65 Sound Business Rentals Of Digital Recording Equipment Rise Continued from page 1 cording to vice president Tom using some kind of digital systems is for the largest number of outright At 3M's digital division, sales the equipment's further sales pene. Nishida. getting higher. However, actual sales machine sales. Neither company is a manager Clark Duffey cited eco- tration. "Rental is pretty busy," Nishida is getting slow due to the cash flow direct rental source. nomics as the biggest sales hurdle. Nonetheless, business in digital says. "In the last two or three months economic problem." "Sony does not rent equipment 3M is presently the only digital. equipment rental is reported to be we've recorded 10 or 15 days per For sessions outside the L.A. area, directly," says Rick Plushner, na- multi-track supplier, with a unit brisk, as the number of sessions month and editing about the same." says Nishida, an additional $ 10 is tional sales manager for digital au- price tag in the $200,000 range. dio. "We've sold a number of units being mastered with the new tech- According to Nishida, fewer than charged daily and engineer's travel "There's a lot of interest in the in this country and a large number nology continues to mount. half a dozen U.S. recording oper- and expenses must be paid. equipment, in digital in general," ations have purchased JVC digital Sales penetration for Mitsubishi of those people make the systems Soundstream, Inc., the first com- Duffey explains. "A lot of studios One of these firms, New Electric Sales, part of Japan's vast available for rental." pany to generally supply digital systems. are saying 'I know that's what I want Jersey's Digital By Dickinson, also is Mitsubishi empire, also has been Sales of the Sony PCM --1610 proc- recording services, established an to do, I wish the economy was bet- heavily involved in outside rentals. somewhat disappointing. At the essor average between one and two equipment rental pattern in 1977. ter.' " "The sales are not as fast as we ex- firm's Lincolnwood, Ill. operation per month, according to Plushner. Numerous studio and remote re- pected," Nishida admits. "People here, U.S. digital audio base, dozens Though the figure is small, Sony is Adds Duffey, "I think the sales of cording rental operations followed want the gear but sometimes they of digital audio decks are stacked in probably the volume sales leader to- any equipment has slowed down. At and now two of the biggest Japanese crates in the firm's warehouse. day. most studios survival is the name of equipment manufacturers are them- end up buying nothing because of their own cash flow problems." Faced with shortages of sales oppor- Says Plushner, "Sales in general the game." selves going this route. Even half -day rentals are avail- tunities, the company is turning to of digital is low because of the high Duffey says most 3M digital sys- Both NC and Mitsubishi cite the able, Nishida noted. JVC's two -track rental. price of the equipment and the econ- tem owners are making the equip- tough financial position of many recording package consists of a BP- "We don't want to rent, we want omy is bad." ment available on a rental basis. studios as the primary reason for the 90 digital processor ($29,000 pur- to sell," explains digital audio mar- new tack. Sales of digital machines chase price) and JVC'/, -inch VCR. keting head Sonny Kawakami. "But are known to have slowed to a bare Services of a JVC engineer also are we have to prove ourselves." trickle since the spring AES conven- provided. The price is $400, half Mitsubishi's long -term rental ar- tion in L.A. day, $600 whole day, says Nishida. rangement includes the option to L Audiophile Recordings] At L.A.'s JVC Cutting Center, Digital editing at the JVC facility, purchase. The minimum period is base for NC digital audio sales using two VCR's, one digital proc- three weeks at $ I,000 per week, how- are largely absent from the first Kinks album to travel the half -speed route, thanks to an astute here, digital recorders, editors and essor and the AE -90 editor ever terms are "negotiable," ex- S INTSANS SYMVNONV NQ 3..ORGAN') choice of the master. The band's best since ink- digital delay lines for disk cutting ($36,000), is $80 per hour. plains Kawakami. Charles Mum *, Boson SymphonyPOrchestro ing with Arista, "Misfits" follows the more eco- are available on short-term loan, ac- Says Nishida, "The demand for Kawakami expects three or four tom rentals each month, with a total of nomical song format that has aided them in re- kindling their popularity after a string of five or six machines to be circulating for Warner Bros. and 4 LINES AVAILABLE after September. ambitious concept sets RCA. And as produced by founder and writer/ Mitsubishi's digital recorder is the vocalist Ray Davies, this collection benefits from X -80 two track fixed head machine, start to finish, beginning with a palpable expan- Adams Magnetic Products designed for razor blade editing sion of the sonic field and a deeper, more solid ($25,000). Equipment set-up will be stereo image. The title track opens the set and Bucks Audio Tape Market supervised by a factory engineer, underscores those gains from its rounded acous- says Kawakami. tic guitar motif to the richer texture gained by CLOSTER, N.J. -What started dominated by TDK and Maxell, but Kawakami believes studios are the synthesizer swells that bloom during the fi- out as a venture into office products that there's a void those companies accustomed to the high ticket in- nal verses and choruses. On "Rock'n'Roll Fan- has become a full- fledged entry into are not filling. "We're definitely in volved in digital audio, but simply SAINT- SAENS: "ORGAN" SYMPHONY -Zam- tasy" and "Permanent Waves," vocal arrange- the consumer blank audio tape mar- the right place at the right time," he "hesitate to spend any money right kochian, Boston Symphony, Munch, RCA ments torn from the Beach Boys' style book ket by Paul Adams, president of believes. now." ATLI4039, distributed by RCA, $15.98. show their origins even more vividly, gaining Adams Magnetic Products, Inc. AMP uses Agfa Gevaert tape in its Equipment rental is viewed by High list pricing should be matched by tech- lushness, and the drum sound throughout is (AMP). Videotape, he claims, is Studio lines, and makes this clear on one leading expert as an alternative nical achievement in audiophile records, and good. forthcoming from the company. the packaging. In return, Agfa okays to premature technical standard- RCA proves its skill in this Teldec- pressed half - THE 1. GEILS BAND -Love Stinks, Nautilus Adams, formerly with American speed transfer. The label has taken one of its all ad copy for the product. The cas- ization. Dr. Thomas Stockham, head NR 25, distributed by Nautilus, $16-17. Sound, has begun shipping his Stu- early stereo treasures and polished it up for new sette packaging also features abun- of Salt Lake City -based Sound - The venerable Boston quintet won a stylistic line con- public showing, presenting it in a better light dio for audio cassette dant technical specifications be- stream, says further design evolution gamble with this set, originally released by EMI than ever before. Reproduction is noticeably im- sumers. There are presently three cause, as Adams puts it, "consumers of digital audio will take place and America, by downplaying its blues -drenched proved here, and this combined with the al- other AMP lines: Spoken Word, a want an electronic marvel in a piece believes it a mistake to lock -in a for- guitar attack to essay a keyboard- dominated bum's reputation -it's long been regarded as dictating cassette for office use; of plastic." mat presently. Stockham's company harder rock clearly influenced by new wave and the definitive version- should send a ripple Byte, for the home computer mar- dance music. Nautilus' half-speed mastering ex- Low noise and ferrite oxide tapes has made rental its emphasis almost through the audiophile /classical community. ket; and Professional, for industrial tracts added texture from producer Seth lust - from AMP are available in 30, 60 exclusively, and recently added sev- The leonine and elegant interpretation, acousti- and medical markets. man's keyboards and brings new punch to the and 90- minute formats, while chro- eral new 2/4 -track machines to its cal richness of Symphony Hall and spacious sep- The Studio line began as an after- drumming of Steve Bladd, but the overall im- mium comes in 30 and 60 minutes. stable of lease equipment. aration of the orchestra and beautifully cap- thought. Adams says, "We originally provement is actually somewhat offset by excel- Metal tape is due in about two Soundstream's daily rate for two tured pipe organ are the prized attributes here, intended to offer it so we could lent mastering on the original real -time version, just months, at $6.49 retail for a C -60 or four -track recording is $760, with and they are enhanced by improved frequency say we it. But we as well as by the inherent sonic limitations of have when came up and $7.49 for a C -90. Retail prices hourly rates also available. An engi- response, better overall definition and greater any hard rock program. That said, fans may still with the concept we thought it was for neer is provided. impact. Also, an excellent technical explanatory 90- minute versions of the three flock to this collection for its quiet surfaces and so exciting we couldn't resist switch -. Soundstream disc computer edit- article for layman and buffs alike, deluxe pack- tapes available are $3.19 for low the greater durability of the compound, espe- ing our emphasis to that area." ing is available in Salt Lake City and aging and a new set of notes on the performance noise, $3.49 for ferrite oxide and cially if instore demos focus on the disk's sub- Adams is setting up distribution to Gutersloh, Germany, with an L.A. and recording set this edition apart. $5.89 for chromium. Videotape is tler passages: the guitar /synthesizer interplay go through audio and record stores. facility due in January, 1982. expected to be announced on "Come Back," the collage of dialog and elec- He says the blank tape market is LAURA FOTI PABLO CRUISE: Away, Nautilus shortly. Editing rates are $150 for the World's tronic effects on the antic No Anchovies, NR28, distributed by Nautilus, $16-$19. first three hours, $120 thereafter per Please," and the by now familiar spoken punch - fans, hour. The company claims its edit- Even dyed -in- the -wool Pablo Cruise line to the chorus of the title song will all show- ing method is from three to five used to the group's AM hit airplay as well as the case the gains in dynamic range and the more times more rapid than competing analog catalog -might be newly surprised at the precise etching than the set's more conven- methods. band's complexity, a by- product of the half - tional uptempo workouts like "Just Can't Wait" speed technique. An A/B comparison with the Other firms seeking a share of the and a new version of "Night Time." U.S. digital equipment market are 1978 original reveals a much more multi -layered Sony and 3M, together accounting production texture (and here veteran producer/ engineer Bill Schnee deserves credit) surround- ing the good -time pop material. Synthesizer Philips Holding parts now take on a more spacey dimension with stereo imaging fuller and more satisfying. Addi- To German Grundig tionally the four member band's harmonizing LONDON -In a move apparently gains new dimension and nuance. And, Stephen designed to further the unity of Eu- Price's bottom end of drums and percussion ropean electronics manufacturers don't suffer a tick, seeming now also to give the against Japanese competition, West disk new vitality. Both the LP and the hit single German firm Grundig has acquired from it "Love Will Find A Way" reached the number six position on their respective pop a 5.5% holding in the Dutch giant Philips. charts. This was done by converting a pri- vate loan made in 1979 into Philips THE KINKS- Misfits, Mobile Fidelity Sound Mobile Fidelity, shares, and is believed to make Lab MFSL -1.070, distributed by Grundig the company's largest $16 -17. Harder rock stylists have posed some basic single shareholder. And since the challenges to the audiophile trade through their by 1979 loan itself was preceded very limitations: narrower dynamics, intentional plans to Philips' announcement of distortion and a relatively small palette of tim- Billboard photo by Alan Penchansky acquire nearly 25% of Grundig's bres tend to restrict the avenues for improve- VOCAL MIKE -Electro -Voice vice president of marketing Robert Morrill gives voting capital, the moves c mplete ment, and as some major premium rereleases Billboard photo by Chuck Pulin Honolulu dealer Emmett Yoshioka a glimpse of the new E -V PL88L, a dy- an important cross-holding Beal be- have shown, the higher ticket can be hard to HOME STUDIO -Hartman uses The namic cardiod vocal microphone at the recent NAMM convention at Chi- tween two of Europe's top audio justify, however lovingly a program has been re- Schoolhouse to record his own ma- cago's McCormick Place. names. mastered and manufactured. Those problems terial as well as his friends.

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