AES Partner News Blog

DiGiCo has announced the launch of a new DMI-MIC Pre-Amp Card for its S-Series digital mixing consoles, offering additional connectivity.

The S-Series has already seen an increase from 40 to 48 flexi channels as part of a recent update, and the new DMI-MIC Pre-Amp Card adds an extra eight mic inputs, connected via a 25-way D-sub, using the same pre-amps already found in the console. 

DiGiCo consoles are used on many of the biggest live sound tours and events around the world and DiGiCo claims that the launch of new, compact S-Series made this pedigree of audio performance available to every part of the industry, with Stealth Digital Processing, power and flexibility. 

The S-Series multi-touch touch screens offer up to 31 faders, 96kHz processing, internal FX and a range of I/O. With plug-in DMI cards the S-Series can operate in a variety of environments by adding extra I/O or connectivity options, including MADI, Dante or Waves SoundGrid. 

“The new DMI-MIC Pre-Amp Card shows our continued commitment to our products,” says DiGiCo General Manager, Austin Freshwater. “To take advantage of this and our other DMI card options, we are running a Get Connected program, so contact your local dealer for full details of the program and get connected soon!” 

PCB Piezotronics has announced the launch of its University Laboratory Programs for academic facilities. These programs are said to provide cost savings for Acoustics, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Physics curricula that incorporate hands-on student labs. Each program bundles sensors and accessories, laboratory experiments, classroom lecture, and technical posters for use in academic classrooms and laboratories.

With a history of providing discounted sensors to the academic community, PCB expands their commitment with four new Laboratory Programs that help both seasoned and first-time instructors provide comprehensive educational programs for their engineering classes. Students will have hands-on experience with state-of-the-art sensors used by today’s Research and Development facilities throughout the world.

Each Laboratory Program includes:

- Discipline-specific kits with the most commonly used sensors (acoustics, vibration, force) and accessories

- Instructor’s Guide of laboratory experiments with step-by-step instructions

- Technical poster for display in laboratories

- A classroom lecture by a PCB expert

Academic discounts are available for the programs; recommended optional products are also discounted. PCB Piezotronics says that additional engineering and technical disciplines will be added in the near future.

For more information visit www.pcb.com/university

Genelec, celebrating four decades in active monitoring technology, is introducing the 7380 Smart Active Subwoofer, which is said to deliver both high SPL and an extended low-distortion LF response in a compact enclosure. 

The new flagship of the Smart Active Monitoring subwoofer range, the 7380 was conceived to be integrated into any monitoring system – from stereo to multi-channel, as well as part of a large-scale 3D Immersive setup. Equipped with a newly designed Class-D amplifier section plus all the features of Genelec’s Smart Active Monitoring technology, the 7380 has been created for discerning professionals in music, post, film and broadcast. Furthermore, the 7380 was designed to partner with Genelec’s “The Ones” series of coaxial three-way monitors, particularly in the creation of immersive systems for those working with Dolby Atmos, Auro-3D and DTS:X formats.

Standing 26.97" (685mm) in height with a width of 28.27" (718mm) and depth of 19.37" (492mm), the 7380 features an 800W Class-D amplifier driving a custom 15-inch long-throw woofer that, combined with Genelec’s LSE spiral enclosure, is spec’d to produce a maximum SPL of 119 dB (123 dB peak) plus precise low-frequency response down to 16 Hz. 

The incorporation of Genelec’s Smart Active Monitoring technology puts the 7380 at the heart of a larger family of smart monitors and subwoofers from across the Genelec range. With GLM (Genelec Loudspeaker Manager) software for PC or Mac, up to 40 Smart Active Monitors and subwoofers can be networked with recallable system configurations and auto-calibration features including level, time-of-flight and phase adjustments. GLM deploys room compensation features including an adjustable crossover frequency and 20 parametric notch filters, which Genelec says allows optimization of loudspeaker performance to achieve the best possible performance even in challenging acoustic environments. GLM also supports both centralized and distributed bass management modes, depending on the type of monitors being used.

The 7380 can also be used in a non-Smart Active Monitoring environment. Front panel accessible DIP switches facilitate calibration for hybrid systems in which traditional main monitors are used. In standalone mode, the crossover frequency is fixed at 85Hz. 

For those working with multi-channel audio, the 7380 offers 7.1 channel XLR analog inputs and outputs, while an AES/EBU digital connection can be used either for stereo operation or for full 7.1 digital with the addition of Genelec’s optional 9301 Digital Interface.

“We have spent more than 10 years refining our Smart Active Monitoring range to represent not just the world’s most advanced monitoring technology, but also a uniquely powerful family of products that is trusted and relied upon by professionals the world over. The 7380 continues that tradition of extraordinary innovation,” commented Genelec Managing Director Siamäk Naghian. “Simply put, the 7380 will go louder and lower than anyone would expect with an enclosure of this size. It is the ideal choice for anyone who demands powerful, dependable LF reproduction in a truly compact form factor.” 

For more information visit www.genelec.com. 

Pitbull, a.k.a. “Mr. Worldwide,” recently settled in at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino for an eight-night limited engagement performing his energized Las Vegas show “Time of Our Lives.” The high-octane series of performances follows successful Las Vegas tour stops in 2015 and 2016 for the artist, with one difference this time around: Pitbull and his team put their recently acquired Sennheiser Digital 9000 wireless system to work.

A chance to test-drive the Digital 9000 at last year’s Summerfest in Milwaukee is cited as convincing the multi-million-selling artist and his team to deploy the system. Monitor engineer Matt Holden recalls the moment at Summerfest last year when he realized Digital 9000 was something special: “I was impressed with the sound when I heard it, but what really caught my attention was that for the first time, Pitbull came off the stage after the show and right away wanted to know what microphone we had used!”

The experience at Summerfest led the team to begin traveling with a Digital 9000 system immediately thereafter on tour. They stuck with the MD 9235 capsule they had demoed at the festival, noting its “clear sound and excellent rejection”. “It has a really tight pickup pattern on it, so there isn’t a lot of ambient noise,” Holden explains. The capsule is also super-friendly to the artist’s unconventional microphone techniques. “Pitbull goes back and forth between cupping the mic and holding it down on the neck. But with the MD 9235 the sonic difference is imperceptible which helps ensure a consistent sound throughout the show.”

Front-of-house engineer Will Madera notes how the sound of Pitbull’s voice sits in the mix while using the MD 9235 through the Digital 9000 system. “The microphone system gives body and clear definition to his voice, and it cuts through really well,” he says. “We’ve got percussion, drums, keyboards, bass, and backing tracks — all of which are really energetic and loud during the show. But with the Digital 9000, there is no issue and the vocal is right there in front of everything.” 

For Holden and Madera, the Digital 9000 was easy to set up and integrate into their existing rig. “The quality of the wireless and the ability to do the frequency scans internally is amazing,” Holden says. “You just dial in the lowest noise floor and don’t worry about it.”

“When we go to the larger cities like Dallas or New York, the RF person will be fighting to coordinate 96 channels of wireless. We just fire up the Digital 9000 for our wireless, do a quick scan, drop in our channels and we’re done. It takes ten minutes!” Madera also notes the system performance as “predictable and stable”. He continues, “Since we have been using this there hasn’t been one drop in that microphone at all.

 “Before we acquired the Digital 9000, Pitbull’s proximity to the stage during performances was always an issue,” Holden explains. “He would go under the stage, up and down the lifts, up the catwalk, and sometimes all the way to front of house. We would sweat a little bit when he did that on our last system. Now, with the D 9000, we can walk the mic all the way to the production office.” 

The D 9000’s is performing well in Vegas, according to the production team. Holden and Madera recall challenges of the past in Las Vegas, using gear from other manufacturers: “This is our fifth time here in Las Vegas, and as everybody knows, it’s kind of an RF nightmare,” Holden explains. “On our other systems, I would have full signal bars and clean frequencies, but we would lose him if he went to certain spots and this meant we were constantly on edge. With this system, I never have to think about it and can instead focus all my energy on his mix and performance.

“If the mix is perfect for Pitbull, he will take the performance to another level,” Holden says. “He stops thinking about the technical side and gets into the crowd. The difference in performance is very noticeable. Switching over to the Digital 9000 also proved to be the catalyst for him to start using in-ear monitors, which previously he was never 100% happy with, sonically. This gives him even more freedom on stage.”

Currently, Pitbull has eight channels of the Digital 9000, which are used on vocal microphones, bass guitar, and a djembe. For the bass guitar, the SK 9000 bodypack transmitter provides controls that allowed Madera to work with the bass player to dial in his tone. “I love the way the transmitter allows you to load the pickups differently,” he says. “It delivers a noticeable change in the tone of the bass, so before the run we sat down with the bass player and asked him which setting he liked best.”

Now that the “Time of Our Lives” mini-residence is complete, Pitbull is preparing to take his show back on the road. He will be co-headlining a new tour with Enrique Iglesias in the U.S. in September and October, with an itinerary that includes iconic arenas like the Staples Center, The Forum, and Madison Square Garden. The Digital 9000 system is also booked on the tour. “The sound is so clean that sometimes people think that the vocals are coming from a playback system we recorded in the studio,” Madera says. “But he is really rapping and singing everything! We could not be happier with the results we are getting on this system.”  

Award-winning film composer Justin Hurwitz has invested in a Prism Sound Lyra 2 for his private studio and is using it as the audio interface between his preamps and his digital audio workstation.

Based in Los Angeles, Justin Hurwitz is the composer of this year’s movie hit La La Land, which won in all seven categories for which it was nominated at the 74^th Golden Globe Awards. The film also received 11 nominations at the 70^th British Academy Film Awards, winning five, and received 14 nominations at the 89^th Academy Awards, winning six. Among these Oscars were two for Hurwitz – for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (City of Stars).

Hurwitz, who also scored the Oscar-winning movie Whiplash, chose a Prism Sound Lyra 2 interface after taking advice from various sound engineers whose opinion he trusted.

“I heard that Prism Sound made great interfaces with the highest quality A/D conversion,” he says.  “I wanted really high-quality A/D conversion for the one or two channels that I'm recording right now, so this unit was the perfect solution. It is now set up and an important part of my recording chain.”

Based on the company’s Orpheus interface, Prism Sound’s Lyra allows music recording professionals to access the power of the Orpheus audio path and clock circuitry, but in a smaller package and at a lower price. 

The Lyra 1 interface has two analog input channels – one for instrument/line and one for mic/line – plus two DA output channels and optical-only digital I/O. Lyra 2 includes two AD input channels with switchable microphone, instrument or line input modes and four DA output channels. Both versions incorporate new ARM Cortex processor design offering class-compliant USB interfacing that allows for integration with both Macs and PCs. Both versions also offer digital volume control, a low latency ‘console-quality’ digital mixer for foldback monitoring and optical SPDIF capability.

Although he records orchestras on the larger scoring stages in Los Angeles, Hurwitz is currently building a project studio and is now set up to record vocals and overdubs there.

“I’ve also been recording some solo instruments for my next score, which is a film about Neil Armstrong,” he says. “The Lyra is proving really useful for this type of work and I love it - it’s working great.”

You’ve seen their names in the end credits of popular movies and television programs: Supervising Sound Editors, Re-Recording Mixers and Sound Designers like Tim Kimmel, Karen Baker-Landers, Onnalee Blank, Mark Mangini and Doug Hemphill. These and other talented individuals now constitute Formosa Group, a collective of professionals who are vital to the sound teams for titles like Game of Thrones, Transparent, SWAT, Scorpion, Spectre, Blade Runner 2049 and other hit television and film properties. Brought together by the rapidly changing dynamics of Hollywood’s culture and economics, Formosa Group brings technical and creative talent to bear on the content explosion taking place in recent years. To keep up with demand, Formosa Group turned to RedNet Dante™-networked audio interfaces from Focusrite with a stated goal of bringing increased efficiency and effectiveness to their expanding campus of facilities. 

In recent months, as Formosa Group has expanded to seven locations around L.A., they have invested deeply in RedNet, acquiring 38 RedNet HD32R 32-channel HD Dante network bridges, 10 RedNet D16R 16-channel AES3 I/O’s, a RedNet A16R analog I/O interface, and a pair of RedNet 6 MADI bridges, which complement the dozen-plus RedNet AM2 stereo audio monitoring units already in place and the existing RedNet interfaces that have been working in facilities such as Formosa NoHo in North Hollywood and Formosa Santa Monica. “Our mantra has always been ‘simplicity,’” says Bill Johnston, Vice President of Engineering at Formosa Group. “That’s what the RedNet technology does for us – it makes things simple, transparent and very reliable.”

Johnston says putting the facilities on RedNet has streamlined their workflow significantly, in the process bringing costs down. “Once the audio is on a network, we can pull it from anywhere to anywhere just by bussing it, so we don’t have to send it through a router,” he says. “That eliminates the need for, and the expense of, MADI routers and MADI interfaces.” In fact, he says, selling the studios’ old MADI infrastructure has helped pay for more RedNet throughout the new facilities. And since RedNet has its own internal clocking – the RedNet A16R also outputs word clock – it can sync with the rest of the digital infrastructure in each studio. “We’re using multiple Pro Tools systems, but through RedNet, we only need a single SYNC HD I/O for everything. In fact, Avid told me, ‘You can’t do that — it won’t work.’ And I said, ‘But we’re doing it and it is working!’”

RedNet’s speed, accuracy and ease of use (Johnston says RedNet is “the very definition of plug and play”) make for an enhanced creative environment in which to work. “RedNet is fast, so it’s never in the way,” he says. “That’s always the biggest problem with any technology – it gets in the way of being creative because it takes some of your mental bandwidth to deal with the technical things. With RedNet, you don’t even know it’s there, and that’s the best thing you could ever say about any technology.” 

RedNet will continue to be deployed throughout Formosa Group’s facilities, including as the signal management for the Dolby Atmos speaker array for Formosa Santa Monica, the former Pacific Ocean Post facility. “It just makes things so much easier, by increasing our throughput and doing so totally transparently,” Johnston says. “And that lets us get down sooner to what we do best.”

For more information on Focusrite/Rednet, visit: us.focusrite.com/ethernet-audio-interfaces/rednet

Dave Pensado has been recognized as a top-level mixing engineer since the ‘70s, and over forty years into his career he has his workflow down to a science. “Some of you have heard me say I don’t need another reverb, I don’t need another EQ, I don’t need another delay, and I sure don’t need another compressor,” he says in a nod to the many viewers who tune into his popular weekly YouTube series “Pensado’s Place,” where he talks gear and practice with industry-leading producers, engineers, and mixers. But recently, the BAE Audio 10DCF compressor has caused a reversal in Pensado’s sentiment. “I couldn’t have been more wrong.” 

To test its mettle, Pensado tried the 10DCF in a battery of applications. He says he found the compressor both versatile and musical. First, he applied its compression to vocal takes by some of his well-known clients. “I tried it on T-Pain’s vocal, I tried it on a Nelly vocal, and it gave them character,” he says. “With a hip-hop song you want things to jump out at you but you still want to understand the lyrics, and I could get that sound with the 10DCF.” The compressor’s peak taming on sources as delicate as a vocal is attributable to its circuit design and all discrete wiring. 

Aside from a forward, yet intelligible vocal, Pensado says that low end is also key to hip-hop music. For him, the 10DCF’s inductor-based hi-pass filter makes it a suitable tool for processing drums. “The power comes from the low end, from the 808 and the drums,” he says. “With the 10DCF’s filter, you can determine how much low end comes through uncompressed and when you do that you can keep all that power but you can affect the more audible part of the spectrum in that drum. It just pushes the sound right in your face.” 

For rock music, Pensado abides by a clear ethos to ensure the right energy in the mix. “To me, in a rock song, the guitars are where the power is at,” he explains. “If you’ve got wimpy guitars then you’ve got a wimpy song.” He obtains his desired results by placing the 10DCF on a single auxiliary channel to which he sends all of his guitar tracks. Utilizing the compressors attack, recovery, threshold, and ratio controls, he is able to easily dial in a sound that meets his exacting standards. “The 10DCF is like money. You almost don’t need any EQ at all when you’re using it.” 

Another application Pensado says he found useful is using the 10DCF to imbue keyboards with an anaIog smoothness that helps them sit well in the mix thanks to the compressor featuring both Carnhill and Jensen transformers in the path. “Keyboards or synthesizers —they’ve got a bit of a harsh sound to them because it’s a reconstructed waveform,” he says. “It has to be smoothed out, and going through the 10DCF really smooths over those little artifacts that don’t sound good.” 

The transformer-based path also helped salvage a home vocal recording by a newer client Pensado is working with. “There was definitely some clipping on the mic, maybe the capsule collapsing a bit, he says. “I ran it through the 10DCF without much compression and it smoothed it out.” 

Despite its sonic smoothness, Pensado emphasizes the power of the 10DCF with slightly more aggressive language. “It feels to me like it grabs you by the neck, throws you on the ground, and stomps on your neck. It’s really got some powerful stuff going for it!” It has joined a short list of analog gear that Pensado, who works almost exclusively “inside the box” with digital plugins, recommends to his followers. “Anybody can design an electric circuit but only a handful of people can make an art form out of it,” he says. “The ones that have a sense of musicality and are made by people who use the gear they create tend to work better for me.” 

For more information on BAE Audio please visit http://www.baeaudio.com. 

A personal dream to bring state of the art recording facilities to the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre has led producer/engineer Rafael Hauck to invest in PMC MB2 XBD monitors for his new studio, Audio Porto. Hauck chose PMC monitoring after hearing the MB2 XBD system at Metropolis in London and subsequently visiting PMC’s facility in the UK for further demos.

The monitors have been installed in the facility’s main control room, which links to five recording spaces including a live room with a fiber optic internet connection for live streaming. Audio Porto also has a second, smaller control room and a 250-capacity lounge area with a stage for live gigs, presentations, courses and events. 

“I was immediately hooked,” he explains. “It didn’t take long for me to realize that this system was exactly what I wanted for Audio Porto. It is, without doubt, the most revealing system I have ever heard. The speed at which the low-end speaker physically reacts to changes in the program makes the system sound very precise – at any SPL level. The low-end transience is phenomenal.”

Audio Porto’s PMC MB2 XBD monitoring system was supplied by Carlos de Andrade’s company Visom, which distributes PMC in Brazil. It is currently set up for stereo in Audio Porto’s main control room, but it can also be mounted in a surround configuration, either in the control room or in the facility’s largest live room where it can be used for cinema mixing. 

“As a producer, I have always want to feel the sound as well as hear it, but for that to work well the speaker must not distort at higher output levels, which is often the case with other setups,” Hauck says. “With this system, you get even faster, cleaner mids and highs and it remains non-fatiguing.  The mix is maintained perfectly, even at high levels. The same can be said for stereo, being the best I have heard anywhere. The balance is just so consistent with this design. The mid and highs are so well integrated they provide a phase coherence that is the best I have experienced on this type of array.”

Located in a 3,000-square meter building where Hauck’s family used to operate a Christmas decorations factory, Audio Porto is a commercial facility that can handle recording, mixing and post production. Alongside PMC MB2 XBD monitors, Audio Porto’s main control room houses a Euphonix CS3000 console, Pro Tools and Pyramix. The facility also has an extensive collection of new and vintage microphones, outboard gear and instruments including a 1949 Steinway piano, a 1958 Hammond B3, and an array of analog synths and electronic drum machines.

Hauck’s interest in recording stems back to 2000 when he was the guitarist in a band and went into a local studio to record the band’s first album.

“I started engineering at the studio and had the opportunity to work with local artists such as Luka, Armandinho, Yamandú Costa, Frank Solari, Ney Lisboa, Renato Borgheti, Da Guedes and Paulinho Fagundes,” he explains. “I also engineered live shows, which eventually led to me working as stage manager and/or translator for visiting international artists such as Jamie Cullum, Lauren Hill, Billy Paul, Easy Stars All Stars and Ziggy Marley.” 

Giving his final word on Audio Porto’s monitor system, Rafael Hauck says: “I love my PMC speakers. They have made working even more pleasing than it already was and have given meaning to the whole of the investment that we have put into this facility. Congratulations, PMC!” 

For more information on PMC visit www.pmc-speakers.com.

Crane Song announces the debut of the new HEDD Quantum at AES New York Convention as the next generation of its HEDD analog to digital / digital to analog converter, utilizing the same sub-picosecond jitter clock found in the Avocet IIA DAC. The result is said to be  improved imaging, an open 3D sound, and detailed transient response. The clocking is applied to both the DA and AD converters. Additionally, the new HEDD Quantum features six word clock outputs allowing it to function as the master clock for digital gear and a digital converter simultaneously.
 

“The addition of multiple word clock outputs greatly expands the functionality of the original HEDD,” explains Crane Song Founder and Developer Dave Hill. “The unit now provides unparalleled AD and DA conversion, but also serves as a master clock for an entire digital system. This allows users to have all of their digital gear take advantage of our recent advances in clocking technology without having to purchase a standalone master clock.”

 
Crane Song has added Optical inputs and outputs in the new design. In addition to the new AD, DA, Clocking, I/O and WC outputs, HEDD Quantum offers Dave Hill’s DSP emulation of Triode and Pentode tubes as well as the tape emulation of the original HEDD designs. The operational modes allow the DA and the AD to be used simultaneously, at different sample rates. In the DIGI setting, the unit will accept digital input from one of three sources, and output on all three digital outputs and the analog output at the same time. In the ANA mode, the input is analog and it outputs to all three digital outputs and the analog output at the same time.
Dither, which is analog generated, is selectable for either 16- or 20-bit. The AD, DA and ASRC use high-end AKM 32 parts, coupled with proprietary analog filtering and clocking.
 
For more information on Crane Song visit www.cranesong.com.

More Information:www.rtw.com