ProAudio Review - February 2009 - (Page 28)

www.proaudioreview.com dB range well spread around “noon,” without the startling gain jumps at the low and high ends of the knob’s rotation that I’ve observed on a few contemporary mixers. Mic preamp input impedance is nearly 3k Ohms, a pretty good match for modern microphones, though an SM57 will sound better with a lower impedance load. Phantom power, individually switchable for each channel, is a solid 47.5V with no droop when simultaneously powering a dozen assorted mics. There’s no mic/line input switch: plugging in a mic disables the line input, meaning that you can’t keep everything plugged in all the time. Jumping into the digital world for a moment, with the Gain at 1 o’clock, -35 dBu at the mic input equates to -16 dBFS. This is a comfortable gain structure for a reasonably strong singer about six inches from a typical modern microphone. The main outputs are a cross-coupled balanced configuration, providing the same level into either a differential or singleended input with Pin 3 grounded. Maximum output level before clipping is a healthy +27 dBu. In Use — The Digital Side The digital I/O section consists of a set of A/D and D/A converters assignable to logical points in the analog signal path. Purists can record straight off the mic preamps while old-school duffers will appreciate having the excellent channel EQ available at the touch of a button because experience tells us to clean up the noise and leakage sooner rather than later. When tracking, you’d normally monitor inputs through the direct analog path (really zero latency), though should you want to monitor through the DAW, that’s just a button away. With Nuendo 4 in its lowest monitor latency mode, delay from mic in to monitor out with no plug-ins is just over 1 millisecond, low enough to take advantage of true “tape deck style” monitoring if your DAW offers it. The beauty of having a real analog console for tracking is that you can add outboard effects and processors to the monitor mix without adding latency, then use your DAW plug-ins for final mixdown where monitor latency is of no concern. PAR Contributor of the Month: Mike Rivers Engineer/Technical Writer Washington DC “I’ve been fascinated by recorded sound and the making of recordings ever since, as a kid, my grandfather would take me to the Library of Congress on weekends; we’d sit in a booth with a record player and listen to music collected by John Lomax. By 5th grade, as a seasoned professional, I was recruited to run the tape recorder for school assemblies. A few years later, my cousin gave me his old V-M recorder, and I was producing radio programs on tape with my friends. “Real life got in the way, I went to college, learned to play guitar and sing folk songs, got an EE degree, and spent the next 35 years working as an arcs-andsparks engineer. Recording and sound reinforcement became an avocation. In 1975, I constructed a multitrack remote truck and spent vacations recording traditional music festivals, mostly obscure artists for obscure record labels and obscure radio shows. I retired the truck when the tires got tired and I wasn’t convinced that re-equipping with two 24-track analog recorders, the format de jour for remotes at the time, was a sound business investment. Gypsy Studio became a laboratory, workshop, and home studio. Presently, I invite good musicians or bands in for a one-off project, which is why, in my reviews, I’ll write about how vocals, guitars, banjos, and fiddles sound rather than amps and drums. My remote recording rig is now a digital stereo recorder and a pair of mics that I can carry over one shoulder. “In my day job, I once rescued a project by re-writing the contractor’s instruction manual, which gave me the idea that I could be a technical writer. Combining my theoretical background, my practical experience in electronic design, and my working knowledge of studio gear and principles, I spent nearly five years writing a monthly series for Recording magazine. While ostensibly for beginners, it went all over the map since I believe that beginners who learn fundamental things — signal flow, what’s behind technical terms, and skills like soldering and making cables — make better engineers. A brief stint with Mackie produced a couple of instruction manuals and technical reference guides, and publication of my first (and only) book, The Last Mackie Hard Disk Recorder Manual. “Currently, I’m a retired bum with a strong grounding in grounding and gain structure, digging into new technology for Pro Audio Review, figuring out how stuff works, why it works, and explaining in 1,500 words or less who needs it, how well it works, and hopefully in the process teaching my readers a little about the principles behind whatever I’m reviewing.” Contact Mike Rivers at mm1100@yahoo.com Read more about The Last Mackie Hard Disk Recorder Manual at www.cafepress.com/mikerivers 28 ProAudioReview | February 2009 www.proaudioreview.com http://www.cafepress.com/mikerivers http://www.proaudioreview.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ProAudio Review - February 2009

ProAudio Review - February 2009 Contents From Razor Slice To Mouse Click Hot Gear At Winter NAMM ’09: Studio Prioritizing Good Acoustics In Tough Times Digidesign Pro Tools 8 Allen & Heath ZED-R16 Analog Mixing Console Mike Rivers Nevaton MC Series Studio Condenser Microphones FMR Audio Really Nice Series Pre-Amp and Dynamics Modules Mojave Audio MA-201 FET Condenser Microphone Genelec 6010A and 5040A Powered Loudspeaker and Subwoofer Massey Plug-Ins De:Esser Hot Gear At Winter NAMM ’09: Live White Space Regulation: What It Means To Us Recording Live Sound Summit Church in Fort Myers, Florida Bag End P-Crystal R Loudspeaker Mark Olson & Gary Louris’ “Turn Your Pretty Name Around”

ProAudio Review - February 2009

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