AudioMedia - December 2008 - (Page 38) GEAR OF THE YEAR 2008 > of lower midrange and excellent presence with good speech intelligibility. Sennheiser has taken particular care to ensure that the microphone capsule is fully protected from moisture – especially important when the sweat breaks out during a live performance! The clip-on microphone can be fitted with a multi-purpose cap that diverts any humidity past the microphone and also doubles as a windshield. Further protection comes from a thin, acoustically open stainless steel membrane that protects the capsule. The mic is omni-directional, and picks up mostly direct sound with relatively little ambient noise. www.sennheiser.co.uk EDITOR’S COMMENT “I know it’s stating the obvious, but this microphone is very, very, very small. As such, it will be very, very, very useful.” Solid State Logic Matrix Soundcraft Si3 The Matrix is the latest in the range of DAW controllers from Solid State Logic (SSL), designed to integrate the analogue part of your studio with your DAW and, if you’re using SSL’s X-Rack processors, allow for instant recall of your hardware settings. The Matrix sports 16 touch-sensitive faders in a compact package that brings SSL’s SuperAnalogue technology within the reach of many more facilities. www.solidstatelogic.com “The ability to easily integrate your analogue rack units, simple switching of control from analogue to DAW, and between DAWs, I only needed about an hour to be running the SSL Matrix as if I had been with it for considerable time.” (Simon Tillbrook, Audio Media, Sept 2008) EDITOR’S COMMENT “How to bring up-to-date analogue to a world now fluent with digital possibilities; and how to make legendary circuits play nicely with a DAW.” Soundcraft has revisited the control topology employed on the ground-breaking Spirit digital consoles to create the Soundcraft Si3. Designed for live use on both touring and fixed installations, its Virtual Channel Strip can be set to control every function of a channel as if you had a normal analogue channel strip laid sideways in front of you. www.soundcraft.com “Snapshot automation, preset, and user definable keys round out the Si3’s capabilities. It’s a console bridging the simplicity and familiarity of an analogue console with the power and flexibility of digital.” (Frank Wells, Audio Media, September 2008) EDITOR’S COMMENT “The main difficulty with the analogue/ digital debate is that there is a debate at all. You should be able to forget the technology and focus only on whether a product is fit for purpose. Soundcraft has probably got nearer than anyone else in the SR console field to the mythical ‘digilogue’ product.” Smart AV Tango Sonnox SuprEsser Smart AV’s Tango is a touch-screen DAW controller that features the company’s ingenious ARC channel selection technology. Eight touch-sensitive faders, plus a plethora of encoders and buttons, should minimise the need for a keyboard and mouse. Eminently flexible, the expandable Tango’s new lower price point should enable many more users to experience the company’s obsession with ergonomic design. www.smartav.net “The Tango is a compact, well specified and considered controller that should find a lot of friends in the post production and mixing world, and also as a useful addition to the composer’s armoury.” (Stephen Bennett, Audio Media, July 2008) EDITOR’S COMMENT “Smart AV pioneered collaborations with DAW manufacturers to make its range of controllers as tightly integrated as is feasible. Together with an operator-in-mind approach to ergonomic innovation, the Tango is a professional choice.” Sound Devices 788T Sonnox’s SuprEsser is a fully featured de-esser, as well as a capable dynamic EQ. Quick fixes can be performed using a simple mode, but for more detailed processing, an advanced mode enables fine-tuning. An intuitive FFT display and three listen modes enable the offending frequencies to be carefully carved out. ‘Plosives’ and other annoyances can also be removed effortlessly, making it more than a simple de-esser. www.sonnoxplugins.com “This is the sort of area in which software excels, and the ease of use and quality of the results obtainable means that it’ll be no time at all before it pays for itself in a busy studio.” (Stephen Bennett, Audio Media, April 2008) EDITOR’S COMMENT “The SuprEsser is prime Sonnox material. Take a process that you may have taken for granted; helpfully point out that it can be done much, much better Then prove it.” Sound Devices’ 788T is a powerful eight input, eight-track digital audio recorder designed for production sound. Developed using the company’s proven 7-Series architecture, this latest device can record via its fully-featured analogue inputs to several different recording media, including FireWire-based and internal hard drives and Flash-based media – all in a robust and compact package. www.sounddevices.com “This is one of those rare devices. Whether you’re running as a highly mobile ‘bag’ operator, or have the 788T on a cart, this is a seriously good sounding, stable recorder.” (Ty Ford, Audio Media, October 2008) EDITOR’S COMMENT “Any piece of equipment that lives up to Sound Devices’ reputation for both sound and build quality cannot be left off a gear-picks list. It’s mere coincidence that this is an eight-channel Sound Devices recorder.” 38 AUDIO MEDIA DECEMBER 2008 http://www.sennheiser.co.uk http://www.soundcraft.com http://www.solidstatelogic.com http://www.smartav.net http://www.sounddevices.com http://www.sonnoxplugins.com
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