Recording - February 2011 - 14

StudioShare Audio Edition (audio.studio share.org) is a new web community based around the idea of easily and affordably renting studio space, gear, and professional services from fellow musicians and engineers who have it to spare. The site helps users list and retrieve information on available equipment, rooms, and services, with the site acting as a safe go-between for communication and payment processing. TASCAM (tascam.com) showed the new US-1800 ($299), a rackmount USB 2.0 audio interface with 16 inputs and four outputs. It offers support for up to 24/96 audio, has eight mic preamps, six balanced line inputs, stereo S/PDIF I/O, and MIDI. Also new: a free firmware upgrade for the DR-680 field recorder that enables Mid/Side location recording. TC Electronic (tcelectronic.com) unveiled the LM2 stereo loudness and true-peak level meter ($1800), a 1U rack unit that analyzes audio, assigns it an ATSC A/85- or EBU R128-compliant loudness number, and connects via USB to PC or Mac for access to the Radar display, logging, remote control, preset management etc. Its mission: to eliminate level jumps and other inconsistencies sometimes caused by human error. TC also announced the new System 6000 MkII (price TBA), a new version of the 10-yearold System 6000 reverb and signal processor; there’s a full upgrade path available for owners of original System 6000s. Also at TC’s booth, from Dynaudio Acoustics (www.dynaudioacoustics.com), the newly revamped BM5A MKII active monitor ($715 each).

port for its DI input for routing to a guitar amp while in use. Vintage King Audio (vintageking.com) represented a wide variety of makers, including the Endless Analog (endlessanalog.com) CLASP system first shown last fall; two new 500 Series products from Neve (amsneve.com), the 1073LB mic preamp ($995) and 2264A limiter/ compressor ($2995); the PowerStrip Recording Channel ($2895) from Retro Instruments (retro instruments.com), a 2U rack with a Class A tube mic preamp, Pultec-style passive eq, and variablemu tube compressor; and from Shadow Hills Industries (shadowhills industries.com), the scarycool OCULUS ($1150, $1900 with remote), a monitor controller with a rackmount base station and a remote control “pendant” that include five switchable sources, three monitor outputs, talkback/diminish, mono/stereo switching, and multiple muting options. Also at the Vintage King booth: Barefoot Sound (barefootsound.com), Evol Audio (evol audio.com), and more. Vocalbooth.com (guess the web address!) showed the VB Amp Enclosure ($1200 and up depending on configuration and size), an isolation box to allow for full-volume amplified guitar or bass playing without disturbing the neighbors. Some models are ventilated and designed for combo amps, others are non-ventilated for standalone speaker cabinets; they include Auralex foam interiors, cable ports, a decoupling foam floor pad, and hinged or detachable lids.

Telefunken Elektroakustik (t-funk.com) showed the CU-29 Copperhead ($1525), a new design that uses a New Old Stock Telefunken vacuum tube and custom transformer, and the AR-70 ($3529), a stereo large-diaphragm condenser mic that’s a stereo version of the AR-51 mic (reviewed November 2010). TransAudio Group (transaudiogroup .com) played host to Chameleon Labs (chameleonlabs.com), showing the new TS1 MkII ($559), a tube condenser mic with swappable end-address small-diaphragm capsules in four polar patterns (it comes with cardioid and omni) plus a new largediaphragm side-address capsule, and a power supply with user-settable heater voltage to overdrive or starve the tube and create new sounds; Daking Audio (daking.com) introducing the Mic Pre 500 ($650), a 500 Series mic preamp derived from the popular Mic Pre One standalone pre; new company Dave Hill Designs (www.davehilldesigns.com), featuring the Europa 1 rack preamp ($1650) which adds to traditional preamp functions by adding Speed, Even and Odd Harmonics controls to add tone color, and Ra ($550), a TDM plug-in that allows tailored harmonic creation and overdrive/distortion; and TubeTech (tube-tech.com) celebrating its 25th anniversary. Also at TransAudio Group: A Designs Audio (adesignsaudio.com), Bock Audio (bockaudio.com), Drawmer (drawmer.com), George Massenburg Labs (massenburg.com), and more. TRUE Systems (true-systems.com) showed the pT2-500 ($749), its first 500 Series module, a mic preamp with a new circuit design for a versatile tone that combines high-definition detail with analog warmth. It offers a front-panel Thru Top: Focal SM9. Left: Millennia Media HV-35 and AD-596. Right: Telefunken CU-29 Copperhead.

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RECORDING FEBRUARY 2011

http://www.audio.studioshare.org http://www.audio.studioshare.org http://www.vintageking.com http://www.endlessanalog.com http://www.amsneve.com http://www.amsneve.com http://www.tascam.com http://www.retroinstruments.com http://www.retroinstruments.com http://www.shadowhillsindustries.com http://www.t-funk.com http://www.shadowhillsindustries.com http://www.tcelectronic.com http://www.evolaudio.com http://www.barefootsound.com http://www.transaudiogroup.com http://www.evolaudio.com http://www.transaudiogroup.com http://www.Vocalbooth.com http://www.chameleonlabs.com http://www.daking.com http://www.dynaudioacoustics.com http://www.daking.com http://www.davehilldesigns.com http://www.tube-tech.com http://www.adesignsaudio.com http://www.bockaudio.com http://www.drawmer.com http://www.massenburg.com http://www.true-systems.com

Recording - February 2011

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