Digidesign is proud to announce that sales of ICON|D-Control and ICON|D-Command digital console control surfaces have now surpassed 700 units, firmly establishing ICON as the new standard for top quality tracking and mixing for post production and music projects.
ICON digital consoles can now be found mixing feature films at Warner Bros. Studio Facilities and delivering hit records from artists like Janet Jackson and Mary J. Blige.
"The fact that there are over 700 ICON installations - many of which are in studios which were previously the mainstay for traditional consoles - shows that the industry is truly welcoming ICON as the next evolution in mixing," states Rich Nevens, Digidesign's ICON sales manager. "Clients are finally getting the integration they've always wanted for recording, editing and mixing on a powerful system with the flexibility to handle sophisticated music and post workflows."
Greg Watkins - Academy Award-winning sound re-recording mixer for feature films like "Dancing With Wolves," "Crimson Tide," "Born on the Fourth of July" and other popular films - is currently using ICON on Stage 6 at Warner Bros. Studio Facilities. "What I love about the ICON is that it's intuitive and it gives you the best of both worlds," states Watkins. "I'm kind of a mainframe mixer and I've worked on all the mainframe consoles. ICON gives me a console-like ability, but it also gives me the ability to grab the mouse and do little fine details that you can't do on a traditional console. Because what we do is all detail-oriented, this is important."
Legendary studio engineer and creator of the Massenburg DesignWorks EQ plug-in for Pro Tools, George Massenburg recently made ICON the centerpiece of Blackbird Studio C. "While outfitting Blackbird Studio C, we found that there were few advanced console technologies to choose from. To push the edge of the envelope in modern audio production, I chose the ICON system. I did so not only because it is the most advanced technological solution and perfectly matches our workflow strategy, but also because the D-Control work surface will allow the inevitable developments we expect in digital audio engine hardware to advance while keeping my ergonomic interface in place."
Steve Hodges, renowned Chief Mixing Engineer for artists from Janet Jackson to Mary J. Blige, recently got a D-Control for mixing records. "Where it used to be that you had to draw things on the screen with a mouse, using the ICON actually lets you feel more old school because you can actually touch the faders and move knobs - and that's good," he says. "The other thing that's great about the ICON is that, instead of having to buy a new digital console, you can just download the updates. It used to be that if you went from one studio to another, you were forced to learn a new console. But when you're working in the computer and using a mouse, and move over to an ICON or D-Control, then no matter where you go, your mix is going to come up the same in Pro Tools. So there's no longer any need to learn a new console when you switch rooms."
Some other recent ICON installs include Ascent Media, Dubbing Brothers, Microsoft Studios, Post Logic, Resonate, Universal Studios, and many more.
