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ProAudio ReviewThe Review Resource for Sound Professionals

FEBRUARY 2010 | VOLUME 16 | ISSU E 2

STUDIO | LIVE | BROADCAST | CONTRACTING | POST

www.proaudioreview.com

INSIDE:

ProAudio Review

• IN USE:

Equation F.20

LDC Microphone• WORSHIP AUDIO

On Staying Analog

reviews |

New Products,P. 8, 36

Auralex Acoustics Room Analysis • Cloud Microphones CloudlifteriZotope RX/RX Advanced • MIPRO MA-909 • Primacoustic FlexiBoothUniversal Audio UAD 2 SOLO/Laptop • WAVES Vocal Rider

Focus On

AcousticsInstallations,Consultations,& Tips

Focus On

AcousticsInstallations,Consultations,& Tips

APPLE LOGIC

STUDIOfeaturing EuphonixMC Control & Mix

A PA R Feature Review

APPLE LOGIC

STUDIOfeaturing EuphonixMC Control & Mix

A PA R Feature Review



8

20

24

27

30

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in this issue

35

40

36New Live Products

ReviewMIPRO MA-909 Professional Wireless

Mixer/Remote Speaker Linkby Will James

ReviewEquation F.20 Large-Diaphragm

Condenser Microphone

by Randy Poole

Mini-ReviewCloud Microphones Cloudlifter Two-

Channel Phantom-Powered (Pre)Preamplifier

by Rob Tavaglione

ProAudioReviewFEBRUARY 2010 | VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 2

Sound ReinforcementCovering Live Sound,Contracting, and Installed Sound

New Studio Products

New Acoustic Products

ReviewAuralex Personalized Room Analysis

and Treatment Installationby Rich Tozzoli

ReviewPrimacoustic FlexiBooth

Acoustic Cabinetby Strother Bullins

Feature ReviewApple Logic Studio

featuring Logic Pro 9by Russ Long

Feature ReviewEuphonix MC Control and

MC Mix DAW Control Surfacesby Russ Long

ReviewUniversal Audio UAD 2 SOLO/

Laptop ExpressCard DSP Acceleratorby Russ Long

ReviewWAVES Vocal Rider Level

Automation Plug-Inby Rich Tozzoli

ReviewiZotope RX and RX Advanced Audio

Restoration Software Suiteby Rob Tavaglione

PRO AUDIO REVIEW (ISSN 1083-6241) is published monthly by NewBay Media LLC, 810

Seventh Avenue, 27th floor, New York, NY 10019. Subscription information can be found

at www.MyPARmag.com, by calling 212-378-0400, or writing to the above address.

Letters to the editor are welcomed at the above address or [email protected].

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Pro Audio Review, P.O. Box 282, Lowell, MA 01853

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6Technically SpeakingSpace, The Finite Frontier

by Frank Wells

Studio SenseCareful Consideration, Good

Consultation Mean Better Acousticsby Strother Bullins

Worship AudioDigital Mixing: Why You’re Still Not

Readyby Dan Wothke

Departments

34

ProAudioReview | February 2010

22

StudioCovering Recording, Broadcast

Production, and Post Production

Cover Photo: Konrad Snyder

8

36



technically speaking Frank Wells

ProAudioReview | February 2010 www.proaudioreview.com

In today’s production paradigms, the technical infrastructure of old is condensed and compressed, the core studio hardware oftencrammed into little more than the frame of a computer with just afew peripheral devices. This has taken production into the newfrontier of the small room. While audio pros are crafting produc-tions of excellent quality in these environments, the environmentcan be less than forgiving or accommodating in two critical areas.

The first is monitoring. Small spaces (often improvisedspaces) present a host of challenges to accurate monitoring

with loudspeakers. These challenges are well known, and a broad range of products isavailable to effectively address the shortcomings imposed by a small space (several of those solutions are discussed in this issue of PAR ).

The second critical area is recording space, and the interaction of room and micro-phone. Beyond the control room, legacy studios were conceived with tracking liveinstruments in mind, with a myriad of design and construction techniques used tocomplement the recording process. This is a luxury beyond possibility for most homeand personal studios.

Certainly, small-studio owners can and do try to make the most of available space,and similar techniques as are employed for small control rooms can be used to theseends. The primary issue is simply the finite limitations of available space. Large track-ing spaces aren’t solely desirable for the ability to cram in a full band (or, in a very largespace, an orchestra). Larger tracking spaces also afford more opportunity to design a

space to complement the recording process, as opposed to simply designing to removeunwanted room to mic interaction.

In the studios I used to call home, our room designer lovingly crafted the variousspaces to complement particular instruments. He knew that a particular EQ bump wasinvariably added to acoustic piano, for instance, so he built it into the room. For guitaramps, a modest space was devoted to providing acoustic compression instead of laterrequiring electronic compression. Even where the footprint of a space was relativelysmall, high ceilings and trap space behind grille-cloth false ceilings allowed the spacesto be tailored for the task at hand. Versatility was possible where spaces allowed micplacement in varied proximity to hard and soft walls or to large trapped spaces behindgrille-cloth coverings.

It’s often lamented by pros that today’s music listeners find compromised playback

equipment and highly data-reduced digital downloads acceptable, because these lis-teners have no experience listening to live instruments. Equally regrettable is that wewill have a large portion of future recordists who have never had the experience of recording in a fine acoustic space. A plethora of products are available to insert somesense of space back into recordings, and while they can be very effective, they are bynecessity employed at a less than optimal stage of the process.

Kudos to those who are able to preserve our traditional studios, and to those relativefew who can effectively incorporate space into new studio designs. It’s part of therecording legacy worth preserving.

Space, The Finite Frontier

EDITORIALFrank Wells, Editorial Director212-378-0400, x535, fwells@ nbmedia.com

Strother Bullins, Reviews And Features Editor336-703-9932, [email protected]

Fred Goodman, Managing Editor212-378-0423, [email protected]

Lynn Fuston, Technical Editor

Rich Tozzoli, Sof tware Editor

Bruce Bartlett, Dr. Frederick Bashour, Ty Ford, Carlos Garza,Will James, Tom Jung, Bascom H. King, Russ Long, SteveMurphy, Alex Oana, Randy Poole, David Rittenhouse,Richard Alan Salz, Alan Silverman, Rob Tavaglione,Christopher Walsh, Dan Wothke, Tom Young Contributors

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ProAudio ReviewProAudio ReviewThe Review Resource for Sound Professionals

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 10 V O L U M E 1 6 I S S U E 2



new studio products

Focusrite has debuted its OctoPre MkII Dynamic mic preamp, which featureseight channels of preamplification, with new, single-dial, VCA-based compres-sors derived from the company’s Red 3 on every channel. Onboard digital con-verters, with clocking and jitter-elimination technology, enable users to streameight channels of 24-bit/96 kHz digital audio to and from an ADAT-equippedcomputer workstation or hard-disk recorder.

The A-D and D-A converters can operate at common sample rates of up to 96

kHz, with dual TOSlink ports carrying the SMUX-compliant ADAT signal to andfrom an audio interface, mixing console, or hard-disk recorder.Price: $799 listContact: Focusrite | www.focusrite.com

Focusrite OctoPre MkII Mic Preamp

According to Countryman, its new Type 10 is the “ideal counterpart” to the

industry’s stalwart pro DI, the Type 85. Featuring the same construction as theType 85, the new Type 10 reportedly achieves “the lowest distortion, lowestnoise, and highest accuracy of any direct box,” making it an “ideal choice” forprofessional recording and live applications. Noise spec is 1.8 micro-Volts RMS(shorted input, 22 Hz-20 kHz); THD (1Vpp, typical load) is <0.001 percent at 1kHz, <0.005 percent (30 Hz-20 kHz).

Other Type 10 features include thick aluminum housing and three recessedswitches — for a -15 dB or -30 dB pad (“with virtually immeasurable distor-tion”), a ground lift, and and a power test. Type 10 power is via 48V phantom or9V battery. Stay tuned to PAR for a full evaluation of the Type 10.Price: $299 listContact: Countryman Associates | www.countryman.com

Countryman Type 10 DI Box

ProAudioReview | February 2010 www.proaudioreview.com8



new studio products

CAD Audio has unveiled its personal NB Series stereo earphones. The series

starts off with the NB1 (pictured), high-performance stereo earphones for per-sonal listening, and the NB1B, which reportedly features three times the bassresponse for extra punch in the low-end. Introduced last year, the NB2 featuresnoise-canceling technology.

All NB series specs include an extended frequency response and sensitivityof 96 dB. The NB2 features an ANC circuit active noise reduction range of 40 Hz-5 kHz and maximum noise reduction level of 16 dB from 100 Hz-300 Hz. TheNB1Bs boast an extended low end to 10 Hz.

Video online at www.ProAudioReview.comPrice: $149 list (NB2 noise-canceling model)Contact: CAD Audio | www.cadaudio.com

CAD Audio NB Series Earphones

10 ProAudioReview | February 2010

Aphex 140ASeries AudioInterfacesAphex has introduced three digitalaudio conversion/interface products:the 141A, 142A, and 144A. Thesedevices are SMUX-capable, allowingthem to be used at 44.1, 48, 88.2 and96 kHz sample rates. The company’soriginal 140 Series will remain in the

Aphex line to provide alower-cost alternativefor customers who don’trequire the new flexible,high sample-rate 140ASeries.

The 141A (pictured) isan 8-channel ADAT-to-analog converter, the142A is an 8-channel analog-to-ADATconverter, and the 144A is an AES-to-ADAT and ADAT-to-AES bidirectional

interface. All models in the 140A Seriesare housed in the same half-rack chas-sis as the original 140 Series, which canbe mounted in racks or to use as table-top devices.

Prices: $549, $649,and $549 (141A,142A, and 144A,respectively)Contact: AphexSystems |

www.aphex.com



studio eventsMETAlliance Academy, Capitol Records, Hollywood

The METAlliance is presenting the inaugural METAlliance Academy event in Hollywood on March 20 and 21, 2010 at the historic

studios in the Capitol Records tower. For the “In Session with the Guys” event, attendees will participate and interact with theMETAlliance founders in live recording and mixing sessions. By special arrangement, The METAlliance Academy will occupyCapitol Studios for the entire weekend. Every attendee will participate in four sessions, each designed to provide different expe-riences in the recording process led by the founding members.

For recording sessions, Phil Ramone and Al Schmitt will occupy Studio A (musicians TBA); Chuck Ainlay and Ed Cherneywill occupy in Studio B (musicians TBA). For mixing sessions, Elliot Scheiner will reside in Studio C. Finally, “In the Box”home studio mixing with Frank Filipetti and George Massenburg will take place in the Studio A lounge. Amenities include

catered lunches, a special dinnerprovided by Marino Ristorante, and aspecial private party (for those whoregister by February 19). Space isextremely limited.Price: $2,495Contact: METAlliance |

www.metalliance.com

From left: Frank Filipetti, Phil Ramone,Al Schmitt, Elliot Scheiner, Chuck Ainla y,Ed Cherney, and George Massenburg.

L E A H L

E E



new acoustic products

Acoustics First’s Cutting Wedge Classic absorption foam has been

retooled to produce the large, seamless walls preferred by many post-production facilities. The unique Cutting Wedge pattern, with its ridgesfollowing the long dimension, creates a contiguous, one-piece wallappearance.

The acoustical foam can be enhanced by adding Cutting Wedge2000 to increase its low-frequency absorption, without replacing theinitial layer of existing Classic material. Thus, so goes Acoustics First’sCutting Wedge slogan: “Other foams don’t stack up!”Price: $262 (per box, eight 2’ x 4’ x 2’ pieces)Contact: Acoustics First | www.acousticsfirst.com

Acoustics First Cutting Wedge

Sonex Whisper Waves are acoustical absorption panels made of 2.5-inch-thick fireproof melamine foam with an attractive “wave” aesthet-ic. Made to suspend from the ceiling with clear monofilament line fromhanging hardware (both included), Whisper Waves appear to floatabove your audio workspace. WW panels are fireproof, UV-resistant,and unaffected by heat and humidity.

Whisper Waves are available in two forms: Clouds or Ribbons. WWClouds are designed to hang parallel to the ceiling or attach to a wall in

24” x 48” or 48” x 96” sides; WW Ribbons are designed to hang on edgeor attach to a wall, available in one 12” x 48” size. Custom sizes and col-ors are also available; please contact Sonex for more information.Prices: $184 (four 24” x 48” Clouds), $270 (eight 12” x 48” Ribbons),and $350 (one 48” x 96” Cloud)Contact: Sonex | www.sonex-online.com

Sonex Whisper Wave Panels

VocalBooth has unveiled its Diamond Series of sound enclosures. Theenclosures have been designed to utilize the corner of a room in a studioas space-saving measures for tight quarters.

The Diamond Series enclosures feature nonparallel walls to helpreduce standing waves. They are available in four sizes: 3-Carat, 5-Carat,10-Carat, and 14-Carat. Each size is available in either the Gold Series sin-gle-wall design or Platinum Series double-wall design. Standard Diamondsystems include lighting (U.S. orders only, 120-volt fixtures), cable pass-through, and a three-component ventilation system.Price: from $4,995Contact: VocalBooth | www.vocalbooth.com

VocalBooth Diamond Enclosures

6 ProAudioReview | February 2010 www.proaudioreview.com



new acoustic products

RealTraps’ most affordable bass traps ever (at $100 each), BareTraps are 2’

by 4’ by 3 1/4 inches thick, weigh 18 pounds, and are very similar to thefirm’s MiniTraps. Like MiniTraps, BareTraps are real membrane bass traps,available in both Standard and High Frequency styles for corner bass trappingand reflection control, respectively. Color choices are black, white, and wheat(off-white).

Further, BareTraps have the same solid metal frame as MiniTraps, but with-out the side slots. They have four holes in the rear for attaching hangingwires, but no cross bars for mounting on RealTraps Stands, microphonestands, or with Post Base Kits. Note that BareTraps are sold only in pairs, toreduce the cost of shipping and packaging.Price: $200 per pairContact: RealTraps | www.realtraps.com

RealTraps BareTraps

The MDL 127 LP S standard single-wall isolation booth (pictured) may be the entry-level-point product from WhisperRoom, but it’s farfrom an “entry-level” product. Designed to fit snugly into a corner offering 12.7 square feet of interior space, the MDL 127 LP S comesstandard with a ventilation system.

Further, WhisperRoom offers a varied line of single- and double-wall iso booths featuring options such as floor-isolation enhance-ments, ventilation-silencing systems, height extenders, caster plates, additional windows, and accent packages (wood-grain accentpanels inlaid onto the exterior of WhisperRoom wall components).Prices: from $3,690 (MDL 127 LP S cornerunit)

Contact: WhisperRoom |www.whisperroom.com

WhisperRoom Isolation Booths

17February 2010 | ProAudioReview



Careful Consideration,Good ConsultationMean Better AcousticsFor a moment, forget about your micro-phones, your monitors, your front end, yourback end, and your DAW. Your forestamongst your trees isn’t your hardwareand software, it’s your environment — theroom in which you do your critical listening.

Thus, we suggest periodically settingaside a small percentage of your businesstime (and funds) purely for removing atleast one negative acoustic characteristicfrom the space in which you listen. Even if you don’t have an actual budget foracoustic materials this year, very afford-able results are to be had with careful con-sideration, phone consultation with rep-utable acoustic treatment authorities, and just a touch of physical labor.

Nick Colleran of Acoustics First

Corporation is an industry veteran andexpert in the realm of acoustic treatmentmaterials, applications, and installationtechniques. Based on decades of treatingall kinds of listening and recording envi-ronments — from world-class places tohumble home-based spaces — Collerangenerally advises to make logical, one-by-one small changes, then stop and listenfor improvements, if any.

Data Before Dollars

First of all, before you spend a dime on anyacoustic treatment materials, closely ana-lyze the space you need to treat. Beforecontacting an acoustics expert, simpledata, pictures, and measurements shouldbe compiled. “Room shape and size, whatthe surfaces are made of, and what will beaccomplished in the room are the basics,”says Colleran. “We like to see a half-dozenphotographs — front, back, up, down, right,

and left — because we might not knowabout the giant pink stuffed elephant inthe corner which affects the acoustics. If it’s a large room, we like a recording of aballoon being popped so we can hear it. If it’s something small, like many controlrooms, that is less relevant.”

Common ProblemsWith Early Reflections

“If the space is for listening to playback,”Colleran continues, “remove all the firstreflections near the source of the soundso the sound from the speakers reachesyour ears before the room interferes. Anydirect and reflected frequencies that com-bine out of phase will cancel and con-versely those frequencies that combine inphase will be boosted. String togetherthose valleys and peaks and your result-ing frequency response will look like a jagged mountain range."

You May Already Own(Or Rent) A Bass Trap

Nearly all bedrooms have closets, manyresidential studios are in cube-ish bed-rooms, and most of these spaces are inneed of bass trapping. Luckily, your clos-et is a bass trap in waiting, advisesColleran. “Open it up. If you have a closet,you have a pre-fab bass trap. The hangingcoats inside will act like the bass trapsback in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Justhang a curtain over it to conceal yourwardrobe.”

In that same manner, adjoining rooms

are also potential bass traps. For one par-ticular job, Colleran cleverly used the nextroom over to act as a larger bass trap. “Weworked it in by leaving a heavy curtainover the entrance to a bedroom off of thecontrol room,” he explains. “That gave theextra space for the bass to ‘develop’ so hecould hear what was going on downthere.”


Strother Bullins is the reviews and features editor forPro Audio Review

.

opinion studio sense by Strother Bullins

In the composition studio of Spence Burton,

a 2-inch-thick Sonora panel bridges the cor-ner to form a trap and flows into an identi-cal panel mounted as a ceiling cloud.Acoustics First’s patented QuadraPyramiddiffusers ($97 each in quantities of six-plus)are behind the speakers. Standard 24” x 48”Sonora acoustical wall panels ($95 each)fill the gap left and right. The design on theceiling is formed from 2” x 24” x 24” Sonorapanels cut into triangles with their edgeshalf-beveled (custom-made items). Lateradditions include two more Sonora wallpanels to extend the ‘wings’ left and right,two extra triangle pieces overhead, and 10Cloudscape ceiling tiles ($40 each) else-where in the room.

(continued on page 42)



With a little help from some talented friends and the folks atAuralex, I now have a comfortable, open, and great-soundingsetup. Here’s how it went down and what I learned from it.

As you can see from the picture, the room was empty — parthome studio, part living space — which is a realistic circumstance

in today’s production environment. It was a blank canvas in a typi-cal condo complex with concrete floor and ceilings, sheetrock, anda sun-drenched wall of windows. Since I had deadlines, including a5.1 surround project, I had to do the whole thing quickly.

The first step was to measure the room and then make a plan.Looking around my previous studio — used for mixing, compos-ing, and surround sound work — I took stock of my currentacoustic treatments. I already had some Auralex products: fourElite CT45 ProPanel corner traps, four Elite B24 Pro Panels, fourpArtScience SpaceCouplers in a cloud overhead, and four

SpaceArrays on the rear mix wall.I then sent the measurements

and info to Auralex for recom-mendations; they will do a free room analysis for anyone whofills out the online form. Working with Auralex’s director of salesKaren Richardson and design engineer Gavin Haverstick, Ireceived a basic room layout and analysis a few days later.

Analysis & Install

The analysis provided plenty of useful information and sugges-tions — prime speakers setups and listening placement, howand where to mount wall and window treatments, and whatproducts they thought would serve as those treatments. Usingthis analysis, I then went to good friend and design engineerVincent Miraglia from Analog Design Group, who helped build myprevious room. We reviewed the material and decided to orderonly some of what they suggested.

As expected, budgetary and aesthetic considerations (as itserves as living space, too) dictated my Auralex order. I ended uppurchasing two additional SpaceArrays and SpaceCouplers, twoB24 Pro Panels, and some MetroFusers (which I ended up notusing at all).

Working with Miraglia and his team, we followed the Auralex sug-gestions and mounted four B24 panels on the front studio wall.These are nice-looking, one-inch-thick panels used primarily forabsorption of slap and flutter echoes, which were quite bad in the

studio review by Rich Tozzoli

Auralex Acoustic Room

Analysis And Treatment InstallationBetween measurements, advice, and key acoustic

treatment tools, our reviewer quickly turns empty

square footage into a live/work production studio.


Rich Tozzoli is a composer, engineer/mixer, and the software editor forPAR

. www.richtozzoli.com

Putting a home studio in an empty room is to some a dream and to others a night-

mare. Recently, I moved into a new space and was faced with this scenario.

Before

Price Box

Elite CT45 ProPanel corner traps $149 (each)Elite B24 Pro Panels $109 (each)pArtScience SpaceCouplers $599 (two per box)SpaceArrays $798 (two per box — discontinued item)MetroFusors $249 (12 per box)Auralex Metro LERND $299 (eight per box)Contact: Auralex Acoustics | 800-959-3343 |

www.auralex.com



empty space. Haverstick noted it would be benefi-cial to mount them away from the wall, as the air-space created by doing so would improve the low-frequency performance of the panels. So we putthem on blocks cut from 2 x 4s, evenly spacingthem across my center-lined mix position.

Next, we put in three of the CT45 ProPanel cor-

ner traps (the rear left wall opens up into theapartment). These are 2 x 4-foot, fabric-wrapped,fiberglass bass traps that fit into a 90-degreecorner for extra low-frequency absorption. Weended up placing the fourth CT45 loosely againstthe front wall just behind my subwoofer, whichadded a bit of extra low-end absorption. Miragliathen “donated” a set of Auralex Metro LERND tri-angular Bass Traps, which we put into the floorcorners below the CT45s.

Then we hung the SpaceCoupler cloud about five inches downfrom the ceiling (with small chains), directly centered over myhead in the resting mix position. It was slightly back from whereAuralex suggested it go; I tend to move around quite a bit off of the “sweet spot” during production. These help redirect energyinto the upper portion of the room where it gets diffused.

The six SpaceArrays were then mounted on the rear wall,again centered on my mix position. We needed those to helpwith the flutter echoes, and, since the wall is quite large, I had topurchase a few more to cover the extra space. These are madeof Paulowina wood, and aside from doing a great job of random-izing and reflecting sound, they look quite nice.

Finally, we mounted an additional B24 panel on the wall to theleft of my mix position, so it would “catch” thefirst reflections off the speakers. Auralex noted I

should mix with the curtains closed, and that thecurtain should be oversized (so there are deepfolds even when it is closed).

So that was it; the treatments were up. Iplaced my two racks of preamps and compres-sors to the right of my mix position with every-thing plugging into a Monster AVS2000 VoltageStabilizer underneath the desk (a simple IKEAtable). The Pro Tools HD192 and Creation AudioLabs MW1 DI/Reamper sit in a small rack to myright, with a Command 8 and Grace 906 5.1Monitor Controller to my left. Pro Tools optically

feeds six channels to the Grace, which then dis-tributes to the speakers. When I need to com-pose, I simply plug in an M-Audio Axiom Pro,which hyper-controls Pro Tools. Like the rear sur-round monitors, I take it down when not in use.The setup is clean and efficient.

Further Adjustments

The challenges I face now are to adjust to the newsound and “feel out” the space. Since I changed

subs (to an NHT Pro S-20 with M-00 monitors), it’s a new learningcurve of sound. It takes a little time to listen, and Miraglia hasbeen helping me tune the room with optimal sub positioning,speaker heights, and so on. However, the fundamental sound isexcellent, and the sonic treatments made a huge difference.

Undoubtedly, there will be some slight changes and revisionsto the space (we already pulled the desk out a few inches). Imay even put up some more treatments if need be. But like anyother worthwhile workplace improvement, it takes time, effort,and (most often) a few bucks to do it right. Do some research onyour own space; the info is right there online and in books.Simply put, if your room is right, your mixes will sound better.And that leads to more clients.

21February 2010 | ProAudioReview

After



FlexiBooth ($399) is an acousticallyabsorptive vocal booth in “cupboard”form. It is designed to hang on the wall of your audio workspace. Closed, its casing— made of black melamine-coated MDF(medium-density fiberboard) — meas-ures 2 feet wide, 4 feet high, and a bitover 5 inches deep. With both 4 x 1-footdoors open, the FlexiBooth becomes a 16-cubic-foot VO environment.

Two years ago, I reviewed Primacoustic’sBroadway Series of acoustic products dur-ing a complete refurbishment of my pri-mary audio workspace [full article avail-able here: www.proaudioreview.com/arti-cle/18244 — Ed]. That installation contin-ues to be the most significant pro audioinvestment I have ever made.

So naturally, when presented with theopportunity to review the FlexiBooth — pri-

marily comprised of thesame high-quality absorp-tive materials as theBroadway Series — I wasintrigued. While it is prima-rily marketed as a wall-mounted vocal booth, itspotential uses are any-where from conventionalto literally “off the wall.”

Features

FlexiBooth’s absorptivecomponents are high-density (6 lb. per cubicfoot) encapsulated fiber-glass panels with resin-treated panel edges,covered with acoustical-ly transparent polyester

fabric in black, gray, orbeige (which can even

be covered with a second fabric to bettermatch or to develop a unique décor, if sodesired by the user). Three panels — two46 x 9.75 x 1 inches on each door and one46.75 x 22.5 x 2 inches in the middle —provide the absorptive zone of an openFlexiBooth. [Detailed absorption charac-teristics of FlexiBooth are available on thePrimacoustic website at www.prima-coustic.com/flexibooth-specs.htm — Ed.]

Completely unconstructed, theFlexiBooth comes with numerous parts: thethree panels, seven MDF pieces, and sever-al bags full of cam locks, wooden dowels,screws, pins, dry wall anchors, etc. Alsoenclosed are two door guides, four doorhinges, and two magnetic door catches.

Last but not least, accurate and well-illustrated assembly instructions areincluded, featuring diagrams and photos.

In Use

Of course, before I could place the

FlexiBooth in use, I had to build it. Withbasic tools (Phillips head and flatheadscrewdrivers, small hammer, power drill,and level) and an extra set of hands, theFlexiBooth was together and hung inplace with well under two hours of laborinvested, even working at a relaxed pace.

Once constructed, I screwed theFlexiBooth’s mount — a French cleat —on the rear wall of a small editing/controlroom (with tie lines to other recordingspaces throughout a large residentialstructure). In this position (placedbetween an entrance door and closetdoor), the FlexiBooth (when open) woulddouble as an adjustable absorptive sur-face behind the mix position and a VOspace, maximizing the functionality of this small audio production room. In bothapplications, FlexiBooth excelled.

Since FlexiBooth can be easily liftedoff the beveled edge of its wall cleat, Ialso used it as a “gobo” in front of acoustic instruments, amplifiers, drumkits, etc. The back of the FlexiBooth

exposes most of the rear of its nearly 2 x4-foot Broadway panel, so additionalabsorption was gained in any “off thewall” application. It’s also worth notingthat, when closed, the FlexiBoothbecomes a hard, reflective surface; theidea of several FlexiBooths mountedaround a room in varied positions of open, closed, and somewhere inbetween would allow lots of sonicoptions.

SummaryAs the name was conceived to imply,FlexiBooth is indeed very flexible, thusmaking it much more than just anacoustic product for tracking vocals. It’sattractive, clever, useful, and much morethan the sum of its parts.

Contact: Primacoustic | 604-942-1001 |

www.primacoustic.com

studio review by Strother Bullins


Strother Bullins is the reviews and features editor forPro Audio Review

.

Primacoustic FlexiBooth

Acoustic CabinetFlexiBooth’s potential uses are anywhere

from conventional to literally “off the wall.”



MainStage, Soundtrack Pro, and WaveBurner were also added to

the package. Surprisingly, this giant increase in content wasoffered at half the price of the previous version.

Now Apple is shipping the next generation of the bundle —featuring Logic Pro 9 — with major upgrades and more than 200new features. This review will give you an overview of the entirepackage and highlight the most exciting new features.

Features

Logic’s new Amp Designer and Pedalboard are ideal competitorsfor Digidesign’s Eleven and Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig.

Pedalboard’s 30 modeled stompboxes and flexible routing pro-vide a giant range of effects options and the virtual Pedalboardallows you to select your stompboxes and determine their orderin the signal path. The collection is comprehensive and includeseverything from fuzz, overdrive, distortion, and compression toreverb, delay, flange, phaser, tremolo, and wah.

Amp Designer’s straightforward interface provides a graphicrepresentation of the selected amp head, speaker and micmodel. Pull-down menus allow specific heads, cabinets, and micmodels to be selected. All of the heads have tremolo, and byclicking on the EQ or reverb labels, you can switch betweenmany different EQ and reverb types. There are 25 amps, 25speaker cabinets, and three mics that Amp Designer allows youto virtually position. Amp Designer does a fine job replicatingboth clean and distorted tones and I (an avid ribbon-mic user)was surprised at the quality of the ribbon-mic emulation.


Russ Long is a producer, engineer, and mixer. He owns the Carport studio in Nashville. www.russlong.ws

featurereview by Russ Long

Apple Logic StudioOur pro discovers he can “easily compete with a $20,000 Pro Tools

system” using an affordable DAW based on Apple’s latest Logic.

Two years ago, the Apple Logic Studio update

boasted a complete rebuild of Logic Pro as well as

a plethora of new content, effects and plug-ins.

Konrad Snyder



2February 2010 | ProAudioReviewwww.proaudioreview.com

Logic Studio’s MainStage 2 now incorporates Playback andLoopback plug-ins. This makes it possible to trigger backingtracks and add the features of a hardware-based looper to alive performance. I must note that the new Apogee Gio USBaudio interface and foot controller (at $395 street) is the per-fect complement to MainStage 2, Amp Designer andPedalboard. It provides foot control over transport functions,

punch-in, looping, and Pedalboard effects and comes pre-mapped for these plug-ins.The new Bounce Regions in Place feature allows effects and

software instruments, with or without active plug-ins andautomation, to be quickly rendered to audio. The new audio isplaced in an adjacent track, and the original is automaticallymuted. This is different from track freezing in that it produces anaudio file that can be easily edited at the project settingsinstead of a hidden 32-bit freeze file.

An impressive new Logic 9 feature list is Flex Time, whichallows the quick and creative manipulation of timing and tempo.It is essentially Pro Tools’ Elastic Time on steroids. Flex Time isthe most significant and encompassing addition to Logic Pro 9,and it facilitates several new features, including the Flex Tool,Audio Quantizing, Speed Fades, and Varispeed. Convert toSampler Track and Drum-Track Slicing are two other non-FlexTime associated, but very cool, features worth mentioning.

Users who are already familiar with Pro Tools’ Elastic Audio orAbleton Live’s Warp will quickly adapt to these features.Otherwise, you’ll probably need a bit more time to feel comfort-able with the function as it’s quite encompassing.

There are big improvements on the documentation front, too.The new Notes button reveals a list section with tabs for trackand project notes. Each channel strip has a track note making iteasy to jot down details like microphone type, signal path, etc.

Larger event documentation can be stored in the Project Notes.Notes can hold up to 20,000 characters.

The complete Logic Studio package is $499. Upgrading fromLogic Express is $299 and upgrading from Logic Pro or LogicStudio is $199. An Intel-based Mac running Leopard OS 10.5.7 or

higher is needed to run all of the applications. This releasemarks the departure of PPC support (which is personally disap-pointing). Logic Studio requires a hefty hard-drive commitmentas 9 GB of free space is required to install the applications andrequired content and an additional 38 GB is required for theoptional content.

In Use

I successfully installed Logic Studio on my Apple MacBook Pro2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 2 GB RAM for this review, and themajority of my monitoring was done through a Benchmark DAC-1 converter (utilizing the computer’s optical output) andDynaudio BM5A and Focal Twin6B monitors. I also installed thepackage on my Apple Macintosh 2 GHz Dual Processor G5, andeven though it is no longer officially supported by Apple for

Logic, I had minimal difficulties with its operation. However, itdid run extremely slow, making it difficult to use for processor-intensive applications such as the new Flex Time features.

The overall look and feel of Logic 9 is unchanged from the pre-vious version. You can still toggle through the Mixer, Editor, and

Stop The Presses:

It’s Logic 9.1!Just as this review was going to press, Apple

released Logic 9.1. While it doesn’t introduce a

host of new features, v9.1 does deliver improved

compatibility and numerous fixes over the already

stable 9.0. In v9.1, samples are now mapped cor-

rectly when using the “Contiguous Zones” option in

the EXS editor, and the application now supports

file names longer than 32 characters.

Also added is support for 64-bit native mode and

64-bit Audio Unit plug-in compatibility. Running

Logic in the 32-bit mode requires Mac OS X 10.5.7

or later; 64-bit operation requires Mac OS X 10.6.2

or later. —Ru s s Lon g



Arrange windows or you can work within the single integratedworkspace. In the Mixer window, the arrow keys can now beused for channel-strip selection, and the Tab and Shift-Tab keyswork the same when naming Mixer channels. Additionally, chan-nel strips’ rewritten EQ thumbnails have a speedier re-draw andare easier to read. Volume and Send automation levels are nowadjustable in 0.1 dB increments, which I’ve found extremely

helpful when making minute adjustments. Quick SwipeComping, which I fell in love with in Logic 8, has been improvedas well and can now be momentarily turned off for normal edit-ing and then turned back on to return to comping.

On Flex Editing

The quickest way to begin Flex editing is to simply click on anyaudio region with the Flex Tool. Once you select from one of fourmodes — Slicing, Rhythmic, Monophonic, or Polyphonic — youcan freely manipulate the waveform. When you need additionaloptions and a more detailed view of what you’re editing, switchto Flex View. When Flex View is turned on and a track is enabledfor Flex Time editing, Logic analyzes all audio regions on thattrack. There you can choose from six modes — (Rhythmic,Monophonic, Polyphonic, Slicing, Speed, and Tempophone).Modes are selected one at a time. Three modes — Rhythmic,

Monophonic, or Polyphonic — are optimized to give the bestresults for specific types of material. Slicing mode allows you todo beat slice-style editing, but with the simplicity offered by theFlex editing interface. The last two modes produce uniqueeffects: Speed for pitch changing, tape-style manipulation; andTempophone for special effects similar to granular processing.

Varispeed is the simplest of the Flex Time functions and sim-

ilar to the classic tape-recorder function; it increases or decreas-es the tempo of the entire project (not just Flex-enabled tracks).The Speed and Pitch mode operates like a tape machine wherethe pitch changes with the speed. The Speed mode alters thespeed while the pitch remains constant. Speed, Pitch, and MIDIalters the speed and pitch and transposes all non-drum MIDItracks in semitones. This last mode has varied results depend-ing on the source material, but it is still extremely impressive,reminding me of the awe I felt the first time I experienced Auto-Tune in action.

Logic 9 also includes two drum-oriented features: Convert ToSampler Track and Drum Replacer. The first allows you to createa sampler instrument from audio in a track with a single opera-tion, enabling beat re-sequencing or re-triggering of portions of an audio track at other places in the composition. Convert ToSampler Track can also make it easy to tighten a drummer’s per-formance with the click track or a loop. Drum Replace creates aMIDI clip based on an audio file’s transient markers so samplescan be used to augment or replace the drums.

When audio files are recorded, bounced, or exported, tempoevents, time stamp, and even marker data are automaticallyincluded with the file. This means, for example, with Flex Time,the audio imported from other Logic projects can automaticallychange to match the tempo of the current project. Tempo infor-mation can also be read by MainStage’s Playback, the new back-

ing track player.The resizable plug-in windows are a Godsend, especially

when working with a small-screen laptop. Plug-in windows cannow be enlarged by up to 200 percent, making it easy to locateand manipulate controls, even for the most complex plug-ins.

Summary

Most of my work in Apple Logic Studio was on my laptop. I’vefound that between a MacBook Pro, Apple Logic Pro, theEuphonix MC Mix, and the Universal Audio UAD 2 SOLO/Laptop[see Russ’ Euphonix and UA evaluations following this review —Ed.], I can easily compete with a $20,000 Pro Tools system.

Thus, Apple’s feature-packed Logic Studio is truly a bargain at$499. The system sounds wonderful, the included instrumentsand plug-ins are intuitive, and they sound fantastic. Logic Studiois the perfect all-encompassing production tool. If you arealready a Logic Studio user, you’d be crazy not to upgrade. If youare contemplating switching to Logic from another DAW or decid-ing which format to jump into for your first DAW purchase, thenew version of Apple Logic Studio provides significant enhance-ments and improvements, making Logic seem more logical thanever before.


Fast FactsApplications

Professional/commercial studio, project studio,audio for broadcast, audio post production, andlive performance

Price$499 (full version); $299 (upgrade from LogicExpress); $199 (upgrade from previous LogicPro or Logic Studio version)

ContactApple | 800-692-7753 | www.apple.com

Flex Time feature Great guitar effects and amp modeling

Improved navigation Bounce Regions in Place function resizable plug-in windows lots of additional content

No PC support

Product Points

Score Apple has another winner with Apple LogicStudio. Expect its share of the DAW market to grow largerwith this feature-laden release.



These four worksurfaces are wonders forcontrolling your Mac-based DAW. I’ve hada chance to spend a few months with theMC Control and MC Mix and, though theyaren’t new (actually, they’re the oldest of the four), they are still the strongest con-tenders in their price range when itcomes to feature-filled, solid-performing,professional-grade, DAW control surfaces.

Features

The large-format Euphonix desks havealways had a stellar look and feel; thatlevel of quality has been extended to theMC Control and MC Mix. Both controllersuse a high-speed 100 Mb/s Ethernet-

based control protocol called EuCon toenable the simultaneous control of multi-ple applications. EuCon automaticallydetects which application is in the fore-ground and instantly sets the touch-screen (MC Control only) displays, motor-ized faders, and other controllers to match.

The MC Control features four faders,dedicated transport controls, 12 pro-grammable buttons and a 6 x 3.5-inch,touch-sensitive color LCD. The MC Mix fea-tures eight touch-sensitive faders, rotary

encoders, and a high-contrast OLED dis-play for each fader. The controllers can beused independently or up to four MCMixes and an MC Control can be usedtogether to create a larger control surfacewith 36 faders. The controllers supporttwo types of applications, EuCon-awareand Non-EuCon-aware. EuCon-aware ap-plications like Logic Pro, Nuendo, FinalCut Pro, Digital Performer, and Cubase

have been coded todirectly support theEuCon protocol, thus pro-viding the highest level of integration, high-resolu-tion controls, and high-speed connectivity. Non-EuCon-aware applica-tions that support MackieControl or HUI — such asPro Tools, Live, andReason — can controlmany functions, but areless integrated.

EuCon takes care of finding, linking, and

communicating with allof the Euphonix controllers on the net-work and must be installed on the com-puter running the applications. The con-trollers automatically link to the fore-most application, and even have a buttonthat toggles between the computer’sopen applications.

The Studio Monitor Express (SME)application allows the MC Control to beconfigured for control room monitoringfunctions (this feature isn’t available on

the MC Mix). After configuration, the dedi-cated Control Room speaker-level rotaryencoder and the touch screen provideoptions like sum-to-mono and talkbackcapability without any modification with-in an application.

Both controllers have the option of sit-ting flat or angled by using the small fold-out legs on the bottom of the unit or beingelevated by attaching the larger riser

brackets. If the riser brackets areattached, the controller will sit on mostconsoles with the bottom of the controllerhovering slightly above the console’sknobs. This is how I use the controllers atmy studio. At home, I use the foldout legsand place the controllers on a table. Thereis one major inconvenience for this,though: The side panels must be removedbefore the riser brackets can bedetached. This is a pain since I routinely

carry the controllers back and forthbetween my studio and my home. On theup side, after the side panels areremoved, the controllers can be linkedtogether so if you are utilizing multiplecontrollers, they can be connected andhave the appearance of a single unit.

In Use

I’ve enjoyed the functionality that I gain

The quartet of Euphonix Ethernet controllers includes

the MC Control and MC Mix, reviewed here, along with

MC Transport and MC Color.

by Russ Long feature reviewEuphonix MC Control and MC MixThe MC Series is an ideal way to gain “big-desk-style”finesse and functionality in your DAW-based environment.





working with the MC Control and MC Mix. I’ve used them togeth-er and independently to control a wide variety of applications,but the bulk of my time has been spent with Logic Pro and ProTools. This has allowed me to test the functionality on bothEuCon-aware (Logic Pro) and Non-EuCon-aware (Pro Tools) sys-tems. I’ve installed the EuCon software on several systems,each time problem-free. EuControl automatically launches whenyour Mac boots, and it runs in the background automaticallycontrolling the foremost application.

While working with the Non-EuCon-aware Pro Tools was great,it’s a complete step up in performance going from Pro Tools toLogic Pro, which feels like it was designed to work with theEuphonix controllers. Logic Pro 9 had a bug regarding the jog

wheel’s operation in scrub mode on the MC Control, but v9.1 hasresolved this issue. It now functions perfectly.

The MC Control’s touch screen and programmable buttonsmake it highly adaptable to virtually any user’s workflow, and itincludes pre-mapped settings for most popular applications(including non-music applications like Safari).

Pressing the soft-key setting button on the touch screen

exposes an additional 24 virtual buttons, so there is simultane-ous access to 36 software functions, all of them customizableusing the EuCon Soft-Key editor. [Euphonix notes that there areunlimited soft buttons available to users, accessible by pagingup and down. — Ed.] Information for the MC Control’s four fadersis displayed at the top of the touch screen. The four rotaryencoders along each side of the touch screen provide parametercontrol. The encoders also act as push buttons, which help nav-igate through the control layers. Selecting the Track soft key onthe touch screen displays a 32-block grid of the project’s chan-nels making it easy to solo, mute, record-enable, or select any of the project’s tracks.

The simpler MC Mix lacks the MC Control’s screen and pro-grammable buttons, but the dedicated channel displays androtary encoders make up for it. Selecting and editing channelstrip parameters is similar to the operation of the MC Control,but the MC Mix has the ability to flip parameters from theencoders onto the faders, making it easier to quickly do preciseadjustments. Channel buttons make it easy to solo, mute,record-enable, or select any of the eight tracks displayed on thesurface.

Summary

Adding the MC Control and/or MC Mix to your setup can give yourworkflow an overhaul. Both controllers have deep feature sets

and let you quickly switch between applications, as well asbeing completely customizable so their operation can be tai-lored specifically to your needs. This makes the MC Control andMC Mix ideal options for desktop studios and those who wantmultiple physical encoders instead of using a mouse.



Commercial Studio, Project Studio, Broadcast,Post Production

Key FeaturesUp to 36 faders by linking four MC Mix and anMC Control; controls multiple applications andworkstations via Ethernet; 250 times faster andeight times the resolution of MIDI; supports HUIand Mackie Control protocols. MC Mix PowerFeatures: eight touch-sensitive motorizedfaders; eight touch-sensitive rotary encoders;eight displays for surround metering, parameter,and track names. MC Control Power Features:Touch-screen interface; 12 assignable soft keys;four touch-sensitive motorized faders; eight

touch-sensitive rotary encoders; transport con-trols; jog/shuttle/zoom wheel; includes StudioMonitor Express (SME) software

Price$1,399 and $1,999 (MC Mix and MC Control,respectively)

ContactEuphonix | 650-855-0400 | www.euphonix.com

Comfortable, ergonomic, compact/slim-line work surface

Reasonable price Easy to use

No PC support Side panels must be removed to install

risers

Product Points

Score Adding an MC Control and/or MC Mix to yourstudio setup is the easiest way to provide the feel and func-tionality of mixing on a large-format console without the largefootprint or high cost.



The UAD library includes licensed emula-tions of hardware by Empirical Labs,Helios, SPL, Teletronix, Neve, Fairchild,Harrison, Little Labs, and many others.

Features

The heart of the high-bandwidthSOLO/Laptop card is an Analog Devices32-bit, floating-point architecture SHARCprocessor that provides processingpower for the UAD plug-ins, thus freeingup the Mac or PC’s internal processor tohandle the DAW, virtual instruments,

and/or other processing. The card is PCIe2.0-compatible and runs on Mac OS XTiger/Leopard and Windows XP/Vistamachines. The card supports 44.1, 48,88.2, 96, 176.4, and 192 kHz sam-ple rates and is VST-, AU-, andRTAS-compatible. [According to UA,“It’s been tested with Snow Leopardand Windows 7,” but “with caveats” atthe time of publication (in earlyFebruary 2010). Visit this link to readmore on these minimal concerns:

http://www.uaudio.com/support/uad/compatibility.html — Ed.]

The SOLO/Laptop card offers 2.5 timesthe power of UA’s previous UAD-1 card,and it requires no additional cables orexternal power supply. [According to UA,performance of the SOLO/Laptop hasincreased nearly three times in powerover UAD-1, “as efficiency has beenimproved with software updates.” — Ed.]

Included with thecard is the “MixEssentials II” plug-in collection, com-prised of the PultecEQP-1A program

equalizer, the UA 1176SE compressor/lim-iter, the CS-1 Channel Strip, and theRealverb Pro room modeler.

Version 5 of the UAD Meter and ControlPanel (also included with the card) pro-vides management and system-monitor-ing tools for the SOLO/Laptop card. Its driv-ers are optimized for modern multi-threadand multi-processor architectures, andsupport both real-time and faster-than-real-time processing for mix bounces. TheControl Panel provides quick and easyplug-in purchases or demo authorizations,

as well as access to support and helpresources and software updates. PoweredPlug-Ins are avail-

able from the UA website and 14-day freedemos of all of the UAD plug-ins areincluded with the card.

In Use

Between the UAD 2 SOLO/Laptop Card andthe UAD Meter and Control Panel,Universal Audio has done an amazing jobof making the software and hardwareintegration seamless and simple. I foundthe software to be simple to install. All of the plug-ins are actually included in thepackage, so purchasing an additionalplug simply requires authorizing some-thing already on your computer. It can bedone in just a minute or two, any time of the day or night. While I’ve spent most of my SOLO/Laptop card time working inLogic, I’ve also successfully used it with

Pro Tools LE and Steinberg Nuendo; in anyinstance, it’s a pleasure to use.

Even with high expectations, I wasamazed at the power of the SOLO/Laptopcard as it can simultaneously handle upto 32 channels of the UA Neve 88RS chan-nel strip plug-in: all this without taxingthe host computer at all. The four includ-ed plug-ins provide a great foundation.After spending several weeks with theentire collection, I found a few that jump

out as my favorites. The Helios

Type 69 and 1176LNsound famous on

electric guitar;the Pultec Pro

EQ is wonderfulon acoustic instru-

ments and vocals; theTrident A-Range and SPL

Transient Designer are fantastic

The Universal Audio UAD-2 SOLO/Laptop is a sin-gle-processor PCI ExpressCard that provides the

mobile Mac or PC user easy access to the industry

staple UAD-2 DSP powered plug-ins platform.

studio review by Russ Long

Universal Audio UAD 2 SOLO/Laptop

ExpressCard DSP AcceleratorThe UAD 2 SOLO is the “easiest, most affordable way”

to make your laptop one seriously capable DAW.



(continued on page 42)



How many hours have we all spentdrawing in final vocal automation lev-

els to get them just right? Tens, hun-

dreds, or, for those in the biz a long

time, maybe even thousands?

Well, maybe there is a better way. WAVES’ VocalRider is a new mix tool plug-in that does exactlywhat its moniker suggests: It automaticallyrides levels on your vocal tracks in real time.

Features

Its options are simple but effective, and the lay-out is clean. I like that. Atop the plug-in sits theTarget control, the reference range or “sweetspot” for where you want it to sit in the mix. Nextis Vocal Sensitivity, which helps differentiate the vocal contentfrom spillage, etc. There’s also a Fast/Slow switch for determin-

ing the basic ride speed.Vocal Rider’s Music Sensitivity control is interesting in that,

simply by setting up a bus/sidechain (located above the GUI),you can have Vocal Rider sense the overall music activity for levelpositioning. The large Rider Fader moves according to the internaldetectors, unless touched with a mouse, when it can be manual-ly adjusted. To the left, Range controls the maximum and mini-mum level settings. A small Idle arrow between the sliders letsyou set the Rider Fader level when there is no activity. The Outputtrims the output gain (post-audio riding) along with its Clip LEDfor overloads. At the bottom sit three Automation Mode buttons:Off uses the internal engine; Write sends the Rider Fader levels to

the host app automation lane; and Read uses those automationlevels, disregarding Vocal Rider’s internal engine.

In Use

One of my favorite touches is the ability to easily send the levelsto your DAW’s automation. On my Pro Tools setup, I inserted VocalRider on a dialog track and set the PT fader to Touch mode, put theplug-in into Write mode, and then chose the Rider fader in myautomation lane. By pressing play, it begins to write the automa-tion. One important note is that you need to have Vocal Rider’s

interface window open during this process. Also,any previous automation will be overwrittenonce you begin this process.

When finished, you simply press the Readbutton on Vocal Rider. For tweaking, you cangrab the plug-in fader while it’s in the process of writing; when you let go, it will continue auto-matically. WAVES doesn’t recommend doing thatwhile Vocal Rider is writing, but I did it and itworked just fine. Of course, you can also makeadjustments after the fact on your DAW.

To use the Music Sensitivity feature, output allthe tracks minus the vocal on your DAW to a bus,then assign that bus to Vocal Rider’s KeySidechain input. The Music Sensitivity control willthen become active and be available for adjust-

ing. Vocal Rider’s process will then depend on thesettings and the volume of the bussed tracks.

I tried Vocal Rider on both traditional songs with lead vocals and

then on an industrial-type video track with a VO, and it worked quitenicely. It only takes a few minutes to adjust to its workings, and Ifound myself easily tweaking it to get a nice loud vocal. Next, I triedremoving the compressor from the industrial VO, which needed afew dB of gain to pop through the track. Once again, it worked per-fectly, and it was an interesting revelation to pull the compressionoff but still have the vocal punch through automatically. Aside fromoffering a clean, clear signal path, this could potentially save a lot of time for those who do corporate or film type work.

As you would expect, it is supported on TDM, RTAS, VST, and AUsystems and will run at Fs up to 96 kHz. Also, Vocal Rider has nolatency, as there is no pre-scanning happening; it’s a real-time

operation.

Summary

I’ll be the first to admit I was skeptical about a plug in takingaway something I’ve done myself for years, but after using it just once, I saw the value in it. It does a great job, it’s adjustableand flexible, and it can keep the vocal free of any unnecessaryprocessing. I already look forward to the next WAVES mix tool.Price: $400 and $800 (Native and TDM, respectively)Contact: WAVES | 865-909-9200 | www.waves.com


by Rich Tozzoli studio reviewWAVES Vocal RiderLevel Automation Plug-InThis innovative mix tool saves valuable time

and discourages excessive vocal processing.

Rich Tozzoli is a composer, engineer/mixer, and the software editor forPAR

. www.richtozzoli.com

WAVES’ Vocal Rider



As easy as it may be to pitch-cor-

rect a vocal or correct bad tim-ing, the most basic problems we

may encounter can be more vex-

ing, such as ground noise, distor-tion, and external sounds findingtheir way into the tracks with

which we work.

Enter iZotope and its RX (and RXAdvanced) software suite; it helps makesuch problems easier to manage, if youhave the patience.

Features

iZotope RX offers five different processor

tools, each focused on a specific group of audio problems. Declicker, Declipper, HumRemoval, Denoiser, and Spectral Repairare all obviously named to indicate theirpurposes. These modules are available allat the same time via RX as a standaloneapplication and are also available one at atime using RX as a plug-in within yourDAW. The Advanced version includes addi-tional parameters, extra algorithms,iZotope’s MBIT+ dithering and 64-bit sam-ple rate conversion.

In Use

Pardon my brevity, but Hum Removalsimply works. Whether 50 or 60 cycle,even in harmonic multiples, this modulegets it done — and quickly, too — sinceyou can preview the hum before removal.There are numerous advanced features,but you’ll find that Hum Removal is bothintuitive and effective.

Declicker is like Hum Removal; it workseasily, intuitively, and allows deep con-trol when you need it. Mangled LP audioor seriously plagued digital tracks willrequire multiple passes of processing asyou adjust “Click Width” to remove evensurprisingly longer passages with multi-ple offenses. Automatic mode even offerscontrol of residual output, interpolationorder, and correlation length (in the

Advanced mode only — controls thelength of the window from which you pullcorrective audio). Click previewing isn’tentirely accurate, but this module is oth-erwise a bulls-eye.

The single band mode of Declipper isthe entry level of distortion correctionand allows you to preview your settingsbefore applying them. It works well, butplease note: Repaired peaks may now

exceed digital zero, and gain reductionshould be employed. The multi-bandmode is more effective at removing dis-tortion, utilizing between eight and 128bands, but previewing is not allowedhere; plan on numerous test runs to fine-tune your parameters. (Hint: Use shortpassages for auditioning results.)Furthermore, the multi-resolution mode(Advanced only) also uses up to 128

bands and does the best job of all, albeitrequiring patience on the user’s part.

Denoiser is somewhat effective in itsSimple mode, but the Advanced mode iswhat most engineers will certainly use.Here parameters for both tonal (consis-tent at a particular frequency) and broad-band noise are provided, and you’ll needthese controls dependent on the type of noise you’re removing. Previewing my

studio review by Rob Tavaglione

iZotope RX and RX

Advanced Software SuiteThe substantial corrective power of this audio restorationsuite will reward and delight the dedicated user.


Rob Tavaglione has owned and operated Catalyst Recording in Charlotte NC since 1995. www.catalystrecording.com



changes proved to be difficult and stuttering, so trial and error isthe key. While offering powerful options, it will test your focus,as this module is very deep and far from intuitive.

Within my MOTU Digital Performer DAW environment, RX workedwell as a plug-in, but sometimes caused slower operation and errormessages. In particular, mastering sessions where I employed my

Universal Audio UAD-1 plug-ins as well as RX provided the most per-formance “issues.” Problems like these can be alleviated by usingRX as a standalone app (the manufacturer’s preferred method,actually); processing files within it and then exporting them intoyour DAWs session is the glitch-free way to go.

Using RX standalone with Spectral Repair, I tackled a bass gui-tar track that was loaded with a grab-bag of unwanted sonic dis-tractions: ground noise, string thumps, finger slides, fret slaps,and occasional bursts of wicked noise (possibly a short in theinstrument itself). The FFT analysis spectrogram allowed me tosee both the waveform and the frequency content (with a niftyslider to adjust the blend and opacity), with events like a handthump showing a “bubble” of low-frequency energy, finger slidesas “stratus clouds” of swirls higher up the Y-axis (frequency),and those bursts of noise were ugly vertical spikes reaching allthe way up. I selected the Attenuate mode and the Time-Frequency Selection Tool (for areas of processing across bothdomains), selected problem events by highlighting them in anopaque marquee, and then clicked Apply. The offending eventwas now gone with only one caveat: processing over too long anarea (four seconds max.) or too wide in frequency response cancause unnatural gaps and shifts in the audio.

Spectral Repair will effectively remove most of the “classic”problems: chair squeaks, phone rings, and door slams, but spotsof missing audio will require the Replace mode. I found “Multi-

resolution” to work best with (oddly?) a fewer number of bands(choose between 128 and 4,096) and very careful setting of “surrounding region length” (the audio from which replacementaudio is pulled) and “before/after weighting” (i.e., whether the

ideal replacement audio ahead, or behind, the missing area). ThePattern mode finds the most similar surrounding audio to fill thegap, ideal for drums or audio with repetitive patterns within it.

Much like Denoiser, Spectral Repair offers an advanced mode forheavy lifting, tasks that generally exceeded my needs (andpatience). The Partials+Noise mode uses higher-quality interpola-

tion, seeking harmonic content, and then synthesizes the filleraudio. This is for difficult tasks like repairing audio with modulationand vibrato; naturally, it is much slower and tedious. Interestingly,I could test for harmonic sensitivity and “solo” the harmonics.

Summary

Overall, I am quite pleased with iZotope’s RX, but RX Advanced iswhat pros will really require. Don’t get me wrong, RX does a verygood job and is a lot deeper than a review of reasonable lengthcould ever cover. Its hum and click removal features are idealand would have likely cost a lot of money (probably more than acontemporary DAW) back when I got my start in the late ‘80s.Declipper may be a handful in use, but such distortion correc-tion is nearly miraculous and essential to most audio engineers.However, it’s the capabilities of Denoiser and especially SpectralRepair — in all their nuanced glory — that will delight restorationexperts and devoted novices (the ones with patience and adesire to learn).



Commercial/professional studio; mastering stu-dio; project studio; audio for broadcast; audiofor video; forensic audio; historic audio preser-vation/restoration

Key FeaturesStandalone audio software suite with five differ-ent processor tools: Declicker, Declipper, HumRemoval, Denoiser, and Spectral Repair (RX);Advanced version includes additional parame-ters, algorithms, MBIT+ dithering and 64-bitsample rate conversion. OS Compatibility:Windows (XP, x64, Vista); Mac OS X 10.4 orlater (Universal Binary); Formats: Standaloneapplication and as plug-ins: Pro Tools 7+

(RTAS/ AudioSuite), VST, MAS, Audio Unit,DirectX

Price$349 and $1,149 list (electronic delivery of RXand RX Advanced, respectively)

ContactiZotope | [email protected] |www.izotope.com

Eye-friendly, ergonomic interface; effec-tive removal of a variety of audio issues

Spectral Repair is very effective, with asuperlative GUI

Works much better as standalone appthan plug-in

Spectral Repair can only process fourseconds of audio at a time

Advanced version is comparably pricey

Product Points

Score RX provides capable tools for most commonaudio restoration needs; RX Advanced is the feature-packedversion built to fully serve pro users.



Designed as a multipurpose mic, it isaimed at a broad range of users, fromseasoned industry professionals to dis-criminating self-recordists.

Features

The F.20’s first example of Equation’spromising attention to detail is in itspackaging; it comes in an attractive andsoft, zippered and tweed-coveredclamshell carrying case filled with cutfoam with an included metal pop filter.[According to the manufacturer, itsunique soft “bag” style case “allows forgreat protection without impacting thetotal cost,” explaining that some “hard

cases at the same cost tend to be easilydestroyed, contain cheap foam, andafford no better protection and are cos-metically attractive until used a fewtimes.” — Ed.]

The F.20 has a 16 dB pad and a high-pass filter (at 80 Hz). Its switches arelocated on the front side of the micro-phone, distinguished by the Equationlogo. The microphone is internally shock-mounted, using a straightforward yokedesign for mounting to a mic stand. For

its head amp, Equation explains that theF.20 utilizes “a completely new” designclaiming low noise (80 dB S/N), highheadroom 150 dB max. SPL @ 1 kHz), anda very broad frequency response(according to manufacturer-suppliedspecs, 20 Hz to 20 kHz with notable 3-5dB bumps at around 3 kHz to 6 kHz and anearly 6 dB peak around 12 kHz). Thetransducer is an electret type with a

diaphragm that measures0.8 inches (20 mm)and sports a super-cardioid pattern.

In Use

First up for the F.20 wasvocals, comparing it toseveral vocal mics in itsprice range and a fewcosting three times asmuch. The results withthe F.20 were very nice; incomparison to the othermics I auditioned, it had asmoothness to the fre-

quency response the otherscouldn’t match, especially onfemale vocals. On “darker”-sounding singers, the mic didn’t placequite as high on the list, but I foundthat, even when EQ’d to add some air,the F.20 still didn’t become harsh-sounding.

Even though the F.20 is a super-car-dioid, it possesses a subtle proximityeffect that proved quite useful for ourvocalists and never became overbearing

or muddy. One subtle quality I noticedduring mic comparisons and during mix-down was that the vocals recorded on theF.20 seemed more focused in the stereoimage, and slightly more forward-sound-ing than the other models tested. Thisphenomenon allowed them to sit in themix nicely and still be heard without asmuch processing as other mics.

During my long term testing of the

F.20, I found severalmore good applica-tions, such as onacoustic guitar. There,

it sounded very pleas-ing and full spectrumwithout too much low

end, and without theharshness thatsome condensers

accentuate via picknoise. With the 16 dBpad engaged, drumoverheads also sound-ed good. It was probablymy second favorite of allmy overhead choices,again showing off itsexcellent imaging. Themics blended well withthe close mics. Close

miking on drums forpop/rock was my least

favorite application for theF.20, mainly because I prefer

(or am accustomed to) dynamicmics on drums. With appropriate

EQ, they still sounded quite good,though; for different styles of music (say jazz, for instance), they might be a wel-comed choice on drums.

I should note that my favorite app forthe F.20 is on an organ Leslie cabinet. In

the past, I have always preferred dynam-ic mics on Leslie cabinets, partly becausethey pick up less wind noise, squeaks,etc. With the F.20’s pads engaged and theflanking the top rotor in a stereo patternof the Leslie, I was really impressed; ittranslated all the richness desired, andthe distortion and overtones camethrough during the mix better than withthe dynamic mics I typically use.

A relative newcomer, the Nashville-based manufacturer

Equation Audio has unveiled its latest microphone, the F.20

super-electret, large-diaphragm condenser.

studio review by Randy Poole

Equation F.20 Large-Diaphragm MicThe F.20 is a versatile, well-built, and affordable LDC thatexcels in many applications — a “winner,” deems our reviewer.


Randy Poole is an engineer and mixer based in Nashville.



Summary

It’s clear that Equation Audio aimed for a lot of versatility in theF.20. They aimed to make an AKG 414-type of microphone, yetmore versatile, more forgiving, and at a lower price point. Inmy opinion, they have accomplished that goal. Overall, it hasa velvety smoothness that comes through on vocals, a vari-

ety of instruments, in a variety of positions. It does all thiswhile creating a solid image in the stereo field that will beappreciated even more on mix day. At under $600 street, it isa winner in my book.



Commercial studio, project studio, live sound,location recording

Key Features16 dB pad; internal shock mount; super-car-dioid pattern; great packaging for travel; pop fil-ter included

Price$599 MSRP

ContactEquation Audio | 800-575-4607 |www.equationaudio.com

Smooth frequency response with great low end Bang for the buck and versatile Does not cause ear fatigue Comes in two finishes — silver or black

Pad and roll-off silkscreen hard to readMay have to unplug XLR connector to rotate

mic due to the yoke

Product Points

Score A most versatile, smooth-sounding LDC at acomparatively low price.

mini review by Rob Tavaglione

It’s simply about gain — the Cloudlifter($329 list) is a clever and useful solutionthat offers a clean 20 dB of gain for threedistinct scenarios:Your preamp gets noisy at high gain

settingsYou have a low output source —

such as a ribbon mic — that needs aboost in gainYou wish to minimize the line noise

generated in a long cable run.We’ve all been there: Our first console’s

cheap mic preamps were OK up to around50 dB; above that and all at once, theykick in with a drastic increase in noiseand change color in an unpleasant way.

The sturdy little Cloudlifter offers twochannels of gain via JFET circuitry toavoid this, all in a simple steel chassiswith Neutrik XLR I/O: no switches, nooptions. Its only requirement is that youmust provide phantom power (per each

channel). Its limitation is that your trans-ducer must not require phantom, as theCloudlifter doesn’t pass it.

I tried the Cloudlifter with a Shure SM58dynamic and an AEA R92 passive ribbonvia two channels of the Millennia MediaHV-3R preamplifier. I received over 25 dBof gain per channel, and the noise floorwas ever so slightly higher with theCloudlifter in direct comparison to gettingall the gain from the HV-3R. Next, substi-tuting the Millennia preamp for a

PreSonus Digimax preamp — wide atopen at +60 dB for a voiceover — thesame ribbon mic used much less gainwith the Cloudlifter, which resulted in aconsiderable drop in noise floor.

I think the Cloudlifter could be especial-ly useful for broadcast work where longcable runs with intruding EMF/RFI coulduse a little boost upfront. I used theCloudlifter on a recent arena PA announc-

er job where (unfortunately) a switcheddesktop mic caused pops (with each“short” off), but line noise was noticeablydwarfed by cleaner signal; even the over-all tonal balance seemed smoother andless “peaky.”

I highly recommend the Cloudlifter forits concept, proper design, and the simplesolution it provides for common pro audioproblems. It is ideal as an aid for thosewith passive ribbons and sub-par pre-amps, and it will excel in broadcast andgeneral studio applications, maybe evenin ways I haven’t thought of yet.Contact: Cloud Microphones | 888-321-MICS | www.cloudmicrophones.com

Rob Tavaglione owns and operates Catalyst Recording in Charlotte NC. www.catalystrecording.com

Cloud Microphones Cloudlifter Two-ChannelPhantom-Powered (Pre) Preamplifier



new live products

Electro-Voice has added to its ZX loudspeaker family with the ZXA1, the self-powered version of the ZX1 compact, two-way speaker. The ZXA1 is powered byan 800-watt amplifier module, which is derived from the company’s Tour Gradeseries.

The ZXA1’s lightweight, molded enclosure features a biamplified design withtransducer protection, an 8-inch, high-output LF transducer, a DH2005 1-inchexit true-compression driver, and a 90 x 50-degree coverage pattern.Price: $599 listContact: Electro-Voice | www.electrovoice.com

Electro-Voice ZXA1 Loudspeaker

Waves Audio has unveiled its WSG-Y16 mini-YGDAI SoundGrid I/O card for Yamahamixing consoles. Together with a Waves SoundGrid Server (SGS), a Control PC, andan authorized iLok with SoundGrid-compatible Waves plug-ins, the WSG-Y16enables Yamaha consoles to process 16 channels of audio with Waves plug-ins.Users connect a SoundGrid-compatible PC to the mixing console, route a channelto a WSG-Y16 channel, and then process the channel signal with Waves plug-inson the SoundGrid server. Additionally, the WSG-Y16 supports MIDI input, for remote

plug-in control directly from the console or external control surface.Waves Audio SoundGrid technology reportedly gives users the ability to runlarge numbers of Waves’ audio processors with low latency, using standard PCsvia Ethernet. With the introduction of the WSG-Y16 card for Yamaha consoles,Waves brings the networking and processing capabilities of SoundGrid func-tionality to the live-sound realm.

Video online at www.ProAudioReview.comPrice: $800 (including MultiRack SG)Contact: Waves | www.waveslive.com

Waves Audio WSG-Y16 I/O Card

The latest addition to the M7CL digital console product line, the M7CL-48ES fea-tures the SB168-ES remote stage box as its main I/O interface, connecting via asingle Cat-5 cable. The new console includes a built-in EtherSound interface witha third port for PC control and monitoring, eight Omni Ins (Mic/Line), eight OmniOuts, and three MY card slots. The M7CL-48ES supports up to three SB168-ESstage boxes and, like the M7CL-48, can mix up to 48 mono plus four stereoinputs to 16 Mix Busses, eight Matrix Outs, Stereo and Mono Outputs.

The new Stage Box Quick Setup feature provides plug-and-play connection of up to three SB168-ES units. With the built-in EtherSound interface, the M7CL-48ES gains all the benefits of a digital network infrastructure, while allowing thecard slots to be used for other purposes, such as personal monitoring systemsand recording outputs.

Price: $21,499Contact: Yamaha Commercial Audio | www.yamahaca.com

Yamaha M7CL-48ES Digital System




Shure Incorporated has debuted its PSM 900 wireless personal monitor system.At the heart of the system are an all-metal, ultra-thin wireless bodypack receiv-er (P9R) and a half-rack single wireless transmitter (P9T). The PSM 900 also

will be available with Shure’s SE425 Sound Isolating earphones.The PSM 900 also features the company’s patented Audio Reference

Companding — a process for compressing audio signals prior to transmission— and advanced digital stereo encoding. In addition, it offers the same front-end filter as Shure’s UHF-R wireless system, as well as Active RF gain controlthat is said to automatically reduce receiver sensitivity when an overload of RFsignal is detected.

Video online at www.ProAudioReview.comPrice: TBAStay tuned to PAR for a full review of the PSM 900.Contact: Shure Incorporated | www.shure.com

Shure PSM 900 Personal Monitor

Mackie has introduced its HD Series powered subwoofers, companions to thecompany’s full-range HD Series loudspeakers launched last year. The HD1501(pictured) and HD1801 subs offer Class-D Fast-Recovery amplifier technology,delivering up to 1,600W of peak power.

With custom transducer design and system tuning by EAW, the HD1501 andHD1801 benefit from 15- and 18-inch woofers, respectively. The HD1801 can beused with either the HD1521 or HD1531; and the HD1501 is designed for sys-tems using SRM450v2 active loudspeakers (or SRM350v2s).

Video online at www.ProAudioReview.comPrice: $1,099 and $1,249 list (HD1501 and HD1801, respectively)Contact: Mackie | www.mackie.com

Mackie HD Series Subwoofers



Digital Mixing:Why You’re Still Not Ready

Digital mixers are at or near the top of thatlist for some HOWs. Before jumping intothe binary pool, there are some importantfactors to consider.

Obvious Elements

Financial cost is obviously at the fore-front. The analog market, althoughshrunken a bit since the turn of the cen-tury, is still the more viable marketwhen talking bottom line. I have experi-enced my share of the smaller-formatdigital mixers and yes, most work, but

fall short when compared to their analogfinancial counterpart. Having a new digi-tal board may also present the challengeof proper cabling and patch bays. Theinfrastructure required for a new sys-tem may not be compatible with the cur-rent infrastructure in the HOW.Compatible cabling and patch bays couldeasily take a large chunk out of thebudget and should be carefully consid-ered in the planning stages.

Forward ThinkingAs with all major upgrades, be sure toplan and dream with a view of three tofive years down the road. For example, if migrating to a digital board, why not takethe plunge into in-ear monitoring (IEM)systems and get a board with built-incapability for an Aviom (or comparable)headphone system? Of course, this thenrequires the necessary cabling between

FOH and the IEM brain, which adds to theexpense.

If that is not on the immediate budget,it would be wise to get something withthese capabilities, as the ability forfuture expansion is a clear benefit of going digital. Having the ability to addadditional faders to a smaller system asthe HOW grows or the ability to recorddigitally direct from the board may alsobe on the list. If you end up purchasingsomething that is limited to “just barelycutting it” in your current scenario, you

very well could end up worse off thanwith a larger analog board.

Cost of Ownership

The cost of ownership is probably thebiggest misconception and most over-looked element when considering the jump to digital. If the dollars and infra-structure are in place, the hardest cost toevaluate is the cost of ownership. “Howdifficult is this for volunteers to navi-gate?” and “will my phone ring on off-

hours because someone unfamiliar witha digital board is trying to route audio” aswell as repair and maintenance ques-tions are just a few of the cost-of-owner-ship concerns that should be consideredbefore making the digital move.

Volunteers are probably at the top of acost-of-ownership list. It is one thing toshow a volunteer how to successfullynavigate an analog board where every

knob is locked into one function. Add inmenus and pages with a multi-functionknob, and the number of possibilities forerror and confusion greatly increases. Onthe other side of that coin, digital doesoffer presets; with a push of a few but-tons, the board is set. However, throw inone last-minute change, and the volun-teer could be put in a tough position.

The Case forAnalog HOW Mixing

Analog technology has been proven timeand time again, and — at its core — thereis really nothing new. This makes formore options when requiring repairs. Ittakes me back to the days when I couldactually work on my own car withoutneeding a USB port and computerized

diagnostic equipment. Gone are the daysfor the engineer who likes to dig under thehood of the audio board and tinker withrepairs once the switch to digital is com-plete. Firmware upgrades and logic boardreplacements could quickly become thenorm when it comes to repairs.

Analog boards continue to develop andgrow by adding improved features such aseffective compression within each mod-ule, as with the Yamaha IM8 series. Thisparticular analog board has even added a

USB interface to make for easy recording;competing products have added similarfeatures — USB and/or FireWire, evenbuilt-in digital effects, plus more.

The jump into digital can be an excitingand worthwhile transition, but only if allof the factors involved are consideredand measured. If you don’t look carefullybefore you leap, you might end up in theshallow end of the binary pool.

One factoid regarding technology that I witness time and time again

is some will let technology drive vision. Just because there arenewer/faster/better tools on the market does not make a need to

upgrade to them.


opinion worship audio by Dan Wothke

Dan Wothke is the media director for Belmont Church in Nashville. He welcomes your comments at [email protected].



Now, Avlex, MIPRO’s U.S. distributor, hasintroduced me to a system whereby wecan easily take pre-mixed signal and trans-mit it to an unlimited number of remotespeaker systems. Meet the MIPRO MA-909wireless mixer/remote speaker link.

Features

The MIPRO MA-909 UHF wireless mix sys-tem was originally devised for a simple

application: mixing a couple of wirelessmics and a CD or cassette player, thensending those sources to remote speak-ers wirelessly. Upon discussion of poten-tial new uses for the MA-909 with Avlex,those of us at Atlantis Audio decided totake this process one step further: send-ing pre-mixed concert signal to delayspeakers for festival gigs.

When doing audio for large-scale out-

door shows, running miles of mic andspeaker cable. Sending the signal viawireless means the elimination of severalpotentially disastrous or even hazardoussituations: trip hazards, wires subject todisconnection, ground loops (because of separate power sources), and damage towires by foot and vehicle traffic.

Used as a wireless mix system, MIPRO’sMA-909 is a system comprised of several

components. The actual MA-909 is themixer module that contains optional twowireless mic modules (the MRM-70 wire-less diversity receiver module), one fre-quency agile wireless transmitter (the MT-90 transmitter module). It features twoXLR/TRS inputs; and two, left and right,RCA outputs, for balanced and unbal-anced operation. In addition, there is anoptional USB port-equipped CD player

(CDM-2); paddle antenna system, andinterlinking cables. The frequency-agileRF output (MT-90 wireless interlinkingtransmitter) links via cable to an outboardRF amplifier/splitter (the AD-90S) and thepaddles then transmit the wireless signalto the speaker-located receivers. You canhave as many receivers (MR-90 wirelessinterlinking receiver units) as you want onone frequency, allowing for simultaneousbroadcast to as many receiving stations— located at as many speaker systems —as you want. The in-board transmitter —as well as the interlinking remotereceivers — works with up to 16 UHFchannels. The remote receiver can bepowered via either battery or AC current.

In Use

We recently provided audio, lighting,stage, and concert roof for a Loverboy/.38Special concert in a baseball stadium. Thecrowds are mobile at this particular loca-tion and wander to various vendors thatsurround the outfield walls. For that rea-son, we needed to provide the crowd withsound where the main system wouldn’treach. Our main system was an eight-per-side A-Line Acoustics AL10 line array thatoffered excellent coverage to the 6,000people around the baselines (with the

stage located at centerfield, facing homeplate). We also employed eight per side A-Line boxes at the two foul ball poles facingstraight down the front row seat walls,thus covering the stands as well as direct-ly into the vendor areas on the walls. Atthe console, a Midas Legend 3000, wesent signal from Matrix One to the input of a MIPRO MA-909 XLR input, inserting EQ onthe output (mono mix to both out fills) of

Several years ago, I told the readers of Pro Audio Review about MIPROwireless microphones, and how their Taiwanese manufacturer (Taiwan’s

largest manufacturer of wireless mic and portable PA systems) simply

astounded me with the value and quality of its products.

live review by Will James

MIPRO MA-909 Professional

Wireless Mixer/Remote Speaker LinkThe MA-909 is flexible beyond its original intended use, enablingideal pro-grade wireless sound reinforcement for festival/outdoor use.


Will James, chief owner of Atlantis Audio and Lighting, is a longstandingPAR

contributor. www.atlantisaudio.com



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the matrix master. At the out-fill speakers, we had a wirelessMRM-70 receiver. It took a few seconds to tune the MT-90 trans-mitter to the two receivers and then attach the RF amplifier andthe antenna paddles. We placed the antenna paddle on the spottowers, located directly behind the FOH mix position, thus givingline-of-sight height to the two receivers. We initially battery-

packed the two out-fill receivers.When we first applied mixed signal from the console (via iPodon setup day), we found the signal to be too hot for the input of the MA-909 mixer. It took a few minutes, but we were able toadjust the output gain from the console to match the input gain tothe MA-909. (We called MIPRO and suggested an Input Sensitivityadjustment to the mixer, and they were agreeable to that.) On theother end, at the out-fill speakers, we employed a pair of smallSoundcraft mixers, one at each receiver, and used them as gainstages, since the level was too low from the Midas/MA-909 combo.We had no discernable loss of bandwidth with this process. Onshow day, the resulting audio quality was excellent.

We repeated the process again on an outdoor show withEmerson Drive where we provided identical production, exceptno out fills. We employed the MIPRO MA-909 system as the actu-al driveline for one side of the main system, enabling us to com-pare the RF-driven side of the system with the direct-cable-driv-en side of the system. We heard no discernable differences inthe left (RF-driven) and right (direct-cable) sides. I should alsomention that the RF path was exceedingly clean with no hits ordropouts. Signal was perfectly maintained through soundcheckand show.

Summary

This MA-909 system is a bevy of parts and modules that, whenproperly assembled, can yield a great solution. Our only sugges-tion was the addition of variable Input Sensitivity, and it was wellreceived.

In our use, the MA-909 performed admirably with a very cleanRF path. I highly recommend giving this system a try if you havethe need or desire to wirelessly remote your speakers.



Touring and theater live sound; allows remotespeakers to be driven with wireless signal.

Key Features

Key Features: Can mix up to two RF mics andone CD/cassette, or outboard signal, combinedinto onboard mixer, then transmitted wirelesslyto speakers.

PriceStarting at $2,035 MSRP for a basic systemtransmitting to two remote speakers

ContactAvlex (MIPRO U.S. distributor) | 877-447-9216 |www.avlex.com

Misconceptions, Tips, andMotivations To Seek Advice

Colleran is quick to point out some standard misconceptionsamong audio professionals when it comes to acoustic treatmentmaterials and techniques. The most common?

“That foam blocks sound, because it doesn’t. It’s porous.Sometimes people think that the shapes [of acoustic panels] areparticularly important. They’re not quite as relevant as peoplethink they are (or want to make them). Also, putting a lot of absorp-

tion in the corners of a room does not serve as a bass trap; it’s abroadband trap, and it’s going to absorb everything.”

Colleran continues. “Here’s a tip: You can reduce reverb time(RT) by putting any absorption in the room, in any position; it’s notdirectional, and it just being in the room takes the RT down. Also, ahanging panel will absorb on both sides, cutting RT.”

Noting that his thoughts here only scratch the surface, Colleranunintentionally assures us of one more fact regarding acoustictreatment techniques: that good consultation from a knowledge-able professional is truly valuable, indeed.

Studio Sense(continued from page 18)

on drums; and the EMT 250 is a killer all-around reverb.If you use Pro Tools LE or M-Powered, you are probably

painfully aware of the latency issues involved. For that, UAincludes the Mellowmuse ATA plug-in. While usingMellowmuse adds an extra step to your workflow, it makesit possible to flawlessly use the UA plug-ins in a Pro Toolssession: simply insert it on the master fader and let it “ping”each audio track.

SummaryAt $499 street, the UA plug-ins provide a smooth, rich, ana-log sound quality largely believed to be unattainable on acomputer (much less on a laptop) just a few years ago.Regardless of your DAW platform of choice, the UAD-2SOLO/Laptop is the easiest and most affordable way totransform your laptop into a serious audio workstation.Price: $649 listContact: Universal Audio |

877-MY-UAUDIO | www.uaudio.com

Universal Audio UAD 2(continued from page 30)

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