AND BROADCAST ENGINEERING 114 1,1 } t ) li 4i" ) et Is at $ a is 511 $1 i Ill II- ICI- Vy 1 III 112 II: I'S 0 il - a - 0 o --kig _ t_ , _ Automation Intercoms and talkback www.americanradiohistory.com series Na Stereo Broadcast is.. Production Console The modular construction of the Series 24A mixer with its unique interpatch facility permits any number of a wide variety of modules to be sited in any combination in the extendable main frame. By employing existing modules it is therefore possible to "custom build" to meet the requirements of the user while minimising cost and maximising the standard of construction and long term reliability. And should the requirements of the user subsequently alter, the mixer's format can easily be changed accordingly without any mainframe rewiring... MBI offer design, installation and commissioning services for studio equipment; acoustic treatment for studio areas; and architectural and interior design services for the studio complex - available individually or as a single, cost - effective package. All are guaranteed to meet broadcasting authority speci- fications. boedoest s PO Box 112 Brighton BN2 2RS Tel: Brighton (0273) 607384 broadcast imagineering by the makdw n bounden international group www.americanradiohistory.com EDITORIAL EDITOR: RICHARD ELEN ASSISTANT EDITOR: studio NOEL BELL sound PRODUCTION: ANN HORAN AND BROADCAST ENGINEERING CONSULTANT: HUGH FORD NEWS SECRETARY: WENDY 16 MARSHALL STUDIO DIARY including Danmarks Radio Mobile; Sarner Audio Visual, London 20 AUTOMATION CONTROL TECHNIQUES ADVERTISEMENT Robin Bransbury 24 LETTERS 28 MANAGER: PHIL GUY AES CONVENTION: Report SECRETARY: 30 AUDREY SLATFORD SURVEYS: Intercoms and talkback 42 PRODUCTION: JACKIE McGRATH Automation 52 CALCULATING AXIAL ROOM MODES Barry Hufker 56 BUSINESS PUBLISHER DOUGLASG.SHUARD 58 NAB REPORT Angus Robertson 60 REVIEW: Melkuist GT800 automation system 68 Editorial and Advertising Offices: LINK HOUSE, DINGWALL AVENUE, CROYDON CR9 2TA, GREAT BRITAIN Phone: 01.686 2599 International: + 44 1 686 2599 Telex: 947709 Sounds of success -and failure Telegrams: Aviculture Croydon Readers will know full well from our coerage and circulation that we are an international Link House Publications Ltd 1981 magasine, but we are based in Britain, and it is therefore quite pleasurable to hear that a British All rights reserved product in the audio industry has received the recognition that it deserves. We are therefore very pleased to hear that Solid State Logic have received a 1981 Design Council Award for their SL4000E automated console system, the first such award to be given to a professional audio product, awards also going to such diverse products STUDIO SOUND is published on the second Friday and devices as the Terence Piper Personalised of the preceding month. Refreshment Service (Share and Enjoy ?), the LO -Kara 5 radio compass, and the BL Metro and Ford Escort cars. Innovative products in all fields, from all countries, deserve official recognition. Yet so often this is not the case. While other countries, notably the US and Japan, have poured SUBSCRIPTIONS millions into their high technology industries, the areas they know are going to bring in large incomes in the STUDIO SOUND is available on a rigidly controlled future, like computers and microelectronics, Britain seems more than requested basis only to qualified personnel (see reluctant to give support to its own industries of like type, leaving the task to private investment back page for terms of control), or for an annual cost which is, in seemingly the only country in the world with no end to recession of £16.50 to non -qualifying readers or where more in sight, hard to come by to say the least. Whatever happened to than two copies are required in a studio or small our great microelectronic hope, Inmos, for organisation. example? And why isn't the British Government investing to ensure that when we eventually emerge from the recession (whether because of or in spite of present economic policies) we will have innovative ideas left, and the companies to exploit them? Britain has UK Subscription cost £16.50. a wondrous store of good, new ideas, but it is becoming increasingly UNITED STATES Surface mail subscription $40, difficult to get them on to the market. During airmail subscription $75. my time with Sound International I saw many small British musical instrument manufacturers, OVERSEAS Surface mail subscription £17.50, makers of world -beating products, heading towards economic doom, their workforce fated to airmail subscription £32.50. join the dole queues, spending taxpayers money on producing nothing, where, with Government support, at least that public money would be going towards making products which, after the recession, would be able to pay back the investment. it seems as if, but for a handful of sturdy, Change of address well- established companies, there just won't be a British musical instrument industry in a year or All changes of address must be notified to our two, apart from the importers. And this sorry state of affairs could so easily extend to Croydon address in writing, preferably including our part an of the electronics industry. We've seen too many old address label or at least the seven digit number good little companies ruined by high interest on the address label together with the old address. rates on capital and property, stifled by simple lack of official interest. To compete effectively We are unable to accept verbal changes of address. with other countries, British industry needs the same support that other countries give to their industries, or a free market structure is no longer free: it is biased from the outset. We in the British audio industry are lucky in the sense that we can obtain Board of Trade All subscription and circulation enquiries to: sponsorship for exhibitions abroad, Controlled Circulation /Subscription and thanks to the administration of such benefits (although Dept, it may Link House Publications Ltd, Link House, not be perfect), even small companies can get out and show their wares to the Dingwall Avenue, Croydon CR9 2TA, UK. international market. But in other areas, book publishing for example, the lump sum is divided Phone: 01- 6862599. Telex: 947709. up in such a way that it can actually cost a small company more to exhibit with `sponsorship' US mailing agents: than without- surely an absurd state of affairs, condemning the smaller companies, often the Expediters of the Printed Word Ltd, 527 Madison innovators, to an economic outer darkness. Avenue, Suite 1217, New York, NY 10022. We, through our pages, are pleased to salute companies in professional audio for their new and exciting innovations, whatever their CONTROLLED CIRCULATION POSTAGE country of origin. We are an international magazine. PAID AT But NEW YORK, NY just once in a while, we'd like to see British innovators get a fair crack of the whip, and that means wholehearted Government support in these depressed times. That's not being parochial: it just means being fair. BACK COPIES A limited number of back copies are available, at Designing a mixing console cover prices. Because Steve Dove's mixer series is so long, it would have been difficult to hold publication until all the parts were Total average net circulation of 13,056 per issue received. This leaves us open to occasional problems, like this month, where during 1980. UK: 5,662. Overseas: 7,394. Steve's latest instalment did not reach us from New York by the time of going to press. The series will continue next month, and we apologise to readers Printed in England for the inconvenience. Richard Elen IA LINK HOUSE Cover photograph of Lansdowne Studios' ISSN 0144-5944 PUBLICATION LASER OR THE AUDIT SUREAU Of CIRCULATIONS Melkuist GT800 system by Roger Phillips AUGUST 1981 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 8 www.americanradiohistory.com ELECTRO-VOICE RE 20. THE MICROPHME MO/T The studio-microphone RE 20 is a cardioid HIGHLY PRAVED microphone of the variable-D-series, i. e. incorporating the patented system that in RECORDInG avoids proximity effect and reproduces the true sound. It was especially developed for broadcasting, recording studios and sound reinforcement applications and therefore features an essentially flat fre- quency response, a very wide frequency range, an exellent transient response and numerous further sophisticated qualities appreciated in recording studios. lt is, therefore, not surprising that more and more recording sfudios so highly praise the various Electro-Voice micro- phones. Why not ask for further partic- ulars from Gulton Europe Ltd., Electro- Voice Division, Maple Works, Old Shore- ham Road, HOVE BN3 7EY. EleclroVoice® S.A. o qultan company Telephone: Brighton (0273) 23329 Telex: 87680 Gulton G From farts t ww C I o The Emulator ne Syco Systems Ltd 20 Conduit PlacE 4 STUDIO SOUND, AUGUST 1981 www.americanradiohistory.com AIREDALE studio mixer Illustrated is the 32-24 -24 model * Balanced line transformer coupled microphone inputs with -70dB sensitivity and equivalent input noise of - 127dBM * Separate mic and line input gain controls, + 48v phantom power supply * 5 band EQ, HF and LF filters and six auxiliary sends on each input channel * 3 mute switches with LED status adjacent to the fader * Full push button routing -all inputs can feed any outputs Fully modular construction all panels 13/4" wide with gold -plated multipin edge connectors and almost all hand wiring eliminated * Comprehensive patch bay- outputs and inserts at line level (OdBu or + 4dBul * 19" rack -mounting power supply with output meters and crowbar protection * Available in sizes from 16 input 8 groups 8 monitors to 32 input 24 groups 24 monitor all with stereo outputs Write or telephone for full details to the manufacturers: M -Jay Electronics Limited, Albion Mills, Church Street, Morley, Leeds LS27 8LY. Telephone (0532) 524956 harmon Cs Recognisable sounds, albeit from the ridiculous to the sublime.