One of my gigs at Mix is program director for our Mix Nashville and LDI events. Mix Nashville (MN) is coming up this year again on May 25/26 and we’ve got some great sponsors, topics and panelists on tap. Nashville engineers Bil Vorndick and Russ Long are onboard as moderators and topics cover effective collaboration, advanced analog/digital techniques, boosting revenue and more. Check out the videos from Bil and Russ below and keep your eyes here for a look at past MN’s and 2010 info as it develops.

Winter NAMM is but a memory but not the slick gear that bowed at the show in Anaheim. The Mix/EM crew shot some great video from which I’ve picked my favorite pieces.

1.  I attended the Waves press event on Friday where Jack Joseph Puig, Chris Lord-Alge and Eddie Kramer showed off their latest plug-in creations. Although some of the GUIs were in beta, the concepts and sounds were fantastic and worth a further listen when they’re released.


2. API’s Arsenal line is now renamed JDK. The R-22 is a two-channel rackmount compressor launched at NAMM bearing the API legacy of quality and an affordable price point.


3. I got a great tour of Amplitube 3 at the IK Multimedia booth. It has some slick new abilities making it sexier than ever to model amps, cabinets, processors and more.


4. Dan Duffell from SSL showed me their new X-Patch system, a very slick and organized way to manage studio signal flow through any gear you’d like.


5. Do any remote recording? Then you have to check out Sony’s new and affordable PCM M-10 handheld recorder. It has lots of great features pulled down from their higher end units and comes with a number of great accessories.


6. Engineers with ears I trust were raving about the new JZ Vintage series mics. It mimics some famous legacy mics via switchable capsules.


7. We ran across producer/engineer Ronan Chris Murphy in the A Designs booth where he gave us an unsolicited testimonial of the new NAIL Compressor. Some unique features make this a box to put on your “must hear” list.


8. Radial Engineering had a gang of studio problem solvers plus their new Workhorse 500: a vertical rack for 500 series units including a summing mixer and easy module linking.


9. Presonus was showing off their new, and larger, StudioLive mixer designed to work across a variety of situations. The slick smart channel design easily puts parameters at your fingertips.


10. Jonathan Little at LittleLabs demoed his 500 series VOG module which makes it easy to pinpoint desired frequencies, lifting a track to greatness. I heard it myself and it’s very impressive.

When your Pro Tools system gets sluggish or repeatedly crashes, sometimes the simplest thing can fix the problem. Just upping the computer’s RAM will often help but there are also deeper, hidden features that can get your rig humming along like a bullet train. I invite you to participate and add your own entries in the comments section.

The Problem: When using Virtual Instruments on a multi-core computer, Pro Tools may give you buffer errors saying it is running out of processing power even if no other plugins are in use.

The Fix: Go to the Setup/Playback engine pulldown and set the number of RTAS / HOST processors to 3 instead of 4 (Mac Pro Quad Core). If using a Dual Core or a PPC system, reduce the number of RTAS / HOST processors to 1. This works on LE, M-Powered and HD systems.

The Problem: Apple’s Spotlight is a great way to find data on your computer but it can make your whole system sluggish if not properly set up.

The Fix: Go To Apple System Preferences under the Apple symbol at the upper left side of your monitor. Find the Spotlight option and limit the search index to only the most important categories. Not only Pro Tools but your whole system will run better.

The Problem: Plugins with streaming ability can bog down your system bringing your session to a halt.

The Fix: New with Pro Tools 8, the plugin streaming buffer can help content stream more efficiently from the disk. Go to the Setup/Playback engine pulldown and adjust the buffer size to find the best setting. Also try turning on the “optimize for streaming content” box to enhance performance.



The Problem: Some wildly capable plugins such as AmpliTube Fender from IK Multimedia are DSP hogs and become sluggish with minimal use.

The Fix: Go to the Setup/Playback engine pulldown and reduce the CPU Usage Limit to  60% or less. This will give your system the power it needs to run DSP-intensive plugins smoothly.

The Problem: Pro Tools preference files, database files, DAE files and AMS setup files can become corrupted bringing down your system in short order.

The Fix: Rather than deleting these hidden files yourself, download the free Pro Tools Preference and Database Helper from http://www.jcdeshaies.com/. It easily removes a variety of elusive, damaged and unreadable files that can cripple your system. Versions are available for Pro Tools systems on 10.4 (Tiger), 10.5 (Leopard) but not yet for 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and Pro Tools 8.0.3.

Thanks go out to Pro Tools power user Sean Conkling for helping with this post

Producer/composer Rick DiFonzo of Discrete Drums fame, has created a new, download only, audio loop website at loopworkshop.com. Rather than selling large drum collections, the focus is on small, individual session packs featuring 50 to 150 loops per package.

Files are 16 bit Apple Loop AIF, with 24 bit Acidized WAV files coming soon. With multiple song segments (intros, verses, choruses, fills etc) users can build the arrangement they need, and change tempo within most software apps. Apple Loop encoding allows out-of-the-box tempo shift in Logic and Garage Band.

The advantage to this approach is that users can download only the sessions they need. Small file sizes keep prices low and downloads manageable. Drum sessions are available in rock, alt rock, pop, country, reggae and r&b styles. EXS-24 Sampler instruments are also available, which can be imported by many other soft samplers. Guitar, bass, orch and synth packs are also available.

For detailed product info and audio demos, please visit http://loopworkshop.com

Here are my picks for the Top Worst Audio Trends since 2000. Feel free to add your own comments and picks.

1.  The End of Hi-Fidelity – Digital distribution of music has lowered the fidelity bar to new levels offering consumers less quality than ever. George Massenburg recently spoke out on the effects of compression formats that introduce distortion, destroy stereo image and generally sound awful giving us something to think about and the knowledge to fight back.


2. Illegal Downloading – The popularity of illegal peer-to-peer music “sharing” eroded the power of copyright and greatly affected the bottom line of our industry. The Supreme Court came down on the side of copyright holders but not before the damage was done and an entire generation grew to feel they were entitled to free music.


3. Pitch Correction Abuse – Pitch correction software is nothing short of amazing, but in many cases it created a music culture where talent is optional and production is driven by “fix it later” instead of “get it right.”


4. The Death of Dynamics – While audio pros continue to fight the misconception that louder is better, it keeps rearing its ugly head, even in mainstream media where Metallica fans cried foul when they realized that Guitar Hero: Metallica game mixes sounded better than the record because the songs had more dynamic range.


5. Staying Inside The Box – There’s no question that digital audio workstations, modeling software and plugins are here to stay and have changed our industry. But completely eschewing analog processing and recording in favor of staying “inside the box” denies adding a flavor and color to music that can never be modeled. Case in point, The Dead Weather’s Horehound which was recorded on 2″, 8-track analog tape and is a feast for the ears.

The Austin DIY Ribbon Microphone is the brain child of Rick Wilkinson. The kit starts at $149 and comes with all the parts and instructions including photos and videos. You can also upgrade the chassis and transformer for more $$$.

The years between 2000 and 2009 saw a mind boggling expansion of audio technology. Releases included impressive new gear and upgrades of existing products for recording, processing, editing and mixing audio. Here are my top 20 picks with links to reviews and videos. Feel free to write in your own picks in the comments section and add to the list.

1. Pro Tools HD – Digidesign’s 2002 hardware upgrade brought high resolution audio to the industry’s top DAW


2. Neumann Solution-D Digital Microphones – Neumann’s legacy of quality was advanced with the release of these amazing sounding transducers with onboard converters


3. Apple Logic Pro – After the purchase of Emagic, Apple puts its stamp on this popular music production tool making it a contender for top affordable native DAW


4. Celemony Melodyne – Auto Tune was first in the 90s, but Melodyne brought a fresh new way to correct pitch in the noughties


5. Blue Bottle Microphone – This retro mic set the quality and design standard for Blue which later released the innovative Mouse, Dragonfly and Blue Ball.


6. Focal CMS 65 monitors – Focal’s affordable CMS line benefits from the technology used in the company’s audiophile speakers which can go for well over $100k a pair


7. SSL Duality – SSL got a new owner and steered through troubled waters with this large format console at the helm


8. JBL LSR6328P monitors  – Once the studio monitoring champ, JBL made a solid bid for the title again with these great sounding speakers


9.  Digico SD7  – Used recently on tour with U2, the SD7 debuted in 2007 with state-of-the-art FPGA technology making it a top contender for live sound applications


10. Royer SF24 – Royer provided an easy way to record with ribbon mics in stereo without having the gain and impedance issues of a passive ribbon


11. Genelec 8050A Series Monitors – Genelec replaced their 1029/30/31As with the 80 series, improving on the pioneering brand that set the pace for self-powered monitors


12. Roland V-Mixer – RSS was an unlikely entrant into the live sound market when they launced their forward looking, affordable and feature packed small format console with a digital snake


13. Plugins – Many companies defined this category in the noughties including Waves, Sonnox, Focusrite, McDSP, Bomb Factory, TL Audio, SoundToys, PSP, URS, IK Multimedia, brainworx, Universal Audio, iZotope and more


14. Digidesign VENUE and ICON – Digidesign went from 0 to 60 in record time with their live sound and studio consoles


15. Converters – Companies that brought their best to the noughties include: Mytek, Lynx, Prism, Apogee, Weiss, db Technologies (now Lavry Engineering), Benchmark, Millennia Media, dCS and DAD


16. Radial Workhorse 5000 – Radial’s penchant for building sturdy, versatile and affordable products was carried on with this innovative take on the simple 500-series rack


17. ADAM A5 Monitors – In the quality vs. price race ($800 a pair), no one came closer to winning the “bang-for-the-buck” trophy


18. DPA 3532-T Mic Kit – DPA dominated the high-voltage mic niche with this all-in-one toolkit


19. Upstate Audio Sonic Lens Preamp – This preamp set the bar high for the competition with its pristine, audiophile signal path between mic and recorder.


20. Fairlight Xynergi – Fairlight’s slick video-keyed controller for their Crystal Core engine offered fantastic value, user experience and the best feature set in its price range

I just received a note from Avid/Digidesign Product Manager Steve Siacotos saying that Avid has decided to change their mind in reference to shutting the door on legacy gear in their upcoming Pro Tools 8.0.3 Snow Leopard release (see full email below). This is great news for legacy gear owners who were afraid they’d be left out of any future software upgrades.

After a quick search on Digidesign’s website, I found DigiSteve’s DUC post from 10/15/09, however as of today, the old info was still posted on Digidesign’s website. This was cleared up in a subsequent email from Steve stating: “The info on the page you referenced is actually correct. Mix Peripheral support is not in the Pre-release of 8.0.3 but will be in the actual release when it comes out.  Hope that clears things up a bit.”

Despite the altered game plan, the company left themselves an out with this statement: “While I hope that this is good news for most of you, please understand that there are no guarantees as to how long we will be able to maintain support for these and other legacy hardware products.” This is understandable in light of the difficulties in coding software to maintain support for older gear. Bottom line: Digi is listening to their user base and the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Hi, Kevin,

Back on 11/20, you had an entry on your blog announcing that Avid/Digidesign would be ending support for Pro Tools Mix-era Peripherals (888|24 I/O, 882|20 I/O, 1622 I/O and 24-Bit ADAT Bridge I/O) in a forthcoming release.  While that had been our plan initially, we reconsidered our position based on overwhelming user demand and have decided to maintain support for these devices (please see my post to the Digidesign User Community page dated 10/15: http://duc.digidesign.com/showthread.php?t=254166).  We would appreciate it if you could correct this information as soon as possible. Thanks much.

Regards,

Steve Siacotos

Product Manager

Avid/Digidesign

UPDATE 11/28

Jon Connolly from Digidesign further clarified what’s supported and what’s not in this email:

To be clear, there is no such thing as PPC or Intel Pro Tools HD hardware. There is PCI (aka PCIx) and PCIe Pro Tools HD hardware.

Apple, not Digidesign/Avid, made the decision no PPC Mac support in Snow Leopard OS.

Pro Tools 8.0.3 will not support PPC Macs because it is a Snow Leopard release. Digidesign does not have the resources to concurrently support two flavors of Mac OS versions of Pro Tools if the Mac OS doesn’t  support two.

There are three Expansion chassis in question here…

- Expansion HD. Made by Digidesign a few years back. Ethernet connected between host card and expansion chassis. This chassis is no longer made and is not only NOT Supported but will not work in Snow Leopard.

- PE6R4. This Chassis is made by Magma. Was previously available through Digidesign and had the Digidesign name on it. It has a PCIe host card (for Intel Macs) and PCI (or PCIx) slots for PCI(x) Pro Tools HD cards. This is no longer SOLD by Digidesign but is available through Magma (your local Pro Tools dealer). It is currently supported and will continue to be supported in Snow Leopard and indefinitely into the future.

- Magma PCIe to PCIe chassis (I don’t know the model number off hand). This chassis is made by Magma and can be currently purchased through Digidesign (Pro Tools dealers) with the Digidesign name on it or directly through Magma (specifically your local Pro Tools dealer). This chassis is currently supported, will be supported in Snow Leopard and indefinitely into the future.

If you’re a Pro Tools TDM user running a pre-Intel Mac with PCI/PCI-X cards, your path to future Pro Tools upgrades is closed. The current software (8.0.1) will be the last to support the Legacy Port, 888|24 I/O, 882|20 I/O, 1622 I/O, 24-Bit ADAT Bridge I/O, PowerPC-based Macs, Mbox (original model) and Expansion|HD Chassis. But don’t fret, there are options that will save you $$$, improve performance, keep you current and offer a clear upgrade path in the years to come.

Your Apple computer upgrade options include a MacPRO 4 or 8 core system (we’re not addressing PC options in this feature). Our search found a new MacPRO single Quad-Core with 3GB of RAM for under $2300 while a dual Quad-Core with 6GB of RAM came in just under $3100. Buying used will save you more. Our source says that because of Pro Tools code upgrades bowing next year, the 8 core is your best bet. The new code promises more efficient PT operation on multi-core native DSP and the more cores you have, the bigger difference you’ll see in system performance.

Now for the cards. A straight PCI to PCIe swap of three cards (1 Core/2 Accel) will set you back about $3600. This brings the total for this upgrade to $6700 on an 8 core computer.

A solid, money-saving Plan B comes from Magma, the expansion solution company. By purchasing the Magma PE6R4 expansion chassis ($2199), you can keep your legacy cards, still run a MacPRO and keep the door open for Mac OS X and Pro Tools software upgrades. The chassis has six slots that support PCI and PCI-X, including pre-Accel Farm cards which are a real bargain now. Total cost with an 8 core MacPRO would be $5299 saving you $1400. According to Avid, the PE6R4 will be supported in the soon-to-be-officially-released Pro Tools 8.0.3 software and beyond making this an upgrade path with a future.

Magma Chassis Option

Upside: Upgrade your computer to MacPRO, Mac OS X to Snow Leopard and Pro Tools software beyond 8.0.1, save $1400 or more, keep your old cards and even add inexpensive legacy cards to your system. Benefit from MacPRO’s increased processing power allowing more instances of RTAS plugins and faster operation.

Downside: While system performance will improve, it won’t be as fast as upgraded PCIe cards from AVID

Card Swap Option:

Upside: Same upgrade paths as the Magma option. No chassis necessary provided you don’t use more than 3 cards. PCIe is the current state of the art in data transfer

Downside: Will cost you more $$$$