Words of Wisdom

Full Sail University: Join us for our next episode of Taking Flight with special guest David Frangioni. As an award-winning music producer, audio engineer, and technology pioneer, David has a remarkable story to share. This exclusive guest speaker event will provide insights into the intersection of music, technology, and business and the innovative spirit that drives success in these industries. David’s career is a testament to the power of passion and perseverance. In addition to being the CEO of Modern Drummer Publications and running the Frangioni Foundation, he has worked with well-known artists, such as Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, The Rolling Stones, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Sting, Ariana Grande, Bryan Adams, Kiss, Santana, Journey, Shakira, Rascal Flatts, Cher, and hundreds of others.

For more information about master's degrees at Full Sail University visit https://www.fullsail.edu/masters-degrees

Located in Winter Park, Florida, Full Sail University offers academic certificates, undergraduate programs, and graduate programs designed for the world of entertainment media and emerging technologies. Full Sail’s creative approach to education provides an immersive, fast-paced, and relevant learning experience that mirrors the workflow and collaboration found throughout today’s rapidly evolving industries.

From Goldin Auctions:
"Go listen to the searing drum intro at the beginning of Van Halen's classic, "Hot for Teacher," from their hit 1984 record and rejoice that it was a paper route that decided the musical fate of the brothers' Van Halen. Born in Amsterdam on May 8, 1953, to Jan van Halen, an accomplished jazz saxophonist and clarinetist, his wife, Eugenia, Alex, his brother Eddie, and their parents moved to Pasadena, California, in 1962. Though the brothers were trained as classical pianists, Alex first gravitated towards the guitar, while Eddie first picked up sticks on a $125 Japanese-made St. George Kit, with Eddie delivering papers to pay for the kit. When Eddie was away slinging papers instead of licks, Alex stepped behind the kit, honing the craft that helped launch Van Halen into the pantheon of rock gods. When Eddie heard Alex's mastery of the drum solo on "Wipeout," Eddie turned his attention—thankfully—to the guitar. He thus set the earliest lineup of one of the most influential music acts in rock history, with Alex's drumming drawing inspiration from the likes of Ginger Baker, John Bonham, Keith Moon, Buddy Rich, and Ray Phillips, which all formed to create a wholly unique and singular sound.

Alex graduated high school in 1971 and enrolled for a period at Pasadena City College. The band we know as Van Halen took form there, as Alex met Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth while attending music theory classes. Alex and Eddie even borrowed Roth's PA system for shows before they formed the group Mammoth in 1972 with Mark Stone on bass, Alex on drums, and Eddie on vocals and lead guitar. Anthony joined the band later, and after it was discovered that another band used the same name, it was Roth's idea to name them Van Halen, after Alex. The rest is history, as their 1978 debut Van Halen, powered by the singles "Runnin' with the Devil, "Ain't Talkin' ‘bout Love," and the instrumental "Eruption," put the band on the map, influencing countless hard rock and heavy metal bands in their wake with their potent mix of heavy metal and hard rock. The band released 12 studio albums during their tenure atop rock’s charts, with a rotating cast of singers including Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone on vocals, with Alex and Eddie remaining as the only originals members until the band disbanded after Eddie’s death in 2020.

The "Brown Sound" created by the band is often attributed to Eddie, but Alex insists the name is after his distinct snare drum sound, though Eddie’s virtuoso guitar playing is a sound unto its own. The band has sold over 56 million albums in the United States and more than 80 million worldwide and earned entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

From Audioholics YouTube: "In this livestream we sit down with David Frangioni to discuss center channel mixing practices for Spatial Audio Music. When Apple and Tidal first started releasing Spatial Audio mixes, I noticed many of them did NOT mix vocals to the center channel but instead used it for effects and reverb. Some experts argue that it's important to have vocals predominantly coming from the dedicated center channel so that every seat gets anchored vocals as opposed to relying on a phantom center that works mostly at the Main Listening Position (MLP) but diminishes as you sit off axis to side seats. David talks about why most Spatial Audio music isn't mixed this way despite it may go against conventional wisdom as the reason why the center channel exists in the first place.

David Frangioni is an award-winning veteran of the music and audio-visual technology industry, with expertise ranging from being a drummer and producer, to an audio consultant, technologist, integrator and recording engineer. He’s worked with such artists as Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith, The Stones, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Ricky Martin, Steely Dan, Sting, Bryan Adams, Journey, Styx, Phil Collins, Shakira, Rascal Flatts, Cher and Chick Corea. In the A/V world, he led Audio One to more CEDIA awards in a given time period than any other audio-visual system integrator in the USA and in the music business, he has worked on dozens of Gold & Platinum albums. David is CEO & Publisher of Modern Drummer Magazine, the world’s #1 drum magazine www.moderndrummer.com. " https://www.audioholics.com/

David Frangioni, CEO of Modern Drummer, makes an exclusive announcement about the future of Modern Drummer right here on Drum History! Not only do we learn about the exciting news, we also get an update on what has been happening with the magazine since the Frangioni family took things over in February 2020, just weeks before the pandemic changed the world forever, and how this has shaped the exciting new plans for the magazine. David then takes us through his life and career which began with eye cancer as a child and his persistent rise to the top in the fields of music, technology, and collecting. This is a really good one that is full of great information!

In this episode John DeChristopher and David Frangioni, CEO & Publisher of Modern Drummer discussed their recent collaboration of “Live From My Drum Room” becoming the Modern Drummer Podcast, their 40 year history, what inspires them as drummers, their experiences working in the Drum Industry and much more!

David Frangioni's immersive audio mix of Diana Ross' hit song "I'm Coming Out" was recently regarded by MusicRadar.com as a top 10 Spatial Audio Track that Hit The Mark. The mix was created using the latest immersive audio technology, providing a truly immersive listening experience. The attention to detail and mastery of the technology resulted in a mix that perfectly captures the energy and spirit of the original song. The mix places the listener right in the middle of the music, with instruments and vocals seemingly coming from all directions. It's a truly unique and captivating listening experience.

Audioholics welcomes legendary jazz drummer and composer @AntonioSanchezDrums back to our channel along with David Frangioni, Platinum award winning music technologist, producer & CEO @ModernDrummerOfficial. Born in Mexico City, 4-time Grammy Award winner Antonio Sánchez began playing the drums at age five and performed professionally in his early teens in Mexico’s rock, jazz and latin scenes. He pursued a degree in classical piano at the National Conservatory in Mexico and in 1993 enrolled in Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Jazz Studies. Antonio Sanchez is best known for his work with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny and as a composer and Grammy winner of the film score for the 2014 film Birdman.

In this exciting livestream, we will talk about the following with Antonio Sanchez and David Frangioni: Modern Drummer Cover Story - The Time to Lead is Now The Experience of working on “The Way Up” with the Pat Metheny Group How Antonio’s playing has evolved in his solo career Bad Hombre II – the Collabs, the music, impressions, potential for Spatial Audio Mix Only Now – How Antonio Sanchez feels about the perception of Jazz with Today’s audience Future Projects & Collabs

David Frangioni has worked in hundreds of studios as both the installer and engineer/producer/technologist for artists such as Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Ricky Martin, Ringo Starr, Sting, Bryan Adams, The Stones, Pat Metheny, Kiss and dozens more. David will discuss his approach to choosing loudspeakers for a recording studio or reference quality playback room, incl. sizing the right speaker, how many pairs of speakers do you need for a studio? Surround or stereo? Specific brand and type? Acoustics and speakers and much more.

The World of Art Goes Digital!

Like so many things, the world of art is going digital. Much like digital music, it has taken some years of technology and business model evolution to make it happen. The music business has transformed itself from content sold as ownership of physical media to a subscription model that offers up most of the world’s recorded music at the swipe of a screen. The art world, of course, has been a physical one for the most part. But now, innovative digital technology and business models are democratizing the enjoyment of fine art for many through NFT.

Let’s take a closer look at Blackdove, a digital platform using NFT technology to enable people to purchase, collect, display, and manage authentic digital art on any high-quality display anywhere in the world, from Miami, FL, to Sydney, Australia. As Blackdove puts it, they want to make the world a bit more beautiful through the magic of NFT digital displays. Read more about Blackdove and how you can beautify your spaces below!

LG and Blackdove Partner for a New Way to Showcase Digital Art

If you are new to the NFT world, you might be wondering what exactly is an NFT? The next question might be, what does an NFT have to do with art? And then, you might ask, what is Blackdove? If you’re not new to the digital art world, you likely have a sense of what NFTs are, and you’ll be interested in this new partnership between LG and Blackdove.

In this post, we will start from the top and work our way down. If you are interested in collecting digital art and are wondering how you go about displaying NFT artwork in your Ft. Lauderdale, FL, home or business, you’ll want to read the rest of this. In future posts, we’ll go into more detail about this emerging digital art technology and market.

Do You Need a Video Processor? Here Is All You Need to Know.

If you’re in the market for a video processor, you can’t do better than the madVR Envy. In 2021, it received the “Best Award for Video Processor” by AVS Forum, the UK’s number one home entertainment tech community. AVS Forum also named it “Best in Class” with a rare 10/10 score, and it received the “Best New Hardware” award from CEDIA.

It's safe to say that we’re not the only fans of madVR’s Envy video processor.  If you’re wondering what makes the Envy so special, we’re here to explain all.  Continue reading to learn how you can bring high-end cinema to your Palm Beach, FL home with the madVR Envy!

Before the Walls Are Sealed & Finished, Plan for Home Automation

If you’re building a new home or undergoing a renovation, and you’d like to include a smart home system, don’t wait until construction is complete. Many homeowners assume smart technology is an add-on they can do later, like choosing paint colors or furniture.

But ideally, you should be planning to incorporate a smart system from the very beginning of your project.

Our home automation company works alongside architects and home builders to appropriately plan where wiring and technology systems should go. We help create stunning smart houses in Naples, FL and cities around the world.

Below, we’ll share why early smart home design is essential and how working with a professional can make all the difference.  

Illuminate Your Miami Home in an All-New Light

Lutron is a leader in smart lighting control. But their lighting systems let you do much more than turn lights on and off from your phone or play with colors. When you create and save custom lighting scenes, you’ll cultivate precise moods and settings to recreate anytime.

But how do scenes work, and when would you actually use them? In this blog, we’ll share how to create your own lighting and shading scenes and share useful scene ideas. With Lutron lighting control, the possibilities are endless for your Miami, FL home.

MADVR ENVY INTRODUCES AUTO-SUBTITLE MANAGEMENT AND WHY IT MATTERS

Subtitle Management with Scope Screens

We recently covered how our non-linear stretch (NLS+) platform makes it easy to fill your entire screen, regardless of its aspect ratio (AR) and the AR of the content. In case you are not familiar, a "scope" screen generally refers to a screen that is wider than the standard HDTV 16:9 aspect ratio.

In today's newsletter, we're changing gears a bit to answer a related question that often comes up about subtitles - specifically how to handle subtitles within the black bars in scope movies.

Understanding the Problem

Subtitles within the black bars of a scope movie are a problem, because when using a scope screen to watch a scope movie (e.g. watching a 2.40 AR movie on a 2.40 screen), the projector is usually zoomed so that the movie fills the entire screen, like this:

Why Crestron Home Automation Is in a League of Its Own

If you’re ready to simplify daily life with a smart home system, one of your first steps is to choose a brand.

There are several home options, but we recommend Crestron for large luxury homes or multiple properties. Why? Crestron is a high-end smart home manufacturer that’s used everywhere—from universities to sports stadiums to Tom Brady’s house.

What makes Crestron home automation special? The Crestron Home platform is completely customizable, allowing for “magical” control and automation of your home’s systems. We design and install Crestron systems in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and cities throughout the world. Here’s why we love working with Crestron.

Enjoy Music and Movies Like Never Before with Two-Channel Audio and a Hi-Fi Audio System

Who doesn’t love playing music for all different occasions? Music moves us, both literally and emotionally. That’s what makes an innovative Hi-Fi audio system and two-channel audio in your Fort Lauderdale, FL home so critical. Experience your favorite songs in a deeper and more meaningful way with Frangioni Media.

Read on to learn why both residents and professional musicians around the world swear by our Hi-Fi audio more than any other brand.

Partner with a Home Theater Specialist to Bring Cinematic Designs to Life

As an interior designer, you understand color, light, taste and much more. You know how to light up a room and translate a client’s desires into a place to call home.  

But while it’s natural for you to find wallpapers and unique furniture, do you know who to best go to for a home theater design?

If your clients want their own private cinema, you need to know where to turn for equipment, acoustic treatments, and installing it all into an easy-to-use system. Rather than hire a random AV guy, look for a luxury home theater designer to handle this side of your projects.  

Frangioni Media is a technology integrator specializing in luxury home theater design in Palm Beach, FL, and cities worldwide. We’ll share what exactly a home theater installer does and how they can leverage your projects to higher levels.

The Difference a Professional Design & Installation Makes

More musicians and producers are working from home than ever. If you’re in a similar position, isn’t it time to go beyond DIY while recording, and hire a professional studio designer?

At Frangioni Media, we design and install world-class studios for professional musicians in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and cities around the world. It can be daunting to decide if you’re ready for a professional recording studio setup, but in this article, we’ll share three major benefits of working with a studio installer.

Josh.ai Gives You Hands-Free Home Automation with Simple Commands and Privacy Protection

The concept of non-humans or machines using the human voice has a long history in mythology and has been a central technology for futurists and science fiction writers. Josh.ai brings fantasy to reality with natural language processing creating the ultimate home automation voice control. 

Today’s so-called smart speakers are nearly ubiquitous, distributed mass market novelties with the pretense of including rudimentary smart home functions. However, despite using modern chips and well-crafted language algorithms, they still suffer from poor recognition. They are also tracking data that is highly personal in nature, essentially “selling” your personal habits to serve THEIR best interests. The opposite of private. Josh.ai is entirely private and changes the game in YOUR best interest.

The Josh.ai system was created to be different and more comprehensive from the start. Are you curious about the possibilities for your Miami, FL smart home? Continue reading below to learn more.