Recording and mix engineer, Jacob ‘Biz’ Morris picked up the Audient monitor controller, Nero recently. Installed in the studio room he works in Reach Records in Atlanta, Nero fits in a treat. “It looks so sleek and authoritative, the perfect command centre right in the middle of my workspace,” he says.
Nero monitor controller: “the perfect command center right in the middle of my workspace”
Designed to help centralise, connect and control all monitoring from the desktop, Biz has only praise for the British unit. “Nero has everything I need, to do what I want to do. The multiple ins are so convenient, allowing me to switch between mixes effortlessly. I love the multiple headphone outs as well. It allows me the flexibility to record in the control room where I’m at, and have multiple artists hear themselves at once.”
Recording is in his blood. Biz started back when he was 14 with a small setup at his mom’s house, where his mates would come over to record. Incredibly, he was nominated for a Grammy for an album he engineered whilst still in school. Since then accolades have continued to flood in, including two Grammy wins for his engineering of American Christian hip hop recording artist Lecrae’s song Messengers and his well-received 2012 album, Gravity. “I just heard that I got another Gold record: Coming In Hot by Andy and Lecrae,” Biz tells Audient. “That’s my 8th or 9th Platinum/Gold record!”
“Nero gives me the stereo signal 100% through and through at any volume”
Biz continues, “I also love the pots on the unit, they feel sooo smooth. I’ve had history with very noisy monitor controllers, and Nero gives me absolutely no noise at all at any point when changing volume. I’ve also had experience of some monitor controllers changing the stereo image of the signal at low volumes, but Nero gives me the stereo signal 100% through and through at any volume. The overall transparency in sound really helps me out.”
Appreciating the small details, he says: “It is small, but such a nice touch: the mute and dim buttons fade upon activation. This means there’s no clicking or popping when dimming or muting! You can tell the Nero is built to exacting detail and perfection. This makes all the difference to me in my studio space. As I strive to make quality records, it feels amazing to work with quality gear.”
“Nero gives me absolutely no noise at all at any point”
Work is continuing apace for Biz. “I worked on 43 songs in June!” he says. “I just finished Andy Mineo’s new album which comes out soon, and mixed the latest Shane & Shane album in Atmos.” Interestingly, Shane & Shane are only the second Christian & Gospel artist to have Dolby Atmos content in the music stores. With the increasing demand for Atmos, Biz has his work cut out.
Yet he remains ever positive. “Seeing people’s feedback to the music we make really motivates me,” he says.
Audient is pleased to hear that!
