Audio Media February 2014

No. 279 February 2014

www.audiomedia.com

Going With the Flow A guide to the modern broadcaster’s production workflow p22

IN THIS ISSUE SHOW REVIEW All the biggest releases from this year’s NAMM Show

p6

GRAVITY We talk with supervising sound editor Glenn p16 Freemantle

THE LIMEHOUSE A look inside one of east London’s hidden p28 studio gems

TECH FOCUS Loudness metering p30

WELCOME

February 2014 Issue 279 MEET THE TEAM Editor – Jory MacKay jory.mackay@intentmedia.co.uk Deputy Editor – Jake Young jake.young@intentmedia.co.uk Managing Editor – Jo Ruddock jo.ruddock@intentmedia.co.uk Sales Manager – Graham Kirk graham@gkirkmedia.com Group Head of Design & Production – Adam Butler adam.butler@intentmedia.co.uk Production Executive – Jason Dowie jason.dowie@intentmedia.co.uk Designer – Jat Garcha jat.garcha@intentmedia.co.uk Publisher – Steve Connolly steve.connolly@intentmedia.co.uk Press releases to: pressreleases@intentmedia.co.uk © Intent Media 2014. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission 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 6002 Sales tel +44 (0)20 7354 6000 Audio Media ISSN number: ISSN 0960-7471 (Print)

Circulation & Subscription enquiries Tel: +44 (0)20 7354 6001 email: audiomedia.subscriptions@c-cms.com Printed by Stephen & George, Wales

www.audiomedia.com

‘INNOVATIVE’ is one of those words that is getting dangerously close to joining the ranks of ‘unique’ and ‘groundbreaking’ in the world of technology. More and more, press releases and product announcements are littered with examples of how ‘innovative’ a piece of kit is.

Even if said product does display some innovative qualities, just the mere sight of the word is reason enough for this editor to let out an exasperated sigh.

‘But why does it matter?’ you might ask.

The reason, in my humble opinion, is that the true meaning behind being innovative has been skewed as the word gets used more frequently as a synonym for something that is original, new, or (heaven forbid) ‘unique’.

The beginning of the New Year seems the perfect occasion for this rant, and if you follow the industry at all you might be able to easily guess why.

This past month marked the return of the Winter NAMM show to the Anaheim Convention Center – one of the few shows where manufacturers still closely guard their new product releases until the doors open.

“If we’re free from the burden of trying to be completely original, we can stop trying to make something out of nothing, and we can embrace influence instead of running away from it.”

The show and its resulting press is a hotbed of ‘innovative’ releases with ‘unique features’ – a seemingly never-ending flood of kit purporting to be completely original and new.

One of my favourite books, the New York Times best-selling Steal Like An Artist, by Austin Kleon, is a great counter-argument to those feeling the pressure to constantly be original. The book is a meditation on (you guessed it) stealing the best things around you in order to be a creative person.

Here’s one of the more impressive quotes from the book’s first few pages: “If we’re free from the burden of trying to be completely original, we can stop trying to make something out of nothing, and we can embrace influence instead of running away from it.”

All creative works, whether they are poems, novels, drawings, or, in the pro-audio world, microphones, consoles, speakers, and the like, build on past works and past ideas. In short, labeling something innovative shouldn’t be about ignoring the competition and being original, but rather ‘stealing’ and building – taking things from the past and using them in different, interesting, and, most importantly, useful ways.

Now don’t get me wrong. As I said earlier, there are products coming out every month that fit this criteria – it’s the way we market and describe them where things go astray. In the end I think we’d all benefit from more facts and figures and fewer adjectives.

Jory MacKay, Editor

February 2014 03

CONTENTS

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

R E V kes CO

ta lton the i H n Kevi look at adcast a n bro 22 p er modorkflow w

TECHNOLOGY ...................................6 New at NAMM: Allen & Heath, Prism Sound, Midas, and more Yamaha introduces consoles at ISE Meyer Sound debuts LYON

INDUSTRY .........................................10 Inside Denmark Street Studios InstallAwards launches Jim Evans’ State of the Industry

>FEATURES In the Mix...........................................20 Will Strauss speaks with several TV mixers about delivering for multiple platforms

Lionhead Studios ............................26 John Broomhall checks out the new facilities for Microsoft’s fabled Lionhead Studios

The Limehouse .................................28

p28

Jake Young visits a studio in one of East London’s creative communities

>TECHNOLOGY

p26

FOCUS:

>ALSO INSIDE

Loudness Metering ..........................30

Show News: NAMM & BVE..........................................................12

REVIEWS: Featured: RØDE NT1 and M5..........34 PMC twotwo.8 .................................36 2Q and Source Talkback..................38 Sony PCM-D100 ...............................40 Universal Audio Fairchild Tube Limiter ......................................41

Geo Focus: China...................................................................18 Interview: International recording engineer Jacob Händel ..................................................42

ADVERTISERINDEX >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 2014 NAB Show........................................37

Jünger Audio .............................................11

Richmond Film Services..........................14

Allen & Heath ............................................23

Lawo ...........................................................15

Riedel ..........................................................17

Aspen............................................................8

McDSP........................................................33

Sennheiser.................................................39

Calrec .........................................................21

Nugen Audio ...............................................7

Sony Professional.......................................9

DiGiCo..........................................................2

Orban..........................................................13

TC Electronic ..............................................3

DPA Microphones....................................44

Prolight + Sound......................................29

Dynaudio .....................................................5

Radial..........................................................43

04 February 2014

www.audiomedia.com

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Ne w

Allen & Heath Launches Qu-24 ALLEN & HEATH has added the 30-in/ 24-out Qu-24 to its Qu series of compact digital mixers, which also includes the rack mountable Qu-16. Qu-24 features total recall of settings (including 25 motorised faders and digitally controlled preamps), a touchscreen, Qu-Drive integrated multi-track recorder, dSNAKE for remote I/O and personal monitoring, multichannel USB streaming to Mac, Qu-Pad control app, and iLive’s FX library.

Qu-24 also features a dedicated fader per mic input channel, 24 mic/line inputs, three stereo inputs, four FX engines with four

dedicated sends and stereo returns, 20 mix outputs including two stereo matrix mix outputs and two stereo groups with full processing, patchable AES digital output with a further two-channel ALT output, dedicated talkback mic input, and two-track output.

The mixer is packed with massive processing capability. High-speed dual core DSPs provide comprehensive channel and FX processing, with ample room for future processing updates and functionality. Five latest generation core processors run in parallel. www.allen-heath.com

API Adds Two New 500-Series Modules API INTRODUCED two new members of its acclaimed 500-series modular signal processing line at the 2014 NAMM Show: the 505 DI and the 565 Filter Bank.

Both modules possess API’s classic sound and fit all 500series chassis, including the API Lunchbox and the API 1608 small-format analogue console.

The 505 DI includes gain control, adjustable tone control, a bright switch, a 20dB pad, switchable 100/400k ohm load impedance, and Thru connectivity. Like the consolebased API 205L, the 505 DI is specifically designed to accept a guitar, bass or keyboard direct input while minimising any loading effect on Hi-Z instrument pickups.

The 565 Filter Bank includes a sweepable low-pass filter (500Hz to 20kHz, -12 or -18dB

at NA MM

slope), a sweepable high-pass filter (20Hz to 400Hz, -6 or -12dB slope), and a variable notch filter (fully sweepable between 20Hz and 20kHz). The 565 circuits are true to the musical filters of the 215 modules found in large-format API consoles. www.apiaudio.com

Midas Releases M32

ARIA Mic from Sontronics

NEW FROM Midas at NAMM was the M32 Digital Mixing Console – a 40-input digital console for live and studio use designed by a Bentley Motors designer.

The M32 features the same mic preamplifiers as the PRO Series consoles as well as Midas Pro Faders. The new console is 96kHz ready and features 192kHz A-D/D-A converters.

The mixer also features the proprietary Ultranet technology for ‘acoustic integration’ with the

BRITISH microphone brand Sontronics has launched a new microphone that has been 18 months in the making.

The ARIA is a valve condenser microphone with a fixed cardioid pattern, designed by Sontronics founder Trevor Coley.

Housed inside the chromed grille is a 1.07in, edgeterminated capsule designed to capture the detail and subtleties of any vocal, while the European 12AX7/ECC83 tube lends a character found in other classic vintage valve mics. For an extra level of control, the accompanying SPS-2 power supply unit boasts pad (0-10dB) and filter (linear, 75Hz) switches as well as a tube-ready LED that lets users know when the mic is warmed up. www.sontronics.com

new Turbosound iQ Series active loudspeakers or IEM systems.

The M32 also features 40-bit floating point digital signal processing, eight stereo effects engines, and a 7in full colour TFT display screen.

Additionally, a high-quality onboard 32 × 32 USB interface allows real-time tracking and multiple expansion cards such as ADAT, MADI, and Dante. www.midasconsoles.com

Prism Sound Bears All With Atlas PRISM SOUND scored a hat trick at NAMM 2014 when it launched Atlas – its third new interface product to be released in just eight months.

Designed with Prism Sound's latest CleverClox clocking technology and incorporating eight of the company’s mic pres, Atlas is aimed squarely at multitrack recording applications.

Atlas offers quality analogue and digital I/O for Mac or Windows PC at sample rates up to 192kHz via a simple USB interface. In addition to the USB host interface, it also features Prism Sound’s MDIO interface expansion slot.

Using this miniature expansion slot users can, for example, directly connect to Pro Tools HDX systems. A range of other MDIO

6 February 2014

interfaces is planned for later introduction. Atlas will also run with Apple and Windows native applications over USB. Atlas offers eight analogue inputs, eight analogue outputs, plus S/PDIF and TOSLINK optical digital I/O ports. The optical ports can also be used for ADAT, giving a single Atlas unit a maximum capability of 18 concurrent input and output channels plus dual stereo headphones. www.prismsound.com

Radial Reveals Space Heater

RADIAL HAS introduced Space Heater – a combination eight-channel tube drive and summing mixer.

Set up as four stereo pairs, the Space Heater design begins with a choice of 0.25in TRS or D-sub inputs. Each channel pair is 100% discrete enabling four stereo sets to be used independently or be sent

to a stereo mix bus with left and right outputs. To control the effect on the tube, each channel set is equipped with a separate drive control to increase or decrease the signal being sent to the 12AX7 tube and a level control to set the output.

A heat switch lets the user apply 25, 50, or 100V on the

tube depending on the fidelity needed. Lower voltages starve the tube causing more distortion. On the other hand, higher voltages produce a cleaner signal. Each stereo set is also equipped with a high-pass filter to help eliminate resonance and clutter. www.radialeng.com www.audiomedia.com

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

New Plug-ins Making Waves WAVES AUDIO brought a massive amount of new kit out at this year’s NAMM show including plug-ins and a studio-based SoundGrid offering.

First up, the Waves Abbey Road Reel ADT is the first plug-in to successfully emulate Abbey Road Studios’ process of Artificial Double Tracking – a signature effect created at the studio in the 1960s for The Beatles.

Abbey Road engineer Ken Townsend created ADT by connecting the primary tape machine to a second, speedcontrolled machine, allowing two versions of the same signal to be played back simultaneously.

By gently wobbling the frequency of an oscillator to vary the speed of the second machine, the replayed signal could be moved around just enough to make it sound like a separate take. The Waves ADT plug-in models this effect, giving users control of different tape sounds, drive controls, and manual or automatic control.

Waves has also released the MetaFilter Plug-in, which lets users individually modulate the filter cutoff, resonance, and delay time using three separate modulators – 16-step sequencer, LFO, and Envelope follower – making it easy to achieve effects such as filter sweeping, auto-wah, and

hypnotic modulating delays with saturation buildups.

Following the success of its DiGiGrid solution for DiGiCo’s SD consoles, Waves Audio and DiGiCo have teamed up to create SoundGrid-based studio hardware.

In addition to integrated networking capabilities, upcoming DiGiGrid studio solutions will include a full line of I/Os with world-class converters, preamps, headphone amplification, built-in DSP Servers, and network switches with solutions for users of Native DAWs, Pro Tools, and MADI-enabled consoles.

The SoundGrid Studio System allows users to run a nearly unlimited amount of plug-ins; track and rehearse with full-on effects and near-zero latency; connect everything and everyone through a centralised hub; and network with multiple DAWs. Furthermore, the system is compatible with both Waves and third-party plug-ins. www.waves.com

Slate Digital Introduces VMS ONE OF the highlights of NAMM was Slate Digital’s introduction of its VMS Virtual Microphone System – a hardware/software combination that gives users access to dozens of vintage and modern microphones.

The VMS comes with four components: the ML-1 and ML-2 microphones, VMS Dual Preamp Converter, and VMS Plugin Module.

The ML-1 is a high-def, linear, large-diaphragm microphone designed for precise transient reproduction, flat frequency response, and wide bandwidth. The ML-2 shares many of the ML-1’s features and can handle SPL of

135dB. When combined with the VMS Plugin Module it can model classic dynamic microphones, classic small-diaphragm condensers, and even ribbon mics.

The VMS Dual Preamp Converter uses state-of-the-art amplifiers and converters to maintain a clean, linear signal, giving the VMS Plugin Module the opportunity to add the reproduction of classic mics and preamps.

The final piece of the system, the Plugin Module, turns the signal from the hardware components into classic recreations of famous microphones and mic preamps. www.slatedigital.com

Apollo Twin Lands at NAMM UNIVERSAL AUDIO has added to its Apollo series with the Twin, a highresolution desktop interface with real-time UAD processing.

The Twin is a 2 x 6 Thunderbolt audio interface for Mac with 24/192kHz audio conversion that allows Mac users to record in real time (at near-zero latency) through the full range of UAD Powered Plug-Ins, including titles from Neve, Studer, Manley, Lexicon, API, and more. www.audiomedia.com

Apollo Twin also introduces the company’s Unison technology that models the tone of classic tube and solid state mic preamps – including impedance, gain stage sweet spots, and componentlevel circuit behaviours. www.uaudio.com

Ne w

NEWS

Meyer Sound Debuts LYON ADDING TO its LEO family of linear loudspeaker systems Meyer Sound has unveiled its new self-powered LYON linear sound reinforcement system.

Incorporating the technology of the LEO family in a lighter and more compact package, LYON extends the advantages of highly linear self-powered systems to a broader range of venues and applications.

LYON linear line array loudspeakers are available in two versions: the LYON-M main line array loudspeaker and the LYON-W wide-coverage line array loudspeaker.

Complemented by the 1100-LFC lowfrequency control element and the Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management system, the LYON-M can anchor a powerful system for installations in arenas and large auditoriums, as well as tours and festivals. The LYON-W can serve as down fills to augment a LYONbased system. Both LYON versions can be used to provide supplemental coverage in a LEO system.

At ISE, Meyer Sound also showed the recently announced Galileo Callisto 616 AES primary array processor, a powerful hardware and software solution for driving and aligning

8 February 2014

AKG Launches Wireless System LAUNCHING AT ISE 2014 was the WMS420 single-channel wireless system from AKG. WMS420 enables customers to select from four product packages: Vocal Set with AKG D5 handheld microphone; Presenter Set with AKG C555L; Lavalier Set with AKG C417; and Instrument Set with AKG MKG L cable.

WMS420 includes the SR420 UHF stationary receiver with two external, detachable antennas on the rear side and BNC connectors at standard 50 ohms.

The charging contacts of the HT420 handheld transmitter and PT420 pocket transmitter are compatible with the AKG CU400 charging station and include a rechargeable battery. www.akg.com

Meyer Sound loudspeaker array systems.

Designed as a mastering tool for delivering digital audio, the Callisto processor combines versatile alignment tools like U-Shaping equalisation and delay integration with a full suite of AES3 analogue and digital inputs and outputs. www.meyersound.com

JBL VTX Line Arrays Added JBL PROFESSIONAL has extended its range of VTX Series line arrays with the VTX F Series line of two-way multipurpose loudspeakers.

The F Series includes three models: the F12 and F15 full-range loudspeakers and the F18S subwoofer. The VTX F12 and F15 loudspeakers feature the large-format JBL D2 dual diaphragm dual driver employed in the VTX V25 full-size line array loudspeaker and the M2 Master Reference Monitor. All F Series models also feature JBL’s Differential Drive transducer technology.

The F12 and F15 are optimised for use

at ISE

with Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers and Crown VRack amplifier management systems, while both models also include BSS Audio OmniDriveHD V5 processing and JBL HiQnet Performance Manager control.

The F12 and F15 also deliver installation features including a pole-mount socket, four NL4 connectors for discrete cabling, 14 M10 mount points, and an optional universal bracket.

The VTX F18S is a compact subwoofer for drum/DJ monitoring and small/medium format front-of-house applications. www.jbl.com

New Yamaha Consoles YAMAHA LAUNCHED its new generation of MG series compact mixing consoles in Europe at ISE. The 10-strong line-up features models with 6, 10, 12, 16, or 20 inputs, all featuring Yamaha’s discrete Class A D-PRE microphone preamps. Utilising an inverted Darlington circuit topography, the preamps feature multiple circuitry elements designed to deliver more power with lower impedance.

As well as the standard versions, the MG10, MG12, MG16, and MG20 all have a counterpart XU model. These feature an upgraded version of Yamaha’s SPX effects processor, with a comprehensive suite of 24 different effects (upgraded from 16 in the previous MG series), as well as a USB 2.0 audio interface capable of 24-bit/192kHz sound quality. This allows playback of digital content from a PC, recording of the mixer output using DAW software (Steinberg’s Cubase AI software is included), and use with USB Audio Class 2.0-compliant tablets and other devices without installing drivers.

The ultra-compact MG06, meanwhile, has an X counterpart model, which adds six choices of SPX reverb and delay, the amount variable by a rotary control. www.yamahacommercialaudio.com

www.audiomedia.com

NEWS >>> RECORDING

Development on Denmark Street

By Jake Young THE STUDIO space at 22 Denmark Street in London has been given a new lease of life thanks to the recently opened Denmark Street Studios. Producer and mix engineer Guy Katsav launched the studio in November and brought along former Metropolis Studios sales manager Elliot Shand and producer/engineer Itay Kashti. Earlier tenants in the studio’s history include EMI Music Publishing and Acid Jazz Records.

Katsav was motivated to buy the space when his former facility, Soho Recording Studios, where he had spent the past 10 years, closed for refurbishment. He found the Denmark Street space off the market and knew he was going to take it immediately.

“Pretty much all the basics were there but it was in very bad condition,” said Katsav. The studio’s previous occupier, Tin Pan Alley Studio, had abandoned it for a number of years: “There was rubbish here from the 60s or 70s.”

Katsav said he could see the potential when he walked in, and a control room, live room, drum room, dead room, and guitar room now

comprise Studio 1. The control room centres around two consoles: an AMEK BC2 and a Sony DMX100 with outboard gear from SSL, Universal Audio, Urei, Drawmer, Lexicon, and more. One of the highlights of the live room and a testament to the studio’s long history is the Blüthner Leipzig Grand Piano left behind by previous tenants.

Resident producers Down and Left and Rui Da Silva occupy Studios 2 and 3 respectively. “I knew Rui from Soho Studios and I knew Down and Left because we play together and we help each other on things,” said Katsav. “As soon as they realised that the whole thing was taking off they just jumped in.”

While much of the studio’s time is taken up

by Katsav’s own projects, including writing and production for his group Tigermonkey, recent projects that have been through the studio include a track for Showtime series House of Lies, a significant amount of Roses Gabor’s forthcoming Ninja Tune release, UK rappers Sway and Skepta, BRITs Critics’ Choice nominee Chloe Howl, and Etta Bond. www.denmarkstreetstudios.com

>>> TECHNOLOGY

>>> EVENT

University of Surrey Completes Sound Zone Research

Entry Now Open for InstallAwards 2014

A JOINT research team at the University of Surrey has revealed the conclusion of its three-year project on Perceptually Optimised Sound Zones (POSZ).

Led by Dr Philip Jackson of the university’s engineering department and Dr Russell Mason of the Institute of Sound Recording, the project was designed to investigate methods for creating multiple independent sound zones in a single room.

Funded by Bang & Olufsen and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and with kit supplied by HHB, the team constructed a near-360º structure supporting 64 Genelec 8020B monitors with a grid of 48 measurement microphones.

Unlike previous sound zone studies that focused mainly on anechoic (reflection-free) environments, this latest study looked at creating these zones in real-life scenarios, such as living rooms, where sound is reflected from walls and furniture. Not only that, but by combining the psychoacoustic work along with the engineering work, this study was the first to try to determine how a listener, rather than just testing equipment, would experience the sound zones.

The psychoacoustics team began by determining how people would describe the situation where one audio item is interfering with the main audio item and then, using the

10 February 2014

results, went on to develop a predictive model based on what people found acceptable. By working this data into the research the engineering team was undertaking on designing loudspeaker layout and directivity patterns, the team was able to further finetune the speakers and DSP for different types of audio from speech to music.

While more research is needed to create a system that would be viable for domestic use, the development of these psychoacoustic prediction models is a big step forward in creating technology that could one day create independent sound zones in everything from cars and homes to stadiums. iosr.surrey.ac.uk/projects/posz

12th June 2014 • Hilton London Wembley

ENTRY IS now open for the first InstallAwards, to be held in London on 12 June. This major event in the industry calendar is a chance to come together and celebrate excellence across a broad range of installation projects.

Organised by sister title Installation, the InstallAwards will recognise the best AV integration projects in: public display/ retail; education; sports and performing arts; corporate and industrial; and residential.

To reflect the multifaceted nature of installation projects, three awards will be made in each of these categories: Best Project Award; Teamwork Award; and Star Product Award.

For more details on entry criteria and to download the entry form visit www.installawards.com. The closing date for entries is Friday 14 March.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony at the Hilton London Wembley on the evening of 12 June 2014. Tickets for the awards are now available, price £175 (or £1,495 for a table of 10), which includes pre-dinner drinks reception, three-course meal and entry to an after party. Contact sarah.harris@intentmedia.co.uk for more details. www.installawards.com

Sponsorship A wide variety of sponsorship opportunities are available, including sponsorship of award categories and various branding opportunities at the InstallAwards and in the run-up to the event. For details, please contact Ian Graham – ian.graham@intentmedia.co.uk, +44 (0)20 7354 6000.

www.audiomedia.com

NEWS

Reasons to Be Cheerful Audio Media’s new consulting editor Jim Evans gives his state of the industry address touching on trade shows, broadcast, and the live music scene.

THIS YEAR, the professional audio and music industries have hit the track at pace. Barely a month in and there has been much activity, record-breaking show attendances, a wealth of new products and technology developments, and more. To paraphrase the lyrics of the much-missed Ian Dury, there are more than a few reasons to be cheerful.

The great exhibition debate continues – are there just too many? Are they too expensive?

Whatever your views, the show merry-go-round slid into top gear early in 2014.

January’s NAMM show in Anaheim was as well attended as ever, with a strong showing from the pro-audio sector alongside the many developments in musical instruments and production. I am still wading through a mountain of press releases and product catalogues from the event. It’s just as well most press releases are now issued via email rather than in print format – a couple of rainforests will have been spared.

On to this month, February, and we kick off with what is set to be another recordbreaking Integrated Systems Europe. In 10 years ISE has come a long way – proof that

www.audiomedia.com

the installation/integration sectors remain in buoyant mode. The first ISE tradeshow was held in Geneva, Switzerland, in February 2004 as a joint venture between InfoComm International, CEDIA, and NSCA. The show attracted 120 exhibitors and just under 3,500 attendees (I was one of a handful of journalists who covered the event). ISE 2013 saw a record-breaking 894 exhibitors and 44,151 attendees pass through the doors of the Amsterdam RAI – and the accredited press count was in excess of 400.

These figures will no doubt be eclipsed this month.

PLASA, meanwhile, continues its programme of staging regional shows on both sides of the Atlantic – in Nashville this month and Leeds, UK, in April. The format appears to be working well, and further expansion may well be on the cards. The main PLASA show itself will stage its second event at London’s ExCeL in October.

The first saw a drop in participation by pro-audio companies and it will be interesting to see how this year’s event pans out.

The lure of Berlin might signal a change in fortunes

for the annual AES European convention/exhibition, which has been in steady decline for some years. The organisers will be more than happy if their attendance/exhibitor figures approach those of the US show where last October’s New York event broke various records.

BROADCAST BIRTHDAYS On the broadcast front, the number of shows worldwide has hit an all-time high, with manufacturers and distributors having to be more selective regarding where and when they participate. Meanwhile, there are a couple of anniversaries to celebrate.

To mark the TV channel’s 50th birthday, ‘BBC2: Origins; Influence; Audiences: A 50th Anniversary Conference’ will take place at London’s Science Museum in April. On 20 April 1964 the BBC launched its second television channel: BBC2.

Although the launch was a flop (due to a major power cut) the station soon became a fixture of UK broadcasting.

Says the museum’s spokesman: “This conference marks the 50th anniversary of BBC2, but is also timely in other ways.

The way we view television

programmes is changing at a startling rate, not only because of satellite and cable, but as a result of the convergence of television and internet technologies, producing services that audiences watch as and when they choose.

With the shift in technology the way we study the history of the television must also change, as not only types of programmes, but the idea of a self-contained channel becomes a thing of the past.”

Radio Caroline, the first of the pirate radio stations, launched at midday on Easter Sunday, 28 March 1964 and nothing was ever quite the same again. Radio Caroline, along with Wonderful Radio London was a fundamental part in the revolution of the British music and broadcasting industries and made many of the great names that are still played today. The first record played

on Caroline was the Rolling Stones’ Not Fade Away.

ROLLING ON The aforementioned Rolling Stones continue to ply their trade on the world’s stages, with 2014 seeing them play Abu Dhabi this month, before heading out on the road across the Far East and Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

And talking of oldies, Rick Wakeman will take his Journey To The Centre Of The Earth project on the road – 40 years on from its inception.

The concert touring sector continues to thrive – from small pub gigs through to the mega stadium productions.

The festival calendar is full again, with Glastonbury having sold out in one hour and twenty seven minutes – another record.

All in all, there is much to look forward to. Here’s to the start of a very good year.

February 2014 11

SHOW PREVIEW

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

Reporting From NAMM Near record-breaking attendance and a stellar line-up of pro-audio product launches, educational sessions, and live music, Audio Media reports back from the 2014 Winter NAMM Show.

THE NAMM Show is one of the few industry trade events that has moved beyond the professional world and now regularly attracts everyone from consumers and music enthusiasts to proper rockstars.

This year’s show continued that tradition of growth, bringing together more than 1,500 exhibitors representing 5,000 brands – the second-highest number of exhibiting companies in the show’s history. While the final number of visitors is yet to be confirmed as we go to press, estimations based on the number of people registered to attend put it in the region of 100,000.

Our top picks from the show can be seen on pages 6 and 7 but there was plenty more kit gracing the show floor that wouldn’t fit on those two pages.

DPA built on the success of its d:vote microphones by announcing the d:vote 4099 Rock Touring Kits in either four- or 10-piece Peli cases. DPA also introduced additions to its d:fine range with the d:fine 66 and d:fine 88 Miniature Headset Microphones.

Avid used NAMM as an opportunity to showcase the continued momentum of Pro Tools 11 with over 850 plug-ins now available in 64-bit AAX format.

This includes Avid Space, a convolution reverb plug-in

12 February 2014

for music and post production, and the Massenburg DesignWorks MDW Hi-Res Parametric EQ 5.

Audio-Technica has updated its M-Series line of headphones. The ATH-M20x, ATH-M30x, and ATH-M40x all feature 40mm drivers with rare earth magnets and copper-clad aluminium voice coils while the ATH-M50x (featuring 45mm drivers) has the exact same sonic signature as the original ATH-M50 and adds refined earpads and three detachable cables.

Beyond pro-audio, the show’s big draws were in music production technology, including Moog’s new Sub-37 paraphonic analogue synthesiser, Elektron’s eight-voice analogue ‘RYTM’ drum machine, and, for a lucky few, a sneak peek at Roland’s highly anticipated ARIA range, which should be out later this month.

Off the show floor, the winners of the 29th annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards (TEC) were announced at a ceremony that included audio technology pioneer John Meyer and session drummer Hal Blaine of The Wrecking Crew being inducted into the TEC Hall of Fame. The awards feature 22 categories with the night’s big winner being Solid State Logic, which took home accolades for Signal

Processing Technology/Hardware, Sound Reinforcement Console Technology, and Large Format Console Technology. Other winners included Rupert Neve Designs, Yamaha, iZotope, Sennheiser, Universal Audio, JBL, Genelec, AKG, Telefunken, and Avid. www.namm.org NAMM provided a bright start to 2014

www.audiomedia.com

SHOW PREVIEW

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

WHAT?

BVE is Back

BVE 2014 WHERE?

ExCeL Centre, London 1 Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock E16 1XL WHEN?

25-27 February, 10:00-18:00 (16:30 on the 27)

More than 15,000 people are expected to visit the 2014 event

BVE IS ready to return to London’s ExCeL Centre on 25-27 February, with organisers expecting more than 15,000 broadcast and production professionals to take the opportunity to check out the latest products and hear about industry trends.

Over 300 exhibitors are signed up to showcase a mix of products and services. While much of the content is focused towards the video professional,

14 February 2014

there is a serious contingent of broadcast audio specialists exhibiting, including Avid, Riedel, Calrec, Harman, JoeCo, Lawo, Sennheiser, and Sonifex.

IT’S ALL ABOUT DPP For the broadcast audio professional one of the show’s hot topics is surely to be the Digital Production Partnership’s new TV broadcast delivery standards being introduced this October. With

BVE is set to take over London’s ExCeL Centre this month. Here’s everything you need to know to make the most of your time at the UK’s largest broadcast and production technology event.

the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and others moving to EBU R128 compliance, loudness monitoring is still a growing section of the market.

delivery of file-based content in the AS-11 UKDPP file format specified by the DPP standard. RadiantGrid has also been upgraded to Version 8,

TSL will show the latest developments in its PAM series

“Many broadcasters are still figuring out the best practises with regards to measuring, monitoring, and recording loudness levels in order to keep within newly instated loudness regulations,” says Tim Weston, regional sales manager for the UK & Ireland at TSL Products.

At the TSL stand (H25), the company will be showcasing the latest developments in its PAM series, which addresses loudness compliance not only for EBU R128, but also EBU, ITU, ATSC, and ARIB standards.

Aspen Media (K34) will be demonstrating a loudness toolkit from RTW and Jünger Audio including Jünger’s T*AP Edition audio processor and D*AP8 MAP Edition loudness measurement and audio monitoring system as well as RTW’s modular TouchMonitor series – the TM9, TM7, TMR7, TM3, and TM3-3G. HHB (H57) will be showing a range of products for all steps of the production chain including the TC Electronic TM9 TouchMonitor for standalone hardware metering, the full suite of Nugen Audio software for post-production and archive, the Wohler AMP2-16V-M AMU for OB and ingest, and the Dolby DP580 for playout and off-air.

Wohler will also be taking its own stand (K30) with a large emphasis put on WohlerDPP – a turnkey solution powered by the company’s RadiantGrid Intelligent Media Transformation Platform, that is designed to accelerate repackaging and

which, at the audio level, parallelises complex audio loudness correction alongside video at increased speeds.

GETTING EDUCATED As in past years, BVE 2014 will play host to three days of technical, creative, and business seminars. This year the 120+ seminars will take place in eight themed theatres including rooms focused on Broadcast IT, Production, Post Production, Skills Zone, and 4K. Highlights of the seminar sessions include ‘The Cloud: A technical nightmare or a dream come true for collaboration’ chaired by Sohonet CTO Ben Roeder; ‘Delivering to spec: Effects of the DPP as-11 spec on Post’ chaired

by Craig Dwyer, senior director at Avid’s Global Centre of Excellence; and ‘High end audio editing: A case study’ with Halo Post CEO John Rogerson.

Avid will also be showcasing its Avid Everywhere strategic vision for the broadcast industry that was announced at the 2013 IBC show.

“BVE is an opportunity for media professionals who are facing unprecedented challenges – such as the consumerisation and digitisation of content – to take a closer look at Avid Everywhere. They will be able to find out how our vision for delivering the most fluid, end-to-end, distributed media production environment in the industry is becoming a reality,” said Tom Cordiner, vice president of international sales at Avid. www.bvexpo.com www.audiomedia.com

NEWS ANALYSIS

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

Sound and music are used in a more intimate way than in many action movies

Gravity’s Gravitas An international audio team on an out-of-this-world film, Kevin Hilton explores the sound of Gravity ahead of this year’s award season.

THE ACADEMY Awards, BAFTAs and Golden Globes celebrate creativity and achievement in cinema but are often firmly in the mainstream – and the Hollywood mainstream at that. Among the contenders for this year’s round of statuettes is Gravity, the science fiction thriller with, ostensibly, all the right blockbuster credentials – two big name stars, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, in the midst of 3D visuals and Dolby Atmos sound, all presented by Warner Bros – but which has some almost radical departures from the norm.

Despite being behind the WB shield and featuring two massively bankable American actors, Gravity is an example of the more international flavour of Hollywood these days. It was directed and co-written (with his son Jonás) by Mexican director/producer Alfonso Cuarón and is a coproduction between WB, Esperanto Films and British company Heyday Films.

This last credit is part of the reason the movie has been nominated for the BAFTA Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film; by being funded with a proportion of UK money and employing local technical and creative talent and facilities, films are eligible for tax relief credits.

UK input is strong on the 16 February 2014

audio side, with composer Steven Price and sound designer/supervising sound editor Glenn Freemantle of Sound 24 both a major part of the production and BAFTA nominees.

The use of audio and music set Gravity even further apart from the bulk of recent releases. While the stereoscopic 3D images and visual effects grab the ocular attention, much of the film’s emotional punch and sense of tension comes from the aural.

“The idea was to be more realistic and true to some of the science of the situation,” Freemantle explains. “So the sound is based on how she hears and feels everything, which brings her and the audience into the middle of the action and makes you part of it.”

By ‘she’ Freemantle means Dr Ryan Stone, the character played by Sandra Bullock. In another break with how most modern films are constructed, Gravity is on the verge of being a one-person show; George Clooney’s performance as oldhand astronaut Matt Kowalski is almost a supporting role and other ‘characters’ appear only as voices in Stone’s headset or on space capsule radios.

DIFFERENT APPROACH There is a near experimental edge to Gravity; there are the impressive backgrounds of space and the Earth but for

long sequences the frame is filled with either Bullock’s head in a helmet or close-ups of her inside space stations. The 3D effects go someway to maintain the interest but because the sound and music are used in a more intimate way they make a more subtle connection with the audience.

“The contact is there for her with the voices,” says Freemantle, “but also in when she moves. When she touches something we hear it. The whole concept was to feel sounds through vibrations, because the space suits are full of air. There’s breathing as well as the radio signals, all of which connect to her.”

To achieve this Freemantle recorded a variety of sounds as vibrations through different surfaces, from manufacturing units at the General Motors factory, to objects submerged in water and fitted with contact mics and hydrophones. This built up to “thousands of different vibration sounds”.

Also part of the many tracks were four hours of what Freemantle describes as “chatter” from people who had worked on the space programme.

There are more expected sound effects as well, rocket boosters, collisions and explosions, which, like the vibrations and voices, are dotted round the audio picture through the Dolby Atmos

spatial system. Gravity had been in the movie-making works since 2010 and Freemantle was aware of Atmos while it was still in development around the same time. He realised it was perfect for the film and used it extensively, even breaking the convention of tying dialogue to the centre channel.

“Sounds are moving around all the time,” he says. “Right from the beginning we have mission control [voiced by Ed Harris] on the right hand side of the screen but the voice moves as they [Bullock and Clooney] move. It gives us directional sound in relation to where things are on the screen.”

Steven Price’s score, which mixes electronic and orchestral/choral tracks, similarly is moved round all the front, side and ceiling speakers. Price missed out on a Golden Globe win – losing to Alex Ebert for All is Lost – but is up for the BAFTA Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music.

Freemantle is nominated for Best Sound with mixers Skip Lievsay, Christopher Benstead, Niv Adiri and recordist Chris Munro. Lievsay, Munro and Freemantle have already won the inaugural Association of Motion Picture Sound Award for Excellence in the Craft of Sound for a Feature Film for Gravity.

"The idea was to be more realistic and true to some of the science of the situation."

Glenn Freemantle Freemantle says Munro recorded as much as possible on set, given the constraints of the space suits, but adds that there was a lot of ADR, particularly for breathing noises to communicate anxiety.

Tracks were recorded on to Pro Tools and mixed into 7.1 and 5.1 at Warner Bros De Lane Lea in London. Later alterations, caused by changes to visual effects, were made to the mixes on the Powell Stage at Pinewood; the Atmos tracks were mixed at Warner Bros in Burbank.

Technical awards often get overlooked amid the backslapping and incongruous frocks surrounding the acting and directing gongs but attention is likely to be focused on Gravity at both the BAFTAs and Oscars when it comes to sound and visual effects. www.audiomedia.com

GEO FOCUS CHINA

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

Eastern Promises Long known as a hub for manufacturing, the Eastern superpower’s rising middle class has created demand for an entertainment industry that is fast gaining on its Western rivals.

POPULATION: 1.35 BILLION

AS THE People’s Republic of China moves further away from its isolationist past and into the global community the country has seen exponential growth in its entertainment industry (and, in turn, its pro-audio industry).

The Chinese box office has continued its remarkable evolution with revenues up 27% year-on-year in 2013, bringing in £2.2 billion according to Chinese market researcher Ent Group.

The most exciting insight to come out of this research, however, is the rise of Chinese-made pictures, which now account for approximately 71.2% of annual box office revenues.

According to Zhang Hongsen, head of the film bureau under the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television, of the top 10 highest-grossing films last year, seven were domestic with director Stephen Chow’s action comedy Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (Xi you xiang mo pian) gaining the top spot, grossing £126 million.

Yet while China has risen into a global film hub (it passed Japan in 2012 to become the second-largest movie market in the world and is expected to surpass the US by 2020 as the most lucrative film market), naysayers are quick to point out the restrictions put on foreign content producers trying to

tap into the country’s market.

Along with strict censoring (with reedits often completed without the the input of the original directors) the staterun China Film Group imposes a quota on foreign films that can open in the country, along with ‘blackout’ periods during which no imported movies are allowed to play in theatres.

Yet things are starting to look up.

Under a China-US film agreement signed in 2012, the country increased its annual import quota of Hollywood blockbusters from 20 to 34, lifting imported films’ share of revenue from 17.5% to 25%.

The has led to a huge demand for facilities. According to a Wall Street Journal article, Wanda, the movie exhibition unit of Chinese real estate and media conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, recently committed to building 120 IMAX screens by 2021. Wanda has also announced plans to build a £5 billion film studio and entertainment facility in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao dubbed ‘Oriental Movie Metropolis’. The facility will include a 10,000sqm film studio and 19 smaller facilities, along with a theme park similar to Universal Studios.

“The future of the world’s film industry is in China because we have 1.3 billion people, and we will have the biggest film business in the world by

2018,” said Wanda Group chairman Wang Jianlin at the official unveiling of the Movie Metropolis last fall, which featured Hollywood elite such as John Travolta, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Christoph Waltz.

Yet while the domestic Chinese film market is entering a golden age, the music industry is struggling to stay afloat as massive widespread piracy threatens to crush an already ailing industry.

A 2012 special report by the US Trade Representative claims that an estimated 99% of all music downloaded in China is done illegally. The report goes on to explain how in 2010 total music revenue (which includes both legitimate physical and digital sales) was under £40 million. Compare this to £2.5 billion in the US or £42 million in Thailand – a country with less than 5% of China’s population and with roughly the same per capita GDP – and the situation becomes clearly dire.

This, however, has not led to a lack of demand for live entertainment (and the associated pro-audio equipment) as over the past few years the Chinese government has continued to allocate more funding for cultural projects, fueling the country’s pro-audio industries. According to a recent report from Deloitte, China’s culture and entertainment industry is expected to

grow by 20% year-on-year during the next seven years to an estimated worth of RMB5.5 trillion (approximately £556 billion).

The country is already flooded with massive music festivals such as Beijing’s Midi and Strawberry festivals, and the Zebra Festival in Chengdu, with industry veterans looking to add more.

“What makes the film industry successful with millions in revenue?

Even some bad movies sell well because watching films during the weekend is becoming a lifestyle among young Chinese people. Why don’t we run the music business like the film industry?” commented Chinese music industry veteran and Evergrande Music GM Song Ke in an article on China Daily where he unveiled plans to tour largescale music festivals around 60 cities in China later this year.

The tour is planned for mainly second- and third-tier cities with tickets priced the same as going to the movies, around the equivalent of £10.

“In the United States, every weekend you can enjoy some musical events at open squares. That is what we need,” added Evergrande Music’s managing director Gao Xiaosong.

“We hope [this] new way of enjoying music could be healthy and helpful to the development of China’s music market.”

>>> BROADCAST

Shenzen Media Group Upgrades TV Studios

ONE OF China’s biggest television networks, the Shenzen Media Group’s (SZMG) TV Network

18 February 2014

recently upgraded two of its studios with new kit from Studer and Bel Digital Audio.

Harman’s Chinese distributor, Advanced Communication Equipment Co Ltd, supplied a Studer OnAir 3000 digital console in each of the newly refitted studios to boost audio quality and capacity.

The Studer OnAir 3000 is equipped with 30 motorised faders, three master faders, and the Studer SCore Live processing engine connected to a D21m I/O audio interface system. With the addition of a GPIO card, it can support up to 16 channels, which enable audio and video functionality to be used in two live studio shows

and broadcasting programs. According to the operators, this feature reduced the SZMG TV Network’s workload considerably.

As part of the refit, Hiroshi Technologies also supplied two of Bel’s new BCR-A4-4OB in-rack monitors and two of the company’s 7150 audio synchronisation delays.

The Bel BCR-A4-4OB is a two-channel compact multi-input audio confidence monitor and has only recently become available as a non-custom product while the 7150s can be used to delay stereo audio by up to 10.4 seconds. www.beldigital.com www.studer.ch

www.audiomedia.com

GEO FOCUS CHINA

“The future of the world’s film industry is in China because we have 1.3 billion people, and we will have the biggest film business in the world by 2018.”

Wang Jianlin

>>> EVENT

Expansion for Prolight + Sound Guangzhou

FIRST LAUNCHED in 2003 as Sound Light Guangzhou, Prolight + Sound Guanzhou returns to the China Import and Export Fair Complex on 24-27 February; more than 50,000 visitors and 1,100 exhibitors of pro-audio, lighting, and staging equipment are expected to attend.

The show’s organiser, Messe Frankfurt, has teamed up with Guangdong International Science & Technology Exhibition Company (STE) this year and the event has expanded from 9 to 11 halls, offering 110,00sqm of exhibition space. Three new Audio Brand Name Halls have been allocated with attendees including AKG, beyerdynamic, Clair Bros, Crown, dbx, Lexicon, Sennheiser, Shure, Soundcraft, and Studer, among others.

The 2013 show featured a number of educational events including sessions on frequency diversity in microphone technology development as well as a showcase of Dolby’s new Atmos technology.

This year’s show also features a range of live demonstrations and forums including an outdoor line array demo session (with products from brands such as Classic Sound, CPL, CVR, RealSound, and ZSound) and the annual meeting for the Guangdong Association of Performing Arts and Guangdong Performing Industry Exchange and Trading Forum.

The fourth edition of the Pro Audio Technology seminar will also be taking place where around 200 participants, including TV station heads, chief engineers, audio technicians, and experts from across China, will share their audio and broadcast technology knowledge. Topics to be covered include ‘Trends of HDTV Surround Sound Production and Broadcasting’ as well as a case study of a Live TV Concert Stereo Broadcast by Guangdong Television’s audio production department. prolight-sound-guangzhou.hk.messefrankfurt.com

>>> MANUFACTURER

Construction of Music Group City Underway

MUSIC GROUP, the holding company for Midas, Klark Teknik, Turbosound, Behringer, and Bugera, is currently completing construction of a new, £43 million, 70-acre complex that will become home to up to 10,000 employees.

www.audiomedia.com

Founder Uli Behringer first visited China in 1990, eventually opening the original Music Group City manufacturing facility in 2002.

Now, the company is expanding into a new, purpose-built complex that will include a massive 3 million square foot structure with a total combined length of more than 40 miles.

“I’m thrilled to see the progress on this wonderful new manufacturing facility called Music Group City,” said Uli Behringer. “My dream has always been to help talented musicians reach their goals. Seeing this campus coming to fruition is gratifying.

“We have spent over two years blue-printing and fine-tuning every single aspect of the plant’s design.

Several specialised Japanese process-engineering firms have been engaged to create one of the most efficient, automated and environmentally friendly manufacturing plants in the world.”

The plans include a dedicated factory space housing more than 100 automated manufacturing lines, fully automated transducer production lines, injection molding and hydro-forming facilities, plus a total ‘clean-air’ wood products and painting pavilion.

Along with the expanded manufacturing capacity, the campus will also be home to several advancedresearch facilities and training centres for employees to further develop their design skills. www.music-group.com

February 2014 19

BROADCAST FOCUS

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

The Great Audio Divide

With mobile and tablet viewing continuing to rise, and flatscreen TVs providing ever less impressive sound quality, dubbing mixers have their work cut out when it comes to keeping everyone happy, writes Will Strauss.

AS FAR as television sound is concerned, the constant advance of technology can be something of a doubleedged sword.

On the one hand it has significantly improved how audio is acquired and manipulated. On the other it has aided the move to flatter, smaller, and more portable TV viewing devices that – while more ergonomic, practical, and aesthetically pleasing – feature increasingly smaller speakers and, as a consequence, offer poorer sound quality.

It is a juxtaposition that makes mixing audio for television a bit of a challenge – not least when you consider that as many as a quarter of television viewers now watch their favourite programmes using online catch-up services on mobile, tablet or PC. BBC 1 drama Sherlock, for example, picked up an extra 3.5 million viewers through BBC iPlayer over Christmas and New Year.

“These days, as dubbing mixers, we can work in a bottomless pit of dynamics, with massive foot and headroom,” argues Hackenbacker dubbing mixer and managing director Nigel Heath. “But the reproduction 20 February 2014

“The happy medium of mixing TV has changed.

It has become a split thing.”

Nigel Heath on iPads, mobile phones, plasmas, and some, not all, flatpanel, plasma, and LCD TVs has never been worse.

“Ten years ago TVs were big CRTs with huge chassis so the base end was extended and it all sounded lovely and rich.

Now you’re hearing stuff with a 1in or 2in loudspeaker and some porting tricks to make the bass seem a little bit bigger inside a rattling plastic

cabinet. This has changed the way I mix programmes.”

With tablet views for video content on iPlayer now having overtaken PCs it should have changed the way everyone mixes, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Two dubbing mixers that Audio Media spoke to for this article, who both asked for anonymity, said that they were rarely asked to consider mobile viewing, instead concentrating on the significant majority of the audience that watch a show through their TV. Scott Jones from Molinare also makes the salient point that tablet viewing can actually enhance the experience – thanks to the benefit of headphones.

FLAT SCREEN, FLAT SOUND “TV speakers do seem to be getting worse,” he admits.

“And the flatter the screen the flatter the speakers have to be, which means not too much dynamic sound comes out. We have to play it and reference it through a TV, but as one director said to me, the [viewers] are watching it on their iPad: but they’re sticking their headphones on and that

is better than what is coming though your telly as they can get the full spectrum of sound.”

With all these viewing options, it’s difficult to strike a balance. But there are solutions. Post-production sound mixer and sound designer Scott Marshall from Bamsound says he is often asked to make shows louder or more exciting to give them a greater impact when viewed on smaller devices.

“Of course there are many ways to do this but often they sacrifice dynamic range and sometimes a truly nice sounding mix in order to achieve it,” he admits.

Instead, he takes his lead from the music world. “[Music] producers will often – in the case of drums particularly – have several duplicates of the same instrument in their mix all EQ’d slightly differently in order for the sound to break through on different speakers and music systems,” he says.

“A small laptop has much less bass response than a speaker in a nightclub and so the bass drum is EQ’d differently on copied tracks to bring those nuances through.”

It’s a philosophy that can apply to TV too, he says. “EQ is mostly the answer as I think compression and crushing the audio just makes a mix sound more squashed and washed out resulting in a loss of definition.

If I was being asked to mix solely for a small device I would edge and EQ my mix to sit more in the mid and high spectrum and avoid too many low rumbles and sub bass frequencies to allow it to push through better. I only wish there was time and budget to remix shows more than once for different types of output.”

Heath agrees on the point about low frequencies but also points to the disharmony that sees some people view a TV show on their mobile phone or tablet, others watch it on a bog-standard flatscreen telly and a third group get the full sonic experience via a dedicated home sound system.

Again, it is a difficult, but not impossible, balancing act.

He cites the example of a recent drama that had a beautiful score including “plot point punctuations that were really just existing on sub-bass for the drama moments”.

“With the best will in the world, there was no way you could make that stuff come out of a phone, iPad or flatpanel TV with no bass response,” he says. “But, if you push it like crazy, anyone listening with an AV system will be catapulted out the backdoor with the house shaking. The happy medium of mixing TV has changed. It has become a split thing.”

His solution, in that scenario, was to add sound effect stings “in a telly friendly area”. Otherwise, he adds, these dramatic moments would “sail by without any punctuation at all”.

“I’m certainly not reinventing the wheel but this is something that we’re doing a little more now, especially in big scenes. I will add something for the iPad market which I didn’t used to do.”

With viewing on mobile and tablet still on the rise, and modern TVs getting ever flatter, there’s every chance he won’t be the only one. www.audiomedia.com

FEATURE BROADCAST WORKFLOW

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

A Pyramix workstation in facilities used by Scottish production company Bees Nees

Going With the Flow From acquisition through to play-out and everything inbetween, Kevin Hilton explores how modern broadcasters are dealing with audio (and its associated data) through the entire production process.

WORKFLOW IS one of those annoying, buzzwordtype terms that is all the more irritating because it does sum up the process of getting material from one end of the broadcast production chain to the other. Another annoyance is that workflows have always existed in television broadcasting and post production; today’s usage of the phrase implies that it is something new when a methodology for moving the building blocks of TV productions around – film, videotape, and audio tape as it was – had long been in place.

The main difference now, however, is that the entire process is moving towards 22 February 2014

tapeless operation, based on data files containing sound, pictures and, just as important, information on the content of each file. This is covered by another technoterm: metadata, meaning data about data. It is packaged together with the audio and video in file ‘wrappers’ so that a programme or its constituent parts can be identified easily as it travels along the workflow.

Audio is a standalone but connected part of the overall process, because it goes through its own recording/acquisition and post-production process, as well as being a component of the video stream through the

increasing use of embedding (not that sound for live broadcast and recording for later post-production should be considered at different points in the chain).

CHECKING IT TWICE Sound supervisor Julian Gough, formerly with BBC OBs and then SIS LIVE and now running his own Noises Off company, says he advises clients that if they make a back-up multi-track recording at the same time as the live transmission, at no extra cost, it is possible to post-produce that at a later date if the need arises for further distribution.

“My main work is the live

broadcast of basic stereo with the pictures,” he explains, “but in addition to that I can make a multi-track of everything at the time. This means there is the ability to go back and revisit any recording afterwards.” He adds that having at least two copies of something is crucial.

Gough relies on the Merging Technologies Pyramix audio editingrecording workstation, although he does admit that initially he used it only for its audio mixing capability: “I never used it just as a multitrack recorder but for creating a live mix. There is the benefit of the multi-track recorder as well, which, nine times out of

ten times, will now be running in the background. So that gives the option to redo something if it was not good enough on the day.”

Pyramix offers four independent background recorders that can take four separate streams. Johan Wadsten, software products manager at Merging, explains that any of these can be taken and put into a timeline for editing while the record process is still underway without affecting the recordings. “An EDL [edit decision list] is being created on the media file while the edit is being done on the timeline,” he says.

In analogue and digital www.audiomedia.com

FEATURE BROADCAST WORKFLOW

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

The aim with Strictly Come Dancing is to achieve both a stereo mix and a surround output

tape workflows, written cue sheets and notes were vital in not only identifying what a recording was of but also which takes were good. Just like the recording, editing, and mixing functions, this job has moved into the virtual, databased world. In the case of Pyramix, says Wadsten, this began with media-based markers that could be used to flag a good take within a file.

“Now metadata is written into all files,” he says, “which allows the production notes to flow down the line to the editors. The idea is to make the process as simple as possible because losing the information is almost as bad as losing the recording itself.”

LIVE CAPTURING Comprehensive details on what sources are coming in during a live production or what is on a recording are crucial for all sizes of production. This is the experience of sound recordist Ian Sands, who works on live 24 February 2014

events ‘broadcast’ to digital cinemas and online as well as high-end shoots for television drama.

Among Sands’ theatre projects have been Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate during 2011 and the Sondheim musical Merrily We Roll Along, which was both filmed and broadcast live to cinemas in October 2013.

Sands says such productions can involve in the region of 28 radio mics, plus effects play-in and an audience mix, with musicals or operas also calling for a sub-mix of the orchestra.

“I ISO everything as well, so we’ve got access to individual elements,” he explains. “We usually have three nights on a show, so I can try out mixes on the first two and am ready by the third night. We’ve also developed a filmic/TV way of working if a line on the recording is obscured by

clothes rustle or something by getting the actors on stage with no audience to repeat the words – as in ADR – without the action. These can then be edited in later.”

Sands usually sets up a control room in the theatre or venue, often in the subbasement; his equipment includes an Allen & Heath iLive Series digital console and either a SADiE LRX2 location multi-track workstation or JoeCo Black Box multi-track recorders.

Sources come in on MADI connections, with, Sands says, Dante IP technology starting to be used in some cases as well.

Metadata comes into its own when a recording is sent for post production. Merrily We Roll Along involved a live orchestra taking up 25 to 30 feeds, 8 to 10 audience sources, and a cast of 25, with sound effects coming in from the theatre. Sands says he also generated ISOs, which were recorded onto hard disk with

all the other signals. “That was about 64 tracks with track names and other metadata,” he says. “And because I’m a dinosaur I always write up my notes and scan them into a PDF file, which is for my own peace of mind but would be helpful at the post end if anything went wrong with the files.”

STREAMING REVOLUTION Internet streaming webcasts span a broad range of production types and, perhaps most important of all, budgets. For shows where the money is tighter manufacturers have introduced all-in-one audiovideo systems, which provide facilities for both sound and vision, while taking up the minimum amount of room possible in a make-shift control room at the venue or in a small van. Among these are Sony’s Anycast Touch AWS-750 and the Roland VR-50 HD. The Anycast

“I think it would be nice to find a way to better ensure that AV synchronisation is more carefully considered.”

Mark Pascoe

www.audiomedia.com

FEATURE BROADCAST WORKFLOW

Touch is the latest incarnation of Sony’s all-inone system. On the audio side it offers six embedded stereo inputs and three stereo outputs, with full limiting and EQ capability and four hours of recording onto an internal HDD. Roland’s VR-50 HD is a HDSI, SDI, and 3G video unit with a nine fader audio mixer that can produce linear PCM for SDI, HDMI, and USB-audio.

Gough views online webcasting as “another means of getting content out there” and so “does not treat it any differently from broadcasting – just because it’s online doesn’t mean the quality is any less”.

Webcasting specialists are now using next-generation streaming protocols and media players, as well as proven technologies such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), to ensure stable audio transmission. Craig Moehl, chief executive of online video provider Groovy Gecko, maintains that having a constant audio stream is vital, because viewers can cope with missed picture frames more easily than bad quality or missing sound.

HTTP is part of the MPEG DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) standard, which also accommodates AAC (advanced audio coding).

While this allows for surround formats like Dolby Digital Plus, 5.1 is not yet a major consideration for streaming to multiple platforms and devices.

STAYING IN SYNC A big issue is ensuring that the sound and pictures are synchronised, with the matter of lipsync an important factor. Mark Pascoe, senior technical marketing manager at Dolby Laboratories, comments: “I think it would be nice to find a way to better ensure that AV synchronisation is more carefully considered, although with video and audio essences increasingly being wrapped together closer to the end of CDN [content delivery network] systems for online www.audiomedia.com

delivery, the quality control process must be accompanied closely with a test and measurement process to ensure that the content rendered there maintains the synchronisation achieved further upstream.”

In outside broadcasts there has been a shift towards working in discrete audio on site. Dolby E continues to be used to carry multiple channels of sound to broadcast and play-out centres but Paul Fournier, head of sound at OB company NEP Visions, says the component format, with 16-channels of audio in every video feed, is set to take over in the near future.

In TV studios there are different workflows for live broadcasts and recorded programmes. Andy Tapley, a sound supervisor with BBC Studios and Post Production, works on both types and says that, in the case of a big, live prime-time show like Strictly Come Dancing, the last series of which was produced at Elstree Studios just outside London, the aim is to achieve both a stereo mix and a surround output.

“Stereo is relatively straightforward,” he says, “but surround is six-channel so we use Dolby E as the transfer mechanism. It’s a way of transferring the multiple channels as an AES pair but the downside is that every time you encode and de-code the signal a frame delay is introduced. So as the signal is sent from Elstree to Broadcasting House and then on to Red Bee Media for playout, the pictures and stereo feed have to be delayed by one frame to match the 5.1.”

When the feeds arrive at Red Bee Media they are decoded from Dolby E and then re-encoded in Dolby Digital with metadata so that the correct configuration reaches the viewers’ TV receivers. Tapley describes the creation of metadata for the Dolby E streams as taking place in parallel to the main mix during the live show. He adds that “everything is now moving to embedded audio”, often with four groups of four

“Everything is now moving to embedded audio.”

Andy Tapley channels with the stereo mix on channels one and two and the surround in Dolby E on three and four.

IN THE STUDIO For studio recordings of TV panel shows, such as Channel 4’s 8 Out of 10 Cats, the workflow is extended to give greater flexibility for post production. Tapley says while he records the main stereo mix as the recording progresses, ISO feeds are also taken on to between five to six VT machines, for example HDCAM. These have four audio tracks that can accommodate a “variety of stereo streams”, particularly isolated feeds from the participants’ radio microphones. “The aim is to give post production all the components so they can rebuild parts of the show if anything went wrong on the evening of the recording,” Tapley explains.

A consideration here, Tapley observes, is to put the same equalisation and dynamics on the pre-fade mic feed so that it matches the stereo mix, making splicing in a replacement section easier and less detectable. Dynamic noise reduction is also used, with productions now adopting the new Cedar DNS 8 Live noise suppresser.

BBC S&PP uses Pyramix, although Tapley says modern

workflows apply to Avid Pro Tools and other workstations, and JoeCo multitrack boxes.

All audio components are sent in Broadcast Wave format to post production.

While VT is still being used now, Tapley comments that studio production will “move more to file-based” in the future. The Digital Production Partnership (DPP) has set October this year as the target for UK broadcasters to either move entirely to file-based operations or, in the case of the BBC, begin the move to this way of working.

Every broadcaster and facility has its own methodology for both studio recording and post production. Austrian public broadcaster ORF follows the basic workflow that has emerged recently in terms of file ingest but has its own approach to recording voiceovers. The sessions are run almost as live, with the voice artist recording the narration as the audio is mixed to the pictures.

Senior sound supervisor Florian Camerer says this is an advantage because the voice talent and director get “an immediate idea of how something sounds”, while saving time into the bargain.

Camerer comments that in “99% of cases” audio post will receive ME tracks from the

video editing room; these start as MXF (Material eXchange Format) files from the Apple Final Cut Pro video workstation, with a QuickTime reference file, and are imported into Pro Tools.

The sessions are then mixed, after which, as befits a facility where the chairman of the EBU PLOUD group works, they are measured for loudness compliance to R128 using a software system. Once the mix is complete the audio tracks are combined with the picture back into FCP; both are then exported in MXF format into the broadcast centre’s media asset management system.

Whether the term workflow sets your teeth on edge or not, it is now an integral part of how broadcasting is done. Formats and standards such as MXF, Broadcast Wave, and iXML, for metadata in audio files, have emerged as the foundation stones and while there is some commonality between approaches, there is probably enough flexibility for personal customisation. www.allen-heath.com www.bbcstudiosandpost production.com www.cedaraudio.com www.dolby.com www.joeco.co.uk www.merging.com www.noisesoff.biz www.sadie.com February 2014 25

GAME SOUND PRODUCTION

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

Lionhead Studios The multi-player-focused Fable: Legends is the latest iteration of the popular franchise

Gearing Up For Games With its continuing success, thanks to the critically acclaimed Fable series, John Broomhall talks to Lionhead sound supervisor Steve Brown about the studio’s new facilities and the future of audio for games.

MICROSOFT’S superstar development house, Lionhead Studios, is the creative force behind the widely renowned Fable series, beloved of a vast army of fans the world over.

Heading up audio design and production for this hugely respected ‘quad-A’ team is Steve Brown, who’s been thinking about, and planning for the future of Fable’s sonic experience, as well as putting in place an in-house infrastructure to service other incubation projects.

This is timely, of course, given the recent advent of Microsoft’s brand new games console, Xbox One, which ushers in an exciting period for its ‘first-party’ studios who effectively set the standards for next-gen videogame sound.

Brown explains: “The Xbox One offers an amazing powerhouse of game audio grunt for developers to use in realising 26 February 2014

audio experiences they previously could only dream about. With an exponential increase of CPU power and run-time memory available, the traditional restrictions of game audio have been well and truly lifted.

“This power has the potential to affect all areas of audio – there are the obvious things like more speech, music, and sound design content – plus many more variants; but we can also have much more complex playback behaviours, together with an increased use of real-time plug-ins and effects including more detailed acoustic simulations of spaces using reverb, occlusion, and obstruction systems (not to mention the addition of 7.1 real-time surround mixing, providing yet more creative opportunities for player immersion).

“It’s incredibly exciting and

certainly a time for innovation. Given the opportunity this new chapter affords us, the temptation to go wild and bring out all the bells and whistles just because we can is quite a pull,” he laughs. “But actually it’s more crucial than ever that we focus primarily on creating great content and think about what the game actually needs – ensuring that the requirements of game-play feedback, narrative, immersion, and a clear and game-play focused mix are delivered to the player – that’s more important than anything fancy going on under the hood.”

CREATING A LEGEND As well as undertaking audio management duties for the recently announced new iteration in the Fable series – the multi-player-focused Fable: Legends – Brown is also responsible for audio

servicing of game ideas being incubated in Lionhead's ‘IP factory’. Looking to bring the internal audio head count up to a total of seven (as well as working with numerous third-party audio services vendors around the globe), he is determined to have a proactive rather than reactive audio department.

Brown adds: “With Fable: Legends we’re designing something that’s very innovative from a game-play perspective, with plentiful numbers of heroes, creatures, and quests – all with fullyfledged Fable mechanics. Plus we have a new style of play offered by allowing one player of a quintet to play the Villain, setting traps and directing the other four’s enemies, ‘RTS’ style. The need for the audio team to be involved in the early stages of prototyping is really important to help iterate the right feel to

Steve Brown

the characters. Helping prove out and influence game-play as it’s being created rather than sound designing around a fait accompli is crucial.

“Something I think helps with this is assigning sound designer ownership to each area of the game, whether that www.audiomedia.com

GAME SOUND PRODUCTION

A new five-room facility has been created, including a large 7.1 mix space

SOUNDBITE – THE STUDIO PEOPLE Peter Keeling (managing director): “Building five high-specification studios in a relatively small area surrounded by live offices was always going to be a challenge, especially when you have to include an accurate mixing position for 7.1 surround – a challenge we were willing to accept! With some carefully calculated wall/ceiling constructions, highspec floating floors, and room acoustic

be World, Creatures, Heroes, etc. This has multiple benefits – not only does it provide the design team with someone always available in ‘scrums’ (short bursts of multidisciplinary ‘agile’ production based on specific goals) to aid them realise game features, but it empowers the sound designer to own, experiment with, and sculpt their own segment of the game.

“We’ve also seen a huge shift into the implementation strategy, largely enabled by our use of the Unreal 4 game engine and Wwise audio middleware systems/ integration tools. Unreal 4 now gives sound designers the facility to create and tweak complex playback and audio behaviours themselves www.audiomedia.com

treatments, we achieved exactly what we set out to do – the rooms sound perfect! And for a top client such as Microsoft… they had to look the part too. We worked closely with Steve Brown and the team to ensure the colour schemes and technical furniture designs gave them the creative space they were looking for. We are very proud of the finished result!”

through a very powerful system called ‘blueprints’ (similar to UE3’s kismet).

“With blueprints you can ‘plug in’ sound almost anywhere, going way beyond the simple old ‘play event > play wav’ idea. The full Wwise functionality of RTPCs (realtime parameter controls), states and switches are at hand to be used by sound designers who can themselves simply create logic boxes and connect ‘pins’ to the game-play code (where traditionally they’d have required the wizardry of an audio programmer).

“This provides freedom for sound designers to proactively create complex dynamic audio playback systems, which after proving, may (or may not) be turned into a ‘pure code

solution’ depending on what is optimal. I feel strongly that giving the team ownership and technical access to create their audio systems and content will enable higher quality effort and results.”

NEW FACILITY Part of Brown’s overall strategy for audio provision has been the creation of a new five-room facility centred around one large multipurpose room with four other 7.1 sound design suites – as he explains: “Hand in hand with creating a larger audio team is the need for expanded facilities to house them. I’ve noticed a disadvantage to a traditional live room/control room design within games developers – the live room’s

useful acoustic space can often be left empty while some poor sound designer’s working down the hall under less than ideal listening conditions.

“So I wanted us to create not only a facility that offered four small sound design rooms for daily work but also a large flexible multifunctional space that could be used for sound design, Foley recording, voice recording, and large teamscale mixing.

“Having a large team 7.1 mix space is incredibly important so each sound ‘area owner’ can sit within a large sweet spot while elsewhere at the rear of the room an operator can profile and mix in real-time using Wwise, tweaking volumes on-the-fly as the game is played by the mix group.

“With a large facility came the need to standardise the equipment and software setup throughout the rooms to enable a flow of data and sessions to be used throughout the team. This is also important because we work very closely with the Microsoft Central Media (based in Redmond, USA) who run a very similar set of software and plug-ins.

“Finding the right people to make the facility and provide the kit was easy.

Having worked in a previous facility built by The Studio People, they were the obvious choice to come up with an innovative design for the multipurpose game audio space we required. Also, HHB was the natural choice for all our monitoring, hardware, and software, providing invaluable advice on connectivity.”

Greg Wheeler, manager, professional audio sales at the company, says: “HHB has been supplying Lionhead with audio equipment for over 10 years. We are excited to be involved with the recent studio refurbishment and to find out about the audio requirements of the latest generation of computer games.”

Lionhead’s significant investment to provide premium in-house facilities and talent so close to the heart of game development is another reminder of how seriously audio is now being taken in the world of videogames – at least, wherever there is enlightenment as to how powerfully sound, music, and dialogue can contribute to player immersion, game-play mechanics, and story-telling. www.lionhead.com

Gear list Audio • ADAM S2X & Sub 8/10 monitors • Denon SN500 AV amps for source switching Xbox One/PC/Other studios’ video Connectivity • • • • • • •

RME 800 Pro Tools 10/11 Adobe Audition Soundforge 10 Soundminer HD+ iZotope RX 3 Audioease Altiverb 7 & speakerphone • Waves plug-ins • Nugen Audio VisLM (for LKFS & LUFS metering) • Avalon 737 preamp

February 2014 27

FEATURE STUDIO PROFILE

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

Waterway Wonder

The Limehouse A good live room suited to drum recording was an important part of the design process

Jake Young takes a look at Rupert Pfaff’s recently upgraded studio, part of an east London creative community.

STARTING ITS life as a dog biscuit factory, the Spratt’s Complex on London’s Limehouse Cut canal has been transformed in the past few years into a live-work development for artists. It now houses singer-songwriter Newton Faulkner as well as Rupert Pfaff who manages The Limehouse recording studio.

The Limehouse offers tracking, production, mixing, and mastering services as well as online mixing, which has enabled it to work with a number of international clients. The studio has two senior engineers, Neil Williams and James Aparicio, along with a house engineer, Joel Davies.

Pfaff has filled out an eclectic musical CV so far. He ran London’s Turnkey music store before it was taken over by Sound Control and now heads up the UK branch of German online musical equipment retailer Thomann.

Having occupied small studios on and off for years, Pfaff bought the Spratt’s Complex space in 2006 after spending a year looking for a suitable building to house a studio.

“I knew from previous experience that if I didn’t live very close to it I’d never go in it,” laughs Pfaff, referring to his three-bedroom apartment one floor up from the studio. The space had livework planning permission so that problem was straight out of the way, 28 February 2014

and while the idea of living above a fully functioning commercial studio may seem slightly less than desirable, Pfaff notes that the space was built with 2ft-thick brick walls and a 40cmthick concrete ceiling between the two floors – a good starting point for soundproofing. For the final touches, studio designers Recording Architecture were brought in to design the control room and live room.

“Recording Architecture was great with very detailed instructions of how everything should fit together and what happens at the junctions, and came down to have a look a few times just to make sure we were doing it all right,” says Pfaff. “If we’ve got a really loud band in the live room you can just hear it upstairs.”

It took a year to do the building work and get everything wired, working, and tested to the point where Pfaff thought The Limehouse was ready to open commercially. “It’s a relatively small space but we wanted something that was very high quality acoustically from the start. I felt that whatever’s happening with people doing stuff at home there’s always going to be some requirement for a decent acoustic space, which is very expensive to achieve and that’s the one thing that people really don’t have at home.”

Through careful planning and space management a booth and amp chamber were squeezed into the 300sqft live room. “It’s not huge but at the same time it’s comfortable to record a five-piece band in,” says Pfaff.

Being a classically trained

percussionist Pfaff always wanted his studio to be a good place to record drums. “I find with recording drums either you’ve got to have a big greatsounding room and you record the sound of the room or you need something that’s much more compact

Small but perfectly formed

“I felt that whatever’s happening with people doing stuff at home there’s always going to be some requirement for a decent acoustic space.”

Rupert Pfaff

www.audiomedia.com

FEATURE STUDIO PROFILE

yet properly treated so that you can add whatever reverb you want afterwards without the recording having gathered too much of a small room sound.”

HYBRID PRODUCTION The Limehouse started off at the time when the idea of mixing in the box was beginning to gather some serious momentum. The studio originally had a Digidesign C24 controller but valve outboard gear soon stacked up and a Solid State Logic Matrix console was bought in summer 2013. “The SSL Matrix is a really great bit of kit from a sound quality point of view,” says Pfaff. “The summing on it is great and the Matrix facility enables us to choose our own mic preamps.”

The Limehouse tends to use most of its outboard on the way in rather than at mix down “just because people these days always want recalls”. The mix is generally in the box with 16 channels going through the SSL for summing and possibly one of the compressors like the Rupert Neve Designs Portico II Master Buss Processor.

Yet while the technical gear is definitely a selling point, according to Pfaff a lot of the studio’s bookings are thanks to its selection of instruments.

“If people book us we’ve got a DW Collector’s Series drum kit with tons of different types of heads and if they tell me what they want before they come then I’ll tune the kit up for them. We’ve become quite adept at getting decent drums sounds and a variety of different sounds as well because there’s a fairly extensive kit with a lot of different drums.”

The Limehouse also features a Yamaha C3 grand piano, which comes in handy when recording classical and jazz music, along with a Fender Rhodes Mk V, Hammond SK1, Moog Minimoog Voyager, guitars from Gibson, Fender, and Martin, and a number of bass and guitar amps from brands like Vox, Mesa Boogie, Ampeg, and Fender.

Some of the studio’s notable projects include all the sitar and Indian percussion parts for Anoushka Shankar’s 2011 Grammy nominated Traveller album. “That was a nice feather in the cap for the studio and the engineer Neil,” says Pfaff.

“She was pregnant so spent most of the time lying on the sofa and had quite extensive requirements for cushions, which is obviously understandable.”

Recently Williams has mixed a lot of Brazilian percussion for music library Audio Network. www.recordingstudiolondon.co.uk www.audiomedia.com

Gear list Mixer/control surface • SSL Matrix with 4x Switchcraft 9625 Banatam Patchbay in Custom AKA Console Recording • Pro Tools HD Accel 4 Card System in Magma Chassis • Apogee Rosetta 800/192, AD16X, DA16X (24 i/o) • Mac Pro 8-core 2.8GHz, 12GB/2TB Mics (selected) • • • • • • • • • • • • •

AKG D112 Audix i5 Blue Dragonfly Earthworks QTC30 Earthworks SR25 EV RE20 Neumann U87ai Royer R122 Sennheiser MD421 Shure SM7B Sony C800G Wunder CM7 Yamaha SubKick

Preamps/DI • • • • • •

API 3124+ (8 channels) Avalon U5 BSS AR-133 Focusrite ISA428 (8 channels) Neve 1073LB SSL VHD Pre

Dynamics • Manley Vari-Mu (all mods) • Rupert Neve Designs Master Buss Processor • SSL Super Analogue Dynamics • Universal Audio 1176LN • Universal Audio Teletronix LA2A EQ • • • • •

Earthworks Kick Pad Focusrite Red 2 Manley Massive Passive Neve 1073 LB EQ SSL E Series EQ

Reverb • AudioEase Altiverb XL w/ Best Service Halls of Fame (960L & System 6000 IRs) • Digidesign Revibe • Lexicon PCM Native Monitoring • • • •

Focal Solo 6 BE Omniphonics S100 Presonus Central Station Quested VS3208 three-way monitor • Quested VS112 subwoofer • TC Electronic XO24 • Yamaha NS10M

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS LOUDNESS METERING

Expert Witness Martin O’Donnell of HHB gives his views on the transition to R128 and the importance of picking the right product for the job.

Martin O’Donnell

AS TV watchers and radio listeners we have all reached for the volume control on detecting an unacceptable jump in loudness between programmes. These can arise because traditional broadcast audio delivery standards are based on meters that measure electrical level and not loudness. Loudness is the sound level we actually ‘hear’ and if all audio was mixed to the same loudness measure we would eliminate these perceived variations. The benefit of switching to loudness metering is clear – it takes us closer to emulating the best measurement tool we know: the human ear.

Loudness metering is not a new concept – Dolby introduced the LM100 Loudness Meter in 2003 and HHB has many happy customers using it. But in 2010 Europe took a big step forward when the EBU PLOUD Group – an expert collective comprising mainly broadcasters and loudness equipment manufacturers – published its Loudness Recommendation R128, which explained how broadcasters could measure and normalise audio using loudness meters instead of peak meters (PPMs). The manufacturers took R128 and implemented an ‘EBU mode’ on their meters so that sound engineers across Europe could mix to R128 and be confident of loudness compliance between makes and models. Job done, well almost.

There are a number of drivers that influence when (and even if) a European broadcaster will implement a new audio recommendation into their workflows.

30 February 2014

One important factor is adoption, and getting agreement from a critical mass of broadcasters in a territory certainly helps improve the odds of making it happen.

The UK’s R128 adoption journey began in 2011 with the creation of the DPP (Digital Production Partnership) – a body formed by the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, and including representation from Sky, Channel 5, S4C, UKTV, and BT Sport. Its aim was to help the TV industry transition from tape to a fully digital file-based production model. In 2012 the DPP introduced a new filebased technical standard to which they added R128 audio compliance in October 2013. At IBC 2013 the DPP explained that BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 would move to this file-based programme delivery specification from 1 October 2014 with BSkyB, Channel 5, and BT Sport sharing this aspiration.

At HHB we are seeing R128 come of age in the UK as broadcasters and content producers transition their operations towards this new file-based delivery environment.

R128 is applicable to all areas of audio production. Some environments require hardware solutions, others are best solved with software, and applications can be real time or file based. Picking the right product for the job is essential and the following few paragraphs give some examples of the technologies HHB is deploying.

For standalone hardware metering the TC Electronic TM9 TouchMonitor is very popular and probably the most capable, flexible, and configurable metering platform available with SDI, AES, and analogue audio interfacing.

Recent developments have included BLITS and timecode logging.

DK-Technologies DK1, 2, and 5, and RTW TM3 are also popular choices.

For audio and video post-production applications, Nugen Audio has four complementary software products. First up is VisLMH – a loudness and true peak meter that runs standalone or as a plug-in with timecode logging. Use it while you record and mix. Then there is LM-Correct – intuitive, fast, and accurate. Measure key loudness parameters of a wav file faster than real time with the option to correct against target values to ensure R128 compliance. Next is ISL – a true peak limiter that allows you to get on with

your audio production while it takes care of your true peaks. It is well respected sonically so is equally at home in a music recording and production environment. Finally, LMB is a loudness management batch file processor which can handle MXF and wav. Measure files, correct to predefined criteria, and produce detailed XML logs quickly and automatically. It can be run locally or on a server with a drag-anddrop interface or via a browser and hot folder. This is an ideal way to legalise legacy archived content or new material

“At HHB we are seeing R128 come of age in the UK as broadcasters and content producers transition their operations towards this new file-based delivery environment.”

Martin O’Donnell arriving from external sources: a turbocharged LM-Correct. As an alternative to VisLM-H we also have installations running TC Electronic’s LM6 loudness radar and the Dolby Media Meter 2.

For transmission and archive tape transfer the TC Electronic DB6 is an expandable 1U intelligent processor equipped with SDI I/O, dual power supplies, hardware bypass, GPIO, and logging. It will measure and correct loudness and true peak in real time to R128. Features include an automatic stereo-to-surround Upmix for the smooth transition of (legacy) stereo material into a surround sound transmission environment. It can also be used when transferring/ingesting from videotape to legalise the content to

R128 and Upmix to surround if required. The Junger T*AP is also a candidate in similar applications.

For a complete audio monitoring solution in an OB vehicle, ingest suite or master control there is the Wohler AMP2-16V-M. The 2U unit comes with SDI, AES, analogue, and optical audio connectivity. Other features include a configurable loudness metering page, support for SMPTE2020 metadata, and the ability to display all 16 channels of embedded audio alongside the SDI picture, plus high-quality built-in loudspeaker monitoring. This is a comprehensive and impressive AMU. Dolby E, D, and DD+ decoding is optional.

Last up is the Dolby DP580, a 1U Professional Reference Decoder with ASI/SDI, MPEG2, AES, and HDMI inputs. This handles all Dolby formats and gives broadcasters the ability to perform loudness monitoring with logging at any point in their broadcast chain from playout to off-air. The HDMI input also opens up applications in the games industry – where loudness is beginning to gain traction – enabling game producers to test the HDMI output of their consoles.

The list above is not exhaustive and HHB continues to work alongside the leading manufacturers of loudness products. We all know that producing high-quality audio is a rewarding challenge that requires the right tools and experience combined with superhuman craft skills – yes, even our video colleagues will acknowledge this during a quiet fireside chat. EBU R128 does represent a significant change in the way we measure audio but do not be alarmed – if you have been creating dynamic, wide-ranging content with PPMs it is likely you will be spot on with R128.

Expert Witness Martin O’Donnell is director of sales at HHB. The company will be displaying its range of loudness products at BVE 2014 in London on 25-27 February.

For further information and insight on loudness and anything pro audio visit the HHB website or take a look at the company’s current Pro Audio Report which examines the technical aspects of the new DPP delivery standard and EBU R128 in more detail. To request a copy call +44 (0)20 8962 5000 or visit the website. www.hhb.co.uk

www.audiomedia.com

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

Loudness Metering These technologies stand out as some of the best solutions in the myriad of loudness control solutions now available.

The DaySequerra iLC2ST offers real-time adaptive loudness control of two independent TV channels. As with other DaySequerra loudness control and monitoring units, it offers credible audio quality via DTS Neural processing and is loudness compliant with EBU R128, ATSC A/85 CALM, and ARIB-B32. The iLC2ST is 1U high so it doesn’t take up much space in your rack and a dual DSP platform allows it to make gain corrections imperceptible. It has GPI-

Conforming to all major international broadcast delivery standards and recommendations for loudness and peak level, the TSL PAM PiCo is now available in three models, all with loudness logging as standard. The PAM PiCo offers seven user programmable operational views in landscape and portrait modes with common standard features

switched user presets, perfect for changing the depth of the loudness control used, depending on the content or at particular times of the day.

The iLC2ST also has an Ethernet port and is supplied with free Windows remote dashboard software for remote control and logging. With AES/EBU digital audio I/O as standard, there are options for analogue audio I/O and the HD-SDI embedded audio. www.sonifex.co.uk

such as the starfish and jellyfish surround sound displays, true-peak level, FFT spectrum analyser, SMPTE timecode reader, Eyeheight measurement, and the 5.1 bargraph and histogram modes. A free PC-based loudness logging application is available for use with all PAM PiCo models. The logging application delivers a highly effective yet cost-efficient means to record, analyse, and archive real-time loudness and true peak level history. Via a PC connected to the PiCo over USB the logging application writes all key loudness and peak measurement parameters to a database in real time while displaying a graphical analysis of each reading against time enabling instant recognition of signal behaviour. PDF or CSV log files can be extracted from the database to create both graphical and spreadsheet reports

for archive purposes or as a validation of loudness and peak for a given commercial or TV show. It is purposely designed for use across the entire broadcast facility from ingest to post production, acquisition to transmission. Furthermore, because the device is selfcontained and requires only power and media to function, it covers a range of alternative applications from television production to music recording and gaming. www.tsl.co.uk

Insight, iZotope’s comprehensive metering suite for postproduction and broadcast applications, provides an extensive set of audio analysis and metering tools, ideal for visualising changes made during mixing and mastering, troubleshooting problematic mixes, and ensuring compliance with broadcast loudness standards. Fully customisable and scalable, Insight allows users to visually monitor all relevant information from a mono, stereo, or surround mix in a convenient floating window. www.izotope.com

The Dolby DP580 is the first Dolby TrueHD reference decoder, providing features that enable monitoring, display, and logging of all audio-related metadata and measurement of program loudness, using Dolby Dialogue Intelligence, Leq (A), ITUR BS.1770-1, ITU-R BS.1770-2, or EBU mode loudness estimation. It also provides detailed analysis of Dolby audio streams for professionals, making it ideal for broadcast trials and manufacturers’ test environments. Designed to help broadcasters monitor streams along multiple points of the broadcast chain, the DP580 serves all Dolby audio codecs, including Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, HE AAC with Dolby metadata, Dolby E, and Dolby Pro Logic II technologies. Enhanced

www.audiomedia.com

The DK-Technologies DK T7 is a complete audio, loudness, and logging system addressing the key measuring and reporting needs of any broadcast, post, or music engineer.

It combines high-precision metering with a detailed logging and reporting system – all included in a single ‘no frills’ package. The metering tools collection offers bar graphs, classic moving coil emulations alongside the StarFish stereo and multichannel phase and level meter, as well as clear text read-outs and detailed spectrum analysing. DK T7 includes detailed real-time logging of key loudness and true peak parameters, allowing for detailed review and reporting of any audio event at any point in time. The multi-touch user interface makes the operation quick and instant when setting up metering of the 3G SDI-, AES-, and analogue inputs and outputs. The user interface allows for a high level of customisation, ranging from the detailed choice of metering tools, to the specific functionality of the on-screen custom buttons. The compact and fan-less hardware design allows the DK T7 to be mounted table-top, 19in rack, and even as a flush mount console integration. www.dk-technologies.com

features of Dolby Digital Plus, such as secondary audio bitstream mixing and 7.1channel decoding, can easily be monitored using the DP580. This is in addition to a real-time reference tool for generating signals for Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, and Dolby Digital Plus. It enables validation of associated Dolby TrueHD signals encoded in the Metadata-Enhanced Audio Transmission (MAT) format, a type of validation that has not previously been available in any testing environment. All of these features enable consumer and professional device manufacturers to use the DP580 to test the integration of Dolby technologies in their products. www.hhb.co.uk

February 2014 31

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

Nugen Audio’s VisLM-H provides an easy-to-use ITU, ATSC (Calm Act), and EBU standards-compliant way to measure, compare, and contrast loudness during production, broadcast, and post production, on the fly or for entire sections of audio. With detailed, objective loudness measurement, history, and logging facilities, VisLM helps audio professionals cut through the complexity of loudness compliance. VisLM offers true-peak level metering for inter-sample accurate level measurement, loudness range to support the application of dynamic compression, momentary ‘instantaneous loudness’ to assist with mixing by

ear, short-term loudness, and programme loudness to support long-term integrated loudness measurement. These essential parameters make VisLM ideal for the full range of audio post-production projects. With the recent release of VisLM 1.6, the tool is now available for the first time in the Avid AAX format and also provides a version

for 64-bit OS X platforms. In addition, VisLM now includes a timecode feature for relating loudness parameters directly to timecode references. This gives audio engineers and editors a clear, frameaccurate position for any alerts, true-peak overs, maximum values, and other indicators. www.nugenaudio.com

RTW’s latest introduction, the LQL (Loudness Quality Logger), is an innovative tool developed for collecting loudness measurement and true peak data. By giving users the ability to obtain a log,

analyse, and report, their experience is enhanced even further. The LQL is a natural extension of RTW’s range of innovative software options and is compatible with the TM7, TMR7, and TM9

TouchMonitor line of products. LQL enables data to be derived directly via an IP-connection from a capable TouchMonitor audio meter, as well as from external storage media such as a USB stick. Also included in the software are dual limit weighting, status information, marker, and various other reporting features. The new PC software is free of charge to users; however the SW20014 Logging Data Server licence is required to enable a TM7, TMR7, or TM9 series meter to be compatible with data export and additional display functions. The LQL will be available from the first quarter of 2014. www.rtw.de

The next generation of the 2012 TEC Award-winning Waves WLM Loudness Meter plug-in, the WLM Plus features new correction and adjustment tools.

Ideal for content creators, postproduction houses, and cable head-end facilities, WLM Plus is described as an affordable, all-inone cross-platform, multi-format loudness metering software solution.

WLM Plus is fully compliant with all current ITU, EBU, and ATSC specifications, including new dedicated presets meeting ASWG-R001, ARIB TR-B32, OP-59, and the current Discovery Channel

32 February 2014

requirements. It offers a comprehensive momentary, short term, long term, and true peak readouts, as well as a warning and logging system that keeps track of users’ levels and alerts them when they have been exceeded (or fallen short). WLM Plus now features gain and trim controls for correction of loudness levels and a true peak limiter, which saves users the need to use additional equipment or software. WLM Plus is available at no additional charge to all WLM owners who have valid coverage under the Waves Update Plan. www.waves.com

The Qualis Audio Sentinel surround sound audio monitor measures, monitors, and logs loudness and virtually every other parameter necessary to ensure optimum audio reaches broadcast viewers. The electronic equivalent of a human listener, the Sentinel operates unattended, eliminating continuous aural checks by skilled listeners. This ability significantly reduces personnel requirements and attendant costs while improving the consistency of audio monitoring. Its measurement and logging verify and document CALM Act compliance, conforming fully to all ITU BS1770, ATSC, FCC, and EBU requirements. Any deviation outside of the allowed range automatically generates alarms to the user’s choice of SNMP, email, or GPO. The Sentinel also measures, displays, logs, and alarms all pertinent audio parameters, such as downmix loudness, downmix compatibility, true peak levels, hum, channel balance, and other parameters required for quantifying audio quality. Since measurement data is available over the instruments network interface, both real-time and logged results may be viewed on any standard browser from anywhere in the world. Software included with the unit automatically creates reports of loudness conformance with CALM Act requirements, which are tied to as-run logs generated by the user’s automation system. Reports are typically generated daily in a format selected by the user and automatically emailed to appropriate personnel. www.qualisaudio.com

TC Electronic’s Radar Loudness Meter is available on multiple platforms and aims to give the user a tool that will display their overall loudness landscape in a single view. The flagship standalone loudness meter is the TouchMonitor that features a touchscreen with highly flexible layout options. It complies with all major broadcast standards and is available with either a 7in (TM7) or a 9in (TM9) touchscreen. Due to its massive amount of hardware I/O options (digital/analogue, balanced/unbalanced, AES, 3G SDI, etc) and stereo as well as multichannel capabilities, it is suited for any broadcast and production application imaginable, including ingest, transmission, production, film, post, and live production.

Apart from running the Radar Loudness Meter, a complete range of audio metering tools are available for TouchMonitor, including Surround Sound Analyzer, Stereo PPM Meter, Vector Scope, BLITS, and more. www.tcelectronic.com

www.audiomedia.com

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

The J端nger Audio D*AP8 MAP Edition is a fully featured monitoring audio processor comprising an eight-channel audio monitor, a comprehensive Dolby toolset including Metadata emulation, and a loudness metering and logging function. The audio monitor section (4x2.0, 5.1+2.0 or 7.1) includes downmix, solo/mute, and channel swapping along with full bass management and EQ. The Dolby options include full decoder and encoder hardware and an emulation function, which allows real-time auditioning of the effect of adding or changing metadata parameters and values without the latency involved in an actual encode and

The Wohler AMP2-16V-M is a modular 16channel audio/video workstation with a complete suite of tools for analysing and managing audio quality, level, and metadata.

These units monitor 16 channels of embedded 3G/HD/SD-SDI and AES audio, while the AMP1-E16V-MD includes Dolby D and Dolby E capability. Wohler recently released Version 7 software for the AMP2-16C Series to provide loudness functionality.

Available as a free download for existing users, the new software provides compatibility with

The Trinnov SmartMeter v3 features major improvements and new functionalities including time code synchronisation of loudness/true peak measurements, allowing for real-time logging and consistent loudness/LRA measurements at any time, all along different mixing stages. Users no longer have to manually pause, resume, or even start measurements over. All loudness values are stored and time stamped throughout the session. Projects can be paused, shared on a network, and resumed in other studios with independent loudness/true peak measurements. www.trinnov.com

The Orban Loudness Meter receives a twochannel stereo signal from any Windows sound device and measures its loudness and level. It can simultaneously display instantaneous peaks, VU, PPM, CBS Technology Center loudness, and ITU BS.1770 loudness. The meter includes peak-hold functionality that makes the peak indications of the meters easy to see. www.orban.com www.audiomedia.com

decode process. This ensures that the end-user experience is exactly as intended at the mix stage. The loudness measurement is fully compatible with all versions of ITU-R BS.1770 and ensures compliance with all current loudness standards including EBU R128 and ATSC A/85. Aimed at QC applications for production, broadcast, and post, the D*AP8 MAP Edition can be controlled over a web browser interface or via the optional X*AP RM1 remote panel. Along with standard AES3id, additional I/O options include 3G/HD/SD-SDI and analogue. www.jungeraudio.com

worldwide standards and includes an at-aglance loudness monitoring screen for indication of reference level, digital readout for loudness (LKFS or LUFS), maximum true peak, maximum loudness, programme loudness, and more. The software also offers colour-coded alarm indications, standard level meter bar graphs for measured channels and start, pause, reset, and stop controls for manual monitoring. This upgrade will ship with all newly purchased units as standard. www.hhb.co.uk

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

RØDE NT1 and M5 Matched Pair

STUDIO MICROPHONES

The updated NT1 and new M5s hold up RØDE’s tradition of providing high quality in an affordable package, writes Stephen Bennett.

THE 80s were the decade in which technological developments such as affordable multi-track tape machines and sync-able MIDI devices allowed musicians and engineers to move from expensive bespoke recording facilities into what we now call project studios.

When I listen back to the recordings made using this equipment, I’m struck by how good the DI’d instruments sound – but I’m also appalled by how poor the drums and vocals sound in comparison to those that I hear from similar contemporary setups. The exception is often the electric guitar, captured using a relatively inexpensive Shure SM57, one of the few affordable microphones available then that remains in common use today.

Microphones such as the Neumann U87 and AKG 414 were out of reach for those not working in commercial facilities; so most project studios would have been filled with cheap dynamic microphones and poor sounding condensers.

By the time the noughties were upon us, certain enterprising companies began to import low-cost, decent quality microphones from China into the UK and elsewhere – but these often suffered from poor manufacture and quality control. Peter Freedman was one of these early entrepreneurs, importing, testing, and upgrading Chinese-built microphones before resale to customers in Australia. These apparently sold as fast as ‘a rat up a drain pipe’ – and so the RØDE NT1 (Rodent 1, geddit?) was born. The ‘Ø’ was apparently added as an homage to Freedman’s early years when he lived in Stockholm – but 34 February 2014

“These two microphones are now top of my list when asked the question ‘what’s the best low-cost microphone you can recommend?’”

Stephen Bennett

confusingly, it’s a letter that’s not in the Swedish alphabet!

THE RAT IN THE STUDIO – THE NT1 RØDE microphones are now designed and assembled in Australia and the original NT1 was superseded several years ago by the improved NT1a. The latest incarnation of the microphone arrived in my studio as part of a kit, comprising a sturdy Rycotebased suspension cradle with a neat detachable pop shield, whose fitting makes sure that it sits at the correct distance from the capsule. Rycote’s suspensions are my ‘to go’ microphone supports just now and I was pleased to see one supplied with the NT1.

The microphone itself retains the classic design embodied most famously by the U87 – though it’s slightly smaller than Neumann’s ubiquitous condenser. It’s beautifully finished in a scratch-resistant matte black and should easily withstand life in the studio.

The kit comes in a cardboard box rather than the aluminium case sported by some of its price-comparable rivals, but I’m personally always happier to see manufacturing costs going into the product than the packaging. The NT1 is a JFET-based 48V (or 24V) phantom-powered cardioid pattern condenser microphone with a shock-mounted 1in gold-plated diaphragm.

RØDE boasts that the NT1 is the quietest studio condenser microphone in the world, with only -4.5dBA of self-noise. I had no problems at all with the microphone during the review period even on quiet sources, so I have little doubt that this claim wouldn’t stand up to bench testing.

The most obvious use for the NT1 is recording vocals,

so the first thing I tried it on was a bass drum!

I often use a low-cost Chinese manufactured microphone on the outer skin of the drum when I can’t use a Neumann FET U47, so I was keen to see how the RØDE compared. The result was excellent and the NT1 handled the pressure levels admirably – its specification quoting a maximum SPL of 132dB. I compared its performance on vocals against the low-cost condenser that I most often recommend to students – the Studio Projects B1 – as well as my 1980s Neumann U87 and a vintage AKG 414 that I like to use on female vocals. Compared to the older microphones, the NT1 had noticeably more output at a given gain setting and exhibited a slightly brighter sound that still retained enough body and harmonic subtlety to bring out the positive attributes of both male and female voices.

The B1 does exhibit some of the high-end brittleness characteristic of Chinese sourced microphones, but the RØDE NT1 was a lot smoother in this important

high-frequency area.

Crucially, the NT1 takes equalisation and compression better than some other lowcost microphones I’ve tried.

Looking at the supplied specification sheet, the NT1, like many ‘vocal’ microphones, exhibits a slight frequency ‘hump’ from around 6kHz to about 10kHz and the off-axis frequency response quoted appears to be quite in line with my experiences in using the microphone.

MUSIC OF THE SPHERES – THE M5 The design of RØDE’s NT5 small-diaphragm ‘pencil’ condenser could also have been inspired by a Neumann microphone – in this case the classic KM84 with its

removable cardioid and omnidirectional capsules. I tend to use my KM84s with the cardioid capsule fitted about 95% of the time and the microphone under review here – the M5 – suggest that RØDE believes I’m not alone in this. The cardioid M5s were supplied as a matched pair – again in a sturdy cardboard box – along with microphone clips and foam windshields.

RØDE claims the difference in sensitivity between the microphones is ±1dB and each pair comes with a certificate confirming this specification.

The microphones are shorter than the NT5 at 100mm in length and feature a 0.5in gold-plated diaphragm, transformerless circuitry, and the same quality of external finish as the NT1.

In the kind of applications the M5 is likely to be used, small is indeed beautiful, and the matte black body should make it less visible when recordings are being filmed.

I decided to try the M5 in some applications where I’d normally use my KM84s, www.audiomedia.com

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

Audio Media editor Jory MacKay finds out more about the development of the NT1 and M5 from RØDE new product development project manager Sun Kyung Sunwoo.

The original NT1 was one of the mics that put RØDE on the map internationally. How did you go about updating such a classic design?

This new NT1 has inherited the essence of the original NT1 microphones as well as the NT1-A. The iconic silhouette remains, albeit slightly larger, while the exterior has been updated to a sleek black finish

that is actually a proprietary ceramic coating which is more durable than paint. Characteristic low noise and the user-friendliness of a simple fixedcardioid pick-up pattern were obvious standout features of the earlier microphones that we’ve retained.

While these key elements have remained consistent, internally this NT1 is completely new. The microphone capsule and electronics are an all-new design.

gives us access to their world-class Lyre system. We’ve implemented this not only on the SMR shockmount that is optionally available with the NT1, but also internally on the capsule shockmounting. This dramatically increases the microphone’s isolation from vibration and handling noise. As far as I am aware this is the first (and only) microphone that has integrated the Rycote Lyre at an internal level.

What were your main concerns when defining the mic’s sound?

We wanted to build upon the success of the NT1-A, creating a warmer, richer sound while still maintaining a characteristic RØDE flavour – essentially a microphone that would find an even wider acceptance than the already successful NT1-A.

Moving onto the M5, what was the inspiration behind this new microphone?

The NT5 has consistently been one of our most popular microphones, however we now have the manufacturing capability to create an electret 0.5in condenser that offers outstanding performance at a price point significantly lower than the NT5. Customers who don’t need the superlative quality and interchangeable capsules of the NT5 can now look to

How has your relationship with Rycote influenced the mic’s design?

RØDE’s relationship with Rycote

including the close miking of sections of a small orchestra alongside my Neumanns and as overheads on a drum kit. I was immediately impressed with the quality of the RØDEs – brighter than the KM84s certainly, but not oppressively so, though the supplied chart shows a similar high-frequency lift as the NT1.

The recordings obtained from using the M5s as an XY pair over the woodwinds were excellent and the microphones mixed well with the Neumanns. I have found that some other microphones I’ve tried using alongside the KM84s can lead to problems when mixing, even though the solo’d stereo recordings sounded fine. I’d definitely be happy to use a few M5s in my recordings – although I didn’t have enough of them to check how they’d cope with a full orchestra!

As drum overheads, the M5s again produced a rich sound, not overly harsh and able to cope with loud splashy cymbals with their rated maximum SPL of 140dB. I’d probably still prefer to use my Neumanns in this application, but I definitely couldn’t blame www.audiomedia.com

our value-oriented M Series for a matched pair of small diaphragm microphones.

What are some of its unique features/selling points?

The M5 is supplied as a matched pair, with low noise and a full frequency response. Like the NT1, it also uses our proprietary ceramic coating. The main selling point however is the value for money – customers are getting incredible audio quality for very little investment.

Who are the primary users for these microphones?

Traditionally a matched pair of small diaphragm condensers or ‘pencil’ mics are used for recording in stereo arrays.

Many of the M5 customers will use these for that purpose, however the M5 can be used as a single microphone for instrument recording, or alternatively as an indoor dialogue microphone for video.

the RØDE M5s for any poor recordings. As they performed so well I thought I’d try recording the drums ‘garage style’, with two M5s overhead and the NT1 on the bass drum. Although I was performing this test in a decent sounding room using high-end preamplifiers along with an excellent musician who could tune his drums, I was still impressed with the sound I managed to achieve using these inexpensive microphones. We’ve come a long way since the 80s.

SUMMARY The M5s are a perfectly sound (ho ho!) matched stereo pair of microphones that would make a decent addition to

anyone’s audio armoury, while the NT1 could easily be the best-sounding choice for certain vocalists. These two microphones are now top of my list when asked the question ‘what’s the best low-cost microphone you can recommend?’ and, like the fabled SM57 before them, no one is going to be embarrassed when hearing the results in years to come.

THE REVIEWER STEPHEN BENNETT has been involved in music production for over 25 years. Based in Norwich he splits his time between writing books and articles on music technology, running Chaos Studios and working in the Electroacoustic Studios in the School of Music at the University of East Anglia.

INFORMATION Feature set NT1 • 1in gold-plated diaphragm • Transducer suspended using Rycote’s Lyre system • 4.5dBA of self-noise M5 • Compact 0.5in cardioid condenser matched pair with no more than 1dB sensitivity between units • 140dB max SPL www.rodemic.com

February 2014 35

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

PMC twotwo.8

ACTIVE REFERENCE MONITORS

The largest in PMC’s twotwo series, the twotwo.8 is an incredibly versatile option in a crowded market, writes Nigel Palmer.

SINCE STARTING with monitor commissions for the BBC in the early 90s, PMC, originally the Professional Monitor Company, has become a respected name in the loudspeaker world. Based at Luton in the UK the company is now a byword for practical and effective speaker design in all sizes, and lately its attention has turned again to the mid- and near-field market with three active monitors in the new twotwo range, the .5, .6, and lastly the .8, the subject of this review.

OVERVIEW The ‘twotwo’ name stems from both a two-way driver configuration (all models have an offset 27mm soft dome tweeter and an LF unit) and the ability to use the speaker in either portrait or landscape (end or side) orientation without sonic trade-off – the tweeter should be innermost for the former and inner/ uppermost for the latter. The ‘point’ designation describes the size of the bass driver in inches, so the one in the .8 is 8in, or 200mm.

Seen from the front in portrait mode the unit presents a business-like blue/black livery with tweeter at the top, bass driver below and the ATL or Advanced Transmission Line vent at the bottom of the cabinet. All PMC speakers have transmission lines, a folded internal labyrinth fed by the LF unit, 1.9m long in the .8, which extends bass response below that in an equivalent sealed cabinet; in this case it contributes to a 35Hz-25kHz usable frequency response.

To the rear is a panel with the speaker’s electronics and connectors. At the top is an LED displaying current status 36 February 2014

together with four navigation buttons: up, down, left, and right (holding up and down for more than two seconds reverts to the factory default state). The lower part of the panel has RCA/phono (unbalanced) analogue, XLR (balanced) analogue, and XLR AES digital inputs, as well as Cat5 networking in and thru ports. The heart of the twotwo range is a powerful DSP engine similar to that in the more expensive PMC IB2S-A, with a high-quality A-D converter on the analogue inputs and the ability to take AES digital signals at up to 192kHz. The signal processor provides volume control, equalisation, driver optimisation, and filtering at the 1.8kHz crossover point; it then converts back to analogue to feed the two onboard Class D amplifiers (150W LF and 50W HF) and hence to the drivers. The speaker’s user interface offers a good level of control with input source, trim, and sensitivity, high and low shelving, and low rolloff adjustment, and there will also be an optional RJ45 wired remote connected via Cat5 mirroring those functions for easy setup from the listening position. The network facility is also used to link loudspeakers in digital mode with one as the master.

IN USE As usual, once set up on stands about 2m apart I used the review pair of .8s to work with in Lowland Masters studio, in this case for two weeks. To begin with I adjusted the system’s input sensitivity so I could operate at my usual reference level; once done I played some familiar material, and consequently dimmed the treble response to my taste

“In spite of the active speaker sector being crowded at present I’ve little doubt both the twotwo range in general and the .8 in particular will be a success.”

Nigel Palmer with the HF shelving by -1.5dB, the low end being satisfactory with the speakers about half a metre into the room. Working with them on everyday mastering tasks the .8s gave a commendably accurate and neutral presentation, making EQ and dynamics decisions a breeze – in spite of their neutrality I found them good to listen to, and the net result was a nonfatiguing working day. After a short period of acclimatisation I found the twotwos effectively disappeared, allowing me to get on with the job unencumbered by monitorrelated distractions. Although low frequency extension was sufficient for me in my room and similar to the response of

my usual loudspeakers, PMC offers subwoofer solutions for those requiring it.

I tried the XLR analogue and AES inputs while working with the .8s. Although taking the analogue route implies an additional A-D conversion in the signal path, this didn’t trouble me sound-wise when compared to an all-digital approach. As I have a number of digital sources that would require a patchbay to use the digital input, I was content going in analogue from my DAC and being able to access them via that as usual. I also conducted a comparison with the speakers in both orientations, and although I used the landscape mode the majority of the time I found no significant difference in either way of working.

CONCLUSION What I think PMC has produced in the twotwo.8 is a universal mid/near-field monitor. By this I mean that it could be used for any audio job and will be at home in any studio or location environment where box size isn’t an issue: this is a major achievement, clearly the end result of much research. In spite of the active speaker sector being crowded at present I’ve little doubt both the twotwo range in general and the .8 in particular will be a success.

THE REVIEWER NIGEL PALMER has been a freelance sound engineer and producer for over 20 years.

He runs his CD mastering business Lowland Maters (www.lowlandmasters.com) from rural Essex.

INFORMATION Feature set • • • • •

Advanced Transmission Line bass loading technology Extensive analogue and digital connectivity to 192kHz Powerful DSP engine controlling driver response, crossover, and EQ No sonic differences between vertical and horizontal orientation Two on-board Class D amplifiers (150W LF and 50W HF)

www.pmc-speakers.com

www.audiomedia.com

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

Source Talkback and 2Q Talkback Remote

TALKBACK SYSTEM

Mike Aiton finds his communications nirvana with a nifty piece of kit offering console-style talkback without any hardware and a radio remote control system for audio consoles.

STOP – DON’T turn the page or you will be in danger of missing one of the best kept secrets of savvy studio owners around town. Do you work with remote clients on a telephone patch? Or across continents with the amazing voodoo of Source Connect?

Do you record talent who you need to speak to in a booth? or even (perish the thought) with ‘the luddites blunt weapon of choice’ – ISDN? If so, then read on! This is a really sexy little combo of products that will please your clients and your talent no-end.

GETTING TO THE SOURCE OF IT The Source Talkback part of the combo is made by Source-Elements and is an AAX native 32- and 64-bit plug-in (for Mac OSX 10.7 upwards) that gives consolestyle talkback without any hardware.

‘What features does it have?’ I hear you ask. In Pro Tools it allows simple talkback activation in momentary mode using the ‘\’ (backslash key); in latching mode with ‘shift’ + ‘\’ and now, best of all, it comes with auto talkback (like an Avid Icon series) where the talkback is off in play, and open (activated) in any other transport mode.

Set up is a breeze in Pro Tools: create an aux input track that has your mic input (I used my Avid Omni input 2) and place the talkback aux native plug on this track, and route this to your talent’s cans. Next, put the talkback master native plug on your master fader or wherever your speakers are fed from. These two plugs are glued together 38 February 2014

with ‘software string’ so that whenever you hit the backslash key, click either of the talkback plug-in buttons or engage the auto talkback feature, the GFX on the plugs changes to ‘talkback open’ and your monitoring is dimmed by a user settable amount (in the options menu). Voilà – large console-style talkback in seconds. It’s as easy as pie.

The software has been thought out so that whatever the plug is doing, whenever you hit the ‘\’ key your talent will hear you. If you are in play using auto talkback and your young puppy producer insists on speaking before the transport is stopped, just hit the ‘\’ key and your talent will hear them. If you then halt the transport, auto talkback will engage and you can let go of the ‘\’ key. This brings me neatly to the next part of the solution.

REMOTE CONTROL Michael Donahower at Techshop NY has developed 2Q – an ingenious radio remote control system for audio consoles. This is a sophisticated radio remote that can be worn around your neck (on a 2Q lanyard) that can either activate a console talkback system, or, in this case, come programmed to operate Source Talkback. It comes as standard with two remotes (and can operate with up to 10) and a mains powered receiver. The recover for the Source Talkback version has a foot switch jack input and a USB output that plugs into your Pro Tools computer. I connected a Yamaha sustain pedal to the receiver to try. Unfortunately

“This is a really sexy little combo of products that will please your clients and your talent no-end.”

Mike Aiton that pedal was wired with the logic reversed and pressing it deactivated the talkback rather than activating it. When the USB lead was plugged in and the unit was powered, up came a Mac prompt that a keyboard had been plugged in and gave me a choice of three. I chose Euro English – which seemed to work nicely on my Pro Tools PC running OSX 10.8.5. That was the sum total of the installation.

SUMMARY I cannot get the 2Q to hiccup, misfire or so much as burp out of tune. My studio is not large, but the receiver doesn’t ever fail to pick up the transmissions. Clients love ‘the dangly thing around the neck’

and find it easy to use and the ‘touch to talk’ logic just so simple, even for TV producers!

Good enough even for legendary producer Phil Ramone? He loves it! Battery life is estimated as at least annual (with normal use).

So what could be improved? The first thing would be for Source Talkback to go AAX DSP then VST and AU for ‘other sound applications’. It should also be noted that Source Talkback and the 2Q remote can be used by musicians in the booth as a listen back activator (or ‘lazy talkback’ for those with a broadcast pedigree). The guitarist’s SM58 over his smoking Marshall cones will not work well as a reverse talkback mic as the levels would be very wrong but if you rig another microphone you can allow the guitarist to press his 2Q and Source Talkback will let him discuss his delicious use of chromatic Aeolian passing notes over the subdominant chord in the last take (or

not!). The 2Q system is customisable for all major console talkback systems. So what’s not to love? It is an inexpensive and very highly recommended combo indeed.

THE REVIEWER MIKE AITON was weaned at the BBC. But after breaking free nearly 25 years ago and becoming one of London's busiest freelance dubbing mixers, he can mostly be found in his Twickenham dubbing suite, mikerophonics.

In his spare time he takes therapy for his poor jazz guitar playing and his addiction to skiing and Nikon lenses.

INFORMATION Feature set Source Talkback • AAX 64-compatibility • Momentary, Latching, and Auto modes 2Q • Wireless talkback • Range of over 75ft • Ability to use up to 10 transmitters www.source-elements.com www.twocue.com

www.audiomedia.com

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

Sony PCM-D100

PORTABLE AUDIO RECORDER

Jerry Ibbotson sees how the PCM-D100 – part of Sony’s new High-Resolution Audio initiative – stacks up in a competitive market.

I HAVE to admit to having something of a soft spot for the Sony brand. It goes back to my childhood: when I was a boy my dad worked overseas for a year. On his few trips home he would always bring my brother and I something special and on one occasion we each received Sony pocket radios. To this day I can picture what it looked like and, above all else, remember the iconic name emblazoned across the top.

There’s a purpose behind all this misty eyed nonsense. Sony has something that most startups would kill for: a rock-solid brand with the kind of heritage that makes worn-out 40somethings like myself go all soft and gooey. So when they launch an all-new portable recorder like the D100 we sit up and take notice, particularly when recording on the go is something we’re very much into.

GETTING ACQUAINTED The D100 is part of Sony’s High-Resolution Audio initiative – a range of products that the company says is “designed to help music lovers conveniently access and enjoy the digital music they love in the best playback quality”.

I can understand what this means when it comes to Walkmans (yes, the name is back) but a portable recorder?

Looking at the machine’s spec sheet gives a pretty big clue. As well as MP3 and wav formats, it also records in DSD, the codec used in Super Audio CDs. DSD is only 1 bit but with an astonishingly high sample sate of 2.8MHz. It’s still fairly uncommon and in fact the only other machine I’ve used with DSD was the Korg MR1 a few years back.

In wav mode, the D100 can record at sample rates of up to 192kHz (24-bit), which is 40 February 2014

pretty phenomenal. It comes with 32GB of onboard memory and a combined SD card/memory stick slot, so storage is easily expandable. It has a body of aluminium and plastic, two built-in 15mm mic capsules with adjustable positions (X/Y or wide), and variable range.

The overall look of the machine is restrained and professional. On one side of the body is a 3mm (minijack) input for an external mic, a line-in that doubles as an optical connection, the record level dial, and buttons for the

“The material was crisp and clear and there was no detectable preamp hiss; the scourge of any portable recorder.”

Jerry Ibbotsen LCD backlight, plus the on/off for the whole unit (not your usual press-and-hold offering but a real-life sliding switch).

Around the other side is the input for a wired remote, the headphone level dial and connector and a line out (also on 3mm jack). Oh, and the whole thing runs on four AA cells or mains power.

On the top (or the front, depending on how you look at it) is the greyscale LCD display and navigation and control buttons. These look similar to the original Minidisc Walkman machines I used as a BBC radio reporter in the 90s and that’s no bad thing. My review machine came with no instruction manual but I was able to find my way around and get the recorder set up in my chosen format with no problem.

There are plenty of options to play with, such as recording across both on-board memory and to an SD card or stick.

There’s also a limiter, an option for Peak Hold on the meter, and even the option to record in two formats at once.

IN USE For my testing I went for something well within the unit’s capabilities: 48kHz 24bit wav recording. There wasn’t much point is going for DSD mode as I don’t currently having something capable of playing back the files. Also, using a known quantity would let me compare the Sony with other machines in my embarrassingly large stable of small recorders.

Press Rec once and the machine arms; hit Pause and off it runs. The material (mainly dialogue and interview audio) was crisp and clear and there was no detectable preamp hiss; the scourge of any portable recorder. Voices were well defined and sibilance free.

Interestingly, I also played back some material that was already on the SD card that came with the test machine (note to other reviewers: best wipe your card before sending back to the PR bods). This was dialogue, in a range of languages beyond my comprehension, and also ambient fx of railway stations and other public places. It was all clean and clear and mostly recorded at 48k. A couple of the recordings were seriously over-moded but that would have to be (the other) user (s’) error as it’s a doddle to set level using the dial (which has a very neat flap covering the left/right channel splitter).

SUMMARY The Sony carries with it the reputation and heritage of one

of the legends of the audio electronic world. It’s an impressive machine that is well made and oozes quality.

But… and you may have sensed this was coming… there’s an issue. It’s a machine that costs close to £800 and yet it lacks something that plenty of others have: XLR inputs.

Sitting next to my laptop right now is my own portable recorder. It produces highquality audio, is capable of six channel recordings and has two XLRs. I’ve been using it today for a BBC Radio 4 interview, hooked up to a shotgun mic. It is a great machine but costs less than half as much as the Sony.

That puts the Sony in an odd position. It’s a great machine but would I really want to spend that much cash on something without a proaudio connection? It has an awful lot going for it but when you factor in price, any potential buyer needs to look around the whole marketplace before making their final choice.

THE REVIEWER JERRY IBBOTSON has worked in pro audio for more than 20 years, first as a BBC radio journalist and then as a sound designer in the games industry. He’s now a freelance audio producer and writer.

INFORMATION Feature set • • • •

Records at sample rates up to 192kHz (24-bit) and DSD 32GB built-in flash memory Powered via four AA batteries Two adjustable 15mm unidirectional mics

www.pro.sony.eu/proaudio

www.audiomedia.com

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

Universal Audio Fairchild Tube Limiter

PLUG-IN COLLECTION

Universal Audio strikes gold once again with its Fairchild emulation plug-in series, writes Rich Tozzoli.

FAIRCHILD compressor/ limiters are revered for good reason, as they can be heard on some of the greatest records of all time. But keeping those vintage hardware units running – complete with 20 tubes and 14 transformers – is not an easy task. Luckily for us, Universal Audio has modelled a few classic ‘golden reference units’ from Ocean Way Studios then added several modern touches for its own Fairchild emulations, now available direct from their website.

FEATURES The collection includes new 660 and 670 models, as well as the original 670 Legacy unit, each of which can only run via UA’s proprietary UAD-2 platform. They can be instantiated as either mono or mono/stereo; historically, the 660 is mono and the 670 is stereo with Mid/Side capabilities. While these monsters sound great on drums, vocals, and master bus (or just about anything, for that matter), let’s explore a few simple ideas about how the new 660 and 670 emulations work on guitars and bass.

One of the first aspects to understand is the use of Input Gain versus Threshold. As the manual notes, the original unit’s input control is behind the input transformer and ahead of the tubes in its signal chain. When you increase the Input, the input tube is hit harder, increasing distortion. If you want the character of your guitar or bass to have extra grit, turn up the Input Control knob and turn down Threshold. To get a lot of squash and grit, crank up both Input and Threshold. www.audiomedia.com

Further, users can play with the small-but-useful HR (Headroom Control) knob, which lowers the internal operating level. The default position is where the small dot is at 12 o’clock (a value of 16dB). To get more harmonic distortion, turn the knob clockwise (which increases the dB value). The unit tends to compress more when doing that, which means you’ll probably need to turn up the Output control to compensate for gain reduction.

It’s also useful to understand the Time Constant knob with variable attack and release times. It’s a six-position switch where settings one to four are progressively slower behaviours and five and six are program dependent. Additional attack/release variations are also possible, enabling the Sidechain Link and disabling the Controls Link.

IN USE Starting with a bass sound, an edgy, aggressive characteristic

“Without the Sidechain Filter, the entire spectrum of frequencies in the track will be compressed – which has its place, of course. But by pushing up the Sidechain Filter value, users leave those frequencies alone and compress those above it.”

Rich Tozzoli

can be easily made by turning up the Input Channel, Headroom Control, and Output. I like to set the Time Constant to one or two, where the unit tends to react fairly quickly. Also, I set the Metering knob to GR (Gain Reduction), which allows me to see (in dB) how hard the compressor is ‘hit’. Of course, I adjust all parameters depending on the material, but bass, in particular, can really scream via UA’s Fairchild.

With it, I can undeniably hear an increase in smoothness, punch, and character.

Taking it a step further, there are two additional controls that offer quite a bit of flexibility. The Sidechain Filter controls a 12dB per octave low-cut filter that goes from 20 to 500Hz. Simply put, this lets you take bass frequencies out of the compressor to limit excessive gain reduction. Without the Sidechain Filter, the entire spectrum of frequencies in the track will be compressed – which has its place, of course.

But by pushing up the Sidechain Filter value, users leave those frequencies alone and compress those above it.

With heavy electric guitar parts, I like to set the Sidechain Filter around 400Hz. What this does is enable the compressor not to ‘squash’ as much overall, because I essentially removed the low end from hitting the compressor. Those frequencies get left alone while the lower mids, mids, and top get tightened up. Certainly, it’s also quite useful on bass parts.

Normally, I tend not to compress electric parts very much, especially distorted tube

amps. But with this filter, I can get it to be smooth and punchy while also using the Output for some extra gain. Sometimes, however – especially with plugin based guitar amp emulations – it sounds best to squash the whole signal, leaving the Sidechain off. It’s useful to have the option when you need it.

Last but not least, UA built in a Mix knob – a feature I would like to have on every plug in, actually! While simple in theory, it’s incredibly useful in taste and touch. It sets the output balance between the dry signal and that of the one processed by the compressor.

This lets you hit a bass or guitar hard with overall compression, then pull it back from 100% (Wet) to get an ideal blend of processed and unprocessed. To navigate this quickly, you can click on the

Mix graphic to move to 50%, the 0 for 0%, and so on.

SUMMARY Overall, the Fairlight Collection is a great complement for almost any type of production track.

Specifically on guitar and bass, users can control individual track dynamics while increasing thickness and punch. Yet it’s the combination of Input Gain, Threshold, Time Constant, Headroom, Sidechain Filter, and Mix that helps me take tracks to the next level. And best of all, you’ll never have to change a UA Fairlight tube.

THE REVIEWER Rich Tozzoli is the software editor for PAR as well as an accomplished recording engineer, composer for television, and active musician.

INFORMATION Feature set •

• • •

Exact modeling of Ocean Way Studio’s Fairchild units (660 and 670) including tube amplifiers and transformers ‘Digital only’ features include Sidechain filtering, dry/wet parallel blend, and Headroom control Six attack and release Time Constants Artist presets from Darrell Thorp, Michael Brauer, Ryan West, and more

www.uaudio.com

February 2014 41

INTERVIEW

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

Handling Pressure With 41 productions on four continents under his belt in 2013, German recording engineer, mixer, composer, and location recordist Jakob Händel has become one of the most in-demand professionals in the pro-audio industry, writes Jory Mackay.

FROM an early age, recording engineer Jakob Händel knew he wanted his life to revolve around music. After training as a violinist and percussionist during his school days, he went on to study business administration in Germany, France, and San Francisco (a more ‘useful’ career path, according to his father). Upon graduating he started working for one of Germany’s philharmonic orchestras as an administrator, all the while recording them using two Neumann KM140s he bought with a loan.

Tired of counting money in the back room, Händel embarked on a massive career change, starting as a coffee boy for an OB company, quickly becoming a technician, and then taking off on his own as a freelance recording engineer.

Now, with multiple awards to his name (including two Grammys, four Echo Klassiks, and a Gramophone), we catch up with Händel to find out about his rise to critical acclaim, working around the globe, and, most importantly, what he packs in his luggage…

Tell me a bit of where your job has taken you in 2013.

I did 41 productions last year. I’m jumping from one thing to the other but mostly do orchestra productions.

I’m open to everything and I think I’m really not compatible to [working for] a company. I’m very emotionally led. If I’m convinced of anything I can move mountains. If I’m not interested, I couldn’t care less.

42 February 2014

You worked on the Keanu Reeves movie Man of Tai Chi. Can you tell me more about that?

Yes, it was quite a funny project.

Volkswagen was a co-sponsor of the movie and Sennheiser was the sponsor for the sound. My duty was to record the film scoring and the sound of the supercars, so I had to record all the Lamborghinis and Bugattis and Bentleys. We had some fun.

I went to China for almost three weeks to work with the composer. The funny thing is that we did everything at once, so we were working while the movie was being done, which was a great opportunity to see the production side and meet Keanu Reeves a few times.

How has your mobile set-up evolved over the years?

In 1996 I bought a Stagetec Reference A-D, one of the first in Germany, and I had a Genex 8-track recorder. It was a wonderful unit to learn how a microphone sounds and how acoustics work. It’s really neutral. It’s not musical so you need to create the music with it.

Then I went into a very nice system called Metric Halo. The first production I did with it was immediately bought by Deutsche Grammophon.

I then went into Merging Technologies’ Horus and I’m very happy with it. It’s just there. I don’t want to have to concentrate on technical issues when I record music. It’s just a tool and that’s it.

In 2002 I met Claude [Cellier, CEO

of Merging Technologies] at the Music Fair in Frankfurt and said ‘what is this toy? Can I make money with it?’ and I became one of the first people in Germany to have Pyramix. I bought Pyramix because it was offering the MADI solution. I still have the card but now I’m travelling only with a MacBook Pro working with a Pyramix express card and from tomorrow on I’ll be working on Ravenna.

I have a JoeCo as a safety on stage along with the Horus. I had the whole thing modified because I sometimes have it on the rooftop, and if there’s any sort of power down, even just for a millisecond, the machine goes off.

What about microphones?

I’m fully on Sennheiser and Josephson, which are wonderful microphones. It’s a Gefell capsule with a Josephsen body and I’m in love with it. For live recordings Josephson is a wonderful microphone as it excuses a lot of noises and concentrates on the musical happenings rather than making everything very clear and transparent, like page turning or breathing. I’m even modifying my DPA 4041 with a custom-made Josephson body.

I’m reducing the amount of microphones compared to years ago, not only because I know how to use them but also because I have better rooms and halls. I’ve been touring with orchestras and using 20 microphones and setting up the same way every night and then

being able to cut between different halls.

By doing this you learn a lot about acoustics and the sounds of the halls when you have A/B comparisons.

That’s what I’m doing now in Belgrade as we don’t have access to the big hall. I have done some recording in the big hall and have been able to recreate this atmosphere in the rehearsal room.

I’ve also been experimenting with Sennheiser twin microphones quite a lot where you can adjust the different acoustics by changing the characteristic of the microphone, which is very nice.

Lastly, I heard a rumour that you’ve also worked with Rammenstein?

Yes! I did eight live concerts with them.

The situation was that the OB van with a DiGiCo console didn’t work together with the FOH. So they asked me to come with my mobile MADI recorder plus 16 microphones in the audience, which was huge. I bought 500m of cable just for those microphones.

I hated it the first two concerts and loved it after that. I thought it wasn’t my cup of tea but now I’m open to anything. www.classicaudio.de www.audiomedia.com