We have mere days to go now, and Mix is ramping up for a great show.

Well, it’s the end of another AES show, and we’re packing up and heading home. AES 2007 was full of amazing stories, from pro sightings to product debuts; stay tuned to Mixonline.com for more video reports and podcasts from the show, and watch for a full report in next month’s issue. In the meantime, we’re already getting ready for Winter NAMM-see you then!

Wel, this booth wins “best of show” so far…just got a tour of a replica of Peter Gabriel’s garden shed at Real World studios. But while you might have trowels and trash cans in your shed, his has an SSL AWS 900+ console as a creative centerpiece, connected to SSL XLogic processing and converters, with additional equipment provided by Guitar Center, acoustic treatment by Auralex, Argosy studio furniture and Henick-Lane air conditioning. This ’shed of your dreams’ professional studio costs under $250K, depending on exact finish, specification and location. As a bonus, studio package includes a visit by one of SSL’s engineers to verify installation, provide introductory console training and certify the facility. Peter gave me apersonal tour of the amenities, which include a tea set and wine, “essential for any creative process.” If you’re at the show, check out booth 154, or watch for the video tour this month on mixonline.com.

108,232.

No, that’s not how many steps I’ve logged with my sassy new pedometer. It’s the official headcount here at this behemoth show. This year’s the biggest ever, and since it’s our last day, we still have a lot more booths to hit before we leave. Stay tuned!

Just got back from the south hall, where I found a whole bunch of music peeps way back around row 100,000…there were tons of music library companies demoing some very cool new collections, and-surprise-MOTU was here for the first time, drawing huge crowds to their demo stage. I remember my first NAB show in 1996, watching Sonic demo guys giving away software to anyone who could tell them what MIDI stood for…times have changed!!

Caught a demo of Bias Peak 6, since I didn’t get a chance to check out the Messe debut-features include an enhanced playlist featuring new cross-fade options, volume envelopes; new DSP sound design features; and editing and delivery enhancements.

Next up, gonna continue the theme and check out the new audio goods in Final Cut Pro 6 and Adobe’s Creative Suite 3.

ps: 1,883 steps and counting…how many are in a mile???

It is exactly 1,082 steps from my hotel room to the Silicon Graphics booth.

I know this because I have scored the swag of the show-an SGI pedometer. Now when we editors brag about logging miles visiting booth after booth, we have the numbers to prove it. Does schlepping around the convention floor count as a workout?

Maybe if I gave up the high heels…

Yesterday Apple announced huge Final Cut Pro Suite upgrades, including Soundtrack Pro 2. The new Final Cut Studio 2 production bundle includes Final Cut Pro 6, which introduces Apple’s ProRes 422 format for uncompressed HD quality at SD file sizes; Motion 3’s intuitive 3D environment; Compressor 3 batch encoding; DVD Studio Pro 4.2 for SD/HD DVD authoring; and Soundtrack Pro 2 with new tools for multitrack editing, surround mixing and conforming sound to picture. Final Cut Studio 2 also introduces “Color,” a pro color grading and finishing application.

But you want to know about audio, right?… the Final Cut Studio 2 audio editing/mixing/processing app is now equipped with powerful new multitrack editing and recording tools and a streamlined interface. It also debuts a very cool spotting display that lets editors precisely align effects and dialog with picture. Advanced take management tools enable editors to quickly combine pieces of the best takes to craft seamless performances, and a new Conform tool lets users synchronize and track changes between picture and sound editorial.

Stereo and surround mixing tools enable users to create 5.1 and stereo mixes in the same project. The bundle also comes with a royalty-free library of more than 5,000 Foley and sound effects, and 1,000 surround SFX and multichannel music tracks. Soundtrack Pro 2 has more than 50 audio effect plug-ins-many in true surround, including the Space Designer convolution reverb. Among its other ther surround enhancements are: discrete 5.1 mixing, busing, routing and an innovative surround panner for dynamically moving sounds within the surround field.

Just got back from visiting the ultra-swanky Studio at the Palms. I came down here to get the scoop for a cover story last year, right as they were putting the finishing touches on the room, and it was great to see the studio up and running. But the big news is, the Pearl is finally open. This super-sweet 80-million dollar 2,500-seat concert venue is designed by SIA Acoustics, features 60 JBL VerTec Series loudspeakers and Digidesign VENUE Series digital mixing consoles with 96-channel capacity, scene recall and automation. Additionally, the room is hard-wired to The Studio, so artists to create a live album without additional venue set-up. (What a killer one-stop shop! We got the scoop on one pop star who’s coming in for three days to do a big live album-let’s just say he’s “Idol-ized” by many…) So far, Evanescence and Wolfmother have played shows here; Tom Kenny will be at the Gwen Stefani show this Sat, “researching” our upcoming cover story. (Soooo jealous!) The Palms also inked an exclusive deal with iTunes-look for “Live from Las Vegas” concert series popping up on iTunes during the coming weeks-keep your eye out…

The show is wrapping up with a very cool event for composers. The G.A.N.G. Demo Derby is sort of the “American Idol” of the game sound world-Basically, these people get up in front of an audience, play a minute of their best work, and a panel of heavyweight composers critique them. But instead of “yo dawg, that’s kinda pitchy” or a weepy “you really made this your own,” these guys are providing honest, valuable feedback. (And hey, it’s free.) There’s plenty of love to go around, though, because the talent showcased today is truly amazing. We’ll definitely be hearing a lot from these composers in the near future…

So it’s day three, and I’m running on fumes. All I can say is, y’all might think NAMM’s wild, but there’s truly nothing like partying with these gamer guys…but back to work…

Just came out of another panel: “The Importance of Audio in Gaming: Investing in Next-Generation Sound”-the running theme for sure this week. One by one, Scott Gershin and the gang tackled the “obstacles” hindering quality game audio: Consumer acceptance, support from decision makers and technology. Well, we know the technology (for the most part) has arrived. As for consumers, it’s clear that they are ready: 83 percent of adult gamers listed sound as one of the most important game console elements. And what’s more, 31 percent of American households are rigged for surround. More and more, they’re expecting film quality in their game experience. So how to garner support from the decision makers? They’re challenged to create a more cinematic sound experience, but they need to understand what that means, productionwise. The best way to convert them (and we’re hearing this over and over again) is to learn how to be a salesperson: Treat your work as a product, and the producer as your customer. And as Scott says, “Bring them in, turn the mix up to 11-and the subs to 12.” In other words, hustle, baby…