APRIL 2005 V4.3 THE NEXT GENERATION AUDIO PRODUCTION MAGAZINE Mike Felton on TV sound Post: Glenn Freemantle — sound editor Nick Cage’s take on Brit hip-hop production Measuring monitor low frequency response accuracy The state of analogue tape Meet your maker: John Petersen — Tube-Tech Ten things to use a time machine for REVIEWS • Sound Devices 744T • Steinberg Nuendo 3 • Cakewalk Sonar 4 PE • Ultrasone 750/2500 • Presonus Central • Mackie Control C4 Station • Waves Q-Clone • Hebden Sound HS3000 • Daking mic pre/EQ April 2005 V4.3 ISSN 1477-4216 THE NEXT GENERATION AUDIO PRODUCTION MAGAZINE News & Analysis 6 Leader 18 Products New introductions and announcements plus Digidesign and Steinberg platform 6 News news. Sales, contracts, appointments and the bigger picture 66 Headroom Pirates ho! and ten things. 48 Glenn Freemantle Craft A leading sound editor’s take on the changes in technology and the 16 Super Audio Mastering changes in the job. Mastering guru Simon Heyworth collects his choicest equipment and creates a room 50 Sweet Spot with a view in Devon to handle all formats. Measuring low frequency response accuracy — have we found a monitor quality measure? 42 Mike Felton He’s been with the Beeb ‘man and boy’ 54 Silence please and has amassed a credit list to match his When we let computers into our rooms experience. He shares his observations of the noise they make sneaked in with the broadcast production process. them. You are entitled to demand silence. 46 Nick Cage 56 Meet your maker John Petersen — the man behind Combining engineering, production Tube-Tech mixes valves with practicality. and managerial skills he’s a Brit hip-hop specialist. His thoughts on creative control 61 Ten and breaking an act. Things to use a time machine for Business 52 Satellite radio 64 Your business Radio is enjoying a rejuvenation in Daley’s appraisal on the cause and the US due to the take off of effect of the spate of recent studio satellite radio services. closures in the US. Technology 58 The state of tape 62 Slaying Dragons Quantegy’s problems have thrown the Theory and experimentation is vulnerability of analogue tape supply into for enlightenment and not sharp relief. We now have new players. entertainment, says Watkinson. Reviews 24 Sound Devices 744T 32 Hebden Sound HS3000 Series 26 Cakewalk Sonar 4 34 Mackie Control C4 Producer Edition 36 Waves Q-Clone 28 Ultrasone Proline 750/2500 38 Daking mic pre/EQ 30 Steinberg Nuendo 3 40 Presonus Central Station EDITORIAL ADVERTISEMENT SALES PRODUCTION AND LAYOUT Editorial Director: Zenon Schoepe European Sales Dean Cook Tel: +44 1444 410675 Clare Sturzaker Dean Cook Productions Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 1342 717459 Tel: +44 1273 236681 Editorial offi ce: PO Box 531, Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Haywards Heath RH16 4WD, UK US Sales Contributors: Rob James, George Shilling, Jeff Turner Keith Spencer-Allen, Terry Nelson, Jon Thornton, Tel: +1 415 455 8301 Neil Hillman, Nigel Jopson, Andy Day, Jim Evans, Email: [email protected] Kevin Hilton, Dan Daley, John Watkinson news news Loud acquires APPOINTMENTS We’ve never had it so good. Leader The creative soul that is also St Louis Music M E R G I N G technologically well equipped can now achieve an Loud Technologies has acquired St Louis TECHNOLOGIES enormous amount from the comfort zone of their Music Inc., a Missouri-based manufacturer, has appointed Kaspar place of creativity. Without too much difficulty, you distributor and importer of branded musical Hugentobler to head can move projects around the world, share project instruments and professional audio products. a new Los Angeles information and ideas, update your software, As part of this acquisition, St Louis Music will operation to support download new software, try out new software, become an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary the Pyramix and remote link to other sites, record from other sites. of Loud Technologies Inc. VCube user-base in the US. For entertainment you can choose from any number Founded in 1922 by the Kornblum family, or TV or radio channels, you can download music St Louis Music’s products include Ampeg and video, buy a new entertainment system, buy bass guitar amplifiers, Crate amplifiers, home goods, buy your groceries, manage your Crate Audio sound reinforcement bank account, order a pizza. If you want some real interaction with real people who equipment, Alvarez guitars and string share your audio interests, then you can join any one of many forums that deliver instruments, and Knilling orchestral string precisely that. instruments. It is also a large distributor of It’s all brilliant. It’s also a bit sad and there’s a chance something’s being lost music accessories. in the translation. I talk not of data loss or data corruption but of true human ‘This acquisition demonstrates that Sun interaction in the same way that a voiceover artist or a band sounds different in Capital Partners, our principal shareholder, the room than they end up sounding on the take. Unless you’re actually there is committed to the expansion of our you wouldn’t know the difference. portfolio into related markets,’ said Loud’s DAVID CLARINGBOLD has been We are told we live in the communication age but that’s a bit of a con. We CEO Jamie Engen. ‘St Louis Music has an appointed Euphonix European sales connect but I’m not so sure we communicate. Compare the amount of information impressive and well-respected family of manager. He joins after 11 years as you would glean from a brief face to face conversation against a carefully crafted, brands that open up a number of significant technical operations manager of the so as not to mislead, email from the same individual. What you miss out on is the new opportunities for Loud Technologies. Sydney Opera House. passion, enthusiasm and intensity of human encounter. We’ve all met people who ‘Both companies share a strong have stirred us by their presence and enthusiasm, yet I can’t remember an email commitment to our customers and or forum entry ever having the same effect. There is absolutely no substitute for employees, as well as mutual respect human interaction and how we as an industry are expected to progress when for our unique corporate heritage. By it is made up of increasingly isolated individuals has got to be a major concern. combining our collective resources under You have to get out more, do the shows, do the social events, meet real people one corporate umbrella — from technology and find out for yourself, not second hand from some forum flake that has made and manufacturing, to engineering, product it his life. development and marketing — we will work Remind yourself why you’re in this business and question why you’re staying together to bring even more innovative in so much. new products to our customers.’ Zenon Schoepe St Louis Music’s existing CEO Gene API’s Dan Zimbelman with YH Audio’s Kornblum will remain in his current position Wenduo Wang and Dong Zhang. and will report directly Engen. API HAS APPOINTED YH Audio, Beijing as its distributor for API rack-mounted products in China. Uitti cello miking Cellist Frances- Marie Uitti has p u r c h a s e d a DPA 4023 c o m p a c t c a r d i o i d microphone for use in her live performances a n d s t u d i o Johnson and Carl Dempsey, recordings. executive VP of Wohler. Uitti, who has DAVID JOHNSON has joined Wohler pioneered a transformation of the cello Technologies as chief operating into a polyphonic instrument by using two officer. He has previously held senior bows in one hand, has spent many years management positions with high- amplifying her old Italian cello. ‘This was a technology companies that include revelation,’ said Uitti, ‘as was the mic mount Maxtor, Iomega, and Amdahl. Big3 Studios in St Petersburg, Florida started 4 years ago with one tracking and which fits on the strings near the tuners and control room and two mini suites. Following a period of intense activity and growth holds the mic in a flexible rubber holder, AUDIO EXCHANGE International has it now features three studios furnished by Professional Audio Design — including an which eliminates all external vibrations. As been named exclusive US distributor for SSL 4080 G+ and 9080J-72 — and provides multitrack recording, mixing, production the holder is clamped on the strings there Thermionic Culture valve audio products. and mastering services. is no danger of damaging the varnish on the instrument.’ ©2005 S2 Publications Ltd. All rights S2 Publications Ltd or the editor can S2 Publications Ltd. Printed by The Grange Press, Butts Rd, reserved. No part of this publication be held responsible for its contents. Registered in England and Wales. Southwick, West Sussex, BN42 4EJ. may be reproduced or transmitted in any The views expressed are those of the Company number: 4375084. form or by any means without the prior contributors and not necessarily those of SUBSCRIBE written consent of the Publishers. Great the Publishers. Registered office: www.resolutionmag.com care is taken to ensure accuracy in the Equity House, 128-136 High Street, Annual Subscriptions: UK £37.00, preparation of this publication, but neither Edgware, Middlesex HA8 7TT. Europe £45.00, Rest of the World £53.00 6 resolution April 2005 news AES Committee named APPOINTMENTS New Noise in London post LOUD TECHNOLOGIES has appointed Colin Evan Quek to the position of South East Asia sales director. He has worked for Roadie Communications, NVM multimedia, Casio MI, Celviano Music, and Trektech.