SEPTEMBER 1993 $5.00 £2.00 STUDI SOUAND BROADCAST ENGINEERING RADIO MICS Working Without Wires Console Games Amek 9098: Rupert Neve's Swan Song? Otari Concept 1: Conceptual Ecstasy? DAT On Trial DAT Tape Ageing Test Results 9 770144 594017 INTERNATIONAL STUDIO DIRECTORY G PLUS CONSOLE SYSTEMS 3.5" disk drives allow the use of low cost, high capacity disks for mix data storage Audio phase scope provides permanent display of amplitude and phase relation- ship of left and right stereo signals Wireless talkback system uses a PCM encoded infra -red handset G Plus consoles additionally provide: REDESIGNED GROUP AND MAIN BUFFERED MAIN OUTPUT 3.51N DISK DRIVES MIX AMPS DISTRIBUTION AUDIO PHASE SCOPE PAIR OF PPM METERS SECOND MINI SPEAKER OUTPUT WIRELESS TALKBACK SYSTEM PUSH/PUSH SWITCHING TO MUTE GROUP CROSS-NORMALLING AUTOMATED SOLO AUX MASTERS BLACK TRIM STRIPS VIDEO SWITCHER LISTEN MIC POST -COMPRESSOR On consoles of 72 channels or over: G SERIES OR E SERIES EQUALISERS OUTFUT TO PATCHBAY A FULLY-CONNECTORISED REMOTE SSL's OWN LINEAR CRYSTAL- CUE STEREO 1ORMALLING PATCHBAY BECOMES A NON - OXYGEN -FREE CABLE LED METER ILLUMINATION CHARGEABLE OPTION Solid State Logic Intentional Headquarter: Begbrol.e, Oxford, England OX5 1RU Tel: (0865) 842300 Paris (1) 34 60 4666 Darmstadt (6150 938640 Milan (2 262 249% Tokyo (3) 54 74 11 44 New York (212) 3151111 Los Angelas (213) 463 4444 STUDIO SOUND AND BROADCAST ENGINEERING Postpro the French way. See page 45 5 Editorial 20 Music News 49 Digital Audio Falling equipment prices may kocktron s Chameleon guitar not be the good news many preamp-effects unit finds Interchange would have us believe. What particular favour with Zenon This year's UK AES Conference happens when gear is too Schoepe addressed the issue of cheap to sell? information interchange in 23 Radio Microphones digital audio systems. Stella International News ; Orange and Plumbridge clocked in News from the world of Chris Gilbert discuss the pro-audio-Harman acquire practicalities and legalities of AKG, Sonosax take over using radio mic systems on StellaDAT manufacturer stage and in the studio Digital Audio Technologies, Chicago gets new postpro 29 Amek 9098 complex and Theatre Projects Still defiantly analogue, provide the sound system for Rupert Neve's latest console Carousel. for Amek flaunts its descent from previous Neve design 11 Products Zenon Schoepe talks to the Tom Cruise takes on the Mafia Product news includes designer about his new wireless mics from project in The Firm. See page 8 BeyerDynamic, a transmitter from Micron, a 37 Zoom 9200 56 Letters wireless system from Nady Readers letters come in praise and four dynamic mics from and 9120 of MIDI, in suspicion of early Sennheiser and in defence of Air The Zoom Corporation's latest stereo Hall signal processing units attract Studios' Lyndhurst 14 Yamaha SPX990 the attention of the critical ear acoustic Dave Foister evaluates the of Zenon Schoepe latest addition to the 59 Perspective ubiquitous SPX signal Martin Polon examines JIT 41 Otari Concept 1 range and processor considers Taking the best of analogue manufacturing and the to its importance Yamaha and digital te.:hnology, Otari consequences to the pro -audio maintenance effort have produced a cost-effective industry console for mJsic recording and production. Patrick 61 DAT Tape Stapley mixes the American way Ageing Test The concluding part of Studio 45 COPRA Studio Sound's DAT test examines The Paris COPRA studio the performance of DAT tapes Rupert Neve solders on. complex houses Europe's after accelerated ageing See page 29 largest concentration of SSL ScreenSounds. Zenon Schoepe 82 Business DG Forum learns the power of the Barry Fox on the DCC enigma 16 4D Open co-operative Following heated exchanges and 'backwards between Deutsche compatibility' Grammophon and their critics, the record company held an 'Open to Question' session. Bill Foster reports on its events 3 Windows 3.1* on 48E host computer Rapid graphical editing Clear user interface Local SCSI drive fast audio access All crossfades calculated in real-time there he was, this client, for want of I cm earlier that evening also needed crossfades to Fully non-destructivE, sample accurate editing a better word, telling me., in no over the gaps. Oh well, Sleep's overrated anyway! Up to 8 track playback with uncertain terms we needed a piece long ago It's just something else to do in bed! real-time mixing consigned to the bin. I could see myself burning the Unique Trim Window allowing real-time adjustment of audio midnight oil again, desperately trying to find this 3 I should've listened to Iim! I'd just replaced my Jog and shuttle scruo second out -take from the 2000 feet on the cutting ageing tape deckt with a gleaming new machine when modes room floor. he said. "Yoe could get a complete SADiE system for less then AES/EBU, SPDIF and analog I/O that - real-time crossfades, non-destructive editing and so fast to All standard sample rates And what about the night before! I'd mixed down a use, it's incred ble!" Full SMPTE timecode support with chase and couple of nifty, if a little time- trigger lock consuming crossfades, What next! I need more tape. 16, 20 and 24 bit digital audio editing then realised I had a more time less grey hair Bounce down problem - all Overdub the edits Reverse playback Real-time dynamics control Real-time EQ Real-time digital resampling Real-time duration change Real-time noise reduction BRITISH INNOVATIO' Iti UR-& REfZ1FIN0 L 9tutlio filio & Video The Old School, Stretham Ely, Cambridge CB6 3LD. UK TEL: +44 (0)353 648888 FAX: +44 (0)353 648867 Foi a list of overseas distributors contact Studio Audio MANUFACTURED IN THE USA & CANADA EUROPEAN COMMUNITY BY Studio Audio Digital Equipment Inc STUDIO AUDIO & VIREO LTD P.0 Box 4392, Ann Arbor 'Windows 3.1 is a registered trademark of Microsoft or. Michigan 48106 USA Studio Audio & Video Ltd. reserve the right to change TEL: +1 313 572 0500 speedications without prior notice. FAX +1 313 434 2281 STUDIO SOUNDAND BROADCAST ENGINEERING September 1993 Volume 35 Number 9 ISSN 0144 5944 EDITORIAL Editor: Tim Goodyer Assistant Editor: Julian Mitchell Production Editor: Peter Stanbury Secretary: Mary Walsh service Consultant: Sam Wise Secret Columnists: Barry Fox; Martin Polon consequences of technological progress is that of 'more flash for Regular Contributors: James Betteridge; One of the undisputed Ben Duncan; Terry Nelson; Dave Foister; less cash'. Performances previously associated with equipment priced exclusively at a Francis Rumsey; Yasmin Hashmi; Zenon `professional' level are now readily available to the semipro and even purely amateur Schoepe; Mike Lethby; Patrick Stapley recordist. The accessibility of such equipment to lower levels of the recording market ADVERTISEMENTS facilities-a couple of cases might Executive Ad Manager: Steve Grice does not, of course, prohibit its use in fully professional Deputy Ad Manager: Peter Turberfield be those of certain digital signal processors and consumer DAT recorders. Yet while Advertisement Production: Carmen Herbert of such `budget' equipment have received much worthwhile Secretary: Lianne Davey many of the repercussions discussion-both privately and through the press-there is one particular aspect I have CIRCULATION Circulation and Development Manager: yet to see aired. Colin Enderson In our understandable excitement over the advances which make products such as Controlled Circulation Manager: bear in mind that Maria Udy those mentioned above a commercial viability, we should constantly the initial outlay involved in incorporating a piece of equipment into a recording studio is Director: Doug Shuard Publisher: Steve Haysom only part of the financial consideration necessary before purchase. In the past we have been accustomed to levels of service commensurate with both the cost of professional EDITORIAL & ADVERTISEMENT OFFICES equipment and the demanding use to which it is put. But what should we expect of Spotlight Publications Ltd, 8th Floor, Ludgate equipment designed-and priced-to have an altogether different appeal? Tie this up House, 245 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 9UR, UK. Tel: 071 620 3636. Fax: 071 401 8036. with the fact that fewer studios are providing on -site maintenance departments, and we NEWSTRADE DISTRIBUTION (UK) have a recipe for disaster. UMD, 1 Benwell Road, London N7 7AX, UK. The situation is complicated further when we consider equipment deliberately pitched Tel: 071 700 4600. Fax: 071 607 3352. to find itself in both pro and nonpro applications. Take the Alesis ADAT and the Tascam © Spotlight Publications Ltd 1993. DA -88 as a couple of very topical examples-what level of reliability can we reasonably All rights reserved. expect from them and, more pertinent to this discussion, what should we reasonably Origination by Craftsmen Colour expect in the way of backup and service? Reproductions Ltd, Unit 1, James Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 2UR. Without wishing to suggest that any of the gear I have mentioned is unreliable, both new breed of tape -based digital multitracks are inherently Printed in England by Riverside Press, St Ives DAT machines and the plc, 2 Grant Close, Gillingham Business Park, mechanical in operation, and carry with them a mechanical level of failure liability. Gillingham, Kent ME8 OQB, UK. True, the same can be said of preceding generations of professional analogue tape Studio Sound and Broadcast Engineering machines-except that these were unequivocally presented, priced and supported as incorporates Sound International and Beat when using this new Instrumental. professional. Can we reasonably expect the same consideration genre of equipment? Studio Sound is published monthly. The magazine is available on a rigidly Let us look at the situation from the point of view of a pro -audio distributor who, controlled responding to the demands of the pro -audio fraternity, adds a consumer DAT machine to requested basis, only to qualified personnel.