How Jim Daneker is shaping the future of live entertainment
October 2024 – The audio industry is a melting pot of visionaries that blend innovation and technology. With countless players in the game, RME remains a powerhouse by consistently pushing the boundaries of sound. Jim Daneker, renowned composer and producer, has utilized the power of RME to impact his work in the music and film industries for over three decades. Daneker’s commitment to his craft has led to a concrete foundation in many different areas. In 1995, he began his career as a musical director, producer and keyboardist for artist Michael W. Smith. Over the years, he wrote, arranged and produced music for both albums and films, including trailers for Chronicles of Narnia, the Fast and Furious franchise, and Transformers 2. Daneker has also collaborated with a range of artists, including musician Amy Grant and instrumentalist Paul Cardall, to create award-winning pieces.
From early in his career, Daneker has consistently relied on RME in his setups. He started with a main studio configuration featuring the Fireface 800 and later expanded to a variety of rigs. These ranged from compact, travel-friendly live rigs to a mobile setup crafted at George Lucas’ famed Skywalker Ranch. Throughout his journey, Daneker has trusted RME’s reliability to bring his ideas to life. In 2017, he released his debut cinematic instrumental album Ad Alta, which showcased a live orchestra with bold melodies that tap into a wide range of emotions. That album would be the turning point in Daneker’s career, igniting a fresh fire of creativity. After an impressive twenty-seven-year tenure as musical director and decades of dedication to fellow artists, Daneker decided it was time to pursue his lifelong dream project: Arcade Orchestra.
“I’ve always recommended RME, especially for people that have live rigs that need to have really low latency and need something to depend on. The interface is key to a successful rig and this next project will need that same type of dependability,” said Daneker. “I grew up in the seventies, mostly the eighties and I’ve always loved eighties music. I’ve got a lot of synthesizers and 80s gear, and I always believed there was a way to marry those iconic sounds with a live orchestra to create something new. To get that job done, RME will be crucial to what we’re doing.”
By diving into a project of this magnitude, Daneker and his team are tasked with merging the iconic sounds of 80s pop music, film scores, and culture with a profound cinematic energy, in order to create Arcade Orchestra. Their goal is to create an epic live experience reminiscent of Hans Zimmer and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra meeting 80s music, all while maintaining full authenticity. Each setup will feature a blend of vintage synthesizers and modern software instruments, Roland’s V-Drum kits in acoustic shells, with support from RME’s UFX III interfaces and onboard DSP effects, and their extremely low latency. Daneker is also working to produce custom samples that capture those distinctive sounds, using 24 discrete ADAT outputs to solidify high audio quality and flexibility. As each step of Arcade Orchestra takes shape, Danekers’ trust in RME only grows stronger.
RME’s dedication to build quality, rock-solid drivers, extensive range of products, and customer support, makes it an easy answer for any mission critical situation. Daneker’s approach to every project shows an unwavering commitment to excellence, continuously setting a new standard for music and live entertainment around the world. His loyalty to RME speaks volumes and has contributed significantly to his ground-breaking ideas. With RME as an ally, Daneker is on the path to solidify his legacy as a visionary in the audio and live entertainment industries.
“RME lets you do what you need without compromise, it’s going to give you a feature set and perform at a level that nothing else can really touch. Another big thing about RME is you can count on their gear being supported for years to come, it’s future proof,” added Daneker. “I’ve always loved and will always recommend RME gear. Not only do they have a great track record for rock solid drivers, dependability, low latency and quality, it is a world class solution. RME really is a crucial part of what we’re building with Arcade Orchestra.”
For more information on Jim Daneker, visit: www.jimdaneker.com
For more information on RME, visit: www.rme-usa.com
About Synthax, Incorporated
Synthax Inc. is the exclusive USA distributor for RME digital audio solutions, Digigram broadcast audio systems, Appsys digital audio tools, Ferrofish advance audio applications, myMix personal monitoring systems, and ALVA CableWare. We supply a nationwide network of dealers with these products for professional audio, broadcast, music industry, commercial audio, theater, military, and government applications. For additional information, visit the company online at www.synthax.com.
