Miami, FL (April 12, 2022) — Joe Foglia is a different sort of production sound mixer, having cut his teeth on music recording at Miami’s renowned Criteria Studios, where he engineered or assisted on recordings by Black Sabbath; Crosby, Stills, and Nash and many other celebrated musical artists. His film and TV credits include the ’80s-defining series Miami Vice, for which he earned an Emmy nomination for best sound. Joe and his own remote mobile production company, Southeast Audio ADR, have traveled the country to work on hits like Marley and Me, Scrubs, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. A lifetime Lectrosonics user, Foglia has recently adopted the all-digital D Squared line, including five DSQD four-channel receivers, two DCR822 compact dual-channel receivers, M2T transmitters for IFB, and an arsenal of all-digital and Digital Hybrid packs — the latter being receivable by the D Squared systems.
Foglia first entered the music industry a computer background. “I hooked up with a guy in technical school, Peter Yianilos, and later we found ourselves working at a firm building computers for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory,” he recalls. “We left at the same time to go work for MCI — not the phone company but the one that made 24-track tape machines and recording consoles. They were eventually bought by Sony, but Peter and I decided we wanted to put together a remote recording truck.”
This not only gave Foglia kung-fu-master expertise in listening, but also launched him into production and broadcast sound mixing in a practical sense. “When I worked at Criteria, they built another truck, and we did some live remotes for CBS, who were introducing live music into their New Year’s specials,” explains Foglia. “That’s where I first got experience in the different signal needs of different ‘customers’ — our own recording, broadcast, the live concert sound in real time, and so on. Some of what I already learned translated well.”
Foglia first switched to Lectrosonics equipment after wrapping his work on Miami Vice. “I had been using Sony through Miami Vice because it was state-of-the-art at the time. I had four channels and that was it,” he reminisces. “When Peter and I started moving over to other shows, we switched to the Lectrosonics 185s. … Fast-forward to going to L.A. to do Scrubs. It was Glen Trew [of Nashville’s Trew Audio] who first got me to move to the original Venue system. We took over an actual hospital building for Scrubs, and the Venue worked flawlessly in that environment throughout the entire series. After we wrapped, I upgraded to the Venue2. At one time or another, I’ve had almost everything Lectrosonics makes.”
These days, the Dante® compatibility of his DSQD receivers is just one Lectrosonics feature he finds indispensable. “Let’s say a scene is on top of a building and for some reason I can’t be up there,” Foglia explains. “My receiver rack is set up so that I can pull it from my main cart, send it up, and have them throw me one Ethernet cable to feed my Cantar Mini recorder and the laptop I run Wireless Designer on.”
Speaking of Wireless Designer, Lectrosonics’ software that provides frequency coordination and master control of multiple receivers, Foglia says, “I depend on it every day. Some of Lectro’s competitors brag about frequency-hopping. I find that Wireless Designer makes it pretty much unnecessary. Every time you hit it, it makes sure there are no conflicts.”
Another convenience is that the latest generation of digital receivers can pick up Lectrosonics’ time-tested Digital Hybrid Wireless transmitters, which Foglia swears by: “There are no weak points about Lectrosonics’ packs at all. We use single-battery versions … and get six hours of battery life. We only change the batteries at lunch. Lectro just keeps improving range and resistance to interference.”
Foglia, who upgrades his gear approximately every five years, recommends that young and beginning mixers seek out “the good stuff” on the pre-owned market — the good stuff being Lectrosonics. “Lectro is serious about what they do, but also one of the more accessible companies out there,” he praises. “They also almost never obsolete their products and stop supporting them — nearly all of their competition does that more much often. You’ve gotta take care of the people who take care of you, and Lectrosonics does. It turns on and works properly every day. What else can you say that about, besides a refrigerator you still have from 1979?”
Read our full conversation with Joe Foglia here.
About Southeast Audio ADR/SEAS
Southeast Audio ADR is a mobile recording and overdubbing studio run by production sound mixer Joe Foglia. The 38-foot custom mobile production vehicle can be outfitted to meet clients needs on location, with custom specifications for everything from the exterior design to the interior furnishings and latest gear. It is equipped with all the latest technological necessities to perform any recording or sound editing need in the comfort of a luxury vehicle. With acoustically engineered dual booths custom built by the award winning company VocalBooth and state-of-the-art equipment in each control room, the SEAS Mobile Studio is convenient, affordable and designed to make clients productions easier. The Southeast Audio Services Mobile Studio conveniently parked on location offers clients the luxury of time-saving and the ability to enjoy seamless production values.
About Lectrosonics
Well respected within the film, broadcast, and theatre technical communities since 1971, Lectrosonics wireless microphone systems and audio processing products are used daily in mission-critical applications by audio engineers familiar with the company’s dedication to quality, customer service, and innovation. Lectrosonics received an Academy Scientific and Technical Award for its Digital Hybrid Wireless® technology and is a US manufacturer based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Visit the company online at www.lectrosonics.com.
