Recording - February 2011 - 9

($1198), a set of two matched 4099 mics on goosenecks with magnetic bases for mounting inside a piano soundboard, usable even with the lid closed. DPA also gave showgoers a sneak peek at the Reference Standard Series of modular microphones, prices and availability TBA. Earthworks (earthworksaudio.com) now offers the PM40T Touring PianoMic System ($3199), a new version of the PM40 PianoMic with its two small-diaphragm omni capsules on a tensioning bar that holds it over a piano’s soundboard. The new design comes apart in the middle of the bar, allowing it to fit into a much smaller case, but like the original it offers high gain and a very low profile, even usable with the piano lid shut. appearance, BeesNeez showed its Producer Series of tube mics with Cinemag transformers, as well as the Elly FET mic ($1299). We’re looking forward to reviewing them in upcoming issues. Benchmark Media Systems (benchmark media.com) premiered the ADC16 ($3995), its first multichannel A/D converter. The rackmount unit has 16 channels of Benchmark’s well-known A/D conversion, with 16 transformerless balanced analog inputs, each with a 20 dB gain trimpot, on dual DB25 connectors. Outputs are available on AES, ADAT optical, coaxial S/PDIF, or optional FireWire, at up to 24/192 quality. The ADC16 can lock to any sample rate from 28 to 200 kHz, and offers word clock output as well. A/D or DAW can be chosen as a source for any of the output sets, providing great routing flexibility, and the rack has 16 9-segment LED input level meters. Focal Professional (dist. in North America by Audio Plus Services, audioplussservices.com) wowed audiences both on the show floor and in private listening sessions with the SM9 ($3995 each), a 3-way active

studio monitor that’s actually two monitors in one. It features a 1" beryllium tweeter, 6.5" midrange driver, 8" woofer, and 11" passive radiator for maximum accuracy. Flipping the Focus switch turns the SM9 into a 2-way system with different crossover settings to mimic the sound response of consumer listening systems without the fatigue associated with “cheap” speakers. A Direct mode allows all of the rear-panel eq tweaks (there are six) to be bypassed for an even cleaner signal path. Focusrite (focusrite.com) celebrated its 25th anniversary with famous processors on display, including the infamously Gigeresque Green Range and a limited-edition ISA110 channel strip signed by Sir George Martin. New from Focusrite is Midnight ($129.99), a pair of plug-ins that emulate the ISA110 eq and ISA130 compressor modules first made famous in Focusrite’s Forté console. Also new: the Saffire PRO 14 ($249.99), an 8-in/6-out bus-powered FireWire interface with two mic preamps/Hi-Z instrument inputs and MixControl low-latency DSP mixing. Gefen (gefen.com) added to its line of useful digital problem-solvers with the 2x2 KVM Switcher for DisplayPort ($799), which supports two computers and four displays so either computer can use either pair of displays in extended workspace mode, The ToolBox USB 2.0 Extender LR ($499), which allows up to four USB devices to connect to a computer 330 feet away via CAT5 cable. Glyph (www.glyphtech.com) is now shipping the PortaGig 62 ($339 for 1 TB, price varies by disk size), a portable bus-powered RAID array. Available in capacities from 320 GB to 2 TB, the array can be powered from FireWire 800 even while using eSATA or USB 2.0 for data transfer, and has optional external power as well. It can run in RAID 0, 1, or Spanning mode. Clockwise from top left: BeesNeez Elly, Auralex Bamboo Diffusors, Focusrite Midnight, D.W. Fearn VT-12, Audio-Technica AT2021 and ATH-M10, API Channel Strip, AEA KU4
RECORDING FEBRUARY 2011

BIAS (bias-inc.com) unveiled Peak Studio ($TBA), a comprehensive package that combines a new version of Peak Pro with a suite of multichannel audio tools. Peak Pro 7 ($599) now offers a new declipping tool, a new wideband peak limiter, and built-in DDP export. Peak Pro XT 7 ($1199) includes SoundSoap Pro 2 and the Master Perfection Suite plug-ins. D. W. Fearn (dwfearn.com) surprised showgoers with his first new product in years, the VT-12 tube mic preamp ($3925). Similar to the well-established VT-2 preamp but with 70 dB of gain, the VT-12 is optimized for ribbon and dynamic mics, and while it can provide phantom power for condensers and active ribbons, there’s a rear-panel safety switch that disables phantom when using it on traditional ribbon mics. DPA Microphones (dpamicrophones .com) added to its 4099 Series of instrument miking systems with the 4099P

http://www.earthworksaudio.com http://www.audioplusservices.com http://www.benchmarkmedia.com http://www.benchmarkmedia.com http://www.focusrite.com http://www.bias-inc.com http://www.gefen.com http://www.dwfearn.com http://www.glyphtech.com http://www.dpamicrophones.com http://www.dpamicrophones.com

Recording - February 2011

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