After giving a keynote talk at Prism Sound’s recent Mic to Monitor seminars at BPM Pro, UK band Utah Saints have become the latest in a long list of electronic music artists to incorporate one of the company’s Lyra audio interface into their recording and mixing workflow.
Consisting of house legends Jez Willis and Tim Garbutt, Utah Saints burst onto the music scene in the 1990s and quickly became noted for their pioneering use of sampling technology. To date they have released nine Top 40 UK hits, four of which hit the Top 10, sold over two million records worldwide, supported U2 on a UK and European tour, set up and promoted club nights and recorded and presented shows for radio stations such as Radio 1, XFM, Galaxy, Kiss and Ministry of Sound. As well as running their own record labels and producing other artists, the duo have also recently moved into the world of film soundtracks and trailer music.
Today, Willis and Garbutt operate from their own studio facility, Utah Central, which is based in Leeds, UK.
“It is above a boxing gym, and opposite a scrap yard, so the walk to work has its own ambience,” says Jez Willis. “We recently refurbished the studio and we work with our super talented resident engineer, James Oliver.”
Utah Saints are using their Prism Sound Lyra audio interface on all of their current projects.
“We love the Lyra – it’s best feature is its simplicity,” Willis says. “It sounds amazing and is so easy to set up and transfer between computers. We are currently using it on some particularly intricate movie trailers for Pusher Music, where the detail is really important.”
Based on the award-winning and critically acclaimed Orpheus interface, Prism Sound’s Lyra allows music recording professionals to access the power and sophistication of the Orpheus audio path and clock circuitry, but in a smaller package and at a much improved price point.
Utah Saints have a Lyra 2 interface, which has two AD input channels with switchable microphone, instrument or line input modes and four DA output channels. The company also offers a Lyra 1, which has two analogue input channels – one for instrument/line and one for mic/line – plus two DA output channels and optical-only digital I/O. Both versions incorporate ARM Cortex processor design offering class-compliant USB interfacing that allows for seamless integration with both Macs and PCs. Both versions also offer digital volume control, a low latency ‘console-quality’ digital mixer for foldback monitoring and optical SPDIF capability.
Alongside their movie trailer project, Utah Saints are currently working on a new sample pack for Loopmasters and a new Utah Saints album. They are also judges for the Prism Sound-sponsored B-Side Project, an innovative global competition that pairs artists with electronic music producers who remix their original tracks. Now in its sixth year, the competition creates networks, merges genres and provides real world opportunities for artists to release their music, alongside additional platforms to amplify their careers.
“I enjoy being a B-Side judge because I love hearing new music and remixes have been part of my musical life since I started,” Willis says. “I really like it when familiar sounds are put into an entirely new context – it’s an art form in itself.”
-ends-
About Prism Sound
Founded in 1987, Prism Sound manufacture high-quality professional digital audio hardware and software for music and sound production for the music, film, television, radio and multi-media markets and a range of specialized measurement equipment used in audio equipment development, manufacturing, system building and maintenance. The company’s product range includes a range of audio interfaces covering applications from desktop or mobile recording & production to major studio facilities; Prism Sound also produces the SADIE audio production workstation software used by major national broadcasters such as the BBC, as well as many of the world’s leading mastering houses and classical or live music recording engineers. Prism Sound measurement equipment is used to measure the performance of either audio electronic devices or electroacoustic devices and is well established in major manufacturing sectors such as automotive electronics, headphones and headsets as well as professional audio.
For more information: www.prismsound.com
