By George Petersen
THERE OUTTA BE A TRADESHOW FOR TRADESHOWS, where all these organizers can all meet and coordinate their dates for the upcoming year. Just about anybody who goes to a lot of audio tradeshows can remember those years when Musikmesse overlapped NAB, etc. And it never seems to end—next month’s IBC (the big European broadcasting show) overlaps PLASA (the big U.K. live sound show). Whether you’re attending or exhibiting, such intertwined schedules can really complicate your life.
But sometimes, there is some good news. Over the weekend, InfoComm and NSCA announced that they would combine their expos into a single event next year (June 18-20) in Las Vegas. Both organizations should be applauded for this move, which should really reinforce (no pun intended) and help build show attendance and the depth of the workshops/ancillary activities surrounding the expo itself. Faced with two similar (but certainly NOT identical) events, many showgoers–and many exhibitors as well–simply selected one or the other each year, leading to two competing events just a few months apart. After years of complaints about the situation from exhibitors and visitors, both organizations decided to take action and work together for a common good. Bravo!
And after a three-year absence, Summer NAMM is returning to Nashville in 2008. Indianapolis and Austin are great towns, but the only place where Summer NAMM seems to work these days is Nashville. As with other cities where Summer NAMM has been held—such as Austin, New Orleans, Chicago, Atlanta, Atlantic City—Nashville is also a great music town. But Nashville is a major recording center—another plus, with a great downtown convention center with affordable nearby lodging and is in the center of a huge population circle within a one-day’s driving radius, making it convenient as well. So far, so good. Unfortunately, Summer NAMM 2008 is June 20-22, and this timing overlap with the new, powerful, merged NSCA/InfoComm will create some tough decisions for a fair number of pro audio exhibitors in picking which show to attend/support.
The very real issue of overlapping tradeshows actually hurts everyone in the industry, especially in today’s tough business climate. So far, we have two steps forward, and one step behind. Maybe someday, in that perfect world where all these organizations do a little more coordination, this wouldn’t happen. The solution could be that “tradeshow for tradeshows” where all this occurs, but until that day…
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
YOU DON’T HAVE TO WANDER FARTHER THAN YOUTUBE.COM to notice that video’s making a big impact on the web. Sure, the ‘net is filled with lots of funny clips, animations and occasionally even interesting bits, like the torture test of the Unitron waterproof computer keyboard. But there’s a serious side too…
On the Mix front, we’ve been incorporating video into our site for years, ranging from Seminars on Demand on topics such as Kevin Becka’s excellent series on studio miking techniques or technology previews like Taylor Guitars/Rupert Neve Expression Series or going backstage with the crew on the 2007 Snow Patrol tour. Just go to http://mixonline.com/video/ and you can find all this and more—including video highlights of past trade shows—AES, NAB, NAMM. And with the opening of Pixar’s Ratatouille, we’re going online tomorrow morning with an exclusive chat with the film’s sound designer extraordinaire Randy Thom—neat stuff!
There’s a whole lotta video going on around here with a whole lot more to come. That’s good. The bad part is trying to shop for some fairly simple HD camcorders that we can dole out to our editors for events like tradeshow coverage, where we need something lightweight, easy to use and capable of good quality picture and sound. That’s the ugly part. Picture-wise, there are plenty of low-cost models available that can handle the job, but getting decent audio from a consumer camcorder is like pulling teeth: Real ugly.
Today’s low-cost models tout features like 20x optical zooms (and the all-too-bogus 200x “digital” zoom functions), onboard effects, 720 HD picture quality, and storage to DV tape, hard disk, mini DVD and all manners of removeable media cards (SD, CF, Memory Stick, etc.) Yet at the same time, the attention to audio is deplorable. Here, I’m not even getting into the nuances of digital filter design or sampling rates or the quality of the onboard mics—or an almost total lack of manual controls for audio level. [Besides, there's something VERY cinema verite about that blast of noise that appears when an AGC circuit pumps up the hiss or background noise during the pauses between sentences of dialog.] But what really kills me are the places where manufacturers locate these onboard mics. For some reason, the favored locations seem to be along the rear of the top panel–didn’t these companies ever consider putting mics on the FRONT of the camera, like maybe under the lens?
One model I looked at had the mics mounted on the back side of the flip-out viewscreen. On first glance, I thought this could be cool–the backside would form a quasi-boundary, giving you a semi-hemispherical pickup. However, it could get real ugly when the user tilts the viewscreen downward for low-angle shooting (pointing the mics at the floor) or when your hand partially covers the mics when holding the camera. Ugly, for sure.
Of course, it’s all fixable with an external mic, but finding a low-cost camcorder that has an external mic input (even 1/8-inch unbalanced) is not easy. But at least if you do, there are options, such as Rode’s VideoMic or Sennheiser’s MKE 300 shotguns or a simple Audio-Technica Pro 24 cardioid X-Y stereo. Yeah, I know there are much higher-end mics, but at least simple solutions like these will put you way ahead of the audio quality game.
And XLR inputs??? Fuggettaboutitt–at least in the sub-$2000 range. Certainly, there are other options, such as the cool XLR-to-minijack adapters from www.beachtek.com or the vintage PASS MD Report Jr. unit I’ve used for years. Heck, you could even go double system, and pack your fave location recorder, mixer, sound cart, booms, fishpoles, radio mics, shotguns and lavaliers. Sure, it’s a little bit of overkill when you’re shooting the kid’s birthday party on a $400 camcorder, but maybe that’s what real sound is all about…
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
The Winter NAMM show is one big five-ring (hall) circus. Every year the NAMM people say it’s the biggest show ever, this year touting some 85,000 registrants packed into the convention center. Now, note that they use the word registrants rather than attendees, so the REAL figure is somewhat less than that, but when the lines at the hot dog stands are still packed at four in the afternoon, you can safely figure the joint is packed.
At NAMM, the traditional salutation is not “Hey, howya doin’?” but rather “So what have you seen that’s cool?” In years past, this was an easy one to answer, but this year there was no single overriding product that was on everyone’s must-see list. So we move from Tier One to Tier Two, which leaves us with a lot of slick ancillaries and stocking stuffers for next year’s gift list. And in this melange, there are amazing little things that might slip by on casual glance. Here, are some of my faves in that oft-neglected category:
++ALLEN & HEATH’s WZ3 Monitor mixer is admittedly a little large for a stocking stuffer. With onboard passive mic splitting, 4-band EQ and 12 mix outs assignable as mono or stereo pairs, this 16 mic/line input monitor mixer is an ideal centerpiece for an affordable in-ear monitoring solution for clubs or traveling bands. www.allen-heath.com
++DIGITECH killed me with its new harmony processors. I’m normally underwhelmed by such things, but the Vocalist Live 2 and Vocalist Live 4 vocal effects processors (designed for the singing guitarist) blew me away, both in terms of intelligent, lifelike harmonies, and in their ease of use. Rather than make users define what key they’re in, you simply strum a chord on the guitar connected thru the unit, and the device follows the guitar to match harmonies with the vocal input. Both units include a clean mic preamp with vocal reverb/comp/EQ as well as an onboard chromatic tuner. The $429 list VL2 does two-part (plus your voice) harmonies; the $579 VL4 does four parts and throws in pitch correction as well. These pedalboards include a large bypass button for kicking in/out the processing during the chorus/verse/etc. www.digitech.com
++MXL may have finally got the USB mic thing down. For years now, we’ve been bombarded with the “revolution” in USB mics–something I’m not wowed about, because once you put a digital output (AES/SPDIF/USB/FireWire/etc.) on a mic, you’ve immediately created a product with a limited shelf life. Beyer did this back in 1996, with the “First Digital Mic”–a MCD100 that combined a condenser mic with a 16-bit digital converter in the handle. That was great until people started using 20- and 24-bit stuff and then the mic was obsolete. At NAMM, MXL showed a cigar-sized $99 accessory with an XLR on one end USB on the other: it’s connect and go. The idea of having an outboard USB adapter that works with any mic is cool, so your “USB mic” could be anything from your collection: a shotgun one day, a figure-8 ribbon the next… And best of all, MXL figured a way to supply phantom power from the USB bus—no simple feat. www.mxlmics.com
++NEUTRIK, everybody’s fave connector supplier came out with crimp termination versions of its popular “XX” and “DLX” series XLRs. These don’t even require stripped leads and automatically cut through the insulation to make a secure contact in the crimping process—a great time saver for cable fabricators, but having a couple available in your toolbox may surely save your neck sometime, somewhere, someday in the field. www.neutrikusa.com
++SABINE floored me with another innocuous-looking-yet-amazing accessory: the Phantom Mic Rider. Barely larger than an XLR connector, it packs an FBX Feedback Exterminator, automatic gain adjust, control of proximity effect and plosives and infrared mic gating—in a phantom-powered $119 inline accessory. Onboard DSP does the trick to create the world’s smallest automatic mic mixer that’s perfect for unattended mics in contracting applications or simply as automated mic gate for live sound that can shut off an unused vocal mic when no one’s nearby. www.sabine.com

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
There’s something magic about Winter NAMM, which kicks off this Thursday. Maybe its the idea of getting out of your frosty environment and going to sunny So Cal and Disneyland for a break. Or maybe it’s just the feeling you get from walking though NAMM’s six-plus exhibit halls filled with guitars, drums, clarinets and every manner of pro audio device. It’s a music show, but you’ll find Avalon, Manley, Neumann, Rupert Neve Designs, Millennia, Summit, API, Studer and SSL—to name a few of the major league pro players—scattered among the aisles of instruments and musical accoutrements. The latter is what really gets me—the leagues of sellers hawking clocks, ties, mugs and scarves with musical symbols and notes on them. But I guess somebody actually buys all that stuff, because they’re here year after year.
This year, Fender and Gibson are unveiling yet more models of Strats and Les Pauls—who buys all this stuff??? But what’s even more ridiculous are the hordes (an appropriate term) of no-name knockoffs of everything imaginable. If you can buy an entry level Fender Strat or Gibson Les Paul for $99 or $149, then what’s the point of anyone buying some ridiculous garbage quality copy for $79? Usually the argument is well, it’s the kid’s first guitar so we don’t want to put too much money into it anyway. There are two problems with this. If the crap guitar plays like crap, then it discourages the kid from ever wanting to play–maybe ever! And the other downside of the no-name crap is that the resale value of that no-name piece of junk is essentially zero, whereas the used price on the $149 Strat will still be around $100.
That said, one of the industry’s real secrets is all about consistency. If you buy a higher-end (like custom shop-level) guitar, it oughta play great. If you go through 100 no-name guitars, there might be one or two that play decently, simply through happenstance or luck. If you go through 100 of those $149 Fenders or Gibsons, you’ll probably encounter about 90 that are OK and 10 that are great. In the $500 range, the ratio of OK to great might be 80/20, and so on. But it is possible to find a cheap guitar that plays great or a $$$ model that’s just so-so.
The good thing is, the quality of some of cheaper imports is definitely on the rise and there are some amazing low-cost instruments on the market now. You just have to play LOTS of them to find the one that’s right for you.
I’ve played a lot of guitars at NAMM over the years and what really floors me is the fact that a lot of companies don’t even seem to cherry-pick (or even bother to do a set-up adjustment on) the models they put on display. Maybe it’ll be different this year. Or maybe not. Either way, I’m packing outta here now.
In the meantime, check into www.mixonline.com this week for some NAMM-filled fun with blogging, podcasts, video highlights, product news and more–all from the show floor.
If you’re at NAMM drop by booth #5715 to say hello and maybe upload some of your comments. See ya there!
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
Here we are—it’s AES week, and if you’re not already planning to attend the show, be advised that San Francisco’s Moscone Center is THE place to be for anyone who’s serious about audio. [For more info about AES visit www.AES.org].
With more than 400 audio companies showing their latest toys, there’ll be a whole lotta technology going on and it’s an ideal place to talk to manufacturers up close and personal about how their products fit into your audio needs. Here are a few suggestions for gear suppliers on my AES Wish List:
Fix your Website! You probably don’t think it needs fixing, but it does. If the words “skip introâ€? appear on your opening page, you’ve got a problem. People visit your site looking for information, not entertainment. No one wants to watch that whirling logo and spacey music intro of yours. Also, your search engine ranking is based partly on the text on your front page, and if the only words are “skip intro,â€? there isn’t much for Google, Yahoo, et al, to work with. While you’re at it, test your site with several browsers to make sure your customers can actually view it.
Give us support! Phone support is hard to access (busy signals) for users, so pump up your Web support. Offer more FAQs, troubleshooting tips, downloadable manuals and quick-start charts. And provide documentation for discontinued products: You made that stuff, so give your supporters some support.
Copy protection is a necessary evil. A friend of mine had to buy a USB hub just to run all of his dongles on his laptop! Concepts such as the iLok aren’t necessarily perfect, but are a step in the right direction. Maybe 2007 will be the year when some smart minds in this biz come up with a solution we can all live with. Pleeeeaase?
Every manufacturer is in a hurry to get product out, but can you actually test stuff before you ship it? If it’s software/peripherals, check it on Intel and AMD hardware (with Win 2000, NT and XP Pro/Home); on the Mac side, try OS X (Tiger, too) as well as OS 9 and G5/G4/G3/legacy machines. If some platform isn’t supported, let users know before they buy/upgrade, and don’t simply promise a future new driver or fix. And it’s not just computer stuff– audio hardware (from mics to modeling synths) needs a good dose of beta testing before foisting it on the public.
Finally, look at your products from a long-term user’s viewpoint. A box with a soldered-in battery for RAM backup just screams the phrase “planned obsolescence.â€? And in one of the few industries where users actually value vintage gear, a few extra coins for a battery socket (or better-quality pots, switches and connectors) can mean satisfied users and repeat customers down the 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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So what suggestions do YOU have for manufacturers? And while we’re at it, what would YOU offer in terms of ways that the AES show itself could improve?

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By George Petersen
Our old friend analog recording has been around since 1877. That 130-years represents a lot of time for a technology to mature and improve. Meanwhile, digital recording has been around for about 30 years–not a whole lot of time.
In fact, if you look at the state of analog in 1907 (30 years after its birth), things were pretty grim. The acoustic recording era was the thing, where artists had to scream their performances into a horn with enough volume to make sure the needle cut the groove deeply enough. Bandwidth was about 3.5 kHz. Microphones were not part of the recording process until the mid-1920s.
But what if–and admittedly it’s a BIG what if–digital had come first and was 130 years old? And in that same imaginary world, what if you went to an AES show where analog recording technology was being shown for the first time in 2006? Here’s some user comments you might hear at the upcoming Analog World Expo in that imaginary universe:
ANALOG RECORDER BOOTH: “Sure, that upper frequency response is nice, but it won’t matter on a CD or MP3 anyway. No, what about that wow and flutter or nonlinear LF response due to head bump? The tape setup/alignment takes a lot of time. It’s impossible to clone tracks or make perfect safety backups. And that tape hiss…”
2-TRACK EDITING WORKSHOP: “Let me see… you take my original master tape, chop it up with razor blades, use adhesive tape to put it back together and there aren’t any levels of UNDO?”
PLATE REVERB BOOTH: “Man, that reverb would be great on drums or vocals! What do you mean it operates by vibrating a 7-foot steel sheet with a couple contact mics on it, mounted inside a 400-pound box? And it only does ONE sound? How do I tweak parameters, load new algorithms or store different spatial parameters?”
COPPER WIRE BOOTH: “You expect me to replace my 20-pound, 500-foot, 400-channel fiber-optic snake with eight 56-channel copper firehoses that weigh 1,500 pounds each? You gotta be kidding…”
VINYL LP RECORD DEMO: “Wow! That 12-inch disk is big enough to hold the entire history of the world’s music… What do you mean it only holds 20 minutes max per side, and I’m supposed to flip the disk over in the middle of the album? How am I supposed to play this in my car… or while jogging or flying? And if you bump into the player while it’s operating, the record is scratched and flawed forever? Oh yeah… the major labels are gonna love this one!”
TECHNICAL PAPERS SECTION: “And just how do you expect us to make music WITHOUT drum loops, vocal pitch adjustment, cut-and-paste assembly editing, quantized tempo correction, virtual tracking and pre-packaged sequences???”
Fortunately, it was all just a dream, and clearly there’s room for analog and digital technologies to co-exist. But if digital had come first, would analog have ever existed at all?
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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