Audio Media March 2014 by Future PLC

No. 280 March 2014

www.audiomedia.com

It’s All in Your Head A look at the current market for in-ear monitoring systems p24

IN THIS ISSUE SHOW PREVIEW Everything you need to know about this year’s Prolight + Sound

p14

FINAL CUT The sound and music of Xbox One launch title Forza Motorsport 5

p28

RIMSHOT STUDIO We visit a studio offering the best of analogue and digital

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TECH FOCUS Compact Digital Consoles

p34

WELCOME

March 2014 Issue 280 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 Managing Director – Mark Burton mark.burton@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

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I’VE ALWAYS been attracted to the way science fiction films and TV programmes from different eras show their vision of the future. From Gene Roddenberry’s sexed-up, 70sinspired intergalactic exploration epic, Star Trek, to Ridley Scott’s 80s-themed dystopian future in Blade Runner, and even Spike Jonze’s almost-too-accurate comment on our current addiction to technology in Her, the present has always had a strong presence in our future. But the future is also retro. Our vision of what’s to come is ultimately formed by what has already happened, or what is currently happening. Maybe that’s the reason why we’re so drawn to things that are ‘classic’ and ‘traditional’. If something has already proven its worth in the past, who’s to say it won’t be just as good in the future? Two announcements in the pro-audio world launched this philosophical train of thought. Wrapped up in the post-NAMM madness, Roland finally

“Our vision of what’s to come is ultimately formed by what has already happened, or what is currently happening. Maybe that’s the reason why we’re so drawn to things that are ‘classic’ and ‘traditional’” revealed its Aira range – four new products designed to emulate some of the company’s biggest releases (the classic TR808 and 909, as well as the TB303) with added modern and forward-looking features. Equally as exciting, yet less reported on, was Korg’s announcement of a new, faithful reproduction (hopefully with some similar modern updates) of the ARP Odyssey synth – a staple on albums from Tangerine Dream through to Nine Inch Nails. Korg has even brought in David Friend, one of the founders and past presidents of ARP Instruments, as chief advisor on the project. For sound designers, or just plain old synth heads, these releases cause a bit of a conundrum. Just as we love the idea of capturing classic sounds and are excited by the idea of implementing modern functionality, there’s always a bit of scepticism whenever a company tries to recreate a proven product. As much as we trust the past, we are hesitant to put the same trust in our present selves. It’s the same problem that comes when you look at the aforementioned films and programmes. As much as we try to look to the future and create a vision of things to come, we are sceptical of our abilities and ultimately give in to proven ideas, either from history or from the world around us. So where does this leave us? Are we forever bound to the past? Well, no. While there’s sometimes a debilitating anxiety in trying to create something completely new it’s by pushing through that fear that we carve out our own place in history. As much as I love the idea of a retro future, I’m more excited by uncharted waters.

Jory MacKay, Editor

March 2014 03

CONTENTS

COV ER

John the c Broomha r for Xbeative audll dives in ox O io pro to n Forza e launch cess title 5 p28

TECHNOLOGY ...................................6

>ALSO INSIDE

Softube releases the Console 1 New addition to Focusrite RedNet range

Show News: Prolight + Sound, BVE.........................................14

TC upgrades DB6 and TouchMonitors

Geo Focus: Spain...................................................................20 Interview: Sound recordist Chris Watson......................50

INDUSTRY .........................................10 Alchemy Mastering opens new location

p32

Last chance to enter InstallAwards Studer shows off Vista X

>TECHNOLOGY >FEATURES

FOCUS:

It’s All in your Head..........................24

REVIEWS:

Jory MacKay investigates how far the IEM industry has come (and where it’s going)

Featured: API Audio’s The Box ......40

Rimshot Studio .................................32

Earthworks 521 ZDT Preamp .........44

Jake Young visits a truly analogue/ digital hybrid studio in the Kent Countryside

McDSP Everything Pack .................46

Compact Digital Mixers ..................34

Allen & Heath ME System ..............42

p34

Radial Engineer’s EXTC and M3.... 48

ADVERTISERINDEX >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Allen & Heath ............................................13 AMS Neve ..................................................45 Audio-Technica.........................................31 Calrec .........................................................12 DiGiCo..........................................................2 DPA Microphones ....................................19 Dynaudio ....................................................17 Focusrite....................................................29 Genelec......................................................27

04 March 2014

Lawo .............................................................5 NAB.............................................................49 Nugen Audio .............................................33 PMC Loudspeakers ..................................23 Prism Sound..............................................25 Richmond Film Services..........................16 Radial ..........................................................51 Riedel .........................................................43 Softube.........................................................9

Sony.............................................................11 Source Distribution .................................39 Stagetec .....................................................15 Soundcraft.................................................52 Studer ...........................................................7 Studio King ................................................47 TC Electronic ..............................................3 Telefunken...................................................8 Waves .........................................................35

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TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Softube Begins Shipping the Console 1 ALMOST A year after it was announced at the 2013 Frankfurt Musikmesse, Softube has begun shipping its next-generation Console 1 DAW controller and mixer. The Console 1 is a tightly integrated hardware/software system that marries Softube’s analogue sound with a physical surface. It can be used together with any major DAW. Inserting the Console 1 plug-in on any or all mixer channels of a DAW routes the sound from the DAW into the Console 1 mixer and back, allowing for real-time, hands-on editing and mixing. The Console 1 also comes bundled

with Softube’s model of the Solid State Logic SL 4000 E, which has been officially endorsed by the SSL team.

The channel strip includes the black knob E 242 equaliser, the classic channel compressor, the musical

expander/gate, and the high and low cut filters from that channel. Softube has also included a model of the harmonics, distortion, and nonlinearities obtained from overdriving the SL 4000 E console, which can be used to add analogue distortion across the entire mix. The company plans to add channel strips for the Console 1 in the near future and each channel can be separately customised by adding in any Softube compressor or equalizer. Look for a review of the Softube Console 1 in next month’s issue of Audio Media. www.softube.com

TC Electronic Upgrades DB6 and TouchMonitor Range

New Plug-ins from Exponential Audio

RTW’S LOUDNESS Quality Logger (LQL) is now compatible with the TC Electronic TM7 and TM9 TouchMonitors. LQL is a natural extension of the software options available for the TouchMonitor range that provides logging, true-peak data analysis, and reporting. It enables data to be derived directly from an IP-connection from a capable TouchMonitor, as well as from external storage media devices such as a USB stick. Also included in the software are dual limit weighting, status information, marker, and various other reporting features. While the new PC software is free of charge, an LQL licence is required to enable TouchMonitors to support data export and additional display functions. TC has also released a software update for its DB6

EXPONENTIAL AUDIO has announced the release of version 2.0 of two of its most popular plug-ins: PhoneixVerb and R2 stereo reverb. Both new versions feature a redesigned GUI with a modern appearance and improved visibility while the simple navigation and overall ease-ofuse remain the same. Version 2.0 also includes additional features such as favourites list; user-controllable loudness management solution. Version 1.3 allows broadcasters to recall up to 16 scene presets by using GPI 1 and 2 together. With software version 1.3, broadcasters can now recall up to 16 Scene Presets using only two of the DB6’s four GPI inputs. Based on this, DB6 may be controlled during playout, or a simple preset selection panel can be designed with easy access

to presets and/or emergency override. Further, it is now possible to control DB6 by multiple instances of the ICON remote, adding a new level of operational flexibility to the platform. Finally, it is also possible to copy entire user preset Banks to or from files stored on a PC or Mac. www.tcelectronic.com

d&b Adds New Flagship Amp ADDING TO its range of amplifiers, d&b Audiotechnik has just announced a new flagship model: the D80. The 2U D80 contains configurations for all d&b loudspeakers as well as a linear mode. The four-channel unit also provides a serious amount of power (4,000W into four ohms). The amp has both digital and analogue signal inputs as well as link outputs, remote control, and monitoring capabilities, and sophisticated protection circuits. The D80 is a Class D amplifier specifically designed to deliver high power into low impedance loads between 4 and 16 ohms. The signal delay capability allows user definable settings of up to 10s (3,440m) to be applied independently to each channel. The same applies to the two 16-band equalisers that are also available in

6 March 2014

CPU load balancing for increased processor efficiency; several new preferences to help tailor the plug-ins to the user’s way of working and dozens of new presets designed to make it even easier to find the right sound for the right application. The update is free to current users with bundle packages available to new users looking to add both plug-ins (iLok 2 required). www.exponentialaudio.com

each channel, providing parametric, asymmetrical, shelving, or Notch filtering. www.dbaudio.com

DiGiCo Announces Availability of D2-Rack DESIGNED TO support and expand the DiGiCo SD range, the D2-Rack comes with either BNC or Cat5 MADI connections, making it compatible with a number of DiGiCo consoles or as a standalone unit. “Being able to open up the full 96kHz potential of the SD8, SD9, and SD11 with this next generation of I/O conversion is an impressive upgrade,” said DiGiCo managing director

James Gordon. “It allows users to get unrivaled audio quality at a total system latency of just over 1ms.” The D2-Rack offers two I/O versions: 48 mic inputs, 16 line outputs, two blank output slots (allowing an additional 16 outputs in the owners desired format – analogue, AES, and Aviom); or 24 mic inputs, 24 AES inputs, 16 line outputs, and two black output slots. www.digico.biz

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TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Sony Announces Upgrade to Audio Editing Software SONY CREATIVE Software has announced a long-awaited upgrade to Sound Forge Pro for Mac. Version 2 of the audio editing software now comes with additional features such as batch processing, refined metering for mastering and broadcast professionals, more processing tools, and event editing improvements. The company has also released an update to SpectraLayers Pro (v2.1), which now features seamless interoperability with Sound Forge Pro Mac, an efficient reverb removal process, an improved noise reduction algorithm, expanded noise removal process options, and user interface improvements. “Sound Forge Pro Mac and SpectraLayers Pro are evolving rapidly,” said Dave Chaimson, divisional

vice president of Sony Creative Software. “Adding comprehensive batch processing functionality to Sound Forge Pro Mac fulfills our single most frequent customer request, and the new processing options available via the included Nectar Elements plug-in represent an unparalleled value.” Following on from its Windows-based counterparts, Sound Forge Pro Mac and SpectraLayers Pro now feature the same level of interoperability, which allows users to quickly transfer audio data between the programs, easily switching from waveform to spectral editing. Both programs are available as standalone applications as well as bundled together as the Audio Master Suite Mac. www.sonycreativesoftware.com

Yamaha Enhances R Series MANUFACTURER YAMAHA has added the new R Remote software application to its R Series of I/O units. R Remote allows remote control of the head amplifiers in the Rio3224-D, Rio1608-D, and Ri8-D I/O units directly from a laptop or desktop PC without the need for a CL series or similar digital mixing console with remote control capability. The free software opens up new functionality for the R Series including setting up a live recording system with just R Series I/O racks and a computer running Nuendo Live or similar DAW; operating Dante infrastructure completely

independently of a console; or using R Series units with consoles that don’t support remote head amp control, such as the Yamaha 02R96 or 01V96i. “R Remote is another example of how feedback from Yamaha users helps us to deliver new products that audio engineers really want,” said Chihaya ‘Chick’ Hirai, Yamaha Pro Audio PA manager. “R Remote can deliver previously unprecedented system capabilities and we are sure that many users will find this versatile new product very useful.” www.yamahaproaudio.com

Mackie Updates Master Fader VERSION 2.1 of Mackie’s control app for its DL Series digital live sound mixers is now available, adding a number of user-requested features. “With 1.5 million shows mixed using DL Series mixers, we wanted to focus on features that our pro users would appreciate,” commented Ben Olswang, Mackie product manager. “So we added new, powerful output processing that replaces expensive outboard system processors.” Master Fader v2.1 features a four-band parametric EQ on all outputs, which works in parallel with the current 31-band GEQ. It also includes separate high-pass and low-pass filters with variable slope control. Up to 350ms of alignment delay is also now available on each output, allowing users to dial in delay stacks, fill speakers, and other tasks. www.mackie.com

8 March 2014

New 500-series Module from BBE IN RESPONSE to the growing popularity of the 500 series format, BBE has announced a new, more compact version of its Sonic Maximizer technology. The single-channel SM500 is designed with the same processing engine as the BBE 882i rackmount model (meaning the SM500 is suitable for any style of music) and is engineered to brighten, clarify, and add fullness by adjust phase relationships and augmenting high and low frequencies, revealing more of the sound’s natural texture and detail. The unit is compatible with all 500-type racks and features +23dBu headroom with 118dB signal-to-noise ratio. The SM500 features an allanalogue, through-hole circuit made with high-precision components (including 1% metal film resistors throughout) as well as a bypass switch to allow for quick and easy comparisons between processed and unprocessed signals. www.bbesound.com

www.audiomedia.com

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Focusrite Extends RedNet Range THE LATEST addition to Focusrite’s RedNet range is the D16 AES – a 1U, 19in rack-mountable Dante interface featuring 16 channels of AESEBU connectivity to and from the Dante audio network. The RedNet D16 is designed for bridging between digital consoles, power amplifiers, or any other AES3-equipped audio equipment and a Dante Network. The unit features sample rate conversion on each input pair allowing plug-and-play operation with any AES3 source. The two network connectors on the rear of the unit allow two modes of operation. They can be used either as a primary/redundant network interface, allowing seamless switchover in the case of network failure, or as a daisy-chain port allowing the connection of multiple units. The rear panel XLR input connector can either be used as a DARS input or as a traditional AES3 audio input, replacing channels 1-2 of the DB25 inputs. Also, S/PDIF input and outputs are provided on RCA connectors, which is said to be ideal for connecting CD players or solid-state recorders. The input replaces channels three and four in the DB25 connector while the output can be assigned to replicate any adjacent odd/even output pair. All the clocking and input/output options of RedNet D16 AES are remotely controlled by the RedNet Control software application for Mac and PC. www.focusrite.com

IK Multimedia Adds the ‘Holy Grail’ of Mastering EQs

T-RACKS CS 4.5, the latest version of IK Multimedia’s T-RackS Custom Shop mixing and mastering plug-in, has just been released and includes a number of new additions to its already extensive collection of mixing and mastering audio processors. Among the new additions is the first ever software model of the Master EQ 432 – the first parametric design EQ that became the basis for all subsequent parametric equalisers in music recording history. The original 432 has become one of the go-to mastering EQs due to its inherent musicality, audio quality, and transparency. The T-RackS Master EQ 432 is a stereo five-band parametric EQ featuring two bands of shelving EQ plus three bands of peaking EQ and has been designed to duplicate the original’s sonic character, functionality, and familiar look while adding extended features. T-RackS CS runs either as a standalone program for mastering mixes, or as a plug-in within a DAW. It gives access to a wide range of IK Multimedia’s processing modules including Precision Compressor/Limiter, Bus Compressor, White Channel, Tape Echo, British Channel, Black 76 Limiting Amplifier, Vintage Tube Program Equalizer, CSR Hall Reverb, and more. www.t-racks.com

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NEWS >>> EVENT

>>> RECORDING

Flood and Alan Moulder Carry Off Producer of the Year Gong Flood and Alan Moulder pick up their awards

THE ANNUAL Music Producers Guild Awards took place at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel in London on 13 February. A total of 16 Awards was presented (see full list of winners below), with the top award for Producer of the Year going to Flood (Mark Ellis) and Alan Moulder for their work on Foals album Holy Fire. As recipients of this accolade, Flood and Moulder also automatically won the 2014 BRIT Award for Best Producer. A highlight of the evening was a live performance by Producers, the supergroup formed by Trevor Horn who attended the event to receive the Outstanding Contribution to UK Music Award. Horn was joined on stage by former 10CC musician Lol Crème, award-winning engineer and producer Stephen Lipson, and drummer Ash Soan, as well as special guest Seal. Steve Levine, chairman of the Music Producers Guild, said: “Our winners highlight the creativity that is inherent in UK music production, and when you look at the amazing work these recording professionals have done in the past 12 months it is no surprise that Britain’s recording talent remains the envy of the rest of the world. “Only full members of the MPG can vote for the MPG’s shortlist and therefore the results are relevant to the creative value of our industry. Winning an MPG Award shows that you are at the top of your game as a recording professional and an inspiration to many up-and-coming producers and engineers.” The winners for each of the 2014 MPG Awards categories are as follows: • UK Producer of the Year, sponsored by The BRITS 2014: Flood (Mark Ellis) & Alan Moulder • International Producer of the Year, sponsored by Beats by Dr Dre: Rick Rubin • Recording Engineer of the Year, sponsored by Røde: Guy Massey • Mix Engineer of the Year, sponsored by Solid State Logic: Mark ‘Spike’ Stent • Mastering Engineer of the Year, sponsored by SADiE: John Dent • Breakthrough Producer of the Year, sponsored by Focusrite/Novation: Disclosure (Guy Lawrence, Howard Lawrence) • Breakthrough Engineer of the Year, sponsored by Prism Sound: Dan Cox • Re-mixer of the Year: MJ Cole (Matthew Coleman) • UK Album of the Year, sponsored by Universal Audio: Foals – Holy Fire • UK Single Song Release of the Year, sponsored by Shure: Everything Everything – Kemosabe • Studio of the Year, sponsored by KMR Audio: RAK Studios • The A&R Award: Jim Chancellor • The MPG Innovation Award, sponsored by Genelec, presented by the Music Producers Guild: David Bowie • The MPG Inspiration Award, sponsored by UK Music, presented by the Music Producers Guild: Nile Rodgers • Special Recognition Award, sponsored by Protape and Transco Blanx: Sean Davies • The Outstanding Contribution to UK Music, sponsored by PPL: Trevor Horn www.mpg.org.uk www.mpgawards.com 10 March 2014

Alchemy Mastering Opens in West London VETERAN disc-cutting/mastering engineer Barry Grint has opened a new facility in Brook Green, west London. Previously based in the Smithfield area of the City, the new Alchemy Mastering facility is now up and running in its new location. At the same time, Rowan and Neale Laxton continue to run Alchemy Post in Cock Lane, offering a range of post and voice-over facilities. “When we regrouped after the demise of Alchemy at Centre Point, we found a fantastic location near Smithfield Market,” said Grint. “For Rowan and Neale the site worked well as their voice-over facility was able to service the many New Media agencies that had moved to Clerkenwell and Farringdon. However, it transpired that it was too remote for the major labels as it involved travelling across London. “We made a commercial decision to separate into two companies with Phil Kinrade and myself relocating Alchemy Mastering to a delightful Mews property in Brook Green, Hammersmith.”

“Phil and I set the project underway, which then coincided with Matt Colton feeling that it was time for him to start his own facility. Matt had worked for Alchemy at Centre Point and is now a director and equal partner, alongside myself and Phil.” Facilities offered at Brook Green include digital mastering, vinyl mastering, pure analogue mastering, restoration, compilation mastering, CD duplication, and watermarked CD duplication. A second mastering room will be opening shortly. First clients in the facility include Gabrielle Aplin – English Rain (Grint) and James Blake – Overgrown (Colton). www.alchemymastering.com >>> CONTEST

Focusrite Celebrates 25 Years with Documentary and Contest IN HONOUR of Focusrite Audio Engineering’s 25th anniversary (and 29 years since the creation of the Focusrite brand), the company is running a contest offering the opportunity to win recording time at London’s AIR Studios, where Focusrite’s original Rupert Neve-designed recording console modules are still in use. The prize also includes working with Grammy Award-winning producer Guy Massey (The Beatles, Manic Street Preachers, Ed Sheeran). Continuing the celebrations, Focusrite has also released a full-length documentary, chronicling the lives of its original recording console, the Focusrite Studio Console. Only 10 Studio Consoles were ever made and six remain in operation today. The consoles are now scattered across the world, living in studios from South Africa to Japan. The documentary can be watched via the Focusrite website. www.focusrite.com

www.audiomedia.com

NEWS >>> POST PRODUCTION

Amadeus Design for Creative Sound

PARIS-BASED Amadeus has completed the interior acoustical and architectural design of the new Creative Sound studios – one of the largest full-service post-production facilities in France. Amadeus undertook sound isolation, noise and vibration control engineering, and acoustic treatments for each of the company’s 10 studios. Michel Deluc, director of research and development at Amadeus and head of Amadeus Labs, an integrated research department for architectural acoustics and electroacoustical integration, said: “We designed some specific sub-areas in terms of acoustics for the Foley studio, allowing engineers to utilise sonic variations in recording. Each sub-area of the main Foley stage has more or less high-frequency sonic properties and works in harmony with the main stage through a natural decay of the reverb time. We created a proprietary variable-diffraction system, using a wave-shaped ceiling, designed to neutralise the standingwaves without using supplementary absorbent material.” Matching Amadeus’ acoustic architectural work are the audio peripherals chosen by Creative Sound, including a 72-fader C300 HD Master Studio System and 32-fader C10 HD from Solid State Logic – the first digital console from SSL used for Foley and overdubbing recording – and the first ultra-large-format Harrison MPC5 digital film mixing console in the world. The MPC5 is the centrepiece in a new 480-cubic meter film-mixing stage that also includes Dolby Atmos immersive audio technology. French mix engineer Jean Pierre Laforce is currently in the studio working on the Foley for upcoming film drama Gemma Bovery. It will be mixed using the Harrison technology at Creative Sound. www.amadeusaudio.fr www.creative-sound.fr

12 March 2014

>>> BROADCAST

Studer Launches Vista X Infinity ON 20 February Audio Media visited Soundcraft Studer headquarters in Hertfordshire, where the company introduced its Vista X digital console, Infinity processor, and A-Link audio interface system. The event included a technology overview plus review of the new product from Andy Trott, president, Soundcraft Studer, and Andrew Hills, product director, Studer. “In developing the Vista X and the Infinity Core, we needed to provide a suitable audio interface system to

connect the huge number of audio channels,” said Hills. “Out of this came the development of the A-Link digital audio interface.” A-Link is a fibre-based audio interface that uses a 3GBit/s data rate to offer 1,536 audio channels per connection. A PCI express card has been designed

to fit into the Infinity Core’s server board. This is fitted with 12 A-Link interfaces capable of over 5,000 inputs and 5,000 outputs offering the huge I/O interface counts required of this new processing engine. A new D23m high-density I/O system is used to break out these A-Link connections to standard analogue, digital, and video interfaces. The A-Link interface also provides direct connection to the MediorNet distributed router, allowing multiple Infinity Cores to be connected together. www.harman.com

>>> EVENT

Last Chance to Enter InstallAwards ENTRY FOR the inaugural InstallAwards, organised by sister title Installation, closes on 14 March. The event, which will be held on 12 June at Hilton London Wembley, will recognise the best AV integration projects in the following categories: public display/retail; education; sports and performing arts; corporate and industrial; and residential. Entry is free – simply visit www.installawards.com and complete the form. Any permanent or semi-permanent installation may be entered, provided it was handed over to the client between 1 March 2013 and 28 February 2014. Entries will be judged by an independent panel. In other news, the Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers (ISCE), a professional society committed to promoting technical excellence within the sound industry, has been named as a supporting partner of the awards.

12th June 2014 • Hilton London Wembley

Tickets for the awards are available, priced £175 (or £1,495 for a table of 10). The price includes pre-dinner drinks reception, entry to the awards, a three-course meal, entry to after-party, and more. Contact sara.mather@ intentmedia.co.uk for more details. www.installawards.com

Get involved 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

SHOW PREVIEW

WHAT?

Prolight + Sound 2014 WHERE?

Messe Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany WHEN?

12-15 March 9:00-18:00 pls.messefrankfurt.com

The Choice of Frankfurt The biggest European pro-audio event of the year returns to Frankfurt this month. We put together a guide of what to watch out for during the show’s four days. FOR THOSE of you already worried that 2014 is slipping by too quickly, don’t be alarmed by the fact that Prolight + Sound is already upon us. The show’s organisers, Messe Frankfurt, have moved the event a month earlier in the year with the show open from 12-15 March. Audio and Sound Systems exhibitors will once again be taking over Hall 8.0 with a number of locations set aside to showcase the latest in audio technology. This year the show’s organisers are putting special attention on the production, broadcasting, and recording segments of the audio industry by labeling relevant brands with a special logo and publishing a ‘Quickfinder’ that will be available at the show. ON THE SHOW FLOOR While many manufacturers are playing their cards close to their chest, we’ve uncovered a few products and upgrades ready to launch at this year’s show. Allen & Heath will be at Hall 8 stand C22 to display the latest addition to its Qu Series – the Qu-24. Along with the brand new Xone:23 DJ Mixer, the company will also have on display its ME personal monitoring system, Qu-16 compact digital mixer, GLD and iLive digital systems and analogue mixers from the MixWizard4 and ZED series. 14 March 2014

Danish microphone manufacturer DPA will be taking to stand C71 in Hall 8 to showcase its newest headset and miniature microphones: the d:fine 66 and 88 as well as the series of d:screet 4060 omnidirectional miniature microphones. The company is also showing for the first time in Europe new grids for its d:facto vocal microphone, which are available in gold and nickel. UK loudspeaker manufacturer Funktion-One is occupying two spaces at the show – its stand at Hall 8 G94 and a demo space in Room Dialog (on the second floor between Hall 8 and Hall 9). The company will be introducing its Resolution 3 SH Evo and Resolution 3 EH Evo, which both feature enhanced vocal presence due to the substitution of a 1.4in compression driver to the previous 1in

DPA’s new grids for the d:facto vocal mic

in the earlier Res 3 models. FunktionOne will also be introducing its new PSM318 DJ Monitor at the show, which has already been installed in world-renowned clubs such as Space in Ibiza and Output in New York. Powersoft has teased a big launch at its Hall 8 stand E46 location with a cryptic video ending with the message “everything comes from the source…” A trilogy of announcements is coming from d&b audiotechnik, which is occupying a spot in Hall 8 J46. Along with the launch of the d&b D80 amplifier the company is bringing an update to its ArrayCalc acoustic simulation software and R1 remote control software, creating a seamless transition of complex sound reinforcement models straight from simulation software into the drivetrain of a sound reinforcement system. Sennheiser is using Prolight + Sound as a platform to launch its MK 8 studio mic. At Hall 8 stand A70, the company will be showing the long-awaited sister model to the MK 4, which features five switchable polar patterns, 1in diaphragms spattered with 24-carat gold, and an elastically mounted capsule to attenuate structure-borne noise. Sennheiser will also be offering attendees the chance to record material in its Sound Room. Following a successful NAMM launch, Genelec will be bringing its new 8010 two-way active monitors – the smallest member of the 8000

series – to its Hall 8 Stand H25 location. At stand K90 in Hall 8 Fohnn Audio will be unveiling the latest addition to its Focus Series range of steerable line array systems. Focus Venue is aimed at large-venue installation and live sound applications and is said to offer high-quality sound reproduction with increased reach, dynamic range, sound pressure levels, and beam steering precision. beyerdynamic is celebrating 90 years of business in 2014 and will have a large presence at Hall 8 stand J21, while over in Hall 5 stand B67 Dynaudio is promising no fewer than six new product announcements. A world leader in audio analysis equipment, Audio Precision will be making its Prolight + Sound debut in 2014 at Hall 8 booth M60. The USbased company will be showing its expanded APx software as well as demonstrating APx Converged Audio Test. Another show newcomer, Italian sound system manufacturer Loud Professional will be taking up a spot at Hall 8 booth N70 to showcase its full range of products for the live sound and install markets. The HAL Programmable MultiProcessor DSP will take centre stage on the Rane stand in Hall 8, booth A01. According to the company HAL has “revolutionised system design and www.audiomedia.com

SHOW PREVIEW

installation”. The simple to use architecture does not require any intricate matrix mixing or presets and no virtual wiring is necessary to distribute pages and background music to multiple, even hundreds, of zones. Peavey will also be in Frankfurt (Hall 8 stand F80) with its Elements C weatherproof loudspeaker enclosures. The IP45-rated series is available in three two-way, full-range configurations and as a flyable subwoofer.

under realistic conditions. Demos run from 10:00 to 18:00 daily with kit from Montarbo, TW Audio, Norton Audio, KV2, LAX, Axiom, K.M.E., and Coda Audio. Across the way in Outdoor Area F 10, the Live Sound Arena also features a number of mobile PA systems set up under similar conditions. Systems from Coda Audio, dBTechnologies, Audio Center, Nova, RCF, ProAudio Technology, NEXT, and Norton Audio will be demoed in 15 minute slots.

EVENTS As in previous years, Prolight + Sound will provide an opportunity for the live sound and concert sound industries to show off their wares in specialised outdoor locations. The Concert Sound Arena, located in Outdoor Area F 13, is designed to highlight PA and line array systems

CONFERENCES For 2014, Prolight + Sound is grouping together all of the events under the Prolight + Sound Conference banner in one exhibition hall (Hall 9.1 and the Cosmopolitan Lounge in Hall 9.T). The Conference is split into three main sections: the Prolight + Sound Forum,

Media Systems, and VDT Academy. While the Prolight + Sound Forum is designed to raise awareness of safety in the event sector, the Media Systems section is a forum for manufacturers to present technologies, processes, and solutions from the fields of AV media technology and systems integration. Lastly, the VDT Academy is the information event of German Sound Engineers – an association for professionals focusing on audio in the fields of art, the media, and communication. The event’s lectures aim to offer insights into developments in the world of acoustics, as well as about studio technology and

trends in film, TV, theatre, research, and development. PIPA – THE PL+S AWARDS For the first time ever, the annual Musikmesse International Press Award will be complemented by a pro audio-focused award ceremony. The Prolight + Sound Press Awards will be presented during a ceremony held on 13 March. The new award includes categories for Portable Sound, Concert Sound, Live Microphone/IEM, Mixing Systems (Live and Studio/ Broadcast), Studio Microphones, and Studio Monitors, as well as awards focusing on the lighting and AV industries.

Other awards being presented during the show include the Opus – German Stage award, which seeks to honour outstanding new approaches in the creative use of technology. This year, the Lifetime Achievement award is going to stage designer Erich Wonder, while the award for Technical Realisation and the Jury’s Special Prize are being presented posthumously to Mark Fisher for his work on The Wall 2013. Fisher began his career as an architect for Pink Floyd and later worked with Madonna, the Rolling Stones, and U2. The award is presented on 12 March at 18:30 in Hall 5.0. www.pls.messefrankfurt.com

The outdoor areas give live sound companies the opportunity to show off their kit under realistic conditions

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March 2014 15

SHOW REVIEW

Broadcasting Bliss BVE 2014 took place at ExCeL London between 25-27 February. Audio Media was there to see what the exhibitors were showing.

deliver a discount over individual BVE 2014 opened its doors to more product pricing. Nugen also unveiled its than 15,000 broadcast and production versatile MultiMonitor software for professionals last month with the very loudness and true-peak monitoring. latest broadcast technology, a packed Presented for the first time in the UK seminar programme, and product to BVE attendees, MultiMonitor offers training sessions. Many exhibitors used up to 16 individual loudness and truethe show as a UK launchpad for peak meters in mono, stereo, and 5.1 products, including some new audio kit. formats for up to 96 individual audio BVE hosted the UK debut of channels. Calrec’s new Callisto audio console, The Roland VR-3EX, the latest which was first launched at last year’s addition to the VR Series of ‘all in one’ IBC. Callisto is designed for broadcast AV mixers, made its debut to the UK professionals who need to produce market at BVE. The VR-3EX features creative and engrossing broadcast audio audio embedding from four HDMI easily, but may not require the full inputs while the built-in audio mixer resources of the company’s Apollo and has delay settings on each input Artemis audio consoles. Calrec also allowing lip sync adjustments to be showcased its Soccer Sidekick iPad made to match the video source. The app, an assistive mixing tool designed 18-channel audio mixer is made to simplify the job of tracking up of four XLR/TRS with the on-field audio during a phantom power, stereo RCA, football game. mini-stereo, and built-in stereo Following the success of mics, as well as stereo audio its jungle-themed booth at from the HDMI inputs. BVE 2013, AudioSennheiser UK showed Technica brought a Wild many key products from its West film set to this year’s broadcast-related ranges. show to highlight the Highlights included the effectiveness of its shotgun company’s flagship Digital microphones, including 9000 Series wireless system, as the BP4071 and BP4071L well as the 2000 Series wireless shotguns, BP4027 stereo and 8000 Series wired shotgun, and AT897 short microphones. Also featured shotgun. The company was Sennheiser UK’s RF Over also showed off its new Fibre system, which extends M50x monitoring radio microphone remote headphones and Allen & receiving aerials to distances of Heath’s Qu Series up to 25km from their compact digital mixing associated receivers. Other desks. wired microphones on show Nugen Audio included the MKE 600 showcased its complete shotgun and Neumann TLM line of solutions for DPA’s d:dicate MMP-F 107 broadcast models, as well loudness correction, now podiums were on the as the Esfera surround available in carefully Sound Network stand microphone system. selected bundles that 16 March 2014

Studio monitoring highlights included the Neumann KH 310 and KH 120 monitor loudspeakers along with their associated sub the KH 810, Sennheiser HD 26 PRO headphones, HMD Mk II Series broadcast headsets, and LimitEar HDM Pro. New Sony products making their UK debut included the Hybrid Digital Processing UWP-D wireless microphone series. Offering users the sound quality of digital audio processing combined with the reliability of analogue FM modulation; Sony’s hybrid wireless microphone series includes new transmitters, receivers, and microphones, which work together to provide natural sound quality. UK distributor Sound Network showed a number of new products on

its BVE stand, including the d:dicate Series MMP-F Modular Active Boom microphone from DPA. Intended for use with the d:dicate MMC4011 cardioid and MMC4018 supercardioid mics and other 2000- and 4000-series capsules for podium, floor stand, or hanging applications, the MMP-F relies on the same technology as the company’s MMP-E active cable. Equipped with an active boom pole preamp, the MMP-F booms are available in 15-, 30- and 45cm hanging/table/podium options and as 75cm and 120cm floor stand choices. Sound Network also showed DPA’s new d:fine 66 and d:fine 88 miniature headset microphones, which were unveiled in January at NAMM 2014, and the d:facto II vocal microphone. www.bvexpo.com

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OPINION

Can You Hear Me at the Back?

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea has defended not playing live at the band’s Super Bowl half-time show

Audio Media consulting editor Jim Evans rounds up the events that have caught his eye this month.

READ MY LIPS Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea has defended not playing live during their Super Bowl half-time show. Flea responded to reports that his and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer’s instruments were not plugged in while they played Give It Away during the NFL’s biggest game. On the band’s website he said they were told a backing track would be pre-recorded when they agreed to the show. “I understand the NFL’s stance on this,” he said. “Given they only have a few minutes to set up the stage, there are a zillion things that could go wrong and ruin the sound for the folks watching in the stadium and the TV viewers.” When the band joined Bruno Mars on stage during the show, singer Anthony Kiedis’ vocal was live but Flea, Klinghoffer, and drummer Chad Smith played along with the backing track. In his online statement, Flea added that the band didn’t feel the need to plug in their instruments because: “We thought it better to not pretend”. There’s nothing new here. Acts have mimed on TV shows since the 1960s, and 18 March 2014

there was a time when bands lip-synching to their hits on Top of The Pops was the stuff of national debate. Julianne Regan, singer with 1980s group All About Eve, famously mimed the wrong words on the show when she was unable to properly hear her band’s live backing track. New Order only agreed to perform Blue Monday if they could play it live – a rare event in the early 1980s. However, it was not seen as one of their better performances and the song subsequently slipped down the chart. Britney Spears’ current Las Vegas shows feature much heavily-criticised lip-syncing, while Michael Jackson, among many, had it down to a fine art – if he was singing live while performing those amazing dance routines, I’m a banana. CUTTING IT The annual Music Producers Guild Awards took place at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel in London recently with the top award for Producer of the Year going to Flood (Mark Ellis) and Alan Moulder for their work on Foals’ album Holy Fire. As recipients of this accolade Flood and Moulder also automatically won the 2014 BRIT Award for Best Producer. The Special Recognition Award that went to Sean Davies was also richly deserved. Renowned as an audio consultant, Sean is at the heart of the UK and European disc cutting business thanks to his extensive knowledge of cutting techniques, lacquers,

and the ins and outs of the equipment needed to cut a vinyl record. He first became interested in audio at the age of 13 when he began repairing broken radios and cutting discs at home. His hobby developed into a career when he was offered a job at IBC Studios. Davies’ reputation as an expert soon spread, securing him other key technical positions until he founded his own company, SW Davies, which specialises in maintaining high-quality disc-cutting lathes and supporting cutting facilities around the world. Ray Staff of the MPG’s Mastering Group said: “He is a truly unique man in our industry.” On the subject of mastering, disc cutting and associated skills, Barry Grint’s Alchemy has re-emerged in Brook Green, west London, after spells atop Centre Point in the West End and in the City. We wish him and Ray Staff well in their new venture. OLYMPIAN EFFORT While many had reservations concerning the quality of commentary at The Winter Olympics in Sochi, there can be no doubt that broadcast coverage of such events, like the participating athletes, continues to reach new highs. Worth looking back... At the 1924 Olympics in Paris, radio reports were transmitted for the first time. Exclusive film rights were awarded to a French company, which led to an American threat to withdraw from the games when the US team was

told that they could not make their own film of a rugby semi-final against Romania. After negotiations, the Americans were allowed to film the match for educational and archive purposes. The 1936 Olympics are best remembered for Adolf Hitler’s failed attempt to use them to prove his theories of Aryan racial superiority. As it turned out, the hero of the Games was African-American sprinter and long jumper Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals. On the media front, the 1936 Games were the first to be broadcast on television. Twenty-five television viewing rooms were set up in the Greater Berlin area allowing the locals to follow the Games for free. Television broadcasts were made by the Deutsche Reichspost (German Post Office) using two different television systems that were run in parallel 375-line all electronic (including a telecine chain) and 180-line electronic and intermediate film. Equipment included Telefunken iconoscope cameras from RCA and Fernseh electronic cameras. We’ve come a long way. For the Sochi Olympics, the technology manifest is mindboggling in comparison to those of years past. And the Games – once again – have provided an excellent showcase for our industry and broadcasters. German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF chose Fairlight audio post-production systems for their coverage of the games

in HD while Calrec reports that NBC purchased two 64fader Artemis Shine consoles and augmented its arsenal by renting a further 40-fader and two 24-fader Artemis Beam consoles for its coverage. Calrec has been supporting NBC Olympics with on-site engineers since the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. Riedel Communications’ MediorNet fibre-based network supported the transport of HD video and audio signals, data, and Riedel Artist intercom signals throughout the Games in Sochi. A Riedel Mass Cast deployment including 14 transmitters and thousands of receivers and earpieces provided support during the opening and closing ceremonies. AND FINALLY We’ve all heard the jokes about how many of a particular calling it takes to change a light bulb, but how many media personnel does it take to cover a major international event? The BBC has come in for some richly deserved stick on this front after more than 120 BBC staff were despatched to cover the funeral of Nelson Mandela, with correspondents wandering around Soweto and interviewing anyone who was not quick enough to get out of the way. ITV sent a team of 10. And then there’s Glastonbury – let’s send (among 300 other staff ) John Humphries to interview Mick Jagger. The Last Time? Sadly not. www.audiomedia.com

GEO FOCUS SPAIN

That Spanish Sound While still struggling economically after the recession of 2009, Spain’s passion for local music has helped the live and recording industries weather the country’s financial storm. SPAIN HAS been one of the countries most affected by the Eurozone crisis with its media market taking a considerable hit. Several of the country’s largest media companies and broadcasters have been forced to lay off staff adding to the national unemployment rate of 27.6%. Yet the Spanish pro-audio industry seems to be making a slow but steady recovery from the crash of 2009. While actual quantity of sales has decreased slightly since 2011, the total worth of products sold has increased, signaling a move to more expensive gear and an investment in pro-audio kit. Much like the rest of Europe, massive music festivals are helping drive the industry in Spain not only for live music but for rental and rigging companies brought in to support acts. One of the most popular for attracting international audiences, Primavera Sound, returns to Barcelona once again at the end of May bringing artists ranging from Arcade Fire and The National, to Nine Inch Nails, Pixies, and Warpaint. Other festivals include Sonar and Benicassim, both of which combine popular international acts with

lesser-known Spanish bands. Yet while these internationally marketed festivals are comparatively thriving, smaller local productions have had to adapt quickly to the changing economic climate. Many cultural events in Spain have relied on government subsidies, yet since the most recent economic recession these funds have almost all but disappeared. Taking its place major brands such as Telefónica and Estrella Damm have funded tours and festivals. In some cases, the artists themselves are even subsidising the live industry. For his latest European tour, American rock star Jon Bon Jovi waived his fee for his concert at the Estadio Vicente Calderón in Madrid on June 27 last year with the reduced price of €18 to €33 going towards the costs for the venue, operating costs, and show staff. "When we started planning our tour for our album, What About Now, we did a study and found that, due to the economic situation, Spain wouldn’t be on the roadmap,” the frontman told Spanish newspaper El Mundo. "However, we didn't want to ditch the fans of a country I love and has treated

me so well for 30 years." While the country’s European neighbours in Italy saw an increase in recorded music revenues for the first time since 2002 last year, the Spanish recording industry is continuing to struggle. From 2006 to 2010, sales of recorded music in Spain dropped 50% with physical album sales being cut in half. The penetration of digital distribution models also appears to be slower in Spain than in the rest of Europe according to Plataforma Tecnológica de los Contenidos Digitales para, which provides numbers of downloaded tracks. Despite the low numbers, a large amount of music sales in recent years have been attributed to local repertoire. According to the IFPI’s (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) latest report, 80% of Spain’s top 10 albums in 2012 came from domestic artists. On top of this, the country has a healthy studio industry with a number of high-profile residential and commercial facilities including El Mirador, the home of legendary producer Youth (Killing Joke, The Orb,

Paul McCartney); Sonic Vista Studio, which has played host to Lady Gaga, Akon, and David Guetta, among others; and Music Lan Studios (Shakira, Franz Ferdinand). The Valencia campus of Berklee College of Music also recently opened a Walters-Storyk Design groupdesigned recording and teaching facility including a 1,600sqft scoring stage – Studio K – which features an 860sqft live room complete with a 15ft ceiling and variable acoustics. “The studio complex needed to make a statement in a designconscious country, and be technically and acoustically capable of representing a desirable destination for professional work,” said Carl Beatty, Berklee chief of staff. “We decided to employ Avid/Euphonix controllers to take advantage of their Eucon protocol that allows seamless migration of projects across the facility, all the way up to the flagship System 5. Additionally, when we install an identical console in Boston, we will be doing real-time joint sessions between the two locations via Internet2 technology.”

>>> RECORDING STUDIO

Sonic Vista Studios – Inspired by Ibiza Thrones, HBO, and the BBC, to name a few.

MOST KNOWN for its clubs and electronic live music scene, Ibiza also attracts high-profile international artists looking to put down tracks while enjoying the Mediterranean beaches. We chat with Sonic Vista Studios’ L Henry Sarmiento II about Ibiza Rocks, recording top pop acts, and living on an island. You’re originally from New York, why did you make the move to Spain? I was living in San Francisco running Herbie Herbert’s studio (Sy Klopps Studios) for many years before moving to Ibiza. I felt that I wanted to make a new studio on an island and get away from the city life, and the best island I felt that needed a professional working environment was Ibiza. Has being in such an electronic musical mecca as Ibiza helped the studio? Since it’s the mecca of electronic music it draws many artists even after dance and pop music merged and more artists started to come to Ibiza to perform. When major artists are in Ibiza and wish to work, I get the phone call. Also, outside the summer season, artists like to come to the studio as Ibiza is a very inspiring place. You work with Ibiza Rocks doing live recording as

20 March 2014

Tell me a bit about your studio set-up gear-wise. It’s a hybrid of the best in analogue and digital, including Avid Pro Tools HDX, Burl Audio, Manley, Millennia, GML, Elysia, Thermionic Culture, Solid State Logic, Crane Song, TC Electronic, Akai, Softube, Waves, Kush Audio, sE Electronics, Dynaudio, Monkey Banana, Yamaha, Modulus and many others amazing brands. well, how have you seen the live music scene evolve in the past few years? In 2005 Ibiza Rocks started doing live shows and bringing major artists to the island to perform. Slowly there are more live shows happening and this year the Hard Rock Hotel will open and will be another major venue for live concerts. I believe it is important to have a balance of live artists, venues and DJ clubs to give more options for people to be entertained.

How have you seen the market for professional recording studios change in the past few years? Is there anything that might be unique to Ibiza or Spain in general? The laptop has become such an important tool as many electronic artists travel nonstop and work on planes and hotels. But they still need to enter a professional studio environment to record and listen properly and focus without distractions.

What sort of artists have you had through your doors since you opened in 2004? Lady Gaga, 50 Cent, Akon, David Guetta, Ne-Yo, Swedish House Mafia, Red Foo(LMFAO), Taio Cruz, The Ting Tings, Eva Herzigova, Game of

What are your plans for the future? Always expanding and providing inspiring and creative locations for artist/talent to make hits! We’ve also just joined Miloco’s list of professional studios. www.sonicvistastudios.com

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GEO FOCUS SPAIN

POPULATION: 57 MILLION

“Cinema is probably the only field in which audio is still approached with great respect.” Sergio Castro, Funky Junk Spain

>>> DISTRIBUTOR

Word on the Street SERGIO CASTRO, sales manager of the Spanish division of pro-audio distributor Funky Junk and a 30-year industry veteran, talks us through the current state of the country’s pro-audio industry. Like many other European countries, Spain is struggling economically. How has this affected the pro-audio industry? It certainly has affected the industry. As with society in general, the ‘middle class’ recording business also tends to disappear. I mean, big artists still use the bigger studios, but most of the Spanish big studios have disappeared in the past decade. So the Spanish international artists who signed deals with big labels can afford recording in places like the USA, UK, or Germany. On the other hand, rock bands and pop artists selling to their home market have ended up building their own rehearsal studios where they also record and produce their own albums that they must bring finished to their signing labels. Sometimes they even release the records themselves. This, although bringing a sensation of artist freedom, is mainly a compromise on the recording and production quality, with less than professional means being used in the process. Cinema is probably the only field in which audio is still approached with great respect, and where pursuing the best quality is part of the schedule, while television is more and more image oriented. Having said that, some big DJs are now aiming at having their own production rooms with high-end stuff installed along with excellent acoustics and decoration to feel creative.

existence) cannot or do not want to spend any money in guaranteeing a decent sound production. Bear in mind that the music distribution media is now 99% digital, but the quality of reproduction is fairly low, although something different is advertised. Computers and cell phones, even on headphones, have poor dynamics and distort the real audio signal. In fact the signal is already optimised to be used on these devices. Not to mention the background noise, as you listen on the bus, the train or the aeroplane. So why should labels care? Why should iTunes care? Musicians care, and they try to do their best, but finance dictates how far they can go.

What’s the current state of the recording industry? In our company group there is an operational recording studio that we use as a demo room (although the main idea was to prevent the place from being knocked down when the original owner went bust). We feel that musicians who cannot afford to pay for excellent acoustics in a space equipped with some of the best recording gear end up recording at home in less than satisfactory conditions. The record labels (the ones still in

Have there been any noticeable growth areas? As I said before, cinema mixing rooms pursuing the best possible audio quality and acoustic performance, especially now with Dolby Atmos and the most important DJs/producers, who seem to be really into having the best possible conditions to create their music. Although we are not quite involved with live sound, we realise that there is a big potential market out there for Dante, Cobranet, AES50 or MADI,

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especially in the broadcast industry (which we ‘touch’ every now and then). Also, the niche market for gear like Thermionic, Shadow Hill, BAE, or Rupert Neve has been growing in the last few years, but it has also been contradicted by the drop in the financial stability of the interested customers. This is obviously the feeling we have about Spain and Portugal. Have you seen any trends in technology purchasing? Is there anything that could be unique to Spain? Well, I believe that in the last few years there has been quite a jump in the search for good converters. Finally users understand that the audio chain is only as good as its worst piece. It doesn’t matter that you have a mint vintage microphone with a 75dB gain preamp with incredible dynamics, going into the latest technology DAW if your signal is being converted by a cheap A-D converter. We are lucky to be able to offer Prism Sound, Apogee, or Lynx converters among the brands we distribute in the group. These give us the authority to advise people about the fact and we have a reputation for doing a good job on that. www.funkyjunk.es

March 2014 21

BROADCAST FOCUS

A Sound Choice Rigging a sporting event for live broadcast requires teamwork, a plan and a little bit of luck, as Will Strauss finds out.

“THE LIST of things that can go wrong on a live sport OB is almost endless,” says freelance sound guarantee engineer Mark ‘Gadget’ Reed, fresh from a stint working on coverage of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Fortunately, as his job title suggests, there are members of the production crew employed specifically to help prevent them happening and ensure that sound travels smoothly from pitch side to truck, to broadcaster, and beyond. On an outside broadcast Reed oversees the engineering of all of the required audio and communications. Tasks include making sure that the correct microphone, music, and replay signals appear on the sound desk and checking that any audio leaving the OB – and going back to the broadcaster – is properly aligned, timed, and in the correct order. The sound guarantee engineer is also responsible for 22 March 2014

the talkback on site, including programming the talkback panels used in the truck, radio talkback, the talkback to the broadcaster, and all feeds to presenter and commentator earpieces and headphones. It is a crucial role, one that dovetails neatly with the sound supervisor on one side and the unit manager on the other. Between them, and the rest of the sound team, they do their utmost to avoid the worst possible OB outcome: falling off air. “It is routine on an OB to put in spare microphones, spare presenter or reporter earpieces, and other backup systems,” explains Reed when discussing what you might term risk management. “Often there will be a main and spare line going back to the broadcaster and these will be fed from different bits of equipment within the truck to isolate as much as possible any kind of failure. The aim is always to stay on

the air with as little disruption to the programme or the production team as possible.” While problems do occur, the main thrust of the job is to rig and then de-rig the audio systems and ensure that everything runs smoothly in the meantime. “Usually I will arrive on site six to 12 hours before the transmission time,” details Reed. “After a quick briefing with the other engineers – and a cup of tea – the rig starts in earnest, working towards the Fax Check [Facilities Check] set by the unit manager. By that time all the main audio facilities, including all the talkback, need to be working. As a guarantee engineer this is where being able to work as a team, and having the ability to think on your feet and prioritise, is very important.” Once kick-off time comes around Reed then moves into vigilance mode. “During the actual event I

will be closely monitoring the outgoing signals and tweaking the talkback configuration,” he says. “Hopefully, the show then comes off air on time, any recordings for later broadcast are done–and-dusted, and the de-rig can begin.” With an extensive CV that includes not just Premier League and Champions League football and the London 2012 Olympics but also Children in Need, The Royal Variety Performance, and Glastonbury, Reed has been through this process on a number of occasions, and on a wide genre of events. Sport, he says, has its own unique qualities: “From a sound perspective, most sports OBs are broadly the same. There is usually some commentary, some effects microphones for the sound of the actual sport and the crowd, and some postevent interview position. The biggest and most challenging differences can be how and where the effects microphones are placed and how the sound that is picked up from them gets back to the truck and the mixing desk. This can be simply down a long piece of cable, a complex optic fibre link, or via an RF system. Or a mixture of all three.”

“The list of things that can go wrong on a live sport OB is almost endless.” Mark Reed In order to provide an example, Reed cites coverage of a recent rugby union match. For what is a fast-moving sport played on a big pitch, two Sennheiser MKH 416s and a DPA 5100 surround mic were used as crowd effect mics. Both were pumped down copper

multicore cable back to the truck. At the same time four Sennhesier MKH816s – plugged to battery-powered radio transmitters – were used as ball effect mics, directed at the pitch and ‘run’ by either a sound assistant or volunteer. These mics were received by a radio mic rack that was then plugged down a fibre optic Optocore system along with the main commentary mics and the talkback circuits to (and from) the gantry back to the truck. Once the audio arrived at the truck, the Optocore system turned the optic fibre signal to a MADI stream which was then plugged into the mixing console. “Using a fibre system this way saves hundreds of meters of copper cable, which in turn saves rigging time, fault finding, and is now a proven technology,” explains Reed. The audio rig didn’t end there though. An effects mic was piggy-backed to the Steadicam, the signal from which was transmitted back to the truck within the video signal and then taken from the radio camera base station to the sound desk as an analogue feed. For pre- and post-match interviews, as with other similar sports, copper multicore cable was used for the main interview mic – usually a standard dynamic such as a beyer M58 or EV RE50 – plus the foldback speaker and reporter earpiece. “The foldback speaker allows the interviewee to hear replays of the match while the reporter earpiece permits the producer to talk to the reporter and give him or her further instructions about the interview,” adds Reed. A spare microphone was then plugged into one of the camera mic inputs so – should the worst happen – it has a separate path back to the truck. All told it is a complex but intuitive set-up, one that is enhanced by modern technology and aided by the experience and know-how of the people that run it. What is required to make it work successfully? “Team work, planning, and a bit of luck,” concludes Reed. www.threeredhens.co.uk www.audiomedia.com

FEATURE

Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds used Shure kit during his recent GRAMMYs performance

Emeli Sandé using a Sennheiser IEM system Credit: Richard Minter

It’s All in Your Head The technology may be entering maturity, but audio quality and accessibility have made in-ear monitor systems commonplace on stages small and large. Jory MacKay explores the current market for IEMs. LIKE ANY good origin story there are a few different claims as to how in-ear monitor systems (IEMs) first got their start. The most accepted (and entertaining) story, revolves around a sound engineer named Chris Lindop who, during his time touring with Stevie Wonder in the late 80s, used a standard FM Walkman receiver and ear buds to tune into Stevie’s own broadcast standard ‘pirate’ FM radio station, Wonderland Radio. As the story goes, Stevie’s personal radio station was so powerful that while he was performing at a show in Wembley, the owner of a trucking company turned on his radio in Hampstead (about six miles away) and picked up his monitor mix. What started as a patchwork and expensive way to allow a bit of freedom on stage dawned a new age for live productions. Over the past few decades the transition to wireless IEM systems has not only benefited artists by giving them increased on-stage mobility with a sweet 24 March 2014

spot that quite literally follows them as they move (it’s in their ears after all), but roadies and monitor technicians no longer have to wrestle with cumbersome, feedbackinducing stage wedges. It seems almost commonplace now for massive artists to employ elaborate stage designs or ‘remote stages’ out in the back-rows of the audience that wouldn’t have been possible years ago due to the PA being hundreds of feet away from the musicians’ ears. Yet it’s not just live musicians who are benefiting as IEMs make elaborate theatrical shows such as Cirque du Soleil and Blue Man Group possible. “The use of IEMs continues to grow, and with productions becoming more ambitious, freedom of movement is critical to that,” comments Alan March, Sennheiser product manager, Professional Division. “It really started to take off in the late 90s and early 2000s when you began to see IEMs become more acceptable and used in touring,” adds Tuomo

Tolonen, manager of Shure Distribution UK’s Pro Audio Group. “But it’s kicked off since then with more affordable systems coming out. “The benefits of in-ears are clear. The most important one is that the accuracy of your monitoring is better because the levels that you are listening to don’t have to be stupidly loud. I’ve also heard many artists say that after switching to IEMs they actually perform better because they’re able to hear what they’re singing or playing more accurately.” “Today, from a technological point of view, the major advantages are probably in the realms of RF in that the channel counts are considerably higher. “Early on it was a bit of a novelty, but today it isn’t uncommon to see higher number channels of in-ear sends than there are radio mics on stage.” BANDWIDTH BATTLE An increase in IEM channel count clearly means an increase

in demands on other areas of the signal chain. While desk manufacturers need to provide the number of mixes necessary for individual performers, more importantly, availability of RF spectrum becomes a concern. “We’re living in times where spectrum is becoming a critical commodity which is being eyed zealously, especially the UHF spectrum, by other users, particularly the mobile phone community,” adds March, who along with Tolonen, makes up part of the steering committee of the British Entertainment Industry Radio Group (BEIRG) with the goal of ensuring that there will be enough spectrum to maintain and grow the industry. “We’ve been operating in an environment for the last 45-50 years where there has been plenty of spectrum, but as we’ve seen with the sell-off of the 800MHz band, and now the increasing traction to release the 700MHz band for mobile services, if and when that band is effectively sold off we’re going to hit a crunch point.

“We’ve made that point very, very clearly to Ofcom [the independent regulator for the communications industries] in the UK and other international groups and there is ongoing work happening where regulators are looking at alternative frequency bands for this equipment in the future.” “With any wireless system RF interference is probably your biggest nightmare,” says Tolonen. “If you do everything correctly, co-ordinate everything right, get your antennas set up correctly and something happens mid-show that is out of your control, say somebody else turns on a system that interferes with yours, well yes, that will make the channel go away.” This issue with availability of spectrum begs the question of why not follow the lead of wireless microphones and start to make the switch to digital? “I can see a lot of people and regulators saying, ‘oh well, when it comes to spectrum, digital is going to be the answer’, and it’s not,” explains www.audiomedia.com

FEATURE

March. “The key thing is latency. If you were to stack up a digital wireless mic system with a latency of 3ms and an in-ear monitor system with a latency of 3ms and you throw in a digital desk that has a latency of 4 or 5ms, that becomes audible. It becomes like when you talk into a mobile phone and you get your own delayed voice coming back into your ear. You can’t perform with that.” Assuming any RF issues have been dealt with and your signal is making it to the performer uninterrupted, the last, and arguably most important aspect of the IEM signal chain is the earpiece itself – a market that has seen fierce competition from both established and new brands. While most of the bigger brands such as Sennheiser and Shure offer their own earpieces that can be used with the supplied universal ear sleeves as well as with custom moulds, there are numerous bespoke options available now. Companies such as Sensaphonics, the recently rebranded Jerry Harvey Audio (previously JH Audio), Westone, Ultimate Ears, and an ever-increasing roster of specialist, start-up, and consumer-focused companies provide custom-moulded

earpieces, with different options and configurations of either dynamic or, more commonly, balanced armature drivers. “Early IEM earphones were dynamic ear buds from the portable cassette players of the day. While similar ear buds are still supplied with today’s

“With any wireless system RF interference is probably your biggest nightmare.” Tuomo Tolonen smartphones, the technology behind IEMs for the stage has advanced significantly,” comments Sensaphonics founder Dr Michael Santucci. “The biggest early changes were the move to balanced armature drivers and customfit designs.” The benefits of going custom are comfort and quality. While an earpiece fitted perfectly to an artist’s ear canal will allow for longer use without becoming uncomfortable, it’s the ability to block outside noise, lower the sound level, and create a perfect stereo mix independent of stage acoustics that really draws attention to these earpiece manufacturers.

“The advantages of using IEMs is the -26dB of isolation which allows you to set your mix at a much lower volume than stage wedges and also without fighting all of the ambient noise that comes with live stage performances,” says Jerry Harvey Audio director of marketing, Corbyn Grieco. Of course audio quality is the paramount concern in any monitoring situation and recent updates to earpieces reflect that quest for clarity. Multiple drivers with dedicated crossovers are the order of the day with models such as the Jerry Harvey Audio JH16 featuring eight drivers per ear, with double dual low-frequency drivers, and an integrated threeway crossover; the Shure SE846 with its four balanced armature drivers per ear and True Subwoofer technology for increased low-end performance; or the Westone ES50 with five drivers, showing the constant pursuit of accurate audio reproduction. IN THE TRENCHES While personal mixing stations can give musicians the ability to tweak their own inear monitor mix, many artists still rely on the experienced hands of a monitor engineer. Laura Davis got her start with Liverpool-based rental

The Sensaphonics 3D Active Ambient System

company Adlib and now works as a freelance monitor and FOH engineer. She mixed monitors for Emeli Sandé for two years and tours regularly with Swedish electronic duo The Knife. “As a monitor engineer it is much easier to create the sound the artist wants to hear with IEMs as you are starting with a blank canvas. IEMs give the artist isolation from the noises around them unlike wedge mixes, making it easier for you to create the sound they want,” she comments. Yet as anyone who works on live productions will tell you, having a backup is key. Davis: “I like to use side fills as well as IEMs when I am working with most acts but mainly for electronic acts like The Knife as they need to feel the sub on stage. It is also good to have side fills as a backup – if the band took out their in-ears, at

least they would have some timing reference on stage.” “Personal preference is the key but I want my mixes to sound as if the performers are standing in front of you – as if you had no earphones in at all,” adds live audio engineer and consultant Daniel ‘The Mix Doctor’ East. “If you understand how to create a more musical mix in the earpieces before the artist ever takes the stage, they’ll be much happier and more likely to take to the concept,” he adds. “Starting with a simple bed mix can do wonders, but it’s vital that the mixes be in stereo and that the artist wears both earpieces. “Speakerless stages were a tough sell in the early days, but almost every single artist who went that way loved it.” www.shuredistribution.co.uk www.sennheiser.co.uk www.jhaudio.com

A HELPING HAND FOR HEARING HEALTH was founded in 1985 and began developing custom-fit earpieces in the early 90s with the mission to help musicians and sound engineers preserve their hearing health. The company now combines education on hearing loss prevention with designing custom inear monitoring options for the music industry, motorsports, and even NASA. Company founder Dr Michael Santucci gives his thoughts on IEM safety: Michael Santucci

WHEN USED properly, IEMS allow for significantly lower listening levels as the performer’s ears are isolated from interfering sounds on a live stage. Yet the idea of sealing your ear canal with a device capable of producing in excess of 120dB can be more than a little worrying. Billed as ‘the experts in safe sound’, Sensaphonics Hearing Conservation

26 March 2014

What are some of the safety issues when using IEMs? One major misconception about IEMs is that they are safety devices. This perception makes them all the more dangerous because it leads to a false sense of security that can result in the user actually turning them up louder! The fact is many IEMs can easily achieve volumes as high, or even higher, than floor wedge

monitors. They only function as hearing protection with proper use. Every artist has what is known as auditory memory. This means that he or she will tend to set the volume of the IEMs to the same level as previously used with the wedge monitors. Many times, this can be a very unsafe level. Are there any design features that can help increase safety while using IEMs? The key is to minimise unwanted sound. This is achieved by isolating the ear from the outside world, creating a tiny ‘listening room’ (roughly 1cc in volume) where only the desired sound is heard. Of course, the most difficult challenge to protecting hearing is getting the musician to wear the IEMs as they were designed – with both earpieces in place. When an artist takes out one earpiece during a show, it’s

often due to the need to hear ambient sound, such as audience reaction, acoustic instrument, or conversation. How can you help ensure a musician keeps both of their earpieces in during a performance? To deliver stage ambience exactly as a musician would normally hear it, Sensaphonics designed the 3D Active Ambient IEM System. This patented design embeds tiny microphones in the earpieces, allowing the artist to add their sound to the monitor mix in a controlled fashion or, at the flip of a switch, hear the room in Full Ambient mode, just as if they were not wearing earphones at all. The musician can hear and interact with the audience, hear their instrument acoustically during performance, and even have normal conversation between songs – all with both earpieces in place. www.sensaphonics.com

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Sound For a New Generation Turn 10 Studio John Broomhall talks to Turn 10 Studio’s John Wendl, Nick Wiswell and Chase Combs about defining the sound of Xbox One launch title (and fastest selling XBox driving game ever) Forza Motorsport 5. THIS TIME last year, I entered the hallowed gates of George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch for an unforgettable week of orchestral recording. The project? Turn 10 Studios’ iconic game Forza Motorsport 5 – a key Xbox One launch title and a franchise beloved of petrolheads the world over. As one of the music supervisors, as well as second composer, I attended the majority of live sessions at Sonic Fuel in LA, Skywalker Sound, and Avatar Studios, NYC – and as expected, both performers and recording talent were super-impressive throughout. The game features high production values indeed, but there’s no surprise there. John Wendl, Turn 10’s content director, explains: “One of our missions, as a first-party studio, is to showcase Microsoft’s devices and services such as Xbox, Xbox LIVE, Kinect, etc. And one of the highest goals of Forza Motorsport 5 was to be the ultimate gaming showcase for Xbox One. We wanted to be that ‘killer app’ that people buy the Xbox One to play. We pushed the boundaries of what’s possible on a next-gen gaming system with beautiful in-game graphics running at 1080p/60fps, Cloud-powered Drivatar technology and a massive amount of content, built from the ground-up for the next generation. “But the effort went beyond just technology. We focused heavily on emotional impact and immersion. We wanted the tech to ‘disappear’ to the player in an incredibly realistic and immersive gaming experience that moved the player through a variety of emotional states before, during, and after in-game racing experiences. Sound design and music were critical to that. It’s amazing to what extent sound can ‘colour’ what you see, bringing powerful emotional influence

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to any visuals – and when they’re paired together to work in harmony the result is a cohesive and powerful emotional experience. The sound of the cars and environment and the dynamic mix of originally composed score all come together to take the player on an emotional journey.” Crystallising and delivering the audio vision fell to Turn 10’s creative audio director, Nick Wiswell. So, given the ‘emotional’ goals for audio in the context of a racing simulation, was he aiming for realism or drama? “I wanted it to sound authentic but not at the expense of impact,” he says. “It’s about people’s perceptions of what the world sounds like, not necessarily the actual reality. For example, a production car, even a loud one, has only a small percentage of the audio intensity or power of a race

car at full throttle. That’s the reality, but having a production car’s intensity scaled to a small percentage of the loudest car in the game would rob all cars of impact and would not meet the listener’s recollected perception. This is why reality in its strictest form is not the goal. I want to reproduce the perception.” During the early stages of design and prototyping, Wiswell and his audio lead, Chase Combs, headed to San Francisco to consult with Skywalker Sound’s post-production crew, as Wiswell explains: “The question arose of how would a top movie post-house approach designing and mixing Forza sound? So we thought, why not go find out? We provided Skywalker with video footage – a lap of the Alps, with different zones of varying track detail and surrounding scenery, asking them to ‘post’ it like it was a movie. We included a big crash at one point so we’d

MUSIC CREATION Lance Hayes, principal composer, Forza Motorsport 3-5 “Compared to previous instalments, Forza 5 had a significantly more iterative and collaborative approach to the music. We were scoring in a way that’s new to the franchise. Additionally, while most musical decisions were nailed down early during prototyping, some of the process was ongoing so we had to stay nimble. “From a delivery standpoint the new music system was very hungry! We were trying a lot of ideas so lots of music layers were required. My studio alone created well over 1,000 stems. It’s

one of the more stem-intensive output projects I’ve ever worked on. Special thanks to my assistant Matthew Steele who was invaluable during the output phase. “Paul Lipson (music director, Central Media, Microsoft) assembled a remarkable set of recording locations and talent. Working with industry greats Leslie Ann Jones, Jeff Vaughn, and Roy Hendrickson was a thrill and the results speak for themselves. The performances were beyond compare – The Skywalker Symphony strings were superb, as were the women of The New York Film Chorale, and who doesn’t love MB Gordy’s percussion work?”

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hear how they’d approach collisions and also put in some drifting so we’d see how they’d handle skidding. We gave them access to source material and said they could use it or not. In the end, they didn’t – going entirely with their own ideas (that’s what we really wanted). Our direction was: ‘impactful, exciting, thrilling’ – like an awesome car movie chase scene. “Their lead guy, Al Nelson, had recently worked on Cars for Pixar. Having no camera cuts to lock mix changes to proved a challenge. He had to find new ways to make the mix feel dynamic, so he broke the footage down into track zones – the excitement of the crowd at the start/finish line, then there was an area with an open run downhill with a big wall on the left and a large open canyon on the right; then a tunnel, followed by a big open lake plus driving through a town. He changed the environmental sounds (plus reverbs) quite significantly for these various areas. The results on this alone gave us some very interesting ideas about mix approach but there were places where the car really wasn’t audible in the mix – not something we could do in the

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game because people rely on audio for gear shift and traction feedback. “However, it did prompt us to ask, where do you need to hear things, and where don’t you? This led us down some new paths of creative thinking and subsequently tagging the track in various ways technically allowing us to create interesting sound moments. For instance, adding non-literal sounds to add tension in certain places, and going over the top in some areas. For example, they’d used cannons for backfires in certain points. “For them, the car became like the dialogue – the main character – mixed centre-channel heavy. Therefore they’d keep other things out of centre to leave that space. And these are techniques we carried forward to the game, in some cases over-riding literal 3D positions of sound emitters to provide more mix clarity.”

THE TOP GEAR PARTNERSHIP “Working with Top Gear is a big part of the franchise,” says Nick Wiswell. FM5 features all three presenters, while the back-room crew produced those characteristic scripts. He adds: “That’s how we get true Top Gear content – they’re very much known for their own opinions. They’re great to work with and make a lot of ‘real-time’ edits as they record – it’s a lot of fun.”

MUSICAL MAKEOVER Meanwhile, music was also set for a radical makeover, moving stylistically from previous electronica to a dramatic orchestral approach. Wiswell adds: “Music in racing games is an interesting discussion. Yes, there are hardcore racers who don’t want music at all, and yet it does add to the feel of the game so we wanted those positives without being sonically hamstrung by conflicting frequencies, such as distorted guitars/car engines.

“It’s amazing to what extent sound can ‘colour’ what you see, bringing powerful emotional influence to any visuals.” John Wendl

We wanted music to build excitement towards the race and came up with ‘The Hero’s Journey’ – you have this Zen space – your ‘homespace’ where you select and work on your car. As you travel to the race location, music intensity starts to build a sense of exploration and discovery. Then, at the track, it’s all about race preparation – getting ready for battle with music very intense – big percussion and choral elements to set the scene. Then it’s the 3-2-1 sequence, all about focus, so we remove music and enhance the crowd and revving engines. Following the race, there’s the reward sequence with music contributing to a sense of accomplishment. It made sense to custom-create music specifically to hit

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John Broomhall, Lance Hayes and Paul Lipson at Avatar Studios Credit: Harry Amyotte

these emotional beats – plus the whole thing sets a cinematic tone for an epic game.” Combs continues: “During the race itself, we needed to be especially selective with our instrumentation choices, using orchestral colours differentiated from the car sounds to avoid confusion or a clash – car audio is a huge feedback cue for our audience so we sculpted music around it and kept away from the centre channel.” Wiswell adds: “We also wanted the race music to react to the action, like an extra layer of game-play cues to help you, so there are music shifts depending on certain race conditions… What’s your position? Is it the first or last lap? Are you in a pack of cars or out on your own? Are you working your way through the field approaching other cars? The music ebbs and flows and swells in response to these parameters.” With FMOD Studio their chosen middleware, Combs was able to construct a complex modular interactive music replay system, deploying thousands of stems produced during the music creation process. A complex nested event structure provided carefully timed transitions between music ‘modules’, effectively combining non-linear music triggers with a linear playback system via markers and destinations.

RACE TIME Naturally, in a racing simulation, the sound of each of the 200+ cars is crucial. Having made racing games since the original Xbox launch in 2001, Microsoft Studios has a huge archive of highfidelity recordings with new engine types added continually as games require, or as singular opportunities present – from a stock Honda Civic, to a specially modified Ferrari. One notable addition to FM5 was a Formula 1 car. Through a licensing agreement with Lotus F1, Wiswell accessed Renault Sport F1 near Paris, to record an engine on the factory’s engine dyno. “They have some really amazing technology – we could do pretty much anything with the car, but in a completely controlled environment,” Wiswell explains. “For instance, they could just push a button and give you Kimi [Räikkönen’s] polewinning lap at a certain circuit. We apply our own secret sauce to car recordings but the basic premise is to record as many things as possible that you need to reproduce, and chop those recordings into little pieces to be reconstructed in the game at run-time, depending on whether the car is accelerating, decelerating, or held at a steady state.”

Combs: “I can’t go into specifics on mics, but typically, with the car on a dyno (meaning we can drive it fully under load while stationary) we approach it like mic-ing up a drum kit. You walk round the car, get down into the low angles, looking for the sweet spots, then you start placing mics.” The resultant car engine components were assembled within the FMOD tools and positioned in a 3D model with say, exhaust or intake becoming a 3D object positioned relative to where it lives on the car in question. Combs: “So, part of the 3D system is that when you’re behind the car on a chase view camera, everything sounds in front of you, but in cockpit view, you’re able to localise sounds around you – say, an engine in front and exhaust behind.” But, according to Wiswell, the biggest win the 10-strong sound team gained from the enhanced power of the new Xbox One hardware was in the area of environmental effects. “I felt we could work more on making the car feel like it’s really seated in the world with the sound reacting more closely to its environment,” he says. “This became a big focus early on and we tried several ideas, modelling early reflections independently of reverb and using multiple reverbs at different parts of the track,

MUSIC MIXING

Mike Caviezel, audio production director, Microsoft Game Studios Central Media Team “I supervised the interactive music mixing and stem

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preparation process, as well as providing mixes for the commercially released soundtrack, the lion’s share of which was undertaken by Jon Rook, one of the great staff engineers here at SoundLab (our multi-room studio facility). In addition, I also provided some guitar work and wrote/produced some ancillary compositions for the team. (We also help out with car recording.) “The raw sessions from Skywalker Sound and Avatar were around 100GB, which is a beast to move around. Rather than clog up our network with that sort of transfer size, we would actually just drop the sessions onto an external drive and walk them from room to room, depending on where they needed to be at a given time (still

waiting for a 100GB thumb-drive to hit the market). Session backups were then handled by our Retrospect software and Drobo drive array. “These sessions were mixed on a PT9 HD2 rig, using a D-Command for fader control, and Genelec, ADAM and Aventone speakers for monitoring. Our plug-in ‘standard kit’ always incorporates Altiverb and Speakerphone, everything SoundToys makes, Komplete from Native Instruments, Iris and Trash from Izotope, Pitch ’n Time from Serato, and numerous bundles from Waves. We’ve also got some key hardware boxes, such as a Manley Massive Passive, an Eventide Orville, some Lil’ Freq EQs from Empirical Labs, and an API 2500 main bus compressor that we like a lot.”

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prototyping offline, ‘posting’ videos in Nuendo and figuring out our signal flow, and documenting sends/returns information using Visio. “This led us to multiple-modelled early reflections, and multiple reverbs based on a send/ return set-up, so wherever a car is on the track, it sends the sound to the environment model based on where it is, not on where the ‘listener’ is. A good example is if you park outside a tunnel, and listen to the other cars go through. You will hear their sound change accordingly, because it’s being sent from where they are, not where you are. Then the distance model accounts for the fact that you may be a fair way from the tunnel via frequency and volume falloffs. It gave us a really flexible system but we needed a huge number of sends and returns.” Combs adds: “We were able to build this in FMOD and translating our prototyping work from Nuendo/Visio was about as close as a one-to-one transition as I can think of, going almost directly from the DAW into the game. I don’t think that’s very typical in videogames and speaks to our design approach. You’re taking what you’ve built in a linear medium and porting it to a non-linear medium. The only difference is you’re using game parameters to control faders and sends.” However, when prototyping for a new game platform not itself yet fully defined, using a middleware still in development, how do you plan your technical resourcing as to CPU grunt, memory, and streaming? Wiswell: “We had close access to

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Forza Motorsport 5 was designed to be the ultimate gaming showcase for Xbox One

the Xbox One Platform Team with a good idea of what the hardware would be and how it would work, with some pretty solid numbers of the type of things we could expect, but a lot of it was a really good educated guess.” Combs: “You end up doing a lot of offline planning. You need to make sure you have plenty of levers and can be adaptive – not necessarily planning for the worst case, but needing somewhat of a contingency. You start out with target memory and CPU budgets and so on, but everything needs to be a lever so when you run into a problem you

have options and can hopefully make compromises without sacrificing quality. It’s all about having a concrete plan but being flexible – then doing everything in your power to get as close as you can to your goals. I think we did a really good job of that. It’s a testament to the new Xbox One itself and the FMOD studio toolset that we were able to port our best-case offline prototypes to the game. It meant being less limited by the game technology – concentrating more on putting together a good sound package, and less on how we built it.” www.forzamotorsport.net/turn10

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FEATURE STUDIO PROFILE

Beyond Retro

Rimshot Studio Credit: Karl Barron www.karlbarronphotography.com

Jake Young takes a trip to the Kent countryside to visit a recording facility determined to make people feel good. FOR DRUMMER, producer, and engineer Mike Thorne, building his own studio and house in Tunstall, Kent was just a case of finding the right place, acquiring the money, and getting on with it. But after opening Rimshot Studio during April 2012 he found a number of problems with the construction of the live room, and so closed the facility a year later. The builder was brought in again, all equipment was put into storage, and while Thorne moved into rented accommodation the builder ‘did a runner’, leaving him with no income and huge storage costs. “A lot of it came down to these little bars that isolate the structure, which hadn’t been installed properly,” explains Thorne. “We were doing sessions in here and it was like living next door to a nightclub. It was tough.” Thankfully since Rimshot reopened in October 2013 it 32 March 2014

has undertaken a number of successful projects plus smaller mastering jobs, and Thorne recently recorded rock band David Migden & The Twisted Roots in addition to jazz quartet –isq. The layout and design of the rooms was a joint effort with architect Hugh WrayMcCann. Thorne was inspired by the oak frame in McCann’s office, which he saw on TV show Grand Designs, so used him for the majority of the studio. “I want to have an environment to work in that inspires me as well as the people that come in,” says Thorne. “When people walk in I want them to feel like their energy level and their performance steps up a gear because of the space they’re in.” The M2 motorway is roughly half a mile from Rimshot, so on the advice of Kevin van Green from Green & Green Audio, Thorne

acquired airport glass and placed all of the live room’s acoustic treatment in the roof. It’s a very versatile space that can be used wide open, with a very natural acoustic

80 people and Thorne is eager to record live gigs later this year. Green designed the control room to Thorne’s brief. It’s a room within a

room so the walls go back about a metre each side. You can hear the change in acoustics between the control room and the live room straight away. It’s got enough

“I’m not a retro gear junkie. Everything we’ve got is here because I think it’s the best at what it does.” Mike Thorne for piano or string sessions, or closed down with screens, to achieve a tighter sound. A six-metre-high booth is often used for drums, although while it’s not on a huge footprint it has proved a versatile space. Thorne is keen to do something simple with the wall where he can raise and lower the roof slightly to vary the acoustic. The live room can take about

Mike Thorne Credit: Karolina Amberville www.karolinaamberville.com

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FEATURE STUDIO PROFILE

space for people to hang out and it sounds great as well. Monitors are The Boulder from Unity Audio, which Green also designed, with testing taking place at Rimshot. Thorne uses a Solid State Logic AWS 900+ compact SuperAnalogue console to complement the Decca Records all-valve console, which everything goes through. The studio has 30 channels of valve mic preamps, 10 in the control room and two racks with 10 each in the booth and live room. “These days, as far as I’m aware, when most people say ‘valve’ they think ‘it’s an effect, it’s warm and fuzzy, it’s something to help a computer sound less clinical’. Decca was trying to make these as clear and as pure as they could in the 60s. They sound great. It’s almost like cheating.” Outboard includes a one-off Decca 67 prototype EQ from 1967. “The bottom on the 50Hz is fantastic when you’re mastering things,” says Thorne. “They’ve really chosen the frequencies nicely.” Additionally, valve guru Tim de Paravicini has made major changes to an early 60s Studer C37 tape machine for Thorne. “It would have used thin 0.25in tape and Tim’s completely rebuilt it to use 0.5in tape. He was down in November to give it a little bit of TLC but most of the time we end up mixing to it.” Upstairs is a machine room that contains more Studer tape machines, all of which get lined up before every session, and Pro Tools HDX with some Burl Audio B80 Mothership converters. Roughly 70% of recordings at Rimshot start on tape then end up in Pro Tools because of logistics or time and cost. Thorne has some custom equipment that makes transitioning between tape and Pro Tools easier. “If you’re recording on tape and you want to dump it onto the computer you often find that the levels you’re working on for tape are hotter and the converters don’t sound great when you’re running them that hot. “With these attenuators you can tweak back little bits when you need to and make sure the convertors see the perfect level. Little things like that make a big difference to my workflow. “The look on people’s faces, whether it’s kids who have come in, bands who have done it a lot, or www.audiomedia.com

even engineers who’ve just forgotten, when you put up the 2in multi-track and they hear the first thing back they all smile. There is something romantic about watching the wheels go round. That’s what studios are. They’re supposed to be a space to make people feel good and inspire them. The technical side of it is great but sometimes it’s the little things that actually matter more. “I’m not a retro gear junkie. Everything we’ve got is here because I think it’s the best at what it does.” www.rimshotstudios.com

Selected Gear List Consoles • Decca GENDEC 1960s valve console • Solid State Logic AWS 900+ (Upgraded to SE) Analogue • Studer A827 Gold Edition 2in 24-track • Dolby SR & A type noise reduction (24 tracks) • Studer A80 MKIV 1in eight-track • Studer C37 valve 0.5in stereo • Timeline Microlynx syncroniser Monitors • Unity Audio Boulders (pair) • Focal Sub 6 • Genelec 1029a (pair) and 1091a sub Mic Pres • Decca valve mic preamps (20) • Focusrite Red 8 Microphones • Telefunken C12 and U47 valve mics • AEA R44 ribbon (matched pair) • Neumann U87 (2) • AKG C414 (2), D12 (2), D112 and C1000s (2) • Earthworks TC25 (2) and SR25 EQ • • • •

Decca valve EQs (20) Esoteric Audio Research 825Q Decca 67 stereo mastering EQ Esoteric Audio Research Custom EQs (2)

Reverbs/Delays • • • • • •

EMT 140st plate reverb Lexicon PCM90 reverb TC M3000 reverb Yamaha D5000 delay Binson PE603 delay Studer B67 0.25in tape delay

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS COMPACT DIGITAL MIXERS

Expert Witness SSE Audio Group’s Dan Bennett discusses why the live sector has taken to compact digital consoles so quickly and asks what’s next for the sector. Dan Bennett

WITH THE digital age firmly here it’s hard to remember that not that long ago digital desks like Yamaha’s PM5D and Innovason’s Sy40 were heralded as the future – saving production managers and PA suppliers tonnes (literally!) of weight and truck space by switching from large-scale analogue desks and outboard racks to one-box solutions. But it didn’t stop there; the world’s obsession with miniaturisation has well and truly hit live audio... Over the past seven years there has been an arms race among desk manufacturers to offer higher I/O counts and flexibility in evercondensing packages. Starting with the humble workhorses of the LS9 series, Yamaha released the 16- and 32-frame desks into the family in 2007 and it quickly became a longawaited, compact, and very costeffective solution giving 32 channels and weighing just 20kg! This gave engineers an inexpensive solution with on-board effects, dynamics, and EQ that they could carry, put in the bay of a bus, or take home in their car. By utilising the in-house multicores and taking a small passive split they no longer were restricted to the house desk option, which could differ day to day on tour and was often in a state of disrepair. 34 March 2014

The Yamaha LS9 range still remains popular with its expansion slots increasing channel count on both boards up to a maximum of 64 on the 32-frame console. DiGiCo and Soundcraft were probably the next to adapt to the demand for smaller footprint solutions when they released the SD9 and Vi1 respectively in 2010. This was a eureka moment as it brought the digital multicore to the compact digital desk. Both units are scalable with each manufacturer offering a compact stage rack, with the possibility of stepping up to the larger frame stage rack within the product range. This now opened up the possibility for engineers to use larger desks on their own headline tours where truck space and weight were less of an issue and budget more available. They could then take their show file and use the smaller frame desk from the same manufacturer for shows where space was limited. There was, of course, the initial hard sell to the production manager, but this working method was quickly adopted because they could now carry/fly their kit across the world for festivals and promo shows alike. This was great for engineers and bands as they now had consistency everywhere. DiGiCo has taken this one step further by releasing the tiny

SD11, which is little more than hand luggage on an international flight. In 2011 Midas brought out its PRO2 and PRO2C, which sold like hot cakes. The Midas digital sound in two small-format mixing consoles, with the DL251 offering 48 in 16 out, scalable up to 56 in 24 out with its bigger PRO series brother’s stage racks. At SSE we saw the dawn of compact digital desks come very quickly on our outdoor shows. We proudly provide kit for the majority of UK festivals and when I started at the company nine years ago only the top headliners were granted permission to bring their own desk to a festival situation. Now, however, there is more opportunities for bands to get their own compact audio solution into the show when all they need is 13A plugs and 32 XLR. It’s now commonplace for bands to wheel on a small mixer sitting on top of a rack of IEMs, do their show, and then wheel it off again. Not all elements of compact digital desks are a positive though as to meet a price point manufacturers will often ship the desk with a Cat5 multi as standard. This cable is safe to use to 96m, after considering joins within the rack and the twist in the cable over this length (96m multi often being 100m of cable due to internal twists). In some festival situations this is not long enough to get from monitors to FOH! Yes, you can easily extend with a repeater or switch, but where do you put this at a festival? The pit is a muddy, busy place with limited power. Do you want your gig resting on a box in the pit? Always take fan ins and expect to take your stage rack to FOH and use guest analogue as a back up. Some audio companies won’t supply guest Cat5 for audio control, as there is no way of proving its integrity in

the multi trench, you might get data bottlenecks in crimped cable that will rear their ugly heads when you least expect it. Most manufacturers do offer the optical upgrade, but this adds a hefty price increase that then detracts form the cost-effective element of the small board. So where next? Avid has recently released the impressive S3L, which is the first AVB-compatible mixing console. The same compact S3 surface can be used on the road or at home as a DAW controller, the stage racks can live on stage or in a rack and have up to three consoles hanging off them gain sharing. The compact DiGiCo boards can be used with the awesome power of the SD Rack and run at 96kHz with their FPGA chips which are the same as in DiGiCo flagship consoles. With the Overdrive software this gives the user the same dynamics and audio quality as the SD7. Carrying your own desk is now more convenient and cost-effective than ever. The desks have a lot of the functionality of their bigger relations and can be used everywhere giving artists consistency worldwide. Tours also don’t have to pay for an audio tech as the engineer can easily set up his own console due to its tiny size. This has been the state of play for the past two years with audio companies sending out countless compact audio control packages for summer touring as dry hires, and engineers are having to work harder and teach themselves. Engineers seem to be happy enough to do this as they do get the board of their choice everywhere and management companies are no doubt elated after having to deal with the other side of the digital era with music downloads equating to lower CD sales.

Expert Witness Dan Bennett is project manager at SSE Audio Group, which provides professional audio services to the live events industry, including PA hire, pro-audio equipment sales and sound, lighting and video installations for all kinds of venues. The group provides sound solutions for a wide variety of professional audio requirements, including sound design for shows, tours, and permanent installations; audio equipment servicing and repair; and equipment and case fabrication. www.sseaudiogroup.com

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TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

Compact Digital Mixers Packing powerful digital mixing facilities into a compact form factor can make for a cost-effective solution. We take a look at some of the latest models on the market.

ALLEN & HEATH

AVID

QU-24

Qu-24 boasts a dedicated fader per mic input channel, 24 mic/line inputs, three stereo inputs, four FX engines with four dedicated sends and stereo returns, and 20 mix outputs including two stereo matrix mix outputs and two stereo groups with full processing. Other features include a patchable AES digital output with a further two-channel ALT output, dedicated talkback mic input, and two-track output. High-speed dual core DSPs provide comprehensive channel and FX processing while the SuperStrip provides control knobs for a selected channel’s key processing parameters.

Easily scalable, the Avid S6 is built on the same technology that is core to the ICON and System 5 product families. With its ability to simultaneously control multiple Pro Tools and other EUCON-enabled DAWs over Ethernet, S6 also speeds workflows and enables network collaboration on a single integrated platform. • Scalable and customisable modular design • Visual feedback including waveform scrolling • Intelligent studio control • EUCON connectivity www.avid.com

• Total recall of settings (including 25 motorised faders and digitally controlled preamps) • Qu-Drive integrated multi-track recorder • dSNAKE for remote I/O and personal monitoring • Multichannel USB streaming to Mac • Qu-Pad control app • iLive’s FX library www.allen-heath.com

BEHRINGER X32 COMPACT The Behringer X32 provides a fluid workflow coupled with a fully interactive user interface. With the introduction of the new 2.0 firmware, Behringer has added new capabilities including Acoustic Integration for connectivity and control of speaker and in-ear monitor systems, and reimagined the more than 50 onboard FX plug-ins. It has also added classic processor examples based on True Physical Modelling. • • • • • •

40-input channels and 25 busses 16 Midas-designed programmable mic preamps 17 fully automated motorised 100mm faders Eight XLR outputs plus six additional line in/outputs Individual and dynamic LCD Scribble Strips on all channels and busses 32 x 32 channel USB 2.0 audio interface, with DAW remote control emulating HUI and Mackie Control www.behringer.com

CADAC CDC FOUR The Cadac CDC four boasts 16 mono mic/line inputs plus eight stereo line inputs as standard, but can be expanded up to 64 inputs with the addition of a 32-input, 16-output external stagebox. Wireless remote control of the console is also available via an iPad and purpose-designed app. • 32 inputs expandable to 64 • 16 Cadac mic pres • 96kHz 24-bit conversion and processing throughout • 19in rack capability • Time aligned, phase coherent outputs • Snapshot automation www.cadac-sound.com

QSC TOUCHMIX SERIES QSC TouchMix-8 (eight mic/line, two stereo inputs) and TouchMix-16 (16 mic/line, two stereo inputs) mixers are available mid-2014. All input channels include full function gates, compressors, and four-band parametric EQ. • Wizards and preset libraries for easy set-up • Capacitive touchscreen combined with hardware controls • Four multi-effects processors offer reverbs, delay, chorus, and pitch change plus a pitch corrector • Outputs include 1/3 octave graphic EQ, delay, limiter, and notch filters • All inputs may be recorded directly to and played back from a USB hard drive • WiFi interface and a padded carrying case included www.qsc.com

36 March 2014

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TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

DIGICO

MACKIE

SD11

1642VLZ4 The 16-channel 1642VLZ4 delivers the performance of Mackie Onyx mic preamps in a compact four-bus mixer designed for bands, clubs, and more. The 1642VLZ4 is designed to provide the highest headroom and lowest noise possible. Plus, it is built with a durable steel chassis that includes high-contrast controls. The 1642VLZ4 features an expanded return section plus a dedicated control room section.

SD11 is designed for use as a desktop or 19in rackmount console. There are three models: the standard SD11, the SD11i with more processing power, and the SD11B for the broadcast market. The optional Waves SoundGrid integration provides access to even more processing and effects.

• 128.5dB dynamic range with 60dB gain range, +22dBu line input handling and distortion under 0.0007% (20Hz-50kHz) • Phantom power for studio condenser mics • Four aux sends, level, pan, and PFL solo on each channel • Three-band EQ (80Hz, 2.5kHz, 12kHz) • 18dB/oct 75Hz low-cut filter on mic input channels • High-resolution 12-segment stereo meters www.mackie.com

• • • • • • •

15in touch-sensitive screen 32 channels (eight of which are Flexi channels) 12 Flexi busses Up to 5.1 master 8 x 8 full processing matrix, dual solo busses, and a Master buss Six digital FX, 12 graphic and six dynamic equalisers MADI interface for connection to another console, rack, or recording and playback www.digico.biz

MIDAS PRO1 The PRO1 features a lightweight aluminium frame and, as with all Midas digital consoles, the audio paths can be routed to multiple destinations and the console format can be reconfigured live on a scene-by-scene basis. • Three 96kHz AES50 ports, providing an additional 72 inputs and 72 outputs • 24 integral mic/line inputs with Midas mic preamps • 48 simultaneous input processing channels • 24 analogue outputs (including two stereo local monitor outputs) • 27 sample-synchronous, phase-coherent mix busses • Up to 12 multichannel FX engines • Up to 28 Klark Teknik DN370 31-band graphic EQs • Full-colour 15in daylight-viewable display screen with DVI out • Eight VCA (Variable Control Association) groups • 96kHz 40-bit floating-point processing throughout www.midasconsoles.com

PEAVEY FX2 16

The new FX2 features twice the processing power of the original. Onboard effects include reverb, reverb enhanced, delay, compression, expander, de-esser, chorus, flanger, tube emulator, vocal enhancer, and gate. It is also possible to chain two processors together on each of the two available effects windows. • Dual DSP engines with digital effects and output processing including Feedback Ferret, 28-band GEQ/five-band PEQ, delay, and limiter • USB 2.0 A connection to record directly to or playback from memory stick • USB 2.0 B connection for streaming digital out • Three-band EQ with sweepable mid-frequency and variable low cut filters • Two stereo channels with dual mic/line inputs • Six aux sends • All new switching power supply design • Silencer mic preamp XLR inputs www.peavey.com

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March 2014 37

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

PRESONUS

ROLAND

STUDIOLIVE AI

M-200I

Redesigned from the ground up, StudioLive AI-series 32-, 24-, and 16channel digital mixers offer analogue workflow, extensive dual signal processing on every channel and bus, and a FireWire s800 interface. Active Integration technology provides direct WiFi and Ethernet networking and a tightly integrated software suite for Mac, Windows, and iOS. • Fat Channel signal processing on all input channels and busses, with four-band parametric EQ, compressor, gate with sidechainable Key Filter, and limiter – all with A/B comparison • Integrated software library includes PreSonus Studio One Artist 2.6 DAW with StudioLive scene compatibility • SL Remote-AI iPad app and QMix-AI iPhone/iPod touch aux-mix app • 24/20/16 (depending on model) dedicated mix busses for easy configuration: four subgroups, 14/10/6 auxiliary buses, four internal FX busses, and stereo main mix with mono sum • FireWire s800 recording interface (24-bit, 44.1 and 48kHz) www.presonus.com

The Roland M-200i is a compact 32-channel professional digital mixing console offering the flexibility and mobility of comprehensive iPad control. The fully functional iPad application enables remote control of all the key features of the M-200i including preamp control, pan, high pass filters, and PEQ and GEQ control. It also includes the ability to store and recall scenes, adjust compressors and gates, sends on faders, and effect editing. • Ability to control the mix/adjust levels from any location in the venue (within the wireless network) • 32-channel architecture with 17 motorised faders, eight Aux, four Matrix, eight DCAs and 24 inputs, and 14 outputs (expandable up to 64 x 54 via the REAC port and Roland Digital Snake technology) • Create a wireless network by plugging a router into the LAN port or by plugging the Roland Wireless Connect adapter (WNA1100-RL) into a USB port • Mix in audio sources from a USB key inserted in the USB port www.roland.com

SOUNDCRAFT SI PERFORMER 1

YAMAHA CL1

Si Performer 1 delivers 448 rack units of Lexicon, dbx, BSS, and Studer processing in a 19in rackmount console. Si Performer 1 delivers the same mix power as the Performer 2 and 3 consoles but with 16GB mic preamps and 16 faders. It offers parametric four-band EQ as standard on all input channels, and BSS graphic EQs on all bus outputs. • 80 inputs to mix in a compact rackmount unit • Two Option Card slots for recording, networking, and stagebox connectivity • FaderGlow and channel displays for instant mix status • DMX interface and control – control sound and light simultaneously www.soundcraft.com

Measuring just 648mm wide by 667mm deep, the Yamaha CL1 digital mixing console fits into limited mixing spaces yet features all the facilities of its bigger sisters, the CL3 and CL5. • Eight analogue inputs and outputs, plus an AES/EBU out • With the onboard Dante networking up to eight Yamaha R-series I/O units can be connected, delivering up to 256 input sources • Up to four CL consoles on the same Dante network can share the I/O, auto gain compensation • Mic preamps and A-D converters complemented by a vast array of processing www.yamahaproaudio.com

38 March 2014

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TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

API The Box

PROJECT RECORDING & MIXING CONSOLE

Simon Allen takes a look at the first smallfootprint console from API, and finds that The Box stands its own against its bigger siblings. THE ANALOGUE and digital worlds are continually blending in new and exciting ways. With the increasing number of project studios, manufacturers are focused on providing affordable solutions, which deliver ‘that’ high-end analogue sound. The Box is API’s latest product design to cater for this growing market’s demands, so I put it to the test to find out how seriously this piece of kit can perform. At first glance, API has taken great care in the build quality and design of the console. The finish is to a very high standard, especially when compared to other modern pro-audio products. It gives the feeling of a classic vintage piece of gear and really looks the part. The Box is essentially split into three sections: a four-channel input tracking section; a master control section; and a 16-track summing mixer. All this is provided on a very small footprint, which would fit into almost any compact studio. GOING IN The four-channel input section offers four highquality mic/line/instrument preamps (the same as found on the 1608). Each channel has several vital functions such as +48V phantom power, input select, 50Hz high-pass filter, insert bypass, and a -20dB pad. There are also buttons for changing the processing order (compressor pre/post) and meter switches to determine whether the eight segment LED meters are pre or post fader, allowing you to meter your inputs and outputs. There is also a direct pre/post switch enabling you to bypass the fader as well as solo safe switches. Other channel functions 40 March 2014

available on the input side include centre determined pan pots, with the API ‘program’ switch for easy monitoring without routing to your DAW. Best of all, however, channels one and two have API’s 550a three-band EQ units, and channels three and four have blank slots to allow you to spec any VPR approved 500 series units you like. The Box also offers four auxiliaries, two are mono while auxiliaries three and four work as a stereo aux, which can also be used to create your CUE mix. MASTER CONTROL The centre section of the console gives you all your important studio controls that complete the way you work with any DAW system. Here you have your master ‘program’ bus fader as well as master auxiliary controls. All talkback controls including routing and level are found here along with headphone and CUE mix levels. The well-located headphone outputs default to the console’s main output, but can also be selected to use the CUE bus. The CUE bus itself can be routed from either the main ‘program’ bus or any of the four two-track inputs. These can be summed together on the CUE bus for any combination, or all four of the two-track inputs plus the main ‘program’ bus. The control room source can also be routed from any, or all, of the four available two-track inputs but not the ‘program’ bus at the same time. As soon as you select the ‘program’ bus the two-track inputs are bypassed. Completing your master controls is the classic large API control room level knob and

the important alternative speaker output. There are also CUT and DIM switches along with a mix insert bypass switch and a mono button. The DIM has its own attenuator and the alternative speaker outputs offer a trim level. At the top of the master section lies the 527 stereo bus compressor that is highly rated among many professionals. This is the 500 series version of API’s 2500 bus comp and has all the same features you would expect. There are all the normal compressor functions such as attack, release, link, knee, and threshold, as well as API’s ‘old’ and ‘new’ compression styles and its patented ‘Thrust’ feature. The ‘old’ style compression is feedback based like the old 525 units, whereas the ‘new’ style is using feed-forward compression with the sidechain taken directly from the input. The ‘Thrust’ feature applies a high-pass filter before the compressor’s sidechain to retain a tight and punchy bottom end. There is no make-up gain as such, as the compressor is designed to have a ceiling control so as you adjust the ratio and threshold

you can hear what effect the compression is having. One very important addition that has been applied to the 527 bus compressor

“The pleasant sonic performance was immediately apparent, which you would expect from any largescale API console.” Simon Allen inside The Box is the available routing. By default the compressor sits on the ‘program’ bus with an ‘in’ switch for bypass, but it can also be routed to any of the four input channels to allow you to track with some compression. After you’ve routed the compressors to your tracking channels you can then either place the compressor before or after the EQ (or spare 500 series slot on channels three and four) in your signal chain. In true API character, the default places the compressor first.

SUMMING UP The right-hand side of the console is a dedicated 16track analogue summing mixer. Although there are 16 mono channels, the layout appears as eight stereo pairs for today’s common fashion of bringing down stereo stems from your DAW. Above these long-throw faders are each channel’s respective routing and panning functions presented in two rows, odd numbers and even numbers. Each channel has insert, ‘program’ bus routing, solo, and mute switches. There are the same auxiliary/cue sends and pan pots as the four input channels and each channel also offers a 0dB fader bypass switch (preserving the gain structure of the DAW channels or any automation within the DAW), which is exactly the same as setting the fader to unity gain. IN SESSION Once I heard I was about to receive The Box for review, I knew exactly on which project I wanted to carry out the road test. I was set to record some piano and marimba pieces with recent Grammy award www.audiomedia.com

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

Building The Box Audio Media editor Jory MacKay chats with API owner and president Larry Droppa about bringing the company’s big-console sound to The Box. fully-featured inputs grew into what we now know as The Box. The process from practical rough designs to a working prototype took about 18 months.

Tell me about the inspiration behind The Box. How did the idea first come up and how long was the design process? The idea for The Box grew from a number of around-the-table discussions with Sales and Engineering. API manufactured a summing solution called the DSM (Discrete Summing Mixer) that was flexible, modular, and expandable, but a number of customers had suggested improvements to the options and workflow of the system. A console-based solution to a simple summing system with faders and some number of

winner Dame Evelyn Glennie for the world-renowned music library company, Audio Network. This was a special session in itself as Evelyn rarely performs her own compositions on the piano. As this console is clearly all about sonic quality and tone, I knew this was the ideal situation to really find out how well it would deliver. When recording acoustic grand pianos, it is very challenging to capture their true natural sound. There are few instruments with quite so many harmonics and potential noise-related issues for recording equipment as pianos and orchestral marimbas. I set up with my professional partner, Ross Simpson of Woodbury Recording Studios, and we deployed his matched pair of Earthworks QTC40s, a pair of Audio-Technicas, and a www.audiomedia.com

API’s traditionally known for larger consoles (1608, Legacy, etc…), were you concerned about how people might react to something with a small footprint like The Box? Yes. There were concerns that the initial reaction to a smaller API might be that ‘API is cheapening the product for a down-market customer’. In reality, the engineering directive was to maintain the quality and audio performance of the product regardless of the eventual size or feature set that we decided upon. It was unanimous among Sales and Engineering that every part of The Box had to be as sonically excellent as any other API console with as many of the ‘big console’ features as could be integrated into the package size, and we certainly have done that. How did you bring that large console legacy into The Box? The circuit design is very much the same as any other API console. The ‘heartbeat’ of API – the 2520 op amp and custom API transformers, devices that define all API products – are integral to the design of The Box. Attention to circuit board design and parts selection went through the same scrutiny as the ‘bigger brothers’ in the product line.

U87 for extra ambience. I ran the Earthworks and the Audio-Technicas through the API four-channel preamps with post fader direct outputs connected to Pro Tools. As I usually do when tracking with an analogue console, I set the faders to +3dB for extra headroom before clipping on the preamps, which gives me a clear indication of metering inside Pro Tools. The results were truly amazing. Obviously it helps when your performer is of the calibre of Evelyn Glennie, and the piano itself is a Blüthner, but there was a clear difference with the API sound compared to some other preamps we had with us. Back at the mix facility, we bounced the recordings with some Lexicon 480 reverb through the summing mixer and compared it against the internal summing of Pro Tools. The

sound from all aspects of this console really does have that rich and warm classic API sound. It wasn’t a case of close listening for any of these comparisons at all. The pleasant sonic performance was immediately apparent, which you would expect from any large-scale API console. CONCLUSION I’m sure API is going to sell a lot of these consoles to today’s modern professionals and project studios. It offers everything you need to complete your DAW in a small studio situation with the very best quality in mind. It is products like these that are making it possible to have that large studio, ‘expensive’ sound in your own facility and The Box delivers this to the highest of standards. What it lacks in functions and DAW integration, it makes up for in

What are some of the desk’s key features that set it apart from the competition? Having a couple of optional 500 slots on the input channels to let a user customise the inputs for different flavours or audio tweaking is one. We did feel, however, that building-in a pair of industrystandard 550a EQs gives the user the confidence and sonic imprint that defines why you buy an API in the first place. The built-in stereo bus compressor is another biggie. Including a pair of 527 compressors that can be linked sitting on the stereo bus is a huge bonus. In addition, when tracking, they can be individually assigned to the input channels with a single push of a button. Also, including a 0dB fader bypass switch on all 16 summing channels makes for easy and calibrated automation moves from a DAW. If fader adjustment becomes necessary, a simple button push puts the audio fader back on fingertip control. Lastly, are ‘project’ studios the future of the recording industry? A small ‘project’ type studio may not be the best solution for everybody as a method towards a final album. But as a way to get anywhere from basic tracks to a highly sophisticated multi-tracked production with stems and automated DAW moves, the small, compact, high-quality project studio can indeed turn out a commercially viable product in the today’s, and likely tomorrow’s, music environment.

quality. With The Box you are investing in the heart and soul of your studio, both in terms of master control as well as offering ‘that’ sought-after analogue sound. My only suggestion would be that although the functions and layout are well thought out

and presented, I would have appreciated an internal method of routing the 500 series units to any channel of the summing mixer. The most important aspect from any analogue console is the sonic character, and The Box is guaranteed not to disappoint.

THE REVIEWER SIMON ALLEN is a full-time sound engineer and record producer. After a stint as senior engineer at City Studios in Cyprus where he headed up the new music studio, he can now mostly be found at Woodbury Studios in Hertfordshire.

INFORMATION Feature set • Four-channel input tracking section featuring API’s classic mic pres • Sixteen summing channels (20 channels during mix) • Stereo program bus with master fader, insert, and external input • Full-featured monitor section with support for two stereo monitor systems www.apiaudio.com www.sourcedistribution.co.uk (UK)

March 2014 41

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

Allen & Heath ME System

PERSONAL MONITORING SYSTEM

The ME-1 personal mixer aims to put musicians in charge of their own monitor mix. Alistair McGhee tests it out. SOME QUESTIONS have bothered philosophers for thousands of years, while others have a more recent origin, like, ‘can we have everything louder than everything else?’ And the answer is… yes. Now onstage (or in studio) you can have exactly what you want, here’s your ME-1 personal mixer – everything can be just as loud as you want it to be. The ME-1 personal mixer from Allen & Heath gives your talent on stage a 40-input mixer, allowing them to mix in-ears or wedges to their heart’s content. The ME-1 is a hardback book-sized mixer, mountable on a mic stand and A&H even throws in a clamp. The mixer is solidly constructed in a metal housing with pro connectors. It is fed by a single Cat5 cable and has a daisy chain output for the next mixer in the chain. Mixers can be powered down the Cat5 by Power over Ethernet (PoE) or they can accept a DC input from a power supply. If you daisy chain your MEs the first one in the chain can take PoE while the subsequent mixers will need power supplies. You might be thinking, ‘what I need here is a hub that can feed multiple ME mixers and provide power to each one’, and that is exactly what Allen & Heath has been thinking too, hence the release of the ME-U 10-way PoE hub. THE ME-U Let’s start with the hub: the ME-U is a solid 2U box fitted with EtherCon input and 10 EtherCon outputs along with a network port for control and data. You can use a standard PoE switch as a hub but the clever thing about the ME-U is that it broadens the connectivity options you have with your ME system. The hub comes standard with the ME-D interface that allows 42 March 2014

connection to GLD/dSNAKE and Allen & Heath ACE and Aviom (note, no power over Ethernet with Aviom). However, and this may be the genius of the system, the digital interface card on the ME-U is interchangeable and other interface options include MADI, Dante, and Ethersound (which must be a spinoff of the ground work A&H have done in the iLive series of desks and stage boxes which also support these formats). One thing to note – when you connect into a GLD system the channel names and stereo linking information will be automatically transferred to the hub or directly connected ME-1. There’s a little bit of assigning jiggery pokery as the ME system sits ‘above’ the normal 20 outputs of a dSNAKE system, however this process is implemented to be invisible to the user. You also get auto-naming with the A&H ACE system by plugging in a second Cat5. This does involve you in a bit of configuration offsetting but you can overwrite this auto-naming locally on the ME-1. At the moment the QU-16 doesn’t make the channel names (now available in firmware v2 but only in the app) available on the network. Instead you get one-to-one mapping of channels and outputs. THE ME-1 The ME-1 will plug directly into your Allen & Heath digital desk or stage box depending on which series of desk you have. Round the back of the ME you get a loop output for the audio, headphone outputs on mini jack and 0.25in, and a mono output to drive a stage wedge. Each personal mixer offers you 40 inputs on the 16 physical keys on the surface. Selecting a key allows you to adjust the level and pan for that input. The clear OLED orange

“The flexibility of the system will appeal to gigging engineers and musicians alike.” Alistair McGhee

display enables metering, naming, and configuration. You can assign a key to be a group master. So a single key labeled ‘Kit’, could control 10 drum mic inputs. Once grouped you can balance the levels and pans of the individual members of the group or adjust the overall gain. There are limitations, for instance each input can appear in only one group, but that input could also appear on an individual key. I was using dSNAKE from a QU-16 for this review. You get all the inputs (picked off at the direct output feed, so set that up to reflect your choice of pre-fade or pre-processing options) and all the outputs so you might want to slap main left and right on key 16 so on every one you have a default cue feed but it also means you can mix monitor grouping on a desk output with local groups created on the ME-1. In addition to the audio from the desk you can also add a local Aux source using the mini jack input – a built-in mic means you can hear what is happening around you on stage. Each ME mixer also has a USB interface to allow you to save and load configurations direct to and from your ME-1. The configuration interface is menu based.

Each configuration holds up to 16 presets or ‘songs’, each of which holds a different nameable mix. There’s basic three-band EQ on the main output and a variable threshold limiter. Each key channel can be solo’d or muted and when muted the key flashes to remind you of the mute status. There’s no doubt that Allen & Heath considers the ME-1 a pro product, the finish and connector quality are all at pro level and the flexibility of the system will appeal to gigging engineers and musicians alike. When you get your mix just right pop in a USB stick and save it and you can carry that setup wherever you go. The icing on the cake is the extra digital formats on the ME-U

hub. The curse of digital is standards, the ME-U goes a long way to guaranteeing that the ME-1 will be as close to a universal solution until the day we all live under one digital world government. The current plethora of formats doesn’t look like going away and the ability to bung in a MADI card protects your investment and makes hire companies’ lives a lot easier. THE REVIEWER ALISTAIR McGHEE began audio life in Hi-Fi before joining the BBC as an audio engineer. After 10 years in radio and TV, he moved to production. Most recently, Alistair was assistant editor, BBC Radio Wales and has been helping the UN with broadcast operations in Juba.

INFORMATION Feature set ME-U • 10 ports with locking EtherCon connectors (each providing power + 40 audio sources) • Daisy chain for more outputs ME-1 • 40 sources from GLD or iLive • Compatible with MADI, Dante, or EtherSound • Daisy chain or use standard PoE Ethernet hubs • 16 assignable keys to suit application • High-quality sound for accurate, personalised monitor mixes www.allen-heath.com www.audiomedia.com

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

Earthworks 521 ZDT

MICROPHONE PREAMP

Stephen Bennett checks whether Earthworks’ 500 series preamp lives up to its ‘like wire with gain’ claim. QUAD ELECTRONICS, purveyors of high-quality hi-fi, once used the tag line ‘straight wire with gain’ for its equipment, the implication being that any amplification system should merely increase the level of the incoming signal without adding any coloration of its own. These days, at least when it comes to microphone preamplifiers, the opposite seems to be true, with oodles of products on the market stuffed with valves, transformers, and phenylalanine (I made the last one up) purporting to add sonic ‘colour’ to their offerings. So, is there a need for a preamplifier that just, well, amplifies without adding its own sonic character? Earthworks seems to think so, because, on opening the dinky little aluminium case that the company’s new 521 ZDT 500 series preamplifier ships in, the first thing that strikes you are the words ‘like wire with gain’ printed on the slim manual. So, the gauntlet is down. Does the 521 ZDT live up to this claim, and if so, is this really what recordists want – or need – from a preamplifier? Earthworks is probably best known for its range of highquality microphones which have found wide popularity among engineers who are keen on capturing accurate representations of a musical performance, especially in the jazz and classical worlds. So it’s hardly surprising that the company’s first ‘lunchbox’ format preamplifier is designed to add as little of itself to the signal chain as humanly – and electronically – possible. Based on David Blackmer’s Zero Distortion Preamplifier technology (of DBX noise reduction fame – he really doesn’t like noise!) the 521 ZDT is housed in the usual 44 March 2014

single slot API 500 series case with the power and input and main output connections being provided by the lunchbox chassis itself. The 500 series format really suits preamps as there are usually few controls and the minimal available space doesn’t get cluttered. The 521 ZDT’s black burnished front panel features 48V Phantom powering, a clip LED, a phase flip switch, a standby switch, and a stepped rotary gain control covering +5dB to +60dB in 5dB increments. Unusually for this type of device, the front also sports a balanced 0.25in TRS output alongside an associated continuously variable attenuator with a gain range of -20dB to 0dB. The controls are sturdy and precise and are well spaced even for my podgy fingers. The 521 ZDT is a solid-state, transformerless design with a discrete, completely balanced, Class A internal signal path and a specified frequency response of 2Hz to 100kHz varying by ±0.1dB and 1Hz to 200kHz with ±0.5dB variation. As the raison d’être of the Earthworks preamps is to produce the cleanest signal possible it’s not surprising that the company quotes distortion figures of less than 1ppm (0.0001%) from the XLR output and 0.001% from the front panel 0.25in TRS. Input noise levels are also impressive at 1.6nV/Hz½ at 20dB gain and 0.6nV/Hz½ at 60dB gain – and that’s easily enough woomph for most mics, including some ribbons. Sadly, you’ll have to look elsewhere if you need dedicated line or instrument inputs. IN USE So, the 521 ZDT sports the measurements that any ‘wire with gain’ contender should

be proud of, but how does it bear up in practice? Earthworks kindly lent me its SRC40/HC hypercardioid condenser microphone to test alongside the preamplifier, so I put the two to use recording a classical singer and solo violinist. As expected, the captured audio was excellent and, when auditioning the result on my ATC SCM50A monitors, the sense of ‘being there’ was palpable. Tests with my more usual AKG414 and Neumann KM84 microphones were also impressive – I actually preferred the Earthworks device to my Metric Halo ULN-2 preamplifier in both solo and ensemble recording scenarios, which doesn’t often happen! My transformerbased 80s Neumann U87 can sound a little ‘bloated’ when coupled with a preamp of colour, but the microphone shone on vocals and guitar through the diminutive 521 ZDT, again proving stiff competition for my usual signal chain. Although the terms ‘clean’ and ‘transparent’ come to mind when trying to describe the 521 ZDT, that doesn’t mean it’s without character. Recordings through it have weight and body and take EQ and compression well – the low noise floor being especially useful in the latter processing scenario. Even my cheap Chinese ribbon

“Although the terms ‘clean’ and ‘transparent’ come to mind when trying to describe the 521 ZDT, that doesn’t mean it’s without character.” Stephen Bennett microphone behaved like a much more expensive transducer when plugged into the Earthworks preamplifier, with plenty of gain to cope with the dribble of current it generates. The 521 ZDT also passed my ‘Shure SM57 test’ – I’ve come to the conclusion that the better the preamp, the better Shure’s unassuming workhouse sounds. Stick a 521 ZDT and a 57 on the snare, hit it (the snare, not the microphone) and you’re done. SUMMARY The 521 ZDT 500 series preamplifier maintains Earthwork’s reputation for

excellence in audio quality and offers low noise, high gain, and an uncolored, expensive sound. I still find it amazing that, with a brace of these critters crammed into API lunchbox, a few high-quality microphones (from Earthworks, perhaps?) an analogue to digital converter, and a computer will allow an audio engineer to record classical and jazz sessions with a fidelity that just a few decades ago would have cost them the same as the GDP of a small country – and which wouldn’t have been so portable! If that’s the kind of thing that floats your boat and you’re a 500 series fan, I can’t recommend the 521 ZDT highly enough. But be warned – you’ll need at least two! THE REVIEWER STEPHEN BENNETT has been involved in music production for over 30 years. Based in Norwich he splits his time between writing books and articles on music technology, recording and touring, and lecturing at the University of East Anglia.

INFORMATION Feature set • • • •

Less than one ppm (0.0001%) distortion through XLR output Transformerless design with all discrete components (Class A amplification) +30dBu output level 48V phantom power, polarity reverse, and clip indicator

www.earthworksaudio.com

www.audiomedia.com

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

McDSP Everything Pack

PLUG-IN COLLECTION

The Everything Pack from McDSP brings together the company’s classic plug-ins with a few added bonuses, writes Alan Branch. MCDSP HAS a heritage and reputation as a leader in plugin design and its plug-ins are recommended and endorsed by top engineers worldwide. Founded by ex-Digidesign engineer Colin McDowell, McDSP was one of the first companies to begin modelling vintage hardware as plug-ins started to replace real hardware. The company recently released an Everything Pack, including every single one of its EQs and compressors bundled into one supreme collection. Plug-in formats are AU, AAX (DSP & Native), TDM, RTAS, and AS, with the new plug-ins currently AAX only (AU formats are coming soon). As the full list would be too long to cover entirely I have picked one of the classics as well as the newest plug-ins McDSP has added as the subjects of this review. CLASSIC – 6030 ULTIMATE COMPRESSOR If there is a favourite among McDSP’s offering it has to be the 6030 Ultimate Compressor – a lunchbox-style plug-in featuring a collection of 10 classic compressors modelled and moded by McDSP that range in order of smooth and transparent to aggressive. The list of compressors included are U670, Moo Tube, iComp, Opto-C, Opto-L, British C, OverEZ, SST, 76, FRG 444, and D357, giving you everything from a Fairchild to a Neve. What makes this great is how it offers a whole bundle of plug-ins within one plugin. The module selection and easy-to-choose arrangement of them all makes it a fast nobrainer style of applying compression to a track with a single click. Sound-wise, not only has Colin McDowell 46 March 2014

modelled each unit really well but he’s also tweaked them (for example, the attack ballistics of the Fairchild u670 are easier to use). If you’re not sure if an optical or a solid state might work best on a snare or a bass drum, using the Ultimate 6030 is great for quickly hearing the differences between compressors. One added extra is the D357, which is a McDSP design aimed to be an extreme ‘dirty’ compressor with its own ‘Crush’ control that ranges from ‘Some’ to ‘Tons’ – I love Colin’s design humour here. NEW – 6020 ULTIMATE EQ The same lunchbox-style interface of the 6030 is now filled with 10 EQ modules’, E670, MooQ, iQ, E300/301, British-E, EZ-Q, EQ-76, FRG EEE, and the final E357. Interestingly, McDSP has matched the EQ modules manufacturers with the 6030 compressor list. For example, the E670 matches the U670 compressor in the 6030. This is a Fairchild 664 EQ and a very rare model EQ that I don’t think I’ve ever seen! The 6020 Ultimate is innovative and the list approach of side-by-side EQs makes listening to the different EQ curves fascinating. As you switch through the different models the character changes may provide more mid range or more top end etc… If you’re used to using a certain type of EQ the 6020 will help give you an alternative. Rather than searching for a certain frequency in your standard EQ, especially with a problematic vocal or guitar, it might be better to find an EQ with a suitable character first. NEW – AE400 ACTIVE EQ The AE400 will automatically vary the EQ gain depending

on the frequency content of the audio, which can be a huge help when dealing with a difficult vocal that is constantly changing over one performance. In a mix I tend to automate a lot of EQ between sections to compensate for this type of problem but it’s a timeconsuming process. Using the AE400 made life really simple on a female vocal that was getting quite harsh in the 3k range over a chorus. What’s innovative in the AE400, however, is its external side chains for each EQ band. This opens up many possibilities for shaping audio around another sound such as shaping your mix around the vocal. All EQ bands are overlapping, have a variable Q, and active or fixed gain controls. NEW – SPC2000 SERIAL/PARALLEL COMPRESSOR The McDSP SPC2000 is a multi-stage compressor with lots of clever routing options and classic emulations. Stacking compressors is a technique known to many engineers and the combination of compressor types and various threshold settings can lead to some awe-inspiring results. Arranging serial compression and parallel compression is the key, but loading multiple plug-ins and adjusting them all can be tricky. The SPC2000 is the plug-in toolbox that aims to make this easier by offering three plugins – the SPC202, the SPC303, and the SPC404; two, three, or four stages of compression with a variety of routing options; and dynamic enhancements such as a BITE control, which allows HF content to pass through unaffected. The SPC2000 is once again McDowell cleverly turning compression on its

head and making something that can be awkward into something easier to use but

still versatile with an emphasis on quality results. So whether you’re pumping your drums for more power or guitars for that wall of sound you have to try the SPC2000. Every rock band in the world will love this!

versatile FX like the FutzBox are available for one price. The new plug-ins once again display the almost legendary status of McDSP and its clever design and attention to detail with a clear focus on how people actually use plugins. I found flipping through the different EQs in the 6020 a truly original way to find the right sound. Likewise McDSP has designed the SPC200 and AE400 to make the timeconsuming jobs of clever compression and fine-tuning EQ much easier. For the money it’s an amazing collection – remember, the 6020 and the 6030 provide 10 classic EQs and compressors each! As Colin McDowell would say ‘Hot Dang’, that’s mighty impressive.

SUMMARY What’s special about the Everything Pack is not just the clever design by McDSP throughout its plug-in range, but also how now all its equalisers, compressors, virtual tape machines, reverbs, de-essers, noise filters, and

THE REVIEWER ALAN BRANCH is a freelance engineer/ producer and ex-member of the On U Sound Crew. His list of credits include Jamiroquai, Beverley Knight, M People, Simply Red, Depeche Mode, Shed 7, Sinead O’Connor, Bjork, and Sade. www.alanbranch.com

“Whether you’re pumping your drums for more power or guitars for that wall of sound you have to try the SPC2000.” Alan Branch

INFORMATION Feature set • • •

Includes all of McDSP’s equalisers, compressors, virtual tape machines, dynamic processors, and more Three new additions in the 6020 Ultimate EQ, SPC2000, and AE400 Active EQ AAX DSP & Native, TDM, RTAS, AU, and AS compatible (new plug-ins are currently only AAX)

www.mcdsp.com

www.audiomedia.com

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

Radial Engineering EXTC and MC3

EFFECTS RE-AMPER & MONITOR CONTROLLER

Rich Tavaglione puts two of Radial Engineering’s recording solutions to the test and finds they pack a lot of features into small boxes. SOMETIMES balanced audio needs to take a trip through unbalanced stompboxes, which involves impedance and levelmatching as well as numerous patchpoints for ideal flexibility. The Radial Engineering EXTC does all this and encourages creativity like no other single device I’ve ever used! It starts with a mono input, either XLR or 0.25in (TRS or TS). Next, tap into the signal via two unbalanced, high-impedance, guitar-level effects loops with adjustable send/receive levels, polarity inversion, and a wet/dry blend control. This blended signal feeds the XLR and 0.25in outputs for re-amping or returning to the recorder. With this much flexibility and control, EXTC applications are limited only by your imagination. The spacey effects my client Grey Revell and I achieved (as this box excels with two pairs of hands to animate parameters) were mind-blowingly good and way beyond what I’ve ever achieved with plug-ins. There was a certain randomness and

organic-ness to the mangled signals that was truly inspiring, in a sound design/experimental kind of way. Drums were transformed into alien blips with phasers/ overdrive, bass guitars into roaring mechanical beasts with distortion pedals/ tremolos/flangers, and – my film-scoring favourite – line noise and the microphonic tapping of cables with too much gain, a modulation and the sweeping of a delay with ample feedback. “This is the ultimate spontaneous sound-design tool,” Revell noted enthusiastically as he completed a jet take-off warble-swoosh that would fit into anything between dub, dubstep, and EDM. The EXTC is a clear choice if you want to simplify the oftencomplicated task of reamping with effects. If the street price seems high, do consider that the design is near perfection (level controls to balance the two loops would be perfection). All the unique creative real-time flexibilities

imaginable (and unimaginable) are brought to life with the EXTC. MC3 As small as a paperback, the MC3 provides switching for two monitor sets (A, B, or both) complete with passive level adjustment, a total of three headphone outs on 0.25in and 0.125-link with a level control, a variable dim control, a mono-sum switch, balanced or unbalanced operation on 0.25in jacks, and a 15V external power supply. There’s also a stereo aux out via 0.25in TRS that follows the headphone level

“All the unique creative real-time flexibilities imaginable (and unimaginable) are brought to life with the EXTC.” Rich Tavaglione

control (ideal to feed a larger cue system), and a subwoofer output with level control and polarity reversal. Passive circuitry and quality switching relays make for some clean, near-neutral audio handling. There are no talkback mic facilities; you’ll have to achieve these within your DAW. Some considerations in using the MC3: the headphone amp is loud and

clean – maybe not quite as accurate as my Aphex Headpod – but notable. The headphone level control follows the master volume knob; I do wish that it were pre-master. Surprisingly, the master volume knob spins on the shaft, as it’s improperly sized; I got better operation removing it. Considering the price, the MC3 is still a great choice for the personal recordist, the laptop recordist on-the-go, or the travelling producer who wants some stable continuity as their work moves from room to room. THE REVIEWER Rob Tavaglione is the owner of Catalyst Recording, Charlotte’s longstanding independent music production house. catalystrecording.com

INFORMATION Feature set EXTC • Balanced interface for guitar effects pedals • Separate send and receive controls for an optimised signal path • Transformer isolations to help eliminate ground loops MC3 • Passive studio monitor switcher with headphone amp • Controls two sets of monitors and subwoofer • Mono sum for AM radio compatibility and phase check www.radialeng.com

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www.audiomedia.com

INTERVIEW

I spend a lot of time with him when we’re away so it was just good use of our time. The idea of the programme was to help promote a BBC Radio 4 series called Tweet of the Day, which is on most mornings at 5:58am. Every month they get different people to present or introduce the birds and David did the ones over the Christmas period. I didn’t really imagine it as an interview. It was really just a conversation that we recorded one afternoon.

Chris Watson recording in a volcanic fissure on the Galápagos Islands

Rock Music As one of the world’s leading sound recordists, Chris Watson’s television work includes BAFTA award-winning programmes with David Attenborough. He talks to Jake Young following a trip to record at some cup and ring stones, a type of prehistoric rock art. You’ve just got back from recording at some cup and ring stones. How was that? It was at an amazing place called Roughting Linn in north Northumberland, quite close to the Scottish border. It’s for a project for the AV Festival in Newcastle this month and it was with two musicians John Butcher and Rhodri Davies. John is a saxophonist and Rhodri is a harpist and they work a lot with improvisation and the sounds of their instruments in different and particular spaces. I worked on a project with them recording in an acoustically reverberant place in Newcastle called the Discovery Museum and then we took those recordings to Roughting Linn and played them back through a pair of Anchor speakers mounted either side of these ancient cup and ring mark stones, diffusing the sounds recorded in that 50 March 2014

studio space across these stones and then re-recording them in that landscape. It’s a really interesting technique called worldising that I use sometimes in my work and it seemed appropriate to do it here. I’ve done it a few times but yesterday was the most successful. There were robins singing nearby, redwing and fieldfare calls, as well as migrating geese overhead. It was one of those times where you listen in the headphones and you stand back and get your hands off all the gear, and you just listen, and you think ‘this is absolutely amazing’. I recorded it with a Schoeps Double M/S array so I could listen to it back in surround. In terms of capturing the space and those elements it was amazing. Where else have you been recently? Well prior to that I was in the

“It was one of those times where you listen in the headphones and you stand back and get your hands off all the gear, and you just listen, and you think ‘this is absolutely amazing’” Chris Watson Kalahari Desert for a week working on a BBC series called Survival. I was there with David Attenborough recording some pieces to camera that are introducing the series and also recording some sounds in the desert. You interviewed David Attenborough in November in Qatar. What was that like after working together for 20 years?

Your work is released on the Touch label? Not exclusively, but a lot of my recorded output that’s not broadcast goes on CD for Touch. Touch has been going a long time – 30 years, I think. They must be one of the longest established independent record companies around. Jon Wozencroft and Mike Harding run it. I’ve known them a very long time. They gave me the chance, it must have been the early 1990s, to release some material and I’ve done quite a few albums with them. But you were signed to Rough Trade in the 70s? I was with a band called Cabaret Voltaire and the first label we signed to was Rough Trade. It must have been 1979. We made a few records with them and then we also signed to a Manchester label called Factory. We were on their first ever release, which was called A Factory Sample. I think there was us, Joy Division, The Durutti Column, and a poet called John Dowie. We did one record with Factory and then we worked with a Belgian label called Crépuscule, which has just been revived. They just got in touch with me and said that they were back in business, generously offering me the chance to do something with them, which I might do. When did you develop an interest in recording? My parents bought me a reelto-reel tape recorder when I was about 12 – a really inspired gift, which I’ve still got in my studio. It had tiny 3in spools of 0.25in tape and it had a microphone on a metre of cable. I recorded everything

in the house, things I still record actually, creaking doors and the buzz of refrigerators, and things like that. I suddenly realised it had batteries in it so I could take it outside, which was a revelation for me. Later on in my mid teens I discovered that you could manipulate 0.25in tape and sculpt it. I discovered musique concrète and the works of people like Pierre Schaeffer in Paris who were working using the tape recorder as a compositional tool, as a creative instrument. I became really fascinated by that. That’s really what got me into music, this route of musique concrète, latterly electronic music, a combination of both, and then starting Cabaret Voltaire with Richard H Kirk and Stephen Mallinder. How did you develop a specialty in location sound? I was always really interested in that and I became more interested in recording and then using the sounds. After some time I realised that what I was trying to do in the studio in terms of manipulating [sounds], really the best results were when I went out and actually made a really good recording. I became more and more interested in that side of things – in improving my location recording techniques and getting experience out in the field. What are your future plans? At the moment most of my projects are things like installations because I’m much more interested now in spatial sound, which is impossible to get onto a record. The next piece I’m doing is the creation of an island called Hy Brazil in three dimensions of a soundscape, which I’m doing in the Howard Assembly Room in Leeds. It will be installed for about three weeks with this significant 20-channel ambisonic sound system. What’s in your kitbag? It’s got a Schoeps Double M/S array with three capsules, a Sound Devices MixPre, an analogue stereo preamp, a Sound Devices 744T, and a pair of Sennheiser HD 25 headphones. www.chriswatson.net www.audiomedia.com