This issue’s Customer Studio Showcase takes us to Rochester, New York, home to first-call voiceover artist Bob Marini and his Summer Sound Studio. Marini, whose work ranges from narration to voice acting to music composition, has operated the studio out of its current location since 1985. “The studio’s focus right now centers around my activities, be it voiceover narration, video game work, voice acting, audio theatrics, jingle writing, or documentary score writing,” he says. “So it stays very busy with me. Maybe two or three times per year, I have somebody come in and actually rent an hour. But that’s really not the focus.”
Marini’s initial career in radio led him to work in the voiceover field, and his experience as a musician has helped him add instrumental elements when the situation calls for it. He’s quick to point out that Rochester is rich in musical talent, but he adds, “I’ve developed a knack for doing a lot of the instrumentation myself, because I needed to as budgets began to prevent me from hiring a lot of people.” Primarily a guitar player, Marini also plays bass, drums, and keyboards. “Genre-wise, when you’re running a studio and you’re in voice talent, anything that comes through the door, you do.”
As his client list has grown, his studio setup has evolved. Currently, Marini lists his Novation Launchkey 61 controller, a Universal Audio 6176 channel strip, an Apogee Ensemble (“A phenomenal converter,” he notes), and a loaded iMac among his “go-to” pieces of studio gear. “A lot of stuff is from Sweetwater,” Marini says. “Sweetwater has been a big help to me. I’m currently with Dave Brow, who’s my Sales Engineer. He’s my ‘partner in audio crime.’ He’s very good about getting to me when he thinks there’s something I may like, or after I’ve purchased something to see that I’m happy with it, that it’s working out for me — or if it’s not, he takes care of it. I really appreciate that.”
Marini is excited about new projects and new gear for Summer Sound Studio. “I’ve got a lot of things in store for 2014, and Sweetwater is an enormous part of everything I do with my gear,” he says. Find out more about Bob Marini’s work and Summer Sound Studio at bobmarini.com.
