Insights In Sound 177 - Malcolm Toft, Co-founder, Trident Audio Designs

Our salute to Trident continues as we chat with Malcolm Toft, employee number one at Trident Studios and the designer of the legendary Trident consoles. In an era where the music industry was changing by leaps and bounds, Trident made its mark as one of the UK's first independent studios. Hired as the Studio's very first engineer, Malcolm then took on the challenge of building Trident's own multichannel console, leading to the development of the legendary A-Range, B-Range, and subsequent mixing desks.

Insights In Sound 175 - Sam Berkow - Acoustician/Innovator

He's been behind the design of some legendary concert halls and venues, as well as the creation of the SMAART system of predictive analysis used by multitudes of audio engineers worldwide.We caught up with Sam at the InfoComm Show in Orlando, Florida.

Simply put, there is nothing trifling about Kathleen Wirt. Running the legendary 4th Street Studios in Santa Monica for 35 years, she's seen it all and then some. And yet she continues to be passionate about music and the arts, and curious about the human condition. It's a fascinating conversation.

Benny Rietveld has worn multiple hats over the course of his career. The Utrect-born, Hawaii-raised bassist has played with the likes of Miles Davis, Shiela E, and has been Santana's bassist and musical director for close to 25 years. He caught up at the Hideout Studios in Las Vegas.

John Ellis' long and winding road led through performing, recording, engineering, teaching, and then some. Currently one of two main techs at the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences, we caught up with him in the midst of customizing a new console for Bob Clearmountain.

She's part of the DNA of the legendary Capitol Records studios, as well as a legend in her own right. A rare pleasure to dig deep with the inimitable Paula Salvatore.

It takes a special kind of person to keep the tech behind the creativity running. Joe Vezzetti has been the guy behind the scenes for decades. We met up at Cherokee Studios, home of one of the few remaining legendary Trident A Range consoles.

Ace came up as a live mixer in the '90s at some of L.A.'s  legendary clubs, honing his chops on up and coming bands like Rage Against the Machine, Incubus, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, and worked his way up to touring with legends like Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Dream Theater, and Three Doors Down.

He told me he'd be happy to do the show but, "I don't want to sit around in some boring studio. Let's go for a drive." So we went for a drive past some of the old L.A. club haunts and talked about everything and nothing. Buckle up.

He's got an old school production ethos planted firmly in the 21st century, a stellar multi-room studio, and awards for his work with artists ranging from Ozzy and Disturbed to Shania Twain. We got into some deep conversation with The Hideout Studio's Kevin Churko.

Though the influence of his famous father helped to shape his musical development, Thaddeus Corea is a true original in his own right. We get into it and talk about his early influences, his artistic path, and his production ethos.