Please note that there still some things being finalized for the festival and the schedule and program is subject to change.
Friday, September 25
Spectral Editing for Music — Simone Coen
First there was music. Then recording came along, and with it, the ghost of noise. As music professionals, we had to learn what noise is, how to interpret it, how to get rid of it, and sometimes how to live with it.
Those were the tape-recording years. Then came CEDAR and the first revolutionary audio-restoration processes, initially in hardware and later in software and plug-in formats. Almost 20 years ago, iZotope RX arrived. As an RX user since version 1, and after processing millions of files using spectral editing, Simone will guide you through some of the most common problems engineers and producers encounter when recording, mixing, and mastering, and demonstrate how to solve them quickly and effectively.
The class will feature live audio demonstrations using problematic recordings and mixes, showing the processes used to clean them up and make them usable. The class will focus primarily on iZotope RX and Steinberg SpectraLayers, two of the leading applications in the field.
40 Bands in 4 Days in a Studio Made Out of Hay — Lij Shaw
For years, Lij Shaw has operated the Hay Bale Studio, a temporary recording studio built from hay bales at Bonnaroo, one of the most important music festivals in the United States. Through this project, he has recorded and mixed hundreds of artists, ranging from Jack White and Wilco to Sheryl Crow, The Black Keys, and Bruce Hornsby.
In this class at RipaSound, Lij will share the unique technical and logistical challenges of a project like this and explain how he and his team have learned to overcome them.
Compression as a Creative Tool — Ronan Chris Murphy
Although a compressor has only a few basic controls, compression remains one of the most misunderstood aspects of music production and engineering. Mastering compression is one of the skills that separates the best engineers from everyone else.
In this class, Ronan will demonstrate how compression is far more than simple “level control.” It is actually one of the most powerful tools in the studio for shaping sound, creating emotion, and controlling musical expression.
Recording Studio Rockstars Live! — Lij Shaw Interviews Mike Lembo
Lij Shaw brings his iconic podcast, Recording Studio Rockstars, to Italy for a special live, in-person edition.
Lij will sit down with music-industry veteran Mike Lembo to talk about a life in music and the business of music production. Lembo has had a long career in the music industry as a publisher, label executive, and manager of producers who have worked with Radiohead, Hole, Pixies, Rush, Alice in Chains, The Replacements, Dwight Yoakam, Foo Fighters, and many more.
He will share stories from his life in the music business and offer insights into the strategies he uses to create opportunities and generate income for the producers he manages.
Saturday, September 26
Production / Mix Feedback Session
In this session, participants will have the opportunity to submit their names for random selection to have their work played in the theater on our Focal Utopia Main 212 monitoring system. Ronan and several of the other instructors will provide feedback on the production, recording, and mixing of each selected track.
Because of limited time, we will only be able to work with a handful of participants. However, when Ronan includes sessions like this in events he presents in the United States, they often prove extremely valuable not only for the selected participants, but for everyone in the audience.
The Secret to Great Drum Sounds — Ronan Chris Murphy
Ronan has spent decades behind the boards recording and mixing some of the greatest drummers in the world, including Terry Bozzio, Pat Mastelotto, Benny Greb, Bill Bruford, Gregg Bissonette, and many more.
In this masterclass, he will teach techniques for getting amazing drum sounds even without a large budget or a world-class studio. He will explain essential concepts for drum tracking and demonstrate advanced techniques for improving recorded drum sounds.
The class will focus primarily on acoustic drums, although many of the concepts also apply to electronic drums. Please note that drums will not be recorded live during this session.
The Heart of Marche and Music Technology — Leonardo Gabrielli, PhD
This class was added by special request from Ronan as a way to share the fascinating story of how one of Italy’s lesser-known regions became one of the world’s important centers of musical-instrument manufacturing and music technology.
This talk will trace the roots of the Marche music district, beginning with the Soprani accordion factory and exploring how and why the region eventually became a major center for the development of electronic musical instruments.
Leonardo will examine what happened with the arrival of digital technologies in the 1980s and how companies in the region survived periods of global economic and technological change while remaining active, innovative, and relevant into the present day.
Saturation, Distortion, Clipping: An Aesthetic Perspective — Simone Coen
The 2000s were largely defined by the transition to DAW-based production. The 2010s saw the widespread adoption of parallel-processing approaches to mixing. The 2020s seem to be increasingly defined by distortion in its many forms.
During this class, you will learn the theory behind different types of distortion and hear examples of each, establishing a common foundation from which to explore the subject in greater depth.
You will learn how and when distortion can be applied to a recording or mix, where it can be placed in the signal chain, and the different effects it can have on the finished production.
The class will also explore how distortion is not simply about adding harmonic—or non-harmonic—content, but can also function as a form of dynamic-range management, behaving in some ways like an “over-the-top” compressor.
The listening portion of the class will go deeper into the subject through examples of real-world mixes and masters in which different types and degrees of distortion have been put to use.
The class will conclude with Simone’s aesthetic approach to distortion—an approach rooted in the history of recording and in the theory of perspective, one of the great innovations of Italian Renaissance painting, applied here to the art of “painting” music.
Sunday, September 27
FISA Suprema – Beyond the Digital Accordion
FISA Suprema – Beyond the Digital Accordion. A journey inside FISA Suprema and its advanced sound technology. Siginifican work on the revolutionary FISA Suprema from Korg was done just a few kilometers from Ripatransone at the studio of Luigi Bruti. Before speaking on the sampling and virtual instrument panel, Luigi will showcase the latest developments in this technology.
The presentation will showcase selected models from 46 accordion and traditional instrument types available, plus orchestral, organ and synth sounds. Introducing the innovative Hyper Real Sound Cluster, allowing the accordionist to create realistic band and orchestral accompaniments entirely through their own playing. From individual sound elements to complete orchestral and cinematic performances.
Sampling and Creating Virtual Instruments — Simone Coen & Luigi Bruti with Lij Shaw
In this special panel, Lij Shaw will sit down with Simone Coen and Luigi Bruti to discuss their professional work creating sampled, virtual, and digital musical instruments.
Coen is the founder of Chocolate Audio, which has been creating Kontakt sample libraries and virtual instruments since 2003. Luigi Bruti has been a pioneer in the creation of electronic and digital instruments since the late 1970s, working with some of the biggest brands in the world, including Korg and Roland.
The panel will also feature a demonstration of Bruti’s latest collaboration with Korg: the FISA SUPREMA, a revolutionary digital accordion.
Ask a Pro Panel
This is your chance to interact directly with music-industry professionals in an open Q&A format. Ask about business, technology, recording, production, career development, or virtually any other aspect of the industry.
The panel includes Nashville-based engineer Lij Shaw, who is not only an engineer and songwriter but also a respected advocate for studio rights and the host of the Recording Studio Rockstars podcast. Get more in depth info about the panel.
Roberto Oksman de Aragão is an engineer who, in addition to his music-recording work, has built a successful career in podcast editing, working on some of the biggest podcasts in Brazil.
Mike Lembo brings a different perspective. He is neither a producer nor an engineer, but has enjoyed a long career on the business side of music. His experience ranges from managing Tom Petty’s first band to working in music publishing and, today, managing the careers of producers who have worked with artists including Radiohead, Hole, Pixies, Rush, Alice in Chains, The Replacements, Dwight Yoakam, Foo Fighters, and many more.
Getting the Low End Right — Ronan Chris Murphy
One of the questions professional engineers hear most often is, “How do I get the low end right?”
In this masterclass, Ronan will teach strategies for understanding what is actually happening in the low end of your productions. He will explain how to identify common problems and provide practical, powerful techniques for achieving the low-end balance, impact, and clarity you want in your recordings and mixes.
Musical Arrangement for Artist Production – Pepe Gasparini
This final calls of the festival is in Italian, but is based on concrete examples of musical arrangement that should prove interesting, even for those that do not understand the language.
Drawing on the instructor’s direct experience and using concrete examples, this workshop will illustrate the journey from the initial musical idea to the finished product: communication and the relationship of trust with the artist, the interpretation of artistic ideas and concepts, pre-production phases, technology, arrangement, and work in the recording studio.