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Friday, October 01, 2010

AERO.file And Linear Acoustic Win Big At IBC2010

The file-based audio/loudness manager earned multiple awards.

The new AERO.file from Linear Acoustic was in the spotlight for much of IBC2010.

A panel of broadcast engineers judged the AERO.file worthy of Broadcast Engineering’s Pick Hit Award.

It was also honored by TV Technology Europe magazine editors with a STAR Award.

“File-based customers began to realize that loudness scaling alone was not enough.”

“When we combined AERO.qc processing with RadiantGrid transwapping and TrueGrid transcoding technologies, we knew we had a winner,” said Linear Acoustic President Tim Carroll.

“Apparently the judges, choosing AERO.file for their awards, felt the same way.”

Linear Acoustic was further recognized at IBC2010 as a standout finalist for an IBC2010 Innovation Award for its contribution to NBC’s coverage of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

NBC used 24 AERO.qc units to allow sound engineers stationed at multiple events with varying audio characteristics to mix Dolby 5.1-channel sound while fitting into the overall loudness scheme.

“I’m proud of what our team accomplished in Vancouver this year, and I’m excited about what’s coming next. AERO.file is the first of several new solutions we have planned for our file-based customers,” said Carroll.

Linear Acoustic Website

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Tech Tip Of The Day: Mixing Tubes With Tubes

Is it true that you shouldn't use a tube microphone with a tube preamp?

 
Q: I’ve been reading quite a lot of recording forums lately and I stumbled across a piece of advice which really has me confused.

On one forum, someone said that you shouldn’t use a tube microphone with a tube preamp.

Being the curious type I went searching and this type of advice seems to pop up across the web in many audio forums.

Is this true? Could I have ruined my mic or preamp?

A: Yep, we’ve heard that before, too.

To be perfectly honest, this is a wonderful example of why it’s always a good idea to verify information you find online (no matter the source), especially if something doesn’t seem right to you.

Here’s our take on all this:

1. Countless older records were made using tube mics paired with tube preamps, compressors, EQs, and consoles. We’d be lying if we didn’t say that those recordings sounded perfectly fine to us!

2. There is truly no absolute technical reason why two tube devices should not be connected together. So, in answer to your second question, rest assured that your gear is perfectly fine.

3. There may be aesthetic reasons why you don’t want to use two tube devices together. For example, both the mic and the preamp may be heavily colored and using them together results in too much coloration. However, this is not the same as a hard and steadfast rule saying never use two tubes in sequence together.

Hopefully this has cleared up your confusion. Happy recording!

As always, we welcome input from the PSW community and would love to know your opinion on the pairing of mics and preamps, be they tube based or otherwise. Feel free to let us know in the comments below.

 
For more tech tips go to Sweetwater.com

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API Announces The Delivery Of Norway’s First 1608

The console was delivered to George Tanderø Livingroom Studios who called it a "dream come true."

API has announced the delivery of the first API 1608 console in Norway.

The desk arrived in the country through API’s newest representative, ProLyd AS, and was placed in the Oslo-based Livingroom Studios.

According to George Tanderø, engineer/mixer at Livingroom Studios, acquiring the console is “a dream come true.”

“I wanted a console that had modern routing and monitoring facilities that would give me a large, super solid, ‘punchy’ sound straight out of the box,” Tanderø said.

“Having used both a vintage 3216 and the newer Legacy, I knew the 1608 would make my job a lot easier and inspire my work.”

Tanderø started out as an assistant engineer in a well-established Norwegian studio before moving on to work as a recording engineer/mixer for several of the country’s leading artists.

Later traveling to London, Tanderø worked for producer Martin Terefe at Kensaltown Studios, where he recorded and mixed numerous international artists such as James Morrison, Travis, Ron Sexsmith, a-ha, Teitur and Yusuf Islam.

Now in his own studio, Tanderø said he chose to get a new console because he didn’t want to deal with ongoing maintenance and he wanted everything to work all of the time.

“The 1608 fits my needs really well since I do both recording and mixing, plus it’s an amazing interface between Pro Tools and all of my outboard,” he said. “The routing is super flexible and well thought out. I’m also amazed at how many smart features the console has - the mic pres and EQs are phenomenal and the headroom goes on for days.”

Christopher Briggs, representative from ProLyd AS, is just as excited about Norway’s first 1608. “We are of course delighted about the new 1608, particularly about the ‘API sound’ and the flexibility it brings,” he said.

“I’ve been in the business for fifteen years and have always had API on my ‘wish list’ of products to distribute. It’s great to work with a professional manufacturer who makes so many great products and provides such outstanding customer service.”

API’s Managing Director, Gordon Smart, said, “It’s gratifying to see the 1608 flow into the audio community in Norway and, in fact, around the world. Partners like ProLyd AS continue to help us deliver the unique ‘API sound’ that the market is increasingly demanding.”

“The first day I mixed on it, both the artist and I were blown away by the punch, clarity and the warmth the sound had,” said Tanderø. “Since installing the 1608 console, I’ve been working with a very large smile on my face.”

API Website

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NEXO & Yamaha Helps Christ Church Create A Contemporary Worship Environment

The church has been extremely pleased with the quality of the sound, performance and capabilities of the new system.

In 1969, W.R. Lowe and his wife established Christ Church in West Monroe, Louisiana with 21 attendees at the first service.

This year, and 30 years after it was established, the church is celebrating the recent completion of a new 43,000 sq. ft. campus expansion including a state-of-the-art 1,200-seat contemporary worship center.

Christ Church hired American Audio, Inc. to design and install the audio, lighting, and acoustic systems at the new facility.

“The church wanted to be able to join their two smaller services together held previously in its former space, accommodating the congregation, singers, and musicians with a high-quality sound system for a more vibrant worship,” said Gwin Edwards, President, American Audio, Inc.

“With budget being a key factor, we elected to install a NEXO GEO S 12 system because of its quality, power, and meeting the church’s price point.

“It was very important to keep the same ‘clarity’ of sound found in their previous smaller space, and we knew the NEXO GEO S12 could do that.”

The congregation’s contemporary worship band consists of a choir with four main vocalists, drums, bass, guitars, and keyboards.

The Christ Church GEO S12 system consists of six S1210 and two S1230 boxes in each array.

Yamaha Installation Series IF2205 speakers are used for three front fill locations built into the lip of the platform. A Yamaha M7CL-48 digital console, NEXO NX242 processor, Aviom system, Rane RPM system processors, and Crown and Lab Gruppen amplifiers round out the new audio system.

“The Yamaha M7CL-48 and Aviom system vastly expanded Christ Church’s on-stage monitoring from the previous four mixes to over 14 now in use (seven from the console and seven from the Aviom system),” said Edwards.

“The church had used an analog console with numerous outboard processors. Now, the Yamaha M7CL console more than doubles their previous processing and mixing ability and provides a simple operator interface.”

“During the final practice week, the decision was made to add three wireless ear monitor mixes to the console. It was so simple to adjust the mixer that the operators let the main singers come to the console during practice, select ‘sends on fader’ and they could quickly adjust their own ear mix – all without any system interruption.”

“To continue to mix the house, the sound operator just selects DCA on the CentraLogic controls while ‘sends on fader’ is in use by the vocalists.”

“The staff at Christ Church has been very pleased with the quality of the sound, performance and capabilities of our new system,” said Ryan Lowe, Associate Pastor/Media.

“With expert advice from American Audio, we have achieved a high quality of professional sound while staying within budget. We’re thankful for their excellence and service in meeting the needs of our church.”

Yamaha Commercial Audio Website

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Daking Sound Makes Audio Examples Of Gear Available

The audio files are intended to make the process of describing Daking gear far easier, eliminating the step of describing the "sound" of a compressor or mic preamp.

It has been said that describing the “sound” of a particular piece of gear is like dancing about architecture.

Recognizing that there may be some truth in that, the TransAudio Group website now contains a reference page for Daking signal processing equipment that allows visitors to listen to high-quality (24-bit, 48 kHz) recordings made with Daking mic pres and compressors.

“It’s one thing to describe a ‘sound’ in words, but it’s a poor substitute for actually listening,” said Brad Lunde, president of TransAudio Group.

“Geoff Daking makes fabulous mic pres, EQs, and compressors that sound way more expensive than they actually are.”

“I’ve been saying that for some time now, but instead of taking my word for it, users researching their next purchase can decide for themselves whether I’m right.”

The samples presented include drums (separately and together), percussion, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, upright bass, electric bass, piano, Rhodes, Hammond C3, vocals, choir, strings, loops, and full mixes.

All samples include information about the instruments, microphones, and the Daking parameter settings so that users can duplicate the results, or reference them as jumping-off points. The microphones used are not esoteric or overly pricey.

Engineers will recognize them as the “typical” choice for a particular instrument (e.g. Neumann KM 84 for acoustic guitar or Shure SM 57 for electric guitar).

To hear the audio examples, visit the “Hear It” Website.

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