soundmanshorty

new website layout & redesign Check it out www.systemsbyshorty.com

new website layout & redesign Check it out updates with pics of new SBS products comming soon. www.systemsbyshorty.com

new website layout & redesign Check it out updates with pics of new SBS products comming soon, www.systemsbyshorty.com

when David and I just started redoing that sound system, since then that entire sound system has been replaced and modified from its original form. We have upgraded and added more to it so the stacks are completly different from when DT played that room. www.systemsbyshorty.com

Yes I did build the curent sound system in Stereo, let me know how you like it. I am also building a new room in Toronto rt now for David Morales, this is Davids new nightclub called Sonic @ the former Boa Space, it will be very similar to the sound system that I designed for David @ Stereo in Montreal. For details on this new system I am designing & building for Sonic check out my message board on my site. www.systemsbyshorty.com *

I did build the curent sound system in Stereo let me know how you like it. I am also building a new room in Toronto rt now for David Morales new nightclub called Sonic it will be very similar to the sound system that I designed for Stereo in Montreal, For details on this new system I am designing & building for Sonic check out my message board on my site. www.systemsbyshorty.com

Back in the day when it was a club and worked on that room acoustics is not an issue with Roseland ballroom. www.systemsbyshorty.com

Redid this sound system with David Morales over 3 yrs ago, he didthe original sound system but it has been changed and redesigned after his departure. SBS www.systemsbyshorty.com 2003 SBS SystemsByShorty & Stereo nightclub Montreal.club world award nominee for worlds best sound system by club systems international magazine 2004 SBS SystemsByShorty & Stereo nightclub Montreal.club world award nominee by club systems international magazine

Im glad you enjoy my work.

nope Angel left nearly 3 years ago, David and I redid that sound system and put a whole new system in, that system changed aswell 3 years ago we have been nominated and won many awards for the new analog system we built. David Bought the club and renovated the whole place. www.systemsbyshorty.com

Quote from FK "Everyone who worked there form the guy that swept up the floor all the way up to the general manager where people that really understood the party. I can relate to the fact that security people want to get paid by the minute and that the party had to end because people have better things to do. But when that kind of atmosphere happens, what you DON'T" get it the magic that used to happen at the Paradise Garage. The basis of the party was that you stayed open until the people left, You didn't clear people out. So the party lasted until 10, 11, 12, whenever. And over the course of months or years of thing like that happening, you give opportunity for something to develop. A philosophy, an attitude, a way of seeing things. And to explain this you have to understand that there is no place like this now. You can't get it. And if there is, tell me where it is. Tell where there's a club where people do what they do and they're just in control? Where the DJ takes care of the music. He decides who plays. If he wants to play the whole night, he plays the whole night. If he doesn't want to play, he'll call his friend to play for him. He stays open as long as he wants. Where they don't have to sell alcohol and the owner is on the floor dancing. Please tell me where there's a club like this?" is a place in montreal called Stereo, the owner is David Morales and he will dance aswell as play music and decide who of his friends play if he does not want to,So there is still a place like this operating today where the staff and everyone will dance and is there for the party that closes whenever David decides. www.systemsbyshorty.com

sound system with a pic of 1 of the 6 stacks. http://www.deepattitude.com/ www.systemsbyshorty.com

Montreal's Club Stereo has been nominated 2 years in a row by Club Systems International magazine for the world's Best Sound System category in 2004, and now again in 2005 for the Night Stalker award, which is equivalent to the people's choice award by voting online at www.clubworldawards.com. That recognition came mainly due to the efforts of Shorty, the sound engineer for Stereo nightclub & for David Morales, and we would like to thank him for taking the time off his busy schedule to answer a few of our questions. irGO: Hey there SHORTY. I'd like to start with a warm hello from the HouseAddict website team and members. Any chance you can reveal your birth-given name? Shorty: it's Craig Bernabeu. irGO: Let's just cover some background on you - how did you learn about the trade, how did you get into this business, what were your first projects? Shorty: Well I was always around sound systems from when I was a kid - my father and his friend were really into audio. His best friend owned a consumer hi-fi audio shop so they always brought home different products to audition so I was always around when they did this. Then in the mid 80s I worked in a hi-fi shop selling and installing hi-end home sound systems and I built competition car audio systems where I built custom cabinets for cars & built custom passive x-over networks so I could run 28 speakers on 2 channel amps that were rated for 25 watts per channel that where just incredible. Then in the mid to late 80s I worked for a pro shop in Newark NJ that serviced some of Richard Long RIP accounts, namely Club Zanzibar and Club 88, so I worked on these systems as well as other clubs. From 1995 - 2001 I worked for Steve Dash for Phazon @ Twilo for 6 yrs as the sound tech. Then in 2001 - present I started SBS. So I was always around audio from one aspect to the other. irGO: Is your Company (SBS, aka Systems By Shorty) one that could be considered very unique, or are there many businesses out there that can offer the same passion and hard work that is put into this kind of trade? Shorty: I'd like to think we are extremely unique and have different philosophies to any other company in the field and have a lot of passion when it comes to sound. We build sound systems that have a home hi-fi audio / studio monitor reference system type of sound, but with a bottom end that runs thru you like a truck and a top end that has that disco sizzle, where you hear deep into the sound track hearing every inner detail as the producer meant it to be heard and as you're partying you can carry a conversation over the music without yelling to your partner on the floor at levels that are kicking you in the ass, and when leaving the club at the end of the night without your ears fatigued and buzzing and ringing. Our philosophy is use the best products and you get the best results, we hand build all our custom cabinets using the best wood and build the system to each room where no two systems are alike. irGO: Readers have noticed in other interviews that you're 'self taught' yourself on a lot of the facets of the sound industry, which is quite an accomplishment. Do you know if there are any formal college courses etc. (other than those for music production) that might help steer people towards this type of career path in the electronic music industry? Shorty: Yeah, most of my learning is self taught from trial & error and from the knowledge I have picked up from engineers in conversations throughout the years. I would have to say that there are no schools today that offer the kind of classes to teach audio the way I engineer systems. I gained most of my knowledge in the field & working with and under the right people. I build analog systems where I modify gear to respond the way I need it to respond & there is a lot of electronic trickery and it's voodoo audio being used in the design of my systems. The industry today is supporting building sound systems digitally and if you went to school this is the way you would learn audio design is got to be done, digitally, and they would say it can't be done analog which is completely untrue. Stereo proves that you can still build sound systems analog and it will work and perform better than the best digital technology can offer. irGO: We all know that nobody wants to go to a dance club to have their ears blown out. However, people love to be able to hear all the small notes/clips/bings & bangs within the music being played. Can you explain to readers what 'good sound' is, and how it accomplishes the above without people having to put on earplugs? What equipment do you personally use to achieve that? Shorty: A good system will not hurt you, but a great system will touch you emotionally and make you forget about your everyday troubles and you will never want the night to end because what you're experiencing is magical & sexual. But when it comes to hearing every inner detail of the sound track in a sound system, a system must be structured properly with proper power equations with the right box, driver, processing & amplifier combinations. For instance Stereo is only a mere 19,000 watts from the top end to the bottom end, that's considered to be a low powered system by today's standards. Most clubs today have more power than that in the sub bass alone, and most clubs today with a room similar in size to Stereo have 2-3 times that power & IMHO the problem with 99% of the systems today is that they are built with concert level power ratios with hi-power drivers so they hold up. This is necessary when you design hi-power sound, you have to use very rugged drivers, and when you use hi-power drivers they are built to handle hi-power and be very rugged, and when you use drivers like this you will loose on the inner details & finesse because you need heavier speaker cones and heavier voice coils because they need to handle the kind of current these hi-power amps are distributing, and with audio when you design a driver one way for hi-power and dependability it will loose on something else and that's usually fidelity. With audio you can't have everything - you design for one thing and other things suffer. Another issue you need to do when you're building a very hi-power system you need to limit and protect the system and this as well will play a roll in the fidelity. With Stereo we have no limiters or compressors so it's straight audio. So to really achieve the finest playback with a sound system you need to use gear that is built for an audiophile playback situation for critical listeners for instance, brands like Bryston or TAD. You can achieve hi-fi playback if you really know what you're doing. irGO: We've also read and heard about the incredible work that you and David Morales did with Stereo in Montreal, Quebec. Can you give us an idea of the amount of time you put into this project? Rumours are that there really was no monetary budget, but we're very interested in the duration of this project since you've taken so much pride in this specific one. Shorty: It is true that there is no budget with Stereo, in order to achieve the goal that David Morales and I wanted to achieve - building the best sound system at any cost. For the best sonic experience in a club you need to build an audiophile system, and a system the size of Stereo the budget is huge. So budget is the last thing you worry about, but the end result is how it sounds and that is what counts with us, so when you walk thru the doors to dance or listen to the system or if you're the jock playing on that system in Stereo it's gonna be the best sonic experience in a club possible. This project has taken us 2 years to date and we will never be finished with it, we will always upgrade and groom this system to be 5 steps ahead of everyone else. Just when people think it can't get any better & we're finished with it, we are changing and improving it. The first week in April '05 we will be installing & debuting our 1st prototype piece of gear that I designed, which is a custom built vacuum tube Isolator which will take this system sonically to the next level; this piece is that good. I am currently working with a hi-end company designing all kinds of products for nightclubs and DJs, and Stereo is the guinea pig for this product. Then once it's tested and approved after use in Stereo it will eventually be released commercially to the public. The Isolator is the 1st of many products that will be available. irGO: Given that HouseAddict.com is a Toronto-based website, we have some very selfish questions to ask you. Have you visited our lovely city to party in any clubs? (recently vs. the past). Shorty: Yes, it's a nice city, in the 80s I DJed at the Spectrum, I was at the Guvernment a few years ago and recently I was at a club that brought me out to design a system for them but they wanted to wait till they open their new room. So who knows, sometime soon there might be a huge SBS Analog rig coming to Toronto. irGO: The reason we ask this question is that the 'mega-clubs' in Toronto have all undergone sound system renovations in the past 1-2 years (i.e. Boa, System Sound Bar, & The Docks). All three of these clubs have chosen to boast products of Germany's own Dynacord (Alpha Concept). Local partiers have really noticed the difference in sound quality, and are more than pleased with the results in all of these clubs. Can you give us a little technical information on the Alpha Concept System that us lay-people can understand? Shorty: I know a couple of the owners of Boa and they are great guys, I have never been there but I heard great things about the sound in Boa and the space. The alpha concept is a digital out of the box package system that features EV (Electro Voice Drivers) but this is a package system that provides you with everything from the cables to the amps to the processing to the speakers & is cost effective. It's a good system, I only heard one alpha concept in NYC at a club and it was good. irGO: Given that you more than likely have personal favourites for each component of a system (Bryston, BSS, BGW, TAD), do you feel Dynacord makes some of the top quality systems in the world? Shorty: I'm more of a custom design guy; each room SBS designs a system for is totally unique and different from one to the next for every budget. So the club owner that buys a system from SBS offers something totally unique & amazing to their clientele. But I like the finer things in audio, so when a club owner wants the best product I like to use in my systems the best products available, to name a few, Bryston custom built processors & amps, TAD Drivers, BSS EQs, Urei 1620 Mixer, BGW amps. I feel when you use a out of the box product in multiple rooms that rooms sound too similar to each other, so I like one room to have its own personality & different from the next. I think the Dynacord product is a good product. irGO: Understanding that there are many variables affecting how you tailor a sound system to a club, does the building architecture stand out as a significant influence? (i.e. basement club vs. 'mega dance hall' vs. a renovated movie theatre... sorry, more selfish questions here). Shorty: Room acoustics play a major roll, you can have good acoustics in a basement, you can also have horrible acoustics in a basement as well and this goes for every room from mega clubs to theatres, some rooms you can get very lucky and it can be amazing or it can be disastrous. So architecture has a play in your sound. You can walk in a room that has great acoustics but because of design placement it can work against you with sound, because where the sound can go in some cases physically, sometimes that does not work with the designer & owners theme for the room so you need to work around that as well. irGO: I'm sure none of us readers can fathom what it must take to customize a system in order to function properly in a specific venue. Therefore, we're sure it must burn you up when DJ's such as 'Billy Big Guns' come in and crank all the levels, which inevitably chases people off the dance floor. Do you have any words of wisdom for DJs out there that need schooling on proper sound systems? Shorty: The user can be amazing or disastrous with a system the night of the event. Jocks need to listen & walk a floor to see where they are at. You can't just come in and crank the booth and forget about your floor and stay in the booth all night. Today's DJ plays so many rooms it's hard to know them all, so walking the floor IMO is a must as you see how you're handling the system so you know where to make your adjustments level and EQ wise. Walking the floor for level is very important so you know how the level is to the dancers on the floor. Also paying attention to how the floor is from when it's packed till when it's dying down you have to pay attention, because the levels that are good while it's packed will be too loud for a smaller crowd so pulling back is a must so you don't hurt and damage people ears. Once you loose your hearing that's it they can't be restored so the people coming to dance come to have fun not get hurt by a system. irGO: Have any other Canadian venues contacted SBS to look at potential sound upgrades in the near future? Shorty: Yes 2 venues... irGO: Finally…..since we all love our beer up here in Canada, what's your poison? Shorty: Music and good sound that the best drug in the world ...Potential clients can contact Shorty @ www.systemsbyshorty.com / by email: soundmanshorty@hotmail.com / by phone at 1-732-763-0734 or Montreal office 1-514-286-0325 x223 *

globaldancefloor.com interview on SBS Systems By Shorty head, Craig Bernabeu tells us about the worlds best sound systems... You started out as a DJ. What genre did you used to spin back then? "I played disco/garage music & anything that was good. we did not stick to a specific sound we could play downtempo sleeze to the clash to Michael Jackson to house to whatever as long as it was good music it got played". How did the audio systems compare to nowadays? "In those days the sound systems in clubs were alot better than today and the engineers behind the systems were alot etter you had Richard Long, Alex Rosner, Lou Feldman, Peter Spar, greybar sound, doing systems and they all sounded good, there were bad sounding clubs aswell but the majority of the discos sounded great & there was fierce compitition in those days unlike today, the technology was alot better then to now aswell, in those days there was great gear being used like, Macintosh amps,BGW, Crown, Urei,& Levinson was even used in the Loft attention to the sound system was very important to the club owners. Alot of Richards systems used mostly TAD speakers which is the best IMHO, Altec Landsing Voice of the theatre speakers where used aswell. So back then there was a more audiophile design pholosophy that went into esigning a system for a disco". What was your first installation as an audio technician? "I worked on alot of small clubs in NY & i took care of Richard Long sound systems like in Club Zanzibar in newark NJ as well, I added and modifying sound systems in various clubs in ny as well". Had any systems blow on you? "No there where parts from fatuige that would indicate wear when i would go thru the system so i would catch it before any serious problems came along, so there would be no failures during the nights of operation because of the maintenece that was done. But once in a while a tweeter or a sub would go out but nothing major". Have you installed many systems outside of clubs? "Yes actually in private homes, lofts and recording studios. The market for nightclub systems in these applications is rowing and i speacialize in this aswell building mini club systems in these kind of applications. David Morales had me build him a club system for his studio so he could referance his mixes so he knows where he is at before handing a mix in". Tell us a little about Systems By Shorty... "SBS is a sound company that caters to the hi-end market, I speacialize in real hiend audio systems, We do design and build custom sound systems in all budgets but our speacialty his top shelf product, SBS is a HIFI sound company that has been in buisness since 2001 and i been very buisy since we started because i am more of a speacialty type of company with the pholosophy of use the best product and achieve the best results, so my clientel knows this when they deal with me and there is a huge market for the hiend product. I carry the finest product available which you can see what i carry on my site". What factors go into designing a system for a club? "Well room size/dance floor size and acoustics are extreamly important than obviously budget". What sets your Stereo sound system apart from other clubs audio systems? "The sound system in Stereo in Montreal Canada is a no holds bared top of the line Analog sound system, we used TAD speakers, Bryston custom built SBS modified Analog cross-overs, these cross-overs where built speacially for the room in Stereo by Bryston, they are all discrete Class A processors, (a class A circuit is the absolute finest circuit that can be used for audio playback),we use Bryston Amps,& we are custom building amps for this system aswell that will be installed & upgraded in the future, the system in Stereo is a no budget restricted sound system that will always be updated and groomed and will never be finished lol, this system was designed By Myself and David Morales we wanted the best listening experience possible and we believe we achieved that. We have also been nominated for many awards for the sound with the new sound system in Stereo". Your home audio set-up must be pretty special... "Yeah, i have a club system in my house this is where impliment & try different technolgies first, so i know what to expect before it goes into a club then its modified slightly for the club so it works perfect in a nightclub application". Tell us something about the Twilo soundsystem that you've never revealed before... "lol hmmmmmm to much to tell Twilo was a very Good system, But Stereo LOL thats a whole different animal". What was your initial reaction when you first heard the berthas Twilo Thunder (inspired by the Twilo sound system)? "They were good, its hard to say because i heard so many systems with the Levan horn/Bertha in them with various versions of the Levan horn/Bertha but they were good". www.systemsbyshorty.com

www.djforums.com Here it is djforums would like to thank Shorty fom SBS for taking time out of his busy schedule to sit down with us. _ DJF: Some history about you. Where are you from? How did you first get into this biz? What was your first job? How did you learn about this industry? SHORTY: I am originally from Brooklyn, now I live in New Jersey. When I was younger, I was involved in consumer hi-fi systems and car audio, where I worked for a shop. It was at these places where I learned about audio systems. Everything I know was self taught. I was also interested in dance music clubs and that sort of thing, and this is how I became aware of higher end sound systems. I then started work for small installation company in jersey and I used to DJ. Some of the clubs I played at were worked on by this company. This was around 1988. DJF: When did you start SBS? What was your first installation and what kind of equipment did you use? SHORTY: SBS started in 2001, I was working @ Twilo from 1995 to 2001, with the Phazon system. I was in charge of their sound system. I worked there for 6 years. I also worked on a few clubs in long island, but that was mostly adding components or modifying their systems, not engineering an entire system. DJF: What sort of equipment do you use now? Which pieces are your favorites and why? SHORTY: There are a few different brands I tend to stick with. For signal processing, I go with analog BSS EQ’s, & Bryston Analog cross-overs which are the warmer sounding EQ’s & cross-overs on the market. As for amplifiers, I’ll go with a few different brands. I like Bryston amps for mid range mostly, but I’ll go with BGW, Crown, Crest amplifiers….whatever works for me at the time. For speakers, I like to use TAD if the budget calls for it but if it’s all budget oriented I will use less expensive product, but it always is depending on what the customer is willing to spend, some might say I don’t care what it cost give me the best Period. Others are working on a specific budget, but at the end of the day no matter what product I choose to use, it will be the best product in there price range to give them the best SBS sound system for the money they are spending. The best speakers out there in my opinion and from my experience are the TAD range of drivers. All my cabinets are custom designed around the parameters of the driver I choose for the job and built by SBS. If the customer has a lower budget and they want something out of the box, then I’ll spec EAW speaker. All fine recording studios use TAD. DJF: What is the best mixer in your opinion? SHORTY: I tend to prefer more of the “old school†type of mixers. For straightforward sound quality, I’ll always choose the UREI 1620. I’m very excited to see the re-introduction of this mixer! If the customer needs more features, then I’ll go for a Rane, or maybe an Allen & Heath. If they have to have some of the cheaper mixers ill pass on those jobs The mixers I just mentioned are quality mixers that are very flexible for some of the DJs needs & sound pretty good, but if they want some of the less expensive mixers on the market & if the client has to have them & demand those ill usually pass on those type of jobs because of reliability and the sonic clarity these less expensive mixers tend to have, too much time will be spent repairing it so its just not worth my time. I would much rather put in quality mixer from the start, to avoid any problems down the road. DJF: What new equipment do you look forward to using? SHORTY: Well, the new UREI 1620LE looks very interesting, as well as TAD’s new tweeter, and a new ribbon tweeter from SA. Bryston has just come out with a new product that I’m looking forward to trying out. I’d also like to try the new Rane 2016. And the new Pioneer DVD player, I’m mostly interested in it because it might play DVD audio, which is where the audio market will be in a few years I see the new format being DVD audio, which would have a higher quality sound than traditional 16 bit CD’s. There are a lot of new things out there! DJF: How much does a typical installation cost? SHORTY: Well, this always depends on how much equipment is needed and the customers budget. Systems can range from around $75K USD, and go all the way up to $400K USD. That includes all sorts of Custom designed pieces. Entry level systems can go for around $35K USD. DJF: What are some of the most major clubs you have done? SHORTY: The most notable system I’ve done is at Club Stereo in Montreal Canada, David Morales and I redesigned and re outfitted this room with the best product money can buy with no budget restrictions. This club has a top of the line, no holds barred sound system. It’s got Bryston amps, TAD drivers and all custom designed Bryston analog cross-overs. This room is outfitted with the finest sound system money can buy. DJF: How did you get involved in Stereo? SHORTY: About 2 years ago, there was a situation at Stereo, and they needed a new sound engineer. I had been working with David Morales on his studio system and I was his house tech and he asked me to work up in Montreal and be the new house engineer for Stereo, so of course I said yes. I was there a few times before that and I always thought it was a great room so I said yea no problem. I went up there and started working on the system at Stereo, trying to figure out what was going on with it & how it was mechanically functioning and how it was sonically playing back audio, I come to find out 90% of the system was old and shot. I explained to David what was going on with it so we decided to redo everything once and do it right. We wanted to keep it all analog for the best sound experience & use the best product period, so we are using Bryston custom analog processing & Bryston amps, and TAD drivers. David Morales is also very into audio, and we wanted the highest quality sound so he agreed that was the best decision to achieve what we both wanted. I then custom designed my own front loaded 12†boxes and loaded TAD low mid drivers. David and I re-designed the whole place, to make the best system possible. There is a bit more work to be done to take it to the next level, with some custom processing coming in soon. Stereo is like the guinea pig, we will use this system to test out new equipment and technologies. Many prototypes will see their first use at Stereo. DJF: What are some DJ’s you liked working with? SHORTY: Well, there are quite a few. David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, Steve Travolta, Hector Romero, Victor Calderone, Satoshi Tomiie, Paul Okenfold, Digweed…All of them are great guys and I’ve never had problems with any of them. They all respect me because I’m out there to do what’s best for them, to make them sound good. Majority of the DJs are good guys! DJF: Which is your favorite? SHORTY: Well, it’s hard to say. David Morales because of the way he challenges me to really produce the best product possible, Frankie Knuckles and Steve Travolta And Francois K, I like working with Francois K as well he really knows his audio equipment and is a genius. Most of the veterans really know their audio and equipment, and are easy to work with because they understand the sound system. DJF: What are some of the things you would like to tell DJ’s when using a large system? SHORTY: What bothers me is that some guys don’t understand how to set their level, or putting the levels up too high. Some DJ’s don’t listen to the system and don’t focus on what’s going on the dance floor. Some DJ’s start playing at loud levels when there aren’t too many people on the dance floor to ear damaging volumes. People are there to dance and have fun, not to have there ears damaged. Another thing is when the DJ cranks the monitors to distortion. Uneducated DJ’s bother me. DJF: Which projects do you have lined up for the future? SHORTY: I’m working on something new right now, a new technology that I can’t really speak about. All I can say is that it’s all analog and should be really interesting. It will revolutionize stereo audio reproduction. It’s something that has never been approached to the pro-audio in the nightclub world. It’s called THE HYPEX. It will make its debut in NYC & a club in Singapore. DJF: What is your ultimate goal? SHORTY: Just to build the highest quality sound systems for nightclubs, and work on new electronic components. And to give the clubber the ultimate sound experience. DJF: Finally, what does SHORTY mean? SHORTY: I used to work in recoding studios, with all these hip-hop guys, and I was short when I was young, so they gave me that name. DJF: That’s the end of our interview. Thanks Shorty! SHORTY: Thank you! You can check out my website at: http://www.systemsbyshorty.com - soundmanshorty@hotmail.com *

globaldancefloor.com interview on SBS Systems By Shorty head, Craig Bernabeu tells us about the worlds best sound systems... You started out as a DJ. What genre did you used to spin back then? "I played disco/garage music & anything that was good. we did not stick to a specific sound we could play downtempo sleeze to the clash to Michael Jackson to house to whatever as long as it was good music it got played". How did the audio systems compare to nowadays? "In those days the sound systems in clubs were alot better than today and the engineers behind the systems were alot etter you had Richard Long, Alex Rosner, Lou Feldman, Peter Spar, greybar sound, doing systems and they all sounded good, there were bad sounding clubs aswell but the majority of the discos sounded great & there was fierce compitition in those days unlike today, the technology was alot better then to now aswell, in those days there was great gear being used like, Macintosh amps,BGW, Crown, Urei,& Levinson was even used in the Loft attention to the sound system was very important to the club owners. Alot of Richards systems used mostly TAD speakers which is the best IMHO, Altec Landsing Voice of the theatre speakers where used aswell. So back then there was a more audiophile design pholosophy that went into esigning a system for a disco". What was your first installation as an audio technician? "I worked on alot of small clubs in NY & i took care of Richard Long sound systems like in Club Zanzibar in newark NJ as well, I added and modifying sound systems in various clubs in ny as well". Had any systems blow on you? "No there where parts from fatuige that would indicate wear when i would go thru the system so i would catch it before any serious problems came along, so there would be no failures during the nights of operation because of the maintenece that was done. But once in a while a tweeter or a sub would go out but nothing major". Have you installed many systems outside of clubs? "Yes actually in private homes, lofts and recording studios. The market for nightclub systems in these applications is rowing and i speacialize in this aswell building mini club systems in these kind of applications. David Morales had me build him a club system for his studio so he could referance his mixes so he knows where he is at before handing a mix in". Tell us a little about Systems By Shorty... "SBS is a sound company that caters to the hi-end market, I speacialize in real hiend audio systems, We do design and build custom sound systems in all budgets but our speacialty his top shelf product, SBS is a HIFI sound company that has been in buisness since 2001 and i been very buisy since we started because i am more of a speacialty type of company with the pholosophy of use the best product and achieve the best results, so my clientel knows this when they deal with me and there is a huge market for the hiend product. I carry the finest product available which you can see what i carry on my site". What factors go into designing a system for a club? "Well room size/dance floor size and acoustics are extreamly important than obviously budget". What sets your Stereo sound system apart from other clubs audio systems? "The sound system in Stereo in Montreal Canada is a no holds bared top of the line Analog sound system, we used TAD speakers, Bryston custom built SBS modified Analog cross-overs, these cross-overs where built speacially for the room in Stereo by Bryston, they are all discrete Class A processors, (a class A circuit is the absolute finest circuit that can be used for audio playback),we use Bryston Amps,& we are custom building amps for this system aswell that will be installed & upgraded in the future, the system in Stereo is a no budget restricted sound system that will always be updated and groomed and will never be finished lol, this system was designed By Myself and David Morales we wanted the best listening experience possible and we believe we achieved that. We have also been nominated for many awards for the sound with the new sound system in Stereo". Your home audio set-up must be pretty special... "Yeah, i have a club system in my house this is where impliment & try different technolgies first, so i know what to expect before it goes into a club then its modified slightly for the club so it works perfect in a nightclub application". Tell us something about the Twilo soundsystem that you've never revealed before... "lol hmmmmmm to much to tell Twilo was a very Good system, But Stereo LOL thats a whole different animal". What was your initial reaction when you first heard the berthas Twilo Thunder (inspired by the Twilo sound system)? "They were good, its hard to say because i heard so many systems with the Levan horn/Bertha in them with various versions of the Levan horn/Bertha but they were good". www.systemsbyshorty.com

www.djforums.com Here it is djforums would like to thank Shorty fom SBS for taking time out of his busy schedule to sit down with us. _ DJF: Some history about you. Where are you from? How did you first get into this biz? What was your first job? How did you learn about this industry? SHORTY: I am originally from Brooklyn, now I live in New Jersey. When I was younger, I was involved in consumer hi-fi systems and car audio, where I worked for a shop. It was at these places where I learned about audio systems. Everything I know was self taught. I was also interested in dance music clubs and that sort of thing, and this is how I became aware of higher end sound systems. I then started work for small installation company in jersey and I used to DJ. Some of the clubs I played at were worked on by this company. This was around 1988. DJF: When did you start SBS? What was your first installation and what kind of equipment did you use? SHORTY: SBS started in 2001, I was working @ Twilo from 1995 to 2001, with the Phazon system. I was in charge of their sound system. I worked there for 6 years. I also worked on a few clubs in long island, but that was mostly adding components or modifying their systems, not engineering an entire system. DJF: What sort of equipment do you use now? Which pieces are your favorites and why? SHORTY: There are a few different brands I tend to stick with. For signal processing, I go with analog BSS EQ’s, & Bryston Analog cross-overs which are the warmer sounding EQ’s & cross-overs on the market. As for amplifiers, I’ll go with a few different brands. I like Bryston amps for mid range mostly, but I’ll go with BGW, Crown, Crest amplifiers….whatever works for me at the time. For speakers, I like to use TAD if the budget calls for it but if it’s all budget oriented I will use less expensive product, but it always is depending on what the customer is willing to spend, some might say I don’t care what it cost give me the best Period. Others are working on a specific budget, but at the end of the day no matter what product I choose to use, it will be the best product in there price range to give them the best SBS sound system for the money they are spending. The best speakers out there in my opinion and from my experience are the TAD range of drivers. All my cabinets are custom designed around the parameters of the driver I choose for the job and built by SBS. If the customer has a lower budget and they want something out of the box, then I’ll spec EAW speaker. All fine recording studios use TAD. DJF: What is the best mixer in your opinion? SHORTY: I tend to prefer more of the “old school†type of mixers. For straightforward sound quality, I’ll always choose the UREI 1620. I’m very excited to see the re-introduction of this mixer! If the customer needs more features, then I’ll go for a Rane, or maybe an Allen & Heath. If they have to have some of the cheaper mixers ill pass on those jobs The mixers I just mentioned are quality mixers that are very flexible for some of the DJs needs & sound pretty good, but if they want some of the less expensive mixers on the market & if the client has to have them & demand those ill usually pass on those type of jobs because of reliability and the sonic clarity these less expensive mixers tend to have, too much time will be spent repairing it so its just not worth my time. I would much rather put in quality mixer from the start, to avoid any problems down the road. DJF: What new equipment do you look forward to using? SHORTY: Well, the new UREI 1620LE looks very interesting, as well as TAD’s new tweeter, and a new ribbon tweeter from SA. Bryston has just come out with a new product that I’m looking forward to trying out. I’d also like to try the new Rane 2016. And the new Pioneer DVD player, I’m mostly interested in it because it might play DVD audio, which is where the audio market will be in a few years I see the new format being DVD audio, which would have a higher quality sound than traditional 16 bit CD’s. There are a lot of new things out there! DJF: How much does a typical installation cost? SHORTY: Well, this always depends on how much equipment is needed and the customers budget. Systems can range from around $75K USD, and go all the way up to $400K USD. That includes all sorts of Custom designed pieces. Entry level systems can go for around $35K USD. DJF: What are some of the most major clubs you have done? SHORTY: The most notable system I’ve done is at Club Stereo in Montreal Canada, David Morales and I redesigned and re outfitted this room with the best product money can buy with no budget restrictions. This club has a top of the line, no holds barred sound system. It’s got Bryston amps, TAD drivers and all custom designed Bryston analog cross-overs. This room is outfitted with the finest sound system money can buy. DJF: How did you get involved in Stereo? SHORTY: About 2 years ago, there was a situation at Stereo, and they needed a new sound engineer. I had been working with David Morales on his studio system and I was his house tech and he asked me to work up in Montreal and be the new house engineer for Stereo, so of course I said yes. I was there a few times before that and I always thought it was a great room so I said yea no problem. I went up there and started working on the system at Stereo, trying to figure out what was going on with it & how it was mechanically functioning and how it was sonically playing back audio, I come to find out 90% of the system was old and shot. I explained to David what was going on with it so we decided to redo everything once and do it right. We wanted to keep it all analog for the best sound experience & use the best product period, so we are using Bryston custom analog processing & Bryston amps, and TAD drivers. David Morales is also very into audio, and we wanted the highest quality sound so he agreed that was the best decision to achieve what we both wanted. I then custom designed my own front loaded 12†boxes and loaded TAD low mid drivers. David and I re-designed the whole place, to make the best system possible. There is a bit more work to be done to take it to the next level, with some custom processing coming in soon. Stereo is like the guinea pig, we will use this system to test out new equipment and technologies. Many prototypes will see their first use at Stereo. DJF: What are some DJ’s you liked working with? SHORTY: Well, there are quite a few. David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, Steve Travolta, Hector Romero, Victor Calderone, Satoshi Tomiie, Paul Okenfold, Digweed…All of them are great guys and I’ve never had problems with any of them. They all respect me because I’m out there to do what’s best for them, to make them sound good. Majority of the DJs are good guys! DJF: Which is your favorite? SHORTY: Well, it’s hard to say. David Morales because of the way he challenges me to really produce the best product possible, Frankie Knuckles and Steve Travolta And Francois K, I like working with Francois K as well he really knows his audio equipment and is a genius. Most of the veterans really know their audio and equipment, and are easy to work with because they understand the sound system. DJF: What are some of the things you would like to tell DJ’s when using a large system? SHORTY: What bothers me is that some guys don’t understand how to set their level, or putting the levels up too high. Some DJ’s don’t listen to the system and don’t focus on what’s going on the dance floor. Some DJ’s start playing at loud levels when there aren’t too many people on the dance floor to ear damaging volumes. People are there to dance and have fun, not to have there ears damaged. Another thing is when the DJ cranks the monitors to distortion. Uneducated DJ’s bother me. DJF: Which projects do you have lined up for the future? SHORTY: I’m working on something new right now, a new technology that I can’t really speak about. All I can say is that it’s all analog and should be really interesting. It will revolutionize stereo audio reproduction. It’s something that has never been approached to the pro-audio in the nightclub world. It’s called THE HYPEX. It will make its debut in NYC & a club in Singapore. DJF: What is your ultimate goal? SHORTY: Just to build the highest quality sound systems for nightclubs, and work on new electronic components. And to give the clubber the ultimate sound experience. DJF: Finally, what does SHORTY mean? SHORTY: I used to work in recoding studios, with all these hip-hop guys, and I was short when I was young, so they gave me that name. DJF: That’s the end of our interview. Thanks Shorty! SHORTY: Thank you! You can check out my website at: http://www.systemsbyshorty.com - soundmanshorty@hotmail.com

2005 club world awards Nominees Club systems international magazine, Stereo Montreal, NIGHTSTALKER AWARD The “People’s Choice†equivalent will be selected by the clubbers through online voting at www.clubworldawards.com. The nominees are all clubber favorites, including Rise (Boston), the city’s original after-hours club, which side-steps a citywide curfew with a members-only policy; Stereo (Montreal), boasting a serious analog sound system and more than a few patrons who have permanently inked the club’s logo onto their bodies; Sullivan Room (New York), home to the infamous Tronic Treatment techno parties; and Zentra (Chicago), a gritty alternative to the city’s splashy superclubs. www.systemsbyshorty.com www.stereo-nightclub.com *

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2005 club world awards Nominees Club systems international magazine, Stereo Montreal, NIGHTSTALKER AWARD The “People’s Choice†equivalent will be selected by the clubbers through online voting at www.clubworldawards.com. The nominees are all clubber favorites, including Rise (Boston), the city’s original after-hours club, which side-steps a citywide curfew with a members-only policy; Stereo (Montreal), boasting a serious analog sound system and more than a few patrons who have permanently inked the club’s logo onto their bodies; Sullivan Room (New York), home to the infamous Tronic Treatment techno parties; and Zentra (Chicago), a gritty alternative to the city’s splashy superclubs. www.systemsbyshorty.com www.stereo-nightclub.com

I just wanted to post on some clubs that i have just completed with custom designed Analog sound systems The 1st Recent system in NYC that has finally been completed is in SBNY. This system has all custom SBS boxes from top to bottom. This system has custom SBS 2 way front loaded horn boxes that consists of 4 SH152 which is a single 15 and 2 in exit horn. For the bottom end i am using 3 SBH218 2 single SBS118 direct radiating subbass cabnets. For side fill im using 4 EAW FR153z fullrange way cabnets. This system is powered with 3 Crest 8001s and 1 Crest ca2 for the compression drivers. This is a analog system using Rane x-overs and DBX 2231 eqs this system is my entry level room that really kicks a-- for the budget it comes in at. The 2nd Room i just completed recently is located in Brooklyn, its in the INYC loft. This is a fully Custom designed and built SBS horn loaded system, consisting of 4 SH115T - TAD TL1603 loaded for midbass, 4 SBS 2 way SMH-T - TAD 4002 / JBL 2402 Bullet Tweeters. For the subbass I am using 4 SBS Emeralds. This system is powered by 1 Bryston 3B ST driving 4 - TAD 4002s, 1 Crown D75 on 4 JBL 2402s, 1 BGW GT 3800 on 4 TAD TL 1603s, 1 BGW VX 880 Driving 4 SBS Emeralds. For the fullrange processing i am Using 1 SBS Modified Bryston 10B Analog x-over, 1 BSS 966Opal System EQ, 1 Urei 1620 mixer. The 3rd room that i just completed which is do to open in the next few weeks in NYC is Called Movida, Located at 28 - 7th ave South. This room is a fully treated room with a spring loaded floating ceiling and walls to contain the sound from escaping the room, the doors aswell are sound proofed and sealed to elimnate sound from escaping the front of the building. This is a out of the box Analog EAW system thats really strong, it consists of 4 EAW LA 325s for the fullrange, 2 EAW SB 528zr dbl 18 in subboxes. For super Tweeters i am using 2 SBS STA loaded with 8 JBL 2402s. Powering this system i am using 2 SBS modified Crest 9001s , 1 for the LA 325s & 1 for the SB 528zr, Powering the super Tweeters i am using 1 BGW Model 200. For the system eq i am using 1 BSS 966 Opal. For the mixer i am using the Rane 2016 w/ 2016xp and for monitors i am using 2 EAW FR153Z . Just figure i would fill you in on some of the projects that i have been working on. i am working on other projects that are comming up in the near future. Perspective clients please email me for a personal demo in any one of my showrooms mentioned above, or to schedule an appointment for Stereo in montreal, contact me at soundmanshorty@hotmail.com NY # 1-732-763-0734 or call us in our Montreal office montreal @ 1-514-286-0325 www.systemsbyshorty.com

I just wanted to post on some clubs that i have just completed with custom designed Analog sound systems The 1st Recent system in NYC that has finally been completed is in SBNY. This system has all custom SBS boxes from top to bottom. This system has custom SBS 2 way front loaded horn boxes that consists of 4 SH152 which is a single 15 and 2 in exit horn. For the bottom end i am using 3 SBH218 2 single SBS118 direct radiating subbass cabnets. For side fill im using 4 EAW FR153z fullrange way cabnets. This system is powered with 3 Crest 8001s and 1 Crest ca2 for the compression drivers. This is a analog system using Rane x-overs and DBX 2231 eqs this system is my entry level room that really kicks a-- for the budget it comes in at. The 2nd Room i just completed recently is located in Brooklyn, its in the INYC loft. This is a fully Custom designed and built SBS horn loaded system, consisting of 4 SH115T - TAD TL1603 loaded for midbass, 4 SBS 2 way SMH-T - TAD 4002 / JBL 2402 Bullet Tweeters. For the subbass I am using 4 SBS Emeralds. This system is powered by 1 Bryston 3B ST driving 4 - TAD 4002s, 1 Crown D75 on 4 JBL 2402s, 1 BGW GT 3800 on 4 TAD TL 1603s, 1 BGW VX 880 Driving 4 SBS Emeralds. For the fullrange processing i am Using 1 SBS Modified Bryston 10B Analog x-over, 1 BSS 966Opal System EQ, 1 Urei 1620 mixer. The 3rd room that i just completed which is do to open in the next few weeks in NYC is Called Movida, Located at 28 - 7th ave South. This room is a fully treated room with a spring loaded floating ceiling and walls to contain the sound from escaping the room, the doors aswell are sound proofed and sealed to elimnate sound from escaping the front of the building. This is a out of the box Analog EAW system thats really strong, it consists of 4 EAW LA 325s for the fullrange, 2 EAW SB 528zr dbl 18 in subboxes. For super Tweeters i am using 2 SBS STA loaded with 8 JBL 2402s. Powering this system i am using 2 SBS modified Crest 9001s , 1 for the LA 325s & 1 for the SB 528zr, Powering the super Tweeters i am using 1 BGW Model 200. For the system eq i am using 1 BSS 966 Opal. For the mixer i am using the Rane 2016 w/ 2016xp and for monitors i am using 2 EAW FR153Z . Just figure i would fill you in on some of the projects that i have been working on. i am working on other projects that are comming up in the near future. Perspective clients please email me for a personal demo in any one of my showrooms mentioned above, or to schedule an appointment for Stereo in montreal, contact me at soundmanshorty@hotmail.com NY # 1-732-763-0734 or call us in our Montreal office montreal @ 1-514-286-0325 www.systemsbyshorty.com

I`ll watch my 3 hr long videos of Twilo and the Original Sound Factory now www.systemsbyshorty.com

Will see how long he can go for but i`d rather see him do this in a club with a big system to play on & where you have a large crowd to play for dealing with the body heat of a room that will wear you down. To this day JR Vasquez still does 24 hr marathon sets all the time and he`s 58 yrs old as well as Johnathan Peters so these two have defined the dj set with there long hour marathons so will see. Is this a studio or a club?

portland/nashville 2 major mastering facilitys Gateway mastering & DVD in portland and mastermix,in nashville TN- have recently added analog recording and playback systems, a testament to the demand for higher quality analog audio reproduction. both facilitys have aquired the 1 inch stereo ATR -102 tape decks equiped with aria reference series class A discrete electronics. Remanufactured by Michael spitz of ATR service company, the ATR 102s have already been used on a few projects. gateway pres and mastering engineer Bob Ludwig was the first to equip his studio with a 1 inch Aria machine, and he`s been pleased the way its resolved an occasional delema. For years, when i switch between solid state and tube electronics, clients would ask, can i have the warmth and bass of the tubes but with the speed and tranparency of the solid state? Now Aria electronics to do exactly this. One of the first projects mastering by ludwig using the aria electronics(and, in this case, the 1/2 inch head block) was Becks new release on universal,sea change. At mastermix head engineer Hank Williams has experienced that the audible diff between 2 sets of playback electronics deff affect the final product. The Differences i heard with the aria electronics are not subtle, Williams says I mean my jaw dropped. The midrange is much more focussed and much deeper. This isnt a picky improvement thats only for the audiophile crowd. Even people who buy cds at k-mart will hear the difference. Williams says the first projects slated for mastering on the new machine are capital Nashvile debut of Jennifer Hanson and a new release by contemporary christian artist Chris Rice on Rocketown records. Designed by Crane songs david hill,Aria referance serieselectronics utilize class A circuitry throughout, and only selected premium discrete components are used in the audio path. Aria electronics are offered in either stereo or multichanel configuations, and are available exclusively thru ATR service company. www.atrservice.com taken from pg 26 of dec prosound news.

Former sound tech for Twilo & Junior Vasquez opens sound company called Systemsbyshorty. We are offering consultations on service work / system upgrades & new custom hifi hi ouput sound systems installed for nightclubs. To find out more about this company go to www.systemsbyshorty.com to see our product and what we offer & check out the about section to see the bio on company clients. It has the free download for flash incase you need to download the program. Also go to www.clubsystemsinternational.com go to archive section to read the May 2002 feature interview on this company For interest we can be emailed at soundman.shorty@verizon.net