JUNE /JULY 1976 VOL. 1 NO. 5 DON $1.50 RRII(G SERVING TODAY'S MUSIC/RECORDING-CONSCIOUS SOCIETY

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History of RecordL .« dip Elton's Producer: Gus D b Reports Nevi/ Products Recat''E.-.

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The audience can't see you. But they can sure isolated inputs and outputs, dual echo send hear you. busses, an input level attenuator that takes +4 dB They don't know it, but they're depending on just line level to -60 dB mike level in 11 steps, and 5- one person to get the music to them. And that guy frequency equalization. is you. Whether you choose the PM- 1000 -16, the It's not something an amateur can do. It's an art. PM- 1000 -24 or the PM- 1000 -32, Yamaha gives you And That's why Yamaha has designed 3 superb the flexibility you need to turn your job into an art. mixing consoles with the qualities and range of Ard because they're designed from the ground contrcls that the professional sound reinforcement up to perform on the road, more and more artist reeds. professional sound men around the For instance, our exclusive 4x4 matrix with level and the world are depending on Yamaha, night contrcls gives you more exacting mastery over after night, gig after gig. your sound than the conventional method of If you've never thought of your mixing console driving speaker amps directly from the bus as a , we'd like to invite you to output. stop by your Yamaha dealer. Once you've Features like that are years away except on the checked out the operation manual and tested for most expensive mixers. On the Yamahas, it's yourself what the PM Series can do, we think you'll standard equipment. And so are transformer ccme away a believer. O YAMAHA Box 6600, Buena Park, 2,A 90620

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www.americanradiohistory.com JUNE /JULY 1976 MoIXRN VOL. 1 NO. 5 laW RIMING SERVING TODAY'S MUSIC /RECORDING - CONSCIOUS SOCIETY

;rwiw'..`,.'; z3._ 4 w M, s i$61~f .e.; THE FEATURES 4,41 THE STAPLES lk4': n ++ ii ,wLiA..1C4-14si THE HISTORY OF RECORDING, THE EDITOR'S MIXDOWN art 5 28 By Sedgwick Clark 4 By Robert Angus v The dramatic story of how two U.S. Sig- LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 6 nal Corpsmen returned from Europe after World War II with a working tape recorder TALKBACK and revolutionized the recording industry. The technical Q & A scene. 10 ROCKET MAN AT THE CONTROLS MUSICAL NEWSICALS By Richard Sanford Orshoff 36 New products for the musician. 22 A free -wheeling interview with Gus Dudgeon, rock superstar 's record producer, THE PRODUCT SCENE who talks about sessions with Elton and By Norman Eisenberg 24 others, and his unique methods of recording The notable and the new, with a comment on piano, vocals and drums. speakers.

A SESSION WITH AMBIENT SOUND By Bob Weil 44 By Len Feldman 62 All of the Beach Boys together in full force! Are all the recent attempts at dynamic range , the group's creative leader in expansion causing more problems than bar- the studio again after nearly five years of gained for? semi -retirement, and MR has the illuminating session report! LAB REPORT By Norman Eisenberg 64 P.A. PRIMER and Len Feldman Pan 1 52 A special comparative review of two new By Jim Ford and Brian A. Roth revolutionary turntables: ADC's Accutrac A serious guide to the ever -vexing P.A. prob- 4000 and Harman -Kardon's Rabco ST -7. lem by two specialists in the field. The Tandberg 10XD Open -Reel Tape Recorder authors strip away the superstition, rumor Pioneer RG -1 Dynamic Range Expander and calcified theories that have doomed B.E.S. "Geostatic" Speaker Model U -60 many a sound reinforcement system. GROOVE VIEWS 76 Reviews of albums by The Allman Brothers, Kiss, Duke Ellington, David Sancious, Aldo Cover Photo by Ed Roach. Pictured (left to right): Ciccolini and Martha Argerich. Marilyn Wilson, Brian Wison, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, Al Jardine.

COMING NEXT ISSUE! A "Live" Session with Modern Recording is published bi- monthly by Recording Institute Publish- ing Co., Inc., 15 Columbus Circle, New York, N.Y. 10023. Design and con- History of Recording, Part 6 tents are copyright 1975 by Recording Institute Publishing Co., Inc. and Tanglewood's "Live" Broadcast Facilities must not be reproduced in any manner except by permission of the publisher. Application to mail at second class postage rates is pending at P.A. Primer, Part 2 New York, N.Y. and at additional mailing offices. Subscription rates: $7.50 for one year; $13.50 for two years; $18.00 for three years. Add $1.50 per year for subscriptions outside of U.S.; subscriptions must be paid in American currency.

3

www.americanradiohistory.com NAODCIIN COREDIING SERVING iO /RECORDING-CONSOOUS SOCITIY The DDAYSMUSIC Editor's Mixdown

SEDGWICK CLARK Editor Regular readers of MR will notice immediately that this issue is considerably larger than our previous ones -due primarily to H.G. LA TORRE an increase in advertising, but also because of a broader range Associate Editor of editorial content. As our subscription and advertising bases increase, so too will our editorial portion expand and broaden. Letters to the Editor and Talkback questions are coming in BOB WEIL with increasing rapidity. We are pleased to note, especially, Assistant Editor that readers are beginning to offer answers from their own ex- perience to Talkback questions. This is very important, for, if ROBERT ANGUS anything, we are particularly eager to establish MR as a means NORMAN EISENBERG of communication between its many readers. LEONARD FELDMAN Our features this issue are worthy of note, I think. Robert Audio Editorial Board Angus' popular History of Recording series is up to Part 5. This installment covers one of the most fascinating and FRANK SANTELIA dramatic events in the development of recording. Who's to say Art Director how long it would have taken American technicians to develop the tape recorder if Jack Mullin had taken the other road in the fork and returned to the U.S. after World War II without those STEFFON A. KACHOCKI famous German Magnetophons? Production Coordinator We also have an interview this issue with Gus Dudgeon, the acclaimed producer for Elton John and many other fine artists. ELLEN M. GASSIER Gus talked so much about his work with Elton that we felt the Executive Secretary interview transcended our regular Profile format, which deals specifically with the personality being interviewed. TOM TWEED When we began planning the P.A. article, we decided that Circulation Director we'd better do it well or not at all. We commissioned two ex- perts in the field who specialize in P.A. design -and from there RICHARD FERTELL the monster grew out of one issue's control. Hence, we have the principles and Advertising Director theory in this issue, and the practical application part will come next issue. Our Session article this time is special, also. It was hard enough to find the Beach Boys in their studio, but this time we got 'em with their leader, Brian Wilson, in VINCENT P. TESTA charge. Brian has only been intermittently active in the few Publisher past years, and his full -time return to the group adds a historical element beyond the routine session to this report. Even our Lab Tests are exceptional this issue. Well, one of them, anyway, because MR is once again venturing into un- charted territory as we run a comparative test on two impor- Editorial and Executive Offices tant new turntables -one a perfected model of the straight -arm Recording Institute Publishing Co., Inc. tracking design and the other an epitome of automation. It's 15 Columbus Circle New York, N.Y. 10023 certainly among the most interesting (as well as the most ex- (212) 977 -9580 haustive) lab tests yet to appear in MR. Let us know, readers, what you think about two -in -one West Coast Offices this comparative review. 6565 Sunset Blvd. Write us a letter, though -don't call by either by phone or CB. Los Angeles, Cal. 90028 Soon after our third issue, we received an urgent call from a (213) 469-6333 young man in Alabama who had just read our review of the Editorial contributions should be addressed to McIntosh MA -6100 integrated amp. It seems he had been The Editor, Modern Recording, 15 Columbus debating whether or not to buy the Mac he Circle, New York, N.Y. 10023. Unsolicited manu- unit when saw our scripts will be treated with care and must be review. Since he had never seen a review of a Mac unit in any accompanied by return postage. other magazine, he wanted Len Feldman to plan out all the rest of the components to match the amp. That is one service that we just can't provide! S.C.

4 MODERN RECORDING

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www.americanradiohistory.com Sensible Letters alternative. to the Editor The Uher CG 320 is unlike any More "How in MR? Recognize please other stereo cassette machine, to" the very distinct difference between the relatively even a Uher. Congratulations on the introduction of mature, creative being expressing We built the CG 320 to be an this new publication, Modern Record- himself because "the feelin's exceptionall reliable two -motor in the boy ing. As an amateur recording en- and it gots to come out," regardless machine with the performance and of thusiast and audiophile, I find your criticism and the features to dude not unlike the match the world's magazine informative and in- finest. very junior executive whose every move is teresting reading. I enjoy your governed by the bottom line and his Electronic tape flow indicator. magazine from cover to cover. I like image in the eyes of his superiors. Clutchless tape drive system. the fresh look at the role of recording This letter is written simply Self -contained stereo power stage. as an at- in the making of modern music. I like tempt to "unpaint" the Internal loudspeakers -or use it as a bleak ending deck. your policy of equipment reviews, that Levine has painted of the demise of On -off automatic level control. of more subjective listening tests with "every creative artist." Lord knows a Dynamic Noise Limiter (DNL). less emphasis placed on ambiguous serious young artist needs no outside Plus number specifications. Will you be in- discouragement. Automatic EQ switching for chrome cluding periodical construction I in no way am attempting to de- tape. features in your magazine, such as mean Levine's own particular abilities 3 -digit counter with memory mixers, preamps, equalizers, etc.? but there is a world of contrast be- circuitry. Keep up the excellent work!! tween merely "interpreting," and be- End of tape switch off. - Delbert Udy ing a prime creative force such as Optional power cable for 12 -volt Calgary, Alta, Canada Miles or Dali. power supply. ... really! Comparing the Beatles to Easy -to -read level meter with "How to" features will of course play a Herb Alpert. gauged dB scale. major role in MR's editorial planning. And another thing, you've (we've) Two separate sliders for The Dec/Jan 1976 issue contained an got a good magazine. It fills a definite independent record level control of article entitled "How to Build Your need. the two channels, two sliders for Own Recording Studio for Under Good luck and thanks for your time. independent replay level cunt] of of $500." This issue presents the first of -Boot each channel and a slidkr tone two articles on the design and applica- Washington, Mi. level control to assure optimurr tion of sound reinforcement systems. operating conditions. Low And we anticipate many more to come. distortion and top specifications Recording Demystified are the hallmark of this quality Wall of Sound Reverb product. Thanks for the very rewarding article The Uher CG 320 offers the hi(;h Your feature on the "Wall of Sound" on "Recording Techniques: Then & technical quality, versatility and (Feb/Mar 1976) took me "someplace I Now" by Jim Furman [MR, Oct /Nov design to suit truly demanding had never been before." Thank you 1975]. It completely demystified the tastes. and congratulations on producing the recording process for me. best mag. for all of us recording Also, would you please review the "nuts" out here. Teac 3340S tape deck in Product - Charlie Musser Scene? Manheim, Penn. -Neil Hall Pleasant Hill, Cal. I hope you won't take too seriously Larry Levine's flat statement regard- ing successful artists sustaining their "The Affair" Lives creative flow (Feb /Mar 1976). I'm pretty sure with a little Advertising has just come to our at- forethought Levine would not have tention quoting your January 1976 L/HER of America Inc. made the gross generalization that issue as follows: 621 S. Hindry Avenue "every creative artist, sooner or later, "To quote from Modern Record- Inglewood, Calif. 90301 Please send me complete details on the runs out of places to go." I tend to ing Jan. '76, 'The Oberheim is the CG 320, the sensible alternative to agree almost 100% with him but only only stereo on the cassette tape recording and listening. as regards artists who let themselves market, and Stevie is delighted be coerced by the all- too- common cor- with the added dimension. The in- NAME porate "bottom- line" attitude to the strument is polyphonic in that ADDRESS point of changing for the sake of four sounds can be produced ZIP CITY STAT. change (excuse my rambling). simultaneously. Most Arps and CIRCLE 94 ON READER SERVICE CARD 6 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com The Vako Polyphonic Orchestron is the brainchild of Dave Vankoevering. Mr. Vankoevering pioneered the de- velopment of the market for solo -line used in many contempor- ary groups. As a distributor of syn- thesizers, and later as marketing vice president for Moog Music Inc., he helped bring synthesizer technology to the performing musician.

Vako Synthesizers produce the actual sounds Inc. is committed to the of human vocals, string development of a sections, horns, pipe or- keyboard gans, synthesizers, or any musical sound instrument ns that that rumen can be produces the recorded. A full scale sound of all acoustic effthort is unako derway & electronic musical by e V people instruments. It of the to provide the key- uses Laser -optic ' board musician an memory discs, does uture instrument that is not have tapes Oral Modulated, to wear & many heads Modulated Light. It responding to solo or to adjust. It is not a has Full Polyphonic Polyphonic expression souped up combo capability, every note producing all acoustic organ with simulated will play. Laser - optic sounds as well as pre -sets, rather it technology allows the voltage controlled produces its sound by keyboard musician to synthesizer sounds From under $2,000.00. There's none other like it.

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www.americanradiohistory.com Moogs are able to produce only are more apoplectic than ordinary one sound at a time ... With four humankind. -Ed. THE more units on order, Stevie will soon have an eight -voice model.' " PERFECT "The Affair," product of CONCERT Readers Offer Own MONITOR COMPANY (Model 8000 -introduced in 1973), is a two -channel (stereo) syn- Talkback Solutions thesizer capable of real polyphonic per- formance in counter melody, including In your Feb /Mar issue Talkback sec- simultaneous production of as many tion, Eric Fussell asked a difficult notes as there are keyboard intervals question on recording with a Teac available, achieving complex harmony 3340S. I've owned a 3340S for over six structures. months and I've found that if you Further, "The Affair" is multi - patch directly from line out on track 2 phonic having the capability of to line in on track 3 before recording simultaneously producing more than anything, you can record on tracks 1, 2 one voice -modulated wave shape, or & 3 in sync. But be sure track 2 stays mode as well. on source. Other poly- voiced products of Glad I could help. CONCERT COMPANY go as high as -Roy Peak 25 synthesized voices from which to Aurora, Colo. select, with simultaneous production of tones at every interval. In Vol. 1 No. 3 [Feb /Mar 1976] there We would appreciate your advising was a [talkback] from a person with a The Stax SRX -III is quite simply the your readers of the correct facts, with Teac 3340S who wanted to know how finest sound reproduction system you can buy. Period. a copy to us. to make a tape he'd recorded on tracks -D.S. McNally 1 and 2 of his machine into a normal Much better than any speaker system at General Manager stereo tape. Although it is true that any price. Literally the standard for Concert Sales Company "other" headphone manufacturers. you can't transfer track 2 to track 3 in Inglewood, Cal. sync, this maneuver can be accom- Compare the facts you can measure: flat plished by first transferring track 1 to frequency response from 25 - 30,000 track 3 out of sync and then transfer- Hz ( ±1.5 dB); distortion is essentially unmeasurable. Experiences and Vice -versa ring track 2 to track 1 out of sync. This would keep Mr. Fussel from having to Now compare the facts that really My cousin and I are budding musi- borrow a tape recorder. matter. The SRX -III is entirely hand as- sembled and evaluated by the family cians /composers who have realized -John Vandiver company who created the first electro- that the only way to work out our com- Houston, Tex. static headphone. A company dedicated positions without spending hundreds to research - to ultimate sound. So every SRX is the product of detailed of dollars in studio costs is to record Stockhausen and effort. Even the low mass diaphrams demos ourselves, at home. We have no Tangerine Dream are individually paired - both by elec- questions, but we figure there must be tronic testing listening. and by quite a few more people in the same I'd be interested in seeing some ar- Listen to an SRX system with program situation who would profit from our ticles on electronic music -tape material you "know ". You will be in the experiences, as well as vice -versa. technique, synthesis, etc. -and par- front row - the same- room - the re- Anyone interested in trading solutions ticularly something on the new studio cording studio. You will hear perfection. The truest, clearest, most transparent and questions can reach us at the Karlheinz Stockhausen is putting reproduction ever possible, A reality following address: together, and generally what he is up now at audio dealers nationwide. R. & J. Manwiller to now. In the same vein, an article on STAX 1422 Margaret Street the recording of Tangerine Dream's Backed by American Audioport, Inc. Laureldale, Pa. 19605 new album, Ricochet, might be instruc- 909 University Our equipment consists of a tional (they're not Stockhausen, but Columbia, Mo. 65201 Dokorder 8140 4- track, a Sony 630D what they're doing is pretty in- 2- track, a Sony 330 2 -track teresting). The album was recorded reel /cassette, a Peavey 800 84o -2 mix- "live," and I understand that a ing panel, and several cheap -to- number of their recent concerts have moderately expensive AKG and Shure been presented in cathedrals in France, microphones. Germany and Britain. It also seems - Richard Manwiller that the performances were impro- Laureldale, Pa. vised, all of which would present some novel problems in recording. P.S. Does Michael "Tapes" Col - Keep up the good work. chamira always sign his name twice? -Lin Naylor Mount Joy, Pa. That little mistake was a printer's stripping error. And that's why editors 47

MODERN RECORDING CIRCLE 21 ON READER SERVICE CARD www.americanradiohistory.com TDK SA. WE DEFY ANYONE TO MATCH OUR VITAL STATISTICS.

MAGAZINE A MAGAZINE B

S/N Output S/N in dB THD Ratio @ (re: 3% at O dB Manufacturer Brand Weighted in dB 3% THD THD) ( %)

TDK SA 66.5 +4.2 66.0 0.9 AMPEX 20:20+ 56.4 +1.9 - - FUJI FX 60.0 +2.3 - - MAXELL UD - - 58.5 1.1 MAXELL UDXL 62.5 +2.7 - - NAKAMICHI EX 60.0 +2.3 55.0 1.1 SCOTCH CHROME - - 64.0 1.3 SCOTCH CLASSIC 62.5 +2.0 - - SONY FERRICHROME 64.0 +2.1 64.0 1.8

Decks used for tests: Magazine A- Pioneer CT -F9191 (cross- checked on DUAL 901, TEAC 450); Magazine B- NAKAMICHI 1000. Two leading hi -fi magazines working independently tested a wide variety of cassettes. In both tests, TDK SA clearly outperformed the other premium priced cassettes. The statistics speak for themselves. TDK SA provides a greater S/N ratio (66.5 dB weighted and 66.0 dB @ 3% THD) , greater output sensitivity ( +4.2 dB @ 3% THD) , and less distortion (THD 0.9 %) than these tapes. When you convert these statistics into sound, TDK SA allows you to play back more of the original signal with less distortion and noise. Put these facts and figures together and TDK SA adds up to the State of the Art because it provides greater dynamic range. This means cleaner, clearer, crisper recordings, plain and simple. Sound for sound, there isn't a cassette that can match its vital statistics. Statistics may be the gospel of the audio- phile, but the ultimate judge is your own ear. Record a piece of music with the tape you're using now. Then record that same music at the same levels using TDK SA. You'll hear why TDK SA defies anyone to match its sound. Or its vital statistics. TDK Electronics Corp., 755 Eastgate Boulevard, Garden City, New York 11530. TDK, Also available in Canada. Wait till you hear what you've been missing.

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www.americanradiohistory.com TALK BACK

"Talkback" questions are answered While it is possible to attach head- ply could be constructed to act as a by professional engineers, many of phones to the monitoring circuitry, pitch control for a tape deck. Could whose names you have probably seen this still represents a very bad way to you discuss how this might be con- listed on the credits of major pop control a sound system. I cringe every structed and any hazards that might albums. Their techniques are their own time I see someone operating a sound be inherent in such a device? and might very well differ from anth- system while listening with "cans " -I -Jay Stewart er's. Thus, an answer in "Talkback" is have yet to hear anything but garbage Cleveland, Ohio certainly not necessarily the last word. from a sound system controlled in this We welcome all questions on the manner. (1) All noise reduction devices must be subject of recording, although the The only reliable method for used during playback to reduce tape large volume of questions received pre- operating a P.A. system is to do the noise. Using a noise reduction device cludes our being able to answer them mixing and monitoring in the room to encode the final mixdown on the all. If you feel that we are skirting any itself. Any other method has severe stereo master recorder will significant- issues, fire a letter off to the editor limitations. ly change the program's sound and be right away. "Talkback" is the Modern If this is not possible, I suppose that of no help in reducing noise if the com- Recording reader's technical forum. the backstage metering set -up is bet- plementary decoder is not used during ter than nothing. playback. In all of the systems, it is Monitoring a P.A. -Brian A. Roth the decoder not the encoder which Ford Audio & Acoustics reduces the noise. Your policy of getting "talkback" Oklahoma City, Okla. An important function of the en- answers from professionals in the field coder used in compander-type systems is certainly to be commended. is to counteract the effect the decoder Here's a question: Many times I Noise Reduction and Pitch would otherwise have on the program have heard it proposed that the level so that the program will emerge from of an auditorium's sound system I have a Teac 3340S deck which I use the encode -decode cycle unchanged. might be better monitored when a to make multi -track recordings of my Since the noise is not encoded, the microphone in the listening area was original music. Six to 12 tracks are decoder reduces it. Non- complemen- used to feed an output indicator often required, which necessitates tary noise reduction units such as located at the amplifier controls. several mixdowns and add -to dubs. Burwen's dynamic noise filter do not When the controls are located back- Obviously, noise becomes a problem. encode the program and are designed stage somewhere it does seem the idea I've toyed with a Dolby unit I have, to filter out noise without too much ef- would have merit -so the level but find it too cumbersome for my use. fect on the program. They still must be wouldn't have to be set blindly I've investigated both Burwen and used on playback, however. (deafly ?). dbx and find their operation to be less Since you are using noise reduction Has such a system been tried -and complex -Burwen having the least at all recording, dubbing and mixdown what are the pros and cons? complicated approach of all. My ques- stages, you have already eliminated -Hugh Lineback tion is this: I want to eliminate the the major sources of noise build -up. Siloam Springs, Ala. noise (primarily hiss), but I don't want The solution to your problem is to use to have to lug one of these noise reduc- noise reduction on your stereo master, Theoretically, that sounds like it tion units around with me for audition but decode that master on playback to would work. However, there are playbacks. make non-encoded dubs for auditions. several problems with this approach. If I use either of these systems at all The audition copies will have only one The typical meter will show only recommended stages of recording, in- generation of non -reduced tape noise average levels, whereas "live" pro- cluding between the final playback and should be quite acceptable. gram sources contain large peaks in mixdown to the recording stereo (2) A variable frequency AC power level. Consequently, it is entirely possi- master, will that master retain the pro- supply can be used as a pitch control ble for the sound system amplifiers to gram integrity (with no noise or at- on any tape deck with a hysteresis - be driven into clipping distortion, tenuation) when played back without synchronous capstan motor. The while the meter indicates "all is well." being connected to the unit? operating speed of this type of motor Also, the meter will tell nothing about (2) I remember reading somewhere is determined by the frequency of the tonal balance or the program mix. that a variable- frequency power sup- AC driving it. A power supply of this

10 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com type is often called a VSO, for "variable speed oscillator," and is easily constructed by using a varia ble- frequency sine wave oscillator to drive a power amplifier such as a Bogen MO100, McIntosh MC275 or any other amplifier capable of a 115 -volt audio output with about 35 watts of power. Besides the obvious hazards of deal- ing with 115 -volt power, care should be taken to connect only the capstan motor and not the tape deck elec- little tronics to the VSO, for the electronics may be adversely affected by variable - frequency power as well as any varia- tions in VSO output voltage. Care should also be taken to prevent elec- iqpter trical connection between any part of the VSO chassis and the tape deck, console or other recording equipment, for this can cause ground loops and supersonic oscillations. The VSO has to be connected to the capstan motor and the AC power line, nothing else. A voltmeter should be used to test GAIN for any voltage between the VSO INPUT OUTPUT CHANGE chassis and the tape deck or console. If any exists, reverse the oscillator L______METER and/or power amp AC plugs in their wall sockets one at a time until this shock hazard is eliminated. Operating the capstan motor at too high or low a voltage or frequency can cause it to dbx new 160 stall and overheat, reducing its life. The VSO output should be kept be- compressor/limiter tween 90 and 115 volts. Most motors will safely operate between 30 and 90 Hz, which produces a range of '/z to 11/2 She's got a compression ratio you can set anywhere from 1:1 to infinity. times normal speed. And she's got a very low distortion figure even at high compression - Robert E. Runstein ratios. You can set her threshold from -38 to +12 dBm, and her two red Author, LEDs let you know whether she's above or below threshold. Her meter Modern Recording Techniques range is from -40 to +20 dB, and you can set her meter zero at any line level between -10 and +10 dBm. Her illuminated meter is switchable to read input, output, or gain change. Recording and Playback Levels She uses true RMS level detection, which you know is more relia- ble and accurate than other methods. Her dynamic range is enormous I am experiencing a situation in tape and her noise contribution practically negligible. Her output is auto- recording and I do not know if it is a matically ground loop compensated and she is protected against turn -on result of my inability to use the equip- and turn-off transients. She is beautifully packaged and small enough ment properly or if this is not possible that you can take her with you wherever you go. Or you can bolt her into to eliminate without more sophisti- the rack where she'll give you a lifetime of faithful service. cated equipment. You're going to love this little mother, especially when you learn My components consist of Dual her price. She costs only $300.00, which is a lot less than you pay for 1229, Pioneer 939 SX, Teac 3300's, those other mothers. She's available now at your dbx professional equip- JBL 100's. ment dealer's. For complete spec information including the little mother's The problem presents itself in my at- measurements, circle reader service card or contact: tempt to duplicate 78 r.p.m. records to tape. I use Maxell UD 35 -90 tape and Pickering's XV 15 -400 cartridge with a mono stylus with the connections strapped out for this purpose. dbx, Incorporated When I first started recording in the 296 Newton Street stereo mode, the quality of tapes was Waltham, Mass. 02154 very good. As I became more familiar 617/899 -8090 CIRCLE 6 ON READER SERVICE CARD JUNE /JULY 1976 11

www.americanradiohistory.com with recording technique and got into established, the electronics are magazine fills a large gap that has 78's, this is where I got lost. switched to monitor input (source long been ignored -that between a My preliminary is to play a selection monitor), in order to check the amount consumer need and a studio's needs. on phono and establish my peak VU to of gain going into the record amps. If Thank you. not generally exceed "O." Switching properly calibrated, the machine's in- -David B. Miller between Source and Monitor on the put and output should read the same Absolute Recording receiver, I bring the output to where I ( ±2 dB is acceptable for most con- Elkhart, Ind. do not perceive a difference in the level sumer machines.) of loudness in the speaker. If you go this far, and you find that (1) If you are recording on- location Up to this point, everything seems your machine is way out of alignment, projects as a business venture, I would to be going well. Where I go into the I suggest that you either take it to a suggest that you invest in enough record mode and all controls remain- Teac service shop, or write for a Teac equipment to cover your needs before ing in the initial settings, the VU 3300S service manual and attempt to your business disappears. Four meters show a good signal until I calibrate it yourself. I warn you, deal microphone or line inputs will only switch to tape monitor at which time only with simple level adjustments; give you the capability of capturing they go to the total limit of VU. any further and you may be involved four sources properly. Unless you are My question is, does the output level with bias, EQ, and other more complex recording a small act (two voices and have any effect on the tape as it is be- calibrations -none of which should be two instruments, etc.), your best ing recorded? Should the output be touched without a thorough under- coverage will be obtained by continu- reduced to match the input signal? standing of all principles involved. ing to mic the P.A. columns if you can I have tried recording both ways and Once you have straightened all that live with the mix, equalization and I cannot mirror the sound quality of out, and you know the status of your quality presented by the system. my phono onto the tape. In other machine, make a habit of monitoring Since it is virtually impossible to words, my record sounds better than tape playback at least part of the time mix for a "live" audience and a two - most of the tape. I am concerned over while you are recording. (Switching track tape machine with the same set this because I don't know if I am over - between tape and source monitor will of controls (unless the total system recording and introducing the possibil- not affect what is on the tape.) was designed with such capabilities), ity of self- erasure, although I do not Whether you are recording 78's or your idea to split -feed the microphone detect any dropouts on the tape. regular 1p's does not matter -a proper lines would provide the best possible Observing the meters bouncing like alignment will give you the optimum solution. Your first consideration this startles me and I can record performance for your machine. If your should be to determine your monetary without monitoring, but then I don't problem still exists, check all com- limits and try to compromise between know until playback whether or not I ponents and lines feeding the input to quality and ease of performing a par- have laid down a good tape master. your tape machine. ticular function without going too far Any information you may provide is -Rob Freeman beyond your predetermined budget. most welcome. Plaza Sound There is a boundless supply of mixing -Dan Daniel New York, N.Y. consoles, recording machines and College Point, N.Y. peripheral equipment available in a wide range of quality and price. No, the output level pots will not af- On- location Miking Through wise selection of your equip- fect what's being recorded on the tape, ment, you can do a professional job and so, in answer to the second part of The major problem that I have en- with a modest investment. your question, adjusting them will not countered with on- location recording is (2) The choice of microphones and improve your recordings in any way. the method in which to mic the vocals. their placement is a question that However, if your machine electronics Until my mixer arrives I am only able leads to other questions. The type of are properly calibrated, lowering the to run four mics or lines (Teac A -7300- music and its content (referenced to output to equal the input will accurate- 2T), and have had to resort to miking levels and dynamic range) plays a ly show you what level of signal is be- the P.A. columns. For now, and even greater role than one might expect. A ing recorded on the tape. In any case, after I have eight mics available, preferred sound is often obtained by do not rely on your ears alone to set should I continue to mic the columns, the engineer's personal choice of your levels. That's what VU meters in many cases ruining my separation microphone and its placement. Let's are for, and they are far more accurate. and control, should I run direct lines not forget that the purpose of record- In a properly aligned tape machine, from their mixer, or should I mic all ing is for the storage of a performance playback levels are set by referencing vocals direct, adding problems to an as it is, so that it may be reproduced to a standard level. A carefully on -axis signal and to space availabili- for later enjoyment. In "live" record- recorded test tape is used to provide ty? Is it feasible to split -feed the line ing, you would probably get better the standard. (If you want to check the from the vocalist's mics (one for P.A. results by using as many "direct calibration of your machine, the Teac and one for my mixer)? boxes" as possible in order to get bet- YTT 1003 Test Tape for 7.5 ips would Also, could you briefly advise me as ter separation. be adequate.) Once playback levels are to mic placement and choice (dynamic These "direct boxes" can only be set, they must not be altered, since or condenser) for the various in- used on electric instruments and now record levels will be set while struments involved with "live" record- would save you money since they are recording and monitoring the tape ing? Such as dynamic or condenser on cheaper than an average quality playback on the VU meter (tape vocals, drums, keyboards, etc.? microphone. This would also eliminate monitor). Once a good input level is Please keep up the good work. Your a certain amount of noise due to the

12 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com fact that no other sound would be able to enter these lines. As for vocals, my personal preference is to use condenser microphones because of their general ability to capture the higher frequen- cies in a clean manner. I would use a professional -quality dynamic micro- phone on the toms in the , with condensers on the . There are many high- quality microphones available that will do a good job. Nothing will replace the experience of having to work in different rooms to find the best microphone for a given situation. If you are looking for specifics, try to find an old AKG -D19 in good condition and mic the with it from the top. - Richard H. Royall MEGA Sound Studio Bailey, N.C.

The professionalism of the new JVC 0.1% total harmonic distortion. You Bal and Unbal Line Wiring S600 AM /FM stereo receiver offers you can monitor this Dower instantly with more to do more ... hear more. Its twin power meters. operate with direct- action Can you explain: exclusive SEA graphic equalizer system Simple to with five tone -zone controls covers the pushbuttons and slide controls, the (a) What are 600 -ohm Bal and unBal complete music range. S600 has an unbelievably wide range lines and how are they wired? Also, The S600 has 110 watts of features and functions. per channel min. RMS, at Approx. retail value: $750. echo send and return lines. -221 -7502 8 ohms, from 20 to 20,000 Call toll -free 800 (b) What type of wire is used for Hz, with no more than for nearest JVC dealer. these lines? 476 -8300 (c) Is there any complete information JVC America, Inc., 58 -75 Queens Midtown Expressway. Maspeth. N.Y. 11378 (212) concerning studio wiring guidance? CIRCLE 31 ON READER SERVICE CARD -Steve Mayland Bend, Ore.

(a) We can break this question down in- Depend on it. to two parts: (1) What is a 600 -ohm line? (2) What are balanced and un- Ch Dose your sound system as if your performance dependec on it. Because it does. might as balanced lines? 600 ohms is the And if you trust your performance to an old -fashioned type of system, you well pack it in. Instead,get your act together with the BOSE Pro System. resistance from the high to the low The system with components like the BOSE 1800 Power Amp. Rugged. Reliable. With all side, or ground. 600 ohms has emerged the power you need to drive your music. And the BOSE 800 Speaker System. The from electronic history as the semi - speaker that lets you sound like you're really there. Not inside a barrel or standard of most professional audio under a blanket. equipment, although others exist, such If you're on your way to making it, use the professional sound system that's made it as 250 ohms for microphones and already - the BOSE System. You can depend on it. 50,000 to 100,000 ohms for input bridging. A balanced line is a pair of wires with an identical signal traveling down _BIELSE" each, hence balanced. Normally this pair would be shielded for audio use, so we call this a three- conductor cable. The advantage of a balanced line is the ability to reject clicks and external noise. The counterpart to the balanced line is the unbalanced or single -ended line. In this system the signal travels down just one (usually shielded) con- ductor. And this wire is referred to as Please send information on BOSE Pro Products to: a two -conductor cable. Name (b) Most any good audio wire can be Address used for echo send and return, the only City /State /Zip consideration being balanced or un- Telephone l: balanced circuitry. If the send or Return to: Dept.MR,BOSE, The Mountain, Framingham, MA 01701

JUNE /JULY 1976 13

www.americanradiohistory.com return is balanced, a three -conductor Check Audiotechniques First wire should be used, and two - conductor for unbalanced. ...FOR MICROPHONES (c) One of the most complete books of information on studio wiring and all Contact us for our list of related audio information is The recommended studio mikes. Audio -Cyclopedia by Howard Tre- Most models in stock .. . main, published by Howard W. Sams. all at reasonable prices. -Travis Turk Freelance Engineer AKG 3eyer Electro -Voice Neumann Sennheiser Shure Sony Nashville, Tenn.

auctiotechniques, inc. Tricky Teac 3340S Techniques 142 Hamilton Avenue, Stamford,CT 06902 Telephone: 203 359 2312 I own a Teac 3340S tape deck. In a CIRCLE 47 ON READER SERVICE CARD booklet published by Teac called Meet the Creator, it states that seven in- dividual tracks can be laid down without going beyond second genera- tion. I assume the technique [involves] taking tracks one, two and three, and the mixing them to track four. Then record new material on tracks one and three and mix them to track two, leav- Maxi ing tracks one and three open again for the remaining two parts, hence seven tracks. Studio... But how are tracks one and three in sync with track four when they are be- ing mixed down to track two? Or, what am I doing wrong? (I have Teac's mix - down panel AX20.) -Bill Wojciechowski Towaco, N.J.

You can actually record up to nine tracks in two generations on a four - track like the 3340S but it gets tricky. Fill up channels 1, 2 and 3 in the nor- mal manner. Then put channels 1, 2 and 3 in the tape position. Simul -Sync is in the normal position. The line out- puts of your 3340S are feeding the in- puts of an AX20. The AX20 switches r for channels 1, 2 and 3 are in the left position. Use the output level controls a on the 3340S to get the relative balance of the three tracks. All three signals are coming out of the left output of the AX20 as a com- it gives you the quality you need, posite mono signal. This signal is fed at a price you can afford. into the line input #4 on the 3340S. Meanwhile, you can add a fourth The new Maxi Studio uses Revox 3500, Beyer M101, X1N and M500 microphones to accurately voice through the Mic input on chan- capture all types of sound even under difficult recording conditions. nel 4. You can refer to Mic mixing The Lamb PML422 portable mixing system, which is infinitely expandable, brings big desk /line versatility, with such niceties as tracking limiters as well as full equalization together with in your owner's manual if you like, stereo or quad panning and separate group outputs for treatment or foldback. although it does not mention this ap- The Revox is simply the best 10'b" reel capacity, three speed, portable tape recorder ever built - with performance specifications considerably In excess of broadcasting requirements. plication. Send for full details and address of your nearest stockist to: Lamb Laboratories, 155 Michael For this stage, you may need a Drive, Syosset, New York, U.S.A. 11791 or Lamb House, Church Street, Chiswick, London, England W42PB. friend to help you because it's rough to get a good mix and play at the same time. If you are having trouble, simply the Max, Studio - predictable professional performance. forget about the fourth voice and do a mix of tracks 1, 2 and 3 without adding

CIRCLE 3 ON READER SERVICE CARD 14 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com a new "live" part. You may lose one part, but you may also save yourself a good amount of frustration. Here comes the trick to make it work! You are now going to record a new part on track 2. The trick is to have THE channels 1 and 3 in sync. You record track 5, listening only to channels 1 and 3. DO NOT MONITOR CHAN- NEL 4. Record track 6, listening to channels 1 and 2 in sync. Still, do not monitor channel 4. SOUND VAULT The next step is to put channels 2 and 3 in the tape position. The Simul- Sync switches are in the normal posi- tion. The line outputs of channels 2 and 3 are feeding your AX20. This time you connect your left line out of the AX20 to the line input of channel 1. You can add part 7 with Mic /line mixing. Now you use channel 4 for sync monitoring! Put channel 4 in the tape and Sync position. You record your composite mix of channels 2 and 3, plus your "live" part onto channel 1, while monitoring your earlier composite of parts 1, 2 and 3 on channel 4. You can now record tracks 8 and 9 on channels 2 and 3. These are first generation and located on the inner tracks. This is good for vocal and other important parts. Tracks 1 -4 are on channel 4 and tracks 5 -7 are on channel 1. These are only second generation. Track 8 is on channel 2, and track 9 on channel 3. And the whole thing is in sync. It's a little tricky to do all this, but if you plan your parts carefully you can ex- pand your creative horizons quite a ways. -Theo Mayer III Training Manager Teac Corp. UD gives you Montebello, Cal. Every cassette stainless steel guidepins to keep your Distancing recordings secure. pins form part of the your Ultra Dynamic cassette captures How does an engineer manage to make Tough steel internal security system inside every UD the very best sounds (both high and low) an instrument sound as though it is in cassette. your equipment can produce. the distance? I have heard the tech- They make sure your UD tape Use Maxell Ultra Dynamic cassettes nique used mainly with reed in- winds even. (Ordinary and you'll always play it safe. struments. Is echo /reverb used or are runs smooth and have plastic posts that can Maxell Corporation of America, the instruments miked from a cassettes greater Moonachie, New Jersey 07074. Also avail- distance? wear out and cause wow and flutter.) reason able in Canada. -Robert Chappell These steel pins are another maxelL Fort Wayne, Ind. For professional recordings at home. Yes, the use of echo /reverb, as well as miking the particular instrument from CIRCLE 42 ON READER SERVICE CARD

JUNE /JULY 1976 15

www.americanradiohistory.com a somewhat greater distance will make sounds are heard. They may overlap, hear a "slap echo" which is part of the an instrument sound as though it is in becoming confused, or they may be acoustic presence of any "live" room. the distance. Also, by experimenting distinct punctuations of the "hello . . . The separation of the two sounds is with the echo return delay, it will help hello" variety. This can only happen if very much dependent on the duration in achieving the desired effect. the original signals are of short enough of the original. A wood block can be However, in miking the particular time duration, and spaced far enough broken into two wood blocks with time instrument from a greater distance, apart. delays as short as 10 ms. you should be especially careful not to The time delay can be obtained from It can be quite interesting to double obtain any unnecessary leakage. a tape deck, digital delay unit, or by a snare drum back beat or to create -Stan Dacus, Chief Engineer using the delays available from some new -sounding percussion instruments. LeFevre Sound Corporation of the new flanging devices. A tape Instrument doubling is not usually Atlanta, Ga. recorder operating at 15 ips will satisfactory because of the phase generate delays of 6.67 milliseconds distortion caused by the delays. The (thousandths of a second) for every synthesizer is an excellent instrument Slapped Back '/,o -inch separation between your to utilize with slap echo in the creation record and playback head gaps. A cou- of unusual sounds. It can be very im- What is slapback? ple of common studio machines have a pressive to add echo to the slap, only -Henry Rosen gap spacing of about 2.5 inches. This creating a large "ba- BOOOM" effect. Farmingdale, N.Y. yields a time delay of at least 166.2 ms, Once you have delayed a signal and between '/,o and t, of a second. Such can mix it with the original you have I think the "slapback technique" long delays are clearly audible and all opened a door which can be used to might have been what I was subjected too easily identifiable. create many interesting sounds. to the last time a tape salesman in- When the time delays get short -Ed Rehm formed me of a price increase. enough, under 40 ms, then frequently The Ken Nordine Group The questioner is probably referring the ear can't distinguish them as , Ill. to a discrete echo effect derived from a separate sounds and they begin to in- time delay introduced into an audio tegrate. The effect then can simulate path. It is often referred to as "slap doubling the instrument (you may feel Decoding dbx echo." It occurs when a signal is de- it sounds like two instruments playing layed and then mixed with the unde- together or that the instrument is be- Does a dbx signal have to be decoded layed signal so that two distinct ing played in a different room). You before mixing and equalization? Will I

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CIRCLE 41 ON READER SERVICE CARD 16 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com The Martin . Right from the beginning. You are looking at the beginning our own saw mill in Nazareth, right from the beginning. Extra of a hand -made Martin Guitar. Pennsylvania. Not somebody work perhaps but the Martins, These giant logs of African else's saw mill, but CF Martin's. father and son, don't want it Mahogany, Indian Rosewood, When you care very much any other way. Their ancestor and Sitka Spruce are selected about your product, and your founded the company in 1833. individually by Martin customer's satisfaction, it makes They want the Martin name on representatives who travel the sense to control every step of an instrument to mean what it Ivory Coast, the State of Kerala production. We're one of the has meant for the past 143 years. in Southern India, and the in few guitar makers the world That it's right from the beginning. Pacific Coast as far as Alaska to who prefer to buy their own find the world's most suitable wood and cut the logs right woods. where they make their The logs are then shipped, often instruments. THE CF MARTIN half way around the world, to But this kind of interest in the ORGANISATION product -and your pleasure -is what makes the Martin right, Nazareth, Pennsylvania 18064 CIRCLE 49 ON READER SERVICE CARD

www.americanradiohistory.com need six channels of noise- reduction to mix four to two tracks? I'm trying to figure if the cost (about $1500 ?) of dbx would be sensible with my existing equipment (Sony 854 -4 deck, Allen & Heath `Mini' Mixer). -Bill Mauchly EIGHT OUT Ambler, Pa. To ensure proper encoding and THE SOUND WORKSHOP 1280 decoding of your dbx signal, all equalization and level mixing must be RECORDING CONSOLE... done after the signal has been decoded. $2850. Trying to alter an encoded dbx signal before decoding would result in the ex- pansion stage not being able to decode (expand) the signal with the mirror im- age exactness needed to retain ac- curacy. This would require six chan- nels of dbx for mixing four channels dbx to two channels dbx. The benefits of superior signal -to -noise ratio and dynamic range are well worth the cost, if maximum quality is your goal. -Bill Mueller Sheffield Recordings, Ltd. Timonium, Md.

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I just received my first issue of Modern Recording -read it cover to cover, and loved it! It's interesting and superbly informative. I especially Now that 8 -track is the sensible way to go, Sound gained from your "talkback" section. Workshop lets you do it right with its new 1280 I have a question that I have been Recording Console. pondering for some time now, and I believe it will be of particular interest The 1280 stacks up like this: 12 inputs, 8 outputs; to a great many of your readers. 8 x 2 stereo monitor system; 8 x 1 musicians cue Since "disco" music is such an ex- system with cue echo; 2 track mixdown buss; 3 band tremely lucrative and commercial field equalization; Solo; Mute; Panning; Pushbutton right now, I would like to know: (1) What is the main difference in track assign; Control room monitor switching, with the "disco" sound from what we have slate, talkback, and cue; Dual echo returns with been used to? Is the difference more in panning and EQ: pre and post fader patch points; recording or mixing? Total output level monitoring with Sound Workshop's (2) Please show how to get the "dis- unique TRI -LITE LED readouts that let you check co" sound with special reference to mixing and panning the drums and recording levels on all 8 tracks at a glance. bass. All this plus more...and of course it's Sound -Jim Robson Workshop quality. We guarantee it. For 2 years, Mesa, Ariz. parts and labor. the Sound Workshop 1280 recording console The differences between the disco and $2850. the standard rock sound can be as superficial as the same record with the words "DISCO VERS" on one side of the label, or as radical a difference as PRoundWorkshop the entire concept -from the arrange- ment to the playing, recording, mixing bringing the technology within everyones 'each and mastering techniques. But usually it is simply an unedited longer version 1038 Northern Blvd., Roslyn, L.I., N.Y 11576 (5161 621 -6710 of the commercial copy.

18 CIRCLE 44 ON READER SERVICE CARD MODERN RECORDING

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So if you've been wanting to go 8- track, So is routine maintenance. Remove two wishing there was a way...there is. Check front panel screws and the meter section out the 80-8 at your TEAC Tascam Series swings down to give you immediate access Dealer -just call (800) 447 -4700 or in Illinois, to the EQ, bias, and level controls. (800) 322 -4400, to find the one nearest you. T EAC *Nationally advertised value. Actual resale prices will be TASCAM SERIES determined individually and at the sole discretion of authorized TEAC Tascam Series dealers. TEAC Corporation of America 7733 Telegraph Road, Montebello, Ca. 90640 ©TEAC

www.americanradiohistory.com If that answer disappoints you, let's from bubble gum music of such sexual panning the bass and bass drum to any analyze it further. When studio -type innuendoes as "You're just the right- place but dead center is lunacy people sit down between sessions and size." Exactly what makes each disco (psychopathic in fact), but the rest of talk shop, the conversation usually record will vary from artist to artist the drums are given the usual bigger - begins, "Just what makes disco and from producer to producer. than -life spread across the stereo stage disco ?" And each person in the room So now we can assume that it is just which produces the effect of a go- has a different opinion of what it is. ordinary music, and the technical end around with the drums ... left tom on Then, finally unable to verbalize it, does not pose any special problems. If the left, right tom on the right, etc. someone sits down at the old trap set you process a disco record exactly as Often, the only place a disco record- in the drum booth and starts banging you would process a "standard" ing differs from the "standard" is at on the sock with the (of late) familiar record, you will come out with a disco the mastering stage (because the pro- beat, accompanied by the appropriate record. Remember that the bass line is ducer has no idea of how to produce a rhythmic patterns on the snare and a little simpler and the bass drum is disco record and says to the mastering bass drum. And that, everyone agrees, very predominant to hold up the engineer, "Give it a disco sound "). is it ... although no one has actually danceability; so you would want that This is not the place to fix things up said exactly what it is. out in front. If the bass drum isn't in for any type of recording, but more In a conversation with a top pro- the arrangement (where it should be) often than not that's where it happens. ducer of disco records who is currently and you have to help it on the studio So you try to pull a hard, punchy on a roll, I posed that very question to end, obviously you would make the low sound out of the mud on the bottom him. There was total silence for a mo- end as punchy as possible by em- and emphasize the midrange enough to ment and then with a lot of stammer- phasizing the upper lows for a more almost shear your ears off. Perhaps a ing he had to admit that he didn't definitive and harder sound. Then, in bit more limiting than the usual goes know the answer either; it was just addition, pull out the midrange to em- into it at this point also. But if the something that evolved. Now here's a phasize the lush strings and vocals. record were intended to be a disco from top disco producer who doesn't know So really what I'm saying is that the the beginning and is well arranged, and you're asking me!? disco sound has to be in the arrange- you will have no problems. Apparently, disco isn't anything ment and the recording will take care -Dave Moyssiadis that different. But the noticeable of itself (as with any recording) -or Frankford/Wayne Recording Labs things are a lush string section, you have to make a patch job out of it Philadelphia, Pa. simpler bass line, a very danceable (as with any recording). beat -combined with the carry -over In the mixdown -in any mixdown- 4 HL L PERFORMANCE A C MPACT OTARI MX-5050 What does a professional recording or broadcast engineer demand in a tape recorder? Above all, he wants consistently high performance, production and editing features, ease of operation and set up, and a reliable mechanism that won't let him down when the schedule gets tight. If that's what you want too, then take a close look at the Otari MX -5050. It's a full capability professional machine in a compact package. This new recorder is the end result of Otari's ten years of leadership in producing Japan's finest professional recorders and high speed duplicators. Check these features: gentle, positive tape handling; front panel edit and cue; built -in precision -aligned splicing block; front adjustable bias and equalization; synchronous reproduce for overdubbing; professional connectors, levels, and impedances; 68 dB S /N, 19 dB headroom, 60 dB cross- talk; optional variable speed dc capstan servo; motion sensing; plus many others. And if you need more than two channels, the MX -5050 is also available in four channel (1/4 inch) and eight channel (1/2 inch), the eight channel with dc capstan servo as standard.

Otari Corporation 981 Industrial Road, San Carlos, Calif. 94070 (415) 593 -1648 TWX: 910 -376 -4890 In Canada: Noresco Mfg., Toronto (416) 249 -7316

CIRCLE 25 ON READER SERVICE CARD www.americanradiohistory.com TIE POWER HOUSE

If you're looking for a rugged, dependable stereo power source for the studio or the concert stage, consider Acoustic's Model 400 Stereo Amplifier. Designed for normal operation at 8, 4, or 2 ohms, this 19 -inch rack -mountable industrial power amplifier features 2 totally independent channels rated at 375 watts RMS each. Because we've been building state -of- the -art professional sound reinforcement equipment for over a decade, we've got the design know -how to make the Model 400 virtually immune to the problems of overloading and overheating that plague most other units. The Model 400 features LE.D. overload indicators on the front panel to indicate "true clipping" in the amplifier and guard against distortion at the input. P us the 400 never quits. It's fan -cooled and designed to operate under the most stressful conditions. If ever needed, a unique thermal switching circuit automatically steps down the power by 1/3 to prevent overheating, while leaving you with plenty of juice to keep on cooking. Like all Acoustic products, the Model 400 can be covered for life by our unique `Protection" Plan. The Model 400 Stereo Amplifier... rugged enough to travel anywhere, and flexible enough to handle the requirements of the most sophisticated concert stage, industrial or recording studio systems. Now you know why we call it The Power House! acoustic Professional Sound Reinforcement. For more information write to Dept. MR Acoustic Control Corp., 7949 Woodley Ave., Van Nuys, CA 91406 CIRCLE 35 ON READER SERVICE CARD

www.americanradiohistory.com ( -1

NEWS ... Synapse is a new monthly Barcus -Berry "Hot Dog" transducers. The Badass Bass Bridge ($40) is a magazine ($10 /year) devoted to elec- The pick -ups are placed inside the massive -weight bridge designed to tronic music. Vol. 1 No. 1 (Mar. 1976) bridge with two pearl dots visible on provide for substantial gains in attack contains an interview with Alan R. either side of the bridge saddle. Output and sustain. Especially recommended Pearlman, a feature on devices for con- jack, end -pin and "Hot Dog" preamp for and Fender basses, this trolling synthesizers, a calendar of box are provided (Guild Musical In- bridge has 11/4-inch horizontal and %- electronic music performances struments, 225 W. Grand St., inch vertical travel and is made of high throughout the country, an examina- Elizabeth, N.J. 07202). density zinc with machined in- tion of graphic equalizers, and a new- serts (Leo Quan Badass Musical Pro- products section. Synapse is published The B.C. Rich "Seagull" solid -body ducts, 2831 Seventh St., Room 21, by Contempo Publishing (Synapse, electric ($995) was handcrafted by Berkeley, Cal. 94710). P.O. Box 359, N. Hollywood, Cal. 91603). master guitar builder Bernard Roco. It features a one-piece neck which elim- AMPS ... The OMEC digital pro- KEYBOARDS . Roland ...The Corp., inates the heel, phase and splitter grammable amplifier ( "about $1,700 ") known for its electronic musical in- switches, and a six- position varitone enables the musician to preset four dif- struments, has just unveiled a new circuit (L.D. Heater, Beaverton, Ore.). ferent combinations of effects. Treble, product called th( `Piano Plus," which claims to be the first completely elec- The Artwood Artist solid -body elec- tronic piano with acoustic sound and tric guitar Model #2617 ($395) is now feel. So proud is the company of its available from Ibanez. The ash body new offspring that 28 patent claims and neck are hand -shaped, and are being issued! the rosewood fingerboard features Some of the most important pearl- abalone block -style inlays. The elements of the Piano Plus are: 27 dif- Artwood Artist has two humbucking ferent sound combinations may be ob- pick -ups for increased frequency tained, including the sound of a grand response and added punch and midrange, bass, reverb, sustain piano, a light piano or a harpsichord ( compression-limiting), distortion and (and various combinations of these volume are independently program- primary tones). Tuning is unnecessary. med into each combination through Weight . is only V3 that of a conven- the use of illuminated push- buttons tional piano. Headphones may be and L.E.D. display. The desired com- plugged in for private listening. The bination can then be chosen . and Piano Plus may be plugged into a large modified during performance with the amp /speaker system for stage per- accompanying foot-switch and mating formances. The spinit design is both cable. This compact (24" x 30" x 7"), stylish and refined enough to allow it lightweight (less than 30 lbs.) amplifier to fit into any home, however, and delivers 150 watts RMS and is com- Roland promises that its "Revo Sound patible with any good musical instru- System ... will fill your performance ment speaker system (Orange Musical room with widespreading rich and Electronic Corp., R. A. Neilson sounds." Price is $1575 for the 88-note Co., 5001 Laurel Grove Ave., N. model and $1395 for the 75 -note model Hollywood, Cal. 91607). (Beckman Musical Instruments, Inc., The "Dwarf" ($124.95) and "Dwarf 2925 S. Vail Ave., Los Angeles, Cal. Mitchell" (in production) are mini - 90040). amps for guitar and bass, respectively. presence. A three -way toggle switch Housed in a hand -made ash cabinet, ... All Guild flat -tops, 12- controls the pick -ups along with in- the "Dwarf" is a 12 -foot tall, 7- watt string flat -tops and classic guitars are dividual tone and volume controls amp, driving a 51/4-foot high per- now available with factory -installed (Eiger Co., Cornwell Heights, Pa.). formance speaker. The "Dwarf Mit-

22 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com chell" bass practice amp will be 18 in- synthesizer (24" x 14" x 51/2") featur- to 16 kHz by octaves). A stereo model ches tall and have 20 watts pushing an ing a zero inertia pitch- bending ribbon, is also available for the home or studio. 8 -inch bass speaker in a folded horn. sample & hold, separate contour (MXR Innovations, P.O. Box 722, Both units feature speaker plugs for generators for filter and amp, and Rochester, N.Y. 14603). private headsets or an external reversible filter contours. The 20 lbs. speaker (21st Century Products, 62B Micromoog is a variable -as opposed Kustom's new mixing consoles Hamilton Dr., Ignacio, Cal. 94947). to preset- instrument and is compati- ($4,500 to $7,000) come with 12 to 24 ble with other synthesizers, in- inputs and 8 outputs, but the user can The Commander RG- 120 -210 struments and accessories (Norlin add as many modules ($220 each) as ($479.50) produces 120 watts RMS at Music, 7373 N. Cicero Ave., Lin- desired. The console has -0, -10 and less than 1% THD. The twin 10 -inch colnwood, Ill. 60646). -20 dB input pads, dual LED preamp speakers are housed in a compact overload indicators, echo send (pre/ (27'/2" x 17" x 10 ") cabinet (Randall ARP has designed a 16 -note se- post), low -impedence inputs and five - Instruments, Inc., Irvine, Cal.). quencer for "live" multiple-keyboard band EQ ( Kustom Electronics, performance. Bass, percussion and Chanute, Kan.). Lamb Labs' cable extension box other musical lines of up to 16 notes, or ($600) has a single 200 -foot cable con- eight two -note chords can be pro- Leslie has two new stereo head- necting a multi-connector cable panel grammed, in sequence or randomly, phones. The W -2 ($14.95) is light- (15 female and five male XR connec- weight and audio- acoustically de- tors, with two in parallel) on stage to signed to eliminate outer ear varia- an equivalent panel back at the mixing tions in bass response. The W -4 console. This arrangement minimizes ($44.95) offers three bass -response the problem of multiple cables from positions and a high fidelity driver stage console (Lamb Laboratories, that uses a thin mylar diaphragm vi- Inc., Syosset, N.Y.). brating like a piston to provide the sound (Electro Music, Pasadena, Cal.). Electro- Harmonix has announced the Freedom Brothers Amp ($249.95). freeing the musician's hands for other The WT10 Korg Tuner ($159.50) is a This small portable amp runs on a bat- purposes. Dual -quantizer circuits per- compact unit for audio and visual tery that recharges itself automati- mit fast, chromatically scaled tunings chromatic tuning of instruments over cally when in use. It is rated at 15 with variable accents, rhythm pat- a three -octave range. The built -in watts RMS and has two heavy -duty terns and dynamic changes. The notes microphone permits tuning of low and are tuned with linear sliders, and high volume instruments, while there push- button switches allow the musi- is an input jack for silent tuning of cian to skip, reset or start a sequence electric instruments. The WT10 oper- at any point The sequencer includes ates on four penlight batteries or AC five gate outputs, a pulse width current (Univox, Merson Musical Pro- modulation control and pedal jacks for ducts, 75 Frost St., Westbury, N.Y. external control and interfacing with 11590). additional sequencers or synthesizers. The ARP sequencer should be avail- ACCESSORIES ... The FRAP Wind able April 1, 1976 and will list at $795 Pick -up was designed for woodwinds, (ARP Instruments, Newton, Mass.). brass and drums. Like the FRAP Con- 51/2-inch speakers. Volume and tone tact Pick -up for guitars and other controls are supplemented by a "bite" The Shure PE52 Vagabond noise - acoustic instruments, there are no control, a 5,000 Hz boost which accen- cancelling microphone ($105) is a moving parts, so the pick -up is virtual- tuates pick noise (Electro- Harmonix, close -up mic designed to shut out ly insensitive to extraneous mechan- New York, N.Y.). sound generated more than an inch ical noise (key clicks, valve noise, away. This uni -directional dynamic breath noise, etc.). The kit consists of MISC. INSTRUMENTS AND microphone features built -in filters to transducer, preamp and connecting EQUIPMENT ... The QSC 1.0 por- minimize sibilance, breath noise and cable. The transducer comes with a table six -channel mixer /preamp ($398) feedback. The unit comes wired for screw mounting for brass, most wood- boasts bi -polar integrated circuits high impedance inputs and is ac- winds and drums. For flutes, the cork - which enable it to handle anything companied by a 20 -foot cable. (Shure surrounded transducer is attached to a from tape decks to heavy -duty ampli- Brothers Inc., 222 Hartrey Ave., custom-fitted silver endplate. The fiers. This 61/2-lb. unit has hi & lo im- Evanston, Ill. 60204). FRAP Wind Pick -up comes in two pedance jacks, active gain control, models, determined by the preamp. five -band graphic EQ (18 dB range) The MXR ten -band graphic equal- The W -200 ($500), powered by four 9V available independently on each chan- izer ($139.95) can be used as a sophis- batteries, is good for 100 hours, and nel, reverb /effects send and return ticated tone control for electric in- the W -250 ($600), powered by 18 C -cell and two separate outputs with master struments or in P.A. systems to com- batteries, is good for 1,500 hours. Fre- volume controls (Quilter Sound Co., pensate for room acoustics or for feed- quency response for both units is flat 1936 Placentia, Costa Mesa, Cal. back control. This AC- powered unit is from 20- 20,000 Hz (FRAP, Box 40097, 92627). capable of up to 12 dB boost or cut at San Francisco, Cal. 94140). The Micromoog ($695) is a portable each of ten frequency bands (31.2 Hz 4 JUNE /JULY 1976 23

www.americanradiohistory.com SCENE

By Norman Eisenberg

TDK DROPS CHROME; SOUND GUARD SAVES RECORDS ADDS NEW TAPES The newest offering for cleaning records and keep- ing them clean is a product known as Sound Guard, introduced by the Ball Corporation. It is essentially a dry lubricant that comes in liquid spray form. Ac- cording to Ball it contains "VacKote," a lubricant designed for moving parts on space craft, plus cleaning anti-static fluids. When sprayed on a disc surface and buffed, it leaves a coating said to be 5- millionths of an inch which, while it bonds to the record, does not bond to itself and so will not form a coating build -up that could interfere with frequency response. Sound Guard has been lab- tested and is credited with preserving signal response over repeated play- ings of both stereo and discrete (CD -4) discs. Other findings include a reduction of the rate of harmonic distortion with repeated playings, and a smoothing effect on pulse noise and random spiking. The tests also indicate that because the use of Sound Guard TDK has replaced its KR (chromium -dioxide) makes anti - skating force compensation less critical, cassettes with a new tape called SA (for Super - record wear on equipment not using anti -skating Avilyn). SA cassettes are available in C -60 and C -90 should be reduced. sizes and are recommended for use with Cr02 bias- Sound Guard comes in a kit that contains a two - ing. At the same time, the company has dropped its ounce bottle with pump sprayer and a buffer. One ED (normal bias) cassettes in favor of a new line kit is good for about twenty 12 -inch microgroove known as Audua. According to TDK, several discs and costs $4.95. cassette deck manufacturers have begun to recom- mend the use of SA as an alternative to Cr02 cas- settes. (Advent, as you might expect, is not one of them.) The Audua tape, with and without special back treatment, also is available in open -reel format in lengths from 1,200 to 3,600 feet. According to TDK, Audua tape offers improved high-frequency performance, lower noise levels, and greater reliability and durability than any previous tape. The coating is made of a "special" magnetic smaller than those oxide powder using particles Record found on other tapes. It is applied by a new process Preservation that forms a dense coating of uniform, tightly Kit packed particles oriented along their axes.

11 READER CARD CIRCLE 7 ON READER SERVICE CARD CIRCLE ON SERVICE

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PHANTOM -POWERED MICROPHONES A series of phantom -powered studio condenser microphones wth RF- biased transducer elements has been announced by Sennheiser. The mics are designed to operate with 48 -volt phantom-powering systems where the positive supply voltage with reference to ground (pin 1) is supplied through the audio lines (pins 2 and 3) of the XLR connectors. Acoustically, Trine Corp. has announced a new stereo phase - the new mics are similar to previous flanger known as "The Pipe" (Model SF -3). Priced Sennheiser mics in its MKH series. at $369, it offers variable resonance which is Three models are available now: the claimed to change tonal coloration to represent a $529 MKH 416 with narrow super - pipe 1/2 -inch in length to 32 feet in length, thereby cardioid pattern; the MK 406 with simulating a tonal range from a flute to an organ. cardioid pattern and higher overload Its linear voltage- controlled delay range is said to (up to 132 dB /SPL) and priced at be 1,000 to 1 which allows you "to create that $495; and the MKH 816 shotgun mic accelerating swish through infinity." It also can ($629). For installations not yet add a natural (or unnatural) vibrato to voice or in- equipped with central phantom - strument. The device also provides control -voltage powering, Sennheiser offers a sepa- input and output, allowing up to 20 units to be rate dual power supply (model MZN, ganged together or controlled from automated mix - $176). down equipment. "The Pipe" has its own AC power Other recent Sennheiser mics in- supply. Other new items from Trine include a com- clude electret modular condenser plementary multimode parametric equalizer; a units built around a model K2U noise -reduction system; and a sound -system powering module that employs a 5.6- measuring -package built around a pink -noise volt battery, said to last for about generator. 600 hours. Shotgun and cardioid CIRCLE 9 ON READER SERVICE CARD heads are available as well as alter- nate impedances and outputs, plus PEAVEY OFFERS EQUALIZER many accessories from windscreens to shockmounts. For more informa- tion, contact Mr. Kees Hofman at Sennheiser Electronics Corp., 10 West 37 St., New York, N.Y. 10018.

The model EQ -10 is a new graphic equalizer from Peavey Electronics Corp., a Mississippi -based manufacturer. The device comes in a carrying case with handle and features ten -band equalization with nominal center -frequencies of 50 Hz, 100 Hz, 200 Hz, 320 Hz, 500 Hz, 800 Hz, 1.5 kHz, 3 kHz, 6 kHz and 12 kHz. Ten sliders handle the action and are calibrated from +12 dB to -12 dB in 2- dB in- crements. The front panel also has an input level knob plus switches for by -pass and for power. The EQ -10, with both balanced and unbalanced capabili- ty, retails for $200.

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www.americanradiohistory.com 411

VERSATILE SONAB BOWS IN EQUALIZERIPREAMP WITH BROAD LINE

A name well -known in Europe and making a bid now for the U.S. audio market is Sonab. Owned wholly by the Swedish government, this manufac- turer has set up sales reps across the country to The PQ -3 by Furman Sound (of San Francisco) is a supply dealers with its products. relatively low -cost parametric equalizer which in- Sonab offerings include speaker systems, head- cludes a preamp. Self- powered, it may be used as a phones, receivers, turntables and a cassette patchable outboard equalizer, as a musical instru- recorder. In speakers there are several models using ment preamp, or as a general -purpose preamp to a patented "Ortho Acoustic" principle which is an drive an external power amp in a reproducing or omnidirectional concept involving bouncing sound P.A. system. The parametric design enables the off walls and ceilings. One of these, the OA -6, uses PQ -3 to tune to an exact frequency. The equalizer biamplification; price is $599. Top -of- the -line model configuration covers three bands: bass (from 25 to is the OA -2212 which uses two woofers, two mid- 500 Hz), middles (from 150 to 2,500 Hz), and highs range drivers and 12 tweeters; its price is $780. (from 600 Hz to 10 kHz). Three frequencies may be Other models range downward in price to $150. tuned and controlled simultaneously, and once a fre- quency is selected the exact amount of boost or cut may be adjusted. Inputs and outputs are phone jacks and the unit may be installed in standard 19 -inch rack mounts. Noise, with maximum gain and EQ out, is rated at -93 dBm; with EQ in and set flat, at -78 dBm. Distortion with EQ out is rated at 0.01 %; with EQ in and set flat, 0.035 %. The unit measures 19 inches wide, 8 inches deep, and 13/4 inches high. Advertised price is $250.

CIRCLE 20 ON READER SERVICE CARD

MODULAR MIXER

The firm's entry into cassette recording is marked by the model C -500 with built -in Dolby, selector for standard and chrome tapes, and peak -value meters. Mic /line level inputs are concentrically arranged, "Mom's Wholesome Audio" is the name given by and the recorder has a "center" input with its own Gately Electronics to its MicroMixer system which level control in addition to normal left and right essentially is a modular set -up the buyer chooses to stereo inputs. Price is $399. meet various needs in sound reinforcement and in Sonab's final offering, at least up to now, is recording work. Both input and output modules are literary: the company has issued a 14 -page booklet selectable; price will vary, of course, with what is titled "Enjoying Music at Home" which may be ob- chosen. A descriptive brochure is available from the tained free at Sonab dealers or by writing to Sonab manufacturer, Gately Electronics, 57 W. Hillcrest Electronics, 1185 Chess Drive, Foster City, Cal. Ave., Havertown, Penn. 19083. 94404.

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www.americanradiohistory.com f r

GERANTIUM PRODUCTS SPEAKING OF SPEAKERS ...

Various speaker systems There is, it seems, a fair amount of mythology deal- and a roster of electronic ing with speaker systems. Which of the following units are available from statements would you mark as true, which as false? Gerantium Laboratories 1. Strong directionality is desirable because it Associates, Inc., 45 York helps you localize specific sounds in a stereo pro- St., Brooklyn, N.Y. gram. 11021. Speakers are 2. Big -size speaker cabinets are essential for big grouped in the company's sound. "Disco" line which now 3. Several cheap speakers in one box can furnish includes four models of sound as good as one or two expensive speakers. which the top one is an 4. A 100 -watt speaker sounds louder than a 50- amplified model (75 -watt watt speaker. RMS amp driving a 15- 5. Any speaker placed in a corner will produce inch woofer, an exponen- more bass. tial midrange horn, and Here are my views on the above statements. two ceramic element horn 1. False. Strong directionality or "beaming" is tweeters). Disco speakers actually a form of distortion that can fog the pro- are offered for high -level gram and make it sound unclear. It also lends the monitoring, discotheque, sound a distinctly hard sheen when listening on P.A., sound- reinforce- axis; the sound off to a side is less prominent. Much ment and similar uses. better is some form of "controlled directionality" or Gerantium's electronic "omnidirectionality." units include a signal pro- 2. True as far as it goes, but big sound can also be cessor (active equalizer); a achieved with small speaker systems as long as preamp with special dub- they are fed enough high amplifier power (and bing and patch jacks, assuming, of course, they are rugged enough to han- plus three -band tone - dle high power). Several small speakers, adequately equalizers and two sets powered, can blanket an area as effectively (maybe of outputs for power amps; the model 3800 mixing more so) as one or two big speakers. console (facilities include two stereo phonographs, 3. Unless someone can come up with a miracle, stereo playback and microphone, precue on inputs, chances are very good that an array of cheap etc.); a discomaster mixing consolette; a disco desk speakers will emphasize their shortcomings over for installing turntables and related signal process- whatever benefit accrues from the lot. Also, do not ing units; and the model 5880 mixing console that be misled into thinking that the small drivers often incorporates the functions of a phono preamp, mic used in some high- performing commercial systems preamp, line mixer, headphone amplifier and are "cheap" versions you can pick up at a bargain equalizer. counter in Radio Row. 4. Maybe. But if it does, it is not because of its 100 -watt rating but rather because it is being fed with more amplifier power, or it is more efficient than the 50 -watt speaker, or both. The "100- watt" rating refers not to the relative amount of sound a speaker puts out but only to its safe upper limit for power- handling ability. 5. True. The proximity of large surfaces (floor, walls, ceiling) will reinforce the bass output of any speaker. Send in the "theories" you have been exposed to- whether or not you agree with them -and we'll try to discuss them in a forthcoming issue.

CIRCLE 19 ON READER SERVICE CARD

4111.1111w-

www.americanradiohistory.com 1 THE By Robert Angus ISTORY OF

PART 5: Mr. Mullin's Machine Mullin remembers, "is that the music when we got there, but there was a and Mr. Orr's Brown Paper Bag was well played and obviously at times British officer on the same kind of played by very large orchestras. That assignment as ours. We walked around went on, hour after hour, all :hrough together, and somehow the subject of For most Americans, the story of the night. Well, of course, HitlBr could records and music and recording came the tape recorder goes back only to have anything he wanted in those up. He asked me if I had heard this World War II when two men brought days. All he'd have to do was to say, machine down at Radio Frankfurt. I it forcefully to the American con- 'You stay up and play tonight' -and had heard tape recorders before -we'd sciousness by returning from Europe they'd do it. But that didn't seem been picking up abandoned battery with a working recorder and with the reasonable, even for a madman. The portable jobs all across Europe behind means of making tape for it. amazing thing about this music was the retreating Germans. So when he The two men were John T. Mullin that there wasn't any record scratch told me that this was a tape recorder, I and John Herbert Orr, both serving thought that probably his ears weren't with the U.S. Signal Corps in occupied very good. Germany. Their stories are typical of "When you come down the road the drama which has surrounded the from that mountain, you come to a development of magnetic recording main highway at the bottom. If you since its very beginning. turn right, it takes you back to Paris. Just before the Allied invasion of If you turn left, you're on your way to Europe in 1944, Mullin was assigned Bad Nauheim, which was where Radio to a Signal Corps laboratory some- Frankfurt was actually located. When where on the southern coast of Bri- we got to that junction, I turned left, tain. His assignment: to eliminate in- following the guy's advice. That was terference caused in a radio receiver probably the greatest decision of my the army was using. The unit had been life." developed in the United States, where Radio Frankfurt at the time was be- it worked perfectly. But when it ing operated by the Armed Forces reached Britain, radar signals which Radio Service. When Mullin and his didn't exist in the western hemisphere companion pulled in late in the after- at the time began playing hob with noon, they were greeted by the Signal reception. "It was not a difficult thing Corps officers in charge. "They spoke to solve, and besides I was intrigued in German to an assistant who clicked with the job," Mullin recalled recently. Bing Crosby, in typical attire for his heels and ran back into a room and "As a result, I used to stay up until show day in 1950, beside Mullin's came out with a roll of tape and put it two or three in the morning by myself two Ampex Model 200's. on the machine. That's when I really in the lab. For companionship, I or breaks every few minutes to in- flipped, because I had never heard turned to the AM radio nearby and dicate that they were playing records. anything like that. To my knowledge, tried to find some entertainment. The I was intrigued. I wanted to know how there just hadn't been anything like BBC used to sign off at midnight, so they did it." that in recording before. You couldn't I'd begin fishing around the dial until I Mullin was to find out the following tell whether it was `live' or playback, found something else. It didn't take summer when, as part of a Signal there was no background noise. I was me long to discover that the best Corps team, he was assigned the job of thrilled. The man with me had a entertainment and music at that hour following the retreating German army, camera, and we went to work and came from Germany." picking up any electronic items of in- photographed all the instruction Indeed, entertainment poured forth terest. "Another man and I had the manuals and all the schematics and from German radio 'round the clock, assignment of checking out a tower on took them back to Paris." interspersed with news and propagan- a mountain several miles north of The Signal Corps wanted two of da. "The intriguing thing to me," Frankfurt. There wasn't much left everything, so Mullin quickly rounded

28 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com up two functioning Magnetophons, reels he had shipped home to himself. tape drive, and was produced for the scrounged from Radio Frankfurt, Ra- At the time, nobody in the United Wehrmacht. At its slowest speed, it dio Munich and several other sources. States was making recording tape. recorded for 70 minutes. The playback Meanwhile, he also scrounged two Unbeknownst to Mullin, another head rotated, permitting a recording units for his own use. These he Signal Corpsman, Major John Herbert to be made at one speed, then played disassembled carefully, crated, and Orr, was doing something about that. back at a different speed without mailed home to himself. "They had to Orr had been assigned the job of get- changing the pitch of the recorded be broken down into units small ting BASF's tape manufacturing signal. The fidelity was low. This was enough to fit in mail bags, or you plant at Wald Mittelbach back on its the machine Mullin kept finding all couldn't send them," he recollects. feet as quickly as possible. The plant over western Europe. The Sound Re- "My biggest problem was getting the had been established during the war in corder C was a portable knapsack case into a mail bag, because the case a rural area well away from Lud- model with spring motor drive for use had to enclose everything else. I made wigshafen, in order to avoid Allied by the Wehrmacht and radio cor- little wooden boxes for each of the bombing. Orr worked with Dr. Karl respondents. The Sound Recorder D motors and sent them separately." Pflaumer, a chemist in charge of the was a combination recorder and Altogether, there were 35 packages in- plant. Dr. Pflaumer told him that transmitter for military and radio use. cluding tape, and fortunately all 35 while the plant had kept on producing The RE -3, designed for the navy, was arrived home safely. tape all during the war at a rate of also used in broadcast work. Finally, In the months which followed, some 3000 reels a month, the company there was the K -7, the machine Mullin Mullin singlehandedly did what the really had no idea what the tape was found at Radio Frankfurt. Pflaumer president of Telefunken was unable to being used for. AEG, he said, had been said that there was an experimental do- interest an American manufac- commissioned secretly to develop all AEG machine in addition which used a turer in the Magnetophon. Tele- sorts of specialized recording equip- scanning -type head on an 81/2 -inch by funken's Dr. Heyne, trying to rebuild ment, including broadcast playback 11 -inch sheet of plastic impregnated his war -torn company, took a Magne- sets, field dictation units and others. with oxide. This, he said, could record tophon to General Electric. That com- According to Pflaumer, the Germans up to eight hours at a time. No such pany called in a group of experts who visualized recordings transmitted by machines were reported found. The took one look at it and told GE that phone or radio at eight times recording three tapes were type C, dual layers of the machine had no future, that it was speed to permit rapid, accurate acetate; type L, a single layer of impractical. Mullin was hampered be- communication-the same thing the polyvinyl chloride; and LG, a dual - cause the only tape he had were the 50 shortwave station at Sayville, L.I. had layered calender tape. been doing in 1915 and the U.S. Naval In any event, just as he was com- Research Laboratory had been at work pleting his job at Wald Mittelbach, on during the 1920's. Orr became involved in an automobile Pflaumer identified five recorders accident which put him in the hospital. and three tape types for Orr. The Sound Recorder B had variable speed

John T. Mullin (left) and Murdo McKenzie (right) flanking the two revolutionary German Magnetophons.

JUNE /JULY 1976

www.americanradiohistory.com According to him, while there, he had technique used today in all profes- have the fidelity even of the pho- an Irish nurse who helped him pass the sional and home recorders. In the nograph record. It was very difficult time. In appreciation, he later named months which followed, Webcor and to edit, and if the wire slipped off the his company after her (it should be General Electric began making wire spools, it became hopelessly tangled. noted that Major Orr was an excellent recorders, using the Camras patents. Brands like Polyphonic, Pierce, Pen - storyteller, and at various times he has In 1944, partly in response to a letter tron, Brush, Silvertone, Dynaport, given other accounts of how he chose from Brush, Dr. Ralph Oace of Min- Crescent and WiRecorder were the name "Irish" for his tape). nesota Mining & Manufacturing Co. doomed to disappear almost as fast as began experimenting with recording they had appeared in the first place. Irish Paves the Way oxides and processes for coating tape. By the end of 1948, they simply By the end of the War, Armour had weren't selling. What was selling was When Orr finally was discharged produced some 10,000 military wire tape recorders -from Ampex, Berlant, from the hospital and reassigned recorders, and Brush had produced an Crestwood, Brush Soundmirror, home, Dr. Pflaumer gave him a going - additional 2,000. Ekotape and others. away present -a brown paper bag. In With the coming of peace, it ap- it was what appeared to be iron rust. It peared that magnetic recording might A Momentous Event proved to be the iron oxide formula- yet be a reality for the amateur -but tion BASF had been using to make its that he'd be using wire. Acting on this But we're getting ahead of our story. tape. Orr returned to his home town of premise, Armour licensed Webster - It's May 16, 1946, and something Opelika, Ala., itching to go into Chicago, Sears -Roebuck, RCA and momentous is about to happen. Bear business for himself. Before the war, others to manufacture wire recorders in mind that the wire recorder boom is he had operated a small radio shop, for home use under its patents. In already on, with stores like Sears pro- and had a passionate interest in radio 1946, four young men from Armour moting them for home use. Remember and electronics which had led to his Research decided to go into the wire that 3M has been working on produc- Signal Corps commission. On his way recorder business for themselves. ing magnetic tape for 21/2 years, and home, Orr met Col. Richard Ranger, Their company, Magnecord, would Brush and Indiana Steel Company yet another Signal Corps officer, who produce high fidelity wire recorders for both are at work on similar projects. said that he was thinking of copying professional broadcast use. The first There's a meeting of the San'Francisco one of those German machines and go- year, they sold ten Model SD -1 chapter of the Institute of Radio ing into the tape recorder business. recorders, for $1500 each. The first Engineers scheduled for tonight at the When Orr got back to Opelika, he was purchased by Glenn Martin Air- studios of KFRC. The speaker: Jack found an abandoned prisoner -of -war craft Co., which used it for telemeter - Mullin. His subject: the two German camp on the outskirts of town. He ing rather than sound recording. tape recorders he's been using to do took a long -term lease, hired a research Although the wire recorder con- studio sound recording work for more chemist, Herbert Hard, and moved in tinued to sell well into 1948, its days than a year. to make tape. There was no market in were numbered. Wire simply didn't "The studio was really packed that sight when they started -a fortunate fact, because it took Irish five years to lick the problem of putting oxide on a plastic backing so that it would stay. The process borrowed heavily from BASF's idea of calendering-using one layer of tape oxide to polish another - and Irish became the first to market a calendered recording tape. While there's no gainsaying the im- portance of Muffin's and Orr's con- tributions to the development of tape recording, it would be an over- simplification to imply that nothing else had been happening. In fact, under the auspices of the U.S. Navy and others, there had been a fair amount of research under way since the early months of the war. At about the same time, Armour Research Foundation in Chicago began manufacturing wire recorders for the army and navy. The recorders were the result of experimental work conducted by Marvin Camras, a recent graduate of Illinois Institute of Technology. It was in 1941, also, that Camras applied for a patent for a pro- cess of AC biasing of recordings, the Ched Smiley (center) checking an early stereo master tape.

30 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com night," Mullin said recently. "There found the first had gone to the French, Frank Healy of Bing Crosby Enter- was a lot of interest in the subject. We the second to the British and the third prises. Accordingly, Mullin was in- prepared some tapes of orchestra, vo- was to go to the French. Well, we final- vited in June, 1947 to demonstrate his calists and pipe organ. I was still us- ly got that straightened out and five machine for Crosby and his technical ing the German tape I'd brought of ours did excellent service in our Ar- director, Murdo McKenzie. "After the back, and the whole thing was very ef- my Broadcasting and the sixth one I demonstration there was a lot of in- fective." brought back to Fort Monmouth along terest, but I didn't get the job. In- In the audience that night were with some 20 cases of all kinds of stead, I was invited back in August to Harold Lindsay and Myron Stolaroff, technical equipment which would be of record the first show of the 1947 -48 representing a small company called interest to the Signal Corps." season, to see how it would go," Ampex. After the demonstration, the Meanwhile, word of the successful Mullen recalls. "At the same time, two asked Mullin about the small Ger- IRE meeting had found its way to they were recording the show on discs. man loudspeaker he had used as part of his demonstration. Ampex, they ex- plained, had been making aircraft motors during the war, and the com- pany was now looking for a peacetime product. The engineers who made up Anatomy of a 1/4" tape recorder company management (there was a total of six people on the payroll at the Hysteresis Electro- magnetic time) leaned toward something in high Automatic three -motor braking prevents fidelity, and the German speaker shut -off drive tape spillage might be just the thing. presi- Lindsay reported to Ampex Rugged dent Alexander Poniatoff, who quick- -144 10" NAB reels ly decided that it was the recorder, Neoprene not the speaker, which was worth pur- (or 5" or 7" head mount standard) suing. But before committing himself, for good Poniatoff submitted the idea to a alignment 41041 Only seven group of technical experts. "After moving careful analysis, listening to the Heavy, 4 parts machine, examining its construction," 3/16" plate Poniatoff reported later, "they came for good One -piece, 41/2 pound the unanimous conclusion that the alignment to flywheel - product had no future whatsoever. and- capstan Nobody would bother to thread tape through a very complicated system. Pressure Computer brush Breakage of the tape would im- logic improves permits mediately discourage anybody from contact using it. A disc is so much simpler and any better, they said." Nevertheless, command feeling sequence Poniatoff had a gut that tape Plug -in had a tremendous future. So he electronics Remote record Remotable disregarded the advice and started for no -thump recording work on the first professional American -made tape recorder. Two channel record /playback capability. (Other models with a verbal Mullin, however, had given four, two or one channels; 1/4, 1/2 or full track; playback only. commitment to Col. Richard Ranger, Extra performance options available.) whom he'd met on his way home from Crown CX -824 with any other Europe. Col. Ranger, based in New Compare all the features of the then compare Jersey, had announced plans to build reel -to -reel recorder you may be considering. And represents the real value. tape recorders also based on the the price. Crown Magnetophon, and had gone to Ger- many to get parts and to meet with officials of AEG. He was to write, coupon Send directly to Crown for "The center of Magnetophon produc- Fast playback specifications on Crown tape recorders. tion was the AEG in the part of Berlin Name which finally came under the French. I When listening becomes an art, found that there were parts for 18 Address machines available which had not been City The French agreed to let assembled. crown State Zip them be assembled, and the 18 were to Box 1000, Elkhart IN 46514 M R -3 be apportioned -six to the French, six to the British and six to the U.S. When I came back some weeks later, I CIRCLE 22 ON READER SERVICE CARD

JUNE /JULY 1976 31

www.americanradiohistory.com They also invited Col. Ranger to bring two of his machines out at the same time. He showed up with his first two. He had rushed them through to get them there in time for the demonstra- tion. So he recorded on his, I recorded on the Magnetophons and the Crosby people recorded on discs. During the playback, there was a comparison, and the Crosby people made an immediate decision that they didn't want to hear any more of Ranger's. That was un- fortunate because he hadn't had the time to get the bugs out of his." Bing Crosby on Tape

At the time, the Crosby show was the only major network program which wasn't broadcast "live." Crosby had been off the air entirely in 1945, and had returned to work in 1946 only Project engineer Harold Lindsay because the fledgling American Broad- and the Ampex 200's which were closely modeled after casting Corporation had promised Mullin's Magnetophons. - that he could record his show in ad- after every show, I'd go through and found out what Mullin and Ampex vance. In 1946, that meant 16 -inch take the tape apart, splicing all the lit- were up to. The company had already transcriptions, revolving at 33' rpm. tle bits together so that I could use decided that standardization of tape Crosby, being a casual person, liked to them over again." widths, speeds and reel sizes was do the show without worrying about Crosby was so taken with the essential if tape recording were ever to timing or fluffs, then leave the job of Magnetophons and later with the develop full scale. Since the Magne- trimming it down to size to somebody Ampexes that he became the West tophon's speed and tape size seemed else later. That meant rerecording Coast distributor for Ampex profes- satisfactory, 3M simply standardized from one transcription to another, sional products. He was instrumental around them. Unfortunately, the com- with a resulting loss in sound quality in getting ABC to purchase the first 12 pany's problems weren't over. It dis- on each transfer. Since some transfers machines produced by Ampex. covered that the red iron oxide that it were made three or four times, the "Once Ranger was out of the pic- had developed so laboriously was final version sometimes didn't sound ture, I was free to accept Ampex's in- already covered by a patent held by so good. The sound in some cases was vitation to work with them," Mullin Marvin Camras. 3M promptly sought so poor that the sponsor blamed it continues. "They borrowed my two an exclusive license, then tried to use it for a fall -off in ratings. Crosby was machines, measured them, examined to discourage other manufacturers warned that if he didn't do something the parts and the construction, then from entering the field. about the poor quality of some of his produced the Model 200. It's not an ex- Orr observed that his technology shows, he'd have to go back to doing act copy, but it's very much like the derived from German technology, for the program "live" or risk the loss of German machines." which patent rights were available to his sponsor. anybody through the U.S. Alien Pro- "Well," Mullin continues, "the Magnetic Tape Experiments perty Office. But other early tape result of the demonstration was that makers -Audio Devices and Reeves the Crosby people wanted me to stay At 3M, a management decision had Soundcraft -found themselves in a right there and go through an editing been made the previous year to go round of legal battles to prove that process, to make a broadcast out of it. ahead on the tape recording project, they weren't infringing upon the I did, and they saw how easy it was even though Muffin's machine had yet Camras patent. with tape. The next thing I knew, I to make an appearance. The first prob- While Magnecord's decision to had a job recording the Bing Crosby lem was getting the oxide to stick to switch from wire recorders to tape in show for the rest of the season." the tape backing. The company dis- 1948 lacked the impact of the ap- Mullin was still using his original posed of that one quickly, but decided pearance of the Mullin machines, it German recorders and 50 rolls of re- that something could be done to im- sealed the doom of wire. John Boyers, cording tape; it wasn't until April 1948 prove the oxide coating which Brush one of the original partners, recalls that Ampex delivered its first two was supplying for use with its how it came about: "Going into the recorders to Crosby, and Scotch tape machines. tape recorder business on a profes- didn't show up until Mullin was ready Since machines were necessary to sional basis was rather difficult since to record Program #27. "In the mean- the sale of any magnetic tape, 3M we had an investment in a wire time, all I had was my original 50 began contacting firms which were recorder which promised to be a very rolls. I didn't dare throw anything working on machines and submitting good machine. But our New York away when I edited, because I didn't samples of experimental tape to them. representative convinced one of the know where I could get any more. So It was during this process that 3M other partners and me at two o'clock

32 MODERN RECORDING

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www.americanradiohistory.com one morning that we should make a little short of fantastic. Immediately tape recorder. By the time we got back following the Fair, Magnecord built 12 to Chicago a day and a half later, we machines to fill orders it had already had outlined the genesis of the received, then another 25 which were Magnecord PT -6. Two months later, sold by the time they were assembled. we showed our first unit to the Na- After that the company sold hundreds. tional Association of Broadcasters' Two early customers were Ched convention." Smiley, of Livingston, N.J. and Emory Within weeks, no respectable broad- Cook of Stamford, Conn. Both had ex- cast or recording studio would be perience as recording engineers, both caught dead without either an Ampex were electronic experimenters and 200 or Magnecord PT -6 -or both -on audio hobbyists. Cook used his to the premises. The tape boom was on. record trains, a thunderstorm, the As professional users switched to sound of surf and eventually music in tape, dozens of home recorders began Boston, while Smiley took his to the to appear- carrying names like May Festival in Florence, Italy in 1951 Stenovox, Crestwood, Stancil- to record a symphony orchestra for Hoffman and others. commercial release on tape. The musical applications of The Dawn of Stereo Magnecord's new machine were ob- vious to the company's founders, so in AFM president James Petrillo, Then, one day in 1949, David Apps 1950, they hired a musical coordinator, welcoming the advent of stereo of General Motors Laboratories ap- a young recording engineer and audio- with a benign smile. proached Magnecord with an unusual phile named Bert Whyte. Whyte's request. Could the company build a first chore was to use the stereo cial recording to a screeching halt in tape recorder which could record machine to record as many different the United States only a few years stereophonically? GM had been using types of music as possible. As the Ben- before, he was a man feared by record a PT -6 to analyze automobile noise, ny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, companies and broadcast executives, but had found it unsatisfactory Woody Herman, Jimmy McPartland and adored by his union's members. "I because of the limited perspective. and other bands passed through had been down to the University of Il- Perhaps a stereo model might solve Chicago, Whyte taped them all in linois at Urbana," Whyte said recent- the problem. Magnecord responded stereo. Unfortunately, none of these ly. "Leopold Stokowski was doing a with a PT-6 modified so that there tapes (many still in existence) has been concert there, and he had agreed to let were two three -head assemblies spaced released commercially, thanks in part me record it on an experimental basis. 1%18 inches apart. The upper assembly to union problems. I came back to Chicago with the tape, recorded the left channel, the lower It was Whyte, in fact, who had the and arranged for an appointment to assembly the right. Having made one chore of explaining stereo to James play it for Mr. Petrillo. He sat there stereo machine, Magnecord made two Caesar Petrillo, then president of the and listened, and as he listened I could more, for display at the 1949 Audio American Federation of Musicians. see his face clouding up. When the tape Fair in New York. The response was Since Petrillo had brought all commer- ended, he scowled and said to me, 'Of course, you realize that we'll have to work out a new pay scale for stereophonic recordings. Since there are two channels on the tape, I'd con- sider that two recording sessions. Each man in the group would have to be paid twice.' " Since stereo hadn't gotten to the point where anybody was considering recording it commercially, it was ob- vious to Whyte that any such sugges- tion would kill stereo before it ever got started. "Yes, Mr. Petrillo," he ex- plained. "But don't you see? If stereo catches on, everything will have to be rerecorded since there are no stereo recordings now." As Petrillo con- templated what this would mean in work schedules for his musicians, the scowl slowly faded, to be replaced with a benign smile. "Yeah," he said, and the meeting was over. 4 (Left to right) Bert Whyte and Leopold Stokowski: NEXT ISSUE: A toast to the beneficence of AFM's Petrillo. The Stereo Era

34 MODERN RECORDING

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CIRCLE 5 ON READER SERVICE CARD

www.americanradiohistory.com he control room is filling up. Running over back- So, I started convincing people that maybe they should ground vocals, working out harmonies for `Don't Let allow me to spend some of their money for them. the Sur," Dusty Springfield, Jessie Smith, Clydie MR: And what was the first? King and Sherlie Mathews are watching Gus for cues. GD: Well, the very first thing I did was a "live" album Elton - shows, meets everyone, then sits quietly on a with a guy called Zoot Money, who was around the time of stool in the back. Almost reserved. Bruce Johnson, Brian Georgie Fame and Chris Farlow- sort of British R & B bag. Wilson arrive. Cat Stevens and Danny from Three Dog And then I did the early Strawb's and it sort of built up from Night fall in. An event. Elton has an idea. Everyone to there. But the biggest shot in the arm I had was producing the piano. "Billion- dollar background vocals," Gus chortles. "Space Oddity" because that was the first time -you know, "Imagine that liner note." The tape runs. It doesn't sound the David Bowie record -that somebody actually said, "Do good. Too many voices. Too many stars. Two hours pass. exactly what you want. Just do it really, really well." And I Everyone in the control room is getting a bit nervous. thought, "Right, this is the one, this song is just so good." Everyone except Gus. He's still smiling like the world's in So we sat down and we planned it very, very carefully, and his hands. The engineer's wondering what's going on and he when it came out, it actually was exactly what it was sup- keeps looking at Gus for signs. Gus hasn't said a word for an posed to be. There are so few things in that record that even hour. Sometime after midnight he casually pushes the now I can fault, that I feel were mistakes. "Space Oddity," talkback. "I don't think this .is going to work. Let's move in fact, then led to Elton John coming to see me because he on." On cue, as if from a movie director, everyone shifts liked the record and was looking for a producer. gears. On to the next track. It might look chaotic but Gus is in control.

Modern Recording: You seem incredibly relaxed in the studio. Are you? Is that real? Gus Dudgeon: Oh, yeah! I often go to sleep. No -I'm always relaxed, always very relaxed in the studio, because there's nothing about a studio that phases me, unless the equipment goes wrong. Then, suddenly, I'm not very re- laxed! AN INTERVIEW WITH MR: Has it always been like that? ELTON JOHN'S PRODUCER & GD: Yeah, I think so, probably because I was an engineer first. I think once you've got to the point where the console A can't do anything to fool you, once you know exactly what it does and what it can't do, it's like driving a car. MR: Do you think you were a good engineer? BY RICHARD SANFORD ORSHOFF GD: Not really. I think what happened, really, was that I enjoyed it at the beginning. I thought it was fantastic. But I got bored with it very quickly because I realized it wasn't really what I wanted to do. Once I realized that it was a means to an end, I became a little more satis fled with it because I knew it was going to lead to something. But, of course, I became very frustrated.

www.americanradiohistory.com "Space Oddity," in fact, then led to and very often the first thing you Orbison. Elton is just -I s'pose it Elton John coming to see me because thought of was the best thing anyway. sounds strange of me to say this, for he liked the record and was looking for It's that feeling of, like, they're here to me to compare artists that I work a producer. do this, and it's only just being created with, 'cause they might become MR: What had Elton been doing up and it's all completely brand new and offended- but, the fact is, in his own until that point? fresh and everybody's right on their way, Elton is head and shoulders GD: Elton had made an album called toes. It creates a very good, high - above them all, simply because he's Empty Sky which hadn't been totally pitched, tense situation. Making an just completely in charge of himself. successful. But he'd made some good album, then, you have no illusions He's -I could go on about him for records that I'd heard. And the impor- about what you're going to do. I mean, hours -he's just got the right balance tant thing as far as I was concerned at I arrive in America, at a studio, with of humanity and ambition. And he just the time was that, when he came in, I about as much idea of what kind of balances it out really nicely. knew I liked the stuff of his I had album it's going to be as I have about MR: In the case of these projects already heard, and out of about twenty flying to the moon. I walk in the door then, I would assume you find yourself songs he played for me, I heard about and he says, "Here are the songs." participating more in production than twelve, as many as twelve, that just Bang, bang, bang. in Elton's sessions? freaked me out. I just thought, "This MR: They've been there a couple of GD: I find myself doing jobs, worry- guy -not only is he good, but he's got days and he's been writing and play - ing about things with other people I staying power." There was such a high ing? work with - things that I just don't percentage of his stuff that was really GD: Yeah. And I just get an instant have to worry about with Elton. There good. That was really what I'd been reaction. Yes. No. Yes. No. Whatever. are lots of things that Elton just takes looking for, something that I could see Oh, that sounds -oh, when I pop my care of. You don't think about it. You going on for a period of time rather fingers -listen to that one again -and, don't worry about it because you know than just being one or two odd shots maybe this -oh, that's a bit weird but he's got it well "sussed" out. To take a here and there. I'll probably like it. And it all kind of small example, when Elton is laying MR: How did it come together from comes bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, down his lead vocal, at the same time there? and then after a couple of days I'm he's laying it down, he's already work- GD: At the beginning -the very first completely into it. And everybody else ing out what his harmonies are going album we planned for three weeks is. And making an album is like one to be. And he comes in and says, before -all of us, we sat down and long, relaxing session, because you "Okay, I want to try this harmony." planned it to the last, absolutely to the start off on the first day, on the first And you go "fine." With most other last detail. The whole album was done title, super- tense, thinking, "Jesus people, they come in and you say, in a week. Christ, is it really going to be this "Well, that's great. Now, let's try MR: "All of us" meaning who? good? Have we really got so many some harmonies." And that's the dif- GD: Well, that was Paul Buck- great songs ?" And then, slowly as you ference. So, in no way am I putting the master, myself, Steve Brown, Elton, go, as you work your way through the other artists that I work with down, and Bernie would drop by occasionally album, it becomes more and more it's just that Elton deserves to be too. And we planned the whole album. relaxing, you slowly unwind, you get where he is, because he's that good. After that, the second album, which the final track out of the system and And other people maybe just need a was Tumbleweed Connection, that was you know the album is done and all little more help. And I think they'd be done very much a la carte. We just three tracks are done. The feeling is the first to admit it. went in with the guys from Hook foot just amazing. MR: On the other hand, you men- and laid about eight tracks down in There doesn't seem to be any kind of tioned to me before that Elton doesn't about two days. real system to it. The only thing I do work on the mixes of his records. How MR: Once you mentioned that you know that is consistent, is the fact involved does he get in the production? very seldom go into the studio with that when you get there -even though GD: That's very difficult to answer. Elton having already written songs. some of the things on first hearing, He has absolutely nothing to say, You schedule an album without any you think, "What? He's gone mad!"- usually. Let me say first of all, once songs to record. after a while it just seems to fall into he's left the studio he's done his piece. GD: Oh, that's right. Let me think. place. He's finished. That's it. He doesn't at- He first started doing that when we MR: The projects you're doing tend any mixes. He doesn't attend if went to the Chateau [a studio in now - Howard Werth and Colin we're going to use an orchestra. He France] and did Honky Chateau. And Blunstone -how do you find they dif- doesn't even attend the routining, the he wrote the songs at the Chateau. fer from being in the studio with decision of what the line -up should be. Ever since then, he's written them on Elton? He gets a rough idea, 'cause I keep him location at the studio. GD: Oh well, every single artist is informed. MR: How do you feel that affects completely different. Apart from any- MR: I assume this is by choice. studio work -or does it? Or does it thing else, Elton is the most extra- GD: Yes, by his choice. For instance, make it more spontaneous? ordinary artist that I've ever worked when we're doing the backing vocals, GD: Well, I'll tell you what it does. with as a producer or even as an he never comes in on those sessions, It's one of those things that keeps you engineer. And as an engineer, I worked for two reasons. Firstly, they can be on your toes because when you start to with an incredible amount of different very boring, especially for somebody work on the songs completely fresh -if artists. You know, from John Mayall, who's just sitting there observing. I you spend too much time thinking Marianne Faithful, The Zombies, mean, a few hours of listening to about something, you go stale on it, Small Faces, all kinds of people, Roy someone doing an "ah -ing" can

JUNE /JULY 1976 37

www.americanradiohistory.com become a pain in the ass, unless you're sound you try to achieve as a pro- ly flat. I just tidy a few things up. physically doing it. And also, because ducer? Maybe I may use EQ on say a guitar or being such a good vocalist himself, it's GD: For me personally, the sort of something -not on an acoustic, but I obviously frustrating for him to hear sound I've always been after, right will on an electric, because an electric other people having a problem with from when I started, has been the sort is not so difficult to change in a mix. something he wouldn't have any prob- of sound we got on "Captain Fan- But I never use it on things like bass lem with. So therefore, he's just cool tastic." That, to me, was the ultimate. or anything like that, because the EQ about it. And also, if they're in the Of course, now I can already fault it, is just so sharp. studio and they see him standing there but at the time it was the nearest I've For me, the MCI is very, very looking at them, and they know he got to what I always wanted. musical, the EQ is extremely musical. could do what they're trying to do in MR: Do you feel the equipment And when you lift something, it just one take, what they would, say, take makes much difference? At least, did lifts nicely and it just sounds smooth four or five takes to do, they just get a you in that case? and it doesn't sound EQ'ed. What I bit hung up. So, he's very cool. He just GD: Oh, I'm convinced. I mixed that don't like about Neve is I can tell a goes, watches television or plays all on MCI gear. You see, the thing is, I Neve recording from 55 miles away. I backgammon or pool or something, don't like Neve equipment at all. And a s'pose I can tell an MCI from 55 miles and we just get on with it, and he lot of people use it. And, for some away, but I happen to like that sound. comes in and checks it out now and reason, people are using it a lot in the MR: I've seen some of your 24 -track again for a couple of minutes, and then States. I don't know, I think they're tapes with four and six tracks of when it's all over, we play the whole buying it because it's British, which is drums. Elton's records consistently thing back for him. a pretty bloody stupid reason to buy have a full and driving and yet, at the The mixes I've always done on my anything. same time, musical drum sound. Are own. He often says, "This time, on this The fact is, all the EQ is so sharp, if the two related? album, I'm going to come down and you start putting EQ on a 24 -track GD: Not really. This whole drum listen to some of the mixes," but he tape with Neve, and then decide later thing comes up all the time. It's one never actually shows up. If he does, all you want to duck it out, there's no thing that everybody from taxi drivers he says is, "How many have you way- because it's too damn sharp, you to recording engineers comment on. done," and if I say, "Three," he says, can't get hold of it and pull it back into And yet, it's something that I've never "Can I hear them ?" And I'll play them shape again. consciously-well, I s'pose a long time to him, and he says, "Great," and off And, what I've done at Caribou [a ago, I made a conscious attempt to do he goes again. studio on a ranch in Colorado] which is something with drums that nobody MR: Is there any particular kind of Neve, is I record everything complete- else had done. And that was, very simply, to record them properly -to record them the way they sound, not mixánd patch like the way an equalizer can bend them. I really can't pin it down to any one stage. I'm sure I wasn't doing it when Russound's QT -1 audio con- I was a recording engineer, because in trol center and patchbay permits the tape monitor loop of your audio system to conveniently accommodate thesup to four tape recorders those days it was four -track recording. of quad, stereo or mono format in any combination, plus outboard noise reduction, equalizers, compressor /limiters, and SQ, QS, RM, and CD -4 decoder /demodulators. All accessories plug Anyway, I think it came about into phono jacks on the QT -1 rear panel (72 available) and are programmed from the front panel. because I suddenly found that drum- Use for recording, playback, dubbing and mixing down from tapes at the flip of a switch. Patch mers were applying a certain kind of cords (12 furnished) permit convenient sound -on- sound, sound -with- sound, channel interchanging, and in- pressure you sertion of equalization, noise reduction, etc., anywhere in the audio chain and in any desired sequence. on which was very subtle. The QT-1 is obsolescence -proof and provides professional studio type flexibility and convenience at They were buying good kits -good an audiophile price of $249.95. kits that sounded really good "live" - For complete product information and list of demonstrating dealers, contact and we were trying bass drum mics and that added something extra, and then we thought, "Well, Christ, if « that AUX-DEDDDE bass drum mic has an OUT 000. effect, why don't pI.AY BON we try it on tom toms." And then we m«% a BUSS ^ `o`w` CORy started putting different mics on tom pE00p0 co toms and fiddling about, and bit by IN o#i F g 1 bit, over a period of time while I was BOURCE J. Egg. E LI! working at Trident, I found that I was 1N ON OECDOE NEDUOn NO16E getting somewhere and it was achiev- O ing BE000:4__ l py something. Right from the begin- NMfiE 4-4 ning, as soon as I started producing, I .. ,--- always recorded the drums in stereo, which was something I knew that no one else was -well, maybe somebody else was doing it, but I didn't know of anybody else that was actually record- ing drums in stereo. Russound/F1c. MR: That was eight -track in Canal Street those days? North Berwick, Maine 03906 CIRCLE 4 ON READER SERVICE CARD 38 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com GD: Right. Eight -track at Trident. Just the fact that they were in stereo meant that you had to have more microphones. And then when you started employing more microphones you suddenly found you were hearing all kinds of overtones and things within the drums that you'd never even noticed before. And then along came , who I think must be responsible more than any other drum- mer in the whole word, to revolutionize not only drumming as an art (rather than the techniques, because he's not a technical drummer, he's an artistic drummer), but he revolutionized it in terms of the sort of fills he played and his whole approach. And it's just become a habit now. I automatically spend as much time as I need to on a drum kit. Sometimes it's only 15 minutes, and sometimes it's two days. It's been as long as two, Gus surveys an old watermill outside of London on the River Thames three days to get the drum sound which he has recently purchased. His original plans to build a mixing right. But the funny thing is, people room have expanded to include a complete 24 -track quad studio, will always talk about Nigel [Olssen's] rehearsal studio and accomodations for guests and artists. drum sound because, I suppose, they probably know my work with him bet- this and I use that," and he's saying, have described a rather involved ter than anybody else. And they're "Well, that's what I use. enclosure system for miking piano. always saying, "How do you get that So, why is it different? I don't know. Others have tried that, but there is drum sound on Nigel ?" And my an- It seems to be that my ears, my taste, still something about Elton's piano swer, quite honestly, is, "1 don't fuck- tell me that something is right or sound that consistently rides above it. ing know!" I s'pose if I got down to it something is wrong. And I listen to GD: Well, that's a special one. I and actually told them, they'd say, somebody else's album and I think, don't know what it is. All I can say is I "Well, that's what I do!" Because I'm "Well, that's probably the worst bass think it's a combination of- number sure we all do the same. But, it seems sound that I've ever heard in my life." one, it's got to start out with the to be the subtleties that make the dif- But somebody else may listen to it and pianist and the way he plays. It could ference. There seems to be something say, "Well, that's the greatest, that's be something to do with the weight he that I look for that maybe other people just so great." A lot of people, for in- plays at. don't look for. I don't know. stance, really like the sound that Chris MR: Would you describe the set -up? MR: There seems to be this consis- Squire gets with Yes. The bass sound. GD: I extend the piano. I think you tent "shine" on Elton's tracks even I think it's terrible. There's no way would agree that the best way to get a from album to album, specifically that I would ever want to get that piano sound is to get the mics as far drums and piano and vocal. This is sound. And if I tried to get it, I away from the strings as possible. You really part of the same question. Is wouldn't know how to get it. get far too many overtones and far too this something you work towards or is I think we did get it once for "Fun- much unnatural presence from a piano this something that has to do with the eral for a Friend." There's just this when the mic is three inches from the particular kind of echo you use, or very short section in "Funeral for a strings. After all, when you're playing what? Friend" where Dee Murray specifically the piano you haven't got your ear GD: Let me put it this way. If I was asked for that sound, and we did get it, three inches from the strings. If you to go and produce the Beach Boys, but most of the work on getting the did you'd deafen yourself, and you'd we'd both get screwed up. Because the sound came from him, not from me, hear all kinds of awful things going on. Beach Boys -I've talked to Carl because I just looked at him and said, Ringings, overtones, harmonics, all Wilson about it -I would come in and "Well, I don't know where to begin." kinds of gear you don't want to hear. I'd say, "How the hell do you do this? It's the same with the Beach Boys. I'm So, what I did, working on the prin- Why on earth do you -and, how do sure if the Beach Boys tried to use my ciple that you don't want the mics fur- you get this ?" And he's saying, "I techniques, they wouldn't get it right. ther back, I built a box which is exact- don't know what you're talking And if they did, they'd mess up what ly the same size and shape as a piano, about." they do anyway. Because the way they except that it's about four foot high And he's saying to me, "Well, forget do their thing is amazing. I just love and sits on top of the piano, so the about -how do you get this piano the way the Beach Boys produce their piano has basically been heightened by sound ?" And I'm going, "Well, I don't records. But I feel that if I did it, I about four foot. Now that means that, know." And he's saying, "Well, what would just screw them up. with the piano being about a foot in- kind of mics, where do you put the MR: There are some specific things side, you've got about five or six feet mics ?" And I'm saying, "Well, I use that you do though. For example, you that you can move up or down with the

JUNE /JULY 1976 39

www.americanradiohistory.com mics. The inside of this box is lined won't sound right through the new sophisticated... around the sides with some kind of Dolbys, no matter what they say. My dampening material. Usually we use ears tell me that. fiberglas, which is the stuff you use in I have been recording all my 24- roof insulation -not that you have tracks and 16- tracks recently at 30 ips. very much roof insulation in the And I shall continue to do so. I have the States, because it's always warm been putting a slightly elevated level ¡ enough. But in England we use it a lot. on the tape. I've been putting on 4 dB 1JQ" The top of the piano, top of the lid as more than I used to. The Solution V it were, on the inside, is left untreated, album was actually mixed through so it reflects a little bit. And then we Dolbys. But from now on, I'm going to insert the microphones in a hole which mix 30 as well. The only reason that I is cut in the "U," as you look at the didn't mix 30 before was because there THREE-BAND piano on the right hand side, where weren't any good cutting rooms in this you get the dip in the side of the piano. country that had a 30 ips machine in PARAMETRIC We cut a square there, which is big their cutting room. But now, a cutting enough to allow the microphones to room that I use a lot and one par- EQUALIZER /PREAMP move completely up to the top of the ticular engineer who cuts [all our box or right down to the strings. And, master parts] -for the entire world Find out why the parametric has depending on the number, we move the because nobody else could match it. become the most popular equal- mics around to get different effects. He now has a 30 ips machine, so I'm izer type in the major state -of - MR: Do you generally use Neuman going to mix to 30 from now on. the -art recording studios. Versa- 87's? MR: Getting the noise back doesn't tility is the reason it simply - GD: Generally, yes. Although, if I bother you? offers the greatest range of tone can find I 67's, prefer I . variations. The Furman Sound them, 'cause GD: All I can say is, if anybody can parametric is equally at home in think they're better. spot the noise to an irritating level, a studio or a guitar/bass/key - MR: Less flat? then I shall send them a personally board system ... and the price GD: Listen, I haven't the faintest autographed new mix of it. is right. idea what the difference is, all I know MR: One last question: is there go- is, to my ears they just sound better. ing to be a real "live" Elton album in Continuously variable frequency The same thing with the bloody drum the future? controls means you can EQ where sound. you want it - you aren't limited GD: I don't know whether I'm sup- MR: How many mics do you to 5 or 7 frequencies as with usually posed to tell you, but there will in fact graphic equalizers. use on drums? be one. Yes. Bandwidth controls means you GD: Depends on the size of the kit. MR: Has it already been planned, get control of adjacent frequen- Nigel has used everything from enor- recorded? cies, too...boost or cut just at a mous Slingerland kits down to quite GD: It's been recorded, because over frequency or several octaves high- small kits. I usually try if possible to the period of about two years I've been er and lower, too. mic everything individually, ex- recording gigs quite frequently. The Equalization is calibrated in deci- cept I don't mic every in- only reason I'm telling you that there bels, can at varied from +20 db dividually but I mic, obviously, the will be one is because it's obvious, con- boost to over -40 db cut. snare, the bass drum and all the in- sidering that the "B" side of "Lucy" Three bands means you have total dividual tom toms. Sometimes I mic was the "live" thing with Lennon. Ob- control of three frequencies si- above, sometimes below. But that, viously I didn't go along there and multaneously. One band for lows, again, depends on the tuning of the record one song. So anybody must one for mids, and one for highs drum and whether it has a bottom skin figure out, "Well, there's a 'live' re- in broadly overlapping ranges. on or not. cording for a start." And it was com- Preamp gain varies from unity MR: Are you still using kepex on mon knowledge that the Royal Festi- gain (for studio use or use with drums? val Hall gig was taped some time ago, standard instrument +33 amps) to GD: Very rarely. In fact, I've the gig that Elton did for Princess db (to directly a drive power stopped using kepex almost entirely. Margaret. amp). Control allows Preamp over- I've also stopped Dolbys as well. MR: load distortion only if and when using When will we be seeing that? you want it. MR: Really? GD: That I don't know. It's in the GD: I stopped Dolbys with can, I EQ in / bypass switch with LED using the but haven't mixed it yet. indicator. Solution album. You should get a copy MR: All the recording has been of it. It's a remarkable sound. done? Built -in regulated power supply. MR: Are you using any noise reduc- GD: I think we've got enough. Ob- Mounts in standard 19" racks. tion? viously, we've taken the same precau- Optional cabinet available. GD: None at all. I don't like it. It tions that any "live" artist does when changes the sound. And I don't care if they do a album, which is, Exclusive distribution by "live" you Ray Dolby were to sit down and give record a number of gigs which you Rothchild Musical Instruments me a 45 -year lecture, it wouldn't make think are going to be good and then 300 Windsor Road any difference. For a start, the various you pick the best from that. I don't Englewood, New Jersey 07631 Dolby systems don't match. If you think people think it's done any other record through the old Dolbys they way. CIRCLE 60 ON READER SERVICE CARD 40 MODERN RECORDING

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www.americanradiohistory.com MR: When will you be cutting the record? Can you tell me something about that? Like where and what? GD: We should be going in the studio hopefully in the middle of March. MR: Caribou? GD: No. We were going to use Caribou, but we changed our minds, and decided to go probably to Canada. In fact, I'm coming over to the States in about two weeks time to have a look around some Canadian studios and pick one out. We had already decided after the last album, Rock of the Westies, that that would be the last time at Caribou, because -it's got nothing to do with the actual studio, even though I don't like working on a Neve desk; I've avoided the problems there by simply recording flat. But the real reason we're moving is Gus because we usually make a change (right), avoiding the flick of that certain switch. about every two or three albums. It becomes too easy. If you keep going to great or it could be quite boring. It's FLASH! The day before this issue the same place, you get to the point that thing that keeps you on your edge went to press there arrived on my desk that you know it so well that you've and keeps you thinking, "Is this going a shipment of MCA records contain - only got to flick a certain switch and to work or isn't it ?" As soon as we've ing-lo and behold -a new Elton John you know what's going to happen, it started to feel very comfortable in a album entitled Here and Now. Side 1 is becomes a drag. It's much better to place and very kind of relaxed, we've "live "at London's Royal Festival Hall flick a switch and think, "What the moved. It keeps you on your toes. This and Side 2 is "live" at New York's fuck is going to happen ?" It could be also keeps it alive. Madison Square Garden. -Ed. .4 I5öößp TAI Believe in it on the road or off

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www.americanradiohistory.com eGSESSION WITH ,i

44

www.americanradiohistory.com reflects the group's "go with the flow" Brian stopped touring with the philosophy. Beach Boys and (depending on your The Beach Boys have been together source) "stayed home and wrote a lot, since 1961 and the group still consists and stepped back to get a new perspec- of the original five members: Brian, tive on producing" (Brian); "took a Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin well -deserved rest and stopped touring Mike Love, and Al Jardine, a high - 'cause it's too fuckin' loud on stage" By Bob Weil school friend. Today, all but Carl are in (Dennis); "was recuperating from a the studio working on the Phil Spector breakdown" (the press); or backed off Photos by Ed Roach classic, "." They have from the pressures of a demanding just completed the rhythm tracks and record industry and of a worshipfully The Beach Boys are among an elite are gathered in the control room to expectant public (pure conjecture). group of musicians who enjoy the lux- listen back before putting on addi- Anyway, whatever he did, Brian ury of recording at their own fully tional instruments and vocals. Dennis gradually took a less active role in the equipped 24 -track studio. Brother Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine group and Carl, Dennis, Mike and Al Studio is owned by Beach Boys Dennis seem pleased with the tracks so far, began doing more of the writing and and Carl Wilson. The facility, located, but they are even more enthused about producing. This more democratic ar- appropriately enough, in the sunny the fact that Brian Wilson is really en- rangement resulted in some fine surf city of Santa Monica, Cal., gives joying himself in the studio. albums -most notably Surf's Up and the group the opportunity to create Throughout the Beach Boys's ca- Holland -but without Brian's leader- and record in a comfortable environ- reer, Brian Wilson has remained the ship things slowed down. An indica- ment, free from the problems of sched- group's creative leader. In the early tion of the group's admiration for uling, booking and, more importantly, '60's, he wrote the songs that captured (dependence on ?) Brian comes from paying for outside studio time -major the American adolescent dream world Dennis: "I look at Brian as the pro- considerations for most artists. of sun, surf, cars and teenage romance. ducer. Like Mike Love's master in Over the past six months, the Beach His high falsetto became the band's transcendental meditation is Boys have rehearsed at Brother for trademark, and after a few albums he Maharishi Mahesh Yogi -and he's a their recent national tour; they have had replaced his father, Murray Wil- nice guy -my master is Brian Wilson worked in the studio on individual son, as the group's producer. By 1966, in the studio. He blows my mind! I Brian had matured as a producer and the group had grown musically. The result was Pet Sounds, an album notable for its melodic an conceptual co- hesiveness and for Brian's use of the studio as an ac- tive part of the creative process - something more than a means of preserving a "live" performance. In keeping with his reputa- tion as an eccentric, Brian mixed the album in mono, although stereo was fully accepted at the time. And, projects ranging from soundtracks to in keeping with his professional love his music and emotionally go sp.producing other artists; they reputation, Pet Sounds was, and is, a through changes when I hear it. I have worked intermittently in very successful album -from both know it's weird talking about a various combinations on their popular and critical standpoints. brother like that, but he's a fucking long- awaited album of original ma- At this point, the group was record- genius." terial; and, most recently, they have ing all over Los Angeles - mainly at It has been almost four years since recorded a number of their favor- Gold Star, Columbia and United - the Beach Boys have recorded an ite Oldies from the "Golden Western -and, piece by piece, Brian album of original material. But, the Age of Rock 'n' Roll." Some put together Good Vibrations, a sea of Oldies album is different. Dennis ex- days's sessions have been overdubbed, heavily processed vocals, plains: "We're recording it because we cancelled simply because no flowing in and out of numerous time want to. It's a fun thing, which is what one showed, and on other changes. Good Vibrations is a land- this group is all about. The album is days the entire group has ap- mark in that the song summed up the more than just a warm -up for the peared at the studio totally Beach Boys's celebration of the joyful original album, but it has a loose feel, unannounced, but ready to life. It was the quintessence of Brian's for sure." record. In a word, the situation richly layered production technique at Brian obviously feels comfortable there is "loose." The Beach Boys are the time, and it marked the beginning producing in Brother's easy atmos- Brother's raison d'etre, and the studio of his self-imposed withdrawal. phere. Seated at the Clover Industries'

45

www.americanradiohistory.com board next to engineer Steve Moffitt, he has a casual confidence in his talent for choosing the right instrument or achieving the desired effect. As Brian positions and EQ's the tracks recorded so far (drums, percussion, autoharp, piano and guitar), "Chapel of Love" takes on a subtle but unmistakable Beach Boys sound, even before their distinctive vocals are added. Steve Moffitt, who has been engi- neering for the group for about four years, explains, "The Wilsons all have this thing for grouping together in- struments that are in the same regis- ter. This thickens the sound and pro- duces some interesting phasing effects which we sometimes exaggerate with radical EQ. For example, we might boost 400 cycles and cut 500 cycles to get a lot of shift, which gives you that swimmy effect. When you look at most popular songs on an oscilloscope, you get a fairly linear pattern from bottom -left to top- right. That in- dicates everything's pretty much in appreciate this effect, compare the while the piano appears to be only a phase. Most Beach Boys songs will swirling sound of most Beach Boys foot across, and there appear to be produce a rounder, sunburst pattern albums with the realistic sound of three drummers located throughout which means there's a lot of shift. The Sunflower, which was produced by the the studio. Wilsons use that effect to get their whole group in 1970. Sunflower was a Mike Love and Brian agree that particular sound." major departure from the group's "Chapel" has plenty of bottom end This unique approach to equaliza- usual production (according to the even without a bass track, but Brian tion and positioning results in a mask- liner notes) in that it was "recorded in decides bells should be added before ing effect that tends to blend the in- true stereophonic sound; [it is] not 16 moving on to the vocals. He tells per- struments (and voices when they are monophonic signals placed somewhere cussionist Gene Estes to "just play all added) into a homogeneous mixture. between right and left speakers, the tonics, except on the turn- This is in direct opposition to most blended together with echo, but [it] arounds," and it works on the first producers today who go for maximum capture[s] the ambience of the room take. Brian Wilson's talent as a pro- definition on each track. And, since the and the sound in perspective as heard ducer goes beyond an intuitive sense of Beach Boys place the tracks in the naturally by the ear." Conversely, the what something will, or should, sound stereo spectrum in order to create a autoharp on the new album's "Chapel like. He has the rare ability to com- certain aural effect (as opposed to of Love" seems municate his ideas effec- reproducing the placement of a "live" to take up the tively to engineer and performance), the listener's normal entire room, musician alike. Surpris- frame of ingly, these are the first refer- sessions for which Brian ence be- will receive a separate comes producer's percentage. irrele- vant. In order to

46 MODERN RECORDING

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www.americanradiohistory.com The instrumental tracks are com- nonody- knows- how-many years, casu- limited a little, then mixed up front." plete and it is evident that keyboards ally agrees and leaves the control room There is nothing really extraordinary have replaced the as the for the studio. Once in front of the in the way the Beach Boys's vocals are instrumental cornerstone of the Beach microphone, he appears to have some recorded any more than there is a trick Boys's music. Brian plays most of the reservations and asks that the control to recording Eric Clapton's guitar keyboards or on the album, although the room be cleared of everybody but Miles Davis' . More often than other Wilsons sit in on some of the Beach Boys and engineers. not, good production is more a matter tracks. Various combinations of piano, Through the (almost) soundproof of highlighting something that is Baldwin organ, MOOG and ARP studio door, we can barely hear Brian's already special than of taking String some- Ensemble synthesizer give the still familiar falsetto running through thing ordinary and trying to make it cuts a rich sound. Brian calls the syn- the song. By the third time through he special. thesizer the "greatest addition to the is singing pretty confidently, they When Mike, Al and Brian are satis- Beach -Boys sound to come along," have a take, and all of us non-essential fied with the back -up vocals, Steve and he actually prefers the String personnel have trickled back into the makes some cassette copies of the Ensemble's unnaturally full sound to control room. rough mix for the band to listen to out- an real string section for most songs. Listening back, Brian's voice sounds side the studio. It has been a produc- This emphasis on keyboards is a far a little rusty in a couple of spots, but tive and eventful day and everyone's cry from the early Beach Boys hits basically the track feels good. After spirits are high. which almost single -handedly popu- some discussion of possible back- As he gets ready to leave, Brian is larized the Fender Stratocaster. That raving about Phil Spector: "The man self- contained electric -combo sound is just a hero. He gave rock just what was a radical departure at the time it needed at the time and obviously in- from the pop orchestral /rock sound of fluenced us a lot. We're doing two the early '60's, and some people think more Spector songs on the album: that it helped pave the way for the '' which he co- Beatles and Progressive Rock. wrote with Carole King and Jerry Gof- This is not to say that the guitar has fin, and 'He's So Fine' [written by been phased out of the Beach Boys' Margo, Margo, Medress and Siegel]. I music entirely. Carl has become an ex- guess I chose most of the ballads on cellent guitarist, and, in spite of a bad the album. Carl and Dennis are more back, he has been coming in regularly into rock 'n' roll and picked 'Rock 'n' to lay down guitar tracks. In a couple Roll Music,' 'Mony Mony' and of cases he is literally "laying down" 'Palisades Park.' Al and Mike are the the tracks, since the only position he R & B fans and they suggested play can in without considerable pain 'Blueberry Hill,' 'A Casual Look' and is flat on his back on the studio floor. 'On Broadway.' " Other guitarists featured on the album It is easy to see that Brian feels good include studio guitarist Ben Benay, about today's session and the Oldies and Ed Carter and Billy Hinsche who album, in general. The group is sched- are members of the Beach Boys back- uled to have some publicity shots up band on the road. taken the following day and won't be Meanwhile, back at the "Chapel ", coming in until late afternoon. This Steve Moffitt sets up the Neuman U- gives a perfect opportunity to sit down for 67's the vocals, and Earl Mankey, with Steve and Earl to get the engi- Brother's other staff engineer, ex- neer's viewpoint. plains, "The U -67's tube sound is Steve has been with the Beach Boys usually perfect for the group's vocal since Carl and Dennis called him in late blend, but we will occasionally go to a ground vocal lines and of who is going 1971 to work on So Tough -a Beach - Sony C -12 when we want a solo vocal to take the high part, Al and Mike Boys album recorded under the pseu- to stand out." move to the studio. As it turns out, donym of "Carl and the Passions." Meanwhile, the group is in the midst Mike (who usually sings the lower "I didn't know it then, but my of deciding who will sing lead. Most ar- leads) takes the high harmony, but the freelancing days were over. First I tists have a fairly specific plan for basic quality of the Beach Boys's har- spent a week figuring out Brian's vocals before the rhythm tracks are mony comes through. home studio, then we did the album. finished but, according to Dennis, Moffitt, who also mixes for the Then we packed up the whole studio "We've all been through the mill group on the road, says, "The Beach and flew to Holland where we set it together, and we know what to expect. Boys have naturally unique vocals back up and recorded the album Hol- Strengths, weaknesses .... So what- without even touching them. Their land. When we got back, the equip- ever happens, whoever takes the lead blend is usually accented further by ment went into storage for about a will be the Beach Boy who is right for having two or three of them sing back- year before Carl and Dennis asked me it at the time." grounds around the same mic, and by to help them put Brother together. Brian asks Mike Love if he wants to doubling the voices- sometimes with Since then it's been a 20- hour -a -day sing lead on "Chapel," but Mike says other voices, sometimes with in- job for me." he can really hear Brian singing it. struments. EQ and echo are added, Moffitt and Gordon Rudd (of Clover Brian, who has not sung a lead in and the vocal tracks are usually Industries) designed and built the

48 MODERN RECORDING

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www.americanradiohistory.com Brother console, then Steve went to Blaine's drums and on "Blueberry be mixed. Although the sessions have work on the monitors with a specific Hill" he miked them with a pair of definitely slowed down, most days at goal in mind: "Most speakers' tone col- Neuman KM84's overhead, a Shure least one of the Beach Boys comes in oration changes drastically as you SM56 on the snare and a Neuman U -67 to do some mixing, with Carl taking up change volume. This is mainly due to as the more distant room mic. a lot of the slack. In the past, Steve midrange design -say 200 to 5,000 "A lot of times when you get into has worked more extensively with Carl cycles. So, I looked for a midrange close miking you have to spend a lot of than with the other members, so it speaker that had flat frequency re- time taping or padding the drums to goes fairly smoothly. They work well sponse with no cabinet affecting it. get rid of the ring. Then you've got to together, with Carl doing most of the When I found one, I experimented EQ the hell out of them to restore EQ, positioning and level changes and with various enclosures and materials some of the sound you've taken away Steve handling the outboard equip- until I was satisfied. The crossover with the tape or pads. If the drums ment. Brian goes for the final sound on network is pretty unconventional in sound good anyway, then I'd rather each track during recording, so very that it isn't perfect theoretically, but it leave them alone -mic them from a few effects are added while mixing works with the system. And I think we distance, and live with the leakage." down, other than limiting the whole ended up with monitors that come The group is due back from the mix a little "so that the radio stations close to reproducing the signal that photo session and the studio personnel don't play with it too much." goes in, instead of sounding like that are just starting to get a little impa- Steve says many of the Beach signal coming out of a box, which is tient when Tricia Roach, Brother Boys's albums were mixed on this kind what most monitors sound like to me." of individual basis, and that Carl's and The Beach Boys have come to re- Brian's production techniques are spect Steve as an engineer and they do close enough that Brian will probably not hesitate to ask his opinion of the not have to remix any of the songs. So, music. Brian calls Steve an "efficient it looks like the Oldies album will be engineer who has a stabilizing effect wrapped up soon after all -although on the group." He adds, "We haven't without the exuberance of the earlier worked with Earl as much yet, but sessions. more and more, recently. I really re- It is easy for an outside observer to spect the fact that he doesn't hesitate blame the lull on a loss of interest in to tell me exactly how he feels about the relatively unchallenging Oldies, or the music he's recording for us- on impatience to get into the original whether he likes it or feels it could be material, or on a rebellion against better." pressure from Warner Brothers to put Like many engineers, Earl Mankey out an album. But that is all guess- is a musician who tired of life on the work. The Beach Boys just are not into road. A former member of the group putting a lot of energy into recording Sparks, he came to Brother mainly be- at the moment, and there is nothing cause of his fascination with Brian's that says they have to. They all seem production. "The thing about Brian is (at least) comfortable financially, so that he is concerned with the song as a there is no urgency to finish an album whole, not just with being able to hear on that level. They own the studio, so a 'hot guitar lick' here or a 'meaningful there is no deadline or heavy expense lyric' there." Earl obviously looks at when they cancel. The Oldies album engineering as a step toward produc- may be released as initially planned - ing, and he can often be found in the simultaneously with the presently un- studio, after hours, doing numerous finished record of original Beach Boy overdubs on his own material. Studio's Girl Friday, announces that compositions -or the two albums may Earl and Steve have very different "The Boys just called and they won't come out in a double package, which ideas about drum -miking. Steve likes be in because the photo session was was also discussed. Warners might to close -mic the drums in order to sort of a hassle, but they'll be in the rush the Oldies album out on its own, minimize leakage and maximize his usual time tomorrow." or perhaps the tapes will sit in the pro- control over the balance and tone of But they cancel again the following verbial "can" forever. the set. Earl leans toward distant mik- day, and the next day only Dennis The Beach Boys may be rolling ings, especially if the set's natural comes in for a short session. Over the again tomorrow, or it may never hap- sound is right for the song. course of the next two weeks, the pen again. They are in the enviable Several days earlier, Dennis (who Oldies sessions continue to lose mo- position of waiting until they are ready plays most of the drums on the album) mentum, and the atmosphere at to go back into the studio. The rest of was out with a sprained wrist, so Brian Brother reflects the change. Steve, us will simply have to wait and see called in premier studio -drummer Hal Earl, Tricia and the rest of the studio whether this kind of artistic freedom Blaine. Moffitt says that he was very personnel are used to these fluctua- makes it too easy for the group to lay surprised that he could not get a full tions in the group's recording habits, back permanently and rest on their drum sound on Blaine's drums. "They but there is still a letdown after the laurels -or if it gives them an oppor- had a sort of this cardboard sound that high energy of the previous sessions. tunity to truly explore their potential, I couldn't get rid of." On the other The album is almost finished, how- free from the usual outside pressures. hand (or microphone), Earl liked ever, with most of the tunes ready to 4 50 MODERN RECORDING

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www.americanradiohistory.com IkkIIPR limiters, equalizers, noise NERgates, digital A GUIDE TO Introduction delay lines, etc. (c) Stage monitoring systems. SOUND (d) Hardware, cables, snakes and REINFORCEMENT Most everyone becomes involved connectors. with the sound business because of (e) Mics, direct boxes and technique. some special love for music or the In order to be able to make good music industry. The majority of people choices out of Part Two the reader doing sound-system work are in the must understand the fundamentals of PAIif business almost by accident and have Part One. very little training. In many cases, sound -system techniques have evolved The Size of the Job? I from years of trading ideas from com- pany to company. Many of the ideas Before a sound system is built, the have been based on rumors, supersti- type and size of sound reinforcement tions, advertising or some "sound - jobs that will be encountered must be man" for a band that passed through considered. The answers to these ques- town. Consequently, most band P.A. tions will describe the type and quan- systems or small sound systems are tity of the hardware, and dollars constructed and operated incorrectly. needed to construct the system. The goal of this article is to divide this The following questions must be large problem into small problems and considered: give some general "rule of thumb" pro- (1) Is the job (or system) indoors or cedures and examples to eliminate outdoors? these errors. (2) What size is the room, audi- The article will be divided into two torium or arena? parts. Part One will set down some (3) How reverberant is the room? basic rules and explanations about dif- (4) How many people? ferent pieces of sound equipment. In (5) How loud must the system be? the next issue, Part Two will cover (6) What kind of music? practical application of all the equip- If the job is outdoors, the system ment, and will include the following: will have to be approximately four to (a) Selection of amplifiers, eight times larger to provide the same crossovers, speakers, boxes, horns and sound pressure level to the same num- drivers. ber of people as if the job were indoors. (b) What to look for in mixers, This is due to the fact that in an

By Jim Ford and Brian A. Roth 1117. Drawings by Steffon A. Kachocki

52 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com enclosed room the sound will reflect off system to accomplish the job. Here are 100 watts are applied to speaker Y and the walls, ceiling and floor causing some simple explanations of terms, it produces 94 dB at 10 feet. It is seen reverberation, and this room reverb along with rules that are frequently that speaker X is 6 dB more efficient adds to the volume of the sound sys- used in the sound industry. (louder) with the same amount of tem. Obviously, there are very few (1) The decay of the volume level of power applied. Now, if speaker Y is to reflective surfaces outdoors, and, con- sound as it moves away from the produce the same loudness, the power sequently, there is practically no sound source is described by the input of Y would be (using example 2) reverb to help the sound system. Al- "inverse square law." This means that double the power applied twice. 200 though it takes a larger system out- the sound level decreases as the watts of power would produce 97 dB doors, the sound quality is more pleas- distance is increased from the sound and 400 watts of power would produce ing because the fewer reflections cause system. The exact law is that for every 100 dB. If speaker Y were capable of less deterioration of the sound and /or doubling of the distance from the handling 100 watts then it would take less feedback. sound source the sound pressure level four speakers to match the power. In Indoors you will find everything is reduced by 6 dB. Example 1: If a short, it would take four times the from huge concrete "barns" (arenas) to sound system produced a level of 100 power amplifiers and four times the small, low-ceiling, heavily- carpeted dB at 20 feet, it would follow that the speakers to get the same SPL as clubs. A "live" room with all hard sur- level would be 94 dB at 40 feet, 88 dB speaker X. That also means four times faces (concrete, tile, wood, etc.) will at 80 feet, 82 dB at 160 feet, etc. the money would be spent, and four have a high reverberation level (long (2) Each time the power input to a times as much equipment would have reverb time) and demonstrate the speaker is doubled the resulting sound to be carried to each job. Now, it does following characteristics: (a) a very pressure level is increased by 3 dB, or not take long to see that it is ad- boomy sound, (b) poor clarity and each time the power to a speaker is vantageous to use the most efficient definition of the sound, (c) speaking or halved the SPL is decreased by 3 dB. speaker system that is available. singing will be difficult to understand, Example 2: If a speaker with a 100 - Another important conclusion that (d) the sound system will feedback watt- maximum power rating were be- can be drawn from this is that it is not easily, and (e) the sound level through- ing powered by a 100 -watt amplifier, how much power a speaker will take, out the room will be nearly equal. A and the speaker were producing 90 dB but how efficient it is. There are many "dead" room with soft surfaces (car- at 10 feet, then it would take two iden- 200- and 300 -watt high -power speakers pet, padded seats, curtains, etc.) will tical speakers being powered by 200 on the market that will not produce as have a low reverb level (short reverb watts to produce 93 dB at 10 feet. It much SPL as some speakers with 50- time) in comparison. The sound in this becomes obvious that gaining a 3 dB and 100 -watt capacity. room will not be as loud or as evenly increase in sound pressure level can (4) Distortion is the addition to the and equally dispersed, but it will allow become a very expensive problem original signal of extraneous signals for better clarity and definition from when it requires doubling the entire that were not in the original. If a 1000 the sound system. This room will sound system each time. Hz tone were applied to a power ampli- The number of people and type of Example of 1 and 2: If a speaker pro- fier, and at the output of the power music should additionally help to duces 100 -dB SPL at 10 feet with 10 amplifier the 1000 Hz signal plus other determine how loud the system must watts of power, how high a level would tones were measured, then the ampli- be. Don't take a sound system built to be measured at 40 feet with 20 watts of fier would be adding distortion. Of play for 200 country and western fans power applied? First, since the power course, this is not desirable; equipment in a small club and try to provide was doubled the SPL would increase 3 should exhibit the lowest possible sound outdoors for 20,000 rock 'n' roll dB at 10 feet to a total of 103 dB. distortion. Distortion is generally ex- fans. An average sound system should Secondly, since the distance was pressed as a percentage of the output be able to produce a sound pressure doubled, twice the SPL would be re- signal. If the distortion products are level throughout the room of about duced by 12 dB to a final level of 91 related to the input signal harmoni- 110 dB ( "A" scale) for rock 'n' roll and dB. Now, the above examples did not cally, then the distortion is called "har- about 100 dB for country and western. include the effect of the reverberation monic." If the distortion products are Although there are systems that will in the room, but the general concepts generated by the interaction of differ- produce higher sound levels, it is not are a good starting point for calculat- ent frequencies, it is called intermod- recommended due to the damage and ing how many speakers and how much ulation (IM) distortion. With today's loss of hearing that will result; nor is power is required to produce a certain technology, all amplifiers and mixers there much evidence that the audience sound level at a certain distance. should add less than .1% distortion to actually enjoys the performance more (3) Efficiency is defined as the ratio the signal. Many good amplifiers because it is louder (with the possible of the power output of a unit, divided available today produce .05% distor- exception of a few masochists). by the power put into the unit, tion or less. multiplied by 100. In simple terms, ef- As for speakers, most manufac- Facts About Sound and ficiency is a measure of how well a turers will not even give distortion Loudspeakers machine works. If 10 electrical watts specifications, due to the fact that of power were applied to a speaker and typical figures are 5 and 10% or Now that the size and type of job has 5 acoustical watts were given out by higher. However, there are several been defined, the type and quantity of the speaker, then the speaker would be speaker manufacturers who are dedi- components need to be selected. As 50% efficient. Most speakers and cated to the lowest distortion speci- many facts as possible about sound horns are 20% efficient or less. Exam- fications possible, and these are the and its transmission should be ex- ple 4: 100 watts are applied to speaker transducers that must be used if the amined in order to build the exact X, and it produces 100 dB at 10 feet. sound system is going to sound

JUNE /JULY 1976 53

www.americanradiohistory.com In the development of our $4000 very expensive ones. In any one Each of the six drivers of the state -of- the -art Servo Statik lA we microsonic moment, generally the Monitor Jr. system -our two sets of came across new principles which we tweeter will speak first; then the 12" transmission line woofers, our determined to incorporate into less midrange; then the woofer. 1V2" dome midranges and 1" dome expensive speakers-principles Listen to the Monitor Jr. It delivers tweeters - speaks with a temporal concerning crossovers, and particularly the temporal information precisely in integrity and an individual accuracy of the phase relationships of component phase: first the transient attack, then depth -information in a way that can drivers in a system. By properly the first echo, the second echo and the only be called startling. balancing the phase leads and lags of subsequent reverberation. You hear And note the optional $25 set each driver, and by scrupulous design the natural, undistorted depth and of pedestals. They position the of the drivers themselves, we are able ambience of the concert hall! Monitor Jr. off of the floor for optimum to reproduce recorded temporal And note the spatial relationships reproduction; yet it functions beauti- information absolutely accurately in a of the instruments. If the tymps were fully on the bookshelf. speaker of modest size and price. on a riser to the left rear, they sound Our Monitor Jr. brings you the Stated simply -there's a depth that way. If the clarinet soloist was in life -like warmth and accuracy of our perception about the Monitor Jr. that the second row just to the right of the Monitor II. And its price is roughly is much like being in an acoustically podium, she sounds that way. half -about $225. perfect concert hall. Our crossovers are greatly Not a bad investment -to own Listen to other speakers -even responsible for this dimensionality. your own concert hall. Step into Infinity's little concert hall: The MonitorJr.

We get you back to what it's all about. Music.

®1975 by Infinity Systems, Inc., 7930 Deering, Canoga Park, Ca. 91304 TWX 910-949-4919 CIRCLE 43 ON READER SERVICE CARD

www.americanradiohistory.com realistic and not cause listening fatigue to members of the audience. ai \ Another item to look for when pur- 5 dB chasing speakers: How linear is the fre- 0 dB . 5 dB quency response? For example, two .. different speaker manufacturers may 10 dB LATERAL DISPERSION / be selling a speaker that is advertised 10K / : 100 1K as having a frequency response of 40 to 16,000 Hz, and yet manufacturer I": \ l'' / LOG GRAPH FOR DISPLAY OF A's speaker costs $100 more than FREQUENCY RESPONSE IN RELATION manufacturer B's. The difference may .I : \ I/ TO DEGREES OFF AXIS FOR VERTICAL .' DISPERSION lie in the fact that the frequency A will response of speaker deviate .. _ \ I AXIS (0 °) from any peak to any dip by only 4 dB \ / ' maximum, whereas the frequency response of speaker B may deviate as 20° 10° 0° 10° 20° much as 10 to 15 dB. Not only will the PATTERN OF COVERAGE more linear speaker sound better, but ellsw 30° it will not be as prone to feedback. (5) All speakers and horns exhibit patterns of coverage peculiar to their 40° 40° individual design. (See figure 1.) Many times these coverage patterns are 50° a working knowledge of POLAR GRAPH FOR DISPLAY OF 50° 0-44 useful, and FREQUENCY RESPONSE IN RELATION how each speaker and horn operates is TO DEGREES OF LATERAL DISPERSION 60° 60° for good results. All necessary i0° 70° speakers or horns will be more efficient AW 80° Air .0,0000 80° when positioned in a certain direction. If the unit is pointed correctly, the 90° 90° sound can be aimed in a desired direc- FIG. 1 tion to optimize the coverage. This means that the sound system majority of its can concentrate the FIG. 2 power toward the audience and not on- VERTICAL DISPERSION OF HORN to the walls and ceiling. The less sound +5 reflecting from the walls and ceiling, 0° the smaller the reverberation level in dB() ------t5° the room -which will let the audience ___. hear more direct sound from the sound 10 -..31.`\ system. The result of this is a much im- 1s 45° .:11 of direct -to- reflected 20 I; proved ratio i. sound, which will give better clarity, 500 Hz 1000 Hz 10,000 Hz definition and intelligibility. Now it should be obvious that correct selec- 30° 20° 10° 0° 10° 20° 30° tion of coverage patterns and good 51041--.... aiming of the horns and speakers can -ti.-:-::. greatly improve the end result. 40° 440° (6) Generally, all cone speakers will 7 '\\, N óNl_ have a dispersion pattern that is con- ' ti ical, and will be from about 90 degrees ::: to 120 degrees wide. As the frequency of the sound goes up, this pattern 50° `` ` 1 ,50° usually narrows, which shows that speakers are more directional at high frequencies. This is called "beaming," , dB 60° / 60° and the result is that as the listener moves off the center axis of the speaker the sound appears to have 7o° 7o° more bass and less treble. (7) Horns come in all shapes, sizes and lengths, and, consequently, a 'b$$: great variety of coverage patterns are available. Average coverage patterns . 90° used are (a) 40 degrees vertical by 90 LATERAL DISPERSION OF HORN degrees horizontal (see figure 2), (b) 40

JUNE /JULY 1976 55

www.americanradiohistory.com FIG. 3

VERTICAL DISPERSION OF LENS

+5 dB 0 ...... J...._._._ ...... 15° 0° 5 i------, \ 30° _ _10 !... 15 -20 . ,45°

500 Hz 1000 Hz 10,000 Hz

30° 20° 10° 0° 10° 20° 30°

40° 41,e0 --- 40° I 0.._ '....,SdB

50° 50°

Ti 15d8 4110 60° í.0 60° At Ir#

70° WA 7°' The Strawbs, who recently pro- -25 dB duced their ninth album, are a fully Neb 80° 80° equipped artillery of independent musicians. Dave Lambert's blister- ing yet melodic guitaring brings 90° ' s0° the house down. His guitar: an LATERAL DISPERSION OF LENS Ovation Solid Body Deacon. Dave Cousin's rhythmic yet harpsichordal degrees vertical by 60 degrees horizon- the horn/driver combination very effi- music fills a concert hall. His guitar: tal, and (c) 20 degrees vertical by 40 cient. An average horn is 10 more an Ovation Deacon 12 String. dB And here's why: Flexibility. The degrees horizontal. Multi -cell horns efficient than a speaker, and that is a Ovation Deacon has the widest are made up of 20- degree- by -20- degree big difference. As the coverage pattern tonal range of any electric guitar on cells that are put together to get the of a horn narrows, the efficiency goes the market. This fantastic range desired pattern. The above coverage up because the same amount of power makes it possible for Dave to go on patterns vary considerably with fre- from the driver is being concentrated tour with fewer electric guitars. He quency, but are still useful in system into a smaller area. A 20- degree- by -40- can produce the range of sound he design. Depending on (a) the length, degree radial horn can be as much as needs with a quick roll of the tone (b) the size of the mouth, (c) the size 20 dB more efficient than a cone control. The built -in FET preamp of the throat, and (d) the rate of flare, speaker. However, there is a basic gives the Deacon full sound throughout the range of adjustment. the operating parameters of a horn are problem found in most horns that is It isn't surprising the Ovation determined. Usually the longer and the result of the high pressures Deacon is the guitar of the Strawbs. larger the horn is, the lower the fre- developed in the horn throat. The high Try one yourself and you'll hear why. quency it will reproduce. This lower pressures cause the walls of the horn limit of operation is called the low- fre- to flex and vibrate which adds distor- Get a free Solid Body Catalog quency cut -off, and below this frequen- tion to the original signal. This is Write: Ovation Instruments Inc. cy, the horn loses control of the sound. usually called "throat distortion." Greenwoods Rd., New Hartford, Conn. 06057 All of the coverage patterns are for fre- Many people prefer not to use horns quencies above the cut -off point; the because the throat distortion "colors"

Name specification sheets show that horns the sound, and it sounds' `horny." also tend to be beamy at high frequen- To summarize, horns are used

Street cies. Use of the horn below the cut -off because (a) they are very efficient and frequency is likely to lead to the require little power, and (b) they have City destruction of the diaphragm in the controlled coverage patterns. horn driver due to acoustic unloading. (8) Acoustical lenses (see figure 3)

State z ¡p A horn is primarily an acoustic have appeared on the scene lately, transformer, which helps couple the although they have been around for M R. A CAJUN COMPANY movement of the driver diaphragm to more than 30 years. Basically, the lens improved makes end of a horn. CIRCLE 53 ON READER SERVICE CARD the air. This coupling is an attachment on the

56 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com ume of the enclosure, or the resonant great demands on the loudspeaker in frequency of the speaker, the overall it must reproduce the entire fre- FIG. 4 FIG. 5 that bass response could be increased and quency spectrum faithfully, and thus smoothed out. At high frequencies, the turns out to be a very difficult design port has a high impedance and does problem. not work; therefore, this bass -reflex Consequently, the majority of full - 8 approach is only effective from about range speaker systems are composed 250 Hz down. If a speaker is being of two (or more) different transducers, used for a midrange unit, the volume each optimized to cover only a portion of the box can be small, and it should of the audio spectrum. Usually when lower frequen- are operated outside of INFINITE BAFFLE BASSREIFLEX be sealed. Note that at these speakers OR BAFFLE cies, however, a properly designed their design frequency range, their SEALED BOX bass reflex box is preferred for P.A. acoustical output drops. In the case of use due to its higher efficiency. high- frequency transducers (tweeters), FIG. 6 FIG. 7 Bass horns are designed on the same the transducer will be damaged or principles as high- frequency horns, destroyed if it is operated at a fre- and exhibit the same advantages. Un- quency below its range. fortunately, as the usable frequency is To divide the music signal into its mm7 lowered, the size of the horn must be proper transducer, a frequency- sensi- increased, and this becomes an impor- tive network called a crossover is tant factor. Bass horns that are usable placed between the amplifier and the to 100 Hz are about 5 feet high, 3 feet speakers (see figure 9). For a two -way wide and 3 feet deep. If they are con- speaker system, the crossover divides 1 of wood, they become ex- the sound into bass and treble (low fre- BASS HORN FOLDED HORN structed tremely heavy. quencies and high frequencies). The A good bass horn can increase the ef- bass is sent to the bass speaker, and The horns are special in that they form ficiency of a speaker by about 6 dB, the treble is sent to the horn or the sound wave -front correctly in which means one bass horn can equal tweeter. The dividing point between order to enter the lens. The problem four other speakers and four times the the bass and the treble is called the with high frequencies being very direc- power. As with high- frequency horns, "crossover frequency." The crossover tional is partially solved by the use of a there is still the problem of throat frequency for most two -way systems is lens. It operates almost like an optical distortion, with the offsetting ad- between 500 and 3,500 Hz. At the lens that disperses a light beam into a vantage of better directional control. crossover frequency, the bass section wide pattern. An acoustical lens dis- So, it can be seen that bass horns have starts to attenuate the high frequen- perses high frequencies into a wide good and bad points. cies, and the treble section starts to at- pattern and generally eliminates Folded bass horns (figure 7) have tentuate the low frequencies (figure beaming. also been in use for many years. The 10). The rate of their attenuation or (9) Speaker enclosures also come in advantage is that a big horn can be "roll -off" is called the slope of the many different sizes and shapes. There built into a smaller package. Unfor- crossover and is usually 12 or 18 dB are three basic types: (a) infinite or tunately, high frequencies do not turn per octave. (A one- octave change is sealed baffle (figure 4), (b) bass reflex corners very well, and, therefore, defined as doubling the frequency.) (figure 5), and (c) horn (figure 6). folded horns should not be used above The crossover as described above is All cone speakers need to be en- 300 Hz. For use in a two -way system called a "passive crossover," and al- closed so that the sound wave off the up to 800 Hz, a straight horn is much though it offers a great improvement rear of the cone will not interfere with better. over a single speaker system, there is a the sound wave from the front. This better method. can be accomplished by putting the Facts About the Crossover A passive crossover has the follow- speaker in a sealed box. However, it ing deficiencies: was discovered that if a hole (port) The most simple amplifier /speaker (a) It is built out of capacitors, in- were placed in the front baffle board system will use a full range speaker(s) ductors and resistors. Because the near the speaker, the bass output of connected directly to the power ampli- crossover is between the amplifier and the unit was increased. By either fier (see figure 8). While inexpensive in the speaker, it must be able to handle changing the size of the hole, the vol- concept, this type of system places high power levels. Consequently, the

FIG. 8 FIG. 9 HI FREQUENCY

SOURCE - AMPLIFIER SOURCE AMPLIFIER CROSSOVER (PASSIVE) LOW FULL RANG FREQUENCY SPEAKER

JUNE /JULY 1976 57

www.americanradiohistory.com capacitors, inductors and resistors must be very large, which means the FIG. 11 HI crossover will be large, heavy and ex- AMP HI pensive. 04 FREQUENCY (b) The inductors in the low -fre- quency section reduce the damping factor of the amplifier. (Damping fac- SOURCE -IV. CROSSOVER tor is a measure of how well the (ACTIVE) amplifier exerts control over the speaker cone movement.) LOW AMP (c) In most two -way systems a horn LO FREQUENCY and a speaker are used, and the horn is usually 6 to 10 dB more efficient than the speaker. A resistor is used in the FIG. 12 crossover to cut the power to the horn 20v so that its sound level will match the speaker's sound level. This is a great iovT waste of amplifier power. (Sound power going up in heat!) °v 20v 40v (d) Passive crossovers are designed J to work into a certain load (or im- 10v LO FREQ. HI FREQ. pedance) which is usually 8 or 16 ohms. SIGNAL SIGNAL 20v If the right combination of speakers is RESULTANT SIGNAL not attached, the crossover will not function properly. For large systems using multiple speakers and horns, cient method. In a bi- amplified system, use an electronic crossover and multi- many crossovers must be used and the increase in power theoretically can ple amplifiers. matched correctly. be twice as much as that of an identical Now, in real life, the above ratios are Now that a passive crossover has system powered by one amplifier. This not always realized. Due to different been thoroughly discredited (except as can be explained by examining figure speakers and horn efficiencies, com- a method of improvement over a full - 12. Two different frequencies at equal mercially available power amplifiers, range single- speaker system), here is a amplitudes are linearly mixed. This is and the varying sources of program better solution. similar to what occurs when high and material (music), it is difficult to pick a Referring to figure 11, the fre- low frequencies in music are mixed crossover frequency that will always quency- dividing network has been together. The resultant signal has equally divide the highs and lows. moved ahead of two amplifiers. This twice the voltage. Now, it would take The crossover frequency will greatly gives direct coupling of the amplifiers one amplifier at 40 volts peak -to -peak affect the degree of success in achiev- to the speakers, eliminating the to equal two amplifiers each at 20 volts ing the desired increase of power. This damping- factor problems. The high - peak -to -peak. Using the formula for can be proven by varying the two frequency power output from the power -power is equal to the voltage voltage values discussed before, so amplifier is not wasted in a resistor. squared, divided by the impedance- that they are not equal. The greater Additionally, by dealing with the fre- the result is that two 50 -watt the difference, the lesser the amount of quency at a lower voltage level, elec- amplifiers are equal to one 200 -watt effective power gain. There is con- tronic techniques can be used in the amplifier. Once again it is obvious that siderable variation in the energy filter to eliminate the inductors, which this can make a big difference in the distribution from one type of audio will increase performance and lower amount of dollars spent on power source to another, and, in most music, distortion. One electronic crossover amplifiers. the majority of the needed power is at can drive a number of amplifiers If a system is tri- amplified, the lower (under 1,000 Hz) frequencies. without strain, thus eliminating the power advantage becomes 3 to 1, and This dictates a low crossover frequen- impedance- matching problem and the it becomes 4 to 1 for a four -way cy for equal division and optimum ef- multiple passive units needed for system. For example, four 100 -watt fective power increase. larger systems. Now for the clincher: amplifiers will produce the same power In the two -way system comprising Use of an electronic crossover and as one 1,600 -watt amplifier! That is only a woofer and a tweeter, this poses multiple amplifiers is a much more effi- why 99% of all professional systems quite a challenge since the typical high- frequency unit in a P.A. system is a horn with compression driver. Usual- ly these units must be crossed over at 800 Hz or higher in systems when they are operated anywhere near the rated power of the driver. This requires more "soup" for the bottom end since it is dealing with the majority of the acoustical energy. From an energy- distribution stand- point and keeping available speaker

58 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com flU-TROfl PIlA/OR fi

$129.95J flLW m0DLL! new CAPABILITY! inrn PRIC! The Mu -tron Phasor H is a new, Three continuously variable controls are Plus, all Mu -tron products are backed up improved 6 -stage phase- shifting device provided for rate, depth and feedback, by a 3 -year warranty that really means that truly represents the state of the art in allowing the musician complete command something. portable phasors. of his sound over a very wide range of So if you're looking for the best portable The Mu -tron Phasor II uses the effects. phase shifter but can't afford a Mu -tron advanced electronic technology developed Our new circuitry has extremely low Bi- Phase, look no further. The Mu -tron by us for the widely acclaimed Mu -tron noise and unequalled signal- handling Phasor II is here. Bi- Phase, to give greatly improved capability for freedom from distortion, performance at the same price as the even on keyboards or after a pre -amplifier. original Mu -tron Phasor. The new unit is AC- powered to end Send 50c for Musitronics demonstration The Mu -tron Phasor II shares with the battery changing hassles forever. Like all record. Features Larry Coryell and Mu -tron Bi -Phase the revolutionary Mu -tron products, this one is built George Duke using Musitronics products feedback circuitry which produces a extremely ruggedly to stand up to life on on guitars and keyboards. pronounced sweeping effect, even at the the road. slowest phasing rates. 8246

Write for specification sheet. Musitronics Corporation, Sound Lab 12, Rosemont, New Jersey 08556 / Phone (609) 397 -2000

CIRCLE 9 ON READER SERVICE CARD

www.americanradiohistory.com hardware in mind, it appears that a increases rapidly as the horn loses con- crossovers ahead of the power three -way split would be in order with trol of the diaphragm in the driver. By amplifiers. a lower range (approximately 250 Hz operating the transducer at 1500 Hz Concluding, here is a tabulation of and below), midrange using 10- or 12- and higher, this problem is reduced advantages for "active" crossover inch diameter core transducers without requiring a physically large usage: (typically 250 Hz to 1500 Hz), and a horn (which would haye a lower cut -off (1) Elimination of the passive high -range horn (1500 Hz and above). point). Also, the diaphragm in the crossover and its problems. From tests, this appears to be a much driver is less likely to "blow" because (2) Direct coupling of amplifier to better distribution than an 800 -Hz of the better acoustic damping given loudspeaker. split for the woofer and midrange and by the horn at higher frequencies. (3) Full high- frequency power deliv- an 8000-Hz split for the mid- and high - One of the original advantages of ered without the "watt- eating" at- end often found in use. The main ad- so-called "bi- amplification " -utilizing tenuator resistor. vantage of the 800 /8000 -Hz division is a crossover before the power ampli- (4) Low -level (active) crossover that typical horn/driver combinations fiers -was that much less intermodu- filters which are generally lower in that perform well at lower frequencies lation (IM) distortion would occur in distortion, more accurate, smaller and exhibit high- frequency- response roll - the amplifiers. Since IM distortion in- lighter. off. Consequently, the 8000 Hz high - volves interaction of two frequencies, (5) Only one crossover needed for a end crossover point allows a special- separating the frequencies into two system of practically any size. ized driver to be used to extend the separate amplifiers would result in a (6) Decreased power -amplifier re- top -end response to beyond the range drastic decrease in IM. However, this quirements since "bi- amplification" of hearing. Although in the preferred argument is not quite as important as gives approximately twice the effec- method the high- frequency unit is re- it was 15 years ago when the original tive power of full -range amplification, quired to cover one or two more oc- proposals for this type of system were and "tri- amplification" can deliver up taves than the other units, the top two made. Current state -of- the -art ampli- to three times the effective power of octaves (5K -10 kHz, 10K -20 kHz) do fiers exhibit remarkably low IM dis- full -range amplification. not contain nearly as much energy as tortion (.1% or less) at high power out- (7) Lower intermodulation (IM) the lower regions. If flat response to 20 put levels compared to the average 2- distortion due to the power amplifiers. kHz and beyond is necessary, a four - 10% levels of yesteryear. Neverthe- Well, that is the end of Part One. In way system is required. less, the elimination of intermodula- the next issue, the above information As discussed earlier, at frequencies tion distortion between the two (or will be used to design a real-life sound near the low- frequency cut -off point of more) bands cannot be overlooked. It system -and that should be in- a horn /driver combination, distortion is yet another advantage for active teresting! Designed for Pcrformancc

The MXR Six Band Graphic Equalizer is a simple, Yours. yet complete tone modifier designed to selec- tively boost or cut any of six frequency bands by as much as 1 8dB. The ability to so precisely modify the tonality of your instrument will give you far more versatility than conventional "tone controls" or two or three band 'frequency boosters." Battery powered and conveniently compact, the MXR Six Band Graphic Equalizer is ideal for bass, electric guitar, or piano and is designed to provide the utmost in portable low noise equalization. Try one out at your local MXR dealer. At $79.95, it's a small price for performance.

P.O. Box 722 MXR Rochester, New York 14603 Innovations i

60 CIRCLE 2 ON READER SERVICE CARD MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com It's all in your hands now. These essential music -making tools let you get in, around, and behind your music. One part, one track at a time. Then when all the elements are the best they can be, you blend them together and generate the finished product. A process that involves your innermost sensitivities and perceptions. A personal statement. The 3340 has undoubtedly helped more people make more demos and masters than any other tape recorder. Our new model, A- 33405, has extended high end frequency response in the sync mode, plus manual cueing. The Model 2 is about the best value going in small mixers -6-in, 4 -out with full panning and multiple patch points. Plug in a few high quality TEAC ME- Series electret condenser mics, and you could be quite literally in business. Just call toll free (800) 447 -4700, in Illinois, 322 -4400 for the name of Viir TEAL --41414111 your nearest TEAC dealer. 44 When you have the right tools, the work is more productive. T

T E AC F The leader. Always has been. TEAC Corporation of America 7733 Telegraph Road, Montebello, Calif. 90640 ©TEAC 1975

www.americanradiohistory.com BY LEN FELDMAN

Dynamic Range -The Last Audio Frontier restricted in dynamic range compared with music heard in a concert hall. In a properly designed concert If one traces the important progressive steps in the hall, during a symphony concert, we can be treated to history of high fidelity reproduced sound, the sequence dynamic ranges of greater than 80 dB from softest of events consists of a quest for flat frequency re- soft to loudest loud. In absolute terms of sound sponse (achieved some time in the 1950's), followed by pressure level (SPL), we are talking about soft sounds attempts to reduce measured distortion (achieved at which are barely 20 dB above the threshold of human least in the electronic components of a sound system hearing and loud sounds that may be well over 100 dB sometime during the mid- or late- 1960's). The quest for SPL. It is this extremely wide dynamic range which, sonically accurate transducers seems to go on forever many people feel, is the main distinguishing factor be- and, despite so -called "breakthroughs" (which occur at tween "live" and "canned" sound in this era of ultra - the rate of about one a month), will probably continue low distortion and super -flat frequency response. for at least the rest of our lives. There is one element involved in the reproduction of Reproduced Dynamic Range sound, however, that seems to be the new concern of Now, consider the capabilities of all the popular engineers, technicians and lay audio fans alike in re- forms of reproduced music. Some FM tuners and cent years. That is field the of dynamic range expan- receivers boast a signal -to -noise capability of 70 dB or sion. Today, we are offered all sorts of add-on gadgets more, under ideal strong signal conditions. Un- designed to "restore that missing dynamic range." We fortunately, few FM broadcast stations are capable of have the dbx system, in all its various formats. We transmitting signals with that much S /N, and even if have Dolby "A" and Dolby "B" which are used they could, what would they use as source material? primarily as noise reduction systems but which qualify Disc recordings, at best, offer approximately 60 dB of in this discussion because dynamic expansion need not signal -to -noise ratio. More often than not they are be confined only to "upward expansion." If we can several generations removed from the tape masters make the soft sounds softer (or prevent them from be- which might have had signal -to -noise ratios which ing masked in residual noise levels), then we have ex- were slightly in excess of 60 dB before being remixed panded the dynamic range just as surely as if we had and edited for final use in cutting the master disc. made the loud sounds louder. There are one -sided or So there we are, with more than 80 dB of dynamic single -ended expansion systems, such as the new range wanting to be captured or preserved, and the Pioneer -1 RG Dynamic Signal Processor tested by media available for its preservation is missing at least Norman Eisenberg and myself for this issue, and we 20 dB (and possibly a good deal more) if it is to do the have the sophisticated Phase Linear Auto -Correlator job without sacrificing dynamic range. Obviously, with its "downward expander" ancillary circuitry. something had to give, and that "give" takes the form It stands to reason that if these various forms of of manual or automatic compression -at radio sta- dynamic expansion have a place in the audio world, tions and in recording studios. The trouble is that no then somewhere along the line someone or something two compression methods are alike. Some engineers must have done one hell of a lot of dynamic may elect to raise the level of the quiet passages and compression -else why would we all be searching for lower the passages of the loudest musical passages. better and better means of dynamic expansion? Others may treat only the loud passages while letting the soft passages fall where they may. Still others may Musical Dynamic Range in Real Life "limit" rather than compress. That is, they may let Indeed, most of our presently available recorded or everything fall where it may until a certain level is transmitted musical program sources are severely reached, beyond which any further increase in input

62 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com level is prevented from creating any increase in record- ing to hear the expansion taking place, however min- ed (or broadcast) level. imal the "pumping" or "breathing" may be. And it The possibilities are endless. And because of that, I means that some musical waveforms, complex as they contend that unless some standards are arrived at in are, may well "trick" the system so that its effec- the near future, no single system of dynamic expan- tiveness is reduced. This is even more true if we in- sion will ever truly restore precise dynamic balance as clude synthesized or electronic music (and how can we it existed in the original musical performance. How exclude it these days ?) which is totally outside the can any single expansion device hope to cope with the sphere of statistical analysis that can be used to situation- especially since data is hardly ever avail- analyze "natural" musical waveforms. able regarding just what forms of compression were What I am suggesting, therefore, is that no system used to begin with and at what threshold levels? In of compression and expansion, using analog signals, terms of standards for expansion we are as much in the will ever be capable of "perfect" reconstruction of the dark ages as we were in terms of record equalization full dynamic range of music without any side effects. twenty years ago, before the industry finally agreed to That's not to imply that some of the efforts being put use the now -standard RIAA equalization curves for forth in this area today should be abandoned. On the recording and playback of phonograph discs. contrary, I never fail to be impressed with what dbx or Dolby or ANRS or any of the other systems have Other Expansion Problems managed to accomplish in terms of satisfying noise Even if all segments of the audio industry were to reduction and very listenable improvement in dynamic adopt a uniform set of standards for compression of range. It seems to me, however, that the proliferation stored or broadcast music, we would still have prob- of devices of this sort may lead to the same sort of con- lems in attempting to reverse the process with some sumer and industry confusion that was in great part uniform expansion system. That is because any type of responsible for the sudden stunting in the acceptance expander (be it a straight 2:1 system such as dbx, or of four -channel sound in this country and abroad. some form of predetermined threshold system, such as If an orderly attempt to standardize compres- now that used in the Pioneer RG -1 or in JVC's newly an- sion/expansion methods were made right - nounced Super -ANRS noise reduction system) must perhaps even using a combination of digital (for the have some means of sensing what it is that it has to do. sensing or instruction signal) and analog technology - So long as that sensing involves analysis of the audio the result might well be new breakthroughs in this ex- composite signal itself, there are going to be time con- citing domain, bringing us an important step closer to stants involved. And time constants mean we are go- the avowed goal of total realism in reproduced sound

...for distortion, that Is. Actually, perfectly clean audio A WATE! power only costs about $1.33 a watt when you buy the Cerwin -Vega A -1800. But at 225 watts RMS/channel (20- 20,000 Hz) with both channels driven into 8 ohms, at 0.08% maximum harmonic distortion you're paying 52,083,159.65 per watt for distortion!. You can buy distortion for a lot less, but nowhere can you find another power amp with the A- 1800's incredible price /performance ratio. And we didn't do it by cutting corners on reliability, either -as proof, there are over 500 A- I800's still holding up just fine after a year of day -in, day -out punishment creating the Sensurround effects in Universal's movie blockbuster EARTHQUAKE. And that's not all -the A -1800 also gives you LED output and clipping Indicators, plug -In components for Incredibly easy servicing, 120/240 volt operation (changeover takes 5 minutes), and probably the most sophisticated protection systems In the industry. There's more, but you'll have to write for it. Or better yet, see one of our dealers for a demonstration. Two million dollars a watt never sounded better!

*Based on a price of $599.95. Math note- since distortion percentages are based on voltage measurements, and power is proportional to the square of voltage, the 0.08% most be squared (giving 0.000064%) when computing power ratlos.

Cerwin-Vega 6945 Tujunga Ave. North Hollywood, CA 91605

CIRCLE 56 ON READER SERVICE. CARD

JUNE /JULY 1976 63

www.americanradiohistory.com /60D1041 LAB RccOrDurc REPORT

NORMAN EISENBERG AND LEN FELDMAN

Two New Radically Different Turntables

157 i ADC Accutrac 4000 Harman-Kardon Rabco ST-7

Special Introduction: The turntable, of course, is ison -in terms of what kind of buyer might prefer one a stable item of every sound studio as well as being or the other. used conspicuously by professionals and amateurs The twin reports here follow the usual MR format alike. Even though most recordings today are made on with these changes: first, we present the write -up on tape, the major dissemination of music is on vinyl. each, separately. Then, in the "individual comments," Both the ADC and the Rabco are state -of- the -art we discuss both units. Finally, in the "vital statistics" i products of recent and innovative design that merit chart, we present the lab test data on each side by side. serious attention. The ADC comes with a pick -up, but when you add the cost of a suitably high- quality pick- General Description, ADC Accutrac 4000: p to the Rabco, both tables fall roughly in the same ADC's first venture into turntables (the company has rice bracket. Each model offers something unique been long known for its phono pick -ups and speaker ... That is to say, while each is different from the systems) is a two-speed (33 and 45 rpm) direct -drive ther, both are different from all other turntables. model with integral arm and base for playing a single inally, and this may be the most intriguing aspect of record with a degree of automation wholly unpre- ll, their very differences (which superficially seem to cedented in turntable history. Thanks to a built -in L.,elie a valid comparison) form a basis for compar- computerized memory bank, the Accutrac can be pro-

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www.americanradiohistory.com 84.1 grammed to play specific cuts on a disc in any se- "floats" inside the wooden surround. The hinged cover quence chosen, including repeats of the same cut up to (which may be removed if desired) may be set down to 24 times. Once the order of selection is "punched in," cover the table and arm during use. The control panel the unit will perform as directed and shut itself off at is outside the cover and so the arm -to- record relation- the end. During the sequence, the operator can over- ship may be changed without lifting the cover. ride the program, change it or cancel it. The controls for operating the unit are ranged across Test Results, ADC Accutrac 4000: Both the the front top surface of the chassis. But in addition, novelty and the myriad of automatic functions of this there are duplicate buttons on a remote -control selec- turntable intrigued MR's testers, and two samples tor which may be used at some distance from the turn- were subjected to considerable use. They were put table. This hand -held device sends an ultrasonic signal through their paces time and again, and several efforts to a sensing receiver which, plugged into the turntable, were made to "fool" the system. The verdict is that will activate its automatic functions. The r/c attach- with the unit adjusted correctly, and used as in- ment (sensor and control box) is supplied as part of the structed, it works exactly as claimed. You can "punch complete package, which also includes an ADC phono up" the control panel, activate the unit, and let it run. pick -up, specially modified to contain a tiny electro- The arm will scan the record and settle down on the cut optical sensing system which responds to blank or selected, play it, then lift up and scan the record again smooth areas of a cut disc thereby enabling the auto- to find the next selected band, and play that, and so. matic selection, set -down and lift-off to work. When This same automation can be had using the r/c option, the sensor in the pick -up "sees" a modulated groove it which we were achieving from distances up to 30 feet "tells" the arm to keep moving. For very heavily between the transmitter and the receptor. modulated grooves which could present a relatively In terms of normal turntable performance criteria, smooth surface and possibly "fool" the sensor, there is the ADC Accutrac measured up very nicely. Rumble a sensor adjustment that compensates, thus enabling (using the DIN "B" standard) was well down at better the scanning system to function as intended. than - 70 dB; wow and flutter were insignificant at The ADC Accutrac 4000 may be used automatically less than 0.03% (weighted). Speed could be adjusted to via the controls on the chassis or by the remote -control pinpoint accuracy with the built -in strobe adjustment, attachment. It also may be used manually, with cueing or varied deliberately by ±4.5 %. The platter took a bit accomplished either via the cueing control or by less than 2 seconds to come up to full speed. regular set -down by hand. Tone -arm friction was very low, within the 5 to 7 The platter itself is a 12 -inch casting weighing a bit grams specified; VTF and anti-skating adjustments over 3 lbs. Made for ADC by the Technics division of were accurate. The cartridge itself produced a re- Panasonic, it is powered by direct -drive from an elec- sponse that was measured to be within ±1.5 dB from tronically controlled DC motor. Speed change is ac- 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Channel separation (at 1 kHz) was 29 complished electronically and the two speeds have dB. Output signal measured 3.6 millivolts re: 5.5 their own fine -speed adjustments that may be made cm/sec velocity. with the aid of a built -in strobe light that works in con- The entire unit gave the impression of quality and junction with raised markings on the outer rim of the durability, combined with handsome styling and ease platter. The tone -arm, also from Technics, is a low- of operation. While the automation here is undoubted- mass metal tubular type with non -removable head and ly the Accutrac's strongest attraction, it is evident decoupled counterweight. Vertical tracking force is set that ADC also has paid attention to the normal by rotating a section of the counterweight, which has a desiderata of high- quality turntable /arm performance. direct readout scale for VTF engraved on it. Anti - skating force is set by a separate adjustment to the General Info, ADC Accutrac 4000: Supplied as right. Tracking force range is 0 to 4 grams. With the complete record playing system (turntable, arm, pick- ADC LMA -1 cartridge supplied, the recommended up, base, dust cover) plus remote-control sensor and range is 3/4 to 11/2 grams. Cable capacitance is less than transmitter, 45 -rpm adapter, and necessary cables. 20 pF per channel, making the unit compatible with Overall dimensions: 181/2 inches wide; 17% inches CD -4 playback. The cartridge itself is a modified ADC, front -to -back; height is 6 inches with cover down fitted with a nude diamond elliptical stylus. (cover raises to maximum height of 163/4 inches). Net The full complement of controls includes four knobs weight is 20 lbs., 4 oz. R/C transmitter is 6 by 3 by 11/4 for power off/on, scanning sensor, 33 rpm pitch adjust, inches; R/C receiver is 43/4 inches high, 41/2 inches in and 45 rpm pitch adjust; five buttons for clear, play, diameter. Price, complete, $499.95. reject, cue and repeat; and 14 more buttons for selec- ting recorded tracks, with the last button marked General Description, Harman -Kardon Rabeo "all" for simply playing the entire side in the order it ST -7: This unit is a greatly improved and refined ver- was cut. Table and arm come on a wooden base that sion of the straight -line tracking arm/turntable

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www.americanradiohistory.com assembly brought out a few years ago by Harman - supplied do guide you correctly through this chore. Kardon. It is a two -speed (33 and 45 rpm) manual, in- Once done, it all works smoothly and exactly as tegrated with a radial- tracking arm that permits a claimed in the literature. The pick -up does move across phono cartridge to track a record groove with literally the record in a true radius, and perfect groove- tracking zero lateral tracking -angle error, with no need for anti- is realized without the need for anti- skating adjust- skating compensation, with no pivotal friction, and at ment, and with a VTF that may be 1/4 to '/2 gram less lower- than -usual vertical tracking forces for a given than used before for the same pick -up. pick -up. Thus, a possible source of playback distortion, As for the standard turntable test measurements, and another of record and/or stylus wear, is greatly the ST -7 is an obviously improved performer vis -a -vis reduced. At the same time, since there is no pivoting earlier units, and indeed can stand up to any top -of- arm, there is no pivotal friction and the need to com- the -line manual turntable. Rumble, by the DIN "B" pensate for skating does not exist since there is no standard, approached the -70 dB mark; wow and flut- skating effect (skating exists only as a function of a ter were insignificant at 0.035% (weighted). Speed is pivoted tone -arm). adjustable to on- the -nose accuracy via the strobe ad- The ST -7 must be recognized as considerably more justment, and it can be varied deliberately over a ± 5% than an "update" of a previous product. From the range. Starting torque is especially good, with the motor driving the platter to the manner in which the platter coming up to full speed in only 0.6 seconds. pick-up is installed in the arm, it is evident that the Arm friction is nonexistent in the usual sense since whole system has been rethought. there is no pivot; the possible friction along the car- The arm body itself is a metal tube of low mass. riage guides is effectively cancelled vertically by a Balance, for whatever pick-up is used, is first ac- special bearing with counter -rotating bands, laterally complished by adjusting a rear counterweight; VTF is by the absence of relative rotation between the stylus set by a sliding weight along the arm body, which has and the far (driven) end of the arm assembly. line- markings for 0 to 3 grams. A control arm extends The entire unit is handsomely styled and sturdily from the carriage assembly and is fitted with a built. The owner must install it perfectly level, and oc- "restrictor" piece just before the pick -up head. The casionally clean the tracking shaft and a few other ex- control arm is used for positioning the tone-arm to cue posed parts, as instructed in the owner's manual. a disc; the restrictor piece aids in aligning the pick -up and in maintaining a suitable height during lift -up. Ad- General Info, H -K Rabco ST -7: Turntable and justments are provided for varying the arm length (to arm supplied with integral base and hinged dust -cover, suit different pick-up dimensions) and for fine- plus 45 -rpm adapter and cables. Overall dimensions: adjusting the lateral tracking. The carriage assembly, 161/4 inches wide; 161/4 inches front-to -back; 63/4 inches in addition to the visible upper guide rod, rides on a high with cover down (cover raises to maximum height lower bar that rotates when the motor is turned on, be- of 183/4 inches). Weight is 22.2 lbs. Price, $400. ing belt-driven from the platter. The arm begins to travel across only when the pick -up stylus is engaged Individual Comment by L.F. (both units): I by the record groove. A built -in cueing lever may be showed the Accutrac turntable system to about a used to lower or raise the arm; for manually moving dozen visitors during the two -week period I had the the arm to a given part of a record the cueing lever unit for testing. Reactions were of two sorts. Some ex- must be placed in the "stylus up" position. At the end claimed that the Accutrac's computer-programming of play, the arm lifts up against the restrictor piece. capability and its wireless remote -control option were The platter used in the ST -7 is an 11%-inch exactly what they had been waiting for. aluminum casting, weighing 2.4 pounds. It is belt - On the other hand, others felt that absolutely no driven from a brushless DC (Hall effect) motor. Speed benefit was to be derived from the band -programming change is done electronically, and each speed has its and other automated functions performed (flawlessly) own fine -speed adjustment that may be made with the by the Accutrac. aid of a built -in illuminated strobe system, visible I suspect that classical music lovers will see no through a small window. The turntable has a main AC reason to spend extra money on a unit of this type, power off/on switch under the base, near the front. In while those who play specific bands of pop or rock addition, it has a touch -to- operate 45- rpm/stop /33 rpm discs will see the desirability of the automatic pro- control bar, with separately illuminated indicators for gramming at once. each function. Total cable capacitance is below the Rather than attempt to take sides in this argument, 100 -pF level and so is suitable for CD -4 playback. I prefer to confine my comments to the machine itself. The hinged cover may be raised to any convenient To begin with, it performs exactly as claimed, both in height or it may be removed entirely. The unit will regard to its programming features and to its operate with the cover in place. published specs. However, I wonder why ADC did not select Technics' best direct-drive motor and turntable, Test Results, H -K Rabco ST -7: Setting up the if the Model 4000 represents the "top -of- the -line" Ac- Rabco ST -7, especially assembling the arm and cor- cutrac entry. We have been advised that lower -priced rectly fitting one's pick -up, takes a little more than Accutracs (with all of the same programming capabili- usual time and care but the instructions and gauge ty and remote control) are on the way. If that is so, andJ 66 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com (..if the Accutrac idea is to appeal to the audiophile who about your phono system requirements, you won't demands the very best in "pure" turntable per- mind the several seconds it takes before sound begins formance (as well as to less precision- minded listeners), using the Accutrac. ADC might well have chosen better turntable and arm Honestly, I can't tell you whether I like one more construction (and a more powerful drive motor) for this than the other anymore than I can tell you whether or top entry. The tone -arm and turntable /drive system not pears are better than apples. Each of these devices simply do not match the sophistication of the rest of is sure to have a dedicated following among the audio the mechanism, in my view. cognoscenti. It really boils down to a decision as to I also wish that cycling were a bit faster. It seems to whether you want all your turntable dollars invested take an inordinately long time to move from one band in the turntable and tone -arm performance or whether to another (bear in mind that the tone -arm must return you care about convenience features enough to appor- to its rest position each time a new band is to be tion a fairly substantial percentage of those dollars in- played, unless the "all" button has been programmed). to the convenience -aspects of record playing. The somewhat confusing nomenclature of the pro- gramming buttons (one must press "CUE" to lift the Individual Comment by N.E. (both units): My arm and press it again to resume play, and one must visitors also expressed amazement commingled with press "PLAY" before any action following band pro- varied comments about the Accutrac. We even had gramming begins) will probably be corrected before some fun aiming the r/c transmitter away from its mass production of the Accutrac begins. receptor to determine bounce -angles for the signal to As for the H -K Rabco Straight-Line Tracking activate the unit. System, Model ST -7, the numeral at the end of the But once past the initial "shock" of the functioning model number suggests that there have been other of the Accutrac, questions did arise regarding its ST's before. The problem with earlier Rabco models is ultimate usefulness. I don't think it can be divided that while in theory they always seemed right, in ac- simply between classical and pop/rock buffs. There are tual production they ran into quite a bit of trouble. In- many classical records that have several bands -either deed, even the present ST -7 (which, as far as I could medleys of short selections, or something like the detect, has licked all those earlier mechanical pro- Elgar "Enigma" Variations which (on Philips blems) impresses me as a fairly delicate device -one I 6500.481) has the main theme plus 13 variations on wouldn't dare handle in too rough a manner. Following one side. In general, however, I would have to agree the well- written assembly instructions, however, I en- that most classical music listeners will want to play a countered no difficulty in setting up the machine record straight through most of the time, which would (which comes with turntable in place and requires in- of course make the automatic band -selection feature of stallation of cartridge and tone -arm assembly) and got the Accutrac less- than -important to them. For other the unit to work first time around. I found it a bit dif- listeners, the pre-programming of a disc side could be a ficult to correctly position the slide bar over the lead -in welcome convenience- playing various cuts in any se- grooves of a record since there is some lack of precise quence chosen, omitting some, repeating others, etc. verticality in the descending action of the arm on our without constant attendance on the turntable. sample, but after a few tries I learned to compensate L.F. raises an interesting question regarding the for this error. The cueing action is not nearly as precise choice of turntable and arm used in this system. The as that of the Accutrac. That is, the descending stylus rumble and other measurements indicate that it is one does not return exactly to the groove at which playing of the quietest turntables around, and it seems to me had been interrupted when cueing lift -up is employed. that the motor chosen is matched to the chores the Still, not having to fuss with anti -skate adjustments is unit performs. Cycling is, however, on the slow side; indeed a pleasure. The tracking system is a marvel of but apparently the time taken is what the "brain" simplicity and does not require any servo -correction employed needs to get the message and translate it in- systems to keep that arm moving along regardless of to action. As for the naming of the buttons, I suspect groove pitch. ADC designers had a time deciding what to call the I noted that a cartridge which normally had to track "Clear" and "Reject" buttons since under certain con- at downward forces of 1.25 to 1.5 grams was now able ditions both will do the same thing. to track at just under 1 gram when properly set up in The owner of the Accutrac, it should be pointed out, the tone -arm of the ST -7. That is a more significant im- is limited to the use of the particular ADC pick -up sup- provement than might first seem true by comparing plied with it, since this pick -up had to be specially these sets of tracking numbers. modified to accomodate the sensor beam device in- Even though the Accutrac uses less than the most corporated in it. This being the case, it perhaps is in- expensive direct -drive components, it edges out the cumbent on ADC to substantiate that the arm sup- ST -7 in rumble by a couple of dB, but when you are plied is indeed optimally mated to this pick-up - talking about rumble figures of 68 and 70 dB (DIN something which other companies offering a one pick- "B ") the differences are insignificant as far as audi- up /arm combination seem to have been doing. bility is concerned. If hand- cueing and quick attain- How many of these units will sell is anyone's guess. ment of correct rotational speed is important to you, My first thought, after the possible rock/pop market, \.....the ST -7 wins hands down. If you are more casual would be the Niemann- Marcus shopper, or the audio

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www.americanradiohistory.com buff who loves to practice one -upmanship. The future one that gives seemingly better figures than the more of this product, including its anticipated lower -priced rigorous (and, in my view, more accurate) CBS -ARLL versions, will be interesting to watch. rating. There is no direct translation from DIN "B" to The Rabco ST -7 represents a new level of refinement ARLL but at 320 Hz, the DIN "B" number will be 6 for a product concept that dates back to 1968 and had, dB "better" and at 50 Hz, about 5 dB "better." In any as its first commercial offering, a separate arm -the event, our own lab measurements show that even by SL -8 which sold for $150. The arm evolved through the ARLL standard, both of these turntables would do various spin -offs, was combined with a table and came better than -60 dB for rumble, which is an excellent out as the ST -4 in late 1970. Comments then about the mark for any turntable. product ran something like: "Love the arm, can't Either of these units would do a stereo system stand the platter." In my view, the present version - proud. The Accutrac boasts an unprecedented automa- the ST -7 -is bound to engender the "love verdict" for tion (for a single record side); the Rabco ST -7 boasts both elements. It is on all counts a precision -made, true radial tracking for any pick -up of your choice. The quality product, and weeks of heavy use find it in as Accutrac can be remotely controlled; the ST -7 offers healthy shape as when I first took it out of the carton faster start -up time and lower VTF. For my taste, and and set it up- which, by the way, takes some fussing speaking very personally, if I had to make a choice be- to get the proper seating of the cartridge. Perhaps tween the two I would pick the ST -7 by a narrow overshadowing this chore is the fact that the arm will margin because it permits improved pick -up per- accept any make of cartridge and will permit tracking formance. I still must marvel, however, at the Ac- at lower stylus forces than otherwise required, and cutrac "brain child." It seems that the "personalities" without the need for anti -skating. of these two products will appeal to different human Listening reactions can be tricky, but methinks I do personalities who doubtless will support these two new detect, using the same cartridge previously installed in "revolutions" in turntable design. a pivoted arm, a better definition of very low frequen- cies and a somewhat firmer stereo image. On other characteristics, the ST -7's cueing action o could be more precise; it tends to return the stylus to a few bars away from the point in the music at which °' -10 you lifted it. As for positioning the arm to hit the lead - in groove, it is no different actually from any arm us- ing a cueing lever (the most precise cueing -in is still by -20 hand, albeit a steady hand with a light touch!); the dif-

ference here is that you tend to look at the pick -up -30 SEPARATION head -on instead of from a side as in conventional arms. With a little practice, this minor problem can be over- come. 20 100 1K 10K 20K It is interesting to note that both ADC and H -K FREQUENCY-Hz specify rumble by the DIN "B" standard which hap- ADC Accutrac 4000: Frequency response and pens to be the most inflated rumble rating around, and separation, ADC LMA -1 cartridge.

VITAL STATISTICS

PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTIC LAB MEASUREMENT

ACCUTRAC 4000 RABCO ST -7 Turntable rumble (DIN "B") -71 dB -68 dB Wow and flutter (WRMS) 0.027% 0.035% Speeds available 33; 45 33; 45 Speed adjustment range ±4.5% ±5.0% Speed build -up time 1.8 seconds 0.6 second Platter weight 3 lbs., 2 oz. 2 lbs., 6.4 oz.

Motor /drive system DC brushless/direct DC brushless (Hall effect) /belt Moderate "S" curve; Straight tube; straight -line (radial) Tone-arm type effective length, 9 5A, in. tracking; length adjustable for pick -up. Lateral, c. 6 grams Not applicable Arm bearing friction (pivotal) Vertical, c. 6 grams (see text)

Tracking force range Oto 4 grams 0 to 3 grams Stylus overhang %z inch Not applicable (see text) Cartridge response ±1.5 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz Not applicable; depends Cartridge output 3.6 mV /5.5 cm /sec. on cartridge installed. Channel separation 29 dB at 1 kHz

CIRCLE 8 ON READER CIRCLE 12 ON READER SERVICE CARD SERVICE CARD

68 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com as a microphone amp or as a mixer (mic plus other source) for distribution to loads other than the recorder itself. In fact, the 10XD can be used to play a Tandberg 10XD Open -Reel mono tape and serve as a mic -amp at the same time. The Dolby system included in the Tandberg will en- code in recording and decode on playback. It also has Tape Recorder provisions for copying FM programs (and other tapes) which themselves may be Dolbyized or not. The transport action features fast -buttoning from any mode to any other (except from wind or rewind to record). Thanks to an automatic motion sensor, the transfers from one mode to another are quite rapid. During normal play mode, you can go directly into record at the touch of a button for the "flying start" kind of operation that permits "punch -in" recording or "electronic editing." The Tandberg uses peak -reading VU meters that permit recording at relatively high signal levels without running into overload. They show signal levels after equalization. When used with Tandberg's HL tape or equivalent, zero dB on the meters is the guide - mark; when recording on other types of low -noise tape, the operator is advised to avoid needle deflections beyond the -2.5 dB mark on the VU meters. The meters, which remain in the record circuit as long as the deck is recording, will show input levels while monitoring the tape, regardless of whether the monitor switch is in source or tape position. Only when the deck is changed to playback mode will the meters read playback level. Thus, "visual control" of the in- put signal is always available when recording. Layout of the deck is orderly and distinctly "con- temporary" in visual appeal. Controls include the main General Description: The model 10XD is a recent power off /on switch; tape -speed selector; 101/2cinch reel offering in open -reel tape recorders from the well- button; edit /cue button (which may be used in fast known Norwegian firm of Tandberg. A three-speed wind modes as well as when moving the reels by hand); model (15, 7'/2 and 33/4 ips), it is -the manufacturer the usual transport selector buttons; a pair of sliders points out -the world's first (and so far only) open -reel for separate mic input level on each channel; a similar recorder that accepts 101/2-inch reels and has a Dolby pair for line inputs; a third pair for output levels; circuit that operates at all three speeds (in other record- select buttons for each channel; source /tape recorders that have both 15 ips and Dolby, the Dolby buttons for each channel; the sound -on -sound control; does not operate at the 15 ips speed). the Dolby system control. The deck has a four -digit The Tandberg 10XD also employs Cross -Field bias- tape counter with reset button. During use, a soft ing which is applied during recording via a special green pilot lamp indicates power on; the meters light head. The tape actually passes between this head and up, and a small indicator glows over the mode key the recording head. There is a separate erase head to pressed. The sound -on -sound feature has its own pilot the left and a separate play head to the right of the lamp. Mic inputs (phone jacks, balanced inputs) are on record/bias heads, making a total of four heads. The the front panel; the headphone output jack also is here. tape path from supply to take -up reels follows a care- In and out line connectors (pin jacks) are at the rear fully planned system of swinging arms, guides and where there are also connectors for a DIN cable and an capstans. Spring- loaded locks hold tape reels in place, optional remote -control accessory. and adapters (supplied) may be fitted over the spindles The Tandberg 10XD is supplied with an empty to accept the large -size (NAB) reels. The transport and 101/2-inch reel; two NAB hub adapters; signal cables. electronics come in a handsome rosewood case that The owner's manual is outstanding for its thorough- may be installed vertically, horizontally or at any in- ness, clarity and two -color illustrations. It is printed termediate angle. on quality stock and in addition to containing carefully In addition to mono and stereo recording and play- written instructions for using the deck in all its modes, back, the Tandberg has provisions for sound -on-sound it contains valuable hints on microphone use and recordings, echo recordings and input mixing (two placement, tape copying, language learning, mixing, stereo programs from different sources, or up to four editing and splicing, simple maintenance, and a very mono sources). The unit's built -in preamp may be used good rundown on the Dolby system.

JUNE /JULY 1976 69

www.americanradiohistory.com Test Results: Using low -noise tape (Maxell UD, machine I have ever encountered, its "orientation" as which is one of the tapes Tandberg states is suitable a product is obviously to the home recordist. The true for use on the 10XD), MR's testers put the deck pro machine would have adjustments for bias and through its paces and exceeded Tandberg's per- equalization and for Dolby calibration; the 10XD has formance claims in every instance. Mechanically and none of these. On the other hand, this simplified ap- electrically, the deck ran beautifully and easily proach which still provides uncompromised audio and justified Tandberg's claim as being the best tape mechanical performance (providing the proper tape is recorder they have yet produced. used) may well endear the 10XD to a great many tape Without doubt, in the view of MR's testers, the use recording enthusiasts who, while lacking the test in- of the Cross -Field biasing system can be credited with struments to make studio -precision adjustments, still improved response, and especially so at the lowest want (and can get with this unit) ne plus ultra speed of 33/4 ips which, on this deck, is comparable to specifications and reliability. Our test results indicate 71/2 ips on many other models, particularly when used this is a tape recorder of superior capabilities, and -as with the unit's built -in Dolby system. Tandberg's best to date -the manufacturer's en- Indeed, response at all speeds -as well as the deck's thusiasm and references to "professionalism" in the low distortion, superb signal -to -noise ratio, and overall literature are understandable. mechanical excellence-rivals or exceeds many "pro" decks. Wow and flutter, for instance, were among the Individual Comment by N.E.: I agree that there lowest MR has yet measured; response, among the are certain features normally found on all -out studio most linear and extended; and so on. The metering tape machines that are not obvious on the Tandberg system here -once the user gets accustomed to it- 10XD, but this is sort of like saying that Model Z is a actually enables taping at higher input levels without beautifully performing car with both sport and the danger of tape overload, and the self- adjusting mic passenger attributes except that it won't compete too inputs could be of help to the "live" recordist. The well at the Indianapolis races. Tandberg needs no preamp circuitry is especially quiet, and adds no hiss apologies, and I do not need to assume the role of their even when the input pots are run wide open. apologist, but the company his its own ideas of tape MR notes too that the Tandberg 10XD is "spec'd" recorder design. The kind of recorder they offer with ± to within 2 dB which is more rigorous than the the model 10XD seems to me to represent a nice ± bal- 3dB used for many other models and which, when ance of features and options that should appeal to a checked out in MR's lab, did indeed conform to the test significant market which, for want of a better term, findings. might be called the "semi -pro" or "advanced con- sumer" tape buff. To me, the type of connector is less General Info: Deck is supplied in rosewood important than the quality of the signal passing wraparound. Overall dimensions are 17 by 17 % by through that connector and on this count, not to men- 7 '/e inches. Weight is 36 lbs. Owner's manual is tion mechanical smoothness and reliability, the 10XD excellent. Price: Quarter -track version (unit tested), can stand up to anything I know of in its price class, or $1,399; half -track version, $1,499. even at higher cost. On specific points, the Tandberg's metering system Individual Comment by L.F.: When checking is more carefully worked out than in most home -type out a recorder costing over $1,000 the question arises: machines, and it helps in recording tapes with optimal is this a professional deck with home -use features, or S/N characteristics. The mic inputs permit running is it a home machine with professional features? The cables over 1,000 feet in length, and the outputs (not requirements of the studio engineer are not, of course, the DIN socket, of course) have enough dB margin to always the same as those of the serious home re- permit cables about as long. The Dolby system has in- cordist. For instance, a pro wants to be able to "punch herently excellent "tracking" and, since the level con- in" the recording function instantly, even when the trols come after the Dolby circuitry, there really is no transport is running in the playback mode. This need to recalibrate. There is, in any event, an internal facility - supplied in a home machine -could produce Dolby adjustment for a qualified technician (should accidental erasure of recorded tapes if the user is not the need arise). Bias is not "user- adjustable" although aware of it and prepared to use it with care. In this in- the Cross -Field head under the head -cover can be ad- stance, Tandberg has chosen to go the professional justed, again by a qualified tech using proper in- route with the model 10XD. struments. Equalization is very precise here and On the other hand, a truly professional tape machine "follows" bias closely, obviating the need for a normally has XLR three -terminal balanced line and separate EQ adjustment. mic inputs and outputs, whereas the 10XD has un- In short, the obvious "studio" features are, in this balanced two -terminal line inputs and outputs (using unit, deliberately "hidden" since Tandberg feels they standard home -type pin jacks), and balanced mic in- could be loused up by inexpert hands. "As is," the puts which are self- adjusting depending on mic im- 10XD is one beautiful machine, deliberately designed pedance but which do use three -terminal phone jacks to Tandberg's tape- recorder "philosophy" and in- for access to the mic preamp circuitry. tended to appeal to a broad range of users that strad- While the 10XD certainly performs like the best pro dles some "pro" and some non -pro areas. Call it what

70 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com y(...'ou want, the Tandberg 10XD is one hell of a tape TANDBERG 10XD TAPE RECORDER: Vital Statistics

recorder. PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTIC LAB MEASUREMENT (using Maxell UD tape, noted as suitable by mfr. for this deck) Record /playback frequency response 15 ips,0dB ±2 dB, 29 Hz to 27 kHz 71/2 ips, -6dB ±2 dB, 32 Hz to 22.5 kHz +15 ips, -20 dB ±2 dB, 37 Hz to 18 kHz Harmonic distortion a +10 +3 VU 0.7% O VU 0.5% +5 kH 0 d' c d level, 15 ps --I`21 Best 61 S/N ratio dB (unwtd; less Dolby) o 1to130mW 22.5 " -6 dB" record level, 7 ii !Ps kHz Input sensitivity, mic ° -5 (self- adjusting to impedance) 180 mV (0.1 to 5.0 V, line g -10 automatically adjustable)

Output level, line 1.8 V (at 150 -ohm impedance) -15 headphone 5 mW (at 8 ohms) -20 dB' record level, 3'/ ips 18 kHz -20 irl Bias frequency c. 125 kHz 1K 20 100 10K 20K Speed accuracy ±0.2% FREQUENCY - Hz Wow 8 flutter (WRMS), 15 ips 0.018% 7' /z ips 0.030% Tandberg 10XD: Record /playback response, at 3% ips 0.075% three available speeds, using Maxell -UD tape. CIRCLE 17 ON READER SERVICE CARD

the input level signal to match the system level Pioneer RG -1 without the Processor in the circuit. A switch that puts the unit in and out of the system is available for Dynamic Range Expander instant comparisons (by ear). The RG -1 is designed to be patched into the tape record /monitor jacks of a normal stereo amplifier or receiver; a duplicate set of jacks to restore this facility to the stereo system is provided at the rear of the unit.

Test Results: One of the most gratifying things about the RG -1 in use is its freedom from audible "pumping" or "breathing." MR could not measure the attack and decay time of this expander, but apparent- ly its designers have chosen the unit's operating parameters very cannily. To sense and control the desired variations in signal gain, the range of frequen- General Description: The Pioneer RG -1 is a self - cies that is used to develop the controlling signals lies powered stereo (two- channel) dynamic range expander primarily above the fundamentals of most musical in- for use in a playback system. It works on ordinary (un- struments. When played loudly, says Pioneer, these in- processed) signals from tape, disc or broadcasts to struments tend to produce more harmonics than when help enhance loud passages while leaving softer played at lower volume. The key, then, to the RG -1's passages unaffected. The audible effect is intended to action is the presence or absence of frequencies in the enhance the impact of playback by effectively restor- region of 2.5 kHz rather than overall sound without ing a measure of the dynamic range that may have regard to frequency. In MR's tests, the effect of the been compromised or limited during the original re- RG -1 in the system did seem to bear out this theory by cording or broadcast (or both, in some instances). A enhancing the dynamic range of much program side benefit of this process is the relative reduction of material played through it. background noise (hiss, surface noise, etc.) by the From the standpoint of undesirable contributions to enhanced upper signal level. the signal (noise and distortion in the device itself), the A special "sensor" circuit is designed to prevent the RG -1 presents no problem. At an output of 1 volt, the expansion action from being stimulated by noise unit produced a mere 0.05% THD (half of the 1% elements in the signal, and the amount of expansion allowed by the manufacturer), and its signal -to -noise itself is selectable by the operator in 2 dB increments ratio was measured as 98 dB, close enough to the 100 from 6 dB to 14 dB via a front panel control. The dB claimed by Pioneer. Its maximum output is 6.6 degree of expansion is displayed on left and right chan- volts, which tops by .1 volt the level claimed by the nel front -panel meters. Another control knob selects manufacturer. .01

JUNE /JULY 1976 71

www.americanradiohistory.com General Info: The RG -1 dimensions are 133/4 inches In my view, this is theoretically desirable, although wide; 12% inches deep; 5% inches high. Weight is 11 I do not regard it as the most important or even the lbs., 10 oz. Unit is supplied in metal case with brushed most readily attainable way to improve the realism of aluminum front panel. Price is $175. a playback system. I would say a more basic step would be to improve the dynamic range capabilities of Individual Comment by L.F.: Two things about loudspeakers. In a playback system of given perform- the RG -1 make it different from other single -ended ex- ance ability, with all other things staying equal, a panders I have encountered. And there's one thing dramatic and audible improvement can be realized by that makes it a bit trickier to use than some others. changing to speakers with greater dynamic range. First and most important, the expansion degree is This also suggests a negative corollary, or at least variable and selectable by the user. I approve, since no raises a nice question: how can a signal source whose audio enthusiast likely to use such a device is naive own dynamic range has been expanded be reproduced enough to suppose that every recording engineer successfully by a loudspeaker whose own dynamic employs the same degree of compression for every range remains - because of its inherent design - recording. Or that even the same recording engineer limited vis -a -vis the signal it is getting? will compress the same for all of his own recordings. Of However this question be answered, I feel there are the five expansion options in the RG -1, I generally others regarding the RG -1. On the matter of setting chose the 8 -dB or 10 -dB positions for classical listen- the adjustment -the question raised by L.F. in his ing, while for pop and rock material I preferred the comments -I also note that the signal meters do not higher settings of 12 dB and sometimes 14 dB. register when the Processor switch is moved to its Another thing I liked in this unit is its ability to "off" position. Thus, the basic matching of signal reduce noise by as much as 6 dB as a side benefit of ex- levels -essential to the proper working of the RG -1- panded dynamic range. But to enjoy this feature, the must be done by ear. The meters actually are only unit must be correctly set, which leads me to the one monitoring what the RG -1 is doing but since this is flaw I feel the RG -1 has. "after the fact" and cannot be related to another meter And that concerns the setting of the front -panel in- reading for comparison, the whole process is highly put level control. From reading the operating instruc- subjective, and you get a feeling that the meters are tions, you might get the idea that setting this control suddenly less- than -very- important here. L.F. rightly is not at all critical, and that it may be done once, and criticizes the owner's manual instructions on this point casually at that. Nothing could be farther from the and I would underscore that comment, adding too that truth. In my opinion, that control should be adjusted there are other areas of the manual that could stand each time you choose to move the expansion control some clarification -and this applies both to text and from one of its settings to another, and the adjustment illustrations. takes careful doing. It was only after considerable ex- In general, my overall reactions were not as en- perimentation that I realized that simply reading the thusiastic as L.F.'s. In my listening tests, the RG -1 meters is not enough to set up the RG -1 for optimum proved somewhat effective on well- recorded rock and signal processing. I finally hit on a method that in- pop material, less so on classical stuff and least of all volves both careful listening and study of the meters. on small ensembles such as chamber music groups. The idea is to keep adjusting the input level control un- When noise content has appreciable midrange com- til average loudness levels remain essentially un- ponents, such as FM hiss on weak stations, the RG -1 changed as you switch the RG -1 in and out (using the brings up everything including the hiss, and the net ef- Processor/Off switch). It may take some time to fect is rather like having someone automatically raise establish just when average music levels are being ex- the volume control and then lower it. It would seem perienced but with patience it can be done. It was only that the effectiveness of the RG -1, in addition to the after going through this procedure to set correct input critical setting up indicated by L.F., depends too in levels that I was able to realize full benefit from the some measure on how good and clean the original RG -1. That benefit, I would emphasize, is great: source material is to begin with. crescendos come through with full impact, while softer passages remain unchanged and seem audibly freer of noise than before. PIONEER RG -1 SIGNAL PROCESSOR: Vital Statistics Individual Comment by N.E.: If one is using PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTIC LAB MEASUREMENT Maximum output for 1.0% THD, 6.5 V program material that already is "noise- processed" at 1 kHz, 14 dB expansion and plays it through a reciprocal decoding circuit (such THD at 1 V out, 1 kHz, 14 dB expansion 0.05% as with the Dolby system), then a device such as the S/N ratio, 1 kHz, 14 dB expansion -98 dB Dynamic expansion (nominally 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 dB) see comments in text RG -1 becomes a redundancy. However, all that we are Attack time (nominally 0.5 msec) see comments in text likely to listen to has not been so processed and it is for Release time (nominally 80.0 msec) see comments in text that large amount of source material that the RG -1 is Power consumption 12 watts intended, as a kind of "universal" expander to restore the dynamic range that has been compressed in the recording and/or broadcast studio. CIRCLE 10 ON READER SERVICE CARD

72 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com S.E.S. "Geostatic" Speaker Model U -60

measured was indeed 8 ohms or higher across much of the audio band, dipping slightly to about 6 ohms from 2 kHz to 10 kHz and then coming closer to 8 ohms again in the 20 kHz region. To measure response, special techniques had to be used because of the unconventional nature of this speaker. Wide -band pink noise was used as a program source. A sweeping narrow -band filter in the spectrum analyzer was connected to a calibrated microphone positioned more than 1 meter away from the front of the U -60 to produce the spectrum curve shown. The results are somewhat meaningful only from around 50 response General Description: The U -60 is one of a series of Hz to 15,000 Hz. (The published specs claim MR could not speaker systems (the letters B.E.S. stand for Bertagni within ±3 dB from 38 Hz to 18,000 Hz; Electroacoustic Systems, Inc., the manufacturer) achieve this with the test samples it had). 91 dB /SPL with 1 known by the generic title of "geostatic" and which Sensitivity claimed for the U -60 is 87 dB at utilize as the diaphragm (sound- producing element) a watt input at 1 meter. MR's tests measured several relatively large section of expanded polymer material the very best -and we had to integrate figure, held within a surrounding aluminum frame. The frame readings to obtain that result. This admittedly, U -60 was compared (which theoretically could be of any material) serves might be in error, but when the to support the polymer. There is no need, in this with another speaker system having a known sensitivi- only including design, for an enclosure in the usual sense. Driven by a ty of 92 dB (on various source material U -60 simply ceramic magnet, the entire polymer section loads white noise, pink noise and music), the its position in directly to the room from both sides and thereby ra- sounded far less efficient regardless of a reproducer diates sound from its nominal "front" and "rear." the room. The speaker is as low- efficiency The design makes for an extremely thin speaker that as its testers have ever encountered. is not necessarily a is light enough in weight to be wall- mounted or Of course, low efficiency as such handle enough suspended from the ceiling, although the particular demerit in a speaker, provided it can levels. In unit sent for testing came with a small pedestal base to amplifier power to produce adequate sound the maximum which it may be attached and placed on the floor. MR's view, it would take pretty close to levels in most The unit is quite attractive and presents a neat 100 watts for the U -60 to reach such the less power contemporary -style look. Size and weight do not rooms. Naturally, the smaller the room preclude experimenting for best placement in a given demanded for comparable levels. of the U -60's per- room. The U -60 is recommended for use with a The most impressive aspect minimum amplifier power of 10 watts (RMS per chan- formance seemed to MR to be its excellent dispersion. without ex- nel); maximum recommended RMS amplifier power One can literally walk around the speaker frequency per channel is 100 watts, with a continuous RMS periencing the slightest variation in high- When power rating of 40 watts. Input impedance is 8 ohms, energy content while the system is playing. the stereo and connections are made to a pair of screw terminals listening to a pair reproducing stereo, near the bottom of one side. No controls are provided. "imaging" is as good as anything heard from conven- tional speakers and perhaps a bit better. Like all om- Results: The manufacturer makes several per- nidirectional systems, of course, placement to achieve Test best results formance claims for this speaker which MR could only this effect can be critical -in MR's tests, room with the partly confirm. To begin with, the impedance were obtained in a 14 -foot by 20 -foot

73 JUNE /JULY 1976

www.americanradiohistory.com pair of speakers positioned along the long wall, each a prominent midrange and high end out to at least little more than 1 foot from the wall, and spaced about 15,000 Hz, and with superior dispersion in the upper 10 feet apart. frequency region. With either unit, efficiency is quite low and in a relatively large room one wants to crank General Info: The U -60 is 231/2 inches high, 176/8 up the amplifier gain to get decent sound levels, except inches wide, and 33/4 inches deep. The wooden base to that if you try for too much output there is a tendency which it may be fastened is 141/2 inches wide, 91/2 to sonic "breakup" on complex orchestral passages. In inches deep, and it raises the total height by 2 inches. a smaller room, where less volume is needed (or can be Price is $189. tolerated) and you can sort of "snuggle up" to the speaker, it makes a more acceptable kind of sound. In Individual Comment by L.F.: The dream of a the bass region I found that doubling became evident "flat speaker" that does not require a box -type at about 50 Hz but that the speaker would respond enclosure is almost as old as high fidelity itself, and somehow to tones down to 30 Hz. Interestingly closely parallels that of the flat -screen home TV set. I enough, with the unit that had a defective midrange must admit that I, too, was taken by this dream and high end, even the bass on music sounded thin, several years ago and anxiously auditioned a flat - demonstrating that the overtones contributed by up- speaker product once offered by Fisher Radio, known per frequency response are germane to a full percep- as the Sound Panel. That speaker was developed by an tion of bass. My present feeling about this speaker is Argentinian professor of electronics and audio that it is an interesting "work in progress" that has engineering by the name of José Bertagni. It was very considerable promise as a possible future marvel, but flat indeed, and could be hung on a wall, much like a in its present form, at least on the basis of the units painting (in fact, Fisher Radio offered grille variations tested, it is not my audio cup of tea - although I am ranging from realistic to abstract art, as I recall). willing to admit it may be someone else's. There was only one thing wrong with those sound panels. They had little bass response and weren't ter- ribly efficient. The highs were not particularly outstanding, either. Well, the years have passed, and Professor Bertagni has been hard at work improving his patented concept of the enclosureless speaker. Recently, he established a company in the U.S. called Bertagni Electroacoustic Systems (B.E.S.) which currently produces four models of "flat" speaker systems. To my taste, the new Geostatic units (as they are called) are aestheti- cally much more pleasing than the old sound panels. The sound is generally better too, but the U -60 sim- ply does not go down as low in frequency as I would like it to. I seemed to be missing at least a full octave of lower bass compared with almost any other reasonably priced system I listened to in making com- parative A/B tests against the U -60. In all fairness, I must state that clarity of sound and absence of distor- tion are a plus for this system, but it just doesn't have B.E.S. U -60: Wide -band pink -noise response. the response I would expect from a speaker selling for more than $150.

I will concede that the present version of the B.E.S. 32

Geostatic Speaker System runs rings around that 28 earlier version made for Fisher Radio -but even ex- cellence is relative, and I believe that the day of the 24 definitive "flat" speaker is still to come. It may well 20 come from Professor Bertagni at that, if past im- 16 1

provements are any indication of what's ahead. 12

Individual Comment by N.E.: The pair of U -60 speakers I auditioned were so different in tonal output 4 that I must o conclude one of them had to be defective. 20 100 K 10K 20K It simply did not make it with any appreciable energy FREQUENCY - Hz output beyond about the 2,000 -Hz frequency mark. B.E.S. U -60: Impedance vs. frequency. Reproducing music it sounded muffled and "gutless." I must attribute this to a serious defect, since the 4 other unit sounded much better, with a relatively CIRCLE 14 ON READER SERVICE CARD

7d MODERN RECORDIN^

www.americanradiohistory.com and you'll drop all the others.

There is a new cassette on the market. The FUJI FX, a Pure Ferrix cassette that soon will be the standard of FUJI FILM excellence for top quality, truly high fidelity reproduction. world. Pure -Ferrix It already is in many parts of the Excellent Music Performance FUJI FX gives you the music you want, the way you want your music. Clear, crisp sound over the entire audio frequency range without perceptible distortion. A signal - to -noise ratio of better than 58 db. No hiss. Virtually failure -proof. The finest music at your fingertips without the need for any special bias. Drop in at your FUJI dealer today; then drop in a FUJI and hear music as you have never heard it before. FUJI FX cassettes come in lengths of 46, 60 and 90. Also available, a full line of FUJI FL Low Noise cassettes in lengths of 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes. FUJI Photo Film U.S.A., 07,1=10 Inc. The Empire State Building, New York, New York 10001. THE TAPE THAT'S HEARD AROUND THE WORLD CIRCLE 92 ON READER SERViLL CARD

www.americanradiohistory.com Reviewed by: SEDGWICK CLARK NAT HENTOFF H. G. LA TORRE IRA MAYER STEVEN PEEPLES HOWARD ROLLER nn BOB WEIL PAULETTE WEISS

"Just Another Love Song" could be group's sound, and the New Allman retitled "Son of Ramblin' Man," and Brothers Band really uses the studio "Louisiana Lou and Three -Card Mon- (vs. going in and recording a basically ty John" is good basic country "live" gig as they used to). boogie. The extended instrumental It's time, however, that this ALLMAN BROTHERS New BAND: Win, "High Falls" has its moments, but Allman Brothers Band explored some Lose or Draw. [Johnny Sandlin and the lacks the energy and cohesiveness of uncharted territory instead of sticking Allman Brothers Band, producers; Sam "Jessica" (its forerunner). The title cut to the same old trails. Perhaps then Whiteside and Carolyn Harriss, is a Greg Allman composition that this talented group will move back into engineers; recorded at Capricorn Sound might be the high point of the album if the winner's circle, and not have Studios to set- and the Record Plant, Los it didn't bring his "Jessica" to mind. tle for another draw. B.W. Angeles, Cal.] Capricorn Records The Allman's musicianship and CP0156. Sandlin's production are flawless throughout W, L or D, and even when Performance: Excellent things get busy, the instruments never ERIC CARMEN: Eric Carmen. [Jimmy Recording: Their best studio sound to get in each other's way. Bassist Lamar lenner, producer; Jack Sherdel, date Williams and pianist Chuck Leavell engineer; recorded at O.D.O. Sound have added their own styles to the Studios, New York, N.Y.] Arista AL4057. Who would have thought that the Allman Brothers Band would fall vic- tim to Einstein's Theory of Relativi- ty? Well, it's true, and like old Al said: "It all depends on your frame of reference." If one listens to Win, Lose or Draw as an isolated entity, it comes off as a good, solid album that suc- cessfully blends blues, country and light with polished rock 'n' roll. The problem lies in listening to this album in the context of the Allman Brothers' previous accomplishments. There is nothing on W, L or D that comes close to Allman classics like "Whippin' Post," "You Don't Love Me" or "Blue Sky." The blues cuts (contributed by Muddy Waters, Billy Joe Shaver and Greg Allman) seem im- personal without Duane Allman's in- comparable slide guitar. While Richard (formerly Dickie) Betts is a technically excellent guitarist, his clear, rich melodic lines are less suited to the blues than to his own country - influenced compositions. Of these, ALLMAN BROTHERS: Flawless musicianship and production

76 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com Performance McCartneyesque Recording: A bit carried away

As lead singer, composer and rhythm guitarist for Raspberries, Eric Carmen was instrumental in putting together some of the best light rock since Rubber Soul. Unfortunately, Raspberries (along with Bread and Badfinger) was dismissed by many "rock aficionados" as lightweight, presumably due to its concentration on melodies and harmonies as opposed to heavy lyrics and instrumental breaks. So, the Raspberries never got the chance to ripen, and Carmen ' hopped off the proverbial bush and went solo. "Well Done,Doctor Q:' to add a Carmen has teamed up with the By Jove. justice has triumphed sensitively controlled through the the bass switch can be used without losing again! The resourceful scientists at player's use of attack and decay dy- rich bass equalization of Follow- veteran producer /engineer team ELECTRO-HARMONIX have done namics. The range of the filter can be the thin, whipping Envelope top. This makes the unit quite a piece of brilliant work. With- preset And as an added feature, er sound on Ienner -Sherdel (Three Dog Night, potent new out even lurking about in the rain excellent for getting from the electric bass. as a highly and fog, DOCTOR Q has cut sounds Grand Funk) to put together as and other amplified through a seemingly impenetrable well guitar work that features some real maze of clues, and cracked the ring instruments. polished Q Envelope Fol- of sinister, greedy villains who have The DOCTOR high ef- gems, which are occasionally buried in been extorting vast sums of money lower is a state -of-the -art, represents a sig- from needy musicians by forcing ficiency unit which perform- a beautiful but distracting setting. them to pay artificially high prices nificant breakthrough in List price is $49.95. for Envelope Followers (sometimes ance and price. "My Girl" Many "Sunrise," "Last Night," known under various other sundry but check your local stores. them have the DOCTOR Q on aliases). Well done, DOCTOR Q ..." DOCTOR of and "No Hard Feelings" (which t special sale now for less than $39.95. The new DOCTOR Q from Env, ¢Fd Good show. career) ELECTRO- HARMONIX is a rugged, chronicles the Raspberries' To hear the new DOCTOR Q, high quality Envelope Follower with call 1212) 242 -7799. Dealer inquir- achieve a happy balance between pop bass equalization and AC /DC opera- ies invited. tion at a fraction of the cost of other and rock that brings back the early units. tIR K Beatles, Beachboys, Turtles and Effects ranging from involuted electro b rmonix mellow funk lines to slashing thin 27 test 23rd Street blew 1tek. NY 10017 instantaneously and Hollies. But when Carmen moves over chops can be tnrn clecm-wm.,no, Inc to keyboards on "Everything," CIRCLE 24 ON READER SERVICE CARD "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" and the overplayed "All By Myself," he and Ienner follow that "Long and Winding Road" off "The Bridge Over Troubled Waters" into the sea of over- HOT STUFF production. Rout's RA-1412 STEREO INTEyRATEd AMpEifiER Then again, most former group members get a bit carried away their Now you can have your watts and cost -performance, too. And all else that first time out on their own, and the makes for the hottest sizzle going in hi -fi amplifiers. RA -1412 delivers 110 production here is so clean that it watts of continuous power per channel, both channels driven into 8 ohms 0.1 °%ó total harmonic distortion. What never feels cluttered -just a little from 20 to 20,000 Hz with no more than sophistication sounds like, RA -1412 has, a 2 -stage differential, 3 -stage direct over -dramatic. So, it's up to Carmen coupled PPP (Parallel push -pull) OCL complementary poner amplifier. In- and Ienner to show us next time dependent power supplies with two power transformers. Four 22,000 mfd and 3 -stage direct around whether Eric Carmen is a step block capacitors, 1 -stage Class A SEPP equalizer amplifier 2 tone controls. You can towards some really memorable music coupled SEPP tone control amplifier with dB- stepped dub - mix -and build up a sweat just thinking about the heat it puts on your or just another pretty 1p. B.W. kind of music. Whew!

RDTEL of America, Inc. 2642 CENTRAL PARK AVE., YONKERS, N.Y. 10710 914:337 -2676 914:337 -2777 212:295 -8636 KATE & ANNA McGARRIGLE: Kate & Anna McGarrigle. [Joe Boyd and Greg Prestopino, producers; John Wood, engineer; recorded at A & R Studios, New York, and Sunwest, Hollywood, Cal.] Warner Bros. BS 2862.

Performance: Highly emotional Recording. Sparkling

French -Canadian by birth, the McGarrigles combine that unique hybrid background with American CIRCLE 63 ON READER SERVICE CARD

JUNE /JULY 1976 77

www.americanradiohistory.com folk, rock, religious and Cajun in- fluences, developing a writing style that is at once individually ethnic and universal. Though each writes separately, the sentiments are at one. And the blending of the two high voices is quite unusual for contem- porary popdom. Kate and Anna have seen their original compositions "Heart Like a Wheel," "Cool River" and "Work Song" recorded by Linda Ronstadt and Maria Muldaur. For their own first recording, however, they do not rely on the familiar. "Heart" is in- cluded, but in an arrangement dis- similar to Ms. Ronstadt's. Yet, deeply touching as "Heart" is, there are still other songs of equally somber character that are even more disturb- ing in their impact. "Go Leave," for example, stands out for the simplicity of the song itself, as well as for the delivery -just vocal and guitar. "My Town" and "Mendocino" are just as compelling, but the scope is much grander, the arrangements much fuller. "Foolish You" and "Swimming Song" are included to keep the sisters from getting downright morbid, and the album ends with "Travelling on for Jesus," very much a song of hope. Boyd and Prestopino have avoided overburdening the McGarrigles and the result is a crystal -clear recording that highlights every nuance. Few debuts are as masterfully executed. I.M.

...and get ready to hear a fe ntastic HI -FI stereo component musk system. IN YOUR CAR. KISS: Destroyer. [Bob Ezrin, producer; The AudiaMobie SA500 car stereo system reproduces music with Jay Messina & Corky Stasiak, astounding ctari.y and power, an is compatible with engineers; recorded at Record Plant, every ca- radio and tape player or the market. New York, N.Y.] Casablanca NBLP THE COMPONENTS 7025. 50 Watt RMS *Stereo Power Amplifier Precision Preamplifier /Equalizer Performance: Frothy Two -way Monitor Speaker System Recording: Studio -brilliant! Buckle Up: experience a musical hip yoL'I never forget.

'Typically less than 0.34A THD @ 20 Watts RMS per channel into 3 ones, over the For those interested in the function ent re frecuency spectrum from 20Hz- 20kHz. of the producer on rock 'n' roll albums, few groups offer as vivid an illustra- AudiatJ.abl e. hoc AIR tion as Kiss. Compare the current 1p 3625 W. McArtècr Blvd., Santa Ana, :all., 92104 (714 549-2730 to the band's previous efforts and it is ob- vious that more than the expected MRJ "maturing" has taken place. Listen to I wou.d lice to hear the AucioMobile SA- 500.-Garr,ponar Car Ste-ec System. Please send me lull irformation and names cf dealers in m} area. what happened to Alice Cooper be- tween "Pretties for You" and "Love HAMF It to Death." The phenomenal changes in ADDRESS both cases can be traced directly to CITY 5TATF ZI= Bob Ezrin. Regardless of what you think of Mai To: AudicMcbile, Inc., 3625 W. McArthur Blvd., Sante Ala Calif., 92''10 (714) 549-273C hard -edged rock or of the outrage- ousness of Kiss or Alice Cooper's stage

CIF.2LE 52 ON READER 78 SEP:VICE CARD MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com performances, there is something very musical going on. And if rock has be- come theater, Ezrin is probably the stagestik. single ablest person making the transi- tion from stage to vinyl workable. On the musical side, he teaches silver tape bands how to play their instruments and use their voices for record. (He Making today's music performance stage safer and more secure. once told a reporter that in the early Stagestik is marketed directly and conveniently to the Music days of Alice Cooper he found himself Industry by Infitheatre. It is also available in eight colors. putting a group member's fingers on Contact us for your nearest representative. the proper frets of his guitar.) And he frequently uses studio musicians to ob- 4990 Mass. Ave. Indpls. Ind., 46218 317 -545 -2001 tain the sound he wants. Too, he pol- so each song, while ishes melodies that CIRCLE 29 ON READER SERVICE CARD sometimes deceptively cacophonic (you can't listen to this music at low volume), has its own natural flow. Technically, Ezrin has mastered the studio. It is not just that there are multiple tracks available to him, but there are layers upon layers of sound %S HG ekc-s-r-_ on Destroyer that subtly reveal PA î themselves as you become more famil- t&cTkte, 6ut779R .L'vF iar with the record -or as you listen in different ways. The opening car se- jek QGJ,ÙED - I,o6-11 quence, for example, if heard through headphones, puts you behind the 111AE6 6xrREfiELY wheel. And at various points there are voices or solos that are virtually 1/6RsAricE undetectable until you think you've heard everything that's there. None of this is to understate Kiss's own contribution. The material they've come up with is exceptionally strong and there's a ballad, "Beth," that's surprisingly gentle and appeal- ing. But for anyone seriously inter- ested in the state -of- the -art of rock - cum- technology, knowledge of what a man like Ezrin can do in a studio is ab- solutely essential. I.M.

NEW RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE: Oh, What a Mighty Time. [Bob Johnston, producer, Ben Tallent, engineer; recorded at the Record Plant, Sausalito, Cal.] Columbia PC- 33688.

Performance: Poor Recording: Decent, considering

THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS: Flying Again. [Norbert Putnam and Glen Spreen, producers; Glen Kolotkin, engineer; recorded at CBS Studios, San Francisco, Cal.] Columbia PC- 33817.

Performance: Rather inspired Bob Weir plays an Ibanez custom -built electric with the Grateful Recording: Complimentary and un- Kingfish. Bob's guitar was designed, built and set up cluttered Dead and by the same people who give everyday care to every Ibanez. It's nice to have a lot of vocal assistance on an album, but it's

CIRCLE 23 ON READER SERVICE CARD JUNE /JULY 1976

www.americanradiohistory.com pointless when they clutter the tracks, Check Audiotechniques First as is the case with the last Columbia effort by the New Riders. Additional- ... FOR HEADPHONES ly, the lack of original material does AKG little to help. Covers of tunes like We're headphone specialists, Beyer "Take a Letter, Maria" and "La Barn - all the way from home listening Koss ba" should have been left in the can. to entire studio cue systems. Sennheiser The Riders started out as an exten- Superex sion of patriarch Telex Jerry Garcia's pre - Dead folk /country /bluegrass predelic- tions, and therein lies their credibility. When they try, on this album at least, to rock 'n' roll, they lose credibility. audiotechniques ìnc. This is not to say that they shouldn't 142 Hamilton Avenue, Stamford, CT 06902 Telephone: 203 359 2312 experiment, but on this album the rock CIRCLE 85 ON READER SERVICE CARD 'n' roll ventures don't consummate themselves well at all. "Strangers on a Train" is a prime example. But even more country -oriented material by Rusty Wier and Ray Wylie Hubbard is lackluster. As a whole, the album is un- necessarily busy, due probably to the large number of guest voices, and SOUND MIXER! lacks coherence. On the other side of the fence is "Flying Again" by the Burritos, newly refried (with two original members). (it QQOOC?C? Ó; The album's backgrounds are much 'Gi o 000O O OIO less cluttered than the Riders' album, C?(3OI0Q00OO á °T4 and the Burritos have a greater sense . (Y(70'000000 of artistic Cjc?- 0° direction and care. Put - )`cD'4' qQQQQ nam's clean production allows the Burritos' five members to sound like /10 212 a five musicians doing well, while the Rider's album gives the impression of 20 musicians doing creative injustice The HEIL to themselves. HM1000 There are several standout tracks on the Burritos' effort Portable Mixing Console that show they continue, as individual artists and as a group, to evidence a firm grasp of the We asked YOU, the musician, what you needed in a mixer, progressive area between hard -core then took all those GREAT ideas and designed them into our country and hard -core rock 'n' roll first new HM 1000. The best part is we did it for YOUR suggested advanced price! Check it out, today. by original Burrito co- founders Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman six years ago. The Burritos of * 10 Balanced Lo inputs * Plug -in stereo * Variable input attenuator phase shifter today sound somewhat different, but L.E.D. overload indicators * Stereo graphic jacks nonetheless high and lonesome. S.P. * Stereo pan pots it Outboard power supply ,x ±18db active EQ * -70db noise level * Echo and Monitor sends * 6 volts into 600 OHMS at .045 % distortion HARRY NILSSON: Sandman. [Harry Nilsson, producer; Richie Schmitt, associate producer and recording All for YOU from HEIL SOUND engineer; recorded at RCA studios.]

RCA APL 1 -1031. ask your dealer or write: NEIL Dept. ST Performance: Good Box 68 Recording: Good to muddy spUpo Marissa, Ill. 62257 Built by those who care in Marissa, Ill., U.S.A. Let's not pussyfoot around here - Harry Nilsson is the greatest thing since Contadina stuffed those eight great tomatoes in that itty -bitty can. CIRCLE 84 ON READER SERVICE CARD A uniquely creative force in popular

80 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com music he is most closely associated at least there's not a real lemon in the with the rock mainstream, yet is bunch. P.W. responsible for the straight pop classic "Without Her" and the delightful A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE: If the Shoe Night album, a collection of standards Fits. [John Boylan, producer; Paul sung in a sweet old- fashioned tenor. Grupp, engineer; recorded at the JOHN LEE & GERRY BROWN: Mango Perhaps his most endearing quality Record Plants, Sausalito and Los Sunrise. [Skip Drinkwater, producer; is a loony, devil-may -care attitude Angeles, and Capitol Studios, Emiel Eisen, Mike Bobak, Ralph Moss, towarc most things, including himself Hollywood, Cal.] RCA APL1 -1247. engineers; recorded at Dureco Sound and his music. This gets a bit out of Studio, Weesp, Holland, Morgan Sound hand on Sandman, however. His Performance: Tasteful country rock Studio, Brussels, Belgium, and Electric parodies of diverse musical styles are Recording: Unobtrusive Lady Studios, New York, N.Y.] Blue fun, many of them witty on several Note BN -LA 541 -G. levels, out none are as musically satis- At some point, one has to draw a line fying as the originals. And that's the of demarcation between slick, lifeless Performance: Admittedly good key: wi:o is supposed to be satisfied by production/performance and smoothly Recording: A producer's dream all this? I found the disc generally en- laid -back production /performance. joyable, but I suspect that Harry & PPL's latest, their fourth, is not really This album won't grow on you. Co. hac a ball -and I further suspect as raw as their first two, but shows a You'll either love it from the start or this has been the trend of the last three continuing vocal and instrumental save it for your next Sunday outing albums. Not an unfounded suspicion, maturation that was hinted at in their as a frisbee. this, fo_ Nilsson, playing two drunks last album, "Two Lane Highway." Bassist John Lee and Drummer on a rap piece called "The Flying With a slightly more serious ap- Gerry Brown are presently members Saucer Song" has himself say to proach to song -writing, and a 60/40 of Larry Coryell's Eleventh House. himself, "It's your record ... carry on, ratio of vocal mix over instrumental Along with producer Drinkwater, they do whatever you want." mix, this album has a coherence that is have released an album of contrasts. The recorded sound is a bit muddier fresh, to say the least. Boylan's The production verges on the lavish than usual here. Nilsson has always relatively low- key production allows ( "Mango Sunrise," "Keep It Real "), in- kept a strong hand in, whether produc- the vocal harmonizations to fully cludes Arp string arrangements, and ing his material or not, and the results develop and at no point interferes with also features very raw, rhythmic have sparkled. Perhaps this lack of extraneous backgrounds. tracks and solos. Amazing for an clarity is due to the numerous PPL, as a group, evidences a greater album recorded in only two months. assisting rock stars on Sandman understanding and control of their Much credit to all the engineers and (Ringo Starr, Joe Cocker and Leon diverse influences- country, rock, studios for keeping things so clean and Russell amongst them) who may have blues, and a hint of swing jazz here and balanced. But many of the pieces are stuck a finger or two in themselves. there -resulting in their most tasteful repetitious, making this one of the Perhaps it's a matter of trying to cram album yet. A solid effort. Laid -back, most mechanical- sounding albums too many tomatoes into the can. But yes; lifeless, certainly not. S.P. created in a great while. Yet, it does

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www.americanradiohistory.com WHIRLWIND MUSIC WHIRLWIND MUSIC WHIRLWIND MUSIC WHIRLWIND MUSIC U contain some excellent guitar work - ln CHECK ONE: most of it in a somewhat frenetic, in- tense, free-form setting- specifically A. Good electronic cable, cords and connectors are hard to get. by Eff Alberts. If you like synthesizers galore and B. Once I get them, they are expensive. frantic funk, then pick this one up. If C. There is no one I can call for custom made, not, buy a frisbee -it's cheaper. guaranteed wiring systems at fair prices. H.G.L. D. U NONE OF THE ABOVE; I've discovered WHIRLWIND MUSIC AUDIO PRODUCTS. (At my favorite Music Store.) DAVID SANCIOUS: Transformation (The Speed of Love). [Bruce Botnick and David Sancious, producers; Bruce 3 C Botnick, engineer; recorded at Caribou

U (among others) Stanley Clarke and Bil- ci) x ly Cobham and now recorded a second r effort. The of Available in Canada through Z growth Sancious as a group GHI Music Sales, Ltd. o leader, musician and composer is whirl ind music Dist. Inc. 5000 Buchan, Suite 506 3 remarkable. He has managed to take P.O.loa1075 Roch .t, N.Y. 14603 (716)251-2275 Montreal, Quebec C In jazz, rock and blues and fuse the dif- 5 WHIRLWIND MUSIC WHIRLWIND MUSIC WHIRLWIND MUSIC WHIRLWIND MUSIC ferent musical idioms in an intelligent CIRCLE 46 ON READER SERVICE CARD manner, avoiding the pitfall of placing speed (dexterity) and technique above style and composition. Here, there is COMMERCIAL DUPLICATING SYSTEMS none of the ear -splitting, frenetic results others have reached when deal- ing in this form of music. INSTALLATION AND PREVENTIVE For this release, Sancious has gone to exotic Caribou Ranch in Colorado MAINTENANCE TRAINING and teamed up with the well -known engineer /producer Bruce Botnick. The INCLUDED IN PRICING move has produced a crisp, sharply Southeast Regional Service Center defined sound on both guitar and drums, while the keyboard instru- TECH SYSTEMS ments (synthesizers included) elicit a 2080 Peachtree Industrial Ct., No. 107 clear -cut individuality. Often, the Chamblee (Atlanta) GA 30341 over -dubbing of synthesizer tracks on- to existing piano Phone (404) 457-0426 and organ tracks results in a carnival calliope effect. The band, which has been named "Tone," includes Gerald Carboy, bass, and Ernest "Boom" Carter, drums. It has matured with Sancious and they perform more tightly together on the new selections. Especially impressive is the track "Sky Church Hymn #9," dedicated "To James Marshall Hen- drix & 'Daddy E' (The Spirit of the Blues)." Engineer Botnick is to be A especially commended for the unlay- PHOENIX ered, natural guitar sound captured on ENTERPRISE this track. COMPANY Transformation is a very impressive release. H.G.L. CIRCLE 78 ON READER SERVICE CARD 82 MODERN RECORDING

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piano. Duke's was music of a separate jazz microcosm, a terrain of utterly singular colors and contours, a land The Duke's Realm now forever of the past. and On a much smaller scale than Duke, Bill Evans has also created and sus- Evans's Lyrical tained a singular jazz space, par- ticularly since he has devoted his Sculpting years to leading his own trios rather than working intermittently as a prestigious sideman (as he did earlier By Nat Hentoff in his career). Evans is quintessential- ly a lyrical improviser, but his is a rigorous lyricism based on unusually thoughtful harmonic designs and the kind of melodic sculpting which, while certainly spontaneous, is so ineluc- tably logical that, in retrospect, his Duke Ellington did indeed have his best work sounds if ALSO FEATURING as it had been own realm. The title was more than an carefully scored. In sum, Evans is a honorific one. No orchestra in all of good deal more of a perfectionist than jazz history was so continually and many jazz pianists, and that accounts completely distinctive as his, and this for some of the intensely searching AND was true in just about every respect. quality which characterizes his play- Duke, for instance, invented no ing. That is, his work is a nearly equal radically new chordal language; but fusion of both visceral and intellectual his way of shaping and blending har- drives and so it simultaneously check out the details- monies resulted in a much richer, rewards both such needs of the more evocative, and more mysterious listener. sound -ambience than that of any other Since We Met, a superior illumina- jazz band. And so it was with the tion of the jazz territory Evans has CIRCLE 58 ON READER SERVICE CARD rhythms of Ellingtonia. Other or- claimed, was recorded at New York's chestras swung hard or crisply or (as Village Vanguard in 1974. I happened in the case of the Basie band of the to have been there on one of the record- CHANGE '30's and early '40's) actually floated. ing nights and was grumbling that But Duke's time was different from all drummer Marty Morell's heaviness of OF the rest -more subtle, more in- attack was bludgeoning the balance sinuating, more protean in that the between him, Evans, and bassist Ed- ADDRESS collective pulsation he devised kept die Gomez. In the recording van out- changing according to the need of the side the club, I ventured that opinion Plarning to move? Please let us know piece. Just plain swinging all night and was told not to worry. And sure six weeks in advance so you won't long would have been much too boring enough, through some rather in- miss a single issue MODERN RE- of for Duke. And then, of course, there genious mixing, CORDING. Attach old label and Morell sounds here as was Ellington's melodic concep- he print new address in space provided. should have that night. Is the re- Also include your mailing label tion-as myriad as his experiences and cording, therefore, faithful to the whenever you write concerning your fantasies. No jazz composer has so far "live" experience? An irrelevant ques- subscription to insure prompt service come anywhere close to the scope of tion, Pierre Boulez would say, for a re- on your inquiry. Ellington's melodic imagination. cording is not a "live" experience even All these qualities are evident in the when it is of a "live" experience. And newly released transformations of that's true. 9506 - 500311 travel reminiscences, The Afro- Eura- oertrand Hume sian Eclipse, recorded in 1971 when DUKE ELLINGTON: The Afro - 3211 Amherst Rd, Hanover, Ind. 47243 Ellington still had a substantial Eurasian Eclipse. [Duke Ellington, pro- nucleus of key players, from Cootie ducer; Roger Rhodes, engineer; re- Williams to Harry Carney. The record- corded at National Recording Studio, ing is well -balanced, though not as New York, N.Y.] Fantasy F -9498. vibrant as I New Address Here would have liked. However, it is such a delight to come THE BILL EVANS TRIO: Since We Name to a new Ellington find that I shan't Met. [Helen Keane and Orrin PLEASE PRINT cavil. There are few experiences in jazz Keepnews, producers; Michael De Address as overwhelming as the majestic surge Lugg, engineer; recorded in per- City of an Ellington orchestra, with the formance at the Village Vanguard, New State Zip composer leading the charge from the York, N.Y.] Fantasy F -9501.

84 MODERN RECORDING

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www.americanradiohistory.com DON'T MISS OUT pianists dare not attempt for fear of on back issues rupturing the crucial ongoing flow of Ravel's devilishly difficult writing. of MR! Argerich tackles Gaspard as only AWtG the greatest virtuosos could. Her technique is impeccable, as is l.. _.._._ DEBUSSY: Piano Music. Aldo Cic- necessary, but she also invests the colini, pianist. [Recorded in France.] work with a depth and expression I Seraphim S- 60253. hear in no other recording. Le gibet, the macabre second movement which .0 R y Performance: Fresh and alive Recording: Good

Bravo for Aldo Ciccolini! He has recently recorded a Jus. send $1.50 plus $.25 for disc of Debussy piano music postage and handling per issue that should send everyone scurrying to buy it. Who is Aldo to: Modern Recording Ciccolini you say? Back Issues Dept. No, it's not a pseudonym for 15 Columbus Chico Marx. This Circle talented New York, N.Y. 10023 pianist's most notable achievement on records to date has Check box: #3 #4 been six volumes of Satie piano music. ( #1 & #2 sold out) Except for recent releases of Rossini Print name clearly: and Granados piano works, his output is almost exclusively French music. Name All his previous recordings show skill and sensitivity, but now with Address Debussy he has really come into his own. Of all French composers, MARTHA City ARGERICH Debussy is best known and perhaps Ravel interpreter extraordinaire deservedly so. In recording Satie or State Zip Rossini there is little competition, but portrays a gallows corpse swaying Walter Gieseking set the standard for quietly in the wind as a bell tolls Debussy nearly forty years ago. Most monotonously in the distance, is taken MODERN RECORDING subsequent versions of this music pale at an achingly slow but beautifully in comparison. Now Ciccolini emerges sustained tempo. as a worthy successor to Gieseking. The overside Sonatine and Valses Even such standards as Clair de Lune nobles et sentimentales share many of % 1 and Reverie are fresh and alive here. the same attributes as Gaspard, BUY SELL TRADE My personal favorite is Danse although some of the Valses are a bit PRODUCTS NM (Tarantelle styrienne), a piece largely fussy rhythmically. From the evidence EQUIPMENT neglected in its piano version. here, Martha Argerich should be re- At the budget price of $3.98 (most cording a complete Ravel cycle. Let us SERVICES 1ft..... stores sell it for less) this disc is ir- hope that DG agrees. S.C. resistible. One can only hope this Classified Rates recording will sell so that we may get 60c per word more Debussy from Mr. Ciccolini. H.R. ROSSINI: Overtures. Academy of St. %/11 Martin -in- the -Fields, Neville Marriner Minimum 10 words. Copy cond. [Vittorio Negri, producer; re- must be received at Modern RAVEL: Gaspard de la Nuit; Sonatine; corded at Wembley, London.] Philips Recording, 15 Columbus 1 Valses nobles et sentimentales. Mar- 6500.878. Circle, New York, N.Y. tha Argerich, piano. [Rainer Brock, pro- 10023 by the 1st day of the WO ducer; Heinz Wildhagen, engineer.] DG Performance Delightful 2nd month prior to cover 2530 540. Recording: Clean and realistic date (for example, the Dec/ Jan issue closes October `J Performance: Breathtaking! This is a delightful record. Go out 1st). Payment must accom- Recording: Vivid and buy it at once! The joy of hearing pany order. Phone numbers IMO eight Rossini overtures played by this :ount as 1 word. Zip codes This extraordinary disc contains the small orchestra with such zip and elan, are free. finest playing of Ravel piano music I and recorded by the Philips engineers L. have ever heard. Argerich's control of with such realistic presence and depth, DISPLAY ADVERTISING rhythm, dynamics and expression is should not be missed. $80.00 per column inch MI simply breathtaking! One looks at the Of conductors using full symphonic score in astonishment as she flawlessly forces, Toscanini, Szell and, in some in- w executes hairpin dynamics that other stances, Bernstein, should not be en- 86 MODERN RECORDING

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CIRCLE 67 ON READER SERVICE' CARD

www.americanradiohistory.com Advertiser's Index tirely disregarded, but Marriner's support the footage it accompanies. reduced orchestra makes much more Any intrinsic value outside of the Reader Service # Advertiser Page N 35 Acoustic Control 21 sense, is more authentic (if one cares film's context is pure gravy. 87 Akai America 41 things) and allows the So what usually happens is this: we 82 Arp 51 about these 52 Audio Mobile 78 winds their proper balance. Marriner view a film; two or three themes in the 47, 85, 50 Audio Techniques 14,80,88 No # Bose Corporation 13 obliges with interpretations which score affect us in connection with the 56 Cerwin -Vega 63 yield nothing in point, clarity and wit film; we decide we like the music. Then 22 Crown International 31 99 DAK 83 to his more experienced colleagues. we obtain the recording and what do 6 dbx 11 The overtures on this disc are to Il we find? The two or three themes we 21 Discwasher 8 5 Dokorder 35 barbiere di Siviglia, L'Italiana in like are repeated four or five times 24 Electro- Harmonix 77 di matrimonio, La 92 Fuji Photo Film 75 Algeri, La cambiale each on the record with slight varia- 60 Furman Sound 40 scala di seta, Tancredi, Il Signor tion in arrangement, tonality or 84 Heil Sound 80 23 Ibanez 79 Bruschino, Il Turco in Italia and rhythm. Then there is still half a disc 43 Infinity Systems 54 L'inganno felice. There are rumors of music we've never even noticed 29 Infitheatre 79 78 Infonics 82 that another disc is on its way. The before. Why? Well, ... some of it is ex- 31 JVC America 13 sooner, the better! S.C. tra; maybe a minute and a half of drum 58 Loft Modular Devices 84 49 C.F. Martin 17 beats or bugle blats were needed for 42 Maxell Corporation 15 the film itself, 9 Musitronics 59 but the composer 2 MXR 60 generously donates five minutes of it 73 Nashville Studio Systems 81 41 Orban -Parasound 16 for the recording. The rest is music 25 Otari 20 that was very quietly underscoring the 26, 53 Ovation Instruments 33,56 71 Peavey 49 movie -heard full blast on the disc. 69 Recording Institute Pro Shop 85 The recent soundtrack from The 3 Revox 14 67 RIA 87 MAURICE JARRE: The Man Who Man Who Would Be King illustrates 63 Rotel of America 77 Would Be King. National Philharmonic The main 4 Russound 38 this perfectly. theme (the 7 S.A.E. 1 Orchestra, Maurice Jarre cond. [Cari standard British barracks song 54 Sennheiser 5 Prager, producer; Eric Tomlinson, 44 Sound Workshop 18 "Minstrel Boy ") is repeated at least 37 Superscope cover 3 engineer.] Capitol SW- 11474. four times on the album. There are one 77 Systems Technology in Music 42 79 Tapco 2 or two marching themes of moderate 38 TDK Electronics 9 Performance: Good for background interest and half a disc of pseudo- In- No# Teac Corporation 19, 61 28 Technics By Panasonic cover 4 Recording: Appropriate dian music which is only good for 86 3 M 43 33 Tycobrahe 47 background. Is this a bad movie score? 94 Uher of America 6 One of the problems with sound- No. For the film it is both functional 55 Vako Synthesizers 7 46 Whirlwind Music 82 track recordings is that even though and effective. Is this something 27 Yamaha cover 2 you saw the movie, you're really buy- anyone should buy? Equally, no. The ing a pig in a poke. Most film music is film is very good, but without it the written after the picture is finished or music is virtually devoid of interest. CHECK at least in "rough cut" stages. Hence, Save your money. H.R. AUDIOTECHNIOUES the music is conceived primarily to FIRST! FOR... Switchcraft Connectors (our prices are really low!) CLASSIFIIiI/ J1])S West Penn Cable & Wire (best grade 2 cond. shielded only 41.00 per M) Little Red Cue Boxes (four separate FREE CATALOG: Snakes, cables and other profes- SALE: Custom -built 16 in -3 out console, adaptable phone outputs, with variable level, sionally built "little black boxes." Windt Audio, to 6 out. $2,000.00 prepaid anywhere in U.S. Spec XLR -type interconnects ... $47) 13026 Saticoy Street, No. 4D, North Hollywood, Cal. sheet available. Blue Diamond Co., BOX 102C Teac/Tascam Series (always on 91605. Chubbic Rd., R.D. 1, Canonsburg, Pa. 15317. (412) demo, model 3's & 5's plus the 746 -2540. new 80 -8's) GUITARISTS: Huge discounts on strings, ac- User seàsoned recorders, mixers, cessories, phase shifters, graphic equalizers, etc. HIGH QUALITY, Low -noise cassette and 8 -track consoles, reverbs, etc. (Our used Free catalog. Guitar Clinic, MR -1, 20 Lawnridge duplication. Send your requirements to: Pioneer equipment list is constantly changing) Ave., Albany, N.Y. 12208. Audio Lab, Box 29255, Parma, Ohio 44129. Alignment tapes (STL or MRL), splicing blocks, head de- magnetizers TAPCO mixers, graphic equalizers and reverbs at NEW YORK'S LEADING dealer specializing in (large or small, if it's for pro audio, we low, low cost. Send for specs and prices. Daugherty semi -pro and professional recording and P.A. equip- got it.) Audio, 7313 Inzer, Springfield, Va. 22151. ment. Teac, Tascam, Sound Workshop, Nakamichi, Always check audiotechniques first! dbx, MXR, Dynaco, Ads, Frazier, Eventide, Electro- Our prices are good, deliveries fast ... Information Voice, Shure, Maxell, more. and you'll like the friendly way we do RECORDING STUDIO MIXER CAREER? Scotch, and We go both business. 25c postage, handling. Attainment Research, Box ways: lowest prices in sealed factory cartons, or 45333MR, Dallas, Texas 75235. complete laboratory check -out and installation. All audiotechniques, inc. equipment on display. AUDIO BY ZIMET, 1038 Nor- 142 Hamilton Ave. SEARCHING FOR IMPOSSIBLES? DISContinued thern Blvd., Roslyn, L.I., New York 11576. (516) Stamford, Ct. 06902 Records, 216 N. Rose, Burbank, Cal. 91505. 621 -0138. 203.359.2312 WANTED: Sony ECM -64P, ECM-65P, C-500, C-22 UHER STEREO DECK. Seven -inch reel. Model microphones. Console floor cabinets and remote 9000L -24 -SPEC. Mint condition. $225.00. Days: CIRCLE 50 ON READER SERVICE CARD controls for Teac 7030 SL or GSL recorders. FOR 212- 747 -3885.

88 MODERN RECORDING

www.americanradiohistory.com "The Sony TC-756 set new records for p erformance of home tap e decks:' (Stereo Review, February, 1975)

Hirsch -Houck Laboratories further each of the two reels; a record equal- three -head configuration; and symphase noted, "The dynamic range, distortion, ization selector switch for maximum recording that allows you to record FM flutter and frequency- response per- record and playback characteristics with matrix or SQ° 4- channel sources for formance are so far beyond the limita- either normal or special tapes; mic playback through a decoder -equipped tions of conventional program material attenuators that eliminate distor- 4- channel amplifier with virtually non- that its virtues can hardly be tion caused by overdriving the micro- existent phase differences between a ppreciatedY phone pre -amplifier stage when using channels. The Sony TC -756 -2 features a sensitive condenser mics; tape /source The Sony TC -756 -2 is represent- closed loop dual capstan tape drive monitoring switches that allow instan- ative of the prestigious Sony 700 Series system that reduces wow and flutter taneous comparison of program source -the five best three -motor 10%2 -inch Sony has to a minimum of 0.03 %,logic controlled to the actual recording; a mechanical reel home tape decks that transport functions that permit the memory capability that allows the ever engineered. See the entire feather -touch control buttons to be machine to turn itself on and off auto - Sony 700 Series now at your near- at operated in any sequence, at any time matically for unattended recording. est Superscope dealer starting without spilling or damaging tape; an In addition, the TC -756 -2 offers 15 $899.95 AC servo control capstan motor and 7%2 ips tape speeds; Ferrite & and an eight -pole induction motor for Ferrite 2- track /2- channel stereo SONY Brought to you by SUPEßSCOPE. SONY.

subject to change without notice. Consult the SQ is a trademark of CBS, Inc ©1976 Superscope, Inc., 20525 Nordhoff St., Chatsworth, CA 91311. Prices and models Yellow Pages for your nearest Superscope dealer.

CIRCLE 37 ON READER SERVICE CARD

www.americanradiohistory.com Introducing the changer that outperforms all others. The direct drive SL-1350.

Introducing the world's first and only direct - But any way you use it, the SL -1350 gives you drive changer. The SL -1350. The first everything you need. Like viscous changer with the Technics direci- damped cueing and variable pitch drive system. A system so superior controls. A 13" platter. An easy view many radio stations now use it. prism strobe. CD -4 phono cables. No other changer, and only a Even a hinged detachable dust handful of manuals, can equal its cover and base are included. 0.04% wow and flutter. And So if you've been sacrificing the because the motor spins at the convenience of a changer for the exact speed of the record, any rum- Direct Drive System performance of a manual, take ble is an inaudible -70dB (DIN B). a look at the Technics SL-1350. Two pairs of pivot bearings ensure the It'll change your mind about changers. rotational sensitivity of the SL- 1350's gimbal - The concept is simple.The execution i suspended tone arm. And for precise tracking, precise.The performance is outstanding. its effective pivot to stylus length is 911,;'. The name is Technics. With the Technics Memo Gram dial control, FOR YOUR TECHNICS DEALER, CALL FREE 800 447 -4700. the SL -1350 can play up to six records in IN ILLINOIS, 800 322-4400. sequence. Or repeat -play any disc up to six times You can even use it as a manual `urntable. Tchnics by Panasonic

y - I 4I`1 \_'"-`..

CIRCLE 28 ON READER SERVICE CARD

=,.i'11L"www.americanradiohistory.com