INTRODUCING THE HOTTEST NEW INTERNATIONAL RECORDING STAR. r r r 2' t I. IT .. ,..,,, 32- Channel Xó Digital Recorder It wont be long before the charts are as big a sound breakthrough as stereo will allow for extremely precise and filled with tracks recorded on the new was to the industry Digital Audio Disc flexible electronic editing, and an Mitsubishi X800 32- channel digital players for the home are already a attractive enhancement of the razor audio recorders. And why not. The reality in Japan and are going to be blade editing capability of our X80 Mitsubishi X800 doesn't just record available here nex: year..The con- Series recorders. an artist's sound -it captures it. Every sumers and recording artists will be We have a full line of digital subtle lick. Every gentle nuance. It demanding digital sound. Will your products for you now and we intend records it in a way that makes the studio be ready? to keep exploring this new dimension listener feel like he's right in the booth in sound to meet your changing needs. with the players. WHY INSIST ON MITSUBISHI? When you record on the Mitsubishi The X800 digital audio recordings Because we pioneered the digital X800 and master on the X80 Series are not subject to the limitations of recording effort back in the early recorders. your final product will be a analog recordings. There's no tape seventies. Since then we have been whole new experience in sound. hiss. No print- through. No dropout refining and perfecting our equipment errors. No degradation through to meet your changing needs. And its MITSUBISHI DIGITAL AUDIO SYSTEMS. generations. The Mitsubishi X800 is ready now. For more information on the Mitsubishi the culmination of years of refinement The Mitsubishi X800 32- channel X800 32-channel and X80 2- channel and perfection. It will give the record- digital audio recorder represents just Digital Audio Recorders and Mitsubishi ings coming out of your studio the one more element of our entire digital Digital Audio Systems. call us at 800- reliable advantage of 32 channels of audio line. This spring we will intro- 323-4216 (outside Ill.) or 312 -982 -9282 pure sound...real sound...3- dimen- duce the XE -1 Electronic Editor which (within Ill.) sional sound. WHY DIGITAL YOU ASK. THE CONSOLE TYPE X80A The cry in the industry is "Diversify" and digital recording is the inevitable X800 future of recorded sound. It represents THE PORTADLE X80 X80 X80A Experience the 3rd dimension in sound. 4-1tAL , ....... ,---31 WM I® MITSUBIS DIGITAL AUDIO SYSTHIEMS MOM <rr,It' ln,nt d./.4'1., I. cart/ Larry Zide l'ubli shr i John M. Woram Ldittlr Mark B. Waldstein Associate Editor Kathy Lee Advertising Production & Layout Carol Vitelli Classified Advertising THE SOUND ENGINEERING MAGAZINE Lydia Anderson MAY 1981 VOLUME 15, NUMBER 5 Book Sales Eloise Beach Circulation Manager Bob Laurie Art Director K&S Graphics Graphics EDITORIAL 44 Spartan Phototype Co. THE SOUND WITH THE IMAGE 46 Typography Frank Serafine NECAM II 54 Barry Roche sales offices THE SONY DIGITAL PICTURE 60 Roy McDonald Associates, Inc. Dallas, Texas 75207 Curtis Chan 1949 Stemmons Freeway, Suite 670 FOCUSING VIDEO (214) 742 -2066 ON BOSTON'S CENTEL COMPLEX 67 Howard Sherman Denver, Colorado Area Englewood, Colorado 80112 A db SPECIAL REPORT: 70 14 Inverness Dr. East, Bldg. 1- Penthouse AN A/V UPDATE (303) 771 -8181 Houston, Texas 77036 A db CONVENTION REPORT: 74 6901 Corporate Drive, Suite 210 THE 68th AES CONVENTION (713) 988 -5005 John Borwick Los Angeles Area Glendale, California 91204 424 West Colorado Street, Suite 201 (213) 244 -8176 LETTERS 6 Portland Area CALENDAR 12 Hillsboro, Oregon 97123 510 South First SOUND WITH IMAGES 14 P.O. Box 696 Martin Dickstein (503) 640 -2011 San Francisco Area DIGITAL AUDIO 18 Emeryville, California 94608 Barry Blesser 265 Baybridge Office Plaza 5801 Christie Avenue THEORY AND PRACTICE 26 (415) 653 -2122 Norman H. Crowhurst Sagamore Publishing Co., Inc. NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 32 New York Plainview, NY 11803 CLASSIFIED 78 1120 Old Country Hd (516) 433 -6530 PEOPLE, PLACES, HAPPENINGS 80 SUBSCRIPTION NOTE This is the last month that we can offer the subscription rates found in this issue. Due to severe postal increases already instituted, we must raise the basic rate to $15.00 effective with all subscriptions re- ceived after June I, 1981. 14,.is listed in Current Contents: Engineering and Technology ABOUT THE COVER- is published monthly by Sagamore Publishing Company. Inc. Entire con- This month's cover features a video db. the Sound Engineering Magazine (ISSN 0011 -7145) tents copyright .1981 by Sagamore Publishing Co.. 112001d Country Road, Plainview. l..I.. N.Y. 11803. Telephone (5 1614 33 65 30. animated photo from a laser video disc. db is published for those individuals and firms in professional audio-recording, broadcast, audio-visual, sound reinforcement. con- Ron Hays is the video artist and Frank sultants, video recording, film sound, etc. Application should be made on the subscription form in the rear of each issue. Subscrip- tions are $12.00 per year ($24.00 per year outside U.S. Possessions and Mexico. 813.00 per year Canada) in U.S.funds. Singk copies Serafine the production engineer of arc $1.95 each. Editorial, Publishing and Saks Offices: 11200íd Country Road, Plainview. New York 11803. Controlled circulation music and sound effects. postage paid at Plainview, NY 11803 and an additional mailing office. Index of MODEL 3012-R Letters Advertisers AKG Acoustics 20 Alpha Audio 16 Ampex 42, 43, 49 Audio & Design Recording . 47 Audio-Technica 19 COLOMBIA'S WORLD -CLASS Audy Instruments Cover 1V STUDIOS Beyer Dynamic 53 BTX 33 To THE EDITOR: Cetec Gauss 38 As the producer of some of the most Cetec Vega 28 successful records made in Colombia in Crown 9 the last few years, which have been is- Dahlquist 12 sued all over Latin America, The United Datatronix 40 States and Europe, I want to take issue Digital Music Systems 48 with the title of your article in the Feb- Dolby 32 ruary 1981 issue called "Colombia's First ELAR Publishing 61 World Class Studio." The implication Electro-Voice 23 that any studio not designed by Mr. Storyk ESE 63 is not "world class" has been highly Garner Industries 17 resented and it simply is not true. Inovonics 22 The fact is that in Colombia there have Interlake Audio 25 been for many years recording studios JBL 29 that represent the state of the art. Ingesón Meyer Sound Laboratories . 34 in Bogotá, Codiscos and Sonolux in Mike Shop ........... 12 Medellin, Felito in Barranquilla have M flab 24 been in operation for years. They have Mitsubishi Cover II the latest multitrack equipment, with Neptune 8 automated consoles (which the studio Orban 11 you describe does not have) and with Otari 14 15 acoustical design that has been highly Panasonic 51 praised by experts. In addition, those Pioneer 21 studios and others in this country have Polyline 36 highly qualified engineers, and I submit Pro Audio Systems 35 that the human element and not the Quad -Eight 39 architectural design is what makes a Sennheiser 30 recording studio "world class." Sescom 36 It is too bad that for one studio to start Shure 7 operation, it must denigrate the very SME 6 Manufacture of the Model 3012 Series 11 good jobs done in the past in Colombia. Sound Technology 55 12" (16" US nomenclature) precision pick- Maybe they do not have enough con- Soundcraftsmen 18 up arm ended in 1972. In response to many fidence in their own capabilities. Standard Tape Lab 65 requests to re-introduce it for professional CARLOS AVELLANEDA Studer Revox Cover III and hi -fi applications we have produced the Swintek 27 Model 3012 -R. It is basically similar to its Teac 45 classic predecessor but with important Tektronix 13 refinements including: TO THE EDITOR: Telex 31 Thin walled stainless steel tone -arm. I have read with interest in your Feb- Telex 10 New design lateral balance system. ruary edition an article about "Co- Turner Tentel 58 Extra rigid low mass shell with double lombia's First World Class Studio." As it Tweed Audio 26 draw -in pins. seems that the 5000 miles of distance Fine adjustment longitudinal and lateral between Bogotá and Plainview doesn't UREI 37 balance for cartridges weighing from White Instruments 30 allow for enough information, I would 11- 26 grams or plug -in heads up to 333 grams. like to make something "perfectly clear" Geometry optimised for 12" records. to quote one of your eminent men of state: Distortion caused by lateral tracking error Referring to "first": We have been in is at least 25% less than is possible with a 9" existence for fifteen years. Coming arm and its effective mass of 14 grams Referring to "world class ": I am not makes is particularly suitable for the many sure what that means, but regarding our Next medium and low compliance cartridges now installations I would like to inform you Month on the market. that: The S2-R shell supplied with it is another a. We have a complex of seven In June, our featured subject is once SME 'first' in heavy gauge aluminium with studios, with excellent acoustic design, again Microphones. We'll have an article pin -up and pin -down bayonet for positive with 24 and 16 track MCI recorders; with locking. The sockets of all SME arms on PZM theory and practice, and some employing detachable shells are double 500 and 600 series MCI consoles with more to say about what happens when you slotted and therefore compatible with this automation and with all the parapher- combine microphone polar patterns.