100 YEARS J R of RECORDING Valdemar Pouls and Magnetic Recording

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www.americanradiohistory.com Editorial Interview: 6 t hi quality and hugs 5 Bob Thiele Buddy Holly 'n all that jazz 8 Soundings Professionalessii mal audio, Recording: post and broadcast news 5 7 I -inch mastering Tim de l'artyicini s minister I O World Events The events calendar 6 I Recording: looks forward to 1999 Magnetic recording Charting 100 years of REVIEWS magnetic recording Broadcast:TV3 Calrec X- Series 69 Introducing Ireland 12 Exclusive: New digital fourth television station console for radio broadcast Horizons: CB Electronics SR -3 7 ISDN Audio `r l:xluwive: Control Soliciting practical solutions and synchronisation 'glue' to ISDN audio 7 Quantegy GP9 Facility: Louis Studio Preview: The new 76 Belgian facility analogue mastering tape focuses on recording

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V.RTY.ALZE.R MTV tsTo lM I issssra-ssss...... _ s:rr: .:ssssssss _ www.americanradiohistory.com The keeper of quality A SENSE OF PERSPECTIVE should be preserved before we rush off the cliff of programming nirvana afforded by the promise of the multichannel orgy of DTV. studio While it could be judged as good for the viewer, just how good depends largely on how good you judge any previous and existing attempts to expand programme channels via such means as satellite and cable. My own experiences of this so- called soun Incorporating Broadcast Engineering 'improved' viewing experience, gleaned from many years studying the varied output December 1 998. Vol 40. No 12. ISSN 0144 5944 in hotel rooms throughout the world, is that a core of quality programming is Miller Freeman UK Ltd, 4th Floor. 8 Montague supported by a majority of dross. Close. London Bridge. London SE 19UR. UK.

If we really distil the analysis down to the fine powder of origin, it is dross because Tel: +44 1 71 940 8500. Fax: +44 171 407 7102. the money is simply not available to make quality programming in the sort of Email: studiosound©unmf.com quantities required to fill the number of channels available. The programme makers Net www.prostudio.com /studiosound are further bound in some territories by a Governmental directive that dictates a Editorial

Executive E : Zenon Schoepe minimum quota of locally produced programming, subdivided in some cases by a Editor:Tim Goodyer

breakdown of programming category and type. This is never cheap to do properly, Production I : Peter Stanbury Secretary: Eileen Sullivan and, in many cases, short- circuits the natural temptation to buy -in American or even Consultar Francis Rumsey; John Watkinson Australian soaps, dramas and documentaries and simply repackage them for local Dan Daley; Barry Fox; consumption by redubbing. Kevin Hilton Design Consultant: Ben Mallalieu The last decade has seen the worldwide erosion of local broadcasters' abilities to Regular Contnbuto Jim Betteridge; plan, originate. shoot, postproduce and disseminate quality programming, Richard Buskin; Simon Croft; Ben Duncan; Dave Foister; Bill Foster;Tim Frost; predominantly in the name of cost -cutting and increased efficiency. Many have now Yasmin Hashmi; Neil Hillman; Rob James; been neutered to the point where they can muster the energy and resources to Caroline Moss; Philip Newell;Terry Nelson; Stella Plumbridge; Martin produce only a handful of programmes in the recognised categories per year Polon; George often Shilling; Patrick Stapley; Simon Trask with the accompanying leap in viewing figures underlying the fact that the population Lc ,i Joe Hosken clearly appreciate the effort. Circulation Manager Caroline Sharpe Advertisement Sales However, with the explosion in the number of channels you have got to wonder Group Sales Manager Chris Baillie who the keeper of the quality will be. I cannot think of a reason why there should Email: cbaillie@unm Deputy Ad Manage. Phil Bourne be any enormous leap in the quality of programming just because we have more Email: pbourne@ur channels to choose from. Correct me if I am wrong. hut is this just not the road to US Representative: Bill Ford more dross? Zenon Schoepe, executive editor Email: bfor-d@coas7

. 'led Ad Manager Dominic Robinson

Email: >minicrobinsoniu - e >ement Product Desrae Procos Crying wolf? PA to the Publisher Lianne Davey Managing D Doug Shuard Publisher: Steve Haysom \\ERE Ft LL OF F1'. The media, that is, full of tales of woe regarding the Millennium o Miler Freeman UK t td. 1998. Ali , ghts reserved. No part of this Bug. You know the one-the computer problem that would have you withdrawing publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means. mechanical all you savings from the bank and investing heavily in electronic or inciuding photocopying. record,ng or tinned food and a shotgun. my informaton storage or retrieval system without the express prior And not, under any circumstances. travelling in an aircraft, riding in a lift or even walten consent of the publisher The contents of Srudo Sound and Broadcast Engrneenng are subject to reproduction o information stor- sending an email. age and retneval systems. Studio Sound and Broadcast Egmeenng incor- Whether you are reading porates Sound Internmono and Beat Ins trurnental 5rudo Sound and the specialist computer press. the daily broadsheets or Broadcast Erg,neeing s published monthly the magazine is available passively watching the television, you cannot he unaware of the problem facing on a rigidly controlled requested basis, only to qualified personnel The Publisher may pass suitable reader addresses to other relevant sup- computers and equipment using 'imbedded' processors concerning the year 2000. The -ers If you do not wish to receive saes information from other com-

use of the '00' year abbreviation that confuses the year 2000 with 1900 threatens to Subscription Rates. UK annual: 045.00. Europe: L60.00. Rest disrupt your video recorder and plunge the world deep into economic recession. of the World:USS 116.00. - -- r --- n.i only be piov,ded a' the p blisre s discretori, un.cvs specifically guar- And the story does not end there. For while armies of IT experts consign non- anteed within the terms of the subscription offer Circulation and subscription. UK: Miller Freeman UK Ltd, 109 Stator Road. Sidcup. Kent T. compliant hardware to the skip, implement alternative software systems and chase out DAIS 7E UK. Controlled Circulation: Tel. +44 181 309 3617 . Fax: H4 181 309 368 1. Paid Subscriptions:. countless lines of code, subsequent 'millennium bugs' are waiting in the wings. Ter .44181 309 3842.Fax: +44 181 309 3661. Once the Millennium Event is over -with all that it may entail -a procession of US Studio Sound and Broadcast ABC Engineering Magazine. 2 Park Avenue. similar problems will follow. all with their roots in date systems. The OS on older i 8th Floor. New York NY 10016 US Postmaster Please send address correc- BUSINESS PRESS Macintoshes. for example, is only good until February 2040 (the current Mac's OS tions to. Studio Sound and Broadcast should still be serviceable Engineering Magazine. do Mercury until 29,940). The Rhapsody cross- platform OS that is Aufreight International Ltd Inc. 2323 11117 intended to run on next -generation Apple machines is up in 2038. meanwhile, and Randolph Avenue, Avenel, New Jersey NI 0700(. US second class periodicals i Aladdin's DOS and Mac software expires in 2036 and 2040 respectively. Microsoft's XL postage paid at Rah way. Nl Orig,nation by F E Burman Ltd. Crmscott Steet Lon- v5 is good until 2078. Word 6 BPA until 2411 and Filemaker Pro until 3000... I believe there don SEI 5TF Printed in the UK by is also a leap year problem in the offing. You get E T Her on.The Bestall Complex. Colch- the picture. ester Road. Heybridge. Maldon. Essex CM9 4N W.UK Nrwstrade Distributors My tinned food shopping list is nearing completion as I write, but I am considering (UK) UMD. 1 Benwell Road. London :I 712 exchanging a few cans of canned custard for some form of entertainment. Given that N7 7AX. UK. Tel 0171 -700 4600. _, (17160' 33: Internet porn is off the menu. I reckon a new copy of Ger, ¡i .tlf nnt;atari is in order. Tim Goodyer, editor Miller Freeman in A United Nei +s & Media publication 6 December 1998 Studio Sound

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www.americanradiohistory.com Tonmeistertagung views of a new highly portable hand -held card- based recorder Germany: The Tonmeistertagung from GCS. valve -based outboard exhibition and conference in from a division of Hughes & Ket- November eras further proof. tner. mies from Schoeps. after the French SATIS event. that The biennial event will move the health of well organised and at its next gathering to Dussel- planned national shows has dorf. which benefits from. never been better. However. among other things. an airport qualification is needed as both with the same name. The Karl- the aforementioned are single sruhe venue while popular is language rather than single coun- difficult to reach for interna- try get togethers. tional visitors and requires the The Karlsruhe event managed exhibition to he split over floors to combine a typicalk restrained and down corridors in an inef- Collection of unntistakahiy high- ficient and confusing manner. ranking audio folk in the show The lack of space also limits area with a papers and work- expansion which the new venue shops programme that are het - will presumably solve. Worth tered only by the AES. On the the trip. U3:Aiming to establish itself as the leading training centre for exhibition floor there \\ ere pre- Zenon Schoepe audi 3 and visual media in Western America, the Ex'pression Centre for New Media will open its doors in San Francisco in January next year. Founded by Gary Platt and Eckart Wintzen (pictured), the centre offers audio, video, graphics, editing and post facilities in its Walters -Storyk- designed facility.The three post suites house SSL and AMS Neve systems.Training is intended to be personal and comprehensive, including surround and ISDN working. Net: www.xnewmedia.com

US: Svetlana Electron Devices, the Alabama -based distributor of Eastern European valves has released a new catalogue, claiming that trouble in Europe has not hindered its ability to deliver. Established in 1928, Svetlana is a familiar name to many manufacturers of audio, hi -fi and musical equipment.

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UK:'Younger, more aggressive and more hungry,' is how Scott Jackson describes the new management team at Soho's Magmasters.'We're running it as a business not a hobby.'

Demonstrating its intent with the refurbishment of Studio I and 2 of the 9 -room facility, the team has replaced its DDA DMR24s with new 6- screen, 56 +56 input Soundtracs DPC II consoles. 'When a company like Magmasters is looking to spend money everybody rings you up,' continues Jackson.'We looked at whatever else is out there and, for the money, nothing else came close -both for price and ease of use.' The 5.1-capable studios have also had new Dolby systems installed and have recently received acclaim for work on Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Greece: Recently updated with v2.8I software, the Capricorn 'Godzilla eating Manhattan was a bit too loud so we've put console at the Athens Concert Hall has been busy at the centre new soundproofing in,' says Jackson of other aspects of the refur- of the facility's first 5.1- channel music production.The forthcom- bishment. Right now he's looking forward to working on the new ing DVD release, Epiros of Pentationia, has been I I years in the Star Wars First Chapter movie and a new version of Captain making, involving I I studios and I9 engineers, and will feature Pugwash. Magmasters, tel: +44 171 437 8273. the duet between Shaliff Keita and Elenei Dimou, mixed at the Concert Hall.TheAthens Concert Hall,tel: +30 728 2000. Broadcast firsts Channel -t and will handle the new US- UK :I.roadcastin,1 history has I I \ -? service imminently. \TL hertz made on hod; sides of the Maint the networking and trans- Atlantic when \ i 1. pro\ iced the mission arrangements to be the \v( sfirst wIl digital terrestrial tutu- most complex of the 2 t' digital visit n network for the new Film- terrestrial multiplexes due to re- Four channel and CBS affiliate gional programming and advertis- \\13 \S -T \ in Columbus. Ohio ing. \VBNS -Tl :s broadcast. mean- rade the first live HIYIN broad- while. used the I'S standard of cast of a college f(x)thall game. Dolby Digital to deliver 5.1 -clla n- In addition to Channel is dig- mel surround et wet-age of the game ital filin channel. \TLs ,llt$t+m between Ohio State and \\est Digitale l multiplex is also car- Virginia l ni\ rrsit\ is satellite. rying digital versions of IT1' and Tim Goodyer

8 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com London's De Lane Lea Soho post Nashville's Finalstage has invested in facility has ordered two Harrison Series a Crookwood Mastering Brick console Twelve consoles, bringing its total to as the central element in the refurbish- three. Slated forTheatresTwo and ment of its mastering operation.The Three. the new 220 -input desks will console uses both off- the -shelf ele- have 80 predub channels. 8-channel ments and a custom analogue transfer ., -- monitoring. 256x256 routeing, and be . .. no inserts. optimised for either one or two- opera- Finalstage, US. tor use. Meanwhile. London's Angell Tel: +1 615 256 2676. Sound has opened a new 5-studio Soh: Crookwood, UK. post house using 24- fader, 72 -input Tel: +44 1628 528026. Amek DMS consoles and Augan OMX RC24 workstations throughout.Taking New Zealand national broadcaster.

over from Angell's 19- year-old opera - Radio New Zealand. has bought tion, the new Convent Garden facility 25 SADIE 24 -96 digital audio work- will serve advert sing.TV and film post - stations for use on documentary production and the record industry. production and classical music record- Across Soho. Saunders & Gordon is ing. and an SA &V Octavia multichannel Business set to buy a 96- channel SSL Avant digi- r .:- eduction. British bind Portrshi .td has tal desk and to upgrade its existing Radio New Zealand. matters been taught tin a livy album. Scenana and Omnimix.The investment Tel: +64 4 474 1999. World::\ consortium of investors PNYC. Rt cur dt (tm Nt wYork is na t of ts move to multichannel SA &V, UK. led by London -based Legal & and (optoducad by tilt hand's V. :do commercials Tel: +44 1353 648888. UK. General Ventures has complet- writor- guitarist,Adri.tn Ut It y, De Lane Lea, +44 .- ss Audio Support ed its takeover of Enttec from the the album marlis tht comple- Tel: 171 439 1721. -based Ben's Angell Sound. and Engineering has purchased a pair of Korean KOHAP group who had tion of a 10 -month world turn owned the German media man- Tel: +44 171 478 7777. Aucos Q -2b studio monitors.The loud- to be used for mastering ufacturer for around two gars. Saunders & Gordon, UK. speakers are tr. t,ri ems? nrcnrv- apnócat,ons. The sale was prompted by the Tel: +44 171 580 7315. EQ 2 and Ivor y U5I Harrison, UK. Stoll Audio, Switzerland. Far Eastern economic crisis. +41 Tel: +44 1442 875900. Tel: 61 691 8388. transferring control to a sub- Computer control Amek, UK. sidiary of one of the biggest :mil y Turkisn Repuuuc's 7Sth annive -- Tel: +44 161 834 6747. UK: new 1.1:-based company .vas celebrated with a concert at oldest investment groups in Augan,The Netherlands. ti proposes to the I ,800- year-old Aspendos amphi- Britain ( Legal o\ General. )unti- called Ingenium Tel: +31 85 648966. ed in 18361 that intends to take take the pain out of applying theatre involving the Istanbul Sympho- ny, a 40-piece choir pop ethnic and solo Elute(' public within the next computer systems and IT in Eu- French national broadcaster FR3 rs artists and 20 Mehter drummers.The Turnover for 199-7 ropean pro- :Indio operations. to equip its new mobile with a the three years. event was captured by the Sound with Set by Nick Price. ex- techni- 24-fader. 48-channel SSL Aysis Air digital and 1998 were consistent at up Vision multimedia production compa- console with a custom control panel around I) >Ii.chn. with pretax cal and projects manager for the nys Istvan Leelossy on sixTascam for the video router matrix and SSL's profits of I)\I i9nt. President and likes of The Strongroom, The DA88s using Quantegy DA8 MP-1 I 3 RIO remote fibre-optic interface sys- CEO of Enuec. Dr Jurgen L:tnge- Church and I lards Grant Asso- tape.Audio was handled by Midas tem.To be based at Grand Est.the sta- of ciates. Ingenium reckons to con- XL250 and A&H GL4000 desks, with heine. predicts a turnover tion's eastern production centre in Focusnte and Tube Tech mic preamps I)\I2?hn for 2001. sult on custom computing sys- Alsace. the mobile represents the splits from the stage to the DA88s. British -hased DAR has re- tems as a direct response to the stations first move into digital on-air Quantegy, US. come into the ownership increased relevance ( if comput- working. It is due for January commis- cently Tel: +l 770 486 2800. of the American Harman Pro ing to music and AV studios. Ser- sioning when it will be used assign- for an undisclosed suns. vices include design and speci- ments ranging from classical concerts group I is e companies' recent acquisitions g events. While the potential henelits of fication of computer. st )tt s ;I re include Europe Audio Rent's Otari FR3, France. investment and struc- and network solutions. installa- Radar II in The Netherlands: Stockholm Harman's Tel: +33 3 88 56 6724. support with Audios 12 DPA 4011 mics: ture are implicit and it has been tion. tr.,inin;g and SSL, UK. Dreamh re s Sony PCM- 3348HR announced that there are to be an aim to 'revolutionise the tl:i% Tel: +44 1865 842300. no changes to the DAR man- to -day running of studio Ln ili- DASH multitrack machine:The Sound Company's set of Crown CM3 I agement structure. little further ties'. Net: wwwingcniunt- ,osas City has a new 2 -room suspended mics (for choirs of up to is available. lid.co.uk recording facility. an annex of Chapman information 200) extra Neumanns.AKGs. DPAs and Recording. Established in areas ranging FX Rentals' Digidesign Pro from talking books through dialogue Accusounds: France: Belgian loudspeaker manufacturer FAR has completed Soundcraft replacement to music recording. the Tools 24: and Wigwam's and building on a number of prestigious post rooms Five in the UK. acoustic design new facility boasts identical control Series console in Paris including Elude and Digimage at the Boulogne Studios rooms equipped with 40- channelYama- London's Cinevideoo post facility nas complex. Elude's installation includes the combination of Foley ha 02R consoles and Studer Dyaxis II Trantec IEM500 recording and mixing duties in the one area (pictured) fitted DAWs. with pride of place going to the ordered the first six -ear monitoring with D &R Octagon desk while FMT plates acquired from A &R record- programmable in systems for use by television presen- the two near-identical rooms at ters.The order follows a period of Digimage sport multichannel Chapman Recording, US. Tel: +l 816 842 6854. evaluation of such systems and co- FAR AV I 0 monitoring for their incides with the launch of the IEM500.

role in video postproduction. - Cinevideo, UK. o pzig -based German public broad +44 AtTele Europe, which works ,ter MDR has bought an Orban Tel: 181 743 3839. almost exclusively for national Audicy workstation for its flagship Trantec, UK.

+44 1 1 31 1 I. channels France 2 and France 3, commercial contemporary music Tel: 8 330 FAR has worked on two identi- station. MDR Life The purchase brings Swrtlerlends to St privately-own-ad cal film mixing rooms also MDR's use of Audicys to four. and will -air promos. station television stat on,Tele 24. has recently equipped with D &R desks. Mul be used for on idents. and programme editrng.The gone on -air Regarded by its owner tichannel monitoring is handled station serves the former East German Roger Schawinsk, as a victory over over by three DBW200s at the front, states ofThuringen. Saxony and Saxon- the state monopolyTele 24 has adopt- 20s at the rear and a Venue Theatre. Delta four CR A''' . -.gets a 23- 39 age group. ed Soundcraft's LBE 46 subwoofer.Amplifica - MDR Horfunk. AVE. BI 00 (for its OB vehicle) and 9 tion consists of 2TWIN 450s, Tel: +49 341 300 5320. 'or its editing suites). Soundcraft, UK. 3TWIN 150s and I LC 1200. Orban, US. +I 3500. Tel: +44 1707 665000. FAR, tel: +32 4 259 7412. Tel: 510 351

Studio Sound December 1998 9

www.americanradiohistory.com December 98 6 -9 25 -30 Middle East Expo Light & Sound 99 9 -10 Broadcast 99 Romexpo E» Cable and Satellite Centre. Bahrain International Bucharest. Romania. CDR800 Compact Disc Recorder Asia 98 Exhibition Centre Contact: Romexpo. Singapore International Contact: Overseas Exhibition Tel: +40 1 222 43 56. INTERNATIONAL Convention Centre DISTRIBUTORS Services, 11 Manchester Fax: +40 I 224 04 00. Contact: Reed Exhibitions AUSTRALIA: AWA LTD Square. London W I M 5AB Email: [email protected] Tai 02 9669 3477 Fax 02 9578 0140 Tel: +65 299 8992. Tel: +44 171 862 2043. Net: www.ccir.ro /romexpo -,tact Michael Guest Fax: +65 299 8983. Fax: +44 171 862 2049. AUSTRIA: STUDER AUSTRIA GMBH Email: [email protected] Tel 01 865 1676 Fax. 01 865 167699 9 -II June Contact Reinhold Flied! 5th Broadcast Cable BELGIUM: EML N.V. & Satellite India 98 April -3 Tel 011 23 2355 Fax 011 23 2172 Showtech 99 Contact. Erik Gysen 6th Comms India 98 0 12 Berlin, Germany. CANADA: HHB COMMUNICATIONS CANADA LTD Pragati Maldon, Tel 416 867 9000 Fax 416 867 1080 I 6th International AES Contact: OTSA. New Delhi, India. Contact Dave Dysart Conference 'Spacial Tel: +44 171 886 3106. Contact: Mr Bhavuk Kau', CZECH REPUBLIC.AUDIOPOLIS

, +44 1 Sound Reproduction' Fax: 17 886 3 101. Tel 02 3332 2132 1 Exhibitions India Contact Arktikum. Rovaniemi, f inland. Kt'.

+91 1 Tel: 1 463 8680. Contact Juha Backman, Nokia. 10-15 DENMARK: INTERSTAGE Email: [email protected] Tel 39 46 0000 Fa. 39 46 0040 Tel: +358 10505 9140. Montreux Net: www.exhibitionsindia.com International Contact. Finn Juul Fax: +358 1 0505 5738. Television FINLAND: HEDCOM Email: aes [email protected] Symposium and Tel 358 9 682 866 Fax' 358 9 682 8489 9-1 I Exhibition Contact Jarmo Ro was Cable & Satellite Net: www.aes.org Montreux, Switzerland. FRANCE: MILLE ET UN SONS

Asia 98 Tel 1 46 67 0210 Fax 1 47 89 8171 I 3- I 5 Contact:WHD PR. International Contact Didier Rupin Convention & PLASA Light and Tel: +44 171 799 3100. Exhibition Centre, Level 4, +44 GERMANY: MEDIACOM Sound Shanghai Fax: 171 976 0922. Tel 05451 94690 Far 05451 946919 Suntec City, Singapore. Intex Snangn,u, 88 Email: news@whdprcom Contact Uwe Seytert Contact: Reed Exhibitions Loushanguan Road, Net www.montreux.ch GREECE: KEM ELECTRONICS +65 Tel 01 Fax Tel: 434 3675. Shanghai, China. /symposia 674 8514 01 674 6384 Contact Thimios Kolikotsis Email: chuilan.chia@ Contact: Marcus Bernie, HOLLAND: TM AUDIO HOLLAND BV reedexpo.com.sg P &O Events. July Tel 030 241 4070 Fax 030 241 0002 +44 Contact Peter de Fouw Tel: 171 370 823 I . I999 Fax: +44 171 370 8143. 8 -IO HONG KONG: DIGITAL MEDIA TECHNOLOGY Tel 2 721 0343 Fax I I PALA 2 366 6883 th 99 Contact Wilson Choi January 17-22 Singapore International NAB 99 IRELAND: BIG BEAR SOUND LTD Convention and Exhibition Tel 01 662 3411 Fax 01 668 5253 24 -28 Las Vegas. Nevada. USA. Centre (SICEC). Contact Julian Douglas

Tel: + 1 Midem 1999 202 429 4149. Contact: Ann Tan, ISRAEL: BAND -PRO FIMNIDEO INC Tel 03 1891 Fax Palais de Festival, Fax: ++1 202 429 5343. IIR Exhibitons. 673 03 673 1894 Contact Oler Menashe Cannes. France. Net: www.nab.org/conventions Tel: +65 227 0688. ITALY: AUDIO EQUIPMENT Contact: Jane Garton Fax: +65 227 091 3. Tel 039 212 221 Fax 039 214 0011 2 I -22 Contact Donatella Ouadrio +33 1 Tel: (0) 41 90 44 39 ABTT's Email: [email protected] Email: Jane_garton@midem- MEXICO: LOLA DE MEXICO 21st Trade Tel 525 250 6038 Fax 525 250 6038 paris.ccmail.compuserve.com Show 26 -28 Royal Horticultural Halls. Conference: Contact Carmen Juarez NEW ZEALAND: SOUND TECHNIQUES London SW I . Advanced A and February -D Tel 09 846 3349 Fax 09 846 3347 Contact:Association of British D -A Conversion Contact Stephen Buckland Theatre Technicians. 23 -25 Techniques and NORWAY: Sly. ING BENUM NS Tel t 47 Bermondsey Street, their Applications 22 39900 Fax 22 1 48259 Internet Service Contact Wenche Gronvold Provision London SE 13XT University of Strathclyde, 99 PORTUGAL:ESTEREOSOM Tel: +44 171 403 3778. LOA RAI Centre, Amsterdam, Glasgow, UK, Tel Ot 356 0563 Fax +44 01 357 2981 Netherlands. Fax: 171 378 6170. Contact: ADDA99 Secretariat. Contact Jorge Goncalves Email: [email protected] +44 Contact:The Conference desk. Tel: 171 344 5472. RUSSIA: AIT TRADE INC Tel 07 95 229 7516 Fax +44 Fax: +44 171 240 8830. 07 95 956 6881 Tel: 171 404 7722 Contact Alexei Gorsky Fax: +44 171 404 7733 May Email: adda99 @iee.org.uk SINGAPORE/ASIA: SENNHEISER ELECTRONIC ASIA Email: confdesk@firstconfcom Net: www.iee.org.uk/Conf/ Tel 065 273 5202 Fax 065 2735038 Net www.firstconfcom/isp99 8 -11 Contact Donn Ho I 06th AES Convention SOUTH AFRICA: September E.M.S. LTD -27 MOC Centre. Munich Tel 011 482 4470 Fax 011 726 2552 Contact Dennis Feldman 3325rd SMPTE Germany I0 -14 Advanced Motion Contact: Martin Woehr; SPAIN: LEXON IBC 99 Tel 93 203 4804 Fax 93 280 4029 Imaging Conference Bayerischer Rundfunk Bolkesje Mountain Hotel, Contact Robert Serrat Ro >en I Unie: lotet, Ut rancho. Studioproduktion. Amsterdam. Netherlands. SWEDEN: POL TEKNIK AB 46 Florida, USA. Tel: +49 89 59002434. Contact: Gina Tel 8 708 7570 Fax 46 8 88 4533 Christison Contact Jarmo Masko Contact: Linda Alexander. Email: 1 06th [email protected] Tel: +44 171 240 3839. SWITZERLAND: DR. W.A. GUNTHER AG Tel: + 1 914 761 1100. Net: www.aes.org Fax: +44 171 240 3724. Tel 01 910 4141 Fax 01 910 3544 Net: www.smpte.org Email: [email protected] Contact Roland Bricchi 10-15 Net: www.ibc.org.uk/ibc/ TAIWAN: OMT TAIWAN March 21st Montreux Tel 02 516 4318 Fax 02 515 9881 International Television 23 -26 Contact Houton Sie TURKEY: SF DIS TICARET AS 3 - - -7 Symposium and Nordic Sound Tel 0212 227 9625 Fax 0212 227 9654 MusikMesse Technical Exhibition Symposium Contact Sarnia' Mutluer

Prolight & Sound r"r;nrt. BoiKeslo Mountain Hotel, USA: HHB COMMUNICATIONS USA Frankfurt, GermanyContact: Contact: Patricia Savioz. Bolkesje. Norway. Tei 310 319 1111 Fax 310 319 1311 Contact David Beesley Messe Frankfurt. Tel: +41 21 963 32 20. Contact: Richard Andersen Tel: +49 69 7575 6130 Fax: +41 21 963 88 51. Tel: +47 67 54 14 83. Fax: +49 69 7575 6613 Net:wwwmontreux.ch Fax: +47 67 54 14 83. Net: www.messefrankfurt.de /symposia Email: [email protected]

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www.americanradiohistory.com Calrec X- Series

Largely overlooked in the digital desk onslaught, radio is now beginning to see its own consoles. Zenon Schoepe reports on one of the earliest available offerings enough DSP to run the number of faders you want. Processing is arranged on a per -channel basis, not a per function or pooled basis. Input options are a mono mic card linkable for stereo, analogue line -input card for 8 analogue line- inputs and 2 stereo outputs, and a digital card that gives 2 AES3 inputs, and 2 SPDIFs. Con- version rate is fixed on the AES, hut SRCs are on the SPDIFs. On the output side cards are available for digital with 3 AES3 outputs with an SPDIF copy and monitoring tap -off point, and an analogue output card that gives 3 stereo line levels. An additional path through the output card is required for such things as PFL. Aside from the main rack a smaller unit houses the crosspoints for the monitoring system with analogue or digital inputs plus the control processor for the worksurface. Significantly there are no fans and no NAB THIS YEAR was something digital radio -desk ergonomics and hard drives, so the rack can be located of a turning point for digital structure that is enormous given the in the control room. radio desks as a congregation relatively rudimentary tasks being On the control surface side there are of hitherto unseen numbers gathered asked of the technology. three main panel types and this is the in the halls of Las Vegas. At NAB, Calrec debuted its all -digi- area that is likely to make the differ- Large scale digital production con- tal T- Series production desk, yet ence as far as the potential purchaser soles have been made, and postpro- reminded everyone that its technology is concerned. On the one hand it must duction has to a great extent served as had been proven and tested in its be clever and deep enough to allow the test -bed for the technology, yet so X- Series digital radio desk, itself pre- comprehensive access to the desk's far radio has been largely overlooked. viewed at the Munich AES the year specific innards for techie interest, on Part of the reason for this has to do with before. A number of X- Series have now the other it must be able to he made the fact that the radio desk market, for shipped in the UK with more follow- obvious and simple enough for some- those manufacturers steeped in the ing. Calrec's approach is distinctly dif- one who talks continuously for a liv- required technology, is not seen as par- ferent to that adopted by a number of ing to operate. The chunks to play with ticularly big money, and outside the other manufacturers' efforts primarily are a fader panel with 6 faders on it, a realms of the national broadcasters, because the work surface, and, indeed, monitor panel, and a talkback panel and each country's top five commer- the remote rack electronics are modu- which connect to the rack via SCSI cial endeavours it can all become too lar. Work -surface panels can be cables (not SCSI data). 'shoestring' far too quickly. However, mounted in any piece of furniture you Because the console is designed to shoestring is always linked to the need could like. he self -operated the intention has to work more efficiently and this really Internally the X- Series is based on the been to make it very easy to use. Con- is the spot at which the great promise core that is scaled upsignificantly in the sequently the usual self -op analogue of digital rears its cost -effective head. Digital T- Series. Sonically it is said to clutter such as EQ and auxes have Radio wants digital desks because be no slouch as would be expected been put on screen. Within each fader they can he integrated with other parts with Calrec's pedigree in these matters, strip there is a fader, sroP and sr:AHr of the radio chain that are already but the inside word is that performance buttons, PFL, an Asu,N button that digital, and there is a distinct move is close to that of the I)CA towards more operator -driven pro- T- Series. gramming. The control that digital The X- Series is deliberately affords does hit these buttons. limited with regard to its DSP The swathes of simple digital radio processing to a maximum of G m C desks at NAB, not all of which are near 24 faders in blocks of 6, and to NEU 62 ® ® shippable status it has to be said, achieve this maximum you proved that attention was being paid. need to employ 2 processing ©óB8 What is most refreshing is the great racks. One rack on its own e c o ` differences between manufacturers' can accommodate two interpretations of what is required to 6- facler panels, and the way do the job. There is a diversity in to approach it is to get 12 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com worksurface. 70 EQ is 3 -band with 2- frequency m shelving LF and HF and fully parametric mid plus fixed high -pass and

low -pass filters. EQ and filters can be Cm bypassed individually and the former can also be flattened. Compressor -limiters are available on each channel with limiters on the main outputs in addition to absolute brick all limiters thresholded at the top of the desk output headroom. Worthy of note is a REcotto button on the channel page which serves as a quick way of making, say, a telephone interview recording on air while playing something else out to the network. Pressing this button on the relevant phone channel routes this and the pre- calls the main screen to the selected must not he confused with the net- senter's on -air mic to the record bus channel and an assignable rotary con- working of multiple controller surfaces and takes a clean feed off that mie and troller (a Wild control in Calrec par- to one elaborate rack. The X-Series can routes it back to the telephone caller. lance). This can be programmed indi- run one work -surface system with one Very clever. You could. of course. direct vidually by pressing the shaft encoder. rack system. this reconfiguration process manually, is to while an adjacent button is linked to I will touch on some of the setup rou- but this is a feature that intended this function. be it pre -post switching tines to illustrate what sort of other fea- make life easier. Customisable features of an aux or for a bypass when used tures are available. Starting from include the programming of the work - with a pan control. scratch you are presented with an on- surface switches to light according to The idea is that once the desk is con- screen setup page that recognises the your own preferences. figured for the user it can he left Snapshots are used to config- plain and simple, and to prove ure the desk and allow specific the point early N- Series installs tailoring and reconfigurations of have actually had playout sys- a radio show. for example. to tentsscreens installed in front of handle a live phone -in section the operator with the desk screen AAAA,. of the show. Additionally the to the side. O o o O o 0 desk can be serially controlled The panel display continually from a PC for integration with shows what the fader source automation systems and a Diag- what the assignable control is nostic node charts all desk activ- doing. and the position or value ity for print out purposes. of the continuous shaft encoder The use of screens is interest- pot. A useful touch is the fact ing in that although it is Win- that the display expands when dows- driven it is stripped of a an encoder is moved for better top menu bar and dropdown visualisation. menus. using instead a tab sys- The Monitor panel handles tem that allows the labels for all 16 monitor sources all effec- the different desk functions to tively as external inputs. These can cards that are present. and then you be seen at all tines. to he analogue or digital in blocks of -+ enter into a process in which you There is really not that much more say the Series. The goals of and can feed control room loud- assign sources and destinations using about X- speakers. operator's headphones( fed icons and names. This setup page pre - combining extended internal power with reverse talkhack. PFL, and with clictahly permits the creation of con - with a fool -proof user-interface have split working). a separate selector for soles specific to operators or to pro- undoubtedly been nut. It is not as'ana- a studio with loudspeakercontrol and grammes. Channel routeing is to t main logue' in presentation as some of the 3 guest headphones. stereo outputs. and 2 stereo :tuxes. offerings from other manufacturers, but The talkhack panel allows you to Coarse gain is accessed on the setup that is not a bad thing because it looks address h clean feed destinations with page with fine gain available on the unintintidating and quite frankly it also a variety of key tap Ltching -nu nmen- surface controls. along with aux sends. looks modern just like all the other stuff ta ry functions. There's talkhack to the and pan. Channel functions can he that is appearing in the racks of radio studio. the three headphones. some switched globally. for the purr()ose s of studios. Prices fora t 2- faderdesk weigh spares and condition switching at the setup. to the Wild con- in at around £2S,000( t if; ) top. External bar -graph metering is trols for across- the -desk depending on the precise an option. acljustnent of single Calrec Audio. Nutclough Mill, nature of the 1 -O cards The stain display is run from a PC parameters. In a s, Hebden Bridge,West Yorks, selected. but this will he which is not responsible for driving called Auto-Wild node. HX7 8EZ, UK. eclipsed in cost terms by any of the audio, and the X- Series every time you touch a Tel: +44 1422 842 159 the sort of investment reboots from cold or hard resets in control on- screen it is Fax: +44 1422 845 244 required to digitise other. around 5s to the settings just prior to sent down to the Wild and it has to be said, now power down by continually saving controls for adjustment with a timieout seemingly more important sections of desk settings to FlashRO \I. switching hack to their previous sta- a radio station's operation. Desk settings can be transferred tuses. This amounts to a highly tactile The N- Series is small, powerful, and between desks on diskette or by net - and fast means of adjustment on intensely configurable for all eventu- workingthe PC elements; nigh this what is a rather frugally populated alities. and you can buy it right now. Studio Sound December 1998 13

www.americanradiohistory.com CB Electronics SR -3

Topical yet unglamorous,'glue' systems are an essential aspect of audio and video. Rob James takes a look at the CB Electronics range with the release of its SR -3 serial remote -synchroniser FOR YEARS, the film and broadcast The gently sloping metal box, with community has relied on Colin its dark purple hammer finish, may he Broad's expertise to solve a range used on a desktop or panel mounted, of problems in the area of machine and the latter option being facilitated by four system control. In fact, you would have tapped holes in the case. The display is ported to search hard to find a UK film dub- a 2- line, 80- character pale green back- in a subse- bing theatre without at least one of his lit item with a small degree of up -tilt to quent software products, known to all and sundry as aid viewing from odd angles. I would update. Broad Boxes -or more properly as have preferred more tilt, but what there In any multiple machine CB Electronics units. is most welcome. All the keys are serial system it is customary to designate Because big film -dubbing theatre chunky, square and internally illumi- one machine as master. It will also Oper- requirements are so complex, most of nated. A neat and slim jog- shuttle wheel ate as a 'perfect machine'-the unit is CB's output has tended to involve a with excellent feel accompanies the used as a virtual machine' master. The degree of customisation to suit individ- transport controls. The other keys are performance of the system is largely gov- ual requirements. The SR series of Ser- arranged in three groups, numeric with erned by the dynamics of the master ial Remote controller- synchronisers is store and recall, a row of eight keys with machine. With the SR -3, given a suitably CB's first real off- the -shelf line. a bank switch key below the display quick master, or in 'perfect machine' The SR -2X, SR -3 and SR -4 numbers that will frequently be used for record mode, synchronisation is quick and accu- refer to the number of machines each selects and the largest group which con- rate, and control is tight with little of the will control. In practice the price dif- tains, well, the rest. 'rubber hand' feel of some others. ferences are small and most purchasers Anyone who has had any dealings A total of 20 keys invoke Macros will opt for the SR -3 or 4. The SR -3 under with 9 -pin controlled machines will including the nine below the display. review will also as a slave act synchro- realise that there is no such thing as a These are user programmable from a niser- controller, locking up to three standard set of commands. One signif- library of functions currently compris- 9-pin machines to a master 9 -pin input. icant achievement of this synchroniser - ing around 160 options. If this unit has The first thing that strikes you about controller is that it does exactly this. My a fault it is that you can make life impos- the SR -3 controller is its small size. There Tascam DA -60 Mk.II DAT machine has sibly complicated and loose yourself in is no separate rack unit, and all the elec- defeated a number of other devices but a maze of nested menus. On the other tronics are in the control surface. With the SR -3 recognised it immediately and hand, if you need a weird function the panel space at a premium in sound -for- controlled it better than any other device chances are it is already available. In picture studios, this is highly desirable. to date. The SR contains a library of practice, most users will set the SR up Power is taken care of with an in -line machine specific protocols that should for specific purposes and leave it alone. 'brick'; alternatively, the unit may be suit the majority of users requirements. To this end, the key legends and colours powered via the 25 -pin D- connector If, however, you wish to use a machine can be easily customised to reflect the that also handles time code I -O and for which the SR has no profile, it is pos- functions for which they are pro- GPIs. A further four 9 -pin D- connec- sible to experiment with a variety of grammed. Needless to say, the time dis- tors join the machines to be controlled. parameters in the hope of achieving the plays can be switched to read in film The only other connector is a BNC for desired results. On the evidence of pre- feet (units of 16 frames) or time. video syncs, which the unit requires as vious experience, if you do have such Without going through all the possi- an absolute reference. a machine the chances are it will be sup- ble options, there are groups of com-

Headquarters: D&R Electronica b.v. Rijnkade 15b 1382 GS Weesp The Netherlands Phone: + +31 294 418014 Fax: + +31 294 416987 E -mail: Info @d -r.nl Website: http / /www.d -r.nl

14 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com mands designed to make light work of control systems are found in many film erator. The TC -2 adds video inserts and ADR operation, DAT IDs and pro- dubbing theatres. It handles 9 -pin, the SS -1 is a TC -1 with a 9 -pin syn- gramme numbers. record control of hiphase and parallel remote control and chroniser. Options for the TCs are VITC multitrack machines and locator smarts synchronisation. There are also recorder reader -VITC to LTC convertor and a such as Again and I.00p. control panel options for dubbing or multistandard VITC generator. in addition to the direct 9 -pin ADR operation, and a PC can be used The FC -1, FC -2 and BS -1 Film Coders machine control capabilities, the unit to prepare loop timings which are deal with converting to and from offers a time -code reader- generator. downloaded into the controller. The hiphase. The FC units convert a hiphase There are 6 GPIs and GPOs which can system also interfaces with console input to LTC and also gear -box between be used to remote the transport con- automation systems from the major frame rates. Biphase standards from trols to existing keys on the user's panel manufacturers. 1ppf to 100ppf are catered for. The and provide tallies. 'red Tight' control, The MC -1 Master Motion Controller FC -2 adds video insertion. and so on. The SR -3 can also interface functions as a virtual master with four The BS-1 does the opposite and gen- with Audio Kinetics ES.BUS protocols. hiphase outputs, (hiphase standards from erates hiphase from a time -code or Studer TLS 4000, Ampex and Timeline one pulse per frame to 100ppf), time -code 9 -pin input. This allows a DAW or VTR Lynx. This gives access to non 9 -pin output and 9 -pin output. A 9-pin input is to control a film chain. This device also machines and can aid integration with also provided. Gear -boxing allows mixed includes a gearbox. existing installations. frame rates and there is an additional The ED -1 ED -2 units are used to gen- If all this sounds too good to he true, hiphase output fixed at erate an EDL from dis- it is not. There is one area that could 25fps. Parallel remote facil- continuous time code. stand considerable improvement. The ities alloy the unit to inter- UK: Syence, 75 Rostrevor The unit works with a PC unit conies with the manual from hell face with existing transport Road, London S W6 5AR. to generate EDL., in CMX Most of the information you need is in control keys and recorder Tel: +44 171 3 71 7771. format. Reel numbers can there somewhere if you can find it, but functions. Fax: +44 171 3 71 7779. be taken from user hits or there are factual inaccuracies and most The GD -1 Giant Display Email: sales@ syence.co.uk time -code hours. A sec - people will tear their hair out and wring is an 8- character time ond time -code reader is their hands or reach for the phone. counter that takes a time -code input in included to enable listing against exist- - I have even watched well respected any format or, when used with other CB ing code. The units also regenerate time facility engineers in a state of bafflement Electronics products, will show film feet. code with new user data if required. when confronted with this manual. The VS -1 Video Streamer offers a vari- The ED -2 adds video insertion. There Syence tells me it is discussing a ety of functions designed to make life are options for VITC. CB Electronics won rewrite with CB electronics. I hope this easier in mixing for picture and ADR an Academy Award for technical inno- happens soon. Apart from anything else applications. The VS-1 can hold up to vation with these units. it would reduce the cost of support. 500 events in its cue list which are used The IS -1. when used with a suitable If you are looking for an incredibly to trigger electronically generated cue ISDN audio unit (like Dolby or versatile. neat compact and compre- wipes which may be inserted into a enables an ISDN audio connection to hensive multimachine control system composite video signal. The events can be used to synchronise machines. The and synchroniser. for any number of he entered and edited on the VS -1 or unit includes a 9 -pin synchroniser with applications then this is the only game prepared 'off -line' on a PC and down- a programmable offset to suit the in town at any where near this price loaded to the unit. As well as the wipes, encode- decode delay. point. Machine control is finally show- the VS -1 has beep or click outputs. The The TC -4 is a portable, light (100g) ing sign ,f growing up. beeps are used to help talent hit cues and compact battery- powered multi - and to get the pace of the loop. The standard LTC reader- generator for loca- Broad Boxes roundup unit also has a multistandard time -code tion work. The temperature- controlled tali lacer nu. m.inut,i.turL, a reader -generator and display or the crystal gives a claimed accuracy of 12 A real- range of IN ACS t hat help glue complex numbers can be inserted into video. around one frame in hours. systems and prt>duct sun route. together. Options are available to add relay out- time clock is included and the unit can These are some examples-the MR is puts and Opto -Audio Trigger inputs and be jam synced. User -hit assignments are the heavyweight controller fin- major VITC reader -ViTC to LTC conversion. in either AMPS or Aaton for Date. installations. The TC -1 is an LTC multistandard, Month. Unit and reel. A video output The NlR series of multrfi>rmat remote multireference time -code reader -gen- is optional.

Q. How does our NEW COMPRESSOR work? The stereo audio signal input is encoded as a 'sum' channel (left plus right) and a 'difference channel (left minus right). Both channels are compressed. After compression, the difference channel goes through a variable galn amplifier, controlled by the WIDTH' control. The sum and difference channels are then decoded back into stereo left and right. .. The effect of WIDTH' is tttat the stereo signal is variable fro. enhanced stereo. Compression in the sum and difference domain quaranw perfect image integrity under all conditions of compression, while retaining the original JOEMEEK sound The resulting compression Is an image perfect version of the awesome and 7 ' >, I unique JOEMEEK sound:- Lost in the 1960s and recreated in J 3 3 : . 7)J __.,) Width the 901 Tee Fletcher, Qesgx- www.lotntreek-uk.carn w0,.4.1)ri+emYy )4limrfKS}.a- oo. , 1... (¡..yv -. 1 .. -u - e;+ n»u .. u r1.+s z,l,S1 re.* d+ñP'` ion `

Studio Sound )ecember 1998 15

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www.americanradiohistory.com Quantegy GP9

A new high output analogue tape for these digital random access times, Zenon Schoepe reports on formulation, Caroline Moss asks for early feedback

ITSEEMS APPROPRIATE that on the line kitchen to make 996, but by its own 2 -inch versions that are available have Poulson anniversary related else- admission and despite its own consid- thicker flanges, a solid back flange and where in this issue (see page 61) erable experience was unable to make are coloured red and the product is that we should also be recounting on it taste and perform like the 996 that available in standard Tyvek and 3M's a significant analogue tape formula- 3M prepared. TapeCare boxes. tion from Quantegy, itself celebrating This was clearly a source of consid- In terms of alignment, GP9 is close 40 years oftape manufacture next year erable concern for Quantegy as it had enough to 996 and 499 to allow direct through its Ampex connection. bought into 3M's tape technology in replacement; although the window is Much has been reported concern- order to take advantage of 996's excel- large enough to permit additional or ing the company's acquisition of 3M's lent reputation, but the chet's were dif- custom tweaking for the realisation of tape business and the rebra nding of its ferent. It had to rethink, and the result particular results. In terms of cost, GP9 tape from the established Ampex name is GP9, a formulation that could he weighs in at slightly more than 499. to that of Quantegy that officially takes described as something of a 'best of' Quantegy does not expect 100% effect at the beginning of next year, yet 3M 996 technology and Quantegy's market d()minance as it clearly clarification is still required. own 499, which remains current. as it 3M's original and highly popular combines aspects of both. high output 996 analogue tape will not It combines chemical components be manufactured by Quantegy and from the two formulations, which inci- any that is left in dealer stocks truly dentally shared a surprising amount is the last that there will ever be. This anyway, and it employs a new ure- is despite the fact that Quantegy thane -base film that draws on modern bought 3M's tape division and with it developments in this substance that all the elements required to manu- amount to increased durability and facture this formulation. improved longevity. The reason has been explained with A new crosslinking binding system the use of an entertaining analogy is claimed to make the tape more -take all the exact ingredients to make robust. hut, perhaps most significantly, a cake and hand them over to some- claims to get some 8% more oxide onto one else in the same kitchen and the the tape than its competitors. result will be different enough to make The company is claiming an a difference. Quantegy, through its improved noise floor, lower distortion acquisition of 3M's tape operation, had and virtually shed -free runability. The all the ingredients and the production metal reels for the V. inch, /-inch and Studio Sound December 1998 I7

www.americanradiohistory.com < identifies the impor- to approaches from those tance of freedom of interested in their own choice as a means of Irials with the product on policing performance. QUANTEGY MDR-74 significant projects. ltdtv.d.ble Mnawc From the user's point There is only one way for of view, and in the face ou to find out if GP9 works of the increasing for you and that is to try it. onslaught of digital. it No one should doubt Quan- is interesting to note tegy's commitment to pro- that we now have fessional analogue tape and more choice in high - the company has stated cat- output analogue tape egorically that if the day than ever before as should ever cone when the GP9 is accompanied last roll of tape should by Quantegy's 499. ever he produced. then Emtec's 900 Maxima that reel will hear the and Zonal's 999. tion of consistency over the course Quantegy name. All Quantegy's other tape lines. of years as it is only here that the true including 456, will continue to be worth of a formulation can he judged manufactured. honestly. \\hat follows are the com- As with all media any true appraisal ments of several early users of GP9 must he tempered with the observa- and Quantegy is likely to be amenable 'I was using the GP9 at Straylight Stu- dios in Willesden on a variety of old 3M machines, which overheated during the session. The maintenance guy popped along and was so interested in what we were doing he stayed to tweak different bits, so we did a real hot test on the tape, we cut everything really hot and it all cut in fantastically loud with no SONIC ROCKET distortion whatsoever. The recording creamw @ré had all the clarity of digital with the warmth analogue. There are many cards that give you I /0s. of Straylight was a great studio for our test There are some that cards provide mixing. A world of DSP modules. purposes because it's a big old BBC -type fully featured 14 channel digitol muvi studio But there is nothing like PULSAR. Fos. Dyriahrirs. Delays and more with souped up Hammond organs sensational synthesizer devices and old echo plates, but is also linked up The high performance sample ployer Pulsar DSP board brings in all together - Integrating miring effects sampling and synthesis powerful Third Party platform to digital, so we were all of the highest digital standards in one uhrapowedul and compatible DSP environment. able to give the We just brought dzsktop audio to o new level . GP9 a really good run through. 'Normally when I'm given test graphs Ultra pawerfol DSP Engine. tape they ro board for P( and MA( of mean nothing to me and I 4 e 60MHz Analog Devices VAR( find it difficult to hear the difference. zero latency multi processing multi channel, polyphonic When I first heard the GP9 demo at Town House I immediately heard a difference, but was sceptical. However, after my sessions I'm convinced it is really excellent; the tape was saturated d - ultimate quality. and it outperformed itself. Several 20 channels I friends have used it in different applications including live recordings 96,H; support and 74 bit resolution they all report a similar success.' Jr analop expansion efe nal AP, Al6 Foster was working on sessions for Amer- insh r., tannetlor ican label Rhino Records and for record- MIDI ings of new Creation signing One Lady Owner. He also tested the GP9 with Glen Much more Matlock, Steve New and Tony Barber.

than I /0s and mixing. Pulsar is the ultimative audio engine to drive your 'I was given a couple of test reels of GP9 audio sequencer. to evaluate in a short time, so I used it on sessions I was working on as much ALL for just S1,298 US MSRP! as I could, right across the board. I would SrmemMi 08 have liked to try it out some more, prefer- ably on drums which would have given it a good test, but time constraints didn't allow this. I did use it quite extensively on vocals though, and also was able to record onto digital to do an AB comparison. There was a very small amount of slea.w.. tM W "An 0,en11SnK,.O/III S3171 Siba. Gomm, M. (0) 77113510 1n N49)17414051,07 noise on the GP9 recording, which you'd expect from an analogue recording, but I8 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com The modern media family if it had been a blind test I'd have to say -GP9 pictured at its birth the two were identical. It is not the sort of with relatives close and distant thing you'd expect from analogue. GP9 is an excellent tape which has restored my faith in analogue, performing like a digital tape while giving all the benefits of analogue. I was definitely impressed and look forward to using it more extensively in the future.' Wdiò/Jjo

'I thought that this time, when evaluating The classic 4006 omnidirectional microphone from DPA Microphones workhorse some new tape, I'd run proper tests on it, (formerly known as Danish Pro Audio.) Is a proven. no-nonsense cost effective so I spent two weeks running it on a with an enviable pedigree. The audio professionals choice, the 4006 embodies the finest I an Audio Studer A800 Mk machine using available materials. Utilising advanced production and quality assurance Precision test set. All the tests I normally techniques. the 4006 Is an indispensable tool for the professional studio use seemed pretty meaningless so I read environment. Outstanding performance is characterised a book about how tape actually works or broadcast and got together some new tests to run. by an extremely linear frequency response and a very low One was a frequency response test, see- noise floor ing how the tape performed at different The 4006 is lust one of the high quality fluxivities, and for the other I lined up products from the renowned 4000 series. tracks at different levels and tested the evolved from over SO years of and 996. GP9 together with some 499, 900 Innovation and customer 'On the maximum output level test at service available now +3% distortion, I got much better results from DPA from the GP9 than from the others; I was able to put a lot more on the tape before Microphones. it distorted by 3 %. However Emtec pointed out that the hatch of tape I used was old so I retested. On the old batch Wt1A4u IOII 54411th rttCtRL lovwl Imo 1111055 41w the GP9 was beating the 900 by 1' /2dBs; errai, 1117101 11111 11411D 1/1171710/ /T ILtIUM 1011 5100117 401w 111 71110 on the new batch it still beat it by a dB, MAL UII /111111 POLAND ,0721 11114S1 milk 11111714 PORTUGAL 011 1511111 so although the new 900 is better than IS1 GOIN SI 175 ISO NSW 501 1151 the old I could still get more out of the 5/5511 41ÚI M 75111'1 swuarolt 1111111 tauram 451111 7.11 ä01W 415IW( 1711S1 11111 GP9 in the course of the tests I ran, in Itr01111 0411014 SOIN 1/110 1011110IS1St1 IIMIMD 1041 Sit 1510 SOIN 1041 1011 5,515e

and sat- 11170110 SKIN. Ú101 1p 1 107 11 54 terms of maximum output level )MORS 101, uration output level. uIIWMVMIO 11111h 1011 SNODtr í01111t0170 GnWmIMORtN 1040, 14SI210 Swn1t1100 1011 5400111 'In general the noise floor on the GP9 GE4WI1ö00tN 1014 1151110 MI40A% ,011 1111101 Gott(e lep 1101111 IM,UWNO ion Sil Silo ,2111 is audibly lower than the other tapes, MIMGAe 1 1111541 NWT 7111101 Sew 11117S/S0 011.1111 1057511 511400 there's a lot less tape hiss and you can 111121 UNITED W o tMiUtiS 1004 445141 110e0SY 10711 put more on it before it falls over. I was eo 101711 1ISSSCS UMItiD KINGDOM 101111 1107070 1141 1011 5111111 UL 1 (41101 5111151151 TIMt1UEW running it on the A800 at +10dB, whereas 041 111SI1 78,40 011 15107 Pita 107111711471 I wouldn't have lined up any of the others at above +7dB. So you can run it much hotter, and get a useable frequency response on tape.'

Heirevang 11, 3450 Allered, Denmark +4S Quantegy Europe: 7 : +45 48142828 F: 48142700 om US: + I 770 486 2800 www.quantegy.com

19 Studio Sound ! )ecember1998

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www.americanradiohistory.com Panasonic -Ramsa WR -DA7

An 8 -bus digital desk sporting the Panasonic name and priced to compete with the Yamaha 02R is certain to command attention. Rob James finds an interesting mix TIls. FIRST INIPRESSIO\ after The screen is fundamental u) the the surround panner out puts are routed wrestling the \\ R -I)A- out of its operation of this type of console and to) these buses. Depending on the cho- box is of clean, appealing func- this one is identical in resolution (3 2() sen panning mode. the rotary shall tionality. Closer inspection of the con- x 2 +(11 to the one fitted to the 02R. encoderas on the F.Q. Pan -Rus Assign sole shows the wrist rest to he sculpted The EQ section is equipped with and Dynamics sections will now for serious use: the dark blue -black shalt encoders for Gain. Frequency function as send level controls. ( )ther colour scheme confirms its pr )tessiunal and Q. Four keys select which of the surround panning possibilities include LR fader and parameter styling. l'Ire fader strips start on the left + frequency hands the knobs affect and using the master and are positively minimalist until you a further key turns the EQ on fin- the wheel as back -front left -right controls arrive at the area above the Bus and LR selected channel. The knobs also func- and a number of vector based options masters. All the other controls are tion as buttons. which is neat and innr- including timed pans. return and repeat grouped on the right much as you itive. Curiously the frequency hands are Don't let anybody kid you. the learn- would expect. 'Transport controls and slightly restricted. depending on the ing curve ti)r this cons( ile is steep. The parameter wheel are located buttons type of filter in use. For example the reference for this mixer is the Channel by a key right. with F.Q. I )yn:uttics and Aux sec- high hand operates over SOHz -2 ()kHz screen. accessed dedicated

is the \tl I ru key tions immediately below the screen. in I t 2 octave steps in parametric mode Associated with this Monitoring control sits in the channel. but over hkllz-2OkHz in shelf or low- Which activates the metering screen. EQ. Each of the 16 identical channel pass mo)dcs. \fore important than the ')'here are lihrarics for Dynamics settings each with 5() memt- strips has a fader and -+ illuminated numbers. the EQ sounds good -very and Channel small square keys for (.I -I. stl.F( I. Fi.Il' clean. I also found it difficult to over- ories. Once the relevant library hasl)een s-6 >III and lilt '.I I. and sut t ). Fi.m' in this else refers to the )k it into distortion. The Q goes high selected the dedicated Layering not as in an in -line console enough for surgical clean up work. but switching signal paths between nx)n- the EQ still manages to be smooth and itur:Ind main. musical at wider settings. Four keys switch the fader nudes The Dynamics section operates in a between Inputs I- 16.l11puts I - -i 2. aux similar way the I;O except that there sends and returns with bus masters. and are 2 rotary encoders. 'Thus. Threshold a custom-MIDI control layer. Flip keys and Ratio may he adjusted or Attack and ;tll(tw individual channclstobebrouglu Release or Delay and Gain \Lrke -up. to the surface and changes franc ;green Toggling through the selections also

I( ) red to) show what is going on. Chan- takes you to the Expander with Thresh- lick selected to Flip toggle with the old control. Delay is activated with :t global switching. t'nt )rtunately there dedicated key and is adjustable in mil is nu \\ ;:\' of keeping specific channels lisecond increments or samples up t( ( on the surface in hotht global Condit ions. --i.-+OO samples. I ans less impressed \\ it I t Without adding option cards the the desks dynamics.' They are (Met:ti\e \\'R -DA- has 1(s balanced analogue in controlling levels. but they are nei- inputs accepting signals fions -60dli to ther virtually inaudible when \working +II1dBusing 2 l-hit convertors. Two dig- hard. like the better digital types. nor ital SLR inputs ;i pI \idled as an alter- are they full of musical character. Annoy- keys can be used or the on- screen fields

I place the Copying parameters between channels native for Channels I ,\ (,. aunt for AUX ingly there is no option to Returns I&?. The first 10 channels also dynamics post fader. Competent is assisted) by thew i net t :\\\rt \Ar\y key have unbalanced anal( inserts using enough. but could be better sums it up. and screen. Comprehensive linking:m(1 the usual single IRS jacks. The Aux section uses one rotary gro)u ping funetiOtu :IHow adjacent pairs Audio interfacing is accompanied by encoder which. if pressed will bring up of channels to be linked as a stereo pair \wOrdcl<,ck input an \\ R -I )A -s together. The first 6 bus selection keys light :Ind function of the parameter wheel Studio Sound December 1998 21

www.americanradiohistory.com "If the choice is left to me, i use

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Ronald Prent has had success as a recording engineer working with SM 900 maxima Is a high- output analogue tape designed specifically for multi -track recording and such artists as David Bowie, Police, Elton John, Def Leppard, mastering. with extra wide dynamic range. low noise Iron Maiden, Peter Maffay, Jule Neigel, Rammstein, Guano Apes and low print through. and Fury in the Slaughterhouse.

For more information contact c-R íi 01295-227838 or visit EMTEC Magnetics' EPvI EC Magnetics web site at http: //www.emtec- magnetics.com BASF

www.americanradiohistory.com ease of use. < between fast navigation and selection group'. My reservations about the MIDI hoped for advances in missed of parameters in fields. and sync implementation appear to he Another golden opportunity Although the in addition to 50 scene memories for shared by a dumber of owners. I did is in the surround area. friendly snapshots with variable crossfade times, however, find the answer. The timebase WR -DA7 tries to he surround way comparing the WR -DA7 boasts comprehensive reference can he changed, but only there is no ready of with 6 channel returns. dynamic automation. The LED field when there is no automation data in 6 channel sends automation above the faders shows which para- memory. The manual is positively The same applies to the well providing meters have been selected for auto- opaque on this point and I am by no memory. It is all very a filer, but less ele- mated control. A nice touch is when means the first person to notice. hooks to PC or data worth of replaying an automated mix the rele- A mere three years ago. this class of gant than a few greenbacks' onboard memory. vant LED flashes green to indicate mixer dici not exist. it is a measure of -in effects do not automation control. The automation has Yamaha's achievement with the semi- While I concede built of full two screens. Setup and Execute. nal 02R and its siblings that all digital suit everybody, the advantage system Automation can he engaged from the mixers in this price range cannot he con- integration with the automation he underestimated. The surface using the At ro\tATioN -At'x key. sidered except in this context. To pre- should not be forgivable Offline editing of parameters is possi- tend otherwise would be unrealistic. absence of effects would offered a serious advance ble; although I think it is rarely worth Much the same applies with 'big gun' if the console Subjectively the EQ may the Ixother. The memory supplied for consoles. The AMS -Neve Logic and in other areas. others and the 'look and automated mixes is less than generous; Capricorn consoles effectively define he better than is i particularly liked the use although you can use a MiDi data filer expectations. This sets the agenda for feel' good. as -hut- or computer to record automation data the rest -however much they may of bicolour LEDs. and the knobs- ( the StageTec con- in real time or to bulk dump data. protest this is. not the case. tons like soles and Junger out- It was when I first started to play with The WR -DA7 looks the US: Panaso nic- Ramsa, board), but there need to the automation that I hit the first real part. It is clearly designed 3330 Cahue nga lw better reasons to go with snag. Try as I might. I could not figure in the 02R mould and is West, Los a out from the manual how to persuade none the worse for that. I Boulevard new console. sig- Angeles, CA 90068. I am assured the firm- the thing to read MTC. 1 could see it had expected to find Tel: +I 213 436 3624. is for an update was receiving MIDI data and i could nificant improvements over ware due remote software read MTC running on a device con- the much older 02R but was along with which may address nected downstream from the WR -DA7, somewhat disappointed. Less a quan- for PC and Mac, But it but its counter remained on zero. Since tum leap, more a hop, skip and a jump. some of my disappointments. remains to be seen whether Panasonic it was a weekend and I was impatient. just like the faders -128 steps are not can capitalise on a promising. if 'me too'. I had a quick trawl around the Internet. enough and there is still no real 'touch manufacturers cone If Panasonic -Ramsa has an official site sense'. Sure, you can put a fader into start before other genuinely my search engine couldn't locate it, but Record by moving it. hut it's still a up with something which I had also advances the category. I did find the 'unofficial DA7 user shadow of t e real thing.

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For methodology see Studio Sound, April 1998, page 14. See it on the Internet website: FAR DbW-80 www.prostudio.com /Studiosound /aprl98 /r_tannoy.html

Studio Sound's 'bench test' loudspeaker reviews continue with the DbW-80. Keith Holland eports THE FAR 1)h \C -1;0 is a for a peak at 60011z that cor- 3 -\\; v passive loud- responds with the crossover 10 speaker comprising two frequency between the Iuw- --inch i I- tinintI plastic -coned frequency and mid- frequency bass drive- units. a 3-inch drivers: the response above (76m m)) soft -deme mid- SkHz is dominated by an range. and a I -inch 125nrn) unexplained clip to -5ó13 -10 soft -doute tweeter housed in between 5kliz and 12k11z. dB a cabinet of external dimen- IlaIi1tonic distortion perfor- -20 sions: 300nun high by mance is good with second S6Omm wide by 320mm and third harmonic (list( r- -30 deep. The tweeter is mount- tion lying below - 10dB I I ) ed close to. and directly from 15112 upwards and beneath. the mid-range dri- below -50413 (0.3 " I from -40 ver with the bass drivers 2011Iz upwards. Fig.5 shows 1 either sicle. The loudspeaker the horizontal off-axis 20 100 1000 10000 Frequency is specified as having an response to be disappoint- (Hz) internal volume of 39 litres ing, \cidi distinct tubing Fig.S: Horizontal directivity and a weight of 19.5kg: it is around 3kilz and a strong a bass reflex design with interference dip at 7001Iz two front-mounted ports. clue to the spacing of the 10 \ switch on the front panel bass drivers. The vertical

off-axis response I Fig.6) 0 is dominated by a clip at 30 ont at -axis 3kIIz -10 that is close to the Mud Re+p.nv dB - crl s.(i\ er frcqucnc\ I1 Jay up between the mid-fre- -20 vIJeR up 15 dais dn quency and high - rlJef fregUeney drivers (spec- -30 dn ified as -4k11z). The time -domain perfor- -40 mance of the 1)b \\ -80 is presented in the 20 100 1000 10000 .tep response ( Fig.3 ). Frequency (Hz) acoustic centre (Fig.2 ). Fig.6:Vertical directivity gi es the choice of 'llat \\.IN rf:ill plot (Fig.,) and the

response or a 3413 increase p()\\ er cepstrunt I Fig. -I I. u 1.5kllz (tlte supplied The step response. has a specification sheets du not rapid rise and steady decay state the reasons for the showing good driver tinie- inclusion of this switch): the alignntent, and the acoustic measurements were taken centre is seen to shift to a with the s\\ itch in the 'flat' ntaxinuun of just over 2m IN »Nil ¡OM 'lhc ere ís.1 I\ er fre- behind the loudspeaker at quencies arc specified as very low frequencies. a typ- 311 6001-1z and -+kllz. and the. ical result for a loudspeaker power handling is specified with a úh order how-fre- 411 to be 200 \\ ruts and +511\\' quency roll -off. A slight /% peak ( pink noise 10nts ) giv- shift in acoustic centre at . ' Hu ing a claimed ntaxini un around 600Hz corresponds IIMI TIMI IOW pressure. level of 122/113 SPI. with the peak in response at rrlluan loa ( peak) with a pair of loud - the crossover frequency: the speakers driver). consequence of this can he Fig.7:Waterfall chart Fig.I shows the. on -axis seen in the waterfall plot uneven high frequency response are impressive. frequency response and har- which shows evidence. of response. Overall, the FAR The measurements demon- monic distortion for the ringing at this frequency. I)b \\' -8(I perfi iritis reason- strate the compromises )b -}31 I. \\' Aver- Also visible in ably well. The on -axis and inherent in the use of twin age sensitivity is the waterfall oft -axis frequency response dri' ers: harmonic )ortiott(list( seen to he Far, Rue Bois de Sclessin 6, plut is a ringing and sonne :tspec'ts of the is reduced and maximum approximately B4102 Ougree Belgium. at about 13(111z, time' -domain performance hoover output increased as 90ó13 SPL for 1 \\ Tel -Fax: +32 4 259 7412 and a fairly are let down by a problem each driver only has tu cope at Inn distance. rapid and well - at the c'rosstiver between with about a quarter of the :nul the low-frequency roll - controlled decay at low fre- the low- frequency and mid- electrical chive Compared to off is nth order with - I I )ól3 at quencies. The power cepsuttnt frequency drivers. and a a single driver, w hile direc- 37I1z. The response is show's an echo after about peculiar response at high tivity is compromised by the ±2d13 maintained within 11(X) s that is responsible for frequencies. but the distor- necessary physical spacing frotte 5(I1-1z to Ski except (or as a consequence ?) the tion performance and step of the drivers 24 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com 100

E 80

@,) 70 - r- oc Swl H..rnont, (V llrm.nw

Jih H.nnoww t: 60 41,1141111011K a co 50

20 100 1000 10000 Frequency (Hz)

Fig. I: On -axis response and distortion

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www.americanradiohistory.com Audix CX-I I I Tripping with Glyph Storage and networking specialist Glyph Technologies has launched a customisable Audix has raised its professional profile with a new studio condenser data- storage system known as rackmount microphone. Dave Foister finds new mileage in old styling Trip. The 3 U -high box can accommodate a wide variety of storage devices for appli- HERE Is \U StOI'PING Nome peo- ably well with the first offering in the field. Not cations across the board, and while there ple. Fresh from bursting forth with two only is the microphone quiet and difficult to are three off-the -shelf configurations the acclaimed ranges of dynamic micro- overload, but it also has the big full sound that actual selection is up to the user. The three phones-1 still rate the D-+ bass mie as one of goes with its image without the shortcomings are good examples of the possibilities: the the finds of the year-Audix has moved up a that can accompany such imitators. QuadraBum Trip contains four 4x write /8x gear into the condenser market. In The CX -1 I 1 is not entirely with- read CD writers, an Adaptec SCSI card, and comes a big bold studio model. out character, but neither does it Prassi CD Rep recording software for PC joining the ranks of those who seek have the degree of coloration that compatibles; Trip for Pro Tools provides to emulate a certain familiar classic often attends attempts to emulate two hot -swappable Kingston drives or up without charging the familiar price. the classics. All tot frequently the to 46Gb hard drives, a tape backup unit, If imitation is the sincerest form of edge is overdone. or the warmth and a CD Recorder configured for Pro Tools; flattery then a certain German com- overplayed to the extent that the and Trip for Paris is populated with appro- pany should have been feeling top suffer: here neither is t I ìe case. priate drives for the Ensoniq Paris. almost embarrassingly flattered as the clarity and breadth at both Glyph Technologies, US. now for several years. Not all imi- ends of the spectrum are com- Tel: +I 607 275 0345. tation works, however, and even on mendable and combine to give a the cosmetic level some succeed DIX sense of slightly enhanced realism. CAD sends in cleaners letter than others, with variations Two particular extremes. para- fruits of its new CAD has shown the first on the thence from awkward and doxically related. showed the facility, headed up by clean room capsule ungainly to smooth and classy. range of capabilities well. VSM -1 condenser micro- the new tube The CX -111 is particularly sleek Stuck in front of a loud guitar It uses the new Optema Series phone. in appearance. Its matt black body amplifier is sometimesetimes not a very capsule with a servo 1.1 -inch diaphragm flares smoothly into an unusual comfortable place for a condenser elements of the VX2's valve, combining grille that dispenses with the nor- microphone. but the Audix with its the servo technol- valve technology and mal woven ,mesh and instead is pact in had no complaints. There made of perforated black metal. was edge when needed. and also This looks at first sight to present fullness. when it was available, but less of an oppo ntunity fi>r the sound never any suggestion of strain. By to get through. but on reflection contrast, an acoustic guitar can test there may actually be less solid the more delicate capabilities of any material in the way: certainly the microphone. and again the Audix a capsule. a 1 -inch conventional-looking design. passed with flying colours, with smooth is clearly visible through it. Within the grille extended IX>tOnt end and plenty of detail on is in integral wind- shield, and the microphone the finger noises when required. The polar pat- is not supplied with any further external pro- tern appeared to he pretty uniform. with spill tection. It conies with the increasingly-stan- pickup relatively uncoloured and good con- dard bulldog- clip -style suspension mount as trol when moved those critical few inches in used by Rode and Ifl'\I. a proven design that front of the guitar. grips the body securely. supports it well and This combination of attributes should make provides good shock isolation. Unfortunately the CX -111 a strong contender for the quality the one Audix supplied broke: one of the elas- all -rounder market. much nx>re so than some tic bands snapped as I tried to straighten it out of its kind that place character before versatil- on unpacking it. so the fact that it was a cont- ity and thereby rule themselves out of some nlon design was a bonus as I could mount the applications before they begin. It is remarkable microphone as intended by obtaining one that a company should do quite such a goxxl from elsewhere. job of its first high -profile foray into the area. There is no mistaking the allusion in the Audix has achieved much in the last cou- ogy from the Equitek Series. This is claimed overall shape, and the similarity extends to the ple of years. Its distinctive range of dynamic bandwidth, to deliver extraordinary position of the switches. mounted in the ring microphone capsules has found homes in stu- with frequency, and transients exceptional below the grille.There are only two controls. dio and stage microphones, and this was gain and low noise. Shared tooling with as the CX -111 is a fixed car - capped recently with the VX2 aggressive pricing. The the allows dlioid -only ntcxlel: the options announcement of a tic -up same capsule appears in the new Equitek are a 10dß pad and a high -pass Audix Corporation, with an interesting new radio E -350, an extended LF response giving filter, both accessible on the PO Box 4010,Witsonville, microphone system. Xwire's to 10Hz and a high SPL capability. down front of the microphone. The OR 97070, USA. í'11F systent is claimed to be The microphone shares the Equitek con- slide switches are the sank Tel: +1 503 682 6933. the first digital radio micro- cept of battery-power supply support colour as the body. and it is Fax: + 503 682 71 14. phone. with ADCs in the a Nickel Metal Hydride battery, and using not always easy to tell which Email:ccastle @audixusa.com transmitters and DACs in the will operate from internal batteries also way they are set just by UK: SO/. receivers. Xwire not surpris- without phantom power. looking. particularly as the Tel: +44 171 923 1892. ingly sets much store by the CAD, US.Tel: +1 440 943 0I I0. engraved markings are hard ti Fax: +44 171 241 3644. sheer sonic quality of its trans- Community gets WET read from any distance. mission. and has recently Community has introduced its WET series There is undoubtedly a broad character of chosen the Audix OM6 capsule for its hand- of loudspeakers, designed to withstand sound that one expects to hear front a micro- held mdxlel. a move that says much for Audix's extreme environmental conditions over the phone of this size and shape. and the various standards. The CX -111 looks set to build sub- long term while delivering the kind of sound competitors achieve that character with vary- stantially on this base and get itself noticed in quality expected from indoor enclosures. > ing degrees of success. Audix has done remark- a crowded marketplace. Studio Sound December 1998 27

www.americanradiohistory.com Audient ASP 23 I

< The vital element is a heavy-duty one- piece, hand -laminated, all- fibreglass enclo- sure that is said to be completely impervious to weather Long in service and long in the tooth, the humble graphic equaliser and the effects of UV radiation Community says this far outstrips laminated gets a timely update in the ASP 23 I. Terry Nelson welcomes it wood, roto-moulded and injection -moulder. THE NAME A[IDIENT may be new to standard, and the high -pass filter provides a enclosures for strength, rigidity and long- many on the pro -audio scene. hut the smooth cut response front 1511z- 25011z. term durability. Three-layer Weather -Stop principals of the company. Gareth while the gain control provides ± 10(11i of trim grilles prevent water intrusion, and a one- Davies and David Deardcn. are most likely variation. The 0dß point features a detent piece fibreglass baffle secured with stain- not. Audient is the latest venture from the that is again positive to the touch. What starts less -steel fittings and a rubber gaske: duo after their involvement with DDA. and to set the Audient graphic apart from others completes the picture. Drivers have the ASP 231 graphic equaliser is the are the Nlode and Tilt facilities. The \tons diaphragms made of advanced carbon fibre. company's first offering. switch changes the third -octave filter mylar and polyimide materials, and Fer- Thu would have thought that graphics are response from Constant Q to Constant Q firr rofluid is used not just for the usual pur- plentiful on the market. hut a little investiga- Ixx>st and a narrow sixth-octavetave response for poses but also to prevent corrosion in the voice-coil gap. The first model is the WET228, with two 8-inch carbon -fibre cone issTss g'g '= _o :: : LF drivers, and a new 1 -inch compression :== aaaa driver coaxially mounted with the upper LF i la ff:=Cll:EE driver and fitted with a1 nIttit.] hie horn. Community, US.Tei: +I 610 876 3400. DigiTech powerhouse DigiIcch. an rawly enthusiast for multi - effects processors, has added the Quad 4 to the Studio range. Effectively four processors in one, it has four inputs, four outputs and flexible internal patching arrangements fion quickly narrows serious down the cut. In terns o1 system EQ applications. this to suit a variety of applications. One hun- choices to a handful of units. and discussions is extremch useful as it means that you ran with users indicates that whereas the con- deal with the troublesome frequencies with- cept is still valid. nu )st designs could do with out taking large chunks out of the surround- 4 bringing up to date. This same research led ing audio spectrum. dred factory presets show off the S -DISC II Davies and Dearden to consider all aspects The Tilt function uses a centre- detcnted processing, with a library including com- of the graphic EQ in the of light modern tech- knob to 'tilt' the frequency balance by ±3dß pression, rotary speaker simulation, spring nology -from true balanced inputs out- and around lkI Iz -Ixxosting the high end lowers reverb, delay up to 5.5s, vocoder, sampling, puts to filter design and minimal signal path. the km end by the same amount and vice time warp, envelope filter and many more. The result is the ASP 231 dual- graphic and versa. Inspired by the Tilt control on Quail DigiTech, US.Tel: +I 801 566 8800. the ASP 131 single -channel version. preamplifiers. this allows the overall fee The unit features a rugged 311 -high steel quency response to he fine tuned to meet More power, less noise chassis and also has rear support mounting changing conditions or taste without having Furman's specialist range of power condi- point. ti Jr installing in road racks. This saves to touch the graphic settings. tioning and distribution equipment has on rack rails and is a nice touch. The rear As is normal. the equaliser Was tested with acquired two new additions to its series of balanced AC power panel contains input -output XLRs I Pin 2 hot) a variety of programme material and the isolation transformers. for the electronically balanced connections response characteristics were found to be The existing 20A IT -1220 is joined by 10A plus parallel hlippon- Phoenix -type connec- sn(x)th and not harsh. The constant -Q filters and 30A versions, not surprisingly desig- tors. There is a rocker mains switch next to combine very pleasantly, and, though Ixx).st- nated the IT -1210 and IT -1230 respectively. the IEC mains connector and a red push -hut- ing or cutting adjacent hands by large auto ants ton to isolate chassis earth for earth loops. will affect the neighlx)uring band. there is no

Bringing a nxxlern touch to the front panel dill in the curve between hands ( the 'broken is a hack -lit central strip to identify the fre- tooth' syndrome) as on some units. The Nar- quencies tithe 31 ISO hands (20Hz -20k l lz ). row nxxle gets a thumbs up. and switching plus hack -lit icons for the var- between Normal and Narrow ious functions, facilitating easy (lens )nitrates just how effective operation under low-light con- Audient.Tile Barn, this is when yOu want to knock ditions. The layout is neat and Herriard. Ham psh ire out specific frequencies with- uncluttered. and touches such RG25 2PE, UK out detriment to the others. as knobs recessed into tile fro nt Tel: +44 1 256 381 944. Interfacing the Audient was panel further demonstrate its Fax: +44 125 6 381 906. both trouble free, and noise These specially wound and shielded rack - practicality Worldwide Distributor: free. My only regret was that mount toroidal transformers, provide bal- Each of the 31 hands has Expotus. 95 G rays Inn we did not have a PA gig where anced AC power, bringing similar benefits

±1011B Road, I to system noise as those provided by bal- of cut and boost, and London WC X 8TX. I could have tested the line the sliders have a centre detent Tel: +44 171 405 9665. drive capacity of the outputs as anced line audio operation. Hum and buzz marking O. The right -hand side Fax: +44 171 831 6017. the unit has been designed to from ground currents, and from radiation of the panel carries identical handle long cable runs and is into adjacent audio equipment, are claimed controls for each channel: \tous switch with specified at +22dßu into a 60052 load or less. to be drastically reduced. The US- standard two icons. Tu r switch with i.ta and rotary con- The Audient ASP 231 offers a new boxes carry multiple Edison outlets and trol, nt -RNs filter switch with LED and rotary approach to one of the established work- deliver 60V at opposite polarity on the two main conductors control. e ::vi\ control with hack -lit icon and a horses of audio. the graphic equaliser, and referenced to the common safety ground attached Large illuminated n switch. try as I could. I cannot fault it. Merits to the centre tap of The gain and high -pass facilities are fairly your attention. the transformer. Furman, US.TeI: +I 707 763 1010. 28 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com Precision Digital Performance SADiE 2496 Digital Audio Workstation Sound for Picture

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www.americanradiohistory.com BSS Opal FCS -966 > JBL hits bottom W The need for a low- frequency monitor for Adding a graphic EQ to the Opal range, BSS presents another element surround work has a new contender in the of up- market signal processing. Terry Nelson checks its appeal form of the JBL LSR12P. The powered sub - woofer uses JBL's Differential Drive tech- THE OPAL RANGE has been designed -providing you follow the guidelines in the nology, which has two voice -coils in each to make BSS's equipment available to manual. BSS has very kindly provided a selec- driver wired 180' out of phase to double the more nis members tion of input -connectors in the form of bal- the power handling. This is combined with of the audio community. And. o inside ring the anced XLlls and jacks. plus a new one to nee. a direct radiator approach rather success -(X)0 than the of the BSS FCS dual graphic. it is the Conlbi -Con terminal block. I used the band-pass approach used by other systems, hardly surprising that the Opal range be jc tined equaliser in a variety of situations- including and lightweight Neodymium transducer by the FCS-960 dual graphic equaliser. While unbalanced source to balanced destination technology with JBL's Linear Dynamic Aper- it would appear to be targeted more towards and rice rersa -and the unit worked fine. ture design. The result is said to be excep- the live sound market. the 96(, will no doubt However. Ito simulate real -life situations) in tionally well -defined bass and unusually one instance I used a mono jack - high power levels with very low distortion. adaptor for phono leads and found A special feature is the multi -input capa- most of the signal disappeared in bility, allowing subchannel frequencies to liypass mode. You do need to use 3- be derived from either the LCR channels or pole (stereo) jacks for the jack con- a completely discrete source. This is to help nectors and connect the shield of the accommodate the changing needs between cable to the ring. In the sanie way. matrixed and discrete surround mixing, and Pin 3 of the XLRs needs to be linked there is an auto patching mode allowing end up in a variety of situ: tiom. to Pin I for unbalanced operation. This is all remote switching of the input source. Featuring the distinctive Opal green front carefully explained in the manual and merits JBL, US.Tet: +1 818 894 8856. plate, the FCS -966 lives on a solid 31, -high full marks. chassis. The slider and potentiometer knobs BSS has also chosen a broadcast conven- TDK DVD are of a pleasing rubbery material that gites tion for the mains supply and fitted an IEC ILA is ready for the introduction of record- both a pleasant feel and non -slip operation. matins socket. fuse holder and plains voltage able DVD with three recordable discs. and all legending is clear and easy to read. selector at the back -there is no mains on -off DVD -R is a WORM disc with a potential The unit offers two independent third -octave switch to be turned off inadvertently. capacity of 3.95Gb, functioning much like EQs with 30 ISO frequencies ranging from A delayed power -up is featured in order to a conventional CD -R, but with a much finer 25Hz to 20kHz. The filter characteristics are avoid disturbing bangs or thumps in a system tracking groove and more accurate laser Constant Q with ±I >dB of gain and a Q of 4. and idle noise is unnoticeable. mechanism requirements. The minimum Hocking up the unit is easy and trouble -free Each channel features centre -detented pit size is reduced to 0.44pm with a track

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30 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com sliders, a sweepahle high -pass filter (Out to tive-both when used by themselves ortweak- >SIIHz). LF and HE c(r i )I R controls. I,m\ ing up a graphic setting -and are a useful addi- control (off to +10óE31, 8- segment LED meter tion to the graphic section. dial reads output with the EQ in and input The merits of constant -Q filters are well with the EQ out. red clip LED and large illu- known and the filter sections of the Opal minated half oval EQ i\ switch. The EQ In prove positive. Good sound system engi- lamps also function as the mains indicators neering says that if excessi\ e cut or boost and you could be forgiven for thinking that needs to be used. then the problem is in the the unit is turned off if powered up in Bypass system somewhere and needs to be m(xle. unless it is already passing signal. in addressed before doing the fine tuning. If you which case the t.ED meters will be operation. need to cut or boost a frequency by I(1dB A very slight click is audible when switching before you can hear any difference. some- the EQ in and out when passing programme thing is wrong somewhere... It was there- material. but it is doubtful that an operator fore a pleasure to find that the Opal is capable would do this once the show was running or of subtle. yet effective, work using ±1dB to mixing had started. 3dB adjustments. though if you do need to We all know that EQs are highly subjec- hit the nut with a sledgehammer. the 966 does tive, but I quickly found myself warming to it well, too the unit. With all settings at zero, switching The Opal was tested in a variety of situa- the EQ in adds a subtle but discernible 'body' tions. including stage monitoring. working to the sound that. While not neutral. is cer- studio and home studio. and performed well tainly a plus for live work -live sound engi- in all cases. A quick look with an RTA revealed to the imp(>ssihle that settings at flat were within 1óB of each width of 0.8pm, both 50 to 60% smaller than neers are often expected do source signals and anything that other and that all filter slopes are very smooth. on a standard CD. DVD -RAM is the with meagre However. a -3d11 LED in the rewritable equivalent for high -capacity data helps here is welcomed. metering would be a useful storage, with two versions offering single - Before getting into the BSS Audio Linkside addition as the 0dB LED literally sided 2.6Gb and double -sided 5.2Gb graphic. a good deal of flexibil- House, Sum mit Road, is that -0.5dß it does not capacities. These use the land-and -groove' ity is provided by the sweep high - -at Potters Bar, Herts illuminate. The jump from -6óB method of recording, where data is pass filter and the Contour EN6 3JB, UK to (kIB seems a little large and recorded on both the troughs and the ridges controls. The HI' filter does a Tel: +44 17 07 660667. I would much prefer an inter- of the tracking groove. At this stage DVD- good job of cleaning up LF wooli- a short cut to Fax: +44 17 07 660755. mediate indicator. even at the RAM discs will be housed in a cartridge sim- ness and provides up some signals. The expense of the -2-tdB LW. It ilar to that of a conventional M -O disc as a - tidying would he useful to have zero detents on protective measure; although both types Contour controls could be considered as has, also ±6dB of (>dB, 8 The GAIN and cox-rout controls. But you can- are eventually expected to operate hare like and treble trims and provide shelving at 50Hz and not have everything and so the FCti 966 comes current CD -Rs. octave characteristics 1akHz respectively. These controls are effec- recommended. TDK, Europe.TeI: +352 50 50 I I.

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www.americanradiohistory.com Tascam TM-D 1000

D /ESAM from memory The 8 7U 4- channel RA\I recorder is a plug - Amid applications for large scale digital desk technology, a need exists in option for the Graham -Patten Systems for something smaller Zenon Schoepe finds hope in an unlikely guise D /ESAM 820 digital edit suite audio mixer, providing up to 10 minutes IMAKE ABSOLITELY NO ENC1 M: tour comparison to the (t I v. for example. This puts of audio stor- raving about this little console. despite a stick in the spokes of any rapid progress age under full edit system control. It elim- inates the need a the tact that I fully expected to dismiss it and while I am not saying that the desk would for dedicated rolling audio as a project studio orientated plaything. While be clearer to Operate if the screen was Larger source by fitting a module within the mixer its ambitions in the T \I- D1000 are not enor- and more elalx>rtte. it is just that it man have itself, and four versions are available with mous. Tascam has managed to cram an felt as if it was. varying amounts of memory from 32Mb up unnerving level of functionality into this tiny R> uteing and EQ bypass are handled on to the maximum 256Mb for 640s of 2 -chan little console which takes up about as much keys which also double as MMC transport nel or 320s of 4-channel audio. Recording room as the opened up magazine that you're complete with track -record arming via is 48kHz, 24 -hit, and full Sony control is provided including shuttle and ;ng. reading. What you are presented with is a row the it i : keys. Onboard automation is of 21 short-throw unnx)torised faders han- restricted to snapshots. but dynamic automa- GPS, US.Tel: +l 530 273 8412. dling the 16 input- channels. -+group aux mas- tion can he realised by capturing the \111)1 MediaFORM dupes ters and the main stereo output. It will handle generated from channel parameters. .\lediaFORM has covered both ends of the incoming 20 16. or 24 -hit lengths and if The fact that most functions are hidden away small -run CD duplication market by simul- I describe what it has you'll get the picture. and require a fairly intimate knowledge of this taneously reducing the price of its CD-2701. There are eight analogue line inputs. tour of consolette to truly master does not detract in a spindle -based 50- capacity automated which also offer mic XI.Rs with phantom amwav from its usefulness. In tact the degree device, and launching a new 3 -CD dupli- power and inserts. Eight digital 1 -Os on Tl)IE of complex ity.:tMI I was surprised and encour- come up at faders 9 to 16. while there is one aged at just how unobvious a lot of the oper- stereo digital input and ating system and configuration is. aligns this two stereo digital out - box far more with an experienced digital user puts on paralleled AES- than with the novice. I am not sure if this is

EBU and SPDIFs. There necessarily what is intended. but I reckon it are four group outputs would blow the brains out of a coId -start led - which can also act as rt x nn recordist hoping to get creative in a hum.. aux sends: external They would never get passed the manual. stereo inputs: stereo It is almost too well loaded with features outputs: a monitor out- and the configuration routine. particularly

put: and a headphones with regard to organising 1 -Os. is very circuit complete with involved and matters are complicated by a s"" itch - operated mon- curious imposition of Record and Mixing itor- source selection. modes that seems inappropriate. There are 2 inbuilt But if you are not intimidated by these sots stereo effects and of things and have a g xs.l idea of what you

t dynamics devices. would use this desk's abilities for then at cator, the CD2CD. In its basic form this is a Options include the around .1900 (l XI it is among the finds of this stand -alone copier capable of producing fitting of an additional millennium. Yes. you can mix on the thing. 3 CDs simultaneously without the need for TDIF interface card but running it to the extremes of its capabil- a PC, and a 4 -bay cabinet can be added to with extra AES -EBl ities is probably missing the point, this is a increase the slave capacity to seven. PC con- and SPDII I c h, and sample -rate convenor. device that you can sort small little jobs on. nectivity also allows control from master- and an additional effects board that doubles The fact that 'rascal)) now has in its IF -TAI) ing software, and the E*si -DAT and the onlx>ard processing. ( t effects t'5ti 349 a box that will translate Ixtween its Easi -Audio options allow external audio to Hard channel control is sparse as woukl own 'l'i)IF and AI)AT optical bidirectionally be imported. A unique feature is Track be expected. The channel faders are com- further extends the realms of connectivity. Extraction, which allows tracks from vari- by plemented dedicated and detented pan Thu could use this desk for rough master- ous discs to be mixed and recorded. controls (nothing multichannel here). chan- ing. premixing. getting signals into the digi- MediaFORM, US.Tel: +l 610 458 9200. nel mutes and saliva keys. the last assigning tal domain for output to somewhere else. control to the small u u that works in con- purely as a digital monitor mixer with a DA\\. Bias Peak climbs higher In a re% isic Zsias junction with four soft rotaries to access the or simply as a spare digital mixing resource comprehcnsiye m, has introduced Peak v2.0. the latest version its 3 -hand EQ ( sweepahlc shelving HF and LE for simple tasks if the bigger stuff is other - of Mac and fully parametric mid) and the afore- men- wise occupied or deemed tcx> grand. editing software. DAE support is added, tioned effects. It is not an elegant means of It is interesting to note that following the along with the ability to use Adobe Premiere control and requires a lot of scrolling through first trial generation of digital desks. the next audio plug -ins and full SMPTE synchronisation. RealAudio be and along menus with a data- cc me entrated almost 5.0 can encoded entry knob. lust civ on the big -buck directly for intemet authoring. and CDs can The real letdown k the u:u Tascam Am erica. UK. monsters. \lane of us looked be burnt directly from the playlist to most popular burners. The user -interface has which is restricted to alphanu- Tel: +I 213 7 26 0303. on pathetically longing only h mr merics and it is out of keeping Fax: +1 213 727 7641. something simple that would been improved to take advantage of Mac 058. and a QuickTime movie window has with the spirit of the rest of the UK: Tascam. :ill( t> m interlace vitli all the been added, compatible with product. Given its meagre Tel: +44 192 3 819630. bits c>I gear that we had assem- Peak's scrub- panel surface. +44 bing capabilities. New support for third - the T \l -D8000 is Fax: 192 3 236 290. bled with digital ports on . It absolutely peppered with con - has been a very long time conn- party hardware includes the Yamaha A3000 trc ds and switches, even down to the number ing. but the requirement still exists and the and Ensoniq ASR -X samplers and file inter- of soft controllers which greatly exceed the TM- DIUUI) is the sort of digital tt)ollxmx that change with Ensoniq's Paris file format. Sev- number on the Yamaha O1 y, for example. everybody could afford to have in their per- eral of these updates are also incorporated in version 2.0 of the entry level Peak LE. I le cwever. the display is limited in the density sonal setups or facility back nxmns. I loge it of information it can show at any one time in to death. Bias, US.Tel: +I 707 782 1866.

32 December 1 998 Studio Sound

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www.americanradiohistory.com Alesis Q20 SADiE surrounded by Dolby Studio Audio & Video has taken the sur- Appealing first effects units combined with professional expertise round capabilities of the new 24-96 workstation a stage further by showing its gives Alesis a new take on outboard. Dave Foister batches in integration with Dolby's DP569 Dolby Dig-

WHEN ALFaIN REVOLUTIONISED I &,r.1 ,tart a i..l 'u -hit unit. and contescom- ital encoder for DVD preparation. 24-96's the digital- effects box with the plete with SPDIF and Alesis optical digital mixer now has full mouse -controlled a_ito- mated surround panning, \lidiverh. few could have 1 -0 and R\C wordclock input. Balanced pro - and the result- guessed where it would lead. Now. with the level analogue ins and outs are also provided. ing buses can be fed out to the Dolby ADAT format firmly established us a standard. completing a very respectable interface line- encoder and hack to the disk within SADiE, and its associated lightpipe multichannel dig- up. This is all reflected in the overall quality all under the control of the SADiE PC. These ital interface rapidly following suit. Alesis of the effects. with a smoothness and clarity files can then be sent to a DVD authoring reminds us of how it all started with a new that takes Alesis up a notch. Many will he workstation via network or removable effects professor. pleased by the onboard power supply: nu(liiinl +44 The Midiverh was very cheap and made a although the common aversion to wall -warts, SAV, UK.Tel: 1353 648 888. lot of people very cheerful. and was followed and the other external supplies used by Ale- Phonic range grows by many variations on the theme with differ- sis and others. has always puzzled me as the Aimed among other things at close -f eld monitoring applications, the MARI Refer- ence Amplifier is the fourth model in the MAR Series of power amplifiers from Phonic. It delivers 100W per channel alto 80, with comprehensive protection and rnt degrees of sophistication and inexpen- 4 remO\ 10c ni.uns u.inslunicr inml a box enough heat sinking to avoid the need for siveness. Always there was the feeling that in of sensitive electronics would seem to he emi- a fan. Calibrated gain controls, front panel catering for the broadest market. including the nently sensible. LED indicators, power -on muting, Netarile live musician's effects rack. the studio suit- One of the Q20's facilities is subtle but very Combo input connecters and a ground ability was perhaps compromised a little. but important: the ability to globally mute the floating switch complete the picture. the boxes offered such gcxxl value for money direct signal to the outputs. Older Alesis effects HW International, UK. and high effects quality that allowances could had the direct signal present in the mix of all Tel: +44 181 808 222. he macle. The Q20. while coming full circle the effects. so that for aux send- return use the in one sense. also shows the direction Alesis mix had to be changed for every one. The Electrospeed: mil -spec has taken since then by putting in place all mix control is still there in the presets. but a Electrospeed's n. . TMN range offers low- the features needed for full integration with global function removes the direct signal from cost waterproof connecr-ors providing an the professional studio. all of them. all -metal equivalent to ITT Canncn's

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www.americanradiohistory.com Perhaps the area that has seen the most an equaliser is important, but some effects use change over the years is the means of con- surprisingly little I)SP and memory. Another trolling the unit. The Q20 is driven from a large clearly -explained limit is the number of mod- graphic screen, i set of dedicated buttons and ulation LFOs that can lx used within a patch: a data wheel with integral push-button, and these are in fact much more than LFOs, hav- the combination makes it one of the most ing peak k)llowers, envelope generators and accessible effects boxes I have used. Where ramp generators available. There is no restric- some units car leave you feeling snowed tion on the order of an effects chain. and the under with possibilities. wading aimlessly same type of block can be used several times through a sea of parameters trying to find the in a patch with complex feeds between them. reverb time. Alcsis has always been g(xx1 at Patching between blocks is simple, and it is choosing a core of important parameters to very easy to set up dual effects-two mono adjust and presenting them clearly. The Q20 ins, two stereo outs-as well as true stereo is the best example yet, with a block diagram reverhs and delays. of each effect always on screen and a clear The memory capacity is impressive, with list of adjustable functions. These are organ- I (X) factory presets in ROM and 200 user mem- ised into simple one -line pages. stepped ories. all filled at the factory with further pro- through with dedicated buttons, and each pre- grams. The range on show is very and varied, trident Nepr ne range. The die -cast zinc- set shows how many pages there are on with a better than average proportion of them 'Hoy bodies have the additional advantage screen. Getting round them with the dial -but- Icing of real practical use rather than just to f ftal shielding, providing military spec ton is an extremely fast alternative. inspiring show the Q20 off. The choice of reverhs is lerformance at much lower cost. When confidence to start tinkering especially attractive, and it is so rifled with a shielding end bell they pro- with the presets immediately. easy to follow what's going on tide full EMC screening over 360' as well tip to eight effects blocks can Alesis Corp oration, and bend it to your particular is a waterproof rating to IP67 when mated. be used simultaneously. each 3630 Holobeg e Avenue, requirements that even the 3xisting standard Trident contacts are used, being configured as one of sev- Los Angeles, C A 90016, US. most complex patches are just -emoving the need for new tooling, and eral types from reverb to EQ. Tel: +l 3105 58 4530. asking for experiment and -hey are fully pin- for -pin compatible with chorus, overdrive and cl,' Fax: +l 310 836 9192. adaptation. Trident Ringloc connectors. -the usual stuff and plena UK: Sound Te chnology, Alesis has a knack for get- _Iectrospeed,UK.Tel: +44 1703 644555. it. There are cerain limitations TeI: +44 1462 480 000. ting it right. and it looks as on how much you can do al Fax: +44 146 2 480 800. though the designers have Sescom mic transformers once, but you have to try hard clone it again with the Q20. It In response to an idea from Shure Appli- to exceed them, and unusually there is a big sounds goxxl. it will hook up to almost any- cations Engineering, Sescom has released chart in the manual telling you exactly how thing and its hard to imagine how it could an in -line audio transformer for micro- much of the un:t's resources each algorithm have been any easier to use. It manages to he phone signals. The IL -29 Ground I.solator requires. Not surprisingly the reverhs are the powerful and fun at the same time. a feat few is designed for use with phantom- > most demanding, and the number of hands in such boxes can achieve. THI is a PLUG-IN ti

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www.americanradiohistory.com w Tascam DA-45 H R > powered microphones and is intended to W solve the problems of RPI and EMI noise. Sescom,US.Tel :+I 702 Bringing benefits of 24 -bit working to the DAT domain,Tascam offers 565 3400. an upgrade to Pioneer's 96kHz machine. Dave Foister reports Yamaha monitors Yamaha's new biamped powered monitor, TI TROUBLE Ili with high- resolution yvith a Ix>st of others. is carried out front the the MSP5, is designed for a wide range of digital recording is that it stakes so comprehensive menu system controlled by applications from home studios to post - much stuff redundant. Equipment and the shuttle \\heel. Also hidden here is choice production. A custom 5 -inch woofer and a technologies that have si 1Ved us well ti>r years of tinte display modes. accounted for by the 1 -inch titanium tweeter are powered from are threatened with Icing left behind in the double speed of the transport in 2 -1 -hit nxxle. separate amplifiers delivering a total of 67W, rush towards ever -higher sampling rates and The Tascam records conventional A -time or and full magnetic shielding allows use near longer words. I )AT in pan iclltr would appear ABS in both modes. and therefore shows ,- video monitors. to be a likely cuuaity: never intended (as we tinte at double speed when running 24-bit. but Yamaha, UK.Tel: +44 I908 366 700. are constantly reminded t fin- professional Lise. it also has :Lit option to translate this into real and restricted in its specificationn to 16 hits time if required. Devlin graphic switches New switches from Devlin aim to clarify and -ttikl Ix 1+.1k1 ix. The first attempt to over- It did not take long. recording a string quar- panel layouts by incorporating come the limitations was Pioneer's high sam- tet with a crossed pair via goxxl ntic preamps, LCD graphic panels in the buttons. pling 1)AT system. capable ofoX)kHz at double to appreciate the benefits of the extra hit width. Multicoloured LCD combinations are available in two sizes, the tape speed. and now comes Tascant's Direct comparison with a conventional with matrix layouts of 16x32 and 24x36 development. using the increased speed to (although pretty g(xxl> 16 -hit machine imme- pix- els. Each switch's graphics are controlled offer 2.1 hits on tale. diately showed where the definition Yc as being by a newly The 1):\- tiHlt looks and works much like lost between the source signal and the nor- developed ASIC, and the controller and any other l).VF recorder. and dearly belongs mal DAT returns. The Tascam was unques- driver are built into the switch. Control is via a single serial to the lascant family: although its sculptured tionably delivering a more open. defined pin and front panel and comprehensive display are sound. with frighteningly logy noise. and that new. The display, and the printing on the tape all- important resolution of the low -level drawer. are the only things that give :may the details -the ends of notes. the reverberant 21 -hit feature: otherwise it could he just tails. the sounds of the players' movements. another Tascam 1)Al.:td it should he noted Iiy comparison my normal machine sounded that it works quite happily at 16 hits in a little closed in and restricted. Piano record- \(>rntal nuxle. with potential benefits from the ing demonstrated all of this at least as well. as 1 t -hit trappings. long -held notes tailed off into studio background noise instead of that slight mush that generally accompanies them. Opera i( malty the Tascam matches up quite

well to any of the competition. I struggled to the panel can be used to display alpha- find a convenient way of end searching -a numeric data, moving pictograms standard feature on most of my machines and and simple graphics. something 1 regard as absolutely vital for Devlin, UK.Tel:+44 1 256 467 367. straight stereo session work if confusion is not to reign when stringing the bits together Equi =Tech balances power The most significant of these is. of course. afterwards. Everything else appears to be in Responding to customer continents about the A I) conversion. 24-hit Burr Brown con- place. however. with easy access on the big weight, size and price, Equi =Tech has pro- venors are used to deliver the required word informative menu screens. Some unusual fea- duced newly redesigned versions of its length. and full 24-bit incoming AES -EBl' can tures include a report of hkxk errors with the rackmount balanced power products. This also Ix recorded. The sante convertors are facility to locate to their pc tsitions. titling of means the 15 -Amp ET1.5R and the 20A used. rounded down, for conventional 16 -hit tracks. and the sending of an end tally. via the ET2R are now 2 U-high chassis in line with recording from the analogue inputs. The 1)A control 1 -O port when the tape is at or near the l0A ET1R, and weigh 15Ibs less than conversion is not quite s(> straightforward, as the end. In conjunction with a full set of sub- their predecessors. Any thoughts that the machine cannot fully convert the recorded code editing facilities. programming and nice ruggedness might be compromised are resolution on board: 20 -hit 8x oyersaunpling touches like calibrated and uncalihrated ana- countered by Equi= Tech's warranty, now convertors are fitted for the analogue outputs. logue input levels. this adds up to a fully pro- extended to three years on parts and labour and there are three options as to how the miss- fessional machine at a reasonable price even for all rack systems with a lifetime replace- ing bits are allowed for. By default the system without the 21 hits. ment warranty on the power transformer. rounds to> 211 hits 1 tvhether this is any- nx >re Whether the DA-4'111R and similar devel- Equi =Tech, US.Tel: +1 541 597 4448. sophisticated than simple truncation is not opments will save DAT from professional CEDAR refines the refiners clear I but it also provides either triangular or nti as 24-96 becomes more and nu tre Two recently rectangular dither to he selected as appropri- the norm remains to he seen. Presumably introduced CEDAR restora- tion products ate to the material. combining the longer words are already the subjects of upgrades. The DI-IX is the Series X Whichever is operative. the with the higher sampling rate dehisser, launched last year; and the new v1.02 digital output cyill retrain at the Tascam Am erica, UK. w( mid require the transport to improves the algorithm's ability to deal with full 24 bits. :uul perhaps this Tel: +12137 26 0303. run at 4x normal speed. and the certain types dance marks the machine down as Fax: +1 213 7 27 7641. resulting abbreviated running of and rock music, and has been found to achieve better results primarily an acquisition mac- UK: Tascam. titres Wright well rule that out. with most types of material. The software hine for transfer into a 2+ -hit Tel: +44 1923 819630. In the mean tine, for those Debuzz processor for the CEDAR for Win- editing system. For use with Fax: +44 192 3 236 290. who already have digital mix- dows system is even more recent, but further digittI systems that can ers and editors capable of han- has also been upgraded to v2, which not only only handle I t, hits. the digital output can also dling 2-+ bits. but no means of acquiring them improves the efficacy of the process, but he reduced to this word length. and in this or mastering them, the Tascam is a very also simplifies its operation by reducing case the analogue output is derived nn this attractive and competitive machine that can the number of controls. shortened data. quite happily earn its keep in mundane 16- CEDAR Audio, UK.Tel:+44 1223 464 117. The selection of these parameters. along bit mode as well. 36 December 1998 Studio Sound

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www.americanradiohistory.com Surrounded!where microphone recording is envis- From its establishment as a high -end studio service with aged, to avoid unpleasant and poten- large control rooms, recording and mixing surround sound tially dangerous feedback. Individual mutes should allow swift identification has made its way into ever smaller rooms. Rob James of mix elements without changing the condition of the console. One desir- examines the essential surround requirements able, though not essential feature, is to IN RECENT YEARS, equipment responses should all match, with the have Solo switching in addition to the capable of producing 'broadcast exception of the suhwoofer. Cinema individual mutes. quality' sound has become more reproduction systems from Dolby and The ideal Level control is a calibrated. accessible due to rapidly falling costs. others use equalisers to tailor the stepped attenuator. This allows the In particular, advances in digital response to suit the speakers and the monitoring level to be set accurately recording, mixing and processing room, but for the type of studio under and repeatahly. The next hest thing is equipment has caused a massive discussion this is likely to be seen as a calibrated rotary pot with detented increase in the number of small stu- undesirable or overkill. stops. An alternative approach is to pro- dios. More recently, it has become fea- A means of fine trimming the level vide a Reference Level key or keys in sible to attempt complex surround of each speaker is desirable. Ideally. addition to the level control. In this case mixing, including sound for picture, in this should be accomplished with niul- there must he a means of calibrating modest rooms. This is good for the titurn pots operating over a small range the reference le\ el(s ), either by preset industry but there are pitfalls. (say, ±2dB). The first essential is .\lut- pots or in software controlling VCAs. a I believe good mixing practise begins ing- each speaker output should have The importance of using consistent with establishing as many fixed points an individual muting switch and there mixing level cannot be overestimated. of reference as possible. To old hands must he a master mute that kills every- In cinema mixing, where the repro- is this is obvi- all of this will he obvious, but I am thing. A um.mm key should attenuate the duction level specified, are benefits becoming painfully aware a whole gen- monitoring level by a preset amount - ously essential. But there eration or two has grown up without the amount required depending on the even where there is no control over sufficient understanding of the value chosen reference level and theretòre what level the mix will he heard (as in of consistency -I recently witnessed the amount of attenuation needs to he broadcast and music). With experience, people who should know better tak- variable. The Dim function should also a consistent monitoring level leads to ing console and machine alignment as be tied in with the talkhack system decreasing reliance on meters and > read without even rudimentary checks. One of the advantages of being brought up in a broadcast environment is an appreciation for the importance of monitoring. We all know that speakers, amplifiers, meters (and acoustics) have a vital role in any mixing room, but this is by no means the end of the story. The way in which these are inter- faced and controlled is crucial if proper monitoring is to be possible. The monitoring controls on most standard consoles are barely adequate for stereo, let alone surround-particularly outside the high -end console market. What is needed is a reliable and consistent means of conveniently controlling monitoring. Fortunately. a number of specialist manufacturers are addressing the omission. Here, we can attempt to ident ify what features to look for and why they are desirable. For openers. any monitoring unit should attempt to minimise the effects of Heisenberg's principle -that the act of monitoring should not affect the signals monitored. Level, phase or frequency response should not be altered in any significant way. A discrete 5.1- surround mix requires left, centre and right front speakers (LCR), left and right surrounds (1.S, RS ). and a sub - woofer. These may he active or passive with separate amplification. The frequency response should, ideally, he as flat as possible, but above all the Studio Sound December 1998 39

www.americanradiohistory.com < increased trust in your ears. The per - ception of a mix changes :according to the reproduction level and the listening environment. With surround. the perceived front -to -hark balance changes markedly. It «ousel mixers stake a point of listening to their final mixes in various conditions this will enable recursive adjustments to he made to balance technique to achieve a predictable result in varied listening environments. The luxury approach to loudspeaker sc )tore« is In have a matrix that allows any source to he assigned to any speaker. Source, in this context. means the outputs oft he Monitor Source selector. Alternatively. assignment could he achieved with patch cords or he fixed. which would norm:ill. be the case. \1 )TlitorSourceselection istheCOI11- plex part. Here buses. monitor only inputs and returns to monitor must be managed. The important thing to grasp is that this is to all intents and purposes a pair for morel Of summing matrixes with the ability to compare the matrix outputs. At the simplest level the requirement is for a pair of surround mixes to be compared. For example.

console l.c:I . I.S. RS and Sub mix bus outputs ith corresponding recorder Operationally. switching between ground or Direct and lape il not. There returns. It is essential to voursanity that these mixes may he accomplished with are malty other possible ternis. Com- the conlparis(m switching he silent in a single toggling key or a pair of keys. parison Check will he familiar to some. operation. S\w itch ingclickswill quickly They will be designated ITC and Direct Certain manufacturers do not differen- drive you up the wall. if the manufacturer has a film back- tiate between Direct and Tape but >

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GERMANY TC ELECTRONIC GMBH, 5310 8399 StudioComm 69 U.S .A. < provide a number of switchable monitor chain a natter of hitting a key TC ELECTRONIC INC ., (805) 373 1828 sources, leaving it up to the operator- and some don't do this. It depends how installer R) decide which gets used for important this is to you. Some take the what. The next level of complexity is concept further and allow for instant AS IA where multiple concurrent mixes need switching between 7.1. 5.1, discrete to be monitored. This can arise where LCRS, matrix, stereo and mono. Where TC ELECTRONIC ASIA , ( +813) 5456 4071 one set of console buses is being used this k an Option look for options and for dialogue, another for music, and adjustments in the way the down mix- AUSTRALIA: 2 9975 1211 another for effects with each feeding a ing is performed. BELGIUM: 11 28 1458 different set of record tracks. In this in addition to the console metering BRAZIL: 11 3104 8339 instance the monitoring unit is required i would suggest, as a minimum, that BULGARIA: 52 600 172 to sum the three sets of Direct inputs there are meter outputs from the mon- CANADA: (805) 373 1828 and also to sum the corresponding Tare itoring controller which look at the CHINA: 02 191 3660 return inputs ( for monitoring purposes inputs to the speaker controls -the only). Another version of this occurs meters should follow the Monitor CYPRUS: 5 36 7985 when you wish to record a new pre- Source Selector. In an ideal world, you CZECH REPUBLIC: 455 622 877 mix while listening to an existing pre- would have the same options for ESTONIA: 6418 006 mix without recording it. This will metering as for speakers, but separate, FINLAND: 09 5123 530 require summing of a set. or sets. of and also some means of determining FRANCE: 1 4863 2211 console output buses plus monitor only the phase relationship between the GREECE: 1 8837 629/30 inputs on the Direct side. but only one various metered sources. There are HOLLAND: 302 414 500 set of recorder returns is needed on numerous options to achieve this such HONG KONG: 02 191 3660 the Tape side. as M -S PPMs. vectorscopes and phase It is also common to provide for correlation meters. but these are out- HUNGARY: 22 328 990 stereo and 4 -track Direct and Tape side the scope of this article. ICELAND: 551 2555 sources in addition to 5.1. In a purpose -designed film console, INDIA: 22 633 5450 Although now a little long in the the monitoring controls will he logi- INDONESIA: 21 829 2202 tooth, Dolby Surround is still alive and cally placed along with record control ISRAEL: 3 562 2361 well and. with the current declared and motion control. This is not always ITALY: 51 766 648 intentions of the IN digital TV service possible in small studios. Some JAPAN: (03) 5456 -4071 providers, is likely to he around for thought should be given as to how KUWAIT: 2645 636 some time to come. If your work is convenient the controls will he in con- likely to include Dolby Surround mix- text, and how easily the monitoring LATVIA: 2 296828 ing there are other useful additions to setup can he altered to accommodate LITHUANIA: 722 3288 look for. various tasks. If the unit is fitted with LEBANON: 1 581188 As a quick reminder, Dolby Surround GPIs it may be possible to use exist- MALTA: 554195 is a matrix -encoded sys- ing switches on the con- MEXICO: 605 95 55 tem with LCR front and sole or to add switches to NEW ZEALAND: 09 279 7206 hand -limited mono sur- Sascom, US. taste to control the moni- NORWAY: 22 710 710 round channels. Because Tel: +I 905 46 9 8080 tor functions. PHILIPPINES: 8191243 of the nature of the matrix - Neotek, US. All this presupposes the ing employed it is essen- Tel: +1 626 28 13555 console POLAND: 58 5104 70 tial to monitor after encod- Otari, Europe you intend to use for sur- PORTUGAL: 1 4754 348 ing and decoding. It has Tel: +49 2159 50861 round is equipped with RUSSIA: 503 956 1826 always been important to US:Tel: +1 650 341 5900 true surround panning. if SINGAPORE: 748 9333 at least Studio Techno logies, US. consider what hap- it is not then you will also SLOVAKIA: 7 214 051 pens to a stereo mix Tel: +1 847 676 9177 need a panning unit to SOUTH AFRICA: 11 482 4470 summed to mono. It is Aspen Media, UK. enable a mono source to SOUTH KOREA: 02 565 3565 now essential to consider Tel: +44 1442 2 55405 he panned. at least across SPAIN: 335 177 62 what will happen to your the front LCR speakers SWEDEN: pristine 5.1- channel mix when it is and, ideally. the rear LR pair, without 46 320 370 downmixed to stereo and mono. changing perceived level. Some means TAIWAN: 2 719 2388 Some manufacturers of monitoring of controlling 'divergence', the spread- 2 2369 5119 solutions make the process of inserting of a centre mono signal left and THAILAND: 2 373 2722 ing the matrix encoder -decoder into tile right, is also desirable. 940 9700 42 TURKEY: 212 224 3201 U.A.E: 4 626683 UK: 181 800 8288

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www.americanradiohistory.com Wall and the Soviet empire. During a 3 year period, the production team carried out over 500 interviews. shot in excess of 1.000 hours of original fex)tage and viewed 1,500 hours of archive material. As with its predecessor. Cold 11r r attempted to speak to people who were in the midst of this situation: not just the politicians and generals, but the cit- izens who saw events unfold and felt the chill between least and West. Among the key figures inter\ iewed were Henry Kissinger, Nixon's security advisor: kw- nier EIS Presidents jimmy Carter and George Bush; ousted Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev: end, perhaps the series' greatest coup. Cuban leader Fidel Castro. These are linked by the commentary of Belfast -born actor Kenneth Branagh. Once labelled the new Lau- rence Olivier. and Olivier's narration of The World at War is as remembered as much as the historical impact of the series. Branagh has again faced com- parisons with the lord of the stage. Any television production is about how the material is put together, Hut on Cold 11"í1), this process was all the more ilal. Postproduction supervisor Andrew Denny. who had responsibility for the end product, worked on this pan of the project firr 15 months up to May this year. Overseeing all stages of postproduction. Denny supervised both picture editing and the creation of the final soundtrack -recording the commentary and voice -overs for interviews where translations were necessary. and track -laying the music, the bulk of which specially composed by Carl Davis. Cold War is a history. but it is one

Applying the successful formula of his seventies World at that relies on relevant archive footage War series, Jeremy Isaacs has documented the Cold War for and the testimony of those who were BBCTelevision. Kevin Hilton joins the fray there. Some of these were difficult to track down. which meant that Denny H!STORY, it is said. repeats itself. mistrust between East and West that found himself having to deal with if so, then Jeremy Isaacs must divided countries and their people until changes to material that had already be hoping that the telling of his - 1990 and gave rise to a still evocative been picture locked. The programme tory can also be repeated. Isaacs, found- phrase. The Cold War. started to be edited almost a year and ing chief executive of UK's the Chan- This is the title of a 24 -part series that a half before I c;nnc on board.' he nel i ( 1981 -87) and general director of starts with the roots of the political and explains. 'and sc\rral were already the Royal Opera House (1988-971, pro- doctrinal divide between the Soviet locked. But everything was archived duced what is generally considered one Union and the united States, and con- onto digital linear tape. so I was able to of the finest achievements in television, tinues with the metaphorical and then put that hack onto an Avid MecliaCom- The tt a / I al War First screened in the physical erection of the Iron Curtain (a poser and work with that again. In some early 19-us. t his 26 -part documentary phrase coined by Churchill ). the spec- cases we were updating or changing series is still spoken of with reverence tre of nuclear war, the space race. the sequences where archive material had by viewers and TV people alike. Now Berlin Airlift, the McCarthy witch -hunt. become available for some reason.' the formula that made The World at War Korea. Vietnam and the Cuban missile Interviewees also proved difficult, so compelling has been applied to the crisis. through to delcvtle in early 1970s. particularly when they were of the period that followed, examining the Star Wars and the eventual fall of Berlin stature of Fidel Castro. who kept the 44 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com ;IS -0 crew waiting before finally granting an interview. 'We got Castro at the third o attempt,' Denny confirms. 'Martin Smith YJ1) Iseries producer¡ has tried, unfortunately unsuccessfully, on two occasions -0 to get an interview with Fidel, even going to the extent of being in a hotel o in Havana waiting for the call, which was promised but never came.' C !kip came from an influential source. n The IIS media mogul and founder of CNN. Ted Turner, knows Castro and made sure that the interview was finally o arranged. Turner's motivation in using z the old pal's act was that he conceived the concept of the series and wanted the hest possible material for his baby. 'So we finally got the interview,' say, Denny. 'albeit at a very late hour when several programmes had been completed. It was too good not to go ahead with and was used in four programmes, not just the programme about Cuba. There were major clec isions to be made as what to drop and what to re -edit to make things flow. Obviously the pro grammes are very carefully constructed and to introduce new elements at such a late stage was somewhat difficult in some cases but I think we managed to achieve good results in the end.' In drama productions, sound effects often fight with the music for prece- dence. as both are considered crucial to the telling of the story. For a docu mentan. the words are all- important: in the case of Cold War, the secondary emphasis was given to the music over effect,. \\e decided early on to keep effects to a minimum.' explains Denn\

'Ca l Davis wrote a score for all the programmes and we decided that, in most cases. where there was music. w e wouldn't add effects underneath digitally. the incidental score was laid because the music was so good.' The onto 2 i -track analogue with Dolby SR music was redo irdeci over a 2'/ -year processing: both were mixed to stereo period, with the sessions split between I)AI' and later loathed into .\vicl Media - CTS Studios' Studio I at Wembley for Composer for the final club. Andrew the title theme and sister facility Denny admires Carl Davis' skill in hit- Lansdowne Recording Studios in West ting the visual cues, but explains that London, some months later. for the as the score was recorded ahead of the incidental tracks. club. late re- editing meant that library The sessions were engineered by music was used when there was nt > orig- Lansdo>w ne's Chris Dibble, who had to inal music for new edit points. Mood turn the recordings around quickly as discs were also used for specific the music was typically recorded at the sequences: few example. a recording of rate of two episodes per day over a traditional Russian funeral music 2-year period. Only two or so hours accompanies footage of Stalin's burial were allowed for recording cash cerenx>my. When the story reaches the episode's worth of music ( plus mixing peace nu ivement of the I96h in Pro- tine). something further complicated gramme 13. Make bore. Nat ttai. tau by recording programmes out of order, appropriate hippie anthems of the which was another side- effect of mate- time -including the ubiquitous For rial becoming available during the late tt"Í>u! N's Worth by Buffalo Springfield stages of production. Davis conducted -illustrate newsreels of anti - the incidental score to picture. rather Vietnam protests. than the orchestra working to a click Effects do play their part: pictures may track. This technique was achieved tell a story. but there is something eerie using Lansdowne's streamer technol- and disconcerting about mute footage. ogy. inserting the wipes and timings on 'What I did concentrate on more than the video replay in the control room and anything else with effects was Producer of Cold War Sir Jeremy Isaac! on the studio floor. spot effects.' says Denny. 'because the with narrator Kenneth Branagh While the main theme was recorded programme is heavily covered with > Studio Sound December 1998 45

www.americanradiohistory.com < dialogue. either sync dialogue or 5 commentary. so to involve too many OCLE effects underneath some critical areas of commentary or dialogue would have confused people. so we decided to keep things as low as possible. But at the INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTORS

sane time we allowed certain sounds AUSTRALIA. AWA AUDIO PRODUCTS to cone through so that they would give Tel 02 9669 3477 Fax. 02 9578 014C Contact Michael Guest the feeling that it wasn't just mute archive material.' AUSTRIA: STUDER AUSTRIA GMBH Tel 01 865 1676 Fax 01 865 167699 Footage used in the earlier pro- Contact Reinhold Flied! grammes was either without sound BELGIUM: EML PRO AUDIO because it was shot by a I(me camera Tel 011 23 2355 Fax 011 23 2172 in the midst of the art ion or any effects Contact Erik Gysen were mixed in with the stentorian new s- CANADA: HHB COMMUNICATIONS CANADA LTD Tel 416 867 9000 Fax 416 867 1080 reel voice -overs by such as B(>h Dan- Contact Dave Dysart vers-Walker twho, like others ()f the CZECH REPUBLIC: AUDIOPOLIS time. would narrate 'live' straight unto Tel. 02 3332 2132 Fax 02 3332 4172 the optical track of the filet stock, with Contact Jan Adam music and effects mixed in :It the sane DENMARK: INTERSTAGE Tel 39 46 0000 Fax 39 46 0040 time). which were stripped off in Contact: Finn Juul post product ion if not considered FRANCE: MILLE ET UN SONS applicable. 'I tried as hard as possible Tel 1 46 67 0210 Fax 1 4789817t to get sounds that were rh !se t(1 the orig- Dubbing mixer Michael Narduzzo Contact Didier Rupin inals.' comments Denny. \We were ven footage transfer and (>n -line picture GERMANY: MEDIACOM :I\\.Ue of fact checking all Tel 05451 94690 Fax 05451 946919 quotes that editing was also carried out. The pre- Contact Uwe Seytert went into the commentary and we took pared audio was imported into Avid the same GREECE: KEM ELECTRONICS approach with the sound. that . \udioVision in the facility's AMS Neve Tel 01 674 8514 Fax 01 674 6384 Contact Thimios Kolikotsis we had the right sounds I n.' The sound effects for old USA: HHB COMMUNICATIONS USA could understand each other. footage was kept in as Narduzzo Tel 310 319 1111 Fax. 310 319 1311 mono Contact David Beesley The location recordings and sound is of the opinion that 'lovely vvhizzy effects were tack -laid on \ledia(:om- sound effects look completely wrong p(>ser and then taken to Soho po.stpro- over archive material. I also filtered it duction house Tehe -Cine. where archive and limited the frequency response > 46 HHB Communications Limited

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www.americanradiohistory.com < so that it sounds old as well and not lation voice-overs. a crucial part of the orated mixing console, the mixing of to draw attention to the sound effects. postproduction process. each element is only in the desk's mem- so they look as though they are hap- The requirements of Ted Turner at ory. enabling material to be run out as pening there. Turner International Productions were balanced components on different Dubbing time was limited and Nar- quite strict and they differ from those tracks. 111115 a combined ntix onto one duzzo estimates that tracking up the in the UK.' explains Andrew Denny. track. In this way. archive sound. dia- Mi :E and sync track for each programme 'Whereas an M&Iì here would include logue. specially recorded effects. spe- (everything barring commentary and sync dialogue. the l'S requires those laid cially recorded music. commentary and voice -overs) took approximately eight voice -overs were recorded onto discrete hours on average. 'The final mixes took 'I tried as hard as tracks of two I)Af#i tapes. in addition quite a long time: he says. Cur- 'because possible to get sounds that to mono mixes. mono M&E, stereo tin ISntit 111 has a great feel lì n rhythm and mixes and stereo M&E. In the old Clays, he \\ tl>e voice -overs to work were close to the originals,' you would have had to have had a sep- against the picture and with each other arate pass in real time fctr each element,' and the effects and music. To get all that comments Denny.'We were says Narduzzo. 'which would have is quite critical and \\ e spent a lot of meant eight hours running time k)reach time moving the commentary by half a very aware of fact checking programme. Nvhereas we can do it in second each way, for example. or split- all quotes that went into the one pass today and everything contes ting paragraphs to let a picture cut go out completely 1;tl:ittced as it was in on through before the next sentence. It's commentary and we took the final mix.' quite a time consuming business but it Such processes have helped tell a ended up with quite a polished result.' the same approach with the compelling story as it happened and Narduzzo mixed on the suite's stain through the sound, testimony of those who Genelec monitors but also had two small that we had the right lived through it. It has also improved JBLs on the desk and a TV to reassure sounds for cars or guns on people's memories: a recording of the production team how things would Churchill warning of the threat posed sound to the viewer. of the period' by Stalin was re- assembled front differ- Overseas sales are a prince concern ent sources to give the longest and best fin'any production company: Cold War off on separate tracks. So it ryas an version currently available. was guaranteed air -time in the t ton involved post -production process. leak- And. like all good history, C'ulrl War BBC2) and in the tIS and now after ing sure that all the tracks were laid off has dispelled popular myths. In reality. great success at the MIPCOM television separately for the various versions. as Nikita Khrushchey did not hang his slate market show, will sell around the world. opposed to just a straight NI &E and a on the table during an t'N debate. it This makes preparation of different ver- final mix.' was his fist. And in this production, his sions. with each country able to add its Michael Narduzzo expands on this pique has a nice new sound effect to own language commentary and trans- by saying that by using a digital. auto- accompany it.

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www.americanradiohistory.com Up until his death in 1996, BobThiele helped steer the course Jackie Wilson anti then later, when I went to the Taft I fc nel to pick up the contract, of popular music recording. Richard Buskin presents a I was told that Al had died during the previously unpublished interview with the past master. night. However. a kid named Nat Tar - napole- who would become Jackie's could always see myself in the stu- tenure at both ABC -Impulse! and Fly- manager- brought nie the signed con- dI dio recording Louis Armstrong and ing Dutchman from the early sixties tract. so the deal went through. Duke Ellington some day. Even as through to the late seventies that he 'The first record we made was 'Lonely a kid I would go and see Louis and Duke made some of his most memorable ")'eardrops'. It was unique in a way, play, and I was probably a little pushy achievements. These embodied albums because it was R&B. but we did it with at getting to meet them, introducing by Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, a big hand; not a ti0ìt little rhythm and myself and saying great I how thought Count Basic. Coleman I Iawkins, Char- blues hand but t big orchestra, and of they were. I got to meet Duke hack - lie Mingus, Earl I lines and Archie course. that became a big hit and so i stage at Carnegie Hall in 1938. and the Shepp, as well as the key recordings continued to work with Jackie. In the relationship blossomed.' of John Coltrane, including A Love beginning he was a great guy, but then 'So said Bob Thiele in 1988. remi- Stipt'e me. he went downhill through drugs.' niscing about his 50 years as a major During the eight ies and nineties, Bob Meanwhile, at around the sane time player in the American music industry. Thiele supervised reissues for Impulse!. as Thiele was recording Jackie Wilson, One of the giants in the world of jazz, CBS and RCA-Bluebird. :Ind continued a nerdy -looking white guy with curly Thiele was an amateur clarinetist before to record musicians (in his final label, hair and unfashionable specs came into working as a radio DJ and then, in 1938, Red Baron. Born in Brooklyn, New his orbit. The kid's name was Buddy editing and publishing the widely York on -th July. 1922 he died in New I lolly and just about every record com- respected Jazz .tfas'azine. After form- York City on 30th January. 1996. Here pany had passed on his home recording Signature Records in 1939, he pro- is my previously unpublished interview ing of 'That'll he the Day'. as produced duced then -unknowns such as Errol with him. by Norman Petty in the hick town of Garner and Lester Young. while his 'From the standpoint of pop-as Clovis, New Mexico. interest in the blues and R&B also led opposed to rock 'n' roll -my nu)st suc- '1 was probably last on the list,' Thiele to hint forming Bluesway and Bluestime cessful years were when I Was Head of admitted. 'hut when I heard it I said, Records, and recording anyone from A&R at Coral,' he recalled of his 1953 'I Icy, this is great! I want to put it out." John Lee Hooker and BB King to Junior appointment. '\\e made the first records We bought it fir. like, 52500, but before- Parker. T -Bone Walker, Big Joe Turner with Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, hand I remember going to the Presi- and Gatemouth Brown. we signed The McGuire Sisters. we had dent of the comp any. Milton Rackmil, During the fifties Thiele worked as Lawrence Welk. and I remember a man- and saying, "Look. I want to buy this the Head of A &R at Decca subsidiary. ager named Al Green taking me up to and we ought to put it out ". Well, Rack Coral Records, where he broadened his the Apollo theatre to hear a black vocal played it at a meeting to a few people, field of interest by signing and pro- group [The Doniinoes] that Jackie Wil- including a PR guy and a sales guy, and ducing pop artists like Buddy Holly, son was in. He wanted nie to sign the they all said. "You can't put that out on Jackie Wilson, The McGuire Sisters and group, and 1 said, "Nah, but I'd love to Coral, it'll destroy the image of this singer Teresa Brewer, whom he would just sign that one guy. He knocks me classy pop Label ". later marry. However, it was during his out!" Al didn't care. so we agreed to sign 'Fortunately I renienibered that Coral's parent company. Decca, also owned the Brunswick label which was really BobThiele with Johnny Hart not being used. so I said, "Okay. let's put it on the Brunswick Zabel ". They finally agreed to that, we put the record out and, my God. it just took off. It was a tremen- E dous hit. So, we signed The Crickets Wì v444 -Buddy was a member -and we con- ca' tinued to make more records with Nor- N man Petty who would send us the tapes from Clovis, New Mexico. Then I got the idea of putting Buddy Holly on Coral while leaving The Crickets' sound on lirun. irk. That way we could develop Buddy as a solo artist, and as things turned out he became very big. 'Buddy happened to be a very nice, appreciative kid. I le was always thank- ing nie and he said that he'd love to record in New York City, so I said. "Well, look, when you come up e'll do it ". Eventually he did make the trip and Nor- man wasn't around, and I therefore took !large of the session at Bell Sound w hen we recorded 'Rave On' and 'That's My Desire'. In fact. Buddy knew that I'd already written some songs and he asked me to compose one for him. so I and a girl named Ruth Roberts wrote 'Mailman. Bring Me No More Blues' -1 used the pseudonym of Stanley Clay- ton. as in those days it would never do for the A&R guy to have his name on a 50 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com song -and e sent a to him he'd written called 'Su artime'.Thiele down in CI(,vis. Ruddy then told renumbered. '1 toad hin it so.tnjed Norman that he wanted to good and he said "Buy, .'d lave to record it and that was his w':ty record it ". I said, " l'I tell !.ou what. don't of paving me back for releas- play it for anybody else because when ing ''Í'hat'_I Be The Day' ' I get back to New York I want to do it It was during a short stay at with The McGuire Sisters". He agreed. Norman Petty': house in and that's what we did, and, of course. Clovis that Bob Thiele stum- Sugartime' became a giant hit. bled upon another discov- 'It was because of my success doing ery; this time not an artist. pop records that I was also able to make but a hit song. jazz recordings. The heads of the major 'We were on IPetty'sl companies were not jazz enthusiasts porch and this guy was sit- but they would say. "1 ley, let's keep Bol) ting on the front steps. play- happy by allowing him to go do

:t` ing the guitar and singing a number that his jazz records. They're not too > Studio Sound December 1998 SI

www.americanradiohistory.com < expensive and let's just before John could open his hope that he keeps produc- mouth Ellington said, "John, Catch the Tube ing these great pop hits by that's it. There's no reason The McGuire Sisters, Law- to do it again ". That settled rence Welk, Teresa Brewer that issue.' and whoever." After that my Not even Bob Thiele's best discovery of people like efforts could placate another The AT4060 combines premium Jackie Wilson and Buddy of his idols when he hacl his 40 Series engineering and vintage tube Holly only helped to solidify fits of artistic temperament. technology to deliver the exacting, versatile performance my position with Decca, and Louis Armstrong. the leg- required In the as a result I was able to pro- endary trumpeter with the most demanding duce a lot of jazz records.' head -patting handkerchief, studio Still, none of this appeared may have forged a reputation applications. With to help Thiele's cause during among his many fans as one a dynamic range his 1958 -59 stint as Head of of the industry's nicer guys. that far exceeds ASR at that of other Dot Records. An albuni hut, as Thiele was to find out, tube mics, the that he had produced with Jack behind the scenes he could AT4060 provides Kerouac, featuring the heat display a somewhat harder the coveted poet reading sortie of his most side to his character. And to sound of value famous work, was branded as think: things had been so design without 'obscene' by the Dot execs and pleasant to a point... compromising the refused specification distribution. Thiele 'George David Weiss and standards therefore leftthecompanyand I had written this song, 'What necessary to released the record himself on a Wonderful World'. for Louis,' excel in today's the Hanover -Signature label he recalled. 'That was during diverse which he formed with TV per- a rough period: it was the late recording sonality and jazz enthusiast sixties and there was Vietnam. situations. Steve Allen. Thereafter he protests and everything else, joined Roulette fora short time. and George and I decided to and then, in 1961. took over at have Louis sing about how Impulse!, where for him the good things really could he. highlights included producing 'I went down to Washing - a record by Duke Ellington and ton to see Louis while he was Coleman Hawkins, as well as working there and he liked the an album that contrived to song, so we went ahead and merge the conventional with hooked studio time for hint the avant -garde by way together with a 16- string of uniting Ellington with rhythm section. I was with John Coltrane. ABC [Records] at the tinge, and Extended it was really a major feat to the President of the company, Frequency get those two artists together.' Larry Newton, showed up at Response Thiele told me. 'The funny the session. I was in the con- thing is that Duke was the kind trol room and he rune in and Max High of guy who usually tried toget said, "What the hell are you SPL everything in one take. Even doing? You're crazy! ". ' ou see, if there was some slight prob- Louis Armstrong had just had Low Self lem with the balance or one a big hit with 'Hello Dolly', Noise of the musicians hitting a sour which was a Dixieland -type note he would say. "Look. if arrangement, and now here the overall feel is there, that's we were. recording a hallad High Resistance great, let's keep that one." with strings. said, Shock Mount He "This Coltrane. on the other hand. record isn't going to mean any- was such a stickler for per - thing", and finally he became

Rackmountable PSU fection that he would record so upset that he threatened to the sanie song over and over cancel the date and throw again. I mean. he could make everyone out. I said. "Well, to to 15 takes on the sanie you're goi ng to go down in his- tune. Yet, i'll never lingo how tory. Larry. as the only nun beautiful it was when these who ever threw Louis Arm- To Warmth two guys worked on their first strong out of a recording stu- tune together, 'In A Senti- dio". He got reply mad, and a niental Mood'. At the end of couple of friends of mine who the first take I looked out of were at the session had to the control room window and restrain him out in the hallway

Call fax or e -mail us today for further information I knew that Duke \vas satis- because he was just going fied, and I just felt that Coltrane berserk. He shouted. "You're was gonna say, "Well, we'd fired ", and by that time i was better do it again ". So. I a nervous wreck. Still, we fin- audio-technica. quickly ran out into the stu- ished the date and things 'e Microphone Soiutior; dio and said, "What do you cooled down as the days went think. Duke?" and he said, by. One of the vice presidents Technca House. Royal London Industrial Estate. Old Lane. LSII 8AG Leeds "That's it ". 1 said. "Conie on, called me and said, "Come Tel 0113 277 1441 Fax 0113 270 4836 email sales @audio- technica co uk let's go tell Coltrane ". and so on back to work: this is > 52 December 1998 Studio Sound

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albuni to 1 -inch. ( Producer Jack Dou- glas, on auditioning the format, report- edly exclaimed. It sounds huge. man!') Perhaps unsurprisingly. competitors have sprung up in the US pinching the format idea. Paravicini dismisses the electronics of their machines as inferior to his: although their use of alternative 'donor' machines interests him. 'If starting from scratch now i would use a more modern transport'. he says. Indeed. there is a possibility of a future collaboration with these 'upstart' competitors who will rebuild Ampex ATR transports while Paravicini takes care of the electronics. Paravicini sets his own standards when it comes to line -up. Despite using high -level tape, he sets Ovu at 200N \\'h in. 'I use 999 for the cohe- sive sound, because with the low noise

floor of the 1 -inch. the headroom is rel- Ambitious audio equipment encompasses everything from atively irrelevant. It gives a safety mar- incredible the impractical. George Shilling asks gin during live recording and reduces the to print -through.' Tim de Paravicini where his I -inch stereo recorder fits Paravicini typically recommends IN THE Ml 'SIC INI )I 'ti l'It\', there arc money. Standards should he carefully over -biasing by nearly 1cB less than is two types of people: those who thought about and implemented'. conventionally recommended, giving eagerly' await every new software Tim de Paravicini is also well -known improved HF distortion figures. update and aspire to own every piece tier his valve technology: In the early We listened to a range of source mate- off - cutting edge technology: and those who (lays of recording. valves were expen- rial, switching between input and sound was prefer the tried and trusted. only accept - sive. therefore designs tended to fea- tape monitoring. The One all - ing'new' when it has proved itself 'bet- ture less of them. This discipline led to undeniably huge and vibrant. subtly enter'. Tini de Paravicini falls into the latter cleaner signal paths. When cheap tran- digital recording seemed 1 tape, and superb group. He is no Luddite. however, and sistor technology came along. this sim- hanced off the -inch believes in the steady improvement of plicity went out of the window. dynamics and frequency definition recording and playback technologies. Following the introduction of the were witnessed by all present. but With an analogue system, you can new Zonal 999 tape (Studio .Women/, The machine costs around £9,000. go on and on improving, just like the August 1998) and approving comments if you spent a gazillion dollars on it 1 motor car industry. Cars today are bet- from Paravicini, a demonstration of his could do better still.' its designer claims. The only thing that will equal this son - ter in most respects than their fifties 1 -inch analogue stereo recorder using and sixties counterparts. New models the new tape was arranged. Present ically would be a 2.4 -bit t0Okllz true system: both systems will are a logical development of their were Adam Francis. consultant for pro- linear digital predecessors.' fessional audio to Zonal, and Sant then satisfy the hearing mechanism.' he wrote in This. he believes, is not the case with Hann. Z.onal's sales director. The set- Paravicini points out that digital music technology. lie blames vir- ting was Dave Gilmour's Astoria Stu- 1982 of the need for 2 r hits at -tOOkIlz, are still ulent marketing: 'because music is such dio (courtesy of studio manager Phil and yet toclay the big players and 192kliz as pos- a continuous event, it is difficult to do Taylor). appropriate not only for its discussing 96kHz the with digital, because the brain is sensi- wonderfully accurate monitoring, but sible formats. Ile adds that with storage tive to glitches and minute errors in the also the huge amount of EAR- Paravicini rapidly falling prices of digital high frequency range. if you scratch equipment, including eight compres- media. moving to a 38 .4kliz sampling CDs they won't play -unlike vinyl. sors and a modified nix bus on the rate is not unreasonable and absolutely When they demonstrated the robust- Neve VR Legend desk. ideal. Until that happens. however. is may well be a market for machines ness of CD on BBC's Tomorrow's World The 1 -inch mastering machine built there Paravicini C37s in 1981 they wiped strawberry jam on using a Studer C37 as donor. This work- such as these. Current at and 30ips. However, one a disc, but it was a con -they put it on horse was popular with broadcasters in run Hips the opposite side to the data. The major earlier years. and redundant machines future improvement he is considering to CD promoters destroyed heaps of vinyl are readily available to be rebuilt to Par - is the seemingly oddball change in order to advance the Ci) with its larger avicini's demanding specifications. This 18ips. which he is proposing in an AES all profit margin. Vinyl disc has the instant is not just a transport modification: all white paper. 'i have agreement with he access of hard -disk recording. and I've electronics are rebuilt to the highest the owners of my 1 -inch machines.' got vinyl pressed in the fifties that is standards. Paravicini has also rebuilt says. Apart from possibly frightening has yet to be still acceptably quiet. What's more, a C37s as -inch machines due to cus- potential purchasers, this com- nuxlern cassette machine nearly gives tomerdemand, but since 1986, his entire implemented clue to the notional a patibility with other 1 -inch formats > a DAT machine a good run for its 1 -inch machine output comprises Studio Sound December 1998 57

www.americanradiohistory.com < for emergency editing or playback. ously. So traditional myths have to be 'Many 1950s recordings have response Presently, Paravicini recommends 15ips thrown out the window. I wanted a tape up to 40kHz- recording these fre- with bass response down to 7Hz within machine that roughly embodies what quencies is relatively easy compared to 3dB for minimum phase distortion in the hearing mechanism is about: 15ips playing them back.' Paravicini has 40Hz -100Hz region, important. he says, enables a range of 7Hz to roughly 40kHz designed playback equipment for for rhythmic elements. Paravicini is a within 3dB with a good running time. Mobile Fidelity to enable remasteringto great believer in the importance of fre- At 30ips it goes from 14Hz up to 80kHz the highest standards. Poor playback quencies above and below the con- theoretical. 60kHz in practice, hut per- electronics overload the high frequen- ventional 20Hz -20kHz range. He points formance at 15ips is already better than cies and cause what he refers to (ono- out that one can sense the standing most digital systems and perfectly ade- matopoeically) as 'spitching', with LF wave of a large cathedral, which is quate for human hearing.' and HF artefacts. below 5Hz. The brain knows this as our The proposed 18ips standard de- Paravicini is particularly impres,ed body senses sound through other parts grades the bass by a negligible amount, with Zonal 999's packing, which of the body than the ears. yet gives 45kHz-50kHz top end and is improves HF phase and quality with no This notion of the hearing stopping arguably the best compromise. I asked deposit on the heads visible during our below 20Hz is absolutely rubbish,' he about the improvement over '/,--inch, tests. He points to historic shedding asserts. We detect sound down to the he explains the difference in terminol- problems of other tape manufacturers. resonant frequency of the body, and ogy more commonly related to digital Rather alarmingly, Paravicini suddenly deaf people certainly seem to "hear" equipment: The number of magnetic grasped and crumpled a foot or so of through the body. particles on the tape with 'i_ -inch is tape with his hands. to demonstrate 'Likewise, the high frequency notion roughly equivalent to 23 -bit or 24 -bit anotheradvantageofthe 1 -inch fomiat- of 20kHz is rubbish. In essence, we 1 while -inch is 24 -bit to 25- tfr that it is twice as difficult to detect audio up to about 45kHz. We hit. This is necessary as the stretch compared to I/2 -inch. can't say we hear it as a tone, but we ear can discern distortions AR, Rectory And if you even touch DAT are certain that something is going on. as much as 80dB down. Cambridge Ro tape you're in trouble... My method of demonstrating this was Also, modulation noise is Godmancheste As to the future, Paravicini several years doing work on ultrasonic lower than '/,-inch, with Cambridgeshir is working on a 35nim audio bath cleaners. Everybody in the room better bottom end solid it\ . PE 18 8BP, UK. format with advantages of suffered the after-effects of tinnitus. You Although emphasising Tel: +44 1480 453791. easy mechanical lock to film, are aware of this excruciating feeling. the importance of large fax: +44 1480 432006 and space alongside the My speakers go up to 40kHz. If I put a playback heads for sprocket holes for time code. 20kHz tone from an oscillator through extended bass response, Paravicini Featuring a roughly similar track -width them, most people in the room are in accuses major multitrack manufacturers to 1 -inch he claims the quality of repro- discomfort. With a 24kHz tone the of the crime of 'cost -unbalanced engi- duction will he equal. He also has ideas younger people in the room are in dis- neering'. He maintains that corners are for a multitrack format with increased comfort and discerning it quite obvi- often cut with playback electronics. track width.

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www.americanradiohistory.com Wandering in Magnetic Fields

tory. He operated it by running along- low of the Danish Academy of Tech- side the recording apparatus, which was nical Science and the Swedish Institute perched on a trolley, with the record for Engineering Research. head (earphone) in contact with the There are a number of reasons why wire. The final patented version had Poulsen's invention did not inunediately the wire coiled around a drum with the succeed commercially -the Wt.( in held driven by a screw thread at the Phonograph had been invented top of the machine. 20 years before Pou lsen's Telegraphone In 1900 at the Exposition l niv erselle and had already gained a foothold in December I st marks the in Paris, he exhibited his invention. It the market. And where the Telegra- centenary of the invention was well received and he was awarded the Grand Prix of Paris. One of his vis- of magnetic recording. itors was the Austrian Emperor who 'Poulsen's first recording made a recording at the exposition that Bernard Pike and is reputed to have been is believed to be the earliest magnetic Ken Talbot trace its recording still in existence today. made on a screwdriver, As Paulsen was unable to find back- history and the fortunes ers in Europe. in 1903 he formed the using a telephone of its Danish inventor, American Telegraphone Company with an American associate in Washington earphone as the record Valdemar Poulsen DC. The duo started to produce wire recorders where the wire ran from one and playback head' LOOKING BACK over 100 years of spool to another. The first machines had magnetic recording offers an a wire speed of 8-tips and could record phone needed to be listened to on a interesting study of how an inven- for 30 minutes. By 1910 the company headphone, the Phonograph used an tion develops. The years to the death was in trouble due to had management acoustic horn. If amplifiers. had been of inventor Valdemar Paulsen in 19-12 and by 1918, after only selling a few around Poulsen would have had a bet- saw limited progress. From his xvire- hundred machines. it went into ter chance. An additional handicap based Telegraphone. the Blattnerphane receivership. Amazingly it remained in derives from the fact that AC bias had and the Marconi titille steel tape existence until 19.41; although whether not been invented. so the Telegra- recorders do not fit in well with the Poulsen was still involved is not clear phone's signal \\ as distorted and had > development pattern of magnetic and not much more Illustration of Poulsen'sTelegraphone recorders. The key events took place in seems to be known published in The Electrician, 1901 the thirties and forties and were fol- about Paulsen until lowed by exponential growth up to the his death. the did. present day. it was after the war that however. receive Q magnetic recording started to make many awards. itself felt in the recording studio. and In 1907. Poulsen m displaced the shellac disk as the stan- was awarded the medium. Todan nr,tgnetic tape is Gold Medal of the V2dard threatened on two li( )nt. by optical and Royal Danish Soci- c6> E solid -state technologies. What does the ety for Science. In

W future hold for magnetic storage? 1909, the university 8 Poulsen was working for the Copen- of Leipzig con- `3, halten Telephone Company when he ferred upon him the started with record - honourary degree. cwt first experimenting W ing. The first recording is reputed to Doctor of Philoso- v°, have been made on a screwdriver. using phy. He received a telephone earphone without the from the Danish á diaphragm as the record and playback Government the 'A head. Once the basic principle was Medal of Merit and ó established, he went on to record on a at his death, Dr E piano wire stretched across his labora- Paulsen was a fel- Studio Sound 'lecember 1998 61

www.americanradiohistory.com Ftc: Mag:

ARA < a low output. Further, the wire itself Telegraphone arranged for distributing information, published in Electrical Magazine, 1904 often became twisted and tangled. company as a telephone answering or 1949, there were still wire recorders Finally, Poulsen was also busy with his dictation machine; and the Textophon being built and one of these, the Wirex other invention, the Continuous Radio developed by the Echophon company, Recorder has a home in the Science Wave Arc Transmitter, which dates from which was used as a dictation machine. Museum in London. 1902. This must have diverted his atten- Several thousand wire recorders were Apart from as dictation machines, tion away from running his company. sold to the American Army and Navy, telephone answering machines and Despite Poulsen's lack of success with home recorders, wire recorders had lit- these machines, other companies had `Wire recorders tle use and there appears to he no ref- moderate success with wire recorders, erence to them being used in the record- and they were manufactured right up had little use and ing studio. Their success was very to the late forties. One of the more limited when compared to the com- famous and more successful machines there appears to be no mercial success of the tape recorder. was the Webcor wire recorder whose reference to them Steel tape machines made their head rose and fell as the wire passed. appearance from time to time, only to The head had a groove in it so it also being used in the vanish again as quickly as they came. acted as a guide that made sure the wire There are two machines, which stand was evenly wound onto the take up- recording studio' apart-The Marconi Stille machine and spool; although here, too, the wire often the Blattnerphone. These machines had broke and acquired kinks that caused many being built or licensed by the a short but interesting appearance in the severe dropouts. It also caught under Armour Research Foundation of the professional broadcast section of the other layers of wire and would release Armour Institute of Technology. In market. The Blattnerphone sounds like with a jerk. Illustration for a proposed telephone repeater using something out of Among the other Poulsen'sTelegraphone, published in The Electrician, 1901 comic opera, but wire recorders that there really was a were - made, were - --°------1q}- - recorder by this the Brush which name. Blattner. the was developed by Sl designer. sold Begun (the Brush machines to the Development Com- BBC and went pany also devel------A bankrupt in the oped a number of saute year. The recorders which machine was a used a variety of rather unwieldy tapes, disks and giant with enor- wires); the Stille mous reels to hold wire recorder from the steel tape. The Curt Stille and Karl story goes that it Bauer, which was : + was necessary to called the Daily - keep A e c o E F o the machine graph and was man- in a room of its own ufactured by the Vox as when the steel > 62 December 1998 Studio Sound

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www.americanradiohistory.com Clockwork disc-type Telegraphone for early recording and replay -as a Dictaphone, for example his hobby however was recording. and one day when his wire recorder's wire became all tangled up, he hit on the idea of using a metalised tape. In 1928 he patented the idea and sold it to AEG, a large German manufacturer, in 1932. While AEG made the recording hard - ware, it needed a chemical company to stake the tape-the job fell to IG Faben. At first the tape was coated with pure iron particles as Pfleunur had originally conceived. This was not very successful as the fine crystal shapes became unstable and oxidise. Strangely, iron oxide (rust) is not magnetic, but IG Faben with its knowledge of chemistry was able to develop a propriety process which resulted in a carbonyl iron powder that was magnetic, stable, and you could produce fine needle -shaped (aci- cula) particles to coat the tape. In 1934, 36 years after its invention, The world's first magnetic recording became a serious competitor to its arch rival. the disk. independent market analysis of the Until this time. disk had been the main storage medium in the sound studio but International Pro Audio Industry it could not he edited -all recordings were instantaneous. and after the engineer had dropped the cutter head onto the disk and spiralled it in, the hand had to play, and play without making The Pro Audio a mistake. The count -in had to be silent as well. Paper, or plastic -backed tape could he cut up, the best parts of the World Report recording selected and edited precisely to produce a faultless performance. Editing had arrived. Published in By 1939. 5.000,000 meters of mag- early 1999 netic tape were being produced for by Miller Freeman Entertainment, broadcast stations. In the UK. EMI and the BBC were dominant forces in publishers of Studio Sound recording and it appears from our research that magnetic tape was virtu - and Pro Sound News Europe, ally unknown here. It was Hitler who was to aid record- in association with ing over the war years. Hitler supported magnetic recording as it was Market Tracking useful in his propaganda campaign. International British intelligence used to monitor Hitler's broadcasts in order to know where he was. Not knowing about the For further enquiries contact Lianne Davey: developments of magnetic recording inside Germany, they would listen for the familiar clicks or surface noise of Tel : the gramophone record. If there were +(44) 171 940 8598 no clicks it was assumed that Hitler would be present. It soon became Fax : +(44) 171 407 7102 apparent that this could not he the case as Hitler would make addresses at two : distant places within too short a period E-mail for him to travel the distance. Once the war was over. American GIs lkdavey @unmf.com captured a number of the Magnetophon machines and shipped them to America where they were taken apart and analysed. The Brit ish brought them hack and EMI developed the famous BTR1 OVER 450 PAGES machine. which was based on the Mag- netophon design and by 19-+5. Bing Crosby, working with sound engineer 66 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com John Mullin, used the Magnetophon for of their own with a frequency response Poulsen saw his invention mainly as radio broadcasts on ABC Radio. of ±0.5dB over the full 20Hz -20kHz a telephone answering machine. Using The early tapes ran at 30ips and shed spectrm. wire, it was only suitable for speech, oxide with each pass. In America 3M The use of tape became far more as claimed in his original patent (dated developed Type 111, a plastic -based widespread over the coming years. 1.12.1898). Today, telephone answer- tape, that quickly became the industry being used for Video recording. Data ing machines are solid state with no standard. Slowly research on tape and with the introduction in 1962 -64 of moving parts, no tangled wire, no delivered an improved medium, and the compact cassette, home recording. wow, no waiting to rewind the tape from coercivities of less than 100 Oer- With the advent of multitrack for the next take. steads, it was possible to achieve coer- machines the whole process of record- Tape was able to challenge the disk civities of as much as 350 Oersteads ing changed -the ground -breaking only once it was improved in quality, by the late fifties. Sergeant IkD¡x'r's Lonely Hearts Glnb was suitable for editing and finally it It was during this period that tape Band was recorded on a Studer 1 -track was multitracking which cemented its machines quickly displaced disk machine and later Abbe)' Road was superiority in the studio. We may have recording in the studio, both in record- recorded on one of the first 8 -track almost forgotten Poulsen today -ask ing studios and broadcast studios. With machines. By 1970 multitrack record- the man in the street who Poulsen is improvements in head design, the very ing had once more transformed the and you can he sure to get a blank limited frequency response of the early way recordings were being made. Now look -but his invention was a brilliant machines was increased and by the six- with far more options open to the pro- breakthrough and deserves recogni- ties they were able to produce a flat ducer, engineer, and musicians, record- tion. Without his pioneering efforts, frequency response from 20Hz-15kí Iz. ings were taking years to he made. The where would the modern recording During the sixties tape speed was disk could not compete. industry h(.? standardised to 15ips in the studio and with all the modern developments, hi -fi was born. In Germany the Telefunken S9hdterhrd Dr. -189 Sd oeps GmbH Spitalstrasse 10 machine was mainly used, in the UK it Karlsruhe 76127 was EMI i;TR1 and BTR2 and TR90, Germany the Tel: .49 (0) 721 943 20(0) and in America the Ampex model 200 Di -Ing SchoepÌ Fax: +49 (0) 721 495 750 .r. Email: mailboak?'schoeps.de was the studio workhorse. In Japan. web: www.srhoeps.de after a devastating war, Sony was busy developing its own tapes and tape RC1200 1973 Fritz Pfleumer In 1948 in Karlsruhe, two men joined who made the forces to produce a microphone MKA 1973 breakthrough that would designed to set a new standard change the direction for sound recording. of magnetic recording and move it in to the i recording studio, when he patented a coated paper-backed tape

machines. To show the level of enter- prise, TDK was producing tape which had the oxide painted on using a pig's hair brush, and the slitting was achieved CCM4 by pulling the coated film over razor 1994 blades. It was in the sixties that the Japanese started to compete in the West

with their high performance tapes. CMVS1 The chemical giant Dupont, in Amer- 1949 ica, had developed a new Chromium Dioxide particle. This increased the tape MSIC64 coercivity values to over 500 Oersteads 1976 and gave a flat frequency response all the way up to 20kHz at even lower tape speeds than were commonly being used. Consequently, many studios using the famous Revox machines were able to tecord at 7.5ips; although for editing 15ips was still preferred. Dupont issued a licence exclusively to Sony in Japan to produce chromium dioxide tape. Not Ulrich SChoepa Jorg to be outdone, TDK developed a cobalt - Projert Audio limited 50 years later, the men may have 5 Castk Road doped tape called Super Avilyn. New London NW1 8PR changed but the design goal tape machines also appeared on the Tel : 0171 428 9700 Fax: 0171 428 9699 remains the same. market, such as those from Studer and C -mad: prujed.audia dcetnet -eo.uh Nagra. These machines were in a class Studio Sound December 1998 67

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www.americanradiohistory.com IN IIIF. YEARS FOLLOWING THE establishment of firstly the Irish Free State and then the Republic of Ire- land, efforts were made to re- affirm the Three to country's cultural identity. Broadcasting can he a way of doing this. so it is odd to consider that the Irish public service 'I'\' broadcaster is only get ready 3, gars old. Now with four domestic stations. including the recently opened The launch ofTV3 gave Ireland four television stations and first commercial ser- 'lß'3, the country's -found self respect in broadcasting. Kevin Hilton vice. Ireland is confident that it can truly new provide fog its own viewing needs. traces the history of the isle and its air waves Television from the UK had been picked up in the east and north of the country from the liliies hut there were demands for Ireland to have its own channels. Lcgislati( )11 was put before the Dail. the lower house of the Irish Par- liament. in 1960 and Radio Eireann was Honzontal Polarisation founding Ire- given the responsibility of jVertical Polarisation land's public service T \' broadcaster. t !rider its first chairman. the Nvell -known presenter Eamon Andrews. Radio Tele- fis Eireann t It"FE) went on air on New. Year's Eve 1961. opening with a broadcast from ('resident Eamon de Valera warning of both the good and bad that television could bring. So Ireland's sole home -grown channel pumped out a mixture of news. entertainment. soaps and chat. Vague memories ( )f I I'1: c( )me back to me froni when we used to visit my grandfather on the X 'est coast: in particular Garda Patrol. Nvhere an uncomfortable-1ook- ing police officer would appeal for public help in solving crime. It was around this time that pressure for a second channel became stronger. particularly in regions that could not receive l "K signals. known disparagingly as One Channel Land. A second station. RTF2. was launched in 1978 but cut -backs led to the service being rethought and relaunched as Net- work 2 towards the end of the eighties, getting another rejig in 1997 to beet >me N2. The growing penetration of l K services into the once cosseted Gaelic - speaking areas prompted the launch of

an Irish -language service. Teilifis n.[ Notre I.ippures seance area also Gacilge (TnaG1. in October 1996. coven the Three Roc1. and Clermont Cam service areas Although there are government plans t( )

establish InaG independently, it is I

( )\\ reed by RTE. which itself is cofinau)..I by a licence fee and advertising rev- enue. Unsurprisingly. there have long

been demands for a true commercial be available through cable and \l \II)S, channel in the Republic and pirate the so- called wireless cable system. 'l'\' stations forced the issue through The Broadcasting Act was amended II the 1980s. in 1990 to provide a l'1 IF network. some- In 1988 a revised Broadcasting Act thing that required the 'l'\ 3 consortium Kvas passed. setting up the Independent to submit a revised business plan Radio and Television Commission -which is where the problems began. (!RTC)and making provision for third, In 1992. the (RTC withdrew the fran- completely commercial channel. The chise form the consortium. saying that franchise was advertised and won in the group had not been forthconiing 1989 by the 'l'\'3 consortium. led by about its investors. The irinnediate effect tV tilt's Windmill Lane Pictures. Original plans was to render Windmill Lane Pictures stated that the new sen ice would only insolvent, as it had carried most of> Studio Sound December 1998 69

www.americanradiohistory.com < the development costs. choice of tape format relatively simple; Shareholders lost huge amounts of the original concept had been to use money; the consortium banded together DigiBeta for transmission and Betacam and appealed to the High Court against SX for acquisition and news editing. Two the IRTC, on the grounds that the reg- servers are used: one with 3 hour capac- ulator had made the decision without ity for on -air, the other an 18 hour back giving TV3 a hearing. They won, as they up library unit that includes a 3 hour did when the matter .rent to the mirror of the main unit. 'Betacam SP is Supreme Court. The franchise was pretty much the standard for bought -in restored in early 1996 and the consor- programmes, and so we needed tium, which still included Windmill Lane machines that could playback tapes that and U2's manager Paul McGuinness, we'd produced ourselves and Betacam decided to get the station on air rather SP,' says Ennis. 'I decided that DigiBeta than pursue damages. Peter Ennis atTV3's play-out area wasn't going to give us that much extra. A new shareholder was found in he ran Leinster House Television, a sub- We're not doing any significant multi - Ulster TV but its involvement ended after sidiary set up to televise Parliament. He generation postproduction on tape, it could not get agreement from the IRTC had been involved in some of the plan- therefore the benefits of DigiBeta, in regarding cross -shareholding and man- ning for TV3, but at that stage no tech- ternis of multi generation, were not going agement arrangements. Once again it nological decisions had been made. to be realised. So we went Betacam SX looked as though the venture had been After leaving Windmill Lane in 1993, throughout the station.' killed off. But Canadian media group Ennis worked variously at Avid and TV3 was, and still is, the first station CanWest Global took a 45 %stake, com- Snell & Wilcox, from where he was in the world togo completely SX, which mitting money, resources and expertise. lured to TV3. Ennis agrees was something of a bold In late January this year a disused phar- Ennis says he looked long and hard move, hut considers the decision to maceutical warehouse in Dublin was at the proposals to see if he came to have been vindicated because of the bought; gutted and re -built inside, cost- the sanie technological conclusions, application. This is largely TV3's status ing in the region of lri..-+m, the broad- which he did. The first decision, of as a publisher- broadcaster, where the cast centre was finished in July. course, was "Do you or don't you com- hulk of its output is bought -in- SP tapes CanWest started recruiting a team at press?",' he explains. 'In ternis of stor- are either played from the compatible the end of last year. with Peter Ennis, age, I felt that there were significant SX machines or dubbed to SX for recon- who oversaw the technical installation advantages to be had from compress- figuring (inserting or removing ad as director of operations, joining in ing. Its particularly true for server - breaks) - with news, sport and current February 1998. based applications and MPEG is an affairs being self produced, providing This was something of a return for inherently superior compression for- just under two hours of news a day and Ennis, who was chief engineer at Wind- mat to Motion JPEG.' between half an hour and a hour of mill Lane from 1986 to 1991. after which The decision to go MPEG made the sport each day. RICHMOND FILM 161!°.0 SERVICES

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70 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com TV3's pictures may he digitally orig- but the audio is strictly analogue. inated / - vii We could have gone AES- E.BU,' says Ennis, 'but it would have meant expense and the benefits wouldn't have justified most Great British Audio the cost. Looking into the future, DISTRIBUTORS / audio is going to he embedded in the ARGENTINA 1 ' serial digital video stream and that's the DBA Systems ,, 545 6800 Pj11 in.' 7 direction I'm heading AUSTRALIA However, he says that sound isn't an Technical Audio Group RIE afterthought. The audio on our news 0298105300 AUSTRIA stories tends to be a little more elabo- ATEO Audio Technology rob 'i ChDÎce rate than RTE'S,' he says. 'bringing in 02234 74004 s MUSIC or doing the dialogue slightly dif- BELGIUM High perfli Tan é,accessori we're NICAM stereo EMI from LA ; ui Pro -5 rieI ferently. Because C AD 23 55 we try to set the stereo sound stage as CANADA much as we can. As far as audio pro- Audionova Inc 8580 duction values are concerned, we're 888 247 CYPRUS probably ahead of our competition 2 Echdiki Ltd a because we've done it from day one: 2 591325 DENMARK 7 approach is designed to This funkier StageGroup fit in with TV3's target demographic of 38 60 73 97 Dit the 15 to 49 age group. 'We recognise EGYPT Active DI Hoyt RTE's audi- Alpha Audio that we're not going to take 245 8957 ence away from them.' Ennis com- EIRE DIX ments, 'and they've got a 37 year head Sensible Music Sales Passive Dl Box 01 497 0661 start on us. There's a lot of viewer loy- FINLAND alty there. Where we see our audience United Show Enterprises coming from is a small amount of 09 7594180 RTE.1's viewers, a slightly larger num- FRANCE SCV Audio her from N2 but we also saw ourselves 01 48 63 22 11 EMT who GERMANY repatriating a lot of viewers, those Dual Balancing Transformer watching the British chan- SEA are currently 05903 93880 been nels or Sky. And this has largely GREECE CB3 borne out.' Even Studio 3 Way Headphone Splitter The service is currently available to 041 554355 HONG KONG 88% of the population using the UHF Top Plot International network, and, already. figures show that 2419 1868 average audience share is just over 7%, ITALY Audiosales one point alxwe its target for the first 0521 690290 SC3 year. TV3 is also a must -carry for cable JAPAN 3 Way 14íc Splitter /Combiner and MMI)S systems, making for a total Onkyo Tokki 03 3237 1201 homes. The T -Box availability of over 90% of KOREA 12% of the country that is unable to Fine Trading Corp Diagnostic Cable Tester receive TV3 is predominately around 02 326 2032 LEBANON the mountainous Western and Northern Eltek seaboards. Work is currently underway 01 249666 to install booster stations to extend cov- NETHERLANDS lemke Roos Audio erage to these regions. 020 6972121

TV3's digital system places it com- NORWAY fortably for the corning of digital ter- Norstage AIS 52 714 310 restrial in Ireland, which may begin by PCBO RUSSIA Phase Checker PHP the start of the millennium. Under cur- Studitech Supply rent proposals, TV3 will share a multi- 095 575 7444 4 Channel Phsnta*Power says SINGAPORE plex with TnaG and while Ennis Ultra Sound Agency e that the station is ready for DU, there 284 8123 Exckisively distributed in the UK by SCV London? is concern that too much dominance is SOUTH AFRICA Tru -Fi Electronics S A 6 -24 Southgate Road. London N1 3.11 being given to the state broadcasting 462 4256 011 TeL +41-101171 923 1892 Fax +44 101171 241 3644 sector under the government's plans. SPAIN email: IaatdioPscvlondon co uk web http Ilwww scvtondon co uk The channel's early success is only LMC Audio Systems 471 14 40 among the public, however. Ennis 93 SWEDEN admits that critics are lambasting the sta- ITS tion, which is criticised for broadcast- 0B 597 900 00 foreign programming and SWITZERLAND 6 -24 Southgate Road London N1 3JJ ing too much Soundhouse Tel +44 101171 923 7447 not enough home -produced material. 41 240 4231 Fax +44 101171 241 3644 One journalist was moved to call TV3 TAIWAN Splendid Sound Technic email: [email protected] son of Sky'. a quote that is 'The bastard 02 278 2347 Audio is a division of SCV Electronics Limited now blown up and proudly displayed UNITED KINGDOM LA in the news room. At the minute there SCV London AUDIO r. htt':/ .laaudio.co. 0171 923 1892 is no place for an updated Garda Patrol but given the popularity of true -life crime programmes today, it might not be too long a wait. Studio Sound December 1998 71

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INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTORS Australia: V.COM Australia Pty Ltd.. Tel 3 9563 7844. Austria: ELSINCO GmoH Tel 11 815 04 00, Belgium Trans European MUSIC NV Tel 466 Tel 21,325.5351 2 5010 Brazil: INTERWAVE LTDA Bulgaria: ELSINCO Rep _Office Sofa Tel ß1)9581245 Canada: GERRAUDIO Distribution Tel. 16131342 -6999. Ch na. Hong Kong: AC E (Intl) Co Ud Tel 2424-0387. S8V Instruments Co Ltd 28339987. Croatia: ELSINCO Rep Office Zagreb. Tel 1 61533 50. Czech Republic: PLS'NCO Praha spot s r o Tel 12 4966 89: Denmark: nun El,klronik aps. Tel 86 57 15 11 Finland: Genelec CV Tel 17 813 Tel (11 15 83 66 41. 311 Frana: ETS Mesureur. Germany: RTWGrnbH&Co KG . Tel 221 70913-0. Greece: KEM Electronics Ltd Tel 167485'4,5: Hungary: ELSINCO Budapest KFT Tel (1) . Audio 3390000. Israel: Dan-El Technologies. Ltd Tel 3-6478770 Italy: ónk s n c Tel 521 648727 Japan TOYD Corporation. Tel 3 (56881 6800. Korea: B8P International Co Ltd. Tel 2 545 -'457. Test Test Measurement Malaysia: Measwement 8 Engmeenng San Selangor) Tel 3 734 1017. 8 Engineering San (Per ang)1. Tel 4 6422088. Netherlands. Heynen B V. Tel 485 55 09 09. New Zealand: Aud,o&Video Wholesalers. Tel 9 279 7206. Norway: Lydconsull.Tel 47-69-178050 Poland: ELSINCO Polska s z o o. Tel 221 39 69 79. Portugal: Aculron Eledroacustiz Lda . Tel : 940 Tel 1785, Singapore: 'ME Systems Pie Ltd 747.7234. Slovakia ELSINCO Slovensko s r o . Tel (71 784 165. Slovenia: ELSINC O a e o . 161'1 133 62 79. Tel 11 South Akio: SOIJNOFUSION MFG 477 -1315, Spain: TrICo Electronics,. A Tel 1 531.7101. Sweden: US Tal 8 Ton Studiotek, ik AB, Tel 31 52 51 50. Switzerland: Dr W A Gunther AG. Tel 1 910 41 41. Taiwan: R.O.0 Advance .TeI Double Tech 2.596 0696. Thailand: Massworld . Tel Cemoany Ltd 2-294.4930. United Kingdom: Thurlby Thandar Instruments. Ltd . Tel 114801412751 (11- 12.97)

www.americanradiohistory.com Having addressed to retain well- established lac ilities. seated o> RS232 format via a 9-pin A number of other improvements arc 1)- connector at the back of the unit and the technological basis, desirable once ISDN is in use. These a wide variety of applications have applications and include remote control of audio enders been found by users for this data common from the studio desk. sharing of codecs stream. Time code is one such use. as use of digital audio codecs, and NI)\ lines among various studio is data from a studio desk showing and recording:t eas. the ability to trans- information about the nix. Another in part three Jeff Cohen fer calls around different coders or dif- example is feeding sports results in text concludes this series on ferent studios. and integrating iSDN call- fora Inita the studio to a remote coming into o existing audio routers. switchers mentator who needs to report on the ISDN with a look at some and source -selection systems. scores at other events. A number of devices now on the An audio codee manufactured by the application specifics market can help in the management Dutch firm Youcon> :tlk i\ys control from NCE ISDN IS ESTABLISHED in of ISDN. Codee manufacturers pro- the studio of the audio levels of the

t broadcast centre or individ- vide reniote control software for a sin- sports commentator and the crowd ual studio and its operation has gle code( that alloys ti l'(: to display noise microphones. so the commenta- 0 its is the bal- been mastered. management can fre- the names and numbers you wish to tor freed from worrying about quently he improved. Many radio sta- dial, Fade( encoding parameters, and ance. One broadcaster with some small tions with long -standing methods for call status. self- operated contribution studios is sending and receiving audio traffic More sophisticated systems such as using ancillary data to switch its light- found that ISDN did not easily fit into Nieral's ARC alloy various ways of net - ing off and on. It is even possible to use their existing setup. One common prob- working.and control of coders and this data channel to provide a low -grade lem experienced by small kcal radio audio source selectio m -tot instance. talkbark channel by feeding it into a stations is where an outside studio once several studios nrn gain access to var- 3k I Iz voice cadre operating at 9,600 bits linked via a local analogue line was ious Codees. This sac es on the cost of per second. wired so its output could he monitored equipping each area with lines and Early digital -audio codees were not or recorded at the main centre in sev- (0)(Iecs. and can provide for niu(I flex- designed for portability. and were not eral studio areas plus newsroom and ibility. Lanford Audis o sells an ISI )\ Ter- built to be very rugged. But as a lot of offices. It the rent ite studio is then con- minal adaptor that will interface with equipment is constantly on -the -road verted so it is linked via ISDN it niay any kind of audio switcher and will dial manufacturers responded by produc- only he possible for staff in the one stu- up a particular number when a contact ing units such as the Zephyr Express dio which has dialled it up to monitor closure is made by the switch. In this from 'fetus Systems. MI'AC from AF.Q. the line and others who were used to \yay it is possible to integrate ISDN call- and Roadrunner from CC:S- Musicam. listening or using the feed will lose that ing into an existing source selectio ni sys- These are built to take the rigours of facility. However. the economic bene- tem that was built for analogue Iinc.. being constantly transported yet sup- fits of ISDN over other kinds of audio Many coders give users access to port much the sane comprehensive communications generally encourage Ancillary Data (spare digits that not facilities as the rack -mounted models. re- equipping of studio is and ne'ysro x>tns needed for audio coding). This is pre- The GSGC series from Glensound > Studio Sound December 1998 73

www.americanradiohistory.com < has also optimised battery power for can provide up to Iikllz :ludic/ on a from Telas Systems exploits all these sports commentators seatccl in stadi- good connection. but POTS line qual- advantages in a sophisticated 'phone -in' ums without main power (three I) -size ity can he unpredictable. unlike ISI)\ system capable of handling a large num- batteries last nearly O hours). where bandwidth is guaranteed. If the ber of lines along with additional facili- Several manufacturers are now pro - modem is unable to achieve the ties that programme makers need such clueing combined portable :litchi) as screens of data showing ca Hers' details. coders and hard-disk recorders. - Simi Several manufacturers An ISDN call dials up rapidly (in a frac- lar electronics are required for both tion of a second) and one interesting these Dunctie ms.e ) it was fairly inevitable are now producing recent new application is for long dis- that the\ would come together. Fgtiip- tance studio -to- studio talk that connects sorrel. combined portable ment from x. I)i tk, t. nit the moment the key is pressed and thus and Voucom allow either live trans - audio codecs and you only pay when \ c ci talk. inissi) in via ISI) \. the ability to record Maya Send -a software-only audio and send a hard -disk ((lit then as data file via recorders. coder running on a PC -has recently ISI ) \. telephe nu nu )dem or evert entail. Similar appeared on the market and permits Via ISI the electronics are )\ transmission alight even. connection via ISDN with a hardware if required. be taster than real time by, required for both these code(. It will he interesting to see if this li)r instance, recording at (rtkh s and functions so it was fairly idea catches on. Many studios already sending at 1 2tikh s. Sending via a tele- feel they have enough PC screens hut phone line can be at real time with the inevitable that they where budgets are tight the cost advan- sort of (lata rates nosy m :nftblc tìon1 tages can be tempting. nto(Icnts. In addili(>n to these combined would come together Broadcasters often wish to provide and sec recorders co(lecs. oral manu- reporters with a fully -equipped remote facturers now produce stand -attune required bandwidth or the line quality office and studio on location. Digital cir- 'analogue' coders dedicated and opti- deteriorates during the call the audio cuits (such as both ISDN and perma- mised for sending digitally- encoded may fall to just ikl1,. nent point -to -point lines) can support via standard audio phone lines. "Phis, In contrast using analogue lines for connection from a centre to a remote Comrex, (:(:S- \lusicauh. :uxt AF IA high- quality alldi) ), some newly released office with the sharing of the bandwidth responded to broadcasters' needs by equipment uses ISDN lines to convey by many devices using a piece of equip- manufacturing audio codecs that could standard I l Iz telephone calls. Br( ad - ment known as a multiplexer. This may be used on the plain old telephone sys- caster:s put on -air quite a number of he used in effect to divide up a data tcnl I POTS I from locations without phone calls and ISDN provides some stream and feed it into such things as ISI lines and their performance has advantages c )veroe xis entional telephone an auelio coder, PCs. telephones and I een c) instantly improving clue to both interface equipment. such as low noise. other items of digital equipment. 'Thus modem :incl encoding developments. clarity, and t (miplete separation between for example it is possible to supply jour- The latest model. Vector. Drum Conu-cx incoming and outg(i 1g auck°. A new box nalists with a connection to a ne\ysnxmt

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74 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com computer system, narrow -hand inter- from I Mb/ s clown to 32kbi s using lin- 'fractional' service has recently become com line and high -quality audio for fil- ear, J.41, apt and MPEG (Layers 2 and available here from the newer telecom- ing reports. This can all be accommo- 3) and both analogue and AES -EBU munications operators and is used by dated on a line with a bandwidth as inputs and outputs. KISS FM is using a the Scottish Radio Holdings and Capi- low as 64kb /s. pair to link its radio stations in Man- tal Radio Groups to link between vari- It is now becoming less expensive to chester and Leeds such that it provides ous stations. lease a permanent circuit at 2Mbit /s not only several channels of audio in The deregulation in the UK has ( known in telecoms parlance as an El ) each audio but also links the comput- allowed many new telecommunications and these have now replaced the ana- ers controlling the advertisements and developments to take place. A recent logue sound lines previously offered to central audio storage system. You can innovation is the freeing up of some broadcasters by BT. iSDN is ideal for ad make a good financial case for buying radio frequencies for what is known as hoc links but it is often necessary to con- yourown multiplex equipment and dig- Spread Spectrum communication. This nect sites on a permanent basis such as ital circuits. in some instances the newer uses very small amounts of power for studio to transmitter or satellite telecommunications operators such as spread across many frequencies and no uplinking. Even if connection is local cable companies are offering very licensing is required for transmission required for more than about four hours good tariffs for 2Mb/s circuits. equipment that can operate overa range per day, it can be more economical to ISDN is useful as a backup to point - some half dozen miles. So rather than have a permanent circuit than to dial to- point circuits for those occasions eternally paying rental for a digital line up on iSDN. A service known as Musi- when they fail and automated equip- if you have the opportunity of clear line cLine 2000 is offered by BT and uses a ment for this purpose is on the market of sight and the motivation to install an 2b /s line and multiplexer to support up from KW Electronics. antenna on the roof, in a short time this to four audio lines in each direction plus For many years a service known as a equipment will pay for itself. It could narrow -band talkback lines and RS232 Fractional Digital Circuit has been avail- he linked to a multiplexer such as the data. For a distance between sites of able in the US. FDC allows a customer lntraplex unit or with an appropriate about 2 or 3 miles this will cost nearly to use one circuit (normally what is interface AES -EBtJ equipment could he .£7000 for installation and .!7000 per known as a TI operating at I .54Mb/s) directly connected. annum rental. However, many broad- for communications with many sites. Telecommunications is one of the casters are choc)sing to do it themselves This is achieved by effectively splitting world's fastest growing industries and and buy their own 2Mb/s multiplexer the circuit into different channels and new equipment and services are con- such as that made by Intraplex. This is the telecommunications operator rout- stantly being launched. in its trail, the a sub -rack with l8 slots that can he filled ing the individual channels to different audio industry has been providing us with a variety ofdifferent cards for wide- sites as nominated by the customer. By with equipment to connect to them and band audio, RS232 data, talkback, contrast, in the UK it was always nec- which can solve our problems and remote telephone extensions or com- essary to lease a separate 2Mb/s line reduce costs. The down side is that we puter LAN connection. The audio cards between each site and this could be pro- all have to get to grips with the com- available cover a range of bandwidths hibitively expensive. However such a plexities of a lot of new technology.

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www.americanradiohistory.com Louis Studio Moving up from the middle market gave Louis Studio the opportunity to reinvent itself. Tim Goodyer visits a Belgian facility with its eye on the international stage INCETHE PROJECT ST1'Noder- added. the studio Owes its history to limited the middle order Of the Louis fans' passion for recording. Begin - recording market during the ning with 4 -track and 8 -track studios. 1980s. there have been few options jans opened Studio 20 some seven years open to those \\:lilting to run a viable ago with a Suundcraft 3200 desk and a professional facility. Coupled with the pile of outboard ('We used t0 bypass record companies prioritisation of back the console except for the faders') on catal(>,t;ue CI) releases over new record- the site than is now Louis Studios. Hay- ings. the rise of project studii is ensured ing redesigned and rebuilt almost every that simply cutting hack on wages and aspect of it. he now operates a first divi- investment would not ensure a studio's sion SL9OOOj roost with a Pro Tools y t- StudiemamgertL c van c rin front of sire i\ :rl. The majority of high -end Apogee hard -disk system and Genelec AndréWaterkeyn'sAtomium in Brussels recording facilities quickly identified monitoring. and an even longer out- classical recording and then expansion board list that includes A \IS Neve reis- (Us act to ate. ,talc, the studio Man- into audio- for -video postprodurtion as sue 1081 EQs and Purple Audio MTh, ager. 'I did that circus at for three years the means to keep the books balanced. compressors. To date the new facility and I'cl had enough of it. I had to deal For many this has worked. and in doing has hosted five album sessions by artists with so nimnv problems that I couldn't so has helped create an alternative from Belgium and Holland. with an eye give any of the artists enough atten- opportunity for those wishing to remain to extend its international clientele. tion. This afternoon we got a guitar for k cased on sound recording. 'It was another clans of studio, ,tans one of the guys here because he asked While many artists enjoyed the nov- says of Studio 20, but it was fun. The for it... That's a personal service we can elty and freedom afforded by a personal name change is because it isn't Stu- give to our clients because there's time facility. their()pportunities to book time dio 20 any store, its s( unething totally to take care of it. To offer that same in a properly equipped. maintained and different.' service in a four- or five- studio com- managed studio were diminishing. And M1loying out of the fading nticiclle mar- plex you need so many personnel that when they emerged from their own ket brings the studio into competition it's not profitable any afore. If We roosts in need of live rooms. large con- with other Belgian facilities such as ICP. wanted another roost it would be a bet- soles. quantities of outboard. high -qual- Svnsound. Jet ( itself currently being ter idea to leave this as it is and open ity monitoring enyironluents. and pur- refurbished), Caraibes. \loliere. La another studio at another location.' posefully creative environments there Chapelle and Galaxy. Accordingly. lan.s With the equipment and the game- were fey. Now. they are quietly coat- has increased the studio rates by Iuu plan in place. the missing element is ing hack. fuelled by the need for all of and has been pleasantly surprised that service. 'We rent the studio with Louis the above as well as technical and cre- he's attracted not only new clients but as an engineer and with two assistants,' ative input from engineers with a full also retained old ones. Some were says Van Acker. it depends on the pro- microphone cupboard and diverse clients before the refurbishment' con- ject and if they have their own engi- experience of the recording process. firms studio manager Luc van Acker. neer.' adds jans. who also serves as the One such facility is Louis Studio, a sin- recently recruited from Galaxy. We did- studio's chef. on a yearly basis. I'd say gle -room residential studio in Tienen. n't expect everyone to want to pay I Work on 70 °/u of what conies in but 50km east of Brussels. Recently inure, but it hasn't been a problem.' you never know. I Wright have half a reopened after extensive refurbishment 'Belgium is rather small t0 support a year when I'm not an engineer. In and having an upper ( residential) story studio in this price class: skins contin- August We had Terranova and I was a ues. If you want to get people over cook. In September we had Super Stub here you need to have rooms and offer and I Was a cook. We think the service a service.' is the thing that's going R) count in the

If the move up- market seems to have end -it's like w I n you go to one restau- been all but inevitable. the intended rant and not another. The studio has profile of the studio seems to have been now been open for seven months. and similarly fated. Running more than a sin- everybody has been smiling when they gle room was never on jans' agenda left and talking about coming back. before Van Acker arrived. and he would That's a great sign.' have opposed it if it had. Taking the extensive outboard of Stu- 'To be able to say "1 have a studio dio 20 as a starting point. jans set the with four clients in it" is a bit of a cir- benchmark for Louis Studio with the 76 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com SL9000j console. Ag :tin the choice machine hasn't been used for three 'often that just opens the door and its seems to have been straightforward: ' \\e months nosy. the rest of the facility that wins people looked at the Euphonix and briefly at 'I have to stress also that we have a over -it's the lights. eventhing.' Neye. but it became SSI. and we are kind of custom -built Pro Tools system 'Weyers dorms made all the lights.' very, very. eery happy.' says tans of its -it's an ordinary Vac but everything is Van Acker reveals. \Ve say some pic- perforniance. Vert well installed on the hard disk to tures of lights they h made on a Bel- 'Thu need to convince people to run very quickly and smoothly -you gian CD. Their concept is to work with come into a new studio and when the should nee er use automatic installers on associations. The mo we you look at their learning curve is lower. the threshold is the program disk. you need to get into work the more you see in it. so its very lower for them to come.' Van Acker the programs at a low level and install inspiring to have around. We hope to adds. 'But its not only the learning then) carefully. The system is also very have enough money to do more things cure, its being assured that you can well maintained: just like you maintain like that.' get the sounds that you want. With Neve and recalibrate an analogue machine: 'The acoustics come first but the lights and SSI, desks it.s like plugging a Les You need to maintain Pro Tools. \Ve alsoI are kind of a tradenrark for the studio.'

Paul guitar into a Varshall :mop and get- I hire a mirror system that follows every- Jans continues. 'Everybody who conies ting a certain sound from the beginning. thing the niain system is doing. so that here goes. "look at the lamps- and we'r'e Willi digital c'(>nsoles there isn't a sound if the system breaks down we can have going "551 9k anyone?": to start with. you have to create your it back up in five minutes.' oWn space within the digital domain. 'These clays a studio) must he Very flex- and that's a very difficult thing. 1 think ible because people can walk in with there are enough engineers who, after an Otani disk. a Logic system. Pro Tools, a couple of weeks. can operate a digi- ADATs. DA- 58s.... Van Acker com- tal console. lout [don't know foamy who ments. Instead of pretending all those can create a whole album :mcl say they didn't exist and going with a I8 -track know exactly what they're doing and machine. we chose the flexibility of how it's gonna sound.' offering :Ill those systems - and all tilt As well as music recording. Studio sync problems that go with them. I think 20 hosted film recording and mixing Louis could write a book (>n What s ncs but lacked surround monitoring. jans and What doesn't and why, and how to notes his dissatisfaction with the sub- synchronise everything. And We've sequent transfer to surround produc- found that the Pro To is the nu ost tion when specifying the monitors for steady and reliable thing in the studio.' Louis Studio. To install surround mon- But while Van Acker endorses com- itoring is obvious when you see what puter-based audio, the philosophy of is happening in the market: he c'on- many of the people behind it greatly firnis. 'I've taken music fr(mi the new offends him: '1 find it criminal the way studio :Ind. you have the coloration of some things are sold these (hays.' he the film mixing room, but it is exactly asserts. 'People are selling you boxes the same. We are also able to check and if there's a problem the only thing that anything mixed in stereo transfers you hear is it was the other guy's box well to Dolby Surround. that made it crash". or they blame the 'I've always had Gcnclecs, Fin a Gen - studio for not hooking it up properly. clec Beak.' I>c says of tIic new 1039A- If the manufacturers Would fòrni sup- 10 3-A ;.I- channel system. In fact. the port groups to solve these problems, studio reckons to have every Gcnelec they Would he providing a service we speaker currently in production.'Work- need out they would rather put their ing with them is like sculpting with a money into R&D so they can sell you chisel. I tried other speakers -we have :mother box. \Vcstlakcs here, NS Ws. we're tried 'Fifteen years ago every studio had a \tackles. big Questeds-hut I don't like maintenance engineer who knew all working on anything else. there was to know about the 2 -inch ' \\e can patch whatever you want. machine and the console... If something jans continues. 'You can do plain old Went wrong, he Would walk in and go Dolby Mixes. roil can do 5.1, you can oh. it's that". I le Would know immedi- do S without the .1. or you can shut ately what to do. These clays we have dig- oft the surrounds and use the three ital equipment and sync problems and front channels.... no service engineers to support them.' Apart troni the outboard and micro- Which brings us back to the studio's phone lists, one of the few equipment emphasis on service .ncl individuality... legacies of Studio 2t) is the Pro Tools Sitting in the lounge upstairs dis- y I- Apogee AI )800() sys- cussing audio involves a tem that sits alongside view of a flat roof the Otani I ITRI(U. Studio, Bietenweg 2, beyond which lies a fit-

When 1 s:ny the 3300 Tienen, Belgium. ness centre and sauna.

AD8000 I knew a Pro Tel: +32 16 82 18 82. The roof will soon he a Tools system with all the Fax: +32 16 82 18 28. garden h or the barbecues plug -ins and a high -end Net:www.ping.be /louisstudi Jans Wants the studio to conversion system was a host While the fitness winner.' fans enthuses. The Apogees centre offers all the indulgences it lacks. have the Soft Limit feature that emulates Inside. the décor is enhanced by light analogue tape -I switched from ana- fittings that look like the Work of an Art logue to the Apogees and 1 had no prob- Deco !heath Robinson. lem, no problem at all. Our analogue its not only the SSL.' claims tans. Studio Sound `ecember 1998

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Situation Wanted SOUNDTRi\CS Young Digital Audio Systems Assistant Engineer Service Engineer Seeks employments within a London Customer studio. With 3 years experience of Soundtracs is emerging as a Digital systems supplier for the working within the Recording Broadcast /Post Production and Film markets. We require a Customer Industry. Knowledge of both Service Engineer to provide in house and on site support both in the UK Neve and DDA desks. and in Europe. A history of the repair and installation of large digital Tel: 0958 290688 audio systems with particular emphasis on digital audio interfacing and machine control is required. Experience with fault finding to component level and PC systems trouble shooting is vital. Computer literacy for modem interchange, report writing and record Equipment for sale keeping is similarly essential. A qualified candidate is preferred. Based in Epsom, Surrey, travel is inevitable. A generous salary with a full benefit package to include A & A Duplications Pension, Private Health and Share Options is offered. For Sale Please forward your CV by EMail or Fax to Tony Crockett. Service Manager, Soundtracs Plc Cassette Pad Imprinter tony.crockett @soundtracs.co.uk or 0181 388 5050. Model PP2000 NO AGENCIES PLEASE. Phone 44 (0) 1268 765010 Fax 44 (0) 1268 765442

FOR SALE DDA AMR24 36/24 Digidcsign, the H erld'' leading manufacturer of digital audio workstations, are looking for a European with Ell channels Mastermix Automation 164 channels on mixe Marketing Coordinator to work with the digidesign European team. based in the European headquarters at well maintained Pinewood Film Studios near London. England. in excellent condition - As used by Simple Minds, The Beach Boys, Bruce Job responsibilities would include: Hornsby, The Sneaker Pimps, Ocean Colour Point liaison with digidesign US on behalf of European Field Marketing Representatives and European Scene and Radiohead etc. etc. market as a whole £15,600 + VAT Managing product calendar for Europe including marketing language localisation process of literature. Tel: 01372 379444 / Fax: 01372 363360 web site. videos etc. Coordination and preparation of demonstration scripts/material for digidesign staff and dealers Assist local offices at time of trade shows, manage centrally held trade show properties Manage & oversee field lead gathering process and database Products & Services European tour coordination (logistics /messaging/materials) Implementation and oversee special projects /programs (dealer awards. customer research) Coordination of presales activities (tour booking. special outgoing mailshots/outbound calling) jbs records The ideal candidate will possess the following qualities: MUSIC and SPEECH Some knowledge of digidesign product and/or the digital audio marketplace REAL -TIME HIGHER -SPEED Quality Cassette Strong coordination /planning abilities Duplication and Blanks from 1 -1000. Computer printed labels. Marketing experience Solo, '7' reel, Sony Betamax or R -DAT Good communication skills (particularly by phone and email) recording. Fast Security Delivery sery ce. Strong sense of self motivation FILTERBOND LTD, jbs records division 19 SADLERS WAY, HERTFORD, SG14 2DZ Willing to travel in Europe and to digidesign HQ (USA) when required 01992- 500101 Some knowledge of the European marketplace The role would report directly to the digidesign European Director with a 'dotted line' to the digidesign Director of Marketing in the USA. Salary and benefits are negotiable depending on experience and suitability. Production Suite/ How to apply: Please send CV with covering letter to: Voice over studio Many Causon c /o. Avid Technology Europe Ltd.. West Side Complex. Pinewood Studios. Pinewood Road. Central Soho location E -Mail: mcausoniìdigidesign.com Iver, Bucks. England SLOONH, Heady fitted working studio (equipment not included) Available now on new lease direct with landlord for digidesigr a term by negotiation Avid 01 71 437 5225

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A HUGE THANKYOU...

To all of our friends and customers worldwide for making 1998 yet another successful year in the lives of Funky Junk, Boffin Island and Funkeys. As usual, we will not be sending Christmas cards but instead donating the money to 'Shelter, the national campaign for homeless people (Registered Charity Number: 263710), and we invite you to do the same. For further information or if you wish to make a donation then please contact with Helen Rider at Funky Junk or direct to Janine Ellingham at Shelter on telephone number +(0)171 336 6482.

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www.americanradiohistory.com IH Z US: Formats, formats, formats The effects of the W E passionate first encounter f with multichannel sound are o Whether spoilt for choice or just spoilt,Americans are running u out of wearing off In their place is time to choose its future delivery formats writes Dan Daley the unpleasant reality that, AMERICANS LIKE to like options. sidering how busy the elite of this group 'Should we have Italian or Middle have managed to keep themselves despite surround audio is not going Eastern tonight? Would you prefer slowdowns in the rest of the business, when Planet He )I lywc x xl or Hard Rock Café? Want they begin to get flustered you know you to go much further than the to rent Guud%ellus or Pulp Fiction?' Of have reached a problematic stage. course. these choices are not really choices 'There's too damn many formats out facility until a lot of people at all, just slight variations on one another. there, and not enough people in this busi- Which is to say. Americans prefer to have ness know enough about all of them, figure a few things out. many of their decisions made for them, so much less asking consumers to under- long as they retain the illusion of choice. stand what's going on.' says Purcell, one One sign of the times is the That is what is happening with regard to of the founding members of the aptly audio formats -hut it is going to l) easier named MEGA ( Mastering Engineers Guild fledgling formation of a guild to decide what we are having for dinner, of the Americas). where we are going for drinks. and what 'You've got DVD-Audio and now we of mastering engineers nu )Vie we are renting than it will be to know have the Sony- Philips Super Audio format what format we will he listening to. coming around before consumers really which, as of this writing, was The effects of the passionate first know what DVD -Video itself is. Were get- little a encounter with multichannel sound are ting inundated with competing fi)rntats. more than series wearing off. In their is place the unpleas- many of which are incompatible. The result of phone calls ant reality that. as much fun as it is in the is that it sounds poor and its hard to know studio, surround audio is not going to go what to tell people. DVD has been around while replicators cause like penitent pil- much further than the facility until an awful lin the t -SI for over two years now and they grims to the bar to apologise. inspired by lot of people sit down and figure a few still haven't figure) it out. recognition of the errors of their w ;tys and things out. One sign of the times is the fledg- The last tinte this hunch got fed up. it by falling unit prices. And just as master- ling formation of a guild of mastering engi- led to a quiet hut significant revolution in ing engineers are perplexed by the prolif- neers which, as of this writing. was little how replication facilities do their prentas- eration of formats on the professional side. more than a series of phone calls. mainly tering and disc manufacturing. BMG in the record labels are now becoming warier between Denny' Purcell (Georgetown Mas- Nashville and New fork hosted confer- of multichannel recordings' potential to ters in Nashville) and Boh Ludwig (Gate- ences which vented the mastering engi- inspire sales among the public. What once way \ I. i Gering in Portland, Maine). But con- neers' feelings about how digital sounded. looked like it might spark a replay of the

a passive top coat, that covers a lower layer Europe: Formats, that stores the magnetism. The central core of the read-out beam heats fine spots in A never-ending story the top layer that then 'sucks' magnetic information from the lower layer. So the beam 'sees' only very fine spots of mag- Far from learning from past events, manufacturers of delivery netism, effectively focusing more tightly formats seem determined repeat than the long wavelength of the infrared to their follies write Barry Fox laser normally allows. N EARLY NOVEMBER, TDK gathered eration, high -density MD that is already A pressed 12cm DVD holds at least some European press near London to under development. Fujitsu has been 4.7Gb, which is enough for a full- length visit the private studio used to make working with Sony on GigaMO, which movie. There are now three different vari- Genesis and Phil Collins recordings. The exploits lab research on Thermal Eclipse eties of DVD, which can make erasable object of the exercise was to let us hear Recording made by Sony in the early recordings. Hitachi, Toshiba and Pana- the difference between TDK's ordinary MD nineties. The leaked news confirms fears sonic back DVD -RAM, while Philips, Sony, blanks and the new MD-RXG Pro discs at that the next few years will see a new Yamaha and Hewlett Packard have devel- twice the price. recording format war. In addition to HD -MD oped DVD +RW (plus RW), and Pioneer RXG uses a higher quality disc material we can expect three different and incom- proposes DVD -RW (minus RW). All three and shell, which supposedly reduce errors patible 8cm versions of erasable DVD. discs rely on phase -change technology; the and lighten the load on the servo mecha- MiniDisc currently has a capacity of only disc is coated with material, which switches nism, to improve sound. The studio, 200Mb so must use 5:1 data compression between amorphous and crystalline state, owned by Mike Rutherford, made parallel in order to squeeze 74 minutes of stereo and thus different reflectivity, when heated dubs from a 48 -track DASH digital master on the 64mm disc -GigaMo increases this by a laser beam. All three disc types are onto MD. These were played back in sync capacity six-fold. MDs are coated with a embossed with a groove, which guides the on two Kenwood DM 9090 decks, through terbium ferrite cobalt mix. Heat from a laser laser over the blank during recording. They a Quad 520 amplifier and ProAc Studio 1 makes the coating temporarily lose all mag- vary in the way they record data in and monitors. Both Rutherford and his engi- netism. As the coating cools it picks up alongside this groove, and are largely neer Nick Davis seemed convinced there magnetism from a surrounding field which incompatible. All three formats either can was 'something different' about the record- is switched to create a magnetic pattern of or will match the 4.7Gb capacity of a ings, and pointed to fuller, less woody, spots which change the polarisation of pressed disc. bass, a longer tail on the vocal reverb and read -out light. The GigaMO disc is coated At a recent meeting in Barcelona, the cleaner top end. I think there probably was with material sensitive only to the hot cen- DVD Forum set the standard for 8cm ver- a slight difference, but it was very subtle. tral core of the laser. Consequently, the rel- sions of DVD. The small disc will record Judge for yourselves, but do not mis- atively wide beam records small spots. To at least 1.4Gb, and as much as 5.3Gb if it take new MD Pro for the new second -gen- allow equally precise read -out, the disc has is double -sided and each side has two

84 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com 1980s, when everyone replaced their album collections with CDs. now looks Booming or busting? like a potential economic quagmire with a long wait for a return on investment. A litany of failed titrmats from the past The arrival of digital broadcasting and the Far-eastern recession are indicates tIat the public will ultimately Kevin Hilton make up its mind and a winner will he sending mixed messages to broadcasters writes chosen. But before the public ever gets to B00M AND BUST is a common way -it is already out -of-date, if not irrel- make a decision, other forces will have to enough economic expression. The evant. Of course, it puts the onus on the duke it out. The result of this less demo- 1980s were a classic time of boom, journalists covering this area to get the story cratic process is that. once the public gets followed by the inevitable bust in the early by their own means and not rely on being to make its decision. its generally Hob- 1990s (although nobody in charge of the told about it by somebody else. This is one son's choice -any horse you want as long economy appeared to realise that this misleading element in the current situa- as it is the one closest to the door. would happen). Boom and bust, cause and tion. The other is that the majority of new But if the public is to Ix' presented with effect, the one following the other channels are not new channels at all. This are plundering a Pi/ nccump/i, those in professional -but as economics is not a precise sci- is in the sense that many audio get at least a ringside seat to watch ence, it can be said that this does not always existing libraries of movies or TV pro- the circus that leads up to it. What they hold true. At present there are doomy pre- grammes and that such new services only are now asserting. via MEGA and other dictions of bust but some aspects of the need a transmission suite and a machine interface forums with the bigger players broadcasting business are booming. Or room to get things on the air. in this game. is a voice to do something appear to be. Publisher-broadcasters, stations that pro- to affect the outcome. Mastering engineers Amid talk of a coming global recession, duce little if any of their own output and are in an excellent position to take the broadcasting, largely through the digital rely on buying in material, are nothing lead -for every album a major producer revolution (as we are now forced to call new: BSkyB is a classic example (although or mixer works on a year. someone like it), is expanding rapidly. New channels are it commissioned its own soap last year), Purcell, Ludwig or any of their brethren coming on air around the world every Channel 4 is a highly respected one, and works on ten. This would he a good time month -at present-and manufacturers Channel 5 is not. The proliferation of new to speak up: I)Vl) Audio v1.0 is just shy are excitedly issuing press releases detail- stations has seen an increase of publisher- an encryption agreement as this is writing the big orders for everything from dig- broadcasters, which depend on a high ten, and three or four other disc formats ital video format cameras, recorders and degree of automation; the initial outlay may are lined up read to hit the streets. as is editors to servers and play -out controllers. be expensive, but ultimately this keeps the Internet -based 11 P3 format. to he fiI- Both of these indicators are, however, down the staffing and operational costs in lowed within a few years lw flash mem- deeply misleading. They may give the the long term. ory devices. Sonicinie had heuer impose impression that much is happening at an At present manufacturers of such equip- a little order on this situation. Who better incredibly fast rate, but it has to be remem- ment are signing important orders and sys- than the people who record the stuff%Then bered that broadcasting today is itself a tems houses are inundated with work to we can all get back to important matters. fast moving medium and industry, mean- install and commission these suites in quick like figuring out what and where we are ing that by the time one realises some- time. Once installed, however, these will going to eat tonight. thing is happening, it does not necessar- he expected to run for a number of years ily mean all that much. quite happily and although there will be recording layers. Panasonic has already This phenomenon was neatly summed a need to upgrade in the future, the big developed dual -layer RAM. up by the tag -line for a satirical comedy sales blips seen recently will not be At the Comdex computer show in Las series (screened on the repeated next year. Vegas in November, the +RW group UK's Channel 4) set in a If you consider that too hosted a briefing at which Michael Mat- fictional news channel: gloomy a prognosis, it is son, Hewlett Packard's Vice President To them, news is already just how business, any `unfolded the +RW road map'. The history'. Gone are the business, works. And it is assembled crowd was fibping for a clear days when there would born out by the Asian pointer to the future and the chances of he no news bulletins experience. Up to June avoiding a destructive standards battle. because there was no 1997, the Asia- Pacific But Matson said nothing of any dis- news to fill them; every- region in general was the cernible consequence; he made no ref- thing must be constantly envy of the West; broad- erence to the rival systems, gave no changed and updated; casting in particular was overview or perspective, no explanation lesser stories being a bullish market, with of why +RW might be better for the con- humped when something else-anything Rupert Murdoch's Star TV doing everything sumer or whether there is any hope of else -comes along. The trouble is, the it could, including sucking up to the Chi- bridging the rival systems, as happened broadcasters themselves are more cir- nese government, to establish itself in when Philips and Sony compromised cumspect when the news concerns them. there. Western manufacturers saw orders with Toshiba on their rival DVD systems. Last year, technology journalists were increase from this area as even the small- 'Why no mention of DVD -RAM or DVD- disgusted when Independent Television est countries experienced a boom in chan- RW?', I asked him afterwards. This is a News tried to get them to sign non-dis- nels; Sri Lanka (with a 1993 estimated pop- DVD +RW briefing,' was the reply. closure agreements in relation to the organ- ulation of 17,800,000) has in the region of This kind of blinkered nonsense can isation's on -going technological update. eight TV stations and five radio stations. only come from a computer executive, This was a definite attempt to control cov- The financial crisis in Japan and else- who has made a living out of making erage, as is issuing information long after where in South -east Asia has slowed this peripherals for formats which others the event. At the beginning of November, considerably; broadcasters have been have fought to establish. It shows no I received a press release from Telex forced to cut back their development plans; understanding whatsoever of profes- informing me that German production the Singapore Broadcast Asia 98 exhibition sional or consumer electronics. company Sono Studiotechnick used a reflected this, with a fall in attendance from DVD +RW may or may not he the best Midas XL4 console for its coverage of the previously strong areas like Indonesia. system, but it is a sure -fire loser unless Wimbledon Tennis Championships. To Whether this kind of collapse will be the group hands the reigns to someone save you checking the calendar, Wimble- repeated in the West is uncertain but it is with real -world battle scars, like Jan don takes place during July. a reminder that things can go horribly Oosterveldt of Philips who brokered the So, by the time people hear about wrong even when they look as though they previous DVD standards deal. things -if the manufacturers have their are going horribly right.

Studio Sound December 1998 85

www.americanradiohistory.com A matter of quality

With producers, engineers and manufacturers looking to surround sound for their futures, the merits of stereo may have been overlooked. Phil Newell takes in the surroundings UDGING BY STATEMENTS made in Symphony. This was to create an ethic of a frontal sound stage with ambience the recording press, music -only sur- real sensation: it was his 'Resurrection at the rear. Ambisonics also began to round DVD is the best thing yet for Symphony. In Berlioz' Requiem, he develop a following, but just as sanity recorded music. The implication is that called for brass 'choirs' from each cor- was beginning to win the day, the surround is a kind of 'super stereo', but ner of the hall. in fact, such 'surround' quadrophonic bubble burst, and CDs relatively little discussion concerns the presentations go hack to around 1600, brought new life to stereo. fidelity of surround systems as com- and the work of Gabrieli, but the inter- pared to good stereo systems. Can sur- vening 400 years have only seen spo- HOWEVER, with current tech- round systems supply an extra dimen- radic use of surround presentations, and nology, there is an option that sion which stereo cannot, without these have usually only been for spe- offers many benefits of sur- compromising the quality we've cone cial effect. It should he remembered, round, with few of the drawbacks: to expect from good stereo systems? though, that any special effect which is 3-channel stereo, with ambient sur- And it is reasonable to expect con- over-used soxm ceases to be special, and round. In such use, 5- channel surround sumers to find three or four times more this will perhaps he what will happen systems can really deliver a sensational money for their music reproduction sys- with some applications of surround. improvement over 2- channel stereo. tems in future? if not, we may he trad- There can be many pitfalls for sur- Nevertheless, the commercial question ing quality for quantity. round mixes. The impact of two elec- which this raises is whether enough In most cases, those prepared to pay tric guitars playing together, for exam- people will he prepared to buy 5 -chan- for and accommodate home theatre ple, can be completely lost if they are nel equipment to make such mixes systems will be unlikely to have either spatially, and even marginally tempo- worthwhile, or whether discrete sur- the money or the space for a separate. rally, separated. The lost impact which round will he the only idea promoted. dedicated, music -only stereo system. may occur with surround may well not The other big advantage which such a And it is this realisation that is forcing he compensated for by the extra spa- concept has over discrete surround the music industry to regard the arrival tial effect. It should seem obvious that mixing is that it is relatively straight- of home cinema as sufficient competi- if such guitars were better in a frontal forward to design control rooms which tion to want to embrace rather than fight spread, then that is where they should are absolutely optimised for conven- it. It follows that much recorded music be put, but what will he the pressure tional 2- channel stereo, or 3- channel will have to be made to fit a home -the- on mixing personnel to separate them plus ambient surround mixing. On the atre format, to which it may often not if the record company is blindly calling other hand, the optimisation of rooms he suited. Ultimately. the quest for qual- for a surround mix? What options are for 2- channel stereo and discrete ity does not seem to he being given its left open to the mixing team in the stu- 5- channel or 5.1- channel mixing can be due attention. dio when one only has bass, drums, two a very demanding task, and will not suit Hi- fidelity stereo is not dead, how- guitars and a vocal to work with? Will many spaces. ever. it is not even unwell; its alive and the impact of the mix be watered down, Tomlinson Holman recently wrote, kicking. It survived the onslaught of merely to fulfil the requirements of sur- with regard to 5- channel surround, quadrophonics in the 1970s, and it will, round, or will unnecessary instrumen- 'rooms should have a diffuse sound no doubt, survive the surround craze, tation or effects he invented to fill the field, so far as practical. This means scat- at least where true high fidelity is con- space, which may possibly only serve tering absorptive and diffusive elements cerned. The reality is that stereo works to create distraction? among all the surfaces -not half-live, extremely well, and is relatively con- The recording press is currently half-dead'. At a stroke, that rules out a venient to employ in a domestic envi- awash with producers telling us about large proportion of the world's most ronment. Discrete surround functions their wonderful plans for surround, but well -known and successful stereo mix- best with at least ten sources, which is to many of us who passed through the ing rooms, he they Live End, Dead End, impractical for domestic use. quadrophonic era and have the scars to Non -Environment', or variations on Perhaps it is also true that surround prove it. it all seems like dú jù t'u. We those themes. There are also many other is best suited to be an adjunct to film or are still confronted with the same laws widely used hi- directional stereo con- video, and is not inherently well suited of acoustics that faced quadrophony. trol rooms of good repute, such as those to music only. The question therefore Human perception and psychoa- by Jensen, Toyashima', Walker', must he asked, what are we being sold. coustics have also not changed. While Voelker', and others. and do we need it? it is true that the delivery systems were It is not possible to build practical Stereo, despite is limitations, gives a severely lacking in their capability in the rooms in which the front and rear walls fairly good representation of the way quadrophonic era and that those prob- serve equally well as projectors and in which we usually hear music when lens are now largely past us, the fact receptors of sound. Mixing in anechoic performed live; that is, on a stage, and remains that for a great number of engi- chambers, which would he the only in front of us. The Pink Floyd are one neers, producers and musicians, the dis- rooms which could accommodate all of the few hands who have consistently appointment of quadrophony was first formats, is so unrepresentative of any put on quadrophonic or surround per- encountered during the actual mixing. realistic listening rooms that it is not formances. The very fact that this has That dissatisfaction came from the posi- worth considering. Furthermore, such been something largely associated with tional instability of the nixes, the artis- acoustics are quite unpleasant to work them is due to its rarity. That rarity is, tic inappropriateness of spatially split- in. Nonetheless, it is perhaps the only however, probably not due to techni- ting many musical groups, and the way to hear audiophile quality discrete cal or financial restrictions, but to its serious room to room compatibility surround in any repeatable form. unsuitability to most musical perfor- problems. After between six and ten A paper in the 1997 Institute of mances. Mahler wrote parts for an off- years of trying, many quadrophonic Acoustics, Reproduced Sound Confer- stage, distant brass hand in his Second mixing personnel decided on the use ence' dealt with the mutual coupling

86 December 1996 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com problems with surround images in anechoic and non -anechoic situations, between the loudspeakers themselves, and between the loudspeakers and their reflections. Compared with surround, the corresponding problems in 2 -channel stereo pale into insignificance and lead directly to variability of reproduction, which is the antithesis of fidelity. The fact is that all advanced forms of stereo control room design have bi- directional acoustics, and even many listening rooms employ such techniques. For that matter, the same can he said for most concert halls. An orchestra performing in the stalls with the audience on stage would he unlikely to satisfy either party. Whether live or recorded, sound production and recep- tion acoustics tend to he different. Whilst the previously mentioned corn - rooms typically strive to extend the ments of Tom Holman are a well Professional surround recording and mixing grounded logical conclusion for sur- monitoring principles of stereo monitoring-as at London's Pierce Rooms round listening rooms, they clearly do diverse enough, but it seems that we are However. for the people who enjoy not meet the optimum demands for heading for an era with surround ( which highest quality stereo, it would be an stereo. Many people trying to adapt is an inherently more room- sensitive outrage to lead them into spending large stereo rooms to surround use, have dis- format) being mixed in rooms with even amounts of money on surround sys- covered that each time the rooms are less in common between them than tems, in the belief that they are about improved for surround use, those adap- between those in use for stereo mixing. to experience sensations which will be tations tend to detract from the optimal It seems ludicrous to let go of what entirely in addition to what the best stereo performance requirements. we already have whilst grasping for stereo can offer. In many ways, audio- We simply cannot make symmetrical something that we cannot reach. The phile stereo and fully discrete surround surround monitoring, because we do answer seems to be to keep our excel- exist as alternatives, and it is certainly not have symmetrical front -hack per- lent stereo control rooms, which can not the case that the latter supersedes ception. A result of this is that the nature handle the addition of a centre -chan- the former. The option of 3-channel of the front wall in surround equipped nel without acoustic compromise, and stereo with ambient surround is a com- rooms is critical in terms of the charac- to add ambient surround loudspeakers promise which, in reality, is probably teristics of the rear monitor sound. The without damaging their stereo perfor- in most respects superior to either reflective, diffusive or absorbent nature mance. Considering the extreme sen- option alone. The big question is of the front wall surface will dramati- sitivity of surround mixes to the listen- whether or not it is sparkling enough cally affect the perceived character of ing environments, the mixes which for the business people to feel it to be the rear loudspeakers, unless the side - such rooms produce should not be worth a big marketing push. facing rear loudspeaker format is used, noticeably inferior to those clone in pur- If not, then, discrete surround will he hut this, until now, does not appear to pose designed surround rc x mis in ternis marketed for all it is worth. and in five be making too much headway in music - of their compatibility with domestic wears time there will he a lot of disused only mixing. The subjective loudness of reproduction. Such rooms would sleet equipment. with the majority of people the balance between the front and rear the needs for audiophile quality stereo listening to stereo, once again. Should channels is strongly affected by the mixing, audiophile quality ambient sur- this situation come to pass, then a huge strength and frequency content of the round, and typical Anlhisonic -type mix- opportunity to take a great step for- front -wall reflections. In fact, with ing. They would not be ideal. however, wards will have been lost. highly reflective front walls, some for fully discrete surround mixing. with sounds emanating from the rear loud- lead instruments coaling from rear REFERENCES speakers may actually appear to be loudspeakers. Newell, PR, Holland, KR,'A Proposal for a coming from the front though a little Conversely, the majority of rooms More Perceptually Uniform Control Room delayed due to the extra distance trav- specifically designed for discrete sur- for Stereophonic Music Recording Studios'. the elled. This is especially true with high round mixing are less likely to support Presented at the 103rd Conference of New York. frequency sounds, where the directiv- audiophile quality stereo mixing. In fact Audio Engineering Society, Preprint No 4580 (September 1997) ity of the ear can render the front wall due to the gross variation in domestic 2 Toyoshima, SM, Sujuki, H,'Control Room they may set reflection to be perceived more strongly surround electro- acoustics, Acoustic Design'. Presented at the 80th than the direct sound from the rear. a standard which will tend to be rather Convention of the Audio Engineering Society, Five- channel surround, especially in meaningless in the final application of Preprint No 2325 (May 1986). the case of the discrete concept of mix- their work: domestic reproduction. 3 Walker, R,'The Control of Early Reflections ing, is simply so room dependent that If these things really reflect the situ- in Studio Control Rooms'. Proceedings of the finding an arbitrary compromise may, ation that we are faced with. then sur- Institute ofAcoustics,Vol 16, Part 4, in practice, he so unrepresentative as round is not an audiophile format. and pp 299-311 (1994) 4Voelker,EJ,'Room Modes and Deep Tone to render it useless. If a common con- cannot he marketed as such. There is. in Control Rooms for Music room design were of course, no reason wily this fact Reproduction cept of control Monitoring'. Presented at the 80th Convention surround the right to exist. agreed, it would provide a reference should deny of the Audio Engineering Society. point for serious listening, hut surround but if it is the case, then the fact should Preprint No 2356 (May 1986) mixes will largely he carried out under Ile openly publicised. For those people 5 Holland, KR, Newell, PR,'Mutual Coupling conditions even less standardised than for whom the spaciousness of surround in Multi -Channel Loudspeaker Systems'. is the case with stereo. The situation is a great pleasure, then they can chose Proceedings of the Institute ofAcoustics, with stereo compatibility is already to buy surround systems if they so wish. Vol 19, Part 6, pp 155 -162 (1 997)

Studio Sound December 1998 87

www.americanradiohistory.com _ Inductors o

Continuing his discreet approach to the operation of electronic components, John Watkinson finds himself in the compelling company of inductors

'\nl ClOIt :Naha 1 I31Q1 ITOUS voltage across itself constant, the main either fully on or fully off and so don't components. They :ire t()und in. for characteristic of an inductor is that it dissipate much heat. \ample, equalisers. crosso\ ers, tends to keep current flowing. If any The ideal inductor has only induc- dclAy lines. power supplies. and I:\IC agency tries to alter the current, the tance, but real components will have control. but they seem to stiffer from inductor will respond by developing a finite resistance, stray capacitance and what can only he described as bacl press. voltage whose polarity tries to maintain losses. especially in inductors having Many designers don't like to use them. the Ilow. Thus the inductor can he used permeable cores. The advantage of the but they are missing out. for decoupling. core is that it dramatically increases the Even a straight piece of wire has a If the current in an inductor is inter- amount of energy that can he stored. small inductance. This can he increased rupted, a large voltage can result. The However. the core can also saturate by winding the wire in a coil and automotive ignition coil is a good exam- magnetically when a certain current is increased further by placing a magnet- ple. A current is established in a large reached and this causes the inductance ically permeable material in the coil. inductance. then the contact breaker to become nonlinear. Essentially the inductor is the dual of points open and we get a spark. The If the energy is limited by satura- the capacitor. Both store energy, one in EHT in a CRT is obtained in much the tion, transferring energy more often a magnetic field. one in an electric field. same way. can raise the power. This leads natu- This difference is what makes the induc- Fig.2a shows that when we drive an rally to the use of high switching fre- tor useful. Fig.] shows a mechanical inductive load such as a relay with a tran- quencies in power supplies. The analogy. At Fig. la. energy is stored in a sistor. the inductive effect will zap the higher the frequency. the easier it is compressed spring. The applied force transistor when it turns off. The solu- to smooth or decouple the output, balances the reaction from the spring tion is to I put a diode (Fig.2h) across the again using inductors. In practice the and so there is force but no movement. coil so that the current has somewhere frequency used is a compromise This is like a charged capacitor holding to go when the transistor turns off. The because losses in the inductors and voltage but no current. At Fig. 1 h, energy energy stored in the coil will be safely switching losses in the active devices is stored in a revolving Flywheel. If the dissipated in the coil resistance. This will increase with frequency. shaft turns at the same speed is the fly- effect :also has to be considered in power Fig.3 shows a switched -mode regula- wheel, we have movement with 110 amplifiers driving moving -coil loud - tor. The input is raw DC from a bridge force. This is the condition with a speakers. particularly if the amplifier is rectifier. A series transistor or chopper charged inductor where there is no volt- driven into clipping. will be either on or off. When it is on, age if the current remains constant. Inductive storage is also useful in current ramps tap in the inductor. which Whereas a capacitor tries to keep the deriving additional power rails. Fig.2c stores energy and the output voltage

shows that as transis- rises. When the correct output voltage F tor switches on al- is reached, the transistor will turn off. lowing current to The flywheel action of the inductor build up in an induc- means that current continues to Clow into ,f-r7 tor. When the tran- the load via the flywheel diode. The out- =-+tv efo= sistor is switched off, put voltage now falls as the energy in the flywheel effect the inductor is used up. The control sys-

: tsv AA) raises the voltage tem simply switches the transistor on jPelu : Fo2CE Bvr R)uFC MonoN Fog-LE avo vELOCir -, across the coil to and off at high speed so that the ampli-

: C.vRgFNr Bvr allow the current tude of the output voltage variation is C,APACIr+4: OLTkCE WT IN04/01-0g .roL.Tl4< NO cvRUNT pio to continue to flow. made small. A suitable Pi- filter will This raised voltage reduce it further. Fig.!: Mechanical analogy of capacitor makes the flywheel if the inductor is replaced with a trans- diode conduct into a former to obtain isolation, the input can sm(x)thing capacitor, be obtained by rectifying the AC line VNB T;AnKKnQ producing a second and the is iv AK eFr, mains transformer eliminated. CuRR{,vr T+«Gf power supply rail The switching transformer is much TO Kra? higher than the first. lighter and smaller a EFLOwN4 than mains trans- The amount of former of the same power. Voltage sta- I energy stored in the bilisation by feedback means that no inductor is control- voltage selector is needed. The feed - a) led by the 'on' time hack also means that much larger rip- of the transistor and ple is allowable on the raw supply. The so the voltage of the conduction angle of the bridge rectifier wkE TrtaNus'ne. swrrcmes second rail can he can be increased and the distortion of OVF , CVßAEIVr FLp.ví VT made variable with- the AC waveform reduced. cpPACITDR, PROd/c HLt:Fet out the heat build tap if the reference of a switching regu- >V P RAWt of a linear regulator. lator is changed. the output voltage will This is the main change. This is the principle of the advantage of the switched -mode amplifier. This is effec- Cj switched -male tively a bipolar power supply with a power supply. The modulated reference. Switched mode Fig.2: Driving an inductive load active devices are amplifiers have an huge efficiency 88 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com AI[vertìsers Index á ek 55 Amptec 34 Fig. 3: Switching regulator 4MS Neve IFC advantage over class -B auclio amplifiers the mutual inductance. defined as the 4rbiter(JBL) BI 34/35 because the active devices are either on voltage on the secondary for a given rate Audio Precision 72 or off. In portable applications this of current change on the primary. Trans- Audio Technica 52 extends battery life and in high power formers are primarily impedance applications there are economies to he convertors. changing between high -cur- Behringer 4/5 made in the area of power supplies and rent - low -voltage and low- current, high - Beyer Dynamic BI 18/19 heat sinks. voltage domains. in this respect the Brauner 56 While it is difficult to obtain the IoW - transformer is analogous to the mechan- est distortion figures at the top end of ical gearbox. Cedar Audio OBC the audio spectrum using a switched The tight coupling between the pri- Creamware 18 mode amplifier, in active speakers the mary and secondary windings of the D &R Electronica 14 amplifiers for the woofer are not transformer gives it a certain trans- required to have wide bandwidth parency to AC signals. The characteris- DPA Mics 19 and a switched -mode amplifier then tics of a complex Toad are reflected into FAR 70 becomes ideal. the primary by a ratio, which is the Genelec 41 The audio industry seems to resist square of the turns ratio. For example. developments such as switched -mode seen through a 10:1 transformer. IOS2 in HHB 11, 47, 65 supplies and ampli- HW Int (QSC) BI 74/75 fiers. but reasons the HW Int (Shure) BI 66/67 given do not stand scrutiny. Most switch - Interact Systems 74 ers are intended for Joe Meek 15 industry the computer TD LA Audio 23, 71 where the loads are constant and much AM./UF>ER- Mackie 91 more tolerant to rip- Magellan 48 ple, so these are not Manley 35 going to be adequate for audio. That does Marantz BI 34/35 not moan that a Microboards 58 Fig.4: Primitive passover crossover switc'her cannot be NAB 68 built to audio standards: ü is just a ques- series with 10000 looks like 100052 in tion of setting the appropriate criteria series with 101.1F. Otari 49 and meeting them. Transformers are ideal for interfacing Preco BI 66/67 With heavy pulsed currents flowing. very low impedance transducers such Project Audio/Schoeps 67 circuit -board layout is critical in switch - as ribbons and very high impedance ers to avoid common impedance effects. transducers such as electrostatic speak- Protape BI 18/19 just Is it is in class -B amplifiers. Remem- ers to the impedances more usual in Richmond Film Services 70 her that the main advantage of the electronic circuits. Vacuum tube ampli- Roister 75 printed circuit hoard is economy of con- fiers work at relatively high impedances struction. From the standpoint of opti- and an output transformer is essential Sadie 29 mal layout and the avoidance of to interface to loudspeakers. Splitting Shure 37 common impedances, the printed cir- the primary nukes differential or push - Sonifex 75 cuit is actually suboptimal, especially pull operation easy. when designed by CAI) systems Transformers come with free isolation Sonosax 74 intended for logic circuits. between primary and secondary, so the Soundtracs 33 Whereas the capacitor has an imped- voltages on each side can have differ- Spendor 25 ance. which falls with frequency, the ent references. This makes the trans- 53 inductor has one. which rises with fre- former ideal for converting from Spirit quency. Consequently, the inductor fig- balanced to unbalanced signals with SSL 7,38 ures prominently in the crossover extremely goo>cl common mode rejec- Stirling /SPL 30/31 networks of the traditional passive loud- tion. Making a winding centre -tapped Studio Spares BI 74/75 speaker. Fig.4 shows a simple 2 -way sys- produces a phase splitter. tem where an inductor is placed in series Finally the inductor is useful for sup- Tascam 59 with the woofer and a capacitor in series pressing interference. The humble fer- tc electronic 42,43 with the tweeter. From an audio per- rite bead threaded over audio input TL Audio 63 formance standpoint it is quite awful. wires introduces a loss mechanism at but it is cheap and easy to understand. radio frequencies. A set of wound induc- Unity Audio 54 The transformer is the result of mark- tors in the AC line socket prevents rec- Westlake Audio 40 ing two inductors share a common core. tifier switching noise going back down Whirlwind 90 Now the performance is determined by the power line.

Studio Sound ' )ecember 1998 89

www.americanradiohistory.com 20 -20 foresight

While audio aficionados debate the quality of forthcoming delivery formats, big business is lining up the big pictureTim Frost offers an retrospective overview IN YEARS TO COME, when albums have enthusiast, are going to want their music in better DVD releases to see how well Dolby moved entirely over to one of the new more than 2- channel stereo. That will spur Digital has been received. formats, well look hack on the shenani- the demand for surround albums. But c'en In reality, this marks a reverse shift in the gans of the DVD Forum and SACD and won- this doesn't further the aims of audiophile audio quality demanded by the general con- der what the fuss was all about. We'll also sound, as surround and super -fi performance sumer. They have moved from uncom- then know that the new format's extra audio pressed PCM, upwards and onwards to quality pleased artists, engineers and player data- reduced digital audio running at mod- manufacturers, hut proved largely irrelevant erate hit -rates. If Dolby Pro Logic and Dolby n und to the huge majority of its users. ti it Ire c iñit_r ord Digital -or MPEG audio on digital TV and Let me explain. When CD arrived it was

90 December 1998 Studio Sound

www.americanradiohistory.com INTRODUCING THE MACKIE D8 .

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