Prism Sound Orpheus - Audio Media

AUDIO-FOR-VIDEO • BROADCAST • INTERNET AUDIO • LIVE SOUND • MULTIMEDIA • POST PRODUCTION • RECORDINGAUDIOMEDIATHE WORLD’S LEADING PROFESSIONAL AUDIO TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINEPrism Sound OrpheusThe High Class Connection?AUDIOMEDIAAUDIO-FOR-VIDEO • BROADCAST • INTERNET AUDIO • LIVE SOUND • MULTIMEDIA • POST PRODUCTION • RECORDINGTHE INTERNATIONALBUYER’S GUIDET HE WORLD’S LEADING PROFESSIONAL AUDIO TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINEA SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL PUBLICATION FROM THE NEWBAY MEDIA GROUPMICROPHONES2008Cream StudiosA New London LandmarkAUDIO MEDIAInterpolSpecialSupplement WORLDWIDE EDITIONISSUE 210 • MAY 2008 • UK £3.80Live To AdmireAlso: Final Cut: Uncharted • Product Sampler: FireWire Interfaces • Special Report: Develop Audio Track – Preliminary Info + Win A Super Pass! • GeoFocus: Singapore • FTR: MRI, M&S x 2, The Chiltern Way• What’s Up UK: Satellite Trucking System • Studio IT – Send For Back-Up • The Magic Of Merlin – A New Spell For The Indies • AMSR: Allen & Heath Under New Ownership • AMSR News: PreSonus Takes To TheStage, Anchor Audio Drops Into Europe • Recording News: JZ Mics’ Third Black Hole, WSDG Is Crystal Clear In Brazil • Broadcast News: Axia Celebrates 100, NAB 2008 Breaks Records • And More!

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AMSR AMSRAMSRcontentsI S S U E 2 1 0 • M A Y 2 0 0 8FEATURESSPECIAL REPORT:DEVELOP CONFERENCE 22Audio Media finds out what’s new for 2008, andwhere the games industry is heading.CREAM StudioS 40The cat’s whiskers, as they say: SIMON TILLBROOKvisits Cream Studios to find how they’re buckingthe trend in the commercial studio market.the MAGIC OF MERLIN 46Media rights for independents are the focus ofMerlin; TOM FLINT talks to the organisation’s headabout how they’re helping fairness into the field.BACK-UP STRATEGY 52Think backing up your studio sounds like hardwork? Think again, says RICHARD WENTK.ALLEN & HEATH 70Though announced on April 1, it’s no joke: Allen &Heath has been snaffled up into a bigger world byD&M Holdings Inc.INTERPOL 76Whatever you do, don't go near the water, findsMARK DAVIE, talking to Interpol's FOH Engineer.NewsRecorDING 8There's now three Black Holes in Latvia, whilethere's 60 years to celebrate in Amsterdam.Post 10AMS Neve runs DMC to deliver via Star Command,and Apple serves up free iTunes flicks.Broadcast 12It’s celebration of a thousand-fold for Axia Audio.INDUSTRY 14A queenly award for Novation, and Euphonixlands a dotty red seal.AMSr 68Californian audio has an anchor-ing for Europe,and Sennheiser ships its true twins.ReGULARsWhat’s Up UK 16KEVIN HILTON takes a look at the cranes (not of theavian variety) dominating Manchester's skyline.GeoFocus: SINGAPORE 18The wealthy hi-tech city state of Asia comes underthe spotlight in this month's GeoFocus.For The RecorD 20How sound plays on the mind, how to mic it, and alittle island of difference in this month's FTR.Final Cut: UNCHARTED 32A juicy bone of a project for Naughty Dog Inc.,as Drake takes to the seas to uncover his familylegacy in PS3 game Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.Video Guide:Camcorders Part Six 64KEVIN HILTON takes a look at the wonderful worldof video media formats.FILE SERVEr 82It's all about the frolicks of a watery ride in court.RUSHESOLYMPUS LS-10 24Eager to test Olympus’ smart little recorder, PAULMAC flips the bonnet on a diesel and holds downthe accelerator.API 1608 26An unrequited love affair comes to fruition asMANNY SANCHEZ finds the 1608 console.SAFESOUNDDYNAMICS TOOLBOX 28Opening the musical toolbox gives SIMONTILLBROOK something to smile about.VERTIGO SOUND VSC-2 30NIGEL PALMER's browse around various andsundry Internet forums leads him to discover theVertigo Sound compressor.AMSR AMSRCover StoriesAUDIOMEDIAAUDIO-FOR-VIDEO BROADCAST INTERNET AUDIO LIVE SOUND MULTIMEDIA POST PRODUCTION RECORDINGTHE WORLD’S LEADING PROFESSIONAL AUDIO TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINEPrism Sound OrpheusPRISM SOUND ORPHEUS 34Prayers pay off, as divine intervention places aPrism Orpheus in SIMON TILLBROOK's hands.INTERPOL 76Whatever you do, don't go near the water, findsMARK DAVIE, talking to Interpol's FOH Engineer.ReviewsThe High Class Connection?FireWireInterfacesA Product Sampler WORLDWIDEDITIONPRISM SOUND ORPHEUS 34Prayers pay off, as divine intervention places aPrism Orpheus in SIMON TILLBROOK's hands.ADOBE AUDITION V3 44RICHARD WENTK gets his shovel out to dig deeperinto the depths of Adobe Audition's capabilities.SOUND DEVICES 702t 50JERRY IBBOTSEN takes to the farmyard cuties totry out Sound Device’s latest recorder.SSL PRO CONVErt 56STEPHEN MURPHY snaps his whip in the audioworld of Indiana Jones, as he edges towards theHoly Grail of translation. Cream StudiosA New London LandmarkPRODUCT SAMPLER:FIREWIRE 60Audio Media boils down the best ways to streamaudio to and from your computer.InterpolLive To Admire SOUNDCRAFT GB MIXER 72BEN BURNS thinks he might have found theperfect analogue mixer for small venues.4AUDIO MEDIA may 2008

leaderREVIEW 50SoUND DEvICES 702tRUSHES 24oLYMPUS LS-10The simple life of sound. Yes – according to light, we get it easy.After all, what is the rudimentary act of exciting air comparedto the relative, quantum, confounding duality of illumination?I don’t know about you, but I suddenly knew my place in thegrand scheme when the very foundation of my chosen subject was introducedas ‘simple’ harmonic motion.They get the speedy photon – zipping around in straight lines like it ownsthe place, and in the office at, literally, the crack of dawn with not so much asa third mug of coffee; we get ripples in a pond, and the knowledge that we’llalmost always arrive late, eyes half open, and doomed to drain whatever’s leftin the pot after the RGB crowd has had its smug way. And to really rub it in,they get to give their different frequencies special names – and not even verytechnical ones at that.Sorry, but while I’m at it, what’s with ‘supersonic’? Superman is calledSuperman because he’s a man, only better. Supersonic gets called that becauseit’s the speed at which sound gets left behind – like it’s somehow better thansound. Let’s just see if it’s as smug with its shoe laces tied together.But, despite all the propaganda, we know it’s not quite like that. We can stirup more emotion with a taut string, a tube, a coil of wire, or a carefully craftedenvelope filter than should be possible. We can launch a full-on sense attack, orcalm a plagued mind just by changing the time signature. We can create silenceby getting out of the way (which I think you’ll agree, is far superior to black), andwe are still creating completely original experiences that can be just as effectiveover a fraction of a second as they are over hours.I started thinking about this leader along the lines of ‘look at how simplesound is, and yet we’ve got so much gear’. But the more I thought about it(approximately five miles of A1M), I realised how ridiculous that was. Soundisn’t simple – it’s only the raw material that is. The performers, the microphones,the recorders, the editors, the processors, the consoles, the engineers, theeditors, the producers, the amplifiers, and the speakers all have a hand inpushing air backward and forwards in interesting ways – a bit like a dozenoctopuses trying to make something out of play-dough. Yet somehow it turnsout alright (mostly).Remember, silent films were consigned to history once sound came alongand saved them. We’ve still got music. Ya-boo sucks.Paul Mac, EditorAUDIO MEDIA is a Sustaining Member of the Audio Engineering Society.AUDIO MEDIAwww.audiomedia.comAUDIo MEDIA (Europe), 1st Floor, 1 Cabot House, Compass Point Business Park, St Ives, Cambs, UK.telephone: +44 (0)1480 461555 – Facsimile: +44 (0)1480 461550General E-mail: mail@audiomedia.com – Press release E-mail: pr@audiomedia.comManaging DirectorAngela Browna.brown@audiomedia.comProduction EditorLanna Marshalll.marshall@audiomedia.comCirculations Manager/AdministrationJo PerrissFEATURE 40CrEAM StUDIoSAssociate Group PublisherNick Humbertn.humbert@audiomedia.comDesign & Production ManagerJohn-Paul Shirreffsjp.shirreffs@audiomedia.commail@audiomedia.comEditor In ChiefPaul Macp.mac@audiomedia.comRegional Sales ManagerBob Kennedybkennedy@imaspub.com+44 (0)1279 861264Subscriptionssubs@audiomedia.comUK £43News/AMSR EditorJonathan Millerj.miller@audiomedia.comUS Sales ManagerMatt Rubensteinmrubenstein@imaspub.com+1 914 524 5045European (airmail) £60International (airmail) £72Payable in Sterling through UK bankRUSHES 28SAFESoUND DYNAMICS tooLBoXthe contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or in part, whether mechanical or electronic, isexpressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Great care is taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this publication butneither IMAS Publishing (UK) Limited nor the Editor can be held responsible for its contents. the views expressed are those of the contributors and notnecessarily those of the Publishers or Editor. the Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, or artwork.© 2007 IMAS Publishing (UK) Limited. All rights reserved.*Within Broadcast & ProductionAUDIo MEDIA MAY 20085

The complete packageGroove ArmadaKasabianFun Lovin'CriminalsBarenakedLadiesCollege HillProductionsThe layout makes it feel likean analogue desk - then youget all the benefits of adigital console too.Sam Parker,FOH EngineerThe ergonomics aresuperb. I love the userinterface and the Vigives me a crisp,clean sound.Yogi, Monitor EngineerI have found the Vi6to be the most userfriendly digitalconsole on the market.Chris Roberts, Sound EngineerThe Vi6 sounds great,is easy to use and takesup very little spacein the truck.Robin Billinton, FOH EngineerIt ’s just such a goodinterface – light yearsbetter than otherdigital desks.Chris Tate, New ZealandPristine sound quality, FOH/Monitor flexibility and an unrivalled userinterface make Soundcraft Vi the digital console that everybody wants to use.Now a full implementation of features including Lexicon effects andBSS processing, parameter copy/paste and Virtual Vi offline editing makesVi the digital console that no serious engineer can live without.Find out more about the new standard in digital live sound mixing atwww.soundcraftdigital.com

Diana KrallRufus WainwrightAmy WinehouseEastern StageProductionsMore ViProductionsIt’s easy to use,handles complex mixesand sounds great.Dave Lawler, FOH Sound MixerThe Vi has more readilyaccessible effects parametersthan most rack-mountingunits. I'm not using anyexternal effects at all.Matthew Manasse, FOH EngineerI am using seven of the LexiconFX with no outboardwhatsoever - and on top ofthat it ’s great visually, witha fantastic interface.Gerard Albo,FOH Sound MixerThe Vi6’ssound qualityis totally brilliant.Bill Damilczyk, New YorkScissor Sisters • Iron MaidenWe Are Scientists • Bob DylanDeep Purple • Arctic MonkeysHard Fi • UNKLE • The CoralAl Jareau • The Storys • AshChristina Sturmer • The KooksVamp • Primal TwangBaybeats FestivaliTunes Festival • Illegal EaglesThunder • ZuccheroBrian Ferry • Joan ArmatradingNo artist endorsements impliedSoundcraft T: +44 (0)1707 665000 E: info@soundcraft.comSoundcraft US T: 888-251-8352 E: soundcraft-USA@harman.comwww.soundcraftdigital.com

ecording newsstreaming news @ www.audiomedia.comNEW PRODUCTCharterOak Acoustic DevicesM900-TCharterOak AcousticDevices has released anew small diaphragmvacuum tube condensermicrophone in the slimlineform of the M900-T,employing the samecardioid, hyper-cardioid,and omni capsules usedin its popular M900transformerless small diaphragmcondenser, combined with a vacuumtube head amplifier and US-madeCinemag output transformer. Othernotable features include a two-stepsensitivity switch (0dB and -15dB)and 75Hz bass roll off.ASAP Europe+44 (0)20 7231 9661www.asapeurope.comCharterOak Acoustic Devices+860 698 9794www.charteroakacoustics.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PRODUCT UPDATETascam GigaStudio 4Tascam is shipping GigaStudio 4, thelatest version of its software samplingworkstation, while allowing usersto access up to 128GB of RAM forloading massive sample libraries andcompositional templates. GigaStudio4 is also capable of hostingVSTi and GVI virtualinstruments, the lattergaining the advantageof kernel-levelprocessing for lowerlatency than most otherhost applications. Othernotable features include unlimitedpolyphony, 24-bit/96kHz samplerate support, 128 MIDI channelplayback, and embedded GigaPulseconvolution reverb.Time+Space Distribution+44 (0)1837 55200www.timespace.comTascam (USA)+1 800 447 8322www.tascam.comNEW PRODUCTJZ Microphones The Black Hole PE (BH-3)Latvian microphone manufacturer JZMicrophones has unveiled the third mic in itsThe Black Hole series. The Black Hole PE (BH-3)– visually differentiated from its BH-1 (multipattern)and BH-2 (fixed cardioid) predecessorsby virtue of its dark green colour scheme – has afixed cardioid polar pattern, but, due to popularrequest, also features a pad (switchable between-5dB and -10dB) for avoiding overloading micpre-amps with high-output signals – whenrecording loud kick drums, for example.JZ Microphones has also launched a newshockmount and pop filter system for its The Black Hole microphone series.The vintage-style shockmount uses elastic bands while the pop filter’scone-shaped form purportedly reduces blasts and blows in close recordingapplications more than any other on the market. Stated designer JurisZarins: “We have been receiving a couple of good suggestions from differentusers, [so] we decided to include some of them in this product.”JZ Microphones+371 67246648www.jzmic.comFull Compass Systems+1 608 831 7330www.fullcompass.comBRAZILWSDG Realises Crystal Clear SoundsDiante do Tronto, the gospel band of Batista da Lagoinha, one of Brazil’slargest worship ministries, recently turned to full service architectural designand acoustic consulting firm Walters-Storyk Design Group (WSDG) to designits Diante do Trono Studio recording complex in Belo Horizonte, whereWSDG maintains an office.Diante do Trono Studio sportsa ground floor-sited 600ft 2 liveroom with sky-facing ceiling-levelwindows and an attendant 350ft 25.1 surround-capable controlroom with two adjoining isolationbooths (while the second floorhouses a 600ft 2 live/control/edit room tracking facility and video editingsuite). Look a little closer, however, and one’s eye is drawn to the expansivepanoramic glass wall separating the live and control room where the threemain Genelec 1032 monitors are housed with the glass itself to provide anunobstructed view between the two rooms. “The challenge of accuratelyplacing a control room main monitor system at ear level within a panoramicfront-viewing glass wall in an acoustically acceptable configuration has beena long-time design goal,” WSDG founding partner John Storyk stated. “We areproud to have played a role in creating their dream studio.”Walters-Storyk Design Group (Brazil)+31 3225 2766www.wsdg.comNEW PRODUCTSynthology Ivory Italian GrandSynthology is now shipping itsItalian Grand – featuringa 19GB core library ofover 2,000 Italian 10-footgrand piano samples– as a standalonemulti-platform plug-inpowered by its custom playbackand DSP engine.www.timespace.comwww.synthogy.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NEW PRODUCTSHHB DA60DC, DA113DCHHB has announced availabilityof its new HA60DC(60-minute) andDA113DC (113-minute)double-coated DTRSformattapes for the likesof Tascam’s DA-88 multitrack.www.hhb.co.uk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PRODUCT UPDATEiZotope RXiZotope has released its RZ audiorestoration tools as VST-, AU-, MAS-,Pro Tools (RTAS/AudioSuite)-,and DirectXcompatiblepluginsfor DAWs and audio editors. ItsAdvanced RX version has also beenupdated to include plug-ins.www.maudio.co.ukwww.m-audio.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .LOS ANGELESRosse Scores With Anthology IIGrammy-nominated composercum-producerEric Rosse has beenmaking muchuse of Eventide’s(Digidesign ProTools-, ICON-,D-Control-, D-Command-, andVENUE-compatible) Anthology IIplug-ins bundle in hisSquawkBox Studio.www.eventide.com8AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

ecording newsstreaming news @ www.audiomedia.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PRODUCT UPDATEMu Technologies Mu VoiceVersion 1.1.2 of the vocal recordingtuning and harmonising(VST/RTAS/AU) plug-innow supports a widerrange of sample rateswhile version 1.2.0 givesMu Voice users full control from aMIDI keyboard.www.mu-technologies.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PRODUCT UPDATEApogee Electronics duetApogee Electronicshas announced thatits duet 24-bit/96kHzportable twochannelFireWire(400) audio interface is to be sold inselect Apple Store locations acrossthe United States.www.sonic-distribution.comwww.apogeedigital.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JAPANMarantz Is Big In JapanMarantz Professional has beenselected to supplythe JapaneseSupreme Courtwith 1,000 of itsPMD660 portablesolid-state recorders.www.dm-i.euwww.d-mpro.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PRODUCT UPDATENative Instruments GUITAR RIG 3.1Available as a free download forregistered usersof GUITAR RIG 3Kontrol Edition andSoftware Edition,GUITAR RIG 3.1 offersoptimised high-precision modellingfor improved sound quality, as well asseveral usability enhancements.www.native-instruments.comAMSTERDAMAES Celebrates 60th At 124thThe AES (Audio Engineering Society) will becontinuing its 60th anniversary celebrations atthe 124th Convention making a welcome returnto Amsterdam’s RAI Exhibition and ConventionCentre on May 17-20. “2008 is the AES’ 60th year,and the Convention in Amsterdam is the firstmain event in the year where we can all celebratethis,” noted Roger Furness, Executive Director ofthe AES.“Discover New Horizons In Audio”. So states this year’s European AES’tagline. To that end, its Convention is again focusing on live sound, witha three-day so-called Live Sound Spotlight on the day-to-day work of livesound professionals to be held in a dedicated large room within the RAI,chaired by Eberhard Müller (Neumann & Müller), Jürgen Wilhelm (Yamaha),Gregor Zielinksy (Sennheiser), and Ralf Zuleeg (d&b audiotechnik), whokicks off in his own inimitable style bright and early (10:45) on May 17with Demystifying Audio (describing and demonstrating the principals ofacoustics) before moving on to Line Arrays (describing/demonstrating theirbehaviour in a non-mathematical manner).Back on celebratory common (studio) ground ex-EMI engineer GeoffEmerick will be taking questions about his recent BBC commission tore-record The Beatles’ legendary Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band albumwith contemporary musicians using the original vintage equipment. “Whata nice coincidence to celebrate 40th and 60th [anniversaries] together,”remarked Furness.Audio Engineering Society+1 212 661 8528www.aes.orgNORTH CAROLINA, MEMPHISStudios’ Discrete Recording VisionWes Lachot’s Durham, North Carolina-based Overdub Lane Recording facilityhas installed a unique 32-input API 1608 discrete analogue recording console,customised to include an additional 16-channel-wide central section, designedto accommodate a monitor screen, computer keyboard and mouse, sandwichedbetween the 1608 mainframe and a16-channel expander. Explained Lachot:“Our chief engineer, John Plymale,insisted on it; he said, ‘These days you’relooking at the Pro Tools computerconstantly,’ so we came up with this ideaand worked with our API rep to get thejob done.”Heading westwards, Archer Recordsrecently opened its new Music + Arts studio in Memphis with an API Visionas the focal point for its 5.1 recording and film production activities, havingacquired and rebuilt the Sounds Unreel studio sited in a historic old Midtownlimestone building.KMR Audio+44 (0)20 8445 2446www.kmraudio.comAutomated Processeswww.apiaudio.comNEW PRODUCTAMS Neve 4081 Quad Mic AmpThe 4081 Quad Mic Amp is the latestaddition to AMS Neve’s so-called NewClassic outboard range, featuring fourgenuine Neve 1081 Mic pre-ampchannels in a 9.5-inch-wide unit (twoof which can be tied together to giveeight channels in a standard 19-inchunit). All functions can be directlycontrolled from its front panel orremotely via a Mac or PC computerwith Neve Remote Control software(with up to 18 individual 4081 unitslinked together).AMS Neve+44 (0)1282 457 011www.ams-neve.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NEW PRODUCTSennheiser MKH 800 TWINSennheiser has introduced theMKH 800 TWIN, a 50kHz frequencyresponse-capable dual-capsulemicrophone that provides twoseparate sound signals at themicrophone output,allowing the pickuppattern to beremotely fine-tunedand corrected atthe mixing console.“The infinitelyvariable pickuppattern enablessound engineers andrecordists to try out new settings withminimum effort, and to optimise thesound at the mixing console,” statedSebastian Schmitz, Sennheiser’sProduct Manager for microphones.Sennheiser UK+44 (0)1494 551 551www.sennheiser.co.ukSennheiser Electronic Corporation+1 860 434 9190www.sennheiserusa.comAUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008 9

post newsstreaming news @ www.audiomedia.comNEW PRODUCTiTunes Digital Copy20th Century Fox and Apple haveannounced iTunes Digital Copy,providing DVDpurchasingcustomerswith a freeiTunes DigitalCopy of themovie totransfer ontoiTunes for viewing on a Mac or PC,iPod with video, iPhone, or Apple TV.Apple (UK)+44 (0)845 600 1683Apple+1 408 996 1010www.apple.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .FRANCEPostmoderne Posts With DFCsVanves-based new French postproductionfacilityPostmodernehas installed a64-fader AMSNeve DFC Gemini digital mixingconsole in its Audi 1 (Cinema) roomand another DFC Gemini in its Audio 3(Cinema/TV) room.Postmoderne+01 58 04 13 60www.audisdevanves.frNEW PRODUCTSAMS Neve DMC, CineFileAMS Neve has unveiled the Digital Multimedia Console (DMC), designedto deliver comprehensive mix and DAW control capabilities (Pro Tools,Nuendo, Pyramix, and Oasis) via Star Command at a competitive price,combines the company’s acclaimed EQ and dynamics with the fullstereo and 7.1 surround monitoring modes found on its DFC Geminidigital mixing console, high PCM sampling rates, DXD mixing, 40-bitfloating point processing, and more.AMS Neve has also launched CineFile, an all-new, multi-formatrecorder/dubber, allowing clients to record in their delivery format ofchoice, while integrated automation allows simultaneous automationand audio re-conform. Highlights include direct Pro Tools compatibility,native AAF/OMFcompatibility, MADI I/O, andbuilt-in high-performanceSCSI drives.AMS Neve+44 (0)1282 457 011www.ams-neve.comNEW PRODUCTApple Final Cut ServerApple is shipping Final Cut Server, a scaleable server application thatautomatically catalogues collections of assets, allows searching acrossmultiple disks and SAN volumes, and enables viewing, annotation, andapproval of content from anywhere using a Mac or PC; perfect for twopersonpost houses to national news organisations, Final Cut Server alsoincludes Compressor 3, Apple’s digital encoding and compression tool fordelivering various format conversions,including its own iPhone.Apple (UK)+44 (0)845 600 1683Apple+1 408 996 1010www.apple.comDIARY DATESPalm Expo 200829 May - 1 JuneBeijing, ChinaHD Expo Midwest5 JuneChicago, USAAES 32nd Conference5-7 JuneDenver, CO, USAPalm India Expo5-7 JuneBombay Exh. Centre, MumbaiABTT Theatre List11-12 JuneVncent Square, LondonInfoComm/NSCA14-20 JuneLas Vegas, USABroadcast Asia 200817-20 JuneSingaporeNAMM Summer Session20-22 JuneNashville, USACinema Expo International23-26 JuneAmsterdam, Netherlands10AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

REDEFINING AN ICON“ICON’s direct integration with Pro Toolsoptimizes the time spent at the desk, lettingus focus on the mix and improving the qualityof our product. The D-Control ES quickly fittedinto our established working environment. ”Miguel TorresTechnical Manager, Sonygraf DigitsoundWith tighter deadlines, post-production facilitiessuch as Sonygraf Digitsound are in search of bettertechnologies and solutions to meet increasing demands.At Digidesign, we strive to continuously improve ourproducts in order to ensure that customers like SonygrafDigitsound have what they need to get the job donequickly and easily. For this reason we developed theenhancements found in ICON D-Control ES.Visit www.digidesign.com/icon_amor visit your local ICON dealer to learn more aboutthe D-Control ES worksurface, and how ICON isrevolutionizing the art of mixing.digidesign.com © 2008 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Avid, Digidesign, D-Control, and Pro Tools are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology,Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. Product features, specifications, and systemrequirements are subject to change without notice.

oadcast newsNEW PRODUCTMinnetonka Audio SoftwareSurCode for Dolby EMinnetonka Audio Software’sSurCode for DolbyE is available forDigidesign ProTools (Mac/PC)and MinnetonkaAudioTools AWE (Mac), and candecode Dolby E files back todiscrete PCM, and more.www.minnetonkaaudio.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OHIOAxia Celebrates 1000th ConsoleAxia Audio recently celebrated itsfifth anniversary with welcomenews of its 1000thconsole sale.“Broadcastershave made us thefastest-growingconsole company in the industry,”commented Vice PresidentMarty Sacks.www.bionics.co.ukwww.axiaaudio.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TORONTOMidas XLs At Canadian AwardsPA Plus Productions (Toronto)deployed a Midas XL8 digital liveperformancesystem for thisyear’s CanadianSongwriter’s Hallof Fame Awards,streamlining their annual audioproduction for thisprestigious event.www.midasconsoles.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .FRANCEFrance 3 Surrounded BySoundFieldFrench state television channelFrance 3 has begun usingSoundField SPS422B microphonesand SP451 processors to providesurround soundaudio for highdefinitionsportsbroadcasting.www.soundfield.comwww.transaudiogroup.comstreaming news @ www.audiomedia.comNEW PRODUCTLawo mc 2 56German radio and TV broadcast mixing console and matrixsystems developer/designer/manufacturer Lawo has launchedthe new mc 2 56, its latest mc 2 -series console with a newlydesigned,easy-to-learn control surface and compact footprint,based around the Lawo HD core with up to 512 DSP channels,144 summing buses, and a 8192-crosspoint routing capacity.Available in 32- to 80-fader frame sizes, each 16-fader bay offersfully featured metering on a high-resolution TFT, while rarely usedfunctions are accessed via a touchscreen GUI.Meanwhile, Lawo, Dolby Laboratories, and Minnetonka AudioSoftware have jointly announced availability of the Lawo SurCodefor Dolby E Real-Time Decoder plug-in for operation withinLawo’s Plugin Server, functioning as a GUI-controlled VST plug-infully integrated into the Lawo production environment. LawoSurCode for Dolby E is also designed for full compatibility andinteroperability with Dolby E hardware equipment, promptingMinnetonka Audio Software President John Schur to comment,“It’s the best of both worlds, really.”PRECO (Broadcast Systems)+44 (0)20 8644 4447www.preco.co.ukLawo North America+1 416 292 0078www.lawo.comNEW PRODUCTStuder OnAir 2500Swiss professional audio solutions provider Studer has debutedits new OnAir 2500 digital all-in-one radio on-air console, a selfcontainedsystem, with the control surface, I/O breakout, DSPCore, and power supply, building upon concepts introduced inits OnAir 2000 predecessor. Fader strips feature an OLED (OrganicLED) showing a channel label, level and gain reduction meter,plus parameter readouts, all adjustable viaa rotary encoder and two push buttons,while a large TFT colour touch screen usersStuder’s patented Touch ‘n’ Action system.www.studer.chLAS VEGASNAB2008 Breaks RecordsThis year’s NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) Showreturned to its traditional Las Vegas venue in fine form with a widerangingconference programme kicking off on April 11 while theexhibition itself – with more than 1.7-million ft 2 of space packed tothe rafters with some of the biggest names in media (Sony, Apple,Microsoft, Google, CNN, and more) – ran from April 14-17, with105,259 registered attendees, 28,310 of which hailed from outsidethe US (a record high), prompting NAB Executive Vice PresidentDennis Wharton to comment, “The record international attendanceis proof positive that the NAB Show is truly the undisputed globalleader in the content marketplace.”The NAB Show+ 202 429 5300www.nabshow.com12AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

industry newsstreaming news @ www.audiomedia.comTC GROUP/GIBSON GUITARNon-MergerRisskov, Denmark-headquartered TCGroup – the holding company of fiveindividual companies (Tannoy, Lab.Gruppen, TC Electronic, TC-Helicon, andTC Applied Technologies) and Nashvilleheadquarteredmusical instrumentmanufacturer Gibson Guitar haveannounced that they have discontinueddiscussions regarding a potential mergerbetween the two companies.www.tcgroup.tcwww.gibson.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NOVATIONAwardNovation Digital Music Systems areone of this year’s recipients of a QueenAward for Innovation for its ReMOTESL MIDI controller. Chairman PhilDudderidge stated: “We’re delighted tobe winning this award; the ReMOTE SLis the first in a family of keyboards andcontrollers to benefit from AutomapUniversal, our proprietary software thatenables users of modern music softwareto control parameters of that softwarewithout having to manually assigncontrols to functions.”www.novationmusic.comAudio Media Ad 17/3/08 16:00 Page 1EUPHONIXAwardEuphonix has been awarded a ‘red dot’quality sealfor highqualitydesign forits ArtistSeries controllers with a formal awardceremony set to take place on June 23at the Essen Opera House.www.euphonix.comwww.red-dot.de. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DACS/CYCLING ‘74Distribution DealDACS has been appointed as theexclusive UK distributor of Cycling ‘74software products as of April 15.www.dacs-audio.comwww.cycling74.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SAE/AUDIOCOURSES.COMPartnershipSAE Institute has teamed up withAudiocourses.com to launch a newdistance learning education divisionwith SAE founder Tom Misner stating,“This mergermeans thatanyone withonline access willsoon be able to take advantage of SAE’ssuperb education packages.”www.sae.eduwww.audiocourses.comULTRASONEUS SubsidiaryGerman headphonemanufacturer Ultrasonehas opened its ownSouthern Californiabasedsubsidiary for theNorth American and South Americanmarkets, appointing Paul Taylor asPresident.www.ultrason.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .YAMAHA COMMERCIAL AUDIOAppointmentYamaha Commercial Audio hasappointed Gianni Abruzzese to the roleof CA Sales Manager,managing the UKCommercial Audiobusiness followingNick Cook taking upthe role of EuropeanMarketing Directorand Karl Christmas becoming DeputyGeneral Manager of the UK operation.www.yamahacommercialaudio.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DYNACORD/DC AUDIO PRODUCTSDistribution DealDC Audio Products,based near Barcelona,has taken overthe distribution ofDYNACORD products within Spain.www.dcaudioproducts.comwww.dynacord.comTURBOSOUND/EUROSELLDistribution DealTurbosound has confirmed theappointment of Eurosell to handle thedistribution of its range of professionalloudspeakers to the Italian market.www.turbosound.comwww.eurosell.it. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CEA/SENNHEISERInductingAmerica’sConsumerElectronicsAssociation (CEA)has inducted DrFritz Sennheiser, the95-year-old founderof Sennheiser, intoits Hall of Fame.www.ce.orgwww.sennheiser.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MARTIN AUDIOAppointmentMartin Audio hasexpanded its UKsales force with therecruitment of AlBrown, who will behandling nationalsales, specialising in the top-end touringand installation portfolio.www.martin-audio.comcalrec.comIF ELVIS LIVES,YOU’LL BE THEFIRST TO HEARWhen you’re mixing sound for light entertainment, it’s best toexpect the unexpected. You need to set up and handle multiplesources quickly and easily, access pre-sets, network your i/oand instinctively control the whole thing without missing a beat.At Calrec we’ve been dedicated to live production and on-airbroadcast audio mixing since the first Elvis impersonator wiggledhis pelvis. Today, as well as all the practical functions you couldwant, we also offer the most innovative and economical solutionfor surround sound.Bluefin technology provides twice the signal processing capacityin a fraction of the space of conventional systems, at no extracost and with 100% redundancy.Sounds exciting? Find out more at calrec.comPutting Sound in the Picture

Sarah and broadcaster Bob Jonescatch a moment with pianist andClassic FM presenter Myleene KlassFormer principal with the Royal BalletDarcey Bussell chats to the FlashMicGrabbing a few seconds withsinger and TV star Amy NuttallOn the red carpet with violinistNicola BenedettiThe great Plácido Domingo talks tothe FlashMicBackstage with mezzo-sopranoKatherine JenkinsCLASSIC FM AT THECLASSICAL BRIT AWARDSCovering the Classical BRIT Awards in London for Classic FM, journalist Sarah Kirkupused her HHB FlashMic Digital Recording Microphone to gather interviews for Classic FMMagazine, and for broadcast on air and via podcasts.“With no fiddly cables, the FlashMic was so easy to use” comments Sarah, who also picked up on the effectthat the FlashMic’s physical presence had on potential interview subjects. “Everyone on the red carpetseemed happy to stop and speak into the FlashMic and I’m not sure that that would have been the casewith other handheld recorders. The sound quality of the FlashMic is so good that I only had to listen to eachinterview once when transcribing for print, and locating and downloading the interviews for broadcast couldnot have been more straightforward.”Listen to Classic FM ‘Arts Daily’ podcasts at www.classicfm.comFlashMic combines a studio quality mic capsule with a broadcastquality Flash recorder and USB file transfer.Used by broadcastersand news organisationsworldwide, FlashMic is theone thing a seriousjournalist is never without.Classic FM journalist Sarah Kirkup interviews opera star Natasha Marsh with the HHB FlashMic at the Classical BRIT Awards in LondonSEND US YOURFLASHMIC CASE STUDYAnd you could win a great prize. Visit www.flashmic.info for detailsFLASHMIC RANGEDRM85 Omni-directional digital recording microphoneDRM85-C Cardioid digital recording microphoneDRM85LI Omni-directional digital recording microphone with line inputDRM85-CLI Cardioid digital recording microphone with line inputwww.flashmic.infoHHB Communications Ltd T: +44 (0)20 8962 5000 E: sales@hhb.co.ukIn the USA and Latin America: Sennheiser Electronic Corporation T: 860 434 9190 E: HHBSales@sennheiserusa.comIn Canada: HHB Communications Canada Ltd T: 416 867 9000 E: sales@hhbcanada.com

what’s upUKwhatsupuk@audiomedia.comCranes dominate the urban skylines of the UKright now. Around London and to the southand the north, the spindly-armed giants canbe seen for miles. Many of the projects are newapartment buildings. Others are colleges. Then thereare the media centres. Greater Manchester is seeingall three of these springing up, creating new districtsaround the city centre.MediaCity:UK is the most high profile of these.Being built at Salford Quays, the old wharf area on theManchester Ship Canal is where raw materials werebrought in and finished goods sent out to around theworld during the industrial heyday of the Two Cities.It has already seen a great deal of regeneration,notably the acclaimed Lowry Centre, celebratingthe work of local artist LS Lowry, and the obligatoryapartment blocks; but now the broadcast complexesare being built.This private property development by PeelHoldings moved on from running mills in Manchesterand Salford during the 1920s to owning land andbuildings around the world. In its portfolio arethe Manchester Ship Canal, John Lennon Airportin Liverpool, the Clydesport docks MediaCity:UK inScotland, and a stake in UK Coal.MediaCity:UK is to be the new home for fiveBBC departments, but the area’s film and TV life isalready underway through the Pie Factory, a jointventure between Peel Holdings subsidiary PeelMedia and local post-production facility, Sumners.Previously a freshbake pie factory, the facility hasthree sound stages, equipment stores and offices; andthe premises of ancillary companies offering casting,lighting hire and crewing services now occupy whatwere food stockrooms, preparation areas, and themassive ovens.Sumners was founded 15 years ago in centralManchester by former Granada Television film/VTeditors Andy and Janet Sumner, and has 35 videoedit rooms and four Pro Tools-based sound suites.Peel Holdings approached Sumners two years agowhen it was looking for ideas as to how MediaCity:UKcould progress in the future. Andy Sumner says PeelKEVIN HILTON finds what the Pie Factory can offer to Manchester’s TV and film industries. And it’s not puff pastries.EuropeMoving To Manchesterwas looking to build something along the lines ofPinewood Shepperton studios in Manchester.The developer’s media ambitions are clear;at that time it already held a stake in Pinewood,which was recently increased to 20.4 percent,and now it is creating its own complex.“They asked for advice about the studios and thenasked if I would run them on their behalf,” saysSumner. “What we’ve done withSumners over the years is buildup a production centre andwe’re applying that model to thePie Factory, which in turn is theblueprint and the hub for themarketing of MediaCity.”The Pie Factory studiocentre is by no means finished.The big sound stages – namedManchester, Salford, and Leeds– have been operating sincethe beginning of 2007; the solidconstruction of the building lent itself to this new lifeand the thick walls just needed rock wool and fireresistant cloth to be added for more effective acousticisolation. The loading bays mean that equipment canbe brought in and out easily.In the year since opening the Pie Factory hasworked on TV productions including Smalltime forBBC Comedy, Cold Blood (Granada/ITV) and DropDead Gorgeous (Hat Trick). Sitting in reception onecould be almost be in a London studio centre, withmessengers and extras walking in and out. And there,carrying a cup of tea, is veteran director Ken Loach,who is in the city making a film about ManchesterUnited football hero Eric Cantona.Outside broadcast companies NEC Visions andBBC OBs, bought by sports media and uplinkinggroup SIS (Satellite Information Services) at the endof March, both have trucks on site and rent officespace. Sumner says that for TV programmes needinga control room a scanner truck can be backed up to aloading bay for easy access. “The fact that both Visionsand SIS are here offers producers a competitivechoice.” That certainly fits in with SIS’s plans for itsnew acquisition.As well as maintaining its current contracts likeBSkyB and Setanta, which would never have hiredBBC OBs, Chief Executive David Holdsworth iskeen to move into what he calls “non-traditional OBareas”, which include studio-based programmes thatrely on trucks rather than permanent productiongalleries, and expanding itssound operations.But attention is still focusedon the BBC move. In May2007, Director General MarkThompson confirmed thelong-standing intention torelocate BBC Children’s, BBCChildren’s Learning, BBC Sport,parts of BBC Future Media andTechnology, and the sports andnews radio station BBC RadioFive Live to MediaCity:UK by2011, creating “a multimedia digital broadcastingfacility from scratch”.The plan is to hand over the BBC centre, which willhave a hotel above the studios, during the first quarterof 2010. This will give the broadcaster enough time toget the complex running, ready for the Olympics in2012. This gives the impression that MediaCity:UKis all about the BBC. “We have a 200-acre site hereand the BBC is only ten percent of it,” Andy Sumnercounters. Others with plans to take up residenceare Granada TV, the commercial broadcaster for thearea, and its studio’s joint venture with the BBC,3sixtymedia, although this is still to be confirmed.The University of Salford’s post-graduate mediastudies course will also have a presence.And at some point Sumners itself will moveat least part of its operation to Salford Quays.Andy Sumner observes that broadcast television isgoing through changes, with multimedia and datadelivery having an immeasurable influence. “The faceof media is changing,” he concludes,” and that’s theconcept behind what we’re doing here.” ∫“CAN YOU RECOVER MY DATA?”Choosing a storage system is not only about speed and capacity... it’sabout the support you’ll get when you need it most.Accidental deletion, data corruption, or hard drive failure can happen, the question is howwill the manufacturer help you? Most drive vendors simply re-format returned drives.Glyph takes the opposite approach with your data: we make every effort to keep it safe.TWO YEARS FREE DATA RECOVERY.Using hardware and software tools, we’ll do our best to recover data on yourGlyph drive, and move it to a replacement drive, FOR FREE, in the first twoyears of warranty - It’s our policy, that’s what we do.Steyler Str. 121 D-41334 Nettetalwww.glyphtech.com16Store in a cool place..AUDIO MEDIA NOVEMBER 2005AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

NUENDO LIVE )the perfect mix......of form and functionThe new MC Control brings the unparalleled speed,resolution and DAW integration of Euphonix’high-end professional consoles to your studio in arevolutionary, slim-line design. The high-resolution,customizable touchscreen and ergonomic controlslet you effortlessly navigate and edit your projectswithout ever touching a mouse, and placeeverything from simple keystroke commands tocomplex custom macros at your fingertips to deliveran unmatched editing and mixing experience.Artist Series AES DebutAES EuropeBooth #15141988euphonix.com©2008 EUPHONIX INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. MC CONTROL, MC MIX, & EUCON ARE TRADEMARKS OF EUPHONIX INC. MAC AND MAC LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF APPLE COMPUTER INC., REGISTERED IN THE U.S. AND OTHER COUNTRIES. ALL OTHER TRADEMARKS ARE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

geo focus: SingaporeSingapore BriefingSingapore is South East Asia’s hi-tech, wealthy city-state which is also known for the conservatism of its leaders and its strict social controls. The country comprises the mainisland – linked by a causeway and a bridge to the southern tip of Malaysia – and around 50 smaller islands. Once a colonial outpost of Britain, Singapore has become oneof the world’s most prosperous places – with glittering skyscrapers and a thriving port.Singapore’s media environment is highlyregulated. Censorship is common, Internet access isregulated, and private ownership of satellite dishesis not allowed.Government officials have a record of winningdefamation suits against foreign publications.Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders saysthe press is “in the grip of a rigorous self-censorship”over its coverage of domestic politics.Two players dominate the media scene.Singapore Press Holdings, which has close linksto the ruling party, has a virtual monopoly of thenewspaper industry. MediaCorp, owned by a stateinvestment agency, operates TV and radio stations.The two companies merged their free newspaperand TV operations at the start of 2005.Political debate has found an outlet on theInternet; however, those who post political materialare expected to register with the authorities.Singapore is a regional pioneer of high-definitionand mobile TV services. The government’smulti-million dollar “Media 21” blueprint aimsto turn the country into a regional hub forthe digital media industry and to create thousandsof new jobs in the sector. The BBC World Service isavailable via an FM relay.Nexo Geo Reinforces Traffic JamTraffic Jam is thought to be the biggest-ever street party to be held in Singapore, a carefullycollaboratedevent staged by Sony Ericsson and SingTel at Connaught Drive. This exclusive streetparty was open to only 2,500 partygoers and, with well-known American hip-hop/R&B groupArrested Development headlining the party, the event was the most sought-after ticket in town.Alongside Arrested Development were a few of Singapore's own bands like Electrico, Mystroe, andInquisitive, adding their own spice to the mix.LTM Productions Sound engineer Justin Tan specified some of LTM's new Nexo Geo D10 arrayableloudspeakers, purchased a few months ago from Show Company. For the main staging area; two clustersof Geo D, each with five tangent-array cabinets per side, were flown from truss, with four of Nexo's GeoSub bass/sub-bass cabinets offering cardioid LF (29Hz to 600Hz), complementing each array. On stage,there were PS15U monitors for the musicians. At front-of-house, Justin Tan mixed the show on a YamahaM7CL digital console.Grand CopthorneGoes WithCommunitySpektra Electronics has recently completeda number of audio system upgradesat the Grand Copthorne WaterfrontHotel in Singapore, using a variety of Communityloudspeaker solutions. Situated next tothe historic Singapore River and close to theCentral Business District and Orchard Road,the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel is one ofAsia’s premier choices for 5-star accommodationwith 550 lavish rooms and awardwinning restaurants.In the piano bar/lobby, Spektra installeda Yamaha MG24/14FX 24-channel mixingconsole with DBX 260 digital sound processing.The main loudspeaker system comprisesCommunity XLT43 15-inch full-rangeloudspeakers with CPL51 15-inch subs. Foldbackis provided by two Community MVP15M stagemonitors and the whole system is driven byAltair amplification.Resonance OptsFor SoundtracsDescribing itself as “compact, flexible, and music-centric”Resonance Audio is a relatively new studio basedin Singapore, primarily engaged in the recording,mixing, editing, and mastering of both studio and livemusic projects.The primary systems are the Steinberg Nuendo mediaproduction suite for mixing, plus Digidesign ProTools HD3for editing and projectdata management.VITAL STATISTICSA new SoundtracsFULL NAME Republic of SingaporeDS-00 integrates withPOPULATION 4.4 million (UN, 2007)both systems.“The ergonomicCAPITAL Singaporecontrol interface ofthe DS-00 is also amajor advantage,” saysResonance Audio'sBryant Hwang.“Together with itspowerful onboardEQs and effects, plusits practical MADIconnection, it isthe ideal console forour studio”AREAMAJOR LANGUAGEMONETARY UNIT660 sq km (255 sq miles)English, Malay,Mandarin, Tamil1 Singapore dollar= 100 centsMAIN EXPORTS Computer equipment,machinery, rubberproducts, petroleumproductsGNI PER CAPITA US $27,490 (World Bank,2006)INTERNET DOMAIN .sgINTERNATIONAL +65DIALLING CODE18 AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

Presented bywww.munro.co.ukEastlake’s South East Asian FlagshipIn South East Asia, UK-based Eastlake Audio has built facilities in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore where work was recently completedon one of the company’s most prestigious projects in recent years. JIM EVANS reports.Yong Siew Toh Conservatory ofMusic, located on the NationalUniversity of Singaporecampus, has constructed a worldclassmusic facility with technologysmartclassrooms and seminarrooms, practice facilities, teachingstudios, Concert Hall, Recording Studio,and video and Pro Tools equippedmedia facilities. Eastlake’s involvementwas with the Recording Studio andmedia facilities.A joint collaboration between theNational University of Singapore andone of the world’s leading musicschools, the Peabody Institute ofthe John Hopkins University inBaltimore, USA, the Conservatoryis working closely on programmeand facilities development with thePeabody faculty.“This was a ground-up projectwhich we were working on for aroundtwenty months, and everyone involvedis more than happy with how it hasall materialised. The concert hall wasinaugurated in October 2006 and thestudio was finally completed and fittedout in Spring 2007. It’s a significantproject for a number of reasons.There aren’t that many 60-man studiosthat are built from ground-up in theworld every year, let alone in SouthEast Asia,” explains Hawkins.SSL Asia, Quested distributor inSingapore, supplied the system forthe recording studio. The Solid StateLogic 48-channel, 216-input C200digital console has been teamed upwith a Quested 5.1 surround-soundsystem made up of the Q412d asmain monitors (L/R), which alsohandle the .1 feed, the Q212dn for thecentre and Q210d for the surroundchannels. The studio playbackand rehearsal room monitoring ishandled by a pair of Q210d and twoQSB118 subwoofers.The large machine room houses theQuested AP1300 and AP800 amplifierswith the SM326 and SM426, whichdrive both systems.Established in 2001 under the nameSingapore Conservatory of Music, theYST was renamed after the daughter ofits benefactor, Dr. Yong Loo Lin, whosefamily made a most generous giftthat contributes to the developmentof the faculty and also supportsstudent scholarships.Students are drawn to theConservatory from all over the Asia-Pacific region, and undertake studiesin music, performance, andcomposition during their four-yearundergraduate coursework.State-of-the-art facilities are housedin a modern, three-story building thatcomprises 45 practice and rehearsalrooms, 30 teaching studios, eightensemble rooms, and one of thelargest recording studios in Asia.“Originally they were looking forsome other monitors, but I convincedthe consultant to take some listeningtests on the Questeds, and a meetingwith Roger at London’s Sarm Weststudio was arranged, and like theysay, the rest is history,” says Chan KenWah of SSL Asia. “The rooms are largeenough to record the entire orchestraof the conservatory. Recording andmonitoring is also possible in thestudio control room from the concerthall, which is situated in another partof the same building. Most – if not all –of the live recordings of performancesare made in the control room withthe Questeds.”Roger Quested went to Singaporein order to set up the recordingstudio and rehearsal room systems.While there, Quested was invited togive talks to students studying at theSingapore branch of SAE, and also toengineers at the studios of Singapore’snational broadcaster, MediaCorp, along-standing Quested customer.The Conservatory’s studio facilitiesare certainly among the mostprestigious in South East Asia. As tothis region in general, David Hawkinsobserves, “Generally, the studio-buildbusiness in this part of the world isquiet. And you can see it when youlook at the announcements from themajor console manufacturers, there’snothing like the level of activity thatthere was ten years ago, for exactly thesame reasons there’s not that level ofactivity in Western Europe.“Interestingly, Singapore whichironically used to be an enormouslypopular source of counterfeit goodsof every kind has cleaned its act up,as indeed has Hong Kong, whereasmainland china and across theborder in Malaysia, there’s no endof ripped CDs, DVDs, and computergames available. Clearly that’s workingagainst anyone investing in a facilitythat nobody will be able to afford torecord in.”The music, recording, and broadcastindustries have changed significantly– some would say matured – over themore than three decades that Eastlakehas been designing and building thefacilities that provide the technologythat provides the wherewithal formusic, words, and pictures to reach theconsumer. “Projects like the NationalUniversity of Singapore don’t comeup every day,” reflects Hawkins as heprepares to fly to the Gulf to discussanother top of the range home theatreproject. Of necessity, Eastlake’s areasof operation now encompass muchmore than commercial recordingstudios as few are being built.While in the industry media thereare more reports of closures thanthere are of openings, and the homestudio flourishes, Hawkins believesthere is a future for commercial, wellrunrecording studios. He states, “Whilemuch of the recording process todayis computer-based and uses harddisk storage, which is astoundinglyinexpensive technology bycomparison with traditional pro audiorecording kit, there is no substitute fora correctly designed acoustical playingenvironment. No amount of electronicreverb or signal processing cancompletely unscramble an acousticalrecording made in an unsatisfactorysituation… Eastlake will continue tooperate in the studio business as longas that business remains viable.” ∫AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008 19

For The RecordMicrophone tips, a manufacturer with a difference, and how sound plays tricks with the imagination.Mic-SpeakI have this thing about ‘gobbing’ microphones invocal situations. In my case when overdubbingvocals to backing tracks, you will find an AudioTechnica 4073a short shot gun mic used for thevocalist. Set up around 12 inches from the singer,the capsule obviously a little further away, youget a more natural sound than using the usualvocal cardioid right up close to the lips.The usual variations in levels, with mic tomouth changes, do not occur, as the amount ofchange is such a small ratio of the distance tothe shot gun’s capsule. However, a wonderfulYamaha GC2020 compressor limiter is still used toget the vocals to sit properly in the mix.But it doesn’t end there. In my main field oflocation Classical music recording, I regularly usethe AT shotguns, or the Schoeps CCMIT model, tobalance the vocal parts against the instrumental.For instance, at some Psappha sessions fora CD of ‘Mr Emmet Takes a Walk’ by Sir PeterMaxwell Davis, the three vital soloists were separatelymiked with AT shotguns. The row of singerswere facing the instrumentalists, around fivemetres back from behind the conductor and themain M&S pair, still able to see his arm wavings,Out Of The Identikiteach shotgun around 1.5 metres from each oftheir mouths.At another job, I used Spaced M&S pairs forsound feeds to camera for Black Swan Film &Video DVDs of the National Children’s Orchestraconcerts. It very much suited the visuals to nothave a mic stand behind the conductor.Here is something else worth thinkingabout.If you have a wide orchestral layout,or a wide choir, not in the preferred semicirclewhere a single pair would suit, or youare recording a wide stage drama production,I can recommend the use of two spacedM&S configurations.You place them at one-third and twothirdsspacings along the front of theperformance area.The crucial thing isthat you angle them inwards to the frontcentre of the layout.For instance, withthe orchestra or choir, aim them to justin front of the conductor, and similarly sofor a stage recording. Obviously, pointing themstraight ahead would not work!What you get with the technique is the lefthalf of the soundstage covered by the left outputof the left pair and right half of the sound-stage covered by the right output of the rightpair. Ambience from behind the mic positions isalso acquired.Both pairs are conventionallydecoded and mixed together.Soloists beside the conductor havebeen satisfactorily covered, howeverspot mics are not ruled out!The Mid mic polar patterns can beCardioid, Soft Cardioid, or Omni, asappropriate to venue characteristics.The bonus here is that the techniquealso lends itself to surround. With somecustom decoding you can separate the leftand right outputs from each of the pairsand use the ‘audience coverage’ pick-up forthe rear surround loudspeakers. The Centrespeaker feeds can successfully come from addingthe two Mid mic feeds together.MIKE SKEET is an experienced location music recordistwho knows more about microphones and stereorecording than most, and is currently spending a lot oftime recording in sound.We live in the day of dreary globalisation.Identikit corporations churn out commoditisedproducts with a monotony that taxes their marketingdepartments almost completely limitedimaginations. But this business wasn’t always likethat, and in some places, it still isn’t. One of thoseplaces is Platts Eyot, an islandin the Thames at Hampton, andhome to Chilton Broadcast.Tom Reps is the driving forcebehind this broadcast electronicsoutfit that is gloriously anddefiantly British in approach.Tom, a contemporary of RupertNeve, is not exactly a young man,but seems to have the energy ofthree average twenty year olds.So what makes Chilton special?Well how about making everythingin house? Yes, everything.The metal work is crafted (and I mean crafted)on the island in premises in which Thornycroftonce made motor torpedo boats, while the PCBassembly is done in Herstmonceux. Chilton aimsto hold spares for their equipment for a minimumof ten years. And their designs combine usability,reliability, and useful features in a potent mix.I spent a very pleasant afternoon with Tomexamining the products from the inside out,discussing the problems of digital, and Chilton’sdesign and manufacturing ethos. It would be easyto cast Chilton as a luddite organisation committedto serving a market driven by nostalgia.Easy but untrue – Tom’s mastery of VCAs meansthey produce innovative products like their VCAheadphone amps, combiningtraditional engineeringqualities with features hard tofind in the rest of the market.And strangest of all – theirstuff is not esotericallypriced. Most of it, dare I say it,is cheap.It was great to have aglimpse in the workshop ofnew digital developmentswhile a few yards away satmetal guillotines older thanTom. But on these tools, olderin fact than our whole industry, they cut the sheetmetal to a few thou – and as Tom said “that makesscrewing the cases together much easer.”There’s no doubt that Chilton and its founderare eccentric, I have never before left an audiofactory tour with a packet of oatcakes to sustainme on my return journey, but then as a ScotsmanI have a genuine appreciation of the humble qualitiesof an oaten cake. But I also came away witha detailed service manual for the CAD 200 desk.I’m sure many audio manufacturers would take amore wine and dine approach, and I’d probablyget a glossy brochure or two, but I doubt if I couldbe more solidly impressed by the intrinsic qualityof the way the equipment is put together.My trip to Chilton left me a convert to theirradio kit. If you’re equipping a radio studio andneed the building blocks, their website is agreat place to start. And if you fancy an oatcake and live around London, a visit to Platts Eyotis a must.But behind all of this there’s a sweet irony.In the digital age we have embraced a shortlife span, non-repairable, chuck-away culture.Which is fine when raw materials are in limitlesssupply and your landfills are empty. It’s been theaccepted wisdom for more than a generation, butnow we see it was only accepted and not wise atall. In the long run, Chilton’s manufacturing ethosis the one with a future.ALISTAIR MCGHEE began audio life in Hi-Fi beforejoining the BBC as an audio engineer. After ten years inradio and TV, he moved to production. When BBC Choicestarted, he pioneered personal digital production intelevision. Alistair is now Assistant Editor, BBC RadioWales, but is allowed out occasionally.>AUDIO MEDIA NOVEMBER 200518 AUDIO MEDIA MAY 200820

For The RecordSound EffectsIt’s funny, the things that occur to you while you’re lying on your back in a confinedspace, having molecules in your body pummelled by a massive magnet.I’m sure you know the feeling. I had planned to write this month’s columnabout my addiction to technology and shiny studio hardware, but thensomething came to me while I was being fed into a kind of giant photocopierat the weekend.Actually, it was an MRI scanner (though it turned out it was nothing serious).The scanning process involves being slid into a big, shiny machine through afairly small opening: I had only a few inches of space above me and had to lieperfectly still while a lot of very clever stuff went on (see how incredibly knowledgeableI am about all things medical). A computer image of the inside of myhead then appeared in front of the people in white coats, sitting the other sideof a big window.I have to be honest and say the whole experience was rather unpleasant.Think caskets and coffins and you’re on the right lines. One of the people inwhite coats gave me a button to press if I wanted to gain her attention and Ihad to fight the urge to squeeze it like buggery on several occasions.But the claustrophobia was nothing compared to the sound. For thirty fiveminutes I listened to a succession of utterly monstrous whirrs, buzzes, and groansfrom the MRI machine as it did its thing. It was like an evil robot in a B-movie.I’d been given a large pair of headphones to wear throughout the procedureand had taken along my own choice of CD: the soundtrack to Ashes to Ashes.But not even The Clash and Gene Hunt’s rantings could drown out the deafeningnoise of the scanner.As I lay there with my eyes firmly shut (I figured you can’t be claustrophobicif you can’t see anything. Hey, it’s a theory!) it really brought home how powerfulsound is. Is this pointing out the obvious? Possibly not. It’s easy to get soused to working with audio that you forget what a powerful sense hearing is.Lying inside a tiny white tube was not nice. But the sound that was comingfrom all around me was far, far worse. I’m a big grown boy, but I really wantedto be somewhere else, and that was down to the emotions stirred up by theterrible grinding coming from all around me.Sound works on the imagination. I couldn’t see what was making thosenoises but it was enough to get a whole stack of irrational thoughts runningthrough my brain. I wouldn’t even consider sharing them with you.When I finally slid back out, I said to the technician, “I make sound effects forvideo games, but I could never come up with something as scary as that.” I dolike a challenge.JERRY IBBOTSON runs Media Mill, a York-based audio production company started in2000 that specialises in sound for video games. Prior to this, Jerry was a BBC journalistfor ten years, ending his spell with the Beeb as a reporter and newsreader at Radio OneNewsbeat.SOMETHING TO SAY?If you are an audio professional and have something constructive to say about your field of expertise, or tipsfor your peers, contact us with your ideas at ftr@audiomedia.com18AUDIO MEDIA NOVEMBER 2005

Special ReportDevelop Conference & Expo 2008Audio Media talks to John Broomhall about the third Develop Conference, and the growing opportunities for audio in games.The ‘business of play’ is thriving,and now in its third year, theDevelop Expo and Conferenceis all set to touch down in the vibrantcity of Brighton this July. Just a fewyears previous, who would havethought that the games industrywould be considered by many to bealmost as big and bright as that forfilm or television, but fast forwardto 2008, and technology has caughtup, allowing for big gaming dreamsto become big gaming reality.The Develop Conference ’08 reflectsthis dynamic feel to the industry,and a brighter future for the worldof games seems to be a key theme inthis year’s sessions and speakers.Indeed, coming from Frontier asa keynote speaker is David Braben,on ‘Why the future is brighter thanever’, looking at the opportunitiesfor game developers available in thisexciting, forward-seeking period forthe industry. This, among sessions onpythons, magical movie moments,and real emotion, as well as ‘Howto make children cry’ – could onlybe under the one roof of the gamesbusiness. If you ever wanted to knowhow Naughty Dog managed to puttogether Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune sobrilliantly and have fun at the sametime, or why Manhunt 2 was censoredin Britain, or how light can affect mood;then this year, Brighton is the city toset your sat-nav to. In total, there willbe 60 such sessions over three dayscovering a huge breadth of key topicsthat matter to game developers, withthe speakers pooled from some of themost creative and talented minds inthe industry today, including AntonyDouglas from O2, Damiano Iannettafrom Rare, Jonathan Smith fromTraveller’s Tales, and Phil Spencer fromMicrosoft Corporation.This mix of seminars, sessions,and workshops has helped toestablish the Develop Conferenceas the leading European event forgames professionals of all sectors, areputation that is growing year on year.2007’s Develop was an unmitigatedsuccess, with over 1,200 developersfrom across every level and area ofthe business attending; a figure that isalmost certain to increase for Develop’sthird outing, which also means nearboundlessnetworking opportunities.Priceless. And, as if you needed anymore excuse to mark 29-31 July in yourdiaries, there’s also the Develop Expo,which aims to bring together Europe’smost innovative games companiesand give visitors the chance to explorethe latest developments and tools.A free-for-all try-out session, with a baropportunely located right on the samefloor. Trés handy.The DevelopingWorld Of GamesAudio Media spoke with JohnBroomhall, organiser of the DevelopAudio Track about the conference,though first about a perceived risein the status of games audio inrecent times...“A lot of us of roughly our agehave grown up with games, and ofcourse all the people that are comingafter us, in their twenties, grow upplaying games.“I've seen the evidence just speakingat universities over the years... a whileago the students weren't that botheredor interested in games – they wantedto work in music, film, or TV.“These last couple of years – I'vereally noticed a change in that.People really aspire to workingin games, so there's this culturalembedding of games generally.“AM: Tell us about the Develop 2008Audio Track themes...“The main two components of theday, I think, are going to be case studies– leading audio designers who'vecompleted really interesting workrecently talking about what they'vedone, how they did it, and their angleson various aspects of game audio.I think the other big part of the day hasgot to be this examination of wheregame audio meets film audio.“We now have the technologyand the power to deliver truly greataudio, so more than ever, we shouldbe discussing the artistic aspects – thethought process and craft of greatsound design. How are we supportingthe drama? How are we underpinningthe moments? How are we changingthe player's focus? How are we helpingthe player navigate? Are we drivingmedia production centrePureInspirationrecord • edit • mix • create22Audio Media mag '08.indd 1AUDIO AUDIO MEDIA MEDIA NOVEMBER MAY 2008 20054/2/08 6:37:45 PM

the emotions of the player in a way that reallymakes sense?“Game audio technology has tended topoint people towards a literal description ofthe world, and let me say, a literal filmic reality ofthe world. We can have 3D sound tools where you canlay down point emitters in a geometry map, and say,'this thing here that I'm marking makes a sound', andwe can apply some rules to how that sound works –get within a certain distance and I can hear it at thisvolume, and when I get right up to it, it will be atthis volume and level of detail. All these things arein place... but they steer us as game audio peopleto describe the world with a literal head on, ratherthan with the wonderful use of subjective sound andnon-literal sound, both in terms of content, and itsdeliberate omission... That's kind of what games aren'tdoing all that well at the moment in real time – all thetechniques that someone would want to apply whenthey're mixing a film: They're manipulating the mix,they're manipulating subgroups and determiningfocus, and they're really thinking about whatmessages are conveyed by the sound – in all respects.They introduce sounds that have nothing to do withthe on-screen environment that are there purely foremotional effect... This is an area for game sounddesigners to explore further – at run-time, not just the'cut scenes' – using all the techniques and thoughtprocesses that someone would want to apply.“So let's start talking about the artistry and craftof sound design, and how we draw from the richheritage of other media and what's happened inthose... really start to change, develop, and build onwhat we do.“It Is Big, And It Is Clever…It is a super sized competition of epicproportions…2 FREE SUPER PASSES TO GIVE AWAY!No more queuing at the ticket booth from midnight; as part of Audio Media’s sponsorship of theDevelop Conference Audio Track we’ve managed to secure two conference ‘Super Passes’ to justgive away completely free to whomever we so darn-well please. These passes, worth over £600each, give the owners unlimited access to the whole Conference and Expo.Just think... you could be hob-nobbing with the most important people from the gamesdevelopment industry and gaining valuable insight into its inner-most workings.All you have to do to win one of these passes is to send an e-mail to:supersizemyconference@audiomedia.com...with your contact details. The deadline for entries is 1 July, 2008, and then the first two entries tobe selected (at random) will each receive one Develop Conference Super-Pass. Send your entry nowto supersize the experience!Cue: Audio MediaOne welcome addition to the Develop Conferencethis year is Audio Media’s new role as exclusive mediasponsor of the Audio Track, alongside music4games.net as online partner. This partnership with Developincludes the keynote panel slot featuring topaudio operatives from both the TV/film and gamesaudio worlds. The aim of the session will be to starta “lasting and mutually beneficial dialogue” onwhat the two sides can offer each other in termsof working practice, creative ideas, services, andmore. Paul Mac, Editor of Audio Media commented:“With the new generation of consoles, the gamesindustry has finally been handed freedoms in audiocontent and capability that the film and TV worldhave had for a while – consumer expectations willinevitably rise, and this is a great opportunity toreinforce sound as a core criteria.”Ali Wynn, Develop Conference Director said:“We are looking to broaden the content and appealof the Audio Track at the Conference to attractdelegates from other industries like TV and film, sothat audio professionals from different industries cancome together to share experiences, learn from eachother, and make new contacts. Audio Media is themagazine for audio professionals with a keen interestin the games sector, so working together makesperfect sense.”Details of all the Audio Track sessions on the 31July, including panel members, times, and so on, willbe published on the Develop Conference website andannounced in Audio Media nearer the time. ∫....................................INFORMATIONThe Develop Conference and Expo 2008 will takeplace from 29-31 July, 2008, at the Hilton BrightonMetropole in Brighton.W www.develop-conference.comUK Sales01992 703058e-mail sales@shuredistribution.co.uk or visit www.shuredistribution.co.ukWorldwide Sales+1 (608) 524-0625e-mail sales@sounddevices.com or visit www.sounddevices.comAUDIO AUDIO MEDIA MEDIA NOVEMBER MAY 2008 200523

PAUL MAC shoves Olympus’dinky recorder under thebonnet of a diesel, toots thehorn, and then job done,zips the LS-10 lovingly in itsown padded jacket.Starting out as a journalist in the music industry, my firstpurchase was a dictaphone – the sort that used thosemini-cassette tapes. I’d owned one as a student, butthat had long since disintegrated into its plastic components.The one I bought for ‘professional’ use was an Olympus.There are a couple of reasons why I bring this up now.First, you should know that Olympus is no stranger to themini recorder market, and second, you should know that mydictaphone still works.The difference here is that this recorder falls outsideof Olympus’ dictation and note-taking categories, andthe less than ‘pro audio’ status of dictaphone recordingreally doesn’t come into it. Stereo microphones, up to24/96 PCM recording onto built-in Flash or SD memory(off-loaded via USB), a wide variety of mic ‘zoom’settings, built-in speakers, and even on-boardeffects for playback all put the new LS-10 intothe burgeoning category of high-quality miniportable recorders. There are also a varietyof accessories available for the unit, includinga bunch of microphone options, an infraredremote option, and more.record ready mode, indicated by the bright flashing LEDring surrounding the button itself.The immediate adjustments available for recordingmode are sensitivity (high/low switch), low cut filter (on/off switch), and record level (adjustable wheel markedwith numbers one to 10). Everything else is in the menuand includes the recording mode (PCM, MP3, and WMVoptions), Record level (manual with or without limiter,or Auto), Zoom Mic (we’ll get to that in a mo’), RecordMonitor (on or off), and Plug-In Power (on or off – notphantom though).In total, the menu system is extensive and includesdisplay settings, memory/card management, and otheradmin stuff (date/time, lock, auto power off, and so on),but it’s not overpowering, and the central navigationbuttons are easy to use and positive, even if you’ve gotbig thumbs. One great addition here is the front panelFn (function) button. This can be set up as a quick-accesskey to a choice of menu items, so if there’s one item youtire of frequent menu surfing for, simply assign it to theFn button and it’s always at your thumb-tip.Also at your thumb tip are the stop and record buttons,OLYMPUS LS-10MINI DIGITAL RECORDERTHE REVIEWERPAUL MAC is Editor of Audio Mediamagazine.OverviewIt’s obvious that Olympus has considered design akey element. The iPod-style dual box arrangementmakes you feel as if the contents have value, andthe sheer number of accoutrements packed intothose boxes make you feel as if you have value.As well as the recorder itself, you get a paddedzip-up case, a wrist strap, a USB cable, a stereomini-jack cable (thank you Olympus – thosethings have a longevity comparable to pairedsocks in my house), foam wind-shields for themics, a wad of multi-lingual manual, a smallquick-start leaflet, and a complementary copy ofSteinberg’s Cubase LE 4.The recorder itself is not unlike a decent-sizedmobile phone. It’s a mostly metal case (the batterycover is plastic), with a large screen, and a frontpanel dominated by a four-way key-pad plus central keyfor transport control and menu navigation. On the sides ofthe unit are the sockets (line in, mic in, headphones, USB,SD slot); switches for power/hold, mic sensitivity, and lowcutfilter; and wheel controls for input and output levels.The two wheels are cleverly positioned on opposite sidesand off-set slightly, so whichever hand you favour, you cancomfortably get to both with thumb and forefinger.The screen on the LS-10 is very readable, and welllaid out. The folder view (List mode) is straightforward,the menu view is clear (and even includes icons), andthe record/play screen really couldn’t get more informationin one place. It’s nice to see that metering gets the lion’sshare of the screen space, and there are twin timedisplays for the current recording/playback and the totalremaining time. Most of the current record settings aredisplayed, as is the current folder and file name, batterypower, and more.In List mode you get a display of six folders (A to E, and‘Music’), where your audio ends up. If you choose to playa file, or hit the Rec button, you move to the main screen.If you used the Rec button to get there, the LS-10 is now inand between those is a well-placed peak indicator.A smaller erase button does the obvious, with the usual‘are you sure?’ safety net – and the advantage is that youcan choose to erase whole folders, as well as individualfiles. I’ve sat over many coffees before, laboriouslyerasing 40 files individually from a previous job withother recorders – with this you can use a folder per job,per day, per session, or whatever suits.The microphone ‘Zoom’ processing (and also theEuphony playback processing) comes from DiMagic,a Japanese company specialising in virtualised soundtechnologies for mobile devices. In the LS-10 you canchoose from four zoom modes (Wide, Standard, Narrow,Zoom), or ‘Off’. The zoom modes are a choice of basicpatterns and enhancements from Zoom mode withhigh off-axis rejection and the wide mode with anenhanced stereo width.This is certainly a useful choice to have, especiallywhen contemplating the environment you’re recordingin – do you want a wide, ambient pick-up, or a focused,personal touch? You could have an interesting discussionabout whether a journalist should be making a call likethis in the field – but at least you can have the discussion,and the option. The main limit here is that zoom modesare only available in the 16-bit, 44.1kHz recording mode.In play mode everything is pretty much as it shouldbe, with the front controls becoming transport keys.You can select a file from the file list, or simply playthrough the folder in order from the play/record screen.Additionally, DiMagic has again contributed with itsspacial ‘Euphony’ algorithms, available as playbackprocessing and set-up in the menus – these arebasically stereo enhancement width and surroundemulations – and there are also a selection of reverbprograms to choose from.In UseI started the review by noting a series of recordings Ineeded to make anyway, including some outside24AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

ambience, a diesel engine at several rev’ levels,a vehicle hooter, and a few others. I also did aphone interview with the recorder connectedvia a phone socket adapter. By combining thevarious recording formats, recording modes,and microphone zoom modes, I got a fairlygood picture of the LS-10’s performance.Initial ambient tests were very impressive,with especially good height reproduction.It was apparent from the outset that the builtinmics are bright and take a bit level before thelow end gets a good look in. The 24/96 optiongave a more open, rich experience, thoughthe low sample rates and even MP3 are prettygood too – it did seem that the brightness ofthe recordings obscured a lot of the normalartefacts or characteristics you’d expect withthe lower rates and compressed formats.With the mic zoom modes there was a goodrange of options. Without them, the stereoimage is fine. In Wide mode the difference wasvery obvious – very inclusive and the stereo fieldgets stretched very effectively, though imagingdoes get a little more vague. In the Narrow andZoom modes it was possible to get a feel fora real strength with this unit – environmentalexclusion. Often the problem with the olderdictaphone-type mics was a lack of distinctionbetween ambience and the target – the Narrowand Zoom modes do away with that problem,so for broadcast journalists doing interviewsin a variety of settings, these options could bea valuable asset.The unit handled high SPLs with ease,though mic sensitivity and record level wereobviously critical here. My diesel enginerecording turned out nicely, and I even forcedsome low end oomph close up to the exhaust.With sensible settings, nothing overloaded,and if the limiter was working hard, it didn’tshow it.The low-cut filter together with the 'MickeyMouse ears' wind shields did a good enoughjob in light winds, and the rear rejection ofthe unit in normal recording mode was alsovery noticeable. Handling noise was quitehigh, so it was important to keep a firm gripand not shuffle the unit about, and the clickfrom the record pause button does end upon the recording – so that’s a minor edit jobright there.Avoiding the microphones and goingstraight in through the mic/line sockets is asatisfying experience and proves just how littlenoise the unit generates.If I was to add anything to this unit it wouldbe presets of recording settings, which wouldmake minimal training necessary for ‘pool’units; also a pre-record facility so you don’tmiss an inspiring sentence just because you’rea little bit slow on the record button.ConclusionThe highlights in this package include the niceconstruction and large screen, the Fn button forquick access, the mic zoom modes (though ifthese were available for all sample rates it wouldbe better still), the thread in the back of theunit for mounting directly on a tripod or stand,and the inclusion of Cubase LE in the bundle.That last one signals Olympus’ intention tomake the LS-10 more than just a recorder – it’sthe start of a production chain.Overall, the LS-10 is a great little tool for justabout anybody who records – whether it hangsout in your top pocket waiting to be useful(and it will be) or whether it stays glued to yourpalm as you roam. ∫..................................£ GB£269.99 (RRP)INFORMATIONA Olympus UK Ltd., Vision House, 19 ColonialWay, Watford, Herts WD24 4JLT +44 (0) 1923 831100F +44 (0) 1923 201767W www.olympus.co.ukE info@olympus.uk.comaudio media may 2008ORDER YOUCATALOGUEBulk CablesConnectorsKID BROADCASTDistribution Systems– AMPLIFIERS –Active ComponentsPremade CablesHeadphonesModular SystemsOEM Manufacturingwww.sommercable.comSOMMER CABLE GmbHAudio Video Broadcast Media Technology HiFiinfo@sommercable.com

MANNY SANCHEZ needed tofind a new console – one thatcombines all that’s great aboutthe analogue classic of yore,with flexibility that will earnits keep. In steps API...Since opening about two and a half years ago, I havebeen searching for a desk that I could afford but thatwould also allow me to stop spending a majority of arecording budget on a mixing studio. I have worked with BillThomas from Mercenary Audio since I got the idea to openthe studio, and he has always been well informed andextremely helpful about all my inquiries and purchases.He called me in the summer of 2007 and told me about theAPI 1608. Bill has an uncanny knack of eliciting enthusiasm,but he didn’t have to say much to get me excited aboutthis product; I have worked with API EQs and mic pres,and they have always been very useful in my pursuit ofaudio Nirvana.The Answer Is...A 16-channel console is obviously not going to be theanswer for many engineers making records the way Ilike to make them, and I was relieved when Bill informedme about the 16-channel expander. This would give me32 channels as well as eight aux returns.the expander bucket because I am very interested to seethe next generation of 500 series modules. The API EQshave been around a long time and are tested and true.I love the idea of being able to add different flavours ofEQ and compression into this desk to mix and matchthe sonic properties of a given channel. I plan on fillingthe rest of the expander bucket with EQ and the additional500 Series modules with compression. The characterpossibilities of the desk aren’t limited to API, which wasa positive selling point.Not Inline, Not ‘Budget’On the negative side, I could see how people couldconsider the 16-channel version limiting because it is notan inline console. I don’t ever have a problem because,with the extra bucket, it is easy for me to split the consoleinto input and monitor sections. The console doesn’tcurrently have automation, but Bill at Mercenary informsme that it will probably be ready in the fall.This also isn’t a budget console by any means.API 1608RECORDING CONSOLEPHOTO: MANNY SANCHEZ, THE I.V. LAB OF CHICAGOTHE REVIEWERMANNY SANCHEZ owns and runsI.V. Lab Studios in Chicago, USA.I make records using an Ampex MM1200 16-track tapemachine in conjunction with Pro Tools, so essentiallyhaving 40 inputs at mix was more than ideal.Feature SetThe console’s input module features the API 312 mic pre,of which I already had eight, so I was familiar with (andadmired) its sound. The 1608 features eight aux sends(four mono, two stereo), which are useful to me becauseI still use a bunch of old school effects and reverbsincluding a tube version of the EMT 140 plate. My cuesystem features a 12-channel mixer for each performer, soin a tracking situation I will use the eight sends on the firsteight tracks of the mixer and fill the rest with the multitrackreturn row of my patch bay, if needed. This gives theartist maximum flexibility, and I never have to worry abouttrying to balance two cues across five people – never anenjoyable experience.The console has eight busses, which is perfect for mein a mixing or tracking situation. I have learned over theyears that spending more time getting the sound shapedand confirmed at the tracking phase will lead to a moreefficient mix. I blend multiple kick and snare mics as wellas guitar mics at tracking, so I don’t have too much tothink about at mix. In a mixing situation, I am a big fan ofbuss compression on drums, and eight of them are morethan enough for my needs. This may seem futile to praisesuch a simple and functional aux/buss system, but anyoneworking on a vintage console – especially an 80 SeriesNeve – knows how frustrating it is to exercise switcheswhen you should be working.The unit comes as standard with 12 x 550 parametricEQs, and four x 560 graphic EQs fitted. There are also fourempty slots for the provision of fitting your own 500 seriesmodules. This is the area where the console really shines.The modular concept is flexible and fresh. I currently havetwelve 550a, four 560, two 550b, two 525, and two SpeckASC-V EQ modules. I took the option of short-loadingIn addition to the price tag (short loading the expanderof EQ), a patch bay must also be built. This is not tosay the 1608 is overpriced, because it isn’t. But it is aserious investment.ConclusionOverall, since receiving the first one of these consoles inFebruary, my experiences have been what I expected.It’s the beginning of a love affair that has beenunrequited for some time in my audio career. I wouldput any of my recent mixes on the 1608 up against any Ihave done elsewhere on much more expensive and‘vintage’ consoles.The sonic quality of the 1608 is as good (and betterin some areas) as other consoles on which I’ve had thepleasure of mixing. It is a very balanced sounding deskthat can kick you in the stomach but can also blowsweetly in your ear. Engineering is art and the API 1608 isa wonderful canvas. ∫....................................A GB£28,000.00 (exc.VAT)INFORMATIONA Automated Processes Inc (API), 8301 Patuxent RangeRoad Jessup, MD 20794 USAT +1 301 776 7879W www.apiaudio.comA (UK Distributor) KMR Audio, 1375 High Road, Whetstone,London, N20 9LNT+ 44 (0) 20 8445 2446W www.kmraudio.comEsales@kmraudio.com26AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

www.solid-state-logic.comGive your studio a new heartControl your DAW• 16 +1 Fader Controller• Plug-in control• Ethernet DAW connection• Control up to 4 DAWs simultaneously• Programmable Soft-Keys• DAW automation control of MatrixIntegrate your outboard• Advanced 32 x 16 x 16 routing matrix• SuperAnalogue router to manage thesends and returns of sixteen outboardprocessor units• Save FX chains and set-ups• Full control via PC applicationAn SSL console at the heart of your studio. Focusing your creativity and streamlining workflow.Seamlessly integrating your outboard analogue equipment within a powerful routing matrix.Elegant control of up to four DAWs simultaneously. And a first-class SSL mix surface.The future of the project studio is Matrix. Find out more at www.solid-state-logic.com/matrixMatrix. This is SSL.Oxford +44 (0)1865 842300 New York +1 (1)212 315 1111 Los Angeles +1 (1)323 549 9090 Paris +33 (0)1 48 67 84 85 Milan +39 039 2328 094 Tokyo +81 (0)3 5474 1144

SIMON TILLBROOK pulls his newprocessor out of the box, readyto learn some new lessonsabout power and control, andcomes out smiling.THE REVIEWERSIMON TILLBROOK is the PrincipalMusic Tutor at Islington MusicWorkshop in London. The rest ofhis time is spent as a freelanceengineer, mainly in the USA.The latest arrival to my desk has been a two-channelcompressor. That, in itself, is not something that wouldhave any immediate impact, but there is oneremarkable thing in this case: the unit was not only designedin the UK, but also manufactured and, wherever possible,parts sourced in this country. I felt that was worth a mention,as it is rare indeed.OverviewThe Dynamics Toolbox is a 2U rack unit, with two identicalchannels that can be linked for stereo operation. The twosets of channel controls are identical, with ‘channel one’acting as master when linked.A quick scan over the front controls presents you theusual array of functions for such a processor: Ratio, Attack,Threshold, Release, gmu (gain make up), as well as a fewadditions. Each channel's VU is dual-scale (gain reductionand output level), with two reference levels: +6 or +18dBu.Below the meter we find an output level rotary controlwith +/-15dB of gain and a notched zero point. This is nextto a control and button that is essentially a 'mix' control forcompressed and dry levels.The sidechain section of the Dynamics Toolbox offersa little more flexibility than the norm. Rotary controls forthe HPF and LPF can be engaged with an EQ button thatplaces this sidechain EQ immediately before the compressorcircuit to prevent unwanted triggering from high amplitudefrequency sections of your audio. An external unit can beinserted through rear connections and placed in signal flowwith the insert button. Finally a sidechain listen functionbutton is also here.Four final pushbuttons on the front of the DynamicsToolbox are used in conjunction with applying a limiter onone of two compressor modes, which I will explain shortly.Audio connections through quarter-inch TRS connectorscan accept balanced and unbalanced connections.Inputs and outputs have ground lift switches, and there aresidechain inserts for both channels. There are two outputs foreach – electronic and transformer-balanced, with Lundahl,Sowter, Jenson, and Cinemag options available to the latter.The review unit was fitted with the Lundahl option.Toolbox OpenedThe limiter is a fast-attack type with a look ahead dynamictracking design. Enabled with the front limiter buttonyou can set the threshold with range +6 to +24dBu.The Dynamic Toolbox then looks to the transient of theincoming audio and can dynamically alter the attack timeup to a very fast 100us, and a programme tracking releasethat can vary from 100ms to 500ms to follow the naturalchanges in the audio signal.The Dynamics Toolbox has two compressor operatingmodes called ‘Peakride’ and ‘Dynamic Tracking’. As with theLimiter function, the Safe Sound Audio website has a whitepaper that explains the principles in a great deal of detail.I will try to summarise here:Peakride compression is about achieving a smoothmusical result, and trying to avoid the over-compressionthat so often occurs when struggling with the odd excessivetransients in an audio programme. It uses three linkedsidechains working together, each with different ratio,attack, and release settings.As the initial transient hits the threshold, the DynamicsToolbox dynamically alters the attack, ratio, and releaseaccording to the changes in the dynamics of the audioprogramme above the threshold.Dynamic Tracking gives a greater degree of control to theuser for primarily submix and final mix compression whereyou may wish to be more aggressive. You can set attack andrelease times manually to either pull mix elements together,or create pumping up front effects.Dynamic Tracking tracks the speed of the audio signal’snatural attack before it hits the compressor thresholdcontrol, increasing the compressor attack speed to copewith excessive transients, then reducing it following thedynamics throughout the programme. Ratio and release arebalanced and dynamically altered as well.WorkingThe design of the Dynamics Toolbox may be complex butthis does not get in the way of making it easy to operate.Straight out of the box you can be up and runningvery quickly achieving good results, but do spend time toSAFE SOUND AUDIODYNAMICS TOOLBOXTWO-CHANNEL COMPRESSORunderstand the differences in the modes. The benefits ofthe Dynamic Toolbox will then make a lot more sense.Firstly, just putting a signal through the Dynamic Toolboxand comparing the two outputs with no processing: there isa very subtle and pleasant difference between the electronicand transformer outputs. Both are extremely transparentwith the Lundahl transformers showing a little low midcolour. When you start to drive the Dynamic Toolbox thisreally starts to come out with a smooth, warm effect.With Peakride on both instruments, and in particularvocals, the Dynamic Toolbox tracks extremely well,applying just enough processing in a smooth and virtuallyindistinguishable way – very musical indeed. Musical isthe best description for this mode of operation, as theDynamic Toolbox dealt with all manner of intensive transientinformation faultlessly through all of the examples I tried.Dynamic Tracking gives you all the flexibility to bringout some real aggressive character. When used with thefront blend control for that ‘New York’ style of adding inaggressive compression to dry signal, the rock meter goesall the way to eleven. Great to have all this control in thebox with such simple functional control.ConclusionSafe Sound Audio is looking to enhance some functionsof the Dynamic Toolbox for mastering purposes withfeedback from the industry’s best placed people, and thatwill only increase the popularity of this processor.Easy to use, but so powerful when you learn what theDynamic Toolbox is really about. Capable of producingresults that are smooth and musical, to hard, aggressive,and in-your-face, you are never disappointed and willcontinue to find reasons to widen that smile. ∫....................................INFORMATION£ GB£999.00 (exc.VAT)Optional plug-in Lundahl LL1539 – GB£87.50 (exc.VAT)T +44 (0) 7866 574522W www.safesoundaudio.comE info@safesoundaudio.com28AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

NIGEL PALMER picks upa surprising tip from anInternet forum, which leadshim to discover a compressorseemingly without fault.Internet audio forums often attract criticism and it’s easyto see why, with too much uninformed opinion fromanonymous posters apparently aged about fourteen.However, there’s also an upside: the better-run boards (suchas Brad Blackwood’s Mastering Demystified at prosoundweb.com, where real names are de rigueur) often havecontributions from people of experience that genuinelyinform the rest of us, and one of the most useful aspects isthe way new ideas and products can be flagged. That’s howI first got to hear about the VSC-2 Quad Discrete Compressorfrom the German company Vertigo Sound, an analogue unitthat’s caused considerable interest since coming on to themarket last year.In UseI hooked the unit up to my mastering rig as a straightreplacement for my usual analogue compression, andthe first word that came to mind on using the Vertigo was‘classy’: the sound of the compressor is exemplary and hasa lovely silky quality, though it’s not afraid to assert itselfwith second harmonic colouration when using the MakeUp control combined with gain reduction. I was struckby the fact that, as with some of the better compressors,any given program material had a range of settings thatcould be employed, thus handing control back to theoperator to make the most appropriate choices forthe application. I also noticed that with some of the gentlersettings (especially when using the Soft ratio), you mightVERTIGO SOUND VSC-2QUAD DISCRETE COMPRESSORTHE REVIEWERNIGEL PALMER has been a freelanceSound Engineer and Producerfor over 20 years. He run his CDmastering business, LowlandMasters (www.lowlandmasters.com) from rural Essex where helives with his family and two dogs.OverviewThe ‘Quad’ in the name refers to the VSC-2’s use of fourdiscrete VCAs (voltage controlled amplifiers) as its maincontrol elements, one in the audio path, and one in thesidechain of each of the compressor’s two channels.The blue front panel is easy on the eye and clear inoperation: to the left are two rows of five knobs, one rowper channel, consisting of Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Releaseand Make Up – Threshold and Make Up are continuouspots, and the others are stepped for repeatability.Threshold offers a wide range from -22 to +22dBu, witha ‘zoomed in’ area from -6 to +6 dBu where most workis likely to occur; Ratio starts with Soft (described inthe manual as a Tip Toe function different to the morecommon Soft Knee) where compression begins verygently and increases with level to 8:1. The other ratios,which have an increasingly hard knee, are 2, 4, 8, and10:1, and finally Brick, a 40:1 limit function. The unit’sAttack settings step from 0.1 milliseconds to 30ms, theRelease going from 100ms to 1.2 seconds plus a programdependentAuto mode. Make Up gives up to 22dBu ofboost to the signal and progressively colours the sound,a versatile addition to the VSC-2’s bag of tricks.To the right of the knobs are two switches to eitherengage processing on each channel or hardwire bypass, andnext to these are a pair of illuminated gain reduction meterswith three further switches beneath to access the unit’sstereo linkage and sidechain filters: in Stereo mode onlythe channel A (left) knobs operate, becoming masters forboth left and right, channel B’s controls being switched off;both sidechains are still active, however, with the highestpeaks in either channel triggering compression in both.The filtering has been well implemented, and is individuallyswitchable to provide a rolloff at either 60 or 90Hz in thesidechain so that the compressor becomes less sensitiveto compression triggered by low frequency content, andtherefore reduces ‘pumping’ as the lows are allowed to pass.A chunky mains switch completes the front-panel features,and round the back things are sparse but functional with amains input and fuse, together with ins and outs for eachchannel on XLR connectors.think the compressor was doing very little, until bypassingit and realising that much more was going on than you’dthought. The VSC-2 is a very effective dynamic controller – Ifound the Attack control in particular to be a powerful tool,and I don’t think I’ve come across a compressor where thelevel of transients one lets through or not could be dialledin quite so simply. I took to the meters too as, unlike somecompressors where significant gain reduction may occurwith no meter deflection, with these as soon as I could hearcompression I could also generally see it, a useful visualfeedback as long as the ‘ears before eyes’ principle wasobserved.After a few happy days using the compressor I passedit over to local mix engineer Simon Gogerly, a Grammyaward winner for his work with U2, to get his opinion.Simon also enjoyed the unit, saying ‘I liked the clearhigh-quality sound, which can be either clean or punchy– I also liked the versatility of the sidechain filters, and if Ididn’t already have a few VCA options I’d probably want tobuy one’.ConclusionI unashamedly loved this compressor, although once againquality costs. The company’s attention to detail both sonicallyand with the user interface is impressive, and about the onlycaveat I can come up with apart from the price is that thelarge switches could be vulnerable to being knocked, sonothing of significance. I look forward to hearing more fromthis company – there’s an extension unit on the way offeringparallel compression and MS stereo for example – anddeclare the Vertigo VSC-2 ‘highly recommended’. ∫....................................£ RRP: €3,940.00 (exc.VAT)INFORMATIONA Vertigo Sound Germany, Walkürenstr.21, 82110 GermeringT +49-89-856369-27F +49-89-840617-53W www.vertigosound.comE contact@vertigosound.com30AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

Naughty Dog and Sony teamup to create a stunning pulpadventure game. Report byHEATHER JOHNSON.Creating adaptive music and audio for a video game isalmost always a complicated, highly detail-orientedprocess. But when the game in question – in this case,Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – debuts a new piece of hardware,new code base, and new audio engine, the process ascends toan entirely new level of complexity.Developed by Naughty Dog Inc., creators of the Jakand Daxter franchise, and distributed by Sony ComputerEntertainment America Inc. (SCEA), Uncharted: Drake’sFortune is the first game in a series of action-adventure titlesdeveloped exclusively for PlayStation 3, a powerful platformusing proprietary technology that allowed Naughty Dogmore freedom than ever to create life-like characters, fluidanimation, rapid-fire response, and of course, stand-out audio.But first, they had to create the technology to support it.part of the plan is inspired by the game concept – the genre,characters, time and place, gameplay style… This is when youstart imagining what the game could or should sound like.Once we see how the rest of the crew intends to represent thegame concept, we use that information to craft our technicalapproach” says Swanson.Game Director Amy Hennig spearheaded thedevelopment of Uncharted, looking at classic pulpadventure films such as The Thief of Baghdad, The Mummy,and the Indiana Jones series for inspiration, as well assuccessful adventure games such as the Prince of Persiatitles and Tomb Raider. “It’s interesting when you study allthese films how certain conventions and themes comeup again and again,” said Hennig in an interview withGameZone. “Everyone’s paying homage to the past andU N C H A R T E D :DRAKE’S FORTUNELost Treasure And Ancient RuinsUncharted: Drake’s Fortune features explorer Nathan Drake,a supposed descendant of Sir Francis Drake who embarkson a mission to uncover his family legacy, as well as the losttreasure of El Dorado. The adventure takes gamers throughthick jungles, past ancient ruins, atop mountains, and acrosssea, eventually landing on a fictitious forgotten islandsomewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Throughout the journey,Drake battles pirates, mercenaries, and other bad guyswho force him to dodge bullets, hand grenades, and otherweapons on the way to the gold.While the game provides plenty of fast-paced action,Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune has received the most attention forits stunning scenery and realistic characters. To complementthe detailed visual elements, Naughty Dog and SCEA joinedforces to develop top-drawer dialogue, music, and soundeffects. The PS3 hardware, which offers 512 MB of memory andan audio RAM budget ten times greater than its predecessor(about 25MB vs. 2MB for the PS2), allowed the audioteam to store a wider variety of material at higher fidelity.“PS3 raised the bar in terms of available memory, disk space,and processing power,” says Naughty Dog’s Bruce Swanson,Audio Director for Uncharted. “Naughty Dog aims to createa seamless gaming experience. We don’t like load screensaround here, so a lot of data is constantly being loaded fromdisc in the background. Normally, this would limit the numberof concurrent audio streams we could play, but with the PS3’sexcellent IO we were able to cache sounds from the Blu-Rayto the hard drive very quickly.”Naughty Dog spent about a year in ‘pre-production’ forUncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Designers came up with the lookand feel of the story while coders, including Audio ProgrammerJonathan Lanier, worked on technology for the new gameengine. As production moved forward, the sound team beganwork on their own creative and technical plan. “The creativereinventing the genre with each new iteration. We thoughtit would be a lot of fun to play in the same sandbox.”To complement the inter weaving of histor y,legend, and culture, Hennig envisioned a score that wouldsubtly refer to the unfolding story. “We wanted to use a mixof exotic, ethnic, and western instrumentation in sort of anon-modal fashion,” Swanson says of the score. “We usedthe character of the instruments to hint at these variouselements without necessarily calling on their typicalmelodic or harmonic underpinnings. It’s more abouttexture and vibe than traditional scales and tunings,per se.”Composing By Naughty DogTo assume this role, Naughty Dog chose composer GregEdmonson, known for his work on the Firefly televisionseries for the Sci-Fi Channel. A Firefly fan herself, Hennigremembered the symbolic, multi-cultural nature ofEdmonson’s score and thought his style would suit the newadventure title. She was right.Edmonson worked alongside a team comprisedof both Naughty Dog and SCEA staff, including SCEAMusic Director Chuck Doud, Senior Music SupervisorClint Bajakian, Music Supervisor Jonathan Mayer, andMusic Production Associate Scott Hanau. “We knew prettyearly on that this was going to be a big game, and it wasgoing to require really big music on a grander scale thananything else we had attempted,” says Swanson.“We decided to call in the cavalry, so to speak, and utiliseSCEA’s expertise in producing the score for the game.”About 75 percent of the score – 70 minutes of music– was recorded at Skywalker Sound under the tutelageof engineer Leslie Ann Jones, Skywalker Sound’s Directorof Recording and Scoring. The Skywalker Orchestraassembled in the complex’s Scoring Stage, but instead>32AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

PRESENTED BY:The Sound of Entertainment www.dolby.com/professional>of arranging themselves together in the main room intraditional classical recording fashion, the horns, brass,percussion, and woodwinds were each separated into fourof the studio’s smaller rooms, while the strings remainedin the main room. “We wanted an orchestral score, but wealso wanted it to be adaptive – responding in real time tochanges in the game” says Swanson. They did take intoaccount, however, the inherent nature of classical recording.“We wanted to keep that big, lush, sound that comesfrom lots of instruments pushing around the same air, butstill have the ability to control the sections as discrete elements,”he says. “That way, we can bring in an outer layer aswe needed to, and have it triggered by events of the game.”Hungry Hippos And Sony ScreamsFor voice recording, as well as animation support, cinematicediting and mixing, and Foley, the Naughty Dog crewutiliSed Technicolor’s recently expanded digital postproductionfacility in Burbank, Calif. Because of the fluid, cinematic natureof the game, enough dialogue had to be recorded to cover allscenarios, which meant some 35,000 audio files.Recording to one of Technicolor’s Pro Tools HD systemsusing a Yamaha 02R96 Digital Mixer, Technicolor’s ADRengineers, Morgan Gerhard and David Walsh, employeda signal path of Neuman U87 and TLM103 microphonesfeeding into an Avalon Vt 737sp preamp. They recordeda large pool of material initially, yet still scheduledseveral pick-up sessions later in the process. “Our approach tocontextual in-game speech was to identify meaningful,commonly occurring, intersections between player andNPC, actions or states, then test for these cases during thegame,” says Swanson. “When we found a large enoughset of common events in the game, we used those as aroad map to getting the most appropriate audio assets.So along with the other dialogue Amy wanted, we had theseconditional types of in-game speech that we would fireinto the game in certain circumstances.” Much of thismaterial had to be hand-coded in order to play properly inthe system.Sound design, which involved creating wildlife andenvironmental sounds for a fictitious area near SouthAmerica, came from a mix of field recordings and soundlibraries. “Sony Computer Entertainment has a fantasticlibrary that I pulled many effects from,” says Lead SoundDesigner and Field Recordist Paul Fox. “This library includesall the standards, plus a great deal of our own custom fieldand studio recordings. At Naughty Dog we also had theTechnicolor library to use, which contains much excellentcustom stuff.”Their main foray into the field took Fox and DanetracksGame Sound Supervisor Bryan Watkins to a nearbylake to record a jet ski for two levels of Uncharted.Watkins rode a Sea-Doo jet ski with an MKH 418 mic, twoSound Devices 744T digital audio recorders, and variousother microphones taped to the hull. Fox followed the jetski to record a variety of water spray and motor sounds.Watkins held a boom mic behind the jet ski to recordadditional wash and exhaust sounds. “We also had a prettypowerful motorboat to record that day, and I was able touse some bys from that to sweeten the opening scene ofthe game,” adds Fox. “Early on in the project, I also got awayfor a short vacation in Italy and brought a small recorder.With the kind assistance of my wife, Ariane, I was able tocapture some large latch squeals in an ancient castle that Iended up using for Uncharted.”Fox had also made a trip to the San Francisco Zoo torecord exotic birdcalls and various animal sounds, this timeusing a Fostex FR-2. “I was recording the hippo chompingon all kinds of crunchy stuff like heads of lettuce, apples,entire stalks of celery and carrots that the zookeeper wasjust tossing into its mouth,” says Fox. “I like to use the MKH418 for this because it’s an M/S mic and a shotgun micin one. I don’t necessarily need the stereo part of a laterdecode, but it’s nice to have as an option.”Natural Sounding ExplosionsThe SCEA team in San Diego also pitched in with somecustom work on their Foley stage. “Things like stone drags forsome of the puzzles; bouncing tyres for when they get thrownfrom exploding vehicles; lots of metal latches and ratchetsfor mechanism sounds; big wood stress and hits for a lot ofthe stuff you see breaking in the game were recorded onthe Foley stage,” says Fox. “I played back a lot of this materialusing various forms of randomisation and scripting so thatit would sound natural yet not repetitive during game play.”Members of the SCEA sound design team, including PhilKovats, Derrick Espino, Kurt Kellenberger, Mike Johnson, JeffDarby, Marc Farly, Nathan Brenholdt, and Ken Felton, assistedFox on these recordings as well as with high-level sounddesign and game level bank creation and scripting.All audio for Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was mixedand mastered at SCEA’s Foster City, Calif., headquarters.Designed by Chris Pelonis, the recently renovated studioincludes 11 ‘pods’ (aka edit bays) and a THX-certified mastercontrol room, which features Pelonis Signature Seriesmonitors, a Digidesign ICON control surface and ProTools|HD workstation. Fox and crew employed an extensivearray of plug-ins, including Sound Forge 9, which provedinvaluable during the mastering process, and the GRMContrast plug-in, which played a pivotal role during the mix.“Bruce had been able to use Contrast to extract some greatbird sounds out of very busy backgrounds, sort of like anoise removal plug-in might do,” says Fox. “I was able touse this approach and get us a lot more bird source out ofvarious jungle and other field recordings we had.”Those bird sounds then went into SCEA’s game soundimplementation tool, SCREAM, where they could be playedback in various sequences and pitches and randomisedwhere necessary to get realistic, non-repetitive bird songwithout using much memory. “I was able to do the samething with insect sounds,” adds Fox. “SCREAM is a fantastictool for getting a lot of audio bang for your RAM buck.”After its successful debut on PS3, there’s talk ofdeveloping an Uncharted franchise to explore the environmentmore deeply. It’s certain the titles will only improveas Naughty Dog works out the kinks of a new platform.Says Swanson, all modesty aside, “This is an amazing groupof people here at Naughty Dog, and we always deliver.” ∫Project:Studios –Naughty DogSCEASkywalker SoundTechnicolorDanetracksAudio Director – Bruce SwansonGame Director – Amy HennigAudio Programmer –Jonathan LanierComposer – Greg EdmonsonLead Sound Designer & FieldRecordist – Paul FoxReport – Heather JohnsonAUDIO MEDIA MAY 200833

PRISM SOUNDORPHEUSFIREWIRE INTERFACESIMON TILLBROOK finds his prayersanswered, as the mailman deliversa shiny new Prism Orpheus into hishands (and a big ‘Amen’ for that).THE REVIEWERSSIMON TILLBROOK is the PrincipalMusic Tutor at Islington MusicWorkshop in London. The rest ofhis time is spent as a freelanceengineer, mainly in the USA.Confession, they say, is good for the soul, so I willbegin with one relevant to this review; I am a hugefan of Prism Sound interfaces. I use them extensively,and have always been more than satisfied with the resultsI get. The only problem I have generally had, is paying forthem. Prism Sound produces high-end interfaces withlittle or no compromise, and that costs, of course. I donot begrudge this, it is simply a fact and, for many, it hasput them out of reach, or just made them hard to justify.Well, it seems there may be a God after all!The potential answer to our prayers comes in the formof the Prism Sound Orpheus FireWire Recording Interface.Neatly packaged in a 1U rackmounted box, the Orpheuspacks in a lot of features, most of which are accessed andcontrolled by the accompanying software package for bothWindows and Mac.Analogue, Digital,And Other ConnectionsThere is a lot to go through with the Orpheus, andI will start with the analogue side of things. In termsof inputs, the unit has eight analogue line inputs thatcan be set to either +4dBu where +18dBu=0dBFS or-10dBV where +6dBU=0dBFS. The first four inputshave a balanced microphone input option. Gain levelsare digitally controlled in 1dB steps from 10 to 65dB.Inputs one and two have a third DI/Instrument option.This high-impedance unbalanced option is accessed onthe front panel via two TS jack sockets.All other input connectors are located on the rear ofthe Orpheus. Four balanced TRS/XLR combination socketsand four balanced TRS sockets cover all the analogue inputoptions to the A/D converters.Eight analogue outputs from the D/A converters areaccessed from the balanced/unbalanced TRS sockets onthe rear panel. As with the analogue inputs you can switchoperating levels between +4dBu and -10dBV.The digital side to the Orpheus is equally comprehensive.It runs 24-bit throughout and can be switched betweensampling rates from 44.1 to 192kHz. On the rear are twoRCA and two TOSLINK connectors. The RCA connectorscan run either S/PDIF or AES3 (AES/EBU) two-channelconfiguration at sampling rates from 44.1 to 192kHz.Prism Sound supplies RCA-XLR converter cables with theOrpheus to accommodate both connection types.The TOSLINK connectors utilise either two-channelS/PDIF up to 192kHz, or ADAT format data. In ADAT mode,the number of channels is dictated by the choice ofsampling rate. Eight channels can be utilised when 44.1and 48kHz sample rates are selected, and four channelswhen 88.2 and 96kHz rates are the choice.There are Wordclock input and output BNC connectorson the rear, with the Wordclock output delivering eitherbase clock or 256x clock.To complete the detail from the rear panel of theOrpheus, you have two identical FireWire 400 connections,and MIDI input and output sockets.Front PanelI have already mentioned the two DI/Instrument inputjacks. Now, moving to the right, we come to the maindisplay on the Orpheus.The first part of this meter panel shows whichinput option has been selected for the first four inputchannels. Inputs 1-4 are fitted with an auto select function,so whichever socket you plug into switches the Orpheus tothat input option. Next comes the analogue metering for theconverters. Numbered 1-8 these can display either input oroutput level (which you select) on the ten segment meters.At the bottom of each meter column is an indicator to showthe Prism Sound Overkiller function has been engaged forthat particular channel.A Master light is illuminated when the Orpheus is onthe FireWire bus clock master. If the unit is slaved via theFireWire bus, it's off; and if Orpheus can't find the clock it'sconfigured for, it flashes.The two-channel digital meters show either inputor output level as selected by the user. There is also an >34AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

FaithControl Imagine there was a professional audio interface…that put all essential recording tools in one box,that had extensive digital and analog I/O,that easily managed your speaker setups,studiokonnekt 48that was equipped with TC DSP effects,that offered a 24/8 channel digital mixer,and included a remote to control it all....well, you’d want one.Konnekt Software 2.0TC Electronic has launched version 2 of the Konnekt software. The driversfor PC and Mac have had a major overhaul, and have been significantlyimproved in regards to stability and reliability.The update is relevant for all Konnekt audio interfaces.tcelectronic.com/KonnektSoftwaredesktop konnekt 6- the shortest distance between your music and capturing itDesktop Konnekt offers the same high quality recording features asthe rest of the Konnekt line of interfaces, but in a desktop design thatallows you to focus on performance rather than technology. It has allthe features you need to instantly record instruments and vocalsinto your Mac or PC.Bundled withOnce you get started recording, you’ll immediately treasurethe benefits of Desktop Konnekt. Packed into this interface arean ergonomic volume knob for total control of input and monitoringlevels, high resolution meter for visual level read out, studioreverb that will warm up your headphone mix while you’re recording,and a high quality IMPACT preamp for top-notch sound quality.Desktop Konnekt’s unique design not only makes it fit perfectly ontoyour desktop for easy operation, it also makes you want to leave itright next to your laptop – just for its great looks.TCELECTRONIC.COM

PRISM>indicator here to show when the SRC (SampleRate Converter) is in use. This function can onlybe used on the input or the output, but not at thesame time.Just to the right of this meter panel is theassignable level control. This large soft rotary controlcan be assigned to any of the Orpheus' outputs.Prism Sound intends this control to act as a mastermonitor volume control for either stereo or surroundapplications, configured by the user.Finally, on the Orpheus front panel are twoStereo TRS output sockets for headphone use.Each of the two outputs has an independentassociated volume control.Familiar FeaturesThose of you who have used the Prism SoundADA-8XR will be familiar with a few of the featuresthat the Orpheus has inherited. The Overkillerprogressive limiter, for example, which protectsthe converters from clipping at high levels.Also Prism Sound's SNS (Super Noise Shaping)and Dithering processes to 16-bit outputare found on the Orpheus. The Prism Soundwebsite and Orpheus operationmanual (as well as the review of theADA-8XR) explains these featuresin great detail and I suggestyou have a read through to fullyunderstand them.Orpheus SoftwareFull control over the Orpheus isachieved through the use of the control softwaresupplied. Both Windows XP and Vista installers,Mac Intel and PowerPC versions, are here.Once installed and the Orpheus connected throughthe FireWire port, you can fire up the software.The unit can interface directly with your host systemthrough ASIO and WDM drivers for Windows, andCore Audio for Mac. How much control you havewill depend on the host application.You are presented with the main control panel,which contains unit and global settings at the top,then a series of tabs to select more specific aspectsof the Orpheus for signal control including input,output, and various mixers.At the top we start with the unit settings.First you select which unit you want to apply thesettings to. As with all the settings in this part ofthe screen, an arrow to the right of the box allowsaccess to the options. You can daisy-chain Orpheusunits through FireWire; how many depends on thesample rates used. The FireWire bus bandwidthlimitation sees to this, so up to six units using 44.1or 48kHz, three with 88.2 and 96kHz, and just oneup to 192kHz.Sync Source lets you select the synchronisationsource for each unit in the chain. FP Meters selectswhat you see on the front panel meters, and ClockOut controls what is produced from the WordclockBNC output.The ADAT box lets you activate either ADATinput or outputs, or both. Finally SRC (Sample RateConversion) can be enabled on either the S/PDIFtwo-channel input or output path as required.The Global Settings section applies settings toall Orpheus units in the chain. Sample rate andFP settings appear here, and if you were using aMac then that would be it. With a Windows setup,controls for Buffer Time and Latency let you increasetime through the audio path to minimise audibleglitches. OS X deals with this on the Mac.The main body of the window is where we getcontrol over input and output setup issues. The InputSetup tab shows both the eight analogue and digitalinput options. There is digital selection betweenRCA and TOSLINK, with an ASNC (asynchronous)indicator that lights up if the incoming signal isnot locked to the Orpheus main sync source.These inputs, like all other inputs and outputsthroughout the system, have high-resolution peakmetering with an overload that kicks in 0.05dBbelow clipping.Analogue inputs 5-8 are line only, and areindividually switchable between +4/-10 and havean Overkiller enable button. Inputs 1-4 come up asyou have connected them (auto sensing). Mic givesyou phantom power, phase reverse, and highpassfilter along with an Overkiller enable button.>The Oxford SuprEsser plug-in from Sonnox .A new definition in de-essing.• Transparently controls aggressive frequencies• Linear Phase Dynamic EQ• Automatic Level Tracking• Graphic Display (FFT) for increased accuracy• Full spectrum operation• Easy to use & advanced mode for ultimate controlTime limited introductory price offer.OxfordPluginswww.sonnoxplugins.com36AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

Inputs 1 and 2 have an M+S decode matrix that canbe activated, as do inputs 3 and 4. A full range inputlevel control sits next to the appropriate meter. If youhave inputs 1 and 2 set with input from a turntableon the front connectors, you can engage an RIAAde-emphasis filter instead of a high-pass filter.The Output tab has a similar layout for bothanalogue and digital outputs. This is where youcan assign outputs to the front rotary controlfor stereo or surround monitoring purposes.Analogue outputs are again individually switchablebetween +4/-10 next to their peak meters.With the digital outputs we have a few moreoptions. Variable word length with either TPDFdither or the Prism Sound SNS (Super NoiseShaping) algorithms, and if you are using the SRC(Sample Rate Converter) on the outputs, samplerate choice.At the bottom of this output screen, below eachoutput pair, is a box that allows you to select thefeed to those outputs. You can have a feed directlyfrom your DAW or from one of the other mixerpages. These selections can also be sent to yourheadphone outputs so that DAW and live inputs canbe mixed for latency-free monitoring.When it comes to the mixer tabs, you have afull mixer interface for each analogue output pair;also the stereo digital and headphone outputs.The interface is a straightforward mixer environmentwith the facilities you would expect. These allow youto set up feeds for low latency foldback mixes.There is a tab labelled Diagram that shows youa full colour signal routing picture, which is veryhelpful in understanding the full signal flow optionswith the Orpheus.Setup And UseI did not have the opportunity to install theWindows software, but did use both Inteland PowerPC install options for the Mac.Installation was very simple with the Orpheusinstantly recognised in both cases.The Orpheus can be used stand-alone as wellas with a host system. The unit stores the lastsetup it had even after powering down, so I usedthe software to setup the system in a few differentscenarios to test this out. It is a little odd as,without the software interface, you can only seeand control a limited number of elements, but thesystem worked as described each time, so you cansave a number of templates, set up your Orpheusquickly and go. In addition, there's an ADAT directmode, which makes the unitan Analogue-to-ADAT/ADAT-to-Analogue converter.The Orpheus software does take a bit ofgetting used to. The layout is as simple and clearas they can possibly make such a flexible system.Very responsive control and good metering areprovided, with the familiar Overkiller and SNSsystems working as well as ever.So how does it sound? In this regard I wasslightly surprised. This is a very subjective area ofcourse, but for me the Orpheus had the edge overthe converters in the ADA-8XR. I spent some timelistening to a variety of material, but with sessions(strings in particular), I would say that the Orpheusbrought out all the warmth and depth, missing noneof the high-end detail. This is marginal but, given theprice point of the Orpheus, very impressive indeed.Everything I expected from Prism Sound.Setting up a few overdubs with the mixerinterface on the Orpheus software to test the low orlatency free monitoring was, again, straightforwardonce you’d spent a little time with the system.The results were very good indeed with nonoticeable latency problems.The preamps are clean and transparent.There is no real noticeable character to these, justvery simple, clean, and efficient preamps that Iused and fed into a number of different sessionconfigurations very easily.I tested the other input options and features ofthe first four inputs including the M+S decodingmatrix and all performed exactly as expected,completely hassle free.ConclusionThere was no situation where I felt let down by theOrpheus. I love this box. Prism Sound has delivereda fabulous sounding, wonderfully stable andcontrollable unit in the Orpheus. If the Orpheuswas simply eight converters and nothing more,then I would still like it very much but, with theinput flexibility and software control, the Orpheusis an impressive and attractive package. ∫....................................INFORMATION£ GB£2,745.00 (exc.VAT),US$4,995.00 (exc.local taxes)PRISMA Prism Media Products Ltd., William James House,Cowley Road, Cambridge, CB4 0WXT +44 (0) 1223 424988F +44 (0) 1223 425023W www.prismsound.comE sales@prismsound.comAUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008 37

© 2008, Apogee Electronics Corp. All rights reserved. Apogee Electronics • Santa Monica, CA • Made in USAMac, Logic Studio, GarageBand and Soundtrack Pro are registered trademarks of Apple Computer.

Anything You Want,You Got ItCREAM OPENS THE STUDIO DOORSSIMON TILLBROOK visits CreamRecording Studios, a new buildcreative facility with flexibilityat its core that defies thecurrent climate of theshrinking audio world.Photos courtesy of www.recordproduction.comLike me, you will have heard and read about the evershrinking studio community. We have always beenused to seeing studios come and go, but watchingthe long established facilities close their doors I beginto wonder how long it would be before high end musicfacilities would be little more than magical places recountedin stories told by aging industry professionals.Now that I have dragged the mood down it's timeto bring it back up again with news of a new high specfacility in London. The first reaction to such news is verypredictable… Why? Are they insane? Well, in this case thethought, and the people, behind the scenes make for afoundation of sanity and credibility that is necessary forsuch a project to succeed in these times.The studio is called Cream, the latest venture ofsuccessful pro audio company GearBox. “GearBox isa private limited company that has been trading for 11years and is involved in various activities,” explainsGearBox owner and Managing Director, Richard Eastwood.His company has built strong relationships and an excellentreputation across all areas of pro audio with both its rentaland sales divisions. As Eastwood explains: “GearBox hasbeen built upon high end equipment rental to musicstudios, the Soho post production community, broadcastand outside broadcast companies, amongst others.“We have a bespoke sales division with the emphasison advice and support that extends into after sales service.We look after our clients, and that has created the name andreputation we enjoy”.In late 2005, GearBox relocated to its new premises in thePark Royal area of northwest terms of space, from 2,500ft 2 London. It was quite a leap into some 12,000ft 2 , which iswhere the fun began.It was at this point that construction of additionalfacilities began. First in were the White Rooms. There aresix White Rooms, four medium-size and two large, arrangedas two sets of three on top of each other. “So many editsuites you see appear to be an afterthought in mostplaces,“ explains Eastwood, “utilising whatever space is leftto squeeze people in.“ That is not the case here. With theadditional space available in the new premises, RecordingArchitecture came in to design these purpose built rooms.“The White Rooms are fully acoustically treated and canbe supplied empty or with any combination of equipmentrequired,“ says Eastwood.With the existing infrastructure provided by GearBoxin terms of its rental, sales, and technical support, youstart to understand how these creative facilities canwork. Dedicated Sohonet line connections and AppleXserve Gigabit Ethernet networking and DigiDeliveryGTsystems allow each White Room client to communicatewith the outside world, betweenother White Rooms, or>40AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

PASSIONATE ABOUT TUBESIce Cool Discrete Class A (and tubes)The new Ebony Series is a sleek looking range of discrete Class Aprocessors designed to heighten your audio experience.The A1, A2 and A3 also feature tube stages with variable drive in additionto the discrete Class A circuitry putting you in total control of how ‘creamy’or how ‘cool’ you want the sound.And being designed by TL Audio and hand assembled in England you get allthe features one would expect from thoroughly professional units: balancedI/O, multi input options, analogue VU metering, intuitive, precise controlsoptional S/P-DIF digital interfaces and more.Supreme quality, unrivalled sound and stylish aesthetics, Ebony simply offerssuperior analogue processing to accompany your digital world.From £499 ex vat.A1 Discrete Class A andTube Dual Preamp / DIA2 Discrete Class A andTube Stereo ProcessorA3 Discrete Class A andTube Mono Channel StripTELEPHONE +44 (0)1462 492090 // EMAIL info@tlaudio.co.uk //www.tlaudio.co.uk

other creative areas within the building. “With acentral machine room with audio and video tiesthroughout,” continues Eastwood, “a well stockedrental company just minutes away, 24/7 access andparking 365 days a year, clients have all the flexibilityto work as they wish without restriction.” With 70percent occupancy on three to 12 month leasingterms, the White Rooms are proving a real hit.“Building a high end studio for musicin such a depressed climate raises a feweyebrows, but costs are dramaticallyreduced as we are able to share anumber of resources.”The idea for a larger studio was always on thecards. Eastwood: “I have always been very passionateabout music. Technology has changed studios overthe past 10-15 years causing the studio landscape toshrink dramatically.“Building a high end studio for music in such adepressed climate raises a few eyebrows, but costsare dramatically reduced as we are able to sharea number of resources – reception, accounts, andso on, plus we have five senior technicians lookingafter it all. It really keeps the overheads down.”The Dibble DabbleA fruitful visit to the White Rooms by former StudioManager and Chief Engineer of Lansdowne CTSstudios, Chris Dibble, galvanised the ideas, andthe concept of Cream Recording Studios was born.“Originally we were looking at more of a minidubbing/preview theatre type facility,“ explainsEastwood. “But when Chris came to visit the WhiteRooms we had an impromptu chat that pointedto other ideas.“Chris has more than 30 years of experience,and specialises in classical and film score recordingand mixing. The idea of a studio with goodlive rooms excited me. There are so few good liverooms left.”With Chris Dibble involved with Cream fromthe outset, things started to take shape. “It is a veryrare opportunity," says Dibble, "to be involved witha fresh build rather than adapting another space.I expect thiswill be my lastopportunity to dothis.”Once againR e c o r d i n gArchitecture andRoger D’Arcy wereinvolved. Dibblehad worked withD‘Arcy manytimes before asLansdowne CTShad updated allits studios overa period of time,with the aidof RecordingArchitecture.CREAMThe control room at Cream is a spacious 405ft 2with a raised area at the rear providing comfortableclient seating for overseeing various aspects of asession or viewing HD video playback from the dropdown screen. Directly next to the control room is a180ft 2 booth that can be used for a wide variety ofpurposes; like the White Rooms, a useful space to have.Having a good size control room is an advantageas Chris explains, “Having a big as opposed to hugecontrol room is a good thing. Good room for clientsand technicians alike without being so big as tocause troublesome acoustic issues”.At the centre of the Cream control room is a72-channel SSL Duality console. This is Solid StateLogic’s latest analogue console with extensiveintegrated DAW control. The installed DAW is aPro Tools HD3 Accel system with 48 analogue I/Osupplied through four Digidesign 192 interfaces.Monitoring in the Cream control room comescourtesy of a custom 5.1 system by ATC. This is madeup from ATC SCM300, ATC SCM150, and two ATCSCM0.1/15 units.The good news does not end there. A quicklook to the outboard racks keeps the smile firmlyin place. A full range of familiar faces; Lexicon224XL, 480L, Eventide DSP4500, UREI 1176LNBlack and Silver, Fairchild 670, Pultec EQP1A3, avery extensive microphone collection, and muchmore. A full equipment list is shown on the CreamRecording Studios website, and the best bit is thatall this comes as standard when renting the facility.When you consider the impressive inventory nextdoor with GearBox, I cannot see anyone wantingfor much.When you look through all that is housedin the Cream control room, this is not a stack ofunits simply stuffed in racks to impress, but a wellthought through collection of processors and othersupporting equipment. Chris’ experience has beenused to great effect here.Live Has LifeChris Dibble’s influence is also clearly present inthe live room at Cream, bringing a few favoureddesign ideas from his Lansdowne experience.“There are a few aspects of the design that followedme from Lansdowne such as the gallery area.As well as a useful platform for ambientmicrophones it helps with access between thecontrol room and live areas,” says Chris. This fullyfloating 850ft2 recording space is on two levelsand capable of accommodating 15-20 musicians.A balcony on the same level as the control roomoverlooks the main floor area. Going down the>42AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

spiral staircase to the main floor area you can seea counterweight system for acoustic adjustmentof ceiling panels, and the additional isolationareas that include a good sized 111ft 2 drumbooth. Sitting in the drum booth, on my visit,was another addition to the Cream stock – afully restored Bosendorfer Imperial grand piano,bought by Richard at auction and originating fromAir Studios’ Oxford Street days.There are no windows in the live room. “As thelive room is not overlooked it can be used by anyof the White Rooms or in a stand alone capacity”,explains Chris. Video links can be establishedbetween any of the White Rooms or the Creamcontrol room in either direction, as required,maximising the flexibility of the facility once again.With a wide variety of workspace combinations,a good talkback system is essential. A customTrilogy Orator Matrix talkback system is installedthroughout the facilities and an Aviom 16-channelpersonal mixing system gives very comprehensivefoldback control for performers.As I explored all of the various areas within thebuilding I could really appreciate just how flexible itall was, extremely well designed and executed.To make the client experience even morepleasurable, and negate the need to venture toofar from the premises, the Milk Bar can provideall manner of refreshments throughout the day.Set next to a small communal seating/pool tablearea for a bit of networking orcasual chat, it is these additionsto the facilities that make such adifference to the workflow. It helpsthat chef, Liz Huxley, who has abackground in the industry runsthis, so has a good idea of whatrequirements are likely to be.Gold TopI have, for various reasons, visited,tested, and reviewed a numberof new build studio businesses indifferent parts of the world, andthe thought that always passesthrough my mind as I walk awayis “How long will this one last?”.Coming away from Cream, orshould I say Cream, the WhiteRooms, and GearBox… and that is the point. Thisis not a facility thrown together in a bottomlessmoney pit, but a studio developed alongside andNX SeriesPrecision monitoring forrecording studios and edit suitesFull of the latest in speaker technology and designed from theground up for critical listening in recording facilities where aprecise, transparent, professional sound is essential, the NXSeries set new standards in sonic accuracy and packaging.Precision monitoring and audio performance of this calibre hasnever been so affordable.Main Features Dedicated 60W (LF) + 40W (HF) bi-amplifiers Hard dome tweeters with magnesium diaphragms to ensure a soundfree from harsh metallic characteristics LF drivers with HR (Hyper Radial) diaphragm ensuring a smooth, naturalsound with excellent mid/low frequency reproduction Time-aligned front baffle design and internal HP Sound reflectorspart of a collective. A one stop creative facility withexperience, expertise and backup in abundance.It was a bold move to build such a facility inthe current climate, it makes business sense and,with my engineer hat on, makes for an excitingand incredibly flexible creative recording studio.So I walk away from Cream Recording Studios withnothing but positive feelings. Richard and his teamhave created a very welcome addition to the creativefacilities community. ∫....................................INFORMATIONT +44 (0) 208 963 8622W www.creamrecordingstudios.comE info@creamrecordingstudios.comCREAMNX-6A20mm tweeter, 160mm woofer, 100 watt bi-ampNX-5A20mm tweeter, 130mm woofer, 100 watt bi-ampFostex Company, 3-2-35 Musashino, Akishima, Tokyo, Japan 196-0021Tel: +81 (0)42-546-4974 Fax: +81 (0)42-546-9222 Email: info_sales@fostex.jpAUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008 43

Back for another go aroundthe upgrade treadmill,Audition appears with yetmore features bolted on.RICHARD WENTK tries it out.Given the dominance of all things Pro Tools, and aselection of less popular but prestigious DAWssnapping at Digidesign’s heels, Audition tended tobe sidelined, often relegated to the more obscure regionsof broadcast work, especially radio. This may be becauseAdobe doesn’t seem to do post – which is be ironicconsidering that Audition is handily twinned with movingimage applications Premiere and AfterEffects. But Adobe’scustomer focus seems to be more on semi-pros, corporates,and boutiques than the TV and film sound mainstream.Go For Full FatIt’s odd then to find that Audition isn’t included inany of the CS3 bundles. CS3 users get SoundBooth,which is a simplified version, capable of a few neattricks, but designed so that most of the processing ispackaged to make it easy to use for non-audio types.Audition, billed as the full-fat version,seems to be out on a limb slightly – a littletoo deep and difficult for the dynamiccontent market that CS3 is aimed at, butnot quite respected enough to get a solidtop and tail sections, and highlighted areas in the mainwindow indicate exactly how much of the file is beinghighlighted. It’s a thoughtful and innovative feature whicheliminates much of the zooming in and out which seemsnecessary while editing, and it makes it very much easierto trim dead air from the start and end of a file.Colourful SpectresThe Spectral Editor – which remains a unique and verypowerful feature – has been extended with customisableresponses and colours. You can set your own colourscheme for the spectral display – good for eye candy,perhaps less useful for editing – and also set differentdisplay modes which emphasise different features.There are time and frequency-based spectral displays.These trade off accuracy of one feature against the other,so for rhythmic work the time-important display whichmake sure the beats are in the right place, while for finespectral editing the frequency-important display makessure all of the overtones will be displayed correctly.There also a log display mode, which stretches the lowerfrequency bands and makes them easier to edit, at theADOBE AUDITION 3daW WoRKSTaTioNTHE REVIEWERPAUL MAC is Editor of Audio Mediamagazine.toe-hold in professional post.It’s not clear why this should be,because we’ll say at the start thatAudition is a very good audio editor.It’s packed with more than enoughediting features, and handles all of thebasic requirements – including surround – with aplomb.But it also offers some unique audio clean-up solutionsthat are almost uncannily good at removing unwantedmaterial from recordings.Version 3 builds on thatbase with new featuresthat fill in some gaps, butdon’t try to take Auditionin a new direction. A basicusability enhancementis automatic crossfading.This works as you’d expectit to – when you drag a clipover another in the mixer, acrossfade appears. Previousversions would butt-join clips instead, and creatingcrossfades took more effort than it should have. This mightseem like a small change but it’s a huge improvement inproductivity for soundscape assembly. With loop-formatclips, dragging is now ‘sticky’ – Audition tries to guesswhere the beat points are for simplified looping. It wouldhave been good to include a translucency option fortighter beat matching of one clip over another, but that’sa nitpick – the feature works well as it stands. You can ofcourse drag the crossfade points too, and select eitherlinear or cosine crossfade laws.Top N' TailingThe Editor now has a top and tail mode. This is slightlyconfusing when first activated, but soon becomes secondnature. The usual editing window splits into three panes,with the start of the file at the left, the body in the middle,and the end on the right. It’s possible to zoom in on the“It’s not clear why this should be, becausewe’ll say at the start that Audition is avery good audio editor. It’s packed with morethan enough editing features, and handlesall of the basic requirements – includingsurround – with aplomb.”expense of high end detail. You can switch between allof these very quickly – refresh times are good, even ona mid-range PC.The visual features continue with a new EffectsPaintbrush, and also a Spot Healing tool. These feellike they’ve escaped from Photoshop, and seem moresuited to graphic editing than audio – perhaps a sign ofthings to come, and a nod to a slightly obscure Mac-onlyaudio processing package called Metasynth, whose mainfeature is visual processingof spectral audio files.Audition doesn’t go quiteas far as Metasynth – there’sno visual sharpen or blur –but the Effects Paintbrushoffers an interesting hybrid.You can use it to ‘paint’effects in the spectralwindow. So the effect isonly applied to the areawhere you drag the brush.If this seems confusing, the secret is to think of the brushas a movable bandpass filter – so if you paint a downwardsweep using an echo effect, you’ll get echo over a movingfilter band. There’s a lot of creative versatility locked up inthis feature, but it’s very different to the usual patch-bayand signal flow paradigm used in audio, and so it may notbe to everyone’s taste. The Spot Healing tool is a relatedbut simpler effect. It’s a point and click audio smootherand is perfect for painting out clunks, thumps and clicks.It’s a fantastically useful tool, and it can carry Auditionalmost on its own for anyone who spends time on anykind of audio restoration.Predictably, there’s a selection of new effects,and many of them nod towards retro-processingand mastering. On offer is a fairly comprehensive collectionof the usual suspects – convolution reverb, ‘analogue’delay, mastering tool, guitar suite, and tube compressor.The audio quality is mid-range – not quite up to the44audio media may 2008

Like – whoa – dude! Totally!Officially, the spectral phase plot. Unofficially – we love this kind of eye candy.The new top ‘n tail mode – you’ll never want to be without it.standards of the very best, but better thanmost free plug-ins. The sonic results are amplefor post, but perhaps a step or two down fromwhat would be expected for music recording.Some new FFT-based features buried in thefilter section offer more original results. A centrechannel extractor performs miraculous audiosurgery by either removing the centre channelfrom a stereo mix without reducing it to mono,or by fading out L & R leaving just the centrechannel. The results aren’t quite squeaky clean –there’s always a hint of the bubbling and burblingwhich affects most FFT-based processing – butthis is very, very clever and impressive stuff, andyou’ll have a hard time finding anything like thiselsewhere at any price.Also filed under plug-in support is a newfeature for using VSTis. Audition can now mixMIDI tracks with audio. MIDI can be patchedto a VST instrument and edited with a simplebut comprehensive piano-roll editor, whicheven includes quantisation, basic humanise,and transpose. It’s not the most comprehensivesequencer ever, but itcertainly does the job.The only catch is thatAudition’s support forexternal MIDI hardwareis limited to selectinga single device.You can also ‘play’Audition from a MIDIkeyboard, starting,scrubbing, and stopping in the usual way.But there’s no way to assign different devices todifferent tracks and functions, so this feature isless useful than it could have been.“Choosing an editor is as much a matterof taste as functionality, but personallyI’ve always found Audition to be one ofthe more accessible and intuitive audioeditors. If anything it’s too powerful...”the spectral editing made light work of individualthumps and bumps, while leaving plenty ofacoustic reverb.Choosing an editor is as much a matter of tasteas functionality, but personally I’ve always foundAudition to be one ofthe more accessibleand intuitive audioeditors. If anything it’stoo powerful – thereare times when allyou want is singlefileediting, and itwould be convenientto have the editorand mixer running as separate applications, soyou don’t have to wait for the full feature setto load when you want to do some quick anddirty editing.Give your VSTis some direct control with the new MIDI features.They said it couldn’t be done – but with the Center Channel Extractor, youcan, indeed, extract center channels.Open The Tin...The final new enhancement is multi-core support.This does what it says on the proverbial tin.Some effects and processes have to remain singlecore, because they can’t be parcelled up neatlyinto separate threads to improve performance.But basic features like mixer channels can be –and are – split across processors, which increasesperformance significantly.On the debit side, Audition is still twitchywith some VST plug-ins. ‘VST’ and ‘reliability’don’t always fit together comfortably. But whilesome DAWs return errors or refuse to load badlybehaved plug-ins, Audition sometimes crashescompletely, which means you may have tomanually quarantine the worst offenders beforeAudition will complete a full VST scan. There is asolution of sorts – if you can get the list to load,you can tell Audition to ignore certain plugins.But VST support could benefit from beingmore solid. Elsewhere there’s still a slightlyawkward gap between real-time and non-realtimeeffects. As processors get ever-faster therationale for non-real-time effects becomes lessand less obvious, so future versions could benefitfrom a rationalisation.It's A FrightOtherwise Audition is almost frighteninglypowerful. DAWs and effects suites seem tobe converging on a standard set of tools –mixing, mastering, denoising, perhaps guitarprocessing – and Audition can now do all ofthe above, and more. As a torture-test projectI tried pulling out a flute busker playing on theMontreal subway system from the surroundingpedestrian noise. The results were very impressive.The noise reduction features eliminated almost allof the unwanted noise with very little effort, andThe Speed Of MiraclesThe new features are welcome, and will addsignificantly to the speed with which you can getthings done. If you already have a solid collectionof VSTs the new effects won’t do much to persuadeyou to upgrade, but the Effects and Spot Healingtools are near-miraculous, and top/tail editing isalso a significant timesaver. You may also find thatVST instrument support is unexpectedly welcome,because it means you can drive a sampler plug-indirectly from within Audition without having totry to sync it to another sequencer.Overall then, there’s a lot to like. This is anexceptionally powerful editor. It covers all of thebasic requirements without making a fuss or beingdifficult. But you’ll also find that it has some veryunexpected and powerful features – the deeperyou dig into it, the more it will do for you. ∫....................................INFORMATION£ GB£287.88 (inc.VAT)/US$349.00£ Upgrade GB£81.08 (inc.VAT)/US$99.00A Adobe Systems Inc., 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, CA95110-2704T +1 408 536 6000F +1 408 537 6000W www.adobe.comA Adobe Systems Europe Ltd., 3 RoundwoodAvenue, Stockley Park, Uxbridge UB11 1AYT +44 (0) 208 606 1100F +44 (0) 208 606 4004W www.adobe.com/ukaudio media may 200845

TheMagicof MerlinForIndependentsPRoTeCTING THe RIGHTS oF INDePeNDeNT LABeLSThanks to the Internet, our musiccan be distributed globally ina matter of seconds, but is theplaying field as level as it seems?TOM FLINT talks to the headof a new organisation dedicatedto the empowerment ofindependent labels.Over the last 12 months, the UK music industryassociation AIM have distributed a couple of slightlyenigmatic press releases informing the public aboutthe creation of a new media rights organisation calledMerlin, run by personnel drawn from the world’s mostprominent independent labels. Its mission is to brokerdeals with emerging media companies so that any sizeof independent label can sign up to them and get paidthe royalties to which they are entitledfor the use of their copyright material.The unique thing about Merlin is thatit is an international body, rather thana national one, and is therefore ableto represent labels on a global basis,which better reflects the way new mediacompanies operate.The idea for this non-profit makingorganisation was born out of a discussionhad by a group of independent labelsthat found themselves struggling toeffectively license their repertoirewith some of the fast emergingmedia services, the most significantbeing youTube.Whose Tube?The video-sharing site, in particular,has been making a huge amountof copyright material available tothe public without licensing dealsbeing drawn up with the copyright owners. youTubemushroomed so rapidly that it literally caught everyone inthe music industry by surprise, although now the so-called‘big four’ music companies – Warner, Universal, Sony BMG,and eMI – all have deals in place with youTube. At leastsome of the above are reported to have taken a smallequity stake in the company plus a share of revenue fromthe advertising that appears each time a relevant videoCharles Caldas, CEO of Merlin.is played. earlier in the year the UK collection society forsongwriters and publishers, the MCPS-PRS Alliance, alsoreached a deal whereby a flat fee would be paid to themby youTube, after which the collection organisation isable to distribute the revenue to members, based on anestimate of what music has been played on the site.The situation for independent labels trying to protectthe rights of their recordings, however, is slightlydifferent, as they are not coveredby any particular license deal andyouTube have been reluctant tonegotiate with independents on acase by case basis. The reason seemsto be that it is too complicatedfor them to set up accounts withpotentially thousands of individualcompanies. Charles Caldas, Ceo ofMerlin, and formerly of Australia’sbiggest independent distributor,Shock Records, explains why.“Companies like Universal or WarnerBros. have branches in every countryand, as a rule, they control the rightsto the repertoire in every country, soif you are a band signed to WarnerBrothers you’re signed to the world.That means that when youTubemakes a deal with them they get asingle point of delivery, one contractand one account. So the major labelshave been successful licensing because they offer veryefficient global solutions.“The independent sector is far more complex. Mostindependents work within a network where theywill license off rights to the most appropriate partnerin various territories, depending on the style of musicof that particular artist. Some will use majors in someterritories and independents in others. others will use>46AUDIo MeDIA MAy 2008

the magic of merlina totally independent network. From a globallicensing point of view that creates a very complexlandscape. By licensing the independent sectorthey are potentially doing thousands of individualdeals with labels who only control rights on alimited territorial basis. Merlin’s challenge is to findmore efficient and effective ways to globallylicense repertoire.”Unfortunately, so far many of the larger serviceproviders have been content to carry on distributingcopyright material without licenses, capitalising onthe fact that most independent labels can’t afford todo without the promotional benefits of having theirwork on the sites. “A not insubstantial independentreceived an e-mail from a very large service,” revealsCharles, “saying that the major labels would sue if theservice didn’t pay them, but independents shouldbe happy to be on the service for the promotionalbenefit they get from having so many eyeballs.“So there are a number of services usingindependent copyright material in exactlythe same way on exactly the same service togenerate exactly the same amount of revenue asthey do with the major’s repertoire, yet only thelatter is valued financially. Certainly in the NorthAmerican market the prevailing wisdom is thatyou license the majors and tell the independentsthat there are great promotional opportunitieshaving their music broadcast on these services.They get away with not paying for it.“The issue is that if only majors have accessto some of the revenue streams that are in themarketplace then it is very hard for the independentsto attract new artists because they can’t offer themthe same as their competitors. Merlin is concernedthat independents won’t be able“The obvious irony inthe situation is that thedigital media revolutionhas always lookedas though it mightenable smaller labelsto compete more on apar with the big ones,whereas this is notproving to be the case.”to continue competing in the waythat they have in the past. Thechallenging bit is getting thoserevenue streams open. Thatallows people to get in there andstart collecting. The market willtake care of who is successful andwho is not, but at least peoplehave access to that stream.“We’re not anti-major label,crying foul of everything, butthere are clearly a lot of servicesusing all kinds of music in waysthat should be remunerated. Itreally comes down to the factthat where there is music gettingused in a commercial sensethere should be no discrimination in terms ofwhere the copyright comes from. As far as Merlinis concerned, that could be any kind of service.We’ll look at services that are in the marketplaceand focus on ones whereindependents don’t have revenuestreams, and most of those are newonline media.”The obvious irony in the situationis that the digital media revolutionhas always looked as though it mightenable smaller labels to competemore on a par with the big ones,whereas this is not proving to bethe case. In fact, Charles views thetraditional path-to-market, by whicha manufactured music CD or recordtravels, as being relatively fair andis therefore unconcerned by theimplications of deals like the recentone Paul McCartney establishedwith the Starbucks chain, wherebyhis new album was sold through the company’sshops rather than traditional record stores. “A lotSee Us at AESBooth 170148audio media may 2008

of the new deals that you see, like McCartney’s deal, are just newways to market and that’s more of an issue of marketing andplacement and your ability to strike a relationship with Starbucks,McDonalds, or whoever,” Caldas insists. “The interesting issue thatthe McCartney/Starbucks deal brings up is how the path to marketis developing. As the path becomes more global and the physicalworld continues to shrink, people look to new ways to get there.”One thing Merlin certainly won’t be attempting to do is duplicateservices which are already doing a reasonable job of helping labelsand artists distribute their music. At present, companies such asIODA, AWAL, CD Baby, and Rightsrouter, provide a range of waysthat more or less anyone can deliver their musical product to thelikes of iTunes, and Merlin has no reason to replicate them.the magic of merlinJoining MerlinMerlin’s actions will be based on the mandate it receives from itsmembers, subject to approval by its board of industry veterans, soit is necessary to join to have a say in their activities. Joining Merlinwill be a matter of signing a membership agreement and any labelas an independent MP3 initiative without major label repertoire so it wasn’t an issue of equality as such.They haven’t actually rolled the service out around the world yet, but they were always clear that it was anAmerican initiative and they would globalize it as and when it made business sense for them. Ultimatelydoing that depends on whether the US business model is successful.”in the world will be eligible to become a member Side By Side AM 26|02|2008 14:45 Side 1as long as they qualify as truly independent – thedefinition of independent being that the label hasto control more than 50-percent of its own equityand not more than five percent of the market.Although Merlin will be brokering deals onbehalf of its members, it intends to leave themechanics of distributing Royalties to the wellestablishedsound engineeringRM8 TUBE MODULESterritorial collection agencies andto use the local trade associations (such as AIMand BPI in the UK), as the main avenues forcommunicating their news to those concerned.“We will outsource pretty much all those raw SIDE-BY-SIDEcollection and distribution functions,” say Charles.“There will be a process of tender to see who iswilling to do it on a regional basis. Those bodieswill allow labels to opt into the actions we’ll beundertaking. They will also be very importantconduits for the transfer of information inboth directions.”Despite the involvement of associations suchas AIM, it won’t be necessary to be a member ofany industry organisation to join Merlin or optinto a Merlin deal. As Charles puts it, “you’ll signup to the deal, and somebody will collect theroyalties for you.“We are really just getting started, so are in themiddle of appointing our legal team to representus in our YouTube negotiations. They are theperfect example because no independents arelarge enough to deal with a service that big and FRONT TO BACKpowerful. OK, maybe some of the very biggestindependents can get in the door but the averagesmall label and artist trying to run a career willfind dealing with a company like Google difficultand expensive. The shape of the YouTube deal willdepend on a whole range of factors but the bestwe can do is to make sure your music is paid forand you are not giving it away.”Merlin certainly promises to be a great aidto independent music, representing the sectorglobally, and enabling smaller businesses tograb a share of anything that’s going. Once it isestablished it should be able to react quickly toany new media developments of the YouTubeor MySpace variety, and if the last few years areanything to go by, there will certainly be more - CM1A, EM1A, PM1A & RM8 now shipping...of their ilk to come. “We need an open and fairmarketplace to maintain a healthy and vibrantindependent music system,” concludes Charles,“and at the moment it is not open and I don’tthink it’s fair.” ∫LYDKRAFTwww.tube-tech.comSNOCAPOne of the first things Merlin did after it was set up was notify the public about the SNOCAP media rights deal withMyspace, which allowed artists and bands to sell their music via their MySpace band pages and receive payment.So far SNOCAP’s digital registry is only set up to deal with sound recording copyright owners who are UnitedStates residents, but report that they are working hard to do the same for the rest of the world.When asked about Merlin’s role in the deal, Charles reveals that it was more or less set up without theirinvolvement and they merely acted a messaging platform to make sure that the world’s independents wereaware of the service. “That is not really the essence of what Merlin will do in the future,” admits Charles.“Of more interest to us right now are things like YouTube, because the Myspace Music Store was very openabout licensing the independents from day one and YouTube has not been so forthcoming. SNOCAP startedaudio media may 2008 49

SOUND DEVICES702TTWO CHANNEL DIGITAL RECORDERJERRY IBBOTSON goes all BeatrixPotter in search of lambs andguinea pigs, armed with the 702Tto capture their bleatingsand squeakings.THE REVIEWERSJERRY IBBOTSON runs Media Mill,a York-based audio productioncompany started in 2000 thatspecialises in sound for videogames. Prior to this, Jerry wasa BBC journalist for ten years,ending his spell with the Beeb as areporter and newsreader at RadioOne Newsbeat.In n the field of location recorders, Sound Devices is amember of an exclusive club. Its products are used bytelevision and film sound recordists the world overand have a reputation for sound quality and reliability.But until the 702T arrived on my desk, I’d never hadthe chance to try one out in anger. This would be anopportunity to test that reputation, to see if it really was asgood as I’d heard.The Mark Of QualityThe first things to strike me as I lifted the unit out ofthe box were its size and build quality. It’s a twochannel digital recorder that uses Compact Flashmemory and can easily rest in the palm of my hand.Although it’s quite lightweight, its chassis is made ofmetal and is held together with neat, flush mountedscrews and nuts. It proudly boasts that it was made inReedsburgh, Winsconsin, USA, and you can imagine a realhuman carefully screwing it together.This inspires confidence. If you’re out in the field all dayyou want something that will withstand the rough andtumble. I’ve had recorders in all manner of sticky situationsover the years, recording sound effects for games andthey’ve largely come through it unscathed. But one lookat the Sound Devices 702T and you know it’s tougher thanmost. There’s nothing on the two largest panels but swathesof thick, brushed alloy, and the shape of the casing is suchthat the fascia should be protected if it should ever landface down. The main controls on the front are rubberisedand the two gain dials (neatly held in place by tiny allenbolts) recess out of harm’s way.The more you start to look at how the unit’s beendesigned and put together, the more neat touches youspot. At the rear is the slot for the rechargeable, camcorderstyle battery. This is also recessed into the frame, as is theCompact Flash slot. This has clearly been designed bypeople who understand how real-life works.Fire it up and the LCD on the front panel springs tolife, as do a handful of bright LEDs. Even in direct sunlightthese were all easy to spot and read. The LEDs let you knowthat phantom power is on, that the Flash card is ready, andwhich input is feeding to which track. The 702 lets you routethe left and right mic/line inputs to either of the two outputchannels, which is a handy touch.On one of the side panels are the XLR, switchable mic/line inputs, TA3 balanced line outs, headphone jack (a 3mmconnector, which I found curious) and headphone leveldial. On the other side panel are BNC connections for AES/SPDIF and Word Clock In/Out. There’s also a timecode port,FireWire connector, and C Link serial input and output forunit control, linking keyboard connection, and more.It's A Bloke ThingOur test unit arrived without an instruction manualso initially we did what most blokes do: ploughed onregardless. A stab at the Menu button on the front panelrevealed a mere 88 different options, scrollable through adial on the side of the case. The first of these, Quick Setup,lets you choose from a small selection of presets for therecorder’s settings. These are Factory, Film, Reporter, andMusic. If nothing else, it tells you who the makers areaiming their product at, though it would be a very luckyradio reporter who ended up with one of these to carryaround!The rest of the options on the Menu screen cover,amongst other things: sample rate and bit depth (up to192k 24-bit are available), file type (either .wav or .bwf),media (CF card or external hard drive), scenes names, tracknames, preroll time, limiter settings, timecode settings,LCD settings… the list goes on. As far as I could see, justabout every eventuality is covered with a clear leaning tofilm/TV work.Just playing with the unit in my hands Iwas impressed with the Sound Devices 702T.My annoyance at not having a paper set ofinstructions to hand hadn’t stopped me gettingto grips with the basics of how the unit works.But what was needed was a proper test. Something torecord.An Ambulance, PleaseAs it happened we had the opportunity to record theYorkshire Air Ambulance at its base at Leeds Bradfordairport. This is the machine that flew Top Gear’s RichardHammond to hospital after his jet car crash at ElvingtonAirfield near York. We’re always adding to our own fxlibrary and fancied getting some material of the twinengine chopper taking off or coming in to land. The 702twas paired with an Audio Technica stereo field mic, andoff we set.When we arrived at the Air Ambulance HQ it was outon a job and we expected to be facing a long wait for itsreturn. But as it happened, the familiar pulse of bladesappeared on the horizon just as we were unpacking thecar and it swung into view over a hangar. There was notime to lose: a quick jab at the power button and the 702Tsprung in to life. Then the big button marked ‘REC’ washit and the LCD started counting away. I’d already linked >50AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

the two input channels together in the menu so onlyhad one input dial to worry about and it was just aswell, as the yellow machine swooped down right infront of us and settled itself on the ground withinseconds. The blades carried on turning at full pelt fora moment more, before the engines began to slowlywind down. Phew.The recording was as I hadexpected, crystal clear andsharp. We were recording at96kHz 24-bit and the resultwas spot on. But then again,this was a helicopter we weretalking about and I don’t thinkI’ve found one that didn’tsound good on a recording.With portable recorders Ialways listen out for hiss onthe pre-amps and it mostlyrears its head when capturingquiet sounds and the gain iscranked up, so recording twojet turbines turning a hugeset of blades is not much of atest. Hmmmm....Small And FurryNow across the road fromour studio is a farm shop,with a wide range ofanimals frolicking in pens.I’d been there recently andheard some lambs bleating. It was a sound Iwas determined to record as it could be putto use in all manner of sound design projects. Sothe 702T was put back in a kit bag and off we went.It turned out the lambs had gone (to the butcher’scounter I think) but there were still other animalswho didn’t seem to mind having a Rycote cladmic stuffed under their noses. An enormoussow grunted and sniffed at us, as did her piglets.At this point, with very little ambient soundTIMECODEThe timecode circuitry in the 702T comesdirectly from Ambient Recording – a Germanmanufacturer well known for quality syncproducts. It incorporates a temperaturecompensatedcrystal clock and, it’s claimed,can be accurate throughout an entireproduction day. An internal battery willhold accurate timecode for up to two hoursbetween battery changes.All of the common timecode rates aresupported, as are ‘F’ sampling rate modesfor compatibility and 0.1 percent pulldownwithout sample rate conversion.Timecode modes include free run, recordrun, free run jam once, 24 hour run, and avariety of external timecode modes. Audiofiles will be ‘backstamped’ to the whereappropriate – if, for example, the soundrolls before picture so the picture and soundtimecodes match for post.and the gain turned up a fair bit, I wasaware of a lot of hiss in my headphones.My heart sank. Surely a machine as smart as thiswould not have so much pre-amp noise when thegoing got tough?I moved on to the last pen, where a familyof guinea pigs live(yes, I know it’s gettinga bit Beatrix Potter, but stickwith me. I know of at least oneBBC wildlife sound recordistwho uses a Sound Devicesmachine). They made the mostincredible sound; a series ofhigh squeaks and chatter. I gotthe mic as close as I could andhit Record. Still, lots of hiss.I wondered if it was just theheadphone circuit that wasproducing the noise but therewas only one way of knowing.Back at the studio thematerial was dumped off viaFireWire and the very last files,the guinea pigs, were checked.Even at a relatively high levelof pre-amp gain, the recordedfile was at a very low level.I normalised the .wav up andhit play, expecting to be hit bya wave of hiss.Good grief. There wasnothing but a perfect recording of a tiny guineapig, No noise. No hiss. Just a lot of squeaking.So maybe it was just the headphone circuit afterall, or my headphones, or my ears. But the keything is that the sound recorded by the 702T wasclear and precise.Shhhh... It WhispersThe Sound Devices 702T is a sly little creature. I havean Edirol R4-Pro that has the word ‘professional’DK_MSD100C_Audio Media Qtr:Layout 1 6/2/08 16:26 Page 1written on its plastic case and is painted black (Isit me, or are a disproportionately large number ofsupposedly professional products this colour?). I dolike the Edirol and it helps me earn a living, plus Iknow it’s getting a good reputation for TV locationwork, but the 702T is a step up. Not just in terms ofaudio but build quality, functionality; you name it.Yet, though it undoubtedly does say ‘professional’in everything it does, it merely whispers the word.Forget fancy watches or flashy German motors.This is real class. ∫....................................INFORMATION£ GB£1,750.00 (exc.VAT)SOUND DEVICESBREAKING NEWSAs Audio Media was going to press with this review, it emergedthat Sound Devices has released another recorder into its range– the 788T. Designed for multi-track on-location recording,this eight-track, eight mic input unit features a revised digitalarchitecture, an internal 160GB 2.5-inch SATA drive, CompactFlash and FireWire mass storage support.For fast, accurate setups, the 788T visually indicates levelinformation of both inputs and track assignments. Each ofthe eight input controls has a corresponding tri-color circularLED. The 788T’s Input Control Toggle allows for quick accessto common settings such as input type, limiter engagement,high-pass filter activation, and phantom powering.As with the other Sound Devices ‘T’ units, there’s a fullfeaturedtimecode generator, word clock, and selectable videosync sources.A Sound Devices LLC, 300 Wengel Drive, PO Box 576,Reedsburg, Wisconsin 53959, USAT +1 608 524 0625F +1 608 524 0655W www.sounddevices.comA UK Distributors: Shure Distribution UK, Unit 2, TheIO Centre, Lea Road, Waltham Abbey, EN9 1AST +44 (0) 1992 703058F +44 (0) 1992 703057W www.shuredistribution.co.uk“Solutions in Audio & Video”Features• Economical,dedicated loudness meter• AES3 & Stereo Analogue Inputs• Meets Loudness Standard ITU BS1770 & 1771• Software upgrade also available for MSD600m++including graphical display and PC interface.Email: info@dk-technologies.com • Web: www.dk-technologies.com • Tel: +45 4485 0255 • Fax: +45 4485 0250DK-Technologies A/S, Marielundvej 37D, Herlev DK-2730, Denmark.AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008 51

KeepitSafeBACKING UP YOUR STUDIOHow quickly can you get asession up and running ifyour workstation goes down?RICHARD WENTK offerssome career-saving studiomanagement tips.As working environments move towards software,studios are spending time struggling with PC andMac-based products that can’t offer the reliabilityof older recording and editing tools. Traditional studiohardware tends to fail gracefully. If someone pours ahalf of rum and Coke across a few channels of the desk,the dead channels can be swapped out or ignored. If aworkstation dies, it will kill a session for hours and maytake the project with it.Fortunately it’s not difficult to bring computer hardwareup to professional standards of reliability. But to makethis possible, working practices have to become moreorganised, and spares and preventative maintenance costshave to be added to the operational budget.Not Just Stressed HardwareThe first requirement is clean and reliable power.Power cuts in Soho in 2006 did obvious damage to postschedules, and given that the UK’s generating capacityis becoming increasingly strained, power cuts may startto become more common, even in London. Elsewhere inthe UK brownouts happen regularly, especially in ruralareas, and both city and rural power has regular spikes ofover- and under-voltages. Larger facilities will have powercleaning or even their own generators. Smaller ones canadd them for minimal cost – even a budget plug-in surgesuppressor will help.But power can still be interrupted, causing crashes andlost data, and stressed hardware. Where there’s no onsitebackup power, a UPS – uninterruptible power supply – isessential. It’s easy to find very expensive UPS models, andonly slightly harder to find much cheaper ones which offerequivalent performance without the branding. These area good investment because they make higher back-upcapacities more accessible. A single workstation with a PCor Mac, external disks, audio converters, and monitors willneed a UPS rated to at least 2000VA. This gives a comfortablesafety margin for short brown outs and a chance tosave work and close down if the power goes off for anextended period.The Soft OptionEven with stable power, software is often notoriouslyunstable. It’s not possible to put together a rock solidsystem using ad hoc software. But a formal upgradeand software management policy can help preventproblems caused by bad updates or a proliferation oftrial versions. A good optional extra is a quality assurancetrial machine, which is kept away from front line workand used to evaluate updates, trials, and new versions.Updates sometimes cause more problems than they solve,and putting new versions into quarantine before allowingthem into sessions minimises problems. Software thatpasses basic checks for reliability can be added to a listand installed on the front line machines on a regularmonthly or quarterly update cycle. Once the workingenvironment is fixed, backup copies should be clonedovernight onto a couple of spare drives.This may seem like unnecessary extra work, but iteliminates feature creep, and guarantees there’s a solidversion to go back to in case of hardware or softwareproblems. It also means that the working version is alwaysthe most stable. An extra bonus is that keeping systemdisks lean also makes them faster and more efficient.Caddies are a very useful option here. System driveson caddies can be swapped in and out with minimaldisruption, so if a system disk fails it’s easy to swap in acopy and keep working. One gotcha is that by defaultprojects tend to save preferences and other information tothe system disk. So to make swap-ins possible, preferencesand associated data should either be set up before cloning,or saved to a different location. Getting this right can takesome tweaking of preference settings, but it’s worth it forthe peace of mind.RAID Vs. RedundancyWhile RAID is a popular option, it’s not the only choice.RAID 1 mirroring doubles disk requirements withoutnecessarily doubling reliability. Disks typically fail becauseof high operating temperatures and physical wear, and iftwo or more identical disks are used at the same time inthe same enclosure running at the same temperatures,they’re likely to fail within a short period of each other.So it’s a mistake to assume that RAID 1 makes failurehalf as likely – it doesn’t. RAID 1’s advantage is that twodisks are unlikely to fail at exactly the same time, soa session can continue without disk swapping. But assoon as one disk fails the other should immediatelybe considered suspect, and both should be changedas soon as possible. >52AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

For simpler systems, swappable separatedisks actually offer better long-term reliability –unsurprisingly, a disk which isn’t being used at all isless likely to fail than one that’s being used daily.But disks aren’t the only point of failure –motherboards, memory, and power supplies arealso prone to sudden death. An extension of the diskcloning approach is machine cloning. This approachassumes that session data is either stored on externaldisks, or on yet more caddies. With a swappablespare, a dead machine can be swapped out veryquickly, and once external session data is caddiedin or reconnected, the session can be restartedwithin a few minutes. Using a spare machine canraise licensing and copy protection issues, but sincemost software relies on keys and dongles, this isn’tnecessarily the problem it might seem to be.IrreplaceableBecause session data is literally irreplaceable, andalso because it needs the highest disk speedsavailable, it should always be kept on a separatedisk system. The optional RAID card available forApple Mac Pro users makes it possible to addup to four high speed SAS drives inside the MacPro, offering various combinations of speed andreliability. But built-in disks aren’t usually theideal solution at any professional level. There areobvious advantages to keeping session disksphysically separated from working computers.One is portability – for smaller systems, you canpick up your disks and move them to a differentroom. Another is reliability. If a computer failsduring a session, it will always take longer to swapout internal disks than to unplug an externalstorage array.External disks offer a range of connectiontechnologies and storage formats, includingFireWire and USB for local storage, and NAS or SANdrives for networked access. FireWire and USB drivesare an attractive choice for smaller projects, andportable drives are often being shipped betweenfacilities in the same way that tape reels used to be.But units should be selected carefully, and shouldat least offer RAID 10 striping and mirroring.RAID 0 striping is often used for speed, but canbe a data lottery – if one drive dies all of the datais lost. RAID 1 was covered earlier. Budget unitstypically offer either of these options but not both.RAID 10 costs significantly more and uses at leastfour drives instead of two, but is needed to get thebest of both worlds. A combination of FireWire 800connections and RAID 10 will give the best all-roundportable performance.Not To Be Confusing, But...NAS and SAN networked storage shouldn’t beconfused. Both offer remote connection witheither Ethernet cabling or fibre connections toa network, or sometimes to a specialised subnetwork.But otherwise the two technologies arevery different. NAS drives – Network AttachedStorage – have become something of a fad.They’re relatively simple single, double, oroccasionally quad-drive units, sometimes withRAID features, which plug into a network and canbe accessed remotely either as a network drive,as a separate unit on the network, or via a builtinweb or FTP server. But they won’t offer diskspeeds suitable for professional media creation.BACK-UP STRATEGYIn fact they’re better suited for general office work,and also as home music servers. The web serverside can be connected to the Internet for remoteaccess, but these drives don’t offer any gatewayfeatures, so they can only serve media off theirinternal drives. NAS drives are suitable for lowvolumetemporary backups and the sharing ofproject files. But given that disk speeds are rarelymore than 40MB/s, and more typically less thanhalf this, they’re better suited for keeping theoffice accounts than for sharing sample librariesor project video.SAN technology aims much higher. SAN wasdesigned for corporate datacentres, but over the lastfew years has moved into the media mainstream.In the jargon, SAN arrays can be ‘locally attached’,which means they appear as local drives even thoughthey’re connected remotely – which is an essentialfeature for some media applications. SAN disk speedsare very much higher, and can potentially streammultiple channels of uncompressed 4:4:4 HD video.A typical SAN installation includes one or more diskarrays, and a network switch. SAN units run loud andhot, and need a dedicated machine room well awayfrom working suites. Some systems also use extraRAID management hardware that maintains themetadata needed to create a working file system.This can also be done in software – Apple’s XSAN isone example – but the hardware option is typicallyfaster and may be more robust.Avid Tiger ActivityWith products from Apple, Avid, Tiger, and others,there’s plenty of activity in the SAN market, butprices remain high and installation requires>AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008 53

BACK-UP STRATEGYspecialist knowledge – this isn’t yet a plug-‘n-playtechnology. SAN systems are split into two levelsof performance. Fibre channel hardware offersup to around 2GB/s on the fiber, which translatesto working disk speeds of around 250MB/s.iSCSI hardware uses conventional gigabit Ethernet.It’s a much cheaper option and may be able to useexisting network cabling. The drawback is thatperformance is around half that of fibre channel,and it also lacks some of the features which arebuilt in to fibre channel to give it 100% reliability.Compared to fibre channel, iSCSI products offermore potential failure points where data can becorrupted or lost. At best this means manufacturersof media products should be careful to specifythat CRC and SCSI layer protection are included,even if it means a slight loss of throughput.Products which lack these protection layers may beprone to occasional data loss. iSCSI is also a multiprotocolsystem, which can steal some performancefrom front-line workstations. Fibre channel is lesssoftware-intensive. Looking ahead, fibre channelhas a road map towards higher bandwidths withup to 16Gbps planned. There aren’t currently anydisk units that can match this speed directly, but itwill make it possible to pipe multiple streams of HDvideo from multiple sources around a facility usingsingle cabling. iSCSI can’t match these speeds andit’s unlikely that it ever will. But in its favour, it’scheaper and simpler to set up and administer.It’s also worth noting that companies that specialisein products for post don’t have a lock-down oneither technology. There are alternative storage,switch, and management options available in thecorporate networking market, and they may be amore appropriate choice for a media facility whichis looking to set up a large SAN system.Another advantage of a SAN system is that itmakes backups simple. Because SAN storage iscentralised, it’s relatively easy to connect an LTO-3tape drive system to the network and have it runovernight. Auto-loading systems can backupdifferent projects to different tapes in a single run.A number of tape drives that can read from mainstorage simultaneously will achieve the same resultmore quickly.The disadvantage of a SAN system is set-up andadministration. Some configurations make it possiblenot only to centralise session data, but also to set-upand deploy a standardised software configurationfrom a central location – in other words you cancreate a standard working environment for everyworkstation in your facility and then install it fromone location. This again makes maintenance easier– dead machines can be swapped out – and alsomeans that rooms can become interchangeable.Archiving, Or Backing-Up?Whatever the technology, it’s worth keeping inmind there’s a difference between archiving andbackups. Backup technology needs to be fast,and the ideal backup solution is the one younever notice because your data never disappears.Many people still think of backups as an offlineprocess, but this isn’t the most effective way towork. The job of backup technology isn’t to keepdata permanently but to minimise downtimeand make sure that session data is robust.RAID is currently the best available backup system,because it’s the only one which can offer this kindof transparency.Archives are intended for longer-term storage,and don’t need to be instant – there’s usually timeavailable to restore the data before it’s needed.Tape systems offer the most robust off-line archiving.A cliché says that data doesn’t exist unless there arethree copies of it in three different places. That maybe overkill for some projects, but two importantprojects should be copied twice and distributedto two separate archives. Archived data has tobe labelled clearly, and organised with all of themost relevant track, artist, and other information.Any finished media project must include at leastone copy of the master. Audio mixes should haveevery track and stem played out in a neutral formatwhich can be imported into any workstation, withassociated MIDI information and separate audiorenders. Plug-in information isn’t essential as long asprocessed tracks are played out. Video compositesshould include each layer, and associated alphachannels. The aim is always to archive enough datato make it possible to re-mix or re-edit the sessionlater, without necessarily including everythingneeded to create a total-recall of the project usingone specific application. If this seems labourintensive– it shouldn’t. Where fifteen years agosession maintenance meant lining up tape heads,and ten years ago it meant restoring console settingsfrom a total recall screen, today it means establishingequivalent working practices for digital hardware.After a long period of ferment, technology is startingto settle down again. Now is as good a time as any tocatch up and start to establish some new traditionsthat will keep music and video recordings safe for atleast another half century. ∫ The Revolution Continues. Power • Detail • Grace54AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

SOLID STATE LOGICPRO-CONVERT V5AUDIO PROJECT TRANSLATION TOOLThis well-appointed conversionsolution from SSL puts the HolyTranslation Grail within reach,says STEPHEN MURPHY.THE REVIEWERSPro Audio Review Studio EditorStephen Murphy has over 20years production and engineeringexperience, including Grammywinningand Gold/Platinumcredits. www.smurphco.com.Transferring a multi-track session with edits andhandles intact from one DAW application to anotheris generally a fragile process – a process that canbreak in many different ways and at many different places.The commonly supported EDL (Edit Decision List) andobject-oriented exchange standards – most notably OMF,AAF, MXF, AES31, and OpenTL – are no doubt powerful tools.Developed to varying degrees of success by manufacturerconsortiums and associations, these standards have gonea long way towards realising the near-divine quest for freeand unfettered media project exchange.But unilateral changes, application updates, multiplestandards versions, handling errors, unsupported/mismatched features and file formats, and countlessother quirks introduced by specific platforms conspire toroutinely shift the sand underneath what those of us onthe sending or receiving end hope will be a stable andpredictable transfer process. Add to that the large installbase of programs that offer no standard EDL standardssupport (many ‘LE’ versions) and/or charge a premium toget it as an add-on, and the shifting sands start to spin.Enter the Pro-Convert V5 audio project translation toolfrom Solid State Logic.FeaturesSSL acquired developer Cui Bono Soft and its wellregardedinterchange application EDL-Convert justprior to the 2007 AES convention in New York, whereit promptly announced the first major update to thesoftware in several years.In the years since its introduction in 2001, EDL-Converthas grown to be one of favourite stealth Ninja tools of posthouses. With the acquisition and the addition of significantnew and updated features, SSL hopes to bring this powerful‘secret weapon’ – re-branded as Solid State Logic Pro-Convert V5 – to a much wider user base.Pro-Convert aims to be a one-size-fits-all tool that actsas a go-between for a variety of popular DAW and NLEplatforms. Depending on the selected source and outputtargets, Pro-Convert allows for the translation of edit points,fades, crossfades, markers and PQ data, clip gain, volumeand pan curves/automation, track names, clip names, andother session data.The program supports what I would describe as threelevels of conversion integration: proprietary, intermediary,and open standard. At the highest level, Pro-Convert canaccess and translate an application’s native session fileformat directly without the need for any intermediaryexport steps.For example, a stunning new feature in Pro-ConvertV5 is the ability to directly read and write proprietaryDigidesign Pro Tools 7.x session files (*.PTF), in additionto the previously supported Pro Tools 5.1 format.Other native session file formats supported include AdobeAudition/Cool Edit (*.SES), Steinberg Wavelab Montage(*.MON) and SSL’s own Soundscape Arrangementformat (*.ARR).At the intermediary level, Pro-Convert supports severalapplication-specific interchange formats. These formatswere created by a platform’s developer to facilitate theexchange of session data between various versions ofthe same application, within an application ‘family’or suite, or the import/export of a specific set of tracksfrom one project to another within the same application.Unlike proprietary session formats, these intermediariesare XML- or text-based EDLs, and thus expose the sessiondata in an readable and ultimately parse-able manner.Also unlike the proprietary formats, the deliberate action ofexporting a session from the timeline into the intermediaryformat is required before it can be used in Pro-Convert.The most notable intermediary formats supported byPro-Convert include Steinberg XML (Nuendo, Cubase),Apple XML (Final Cut Pro, Logic, Soundtrack Pro), SonyVegas TXT and XML, Samplitude and Sequouia EDL, andSADiE Interchange.Pro-Convert also includes standards-based EDL formatconversion using OMF (V.1, V.2, and a slew of programspecificOMF templates), AES31, and OpenTL; there is noAAF or MXF support as yet.According to SSL, when all applications, applicationversions, and interchange standards are counted, over40 different file formats are supported. Pro-Convert also >56AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

SSL>includes the standalone (though launched from themain program) Audio Tool file format and attributebatch conversion utility.A detailed list of file formats and supportedfeatures can be found on the Solid State Logicwebsite and in the Pro-Convert PDF manual.Note that Pro-Convert, like other conversionsoftware, translates overall session data, timelineaudio events and associated pan and levelinformation; it does not convert MIDI tracks, staticmixer positions (without automation envelopes)or plug-ins.In UsePro-Convert runs under the Windows operatingsystem (all standard versions between Windows98 and Vista; 64-bit versions not supported), butcan be successfully run on Macs using Boot Camp,Parallels, or Fusion. As the manual states, Pro-Convert is not heavy on system resources, andindeed it would be extremely difficult to unearth acomputer that doesn’t meet the minimum systemrequirements – 266MHz processor, 64MB, 20MBhard disk space, VGA display. For authorisation,Pro-Convert uses a CodeMeter USB donglethat is multi-user/multi-license capable fornetworked facilities.At the top of the Pro-Convert main interfaceis a concise ‘Project Strip’ summary of the sourceproject’s vitals that includes the number of clips,source files and tracks referenced on the timeline,as well as project sample rate, bit depth, framerate, length, size, and offset information; there isalso indication of whether the project containsautomation, PQ, and/or marker data.Below the Project Strip is a three-pane projectexplorer that includes a Project Tree (selectablebetween physical files and track view), a ClipWindow that displays all the timeline clips (withsource file I/O and timeline I/O points) that belongto the track or file selected in the Project Tree, and aDetailed Clip Window that provides additional datasuch as fade type and time, mute, lock status andlevel of any selected clip. On the far left of the maininterface is the Convert Strip, which contains all theexport file types and associated icons. The strip canbe toggled between an overall pool of conversionformats and a user-defined (via drag-and-drop) poolof favourites.For many interchange tasks, the generalconversion process in Pro-Convert can be quitesimple: open a supported session file using thestandard Windows File>Open dialogue; choosethe export file type from the pool on the left; usethe default settings on the options pages thatfollow, and choose a location to save the convertedproject. Once a conversion has been completed,Pro-Convert’s main project explorer interfacecan be toggled between source and convertedsession data.Much of the in-depth power of the program liesin the customisation of the conversion dialoguepages, which display a set of options tailoredspecifically to each export type. Though the mostcommonly appropriate values for each export typeare already preset as defaults, it most certainly paysto get familiar with all of Pro-Convert’s conversionoptions (and limitations) and the capabilities ofthe respective input and output applications.The excellent Pro-Convert manual provides clearand detailed information on the above; even abrief survey of this information provides insightinto the herculean efforts required to developand maintain this application’s conversion matrixand its adept, context-sensitive interface.While there are far too many to list all settings foreach export type, common export options includefade management (translate, ignore, replacewith alternate type), level and pan automationenvelope and region gain management (translate,rescale levels), file location and replace, and audiofile and session export options (link to existingsource files, create new files, stereo-to-mono splitfile conventions, change file container type).During the testing process for this review, Iproduced a number of sessions designed to testa range of (hopefully) translatable information.These sample sessions were created in SteinbergNuendo 3 and 4, Pro Tools LE 7.1, and Sony Vegas7, and cross-tested using Pro-Convert on the localmachine. I then enlisted several colleagues aroundthe country to test exports on a variety of otherplatforms including Logic, Final Cut Pro, Avid MediaComposer, Sonar, Samplitude, and Cool Edit/Adobe Audition; I also received sessions to test thatoriginated on several of these platforms.The results of this mass testing effort were generallyimpressive – all of the session exports created withPro-Convert were successfully opened on the target>AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008 57

SSL>platforms and all incoming sessions were able to be opened on my local programs after usingPro-Convert. That said, even with such a comprehensive ‘go-between’ a few of the projectssuffered from perplexing interchange quirks similar to those that can occur with good oldOMF transfers.For instance, a simple four-track Samplitude project with the same two-bar audio fileplaced on each track (but stair-step staggered so it plays for a total of eight bars) loadedinto both Nuendo and Pro Tools missing the first two-bar clip. This project was created totest the handling of fades, region gain, level and pan automation, all of which translated justfine. Using the project strip and explorer in Pro-Convert, I was able to confirm the error: theclip on the first track was listed as having zero length. This may well have been a problemwith the originating program or in the conversion process, but a problem nonetheless.The good news is that SSL, by the time you read this, will have some Samplitude-specific bugfixes online. I can't confirm whether or not they address this problem specifically, but it's niceto know SSL is on the case.As I stated earlier, most conversions worked flawlessly, and in general I couldn’t havebeen more impressed with the power and speed (or the peace of mind) of Pro-Convert.Oddities such as the above happened very rarely throughout this fairly exhaustive testingprocess. When certain issues arose, usually a quick trip to the program look-up and crosscapabilitiesgrid in Pro-Convert’s reference materials confirmed the limitations to be with thespecific platform (e.g., Steinberg XML does not export marker tracks).>SummaryMuch of my post-production and sound design work these days is conducted remotelyvia FTP or FedEx. In these cases – as well as in ‘client-supervised’ sessions – the seamlesstranslation of timeline exports is paramount, especially in tight-turnaround situations.While the concept of truly seamless conversion may be a bit like tilting at windmillsor questing for the Grail, the ability to overcome interchange problems with as littlefriction and minimal back-and-forth with busy production editors is now a real-world,attainable goal.Solid State Logic Pro-Convert 5 – with its direct support of programs such as Pro Tools,Final Cut Pro, Logic, and Nuendo, as well as its custom-designed OMF templates for manymore programs including Avid, Digital Performer, Sonar, and AMS Audiofile – is an essentialtool to help reach this goal. The ability to not only accommodate these disparate formatsbut also get a look-in at (and modify if necessary) the specifics of the incoming andoutgoing session data makes Pro-Convert an extremely valuable asset for any engineer orfacility that deals regularly with project exchange. ∫....................................INFORMATION£ GB£349.00 (exc.VAT), US$699.00 (exc.taxes)Upgrade Only GB£149.00 (exc.VAT), US$299.00 (exc.taxes)A Solid State Logic (HQ), 25 Spring Hill Road, Begbroke, Oxford, OX5 1RUT +44 (0)1865 842300F +44 (0)1865 842118W www.solidstatelogic.comE sales@solidstatelogic.comAUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

PRODUCT SAMPLERFIREWIRE AUDIO INTERFACESPlug in your DAWs as Audio Media prepares tostream audio aplenty.In an age where professional recordists are increasingly turning to their favourite computer-basedDAW for a variety of valid reasons – spanning cost, convenience, precision editing, project portability,‘true’ total recall, and more, getting that all-important audio to and from the computer in questionhas become an art in itself, with many manufacturers more than happy to take up the challenge withproducts to suit projects and pockets alike. FireWire-based solutions are the order of the day in thewonderful world of pro audio; here’s who’s currently offering what, though the ‘to whom’ part of thatequation is, as always, in the hands (and ears) of the purchaser.Alesis’ iO|26 is a desktop 24-bit/192kHz-inputFireWire audio interface designed for easy Macor PC integration, featuring two headphoneoutputs, line-level inserts on its Alesis HighDefinition Mic Pre-amps, 48V phantom power,five-segment signal/clip meters, plus full MIDIand SPDIF I/O. Being an Alesis unit, it alsofeatures ADAT lightpipe inputs for additionalconnectivity, while its flexible Hardware DirectMonitoring allowscustomised, latencyfreemixes to be sentto each output pair.www.alesis.comApogee Electronics’ duet is a 24-bit/96kHztwo-channel FireWire (400) interface designedfor Apple Macs. Its sleek desktop design offerstwo digitally-controlled mic pre-amps with75dB gain, two unbalanced (-10dBV) highimpendenceinstrument inputs, two 1/4-inchpowered speaker connections, a high-levelstereo headphone output, multi-segmentinput/output LEDmetering, and a multifunctioncontroller knobfor volume and input gaincontrol (plus assignableMIDI functions).www.apogeedigital.comApogee Electronics’ rack-mountableensemble features 36 channels ofsimultaneous audio, including eightchannels of Apogee’s acclaimed A/D andD/A conversion; four transparent, digitallycontrolled75dB mic pre-amps; eight channelsof ADAT I/O; two channels of S/PDIF coax andoptical I/O; and FireWire connectivity to andfrom a Mac computer. A stand-alone firmwareupdate allows it function without beingcomputerconnected.www.apogeedigital.comDigidesign’s 003 Rack packs analogue anddigital I/O, including MIDI, ADAT optical,and SPDIF, plus FireWire connectivity, intoa streamlined 2U chassis. It also comescomplete with the Pro Tools Ignition Pack 2Pro bundle, offering numerous effects andsignal processing plug-ins, virtual instruments,high-quality sampled sounds, and creativeapplications,includingPropellerheadReason 3Adapted,and more.www.digidesign.comThe AudioFire12 from Echo Digital AudioCorporation – to give its creator their full dues– boasts 12 balanced analogue inputs andoutputs (TRS), two FireWire ports, MIDI I/O,word clock synchronisation, and 12 channelsof full-duplex 24-bit/192kHz recording andplayback, all squeezed into a slimline (1U) rack.Supplied software (Mac- and PC-compatible)provides for monitoring, metering, and settinglevels, while low-latency drivers supportall majorpro audiosoftware.www.echoaudio.comEdirol’s FireWire AudioCapture FA-101represents the company’s first FireWire audiointerface, featuring 10x10 24-bit/96kHz (6x624-bit/192kHz) audio performance at DVD-Aand SACD quality – according to its creator.Other notable features include two frontpanel-mounted phantom-powered XLR/TRS combo jacks for connecting to the unit’spremium pre-amps, plus SPDIF and Optical I/O,while six inputs and eight outputs on balanced1/4-inch TRSjacks are to befound on itsrear.www.ediroleurope.comESI Audiotechnik’s DuaFire 2x4 FireWire AudioInterface (24-bit/96kHz) is billed as the world’sfirst FireWire audio interface that supportsEWDM (a major extension to the MicrosoftWDM driver standard that is compatible withall current Windows versions, to integrate allcommonly used driver standards into a singledriver package). That apart, mic pre-amps,switchable phantom power, and Hi-Z circuitryare all present andcorrect here, as isa bundled copy ofSteinberg CubaseLE 4.0.Focusrite’s Saffire PRO 10 i/o FireWire audiointerface is a stripped-down version of its Pro26 I/O, featuring 10 channels of I/O – stereoSPDIF, eight analogue channels, each inputhaving a mic pre-amp based on the FocusriteGreen Series with XLR connections on theback panel while its front-panel-mounted1/4-inch connections are line level affairs. VST/AU (Compression, Reverb, Amp Modelling, andEQ) plug-in effects are also included, while upto three PRO 10 I/Os can be daisy-chained forincreased I/O.Lynx Studio Technology recently released theLT-FW LSlot FireWire interface for its Aurora16, allowing the 16 Channel Mastering A/Dand D/A Converter to be interfaced with andcontrolled from suitably equipped computers.The unit itself allows the control of parameters,clock settings, mixing/routing, and mixerscenes via remote control. According toreviewer Russ Long, “The unit is the perfectsolution for stereo or multi-channel musicproduction or mastering, or simply as thefront end fordigital audioworkstations.”www.esi-audio.com www.focusrite.com www.lynxstudio.com60AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

FIREWIRE AUDIO INTERFACES PRODUCT SAMPLERThe M-Audio ProFire 2626 24-bit/192kHzAudio Interface gives itself away in its fullname, featuring 26 x 26 simultaneousanalogue/digital I/O, eight Octane technologybasedpre-amps, a flexible onboard DSPmixer, user-assignable master volume knob,JetPLL jitter-eliminating technology, andup to 24-bit/192kHz operation, while alsofunctioning as an eight-channel mic pre/eightchannelA/D D/Aconverter.Mackie’s Onyx 400F Stereo Recording Preampwith 192kHz Digital Output is a 10-channelpremium-quality mic pre-amp and FireWireaudio interface featuring four boutique-qualitypre-amps, delivering 123dB dynamic rangeand a quoted .0007% TDH – according to themanufacturer. Other notable features include64-bit floating-point processing, 10 x 10 DSPmatrix mixer, and dual FireWire ports for daisychaining and direct connection to Mac or PC.Last year, Metric Halo released Version 4 ofMobile I/O, a software/firmware/driver updateenhancing the capabilities of its Mobile I/Ohardware, including the Mobile I/O 2282 +DSP, a “...best in class...” 24-bit/96kHz FireWireinterface that provides 18 inputs and 20outputs of simultaneous I/O (eight channelsof mic/line/instrument analogue inputs, eightchannels of ADAT, and stereo AES/EBU andSPDIF), plus onboard effects DSP.www.m-audio.comwww.mackie.comwww.mhlabs.comMOTU bills its new 828mk3 as being “...themost advanced FireWire audio interface everdeveloped...” by itself, providing 28 inputsand 30 outputs in a 1U rack-mountable formfactor with all I/O routed to an onboard 16-busdigital mixer driven by hardware-basedDSP with 32-bit floating point precision,allowing users to apply no-latency, computerindependenteffects processing – includingreverb, parametric EQ, and compression/limiting (up to58 channels) – toinputs, outputs, orbuses.www.motu.comThe FireStudio Tube represents ProSonusAudio Electronics’ latest addition to itsFireStudio line of professional FireWirerecording systems, featuring two front panelaccessibleSuperChannels with Class A vacuumtube microphone and instrument pre-amps(using high-gain, military-grade 12AX7tubes), plus full-featured analogue limiters.Other notable features include 16 inputs/10outputs, eight balanced TRS outputs, 16 x 10DSP mixer/router, and114dB A/D/Aconverters.www.presonus.comPreSonus Audio Electronics currentlyhas a number of FireWire audio interfacesto its name, FireStudio LightPipe being a32-channel, 44/1/48kHz I/O (16-channel,88.2/96kHz) ADAT to FireWire recordinginterface for Mac and Windows, featuringJetPLL jitter elimination technology for ultratightdigital synchronisation, plus a 34 x 34DSP matrix mixer.www.presonus.comwww.ultrasone.comPROPRONatural Surround Sound headphonesTHE headphone companyExquisitely faithful sound + Exclusive design + Precisionmeet the most exacting needs of professionalsAUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008 61

FIREWIRE AUDIO INTERFACES PRODUCT SAMPLEROrpheus is Prism Sound’s new multi-channelFireWire recording interface, a 192kHzcapable,19-inch rack-mountable (1U)device offering eight simultaneous balancedanalogue inputs, four line-level jack inputs,four auto-sensing mic/line Neutrik combojacks, switchable SPDIF/AES-EBU stereo digitalinput, eight-channel ADAT optical input,and built-in mixer (driving eight analogueoutputs), plus high-quality mic pre-amps –fully software-controllablevia a PC (Windows XP)- andMac (OS X)-compatiblecontrol applications.www.prismsound.comThe FireFace 800 is boldly billed as being‘...the world’s most powerful FireWire audiointerface ever’. It’s certainly RME’s flagship,with up to 56 channels of record/playback, upto 192kHz sample rate, and true FireWire 800connectivity, combining to create a high-end,high-performance, high-speed unit worthy ofits name! Proven technology – such as TotalMixfrom the Hammerfall DSP series – includedfrom the company’s acclaimed converters andOctaMic add to itsdesirability, as doesits 119dB dynamicrange (playback).www.rme-audio.deRME’s FireFace 400 is a Mac- andPC-compatible half-rack, 36-channel,24-bit/192kHz FireWire audio interface, whose18 input and playback channels can be routedand mixed to any of its 18 physical outputscourtesy of an onboard 648-channel matrixrouter (with 42-bit internal resolution). Othernotable features include eight channels ofADAT optical I/O;coaxial SPDIF I/O;word clock I/O(BNC); plus two lowjitter,high-speedMIDI in/outs.www.synthax.comThe Tascam FireOne is a 24-bit/96kHzFireWire-based audio interface and DAWcontroller with shortcut keys and anilluminated/weighted jog wheel. Additionalfeatures include two analogue inputs (on XLR/TRS combo connectors), 48V phantom power,MIDI I/O, left/right audio outputs (jack), anddual headphone outputs (with separate levelcontrols). Applications supported includeAbleton Live, SteinbergCubase and Nuendo,MOTU Digital Performer,plus Apple Logic and FinalCut Pro. The StudioKonnekt 48 tops TC Electronic’sKonnekt line of FireWire audio interfaces;it comes complete with ‘IMPACT II’ preampsand DSP with channel strip, reverb,speaker control, dynamics, filter, and bassmanagement algorithms – some from thecompany’s acclaimed Fabrik, System 6000,and Reverb 4000 products. I/O totals 48channels, includingtwo independentheadphone outputs,and other featuresinclude multi-functionremote control.Yamaha’s GO46 Mobile Audio Interface is justthat – a mobile FireWire solution that comeswith high-quality mic pre-amps packaged withSteinberg’s Cubase LE and HALion SE softwareto create a truly portable recording package(when paired with a laptop). The GO46 featuresfour-channel input/six-channel output, andis capable of delivering up to 24-bit/192kHzvia its analogue I/O (two combo mic/line XLR/jack and two jack input/four jack outputs)and 24-bit/96kHzvia the digital I/O(SPDIF optical).www.tascam.comwww.tcelectronic.comwww.yamaha-europe.comPRO I/OPRICED TO GOAvailable in 8 and 16 channel versions, Lynx Aurora eclipses the performance of other audio converterscosting up to three times the price. And while some devices want to hog your whole rack, Aurora takesup just 1U. With interface cards now available for Pro Tools| HD® , FireWire ® and ADAT ® , Aurora canbring a ray of sunshine into the life of every DAW user. So isn’t it time you saw the light?• Aurora 8: simultaneous 8 channel analogue I/O and 8 channel AES/EBU I/O • Aurora 16: simultaneous 16 channelanalogue I/O and 16 channel AES/EBU I/O • 24-bit/192kHz A/D and D/A conversion • LSlot expansion slot for ProTools| HD® , FireWire ® and ADAT ® interfaces • Extensive remote control capabilities • On-board digital mixer providesflexible I/O routing • Word Clock I/O with Lynx SynchroLock jitter reduction technology • 1U rack-mountableAll trademarks are recognised as the property of their respective owners.UK distribution by SourceFind a dealer at: www.sourcedistribution.co.uk/lynx • T: 020 8962 508000 62AUDIO MEDIA MAY 1998 2008

EDIROL PORTABLE FIELD RECORDERSNEW R-09HR : Handheld WAVE/MP3 recorderHigh Resolution 24-bit/96kHz audio qualityPreview speaker & wireless remote controlNEW R-44 : Compact 4-Channel Portable RecorderUp to uncompressed 24-bit/192kHz linear audio & BWFSupport for high capacity SD cards (SDHC)R-4 Pro : 4-Channel Recorder with SMPTEFull SMPTE Time Code and WAVE Editor24-bit/192 kHz resolution, 80GB hard disk driveNEW EDIROLWELCOME TO NEW R-09HR AND R-44Film, Broadcast, Radio, Music, Sound Effects, Sampling, Live Sound, Podcasting, Journalists.Whatever the acquisition task, Edirol have a thoroughly professional product to match.Take for example the new ultra-compact R-44 with its pro quality 4 XLR channel recording to large capacity SD cards, built-inhigh quality stereo microphones and monitor speakers, or the ultra-new, ultra-cool R-09HR handheld WAVE/MP3 Recorderwhich now boasts high resolution 24-bit/96kHz audio quality.Edirol’s new stunning audio tools join the established timecode equipped R-4 Pro recorder to form a family of high qualityportable field recorders ideal for your recording needs.Get more info at your local Edirol dealer or log onto edirol.com/europeR-4 Pro NEW R-44 NEW R-09HR

➤video guideA Sound Pro’s Guide To VideoCamcorders: Video MediaKEVIN HILTON reviews thevarious types of video mediaavailable for camcorders today.SOUND PRO'S VIDEO GLOSSARYHard disk recording (HDD)The physical medium may havechanged but the fundamentalprinciple of recording movingimages has not changeddramatically from videotape. Thesimilarity is that a thin magneticsurface is magnetised by a fluxgenerated by the electromagnetichead gap. Information in digitalform – 0 and 1 bits – is writtento concentric tracks on a diskspinning at a constant speed. Toplayback the process goes in theopposite way, using a read head.The first HDDs had only one read/write unit but the technologyprogressed with the introductionof metal-in-Gap (MIG) heads andnow thin film devices are usedwidely. Both these methodsemploy separate heads for the twofunctions but both are mountedon an actuator arm.Camcorders have become smaller, lighter, and moresophisticated over the years, moving on considerablyfrom the box-like camera and suitcase recordercombinations of the 1970s. Short of being implanted intothe camera operator’s head, there were few ways the devicecould go, but one was to do away with tape and move tomedia that recorded footage in a file format that could beeasily interchanged with non-linear video edit systems.Tapeless cameras are on the rise right now but the ideaof recording on to a hardier medium than film or, latterly,videotape, is not new. During the 1930s John Logie Bairddeveloped and demonstrated a 30-line camera thatrecorded on to a disc similar to the basis of his TV system.That ingenuity and foresight was not more fully realisedfor some 60 years, when non-linear editing specialist Avidand camera manufacturer Ikegami unveiled a tapelesscamcorder in 1995.Ikegami eventually continued development alone andnow markets the camcorder under its own brand as theEditcam. Due to the initially limited amount of storageavailable, and the familiar camera-recorder configuration,news was seen as the prime area for the Editcam, and theterm digital news gathering (DNG) was coined to describeboth the product and the concept.Early AdapterThe idea of passing material from the camera to the editingsystem in the form of data, bypassing telecine, digitisation,and other interchange procedures, was attractive. But atthe time broadcasters were wary of such a leap away fromtape, a feeling not helped by the bulkiness of the firstEditcam, due to its two hard drives. Size and weight havebeen reduced over the years, accompanied by changesin the hardware specifications; Ikegami designed thecamcorder to work with Avid’s AV/BV PCI capture cardsbut Avid itself moved on to different file formats usingMeridien boards.In 2001 Ikegami went it alone in adding capabilityfor Meridien, DV25, DV50, MPEG50i, AVI, and QuickTime.The Editcam is now into its third generation with the DNS-33W, which records on to FieldPak2 removable non-linearmedia, with footage loaded direct into Avid workstations.Image capture is through AIT (Advanced Interline Transfer)CCDs, which give a high sensitivity of f11 and produce a highresolution of 750 TV lines. The standard FieldPak2 housingtakes a hard disk drive but can accommodate other media,including solid state Flash memory cards.The move to high definition led to the HDW-X10 EditcamHD non-linear camera system, whose three 2/3-inch 2.1Megapixel CMOS sensors allow multi-format shooting/recording at 1080/60i, 1080/50i, 1080/24p, 720/60p, or720/50p in native format. HD images are captured in fullresolution on the FieldPak2 media through the Avid DNxHDcodec in MXF (Material eXchange Format) file format.Ikegami also produces two stand-alone field diskrecorders, the DNE-31 and the HDE-X11, enabling theEditcam to be connected for greater recording capacity.A two-component approach was favoured by JVC for itstapeless offering. The GY-HD 100E camcorder is able to workin conjunction with the DR-HD 100 hard disk drive, whichrecords both HDV and DV.This has either a 60GB capacity, giving six hours ofrecording time, or 100GB for ten hours, with transferof footage to editing workstations handled in thetrademarked DTE (Direct-to-Edit) mode. Recording can bemade sequential to both disc and tape, allowing recordingtime to be extended. To get around the problem of umbilicalcables the disk recorder can be mounted on the GY-HD 100Eusing custom brackets.Like other professional equipment manufacturers with aconsumer division, JVC has developed hard disk camcordersfor the domestic market, which saw an earlier and greaterproliferation of units than broadcasting. Canon created theFireStore FS-4 data store to work with any of its camcorders,while the Pure Digital and Samsung camcorders are also harddisk-based. Panasonic, Hitachi, and Sony went the opticalroute, producing DVD camcorders.Two Hearts...In the professional realm Sony and Panasonic wereoriginally on either side of the technological divide.Panasonic chose solid state technology for its P2 series, thebasis of a range of DVCPro camcorders. Sony has workedwith various forms of tapeless acquisition; other than DVDfor domestic camcorders, there is IMX MPEG compressionfor both tape and disc.Disc was the choice for Sony’s range of XDCAM tapelesscamcorders. Professional Disc has a diameter of 12cm and isrecorded to and read by a blue laser, with a writing speed of72Mb/s, compared to 36Mb/s for the Blu-ray system. It has ahigher capacity than DVD, 23Gb as opposed to 4.7GB, and canbe written to over 1000 times and read more than 1,000,000times. Sony does not see Professional Disc as a replacementfor tape, but more a supplementary and complementarytechnology to DVcam and MPEG IMX recording.Promoted as the next move on from Betacam, XDCAMwas launched in 2003, aimed at newsgathering, althoughthere has since been a move into general programmeproduction, including drama. Top of the SD range is thePDW-530P, which records in MPEG IMX or DVcam at variousbit-rates and recording time respectively. The camera housesthree switchable 16:9/4:3 CCDs for image capture, with asignal to noise ratio of 63dB in PAL and a sensitivity of f11.The PDW-510P has the same features as its higher-end relative,excluding IMX recording.HD XDCAM appeared only two years after the launchof the SD camcorders and the range has been expandedconsiderably since 2005. The format uses the same 23GBProfessional Disc as its SD forerunner, recording at ratesof up to 35Mb/s. The range currently consists of: theflagship PDW-700, with three 2/3-inch progressive CCDsensors each producing full 1920 x 1080 resolution, 4:2:2>64AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

video guide A Sound Pro’s Guide To VideoCamcorders: Video Media>newsComputer memory and storage gets bigger andcheaper seemingly every month. As broadcastingmoves ever closer to IT so the same developmentsand benefits are being seen for video equipment.During the recent NAB ConventionPanasonic introduced a 64GBversion of its P2 solid-statememory card, doubling theamount that can be recordedon to its solid state HD and SDcamcorders and decks.The AJ-P2C064 64GB P2 card is due to begin deliveriesduring the third quarter of this year and will be soldalongside the existing 32-GB and 16-GB cards. The newsampling and 1080 and 720 operation; and theshoulder-mounted PDW-F335, which can shoot in50i/59.94i/23.98p/25p/29.97p for both DV and HD.The Solid State ApproachPanasonic mounted a strong challenge to Sonyand its disc camcorders by taking an opposingtechnological stance. Its approach was to producea tapeless version of DVCPro using solid statememory cards, a radical departure for broadcastvision. Although the technology was beingaccepted for audio recording, there were severedoubts over how reliable, efficient, and effectivesolid state would be for video.The initial doubts were soon overcome andPanasonic’s P2 range has become immenselypopular, particularly for newsgathering. Just asIkegami promotes its Editcam under the bannerof DNG, so Panasonic also claims to have created anew genre of broadcasting, ING (IT newsgathering).By removing not only tape but also disks Panasonicdid away with moving parts and mechanisms, whichwear out and can be affected by weather and dirt.Central to Panasonic’s tapeless camcordersis the P2 (Professional Plug-in, so PP) series solidstate memory card. This records in either DVCPro50, DVCPro or DV, with the cards fitting intoports on P2 camcorders and VT decks and theninto the corresponding slots on a PC for loadinginto non-linear editing workstations and otherdevices, without the need for digitisation.Interconnection is through the MXF format.Leading the P2 SD camcorder range are theAJ-SPX900 and AJ-SPX800, which have five P2 cardsslots, with seamless, continuous recording fromone to another.The move to HD came in 2005 with theAG-HVX200 P2miniCam, which offers progressivenative 16:9 HD 3CCD imaging and a HD quality LeicaDicomar wide-angle zoom lens. The P2miniCamrecords in both 1080i and 720p, working at theDVCPro HD compression video bit rate of 100Mbps.It is also able to shoot in standard definition usingDVCPro50, DVCPro, and DV.During 2007 Panasonic introduced four newmodels: the handheld AG-HPX200, the AG-HPX500,an entry-level professional camcorder, theAG-HPX2100, a P2 version of the HDX900, andthe higher-end AG-HPX3000, which operates inmedia can store over four hours of DVCPro material, inexcess of two hours of DVCPro 50 or AVC-Intra 50, or 64minutes of AVC-Intra 100 or DVCPro HD. This means anAJ-HPX3000 P2 HD camcorder runningfive 64GB cards can record for 320minutes in AVC-Intra 100 or DVCProHD and 640 minutes in AVC-Intra 50or DVCPro 50.Also launched at NAB 2008 wasa new P2 HD camcorder, theAG-HPX171. This handheld modelalso works in SD, has a wide zoom lens and an HD-SDIinterface, enabling it to connect to a basebandproduction and distribution network.native 1080. These new cameras work on H.264codecs and have two modes; 50Mb/s, comparableto DVCPro quality, and 100Mb/s, giving HD D5performance. The P2 range was expanded yet againat the recent NAB Convention (see news story).We Can TooBroadcasters have embraced ING and the P2concept to such an extent that last year broughtsomething of a u-turn from Sony when itintroduced a solid stateXDCAM model. ThePMW-EX1 uses a newFlash memory card, theSxS PRO, which canrecord up to 100 minutesof HD material at 35Mbps,or 140 minutes at25Mbps on to two 16-GBcards. SxS is based onthe ExpressCard, whichis used widely in PCs andlaptop computers.During NAB 2008 theXDCAM EX range wasexpanded by the arrivalof the PMW-EX3 ‘semishoulder’camcorder, thePMW-EX30 deck, andthe PHU-60K professionalhard-disk unit.The PMW-EX3 is able toaccommodate differentlenses and offers gen-lock,timecode, and remotecontrol, making it suitablefor studio use. This HDcamcorder can work witha variety of frame rates,including 59.94i, 50i, andnative 23.98P, as well asrecording in both 1080iand 720P. The PMW-EX3also has a high qualitymode, running at 35Mb/s,and a HDV 1080i setting.Sony also demonstrateda prototype SxS PRO cardwith 32GB capacity.Like its competitors Thomson (Grass Valley)entered the tapeless arena in 2005, although itsInfinity range has progressed fitfully since then.This may be because the company ambitiouslyclaimed that it was not only doing away withtape but also format barriers, as the technologyis designed to work on multiple standards,including PAL, NTSC, 720, and 1080 and is intendedfor newsgathering, field production, documentariesand videography.Thomson slightly hedged its bets as Infinitytakes both the hard disk and solid state routes,using Iomega REV PRO removable disks, storingup to 35GB for over two hours of SD or 45 minutesat HD, and the professional version of CompactFlash media memory, which can handle up to 8GB.The Infinity Digital Media Camcorder is a threeXensium 2/3-inch CMOS imager SD/HD device,with 14-bit digital imaging. It can operate in 525i60,625i50, 1080i50, 1080i60, 720p50 or 720p60, whileSD formats can be recorded in 16:9, 4:3 andletterbox aspect ratios.Next MonthVideo Guide now ends its lengthy explorationof the world of camcorders but stays withinthe realms of cinematography, moving on nextmonth to the developing area of digital camerasfor feature films and television drama. ∫AUDIO MEDIAFrankfurt PodcastThe Latest Audio Media Podcastis now online!Check out all the latest news and hotproducts at ProLight + Sound withexclusive interviews fresh from theshow floor. Go to audiomedia.comtoday for full download details.Sponsored by TC ElectronicAUDIO MEDIA MAY 200865

ANALOGUE PASSIONDIGITAL PRECISIONiLive" I ’ v e a l w a y s b e e n a n a n a l o g u e e n g i n e e r b u t i L i v e h a s c o n v i n c e dm e t h a t d i g i t a l i s t h e w a y f o r w a r d . "Edd Higdon, FOH engineer, From The JamTo find out why these engineers have conver ted to iLive, visit: www.ilive-digital.com/testimonialsALLEN&HEATH 40 YEARS OF AUDIO EXCELLENCEe: sales@allen-heath.com w: www.ilive-digital.com t: +44(0)1326 372070

TOURING • INSTALLATION • THEATRE • SYSTEMS INTEGRATION • PRODUCTIONAUDIO MEDIASound ReinforcementContentsAMSR News 68Technology, application, and installation news fromthe global sound reinforcement community.Bought Into A Bigger Picture 70STEPHEN BENNETT gets the lowdown about theAllen & Heath buyout from MD Glenn Rogers.Soundcraft GB2R 72BEN BURNS plugs into Soundcraft’s latest GB console, a19-inch rack-mountable affair, designed specifically forsmaller installations or small portable PA systems.Interpol Live 76MARK DAVIE gets to the bottom of what it takes to makeNew York indie-rockers Interpol sound as good onstage as onrecord – with a little help from FOH engineer Harley Zinker.AMSR is the regular AUDIO MEDIA Sound Reinforcement section, aimed squarely atSR professionals across Europe. Following the Audio Media ethos, the emphasiswill be on the product reviews and technical features written by workingindustry professionals that anybody in SR will find relevant and useful.

www.audiomedia.comDynacord has introduced the VL 62,a full-range (150W RMS/122dB SPL)cabinet featuring a neodymium6.5-inch wooferand one-inchcompression drivermounted to a CADoptimised90° x40° rotatable horn.Its 16Ω operationallows up to eightcabinets to beconnected in parallel to anyDynacord amplifier, allowingeasy configuration of largedistributed systems for retail andentertainment environments.w www.beyerdynamic.co.ukw www.dynacord.comThe Ahnert Feistel Media Group’snew EASERA SysTune softwarebasedmeasurement system is nowavailable on the ADA-Foundation’sEducational Discount Program, partof the latter’smission beingto initiateand supporteducationin roomacoustics, electro-acoustics, soundreinforcement, acoustic simulation,and the development of scientificsoftware for those areas usingfunds received from educationallicenses.w www.beyerdynamic.co.ukw www.renkus-heinz.comShure has launched the UR1Mmicro-bodypack; operating aspart of Shure’sUHF-R wirelessmicrophonesystem using thelatest version ofthe Shure WirelessWorkbenchsoftware, itpurportedlydelivers crystalclearaudio with a 60-75MHztuning range (region dependent),tuneable in 25kHz increments toprovide up to 3,000 selectablefrequencies with up to nine hoursof battery life.w www.shure.co.ukw www.shure.comAvlex Corporation has introducedthe PA-200 Professional PowerAmplifier, a single-space (1U) rackmountableClass G design that usesrail switching to decrease powerconsumption while increasingefficiency. Features includedetented line input controls; twodual-speed cooling fans; noise-freesoft-start power up; power, signal,clip, and protection LED indicators;and Speakon plug-based outputconnectors.www.avlex.comVRX Flies ForJBL ProJBL Professional introduces VRX additionsJBL Professional has expanded its VRX loudspeakerline. Designed for use in arrays of up to five unitswhere the venue size does not necessitate the long-throw characteristics of large line array systems, the newVRX932LAP 12-inch, two-way powered line array loudspeakerfeatures a built-in JBL DrivePac DPC-2 amplification systemdesigned in collaboration with Crown providing 1750W ofpeak power, plus the company’s latest 2408J Annular RingDiaphragm HF driver technology with three compressiondrivers mounted on a continuously arcing ConstantCurvature Waveguide. When more VRX932LAP loudspeakersare added to an array, all the drivers effectively combine towork together like a single driver on a very long waveguide.So-called Amplitude Shading shapes the array coveragewith input plate-sited switches controlling the output ofeach high-frequency section in the array.Designed specifically for use in arrays with the VRX932LAP,the VRX918SP powered subwoofer system based around a2268FF neodymium magnet patented Differential Drive18-inch woofer in a front-loaded, vented enclosure coupledto a DrivePac DPC-2 providing 1,500W peak power whilea DSP-based resident input module provides systemPreSonus TakesStudio To StageBaton Rouge, Louisiana-based audio recording andprocessing product designer/manufacturer PreSonusAudio Electronics has announced upcomingavailability of its new StudioLive 16:4:2 DigitalPerformance and Recording Mixer, a 16-channeldigital mixer featuring 16 high-headroom XMAXmicrophone pre-amps; a built-in 22 x 18 FireWirerecording and playback engine; Fat Channel processing withfour-band EQs, compressors, limiters and gates; DSP effects;six aux buses; four sub-groups; LED metering; talkback;and more.PreSonus’ new StudioLive package comes complete withMac- and Windows-compatible Capture multi-track recordingsoftware, giving users full audio editing capabilities and WAVfile export (for compatibility with the likes of Digidesign ProTools, Steinberg Cubase, Apple Logic, and Cakewalk Sonar).optimisation, EQ,and crossoverfunctionality.Stated SimonJ o n e s , J B LP r o f e s s i o n a l ’sD i r e c t o r o fM a r k e t i n g ,P o r t a b l e PA :“The professionalaudio world has acknowledged the versatility, performance,and sonic quality of the VRX900 compact, high-performanceline array system. With the introduction of the VRX932LAPand VRX918SP, the speed and simplicity of setup has nowdramatically increased.”Harman Pro UK+44 (0)1707 668 181www.harmanprouk.comJBL Professional+1 818 894 8850www.jblpro.com_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________“This is the perfect mixing board for the serious bandand nightclub,” stated PreSonus’ Director of Marketing, BradZell. “It opens the door to record every show, record in thestudio, as well as use recorded tracks during performances– bringing cool sounds, beats, and effects to the gig.”Source Distribution+44 (0)20 8962 5080www.sourcedistribution.co.ukPreSonus Audio+1 225 216 7887www.presonus.com68AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

www.audiomedia.comSennheiser ClearlyTransmits And ReceivesSennheiser Ships SR 350 IEM G2 and EM 3732Sennheiser is shipping its EM 3732 TrueDiversity Receiver, a twin receiver with90MHz switching bandwidth, featuring sixuser-selectable fixed frequency banks andone user bank with up to 60 channels thatcan be programmed in increments of 5kHz.An integrated antenna splitter allows up to eight units to bedaisy-chained together, while the system receiver itself canbe remote-controlled and monitored using the providedWireless Systems Manager with the host PC being connectedto the EM 3732 via Ethernet.Sennheiser has also introduced the SR 350 IEM G2Stereo Transmitter, a twin transmitter with HDX companderCalifornian portable PA systems and intercoms manufacturerAnchor Audio’s new Explorer PRO Sound System is availablein two packages: the basic package (£941.00) comprisesEXP-6000U1 powered (60W AC/30W DC) speaker withwireless receiver, SS-550 speaker stand, WH-6000 handheldor WB-6000 body pack transmitter, and LM-60 lapel, HBM-60headband, CM-60 Collar or EM-60T UltraLite wireless mic;while the deluxe package (£1,214.00) adds an EXP-6001companion speaker, SC-50 connection cable, and anotherthat can be used with the company’s EK 300 IEM G2 andEK 3253 monitor receivers, with 1,440 UHF frequenciesavailable for interference-free transmission. Accordingto Robb Blumenreder, Industry Team Manager forSennheiser Electronic Corporation’s Music Industry division,“The output power of the SR 350 IEM G2 can be switchedbetween 15 mW and 100 mW offering an optimal stage fit forstages of all sizes.”Sennheiser UK+44 (0)1494 551 551www.sennheiser.co.ukSennheiser Electronic Corporation+1 860 434 9190www.sennheiserusa.com_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Anchor (Audio) Drops Into EuropeSS-550 speaker stand.Weighing in at 1.7kg, AchorAudio’s appropriately namedMiniVox Lite is a lightweightportable PA package designedto reach audiences of 150-pluspeople, comprising a PB-25U1battery-powered PA system(with four-inch neodymiumwoofer, 18W amplifier, andbuilt-in wireless receiver), WH-6000 handheld or WB-6000body pack transmitter, and LM-60 lapel, HBM-60 headband,CM-60 Collar or EM-60T UltraLite wireless mic, and CC-25carrying bag, priced at £409.00.PASS Medientechnik+49 5425 6638www.anchor-audio.comAnchor Audio+1 310 784 2300www.anchoraudio.comHK AUDIO has announcedavailability of active versionsof its PREMIUM PR:O cabinets,comprising twofull-range 400Wcabinets – bothfeaturing a one-inchdriver with a 60°x 40° horn, plus a12-inch (PR:O 12A)or 15-inch (PR:O15A) chassis; abi-directional, feedback-resistantcabinet (PR:O 15XA), which canalso be used for monitoring; andthe 500W PR:O 18SA, featuringan 18-inch subwoofer equippedwith a specially designed systemcrossover.w www.jhs.co.ukw www.hkaudio.comBSS Audio has expanded itsacclaimed Soundweb Londonfamily of digital signal processorsto include the new BLU-800,BLU-320, BLU-160, and BLU-120,joining the BLU-80, BLU-32, andBLU-16 to reflect the HarmanInternational company’scommitment to continuallyoffering increased flexibility andsystem enhancements.w www.bss.co.ukw www.bssaudio.comDiGiCo is directly supporting theAES 42 data transmission protocolsuch that its digital consoles caninterconnect with Neumann’sSolution-D generation digitalmicrophones. “We’re very pleasedto have been able to integrateAES 42 into the architecture of ourconsoles, and, alongside Neumann,bring thisaddedbenefitto ourcustomers,”notedDiGiCoMarketingDirector David Webster.w www.digiconsoles.comw www.neumann.comSabine has expanded its PhantomMic Rider Series to include theSeries 2 and Series 3Phantom Mic Rider Pro,phantom-powered, inlinesignal processors with115dB dynamic rangethat plug directly intohandheld or gooseneckmicrophones with anintegrated Infrared Gate functionthat automatically turns the mic onor off whenever it senses the user’spresence.w www.stringsandthings.co.ukw www.sabine.comAUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008 69

05|08AMSRBOUGHT INTO A BIGGER PICTURED&M HOLDINGS INC., BUYS ALLEN & HEATHSTEPHEN BENNETT talks to Glenn Rogers about the Allen & Heath buyout, and what it will mean for the future of the company.D&M Holdings Inc., the company behindsuch well-respected brands as CalrecAudio and Marantz, has announced detailsof its acquisition of UK-based mixing consolemanufacturer Allen and Heath Holdings Limited.Concluding such a transaction on 1st April is alwaysa risky business as there’s always the danger that itmay be perceived as a practical joke, “We waiteduntil the afternoon so that no-one jumped the gunand thought it was an April Fool,” says Glenn Rogers,Managing Director of the Cornwall-based company.“We’ve grown our core pro-audio business viaventure capital over the last seven years and wewere happily swimming along and not anticipatingany changes when D&M approached us with theidea of working together. “Allen and Heath has an enviable reputationwhich hails back to the late 1960s. Since then thecompany has been through several changes ofownership, including their acquisition by Harmanin the 1990s and a subsequent managementbuy-out in 2001. “We listened to D&M because wefelt there was a certain synergy between whatboth companies wanted to achieve and we couldenvisage a scenario where we’d see more of abenefit in the long term with D&M than we wouldas an independent,” says Rogers. “We were gettingto the point where there were so many things wewanted to do and areas into which we wanted toexpand – which we’ve done to some extent withthe ZED range and our move back into retail – butAllen & Heath Managing Director Glenn Rogers.we were limited bybeing a small independentcompany.Now we are in aposition where wewill be encouragedto move into thoseareas and we’ll alsobenefit from greaterinvestment – whichis a big change fromwhen you are a smallc o m p a n y w h e r eeverything has tobe funded with themoney from sales.”Initially, Allen and Heath’s customers won’t seeany change from the results of the acquisitionand, although D&M hold all the shares, the companywill remain based in Cornwall. “Everyone isstill here and it’s business as usual,” says Rogers.“You can never say that there won’t be changes,but we’d expect any to be to the benefit to thecustomer. It would be pointless for D&M to buythe company and then change our focus – whichhas always been directed at the end user and ourability to give them the best quality products wecan. D&M’s aim is for the company to continue togrow as it has done over the last few years – andwe want to make sure we can deliver on that.Their interest in us is that we are good at what wedo and they want us to goon doing more of it!”Allen and Heath shouldbenefit from the economiesof scale that come withbeing part of D&M holdings,whose portfolio includesCalrec Audio, Denon DJ,Marantz, Snell Acoustics,and Boston Acoustics, aswell as highly-respected hi-fimanufacturer, McIntosh.“D&M are a global organisationand are very shrewdabout the ‘value added’aspect of a product,” saysR o g e r s. “ Fo r e x a m p l e,McIntosh is manufacturedin the US and that’s perceivedto be appropriatefor that product’s userbase – they realise that theimportant thing is what thebrand means to a customer.”R o g e r s b e l i e v e s t h a tbecause D&M knows howto look after its range ofhighly-respected qualitySome of the newly extended family.brands, Allen and Heath, one of the world’s mostwell-known audio manufacturers, will be safein D&M’s hands. “They understand the value ofquality and the need to give the customer theright package – which to us, after building upthe brand and making it special, was key in ourdecision to accept D&M’s offer.” Rogers says thatthe acquisition came to fruition over a period ofonly a few months which seems to indicate thatthe whole process really was as amicable andmutually agreeable as it appears.“We now have access to technology in thegroup which, as an independent, was slightlymore difficult to obtain – the main reasonbeing that we had to pay for it!” laughs Rogers.“Obviously, with Calrec, D&M have a lot of broadcastexperience and technology – such as theirredundancy processes and the way audio coresare managed – so there’s a lot of interesting stufffor us to look at. There’s also the question of standardsand interfaces which is always more difficultfor two separate companies to address –but we now have a better chance of covering allthe bases.” Rogers believes that technology fromboth Denon DJ and Marantz could also be importantfor Allen and Heath’s future development.“We should be able to to further advance our DJrange and use the iDR series as a basis for thedevelopment of products for the distributionof audio and other media in the home,” he says.In some respects, Rogers sounds like a kid witha new toy – but he’s aware of the potential pitfallsthat may accompany all these possibilities.“There’s a lot of crossover between the companiesat D&M – which is very exciting when you look atit. It’s just whether we are going to have the timeto play with all these nice ideas without it gettingin the way of the things we do best!” ∫....................................INFORMATIONwww.dm-holdings.comwww.allen-heath.com70AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

05|08AMSRNeed a quality mixer for smallevents? BEN BURNS mightjust have found the perfectunit for the job.THE REVIEWERBen Burns is a London-basedfreelance engineer- both live andstudio- with credits including Blur,Dido, Embrace, Happy Mondays,and more.Soundcraft has been gaining a lot of respect in the livesound industry recently, thanks to the success of theVi series of digital consoles. To ensure no analogueusers get offended, the GB series has a new nephew in theform of a rack mountable 12- or 16-channel mixer.The Classic rack mixer design with rotating rearconnection panel is executed with Soundcraft precisionand quality, from the GB30 pre amps and EQ to the sturdyrack ears.All the features of this board are geared up to pleaseany SR professional, the XLR connectors are all top qualityNeutrik designs to ensure reliability, and there is a directoutput on a balanced jack for every channel.There are two versions available, a 16-channel desk withone master stereo buss, or a 12-channel (plus two stereoinputs) with two master stereo busses. The other featureson both models are identical: a stereo master bus and astereo sub-group.ConnectivityThe 16-channel review model strikes me as a veryfunctional piece of equipment. There are no bells orwhistles, except the designer’s signature printed abovethe meters. Neutrik XLR inputs are mountedon the extensively featured rear panel.Each input channel on this board includesthe usual ¼-inch jack ‘line level’ inputsocket, as well as an unbalanced ¼-inchjack socket for an insert. The directoutputs for each channel are providedon another ¼-inch balanced jack witha switch to tap the signal pre or postfader – the signal will always be afterthe gain stage, high pass filter, andpolarity invert switch.Direct outputs are perhaps one of themost useful features for any small board –they can be used to get the same instrument on two faders,as sends for a multi-track recorder, or another console suchas a monitor board.H idden Ex trasThe extra hidden features are the two stereo inputs,provided as two pairs of ¼-inch jack sockets on therear panel. With simple rotary pots on the deskitself, these extra channels will always come inhandy for effects returns, etc. As withmost similar designs, thereare inputs and outputsfor a two-track machineprovided on consumer RCAjacks. Including consumerconnectivity on a productsuch as the GB2R is veryimportant, it adds versatilityto the product and ensures thatany non-technical users can easilyconnect an mp3 player. There is a potfor the input level, but the only level controlfor the record outputs is via the master faders.It would be better to have attenuation/gainavailable for the record output, as it is a good way to getsignal to a video camera or a second PA zone.Main OutputsThe main outputs are grouped together with the ‘controlroom monitor’ outputs, which would typically be usedwhen mixing from a remote location using referencemonitors. The mono output is a simple XLR socket withno insert whilst the main left and right output socketsdo have unbalanced insert points, located directly abovethe XLR outputs.Aux outputs are grouped together with the first fouron XLR sockets, aux 5 and 6 are via balanced ¼-inch jackSOUNDCRAFT GB2RANALOGUE MIXERsockets. None of the aux outputs include insert points,which is not such a big deal as most people would runany processing (i.e., graphic EQ) in line. The only potentialproblem with this method is that any desk metering will notreflect changes made by the inserted processor.Mains AC is connected to the IEC socket which includesone of those metal clips to hold the cable in securely.This clip will only work with IEC plugs of a certain size, but ishighly recommended, as sudden power disconnection canbe bad for your professional health.A feature first introduced by another company is therotating connector panel. The basic idea is that when youuse the desk free standing, it sits at a comfortable angleand all the connectors are located on the rear of the desk.If you want to rack mount the desk then the whole panelswings around 90 degrees so the connectors are actuallyunderneath the desk. This method is usually implementedfor pre-wired racks, but you do have to be careful whenmounting the desk horizontally as gravity tries to remove allthe jacks from the connector panel as it points down.Channel StripsThis board is very well designed, the colour coding on thepots is well thought out and unless you pull the knobsoff and swap them all about, it makes perfect sense.Each channel has a phantom switch with orange LED toindicate when 48v has been applied. Both button andlight are clearly visible and can be easily changedat any time, unlike some desks wherethe phantom power switch is eitheron the back panel, or simply affectsbanks of eight channels rather than eachone individually.Electrical polarity can be invertedwith the ‘phase reverse’ switch, andthe high pass filter is set at100Hz. The gain pot affectsboth the line and micinputs, which usethe same pre amp(the line input issimply attenuated by20dB inside the desk).The GB30 EQ soundssweet and musical, twoshelving filters are set at 13Khz and60Hz with +/- 15dB boost/cut. These aresensible frequency choices and inexperienced>72AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

AMSR 05|08“This board is very well designed, thecolour coding on the pots is wellthought out and unless you pull theknobs off and swap them all about, itmakes perfect sense.”>operators will find it easy to use the EQ with goodresults. The two swept mids again offer 15dB ofcut or boost, but operate in the frequency ranges550Hz – 13Khz, and 80Hz – 1.9Khz. The entire EQsection is easily bypassed with a switch.As mentioned, there are six aux busses on thisconsole – various ways exist to configure thesebusses to a user’s requirements. By default, aux 1and 2 are always pre fade, aux 3 and 4 can be eitherpre or post fade, while auxes 5 and 6 are alwayspost fade. There is a dealer-implemented optionto connect auxes 1 and 2 feeds as pre-EQ, pre-fade.This would also affect auxes 3 and 4 when they areselected as pre-fade.The typical user would connect four monitors tothe first four auxes and two effects units to auxes 5and 6, this is clearly reflected in the design of thebusses. The colour coding is very clear for the auxbusses; shades of green, blue, and grey are used toquickly identify both the master controls and thechannel strip controls.Pots N' PansA bright yellow pan pot is provided above thefader bank. There is no mono buss switch for eachchannel, as the mono output is simply a sum ofthe left and right busses. Red Mute switches andtheir associated red LEDs clearly indicate whatis muted, whilst the mix button will route thechannel to the master buss. The manual pointsout that it may seem pointless to de-select achannel from the main buss, but it allows usersto route signals to the aux busses and/or to usethe direct outputs post fade, without routing tothe main mix.The 100mm Faders are smooth and light tomove, but feel a little wobbly. I experienced noproblems with the audio but could imagine thecleaning job after a couple of years in a horribleclub. The faders have dust covers under the metalpanel, which should keep out most detritus. I didnotice that at the extreme ends of the fader tracks,the dust covers seem to open out a little, whichmight allow dust to ingress.Buying a newMicrophone,Monitor, orConsole this year?AUDIOMEDIATHE INTERNATIONALBUYER’S GUIDEAUDIO-FOR-VIDEO BROADCAST INTERNET AUDIO LIVE SOUND MULTIMEDIA POST PRODUCTION RECORDINGTHE WORLD’S LEADING PROFESSIONAL AUDIO TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINEA SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL PUBLICATION FROM THE NEWBAY MEDIA GROUPMONITORS2008AUDIOMEDIAAUDIO-FOR-VIDEO BROADCAST INTERNET AUDIO LIVE SOUND MULTIMEDIA POST PRODUCTION RECORDINGTHE INTERNATIONALBUYER’S GUIDET HE WORLD’S LEADING PROFESSIONAL AUDIO TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINEA SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL PUBLICATION FROM THE NEWBAY MEDIA GROUPAUDIOCONSOLES2008AUDIO MEDIAAUDIOMEDIAAUDIO-FOR-VIDEO BROADCAST INTERNET AUDIO LIVE SOUND MULTIMEDIA POST PRODUCTION RECORDINGTHE INTERNATIONALBUYER’S GUIDETHE WORLD’S LEADING PROFESSIONAL AUDIO TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINEA SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL PUBLICATION FROM THE NEWBAY MEDIA GROUPMICROPHONES2008Master SectionAs a simple stereo buss mixer, the master sectionis straightforward to understand and again, clearlylaid out. The colour coding works wonderfully on allsix aux master pots, each with an AFL button andred LED to indicate the current assignment. This isthe only way to meter the aux master output busslevel on the 12 segment LED meters.At the very top of the master section,you will find a four pin XLR socket for a 12vlamp, as with most desks this is not included.The headphone socket is very close to the meters,so if using headphones with a right-angled jackplug, a little rotation will ensure that you don’t block>AUDIO MEDIAAUDIO MEDIAThen check out the 2008 International Buyer’s Guidesat www.audiomedia.comAUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008 73

05|08AMSRProfessional Audio... PersonalizedSing Play Listen Record“There is obviously ademand for smallformat, rack-mountableanalogue mixing desksfor a wide variety ofapplications. For hirecompany stock this deskwould fit into the smallevents market very nicely.”Duet is a two-channel FireWire audio interface for the Mac featuring the sound qualityand ease of use Apogee is famous for. With Duet’s portability and direct integration intoGarageBand, Logic Pro, and Soundtrack Pro, you can effortlessly make professional recordingsanywhere your music takes you.Introducing Logic StudioA suite of powerful, easy-to-use musiccreation and production tools, Logic Studiogives musicians everything they need towrite,record, edit, mix and perform.>your view of the meters.Two red LEDs indicate the status of the internalpower supply; there is one for the phantom 48v, andthe second for the internal +/- 17v rail.The two stereo returns are right under the meters.Always routed to the main mix and controlled by ared level pot, they can be used for those two effectsunits easily. The first stereo return can also besent to aux 1, whilst the second stereo return can be sentto aux 2 – a feature that could be very useful, butwould require some planning to ensure that eachstereo input signal reached the desired aux buss.The Big Red ButtonAnother red button and pot combo is providedto control the two track return. The button routesthe signal to the main buss, whilst the pot changesthe level. By de-selecting the ‘2 trk to mix’ button, it ispossible to send the two-track signal to the monitorbuss only, without hearing it in the main mix.The monitor source can be flipped between thetwo-track input, the mix buss, or both. You canselect to listen to the monitor buss in mono too,which is a very useful feature as an instant monosum of your mix is available on headphones orreference speakers at any time.Two more red pots finish off the section – theycontrol the monitor output and the headphoneoutput levels. There are of course also the masterfaders, which are bright yellow and obviouslyvery important.In DemandThere are a number of similar products on themarket, and have been for years. There is obviouslya demand for small format, rack-mountableanalogue mixing desks for a wide variety ofapplications. For hire company stock this deskwould fit into the small events market very nicely.A venue like a club with DJs and small stagewould do well to employ a desk of this quality(please keep away from the horrendous but cheap‘B’ products!).The audio quality of this board is very nice, thepreamps are transparent and powerful, but likeanother popular small desk there are no pads.Another gripe for me is the lack of mono bussassignment switches for each channel. I supposethat this desk is so small it would not really be usedon gigs with a centre cluster, but a mono buss forselected channels can be useful for sub woofer sendswhen all the auxes are already used.No Fuss NecessaryAll in all, this desk is very nice to use, it simplydoes the job with no fuss whilst providing enoughfeatures to get you through most situations in avictorious fashion. ∫....................................INFORMATION£ 12ch 12+2 GB£950.00, 16ch 16/2 GB£975.00 (bothexc.VAT)A Soundcraft, Harman International Industries Ltd.,Cranborne House, Cranborne Road, Potters Bar,Herts EN6 3JNT +44 (0) 1707 665000F +44 (0) 1707 660742W www.soundcraft.comE info@soundcraft.com74AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

Your road to SuccessThis year, Audio-Technica is doing something a bit different to theusual exhibition format and will be taking to the road. The 22nd ofMay will see the start of Audio-Technica’s 2008 Roadshow entitled‘The Road to Success’, stopping at 7 key locations across the countryover a 3 week period. And rather than trying to discuss business ina noisy and hectic environment, our custom designed trailer will offeryou the chance to view a selection of our key product offerings anddiscuss issues pertinent to you in a relaxed and informal manner.To find out more, and register to attend an event near you,visit www.audio-technica-roadshow.com

05|08AMSRINTERPOLLIVEMARK DAVIE takes a ride withInterpol’s FOH engineer,Harley Zinker. Just don’ttouch his water.Slow and trembling, like a junky trying to build a houseof cards, a hand moves deliberately over the crowdbarrier towards a stash of bottled water near the FOHmix position, its path closely monitored by two dilatedpupils the size of ten cent pieces. “Hey! … Hey! Get yourhands away from my stuff!” bellows Harley Zinker, FOHengineer for Interpol. Harley’s warnings become increasinglydire until the perpetrator staggers away with security on histail. Apparently he doesn’t make it very far: one of Harley’sfriends reports with a chuckle moments later that“he spewed his guts out just round the corner”. “Well, heshould learn how to handle whatever he was on,” is Harley’sfrank observation. Too right. The other punters agree withnodding heads. After all, the gig hasn’t even started yet.Harley is an entirely good-humoured man. But thisencounter is a glimpse of how seriously he takes the art ofsound. There’s no way Harley’s going to let some ‘off-hisface’punter get too close to the gear he needs to do his job,especially when that gear relies on an iLok jutting out rightnext to that bottle of water.A couple of hours prior, sitting in his hotel roomoverlooking the Melbourne CBD, his enthusiasm for soundis obvious. In the past 10 years he’s circled the globe touringwith the likes of The Strokes, The Killers, Radio 4, and LeTigre, and he loves it. But the Harley story begins in EMI’smailroom in New York.Mail Order SoundHarley’s is an interesting tale, one that can be pinpointedto a singular ‘turning of the tides’ encounter. It’s the late’90s, the halcyon days of the New York music scene hadcome to an end and major labels were taking a dive.Like many, Harley reluctantly turned his back on his studiowork to take a job running the post room at EMI records inNew York. Before e-mail took over, the mailman was at thehub of operations, and Harley met his fair share of labeltypes. One of those – an A&R guy for Capitol (a subsidiaryof EMI) by the name of Dave Ayers – ‘discovered’ Harley inthe way only A&R guys can. “You have to get out of here,”Dave decided. “We know you’ve worked in studios, weknow you’re pretty smart, so we want you to come ontour and do the sound for this band we’ve just signed.”“Okay,” was Harley’s reply; an uncomplicated responsethat’s opened doors for him around the world.Having never been on tour before, and never mixed a liveband, the label packed him off to the now-defunct Brownies,a little 200-capacity club in New York, for a two-day bootcamp on live mixing. At the end of those two days, Brownieswound up offering him a job too. So far, so good. The nextday, he set off on his first tour with recently signed band,Verbena. Returning from the tour, Harley started mixingsound at Brownies and took any freelance gig that camehis way, working his way through every club across the city,whether people paid him or not – if it was a gig, he’d takeit. Eventually, his relentless drive paid off, and he left themailroom and took up sound as his full-time gig.INTERPOL SURVEILLANCEOne of the many bands that graced the Brownies stagewas Interpol. The relationship started off as the occasionalrequest for a show here and there, ‘Okay’; then across theocean to London for a few days, ‘Okay’; then a tour acrossthe US for three weeks. ‘Okay’ was Harley’s ready reply.No one quite knew how successful that tour would be,and three weeks snowballed into 17 months of solid workoff the back of the first album. And, in a sweet twist ofserendipity, just three days prior to heading out on tour,Brownies closed.Mark Davie: How did you cope with that change frombeing a house guy at Brownies to being on the road andconstantly having to adapt to new environments?Harley Zinker: It was a learning process and it still is tosome degree. In the beginning the band never playedthe same size venue twice. We went from 350-capacityclubs where I was doing monitors and FOH from thesame board, to 1100-capacity venues with proper PAs.So each step up was just a natural progression. But Iwas up for the challenge, and they were up for allowingme to be up for the challenge. I know many bands thatwould have taken on a more experienced person, butI’ve been fortunate in that regard – they’ve been prettytrusting and allowed me to do my thing.MD: R i g h t , b e c a u s e h o w e l s e d o y o u g e tthat chance?>76AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

Taking audio to the next level.The LS-10 linear PCM Recorder from Olympus. Superb recording performance that captures everydetail and nuance of the original sound – music, voice and more. For the ultimate in live capture, it uses optimaldigital recording without compression, and a 24-bit/96 kHz sampling frequency ensures above and beyondCD quality. It also offers easy PC editing using CUBASE LE4 software and if you want to, you can simply upload tothe Internet for huge audiences to enjoy.Stereo Microphones & Amp CircuitryThe microphone amplifi er uses discrete left and right-channelamp circuits to suppress interference, making high-quality‘original sound’ recording possible.Manual Recording Level AdjustmentThe LS-10 allows you to fi ne-adjust the recording levelmanually with switchable limiter to obtain the optimumlevel by checking the level meter display on the LCD paneland the PEAK indicator. An automatic level control functionis also provided.Packed with featuresThe LS-10 also offers three microphone directivities(Normal, Wide, Zoom), four playback modes (EUPHONYMOBILE: Normal, Natural, Wide, Power) and fi ve reverbmodes (Normal, Studio, Club, Hall, Dome).For the ultimate in fl exibility, the LS-10 also features atripod connection and a broad range of accessories,including optional remote control* and AC adapter*.* Planned for release in spring 2008.Olympus LS-10 takes audio to the next level with: linear PCM recording speaker and large, backlit 1.8-inch LCD Panel Amplifi er Circuitry recording mode) production software and special Olympus-producedvideo tutorialOlympus LS-10Perform. Capture. Upload.

05|08AMSR>HZ: Exactly. They’ve afforded me this opportunityand that’s gone all the way from carrying nothingbut a vocal mic or a small rack of outboardgear, all the way to multi-track, full production,and full PA.MD: What was the most difficult aspect ofthe transition from small club systems to fullblownPAs?HZ: I don’t know if anything was more difficultthan anything else. There are fundamentals, andthose fundamentals are relevant no matter whatsize venue or facility you’re at. For example, beingable to identify frequencies when you hear themis a great skill to have and will help out regardlessof the venue. Then there’s the basic understandingof signal flow and gain structure whichremain the same regardless of what desk you’reon. It just comes back to the fundamentals,and if you have that stuff you can pretty muchdo anything.Saying that, one big difference in moving fromsmaller venues to larger venues is that it’s lessabout the volume coming off the stage and moreabout the PA, so the job becomes more abouttrue mixing. That was somewhat of a challenge,and it still is, when tours bounce back andforth from larger venues to smaller ones – it’s adifferent mindset.MD: I’d imagine ‘true mixing’ wins every time?HZ: Sure. I prefer not to have to fight the stagesound, but if I have to deal with it, so be it.It’s part of the show and I’m going to incorporatewhat’s coming off the stage into the liveperformance. Everyday is something different.You never know what’s going to happen. So asmuch as it’s highly repetitious, and the samething everyday, it’s the same different thingevery day.MD: Speaking of ‘different’, how do you keep theundesirable ‘X’ factors to a minimum?HZ: If we get the stage sound right, then I don’thave to do anything corrective; everything I’mdoing is enhancing what’s going on rather thanfixing something. For this to happen everybodyin the crew works pretty closely. The backlineguys try to make sure everything is right whenit’s coming off stage; the jumps aren’t too bigfrom one pedal effect to another, and the samewith keyboard patches – smooth transitions fromone thing to another are important. The tones ofthe instruments are all what they should be, andwe’ve spent a lot of time over the years gettingit to that point, so that myself and Bob Lewis, ourMonitor Engineer, aren’t fixing anything in thatregard. That’s half the battle right there. You can’tpolish a turd, as they say. If they play it right andthe instruments are set up properly then that’s it.If you listen to the band’s performance, their partsare pretty individual; you can hear the separationand the definition, and if they’re playing it how itshould sound, I don’t need to fix anything.MD: What’s the measure of ‘how it should sound’?HZ: I use the record as a blueprint and that’s whatthey want – the record as a blueprint. But obviouslyit’s a live show; it should be bigger thanthat. To me, I view the band as a big rhythm section;it’s big drums and a monstrous bass soundwith the guitars sitting on top of that. They’re nota pop band, so the vocals shouldn’t be over thetop, everything should be seated and in its place.Copper-Free MixingMD: What console are you using for this tour?HZ: I’m a die-hard Digidesign fan. I use a Profile– a compact version of the D-Show. I use quite afew stock plug-ins plus a few extras. For example,there’s an EMI Chandler reissue compressor pluginI’ve been using on the kick drum. URS makesan API-style EQ plug-in that I use on Paul’s vocaland the snare, and there’s a Neve 1073 clone on acouple of other channels. Probably my favouritething is the Crane Song Phoenix. It’s a one-knob,analogue tape saturation emulator that adds harmonicdistortion and allows me to place the vocalin a really interesting place. I’m also a fan of theSerato Rane frequency-sensitive compressor.Everything’s onboard; I don’t use any outboardwhatsoever. I just keep the extra plug-ins on aUSB stick. For the four or five extra plug-ins Ihave to load in, it maybe takes 10 or 15 minutes,so setup time is minimal. I’ve got a default scenestored and that’s my starting point everyday – flatEQ, faders down.MD: Sounds like you’re not shedding any tears forold-school analogue consoles?HZ: I’ve been a digital desk person for a while,before that I had a Yamaha PM5D, which I usedwith a lot of outboard. Our PA company in theUS, Firehouse Productions, are big fans of digitaltechnology, so prior to this tour they asked meto check out the Profile and tell them what Ithought. Initially I was hesitant, but now I absolutelylove it. The Profile is easy to get around…and it’s small, so it’s allowed me to bring myconsole into festivals and places where I’d normallyhave to use a house console. But best of all,it sounds great. I think the biggest contributorto the sonics is the fact the A/D converters areon stage [with four BNC connectors linking it toFOH]. That way you don’t have that extra 100mof copper. An SM57 sounds different when youtake out that 100m of copper. In fact, everythingsounds different.MD: You’re using a V-DOSC PA for this tour.Are you a die-hard L-Acoustics fan as well?HZ: I’ve gone back and forth between JBL Vertecand L-Acoustics V-DOSC and I happen to be usingV-DOSC in Australia. It works for what I’m doingwith this band: it’s punchy. I think just abouteverybody makes a good box these days, it’s all inhow you set them up, which is the system tech’sjob, and it’s all in how you tune them.MD: How’s the system today?HZ: I’m pretty happy with it. The JohnstonAudio guys we’re working with are fantastic; it’sbeen a pleasure to work with them. The gear’sbeen great, they’ve given me everything I’veneeded. It’s nice to be able to fly 8000 miles awayfrom home and feel like it’s just like any othershow. It’s the same gear with good people thatknow how to operate it; everything’s working,and all the issues have been addressed. It’s nicein that regard.UnderheadsMD: What else do you bring with you other thanthe desk and plug-ins?HZ: Audio-Technica has been helping us out withmicrophones. I love the AE2500, which is a dualelement kick drum mic – it’s got a condenser anda dynamic in the one housing. I’ve also got a lotof Audio-Technica large diaphragm condensers.I use AT3035s as ‘underheads’, AT4040s on guitars,and AE6100 hypercardioid handheld vocal mics –they sound fantastic and have great gain-beforefeedback.I still use a Shure Beta 57 on snare, justbecause nothing sounds like a Beta 57 to me.It’s mainly just lots of mid-priced mics – nothingreally fancy – and some of these things I’ve hadfor 10 years, while some I’ve only had for a coupleof months. It’s a case of ‘the right tool for theright job’; choosing microphones is like a painterchoosing brushes.MD: Why ‘underheads’?HZ: I just want the cymbals from those mics– I don’t want the whole kit – and with underheadsI get less bleed. It’s not like we’re doing astudio recording. There’s a time and a place forsomething more ambient, but this just worksout pretty well for me, and Sam the drummerlikes it better in his in-ears as well – it’s just cymbals,and everything else is close-miked. I havetwo underheads, and I mic the ride cymbal fromunderneath as well. Then I send those three to asubgroup and compress that pretty hard to getthings to pop a little bit. Sightlines are improvedas well – you don’t have overheads hanging overthe kit – I hate mic stands. So anywhere I can geta clip or a clamp or a claw to bolt onto a cymbalstand there’s less in the way, less to break. I hearso many people say ‘I hate overheads’. Well, if it’sa smaller room, maybe you don’t need any overheads.Maybe the vocal mic is picking up enoughcymbals. It depends on the room.MD: Do you still enjoy your work after being ontour for six years with the same guys?HZ: Yeah, I do. I don’t enjoy living out of a suitcasethough. I like flying, but I don’t like sittingnext to Bobby Cher [crew member] whenI fly. When we check in, everybody in the crewspreads out. Not that we don’t like each other,we just don’t want to sit next to each other. I hada six-hour middle-seat adventure and I was nothappy. Apart from that, I like the art of tuning aPA; I like the show; and I like the 90 minutes I getwith the band. That’s what I really enjoy. I like thefact it’s highly creative and it’s highly technical atthe same time, and each facet relies on the other.I think I have one foot in the technical camp andone foot in the creative camp – that appeals tome. My only regret is getting into it so late in life[he’s 38]. I mean, I’ve been doing it 10 years now,but had I started a lot younger I’d be that muchfurther along now… or maybe I’d be makingfurniture in the woods, who knows.Interpol-ishedJust before the band hits the stage, Harley walksover to his lighting compatriot and in a wellrehearsedritual they gently butt fists like boxersin recognition of the marriage of light and soundthat turns good shows into great ones.As the night wraps up, and punters shuffle outthe doors of a previously packed Festival Hall, ayoung couple show their gratitude to Harley witha healthy thumbs-up. Humbly, he shakes hishands in a ‘comme-ci, comme-ca, so so’ fashion.He doesn’t think it was his night – not bad,but not the best. But if the healthy chatter andsmiles all round are anything to go by, then thepunters disagree. ∫78audio media may 2008

DiscoverNew HorizonsIn AudioAmsterdam RAI May 17-20, 2008exhibits ● educational events ● technical papers ● demo roomsworkshops ● application seminars ● broadcast eventsarchiving forum ● technical tourslive sound events

AUDIO MEDIA CLASSIFIEDAngela Brown on +44 (0)1480 461555 E-mail: a.brown@audiomedia.comR E C R U I T M E N TS E R V I C E S Angela Brown on +44 (0)1480 461555FO R ALL YO U R RE C O R D I N G NEEDSAMPEX – BASF – MAXELL – JVCAUTHORISED NATIONAL DISTRIBUTORSpools, boxes, blades, splicing and leader tape.Custom wound cassettes C1-120, labels, library cases, cards.Bulk audio C-Os, cases, pancake. Broadcast cartridges.E-mail: a.brown@audiomedia.comSOUND & VIDEO SERVICESShentonfield Road, Sharston Industrial Estate,Manchester M22 4RW Tel 0161 491 6660FO R QUA L I T Y, PRICE AND SERVICEMaintenance EngineerSIS Outside Broadcasts Ltd has a fleet of over 90 vehicles covering everythingfrom international sporting events like the Olympics to major festivals likeGlastonbury. Clients include the BBC, ITV and Sky. We are looking for anengineer to work as part of an audio support team, based in Langley.The job involves maintenance of analogue anddigital audio equipment, down to componentlevel, repair of complex broadcast systems,project work and advising operational staff.Knowledge of digital audio interfacing isdesirable.You should also have proven skills in themaintenance of technical equipment used inradio or television production or broadcastS E R V I C E Sand knowledge of music recording techniquesand equipment.With a competitive salary and great benefitspackage, we offer excellent opportunitiesfor development and progression, as well asa friendly and professional environment inwhich to work. Hours will vary and you maybe occasionally required to work evenings,weekends and public holidays.Please send your CV to Sharon O’Rourke, Human Resources, SIS Outside Broadcasts Ltd. StationRoad, Langley, SL3 6DB. Closing date 19th May 2008.Buying a newMicrophone,Monitor, orConsole this year?AUDIOMEDIATHE INTERNATIONALBUYER’S GUIDET HE WORLD’S LEADING PROFESSIONAL AUDIO TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINEA SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL PUBLICATION FROM THE NEWBAY MEDIA GROUPMONITORS2008A U D I O MEDIAAUDIOMEDIATHE INTERNATIONALBUYER’S GUIDET HE WORLD’S LEADING PROFESSIONAL AUDIO TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINEA SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL PUBLICATION FROM THE NEWBAY MEDIA GROUPAUDIOCONSOLES2008A U D I O MEDIAAUDIOMEDIATHE INTERNATIONALBUYER’S GUIDET HE WORLD’S LEADING PROFESSIONAL AUDIO TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINEA SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL PUBLICATION FROM THE NEWBAY MEDIA GROUPMICROPHONES2008A U D I O MEDIAThen check out the 2008International Buyer’s Guidesat www.audiomedia.comFOR SALEProfessional recordingstudio & 5 bedroom house,Stockport.The studio would be an idealbase for a label, musician orproducer, and the house is abeautiful family home.CLIENTSSTUDIOHOUSEEQUIPMENTLOCATIONSnoop Dogg, Timbaland,Moby, OceansizeControl room, 3 liverooms, air con, acousticallydesigned5 bedrooms, 4 receptionrooms, car parking for 8Pro Tools HD3, 32 ch. ProControl, quality preampsNear major car, rail and airnetworksPlease visit this website for more details:www.theworksstudio.co.uk/forsaleor contact Rob directly:e-mail – theworksstudio@mac.comTel – 07855 944463 / 01453 88705080AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

THE‘VINTAGE’NEVESPECIALIST!S E R V I C E SWANTED!OLD NEVE CONSOLES(IN ANY CONDITION)& SSL CONSOLESWE PURCHASE WORLDWIDEAES PRO AUDIO IS A UNITED KINGDOM COMPANYTEL: 01932 872672 FAX: 01932 874364 TEL INT. 44 1932 872672 FAX INT. 44 1932 874364email: aesaudio@intonet.co.ukwww.aesproaudio.comLOOKINGTO HIRE?ADVERTISE YOURPOSITION HERECALL ANGELA ON:+44 (0)1480 461555S T U D I O A C O U S T I C S1000 CDs with Booklet+Inlay c.£600Quality CDR / DVD copies from 51pCD/CD-ROM Mastering £70phDVD, CD-audio, CD-ROM, CassettesOver 21 years experienceGraphic design, colour printLarge and small run specialistsExcellent quality and presentationTHE MANUFACTURERS APPOINTEDPROFESSIONAL AUDIO SERVICE CENTRESONY Professional DAT, PCM, M/Disc · OTARI MTR to DTR · AKAI DIGITALTASCAM DAT, DA88 · FAIRLIGHT · REVOX · MRL Test Tapes · ATHANProduct Dedicated SpecialistsMeticulous EstimatingRapid Response TurnaroundExcellent!Repeat PerformanceMultimedia6 Grand Union CentreWest RowLondon W10 5ASTel. 020 8960 7222visit us atwww.repeat-performance.co.ukCollection and DeliveryOn Site or In House ServiceComprehensive WarrantiesTrading 10 Years. The Initiators of “Service Only” Contracts to Pro Audio ManufacturersUSE THE APPOINTED SERVICE COMPANY, WE HAVE THE TRAINING, THE PARTS,THE NECESSARY JIGS, THE MANUFACTURERS AGREEMENT, THE KNOWLEDGE.TTL House, Sheeptick End, Near Lidlington, Bedfordshire, MK43 0SFTelephone 01525 841999 Facsimile 01525 841009A I R C O N D I T I O N I N GAIR CONDITIONING &VENTILATION TOSOUND STUDIOS ISOUR SPECIALITYWE PROVIDE DESIGN ONLY OR DESIGN ANDINSTALLATION FOR MANY WELL KNOWNCLIENTS.WHETHER IT BE FOR DISPLACEMENT, FREECOOLING, V.A.V., V.R.V., SPLIT, UNITARY ORCENTRALISED CALL MIKE HARDY OFAMBTHAIR SERVICES LTD ON01403 250306 OR FAX 01403 211269WEB: www.ambthair.comEmail: cool@ambthair.comSolid State LogicS O U N D | | V I S I O NAUDIO MEDIA MAY 200881

BOOK FILE: LogicIS/Gre8TLogic Pro 8 Tips And Tricks is the latest in a long line of similar such readsfrom the Thetford-based PC Publishing stable, and very informative itis, too. Written by occasional Audio Media contributor Stephen Bennett,a composer and post-production engineer who uses Logic every day– from whence these tips and tricks are culled, to (almost) paraphrasethe accompanying publicity blurb, this handy 184-page tome willhelp users utilise Apple’s latest and greatest ‘Music production, liveperformance, sound for picture’ application for the Mac platform,covering its optimisation, organisation, and environment, as well asrecording, editing, mixing mastering, plus plug-in usage. Apparentlythis is the book Bennett wishes had been available when he first gotto grips with Logic!ISBN 13: 9781906005061www.pc-publishing.comADR FILE:Force/OB2Yes, the Star Wars spoofs are endless,but one has stood out recently as aninspired bit of ADR work. Seeing DarthVader as a pimp cliché and adjustinghis radio in the TIE Fighter puts a wholenew light on the political subtext ofStar Wars – in a funny way. Followthe link, or just search ‘Darth Vader asPimp’ in YouTube.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_dFkL0k52oWEB FILE: Game/ON£Many were amazed at the apparent audacity of the former Mrs McCartney representing herself inprotracted divorce proceedings with ex-Beatle Paul – all the more so when she reportedly threw aglass of water at his lawyer. Feeling inspired? Then why not join in the ‘Splash & Grab’ fiscal fun withthis free online game in which players are invited to help a Heather Mills character collect her £24.3mdivorce settlement by throwing water around a courtroom. The rules are simple: whenever PaulMcCartney or his lawyer pop up from behind the bench, throw water and splash them to win some(McCartney) cash!www.muccachucka.com*ADVERTISERS INDEXAES 79Allen & Heath 66Apogee 38, 39Audio Technica 75Benchmark 31Calrec 14Cedar 84Digidesign 11DK Technologies 51Edirol 63Euphonix 17Fairlight 22Fostex 43Glyph 16Grace 54HHB 15, 61Lydkraft 49McDSP 59Merging 21Millennia 55Nagra 53Neutrik 48Olympus 77Richmond 82RME 12, 13SADiE 83Sommer Cable 25Sonic Distribution 2, 3, 37, 57, 74Sonifex 10Sonnox 36Soundcraft 6, 7Sound Devices 23SSL 27Steinberg 29Stirling SCV 47Tascam 58TC Electronic 35TLA 41Ultrasone 62Zaxcom 7182AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008

AUDIO-FOR-VIDEO • BROADCAST • INTERNET AUDIO • LIVE SOUND • MULTIMEDIA • POST PRODUCTION • RECORDINGAUDIOMEDIATHE INTERNATIONALBUYER’S GUIDET HE WORLD’S LEADING PROFESSIONAL AUDIO TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINEA SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL PUBLICATION FROM THE NEWBAY MEDIA GROUPMICROPHONES2008PRODUCED BYAUDIO MEDIAIn association with:

UnlimitedSoundQualityD 5DynamicVocalMicrophoneD 5 – LESS FEEDBACKLaminate Varimotion capsule deliverssignificantly more gain-before-feedbackthan any other mic in its class.C 5CondenserVocalMicrophoneC 5 – STUDIO-LIKE CLARITYPatented condenser capsule deliverslegendary AKG studio-quality sound,now on stage.Aerosmith‘sSteven Tylerusing his customizedAKG WMS 4000wireless with theD 5 capsuleWIRED & WIRELESSADV 666 / 1 / E

AUDIO-FOR-VIDEO BROADCAST INTERNET AUDIO LIVE SOUND MULTIMEDIA POST PRODUCTION RECORDINGAUDIO-FOR-VIDEO BROADCAST INTERNET AUDIO LIVE SOUND MULTIMEDIA POST PRODUCTION RECORDINGAUDIO-FOR-VIDEO BROADCAST INTERNET AUDIO LIVE SOUND MULTIMEDIA POST PRODUCTION RECORDINGcontents4 Orchestra Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Mic Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Audio-Technica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Audix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 beyerdynamic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 DPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .THE. . . .INTERNATIONAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . .AUDIOMEDIABUYER’S GUIDET HE WORLD’S LEADING PROFESSIONAL AUDIO TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINEA SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL PUBLICATION FROM THE NEWBAY MEDIA GROUP16 JZ Mics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MICROPHONES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200818 M-Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AUDIO MEDIA20 Microtech Gefell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Neumann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Røde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 sE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Shure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Welcome to Microphones 2008, an InternationalBuyer’s Guide. We’ve scoured the ever-wideningmarket of professional microphone products foryour convenience, and thrown in a few informativeand hopefully thought provoking articles fromexperts in the field.This publication is a collection of promotional articles lookingat 11 of the world’s leading microphone manufacturers andtheir product ranges. Inside you’ll find the stories behind thegear – the ethos’ and design ethics that go into producing oneof the core components in professional audio – and details ofthe products themselves. In addition, we’ve collated a massivedirectory of mic manufacturers, and commissioned three articlesaround the subject of microphone technology and technique forthe audio pro.Whatever your field of work, the quality of your productdepends heavily on the quality and method of acquisition. This iswhy microphones are so important, and why this genre of audiogear probably generates more passion than any other. While therange of basic principals in microphone technology is relativelysmall, the variations on these themes are incredibly numerous– we’ve listed over 80 manufacturers in our directory, from allover the world, most offering choice across several transducer orelectronic approaches.You might be a film or drama location recordist, a music studioengineer, a Foley editor, a radio journalist, a member of an ENGcrew, a live sound engineer – any, in fact, of the hundreds of veryspecialised roles that require not only a theoretical groundingin microphone technology, but also intimate knowledge ofthe ‘art’ of microphone practise, placement, and choice.You might even just be starting to build your microphone stockand need a place to start. Are you aware of recent advances in allareas of microphone technology? Are you familiar with a handfulof high-profile manufacturers, but would like a greater breadthof awareness when it comes to the ‘alternatives’? Whatever yourneeds, Microphones 2008 should be able to help. It should be aplace to begin your search.Microphones 2008 is a collaborative project betweenseveral NewBay Media titles: Audio Media Worldwidewww.audiomedia.com, Radio World Internationalwww.rwonline.com, Pro Audio Review www.proaudioreview.com, TV Technology www.tvtechnology.com, and Pro SoundNews US www.prosoundnews.com. All of these publicationsconcern themselves with the business of production andproduction technology for professional creatives, operators,technicians, and engineers everywhere. Visit their respectivewebsites to find out more.The NewBay Team.30 Soundfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Studio Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE . . . . INTERNATIONAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . .AUDIOMEDIABUYER’S GUIDET HE WORLD’S LEADING PROFESSIONAL AUDIO TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINEA SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL PUBLICATION FROM THE NEWBAY MEDIA GROUP34 Violet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MICROPHONES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 AUDIOMEDIATHE INTERNATIONAL36 Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MICROPHONES MicAUDIO MEDIA200840 Mic Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BUYER’S GUIDET HE WORLD’S LEADING PROFESSIONAL AUDIO TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINEA SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL PUBLICATION FROM THE NEWBAY MEDIA GROUP08AUDIO MEDIAAUDIO MEDIA www.audiomedia.com(UK) Tel: +44 (0)1480 461555 - Fax: +44 (0)1480 461550Publisher/SalesNick Humbertn.humbert@audiomedia.comEditor In ChiefPaul Macp.mac@audiomedia.comEditorial Manager (Europe)Lanna Marshalll.marshall@audiomedia.comDesign & Production ManagerJohn-Paul Shirreffsjp.shirreffs@audiomedia.comRadio World International www.rwonline.com(Milan) Tel: + 39 02 7030 0310 - Fax: + 39 02 7030 0211Publisher/SalesEditorRaffaella CalabreseMarguerite Clarkrcalabrese.imaspub@tin.itmclark@imaspub.comThe contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or in part, whethermechanical or electronic, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Great care is taken to ensureaccuracy in the preparation of this publication but neither NewBay Media nor the Editor can be held responsible for its contents orany omissions. The views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Publishers or Editor. The Publishersaccept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, or artwork.© 2007 NewBay Media. All rights reserved.

++orchestra + + + + orchestra+ + + + orchestra+ + + + orcheAn Engineer’s GuideTo The OrchestraWe present a short trip around the instrumentsof an orchestra with Angel Studios’ SeniorEngineer Gary Thomas, who brings a lifetime’sexperience to bear on his own approach toorchestral recording...Starting With Stereo“The most accepted stereo source is thestandard Decca tree – two omni micsaround two metres apart and a third omni1.5 metres forward. The tree is above theconductor and gives a true impression ofwhat he or she is hearing. I’ll often use thetraditional Neumann M50s for that, whichis what Decca trees were first used with.But there are alternatives; I really like someof the DPA microphones – the DPA4006sbecause they have a very nice smooth sound.Neumann TLM50s and KM83s can workwell too.”The Fills“I’m sure if you ask other engineers,everyone has a different view on how tocreate side and rear fills and where theyshould go. A lot of people add in extremeside fills to add more width to the tree –typically TLM50s or KM83s again, perhapssome other cardioids. If space is tight I mayput the sides and rears in extreme placesto add character. They’ll be there to capturereflections off a wall or ceiling, anything tofill out the ambience. Sometimes I’ll evenput them up on a balcony.“A lot depends on the score – whatyou record always depends on what thescore is trying to do, which is always up tothe director and the composer. Directorsgenerally know what they are trying tocreate, so you’re always working with that.In many cases a lot of activity in the rearcan be detrimental. I’ve worked on projectswhere the director wanted nothing at therear because he wanted to keep the dialogueclean. For other films – e.g., action movies –there’s a need for a lot of activity. And it’s notjust ambience – sometimes other elements,like piano, percussion and keyboards, areincluded in the rears.”Strings“For more gentle material, I may just usethe room – that always gives a smootherand more diffuse sound. But for actionmovies the strings may need more bite anddefinition, and that will mean close mikingthe whole section to add some bite to thesound. Typically I’ll put up one mic per desk.In a section of forty, that can mean twentymics or more. I’ll find out from the composerbeforehand if there are any solo lines, whichare usually played by the leaders in eachsection. Soloists get an extra mic of theirown, to be used with discretion.”The mics are on stands, between two andfour feet away, depending on the space and4 AN ENGINEER’S GUIDE TO THE Orchestra

microphones 2008stra+ + + + orchestra+ + + + orchestra + + + + orchestra + + +the sound we’re after. For the high stringsI might use Schoeps CMC5s or NeumannKM84s, for the lows U87s or U89s. Forsolo violin or cello I’ll often use a DPA4011, which is another DPA mic with a verysmooth sound, or a Neumann 149. I don’tusually use contact mics except for veryspecial effects – I think we have just the onein the cupboard at Angel now.They can be very impressive though –there’s a DPA contact mic which is superbfor double bass. It’s only about a centimetrewide but it sounds fantastic.”Brass“Brass can be more of a challenge thansome of the other sections. First – screens.You’ll sometimes find that on the first cueof the day the brass wipes out the stringsand drowns out everything else. And oncein a while dynamics don’t get writtenin, so the section can be playing moreenthusiastically than it should. If there’s abrass onslaught like that, some extra workis needed. Then again, for something likea John Williams score you want to keepthat powerful brass sound because it’s akey feature of the mix. So again it dependson the music. In a big orchestral room,you may not want screens because there’senough space for everyone. But in smallerrooms screens are a good way to giveyourself more control.”“Mic placement for brass is similarto strings – a section mic like a stereoSchoeps or a Neumann SM69, and thenindividual mics in pairs or trios. Often I’llrecord the horns from behind – they’reusually loud enough and far enough awayfrom the percussion not to pick up toomuch spill. I would use any large capacitymicrophone like a Neumann U47 orU89, generally look for a mic that has anattenuator with high headroom.On trumpets I’ll use a Coles ribbon4038, which is a very smooth soundingmicrophone that can take some of the edgeoff the sound. Alternatively Neumann U87sor U89s can work well, again usually with apad especially for louder playing.”Woodwind“Musicians try to keep their instrumentsin top form, but that isn’t always possible.Sometimes with woodwind you’ll get clicksand clacks from the keys. To minimisethat I’ll mic them from some distanceaway – to get the full value of the soundyet attempting to lose the key noises. Thatdoesn’t always work. Bassoons sound bestmiked from the middle, not the top, whichcan make it impossible to eliminate thekey noise. For woodwinds I’ll use brightersounding mics because you’re only reallydealing with mids and top – there’s notmuch needed at the bass end. So I’ll useAKG 414s on clarinets and bassoons, andNeumann 184s and 89s on the flutes. Theexception to that is bass clarinet, whichcomposers write for when they wantsomething comical or sinister. My firstchoice for that is a Calrec 1050 cardioid,which is a warmer sounding mic, thatbrings out the body of the sound, but is stillquite small. It’s also very handy to have acrossed pair of cardioid mics on the sectionto create some width and depth.Percussion“With percussion I like to have distance andthe option of extremely close mics, inchesrather than feet, on things like bass drums,snare drums, sparkly sounds like Marktrees and piano pins. The close mikingadds body to the sound. So for a bass drumhit, you may want heavy resonance. Also,military snares would be close miked toadd more body and balance out some ofthe snare rattle with extra depth. Similarlytriangles, vibes, and marimbas would allbe close miked. Cymbals are the exception.I’ll place the mic maybe a couple of feetaway on those to cut down on their naturalharshness.“Dynamic range is the issue forpercussion, and there are some vintageCalrecs which have an amazing dynamicrange – they’ll take almost anything – butstill sound exceptional. I’ll also use amix of AKG D12s, Neumann KM84s, andsometimes I’ll use a couple of dynamicslike SM58s.Piano“For piano. I’ll use Neumann KM143s for afirst choice, or perhaps DPA 4006s becausethey give a very open sound. If it’s a shortlid set-up I’ll use a pencil mic like theNeumann KM184. The 143s and the 184sare both small cardioid condensers so theycan work for close miking. Sometimes youwant a darker sound, and the old Calrecs ora Neumann KM84 are good for that.”Many thanks to Angel Studios for its help withthis article. Interview by Richard Wentk.the international microphone buyer’s guide 5

++APPLICATIONS + + + + APPLICATIONS+ + + + APPLICATIONS+ + + +Microphone ApplicationsI love microphones. I’m not particularlygeeky about them; I couldn’t tell youwhat valves the 1957 Polish version of theBlumenthal S86B used, or which particularHi-sonix H5050 was used to record BlindToots O’Flaherty’s jaws harp solo on Lou‘Onions’ MacDougall’s classic 1949 recordingof ‘My Baby Done Sue Me’. I don’t havea museum of pristine classics, lovinglymaintained with original parts tracked downfrom landfill sites in the Urals and rentedout at vast expense to true microphonecognoscenti for whom simply nothing elsewill do. When, glowing with pride, youshow me your vintage collector’s item, Idon’t sniff, “Ah, that’s a 1953 version isn’t it?For the real essence of that model you haveto go back a bit further. They changed thewire they connected the capsule with in 1952and it frankly ruined the sound.”Fading ThrillsThat said, there’s still a thrill on openingthe fader on a microphone I’ve never heardbefore, and real rewards to be had fromtrying something differewnt and findingit works; there’s also satisfaction frombeing able to anticipate what you’re goingto get from a particular setup, using whatyou know about polar patterns and a givenmicrophone’s inherent sound to achieve theresult you’re after.Of course for a very large part of what wedo, a cardioid microphone is ideal, and we’vegot a vast arsenal of those to choose from,with dynamic/condenser, tube/solid state,large/small diaphragm, vintage/modernand a hundred other options to consider, tosay nothing of the range of manufacturersfrom industry grandees to arriviste boutiquebrands. Everybody has an opinion, everybodyDave Foister discusses the applicationsand benefits of the often neglected omni andribbon mics.has their favourites (and their pet hates),although I doubt if there’s anybody anywherewho has knowingly heard them all.Interesting though they are, there’s anadditional fascination in the less familiarmics, with less familiar ways of doing thingsand a whole different set of capabilities.I sometimes get the feeling that in thetime-pressured world of the commercialstudio there’s just not time to messwith different ideas, and it’s mucheasier to use tried-and-testedfriends, or at least stuff thatyou know other peoplehave got good resultswith. So up go thefavourites, and that thingyou wanted to try withthe mic at the back of thecupboard will have to waitfor another time.Perfect OmnisI think omnis get a raw dealas a result. Everybody knowsthey make great spaced pairs,and orchestral recording usesthem as flown outriggers andcurtains, but they don’t getmuch of a look-in in ‘normal’studio sessions. For a start, it’snot always appreciated how muchof a difference there is between amulti-pattern condenser set to omniand a dedicated omni like the familiarones from DPA and Earthworks. Set a twindiaphragmcondenser to omni and you gettwo back-to-back cardioids summed.Any deviation from perfect cardioid sumsto twice the deviation from a perfect omni,and nobody should be under any illusionthat such a microphone is capable of perfectcardioid pickup at any frequency; look atthe variation of pattern with frequency andit all starts to look horrible. A microphonelike this can only give a rough semblanceof omnidirectional behaviour, and will alsoprobably retain some proximity effect asa result.‘Proper’ omnis on the other hand exhibitno proximity effect whatsoever,so can be used as close to asource as you like withoutany bass tip-up. Thisraises an interestingthought for those whothink cardioids arethe way to isolateinstruments andreduce spill. Lookat a cardioid pattern,and notice how littlethe response is down at90 degrees either side;the only truly rejectedarea is directly behindthe microphone, andfew models can achievecomplete rejection there atany frequency. Most in factbecome pretty much omniat high frequencies, meaningthat the spill pickup is huge andextremely coloured. The way toimprove separation is to move themic closer, but you quickly run intoproblems with proximity effect and end upwith a booming sound that (a) pushes upthe overall level with signal you don’t want,and (b) has to be EQ’d to get back to thesound you were hearing in the first place.An omni on the other hand can be moved in6 MICROPHONE APPLICATIONS

microphones 2008APPLICATIONS+ + + + APPLICATIONS+ + + + APPLICATIONS+ + + +much closer than a cardioid without thistrade-off, and will then be picking up nomore room spill than the cardioid relative tothe wanted source. It will almost certainlyremain pretty close to omni throughout itsfrequency range, so what spill there is willbe clean and real and far less of a problem.I like this particularly on double bass in ajazz session, where drum spill is always aproblem and most cardioids struggle withthe bass sound when up close. A goodomni can be put as close as you like towhichever part of the instrument is givingyou the sound you want, or even wrappedin foam and stuck under the bridge. Goodseparation, clean bass, and the otherspecial attribute of a real omni: ruler-flatfrequency response.Check out graphs for a typicalEarthworks omni and you’ll think eitherthey’re lying or their test gear is broken, butno: that straight line really is what it does,way down to the lows and way up past 20k.No other microphone type can do this.Of course many mics are chosenspecifically for their colour, but I thinkthere’s a lot to be said for using amicrophone from time to time that actuallytells it like it is. Our favourite microphonesalmost never capture the real sound – theyalways impart their own character, which isfine as long as you know that’s what they’redoing, but it can be an eye-opener to usea microphone that is truly neutral. Evenvocals can sometimes benefit from this –I’ve had singers choose an omni in a shootoutwithout knowing anything about whatthey’re listening to. We expect audio andvideo monitors – and video cameras – to beaccurate and to give us an exact renditionof what we’re working on, and it sometimesseems weird that we don’t have the sameexpectations of our microphones.Appealing but FragileElsewhere I’ve gone on at some lengthabout the CAD Trion 7000, a bold newribbon microphone that sets out to bringthe distinctive properties of the technologyto a wider audience. We’re all familiar withthe BBC-designed 4038, although few ofus use them regularly, and of course withbeyerdynamic’s enthusiasm for smallribbons and the applications where theyshine. Royer too, with its updates oninnovative old Bang & Olufsen designs, hastried to evangelise to the world about thespecial appeal of the ribbon. Part of theproblem perhaps is that we’re also familiarwith the inherent downsides of a ribbondesign. You’ll rarely encounter a moremassive magnet outside a loudspeakeror a motor than the one on which a bigribbon mic relies, and as it’s big enoughto be death to tapes and hard drives it’s aworrying thing to have around in a recordingstudio. Stories abound like the one of the4038 ‘accidentally’ put down on top of themultitrack of a project that was going badly,thereby necessitating a complete restart tothe project and a lawsuit to establish whodid it. Even now, the Trion user instructionswarn against using it in an area where theremight be iron filings, as they’ll getpulled inside and gum upthe works.There’s also fragility. Justmoving a 4038 too quicklythrough the air can breakits ribbon, and in fact itused to be part of BBCtraining to be able tomake and fit a new one,crinkling up a little bitof foil and tensioningit across the mountingscrews. As mentioned inthe review, the Trion protectsits ribbon assembly prettythoroughly, but still tells you notto try recording kick drums withit. Phantom power on a ribboncan sometimes destroy it – thelist goes on. And the output levelof old ones can be painfullylow; often they’re such lowimpedance that they canwork over hundreds of yardsof unscreened bell-wire withoutpicking up hum and noise, butthe gain needed in the preamp canstretch its own performance toits limits.So why bother? Simply, because theysound great and have a very predictableresponse that can’t be properly achievedany other way. Much of what was saidabout the omni applies here too, in thesense that a multi-pattern microphonecan only approximate the polar responseof a true figure-of-eight (older engineerswill remember them being called cosinemicrophones because their response, forpretty obvious reasons, should be exactlythe same as a polar plot of a cosinefunction). The same cardioid capsules thatare summed to give an omni are subtractedto give a fig-8, and the success and linearityof the result depends on the accuracy of thecardioid patterns, which as suggested is notusually that great. A ribbon does it properly:sound coming at it from the side simplydoesn’t make the ribbon move, so gives nooutput. Its nulls at the sides are thereforepretty much perfect; and of course it’s notjust the sides, it’s the top and bottom, infact a complete disc surrounding the ‘neck’of the 8.This is the biggest and most reliablearea of rejection exhibited by any micpattern. As long as there’s nothing tooclose directly behind a ribbon,the null area can be pointedpretty much anywhere youwant, isolating a doublebass or singer from anadjacent drum kit orpiano, for instance; seethe Trion 7000 reviewfor how it worked onviolin in a piano trio.Its other big underusedapplication of course isMS work, where a decentribbon as the side miccan be coupled with almostanything you like as the mid –don’t believe anybody who tells youit has to be a cardioid. Anybody withPro Tools has an MS decoder, and thebenefits of recording piano or drumoverheads with in raw MS have to betried to be appreciated. Any stereopair can be narrowed with panpotsof course, although it never seemsquite so convincing as tweaking anMS pair; but it’s not so easy to makeit wider than you originally recordedit – unless you’re working MS, in whichcase it’s a piece of cake. And of courseeven without a dedicated MS decoder youcan ‘make’ one with any mixer – feed theside-fire fig-8 to two channels panned hardleft and hard right, with the right phaseinverted,then add that pair (always set tothe same level as each other) to the frontfacingmid mic panned centre until you hearthe stereo picture you want.Once you’re persuaded of the delights ofMS, you’re ready for a Soundfield……But don’t start me on that.THE INTERNATIONAL MICROPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE 7

++audio technica + + + + audio technica+ + + + audio technicAudio-Technica– 45 Years of Design InnovationThe youngest of the world’s ‘big four’ microphonebrands, in its relatively brief history Audio-Technicahas employed design innovation and advancedmanufacturing to consistently break the price/performance barrier with leading product for studio,broadcast and live production applications.Aida Monumental Opera On Fire – 46 channels of Audio-Technica wirelessAs a world leader in the design andmanufacture of high performancemicrophones and wireless microphonesystems, Audio-Technica has developedmarket leading product ranges in the threeprincipal professional audio applications– music recording, broadcast production,and live production. In each of these areasAudio-Technica has developed productranges that have raised the performance barand established a reputation with industryprofessionals for design, engineering andmanufacturing excellence, secondto none.It’s an engineering and businessphilosophy that originates with thecompany’s inception in 1962 when founderMr. Hideo Matsushita introduced a movingmagnet-typestereo phonograph cartridge.The company went on to design and producephono cartridges and tone arms, both underits own brand and for others, including thelegendary NHK broadcast organisation.The same high precision design andengineering techniques that made thecompany’s various cartridge designsso successful were also applied to themanufacture of microphone and headphoneproducts throughout the 1970s and 1980s,earning the brand prestigious status amongaudio professionals.In The StudioIt was with the introduction of the AT4033 in1992 that the company established a leadingposition in the studio recording market.The AT4033 was the first ever highperformance large studio condensermicrophone priced at under $1000;anticipating what today is a highlycompetitive market sector for affordablehigh performance recording microphones.Exploiting the very latest design,engineering and production techniques,the AT4033 provided performance from aback electret design that rivalled famousstudio condenser models several timesmore expensive. Among the many designinnovations to enable such performancewas a specially contoured, vapourdepositeddiaphragm, just twomicrons thick (compared with10 microns for most largediaphragm condensers). Thisensured very high resolution signalreproduction. Coupled with low noise,symmetrical, transformerless circuitry,this produced an exceptional transientresponse and low distortion output. Specialaccelerated diaphragm aging methodsensured performance remained consistentover time, which with the speciallydesigned damping and suspensionprovided for a more linear responseover a wide frequency range, even athigh SPLs.Modern production methods enableda level of consistency that ensured theidentical performance of every microphone;with no necessity to produce themicrophones in ‘matched pairs’ for stereorecording. Selling in thousands, the successof the AT4033 established the company’sreputation as a high end studio microphonemanufacturer and spawned the 40 Serieslarge diaphragm condenser range.All models in the 40 series adhere to thesame paradigm of high performance andvalue for money.The AT4050 represents the apex of theAudio-Technica’s large diaphragm studiomicrophone design, and is the mostsuccessful of the 40 Series interms of engineering achievementand volume of sales. Its truecapacitor designand selectablepolar patternsset it apart fromthe AT4033, though thesame innovative diaphragmmaterials and engineeringprovide a performance edge overother large studio condenser modelsmore than twice its price.Modern day classics of therecording world, the 40 Seriesmicrophones are lauded byinternationally renownedengineers and producers likePhil Ramone, Joe Chiccarelli,Frank Filipetti, Nathaniel Kunkel and DavidReitzas. These are among the world’smost successful and best selling studiomicrophones today.40 Series: AT4050studio condenserFor BroadcastIn the broadcast industry, Audio-Technicais a brand that has become synonymouswith high performance location recordingmicrophones that have enabled programme8 audio technica

++AUDIX + + + + AUDIX+ + + + AUDIX+ + + + AUDIX+ + + + AUDIX+ + + + AAudix Microphones:Consistent InnovationAudix is an innovative microphone manufacturer that has consistently raised the bar with itssuccessful line of products, including the award winning SCX-1, SCX25-A and D series studiomicrophones, and the top performing OM-Series vocal mics, the Micros, the VX10, and i-5 forsound reinforcement and installations.The following is a “Snap-Shot” Interview withCliff Castle—co-founder of Audix.How did Audix get its start?Audix had its humblebeginnings back in1984 in Redwood City,California in a “suite”of offices totalingabout 300 square feet!Initially, we were setup as the distributionarm for Audix Japan, a microphone companywho was manufacturing strictly for thedomestic market. The microphones weregood, but not good enough to competewith the industry standards of the day.One thing led to another and we startedredesigning the microphones and improvingthe performance characteristics. The firsttwo years were pretty painful, but, by 1986,we introduced our first high-level vocalperformance mic, the OM 1, which receivedvery positive magazine reviews and made itsway into high profile users includingthe Beach Boys, one of my all timefavourite groups.The OM series vocal mics are strongertoday than ever. How has Audix maintainedthis success?We developed ourown capsule designthat featured “VLM”technology, whichstands for “VeryLow Mass”. Theselightweightdiaphragms areable to react morequickly to incomingsound waves,which resultin a more natural, accurate sound withbetter transient response. This diaphragmdesign, along with the hypercardioid designof the polar pattern, provided unprecedentedgain before feedback, still unparalleled tothis day.Artist and engineer support has alsohelped. We happened to be paying attentionto the “grunge” groups emerging out ofthe Northwest in the early 1990s. I demoedthe OM7 to Dave Rat (Rat Sound) who wasproviding sound for two unknown groupsat the time – Pearl Jam and Red Hot ChilliPeppers. He pretty much flipped out whenhe heard the gain before feedback of theOM7 in the monitors. He thought there wassome type of voodoo going on. Before weknew it, the OM7 became the microphoneof choice for just about all the groups in thegrunge scene – and fortunately for us, thegroups hit the mainstream. By 1995, anotherof our mics, the OM5, made its way into thehands of The Tonight Show, The Late Showand MTV Unplugged, as well as many artistssuch as Alanis Morissette, Bonnie Raitt,Bruce Springsteen, and Crosby, Stills, andNash – all of whom continue to use theirAudix mics to this day.Audix is now established as a leadingmanufacturer in drum and percussion mics –how did that come about?Being a musician helps. I realised thatdrummers and percussionists, the guyswho provide the heartbeat for any musicalcontent, were being neglected as far as micsspecifically designed for their applications.The Sennheiser 421, which we recognisedas a great mic, had become the standardpercussion mic for pros. The downside tothat mic is that it’s fairly big, cumbersome,and expensive. So we came up with theD series – application-specific mics fordrums. Machined at Audix out of high-gradealuminum bars, these mics are compact,accurate, able to handle high SPLs, andcost effective. After a few years, they gainedwidespread recognition, and with the mostrecent addition of the D6 and the i-5, thesemics have become really good, dependabletools for a wide variety of instrument needs.Audix also continues to develop interestingcondenser mics. Any tricks up your sleevethat we should be on the lookout for?You already know aboutthe SCX25-A, an improvedversion of our formidablelarge-diaphragm condensermic that is ideal for acousticinstruments, overheads, andvocals. The Micros are theworld’s smallest standalonecondenser microphones withan integrated mic preamp.The 50-inch carbon fibreMicroBoom incorporates theMicros in a way that makesit the ideal solution for choirmiking without having tohang mics from the ceiling.And our latest innovation isthe VX5 handheld condenservocal mic with pad and rolloff.Keep an eye out for that mic;it is bound for stardom!10 AUDIX

microphones 2008UDIX+ + + + AUDIX+ + + + AUDIX+ + + + AUDIX+ + + + AUDIX+ + + + AUDIAudix Drum And Percussion Microphones– Leading The PackAudix, with the introduction of the D-seriesdynamics in 1993, created a new categoryof microphones specific to drums andpercussion. Shortly after, Audix furtherexpanded this concept to include prepackagedsets of microphones in variousconfigurations, creating yet anothercategory for “drum mic kits” which is nowpopularised by many other brands followingsuit.With the more recent introduction ofthe D6 and the i-5, Audix configured theDP5, the DP7, and the DP-Elite, all of whichfeature the best of the best, and providehigh performance and excellent value. Infact, the DP7 was bestowed the prestigiousMIPA international award of “Best DrumMicrophones” of 2007, an award voted on by107 magazines representing 25 countries.The DP7, as the name implies, consistsof seven microphones and is perfect formiking a five piece kit for both live andstudio applications. At the heart of themic system is the popular D6 dynamicmicrophone for kick drum, characterisedwith full, robust sound with clarity andattack. For snare drum, it’s the i-5, aperfect complement to the D6. The i-5not only provides clear and natural soundreproduction, it is extremely durableand capable ofwithstanding theoccasional andunavoidable “stickhit” during thecourse of a gig. Forrack toms, thereare two D2 dynamicmicrophones.The D2 is simplydescribed as the“king of toms” withan ability to captureall the subtleties andovertones of 8–12”toms.For floor tom,there is the D4,unrivalled in itsability to recreate theextended responseof a low frequency drum with extremeaccuracy and detail. For overheads thereare two ADX51 “pencil-style” cardioidcondenser microphones with pad androll-off. The ADX51 captures the cymbalsand ambient sound of the full kit, withoutpicking up too much “bleed” from theother instruments on stage. Additionallythere are four D-Vice spring-tensionedrim mounting clips which eliminate theneed for mic stands for snare and toms.The entire miking kit is packaged in. TheDP7 carries a suggested list price of $1747and is packaged in a convenient aluminiumcarrying case.A cost-effective variation of the DP7 isthe DP5-A which includes everything exceptthe ADX51 overhead condensers. Thispackage of mics is valued at $1,149 MSRP.And for those artists and engineerslooking for the ultimate miking solutionwithout compromise there is the DP-Elite8.This package is configured with the samebasic five microphones found in the DP5Awith the addition of two SCX1-C cardioidcondenser microphones for overheads andan SCX1-HC hypercardioid for high hat. TheDP-Elite8 is priced at an MSRP of $2,569.CONTACT DETAILSAudix CorporationPO Box 4010, Wilsonville, OR 97070, USAt 503 682 6933f 503 682 7114w www.audixusa.come info@audixusa.comTHE INTERNATIONAL MICROPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE 11

++BEYERDYNAMIC + + + + BEYERDYNAMIC+ + + + BEYERDYNAMIC+ +beyerdynamic GmbH & Co. KGbeyerdynamic microphonesand wireless systems arechosen by the world’s leadingproduction, broadcast andmusic clients for their sonicexcellence, power,and reliability.Company ProfileThe founder of the company, EugenBeyer, developed in 1937 the first dynamicheadphone, the DT48, which proved tobe a milestone in the development of thecompany beyerdynamicGmbH & Co. KG to aninternational audiospecialist, which wasfounded in 1924 in Berlin.Today beyerdynamic GmbH& Co. KG in Heilbronnhas a first-class leadingrole in the market ofheadphones, microphones,wireless systems andconference systems. Withthe demand for high quality,beyerdynamic develops andproduces in Germany innovative solutions forconstantly increasing clientele.Due to decades of experience and thecommitment to continuous research andinnovative developments, beyerdynamicmicrophones, headphones, wirelesssystems and conference systems enjoy ahigh reputation throughout the world. Allproducts are developed and particularlyhandcrafted in Heilbronn. So behind eachindividual product is passion and know-howfor an excellent sound experience.beyerdynamic is proud to number amongits products many “industry standards”, suchas the DT 100 monitoring headphone and theM 88 TG dynamic microphone.Eugen Beyerbeyerdynamic stands for…Pioneering spirit and innovationFeeling and enthusiasmFlexibility and dynamismbeyerdynamic offers…Premium qualityIndividuality (customised products)Superior product designbeyerdynamic is distinguished by…Quality from GermanyMore than 80 years of experienceHandcrafted productsMicrophones for Live PerformanceOpus Microphone SeriesWith a large selection of vocal andinstrumental microphones, the Opus seriesmicrophones are ideal for daily use in therehearsal room and on stage, and fulfil allthe requirements for a state-of-the-artmicrophone: sophisticated technology,modern design and robustness withsensational value for money.Opus 89Following the tradition of the legendaryTG-X 60, the dynamic top model of the Opusseries, the Opus 89, is the ideal microphoneespecially for rock and pop singers topresent themselves in the spotlight.The frequency-independent hypercardioidpolar pattern and the high output powerreduce the risk of feedback to an absoluteminimum. The frequency response, whichhas been optimised for vocals, ensures anextraordinarily accurate and powerful sound,with a unique dynamic range. In contrastto the TG-X 60, the proximity effect, i.e., thebass boost when close miking, has beencompensated. A shock-mount system andan integrated filter prevent handling noise orwind and pop noise. The rugged zincdie-casted housing protects the Opus 89even against rough handling.TG-X Microphone SeriesA synonym for excellent live performances.Based on decades of experience inmicrophone technology every TourGroupmicrophone is capable of picking up signalswith absolute precision and reproducingthem accurately, even in the most adverse ofconditions. The TourGroup series meets thedemands of the stage: power, robustness,highest feedback rejection, and uncolouredreproduction. With the TG-X microphones,there is no need to worry about distortion orfeedback, even at the highest volumes.The robust mechanical construction ofthe TG-X models allows them to survivethe strain on stage unscathed. TG-Xmicrophones are synonymous with excellentlive performances.12 BEYERDYNAMIC

microphones 2008+ + BEYERDYNAMIC+ + + + BEYERDYNAMIC+ + + + BEYERDYNAMIC+ +TG-X 930The new benchmarkamong vocalmicrophones.Usingthe capsule of the MC930 true condensermicrophone as a basis,beyerdynamic developeda first-class vocalmicrophone with the TG-X930. Due to the typicallysmall pick up distancewith vocal microphones,the proximity effect ofthe cardioid capsulewas compensated toachieve absolutely neutraltransmission of even thesubtlest vocal nuances.A slight treble boostensures an open anddetailed sound withoutever being obtrusive.The stainless steel basketwith multi-layer gauzeand additional innerbasket, already usedTG-X 930 in the interchangeablemicrophone capsulesof the Opus 900 wireless series, providesexcellent protection against pop noise. It isnot only easy to clean, but also significantlyimproves off-axis rejection and hencefeedback suppression. The maximum soundpressure level is 150 dB SPL. Thanks to alow internal noise level the TG-X 930 offersan extremely high dynamic range. Throughthe internal structure of the transducersystem the microphone is largely insensitiveto the moisture problem encountered withvocal mics. The brass housing of the TG-X930 comes in either matte black or a satinnickel-plated finish to suitthe givenstage situation.M 88 TGLive microphone parexcellence: Legendarysound paired withunsurpassed feedbacksuppression.• World-class dynamicmicrophone creatingan ‘open’ sound withdetail and presence,captures intricateM 88 TGlow frequencies and their harmonics.• Outstanding for almost every liveor studio application, especially forvocals, bass drums, bass guitarcabinets and brass instruments.• Lightning-fast response, extendedfrequency response.• Integrated hum-buck coil.Studio MicrophonesRibbon Microphonesbeyerdynamic is one of the fewmanufacturers in the world who stillproduce ribbonmicrophoneswhich are allhandcraftedin Germanywith selectedpremiummaterials.beyerdynamic’sribbonmicrophonesprovide a clear,well-definedand perfectlyuncoloured,neutral soundto meet thedemands ofM 130 & M160 high-qualitystudio and live applications. The dynamic M160 double ribbon microphone is definitely aclassic among them.MC 840Large diaphragm condenser microphone.The MC 840 is acompact largediaphragm studiomicrophone witha gold vaporiseddouble diaphragmand five selectablepolar patterns(omnidirectional, widecardioid, cardioid,hypercardioid,figure-eight). Onthe basis of the MC740 microphonecapsule this newmicrophone has beenequipped with animproved low-noiseMC 840pre-amplifier and animpedance transformer without transducer.Due to a two-stage roll-off filter (80 and160Hz) compensating the close miking effectand a two-stage pre-attenuation (-10 and-20dB) the MC 840 is a superior microphonefor any recording application. It has beendesigned without compromise to captureevery sound detail with absolute clarity andpurity. Applications for the MC 840 includerecording orchestras, resulting in a superbtransparent sound.CONTACT DETAILSHeadquarters in Germanybeyerdynamic GmbH & Co. KGTheresienstraße 874072 Heilbronn – Germanyt +49 (0) 7131 / 617-440f +49 (0) 7131 / 617-299e proaudio@beyerdynamic.comw www.beyerdynamic.comUKbeyerdynamic U.K. Ltd.17 Albert DriveBurgess Hill RH15 9TN – UKt +44 (0) 1444 / 258258f +44 (0) 1444 / 258444e sales@beyerdynamic.co.ukw www.beyerdynamic.co.ukUSAbeyerdynamic Inc. USA56 Central AvenueFarmingdale, New York 11735 - USAt +1 631/ 293 3200f +1 631/ 293 3288e sales@beyerdynamic-usa.comw www.beyerdynamic.comTHE INTERNATIONAL MICROPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE 13

++DPA ++++DPA++++DPA++++DPA++++DPA++++DPA++++DProfessional Microphone SolutionsFor Any NeedDPA Microphones is a leading manufacturer of high quality condenser microphones andmicrophone solutions for professional applications in studio, broadcast, theatre, video/film, and sound reinforcement environments. All DPA microphones are designed andmanufactured in Denmark, combining state-of-the-art technology with unique design.DPA 4017 Shotgun MicrophoneThe DPA 4017 is a short and exceptionallylightweight shotgun microphone, offeringa very directional pickup pattern with thetypical natural DPA clarity maintained. It hasbeen designed for a broad range of uses,from camera systems to fixed positions atsports facilities and for booming in ENG,broadcast, and film applications.At just 210mm (8.3in) in length and 71g (2.5oz)in weight, the DPA 4017 is compact in size andamong the lightest boom microphones available.The 4017 is the state-of-the-art shotgunmicrophone with a smooth off-axis soundand large dynamic range. At just 210mm(8.3in) in length and 71g (2.5oz) in weight, theDPA 4017 is compact in size and among thelightest boom microphones available.Due to its remarkable clarity, widedynamic range, and excellent rejectioncharacteristics, the DPA 4017 is equallyat home in therecording studio andwhen used for soundreinforcement andlive music miking.4017 Key Features• Compact andexceptionallylightweight• Neutral andaccurate• Designed for booming in film and TV• Extensive dynamic rangeDPA 4080 Miniature Cardioid Microphone,LavalierGreat sound in a sleek design: DPA 4080 MiniatureCardioid Microphone, Lavalier.The DPA 4080 Miniature CardioidMicrophone Lavalier combines optimumspeech intelligibility with a discreet, compactdesign, to create a high-performancelavalier microphone for broadcast,conference, and other live performanceapplications.At just 30mm (1.2inches) in length and15g (0.5oz) in weight, the 4080 sets a newstandard for great sound in a sleek designand professionals will appreciate the lightweight, the flexible mounting solution, andthe excellent speech reproduction.All parts of the microphone aremanufactured in highlyresistant materials anddesigned to perform understress.4080 Key Features• Excellent speech reproduction• Discreet, compact design• Fits both left and rightbuttoned shirts• Works with most wirelesssystemsDecca Tree (D3)/Surround Mount (S5)The DPA Decca Tree (D3) and SurroundMount (S5) are highly versatile and stylishmicrophone mounts for two, three, or fivemicrophones. The unique building blockdesign provides extreme flexibility, allowingthe possibility of numerous configurations,both fixed installations and mobile setups.Optimised for use with DPA microphones,the array accommodates all microphoneholders. In the Decca Tree configuration,all three microphones can be spaced 60 –210cm (2 – 7ft) apart, either “on-line”, ina vintage Decca school T-shape, or in anequilateral triangle configuration for optimalbalance with a centered fixation point.Designing surround arrays is wherethe modularity of the S5 really shines.Commonly accepted arrays like spacedomnis and Decca Tree with omnis in frontand backwards faced cardioids as rearmics are obvious. Also, arrays like OCT2,Hamasaki Square, Fukada Tree, and the DPAspecialty WCSA (Wide Cardioid SurroundArray) are possible with the S5.D3/S5 Key Features• Flexible and lightweight• Elegant with integrated cable option• Matched surround microphone kits• Reproduces any arrayD3/S5, a versatile and stylish microphone mountfor all Decca and Surround configurations.14 DPA

microphones 2008PA++++DPA++++DPA++++DPA++++DPA++++DPA++++DPA+Articles on Surround SolutionsThe DPA Microphone University offersa number of articles on successful andcommonly used surround techniques.Visit Mic Uni online www.dpamicrophones.com/micuni.Surround Matched Microphone Kits—theperfect match to D3/S5Good surround sound requires exceptionalmicrophones with a neutral character andauthentic reproduction without coloration.They should furthermore have a largedynamic and frequency range to be able tooffer full benefit from high resolutiondigital formats.The homogeneity and precise matchingaccuracy of more than two microphonesare of utmost importance when recordingacoustic surround; it is the defining factorbetween an average production and a truemasterpiece. These Surround Matched MicKits will not let you down:5006, 4006-TL Surround Kit• Intended for use in spaced omniconfigurations5006-11, 4006-TL/4011-TL Surround Kit• Intended for use in Decca Tree front/backwards faced cardioids rear configuration5015, 4015-TL Surround Kit• Intended for use in WCSA, Wide CardioidSurround ArrayDPA Miniature Microphones for speech andclose-miking instrument applicationsOriginally designed for use with wirelesssystems in theatre, television, and closemikinginstrument applications, the capsuleof Miniature Microphones is smaller than apencil eraser. They have a neutral characterwith great detail and resolution and arounded present sound with a highlynatural response. DPA miniature micsare also ideal for use in boardrooms,conference facilities, courtrooms, teleconferencing,and other applications whereexcellent vocal pickup is required.Manufactured to exacting standards,the rugged and reliable miniature range istailored to handle heat, humidity, and sweat,as well as wind and popping. DPA miniaturemics are undetectable on stage and aMiniature Microphone Headband is easilyadjusted to fit any head and stay there.A broad range of connection adaptersis offered as optionalaccessories formost professionalwireless systems.DPA Standards and LargeDiaphragm for the highestresolutionDPA’s audio philosophyis based on the notion ofzero sound coloration,and the complete andA Compact Stereo Kit with two carefully matched DPA cardioidhonest accuracy of these microphones on a grand piano offers the best of both worlds: geniusmicrophones is unequalled.mounting solutions and sonic excellence.DPA StandardAbout DPA MicrophonesMicrophones are high quality studiomicrophones comprised of omnis, cardioids, DPA Microphones has manufacturedand wide cardioids. They deliver a faithful microphones in its own name since 1998.reproduction of the original sound withThe company employs more than 100components carefully selected to provide people in the factory in Asnæs and theoptimal neutrality, accuracy, and lowoffices in Allerød and USA.distortion.In a very competitive market DPADPA Large Diaphragm Microphones areMicrophones is known as an innovativetop-of-the-range one-inch capsule omnimanufacturer of high quality microphones.microphones. With their transparency andAll products are manufactured in Denmarkneutral character, DPA’s large diaphragmand their quality is recognised by themicrophones are ideal for use with vocals,strings, or other acoustic instruments withglobal market. DPA microphones area high dynamic range.used in broadcasting and concert hallsworldwide, from Broadway in New YorkDPA Compacts—the choice of musicians for and the West End in London, to the Sydneymaximum clarityOpera House.DPA Compact Microphones are the smallercousins of the standard microphones andare also available as omni, cardioid, andwide cardioid models. Specifically designedto satisfy the demands of professionals,the Compacts offer ingenious mountingsolutions as well as sonic excellence.CONTACT DETAILSThey are especially valuable for lowHeadquarters:profile use together with DPA’s elegantlyDPA Microphones A/Sdesigned stands, for the close-miking ofGydevang 42-44instruments, as table and podium mics,DK-3450 Alleroedand as reinforcement mics in liveDenmarkperformance venues.t +45 4814 2828Use a carefully matched Compact Stereof +45 4814 2700Kit for ORTF and XY stereo setups or placee info@dpamicrophones.comindividual mics in DPA’s elegant Flamingow www.dpamicrophones.comseries of floor and table stands.Our Compact Cardioids use the sameUnited States:capsule as the extremely popular 4011,DPA Microphones, Inc.but are preamplified using a built-in2432 N. Main St., Suite 200miniaturised thick-film mounted FETLongmont, CO 80501,USAamplifier. The result combines thet +1 303-485-1025trademark DPA sound with aesthetic andf +1 303-485-6470functional design solutions.e Info-usa@dpamicrophones.comw www.dpamicrophones.comTHE INTERNATIONAL MICROPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE 15

++JZ ++++JZ++++JZ++++JZ++++JZ++++JZ++++JZ++++JZ+Sound can be glorious, record it!Taking advantage of modern technologies, together with a handcrafted and testedapproach, JZ Microphones proudly introduces the new multi-pattern studio microphone,The Black Hole.Why JZ Microphones Was EstablishedIn the last decade, a cluster of hightechnology manufacturing companiesin Latviaexperiencedtremendousgrowth. Duringthis time, themanufacturingcompany(Scruples)benefited one ofthe most.It created a lineof technicallyinnovativeNew multi-patternstudio microphone, theBlack Hole.microphones under the brand names ofViolet, JZ, and others, recognised in themarket for their high quality.While evaluating the developmentof these brands and the whole marketof professional sound equipment, the(Scruples) team decided to spin off the JZbrand and attract venture capital.To develop JZ, JZ Microphones wasestablished in September 2007, in Latvia,to develop modern recording equipmentand high quality microphones. The maingoal of this new entity will be investmentsin the development of the JZ brand andestablishing strong international distributionchannels by means of fresh capital andwell established production facilities.The main target is to create a strong andinternationally known brand of professionalsound equipment, with significant marketshare, and a forward looking line of productsand services.PhilosophyWhat is sound? It is not white or black, itis nothing of prevalence, and often it doesnot explain anything in particular. Actuallysound lives in its own world and is verycomplicated. Our target is to make it soundbetter for everyone who loves it as we do.We believe that sound is an emotionalstream that connects millions of peopleand is inspiration for great works. By usingmodern technologies and handcraftedtradition, we have the possibility to presentsound in a new quality, being moretransparent and sonorous. Our mission is toset up a new level of sound recording.Believe us, sound can be glorious,record it!Master of Microphones – The Black HoleThe Black Hole is a technicallyinnovative microphone. It isextraordinary because of two,independent and oppositelyplaced large capsules inside thecompact head.In the same way, the new Warrior isvery handy and compact with an originallookingdesign. It has a new original standholder system (damper), and patentedvariable sputtering of the diaphragm, using aspecially mixed alloy for the coating.The Black Hole is produced with threeswitchable polar patterns (Omni, Cardioidand Figure of 8).The first measurements gave surprisingtechnical parameters – San PL exceeding134dB, a very low overall THD, and superbsymmetry of polar patterns. The newmicrophone has also passed numerous testsand given excellent references concerningsound details accuracy, sound transparency,dynamics and right tonal balance.The new product is already availablein the USA through Full Compass. Thedesigner of the Black Hole is sure that theresults will agreeably surprise every user.Perhaps the Best Microphone Designer in theWorldEvery JZ microphone is fully designedby Juris Zarins (by trade a jeweler andengineer) and manufactured under hispersonal supervision. He started in themicrophone business in late 1994 withvintage microphone restoration andaccessories manufacturing.In 2006 Juris Zarins, known worldwideDesigner of microphones, Mr. Juris Zarins.16 JZ

microphones 2008+++JZ++++JZ++++JZ++++JZ++++JZ++++JZ++++JZ++++Junprecedented way.The new products were tested numerous timesuntil we reached great results.as JZ, created a unique capsule whichshowed more than great results. The newgeneration electrostatic capsule uses anirregular circle sputtered large size (27mm)diaphragm, providing a cardioid polarpattern with a transparent, detailed, close toneutral sound, high SPL and low distortion.The capsule’s thin, humidity protectedconstruction allows usage as closemounted matchingpairs for perfect omniand figure of eightpatterns. JZ realisedthat the technologyof capsules can beimproved moreand more.Products in the FutureThe Black Hole SEThe Black Hole SEwill be a professionalelectrostatic studiomicrophone. It looksfrom the outside quite similar to the BlackHole, but it has only one capsule. Using thisgear, you are limited with cardioid polarpattern only; also the price of this versionwill be made more affordable to everyone.The new microphone will be available afterseveral months.The PandaThe Panda is basically a new point of viewin microphone design. This is the beginningof a new and innovative milestone inmicrophones. All good ideas from previousmodels are kept in this new series, but inaddition, the design has been changed to beCharacteristics of MASTER:• Multi-pattern condenser: cardioid, omni,figure-8.• Class A discrete amplifier circuit.• Two oppositely placed, independent, large,true electrostatic capsules inside thecompact head.• New special capsule with a single, lesscentre tap diaphragm and adjustablebackplate.• Patented variable sputtering of diaphragm,using specially mixed alloy for the coating.• Integrated capsule shockmount.more expressive. The Panda is designed asa universal microphone, with a focus on thebroadcasting market because of its smallsize and planning compatibility with theAES42 digital interface.The SwanThe Swan is the second element in our newrange. Based on thesame innovative standholder principlesas the Black Hole,the Swan is moregraceful. Designallows usage insituations where lackof space is an issue.Equipped with thelatest generationcapsule, the Swandelivers a modernwarm sound, withadditional nuances ofclassic values.Meet Us!The new company will introduce itself atthe coming NAMM Show 2008 in January,where the main emphasis will be on thenew multi-pattern studio microphone,The Black Hole. In March, JZ Microphoneswill exhibit at Pro Light + Sound Show2008 in Frankfurt (Germany), and finally,everyone can meet the team of JZMicrophones at the 124th AES Conventionin Amsterdam (the Netherlands). Forvisitors, JZ Microphones has prepared quitean attractive presentation, and will inviteeveryone to test the new products in anThe Black Hole capsuleCONTACT DETAILSJZ Microphones Ltd.Gaujas street 30, Marupe,LATVIA, LV-2167t +371 672 466 48f +371 672 466 49e info@jzmic.comEdijs RudzisJZ Microphones Ltd.International Sales Managert +371 299 948 64e edijs@jzmic.comAndis BlindsJZ Microphones Ltd.Marketing and customer relationst +371 299 948 63e andis@jzmic.comw www.jzmic.comTHE INTERNATIONAL MICROPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE 17

++M-AUDIO + + + + M-AUDIO+ + + + M-AUDIO+ + + + M-AUDIO+ + + + MM-Audio Microphones – The New VintageM-Audio microphones balance the best qualities of history’s greatest mics withmodern technology in a new generation of unique recording instruments. Soundingboth familiar and fresh, M-Audio microphones redefine the genre for the 21st Century.Over the past 20 years, M-Audio has built areputation for pioneering innovative productsthat extend the boundaries of musiccreation. In the last decade, the U.S.-basedcompany has focused much of its attentionon developing electro-acoustic designsfor studio monitors and microphonesof uncompromising quality. As a result,M-Audio has become a leading providerof first-rate creative solutions to artists,producers, and engineers worldwide.Microphone FocusDespite all of the music industry’stechnological advances, recordingconnoisseurs – M-Audio engineers included– love the sound of classic microphones.Unfortunately, vintage microphones comewith a plethora of inherent hassles includingfragility, bulk, tube noise, erratic reliabilityand mismatches – not to mention scarcityand collector prices. M-Audio engineersbecame obsessed with bringing professionalmicrophones into the modern age, creating aboutique environment within the company inorder to further the cause. Taking inspirationfrom the classics, the Los Angeles-basedengineering team developed innovativedesigns that combine the best of vintagesoul and modern technology.Every M-Audio condenser featuresClass-A discrete transistor electronics formuch cleaner performance than IC circuits– and the company sources top-qualityelectronics components from around theworld. All capsules are manufactured withextraordinary precision: Diaphragms areultra-thin 3- or 6-micron Mylar, with alayer of 24-carat gold distributed uniformlyusing advanced evaporation techniques.Where cost-cutters usually employ metalcoatedplastic for backplates, all M-Audiobackplates are machined from solid,high-quality brass for full, natural sound.All components are manufactured usingcomputer-controlled processes, ensuringexceptional quality and consistency acrossthe entire product line.M-Audio technicians then handassembleand measure all microphonesto performance tolerances of ±1dB fromeach other – including frequency responsein every polar pattern, sensitivity, andequivalent noise. Consequently, any twounits of the same M-Audio microphonemodel automatically represent a matchedpair with closer tolerance than many oldschoolmanufacturers – at no additionalpremium.As a result of these and other qualities,M-Audio’s condenser microphones havebecome tremendously successful aroundthe world – receiving the highest praise fromcritics, as well as a diversity of top producerslike Patrick Leonard, Joe Barresi, andCarmen Rizzo.M-Audio Sputnik: A Modern-Day ClassicYears of laboratory research and studioexperimentation culminated in M-Audio’sdistinctive philosophy for what constitutesan outstanding recording microphone.Sputnik, the company’s flagship studiotube condenser, represents their highestachievement to date. While many late-modelstudio condensers seek to merely emulatethe characteristics of yesteryear’s classicmics (like those made by Neumann andAKG), the Sputnik is unique in the way it payshomage to venerable classics while forgingits own inimitable sound.M-Audio’s engineers started with thecapsule, the element primarily responsiblefor the mic’s sensitivity and smooth sound.Dual large diaphragms provide for switchingpickup patterns between cardioid, figure-8,and omni. Each diaphragm of the Sputnik’sdouble-sided capsule is centre terminated –like Neumann’s M7 capsule – and it yields arich, throaty low-mid response reminiscentof the Neumann classic. Improving on theNeumann capsule, the Sputnik employsthinner, more sensitive 3-micron Mylardiaphragms that achieve their gold coatingvia a new vapor-depositing technique thatdelivers more uniformity than the oldersputtering process.Spaced precisely 47 microns behindeach diaphragm is its solid-brass backplate,which features a carefully configured holearrangement for a smooth frequencyresponse over multiple pick-up patterns.The dual backplate structure honours that ofAKG’s CK12 capsule, yielding a comparablyopen and smooth high-frequency response.M-Audio’s Sputnik is the best-in-class solutionfor transparent, faithful capturing of both delicateand hearty acoustic sources – everything fromsolo vocalists to acoustic guitar, hand percussion,piano, low-string and brass orchestralinstruments, and ambient room miking.18 M-AUDIO

microphones 2008-AUDIO+ + + + M-AUDIO+ + + + M-AUDIO+ + + + M-AUDIO+ + + + M-AUDM-Audio then ages the capsuleartificially using a multi-stageprocess to give it maximumstability for a lifetime of use. As aresult of this confluence, Sputnik’ssound incorporates the best ofthe Neumann and AKG traditionswhile forging its own distinctive,musical character. Some expertsfeel it even compares to therevered ELAM-251.“The Sputnik soundsabsolutely wonderful in everysituation,” says Grammynominatedproducer PatrickLeonard. “The Sputnik seems tofall somewhere between [classicNeumann and AKG] mics –smooth, clean and dynamic withexcellent range. It’s nice to finda microphone that sounds clean and purewithout severely colouring the signal oneway or another. And very few microphoneshave such an elegant EQ response. Becauseof the way they’re constructed, the Sputnikmicrophones are much more closelymatched than a pair of vintage U47s.”In bringing the Sputnik to market,M-Audio engineers committed to designingand manufacturing a microphone of thehighest caliber. From the hand-selectedU.S. military-grade vacuum tube, toGerman-made Wima capacitors, to thecustom-wound two-bobbin nickel-alloyoutput matching transformer – every detailwas thoroughly scrutinised internally at testbenches, as well as by a host of top LosAngeles recording engineers in listeningtests. The result is a recording microphonefor those who appreciate classicsensibilities while demanding accurate andtrue sound.Testing In Real-World SituationsProviding practical solutions for workingmusicians involves intense real world testing– but not just when the design is complete.M-Audio solicits input from top Los Angelesmusic producers and engineers throughoutthe development process. The companycollects real-world feedback throughevaluation sessions at Hollywood scoringstages and professional recording studios.By the time each M-Audio microphone isreleased to the public, it has already beenscrutinised by an elite group of professionalmix engineers and producers.Pulsar II boxed matched pair set – an ideal solution forprecision stereo recordings of orchestras, piano, choir,acoustic guitar, and drum overheads.M-Audio Pulsar II – An InstrumentMicrophone Par ExcellenceThe Pulsar II small-diaphragmtransformerless condenser is a premiuminstrument microphone that’s available asboth a single unit and as a boxed matchedpair. Key to the success of the Pulsar II isits superb off-axis response – an extremelyimportant consideration in applicationsfor this mic. For orchestral recordings,as well as drum-overhead recordings,the sound of the recording room and theinteraction between the instruments andrecording space is probably as importantas the direct sound the microphonecaptures. Accordingly, M-Audio spentconsiderable time refining the capsule andgrille structures of the Pulsar II to ensure anatural off-axis response for capturing thesound of recording spaces.Continuing The LegacyM-Audio has a comprehensive studiocondenser line – which includes theaward-winning Nova, Luna, and Solarismicrophones, in addition to the Sputnikand Pulsar II detailed here. Available inlimited quantities, M-Audio microphonesare a rare breed fusing the best qualities ofclassic soul, modern technology, state-ofthe-artmanufacturing, and hand assembly.Rather than merely attempting to emulatethe great microphones of the past,M-Audio recording instruments build onthose legacies to bring unique new creativeoptions that are welcome additions to eventhe most sophisticated microphone locker.Choose the ideal M-Audio microphonefor every application.CONTACT DETAILSM-Audio USA, 5795 Martin Rd., Irwindale, CA91706 USAt +1 (626) 633-9050f +1 (626) 633-9070e info@m-audio.comw ww.m-audio.comM-Audio UK, Floor 6, Gresham House, 53Clarendon Road, Watford WD17 1LA, UnitedKingdomt +44 (0)1923 204010f +44 (0)1923 204039e info@maudio.co.ukw ww.maudio.co.ukTHE INTERNATIONAL MICROPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE 19

++microtech gefell + + + + microtech gefell+ + + + microtec80th anniversary Microtech Gefell 2008Microtech Gefell look back over 80 years of production, and pridethemselves in that every microphone even today is hand crafted withthe same high quality touches it was 80 years ago.Georg Neumann (L) and Erich Kühnast (R)The History of Microtech GefellHow It All BeganFor audio engineering in the studio, themicrophone is, and remains, the mostimportant tool in the interface betweenthe acoustic world and the world of mediatechnology. A thin diaphragm is required toconvert the sound waves into an electricalsignal. In the beginning this diaphragmwas made of rubber, with loose granules ofcarbon behind it whose resistance changedin sympathy with the vibrations of the sound.Georg Neumann was the inventor of thisAccommodation for the staffsystem, and at the time wasworking for Eugen Reiszwho had just started hisown business shortly before.But Georg Neumann fromBerlin believed the qualityof this signal was not goodenough. So, he developedan experimental laboratoryversion, which he named the“condenser microphone.” In1923, Germany’s first radiostation in Berlin used thefamous Reisz microphoneon a marble block, whichto a large degree was thework of Georg Neumann.On November 23, 1928,Georg Neumann broke with Eugen Reisz,and together with Erich Rickmann, foundedthe Ltd. partnership known as GeorgNeumann & Co. to start serial productionof his laboratory experimental condensermicrophone for the market. This wasthe hour of birth of the legendary CMV 3‘Neumann bottle’, and the microphone thatwas shortly to become the microphonefor every application. The company alsodeveloped new types of electromagneticcutters and pick-ups for wax discs.These new devices broughthighly improved recordingquality, and thereforebecame increasingly usedby the recording industryas well as radio stations.The 1936 Olympic Gamesin Berlin provided the firstopportunity for the classicM7 capsule to be airedlive, in a tube microphoneversion developed byGeorg Neumann. It is stillmanufactured to this day.Despite the tragic loss ofErich Rickmann, who died1938, Georg Neumann wasable to continue leading the company, true tothe ideas and principles of his late partner,and with the help and close cooperationof his manager Erich Kuehnast whose sonruns the business, in the shape of MicrotechGefell, to this day.The first breakA sudden stop for the booming businesscame with the Second World War. In 1943as the front camecloser and closerto Berlin, and theprincipal laboratoryhad undergonedamage from bothfire and the bombs,Georg Neumannmade the decisionto relocatehis companyto a safer andmore conduciveenvironment.His choice fellon the smallThuringian town ofCMV 4 with legendary M7capsuleGefell, where he and his technical director,together with around 20 employees, setup a new factory with accommodation forthe staff and created a new homeland in adisused textile mill.They began by repairing electricalappliances, and later started to manufacturethe CMV 4 “bottle” microphone using theM7 capsule developed by Neumann, andwhich was later to be used in his U 47 andM 49 microphones as well as in MicrotechGefell’s now current UMT 70 S and UM 92.1S models.Revived From RuinsAfter the war, in 1946, a couple of theemployees returned from Gefell to Berlinand established a small workshop in theWest of Berlin, mainly for microphonerepairs. This workshop later became20 microtech gefell

microphones 2008h Gefell+ + + + Microtech Gefell+ + + + Microtech Gefell+ +the second Neumann company – GeorgNeumann GmbH – later to be taken overby Sennheiser. During 1945 to 1946, afterthe surrender, Germany was divided intofour sectors. Thuringia, initially occupiedby the Americans was exchanged for a partof Berlin and handed over to the SovietUnion – an event that changed the situationin Gefell completely. Together with therest of the staff, Erich Kuehnast remainedin Gefell. Georg Neumann assigned themanagement of the Georg Neumann & Co.limited partnership in Gefell to him.A Country Was Divided – A Company TooBy 1957, Microtech Gefell had producedtheir first three-pattern switchable tubemicrophone and introduced two morecapsule designs, but when the BerlinWall went up in 1961 all communicationsbetween East and West stopped. Because ofGefell’s proximity to the East/West border,customers were not permitted to visit thecompany, and even the road maps of thearea were redrawn inaccurately to confusethe visitors.Until 1972 the company had beencalled Georg Neumann & Co/Gefell,but with socialism surging, the namesof the former owner were deleted, thecompany nationalised, and renamed asVEB Mikrofontechnik Gefell – a people’sUm 930Condenser microphone withswitchable characteristicsKem 970 cardioid planemicrophoneThe first and uniquemicrophone with non-rotationalsymmetricaldirectivityM 930 cardioidM 940 hypercardioidM 950 wide cardioidStudio condenser microphoneM 990Tube condenser microphonewith cardioid polar patternenterprise. Through the ‘70s and ‘80s thecompany continued to develop variousadvanced technologies, including solidstatemicrophone amplifiers, and alsoundertook government-funded developmentof industrial lasers for engraving.Breaking Down the Wall –Breaking New GroundIn 1989 the East German government finallycollapsed; the Berlin Wall came down; andthe Berlin Neumann Company offered toco-operate with Microtech Gefell. EventuallyGeorg Neumann’s heirs were able, asformer owners, to reclaim a share of thecompany and, as part of the cooperation,the Neumann factory in Berlin examinedthe various Gefell microphones. Apparently,and much to their surprise, they foundmicrophone technology more advanced thansome of that available in the West!Before the reunification of Germany,most Eastern Bloc broadcasters wereusing Microtech Gefell microphones, andapparently the PM860 can be found invirtually every town hall and auditorium inthe former Soviet Union. Currently underthe technical supervision of Kuehnast’sson, Microtech Gefell still produces the M7capsule in exactly the same way Neumanntaught the elder Kuehnast in the 1940s –hand-drilling each hole in the back plate,making the PVC membrane, and gluingit together by hand, just as Neumannspecified. The M7 is currently used in theUM 92.1 S, the UMT 70 S, MT 71 S and UM900 microphones.Some of the production equipmentthat Microtech Gefell GmbH uses forcapsule production employs technologydeveloped in cooperation with the Sovietsbefore Perestroika. Some quite recentlydeveloped microphones, the M 900 andM 910, have capsules that make use ofa ceramic material moulded under highpressure and plated with chromium –technology developed in Moscow, perfectedby Microtech and unlike anything currentlyfound in Western microphone designs.The SMS 70 series of microphonesdesigned in the early 1970s used a hybridamplifier with an FET stage – a technologynot adopted in the West until the late 1980s.Microtech’s latest amplifier designs usesurface-mount device (SMD) technology,and the company also manufacturesa complete line of measurementStarting Anew Without Breaking WithThe PastWith great attention to detail, and with greatwealth of experience, Microtech Gefell giveseach microphone a certain singularity – eventhough it mayFinely Craftedbe a standardmanufacturedproduct. In same themanner as GeorgNeumann himself,each microphone iscrafted by hand – ifit is the housing, amounting or even a single screw…microphones conforming to the DINand IEC standards. The majority of themeasurement products are approvedand certified by Physikalisch-TechnischeBundesanstalt Braunschweig PTB.They can be audited to comply withnational and international standards andcan therefore be used for legally bindingmeasurements. All measurementmicrophones meet the class 1 standardas specified in DIN EN 60651 and DIN IEC61672 respectively. Microtech Gefell isone of the world’s leading manufacturersof test and instrumentation microphonesand products are supplied to renownedcompanies in the automotive, aerospaceand environmental business, and to manyother industries.Contact DetailsGermany/US/CanadaMicrotech Gefell GmbHGeorg-neumann-platz d-07926 gefellt ++49 36649 882-0t ++49 36649 882 11t info@microtechgefell.dew www.microtechgefell.dew www.microtechgefell.comAny other European and global distributorsare listed on our homepage:www.microtechgefell.demade in Germanythe international microphone buyer’s guide 21

++NEUMANN + + + + NEUMANN+ + + + NEUMANN+ + + + NEUMANN+ +Neumann – The Microphone CompanyIt is difficult to imagine a professional audio studio without a Neumann microphone.For decades, Neumann has been regarded worldwide as the standard-setting, leadingmanufacturer of studio microphones.Many products introduced in the historyof the company have become milestonesof professional audio technology. It is noaccident that when listing their equipment,audio studios almost always put Neumannmicrophones at the top of the list –they are a recognised sign of a highlyprofessional operation.In addition to countless audio engineerswho use Neumann microphones in theirstudio productions, users of the high-techproducts from Berlin include world-famousmusicians. Many owners of small homerecording studios also dream of somedayhaving ‘a real Neumann’ of their own.The firstdigitalSolution-DmicrophoneThe HistoryThe company that was foundedin Berlin in the year 1928 wasalso concerned for a long timewith other technology in additionto microphones. The versatileinventive genius and pioneerGeorg Neumann simultaneouslydeveloped phonographrecord-cutting machines andrechargeable batteries.The technology of the latterremains the basis for today’somnipresent storage batteries.For many years, the companyalso built highly customisedsound production units forradio studios, theaters andconcert halls.In the year 1991 Neumannbecame an important part of theSennheiser Group.The company nowconcentrates on its absolutelycore area of expertise: highendmicrophone technology forstudios, and increasingly also forthe stage. A highlight of the history of thecompany so far is certainly the TechnicalGrammy of 1999, awarded in recognition ofall of its technological accomplishments.The company headquarters, withthe development, marketing, salesand service departments, continuesto be located in Berlin. As of a fewyears ago, manufacturing in ultracleanroom conditions which meet the highestinternational standards is carried out inWedemark, near Hannover. A worldwidedistribution network, centered in Berlin,ensures that even in the most remoteparts of the world customers can not onlyobtain ‘their’ Neumanns but can also find apersonal Neumann representative.One of the earlymilestonesThe Legend - U 87The Neumann U 87 is probablythe world’s best-known and mostwidely used studio microphone.Users recognise the microphoneimmediately by its distinctive design.It is a good choice for mostgeneral purpose applications instudios, for broadcasting, film andtelevision. The U 87 is used as amain microphone for orchestrarecordings, as a spot mic for singleinstruments, and extensively as avocal microphone for all types ofmusic and speech.The FutureIn the first years of the newmillennium, Neumann was workingintensively on the development ofthe first digital microphone, theD-01. Once again, this involvedbasic research in a completely newtechnology in this field. But whatare the advantages of a digitalmicrophone? By converting directlyat the capsule the amplification cannow proceed entirely on the digital level,removing the analogue preamp, whichnecessarily contributes noise and comes ina very wide variety of circuit designs, somebetter than others.The question: ‘Which preamp is best fora Neumann?’ is now irrelevant. Neumannengineers developed their own convertertechnology. Because the conversion takesplace near to the capsule, a dynamic rangeof over 130dB is possible.The company played a part in defining thenew AES 42 standard and prescribes how adigital microphone should be powered andhow data should be exchanged between itand the following devices.In 2006/7, six compact digitalmicrophones were added to the Solution-Dfamily, thereby expanding considerably therange of applications covered by Neumanndigital microphones.22 NEUMANN

microphones 2008+ + NEUMANN+ + + + NEUMANN+ + + + NEUMANN+ + + + NEUMANN+Neumann’s Philosophy“Our decades of success are based on an uncompromising, qualityorientedapproach, in both the development and manufacture of ourproducts,” explains Wolfgang Fraissinet, President of Marketing/Sales. “Neumann Berlin repairs all of its microphones produced sincethe 1950‘s, to a large extent using the original spare parts.” This is aservicing pledge which is hard to equal.All this gives the customer the certainty of acquiring a productwith unsurpassed sound quality, reliability and lasting value, aninvestment that usually survives several generations of audioengineers. Professionals know from their daily experience thatNeumann microphones are worth the cost.The Neumann U 87 Anniversary SetOn the occasion of the 40th Anniversaryof the living legend U 87, an exclusiveAnniversary Set is available from Neumann.This special edition, in a fine and robustclassic style case, is offered with uniqueproduct features.The set includes an exclusively designedpop screen. Its characteristic design is areminiscence of the sixties, the early yearsof the U 87.The entire set shows the stylishcombination of polished nickel parts withthe traditional Neumann matte nickel look.Microphone, elastic suspension and popscreen are instantly recognisable.For handling this valuable equipmentthe set contains a dust cover embroideredwith the anniversary logo and a pair of whitegloves. A signed and framed certificate ofauthenticity with individual serial numbercompletes each original set.Technical Features:• Switchable low frequency roll-off• Switchable 10dB pre-attenuation• Three directional characteristics: omni,cardioid, figure-8• Pressure-gradient transducer with doublediaphragm capsuleTLM 103- A modern NeumannclassicCONTACT DETAILSGeorg Neumann GmbHOllenhauerstr. 98 13403 Berlin Germanyt +49 (30) 41 77 24-0f +49 (30) 41 77 24-50e headoffice@neumann.comw www.neumann.comTHE INTERNATIONAL MICROPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE 23

++RØDE MICROPHONES + + + + RØDE MICROPHONES+ + + + RØDE MITradition, Technology,And InnovationA uniquely Australian owned manufacturer that pridesitself in innovation, superior technology application,and an understanding of the unique needs of therecording industry. A company steeped in tradition witha progressive ethos, RØDE Microphones has secureditself as the go-to product for savvy audio professionals.Photograph by Daniel BoudThe RØDE StoryRØDE Microphones evolved from theFreedman Group of Companies, establishedin 1967 by Henry and Astrid Freedman,after emigrating to Australia from Sweden.Freedman Electronics was a pioneerin the Australian audio industry for thedesign, manufacture, installation, andservicing of a diverse range of audioproducts. Loudspeakers, amplifiers, customelectronics, and microphones were all a partof the company’s expertise; all of which tookplace within the confines of the small butunique Australian market.Ongoing microphone research anddevelopment within Freedman Electronics,both in the laboratory and in the field,would later drive the ambition to design andproduce superior microphone products.In 1990, the decision was made to produceand market the first RØDE microphone.Before the explosion of the homerecording market, there were very fewestablished and respected manufacturers ofprofessional recording quality (condenser)microphones. Those previous ‘marketleaders’produced premium product thatalso carried a premium price.Why were they so expensive? Well,the market at that time was small, andconsiderable investment had to be recoupedfrom a limited customer base.RØDE’s early manufacturing coincidedwith the emergence of the much largerhome recording and project studio markets.The company was aware that by using thelatest technologies, and the best designand engineering staff, production quantitiescould be produced which would achieveK2 – Variablepattern tubewarmth.S1 – The nocompromiselivemicrophone.AwardsRØDE microphones have been consistently recognised as the very bestavailable by the international media. Amongst the many garnered awards,there are a few special achievements that reflect the passion and effort ofRØDE’s design and engineering team.RØDE was awarded the Musikmesse International Press Award forBest Studio Microphone in 2004 with the K2 precision variable pattern dual1” condenser valve microphone, and again in 2006 with the NT2-A multipattern1” condenser microphone, in addition to being nominated in 2007and 2002 for the Classic II and NTK respectively.In 2004 the RØDE S1 livecondenser microphone wasrecognised with the TEC awardfor Microphone Technology/SoundReinforcement. The same year the K2was nominated for the MicrophoneTechnology/Studio category award.NT2-A – Multi-patternlarge diaphragmcondenser.24 RØDE MICROPHONES

microphones 2008CROPHONES+ + + + RØDE MICROPHONES+ + + + RØDE MICROPHONE10 Year WarrantyRØDE Microphones is very proud to be able to offer a complete ten year warranty on allmicrophones, which is unique amongst microphone manufacturers.All microphones ship with a one year warranty from date of purchase,however this warranty can be extended free of charge to a full ten years bysimply registering your details on the RØDE Microphones’ websitewww.rodemic.com.RØDE also asks customers for feedback when registering, and thisis then passed directly on to the research and engineering departmentsto ensure that RØDE microphones are constantly able to meet the needs ofmusicians and audio professionals.DistributorsUKSource Distributionwww.sourcedistribution.co.uksales@sourcedistribution.co.ukGermanyHyperactivewww.hyperactive.deinfo@hyperactive.deJapanSoundhousewww.soundhouse.co.jpshop@soundhouse.co.jppreviously unheard of economies ofscale resulting in better microphones foryour dollar.In 1998, having established itself asa leading force in this emerging market,RØDE Microphones moved into a newpurpose-built 20,000 sq ft factory andoffices near the home of the Sydney2000 Olympics.The premises allowed for thenecessary increases in electronicproduction, assembly, warehousing,dispatch, and administration, to supply thegrowing worldwide demand.A separate dedicated metalworkfacility located 250km north west ofSydney, is equipped with the latestcomputer controlled machinery, producingmicrophone bodies and associatedfittings and componentry to the highestinternational standards.RØDE Microphones is committed toproviding our customers with productsthat represent the ultimate in value,performance, and user satisfaction.We achieve this through our ongoinginvestment in research and development,and the use of the latest manufacturingtechnologies to improving quality,performance, and production efficiencies.But most importantly, we listen to thepeople who use microphones.Furthermore we will continue toprovide the best after-sales service, aswe realise that when a person invests inour microphones it is the beginning of arelationship which we hope will lasta lifetime.VideoMic – Professional audio for your camcorder.Broadcast And A/VIn addition to producing premium studioand live microphones, RØDE designs andproduces microphones for the professionalbroadcast, A/V, and enthusiast markets.The RØDE NTG-1 and NTG-2 directionalcondenser microphones are designedto provide broadcast quality audio forprofessionals within the film, video,television, voice-over, and ENG industriesthat require the very highest quality ofaudio capture.The RØDE VideoMic and StereoVideoMic have become the most popularaftermarket microphones for homecamcorder and DV Cam devices. Featuringlow noise circuitry, high pass filters, andintegrated shock mounting to negate anycamera motor noise and vibration, thesemics are ideal for the home enthusiast.The RØDE Broadcaster is an endaddresslarge diaphragm microphone,specifically designed for ‘on-air’applications where wide frequency responseand low distortion are demanded. It featuresa switchable high pass filter and a unique‘on-air’ LED which can be implemented toadvise the user when the mic is live.CanadaAudio Distributors Internationalwww.adi-online.netinfo@adi-online.netHong KongCentral Musicwww.cenrmus.com.hksales@centrmus.com.hkHead Office:RØDE Microphones107 Carnarvon St, Silverwater NSW 2128Australiat +61 2 9648 5855f +61 2 9648 2455e info@rodemic.comw www.rodemic.comUS Office:PO Box 4189 Santa Barbara CA USAt +1 805 566 7777f +1 805 566 0071e usasupport@rodemic.comw www.rodemic.comTHE INTERNATIONAL MICROPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE 25

++SE +++SE+++SE+++SE+++SE+++SE+++SE+++SE+++SE+++SE++Innovation Excellence inSound EngineeringIn the last five years, sE have launched a large number of truly innovative and hugelysuccessful hand-built products, including the Reflexion Filter, Gemini, 2200a andthe latest to the stable, the GM10 Guitar Mic. The full story of their success isrevealed below.The sE Electronics story begins with MrSiwei Zou, a hugely talented classicalmusician from Shanghai who won a topplace at the Shanghai Conservatory andwent on to become a highly successfulplayer, conductor and composer. He workedclosely with the Shanghai Opera and theShanghai Philharmonic Orchestra as bothconductor and recording artist, with severalhugely successful classical hit recordings tohis name.In 1987 he was invited by CaliforniaSonoma State University as a visiting scholarto serve on the faculty. He continued toteach counterpoint and orchestration as afaculty member in the Music Departmentat the University. He also studied recordingtechnology under Grammy Awards nomineeProfessor Warren Dennis Kahn.The sE commitment to exceptionalquality can be directlyClient Referencesattributed to the companyfounder Mr. Zou, whoin his distinguishedcareer has developed aningrained instinct anddesire for perfection.Wishing to bringthis drive for artisticand creative perfectionto bear in a tangibleway, Siwei startedhis own microphonemanufacturing company.Working with a team ofhis own top engineers,and experts in the fieldof electrical engineering at ShanghaiUniversity, Siwei designed, built and tested awhole range of new and innovative products.All of our endorsees buy product.We never give away products,or pay for endorsement. Wehave a huge and very impressiveendorsee and artist list includingStevie Wonder, Chris Porter,Realworld Studios, StrongroomStudios, Amy Winehouse, GilNorton (Foo Fighters), Don Was,Westlake Studios, BT… the listgoes on at www.seelectronics.com/testimonials.htmlThe GM10 mic fitted to anacoustic guitarShunning thecommon practise ofwestern manufacturersre-branding cheapChinese microphones,Siwei designed andbuilt his own range ofmicrophones which arenow manufactured in hisstate-of-the-art facilityin Shanghai, the ultramodernface of new China.sE Electronics makeonly their own products,which means dedicationto detail in every aspect ofperformance and stylingwithout compromise.All sE mic capsules are entirely built byhand. Even the chassis and flight cases arebuilt in-house. In fact,when you own an sEmicrophone you canbe confident that everyaspect of both the micand its accessorieshas had the sameunrivalled level ofcare and passion rightthroughout its designand manufacture. Evento the level that everysingle microphone thatleaves the facility hasundergone a personallistening test ratherthan simply being putthrough a machine –and it shows.Launched inEurope in 2003, sEElectronics condensermics are now thenumber one brand inthe UK and the fastest26 SE ELECTRONICS INTERNATIONAL

microphones 2008+SE+++SE+++SE+++SE+++SE+++SE+++SE+++SE+++SE+++SE+++The 2200a with Reflexion FilterCompany EthossE Electronics is a uniquely owned andrun company. Unlike all other brands,all products and accessories are builtexclusively in house, with no OEMsubcontracting, and no manufacturing ofOEM products for other companies, evenflight cases and cables are made in house.Our ethos is to keep the tradition of handcrafted technology alive in a world ofcheap mass production. Our mics are moreexpensive to produce this way, althoughwe sell in the same price bands as othermajor brands. This means that we’re lessprofitable, but we believe the outstandinggrowth in sales, and the huge endorseebase of big name artists for sE, is a resultof our production ethic. We love what wedo and want sE to be a major force in 50years’ time, not just a quick buck for thenext five years!growing microphone brand in Europe.The brand, in its short history, has alreadywon almost every major European awardpossible for excellence including the FuturePublishing Readers Poll ‘Mic of the Year’Award. Although sE was a new line to theUSA in 2004, both the sE Gemini and Icishave already won the coveted ‘Mix CertifiedHit’ award, and the range is fast finding thesame unanimous acclaim and passionatefollowing that it has in Europe.sE is so confident that you’ll be ableto really hear the difference, they offera completely free loan service for all oftheir products! The range includes threesuperbly tailored ‘pencil’ instrumentmics, two large diaphragm solid-statecondensers, two incredible performancetube mics, and the world’s first dual tube,transformerless, studio mic, in the form ofthe award-winning Gemini.Reflexion FilterThis device is a revolution in recordingtechnology. For the first time it is possibleto record in any environment, treated oruntreated acoustically, and achieve prostudio results. Its primary purpose is toreduce ambience and early reflections whilerecording, simultaneously offering a degreeof isolation from ambient noise. With over25,000 sales in just the last year, it is one ofthe single most successful products in proaudio market today.sE2200aThe 2200a single pattern condenser is ourmost popular microphone, with sales nowexceeding 15,000 units. It has won manyawards, including the prestigious MusicIndustry Award, over two years!GM10The GM10 is sE’s latest leap in innovation.This simple idea is hugely technicalto function well. It comprises a clampingmechanism to attach to any acoustic guitar,with a fully adjustable boom arm whichcan be fixed in place to arrange the capsuleof the mic in the perfect position to recordevery take. To remove mechanical noisefrom the mic, it has a series of patentedshock mounts built into the mic arm andcapsule head. Simply put, this mic allowsthe performer to move and play as theynormally would, while getting a technicallyperfect take every time.CONTACT DETAILSsE Electronics InternationalWorld HQ23 Westbury Close, Townsend IndustrialEstate, Houghton Regis, LU5 5BL, UKt +44 845 500 2 500USA Head OfficeGolf Course Drive, PMB #242, Rohnert Park,CA 94928 USAt +1 707 588 8942 979w www.seelectronics.comTHE INTERNATIONAL MICROPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE 27

++SHURE + + + + SHURE+ + + + SHURE+ + + + SHURE+ + + + SHURE+ +Legendary PerformanceSuperior sound and solid reliability have made our microphones the industry standardfor decades. Shure microphones deliver consistent vocal and instrument reproduction inany performance or recording setting, which is why they are legendary.Shure microphones for performance andrecording are designed for artists andengineers at all levels. Whether you’re atthe top of the charts or on your way there,choosing from any of these Shure productlines puts you in good company.KSMShure KSM microphones balanceexceptional performance and flexibility witha level of reliability and consistency nottypically found in ultrapremiummicrophones.Finely tuned condensercartridges give voiceto each of these sevenelegant models, with highsensitivity to accuratelycapture the widest varietyof sound sources.Their very low self-noisemakes them ideal foruse with digital mixingand recordingequipment.On some models,switchable polarpatterns allowthe configurationto be instantlychanged to suit thecharacteristics ofa particular voice,instrument, ormiking technique.The new KSM9unites the best ofstudio and stage.With its dualdiaphragm designand switchableThe KSM9 brings polar patterns,studio sound quality the KSM9 revealsto live performances nuance andsubtlety normallyheard only in a studio microphone.Yet its solid build quality deliverstraditional Shure dependability thatallows it to be used in the most demandinglive environments. A wireless version is alsoavailable for performances where completemobility is required.BetaShure Beta microphones are designedspecifically for use in live performanceapplications. They feature carefullytailored supercardioid polar patternswith a remarkable absence of off-axiscolouration, for use when high sound levelsonstage require maximum isolation withoutsacrificing sound quality. Handheld vocal,miniature instrument-mount, and low-profilehead worn models are available, as well asdynamic and condenser kick drum models.The popular Beta87 vocal microphone isalso available in a cardioid version, whichprovides additional ambience for users ofin-ear monitors.SM57 and SM58 –standard equipmenton stages worldwideSMLegendary SMmicrophones havecome to definethe sound of liveperformance.Recognisable byname and reputation,SM microphones arevirtually indestructibleprofessional gear,built to take thepunishment of nightafter-nighttouring.Durable and reliable,SM microphonesdeliver consistentvocal and instrumentreproduction in anyperformance setting.The SM58 and SM57 – the#1 and #2 bestsellingmicrophones worldwidefor decades – possess aconsistency and familiaritythat takes some of theguesswork out of setting up an unfamiliarsound system in an unfamiliar venue.SM microphones make every performersound good.Performance GearPerformance Gear microphones aredesigned for the entry-level performer.They include a complete set of vocal,instrument and drum microphones.Ideal for everyday use and practice, theyshare many of the performance andconstruction details of other legendaryShure microphones. Performance Gearmicrophones come complete with cablesand accessories, so they easily fit into thebeginner’s budget.Shure wireless microphone systemsdeliver the freedom and convenience ofwireless, while matching the legendarysound quality of our wired microphones.All Shure wireless systems are available inboth handheld and bodypack styles, witha wide choice of handheld, lavalier, andheadworn microphones. Receivers rangefrom simple to elaborate, and a full selectionof accessories and other tools are availableto complete any installation.UHF-RShure UHF-R Wireless Microphone Systemsdeliver uncompromising Shure sound,and are the premium choice for the mostdemanding music, theatre, and broadcastapplications. Up to 108 systems can be usedin one location (country-dependent), and theentire system can be networked togethervia USB or Ethernet connections. InternalFlash memory stores six 60-channel customeditable frequency groups, which caninstantly be recalled and loaded across allUHF-R wireless systems are used in demandingmusic, theatre, and broadcast applications28 SHURE

microphones 2008+ + SHURE+ + + + SHURE+ + + + SHURE+ + + + SHURE+ + + + SHURE+ +receivers on the network. The all-metal handheldand bodypack transmitters have switchable RFoutput power and a backlit LCD display. Shure’sbreakthrough Audio Reference Compandingdelivers crystal-clear sound that matches a hardwiredmicrophone. Shure Wireless Workbenchsoftware makes it easy to configure, monitor, andcontrol every unit using your PC, from transmitterand receiver settings to battery status.ULXShure ULX wireless systems deliver outstandingperformance for working musicians andprofessional sound system installers. Up to 40systems can be used in one location (countrydependent),making ULX an excellent choice forlarger performing groups, meeting facilities, andhouses of worship. Shure Predictive Diversityconstantly monitors RF signal strength andsilently switches antennas when it appears likelythat a dropout will occur. Automatic FrequencySelection makes it easy to find an open frequency,lockable frequency and volume adjustmentsprevent tampering once the system has been set;½-wave antennas that can be remote-mountedare standard equipment; and the receiver providesin-line power for antenna amplifiers.SLXShure SLX wireless systems are designed forworking bands and sound system installers.Useful features like Automatic FrequencySelection and Infrared Auto Transmitter Setupmake setup quick and easy, and Shure’s patentedAudio Reference Companding delivers sound thatmatches a wired microphone. Up to 20 systemscan be used in one location (country-dependent).Shure HistoryFounded in 1925, Shure has consistently producedinnovative products that have become industrybenchmarks. Here are just a few of the manyShure milestones:The first directional microphone: The model 55Unidyne, introduced in 1939, was the first directionalmicrophone, meaning that it was able to rejectsounds from the sides and rear. The Unidynegreatly improved the sound quality of public addresssystems. The unique styling of the 55 series – alsoknown as “the Elvis mic” – has been featured incountless videos, movies, and ads.The first wireless microphone: The Vagabond88, introduced in 1953, was the first wirelessModel 55SH Series II hasmicrophone system for performers. The radio been featured in movies andsignal from the microphone was picked up by an advertisements for decadesantenna wire along the perimeter of the stage,which connected to a receiver.The first stereo phonograph cartridge: Introduced in 1958, the M3D broughthigh-fidelity into the home, at a time when millions of people were discoveringstereophonic sound.The first portable P.A. system: The Vocal Master, introduced in 1958, was thefirst product to combine a mixer, equaliser, and amplifier, in one portable unit,greatly simplifying P.A. system setup and operation.Shure Incorporated corporate headquarters is located in Niles, Illinois, inthe United States. The Company has additional manufacturing facilities andregional sales offices in China, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, The UnitedKingdom, and The United States.PGXShure PGX wireless systems are designed forperformers who are in charge of their own sound.Automatic Frequency Selection and Infrared AutoTransmitter Setup ensure quick and easy setup,while microprocessor-controlled diversity andAudio Reference Companding deliver great soundand reliable performance. PGX systems areavailable with the most popular Shure handheld,lavalier, headworn, and instrument microphones,providing a stage-ready option for almost anyapplication. Up to 12 systems can be used in onelocation (country-dependent).United KingdomShure Distribution UKUnit 2,The I.O CentreLea Road, Waltham AbbeyEN9 1AS, UKt 01992 703058f 01992 703057e info@shuredistribution.co.ukUSA, Canada, Latin America, CaribbeanShure Incorporated5800 West Touhy AvenueNiles, IL 60714-4608 USAt +1(847) 600-2000t (U.S. only) +1(800) 25-SHUREf +1(847) 600-1212e (US): info@shure.come (Canada/Latin America/Caribbean):international@shure.comEurope, Middle East, and AfricaShure Europe GmbHWannenacker Str. 28 74078Heilbronn Germanyt 49-7131-72140f 49-7131-721414e info@shure.deAsiaShure Asia Limited301, Citicorp Centre18, Whitfield Road,Causeway Bay, Hong Kongt (+852) 2893-4290f (+852) 2893-4055e info@shure.com.hkTHE INTERNATIONAL MICROPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE 29

++SOUNDFIELD + + + + SOUNDFIELD+ + + + SOUNDFIELD+ + + + SOUNSurround RecordingFrom A Single MicrophoneWhat other microphone systems can producesimultaneous mono, stereo, M/S and surroundfrom a single mic? With their surround-ready mictechnology, it’s easy to see why SoundField systemsare the products of choice for many HD broadcastersworking in surround...All over the world, TV companies aregearing up for the move from StandardDefinition (SD) to High Definition (HD)broadcasting, for which 5.1 surround is themain required audio standard. As a result,the number of broadcasters who require aquick and easy method of capturing audioin 5.1 whilst maintaining compatibility forstereo SD transmissions is increasing fast.Using SoundField technology there’s noneed for costly multi-microphone arrays,spaced capsule ‘dummy heads’ or complexrecording techniques – and the multichannelaudio that SoundField generates iscompletely phase-coherent (see ‘HowIt Works’).UK microphone manufacturer SoundFieldhave made multi-capsule single-micsystems capable of outputting mono, stereo,M/S and surround sound for many years –Sky Sports have permanently installed DSF-2systems at UK Premiership grounds to capture 5.1stadium ambience for their HD soccer coverage.the core technology being the company’sproprietary three-dimensional audio signalwhich each microphone system generates,known as SoundField B-Format. Now thecompany’s designers have dedicated nearlyfive years refining and improving theirtechnology to produce a new range of digitalmicrophone systems for HD broadcast –the first of which is the DSF-2 BroadcastMicrophone System.SoundField DigitalThe DSF-2 was designed specifically forthe broadcast market, with much inputfrom professionals at Sky Sports who hadpreviously been using analogue SoundFieldproducts in the field. The all-digital designoffers a high-quality, accurate signal path,and the microphone can be used to generatestereo and surround audio for simultaneousSD and HD transmissions at up to 300metres from its associated processor.The processor, in turn, can be situated up toa kilometre from the associated OB vehicle,providing a reliable operating distance ofup to 1.3 kilometres from the microphonehead. This offers a further unique advantagein outside broadcast situations where theremote vehicle is situated a long way fromthe action being filmed.The 1U-rack DSF-2 controller unitoffers live decoding to stereo, stereo M/S,and SoundField B-Format. The stereosignal may be output directly from theDSF-2 in the analogue or digital domainvia rear-panel XLRs or AES/75Ω BNCconnectors respectively, while the StereoM/S and B-Format signals are outputdigitally. From here, the digital B-Formatsignals may be decoded to a variety ofsurround formats by SoundField’s newDSF-3 Digital Surround Processor, or bythe company’s Surround Zone decodingsoftware plug-in, now available for usewith DAWs such as Digidesign Pro Tools,Steinberg Nuendo, and SADiE. Digital outputis possible at 48, 96 and 192kHz for the bestpossible audio quality.The very first DSF-2 systems were usedto originate stereo and 5.1 ambience fromeach stadium during the 2006 soccer WorldCup in Germany; the stereo output fromthe DSF-2 was used for SD broadcast,while the B-Format output was decodedto 5.1 surround for the HD transmission.The results were so successful that SkySports began using DSF-2 systems for alltheir live HD coverage of UK Premiershipsoccer matches. More recently, they havestandardised on SoundField for all of theirHD sports coverage including internationalgolf, rugby and cricket.SoundField PortableThe company’s most affordable products arealso their most portable. Like all SoundFieldsystems, the ST350 generates SoundFieldB-Format and consists of a multi-capsulemicrophone and an associated processorunit. However, in this system, the mic isabout half the size and weight of otherSoundField mics, and the decoder/processorcan be powered from the mains or batteries.Even when using batteries, the design of thecompact mic allows it to be used reliably atdistances in excess of 100 metres from theprocessor. In short, the system provides anaffordable, portable, single-mic solution for30 SOUNDFIELD

microphones 2008DFIELD+ + + + SOUNDFIELD+ + + + SOUNDFIELD+ + + + SOUNDFIELDThe ST350 can be powered from the mains orbatteries for portable use in the field.mono, stereo, M/S and surround recording.The SPS200 microphone is small andlightweight, and is the first SoundFieldproduct not to ship with a hardwaredecoder. Instead, stereo and surrounddecoding is performed by using the suppliedConversion Lounge and Surround Zonesoftware. These applications run on Macsand Windows PCs, and are compatible withPro Tools and all DAWs that support theVST Multichannel standard, for exampleNuendo, Cubase, and Soundscape. Despitebeing the most affordable SoundFieldproduct, the SPS200 still offers the sameflexible format output and remote operationoptions of SoundField’s more expensivesystems. It’s ideal for use by one-cameralocation recording teams with a laptop thatneed to capture audio in 5.1 surround.More InformationSoundField systems are used daily bymany international broadcasters, includingFrance 3, the BBC (UK), RAI (Italy), NBC(USA), SR (Sweden),YLE (Finland), WIGE(Germany) andTopvision (Germany).If you need to providesurround-sound audiofor broadcast andwould like to discussyour requirements,you can contactSoundField via thedetails below.The entry-level SoundFieldmic, the lightweight SPS200is used in conjunction with asoftware B-Format decodingapplication for Mac or PC.ProductsDigital:• DSF-1 — A fully digital SoundFieldsystem utilising similar technology to theDSF-2, but adapted for high-end musicand concert hall recording applications.• DSF-2 — A digital microphone systemdesigned specifically for broadcast.• DSF-3 — A 19-inch 1U B-Format-to-5.1digital decoder, designed for use with theDSF-1 and DSF-2.Software:• Surround Zone – Stereo/surround post-production software.• Conversion Lounge – A-Format to B-Format conversion software.Analogue:• MkV — SoundField’s top-of-the-rangeanalogue system.• SPS422B — Professional microphonesystem with 1U control processor.• SP451 — A 19-inch 1U B-Format-to-5.1analogue decoder.How It WorksSoundField systems are all based around a multi-capsule microphone and hardware orsoftware processing. The microphone contains four sub-cardioid capsules mounted in atetrahedral arrangement, and when the output from these is decoded by the associatedprocessor, a phase-coherent four-channel signal is created, known as SoundField B-Format.Three of these signals, the X, Y and Z channels, describe the space around the microphonein the X (Front/Back), Y (Left/Right) and Z (Up/Down) dimensions, while the fourth channel,known as W, provides a reference for the other three channels.It’s the B-Format that really distinguishes SoundField from its competitors. Combiningsignals from spaced microphones can cause phase problems, but because the SoundFieldB-Format channels are phase-coherent, they can be combined in the decoder withoutphase artefacts to output mono, stereo, M/S, 5.1, and a variety of other surround formats —simultaneously if required. Users can even record the four B-Format channels and determinethe choice of format in post-production if required.SoundField’s B-Format technology offers control over morethan just output format. Front-panel controls on the processorsallow the rotation of the microphone’s pickup through a full 360degrees. Even the effective physical orientation of the mic andits polar patterns can be continuously altered without physicallyhandling the mic. These features are particularly desirable tolive sports broadcasters because engineers can set up the micin the eaves of a stadium and then make changes to sensitivityand orientation remotely, from the processor. These changesThe SoundFieldcan also be made in post-production if the SoundField B-Format multi-capsulesignal is recorded.mic array.Portable:• ST350 — Battery powered SoundFieldmicrophone system.• SPS200 — Portable, lightweightstand-alone microphone with softwaredecoding.CONTACT DETAILSSoundField Ltd.Charlotte Street Business CentreWakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 1UHUnited Kingdomt +44 (0)1924 201089e info@soundfield.comw www.soundfield.comUSA — TransAudio Groupw www.transaudiogroup.comGermany — SEA Vertriebw www.sea-vertrieb.deFrance — SAVw www.sav.tvTHE INTERNATIONAL MICROPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE 31

++STUDIO PROJECTS + + + + STUDIO PROJECTS+ + + + STUDIO PROJEStudio ProjectsSouthern California Microphone Company Aims High ButKeeps Their Costs LowIn 1997, PMI Audio Group founder AlanHyatt was beginning to see some successfrom producing Joemeek’s JM47 condensermicrophone. However, Hyatt ultimatelywanted to produce a full line of microphones.When Joemeek chose a different direction byfurthering their signal processing line, Hyattdecided to strike on his own once again toform Studio Projects, a company that quicklyearned a reputation for producing sturdy,robust-sounding microphones, preamps,and accessories at a price that even theaverage ‘Joe’ can afford.To cut costs without sacrificing quality,Hyatt partnered with Beijing 797 Audio Co.Ltd, one of the largest and most respectedmanufacturers in Asia. 797 Audio has oneof the largest anechoic chambers on theplanet, as well as B&K electro-acoustictesting equipment and digital DASS testingsystems. In other words, they have highStudio Projects C1The Studio ProjectsC1 is a largediaphragm, fixedcardioidcondensermicrophone• Pressure-GradientTransducer: 1.06”(27mm) 6um mylardiaphragm• High Pass Filter,6dB/octave@ 75Hzor 150Hz• -10db or -20dB Pad• Comes with HaloShockmount,Foam wind screen,and casestandards. In addition, PMI Audio Group doesits own design, service and modificationsin-house utilising the latest equipment. “Itwas 797’s history that gave us the confidenceto build with them,” says Justin Hyatt, whooversees PMI Audio’s U.S. operations inGardena, Calif. “The company was foundedin 1952 by a group of highly experiencedGerman microphone engineers. Theyhave been the premiere audio electronicsmanufacturer in China ever since.”The C1, C3 and T3With their partnership firmly intact andopenly discussed, Studio Projects targetedthe home and project studio market withthe C1, C3, and T3 microphones. Evenskeptics soon embraced the company’slarge diaphragm condenser mics, andword quickly spread via Internet forumsand media sources about the company’sexcellent products and amazingly gooddeals.By launching Studio Projects with anaffordable line of microphone, the companycould tap into the burgeoning home andproject studio market; which, in the midtolate 1990s, flourished as more studioprofessionals adopted computer and DAWbasedrecording. “This was the arena wherewe could most effectively compete, and ithelped us build our brand awareness ratherquickly, too,” says Justin Hyatt.Studio Projects continued to build namerecognition with their C and B Series mics,and drew attention with the budget LSD2,a stereo large-diaphragm condenser micthat essentially consists of two C3 miccapsules contained within a single housing.While Studio Projects’ reputation grew in themid-level studio market, they kept one eyefixed on their long-term goal: to corner thehigh-end market. In 2007, they broke groundin this arena with the recently launched CSSeries, which consists of the all-purposeCS1 cardioid mic and the CS5 transducermicrophone. The CS Series features an allnewdesign from Studio Projects Directorof Engineering Brent Casey that’s handdesigned “from the capsule all the waydown to the XLR,” says Justin Hyatt. “We’realready building a strong momentum withmany commercial recording studios in theL.A. area. The line is still new and largelyunheard of, but we expect great thingsfrom CS.”With three lines of microphones to theircredit, moving into preamp design seemedlike a logical next step. They took that routewith the VTB-1 and SP828 microphonepreamps, both designed by Studio Projectsand both boasting affordable, yet highqualitytechnology. The VTB1 is a solid-statepreamp using a totally discrete circuit, butalso offers a ‘Tube Drive’, feature, which is avariable drive to a 12AX7 that allowsthe user to blend as little, or as much of, theTube Drive they want. “The VTB1 has reallygained a lot of ground because it’s a veryaffordable pre, but also very good quality,”says Justin Hyatt. “It doesn’t use any chips.It’s a Class-A/B design, and has a verytransparent sound.” The VTB1 continues tobe an extremely popular, especially at its$150 price category.”Low Cost Without Cutting The QualityStudio Projects can keep their overheadlow mainly because they build in China. Buttheir alignment with the highly reputed 797Audio keeps the quality above board. “We arestraightforward about where we build, andwe have been since we introduced StudioProjects,” says Justin Hyatt. “We have sucha great relationship with 797 that we wantedto promote them in the beginning and make32 STUDIO PROJECTS

microphones 2008CTS+ + + + STUDIO PROJECTS+ + + + STUDIO PROJECTS+ + + + STUDIthem proud to produce our microphones.We did this by putting the 797 Audio logodirectly on the front of the microphonemodels. This was only recently removedwhen we released our CS Series, which hasa sleeker look with no writing. All of thistranslates to 797 giving us microphonesproduced to our standards and at a pricethat allows us to be very competitive.”Another element that gives theman edge is the work of designer Casey,the creative mastermind behind StudioProjects. “He’s been with us since thebeginning,” says Justin Hyatt. “Brent hasput many years into our designs.” TheC Series capsules are based on a 1950sNeumann design, reverse engineered andotherwise improved upon using advancedmanufacturing techniques. “Brent’s newestdesigns take further advantage of his designexpertise, which can be seen in the new CSSeries with his newly designed capsule,”he continues.The E-SeriesIn the coming years, Studio Projects plansto raise their standards even higher with theStudio Projects CS5The Studio Projects CS5 is an externallypolarised five pattern pressure gradienttransducer microphone with FETimpedance converter.• Pressure-Gradient Transducer: 1.06”(27mm) 6um mylardiaphragm• FET impedanceconverter• Five Polar Patterns:Cardioid, WideCardioid, HyperCardioid, Omni, Fig. 8• -5dB, -10dB, -15dB,and -20dB Pads• 50hZ, 75hZ, 150Hz,and 300hZ High PassFilters @ 6dB/octave• 15kHz, 7kHz, 5kHz, and3kHz, Low Pass Filters@ 6dB/octave• Comes with HaloShockmount, Foamwind screen, and caseHalo ShockmountThe Halo is a newly designed shockmount from Studio Projects Microphones.Machined from aircraft aluminum with aplated nickel finish, the Halo is configurablefor a variety of miking tasks – includingstereo and multi-channel setups, whenincorporated with the Studio ProjectsStereo bar.E Series, a new microphone line targetedfor mid-2008 release. “This will becomeour top-of-the line series and will mark thestart of Studio Projects’ expansion into thehigher-end microphone arena,” says JustinHyatt. “But we’ll still offer the high qualityand affordability we’ve become known for.”Details on the E Series are forthcoming;for now, the company reveals merely thatthe products will feature a “very unique”tube design.Global Reach and Global Price ParityStudio Projects’ commitment to keepingquality high and costs low mirrors thatof others under the PMI Audio umbrella,including Joemeek, Toft Audio Designs, andthe upcoming Valley Audio re-introduction.Owning all of these companies, anddistributing their products, allows PMIAudio to direct product developmentand offer what Hyatt calls “global priceparity.” PMI Audio currently distributes tomore than 70 countries worldwide, andthe prices are the same in each country,exchange rate notwithstanding. “Having adistribution network in addition to beingthe manufacturer has distinct advantages,”said Alan Hyatt in a 2005 Audio Mediainterview. “We have our own facility inTorquay, England, with R&D, warehousing,shipping and repair. The U.S. office takescare of North America and the PacificAsian countries. In countries that we can’tservice directly, we’re set up through localdistributors.”The Personal TouchDespite their global reach, StudioProjects still retains much of the benefitsof a boutique company. Working out ofPMI Audio’s U.S. office, Casey will overseerepairs for any mic, no matter how old,and spends ample time customizingmicrophones for their customers.PMI Audio also remains a familybusiness. Both Alan Hyatt’s sons areworking for the company, his oldest son,Justin Hyatt started as a part-time employeein high school, and now heads up the entireAmerican operation.“We do have humble beginnings that goback to 1979, when we worked out of ourgarage as a rep firm called AMH Sales, Inc.,”says Justin Hyatt. Years of experience anda large pool of contacts allowed the companyto grow into distributing and manufacturing.“Today we have our headquarters in L.A.and a sister office in Torquay, UK,” heemphasises.Where does Studio Projects grow fromhere? “We intend to further expand our linein both microphones and signal processors,”says Justin Hyatt, “and continue to raise thequality of our brand and its products.”CONTACT DETAILSPMI Audio Groupt +1 877 563 6335 (USA)f +44 (0)1803 215 111 (UK)e sales@pmiaudio.comw www.pmiaudio.comw www.studioprojectsusa.comw www.joemeek.comw www.toftaudiodesigns.comTHE INTERNATIONAL MICROPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE 33

++VIOLET + + + + VIOLET+ + + + VIOLET+ + + + VIOLET+ + + + VIOLET+ +Ears For Your Sound– Violet MicrophonesViolet Design’s microphone benefits are high SPL level, very low self-noise, Class Adiscrete preamplifier, and an attractive design. All the mics have a five year warranty.Violet Design – Microphones from LatviaIt is almost impossible to picture today’spro audio and recording industry withouttechnological innovations and expressivedesigns introduced by Violet microphones.Microphones are made in Latvia in thesame factory which has within the lastdecade already achieved great popularityworldwide with the quality and design oftheir microphones.Violet Design was founded in 2003 byStanislav Rubintsik. The company is aworldwide distribution centre and salesrepresentative ofViolet and Flamingobrand microphones.The factorystarted tomanufacturemicrophone capsulesin late 1994.Our first capsuleswere placed inlegendary vintagemicrophones: U47,M49, M50, C12, andthe 414. In 1997,the capsule of anew generation wasborn, and we namedit the JZ002. Nowyou can get thesame – perfect andoriginal – sound andexpressive designwith the Violet lineof microphones.The Black Knight -Bestseller from theViolet line.PhilosophyOur mainphilosophy is tooffer handcraftedmicrophones witha unique look andan adorable soundquality, usinginnovative solutions in the microphonemanufacturing without losing the bestdetails of vintage sound.We believe that in the process of musicrecording the most important things arepassion and inspiration and nothing shouldbe in the way of these two. So in ourideology of microphones we trust in threesimple points:• It must sound good• It must look nice• It must be as simple as possibleThe nice look gives you the possibilityto grab inspiration, even at the time ofrecording. Simplicity grants microphonesa long life and durability. After havingrecorded, you will never be surprised byincorrect settings, as there will be a chanceto change them.And most importantly – if it’s amicrophone, it must do its job as well aspossible. To improve our microphonessonically, we have been investing a lot in ourresearch laboratories.CapsuleThe heart of the microphone is its capsule –our handcrafted highest quality electrostatictransducers provide high output of thebest quality audio signal and can handleextremely high SPL at the same time.Internal Class-A transformer less discreteelectronics quality is adequate, providinghard to measure noise and distortionparameters. However – our mic housingdesigns are based on acoustic ideas first.After a big number of experimental jobsin our laboratory, in September 2005 weannounced our latest capsule diaphragmtechnology. We introduced the new mixedgold-copper-aluminum composite coatingmaterial, layered diaphragm sputteringand variable coating thickness, addingtransparency, better sound commutationwith membrane and reducing parasiticinternal resonances and reflexions.PRODUCTS:The AmethystThe design of the Amethyst microphonesallows them to be used very close to thesound source and together with the optional,original style ASM shockmount whichallows easy positioning. In addition, therelatively small size of the head and opensquare grille of the Amethyst provides atransparent detailed sound. The quality andcharacteristics of the Amethyst make it theideal choice for home recording studioswhere you need one microphone formultiple applications.The GlobeThe very compact design of the Globe allowsit to be used in applications where roomspace is limited, the sound associated witha U47 or U67 is desired, and the use of aclassic design microphone is impossible.Together the shockmounted head andcapsule and included GSM shockmountstop any unwanted noises. This microphoneis very popular among the end users, aswell as the press, and has several 10-starmagazine reviews.The Black KnightThis microphone is the best selleramong Violet microphones for home andprofessional studios. It has a unique, veryopen head grille that gives the user theability to record a big airy sound, and it hasan integrated swivel head mount for easypositioning of the capsule head.The PearlThe Pearl was originally designed for livestage use as a handheld vocal microphone,but at the end became a unique studiomicrophone. The beauty of the Pearl isthat the artist can achieve the same soundeverywhere by using the same microphone.34 VIOLET

microphones 2008+ + VIOLET+ + + + VIOLET+ + + + VIOLET+ + + + VIOLET+ + + + VIOLET+The FingerThe Finger was originally designed as analternative to the large number of overheadmicrophones in the market. But, it isexcellent at every application. It sounds bitfuller and more refined than other penciltype microphones and will make a very highquality recording.The Global Presupply transformer) ismounted to the metalpart of the body, whichacts as a heat shieldand draws the heatoutside of the body ofthe microphone andpower supply. As aresult, the electronicsinside the microphoneare safe fromoverheating.USERS:Our microphones are successfullyused by dozens of famous producers,recording engineers and musicians,starting from David Kahne (PaulMcCartney, Kelly Clarkson, Sublime,Fishbone), Joe Barresi (Tool, Queens ofthe Stone Age, Melvins), John Paterno(Robbie Williams, Joan Osborne, LosLobos, ‘Boston Legal’ TV show) to B2, afamous Russian Band.The Flamingo Standard– a brilliant alternativeto vintage tubemicrophonesThe Global Pre bundleThe Global Pre preamplifier body isdesigned for use with our VIN-serieschangeable capsule heads. It is alsocompatible with Neumann’s vintage M7,M8, and M9 series. The Global Pre is analternative to expensive and noisy vintagevacuum tube preamplifier bodies andis affordableenough forsmall or homestudios. We offera bundle of theGlobal Pre &VIN-26 for anextremely goodprice.The FlamingoThe FlamingoSeries tubeThe Globe Standardmicrophoneincludes alarge high-quality electrostatic capsule,Class A electronic circuit on vacuum tube(EF86). The custom-wound noiselessoutput transformer provides fullybalanced separated output and a warmtone. Additionally, the tube is coveredwith a metal shield that keeps it at astable low temperature all the time.This small innovation extends by threeto four times the life of the tube. Theshockmounted transformer (and powerThe Flamingo Magic Ear (ME)Magic Ear capsule - Truly this is capsule!The surface area of The Flamingo MagicEar’s diaphragm is larger than thetraditional 1” capsule. The irregular shapeof diaphragm and sputtering technology ofmembrane coating result in a resonanceand harmonic, free, warm and very naturalsounding transducer which provides 130dBand higher SPL. The larger diaphragmsurface provides higher output and lowfrequency response beginning at 16Hz.At the same time, the high frequencyresponse is as transparent as on ourtraditional 1” capsules.The Stereo FlamingoThe Stereo Flamingo uses a 26mm JZcapsule. The excellent sound quality,together with the surprisingly visual designand handmade presentation, make itthe most adorable stereo microphone inthe market.Violet Design Ltd.P.O.Box 3393, Tallinn,10506, Estoniat (+372) 6455007f (+372) 6466054e info@violet-design.comw www.violet-design.comViolet USA8001 Terrace AveMiddleton, WI 53562USAMR. Garry Templint 800-828-0509 x1321 (Toll Free)t 608-831-1946 x1321 (International & Local)f 608-831-1890e templin@fdw-w.comw www.violetusa.comTHE INTERNATIONAL MICROPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE 35

Microphone Manufacturers DirectoryADK MICROPHONESADK Microphones wasestablished in 1997 byrecording engineer andvintage microphonecollector, Larry Villella,to replicate the sonicattributes of vintageEuropean microphonesthrough spectrum analysisand computer modelling ofthe response curves of hisfavourite microphones.A wide range of FET,transformerless and tubemicrophones make up theADK range, which has justadded the Vienna MKII andHamburg MKII.www.adkmicrophones.comAEA MICROPHONESAudio EngineeringAssociates’ (AEA) Wes Dooleydrew upon his 40 years ofexperience and passion forribbon microphones whenhe reintroduced the AEA R44(based on the RCA 44) backin 1998. Since then AEA hasintroduced mic preampsspecifically for ribbon usealongside other ribbonmicrophones, including thewell-regarded R84.www.wesdooley.comAEVOX AUDIOHandmade in Belgium, AevoxAudio produces a range ofmicro/lavalier microphonesand accessories for use withportable recorders, videocameras, wireless packsand computers. The rangeincludes the IE (In Ear)stereo MKII microphonesfor discreet or binauralrecording, power adapter,wind shield, and the newOmni Classic M MKII whichboasts extended frequencyresponse and reducedhandling noise.www.aevox.beAKG2007 marks the 60 thanniversary for AKG.Founded in Vienna in 1947AKG has grown a great dealfrom five workers handbuilding microphones, tobecome one of the principalmicrophone manufacturerswith a product rangethat spans all areas ofprofessional audio, manybecoming establishedclassics. AKG microphonesinclude the Blue Line rangeof modular mics; lavalier;instrument; live, recording…the list is endless.www.akg.comAMBIENT RECORDINGBased in Munchen Germany,Ambient Recording wasfounded in 1989 by soundrecordists Chris Price andGunter Knon. Originallya company dealing withsound equipment rentalsand transfers, Ambient hasevolved to manufacturinga number of products forlocation recording based onthe founders’ considerableexperience.Ambient has a coupleof microphones for thisapplication, the Tinymike,a mini camera mountedshotgun microphone andthe Emesser bi-directionalmini microphone.www.ambientaudio.comAMG ELECTRONICSSitting on the Surrey/Hampshire borders, AMGElectronics producesa number of differentconfigurations of its C-ducer(Capacitive-Trans-Ducer)microphone.Available in variouslengths, 1mm thick, flexibleand light weight, the C-ducercan be formed to all shapesof instrument surface.www.c-ducer.comAMTApplied MicrophoneTechnology has beenmanufacturing microphonesfor seventeen years, andtakes the approach ofproducing microphonesfor specific instrumentswithout compromise. Withthis approach, AMT hasan enormous range ofmicrophones for both liveand recording use, with therecent addition of the AMTWi-5 wireless system forwoodwind and brass.www.appliedmic.comAUDIO LTDBased in High Wycombe,Audio Ltd produces anumber of wireless solutionsfor theatrical and broadcastapplications. The Envoyrange is designedfor ENG news crews whoare looking for high qualityand reliability. The RMS2040and RMS2020 range havea number of wirelessoptions for live, theatre andbroadcast use.www.audioltd.comAUDIO TECHNICAAudio Technicabegan back in1962 in Tokyo’sShinjuku-Ko districtmanufacturingstate of the art stereo phonocartridges. Now a globalgroup, Audio Technica isinvolved in the manufactureof audio equipment acrossthe whole spectrum ofthe industry.Its range of microphonesillustrates this diversitywith cost effectivesolutions for semi-prouse through to high endmodels for applicationsin live, broadcast, studio,commercial and industrial.www.audio-technica.comAUDIXStarting life backin 1984 in RedwoodCalifornia, Audixmoved to Oregonin 1991 whereit established astate of the artmanufacturingfacility, where quality oftheir microphones can becontrolled from start tofinish.Audix focuses on simple,elegant designs withmicrophones coveringapplications in corporate,live, broadcast, and studio.Amongst them is therespected D-series of drummicrophones.www.audixusa.comAVLEXIn Kansas City, USA, Avlex isabout rugged cost effectivesolutions principally forpresentation and theatreapplications. Other audioapplications are coveredwith microphone rangeswith different brand names.Mipro microphones are aline of wireless systemsfor location and broadcastuse, and Superluxmicrophones are for morestudio speific uses.www.avlux.comAZDEN CORPORATIONEast coast USA AzdenCorporation has some 40years of experience utilisingCAD and SMT technology tocreate a number of standardand wireless transductionsolutions. Originally an OEMmanufacturer for manyof the world’s best knownbrands, the last 15 years hasseen Azden raise its ownbrand identity, providing lowcost microphone systemsfor event and weddingvideography use.www.azdencorp.comBEHRINGERUli Behringer foundedthe company that takeshis name back in 1989in Germany. Since thenBehringer has grown tohave offices in 10 countriesdistributing a wide range ofaudio products. Behringerhas a range of generalpurpose dynamic andcondenser microphonesincluding the B-2 Pro andstereo pair C-2.www.behringer.comBEIJING 797 AUDIOFounded in 1952, Beijing 797Audio is now a very largeconcern with development,manufacturing and testingfacilities. It has the largestanechoic chamber in Asiaand its microphone rangeencompasses condensers,dynamics and a wide varietyof wireless and electretmicrophones for broadcastand presentation use.www.797audio.comBEYERDYNAMICbeyerdynamic hasevolved into one ofthe better knownmanufacturerssince its beginningsback in 1924.Developments in a numberof audio areas continue, andbeyerdynamic condenser,ribbon and general dynamicmicrophones, still form thebackbone of many studios’mic collections.www.beyerdynamic.comBLUE MICROPHONESHeadquartered in WestlakeVillage in California, andwith engineering andmanufacturing facilities inLatvia, Blue Microphoneshas come a long waysince 1995 when foundersSkipper Wise and MartinSaulespurens put together afew hand built microphonesfor fellow musician friends.Blue has some of the mostdistinctive looking mics forrecording purposes, andthrough their Vintage MicStore has further examplesas well as vintage micrestoration services.www.bluemic.comBOCK AUDIO DESIGNSFrom 1996 to 2006, formerstudio tech (Hit Factory,Oceanway) David Bock ranSoundelux Microphones.Concerned with producinghigh-end microphones forrecording applications, Davidcontinues to develop hisdesigns through southernCalifornia-basedBock Audio.www.bockaudiodesigns.comBRAUNER MICROPHONESDirk Brauner was developingideas with tube microphonecircuits back in 1993 lookingto create the world’s besttube microphone. Initiallycreating a limited numberof handcrafted microphonesbased on his VM1 design,demand led to the start ofBrauner Microphones in1995 where there are nowsix microphones in therange, including the VM1.www.brauner-microphones.com36 MICROPHONE MANUFACTURERS DIRECTORY

microphones 2008CAD MICROPHONESCAD Microphonesmanufactures a variety ofvisually distinct condenser,tube, ribbon, and instrumentspecificmicrophones.www.cadmics.comCASCADE MICROPHONESUS-based Cascademicrophones produces awide vaiety of types, but isprobably best know for it’srange of ribbon microphonesand the retro styling of manyof its designs, including therecently introducedFat Head II.www.cascademicrophones.comCHAMELEON LABSChameleon is a relativelynew company with the strapline “Value Conscious Audio.”It makes a selection of audioproducts, including theTS-1 Tube Pencil condensermicrophone, and the TS-2large diaphragm tubecondenser microphone.CHARTEROAK ACOUSTICSFounded by producer/engineer Michael Demingin Connecticut in 2002,CharterOak is all aboutcreating the classicmicrophones of tomorrow.All tube and solid statemicrophones are assembledand inspected by hand,with each being studio testedbefore shipping tothe customer.www.charteroakacoustics.comCOLES ELECTROACOUSTICSColes in Hertfordshirecontinues to manufacturethe BBC-designed ribbonmicrophones that include theever-popular 4038.www.coleselectroacoustics.comCOUNTRYMAN ASSOCIATESWith more than 30 years ofexperience, CountrymanAssociates manufacturesmicrophones for a variety oflive applications includingtheatre, presentation andlive music. The rangeconsists of a number of miniand micro microphones forthese situations.www.countryman.comCROWNFrom humble beginningsback in 1947 throughradio enthusiast ClarenceC. Moore, Crown hasgrown into a companymanufacturing productsacross the whole pro audiospectrum. Its microphonerange includes modelsthat encompass the proaudio world. These includeboundary, PZM, Lectern,mini, as well as conventionalstudio microphones.www.crownaudio.comDPA MICROPHONESIn 1992, Danishcompany Brueland Kjaier tookthe decision tospin off its proaudio division and outsourcesales and service of its4000 series microphones tothe former employees thatdesigned them. It formedDanish Pro Audio and since1994 has introduced newproducts into its line. Theseinclude mini, compact, largediaphragm and referencetest microphones, and alsothe only phantom poweredunderwater microphone, theP48 Hydrophone.www.dpamicrophones.comEARTHWORKS AUDIOFormed in New Hampshireby David Blackmer, theinventor and founder of dbx,Earthworks Audio looks todevelop the next generationof audio products, includingmicrophones with its HighDefinition Microphonerange. Both general useand instrument specificmicrophones are designedto pick up sound withmuch higher fidelity thanconventional designs.www.earthworksaudio.comELATIONMany decades of researchand development have ledRussian company Elationto manufacture its ownmicrophones. Limited toa single large and singlesmall diaphragm condensermicrophone, and bassdrum mic.www.elation-mics.comELECTROVOICEElectrovoice has beendeveloping pro audioproducts principally in thearea of sound reinforcementfor 80 years. Its microphonerange illustrates thisorientation in both itsstandard and wirelessmicrophone products.www.electrovoice.comFOSTEXFounded by the FosterElectronic Company inTokyo back in 1973, initiallyto deliver high qualityspeaker components tocustomers for Foster, whichwas well established in thedevelopment of transducertechnologies. Building onthis, Fostex has come toestablish itself in locationrecording and broadcastaudio areas, producing anumber of microphones forthese areas.www.fostex.comGROOVE TUBESFormed in California in thelate 1970s by Aspen Pittman,who gathered together sometechnicians to explore whyit was that tubes performedand sounded so different.From a garage workshop toa global company, GrooveTubes now produces a rangeof tube, FET and ribbonmicrophones that stillincludes the MD1.www.groovetubes.comHHB COMMUNICATIONSHHB recently entered themicrophone market with aninnovative range of recordingmicrophones aimed ataudio journalists and fieldrecordists. In collaborationwith Sennheiser, in nowhas a range of devices withvarious options.www.hhb.co.ukHEBDEN SOUNDSince 2003, Sheffield-basedHebden Sound Ltd hassupplied the HS3000 seriesof interchangeable capsulemicrophones, which are stillonly available directly fromHebden Sound.www.hebdensound.comHEIL SOUNDThe origins of Heil Sounddate back to the 1950swhen a young organist, BobHeil, began to mentallydissect the sounds aroundhim. Moving onto designand then the manufactureof organs, and then intoretail, Heil then expandedinto other musical formswith great innovations. The90s saw Heil move into themicrophone market with theHC series, and now Heil hasa range that leans towardslive applications.www.heilsound.comHOLOPHONEMusician and sounddesigner Michael Godfreyfounded Holophone inToronto, Canada, in 1994looking to deliver the mostrealistic listening experiencefrom recorded audio.Holophone has a number ofmicrophone products thatcan accommodate surroundapplications.www.holophone.comHORCH AUDIOGerman company HorchAudio manufacturesthree retro styled tubemicrophones, the RM3,RM4 and RM2J for high-endrecording work.www.horchaudio.deJJLABSStarted in Stockolm byJohan and Jerker Antoniin 2000, JJLabs has acomprehensive rangeof tube, ribbon, andconventional condenserand dynamic microphones.It also has the uniqueEhrlund triangle membranecondenser microphonedesigned to deliver thedesirable traits fromboth small and largediaphragm condensers.www.jjlabs.seJOEMEEKReferencing many of theexperiments made by JoeMeek in the early to mid1960s, Joemeek continuesto provide cost effectivesolutions in a number ofareas of project and proaudio, with a range ofgeneral purpose small andlarge diaphragm condenserand dynamic microphones.www.joemeek.comJosephson EngineeringSince 1998 JosephsonEngineering, as well asproducing and supplyingcapsules to othermicrophone manufacturers,has produced its own rangeof microphones for studio,location, live and instrumentspecific applications.www.josephson.comJZ MICROPHONESOver the pastdecade, LatvianmanufacturingcompanyScruples ventured intothe pro audio market witha number of products,including microphonesunder the Violet brand.Scruples created a spin offcompany, JZ Microphones,that has now beenestablished to concentrateon microphone development.www.jzmic.comKATAMOUNT ENTERPRISESKatamount Enterpriseswas established in Canadain 1999 as a distributioncompany for post andbroadcast, but nowmanufactures its ownproducts for this fieldincluding their KAT66Lavalier microphones.www.katmount.comKORBY AUDIOAfter years of detailedwork with many of thedefining microphones inaudio history, Tracy Korbyset about manufacturingan adaptable microphonesystem to live up tothese classics.Since 2005 Korby Audiohas been based in Nashvillewhere it produces its KATsystem of hot swappablemicrophones.www.korbyaudio.comTHE INTERNATIONAL MICROPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE 37

LAWSON MICROPHONESFounded by Gene Lawsonin 1979, and now handcrafted in Nashville, LawsonMicrophones’ range of awardwinning high end tube andFET microphones, with theirdistinctive look, are desiredthe world over.www.lawsonmicrophones.comMANLEY LABORATORIESSince 1989, and now out inChino California, ManleyLaboratories has focusedon the development of anumber of productsbased on tube designs.Amongst these are therange of Manley tubemicrophones, which includethe Manley stereo tubereference microphone.www.manleylabs.comM-AUDIOFormed in 1988,and now part of theAvid Technologies,M-Audio is focusedon computerbased productsand those aimedto provide solutions tomobile musicians. TheM-Audio microphoneselection includes a numberof general-purpose unitsincluding the lollipop largediaphragm condenser, Luna.www.m-audio.comMBHOEstablished in Obrighelmin 1962 by Herbert Haun,MBHO has been producinghigh quality microphonesever since. Ninety fivepercent of the MBHO rangeis still handmade andincludes both modular andfixed capsule condenser anddynamic microphones.www.mbho.deMICROTECH GEFELLThe origins ofMicrotech Gefellcan be traced backto 1928 when oneGeorg Neumannand colleagueErich Rickmannformed Georg Neumannand Co. In 1943, productionmoved to Gefell, wheremany years of developingand producing some classicproducts took place. Therange of Microtech Gefellmicrophones is extensiveand draws from this history.www.microtechgefell.deMILAB MICROPHONESThe Milab story begins in1941 with Rune Rosanderproducing crystals, and thensubsequently carbon anddynamic microphones. In thelate 1960s, the rectangularcapsule and double-sidedrectangular capsule weredeveloped and are still partof production today. Thename Milab (MicrophoneLaboratories) came intobeing in 1970 and now Milabmanufacture a full range ofmicrophones including thedigital DM1001 condenser.www.milabmic.comMOJAVE AUDIODavid Royer establishedMojave Audio in his garagein Fullerton California in1985. Known for his ribbonmicrophone designs withRoyer Labs, Mojave Audio isthe outlet for David Royer’stube microphone designs.www.mojaveaudio.comMXL MICROPHONESMXL Microphones aredesigned and manufacturedby US-based manufacturersMarshall Electronics.The brand has a vaiety ofstandard microphone typesaimed at the expanding‘cost-effective’ market forgood quality products.www.mxlmics.comNADY SYSTEMS INCFounded by John Nady in1976, Nady Systems Incwas, and remains, at theforefront of wireless micdesign. Nady was amongstthe first to address theissues of noise reductionin wireless systems and,by 1985, eighty percent ofthe world’s top artists wereusing Nady systems.Nadyhas branched out and nowincludes a comprehensiverange of studio condenser,ribbon, instrument specific,and USB microphones.www.nady.comNEUMANNWith roots goingback to Berlin in1928, Neumannhas been involvedin the design andmanufacture of a wide rangeof audio products, but it iswith microphones that thename is most associated.Neumann became part ofthe Sennheiser group in1991, and this branch ofNeumann is focused oncontinuing its long traditionof high quality industry widemicrophones.www.neumann.comOKTAVAFor many years, being thelargest manufacturer ofelectro-acoustic transducersin Russia has given Octavaa great background forproducing their ownmicrophone range. This isnow a large collection oftube, ribbon, electret, andconventional microphonesfor all manner of studioapplications.www.oktava.tula.netPEARL MICROPHONESThe background to Pearl isconnected to that of Milabwith the same origins.The Pearl range owesmuch to the designs ofRune Rosander. Based inSweden, Pearl produces anumber of conventionaland tube microphones.www.pearl.sePEAVEYAfter graduating college in1965, Hartley Peavey startedhis company using thelogo he came up with whiledoodling in his notebook.With products spanning thewhole audio world, Peaveymicrophones illustratesthis with units for use inthe studio, speciality, and insound reinforcement.www.peavey.comPSCSince 1976, ProfessionalSound Corporation(PSC) has been a leadingmanufacturer anddistributor of professionalaudio products for thefilm and video industries.Amongst the extensiveproduct range are a noisecancelling headset, and minilavalier microphones.www.professionalsound.comRED MICROPHONESAs a spin off from theLatvian manufacturedCalifornian based BlueMicrophone Company, RedMicrophones’ pedigreeis a good one. Offeringthe Type A tube and TypeB solid-state lollipopstyle microphones withinterchangeable capsules.www.redmic.comRICSONIXbased in Austrailia, Ricsonixmanufacturers serverlpin/button microphonesdesigned to be hiddenbehind a button or badge.the MITS-2 features a builtin windshield.www.ricsonix.comRODE MICROPHONESRode came intoexistence after Henryand Astrid Freemanemigrated fromSweden to Australiain 1967. Theirbackground in audioproduct developmentwithin their own FreemanGroup of companies led tothe development and releaseof the first Rode Microphonein 1990.The Rode range hasgrown in number andreputation since then, withquality, affordable tube andconventional microphonesfor broadcast and studio use.www.rodemic.comROYER LABSFormed in 1998 to bringDavid Royer’s ribbondesigns to the world,Royer produces a wide andrespective range of ribbonsthat include unique tube andphantom powered ribbonmicrophones.www.royerlabs.comSAGE ELECTRONICSSage Electronics wasfounded in 2002, and isoperated by long-time recordproducer Phillip VictorBova, his wife Janet Kirbyand their son Philip ShawBova. It produces a numberof pro audio products thatincludes the SE-BB1 BovaBall Spherically mountedcondenser microphone.www.sageelectronics.comSAMSONSamson began 26 years agodesigning and producingwireless microphonesystems. Since then Samsonhas diversified into anumber of areas of audioequipment production thatincludes a large number ofconventional, ribbon, andUSB microphones.www.samsontech.com38 MICROPHONE MANUFACTURERS DIRECTORY

microphones 2008SANKEN MICROPHONESSanken Microphones isbased in Tokyo and hasfocused on producingsimple original condenserand dynamic microphonedesigns for studio,broadcast, and live usesince 1926.www.sanken-mic.comSCHERTLERSchertler started life in theearly 1980s in Switzerlandwith the goal of providinga solution to producing afaithful reproduction ofacoustic string instruments.Schertler now has awell-established andcomprehensive range ofcontact microphones for across section of acousticstring instruments.www.schertler.comSCHOEPSFounded in 1948 by DrSchoeps, the companyhas specialised in thedesign and manufactureof high quality condensermicrophones for over half acentury. The Schoeps rangeis now an extensive one withcondenser solutions forall manner of studio,broadcast, live, and locationscenarios, as well assurround applications.www.schoeps.deSD SYSTEMSA group of sax playersdecided to try to solve theproblem of a sax playerbeing able to project overthe sound of the band theywere in without restrictingmovement on stage. In 1981SD Systems was born withthe bell-mounted solutionthat they developed, theLCM85.The SD Systemsmicrophone range nowencompasses mini andcontact microphones for awide range of instruments.www.sdsystems.comSE ELECTRONICSThe origins ofSE Electronicsare with MrSiwei Zou, aclassical musician fromShanghai. Through years ofeducation and experiencein both China and the US,his designs were eventuallydeveloped back in Shanghaiwhere in 2003, SE Electronicproducts were launched inEurope. The microphoneproduct line includestube, ribbon, modular andconventional microphones.www.seelectronics.comSENNHEISERSennheiser has beendelivering top of the linepro audio for more than50 years, with much of thebackbone of many studios’microphone cabinets,whether it be music,broadcast, post, live, orlocation. Sennheiser hasa microphone range than istruly diverse covering everynook and cranny ofthe industry.www.sennheiser.co.ukSHUREFounded in Chicagoby Sidney Shurein 1925 sellingradio parts, Shureproduced theirfirst microphonein 1932 and havenot looked back. They nowhave a collection of wiredand wireless microphonesincluding the SM58, whichhas just celebrated its40 th birthday.www.shure.comSONOTRIM LAVALIERSNew York based SonotrimLavaliers produces a lowprofile electret condenserlavalier and a numberof mounting and poweraccessories.www.posthorn.comSONTRONICSDesigned and developedin the UK and hand craftedin Shanghai, Sontronicsproduce uncompromisinghigh performancemicrophones at affordableprices. The range includesthe distinctive condenser,tube, and ribbon designs.www.sontronics.comSONYSony has a long history whenit comes to microphones andhas produced a few classicsin their time both old andnew. The current rangereflects Sony’s continuedinvolvement in all proaudio arenas.www.sonybiz.netSOUNDFIELDBased inthe UK andformed in 1993,SoundfieldLimited manufacturesand continues to developits unique multi capsuletetrahedral design for bothenhanced stereo and multichannelapplications.www.soundfield.comSOUNDKINGThe Soundking Group Ltdof China specialises in theresearch and developmentof a variety of products inpro audio. In the microphonecategory, it has a wide rangeof mic types and kits.www.soundking.comSOUNDMANHeadquartered in Berlinand founded in 2001,Soundman have developedthe OKM dummy headmicrophone. An electretcondenser microphone foruse in live, voice, and otherenvironmental recordingapplications.www.soundman.deSTUDIO PROJECTSInconjunctionwith partnercompany797 Audio, US-based StudioProjects looks to providea quality general purposemicrophone product withGerman type build standardsat a fraction of the cost. Therange includes a variety ofcondenser microphonesincluding the ISD2 stereocondenser.www.studioprojectsusa.comSYMPHOTECGerman companySymphotec set aboutdesigning a microphonespecifically for the purposeof producing a better, morefaithful, reproduction oforchestral and concert hallpresentations. This resultedin the Symphotec OrchestralManagement System.www.symphotec.deT.H.EBased in Connecticut, TaylorHohendahl Engineeringproduces beautifully craftedmicrophones designedby Andy Hohendahl. Therange includes referencecondensers, modular mics,and a binaural sphere.www.theaudio.comTRAM LAVALIERSTRAM manufacturers thefamous TR-50 lavalieromni-directional mic, whichcomes with a huge rangeof accessories for manydifferent configurationsand mountings.www.tram-usa.comTRANTECBased in London andrunning now for over adecade, Trantec was formedby Steve Baker, Dave Binksand Terry Maybe, whodeveloped and subsequentlyspecialised in wireless micsolutions. Trantec nowsupply to broadcast andtheatre clients. The Trantecrange includes the SD7000digital wireless.www.trantec.co.ukTRINNOV AUDIOLocated in France TrinnovAudio specialises in thedigital processing of acousticfields. Trinnov has producedthe SRP Surround array ofmicrophones, based on abreakthrough special highresolution technology.www.trinnov.comVIOLET DESIGNViolet has beendeveloping andmanufacturing inLatvia since 2003,where it produces arange of distinctiveand colourfulmicrophones – acombination of tube,solid-state, large and smalldiaphragm condensers.www.violet-design.comVOICE TECHNOLOGIESVoice Technologies is basedin Zurich, and are focusedon mics for use in broadcast,theatre, film, video, andconference applications.A range of miniaturelavaliers and headsetmicrophones are available.www.voicetechnologies.netWUNDER AUDIOStarting back in 1999,Wunder Audio has comefrom refurbishing vintageequipment to producingproducts that give a big nodto past classics. Wunderproduces handmadetransformers for all of itsproducts including a rangeof high-end tube mics.www.wunderaudio.comXXL INSIDEFounded in 1990 in Florence,XXL supplied technicalservices to some of thetop names in the audiosector before venturinginto production. XXL hasbeen involved in pro audioacross the board, and themicrophone collectionincludes studio condenserand dynamic, miniaturelavalier, and headsetmicrophones.www.xxlinside.comZAXCOMKnown primarily for itsDeva location recorders anddigital wireless systems,Zaxcom recently introducedthe ZFR800 handheld digitalrecording mic to the fieldrecording and broadcastjournalism markets.www.zaxcom.comTHE INTERNATIONAL MICROPHONE BUYER’S GUIDE 39

Microphone BasicsThe foundation of good microphone practice is technical knowledge. Blažo Guzinaprovides a run-down of the basics for anybody just getting to grips with the wibbly bits...Microphones have different overall physicaland electrical characteristics and areclassifiable into three main groups, basedon the physical principle of converting soundinto an electrical signal: electrodynamic coil,electrodynamic ribbon, and electrostatic (orcondenser) microphones.Dynamic MicrophoneThe electrodynamic moving-coil microphonehas a coil of finely wrapped wire preciselysuspended between the poles of a magnetand attached to a diaphragm. Soundwavesdrive the diaphragm, which vibrates ina high-level magnetic field. In the coil,this movement induces a voltage, whichcorresponds to the sound pressure.Dynamic microphones are very ruggedand handle high sound pressures withoutoverloading. They are reliable and virtuallynever distort the sound signal. They areinsensitive to extreme heat, cold, and highair humidity. Dynamic microphones canusually withstand extreme environmentalconditions such as temperatures from-25°C to +70°C.Ribbon MicrophoneThe electrodynamic ribbon mic has a thinmetal foil in the form of a corrugated ribbonsuspended in a magnetic field. Soundpressure variations displace the diaphragm,in which an electrical current is induceddepending on the amplitude and frequencyof sound. Due to the short length of theribbon compared to the moving coil, itsoutput electrical impedance is less than 1 Ω.This resistance is too low to directly connectto the microphone input of a mixing deskor recorder, so a step-up transformer isneeded to increase the impedance up to the150Ω to 600Ω range.Due to constructional improvements,modern ribbon mics are suitable for outdoorand handheld use. They are prized for theirwarm, smooth, yet delicate sound quality.Condenser MicrophoneThe electrostatic (condenser) microphoneuses a transducer element consisting of avibrating diaphragm (very thin foil) and afixed metal plate (back electrode).These two electrodes make up acondenser (capacitor) charged by anexternally applied voltage (polarizationvoltage) or carrying its own permanentelectrical charge, as with an electretmicrophone.When soundwaves vibrate thediaphragm, the capacitance of thecondenser changes simultaneously, thusproducing an output voltage that varies withthe intensity and frequency of the sound.Condenser microphones usually have aflat frequency response, high sensitivity andgood ability to follow sudden, percussivesound events immediately. This is describedas good transient response.Condenser microphones require animpedance converter in the form of apreamplifier to match the very high outputimpedance to low impedance microphoneinputs. This amplifier fits within the bodyof the microphone in order to prevent hum,noise pickup and the losses of the signallevel due to the length of the circuit from thediaphragm to the amplifier.Phantom PowerCondenser microphones need a DCsupply voltage. Except for battery operatedmicrophones, the voltage usually comesthrough the microphone cable. The positive(+) side of a DC voltage connects to bothsignal wires of a balanced line and thenegative (ñ) side to the cable screen.An exception is the electret condensermicrophone. This type of microphone hasthe polarizing charge stored permanentlywithin the diaphragm or on the backplate.No external power is required to charge thediaphragm.Polar PatternsApart from the basic differences in thephysical principle of operation, the mainfactor that influences the choice of amicrophone is its polar pattern.Polar pattern, also known also aspolar response, is a chart that graphicallyrepresents microphone sensitivity withrespect to the direction of soundwavesarriving at its membrane.A chart is usually plotted in the form ofa 360° polar diagram, with the on-axis 0°direction clearly marked. It is possible toclassify microphones into two main groups,based on their directional characteristics:non-directional and directionalmicrophones.In principle, a non-directionalmicrophone is a pressure-operatedelectroacoustic transducer. Its response toacoustic sound pressure is omnidirectional,meaning that the diaphragm reacts equallyto all soundwaves arriving at its surface,regardless of their direction.A typical example of a directionalmicrophone is a pressure-gradienttransducer. This type has a bidirectional(or figure-of-eight) polar diagram. Thismeans the microphone reacts to differencesin pressure between the two sides of adiaphragm.Ribbon microphones are the mostcommon type with a bidirectional polarresponse. A metal ribbon diaphragm isequally sensitive to soundwaves arrivingfrom front and rear axes.All other known directional patternsare obtainable as a result of a combinationof the aforementioned two main polarpattern types. The number of variations ispractically unlimited.When the outputs of an omnidirectional(pressure) and bidirectional (pressuregradient)pickup pattern are combined, thebest known resulting polar responses thatare obtainable are cardioid, supercardioid,and hypercardioid. Their common name isunidirectional microphones.A unidirectional microphone is mostsensitive to soundwaves arriving from onedirection, in front of the microphone, butsoftens sounds from the sides or rear.The cardioid microphone is sensitive tosounds from a broad angle in front of themicrophone. Generally, it is about 6dB lesssensitive at the sides, at 90° and 270°, and15 to 25dB less sensitive to the rear.40 microphone basics