NOV. DEC. 1983 $1.95 Sixteen Yeats La Premiere Issue PROFESSIONAL AUDIO: The State of the Art Now getting the hot story live is as easy as calling home. The SM82. Sometimes a story breaks so fast there's practically no time to variety of temperature, humidity and wind conditions. set up lines of communication. Knowing that, Shure has de- Its built -in limiter kicks in at 100 dB SPL, pre- veloped a microphone to keep both you and the story well venting overload of the microphone's internal line covered. amplifiers. The Shure SM82 Cardioid Condenser Microphone. It's the The SM82 utilizes an internal battery or it can be only line -level microphone tough enough for the rigors of day externally powered by an optional PSI power to day remote ENG broadcast assignments. And all your crew supply or equivalent. For added security, it auto- has to do is just patch it straight into the transmitter connec- matically switches to battery power if its simplex tion of the nearest telephone... call your station, and they're source should ever fail. home free. Or, it can be connected directly across a dialed -up' If you're in the broadcast operations ENG/ phone line. No separate amplifiers, limiters, or line -level EFP business, you know there are lots of ways adapters are necessary. to get a live story -even more ways to miss lust as important, the SM82 is ideal for assignments involv- one. Now, with the SM82 on the scene, it is ing very long cable runs (up to one mile without equalization) simply a matter of calling home. typically encountered when covering sporting events, For more information on the complete parades, and political rallies. line of professional broadcast products, While electronic news journalists will appreciate the call or write Shure Brothers Inc., 222 Hartrey Ave., SM82's extended reach and exceptional bal- e ance in hand -held situations, you'll love Evanston, IL its low mechanical handling noise, rugged 60204, (312) construction and reliable operation over a 866-2553. THE SOUND OF THE PROFESSIONALS "... WORLDWIDE Circle 10 on Reader Service Card NOVEMBER, DECEMBER 1983 VOLUME 17 NO. 10 Puhlisher FEATURES Larry Zide BEARSVILLE'S CONTROL ROOM B- Mark McKenna Associate Publisher REMODELING FOR THE 80's Elaine Zide 22 AUDIO/MUSICAL DESIGN FOR Jim Wells Editor ANIMATED SHOWS John M. Woram 28 SEEING WHAT YOU HEAR Jesse Klapholz Managing Editor Mark B. Waldstein 33 16 YEARS AGO: George Alexandrovich Associate Editor THE RECORDING STUDIO Ricki Zide 39 UPDATE: SOUND RECORDING AND George Alexandrovich Technical Editor SOUND PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY - Linda Cortese 16 YEARS LATER 41 European Editor 16 YEARS AGO: SOUND REINFORCEMENT Martin Dickstein John Borwick 45 UPDATE: SOUND REINFORCEMENT - John Eargle Layout & Design THE STATE OF THE ART -16 YEARS LATER Kathi Lippe 47 16 YEARS AGO: NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Advertising Coordinator 50 Karen Cohn Book Sales DEPARTMENTS Lydia Calogrides LETTERS EDITORIAL CLASSIFIED Circulation Manager 2 21 54 Eloise Beach IN MY OPINION John Delantoni 6 Graphics K & S Graphics SOUND REINFORCEMENT John Eargle 8 Typography THEORY AND PRACTICE Ken Pohlmann Spartan Phototype Co. 12 DIGITAL AUDIO Barry Blesser 16 NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 52 ABOUT THE COVER PEOPLE, PLACES, HAPPENINGS This month's cover celebrates db's 16th birthday, a birthday we're quite 56 proud of. To mark this special occasion, we've reprinted two articles from the db. the Sound Engineering Magazine (ISSN 0011-7145) is published monthly by Sagamore Publishing Company. Inc Entire con- premier issue (along with 1983 up- tents copyright 1983 by Sagamore Publishing Co., 1120 Old Country Road. Plainview. L i . N.Y 11803 Telephone (51614336530 dates). some "New Products" from 1967, db is published for those individuals and firms in professional audio -recording. broadcast. audio -visual. sound reinforcement. consultants, video recording, film sound. etc. Application should be made on the subscription form in the rear of each issue Sub- and two ads from old friends Electro- scriptions are $15 00 per year (528 00 per year outside U S. Possessions. $16.00 per year Canada) in u S funds Single copies are Voice and Ampex that ran in our first 51.95 each Editorial. Publishing and Sales Offices. 1120 Old Country Road. Plainview, New York 11803. Second class postage paid at Plainview. NY 11803 and at an additional mailing office. POSTMASTER Send address changes to db Magazine 1120 Old issue. Country Road. Plainview. NY 11803. Introducing LeMem Ondoz oft THE QdMeG'ß0g es SOUND EFFECTS LIBRARY FOR PROFESSIONALS STICKS AND SLATES 3000 STEREO EFFECTS TO THE EDITOR: 30 HOURS OF SOUNDS Len Feldman's column "Sound With 125 TAPES at 7%: or 15ips Images" in the July/August issue was PRICED FROM $1500.00 very useful, but the reference at the NO ROYALTY PAYMENTS end of it to the "sticks" technique as a EVER method of synchronization is mis- leading. "Some of our Clients." The "sticks" or clap -stick slate pro- vides only a start mark. The Nagra in * ABC question would have to be receiving a * NBC time reference signal for its neo- pilotone system with the same time Amber * CBS 25 VCR. Then would Ampex * Walt Disney base as the come the Cover III classic situation on playback of match- Audio -Technica 13 ing the "getting -up to speed" time of BASF 5 86 McGill Street, each system, so that picture and sound Bruel & Kjaer 3 Toronto, Ontario. could be in sync while running. It is Center for the Media Arts 36 Canada. M5B 1 H2 done fairly often, but professional sync Crown 14 (416) 977 -0512 should lock to ±1 /100 of a second, not David Hafler Co. 4 the ± one frame in 16mm (36 feet/ Electro -Voice 7 minute) standard we often hear about. Garner 25 Circle 15 on Reader Service Card RICHARD FLOBERG Klark -Teknik 17 Associate Professor Otari 15 Rochester Institute of Technology Polyline 2 Production EFX Library 16 POLYSET QSC 23 Shure Bros. Cover II Audio Sound Ideas 2 Standard Tape Lab 35 TWO NEW INDUSTRIES 1111r. Studer Revox Cover IV Cassettes ON THE WAY? Telex 6 ----- , TO THE EDITOR: Waters Mfg. Inc. 4 I read with interest the editorial, Yamaha 9 -10 o "Quizzes and Exams" in the July/ August issue of db. Mr. Boden's idea concerning formal education and the SPARS Certification Exam (SCE) is certainly meritorious and can hardly WO be argued against. More knowledge- able entry-level personnel are an asset to any industry. I would, however, warn i!,.,r you and Mr. Boden of a potential prob- ` lem which may negate the function of your test. In order to insure qualified and PROFESSIONAL QUALITY knowledgeable broadcast operators, in 46 Stock Lengths the Federal Communications Com- mission administers a test leading to C -02 thru C -92 a General Radiotelephone Operator In One Minute Per Side License. Many schools across the nation teach a course in FCC licensing. Increments Students learn how to pass an exam and 34 not broadcast engineering. They are able to pass the exam without really POLYSET DIV. knowing much about current com- of munications electronic technology. It Polyline Corp. makes sense that SCE courses will be 1233 Rand Road offered that will produce people who N Des Plaines, IL 60016 can pass your exam and still know little (312) 298 - 3073 Circle 13 on Reader Service Card Because you told us that if you had your preference based on sound quality alone, you'd choose an omni over any shaped - pattern microphone available or imaginable. Because after 25 years making the world's most accurate instrumentation microphones, all omnis, we knew we could make an omni for music and speech with a sound quality superior to any shaped- pattern microphone from anywhere. And, finally, Because in the Bruel & Kjaer 4000 series, we offer you an omni that neatly solves virtually all the application problems that drove you to use a shaped -pattern microphone in the beginning. The next time you choose a microphone primarily for sound quality, make it the new Bruel & Kjaer 4000 series. For complete information and evaluation units, call your local B&K sales office or contact: Bruel & Kjaer Instruments, Inc. 185 Forest Street, Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752 (617) 481 -7000 TWX 710 -347 -1187 World Headquarters: Natrum, Dur -ri.ow - rra ri woria Circle 14 on Reader Service Card of audio engineering technology. This will depreciate the value of the SCE Whisper GlideTM to the industry and render meaningless the scores of those who pass and really The "High Performance" do know audio engineering. fader "FEELS" Secondly, the FCC exam is several that decades old and does not reflect the as good as it sounds current state of the art. It requires knowledge of obsolete technology and practices. With audio technology in such a rapid state of flux, the SCE could become obsolete in just a few years. Before SPARS designs the SCE, I would hope that SPARS first solves the two potential problems just discussed. If they do not, all that will be "accom- plished" will be the formation of two new industries: 1) the SCE course and, 2) the inevitable SCE exam manual. RAPHAEL F. SEGURA WHISPER GLIDE . The new name in db replies: professional audio faders. s Mr. Segura's point is well Absolutely the modified taken. But despite our fascination with audio, let's SMOOTHEST action in logarithmic hope the industry is still small enough faders available ... AND .. The SMOOTH to elude the scrutiny of the "how to pass with superior MystRg choice for Broadcast and a test in 10 easy lessons" crowd. conductive plastic elements.