Audio Media February 2014

No. 279 � February 2014 www.audiomedia.com

IN THIS ISSUE

A guide to the modern broadcaster’sproduction workflow p22

�� TECH FOCUSLoudnessmetering p30

�� SHOW REVIEW �� GRAVITYWe talk with supervisingsound editor GlennFreemantle

p16

�� THE LIMEHOUSEA look inside one ofeast London’s hiddenstudio gems

p28

Going With the Flow

All the biggestreleases from thisyear’s NAMM Show p6

Editor – Jory [email protected]

Deputy Editor – Jake [email protected]

Managing Editor – Jo [email protected]

Sales Manager – Graham [email protected]

Group Head of Design & Production – Adam [email protected]

Production Executive – Jason [email protected]

Designer – Jat [email protected]

Publisher – Steve [email protected]

Press releases to:[email protected]

© Intent Media 2014. No part of this publication may bereproduced in any form or by any means without priorpermission of the copyright owners.

Audio Media is published by Intent Media London, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, England. Editorial tel +44 (0)20 7354 6002Sales tel +44 (0)20 7354 6000

Audio Media ISSN number: ISSN 0960-7471 (Print)

Circulation & Subscription enquiries Tel: +44 (0)20 7354 6001email: [email protected]

Printed by Stephen & George, Wales

WELCOME

www.audiomedia.com February 2014 03

MEET THE TEAM

February 2014Issue 279

‘INNOVATIVE’ is one of those words that isgetting dangerously close to joining the ranksof ‘unique’ and ‘groundbreaking’ in the worldof technology. More and more, press releasesand product announcements are littered withexamples of how ‘innovative’ a piece of kit is.Even if said product does display someinnovative qualities, just the mere sight of theword is reason enough for this editor to letout an exasperated sigh.

‘But why does it matter?’ you might ask.The reason, in my humble opinion, is that thetrue meaning behind being innovative hasbeen skewed as the word gets used morefrequently as a synonym for something that isoriginal, new, or (heaven forbid) ‘unique’.

The beginning of the New Year seems the perfect occasion for this rant,and if you follow the industry at all you might be able to easily guess why.This past month marked the return of the Winter NAMM show to theAnaheim Convention Center – one of the few shows where manufacturersstill closely guard their new product releases until the doors open.

The show and its resulting press is a hotbed of ‘innovative’ releases with‘unique features’ – a seemingly never-ending flood of kit purporting to becompletely original and new.

One of my favourite books, the New York Times best-selling Steal Like AnArtist, by Austin Kleon, is a great counter-argument to those feeling thepressure to constantly be original. The book is a meditation on (you guessedit) stealing the best things around you in order to be a creative person.

Here’s one of the more impressive quotes from the book’s first few pages:“If we’re free from the burden of trying to be completely original, we can

stop trying to make something out of nothing, and we can embraceinfluence instead of running away from it.”

All creative works, whether they are poems, novels, drawings, or, in thepro-audio world, microphones, consoles, speakers, and the like, build onpast works and past ideas. In short, labeling something innovative shouldn’tbe about ignoring the competition and being original, but rather ‘stealing’and building – taking things from the past and using them in different,interesting, and, most importantly, useful ways.

Now don’t get me wrong. As I said earlier, there are products coming outevery month that fit this criteria – it’s the way we market and describe themwhere things go astray. In the end I think we’d all benefit from more factsand figures and fewer adjectives.

Jory MacKay, Editor

“If we’re free from the burden of trying to be completelyoriginal, we can stop trying to make something out of nothing,

and we can embrace influence instead of running away from it.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>AADVERTISERINDEX

2014 NAB Show........................................37

Allen & Heath............................................23

Aspen............................................................8

Calrec .........................................................21

DiGiCo..........................................................2

DPA Microphones....................................44

Dynaudio .....................................................5

Jünger Audio .............................................11

Lawo ...........................................................15

McDSP........................................................33

Nugen Audio ...............................................7

Orban..........................................................13

Prolight + Sound......................................29

Radial..........................................................43

Richmond Film Services..........................14

Riedel ..........................................................17

Sennheiser.................................................39

Sony Professional.......................................9

TC Electronic ..............................................3

CONTENTS Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

04 February 2014 www.audiomedia.com

>TECHNOLOGYFOCUS:

Loudness Metering ..........................30

REVIEWS:Featured: RØDE NT1 and M5..........34PMC twotwo.8 .................................362Q and Source Talkback..................38Sony PCM-D100 ...............................40Universal Audio Fairchild Tube Limiter ......................................41

>FEATURESIn the Mix...........................................20

� Will Strauss speaks with several TV mixers about delivering for multiple platforms

Lionhead Studios ............................26

� John Broomhall checks out the new facilities for Microsoft’s fabled Lionhead Studios

The Limehouse .................................28

� Jake Young visits a studio in one of East London’s creative communities

TECHNOLOGY ...................................6

� New at NAMM: Allen & Heath, Prism Sound, Midas, and more

� Yamaha introduces consoles at ISE

� Meyer Sound debuts LYON

INDUSTRY.........................................10

� Inside Denmark Street Studios

� InstallAwards launches

� Jim Evans’ State of the Industry

>ALSO INSIDEShow News: NAMM & BVE..........................................................12

Geo Focus:China...................................................................18

Interview: International recording engineer Jacob Händel ..................................................42

p28

p26

COVER

Kevin Hilton takes

a look at the

modern broadcast

workflow p22

TECHNOLOGY NEWS


ALLEN & HEATH has added the 30-in/

24-out Qu-24 to its Qu series of compact

digital mixers, which also includes the rack

mountable Qu-16. Qu-24 features total recall

of settings (including 25 motorised faders

and digitally controlled preamps), a

touchscreen, Qu-Drive integrated multi-track

recorder, dSNAKE for remote I/O and

personal monitoring, multichannel USB

streaming to Mac, Qu-Pad control app, and

iLive’s FX library.

Qu-24 also features a dedicated fader per

mic input channel, 24 mic/line inputs, three

stereo inputs, four FX engines with four

dedicated sends and stereo returns, 20 mix

outputs including two stereo matrix mix

outputs and two stereo groups with full

processing, patchable AES digital output with

a further two-channel ALT output, dedicated

talkback mic input, and two-track output.

The mixer is packed with massive

processing capability. High-speed dual core

DSPs provide comprehensive channel and FX

processing, with ample room for future

processing updates and functionality. Five

latest generation core processors run in

parallel.

www.allen-heath.com

Allen & Heath Launches Qu-24

API Adds Two New500-Series ModulesAPI INTRODUCED two newmembers of its acclaimed 500-series modular signalprocessing line at the 2014NAMM Show: the 505 DI andthe 565 Filter Bank.

Both modules possess API’sclassic sound and fit all 500-series chassis, including the APILunchbox and the API 1608small-format analogue console.

The 505 DI includes gaincontrol, adjustable tone control,a bright switch, a 20dB pad,switchable 100/400k ohm loadimpedance, and Thruconnectivity. Like the console-based API 205L, the 505 DI isspecifically designed to accept aguitar, bass or keyboard directinput while minimising anyloading effect on Hi-Zinstrument pickups.

The 565 Filter Bank includesa sweepable low-pass filter(500Hz to 20kHz, -12 or -18dB

slope), a sweepable high-passfilter (20Hz to 400Hz, -6 or -12dB slope), and a variablenotch filter (fully sweepablebetween 20Hz and 20kHz). The565 circuits are true to themusical filters of the 215modules found in large-formatAPI consoles.www.apiaudio.com

Midas Releases M32

NEW FROM Midas atNAMM was the M32 DigitalMixing Console – a 40-inputdigital console for live andstudio use designed by a BentleyMotors designer.

The M32 features the samemic preamplifiers as the PROSeries consoles as well as MidasPro Faders. The new console is96kHz ready and features192kHz A-D/D-A converters.The mixer also features theproprietary Ultranet technologyfor ‘acoustic integration’ with the

new Turbosound iQ Seriesactive loudspeakers or IEMsystems.

The M32 also features 40-bitfloating point digital signalprocessing, eight stereo effectsengines, and a 7in full colourTFT display screen.Additionally, a high-qualityonboard 32 × 32 USB interfaceallows real-time tracking and multiple expansion cardssuch as ADAT, MADI, andDante.www.midasconsoles.com

Prism Sound Bears All With AtlasPRISM SOUND scored a hattrick at NAMM 2014 when itlaunched Atlas – its third newinterface product to be releasedin just eight months.

Designed with Prism Sound'slatest CleverClox clockingtechnology and incorporatingeight of the company’s mic pres,Atlas is aimed squarely at multi-track recording applications.

Atlas offers quality analogueand digital I/O for Mac orWindows PC at sample rates upto 192kHz via a simple USBinterface. In addition tothe USB host interface,it also features PrismSound’s MDIOinterface expansion slot.Using this miniatureexpansion slot users can,for example, directlyconnect to Pro ToolsHDX systems. A rangeof other MDIO

interfaces is planned for laterintroduction. Atlas will also runwith Apple and Windows nativeapplications over USB.

Atlas offers eight analogueinputs, eight analogue outputs,plus S/PDIF and TOSLINKoptical digital I/O ports. Theoptical ports can also be used forADAT, giving a single Atlas unita maximum capability of 18concurrent input and outputchannels plus dual stereoheadphones.www.prismsound.com

RADIAL HAS introducedSpace Heater – a combinationeight-channel tube drive andsumming mixer.

Set up as four stereo pairs,the Space Heater designbegins with a choice of 0.25inTRS or D-sub inputs. Eachchannel pair is 100% discreteenabling four stereo sets to beused independently or be sent

to a stereo mix bus with leftand right outputs. To controlthe effect on the tube, eachchannel set is equipped with aseparate drive control toincrease or decrease the signalbeing sent to the 12AX7 tubeand a level control to set theoutput.

A heat switch lets the userapply 25, 50, or 100V on the

tube depending on thefidelity needed. Lowervoltages starve the tubecausing more distortion. Onthe other hand, highervoltages produce a cleanersignal. Each stereo set is alsoequipped with a high-passfilter to help eliminateresonance and clutter. www.radialeng.com

Radial Reveals Space Heater

New at NAMM

ARIA Mic fromSontronicsBRITISHmicrophonebrandSontronics haslaunched a newmicrophonethat has been18 months inthe making.The ARIA is avalve condenser microphonewith a fixed cardioid pattern,designed by Sontronics founderTrevor Coley.

Housed inside the chromedgrille is a 1.07in, edge-terminated capsule designed tocapture the detail and subtletiesof any vocal, while theEuropean 12AX7/ECC83 tubelends a character found in otherclassic vintage valve mics. Foran extra level of control, theaccompanying SPS-2 powersupply unit boasts pad (0-10dB)and filter (linear, 75Hz)switches as well as a tube-readyLED that lets users know whenthe mic is warmed up.www.sontronics.com

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

ONE OF the highlights of NAMM

was Slate Digital’s introduction of its

VMS Virtual Microphone System –

a hardware/software combination

that gives users access to dozens of

vintage and modern microphones.

The VMS comes with four

components: the ML-1 and ML-2

microphones, VMS Dual Preamp

Converter, and VMS Plugin

Module.

The ML-1 is a high-def, linear,

large-diaphragm microphone

designed for precise transient

reproduction, flat frequency

response, and wide bandwidth. The

ML-2 shares many of the ML-1’s

features and can handle SPL of

135dB. When combined with the

VMS Plugin Module it can model

classic dynamic microphones, classic

small-diaphragm condensers, and

even ribbon mics.

The VMS Dual Preamp

Converter uses state-of-the-art

amplifiers and converters to

maintain a clean, linear signal,

giving the VMS Plugin Module the

opportunity to add the reproduction

of classic mics and preamps.

The final piece of the system, the

Plugin Module, turns the signal

from the hardware components into

classic recreations of famous

microphones and mic preamps.

www.slatedigital.com

Slate Digital Introduces VMS

WAVES AUDIO brought a massiveamount of new kit out at this year’sNAMM show including plug-ins anda studio-based SoundGrid offering.

First up, the WavesAbbey Road Reel ADTis the first plug-in tosuccessfully emulateAbbey Road Studios’process of ArtificialDouble Tracking – asignature effect created atthe studio in the 1960s for The Beatles.

Abbey Road engineer Ken Townsendcreated ADT by connecting the primarytape machine to a second, speed-controlled machine, allowing twoversions of the same signal to be playedback simultaneously.

By gently wobbling the frequency ofan oscillator to vary the speed of thesecond machine, the replayed signalcould be moved around just enough tomake it sound like a separate take. TheWaves ADT plug-in models this effect,giving users control of different tapesounds, drive controls, and manual orautomatic control.

Waves has also released theMetaFilter Plug-in, which lets usersindividually modulate the filter cutoff,resonance, and delay time using threeseparate modulators – 16-stepsequencer, LFO, and Envelope follower– making it easy to achieve effects suchas filter sweeping, auto-wah, and

hypnotic modulating delays withsaturation buildups.

Following the success of its DiGiGridsolution for DiGiCo’s SD consoles, WavesAudio and DiGiCo have teamed up tocreate SoundGrid-based studio hardware.In addition to integrated networkingcapabilities, upcoming DiGiGrid studiosolutions will include a full line of I/Oswith world-class converters, preamps,headphone amplification, built-in DSPServers, and network switches withsolutions for users of Native DAWs, ProTools, and MADI-enabled consoles.

The SoundGrid Studio System allowsusers to run a nearly unlimited amount ofplug-ins; track and rehearse with full-oneffects and near-zero latency; connecteverything and everyone through acentralised hub; and network withmultiple DAWs. Furthermore, thesystem is compatible with both Wavesand third-party plug-ins.www.waves.com

UNIVERSAL AUDIO has added toits Apollo series with the Twin, a high-resolution desktop interface withreal-time UAD processing.

The Twin is a 2 x 6 Thunderboltaudio interface for Mac with24/192kHz audio conversion thatallows Mac users to record in real time(at near-zero latency) through the fullrange of UAD Powered Plug-Ins,including titles from Neve, Studer,Manley, Lexicon, API, and more.

ApolloTwin alsointroduces thecompany’sUnisontechnologythat modelsthe tone of classic tube and solid statemic preamps – including impedance,gain stage sweet spots, and component-level circuit behaviours.www.uaudio.com

Apollo Twin Lands at NAMM

wwww.audiomedia.com

New Plug-ins Making Waves

NEWS


AKG LaunchesWireless System

JBL VTX Line Arrays AddedJBL PROFESSIONAL has extended

its range of VTX Series line arrays with

the VTX F Series line of two-way

multipurpose loudspeakers.

The F Series includes three models: the

F12 and F15 full-range loudspeakers and

the F18S subwoofer. The VTX F12 and F15

loudspeakers feature the large-format JBL

D2 dual diaphragm dual

driver employed in the

VTX V25

full-size line

array

loudspeaker

and the M2

Master Reference Monitor. All F Series

models also feature JBL’s Differential Drive

transducer technology.

The F12 and F15 are optimised for use

with Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers and

Crown VRack amplifier management

systems, while both models also include

BSS Audio OmniDriveHD V5

processing and JBL HiQnet Performance

Manager control.

The F12 and F15 also deliver installation

features including a pole-mount

socket, four NL4 connectors for

discrete cabling, 14 M10

mount points, and

an optional

universal bracket.

The VTX F18S

is a compact

subwoofer for drum/DJ monitoring and

small/medium format front-of-house

applications.

www.jbl.com

Meyer Sound Debuts LYONADDING TO its LEO family of linear

loudspeaker systems Meyer Sound has

unveiled its new self-powered LYON linear

sound reinforcement system.

Incorporating the technology of the LEO

family in a lighter and more compact package,

LYON extends the advantages of highly

linear self-powered systems to a broader range

of venues and applications.

LYON linear line array loudspeakers are

available in two versions: the LYON-M main

line array loudspeaker and the LYON-W

wide-coverage line array loudspeaker.

Complemented by the 1100-LFC low-

frequency control element and the Galileo

Callisto loudspeaker management system, the

LYON-M can anchor a powerful system for

installations in arenas and large auditoriums,

as well as tours and festivals. The LYON-W

can serve as down fills to augment a LYON-

based system. Both LYON versions can be

used to provide supplemental coverage in a

LEO system.

At ISE, Meyer Sound also showed the

recently announced Galileo Callisto 616 AES

primary array processor, a powerful hardware

and software solution for driving and aligning

Meyer Sound loudspeaker array systems.

Designed as a mastering tool for delivering

digital audio, the Callisto processor combines

versatile alignment tools like U-Shaping

equalisation and delay integration with a full

suite of AES3 analogue and digital inputs

and outputs.

www.meyersound.com

LAUNCHING AT ISE 2014 was the WMS420 single-channel

wireless system from AKG. WMS420 enables customers to select

from four product packages: Vocal Set with AKG D5 handheld

microphone; Presenter Set with AKG C555L; Lavalier Set with

AKG C417; and Instrument Set with AKG MKG L cable.

WMS420 includes the SR420 UHF stationary receiver with

two external, detachable antennas on the rear side and BNC

connectors at standard 50 ohms.

The charging contacts of the HT420 handheld transmitter and

PT420 pocket transmitter are compatible with the AKG CU400

charging station and include a rechargeable battery.

www.akg.com

New Yamaha ConsolesYAMAHA LAUNCHED its new generation of MG series

compact mixing consoles in Europe at ISE. The 10-strong

line-up features models with 6, 10, 12, 16, or 20 inputs, all

featuring Yamaha’s discrete Class A D-PRE microphone

preamps. Utilising an inverted

Darlington circuit topography, the

preamps feature multiple circuitry

elements designed to deliver

more power with lower

impedance.

As well as the standard

versions, the MG10,

MG12, MG16, and

MG20 all have a counterpart

XU model. These feature an upgraded

version of Yamaha’s SPX effects processor, with a

comprehensive suite of 24 different effects (upgraded from 16

in the previous MG series), as well as a USB 2.0 audio

interface capable of 24-bit/192kHz sound quality. This allows

playback of digital content from a PC, recording of the mixer

output using DAW software (Steinberg’s Cubase AI software

is included), and use with USB Audio Class 2.0-compliant

tablets and other devices without installing drivers.

The ultra-compact MG06, meanwhile, has an X

counterpart model, which adds six choices of SPX reverb and

delay, the amount variable by a rotary control.

www.yamahacommercialaudio.com

New at ISE

NEWS


>>> RECORDING

By Jake Young

THE STUDIO space at 22 Denmark Street in

London has been given a new lease of life

thanks to the recently opened Denmark Street

Studios. Producer and mix engineer Guy

Katsav launched the studio in November and

brought along former Metropolis Studios sales

manager Elliot Shand and producer/engineer

Itay Kashti. Earlier tenants in the studio’s

history include EMI Music Publishing and

Acid Jazz Records.

Katsav was motivated to buy the space when

his former facility, Soho Recording Studios,

where he had spent the past 10 years, closed for

refurbishment. He found the Denmark Street

space off the market and knew he was going to

take it immediately.

“Pretty much all the basics were there but it

was in very bad condition,” said Katsav. The

studio’s previous occupier, Tin Pan Alley

Studio, had abandoned it for a number of years:

“There was rubbish here from the 60s or 70s.”

Katsav said he could see the potential when

he walked in, and a control room, live room,

drum room, dead room, and guitar room now

comprise Studio 1. The control room centres

around two consoles: an AMEK BC2 and a

Sony DMX100 with outboard gear from SSL,

Universal Audio, Urei, Drawmer, Lexicon, and

more. One of the highlights of the live room

and a testament to the studio’s long history is

the Blüthner Leipzig Grand Piano left behind

by previous tenants.

Resident producers Down and Left and Rui

Da Silva occupy Studios 2 and 3 respectively. “I

knew Rui from Soho Studios and I knew

Down and Left because we play together and

we help each other on things,” said Katsav. “As

soon as they realised that the whole thing was

taking off they just jumped in.”

While much of the studio’s time is taken up

by Katsav’s own projects, including writing and

production for his group Tigermonkey, recent

projects that have been through the studio

include a track for Showtime series House ofLies, a significant amount of Roses Gabor’s

forthcoming Ninja Tune release, UK rappers

Sway and Skepta, BRITs Critics’ Choice

nominee Chloe Howl, and Etta Bond.

www.denmarkstreetstudios.com

University of Surrey CompletesSound Zone ResearchA JOINT research team at the University of

Surrey has revealed the conclusion of its

three-year project on Perceptually Optimised

Sound Zones (POSZ).

Led by Dr Philip Jackson of the university’s

engineering department and Dr Russell

Mason of the Institute of Sound Recording,

the project was designed to investigate

methods for creating multiple independent

sound zones in a single room.

Funded by Bang & Olufsen and the

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research

Council, and with kit supplied by HHB, the

team constructed a near-360º structure

supporting 64 Genelec 8020B monitors with

a grid of 48 measurement microphones.

Unlike previous sound zone studies that

focused mainly on anechoic (reflection-free)

environments, this latest study looked at

creating these zones in real-life scenarios, such

as living rooms, where sound is reflected from

walls and furniture. Not only that, but by

combining the psychoacoustic work along

with the engineering work, this study was the

first to try to determine how a listener, rather

than just testing equipment, would experience

the sound zones.

The psychoacoustics team began by

determining how people would describe the

situation where one audio item is interfering

with the main audio item and then, using the

results, went on to develop a predictive model

based on what people found acceptable. By

working this data into the research the

engineering team was undertaking on

designing loudspeaker layout and directivity

patterns, the team was able to further fine-

tune the speakers and DSP for different types

of audio from speech to music.

While more research is needed to create a

system that would be viable for domestic use,

the development of these psychoacoustic

prediction models is a big step forward in

creating technology that could one day create

independent sound zones in everything from

cars and homes to stadiums.

iosr.surrey.ac.uk/projects/posz

>>> TECHNOLOGY

Entry Now Open forInstallAwards 2014

>>> EVENT

1 2 t h J u n e 2 0 1 4 • H i l t o n L o n d o n W e m b l e y

Development on Denmark Street

SponsorshipA wide variety of sponsorship opportunities are available,including sponsorship of award categories and variousbranding opportunities at the InstallAwards and in the run-up to the event. For details, please contact Ian Graham– [email protected], +44 (0)20 7354 6000.

ENTRY IS now open for the first InstallAwards, to be held

in London on 12 June. This major event in the industry

calendar is a chance to come together and celebrate

excellence across a broad range of installation projects.

Organised by sister title Installation, the InstallAwards will

recognise the best AV integration projects in: public display/

retail; education; sports and performing arts; corporate and

industrial; and residential.

To reflect the multifaceted nature of installation projects,

three awards will be made in each of these categories: Best

Project Award; Teamwork Award; and Star Product Award.

For more details on entry criteria and to download the

entry form visit www.installawards.com. The closing date for

entries is Friday 14 March.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony at the Hilton

London Wembley on the evening of 12 June 2014. Tickets

for the awards are now available, price £175 (or £1,495 for a

table of 10), which includes pre-dinner drinks reception,

three-course meal and entry to an after party. Contact

[email protected] for more details.

www.installawards.com

NEWS


Reasons toBe Cheerful

THIS YEAR, the

professional audio and music

industries have hit the track

at pace. Barely a month in

and there has been much

activity, record-breaking show

attendances, a wealth of new

products and technology

developments, and more. To

paraphrase the lyrics of the

much-missed Ian Dury, there

are more than a few reasons

to be cheerful.

The great exhibition debate

continues – are there just too

many? Are they too expensive?

Whatever your views, the

show merry-go-round slid into

top gear early in 2014.

January’s NAMM show in

Anaheim was as well attended

as ever, with a strong showing

from the pro-audio sector

alongside the many

developments in musical

instruments and production. I

am still wading through a

mountain of press releases and

product catalogues from the

event. It’s just as well most

press releases are now issued

via email rather than in print

format – a couple of rainforests

will have been spared.

On to this month, February,

and we kick off with what is

set to be another record-

breaking Integrated Systems

Europe. In 10 years ISE has

come a long way – proof that

the installation/integration

sectors remain in buoyant

mode. The first ISE

tradeshow was held in

Geneva, Switzerland, in

February 2004 as a joint

venture between InfoComm

International, CEDIA, and

NSCA. The show attracted

120 exhibitors and just under

3,500 attendees (I was one of

a handful of journalists who

covered the event). ISE 2013

saw a record-breaking 894

exhibitors and 44,151

attendees pass through the

doors of the Amsterdam RAI

– and the accredited press

count was in excess of 400.

These figures will no doubt be

eclipsed this month.

PLASA, meanwhile,

continues its programme of

staging regional shows on

both sides of the Atlantic – in

Nashville this month and

Leeds, UK, in April. The

format appears to be working

well, and further expansion

may well be on the cards. The

main PLASA show itself will

stage its second event at

London’s ExCeL in October.

The first saw a drop in

participation by pro-audio

companies and it will be

interesting to see how this

year’s event pans out.

The lure of Berlin might

signal a change in fortunes

for the annual AES European

convention/exhibition, which

has been in steady decline for

some years. The organisers

will be more than happy if

their attendance/exhibitor

figures approach those of the

US show where last October’s

New York event broke various

records.

BROADCAST

BIRTHDAYS

On the broadcast front, the

number of shows worldwide

has hit an all-time high, with

manufacturers and distributors

having to be more selective

regarding where and when

they participate. Meanwhile,

there are a couple of

anniversaries to celebrate.

To mark the TV channel’s

50th birthday, ‘BBC2:

Origins; Influence; Audiences:

A 50th Anniversary

Conference’ will take place at

London’s Science Museum in

April. On 20 April 1964 the

BBC launched its second

television channel: BBC2.

Although the launch was a

flop (due to a major power

cut) the station soon became a

fixture of UK broadcasting.

Says the museum’s spokesman:

“This conference marks the

50th anniversary of BBC2, but

is also timely in other ways.

The way we view television

programmes is changing at a

startling rate, not only because

of satellite and cable, but as a

result of the convergence of

television and internet

technologies, producing

services that audiences watch

as and when they choose.

With the shift in technology

the way we study the history

of the television must also

change, as not only types of

programmes, but the idea of a

self-contained channel

becomes a thing of the past.”

Radio Caroline, the first of

the pirate radio stations,

launched at midday on Easter

Sunday, 28 March 1964 and

nothing was ever quite the

same again. Radio Caroline,

along with Wonderful Radio

London was a fundamental

part in the revolution of the

British music and

broadcasting industries and

made many of the great

names that are still played

today. The first record played

on Caroline was the Rolling

Stones’ Not Fade Away.

ROLLING ON

The aforementioned Rolling

Stones continue to ply their

trade on the world’s stages,

with 2014 seeing them play

Abu Dhabi this month, before

heading out on the road across

the Far East and Asia,

Australia, and New Zealand.

And talking of oldies, Rick

Wakeman will take his JourneyTo The Centre Of The Earthproject on the road – 40 years

on from its inception.

The concert touring sector

continues to thrive – from

small pub gigs through to the

mega stadium productions.

The festival calendar is full

again, with Glastonbury

having sold out in one hour

and twenty seven minutes –

another record.

All in all, there is much to

look forward to. Here’s to the

start of a very good year.

Audio Media’s new consulting editor Jim Evans gives his stateof the industry address touching on trade shows, broadcast,and the live music scene.

12 February 2014 wwww.audiomedia.com

THE NAMM Show is one of the few industry trade

events that has moved beyond the professional world

and now regularly attracts everyone from consumers

and music enthusiasts to proper rockstars.

This year’s show continued that tradition of growth,

bringing together more than 1,500 exhibitors

representing 5,000 brands – the second-highest number

of exhibiting companies in the show’s history. While the

final number of visitors is yet to be confirmed as we go

to press, estimations based on the number of people

registered to attend put it in the region of 100,000.

Our top picks from the show can be seen on pages

6 and 7 but there was plenty more kit gracing the

show floor that wouldn’t fit on those two pages.

DPA built on the success of its d:vote microphones

by announcing the d:vote 4099 Rock Touring Kits in

either four- or 10-piece Peli cases. DPA also

introduced additions to its d:fine range with the d:fine

66 and d:fine 88 Miniature Headset Microphones.

Avid used NAMM as an opportunity to showcase

the continued momentum of Pro Tools 11 with over

850 plug-ins now available in 64-bit AAX format.

This includes Avid Space, a convolution reverb plug-in

for music and post production, and the Massenburg

DesignWorks MDW Hi-Res Parametric EQ 5.

Audio-Technica has updated its M-Series line of

headphones. The ATH-M20x, ATH-M30x, and

ATH-M40x all feature 40mm drivers with rare earth

magnets and copper-clad aluminium voice coils while

the ATH-M50x (featuring 45mm drivers) has the

exact same sonic signature as the original ATH-M50

and adds refined earpads and three detachable cables.

Beyond pro-audio, the show’s big draws were in

music production technology, including Moog’s new

Sub-37 paraphonic analogue synthesiser, Elektron’s

eight-voice analogue ‘RYTM’ drum machine, and, for a

lucky few, a sneak peek at Roland’s highly anticipated

ARIA range, which should be out later this month.

Off the show floor, the winners of the 29th annual

Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards (TEC) were

announced at a ceremony that included audio

technology pioneer John Meyer and session drummer

Hal Blaine of The Wrecking Crew being inducted into

the TEC Hall of Fame. The awards feature 22

categories with the night’s big winner being Solid State

Logic, which took home accolades for Signal

Processing Technology/Hardware, Sound

Reinforcement Console Technology, and Large Format

Console Technology. Other winners included Rupert

Neve Designs, Yamaha, iZotope, Sennheiser, Universal

Audio, JBL, Genelec, AKG, Telefunken, and Avid.

www.namm.org

Near record-breaking attendance and a stellar line-up of pro-audio product launches, educational sessions, andlive music, Audio Media reports back from the 2014 Winter NAMM Show.

Reporting From NAMMSHOW PREVIEW Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

NAMM provided a bright start to 2014

SHOW PREVIEW Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com


BVE IS ready to return to London’s

ExCeL Centre on 25-27 February,

with organisers expecting more than

15,000 broadcast and production

professionals to take the opportunity to

check out the latest products and hear

about industry trends.

Over 300 exhibitors are signed up to

showcase a mix of products and

services. While much of the content is

focused towards the video professional,

there is a serious contingent of

broadcast audio specialists exhibiting,

including Avid, Riedel, Calrec, Harman,

JoeCo, Lawo, Sennheiser, and Sonifex.

IT’S ALL ABOUT DPP

For the broadcast audio professional

one of the show’s hot topics is surely to

be the Digital Production Partnership’s

new TV broadcast delivery standards

being introduced this October. With

the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and others

moving to EBU R128 compliance,

loudness monitoring is still a growing

section of the market.

“Many broadcasters are still figuring

out the best practises with regards to

measuring, monitoring, and recording

loudness levels in order to keep within

newly instated loudness regulations,”

says Tim Weston, regional sales manager

for the UK & Ireland at TSL Products.

At the TSL stand (H25), the

company will be showcasing the latest

developments in its PAM series, which

addresses loudness compliance not only

for EBU R128, but also EBU, ITU,

ATSC, and ARIB standards.

Aspen Media (K34) will be

demonstrating a loudness toolkit from

RTW and Jünger Audio including

Jünger’s T*AP Edition audio processor

and D*AP8 MAP Edition loudness

measurement and audio monitoring

system as well as RTW’s modular

TouchMonitor series – the TM9,

TM7, TMR7, TM3, and TM3-3G.

HHB (H57) will be showing a range

of products for all steps of the

production chain including the TC

Electronic TM9 TouchMonitor for

standalone hardware metering, the full

suite of Nugen Audio software for

post-production and archive, the

Wohler AMP2-16V-M AMU for OB

and ingest, and the Dolby DP580 for

playout and off-air.

Wohler will also be taking its own

stand (K30) with a large emphasis put

on WohlerDPP – a turnkey solution

powered by the company’s

RadiantGrid Intelligent Media

Transformation Platform, that is

designed to accelerate repackaging and

delivery of file-based content in the

AS-11 UKDPP file format specified

by the DPP standard. RadiantGrid has

also been upgraded to Version 8,

which, at the audio level, parallelises

complex audio loudness correction

alongside video at increased speeds.

GETTING EDUCATED

As in past years, BVE 2014 will play

host to three days of technical, creative,

and business seminars. This year the

120+ seminars will take place in eight

themed theatres including rooms

focused on Broadcast IT, Production,

Post Production, Skills Zone, and 4K.

Highlights of the seminar sessions

include ‘The Cloud: A technical

nightmare or a dream come true for

collaboration’ chaired by Sohonet CTO

Ben Roeder; ‘Delivering to spec: Effects

of the DPP as-11 spec on Post’ chaired

by Craig Dwyer, senior director at

Avid’s Global Centre of Excellence; and

‘High end audio editing: A case study’

with Halo Post CEO John Rogerson.

Avid will also be showcasing its Avid

Everywhere strategic vision for the

broadcast industry that was announced

at the 2013 IBC show.

“BVE is an opportunity for media

professionals who are facing

unprecedented challenges – such as the

consumerisation and digitisation of

content – to take a closer look at Avid

Everywhere. They will be able to find

out how our vision for delivering the

most fluid, end-to-end, distributed

media production environment in the

industry is becoming a reality,” said

Tom Cordiner, vice president of

international sales at Avid.

www.bvexpo.com

WHAT?BVE 2014

WHERE?ExCeL Centre, London1 Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock E16 1XL

WHEN?25-27 February, 10:00-18:00 (16:30 on the 27)

BVE is Back

BVE is set to take over London’s ExCeLCentre this month. Here’s everything youneed to know to make the most of yourtime at the UK’s largest broadcast andproduction technology event.

More than 15,000people areexpected to visitthe 2014 event

TSL will show the latest developmentsin its PAM series

NEWS ANALYSIS Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com


THE ACADEMY Awards,

BAFTAs and Golden Globes

celebrate creativity and

achievement in cinema but are

often firmly in the

mainstream – and the

Hollywood mainstream at

that. Among the contenders

for this year’s round of

statuettes is Gravity, the

science fiction thriller with,

ostensibly, all the right

blockbuster credentials – two

big name stars, Sandra Bullock

and George Clooney, in the

midst of 3D visuals and Dolby

Atmos sound, all presented by

Warner Bros – but which has

some almost radical departures

from the norm.

Despite being behind the

WB shield and featuring two

massively bankable American

actors, Gravity is an example of

the more international flavour

of Hollywood these days. It

was directed and co-written

(with his son Jonás) by

Mexican director/producer

Alfonso Cuarón and is a co-

production between WB,

Esperanto Films and British

company Heyday Films.

This last credit is part of the

reason the movie has been

nominated for the BAFTA

Alexander Korda Award for

Best British Film; by being

funded with a proportion of

UK money and employing

local technical and creative

talent and facilities, films are

eligible for tax relief credits.

UK input is strong on the

audio side, with composer

Steven Price and sound

designer/supervising sound

editor Glenn Freemantle of

Sound 24 both a major part of

the production and BAFTA

nominees.

The use of audio and music

set Gravity even further apart

from the bulk of recent

releases. While the stereoscopic

3D images and visual effects

grab the ocular attention, much

of the film’s emotional punch

and sense of tension comes

from the aural.

“The idea was to be more

realistic and true to some of the

science of the situation,”

Freemantle explains. “So the

sound is based on how she

hears and feels everything,

which brings her and the

audience into the middle of the

action and makes you part of

it.”

By ‘she’ Freemantle means

Dr Ryan Stone, the character

played by Sandra Bullock. In

another break with how most

modern films are constructed,

Gravity is on the verge of being

a one-person show; George

Clooney’s performance as old-

hand astronaut Matt Kowalski

is almost a supporting role and

other ‘characters’ appear only as

voices in Stone’s headset or on

space capsule radios.

DIFFERENT APPROACH

There is a near experimental

edge to Gravity; there are the

impressive backgrounds of

space and the Earth but for

long sequences the frame is

filled with either Bullock’s head

in a helmet or close-ups of her

inside space stations. The 3D

effects go someway to maintain

the interest but because the

sound and music are used in a

more intimate way they make a

more subtle connection with

the audience.

“The contact is there for her

with the voices,” says

Freemantle, “but also in when

she moves. When she touches

something we hear it. The

whole concept was to feel

sounds through vibrations,

because the space suits are full

of air. There’s breathing as well

as the radio signals, all of

which connect to her.”

To achieve this Freemantle

recorded a variety of sounds as

vibrations through different

surfaces, from manufacturing

units at the General Motors

factory, to objects submerged in

water and fitted with contact

mics and hydrophones. This

built up to “thousands of

different vibration sounds”.

Also part of the many tracks

were four hours of what

Freemantle describes as

“chatter” from people who had

worked on the space

programme.

There are more expected

sound effects as well, rocket

boosters, collisions and

explosions, which, like the

vibrations and voices, are

dotted round the audio picture

through the Dolby Atmos

spatial system. Gravity had

been in the movie-making

works since 2010 and

Freemantle was aware of

Atmos while it was still in

development around the same

time. He realised it was perfect

for the film and used it

extensively, even breaking the

convention of tying dialogue to

the centre channel.

“Sounds are moving around

all the time,” he says. “Right

from the beginning we have

mission control [voiced by Ed

Harris] on the right hand

side of the screen but the

voice moves as they [Bullock

and Clooney] move. It gives

us directional sound in

relation to where things are

on the screen.”

Steven Price’s score, which

mixes electronic and

orchestral/choral tracks,

similarly is moved round all

the front, side and ceiling

speakers. Price missed out on

a Golden Globe win – losing

to Alex Ebert for All is Lost –

but is up for the BAFTA

Anthony Asquith Award for

Film Music.

Freemantle is nominated for

Best Sound with mixers Skip

Lievsay, Christopher Benstead,

Niv Adiri and recordist Chris

Munro. Lievsay, Munro and

Freemantle have already won

the inaugural Association of

Motion Picture Sound Award

for Excellence in the Craft of

Sound for a Feature Film for

Gravity.

Freemantle says Munro

recorded as much as possible

on set, given the constraints of

the space suits, but adds that

there was a lot of ADR,

particularly for breathing

noises to communicate anxiety.

Tracks were recorded on to

Pro Tools and mixed into 7.1

and 5.1 at Warner Bros De

Lane Lea in London. Later

alterations, caused by changes

to visual effects, were made to

the mixes on the Powell Stage

at Pinewood; the Atmos

tracks were mixed at Warner

Bros in Burbank.

Technical awards often get

overlooked amid the

backslapping and incongruous

frocks surrounding the acting

and directing gongs but

attention is likely to be

focused on Gravity at both

the BAFTAs and Oscars

when it comes to sound and

visual effects.

An international audio team on an out-of-this-world film, Kevin Hiltonexplores the sound of Gravity ahead of this year’s award season.

Sound and music are used ina more intimate way than inmany action movies

Gravity’s Gravitas

"The idea was to bemore realistic and

true to some of thescience of the

situation."Glenn Freemantle

GEO FOCUS CHINA Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

Long known as a hub for manufacturing, the Eastern superpower’srising middle class has created demand for an entertainmentindustry that is fast gaining on its Western rivals.

Eastern Promises

POPULATION: 1.35 BILLION

Shenzen Media Group Upgrades TV Studios>>> BROADCAST

ONE OF China’s biggest television networks, the

Shenzen Media Group’s (SZMG) TV Network

recently upgraded two of its studios with new kit

from Studer and Bel Digital Audio.

Harman’s Chinese distributor, Advanced

Communication Equipment Co Ltd, supplied a

Studer OnAir 3000 digital console in each of the

newly refitted studios to boost audio quality and

capacity.

The Studer OnAir 3000 is equipped with 30

motorised faders, three master faders, and the

Studer SCore Live processing engine connected to a

D21m I/O audio interface system. With the

addition of a GPIO card, it can support up to 16

channels, which enable audio and video

functionality to be used in two live studio shows

and broadcasting programs. According to the

operators, this feature reduced the SZMG TV

Network’s workload considerably.

As part of the refit, Hiroshi Technologies also

supplied two of Bel’s new BCR-A4-4OB in-rack

monitors and two of the company’s 7150 audio

synchronisation delays.

The Bel BCR-A4-4OB is a two-channel

compact multi-input audio confidence monitor and

has only recently become available as a non-custom

product while the 7150s can be used to delay stereo

audio by up to 10.4 seconds.

www.beldigital.com

www.studer.ch

AS THE People’s Republic of Chinamoves further away from its isolationistpast and into the global community thecountry has seen exponential growth inits entertainment industry (and, in turn,its pro-audio industry).

The Chinese box office hascontinued its remarkable evolution withrevenues up 27% year-on-year in 2013,bringing in £2.2 billion according toChinese market researcher Ent Group.The most exciting insight to come outof this research, however, is the rise ofChinese-made pictures, which nowaccount for approximately 71.2% ofannual box office revenues.

According to Zhang Hongsen, headof the film bureau under the StateGeneral Administration of Press,Publication, Radio, Film, and Television,of the top 10 highest-grossing films lastyear, seven were domestic withdirector Stephen Chow’s actioncomedy Journey to the West:Conquering the Demons (Xi you xiangmo pian) gaining the top spot, grossing£126 million.

Yet while China has risen into aglobal film hub (it passed Japan in 2012to become the second-largest moviemarket in the world and is expected tosurpass the US by 2020 as the mostlucrative film market), naysayers arequick to point out the restrictions puton foreign content producers trying to

tap into the country’s market. Along with strict censoring (with re-

edits often completed without the theinput of the original directors) the state-run China Film Group imposes a quotaon foreign films that can open in thecountry, along with ‘blackout’ periodsduring which no imported movies areallowed to play in theatres.

Yet things are starting to look up.Under a China-US film agreementsigned in 2012, the country increasedits annual import quota of Hollywoodblockbusters from 20 to 34, liftingimported films’ share of revenue from17.5% to 25%.

The has led to a huge demand forfacilities. According to a Wall StreetJournal article, Wanda, the movieexhibition unit of Chinese real estateand media conglomerate Dalian WandaGroup, recently committed to building120 IMAX screens by 2021. Wanda hasalso announced plans to build a £5billion film studio and entertainmentfacility in the eastern Chinese city ofQingdao dubbed ‘Oriental MovieMetropolis’. The facility will include a10,000sqm film studio and 19 smallerfacilities, along with a theme parksimilar to Universal Studios.

“The future of the world’s filmindustry is in China because we have1.3 billion people, and we will have thebiggest film business in the world by

2018,” said Wanda Group chairmanWang Jianlin at the official unveiling ofthe Movie Metropolis last fall, whichfeatured Hollywood elite such as JohnTravolta, Catherine Zeta-Jones, andChristoph Waltz.

Yet while the domestic Chinese filmmarket is entering a golden age, themusic industry is struggling to stayafloat as massive widespread piracythreatens to crush an already ailingindustry.

A 2012 special report by the USTrade Representative claims that anestimated 99% of all music downloadedin China is done illegally. The reportgoes on to explain how in 2010 totalmusic revenue (which includes bothlegitimate physical and digital sales) wasunder £40 million. Compare this to£2.5 billion in the US or £42 million inThailand – a country with less than 5%of China’s population and with roughlythe same per capita GDP – and thesituation becomes clearly dire.

This, however, has not led to a lackof demand for live entertainment (andthe associated pro-audio equipment) asover the past few years the Chinesegovernment has continued to allocatemore funding for cultural projects,fueling the country’s pro-audioindustries. According to a recent reportfrom Deloitte, China’s culture andentertainment industry is expected to

grow by 20% year-on-year during thenext seven years to an estimated worthof RMB5.5 trillion (approximately £556billion).

The country is already flooded withmassive music festivals such as Beijing’sMidi and Strawberry festivals, and theZebra Festival in Chengdu, with industryveterans looking to add more.

“What makes the film industrysuccessful with millions in revenue?Even some bad movies sell wellbecause watching films during theweekend is becoming a lifestyle amongyoung Chinese people. Why don’t werun the music business like the filmindustry?” commented Chinese musicindustry veteran and Evergrande MusicGM Song Ke in an article on China Dailywhere he unveiled plans to tour large-scale music festivals around 60 cities inChina later this year.

The tour is planned for mainlysecond- and third-tier cities with ticketspriced the same as going to the movies,around the equivalent of £10.

“In the United States, every weekendyou can enjoy some musical events atopen squares. That is what we need,”added Evergrande Music’s managingdirector Gao Xiaosong.

“We hope [this] new way of enjoyingmusic could be healthy and helpful tothe development of China’s musicmarket.”


GEO FOCUS CHINA

>>> MANUFACTURER

MUSIC GROUP, the holding company for Midas,

Klark Teknik, Turbosound, Behringer, and Bugera, is

currently completing construction of a new, £43

million, 70-acre complex that will become home to

up to 10,000 employees.

Founder Uli Behringer first visited China in 1990,

eventually opening the original Music Group City

manufacturing facility in 2002.

Now, the company is expanding into a new,

purpose-built complex that will include a massive 3

million square foot structure with a total combined

length of more than 40 miles.

“I’m thrilled to see the progress on this wonderful

new manufacturing facility called Music Group

City,” said Uli Behringer. “My dream has always been

to help talented musicians reach their goals. Seeing

this campus coming to fruition is gratifying.

“We have spent over two years blue-printing and

fine-tuning every single aspect of the plant’s design.

Several specialised Japanese process-engineering

firms have been engaged to create one of the most

efficient, automated and environmentally friendly

manufacturing plants in the world.”

The plans include a dedicated factory space

housing more than 100 automated manufacturing

lines, fully automated transducer production lines,

injection molding and hydro-forming facilities, plus a

total ‘clean-air’ wood products and painting pavilion.

Along with the expanded manufacturing capacity,

the campus will also be home to several advanced-

research facilities and training centres for employees

to further develop their design skills.

www.music-group.com

“The future of the world’s film industry isin China because we have 1.3 billion

people, and we will have the biggest filmbusiness in the world by 2018.”

Wang Jianlin

Expansion for Prolight + Sound Guangzhou

FIRST LAUNCHED in 2003 as Sound Light Guangzhou, Prolight + Sound

Guanzhou returns to the China Import and Export Fair Complex on 24-27

February; more than 50,000 visitors and 1,100 exhibitors of pro-audio, lighting,

and staging equipment are expected to attend.

The show’s organiser, Messe Frankfurt, has teamed up with Guangdong

International Science & Technology Exhibition Company (STE) this year and

the event has expanded from 9 to 11 halls, offering 110,00sqm of exhibition

space. Three new Audio Brand Name Halls have been allocated with attendees

including AKG, beyerdynamic, Clair Bros, Crown, dbx, Lexicon, Sennheiser,

Shure, Soundcraft, and Studer, among others.

The 2013 show featured a number of educational events including sessions on

frequency diversity in microphone technology development as well as a showcase

of Dolby’s new Atmos technology.

This year’s show also features a range of live demonstrations and forums

including an outdoor line array demo session (with products from brands such as

Classic Sound, CPL, CVR, RealSound, and ZSound) and the annual meeting for

the Guangdong Association of Performing Arts and Guangdong Performing

Industry Exchange and Trading Forum.

The fourth edition of the Pro Audio Technology seminar will also be taking

place where around 200 participants, including TV station heads, chief engineers,

audio technicians, and experts from across China, will share their audio and

broadcast technology knowledge. Topics to be covered include ‘Trends of HDTV

Surround Sound Production and Broadcasting’ as well as a case study of a Live

TV Concert Stereo Broadcast by Guangdong Television’s audio production

department.

prolight-sound-guangzhou.hk.messefrankfurt.com

>>> EVENT

Construction of Music Group City Underway


AS FAR as television sound is

concerned, the constant

advance of technology can

be something of a double-

edged sword.

On the one hand it has

significantly improved how

audio is acquired and

manipulated. On the other it

has aided the move to flatter,

smaller, and more portable TV

viewing devices that – while

more ergonomic, practical, and

aesthetically pleasing – feature

increasingly smaller speakers

and, as a consequence, offer

poorer sound quality.

It is a juxtaposition that

makes mixing audio for

television a bit of a challenge –

not least when you consider

that as many as a quarter of

television viewers now watch

their favourite programmes

using online catch-up services

on mobile, tablet or PC. BBC

1 drama Sherlock, for example,

picked up an extra 3.5 million

viewers through BBC iPlayer

over Christmas and New Year.

“These days, as dubbing

mixers, we can work in a

bottomless pit of dynamics,

with massive foot and

headroom,” argues

Hackenbacker dubbing mixer

and managing director Nigel

Heath. “But the reproduction

on iPads, mobile phones,

plasmas, and some, not all,

flatpanel, plasma, and LCD

TVs has never been worse.

“Ten years ago TVs were

big CRTs with huge chassis so

the base end was extended and

it all sounded lovely and rich.

Now you’re hearing stuff with

a 1in or 2in loudspeaker and

some porting tricks to make

the bass seem a little bit bigger

inside a rattling plastic

cabinet. This has changed the

way I mix programmes.”

With tablet views for video

content on iPlayer now having

overtaken PCs it should have

changed the way everyone

mixes, but that doesn’t appear

to be the case.

Two dubbing mixers that

Audio Media spoke to for this

article, who both asked for

anonymity, said that they were

rarely asked to consider mobile

viewing, instead concentrating

on the significant majority of

the audience that watch a

show through their TV.

Scott Jones from Molinare

also makes the salient point

that tablet viewing can

actually enhance the

experience – thanks to the

benefit of headphones.

FLAT SCREEN,

FLAT SOUND

“TV speakers do seem to be

getting worse,” he admits.

“And the flatter the screen

the flatter the speakers have

to be, which means not too

much dynamic sound comes

out. We have to play it and

reference it through a TV, but

as one director said to me, the

[viewers] are watching it on

their iPad: but they’re sticking

their headphones on and that

is better than what is coming

though your telly as they can

get the full spectrum of

sound.”

With all these viewing

options, it’s difficult to strike a

balance. But there are

solutions. Post-production

sound mixer and sound

designer Scott Marshall from

Bamsound says he is often

asked to make shows louder or

more exciting to give them a

greater impact when viewed

on smaller devices.

“Of course there are many

ways to do this but often they

sacrifice dynamic range and

sometimes a truly nice

sounding mix in order to

achieve it,” he admits.

Instead, he takes his lead

from the music world.

“[Music] producers will

often – in the case of drums

particularly – have several

duplicates of the same

instrument in their mix all

EQ’d slightly differently in

order for the sound to break

through on different speakers

and music systems,” he says.

“A small laptop has much less

bass response than a speaker

in a nightclub and so the bass

drum is EQ’d differently on

copied tracks to bring those

nuances through.”

It’s a philosophy that can

apply to TV too, he says. “EQ

is mostly the answer as I think

compression and crushing the

audio just makes a mix sound

more squashed and washed out

resulting in a loss of definition.

If I was being asked to mix

solely for a small device I

would edge and EQ my mix to

sit more in the mid and high

spectrum and avoid too many

low rumbles and sub bass

frequencies to allow it to push

through better. I only wish

there was time and budget to

remix shows more than once

for different types of output.”

Heath agrees on the point

about low frequencies but also

points to the disharmony that

sees some people view a TV

show on their mobile phone

or tablet, others watch it on a

bog-standard flatscreen telly

and a third group get the full

sonic experience via a

dedicated home sound system.

Again, it is a difficult, but

not impossible, balancing act.

He cites the example of a

recent drama that had a

beautiful score including “plot

point punctuations that were

really just existing on sub-bass

for the drama moments”.

“With the best will in the

world, there was no way you

could make that stuff come

out of a phone, iPad or

flatpanel TV with no bass

response,” he says. “But, if you

push it like crazy, anyone

listening with an AV system

will be catapulted out the

backdoor with the house

shaking. The happy medium

of mixing TV has changed. It

has become a split thing.”

His solution, in that

scenario, was to add sound

effect stings “in a telly friendly

area”. Otherwise, he adds,

these dramatic moments

would “sail by without any

punctuation at all”.

“I’m certainly not

reinventing the wheel but

this is something that we’re

doing a little more now,

especially in big scenes. I will

add something for the iPad

market which I didn’t used

to do.”

With viewing on mobile

and tablet still on the rise, and

modern TVs getting ever

flatter, there’s every chance he

won’t be the only one.

BROADCAST FOCUS Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com


The Great Audio Divide

“The happymedium of mixingTV has changed. It has become a

split thing.” Nigel Heath

With mobile and tablet viewing continuing to rise, and flatscreen TVs providing ever lessimpressive sound quality, dubbing mixers have their work cut out when it comes tokeeping everyone happy, writes Will Strauss.

FEATURE BROADCAST WORKFLOW Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com


From acquisition through to play-out and everything inbetween, Kevin Hilton explores how modern broadcastersare dealing with audio (and its associated data) through the entire production process.

Going With the FlowWORKFLOW IS one of

those annoying, buzzword-

type terms that is all the more

irritating because it does sum

up the process of getting

material from one end of the

broadcast production chain to

the other. Another annoyance

is that workflows have always

existed in television

broadcasting and post

production; today’s usage of

the phrase implies that it is

something new when a

methodology for moving the

building blocks of TV

productions around – film,

videotape, and audio tape as it

was – had long been in place.

The main difference now,

however, is that the entire

process is moving towards

tapeless operation, based on

data files containing sound,

pictures and, just as

important, information on

the content of each file. This

is covered by another techno-

term: metadata, meaning data

about data. It is packaged

together with the audio and

video in file ‘wrappers’ so that

a programme or its

constituent parts can be

identified easily as it travels

along the workflow.

Audio is a standalone but

connected part of the overall

process, because it goes

through its own

recording/acquisition and

post-production process, as

well as being a component of

the video stream through the

increasing use of embedding

(not that sound for live

broadcast and recording for

later post-production should

be considered at different

points in the chain).

CHECKING IT TWICE

Sound supervisor Julian

Gough, formerly with BBC

OBs and then SIS LIVE and

now running his own Noises

Off company, says he advises

clients that if they make a

back-up multi-track

recording at the same time as

the live transmission, at no

extra cost, it is possible to

post-produce that at a later

date if the need arises for

further distribution.

“My main work is the live

broadcast of basic stereo with

the pictures,” he explains, “but

in addition to that I can make

a multi-track of everything at

the time. This means there is

the ability to go back and

revisit any recording

afterwards.” He adds that

having at least two copies of

something is crucial.

Gough relies on the

Merging Technologies

Pyramix audio editing-

recording workstation,

although he does admit that

initially he used it only for its

audio mixing capability: “I

never used it just as a multi-

track recorder but for creating

a live mix. There is the benefit

of the multi-track recorder as

well, which, nine times out of

ten times, will now be running

in the background. So that

gives the option to redo

something if it was not good

enough on the day.”

Pyramix offers four

independent background

recorders that can take four

separate streams. Johan

Wadsten, software products

manager at Merging, explains

that any of these can be taken

and put into a timeline for

editing while the record

process is still underway

without affecting the

recordings. “An EDL [edit

decision list] is being created

on the media file while the

edit is being done on the

timeline,” he says.

In analogue and digital

A Pyramix workstation infacilities used by Scottishproduction companyBees Nees


FEATURE BROADCAST WORKFLOW Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com

tape workflows, written cue

sheets and notes were vital in

not only identifying what a

recording was of but also

which takes were good. Just

like the recording, editing,

and mixing functions, this job

has moved into the virtual,

databased world. In the case

of Pyramix, says Wadsten,

this began with media-based

markers that could be used to

flag a good take within a file.

“Now metadata is written

into all files,” he says, “which

allows the production notes

to flow down the line to the

editors. The idea is to make

the process as simple as

possible because losing the

information is almost as bad

as losing the recording itself.”

LIVE CAPTURING

Comprehensive details on

what sources are coming in

during a live production or

what is on a recording are

crucial for all sizes of

production. This is the

experience of sound recordist

Ian Sands, who works on live

events ‘broadcast’ to digital

cinemas and online as well as

high-end shoots for television

drama.

Among Sands’ theatre

projects have been

Shakespeare’s Much Ado AboutNothing starring David

Tennant and Catherine Tate

during 2011 and the

Sondheim musical Merrily WeRoll Along, which was both

filmed and broadcast live to

cinemas in October 2013.

Sands says such productions

can involve in the region of

28 radio mics, plus effects

play-in and an audience mix,

with musicals or operas also

calling for a sub-mix of the

orchestra.

“I ISO everything as well,

so we’ve got access to

individual elements,” he

explains. “We usually have

three nights on a show, so I

can try out mixes on the first

two and am ready by the

third night. We’ve also

developed a filmic/TV way of

working if a line on the

recording is obscured by

clothes rustle or something by

getting the actors on stage

with no audience to repeat

the words – as in ADR –

without the action. These can

then be edited in later.”

Sands usually sets up a

control room in the theatre or

venue, often in the sub-

basement; his equipment

includes an Allen & Heath

iLive Series digital console

and either a SADiE LRX2

location multi-track

workstation or JoeCo Black

Box multi-track recorders.

Sources come in on MADI

connections, with, Sands says,

Dante IP technology starting

to be used in some cases as

well.

Metadata comes into its

own when a recording is sent

for post production. MerrilyWe Roll Along involved a live

orchestra taking up 25 to 30

feeds, 8 to 10 audience

sources, and a cast of 25, with

sound effects coming in from

the theatre. Sands says he also

generated ISOs, which were

recorded onto hard disk with

all the other signals. “That

was about 64 tracks with

track names and other

metadata,” he says. “And

because I’m a dinosaur I

always write up my notes and

scan them into a PDF file,

which is for my own peace of

mind but would be helpful at

the post end if anything went

wrong with the files.”

STREAMING

REVOLUTION

Internet streaming webcasts

span a broad range of

production types and, perhaps

most important of all,

budgets. For shows where the

money is tighter

manufacturers have

introduced all-in-one audio-

video systems, which provide

facilities for both sound and

vision, while taking up the

minimum amount of room

possible in a make-shift

control room at the venue or

in a small van. Among these

are Sony’s Anycast Touch

AWS-750 and the Roland

VR-50 HD. The Anycast

“I think it would benice to find a wayto better ensure

that AVsynchronisation is

more carefullyconsidered.”Mark Pascoe

The aim with Strictly Come Dancing is to achieveboth a stereo mix and a surround output

FEATURE BROADCAST WORKFLOW


Touch is the latest

incarnation of Sony’s all-in-

one system. On the audio

side it offers six embedded

stereo inputs and three stereo

outputs, with full limiting and

EQ capability and four hours

of recording onto an internal

HDD. Roland’s VR-50 HD

is a HDSI, SDI, and 3G

video unit with a nine fader

audio mixer that can produce

linear PCM for SDI, HDMI,

and USB-audio.

Gough views online

webcasting as “another means

of getting content out there”

and so “does not treat it any

differently from broadcasting

– just because it’s online

doesn’t mean the quality is

any less”.

Webcasting specialists are

now using next-generation

streaming protocols and

media players, as well as

proven technologies such as

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer

Protocol), to ensure stable

audio transmission. Craig

Moehl, chief executive of

online video provider Groovy

Gecko, maintains that having

a constant audio stream is

vital, because viewers can

cope with missed picture

frames more easily than bad

quality or missing sound.

HTTP is part of the

MPEG DASH (Dynamic

Adaptive Streaming over

HTTP) standard, which also

accommodates AAC

(advanced audio coding).

While this allows for

surround formats like Dolby

Digital Plus, 5.1 is not yet a

major consideration for

streaming to multiple

platforms and devices.

STAYING IN SYNC

A big issue is ensuring that

the sound and pictures are

synchronised, with the matter

of lipsync an important

factor. Mark Pascoe, senior

technical marketing manager

at Dolby Laboratories,

comments: “I think it would

be nice to find a way to better

ensure that AV

synchronisation is more

carefully considered, although

with video and audio essences

increasingly being wrapped

together closer to the end of

CDN [content delivery

network] systems for online

delivery, the quality control

process must be accompanied

closely with a test and

measurement process to

ensure that the content

rendered there maintains the

synchronisation achieved

further upstream.”

In outside broadcasts there

has been a shift towards

working in discrete audio on

site. Dolby E continues to be

used to carry multiple

channels of sound to

broadcast and play-out

centres but Paul Fournier,

head of sound at OB

company NEP Visions, says

the component format, with

16-channels of audio in every

video feed, is set to take over

in the near future.

In TV studios there are

different workflows for live

broadcasts and recorded

programmes. Andy Tapley, a

sound supervisor with BBC

Studios and Post Production,

works on both types and says

that, in the case of a big, live

prime-time show like StrictlyCome Dancing, the last series

of which was produced at

Elstree Studios just outside

London, the aim is to achieve

both a stereo mix and a

surround output.

“Stereo is relatively

straightforward,” he says, “but

surround is six-channel so we

use Dolby E as the transfer

mechanism. It’s a way of

transferring the multiple

channels as an AES pair but

the downside is that every

time you encode and de-code

the signal a frame delay is

introduced. So as the signal is

sent from Elstree to

Broadcasting House and then

on to Red Bee Media for play-

out, the pictures and stereo

feed have to be delayed by one

frame to match the 5.1.”

When the feeds arrive at

Red Bee Media they are

decoded from Dolby E and

then re-encoded in Dolby

Digital with metadata so that

the correct configuration

reaches the viewers’ TV

receivers. Tapley describes the

creation of metadata for the

Dolby E streams as taking

place in parallel to the main

mix during the live show. He

adds that “everything is now

moving to embedded audio”,

often with four groups of four

channels with the stereo mix

on channels one and two and

the surround in Dolby E on

three and four.

IN THE STUDIO

For studio recordings of TV

panel shows, such as Channel

4’s 8 Out of 10 Cats, the

workflow is extended to give

greater flexibility for post

production. Tapley says while

he records the main stereo

mix as the recording

progresses, ISO feeds are also

taken on to between five to

six VT machines, for example

HDCAM. These have four

audio tracks that can

accommodate a “variety of

stereo streams”, particularly

isolated feeds from the

participants’ radio

microphones. “The aim is to

give post production all the

components so they can

rebuild parts of the show if

anything went wrong on the

evening of the recording,”

Tapley explains.

A consideration here,

Tapley observes, is to put the

same equalisation and

dynamics on the pre-fade mic

feed so that it matches the

stereo mix, making splicing in

a replacement section easier

and less detectable. Dynamic

noise reduction is also used,

with productions now

adopting the new Cedar

DNS 8 Live noise suppresser.

BBC S&PP uses Pyramix,

although Tapley says modern

workflows apply to Avid Pro

Tools and other workstations,

and JoeCo multitrack boxes.

All audio components are

sent in Broadcast Wave

format to post production.

While VT is still being used

now, Tapley comments that

studio production will “move

more to file-based” in the

future. The Digital

Production Partnership

(DPP) has set October this

year as the target for UK

broadcasters to either move

entirely to file-based

operations or, in the case of

the BBC, begin the move to

this way of working.

Every broadcaster and

facility has its own

methodology for both studio

recording and post

production. Austrian public

broadcaster ORF follows the

basic workflow that has

emerged recently in terms of

file ingest but has its own

approach to recording

voiceovers. The sessions are

run almost as live, with the

voice artist recording the

narration as the audio is

mixed to the pictures.

Senior sound supervisor

Florian Camerer says this is

an advantage because the

voice talent and director get

“an immediate idea of how

something sounds”, while

saving time into the bargain.

Camerer comments that in

“99% of cases” audio post will

receive ME tracks from the

video editing room; these

start as MXF (Material

eXchange Format) files from

the Apple Final Cut Pro

video workstation, with a

QuickTime reference file, and

are imported into Pro Tools.

The sessions are then

mixed, after which, as befits a

facility where the chairman of

the EBU PLOUD group

works, they are measured for

loudness compliance to R128

using a software system. Once

the mix is complete the audio

tracks are combined with the

picture back into FCP; both

are then exported in MXF

format into the broadcast

centre’s media asset

management system.

Whether the term

workflow sets your teeth on

edge or not, it is now an

integral part of how

broadcasting is done. Formats

and standards such as MXF,

Broadcast Wave, and iXML,

for metadata in audio files,

have emerged as the

foundation stones and while

there is some commonality

between approaches, there is

probably enough flexibility

for personal customisation.

www.allen-heath.com

www.bbcstudiosandpost

production.com

www.cedaraudio.com

www.dolby.com

www.joeco.co.uk

www.merging.com

www.noisesoff.biz

www.sadie.com

“Everything is now moving to embedded audio.”Andy Tapley

GAME SOUND PRODUCTION Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com


MICROSOFT’S superstar

development house, Lionhead

Studios, is the creative force

behind the widely renowned

Fable series, beloved of a vast

army of fans the world over.

Heading up audio design

and production for this hugely

respected ‘quad-A’ team is

Steve Brown, who’s been

thinking about, and planning

for the future of Fable’s sonic

experience, as well as putting

in place an in-house

infrastructure to service other

incubation projects.

This is timely, of course,

given the recent advent of

Microsoft’s brand new games

console, Xbox One, which

ushers in an exciting period

for its ‘first-party’ studios who

effectively set the standards

for next-gen videogame

sound.

Brown explains: “The Xbox

One offers an amazing power-

house of game audio grunt for

developers to use in realising

audio experiences they

previously could only dream

about. With an exponential

increase of CPU power and

run-time memory available,

the traditional restrictions of

game audio have been well

and truly lifted.

“This power has the

potential to affect all areas of

audio – there are the obvious

things like more speech,

music, and sound design

content – plus many more

variants; but we can also have

much more complex playback

behaviours, together with an

increased use of real-time

plug-ins and effects including

more detailed acoustic

simulations of spaces using

reverb, occlusion, and

obstruction systems (not to

mention the addition of 7.1

real-time surround mixing,

providing yet more creative

opportunities for player

immersion).

“It’s incredibly exciting and

certainly a time for

innovation. Given the

opportunity this new chapter

affords us, the temptation to

go wild and bring out all the

bells and whistles just because

we can is quite a pull,” he

laughs. “But actually it’s more

crucial than ever that we focus

primarily on creating great

content and think about what

the game actually needs –

ensuring that the requirements

of game-play feedback,

narrative, immersion, and a

clear and game-play focused

mix are delivered to the player

– that’s more important than

anything fancy going on under

the hood.”

CREATING A LEGEND

As well as undertaking audio

management duties for the

recently announced new

iteration in the Fable series –

the multi-player-focused

Fable: Legends – Brown is also

responsible for audio

servicing of game ideas being

incubated in Lionhead's ‘IP

factory’. Looking to bring the

internal audio head count up

to a total of seven (as well as

working with numerous

third-party audio services

vendors around the globe), he

is determined to have a

proactive rather than reactive

audio department.

Brown adds: “With Fable:Legends we’re designing

something that’s very

innovative from a game-play

perspective, with plentiful

numbers of heroes, creatures,

and quests – all with fully-

fledged Fable mechanics. Plus

we have a new style of play

offered by allowing one player

of a quintet to play the

Villain, setting traps and

directing the other four’s

enemies, ‘RTS’ style. The need

for the audio team to be

involved in the early stages of

prototyping is really important

to help iterate the right feel to

the characters. Helping prove

out and influence game-play

as it’s being created rather

than sound designing around

a fait accompli is crucial.

“Something I think helps

with this is assigning sound

designer ownership to each

area of the game, whether that

With its continuing success, thanks to the critically acclaimed Fable series, John Broomhall talks to Lionheadsound supervisor Steve Brown about the studio’s new facilities and the future of audio for games.

Gearing Up For Games

Steve Brown

Lionhead StudiosThe multi-player-focused Fable: Legends is the latest iteration of the popular franchise

GAME SOUND PRODUCTION


be World, Creatures, Heroes,

etc. This has multiple benefits

– not only does it provide the

design team with someone

always available in ‘scrums’

(short bursts of multi-

disciplinary ‘agile’ production

based on specific goals) to aid

them realise game features, but

it empowers the sound

designer to own, experiment

with, and sculpt their own

segment of the game.

“We’ve also seen a huge

shift into the implementation

strategy, largely enabled by

our use of the Unreal 4 game

engine and Wwise audio

middleware systems/

integration tools. Unreal 4

now gives sound designers

the facility to create and

tweak complex playback and

audio behaviours themselves

through a very powerful

system called ‘blueprints’

(similar to UE3’s kismet).

“With blueprints you can

‘plug in’ sound almost

anywhere, going way beyond

the simple old ‘play event >

play wav’ idea. The full Wwise

functionality of RTPCs (real-

time parameter controls),

states and switches are at hand

to be used by sound designers

who can themselves simply

create logic boxes and connect

‘pins’ to the game-play code

(where traditionally they’d

have required the wizardry of

an audio programmer).

“This provides freedom for

sound designers to proactively

create complex dynamic audio

playback systems, which after

proving, may (or may not) be

turned into a ‘pure code

solution’ depending on what is

optimal. I feel strongly that

giving the team ownership

and technical access to create

their audio systems and

content will enable higher

quality effort and results.”

NEW FACILITY

Part of Brown’s overall

strategy for audio provision

has been the creation of a new

five-room facility centred

around one large multipurpose

room with four other 7.1

sound design suites – as he

explains: “Hand in hand with

creating a larger audio team is

the need for expanded

facilities to house them. I’ve

noticed a disadvantage to a

traditional live room/control

room design within games

developers – the live room’s

useful acoustic space can often

be left empty while some poor

sound designer’s working

down the hall under less than

ideal listening conditions.

“So I wanted us to create

not only a facility that offered

four small sound design rooms

for daily work but also a large

flexible multifunctional space

that could be used for sound

design, Foley recording, voice

recording, and large team-

scale mixing.

“Having a large team 7.1

mix space is incredibly

important so each sound ‘area

owner’ can sit within a large

sweet spot while elsewhere at

the rear of the room an

operator can profile and mix

in real-time using Wwise,

tweaking volumes on-the-fly

as the game is played by the

mix group.

“With a large facility came

the need to standardise the

equipment and software setup

throughout the rooms to

enable a flow of data and

sessions to be used throughout

the team. This is also

important because we work

very closely with the

Microsoft Central Media

(based in Redmond, USA)

who run a very similar set of

software and plug-ins.

“Finding the right people

to make the facility and

provide the kit was easy.

Having worked in a previous

facility built by The Studio

People, they were the obvious

choice to come up with an

innovative design for the

multipurpose game audio

space we required. Also,

HHB was the natural choice

for all our monitoring,

hardware, and software,

providing invaluable advice

on connectivity.”

Greg Wheeler, manager,

professional audio sales at the

company, says: “HHB has

been supplying Lionhead

with audio equipment for

over 10 years. We are excited

to be involved with the recent

studio refurbishment and to

find out about the audio

requirements of the latest

generation of computer

games.”

Lionhead’s significant

investment to provide

premium in-house facilities

and talent so close to the

heart of game development is

another reminder of how

seriously audio is now being

taken in the world of

videogames – at least,

wherever there is

enlightenment as to how

powerfully sound, music, and

dialogue can contribute to

player immersion, game-play

mechanics, and story-telling.

www.lionhead.com

Peter Keeling (managing director): “Building

five high-specification studios in a relatively

small area surrounded by live offices was

always going to be a challenge, especially

when you have to include an accurate mixing

position for 7.1 surround – a challenge we

were willing to accept! With some carefully

calculated wall/ceiling constructions, high-

spec floating floors, and room acoustic

treatments, we achieved exactly what we set

out to do – the rooms sound perfect! And

for a top client such as Microsoft… they had

to look the part too. We worked closely with

Steve Brown and the team to ensure the

colour schemes and technical furniture

designs gave them the creative space they

were looking for. We are very proud of the

finished result!”

SOUNDBITE – THE STUDIO PEOPLE

Gear list

Audio

• ADAM S2X & Sub 8/10 monitors

• Denon SN500 AV amps for source switching Xbox One/PC/Other studios’ video

Connectivity

• RME 800• Pro Tools 10/11• Adobe Audition• Soundforge 10• Soundminer HD+• iZotope RX 3• Audioease Altiverb 7 &

speakerphone• Waves plug-ins• Nugen Audio VisLM

(for LKFS & LUFS metering)

• Avalon 737 preamp

A new five-room facility has been created,including a large 7.1 mix space

FEATURE STUDIO PROFILE Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com


Jake Young takes a look at Rupert Pfaff’s recently upgraded studio, part of an east London creative community.

Waterway Wonder

The Limehouse

STARTING ITS life as a dog biscuit

factory, the Spratt’s Complex on

London’s Limehouse Cut canal has

been transformed in the past few years

into a live-work development for

artists. It now houses singer-songwriter

Newton Faulkner as well as Rupert

Pfaff who manages The Limehouse

recording studio.

The Limehouse offers tracking,

production, mixing, and mastering

services as well as online mixing, which

has enabled it to work with a number

of international clients. The studio has

two senior engineers, Neil Williams

and James Aparicio, along with a house

engineer, Joel Davies.

Pfaff has filled out an eclectic

musical CV so far. He ran London’s

Turnkey music store before it was taken

over by Sound Control and now heads

up the UK branch of German online

musical equipment retailer Thomann.

Having occupied small studios on and

off for years, Pfaff bought the Spratt’s

Complex space in 2006 after spending

a year looking for a suitable building to

house a studio.

“I knew from previous experience

that if I didn’t live very close to it I’d

never go in it,” laughs Pfaff, referring to

his three-bedroom apartment one floor

up from the studio. The space had live-

work planning permission so that

problem was straight out of the way,

and while the idea of living above a

fully functioning commercial studio

may seem slightly less than desirable,

Pfaff notes that the space was built

with 2ft-thick brick walls and a 40cm-

thick concrete ceiling between the two

floors – a good starting point for

soundproofing. For the final touches,

studio designers Recording

Architecture were brought in to design

the control room and live room.

“Recording Architecture was great

with very detailed instructions of how

everything should fit together and

what happens at the junctions, and

came down to have a look a few times

just to make sure we were doing it all

right,” says Pfaff. “If we’ve got a really

loud band in the live room you can

just hear it upstairs.”

It took a year to do the building

work and get everything wired,

working, and tested to the point

where Pfaff thought The Limehouse

was ready to open commercially. “It’s a

relatively small space but we wanted

something that was very high quality

acoustically from the start. I felt that

whatever’s happening with people

doing stuff at home there’s always

going to be some requirement for a

decent acoustic space, which is very

expensive to achieve and that’s the

one thing that people really don’t have

at home.”

Through careful planning and space

management a booth and amp

chamber were squeezed into the

300sqft live room. “It’s not huge but at

the same time it’s comfortable to record

a five-piece band in,” says Pfaff.

Being a classically trained

percussionist Pfaff always wanted his

studio to be a good place to record

drums. “I find with recording drums

either you’ve got to have a big great-

sounding room and you record the

sound of the room or you need

something that’s much more compact

“I felt that whatever’s happening with peopledoing stuff at home there’s always going to be

some requirement for a decent acoustic space.” Rupert Pfaff

Small but perfectly formed

A good live room suited to drum recording was an important part of the design process

FEATURE STUDIO PROFILE

www.audiomedia.com

yet properly treated so that you can

add whatever reverb you want

afterwards without the recording

having gathered too much of a small

room sound.”

HYBRID PRODUCTION

The Limehouse started off at the time

when the idea of mixing in the box

was beginning to gather some serious

momentum. The studio originally had

a Digidesign C24 controller but valve

outboard gear soon stacked up and a

Solid State Logic Matrix console was

bought in summer 2013. “The SSL

Matrix is a really great bit of kit from

a sound quality point of view,” says

Pfaff. “The summing on it is great

and the Matrix facility enables us to

choose our own mic preamps.”

The Limehouse tends to use most

of its outboard on the way in rather

than at mix down “just because people

these days always want recalls”. The

mix is generally in the box with 16

channels going through the SSL for

summing and possibly one of the

compressors like the Rupert Neve

Designs Portico II Master Buss

Processor.

Yet while the technical gear is

definitely a selling point, according to

Pfaff a lot of the studio’s bookings are

thanks to its selection of instruments.

“If people book us we’ve got a DW

Collector’s Series drum kit with tons

of different types of heads and if they

tell me what they want before they

come then I’ll tune the kit up for

them. We’ve become quite adept at

getting decent drums sounds and a

variety of different sounds as well

because there’s a fairly extensive kit

with a lot of different drums.”

The Limehouse also features a

Yamaha C3 grand piano, which comes

in handy when recording classical and

jazz music, along with a Fender

Rhodes Mk V, Hammond SK1,

Moog Minimoog Voyager, guitars

from Gibson, Fender, and Martin, and

a number of bass and guitar amps

from brands like Vox, Mesa Boogie,

Ampeg, and Fender.

Some of the studio’s notable

projects include all the sitar and

Indian percussion parts for Anoushka

Shankar’s 2011 Grammy nominated

Traveller album. “That was a nice

feather in the cap for the studio and

the engineer Neil,” says Pfaff.

“She was pregnant so spent most of

the time lying on the sofa and had

quite extensive requirements for

cushions, which is obviously

understandable.”

Recently Williams has mixed a lot

of Brazilian percussion for music

library Audio Network.

www.recordingstudiolondon.co.uk

Gear list

Mixer/control surface• SSL Matrix with 4x Switchcraft

9625 Banatam Patchbay in Custom AKA Console

Recording

• Pro Tools HD Accel 4 Card System in Magma Chassis

• Apogee Rosetta 800/192, AD16X, DA16X (24 i/o)

• Mac Pro 8-core 2.8GHz, 12GB/2TB

Mics (selected)

• AKG D112• Audix i5• Blue Dragonfly• Earthworks QTC30• Earthworks SR25• EV RE20• Neumann U87ai• Royer R122• Sennheiser MD421• Shure SM7B• Sony C800G• Wunder CM7• Yamaha SubKick

Preamps/DI

• API 3124+ (8 channels)• Avalon U5• BSS AR-133• Focusrite ISA428 (8 channels)• Neve 1073LB• SSL VHD Pre

Dynamics

• Manley Vari-Mu (all mods)• Rupert Neve Designs Master

Buss Processor• SSL Super Analogue Dynamics• Universal Audio 1176LN• Universal Audio Teletronix LA2A

EQ

• Earthworks Kick Pad• Focusrite Red 2• Manley Massive Passive• Neve 1073 LB EQ• SSL E Series EQ

Reverb

• AudioEase Altiverb XL w/ Best Service Halls of Fame (960L & System 6000 IRs)

• Digidesign Revibe• Lexicon PCM Native

Monitoring

• Focal Solo 6 BE• Omniphonics S100• Presonus Central Station• Quested VS3208 three-way

monitor • Quested VS112 subwoofer• TC Electronic XO24• Yamaha NS10M

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS LOUDNESS METERING

Martin O’Donnell of HHB gives his views on the transition to R128 and theimportance of picking the right product for the job.

Expert Witness


AS TV watchers and radio listeners we

have all reached for the volume control

on detecting an unacceptable jump in

loudness between programmes. These

can arise because traditional broadcast

audio delivery standards are based on

meters that measure electrical level and

not loudness. Loudness is the sound

level we actually ‘hear’ and if all audio

was mixed to the same loudness

measure we would eliminate these

perceived variations. The benefit of

switching to loudness metering is

clear – it takes us closer to emulating

the best measurement tool we know:

the human ear.

Loudness metering is not a new

concept – Dolby introduced the

LM100 Loudness Meter in 2003 and

HHB has many happy customers using

it. But in 2010 Europe took a big step

forward when the EBU PLOUD

Group – an expert collective comprising

mainly broadcasters and loudness

equipment manufacturers – published

its Loudness Recommendation R128,

which explained how broadcasters could

measure and normalise audio using

loudness meters instead of peak meters

(PPMs). The manufacturers took R128

and implemented an ‘EBU mode’ on

their meters so that sound engineers

across Europe could mix to R128 and

be confident of loudness compliance

between makes and models. Job done,

well almost.

There are a number of drivers that

influence when (and even if ) a European

broadcaster will implement a new audio

recommendation into their workflows.

One important factor is adoption, and

getting agreement from a critical mass of

broadcasters in a territory certainly helps

improve the odds of making it happen.

The UK’s R128 adoption journey

began in 2011 with the creation of the

DPP (Digital Production Partnership) –

a body formed by the BBC, ITV, and

Channel 4, and including representation

from Sky, Channel 5, S4C, UKTV, and

BT Sport. Its aim was to help the TV

industry transition from tape to a fully

digital file-based production model. In

2012 the DPP introduced a new file-

based technical standard to which they

added R128 audio compliance in

October 2013. At IBC 2013 the DPP

explained that BBC, ITV, and Channel

4 would move to this file-based

programme delivery specification from

1 October 2014 with BSkyB, Channel

5, and BT Sport sharing this aspiration.

At HHB we are seeing R128 come of

age in the UK as broadcasters and

content producers transition their

operations towards this new file-based

delivery environment.

R128 is applicable to all areas of

audio production. Some environments

require hardware solutions, others are

best solved with software, and

applications can be real time or file

based. Picking the right product for the

job is essential and the following few

paragraphs give some examples of the

technologies HHB is deploying.

For standalone hardware metering

the TC Electronic TM9 TouchMonitor

is very popular and probably the most

capable, flexible, and configurable

metering platform available with SDI,

AES, and analogue audio interfacing.

Recent developments have included

BLITS and timecode logging.

DK-Technologies DK1, 2, and 5, and

RTW TM3 are also popular choices.

For audio and video post-production

applications, Nugen Audio has four

complementary software products. First

up is VisLM H – a loudness and true

peak meter that runs standalone or as a

plug-in with timecode logging. Use it

while you record and mix. Then there is

LM-Correct – intuitive, fast, and

accurate. Measure key loudness

parameters of a wav file faster than real

time with the option to correct against

target values to ensure R128

compliance. Next is ISL – a true peak

limiter that allows you to get on with

your audio production while it takes

care of your true peaks. It is well

respected sonically so is equally at home

in a music recording and production

environment. Finally, LMB is a

loudness management batch file

processor which can handle MXF and

wav. Measure files, correct to predefined

criteria, and produce detailed XML logs

quickly and automatically. It can be run

locally or on a server with a drag-and-

drop interface or via a browser and hot

folder. This is an ideal way to legalise

legacy archived content or new material

arriving from external sources: a turbo-

charged LM-Correct. As an alternative

to VisLM-H we also have installations

running TC Electronic’s LM6 loudness

radar and the Dolby Media Meter 2.

For transmission and archive tape

transfer the TC Electronic DB6 is an

expandable 1U intelligent processor

equipped with SDI I/O, dual power

supplies, hardware bypass, GPIO, and

logging. It will measure and correct

loudness and true peak in real time to

R128. Features include an automatic

stereo-to-surround Upmix for the

smooth transition of (legacy) stereo

material into a surround sound

transmission environment. It can also be

used when transferring/ingesting from

videotape to legalise the content to

R128 and Upmix to surround if

required. The Junger T*AP is also a

candidate in similar applications.

For a complete audio monitoring

solution in an OB vehicle, ingest suite

or master control there is the Wohler

AMP2-16V-M. The 2U unit comes

with SDI, AES, analogue, and optical

audio connectivity. Other features

include a configurable loudness

metering page, support for

SMPTE2020 metadata, and the ability

to display all 16 channels of embedded

audio alongside the SDI picture, plus

high-quality built-in loudspeaker

monitoring. This is a comprehensive

and impressive AMU. Dolby E, D, and

DD+ decoding is optional.

Last up is the Dolby DP580, a 1U

Professional Reference Decoder with

ASI/SDI, MPEG 2, AES, and HDMI

inputs. This handles all Dolby formats

and gives broadcasters the ability to

perform loudness monitoring with

logging at any point in their broadcast

chain from playout to off-air. The

HDMI input also opens up applications

in the games industry – where loudness

is beginning to gain traction – enabling

game producers to test the HDMI

output of their consoles.

The list above is not exhaustive and

HHB continues to work alongside the

leading manufacturers of loudness

products. We all know that producing

high-quality audio is a rewarding

challenge that requires the right tools

and experience combined with

superhuman craft skills – yes, even our

video colleagues will acknowledge this

during a quiet fireside chat. EBU R128

does represent a significant change in

the way we measure audio but do not

be alarmed – if you have been creating

dynamic, wide-ranging content with

PPMs it is likely you will be spot on

with R128.

Martin O’Donnell

Expert Witness

Martin O’Donnell is director of sales at HHB. The company will be

displaying its range of loudness products at BVE 2014 in London on

25-27 February.

For further information and insight on loudness and anything pro audio visit

the HHB website or take a look at the company’s current Pro Audio Reportwhich examines the technical aspects of the new DPP delivery standard and

EBU R128 in more detail. To request a copy call +44 (0)20 8962 5000 or

visit the website.

www.hhb.co.uk

“At HHB we are seeingR128 come of age in theUK as broadcasters and

content producerstransition their

operations towards thisnew file-based delivery

environment.”Martin O’Donnell

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS


Loudness MeteringThese technologies stand out as some of the best solutions in themyriad of loudness control solutions now available.

The DaySequerra iLC2ST offers real-timeadaptive loudness control of two independentTV channels. As with other DaySequerraloudness control and monitoring units, it offerscredible audio quality via DTS Neural processingand is loudness compliant with EBU R128, ATSCA/85 CALM, and ARIB-B32. The iLC2ST is 1Uhigh so it doesn’t take up much space in yourrack and a dual DSP platform allows it to makegain corrections imperceptible. It has GPI-

switched user presets, perfect for changing thedepth of the loudness control used, dependingon the content or at particular times of the day.The iLC2ST also has an Ethernet port and issupplied with free Windows remote dashboardsoftware for remote control and logging. WithAES/EBU digital audio I/O as standard, there areoptions for analogue audio I/O and the HD-SDIembedded audio.www.sonifex.co.uk

The DK-Technologies DK T7 is a complete audio, loudness,and logging system addressing the key measuring andreporting needs of any broadcast, post, or music engineer.It combines high-precision metering with a detailedlogging and reporting system – all included in a single ‘nofrills’ package. The metering tools collection offers bargraphs, classic moving coil emulations alongside theStarFish stereo and multichannel phase and level meter, aswell as clear text read-outs and detailed spectrumanalysing. DK T7 includes detailed real-time logging of keyloudness and true peak parameters, allowing for detailedreview and reporting of any audio event at any point intime. The multi-touch user interface makes the operationquick and instant when setting up metering of the 3G SDI-, AES-, and analogue inputs and outputs. The userinterface allows for a high level of customisation, rangingfrom the detailed choice of metering tools, to the specificfunctionality of the on-screen custom buttons. Thecompact and fan-less hardware design allows the DK T7 tobe mounted table-top, 19in rack, and even as a flushmount console integration.www.dk-technologies.com

The Dolby DP580 is the first Dolby TrueHD reference decoder, providing featuresthat enable monitoring, display, and logging of all audio-related metadata andmeasurement of program loudness, using Dolby Dialogue Intelligence, Leq (A), ITU-R BS.1770-1, ITU-R BS.1770-2, or EBU mode loudness estimation. It also providesdetailed analysis of Dolby audio streams for professionals, making it ideal forbroadcast trials and manufacturers’ test environments. Designed to helpbroadcasters monitor streams along multiple points of the broadcast chain, theDP580 serves all Dolby audio codecs, including Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, HEAAC with Dolby metadata, Dolby E, and Dolby Pro Logic II technologies. Enhanced

features of Dolby Digital Plus, such as secondary audio bitstream mixing and 7.1-channel decoding, can easily be monitored using the DP580. This is in addition to areal-time reference tool for generating signals for Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, andDolby Digital Plus. It enables validation of associated Dolby TrueHD signals encodedin the Metadata-Enhanced Audio Transmission (MAT) format, a type of validation thathas not previously been available in any testing environment. All of these featuresenable consumer and professional device manufacturers to use the DP580 to testthe integration of Dolby technologies in their products.www.hhb.co.uk

Conforming to all majorinternational broadcastdelivery standards andrecommendations forloudness and peak level, theTSL PAM PiCo is nowavailable in three models, allwith loudness logging asstandard. The PAM PiCooffers seven userprogrammable operationalviews in landscape andportrait modes withcommon standard features

such as the starfish andjellyfish surround sounddisplays, true-peak level,FFT spectrum analyser,SMPTE timecode reader,Eyeheight measurement,and the 5.1 bargraph andhistogram modes. A freePC-based loudness loggingapplication is available foruse with all PAM PiComodels. The loggingapplication delivers a highlyeffective yet cost-efficient

means to record,analyse, and archivereal-time loudnessand true peak levelhistory. Via a PCconnected to thePiCo over USB thelogging applicationwrites all keyloudness and peakmeasurementparameters to adatabase in real timewhile displaying agraphical analysis ofeach reading againsttime enabling instantrecognition of signalbehaviour. PDF orCSV log files can beextracted from thedatabase to createboth graphical andspreadsheet reports

for archive purposes or as avalidation of loudness andpeak for a given commercialor TV show. It is purposelydesigned for use across theentire broadcast facilityfrom ingest to postproduction, acquisition totransmission. Furthermore,because the device is self-contained and requires onlypower and media tofunction, it covers a rangeof alternative applicationsfrom television productionto music recording andgaming.www.tsl.co.uk

Insight, iZotope’s comprehensivemetering suite for post-production and broadcastapplications, provides anextensive set of audio analysisand metering tools, ideal forvisualising changes made duringmixing and mastering,troubleshooting problematicmixes, and ensuring compliancewith broadcast loudnessstandards. Fully customisableand scalable, Insight allowsusers to visually monitor allrelevant information from amono, stereo, or surround mix ina convenient floating window.www.izotope.com

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS


Nugen Audio’s VisLM-Hprovides an easy-to-use ITU,ATSC (Calm Act), and EBUstandards-compliant way tomeasure, compare, andcontrast loudness duringproduction, broadcast, andpost production, on the flyor for entire sections ofaudio. With detailed,objective loudnessmeasurement, history, andlogging facilities, VisLMhelps audio professionalscut through thecomplexity of loudnesscompliance. VisLM offerstrue-peak level meteringfor inter-sample accuratelevel measurement,loudness range to supportthe application ofdynamic compression,momentary‘instantaneous loudness’to assist with mixing by

ear, short-term loudness,and programme loudness tosupport long-termintegrated loudnessmeasurement. Theseessential parameters makeVisLM ideal for the full rangeof audio post-productionprojects. With the recentrelease of VisLM 1.6, the toolis now available for the firsttime in the Avid AAX formatand also provides a version

for 64-bit OS X platforms. Inaddition, VisLM nowincludes a timecode featurefor relating loudnessparameters directly totimecode references. Thisgives audio engineers andeditors a clear, frame-accurate position for anyalerts, true-peak overs,maximum values, and otherindicators.www.nugenaudio.com

The Qualis Audio Sentinel surround sound audio monitormeasures, monitors, and logs loudness and virtually everyother parameter necessary to ensure optimum audio reachesbroadcast viewers. The electronic equivalent of a humanlistener, the Sentinel operates unattended, eliminatingcontinuous aural checks by skilled listeners. This abilitysignificantly reduces personnel requirements and attendantcosts while improving the consistency of audio monitoring. Itsmeasurement and logging verify and document CALM Actcompliance, conforming fully to all ITU BS1770, ATSC, FCC,and EBU requirements. Any deviation outside of the allowedrange automatically generates alarms to the user’s choice ofSNMP, email, or GPO. The Sentinel also measures, displays,logs, and alarms all pertinent audio parameters, such asdownmix loudness, downmix compatibility, true peak levels,hum, channel balance, and other parameters required forquantifying audio quality. Since measurement data is availableover the instruments network interface, both real-time andlogged results may be viewed on any standard browser fromanywhere in the world. Software included with the unitautomatically creates reports of loudness conformance withCALM Act requirements, which are tied to as-run logsgenerated by the user’s automation system. Reports aretypically generated daily in a format selected by the user andautomatically emailed to appropriate personnel.www.qualisaudio.com

RTW’s latest introduction,the LQL (Loudness QualityLogger), is an innovativetool developed forcollecting loudnessmeasurement and true peakdata. By giving users theability to obtain a log,

analyse, and report, theirexperience is enhancedeven further. The LQL is anatural extension of RTW’srange of innovativesoftware options and iscompatible with the TM7,TMR7, and TM9

TouchMonitor line ofproducts. LQL enables datato be derived directly via anIP-connection from acapable TouchMonitoraudio meter, as well as fromexternal storage media suchas a USB stick. Also includedin the software are duallimit weighting, statusinformation, marker, andvarious other reportingfeatures. The new PCsoftware is free of charge tousers; however theSW20014 Logging DataServer licence is required toenable a TM7, TMR7, or TM9series meter to becompatible with data exportand additional displayfunctions. The LQL will beavailable from the firstquarter of 2014.www.rtw.de

TC Electronic’s Radar Loudness Meter is available onmultiple platforms and aims to give the user a tool that willdisplay their overall loudness landscape in a single view. Theflagship standalone loudness meter is the TouchMonitor thatfeatures a touchscreen with highly flexible layout options. Itcomplies with all major broadcast standards and is availablewith either a 7in (TM7) or a 9in (TM9) touchscreen. Due to itsmassive amount of hardware I/O options (digital/analogue,balanced/unbalanced, AES, 3G SDI, etc) and stereo as well asmultichannel capabilities, it is suited for any broadcast andproduction application imaginable, including ingest,transmission, production, film, post, and live production.Apart from running the Radar Loudness Meter, a completerange of audio metering tools are available forTouchMonitor, including Surround Sound Analyzer, StereoPPM Meter, Vector Scope, BLITS, and more.www.tcelectronic.com

The next generationof the 2012 TECAward-winningWaves WLMLoudness Meterplug-in, the WLMPlus features newcorrection andadjustment tools.Ideal for contentcreators, post-production houses,and cable head-endfacilities, WLM Plusis described as anaffordable, all-in-one cross-platform,multi-formatloudness meteringsoftware solution.WLM Plus is fullycompliant with allcurrent ITU, EBU,and ATSCspecifications, including new dedicatedpresets meeting ASWG-R001, ARIB TR-B32,OP-59, and the current Discovery Channel

requirements. It offersa comprehensivemomentary, shortterm, long term, andtrue peak readouts, aswell as a warning andlogging system thatkeeps track of users’levels and alerts themwhen they have beenexceeded (or fallenshort). WLM Plus nowfeatures gain and trimcontrols forcorrection ofloudness levels and atrue peak limiter,which saves users theneed to use additionalequipment orsoftware. WLM Plus isavailable at noadditional charge toall WLM owners who

have valid coverage under the WavesUpdate Plan.www.waves.com

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

www.audiomedia.com

The Jünger Audio D*AP8 MAP Edition is a fullyfeatured monitoring audio processor comprisingan eight-channel audio monitor, acomprehensive Dolby toolset includingMetadata emulation, and a loudness meteringand logging function. The audio monitor section(4x2.0, 5.1+2.0 or 7.1) includes downmix,solo/mute, and channel swapping along with fullbass management and EQ. The Dolby optionsinclude full decoder and encoder hardware andan emulation function, which allows real-timeauditioning of the effect of adding or changingmetadata parameters and values without thelatency involved in an actual encode and

decode process. This ensures that the end-userexperience is exactly as intended at the mixstage. The loudness measurement is fullycompatible with all versions of ITU-R BS.1770and ensures compliance with all currentloudness standards including EBU R128 andATSC A/85. Aimed at QC applications forproduction, broadcast, and post, the D*AP8 MAP Edition can be controlled over a webbrowser interface or via the optional X*AP RM1remote panel. Along with standard AES3id,additional I/O options include 3G/HD/SD-SDIand analogue.www.jungeraudio.com

The Trinnov SmartMeter v3features major improvements andnew functionalities including timecode synchronisation ofloudness/true peakmeasurements, allowing for real-time logging and consistentloudness/LRA measurements atany time, all along differentmixing stages. Users no longerhave to manually pause, resume,or even start measurements over. All loudness values arestored and time stampedthroughout the session. Projectscan be paused, shared on anetwork, and resumed in otherstudios with independentloudness/true peakmeasurements.www.trinnov.com

The Orban LoudnessMeter receives a two-channel stereo signal fromany Windows sounddevice and measures itsloudness and level. It cansimultaneously displayinstantaneous peaks, VU,PPM, CBS TechnologyCenter loudness, and ITUBS.1770 loudness. Themeter includes peak-holdfunctionality that makesthe peak indications of themeters easy to see.www.orban.com

The Wohler AMP2-16V-M is a modular 16-channel audio/video workstation with acomplete suite of tools for analysing andmanaging audio quality, level, and metadata.These units monitor 16 channels ofembedded 3G/HD/SD-SDI and AES audio,while the AMP1-E16V-MD includes Dolby Dand Dolby E capability. Wohler recentlyreleased Version 7 software for the AMP2-16CSeries to provide loudness functionality.Available as a free download for existing users,the new software provides compatibility with

worldwide standards and includes an at-a-glance loudness monitoring screen forindication of reference level, digital readoutfor loudness (LKFS or LUFS), maximum truepeak, maximum loudness, programmeloudness, and more. The software also offerscolour-coded alarm indications, standard levelmeter bar graphs for measured channels andstart, pause, reset, and stop controls formanual monitoring. This upgrade will shipwith all newly purchased units as standard.www.hhb.co.uk

THE 80s were the decade in

which technological

developments such as

affordable multi-track tape

machines and sync-able

MIDI devices allowed

musicians and engineers to

move from expensive bespoke

recording facilities into what

we now call project studios.

When I listen back to the

recordings made using this

equipment, I’m struck by how

good the DI’d instruments

sound – but I’m also appalled

by how poor the drums and

vocals sound in comparison to

those that I hear from similar

contemporary setups. The

exception is often the electric

guitar, captured using a

relatively inexpensive Shure

SM57, one of the few

affordable microphones

available then that remains in

common use today.

Microphones such as the

Neumann U87 and AKG 414

were out of reach for those

not working in commercial

facilities; so most project

studios would have been filled

with cheap dynamic

microphones and poor

sounding condensers.

By the time the noughties

were upon us, certain

enterprising companies began

to import low-cost, decent

quality microphones from

China into the UK and

elsewhere – but these often

suffered from poor

manufacture and quality

control. Peter Freedman was

one of these early

entrepreneurs, importing,

testing, and upgrading

Chinese-built microphones

before resale to customers in

Australia. These apparently

sold as fast as ‘a rat up a drain

pipe’ – and so the RØDE

NT1 (Rodent 1, geddit?) was

born. The ‘Ø’ was apparently

added as an homage to

Freedman’s early years when

he lived in Stockholm – but

confusingly, it’s a letter that’s

not in the Swedish alphabet!

THE RAT IN THE

STUDIO – THE NT1

RØDE microphones are now

designed and assembled in

Australia and the original

NT1 was superseded several

years ago by the improved

NT1a. The latest incarnation

of the microphone arrived in

my studio as part of a kit,

comprising a sturdy Rycote-

based suspension cradle with

a neat detachable pop shield,

whose fitting makes sure that

it sits at the correct distance

from the capsule. Rycote’s

suspensions are my ‘to go’

microphone supports just

now and I was pleased to see

one supplied with the NT1.

The microphone itself retains

the classic design embodied

most famously by the U87 –

though it’s slightly smaller

than Neumann’s ubiquitous

condenser. It’s beautifully

finished in a scratch-resistant

matte black and should easily

withstand life in the studio.

The kit comes in a

cardboard box rather than the

aluminium case sported by

some of its price-comparable

rivals, but I’m personally

always happier to see

manufacturing costs going

into the product than the

packaging. The NT1 is a

JFET-based 48V (or 24V)

phantom-powered cardioid

pattern condenser microphone

with a shock-mounted 1in

gold-plated diaphragm.

RØDE boasts that the NT1 is

the quietest studio condenser

microphone in the world, with

only -4.5dBA of self-noise. I

had no problems at all with

the microphone during the

review period even on quiet

sources, so I have little doubt

that this claim wouldn’t stand

up to bench testing.

The most obvious use for

the NT1 is recording vocals,

so the first

thing I tried it

on was a bass drum!

I often use a low-cost

Chinese manufactured

microphone on the outer skin

of the drum when I can’t use

a Neumann FET U47, so I

was keen to see how the

RØDE compared. The result

was excellent and the NT1

handled the pressure levels

admirably – its specification

quoting a maximum SPL of

132dB. I compared its

performance on vocals against

the low-cost condenser that I

most often recommend to

students – the Studio Projects

B1 – as well as my 1980s

Neumann U87 and a vintage

AKG 414 that I like to use

on female vocals. Compared

to the older microphones, the

NT1 had noticeably more

output at a given gain setting

and exhibited a slightly

brighter sound that still

retained enough body and

harmonic subtlety to bring

out the positive attributes of

both male and female voices.

The B1 does exhibit some of

the high-end brittleness

characteristic of Chinese

sourced microphones, but the

RØDE NT1 was a lot

smoother in this important

high-frequency area.

Crucially, the NT1 takes

equalisation and compression

better than some other low-

cost microphones I’ve tried.

Looking at the supplied

specification sheet, the NT1,

like many ‘vocal’ microphones,

exhibits a slight frequency

‘hump’ from around 6kHz to

about 10kHz and the off-axis

frequency response quoted

appears to be quite in line

with my experiences in using

the microphone.

MUSIC OF THE

SPHERES – THE M5

The design of RØDE’s NT5

small-diaphragm ‘pencil’

condenser could also have

been inspired by a Neumann

microphone – in this case the

classic KM84 with its

removable

cardioid and omni-

directional capsules. I

tend to use my KM84s with

the cardioid capsule fitted

about 95% of the time and the

microphone under review here

– the M5 – suggest that

RØDE believes I’m not alone

in this. The cardioid M5s were

supplied as a matched pair –

again in a sturdy cardboard

box – along with microphone

clips and foam windshields.

RØDE claims the difference

in sensitivity between the

microphones is ±1dB and each

pair comes with a certificate

confirming this specification.

The microphones are

shorter than the NT5 at

100mm in length and feature

a 0.5in gold-plated

diaphragm, transformerless

circuitry, and the same quality

of external finish as the NT1.

In the kind of applications the

M5 is likely to be used, small

is indeed beautiful, and the

matte black body should make

it less visible when recordings

are being filmed.

I decided to try the M5 in

some applications where I’d

normally use my KM84s,

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com


“These twomicrophones arenow top of my list

when asked thequestion ‘what’s the

best low-costmicrophone you

can recommend?’”Stephen Bennett

RØDE NT1 and M5 Matched Pair�� STUDIO MICROPHONES

The updated NT1 and new M5s hold upRØDE’s tradition of providing high quality in anaffordable package, writes Stephen Bennett.

wwww.audiomedia.com February 2014 35

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

including the close miking of

sections of a small orchestra

alongside my Neumanns and

as overheads on a drum kit. I

was immediately impressed

with the quality of the

RØDEs – brighter than the

KM84s certainly, but not

oppressively so, though the

supplied chart shows a similar

high-frequency lift as the

NT1.

The recordings obtained

from using the M5s as an XY

pair over the woodwinds were

excellent and the microphones

mixed well with the

Neumanns. I have found that

some other microphones I’ve

tried using alongside the

KM84s can lead to problems

when mixing, even though the

solo’d stereo recordings

sounded fine. I’d definitely be

happy to use a few M5s in my

recordings – although I didn’t

have enough of them to check

how they’d cope with a full

orchestra!

As drum overheads, the

M5s again produced a rich

sound, not overly harsh and

able to cope with loud splashy

cymbals with their rated

maximum SPL of 140dB. I’d

probably still prefer to use my

Neumanns in this application,

but I definitely couldn’t blame

the RØDE M5s for any poor

recordings. As they performed

so well I thought I’d try

recording the drums ‘garage

style’, with two M5s overhead

and the NT1 on the bass

drum. Although I was

performing this test in a

decent sounding room using

high-end preamplifiers along

with an excellent musician

who could tune his drums, I

was still impressed with the

sound I managed to achieve

using these inexpensive

microphones. We’ve come a

long way since the 80s.

SUMMARY

The M5s are a perfectly sound

(ho ho!) matched stereo pair

of microphones that would

make a decent addition to

anyone’s audio armoury, while

the NT1 could easily be the

best-sounding choice for

certain vocalists. These two

microphones are now top of

my list when asked the

question ‘what’s the best

low-cost microphone you can

recommend?’ and, like the

fabled SM57 before them, no

one is going to be

embarrassed when hearing

the results in years to come.

INFORMATION

Feature set

NT1• 1in gold-plated diaphragm• Transducer suspended using Rycote’s Lyre system• 4.5dBA of self-noiseM5• Compact 0.5in cardioid condenser matched pair with

no more than 1dB sensitivity between units• 140dB max SPL

www.rodemic.com

THE REVIEWERSSTEPHEN BENNETT has beeninvolved in music productionfor over 25 years. Based inNorwich he splits his timebetween writing books andarticles on music technology,running Chaos Studios andworking in the ElectroacousticStudios in the School of Musicat the University of East Anglia.

The original NT1 was one of the mics

that put RØDE on the map

internationally. How did you go about

updating such a classic design?

This new NT1 has inherited the

essence of the original NT1

microphones as well as the NT1-A.

The iconic silhouette remains, albeit

slightly larger, while the exterior has

been updated to a sleek black finish

that is actually a proprietary ceramic

coating which is more durable than

paint. Characteristic low noise and the

user-friendliness of a simple fixed-

cardioid pick-up pattern were obvious

standout features of the earlier

microphones that we’ve retained.

While these key elements have

remained consistent, internally this

NT1 is completely new. The

microphone capsule and electronics

are an all-new design.

What were your main concerns when

defining the mic’s sound?

We wanted to build upon the success

of the NT1-A, creating a warmer,

richer sound while still maintaining a

characteristic RØDE flavour –

essentially a microphone that would

find an even wider acceptance than

the already successful NT1-A.

How has your relationship with

Rycote influenced the mic’s design?

RØDE’s relationship with Rycote

gives us access to their world-class

Lyre system. We’ve implemented this

not only on the SMR shockmount

that is optionally available with the

NT1, but also internally on the

capsule shockmounting. This

dramatically increases the

microphone’s isolation from vibration

and handling noise. As far as I am

aware this is the first (and only)

microphone that has integrated the

Rycote Lyre at an internal level.

Moving onto the M5, what was the

inspiration behind this new

microphone?

The NT5 has consistently been one of

our most popular microphones,

however we now have the

manufacturing capability to create an

electret 0.5in condenser that offers

outstanding performance at a price

point significantly lower than the

NT5. Customers who don’t need the

superlative quality and interchangeable

capsules of the NT5 can now look to

our value-oriented M Series for a

matched pair of small diaphragm

microphones.

What are some of its unique

features/selling points?

The M5 is supplied as a matched pair,

with low noise and a full frequency

response. Like the NT1, it also uses

our proprietary ceramic coating. The

main selling point however is the

value for money – customers are

getting incredible audio quality for

very little investment.

Who are the primary users for

these microphones?

Traditionally a matched pair of small

diaphragm condensers or ‘pencil’ mics

are used for recording in stereo arrays.

Many of the M5 customers will use

these for that purpose, however the

M5 can be used as a single

microphone for instrument recording,

or alternatively as an indoor dialogue

microphone for video.

Audio Media editor Jory MacKay finds out more about the development of the NT1 and M5 from RØDEnew product development project manager Sun Kyung Sunwoo.

SINCE STARTING with

monitor commissions for the

BBC in the early 90s, PMC,

originally the Professional

Monitor Company, has

become a respected name in

the loudspeaker world. Based

at Luton in the UK the

company is now a byword for

practical and effective speaker

design in all sizes, and lately

its attention has turned again

to the mid- and near-field

market with three active

monitors in the new twotwo

range, the .5, .6, and lastly the

.8, the subject of this review.

OVERVIEW

The ‘twotwo’ name stems from

both a two-way driver

configuration (all models have

an offset 27mm soft dome

tweeter and an LF unit) and

the ability to use the speaker

in either portrait or landscape

(end or side) orientation

without sonic trade-off – the

tweeter should be innermost

for the former and inner/

uppermost for the latter. The

‘point’ designation describes

the size of the bass driver in

inches, so the one in the .8 is

8in, or 200mm.

Seen from the front in

portrait mode the unit

presents a business-like

blue/black livery with tweeter

at the top, bass driver below

and the ATL or Advanced

Transmission Line vent at the

bottom of the cabinet. All

PMC speakers have

transmission lines, a folded

internal labyrinth fed by the

LF unit, 1.9m long in the .8,

which extends bass response

below that in an equivalent

sealed cabinet; in this case it

contributes to a 35Hz-25kHz

usable frequency response.

To the rear is a panel with

the speaker’s electronics and

connectors. At the top is an

LED displaying current status

together with four navigation

buttons: up, down, left, and

right (holding up and down

for more than two seconds

reverts to the factory default

state). The lower part of the

panel has RCA/phono

(unbalanced) analogue, XLR

(balanced) analogue, and XLR

AES digital inputs, as well as

Cat5 networking in and thru

ports. The heart of the twotwo

range is a powerful DSP

engine similar to that in the

more expensive PMC IB2S-A,

with a high-quality A-D

converter on the analogue

inputs and the ability to take

AES digital signals at up to

192kHz. The signal processor

provides volume control,

equalisation, driver

optimisation, and filtering at

the 1.8kHz crossover point; it

then converts back to analogue

to feed the two onboard Class

D amplifiers (150W LF and

50W HF) and hence to the

drivers. The speaker’s user

interface offers a good level of

control with input source, trim,

and sensitivity, high and low

shelving, and low rolloff

adjustment, and there will also

be an optional RJ45 wired

remote connected via Cat5

mirroring those functions for

easy setup from the listening

position. The network facility

is also used to link

loudspeakers in digital mode

with one as the master.

IN USE

As usual, once set up on stands

about 2m apart I used the

review pair of .8s to work with

in Lowland Masters studio, in

this case for two weeks. To

begin with I adjusted the

system’s input sensitivity so I

could operate at my usual

reference level; once done I

played some familiar material,

and consequently dimmed the

treble response to my taste

with the HF shelving by

-1.5dB, the low end being

satisfactory with the speakers

about half a metre into the

room. Working with them on

everyday mastering tasks the

.8s gave a commendably

accurate and neutral

presentation, making EQ and

dynamics decisions a breeze –

in spite of their neutrality I

found them good to listen to,

and the net result was a non-

fatiguing working day. After a

short period of acclimatisation

I found the twotwos effectively

disappeared, allowing me to

get on with the job

unencumbered by monitor-

related distractions. Although

low frequency extension was

sufficient for me in my room

and similar to the response of

my usual loudspeakers, PMC

offers subwoofer solutions for

those requiring it.

I tried the XLR analogue

and AES inputs while working

with the .8s. Although taking

the analogue route implies an

additional A-D conversion in

the signal path, this didn’t

trouble me sound-wise when

compared to an all-digital

approach. As I have a number

of digital sources that would

require a patchbay to use the

digital input, I was content

going in analogue from my

DAC and being able to access

them via that as usual. I also

conducted a comparison with

the speakers in both

orientations, and although I

used the landscape mode the

majority of the time I found

no significant difference in

either way of working.

CONCLUSION

What I think PMC has

produced in the twotwo.8 is a

universal mid/near-field

monitor. By this I mean that it

could be used for any audio

job and will be at home in any

studio or location environment

where box size isn’t an issue:

this is a major achievement,

clearly the end result of much

research. In spite of the active

speaker sector being crowded

at present I’ve little doubt

both the twotwo range in

general and the .8 in particular

will be a success.


The largest in PMC’s twotwo series, thetwotwo.8 is an incredibly versatile option ina crowded market, writes Nigel Palmer.


PMC twotwo.8�� ACTIVE REFERENCE MONITORS

“In spite of theactive speakersector being

crowded at presentI’ve little doubt

both the twotworange in general

and the .8 inparticular will be

a success.”Nigel Palmer

INFORMATION

Feature set

• Advanced Transmission Line bass loading technology• Extensive analogue and digital connectivity to 192kHz• Powerful DSP engine controlling driver response,

crossover, and EQ• No sonic differences between vertical and horizontal

orientation• Two on-board Class D amplifiers (150W LF and 50W HF)

www.pmc-speakers.com

THE REVIEWERNIGEL PALMER has been afreelance sound engineer andproducer for over 20 years.He runs his CD masteringbusiness Lowland Maters(www.lowlandmasters.com)from rural Essex.

STOP – DON’T turn the

page or you will be in danger

of missing one of the best kept

secrets of savvy studio owners

around town. Do you work

with remote clients on a

telephone patch? Or across

continents with the amazing

voodoo of Source Connect?

Do you record talent who you

need to speak to in a booth?

or even (perish the thought)

with ‘the luddites blunt

weapon of choice’ – ISDN? If

so, then read on! This is a

really sexy little combo of

products that will please your

clients and your talent no-end.

GETTING TO THE

SOURCE OF IT

The Source Talkback part of

the combo is made by

Source-Elements and is an

AAX native 32- and 64-bit

plug-in (for Mac OSX 10.7

upwards) that gives console-

style talkback without any

hardware.

‘What features does it

have?’ I hear you ask. In Pro

Tools it allows simple talkback

activation in momentary mode

using the ‘\’ (backslash key); in

latching mode with ‘shift’ + ‘\’

and now, best of all, it comes

with auto talkback (like an

Avid Icon series) where the

talkback is off in play, and

open (activated) in any other

transport mode.

Set up is a breeze in Pro

Tools: create an aux input

track that has your mic input

(I used my Avid Omni input

2) and place the talkback aux

native plug on this track, and

route this to your talent’s

cans. Next, put the talkback

master native plug on your

master fader or wherever your

speakers are fed from. These

two plugs are glued together

with ‘software string’ so that

whenever you hit the

backslash key, click either of

the talkback plug-in buttons

or engage the auto talkback

feature, the GFX on the plugs

changes to ‘talkback open’ and

your monitoring is dimmed

by a user settable amount (in

the options menu). Voilà –

large console-style talkback in

seconds. It’s as easy as pie.

The software has been

thought out so that whatever

the plug is doing, whenever

you hit the ‘\’ key your talent

will hear you. If you are in

play using auto talkback and

your young puppy producer

insists on speaking before the

transport is stopped, just hit

the ‘\’ key and your talent will

hear them. If you then halt

the transport, auto talkback

will engage and you can let

go of the ‘\’ key. This brings

me neatly to the next part of

the solution.

REMOTE CONTROL

Michael Donahower at

Techshop NY has developed

2Q – an ingenious radio

remote control system for

audio consoles. This is a

sophisticated radio remote

that can be worn around your

neck (on a 2Q lanyard) that

can either activate a console

talkback system, or, in this

case, come programmed to

operate Source Talkback. It

comes as standard with two

remotes (and can operate with

up to 10) and a mains

powered receiver. The recover

for the Source Talkback

version has a foot switch jack

input and a USB output that

plugs into your Pro Tools

computer. I connected a

Yamaha sustain pedal to the

receiver to try. Unfortunately

that pedal was wired with the

logic reversed and pressing it

deactivated the talkback rather

than activating it. When the

USB lead was plugged in and

the unit was powered, up came

a Mac prompt that a keyboard

had been plugged in and gave

me a choice of three. I chose

Euro English – which seemed

to work nicely on my Pro

Tools PC running OSX

10.8.5. That was the sum total

of the installation.

SUMMARY

I cannot get the 2Q to hiccup,

misfire or so much as burp out

of tune. My studio is not large,

but the receiver doesn’t ever

fail to pick up the

transmissions. Clients love ‘the

dangly thing around the neck’

and find it easy to use and the

‘touch to talk’ logic just so

simple, even for TV producers!

Good enough even for

legendary producer Phil

Ramone? He loves it! Battery

life is estimated as at least

annual (with normal use).

So what could be

improved? The first thing

would be for Source Talkback

to go AAX DSP then VST

and AU for ‘other sound

applications’. It should also be

noted that Source Talkback

and the 2Q remote can be

used by musicians in the

booth as a listen back

activator (or ‘lazy talkback’ for

those with a broadcast

pedigree). The guitarist’s

SM58 over his smoking

Marshall cones will not work

well as a reverse talkback mic

as the levels would be very

wrong but if you rig another

microphone you can allow the

guitarist to press his 2Q and

Source Talkback will let him

discuss his delicious use of

chromatic Aeolian passing

notes over the subdominant

chord in the last take (or

not!). The 2Q system is

customisable for all major

console talkback systems. So

what’s not to love? It is an

inexpensive and very highly

recommended combo indeed.


Mike Aiton finds his communications nirvana with a nifty piece of kit offering console-style talkback without anyhardware and a radio remote control system for audio consoles.


Source Talkback and2Q Talkback Remote�� TALKBACK SYSTEM

“This is a reallysexy little comboof products thatwill please yourclients and yourtalent no-end.”

Mike Aiton

INFORMATION

Feature set

Source Talkback• AAX 64-compatibility • Momentary, Latching,

and Auto modes2Q• Wireless talkback • Range of over 75ft• Ability to use up to 10

transmitters

www.source-elements.comwww. twocue.com

THE REVIEWERMIKE AITON was weaned atthe BBC. But after breakingfree nearly 25 years ago andbecoming one of London'sbusiest freelance dubbingmixers, he can mostly befound in his Twickenhamdubbing suite, mikerophonics.In his spare time he takestherapy for his poor jazz guitarplaying and his addiction toskiing and Nikon lenses.

I HAVE to admit to having

something of a soft spot for the

Sony brand. It goes back to my

childhood: when I was a boy

my dad worked overseas for a

year. On his few trips home he

would always bring my brother

and I something special and on

one occasion we each received

Sony pocket radios. To this day

I can picture what it looked

like and, above all else,

remember the iconic name

emblazoned across the top.

There’s a purpose behind all

this misty eyed nonsense. Sony

has something that most start-

ups would kill for: a rock-solid

brand with the kind of heritage

that makes worn-out 40-

somethings like myself go all

soft and gooey. So when they

launch an all-new portable

recorder like the D100 we sit

up and take notice, particularly

when recording on the

go is something we’re very

much into.

GETTING ACQUAINTED

The D100 is part of Sony’s

High-Resolution Audio

initiative – a range of products

that the company says is

“designed to help music lovers

conveniently access and enjoy

the digital music they love in

the best playback quality”.

I can understand what this

means when it comes to

Walkmans (yes, the name is

back) but a portable recorder?

Looking at the machine’s spec

sheet gives a pretty big clue. As

well as MP3 and wav formats,

it also records in DSD, the

codec used in Super Audio

CDs. DSD is only 1 bit but

with an astonishingly high

sample sate of 2.8MHz. It’s

still fairly uncommon and in

fact the only other machine

I’ve used with DSD was the

Korg MR1 a few years back.

In wav mode, the D100 can

record at sample rates of up to

192kHz (24-bit), which is

pretty phenomenal. It comes

with 32GB of onboard

memory and a combined SD

card/memory stick slot, so

storage is easily expandable. It

has a body of aluminium and

plastic, two built-in 15mm mic

capsules with adjustable

positions (X/Y or wide), and

variable range.

The overall look of the

machine is restrained and

professional. On one side of

the body is a 3mm (minijack)

input for an external mic, a

line-in that doubles as an

optical connection, the record

level dial, and buttons for the

LCD backlight, plus the on/off

for the whole unit (not your

usual press-and-hold offering

but a real-life sliding switch).

Around the other side is the

input for a wired remote, the

headphone level dial and

connector and a line out (also

on 3mm jack). Oh, and the

whole thing runs on four AA

cells or mains power.

On the top (or the front,

depending on how you look at

it) is the greyscale LCD display

and navigation and control

buttons. These look similar to

the original Minidisc Walkman

machines I used as a BBC radio

reporter in the 90s and that’s no

bad thing. My review machine

came with no instruction

manual but I was able to find

my way around and get the

recorder set up in my chosen

format with no problem.

There are plenty of options

to play with, such as recording

across both on-board memory

and to an SD card or stick.

There’s also a limiter, an option

for Peak Hold on the meter,

and even the option to record

in two formats at once.

IN USE

For my testing I went for

something well within the

unit’s capabilities: 48kHz 24-

bit wav recording. There wasn’t

much point is going for DSD

mode as I don’t currently

having something capable of

playing back the files. Also,

using a known quantity would

let me compare the Sony with

other machines in my

embarrassingly large stable of

small recorders.

Press Rec once and the

machine arms; hit Pause and

off it runs. The material

(mainly dialogue and interview

audio) was crisp and clear and

there was no detectable preamp

hiss; the scourge of any

portable recorder. Voices were

well defined and sibilance free.

Interestingly, I also played

back some material that was

already on the SD card that

came with the test machine

(note to other reviewers: best

wipe your card before sending

back to the PR bods). This was

dialogue, in a range of

languages beyond my

comprehension, and also

ambient fx of railway stations

and other public places. It was

all clean and clear and mostly

recorded at 48k. A couple of

the recordings were seriously

over-moded but that would

have to be (the other) user (s’)

error as it’s a doddle to set level

using the dial (which has a very

neat flap covering the left/right

channel splitter).

SUMMARY

The Sony carries with it the

reputation and heritage of one

of the legends of the audio

electronic world. It’s an

impressive machine that is well

made and oozes quality.

But… and you may have

sensed this was coming…

there’s an issue. It’s a machine

that costs close to £800 and yet

it lacks something that plenty

of others have: XLR inputs.

Sitting next to my laptop right

now is my own portable

recorder. It produces high-

quality audio, is capable of six

channel recordings and has two

XLRs. I’ve been using it today

for a BBC Radio 4 interview,

hooked up to a shotgun mic. It

is a great machine but costs less

than half as much as the Sony.

That puts the Sony in an

odd position. It’s a great

machine but would I really

want to spend that much cash

on something without a pro-

audio connection? It has an

awful lot going for it but when

you factor in price, any

potential buyer needs to look

around the whole marketplace

before making their final

choice.


Jerry Ibbotson sees how the PCM-D100 – part of Sony’s new High-Resolution Audio initiative – stacks up in a competitive market.


�� PORTABLE AUDIO RECORDER

“The material wascrisp and clear and

there was nodetectable preamphiss; the scourge of

any portablerecorder.”

Jerry Ibbotsen

INFORMATION

Feature set

• Records at sample rates up to 192kHz (24-bit) and DSD• 32GB built-in flash memory• Powered via four AA batteries• Two adjustable 15mm unidirectional mics

www.pro.sony.eu/proaudio

THE REVIEWERJERRY IBBOTSON hasworked in pro audio for morethan 20 years, first as a BBCradio journalist and then as asound designer in the gamesindustry. He’s now a freelanceaudio producer and writer.

Sony PCM-D100

FAIRCHILD compressor/

limiters are revered for good

reason, as they can be heard on

some of the greatest records of

all time. But keeping those

vintage hardware units running

– complete with 20 tubes and

14 transformers – is not an

easy task. Luckily for us,

Universal Audio has modelled

a few classic ‘golden reference

units’ from Ocean Way Studios

then added several modern

touches for its own Fairchild

emulations, now available

direct from their website.

FEATURES

The collection includes new

660 and 670 models, as well as

the original 670 Legacy unit,

each of which can only run via

UA’s proprietary UAD-2

platform. They can be

instantiated as either mono or

mono/stereo; historically, the

660 is mono and the 670 is

stereo with Mid/Side

capabilities. While these

monsters sound great on

drums, vocals, and master bus

(or just about anything, for

that matter), let’s explore a few

simple ideas about how the

new 660 and 670 emulations

work on guitars and bass.

One of the first aspects to

understand is the use of Input

Gain versus Threshold. As the

manual notes, the original

unit’s input control is behind

the input transformer and

ahead of the tubes in its signal

chain. When you increase the

Input, the input tube is hit

harder, increasing distortion. If

you want the character of your

guitar or bass to have extra

grit, turn up the Input Control

knob and turn down

Threshold. To get a lot of

squash and grit, crank up both

Input and Threshold.

Further, users can play with

the small-but-useful HR

(Headroom Control) knob,

which lowers the internal

operating level. The default

position is where the small dot

is at 12 o’clock (a value of

16dB). To get more harmonic

distortion, turn the knob

clockwise (which increases the

dB value). The unit tends to

compress more when doing

that, which means you’ll

probably need to turn up the

Output control to compensate

for gain reduction.

It’s also useful to understand

the Time Constant knob with

variable attack and release

times. It’s a six-position switch

where settings one to four are

progressively slower behaviours

and five and six are program

dependent. Additional

attack/release variations are

also possible, enabling the

Sidechain Link and disabling

the Controls Link.

IN USE

Starting with a bass sound, an

edgy, aggressive characteristic

can be easily made by turning

up the Input Channel,

Headroom Control, and

Output. I like to set the Time

Constant to one or two, where

the unit tends to react fairly

quickly. Also, I set the

Metering knob to GR (Gain

Reduction), which allows me

to see (in dB) how hard the

compressor is ‘hit’. Of course, I

adjust all parameters

depending on the material, but

bass, in particular, can really

scream via UA’s Fairchild.

With it, I can undeniably hear

an increase in smoothness,

punch, and character.

Taking it a step further,

there are two additional

controls that offer quite a bit

of flexibility. The Sidechain

Filter controls a 12dB per

octave low-cut filter that goes

from 20 to 500Hz. Simply

put, this lets you take bass

frequencies out of the

compressor to limit excessive

gain reduction. Without the

Sidechain Filter, the entire

spectrum of frequencies in the

track will be compressed –

which has its place, of course.

But by pushing up the

Sidechain Filter value, users

leave those frequencies alone

and compress those above it.

With heavy electric guitar

parts, I like to set the

Sidechain Filter around

400Hz. What this does is

enable the compressor not to

‘squash’ as much overall,

because I essentially removed

the low end from hitting the

compressor. Those frequencies

get left alone while the lower

mids, mids, and top get

tightened up. Certainly, it’s

also quite useful on bass parts.

Normally, I tend not to

compress electric parts very

much, especially distorted tube

amps. But with this filter, I can

get it to be smooth and punchy

while also using the Output for

some extra gain. Sometimes,

however – especially with plug-

in based guitar amp emulations

– it sounds best to squash the

whole signal, leaving the

Sidechain off. It’s useful to

have the option when you

need it.

Last but not least, UA built

in a Mix knob – a feature I

would like to have on every

plug in, actually! While simple

in theory, it’s incredibly useful

in taste and touch. It sets the

output balance between the

dry signal and that of the one

processed by the compressor.

This lets you hit a bass or

guitar hard with overall

compression, then pull it back

from 100% (Wet) to get an

ideal blend of processed and

unprocessed. To navigate this

quickly, you can click on the

Mix graphic to move to 50%,

the 0 for 0%, and so on.

SUMMARY

Overall, the Fairlight

Collection is a great

complement for almost any

type of production track.

Specifically on guitar and bass,

users can control individual

track dynamics while

increasing thickness and

punch. Yet it’s the

combination of Input Gain,

Threshold, Time Constant,

Headroom, Sidechain Filter,

and Mix that helps me take

tracks to the next level. And

best of all, you’ll never have to

change a UA Fairlight tube.

Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

Universal Audio strikes gold once again with its Fairchildemulation plug-in series, writes Rich Tozzoli.


�� PLUG-IN COLLECTION

“Without theSidechain Filter, theentire spectrum offrequencies in the

track will becompressed –

which has its place,of course. But bypushing up theSidechain Filter

value, users leavethose frequencies

alone and compressthose above it.”

Rich Tozzoli

INFORMATION

Feature set

• Exact modeling of Ocean Way Studio’s Fairchild units (660 and 670) including tube amplifiers and transformers

• ‘Digital only’ features include Sidechain filtering, dry/wet parallel blend, and Headroom control

• Six attack and release Time Constants• Artist presets from Darrell Thorp, Michael Brauer,

Ryan West, and more

www.uaudio.com

Universal AudioFairchild Tube Limiter

THE REVIEWERRich Tozzoli is the softwareeditor for PAR as well as anaccomplished recordingengineer, composer fortelevision, and activemusician.

INTERVIEW Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com


FROM an early age, recording engineer

Jakob Händel knew he wanted his life to

revolve around music. After training as a

violinist and percussionist during his

school days, he went on to study business

administration in Germany, France, and

San Francisco (a more ‘useful’ career

path, according to his father). Upon

graduating he started working for one of

Germany’s philharmonic orchestras as an

administrator, all the while recording

them using two Neumann KM140s he

bought with a loan.

Tired of counting money in the back

room, Händel embarked on a massive

career change, starting as a coffee boy

for an OB company, quickly becoming a

technician, and then taking off on his

own as a freelance recording engineer.

Now, with multiple awards to his

name (including two Grammys, four

Echo Klassiks, and a Gramophone), we

catch up with Händel to find out about

his rise to critical acclaim, working

around the globe, and, most importantly,

what he packs in his luggage…

Tell me a bit of where your job has

taken you in 2013.

I did 41 productions last year. I’m

jumping from one thing to the other

but mostly do orchestra productions.

I’m open to everything and I think I’m

really not compatible to [working for] a

company. I’m very emotionally led. If

I’m convinced of anything I can move

mountains. If I’m not interested, I

couldn’t care less.

You worked on the Keanu Reeves

movie Man of Tai Chi. Can you tell me

more about that?

Yes, it was quite a funny project.

Volkswagen was a co-sponsor of the

movie and Sennheiser was the sponsor

for the sound. My duty was to record

the film scoring and the sound of the

supercars, so I had to record all the

Lamborghinis and Bugattis and

Bentleys. We had some fun.

I went to China for almost three

weeks to work with the composer. The

funny thing is that we did everything at

once, so we were working while the

movie was being done, which was a great

opportunity to see the production side

and meet Keanu Reeves a few times.

How has your mobile set-up evolved

over the years?

In 1996 I bought a Stagetec Reference

A-D, one of the first in Germany, and I

had a Genex 8-track recorder. It was a

wonderful unit to learn how a

microphone sounds and how acoustics

work. It’s really neutral. It’s not musical

so you need to create the music with it.

Then I went into a very nice system

called Metric Halo. The first production

I did with it was immediately bought by

Deutsche Grammophon.

I then went into Merging

Technologies’ Horus and I’m very happy

with it. It’s just there. I don’t want to have

to concentrate on technical issues when I

record music. It’s just a tool and that’s it.

In 2002 I met Claude [Cellier, CEO

of Merging Technologies] at the Music

Fair in Frankfurt and said ‘what is this

toy? Can I make money with it?’ and I

became one of the first people in

Germany to have Pyramix. I bought

Pyramix because it was offering the

MADI solution. I still have the card but

now I’m travelling only with a

MacBook Pro working with a Pyramix

express card and from tomorrow on I’ll

be working on Ravenna.

I have a JoeCo as a safety on stage

along with the Horus. I had the whole

thing modified because I sometimes

have it on the rooftop, and if there’s any

sort of power down, even just for a

millisecond, the machine goes off.

What about microphones?

I’m fully on Sennheiser and Josephson,

which are wonderful microphones. It’s a

Gefell capsule with a Josephsen body

and I’m in love with it. For live

recordings Josephson is a wonderful

microphone as it excuses a lot of noises

and concentrates on the musical

happenings rather than making

everything very clear and transparent,

like page turning or breathing. I’m even

modifying my DPA 4041 with a

custom-made Josephson body.

I’m reducing the amount of

microphones compared to years ago, not

only because I know how to use them

but also because I have better rooms and

halls. I’ve been touring with orchestras

and using 20 microphones and setting

up the same way every night and then

being able to cut between different halls.

By doing this you learn a lot about

acoustics and the sounds of the halls

when you have A/B comparisons.

That’s what I’m doing now in

Belgrade as we don’t have access to the

big hall. I have done some recording in

the big hall and have been able to

recreate this atmosphere in the

rehearsal room.

I’ve also been experimenting with

Sennheiser twin microphones quite a

lot where you can adjust the different

acoustics by changing the characteristic

of the microphone, which is very nice.

Lastly, I heard a rumour that you’ve

also worked with Rammenstein?

Yes! I did eight live concerts with them.

The situation was that the OB van with

a DiGiCo console didn’t work together

with the FOH. So they asked me to

come with my mobile MADI recorder

plus 16 microphones in the audience,

which was huge. I bought 500m of

cable just for those microphones.

I hated it the first two concerts and

loved it after that. I thought it wasn’t my

cup of tea but now I’m open to anything.

www.classicaudio.de

With 41 productions on four continents under his belt in 2013, German recordingengineer, mixer, composer, and location recordist Jakob Händel has become oneof the most in-demand professionals in the pro-audio industry, writes Jory Mackay.

Handling Pressure

Audio Media February 2014

Documents

Transcript of Audio Media February 2014