RTW's MM3 Musicmeter Keeps the Beat Steady for Electronic Musician and Sound Designer Richard Devine
ATLANTA, MAY 9, 2017 - For the past 20 years, revered Electronic Musician and Sound Designer Richard Devine has been recognized for creating complex rhythms and producing a layered and heavily processed sound, combining influences from glitch music to old and modern electronic music. To deliver the high-quality, pristine sound that he is known for, Devine turns to RTW's MM3 MusicMeter.
"I was using a different audio meter when I started researching alternative options," says Devine. "I came across the RTW website and was immediately intrigued. I also have two industry friends who were both using the MM3 MusicMeter that spoke very highly of it, so I decided to check it out. I was pleasantly surprised. In the six months that I have had the product, it has been crucial to my workflow."
Devine uses his MM3 MusicMeter primarily for loudness measurements in the spectral analyze mode, where he checks the phase and stereo field of sounds. "I recently worked with Google on making sounds for its new virtual reality platform, called Daydream," adds Devine. "I was responsible for all of the UI sounds and all the ambisonic audio sounds that were in the Daydream environment, which included YouTube VR, Google Earth VR and all the navigation sounds of moving the Earth and zooming out. I purchased the MM3 because all the sounds had to be at a specific loudness. I placed the MM3 right on my desk as I was editing so I could look at the MM3 and read all the detailed information about the amplitude loudness, the image and the phase as well as set in my loudness requirement notes. This helps me ensure every sound is played back consistently at the same level; getting that instant feedback is really helpful."
The MM3 has quickly become an indispensable tool for Devine to ensure that his work is at the exact loudness specification needed for his high-profile clientele. The MM3 also provides Devine with a nice way to visually see and doublecheck his work.
In addition to the MM3, Devine relies on an RME Fireface UFX+ Audio Interface with DSP mixer. "What's nice about my set up is that the outputs are going right into the MM3," says Devine. "In my console mixer, I'll leave two channels up for monitoring all signals, so no matter what I'm playing on my editing station, it's passing through the MM3. Doing this gives me a better sense of where/how loud the sounds need to be. I can see where the frequency peaks are poking out, giving me a good idea of how bright or how dark my sound is. If I need to make any corrective changes to the image, I can easily see this on the MM3's screen and I don't have to open any additional software, which clogs up the process. It's so streamlined. I leave it running all the time, 24 hours a day."
Along with its abundance of features and compact size, one of Devine's favorite aspects of the MM3 is the unit's display. "The screen is absolutely beautiful," adds Devine. "The resolution and the definition are just unreal. In addition to it being extremely helpful and taking up barely any room, it also looks very sharp on my desk. I really like that it is a standalone unit as opposed to it being software that I run inside of my computer."
Devine plans on using his MM3 MusicMeter extensively for the recording of his new album over the next few months, as well as on an upcoming project with Apple. He is also working with automaker Jaguar on designing all the internal navigation and notification alerts for one of its new automobiles.
"RTW's MM3 MusicMeter is an amazing product," says Devine. "It covers all of the bases I need and it's portable. I can just take it with me when I am working on a project remotely and it can be setup in a matter of minutes. In addition, I also love the build quality of it. It feels solid. I don't feel like this meter is going to die out any time soon. It's something I will have for years to come and I look forward to using it on my future projects."
About RTW
RTW, based in Cologne (Germany), has more than 50 years of experience designing, producing and marketing advanced recording-studio equipment, leading and innovating the market for high quality audio metering and monitoring tools. RTW operates a worldwide distribution and service network. For more information on RTW, visit www.rtw.com, www.facebook.com/rtw.de or call +49 221 709130.
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