REPORT
REVIEWS
REVEALED
/ AoIP: location recording / Virtual Audiences: laughter from the lounge / Deepfake voices: how they are helping
/ Merging+Anubis: Ravenna revelation / Josephson C705: clever compromises / PreSonus Analog Effects: vintage fun
/ Rupert Neve: a life in focus / Roger Quested: monitoring master / Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith: modular methods
V21.1 | Spring 2021 | £5.50
The
Interview
Xxxxx Nina Hartstone Xxxxxxxx Xxx
Unleash your creativity
Introducing GLM 4 loudspeaker manager software Pure, truthful sound reproduction. It’s the confidence of nearly half a century of research. An unending dedication to sound technology, and an inexhaustible passion for creativity. GLM 4 offers simplicity, efficiency and infinite possibilities. And intuitive power that helps artists evolve, naturally. It’s the promise of your very own, true sonic reference. GLM 4. Now nothing can stand between you and your artistry. Find out more at www.genelec.com/glm4
/ Contents
30 V21.1 | Spring 2021
News & Analysis 5 6 11
Leader News News, studios, appointments New Products Featuring Merging, Rode, Lawo, McDSP and more
Columns
15 Sound Opinion - Tim Oliver Setting a possible course out of lockdown, and into the post-Covid world, for the music industry — and staying optimistic about it! 16 Crosstalk - Rob Speight How deepfakes and AI technology can assist the audio production process, and where it’s all heading 50 Playlist It’s 2021, and the world may just be returning to normal. So, lets delve into some great tracks that heralded a comeback
Craft
Nina Hartstone
16
24
34
38
24 Rupert Neve With this previously unpublished interview we celebrate the life of Rupert Neve, who died recently aged 94. Here, he talks frankly about the moments — both fortuitous and meticulously designed — that shaped his exceptional legacy, and we talk to Rupert Neve Designs about how its archive of designs will continue to influence its products 30 Nina Hartstone The Oscar winning dialogue and ADR editor of Bohemian Rhapsody talks about her working ethos, how technological advances can define and shape a career, the value of great ADR, and the attention to detail that can make or break a movie 46 Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith The LA-based artist guides us through her modular synthesis-powered studio, creative process and love of analogue electronics
Technology
34 Dave Rowell & FiLO Classical How on location classical recording works with an Audio over IP (AoIP) workflow, its possible pitfalls, and solutions
Meet Your Maker
38 Roger Quested We meet the man behind the eponymous monitor manufacturer, look back at his career, and forward at his plans for the future of the brand
REVIEWS 18 Merging+Anubis 20 PreSounus Analog Effects 22 Josephson C705
48 Spring 2021 / 3
PROGRAMMABLE ANALOG PROCESSING
The World's First Programmable Analog Processor The McDSP APB-16 and APB-8 are the world's first programmable analog processors. For a fraction of the price of traditional outboard gear, you can have 8, 16, or more premium analog channels under total software control. Each APB-16 and APB-8 unit comes with a growing library of APB plug-ins including compressors, limiters, mixing consoles, multi-band compressors, and more on the way. All the major plug-in formats (AAX, AU, VST3) are supported. Session recall is instant. Save presets and write automation just like any other plug-in. at Find out more at www.mcdsp.com/apb.
P R O F E S S I O N A L
A U D I O
H A R D W A R E
A N D
S O F T W A R E
/ Welcome
Leader
John Moore
Editor/Content Manager John Moore john@resolutionmag.com
Contributors Mike Aiton, Dennis Baxter, John Broomhall, Simon Clark, Ian Cookson, Russell Cottier, Jay Dean, Kevin Hilton, Tim Oliver, George Shilling, Rob Speight, Jon Thornton, Danny Turner, Phil Ward
Chief Executive Officer Stuart Allen +44 (0)7999 847715 stuart@resolutionmag.com
Chief Operating Officer — Publishing, Sales & Marketing Jeff Turner UK/Europe: +44 (0)117 318 5041 USA: +1 415 307 7337 jturner@resolutionmag.com
Director of Production Dean Cook The Magazine Production Company +44 (0)1273 911730 dean@resolutionmag.com
Finance & Accounts Manager Judith Clegg +44 (0)7977 104648 judith@resolutionmag.com
Printing Gemini Print Southern Ltd, Unit A1 Dolphin Road, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex. BN43 6NZ Published by S2 Publications Ltd info@resolutionmag.com c/o 221 Commercial, 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Gardens, London, WC2H 9JQ ©2021 S2 Publications Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher. Great care is taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this publication, but neither S2 Publications Ltd or the editor can be held responsible for its contents. The views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the publisher. S2 Publications Ltd. Registered in England and Wales. REGISTERED OFFICE Gowran House, 56 Broad Street, Chipping Sodbury, Bristol, BS37 6AG Company number: 4375084
/resolutionmagazine
@resolutionmagazine
Goodbyes, and hello...
W
orking as a team to create a product is invariably a fascinating endeavour; I’d wager the attraction of it is part of what drew us to what we do. People generally strive to be part of a group and big undertakings demand cooperation. There will always be auteurs, celebrities and geniuses in any trade — and exceptional artistry, which loudly announces itself, has its place — but the vast majority of experts in their field seek to balance being respected for their skill and letting their output speak for itself. For most practitioners of a given technical niche, the pride they have in their accumulated knowledge is cut-through with a desire is to serve the aims of the project at hand. This issue we bid farewell to Rupert Neve who, though his name was firmly ‘above the door’, was — by all accounts I’ve come across — an unassuming genius who took great joy in experimentation, collaboration and the sharing of his vast expertise. As our unpublished interview with him this month hints, and my conversations with collaborators have confirmed, he knew the value of a team and was a great guy to work with. Talking of teamwork, here I am writing my first leader column for Resolution and getting to know the team behind the magazine — some of whom I’ve worked with before, some not. Resolution’s previous Captain has now sailed off over the horizon and on to new adventures, leaving behind him a well-kept, ship-shape magazine that has navigated the stormy waters of 2020 as best it could. It now falls to me and
the crew, alongside our industries as a whole, to plot a course out of these inclement times. Thus my purpose, for now, is to keep our ship pointing in the right direction. The best way we can do that, is to set our amazing group of expert contributors back to work delivering what you’ve come to expect from us: insightful news, reviews, comment and expert voices dedicated to helping you become better at your job, and better understand the everevolving market through which we move. So that’s the plan. Just as I’m sure many of you seek to be an invisible hand when you work, creating pleasing results with as little fuss as possible, so do I in this new role. Now is a time for a light touch. A time to carefully study the conditions, roll out the maps and plot a course to the future. A time to thank those that came before us for showing the way, but also to keep moving on. I hope to meet as many of you in person as possible over time, when — as I’m sure they will, in some shape or form — events begin to spring back up again. If you have anything you’d like to say or share about Resolution, my email Inbox (john@resolutionmag.com) is open and I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’m not the story, here, though. That honour falls to the wonderful Nina Hartstone, Rupert Neve, Roger Quested and all the brilliant products and people we’ve packed into issue 21.1 (my biggest decision so far has been to bring the magazine's volume number in line with the year). For now, I’ll head back to the wheelhouse and do what I do. As we all have to when work needs to be done.
John
Spring 2021 / 5
News
Way picks KRK
Real World reveals Red Room Four-time Grammy winner Dave Way continued his relationship with monitor maker KRK when it came to outfitting his Waystation Studio for Dolby Atmos. The engineer/producer, who’s worked with artists including Paul McCartney and The Foo Fighters, chose KRK’s V Series monitors and powered subwoofers for the task in a 7.1.4 Atmos array using seven V8s, four V6s, and two 10” subwoofers. Additionally, Way has become one of the founding members of KRK’s new Kreator Alliance, and will contribute to discussions within the company regarding new product launches and updates, brand development and more. “I’ve been so happy with KRK as a brand,” he said, “that becoming a part of its Kreator Alliance was a natural progression.”
Bath’s Real World studios has added a new Red Room studio to compliment its performance-focused Big Room and Wood Room spaces. As such it will scale things down to focus on songwriting, production, mixing and post-production. It is fitted out with ATC SCM45A loudspeakers, together with Yamaha NS10s, accessed via a Grace Design M908 controller. Behind the scenes, a Mac Pro with two Pro Tools HDX cards will power the sessions. There’s analogue SSL summing for hybrid mixing, an array of analogue outboard gear, Avid S3 control surface, microphones from Real World’s collection and a felted upright piano. Further development pencilled in for later this year will see addition of immersive sound formats, including Dolby Atmos, to the specification. Red Room users will benefit from an on-call assistant for setup and troubleshooting, while in-house engineers and catering is available on request. Enquires regarding the Red Room can be made to bookings@realworld.co.uk.
ISE sees event demand Research undertaken by Integrated Systems Europe seems to indicate an appetite among AV professionals for a return of conferences and events following COVID-19. Fusion-Insight’s questioning of sector players showed that 98% of the audience missed attending in-person AV industry events. 2020 saw a sharp rise in digital events to fulfil education, networking, and profiling agendas, but ISE asserts that while such things are useful, live experiences allowing professional to touch, see and hear AV products, are yet to be replicated. Over 700 people from 96 countries responded to its survey, with 95% having attended ISE before (60% in February 2020). As we were going to press, ISE announced it's Barcelona event in June will now be changed to hybrid live and online events across Europe. More details in the next issue. 6 / Spring 2021
DPA mics capture Mars audio If you, like us, watched news coverage February’s Mars Perseverance Rover touchdown, and wondered which mic manufacturer had been given the gig of kitting out NASA’s latest exploration vehicle, you’ll be as pleased as we were to find out that it was none-other than Denmark’s DPA. Specifically, Perseverance was fitted with a custom adapted DPA 4006 omnidirectional mic (seen here above the central assembly) and MMA-A Digital Audio Interface, along with MMP-G Modular Active Cable, in order to capture the first sounds from the red planet. Luckily, for both that kit and NASA, last July’s launch and interplanetary trip saw it all stand up to the harsh conditions for which it was spec’d and tested. Indeed, it has already completed its primary task of delivering the first genuine audio from Mars, which DPA’s engineering team analysed and processed before it was made available to the public by NASA.
APPOINTMENTS
PMC's Thomas reflects on success With UK-based loudspeaker manufacturer PMC marking its 30th anniversary, it's co-founder is intent on celebrating its three decades of design and manufacture for both the pro music production and audiophile markets. Peter Thomas, PMC founder and owner, says, “When I started the company with my friend and colleague, Adrian Loader, I had no idea that our audio knowledge and passion for music would one day end up with our small company designing and building universally respected loudspeakers for audiophiles and for some of the biggest artists, producers and audio facilities in the world.” PMC was established in 1991 by Thomas and Loader, the former an engineer at the BBC and the latter working for FWO Bauch at the time. Their first project was to build a monitor speaker that could handle the high sound levels required by the BBC for pop and rock monitoring .The solution, dubbed the ‘Big Box’, was built in Peter’s garage using electronics built in Adrian’s. A refined and renamed version, the BB5, was installed into Maida Vale Studios and PMC was up and running. Shortly after this first pro install, the company turned its attention to the domestic market with the LB1 — guess what the LB stood for — and established a dual market approach the company has continued with since then. “In terms of music reproduction, there shouldn’t be a distinction between a loudspeaker designed for studio use and one for domestic use,” Peter asserts. “The speaker is either reproducing the music correctly or it isn’t. The guiding principle for our R&D team is that the same ultra-high-resolution loudspeaker can be used throughout the entire recording and playback process — from studio to home.” This approach has led to PMC leaning on a set of core technologies, including the Advanced Transmission Line, or ATL, bass loading, the aerodynamically designed Laminair vent, dome mid-range drivers and tweeter dispersion grilles. These features are found in both its domestic and professional ranges, which have helped the company increasingly move into the immersive audio market by partnering with Dolby and having its speakers installed in Dolby Atmos music mixing rooms. Now employing 60 people around the world, from its home in and manufacturing plants in the UK to satellite offices in LA, Nashville and New York and two manufacturing plants in the UK, PMC is proudly looking back into its history. “Celebrating a 30th anniversary is a major milestone for any company,” Peter Thomas concludes, “and we know that we couldn’t have done any of this without the help of our staff and customers.” The company is not resting on its laurels, though, also announcing two interesting new installs of its equipment. The first, at Noise Nest, Los Angeles — a complex owned by drummer, producer and entrepreneur Nick Gross — sees its flagship QB1-A in-wall main monitors dropped into studio A, and the other four studios use a mixture of PMC IB1S-A, twotwo.6 and twotwo.8 monitors for nearfield duties. Gross elected to use PMC after being introduced to the company’s equipment by fellow producer, “friend and mentor” Dr. Luke, who’s produced a host of pop hits, but is perhaps best know for his work on Katy Perry’s I Kissed a Girl. On a smaller scale, but just as interesting, UK-based Grammy winning engineer Eddie Serafica (Buddy Guy, Michael Kiwanuka) has recently installed PMC’s twotwo.6 in his London-based project studio thanks to KMR Audio. “When I decided to replace my old monitors, I did a lot of research and heard great things about twotwo.6’s,” he says. “I demoed them for a couple of weeks and absolutely loved them. They have great clarity and really amazing, tight and accurate low end.”
The Audio Engineering Society (AES) has appointed Jonathan Wyner as its president. Wyner has more than three decades of experience as both an AES member and as an audio professional. He has served as chief engineer at M Works Mastering, education director at iZotope in Cambridge, MA, and professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston. For the AES, he has served on the Board of Directors, the Board of Governors, and as a member of multiple committees including Broadcast and Online Delivery and the Recording Technology and Practices Technical Committee and the Diversity & Inclusion committees. He was presented with AES Board of Governors Awards in recognition of co-chairing the 145th and 147th AES Conventions in New York in 2018 and 2019 and the online 149th AES Convention in 2020. Lawo, German manufacturer of IP audio, video, control and telemetry infrastructure solutions, has appointed Sales Director Nacho Gonzalez with the additional commercial responsibility for the Brazilian market, drawing on his 20+ years of sales experience in Latin America. Skilled in Audio for broadcast, Radio, and IP solutions, he acquired a Master’s degree at IEP/CEU Escuela de Negocios, with focus on international business and commerce. Nacho speaks Spanish and Portuguese and is based in Lawo’s offices in Germany. Soon after starting at Lawo in 2013 as sales manager for the LATAM region, Nacho was also entrusted with Spain and Portugal. Now, the company hopes to capitalise on its rapid recent growth in the Latin America, having partnered in large installations in each of the countries where it is present. CEDAR Audio has announced the appointment of Tecoms Srl as its audio forensics and security dealer in Italy. Founded in 2003, the company provides consulting, research and solutions for law enforcement, intelligence and security from its based in Rome, accumulating years of experience in developing and deploying hardware and software for data collection and analysis. All enquiries in Italy regarding CEDAR Cambridge Forensic systems, the SE 1 Speech Enhancer, the CEDAR Trinity surveillance system, and the Trinity Enhance noise reduction and speech enhancement plug-in for Macs and PCs, should be made to Tecoms partner and manager of the Intelligence and Forensic Products, Guido Villa.
Spring 2021 / 7
/ News
APPOINTMENTS Avid has made several appointments to strengthen the company, with a lot of the focus going on its cloud and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) operations, both areas that represent rapidly growing sectors of its operation and business strategy going forward.Cloud business and technology specialist Lior Netzer comes in as SVP & GM of Media Platform & Cloud Solutions, bringing experience in management, business development, engineering and sales of technologies including cloud, SaaS, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics and networking. Additionally, Kevin Riley has been appointed as chief technology officer and SVP of Technology & Innovation, with responsiblity for Avid’s technology vision and innovation strategy, having most recently served as CTO and EVP of Advanced R&D at Ribbon Communications. In other movements within the company, long-standing executive team member Dana Ruzicka moves from chief product officer to SVP & GM of Audio & Music Solutions with responsibility for Pro Tools and solutions for music recording, audio production and live sound. Additionally, Avid veteran Tim Claman takes up the new role of SVP & GM of Video, Post & Storage Solutions with responsibility for products including Media Composer and NEXIS media storage. Previously, Tim was Avid’s CTO and VP of Software Engineering. Genelec has appointed Audio-Technica France to handle the French distribution of its studio and AV loudspeaker ranges, with Gilles Pétrotey joining the Audio-Technica team to spearhead Genelec sales there. With Audio-Technica already handling the distribution of Genelec products in the Netherlands and Spain, this move strengthens the relationship between both companies, which will also benefit from the three decades of pro audio experience that Pétrotey brings. His career includes positions at Yamaha, Beyer, Lexicon and the TC Group, before joining the Music Tribe organisation to oversee Western European sales.
8 / Spring 2021
NUGEN tools analyse Netflix dialogue When Ball State University was offered the opportunity to work with Netflix on research project analysing its complete catalogue, the team turned to NUGEN Audio’s Loudness Toolkit — especially the VisLM loudness metering plug-in. The research, to be compiled into a white paper, is intended to aid Netflix’s mission to optimise dialogue loudness and give a clear view of how it’s back catalogue currently conforms to its own loudness standards. “Netflix bases its loudness regulations and settings around the best consumer experience, and recently began focusing a
great deal of attention on dialogue loudness,” says Dr. Christoph Thompson [pictured], recording engineer and assistant professor of music media production at Ball State. To this end, the research saw students perform subjective listening tests, while also evaluating the transparency threshold of some of the streaming codecs. “While working on the Netflix project,” Thompson concludes, “we also incorporated NUGEN into our teachings and quickly came to appreciate how awesome it is... The presets, histogram layout, presets and specialised Netflix preset are all great.”
Nigerian radio R3lay
Moog and Google team up
Nigeria’s Dala FM 88.5 has looked to Lawo to help facilitate its migrate from the analogue world to a fully IP-based radio setup, making it the country's first virtual radio station. Its 16 audio channels, derived from a range of analogue, digital and IP sources, are now connected to a mediagrade PC running the company’s R3LAY virtual radio bundle. The R3LAY VRX virtual mixer provides audio management for up to 24 physical and IP-based audio sources, enabling interoperability with radio applications for automation, recording, scheduling, commercials, news, broadcast streaming and visual radio. It integrates with the VPB virtual patchbay and VSC virtual soundcard to make the complete R3lay bundle.
The wonderfully titled Moogseum, dedicated to the work of Bob Moog, has become a key part of Google Arts and Culture’s new Music, Makers, and Machines interactive online resource. Highlighting the role electronic music plays within wider culture, it recently launched at g.co/ musicmakersmachines, with exhibits from 55 partner museums and non-profits from around the world — including some 275 items from Moog. The ‘Machines’ section of the resources highlights other pioneering synths, their creators, sound engineering visionaries and some iconic studios through electronic music history — including Germany’s WDR Studio for Electronic Music and The Studio Pierre Henry. More on the Moogseum itself can be found at moogfoundation.org.
/ News
Eventide boss honours heritage
Eventide is beginning its celebration of a half-century in the effects business by highlighting the products that made its name. This will take the form of a series of ‘Flashbacks’ to offer users and interested admirers a view of these products through historical insights, photos, videos and documentation excerpts. The first product featured was also pro audio’s first rackmount effects unit: the PS 101 Instant Phaser. Introduced under the Eventide Clockworks brand in 1971, its sonic whooshing effect came from then-novel processing concepts, which quickly became industry go-tos. A second Flashback in the series delves into the history of the DDL 1745 Delay, the world’s first piece of digital pro audio gear. The Flashback series is being curated by Eventide’s managing director, Anthony Agnello, via his blog at eventideaudio.com, and will go on to feature several more of its products in the coming weeks and months.
Drop Ship pick Calrec again When the LA-based audio engineering company and rental service Drop Ship Audio looked to expand its roster of equipment, previous experience of Calrec’s products led it to chose the company’s Artemis console. With two of the company’s Brio consoles already on its books — and with owner Sean Prickett’s experience of mixing for reality TV with company’s Apollo — the Artemis seemed a good fit for its next gig with a major US network. “We’d been looking for a larger, full-size fly-pack console to replicate more of the experience you would have in a traditional TV truck,” Sean says, adding “I mixed the previous three seasons of this reality show on an Apollo and the ability to have the same workflow and familiarity as the previous seasons made the Artemis an obvious and easy choice.” Prickett also uses Calrec’s Hydra2 networking, which provides scalable audio networking with other consoles and routers so that a large number of inputs and outputs can be shared and controlled regardless of the console’s location. In the console’s current configuration, they are using five Hydra2 boxes for I/O. 10 / Spring 2021
Riedel’s 360o concept covers America’s Cup Riedel’s hardware and software technologies underpinned coverage of the 36th America’s Cup, provided for the event by host broadcast partner circle-o. The combining of live TV production, event infrastructure, and race management for the sailing event relied on the company’s video, audio, data, and communications network expertise, as well as its provision of intercom systems and event IT solutions. Its work was overseen by an on-site team of 30 staff, responsible for managing all audio, video, communications, tracking, and data transmission systems — including on-board cameras, chase boats, and helicopters. Since all camera, microphone, and transmission systems needed to withstand extreme marine conditions, Riedel also provided bespoke equipment aboard the yachts in association with partners including Sennheiser and Lawo. Riedel’s networked solution also allowed extensive support from its Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Wuppertal, Germany, which served as a monitoring and engineering hub. From there, operators could remotely access the entire system setup in Auckland, New Zealand, where the event took place — including video, audio, and intercom signals. This enabled the off-site staff to monitor and control essential parameters of the equipment aboard the racing yachts, including audio setup, and support the on-site crew in optimising system performance.
AVID looks at Making the Media Taking a wider view of the broadcast industry, AVID’s Making the Media podcast is an audio interview series that will present an initial nine-episode look the forces shaping and changing the media and entertainment industry, and how technology is driving and adapting to them. Hosted by veteran newsroom specialist Craig Wilson, episodes so far have covered mobile journalism, multi-platform strategies, leveraging education in media and managing remote and distributed teams. This first season will focus on the broadcast news sector, while future program blocks will widen out the coverage, and be dedicated to other areas of the media, news, and entertainment industries. Listeners can subscribe to Making the Media on most major podcast players and can find more information about the podcast at connect.avid.com/MakingtheMedia.html.
SHOWS FOR 2021 Prolight + Sound
Postponed until '22
PLASA Online [Digital] MPTS, London
10-14 May
Postponed until May '22
AES Show Spring [Digital]
25-28 May
ISE Live & Online Amsterdam ISE Live & Online London
15-16 June 23-24 June
High End, Munich
9-12 Sept
Summer NAMM, Nashville
15-17 July
Midem Cannes
1-4 June
AES Education Conference, Nashville 22-24 July
ISE Live & Online Barcelona
1-2 June
PLASA, London
5-7 September
8-9 June
IBC, Amsterdam
10-13 September
12-18 June
NAB, Las Vegas
9-13 October
ISE Live & Online Munich INFOCOM, Florida
NEW
PM3
NEW
PM7
PM10 yamahaproaudio.com
PM5
New Gear
New products Here’s some of what 2021 has bought us so far… Merging
Hapi MKII As engineers and their facility managers acclimatise to its potential, and the technology matures, the user-base of Audio over IP has steadily grown in recent years along with the companies innovating in the space. Merging will happily tell you of its late 2020 sales successes, and how a six-year-old product — its Hapi networked audio converter — has sold a record 120 units since the beginning of October 2020. It will also relate how the interest has been worldwide and diverse, ranging from French theme parks to recording facilities, Dolby Atmos users, and mastering studios. Going out on a high is always great, but for Merging it also handily sets the stage for the Hapi MkII — or MERGING+HAPI MKII, to give it it’s full name — which will start shipping in March. The manufacturer insists that “all the good bits of Hapi remain,” in the MKII. This means all the current and future AD/DA interface cards will slot straight in, as will the PT64 HDX and MADI cards. Hapi MKII also retains the redundant power supply option and now has ST2022-7 Seamless Protection added to the NMOS and ST2110-30 compatibility it already had. The dual Ethernet ports also allow “Switch mode” operation which permits the connection of one additional Ravenna /AES67 device without the need for an external switch. The core of Hapi MKII is the ZMAN processor that features in the MERGING+ANUBIS unit (reviewed by Jon Thornton on pg18 of this issue), which allows for individual channel-based routing and several important
enhancements to the headphone performance and DA control. The headphone amplifier now monitors full DSD256 material with volume control from the front panel and, as with Anubis, it is now capable of driving ultra-low to very high impedance headphones. Additional roll-off filters on the DA have per-channel trims and polarity switching. Demands from many mastering houses have seen all trims including the DAs to be adjusted in 0.1 dB steps to provide the precision demanded by this speciality. These adjustments are also applicable to the headphone monitoring to help ensure that you get identical results whether you are listening on speakers or headphones. As an added bonus, the front-panel display is improved, and has dimming options to cope with variable lighting conditions. www.merging.com
Synchro Arts
Rode
Telefunken Elektroakustik
Synchro Arts has updated its VocAlign software, borrowing updated features and algorithms from the headline Revoice Pro pitch and timing suite and bringing them down the line to its dedicated alignment tool. Alongside VocAlign’s established timing and pitch matching tools, the Ultra incarnation now features a tightness control alongside 60+ alignment presets, enhanced and resizable GUI, the formant shifting now so prevalent in pop vocals, and a choice of advanced or basic editing panels. Sychro Arts’ new license set-up allows two activations of the software, with all iLok copy protection options now supported. Current VocAlign Pro users who registered their purchase after July 21st, 2020 can claim a free upgrade to Ultra.
Rode’s Wireless GO II is an update on the company’s ultracompact dual channel wireless microphone system, that looks to improve on one of its recent success stories. The original GO, released in 2019 was squarely aimed at content creators looking for an easy-to-use and discreet mic option that was ideal to use on-the… well, ‘go’. The GO II adds dual channel recording, wide compatibility with cameras, mobile devices and computers, extended range and transmission stability, along with on-board recording capabilities. The user can chose to record two sound sources simultaneously or apply the GO II in a single channel wireless mode, with 2.4GHz digital transmission and 128-bit encryption (and up to 24hrs local recording as a fallback for dropouts and interference). There’s also 3.5mm analogue TRS output, USB-C and iOS digital audio output.
Telefunken Elektroakustik’s TF11 is the newest member of the Connecticut company’s Alchemy Series and its first large diaphragm phantompowered condenser microphone. The TF11 features a combination of circuit elements shared with some of the company’s other designs. The CK12-style edge-terminated capsule is a single membrane version of the capsule featured in the TF51, while the amplifier is a proprietary take on the classic FET mic amplifier similar to the M60, coupled with a custom large format nickel-iron core transformer by OEP/Carnhill made in the UK. Premium through-hole components include UK-made polystyrene film capacitors, Nichicon Fine Gold electrolytic capacitors, and a high-performance, ultra-low-noise JFET amplifier. The mics ships with the company’s MC11 case, M703 shock mount, M782 stand mount, and sleeve.
www.synchroarts.com
www.rode.com
www.telefunken-elektroakustik.com
VocAlign Ultra
12 / Spring 2021
Wireless GO II
TF11
Lawo
Audio-Technica
The native-IP A__UHD Core just became Lawo’s new console core for mc² consoles delivering 1,024 channels of audio processing in a 1U rackmount module, the new mc²36 mixer doubles the DSP channel count of the original, as well as now offering a compact 16-fader version that takes up the smallest mc² footprint ever. With the new A__UHD Core comes new software, including processing algorithms, multiple sets of monitoring matrices, downmixing and upmixing and integration with audio formats such as Dolby Atmos and MPEG-H. It’s designed to work within IP networks and manage networked devices and is based on open standards such as ST2110-30/-31, AES67, Ravenna, Ember+ and NMOS. And it’s designed for both 48kHz and 96kHz operation. The compact mc²36 gets an upgrade to accompany the revamped mc²96 and mc²56 consoles. The IP-native mixer also has 16 mic/line ins and outs, with eight AES3 ins and a built-in SFP MADI port for legacy equipment. DSP has more than doubled, with 256 processing channels, available at both 48 and 96kHz. 32- or 16-fader versions are available, both with button-blow and touch-sensitive rotary controls, color TFT fader-strip displays, LiveView video thumbnails, and 21.5” full HD touchscreen controls. Built-in loudness metering, allows full loudness control compliant with ITU 1770 (EBU/R128 or ATSC/A85) standard features. Peak and loudness metering can even measure individual channels as well as summing busses.
The new variations of Audio-Technica’s ES945 omnidirectional condenser boundary mic and ES947 cardioid condenser boundary mic, the ES945O/XLR (omnidirectional) and ES947C/XLR (cardioid), will now have IPX4 water resistance to better suit their use in demanding sound pickup applications. Alongside these updated models, A-T is bringing in space-saving variations, known as ES945O/TB3 and ES947C/TB3, mics with similar characteristics but compact design for inconspicuous tabletop, ceiling and wall mounting. ES945O/TB3 and ES947C/TB3 come standard in black and are also available in white (ES945WO/TB3 and ES947WC/TB3). All variants are available in black and white. The ES945/ LED and ES947/LED conferencespecific models make way for the ES945O/FM3 and ES947C/FM3, with visible two-state RGB LED ring to indicate mute status, and a touchsensitive capacitive user switch that enables local muting. While these both feature 3-pin XLR outs, FM5 versions feature a 5-pin XLR output connector. Here, the switch be configured to toggle between mute and live audio and can also be set up to trigger an external device, such as a camera.
www.lawo.com
www.audio-technica.com
McDSP
FLUX::Immersive
McDSP’s two latest additions to its APB digitally controlled mixer/ processing ecosystem are the Royal Mu and the Royal Q. The Royal Mu is a dual-channel compressor and limiter, featuring analogue biasing and saturation, mid/side processing, EQ, and a full-featured analogue compressor and limiter. The Royal Q is a dual-channel four-band EQ featuring parametric and shelving options, mid/side processing, and trim controls. The Royal Q equalisation is complimented by a custom analogue section, creating a hybrid processor. Both provide independent (or linked) control of the left and right (or mid and side) channels. Both the Royal Mu and Royal Q plug-ins will be free to registered APB-16 and APB-8 customers and should be released in March. Also the company has announced support for the latest incarnation of MacOS, Big Sur, going forward. That update is will also be available free to all its v6 plug-in and APB hardware customers effectively immediately.
By integrating its Spat Revolution immersive audio design software with the established Reaper DAW software, Flux::Immersive is hoping to significantly simplify the process of using immersive audio work environments for creators. Developed by digital audio technology company Cockos, Reaper is known as a highly adaptable and configurable DAW option, and its these attributes that FLUX::Immersive has focused on by creating a library of special macros (scripts), customised toolbars, and system behaviour preference enhancements to address some of Spat user’s most common issues by offering a new set of functions dedicated to Immersive audio production. The adaptations are also designed to provide a more cohesive starting point for those moving across from other DAWs. Users should be able to quickly integrate ReaVolution into their system, create source-objects and return routes to and from Spat Rendering, and benefit from simplified audio and MIDI editing, bus creation and folder management. ReaVolution is a freeware option for existing Spat users. Spat Revolution offers a fully functional 30-day trial for those wanting to experiment, before being available by subscription or purchase.
www.mcdsp.com
www.flux.audio
A__UHD Core Phase II & mc²36 ES945 and ES947 boundary
Royal Mu, Royal Q & Big Sur update
Revolution
Spring 2021 / 13
The Interview
Rupert Neve Sadly, February saw the passing of audio giant Rupert Neve. Here we present a previously unpublished interview with PHIL WARD that stands as one of the last substantive conversations covering his life and work
Inset photo credit: Rupert Neve Designs Archive. Feature photo credit: Tristan Rhodes
It started with them asking whether there was any way in which I could — as they put it — ‘lift the guitar out of the mix’
Photo credit: Joshua Thomas / “For the most part they were delighted with what we delivered” — Rupert Neve
I
t’s always been about signals. As a young radio ham in Argentina, the son of a British rep for The Bible Society, Rupert Neve built and repaired radio sets. After enjoying a surge in demand as war broke out, he would serve in The Royal Corps of Signals until demobbed — and then continue theme at Rediffusion and Ferguson Radio, while also beginning a mobile recording and PA service. His first manufacturing enterprise was CQ Audio, making strikingly original hi-fi units for the 1950s living room, before modern composer Desmond Leslie commissioned a prototype multiple-channel audio mixer. On the back of that, Neve Electronics was born. Moving to the Old Rectory in Little Shelford, near Cambridge, Rupert’s big break came in 1963 when Philips Records asked for a more sophisticated version of his original. The orders came flying in during the beat music boom, and a purpose-built factory opened in 1969. By 1973 the company had 500 employees. Two years later Neve Electronics was sold and ARN Consultants founded, but not before the first NECAM moving-fader automation console was ordered by George Martin. In the ’80s the signals were mixed in a different way: the Neve Group was sold to Siemens as Neve himself started Focusrite, a commercial failure rescued by Phil Dudderidge in 1989, after which Neve began consulting for Graham Langley, Nick Franks and Amek. As the Neve Group merged with AMS in the
…after being there less than a year, they appointed me ‘Transformer King’… background, Rupert created the System 9098 console for Amek and soon afterwards moved to Wimberley near Austin, Texas. With Amek sold to Harman, and AMS Neve controlling his legacy products, the signals were ominous. In 2000, Neve publicly distanced himself from AMS Neve products and seemed to retreat and take solace in new-found US citizenship. Then came the renaissance: ARN began trading as Rupert Neve Designs, driven by former Amek North America sales manager Josh Thomas, and the Portico Series modules heralded the complementary analogue dimension to the age of the DAW. During the last 10 years, the 5088 Discrete Mixing Console, the 5059 Satellite Summing Mixer and the Shelford Series of modules — among many other boutique products — have kept the signal strong. How did that breakthrough moment occur in 1963? I’d started building one or two bits of gear for quite old studios and I’d learned a lot about professional audio, having worked with Rediffusion. They had a very good R&D
Department and some really fine engineers. To my astonishment, after being there less than a year, they appointed me ‘Transformer King’, as they called it: they were involved in audio landline distribution around the towns, a widely popular thing before and during World War Two. We were responsible for audio output transformers running to about 4kW, quite a high power in those days. At the other end of the scale we designed mic amplifiers with tiny input transformers, so I was covering a large range when it came to transformers. After that, I started a little business of my own [Neve Electronics, 1961]. By 1963 Philips Records in London, later Polydor, was looking for a transportable, high-quality console and I had the amazing opportunity of building that console for them. But it started with them asking whether there was any way in which I could — as they put it — ‘lift the guitar out of the mix’, bearing in mind everything was mono in those days. There was only one track, so if you weren’t happy with the recording you had to get the musicians back in the studio and re-record. They were usually people who were singing and playing in the nightclubs around London, and to Spring 2021 / 25
Playlist
Resolution comeback records As the world threatens to return to something resembling normality, let’s look at some of great musical returns to form… You can follow Playlist on Spotify at tinyurl.com/ResolutionPlaylist Jay Dean Artist Song
Sonic Boom Just Imagine (2020) In the 30 years since his last Sonic Boom record, Pete Kember (Spacemen3) has released music as Spectrum and E.A.R then collaborated with Polar Bear, MGMT and Beach House. This single, and the accompanying album, represents his best work yet — successfully embodying love for vintage synthesisers, repetition, and a knack for a simple melody.
Danny Turner Artist Song
Rain Tree Crow Blackwater (1991) New wave pioneers Japan disbanded in '81 under acrimonious circumstances, yet 10 years later David Sylvian rebranded the group as Rain Tree Crow. The comeback was short lived, but we at least have Blackwater — a gorgeous track from a stunning album that provided ample opportunity to wallow in their collective maturation.
John Moore
Artist Slowdive Song Star Roving (2017) The indie-darlingsturned-music-press punchline fronted by Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell initially imploded in the mid-90s. Some 20+ years later, they would ride the Primavera/Coachella nostalgia bus that bought them back right through everyone’s limited expectations. This great single heralded a slew of life affirming live shows, and a wonderful eponymous LP, that matched anything from their first time around.
George Shilling
Artist Yes Song Owner Of A Lonely Heart (1983) These old proggers are not normally thought of as a singles band, but they’d had a hit in 1972 with Roundabout. Then in 1983 came this Trevor Horn produced number one hit. To a seventeen year old fascinated by records (me), this sounded dazzlingly modern and fantastic, and it is still a favourite.
Kevin Hilton Artist Song
Jon Broomhall Artist Song
Tina Turner What’s Love Got To Do With It? (1983) Maybe not strictly a comeback — it’s complicated — but this track, and the Private Dancer album as a whole, took her from ‘nostalgia act’ to superstardom. Great song, superb arrangement, magical vibe, absolutely stunning vocal.
Ed Lister Artist Track
David Davies Artist Song
Elvis Costello 45 (2002) A thrilling return to pop after seven years of exploring other musical avenues — and appropriately enough, it's a tribute to the timestopping, history-making possibilities of a great song.
Phil Ward Artist Song
Edwyn Collins A Girl Like You (1994) I thought he was dead. Something about a brain haemorrhage. But apparently that came later. Anyway, 12 years after Rip It Up And Start Again, he did. Out of nowhere.
Elton John I’m still standing (1982) Not a comeback record for Elton, but for me. Here’s hoping that 2021 is a comeback year! Such an upbeat track for a great morale boost anytime of the day, just letting 2020 know that I’m still battling away and not going anywhere!
Honourable mentions
Bob Dylan — Drifter’s Escape (1968) Post-motorcycle crash but pre-Great White Wonder, Dylan emerges from Woodstock for a hasty Nashville session and produces a ramshackle folk-rock nugget. James Brown — Living In America (1985) A massive hit for the Godfather of Soul, co-written and produced by disco legend Dan Hartman, after a long chart drought. Roy Orbison — You Got It (1988) A posthumous, post-Wilburys solo hit produced by Jeff Lynne, and co-written with Lynne and Tom Petty.
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50 / Spring 2021
Johnny Cash Delia’s Gone (1994) The Man in Black had a succession of hit singles and albums in both rock & roll in the 50s and country during the 60s and 70s. Despite this, and being a member of C&W super group The Highwaymen, his career stalled in the 80s. He got a kick-start from U2 with The Wanderer in 1993 and then signed to Rick Rubin's American Recordings label. Rubin stripped back the production to Cash's growling voice and acoustic guitar, bringing his talent to a new audience.
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