audiomedia 1403

No. 280 �March 2014 www.audiomedia.com

IN THIS ISSUE

A look at the current market for in-ear monitoring systems p24

�� TECH FOCUSCompactDigitalConsoles

p34

�� FINAL CUTThe sound and music ofXbox One launch titleForza Motorsport 5

p28

�� RIMSHOT STUDIOWe visit a studiooffering the best ofanalogue and digital

p32

It’s All in Your Head

�� SHOW PREVIEWEverything you need toknow about this year’sProlight + Sound

p14

Editor – Jory [email protected]

Deputy Editor – Jake [email protected]

Managing Editor – Jo [email protected]

Sales Manager – Graham [email protected]

Group Head of Design & Production – Adam [email protected]

Production Executive – Jason [email protected]

Designer – Jat [email protected]

Publisher – Steve [email protected]

Managing Director – Mark [email protected]

Press releases to:[email protected]

© Intent Media 2014. No part of this publication may bereproduced in any form or by any means without priorpermission 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 6002Sales tel +44 (0)20 7354 6000

Audio Media ISSN number: ISSN 0960-7471 (Print)

Circulation & Subscription enquiries Tel: +44 (0)20 7354 6001email: [email protected]

Printed by Stephen & George, Wales

WELCOME

www.audiomedia.com March 2014 03

MEET THE TEAM

March 2014Issue 280

I’VE ALWAYS been attracted to the way sciencefiction films and TV programmes fromdifferent eras show their vision of the future.From Gene Roddenberry’s sexed-up, 70s-inspired intergalactic exploration epic, StarTrek, to Ridley Scott’s 80s-themed dystopianfuture in Blade Runner, and even Spike Jonze’salmost-too-accurate comment on our currentaddiction to technology in Her, the present hasalways had a strong presence in our future.

But the future is also retro. Our vision ofwhat’s to come is ultimately formed by whathas already happened, or what is currentlyhappening. Maybe that’s the reason why we’reso 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

revealed its Aira range – four new products designed to emulate some of thecompany’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 ARPOdyssey synth – a staple on albums from Tangerine Dream through to NineInch Nails. Korg has even brought in David Friend, one of the founders andpast presidents of ARP Instruments, as chief advisor on the project.

For sound designers, or just plain old synth heads, these releases cause a bitof a conundrum. Just as we love the idea of capturing classic sounds and areexcited by the idea of implementing modern functionality, there’s always a bitof scepticism whenever a company tries to recreate a proven product. As muchas 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 aforementionedfilms and programmes. As much as we try to look to the future and create avision of things to come, we are sceptical of our abilities and ultimately give into 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 somethingcompletely new it’s by pushing through that fear that we carve out our ownplace in history.

As much as I love the idea of a retro future, I’m more excited by uncharted waters.

Jory MacKay, Editor

“Our vision of what’s to come is ultimately formed by what hasalready happened, or what is currently happening.

Maybe that’s the reason why we’re so drawn to things that are‘classic’ and ‘traditional’”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>AADVERTISERINDEX

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

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

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

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

04 March 2014 www.audiomedia.com

>TECHNOLOGYFOCUS:

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

REVIEWS:

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

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

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

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

Radial Engineer’s EXTC and M3.... 48

>FEATURESIt’s All in your Head..........................24

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

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

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

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

� Softube releases the Console 1

� New addition to Focusrite RedNet range

� TC upgrades DB6 and TouchMonitors

INDUSTRY.........................................10

� Alchemy Mastering opens new location

� Last chance to enter InstallAwards

� Studer shows off Vista X

>ALSO INSIDEShow News: Prolight + Sound, BVE.........................................14

Geo Focus: Spain...................................................................20

Interview: Sound recordist Chris Watson......................50

p34

p32

COVERJohn Broomhall dives into

the creative audio process

for Xbox One launch titleForza 5 p28

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


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 non-

linearities 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

Softube Begins Shipping the Console 1

TC Electronic Upgrades DB6and TouchMonitor RangeRTW’S LOUDNESS QualityLogger (LQL) is nowcompatible with the TCElectronic TM7 and TM9TouchMonitors. LQL is anatural extension of the softwareoptions available for theTouchMonitor range thatprovides logging, true-peak dataanalysis, and reporting.

It enables data to be deriveddirectly from an IP-connectionfrom a capable TouchMonitor,as well as from external storagemedia devices such as a USBstick. Also included in thesoftware are dual limitweighting, status information,marker, and various otherreporting features. While thenew PC software is free ofcharge, an LQL licence isrequired to enableTouchMonitors to support data export and additionaldisplay functions.

TC has also released asoftware update for its DB6

loudness management solution.Version 1.3 allows broadcastersto recall up to 16 scene presetsby using GPI 1 and 2 together.

With software version 1.3,broadcasters can now recall upto 16 Scene Presets using onlytwo of the DB6’s four GPIinputs. Based on this, DB6 maybe controlled during playout, ora simple preset selection panelcan be designed with easy access

to presets and/or emergencyoverride.

Further, it is now possible tocontrol DB6 by multipleinstances of the ICON remote,adding a new level ofoperational flexibility to theplatform. Finally, it is alsopossible to copy entire userpreset Banks to or from filesstored on a PC or Mac.www.tcelectronic.com

New Plug-ins fromExponential Audio

DiGiCo AnnouncesAvailability of D2-Rack DESIGNED TO support andexpand the DiGiCo SD range,the D2-Rack comes with eitherBNC or Cat5 MADIconnections, making itcompatible with a number ofDiGiCo consoles or as astandalone unit.

“Being able to open up thefull 96kHz potential of the SD8,SD9, and SD11 with this nextgeneration of I/O conversion isan impressive upgrade,” saidDiGiCo managing director

James Gordon. “It allows usersto get unrivaled audio quality ata total system latency of just over1ms.”

The D2-Rack offers two I/Oversions: 48 mic inputs, 16 lineoutputs, two blank output slots(allowing an additional 16outputs in the owners desiredformat – analogue, AES, andAviom); or 24 mic inputs, 24AES inputs, 16 line outputs, andtwo black output slots. www.digico.biz

EXPONENTIAL AUDIO hasannounced the release of version2.0 of two of its most popularplug-ins: PhoneixVerb and R2stereo reverb.

Both new versions feature aredesigned GUI with a modernappearance and improvedvisibility while the simplenavigation and overall ease-of-use remain the same.

Version 2.0 also includesadditional features such asfavourites list; user-controllable

CPU load balancing forincreased processor efficiency;several new preferences to helptailor the plug-ins to the user’sway of working and dozens ofnew presets designed to make iteven easier to find the rightsound for the right application.

The update is free to currentusers with bundle packagesavailable to new users looking toadd both plug-ins (iLok 2required).www.exponentialaudio.com

d&b Adds New Flagship AmpADDING TO its range of amplifiers, d&bAudiotechnik has just announced a new flagshipmodel: the D80. The 2U D80 containsconfigurations for all d&b loudspeakers as well as alinear mode. The four-channel unit also provides aserious amount of power (4,000W into four ohms).

The amp has both digital and analogue signalinputs as well as link outputs, remote control, and monitoring capabilities, and sophisticatedprotection circuits.

The D80 is a Class D amplifier specificallydesigned to deliver high power into low impedanceloads between 4 and 16 ohms.

The signal delay capability allows user definablesettings of up to 10s (3,440m) to be appliedindependently to each channel. The same applies tothe two 16-band equalisers that are also available in

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

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


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

Sony Announces Upgradeto Audio Editing Software

Yamaha Enhances R SeriesMANUFACTURER YAMAHA has added thenew R Remote software application to its RSeries of I/O units. R Remote allows remotecontrol of the head amplifiers in the Rio3224-D,Rio1608-D, and Ri8-D I/O units directly from alaptop or desktop PC without the need for a CLseries or similar digital mixing console withremote control capability.

The free software opens up new functionalityfor the R Series including setting up a liverecording system with just R Series I/O racks anda computer running Nuendo Live or similarDAW; operating Dante infrastructure completely

independently of a console; or using R Seriesunits with consoles that don’t support remotehead amp control, such as the Yamaha 02R96 or 01V96i.

“R Remote is another example of how feedbackfrom Yamaha users helps us to deliver newproducts that audio engineers really want,” saidChihaya ‘Chick’ Hirai, Yamaha Pro Audio PAmanager. “R Remote can deliver previouslyunprecedented system capabilities and we are surethat many users will find this versatile newproduct very useful.”www.yamahaproaudio.com

New 500-seriesModule from BBEIN RESPONSE to the growingpopularity of the 500 seriesformat, BBE has announced anew, more compact version ofits Sonic Maximizer technology.

The single-channel SM500 isdesigned with the sameprocessing engine as the BBE882i rackmount model(meaning the SM500 is suitable for any style of music)and is engineered to brighten,clarify, and add fullness byadjust phase relationships andaugmenting high and lowfrequencies, revealing more ofthe sound’s natural texture anddetail.

The unit is compatible withall 500-type racks and features+23dBu headroom with 118dBsignal-to-noise ratio.

The SM500 features an all-analogue, through-hole circuitmade with high-precisioncomponents (including 1%metal film resistors throughout)as well as a bypass switch toallow for quick and easycomparisons between processed and unprocessedsignals.www.bbesound.com

Mackie Updates Master FaderVERSION 2.1 of Mackie’s control app for its DLSeries digital live sound mixers is now available,adding a number of user-requested features.

“With 1.5 million shows mixed using DL Seriesmixers, we wanted to focus on features that our prousers would appreciate,” commented Ben Olswang,Mackie product manager. “So we added new,powerful output processing that replaces expensiveoutboard system processors.”

Master Fader v2.1 features a four-bandparametric EQ on all outputs, which works inparallel with the current 31-band GEQ. It alsoincludes separate high-pass and low-pass filterswith variable slope control. Up to 350ms ofalignment delay is also now available on eachoutput, allowing users to dial in delay stacks, fillspeakers, and other tasks.www.mackie.com

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

www.audiomedia.com

THE LATEST addition to Focusrite’s RedNet range is the D16 AES – a

1U, 19in rack-mountable Dante interface featuring 16 channels of AES-

EBU 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

Focusrite Extends RedNet Range

IK Multimedia Adds the ‘Holy Grail’ of Mastering EQs

T-RACKS CS 4.5, the latest version of IK Multimedia’s T-RackS CustomShop mixing and mastering plug-in, has just been released and includes anumber of new additions to its already extensive collection of mixing andmastering audio processors.

Among the new additions is the first ever software model of the Master EQ432 – the first parametric design EQ that became the basis for all subsequentparametric equalisers in music recording history. The original 432 has becomeone of the go-to mastering EQs due to its inherent musicality, audio quality, andtransparency.

The T-RackS Master EQ 432 is a stereo five-band parametric EQ featuringtwo bands of shelving EQ plus three bands of peaking EQ and has beendesigned to duplicate the original’s sonic character, functionality, and familiarlook while adding extended features.

T-RackS CS runs either as a standalone program for mastering mixes, or as aplug-in within a DAW. It gives access to a wide range of IK Multimedia’sprocessing 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

NEWS


Flood and Alan Moulder CarryOff Producer of the Year Gong

>>> EVENT

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

Alchemy MasteringOpens in West LondonVETERAN 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

>>> RECORDING

Focusrite Celebrates 25 Yearswith Documentary and ContestIN 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

>>> CONTEST

Flood and Alan Moulder pick up theirawards

NEWS


Studer Launches Vista X Infinity>>> BROADCAST

ON 20 February AudioMedia 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

Amadeus Designfor 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 standing-

waves 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

>>> POST PRODUCTION

Last Chance to Enter InstallAwardsENTRY 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.

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

>>> EVENT

Get involvedA wide variety of sponsorship opportunitiesare available, including sponsorship of awardcategories and various brandingopportunities at the InstallAwards and in the run-up to the event. For details, please contact Ian Graham –[email protected], +44 (0)20 7354 6000

1 2 t h J u n e 2 0 1 4 • H i l t o n L o n d o n W e m b l e y

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


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.

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

in the earlier Res 3 models. Funktion-

One 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 US-

based 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 Multi-

Processor DSP will take centre stage

on the Rane stand in Hall 8, booth

A01. According to the company HAL

has “revolutionised system design and

The biggest European pro-audio event of the year returns to Frankfurt this month. We put together a guide ofwhat to watch out for during the show’s four days.

The Choice of Frankfurt

WHAT?Prolight + Sound 2014

WHERE?Messe Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main,Germany

WHEN?12-15 March9:00-18:00

pls.messefrankfurt.com

DPA’s new grids for the d:factovocal mic

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.

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

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.

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

SHOW PREVIEW


The outdoor areas give live sound companiesthe opportunity to show off their kit underrealistic conditions

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


BVE 2014 opened its doors to more

than 15,000 broadcast and production

professionals last month with the very

latest broadcast technology, a packed

seminar programme, and product

training sessions. Many exhibitors used

the show as a UK launchpad for

products, including some new audio kit.

BVE hosted the UK debut of

Calrec’s new Callisto audio console,

which was first launched at last year’s

IBC. Callisto is designed for broadcast

professionals who need to produce

creative and engrossing broadcast audio

easily, but may not require the full

resources of the company’s Apollo and

Artemis audio consoles. Calrec also

showcased its Soccer Sidekick iPad

app, an assistive mixing tool designed

to simplify the job of tracking

the on-field audio during a

football game.

Following the success of

its jungle-themed booth at

BVE 2013, Audio-

Technica brought a Wild

West film set to this year’s

show to highlight the

effectiveness of its shotgun

microphones, including

the BP4071 and BP4071L

shotguns, BP4027 stereo

shotgun, and AT897 short

shotgun. The company

also showed off its new

M50x monitoring

headphones and Allen &

Heath’s Qu Series

compact digital mixing

desks.

Nugen Audio

showcased its complete

line of solutions for

loudness correction, now

available in carefully

selected bundles that

deliver a discount over individual

product pricing. Nugen also unveiled its

versatile MultiMonitor software for

loudness and true-peak monitoring.

Presented for the first time in the UK

to BVE attendees, MultiMonitor offers

up to 16 individual loudness and true-

peak meters in mono, stereo, and 5.1

formats for up to 96 individual audio

channels.

The Roland VR-3EX, the latest

addition to the VR Series of ‘all in one’

AV mixers, made its debut to the UK

market at BVE. The VR-3EX features

audio embedding from four HDMI

inputs while the built-in audio mixer

has delay settings on each input

allowing lip sync adjustments to be

made to match the video source. The

18-channel audio mixer is made

up of four XLR/TRS with

phantom power, stereo RCA,

mini-stereo, and built-in stereo

mics, as well as stereo audio

from the HDMI inputs.

Sennheiser UK showed

many key products from its

broadcast-related ranges.

Highlights included the

company’s flagship Digital

9000 Series wireless system, as

well as the 2000 Series wireless

and 8000 Series wired

microphones. Also featured

was Sennheiser UK’s RF Over

Fibre system, which extends

radio microphone remote

receiving aerials to distances of

up to 25km from their

associated receivers. Other

wired microphones on show

included the MKE 600

shotgun and Neumann TLM

107 broadcast models, as well

as the Esfera surround

microphone system.

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

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

Broadcasting Bliss

DPA’s d:dicate MMP-Fpodiums were on theSound Network stand

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


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

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 mind-

boggling 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 64-

fader 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.

Can You Hear Me at the Back?

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

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea has defended notplaying live at the band’s Super Bowl half-time show

GEO FOCUS SPAIN Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

While still struggling economically after the recession of 2009,Spain’s passion for local music has helped the live and recordingindustries weather the country’s financial storm.

That Spanish Sound

Sonic Vista Studios – Inspired by Ibiza>>> RECORDING STUDIO

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

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.

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

Thrones, HBO, and the BBC, to name a few.

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.

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 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

SPAIN HAS been one of the countriesmost affected by the Eurozone crisiswith its media market taking aconsiderable hit. Several of thecountry’s largest media companies andbroadcasters have been forced to layoff staff adding to the nationalunemployment rate of 27.6%.

Yet the Spanish pro-audio industryseems to be making a slow but steadyrecovery from the crash of 2009. Whileactual quantity of sales has decreasedslightly since 2011, the total worth ofproducts sold has increased, signaling amove to more expensive gear and aninvestment in pro-audio kit.

Much like the rest of Europe, massivemusic festivals are helping drive theindustry in Spain not only for live musicbut for rental and rigging companiesbrought in to support acts. One of themost popular for attractinginternational audiences, PrimaveraSound, returns to Barcelona once againat the end of May bringing artistsranging from Arcade Fire and TheNational, to Nine Inch Nails, Pixies, andWarpaint. Other festivals include Sonarand Benicassim, both of whichcombine popular international acts with

lesser-known Spanish bands. Yet while these internationally

marketed festivals are comparativelythriving, smaller local productions havehad to adapt quickly to the changingeconomic climate. Many cultural eventsin Spain have relied on governmentsubsidies, yet since the most recenteconomic recession these funds havealmost all but disappeared. Taking itsplace major brands such as Telefónicaand Estrella Damm have funded toursand festivals.

In some cases, the artists themselvesare even subsidising the live industry.For his latest European tour, Americanrock star Jon Bon Jovi waived his feefor his concert at the Estadio VicenteCalderón in Madrid on June 27 last yearwith the reduced price of €18 to €33going towards the costs for the venue,operating costs, and show staff.

"When we started planning our tourfor our album, What About Now, wedid a study and found that, due to theeconomic situation, Spain wouldn’t beon the roadmap,” the frontman toldSpanish newspaper El Mundo."However, we didn't want to ditch thefans 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 inrecorded music revenues for the firsttime since 2002 last year, the Spanishrecording industry is continuing tostruggle. From 2006 to 2010, sales ofrecorded music in Spain dropped 50%with physical album sales being cut inhalf. The penetration of digitaldistribution models also appears to beslower in Spain than in the rest ofEurope according to PlataformaTecnológica de los ContenidosDigitales para, which provides numbersof downloaded tracks.

Despite the low numbers, a largeamount of music sales in recent yearshave been attributed to local repertoire.According to the IFPI’s (InternationalFederation of the PhonographicIndustry) latest report, 80% of Spain’stop 10 albums in 2012 came fromdomestic artists.

On top of this, the country has ahealthy studio industry with a numberof high-profile residential andcommercial facilities including ElMirador, the home of legendaryproducer 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, FranzFerdinand).

The Valencia campus of BerkleeCollege of Music also recently openeda Walters-Storyk Design group-designed recording and teachingfacility including a 1,600sqft scoringstage – Studio K – which features an860sqft live room complete with a 15ftceiling and variable acoustics.

“The studio complex needed tomake a statement in a design-conscious country, and be technicallyand acoustically capable ofrepresenting a desirable destination forprofessional work,” said Carl Beatty,Berklee chief of staff.

“We decided to employAvid/Euphonix controllers to takeadvantage of their Eucon protocol thatallows seamless migration of projectsacross the facility, all the way up to theflagship System 5. Additionally, whenwe install an identical console inBoston, we will be doing real-time jointsessions between the two locations viaInternet2 technology.”

20 March 2014 wwww.audiomedia.com

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

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.

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

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.

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,

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

>>> DISTRIBUTOR


“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

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 post-

event 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.”

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

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A SoundChoice

“The list of thingsthat can go wrong

on a live sport OB isalmost endless.”

Mark Reed

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

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


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

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, feedback-

inducing 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

The technology may be entering maturity, but audio quality and accessibility have made in-ear monitor systemscommonplace on stages small and large. Jory MacKay explores the current market for IEMs.

It’s All in Your Head

Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds used Shure kitduring his recent GRAMMYs performance

Emeli Sandé using aSennheiser IEM systemCredit: Richard Minter

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


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

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 custom-

fit 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 three-

way 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 in-

ear monitor mix, many artists

still rely on the experienced

hands of a monitor engineer.

Laura Davis got her start

with Liverpool-based rental

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

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

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 in-

ear monitoring options for the music

industry, motorsports, and even NASA.

Company founder Dr Michael

Santucci gives his thoughts on

IEM safety:

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

A HELPING HAND FOR HEARING HEALTH

Michael Santucci

“With any wirelesssystem RF

interference isprobably your

biggest nightmare.” Tuomo Tolonen

The Sensaphonics 3D Active Ambient System

FINAL CUT FORZA MOTORSPORT 5 Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com


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 5was 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

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

John Broomhall talks to Turn 10 Studio’s John Wendl, Nick Wiswell and Chase Combs about defining the soundof Xbox One launch title (and fastest selling XBox driving game ever) Forza Motorsport 5.

Sound For a New GenerationTurn 10 Studio

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?”

MUSIC CREATION

FINAL CUT FORZA MOTORSPORT 5


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

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.”

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.

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

“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.”

THE TOP GEAR PARTNERSHIP

“It’s amazing to what extent sound can ‘colour’ what you see, bringing powerful

emotional influence to any visuals.” John Wendl

FINAL CUT FORZA MOTORSPORT 5 Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com


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 high-

fidelity 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] pole-

winning 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,

Mike Caviezel, audio production director,

Microsoft Game Studios Central Media Team

“I supervised the interactive music mixing and stem

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.”

MUSIC MIXING

John Broomhall, Lance Hayes and PaulLipson at Avatar StudiosCredit: Harry Amyotte

FINAL CUT FORZA MOTORSPORT 5


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 fall-

offs. 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

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

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

FEATURE STUDIO PROFILE Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com


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

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 Wray-

McCann. Thorne was

inspired by the oak frame in

McCann’s office, which he

saw on TV show GrandDesigns, 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

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

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

Jake Young takes a trip to the Kent countryside to visit a recording facility determined to make people feel good.

Beyond Retro

Rimshot Studio

“I’m not a retro gear junkie.

Everything we’vegot is here becauseI think it’s the best

at what it does.” Mike Thorne

Mike ThorneCredit: Karolina Amberville www.karolinaamberville.com

Credit: Karl Barron www.karlbarronphotography.com

FEATURE STUDIO PROFILE

www.audiomedia.com

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

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

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

Expert Witness


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 ever-

condensing 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 long-

awaited, compact, and very cost-

effective 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.

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

Dan Bennett

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

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.

Compact Digital Mixers


AVIDS6Easily scalable, the Avid S6 is built on the same technology that is core tothe ICON and System 5 product families. With its ability to simultaneouslycontrol multiple Pro Tools and other EUCON-enabled DAWs overEthernet, 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

BEHRINGERX32 COMPACTThe Behringer X32 providesa fluid workflow coupledwith a fully interactive userinterface. With theintroduction of the new 2.0firmware, Behringer has addednew capabilities including AcousticIntegration for connectivity andcontrol of speaker and in-ear monitorsystems, and reimagined the more than 50onboard FX plug-ins. It has also added classic processor examples based onTrue 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 Controlwww.behringer.com

CADACCDC FOURThe Cadac CDC four boasts 16 mono mic/line inputs plus eight stereo lineinputs as standard, but can be expanded up to 64 inputs with the additionof a 32-input, 16-output external stagebox. Wireless remote control of theconsole 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 automationwww.cadac-sound.com

QSCTOUCHMIX SERIESQSC TouchMix-8 (eight mic/line, two stereo inputs) and TouchMix-16 (16mic/line, two stereo inputs) mixers are available mid-2014. All input channelsinclude 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 includedwww.qsc.com

ALLEN & HEATHQU-24Qu-24 boasts a dedicated faderper mic input channel, 24mic/line inputs, three stereoinputs, four FX engineswith four dedicatedsends and stereoreturns, and 20 mixoutputs including two stereomatrix mix outputs and two stereogroups with full processing. Otherfeatures include a patchable AES digital outputwith a further two-channel ALT output, dedicatedtalkback mic input, and two-track output. High-speed dual core DSPsprovide comprehensive channel and FX processing while the SuperStripprovides control knobs for a selected channel’s key processing parameters.

• 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 librarywww.allen-heath.com

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS


MIDASPRO1The PRO1 features a lightweight aluminium frame and, as with all Midasdigital consoles, the audio paths can be routed to multiple destinations andthe 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 throughoutwww.midasconsoles.com

MACKIE1642VLZ4The 16-channel 1642VLZ4 delivers the performance of Mackie Onyx micpreamps in a compact four-bus mixer designed for bands, clubs, andmore. The 1642VLZ4 is designed to provide the highest headroom andlowest noise possible. Plus, it is built with a durable steel chassis thatincludes high-contrast controls. The 1642VLZ4 features an expandedreturn section plus a dedicated control room section.

• 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 meterswww.mackie.com

PEAVEYFX2 16

The new FX2 features twice the processing power of the original. Onboardeffects include reverb, reverb enhanced, delay, compression, expander, de-esser, chorus, flanger, tube emulator, vocal enhancer, and gate. It isalso possible to chain two processors together on each of the twoavailable 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 inputswww.peavey.com

DIGICOSD11

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

• 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 playbackwww.digico.biz

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS


ROLANDM-200I

The Roland M-200i isa compact 32-channelprofessional digital mixing console offering theflexibility and mobility of comprehensive iPad control. The fully functional iPadapplication enables remote control of all the key features of the M-200iincluding preamp control, pan, high pass filters, and PEQ and GEQ control. Italso includes the ability to store and recall scenes, adjust compressors andgates, 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 portwww.roland.com

PRESONUSSTUDIOLIVE AI Redesigned from the ground up, StudioLive AI-series 32-, 24-, and 16-channel digital mixers offer analogue workflow, extensive dual signalprocessing on every channel and bus, and a FireWire s800 interface. ActiveIntegration technology provides direct WiFi and Ethernet networking and atightly 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

SOUNDCRAFTSI PERFORMER 1Si Performer 1 delivers 448 rack units of Lexicon, dbx, BSS, and Studerprocessing in a 19in rackmount console. Si Performer 1 delivers the samemix power as the Performer 2 and 3 consoles but with 16GB mic preampsand 16 faders. It offers parametric four-band EQ as standard on all inputchannels, 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 simultaneouslywww.soundcraft.com

YAMAHACL1

Measuring just 648mm wide by 667mm deep, the Yamaha CL1 digital mixingconsole fits into limited mixing spaces yet features all the facilities of its biggersisters, 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 processingwww.yamahaproaudio.com

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 high-

quality 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

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

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 16-

track 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

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

Simon Allen takes a look at the first small-footprint console from API, and finds that TheBox stands its own against its bigger siblings.

“The pleasant sonicperformance was

immediatelyapparent, which

you would expectfrom any large-

scale API console.”Simon Allen

40 March 2014 wwww.audiomedia.com

API The Box�� PROJECT RECORDING & MIXING CONSOLE

wwww.audiomedia.com March 2014 41

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

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

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

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.

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.comwww.sourcedistribution.co.uk (UK)

THE REVIEWERSIMON ALLENis a full-time sound engineer and record producer. After a stintas senior engineer at City Studios in Cyprus where he headedup the new music studio, he can now mostly be found atWoodbury Studios in Hertfordshire.

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

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.

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.

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 industry-

standard 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.

Audio Media editor Jory MacKay chats with API owner and president Larry Droppa aboutbringing the company’s big-console sound to The Box.

Building The Box

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

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

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 ME-1 personal mixer aims to put musicians in charge of their own monitor mix. Alistair McGhee tests it out.


Allen & Heath ME System�� PERSONAL MONITORING SYSTEM

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

THE REVIEWERALISTAIR McGHEE beganaudio life in Hi-Fi beforejoining the BBC as an audioengineer. After 10 years inradio and TV, he moved toproduction. Most recently,Alistair was assistant editor,BBC Radio Wales and hasbeen helping the UN withbroadcast operations in Juba.

“The flexibility of the system will appeal togigging engineers and musicians alike.”

Alistair McGhee

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 high-

quality 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

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 transformer-

based 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

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!



�� MICROPHONE PREAMP

“Although the terms‘clean’ and

‘transparent’ cometo mind when

trying to describethe 521 ZDT, thatdoesn’t mean it’s

without character.”Stephen Bennett

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

THE REVIEWERSSTEPHEN BENNETT has beeninvolved in music productionfor over 30 years. Based inNorwich he splits his timebetween writing books andarticles on music technology,recording and touring, andlecturing at the University ofEast Anglia.

Stephen Bennett checks whether Earthworks’ 500 seriespreamp lives up to its ‘like wire with gain’ claim.

Earthworks 521 ZDT

MCDSP HAS a heritage and

reputation as a leader in plug-

in 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 plug-

in. The module selection and

easy-to-choose arrangement of

them all makes it a fast no-

brainer style of applying

compression to a track with a

single click. Sound-wise, not

only has Colin McDowell

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 time-

consuming 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 plug-

ins – 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!

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

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 plug-

ins. 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 time-

consuming 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.


The Everything Pack from McDSP brings together the company’sclassic plug-ins with a few added bonuses, writes Alan Branch.


McDSP Everything Pack�� PLUG-IN COLLECTION

“Whether you’repumping your

drums for morepower or guitars forthat wall of soundyou have to try the

SPC2000.”Alan Branch

INFORMATION

Feature set

• Includes all of McDSP’s equalisers, compressors, virtualtape 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

THE REVIEWERALAN BRANCHis a freelance engineer/producer and ex-member ofthe On U Sound Crew. His listof credits include Jamiroquai,Beverley Knight, M People,Simply Red, Depeche Mode,Shed 7, Sinead O’Connor,Bjork, and Sade.www.alanbranch.com

SOMETIMES balanced

audio needs to take a trip

through unbalanced

stompboxes, which involves

impedance and level-

matching 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 often-

complicated task of re-

amping 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

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.



Radial Engineering EXTC and MC3�� EFFECTS RE-AMPER & MONITOR CONTROLLER

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

THE REVIEWERRob Tavaglione is the owner of CatalystRecording, Charlotte’slongstanding independentmusic production house.catalystrecording.com

Rich Tavaglione puts two of Radial Engineering’s recording solutions to the test and finds they pack a lot offeatures into small boxes.

“All the uniquecreative real-time

flexibilitiesimaginable (and

unimaginable) arebrought to life with

the EXTC.” Rich Tavaglione

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


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

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

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?

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.

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 AFactory 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 reel-

to-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 musiqueconcrète 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

As one of the world’s leading sound recordists, Chris Watson’stelevision work includes BAFTA award-winning programmes withDavid Attenborough. He talks to Jake Young following a trip torecord at some cup and ring stones, a type of prehistoric rock art.

Rock Music

Chris Watson recording in avolcanic fissure on the GalápagosIslands

“It was one of thosetimes where you

listen in theheadphones and

you stand back andget your hands off

all the gear, and youjust listen, and you

think ‘this isabsolutely amazing’”

Chris Watson

audiomedia 1403

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