AudioMedia - February 2009 - (Page 16)

NAMM ‘09 Show Report IBC Review With over 85,000 registrants and over 1,500 exhibitors, the Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim is, for many, a significant marker of a new year in audio. PAUL MAC takes an aisles-eye view of the proceedings… There is always a prime conversation theme at trade shows. Sometimes everyone you talk to asks about the star gear attraction, or about a rumour that’s making its way around the halls, or possibly even about something embarrassing that someone did on the first night. This year the question was all too obvious – is the recession evident, and who will be first to the wolves? Well, it is evident, but it’s not ripping the heart out of the industry just yet. It’s apparent that things are slightly worse in the US than in Europe, and there are a few who are being prudent and making appropriate ‘adjustments’. Clearly no one is going to say, “We are in imminent danger of bankruptcy,” because once that’s said, it tends to come true – so it’s difficult to predict any downfalls. Also, those who feel the need to prowl the halls looking for a disaster to watch are doing nobody a favour. It must have been particularly galling then for Loud Technologies (Mackie, EAW, etc) when Convention TV apparently (and very publicly) started the ol’ buy-out or bankruptcy rumour on its behalf, at the start of the show. The company has since corrected the misinformation, which it hinted may have been due to a misinterpretation of the company’s money-saving de-listing from NASDAQ and problems in its supply chain on certain products. The correction of the rumour came late though, in the Sunday Show Daily, UPBEAT, which means that Mackie’s mythical demise took a close second place in much of the show-chat throughout the weekend. Yes, Loud – like many others – is not having an easy ride at the moment, but a rumour like this can compound matters – sometimes to the point of a self-fulfilling prophecy. In a confidence boosting counter-attack, Rodney Olson (Loud CEO) said in the UPBEAT (sic) article: “…Loud is well positioned to emerge from this period in a strong position.” 16 Gear And More… (and the other Antares plugs, of course). And so to the next question: “Have you seen The second might be an eyebrow-raising, anything good?” The show was certainly analogue-assisted shot across the bow not as stuffed with product launches as for the rack-mount resistance movement. it has been in recent times, We await the Manley Waves Maserati but there were a few wormandated results of this Collection thy headliners. In the good with interest. ideas department, the most Also, Steinberg and its head-turning new entry was owner, Yamaha have joined the return of Joe Bull (exthe METAlliance group as Sadie) to the fray with a new Pro Partners, while EastWest, company, JoeCo, and with the sound effects and virtual a striking new product: the instrument company, has Blackbox Recorder. Other opened EastWest Studios. launches included the first The Los Angeles facility, born implementation of the from the remains of Cello Amongst other things, Waves almost magical DNA (Direct Studios and, before that, introduced a very clever new Note Access) technology Western Recorders, will be take on the idea of a signature from Celemony with the used for commercial audio plug-in. Essentially, it got Tony Melodyne Editor; a new services, as well as being the Maserati (Black Eyed Peas, Mary range of bass-specific prenew EastWest HQ and develJ. Blige, David Bowie, Pac, and amps from TC Electronic opment/distribution hub. under the RebelHead name; more) to work his magic on the first in a planned series DAW Headz individual tracks, then turned the of signature plug-ins from As expected, the DAW crowd resulting signal path – including Waves: The Tony Maserati dominated new product processing – into a collection of Collection; a whole integer lists at NAMM. Steinberg plug-ins – one for each primary of upgrade from Steinberg made a big splash with instrument. The six plug-ins with Cubase 5; the Liquid Cubase 5 (see box out), and are the VX Vocal Enhancer, the Saffire 56 from Focusrite; with the companion Cubase DRM Drum Slammer; the ACG new wireless from AKG, new RC, an iPhone/iPod Touch Acoustic Guitar Designer; the microphones from ART, and application for remote HMX Harmonics Generator; the the introduction of the iLivecontrol of Cubase 5. B Bass Phattener; and the T series console from Allen & Excellent news if you want to GTi Guitar Toner. Each plug has Heath. More detail on these remotely control Cubase and other supporting cast with an iPod… a variety of controls designed will occur below. As well as the Maserati specifically for its processing Other news from around collection (see box out), combination. The idea is that the NAMM show floor Waves announced a new when you use a Maserati plug-in, included Universal Audio’s Surround Edition of its Tony (virtually) pops over to sort new plug-in partnerships Dorrough meter collection, out your sound. And you don’t with Antares and Manley and the give-away of GTR even have to provide lunch. Labs. The first will be a Solo. It’s now available as www.waves.com great pull for those who a free download with a have shied away from the one-year license, and conUAD platform as a powerful tains 10 modelled amps, 13 alternative hardware DSP solution for fear stomp effects, and 10 cabinets. Also, the of being without the Auto-Tune imperative Waves Live Division added 50 more plugins to the Digidesign D-Show software compatible list. Celemony arrived at the show amid questions over the time since its groundbreaking DNA technology was announced at Frankfurt before any actual product had been seen. Its answer was Melodyne Editor, the first implementation of DNA, and a complete new application/plug-in, rather than a simple update of existing Celemony products. Melodyne Editor should be available in the spring, and if you’ve had your head in the sand for nine months – it allows you to edit individual tones in a polyphonic recording. Oh yes it does. Izotope launched Ozone 4, the latest incarnation of its comprehensive suite of mastering tools. The suite extras include a new Intelligent Loudness Maximizer mode, mid/side processing, hybrid crossovers, SPL TwinTube. a re-designed interface, and an updated > AUDIO MEDIA FEBRUARY 2009 http://www.waves.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - February 2009

AudioMedia - February 2009 Contents Recording News Post News Broadcast News GEO Focus: USA What's Up UK NAMM Review For the Record Project Profile: Hallelujah HHB CDR882 KORG MR-20005 Chandler Germanium Brauner Phanthera Final Cut: Lesbian Vampire Killers SE Electronics RNR1 The Royal Opera House Fairlight XYNERGI Limiting Loudness Product Sampler: Studio Consoles Video Guide AMSR News Stone Temple Pilots Fly Again Rode M2 Yamaha IM8 Series

AudioMedia - February 2009

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