Mtlnights.com recently took the opportunity to have a chat with Soundman Shorty from SBS – Systems By Shorty; one of the best big room sound system technicians in the world. He first came to Canadian consciousness back in February of 2003 after Stereo Nightclub founder Angel Moraes officially ended his involvement with the club. He was thrust into the scene as the new soundman over @ Stereo…not exactly easy shoes to fill. He fulfilled his mandate and left the club under (somewhat) controversial circumstances back in March of 2006, and has completed world-class installs in Hawaii & China since then.

Shorty, let’s take a moment and go back in time:

1. You worked with Steve Dash on the most famous sound system in the world, the legendary Phazon install over @ ‘Twilo’ in NYC up until Mayor Giuliani closed it in May of 2001. How you did you land that gig?

Well, I had been a friend with Steve from the original Sound Factory days; I used to practically live there (LOL). We were friends for years and had a good relationship, so when Twilo opened up in the old Sound Factory space on West 27th street, Steve asked me if I wanted to work for him, and Phil (his partner) maintaining that system. Of course I happily agreed to. He knew that I knew sound from working on a few RLA systems (Richard Long & Associates), and would be able to handle the job. The pay wasn’t that great, but I gained a lot of knowledge, and insight that a degree in audio wouldn’t have gotten me. I’ll always be grateful for the role that Steve Dash and Twilo played in my career.



2. In layman’s terms, what is the difference between a digital Phazon / Dynacord Stereo setup, and the old analogue (Stereo Montreal) setup?

Well Phazon uses a lot of their own technology with some custom built products, custom speakers and electronics. Dynacord is an off the shelf digital product using EV (Electrovoice components) namely speakers, amps and processing its all EV. With the SBS Analog set up I had going on in that room at the time (Stereo Montreal), I used all custom built hand made high-end Hi-fi products that were designed and modified around the needs for that particular system, enabling them to work and respond a certain way that I had in mind. It was the first time that this type of technology was ever used in a club setting. All the Analogue crossovers were custom built, modified, and designed around my needs. I also had designed some custom built processing that allowed the DJ to cut, sweep & manipulate portions of the music in certain ways that other pieces of gear available couldn’t do. It also had Vacuum tubes in it! This greatly improved the sound’s clarity at the same time.

The system that I installed at Stereo had the widest frequency response in a nightclub at that time. You could drop anything on that system and it sounded incredible so long as it was handled properly, and the input on the mixer was not overdriven. It really was an unbelievable sound system, and it’s a great room. I remember many times watching DJs jus flip out over the sound in disbelief, looking at the amps barely flashing, looking at the mixer at 3 on the master, and the room throbbing at these levels. They couldn’t understand how, or why it worked the way it did, but they were instantly in tune with it. The sound system in Stereo Montreal was a part of the fabric of that city. A truly unique house music experience that you couldn’t get anywhere else!


3. There are many aspects to your job…research, testing, installation, and maintenance. What is your favorite part of the job?

I love it all! I sleep and eat this shit from when I get up until I go to bed (7 days a week). I am always thinking about the next thing I could create with electronics, and I love testing different products out to see what I can do with them.


4. Is it possible to design a system that will sound good with little or no maintenance?

Yes & No, depending on how Hi-fi you get. The bigger systems with higher quality products will sound more off than others if not maintained because they are a heck of a lot more sensitive; they are designed to be that way. Less sensitive (low-end) systems are considerably less accurate, so you will never really hear much of a difference in these types of setups. But that is the trade off when having a high-end sound system for your club. The DJs’ will have the best experience playing on it, and the patrons dancing to music on the floor will have an experience like no other! Thing is, it has to be maintained so the consistency is there each week…just like a Ferrari; you want that performance, you drive it and it has to go in the shop to be tuned to perform at the highest standards it possibly can. So it’s the same respect here with high-end sound.


5. Once everything’s said and done…the install is almost finished, and the time has come to give that system a first real listen with some live bodies on the floor...what’s going through your mind at this point?

Well, to be honest, at first I’m more concerned about what potential flaws the system may have, and what needs to be done to get it sounding its best (within budget of course). My philosophy dictates that it has to be the best in its class with a 25-30% lower price tag than that of the competition. So at 1st, I’m always listening to it to see how I can improve things (if its at all possible). Once I have it right and I’m satisfied with the results, you’ll see me smile & I’ll get a rush from the party’s energy. I love to watch the DJ work the shit out of my systems, and the crowd go nuts off of what the DJ is creating…this is when you’ll often find me on the floor with the patrons!


6. Are there any artists out there that insist on having you do their setups; whether it be in the club or @ their studio…would you care to name a few?

Well a few do. I’m building a high-end custom setup right now for a studio along with other projects I’m involved in. Shep Pettibone is one of my new clients. Shep only has me work on his sound system at his Club in Asbury Park NJ called Paradise. Nobody else touches it! I added analog processing, and upgraded the rest of the system as well. He plays 90% CDs now, and the analog system works proper with both CDs’ and Vinyl. He claims that his room never sounded this good since I re-engineered and re-did it. Shep is incredible on that system, and really knows how to drive it…he is a real genius, and a true Pioneer in this business!

Here’s some of the feedback I’ve gotten on SBS Systems installs over the years:

“The number one sound system in the world”…Danny Rampling

“The sound is unreal! They have upped the sound to rival (if not surpass) anything that Phazon or Function have out there. The bass and the clarity are off the meter. This has been the most amazing gig I’ve played in North America this year”…Roger Sanchez

“I really did think, Oh My God, it’s such an orgasm to play in here! I know… no other sound system would have done those records justice”…Misstress Barbara

“The sound system is monstrous”…Victor Calderone

“I did a 12 hour set and I was just blown away. The crowd, the music… I put the needle down and the beats were on”…Victor Calderone

“One of the best sound systems in the world”…Satoshi Tomie

“The music can be heard the way it was always intended”…Steve Lawler


7. In your opinion, what’s the best sounding room in the world today?

I haven’t heard them all so I can’t really give you an informed opinion. Well, my system designs are (LOL). But I was just in Japan where I visited a few great sounding rooms…Ageha is amazing as well as Precious Hall. I noticed that the Japanese are really into Hi-fi audio, and are as passionate as Montrealers when it comes to club audio.


8. What’s the formula for making your systems sound so good they don’t make your ears ring afterwards? (If you don’t mind me asking)

Home Hi-fi + Signature playback sound + a touch of Reference audio + a powdery disco top + an extremely heavy bottom = a sound that makes love to you without making your ears bleed. I always work these elements into the design phase.

On a side note, people need to understand that the human ear is very sensitive…extremely sensitive! So no matter how much processing you use to fix one situation, you loose in others…mostly the overall sound quality of the system. The ear can pick up where the technology takes away from the clarity (over-processed sound). This is the biggest problem with modern digital sound technology today, regardless of what corporate America tells you.


9. Does the quality of the productions directly affect how they sound on one of your setups?

Yes it does, and this is a big problem with today’s productions. The legions of bedroom producers out there have taken the place of the trusted studio engineer. The home studio and digital download aspects of the industry are so strong right now that there are only a handful of true studio engineers left. How does this come into play in my world? Well, the better I design a system, the more it reveals poor quality in recordings. This is a big problem today! More producers out there should really start thinking about the way their product sounds, or how they plan on delivering the product to the end user.


10. Shorty, I was chatting with a co-worker a few years ago that asked me if you were the ‘Shorty’ that produced one of the best house music tracks to date. Do you care to elaborate on that?

No, I would rather not elaborate on that experience.


11. I imagine you being an active part of the construction of all your customized cabinets (Berthas) & hardware. Shorty, do you sometimes touch and smell the wood right after it has been cut in the same way that a carpenter does? Do you sometimes burn yourself with the solder gun?

LOL, yes! I’m an extremely active part of every process. Lately, I’ve been building everything myself. I inspect, and cut all the wood myself on top of designing all the cabinets. I design all of the customized electronics as well. It’s all 20-hour workdays for me up until everything’s ready to ship. It’s hard being Shorty…when I’m not in the wood shop during the day, I’m working on the electronics at night!


12. Shorty, tell me more about your recent experiences in China & Hawaii.

I just finished 2 amazing projects for 2 clubs at the same time. The first was Lotus Sound Bar in Honolulu, Hawaii. Their custom designed and built 1-of-a-kind SBS Analog sound system is probably the most unique sound system you will find in a nightclub, anywhere in the world. The Boxes are all my state of the art designs; the Thrive Audio Vacuum tube processing that I designed is very unique and custom made for this setup. The amps are all custom made 1-of-a-kind prototypes as well. The Thrive Audio amps are designed for this sound system, custom 1-offs; all the circuit boards in these amps are all hand etched for this sound system, they are 1-off products as well. Lotus Sound Bar is a build-as-you-go system. I will be adding custom analog crossovers to the custom cabinets in months to come. It has already been getting rave reviews by many, and is now the new destination for DJs to want to spin at.

I also did an install at Gspot in Shanghai. This is my best & most extensive install to date. Not only did I design 2 rooms for audio from the ground up, but I also designed the electrical system for the sound system, & all the acoustical treatments for this space as well. This is a space with 30 ft high ceilings, and a 40 ft wide x 30 ft deep solid marble dance floor. It’s a large room that had to be acoustically treated right for my sound system to perform at 100%, so I had to eliminate any reflections or standing waves in the room when approaching this project. This room is as dead as a small room with only a 1/8 of a sec reverb, its near perfect! To take it a step further I had to design an acoustical treatment system to wrap around all the ductwork to eliminate any rattling and resonance. I also had to design an environmentally cooled & controlled amp room. In this custom designed SBS sound system I used the absolute highest quality analogue custom components available on the pro market, with all my state of the art newly designed SBS Custom Cabinets. The owners basically gave me a blank cheque, the ability to build and design a sound system with whatever products and materials I chose to use. They really went out of their way to have me build an incredible sound system and are thrilled with it. I used in all my custom cabinets: TAD & JBL drivers, Bryston & Crown Amps, Custom designed SBS modified Bryston crossovers, SBS modified RLA x-3000 crossovers, and Thrive Audio Custom Vacuum tube Processing that I designed and Modified for this space. It is truly a wonderful sounding system and is getting a lot of praise throughout Asia. In room 2, I used custom SBS cabinets with EAW tops for the smaller room.


13. Did the fact that China’s still ruled by a communist regime cause any on-site issues?

I had no real issues when I was working over there. Beyond the usual paperwork, I just had to make sure that I had a valid visa, and refrained from doing anything illegal. But once there, you don’t feel like it’s a communist country, they have a lot of the same stores and food chains we have.


14. What is Thrive Audio?

Thrive Audio is an audio component manufacturer that I recently started up with 2 partners. We manufacture, and design extremely high-end products for pro-audio installations. Our products are geared towards well-heeled clients. Thrive Audio’s main product right now is a vacuum tube Isolator that has gotten rave reviews. It’s now a standard component in every SBS sound system. I used the test prototype on the system over at Stereo Montreal for a little over a year over a year to see what I had to change audibly on it to make it sound as good as possible.


15. What does the future hold for SBS Systems?

Well I have a new 1-rack space 3-way analog crossover that is a real trick. On the bricks-and-mortar front, I’ve just recently completed 2 new SBS Hi-fi showrooms: Lotus Sound Bar in Honolulu & Gspot out in Shanghai. I just opened an SBS Asian Division, with representatives in Asia that will be handling that market. I also have a lot of interesting projects coming up.

Pictures of Lotus and Gspot, Shanghai can be seen on www.systemsbyshorty.com