. To me it’s like we’re actually making music again. It’s not a mathematical, calculated sound, either – the tone really has a life of its own. It’s opened up some doors for us too. We tried recording bass with just the tape’s natural EQ and compression – no other comp or EQ effects – and it was outstanding. Also, there’s zero latency for the vocal, which has really opened up Michael’s ears in a new way as a singer. I want to tell the entire world that CLASP is the bomb. It’s been huge to have CLASP in our life, and I never, ever want to go back to strictly digital. It could definitely revolutionize the history of music and the history of recording for our kids and their kids. It’s much more than musical.”
For more information, please visit www.endlessanalog.com and www.michaelwsmith.com, and look for Smith’s new album to debut in the coming months.
About CLASP
For more information, please visit http://www.endlessanalog.com.
CLASP is a hardware and software system that integrates Analog Tape Recorders with Digital Audio Workstations using a proprietary method called SST® (sample synchronization technology). CLASP delivers a true analog front end recording solution with the sonic character of the user’s tape machine. No other product comes close to approximating what CLASP effectively accomplishes. CLASP is employed by a diverse range of artists, engineers, producers and facilities, including Lenny Kravitz (at his new Bahamas-based Gregory Town Sound recording facility); Michael W. Smith; producers Nathan Chapman, Dave Cobb, Chuck Ainlay, John Fields and Tom “T-Bone” Edmunds; and studio facilities such as Austin, Texas’ Yellow Dog Studios, Los Angeles, California’s Hemispheres Recording and Austria’s Prime Studios. Analog tape manufacturers recommended by Endless Analog for use with CLASP include ATR Magnetics and RMG International.
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Photo File 1: MWSmith_CLASP.JPG
Photo File 2: CLASP_Photo1.JPG
Photo Caption 1: Shown is Michael W. Smith, in the recording studio with his Endless Analog CLASP system.
About Endless Analog
Endless Analog founder and esteemed record producer Chris Estes’ vision was simple: to create a revolutionary product that would, for the first time in history, bring user-friendly analog tape recording to every studio environment around the world. As an avid believer that the sound of analog tape is superior to that of digital, and after acquiring his first tape machine several years ago, a Studer A 827, Chris developed and created CLASP (Closed Loop Analog Signal Processor). The CLASP system solves the age-old analog tape dilemma by simplifying the recording process and allowing the user to save thousands of dollars in time and tape archiving expense. Dust off your tape machine and get ready to once again hear the warm sound of analog tape flowing through your monitors. Recording analog has never been so easy, effortless, and endless.Chris Estes is a Nashville-based Producer, Mixer, and Songwriter who enjoys working with a variety of artists spanning several diverse genres. Over the past 10 years a few of his clients have included Billy Mann (Teddy Geiger, Jessica Simpson), Ryan Tedder (One Republic), Major Bob Music (Lane Turner), Krystal Myers (Forefront), Michael Tait (D.C. Talk), Universal Music Group, Curb Records, EMI/CMG, TVT Records, Elektra Records, In Pop/Elevate Records, Gaither Music Group, Dreamworks Nashville and countless independent artists.
Contact information:Endless Analog – Amy Becker – 3212 West End Ave, Suite 500, Nashville, TN 37203 – www.endlessanalog.com – amy@endlessanalog.com – 866-929-4446
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