audio media march 2014
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Read the latest issue of Audio Media nowTRANSCRIPT
No. 280 �March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
IN THIS ISSUE
A look at the current market for in-ear monitoring systems p24
��� TECH FOCUSCompactDigitalConsoles
p34
��� FINAL CUTThe sound and music ofXbox One launch titleForza Motorsport 5
p28
��� RIMSHOT STUDIOWe visit a studiooffering the best ofanalogue and digital
p32
It’s All in Your Head
��� SHOW PREVIEWEverything you need toknow about this year’sProlight + Sound
p14
Editor – Jory [email protected]
Deputy Editor – Jake [email protected]
Managing Editor – Jo [email protected]
Sales Manager – Graham [email protected]
Group Head of Design & Production – Adam [email protected]
Production Executive – Jason [email protected]
Designer – Jat [email protected]
Publisher – Steve [email protected]
Managing Director – Mark [email protected]
Press releases to:[email protected]
© Intent Media 2014. No part of this publication may bereproduced in any form or by any means without priorpermission of the copyright owners.
Audio Media is published by Intent Media London, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, England. Editorial tel +44 (0)20 7354 6002Sales tel +44 (0)20 7354 6000
Audio Media ISSN number: ISSN 0960-7471 (Print)
Circulation & Subscription enquiries Tel: +44 (0)20 7354 6001email: [email protected]
Printed by Stephen & George, Wales
WELCOME
www.audiomedia.com March 2014 03
MEET THE TEAM
March 2014Issue 280
I’VE ALWAYS been attracted to the way sciencefiction films and TV programmes fromdifferent eras show their vision of the future.From Gene Roddenberry’s sexed-up, 70s-inspired intergalactic exploration epic, StarTrek, to Ridley Scott’s 80s-themed dystopianfuture in Blade Runner, and even Spike Jonze’salmost-too-accurate comment on our currentaddiction to technology in Her, the present hasalways had a strong presence in our future.
But the future is also retro. Our vision ofwhat’s to come is ultimately formed by whathas already happened, or what is currentlyhappening. Maybe that’s the reason why we’reso drawn to things that are ‘classic’ and‘traditional’. If something has already proven its
worth in the past, who’s to say it won’t be just as good in the future?Two announcements in the pro-audio world launched this philosophical
train of thought. Wrapped up in the post-NAMM madness, Roland finally
revealed its Aira range – four new products designed to emulate some of thecompany’s biggest releases (the classic TR808 and 909, as well as the TB303)with added modern and forward-looking features.
Equally as exciting, yet less reported on, was Korg’s announcement of a new,faithful reproduction (hopefully with some similar modern updates) of the ARPOdyssey synth – a staple on albums from Tangerine Dream through to NineInch Nails. Korg has even brought in David Friend, one of the founders andpast presidents of ARP Instruments, as chief advisor on the project.
For sound designers, or just plain old synth heads, these releases cause a bitof a conundrum. Just as we love the idea of capturing classic sounds and areexcited by the idea of implementing modern functionality, there’s always a bitof scepticism whenever a company tries to recreate a proven product. As muchas we trust the past, we are hesitant to put the same trust in our present selves.
It’s the same problem that comes when you look at the aforementionedfilms and programmes. As much as we try to look to the future and create avision of things to come, we are sceptical of our abilities and ultimately give into proven ideas, either from history or from the world around us.
So where does this leave us? Are we forever bound to the past? Well, no.While there’s sometimes a debilitating anxiety in trying to create somethingcompletely new it’s by pushing through that fear that we carve out our ownplace in history.
As much as I love the idea of a retro future, I’m more excited by uncharted waters.
Jory MacKay, Editor
“Our vision of what’s to come is ultimately formed by what hasalready happened, or what is currently happening.
Maybe that’s the reason why we’re so drawn to things that are‘classic’ and ‘traditional’”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>AADVERTISERINDEX
Allen & Heath ............................................13AMS Neve ..................................................45Audio-Technica.........................................31Calrec .........................................................12DiGiCo..........................................................2DPA Microphones ....................................19Dynaudio....................................................17Focusrite....................................................29Genelec......................................................27
Lawo .............................................................5NAB.............................................................49Nugen Audio.............................................33PMC Loudspeakers ..................................23Prism Sound..............................................25Richmond Film Services..........................16Radial ..........................................................51Riedel .........................................................43Softube.........................................................9
Sony.............................................................11Source Distribution .................................39Stagetec .....................................................15Soundcraft.................................................52Studer ...........................................................7Studio King ................................................47TC Electronic ..............................................3Telefunken...................................................8Waves .........................................................35
CONTENTS Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
04 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
>TECHNOLOGYFOCUS:
Compact Digital Mixers ..................34
REVIEWS:
Featured: API Audio’s The Box ......40
Allen & Heath ME System ..............42
Earthworks 521 ZDT Preamp.........44
McDSP Everything Pack .................46
Radial Engineer’s EXTC and M3.... 48
>FEATURESIt’s All in your Head..........................24
� Jory MacKay investigates how far the IEM industry has come (and where it’s going)
Rimshot Studio .................................32
� Jake Young visits a truly analogue/digital hybrid studio in the Kent Countryside
TECHNOLOGY ...................................6
� Softube releases the Console 1
� New addition to Focusrite RedNet range
� TC upgrades DB6 and TouchMonitors
INDUSTRY.........................................10
� Alchemy Mastering opens new location
� Last chance to enter InstallAwards
� Studer shows off Vista X
>ALSO INSIDEShow News: Prolight + Sound, BVE.........................................14
Geo Focus: Spain...................................................................20
Interview: Sound recordist Chris Watson......................50
p34
p32
COVERJohn Broomhall dives into
the creative audio process
for Xbox One launch titleForza 5 p28
TECHNOLOGY NEWS Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
6 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
ALMOST A year after it was
announced at the 2013 Frankfurt
Musikmesse, Softube has begun
shipping its next-generation Console 1
DAW controller and mixer.
The Console 1 is a tightly integrated
hardware/software system that marries
Softube’s analogue sound with a
physical surface. It can be used
together with any major DAW.
Inserting the Console 1 plug-in on any
or all mixer channels of a DAW routes
the sound from the DAW into the
Console 1 mixer and back, allowing for
real-time, hands-on editing and
mixing.
The Console 1 also comes bundled
with Softube’s model of the Solid State
Logic SL 4000 E, which has been
officially endorsed by the SSL team.
The channel strip includes the black
knob E 242 equaliser, the classic
channel compressor, the musical
expander/gate, and the high and low
cut filters from that channel. Softube
has also included a model of the
harmonics, distortion, and non-
linearities obtained from overdriving
the SL 4000 E console, which can be
used to add analogue distortion across
the entire mix.
The company plans to add channel
strips for the Console 1 in the near
future and each channel can be
separately customised by adding in any
Softube compressor or equalizer.
Look for a review of the Softube
Console 1 in next month’s issue of
Audio Media.
www.softube.com
Softube Begins Shipping the Console 1
TC Electronic Upgrades DB6and TouchMonitor RangeRTW’S LOUDNESS QualityLogger (LQL) is nowcompatible with the TCElectronic TM7 and TM9TouchMonitors. LQL is anatural extension of the softwareoptions available for theTouchMonitor range thatprovides logging, true-peak dataanalysis, and reporting.
It enables data to be deriveddirectly from an IP-connectionfrom a capable TouchMonitor,as well as from external storagemedia devices such as a USBstick. Also included in thesoftware are dual limitweighting, status information,marker, and various otherreporting features. While thenew PC software is free ofcharge, an LQL licence isrequired to enableTouchMonitors to support data export and additionaldisplay functions.
TC has also released asoftware update for its DB6
loudness management solution.Version 1.3 allows broadcastersto recall up to 16 scene presetsby using GPI 1 and 2 together.
With software version 1.3,broadcasters can now recall upto 16 Scene Presets using onlytwo of the DB6’s four GPIinputs. Based on this, DB6 maybe controlled during playout, ora simple preset selection panelcan be designed with easy access
to presets and/or emergencyoverride.
Further, it is now possible tocontrol DB6 by multipleinstances of the ICON remote,adding a new level ofoperational flexibility to theplatform. Finally, it is alsopossible to copy entire userpreset Banks to or from filesstored on a PC or Mac.www.tcelectronic.com
New Plug-ins fromExponential Audio
DiGiCo AnnouncesAvailability of D2-Rack DESIGNED TO support andexpand the DiGiCo SD range,the D2-Rack comes with eitherBNC or Cat5 MADIconnections, making itcompatible with a number ofDiGiCo consoles or as astandalone unit.
“Being able to open up thefull 96kHz potential of the SD8,SD9, and SD11 with this nextgeneration of I/O conversion isan impressive upgrade,” saidDiGiCo managing director
James Gordon. “It allows usersto get unrivaled audio quality ata total system latency of just over1ms.”
The D2-Rack offers two I/Oversions: 48 mic inputs, 16 lineoutputs, two blank output slots(allowing an additional 16outputs in the owners desiredformat – analogue, AES, andAviom); or 24 mic inputs, 24AES inputs, 16 line outputs, andtwo black output slots. www.digico.biz
EXPONENTIAL AUDIO hasannounced the release of version2.0 of two of its most popularplug-ins: PhoneixVerb and R2stereo reverb.
Both new versions feature aredesigned GUI with a modernappearance and improvedvisibility while the simplenavigation and overall ease-of-use remain the same.
Version 2.0 also includesadditional features such asfavourites list; user-controllable
CPU load balancing forincreased processor efficiency;several new preferences to helptailor the plug-ins to the user’sway of working and dozens ofnew presets designed to make iteven easier to find the rightsound for the right application.
The update is free to currentusers with bundle packagesavailable to new users looking toadd both plug-ins (iLok 2required).www.exponentialaudio.com
d&b Adds New Flagship AmpADDING TO its range of amplifiers, d&bAudiotechnik has just announced a new flagshipmodel: the D80. The 2U D80 containsconfigurations for all d&b loudspeakers as well as alinear mode. The four-channel unit also provides aserious amount of power (4,000W into four ohms).
The amp has both digital and analogue signalinputs as well as link outputs, remote control, and monitoring capabilities, and sophisticatedprotection circuits.
The D80 is a Class D amplifier specificallydesigned to deliver high power into low impedanceloads between 4 and 16 ohms.
The signal delay capability allows user definablesettings of up to 10s (3,440m) to be appliedindependently to each channel. The same applies tothe two 16-band equalisers that are also available in
each channel, providing parametric, asymmetrical,shelving, or Notch filtering.www.dbaudio.com
TECHNOLOGY NEWS Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
8 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
SONY CREATIVE Software has announced a
long-awaited upgrade to Sound Forge Pro for Mac.
Version 2 of the audio editing software now comes
with additional features such as batch processing,
refined metering for mastering and broadcast
professionals, more processing tools, and event
editing improvements.
The company has also released an update to
SpectraLayers Pro (v2.1), which now features
seamless interoperability with Sound Forge Pro
Mac, an efficient reverb removal process, an
improved noise reduction algorithm, expanded noise
removal process options, and user interface
improvements.
“Sound Forge Pro Mac and SpectraLayers Pro are
evolving rapidly,” said Dave Chaimson, divisional
vice president of Sony Creative Software. “Adding
comprehensive batch processing functionality to
Sound Forge Pro Mac fulfills our single most
frequent customer request, and the new processing
options available via the included Nectar Elements
plug-in represent an unparalleled value.”
Following on from its Windows-based
counterparts, Sound Forge Pro Mac and
SpectraLayers Pro now feature the same level of
interoperability, which allows users to quickly
transfer audio data between the programs, easily
switching from waveform to spectral editing.
Both programs are available as standalone
applications as well as bundled together as the
Audio Master Suite Mac.
www.sonycreativesoftware.com
Sony Announces Upgradeto Audio Editing Software
Yamaha Enhances R SeriesMANUFACTURER YAMAHA has added thenew R Remote software application to its RSeries of I/O units. R Remote allows remotecontrol of the head amplifiers in the Rio3224-D,Rio1608-D, and Ri8-D I/O units directly from alaptop or desktop PC without the need for a CLseries or similar digital mixing console withremote control capability.
The free software opens up new functionalityfor the R Series including setting up a liverecording system with just R Series I/O racks anda computer running Nuendo Live or similarDAW; operating Dante infrastructure completely
independently of a console; or using R Seriesunits with consoles that don’t support remotehead amp control, such as the Yamaha 02R96 or 01V96i.
“R Remote is another example of how feedbackfrom Yamaha users helps us to deliver newproducts that audio engineers really want,” saidChihaya ‘Chick’ Hirai, Yamaha Pro Audio PAmanager. “R Remote can deliver previouslyunprecedented system capabilities and we are surethat many users will find this versatile newproduct very useful.”www.yamahaproaudio.com
New 500-seriesModule from BBEIN RESPONSE to the growingpopularity of the 500 seriesformat, BBE has announced anew, more compact version ofits Sonic Maximizer technology.
The single-channel SM500 isdesigned with the sameprocessing engine as the BBE882i rackmount model(meaning the SM500 is suitable for any style of music)and is engineered to brighten,clarify, and add fullness byadjust phase relationships andaugmenting high and lowfrequencies, revealing more ofthe sound’s natural texture anddetail.
The unit is compatible withall 500-type racks and features+23dBu headroom with 118dBsignal-to-noise ratio.
The SM500 features an all-analogue, through-hole circuitmade with high-precisioncomponents (including 1%metal film resistors throughout)as well as a bypass switch toallow for quick and easycomparisons between processed and unprocessedsignals.www.bbesound.com
Mackie Updates Master FaderVERSION 2.1 of Mackie’s control app for its DLSeries digital live sound mixers is now available,adding a number of user-requested features.
“With 1.5 million shows mixed using DL Seriesmixers, we wanted to focus on features that our prousers would appreciate,” commented Ben Olswang,Mackie product manager. “So we added new,powerful output processing that replaces expensiveoutboard system processors.”
Master Fader v2.1 features a four-bandparametric EQ on all outputs, which works inparallel with the current 31-band GEQ. It alsoincludes separate high-pass and low-pass filterswith variable slope control. Up to 350ms ofalignment delay is also now available on eachoutput, allowing users to dial in delay stacks, fillspeakers, and other tasks.www.mackie.com
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
www.audiomedia.com
THE LATEST addition to Focusrite’s RedNet range is the D16 AES – a
1U, 19in rack-mountable Dante interface featuring 16 channels of AES-
EBU connectivity to and from the Dante audio network.
The RedNet D16 is designed for bridging between digital consoles,
power amplifiers, or any other AES3-equipped audio equipment and a
Dante Network.
The unit features sample rate conversion on each input pair allowing
plug-and-play operation with any AES3 source.
The two network connectors on the rear of the unit allow two modes of
operation. They can be used either as a primary/redundant network
interface, allowing seamless switchover in the case of network failure, or as
a daisy-chain port allowing the connection of multiple units.
The rear panel XLR input connector can either be used as a DARS
input or as a traditional AES3 audio input, replacing channels 1-2 of the
DB25 inputs.
Also, S/PDIF input and outputs are provided on RCA connectors,
which is said to be ideal for connecting CD players or solid-state recorders.
The input replaces channels three and four in the DB25 connector while
the output can be assigned to replicate any adjacent odd/even output pair.
All the clocking and input/output options of RedNet D16 AES are
remotely controlled by the RedNet Control software application for Mac
and PC.
www.focusrite.com
Focusrite Extends RedNet Range
IK Multimedia Adds the ‘Holy Grail’ of Mastering EQs
T-RACKS CS 4.5, the latest version of IK Multimedia’s T-RackS CustomShop mixing and mastering plug-in, has just been released and includes anumber of new additions to its already extensive collection of mixing andmastering audio processors.
Among the new additions is the first ever software model of the Master EQ432 – the first parametric design EQ that became the basis for all subsequentparametric equalisers in music recording history. The original 432 has becomeone of the go-to mastering EQs due to its inherent musicality, audio quality, andtransparency.
The T-RackS Master EQ 432 is a stereo five-band parametric EQ featuringtwo bands of shelving EQ plus three bands of peaking EQ and has beendesigned to duplicate the original’s sonic character, functionality, and familiarlook while adding extended features.
T-RackS CS runs either as a standalone program for mastering mixes, or as aplug-in within a DAW. It gives access to a wide range of IK Multimedia’sprocessing modules including Precision Compressor/Limiter, Bus Compressor,White Channel, Tape Echo, British Channel, Black 76 Limiting Amplifier,Vintage Tube Program Equalizer, CSR Hall Reverb, and more.www.t-racks.com
NEWS
10 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
Flood and Alan Moulder CarryOff Producer of the Year Gong
>>> EVENT
THE ANNUAL Music Producers Guild Awards took place at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel in
London on 13 February.
A total of 16 Awards was presented (see full list of winners below), with the top award for
Producer of the Year going to Flood (Mark Ellis) and Alan Moulder for their work on Foals album
Holy Fire. As recipients of this accolade, Flood and Moulder also automatically won the 2014 BRIT
Award for Best Producer.
A highlight of the evening was a live performance by Producers, the supergroup formed by Trevor
Horn who attended the event to receive the Outstanding Contribution to UK Music Award. Horn
was joined on stage by former 10CC musician Lol Crème, award-winning engineer and producer
Stephen Lipson, and drummer Ash Soan, as well as special guest Seal.
Steve Levine, chairman of the Music Producers Guild, said: “Our winners highlight the creativity
that is inherent in UK music production, and when you look at the amazing work these recording
professionals have done in the past 12 months it is no surprise that Britain’s recording talent remains
the envy of the rest of the world.
“Only full members of the MPG can vote for the MPG’s shortlist and therefore the results are
relevant to the creative value of our industry. Winning an MPG Award shows that you are at the
top of your game as a recording professional and an inspiration to many up-and-coming producers
and engineers.”
The winners for each of the 2014 MPG Awards categories are as follows:
• UK Producer of the Year, sponsored by The BRITS 2014: Flood (Mark Ellis) & Alan Moulder
• International Producer of the Year, sponsored by Beats by Dr Dre: Rick Rubin
• Recording Engineer of the Year, sponsored by Røde: Guy Massey
• Mix Engineer of the Year, sponsored by Solid State Logic: Mark ‘Spike’ Stent
• Mastering Engineer of the Year, sponsored by SADiE: John Dent
• Breakthrough Producer of the Year, sponsored by Focusrite/Novation: Disclosure
(Guy Lawrence, Howard Lawrence)
• Breakthrough Engineer of the Year, sponsored by Prism Sound: Dan Cox
• Re-mixer of the Year: MJ Cole (Matthew Coleman)
• UK Album of the Year, sponsored by Universal Audio: Foals – Holy Fire• UK Single Song Release of the Year, sponsored by Shure: Everything Everything – Kemosabe• Studio of the Year, sponsored by KMR Audio: RAK Studios
• The A&R Award: Jim Chancellor
• The MPG Innovation Award, sponsored by Genelec, presented by the
Music Producers Guild: David Bowie
• The MPG Inspiration Award, sponsored by UK Music, presented by the
Music Producers Guild: Nile Rodgers
• Special Recognition Award, sponsored by Protape and Transco Blanx: Sean Davies
• The Outstanding Contribution to UK Music, sponsored by PPL: Trevor Horn
www.mpg.org.uk
www.mpgawards.com
Alchemy MasteringOpens in West LondonVETERAN disc-cutting/mastering engineer Barry Grint
has opened a new facility in Brook Green, west London.
Previously based in the Smithfield area of the City, the new
Alchemy Mastering facility is now up and running in its new
location. At the same time, Rowan and Neale Laxton
continue to run Alchemy Post in Cock Lane, offering a
range of post and voice-over facilities.
“When we regrouped after the demise of Alchemy at
Centre Point, we found a fantastic location near Smithfield
Market,” said Grint. “For Rowan and Neale the site worked
well as their voice-over facility was able to service the many
New Media agencies that had moved to Clerkenwell and
Farringdon. However, it transpired that it was too remote for
the major labels as it involved travelling across London.
“We made a commercial decision to separate into two
companies with Phil Kinrade and myself relocating Alchemy
Mastering to a delightful Mews property in Brook Green,
Hammersmith.”
“Phil and I set the project underway, which then coincided
with Matt Colton feeling that it was time for him to start
his own facility. Matt had worked for Alchemy at Centre
Point and is now a director and equal partner, alongside
myself and Phil.”
Facilities offered at Brook Green include digital mastering,
vinyl mastering, pure analogue mastering, restoration,
compilation mastering, CD duplication, and watermarked
CD duplication. A second mastering room will be opening
shortly. First clients in the facility include Gabrielle Aplin –
English Rain (Grint) and James Blake – Overgrown (Colton).
www.alchemymastering.com
>>> RECORDING
Focusrite Celebrates 25 Yearswith Documentary and ContestIN HONOUR of Focusrite Audio Engineering’s 25th
anniversary (and 29 years since the creation of the Focusrite
brand), the company is running a contest offering the
opportunity to win recording time at London’s AIR Studios,
where Focusrite’s original Rupert Neve-designed recording
console modules are still in use. The prize also includes
working with Grammy Award-winning producer Guy Massey
(The Beatles, Manic Street Preachers, Ed Sheeran).
Continuing the celebrations, Focusrite has also released a
full-length documentary, chronicling the lives of its original
recording console, the Focusrite Studio Console. Only 10
Studio Consoles were ever made and six remain in operation
today. The consoles are now scattered across the world, living
in studios from South Africa to Japan.
The documentary can be watched via the Focusrite website.
www.focusrite.com
>>> CONTEST
Flood and Alan Moulder pick up theirawards
NEWS
12 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
Studer Launches Vista X Infinity>>> BROADCAST
ON 20 February AudioMedia visited Soundcraft
Studer headquarters in
Hertfordshire, where the
company introduced its Vista
X digital console, Infinity
processor, and A-Link audio
interface system.
The event included a
technology overview plus
review of the new product
from Andy Trott, president,
Soundcraft Studer, and Andrew
Hills, product director, Studer.
“In developing the Vista X
and the Infinity Core, we
needed to provide a suitable
audio interface system to
connect the huge number of
audio channels,” said Hills.
“Out of this came the
development of the A-Link
digital audio interface.”
A-Link is a fibre-based audio
interface that uses a 3GBit/s
data rate to offer 1,536 audio
channels per connection. A PCI
express card has been designed
to fit into the Infinity Core’s
server board. This is fitted with
12 A-Link interfaces capable of
over 5,000 inputs and 5,000
outputs offering the huge I/O
interface counts required of this
new processing engine.
A new D23m high-density
I/O system is used to break out
these A-Link connections to
standard analogue, digital, and
video interfaces. The A-Link
interface also provides direct
connection to the MediorNet
distributed router, allowing
multiple Infinity Cores to be
connected together.
www.harman.com
Amadeus Designfor Creative Sound
PARIS-BASED Amadeus has completed the interior
acoustical and architectural design of the new Creative Sound
studios – one of the largest full-service post-production
facilities in France. Amadeus undertook sound isolation,
noise and vibration control engineering, and acoustic
treatments for each of the company’s 10 studios.
Michel Deluc, director of research and development at
Amadeus and head of Amadeus Labs, an integrated research
department for architectural acoustics and electroacoustical
integration, said: “We designed some specific sub-areas in terms
of acoustics for the Foley studio, allowing engineers to utilise
sonic variations in recording. Each sub-area of the main Foley
stage has more or less high-frequency sonic properties and works
in harmony with the main stage through a natural decay of the
reverb time. We created a proprietary variable-diffraction system,
using a wave-shaped ceiling, designed to neutralise the standing-
waves without using supplementary absorbent material.”
Matching Amadeus’ acoustic architectural work are the
audio peripherals chosen by Creative Sound, including a
72-fader C300 HD Master Studio System and 32-fader C10
HD from Solid State Logic – the first digital console from
SSL used for Foley and overdubbing recording – and the first
ultra-large-format Harrison MPC5 digital film mixing
console in the world. The MPC5 is the centrepiece in a new
480-cubic meter film-mixing stage that also includes Dolby
Atmos immersive audio technology.
French mix engineer Jean Pierre Laforce is currently in
the studio working on the Foley for upcoming film drama
Gemma Bovery. It will be mixed using the Harrison
technology at Creative Sound.
www.amadeusaudio.fr
www.creative-sound.fr
>>> POST PRODUCTION
Last Chance to Enter InstallAwardsENTRY FOR the inaugural InstallAwards,
organised by sister title Installation, closes on
14 March. The event, which will be held on
12 June at Hilton London Wembley, will
recognise the best AV integration projects in
the following categories: public display/retail;
education; sports and performing arts;
corporate and industrial; and residential.
Entry is free – simply visit
www.installawards.com and complete the form.
Any permanent or semi-permanent
installation may be entered, provided it was
handed over to the client between 1 March
2013 and 28 February 2014. Entries will be
judged by an independent panel.
In other news, the Institute of Sound and
Communications Engineers (ISCE), a
professional society committed to promoting
technical excellence within the sound
industry, has been named as a supporting
partner of the awards.
Tickets for the awards are available, priced
£175 (or £1,495 for a table of 10). The price
includes pre-dinner drinks reception, entry to
the awards, a three-course meal, entry to
after-party, and more. Contact sara.mather@
intentmedia.co.uk for more details.
www.installawards.com
>>> EVENT
Get involvedA wide variety of sponsorship opportunitiesare available, including sponsorship of awardcategories and various brandingopportunities at the InstallAwards and in the run-up to the event. For details, please contact Ian Graham –[email protected], +44 (0)20 7354 6000
1 2 t h J u n e 2 0 1 4 • H i l t o n L o n d o n W e m b l e y
SHOW PREVIEW Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
14 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
FOR THOSE of you already worried
that 2014 is slipping by too quickly,
don’t be alarmed by the fact that
Prolight + Sound is already upon us.
The show’s organisers, Messe
Frankfurt, have moved the event a
month earlier in the year with the
show open from 12-15 March.
Audio and Sound Systems
exhibitors will once again be taking
over Hall 8.0 with a number of
locations set aside to showcase the
latest in audio technology.
This year the show’s organisers are
putting special attention on the
production, broadcasting, and
recording segments of the audio
industry by labeling relevant brands
with a special logo and publishing a
‘Quickfinder’ that will be available at
the show.
ON THE SHOW FLOOR
While many manufacturers are
playing their cards close to their chest,
we’ve uncovered a few products and
upgrades ready to launch at this
year’s show.
Allen & Heath will be at Hall 8
stand C22 to display the latest
addition to its Qu Series – the
Qu-24. Along with the brand new
Xone:23 DJ Mixer, the company will
also have on display its ME personal
monitoring system, Qu-16 compact
digital mixer, GLD and iLive digital
systems and analogue mixers from the
MixWizard4 and ZED series.
Danish microphone manufacturer
DPA will be taking to stand C71 in
Hall 8 to showcase its newest headset
and miniature microphones: the d:fine
66 and 88 as well as the series of
d:screet 4060 omnidirectional
miniature microphones. The company
is also showing for the first time in
Europe new grids for its d:facto vocal
microphone, which are available in
gold and nickel.
UK loudspeaker manufacturer
Funktion-One is occupying two
spaces at the show – its stand at Hall
8 G94 and a demo space in Room
Dialog (on the second floor between
Hall 8 and Hall 9). The company will
be introducing its Resolution 3 SH
Evo and Resolution 3 EH Evo, which
both feature enhanced vocal presence
due to the substitution of a 1.4in
compression driver to the previous 1in
in the earlier Res 3 models. Funktion-
One will also be introducing its new
PSM318 DJ Monitor at the show,
which has already been installed in
world-renowned clubs such as Space
in Ibiza and Output in New York.
Powersoft has teased a big launch
at its Hall 8 stand E46 location with a
cryptic video ending with the message
“everything comes from the source…”
A trilogy of announcements is
coming from d&b audiotechnik,
which is occupying a spot in Hall 8
J46. Along with the launch of the
d&b D80 amplifier the company is
bringing an update to its ArrayCalc
acoustic simulation software and R1
remote control software, creating a
seamless transition of complex sound
reinforcement models straight from
simulation software into the drivetrain
of a sound reinforcement system.
Sennheiser is using Prolight +
Sound as a platform to launch its MK
8 studio mic. At Hall 8 stand A70,
the company will be showing the
long-awaited sister model to the MK
4, which features five switchable polar
patterns, 1in diaphragms spattered
with 24-carat gold, and an elastically
mounted capsule to attenuate
structure-borne noise. Sennheiser will
also be offering attendees the chance
to record material in its Sound Room.
Following a successful NAMM
launch, Genelec will be bringing its
new 8010 two-way active monitors –
the smallest member of the 8000
series – to its Hall 8 Stand H25
location.
At stand K90 in Hall 8 Fohnn
Audio will be unveiling the latest
addition to its Focus Series range of
steerable line array systems. Focus
Venue is aimed at large-venue
installation and live sound
applications and is said to offer
high-quality sound reproduction
with increased reach, dynamic range,
sound pressure levels, and beam
steering precision.
beyerdynamic is celebrating 90
years of business in 2014 and will
have a large presence at Hall 8 stand
J21, while over in Hall 5 stand B67
Dynaudio is promising no fewer than
six new product announcements.
A world leader in audio analysis
equipment, Audio Precision will be
making its Prolight + Sound debut in
2014 at Hall 8 booth M60. The US-
based company will be showing its
expanded APx software as well as
demonstrating APx Converged Audio
Test.
Another show newcomer, Italian
sound system manufacturer Loud
Professional will be taking up a spot
at Hall 8 booth N70 to showcase its
full range of products for the live
sound and install markets.
The HAL Programmable Multi-
Processor DSP will take centre stage
on the Rane stand in Hall 8, booth
A01. According to the company HAL
has “revolutionised system design and
The biggest European pro-audio event of the year returns to Frankfurt this month. We put together a guide ofwhat to watch out for during the show’s four days.
The Choice of Frankfurt
WHAT?Prolight + Sound 2014
WHERE?Messe Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main,Germany
WHEN?12-15 March9:00-18:00
pls.messefrankfurt.com
DPA’s new grids for the d:factovocal mic
installation”. The simple to
use architecture does not
require any intricate matrix
mixing or presets and no
virtual wiring is necessary to
distribute pages and
background music to
multiple, even hundreds, of
zones.
Peavey will also be in
Frankfurt (Hall 8 stand F80)
with its Elements C
weatherproof loudspeaker
enclosures. The IP45-rated
series is available in three
two-way, full-range
configurations and as a
flyable subwoofer.
EVENTS
As in previous years, Prolight
+ Sound will provide an
opportunity for the live sound
and concert sound industries
to show off their wares in
specialised outdoor locations.
The Concert Sound Arena,
located in Outdoor Area F
13, is designed to highlight
PA and line array systems
under realistic conditions.
Demos run from 10:00 to
18:00 daily with kit from
Montarbo, TW Audio,
Norton Audio, KV2, LAX,
Axiom, K.M.E., and Coda
Audio.
Across the way in Outdoor
Area F 10, the Live Sound
Arena also features a number
of mobile PA systems set up
under similar conditions.
Systems from Coda Audio,
dBTechnologies, Audio
Center, Nova, RCF, ProAudio
Technology, NEXT, and
Norton Audio will be
demoed in 15 minute slots.
CONFERENCES
For 2014, Prolight + Sound is
grouping together all of the
events under the Prolight +
Sound Conference banner in
one exhibition hall (Hall 9.1
and the Cosmopolitan Lounge
in Hall 9.T).
The Conference is split into
three main sections: the
Prolight + Sound Forum,
Media Systems, and VDT
Academy.
While the Prolight + Sound
Forum is designed to raise
awareness of safety in the
event sector, the Media
Systems section is a forum for
manufacturers to present
technologies, processes, and
solutions from the fields of AV
media technology and systems
integration.
Lastly, the VDT Academy
is the information event of
German Sound Engineers –
an association for professionals
focusing on audio in the fields
of art, the media, and
communication. The event’s
lectures aim to offer insights
into developments in the
world of acoustics, as well as
about studio technology and
trends in film, TV, theatre,
research, and development.
PIPA –THE PL+S AWARDS
For the first time ever, the
annual Musikmesse
International Press Award
will be complemented by a
pro audio-focused award
ceremony. The Prolight +
Sound Press Awards will be
presented during a ceremony
held on 13 March.
The new award includes
categories for Portable Sound,
Concert Sound, Live
Microphone/IEM, Mixing
Systems (Live and Studio/
Broadcast), Studio
Microphones, and Studio
Monitors, as well as awards
focusing on the lighting and
AV industries.
Other awards being
presented during the show
include the Opus – German
Stage award, which seeks to
honour outstanding new
approaches in the creative use
of technology. This year, the
Lifetime Achievement award
is going to stage designer
Erich Wonder, while the
award for Technical
Realisation and the Jury’s
Special Prize are being
presented posthumously to
Mark Fisher for his work on
The Wall 2013. Fisher began
his career as an architect for
Pink Floyd and later worked
with Madonna, the Rolling
Stones, and U2. The award is
presented on 12 March at
18:30 in Hall 5.0.
www.pls.messefrankfurt.com
SHOW PREVIEW
www.audiomedia.com March 2014 15
The outdoor areas give live sound companiesthe opportunity to show off their kit underrealistic conditions
SHOW REVIEW Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
16 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
BVE 2014 opened its doors to more
than 15,000 broadcast and production
professionals last month with the very
latest broadcast technology, a packed
seminar programme, and product
training sessions. Many exhibitors used
the show as a UK launchpad for
products, including some new audio kit.
BVE hosted the UK debut of
Calrec’s new Callisto audio console,
which was first launched at last year’s
IBC. Callisto is designed for broadcast
professionals who need to produce
creative and engrossing broadcast audio
easily, but may not require the full
resources of the company’s Apollo and
Artemis audio consoles. Calrec also
showcased its Soccer Sidekick iPad
app, an assistive mixing tool designed
to simplify the job of tracking
the on-field audio during a
football game.
Following the success of
its jungle-themed booth at
BVE 2013, Audio-
Technica brought a Wild
West film set to this year’s
show to highlight the
effectiveness of its shotgun
microphones, including
the BP4071 and BP4071L
shotguns, BP4027 stereo
shotgun, and AT897 short
shotgun. The company
also showed off its new
M50x monitoring
headphones and Allen &
Heath’s Qu Series
compact digital mixing
desks.
Nugen Audio
showcased its complete
line of solutions for
loudness correction, now
available in carefully
selected bundles that
deliver a discount over individual
product pricing. Nugen also unveiled its
versatile MultiMonitor software for
loudness and true-peak monitoring.
Presented for the first time in the UK
to BVE attendees, MultiMonitor offers
up to 16 individual loudness and true-
peak meters in mono, stereo, and 5.1
formats for up to 96 individual audio
channels.
The Roland VR-3EX, the latest
addition to the VR Series of ‘all in one’
AV mixers, made its debut to the UK
market at BVE. The VR-3EX features
audio embedding from four HDMI
inputs while the built-in audio mixer
has delay settings on each input
allowing lip sync adjustments to be
made to match the video source. The
18-channel audio mixer is made
up of four XLR/TRS with
phantom power, stereo RCA,
mini-stereo, and built-in stereo
mics, as well as stereo audio
from the HDMI inputs.
Sennheiser UK showed
many key products from its
broadcast-related ranges.
Highlights included the
company’s flagship Digital
9000 Series wireless system, as
well as the 2000 Series wireless
and 8000 Series wired
microphones. Also featured
was Sennheiser UK’s RF Over
Fibre system, which extends
radio microphone remote
receiving aerials to distances of
up to 25km from their
associated receivers. Other
wired microphones on show
included the MKE 600
shotgun and Neumann TLM
107 broadcast models, as well
as the Esfera surround
microphone system.
Studio monitoring highlights
included the Neumann KH 310 and
KH 120 monitor loudspeakers along
with their associated sub the KH 810,
Sennheiser HD 26 PRO headphones,
HMD Mk II Series broadcast
headsets, and LimitEar HDM Pro.
New Sony products making their
UK debut included the Hybrid Digital
Processing UWP-D wireless
microphone series. Offering users the
sound quality of digital audio
processing combined with the
reliability of analogue FM modulation;
Sony’s hybrid wireless microphone
series includes new transmitters,
receivers, and microphones, which
work together to provide natural
sound quality.
UK distributor Sound Network
showed a number of new products on
its BVE stand, including the d:dicate
Series MMP-F Modular Active Boom
microphone from DPA. Intended for
use with the d:dicate MMC4011
cardioid and MMC4018 supercardioid
mics and other 2000- and 4000-series
capsules for podium, floor stand, or
hanging applications, the MMP-F
relies on the same technology as the
company’s MMP-E active cable.
Equipped with an active boom pole
preamp, the MMP-F booms are
available in 15-, 30- and 45cm
hanging/table/podium options and as
75cm and 120cm floor stand choices.
Sound Network also showed DPA’s
new d:fine 66 and d:fine 88 miniature
headset microphones, which were
unveiled in January at NAMM 2014,
and the d:facto II vocal microphone.
www.bvexpo.com
BVE 2014 took place at ExCeL London between 25-27 February. Audio Media was there to see what the exhibitors were showing.
Broadcasting Bliss
DPA’s d:dicate MMP-Fpodiums were on theSound Network stand
OPINION Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
18 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
READ MY LIPS
Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist
Flea has defended not playing
live during their Super Bowl
half-time show. Flea
responded to reports that his
and guitarist Josh
Klinghoffer’s instruments were
not plugged in while they
played Give It Away during
the NFL’s biggest game. On
the band’s website he said they
were told a backing track
would be pre-recorded when
they agreed to the show. “I
understand the NFL’s stance
on this,” he said. “Given they
only have a few minutes to set
up the stage, there are a zillion
things that could go wrong
and ruin the sound for the
folks watching in the stadium
and the TV viewers.” When
the band joined Bruno Mars
on stage during the show,
singer Anthony Kiedis’ vocal
was live but Flea, Klinghoffer,
and drummer Chad Smith
played along with the backing
track. In his online statement,
Flea added that the band
didn’t feel the need to plug in
their instruments because:
“We thought it better to not
pretend”.
There’s nothing new here.
Acts have mimed on TV
shows since the 1960s, and
there was a time when bands
lip-synching to their hits on
Top of The Pops was the stuff
of national debate.
Julianne Regan, singer with
1980s group All About Eve,
famously mimed the wrong
words on the show when she
was unable to properly hear
her band’s live backing track.
New Order only agreed to
perform Blue Monday if they
could play it live – a rare event
in the early 1980s. However, it
was not seen as one of their
better performances and the
song subsequently slipped
down the chart.
Britney Spears’ current Las
Vegas shows feature much
heavily-criticised lip-syncing,
while Michael Jackson, among
many, had it down to a fine art
– if he was singing live while
performing those amazing
dance routines, I’m a banana.
CUTTING IT
The annual Music Producers
Guild Awards took place at
the Park Plaza Riverbank
Hotel in London recently with
the top award for Producer of
the Year going to Flood (Mark
Ellis) and Alan Moulder for
their work on Foals’ album
Holy Fire. As recipients of this
accolade Flood and Moulder
also automatically won the
2014 BRIT Award for Best
Producer.
The Special Recognition
Award that went to Sean
Davies was also richly
deserved. Renowned as an
audio consultant, Sean is at the
heart of the UK and European
disc cutting business thanks to
his extensive knowledge of
cutting techniques, lacquers,
and the ins and outs of the
equipment needed to cut a
vinyl record. He first became
interested in audio at the age
of 13 when he began repairing
broken radios and cutting discs
at home. His hobby developed
into a career when he was
offered a job at IBC Studios.
Davies’ reputation as an expert
soon spread, securing him
other key technical positions
until he founded his own
company, SW Davies, which
specialises in maintaining
high-quality disc-cutting
lathes and supporting cutting
facilities around the world.
Ray Staff of the MPG’s
Mastering Group said: “He is
a truly unique man in our
industry.”
On the subject of mastering,
disc cutting and associated
skills, Barry Grint’s Alchemy
has re-emerged in Brook
Green, west London, after
spells atop Centre Point in the
West End and in the City. We
wish him and Ray Staff well in
their new venture.
OLYMPIAN EFFORT
While many had reservations
concerning the quality of
commentary at The Winter
Olympics in Sochi, there can
be no doubt that broadcast
coverage of such events, like
the participating athletes,
continues to reach new highs.
Worth looking back...
At the 1924 Olympics in
Paris, radio reports were
transmitted for the first time.
Exclusive film rights were
awarded to a French company,
which led to an American
threat to withdraw from the
games when the US team was
told that they could not make
their own film of a rugby
semi-final against Romania.
After negotiations, the
Americans were allowed to
film the match for educational
and archive purposes.
The 1936 Olympics are best
remembered for Adolf Hitler’s
failed attempt to use them to
prove his theories of Aryan
racial superiority. As it turned
out, the hero of the Games
was African-American sprinter
and long jumper Jesse Owens,
who won four gold medals.
On the media front, the
1936 Games were the first to
be broadcast on television.
Twenty-five television viewing
rooms were set up in the
Greater Berlin area allowing
the locals to follow the Games
for free.
Television broadcasts were
made by the Deutsche
Reichspost (German Post
Office) using two different
television systems that were
run in parallel 375-line all
electronic (including a telecine
chain) and 180-line electronic
and intermediate film.
Equipment included
Telefunken iconoscope
cameras from RCA and
Fernseh electronic cameras.
We’ve come a long way.
For the Sochi Olympics, the
technology manifest is mind-
boggling in comparison to
those of years past. And the
Games – once again – have
provided an excellent
showcase for our industry and
broadcasters.
German public broadcasters
ARD and ZDF chose Fairlight
audio post-production systems
for their coverage of the games
in HD while Calrec reports
that NBC purchased two 64-
fader Artemis Shine consoles
and augmented its arsenal by
renting a further 40-fader and
two 24-fader Artemis Beam
consoles for its coverage. Calrec
has been supporting NBC
Olympics with on-site
engineers since the Atlanta
Olympics in 1996.
Riedel Communications’
MediorNet fibre-based
network supported the
transport of HD video and
audio signals, data, and Riedel
Artist intercom signals
throughout the Games in
Sochi. A Riedel Mass Cast
deployment including 14
transmitters and thousands of
receivers and earpieces
provided support during the
opening and closing
ceremonies.
AND FINALLY
We’ve all heard the jokes
about how many of a
particular calling it takes to
change a light bulb, but how
many media personnel does it
take to cover a major
international event?
The BBC has come in for
some richly deserved stick on
this front after more than 120
BBC staff were despatched to
cover the funeral of Nelson
Mandela, with correspondents
wandering around Soweto and
interviewing anyone who was
not quick enough to get out of
the way. ITV sent a team of
10. And then there’s
Glastonbury – let’s send
(among 300 other staff ) John
Humphries to interview
Mick Jagger.
The Last Time? Sadly not.
Can You Hear Me at the Back?
Audio Media consulting editor Jim Evans rounds up the events thathave caught his eye this month.
Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea has defended notplaying live at the band’s Super Bowl half-time show
GEO FOCUS SPAIN Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
While still struggling economically after the recession of 2009,Spain’s passion for local music has helped the live and recordingindustries weather the country’s financial storm.
That Spanish Sound
Sonic Vista Studios – Inspired by Ibiza>>> RECORDING STUDIO
MOST KNOWN for its clubs and electronic live
music scene, Ibiza also attracts high-profile
international artists looking to put down tracks while
enjoying the Mediterranean beaches. We chat with
Sonic Vista Studios’ L Henry Sarmiento II about Ibiza
Rocks, recording top pop acts, and living on an island.
You’re originally from New York, why did you make
the move to Spain?
I was living in San Francisco running Herbie
Herbert’s studio (Sy Klopps Studios) for many years
before moving to Ibiza. I felt that I wanted to make a
new studio on an island and get away from the city
life, and the best island I felt that needed a
professional working environment was Ibiza.
Has being in such an electronic musical mecca as
Ibiza helped the studio?
Since it’s the mecca of electronic music it draws many
artists even after dance and pop music merged and
more artists started to come to Ibiza to perform. When
major artists are in Ibiza and wish to work, I get the
phone call. Also, outside the summer season, artists like
to come to the studio as Ibiza is a very inspiring place.
You work with Ibiza Rocks doing live recording as
well, how have you seen the live music scene evolve
in the past few years?
In 2005 Ibiza Rocks started doing live shows and
bringing major artists to the island to perform.
Slowly there are more live shows happening and
this year the Hard Rock Hotel will open and will be
another major venue for live concerts. I believe it is
important to have a balance of live artists, venues
and DJ clubs to give more options for people to be
entertained.
What sort of artists have you had through your doors
since you opened in 2004?
Lady Gaga, 50 Cent, Akon, David Guetta, Ne-Yo,
Swedish House Mafia, Red Foo(LMFAO), Taio
Cruz, The Ting Tings, Eva Herzigova, Game of
Thrones, HBO, and the BBC, to name a few.
Tell me a bit about your studio set-up gear-wise.
It’s a hybrid of the best in analogue and digital,
including Avid Pro Tools HDX, Burl Audio,
Manley, Millennia, GML, Elysia, Thermionic
Culture, Solid State Logic, Crane Song, TC
Electronic, Akai, Softube, Waves, Kush Audio, sE
Electronics, Dynaudio, Monkey Banana, Yamaha,
Modulus and many others amazing brands.
How have you seen the market for professional
recording studios change in the past few years? Is
there anything that might be unique to Ibiza or
Spain in general?
The laptop has become such an important tool as
many electronic artists travel nonstop and work on
planes and hotels. But they still need to enter a
professional studio environment to record and listen
properly and focus without distractions.
What are your plans for the future?
Always expanding and providing inspiring and
creative locations for artist/talent to make hits! We’ve
also just joined Miloco’s list of professional studios.
www.sonicvistastudios.com
SPAIN HAS been one of the countriesmost affected by the Eurozone crisiswith its media market taking aconsiderable hit. Several of thecountry’s largest media companies andbroadcasters have been forced to layoff staff adding to the nationalunemployment rate of 27.6%.
Yet the Spanish pro-audio industryseems to be making a slow but steadyrecovery from the crash of 2009. Whileactual quantity of sales has decreasedslightly since 2011, the total worth ofproducts sold has increased, signaling amove to more expensive gear and aninvestment in pro-audio kit.
Much like the rest of Europe, massivemusic festivals are helping drive theindustry in Spain not only for live musicbut for rental and rigging companiesbrought in to support acts. One of themost popular for attractinginternational audiences, PrimaveraSound, returns to Barcelona once againat the end of May bringing artistsranging from Arcade Fire and TheNational, to Nine Inch Nails, Pixies, andWarpaint. Other festivals include Sonarand Benicassim, both of whichcombine popular international acts with
lesser-known Spanish bands. Yet while these internationally
marketed festivals are comparativelythriving, smaller local productions havehad to adapt quickly to the changingeconomic climate. Many cultural eventsin Spain have relied on governmentsubsidies, yet since the most recenteconomic recession these funds havealmost all but disappeared. Taking itsplace major brands such as Telefónicaand Estrella Damm have funded toursand festivals.
In some cases, the artists themselvesare even subsidising the live industry.For his latest European tour, Americanrock star Jon Bon Jovi waived his feefor his concert at the Estadio VicenteCalderón in Madrid on June 27 last yearwith the reduced price of €18 to €33going towards the costs for the venue,operating costs, and show staff.
"When we started planning our tourfor our album, What About Now, wedid a study and found that, due to theeconomic situation, Spain wouldn’t beon the roadmap,” the frontman toldSpanish newspaper El Mundo."However, we didn't want to ditch thefans of a country I love and has treated
me so well for 30 years."While the country’s European
neighbours in Italy saw an increase inrecorded music revenues for the firsttime since 2002 last year, the Spanishrecording industry is continuing tostruggle. From 2006 to 2010, sales ofrecorded music in Spain dropped 50%with physical album sales being cut inhalf. The penetration of digitaldistribution models also appears to beslower in Spain than in the rest ofEurope according to PlataformaTecnológica de los ContenidosDigitales para, which provides numbersof downloaded tracks.
Despite the low numbers, a largeamount of music sales in recent yearshave been attributed to local repertoire.According to the IFPI’s (InternationalFederation of the PhonographicIndustry) latest report, 80% of Spain’stop 10 albums in 2012 came fromdomestic artists.
On top of this, the country has ahealthy studio industry with a numberof high-profile residential andcommercial facilities including ElMirador, the home of legendaryproducer Youth (Killing Joke, The Orb,
Paul McCartney); Sonic Vista Studio,which has played host to Lady Gaga,Akon, and David Guetta, among others;and Music Lan Studios (Shakira, FranzFerdinand).
The Valencia campus of BerkleeCollege of Music also recently openeda Walters-Storyk Design group-designed recording and teachingfacility including a 1,600sqft scoringstage – Studio K – which features an860sqft live room complete with a 15ftceiling and variable acoustics.
“The studio complex needed tomake a statement in a design-conscious country, and be technicallyand acoustically capable ofrepresenting a desirable destination forprofessional work,” said Carl Beatty,Berklee chief of staff.
“We decided to employAvid/Euphonix controllers to takeadvantage of their Eucon protocol thatallows seamless migration of projectsacross the facility, all the way up to theflagship System 5. Additionally, whenwe install an identical console inBoston, we will be doing real-time jointsessions between the two locations viaInternet2 technology.”
20 March 2014 wwww.audiomedia.com
GEO FOCUS SPAIN
POPULATION: 57 MILLION
“Cinema is probably the only field in which audio is still approached with
great respect.”Sergio Castro, Funky Junk Spain
Word on the Street SERGIO CASTRO, sales manager of the Spanish
division of pro-audio distributor Funky Junk and a
30-year industry veteran, talks us through the current
state of the country’s pro-audio industry.
Like many other European countries, Spain is
struggling economically. How has this affected the
pro-audio industry?
It certainly has affected the industry. As with society
in general, the ‘middle class’ recording business also
tends to disappear. I mean, big artists still use the
bigger studios, but most of the Spanish big studios
have disappeared in the past decade. So the Spanish
international artists who signed deals with big labels
can afford recording in places like the USA, UK, or
Germany. On the other hand, rock bands and pop
artists selling to their home market have ended up
building their own rehearsal studios where they also
record and produce their own albums that they must
bring finished to their signing labels. Sometimes
they even release the records themselves. This,
although bringing a sensation of artist freedom, is
mainly a compromise on the recording and
production quality, with less than professional means
being used in the process.
Cinema is probably the only field in which audio
is still approached with great respect, and where
pursuing the best quality is part of the schedule,
while television is more and more image oriented.
Having said that, some big DJs are now aiming at
having their own production rooms with high-end
stuff installed along with excellent acoustics and
decoration to feel creative.
What’s the current state of the recording industry?
In our company group there is an operational
recording studio that we use as a demo room
(although the main idea was to prevent the place
from being knocked down when the original owner
went bust). We feel that musicians who cannot
afford to pay for excellent acoustics in a space
equipped with some of the best recording gear end
up recording at home in less than satisfactory
conditions. The record labels (the ones still in
existence) cannot or do not want to spend any
money in guaranteeing a decent sound production.
Bear in mind that the music distribution media
is now 99% digital, but the quality of reproduction
is fairly low, although something different is
advertised. Computers and cell phones, even on
headphones, have poor dynamics and distort the
real audio signal. In fact the signal is already
optimised to be used on these devices. Not to
mention the background noise, as you listen on the
bus, the train or the aeroplane. So why should labels
care? Why should iTunes care? Musicians care, and
they try to do their best, but finance dictates how far
they can go.
Have there been any noticeable growth areas?
As I said before, cinema mixing rooms pursuing the
best possible audio quality and acoustic
performance, especially now with Dolby Atmos and
the most important DJs/producers, who seem to be
really into having the best possible conditions to
create their music.
Although we are not quite involved with live
sound, we realise that there is a big potential market
out there for Dante, Cobranet, AES50 or MADI,
especially in the broadcast industry (which we
‘touch’ every now and then).
Also, the niche market for gear like Thermionic,
Shadow Hill, BAE, or Rupert Neve has been
growing in the last few years, but it has also been
contradicted by the drop in the financial stability of
the interested customers. This is obviously the
feeling we have about Spain and Portugal.
Have you seen any trends in technology purchasing?
Is there anything that could be unique to Spain?
Well, I believe that in the last few years there has
been quite a jump in the search for good converters.
Finally users understand that the audio chain is
only as good as its worst piece. It doesn’t matter
that you have a mint vintage microphone with a
75dB gain preamp with incredible dynamics, going
into the latest technology DAW if your signal is
being converted by a cheap A-D converter. We are
lucky to be able to offer Prism Sound, Apogee, or
Lynx converters among the brands we distribute in
the group. These give us the authority to advise
people about the fact and we have a reputation for
doing a good job on that.
www.funkyjunk.es
>>> DISTRIBUTOR
www.audiomedia.com March 2014 21
“THE LIST of things that
can go wrong on a live sport
OB is almost endless,” says
freelance sound guarantee
engineer Mark ‘Gadget’ Reed,
fresh from a stint working on
coverage of the Winter
Olympics in Sochi.
Fortunately, as his job title
suggests, there are members of
the production crew employed
specifically to help prevent
them happening and ensure
that sound travels smoothly
from pitch side to truck, to
broadcaster, and beyond.
On an outside broadcast
Reed oversees the engineering
of all of the required audio and
communications. Tasks include
making sure that the correct
microphone, music, and replay
signals appear on the sound
desk and checking that any
audio leaving the OB – and
going back to the broadcaster
– is properly aligned, timed,
and in the correct order.
The sound guarantee
engineer is also responsible for
the talkback on site, including
programming the talkback
panels used in the truck, radio
talkback, the talkback to the
broadcaster, and all feeds to
presenter and commentator
earpieces and headphones.
It is a crucial role, one that
dovetails neatly with the
sound supervisor on one side
and the unit manager on the
other. Between them, and the
rest of the sound team, they
do their utmost to avoid the
worst possible OB outcome:
falling off air.
“It is routine on an OB to
put in spare microphones, spare
presenter or reporter earpieces,
and other backup systems,”
explains Reed when discussing
what you might term risk
management. “Often there will
be a main and spare line going
back to the broadcaster and
these will be fed from different
bits of equipment within the
truck to isolate as much as
possible any kind of failure.
The aim is always to stay on
the air with as little disruption
to the programme or the
production team as possible.”
While problems do occur,
the main thrust of the job is to
rig and then de-rig the audio
systems and ensure that
everything runs smoothly in
the meantime.
“Usually I will arrive on site
six to 12 hours before the
transmission time,” details
Reed. “After a quick briefing
with the other engineers – and
a cup of tea – the rig starts in
earnest, working towards the
Fax Check [Facilities Check]
set by the unit manager. By
that time all the main audio
facilities, including all the
talkback, need to be working.
As a guarantee engineer this is
where being able to work as a
team, and having the ability to
think on your feet and
prioritise, is very important.”
Once kick-off time comes
around Reed then moves into
vigilance mode.
“During the actual event I
will be closely monitoring the
outgoing signals and tweaking
the talkback configuration,” he
says. “Hopefully, the show then
comes off air on time, any
recordings for later broadcast
are done–and-dusted, and the
de-rig can begin.”
With an extensive CV that
includes not just Premier
League and Champions
League football and the
London 2012 Olympics but
also Children in Need, The
Royal Variety Performance,
and Glastonbury, Reed has
been through this process on a
number of occasions, and on a
wide genre of events.
Sport, he says, has its own
unique qualities: “From a sound
perspective, most sports OBs
are broadly the same. There is
usually some commentary,
some effects microphones for
the sound of the actual sport
and the crowd, and some post-
event interview position. The
biggest and most challenging
differences can be how and
where the effects microphones
are placed and how the sound
that is picked up from them
gets back to the truck and the
mixing desk. This can be
simply down a long piece of
cable, a complex optic fibre
link, or via an RF system. Or a
mixture of all three.”
In order to provide an
example, Reed cites coverage
of a recent rugby union match.
For what is a fast-moving
sport played on a big pitch, two
Sennheiser MKH 416s and a
DPA 5100 surround mic were
used as crowd effect mics. Both
were pumped down copper
multicore cable back to the
truck. At the same time four
Sennhesier MKH816s –
plugged to battery-powered
radio transmitters – were used
as ball effect mics, directed at
the pitch and ‘run’ by either a
sound assistant or volunteer.
These mics were received by a
radio mic rack that was then
plugged down a fibre optic
Optocore system along with
the main commentary mics
and the talkback circuits to
(and from) the gantry back to
the truck. Once the audio
arrived at the truck, the
Optocore system turned the
optic fibre signal to a MADI
stream which was then plugged
into the mixing console.
“Using a fibre system this
way saves hundreds of meters
of copper cable, which in turn
saves rigging time, fault
finding, and is now a proven
technology,” explains Reed.
The audio rig didn’t end
there though. An effects mic
was piggy-backed to the
Steadicam, the signal from
which was transmitted back to
the truck within the video
signal and then taken from the
radio camera base station to the
sound desk as an analogue feed.
For pre- and post-match
interviews, as with other
similar sports, copper
multicore cable was used for
the main interview mic –
usually a standard dynamic
such as a beyer M58 or EV
RE50 – plus the foldback
speaker and reporter earpiece.
“The foldback speaker
allows the interviewee to hear
replays of the match while the
reporter earpiece permits the
producer to talk to the reporter
and give him or her further
instructions about the
interview,” adds Reed.
A spare microphone was
then plugged into one of the
camera mic inputs so – should
the worst happen – it has a
separate path back to the truck.
All told it is a complex but
intuitive set-up, one that is
enhanced by modern
technology and aided by the
experience and know-how of
the people that run it.
What is required to make it
work successfully? “Team
work, planning, and a bit of
luck,” concludes Reed.
www.threeredhens.co.uk
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22 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
A SoundChoice
“The list of thingsthat can go wrong
on a live sport OB isalmost endless.”
Mark Reed
Rigging a sporting event for live broadcast requires teamwork,a plan and a little bit of luck, as Will Strauss finds out.
FEATURE Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
24 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
LIKE ANY good origin story
there are a few different
claims as to how in-ear
monitor systems (IEMs) first
got their start. The most
accepted (and entertaining)
story, revolves around a sound
engineer named Chris Lindop
who, during his time touring
with Stevie Wonder in the late
80s, used a standard FM
Walkman receiver and ear
buds to tune into Stevie’s own
broadcast standard ‘pirate’ FM
radio station, Wonderland
Radio. As the story goes,
Stevie’s personal radio station
was so powerful that while he
was performing at a show in
Wembley, the owner of a
trucking company turned on
his radio in Hampstead (about
six miles away) and picked up
his monitor mix.
What started as a patchwork
and expensive way to allow a
bit of freedom on stage dawned
a new age for live productions.
Over the past few decades the
transition to wireless IEM
systems has not only benefited
artists by giving them increased
on-stage mobility with a sweet
spot that quite literally follows
them as they move (it’s in their
ears after all), but roadies and
monitor technicians no longer
have to wrestle with
cumbersome, feedback-
inducing stage wedges.
It seems almost
commonplace now for massive
artists to employ elaborate
stage designs or ‘remote stages’
out in the back-rows of the
audience that wouldn’t have
been possible years ago due to
the PA being hundreds of feet
away from the musicians’ ears.
Yet it’s not just live musicians
who are benefiting as IEMs
make elaborate theatrical
shows such as Cirque du Soleil
and Blue Man Group possible.
“The use of IEMs continues
to grow, and with productions
becoming more ambitious,
freedom of movement is critical
to that,” comments Alan
March, Sennheiser product
manager, Professional Division.
“It really started to take off
in the late 90s and early 2000s
when you began to see IEMs
become more acceptable and
used in touring,” adds Tuomo
Tolonen, manager of Shure
Distribution UK’s Pro Audio
Group. “But it’s kicked off since
then with more affordable
systems coming out.
“The benefits of in-ears are
clear. The most important one
is that the accuracy of your
monitoring is better because
the levels that you are listening
to don’t have to be stupidly
loud. I’ve also heard many
artists say that after switching
to IEMs they actually perform
better because they’re able to
hear what they’re singing or
playing more accurately.”
“Today, from a technological
point of view, the major
advantages are probably in the
realms of RF in that the
channel counts are
considerably higher.
“Early on it was a bit of a
novelty, but today it isn’t
uncommon to see higher
number channels of in-ear
sends than there are radio mics
on stage.”
BANDWIDTH BATTLE
An increase in IEM channel
count clearly means an increase
in demands on other areas of
the signal chain. While desk
manufacturers need to provide
the number of mixes necessary
for individual performers, more
importantly, availability of RF
spectrum becomes a concern.
“We’re living in times where
spectrum is becoming a critical
commodity which is being
eyed zealously, especially the
UHF spectrum, by other users,
particularly the mobile phone
community,” adds March, who
along with Tolonen, makes up
part of the steering committee
of the British Entertainment
Industry Radio Group
(BEIRG) with the goal of
ensuring that there will be
enough spectrum to maintain
and grow the industry.
“We’ve been operating in an
environment for the last 45-50
years where there has been
plenty of spectrum, but as we’ve
seen with the sell-off of the
800MHz band, and now the
increasing traction to release
the 700MHz band for mobile
services, if and when that band
is effectively sold off we’re
going to hit a crunch point.
“We’ve made that point very,
very clearly to Ofcom [the
independent regulator for the
communications industries] in
the UK and other international
groups and there is ongoing
work happening where
regulators are looking at
alternative frequency bands for
this equipment in the future.”
“With any wireless system
RF interference is probably
your biggest nightmare,” says
Tolonen. “If you do everything
correctly, co-ordinate
everything right, get your
antennas set up correctly and
something happens mid-show
that is out of your control, say
somebody else turns on a
system that interferes with
yours, well yes, that will make
the channel go away.”
This issue with availability
of spectrum begs the question
of why not follow the lead of
wireless microphones and start
to make the switch to digital?
“I can see a lot of people
and regulators saying, ‘oh well,
when it comes to spectrum,
digital is going to be the
answer’, and it’s not,” explains
The technology may be entering maturity, but audio quality and accessibility have made in-ear monitor systemscommonplace on stages small and large. Jory MacKay explores the current market for IEMs.
It’s All in Your Head
Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds used Shure kitduring his recent GRAMMYs performance
Emeli Sandé using aSennheiser IEM systemCredit: Richard Minter
FEATURE Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
26 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
March. “The key thing is
latency. If you were to stack up
a digital wireless mic system
with a latency of 3ms and an
in-ear monitor system with a
latency of 3ms and you throw
in a digital desk that has a
latency of 4 or 5ms, that
becomes audible. It becomes
like when you talk into a
mobile phone and you get
your own delayed voice
coming back into your ear.
You can’t perform with that.”
Assuming any RF issues
have been dealt with and your
signal is making it to the
performer uninterrupted, the
last, and arguably most
important aspect of the IEM
signal chain is the earpiece
itself – a market that has seen
fierce competition from both
established and new brands.
While most of the bigger
brands such as Sennheiser and
Shure offer their own
earpieces that can be used
with the supplied universal ear
sleeves as well as with custom
moulds, there are numerous
bespoke options available now.
Companies such as
Sensaphonics, the recently
rebranded Jerry Harvey Audio
(previously JH Audio),
Westone, Ultimate Ears, and
an ever-increasing roster of
specialist, start-up, and
consumer-focused companies
provide custom-moulded
earpieces, with different
options and configurations of
either dynamic or, more
commonly, balanced armature
drivers.
“Early IEM earphones were
dynamic ear buds from the
portable cassette players of the
day. While similar ear buds are
still supplied with today’s
smartphones, the technology
behind IEMs for the stage has
advanced significantly,”
comments Sensaphonics
founder Dr Michael Santucci.
“The biggest early changes
were the move to balanced
armature drivers and custom-
fit designs.”
The benefits of going custom
are comfort and quality. While
an earpiece fitted perfectly to
an artist’s ear canal will allow
for longer use without
becoming uncomfortable, it’s
the ability to block outside
noise, lower the sound level,
and create a perfect stereo mix
independent of stage acoustics
that really draws attention to
these earpiece manufacturers.
“The advantages of using
IEMs is the -26dB of isolation
which allows you to set your
mix at a much lower volume
than stage wedges and also
without fighting all of the
ambient noise that comes with
live stage performances,” says
Jerry Harvey Audio director of
marketing, Corbyn Grieco.
Of course audio quality is the
paramount concern in any
monitoring situation and recent
updates to earpieces reflect that
quest for clarity. Multiple
drivers with dedicated
crossovers are the order of the
day with models such as the
Jerry Harvey Audio JH16
featuring eight drivers per ear,
with double dual low-frequency
drivers, and an integrated three-
way crossover; the Shure
SE846 with its four balanced
armature drivers per ear and
True Subwoofer technology for
increased low-end performance;
or the Westone ES50 with five
drivers, showing the constant
pursuit of accurate audio
reproduction.
IN THE TRENCHES
While personal mixing
stations can give musicians the
ability to tweak their own in-
ear monitor mix, many artists
still rely on the experienced
hands of a monitor engineer.
Laura Davis got her start
with Liverpool-based rental
company Adlib and now
works as a freelance monitor
and FOH engineer. She mixed
monitors for Emeli Sandé for
two years and tours regularly
with Swedish electronic duo
The Knife.
“As a monitor engineer it is
much easier to create the
sound the artist wants to hear
with IEMs as you are starting
with a blank canvas. IEMs
give the artist isolation from
the noises around them unlike
wedge mixes, making it easier
for you to create the sound
they want,” she comments.
Yet as anyone who works on
live productions will tell you,
having a backup is key. Davis:
“I like to use side fills as well
as IEMs when I am working
with most acts but mainly for
electronic acts like The Knife
as they need to feel the sub on
stage. It is also good to have
side fills as a backup – if the
band took out their in-ears, at
least they would have some
timing reference on stage.”
“Personal preference is the
key but I want my mixes to
sound as if the performers are
standing in front of you – as if
you had no earphones in at
all,” adds live audio engineer
and consultant Daniel ‘The
Mix Doctor’ East.
“If you understand how to
create a more musical mix in
the earpieces before the artist
ever takes the stage, they’ll be
much happier and more likely
to take to the concept,” he
adds. “Starting with a simple
bed mix can do wonders, but
it’s vital that the mixes be in
stereo and that the artist wears
both earpieces.
“Speakerless stages were a
tough sell in the early days,
but almost every single artist
who went that way loved it.”
www.shuredistribution.co.uk
www.sennheiser.co.uk
www.jhaudio.com
WHEN USED properly, IEMS allow
for significantly lower listening levels
as the performer’s ears are isolated
from interfering sounds on a live
stage. Yet the idea of sealing your ear
canal with a device capable of
producing in excess of 120dB can be
more than a little worrying.
Billed as ‘the experts in safe sound’,
Sensaphonics Hearing Conservation
was founded in 1985 and began
developing custom-fit earpieces in the
early 90s with the mission to help
musicians and sound engineers preserve
their hearing health. The company now
combines education on hearing loss
prevention with designing custom in-
ear monitoring options for the music
industry, motorsports, and even NASA.
Company founder Dr Michael
Santucci gives his thoughts on
IEM safety:
What are some of the safety issues
when using IEMs?
One major misconception about
IEMs is that they are safety devices.
This perception makes them all the
more dangerous because it leads to a
false sense of security that can result
in the user actually turning them up
louder! The fact is many IEMs can
easily achieve volumes as high, or
even higher, than floor wedge
monitors. They only function as
hearing protection with proper use.
Every artist has what is known as
auditory memory. This means that he
or she will tend to set the volume of
the IEMs to the same level as
previously used with the wedge
monitors. Many times, this can be a
very unsafe level.
Are there any design features that can
help increase safety while using IEMs?
The key is to minimise unwanted
sound. This is achieved by isolating
the ear from the outside world,
creating a tiny ‘listening room’
(roughly 1cc in volume) where only
the desired sound is heard.
Of course, the most difficult
challenge to protecting hearing is
getting the musician to wear the IEMs
as they were designed – with both
earpieces in place. When an artist takes
out one earpiece during a show, it’s
often due to the need to hear ambient
sound, such as audience reaction,
acoustic instrument, or conversation.
How can you help ensure a musician
keeps both of their earpieces in
during a performance?
To deliver stage ambience exactly as a
musician would normally hear it,
Sensaphonics designed the 3D Active
Ambient IEM System. This patented
design embeds tiny microphones in
the earpieces, allowing the artist to
add their sound to the monitor mix in
a controlled fashion or, at the flip of a
switch, hear the room in Full Ambient
mode, just as if they were not wearing
earphones at all. The musician can
hear and interact with the audience,
hear their instrument acoustically
during performance, and even have
normal conversation between songs –
all with both earpieces in place.
www.sensaphonics.com
A HELPING HAND FOR HEARING HEALTH
Michael Santucci
“With any wirelesssystem RF
interference isprobably your
biggest nightmare.” Tuomo Tolonen
The Sensaphonics 3D Active Ambient System
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28 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
THIS TIME last year, I entered the hallowed gates of
George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch for an unforgettable
week of orchestral recording. The project? Turn 10
Studios’ iconic game Forza Motorsport 5 – a key Xbox
One launch title and a franchise beloved of
petrolheads the world over. As one of the music
supervisors, as well as second composer, I attended the
majority of live sessions at Sonic Fuel in LA,
Skywalker Sound, and Avatar Studios, NYC – and as
expected, both performers and recording talent were
super-impressive throughout.
The game features high production values indeed,
but there’s no surprise there. John Wendl, Turn 10’s
content director, explains: “One of our missions, as a
first-party studio, is to showcase Microsoft’s devices
and services such as Xbox, Xbox LIVE, Kinect, etc.
And one of the highest goals of Forza Motorsport 5was to be the ultimate gaming showcase for Xbox
One. We wanted to be that ‘killer app’ that people
buy the Xbox One to play. We pushed the boundaries
of what’s possible on a next-gen gaming system with
beautiful in-game graphics running at 1080p/60fps,
Cloud-powered Drivatar technology and a massive
amount of content, built from the ground-up for the
next generation.
“But the effort went beyond just technology. We
focused heavily on emotional impact and immersion.
We wanted the tech to ‘disappear’ to the player in an
incredibly realistic and immersive gaming experience
that moved the player through a variety of emotional
states before, during, and after in-game racing
experiences. Sound design and music were critical to
that. It’s amazing to what extent sound can ‘colour’
what you see, bringing powerful emotional influence
to any visuals – and when they’re paired together to
work in harmony the result is a cohesive and
powerful emotional experience. The sound of the cars
and environment and the dynamic mix of originally
composed score all come together to take the player
on an emotional journey.”
Crystallising and delivering the audio vision fell
to Turn 10’s creative audio director, Nick Wiswell.
So, given the ‘emotional’ goals for audio in the
context of a racing simulation, was he aiming for
realism or drama?
“I wanted it to sound authentic but not at the
expense of impact,” he says. “It’s about people’s
perceptions of what the world sounds like, not
necessarily the actual reality. For example, a
production car, even a loud one, has only a small
percentage of the audio intensity or power of a race
car at full throttle. That’s the reality, but having a
production car’s intensity scaled to a small percentage
of the loudest car in the game would rob all cars of
impact and would not meet the listener’s recollected
perception. This is why reality in its strictest form is
not the goal. I want to reproduce the perception.”
During the early stages of design and prototyping,
Wiswell and his audio lead, Chase Combs, headed to
San Francisco to consult with Skywalker Sound’s
post-production crew, as Wiswell explains: “The
question arose of how would a top movie post-house
approach designing and mixing Forza sound? So we
thought, why not go find out? We provided
Skywalker with video footage – a lap of the Alps, with
different zones of varying track detail and
surrounding scenery, asking them to ‘post’ it like it was
a movie. We included a big crash at one point so we’d
John Broomhall talks to Turn 10 Studio’s John Wendl, Nick Wiswell and Chase Combs about defining the soundof Xbox One launch title (and fastest selling XBox driving game ever) Forza Motorsport 5.
Sound For a New GenerationTurn 10 Studio
Lance Hayes, principal composer,
Forza Motorsport 3-5
“Compared to previous instalments, Forza 5 had a
significantly more iterative and collaborative
approach to the music. We were scoring in a way
that’s new to the franchise. Additionally, while
most musical decisions were nailed down early
during prototyping, some of the process was
ongoing so we had to stay nimble.
“From a delivery standpoint the new music
system was very hungry! We were trying a lot of
ideas so lots of music layers were required. My
studio alone created well over 1,000 stems. It’s
one of the more stem-intensive output projects
I’ve ever worked on. Special thanks to my
assistant Matthew Steele who was invaluable
during the output phase.
“Paul Lipson (music director, Central Media,
Microsoft) assembled a remarkable set of
recording locations and talent. Working with
industry greats Leslie Ann Jones, Jeff Vaughn, and
Roy Hendrickson was a thrill and the results
speak for themselves. The performances were
beyond compare – The Skywalker Symphony
strings were superb, as were the women of The
New York Film Chorale, and who doesn’t love
MB Gordy’s percussion work?”
MUSIC CREATION
FINAL CUT FORZA MOTORSPORT 5
www.audiomedia.com March 2014 29
hear how they’d approach collisions and
also put in some drifting so we’d see
how they’d handle skidding. We gave
them access to source material and said
they could use it or not. In the end,
they didn’t – going entirely with their
own ideas (that’s what we really
wanted). Our direction was: ‘impactful,
exciting, thrilling’ – like an awesome car
movie chase scene.
“Their lead guy, Al Nelson, had
recently worked on Cars for Pixar.
Having no camera cuts to lock mix
changes to proved a challenge. He had
to find new ways to make the mix feel
dynamic, so he broke the footage down
into track zones – the excitement of the
crowd at the start/finish line, then there
was an area with an open run downhill
with a big wall on the left and a large
open canyon on the right; then a
tunnel, followed by a big open lake plus
driving through a town. He changed
the environmental sounds (plus reverbs)
quite significantly for these various
areas. The results on this alone gave us
some very interesting ideas about mix
approach but there were places where
the car really wasn’t audible in the mix
– not something we could do in the
game because people rely on audio for
gear shift and traction feedback.
“However, it did prompt us to ask,
where do you need to hear things, and
where don’t you? This led us down
some new paths of creative thinking
and subsequently tagging the track in
various ways technically allowing us to
create interesting sound moments. For
instance, adding non-literal sounds to
add tension in certain places, and going
over the top in some areas. For
example, they’d used cannons for
backfires in certain points.
“For them, the car became like the
dialogue – the main character – mixed
centre-channel heavy. Therefore they’d
keep other things out of centre to
leave that space. And these are
techniques we carried forward to the
game, in some cases over-riding literal
3D positions of sound emitters to
provide more mix clarity.”
MUSICAL MAKEOVER
Meanwhile, music was also set for a
radical makeover, moving stylistically
from previous electronica to a dramatic
orchestral approach. Wiswell adds:
“Music in racing games is an
interesting discussion. Yes, there are
hardcore racers who don’t want music
at all, and yet it does add to the feel of
the game so we wanted those positives
without being sonically hamstrung by
conflicting frequencies, such as
distorted guitars/car engines.
We wanted music to build
excitement towards the race and came
up with ‘The Hero’s Journey’ – you
have this Zen space – your
‘homespace’ where you select and
work on your car. As you travel to the
race location, music intensity starts to
build a sense of exploration and
discovery. Then, at the track, it’s all
about race preparation – getting ready
for battle with music very intense –
big percussion and choral elements to
set the scene. Then it’s the 3-2-1
sequence, all about focus, so we
remove music and enhance the crowd
and revving engines. Following the
race, there’s the reward sequence with
music contributing to a sense of
accomplishment. It made sense to
custom-create music specifically to hit
“Working with Top Gear is a big part of the franchise,” says Nick Wiswell.
FM5 features all three presenters, while the back-room crew produced those
characteristic scripts. He adds: “That’s how we get true Top Gear content –
they’re very much known for their own opinions. They’re great to work with
and make a lot of ‘real-time’ edits as they record – it’s a lot of fun.”
THE TOP GEAR PARTNERSHIP
“It’s amazing to what extent sound can ‘colour’ what you see, bringing powerful
emotional influence to any visuals.” John Wendl
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30 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
these emotional beats – plus the whole thing sets a
cinematic tone for an epic game.”
Combs continues: “During the race itself, we
needed to be especially selective with our
instrumentation choices, using orchestral colours
differentiated from the car sounds to avoid confusion
or a clash – car audio is a huge feedback cue for our
audience so we sculpted music around it and kept
away from the centre channel.”
Wiswell adds: “We also wanted the race music to
react to the action, like an extra layer of game-play
cues to help you, so there are music shifts depending
on certain race conditions… What’s your position? Is
it the first or last lap? Are you in a pack of cars or out
on your own? Are you working your way through the
field approaching other cars? The music ebbs and
flows and swells in response to these parameters.”
With FMOD Studio their chosen middleware,
Combs was able to construct a complex modular
interactive music replay system, deploying thousands
of stems produced during the music creation process.
A complex nested event structure provided carefully
timed transitions between music ‘modules’, effectively
combining non-linear music triggers with a linear
playback system via markers and destinations.
RACE TIME
Naturally, in a racing simulation, the sound of each
of the 200+ cars is crucial. Having made racing
games since the original Xbox launch in 2001,
Microsoft Studios has a huge archive of high-
fidelity recordings with new engine types added
continually as games require, or as singular
opportunities present – from a stock Honda Civic,
to a specially modified Ferrari. One notable addition
to FM5 was a Formula 1 car. Through a licensing
agreement with Lotus F1, Wiswell accessed Renault
Sport F1 near Paris, to record an engine on the
factory’s engine dyno.
“They have some really amazing technology – we
could do pretty much anything with the car, but in a
completely controlled environment,” Wiswell
explains. “For instance, they could just push a
button and give you Kimi [Räikkönen’s] pole-
winning lap at a certain circuit. We apply our own
secret sauce to car recordings but the basic premise
is to record as many things as possible that you need
to reproduce, and chop those recordings into little
pieces to be reconstructed in the game at run-time,
depending on whether the car is accelerating,
decelerating, or held at a steady state.”
Combs: “I can’t go into specifics on mics, but
typically, with the car on a dyno (meaning we can
drive it fully under load while stationary) we
approach it like mic-ing up a drum kit. You walk
round the car, get down into the low angles, looking
for the sweet spots, then you start placing mics.”
The resultant car engine components were
assembled within the FMOD tools and positioned
in a 3D model with say, exhaust or intake becoming
a 3D object positioned relative to where it lives on
the car in question. Combs: “So, part of the 3D
system is that when you’re behind the car on a chase
view camera, everything sounds in front of you, but
in cockpit view, you’re able to localise sounds around
you – say, an engine in front and exhaust behind.”
But, according to Wiswell, the biggest win the
10-strong sound team gained from the enhanced
power of the new Xbox One hardware was in the
area of environmental effects. “I felt we could work
more on making the car feel like it’s really seated in
the world with the sound reacting more closely to
its environment,” he says. “This became a big focus
early on and we tried several ideas, modelling early
reflections independently of reverb and using
multiple reverbs at different parts of the track,
Mike Caviezel, audio production director,
Microsoft Game Studios Central Media Team
“I supervised the interactive music mixing and stem
preparation process, as well as providing mixes for
the commercially released soundtrack, the lion’s
share of which was undertaken by Jon Rook, one of
the great staff engineers here at SoundLab (our
multi-room studio facility). In addition, I also
provided some guitar work and wrote/produced
some ancillary compositions for the team. (We also
help out with car recording.)
“The raw sessions from Skywalker Sound and
Avatar were around 100GB, which is a beast to
move around. Rather than clog up our network
with that sort of transfer size, we would actually
just drop the sessions onto an external drive and
walk them from room to room, depending on
where they needed to be at a given time (still
waiting for a 100GB thumb-drive to hit the
market). Session backups were then handled by
our Retrospect software and Drobo drive array.
“These sessions were mixed on a PT9 HD2 rig,
using a D-Command for fader control, and Genelec,
ADAM and Aventone speakers for monitoring. Our
plug-in ‘standard kit’ always incorporates Altiverb
and Speakerphone, everything SoundToys makes,
Komplete from Native Instruments, Iris and Trash
from Izotope, Pitch ’n Time from Serato, and
numerous bundles from Waves. We’ve also got some
key hardware boxes, such as a Manley Massive
Passive, an Eventide Orville, some Lil’ Freq EQs
from Empirical Labs, and an API 2500 main bus
compressor that we like a lot.”
MUSIC MIXING
John Broomhall, Lance Hayes and PaulLipson at Avatar StudiosCredit: Harry Amyotte
FINAL CUT FORZA MOTORSPORT 5
www.audiomedia.com March 2014 31
prototyping offline, ‘posting’ videos in Nuendo and
figuring out our signal flow, and documenting
sends/returns information using Visio.
“This led us to multiple-modelled early
reflections, and multiple reverbs based on a send/
return set-up, so wherever a car is on the track, it
sends the sound to the environment model based on
where it is, not on where the ‘listener’ is. A good
example is if you park outside a tunnel, and listen to
the other cars go through. You will hear their sound
change accordingly, because it’s being sent from
where they are, not where you are. Then the distance
model accounts for the fact that you may be a fair
way from the tunnel via frequency and volume fall-
offs. It gave us a really flexible system but we needed
a huge number of sends and returns.”
Combs adds: “We were able to build this in
FMOD and translating our prototyping work from
Nuendo/Visio was about as close as a one-to-one
transition as I can think of, going almost directly
from the DAW into the game. I don’t think that’s
very typical in videogames and speaks to our design
approach. You’re taking what you’ve built in a linear
medium and porting it to a non-linear medium.
The only difference is you’re using game parameters
to control faders and sends.”
However, when prototyping for a new game
platform not itself yet fully defined, using a
middleware still in development, how do you plan
your technical resourcing as to CPU grunt, memory,
and streaming? Wiswell: “We had close access to
the Xbox One Platform Team with a good idea of
what the hardware would be and how it would
work, with some pretty solid numbers of the type of
things we could expect, but a lot of it was a really
good educated guess.”
Combs: “You end up doing a lot of offline
planning. You need to make sure you have plenty of
levers and can be adaptive – not necessarily
planning for the worst case, but needing somewhat
of a contingency. You start out with target memory
and CPU budgets and so on, but everything needs
to be a lever so when you run into a problem you
have options and can hopefully make compromises
without sacrificing quality. It’s all about having a
concrete plan but being flexible – then doing
everything in your power to get as close as you can
to your goals. I think we did a really good job of
that. It’s a testament to the new Xbox One itself
and the FMOD studio toolset that we were able to
port our best-case offline prototypes to the game. It
meant being less limited by the game technology –
concentrating more on putting together a good
sound package, and less on how we built it.”
www.forzamotorsport.net/turn10
Forza Motorsport 5 was designed to be the ultimategaming showcase for Xbox One
FEATURE STUDIO PROFILE Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
32 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
FOR DRUMMER, producer,
and engineer Mike Thorne,
building his own studio and
house in Tunstall, Kent was
just a case of finding the right
place, acquiring the money,
and getting on with it.
But after opening Rimshot
Studio during April 2012 he
found a number of problems
with the construction of the
live room, and so closed the
facility a year later. The
builder was brought in again,
all equipment was put into
storage, and while Thorne
moved into rented
accommodation the builder
‘did a runner’, leaving him
with no income and huge
storage costs.
“A lot of it came down to
these little bars that isolate
the structure, which hadn’t
been installed properly,”
explains Thorne. “We were
doing sessions in here and it
was like living next door to a
nightclub. It was tough.”
Thankfully since Rimshot
reopened in October 2013 it
has undertaken a number of
successful projects plus
smaller mastering jobs, and
Thorne recently recorded
rock band David Migden &
The Twisted Roots in
addition to jazz quartet –isq.
The layout and design of
the rooms was a joint effort
with architect Hugh Wray-
McCann. Thorne was
inspired by the oak frame in
McCann’s office, which he
saw on TV show GrandDesigns, so used him for the
majority of the studio.
“I want to have an
environment to work in that
inspires me as well as the
people that come in,” says
Thorne. “When people walk
in I want them to feel like
their energy level and their
performance steps up a
gear because of the space
they’re in.”
The M2 motorway is
roughly half a mile from
Rimshot, so on the advice of
Kevin van Green from Green
& Green Audio, Thorne
acquired airport glass and
placed all of the live room’s
acoustic treatment in the
roof. It’s a very versatile space
that can be used wide open,
with a very natural acoustic
for piano or string sessions,
or closed down with screens,
to achieve a tighter sound.
A six-metre-high booth is
often used for drums,
although while it’s not on a
huge footprint it has proved
a versatile space. Thorne is
keen to do something simple
with the wall where he can
raise and lower the roof
slightly to vary the acoustic.
The live room can take about
80 people and Thorne is
eager to record live gigs later
this year.
Green designed the
control room to Thorne’s
brief. It’s a room within a
room so the walls go back
about a metre each side. You
can hear the change in
acoustics between the control
room and the live room
straight away. It’s got enough
Jake Young takes a trip to the Kent countryside to visit a recording facility determined to make people feel good.
Beyond Retro
Rimshot Studio
“I’m not a retro gear junkie.
Everything we’vegot is here becauseI think it’s the best
at what it does.” Mike Thorne
Mike ThorneCredit: Karolina Amberville www.karolinaamberville.com
Credit: Karl Barron www.karlbarronphotography.com
FEATURE STUDIO PROFILE
www.audiomedia.com
space for people to hang out and it
sounds great as well.
Monitors are The Boulder from
Unity Audio, which Green also
designed, with testing taking place
at Rimshot.
Thorne uses a Solid State Logic
AWS 900+ compact
SuperAnalogue console to
complement the Decca Records
all-valve console, which everything
goes through.
The studio has 30 channels of
valve mic preamps, 10 in the control
room and two racks with 10 each in
the booth and live room.
“These days, as far as I’m aware,
when most people say ‘valve’ they
think ‘it’s an effect, it’s warm and
fuzzy, it’s something to help a
computer sound less clinical’.
Decca was trying to make these as
clear and as pure as they could in
the 60s. They sound great. It’s
almost like cheating.”
Outboard includes a one-off
Decca 67 prototype EQ from
1967. “The bottom on the 50Hz is
fantastic when you’re mastering
things,” says Thorne. “They’ve
really chosen the frequencies
nicely.”
Additionally, valve guru Tim de
Paravicini has made major changes
to an early 60s Studer C37 tape
machine for Thorne. “It would
have used thin 0.25in tape and
Tim’s completely rebuilt it to use
0.5in tape. He was down in
November to give it a little bit of
TLC but most of the time we end
up mixing to it.”
Upstairs is a machine room that
contains more Studer tape
machines, all of which get lined up
before every session, and Pro Tools
HDX with some Burl Audio B80
Mothership converters.
Roughly 70% of recordings at
Rimshot start on tape then end up
in Pro Tools because of logistics or
time and cost. Thorne has some
custom equipment that makes
transitioning between tape and Pro
Tools easier. “If you’re recording on
tape and you want to dump it onto
the computer you often find that
the levels you’re working on for
tape are hotter and the converters
don’t sound great when you’re
running them that hot.
“With these attenuators you can
tweak back little bits when you
need to and make sure the
convertors see the perfect level.
Little things like that make a big
difference to my workflow.
“The look on people’s faces,
whether it’s kids who have come
in, bands who have done it a lot, or
even engineers who’ve just
forgotten, when you put up the 2in
multi-track and they hear the first
thing back they all smile. There is
something romantic about
watching the wheels go round.
That’s what studios are. They’re
supposed to be a space to make
people feel good and inspire them.
The technical side of it is great but
sometimes it’s the little things that
actually matter more.
“I’m not a retro gear junkie.
Everything we’ve got is here
because I think it’s the best at what
it does.”
www.rimshotstudios.com
Selected Gear List
Consoles
• Decca GENDEC 1960s valve console
• Solid State Logic AWS 900+ (Upgraded to SE)
Analogue
• Studer A827 Gold Edition 2in 24-track
• Dolby SR & A type noise reduction (24 tracks)
• Studer A80 MKIV 1in eight-track• Studer C37 valve 0.5in stereo• Timeline Microlynx syncroniser
Monitors
• Unity Audio Boulders (pair)• Focal Sub 6• Genelec 1029a (pair) and
1091a sub
Mic Pres
• Decca valve mic preamps (20)• Focusrite Red 8
Microphones
• Telefunken C12 and U47 valve mics
• AEA R44 ribbon (matched pair)• Neumann U87 (2)• AKG C414 (2), D12 (2), D112 and
C1000s (2)• Earthworks TC25 (2) and SR25
EQ
• Decca valve EQs (20)• Esoteric Audio Research 825Q• Decca 67 stereo mastering EQ• Esoteric Audio Research Custom
EQs (2)
Reverbs/Delays
• EMT 140st plate reverb• Lexicon PCM90 reverb• TC M3000 reverb• Yamaha D5000 delay• Binson PE603 delay• Studer B67 0.25in tape delay
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS COMPACT DIGITAL MIXERS
SSE Audio Group’s Dan Bennett discusses why the live sector has taken tocompact digital consoles so quickly and asks what’s next for the sector.
Expert Witness
34 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
WITH THE digital age firmly here
it’s hard to remember that not that
long ago digital desks like Yamaha’s
PM5D and Innovason’s Sy40 were
heralded as the future – saving
production managers and PA
suppliers tonnes (literally!) of weight
and truck space by switching from
large-scale analogue desks and
outboard racks to one-box solutions.
But it didn’t stop there; the world’s
obsession with miniaturisation has
well and truly hit live audio...
Over the past seven years there has
been an arms race among desk
manufacturers to offer higher I/O
counts and flexibility in ever-
condensing packages. Starting with
the humble workhorses of the LS9
series, Yamaha released the 16- and
32-frame desks into the family in
2007 and it quickly became a long-
awaited, compact, and very cost-
effective solution giving 32 channels
and weighing just 20kg!
This gave engineers an inexpensive
solution with on-board effects,
dynamics, and EQ that they could
carry, put in the bay of a bus, or take
home in their car. By utilising the
in-house multicores and taking a
small passive split they no longer were
restricted to the house desk option,
which could differ day to day on tour
and was often in a state of disrepair.
The Yamaha LS9 range still remains
popular with its expansion slots
increasing channel count on both
boards up to a maximum of 64 on the
32-frame console.
DiGiCo and Soundcraft were
probably the next to adapt to the
demand for smaller footprint solutions
when they released the SD9 and Vi1
respectively in 2010. This was a eureka
moment as it brought the digital
multicore to the compact digital desk.
Both units are scalable with each
manufacturer offering a compact stage
rack, with the possibility of stepping
up to the larger frame stage rack
within the product range.
This now opened up the possibility
for engineers to use larger desks on
their own headline tours where truck
space and weight were less of an issue
and budget more available. They could
then take their show file and use the
smaller frame desk from the same
manufacturer for shows where space
was limited. There was, of course, the
initial hard sell to the production
manager, but this working method was
quickly adopted because they could
now carry/fly their kit across the world
for festivals and promo shows alike.
This was great for engineers and
bands as they now had consistency
everywhere. DiGiCo has taken this
one step further by releasing the tiny
SD11, which is little more than hand
luggage on an international flight.
In 2011 Midas brought out its
PRO2 and PRO2C, which sold like
hot cakes. The Midas digital sound in
two small-format mixing consoles,
with the DL251 offering 48 in 16
out, scalable up to 56 in 24 out with
its bigger PRO series brother’s stage
racks.
At SSE we saw the dawn of
compact digital desks come very
quickly on our outdoor shows. We
proudly provide kit for the majority of
UK festivals and when I started at the
company nine years ago only the top
headliners were granted permission to
bring their own desk to a festival
situation. Now, however, there is more
opportunities for bands to get their
own compact audio solution into the
show when all they need is 13A plugs
and 32 XLR. It’s now commonplace
for bands to wheel on a small mixer
sitting on top of a rack of IEMs, do
their show, and then wheel it off again.
Not all elements of compact digital
desks are a positive though as to meet
a price point manufacturers will often
ship the desk with a Cat5 multi as
standard. This cable is safe to use to
96m, after considering joins within the
rack and the twist in the cable over
this length (96m multi often being
100m of cable due to internal twists).
In some festival situations this is not
long enough to get from monitors to
FOH! Yes, you can easily extend with
a repeater or switch, but where do you
put this at a festival? The pit is a
muddy, busy place with limited power.
Do you want your gig resting on a box
in the pit? Always take fan ins and
expect to take your stage rack to FOH
and use guest analogue as a back up.
Some audio companies won’t supply
guest Cat5 for audio control, as there
is no way of proving its integrity in
the multi trench, you might get data
bottlenecks in crimped cable that will
rear their ugly heads when you least
expect it. Most manufacturers do offer
the optical upgrade, but this adds a
hefty price increase that then detracts
form the cost-effective element of the
small board.
So where next? Avid has recently
released the impressive S3L, which is
the first AVB-compatible mixing
console. The same compact S3 surface
can be used on the road or at home as
a DAW controller, the stage racks can
live on stage or in a rack and have up
to three consoles hanging off them
gain sharing.
The compact DiGiCo boards can
be used with the awesome power of
the SD Rack and run at 96kHz with
their FPGA chips which are the same
as in DiGiCo flagship consoles. With
the Overdrive software this gives the
user the same dynamics and audio
quality as the SD7.
Carrying your own desk is now
more convenient and cost-effective
than ever. The desks have a lot of the
functionality of their bigger relations
and can be used everywhere giving
artists consistency worldwide. Tours
also don’t have to pay for an audio
tech as the engineer can easily set up
his own console due to its tiny size.
This has been the state of play for the
past two years with audio companies
sending out countless compact audio
control packages for summer touring
as dry hires, and engineers are having
to work harder and teach themselves.
Engineers seem to be happy enough
to do this as they do get the board of
their choice everywhere and
management companies are no doubt
elated after having to deal with the
other side of the digital era with
music downloads equating to lower
CD sales.
Expert Witness
Dan Bennett is project manager at SSE Audio Group, which provides
professional audio services to the live events industry, including PA hire,
pro-audio equipment sales and sound, lighting and video installations for all
kinds of venues. The group provides sound solutions for a wide variety of
professional audio requirements, including sound design for shows, tours, and
permanent installations; audio equipment servicing and repair; and equipment
and case fabrication.
www.sseaudiogroup.com
Dan Bennett
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
Packing powerful digital mixing facilities into a compact form factor can make for a cost-effective solution. We take a look at some of the latest models on the market.
Compact Digital Mixers
36 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
AVIDS6Easily scalable, the Avid S6 is built on the same technology that is core tothe ICON and System 5 product families. With its ability to simultaneouslycontrol multiple Pro Tools and other EUCON-enabled DAWs overEthernet, S6 also speeds workflows and enables network collaboration on a single integrated platform.
• Scalable and customisable modular design• Visual feedback including waveform scrolling• Intelligent studio control• EUCON connectivity www.avid.com
BEHRINGERX32 COMPACTThe Behringer X32 providesa fluid workflow coupledwith a fully interactive userinterface. With theintroduction of the new 2.0firmware, Behringer has addednew capabilities including AcousticIntegration for connectivity andcontrol of speaker and in-ear monitorsystems, and reimagined the more than 50onboard FX plug-ins. It has also added classic processor examples based onTrue Physical Modelling.
• 40-input channels and 25 busses • 16 Midas-designed programmable mic preamps• 17 fully automated motorised 100mm faders • Eight XLR outputs plus six additional line in/outputs• Individual and dynamic LCD Scribble Strips on all channels and busses • 32 x 32 channel USB 2.0 audio interface, with DAW remote
control emulating HUI and Mackie Controlwww.behringer.com
CADACCDC FOURThe Cadac CDC four boasts 16 mono mic/line inputs plus eight stereo lineinputs as standard, but can be expanded up to 64 inputs with the additionof a 32-input, 16-output external stagebox. Wireless remote control of theconsole is also available via an iPad and purpose-designed app.
• 32 inputs expandable to 64• 16 Cadac mic pres• 96kHz 24-bit conversion
and processing throughout• 19in rack capability• Time aligned, phase
coherent outputs• Snapshot automationwww.cadac-sound.com
QSCTOUCHMIX SERIESQSC TouchMix-8 (eight mic/line, two stereo inputs) and TouchMix-16 (16mic/line, two stereo inputs) mixers are available mid-2014. All input channelsinclude full function gates, compressors, and four-band parametric EQ.
• Wizards and preset libraries for easy set-up• Capacitive touchscreen combined with hardware controls• Four multi-effects processors offer reverbs, delay, chorus, and pitch change
plus a pitch corrector• Outputs include 1/3 octave graphic EQ, delay, limiter, and notch filters• All inputs may be recorded directly to and played back from a USB hard drive• WiFi interface and a padded carrying case includedwww.qsc.com
ALLEN & HEATHQU-24Qu-24 boasts a dedicated faderper mic input channel, 24mic/line inputs, three stereoinputs, four FX engineswith four dedicatedsends and stereoreturns, and 20 mixoutputs including two stereomatrix mix outputs and two stereogroups with full processing. Otherfeatures include a patchable AES digital outputwith a further two-channel ALT output, dedicatedtalkback mic input, and two-track output. High-speed dual core DSPsprovide comprehensive channel and FX processing while the SuperStripprovides control knobs for a selected channel’s key processing parameters.
• Total recall of settings (including 25 motorised faders and digitally controlled preamps)
• Qu-Drive integrated multi-track recorder• dSNAKE for remote I/O and personal monitoring• Multichannel USB streaming to Mac• Qu-Pad control app• iLive’s FX librarywww.allen-heath.com
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
www.audiomedia.com March 2014 37
MIDASPRO1The PRO1 features a lightweight aluminium frame and, as with all Midasdigital consoles, the audio paths can be routed to multiple destinations andthe console format can be reconfigured live on a scene-by-scene basis.
• Three 96kHz AES50 ports, providing an additional 72 inputs and 72 outputs
• 24 integral mic/line inputs with Midas mic preamps• 48 simultaneous input processing channels• 24 analogue outputs (including two stereo local monitor outputs)• 27 sample-synchronous, phase-coherent mix busses• Up to 12 multichannel FX engines• Up to 28 Klark Teknik DN370 31-band graphic EQs• Full-colour 15in daylight-viewable display screen with DVI out• Eight VCA (Variable Control Association) groups• 96kHz 40-bit floating-point processing throughoutwww.midasconsoles.com
MACKIE1642VLZ4The 16-channel 1642VLZ4 delivers the performance of Mackie Onyx micpreamps in a compact four-bus mixer designed for bands, clubs, andmore. The 1642VLZ4 is designed to provide the highest headroom andlowest noise possible. Plus, it is built with a durable steel chassis thatincludes high-contrast controls. The 1642VLZ4 features an expandedreturn section plus a dedicated control room section.
• 128.5dB dynamic range with 60dB gain range, +22dBu line input handling and distortion under 0.0007% (20Hz-50kHz)
• Phantom power for studio condenser mics• Four aux sends, level, pan, and PFL solo on each channel• Three-band EQ (80Hz, 2.5kHz, 12kHz)• 18dB/oct 75Hz low-cut filter on mic input channels• High-resolution 12-segment stereo meterswww.mackie.com
PEAVEYFX2 16
The new FX2 features twice the processing power of the original. Onboardeffects include reverb, reverb enhanced, delay, compression, expander, de-esser, chorus, flanger, tube emulator, vocal enhancer, and gate. It isalso possible to chain two processors together on each of the twoavailable effects windows.
• Dual DSP engines with digital effects and output processing including Feedback Ferret, 28-band GEQ/five-band PEQ, delay, and limiter
• USB 2.0 A connection to record directly to or playback from memory stick
• USB 2.0 B connection for streaming digital out• Three-band EQ with sweepable mid-frequency and variable low
cut filters• Two stereo channels with dual mic/line inputs• Six aux sends• All new switching power supply design • Silencer mic preamp XLR inputswww.peavey.com
DIGICOSD11
SD11 is designed for use as a desktop or 19in rackmount console. There arethree models: the standard SD11, the SD11i with more processing power, andthe SD11B for the broadcast market. The optional Waves SoundGridintegration provides access to even more processing and effects.
• 15in touch-sensitive screen• 32 channels (eight of which are Flexi channels)• 12 Flexi busses• Up to 5.1 master• 8 x 8 full processing matrix, dual solo busses, and a Master buss• Six digital FX, 12 graphic and six dynamic equalisers• MADI interface for connection to another console, rack, or recording
and playbackwww.digico.biz
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
38 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
ROLANDM-200I
The Roland M-200i isa compact 32-channelprofessional digital mixing console offering theflexibility and mobility of comprehensive iPad control. The fully functional iPadapplication enables remote control of all the key features of the M-200iincluding preamp control, pan, high pass filters, and PEQ and GEQ control. Italso includes the ability to store and recall scenes, adjust compressors andgates, sends on faders, and effect editing.
• Ability to control the mix/adjust levels from any location in the venue (within the wireless network)
• 32-channel architecture with 17 motorised faders, eight Aux, four Matrix, eight DCAs and 24 inputs, and 14 outputs (expandable up to 64 x 54 via the REAC port and Roland Digital Snake technology)
• Create a wireless network by plugging a router into the LAN port or by plugging the Roland Wireless Connect adapter (WNA1100-RL) into a USB port
• Mix in audio sources from a USB key inserted in the USB portwww.roland.com
PRESONUSSTUDIOLIVE AI Redesigned from the ground up, StudioLive AI-series 32-, 24-, and 16-channel digital mixers offer analogue workflow, extensive dual signalprocessing on every channel and bus, and a FireWire s800 interface. ActiveIntegration technology provides direct WiFi and Ethernet networking and atightly integrated software suite for Mac, Windows, and iOS.
• Fat Channel signal processing on all input channels and busses, with four-band parametric EQ, compressor, gate with sidechainable Key Filter, and limiter – all with A/B comparison
• Integrated software library includes PreSonus Studio One Artist 2.6 DAW with StudioLive scene compatibility
• SL Remote-AI iPad app and QMix-AI iPhone/iPod touch aux-mix app• 24/20/16 (depending on model) dedicated mix busses
for easy configuration: four subgroups, 14/10/6 auxiliary buses, four internal FX busses, and stereo main mix with mono sum
• FireWire s800 recording interface (24-bit, 44.1 and 48kHz)www.presonus.com
SOUNDCRAFTSI PERFORMER 1Si Performer 1 delivers 448 rack units of Lexicon, dbx, BSS, and Studerprocessing in a 19in rackmount console. Si Performer 1 delivers the samemix power as the Performer 2 and 3 consoles but with 16GB mic preampsand 16 faders. It offers parametric four-band EQ as standard on all inputchannels, and BSS graphic EQs on all bus outputs.
• 80 inputs to mix in a compact rackmount unit• Two Option Card slots for recording, networking, and stagebox
connectivity• FaderGlow and channel displays for instant mix status• DMX interface and control – control sound and light simultaneouslywww.soundcraft.com
YAMAHACL1
Measuring just 648mm wide by 667mm deep, the Yamaha CL1 digital mixingconsole fits into limited mixing spaces yet features all the facilities of its biggersisters, the CL3 and CL5.
• Eight analogue inputs and outputs, plus an AES/EBU out• With the onboard Dante networking up to eight Yamaha R-series I/O units
can be connected, delivering up to 256 input sources• Up to four CL consoles on the same Dante network can share the I/O, auto
gain compensation• Mic preamps and A-D converters complemented by a vast array of processingwww.yamahaproaudio.com
THE ANALOGUE and
digital worlds are continually
blending in new and exciting
ways. With the increasing
number of project studios,
manufacturers are focused on
providing affordable solutions,
which deliver ‘that’ high-end
analogue sound. The Box is
API’s latest product design to
cater for this growing market’s
demands, so I put it to the test
to find out how seriously this
piece of kit can perform.
At first glance, API has
taken great care in the build
quality and design of the
console. The finish is to a very
high standard, especially when
compared to other modern
pro-audio products. It gives
the feeling of a classic vintage
piece of gear and really looks
the part. The Box is
essentially split into three
sections: a four-channel input
tracking section; a master
control section; and a 16-track
summing mixer. All this is
provided on a very small
footprint, which would fit into
almost any compact studio.
GOING IN
The four-channel input
section offers four high-
quality mic/line/instrument
preamps (the same as found
on the 1608). Each channel
has several vital functions such
as +48V phantom power, input
select, 50Hz high-pass filter,
insert bypass, and a -20dB
pad. There are also buttons for
changing the processing order
(compressor pre/post) and
meter switches to determine
whether the eight segment
LED meters are pre or post
fader, allowing you to meter
your inputs and outputs. There
is also a direct pre/post switch
enabling you to bypass the
fader as well as solo safe
switches.
Other channel functions
available on the input side
include centre determined pan
pots, with the API ‘program’
switch for easy monitoring
without routing to your
DAW. Best of all, however,
channels one and two have
API’s 550a three-band EQ
units, and channels three and
four have blank slots to allow
you to spec any VPR
approved 500 series units you
like. The Box also offers four
auxiliaries, two are mono
while auxiliaries three and
four work as a stereo aux,
which can also be used to
create your CUE mix.
MASTER CONTROL
The centre section of the
console gives you all your
important studio controls that
complete the way you work
with any DAW system. Here
you have your master
‘program’ bus fader as well as
master auxiliary controls. All
talkback controls including
routing and level are found
here along with headphone
and CUE mix levels.
The well-located
headphone outputs default to
the console’s main output, but
can also be selected to use the
CUE bus. The CUE bus itself
can be routed from either the
main ‘program’ bus or any of
the four two-track inputs.
These can be summed
together on the CUE bus for
any combination, or all four of
the two-track inputs plus the
main ‘program’ bus. The
control room source can also
be routed from any, or all, of
the four available two-track
inputs but not the ‘program’
bus at the same time. As soon
as you select the ‘program’ bus
the two-track inputs are
bypassed.
Completing your master
controls is the classic large API
control room level knob and
the important alternative
speaker output. There are also
CUT and DIM switches along
with a mix insert bypass switch
and a mono button. The DIM
has its own attenuator and the
alternative speaker outputs
offer a trim level.
At the top of the master
section lies the 527 stereo bus
compressor that is highly rated
among many professionals.
This is the 500 series version
of API’s 2500 bus comp and
has all the same features you
would expect. There are all the
normal compressor functions
such as attack, release, link,
knee, and threshold, as well as
API’s ‘old’ and ‘new’
compression styles and its
patented ‘Thrust’ feature.
The ‘old’ style compression
is feedback based like the old
525 units, whereas the ‘new’
style is using feed-forward
compression with the
sidechain taken directly from
the input. The ‘Thrust’ feature
applies a high-pass filter
before the compressor’s
sidechain to retain a tight and
punchy bottom end. There is
no make-up gain as such, as
the compressor is designed to
have a ceiling control so as you
adjust the ratio and threshold
you can hear what effect the
compression is having.
One very important
addition that has been applied
to the 527 bus compressor
inside The Box is the available
routing. By default the
compressor sits on the
‘program’ bus with an ‘in’
switch for bypass, but it can
also be routed to any of the
four input channels to allow
you to track with some
compression. After you’ve
routed the compressors to your
tracking channels you can
then either place the
compressor before or after the
EQ (or spare 500 series slot
on channels three and four) in
your signal chain. In true API
character, the default places
the compressor first.
SUMMING UP
The right-hand side of the
console is a dedicated 16-
track analogue summing
mixer. Although there are 16
mono channels, the layout
appears as eight stereo pairs
for today’s common fashion of
bringing down stereo stems
from your DAW. Above these
long-throw faders are each
channel’s respective routing
and panning functions
presented in two rows, odd
numbers and even numbers.
Each channel has insert,
‘program’ bus routing, solo,
and mute switches. There are
the same auxiliary/cue sends
and pan pots as the four input
channels and each channel
also offers a 0dB fader bypass
switch (preserving the gain
structure of the DAW
channels or any automation
within the DAW), which is
exactly the same as setting the
fader to unity gain.
IN SESSION
Once I heard I was about to
receive The Box for review, I
knew exactly on which project
I wanted to carry out the road
test. I was set to record some
piano and marimba pieces
with recent Grammy award
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
Simon Allen takes a look at the first small-footprint console from API, and finds that TheBox stands its own against its bigger siblings.
“The pleasant sonicperformance was
immediatelyapparent, which
you would expectfrom any large-
scale API console.”Simon Allen
40 March 2014 wwww.audiomedia.com
API The Box��� PROJECT RECORDING & MIXING CONSOLE
wwww.audiomedia.com March 2014 41
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
winner Dame Evelyn Glennie
for the world-renowned music
library company, Audio
Network. This was a special
session in itself as Evelyn
rarely performs her own
compositions on the piano.
As this console is clearly all
about sonic quality and tone, I
knew this was the ideal
situation to really find out
how well it would deliver.
When recording acoustic
grand pianos, it is very
challenging to capture their
true natural sound. There are
few instruments with quite so
many harmonics and potential
noise-related issues for
recording equipment as pianos
and orchestral marimbas.
I set up with my
professional partner, Ross
Simpson of Woodbury
Recording Studios, and we
deployed his matched pair of
Earthworks QTC40s, a pair
of Audio-Technicas, and a
U87 for extra ambience. I ran
the Earthworks and the
Audio-Technicas through the
API four-channel preamps
with post fader direct outputs
connected to Pro Tools. As I
usually do when tracking with
an analogue console, I set the
faders to +3dB for extra
headroom before clipping on
the preamps, which gives me
a clear indication of metering
inside Pro Tools.
The results were truly
amazing. Obviously it helps
when your performer is of the
calibre of Evelyn Glennie, and
the piano itself is a Blüthner,
but there was a clear difference
with the API sound compared
to some other preamps we had
with us. Back at the mix
facility, we bounced the
recordings with some Lexicon
480 reverb through the
summing mixer and compared
it against the internal
summing of Pro Tools. The
sound from all aspects of this
console really does have that
rich and warm classic API
sound. It wasn’t a case of close
listening for any of these
comparisons at all. The
pleasant sonic performance
was immediately apparent,
which you would expect from
any large-scale API console.
CONCLUSION
I’m sure API is going to sell a
lot of these consoles to today’s
modern professionals and
project studios. It offers
everything you need to
complete your DAW in a
small studio situation with the
very best quality in mind. It is
products like these that are
making it possible to have
that large studio, ‘expensive’
sound in your own facility and
The Box delivers this to the
highest of standards. What it
lacks in functions and DAW
integration, it makes up for in
quality. With The Box you are
investing in the heart and soul
of your studio, both in terms
of master control as well as
offering ‘that’ sought-after
analogue sound. My only
suggestion would be that
although the functions and
layout are well thought out
and presented, I would have
appreciated an internal
method of routing the 500
series units to any channel of
the summing mixer. The most
important aspect from any
analogue console is the sonic
character, and The Box is
guaranteed not to disappoint.
INFORMATION
Feature set
• Four-channel input tracking section featuring API’s classic mic pres
• Sixteen summing channels (20 channels during mix)• Stereo program bus with master fader, insert, and
external input• Full-featured monitor section with support for two
stereo monitor systems
www.apiaudio.comwww.sourcedistribution.co.uk (UK)
THE REVIEWERSIMON ALLENis a full-time sound engineer and record producer. After a stintas senior engineer at City Studios in Cyprus where he headedup the new music studio, he can now mostly be found atWoodbury Studios in Hertfordshire.
Tell me about the inspiration behind The Box.
How did the idea first come up and how long was
the design process?
The idea for The Box grew from a number of
around-the-table discussions with Sales and
Engineering. API manufactured a summing
solution called the DSM (Discrete Summing
Mixer) that was flexible, modular, and expandable,
but a number of customers had suggested
improvements to the options and workflow of the
system. A console-based solution to a simple
summing system with faders and some number of
fully-featured inputs grew into what we now
know as The Box. The process from practical
rough designs to a working prototype took about
18 months.
API’s traditionally known for larger consoles
(1608, Legacy, etc…), were you concerned about
how people might react to something with a small
footprint like The Box?
Yes. There were concerns that the initial reaction
to a smaller API might be that ‘API is cheapening
the product for a down-market customer’. In
reality, the engineering directive was to maintain
the quality and audio performance of the product
regardless of the eventual size or feature set that
we decided upon. It was unanimous among Sales
and Engineering that every part of The Box had
to be as sonically excellent as any other API
console with as many of the ‘big console’ features
as could be integrated into the package size, and
we certainly have done that.
How did you bring that large console legacy into
The Box?
The circuit design is very much the same as any
other API console. The ‘heartbeat’ of API – the
2520 op amp and custom API transformers,
devices that define all API products – are integral
to the design of The Box. Attention to circuit
board design and parts selection went through the
same scrutiny as the ‘bigger brothers’ in the
product line.
What are some of the desk’s key features that set it
apart from the competition?
Having a couple of optional 500 slots on the input
channels to let a user customise the inputs for
different flavours or audio tweaking is one. We did
feel, however, that building-in a pair of industry-
standard 550a EQs gives the user the confidence
and sonic imprint that defines why you buy an
API in the first place.
The built-in stereo bus compressor is another
biggie. Including a pair of 527 compressors that
can be linked sitting on the stereo bus is a huge
bonus. In addition, when tracking, they can be
individually assigned to the input channels with a
single push of a button.
Also, including a 0dB fader bypass switch on all
16 summing channels makes for easy and calibrated
automation moves from a DAW. If fader
adjustment becomes necessary, a simple button
push puts the audio fader back on fingertip control.
Lastly, are ‘project’ studios the future of the
recording industry?
A small ‘project’ type studio may not be the best
solution for everybody as a method towards a final
album. But as a way to get anywhere from basic
tracks to a highly sophisticated multi-tracked
production with stems and automated DAW
moves, the small, compact, high-quality project
studio can indeed turn out a commercially viable
product in the today’s, and likely tomorrow’s,
music environment.
Audio Media editor Jory MacKay chats with API owner and president Larry Droppa aboutbringing the company’s big-console sound to The Box.
Building The Box
SOME QUESTIONS have
bothered philosophers for
thousands of years, while others
have a more recent origin, like,
‘can we have everything louder
than everything else?’ And the
answer is… yes. Now onstage
(or in studio) you can have
exactly what you want, here’s
your ME-1 personal mixer –
everything can be just as loud
as you want it to be.
The ME-1 personal mixer
from Allen & Heath gives
your talent on stage a 40-input
mixer, allowing them to mix
in-ears or wedges to their
heart’s content. The ME-1 is a
hardback book-sized mixer,
mountable on a mic stand and
A&H even throws in a clamp.
The mixer is solidly
constructed in a metal housing
with pro connectors. It is fed
by a single Cat5 cable and has
a daisy chain output for the
next mixer in the chain.
Mixers can be powered down
the Cat5 by Power over
Ethernet (PoE) or they can
accept a DC input from a
power supply. If you daisy
chain your MEs the first one
in the chain can take PoE
while the subsequent mixers
will need power supplies. You
might be thinking, ‘what I
need here is a hub that can
feed multiple ME mixers and
provide power to each one’,
and that is exactly what Allen
& Heath has been thinking
too, hence the release of the
ME-U 10-way PoE hub.
THE ME-U
Let’s start with the hub: the
ME-U is a solid 2U box fitted
with EtherCon input and 10
EtherCon outputs along with a
network port for control and
data. You can use a standard
PoE switch as a hub but the
clever thing about the ME-U is
that it broadens the
connectivity options you have
with your ME system. The hub
comes standard with the
ME-D interface that allows
connection to GLD/dSNAKE
and Allen & Heath ACE and
Aviom (note, no power over
Ethernet with Aviom).
However, and this may be the
genius of the system, the digital
interface card on the ME-U is
interchangeable and other
interface options include
MADI, Dante, and Ethersound
(which must be a spinoff of the
ground work A&H have done
in the iLive series of desks and
stage boxes which also support
these formats).
One thing to note – when
you connect into a GLD
system the channel names and
stereo linking information will
be automatically transferred to
the hub or directly connected
ME-1. There’s a little bit of
assigning jiggery pokery as the
ME system sits ‘above’ the
normal 20 outputs of a
dSNAKE system, however this
process is implemented to be
invisible to the user. You also
get auto-naming with the
A&H ACE system by
plugging in a second Cat5. This
does involve you in a bit of
configuration offsetting but you
can overwrite this auto-naming
locally on the ME-1. At the
moment the QU-16 doesn’t
make the channel names (now
available in firmware v2 but
only in the app) available on
the network. Instead you get
one-to-one mapping of
channels and outputs.
THE ME-1
The ME-1 will plug directly
into your Allen & Heath digital
desk or stage box depending on
which series of desk you have.
Round the back of the ME you
get a loop output for the audio,
headphone outputs on mini
jack and 0.25in, and a mono
output to drive a stage wedge.
Each personal mixer offers you
40 inputs on the 16 physical
keys on the surface. Selecting a
key allows you to adjust the
level and pan for that input.
The clear OLED orange
display enables metering,
naming, and configuration.
You can assign a key to be a
group master. So a single key
labeled ‘Kit’, could control 10
drum mic inputs. Once
grouped you can balance the
levels and pans of the individual
members of the group or adjust
the overall gain. There are
limitations, for instance each
input can appear in only one
group, but that input could also
appear on an individual key.
I was using dSNAKE from
a QU-16 for this review. You
get all the inputs (picked off at
the direct output feed, so set
that up to reflect your choice of
pre-fade or pre-processing
options) and all the outputs so
you might want to slap main
left and right on key 16 so on
every one you have a default
cue feed but it also means you
can mix monitor grouping on a
desk output with local groups
created on the ME-1.
In addition to the audio from
the desk you can also add a
local Aux source using the mini
jack input – a built-in mic
means you can hear what is
happening around you on stage.
Each ME mixer also has a
USB interface to allow you to
save and load configurations
direct to and from your ME-1.
The configuration interface is
menu based.
Each configuration holds up to
16 presets or ‘songs’, each of
which holds a different
nameable mix. There’s basic
three-band EQ on the main
output and a variable threshold
limiter. Each key channel can
be solo’d or muted and when
muted the key flashes to
remind you of the mute status.
There’s no doubt that Allen
& Heath considers the ME-1
a pro product, the finish and
connector quality are all at pro
level and the flexibility of the
system will appeal to gigging
engineers and musicians alike.
When you get your mix just
right pop in a USB stick and
save it and you can carry that
setup wherever you go. The
icing on the cake is the extra
digital formats on the ME-U
hub. The curse of digital is
standards, the ME-U goes a
long way to guaranteeing that
the ME-1 will be as close to a
universal solution until the day
we all live under one digital
world government. The
current plethora of formats
doesn’t look like going away
and the ability to bung in a
MADI card protects your
investment and makes hire
companies’ lives a lot easier.
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
The ME-1 personal mixer aims to put musicians in charge of their own monitor mix. Alistair McGhee tests it out.
42 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
Allen & Heath ME System��� PERSONAL MONITORING SYSTEM
INFORMATION
Feature set
ME-U• 10 ports with locking EtherCon connectors (each
providing power + 40 audio sources)• Daisy chain for more outputs
ME-1 • 40 sources from GLD or iLive• Compatible with MADI, Dante, or EtherSound• Daisy chain or use standard PoE Ethernet hubs• 16 assignable keys to suit application• High-quality sound for accurate, personalised monitor
mixes
www.allen-heath.com
THE REVIEWERALISTAIR McGHEE beganaudio life in Hi-Fi beforejoining the BBC as an audioengineer. After 10 years inradio and TV, he moved toproduction. Most recently,Alistair was assistant editor,BBC Radio Wales and hasbeen helping the UN withbroadcast operations in Juba.
“The flexibility of the system will appeal togigging engineers and musicians alike.”
Alistair McGhee
QUAD ELECTRONICS,
purveyors of high-quality hi-fi,
once used the tag line ‘straight
wire with gain’ for its
equipment, the implication
being that any amplification
system should merely increase
the level of the incoming
signal without adding any
coloration of its own. These
days, at least when it comes to
microphone preamplifiers, the
opposite seems to be true, with
oodles of products on the
market stuffed with valves,
transformers, and
phenylalanine (I made the last
one up) purporting to add
sonic ‘colour’ to their offerings.
So, is there a need for a
preamplifier that just, well,
amplifies without adding its
own sonic character?
Earthworks seems to think so,
because, on opening the dinky
little aluminium case that the
company’s new 521 ZDT 500
series preamplifier ships in, the
first thing that strikes you are
the words ‘like wire with gain’
printed on the slim manual.
So, the gauntlet is down. Does
the 521 ZDT live up to this
claim, and if so, is this really
what recordists want – or need
– from a preamplifier?
Earthworks is probably best
known for its range of high-
quality microphones which
have found wide popularity
among engineers who are keen
on capturing accurate
representations of a musical
performance, especially in the
jazz and classical worlds. So it’s
hardly surprising that the
company’s first ‘lunchbox’
format preamplifier is designed
to add as little of itself to the
signal chain as humanly – and
electronically – possible.
Based on David Blackmer’s
Zero Distortion Preamplifier
technology (of DBX noise
reduction fame – he really
doesn’t like noise!) the 521
ZDT is housed in the usual
single slot API 500 series case
with the power and input and
main output connections being
provided by the lunchbox
chassis itself. The 500 series
format really suits preamps as
there are usually few controls
and the minimal available
space doesn’t get cluttered. The
521 ZDT’s black burnished
front panel features 48V
Phantom powering, a clip
LED, a phase flip switch, a
standby switch, and a stepped
rotary gain control covering
+5dB to +60dB in 5dB
increments.
Unusually for this type of
device, the front also sports a
balanced 0.25in TRS output
alongside an associated
continuously variable
attenuator with a gain range of
-20dB to 0dB. The controls are
sturdy and precise and are well
spaced even for my podgy
fingers. The 521 ZDT is a
solid-state, transformerless
design with a discrete,
completely balanced, Class A
internal signal path and a
specified frequency response of
2Hz to 100kHz varying by
±0.1dB and 1Hz to 200kHz
with ±0.5dB variation. As the
raison d’être of the Earthworks
preamps is to produce the
cleanest signal possible it’s not
surprising that the company
quotes distortion figures of less
than 1ppm (0.0001%) from the
XLR output and 0.001% from
the front panel 0.25in TRS.
Input noise levels are also
impressive at 1.6nV/Hz½ at
20dB gain and 0.6nV/Hz½ at
60dB gain – and that’s easily
enough woomph for most
mics, including some ribbons.
Sadly, you’ll have to look
elsewhere if you need dedicated
line or instrument inputs.
IN USE
So, the 521 ZDT sports the
measurements that any ‘wire
with gain’ contender should
be proud of, but how does it
bear up in practice?
Earthworks kindly lent me its
SRC40/HC hypercardioid
condenser microphone to test
alongside the preamplifier, so
I put the two to use recording
a classical singer and solo
violinist. As expected, the
captured audio was excellent
and, when auditioning the
result on my ATC SCM50A
monitors, the sense of ‘being
there’ was palpable.
Tests with my more usual
AKG414 and Neumann
KM84 microphones were also
impressive – I actually
preferred the Earthworks
device to my Metric Halo
ULN-2 preamplifier in both
solo and ensemble recording
scenarios, which doesn’t often
happen! My transformer-
based 80s Neumann U87 can
sound a little ‘bloated’ when
coupled with a preamp of
colour, but the microphone
shone on vocals and guitar
through the diminutive 521
ZDT, again proving stiff
competition for my usual
signal chain.
Although the terms ‘clean’
and ‘transparent’ come to
mind when trying to describe
the 521 ZDT, that doesn’t
mean it’s without character.
Recordings through it have
weight and body and take EQ
and compression well – the
low noise floor being
especially useful in the latter
processing scenario. Even my
cheap Chinese ribbon
microphone behaved like a
much more expensive
transducer when plugged into
the Earthworks preamplifier,
with plenty of gain to cope
with the dribble of current it
generates. The 521 ZDT also
passed my ‘Shure SM57 test’
– I’ve come to the conclusion
that the better the preamp,
the better Shure’s unassuming
workhouse sounds. Stick a
521 ZDT and a 57 on the
snare, hit it (the snare, not the
microphone) and you’re done.
SUMMARY
The 521 ZDT 500 series
preamplifier maintains
Earthwork’s reputation for
excellence in audio quality and
offers low noise, high gain,
and an uncolored, expensive
sound. I still find it amazing
that, with a brace of these
critters crammed into API
lunchbox, a few high-quality
microphones (from
Earthworks, perhaps?) an
analogue to digital converter,
and a computer will allow an
audio engineer to record
classical and jazz sessions with
a fidelity that just a few
decades ago would have cost
them the same as the GDP of
a small country – and which
wouldn’t have been so
portable! If that’s the kind of
thing that floats your boat and
you’re a 500 series fan, I can’t
recommend the 521 ZDT
highly enough. But be warned
– you’ll need at least two!
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
44 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
��� MICROPHONE PREAMP
“Although the terms‘clean’ and
‘transparent’ cometo mind when
trying to describethe 521 ZDT, thatdoesn’t mean it’s
without character.”Stephen Bennett
INFORMATION
Feature set
• Less than one ppm (0.0001%) distortion through XLR output
• Transformerless design with all discrete components (Class A amplification)
• +30dBu output level• 48V phantom power, polarity reverse, and clip indicator
www.earthworksaudio.com
THE REVIEWERSSTEPHEN BENNETT has beeninvolved in music productionfor over 30 years. Based inNorwich he splits his timebetween writing books andarticles on music technology,recording and touring, andlecturing at the University ofEast Anglia.
Stephen Bennett checks whether Earthworks’ 500 seriespreamp lives up to its ‘like wire with gain’ claim.
Earthworks 521 ZDT
MCDSP HAS a heritage and
reputation as a leader in plug-
in design and its plug-ins are
recommended and endorsed
by top engineers worldwide.
Founded by ex-Digidesign
engineer Colin McDowell,
McDSP was one of the first
companies to begin modelling
vintage hardware as plug-ins
started to replace real
hardware.
The company recently
released an Everything Pack,
including every single one of its
EQs and compressors bundled
into one supreme collection.
Plug-in formats are AU, AAX
(DSP & Native), TDM,
RTAS, and AS, with the new
plug-ins currently AAX only
(AU formats are coming soon).
As the full list would be too
long to cover entirely I have
picked one of the classics as
well as the newest plug-ins
McDSP has added as the
subjects of this review.
CLASSIC – 6030
ULTIMATE
COMPRESSOR
If there is a favourite among
McDSP’s offering it has to be
the 6030 Ultimate Compressor
– a lunchbox-style plug-in
featuring a collection of 10
classic compressors modelled
and moded by McDSP that
range in order of smooth and
transparent to aggressive. The
list of compressors included
are U670, Moo Tube, iComp,
Opto-C, Opto-L, British C,
OverEZ, SST, 76, FRG 444,
and D357, giving you
everything from a Fairchild to
a Neve.
What makes this great is
how it offers a whole bundle
of plug-ins within one plug-
in. The module selection and
easy-to-choose arrangement of
them all makes it a fast no-
brainer style of applying
compression to a track with a
single click. Sound-wise, not
only has Colin McDowell
modelled each unit really well
but he’s also tweaked them
(for example, the attack
ballistics of the Fairchild u670
are easier to use). If you’re not
sure if an optical or a solid
state might work best on a
snare or a bass drum, using the
Ultimate 6030 is great for
quickly hearing the differences
between compressors. One
added extra is the D357,
which is a McDSP design
aimed to be an extreme ‘dirty’
compressor with its own
‘Crush’ control that ranges
from ‘Some’ to ‘Tons’ – I love
Colin’s design humour here.
NEW – 6020 ULTIMATE
EQ
The same lunchbox-style
interface of the 6030 is now
filled with 10 EQ modules’,
E670, MooQ, iQ, E300/301,
British-E, EZ-Q, EQ-76,
FRG EEE, and the final
E357. Interestingly, McDSP
has matched the EQ modules
manufacturers with the 6030
compressor list. For example,
the E670 matches the U670
compressor in the 6030. This
is a Fairchild 664 EQ and a
very rare model EQ that I
don’t think I’ve ever seen!
The 6020 Ultimate is
innovative and the list
approach of side-by-side EQs
makes listening to the different
EQ curves fascinating. As you
switch through the different
models the character changes
may provide more mid range
or more top end etc… If you’re
used to using a certain type of
EQ the 6020 will help give
you an alternative. Rather than
searching for a certain
frequency in your standard
EQ, especially with a
problematic vocal or guitar, it
might be better to find an EQ
with a suitable character first.
NEW – AE400 ACTIVE EQ
The AE400 will automatically
vary the EQ gain depending
on the frequency content of the
audio, which can be a huge
help when dealing with a
difficult vocal that is constantly
changing over one
performance. In a mix I tend to
automate a lot of EQ between
sections to compensate for this
type of problem but it’s a time-
consuming process. Using the
AE400 made life really simple
on a female vocal that was
getting quite harsh in the 3k
range over a chorus. What’s
innovative in the AE400,
however, is its external side
chains for each EQ band. This
opens up many possibilities for
shaping audio around another
sound such as shaping your
mix around the vocal. All EQ
bands are overlapping, have a
variable Q, and active or fixed
gain controls.
NEW – SPC2000
SERIAL/PARALLEL
COMPRESSOR
The McDSP SPC2000 is a
multi-stage compressor with
lots of clever routing options
and classic emulations.
Stacking compressors is a
technique known to many
engineers and the combination
of compressor types and
various threshold settings can
lead to some awe-inspiring
results. Arranging serial
compression and parallel
compression is the key, but
loading multiple plug-ins and
adjusting them all can be
tricky.
The SPC2000 is the plug-in
toolbox that aims to make this
easier by offering three plug-
ins – the SPC202, the
SPC303, and the SPC404;
two, three, or four stages of
compression with a variety of
routing options; and dynamic
enhancements such as a BITE
control, which allows HF
content to pass through
unaffected. The SPC2000 is
once again McDowell cleverly
turning compression on its
head and making something
that can be awkward into
something easier to use but
still versatile with an emphasis
on quality results. So whether
you’re pumping your drums for
more power or guitars for that
wall of sound you have to try
the SPC2000. Every rock band
in the world will love this!
SUMMARY
What’s special about the
Everything Pack is not just
the clever design by McDSP
throughout its plug-in range,
but also how now all its
equalisers, compressors, virtual
tape machines, reverbs,
de-essers, noise filters, and
versatile FX like the FutzBox
are available for one price. The
new plug-ins once again
display the almost legendary
status of McDSP and its
clever design and attention to
detail with a clear focus on
how people actually use plug-
ins. I found flipping through
the different EQs in the 6020
a truly original way to find the
right sound. Likewise McDSP
has designed the SPC200 and
AE400 to make the time-
consuming jobs of clever
compression and fine-tuning
EQ much easier. For the
money it’s an amazing
collection – remember, the
6020 and the 6030 provide 10
classic EQs and compressors
each! As Colin McDowell
would say ‘Hot Dang’, that’s
mighty impressive.
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
The Everything Pack from McDSP brings together the company’sclassic plug-ins with a few added bonuses, writes Alan Branch.
46 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
McDSP Everything Pack��� PLUG-IN COLLECTION
“Whether you’repumping your
drums for morepower or guitars forthat wall of soundyou have to try the
SPC2000.”Alan Branch
INFORMATION
Feature set
• Includes all of McDSP’s equalisers, compressors, virtualtape machines, dynamic processors, and more
• Three new additions in the 6020 Ultimate EQ, SPC2000, and AE400 Active EQ
• AAX DSP & Native, TDM, RTAS, AU, and AS compatible (new plug-ins are currently only AAX)
www.mcdsp.com
THE REVIEWERALAN BRANCHis a freelance engineer/producer and ex-member ofthe On U Sound Crew. His listof credits include Jamiroquai,Beverley Knight, M People,Simply Red, Depeche Mode,Shed 7, Sinead O’Connor,Bjork, and Sade.www.alanbranch.com
SOMETIMES balanced
audio needs to take a trip
through unbalanced
stompboxes, which involves
impedance and level-
matching as well as numerous
patchpoints for ideal
flexibility. The Radial
Engineering EXTC does all
this and encourages creativity
like no other single device
I’ve ever used!
It starts with a mono input,
either XLR or 0.25in (TRS
or TS). Next, tap into the
signal via two unbalanced,
high-impedance, guitar-level
effects loops with adjustable
send/receive levels, polarity
inversion, and a wet/dry
blend control. This blended
signal feeds the XLR and
0.25in outputs for re-amping
or returning to the recorder.
With this much flexibility
and control, EXTC
applications are limited only
by your imagination.
The spacey effects my
client Grey Revell and I
achieved (as this box excels
with two pairs of hands to
animate parameters) were
mind-blowingly good and
way beyond what I’ve ever
achieved with plug-ins. There
was a certain randomness and
organic-ness to the mangled
signals that was truly
inspiring, in a sound
design/experimental kind
of way.
Drums were transformed
into alien blips with phasers/
overdrive, bass guitars into
roaring mechanical beasts
with distortion pedals/
tremolos/flangers, and – my
film-scoring favourite – line
noise and the microphonic
tapping of cables with too
much gain, a modulation and
the sweeping of a delay with
ample feedback.
“This is the ultimate
spontaneous sound-design
tool,” Revell noted
enthusiastically as he
completed a jet take-off
warble-swoosh that would fit
into anything between dub,
dubstep, and EDM.
The EXTC is a clear
choice if you want to
simplify the often-
complicated task of re-
amping with effects.
If the street price seems
high, do consider that the
design is near perfection
(level controls to balance the
two loops would be
perfection). All the unique
creative real-time flexibilities
imaginable (and
unimaginable) are brought to
life with the EXTC.
MC3
As small as a paperback, the
MC3 provides switching for
two monitor sets (A, B, or
both) complete with passive
level adjustment, a total of
three headphone outs on
0.25in and 0.125-link with a
level control, a variable dim
control, a mono-sum switch,
balanced or unbalanced
operation on 0.25in jacks,
and a 15V external power
supply.
There’s also a stereo aux
out via 0.25in TRS that
follows the headphone level
control (ideal to feed a larger
cue system), and a subwoofer
output with level control and
polarity reversal. Passive
circuitry and quality
switching relays make for
some clean, near-neutral
audio handling. There are no
talkback mic facilities; you’ll
have to achieve these within
your DAW.
Some considerations in
using the MC3: the
headphone amp is loud and
clean – maybe not quite as
accurate as my Aphex
Headpod – but notable. The
headphone level control
follows the master volume
knob; I do wish that it were
pre-master.
Surprisingly, the master
volume knob spins on the
shaft, as it’s improperly sized;
I got better operation
removing it.
Considering the price, the
MC3 is still a great choice for
the personal recordist, the
laptop recordist on-the-go, or
the travelling producer who
wants some stable continuity
as their work moves from
room to room.
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
48 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
Radial Engineering EXTC and MC3��� EFFECTS RE-AMPER & MONITOR CONTROLLER
INFORMATION
Feature set
EXTC• Balanced interface for guitar effects pedals• Separate send and receive controls for an optimised
signal path• Transformer isolations to help eliminate ground
loops
MC3• Passive studio monitor switcher with headphone amp• Controls two sets of monitors and subwoofer• Mono sum for AM radio compatibility and phase check
www.radialeng.com
THE REVIEWERRob Tavaglione is the owner of CatalystRecording, Charlotte’slongstanding independentmusic production house.catalystrecording.com
Rich Tavaglione puts two of Radial Engineering’s recording solutions to the test and finds they pack a lot offeatures into small boxes.
“All the uniquecreative real-time
flexibilitiesimaginable (and
unimaginable) arebrought to life with
the EXTC.” Rich Tavaglione
INTERVIEW Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
50 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com
You’ve just got back from
recording at some cup and
ring stones. How was that?
It was at an amazing place
called Roughting Linn in
north Northumberland, quite
close to the Scottish border.
It’s for a project for the AV
Festival in Newcastle this
month and it was with two
musicians John Butcher and
Rhodri Davies. John is a
saxophonist and Rhodri is a
harpist and they work a lot
with improvisation and the
sounds of their instruments in
different and particular spaces.
I worked on a project with
them recording in an
acoustically reverberant place
in Newcastle called the
Discovery Museum and then
we took those recordings to
Roughting Linn and played
them back through a pair of
Anchor speakers mounted
either side of these ancient cup
and ring mark stones, diffusing
the sounds recorded in that
studio space across these
stones and then re-recording
them in that landscape. It’s a
really interesting technique
called worldising that I use
sometimes in my work and it
seemed appropriate to do it
here. I’ve done it a few times
but yesterday was the most
successful. There were robins
singing nearby, redwing and
fieldfare calls, as well as
migrating geese overhead. It
was one of those times where
you listen in the headphones
and you stand back and get
your hands off all the gear, and
you just listen, and you think
‘this is absolutely amazing’. I
recorded it with a Schoeps
Double M/S array so I could
listen to it back in surround. In
terms of capturing the space
and those elements it was
amazing.
Where else have you been
recently?
Well prior to that I was in the
Kalahari Desert for a week
working on a BBC series
called Survival. I was there
with David Attenborough
recording some pieces to
camera that are introducing
the series and also recording
some sounds in the desert.
You interviewed David
Attenborough in November in
Qatar. What was that like after
working together for 20 years?
I spend a lot of time with him
when we’re away so it was just
good use of our time. The idea
of the programme was to help
promote a BBC Radio 4 series
called Tweet of the Day, which
is on most mornings at
5:58am. Every month they get
different people to present or
introduce the birds and David
did the ones over the
Christmas period. I didn’t
really imagine it as an
interview. It was really just a
conversation that we recorded
one afternoon.
Your work is released on the
Touch label?
Not exclusively, but a lot of
my recorded output that’s not
broadcast goes on CD for
Touch. Touch has been going
a long time – 30 years, I think.
They must be one of the
longest established
independent record companies
around. Jon Wozencroft and
Mike Harding run it. I’ve
known them a very long time.
They gave me the chance, it
must have been the early
1990s, to release some
material and I’ve done quite a
few albums with them.
But you were signed to Rough
Trade in the 70s?
I was with a band called
Cabaret Voltaire and the first
label we signed to was Rough
Trade. It must have been 1979.
We made a few records with
them and then we also signed
to a Manchester label called
Factory. We were on their first
ever release, which was called AFactory Sample. I think there
was us, Joy Division, The
Durutti Column, and a poet
called John Dowie. We did one
record with Factory and then
we worked with a Belgian label
called Crépuscule, which has
just been revived. They just got
in touch with me and said that
they were back in business,
generously offering me the
chance to do something with
them, which I might do.
When did you develop an
interest in recording?
My parents bought me a reel-
to-reel tape recorder when I
was about 12 – a really
inspired gift, which I’ve still
got in my studio. It had tiny
3in spools of 0.25in tape and it
had a microphone on a metre
of cable. I recorded everything
in the house, things I still
record actually, creaking doors
and the buzz of refrigerators,
and things like that. I suddenly
realised it had batteries in it so
I could take it outside, which
was a revelation for me.
Later on in my mid teens I
discovered that you could
manipulate 0.25in tape and
sculpt it. I discovered musiqueconcrète and the works of
people like Pierre Schaeffer in
Paris who were working using
the tape recorder as a
compositional tool, as a
creative instrument. I became
really fascinated by that. That’s
really what got me into music,
this route of musique concrète,latterly electronic music, a
combination of both, and then
starting Cabaret Voltaire with
Richard H Kirk and Stephen
Mallinder.
How did you develop a
specialty in location sound?
I was always really interested
in that and I became more
interested in recording and
then using the sounds. After
some time I realised that what
I was trying to do in the studio
in terms of manipulating
[sounds], really the best results
were when I went out and
actually made a really good
recording. I became more and
more interested in that side of
things – in improving my
location recording techniques
and getting experience out in
the field.
What are your future plans?
At the moment most of my
projects are things like
installations because I’m much
more interested now in spatial
sound, which is impossible to
get onto a record. The next
piece I’m doing is the creation
of an island called Hy Brazil
in three dimensions of a
soundscape, which I’m doing in
the Howard Assembly Room
in Leeds. It will be installed for
about three weeks with this
significant 20-channel
ambisonic sound system.
What’s in your kitbag?
It’s got a Schoeps Double
M/S array with three capsules,
a Sound Devices MixPre, an
analogue stereo preamp, a
Sound Devices 744T, and a
pair of Sennheiser HD 25
headphones.
www.chriswatson.net
As one of the world’s leading sound recordists, Chris Watson’stelevision work includes BAFTA award-winning programmes withDavid Attenborough. He talks to Jake Young following a trip torecord at some cup and ring stones, a type of prehistoric rock art.
Rock Music
Chris Watson recording in avolcanic fissure on the GalápagosIslands
“It was one of thosetimes where you
listen in theheadphones and
you stand back andget your hands off
all the gear, and youjust listen, and you
think ‘this isabsolutely amazing’”
Chris Watson