Audiomedia 2013 06

No. 271 G June 2013 www.audiomedia.
com
Special preview of
Yamaha's brand new
integrated audio post
production system
p40
p32
Nuage
IN THIS ISSUE
III ROVIO III TECHNOLOGY FOCUS III IZ TECHNOLOGY ADA II
Live consoles and personal
monitoring round-up
Modular conversion system Visit the sonic
nest of Angry
Birds
p25
p43
REFURBISHMENT is a common strategy
for facility refreshment, but the
motivations behind every instance are a
varied bunch. It might be that change is
forced or at least required for
maintenance of business. New audio
formats, for example, can require
investment from a studio. Atmos is a
significant case more speakers,
equipment upgrades, and even
acoustics work might be required to
ensure that the same customers from
last year will return next year, though
this is also a case where early adopters stand a chance of
actually increasing business. Its also not so bad when you
can look along the economic bucket-chain and see, say, a
growth in cinema receipts as a direct result, which then
gets returned in the form of increased future business.
In these cases, the catalyst for change is external more
annoying when you have to invest in change that has no
overall benefit, or is simply required to keep things flat.
Another motivation may be to escape stagnation to
find a way to provoke a step-change in your business.
This is tricky because you have to step to one side and
distinguish what you perceive as stagnation and what your
customers perceive as consistency. You might be bored of
reminding newcomers that the hot tap is actually on the
left, but a regular client might see that knowledge as an
instrument of belonging a little piece of membership.
They might enjoy demonstrating to new directors that they
know exactly where you keep the mustard.
Investment in change should be constructive. Is there
new opportunity for your client? Can you welcome them
into the remodeled lobby and in one sentence conjure up a
picture of a revised economic bucket chain where they
actually gain something? It might not be directly financial
it could be a creative gain. However, the chain always
has to be considered because someone, somewhere, will
have to pay for it... Even if you just hand out bigger
buckets.
On the theme of renewal, you may have noticed a few
changes to Audio Media this month: New owner, new
design, new names in the editorial credits As part of our
integration into the Intent Media family (a UK Publishing
company, bought by NewBay Media back in December
2012) we've had a bit of a refurbishment ourselves. I'd
particularly like to welcome Jake Young, Staff Writer, and
Jo Ruddock, Managing Editor. Next month we will also be
joined by Jory MacKay, who will become Deputy Editor.
Paul Mac, Editor
...A regular client might see that knowledge as an
instrument of belonging a little piece of
membership. They might enjoy demonstrating to
new directors that they know exactly where you
keep the mustard.
Editor
Paul Mac
paul.mac@intentmedia.co.uk
Staff Writer
Jake Young
jake.young@intentmedia.co.uk
Managing Editor
Jo Ruddock
jo.ruddock@intentmedia.co.uk
Sales Manager
Graham Kirk
g.kirk@audiomedia.com
Head of Design & Production
Adam Butler
adam.butler@intentmedia.co.uk
Production Executive
Jason Dowie
jason.dowie@intentmedia.co.uk
Designer
Jat Garcha
jat.garcha@intentmedia.co.uk
Publisher
Steve Connolly
steve.connolly@intentmedia.co.uk
Press releases to:
pressreleases@intentmedia.co.uk
Intent Media 2013. No part of this publication may
be reproduced in any form or by any means without
prior permission of the copyright owners.
Audio Media is published by Intent Media London,
1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road,
London N1 8LR, England.
Editorial tel +44 (0)20 7354 6002
Sales tel +44 (0)20 7354 6000
Audio Media ISSN number: ISSN 0960-7471 (Print)
Circulation & Subscription enquiries
Tel: +44 (0)20 7354 6001
email: lianne.davey@intentmedia.co.uk
Printed by Stephen & George, Wales
WELCOME
www.audiomedia.com June 2013 03
MEET THE TEAM
June 2013
Issue 271
[ ][ ]
[ ]
[ ]
C
O
V
E
R
A joint development
between Yamaha and
Steinberg, the Nuage post
solution includes the
Nuendo DAW at its core.
Stephen Bennett has
the detail. p40
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
ADVERTISERSINDEX
Allen & Heath............................................28
Blue Microphones ...................................52
Cadac.........................................................33
Cerwin Vega..............................................11
dbx..............................................................34
Develop Conference...............................46
DiGiCo..........................................................2
DPA Microphones ......................................5
Genelec .....................................................26
Mogami .....................................................30
PLASA.........................................................45
PMC............................................................17
PreSonus......................................................9
Prism ..........................................................15
Pro Sound Awards...................................42
Radial Engineering...................................51
Richmond Film Studios...........................16
Riedel .........................................................24
RDE Microphones ................................36
Sennheiser ................................................23
Sonnox.......................................................27
Sonodyne ....................................................8
Soundcraft ................................................39
Sound Technology...................................37
Steinberg ...................................................13
Waves.........................................................20
Yamaha ......................................................31
YellowTec ..................................................14
CONTENTS Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
04 June 2013 www.audiomedia.com
NEWS
TECHNOLOGY...........................6
I Avid launches S3L compact live
sound platform
I Harrison introduces MPC5 film
console
I UDX Series relaunch for
Amadeus
INDUSTRY ................................10
I Pro Sound Awards: Send us your
nominations now
I Jake Young takes a look at the
infrastructure behind Eurovision
I ABTT expands in east London
I InfoComm 2013 preview
THEATRE SOUND ...................29
I The newly restored Theatre
Royal de Liege now boasts a state-
of-the-art L-Acoustics KIVA sound
system and a Soundcraft Vi4
console, writes Paul Watson
FEATURES
FOCUS: Live digital consoles ............32
REVIEWS
iZ Technology iZ ADA II .......................43
Grimm Audio LS1 and LS1s.................44
Studiomaster Horizon 2012 ...............47
VIDEO GUIDE: Channel delivery ......48
TECHNOLOGY
p48
ALSO INSIDE
Whats Up UK:
Kevin Hilton on
White Space devices......16
Geo Focus:
Benelux............................18
Classic Cut:
Manhunter ......................50
By Paul Mac
FOLLOWING close behind
the recent Pro Tools 11
announcements, Avid has
launched its new compact live
sound platform based on the
E3 HDX-powered
processing engine, running
AAX plug-ins. The S3L is a
compact and modular
networked live sound system
with modular I/O based
around the Stage 16 stagebox,
expandable to up to 64 mic
pres and Ethernet AVB
connectivity. The network can
accommodate dasiy-chained
I/O for a redundant, self-
healing network ring and
allows direct connection to
computer for 64
channels of direct
audio recording/
playback.
The new S3 control
surface will be fully
EUCON compatible, so
you can use to control
not only the S3L
system, but also
any Pro Tools
system or other
EUCON compliant
software.
Being based around
Venue software, all Venue
showfiles are compatible.
However, there are some new
S3L-optimised functions.
These include a new Media
page, EQ and dynamics on
outputs, drag-and-drop
device features, and enhanced
Virtual Soundcheck.
Other
features include direct
Flashdrive playback and
playlist integration with
Venue snapshots and events, a
large suite of bundled AAX
plug-ins, S3 local I/O. The
E3 engine includes a bus
count of 24 aux, LCR,
eight mono matrix, and eight
VCA. It can run a four-band
parameteric EQ,
compressor/limiter, and
expander/gate on all inputs
and outputs, and has 16
graphic EQs available to the
system.
www.avid.com
TECHNOLOGY NEWS Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
Avid S3L: Its Alive!
TWO LOW COST VERSIONS OF SADIE 6
Prism Sound has launched
two new versions of its
SADiE 6 audio production
and recording software:
SADiE 6 Professional and
SADiE 6 Lite.
SADiE 6 Lite presents the
core capabilities of SADiE in
an entry-level package, while
SADiE 6 Professional can
handle unlimited tracks and
incorporates one years free
support including all major
updates.
Both SADiE Lite and
SADiE Professional include
SADiEs streamlined array of
flexible and non-destructive
editing tools such as the
Playlist, Trim and Region
editors.
They also provide a
slimmed down core set of
iZotope VST plug-ins and the
palette of SADiE channel
strip processing.
www.sadie.com
www.prismsound.com
CR3 PRO-RIBBON CINEMA SCREEN SYSTEM
Extending Alcons
evolutionary Digital Cinema
sound system programme,
the Dutch company has
developed the CR3
three-way pro-ribbon
cinema screen system. It is
specifically aimed at
medium-sized applications,
where projection control
and 1:1 accurate, non-
compressed digital sound
reproduction is required.
Due to the Alcons
pro-ribbon transducer
technology, the CR3 offers a
linear response to above
20kHz; the absence of a
compression mechanism
ensures tonal balance from
the lowest to highest SPLs,
while the Real-90
horizontal dispersion of the
guarantees a very stable
sound field throughout the
operating bandwidth.
www.digitalcinemaready.info
NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR BROADCAST
Qualis Audio, a developer of
professional audio
measurement and
monitoring instruments, with
an emphasis on 5.1 surround
sound, has introduced three
new technologies for
broadcast. VisiLog
automatic as-run based
loudness reporting
provides useful, actionable
reports of loudness for every
programme and
commercial; Sentinel S16 a
sixteen-channel HD-SDI
interface enables
measurements on one
surround programmr and up
to five ancillary stereo pairs;
while Sentinel SD8 eight
channel HD-SDI and AES-3
audio monitor and meter
enables measurements on
one surround programmr
and one ancillary stereo pair
on any combination of AES-
3 and HD-SDI inputs.
www.qualisaudio.com
XILS V+ AVAILABLE
XILS-labs XILS V+ virtual
instrument and effects plug-in
is a faithful emulation of the
Roland VP-330 Vocoder Plus.
Just like the real thing,
XILS V+ features a 10-band
vocoder, top octave divider-
based strings and human
voices or layering of any
of these three elements. It
successfully captures the
keyboards top octave
divider oscillators unique
sound, the ensemble
(chorus) circuitry featuring
a compander and four
bucket brigade delays, the
voice and vocoder vibratos
(based on two more bucket
brigade delays), the 14 filters
involved in producing that
Human Voice Ensemble
sound, the three filters used
for the Strings section, the
40 vocoder filters, and
Attack, Release, and Glide
circuitry.
www.xils-lab.com
DPA
launches
d:dicate
By Jake Young
THE NEW d:dicate range
from DPA incorporates the
entire Reference Standard
modular range (that now
carries the new branding) and
adds two capsules.
First, the new 4018
supercardioid capsule is the
counterpart to the 4018V
capsule used in the companys
d:facto vocal microphone.
Also joining the range will be
the 4007 omni capsule
known for its wide dynamic
range and high SPL
handling.
Both capsules can be used
in the modular format and
are entirely compatible with
other d:dicate capsules and
preamplifiers.
www.dpamicrophones.com
Flare Audio presents X5
By Jake Young
FLARE Audio has launched
X5; a line-array system that is
claimed to have eliminated
speaker resonance and
slashed THD levels.
Using its Space and Vortex
technologies, Flare has created
what it says is a sonically
invisible enclosure; only the
information thats being sent
to X5 is coming back out.
X5 is a passive, three-way
box and combines one 15-inch
driver, two 6.5-inch drivers and
two one-inch drivers. Thanks
to its interchangeable HF
plates, a range of dispersion
options are available, which
means X5 is effective when
ground stacked or deployed as
a single FOH enclosure.
www.flareaudio.com
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Harrison introduces MPC5 film console
By Jake Young
HARRISON is launching
the newest version of the
MPC series: the MPC5.
The console promises all of
the most in-demand
features including, notably,
Dolby Atmos and Auro 3D
panning with 64-channel
monitoring and speaker
management processing.
At the time of writing, the
construction of the first two
MPC5 systems was underway
at Harrisons factory in
Nashville, each destined for
high-profile customers.
Creative Sound, a film
post-production facility in
France, has chosen a large-
format Harrison MPC5
digital film mixing console for
its new facility located near
the Rue du Commerce area of
central Paris. The MPC5 will
be the centrepiece in a new
450 cubic metre Atmos-
capable film mixing stage.
The console will include a
672-input Harrison Xrange
64-bit processing engine, a
full suite of Harrison
Xtools film specific plug-ins,
and a dual operator MPC5
control surface.
Sony Pictures new
Harrison for the recently
renovated Stage 17 in Sony
Pictures Studios, Culver City,
California will be based on a
144-channel Harrison
Xrange 64-bit processing
engine.
www.harrisonconsoles.com
Focusrite Scarlett
18i8 and 6i6
FOCUSRITE has introduced
two new members of its
Scarlett range of USB 2.0
audio interfaces: the Scarlett
18i8 (18 in, eight out) and
Scarlett 6i6 (six in, six out).
The Scarlett 18i8
(pictured) includes four mic
preamps. It can also record up
to four line inputs at the
same time. An ADAT option
allows the connection of
external mic preamps such as
Focusrites OctoPre Mk II,
extending the number of mic
pres to 12.
The Scarlett 6i6 is
designed to allow recording
on a smaller scale. In addition
to two Focusrite mic preamps
it features a stereo line input.
www.focusrite.com
elysia releases
xfilter 500
THE xfilter 500 is a true
linked stereo EQ in the 500
series format. It gives a
precise stereo image based on
computer-selected, stepped
potentiometers and low
tolerance film capacitors.
This EQ offers high and
low shelving filters that can
be switched into high and
low cut filters with
additional resonance
peaks, two mid-range
peak filters with wide
and narrow Q, plus
an additional switched
LC stage with shielded
coils for a glorious
top end.
www.elysia.com
IZOTOPE has licensed
multiple audio processing
technologies for inclusion in
the new Adobe Premiere Pro
CC, the video production
component of Adobe Creative
Cloud. The cross-platform
video editor now features a
suite of audio effects including
convolution reverb, vocal
enhancer, mastering tools and
single and multiband
compressors.
Were happy to continue
our relationship with Adobe by
making this collection of
iZotope tools, currently
available in Adobe Audition,
available to Adobe Premiere
Pro CC users as well, said
Scott Simon, Business
Development Manager for
iZotope. Were excited to help
even more members of the
creative media community
enhance their audio.
www.izotope.com
Studiologic doubles
Sledge polyphony
A FREE firmware update is
available for Studiologics
Sledge analogue modelling
synthesiser. The upgrade,
which effectively doubles the
instruments polyphony from
eight voices to 16, is already
in all new units, and is
available for units already in
the field as of spring 2013.
The Sledge is equipped
with 32 pots, PPG Wave
wavetables, and now 16-
voice polyphony all for
only $1,599, said
Studiologic National Sales
Manager Bryan Pistone.
www.studiologic-music.com
Adobe Premiere Pro CC
adds audio technology
Nugen Audio reveals
dialogue gate option
NUGEN Audio has released
an update to its LM-Correct
loudness analysis and
correction tool and its
Loudness Management Batch
(LMB) processor. The update
adds a dialogue gate option to
both tools that enables sound
engineers to measure dialogue
sections within source
material automatically.
In addition, new presets
within LM-Correct add a
10-second, short-term
loudness sliding window that
works in conjunction with the
dialogue-gated program
loudness. Similarly, LMB
benefits from the addition of
a fully adjustable short-term
sliding window parameter,
making it possible to adhere
to specifications based upon
variants of the typical EBU
three-second measure.
www.nugenaudio.com
AMADEUS, a French
manufacturer of high-end
sound reinforcement systems
and custom studio speakers,
has relaunched its UDX
Series passive speakers 30
years after releasing its first
edition.
Including four different
models, the UDX Series is
perfectly adapted to sound
reinforcement applications in
concert halls, auditoriums,
conference rooms and
theatres. Designed to be
included within fixed or
long-lasting installations,
each UDX speaker system
can also be used in touring
applications as a stage
monitor when fitted with
optional accessories. The
newly redesigned UDX Series
is now available from licensed
Amadeus distributors and
dealers throughout Europe
and Asia, from 1,090 to
1,990 (VAT excluded),
depending on the model.
www.amadeusaudio.fr
TECHNOLOGY NEWS Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
Amadeus relaunches
UDX Series speakers
KAOZ THEORY FOR IMASCHINE
Native Instruments
has launched a
new range of
iMaschine
Expansions with
the release of Kaoz Theory
created by the DJ and
producer Kerri 'Kaoz'
Chandler. The Expansion
contains six kits, two
instruments and two full
projects. The three Drum
Kits are made up of gritty,
analogue kicks, snares, hats,
and claps. A Melodic Kit
provides the trademark
Chandler synth chords while
two Special Kits deliver
basses, vocal samples, synth
stabs and keys.
www.native-
instruments.com
IKLIP 2 AND IKLIP
IK Multimedia is now
shipping the iKlip 2 universal
mic stand adapter, in
versions for iPad and iPad
mini. iKlip 2 is the next
generation of the iKlip line,
and offers sturdy support and
ease of positioning for the
tablet. IK is also shipping iKlip
Studio for iPad mini, a secure
and durable tabletop stand
thats just like iKlip Studio, but
is sized for the iPad mini.
www.ikmultimedia.com
ISOACOUSTICS DEBUTS ISO-L8R130
IsoAcoustics ISO-L8R130
isolation-enhancing stand
designed for small studio
monitors, desktop and
bookshelf speakers is now
shipping.
The ISO-L8R130 stand
shares all the features found
in the ISO-L8R155 and ISO-
L8R200, including the
floating architecture for
audio image stabilising. The
stand measures 5.1-inches
wide and 6-inches deep and
comes with tubing to
configure it to 2.5-inches or
7.5-inches in height as well
as two sets of adjustor
inserts to provide 14
variations of height and tilt
adjustments.
www.isoacoustics.com
THE Professional Solutions
division of Sony Europe Ltd
is the latest high-profile
player to sign up in support
of the Pro Sound Awards, to
be held at the Ministry of
Sound on 19 September
2013.
The lobbying period for
the Awards will remain open
until the 14 June, so drop us
a line with your nomination
now. All you need to do is
write (up to) 300 words on
who/what deserves wider
recognition, and email it to
prosoundawards@
intentmedia.co.uk. Lobbying
is free, making your thoughts
known is easy (you just email
us) and anyone can do it.
The Awards will cover the
main pro-audio sectors,
recognising excellence in
Live/Touring, Studio,
Installed Sound and
Broadcast Audio, along with
four special awards for Rising
Star, Marketing Campaign/
Initiative of the Year, Grand
Prix and Lifetime
Achievement.
Sennheiser, DiGiCo,
Focusrite Novation, Fineline
Media Finance, and Martin
Audio are already onboard as
sponsors. Some 16 different
accolades will be up for grabs
during the evening. There
will also be a complimentary
drinks reception and post-
awards party.
The three awards in the
Studio section are sure to be
hotly contested, so who is
eligible for each award?
Engineer of the Year Any
engineer (mastering,
recording, post production)
who has contributed
significant input or
innovation to a commercially
available project.
Recording Production of
the Year Any commercially
available audio recording
(single/album/soundtrack)
worthy of merit.
Studio of the Year Any
recording/tracking facility
that has shown exemplary
work.
I For a full list of Award
categories visit the Pro Sound
Awards website.
I Lobbying is free: just send
a short pitch up to 300
words for each award to
prosoundawards
@intentmedia.co.uk.
www.prosoundawards.com
NEWS Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
The lobbying period for the Pro Sound Awards closes on June 14.
>>> RECORDING
Todd-AO hires
Mark Paterson
Todd-AO has added
Academy Award-winning
Re-recording Mixer Mark
Paterson to its creative team
in Los Angeles.
Coming fresh from an
awards season that saw
success in the sound mixing
category for Les Miserables at
the Academy Awards and
BAFTAs UK-based Paterson
is leaving Goldcrest in
London to take on the role.
Todd-AO has long been
a company I have aspired to
be a part of, and it is a real
thrill for me to have this
opportunity to work side by
side with the extraordinary
collection of creative talent
at both Todd-AO and
Soundelux, said Paterson.
I can sense that the
passion for excellence in
sound is alive and well in
this group of people.
www.toddao.com
www.toddsoundelux.com
Early bird tickets are currently available for the 19 September
event for just 30. For more information contact
sarah.harris@intentmedia.co.uk
There are a number of partnership opportunities available. For
details contact ryan.odonnell@intentmedia.co.uk or call
+44 (0)20 7354 6000
>>> POST
European
Lennon
Bus fits
Genelec
and Avid
The recently launched
European John Lennon
Educational Tour Bus has
been loaded with Avid
software and Genelec
monitors.
Avid has donated a host of
equipment, including Pro
Tools HD Native and Pro
Tools HDX DAWs, Sibelius
music composition and
notation software, Media
Composer non-linear video
editing systems and Artist
Series control surfaces.
Each of the two studios on
the bus has a complete 5.1
surround system comprising
five 8240As and a 7260A
subwoofer. The 8240A is a
bi-amplified DSP two-way
monitoring system. Two
AD9200A analogue to
digital convertors combine
with the 7200 Series DSP
subwoofers to reach the full
potential of the onboard
DSP monitoring system.
Students can also make use
of two larger 8050As
complete with IsoPod floor
stands for outdoor
monitoring and performance.
www.avid.com
www.lennonbus.org
www.genelec.com
>>> RECORDING
>>> LIVE
THE UNDERGLOBE HOUSES FIRST FULL PRODUCTION
To celebrate the Bards birthday
in April, a concert audio
production set-up was allowed
into the Underglobe, the 1,500-
capacity events space situated
beneath Shakespeares Globe
Theatre in London.
Live production company
ARC Sound was asked to plan
and produce a working
solution. Billed as an evening
of music and magic, ARC
Sound deployed a JBL VerTec
line source array loudspeaker
system and Soundcraft Vi
Series digital mixing consoles
as the key sound
reinforcement components.
Headlining were The Magic
Numbers, supported by singer
songwriter Johnny Flynn,
along with magicians Barry
and Stuart, and Chris Cox.
www.harman.com
Pro Sound Awards:
Nominate now!
By Jake Young
IT WAS the fifth time
Sweden hosted the Eurovision
Song Contest, and although
host broadcaster SVT tried to
cut costs (the budget in Malm
was a quarter of that in Baku
in 2012) it still required 95
transport trucks (25 stage
only), three weeks for rigging,
and a 250-strong show crew.
The 2013 Eurovision Song
Contest marked the shows
58th year, making it one of
the longest running and most
technologically advanced
television programmes in the
world. When Audio Media
went backstage on the
afternoon of the Jury Final,
Jonas Nsby, Service/
Application Engineer at
Sennheiser Nordic, was
present to share his expertise
in RF technology, including
the Sennheiser Digital 9000
system which made its
Eurovision Song Contest
debut.
If were talking RF, the
microphones and in-ears
need to cover the satellite
stage and the main stage, he
said. We also supply in-ear
feeds for a lot of the crew.
The Steadicams run around
with in-ear packs because it
sounds so much better than a
Motorola radio.
Under the stage was the
main RF wall, where all the
receivers and in-ear controls
were located. Antennas were
placed stage left and stage
right, split into three different
frequency ranges. When you
connect an antenna to a
Digital 9000 it will
automatically calibrate itself,
explained Nsby.
When you then scan with
the 9000 receiver it switches
through a number of filter
banks inside the antennas, so
we can select what kind of
frequency range we want to
operate. We then split it into
three different ranges to
handle the channel count that
we need for this production.
PFL was carried out on all
microphones before they
went onstage, so a defective
microphone could be replaced
with a backup. It goes out
through the split system so
that no one in the OB truck
or the front of house has to
reconfigure anything to
change their presets, said
Nsby.
In total around 140
channels were co-ordinated
for in-ears; all the
microphones used in the
arena and microphones used
in the green room, Press
Centre and for ENG crews.
www.sennheiser.com
NEWS Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
Live from Malm
>>> LIVE
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>>> POST
DOCK10 AND MIKE
STEWART COLLABORATE
dock10, the MediaCityUK-
based media services
provider, has extended its
post-production services
with a newly-created
second dubbing suite and
an exclusive arrangement
with Senior Dubbing Mixer
Mike Stewart.
Stewart will work
exclusively for dock10 in
the current 5.1 suite and
from the new suite, Dub 2,
which offers a full Pro Tools
HD system.
Paul Austin, Head of Post
Production and Content,
said: Were very excited to
be working with someone
of Mikes experience and
reputation.
www.dock10.co.uk
>>> CINEMA
THE AMERICAN PAVILION
AT CANNES CHOOSES JBL
SPEAKERS
Harmans JBL Professional
provided four CBT 70J-1
column loudspeakers for
The American Pavilion at
the 66th Cannes Film
Festival. Because of the
CBT 70J-1s drivers and
JBLs CBT pattern control,
the loudspeakers provided
the American Pavilion with
sonic fidelity and even
coverage throughout the
space. The system
included four JBL CBT 70J-
1 column loudspeakers
instead of the 20
distributed loudspeakers
that had previously been
considered.
www.harman.com
www.ampav.com
>>> LIVE
P!NK GOES LIVE WITH
L-ACOUSTICS
FOH Engineer Chris Madden
has specified the use of a full
L-Acoustics K1 system for the
entire duration of P!NKs
global tour, which is being
equipped by Sydney,
Australias JPJ Audio. The
main arrays for P!NKs current
arena tour are comprised of
14 K1 plus six KARA per side
for down fill, with a small
middle array of six KARA
flown to cover the audience
area between the main stage
and curved thrust. An
additional six KARA spread out
under the front edge of the
main stage helps pull the
sound image down further for
the crowd at the front.
www.jps.com.au
www.l-acoustics.com
>>> POST
NEW AUDIO FACILITY FOR
EXTREME MUSIC
Studio and design
consultancy White Mark has
completed a major project for
Extreme Music to design
and install an entire audio
complex at the companys
new headquarters in London.
The complex includes a large
mastering studio, a mixing
studio that can also be used
for track laying and three
self-contained audio editing
suites.
The mastering room has
natural daylight and is
equipped with a Pro Tools
system, PMC monitors and
audiophile processing
equipment from Analogue
Tube, Avalon, Manley, Weiss
and TC Electronic.
www.whitemark.com
RETURNING to The Old
Truman Brewery in east
London for the second year,
the ABTT 2013 Theatre
Show will be bigger than
ever with expansion into
three exhibition halls
creating space for around
50% more stands.
Theatre Show
Administrator Isobel Hatton
said: Weve responded to
positive feedback from
exhibitors and visitors and
expanded into the lower hall
to provide more space for
stands and to improve visitor
circulation. The new layout
also creates interlinked halls
to provide visitors with a
circular route around the
whole show.
Hatton added: This
layout has also enabled us to
expand the caf and add a
bar area so we can offer
more comfortable and
relaxed areas for the all-
important networking
opportunities.
As well as showing the
latest advances in sound,
staging and other
technologies for the theatre
industry, a key element in
the expansion of the
Association of British
Theatre Technicians event
this year will be extra
seminar space to
accommodate over 100
people at a time and more
than three times as many
seminars as last year. ABTT
Seminars 2013 cover a range
of subjects, including advice
on theatre training and
practice and updates on
regulations. The programme
will run in two separate
rooms over both days of the
show on 12-13 June.
Companies set to be in
attendance include Audio-
Technica, TC Group, Polar
Audio and Riedel.
www.abtttheatreshow.org.uk
ABTT expands in east London
>>> EVENT
INFOCOMMreturns to the
Orange County Convention
Center in Orlando this
month. With conferences
from 8-14 June and the
exhibition opening on 12
June, attendees can look
forward to a packed schedule
of education, training and
technology debuts.
Highlights on the show
floor include live
demonstrations of Cadacs
CDC8 and CDC Four
digital mix systems.
This will include the
CDC8-32 and
ultra-compact
CDC8-16 frame-
size consoles
offering identical 128 channel
I/Os, functionality, and
processing capabilities; the
CDC8-16S expansion sidecar
connectable with a single
Ethernet cable and providing
16 additional faders and HD
touch screen control surface;
and the CDC 32/16 and
64/48 I/O MegaComms
expansion racks.
Boschs Plena matrix
Digital Sound System will
make its US debut. The new
system includes an intuitive
graphical user interface, a
DSP processor, two types of
four-channel Class D
amplifiers, a call station, and
a wall panel. Up to eight
zones can easily be addressed
with different
announcements, music or live
speech, and can be controlled
wirelessly via an iPad, iPod,
or iPhone.
Community Professional
Loudspeakers is introducing
the Commercial Design
Series, a comprehensive
family of ceiling, surface
mount, and pendant
loudspeakers.
Commercial Design
models offer a choice of
4.5-inch, 6.5-inch and
8-inch driver sizes.
DPA Microphones is set to
launch the d:dicate
Recording Microphone range
at InfoComm 2013. See
News page 6 for more.
JBL Professional is
showcasing its JRX200 Series
portable passive PA
loudspeakers, upgraded from
the previous JRX100 Series.
The four models in the
JRX200 lineup include the
JRX212 12-inch two-way
loudspeaker/stage monitor,
JRX215 15-inch two-way
speaker, JRX225 dual 15-
inch two-way speaker and
JRX218S 18-inch compact
subwoofer.
Outline will be continuing
its 40th anniversary
celebrations at InfoComm.
On the companys stand will
be a live demonstration of
the GTO C-12, which uses
technology derived from the
larger-format dual-15-inch
GTO introduced in 2011 but
is smaller and 30% lighter.
PreSonus will focus on
members of its StudioLive
AI family of active
integration speakers. On
show will be the StudioLive
328AI, 315AI, 312AI and
18sAI active integration sub.
Riedel will present its
MediorNet MN-C-OPT-
HDMI and MN-HDO-4IO
universal video cards
supporting a variety of small
form-factor pluggable (SFP)
optical transceivers. The new
video cards enable the
flexible configuration of
MediorNet systems for
bidirectional transport of
analogue composite video,
HDMI, DVI and optical or
coaxial SDI signals.
www.infocommshow.org
Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com NEWS
InfoComm 2013
>>> EVENT
Cadac consoles will be
demoed in Orlando.
>
>
>
Riedel will present its
MediorNet MN-HDO-4IO
universal video card.
>
>
>
NEWS WHATS UP UK
Watch This White Space
As the UK gets ready to give its 'white space' spectrum over to new wireless networking technologies, some
voice concern that this might be the third person on a two-seat sofa, writes Kevin Hilton
THE latest new technology
that has the backing and
enthusiasm of both the
government and broadcast/
frequency regulator Ofcom is
White Space Devices
(WSD). These were mooted
in the Digital Dividend
consultation programme
launched by Ofcom in 2006,
which led to the recent
auction of spectrum vacated
by analogue TV and the
moving of PMSE
(programme makers and
special events) users.
The basic principle behind
WSD is that a wide range of
wireless equipment will
connect using the white, or
empty, spaces in between
main frequencies already used
by digital television and
PMSE equipment.
Broadcasters and the PMSE
sector have long voiced
concern about the possible
interference this could cause
to DTT transmissions and
radio mics respectively. An
added worry is that many
wireless mic operators already
work in the interleaved (in
other words white space)
areas of the spectrum and so
would be particularly
susceptible.
Tests were carried out in
Cambridge last year to gauge
the performance of wireless
broadband in the TV white
spaces (TVWS) and while
proponents of the technology
concluded there were no
potential drawbacks,
broadcasters and PMSE
groups remained sceptical and
unhappy at the prospect. The
US is now leading the world
in WSD, with services and
the first devices appearing
during 2012.
This has stolen a march on
the UK but Britain is still
pushing ahead of the rest of
Europe in WSD. At the end
of April Ofcom announced a
pilot scheme that will test
the inter-operation of white
space devices, white space
databases and the processes to
mitigate against causing any
undue interference to current
spectrum users. Tests are due
to start during the last
quarter of this year.
Among those keen to
exploit the commercial
potential of TVWS are
Microsoft and Neul, which
have developed a custom
WSD network system.
Applications include rural
broadband, WiFi-like
services and machine-to-
machine (M2M) control
networks.
GROWING DEMAND
All this is to satisfy the
perceived growth in demand
for connectivity, as summed
up by Ofcom Chief Executive
Ed Richards: Ofcom is
preparing for a future where
consumers demand for data
services will experience huge
growth... White space
technology is one creative
way that this demand can be
met...
Alan March, representing
both BEIRG and the
Association of Professional
Wireless Production
Technologies, said that solid
evaluation and testing needs
to continue, with trials being
limited at first and only in
locations where disruption to
existing revenue generating
PMSE services can be
avoided. He added that
BEIRG believes that in the
early days channels 36, 37
and 38 need to remain free of
white space device activity.
Arqiva runs the DTT
transmission networks of
both the BBC and
commercial broadcasters in
the UK. Group Strategy and
Business Development
Director Wendy McMillan,
comments: White space is a
rapidly evolving area that has
the potential to seed some
very interesting innovations.
The key to ensuring its
success will be to work
through the customer
experience and ensure that
TV viewers, and others using
adjacent spectrum bands, are
in no way adversely impacted
by the use of white space
spectrum.
Since the TVWS pilot was
announced Arqiva has
published a paper, An
Overview of Co-existence for
White Space Devices and
DTT the Present
Challenges and the Future
Potential, by Phil Kesby and
Phil Brown. This includes
proposals for a DTT
Protection Calculation
Engine and concludes that
protection ratios should be
optimised, not just to protect
broadcast services but also to
increase WSD power levels.
This could be seen as Arqiva
covering all its business areas;
as well as providing DTT
transmission it also supplies
WiFi and IP to connections,
so WSD could become an
important area for the
company.
WORKING TOGETHER
BEIRG is concerned about
the possible effects of WSD
on broadcast. Alan March has
expressed surprise that
broadcasters are not more
concerned by the potential
consequences but sees greater
danger for PMSE: If the
trials go ahead it looks like
pretty bad news for PMSE.
The UK and Europe are a
smaller landmass than the US
so there is not as much white
space available here.
Ultimately we will have to
work with WSD operators as
best we can.
Ofcom is already looking at
WSD being fully rolled out
in the UK during 2014, so
the practicalities probably
need to be decided sooner
rather than later.
Ofcom is
preparing for a
future where
consumers'
demand for data
services will
experience huge
growth White
space technology
is one creative way
that this demand
can be met.
Ed Richards,
Ofcom
GEOFOCUS BENELUX
LOUDSPEAKER TECHNOLOGY
Alcons launches partner programme
The Netherlands - Alcons
Audio has announced the
start of its Launch Partner
Programme for the LR24
pro-ribbon line array system.
Designed specifically for
the concert touring and large-
scale installation market, and
first shown at Prolight +
Sound in 2010, Alcons Audio
has now concluded LR24s
initial beta phase.
Philip Dr Phil de Haan,
Co-founder and Head of
Alcons Audio R&D, explains:
A long-time ambition was to
see how far we could take our
technology in terms of sheer
power output. For the LR24
we purposely built the 02
platform to be even more
efficient than our
evolutionary 01 platform.
The completely linear
response, the stunning
resolution and dynamic
response of this system, in
combination with perfect
throw capacities, will change
the way engineers create their
mix, claims Alcons Co-
founder Tom Back. Even the
most subtle details are now
audible, becoming a relevant
ingredient of the performance.
Unlike our peers, we don't
have an extensive user
backbone in the live-sound/
touring market. This enabled
us to start with a blank piece of
paper in terms of development,
without any protocols or
heritage to take into account.
At the same time, it allows us
to cater for the interest we
receive from owners across all
top-brand systems.
With the Launch Partner
Programme, we enable a
select group of forward-
thinking users to get access to
this technology at an earlier
stage; these innovators will be
part of the final development
stage and were inviting those
who are interested in the
programme to get in touch
with us.
www.alconsaudio.com
DESIGN & SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
Projectbuilders installs
SSL desks in mobiles
Belgium - Projectbuilders,
the design and systems
integration division of
Videohouse, a company that
manages 10 television
production facilities in
Belgium, has installed two
Solid State Logic C100 HDS
Digital Broadcast Consoles in
two DR (Danish
Broadcasting Corporation)
OB trucks. Choosing SSL for
the OB trucks represents
continuity for the DR
engineering staff as DR
recently completed a massive,
four building, 133,000m
2
complex for television, radio
and live concert/events
featuring eight C200 and
three C100 consoles.
The choice also reflects the
legacy of the long, positive
relationship between DR and
SSL. We were fortunate to
be chosen to design and build
the production trucks for
DR, says Eddy Brants,
Senior Sound Engineer/
Designer for Videohouse.
We worked very closely
with SSL to successfully
integrate each console into a
purpose-built sound room
with excellent acoustics and
isolation characteristics. It
was great working with SSL
at every turn of this project.
While Ive had several bad
experiences dealing with
equipment manufacturers, the
experience with SSL was
consistent, intelligent and
fast. When you put together a
project where each piece of
gear must work together in
the same environment, it is
very useful to collaborate with
a company that knows how to
do this and is ready, willing
and able to jump in to help.
SSL is that type of company.
The two OB trucks
designed for DR Byen,
one offering 16-camera base
stations and the other
8-camera base stations, are
used for video capture and
live broadcast of events in
the region, ranging from
sports and entertainment,
to news.
This is my first direct
experience outfitting an OB
truck with an SSL console,
and the experience has been
very good, says Koen
Bredael, chief sound engineer
for Videohouse. As we are
part of the Euro Media
Group, our company had the
opportunity to work with an
SSL console that was
installed in a Euro Media
France OB truck, which
provided excellent results.
www.solid-state-logic.com
www.videohouse.be
LIVE SOUND
Lee Towers over Rotterdam
The Netherlands Dutch
PA company SoundWorks
supplied 28 ME-1 personal
monitor mixers for singer Lee
Towers, who recently hosted
concerts over several nights at
the New Luxor Theatre in
Rotterdam. An iLive iDR-16
MixRack was employed as a
system management hub for
the multiple ME mixers,
using the Racks MADI
interface to connect to the
main monitor mixer. Forty
channels of MADI fed the
iDR-16 giving access to a full
blown iLive DSP system if
adjustments were needed to
the MADI stream.
The iDR-16 was controlled
using iLive Editor leaving the
ACE connection free to feed
the ME-1s. Monitor Engineer
Jens Koolwijk comments:
Feedback from the musicians
was very positive. The
orchestra was pleased with the
natural sound and ease of use,
and the drummer was thrilled
that he could finally adjust his
bass drum and snare
separately.
www.soundworkstouring.com
Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com GEOFOCUS BENELUX
The Netherlands Outside
broadcast specialist United
chose DPA Microphones
5100 Mobile Surround
Microphone to capture the
ambience of the Amsterdam
Arena when SL Benfica
played Chelsea in the 2013
UEFA Europa League Final.
Huub Lelieveld (pictured),
Senior Sound Supervisor for
United Outside Broadcast
and Studios, says: UEFA was
adamant that the broadcast
quality had to be top class as
this was a huge 35-camera
production that was going
out to broadcasters all over
the world. We wanted to
make sure the audio quality
would be as high as possible
and that we captured the
ambience of the stadium in
phase coherent surround so
that it sounded huge in
surround, but also still
sounded great in stereo and
even mono.
Lelieveld, with his
colleague Mischa Kortleve,
tested the DPA 5100 during
one of the UEFA preliminary
rounds in the Amsterdam
Arena to ensure they were the
right choice for the Cup
Final event on 15 May. The
microphone was supplied by
DPAs Dutch distributor
Amptec.
We recorded all our
microphones to multi-track
and decided, after extensive
listening tests, that the 5100
was perfect for the Cup
Final, he says. The DPA
5100 was rigged in the
catwalk of the stadium where
it was able to capture the
whole arena in surround.
We complemented this
system with four DPA 4006A
omni microphones, which
were hung from the catwalk
in each of the four corners of
the stadium, and we also used
two DPA 4017B shotgun
microphones positioned on
our two Steadicams as these
were smaller and lighter than
the microphones we usually
use.
www.dpamicrophones.com
RECORDING STUDIO
La Chapelle in positive mode
Belgium La Chapelle &
Gam Recording Studios, the
residential recording complex
located in the heart of the
Belgian Ardennes, continues
to enjoy steady business with
both national and
international clients.
Owner Stijn Verdonckt
reports: Business is going
well. I think our strong point
is that we attract Belgian
artists as well as international
artists, which means we have
a broad potential market. We
are attracting mainly album
recording projects. Thats our
core business: our biggest
assets are our big recording
hall, our great mic collection
and the beautiful setting of
the studios. And of course the
nice feel at home vibe makes
people come and record here.
La Chapelles associated
Gam Studio is housed in a
cottage down the road from
La Chapelle and caters for a
different market. The self-
contained studio and
accommodation has been
adapted to cater for those on
lower recording budgets and
is used regularly for pre-
production and rehearsal.
Gams control room is built
around a Sony DMX R100
mixing desk the Baby
Oxford. Around a large
central recording room with a
high wooden ceiling, there are
four acoustically treated
booths. The smaller studio
works well in its designated
sector and we have no plans
to change it. We will keep it
the way it is, says Verdonckt.
It is aimed at lower budget
productions and is in strong
demand, particularly with up
and coming bands.
We recently set up a new
recording system at Gam, and
are now running Pro Tools
10. Interfacing between the
Sony DMX-R100 console
and the Pro Tools system is
done through an RME
HDSPe Raydat card and an
RME Fireface 800. This way
we can offer a 32in/32out Pro
Tools 10 system.
www.lachapellestudio.com
ROYAL OCCASION
Celebrating the
Kings Day with d&b
The Netherlands - King
Willem-Alexander, the first
Dutch king in over a century
and Queen Beatrixs eldest
son, was sworn in on 30 April
2013. Dressed in orange and
proudly displaying their flags,
the Dutch celebrated their
first Kings Day in style.
After a day of festivities,
the Royal Family finished
their evening by sailing the
River IJ for the Royal Boat
Parade. Reaching Java Eiland,
the procession joined a crowd
of twenty thousand and
culminated with a regal, yet
contemporary concert by the
Royal Concertgebouw
Orchestra, with special guest
Dutch DJ Armin van
Buuren.
Peak Audio, with the help of
d&b audiotechnik, provided
the sound system for the
historic event. A d&b J-Series
was used for the main array
and subs, with V-Series
components for out-fill and
monitors. Given only one day
for load in, sound check, and
rehearsal before the big show,
the team went to great lengths
to design every aspect of the
sound system, making sure
they were ready for anything,
even the Royal Family
surprising everyone on stage.
This is a project Im
particularly proud of, recalls
Will-Jan Pielage of Peak
Audio. It is not every day we
get to work on a show for the
new King. It was a tricky
venue, because the island is
just an open space. We had to
be very intentional with
directing the sound and
setting up delays, so that no
matter where people were
standing they would be able
to enjoy the show. With very
little time at the actual venue,
we used ArrayCalc to map
out our strategy long before
arriving on the island.
For something as big as this,
we wanted to be ready for
anything.
www.dbaudio.com
OUTSIDE BROADCAST
DPA at the Europa League Final
Visit www.developconference.comfor further details NEWS GAME SOUND
DEVELOP Conference Preview
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REBECCA PARNELL, SOUND
DESIGNER/DIRECTOR
MAGICBREW
>>> Hearing The Unseen:
An Exploration of Off-Screen
and Acousmatic Sound
In game development,
requirements for sound
generally tend to focus on the
game objects and events the
player will see onscreen.
However, describing the
unseen through audio is a
highly effective, powerful, and
emotive use of sound. During
a fascinating session Rebecca
will use notable examples of
off-screen and acousmatic
sound from a wide spectrum
of games and films to present
a thought-provoking
exploration of how such
approaches can very usefully
elaborate on and expand
game worlds.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
THOMAS BRTSCHI, AUDIO
DIRECTOR IO
INTERACTIVE
>>> Great Failure - Great
Learnings
This talk goes into detail
about the challenges and
learnings involved with the
audio production on IO
Interactives award-winning
stealth assassination game,
Hitman: Absolution - a
complex project which also
included the development of
IO's advanced proprietary
engine G2. Through practical
examples the talk will explain
and give insight into the
creative processes
(good/bad), critical game
design changes that directly
influenced audio, the
importance of having an
opinion about sound, the art
of prioritisation and much
more. The main goal is to give
the audience valuable
learnings that can be applied
to their own projects
making the audio production
process more efficient and
creatively rewarding for all
parties involved.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
JO ORLAND & JIM FOWLER,
SENIOR SOUND DESIGNER
& MUSIC PRODUCTION
SUPERVISOR SONY
COMPUTER
ENTERTAINMENT EUROPE
>>> Sound and Music: Best
Friends Forever -
Communication and
Influence for Better Results
Sound design and music are
often thought of as separate
entities by developers (and
even by audio teams). By
working together from the
early stages of development,
we can not only produce a
more coherent audio
experience, but also use our
combined might to get better
support from the wider team.
Jim and Joanna will explain
how working together (from
creative pitches through to
implementation and bug
fixing) allowed them to
produce more cohesive
projects. Communication and
influence techniques will be
discussed in order to inspire
sound designers and music
composers to present a
united front for better, faster,
stronger results.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
KRISTEN QUEBE & MARK
YEEND MICROSOFT
STUDIOS CENTRAL AUDIO
TEAM
>>> Extreme Distributed
Development: A Walk
Through Fire
Kristen & Mark share lessons
learned from the audio
production of Kinect Star
Wars - an experience they
describe as 'EXTREME!'. It
pushed the concept of
distributed development to
the max contending with two
publishers, seven developer
studios across the globe,
three composers for 120
minutes of music and 15
licensed tracks, two VO
directors working, four game
modes and 90 minutes of
cinematics. The result is a
unique and compelling
production story to share with
the game audio community
at large.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
CHANEL SUMMERS, CO-
FOUNDER SYNDICATE 17
& ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
USC SCHOOL OF
CINEMATIC ARTS,
INTERACTIVE MEDIA
DIVISION
>>> Artistic Expression In
Game Audio Design
Game audio has come a long
way when measured by
quality and advancements in
technology, but still trails
other art forms when it
comes to artistic expression.
Modern technology now
makes it easier than ever to
create high-quality production
audio but does nothing to
advance the greater goals of
high artistry and meaningful
work. Indeed, it can be
demonstrated that the
emergence of advanced
audio technology in less
skilled hands is often the
enemy of artistic value, as it
provides so much freedom to
over-produce and over-
implement sound in games.
Given such infinite flexibility,
how can game creators begin
to make better and more
memorable sound by using
less, being cleverer, viewing
the acoustic environment as a
musical composition, and
having a better understanding
of the principles of cinematic
sound design? In order to
progress artistically as an
expressive medium, game
audio will take cues from
other aesthetic points of
reference such as film,
theatre, performance art,
Musique Concrte, etc., while
finding its own unique identity
derived from the fact that in a
game, unlike those other art
forms, events rarely unfold
the same way every time the
game is played. We will
discuss how employing
proper aesthetic principles to
drive the latest game audio-
specific tools, technologies,
and techniques can enable
content creators to push
audio, and games themselves,
forward in an emotionally
impactful way.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
TOM COLVIN, AUDIO LEAD
NINJA THEORY
>>> Let's Stop Re-inventing
the Game Audio Wheel
Sound designers working in
games often spend a lot of
time getting sounds to work
properly. Creating great
sounding effects, music and
so on is never enough. A lot
of effort goes into making
sounds play at the right times,
in the right way. We have
some great middleware tools
for doing this, but there is still
a lot that is left to the
developer. It seems that the
day-to-day necessities of
game audio are overlooked
by middleware and engine
developers in favour of shiny
audio toys that make audio
people drool, but don't
address the practicalities of
getting game audio done
quickly and easily, with the
minimum 'friction'. There
may be a need to re-evaluate
what tools we need.
Better tools will help
release the creativity of
audio professionals, and
make better sounding
games than any DSP plug-ins
ever could.
MICROSOFTS YEEND FOR DEVELOP AUDIO KEYNOTE
Microsoft Studios Head Of Audio, Central Media, Mark
Yeend will keynote this years DEVELOP Conference Audio
Track in Brighton on Thursday July 11. Yeend has created
sound and directed creative teams for games for over a
decade, with credits on over 50 titles on nearly every
platform.
With a wide-ranging remit to support game teams and
drive quality, Yeend directs a ninja audio team which exists
to serve Microsoft game productions around the globe. He
has worked on original game IPs such as Alan Wake,
Kinectimals, Halo 3, Fable2, The Sims, Call of Duty (PSP)
as well as games for licensed IPs including Harry Potter,
Finding Nemo, Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean, Samurai
Jack, and Kinect Star Wars.
With the rest of the DEVELOP Audio Track speaker line-
up complete, heres the session run-down:
SPECIAL REPORT LIMITEAR
Look After Your Ears
Stephen Wheatley of LimitEar helps Paul Mac demystify the European noise
regulations and shows off a new bit of tech that could save your ears.
THE question of Noise
Induced Hearing Loss in the
professional audio
environment should be
straightforward. There are
explicit EU regulations that
are designed to protect the
ears of every employee in any
industry. If anything, audio
pros should be the most
paranoid; our ears are our
most precious tools. However,
we do like it loud, and we
dont like being told to turn it
down. Whether youre taking
a forensic edit approach to a
drive full of dialogues or
mashing up metal with
beer-numbed band members
looking over your shoulder,
the giant, attenuating hand of
health and safety is mostly
unwelcome.
It could be an instinctive
repulsion at a third hand on
the master fader, or simply a
rejection of any influence that
might compromise the final
product. Or, of course, it
could be a simple case of why
do today what you can put off
until tomorrow? Tomorrow
might be too late.
If personal risk wasnt
enough, there is employer
liability to consider
whether employees are over-
exposing themselves to noise.
Larger organisations such as
broadcasters (possibly because
they can afford health and
safety departments) are
increasingly concerned about
this, but smaller outfits
should also be aware.
What are the regulations?
First, the impulse sound: the
one-off peak that cleans out
the canals. Stephen Wheatley,
Managing Director of
LimitEar Ltd, told me: As
an employee you should not
be subjected to any impulse
sound greater than 137dB
[SPL, A-weighted], which we
think is very high. I certainly
would not want to be
subjected to that....
After that, the regulations
give an integrated value a
noise dose linked to the
total amount of time exposed.
The basic limit is an average
of 85dB over an eight-hour
period, though that time
period and noise level can be
adjusted proportionally. For
example, you could be
exposed to 82dB over 16
hours, or 88dB for four hours.
Depending on your work,
the way to address these
regulations can be very
different. People working
with heavy machinery might
simply require a good pair of
ear defenders. At the other
end of the scale, the military
incorporate protection and
regulation in sophisticated
DSP systems that feed
high-spec headsets. These
systems are expensive and not
exactly neutral they
prioritise intelligibility over
absolute fidelity.
For the audio market, we
need reasonable cost, and
sonic transparency.
LIMITEAR HDM PRO
LimitEar has been
developing a simple in-line
headphone system for some
time now. The basic idea is to
incorporate the HDM Pro in
the headset or ear-piece
cable. Manufacturers would
be able to supply HDM Pro
fitted to replacement cables;
simply replace the standard
lead with the one that has the
LimitEar HDM Pro inline.
LimitEar considers noise
where it pertains to hearing
loss in three distinct
categories. The first is the
impulse sound. The HDM
Pro will not let anything
exceed its maximum
threshold. Weve put in a
number, with guidance from a
number of the headphone
companies, of 118dB as the
maximum sound level, says
Wheatley. ...And anything
between 100 and 118dB is
reduced to 100dB in 300
milliseconds. You might need
to hear that you could be
chasing down a bit of
interference, for example
but you dont need to hear it
for very long.
That, and everything below
100dB is integrated into the
hearing dose management
system.
We manage the hearing
dose to ensure that person
gets the right level, regardless
of how long they work,
explains Wheatley. Over
eight hours they would be
below the 85dB level. If that
person then continued to
work to, say, 16hours, theyre
allowed to have 82dB over 16
hours we would be below
that. If they continued to
work and went the full 24
theyd end up at 80.22dB,
which is the 24-hour
permissible maximum.
We carry that with them
over a rolling 24-hour
average... If they unplug and
go to sleep for seven hours,
those seven hours of quiet are
integrated into the rolling 24.
Someone might do two or
three hours of editing in the
office during the day, then
they might go off and do a
live show. Weve got to
integrate all of that
experience together to give
them the hearing dose
management.
The HDM Pro uses a
digitally controlled passive
attenuator to change the
headphone volume, so theres
minimal interference in the
signal path. There is LED
indication of exactly what the
dose management is up to, so
you can know when your feed
is being actively managed,
and theres a mini USB
connector, currently just for
charging the device.
Wheatley believes this will
be a step on for hearing
protection in professional
audio. Other systems do exist,
but they normally use either
hard limiting or a fixed
attenuation. HDM Pro
promises far more flexibility.
Broadcast is the obvious
application, but it could
equally be applied, for
example, to long-suffering
musicians in the orchestra pit,
or added to the silent stage.
With the rise of personal
monitoring systems, this
could be perfect timing.
LimitEar is hoping to
launch the product at IBC
this year in conjunction with
a significant headphone
manufacturer.
In the mean time though,
it might be worth paying
attention to your levels. Your
career, and your ears, will
thank you for it.
www.limitear.com
Someone might
do two or three
hours of editing in
the office during
the day, then they
might go off and do
a live show. We've
got to integrate all
of that experience
together to give
them the hearing
dose
management.
Stephen
Wheatley,
LimitEar
The plan is to
launch LimitEar
at IBC2013.
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Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com FEATURE GAME POST
FINISH developer Rovio
Entertainment is well known
for making a spectacular
success of the mobile games
market, in particular with the
ever-expanding property that
is Angry Birds. That game
alone is currently available in
six variations, including the
recently-added Angry Birds
Star Wars. At the beginning
of April it was reported that
the companys revenues for
2012 had doubled from 2011
to 130 million, and profits
had nearly tripled from 17
million to 47 million.
To be fair, it must be noted
that Rovio does not only do
Angry Birds, though that is by
far its biggest game. The
company also makes Wait
for it... Bad Piggies (proof
positive that pigs do in fact
fly) as well as The Croods and
Amazing Alex.
The seven-strong audio
department is kept busy not
just by the games, but with all
manner of media. One of the
latest developments is the
Angry Birds Toons animated
series, available in the Toons
channel inside most of
Rovios games, on certain
other devices such as
Samsung Smart TVs and on
TV in numerous countries
around the world. The
department also generates
assets for physical products
suchs as toys, shops, and
theme parks where they have
experimented with interactive
sound.
TEAM TALK
Ilmari Hakkola, Head Of
Audio at Rovio, started at the
developer as a graphic
designer in 2005 after his
company, which was already
doing work for Rovio on
trailers, was bought by Rovio
in 2011. He and his two
business partners formed the
animation and audio
departments.
Also present on the day I
visited was Eero Koivunen,
Sound Designer, who comes
from a film school
background (University of
Art and Design, Helsinki).
The audio studios as they
currently are were put
together during the summer
of 2012 inside Rovio HQ.
There are several studios
around a central lounge area,
plus a kitchen/meeting room.
Every studio has a surround
sound Genelec monitoring
system, complete with the
GLM DSP system for room
correction and calibration.
One of the rooms uses five of
the 8250As, currently the
largest of the Genelec 8000
series bi-amped nearfields.
The other rooms use the
smaller 8130As. The main
reason DSP was a good idea
for Rovio was that the audio
rooms could not be ideal. Its a
dynamic company in a large
building, mostly filled with
conventional office space.
Major structural or
architectural changes were out
of the question, so the team
uses wall-mounted absorption,
diffusion, and in-fill to help
matters, while the Genelec
DSP takes care of the rest.
Of special importance to
the mobile games market is
being able to hear both the
best and the worst of your
work. The Genelecs are very
good and neutral, with an
extended high end, says
Koivunen. Thats crucial
when listening for different
artefacts, intermodulation,
sample distortion, and so on.
When you compress sounds a
lot, usually that affects the
high frequency range first...
We need to know that if we
dont hear something, its
not there.
Rovio has solid data on the
listening habits of its
customers and, as youd
expect, high-end consumer
headphones are ever-more
dominant in the mobile
arena. Theres nothing like
having someone inspect your
work with a magnifying glass,
is there?
They often prefer the
units that have commercial
sound quality, notes
Koivunen. ...Enhanced bass
and treble frequencies the
classic smiley face response.
So we need to be very aware
of what happens, very high
up and very low down in the
frequency spectrum.
Throughout the
whole six
episodes of the
Star Wars films
Obi-Wan never
screams, not
once. So to have
the bird
screaming would
be out of
character..."
Eero Koivunen
The makers of Angry Birds have used audio to help develop
their offering from a single game to multiple variations, and
now an animated series. Paul Mac explores how.
Rovio Entertainment
Flying High
A Star Wars-inspired
version of the game
was recently
released.
>>>
You could call it
mastering... For asset-based
mastering you come in at
different levels and you take
very careful note of the
frequency content. What I
want to do with the audio is
make it pleasant to play back
and listen to for extended
periods of time. Smiley face is
the opposite of that. This
plays into the whole
immersion idea and how the
game feels for longer sessions.
And we want longer game
sessions, of course!
TEAM PLAY
Game audio is necessarily
always a very collaborative
effort. As an in-house team,
the audio department works
with the games programmers
and the content producers
from the very beginnings of
every project. The team also
gets the final quality-
assurance sign-off.
Throughout the process,
revisions are a common
occurrence. Koivunen:
...Especially in those games
where you have a whole lot of
stuff getting destroyed all the
time... Thats something that
we always need to do make
sure you can differentiate
between different events:
How clear is the audio? Is the
sound image transparent?
The point is made,
however, that sometimes its a
good idea to let chaos reign,
especially with games where a
little mayhem is actually
expected. Koivunen notes
that the interactive nature of
games and the audio that
goes with them has a built-in
psychological advantage that
allows for the chaos. That is,
because players are triggering
the sounds, they are more
accepting of the sonic
consequences; Koivunen
thinks this is one of the
major differences in approach
and perception between
games and movies.
BIRD CALLS
The original bird yells for
Angry Birds were derived
from a raucous session in a
conference room with ten or
so people simply having
fun. Because the bird sounds
are integral to the game
brand, these havent changed
much in the normal game
though new birds have since
been added.
The subsequent
re-imagining of the game in
the many variations,
including Angry Birds Star
Wars, Angry Birds Rio, and
Angry Birds Space, for
example, gave the team a
chance to move on from the
original and use different
kinds of dramatic approaches
to the characters. Having
said that, the Blue Bird yell,
which to many is the
signature sound of Angry
Birds, stays unchanged even
through the Star Wars version
just with a hint of spaceship
engine noise to reflect his
position as a rebel fighter
pilot.
Koivunen: The Obi-Wan
bird, which is the black bird,
kind of felt more right with
a lower voice a deep, zen-
type expression. Throughout
the whole six episodes of the
Star Wars films Obi-Wan
never screams, not once. So to
have the bird screaming
would be out of character...
With the Angry Birds Toons
series, the team had to move
things on yet again. The
repetitive nature of the bird-
calls in-game is a feature, but
in Toons the team had to tell
more of a story. Hakkola:
You have to have personality,
and thats when we really
started casting people to get
the sounds just right. This
gave the team the chance to
develop the personalities of
the birds way beyond what
has been possible in-game.
The whole animation side
has brought so much more
into it, says Hakkola. ...You
really start to love the
characters when you see
the stories.
So the Angry Birds
phenomenon flies-on,
continuing its exploration of
just what you can do with a
brand in an ever-more
media-hungry universe.
The audio department is
there to support and enhance
that at every step (or flap).
And now the force is with
it, theres no slow-down in
sight. Game Over? Not likely.
www.rovio.com
FEATURE GAME POST
Ilmari Hakkola, Head
Of Audio at Rovio.
Eero Koivunen, Sound
Designer at Rovio.
Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com FEATURE THEATRE SOUND
SINCE its inception in 1967,
the Opera Royal de Wallonie
has occupied the prestigious
Theatre Royal de Liege, one
of the three major opera
houses in Belgium. The
stunning 1,440-capacity
building is set in the heart of
the historic city and dates
back to 1820.
Over the years, a string of
international stars have
graced its stage including
Ruggero Raimondi, Juan
Diego Flrez and Jos Van
Dam, though the locals are
equally keen to discover local
up-and-coming artists.
Theres a particular focus
on integrating with the
younger members of the
venues local community too,
as a number of productions
are aimed specifically at
children, particularly in an
educational context.
And it looks like there are
going to be plenty more
names to add to that list, as
the venue has just undergone
a mammoth two-year
renovation project which has
cost a whopping 31 million.
Unsurprisingly for its age,
its aesthetic is one of the
theatres strong points; so
strong, in fact, that to make
sure any audio installation
blended in with its
surroundings, the Belgian
governments Monuments
and Landscape department
insisted that all of the
L-Acoustics KIVA enclosures
were painted a shade of
brown to match the theatres
original finish!
Pleasing the authorities
was one of the biggest
challenges from day one,
according to Frederic Vard,
Managing Director of main
system installer Riva Audio,
though he says he also
had quite a job convincing
the venue that it needed to
upgrade its sound system
at all.
The theatre had been
using a very old L-Acoustics
system (four MTD 115s and
118s) which they were happy
with, so they were keen to
stick with the same
manufacturer; and the
theatres director also had to
be satisfied that any new
system would be integrated
seamlessly into his venue as
its so old, he explains.
Once we received the go-
ahead to install the new
system, we had to make sure
we took into account the new
furnishing of the theatre and
that complete coverage was
guaranteed throughout, so
that every seat offered the
same listening comfort.
When looking at the
L-Acoustics product range, it
After more than two years of work, the
newly-restored Theatre Royal de Liege,
home of the Opera Royal de Wallonie
(ORW), now boasts a state-of-the-art
L-Acoustics KIVA sound system and a
Soundcraft Vi4 console, writes Paul Watson.
Opera Royal de Wallonie refurbishment
Two Years At The Opera
We had to make sure we took
into account the new
furnishing of the theatre and
that complete coverage was
guaranteed throughout, so that
every seat offered the same
listening comfort.
Frederic Vard, Riva Audio
>>>
became quickly evident that
the KIVA box was best suited
to their requirements; its a
modern, efficient, flexible
box, and the L-Acoustics
design team was also very
reactive when it came to
designing the system,
especially given the fact that
there were so many of these
unusual restraints.
In conjunction with
L-Acoustics Belgian
distributor, XLR sprl, Riva
Audio deployed 20 KIVA
enclosures and hung them in
line arrays: six boxes per side
in a L/R configuration in
front of the main curtain; and
two hangs of four boxes to
provide coverage to the lower
seats. In addition, eight SB18s
were installed to cater for low-
end reinforcement, and 14
8XTi enclosures for the in-fill.
The venue was already pre-
cabled with fibre optics and
Cat6 cables, and all of the
new amplifiers are remotely
controlled via Ethernet and
L-Acoustics proprietary LA
Network Manager software.
Prior to the installation,
Riva Audio had prepared a
complete construction
document indicating the
placement of loudspeaker
cabinets within the
constraints of the ancient
building. Together with
XLRs Project Manager,
Sebastien Desaever, Vard and
his team presented three
speaker configurations to the
theatre management.
For control, Vard opted for
a Soundcraft Vi4 digital
console, based on his
companys extensive good
experience working with the
product; and being an opera
environment, he was also
conscious of ensuring
completely noise-free
connectivity.
It was totally logical for
me to suggest that the theatre
looked at the [Soundcraft]
Vi4, and it was immediately
accepted due to the ease of
use for the engineers, despite
the fact that none of them
had any previous experience
working with digital
consoles, he reveals. The
electrical contractor laid the
mic cables, but some of them
were in excess of 100-metres
long, which would never have
given us a noise-free sound
system, so we suggested that
they trunk the mic lines in
strategic locations to cut
down the distance by at least
half. The easiest way of
achieving this was by
bringing in two [Soundcraft]
Vi stage boxes, which worked
absolutely perfectly.
The company also
deployed a selection of
microphones including Shure,
AKG and K&M models as
well as a wireless Sennheiser
3000 Series system of
handheld, headset and lavalier
mics and belt packs.
The Theatre Royal de
Liege regularly releases
DVDs of all the productions
it performs, and for the past
three years, many of the
productions have also been
broadcast live and free of
charge over the Internet via
the Dailymotion platform.
www.l-acoustics.com
www.soundcraft.com
www.shure.com
www.sennheiser.com
www.akg.com
www.operaliege.be
www.xlrpro.be
FEATURE THEATRE SOUND
Avids Venue SC48 is a fully integrated live sound system that combines all I/O,
digital signal processing and tactile control into a single console. The console
features plug-in support, integration with Pro Tools
systems, and complete show file portability.
It offers several new workflows that
streamline the mixing process, enabling
concentration on mixing the show
instead of operating the board.
www.avid.com
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS CONSOLES Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
Live Digital Consoles
What a turn-around. The digital console now dominates the stage, and there is a huge
range to choose from. Some are stand-alone, while some are huge networked control
and routing systems in their own right; and there are many in between. Heres a selection...
Live, the first SSL console for live sound, brings 976 inputs and outputs, and
192 audio paths (144 full processing and 48 dry) at 96kHz, that can be
allocated to channels, auxes, stem groups, and masters. All processing is built
into the console surface and it has expandable local I/O built into the frame.
A full range of stageboxes connect to the console via MADI with the
potential for larger systems to make use of SSLs own Blacklight technology,
which carries up to 256 channels of bi-directional audio and control via a
single fibre connection. Live combines multiple tablet-style multi-gesture
touch screens with classic hardware technology.
SuperAnalogue mic preamps, 24bit/96kHz A/D D/A
conversion, 64-bit internal processing and 96kHz operation
feature throughout. Live introduces 30 new effects and audio
analysis tools, which have their own dedicated
processing power. It is due to ship in
September 2013.
www.solid-state-
logic.com
DiGiCo launched the SD9T and SD10T theatre
consoles at this years spring shows, the 'T' signifying a
range of theatre-specific features. The SD9T gives all the theatre features of
the SD7T to the smaller SD9, while the SD10T software upgrade brings many
features to the SD10 platform, including the auto-update system, channel
aliases, the new Players function for cast switches, and matrix nodal delays.
The multi-application SD8 console provides 60 Flexi Channels (mono or
stereo), 24 Flexi Busses, a 16x12 matrix, and either 37 or 25 touch-sensitive
faders. The console supports 12 onboard stereo effects, and 24 graphic EQs,
plus four-band parametric EQ, dynamics, delay and more available to every
main path.
The new 124-input SD5, successor to the D5 Live, now features five TFT
LCD screens. Three of those are touch sensitive.
www.digico.biz
The brand new Allen & Heath Qu-16 inherits
technology from the companys GLD and
iLive digital mixing systems. The 19-inch
rack size console features 17 motorised
faders and digitally controlled
preamps, a touch screen, Qu-Drive
integrated multi-track recorder,
dSNAKE for remote I/O and
personal monitoring, multi-channel
USB streaming to Mac, Qu-Pad control app
and iLive's FX library.
In the iLive series of consoles there are seven models to
choose from. The four modular iLive Surfaces allow a variety of
audio I/O options, Port B network and redundant power supply options, and can
be shipped in a touring-grade flight case. The two iLive-T models offer similar
functionality in a lower cost, lighter weight chassis with fixed format I/O, but
without Port B, redundant power or flight case options. The iLive-R72 provides an
ultra-compact rack mountable solution.
GLD is a scalable live digital mixing system, conceptually based on the digital
iLive series. A standard GLD 32 input system offers 28 XLR mic inputs with plug-
and-play I/O expanders allowing expansion up to 48 inputs (44 XLR mic inputs).
At the heart of the system is the GLD-80 mixer, providing 48 input processing
channels, eight stereo FX returns fed by iLive's acclaimed FX emulations, 30
configurable busses, and 20 mix processing channels.
www.allen-heath.com
The Soundcraft Vi Series distinguishes
itself in control and interface with its
Vistonics II channel strip interface and the
Soundcraft FaderGlow system. The largest
in the range, the Vi6, features 96 ins (plus
direct outs), 32 aux and 32 group busses,
and a 16-out matrix. The Soundcraft Vi4
model offers all the functionality and
facilities of the Soundcraft Vi6, but in a
smaller, more compact footprint. The Vi2 reduces that footprint even further.
The Soundcraft Vi1 is a complete stand-alone console package with 32
channels of analogue input to 27 analogue outputs, plus six digital inputs,
four stereo FX returns, and six digital outputs in one chassis.
Each console in the Soundcraft Si Expression range is identical in its feature
set, though with variations in the number of faders and local mic amps.
Fourteen aux/group mixes can be configured as 14 mono mixes, eight mono
plus six stereo mixes or almost anything in between, while the four matrix
mixes can be mono or stereo as needed.
www.soundcraft.com
The Avid Venue Profile console is a size-
conscious alternative to its big brother D-Show.
Its also fully compatible with all existing Venue
hardware and software. With Venue Profile, the
Venue system is tailored to fit small to mid-sized
environments and applications, such as houses
of worship, corporate events, theatres,
nightclubs, and remote broadcasts.
www.avid.com
Avids D-Show is fully compatible with all VENUE I/O
components, including VENUE FOH Rack, Stage Rack, and
Mix Rack. Its base configuration provides 24 input faders
(main unit, plus one 16-fader VENUE D-Show Sidecar)
expandable up to 56 faders with two additional
Sidecars. D-Show employs the same
VENUE software as all VENUE systems
(running VENUE 2.5 or higher software).
www.avid.com
The 32-channel, 14-aux next-gen PreSonus StudioLive
32.4.2AI is built with Active Integration technology that
adds twice as many internal effects busses, 31-band
graphic EQs, six mute groups and user-assignable Quick
Scene buttons. A built-in 48x34 FireWire S800 interface is
standard equipment but Thunderbolt and Ethernet
(Dante) cards are expected by the end of 2013. Included is updated Capture
2.0 recording software, Studio One Artist DAW, and Virtual StudioLive-AI
editor/librarian/control software with Smaart Measurement Technology.
www.presonus.com
According to Yamaha, the CL series of digital mixing consoles offers an evolved
experience in accessible mixing, plus sonic purity with sound shaping
capabilities. The signal processors provided include Portico 5033/5043 EQ and
compressor devices that bring Yamaha VCM technology together with the
talents of Rupert Neve. The CL consoles are ready for integrated remote control
and offline editing via an Apple iPad or other computer. CL series consoles
feature separate console and I/O rack components that communicate via the
Dante network audio protocol. The system is also able to add Lake processing
via expansion slots. The CL5 has a three-section fader layout; the CL3 is a blend
of compact size and channel capacity, while the CL1 has dual eight-fader
sections in a space-saving console.
www.yamahaproaudio.com
Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com TECHNOLOGY FOCUS CONSOLES
The Yamaha PM5D V2 includes 48 XLR/balanced TRS analogue mono inputs
with manual mic preamps, plus an additional four stereo line level inputs.
The console also comprises 24 mix busses and two stereo outputs, eight
matrix outputs and custom DSP7 LSI for
ultra-high-speed 96kHz/32-bit processing.
The PM5D-EX incorporates the DSP5D
Digital Mixing System to give the I/O
and processing capacity of two
PM5D consoles controlled from a
single control surface.
The Yamaha M7CL includes the Centralogic
control interface, which the manufacturer
claims makes it as easy and intuitive to use as
an analogue console, and in-depth access
management facilities. Forty-eight high-
performance head amps onboard allow
analogue microphone and line signals to be
directly hooked up to the M7CL-48, while
the M7Cl-32 features fewer input channels
for applications that don't require more than 32 inputs. The M7CL-48ES replaces
the 48 internal head amps of the M7CL-48 with two EtherSound ports.
The Yamaha LS9 series consists of the 32-mic/line input 64-channel LS9-32 and
the 16-mic/line input 32 channel LS9-16. In addition to a range of
gating, compression, and EQ capabilities, theres also a built-in USB
memory recorder/player for recording or BGM playback.
The LS9-16 is surprisingly small and lightweight. The
LS9-32 can be expanded up to 64 channels by adding
external preamps and Mini-YGDAI interface cards.
The Cadac CDC consoles are based around a proprietary DSP platform and
incorporate large, high-resolution TFT displays and motorised faders. The
CDC Eight features 128 channels, expandable to give up
to 256 potential inputs. All inputs have
extensive dynamics with compressor, gate
and limiter. The CDC Four features up to 56
channels, with 24 channels (16 mic/eight
stereo) on board. The CDC Eight is also
available in a twin screen 32-fader
configuration.
www.cadac-sound.com
The Midas XL8 is an integrated audio
control and distribution system. Each of
the five bays of the console is a discrete
hardware module, independent of its
neighbour, and incorporates its own
power supply, surface processor, GUI
processor and screen. The console
features 432 inputs and 432 outputs,
direct point-to-point routing, four I/O
box alternatives, 112 mix inputs onto 51
busses, 12 VCAs, eight POPulation
Groups and four EQ types and five
dynamics styles as standard.
www.midasconsoles.com
The Midas PRO Series Live Audio
Systems employ technology
developed from the XL8, offering
the same exemplary sample-
synchronised audio performance.
The PRO series can provide up to
104 simultaneous input
processing channels and up to
35 discrete mixes in monitor
mode, all of which feature EQ
and a choice of dynamics
processing options. By adding additional I/O hardware the PRO3, 6 and 9
network can be expanded to 288 inputs x 294 outputs, while the PRO2 and
PRO2C expands to 156 inputs x 166 outputs and the PRO1 up to 100 inputs x
102 outputs, with point-to-point routing anywhere within the network which
can then be patched and routed on a scene-by-scene basis via a snapshot
automation system.
www.midasconsoles.com
The StageTec AURUS features up to 96 channel
strips. It has a clearly laid out control surface
that is very similar to an analogue desk,
and features high-resolution metering
with an optional analogue response curve.
AURUS supports up to 300 audio channels
depending on the configuration, 128
busses, and up to 32 full channels per DSP
board, again depending on the configuration.
www.stagetec.com
StageTecs POLARIS touch is based on a modular
console concept featuring a networkable
touch screen. POLARIS touch uses a
NEXUS station as a high-quality audio
matrix backbone and is aimed at theatre and
opera houses, multipurpose halls, event venues, and
convention centres. It features physical encoders and
motorised faders, at a glance visual monitoring of all relevant parameters
and parameter copy and isolation functions.
www.stagetec.com
The Lawo mc90 is a modular console
with a freely configurable surface for up
to 200 faders. It provides 888 channels,
144 summing busses and a routing
capacity of up to 8,192 crosspoints.
The mc90 also features frames from
16 + 8 faders to 192 + 16 faders, remote
frames of 16 and 32 faders and six banks
per two layers. All mc consoles now
incorporate loudness metering to
EBU/R128 and ATSC/A85 requirements.
www.lawo.de
The Lawo mc56 is available in five
different frame sizes, from 16 faders to
80 faders. The main highlights are
permanent metering of the 16 central
faders, directly accessible parameters,
nine individually assignable user buttons, illuminated rotary knobs, large trackball
buttons, snapshot operation, integrated RTW goniometer or user panel in the
overbridge, button-glow, two-man operation, touch operation and changeable
user buttons in the channel strips.
www.lawo.de
While retaining the renowned qualities of the Studer Vista 5, the Vista 5 SR is
the result of careful re-engineering to provide a road-ready, robust package.
Most obviously a steeper angle of the Vistonics screens has been introduced.
This provides a more direct viewing angle when operating in a standing
position, particularly in daylight. In addition to this,
Studer has introduced a new
temperature control
system, claimed an
industry first when applied
to the redundant layout of
control system cooling.
www.studer.ch
The PreSonus StudioLive 24.4.2 is aimed
at those who want to mix small to medium-
sized shows and worship services, and it's the perfect
hardware core for a project studio. Here, in one device, are
high-headroom XMAX microphone preamplifiers, a built-in
FireWire recording and playback interface, more than 90 signal processors,
a big library of DSP effects, 10 aux buses, four subgroups, extensive LED
metering, mixer save and recall, channel-strip save/recall/copy/paste,
talkback, and more.
www.presonus.com
Lawos mc66 features
888 DSP channels and 144 busses, based
around the MII router with 9,192
crosspoints and full signal redundancy.
Frame sizes are from 16 + 8 faders to 96 + 16
faders, while the mc66 also features separate frames with
eight, 16 and 24 faders. The consoles 'assign at
destination operation allows for fast and reliable
configuration in critical live situations.
www.lawo.de
Following on from the Studer Vista 5, 6, 7
and 8 desks, the Vista 9 supplements the
Vistonics interface with TFT-based
enhanced metering through to 7.1. Each
touch-sensitive TFT screen shows ten
channel strips, with rotary encoders and
switches mounted directly onto the
screen. The Control Bay meter section
can be configured to show any choice of
output busses and input channels and
displays up to 40 meters at a time.
www.studer.ch
The Roland Systems Group M-300 32-channel
digital live mixing console boasts eight AUX
busses and four matrices, four-band PEQ and
dynamics on all channels, with 11 different built
in multi-effects/PEQ and delay on all outputs
with 24-bit A/D, D/A for high-quality sound. Ideal
for event production, houses of worship, schools
and corporate applications, the M-300 has
optional iPad control and connects easily with
Cat5e to the Roland Digital Snake products.
www.rolandsystemsgroup.co.uk
The Roland Systems Group M-480
48-channel digital live mixing console
provides an enhanced level of powerful
and flexible audio processing, and
supports a cascade connection that enables
96 channels of mixing by connecting a second
unit via a single Cat5e/6 cable. Ideal for live events,
mobile production, broadcasting and sound installation
the M-480 features six stereo returns for a total of 60 channels, 16 aux
busses, and eight matrix outs.
Behringers X32 is a 40-input channel, 25-bus digital mixing console.
It features 32 Midas-designed, fully programmable mic preamps, and 25 fully
automated motorised 100mm faders. There are 16 XLR outputs, plus six
additional line in/outputs.
The onboard virtual FX rack provides access to
eight true-stereo, multi-effects processors, and it
can run four true-stereo reverbs concurrently
with eight channels of 31-band graphic EQ.
It also offers 40-bit floating-point DSP, and is
48-channel digital snake ready via AES50 ports.
www.behringer.com
The Mackie DL1608 is a 16-channel digital
live sound mixer with iPad control, which
offers 16 Onyx mic preamps, high-end Cirrus
Logic converters, six aux sends for monitor
mixes, and master L/R output for mains.
Processing features include a choice of
touch-sensitive plug-ins, four-band EQ, gate,
and compression on inputs, 31-band GEQ
and comp/limiter of outputs, and global
reverb and delay. It offers the ability to tune
the room from anywhere, plus personal
monitor mixing with access control ability.
www.mackie.com
Eclipse GT offers fully integrated
multi-track recording via
Innovason's M.A.R.S Multi-track
Audio Recording System. It also
enables up to 104 inputs to be
mixed simultaneously into 48 mix
busses, with the capacity to manage
up to 320 inputs on the console
using up to five remote audio racks.
The control surface is furnished with
48 faders and 48 fully configurable
rotary knobs spread over four layers. The concept is called SmartPanel and
effectively gives users 96 faders.
www.innovason.com
Networked Personal Monitoring Systems
Whether its on the stage, in the orchestra pit, or on the studio floor, you can empower musicians with a
personal monitoring system. Distribute networked mixer/headphone amp pods amongst the players and no
one need complain about their in-ear balance again. Here are some of the market leaders...
The Allen & Heath ME-1 personal
mixer, with simple controls, clear
visual feedback and custom
naming, is the cornerstone
of the ME Personal
Mixing System and is
ready to use with the
Allen & Heath iLive and GLD
series digital mixers. ME-1 is
complemented by the ME-U hub, which
opens up the benefits of ME to users of other
professional digital mixers via Dante, EtherSound or
MADI. ME-1 also has an Aviom compatibility mode for use with
Aviom Pro16 systems.
www.allen-heath.com
The dbx Professional Audio
PMC16 16-channel personal
monitor controller enables
the user to create a custom
mix from 16 channels of
audio. Designed to be used
with the dbx TR1616 or any
other BLU link compatible
device, the PMC16 allows for
monitoring with headphones, in-ear monitors, powered monitors, or
traditional wedge monitors. Multiple PMC16s can be daisy chained using
Cat5e cable allowing each user to receive 16 channels of high-end digital
audio and create their own personalised mix to suit their monitoring needs.
www.dbxpro.com
The Roland Systems Group M-48 provides
a high level of sound monitoring quality
for both headphones and IEMs (in-ear
monitors) as well as for wedge and
powered monitors. The M-48 enables
control of up to 40 audio channels via 16
stereo groups. Monitor mixes can be
sweetened with volume, pan, 3-band EQ
and built-in reverb per group.
Designed for use with Venue systems
configured with a Venue Stage Rack,
the Avid PQ system comprises at least
one and up to eight PQ Controllers,
and a PQ Rack to which the controllers all
connect. The PQ Controller features four
rotary encoders with LED rings that allow
level, pan, solo and metering adjustments of
up to 12 inputs per PQ mixer.
www.avid.com
With free PreSonus QMix software, up to ten
musicians can simultaneously control their
StudioLive monitor (aux) mixes using iPhones or
iPod touches. Each musician can control one of six
different mixes with a StudioLive 16.4.2, ten
individual mixes with a StudioLive 24.4.2, and four
mixes with a StudioLive 16.0.2. QMix works a lot like
StudioLive Remote: one or more iPhones network
wirelessly with a Mac or PC, enabling QMix to
remote-control Virtual StudioLive, which in turn
controls one or more FireWire-connected
StudioLive mixers.
www.presonus.com
A basic Behringer
P16-M installation
consists of one P16-I
input module, which
connects to the
main mixing
console, and up to
six P16-M personal
mixers. The system can easily
be expanded via the P16-D Digital Ultranet
Distributor, six of which can be combined to drive up to
forty-eight P16-M personal mixers.
www.behringer.com
A basic Hear Technologies Hear
Back system consists of a hub
and personal mixers
connected using standard
Cat5e cables. A single hub
supplies signal and power to a
maximum of eight mixers. The
hubs can be daisy-chained using
the HearBus In and Out for
virtually unlimited system size.
The Hear Back Hub can accept
analogue input signals from audio mixers,
auxiliary, matrix, monitor, and/or direct outputs.
www.heartechnologies.com
The Elite Core Audio PM-16
features volume and pan control
plus a signal present LED for all
sixteen channels. A personal
ambient microphone is built into
each mixer as well as a graphic
EQ, compressor, and master
volume. Neutrik Ethercon
connectors and full rack mount
functionality complete the Elite
Core system.
www.elitecoreaudio.com
MyMix, a personal mixer station for
myMix systems, can select up to 16
channels to mix from all available
network channels. It can adjust
channel volume, tone, effect send
(from a choice of reverbs or an
adjustable delay), and pan without
affecting any other station on the
network. MyMix has two mic/line inputs
with input gain adjustment, input LEDs with
signal and overload indicators (overload
indicator also flashes red on channel name) and
switchable phantom power.
www.mymixaudio.com
Aviom's A360 Personal Mixer
includes a 36-channel mix
engine, which can be used to
mix up to 16 mono or stereo
standard channels plus mono or
stereo ambience and the Dual
Profile Channel. Channels can be
individually selected for each A360
from a network pool of up to 64
channels. The stereo output on the
A-16II 16-channel stereo digital mixer can drive in-ear monitors (IEMs) or
headphones. Its interface lets a performer quickly modify a mix.
www.aviom.com
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
Yamaha Nuage
STEINBERGS flagship
DAW, Nuendo, (Audio Media,
April 2013), is proving to be a
viable alternative to the
industry standard, of Avids
Pro Tools in the post-
production world. While it
has always had the ability to
work with third-party audio
interfaces and control surfaces,
there has been an increasing
desire from the industry for
bespoke solutions that work
together right out of the box.
This is where Avid has
excelled in recent years, with a
combination of Pro Tools
software, dedicated audio
interfaces and a range of
DAW controllers. To compete,
Yamaha has introduced its
own integrated DAW-based
audio system, Nuage. Is this
really the dawn of a New Age
for Yamaha? I popped over to
Yamahas Pro Audio facility in
(unseasonably) sunny
Chiswick in the west of
London to find out.
Sebastian Rodens, Product
Manager - Post Production
for Yamaha Music Europe,
explains the rational behind
the development of the Nuage
system. From the first days
when Yamaha and Steinberg
came together there was an
idea to produce a professional
studio solution based around
the Nuendo platform. Yamaha
brought its experience from
the mixing consoles, while
Steinberg has the software
knowledge. Steinberg also
understands the workflow of
post-production professionals,
because Nuendo has been
developed for quite a while
now. Our aim was to merge
hardware and software as
close together as possible and
to ensure that Nuage fills the
needs of post-production
professionals today.
SYSTEM-WIDE
Nuage is a complete system,
comprising a fader-based
controller, a master/monitor
section, I/O cards and
interfaces, the Syncstation
(Audio Media, March 2012)
and, of course, the Nuendo
software itself. There are two
different types of controllers:
the Fader and the Master, says
Rodens. You can use them
individually, so you could, for
example, just use the Master
unit or just use the Fader unit
or you could combine them.
The largest system you could
build would have three Fader
sections, so thats forty-eight
physical faders. We also have
what we call the workspace
unit; these are blank sections
where you can install any other
studio gear. For example, here I
have one for a mouse or a
small keyboard. We have small
and large workspace units
along with one that is the
same size as the fader
controller. All the larger
workspaces have a drawer for a
keyboard or anything else you
might want to store in there.
The size of the Fader and
Master sections are designed to
line up with Nuendos on-
screen controls when using
standard 24-inch flat screen
monitors. It looks impressive,
with the hardware controls
taking up the lower part of the
channel strips in Nuendos new
mixer, which is displayed on
the screen above the Fader
controller. The Fader controller
has its own, more limited,
monitor and transport section
while the Master unit is more
complete with respect to these
facilities and features an in-
built touch screen display that
can be used to adjust various
parameters. It also sports,
importantly, a nicely weighted
shuttle/jog controller wheel. In
fact, all the controls feel solid
and responsive, and OLED
displays and illuminated touch-
sensitive controls abound.
SURFACE ATTENTION
One major issue that
manufacturers have when
trying to provide physical
control over the almost
infinite number of parameters
available on a software DAW,
is the limited number of faders
and knobs that can be
squeezed onto a hardware
controller. Steinberg has made
sensible choices here, with
controls defaulting to the most
used parameters (pan,
compressor threshold, and
ratio, for example). They also
make good use of the
extended channel mode of
operation common on digital
mixers, where one button press
expands the parameters of the
chosen channel or plug-in on
to other hardware controls.
Nowhere is this problem
felt more profoundly than
when using third-party plug-
ins. These are always a
challenge, laughs Rodens.
What I find is that third-
party plug-ins often throw up
every single parameter right
away. For example, frequency
on an EQ might be half way
down the third page of
parameters! So if I could move
these useful parameters to the
top and hide everything else,
that would be a good thing.
Weve always had parameter
mapping technology in place
using XML files... which of
course is not very convenient.
What we now deliver is an
editor with a graphical user
interface to change these
XML files and make sure the
most useful parameters are
allocated to useful hardware
controls.
Nuage is the
exciting result of a
joint development
between Yamaha
and Steinberg, each
bringing its
specialist know-
how to an
integrated post-
production solution
that includes the
Nuendo DAW at its
core. With many
changes afoot in
the audio post
world, is it now
time for Nuage?
Stephen Bennett
has the detail.
III AUDIO POST PRODUCTION SYSTEM
In practice this means that
the parameters you really need
to use in third-party plug-ins
come up on your chosen
hardware controls
something that automatically
happens when using Nuendos
excellent suite of plug-ins.
Another challenge that the
designers of DAW controllers
face is channel selection you
have eight faders, you have
two hundred channels of
audio? Its usually a recipe for
confusion. Not on Nuage.
When we developed the
system it was important to be
able to easily handle larger
projects, even when using a
single Fader pack, says
Rodens. You can navigate
using the traditional channel
bank controls, but you can also
use the touch stripe feature
you just drag your finger
across the channels and it
sweeps you through banks of
channels. These can be colour
coded, so that if you know all
the Foley channels are red, its
easy to swipe until you see this
colour on the Fader
controller. This works in a
similar way to the ARC
system on the Smart AV
DAW controllers and is just as
effective on Nuage for
locating channel groups.
As youd expect from an
integrated system, user set-up
is kept to a minimum.
Nuendo knows automatically
when there are several
hardware units connected and
it gathers together what we call
a workgroup, which is basically
a set of Nuage units that you
want to use, says Rodens.
This becomes very important
if you want to have different
sets for different situations. As
soon as Nuendo realises there
is a Fader pack connected it
will display the custom mix
console on the screen thats
situated over that Fader pack.
You then have a one-to-one
relationship between every
channel on the hardware and
the channel on the Nuendo
screen. We also then have the
metering there, which can be
normal peak metering or it
can be set to display the wave
metering from Nuendo
[vertical scrolling waveform].
With the selector on the
right side of the hardware I
can access all the racks of the
new Nuendo mix console. If
you, for example, activate a
compressor, you just get the
two most important functions
displayed in this case
threshold and ratio. If I want
to see more of a channel I can
just press the e button below
the encoders and I get the
detailed view of that whole
channel; we call this the block
mode. Again we have all the
Nuendo racks available. You
can activate all the dynamics
and have all controls of all 5
dynamic modules available on
the 32 encoders, and of course
you have complete control over
the EQ parameters. You can
also open a second channel
and, for example, compare two
EQs or two dynamic sections
and Nuendo now has spectrum
analysers on the EQs, which is
incredibly useful.
INS & OUTS
The Fader and Monitor
sections are the most visible
aspects of the Nuage package,
but Yamaha and Steinberg
have also addressed the
important task of getting
audio into and out of the
system. The audio part
consists of a PCIe card
running the Dante audio
networking protocol, says
Rodens. It provides the user
with 128 inputs and outputs
at up to 96kHz and 64 ins
and outs at anything higher
up to 192kHz.
Yamahas current range of
CL mixers also use the Dante
protocol, so it makes sense to
incorporate it into the
backbone of Nuage. But, as
Rodens explains, there are also
pragmatic reasons for
incorporating a networked
solution into the package.
What will make audio
networking for studios
more
important in the future is the
flexibility and reduced costs
that come with the system. For
example, I could have a Nuage
I/O Box in Room 3 and an
I/O Box in Room 5 and,
without patching, I can access
either interface. Dante can also
utilise the standard IT
infrastructure built into a
studio and, if you think about
a location like Soho in
London where houses and
office buildings have been
turned into studios, you are
not forced to add extra audio
lines you can actually use
whats already in there. The
Nuage audio interfaces are
basically Dante break out
boxes, with 16 ins and 16 outs
along with a system link to
enable everything to be
synchronised from Steinbergs
Syncstation. Every unit can
use direct monitoring (for low
latency work) that integrates
nicely with Nuendos flexible
monitoring features, and
theres also a DSP-based bass
management and speaker
aligmnment built in. You can,
of course, still use third-party
interfaces or A/D,D/A
converters with Nuage, so you
can benefit from the
controllers while keeping your
preferred audio path.
Another problem that
makers of dedicated controller
hardware have to face is future
compatibility. Its a given that
Steinberg will continue to
develop Nuendo but youre
not going to be able to add
knobs to a Fader pack over the
Internet. These
controllers dont have
functionality on their own
inside, says Rodens. If, for
example, you compare this to
an Avid System 5 MC, each of
those modules is basically a
computer of its own, with its
own limitations. Thats not the
case with Nuage. It is very easy
for us to add functionality by
just doing a software update."
CONCLUSION
While many hardware-based
DAW controllers come into
their own when mixing, its
rare to see one being used for
editing or arranging audio.
Watching Rodens hands as he
expertly moves and cuts audio
regions and effortlessly adjusts
levels and automation without
recourse to mouse or keyboard,
demonstrates just how well
thought out the Nuage system
is. As a composer working in
Cubase and Logic Pro,
preparing audio for post-
production facilities that use
Pro Tools can be a major
hassle. Nuendos ability to load
Cubase files directly into the
Nuage system could be a
major time (and therefore
money) saver, while those
inevitable last-minute edits are
rendered easier when using
compatible systems. Nuage is
an out of the box solution for
audio engineers that integrates
(in my humble opinion) the
best post production DAW in
the business with a superb
dedicated hardware platform
and I imagine that many of
those who take the time to
demo the Nuage system will
also find it an attractive
(alternative?) proposition.
Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
INFORMATION
Feature Set
G Complete audio post production system based around
Nuendo 6
G All mix and edit functionality available on the surface
G DANTE audio I/O and routing
Manufacturer
Yamaha/Steinberg
www.steinberg.net
Our aim was to
merge hardware
and software as
close together as
possible and to
ensure that Nuage
fills the needs of
post-production
professionals
today.
Sebastian
Rodens, Yamaha
Music Europe
THE REVIEWER
STEPHEN BENNETT has
been involved in music
production for over 25 years.
Now based in Norwich he
splits his time between
writing books and articles on
music technology, running
his own Chaos Studios and
working in the
Electroacoustic Studios in the
School of Music at the
University of East Anglia. Hes
also a filmmaker with several
music videos and short films
to his credit.
www.stephenjamesbennett.co.uk
By Nigel Palmer
iZ Technologys RADAR
multi-channel recorder was
the first device to win many
engineers over to digital, at a
time when tracking to a
computer was almost unheard
of. As that became more the
norm, some engineers
incorporated RADAR into
their DAW rigs as the
systems A/D and D/A
converters. Reacting to that,
iZ announced its ADA A/D
and D/A multi-channel
converter systems in 2008.
Reviewed here is the second-
generation ADA, the ADA
II, unveiled last autumn at
the AES Convention.
FEATURES
The 4U iZ ADA II is a
customisable, made-to-order
multi-channel A/D, D/A
high-resolution converter
available in 8-, 16-, or 24-
channel configurations with
customisable I/O ratios (for
example, 8-in/16-out, 24-in/
8-out, and so on). It comes
with either iZs Classic 96 or
Ultra Nyquist converter
technology, both of which are
identical to those offered in
iZs latest generation
RADAR 6. The Classic 96
offers sample rates up to
96kHz; the Ultra Nyquist
operates up to 192kHz. Each
converter card provides eight
channels of I/O.
The ADA II is controlled
via the front-panels vibrant
10.1-inch LCD touch screen
(a significant upgrade from
the ADAs 7-inch screen); the
screen provides single touch
commands as well as access to
all ADA II functionality via
seven user screens Main,
Setup, Route, Meters, System
Configuration, About, and
Debug. A full screen mode
displays high-resolution
metering for all 48 channels
of I/O.
To date, MADI digital
I/O is standard on every
ADA II. Additional digital
I/O options include
ADAT/Lightpipe, AES
multi-channel, and dual Pro
Tools HD connectivity. The
ADA II Motherboard I/O
includes onboard Gigabit
Ethernet (for software
updates and network control),
four USB 2.0 connectors, two
PS/2 connectors, and one
Serial remote port. Balanced
analogue I/O is via six female
25-pin D-Sub connectors.
The ADA II interfaces
with virtually any native
DAW via its low-latency,
low-jitter MADI digital I/O
and a compatible MADI
interface card installed in the
host computer. Pro Tools
HDX and Pro Tools HD
users connect with the iZ
Dual Pro Tools HD Option
Card that connects up to two
ADA II units (48 channels)
to a Pro Tools HDX or Core
Card via DigiLink cable.
IN USE
I first used the ADA II
review unit provided by iZ
with a Pro Tools HDX rig.
The only thing that caught
me off guard was that the
Optical MADI I/O between
the ADA MADI card and
the iZ Dual Pro Tools HD
Interface has to be connected
for the iZ Dual Pro Tools
HD Interface to operate.
Also, a Pro Tools session
running at a different sample
rate than the previous session
requires users to manually
change the sample rate on the
ADA II. However, once I was
up and running, this Pro
Tools 10 HDX/ADA II
combo operated flawlessly.
After mixing for several days
with the ADA II, I was truly
ecstatic about its sound
quality and routing flexibility.
The touch screen is
beautiful and easy to use. For
users who keep computer and
converters in a separate
location iZ provides a free
Java App that allows full
remote control of the key
front panel settings such as
sample rate and sync source,
as well as full metering.
I tracked a full band at
Nashvilles Brown Owl Studio
(thebrownowlstudio.com),
simultaneously recording to
two Pro Tools rigs (HD
Native systems, this time):
one through the iZ ADA II
and one through a pair of
Lynx Aurora converters.
After the session and back at
my own studio, I combined
the two sessions into a single
session, allowing me to listen
to any combination.
To my ears, the sonic
differences between iZs and
Lynxs converter systems were
easily discernible. I found the
ADA II to be warmer than
the Lynx, with more of a
difference between the D/A
converters than between the
A/D converters. The ADA
IIs D/A was slightly
smoother with more high-
frequency detail and more
low-end clarity.
CONCLUSION
One of the most important
things I remember about the
first time I used an iZ
RADAR multi-track recorder
was that the companys toll-
free support number was
visible on the units main
screen at all times. I love
working with a company that
wants to help its users (rather
than hide from them), and
Im happy to report that the
iZ tech support toll-free
number is still found on the
main screen of the ADA II!
In conclusion, iZs ADA II
is the converter-based solution
for anyone in love with the
sound of the RADAR, though
relatively deep pockets are
required. A fully loaded 24-
channel Ultra Nyquist ADA
II with MADI can cost
around $12,000 (excluding the
Dual Pro Tools Interface).
However, considering the
ADA IIs sound quality plus
iZs proven record of
supporting its customers at all
times, this price could be
considered a bargain.
iZ Technology iZ ADA II
III MULTI-CHANNEL HIGH-RESOLUTION CONVERTER
INFORMATION
Feature Set
G Configurable (at order) 24 channels of A/D and/or D/A
G MADI I/O standard
G Touch screen or Java App control
G Classic 96 or Ultra Nyquist versions
iZ Technology
www.izcorp.com
Prices: $6,700+ (4,415) (depending on I/O configuration
and choice of Classic 96 or Ultra Nyquist converters)
It comes with
either iZs Classic
96 or Ultra Nyquist
converter
technology, both
of which are
identical to those
offered in iZs
latest generation
RADAR 6.
Russ Long
THE REVIEWER
RUSS LONG is a
prolific producer,
engineer and mixer
based in Nashville.
www.russlong.ws
The iZ ADA II at Russ
Longs Nashville studio.
Photo: Keoni Keur.
By Nigel Palmer
Grimm Audio is based in the
Netherlands, and is the
brainchild of four prominent
audio engineers. It has forged
a strong reputation with
products based on tested
scientific principles. The LS1
and its partner subwoofer, the
LS1s, represent a first foray
into loudspeakers, and are the
end result of a rigorous
development process.
OVERVIEW
Its immediately clear the
LS1 is something different:
black (custom colour schemes
are available), and standing
1.44m tall, semi-cylindical
legs support a flat 14-litre
sealed enclosure
(47x36x16cm HWD)
containing two SEAS drivers,
an 8-inch woofer and a
1-inch tweeter. System
electronics reside in one of
the legs and include 48/76-
bit DSP, a high-quality
digital clock based on
Grimms standalone CC1,
A/D and D/A converters
(both analogue and AES
digital inputs are available),
and two 180 watt Hypex
NCore Class D amplifiers.
The subwoofer measures
17x34x34cm with the same
rounded-corner profile as the
LS1s baseplate. It fits snugly
at the bottom of the legs with
its 9-inch (23cm) Peerless
driver facing upwards and is
powered by a 400-watt Class
D amplifier.
Controlling the system is a
USB interface and software
for Mac or PC. In addition to
level management the
software offers a number of
features of interest to
professional users, such as
left/right swap, the ability to
listen to the Side signal on its
own and even Ported and
Small speaker emulation
modes. An optional wood-
ended physical remote with a
level wheel and display
completes the setup; the
press action on the wheel can
be set to mute or dim
playback. The remote
provides another two AES
inputs in addition to the
standard one, so I had my
workstation, reference player,
and PCs outputs available
and could offset their relative
levels if required. Another
useful aspect of the remote is
being able to set the metering
at ones preferred reference
volume, making level-
matched comparisons very
easy. Im told there are plans
for a pro version, making
more functions available in
hardware, a development that
could remove the need for a
separate monitor controller.
IN USE
The LS1 requires some
assembly from new, although
separating the main elements
in transit makes sense with
well-designed packaging
protecting what is, after all, a
sizeable investment. Taking
my time, I needed about an
hour to attach the legs to the
two speakers enclosures, add
baseplates and leg trims,
position the subs and wire
everything up having
checked the analogue input
worked as expected, I stayed
digital throughout the review
period. Although placed as
normal at the outer points of
a listening triangle, Grimm
recommends an angle across
the front of the user at 45
instead of the usual 30 to
reduce room effects. This
looks unusual (and of course
conventional positioning is
also possible) but it worked
for me and sounded best in
my studio.
After a day of auditioning
and run-in time I took the
plunge by using the Grimms
for all mastering work arising
during their residency,
debunking conventional
wisdom that two-way
speakers are not an ideal
solution with possibly the
clearest and least hyped
presentation Ive heard. I had
that feeling of an open
window into sound, across a
wide range of music styles.
There is clever DSP in the
main cabinet crossover
between drivers, and
(unusually) I was unable to
hear the transition point. This
promotes an extraordinarily
well-balanced top-to-bottom
staging of audio, and its been
said the LS1 sounds in some
ways like an electrostatic
speaker but with none of the
flaws. Dont get the idea it
just makes everything sound
good though: while somehow
remaining immensely
listenable, youre left in no
doubt as to what is and isnt
working in a mix.
Switching in the subs from
the remote application
extends low frequencies down
to 20Hz and increases the
available headroom, crossing
over at a DSP-controlled
70Hz. Although this works
well, its likely to be most
useful in larger spaces than
mine: in my 30m
2
room at
typical mastering volumes I
was happy with the LF
provided by the LS1 pair
alone and, perhaps
surprisingly, didnt feel a lack
of low end resolution despite
a gentle rolloff below about
40Hz. The LS1 is protected
by an excursion limiter (as
with other functions this
flashes an LED in the dot of
the i of Grimm in the
cabinets logo, a neat touch),
and I had to increase gain by
about 20dB over my usual
reference level before it
engaged, and a few dBs more
with the subs. Bearing in
mind that I was testing with
bass-heavy material, I can
safely say the system plays
loud enough for the majority
of users.
CONCLUSION
With or without a subwoofer,
the LS1 is a special
loudspeaker. Quality costs, as
usual, but youre getting a
number of facilities
(amplifiers, converters and
monitor control) that might
require additional outlay with
a more conventional setup. In
over a decade of reviews for
this magazine Ive heard only
one system to rival the
Grimm, and that was more
than twice as expensive: Ill
be genuinely sad to part ways
at the end of this particular
loan period, and would urge
anyone looking for a true
audio monitor to give the
Grimm Audio LS1 a listen.
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
Grimm Audio LS1
and LS1s subwoofer
III STUDIO MONITORING
INFORMATION
Feature Set
G Unidirectional down to 250Hz
G DSP controlled frequency curve
G Well-behaved off-axis response
G Digital and analogue audio inputs
G Filtered analogue subwoofer output
G Fail safe due to excursion and thermal limiter
G Midi control of volume and settings
G Super low distortion NCore Class D power amps
G Audiophile quality SEAS drivers
www.grimmaudio.com
Dont get the idea
it just makes
everything sound
good: while
somehow
remaining
immensely
listenable, youre
left in no doubt as
to what is and isnt
working in a mix.
Nigel Palmer
THE REVIEWER
NIGEL PALMER has been a
freelance Sound Engineer and
Producer for over 20 years. He
runs his CD mastering
business Lowland Masters
(www.lowlandmasters.com)
from rural Essex where he lives
with his family and two dogs.
THERE are three places you
can stick your power amp;
well, four if you include the
anatomically impossible
suggestion of your long-
suffering neighbours. First, in
its own heavy-duty box with
big rack handles and more
fins than Helsinki; or maybe
put it in your speaker and go
active; or put it in with the
mixing desk and embrace the
powered mixer route.
The latter is the noble path
long trodden by Studiomaster.
New from them in 2013 is
the 2012. Its name suggests
its a year late but in fact it is
a twelve-channel mixer with
two kW of on-board power or
just under three horse-power.
The twelve channels are
presented on nine faders,
which is the number of mic
amps in the desk. The last
three channels double as
stereo line inputs, so to get
the full twelve-channel
Horizon experience you need
six mono mic or line inputs
and three stereo line inputs.
COVERING THE BASES
The all in one mixer, is quite
a tough task to pull off because
the definition of all just keeps
getting bigger. We want EQ
on every channel, including
the stereos. We want some
dynamics for our vocal mics;
we want some effects reverb,
delay and all that; we want
some EQ for the room; we
want some computer I/O,
inserts for outboard
processing, and a couple of
Aux sends for monitors.
We want it all... And, well,
Studiomaster has provided all
of this, and in a well
screwed-together package in
a tidy box bamboo cheeks
and aluminium end plates
leading the way.
One of the first questions
you ask when you stick an
amp in your mixer is. How
loud is it?' And the answer is,
not loud at all. The variable
speed fan is not going to
bother you unless you are
recording a harp and triangle
gig and you have only
brought two-meter XLRs.
Oh I see, How loud is it?
Well, three horse-power is
not to be sneezed at. I
strapped a couple of 500-
watt, eight-ohm cabs across
the output and wound it up.
In a smaller club room I
easily managed 105dB at
about five meters.
Watts being notoriously
slippy in the real world Id say
its quite loud enough for
most small PA jobs. I had an
old and much-abused
Yamaha power amp to hand
and the Horizon easily bested
it in terms of sound quality
which is not too shabby for a
built-in amp at that. And I
think the Yamaha was heavier
than the entire Studiomaster
mix/amp package. In fact the
Horizon doesnt seem heavy
enough to hold all those
watts. It turns out that the
Studiomaster features a Class
D amplifier, which improves
efficiency by almost 25% over
the old AB designs.
The power is available on
Neutrik Speakons, which are
industry standard and a
thoroughly good thing.
Returning to the other end
of the signal
path, the
Horizons mic
amps offer a claimed
60dB of gain and in
comparison with some
nice Swiss mic preamplitude
they were not disgraced.
Neither was noise a problem at
higher gains. The first three
channels feature VMS that
being a dynamic processor or
Vocal Management System.
Its undoubtedly handy to have
three individual compressors
on board, and they did the job.
I wouldnt say they were my
favourite part of the desk
but they are there if you
need them.
I would have liked a limiter
on the output, but then Im a
very needy person. The EQ is
basic, an LF filter followed by
fixed-frequency high and low
controls, and a swept mid. You
also get EQ on your two Aux
masters, though the high and
low sections are shelving rather
than centre frequency-based.
You also get a sweepable
notch filter to hack out a peak
that might be causing
feedback. Then, to ice the cake
you get digital DSP engines,
each with eight settings,
mostly reverbs and plates, and
a variable delay. The reverbs
are all fixed effects with the
only control being the wet/dry
balance. Although a simple
system, it is probably all you
need for a small PA gig and
the reverbs sound perfectly
usable. The DSP output can
also be fed into the Aux sends
if you want to provide your
vocalist with some reverb in
their monitors for instance.
Back to the outputs.
The 2012 has a nine-band
graphic EQ with 9dB on
each frequency, and a built-in
100Hz crossover that can drive
a Mix2 output for separate
subs, the normal output
carrying the signal from
100Hz up. There is some
control of the amp output with
a switch offering 100, 40, and
15 percent power output
options. Finally, you can split
the outputs for monitor mixes,
either having a mono main on
the right hand channel with
Aux 1 feeding the left hand
amp or the amps being fed
from Aux 1 and Aux 2 while
the main output is available on
the XLRs to drive an external
amp or bigger PA system.
EXPECT THE BEST
The Studiomaster catchline is
Expect the Best, which
might seem silly if applied
pedantically. That is, you cant
have the best mixer in the
world with 60mm faders...
But maybe the claim is not so
off the mark when applied to
the whole package and put in
the context of its target
market. It is well made, honest
gear. From the USB playback
for your walk-in music to the
comprehensive output options,
you really do have everything
you need in one box to do a
small PA gig. When pinched
I have done a few PA gigs on
MI gear we all have, and
how we hated it. The
Studiomaster is a gig in a box
done properly. Did I mention
the cool LED light strip at the
top of the mixer? Its cool.
Studiomaster Horizon 2012
A full-featured gig-in-a-box is one way to describe the
new Studiomaster Horizon 2012. Alistair McGhee
uses that, and a few more besides...
INFORMATION
Feature Set
G Built-in dynamics and DSP effects
G High efficiency, Class D power amp
G Under 14kg weight
G Foot switch and gooseneck lamp included
Studiomaster Horizon 2012
1,299
www.studiomaster.com +44 (0)1582 404202
III POWERED LIVE CONSOLE
"It is well made,
honest gear. From
the USB playback
for your walk-in
music to the
comprehensive
output options,
you really do have
everything you
need.
Alistair McGhee
THE REVIEWER
ALISTAIR McGHEE
began audio life in
Hi-Fi before joining
the BBC as an audio
engineer. After ten
years in radio and TV,
he moved to
production. When
BBC Choice started,
he pioneered personal
digital production in
television. Most
recently, Alistair was
Assistant Editor, BBC
Radio Wales and has
been helping the UN
with broadcast
operations in Juba.
TECHNOLOGY FEATURE VIDEO GUIDE Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
Channel Delivery
In the second part of Video Guide's examination of television transmission and distribution, Kevin Hilton looks at
the world of channel delivery as it moves from linear TV to streaming, VoD and OTT.
THE fundamental nature of
television transmission
getting a channel from the
broadcast centre to the
home is the same as it was
in the early days of the
medium but what has
changed is the way services
can be delivered and what
additional features they offer.
There is still linear
television, coming into homes
through digital terrestrial
signals, cable or satellite, with
many more channels on offer.
In its simplest form this still
means that viewers watch
what the schedulers offer
them at a specific time.
The coming of domestic
video technology in the late
1970s and early 80s gave
people the option to record
programmes for later viewing,
something that became
known as time-shifting.
Through digital
technologies the basic
facilities of VHS have
evolved into todays advanced
receiver-recorders. Sky+,
Freeview+ and TiVo give
viewers even more powerful,
foolproof ways to catch
favourite programmes and
can be programmed to record
entire series and even adapt
to schedule changes. While
all this has put more control
in the hands of the viewer the
most useful new aid to
modern TV watching is being
able to pause live TV. This
level of flexibility is also
offered at the broadcast end,
with plus one services,
catch-up and interactivity
giving a variety of options,
including data. Red button
services can offer additional
coverage as well as a further
choice of viewing, including,
for sports broadcasts,
alternative commentaries.
In parallel with this are video
streaming and watch again
services such as BBC iPlayer,
ITV Player and 4oD.
Initially these took viewing
away from the TV in the
front room on to desktop and
laptop computers but
streaming boxes like Apple
TV and Roku give the
opportunity to bring it back
into the main living area.
The coming of tablets such
as the iPad, Samsung Tab2
and a whole range of others,
along with smartphones like
the iPhone, HTC and
Samsung Galaxy, have given
further ways to watch TV
and other streamed material,
including films. The growing
use of tablets and mobile
phones to watch video has
given rise to the term second
screen. This is now
considered something of a
misnomer, as many people
young and old look on the
tablet as their primary screen,
although the big TV in the
main family living area is not
a thing of the past just yet.
Consequently second screen
is more generally used to
describe a complementary
channel for additional
information and material.
All this has broken the
rigidity of linear broadcast,
although this method of
distribution shows no sign of
disappearing or being
replaced completely by the
new technologies. This means
broadcasters and play-out
contractors have to
accommodate the different
means of delivery to a wide
variety of platforms within a
single broadcast facility.
Today the play-out gamut
runs from traditional
channels originating from
high-resolution files with
high bandwidth and a
complex, hardware-based
infrastructure to smaller
services on a tighter budget
running from lower quality
but still broadcastable video
Channel delivery Since its earliest days television has been
based on a linear model for both transmission and viewing.
The viewer watches a channel as the broadcaster puts it out,
with only one means of delivery initially terrestrial but later
cable and satellite became options and a fixed schedule
for when programmes went out. This meant vast numbers
of people watched the same thing at the same time,
creating the phenomenon of appointment TV. This still
exists, as does linear delivery, but the audience now has a
greater choice in how, when, and where to receive
programmes. Among new and recent technologies bringing
more flexibility to the schedules are streaming to
computers, tablets and mobiles, including OTT (Over the
Top) platforms (which distribute material over IP but without
the direct involvement of an internet service provider) and
video on demand (VoD), covering movie channels and
catch-up services such as BBC iPlayer and 4OD.
GLOSSARY
The expectation
[is] that in the next
12 months most
broadcasters will
have IP-based
variants of their
transmissions,
including different
screen sizes and
bandwidths.
Kevin Hilton
Red Bee Medias
playout facility.
>
>
>
TECHNOLOGY FEATURE VIDEO GUIDE
formats using one-box
systems and software.
TV studio in a box
technology has also shortened
the broadcast chain, allowing
live events to be broadcast
directly from a location
without the need to go
through a full play-out
centre. Systems such as the
NewTek TriCaster have
allowed public broadcasters
and colleges in the US to
create their own channels, on
the internet in addition to
YouTube, as well as using
more conventional outlets.
Channel operators are
continually looking for more
efficient ways to distribute
services, not only to save
money but because the
viewing audience is now
considered to be more
fragmented because of the
choice of platforms and
devices available.
While there is a move to
Over the Top (OTT)
platforms there is still a
requirement to keep baseband
transmissions on multiplexes
as well. Facilities are also
seeing a demand for play-out
and master control facilities
to be simpler, not so there can
be fewer staff but to assign
people to more specific jobs
in dealing with other
platforms, such as video on
demand. The concept is that
if all the media is available it
can be selected by different
teams at the same time and
worked on without
duplicating effort.
A new component to
consider is the IP simulcast
of TV channels, which play-
out experts say is a growth
area, with the expectation
that in the next 12 months
most broadcasters will have
IP-based variants of their
transmissions, including
different screen sizes and
bandwidths.
The appetite of telecom
companies for frequency
spectrum to carry wireless
broadband and the general
shift towards the internet as a
way of delivering video has
led to the conclusion that
new technologies will
ultimately replace terrestrial
broadcast carriers. This is
unlikely to happen,
particularly when dealing
with programmes like The
X-Factor, which is watched
by millions of people.
The internet as it is today,
even with broadband, is
regarded as not efficient
enough to handle that level of
demand, so high bandwidth
carriers like digital terrestrial
TV, cable and satellite are still
the preferred choices.
The model for the
foreseeable future is likely to
be hybrid, with traditional
broadcasts alongside upstarts
like video streaming and
apps.
Thematic broadcaster UKTV,
owned jointly by BBC
Worldwide and the Scripps
network, is among the many
broadcasters that has
recognised the benefits of
video on demand (VoD). It
now has players for its three
digital free-to-air channels,
Dave, Really and Yesterday,
all based on the Connected
platform developed by
internet TV specialist
Capablue.
The project to provide
watch again facilities to
UKTV services has been
extended with an iOS app
for iPads and iPhones
available to viewers of
entertainment channel
Dave.
This was brought to the
market as a free download
from the Apple app store.
Distributing programmes
through viewers iOS devices
is a first for UKTV and is a
concerted effort to
maximise audience reach.
With the 12 million tablets
currently in use in the UK
increasingly becoming a
primary device for viewing
content, the Dave app
makes our great
programmes conveniently
accessible to even more
viewers, comments Ben
Hine, UKTVs Director of
Operations for Technology
and Innovation. Dave is the
first of our free-to-air
channels to have an iOS app
and over the coming
months we will be working
towards rolling out apps for
Yesterday and Really.
Capablue has been
working with UKTV over the
past year on building
custom VoD services for its
free-to-air channels and
moved on to the iOS apps.
With mobiles and tablets
taking centre stage in
todays viewing habits, now
is the right time to be giving
audiences access to unique
digital content and hours of
catch-up programming on
their personal device, says
Tom Cape, Capablues Chief
Executive.
Cape sees the current
broadcast delivery situation
as a period of transition
and evolution, with many
systems coming together.
Theres different content
going out at different times,
which is part of the TV
everywhere concept, he
comments. The best way
to achieve that is through
the Internet but it is
something that is evolving
over time as we get fibre
into homes, faster
broadband networks, and
now 4G.
TECHNOLOGYFOCUS
Pinewood Shepperton
Group
Main services: Film and
television sound stages,
video and audio
post-production
www.pinewoodgroup.com
Pinewood Studios is among
the best-known film
facilities in the world.
Opened in 1936 as the
British answer to
Hollywood, the facility has
been the production base
for countless films, notably
the James Bond series, but
it also provides facilities for
TV programmes.
Pinewood has a range of
TV stages and studios for
varying productions, from
drama to live
entertainment. Among the
second group is the draw
shows for the UKs National
Lottery, which are
distributed to a specific
YouTube channel and social
media sites using a TV
studio in a box system.
Production company
Initial Endemol selected a
NewTek TriCaster to
produce the EuroMillions
results on Tuesdays, the
Lotto and Thunderball
results on Wednesdays, and
the EuroMillions and
Thunderball results on
Fridays. The Lotto and
Thunderball shows are
made using locked off
feeds from five Panasonic
HE60 remote head cameras
linked to the TriCaster.
Graphics for each ball
chosen are generated
automatically by a PC-
based system linked to the
ball machines. These are
broadcast through the
TriCaster, which also plays
the correct announcement
to match the selected balls.
The camera feeds and
graphics are combined by a
vision mixer, who also
creates a second pass
during which additional
audio is added. Once this is
completed a final file is
created to be exported and
uploaded to YouTube.
The EuroMillions draw is
brought in on a satellite
feed from Paris that goes
directly into the TriCaster
at Pinewood.
We needed a
streamlined, efficient and,
above all, reliable process
for delivering our online
results shows, as we only
have one chance to get it
right, said Max Tilney,
Channel Editor for Digital
Content at Camelot UK
Lotteries Limited.
"We also wanted a
solution that was portable
and easy to set up and
break down. We looked at
many products on the
market but TriCaster was
the clear choice."
FACILITYFOCUS
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
CLASSIC CUT Sign up for your digital AM at www.audiomedia.com
Manhunter
By Kevin Hilton
SOME fictional characters
take on a life of their own,
becoming bigger than the
original story in which they
appear and other, more
prominent figures in it. Dr
Hannibal Lecter is such a
character. He has dominated
four films and now a TV
series but his beginnings were
as a secondary antagonist and
catalyst in the novel Red
Dragon, filmed by Michael
Mann as Manhunter (1986).
Featuring the directors
now familiar use of electronic
music and found songs cut
or mixed directly against the
action, rather than just
underpinning it and often
butting up against sound
effects, the film focuses on
the mental conflicts within
the main protagonist, Will
Graham (William Petersen),
as he races to identify a serial
killer before more murders
are committed.
Graham, a former FBI
profiler, is called out of
retirement by his ex-boss,
Jack Crawford (Dennis
Farina), to find the person
behind the killings of two
families. Nicknamed the
Tooth Fairy by the press, the
killer is on a lunar cycle and
Crawford asks the reluctant
Graham to help close the
case before the next full
moon.
The build up to one of the
killings is shown straight
after the opening credits.
Tension-building electronic
chords play on the soundtrack
as a point of view moving
camera gives the audience a
killers eye view of the house
and his victims.
As the mother of the
family wakes the scene cuts to
Graham and Crawford on a
beach, the music segueing
into the sound of the sea.
This signifies Grahams new
life with his wife and son
away from the city and the
sordid crimes he found
himself understanding a little
too well.
Mann is known for his
stylised visuals and the two
worlds Graham finds himself
caught between his home
by the sea in Florida and his
old life with the FBI are
delineated by very specific
colours and filters. The
Graham house is shot in blue
filtered light, contrasting the
stark greys, greens and whites
of the cities and police
offices. Less obvious but still
powerful is the sonic parallel
of this; when Graham talks to
his wife Molly on the phone,
she is bathed in bluish tones
with the sound of surf in the
distance. He is far away from
this, sitting in an overly
bright, generic hotel room
with the noise of sirens
coming from the street.
This association with flashy
images stems in part from the
TV series Miami Vice, which
Mann oversaw as executive
producer. Another major facet
of the show was percussive
electronic music by Jan
Hammer, which was
interspersed with
contemporary songs. Manns
taste for electronica crossed
over into his first three
features: Thief (1981) and The
Keep (1983) both featured
scores by the kings of the 80s
electronic movie soundtrack,
Tangerine Dream; Manhunter
keeps the synth motif but
mixes specially composed
instrumental tracks by The
Reds and Michael Rubini
with found music by Kitaro,
Shriekback, Red 7 and proto-
heavy metal band Iron
Butterfly, whose 17-minute
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is used
in the over-blown but
effective climatic
confrontation between
Graham and the Tooth Fairy.
A recurring audio
technique in Manhunter is the
sudden switch from music to
effects or silence to make a
dramatic point. One instance
of this is when Graham visits
the house of one of the
murdered families, which, like
that of the other victims, has
a large garden surrounded by
trees. As Graham looks for
evidence wistful music with
ethereal voices plays; this
builds as, talking to himself,
he realises the killer must
have been hiding in a tree for
hours. You watched them all
day, didnt you? he asks as the
building track ends abruptly.
DIDN'T YOU? This
dramatic change emphasises
the revelation more effectively
than might an instrumental
stab.
Electronic music became a
staple in film scoring because
it is effective at creating
feelings of menace and icy
detachment. Mann exploits
that in Manhunter but also
brings out its gentler, more
otherworldly side for some
scenes. This is most notable
in Grahams first scene with
Lecter. The charming but
sociopath psychiatrist had
been advising Graham on a
murder case and attacked him
when the investigator realised
Lecter was the killer. Graham
was badly hurt but survived
and quit the FBI, while
Lecter was locked up in a
facility for the criminally
insane.
Graham visits the doctor in
his blindingly white cell,
which is a stark contrast to
the gloomy dungeon featured
in the sequel, The Silence of
the Lambs (1991). In that film
Agent Clarice Starlings
initial encounter with Lecter
(played by Anthony Hopkins)
is accompanied by Howard
Shores doomy orchestral
music. In Manhunter Brian
Cox almost underplays
Lecter; he is charming and
clever but the cruelty and
cunning are closer to the
surface and more disturbing
than Hopkins oily creepiness.
The conversation between
Graham and Lecter plays
over a tinkly, delicate synth
piece, Freeze by former Tangs
member Klaus Schulze. This
makes the meeting seem
innocuous at first but the
tension builds as the prisoner
slowly gets inside his
questioners head. As a rattled
Graham bangs on the door to
be let out the soundtrack cuts
to Lecters Cell by The Reds, a
more aggressive piece of
electronica with crashing
chords symbolising the
investigators instability.
The use of modern,
technology-based music and
the brightly lit setting in
Manhunter, as opposed to the
portentous strings and dank
of The Silence of the Lambs,
makes Lecter seem more real
and of today, and so more
terrifying, rather than a
creature from the past like
Dracula or Frankensteins
monster.
The use of
modern,
technology-
based music and
the brightly lit
setting in
Manhunter, as
opposed to the
portentous
strings and dank
of The Silence of
the Lambs, makes
Lecter seem more
real and of today.
Kevin Hilton
MONITORING &
HEADPHONES
2013
THE INTERNATIONAL
BUYERS GUIDE
A S P E C I AL P R OMOT I ONAL P UBL I C AT I ON
F R OM T HE NE WBAY ME DI A GR OUP
AUDIO MEDIA
PRODUCED BY
In association with:
I NT ERNAT I ONAL EDI T I ON
www.neumann.com www.sennheiser.co.uk +44 (0)1494 551551 @Sennheiser_UK
pure energy.
The new KH 310 three-way Studio Monitor.
A member of the Neumann Studio Monitor Line.
Studio Monitor KH 310
4 The Ten Monitoring Commandments . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6 Surround Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8 MONITORS Dynaudio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10 MONITORS EVE Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12 MONITORS Focal Professional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14 MONITORS Genelec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
16 MONITORS JBL Professional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
18 MONITORS KRK Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20 MONITORS PMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
22 MONITORS PreSonus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24 MONITORS PSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
26 MONITORS Sonodyne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
28 MONITORS Unity Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
30 Headphones Buyers Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
31 HEADPHONES Audio-Technica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
32 HEADPHONES KRK Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
33 HEADPHONES Sennheiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
34 HEADPHONES Ultrasone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
35 MONITORS & HEADPHONES Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
c ont e nt s
Welcome to Monitors & Headphones 2013,
an overview of the professional monitor
and headphone market for the production
professional.
This is an updated and refreshed collection of promotional
articles looking at 15 of the worlds leading monitor and
headphone manufacturers and their product ranges. Inside
youll find the stories behind the drivers the ethos and design
ethics that go into producing these critical audio production
components, and details of the products themselves.
Monitoring provokes much debate, much passion, and
possibly more subjective wrangling than any other node in the
signal chain. Whether its the box, the magnetics, the materials,
the electronics, the room, or even the ears that make the
difference, the term reference is never used lightly amongst
those who rely on hi-fidelity, accurate and natural voicing, spot-
on transients, and a little something extra.
Hopefully this guide will provide a good foundation
for your monitor and headphone buying homework during
2013, and push back the boundaries of your considerations.
To complement the profiles, weve articles from renowned
Acousticians Andy Munro and John Storyk about the finer
points of surround speaker placement, and the Monitoring
Commandments, plus a special headphone primer feature with
expert advice.
This, and the other Buyers Guides in the series (Microphones,
Recorders, DAWs, Consoles, Live Sound Technology, and Live
Sound Application) are Audio Media projects, designed to
help you find your way through the information explosion
and find the product that suits your needs. Audio Media is an
internationally distributed magazine that deals with professional
audio production in film, TV, radio, music, games, and stage.
Its available in both print and digital editions. For more details,
go to www.audiomedia.com.
Paul Mac, Editor.
Sales Manager
Graham Kirk
g.kirk@audiomedia.com
Editor In Chief
Paul Mac
p.mac@audiomedia.com
Editorial Manager (Europe)
Lanna Marshall
l.marshall@audiomedia.com
Design & Production Manager
John-Paul Shirreffs
jp.shirreffs@audiomedia.com
AUDIO MEDIA www.audiomedia.com
(UK) Tel: +44 (0) 1354 669960 - Fax: +44 (0) 1354 669965
The contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or in part, whether
mechanical or electronic, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Great care is taken to
ensure accuracy in the preparation of this publication but neither NewBay Media nor the Editor can be held responsible for its
contents or any omissions. The views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Publishers or Edi-
tor. The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, or artwork.
2013 NewBay Media. All rights reserved.
XXXOCNFEJBDPN
1. Monitoring does not happen in a vacuum.
A speaker must complement the environment
that it will be placed in, both in size and in
position. If you need one commandment, this
would be it!
2. Monitors have personalities.
There is no getting away from that concept.
Every year, I am amazed that a new improved
crop of monitors is introduced to the pro audio
community. The fact is that many of them
really sound great! But like cars or fashion,
not every monitor is perfect for every listening
experience. We need to remind ourselves of
this. When I am asked to recommend the best
monitor my response is usually (after getting
a bit of programming information about the
use), to list a family of recommended monitors.
Choosing a monitor is like choosing a mate.
You need to listen to them carefully and make
sure that you can live with them. This is a very
personal decision.
3. Determine the real maximum required levels
and the real frequency range these levels need
to respond in.
For instance, monitoring for a TV broadcast
mixing suite (typically in the 200-300 square
feet range) will require a very different monitor
solution than an urban music tracking and
mixing environment (typically twice as large
and requiring levels in excess of 110dBC at the
listening position).
4. Neareld monitors are not automatically
accurate.
Beware of their often-limited frequency
response (particularly below 100Hz) as well as
the tendency to incorrectly position them on a
console bridge. This location will often result in
the most common of all problems rst order
comb lter generating early reections, thus
causing a time domain shift and ultimately
frequency response inaccuracies. To avoid comb
ltering do not position nearelds on top of the
furniture or console! If space is limited, angle
them upwards to reduce this effect. Poorly
positioned neareld monitors tend to lead
to mixes with excessive time effects (reverb/
delays) since the direct sound is heard with
more presence.
5. In setting up for surround, start with ITU.
This is particularly true with respect to
equidistant positioning of all monitors in both
horizontal and vertical axes.This can often be
difcult, but try to start with this geometry in
mind. If the distances are to be non-equal, it
is usually better to have the surround speakers
further away (compared to the front speakers).
Adding delay for closer speakers (moving
them further away) sounds less natural due
to room reections that cannot be controlled
electronically.
6. Understand SBIR (speaker boundary
interference).
Although we could go back to commandment
#1, this is worth a separate entry. Most
monitors in free eld will exhibit a tendency
for lower frequencies to radiate in an omni-
directional fashion. This tendency will cause
phase cancellation and reinforcement to
happen as speakers are located near stiff
boundaries (corners in control rooms, for
example). Locate speakers away from corners,
or if not possible, then use appropriate rear
speaker absorption to compensate for this
effect. Even better, soft mounting will
naturally eliminate this issue.
7. If possible have all monitors at ear level or
slightly above.
This is the safest way to eliminate rst order
reections from consoles and similar mix
position horizontal surfaces, and thus will help
eliminate harmful comb ltering effects.
8. DSP control is not a bad component in a
monitor system.
In fact, in most instances, I would encourage
it. People often claim that incorporating these
types of added electronic (tuning) devices is
inappropriate. However, there are virtually no
monitor systems today that do not include
some kind of electronics within the system.
In the past, tuning got a bad rap, not
necessarily because of bad electronic devices
(although some were awful!), but more
often because of poorly executed tuning
protocols. Tuning requires an entirely new set
of Commandments (new mountain top to
come down from), but good DSP control that is
sensitive to both frequency and time domain
issues can truly add a wonderful dimension to
the accuracy of a monitoring system in a well-
designed environment.
9. In nal calibration (tuning) do not use 1/3Oct
band EQs; try to use a parametric.
A DSP system will allow for asymmetrical
parametric creation (a very cool trick that
requires some practice). More advanced DSP
systems will also allow for time alignment,
which of course is particularly useful with a
bass management sub (becoming more and
more common in studios).
10. Do not chase reection anomalies.
These time domain issues are particularly
noticeable at higher frequencies. DSP control is
much more useful at lower frequencies and in
cut mode rather than boost. Before advanced
tuning or calibration, make sure that the basics
(consider them mini commandments)
are in place:
- Symmetrlcol posltlonlng of monltors ln
all axis.
- Levels need to be equol.
- Phose must be correct.
- Components ore not domoged.
Dont waste time on commissioning and tuning
until all these items are addressed.
We set John Storyk a challenge to suggest a set of ten monitoring commandments. Note that the
order isnt signicant, and of course, there will be exceptions.
Ten Commandments
+ + + + S UR R OUND OP T I ONS + + + + S UR R OUND OP T I ONS + + + + S UR R OUND OP T I ONS + + + + S UR R OUND OP T I O
John Storyk is an Architect and Acoustician, and Co-Principal (founding partner) of the Walters-Storyk Design Group. He has provided design and
construction supervision services for the professional audio and video recording community since the 1969 completion of Jimi Hendrixs Electric
Ladyland Studios in New York City, and has since been responsible for over 2,500 production facilities.
WSDG is a worldwide, full-service acoustics and audio/video design rm, specialising in critical listening and viewing environments of various types, now
celebrating its 40th year in practice, and employing over 50 professionals in six ofces across four continents. www.wsdg.com
MONITORING COMMANDMENTS 4
dynaudioprofessional.com
From the handcrafted Dynaudio drivers to its
beautiful exterior, DBM50 is born to perfectly
reproduce your desktop mix and truly repre-
sents a revolutionary angle in desktop mixing.
Add the optional Volume Box for hands-on
Master Volume control.
Perfectly Angled
The Pinnacle of Desktop Monitoring
Setting up a surround monitoring system is
fraught with issues acoustic room treatment,
bass management, and speaker positions
are just a few. Its that last one that causes a
special bit of confusion particularly if your
work isnt wholly music or wholly lm sound.
Of the myriad of surround speaker positioning
protocols, it does seem that two are particularly
prevalent: ITUR BS.7751, and the cinematic
set-up, with early detail in the Dolby Surround
Mixing Manual. The main differences are the
positions and angles of the surrounds. ITU
has the surrounds on the imaginary circle
around the listening position, angled directly
at the sweet spot (all source equidistant from
listener), while the cinematic version has the
surrounds on the side walls, pointing inwards
and positioned above the listener (thus the
surrounds are more ambient than direct).
Of course, there are more variations, especially
when it comes to larger rooms and Dolby
certication, and so on.
So this doesnt get out of hand, its best to
ask an expert. Andy Munro, of Munro Acoustics,
has designed some of the most highly-rated
surround rooms for both lm and for music
around the world. We spoke to him about not
only the placement of speakers in a multi-
channel environment, but also the philosophy
of surround mixing in general. It seems that
you cant think about monitoring without
considering mixing... Which is probably as it
should be.
Audio Media: Is the world reaching a
consensus on surround system monitor
positions or is it fragmented? Which should
we choose and why?
Andy Munro: It depends on the room as much
as anything... If its a music control room and
its a music mix, then I would denitely go for
the ITU arrangement the classic 5.1 with the
surround speakers at 100-120 degrees from
the normal zero angle. But if its anything to
do with post production or lm and so on, then
I would as much as possible try and go for the
cinematic arrangement.
The idea of the cinematic one basically
is that the surround channels cover a much
bigger area. The thing about the ITU
arrangement is that there is a sweet spot a
mix position. Nobody else is going to get
anything like a surround mix; so if youve got
people sitting at the back of the room on a
sofa or something like that then theyre going
to hear the surround speakers rst, and then
everything is going to be out, timing wise.
With the cinematic set-up, no matter
where you sit you hear the front speakers
before you hear the rear ones, which as you can
imagine isnt that easy in a small room.
Its all to do with time delays really,
and I think surround sound is very much
misunderstood by a lot of music mixers
because of that, whereas lm people tend to
understand it very well and are very subtle
about their surround mixing. They tend to use
a lot of reverbs and a lot of diffusion to de-
localise the sound.
The best surround mixes, that Ive heard
in music anyway which tend to come out
of Nashville use a lot of reverb and a lot of
de-focusing on the rears. If theres one thing I
cannot stand its someone blowing a trumpet
behind my left ear. I nd it very disconcerting
indeed... to the point where I really dont like
listening to 5.1 in that way. I like listening to
classical music in 5.1 if they somehow manage
to capture the ambience of the hall and create
the right reverb balance. It can sound fantastic.
I remember hearing a Radio France
transmission years ago that was, if I remember
rightly, on a DTS or Dolby demo disk in the
early days of DVD. It was so good it sent shivers
down my spine. It was recorded in a cathedral
in France and I thought thats it... if thats the
way surround can be done then its just going
to be a huge success. Unfortunately, apart
from a few opera DVDs and so on, not many
people are doing it.
The speaker arrangements and all of that
are really secondary to getting the concept
right. Actually thinking, why do we have
surround why do we have multi-channel?
The whole point is to put you into a space.
Its not to do circus tricks like in the old
ping-pong days of stereo. The whole idea is
to put you into a space and make you feel that
youre there. Thats it, thats the be-all and
end-all of it. Okay, in the cinema you might
have special effects like someone creeping up
behind you or whatever, but thats very rarely
used; and the reason its rarely used is because
its very hard to get everybody to experience
the same thing.
Are you Blur or Oasis? Are you ambient, or direct? Of course, the rst question might be better posed as
music or lm, but the simple matter of speaker positions does still seem to create some ill-reasoned
loyalties and extraordinary myths. We turn to Andy Munro, to clear the whole mess up
Surround
options
>
6 SURROUND OPTIONS
In the ITU (music) set-up, the surrounds are pointed directly at the sweet
spot ears at an angle of between 100 and 120 degrees from centre.
time-aligned (equidistant) with the front speakers. In the lm mixing
arrangement, the surrounds are positioned above the listener and should
not get closer to the listener than the front speakers, for a more ambient
and sweet-spot-tolerant monitoring arrangement.
Audio Media: What would, for example,
be the effect of doing a music mix on a
cinematic set-up?
Andy Munro: Youd probably end up with more
ambience. Im assuming youre talking about
a mix specically for surround rather than one
thats going to get folded down... Thats the
other thing. If youre going to do a mix thats
got to be mono and stereo compatible youd
better make sure youre monitoring it as you
go long so you dont create ridiculously phased
mixes. But thats always the big danger with
surrounds. If you fold it into the main mix it
can all go horribly wrong.
Its a tricky business. But the real trickiness
is in the delivery of the product rather than in
the studio.
Thats one of the good things about
the ITU set-up. Because all the speakers are
basically equal and equidistant to the mix
point, if youre sitting at the mix point and
you do your fold-downs even with the bass
management fold-down and so on you can
hear very well what the phase relationships are
of all the ve channels so you can actually hear
if something is going wrong. So in a mastering
situation
I would
denitely
say use the
ITU set-up
with zero
delays on
each of the
speakers so
you do hear
everything exactly
in-phase at the mix
position.
As far as the cinematic
set-up is concerned its almost
the exact opposite, where you want
the surrounds to be as diffused as possible so
when you fold them back into a main mix it
just becomes ambience. That way you cant go
too far wrong. But if you start putting discrete
stuff into the surround channels and its
not timed right then youll create all kinds
of problems.
Audio Media: And problems become more
acute when it comes to the bigger distances
in theatres?
Andy Munro: In the best theatres, for
example, where theyve got multiple pairs of
surround speakers, each with their own time
delays and everything is timed correctly you do
end up with this quite pleasant mishmash of
ambience. Because not only are the speakers
youre hearing closest having the right time
delay, all the other ones have a different delay
so its all kind of mashed together.
In a small room or narrow room, especially
where youre near the surrounds, quite a few
people advocate the bi-directional speakers
now, where the sound is ring to the sides and
not directly at you. Basically, instead of having
a single driver thats pointing forwards a
conventional speaker you have two drivers
aimed left and right. They are directing the
sound away from the on-axis position. At the
on-axis position they sometimes arrange it so
you actually have a null.
Im not saying thats necessarily a good
thing, but sometimes its a good way of getting
diffusion and avoiding having a surround
speaker red straight into your ear.
Of course, this is stuff that happens
at the point of delivery its not necessarily
something youd want in your dubbing
theatre.
Audio Media: If you were an audio pro
who, like many these days are a jack-of-all-
trades, doing a little bit of music, a little
bit of sound-for-picture, and other things
besides, which way would you swing
ITU or cinematic?
Andy Munro: Id go for the standard ITU set
up, but I would also issue a big warning not
to do anything too funky in the rear channels.
Stick by the rules and keep it as diffuse as
possible. If you can sit in the sweet spot and
locate anything in the rear channels then
youre probably doing it wrong. In other words,
surrounds should be as de-localised as possible.
That way, no matter where its played
back, itll work. And at the same time, when
youre doing that, check it doesnt all fold down
into something thats got a huge hole in it.
Audio Media: Discrete or virtual centre?
Andy Munro: The centre speaker in a big
space does give you a very solid centre image.
Whereas in a smaller space I actually prefer a
virtual centre image. If Im listening to classical
music and a lot of classical guys agree with
this youre much better off with a proper
front stereo balance, just left and right, rather
than trying to balance it across three speakers.
Somehow the centre speaker just doesnt give
the same effect as having a virtual centre
image in stereo. Its something to do with the
perspective of the sound and the way it feels.
It doesnt feel natural to me.
In the ITU (music) set-up, the surrounds are pointed directly at the
sweet spot ears at an angle of between 100 and 120 degrees from
centre. time-aligned (equidistant) with the front speakers. In the lm
mixing arrangement, the surrounds are positioned above the listener
and should not get closer to the listener than the front speakers, for
a more ambient and sweet-spot-tolerant monitoring arrangement.
>
SURROUND OPTIONS 7
Superior Tools for Critical Monitoring
In lm, post, gaming, broadcast and music
productions, consistency, predictability and
reliability are key. Add to this networkability
and central control, and youll know why
studios throughout the world rely on Dynaudio
Professional technology.
Choosing Dynaudio Professional, you not
only get 20 years of innovative speaker and
driver technology, you also get integrated
TC Electronic digital signal processing.
This combination offers you the best of
both worlds, making Dynaudio Professional
speakers second to none.
Three Main Ranges One High Standard
Clarity and consistency come as standard
the question is, how versatile do you want your
set-up? Dynaudio Professional has two
extensive ranges of DSP-powered and analogue
near-eld and mid-eld monitors: the AIR series
and the BM series, including the brand new
Desktop Monitor DBM50. Further, for ultimate
main monitoring solutions, you should go for
the M series.
AIR
It makes great sense to compare the AIR
sound with any other speaker you own or
are considering acquiring. We both encourage
and support this. Contact your dealer or
our representative in your country to
arrange a demo.
Bear in mind though, that an AIR system
is not really comparable to conventional
monitors. On top of ultimate precision and
sound, an AIR system offers exibility and
convenience previously unknown in monitors.
Achieving similar functionality and features from
conventional monitors requires the addition of
a number of external boxes such as Monitor
Matrix Controller, Bass Management Crossover,
external EQs and delays. This obviously adds to
the system price, and moreover often degrades
the signal path. With an AIR system everything is
integrated and matched its right there for you
to use from the menu on the front of a master-
module speaker via a 32-segment
LCD display, or through an optional
dedicated hardware remote, or
an optional dedicated software
application (Mac and PC). The user interface
allows for storing and recalling factory and
user presets taking into account THX and Dolby
recommendations, reference levels, lFE sensitivity
and so on.
THX Certied
AIR monitor systems are THX certied for use
in PM3 rooms.
M3XE
M3XE is the ultimate main monitoring solution,
combining world-class driver and cabinet
technology from Dynaudio Professional with
cutting-edge signal processing and amplication
from Lab.gruppen, Lake, and TC Electronic.
The Dynaudio Professional M3XE monitor
system takes monitoring to a whole new
level with a
signicant
upgrade from
its predecessor
the renowned
M3A 3-way
monitor.
To top it off,
the speakers
are powered by
two of
Lab.gruppens
highly
esteemed
PLM10000Q
ampliers.
The Truth,
The Whole Truth,
And Nothing But...
+ + + + DY NA UDI O P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + DY NA UDI O P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + DY NA UDI O P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + D
8 PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
Dynaudio Professional monitors are designed to speak the truth. You get exactly what you need for
your mixing an exact reproduction of your mix no more, no less.
BMC-2 How Pro Can You Go?
BMC-2 is TC Electronics latest digital
audio conversion and monitor controller.
With it you can enjoy the luxury of
controlling your audio levels at all times
and during unexpected drops or computer
crashes. It also offers digital inputs,
iCheck (to check audio compression), and
calibrated listening
for headphones and
active speakers.
BMC-2: your pro
DAC and monitor
control!
AIR 12
Powerful two-way near-
eld speaker 8-inch
Woofer and 1.1-inch
soft dome tweeter.
The latest addition to
the AIR family. AIR12
suits all sizes of control
room and OB vans,
and its high-precision
amp/ driver system
(+/- 0.2 dB accuracy) ensures complete
consistency with the entire AIR family in a
variety of stereo and 5.1 set-ups remote
controllable via the AIR Remote or the
included AIR Soft application.
DSP room adaption allows for
perfect customisation for any
room construction and its inter-
monitor level calibration feature
ensures consistent levels in all sessions.
The BM Series family.
Dynaudio Professional
Sindalsvej 34
DK-8240 Risskov
t +45 87 427000
f +45 87 427010
e info@dynaudioprofessional.com
w www.dynaudioprofessional.com
Y NA UDI O P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + DY NA UDI O P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + DY NA UDI O P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + DY NA U
THE INTERNATIONAL GUIDE TO MONITORING & HEADPHONES 2013 9
Award-Winning Speaker Technology
Dont just take our word for it. Over the years, Dynaudio Acoustics monitors have won numerous prizes and awards.
Recognition like this goes to show that great products can help produce great art, as Dynaudio Acoustics monitors are used by the most
demanding studios, engineers, producers, and production environments throughout the world. The list counts:
AIR 12
2009 Remix Technology Award
in the Monitor/Speaker category
BM 12A
2008 Remix Technology Award
in the Monitor/Speaker category
BM 6A
Future Musics Gear of the Year
2001 Award
Future Musics Platinum
Award 2001

BM 6A mk II
Electronic Musician 2008
Editors Choice Award in the
Monitor Speaker category
2007 TEC Award nomination in
the Studio Monitor Technology
category for Outstanding
Technical Achievement
AIR series
Produccin Audio for Best
Studio Product of the Year 2003
m.i.p.a. 2003 Award in
the Neareld Studio
Monitor category
DBM50
Pro Sound Network Best of
Show Award (NAB 2012)
Electronic Musician Editors
Choice Award 2013
Apple Audio Labs, Cupertino/California
and Paris/France
BBC Radio & Music, London, UK
Danish Broadcasting Corporation,
Copenhagen, DK
Vienna Symphonic Library, A
Paragon Studio, Nashville, US
AIR Studios, UK
Half HP Studio, JPN
Sony DVD Center Europe, A
Abbey Road Studio, UK
ESP Studio, JPN
and many more.
DBM50
The perfectly angled desktop monitor featuring a 7.1-
inch woofer and a 1.1-inch soft dome tweeter. From the
handcrafted Dynaudio drivers to its beautiful exterior, DBM50
is specically engineered to perfectly reproduce your desktop
mixes, and truly represents a revolutionary new angle in
desktop mixing. Another key factor that puts DBM50 in the
front seat is sheer quality. Each and every one is handcrafted
in Denmark with attention to even the tiniest detail. Further,
DBM50 comes with the option of adding a sleek controller
that puts you squarely at the helm of volume control in
any situation. You can set
and manipulate levels with
precision and ease, completely
independent of your computer
or DAW. The DBM50 controller provides perfect tracking, which
guarantees spot-on stereo imaging and unrivalled precision.
Sporting the newest and most pristine
Dynaudio ESOTAR driver technology, M3XE
takes over where most other monitor systems
give up. With unsurpassed attention to detail,
underpinned by an impressive 20Hz-22kHz
frequency response and beyond 133dB SPL,
M3XE leaves no room for desire in terms of
resolution, range, or sheer power.
The cutting-edge combination of Lab.
gruppen, Lake, and TC Electronic processing
technology forms the ultimate backing for M3XE
and ensures unlimited power and the tools for
optimising any room to become the perfect
listening environment.
In short, M3XE surpasses any and all main
monitor expectations!
BM
The BM monitors both in their passive and
active forms are clean, powerful, and accurate
monitors delivering excellent results every time.
The sound is always transparent and crisp
ensuring the most realistic listening conditions
for a wide array of applications. Comprised of
renowned Dynaudio driver technology, these
monitors have become the standard when it
comes to high performance and transparency.
In combination with the subwoofers, the
BM series is also very well suited for
multi-channel facilities.
monitors 2013 monitors 2013

+ + + + E V E A UDI O+ + + + E V E A UDI O+ + + + E V E A UDI O+ + + + E V E A UDI O+ + + + E V E A UDI O+ + + + E V E A UDI O+ + + +
Immaculate Sound.
Beautifully Realised.
The Full Range
The EVE Audio range of studio monitors is currently made up of eight
full-range models (and four ThunderStorm; subwoofers). The full
range units fall into three three basic types: two-way (tweeter, woofer),
three-way (tweeter, woofer, woofer), and four-way (tweeter, mid-range,
woofer, woofer). All units feature one amplier per driver with
DSP-based crossover and EQ, plus EVE Audios own SilverCone
woofers and RS3 Air Motion Transformer tweeters.
The two-way models are: the SC204 (four-inch woofer, 64Hz-
21kHz), the SC205 (ve-inch woofer, 53Hz-21kHz), the SC207 (6.5-inch
woofer, 44Hz-21kHz), and the SC208 (eight-inch woofer, 36Hz-21kHz).
In the three-way systems the woofers work as a complementary
pair, with one taking care of the lower woofer bandwidth and the other
working all the way up to the crossover frequency where the AMT
tweeter takes over. The three-way models are: the SC305 (double
ve-inch woofers, 50Hz-21kHz) and the SC307 (double 6.5-inch
woofers, 40Hz-21kHz).
The four-way systems add a mid-sized, mid-range woofer to the
mix, while the dual woofer combination doubles up to extend the
frequency range of these monitors downwards. The result is accurate
bass reproduction, a linear response, and exceptional power and
output (up to 118dB SPL).
There are currently two four-way systems in the EVE Audio range.
The SC407 uses the RS3 AMT tweeter, a four-inch mid-range woofer,
and two 6.5-inch woofers to give a frequency response of 35Hz to
21kHz with a maximum output of 116dB SPL. The larger SC408 uses
a ve-inch mid, eight-inch woofers, and has a response from 32Hz to
21kHz at a maximum output of 118dB.
Detail, balance, accuracy, and versatility all describe
the relatively recently introduced range of professional
studio monitors from EVE Audio; but what is the secret
of its success? Roland Stenz knows...
In just two years, Berlin-based EVE Audio
has gone from nothing to manufacturing a
complete line of professional monitors, sold
through partners in 53 countries. The rst year
culminated in the unveiling of a large and
fully-formed product range at Musikmesse
2012, and since then the company has been
busy building on that impact. The company
founder, Roland Stenz, has years of experience in
electronic and loudspeaker design, and is rightly
proud of the energy and innovations he and
his team have brought to the world of studio
monitoring systems.
To understand EVE Audio, its best to begin
with those innovations. Roland Stenz starts by
explaining his choice to use DSP-based crossover
and EQ, rather than analogue internals:
Roland Stenz: For me, it was a clear decision.
Of course, this technology offers a modern user
interface with encoder control, but the most
important thing is that you dont have to deal
with the tolerances [component errors] you
get in the analogue domain... The DSP solution
offers much smaller tolerances, and you only
have to deal with the variations in the drivers.
Aside from this, I wouldnt say that there are
quality advantages or disadvantages between
analogue or digital systems. In every case,
the complete speaker has to be designed and
manufactured to the best possible standards.
The result is important, but the way to get this
result can be different.
EVE Audio does all nal DSP calibrations at
the factory during the test stage, though there
are also shelving and notch lters available to
the user.
Retweeted
The very special, bespoke RS tweeter that EVE
uses is termed an Air Motion Transformer
(AMT) tweeter. The folded diaphragm moves in
the same way as an accordion does and pushes
air forwards and backwards accelerating
much faster than with conventional moving coil
designs. This is not unique to EVE, but as with all
aspects of its products, EVE brings its own ideas
to the technology.
RS: From the beginning I wanted to use
an Air Motion Transformer, but I had some
ideas about improving on previous designs.
Consistency in production was my main focus,
but also to have a bigger open space presented
at the front interface plate. The EVE Audio
tweeter is much more open than others.
The inner construction also allows a more
precise placement of the folded diaphragm.
The SC2 range.
+ E V E A UDI O+ + + + E V E A UDI O+ + + + E V E A UDI O+ + + + E V E A UDI O+ + + + E V E A UDI O+ + + + E V E A UDI O+ + + + E V E
EVE Audio GmbH
Ernst Augustin Str. 1 a | 12489 Berlin, Germany
t +49 30 6704 4180
w www.eve-audio.com
The bespoke design does not end with the
RS tweeter. For ultimate quality and balance,
Stenz needed a fast woofer design as well; the
EVE Audio SilverCone woofer was born...
RS: The idea was to use a very light but
stiff diaphragm material. Its basically a
honeycomb diaphragm sandwiched with glass
bre, plus a smaller, more responsive voice coil.
A bigger voice coil is bad for dynamic behaviour
in the speaker.
It is very important to have complementary
woofer and tweeter designs. If you have a very
detailed tweeter like the AMT, then you can
sense a gap between the tweeter and the
woofer section like the tweeter is running
alone on top. A fast, dynamic woofer avoids
this problem.
Further, Stenz wanted to address
short-comings in bass reex port designs
a commonly used system for extending the
bass response of a loudspeaker by creating a
resonance below the natural cut-off point of
the monitor.
RS: I wanted a speaker system with very
good low-end reproduction. For this reason,
I decided to put the reex ports on the back.
Firstly, this means we dont have holes in the
front bafe so we avoid mid-range problems
that arise from this I dont have to EQ the
speaker so much. Also, I wanted to have a larger
diameter port to stop any port noise, which can
be an issue with other designs.
All woofer amps in the EVE Audio range, plus
the tweeters in the SC204 and SC205 models,
are powered by PWM (Class D) ampliers.
This technology is highly efcient, leading to
less heat dissipation and therefore better overall
loudspeaker performance.
Stand Ovation
With all this technology behind the EVE
Audio product range, its not surprising that the
company is condent its monitor range
will impress.
RS: In the calibration of EVE monitors I
am very careful to achieve the best balance.
The woofer and tweeter work together
beautifully, and the result is smooth not overly
exaggerated in either the top or the bottom
ends of the spectrum....
We did a lot of development in the anechoic
chamber, but we also spent a lot of time
listening to different types of music in different
rooms. When people made comments, we went
back to the chamber and did more testing and
adjustment. You have to factor in the effects
of different rooms the effects of dispersion,
reections, and so on, and nd the
best balance between the theoretical
0dB and what happens in the real
world. You need a lot of experience to
make a balanced speaker.
Overall, I wanted a totally
dynamic speaker. I started from
the tweeter, and then found a corresponding
woofer solution. It is an amazing, well-balanced
solution.
EVE Audio has a wide range of congurations
to suit different rooms and different budgets,
but it is worth pointing out that there is only
one range. Why is this a good thing? When you
buy an EVE Audio monitor, of whatever size, you
can be certain of consistency an important
consideration when investing in your studio.
All of this adds up to a high-class monitor
design that will adapt to whatever challenges
you throw at it, across all music genres, and no
matter which model you choose now, or in
the future.
ThunderStorm: Bass
EVE Audio manufactures a range of
four subwoofer units to supplement any
monitoring system. Every ThunderStorm
(TS) subwoofer has switchable satellite
lters (full range and 85Hz), phase switch,
and variable subwoofer lter frequencies
(50-150Hz) for room and system-specic
set-up. Every model has stereo XLR I/O,
LFE In, and LFE/Sub Out connections;
and comes with a remote control so you
can control system wide volume from the
sweet spot.
There are currently four models in the
ThunderStorm subwoofer range. All units
are powered by highly efcient PWM
ampliers with the power handling rising
through the models. Woofer diameter and
bass cut-off/response all the four TS units
are: seven-inch, 33-150Hz (TS107); eight-
inch, 27-150Hz (TS108); 10-inch, 23-150Hz
(TS110); and 12-inch, 20-150Hz (TS112).
Maximum output SPL varies from 102dB
for the TS107, to 112dB for the TS112.
What The Reviewers Think...
EVE has created a pair of monitors that
leave no excuse for mediocrity, they are
simply awesome.
Mixdown, Australia, SC205 review
Two things stand out from the off: nicely
controlled, clear bass, and a remarkably
open and deep sound stage.
Musictech, UK, SC208 review.
EVE Audios SC205 are top class near eld
monitors that easily compete with far more
expensive products.
infomusic.com, Poland, SC205 review
If youre looking for monitors at this level
you really should give the SC307 a serious
audition... Smooth control and precision...
an impressive monitor
Sound On Sound, UK, SC307 review

...A remarkable addition that is able to
convince ambitious sound creators.
Professional Audio, Germany, SC207/
SC305 reviews
EVE Audio GmbH, 27.03.2013, Tweeter RS1
EVE Audios RS3 Air Motion Transformer
tweeter and exploded view.
+ + + + FOC A L P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + FOC A L P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + FOC A L P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + FOC A L P R OF E S
Focal Exclusive Technologies
The W Composite Sandwich Cone
Focal has been developing composite sandwich
cones for the last 15 years. The fruit of that
research, the W structure (glass/foam/glass)
used in every Focal Professional product, allows
for a truly optimised response right from the
start, thanks to the precise control of rigidity,
weight, and damping capacity of the cone.
The balance between these three fundamental
and often
contradictory
parameters is
the very basis of
the exceptional
sonic neutrality
of our speakers.
The Be Tweeter
Since the very beginning, Focal has favoured
inverted dome tweeters, but the introduction of
the pure Beryllium dome, capable of covering
ve full octaves from 1,000Hz to 40kHz, has
simply revolutionised high frequency spectrum
reproduction. This tweeters capacity to
go as high as 40kHz without any artifacts
enables it to reproduce high frequencies with
unmatched speed and transparency. At rst
the pure Beryllium tweeter was only available
on the very high-end digital speakers of the
Focal Professional line (SM11), but now it is
also featured on the SM6 series, allowing an
unprecedented price/performance ratio.
The Focal Professional
Monitoring Range
Looking for the Ultimate Tool?
SM9 series
The REFERENCE
Three-Way Monitor
The SM9 was born
out of a simple idea:
create the most
sonically transparent
monitoring system ever
built. The SM9 features a
frequency response from 30Hz to 40kHz
with an SPL max of 116dB. This monitoring
speaker establishes itself as a reference thanks
to the precision of the stereo image, its capacity
to reproduce each of the micro details of the
audio signal, as well as unconditional respect of
the original dynamics.
SM6 Series
The now famous SM6 series has been developed
for professional engineers who are seeking
absolutely neutral sound and sound stage
precision for recording, mixing, and mastering
studios. The SM6 series is composed of three
references: Solo6 Be, Twin6 Be, and Sub6.
Solo6 Be
Two-way, analogue
professional neareld monitor
(150 + 100W RMS Bash
technology), 6.5-inch W
composite sandwich cone
driver, one-inch pure Beryllium
inverted dome tweeter.
Frequency response
(+/-2dB): 40Hz- 40kHz. Max SPL @1m: 113dB.
Two Monitors In One!
One of the major innovations of the SM9 lies in
its offering two monitoring speakers in only one,
unique cabinet. The activation of this monitor
is made by setting off the FOCUS mode on the
side panel. The two-way monitor
(Beryllium tweeter + 6.5-inch
W woofer) offers a frequency
response from 90Hz to 20kHz,
allowing you to check the mix
transfer quality on systems with
limited frequency response in
bass frequencies such as:
- Tv sets
- Computers
- Cors
- ilod doc|s or ony mu|timedio system.
This monitor also allows you to check the
midrange register very hard to equalise and
balance in terms of sound level compared to
other information contained in the audio signal.
Twin6 Be
Three-way,
analogue
professional
neareld/
mideld monitor (2x150 + 100W RMS Bash
technology), 2x6.5-inch W composite sandwich
cone driver, one-inch pure Beryllium inverted
dome tweeter. Frequency response (+/-2dB):
40Hz-40kHz. Max SPL @1m: 115dB.
Sub6
Analogue subwoofer (1x350W
RMS Bash technology),
11-inch W composite sandwich
cone subwoofer. Frequency
response (+/-2dB): 30Hz-250Hz.
Max SPL @1m: 116dB.
Listen to Your Music,
Not to Your Speakers
These few words embody the philosophy of Focal Professional,
the French manufacturer of acoustic loudspeakers and transducers.
From their very beginning on the drawing board in Research &
Development at Focal, our professional monitors are designed to
deliver one thing, at any cost: the absolute acoustic truth.
2012
S I ONA L + + + + FOC A L P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + FOC A L P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + FOC A L P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + FOC A L
UK Distributor
SCV London Ltd.
t +44 (0) 208 418 1470
w www.scvlondon.co.uk
For a complete list of distributors:
w www.focalprofessional.com
CMS Series
The CMS line is particularly dedicated for
use in post-production studios, small listening
rooms, radio studios, and home studios.
The CMS series has been awarded Best
Studio Monitor twice in 2009 (CMS 50)
and 2010 (CMS 65), and both received
the MIPA award during Musikmesse 2009
and 2010 from 110 worldwide pro audio
magazines.
CMS 40
Two-way, analogue
professional neareld
monitor (25 + 25W
RMS class AB), four-inch
Polyglass cone driver,
one-inch aluminum-
magnesium inverted dome tweeter.
Frequency response (+/-2dB): 60Hz-28kHz.
Max SPL @1m: 97dB.
CMS 50
Two-way, analogue
monitor (80 + 50W RMS
class AB), ve-inch Polyglass
cone driver, one-inch
alumnium-magnesium
Frequency response (+/-2dB):
55Hz-28kHz. Max SPL @1m: 107dB.
CMS 65
Two-way, analogue
monitor (100 + 60W RMS
class AB), 6.5-inch Polyglass
cone driver, one-inch
aluminum-magnesium
Frequency response (+/-
2dB): 45Hz-28kHz.
Max SPL @1m: 112dB.
Cenzo Townshend has recently installed Focal SM9 monitors in his
Decoy Studios in Suffolk:
Its not often that manufacturers tag lines
mean anything in the real world, but when
Focal says: Listen to your music, not your
speakers, theyre not kidding. I listen on my
SM9s... not to them. They dont fatigue my
ears, so I actually enjoy listening to music on them.
Cenzo started at Trident Studios in the 80s, assisting Spike Stent and
Alan Moulder, and has gone on to be one of the UKs top engineers.
He has mixed countless best selling albums and singles from artists
inc. U2, Snow Patrol, Elbow, Florence & the Machine, Kaiser Chiefs,
Everything Everything, Friendly Fires, Ben Howard and many more.
Cenzo Townshend
(Sound Engineer U2, Snow Patrol, Kaiser Chiefs)
www.cenzotownshend.com
I now mix on a pair of Solo6 Bes, and the other two rooms at FLUX
Studios have Twin6 Bes. Besides the phenomenal translation from
studio to real world, which other monitors lacked, the sheer absence
of distortion allows us to work very long hours
without getting tired or losing perspective. We
work faster, better, and with less recalls than
we did before we switched to the Focal system.
There is no way back.
Fab Dupont
(Sound Engineer Shakira, Jennifer Lopez,
Nat King Cole)
Forget all about my gear and toys, the
most critical element in my studio is my
loudspeaker To me, theres no better
neareld loudspeaker than the Solo6 Be,
whatever the prices of other monitors.
David Kutch
(Mastering Engineer Alicia Keys, Natasha
Bedingeld, Al Green, Erykah Badu, Estelle, Outkast, and many more)
The Twin6 Be monitors are the best that Ive
used in terms of studio-to-consumer listening
translation. They really translate: what I hear in
the studio is what the outside world hears, in my
experience. Listening back to mixes Ive done
on the NS10s through the Focal Professional,
it kind of scares me because I hear top-end
distortion that I wasnt hearing in the NS10s I
was so used to using them, I thought I knew them. With the Focal
Professional there wasnt a learning curve, it actually spooked me at
rst.
Jeff Juliano
(Sound Engineer James Blunt, John Butler)
www.myspace.com/jeffjuliano
My Focals are clear and detailed.
Great for long listening sessions!
Ken Nelson
(Coldplay Producer)
They have chosen Focal Professional
CMS SUB
Analogue subwoofer
(1x300W RMS Bash
technology), 11-inch
Polyglass cone subwoofer.
Frequency response (+/-
2dB): 30Hz-250Hz. Max
SPL @1m: 113dB.
2009
2010
Established in 1978 in Finland, Genelec
maintains a leading position in professional
audio monitoring with neutral-sounding
products for any monitoring need. During the
past decade Genelecs business has expanded
beyond the core of professional studio
monitoring, and our products are today found
in small project studio applications, AV install
applications, and home audio systems.
Although applications may vary, one thing
remains: our desire to offer the best possible
sound reproduction.
Despite the fact that Genelec 8000 Series
products are already widely used in project
and home studios, Genelec has now chosen
to design a product especially for this music
creation market. The aim has been to provide a
set of features that matches perfectly the needs
of these customers without compromising the
pursuit of the highest quality possible.
Studio Set-up For Music Creation
The key to ensuring high quality of recording
is monitoring with high quality loudspeakers.
Because of the less than optimal acoustical
treatment of the monitoring space, music
creation applications place special demands on
the monitoring loudspeaker. The applications
range from home and project studios, studios for
songwriters and DJs, and working environments
for music technology students, to anyone
who wants to create music. Headphones are
sometimes used for eliminating room acoustics,
but headphones cannot render a presentation
of the stereo imaging or acoustic space because
the sound in headphones localises inside the
listeners head. Monitoring loudspeakers are the
key to understanding the recording properly.
M Series Products
Genelec professional monitoring products have
a reputation of being a good investment, with
excellent quality and long lifetime. They are
the market leaders and de-facto standards
for monitoring with several broadcast,
post-production, recording and audio mixing
houses. For the music creation market, as for any
other market, Genelec wants to maintain the
same values with uncompromised sonic quality,
environmentally sustainable products and
production processes.
The M Series has two members, product
types M030 and M040. Both are bi-amplied
active monitoring loudspeakers. Both share the
new technology platform with green power
saving electronics, Intelligent Signal Sensing
(ISS) power management, very linear and
clean Class D power amplier design, and an
easy-to-use room correction feature set with
an acoustical design optimised for the music
creation market. A central component in the
acoustic performance optimisation is the use of
new environmentally friendly Natural Composite
Enclosure, where half of the composite
material is wood bre.

Sound From A Natural Source
The innovative Natural Composite Enclosure
(NCE) of the M Series products is made of
a material that is best described as injection-
moldable wood. This material is a natural bre
composite material, where half of the material is
wood bre. The resulting enclosure has a lot
of good acoustical properties being, for
example, 100% stiffer than the ABS.
The often environmentally hazardous
painting of the enclosures has been eliminated,
saving also in transportation and handling.
The composite material has many
outstanding properties. It allows the design of
structures with smaller wall thickness because
of the injection molding process and the high
internal vibration energy losses of the material
itself. The injection molding process allows the
production of acoustically highly optimised
shapes and forms with a large internal volume.
Maximising the internal volume of the enclosure
is paramount to achieving high acoustic output
at the low frequencies.
Laminar Integral Port Design
The very low weight, acoustically stiff, and
functional yet highly elegant design allows
for ow-optimised bass reex ports to be
integrated as parts of the enclosure shape.
The novel patented Laminar Integral Port
(LIP) structure maximises the bass reproduction
in the physically small enclosure.
Most bass reex ports work relatively well at
low bass output levels. The differences between
designs become evident at high output levels.
As the reex ports in Genelecs professional
active monitors, the Laminar Integrated Port
design has been optimised for low distortion
even at very high audio output levels.
To save space and ensure easy placement of
the M Series monitor loudspeakers, the ports
open down under the loudspeaker.
Precise Reproduction With Excellent
Directivity Control
The M Series has been designed for the high
standards of monitoring work. The on axis
response demonstrates excellent neutrality.
The specied accuracy of response is 3dB.
Controlled directivity is very important in the
acoustically compromised rooms that typically
are used for project studios. Excellent directivity
control provides smooth frequency response
on- and off-axis. The new waveguide design
makes the M Series product particularly reliable
in music creation applications. Furthermore, the
directivity has been matched across the two
loudspeaker models. This results in very similar
sounding neutral characteristics for both
product sizes.
Just Imagine How
Far You Can Go
+ + + + G E NE L E C + + + + G E NE L E C + + + + G E NE L E C + + + + G E NE L E C + + + + G E NE L E C + + + + G E NE L E C + + + + G E NE L E C + + + +
Genelec introduces the new M Series for Music creation
The M Series products
M030 and M040.
Resonance Free
One of the keys to good performance in a
loudspeaker is a resonance free construction.
When the input audio stops the monitoring
loudspeaker should go silent as well. M Series
loudspeakers have been designed to minimise
all resonances. The outcome of this is accuracy
and capability to reproduce details and nuances
without masking the audio signal.
Genelec Class D Ampliers
Like all other Genelec products, M Series
monitors have active amplication. Each driver
is directly connected to the output of a power
amplier. Genelec has been running a research
program to develop Class D amplier technology
especially for high quality active monitoring
application and M Series is the rst product line
utilizing this research work to the full extent.
Although Class D designs promise low losses and
high efciency in terms of power consumption
making them environmentally sustainable,
special attention has to be paid to distortion
at high audio frequencies. Genelecs Class D
designs have been optimised for low distortion
through the whole frequency band. This enables
Genelec to use Class D ampliers for both
channels without compromising the distortion
level at the tweeter driver.
Automatic Mains Voltage Selection
Music creation requires mobility in many cases.
To help our customers in this regard, the Genelec
M Series products have automatic mains voltage
sensing. No matter where you go, you can plug
Genelec M Series products in the wall socket
without worries. Automatic mains voltage
sensing makes your life very easy just plug
and play, literally.
Intelligent Signal-Sensing
Power Management
Intelligent Signal Sensing (ISS) circuitry
listens to the input connectors and detects if
the monitor loudspeaker is in use. If there is no
audio on the input for 30 minutes, the M Series
monitor loudspeaker will go to a low-power sleep
state where the loudspeaker consumes less than
0.5 watts of power. When an audio signal is
detected on the input, the product immediately
turns itself on.
New High-Performance Drivers
The heart of a high quality loudspeaker system is
of course the drivers. Genelec M Series products
feature entirely new driver designs. All new driver
designs have been optimised for at frequency
response and high sound level operation at very
low distortion with high efciency. The use of the
DCW increases the acoustic output, enabling
cleaner lower distortion operation at extreme
sound level outputs. The M Series system design
has been aimed for low multi-tone distortion, the
result is only a third of the usual level compared
to typical similarly sized loudspeaker systems.
Versatile Inputs
The M Series products have a balanced XLR
combo connector, containing also the 6.3mm
phone jack input, and a separate, unbalanced
RCA input. These cover the connectivity needs
typically found in music creation applications,
and provide for easy connectivity to any audio
source. The balanced inputs can be used to
minimise the possibility of picking up hum or any
other electrical disturbance by the cables feeding
the audio input to the M Series products.
Easy To Use Room Response Controls
A project studio can be set up anywhere.
In all set-ups it always makes good sense to
use the room calibration tools available on the
monitoring loudspeaker. M Series products
provide you with a solid set of room boundary
compensation tools for the cases you typically
meet in real-life project studio environments.
Summary
The M series products M030 and M040
provide a unique combination of high
linearity, low distortion, and clean and neutral
audio reproduction, which is particularly
suited for acoustically challenging music
creation environments. The series has a room
compensation feature set that particularly suits
music creation environments and the versatile
inputs suit any connection, while the universally
adapting mains input enables mobile work.
Furthermore, M Series products take the respect
for sustainability and environmental values to a
new level in monitoring loudspeaker products.
Your Music. Your Inspiration. Our Experience.
Genelec Oy
Olvitie 5, FIN-74100
Iisalmi, Finland
t +358 17 83 881
e genelec@genelec.com
w www.genelec.com
+ G E NE L E C + + + + G E NE L E C + + + + G E NE L E C + + + + G E NE L E C + + + + G E NE L E C + + + + G E NE L E C + + + + G E NE L E C + + + + G E N
The cross-section plot of the ow-optimised Laminar
Integrated Port demonstrates the efcient bass
reex system integrated into the Natural Composite
Enclosure structure.
Table 1. Summary of M Series product specications
Product model M030 M040
Maximum sound output 103dB SPL 107dB SPL
Frequency range (+/-3dB) 58Hz-21kHz 48Hz-21kHz
Crossover frequency 3kHz 2.5kHz
Driver sizes
woofer 5-inch
tweeter -inch
woofer 6.5-inch
tweeter 1-inch
Amplier power 50W + 30W 80W + 50W
Weight 4.6kg (8.8lbs) 7.4kg (15.4lbs)
External dimensions
273 x 190 x 190 mm /
10 x 7 x 7 inch
337 x 235 x 229 mm /
13 x 9 x 9 inch
The Call for a Next Generation Studio Monitor
Todays sophisticated music production is
carried out in a broad range of spaces. Until
now, the availability of a big, impressive, yet
highly accurate monitoring experience has been
limited to purpose-built control rooms. As small
and medium sized rooms play an increasingly
signicant role in cinema and broadcast content
creation, high dynamic range and accuracy are
required from a speaker system with a modest
foot print.
The M2 Master Reference Monitor
Addressing this growing need JBL has developed
the M2 Master Reference Monitor: a free-
standing, two-way system that can be placed
in any environment to provide an exceptionally
accurate monitoring experience. Leveraging a
new generation of JBL high-output, ultra-low
distortion transducers, the M2 provides in-room
frequency response of 20Hz to 40kHz, and an
extraordinary 129dB maximum SPL to meet
demanding music, cinema, and broadcast
production requirement for impactful dynamic
range.
In a compact form-factor, the M2 integrates
three key components that work in harmony to
deliver unparalleled performance. At the heart
of the system, JBLs patented D2 high frequency
and 2216Nd low frequency transducers are
the engines that make this possible. Using a
revolutionary design, the D2 produces smooth,
extended high frequency response with ultra-
low distortion whether listening at very high or
subtle levels. Using patented technology, the
remarkable 2216Nd woofer offers deep bass
extension and very low power compression,
even at its full-rated output. In spite of the M2s
minimal footprint, its exceptional low frequency
response eliminates the need for a subwoofer.
The unique Image Control waveguide
completes the acoustic design. A marvel of
engineering in its own right, this new JBL
waveguide allows an acoustically seamless
transition between the woofer and high
frequency driver, delivering exceptional imaging
and rich detail to a broad area of the room.
These unique components make possible a
two-way design with an unprecedented level
of performance, utilising a
single seamless cross-over that
reduces system complexity and
allows a compact form-factor
for exibility of placement in the
room. Crown
Power Ampliers
with internal oating-point DSP
are used to bi-amplify and tune
each speaker, optimising the
M2s performance in any room.
The M2 brings a world-class,
big monitoring experience
with a new level of accuracy to
a broad range of production
spaces. For rooms wishing to
step up, the M2 is a game
changer.
The Ultimate High Frequency Driver for
Critical Reference Monitoring
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The patented D2 dual driver design allows the
M2 to meet seemingly opposing objectives:
extended high frequency, very low distortion,
and very high output. Central to this innovative
solution are two key developments. First: the
use of an annular diaphragm, not subject to
the break up modes of a conventional dome
diaphragm. Second: the merging of two drivers
into a single, compact transducer with a single
Innovation Through
Meticulous Attention
to Detail
+ + + + J B L P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + J B L P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + J B L P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + J B L P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + +
Responding to the call for greater accuracy and
dynamic range in music and post production work
spaces, JBL introduces the new M2 Master Reference
Monitor. Breaking free of the conventional, the M2
incorporates numerous patented innovations to deliver
unprecedented performance and a truly remarkable
listening experience.
The D2Dual Diaphragm,
Dual Voice-Coil Compression Driver.
acoustical output. Instead of the large and
heavy metal dome diaphragm of a conventional
compression driver, the D2430K uses two
annular low-mass polymer diaphragms offering
the same radiating area as a conventional
three-inch dome. Two separate three-inch voice
coils driven by their own magnet structures
share the burden of heat transfer, resulting in a
dramatic increase of output and power handling.
The result is a high frequency transducer with
extended high frequency response to 40kHz and
signicantly lower levels of nonlinear distortion.
2216 Differential Drive
Woofer
- lxceptiono| low lrequency lxtension
- lig| 0utput
- very low lower Compression
- very low 0istortion
Achieving extended, rich low frequency
performance within the M2 system design
porometers required odditiono| 18l engineering
innovations, and the 2216Nd in the M2 employs
no less than ve
patented technologies
to allow bass extension
to the limits of the
audible range, and
high output, free of
power compression
that is detrimental to a
systems low frequency
perlormonce. lc|oing
the dual driver design
of the D2, the 2216Nd
utilises dual neodymium magnets and two
voice coils. The patented use of low thermal
coefcient of resistance wire allows the
woofer parameters to remain more stable
at high output levels. In the M2 system,
the 2216Nd produces impressive low
frequency output to 20Hz.
Image Control Waveguide
- Impressive Imoging ond Sound Stoge
- lxceptiono| lig| lrequency 0etoi|
- nilorm 0irectivity lor Smoot| InRoom
- Response lotent lending 0esign
To support an imperceptible transition between
the two drivers, and deliver exceptional imaging,
18l engineers pioneered o new potentpending
waveguide design that enables neutral
frequency response, not just on-axis, but off-axis
in the vertical and horizontal planes, all the way
down to the M2s 800Hz crossover point.
The unique geometry of this waveguide allows
the M2 to deliver remarkable high frequency
detail, imaging, and natural balance at nearly
any listening position in a broad range of
acoustic environments.
lARMAN Crown ITec| power omp|i6ers
complete the M2 system, providing greater than
a kilowatt of clean power to the 2216Nd woofer,
and more than enough power for the D2 driver.
Working in concert with the M2s revolutionary
Imoge Contro| woveguide, 8SS 0MNI0RIvl
l0" digito| signo| processing in t|e Crown
I-Tech allows the implementation of an ideal
crossover, while providing the option for storage
ol l0 presets.
Room ocoustics con p|oy o big port in w|ot
you hear at the mix position, particularly in the
room-dependent low frequency bands, where
resonance caused by room modes can give a
false impression of bass in the mix.
Room optimisotion is oc|ieved t|roug| t|e
use of oating-point digital signal processing
integroted into Crown iTec| l0 power omp|i6ers
ond 8SS Soundweb london processors. lARMAN
System Arc|itect" Soltwore is inc|uded to
provide externo| contro| ol system l0 ond
tuning copobi|ities. sed in conjunction wit|
external measurement hardware and software,
the complete M2 tuning and room integration
system addresses non-linearity in the room.
This ensures a high degree of accuracy whether
the monitors are freestanding, soft-mounted,
or placed adjacent to a wall.
lor more inlormotion obout t|e revo|utionory
M2 Moster Relerence Monitor, visit
www.jblpro.com/M2
JBL Professional
8500 Balboa Blvd., Northridge,
CA 91329 USA
t +1 818 894 8850
e becki.barabas@harman.com
w www.jblpro.com/m2
UK Contact
Sound Technology Plc
Letchworth Point, Letchworth Garden City
Hertfordshire SG6 1ND, UK
t +44 (0) 1462 480000
e info@Soundtech.co.uk
w www.Soundtech.co.uk
J B L P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + J B L P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + J B L P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + J B L P R OF E S S I ONA L + + + + J B L
monitors 2013
Image Control Waveguide.
These detailed
measurements of
the M2 illustrate the
systems exceptional
performance.
2216Nd
Differential Drive

Woofer.
Honest Voices. Straight Talk.
A studio monitor is a tool used to aurally
measure the changes in an audio path.
Ask any seasoned recording professional what
they think makes a great studio monitor and
youll get basically the same answer: Accuracy,
transparency, at response, and the truth.
In other wordshonesty. Simply put, recording
engineers want the electrical signal entering
their monitor to be reproduced mechanically
by the transducers and they want this to occur
without any deviation or compromise to the
original signal. Professionals depend upon their
monitors to deliver their artistic vision in a way
that will translate as accurately as possible to
a variety of audio mediums. The following four
music professionals have honed their craft of
creating music and in turn they are offering their
honest voices about studio monitors.
Jacquire King
Record Producer/
Mixer/Engineer
When something
works, why switch?
King is a 2009
Record of the Year Grammy Award winner with
Angelo Petraglia for the Kings of Leons Use
Somebody. For monitoring, Ive used the KRK
Rokit 5s for a little more than four years. I was
using NS-10s in the tracking studio at the time.
Id been looking for an alternative and soon
after got a pair of the Rokit 5s. These monitors
are true and consistent. They are not hyped
sounding and make you work for a great result,
which I like. They have plenty of bottom-end and
when the mix is sounding huge on them then I
know Im nished.
Henri MGI Lanz
Producer/Songwriter
This Finnish born,
25-year-old producer/
songwriter is a perfect
example of a modern
hit maker. MGI has produced and written songs
for and with Akon, Sean Kingston, Timbaland,
Pitbull, Justin Bieber, Jim Jonsin and the list
goes on. His productions include various Gold
and Platinum selling records all over the world.
Ive used KRKs for about two years now.
When I rst heard them, I really loved the way
the VXT series sounded. No matter what the
location is I need to be 100% sure how the
mix is going to sound wherever I am.
Chris Young
Producer/Songwriter
Im primarily a
producer/songwriter,
says Young, and for
the past six years, he
has been running his
own Chestnut Studios
in London. When he
installed an SSL desk he
knew he had to make a
step up in monitors as well, choosing the
KRK Expose E8B studio monitors. I actually
tried different monitors, but KRK won hands
down, says Young. The biggest thing for me
is I can listen through the studio monitors to
a mix and then go elsewhere and not suddenly
nd that things have changed
dramatically. Young also uses
KRK VXT6 monitors at a smaller
home studio he uses for writing,
along with KRK KNS 8400
headphones that gives
him a sonic consistency
between studios.
Rodney Darkchild Jerkins Producer
After 15 years in the business and a string of
successes with artists like Lady Gaga, Beyonc,
Britney Spears and Mary J. Blige, Rodney
Darkchild Jerkins is a voice of experience.
A KRK user for almost a decade, his studios
in L.A., New Jersey, Florida, and at his home
all feature a mix of Expose, VXT, and Rokit
monitors. I look
for something
thats tight, thats
punchy, that still
has the low-end,
but still has the
pristine clarity up top. KRK is literally is the
foundation of my sound.
Our Focus.
Your Mix.
KRK is driven by a design philosophy of accuracy, transparency, and at response. Our products deliver
on this promise through a combination of solid design and product innovation. KRK monitors are tools
that are cherished by their owners as partners in crafting great music and mixes.
+ + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K
The Popular Rokit Line Expands
with the RP 10-3 Three-Way Mid-Field
The Rokit RP10-3 is a mid-eld three-way
monitor system in a compact form factor
and at a breakthrough price that delivers
loud and accurate sound reproduction to
satisfy professional needs. The RP10-3 will
suit commercial facilities as well as space
and budget conscious private studios.
The pro-studio appearance of this
monitor will visually impress,
and the high SPL output
makes it capable of
handling challenging
high-dynamic tracks
for all genres of music.
As part of the KRK
Rokit Series of monitors
including the Rokit 5, 6,
and 8, the Rokit 10-3 adds
true mid-eld performance to
give studios the creative edge.
Notable is the design feature that enables
the user to recongure the drivers so that
the cabinet can be operated horizontally.
Quite ingenious.
The strength is in the mids and upper
mids. Voices, violins, winds, were all
nuanced and distinct, and even massed
brass sections didnt lose transparency.
Recording Magazine
+ + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R K + + + + K R
VXT Monitors
Whether you are making critical mixing decisions or need to
capture the stable nuances of a unique sound, you will quickly
discover that the VXT Series is as precise about your work as you
are. The VXT Series feature key design elements that continue
to make the KRK sound a studio standard. The VXT Series have
been designed to present the true nature of the audio material
without colouration or enhancement.
I just love the overall sound. Theyre clear, reliable,
transparent, and consistent. I like to listen really loud and I
love how the VXT8s are able to respond to the challenge.
No matter where I am, I know exactly how my mix is going to
sound when I get to work with the black and yellow!
Henri MGI Lanz, Producer/Songwriter (Akon, Sean Kingston, Timbaland,
Pitbull, Justin Bieber)
Expos E8B
Utilising state-of-the-art
components to achieve a level
of clarity and sonic accuracy
that is unprecedented, the
new Expose E8B is the agship
of KRKs product line. With its stunning,
highly functional enclosure featuring thick,
non-parallel, internal walls that eliminate
standing waves, and magnetic shielding for
use in close proximity to video monitors, the
Expose E8B elevates KRKs reputation as a
manufacturer of premium studio reference
monitors to an entirely new level.
Subwoofers
KRK powered subwoofers are the perfect choice
when you need to hear what is happening in the
depths of your mix. In a stereo conguration,
the subwoofer will have to produce the bass
normally generated by the monitors that alone
can exceed the headroom of an ordinary sub.
In a surround sound conguration, the
subwoofer has to reproduce all of the low-
frequency information from ve or more channels
as well as the demanding bass content of the LFE channel.
These challenging applications can place demands far exceeding the
capabilities of normal low-frequency drivers and power ampliers. This is where the
performance of KRK family of subwoofers shines.
Ive always loved having a sub to wow record companies
or artists when playing back a song or mix. The truth is,
most subs are only good for that purpose and are not
accurate enough to work with when making a record.
The KRK12s changed that.
Its very accurate and
actually makes my Exposs
sound even better!
Martin Harrington
Writer and Producer (Celine Dion,
Kylie Minogue, Natalie Imbruglia)
CONTACT DETAILS
Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd.
Windsor House, Turnpike Road
High Wycombe, Bucks
HP12 3FX, UK
t +44 (0) 1494 462 246
e sales@focusrite.com
KRK Systems, Inc.
Gibson Pro Audio
309 Plus Park
Nashville, TN 37217
1-800-4 GIBSON
e service@krksys.com
w www.krksys.com
At KRK, our focus is to develop studio solutions

to help you create a great mix. KRK monitors
and subwoofers are legendary. The ERGO room
analysis and correction system is revolutionary.
The KNS Headphone series is designed to
provide what KRK has been delivering for
25 years: sonic accuracy, transparency, and
consistency. The signature yellow woofer of
a KRK monitor tells the world that you and
your monitor are true to the mix and true to
your craft. KRK studio monitors enable you to
condently make the critical decisions that
impact the music and audio program.
Visit us at www.krksys.com to nd out why
our focus is your mix!
ERGO
A new software and rmware update is
now available for KRKs leading ERGO
Room Correction System. ERGO is an audio
recording interface and room correction
system designed to measure and analyse
phase and frequency problems within a
listening environment. To correct room
issues, the internal digital signal processor
analyses and corrects room problems,
improving the response at the listening
position, which results in mixes that
translate far better to other playback
systems. This latest version includes support
for Apple Mac OSX Lion 10.7.3 and
Microsoft Windows 7 SPI (32-/64-bit), and
also improves the capabilities of ERGO, such
as installation, calibration and conguration.
Based in Luton, England, PMC is a leading
manufacturer of precision reference monitors for
discerning audio professionals and audiophiles.
The companys products, which include active
and passive models, use the best available
materials and design principles, including the
companys proprietary Advanced Transmission
Line (ATL) bass-loading technology (see box),
cutting-edge amplication, and advanced DSP
techniques to create loudspeakers that present
sound and music exactly as it was when rst
created, with the highest possible resolution,
and without colouration or distortion.
With a history and reputation lasting over
two decades, PMC remains one of the few audio-
related manufacturers to have been awarded
an Emmy for its technical excellence, and
has customers at the very top of the pro audio,
broadcast, and lm industry worldwide. Its
customers range from musicians and composers,
professional audio equipment companies,
and recording studios at one end of the
audio production chain, to record companies,
broadcasters, Internet service providers, and
discerning listeners at the other. In the limited
space available in this pro-audio-orientated
guide, it would be impossible
to give an overview of the
companys entire consumer
and professional passive and
active ranges. Instead, well
look at two of their most
recently released active
ranges: the new two-way
twotwos, and the IB2S-A
three-way midelds.
twotwo Series
Like the IB2S-A, the recently
released twotwo series of
reference-grade monitors
combines PMCs low-
distortion ATL bass-loading
technology, digital inputs
and signal processing, and
active Class-D amplication;
but presents these features
in the form of three neareld
two-way speakers (the twotwo.6, twotwo.7,
and the recently released twotwo.8).
All three models in the twotwo range share
the same core design and features, as well as
the same tonal transparency and neutrality.
The model number refers to the approximate
size (in inches) of the bass driver. The larger two
models have a greater cabinet volume, offer
more bass extension, and a higher possible
maximum SPL, and are therefore better suited
to use in medium-sized rooms where more
power and dynamics are required.
The onboard DSP engine, derived from
that employed in the larger IB2S-A, optimises
the crossover and the response of the drivers,
maximises dispersion, and provides non-invasive
protection using modelled excursion limiting.
The built-in Class D dual-amplication system
builds on the ampliers developed for PMCs
powered range, delivering 50W to the tweeter
and 150W to the bass driver, and producing
high-resolution audio with plenty of headroom
and detail.
One design aim was to make the twotwos
as easy to set up in a rehearsal or hotel room
with a phono cable and a laptop, as it is to drive
them on the meterbridge of a digital console
in a pro studio; to this end, connections include
analogue phonos and XLRs, as well as an AES3
digital input, which will handle all sample rates
up to 192kHz.
All three models in the twotwo range are
designed to be used vertically or horizontally
without compromising stereo imaging or
tonal accuracy. There is no need for a separate
PMC: Precision
Reference
Monitors,
Trusted By
Discerning Pros
+ + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC +
Introducing the latest high-resolution
Active ATL designs with analogue and
digital inputs; the last word in exible,
transparent monitoring.
PMCs BB5 XBD-A monitors at Metropolis Studios in Chiswick,
plus horizontal twotwo.6s in an LCR arrangement.
PMCs twotwo.5,
twotwo.6, and the
new twotwo.8.
horizontal version of the speaker for use as
a centre channel, or in environments where
horizontal use is a necessity for height reasons.
This makes the smaller models in the range well
suited to neareld monitoring of
music and speech in situations
where space is at a premium.
Despite only being launched
in autumn 2012, the twotwo
is already an award-winning
success with high-prole users
including producer Kid Harpoon
(Florence And The Machine),
renowned mix engineer and
producer Spike Stent, and
Manchesters School of
Sound Recording (SSR),
among many others.
IB2S-Active
The stand-alone IB2S-Active
offers discerning users the
attributes of PMCs large ATL
reference active monitors, such
as the agship BB5 XBD-A, but
in a more compact form and
with an AES3 digital input built
in as standard. They are the ideal
monitors for high-end reference
monitoring and mastering applications.
The DSP-tuned, Class-D powered cabinets
provide a controlled, high-resolution, low-
frequency response from the three drivers, all
of which are designed in house and
manufactured to strict tolerances.
The bass units in the cabinets, which
are identical, feature the 10-inch
carbon-bre/Nomex piston drivers
from the earlier IB1S and IB2S
speakers, while the IB2S-A cabinet
features the highly respected hand-
built 75mm fabric-dome driver
to handle the mid-range, and the
34mm soft-dome tweeter from
the agship BB5 XBD-A. 960W of
independent, audiophile-quality
power is available to each active
master cabinet: 200W for the
high-frequency and mid-range
drivers, with 560W directed to
the LF driver for extended,
low-distortion precision monitoring
all the way down to 20Hz.
The IB2S-A features user-
adjustable HF and LF shelving
lters, per-channel 8dB input level
trims, an AES3 digital input, and the
ability to adjust the input sensitivity
of the balanced analogue inputs from +4dB
to +20dB. The EQ, level trims, and analogue/
digital input selection settings may be adjusted
from a distance with an RJ45-connected remote
supplied as standard.
The three-way IB2S-A master cabinet may
be purchased as a speaker in its own right, or
together with the single-driver XBD bass cabinet.
This forms the IB2S XBD-A system,
with the XBD cabinet providing +3dB of
additional LF headroom and a more even
in-room LF response.
Last year, the IB2S XBD-A was used in
London by lm score composer Thomas
Newman while he created the soundtrack to the
James Bond 50th anniversary lm Skyfall, now
the most successful British lm of all time.
PMCs Signature Bass-loading
Technology ATL
All PMC loudspeakers are Advanced
Transmission Line (ATL) designs
incorporating sophisticated cabinet
construction, PMC-designed drive units, and patented absorption
materials and techniques. The ATL concept has existed in loudspeaker
engineering for many years, but under the guidance of PMCs co-
founder and Chief Engineer Peter Thomas, the theory has been rened
and honed to a very advanced level, outperforming the many sealed
and ported speakers available on the market today.
In a PMC
ATL design, the
bass driver is
placed at one
end of a long
tunnel (the
transmission
line), which is
heavily damped
with absorbent
acoustic
material. This
is specied
to absorb the upper bass and higher frequencies that radiate from
the rear of the bass driver. The lowest frequencies, which remain in
phase, then emerge from the large vent at the end of the line, which
essentially acts as a second driver.
One advantage to this approach is that the air pressure loading
the main driver is maintained, thus controlling the driver over a wide
frequency range, which in turn signicantly reduces distortion. A spin-
off from the lack of distortion is that the upper bass and mid-range
detail is not masked by harmonic distortion residing in the very low
frequencies. The result is PMCs characteristic transparent mid-range
and fast, attacking bass notes, all reproduced with great clarity.
A further advantage of the transmission line approach is a cabinet
that produces a higher volume and greater bass extension than a
ported or sealed design of a similar size, even if identical drivers are
used. Moreover, as the loading on the main driver is maintained at all
volumes, the frequency response also remains consistent regardless
of listening level a most important attribute for professionals whose
hearing is their most precious tool.
Benets of ATL:
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$WUXO\DFFXUDWHUHVSRQVHWKDWUHODWHVXQLYHUVDOO\
PMC Limited
43-45 Crawley Green Road
Luton, UK
LU2 0AA
t +44 (0) 870 4441044
f +44 (0) 870 4441045
w www.pmc-speakers.com
+ + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC + + + + P MC +
IB2S XBD-Active.
Eris Series High-Denition Studio Monitors
When its time to replace those cheap
computer speakers with serious two-way
professional studio monitors, youre ready for
Eris Series monitor speakers. The Eris Series has
the back-panel acoustic-tuning tools you need to
tailor their sound to your room environment and
musical genre. You end up with mixes that sound
good everywhere, not just in your studio.
These ultra-affordable, two-way, bi-amped
monitor speakers deliver very accurate response,
with a tight bass and very clear upper end.
They can also be user-adjusted to the acoustic
space, allowing you to create a more accurate
listening environment or to simulate different
common listening environments a feature
not typically provided by studio monitors in
this price point.
With Kevlar low frequency transducers,
low-mass silk-dome tweeters, responsive
Class AB amplication, and professional
acoustic-adjustment controls, the compact
Eris series is an outstanding value in its class.
Eris speakers include RF shielding, current-
output limiting, over-temperature protection,
and subsonic protection. Both Eris models have
individual balanced XLR and quarter-inch
TRS input connections, in addition to
unbalanced RCA inputs.
Users can make several types of custom
adjustments. A three-position Acoustic Space
switch controls a shelving lter at 800Hz that
provides three attenuation points, allowing you
to control the bass response relative to the wall
proximity of your speakers. A High Pass switch
sets the low-frequency cut-off. You also get
continuously adjustable High Frequency and
Mid-Range controls.
This combination of controls lets you
create a linear response for accurate monitoring,
which is what you really need in your studio.
PreSonus Studio
Monitors
PreSonus recently introduced two new series: Eris and
Sceptre. Eris monitors offer excellent performance
for budget-conscious project studios, with features
normally reserved for more expensive monitors.
Sceptre employs advanced coaxial technology and
DSP to affordably achieve high-end sound quality.
+ + + + P R E S ONUS + + + + P R E S ONUS + + + + P R E S ONUS + + + + P R E S ONUS + + + + P R E S ONUS + + + + P R E S ONUS + + + + P R E
Eris Key Features
- S.2S-lnch (ES)/elght-lnch (E8) Kevlor'
low-frequency tronsducer
- One-lnch (2Smm)/1.2S (32mm),
ultro-low-moss, sllk-dome, hlgh-
frequency tronsducer
- 80W (ES)/130W (E8), Closs A8
bl-ompllncotlon
- Front-nrlng ocoustlc port for superlor
boss-frequency reproductlon
- Mld-ronge (6d8, contlnuously
vorloble), HF (6d8, contlnuously
vorloble), Hlgh-Poss (Off, 80Hz, 100Hz)
ond Acoustlc Spoce settlngs (fot,
-2, -4d8) for occurote mlxlng contour
- PF lnterference, output current llmltlng,
over-temperoture, tronslent, ond
subsonlc protectlon
- Optlmlsed, resononce-suppresslng
lnternol broclng
- 8olonced XLP/quorter-lnch,
ond unbolonced PCA lnputs
- 102d8 (ES)/10Sd8 (E8) moxlmum
contlnuous SPL
The Eris E8.
The Eris E5.
S ONUS + + + + P R E S ONUS + + + + P R E S ONUS + + + + P R E S ONUS + + + + P R E S ONUS + + + + P R E S ONUS + + + + P R E S ONUS +
CONTACT DETAILS
PreSonus Audio Electronics
7257 Florida Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70806-USA
t +1 510 681 3050
w www.presonus.com
European Public Relations:
Daniel Keller, Get It In Writing
t +1 562 546 3342
e getitinwriting@mac.com
UK Distributor:
Source Distribution
t +44 (0)208 962 5080
w http://sourcedistribution.co.uk/
Sceptre Series CoActual Studio Monitors
The rst time you hear Sceptre Series
CoActual two-way studio monitors, youll
discover ne nuances of your music that cant
be reproduced by conventional designs.
The Sceptres panoramic soundstage, clarity, ne
detail, and stunning dynamics will astonish you.
This exceptional performance is the result
of an advanced coaxial design by Fulcrum
Acoustics Dave Gunness that works integrally
with a 32-bit, 96kHz, dual-core processor
running Fulcrum Acoustics TQ Temporal
Equalization technology. Gunness was also
responsible for nal tuning and voicing of the
Sceptre Series monitors.
TQ employs multiple, fully addressable,
Finite Impulse Response (FIR) lters. This
approach requires advanced algorithms and
subtle, sophisticated transducer design, which
is why such systems have, in the past, been
limited to very high-end systems with external
processors. Yet Sceptres are an affordable
investment for project-studio owners a rst
for DSP-controlled, TQ-based systems.
These systems are bi-amplied: each
transducer is powered by a 90W RMS,
Class D power amp with an internal heat sink.
All Sceptre Series monitors have balanced XLR
and quarter-inch TRS line-level inputs, with
A-taper level control and feature acoustic ports.
Sceptre monitors include controls that enable
full integration into any studio environment.
A four-position Acoustic Space switch controls
a shelving lter centered at 100Hz, with four
attenuation settings so that you can account for
the bass response relative to room dimensions
and speaker placement. A High Pass Filter switch
sets the 24dB/octave lters low-frequency
cut-off. A High Frequency Driver Adjust switch
adjusts the tweeters overall level. The Sensitivity
control ranges from +4dB to -10dB.
All Sceptre Series monitors offer RF shielding,
current-output limiting, over-temperature
protection, and have internal power supplies with
IEC connectors and power switches with on/off
LEDs. An amplier soft start feature eliminates
popping on power-up.
About PreSonus
Founded in 1995, PreSonus Audio
Electronics, Inc., is a leading designer
and manufacturer of audio-recording
and live-sound software, hardware, and
related accessories. PreSonuss software,
microphone pre-amps, signal processors,
digital audio interfaces, digital mixers,
control surfaces, loudspeakers, and other
products are used worldwide for recording,
sound reinforcement, broadcast, sound
design, and Internet audio.
Sceptre Key Features
- CoActuol technology comblnes DSP
time-correction and point-source design
for symmetrlcol soundstoge ond mlcro-
denition imaging
- nlque cooxlol tronsducer lntegrotes
eight-inch (S8)/6.5-inch (S6) mid-range
driver and one-inch (25 mm), horn-
looded HF tronsducer wlth Cooxlol
Speoker Coherence Allgnment
- 32-blt, 96kHz, duol-core, octlve footlng-
point DSP provides critical Temporal
Equollzotlon' wlth multlple FIP nlters
- Acoustlc-tunlng controls.
HF Driver Adjust (Linear, +1dB,
-1.5dB, -4dB)
Acoustic Space settings (Linear,
-1.5dB, -3dB, -6dB)
Hlgh-poss nlter (Llneor, 60Hz, 80Hz,
ond 100Hz, -12d8/octove slope)
- 180W, Closs D bl-ompllncotlon wlth
internal heat sink
- PF shleldlng, current-output llmltlng,
and over-temperature protection
- 8olonced XLP ond quorter-lnch
TRS line-level inputs with A-taper
level control
- Ampllner 'soft stort' feoture ellmlnotes
popping on power-up
- 8rushed-olumlnum foceplote
- 109d8 (S6)/116d8 (S8) moxlmum
continuous SPL
- Internol power supply wlth IEC
connector
- Power swltch wlth on/off LED
The Sceptre S8.
The Sceptre S6.
+ + + + R E L E C S A + + + + R E L E C S A + + + + R E L E C S A + + + + R E L E C S A + + + + R E L E C S A + + + + R E L E C S A + + + + R E L E C S A +
Quality Technology Experience Coherency
Designed and manufactured at our Yverdon
workshops in Switzerland, the latest generation
of PSI Audio speakers is the culmination of 30
years knowledge of materials and treatments,
guided by a thorough understanding of
acoustics.
The unique precision of PSI Audio monitors is
a delicate mix between the passion, experience,
and know-how of electro-acoustic technology.
The whole product range takes advantage
of our knowledge, and we strive to deliver the
most coherent sound and design between all our
models. In order to get the best compatibility
between models, the transfer function should
be the same. This implies not only a similar
frequency response, but also an identical phase
response, which is our speciality.
At the core of our speaker performance is
an electronic design based on two exclusive
concepts CPR and AOI. This technology
enables us to show people that PSI Audio is
more than a black box.
CPR
The CPR system consists of multiple all-pass
lters, each of which act in a specic frequency
range in order to obtain a wide area of
Compensated Phase Response generating a
constant group delay.
Thanks to the CPR system the position of the
sound image is highly accurate. This technology
allows the design of surround sound systems,
with different types of PSI Audio speakers, to
maintain an accurate phase response.
Practical Advantage of CPR and Impact on
Stereo Applications
The ear is very sensitive to group delays or phase
irregularities of sound. The human brain detects
such irregularities easily and processes them into
space related information such as positioning a
sound source.
All traditionally designed speaker systems
suffer to a certain degree of such irregularities.
These irregularities are the reason why some
speakers produce a wider and deeper room
perception that determines the reproduction of
the sound image.
The speaker system represents the reference
tool of every sound engineer. An accurate
transient response particularly helps during the
ne-tuning of reverb effects, or the design of
a specic sound and its position in the sound
image.
As a sound recording passes through various
processes (recording, mixing, and mastering) in
which various people, locations, and therefore
speaker systems will be involved, corrections may
be applied due to phase irregularities that are
not present on the original recording.
PSI Audio speakers feature our unique
CPR system that generates a Compensated
Phase Response, removing such irregularities,
generating a stereo image and projected room
of extreme accuracy. PSI Audio speakers provide
a more accurate tool, a true reference to the
sound engineer.
CPR Impact on Surround Sound Applications
Traditional speaker designs have different
phase responses, and therefore the phase
inaccuracy phenomenon is worse in surround
sound applications, where room information
and positioning have an even higher priority and
a more critical part of the sound engineering
Precision Studio
Monitors Made in
Switzerland
The philosophy of PSI Audio can be compared to Swiss watch designers. Our vision is to be globally
recognised as pioneers in precision audio combining innovation, creativity, and technology.
An impressive
impulse behavior
due to the combined
technologies of AOI
and CPR.
Full PSI Audio monitors range:
A14-M, A17-M, A21-M, A25-M and the sub A225-M.
+ + + R E L E C S A + + + + R E L E C S A + + + + R E L E C S A + + + + R E L E C S A + + + + R E L E C S A + + + + R E L E C S A + + + + R E L E C S A + +
process. This is one of the reasons why speaker
manufacturers strongly recommend using
speakers of the same type when creating a
surround sound system.
The CPR system by PSI Audio features an
extremely accurate and superior surround
sound image and a much improved working
environment. A unique advantage provided
by CPR enables a user to mix for the rst time
between different types of PSI Audio speakers
in a surround sound system, whilst maintaining
perfectly accurate phase response. Not only
will the PSI Audio surround system sound much
more accurate and therefore provide a superior
working tool, but it can also introduce signicant
cost and space savings when investing in a new
monitoring system.
AOI
The AOI system detects the movement of the
membrane, and the moving coil so processes
them using counter reaction ltering. The
damping rate is continuously adjusted in
different frequency bands to match the position
of membrane and coil.
The AOI system allows the reproduction of
sound without transducer colouring over the
whole frequency range.
Practical Advantage
PSI Audio speakers featuring the AOI system
have a superior impulse behaviour to traditional
amplier designs. Whilst the transducer travels to
its intended position, the AOI circuitry seamlessly
adapts the ampliers output impedance to
ensure ideal acceleration of the membrane
to reproduce the desired impulse. Once the
transducer reaches the end of the impulse, the
AOI circuitry provides a break in order to act
against any overshooting of the transducer. The
AOI circuitry is almost capable of reproducing a
square wave, and therefore increases accuracy
by marrying the transducer and the amplier
into a perfect couple. From our experience, a
nice side effect of the AOI system is that the
membranes of a PSI speaker do not produce
parasitic sounds when other speaker systems in
the room are in use. When air pressure changes
due to other sound sources, the AOI will detect
this and tighten the damping of its transducers
in order not to produce parasitic sounds (sounds
not present at the input).
In current times where much more
importance is given to the low end reproduction
of sounds, especially when using sub woofer
technology in surround sound systems, the
importance of a monitoring system that has
an accurate and not attering reproduction
becomes essential. The result of AOI gives
PSI Audio speakers a highly accurate impulse
behaviour with a minimum of transducer
colouration.
Please visit our website www.psiaudio.com
for more information, detailed graphs and
specications.
For these technical innovations and
sound precision reasons, more and more
producers worldwide are choosing PSI Audio
as their reference monitors. We hope that this
encourages you to listen to our products and
choose them!
New Reference: IRCAM in France
It is a big honour for PSI Audio to announce
that IRCAM in Paris selected the A25-M and
A225-M for their reference 5.1 studio.
We thank Mr. Christophe Egea and his team
for their warm welcome and instructive visit
in one of the worlds leading edge research
institutes for acoustic, audio, and music
research.
Christophe Egea explained to us that
the selection was a long process where
many brands where short selected, then
short listed. Users at IRCAM went through
a battery of listening tests where a couple
of objective and subjective elements were
needed to meet the highest requirements.
PSI Audio was selected and we were
really amazed by the great precision in
space reproduction, which is really important
for us. The quickness of the monitors is quite
impressive. The ability to reproduce details
with the highest possible precision was
another important factor. Everybody liked
the PSIs.
PSI Audio R&B 8A: Simply for work, with our new
Router and Bass management
The new Router & Bass management is
integrated into our subwoofer. It is made to
provide PSI Audio users maximum comfort
during working sessions.
This product enables you to use the full
potential of the unique compatibility and
coherence of the PSI Audio line.
Advantages Summary:
Easy switching between three monitoring systems
Use of one multi-channel speakers system in multi-channel, satellite+sub, or stereo modes
Subwoofer usable as bass extension or LFE
Standby/Mute and switching modes controlled by a simple footswitch
Standby control for the unused PSI Audio speakers
For more information visit:
www.psiaudio.com/product/accessories/router-bass-management-rb-8a
Relec SA
Z.I. Petits-Champs 11 a+b
CH-1400 Yverdon-les-Bains
Switzerland
t +41 (0) 24 426 04 20
f +41 (0) 24 426 04 51
e info@psiaudio.com
Find all our distributors and much more at
www.psiaudio.com
UK distributor:
eMerging Ltd
t +44 (0) 208 941 6547
e sales@emerginguk.com
Improve
Your Image
Sonodyne is quickly gaining
a reputation for unrivalled
performance, offering
exceptional detail, imaging, and
transparency. You owe it to your
music to check them out.
+ + + + S ONODY NE + + + + S ONODY NE + + + + S ONODY NE + + + + S ONODY NE + + + + S ONODY NE + + + + S ONODY NE + + + + S
SRP 800
The SRP 800 is a new high power active
reference monitor. This SRP is excellent for loud
monitoring without any audible loss in detail.
The enclosure is pressure die cast aluminum
that maximises rigidity and lends it a unique
form. The silk dome tweeter is nested in a
custom waveguide to produce on and off axis
linearity and a wide, detailed soundstage. The
8-inch kevlar woofer produces deep bass and
exceptional transient response. A new 175+
100 watt bi-amplier drives the transducers
optimally, while providing adequate headroom
and dynamics. The maximum SPL measures
in at an impressive 112dB. DSP-based internal
processing with high quality ADC and DAC is
employed for the crossover, and also provides
the 0.75dB step calibrated HF and LF room
compensation EQs at the rear. On the front is
a level control ranging from mute to +6dB with
centre detent at 0dB. Tapped inserts at the rear
and bottom allow for various mounting options.
The SRP 800 accepts XLR balanced inputs, and
is available in the following durable powder coat
nishes: rich black, charcoal grey, or snow white.
SRP 600
The SRP 600 is a new neareld active reference
monitor. This SRP adds loudness, clarity, and
bottom end to the compact SRP 500. The
enclosure is pressure die cast aluminum that
maximises rigidity and lends it a unique form.
The silk dome tweeter is nested in a custom
waveguide to produce on and off axis linearity
and a wide, detailed soundstage. The 6.5-
inch kevlar woofer produces deep bass and
exceptional transient response. A new 80+
50 watt bi-amplier drives the transducers
and dynamics. The maximum SPL measures
in at an impressive 108dB. DSP-based internal
processing with high quality ADC and DAC is
employed for the crossover, and also provides
the 0.75dB step calibrated HF and LF room
compensation EQs at the rear. On the front is
a level control ranging from mute to +6dB with
centre detent at 0dB. Tapped inserts at the
rear and bottom allow for various mounting
options. The SRP 600 accepts both XLR and TRS
balanced inputs, and is available in the following
durable powder coat nishes: rich black, charcoal
grey, or snow white.
SRP 500
The SRP 500 is a new compact near eld
active reference monitor. This SRP excels at
monitoring effects and other such subtleties
in the mix. The enclosure is pressure die cast
aluminum that maximises rigidity and lends it
a unique form. The silk dome tweeter is nested
in a custom waveguide to produce on and off
axis linearity and a wide, detailed soundstage.
The 5.25-inch kevlar woofer produces deep
bass and exceptional transient response. A new
50+ 50 watt bi-amplier drives the transducers
and dynamics. The maximum SPL
measures in at an impressive 104dB.
DSP-based internal processing with
high quality ADC and DAC is employed
for the crossover, and also provides the
0.75dB step calibrated HF and LF room
compensation EQs at the rear. On the
front is a level control ranging from
mute to +6dB with centre detent at 0dB.
Tapped inserts at the rear and bottom
allow for various mounting options
The SRP 500 accepts both XLR and TRS
balanced inputs, and is available in the
following durable powder coat nishes:
rich black, charcoal grey, or snow white.
The SRP 800.
The SRP 600.
SRP 400
The SRP 400 is the most compact active
reference monitor in the new SRP line. It is an
excellent reference to understand how mixes
translate to smaller speakers. The enclosure is
pressure die cast aluminum that maximises
rigidity and lends it a unique form. The silk
dome tweeter is nested in a custom waveguide
to produce on and off axis linearity and a wide,
detailed soundstage. The 4.5-inch CURV cone
woofer produces impressive bass and transient
response.
A new 25+ 25 watt bi-amplier drives the
transducers optimally, while providing adequate
headroom and dynamics. The maximum SPL
measures in at an impressive 100dB. Room
compensation HF and LF tilts are available at the
rear. On the front is a level control ranging from
mute to +6dB with centre detent at 0dB. Tapped
inserts at the rear and bottom allow for various
mounting options. The SRP 400 accepts XLR
and TRS balanced inputs, and is available in the
following durable powder coat nishes: rich black,
charcoal grey, or snow white.
SM 300
During summer 2010 we set ourselves a
challenging task that of designing a high
quality active loudspeaker combining the
detailing of the award winning SM 100Ak
with the dynamics and bandwidth of the SM
200Ak. Additionally, the size would have to
be very compact since the target user would
place it on a console or desktop. Many design
debates, prototypes, and user reviews later,
we are delighted to present the SM 300, our
rst three-way tri-amplied reference monitor.
The key features in this new monitor are:
- A compoct coblnet, whlch hos double MDF
top, bottom, front, and rear; and aluminum
extruded sides. Unique, and exceptionally
rigid.
- 1he HF ond MF tronsducers ore housed ln o
separate aluminium die-cast plate, designed
for controlled dispersion and linearity.
- 1hree A8 Closs ompllners roted ot. 1S0,
7S, 7S wott thot drlve the 8-lnch kevlor
LF, 4-lnch kevlor MF, ond 1-lnch sllk dome
tweeter respectively.
- 1wo shelvlng Es for LF ond HF, one bell
E for MF, two 8oss Poll Offs ot 80, 100Hz
to compensate for room modes and for
optimising off axis response.
ONOD NE - - - - S ONOD NE - - - - S ONOD NE - - - - S ONOD NE - - - - S ONOD NE - - - - S ONOD NE - - - - S ONOD
Sonodyne Electronlcs Co Pvt Ltd
98nb, 8l E New Allpore,
Kolkoto, West 8engol 7000S3
India
w www.sonodyne.com
Europe.
1he Audlo Professlonols Ltd.
Sollsbury Holl, London Colney
St. Albons, AL2 18, K
w www.audiopros.eu
e info@audiopros.eu
t -44 (0) 1727 8297S0
monitors 2013 itors 2013
The SRP 400.
The SRP 500.
+ + + + UNI T Y A UDI O+ + + + UNI T Y A UDI O+ + + + UNI T Y A UDI O+ + + + UNI T Y A UDI O+ + + + UNI T Y A UDI O+ + + + U
Years in the Making?
We decided to design and manufacture our own
range of professional monitors from scratch
to overcome the shortcomings found in most
commercially available monitor systems and
that will deliver what true professionals expect.
A brutally honest tool on which you can base the
most critical decisions without a second guess or
hesitation.
This has been achieved
by assembling a team of
professionals with impeccable
credentials in the areas required
to produce a new standard of
monitoring.
I wanted to produce
something different, using
new materials and designs,
and so I approached studio
designer and acoustician
Kevin Van Green to develop
the Birch Plywood cabinet and
Corian front bafe; while the
amplier, rather than an off the
shelf approach, is a bespoke
discrete Class A/B design from
one of the best designers in the business, Tim
Di Paravicini, whose company Esoteric Audio
Research produces some of the nest ampliers
around. After testing many woofers we selected
reputable German manufacturer ELAC for its
quality and consistency for The Rock MkII a
50kHz ribbon HF and 6.5-inch woofer are used.
We wanted to produce a brutally honest
monitor and weve certainly done that, our
measurements indicate this. The cabinet is
sealed and it has no port, which is unusual
for studio monitors, but the difference in bass
accuracy is incredible. It also has very good low-
end extension too. From the start we decided
not have any EQ controls the sound is what
you get. If you cant deal with the accuracy The
Rock MkII produces, then its not for you, simple.
Weve consulted with many producers and
engineers and they welcome such a monitor.
Kevin Walker, MD, Unity Audio
The Boulder: Three-Way Active Monitor with
Coaxial Mid-Range Tweeter
The next active professional monitor following
on from the The Rock MkII is the new Boulder.
This shares some of the same interesting
materials and designs, such as a Baltic Birch
plywood cabinet but this time 18mm instead
of 12mm, as used in The Rock MkII. A Corian
front bafe is used, again
like The Rock MkII, and
bonded to an internal
wooden bafe, but the
Boulder uses a huge 30mm
slab of Corian instead of
The Rock MkIIs 12mm
along with large radius
edges to reduce reection.
Like The Rock MkII, this new
model will boost true delity,
with a fast, accurate, and
detailed sound; but with
extended bass response,
even more detailed mid-
range, and higher SPLs for
larger rooms.
Bass Driver
Two 180mm (7-inch) woofers are used, the
same woofer model as in The Rock MkII.
This will increase low frequency extension
and achieve higher SPLs. Each woofer has a
0.2mm aluminium foil chemically bonded to
a rigid pulp bre cone. This reduces harmonic
anomalies and permits +/- 15mm of woofer
travel producing accurate low bass frequencies.
The use of aluminium bound to a pulp bre
cone ensures that the woofer cone will remain
symmetrical at all frequencies, producing a long
life for the woofer element and full accuracy of
the driver through its life: something few other
materials can claim.
Coaxial 5-inch Mid Range
& Folded Ribbon Tweeter
A new dual coaxial Mid-range Tweeter is
employed, another unique feature of The
Boulder. This new unit is a unique combination
of a at aluminium honeycomb mid-range ring
radiator and a concentrically arranged folded
ribbon tweeter. This design realises the vision
of an acoustic
point source!
This facilitates
an optimised
acoustic power
response, and
results in a
homogeneous
and very
wide sound
dispersion
angle providing
for a new kind
of relaxed but
very precise
reproduction.
Rock & Boulder,
Brutally Honest Monitoring
The Rock MkII: Key Features
- 2-woy octlve monltor
- 8espoke true closs A/8 100 wott E.A.P.
dlscrete ompllner
- Closed coblnet deslgn
- Corlon front boffe
- S0kHz folded rlbbon tweeter
- 7-lnch/180mm woofer
- 8olonced XLP lnput
- n-bolonced PCA gold ploted phono lnput
- SPL Mox 1M = 10Sd8
- Frequency response = 33Hz-2SkHz
- 8oltlc 8lrch 9-ply coblnet
- 11.2kg eoch
- 290mm deep x 220mm wlde x
32Smm hlgh
- 8rutolly honest
Bespoke Class A/B amps from the amp guru Tim de Paravcini. Sealed cabinet for fast, honest bass
reproduction. Superior 50kHz folded ribbon tweeter for smooth detailed high frequencies.
Unity Audio
The Boulder.
Unity Audio The Rock.
NI T Y A UDI O+ + + + UNI T Y A UDI O+ + + + UNI T Y A UDI O+ + + + UNI T Y A UDI O+ + + + UNI T Y A UDI O+ + + + UNI T Y A
The Avalanche
The third product in the
monitoring range is designed
to complement the brands
existing Rock and Boulder, for
those that want extra SPL and
low frequency extension, but also
want a monitor that can be used
in conjunction with other monitor
brands. In keeping with the
Unity Audios Rock and Boulder
philosophy, the Avalanche has
been designed by Kevin Van Green and retains
the sealed cabinet approach, but it also has a
dual chamber with an aperiodic vent, which
gives all the benets of a sealed cabinet no
port noise, a tight, fast, and accurate bass
reproduction; and it also increases the bass
response from a smaller cabinet.
The Avalanche uses a downward ring 12-inch
woofer designed for heavy duty sub-woofer
application in a 65 litre enclosure. The input/
crossover has two presets from the Rock and
Boulder to make set up simple for customers,
but there is also a variable hi and low pass
lter section too. Two balanced XLR inputs and
outputs, and also an XLR bypass connector,
will allow a foot-switch to completely bypass
the Avalanche and route full frequency back to
the satellite speakers. Amplication is by two
Rock low frequency custom E.A.R discrete Class
A/B ampliers running in parallel, totalling 150
watts on rubber isolation mounts. The cabinet
sits on four large adjustable spikes to stop any
unwanted movement. The Avalanche extends
low frequencies down to 22Hz, and will be
available from mid June.
Dont take our word for it, listen to these guys!
Unity Audio Ltd.
t +44 (0)1799 520786
e sales@unityaudio.co.uk
w www.unityaudioproducts.co.uk
Rock MKII mix Coldplay Live DVD
I had the Rock MK IIs for evaluation
and ended up using them to mix the
entire forthcoming Coldplay live DVD.
Theyve saved my ears, its great that I
can work at low levels for long periods and
hear everything! The clarity and depth of
perception is something that Ive never expected to nd on such a small
speaker like The Rock. The bass response is surprisingly deep, transient
response snappy, and stereo depth impressively wide. I love them!
Rik Simpson Co-Producer/Engineer for Coldplay
The client and myself both agree that my 30-min tweak on the
Unity Boulders is a better mix than the last few tracks that I mixed for
him that took two days and cost him $2000. Your monitors are world
class, there is nothing close to the atness and exact representation of
a true mix that your monitors can provide on the market that I have
ever heard.
Owner Cavern Sound Studios Australia
The Rocks are amazing, they sound a lot bigger than they are and have
incredible low end detail and punch even at very low levels.
Andy Gray Composer/Producer.
Tori Amos, Liz Fraser, Gary Numan, Korn, U2, Enter Shikari, Hard Fi
The Rocks are amazing, brutally revealing, which is exactly what I need
for demanding mixing.
Ben Hillier Producer. Blur, Depeche Mode, Future Heads and Elbow
Crucially the bottom end is detailed and true at any monitoring level.
Honesty is the best policy!
Ken & Jolyon Thomas
Engineer/Producers. Moby, Sigur Ros
I wasnt even in the market for a pair of monitors until I heard
The Rocks. The soundstage on them is huge though unhyped and true.
I used to spend hours agonizing over the low end.
Mike Crossey Producer. Arctic Monkeys, Razorlight,
Foals, The Kooks, Black Keys
Rocks MKII & Boulders
for Queens of the Stone Age
The Unity Audio Rock Studio Monitors
have been a fantastic addition to Pink
Duck Studios. The imaging is fantastic.
They have a bottom end that belies
their size and a smooth modern top.
The result is true detail with a wide
depth of eld, and I dont get any
surprises when I take mixes out of the studio. Hell, mixes sounds the
same at home and in the car, just like they did in the studio on the
Rocks. That kind of consistency and accuracy is all I care about.
As for the Boulders... Theyre the exact speaker I needed. The power
and the punch of a large studio main, stuffed in cabinets the size of the
modern, real world recording studio. That big bottom end youd expect,
but not at the expense of precious mid-range. Accurate details abound.
Joshua Homme Queens Of The Stone Age
The Boulder: Key Features
- 3-woy octlve monltor
- 4 x bespoke true closs A/8 100
wott E.A.P. dlscrete ompllners,
one per driver
- Closed coblnet deslgn
- 30mm Corlon front boffe
- Cooxlol S-lnch mld-ronge ond S0kHz
folded rlbbon tweeter
- 2 x 180mm (7-lnch) woofers
- 368mm deep x 2S6 mm wlde x
S49mm hlgh
- 23kg eoch
- 8olonced XLP lnput
- 18mm grey 8oltlc blrch 9-ply
plywood coblnet
- 8rutolly honest
- HF E Shelf 10kHz -/- 2.Sd8
- Mld Cut/8oost -/- 2.Sd8
Unity
Audio The
Avalanche.
+ + + + H E A DP H ONE B UY E R S G UI DE + + + + H E A DP H ONE B UY E R S G UI DE + + + + H E A DP H ONE B UY E R S G UI DE + +
T
he rst step towards choosing a pair is to
identify the design features that best suit
your needs. In an attempt to narrow any
prospective search, we consulted
with Sennheisers Axel Grell, and
Audio-Technicas Logan Helps to
gain a balanced expert opinion on a
few common considerations.
Closed Back Or Open Back?
Open backed headphones allow
acoustical energy to leave the
system through the back of
each earpiece, which means
less resonance and better sound
quality than a closed system.
Closed back headphones use
materials to dampen that energy,
which adds extra weight and
impacts the nature of the sound.
Open back headphones can
also be less tiring for your ears,
so are worth considering if you
plan to use them for long periods.
For these reasons, open back
headphones are more commonly used for high
end studio mixing.
The disadvantage of open back headphones
is the lack of isolation. You can hear whatever
is happening around you, and others will hear
whatever youre listening to. A closed system
typically provides isolation of around 30-40 dB.
Conclusion: Open back for long periods where
interference isnt a concern, closed back if
you need to compete with background noise.
Circumaural Or Supra-Aural?
Circumaural headphones have large ear pads
with an elliptical cushion that circles the ear.
Supra-aural headphones (like the ones that
came bundled with personal stereos in the 80s)
sit on top of your ears.
Circumaural headphones should be more
comfortable for extensive use, as the elliptical
cushions contact each side of your head to
remove pressure from your ears. These cushions
can also provide extra isolation.
Supra-aural headphones can be more
convenient for location sound as they tend to
be signicantly smaller. It is also possible to play
sounds more loudly through supra-aurals, as
the acoustical volume being moved is smaller,
resulting in higher sound pressure levels for the
same amount of energy.
Conclusion: Circumaural if you intend to
use them for long periods; supra-aural if
portability is a major concern.
Heavy Or Lightweight?
Our experts agreed that lightweight
headphones were more comfortable,
and therefore more desi rabl e
than heavy ones. Crucially, lower
weight results in less pressure being
applied to the users head and ears.
They also agreed that the overall
weight had no bearing on sound
quality. The only exception was
in the magnet system, which has
to be the right size to provide
sufficient power.
Conclusion: Lightweight.
Which Materials?
Ideal materials for headphones
are lightweight and non-resonant.
Commonly used materials include
magnesium, aluminium, and high
tech plastics.
For constructive
parts, Axel Grell
prefers a good plastic
material. Good means
not a cheap ABS or
something like that,
he explains.
The better choice,
from an acoustic
point of view, is to
use plastic materials
that have an inner
damping. When
metal parts are used,
extra material is
necessary to dampen
resonance. Plastic
parts are more
expensive,
he adds. It takes really high tech plastic to get
the same stability of the part as there would be
with magnesium.
Conclusion: High tech plastic if you want
lightweight headphones that sound good,
metal if you like shiny things.
Transducers
By far the most commonly used transducer
design is the dynamic, moving-coil, driver.
These drivers use a stationary magnet and
a wire voice coil to move a stiff diaphragm.
However, within this design paradigm, several
manufacturers have introduced their own
design principles and proprietary elements.
Logan Helps describes transducers as the
envelope thats continually being pushed.
Axel Grell tells us that there are different design
principles, but they are not so very different.
Axel is in contact from time to time with
colleagues at Beyerdynamic and AKG. We have
different philosophies, but we agree that the
driver is the most important thing, he explains.
Weve all spent a lot of money on computer
simulation models to improve the diaphragm,
with different results.
Conclusion: You get what you pay for.
Coping With Marketing
As we all know from TV shampoo adverts,
marketing places particular emphasis on certain
keywords. In the case of headphones,
these tend to (justiably) revolve
around transducer design; computer
optimised transducers, patented
phase technology, optimised magnet
systems, etc. While these things are
all great, they dont tell us much
other than that we should go out and
buy them. The quality of any given
headphone is certainly inuenced by
these things, but it also equally comes
down to a multitude of less sexy
factors that dont lend themselves
as well to buzzwords. Factors like the
quality of the wire in the voice coil,
and the kind of glue thats used to
attach the diaphragm. These kinds
of details are less readily available,
but will make a noticeable difference to
sound reproduction.
Conclusion: We hope that this guide will help
to narrow your search. However, the best
way to make a nal decision is also the most
obvious, listen to lots of different sets and
see for yourself.
Who knew there was so much to know? Here, Audio Media distills the heaphone world down to its
essence and nds out what audio professionals really need to know before buying their next pair of cans.
Headphone Buyers Guide
Closed back
headphones
use materials
to dampen that
energy, which
adds extra weight
and impacts the
nature of the
sound.
Crucially, lower weight
results in less pressure
being applied to the
user's head and ears.
They also agreed that
the overall weight had
no bearing on sound
quality.
HEADPHONE BUYERS GUIDE 30
+ + + + A UDI O- T E C H NI C A + + + + A UDI O- T E C H NI C A + + + + A UDI O- T E C H NI C A + + + + A UDI O- T E C H NI C A + + + + A UDI
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE 31
Highly-regarded for its comprehensive
microphone line-up, Audio-Technica also
produces a wide range of headphones
for professional use, employed by
engineers and producers both for live
shows, and tracking and mixing in the
studio (including Ben Hammond
(Deaf Havana, The Blackout) and
Adam Boole (You Me At Six)).
Audio-Technicas enduringly popular
ATH-M50 headphone is designed
specically for professional monitoring
and mixing, delivering exceptional power
handling and very high SPL capabilities.
Tonally, the M50 is engineered for accurate
bass and clarity throughout its extended
frequency range (15-28,000Hz) and built
for real comfort generously padded ear
cushions create an outstanding seal for
maximum isolation.
Available in standard black and
currently in a limited edition red nish and
white (as M50RD and M50WH), the M50
sports 45mm drivers with neodymium
magnets to ensure ultra-efcient signal
transfer. And the headphone is also
remarkably ergonomic, with a collapsible
design for portability and storage, and
earpieces that swivel through 180 degrees
for easy one-ear monitoring.
ATH-PRO700 Mk2
Alongside the M50, Audio-Technicas
ATH-PRO700Mk2 is aimed specically at
DJs monitoring in loud environments.
Large 53mm neodymium magnet-
equipped drivers serve up outstanding
sound reproduction and offer 3,500mW
power handling. The headphone also has a
huge frequency response of 5-35,000Hz.
Despite their abilities in demanding
situations, the PRO700 Mk2 is a lightweight and
exceptionally comfortable headphone, and its
earpieces swivel 50/90 degrees for one-ear use
its advanced circumaural design also allows for
remarkable isolation from ambient noise.
A detachable, replaceable cord completes
the PRO700Mk2s spec list the headphone
comes with both straight and coiled cord types
with screw-in connectors for security during use.
Studio And Stage
Monitor Headphones
The dominant headphone brand in
its domestic Japanese market,
Audio-Technica also caters to the needs
of professional users the world over.
Audio-Technica Limited (UK)
Unit 5, Millennium Way
Leeds, LS11 5AL
t +44 (0) 113 277 1441
f +44 (0) 113 270 4836
e sales@audio-technica.co.uk
Celebrating more than 50 years of audio
excellence worldwide, Audio-Technica is a
leading innovator in transducer technology,
renowned for the design and manufacture
of microphones, wireless microphones,
headphones, mixers, and electronics for the
audio industry. Users of Audio-Technica
microphones and headphones include
Metallica, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Deaf
Havana, The Blackout, Freestylers, and
Eddie Halliwell.
The PRO700
Mk2 DJ monitor
headphone.
Audio-Technicas M50
monitor headphones.
At KRK, our focus is to
develop studio solutions
to help you create
a great mix.
KRK monitors and
subwoofers are
legendary. The ERGO
room analysis and correction system is
revolutionary. Now you can enjoy the same
KRK engineering and innovation when using
headphones. The KNS series are designed
to provide what KRK has been delivering for
25 years: sonic accuracy, transparency, and
consistency. And, with KRK you are assured
that what you hear is
true, whether the source
is on the console or on
your head!
KRK Headphones
provide a precise listening
experience that takes you
from personal studio to
commercial studio to on-
the-go track evaluations
and they allow you to
evaluate and enjoy your
music with the consistent
voicing philosophy and honest
reproduction top producers, studio
musicians, performers, and engineers have come
to trust. KRK headphones provide incredibly
natural frequency response that gives you a
reference standard unaffected by your location.
Day or night. Studio or home. Without disturbing
others. Without compromising your tracks.
Whether you are listening to some tracks,
or tracking your next recording, the KNS
series gives you the famous KRK sound in
an extraordinarily comfortable closed-back
around-the-ear design with highly isolated
surround pads. Having One Voice that
consistently gives you accurate reproduction
of your music or mix will help you achieve just
what the artist intended especially when
the artist is you.
Headphones for Educated Ears
The KNS Series of Headphones from KRK
headphones 20133
+ + + + K R K S Y S T E MS + + + + K R K S Y S T E MS + + + + K R K S Y S T E MS + + + + K R K S Y S T E MS + + + + K R K S Y S T E MS + + + + K R
Expect excellent isolation from the
KNS 6400 closed-back earcups for
superb listening privacy in any setting and
zero leakage into the mic during recording
or vocal work. Highly recommended, well-
priced headphone for recordists, mixers,
and personal monitoring of all music genres.
The KNS-8400s offer nuanced tonal
balance and clear timbral transparency at all
frequencies. Low-end bass response is robust
and full but with controlled impact while the
uppermost highs remain present and brilliant
without glare or screech.
Headphone.com
The lack of high-end hype is appreciated
for long or loud tracking sessions, and the
bottom end is slightly plump without
being too poofy or having one
note bass syndrome.
Their clarity, isolation,
low weight, fold-ability,
and comfortable ear pads
make an ideal headphone
experience.
Pro Audio Review
For people who feel that
headphones isolate the two sides of the
stereo image unrealistically, the KRKs will
be something of a revelation. Both phones
are incredibly light 7.4 and eight ounces
and this light weight greatly extended
the comfortable listening period. These
headphones provide a noticeably different
listening and soundstaging experience than
other headphones in their class, one thats
likely to win over musicians from some other
headphones costing much more.
Recording Magazine
The rst thing I want to know is whether
the low frequencies are there. Does it feel like
the Expose monitors? And it totally does, the
comfort is incredible. They are lightweight
not these big, old heavy headphones
that you feel like you want to take off after
wearing them for ve minutes. Now when I
take my mixes home or when Im travelling,
I can plug my KRK headphones into my
laptop and feel like Im still in the studio.
Thats important when youre making hits
for the radio; you have to be spot on.
Rodney Darkchild Jerkins, Producer (Lady
Gaga, Beyonc, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige)
When its past 10pm and the kids are
sleeping and you need to get this one more
mix nished, and you have to change
from your speakers to your
headphones, youre not losing
anything. In a studio situation
youre wearing headphones
for 12 hours, 14 hours, 16
hours. Theyve got to be
comfortable. Theyve got to
be closed back because youre
going to record with them.
Theyve got to have a long cable
with a volume control on the cable thats
convenient. These have them. Thats great.
A pair of headphones that gives you a really
honest representation of whats going on,
they can be invaluable, and its probably the
cheapest thing youll buy for your studio.
Most headphones make you happy, these
headphones might make you sad if your
mixes arent good and thats what I want
my clients to have, I dont want them to be
fooled into thinking their mixes are great!
Stephen Marsh (Mastering Engineer)
Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd.
Windsor House, Turnpike Road
High Wycombe, Bucks
HP12 3FX, UK
t +44 (0) 1494 462 246
e sales@focusrite.com
KRK Systems, Inc.
Gibson Pro Audio
309 Plus Park
Nashville, TN 37217
1-800-4 GIBSON
e service@krksys.com
w www.krksys.com
For nearly 70 years, Sennheiser microphones

and headphones have consistently offered the
very best in audio performance. The companys
products are trusted by professionals worldwide
and are used on a daily basis on live stages, by
DJs, and in studios. Sennheiser delivers a wide
range of closed-back monitor headphones and
open audiophile headphones to cater to diverse
monitoring requirements.
HD 25-1 II
The closed-back HD
25-1 II is probably
the most widely
used headphone
from the Sennheiser
range by both live
sound engineers
and DJs. Offering
high attenuation of
background noise, they perform exceptionally
well in challenging environments for example
ENG, sound reinforcement, studio monitoring,
and audio equipment testing and are capable
of delivering very high sound pressure levels.
Their lightweight construction and comfortable
design with a split headband means they are
suitable for long periods of use, yet they are also
extremely robust for coping with the rigours of
touring life. Featuring a tough, detachable steel
cable, neodymium ferrous magnet systems,
lightweight aluminium/copper voice coils, and
a rotatable capsule for one-ear listening, the
HD 25-1 II has a 70 nominal impedance for
universal compatibility.
HD 26 Pro
Hearing protection is becoming an integral
element of the occupational health and safety
legislation in a growing number of countries
around the globe. The supra-aural HD 26
Pro monitor headphones comply with this
requirement, combining hearing protection,
accurate sound reproduction, and comfort for
the wearer. Professional features include a split
headband, a special low-noise cable design, and
a defeatable active limiter that cuts off sudden
audio peaks.
HD 280 Pro and
HD 380 Pro
A closed-back,
circumaural
headphone
designed for
professional
monitoring,
the HD 280 Pro offers an exceptional 32dB
attenuation of external noise, making it
particularly suitable for use in high-noise
environments. The HD 380 Pro also provides
excellent passive attenuation of ambient
noise and an extended frequency response of
8-27,000Hz, utilising Sennheisers Eargonomic
Acoustic Renement (E.A.R.) design, which
channels the audio signal directly into the
users ears. Both models provide accurate sound
reproduction for demanding use, while the
lightweight and secure-t design offers a very
comfortable, long-duration listening experience.
HD 25-SP II
The HD 25-SP II are closed-back, dynamic
headphones for monitoring, recording, and
outdoor applications. A lower-cost alternative to
the HD 25-1 II, featuring a simpler headband
and slightly different capsule design, several
features of the more expensive model are
included, for example neodymium ferrous
magnet systems, lightweight aluminium/copper
voice coils, a tough, detachable OFC cable, high
maximum sound pressure level, and a very
lightweight and comfortable design.
HD 800
Incorporating
Sennheisers most
advanced driver
technology, the HD
800 open-backed,
circumaural dynamic
stereo headphones
redene the standard
of reference-level audio. The reference-grade
audio performance is matched by a striking
design. The ring-shaped transducer is encased
by a precision material made of stainless steel,
while the ear pads are handcrafted from a
high-quality microbre fabric that is extremely
comfortable to wear and easy to maintain.
Featuring a specially-designed, four-wire, high-
performance cable with Teon insulation, the
HD 800 delivers the ultimate in both audio and
aesthetic performance.
HD 700
These open, circumaural dynamic stereo
headphones promise an outstanding
soundstage with a warm and balanced audio
reproduction. They feature specially-tuned,
highly efcient drivers capable of delivering high
sound pressure levels, an angled acoustic bafe,
plus a detachable, symmetrical, silver-plated
four-wire OFC copper cable. Ventilated magnet
systems minimise air turbulence and thus
intermodulation and harmonic distortion.
HD 600 and HD 650
The ideal choice for professional engineers
recording classical music, the HD 600s deliver
exceptionally natural, spatial, and accurate
sound, with an advanced diaphragm design
that eliminates standing waves. The audiophile
HD 650s were developed from the HD 600
and feature improved materials for even better
sound reproduction. Key features include
highly optimised magnet systems for minimum
harmonic and intermodulation distortion,
lightweight aluminium voice coils to ensure
excellent transient response, and a precise
damping over the entire diaphragm surface
consistent in all climates.
Sennheiser Monitoring Headphones
Innovation and Expertise Combined
After more than half a century of innovation, Sennheiser continues to push the boundaries of what
headphone technology is capable of delivering.
Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG
t +49 (5130) 600 0
f +49 (5130) 600 300
w www.sennheiser.com
Sennheiser U.K. Ltd
t +44 (0) 1494 551551
f +44 (0) 1494 551550
w www.sennheiser.co.uk
+ + + + S E NNH E I S E R + + + + S E NNH E I S E R + + + + S E NNH E I S E R + + + + S E NNH E I S E R + + + + S E NNH E I S E R + + + + S E NNH E I
monitors 2013
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE 33
+ + + + ULT R A S ONE + + + + ULT R A S ONE + + + + ULT R A S ONE + + + + ULT R A S ONE + + + + ULT R A S ONE + + + + ULT R A S ONE + +
monitors 2013 nitors 2013
Ultrasone, founded in 1991, is located close
to the Alps in South Germany and specialises
in headphones. Day-to-day commitment
leads to explicit expert knowledge and makes
Ultrasone one of the leading developers and
manufacturers of headphones throughout the
world. Constant development leads to high
quality pro headphones equipped with the latest
technologies and benecial accessories.
Ultrasones Technologies Are Unique
Ultrasone invented the inimitable S-Logic
Natural Surround Sound and Ultra Low
Emission technologies, thus integrating safer
hearing aspects without neglecting the latest
technologies. The consideration of all these
aspects is fundamental for modern headphones.
S-Logic Technology
Unique? Yes! Revolutionary? Denitely!
The patented S-Logic technology is described
as Natural Surround Sound System. No other
digital surround system can compare with this
standard. The sound of normal headphones
will sound direct and even on both sides, while
the S-Logic system pushes sound around your
head. It appears as though you are listening to
speakers metres away. Even at very low levels,
this spacious sound allows you to hear and listen
to each and every individual sound. And on
top of that, the S-Logic technology does not
require additional equipment!
How does
S-Logic work?
S-Logic sends
music around your head, not just into it, because
this technology uses decentralised driver
positioning. Did you know that you use and
need the outer ear for your three-dimensional
understanding to dene the direction and
distance of where a sound comes from? Instead
of hitting the inner ear directly, with S-Logic
the signals are reected off the surface of
the outer ear in different directions before
entering the auditory canal, to create a natural
three-dimensional sound. S-Logic is the only
headphone system that includes your entire
sense of hearing. S-Logic does not change your
personal hearing, but it intensies it for your
individual needs and listening pleasure. S-Logic
doesnt need articial echo, digital sound
processing, or cross over run time delay. You can
hear the sound just the way the sound engineer
has mastered it.
Safer Hearing
S-Logic allows at the same time a reduction
of sound pressure levels at the eardrum by up
to 40% (3-4dB). This may reduce the risk of
hearing damage while ensuring hours of
fatigue-free listening.
Ultrasone S-Logic Plus
S-Logic Plus is the newest advancement
in the S-Logic Natural Surround
System, squeezing the BIG S-Logic
soundstage found in our PRO
series headphones into the more
streamlined ear-cups of select
HFI & DJ models.
S-Logic Plus prots directly
from innovations developed
for our agship Edition range,
the ultimate headphones for
critical listening.
This sophisticated new
technology combines precision
dampening with micro-acoustic
reinforcement, allowing driver, buffer-
board, and spatial parameters to complement
one another in an optimal manner. So, the
acoustically redesigned ear-cups of these new
models and their tonal ne-tuning result in a
most neutral sound impression with more vivid
perception of voices and instruments.
Ultrasones ULE-Technology
Most headphone drivers produce low-frequency
magnetic elds as they convert an electrical
signal into the acoustical signal that we hear
as music. Ultrasone has developed a special
MU-Metal shielding that we call ULE (for Ultra
Low Emissions) to reduce this radiation by up to
98%, compared to conventional headphones.
This technology has withstood the test of
international review and is recommended by
technical surveillance organisations. Ultrasone
originally developed ULE-technology
for professionals, since they spend half of
their lives in headphones.
Professional Sound Quality
& Accessories
The highest sound quality is guaranteed due
to high prole technologies and high-class
materials. Naturally, Ultrasone headphones
offer accessories desired by professionals to
support day-to-day needs in the studio or on
the road. The headphones are placed in a safe
transportation box together with accessories
such as extra detachable cable and extra
earpads.
First Choice For
Professionals
Specialist In Headphones
Take a closer look at our website. The options are
yours to explore. If you have any questions, please
feel free to contact the Ultrasone team any time.
Ultrasone
w www.ultrasone.com
e Infodesk@ultrasone.com
THE headphone company
MONITORING & HEADPHONES DIRECTORY 35
ACOUSTIC ENERGY
www.acoustic-energy.co.uk
ADAM AUDIO
www.adam-audio.de
+49 30 863 00970
AKG
www.akg.com
+43 1 866 540
ALESIS
www.alesis.com
+1 401 658 5760
AMBIANCE ACOUSTICS
www.calcube.com
+1 858 485 7514
ATC
www.atc.gb.net
+44 0 1285 760561
AUDIO-TECHNICA
www.audio-technica.com
+44 0 113 277 1441
AUDIX
www.audixusa.com
+1 503 682 6933
B&W
www.bowers-wilkins.co.uk
+44 0 1903 221500
BAG END LOUDSPEAKERS
www.bagend.com
+1 847 382 4550
BEHRINGER
www.behringer.com
+49 2154 9206 0
BEYERDYNAMIC
www.beyerdynamic.com
+49 7131 6170
BLUE SKY
www.abluesky.com
+1 516 249 1399
CANFORD AUDIO
www.canford.co.uk
DENON
www.denon.co.uk
+44 (0)2890 279830
DYNAUDIO ACOUSTICS
www.dynaudio.com
+45 87 427 000
EARTHWORKS
www.earthworksaudio.com
+1 603 654 6427
EDIROL
www.edirol.com
+44 0 1792 702701
EMES
www.emes.de
+49 0 8222 965954
ESI
www.esi-pro.com
+49 0 7152 398880
EVE AUDIO
www.eve-audio.com
EVENT ELECTRONICS
www.event1.com
+61 2 9648 5855
EXIGY
www.exigy.co.uk
+44 0 1256 381944
FAR
www.atd2.com
+32 85 318 123
FOCAL
www.focalprofessional.com
+33 0 477 435700
FOSTEX
www.fostex.com
+81 42 546 4974
GENELEC
www.genelec.com
+358 17 83881
GRADO LABS
www.gradolabs.com
GRIFFIN AUDIO
www.grifnaudiousa.com
+1 914 248 7680
GRIMM AUDIO
www.grimmaudio.com
+31 40 213 1562
HARBETH
www.harbeth.com
+44 0 1444 484371
HOT HOUSE
www.hothousepro.com
+1 845 691 6077
JBL
www.jblpro.com
+1 818 894 8850
KRK
www.krksys.com
+1 954 949 9600
KS DIGITAL
www.ksdigital.de
+681 761 804 63
LEGACY AUDIO
www.legacy-audio.com
+1 217 544 3178
LIPINSKI SOUND
www.lipinskisound.com
+1 916 273 9726
MACKIE
www.mackie.com
+1 425 892 6500
M-AUDIO
www.m-audio.com
ME-GEITHAIN
www.me-geithain.de
MEYER SOUND
www.meyersound.com
+1 510 486 1166
MISSION
www.mission.co.uk
+44 0 845 458 1122
MITCHELL & TODD
www.excelaudio.co.uk
+44 0 208 354 0820
MK SOUND
www.mksoundsystem.com
+1 818 439 3577
MUNRO ACOUSTICS
www.munro.co.uk
+44 0 207 403 3808
NADY SYSTEMS
www.nady.com
+1 510 652 2411
NEUMANN
www.neumann.com
+49 30 41 77 240
NHTPRO
www.nhthi.com
+1 707 747 0122
PMC
www.pmc-speakers.com
+44 0 1582 405694
PRESONUS
www.presonus.com
+1 225 216 7887
PSI AUDIO
www.psi-audio.com
+41 0 24 426 0420
QUESTED
www.quested.com
+44 0 1404 41500
ROLAND SYSTEMS GROUP
www.rolandsg.co.uk
+44 (0) 1792 702701
SAMSON AUDIO
www.samsontech.com
+1 631 784 2200
SE MUNRO
www.seelectronics.com
+44 (0)845 500 2 500
SENNHEISER
www.sennheiser.co.uk
+49 5130 6000
SHURE
www.shure.co.uk
+1 847 600 2000
SLS LOUDSPEAKERS
www.slsloudspeakers.com
+1 417 883 4549
SONODYNE
www.sonodyne.com
+44 0 1923 693770
SOUND PROJECTS
www.soundprojects.com
+31 0 36 539 4570
SURROUNDTEC
www.surroundtec.de
+49 7131 797 54555
SUPERLUX
www.superlux.com
+1 404 525 0700
TANNOY
www.tannoy-speakers.com
+44 0 1236 420199
TAPCO
www.tapcoworld.com
+1 425 892 6511
TASCAM
www.tascam.com
+1 323 726 0303
TRIDENT AUDIO (PMI)
www.pmi-audio.com
+1 310 323 9050
TRUTH AUDIO
www.truthaudio.com
ULTRASONE
www.ultrasone.com
+49 0 8158 90780
UNITY AUDIO
www.unityaudio.com
+44 0 1440 785843
WESTLAKE AUDIO
www.westlakeaudio.com
+1 323 851 1222
PELONIS SOUND &
ACOUSTICS
www.chrispelonisspeakers.com
YAMAHA
www.yamaha.com
+44 0 1908 366700
Monitors & Headphones
Manufacturers Directory
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Audiomedia 2013 06

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No. 271 G June 2013 www.audiomedia.

At KRK, our focus is to develop studio solutions

For nearly 70 years, Sennheiser microphones

. Affordable studio monitors

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