IK Multimedia is pleased to announce a new strategic software alliance with SAE Institute in the U.S. Now SAE audio school students who begin the Audio Diploma course in July 2009 at any SAE Institute campus in the US will receive IK Multimedia’s Total Studio 2 Bundle as part of the Laptop Production Package at no additional cost to their regular package price.
The 12 included software programs in IK’s Total Studio Bundle 2 will greatly enhance the production and processing ability of the current SAE recording, sequencing and mixing bundle. SAE’s students now have access to IK’s award winning virtual instrument and FX plug-ins, including award-winning T-RackS Mastering and Mixing software, and most of IK’s “Powered by SampleTank and “Powered by AmpliTube” products. more
Industry veteran Andy Waterman chose Clarions after months of research and product demos
Los Angeles, CA (May 28, 2009) – Industry veteran Andy Waterman recently acquired a pair of Lauten Audio Clarion microphones for Umbrella Media Inc studios. After an extensive search for the right pair of microphones to meet his niche requirements within the Production and Recording studio industry, Waterman chose the Clarions for their unique characteristics.
“I have been a working music producer, mixer, recording engineer and musician for over 30 years. I feel like I’ve used literally every microphone ever made at some time or another in studios all over the world,” says Waterman, owner of Umbrella Media Inc. Waterman spent several months auditioning and demoing various microphones in search of the perfect addition to his multi-room facility. “Of course, I have immense respect for the masters of microphone technology of earlier eras, but Lauten Audio’s products are perfecting this legacy and refining the art form in significant ways.”
Lauten Audio began shipping the Clarions in October of 2008. “When we first started the sound design on the Clarion I felt it was our biggest challenge. We wanted to create a unique sounding microphone that went against the current trend of FET large diaphragm condenser microphones,” says Brian Loudenslager, founder of Lauten Audio. “The Clarion features unique characteristics like a +10dB gain switch in addition to a -10dB Pad, a uniquely tuned frequency response and even its own custom-designed windscreen that can be used in place of a pop-filter.”
“We specialize in music production and scoring including acoustic music, jazz, orchestral recording and vocal ensembles,” says Waterman. Waterman described how he recently used the mics on a very quiet ethnic music scoring session where the Clarion’s unique +10 gain option really brought a collection of Southeast Asian wooden percussion instruments to life.
“There is nothing out there that sounds like a Clarion, and it’s really rewarding to hear feedback from professionals like Andy Waterman who truly understand what we are doing,” says Loudenslager. “Andy and Umbrella Media have carved a niche within the industry, and Lauten Audio is doing the same. We are both offering something unique that no one else can touch.”
“The Clarion is clear and spectrally balanced with nice hi-end sheen and has spectacular low self noise. One additional attribute I really appreciate is the mic does not add sibilance to women singers which is really important in my work. Lauten is a brand that will win many converts in the future,” adds Waterman.
~Tactical CAT5e Assemblies Available in Single and Multichannel Versions ~
ORLANDO, FL ― Wireworks, the leading innovator of audio/video cabling systems and custom panels, is introducing its new super tough TacCat Network Cords and Multi-TacCat Assemblies at InfoComm 2009 (Booth 5221). The TacCat, which provides tactical CAT5e Ethernet interconnection in a heavy-duty construction for on-the-road Ethernet and digital audio applications, is available in single channel cords and multichannel assemblies. more
Rio Rancho, NM – May 2009… Buckcherry, the Los Angeles, California-based hard rock band that achieved critical acclaim with the 2006 RIAA platinum, Grammy-nominated album 15, is back with a vengeance and touring once again in support of their latest album Black Butterfly. Consisting of Josh Todd (vocals), Xavier Muriel (drums), Jimmy Ashhurst (bass), Keith Nelson (guitar), and Stevie D. (guitar), Buckcherry is in the midst of an extensive tour that has them travelling both domestically as well in Europe. No matter where the tour takes them, guitarist Stevie D. and his guitar technician Dean Mitchell rely on a wireless setup to deliver Stevie’s signature guitar sound while providing the mobility to roam freely about the stage—and for this, they count on Lectrosonics. more
Connecticut Company Secures Global Trademark Rights
TELEFUNKEN USA CEO Toni Fishman, and Alan Veniscofsky, Director of Operations, recently returned from Frankfurt, Germany, where they attended a meeting of the TELEFUNKEN worldwide Partner Alliance. TELEFUNKEN Holding AG, the umbrella company that controls the worldwide rights to the TELEFUNKEN trademark outside of the United States, sponsored the meeting.
Participants in the conference included TELEFUNKEN licensees from Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, various East European countries, Russia, Israel, Middle and Far East. TELEFUNKEN Holding AG CEO Hemjö Klein, former board member of Lufthansa Airlines, hosted the meeting.
As a result of this conference, TELEFUNKEN USA has been named the Elektroakustik (translation: Electrical Acoustics) arm of TELEFUNKEN and awarded the exclusive rights to manufacture a wide variety of professional audio products and vacuum tubes bearing the TELEFUNKEN name, in over 27 countries worldwide. TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik is now in position to use the TELEFUNKEN trademarks for professional audio equipment in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik has been an integral part of the revitalization of the distinguished legacy of the TELEFUNKEN organization. The company has played an instrumental role in revitalizing the TELEFUNKEN brand as a worldwide icon of innovation, encompassing an over 105-year history of quality design and marketing of Vacuum Tubes, Professional Audio and Musical Instrument products.
TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik has plans to expand their current professional microphone product line in 2009 to offer outboard signal processing equipment, vacuum tubes, and other ancillary recording and professional audio products.
For more information about TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik please visit:
Burbank, CA… Royer Labs recently lost a true friend and source of the company’s inspiration with the passing of Bob Speiden. Bob passed away peacefully on May 15th after a long illness. He was 87 years old. The audio community has long recognized Bob as a man passionate about ribbon microphones. He was David Royer’s main inspiration for taking up ribbon microphones, leading to Royer Labs’ introduction of modern ribbon microphone designs to a world that had all but forgotten them. He will be missed very much. more
~ Sound Control Products Get the Job Done in Live Room and ISO Booth ~
PALATINE, IL – Planet10Studios, a new, state-of-the-art recording facility in the Chicago suburbs, discovered several acoustical flaws in the original construction of its new space while preparing its studio for opening. Looking for the perfect solution, Planet10Studios turned to Auralex and the company’s wide variety of products to control and tighten the sound characteristics of the live recording room, isolation booth and stand speaker mounts.
Auralex’s 4-inch StudioFoam Wedges, SheetBlok Sound Isolation Barrier, Mineral Fiber and MoPAD products were employed throughout the facility to provide the balanced sound quality the studio was looking for. more
OLD LYME, CONNECTICUT: Sennheiser Electronic Corporation is pleased to announce the availability of the third generation of its evolution wireless system products in the U.S. The new 100, 300 and 500 G3 series rack-mount wireless products, which incorporate a broad range of enhancements to the company’s most successful wireless series, are now shipping. The ew 300 IEM G3 wireless monitoring system, along with portable ENG sets for reporters and filmmakers, are scheduled to ship in July.
New features in Sennheiser’s G3 wireless systems promise easy setup and ensure that PA companies, established and up-and-coming performers, musicians, presenters and reporting teams can get up and running quickly. Featuring rugged metal housings, all G3 series true-diversity receivers now have a switching bandwidth of 42 MHz with 1,680 tunable UHF frequencies for interference-free reception. All third-generation receivers offer a new one-touch synchronization feature, which enables G3 transmitters to communicate with G3 receivers via an infrared interface, simplifying setup dramatically.
The frequency management function makes more compatible frequencies available. The 500 series has up to thirty-two presets on twenty channel banks, and six additional banks can be freely programmed in 25 kHz steps. The 300 series supports twenty channel banks with up to twenty-four compatible presets each, and six further channel banks are freely programmable in 25 kHz steps. And finally, the 100 series offers twenty channel banks with up to twelve presets each, with one further channel bank freely programmable in 25 kHz steps.
On 500 and 300 series receivers, a built-in Ethernet port supports interconnection with a PC running Sennheiser’s Wireless System Manager software. This provides monitoring and professional data management for multi-channel systems. For larger systems, the standard output power in both 300 and 500 series may be reduced from 30 mW to 10 mW in order to accommodate even more channels in a given frequency range.
A large, backlit dot matrix display provides access to enhanced menu options and information readouts. For faster access to the most important functions, the operating menu is now separated into a user level and an advanced level. The user level includes everyday functions such as frequency preset selection and audio levels, while the advanced level is reserved for more specialized programming, such as direct frequency selection, reset to factory settings and - for the 500 and 300 series - synchronization and warning settings. All receivers additionally display transmitter battery strength.
All G3 series receivers include an upgraded Soundcheck Mode that was only previously available on the G2 500 series models. Soundcheck Mode can now be operated even during the performance, and the audio and field strength levels are continuously measured, with the receiver recording the maximum values for AF and the minimum values for RF. In addition, the highly popular 500 series five-band equalizer is now included in all G3 series.
With the audio frequency range of all G3 receivers now extended from 18 kHz down to 25 Hz the systems are eminently suited to use with bass guitar. The 500 and 100 series Instrument Sets additionally offer a guitar tuner mode, for tuning an instrument right on the receiver. Another enhancement for instrument use is the guitar cable emulator, which allows users to dial in the typical change in the sound caused by the capacitance of the guitar cable.
The switching power supply in all G3 receivers is ideal for touring acts and rental companies who need a wireless solution that can be powered from worldwide sources. The tip of the power supply can be changed to suit the AC power plug requirements of a particular country. Offering an environmentally friendly option that also reduces running costs, all portable transmitters and receivers may be powered by optional Sennheiser BA2015 rechargeable battery packs instead of standard batteries. For this, the portable devices (with the exception of the plug-on transmitter) are fitted with external charging contacts so that the battery pack may be conveniently recharged while still in the transmitter.
ABOUT SENNHEISER ELECTRONIC CORPORATION Sennheiser is a world-leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is now a global brand represented in 60 countries around the world with U.S. headquarters in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Sennheiser’s pioneering excellence in technology has rewarded the company with numerous awards and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, and the Scientific and Engineering Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
For more information, please visit www.sennheiserusa.com
PHOTO CAPTION The Sennheiser ew 145 G3 - one of the models from the new G3 series.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 2009: SoundField, the UK-based manufacturer and supplier of multi-capsule mic systems for stereo and surround audio capture in the broadcast and audio recording markets, has begun shipping the first quantities of its latest product, the UPM-1 stereo-to-5.1 converter, to satisfy international pre-orders.
Aimed at the broadcast market, the UPM-1 is a 19-inch rack processor designed to create 5.1 content from old program material that only has a stereo soundtrack. Such ‘legacy’ programming is a problem for companies broadcasting in high-definition with 5.1 surround audio, because listeners find it distracting when modern HD shows are broadcast in 5.1 surround and then the audio narrows to a very ‘flat-sounding’ two channels for older material. This kind of distracting switch can occur even within one show. All the modern content in an HD sports show will be in 5.1, but older clips of past sporting events usually have only a stereo soundtrack. To modern HD broadcasters, this kind of repeated expansion and contraction of the audio soundscape is unacceptable. The UPM-1 provides a fast, easy-to-use solution.
The UPM-1 distinguishes itself from other available stereo-to-surround processes in several ways. It works not by adding reverb or using phase shifts to generate new material for the rear channels in a 5.1 soundscape. In fact, the UPM-1 adds nothing ‘new’ to the audio at all. All of the material in the 5.1 mix that appears at the processor’s outputs is derived from spatial information present in the original stereo signal. What’s more, the UPM-1’s processing is adaptive, changing with the input signal, rather than remaining constant irrespective of input.
The UPM-1 generates 5.1 from two channels by analyzing the original stereo audio using a patented algorithm that separates the audio into its so-called Direct and Ambient components. The former encompasses the ‘dryer,’ less reverberant components in the original sound (for example those elements that would have been close to the microphone when the audio was recorded), while the latter refers to the more reverberant components (like those sound sources that would have been further away at the time of recording). These elements can then be processed separately and routed in different proportions to the 5.1 mix if required, using the UPM-1’s simple front-panel rotary controls. In addition to discrete controls for the input level and individual 5.1 output channels, the level of the direct sound component in the original signal may be adjusted independently from that of the Ambient sound in the rear channels, and the Ambient component in the front three channels. The UPM-1 also offers control over the perceived width of the front three channels, and over whether the material appearing at the front center of the 5.1 soundscape will be routed only to the center channel or equally to the left and right channels (’phantom center’).
To take a practical example, if an archive clip of a sports broadcast in stereo is put through the UPM-1, it will be possible to alter the level of the acoustically dry commentary found in the phantom center of the stereo mix without affecting the reverberant crowd ambience. Similarly, sending some of the reverberant crowd noise to the rear channels of the 5.1 mix is possible without also routing the sound of the ball being kicked on the pitch or the voice of the commentator to the surround speakers.
“There have been solutions for broadcasters who want to use archive stereo material on 5.1 HD transmissions before,” comments Ken Giles, managing director of SoundField, “but the UPM-1 really has something to offer broadcasters in terms of its unique approach, operational speed and simplicity. You plug it in, put stereo into it, and immediately you have broadcast-ready digital 5.1 audio that still sounds like the original signal, not swamped with extra reverb and processing. We’re certain this ease of use has been a key factor in the high level of interest and the healthy pre-orders the UPM-1 has generated.”
The first UPM-1s began shipping from SoundField’s head office in early May, following pre-orders to Canada, the USA, Germany, Scandinavia, Italy, and within the UK, to the international satellite broadcaster Sky.
ABOUT TRANSAUDIO GROUP TransAudio Group, founded by industry veteran Brad Lunde, has quickly become the premier U.S. importer/distributor and/or U.S. sales and marketing representative for high-end audio. Success hinges on TransAudio providing dealers and end users with a higher standard of product expertise and support far beyond the norm.
HAMBURG, GERMANY - MAY 2009: The compact size of Metric Halo’s eight-channel Mobile I/O 2882+DSP and two-channel ULN-2+DSP interfaces has been of significant benefit to Andrew Levine, a location recording engineer based in Hamburg, Germany, who frequently uses public transportation, or even a bicycle, to travel to local jobs. Levine, who is founder of blumlein records, is making use of Metric Halo’s powerful new 2d upgrade to record, monitor and mix stereo and surround sound projects, several of which use his unique XYtri microphone setup.
Having been using Metric Halo equipment for about seven years, Levine, who owns a 2882+DSP, two ULN-2+DSP interfaces, and, as he can officially state as of the AES Munich introduction, two flagship ULN-8s, comments, “It’s essential to my work because I’m doing mobile recording, so my studio has to travel with me, usually on my back. For small jobs needing two to four channels in Hamburg, if the weather permits, I go there on a bike. Bigger jobs I travel to by train, with my gear in a metal box mounted on a sack barrow. So it’s environmentally friendly!”
Levine records everything from orchestras, small ensembles and vocal groups, to more avant-garde music, jazz and spoken word. Even on the occasion of his first professional location recording - of the Argentinean tango ensemble, Sexteto Mayor, in Berlin in 2003 - he not only tracked stereo (an AB pair before and above the musicians), but also two tracks of ambience from behind the stage. He says that he has always had the idea of recording in surround in the back of his mind, leading to the development of the XYtri mic setup.
His XYtri method not only solves the problem of reliably monitoring multichannel surround with headphones, but it also maps discretely to a 7.1 monitoring environment by extracting sum-and-difference information in the front-most channels, and folds down nicely to 5.1, stereo and directed mono, he says. “Most people doing location work don’t have a separate room where they can set up a monitoring system, and I can’t lug around that much stuff. So I was thinking of what I can do to make surround recordings that I can monitor with more confidence. I thought, maybe I could have a Decca tree but using three 45-degree XY pairs. You have three XY perspectives, and you also have these runtime stereophonic perspectives, one facing frontal left, one frontal right.”
He continues, “This is where the Metric Halo interface and the 2d mixer come in. It’s so flexible to set up a matrix while you’re auditioning stuff, even if you do it from scratch, and also while you do a down mix. While you’re setting up or recording you can monitor each microphone pair separately. This way you can listen to all the different angles and you know that every angle is okay, which you can’t do for setups that are not based entirely on traditional stereophonic configurations.”
The improved, flexible routing matrix functionality in the new 2d upgrade also allows a stereo down mix to be generated and recorded alongside the individual mic inputs, he says, although sometimes a little rebalancing is required after the fact. “I use Metric Halo’s SpectraFoo [analysis software] as an extra aid. There are some things like power balance that you can’t judge reliably with headphones - really small things where I pull down one side by a decibel or half a decibel in the studio. But on more than half of the recordings that I do, I already have the stereo mix finished at the end of the performance.”
He adds, “Even if I tweak the mix at the beginning, the only thing I have to do, while I’m tearing down after the concert has finished, is bounce the first few minutes with the settings I established after the start of the concert. Then I just splice that together with the rest of the recording. So 2d has been an amazing time saver for me.”
Symmetry is very important to his recording technique, says Levine, which aids the surround sound mix. “If I have a mic thirty degrees on the left I might have an equidistant spot mic thirty degrees on the right side of the axis. So the positions and runtime delays are symmetrical to the central setup. That enables me to usually do orchestral recordings even of big works with no more than eight microphones. If the acoustic space is less than ideal I feed the back facing pair of microphones on the left and right of the XYtri to Altiverb and generate a very nice reverb to fill in the back.”
The routing matrix within the Metric Halo software additionally streamlines the workflow when Levine brings the recordings back to his 5.1 mix room, which he plans to upgrade to 7.1 shortly. “The monitor controller within Metric Halo maps my analog line-level outputs onto the physical studio layout, controlling inter-channel gain with 0.5 dB accuracy and all DSP-processing occurs with nearly no latency. It’s very, very easy to use,” he says. “I have templates to do mixes from the XYtri to stereo or 5.1 or quadraphonic. If I place the XYtri setup inside a curved ensemble, I can then unfold the soundstage then pull it out, and this maps into a 7.0 or 7.1 setup.”
Levine believes that Metric Halo’s level of support may be unique. “I think it’s the only company with support that goes back so far and so deep,” Levine adds. “They came out with the 2d card that you can put into a box that’s seven years old and improves it. No one else does that. It’s amazing!”
Recalling his initial experiences when editing a recording of Debussy’s 24 Préludes for piano after receiving his 2d-enabled ULN-8s at the end of 2006, he says, “I always mark the beginning and ends of recordings. The end is always the point where I can’t hear any sound anymore. It’s gone beyond the noise floor. Suddenly I noticed I was able to hear four more seconds beyond that. I thought I’d made a mistake, but it was the same for all the takes. Stuff came out of the noise floor like Atlantis!”
ABOUT METRIC HALO Based New York’s Hudson Valley, Metric Halo provides the world with high-resolution metering, analysis, recording and processing solutions with award-winning software and hardware.
PHOTO CAPTION Andrew Levine, a Hamburg, Germany-based location recording engineer and beta tester for the new Metric Halo ULN-2+DSP has successfully used MH gear for years to record stereo mixes, surround sound and his unique new XYtri microphone setup.
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IK Multimedia is pleased to announce a new strategic software alliance with SAE Institute in the U.S. Now SAE audio school students who begin the Audio Diploma course in July 2009 at any SAE Institute campus in the US will receive IK Multimedia’s Total Studio 2 Bundle as part of the Laptop Production Package at no additional cost to their regular package price. 
