RSR291 - Larry Droppa - The Legendary Sound of API Audio in Your Home Studio
Recording Studio Rockstars
Lij Shaw
4.8 • 543 Ratings
🗓️ 2 April 2021
⏱️ 129 minutes
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Summary
My guest today is Larry Droppa the owner and president of API since 1999, when he acquired the company at auction. He and two friends launched ATI, the live console company, in 1988, positioning that company's Paragon console as the premier live sound mixing tool for many years. After adding Uptown Automation in 1995 and then API in '99, Larry's quest for audio manufacturing notability had been satisfied.
He spent the first half of his professional career as a live mixing engineer, progressing from a local bar band, to a small regional sound company, to one of the larger live sound companies in the US. Larry has toured with folk groups, orchestras, pop and rock bands and spent an ear-splitting 6 weeks on the road with the band listed in the 1984 Guinness Book of World Records as the 'Loudest Band In A Performance'. But the highlight of his live mixing days is unquestionably the 12 years he spent mixing in-ear monitors for Stevie Wonder. Stevie was an early adopter of in-ears and Larry developed both high-quality in-ear monitors as well as a unique wireless transmission system during that time.
With the purchase of API, Larry had to pivot to become familiar with the studio environment and its inherent differences. Hard work and a team of dedicated audio professionals re-built the API brand into the acknowledged powerhouse it is today. The entire range of API products remains firmly dedicated to co-founder Saul Walker's original ideas and designs.
A statement on Larry's passion for the music business can best be summed up in the words of a Stevie Wonder song, Sir Duke – 'Music is a world within itself with a language we all understand, With an equal opportunity for all to sing, dance and clap their hands…'
It is an honor to have the fearless visionary leader keeping the legendary API sound alive and well joining us today...
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode of Recording Studio Rockstars is brought to you by Sound Porter Mastering, |
| 0:06.1 | OWC, Adam Audio, API Audio, JZ microphones, Spectra-1964, and Isotope. |
| 0:13.8 | In fact, you're hearing my voice right now through the J-Z pop filter on the J-ZB-29 microphone |
| 0:20.0 | through the Spectra-1964 STX-600 mic pre-complimeter and |
| 0:25.3 | isotope RX and ozone, all recorded safely onto an OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSD. So get ready to rock. |
| 0:36.4 | For the 8-channel lunchbox, the launchbox has a DB-25 connector. |
| 0:40.7 | So you can go DB-25 out of the lunchbox, DB-25 into the box console without a bunch of patch cameras. |
| 0:47.0 | One single cable will give you eight channels at a time. |
| 0:49.2 | So you absolutely can have a whole bunch of mic preys on the line side of the console and do a multi-channel |
| 0:56.3 | recording down to stereo on the fly. |
| 1:08.9 | Welcome to recording studio Studio Rockstars. |
| 1:12.0 | I'm Lid Shaw, and this is the podcast created to help you become a rock star of the recording studio. |
| 1:23.8 | Whether you're in the studio or working remotely, the Envoy Pro FX from OWC lets you record from anywhere with confidence, |
| 1:31.3 | pushing USB technology bandwidth to the max of 2,800 megabytes per second over Thunderbolt. |
| 1:37.3 | Transfer tracks in seconds and take your sessions with you anywhere you go. |
| 1:42.3 | Built for the road, the OWC Envoy Pro FX is waterproof, |
| 1:46.3 | dustproof, and crushproof. Find the new Envoy Pro FX and all your storage needs at macsales.com |
| 1:53.4 | slash rock stars. |
| 1:58.8 | Jay-Z mics brings you the ultimate futuristic pop filter for your studio built from solid metal |
| 2:05.2 | parts that won't break and a flexible goose neck for easy placement. |
| 2:09.3 | The JZ pop filter uses a unique wave guide design that prevents plosives from getting through |
| 2:14.8 | to the mic while allowing important high frequencies for clarity. |
... |
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