CAS Quarterly

60 S U M M E R 2 0 2 1 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y TELEVISION NON-FICTION, VARIETY OR MUSIC SERIES OR SPECIALS Hamilton by DAVID BONDELEVITCH CAS MPSE Meet the Winners Hamilton as aired on Disney+ was shot in June of 2016. It was originally scheduled for a theatrical release and was mixed as such. For various reasons, there had not been an announced release date until the pandemic moved it up from the back burner. In a stroke of marketing genius, Disney released the film during the shutdown for Independence Day. In addition to giving Disney+ new subscribers, the film was a welcome respite from the daily gloom of news and effectively cheered up the country on a holiday where gatherings would not have been safe. I spoke with the four winning crew members, each of whom had different jobs at different times during the process. Justin Rathburn recorded the original dialogue, vocal, and music tracks over three days in June 2016. Tim Latham was, essentially, the scoring mixer, prepping the tracks for a final mix. Tony Volante did the theatrical mix, which was intended to be the final over a year before Roberto Fernandez was brought in to remix it for a streaming release. None of them worked together at the same time in the same room. I must add that it was a real pleasure speaking to these gentlemen. JUSTIN RATHBURN: Production Mixer Justin Rathburn is originally from Buffalo, NY, but moved to Vero Beach, FL, when he was young. "I started playing guitar when I was quite young, but never really got very proficient at it. I did, however, take up bass (electric and upright) in high school. I ended up playing in several groups that helped me pay for college, including a music scholarship for a short time before Full Sail. I do use almost everything I ever learned as a musician in my work. It's critical to know the intent and building blocks (sonic qualities included) of the music and instruments before you try to reproduce it." Justin went to Full Sail and studied show production. He then worked on cruise ships for almost six years as an audio technician, moving to NYC in 2005 and has been there since. "Until Full Sail, I never had any formal audio training. That being said, I have learned more technique in the field than anyone can learn in school. I certainly encourage school for the basics, but learning from others who are not in a classroom setting was the most beneficial for me." He has two mentors that helped shepherd him though his Broadway career. "The first is Peter Fitzgerald, who happens to be one of the owners of Sound Associates, Inc. in Yonkers, NY. He gave me my first shot at mixing a show here in NY. I treasure his advice and would not be where I am without his belief in me. The second is Nevin Steinberg, who has designed nine of the shows I've been associated with, Hamilton included. He has included me in this wild ride of fun and intense shows that have kept me sharp and always looking to improve my skillset." Justin got a call from Nevin, who asked him to mix a workshop of The Hamilton Mixtape in 2013. "I said, 'Of course,' as I had worked with him on In the Heights. I thought I knew what I was in for. After the very first read through, I turned to Nevin and said something to the tune of, 'I have to work on this show, regardless of the cost (financially).' We did a few more workshops, some staged readings, and opened at The Public Theater in 2015. In August of 2016, Hamilton opened on Broadway, and I've been there since!" Asked about microphones, he replied, "A good majority of the microphones we use come from the DPA catalogue. There are a few Shure, Sennheiser, Point Source, and Audix mics in there as well. "For the cast, each was fitted with a custom DPA 4061 or Sennheiser MKE-1 lavaliere rig, paired with Sennheiser 5212 transmitters and Sennheiser 3732 receivers. There was a total of 25 of those used for the capture. Microphones were either placed on the hairline of each actor, or custom ear rigs were created to fit each individual cast member, depending on their activity throughout the show. The handheld mics are Shure UR-2/SM58 transmitters with UR4D receivers. "There is a total of 57 lines coming from the orchestra pit. We also added more than a dozen room microphones for Dolby Atmos support. I believe we used Sennheiser MKH 8060's, as well as an Atmos capture microphone setup in the balcony. All in all, around 130 total (plus or minus a few). Everything was transferred through close to a dozen (if not more) 96 kHz MADI streams from the existing DiGiCo system that we have in the Richard Rodgers Theater." Asked about interference with wireless mics, he replied, "No, we did

• Cover