LAVRY ENGINEERING BOOSTS EDUCATION WITH DONATION OF LAVRYBLUE A/D D/A CONVERTERS TO WOMEN’S AUDIO MISSION

San Francisco-Based Organization Demonstrates Best Practices in Recording Arts and Audio Technology Training with Transparent Conversion & Mic Pres of LavryBlue

SAN FRANCISCO: Some manner of revolution is always brewing within the San Francisco hills. In the Mission District, insulated from the fog and wind that can envelop the rest of the city, aspiring women audio engineers are finding a clear path to the recording studio: the non-profit Women’s Audio Mission (WAM), which is promoting change by training over 200 young women a year in recording arts and audio technology.

In addition to providing a positive environment for their students to learn in, the WAM studio is consistently equipped with the top gear available, going beyond a mere working knowledge of equipment and instead illustrating best practices right from the start. To help demonstrate the importance of highest-quality conversion and audio capture, Lavry Engineering (www.lavryengineering.com) has donated a LavryBlue A/D D/A modular conversion system with two channels of mic pres.

“At WAM, our teaching philosophy is to give our students access to world-class equipment,” says Terri Winston, Founder and Executive Director of WAM. “As a teaching tool, we may say for example, ‘Here are your garden-variety converters, and then here are the Lavrys.’ They hear the difference the right converter can make, and then they understand why something like the LavryBlue is important to use, and why it’s in the studio.”

A teaching facility that is also available for commercial use, the studio requires that a WAM-certified engineer and an assistant in their engineering program be on each session. Recording music styles that run the gamut from acoustic to metal to VO narration, the WAM room is prepared for each situation with the extreme transparency and full-frequency response of the LavryBlue.

“The LavryBlue sounds stunning,” Winston says. “When it comes to converters, I’m not looking for them to color the sound – I want to hear what’s really in there. The LavryBlue brings out incredible clarity in the mix, details in the reverb tail, and everything else that could get neglected otherwise.”

The modular unit at WAM also features the stereo LavryBlue-MicPre, designed for transparent high-end performance. “The Lavry mic pres are very much in the style of the converters,” states Winston. “They are extremely clean and revealing, and we appreciate that we can hear what’s really happening when we go through them. They’re excellent for vocals, acoustic guitar, drum overheads and cymbals. It’s really good tool for getting out the details.”  

The LavryBlue Modular A/D D/A Conversion System provides 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96kHz sampling frequencies, and can be configured in 2 to 8 channels A/D, D/A  or a combination of both, and is also available along with MicPre modules in one space-saving unit. The LavryBlue’s A/D cards allow the selection of various word lengths, Analog or Digital soft saturation, and dither with αβC αcoustic βit Correction® noise shaping. Other features include LED metering, reference meter mode, peak detection and front panel gain control. Lavry’s extremely transparent conversion may use internal crystals or externally lock to Word Clock or AES signal.

Lavry Engineering’s donation of the LavryBlue to WAM is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to deserving educational programs around the world. “It was clear that we had to support WAM in any way we could,” says Priscilla Lavry, CEO of Lavry Engineering. “Terri Winston and her staff are serving as mentors to women and girls everywhere who go on to make essential contributions to the world of audio. We’re proud that our equipment is a cornerstone of their in-studio experience.”

Equipped with the right attitude and the right gear, The Women’s Audio Mission is making soundwaves that reverberate far beyond the Mission District. “It’s exciting to see our graduates getting experience on records, films, TV, podcasts and more,” Terri Winston says. “My favorite thing is when I see that we’ve helped change women’s lives, in a way that’s really meaningful to them.”

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About Lavry Engineering:
Lavry Engineering, located in Poulsbo, Washington, was founded by digital audio expert Dan Lavry in 1993. The company specializes in products for professional audio, broadcast, audiophile and surround markets designed to satisfy the growing demand for hi-res digital audio performance. Lavry Engineering’s Gold, Black and Blue product lines offer a range of systems accommodating a wide range of budgets and applications. For more information, please visit www.lavryengineering.com.
All referenced product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
About Women’s Audio Mission:
For more information, please visit www.womensaudiomission.org