By George Petersen
FEW MAJOR COMPANIES IN PRO AUDIO are family owned—among these, examples such as Meyer Sound, Peavey and Sennheiser come to mind. Yet in such cases, each of these companies has managed to retain a close-knit family atmosphere among those who work at the company. So it is with great sadness that I heard the news about Sennheiser founder Dr. Fritz Sennheiser, who passed away just a few days after his 98th birthday.

Dr. Fritz Sennheiser
Born in Berlin on May 9, 1912, Fritz Sennheiser’s father wanted him to study landscape architecture, but with the 1929 stock market crash, the 17-year-old saw little future in landscaping during those perilous times and instead entered the electrical engineering/telecommunications program at Berlin’s Technical University. After attaining his PhD, World War II broke out and Dr. Sennheiser continued his research, heading the Institute for Radio Frequency Engineering and Electroacoustics in Hannover.
In 1945, post-war Germany was in shambles. In June of that year, Sennheiser founded Laboratorium Wennebostel (“Labor W�?) with a staff of seven employees in an abandoned laboratory of Hanover’s Technical University. German scientists were then prohibited from doing radio technology research, so Sennheiser used his savings to create a business making millivoltmeters for Siemens.
Soon after, Labor W was contracted to build microphones for Siemens. Later, the team designed its own mic, debuting the MD2 dynamic in 1947. The company expanded into other products, such as amps, intercoms, transformers, and headphone capsules. Based on a lab model developed in 1949, the 1956 MD 82 was the first shotgun mic. A move into wireless mics followed a year later.
By 1958, the company had 450 employees and changed its name to Sennheiser Electronic. Sales grew tenfold, but Sennheiser always returned to the community, splitting his time between running the company and teaching at Hannover Technical University—a tradition continued by his son, current company chairman, Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser.
In 1982 on Dr. Fritz Sennheiser’s 70th birthday, the management of the company was transferred from father to son, but this did not change Sennheiser Electronic’s role as a technology leader. The company has received numerous accolades in this regard, including a 1987 award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for the industry-standard MKH 816 shotgun mic, and a 1996 Emmy for developments in RF wireless.
Sennheiser Electronics is successful, but the business integrity instilled by Dr. Fritz Sennheiser remains a priority. Son Jörg Sennheiser once refused a lucrative deal to produce 200,000 weatherproof mic capsules when he realized they were to be used as land mine triggers. Yet this concern for others has always been the company way, a policy dating back to the early days of Labor W, when Dr. Fritz Sennheiser invested his savings to create jobs for his co-workers.
Dr. Fritz Sennheiser’s years of innovation, combined with a sense of caring and creating a family atmosphere at work live on in the company he started 65 years ago. He will not be forgotten.

George Petersen is an independent journalist/author/producer. Visit him on Facebook or at www.audioinfosource.com.
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By George Petersen

WORLD RENOWNED FOR ITS PRO MICROPHONES, Neumann has announced it is adding Neumann-branded studio monitors to its portfolio. The new line will be based on products from Klein + Hummel—another company iin the Sennhsiser family of products. K+H monitors earned an excellent reputation in European marklet, but are less well known in other countries, particularly in North America.
“This will certainly change in the near future, because the Neumann brand is well-established in the international studio world,� says Wolfgang Fraissinet, president of marketing/sales at Neumann Berlin. “We anticipate a strong synergy effect here.�

Neumann is no stranger to non-microphone technologies, such as record lathes and studio consoles. In this rare photo, company founder Georg Neumann (left) experiments with an optical film sound recorder.
“In the history of the company, Neumann stands for far more than microphone technology, “ Fraissinet continues, “and over the decades we have also produced record-cutting equipment and studio consoles, for example. Our expertise in transformer design for the microphone—as well as in signal processing and digital audio technology, has already been demonstrated. In addition Neumann has a leading role in the area of high technology, which is successfully implemented, for instance, in the digital microphones of Neumann’s Solution-D series.�
Existing K+H studio monitors are being incorporated into the Neumann product portfolio as the “KH Line.� Over time, new products will be developed to fullfil the needs of high-end studio professionals. The first new studio monitors carrying the Neumann label will be launched later this year.

The new Neumann Synergie logo
So far, Neumann has been secretive about the new products, other than unveiling a new logo for this symbiosis of the two technologies, known as Neumann Synergie. The circular logo shows a microphone grill on the left, a speaker cone on the right, with a gentle sine wave shape separation between the two. So the rest of us will have to wait until later in the year for more details on Neumann’s first studio monitors. Stay tuned. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear anything.
Go here for more information about Neumann’s existing K+H monitor line .
When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Check ‘em out at www.jenpet.com.
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By George Petersen
EVER WONDER IF SOMEONE’S PUTTING YOU ON? We always appreciate getting e-mails and comments about Mix and the industry in general, but every once in a while, we just gotta wonder whether someone’s putting us on. It’s the web equivalent of the phrase “O.K., Where’s the hidden camera?”—wondering whether Allen Funt is gonna come out from behind a curtain. And sometimes, maybe it’s simply a sad reflection on whoever actually sends these things.

One time, some guy inquired, asking for a recommendation about what kind of outboard mic preamp he should buy. Someone told him his tracks would sound much better if he bought a Neve preamp. I replied that to in order for us to maintain some kind of impartiality, we have a policy of not recommending any specific products unless it is part of a written article, review, etc. But out of curiosity, I asked him what kind of mics he had. He replied he had a couple of Shure SM57s.
Believe me, there are few mics more amazing than this must-have, time-tested classic, but at this point the “Candid Camera” alarm went off in my mind. However, diplomacy set in and I recommended he could probably get more quality for his money by first getting some better mics which later—once he’s ready to invest in a super-quality preamp—would really make sense. Problem is some schmoe, an “expert,” no doubt, gave some one-size-fits-all advice that really didn’t fit his particular situation.

Another time, some guy e-mailed after reading what we assumed was a thoroughly tongue-in-cheek article I wrote on the back page of our AES issue last year with a bunch of joke press releases called “Products You Won’t See at AES”. You can check it out here: CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE.
Among other things—including gems such as “The Roach Coach Music Library,” a “Drunkulator” plug-in and a “Stoogelizer” outboard processor—the list described the “Virtual Sur-Reality” helmet, which would give users the visual impression they were mixing in Abbey Road studios or the Sydney Opera House rather than the cheesy studio or dumpy basement club they were in.

It was written in jest, yet some poor soul actually thought it was real (talk about sur-reality!) and wondered how he could contact the manufacturer. I’m sure it was quite a letdown for this person to hear the truth, but maybe there’s a lesson to be learned here that indicates there might be a market opportunity for someone to actually make such a product. Any takers? And hey, if it’s on the Internet, it’s gotta be real… doesn’t it?

George Petersen is an independent journalist/author/producer. Visit him on Facebook or at www.audioinfosource.com.

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By George Petersen
THIS HASN’T BEEN THE BEST WEEK. Jim Cowan, an old friend just passed away after a bout with cancer. Just 52 years young, he was a 20-year veteran of Neutrik USA (in fact, he was the company’s first employee), starting out as general manager and eventually becoming company president.
Jim was an amazing person who was loved by everyone in the audio industry and even though we lived on opposite coasts, seeing him at tradeshows was always a great experience. Even better was some years ago when we spent a week in Liechtenstein, checking out the sights, including visiting Neutrik’s plant and company HQ in this tiny European country of 62 square miles—barely larger than the 49-square mile footprint of the city of San Francisco. In those few days, I really got to know what an intelligent, creative and caring human being he was.
And anyone who ever met Jim would tell you he loved the pro audio industry. In a Mix interview, he talked about the satisfaction he felt from “meeting and having one-on-one conversations over the years with industry leaders and pioneers such as Hartley and Melia Peavey, Greg Mackie, Phil Hart, Charlie Wicks and Michael Laiacona—to name just a few. I have been fortunate to have met some of the most talented artists, engineers, installers and designers in the industry.” Jim also recalled that one of his most rewarding accomplishments was getting Neutrik’s Speakon connector accepted by manufacturers, users and installers. “It was a big challenge for Neutrik to create something totally new and to get the industry to like it, believe in it and support it,â€? he said. But Jim’s persistence and hard work paid off, with Speakon now accepted as a worldwide industry standard.
Jim was a devoted father to his sons, participating in their track and soccer programs and coaching youth basketball and Little League baseball teams. He enjoyed traveling, was a serious wine enthusiast and a proud member of the Red Sox Nation. Jim is survived by his wife Kate, sons Daniel and Gregory and his mother. As the disease that took him progressed, and he knew the end was near, he requested that friends who remembered him should donate to Ocean of Love, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children with cancer and their families. It’s no less than I would expect from a man with so much love and who was loved by so many. Farewell, friend–you will be not be forgotten.

When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Click here www.jenpet.com/ariel.html and check ‘em out.
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By George Petersen
DURING MY 28-YEAR TENURE HERE AT MIX, I’ve done hundreds of interviews with people in all aspects of pro audio–engineers, producers, live sound mixers, artists, educators, studio owners, manufacturers, designers–you name it. But it isn’t very often that I’m the one being interviewed, although a couple of these instances occurred recently. One was by my old friend Alan Parsons, who was doing some kind of video documentary and talked to me about Mix magazine during the AES show. It’s too bad he didn’t interview me about the time we spent a week teaching audio seminars (and goofing off) in Argentina for some events sponsored by the wonderful Mercedes Onorato, but like the old saying goes, what happens in Buenos Aires STAYS in Buenos Aires. There are a lot of great stories about that trip, but maybe some other day…
My other interview was by the awesome, talented publicist Marsha Vdovin, who spoke to me a couple weeks ago about my work with the TECnology Hall of Fame, which I founded five years ago as a spinoff to the TEC Awards, to honor audio innovations and innovators from the relatively short (OK, 125-year) history of pro audio, going back to the early work of pioneers such as Edison and Berliner. Marsha’s project had to do with this year’s induction of Bill Putnam’s 1176 compressor—truly a classic in anyone’s book. In fact, I was equally honored to have Bill Putnam Jr. (of the reborn Universal Audio) be on hand to accept the award in the memory of his father.
The sad side of pro audio’s history is that it’s fleeting, very fragile and often poorly documented. Researching this stuff ain’t easy. Many manufacturers are long since out of business. At some companies, no one remains who has any knowledge of the original product—even a few years later. The history of pro audio—our very lineage—is woefully neglected and sources are scarce, if not impossible to find, so ANY effort to chronicle our past is a worthwhile effort. You can check out profiles and information about all of the TECnology Hall of Fame inductees to date by clicking on TECnology Hall of Fame, http://mixonline.com/TECnology-Hall-of-Fame/.
Anyway, after all these years, it was great to chat with Marsha about some of the background behind the event and recall a few highlights. But rather than spoiling all the fun, you can check it our yourself at the Heritage Section of Universal Audio’s website. These guys really understand the importance of history.
As a sidenote to this year’s TECnology Hall of Fame, one of this year’s other inductees was for the Kurzweil 250 keyboard, and although Ray Kurzweil wasn’t able to attend, we were pleased to have his daughter Amy accept the award on his behalf and keeping with the trend, Eric Blackmer, son of the legendary late David Blackmer, accepted the induction for his father’s classic dbx 160 compressor.

When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Click here www.jenpet.com/ariel.html and check ‘em out.
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By George Petersen
YOU CAN TELL IT’S AN ELECTION YEAR. Members of the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress are considering the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, which would require the Federal Communications Commission to prescribe a standard to preclude commercials from being broadcast at louder volumes than the program material they accompany.
The text of this proposed legislation (bills H.R. 6209 and S. 3154) states:
“Within one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Federal Communications Commission shall prescribe pursuant to the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151 et seq.) a regulation that provides, in connection with any video programming that is broadcast or that is distributed by any multichannel video programming distributor, that—
(1) advertisements accompanying such video programming shall not be excessively noisy or strident;
(2) such advertisements shall not be presented at modulation levels substantially higher than the program material that such advertisements accompany; and
(3) the average maximum loudness of such advertisements shall not be substantially higher than the average maximum loudness of the program material that such advertisements accompany.”
Click on the link for more information about the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act.

When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Click here www.jenpet.com/ariel.html and check ‘em out.
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By George Petersen
THERE’S SOMETHING COOL, HIP AND INHERENTLY GREEN about recycling and every now and then I go by this very cool (and very Berkeley) place called Urban Ore, which is just a couple blocks away from the Mix offices. This is a locale where people bring old furniture, leftover building materials and obsolete technology stuff to be resold, reused and otherwise redistributed to people in the know. It’s essentially a huge old warehouse and outdoor sales area brimming full of STUFF of every sort (and well sorted), ranging from consumer electronics, plumbing/electrical supplies, picture frames, desks, sinks, tubs, windows, doors, slightly overused–meaning really beat up–musical instruments and occasionally (but alas, not too frequently) even PRO AUDIO.
But today in the electronics section–among the piles of Kodak Ektagraphic slide projectors, 1970s-era slide programmers/dissolve units (in case anybody is old enough to remember olde-style multimedia/multimage), Mac 8600s, vintage PCs, turntables, cassette decks and piles of Jaz/Zip/Bernoulli drives–was a more unusual item.
A Neve/Necam 96 power supply.
Unfortunately, no other Neve gear was lurking about, but at a mere $50 buckaroos, you could have this monster of monsters: About six rack spaces high, it must have weighed about 100 pounds–they just don’t make ‘em like this anymore. What awesome construction!!! I was even tempted to bring it home and adopt it myself for resale or some future project, but this was like the big one you toss back into the pond, hoping that it will make someone else’s day.
But the real mystery in the back of my mind was what tales this thing could tell. Where did it come from? What great projects did it once supply (pun intended) the juice for? Some things I may never know, so if anyone DOES know, let me know and help me finish this Unsolved Mystery for the rest of the world…
I hate telling you this, because, for one, I don’t want anyone to be misled and think that among the porcelain toilet tanks, printing presses and dictaphones that haunt this place, there are boxes of dusty Neumanns in every corner–which there aren’t, although today, they had a 15-inch Peavey Black Widow woofer (untested and missing its aluminum dust cap) for $12, a solid-looking single-15 cab in faux wood finish–empty, but sporting road handles and dual front ports for $25 and an empty (but extremely heavy) dual-12 cab–it was a generic roadcase-looking box (no handles)–for $20 or so. Yet at the same time, they were trying to sell some heavy black/chrome older steel Atlas speaker stands (NOT MIC STANDS) priced about $260–I’m not sure who came up with THAT price!
So you never know what to expect. Besides this week’s Neve PS, they also had a Sony SDDS 35mm projector soundhead for $25–not bad if you need one–and an Ampex 35mm mag stripe stereo reader (the “penthouse” style) also for $25, but it will be a while before that one moves… Oh, and if you happen to need to need some 35mm exhibition reels, they have both 6,000 and 13,000 foot versions in stock this week.
Just another day in Berkeley…
Click here to visit them online: URBAN ORE.
When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Click here www.jenpet.com/ariel.html and check ‘em out.
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By George Petersen
I FIRST GOT A REAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE back in the early ‘70s, when I spent a lot of time troubleshooting gear. I finally managed to destroy it (it essentially was worn out to the nubs) after it saved my butt about a thousand times, repairing hundreds of pieces of A/V gear, from simple P.A. rigs to elaborate 70mm projection systems with 6-channel Dolby playback. I even filed down the flat screwdriver that stuck out of the side of the knife body at a 90-degree angle so it would fit those reverse-threaded XLR set screws that holds the connector into place. That same attachment also made for a pretty formidable brass-knuckle effect, although that particular usage wasn’t mentioned in any of the official Victorinox literature.
Anyway, it’s too late for Christmas now, but I just heard about a slick new entry in the Swiss Army line—even cooler than the company’s Cyberknife of a couple years back, the one that even included mini Torx drivers for repairing PCs.
Although it’s a whopping $1,200 retail, Wenger Giant Swiss Army Knifeâ„¢ V1.0 #16999 certainly tops anyone’s gift list—or for those companies looking for the ultimate in tradeshow swag—this one’s the ticket. At an actual size of 8.75×3.25-inches (WxL); and weighing in at 2 pounds, 11 ounces, it’s a bit large for the average pocket. However you get a lot here…
It touts 85 implements with 110 functions in all including a 2.5″ 60% serrated locking blade; nail file, nail cleaner; corkscrew; adjustable pliers with wire crimper and cutter; removable screwdriver bit adapter; 2.5″ blade for official world scout knife; spring-loaded, locking needle-nose pliers with wire cutter; removable screwdriver bit holder; phillips head screwdriver bit 0; phillips head screwdriver bit 1; phillips head screwdriver bit 2; flat head screwdriver bit 0.5mm x 3.5mm; flat head screwdriver bit 0.6mm x 4.0mm; flat head screwdriver bit 1.0mm x 6.5mm; magnetized recessed bit holder; double-cut wood saw with ruler (inch & cm); bike chain rivet setter, removable 5mm allen wrench, screwdriver for slotted and philips head screws; removable tool for adjusting bike spokes, 10mm hexagonal key for nuts; removable 4mm curved allen wrench with philips head screwdriver; removable 10mm hexagonal key; patented locking philips head screwdriver; universal wrench; 2.4″ springless scissors with serrated, self-sharpening design; 1.65″ clip point utility blade; philips head screwdriver; 2.5″ clip point blade; golf club face cleaner; 2.4″ round tip blade; patented locking screwdriver, cap lifter, can opener; golf shoe spike wrench; golf divot repair tool; 4mm allen wrench; 2.5″ blade; fine metal file with precision screwdriver; double-cut wood saw; cupped cigar cutter with double-honed edges; 12/20-gauge choke tube tool; watch caseback opening tool; snap shackle; mineral crystal magnifier with precision screwdriver; compass, straight edge, ruler (in./cm); telescopic pointer; fish scaler, hook disgorger, line guide; shortix laboratory key; micro tool holder; micro tool adapter; micro scraper–straight; micro scraper–curved; laser pointer with 300 ft. range; metal saw, metal file; flashlight; micro tool holder; philips head screwdriver 1.5mm; screwdriver 1.2mm; screwdriver .8mm; fine fork for watch spring bars; reamer; pin punch 1.2mm; pin punch .8mm; round needle file; removable tool holder with expandable receptacle; removable tool holder; special self-centering screwdriver for gunsights; flat philips head screwdriver; chisel-point reamer; mineral crystal magnifier, fork for watch spring bars, small ruler; extension tool; spring-loaded, locking flat nose-nose pliers with wire cutter; removable screwdriver bit holder; phillips head screwdriver bit 0; phillips head screwdriver bit 1; phillips head screwdriver bit 2; flat head screwdriver bit 0.5mm x 3.5mm; flat head screwdriver bit 0.6mm x 4.0mm; flat head screwdriver bit 1.0mm x 6.5mm; magnetized recessed bit holder; tire tread gauge; fiber optic tool holder; can opener; patented locking screwdriver, cap lifter, wire stripper; reamer/awl; toothpick; tweezers; and of course, a key ring—you won’t lose your keys if this sucker is attached—guaranteed.
Of all these functions, my fave would have to be the “12/20-gauge choke tube tool� (some of use work some pretty tough gigs), but the “shortix laboratory key� sounds intriguing as well…
Wanna check it out? Just click here…

When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Click here www.jenpet.com and check ‘em out.
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By George Petersen

AFTER WAY TOO MANY YEARS, APPLE FINALLY did a real makeover on Logic, its flagship music/audio production software, now offered as the “Logic Studio” bundle of production tools. It’s sort of the Final Cut Studio approach, which includes FCP, Soundtrack Pro 2, Compressor, DVD Studio Pro, Motion and more–pretty much a script to screen package.
And there’s a lot of good news here. Gone is Logic’s clunky look, instead Logic 8 uses a single-screen interface that’s streamlined and fast. The surround mixing is elegant and there’s a vocal comping feature that’s just amazing. Also in the bundle is Soundtrack Pro 2 (the same version from the FCP Studio bundle), Studio Instruments, Studio Effects (with some 80 plug-ins) and Studio Sound Library, with 18,000 Apple Loops and 1,300 sampled instruments. At $499 it’s almost stupid NOT to buy this package—whether you own a Mac or not.
But what really floored me was the not-so-lowly MainStage. Intended to simplify using software instruments onstage, this standalone app provides a live performance rig for guitar/keys/bass. Virtual keys instruments and guitar/amp/effects modeling is nothing new, but what’s the big deal?
First of all, ya gotta wonder why this is in a studio production bundle anyway. Someday, Apple might wise up and include this with its iLife software, but that’s not the point. I was absolutely amazed by the keyboard setups and their ability to do splits. Again, no biggie—I even have left/right-hand organ/bass splits on my vintage ’60s Farfisa organs. Custom splits are nothing new and nearly any decent keyboard controller can store/recall different split presets for different songs. Yet the real trick with MainStage’s split keyboard mode is its ability to do intelligent splits.
Many of us have experienced the frustration of playing a bass line that as it moves up the scale, will eventually start playing piano notes. But playing left-hand bass/right hand melody parts on a keyboard that can move the split as you play, keeping you in range is pure magic. Evidently MainStage runs some algorithm that tracks your hand movements and moves the split point accordingly. It’s awesome and is probably worth the program’s $499 bundle price. Of course, once your include all the other apps—Logic 8, Soundtrack Pro 2, etc.—this is one amazing bargain.

When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Click here www.jenpet.com and check ‘em out.
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