Richard Kogan returns for new piece, new edits

Lecturer, pianist, and psychiatrist Richard Kogan returned to Dubway with his longtime producer Tom Mowrey to re-edit and mix standalone versions of one of his previous lecture-performances on the great Leonard Bernstein, and to edit and mix a new audiovisual version of his lecture on Ludwig van Beethoven. The duo worked with their usual technical team of Dubway engineers; video editor Pascal McGilvray-Guard tackled the video, and Keenan DuBois edited and mixed sound to take the project over the finish line.

You can watch the pieces below, or find more content of Dr. Kogan at the same YouTube channel. Stay tuned for the Beethoven piece! Like all of Kogan’s work, it’s a sensitive and moving look into the mind and music of one of the great masters of the Western canon, and not to be missed.

Dr. Kogan’s programs on the psychological origins of musical creativity in the great composers are presented at prestigious venues throughout the world, including the World Economic Forum in Davos and Rockefeller University, in New York.

Nom Wah Tea Parlor records a history of the restaurant with owner Wilson Tang

Tang and Furton in our Main Floor studios after a full day of recording The Nom Wah Cookbook.

We had the pleasure of hosting the amazing Wilson Tang, owner and operator of the historic Nom Wah Tea Parlor in NYC, to record an audiobook of the upcoming centennial celebration that is The Nom Wah Cookbook. After a hundred years of operation, the storied dim sum parlor has more than enough content to stuff into this book, including recipes, gossip from both kitchen and dining sides of the restaurant, and family legends. Tang was a pleasure to have in the studio, and worked closely alongside Dubway engineer Violette Furton and the top-notch production staff at Harper Collins, to immortalize the history, lore, and–most importantly–the food of Chinatown’s oldest continuously running restaurant.

The book is set for an October release in both physical and audible forms, through Harper Collins and all affiliated distributors. For food lovers out there who can afford to do so, remember to help your local restaurants stay alive during this pandemic! Manhattanites and Philadelphians can support the restaurant (and their stomachs) here or through in-person pickup.

Hall-of-fame sports broadcaster Jim Gray records at Dubway

Twelve-time Emmy Award-winning sports broadcaster and author Jim Gray has been hard at work on the audiobook edition of Talking To GOATS: The Moments You Remember and the Stories You Never Heard, his thrilling look back at a long and storied career in sports. Gray and his team at Harper Collins, alongside Dubway engineer Louis Fisher, have spent many sessions capturing the feeling of the stories he’s collected–stories of, with, and by athletes like Kobe Bryant, Muhammad Ali, Tom Brady, LeBron James, and so many more. The sessions have worked through and around quarantine, finding creative ways to recreate conversations, record production-level voiceover in a remote workflow, and maintain the excitement and joy of a career spent in direct dialogue with some of the world’s most truly exceptional talents.

Old-school readers will find the original hardcopy here; those who prefer headphones can pick up the audiobook soon from Harper Collins and affiliated distributors.

Blackfin mixes upcoming project remotely, at Dubway

We posted recently about a new studio buildout that head engineer Nathaniel Reichman has constructed at his home upstate, and while we can’t share the details with you just yet, we’re excited to announce that the new build is already finding use with production house Blackfin, who will be conducting ongoing remote mixes with Nathaniel through a link with our downtown facility.

Blackfin is an award-winning production company known for gripping true crime and documentary features, television series, and episodes. They’ve had a few excellent years recently, releasing titles like Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez, Finding Escobar’s Millions, and Terror In Tulsa: The Rise and Fall of Black Wall Street. We can’t wait to see this next project come to fruition!

Lead Engineer Nathaniel Reichman on Dolby Atmos monitoring, gear budgeting with goals in mind, and more

Whenever we do a technical deep-dive (or the words “delivery spec” are mentioned in the studios), we call Dubway’s lead engineer Nathaniel Reichman. Nathaniel loves nothing more than really getting into the why of things on a granular level; few engineers get as genuinely excited about things like codecs, error messages, and calibration as he does.

That’s why when Nathaniel posts a long and detailed exploration of how to set up a cost-effective Atmos monitoring rig, we pay attention!

Nathaniel has just recently put finishing touches on his own home-studio/mixing environment, pictured above. From there, he connects to our flagship facilities downtown for remote mixes with clients, or streams audio directly to the clients at their own remote space. This is one of many workflows we’ve implemented this year to make distanced work just as smooth as in-person work, particularly for mixing, editing, and post-production workflows, which almost always required in-person sessions before.

The article also features Dubway’s co-founder Mike Crehore, who helped consult on Nathaniel’s studio configuration and setup of the monitoring B-chain. A B-chain, for the non-engineers, comprises the components of a listening or mixing environment that aren’t recorded, or that tend to change from one listening environment to another–the speakers, amplifiers, and effects units between the recording device and the listener’s ear. Knowing and being confident in the tonal coloration your B-chain adds to a project is an immensely important skill for any mixing or mastering engineer to have, and it’s even more important for cinema and television, where broadcast specifications are tight and workflows are complex. The more speakers involved, and the more specifically calibrated those speakers are, the more difficult this part of the work becomes–and that’s exactly where this article comes in handy.

If you’re interested in knowing the ins-and-outs of monitoring for your fledgeling Atmos setup, click the link above for the full article on Pro Tools Expert. And if you have questions about our remote capabilities or the types of workflows we can support, give us a call.

John Eder's "To The Manor Borne By Robots" honored at HEAR Now Festival

Featured episode, “Hungover Psychic Insider Trader",” from To The Manor Borne By Robots.

John Eder’s excellent sci-fi and storytelling-focused podcast To The Manor Borne By Robots earned some well-deserved praise recently, netting a Platinum-level nod from HEAR Now Festival 2020. The festival ran in June and describes itself as, “a gathering place where the work of master storytellers is celebrated and shared”, and includes audio content as diverse as sound art, podcasts, radio dramas, audiobooks, and live poetry recordings.

To The Manor Borne By Robots is a deeply artistic form of sci-fi storytelling, working solely through sound and carrying several layers of narrative and drama at all times. Episodes have been recorded at Dubway for years, and often involve sound design as well as voice recording and effects. Dubway engineer Zac Suskevich helmed the sessions for these podcast records, working closely with Eder and cast to capture the sound of the world(s) of the show.

You can check out a clip from the show, and a list of the other Platinum-level winners, at this link. You can also find the show on Instagram at the handle @ttmbbr.

Hay House teams with Dubway for audiobook recording

The publishing and production group Hay House has been busy in the studios in the past month working on an upcoming release with author, seer, and healer Juliet Diaz. The sessions have been recorded by Dubway engineer Violette Furton.

Juliet Diaz is a healer and magic practitioner with a long line of familial antecedent, tracing her roots back to the Taino people of Cuba; in 2018 she was named “Best Witch” by Spirit Guides Magazine. Her work and life are unique in all the best and most curious ways, and while waiting for this current project to come out you can read more about her in this Atlantic article.

You can find a copy of Diaz’s most recent book here and most anywhere books are sold.

“SongCraft Presents: Dom Flemons” named official selection of 15th Annual Macon Film Festival

EMMY-nominated PBS series SongCraft Presents‘ most recent episode included a significant amount of material produced and recorded at Dubway, and we’re thrilled to announce that Good Old Days has been named an official selection of the 15th Annual Macon Film Festival!

The episode deals with the controversial history of Emmett Miller, a blackface-minstrelsy musician who was extremely influential to the sound of country music, specifically Merle Haggard and outlaw country – in the 20th century. The titular song, “Good Old Days,” was written by the show’s host Ben Arthur and noted songwriter Dom Flemons (of the Carolina Chocolate Drops), and recorded in Macon’s Grand Opera House. You can read more about Flemons’ feelings on the legacy of Emmett Miller on The American Songster’s site here.

This episode was produced in collaboration with Dubway Studios, who’ve enjoyed a long relationship with the always-interesting Ben Arthur and his myriad projects. Dubway engineers recorded the music on-location, as well as the production audio used throughout the film.

Congratulations to all involved, and best of luck at the festival!

Henry Winkler joins "Bubble Guppies" cast for recent episode

Henry Winkler voices the yeti in Bubble Guppies.

Actor, writer, and comedian Henry Winkler (Happy Days, Arrested Development, Barry) has joined the cast of Nick Jr.’s Bubble Guppies for an all-new adventure! The show, which has been a hit since season one – and which was recently renewed for a sixth season – has been a longtime visitor to our studios, where much of its audio has been recorded over the years. Bubble Guppies has, for years, been recorded by Dubway staff engineer Louis Fisher, in collaboration with Nick Jr.’s amazing production team.

You can read more about Winkler’s role in this recent episode here, as well as find clips.

Dubway welcomes Mike Mazzotta to the team!

We’re proud and excited to announce that video editor Mike Mazzotta will be joining Dubway as our in-house video editor and post-production engineer!

Mike Mazzotta is an award-winning post creative who, over the past 15-years, has edited feature films, commercials, music videos, digital projects for nearly every social media platform, webisodes, and a varied collection of short films. Having worked with NBC News, MTV, Offhollywood, and over a hundred others in since 2007, his work has been seen by millions of people online, and his film work screened all over the world.

We couldn’t be happier to have Mike on our team, and to expand our roster of creatives further into the realms of video editing and post-production. Welcome aboard, Mike.

Richard Kogan finishes new piece with producer Thomas Mowrey

Dr. Richard Kogan with a bracing image of the great Leonard Bernstein.

Acclaimed performer, psychiatrist, and lecturer Richard Kogan returned to Dubway this past month for work on the new video presentation of one of his celebrated lecture-recitals, which is now out and viewable below!

Dr. Kogan and his longtime producer-collaborator Thomas Mowrey–an extraordinary classical producer with a long career at Deutsche Grammaphon and Decca–have created a series of these visual documents with the Dubway team, which transport the viewer into Kogan’s engrossing lecture-recitals on the psychology of famous composers in the Western art-music canon. This edition focused on Leonard Bernstein’s life and works, with a particular interest in West Side Story. Dubway editor and engineer Pascal McGilvray-Guard helmed the video editing; staff engineer Keenan DuBois led the audio post-production and mix.

Dr. Kogan has presented his programs on the psychological origins of musical creativity at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including the World Economic Forum in Davos and Rockefeller University, in New York. 

Dr. Kogan presenting to a packed house at Rockefeller University.

Dubway records ADR for upcoming AAA game release

There’s almost nothing we can say about this project yet, but we’re excited to pre-announce that one of the most anticipated upcoming games has had actors and producers at Dubway in recent months to record ADR! This AAA game – the ‘blockbusters’ of the gaming industry – has been hyped since it was announced, and is slated for an upcoming release. Several of our staff engineers, notably Pascal McGilvray-Guard, have sat behind the board on these sessions.

We’re so excited to release more (as soon as we can) – stay tuned!

Dipsea continues recording sessions with Dubway

Dipsea founders Gina Gutierrez and Faye Keegan; picture courtesy Vox Media.

Dipsea, the company that is reinventing erotic audio content for the new decade (“think of it like a much sexier Headspace“), has continued its East Coast work at Dubway, working tirelessly through the pandemic to bring listeners new content. Sessions have been lead remotely by Dipsea’s all-star (and nearly all-women) production team, and engineered locally by Dubway recorders Keenan DuBois and Pascal McGilvray-Guard. Both Dubway and Dipsea staff have taken great pains during these sessions to remain safe, clean, and distant from one another, with talent and engineer working in separate rooms and producers calling the shots remotely.

The voice talent and production values for these short erotic works are extremely high, and if you’re interested, check them out! You can find a free trial link here.

McKinsey & Company record podcast remotely with Dubway

Global management firm McKinsey & Company has chosen to partner with Dubway during the COVID-19 pandemic to record an internal podcast with a regular release schedule, 100% remotely. These recordings, which are ongoing, are overseen by a Dubway team including engineers Louis Fisher and Zach Grappone, with studio head Al Houghton acting as production manager for the operation.

The entire recording system was set up off-site from Dubway’s Manhattan studio, in a convenient and COVID-19 safe location for the voice talent, and assembled such that Dubway engineers can monitor and control the recordings remotely. This allows McKinsey’s staff and our staff to continuously put out new, high-fidelity episodes without sharing the same space or physically coming into contact with one another.

To learn more about our pandemic productions methods, including our mobile rigs, click here.

#TBT: Margaret Ying Drake announces greenlighting of "Butterbean's Café" season 2

To keep spirits up while the studios have been quieter than normal, we’ve brought back some of our favorite projects, stories, and collaborations. Dubway is re-opening under the Phase Two regulations in place for NYC, and we felt like doing a final celebratory look backward before returning to the present day. With that in mind, #TBT this week comes courtesy of actress Margaret Ying Drake and our colleagues at Nickelodeon.

Dubway has worked with Nick Jr. on a number of projects, providing services from voice-over recording and dialogue editing, to sound design and soundtrack recording. One of the more recent and exciting series is Butterbean’s Cafe, an animated series for preschool-aged children about a fairy café. Today, we’re throwing it back to this Instagram pic from Butterbean voice actress Margaret Ying Drake, which actually helped break the news that a second season of the show had been renewed! Margaret snapped the pic in one of Dubway’s Main Floor sound rooms during a session engineered by Louis Fisher, who does much of the automated dialogue recording (ADR) work for the series.

The first season of Butterbean’s Café received excellent reviews, including an Emmy nomination in the “Outstanding Performer in a Preschool Animated Program” category. We were overjoyed to hear the show got a well-deserved renewal, and are excited for more success as the second season comes out!

Butterbean season two is currently still airing and is partway through the season. If you have young kids in the house, you can check it out every Sunday morning at 10:30am on Nick Jr, or at the Butterbean website linked above.

Penguin Random House remotely records audiobooks with Dubway's mobile recording rig

Publishing giant Penguin Random House has been in close collaboration with Dubway Studios’ Manhattan facility to record several authors reading their own works for audiobook releases. One of these books, the excellent Honey & Venom from author Andrew Coté, has just been released, and was recorded entirely remotely during the current pandemic.

Engineer Louis Fisher conducted the recordings using one of our newly configured mobile recording rigs, dubbed Orbiters, allowing us to set up a recording environment in a client’s location and then engineer the recording from a distance, guaranteeing a safe workflow. Studio head Al Houghton assisted with designing and deploying the system, and worked closely with Penguin producers Dan Zitt and Oh Kee Kolwitz to ensure quality throughout.

You can find the book available at the links above (as well as an excellent piece on Andrew Coté from NPR). Happy listening!

Dubway expands VO/ADR bookings capabilities

We’re proud to announce that, in the time of COVID-19, Dubway has expanded its offerings for directors looking to book, record, and produce VO and ADR recordings remotely! For years, Dubway has been equipped for SAG/AFTRA signatory hiring, and our network of talented VO artists has grown significantly, making us a one-stop-shop for a producer on a deadline–and a budget.

In addition to our talent networks, we also have the technical capabilities to make sure the job gets done right from top to bottom. Our talent networks include many voice actors with home studios and the ability to connect directly to our studios in Manhattan or LA, giving producers the ability to remotely direct pristine recordings in real-time.

Hand in hand with our expanded booking capabilities are our newly expanded Orbiter rigs (mobile recording units), which we can deploy on behalf of clients, should their selected talent not have home recording capabilities. You can read more about our newly implemented strategies for remote recording here. Clients like Netflix, Penguin Random House, and Vox Media have already enjoyed the flexibility, speed, and safety offered by our remote recording workflows and talent networks.

More information on our signatory status and VO talent can be found here, and you can contact us with any questions about your specific production’s needs here.

"Piper And The Dots" receives Recommended Winner at Parent's Choice Awards 2020

Piper And The Dots, an interactive podcast brimming with excellent music and sounds, has just received the Recommended Winner nod from the Parent’s Choice Awards for their 2020 season! We’re thrilled to see this excellent project getting recognition.

This podcast, for children ages 3-12, is the result of a collaboration between children’s content platform Pinna, Dubway Studios, and Dubway’s sister organization Rhumba Recorders. The show was directed by Dubway alum and head Rhumba wiz Michael Rubin, with Dubway handling recording and additional production, including the recording of the musical elements, written by the prolific composer and jazz musician Doug Weiselman. Each of the show’s characters is sonified by an instrument, and their interplay is delightful, educational, and fun.

If you’d like to listen to a clip, you can check out the first episode (and all other episodes) on the Pinna site. Congratulations to all involved!

Virtual Dubway West tour from head engineer Chris Montgomery

Dubway-engineered audiobook "How To Be Successful Without Hurting Men's Feelings" nominated for Independent Audiobook Award

Dubway and Andrews McMeel Publishing are proud to announce that a recent collaboration–the audiobook for author Sarah Cooper’s How To Be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings–has been nominated for an Independent Audiobook Award!

Our engineering efforts were led by Louis Fisher, in conjunction with the author and Andrews McMeel production staff. Congratulations to all involved!

If you’d like to learn a bit more about the book, we previously wrote about this project here, or you can pick up a copy here (or wherever you get your audiobooks).