Turin, Italy (February 13, 2024) – Pianist and composer extraordinaire, Andrea Manzoni, joined forces with composer, producer and film director Giorgio Ferrero to craft Self-Portrait, a musical landscape that delves deeply into their inner worlds. This sonic journey, captured with AUDIX microphones at MYBOSSWAS Studio in Turin, Italy, took a novel approach in exploring the studio’s vertical piano. While capturing a stand-up piano is typically standard fare for most recordings, Manzoni and Ferrero had other plans. To realize their far reaching vision to extract otherworldly tones and emotions from the instrument they relied on an array of AUDIX microphones, including the SCX25APS, SCX1, A231, PDX720, and ADX60.
Manzoni is a composer, producer, pianist, and performer who blurs the boundaries between jazz, electronic, film, pop, and classical music into an emerging “crossover” style. He’s recorded and collaborated with artists as varied as Andrea Bocelli and Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris and performed around the world from Carnegie Hall to London’s Saint Martin in the Fields, to venues in Rome, Hong Kong, Milan and Tunis, to broadcasts on Swiss Public Radio, France 2, Europe 1, and many others.
Giorgio Ferrero is an Italian award-winning composer, director and photographer who runs the multidisciplinary creative studio MYBOSSWAS where Self-Portrait was recorded. He has composed soundtracks for dozens of films which premiered in major world film festivals (Venice, Locarno, Tribeca, for example,) as well as theatrical performances including music for the works of Paolo Giordano, Daniele Gaglianone, David Lachapelle among others. He has created visual and sound art installations for MAXXI Museum, Bordeaux Biennal, Museo Nazionale del Cinema, and has worked commercially for publishers and brands like Condè Nast, Nike and Alfa Romeo.
While Andrea and Giorgio had known each other for many years, Self-Portrait marked their first collaboration. Despite traversing different musical paths, they discovered a shared sensibility, resulting in an enthusiastic partnership.
Manzoni’s thoroughly modern composition called for the piano to played, scraped, and struck in unconventional ways. Ferreri reflects on their approach to the studio’s piano, stating, “We played and tortured the studio’s piano in a way that only we could do…because it’s my studio and it’s my piano.”
The high sensitivity and detailed reproduction provided by the AUDIX microphones played a pivotal role in capturing a diverse range of perspectives and sounds from the piano, which were then fed through vintage processing gear and Ferrero’s digital audio workstation where he filtered, looped, and manipulated the performance in real-time to create the finished product.
“The AUDIX microphones were more than essential in translating the layers of sounds and music inherent in the composition,” commented Ferrero. “They enabled us to discover details that we didn’t know we’d find. It’s almost as if they were additional performers on the piece.” He highlights AUDIX microphones, particularly PDX720, ADX60, and SCX25 APS, as pleasant surprises that contributed to the ever-changing landscape of their composition.
Their collaboration became a snapshot of their lives at that specific moment. AUDIX products were strategically positioned based on Ferrero’s chromatic and visual approach to sound, in continuous dialogue with Manzoni’s sensitivity to expression and the piano’s sound.
A matched pair of SCX25A large condenser microphones designed for piano miking were placed next to the piano’s felts, a key position for shaping the work’s sound, but the remaining microphones could be considered creatively placed and led to the unique nature of the recording.
A pair of AUDIX A231 large diaphragm condenser vocal microphones, positioned up high and processed through boutique tube gear, imparted a retro/lo-fi vibe. The PDX720 professional dynamic studio microphone lay near Manzoni’s feet,and played a crucial role in capturing the percussive side of the composition—from foot taps and stomps to depressions of the piano’s pedals. The ADX60 boundary condenser microphone served as a versatile jack-of-all-trades, while a pair of SCX1 professional studio condenser microphones placed in an adjacent room provided the ethereal ambient sound that emanated from the performance.
The sounds from the different AUDIX microphones were seamlessly mixed together to give the listener the impression that they transition from outside the room to inside the piano itself.
Ferrero praises the SCX25, stating, “With very little processing the microphone produced the exact main sound we wanted for this piece.” He adds, “Conversely, the PDX720 was a departure from the usual dynamics, providing a fresh take to the percussive, punchy side of our work—an excellent tool indeed. A231s and ADX60 also provided fine sources for manipulation and processing, with the latter being a pleasure for its size and sound, as it was easily positionable with minimal fuss.”
The duo found the experience of creating Self-Portrait so inspiring, that they plan it to be the first piece on a forthcoming album due to be released later this year. Listen to Self-Portrait and find out more at https://audixusa.com/andrea-manzoni-and-giorgio-ferrero-craft-a-unique-self-portrait-with-audix-microphones/.
About AUDIX
AUDIX began in 1984 and to this day their mission remains unchanged—to design, engineer and manufacture high-quality microphones for the professional audio, live sound, recording and installation markets. With passion and ingenuity, the company strives to provide their customers with products that exceed expectations. The company’s headquarters in Wilsonville, Oregon is home for their research and development team, combined with an in-house manufacturing facility. From concept to completion, the company prides itself on having high-performing products and a loyal customer base. www.AUDIXusa.com
About Videndum Media Solutions
Videndum Media Solutions is a division of Videndum plc, an international group of companies serving customers in the growing content creation market. Videndum Media Solutions designs, manufactures, and distributes premium branded photographic and video equipment such as tripods; bags; filters; backgrounds; motion control; lights and microphones for professional and hobbyist photographers and video-makers; and content creators. Positioning Videndum Media Solutions as the leading global provider of accessories within the fast-growing digital multi-media content market, the portfolio includes the following premium brands: AUDIX; Avenger; Colorama; Gitzo; JOBY; Lowepro; Manfrotto; Rycote; Savage and Syrp Lab. All products are distributed on a direct basis in 11 markets across the world through Videndum Media Distribution, as well as many other markets through a network of qualified retail partners.
