Distributed in 94 countries, Mix is the world's leading magazine for the professional recording and sound production technology industry. Mix covers a wide range of topics including: recording, live sound and production, broadcast production, audio for film and video, and music technology.
Improved site makes AP’s audio test & measurement expertise more accessible
Beaverton, USA, October 17, 2008: Audio Precision, the recognized standard in audio test and measurement, today announced the launch of its revamped website at http://ap.com
The new website is divided into a Solutions Center, Product Catalog, Audio Resource Library & Knowledge Base, and Downloads Center. This approach makes AP’s audio test & measurement expertise much more accessible, with whitepapers, tutorials, Technotes and software resources available for users at every technical level.
“AP employs the world’s foremost experts in audio test and measurement,” said Tom Williams, AP’s Director of Marketing, “the new site opens that expertise up to users of all technical levels so they can find the information they need to solve problems on the bench test or just learn more about audio.”
The new Solutions Center looks at common test challenges and testing tips for a range of devices from consumer receivers with HDMI to multichannel mixing consoles. Popular downloads include the Introduction to the Six Basic Audio Measurements, Measurement Techniques for Digital Audio, and the Audio Measurement Handbook. New to the site is the AP Glossary of Audio Terms at http://ap.com/library/glossary.
Innovative New Microphone Suspension Products To Be Demonstrated In Las Vegas
Stroud, UK, April 2008: Rycote, worldwide market leaders in the manufacture of microphone windshields and suspension systems, will be exhibiting and demonstrating a variety of new products at this year‘s NAB show, running from April 14th-17th in Las Vegas. The Rycote team will be situated at Stand N8511 throughout the show.
Rycote‘s major launch for NAB 2008 is the complete range of InVision microphone suspensions, which dispense with the elasticated cradles traditionally used to reduce microphone handling noise. Instead, the eight-strong InVision range is based around flexible but virtually unbreakable W-shaped clips, known as Lyres and available in several different sizes, which provide a more efficient isolation from unwanted vibrations than traditional suspensions. Lyres of varying diameters are then combined in the eight different models in the InVision range to provide suspension systems suitable for a wide range of microphones of different diameters and from different manufacturers. Models INV-1 to INV-3 are designed for smaller-bodied microphones in static use, while models INV 4-8 are designed for static and boom-mounted applications, and fit microphones ranging from 8 mm to 30 mm in diameter. A full list of microphones compatible with InVision can be found at www.rycote.com/products/invision.
Live demonstrations of the InVision suspensions on boom poles and desk stands will be taking place throughout NAB on the Rycote stand, featuring InVision models INV-1 and INV-7, one of the most versatile models in the range. INV-7 is designed for shockmounting both fixed and boom pole-mounted microphones, and can be used with a variety of microphones from 19 to 25 mm in diameter, including the Schoeps CMIT-5U, Audio-Technica AT4073a, Sennheiser ME66/K6, Neumann KMR81i, DPA 4017, and Beyer Dynamic MCE86. The INV-1 demonstration system will be set up using two Schoeps CCM41 mics, to enable a comparison to be made between the new InVision mount and a standard desk clamp. Visitors are invited to listen to the improved isolation of the InVision.
The W-shaped Lyre webs at the heart of the InVision suspension system are also being added to an existing Rycote product, the Mono Extended Ball Gag system for the Sennheiser MKH 8000 series and other compact capsule mics. This suspension formerly supported the microphone by means of a four-point elastic suspension ring fitted to a bar, but the new version, which is being previewed at NAB, employs the more efficient Lyre webs from the InVision system for better reduction of handling noise.
To find out more about these new products, go to www.rycote.com, or visit the Rycote team in person at stand N8511 during NAB. A frequency response curve showing the efficacy of the InVision suspensions may be downloaded at homepage.mac.com/girth.tydfil/.Public/InVisionResponse.zip.
New Longer, Lightweight Telescopic Production Pole Launched At NAB
Stroud, UK, April 2008: Lightwave Audio Systems, the manufacturer of microphone booms and support poles for the radio and TV and broadcast industry, is launching a new telescopic production pole at this year‘s NAB show.
The G5-4M is, as its name suggests, a four-metre long version of the existing 2.5-metre G5 pole, with the same patented, easily serviceable triple-cam locking system. Weighing a mere 21.8 ounces (618g) and just one metre long when collapsed, the carbon-fibre G5-4M is the perfect lightweight solution for small newsgathering or location recording teams. It is scheduled to begin shipping in May this year.
For more information about the G5-4M, go to www.lightwavesystems.com, or come to Stand N8511 at NAB.
French Broadcaster Invests In SoundField Hardware For Surround-Sound Sport
Wakefield, UK, April 2008: SoundField is delighted to announce that French state television channel France 3 has begun using SoundField systems, comprising SPS422B microphones and SP451 processors, to provide surround-sound audio for high-definition sports broadcasting. At present, all of France’s state broadcast transmissions are in standard definition, but the SoundField systems are now installed in several of France 3’s OB vehicles, ready for the HD sports coverage that France 3 will be offering in the near future.
The decision to move to HD sports coverage at France 3 has been in the pipeline for some time; technical trials were carried out with various multi-microphone surround systems in early 2006, at a Rugby European Cup match. Multi-channel audio recordings were made to France 3’s Pyramix digital recording workstations using the competing microphone systems, including Soundfield’s, and these audio tests were then taken to France 3’s post-production centre in Rennes, together with the various audio streams that made up the original standard-definition broadcast (ambient sound, commentator’s comments, and so on). After extensive testing to see how easy it was to mix the broadcast using the audio from the different surround microphone systems, SoundField’s microphones won the day.
The first SPS422B/SP451 systems were installed in the OB vehicles owned by France 3’s regional headquarters in Marseille and Lille, in April 2007, just in time to provide 5.1 audio for HD transmissions of Roland Garros French Open Tennis, which were supplied to international broadcasters such as Orange and the Russian state broadcaster. A third SoundField SPS422/SP451 system has since been installed in the high-definition OB truck owned by France 3’s regional headquarters in Rennes.
Sky Sports Purchase Six SoundField DSF-3s Following Successful Field Test
Wakefield, UK, April 2008: SoundField’s DSF-3, the final link in a fully digital surround-capable SoundField microphone system, has successfully passed its first technical trials, providing digital 5.1 surround sound from a single DSF-2 microphone at the Premier League clash between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s home ground. The match, which was being transmitted in high definition by Sky Sports, marked the practical debut of SoundField’s new DSF-3 system. Shortly after the match, Keith Lane, Operational Manager at Sky Sports, signed a sales order for six of the new units.
The DSF-2, SoundField’s first fully digital microphone, was launched in 2006. Like all SoundField microphones, its multi-capsule head provides a multi-channel output signal in a proprietary format which may be simultaneously decoded with SoundField hardware or software into a variety of audio formats, including mono, stereo and 5.1 surround sound. However, before the advent of the DSF-3 processor, announced at last Autumn’s AES show, the only way to obtain 5.1 surround from the DSF-2 for high-definition broadcast was to process its output using the SP451 decoder from SoundField‘s analogue range. Broadcasters like Sky Sports, who have now standardised on the DSF-2, were therefore obliged to convert the digital output from the DSF-2 into an analogue signal for decoding to 5.1 by the SP451, and then reconvert back to digital for final transmission. The digital DSF-3 obviates the need for this extra stage of digital-to-analogue and analogue-to-digital conversion, and ensures that the three-dimensional soundfield picked up by the DSF-2 microphone follows a completely digital signal path from the point of capture to the final HD broadcast.
Keith Lane comments: “We’ve been looking forward to the debut of the DSF-3 for some time, and it was a pleasure to welcome Ken Giles and Pieter Schillebeeckx of SoundField to Stamford Bridge to put the first unit to the test. We have had a DSF-2 permanently installed at Chelsea’s ground for some time, and have been using it in conjunction with an SP451 processor in our OB vehicle. For the Chelsea-Liverpool game, we split the signal from the DSF-2, running it through the new DSF-3 and also via our usual SP451 unit. The idea was to use the DSF-3 feed for the HD broadcast of the match if everything went according to plan, but we had the option of using the feed through the SP451 if anything went wrong. The beauty of this setup was that it permitted us to compare the 5.1 feed coming out of the SP451 with the one coming from SoundField’s new DSF-3 — a perfect A/B test situation.
“As expected, the signal passing via the DSF-3 had a much lower noise floor, as it omitted the extra D-A and A-D conversion stage. We rigged everything up the previous day, and by the time of the match itself we were confident that the DSF-3 was working well enough to be used for the live transmission. Our intention is now to gradually purchase DSF-3 units for all of the OB vehicles we use with the DSF-2 — we have already ordered the first six units — and we will retain the SP451 processors in these vehicles as a redundancy measure. The DSF-3 offers even greater control over the output of the DSF-2, including the ability to digitally store mic setups for different venues, and we’re confident it will be a valuable addition to Sky’s systems.”
“We’re delighted that the DSF-3’s technical trial at Chelsea went so well,” comments SoundField’s Managing Director Ken Giles. “Not only can we now offer our existing valued DSF-2 customers an improved, all-digital system for 5.1 audio capture, the DSF-3 also makes our digital microphone system more attractive to new customers.”
For more information on using an all-digital DSF-2 and DSF-3 system to broadcast 5.1 surround sound in HD, contact SoundField on +44 (0)1924 201089, or see www.soundfield.com.
Cambridge, UK, February 2008: Producer, DJ, record label owner, solo artist: is there no limit to Tim Liken’s activities? And now there’s one more accolade to his name: he’s become the first producer in the UK to receive Prism Sound’s new Orpheus Firewire audio interface, which began shipping in the early days of January. Not a man to do things by halves, he’s actually received two Orpheus units, as he reckoned one of the eight-channel units wouldn‘t suffice for his production needs.
Known in the music world as Tim Deluxe, Liken has been a name to reckon with in the dance community for over a decade, moving from early underground successes in the late ’90s with the Double 99 project to solo hits such as ‘Sirens’ and ‘Less Talk, More Action’ on Underwater, the label run by Darren Emerson from Underworld. In 2002, he struck it big with ‘It Just Won’t Do’, which became a massively successful Ibiza dance anthem and led to a string of high-profile DJ dates and remix work, which kept him busy over the next few years. Amazingly, he still found time to launch his own label, AT Records, and produce and release his debut full-length album, The Little Ginger Club Kid. He’s currently putting the finishing touches to his second solo album, the first fruits of which appeared last year as the single ‘Let The Beats Roll’.
Liken records audio and programs beats and instruments on his Apple Macintosh G5, but varies how he mixes this material depending on the project he’s working on. Sometimes he will work ‘in the box’, mixing in software within the Mac, and sometimes he likes to send all of the audio sources in the Mac back out into the analogue domain to be mixed from his MIDAS Venice 320 analogue console, favouring its more immediate, hands-on interface over mouse-driven mixing. However, for both approaches, he has always needed a top-quality analogue to digital and digital-to-analogue converter, and when the time came to upgrade his old interface, he began asking the advice of North London ‘equipment emporium’ Funky Junk. He was familiar with Prism’s converters from his work in top studios, and also knows other users with MIDAS analogue consoles that favour Prism converters, so he wasn’t too surprised when Funky Junk suggested he try a Prism ADA-8XR, the company’s top-of-the-range interface.
“I liked the ADA-8XR,” he explains, “but I knew I’d want more than eight channels of interfacing, and with the ADA-8XR, that commits you to a lot of money! So I asked Funky Junk if Prism Sound offered a more affordable alternative that sounded as good and still offered Firewire interfacing. And that’s when they told me about Orpheus, which was at the design stage then.
“From what I hear, the Prism team wanted Orpheus to be exactly that — a more affordable ADA-8XR, but without sacrificing the decent sound quality. And now I’ve got two of them, I can say they’ve managed it; because I had the ADA-8XR on loan first, I can say that the Orpheus sounds every bit as good. I’ve been using it on vocals — Kele Le Roc was in here the other day, and she sounded great through it — and I use it when I want to send audio out of the computer to use some of my nice analogue kit, like my Manley compressor or Massenburg EQs, without losing any audio quality. But it’s more than just an interface — I’ve been using the built-in Overkillers in the Orpheus to really fatten synth sounds lately, compressing them hard almost as an effect.
“What I needed was a less expensive ADA-8XR with all the features and the same quality, so that I could have two to make up 16 channels of simultaneous A-to-D and D-A — and Orpheus is exactly what I wanted.”
Liken will be releasing his second album, Ego Death, later this year — and his two Orpheus interfaces will be the important link between his high-quality analogue gear and his computer from now on.
George Massenburg Takes Delivery Of A Second Prism Sound ADA-8XR
Cambridge, UK, January 2008: “The ADA-8XR has produced recordings that I’m very, very comfortable with, even after the passage of many months. That’s the most critical kind of listening, in a way — when you can revisit something after a long break, having forgotten the trials of recording it, and still go, ‘hey, that’s a stunning vocal sound…’ For me, the Prism is a part of that.”
Respected recording engineer and inventor George Massenburg has purchased another Prism Sound ADA-8XR interface, his second. This unit will travel with him for use on different studio-based projects, and on live recordings. Massenburg purchased the first ADA-8XR a year and a half ago for Blackbird Studio C, Nashville, where he works most frequently, but the first unit was in such demand there that he realised another was needed for his outside projects.
Renowned for his dedication to finely engineered, high-quality audio products, whether those of his own company GML or others, it’s no surprise that Massenburg is fairly demanding in his choice of A-D and D-A converter. “I know what makes a difference in the design of an A-D converter — GML made a very good one right back at the dawn of digital recording. We have all kinds of converters at Blackbird, and we test them all pretty rigorously. And Prism’s ADA-8XR converter is just about the best out there. Of course, there are plenty of other well-designed converters, and I like a lot of them, but the ADA-8XR brought together all of the features I wanted in the most user-friendly package. I really needed a reliable converter that would work with Pro Tools HD, and audio over Firewire on PC and Mac platforms equally — because I work on a lot of different platforms, and often live.
“Because I move around a lot, I know I’ll have to use converters from time to time that I don’t like — converters I can hear — but I always reserve my best one for the most important thing on the project, whether that’s the lead vocal, or acoustic piano, or whatever it might be. Sometimes, on surround recording projects, it’s on the surround mics in the room being recorded at 192kHz, because clock stability and timing is crucial for localisation in surround. The Prism has one of the best clocks we’ve seen, and while it isn’t lightweight, it’s portable and I can plug it in wherever I need to — the one at Blackbird is fitted with the Pro Tools HD, Firewire and AES interface cards — so I wanted to be able to take it with me when I go out to work.”
Massenburg is often on the road these days; in addition to recording in many different studios, he teaches music technology at five schools in North America, including the Berklee School of Music in Boston, the University of Memphis and McGill in Montreal, Canada. The original plan was that the first ADA-8XR would travel with him when he needed it, but pretty soon, there was a problem…
“Once we’d installed it at Blackbird Studio C, everyone was using it. As I found myself working on projects in other rooms, I was using different converters, and having to, for instance, match new vocals with ones I’d already recorded on the Prism and being kind of… disappointed. I couldn‘t take it out of Studio C — they didn’t want to do without it. I just had to have one to move around with — and I will probably need two more in the near future…”
Currently in the planning stages are two live orchestral recording projects, one in the USA, and one in Australia, which the ever-active Mr Massenburg plans to record via two ganged ADA-8XRs to his laptop over Firewire. And in his role as a member of the USA’s National Recording Preservation Board, he recently recommended the ADA 8XR for use as the A-D converter of choice for the Library of Congress’s new archival facility at Culpeper, Virginia. “George is a bit of a dream customer for us,” comments Frank Oglethorpe of Prism Sound’s US sales office. “It might take a while to convince him of the benefits of a particular product, but once he’s established that what you’re saying is true, he’s on your side for life. I just wonder why I haven‘t been able to interest him in one of our EQs…!”
Prism Sound’s New High-quality Firewire Audio Interface Is Now Available
Cambridge, UK, January 2008: Prism Sound, the respected manufacturer of premium-quality interfaces and converters for the recording and broadcast markets, have begun shipping their new multi-channel Orpheus Firewire computer interface to dealers and distributors worldwide. The first international pre-orders — to a variety of locations including France, Italy, the Ukraine and various locations in the USA and Canada — have already been fulfilled.
“It’s a pleasure to be shipping the first Orpheus units — the final stage in a long development process,” comments Graham Boswell, Sales & Marketing Director of Prism Sound. “Orpheus is the end result of several years of intensive R&D. Our starting point was that we wanted to be able to make a computer-based Firewire interface at a price point that would be attractive to serious project studio owners and professionals, but without sacrificing many of the features and the quality of our top-of-the-range products, like the ADA-8XR. Of course, that’s quite a tall order, so it’s taken a while. But hand on heart, we think Orpheus is as good as it can possibly be, and that the wait was worth it.”
First unveiled at 2007’s Frankfurt Musikmesse, Orpheus is named after the mythological Greek musician whose prowess on the lyre created music so beautiful it charmed wild animals. A 1U, 19-inch rackmount device, the 192kHz-capable unit offers eight simultaneous balanced analogue inputs, four line-level jack ins and four auto-sensing mic/line Neutrik combi jacks that will accept either jack or XLR connectors. The high-quality mic preamps allow the signal at the mic-level inputs to be boosted by up to 60dB (in 1dB increments), and each analogue input has its own adjustable patented Prism Sound Overkiller built in, to prevent signal overloads before the A-D conversion stage. There are also a switchable SPDIF/AES-EBU stereo digital input and an eight-channel ADAT optical input, allowing the Orpheus to handle a maximum possible total of 18 simultaneous inputs to any computer-based recording system hooked up to the unit’s main Firewire connector. A built-in mixer is included, driving eight analogue outputs, allowing users to monitor input signals with zero latency, insert analogue summing mixers, or control multiple stereo or multi-channel monitoring systems directly from Orpheus. One of Prism’s respected high-quality, low-jitter digital clock sources is also built in, along with synchronous sample-rate conversion and SNS noise-shaping, permitting accurate real-time reclocking or sample-rate conversion, or high-quality dithering of 24-bit material down to 16-bit for CD mastering.
Orpheus is fully software-controllable via a cross-platform control application (available for PCs running Windows XP or Macs running OS X), and is therefore ideally suited to the computer-based musician who wants to work with the flexibility offered by modern computer-based DAWs but wishes to maintain the quality of signals from analogue recording sources or processors in his digital production environment. The interface has a recommended retail price of 2750 excluding VAT in the UK, and $4995 in the USA. For further details and international pricing, contact Prism Sound via www.prismsound.com, or come to the Prism Sound stand at the Winter NAMM show, Booth #1645.
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