Article

Thursday, January 08, 2009

QSC’s Bob Lee Takes Reins As AES Secretary Following Stint As AES VP Western US and Canada

"My interest in and knowledge of information design will definitely be a plus for this job."

Bob Lee of QSC Audio officially took charge of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) Secretary post in late 2008 after being elected to the post at the 125th AES Convention in San Francisco.

“I’m handling the Board of Governors’ meeting minutes and correspondence, and working with the treasurer to develop the AES’s annual budget,” Lee says, outlining just some of his new responsibilities. “My interest in and knowledge of information design will definitely be a plus for this job.”

A long-time active member of the AES, Lee has spent the last nine of a 15-year career at QSC within the Costa Mesa, California-based manufacturer’s Tech Services Group. He fulfilled a technical marketing role at QSC prior to joining the Tech Services Group.

In professional life previous to his commitments in Costa Mesa, he was a tech support specialist at Crest Audio, and served a stint at Sennheiser as an applications engineer specializing in wireless microphones.

Having just completed two years as AES VP for the Western US and Canada, during his tenure in this capacity he helped launch the society’s new professional section in the Sacramento Valley, and revitalized student sections in locations including Long Beach City College.

The Office of AES Secretary is part of the Executive Committee, and is one of the highest in the organization.

“Some people say that the secretary actually runs the AES,” Lee adds. “I hope they are exaggerating. Based upon my time in office so far, I’m finding I have plenty to do already.

“One of my first tasks involved notifying about a dozen AES members that they’d been selected to receive awards such as the Distinguished Service Medal. It was especially gratifying because two of the recipients - Ray Rayburn and Irv Joel - I’d known since very early in my audio career nearly 25 years ago.”

Lee is also a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, and a senior member of the Society for Technical Communication, where he participates in information design, technical editing, policy and procedures, and marcom special interest groups.

For more information:
QSC Audio Website

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Wireless Update: Final FCC Ruling Includes Protection For Wireless Microphones

Shure: The FCC has established multiple interference avoidance measures designed to protect the broadest possible range of wireless mic users. At the same time, there’s no question that using wireless mics will become more complicated as new types of devices begin sharing the television band. Also includes some operating tips to help maintain performance.

In November, the Federal Communications Commission released the full text of its Second Report and Order approving the use of the “white spaces” – the TV channels that are not actually occupied by a broadcast station – by unlicensed consumer wireless devices. 

The FCC now refers to these as “TV Band Devices” or “TVBD’s”. The 130-page document provides details of the technical, operational, and regulatory requirements that the new devices will be subject to. 

The FCC’s attention to the needs of wireless microphone users is clearly evident throughout the ruling; in fact, the term “wireless microphone” is used 162 times – more than once per page.

The FCC recognizes that some wireless microphone use is pre-planned and occurs at scheduled events (think concerts, plays, sports events, or business meetings), while some is “itinerant”, meaning that it occurs at random times and places (think TV news crews covering a breaking story). 

Accordingly, they have established multiple interference avoidance measures designed to protect the broadest possible range of wireless mic users.

The Order defines two different types of TV Band Devices, which will have slightly different operating characteristics.

Personal/Portable TV Band Devices could include next-generation mobile phones and mobile broadband cards for laptop computers – in other words, devices that move around. These will be limited to 100 milliwatts of transmit power on most TV channels, but will be further restricted to just 40 milliwatts when operating on a TV channel that is adjacent to one occupied by a TV station.

Fixed TV Band Devices could include equipment installed at a home or business (with an outdoor antenna at least 10 meters above the ground) that could transmit or receive wireless broadband internet service or other data.

Fixed TVBD’s will be permitted to operate on TV channels 2, 5-13, 14-36, and 38-51, while Portable units will be limited to channels 21-36 and 38-51 only.  (Channel 37 is reserved for radio telescopes and medical telemetry systems; TV stations, wireless microphones, and other devices aren’t allowed.)

Because Fixed TVBD’s will be allowed to transmit at up to four watts of power, they will not be allowed to operate on the ‘adjacent’ channels at all.

TV Band Devices are allowed to go on sale after the DTV transition on February 18, 2009.  Considering the mandatory certification testing required for each new product (which the FCC hopes will take less than 6 months), it will probably be early 2010 before any products reach the market.

The Order makes it very clear that TV Band Devices are not allowed to operate on TV channels that are being used by other ‘authorized users’ at or near the same location. 

These include TV stations, Public Safety and municipal agencies (who are allowed to operate two-way radio systems on selected TV channels in 13 U.S. metropolitan areas), and ‘low power auxiliary stations’ (which includes wireless microphones, in-ear monitors, and production intercom systems that operate in the TV band).

To prevent interference, the FCC has devised a clever triple-layer protection scheme that serves both small and large users, who may use wireless mics at scheduled events or operate randomly.  People who only need a moderate number of wireless mics or who use them at random times can operate on the channels that will be ‘off-limits’ to TV Band Devices. 

Since the Portable TVBD’s aren’t allowed below channel 21, and the Fixed TVBD’s aren’t allowed to use the channels on either side of one occupied by a TV station, there will be (in many cities) a few TV channels between channel 14 and channel 20 that are entirely clear. 

In the 13 metro areas where a few of those channels are designated for Public Safety use, the FCC is reserving two additional TV channels for wireless microphone use. These will be the first available channels on each side of channel 37. 

So in Chicago, for example, TV channels 16, 18, 20, 35, and 39 will be clear, which would accommodate up to 30 professional-grade wireless mics.

But what about large touring shows that need dozens of wireless mics, in-ear monitors, and intercoms? And what about special events like the Super Bowl, where hundreds of wireless audio, video, and control devices are in use? 

To accommodate this kind of use, the FCC will require all TVBD’s to determine their location within 50 meters (using GPS or some other method) and then consult an online database. 

The database will send the TVBD a list of available TV channels that are safe to use at that particular location; the device can’t transmit until it receives this list. 

A wireless mic user just needs to register the date, time, and location (in latitude and longitude) of their event along with the TV channels being used by their wireless gear in the database, and any TVBD within one kilometer will stay off of those channels. 

The Order is quite liberal in defining who will be able to register in the database, referring to “sites with significant wireless microphone use at well defined times and locations.” This is further defined as “instances where one or more microphones are in operation for a period of time not less than one hour.”

For outdoor events that cover a large area such as a race track or golf course, multiple sets of coordinates can be registered in the database to create a larger protected zone.

The database will be created and maintained by a third party, after proposals are solicited and reviewed by the FCC. There could even be multiple providers, but the FCC will require them to synchronize their data every day. 

The database administrator can charge TVBD’s a fee to access the database – after all, someone has got to pay for this, right? – but the Order does not mention any fee for a wireless mic user to register. 

The Order also requires a “remote kill switch” that can be used against devices that are determined by the FCC to be causing interference.  The database administrator would be instructed to send a message of “no channels available” to a single device or to all devices of a particular make and model.

As a third layer of interference prevention, all TVBD’s must utilize spectrum sensing to detect and avoid wireless microphones, TV stations, and other authorized users nearby, whether or not they are registered in the database. 

A TV Band Device must scan the spectrum for at least 30 seconds every time it is powered on, and then re-check the channel it is operating on every 60 seconds to make sure that no new microphones have been turned on.  If a new mic is detected, the TVBD must cease transmitting on that TV channel within two seconds.

A couple of important issues were not covered in the ‘White Spaces’ Order. The question of when wireless microphones must cease operating in the 700 MHz Band (actually covering 698-806 MHz, or TV channels 52-69) was not addressed. 

In August, the FCC proposed that this should occur as of the DTV transition date on February 18, 2009. Given that some wireless microphone users will need to replace significant amounts of equipment in order to comply, many consider this to be an unreasonable – if not impossible – timeline. 

The next logical date for the FCC to announce a final decision on this issue would have been at their December 18th meeting, but the 700 MHz matter was not on the meeting agenda.

Nevertheless, wireless mic manufacturers have rapidly created programs to help wireless mic users to comply with the transition, which will occur sooner or later.

The White Spaces Order also does not deal with what some users consider to be the most worrisome issue still hanging: licensing.  As most readers are probably aware, the FCC Part 74 Rules created in the 1970’s required wireless microphone users to have a license, and limited eligibility to broadcast stations, TV and film production companies, and cable TV networks. 

Decades of problem-free operation with no record of complaints may have allowed the FCC to miss the rapidly expanding use of wireless audio equipment, as well as the fact that most users did not attempt to navigate the incredibly complex 26-page licensing form. 

The fact that the FCC intends to allow very liberal access to the database of registered users – with no stated requirement for a license – would seem to indicate that the licensing topic will continue to lay dormant. A final decision in the 700 MHz issue could give the FCC an opportunity to address the licensing issue, but there have not been any announcements of this so far.

There’s no question that using wireless mics will become more complicated as new types of devices begin sharing the television band. Here are some operating tips that will help live sound engineers to maintain stellar performance:

Know the terrain. Before working at any venue, find out what RF transmitters are operating in the TV band nearby.  his includes TV stations, Public Safety radios, and Fixed TV Band Devices. 

Most major manufacturers offer an online Frequency Finder as well as free software that can help to identify these users. A high-quality scanner that interfaces with a laptop can also help to analyze the real conditions inside a venue, whose steel and concrete may reduce the strength of signals coming from outside.

Get registered. Once the new database is up and running, use it. TV Band Devices need to download the database every day, but that means the need to select TV channels (although not the exact frequencies) at least two days before the show.

Take inventory. Make sure that the wireless gear to be used covers the TV channels that you need to be in. Virtually all professional wireless mics are now frequency agile, but having the widest possible tuning range gives the most flexibility to take advantage of clear channels. 

If renting gear, make sure that the provider knows that it may not be okay to substitute the same product in a different frequency range.

The good news is that wireless microphone users have become an important blip on the FCC’s radar. The cultural and financial importance of live entertainment content helped to emphasize the importance of protecting wireless audio systems from interference. 

Working together, wireless manufacturers and live sound engineers have ensured the ability for wireless microphones to continue as the reliable, great-sounding tools for live sound.

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Le Mobile Charts High on Rolling Stone’s List of Greatest Singers

“I did a quick count and realized that Le Mobile has recorded forty-one of them."

When Guy Charbonneau first read Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, it almost looked like a My Space Friends List for his Le Mobile remote recording truck.

“I did a quick count and realized that Le Mobile has recorded forty-one of them,” says Charbonneau. “Even I found that a bit amazing.”

Among the top 20 on the list, Le Mobile has recorded nine: Aretha Franklin (1), Ray Charles (2), Bob Dylan (7), Stevie Wonder (9), Paul McCartney (11), Roy Orbison (13), Robert Plant (15), Mick Jagger (16) and Tina Turner (17).

Of the remaining legends in the elite 20, Little Richard, Al Green and Smokey Robinson still could vocalize though Le Mobile’s meticulously maintained Neve console. All others are unfortunately outside the truck’s travel range, having passed into the Great Beyond. 

Laments Charbonneau, “I would have loved to record Elvis, Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, but they were already gone before Le Mobile was even on the road.”

He declined to single out any particular artists from the stellar list: “I don’t have any favorites, and that’s good because it lets me enjoy the music and do the best recording, no matter what the style of music. I enjoy it all, but it helps if it’s really good.”

Although he feels the Rolling Stone listing is generally “fair and balanced,” Charbonneau does feel that the magazine’s grouping was somewhat arbitrary. 

“They’re all great, but I’ve recorded some amazing performances by singers like Gwen Stefani and Peter Gabriel, who didn’t make it. Why not? Maybe it’s good that I don’t have to decide, or it would be a very long list.”

For more than three decades, Le Mobile has been recording live concerts and film scoring sessions across North America. Both the truck and owner/engineer Charbonneau have received numerous industry awards, including an Emmy Award and dozens of gold and platinum albums.

Le Mobile’s stock of fastidiously maintained equipment includes the best of the analog and digital domains, comprising a classic Neve 8068 console (with outboard modules for 112 total channels of Neve preamplifiers), 96 channels of Pro Tools HD, and a pair of mint-condition Studer A800 analog recorders.

Originally launched in Montreal, Le Mobile is now headquartered in the Southern California community of Carlsbad.

For more information:
Le Mobile Website

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PreSonus Announces Guest Appearances & Performers At Winter NAMM ‘09

Daily performances by the PreSonus All-Star Band and more, with demonstrations of StudioLive and Capture software.

PreSonus has announced its schedule of special guest appearances at the company’s booth (number 6330, hall A) at the upcoming Winter NAMM show in Anaheim.

January 16 - 18 (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)—Producer, drummer and author of the book Band|Smart Martin Atkins will demonstrate the PreSonus StudioLive and talk about mixing the new Pig Face record. Atkins’ presentations will begin at 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm all three days.

January 15 - 18 (Thursday through Sunday)—The “PreSonus All-Star Band” will perform, with band members including David Haynes, drums; Randy Emata, keyboards; Jerry Henderson, bass; and special guests. PreSonus Product Manager Justin Spence will be showing how to set up and create a front-of-house mix and monitor mixes with the StudioLive while recording the show with PreSonus Capture software. Start time is 11 am each day.

January 16 - 17 (Friday and Saturday)—Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey, and David Haynes will demonstrate the StudioLive.

For more information:
PreSonus Website

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KRK Systems ERGO Room Correction System Now Shipping Globally

Stand-alone hardware package also includes focus/global correction, A/B speaker controls, headphone volume and more.

KRK Systems has announced the worldwide availability of its highly-anticipated ERGO (Enhanced Room Geometry Optimization), a stand-alone hardware room correction system that corrects recording studio acoustics and is compatible with all recording and monitoring systems. 

In addition to room correction, ERGO also features:

• Focus/Global Correction – Correction for a single listening (focus) position or for an entire room (global) so all listeners can enjoy corrected sound quality

• A/B Speaker Controls – Enables or disables the audio being sent to the “A,” “B” or subwoofer speakers

• Headphone Volume – Adjusts the independent audio stream or the mirrored ‘A” stream audio for your headphones

• Calibration Switch – Enables the calibration microphone allowing the ERGO to analyze a room’s acoustic properties

• Large Volume Knob – Ultra-smooth response, providing simultaneous control of ERGO’s A/B/Subwoofer outputs

“ERGO addresses the needs of professional and project studios worldwide by fixing room acoustics and allowing people to mix in a “perfect” room,” said Tony Rodrigues, Vice-President of Marketing for Stanton Group.

Price is $799.

For more information:
KRK Systems Website

For additional product specifications and distribution information, please visit http://www.krksys.com/ergo/index.php.

At $799, ERGO delivers the most sophisticated room correction at a fraction of the cost of traditional room treatments.  For product availability and distribution information, please visit http://www.krksys.com/dealer_usdealers.php.

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FDW-Worldwide Debuts Re-Engineered Cable Up Professional Cables; See Them At Winter NAMM ‘09

The re-engineered Cable Up product is available in two grades: Premium and Industrial, both designed for a variety of live sound and recording applications.

FDW-Worldwide is introducing the newly upgraded Cable Up brand of professional cables and accessories, which can be seen at the upcoming Winter NAMM ‘09 Show at booth #7123.

The re-engineered Cable Up product is available in two grades: Premium and Industrial, both designed for a variety of live sound and recording applications.

The Premium line utilizes a proprietary, low capacitance Belden cable with a high strand count of oxygen-free copper, giving it excellent digital and analog audio capabilities.

These cables also feature rugged vulcanized Neoprene rubber jackets that withstand wide temperature extremes while remaining highly flexible.

XLR cables are terminated with top-of-the-line Neutrik X-HD connectors featuring weather resistant O-rings designed for heavy-duty outdoor applications.

Premium cables are made in the USA and come with a five-year unconditional “no questions asked” replacement warranty.

The competitively priced Industrial line offers a high-performance yet rugged combination of low capacitance AES/EBU quality cable and connectors, with gold plated contacts for reliable professional use. This line has a one-year unconditional “no questions asked” replacement warranty.

For more information:
Cable Up Website

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Happy Birthday, Elvis

The first true superstar of modern "rock/pop" music, and for the very best of reasons

It doesn’t seem quite right not to point out that today (January 8) is the birthday of Elvis Presley, who would have been 74.

So much still written and so much still said about Elvis, and that’s as it should be - he was the first true superstar of modern rock pop music, and for the very best of reasons: the man possessed huge, undeniable talent. According to Billboard magazine, he had more songs in the Top 100 than any other artist since chart records began.

His life was fascinating, indelible in its imagery - his mother, the initial Sun recording sessions, Colonel Parker, Graceland, giving away Cadillacs, inducted in the U.S. Army during his initial bout of fame, marrying a teenager (Priscilla), the mostly lousy movies, the comebacks, the fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, the weight problems, the drug problems, Vegas…

...

And that’s just off the top of my head.

My favorite anecdote has to be “When Elvis Met Nixon”. In 1970, Presley requested and was granted a meeting with President Richard Nixon.

Elvis arrived at the White House with a handgun as a gift, expressed his contempt for the hippie drug culture, offered to “infiltrate hippie groups,” railed about The Beatles, and asked to be appointed a “Federal Agent at Large”. Nixon was reported to be somewhat “bemused” by their encounter…

...

Wikipedia offers a decent history of Elvis, including more details of the “Nixon” anecdote.

I also ran across an interesting look at the Memphis Recording Studio/Sun Record Company where Elvis made his early legendary recordings. Hosted on Scotty Moore’s website, it contains a lot of fun studio and gear photos.

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Metallica “World Magnetic Tour” Upgrades With Apogee X-Series A/D-D/A Conversion

Four Apogee AD-16X converters are placed shortly after the house console as the point of entry into the all digital signal path which includes fiber optic cabling.

Supporting their ninth studio album, Death Magnetic, Metallica is hitting arenas across the U.S. and Canada with a monster-sized in-the-round sound reinforcement system that includes Apogee X-Series converters for both A/D and D/A conversion.

Thunder Audio of Taylor, Michigan - sound company for the tour - chose an all digital drive system setup for unprecedented sound quality.

In total, eight Apogee converters deliver 64 channels of I/O.

“When designing this system we had a criteria set forth for achieving the highest quality in uncompromised audio,” states Thomas Hejnicki, Project Manager for Thunder Audio.

“Based upon reputation and experience, we needed to look no further than Apogee for our AD/DA solution.

“In fact, we tried. But with Apogee as our reference, we found no acceptable alternative.”

Four Apogee AD-16X converters are placed shortly after the house console as the point of entry.

The all-digital signal path also includes LightViper fiber optic cabling routing to Meyer Sound Galileo digital processing and and then Meyer Sound line arrays.

Completing the path, four DA-16X converters sit before the line arrays as the last component in the chain ensuring the best conversion blasting out to thousands of fans.

Metallica kicked off the tour in October and will continue moving across North America through January before heading to Europe.

Go here for the latest itinerary.

For more information:
Apogee Website

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NSCA Now Offering Industry-Specific Health Insurance Program

SystemsPlus also provides property & casualty and surety insurance solutions. NSCA members who have taken advantage of these programs have already saved up to 40%.

NSCA has announced the launch of SystemsPlus Health Solutions, its newest member service program intended to help commercial electronic systems companies stabilize health insurance costs. 

The program offers innovative alternatives such as wellness initiatives and the ability to receive credits toward insurance premiums.

“NSCA assists its members with all aspects of their business,” said NSCA Executive Director, Chuck Wilson. “This program allows members to obtain the benefits of large-group pricing in a time when saving money without sacrificing profits is essential.”

Under the program, participants can:
- Access a leading national network of providers.
- Stabilize health insurance costs.
- Earn “premium credits” based on program and individual company performance.
- Reduce paperwork.
- Streamline HR through one contact and one program for their entire company, no matter where employees live or work.

“Lone Star Communications was searching for the right coverage at the right price, and SystemsPlus Health Solutions provides all that and more,” said Lone Star Communications President, Ray Bailey. “NSCA is constantly discovering innovative ways to help its members in times of need, and the insurance coverage will allow us to invest in new opportunities to help grow our business and stabilize our health care costs.”

SystemsPlus also provides property & casualty and surety insurance solutions. NSCA members who have taken advantage of these programs have already saved up to 40%. 

“We put SystemsPlus on a tight, tough timeline to move our insurance from our previous company and agent, and they came through beautifully,” said Carolyn Eblin, Vice President of Finance for AMT Systems, Inc.  “They saved us money on our premiums. They are personable, professional and easy to work with. Thanks for offering this program through NSCA.”

To apply or learn more, go to SystemsPlus Health, Property & Casualty or Surety Solutions or call NSCA at 800-446-6722. 

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Harman Music Group Taps Jay Woolley As Marketing Director For Portable Sound

Woolley will oversee all marketing, promotional, and new product launch efforts for dbx and BSS products sold in the portable sound channel, and will work on developing overall strategy for driving sales and new product development for portable sound.

The Harman Music Group has announced the addition of Jay Woolley as marketing director for portable sound, where he will oversee all marketing, promotional, and new product launch efforts for dbx and BSS products sold in the portable sound channel. 

Woolley will also work on developing the overall strategy for driving sales and new product development for portable sound.  He will report to Reed Grothe, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the Harman Music Group.

Most recently, Woolley served as the director of marketing and brand management for Wasatch Advisors., a mutual fund and asset management company.  In this role he redefined the company’s brand definition and developed strategic marketing plans for the brand across business to consumer and business to business markets. He also designed and executed product and brand campaigns.

Woolley also previously served as the director of international development for Control4 Corporation, an IP-based home automation company, indentifying potential international markets for Control4 equipment and recruiting distributors for these markets. He also developed and implemented marketing plans and promotional campaigns for use by the company’s international partners. 

“Jay brings a wealth of experience in marketing and brand management. His diverse business development background will be a major asset in our efforts to grow the brand recognition and sales for the Harman Music Group worldwide,” stated Reed Grothe.

“I’m very excited to begin my new role at the Harman Music Group. HMG has brands with global recognition, known as industry leaders and I look forward to the challenge of furthering brand awareness and ultimately driving sales for HMG,” said Woolley, who holds a bachelors degree in International Relations from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

For more information:
Harman Professional Portable PA

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Audinate Names Lee Ellison CEO, To Be Based At New U.S. Headquarters

The appointment of Ellison coincides with the Australian company’s establishment of a U.S.-based headquarters, placing its sales, marketing and customer support organization closer to its growing customer base.

Audinate has announced the appointment of Lee Ellison as Chief Executive Officer. Ellison brings more than 25 years executive leadership experience, encompassing a broad range of technology sectors.

Most recently he served as CEO of SustainOne, a strategic consulting company, and prior to that, he was founding Sales and Marketing Officer of Dilithium Networks, and also previously served as General Manager of Glenayre’s Wireless Business Unit.

The appointment of Ellison coincides with the Australian company’s establishment of a U.S.-based headquarters, placing its sales, marketing and customer support organization closer to its growing customer base.

David Myers, the company’s co-founder and inaugural CEO, who moves to the role of Chief Operating Officer, stated, “Lee Ellison’s appointment as CEO continues Audinate’s planned expansion, significantly strengthens our management team and provides us with increased focus on meeting customer needs.”

“I am thrilled to join Audinate and help guide the company through the exciting times ahead as we continue to pursue our vision of becoming the leading supplier of multi-media networking solutions,” said Ellison.

Audinate’s patent-pending Dante technology has been selected by a growing number of major professional-audio equipment manufacturers as their future networking technology.

“We have an exceptional team of networking specialists delivering revolutionary technology to the audio and video industry,” added Ellison.

“Lee brings a successful track record of building companies to Audinate,” said Roger Price, General Partner with Innovation Capital and Audinate’s Chairman of the Board. “We are confident that Lee’s leadership experience will accelerate the growth of Audinate to enable the company to achieve its vast potential.”

“Starfish Ventures is pleased that Lee Ellison has joined Audinate as CEO,” noted Michael Panaccio, Investment Principal of Starfish Ventures. “To Starfish, the quality of a company’s management team is as important as its technology.

“With this outstanding executive team in place, we are confident that the Audinate Dante technology will be positioned to revolutionize the global digital media networking market.”

For more information:
Audinate Website

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iTunes Store Dropping DRM, Varying Prices

Dropping this restriction can be seen as good news for music consumers, except perhaps those who have already compiled large DRM-protected collections and will be forced to pay 30 cents per track for the what Apple is calling the "iTunes Plus" privilege.

Earlier this week at Macworld, Apple made a stir by announcing that its iTunes Store will soon be selling content without DRM (digital rights management) restrictions, and further, will be altering its uniform 99-cent price structure.

DRM is technology that controls the usage of digital media or devices that, for example, limits viewings or copies of media files.

Dropping this restriction can be seen as good news for music consumers, except perhaps those who have already compiled large DRM-protected collections and will be forced to pay 30 cents per track for what Apple calls “iTunes Plus”. 

Further, eliminating DRM does not mean that iTunes will be providing files in MP3 format. Apple will continue to provide AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) downloads, encoded at 256 kbps, which the company states it prefers for sound fidelity and size reasons.

Eight million songs from all of the major labels will soon be available DRM-free, with ten million available by the end of the this business quarter, according to Apple.

The iTunes 99-cent uniform price will be split into three points - 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29 - expected to be in effect this coming April. Initial reports indicate that major labels Sony, Warner, Universal and EMI will dictate the specifics of the new price points.

And, Apple also announced that all downloads will be available through 3G (essentially wide-area cellular telephone networks), in addition to the current online and WiFi options. 

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Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Mixed Industry Economic News As 2009 Winter NAMM Show Approaches

Show attendance and exhibitors both expected down slightly this year, but there are some bright spots.

All is not gloom and doom with respect to the music merchant industry’s current economic outlook in the view of NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond, who today (January 7) hosted a pre-Winter ‘09 NAMM Show conference call with industry trade media.

The annual Winter NAMM Show kicks off next Thursday (January 15) at the Anaheim (California) Convention Center.

“What I’ve heard in discussions with many of our members is that they’re weathering the current economic storm,” Lamond said. “No one is happy, particularly with the fourth quarter (of 2008), but the general consensus is that the business climate wasn’t as bad as it could have been.”

Attendance for Winter NAMM ‘09 is estimated at this point to be down by one percent in comparison to last year’s show, which Lamond pointed out generated a record attendance figure. The total number of exhibitors and total exhibit space will both be about five percent less this year than in 2008. Still, the total number of exhibitors this year will be about 1,500.

Lamond attributed the exhibitor decline primarily to fewer China-based companies on the show floor. Further, the piano segment of the industry continues to struggle.

However, he also pointed to some bright spots, such as sales of school band instruments increasing by about four percent, and if reports of projected increases in (U.S.) government spending indeed come to pass, Lamond expects that figure to remain solid and perhaps grow.

Lamond also noted that there has been a recent surge in attendee registrations for the upcoming show, which runs January 15-18, and all available hotel reservations booked via NAMM are now sold out.

“The overall mantra of the 2009 Winter NAMM show is that people in this industry are looking to get together, talk things over, share ideas, and collectively seek new direction,” he said.

More about the 2009 Winter NAMM show here.

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House Ear Institute (HEI) Providing Free Hearing Screenings At Winter NAMM ‘09

Licensed audiologists from the House Ear Institute and House Clinic will also be available to counsel participants on their hearing screening results. The institute’s outreach staff will offer additional hearing health education, literature and free disposable hearing protection.

The House Ear Institute (HEI) will provide free hearing screenings to attendees and exhibitors on the show floor of the 2009 NAMM Winter Show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

The screenings at NAMM are a service of the institute’s Sound Partners hearing conservation program and made possible through the support of Shure Incorporated and the NAMM show. 

Sound Partners raises awareness among audio and music professionals and the listening public about the permanent hearing health risks associated with excessive exposure to sound volumes at or exceeding 85 decibels (dB). It also offers practical protection methods to encourage the lifelong enjoyment of sound.

The free hearing screenings will be available in Booth 1196 in Hall E between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 15 through Saturday, January 17 and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, January 18, 2009.

Shure is the exclusive sponsor of the House Ear Institute’s hearing screenings at NAMM as part of their Listen Safe program. Shure’s Listen Safe program is dedicated to educating musicians, audio professionals and consumers about how to enjoy sound responsibly.

“Every year we see greater numbers of music professionals taking advantage of our free screenings and audiology consultations at NAMM,” said Marilee Potthoff, House Ear Institute marketing director.

Licensed audiologists from the House Ear Institute and House Clinic will be available to counsel participants on their hearing screening results, which are kept confidential. The institute’s outreach staff will offer additional hearing health education, literature and free disposable hearing protection.

For more information:
House Ear Institute Website

For additional information, visit House Ear Institute’s Sound Partners® program at http://www.hei.org.

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Shure Unveils New USB Microphones and USB Signal Adapter For Computer Recording

Two new cardioid condenser microphones connect to any USB computer port, while the new signal adapter connects any XLR microphone to a computer. All three components come with built-in headphone monitoring and monitor mix control.

At the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and Macworld Expo, Shure has unveiled the new PG27USB and PG42USB side address condenser microphones and the X2u XLR-to-USB signal adapter.

The PG27USB and PG42USB microphones connect to any USB computer port. These cardioid condenser microphones feature built-in headphone monitoring with zero latency and monitor mix control for blending microphone and playback audio.

Both models are also supplied with an integrated pre-amp with gain control.

The PG27USB offers a flat, neutral frequency response for natural reproduction of a wide variety of instrument and vocal sound sources.

The PG42USB is engineered to reproduce the subtle nuances of lead vocals, with a larger diaphragm helping to boost sensitivity. It also has a low-cut filter and external shock-mount.

The X2u XLR-to-USB signal adapter is a modular accessory that connects any XLR microphone to a computer, and is compatible with Windows Vista, XP, 2000, and Mac OS X 10.1 or later.

It also includes an integrated pre-amp with gain control as well as headphone monitoring with monitor mix control. Phantom power is provided for use with condenser microphones.

Pricing:
X2u Adapter: $154 MSRP
PG27USB: $238 MSRP
PG42USB: $298 MSRP

All three products will be available in Spring 2009, will carry a two-year limited warranty, and can be purchased at select retail partners. The X2u will also be available at the company website, www.shure.com.

For more information:
Shure Website

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