2009 decided to kick off firing on all cylinders with the arrival of our UAD2 Nevana 128 Quad card. This beast arrived for an Audio Pro International review.
I was working on Chris Flegg’s “My Green Guitar” and “Her Favourite Flower” albums, recorded at Cream Studios, and they were perfect for test-driving these amazing plug ins.

They blew me away, as you can read in the Audio Pro review.  Anyway, it resulted in me buying the card and so we can now safely say that the Sonic Cuisine is UAD2 powered!

Since we announced the new upload/download feature of the Wesonator site, it has already seen some serious action.  And Tim Goodyer put a piece about it in Pro Audio Asia and Middle East - thanks Tim!  See it at the Pro Audio site

This year started its first week with a mastering job for UK rockers Stray. The album Valhalla was mixed by one of my all-time heroes, Chris Tsangarides, which made it that much more exciting.  Mark Butcher’s Songs from the Sunhouse album, which I recorded last year at the now sadly defunct Stoneroom studio, followed next.

In the meantime technical maintenance guru Malcolm Atkin introduced me to one of his friends, Mick Flinn.  Mick has a band some of you may remember, The New Seekers.
They are currently on their 40th anniversary tour and have finished recording their brand new album which we mastered here at the Sonic Cuisine.

In addition to the Stray and Mark Butcher jobs, Sound Discs brought in more mastering with Ocean Days, Adam Norsworthy’s stellar song writing duo, and Katie Owen’s new Black on Black album.

Long Dog Management closes off this mastering blurb. They asked me to master a track for one of their top dog artists, Samantha Heard. Check her out at www.myspace.com/samanthaheard

Mixing wise I had my head down in the Sonic Cuisine with the aforementioned Chris Flegg.  Ann Malone decided to create a grown up version of her Children’s Lullaby album. So I edited and remixed the tracks and added some guitar and programmed strings and flutes using the EastWest Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra Library. Keep an eye out for the Audio Pro International review of that one.

The guys at Cream saw me again this month to mix a track to 1/2” tape on an ATR-102.

On the live front I have been on the road with Exit Ten, supporting Fightstar in the Leeds Rio and 5 Finger Death Punch at the Oxford Academy.  We did a few headline shows and a killer slot at the Hellfire Festival at the Islington Academy. This tour had me on the Digidesign Venue D-Show for the first time. I have to say... I like it a lot.

Oh and one more very important thing. When we went to Belgium over the Christmas period, we got a Saeco Odea coffee machine. So, when you come over to have your music mastered or mixed, you’ll be filled to the brim with the most delicious coffee and a Belgian choccie on the side!

Wes