Collll111 Next Menth • Next month, db goes to the movies, to see and hear what's been happening to soundtracks since the days of the "Jazz Singer." We'll offer a general overview on THE SOUND ENGINEERING MAGAZINE sound for the cinema, plus some details FEBRUARY1980 VOLUME14, NUMBER2 about Comtrak 's four-track discrete stereo soundtrack system. And, there will be a review of speaker system require• ments for the motion picture theater, as well as a look at what it takes to create the sound effects for "Star Trek (-The Motion Picture)." What else? Find out EDITORIAL 25 next month, in the March issue of db• The Sound Engineering Magazine. AN AUDIO MICRO-COMPUTER FOR 28 TESTS AND MEASUREMENTS William Sommerwerck THE MITSUBISHI DIGITAL AUDIO SYSTEM I 33 Kunimaro Tanaka ELECTRONIC DIGITAL EDITING FOR I 38 MULTI-TRACK COMES OF AGE Robert J. Youngquist A COMPUTERIZED RECORDING STUDIO CONSOLE I 42 Robert Halsall & Dr. Hubert S. Howe, Jr. DIGITAL TAPE RECORDER DIRECTORY I 45 A db SPECIAL REPORT: 46 THE DIGITAL FORMAT DILEMMA LETTERS 2 CALENDAR 6 THEORY AND PRACTICE 10 Norman H. Crowhurst SOUND WITH IMAGES I 16 Martin Dickstein NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 20 CLASSIFIED 49 PEOPLE, PLACES, HAPPENINGS 52 @ is listed in Current Contents: Engineering and Technology Larry Zide Ann Russell PUBLISHER ADVERTISING PRODUCTION John M. Woram Eloise Beach EDITOR CIRCULATION MANAGER Sam Zambuto Lydia Anderson ASSOCIATE EDITOR BOOK SALES • Digital Recording promises to have a Bob Laurie major impact on sound reproduction in ART DIRECTOR the 80s. Electronic digital editing is the latest advancement, extending the crea• Crescent Art Service GRAPHICS AND LAYOUT tive as well as the practical potential of this recording technology. In the fore• db. the Sound Engineering Magazine i:-. published monthly by Sagamore Publishing Company. Inc. Entire contents copyright "'1980 by Sagamore Publishing Co .. 1120 Old Country Road. Plainview. LI.. !\.Y. 1180.1. Telephone (516) 433 6530. db is pub• ground, the remote control boxes for a lishcd for those individuals and firms in professional audio-recording. broadcast. audio-v isual. sound reinforcement. consultants. 32- and 4-track system flank the editing video recording. film sound. etc. Application should be made on the subscription form in the rear of each issue. Subscriptions are 59.00 per year (518.00 per year outside U.S. Possessions and Mexico: SI0.00 per year Canada) in U.S. funds. Single copies are console that assumes control of the digi• $1.95 each. Editorial. Publishing and Sole> Offices: 1120 Old Country Rood. Plainview. New York 11803. Application to mail al tal recorders during precision editing. controlled circulation rutes is pending at Kansas City, Mo. Postmaster: Form .\579 should be sent 10 above address. Index of ~Letters Advertlsen ADC . 9 Altee Cover 4 Ampex 23 Andrews Audio .. 47 Audiotechniques .. 35 Auditronics .26-27 BGW . 41 To THE EDITOR: Bose 11 We have read with interest the article BTX 14 "Build a Heater for a Condenser Micro• Burns Audiotronics 13 phone" by Bob Katz in view of the fact Dolby Labs 17 that we have represented the NEUMANN Garner ..... 37 line of microphones since 1958. It is our Industrial Research Products 4 wish, and indeed the Neumann Com• lntersound Inc. 29 pany's wish, that the many Neumann Lexicon 7 microphones in the world be operated MCI 21 and maintained properly. I am sure that R. K. Morrison lllust. Mats 16 Mr. Katz was trying to be helpful and Neptune Electronics 12 likely, in view of the illustrations which Rupert Neve . Cover 2 Special binders are in the article, meant his advice to now available. Orban Associates 22 owners of microphones other than Neu• Penny & Giles . 20 All you regular db readers who, mann 's. Polyline .... 20 smartly enough, keep all your We have the following comment from Sagamore Publishing Co. 2 the Neumann Company: (translation) Sescom ..... 16 back issues, can now get our l. It is a question of the capsule con• Shure Brothers . 3 special binders to hold a whole struction and materials used, whether a Standard Tape Labs . 8 year's worth of db magazines in condenser microphone is sensitive to Studer-Revox America 5 neat order. No more torn-off temperature and humidity or not. This Swintek . 18 applies both to the capsule and the am• covers, loose pages, mixed-up Telex Communications 6 plifier input etc. We can claim with a clear The Mike Shop 10 sequence. Twelve copies, Jan• conscience that our microphones are ex• 3M .... 19 uary to December, can be main• tremely insensitive (to these factors), URE! 15 tained in proper order and good even if we do not make any claims in our URSA Major 18 condition, so you can easily technical brochures. Such data would White Instrument 8 provide little information anyway since Yamaha .... Cover 3 refer to any issue you need, any there is no agreement existing about what time, with no trouble. determines these parameters in the cli• matic boundary areas. They look great, too! If one allows a temperature range of ~ -20° to +70º c (which we do), then the Made of fine quality royal blue basic capacitance of the capsule will ~1 sales offices vinyl, with a clear plastic pocket change slightly, as will the membrane THE SOUND ENGINEERING MAGAZINE on the spine for indexing infor• stiffness (D. C) slightly. It is important, mation, they make a handsome however, that these changes are compen• New York looking addition to your pro• sated by the construction which has been 1120 Old Country Rd. selected by us, and therefore does not al• Plainview, N.Y. 11803 516-433-6530 fessional bookshelf. low the microphone's properties to de• Roy McDonald Associates, Inc. Just $7.95 each, available in teriorate. It is therefore unnecessary and it Dallas North America only. (Payable serves· no purpose to install such a Stemmons Tower West, Suite 714 in U.S. currency drawn on U.S. heating element on NEUMANN micro• Dallas, Texas 75207 214-637-2444 banks.) phones. r--------------, 2. While it is theoretically possible to Denver clean membranes with alcohol, it is rec• 14 Inverness Drive E., Bldg. 1-Penthouse Sagamore Publishing Co., Inc. I Englewood, Colo. 80112 303-771-8181 ommended that such cleaning not be per• 1120 Old Country Road I formed by anyone but an experienced lab Plainview, NY 11803 I Houston technician, and then only using distilled 6901 Corporate Drive, Suite 210 YES! Please send __ db binders I water. Houston, Texas 77036 713-988-5005 @ $7.95 each, plus applicable sales A) Alcohol, because of its rapid evap• o I co tax. Total amount enclosed$ __ . I oration, cools the membrane too fast. Los Angeles O) This may cause moisture to form on the 424 West Colorado St., Suite 201 I Glendale, Cal. 91204 213-244-8176 I back of the membrane and this would be I difficult to remove. Portland B) Alcohol is so volatile that it will P.O. Box 696 Address _ I creep under the membrane clamp ring 510 South First I and will carry dirt into those crevices Hillsboro, Oregon 97123 503-640-2011 I with it. City San Francisco I C) Alcohol evaporates too quickly. It 265 Baybridge Office Plaza, State/Zip I leaves no time for careful cleaning pro• 5801 Christie Avenue N L--------------J cedures and stains always remain. Emeryville, Cal. 94608 415-653-2122 fact: the 10most common nuisances in PA can be cured. permanently. instantly. These 10 problem solvers in your toolbox are like 10 new tricks up your sleeve. Or 10 hours of saved time. Or money in the bank. They tailor the sound, match the lines, smooth out the peaks, fill in the valleys, make molehills out of troubleshooting mountains. Snap one in. Out go the hassles. Without soldering, or splicing, or internal equipment modifications: Problem: Solution: Microphone Attenuator prevents input overload. Input Overload A15A Ideal where very strong signals are applied to a microphone input. Phase Reverser reverses the phase of a balanced line without modifica• Phasing A15PR tion of equipment. Low-Frequency High Pass Filter provides a low-frequency microphone cutoff to reduce Noise A15blP unwanted low-frequency noises and proximity effect. High-Frequency Low Pass Filter provides high-frequency cutoff to reduce objectionable Noise A15LP high-frequency noises. Lack of Presence A15PA Presence Adapter adds voice-range intelligibility and extra brilliance. Response Shaper provides excellent sibilance filtering; flattens mi• Sibilance A15RS crophone response. Line Level Line Input Adapter converts balanced low-impedance microphone input to Mic Input A15LA to line level input. Matching/ Bridging Transformer, a balanced unit, matches balanced or unbalanced Bridging/Isolating A15BT devices of different impedances. Tone Generator produces a continuous 700 Hz low-impedance mi• crophone level signal - extremely useful in setting-up and troubleshoot• Troubleshooting A15TG ing lines. Helps check levels, connections, mixer inputs, and cables. Allows one man to do the work of two! Microphone Series Line Transformers make it possible to connect low-impedance A95 and lines to mid- and high-impedance inputs (or vice-versa). Completely re• Impedance versible. Solves problems of excessive high-frequency loss and objec• Matching A97 tionable hum. Shown Actual Size: 114mm (4V2 in.) long x 19mm (3/4 in.) diameter. c. Send for the free Shure brochure, AL280F O" Tl <D O' e""' PJ ® -c""' co ®U SHURE CXl o Shure Brothers lnc., 222 Hartrey Ave., Evanston, IL 60204, In Canada: A. C. Simmonds & Sons Limited Manufacturers of high fidelity components, microphones, sound systems and related circuitry. Circle 26 on Reader Service Card letters (cont.) Gotham has a great deal of experience with the cleaning of NEUMANN con• denser capsules.