Two weeks after the show, here's my show report. It's quite long and
may not make it whole through some servers. I'll proofread it again
and will post it as a Word file and PDF somewhere in a couple of days.
In the meantime, enjoy and kibbitz.

=================================================

AES Show Report
New York, October 2003
Mike Rivers
(c)2003

The Usual Disclaimer:
If it's not here, either it wasn't on display, I didn't see it, or I
saw it and thought it wasn't interesting enough to spend time at the
booth, or it was something that's been around for a while and has been
reported before or adequately covered in the magazines and web sites
so I didn't have anything to add. Don't ask me if I saw this or that.

Executive Summary:
This is the first NYC show since the rescheduled and foreshortened
post-9/11 show two years ago. I'm pleased to report that the industry
is indeed alive and healthy. Like so many recent trade shows, there
was little revolutionary displayed here, lots of updates of earlier
products, lots of "now shipping" products, and with just one
exception, no real surprises. I'm at the point where I pretty much
pass by the microphone exhibits other than a "hello" to those
exhibitors that I know. There's always more of si milar and a show is
no place to evaluate mics. Not being an active software user, I also
didn't spend much time with the software vendors. So what's left?
Well, here goes:

Microphones
It seems that just about every show, SE has some new mics out. These
are Chinese-built condensers with Class A electronics, and they now
offer a pretty full line from a $100 1/2" diaphragm mic up through
their newest Z5600 multi-pattern tube mic for $700. Like nearly all of
this type of mic, they're nicely finished and have good quality
circuit boards and components inside. Each mic company finds something
unique to brag about. SE's is that they've hired who they consider to
be the top seven microphone desi gners in China. I don't know if they
have exclusive or "non-compete" agreements over there, but SE plans to
take advantage of this knowledgeable crew in the near term to continue
filling out their product line. http://www.tbkmics.com

The Ball from BLUE is now shipping and seems to have been passed
around to most of the magazines so it's easy to find a review of it.
This is a departure from BLUE's traditional (but hardly conventional)
condenser designs in that it's a dynamic mic with a phantom powered
Class A buffer stage built in to isolate it from loading effects of
the preamp to which it's connected. This serves to make it sound
pretty much like itself regardless of the preamp used. Originally
released in a blue (of course) plastic pe rforated case looking much
like a Wiffle Ball, it's now available in multiple colors. Brand new
from Blue, but only available through Digidesign, is the Bluebird, a
mic built on the design of the Baby Bottle but with a flatter, more
neutral high frequency response. Blue mics, with exception of a couple
of capsules for the Bottle, have always had a tailored frequency
response that makes them uniquely appropriate for certain applications
(and conversely, inappropriate for others). This one looks, at least
on paper and from a description (I didn't hear it) like it will be a
good general purpose mic. BLUE has had a couple of bundling deals with
Focusrite (also distributed by Digidesign) in the past year, so this
seems like a logical pairing - a smooth and flat-response BLUE mic
with a very clean series of preamplifiers. http://www.bluemic.com

Preamps:
There's been a little secret around Nashville for a while. Ask the
right people there about their favorite mic preamp and you'll hear the
name "Gordon." Most of us would say "who?" and move on, but now the
secret is out, and the Gordon Instruments mic preamp has made its
first trade show appearance. This is one of those things that just
about everyone who had anything other than "nope" to say when asked if
they've seen anything interesting at the show yet said I had to see.
First, the bad news - it costs $3,500 for two channels. But the good
news is that there's really some design innovation here, and an
attention to detail and quality that you don't find in even most
premium grade audio products. It's completely discrete, balanced
throughout, with no transformers or ICs.

Unlike most preamp circuits that operate at maximum gain and provide
attenuation when less gain is needed, the Gordon uses variable gain so
only the required amount of gain is used at any time. This is
particularly significant when it comes to low noise at low gain
settings, with an equivalent input noise (EIN) that's essentially
constant (about -127 dB) from 30 to 70 dB of gain. An automatic output
load compensation circuit reduces distortion introduced in the output
stage due to differing loads, particula r when connected to a device
with a transformer input. Input impedance is selectable between a
fairly conventional 1K ohm and a highly unconventional 2 Megohms,
essentially no loading on the microphone.

Construction and components are all first rate with liberal use of
polystyrene capacitors (some custom made) and foil resistors. The
circuit board is a low loss ceramic composite material (think "space
capsule") rather than the usual Fiberglas. The preamp is actually
comprised of two single rack space boxes, the preamp itself and the
control unit with stepped gain controls, mute, and polarity reverse
switches. The two units are connected with a standard mic cable which
can be pretty long, allowing the pream p to be located close to the
microphone, minimizing the effect of the mic-to-preamp cable. A clever
chassis design allows the preamp to be rack mounted with the
connectors facing front or rear, or the rack mount ears can be
replaced by an "outrigger" allowing it to be stood on edge near the
microphone. The control unit has four channels worth of controls so
you can use a single controller for two preamps. Designer Grant
Carpenter is one of those rare birds in audio who strives for his own
brand of perfectio n. http://www.gordonaudio.com

While not as exotic as the Gordon, PreSonus introduced the Eureka
channel strip, a solid state Class A transformer input preamp followed
by a FET compressor and three-band parametric equalizer. The
compressor is selectable between hard and soft knee characteristic,
and a variable high pass filter is provided in the side chain for
de-essing. The preamp has a switchable input impedance control (50 to
2.5K ohms) as well as a 1 Megohm instrument input. There's a
"saturation" control, a characteristic of other P reSonus preamp
designs. At the press of a button, the equalizer can be put before the
compressor in the chain. A balanced insert send and return jack pair
allows adding another processor in line, should you decide you need
it, or the insert output (send) can be used as a direct monitor output
for no-latency input monitoring in a digital audio recording chain. An
optional 24-bit 96 kHz A/D converter is available. The single space
rack panel is lovely sculpted aluminum with an analog VU meter
switchable to re ad gain reduction in the center, reminiscent of the
Grace look. http://www.presonus.com

The Liquid Channel is another new channel strip from Focusrite. Like
the PreSonus Eureka, it too includes a mic preamp, compressor, and
equalizer and while the apparent features are similar, the inner
workings are completely different. The name "Liquid" is taken from the
fact that both the preamp and compressor are modeling devices which
can be made to take on the subtle characteristics of many well known
(and some unknown) products. It's a hybrid device with the preamp
modeling being strictly analog - ther e's a whole box full of
transformers, resistors, capacitors, and inductors in there that are
switched in groups to simulate the input characteristics of 40
different preamps, some transformer coupled, some transformerless.

The mic preamp is followed by an A/D converter and a fully digital
compressor which, like the preamp stage, has 40 different compressor
characteristics modeled and selectable by a knob and with all the
standard parameters controllable by another set of knobs. All settings
can be saved as a user preset. One of my secrets of attending trade
shows is to try to sound like I know something about the technology
I'm hearing about, and when the rep showing me around the unit told me
that the modeling technique was based on measurements of the impulse
response of the genuine article, it brought me to mind of another
device I had seen at a previous show that worked the same way. As I
was racking my brain trying to think of the product, I looked up and
saw Mike Kemp of Sintefex standing there and I smiled, pointed to Mike
and said "Like his stuff works?" Yup, Sintefex Audio is a development
partner with Focusrite, providing their Dynamic Convolution technology
for the Liquid Channel.

At the tail end is a new Focusrite designed digital three band
parametric equalizer. A USB port allows for both remote control and
uploading of new models as they become available. At $3,500, it's less
expensive than a few vintage units that it replicates, but somehow it
loses the cool factor of big VU meters and black panels of days of
yore. http://www.ffliquid.com

Signal Processors:
Crossing the line from mic preamps plus to in-line processors, we see
a few new items worth mentioning. With all the clones of Neve 1073
style mic preamp/equalizers around today, Wunder Audio decided to do
something a little different and re-created a modular replacement for
the Neve preamp and three band equalizer that was originally designed
for a custom console in the '80's. The PEQ1 is a drop-in replacement
in a vintage Neve console, or is available to those not so well
endowed as a rack or lunchbox mou nted outboard. Custom transformers,
gold plated switches, and audiophile grade components are used
throughout the all discrete circuitry. The construction is top notch,
with very attractive milled aluminum knobs reminiscent of, but not
direct copies of the Neve style. If you want a clone of a clone
instead of just a plain clone, check it out.
http://www.wunderaudio.com

Great River Electronics displayed their long awaited EQ2-NV equalizer,
a single rack space unit providing two channels of 4-band parametric
equalization and frequency-selectable high pass filter. The filters
are intended to have the musical sound characteristics of the 108x
series Neve console module. The EQ2-NV can stand alone, but it's also
designed to work together with Great River's MP2-NV preamp. An input
selector switch allows it to operate in the preamp's insert loop,
where the instrument DI input of the preamp (as well as the
microphone, of course) can be routed through the equalizer. Since the
insert connections are separate jacks from the stand-alone inputs and
outputs, you can also connect its inputs and outputs to a patch panel
or dedicate them to other routing in your system, and select the
inputs and outputs with a front panel switch. The external inputs and
outputs can match either +4 dBu or -10 dBV operating levels. Coming
soon is a single channel version. http://www.greatriverelectronics.com

Eventide introduced the H8000, an eight channel version of their
Ultra-Harmonizer. With eight channels of AES/EBU, ADAT Lightpipe and
stereo S/PDIF I/O, plus stereo analog inputs, this is the ultimate
(for a while anyway) in the Eventide processing technology. With a
library of 1000 presets made up from over 230 effect modules, it's a
good thing that they built in a search engine to help you find and
organize both the factory settings and your own custom ones. Building
blocks, routable between anywhere and anywhere, offer Eventide
algorithms for reverb, chorus, filters, modulation effects, pitch
shifting, and automatic pitch correction. Comparison with the bargain
priced 8-channel Kurzweil KSP-8 is going to be inevitable. Kurzweil
was conspicuously absent from the show, but the were giving off-site
demos of their new Rumor processor that I didn't get around to seeing.

A couple of years back, some of the folks from the Eventide family
introduced Plugzilla, a hardware box that runs VST software plug-ins
designed to work with DAW software. This is just the ticket for the
traditional studio that wants to take advantage of some of the goodies
that the DAW crowd demands (or for a traveling producer or engineer
who wants to use some of his favorite plug-ins to mix in a patchbay
studio or the musician who wants to take a VST synth out on a gig. Now
we have a friendly competitor, the Receptor from Muse Research. Like
Plugzilla, Receptor has a front panel LCD with soft knobs to adjust
plug-in parameters so it can be used as a stand-alone box, but it adds
an SVGA monitor, keyboard, and mouse port. With those attached, the
user interface for the plug-in is displayed and it can be adjusted
just as if it were running on a DAW. In addition, it can connect to a
computer via Ethernet and function as an outboard DSP unit to add
processing horsepower to a native DAW. This is a really deep pr oduct,
capable of much more than I can describe or even understand. For
further information, go to their web site. http://www.museresearch.com

On the software side, TASCAM introduced a new Giga product, the
GigaPulse a VST reverb plug-in for Windows. Using the convolving
technology to sample the impulse response of a room, it also includes
microphone modeling so you can choose not only the mic position in
your reverberant space, but what kind of mic it is. It's a tweaker's
delight, or choose one of the many presets provided with the program.
TASCAM touts its efficiency, stating (and pointing to the little
"resources" indicator) that it uses very l ittle CPU power.
http://www.tascam.com

Computer Audio Interfaces:
USB 2.0 is still hanging around the starting gate with Edirol's
UA-1000 (introduced at January's NAMM show) still being the only
contender, but USB 1.1 still has a following and we're seeing some new
interfaces that are pushing the envelope. New this show is the Omega
from Lexicon. This is a micro-tower plastic cased handful that
provides four inputs and two outputs at 44.1 or 48 kHz, 24-bit
resolution. There are four line input jacks and two mic inputs on XLR
connectors with phantom power, and one S/PDIF ( stereo) input, with
each pair of inputs assignable to USB inputs 1-2 or 3-4. Like the
TASCAM interfaces that pioneered this application, inputs can be
assigned to a built-in analog mixer for direct no-latency monitoring,
and mixed with a stereo playback from the computer for overdubbing. A
Lexicon designed DSP engine, the Pantheon, provides a built-in reverb
based on classic Lexicon algorithms. http://www.lexiconpro.com

While it wasn't actually on display at the show, but rather lying
casually on a table, Mackie has a very similar product about to be
released, the Spike. Also a USB interface with line and mic inputs,
analog monitoring, and built-in DSP, it's a tabletop unit with rather
striking styling, sort of a cross between the Digidesign M-Box and the
tail fin from a 1957 DeSoto.
http://www.mackie.com/products/spike/index.html

Recorders:
Hardware recorders aren't dead yet, they're just changed in form.
Otari introduced two new recorders at the show. The DR-10N is a two
channel hard disk recorder designed for broadcast production
applications. There's a built in hard drive plus a removable MO drive.
An optional editing controller turns it into a production facility. It
records in Broadcast WAV format, and operates at sample rates of 44.1
to 96 kHz at 16- or 24-bit resolution. On the other end of the scale
is their new DR-100 48-track hard di sk recorder (24 tracks at 96 kHz)
which interfaces to the outside world through MADI. It's a rack mount
box combined with a tabletop controller that looks and works very much
like the remote control of an analog multitrack recorder. With the
proliferation of DAWs blurring the lines between professional and
hobbyist studios, it's refreshing to see a major player in the pro
recording market still making fully professional hardware based
recorders. http://www.otari.com

I'm still in search of something to replace my portable DAT recorder.
It's not here yet, but they're getting close. Sound Devices and Fostex
both showed incomplete versions of portable stereo and four-channel
digital recorders, both targeted toward the film production market.
The Sound Devices units use an internal hard drive or flash memory
card, and can record on both simultaneously for backup and quick
transfer of the recording to another device. The Fostex FR-2 has a
PCMCIA slot for a micro disk drive o r memory card. Both record in an
uncompressed audio format (broadcast WAV files) and record in 6- or
24-bit up to 96 kHz sample rate. Phantom powered mic inputs of course.
The Fostex has a ten second buffer that's always on, so you can catch
the first few words if you're a little slow on the button. Details
will be forthcoming, probably between now and the next trade show.
http://www.sounddevices.com http://www.fostex.com

Core Sound, known for their miniature binaural mics and portable
recording accessories, introduced their PDAudio flash card S/PDIF
audio interface designed to convert a PDA into a digital recorder.
There are several software programs supporting it, currently running
under Linux and Windows CE, and perhaps other systems. See
http://www.core-sound.com for details on developments.

Miscellaneous Cool Stuff:

Now that we have good mics, good monitors, and essentially flawless
recording technology, more project studios are focusing on improving
room acoustics so they can take advantage of their high quality gear.
What's been either voodoo or pronouncements by guys in white lab coats
in the past has been distilled down to some principles and pre-built
materials that do a good job of controlling reflections and standing
waves in most environments, and can be installed without a
construction permit. Two exhibitors a t this show that offer these
products are Ethan Winer's RealTraps, and Media Specialty Resources'
StudioPanel, a collaboration between acoustician Tony Grimani and
engineer/producer Keith Olsen.

RealTraps is the simpler system with the Mini Trap as the building
block. This is a broadband absorber that's an attractive 2 by 4 foot
panel about 3 inches thick that can be hung on a wall using a single
hook. Following the guidelines on the company's web site, you figure
out how many you need, where you should place them for most effective
treatment, place your order, and hammer away. http://www.realtraps.com

The StudioPanel is a more comprehensive system consisting of five
elements, a broadband absorber, a diffuser, a resonant bass absorber,
a piston absorber (traditional "bass trap") and a ceiling absorber.
Kits containing an assortment of these elements are available in three
sizes for (essentially) a bedroom, a living room or basement, or a
garage, the three spaces most commonly used for a home project studio.
They have an interesting marketing concept. You buy a kit based on the
size of your space (in squar e feet) and what you take home from the
store is a box about the size of a software box containing a
registration code, instructions, a CD with reference data and test
material, and a string and bubble level for laying out straight lines.
You phone the company with your registration code and they ship out
the material. In the mean time, you survey your room, mark the
location of the various pieces, and when they arrive, hang them up.
http://www.msr-inc.com/studiopanel.html

Everyone should have some test equipment around the studio, but it's
either expensive or cumbersome. TerraSonde, maker of the Audio Toolbox
and Digital Toolbox, two comprehensive multi-function test tools, has
introduced the Studio Toolbox, designed for the studio owner. It
includes an audio voltmeter, audio signal generator, sound level
meter, polarity tester (including acoustic polarity of microphones and
speakers), real time spectrum analyzer, reverb time analyzer, VU
meter, and oscilloscope. It reads an d generates SMPTE time code, and
has a time code calculator. There's a MIDI monitor, MIDI data
analyzer, MIDI data generator including MMC transport controls, and a
musical features such as a tuner, pitch pipe, click track source, and
tempo meter. Measurements can be stored and transferred to a computer
for printing. http://www.terrasonde.com

I've been a fan of NTI's (Neutrik's test instrument branch) Minirator
and Minilizer ever since I got them for review a few years back. I've
frequently used their measurements when reviewing products as well as
doing repairs and maintenance, but I've always had to keep a pencil
and paper handy to take notes on what I saw on the display. Now
there's a small add-in board for the Minilizer called the MiniLink
which allows operation and more important, storage of the analyzer's
displays and data on a computer th rough a USB port. I ordered one and
now I can send pictures with my articles rather than having to
describe the shape of a curve. http://www.minstruments.com

The proliferation of new microphones the size and weight of a
Chihuahua means that we need to start thinking about sturdier mic
stands. It's been a while since anyone's come up with any new ideas
about how to make a mic stand, but now we have the micKing from Jeff
Roberts of Latch Lake Music (a friend, neighbor, and occasional
collaborator of Great River's Dan Kennedy). The stand features newly
designed clamps that hold better than those on the more common stands
for no-sag boom mounting. The clamping arran gement allows multiple
booms to be put on a single vertical pole to reduce floor clutter when
setting up a singer/guitarist or miking a drum kit. The unique base
weighs 30 pounds but rather than a heavy cast disk, the weight is
concentrated at the circumference of the base in three segments (think
Mercedes-Benz emblem). A pair of wheels that hit the floor when you
tilt the stand back slightly make it easy to move. A large
counterweight easily balances 7 pound mic s, and Jeff says he can do
chin-ups on the ex tended boom (and he's not a little guy). This is
the work of a craftsman in a machine shop and it's priced accordingly,
about $700, but if you want to get your big stereo mic up high to
record a choir and not worry about it falling, it can be a worthwhile
investment. Information isn't up yet, but check later at
http://www.latchlakemusic.com

As projects get more complex and musicians get more fussy about their
headphone mixes, a way of easily customizing headphone feeds is
becoming more important. New from Trident at this show is their S140
8x8 headphone amplifier. Eight inputs can be mixed to eight pairs of
headphone outputs using real controls. The panel has enough white
writing space so that you can mark the sources and destinations, and
let the musicians adjust their own mixes. Data some day at
http://www.tridentaudio.com

New Technology Applications and Services:
While not hardware you can take home from the store, one of the
highlights of the show for me was the Plangent Time Traveler Process.
This is a number cruncher that processes recorded audio and removes
flutter from a tape recording. Developer Jamie Howarth wasn't
satisfied with simply reclocking a digital audio stream. He doesn't
think it sounds good enough, so his process actually recalculates the
position of every sample. It's not real time by any means (a few hours
for a couple of minutes of audio) but i t's absolutely amazing. Not
only is gross flutter removed, but also small mechanical variations
such as scrape flutter between the heads and tape of a tape deck that
cause audible distortion. The process involves extracting bias off the
tape and using that as a time reference. It works since, at least for
short intervals of time, the bias frequency is essentially constant.
The process moves each sample based on where it would have to be in
order for the bias to play b ack at a constant speed. Since bias is a
t least five times higher than the highest frequency recorded on tape,
there's sufficient resolution there to correct the audio. The idea
isn't new - George Massenberg has been talking about it for a while,
but someone's finally made it work, and is using it for restoration
and remastering projects. At the moment, you send him your tape (he
has a tricked out Ampex ATR-100 for playback) and pay by the finished
minute of program material. T ake the time to download some
before-and-after examples at http://www. plangentprocesses.com

How do you get your multitrack master tapes transferred to digital
format? Where do you find a tape deck that's at least as good as the
one you used for recording? Long time analog (mostly Ampex) hobbyist
Steve Puntolillo has set up shop as Sonicraft, offering the highest
quality transfers of just about every multitrack format to digital
format using lovingly restored tape decks and the best A/D converters
he can find. It's a labor of love that he hopes will be somewhat
profitable as the industry moves towa rd digital archiving and
remixing of old masters. Check out the A2DX section at
http://www.sonicraft.com to see how to do it right.

X:
The big surprise for me (and others) was Mackie's introduction of the
dXb, a new digital console. Teasers with nothing more than a
mysterious looking "X" started showing up in publications and on the
Mackie web site just before the show and those of us who follow Mackie
(I worked there for a short while) were curious. With rumors of the
demise of Mackie digital recording products, seeing a new console was
a surprise, and more than anything else, a statement of commitment by
the company that was recently ren amed Loud Technologies (retaining
the Mackie name for audio products). They didn't have a booth on the
show floor, but rather were giving scheduled sign-up-in-advance
demonstrations in one of the downstairs demo rooms.

There's a lot to the console, a lot of work still to be done, and very
little technical literature published yet, but there's quite a bit of
discussion among those who saw it (and those who didn't but are
speculating) on Mackie's support forum. Here are some highlights from
memory, but of course nothing is promised yet, particularly not a
delivery date. My guess is late Summer if everything goes well.

The dXb is laid out pretty much like you'd expect for a digital
console, but instead of the modest sized LCD displays found on
competing tabletop consoles, it has two 15" color touch screen LCDs
which are placed directly above a horizontal row of rotary knobs, one
for each channel, above the 24 channel faders. This arrangement allows
the knobs to function as a complete channel strip for the selected
channel, with a label for each knob shown directly above it on the
LCD, and an appropriate graphic, for insta nce for the equalizer or
the dynamics. Adjustments can be made either by turning the physical
knobs or by dragging the on-screen knobs which act as indicators. I
believe you can also drag the graphics, for example to draw your own
EQ curves. An on-screen QWERTY keyboard pops up for tasks like
labeling channels, but traditionalists can plug in a standard keyboard
and mouse. There's a built-in mouse pad area. There's a fader for each
channel and a master, plus a set of transport controls with a
jog/shuttle wh eel, and buttons for selection of automation functions,
solos, mutes, or selecting a channel for the full-function display.

Inputs and outputs are totally a'la carte, with a rear panel card cage
that accepts analog, AES/EBU, Lightpipe, or TDIF cards, eight channels
to a slot with the exception of a 24-channel Firewire card. The total
capacity is 72 inputs and 72 outputs, mixed as you see fit.

Everything is assignable anywhere, so you can have both analog and
digital inputs and outputs. One important feature is the ability to
assign I/O cards as inserts to the channel path, including channels
that have digital inputs, so you can send the return from your digital
recorder out to your 1176 compressor through an analog I/O card, and
bring it back to the channel just as if you plugged it in via a
patchbay. The currently planned set of cards could leave one a bit shy
on analog inputs and outputs if yo u like to use mic preamps in your
console, but there are other cards planned, including some by outside
developers. At the show, Mackie announced that iZ Tehcnnology (the
RADAR folks) will be making a card for two for it. You could do worse
than their S-Nyquist converters (pant! pant!) for analog inputs and
outputs.

Another powerful feature is the ability to run VST plug-ins. The
console is planned to ship with a Universal Audio UAD-1 DSP card, and
there are slots for up to three more for additional plug-in
horsepower. Mackie will have certain approved plug-ins which will
display logically on the internal touch screens and operate with the
console's knobs, however the intent is that any VST plug-in will run,
and those that don't fit the console's layout (or haven't been
modified to do so) can be operated with a mouse i n the same manner as
they would be used with a DAW.

It's 24-bit throughout, operating to full capacity at up to 96 kHz,
and with half the channels at 192 kHz. At a projected price of around
$20,000 equipped with a typical set of I/O cards, it's in a tough
place in the market. It will be interesting to see where it goes. Keep
in touch with it at http://www.mackie.com/products/dxb/index.html

Wrapup:
That's about all the news that's fit to print this time around. One
observation about this show is that I sensed a move back to a more
professional AES. In recent years, there's been such a crossover
between the pro audio and MI manufacturers that other than the booming
basses and crashing drums, it was hard to tell whether I was at an AES
or a NAMM show. Perhaps it's because of the belt-tightening and the
general slowdown in the industry that feeds the project studio, but
there were a number of regular rec ent AES exhibitors that were
conspicuous by their absence, and those who serve both the pro audio
and MI markets scaled their presences to serious audio products. I
kind of liked it. I hope the trend continues.





--
I'm really Mike Rivers - )

Thanks much for the hard work Mike, I enjoyed reading it!

John L Rice


"Mike Rivers" wrote in message
news:znr1067205800k@trad...

Two weeks after the show, here's my show report. It's quite long and
may not make it whole through some servers. I'll proofread it again
and will post it as a Word file and PDF somewhere in a couple of days.
In the meantime, enjoy and kibbitz.

=================================================

AES Show Report
New York, October 2003
Mike Rivers
(c)2003

The Usual Disclaimer:
If it's not here, either it wasn't on display, I didn't see it, or I
saw it and thought it wasn't interesting enough to spend time at the
booth, or it was something that's been around for a while and has been
reported before or adequately covered in the magazines and web sites
so I didn't have anything to add. Don't ask me if I saw this or that.

Executive Summary:
This is the first NYC show since the rescheduled and foreshortened
post-9/11 show two years ago. I'm pleased to report that the industry
is indeed alive and healthy. Like so many recent trade shows, there
was little revolutionary displayed here, lots of updates of earlier
products, lots of "now shipping" products, and with just one
exception, no real surprises. I'm at the point where I pretty much
pass by the microphone exhibits other than a "hello" to those
exhibitors that I know. There's always more of si milar and a show is
no place to evaluate mics. Not being an active software user, I also
didn't spend much time with the software vendors. So what's left?
Well, here goes:

Microphones
It seems that just about every show, SE has some new mics out. These
are Chinese-built condensers with Class A electronics, and they now
offer a pretty full line from a $100 1/2" diaphragm mic up through
their newest Z5600 multi-pattern tube mic for $700. Like nearly all of
this type of mic, they're nicely finished and have good quality
circuit boards and components inside. Each mic company finds something
unique to brag about. SE's is that they've hired who they consider to
be the top seven microphone desi gners in China. I don't know if they
have exclusive or "non-compete" agreements over there, but SE plans to
take advantage of this knowledgeable crew in the near term to continue
filling out their product line. http://www.tbkmics.com

The Ball from BLUE is now shipping and seems to have been passed
around to most of the magazines so it's easy to find a review of it.
This is a departure from BLUE's traditional (but hardly conventional)
condenser designs in that it's a dynamic mic with a phantom powered
Class A buffer stage built in to isolate it from loading effects of
the preamp to which it's connected. This serves to make it sound
pretty much like itself regardless of the preamp used. Originally
released in a blue (of course) plastic pe rforated case looking much
like a Wiffle Ball, it's now available in multiple colors. Brand new
from Blue, but only available through Digidesign, is the Bluebird, a
mic built on the design of the Baby Bottle but with a flatter, more
neutral high frequency response. Blue mics, with exception of a couple
of capsules for the Bottle, have always had a tailored frequency
response that makes them uniquely appropriate for certain applications
(and conversely, inappropriate for others). This one looks, at least
on paper and from a description (I didn't hear it) like it will be a
good general purpose mic. BLUE has had a couple of bundling deals with
Focusrite (also distributed by Digidesign) in the past year, so this
seems like a logical pairing - a smooth and flat-response BLUE mic
with a very clean series of preamplifiers. http://www.bluemic.com

Preamps:
There's been a little secret around Nashville for a while. Ask the
right people there about their favorite mic preamp and you'll hear the
name "Gordon." Most of us would say "who?" and move on, but now the
secret is out, and the Gordon Instruments mic preamp has made its
first trade show appearance. This is one of those things that just
about everyone who had anything other than "nope" to say when asked if
they've seen anything interesting at the show yet said I had to see.
First, the bad news - it costs $3,500 for two channels. But the good
news is that there's really some design innovation here, and an
attention to detail and quality that you don't find in even most
premium grade audio products. It's completely discrete, balanced
throughout, with no transformers or ICs.

Unlike most preamp circuits that operate at maximum gain and provide
attenuation when less gain is needed, the Gordon uses variable gain so
only the required amount of gain is used at any time. This is
particularly significant when it comes to low noise at low gain
settings, with an equivalent input noise (EIN) that's essentially
constant (about -127 dB) from 30 to 70 dB of gain. An automatic output
load compensation circuit reduces distortion introduced in the output
stage due to differing loads, particula r when connected to a device
with a transformer input. Input impedance is selectable between a
fairly conventional 1K ohm and a highly unconventional 2 Megohms,
essentially no loading on the microphone.

Construction and components are all first rate with liberal use of
polystyrene capacitors (some custom made) and foil resistors. The
circuit board is a low loss ceramic composite material (think "space
capsule") rather than the usual Fiberglas. The preamp is actually
comprised of two single rack space boxes, the preamp itself and the
control unit with stepped gain controls, mute, and polarity reverse
switches. The two units are connected with a standard mic cable which
can be pretty long, allowing the pream p to be located close to the
microphone, minimizing the effect of the mic-to-preamp cable. A clever
chassis design allows the preamp to be rack mounted with the
connectors facing front or rear, or the rack mount ears can be
replaced by an "outrigger" allowing it to be stood on edge near the
microphone. The control unit has four channels worth of controls so
you can use a single controller for two preamps. Designer Grant
Carpenter is one of those rare birds in audio who strives for his own
brand of perfectio n. http://www.gordonaudio.com

While not as exotic as the Gordon, PreSonus introduced the Eureka
channel strip, a solid state Class A transformer input preamp followed
by a FET compressor and three-band parametric equalizer. The
compressor is selectable between hard and soft knee characteristic,
and a variable high pass filter is provided in the side chain for
de-essing. The preamp has a switchable input impedance control (50 to
2.5K ohms) as well as a 1 Megohm instrument input. There's a
"saturation" control, a characteristic of other P reSonus preamp
designs. At the press of a button, the equalizer can be put before the
compressor in the chain. A balanced insert send and return jack pair
allows adding another processor in line, should you decide you need
it, or the insert output (send) can be used as a direct monitor output
for no-latency input monitoring in a digital audio recording chain. An
optional 24-bit 96 kHz A/D converter is available. The single space
rack panel is lovely sculpted aluminum with an analog VU meter
switchable to re ad gain reduction in the center, reminiscent of the
Grace look. http://www.presonus.com

The Liquid Channel is another new channel strip from Focusrite. Like
the PreSonus Eureka, it too includes a mic preamp, compressor, and
equalizer and while the apparent features are similar, the inner
workings are completely different. The name "Liquid" is taken from the
fact that both the preamp and compressor are modeling devices which
can be made to take on the subtle characteristics of many well known
(and some unknown) products. It's a hybrid device with the preamp
modeling being strictly analog - ther e's a whole box full of
transformers, resistors, capacitors, and inductors in there that are
switched in groups to simulate the input characteristics of 40
different preamps, some transformer coupled, some transformerless.

The mic preamp is followed by an A/D converter and a fully digital
compressor which, like the preamp stage, has 40 different compressor
characteristics modeled and selectable by a knob and with all the
standard parameters controllable by another set of knobs. All settings
can be saved as a user preset. One of my secrets of attending trade
shows is to try to sound like I know something about the technology
I'm hearing about, and when the rep showing me around the unit told me
that the modeling technique was based on measurements of the impulse
response of the genuine article, it brought me to mind of another
device I had seen at a previous show that worked the same way. As I
was racking my brain trying to think of the product, I looked up and
saw Mike Kemp of Sintefex standing there and I smiled, pointed to Mike
and said "Like his stuff works?" Yup, Sintefex Audio is a development
partner with Focusrite, providing their Dynamic Convolution technology
for the Liquid Channel.

At the tail end is a new Focusrite designed digital three band
parametric equalizer. A USB port allows for both remote control and
uploading of new models as they become available. At $3,500, it's less
expensive than a few vintage units that it replicates, but somehow it
loses the cool factor of big VU meters and black panels of days of
yore. http://www.ffliquid.com

Signal Processors:
Crossing the line from mic preamps plus to in-line processors, we see
a few new items worth mentioning. With all the clones of Neve 1073
style mic preamp/equalizers around today, Wunder Audio decided to do
something a little different and re-created a modular replacement for
the Neve preamp and three band equalizer that was originally designed
for a custom console in the '80's. The PEQ1 is a drop-in replacement
in a vintage Neve console, or is available to those not so well
endowed as a rack or lunchbox mou nted outboard. Custom transformers,
gold plated switches, and audiophile grade components are used
throughout the all discrete circuitry. The construction is top notch,
with very attractive milled aluminum knobs reminiscent of, but not
direct copies of the Neve style. If you want a clone of a clone
instead of just a plain clone, check it out.
http://www.wunderaudio.com

Great River Electronics displayed their long awaited EQ2-NV equalizer,
a single rack space unit providing two channels of 4-band parametric
equalization and frequency-selectable high pass filter. The filters
are intended to have the musical sound characteristics of the 108x
series Neve console module. The EQ2-NV can stand alone, but it's also
designed to work together with Great River's MP2-NV preamp. An input
selector switch allows it to operate in the preamp's insert loop,
where the instrument DI input of the preamp (as well as the
microphone, of course) can be routed through the equalizer. Since the
insert connections are separate jacks from the stand-alone inputs and
outputs, you can also connect its inputs and outputs to a patch panel
or dedicate them to other routing in your system, and select the
inputs and outputs with a front panel switch. The external inputs and
outputs can match either +4 dBu or -10 dBV operating levels. Coming
soon is a single channel version. http://www.greatriverelectronics.com

Eventide introduced the H8000, an eight channel version of their
Ultra-Harmonizer. With eight channels of AES/EBU, ADAT Lightpipe and
stereo S/PDIF I/O, plus stereo analog inputs, this is the ultimate
(for a while anyway) in the Eventide processing technology. With a
library of 1000 presets made up from over 230 effect modules, it's a
good thing that they built in a search engine to help you find and
organize both the factory settings and your own custom ones. Building
blocks, routable between anywhere and anywhere, offer Eventide
algorithms for reverb, chorus, filters, modulation effects, pitch
shifting, and automatic pitch correction. Comparison with the bargain
priced 8-channel Kurzweil KSP-8 is going to be inevitable. Kurzweil
was conspicuously absent from the show, but the were giving off-site
demos of their new Rumor processor that I didn't get around to seeing.

A couple of years back, some of the folks from the Eventide family
introduced Plugzilla, a hardware box that runs VST software plug-ins
designed to work with DAW software. This is just the ticket for the
traditional studio that wants to take advantage of some of the goodies
that the DAW crowd demands (or for a traveling producer or engineer
who wants to use some of his favorite plug-ins to mix in a patchbay
studio or the musician who wants to take a VST synth out on a gig. Now
we have a friendly competitor, the Receptor from Muse Research. Like
Plugzilla, Receptor has a front panel LCD with soft knobs to adjust
plug-in parameters so it can be used as a stand-alone box, but it adds
an SVGA monitor, keyboard, and mouse port. With those attached, the
user interface for the plug-in is displayed and it can be adjusted
just as if it were running on a DAW. In addition, it can connect to a
computer via Ethernet and function as an outboard DSP unit to add
processing horsepower to a native DAW. This is a really deep pr oduct,
capable of much more than I can describe or even understand. For
further information, go to their web site. http://www.museresearch.com

On the software side, TASCAM introduced a new Giga product, the
GigaPulse a VST reverb plug-in for Windows. Using the convolving
technology to sample the impulse response of a room, it also includes
microphone modeling so you can choose not only the mic position in
your reverberant space, but what kind of mic it is. It's a tweaker's
delight, or choose one of the many presets provided with the program.
TASCAM touts its efficiency, stating (and pointing to the little
"resources" indicator) that it uses very l ittle CPU power.
http://www.tascam.com

Computer Audio Interfaces:
USB 2.0 is still hanging around the starting gate with Edirol's
UA-1000 (introduced at January's NAMM show) still being the only
contender, but USB 1.1 still has a following and we're seeing some new
interfaces that are pushing the envelope. New this show is the Omega
from Lexicon. This is a micro-tower plastic cased handful that
provides four inputs and two outputs at 44.1 or 48 kHz, 24-bit
resolution. There are four line input jacks and two mic inputs on XLR
connectors with phantom power, and one S/PDIF ( stereo) input, with
each pair of inputs assignable to USB inputs 1-2 or 3-4. Like the
TASCAM interfaces that pioneered this application, inputs can be
assigned to a built-in analog mixer for direct no-latency monitoring,
and mixed with a stereo playback from the computer for overdubbing. A
Lexicon designed DSP engine, the Pantheon, provides a built-in reverb
based on classic Lexicon algorithms. http://www.lexiconpro.com

While it wasn't actually on display at the show, but rather lying
casually on a table, Mackie has a very similar product about to be
released, the Spike. Also a USB interface with line and mic inputs,
analog monitoring, and built-in DSP, it's a tabletop unit with rather
striking styling, sort of a cross between the Digidesign M-Box and the
tail fin from a 1957 DeSoto.
http://www.mackie.com/products/spike/index.html

Recorders:
Hardware recorders aren't dead yet, they're just changed in form.
Otari introduced two new recorders at the show. The DR-10N is a two
channel hard disk recorder designed for broadcast production
applications. There's a built in hard drive plus a removable MO drive.
An optional editing controller turns it into a production facility. It
records in Broadcast WAV format, and operates at sample rates of 44.1
to 96 kHz at 16- or 24-bit resolution. On the other end of the scale
is their new DR-100 48-track hard di sk recorder (24 tracks at 96 kHz)
which interfaces to the outside world through MADI. It's a rack mount
box combined with a tabletop controller that looks and works very much
like the remote control of an analog multitrack recorder. With the
proliferation of DAWs blurring the lines between professional and
hobbyist studios, it's refreshing to see a major player in the pro
recording market still making fully professional hardware based
recorders. http://www.otari.com

I'm still in search of something to replace my portable DAT recorder.
It's not here yet, but they're getting close. Sound Devices and Fostex
both showed incomplete versions of portable stereo and four-channel
digital recorders, both targeted toward the film production market.
The Sound Devices units use an internal hard drive or flash memory
card, and can record on both simultaneously for backup and quick
transfer of the recording to another device. The Fostex FR-2 has a
PCMCIA slot for a micro disk drive o r memory card. Both record in an
uncompressed audio format (broadcast WAV files) and record in 6- or
24-bit up to 96 kHz sample rate. Phantom powered mic inputs of course.
The Fostex has a ten second buffer that's always on, so you can catch
the first few words if you're a little slow on the button. Details
will be forthcoming, probably between now and the next trade show.
http://www.sounddevices.com http://www.fostex.com

Core Sound, known for their miniature binaural mics and portable
recording accessories, introduced their PDAudio flash card S/PDIF
audio interface designed to convert a PDA into a digital recorder.
There are several software programs supporting it, currently running
under Linux and Windows CE, and perhaps other systems. See
http://www.core-sound.com for details on developments.

Miscellaneous Cool Stuff:

Now that we have good mics, good monitors, and essentially flawless
recording technology, more project studios are focusing on improving
room acoustics so they can take advantage of their high quality gear.
What's been either voodoo or pronouncements by guys in white lab coats
in the past has been distilled down to some principles and pre-built
materials that do a good job of controlling reflections and standing
waves in most environments, and can be installed without a
construction permit. Two exhibitors a t this show that offer these
products are Ethan Winer's RealTraps, and Media Specialty Resources'
StudioPanel, a collaboration between acoustician Tony Grimani and
engineer/producer Keith Olsen.

RealTraps is the simpler system with the Mini Trap as the building
block. This is a broadband absorber that's an attractive 2 by 4 foot
panel about 3 inches thick that can be hung on a wall using a single
hook. Following the guidelines on the company's web site, you figure
out how many you need, where you should place them for most effective
treatment, place your order, and hammer away. http://www.realtraps.com

The StudioPanel is a more comprehensive system consisting of five
elements, a broadband absorber, a diffuser, a resonant bass absorber,
a piston absorber (traditional "bass trap") and a ceiling absorber.
Kits containing an assortment of these elements are available in three
sizes for (essentially) a bedroom, a living room or basement, or a
garage, the three spaces most commonly used for a home project studio.
They have an interesting marketing concept. You buy a kit based on the
size of your space (in squar e feet) and what you take home from the
store is a box about the size of a software box containing a
registration code, instructions, a CD with reference data and test
material, and a string and bubble level for laying out straight lines.
You phone the company with your registration code and they ship out
the material. In the mean time, you survey your room, mark the
location of the various pieces, and when they arrive, hang them up.
http://www.msr-inc.com/studiopanel.html

Everyone should have some test equipment around the studio, but it's
either expensive or cumbersome. TerraSonde, maker of the Audio Toolbox
and Digital Toolbox, two comprehensive multi-function test tools, has
introduced the Studio Toolbox, designed for the studio owner. It
includes an audio voltmeter, audio signal generator, sound level
meter, polarity tester (including acoustic polarity of microphones and
speakers), real time spectrum analyzer, reverb time analyzer, VU
meter, and oscilloscope. It reads an d generates SMPTE time code, and
has a time code calculator. There's a MIDI monitor, MIDI data
analyzer, MIDI data generator including MMC transport controls, and a
musical features such as a tuner, pitch pipe, click track source, and
tempo meter. Measurements can be stored and transferred to a computer
for printing. http://www.terrasonde.com

I've been a fan of NTI's (Neutrik's test instrument branch) Minirator
and Minilizer ever since I got them for review a few years back. I've
frequently used their measurements when reviewing products as well as
doing repairs and maintenance, but I've always had to keep a pencil
and paper handy to take notes on what I saw on the display. Now
there's a small add-in board for the Minilizer called the MiniLink
which allows operation and more important, storage of the analyzer's
displays and data on a computer th rough a USB port. I ordered one and
now I can send pictures with my articles rather than having to
describe the shape of a curve. http://www.minstruments.com

The proliferation of new microphones the size and weight of a
Chihuahua means that we need to start thinking about sturdier mic
stands. It's been a while since anyone's come up with any new ideas
about how to make a mic stand, but now we have the micKing from Jeff
Roberts of Latch Lake Music (a friend, neighbor, and occasional
collaborator of Great River's Dan Kennedy). The stand features newly
designed clamps that hold better than those on the more common stands
for no-sag boom mounting. The clamping arran gement allows multiple
booms to be put on a single vertical pole to reduce floor clutter when
setting up a singer/guitarist or miking a drum kit. The unique base
weighs 30 pounds but rather than a heavy cast disk, the weight is
concentrated at the circumference of the base in three segments (think
Mercedes-Benz emblem). A pair of wheels that hit the floor when you
tilt the stand back slightly make it easy to move. A large
counterweight easily balances 7 pound mic s, and Jeff says he can do
chin-ups on the ex tended boom (and he's not a little guy). This is
the work of a craftsman in a machine shop and it's priced accordingly,
about $700, but if you want to get your big stereo mic up high to
record a choir and not worry about it falling, it can be a worthwhile
investment. Information isn't up yet, but check later at
http://www.latchlakemusic.com

As projects get more complex and musicians get more fussy about their
headphone mixes, a way of easily customizing headphone feeds is
becoming more important. New from Trident at this show is their S140
8x8 headphone amplifier. Eight inputs can be mixed to eight pairs of
headphone outputs using real controls. The panel has enough white
writing space so that you can mark the sources and destinations, and
let the musicians adjust their own mixes. Data some day at
http://www.tridentaudio.com

New Technology Applications and Services:
While not hardware you can take home from the store, one of the
highlights of the show for me was the Plangent Time Traveler Process.
This is a number cruncher that processes recorded audio and removes
flutter from a tape recording. Developer Jamie Howarth wasn't
satisfied with simply reclocking a digital audio stream. He doesn't
think it sounds good enough, so his process actually recalculates the
position of every sample. It's not real time by any means (a few hours
for a couple of minutes of audio) but i t's absolutely amazing. Not
only is gross flutter removed, but also small mechanical variations
such as scrape flutter between the heads and tape of a tape deck that
cause audible distortion. The process involves extracting bias off the
tape and using that as a time reference. It works since, at least for
short intervals of time, the bias frequency is essentially constant.
The process moves each sample based on where it would have to be in
order for the bias to play b ack at a constant speed. Since bias is a
t least five times higher than the highest frequency recorded on tape,
there's sufficient resolution there to correct the audio. The idea
isn't new - George Massenberg has been talking about it for a while,
but someone's finally made it work, and is using it for restoration
and remastering projects. At the moment, you send him your tape (he
has a tricked out Ampex ATR-100 for playback) and pay by the finished
minute of program material. T ake the time to download some
before-and-after examples at http://www. plangentprocesses.com

How do you get your multitrack master tapes transferred to digital
format? Where do you find a tape deck that's at least as good as the
one you used for recording? Long time analog (mostly Ampex) hobbyist
Steve Puntolillo has set up shop as Sonicraft, offering the highest
quality transfers of just about every multitrack format to digital
format using lovingly restored tape decks and the best A/D converters
he can find. It's a labor of love that he hopes will be somewhat
profitable as the industry moves towa rd digital archiving and
remixing of old masters. Check out the A2DX section at
http://www.sonicraft.com to see how to do it right.

X:
The big surprise for me (and others) was Mackie's introduction of the
dXb, a new digital console. Teasers with nothing more than a
mysterious looking "X" started showing up in publications and on the
Mackie web site just before the show and those of us who follow Mackie
(I worked there for a short while) were curious. With rumors of the
demise of Mackie digital recording products, seeing a new console was
a surprise, and more than anything else, a statement of commitment by
the company that was recently ren amed Loud Technologies (retaining
the Mackie name for audio products). They didn't have a booth on the
show floor, but rather were giving scheduled sign-up-in-advance
demonstrations in one of the downstairs demo rooms.

There's a lot to the console, a lot of work still to be done, and very
little technical literature published yet, but there's quite a bit of
discussion among those who saw it (and those who didn't but are
speculating) on Mackie's support forum. Here are some highlights from
memory, but of course nothing is promised yet, particularly not a
delivery date. My guess is late Summer if everything goes well.

The dXb is laid out pretty much like you'd expect for a digital
console, but instead of the modest sized LCD displays found on
competing tabletop consoles, it has two 15" color touch screen LCDs
which are placed directly above a horizontal row of rotary knobs, one
for each channel, above the 24 channel faders. This arrangement allows
the knobs to function as a complete channel strip for the selected
channel, with a label for each knob shown directly above it on the
LCD, and an appropriate graphic, for insta nce for the equalizer or
the dynamics. Adjustments can be made either by turning the physical
knobs or by dragging the on-screen knobs which act as indicators. I
believe you can also drag the graphics, for example to draw your own
EQ curves. An on-screen QWERTY keyboard pops up for tasks like
labeling channels, but traditionalists can plug in a standard keyboard
and mouse. There's a built-in mouse pad area. There's a fader for each
channel and a master, plus a set of transport controls with a
jog/shuttle wh eel, and buttons for selection of automation functions,
solos, mutes, or selecting a channel for the full-function display.

Inputs and outputs are totally a'la carte, with a rear panel card cage
that accepts analog, AES/EBU, Lightpipe, or TDIF cards, eight channels
to a slot with the exception of a 24-channel Firewire card. The total
capacity is 72 inputs and 72 outputs, mixed as you see fit.

Everything is assignable anywhere, so you can have both analog and
digital inputs and outputs. One important feature is the ability to
assign I/O cards as inserts to the channel path, including channels
that have digital inputs, so you can send the return from your digital
recorder out to your 1176 compressor through an analog I/O card, and
bring it back to the channel just as if you plugged it in via a
patchbay. The currently planned set of cards could leave one a bit shy
on analog inputs and outputs if yo u like to use mic preamps in your
console, but there are other cards planned, including some by outside
developers. At the show, Mackie announced that iZ Tehcnnology (the
RADAR folks) will be making a card for two for it. You could do worse
than their S-Nyquist converters (pant! pant!) for analog inputs and
outputs.

Another powerful feature is the ability to run VST plug-ins. The
console is planned to ship with a Universal Audio UAD-1 DSP card, and
there are slots for up to three more for additional plug-in
horsepower. Mackie will have certain approved plug-ins which will
display logically on the internal touch screens and operate with the
console's knobs, however the intent is that any VST plug-in will run,
and those that don't fit the console's layout (or haven't been
modified to do so) can be operated with a mouse i n the same manner as
they would be used with a DAW.

It's 24-bit throughout, operating to full capacity at up to 96 kHz,
and with half the channels at 192 kHz. At a projected price of around
$20,000 equipped with a typical set of I/O cards, it's in a tough
place in the market. It will be interesting to see where it goes. Keep
in touch with it at http://www.mackie.com/products/dxb/index.html

Wrapup:
That's about all the news that's fit to print this time around. One
observation about this show is that I sensed a move back to a more
professional AES. In recent years, there's been such a crossover
between the pro audio and MI manufacturers that other than the booming
basses and crashing drums, it was hard to tell whether I was at an AES
or a NAMM show. Perhaps it's because of the belt-tightening and the
general slowdown in the industry that feeds the project studio, but
there were a number of regular rec ent AES exhibitors that were
conspicuous by their absence, and those who serve both the pro audio
and MI markets scaled their presences to serious audio products. I
kind of liked it. I hope the trend continues.





--
I'm really Mike Rivers - )

Thanks for the report, Mike.



Mike Rivers wrote:

New Technology Applications and Services:
While not hardware you can take home from the store, one of the
highlights of the show for me was the Plangent Time Traveler Process.
This is a number cruncher that processes recorded audio and removes
flutter from a tape recording. Developer Jamie Howarth wasn't
satisfied with simply reclocking a digital audio stream. He doesn't
think it sounds good enough, so his process actually recalculates the
position of every sample. It's not real time by any means (a few hours
for a couple of minutes of audio) but i t's absolutely amazing. Not
only is gross flutter removed, but also small mechanical variations
such as scrape flutter between the heads and tape of a tape deck that
cause audible distortion. The process involves extracting bias off the
tape and using that as a time reference. It works since, at least for
short intervals of time, the bias frequency is essentially constant.
The process moves each sample based on where it would have to be in
order for the bias to play b ack at a constant speed. Since bias is a
t least five times higher than the highest frequency recorded on tape,
there's sufficient resolution there to correct the audio. The idea
isn't new - George Massenberg has been talking about it for a while,
but someone's finally made it work, and is using it for restoration
and remastering projects. At the moment, you send him your tape (he
has a tricked out Ampex ATR-100 for playback) and pay by the finished
minute of program material. Take the time to download some
before-and-after examples at http://www.plangentprocesses.com


Very slick, and for those like me that missed it--do listen to the
demos. This could generate a whole new wave of reissues (groan...)

Thanks very much, Mike. I feel like I was there.

Actually, I was there, but I missed much of that stuff!


Don

Mike,

Thanks very much for the detailed report. As you know, I was at the show the
entire four days, but I was too busy to see very much!

At the risk of sounding self-serving I'd just like to clarify something you
said about the acoustics vendors.

RealTraps is the simpler system with the Mini Trap

In fact, our system is more comprehensive AND it is simpler. The notion of
using low frequency treatment tuned to the room dimensions is old school,
and not nearly as effective as broadband absorption. While it's true that a
room's dimensions dictate its modes (natural resonances), in fact all rooms
need absorption at all low frequencies.

The real issue is acoustic interference, which causes peaks and dips at
specific distances from the room boundaries - the walls, floor, and ceiling.
Regardless of size, there is always a deep null 1/4 wavelength away from
each boundary, and a peak 1/2 wavelength away. More nulls are found at 3/4,
5/4, etc. wavelengths away, and more peaks at 4/4, 6/4, etc. away. So no
matter how large or small the room is or how it's shaped, a complete
solution must absorb all low frequencies.

Equally relevant is that every room has many modes for each dimension. For
example, a room that's 17 feet long has a fundamental mode at 33 Hz, with
subsequent modes at 66 Hz, 99 Hz, 133 Hz, and so forth. And that's just one
dimension. So any treatment that targets only one or two modal frequencies
is ineffective because there are so many other modal frequencies that also
need absorption.

--Ethan

Mike Rivers wrote:
Two weeks after the show, here's my show report. It's quite long and
may not make it whole through some servers. I'll proofread it again
and will post it as a Word file and PDF somewhere in a couple of days.
In the meantime, enjoy and kibbitz.


Mike, thanks for all the great information! Wish I could have been there.


-Rob

In article writes:

Thanks very much, Mike. I feel like I was there.
Actually, I was there, but I missed much of that stuff!

I probably missed some stuff, too. I remember seeing the Purple Audio
booth from across the aisle, for instance, but I don't remember
actually stopping by there, even just to say hi. I'm wondering whether
I might have missed that whole side of the aisle, even though I was
there for three days and thought I covered the whole floor at least
once. I always look for Craig Anderton's published report to see what
I missed.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers - )

In article writes:

Thanks very much, Mike. I feel like I was there.
Actually, I was there, but I missed much of that stuff!

I probably missed some stuff, too. I remember seeing the Purple Audio
booth from across the aisle, for instance, but I don't remember
actually stopping by there, even just to say hi. I'm wondering whether
I might have missed that whole side of the aisle, even though I was
there for three days and thought I covered the whole floor at least
once. I always look for Craig Anderton's published report to see what
I missed.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers - )

Thanks Mic,

-R

Thanks Mic,

-R

"Ethan Winer" ethanat ethanwiner dot com
wrote:



Mike,

Thanks very much for the detailed report. As you know, I was at the show the
entire four days, but I was too busy to see very much!

At the risk of sounding self-serving I'd just like to clarify something you
said about the acoustics vendors.

RealTraps is the simpler system with the Mini Trap

In fact, our system is more comprehensive AND it is simpler. The notion of
using low frequency treatment tuned to the room dimensions is old school,
and not nearly as effective as broadband absorption. While it's true that a
room's dimensions dictate its modes (natural resonances), in fact all rooms
need absorption at all low frequencies.

The real issue is acoustic interference, which causes peaks and dips at
specific distances from the room boundaries - the walls, floor, and ceiling.
Regardless of size, there is always a deep null 1/4 wavelength away from
each boundary, and a peak 1/2 wavelength away. More nulls are found at 3/4,
5/4, etc. wavelengths away, and more peaks at 4/4, 6/4, etc. away. So no
matter how large or small the room is or how it's shaped, a complete
solution must absorb all low frequencies.

Equally relevant is that every room has many modes for each dimension. For
example, a room that's 17 feet long has a fundamental mode at 33 Hz, with
subsequent modes at 66 Hz, 99 Hz, 133 Hz, and so forth. And that's just one
dimension. So any treatment that targets only one or two modal frequencies
is ineffective because there are so many other modal frequencies that also
need absorption.

--Ethan

Yes; many rooms lack effective low frequency absortion. There are two very
effective ways to provide same. In a sound contained environment 2-laters of
drywall with resilient channel mounting on the 2nd layer is great. The other is
stick frame construction with 1/2-inch drywall.

Of course, the latter kncks the tops off the modal peaks is also passes low
frequencies quite easily.

Both need to make up the SPL eaten by the absorption with amplifier
power/speaker displacement at frequencies where it's hardest to develop SPL.

Thanks Mike!


---------------------------------------
"I know enough to know I don't know enough"

Nousaine,

There are two very effective ways to provide same

What you describe may help a little at the very lowest frequencies. But
sheetrock doesn't help the most important range of 80-300 Hz. For that you
need real bass traps, not sheetrock on RC.

--Ethan

Mike Rivers wrote:

I probably missed some stuff, too. I remember seeing the Purple Audio
booth from across the aisle, for instance, but I don't remember
actually stopping by there, even just to say hi.


I didn't say Hi to John either, but I noticed there were purple drapes,
etc. in the booth. Nice touch.

I'm turning into an old fogey. My favorite parts of the past two NY
shows have been the Historical Society presentations.


Don

In article writes:

I'm turning into an old fogey. My favorite parts of the past two NY
shows have been the Historical Society presentations.

I enjoyed those too. I didn't spend as much time in that room this
show as in the last show. I have to be careful not to stay there ALL
DAY. It's easy to do.

Speaking of Johns, I saw the Millennia Media booth, but never saw John
LaGrou there when I passed by a few times. Hi, John.




--
I'm really Mike Rivers - )

Mike Rivers wrote:

I enjoyed those too. I didn't spend as much time in that room this
show as in the last show. I have to be careful not to stay there ALL
DAY. It's easy to do.

That's what happened to me in 2001. I was only there for one day. I
thoroughly enjoyed Bob Ludwig's presentation, and kicked myself for
leaving before George Massenburg's, but I had to see the more of the
show before I left.

I'd watch those guys on TV if they had a show. The only thing I disliked
this year was that the "moderator" (I guess) had a mic in the audience,
and kept interjecting, which was sometimes jarring, because he wasn't on
the stage.


Don

(Mike Rivers) wrote in message

Microphones
It seems that just about every show, SE has some new mics out. These
are Chinese-built condensers with Class A electronics, and they now
offer a pretty full line from a $100 1/2" diaphragm mic up through
their newest Z5600 multi-pattern tube mic for $700. Like nearly all of
this type of mic, they're nicely finished and have good quality
circuit boards and components inside. Each mic company finds something
unique to brag about. SE's is that they've hired who they consider to
be the top seven microphone desi gners in China. I don't know if they
have exclusive or "non-compete" agreements over there, but SE plans to
take advantage of this knowledgeable crew in the near term to continue
filling out their product line. http://www.tbkmics.com

Actually up through the Z's series all of SE's mics were engineered
and manufactured by Feilo Electric-Audio Equipment Co. Ltd.
Feilo-China.com. SE has now broke away from Feilo and attempting to
start their own plant. What will come of the fact Feilo owns the
rights to SE's current designs I don't know.

Brian Loudenslager wrote:

Actually up through the Z's series all of SE's mics were engineered
and manufactured by Feilo Electric-Audio Equipment Co. Ltd.
Feilo-China.com. SE has now broke away from Feilo and attempting to
start their own plant. What will come of the fact Feilo owns the
rights to SE's current designs I don't know.

"Rights" issues in China aren't exactly handled like they are in the US.
Designs are more or less up for grabs, which is one of the scarier things
about having your design contract-manufactured there.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."