Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 123 i AudioTechnology

I was in Chicago recently for a Shure press junket. It involved a handful of Axient Digital wireless magic tricks; like low power transmission from all the way up in the boondocks of the Soldier Field NFL Stadium, and playing ‘how far down a tunnel can you walk before you lose reception?’ Pretty far it turns out. Seems like powerhouse broadcasters like the NFL are going to be well catered for. There was also a new product the rest of us mortals can get excited about, you’ll just have to wait until later in the year for the wraps to come off that particular NDA. While I was there, I thought it’d be a wise idea to knock on the door of a couple of famous Chicago studios and say…

GEARING UP WITH AXIENT DIGITAL www.shure.com Gearhouse Broadcast’s Event Communications Division has scored a world first by rolling out Shure’s Axient Digital premium RF microphone platform in Australia. It all began when Gearhouse was approached by Shure and Jands to sign an exclusive R&D partnership that gave Gearhouse direct access to Axient Digital’s product roadmap and provide input on future feature sets and product design. Jason Owen, Events Communication Manager, put it to work at the AFL. “Axient digital is perfect for sporting bodies, large venues and production companies so we immediately approached the AFL and suggested they use the system at all remaining games this year.” Jason is impressed with the system’s outstanding RF performance, even in complex, crowded environments. “Axient Digital also works efficiently and reliably at much…

Sing Sing’s mothership studio on Gordon St, Melbourne, was a luxurious place decked with outboard gear, loads of instruments, a Neve console in one control room, and an SSL in another. With developers moving in on the storied spot, Sing Sing announced the studio’s secondary Chapel St location (Sing Sing South) would take its place as the studio’s spiritual home. A few hurdles accompanied the prospect of relocating the iconic recording hotspot. Moving a studio with this much gear is an elaborate process at the best of times, notwithstanding the fact that Sing Sing South offers significantly less room to put it all in. Sing Sing South isn’t a new space. The venue has etched its mark in Aussie recording history ever since the ’50s where it started out hosting…

FONSI’S VOCALS “I actually finalised the mix while I was on the islands, on Parrot Cay, where I was working on a Bose bluetooth speaker. I sent it out for approvals, then needed to make some changes, because I got a new vocal by Luis [Fonsi] while I was there with English text written by Marty James. Once Luis heard Justin on it, he wanted to add something himself, so I added that at the last minute. Luis’ vocals are called V and VDbl in the session, and they came in tuned. They already had the Waves D3 DeEsser on it, and the RVox, so I kept them. I then added the SSL E-Channel, the C6 and the Pro-Q2. They’re all doing light things, because Luis’ vocals also go back…

In one of his books about lateral thinking, Edward de Bono talks about a bunch of designers sitting around a big table trying to re-invent the airplane. One guy wants to put in more seats so they can make more money per flight. Another wants less seats to make it easier for the peanut cart to get down the middle. One wants bigger fuel tanks so they can fly further. Another wants smaller fuel tanks so they can fit more baggage in. On it goes around the table as paradigm challenges paradigm, and conflicts are argued about and eventually resolved. Everyone there knows they all have the same goal, and that is to make a great airplane. However, they are also aware that at the end of their deliberations, if…

NEED TO KNOW PROS Useful auto on/off feature Mechanically robust CONS Rear-facing output socket CONTACT Rode: www.rode.com A good camera-top microphone to a filmmaker is like a trusty mini-mixer to a soundie. It doesn’t have to be the hottest feature-loaded gadget to impress, it’s just got to work. The Rode VideoMic line has always had this utilitarian streak, but the new VideoMic Pro+ brings a little more bling. VideoMic Pro+ is a fair handful and chunkier than its predecessor. The Rycote Lyre shockmount is tucked in nice and close to the mic body, keeping it relatively compact when perched atop a camera. The 3.5mm output socket is still maddeningly mounted on the rear of the mic, meaning the right-angle cable pokes your forehead if you shoot video through your camera’s…

My father was an arranger all his life, he’d played since he was a kid. He would arrange jingles and TV shows like Lassie here in Hollywood. My mother also worked for the I Love Lucy show. They were entertainment parents. My dad had his own studio at home and was always in there. I grew up in that studio. I didn’t know any different. When I was seven, my parents took me, my brother and sister down to Guatemala. I lived my really important years between seven and 17 down there. My dad was very taken by the Baha’i faith, whose principal belief is in the oneness of humanity and religion. They just decided to go somewhere they could help share that. My life changed forever. I remember a…

A SHARP STUDIOS Life's been busy at A Sharp Studios with producer 1 Nathan Sheehy glued to his chair tracking and mixing some great Sydney indie bands including The Knowgoods, Pirra, and JZYM. 2 Steve James (centre) has had several new projects on his plate including the new live album for The Choirboys. A number of freelance engineers have been through the doors to work at A Sharp for the first time, notably Jean-Paul Fung with indie-rock band Undercast. Tony Wall’s been back again with Sarah McLeod working on some live recordings for her recently-released album, and Chris Jackson’s been tracking a variety of jazz projects. 3 A Sharp organised a gathering of over 60 Sydney engineers for drinks and yarns, hosted at the studio. A similar event will be…

Not many active musicians have touched stylus to CRT screen on an original Aussie-made Fairlight CMI. The effect of Fairlight’s ground-breaking sample-based computer music editor is more likely to be felt in modern software workstations — like Ableton Live. Fairlight didn’t become ubiquitous in the music production space, instead the company turned its focus to film and broadcast and made arguably the world’s best DAWs for those industries. In keeping with its history of innovation and survival in changing markets, Fairlight has once again undergone a phoenix-like transformation to be reborn under the watchful eye of another famous Australian name — Blackmagic Design. Blackmagic should be a familiar name to audio folk as the divide between audio and video is dissolving rapidly. It started modestly, making digital video I/O cards…

This afternoon I spent several hours updating my Internet browser after it claimed that a newer and better version was available. I’d been running the 32-bit version for years, and the 64-bit version was now beckoning. I duly followed the update instructions, and as I should have expected, a few minutes later had ended up with two installations — my previous 32-bit one and the new 64-bit version. Did I need both? Of course not. So I uninstalled the old 32-bit version, and then ran my shiny new 64-bit version for the first time. Of course, this streamlined new setup didn’t carry over all my carefully added browser extensions for tasks like blocking unwanted ads and saving extensive tab sessions. My tweaked screen layout had also been returned to its…

Since the early 2000s Chameleon Labs has carved out quite a niche for itself in the middle ground of the audio market. Its products are neither bargain basement nor pricey, and have always offered users great feature sets and a taste of what lies further up the audio food chain. With renowned engineer Marcelo Vercelli (Mackie, Event Opal, RCF) taking over the company in 2014, Chameleon Labs has undertaken several years of research and development resulting in the release of the 7603 and 7603 Xmod preamps. These are the first in a new generation of products that promise to see Chameleon Labs up the ante in its area of the market. I was keen to take them for a drive in the studio and play them up against my vintage…

Capturing the sound of acoustic instruments is one thing, amplifying them is another. Getting them loud and clear on the big stage is one of the more demanding gigs in live sound, especially if you want them to sound real. Some genres plug in with pickups and DIs but these rarely sound natural. Acoustic instruments are rich in fine detail with subtle dynamics and their beautiful, complex sound develops as it leaves the body of the instrument. Time has proven a high-quality condenser microphone is the best way to go. No problem in the recording studio where you can put the mic wherever you want and there’s no background sound but live shows are relatively uncontrolled environments and present special challenges for sensitive condenser mics, even high-quality ones. Gain-before-feedback is…

I reckon we’re mightily close to the point where an iPad can be used for serious recording. I know many already do, but for me it’s still lacking. I’ll get to why a little later. Of course, you’ll need an interface that is savvy to iPad connection. There’s actually dozens of interfaces accessible by an iPad, as long as they’re USB Class 2.0 compliant they can be tethered to an iPad for multitrack recording. Yes, USB is the only option for iPad I/O as the interface needs to be connected with an Apple Camera Connection Kit (for older 32-pin connectors) and a powered USB hub to keep the iPad powered, or the Lightning-to-USB Camera Adapter for Lightning port iPads. Don’t be swayed by the ‘Camera’ nomenclature — Apple market the…

The Soundbrenner Pulse is a Kickstarter campaign success story. At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking the device treads a fine line between novelty and functionality. However it’s a surprisingly practical concept with a well-executed design. If the name’s new to you, Soundbrenner Pulse is a wearable metronome that pairs up with your smartphone via Bluetooth and talks to an accompanying app. Only, this metronome doesn’t click — it vibrates. You can strap it on like a wristwatch, or use the larger band to append it to a lower limb, whereupon it pulses in time with the tempo of your choosing. FEEL THE BEAT The idea of a metronome being tactile rather than audible is entirely legitimate. The tangible thump of a kick drum erupting from a subwoofer is…

With the Origin, it was a droppable headbasket. With Starlight, it’s a laser pointer. Trust Aston Microphones to add a peculiar touch to its first small diaphragm condenser. There’s not much about Starlight that holds to convention. Sure, it’s a pencil condenser, but whichever angle you turn it, there’s a refreshingly new element. Up top, there’s the black hump housing the laser. Down back, the tumbled steel chassis, that’s now become a trademark of Aston mics, is tapered like the shroud of a ray gun. At the very front is a sintered head basket. Basically, loads of ball bearings tethered together to form an incredibly durable, yet porous material. AKG used to do it years ago, and Eric Valentine’s Undertone Audio console has a top sheet of the stuff, but…

First released in 2009, the original QSC K10 set the standard for portable powered speakers. It was already a crowded market but the K10 caught everybody’s ear by providing more coherent sound for the buck. The design was great; plenty of power, easy to use, the best carry bags, indestructible, well-priced, good looking, handles in the right places and multiple, flexible, mixable inputs… still, it was mainly the sound quality that got them in. I saw the enthusiasm spread through solo performers, folkies and duos, the acts that plug in acoustic instruments and sing for their supper. They loved the accurate reproduction, the compact design and the surprisingly high volume, if required. The word spread fast and the reputation for hi-fidelity combined with ready power saw them move swiftly to…