LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Motion picture music recording and scoring engineer, Joel Iwataki, recently purchased a pair of ATC (Acoustic Transducer Company) SCM100ASL three-way, active, mid-field reference monitors. The versatile monitors translate perfectly, not only between any size room but also, between musical genres, according to Iwataki, whose extensive film resume includes "Constantine," "Friday Night Lights" and "Frida." "I really love them," says Iwataki of the ATC SCM100ASL monitors, which he has been using on high-profile soundtrack projects for more than a decade. "They're very accurate but they're not clinical. They have an epic 'bigger than life sound' that translates very well to the theater." Featuring a twelve-inch ATC Super Linear bass driver, three-inch ATC Soft dome mid and single one-inch dome tweeter, all driven actively by ATC's own 350-watt amplification. SCM100ASL reference monitors result in mixes that translate perfectly from room to room, from the largest Hollywood stage to the smallest recording studio control room, according to Iwataki. "They're large enough that, even on the larger scoring stages, like Sony, they're big enough to be impressive to the producers or the director when they listen to the playback. And I've used them in very small rooms, including where they're like gigantic headphones! They worked terrifically there, too. I just had to keep the levels low." In fact, the performance of the SCM100ASL monitors in those smaller rooms highlights another positive feature of the system, offers Iwataki. "That's one of the other things I like about them: they're still really accurate when you listen quietly, which I do more and more these days as a protective measure." The speakers have certainly demonstrated their worth over the past decade, considers Iwataki. "I've used them on a couple of scores that have won Academy Awards," he points out. Composer Elliot Goldenthal was nominated for two Academy Awards for "Frida" in 2002, including one for Best Original Song, for "Burn It Blue," co-written with the film's director, Julie Taymor, and won for Best Original Score. Iwataki also used the ATC monitors on the Oscar-winning score by composer John Corigliano for 1998's "The Red Violin." The ATC monitors shine regardless of the type of music, he adds. "They're really great for orchestral music. But they're still really great for smaller scores - like 'Frida,' which had a lot of acoustic guitar - as well as for rock scores." Iwataki has a long history with Goldenthal, working with the composer on the original scores for films such as "S.W.A.T.," "The Good Thief," "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within," "In Dreams," and "Michael Collins," and "Heat" which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Dramatic Score. Goldenthal also owns a pair of the U.K.-manufactured SCM100ASL monitors, reports Iwataki. "For 'Titus,' we bought a set for Elliot and picked them up when we recorded in London at Abbey Road." Original soundtracks increasingly have a life beyond the theatrical or DVD presentation of the film, notes Iwataki, who will typically also work with the composer on a CD release. "To a lot of the composers I work with, the album is every bit as important as the film. The album is an unfettered reproduction of the film, but also it lives longer than the film." Here, too, the ATC monitors have demonstrated their versatility. "Even though they're really great and sound like a film, they're still extremely accurate for the album." But what lives longest in Iwataki's memory are the projects that have brought together some of the biggest names in the business. He recalls the scoring sessions for "The Red Violin" at Abbey Road studios, with violinist Joshua Bell, conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, and, sitting next to him in the control room, composer John Corigliano. "That was such a thrill," he says. "It doesn't get any better." |
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