Issue: Studio - March 2006

SKYWALKER SOUND INSTALLS NINE SOUNDMASTER VIRPADS

SAN RAFAEL, CA – Skywalker Sound has increased its investment in Soundmaster gear, having recently purchased nine of the company’s VirPad virtual keypad controllers. Skywalker bought its first VirPad prior to its official introduction back at the AES show in 2004.

The tool is designed to enhance Soundmaster’s ION operating environment through the use of programmable switches with built-in LCD displays. Using this combination of programmability and dynamic
labeling, fewer physical switches can multitask and combine to
provide increased functionality in a small footprint. The control center also boasts registers for timecode/footage, record in/out points and data input/calculator, as well as LCD and LED displays for system status.


The new units will be deployed in Skywalker’s Foley and dubbing stages where they will serve as programmable user interfaces for the Soundmaster ION systems that the studio has standardized on.


“Soundmaster’s industry standard products are both powerful and
invaluable tools at Skywalker Sound,” notes Rollin Feld, director
of technical operations at Skywalker Sound. “Their motion-control
and synchronization technology have become an integral part of our workflow.”