Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 125 i AudioTechnology

In October, Amsterdam was in the thralls of the largest electronic music event in the world for five days. The Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), started as far back as 1995 as a three-day conference, but it has since grown to something so large that one wonders how a relatively small city like Amsterdam can accommodate it all. We’re talking nearly 500 music events, over 2500 performers, plus 334 conference events, 140 venues and a whopping 400,000 attendees. This year performers ranged from David Guetta and Martin Garrix, to Underworld and even legendary minimalist composer, Philip Glass. It’s big, and can be hard to get your head around. Not least because it’s possible to spend hours on ADE’s impenetrable website and still only have a vague idea of what all the…

The Big Knob is back… and smaller than ever. The original Big Knob was a central command hub for your studio. Lots of inputs, three sets of monitor outputs, a couple of headphone outputs, talkback, and, of course, the central big monitor level knob with mono, dim and mute. Mackie had let the Big Knob fade into nonexistence for a while, and other companies rode into steal its lunch, including a host of interface manufacturers that figured they could combine the big knob concept and a two-channel interface into a dynamic desktop duo. They were right. So, when Mackie decided to bring the Big Knob back, it added some Onyx preamps and built-in outputs to go along with the core Big Knob monitor switching function. There are a total of…

Flying faders were initially the most impressive thing about digital desks. Punters gasped the first time they saw them change positions at the touch of a button and operators marvelled at all those layers of channels in a small space. Presonus does things differently and has only now included motorised faders in its new StudioLive Series III range of digital audio mixers. While their inclusion will be welcomed by fans of the brand who’ve been eyeing off the competition, flying faders are just one part of modern lit-up touch-screened digital consoles. What’s most impressive about digital mixers now is the depth of functionality, connectivity and how little they cost. The Presonus StudioLive Series III range of digital mixers comes in three console sizes with three rackmount mixer options that double…

If ever there was a preamp to suit the modern recordist, the Australian-made Sebatron VMP Quad Plus could be it. Let’s face it, these days even the IC-based preamps onboard audio interfaces can sound quite good. Everyone with an audio interface has at least two clean, relatively flexible preamps at their fingertips. What they don’t have is character. Sebatron’s latest four-channel tube microphone preamp ticks a lot of boxes. It’s affordable, built like a tank, and sonically versatile. It can go from crystal clear class A tube gain to coloured with harmonic distortion. The preamp runs the tube with a proper High Tension voltage, so the tube isn’t starved for power to achieve artificial breakup. Instead, you get all the clean headroom you can get from a 12AT7. While it’s…

Batteries are a big deal in the world of wireless audio. Not so long ago, big events would need an Energizer sponsorship to ensure the battery costs didn’t send them broke. Opening ceremonies would often involve hundreds of FM beltpacks that provide a click and a soundtrack to keep performers in sync. These performers might rehearse half a dozen times. The batteries would be replaced after every rehearsal. You could quickly rack up thousand upon thousands of AAs going into landfill. Pro wireless systems will give you the option of a recharging cradle, which is a great idea — charge while you stow. Lower cost systems will require you to feed the AA beast. Shure’s GLX-D, and the new Advanced version I’m reviewing, has done something very different and it’s…

ADAM DEMPSEY MASTERING Adam Dempsey has been mastering diverse projects, including: Luke Brennan, Cat Canteri (engineered and mixed by Jeff Lang), Hello Tut Tut, Lake Minnetonka (digital and vinyl), Angie McMahon, P76, Chris Rainier (vinyl), Paul Reid, Sex On Toast, Doc White, and a live album for Justin Yap Band. As for new equipment, there’s always some testing happening in the software world. Speaking of testing, Adam will be doing just that on a lovely bottle of single malt gifted by Nick Batterham for completing the sixth album they’ve worked on together. 1 Adam wishes a peaceful, musically prosperous new year to all, and may your vinyl LP orders include anti-static sleeves. STUDIOS 301 2 It’s full steam ahead for the Studios 301 crew as they get set for the…

I’ve just spent the last couple of hours trawling through various Windows Music forums, and the saddest thing I spotted were the doggedly ongoing discussions of how to effectively disable Windows 10 Auto Updates. This is rather ironic, especially since my chosen topic for PC Audio in AT123 was ‘There’s a new audio application update available. Should you install it immediately or wait a while?’ My advice there was to regularly use an ‘imaging’ utility to back up your entire Windows installation, so that in the hopefully unlikely event an update (whether Windows-based or specifically audio) causes you any problems, you can roll back to your most recent image file, and that advice stands. However, Microsoft is still making things difficult for us musicians, by systematically removing any means to…

Artists are always looking for speedy and affordable ways to get their music to their fans and there’s not many more ‘bang for your buck’ services an audio engineer can offer than an in-studio live recording. I often work with artists and bands to produce filmed live studio and location recordings. If you set a band up like they’re jamming at a rehearsal or an intimate live gig you can easily capture the emotions and vibe of the room — which doubles as a perfect opportunity for powerful filmmaking. With less studio time needed, less post-recording editing, and a video clip created simultaneously, it’s a great way to generate content quickly and cheaply, to distribute to fans and build a stronger social presence. Plus, you can release the audio recordings…

What’s your dream microphone? Is it Neumann’s legendary 1950s valve U47? Perhaps it’s a vintage AKG C12 or the old Abbey Road favourite, the Coles 4038 ribbon mic. Then again you might prefer a sweet Neumann U67 for bass and guitar cabs, or an imposing U49 for silky yet powerful vocals. Hmm… this is getting tricky. It’s probably best if you procure them all, just to cover your bases. What do you mean you don’t have a lazy $70k laying around? You can only scrape together around two grand, huh? Alright no problem, I’ll get all those mics plus a few more tasty models for you, and I’ll make it so you don’t need to commit to one until after you’ve done the recording. Sound good? Read on. ONES &…

Aussie inventor, John Sansom, has built a gadget that can either be the joy or bane of a sound guy. His device puts volume control in the hands, or at the feet, of the musician. Specifically anyone performing into a mic — singers, saxophonists, brass players, violinists, John is looking out for you. The phantom-powered Goose (opposite of duck… audio joke) is a little box with one simple job. Step on the switch and it will ‘goose’ your signal by 5dB for solos. For sound engineers worried about the ramifications of giving performers access to a boost button, John has built in a couple of failsafes to keep the mix under control. Firstly, the Goose’s switch is momentary, not latching. In the same way a talkback switch keeps backseat criticism…

I studied audio in the late ’70s before working in a Paris recording studio headed by a famous French producer, Dominique Blanc-Francard — give him a song and he’d make it a hit! After my experience with Dominique I started my own studio in a big old cinema on the outskirts of Paris. It was a beautiful place that I mostly renovated myself. Acoustically it sounded amazing and it helped me record hundreds of jazz albums. I did that up until 1999, when I had the invitation to take over what is now Studio La Fabrique. La Fabrique looks like a chateau but it was built as a textiles factory — hence the name. Generations of people lived here as workers. It has an amazing history. It’s a big place.…

HARMAN DISTRIBUTION CHANGE-UP www.harman.com Effective February 1st 2018, CMI will take on Australian pro audio and retail distribution for all brands under the Harman umbrella, including JBL, Soundcraft, Crown, dbx, Lexicon, BSS, and AKG (which CMI took on in August 2016). AV Technology (avt) will handle the commercial AV side of Harman’s portfolio. Ramesh Jayaraman, VP and GM, Harman Professional Solutions, APAC, said “The new distribution model leverages over 60 years of collective experience between avt and CMI in the Australian market, and will provide customers greater clarity through simplified sales and support structures. Delivering on this strategy also creates the opportunity for further investment and expansion by Harman Professional Solutions in the Australian market, as avt and CMI extend their capabilities and support across the entire Harman Professional audio…

SAMSON AIRLINE WIRELESS www.samsontech.com Samson lifts off into the airwaves with its full line of AirLine ATX Series micro transmitter UHF wireless systems featuring what Samson calls the world’s smallest beltpack/clip-on transmitter. The ATX wireless micro transmitter can be clipped to your belt, waistband, or even an instrument bell. It provides infrared sync to wirelessly match the receiver and transmitter frequency, gain, and mute controls, a battery life LED indicator, and an eight-hour rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The ATX Series has a rack-mountable CR99 wireless receiver which provides 80 selectable channels and a true RF diversity design. The AHX headset system features a double ear headset with a DE10 miniature condenser microphone. The ALX lavalier mic comes with an LM8 omnidirectional lavalier mic, with a lapel clip. For instruments, the AWX…

When I started out on my recording journey as a very green 13-year old, digital recording was barely a thing at the high-end of the recording business let alone for the home enthusiast. My first experiences of overdubbing consisted of bouncing audio between two cassette decks with horrendous amounts of noise and audio degradation. My idea of hi-fi was saving up for a chrome II tape and using the Dolby noise-reduction switches on my crappy cassette decks. Nevertheless, I was hooked very early on the possibilities of recording sound onto sound. It’s probably safe to say I experienced the very worst aspects of analogue tape recording right at the start — terrible noise and degradation issues, very limited track counts and the necessity of un-redoable submixing. CROSS TALK As the…

No doubt Apple users would recall the furore when the company omitted the ⅛-inch analogue headphone jack from the iPhone 7. Personally I didn’t see the problem as I’d been using Bluetooth headphones since I had an iPhone 4. Untethered headphones perfectly suited the job I had at the time, as I literally had hours of autonomous tasks to complete, and it gave me a chance to indulge in three or four albums up close and personal. Then, if my phone rang, I could surreptitiously take the call and still appear to be working. Wireless headphones are awesome! Why you’d use anything else for casual listening is beyond me. INFRARED VISIONS Another brilliant use of wireless headphones I experienced years ago was when a friend and I would compose electronic…

In the last 18 months, RME launched not one but two ‘flagship’ single rack unit audio interfaces — Fireface UFX+ and Fireface UFX II. The UFX+ was a 20th anniversary celebratory release which added the features of the MADIface USB to Fireface UFX, taking its I/O count to an impressive 94 channels at 48k (54 at 96k). The sheer number of I/O enabled by the addition of MADI necessitated both USB 3 and Thunderbolt protocols on the UFX+. With analogue I/O, AES, MADI, ADAT, USB 3 and Thunderbolt, it seemed like the most future proof interface one could buy. Hot on its heels, the Fireface UFX II followed within six months with a much smaller I/O count of 30 channels. While it shares an identical front panel with the UFX+,…

The battle to find a free-flowing compositional experience can shift right under your feet; new software, new gear, new instruments, integrating anything new can break your flow in an instant. It was a relief to discover that rather than lobbing a grenade into my setup, Native Instruments was fighting the battle on my behalf. Having played with the Komplete Kontrol S49 Mk 2 for a few months now, I can say these are the most intuitive, unobtrusive, inspirational MIDI keyboards I’ve ever reviewed. The first round of Komplete Kontrol keyboards were an all-round hit as Native Instruments delivered a physical interface for its NKS paradigm. The most noticeable feature was the Light Guide. The key illumination feature could have looked poxy, something a beginner might need to find Middle C.…