Working Under NDA: How Music Producer Simon Moro Keeps Unreleased Music Projects Under Wraps
When working on unreleased projects, whether that be the latest music track expected to hit the charts, or an unaired TV show or film, it is essential for audio samples and footage to be secure. Music Producer Simon Moro explains why having leaks can be devastating for the outcome of a creative project, and security measures he has in place to prevent this.
After putting blood, sweat and tears into a creative project, having an unexpected leak can be crushing for the artist and all of those involved in production.
Many musicians have fallen victim to early album leaks, whether through the accidental fault of label employees and journalists given early access to albums, or shortcomings of Cloud-based storage sites that are targeted by hackers.
Some of the world’s biggest names such as Radiohead (who had famously been hacked and had their album ransomed in 2019) may shrug it off, and simply release their album early online. However, for many artists, album leaks can cause career-altering and psychological effects that have them shelving their record for good.
“After an artist pours their heart and soul into a record, as well as all of the time and costs associated with production, it really is a nightmare if a leak is to occur,” says Music Producer Simon Moro.
Simon explains why he has introduced the G-DRIVE™ ArmorLock™ SSD into his workflow, which gives both him and his clients added peace of mind that their project is secure.
MOVING FILES WITH COLLABORATORS
During the pandemic, we have seen more and more people working from home and the music industry is no different. Through lockdown, Simon worked on several projects with remote collaborators which brings to light new challenges in data transfers.
“We started by using a popular cloud-based storage platform for file delivery, however, the sessions were large and included video, so the upload process had to happen overnight,” says Simon.
“When I received the links it took me about 2-3 hours to download, even with a 100 Mbps broadband connection, due to server bandwidth limitations.”
To reduce wait times, the team purchased two portable SSDs to send back and forth in Ubers, which Simon says more than paid for themselves in time saved alone.
“My preferred drive to ship is the G-DRIVE™ ArmorLock™ SSD, as it is super lightweight yet ultra-rugged. I can even post it internationally and trust it can hit a few bumps and drops along the way without corrupting the files.”
“However what really separates this from a standard SSD is the collaboration features. Before I send it off, I’m able to securely authorise drive access to specific people with just an email.”
PROTECTION FOR MISPLACED DRIVES
In music production, there are several requirements for hard drives, such as installing operating systems and software, recording audio projects, streaming audio samples and maintaining backups for archives.
“Even though a solid process for data storage, transfer and backups can reduce the risk of losing drives, with several floating around large crews, it can still happen,” says Simon.
When working on shows such as Chris Lilly’s ‘Lunatics’ for Netflix, Simon and the entire crew had to sign NDAs, unable to even mention the title of the show.
“Misplacing a drive with those sessions could have been devastating if they weren’t encrypted. Depending on who finds it, this could pose a huge risk to the show’s release strategy and IP.”
Simon explains progress in technology has meant that access to professional tools for music production is readily available in the consumer space, so a found drive could easily be interpreted.
“This isn’t an issue with the G-DRIVE™ ArmorLock™ SSD, as once the drive is ejected it is automatically locked, rendering all content inaccessible. It is nearly impossible for someone to unlock it without the proper authorisation.”
“If I were to misplace it, perhaps during my remote cafe editing, or at one of my midweek AirBnB working escapes, the ArmorLock™ app can even tell me where I last used it on a map.”
LIMITING LONG DAYS IN THE STUDIO
After an extra long session in the studio or out on the field, the last thing any creative professional wants to do is spend even more time downloading software, backing up and entering codes to access files.
“With the ArmorLock™ technology, passwords are a thing of the past, and my phone acts as my key so I can quickly access my content with the tap of a button.”
In the days of USB 1, Simon used to spend a whole hour backing up gigabytes of data. At the end of a 12 hour day in the studio, the extra hour was understandably a real killer!
“By using this NVMe™ SSD, transfer speeds of 1000MB/s means those same backups can be completed before I’ve even finished pulling the microphones down.”
“It also makes it viable to make multiple drive backups while offsite, which provides peace of mind, especially after big orchestral sessions that would be prohibitively expensive to re-record if files were lost.”
Simon Moro
Sound Engineer
Starting his professional career in 2000 and gaining further training from industry heavyweights, Simon has developed a unique, emotion-driven style. He delivers mixes that speak true to the artist's vision by pouring his energy into connecting with the artist and his dedication to the art of mix engineering.
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