Kappa 10926 Studio Sound 1994 03

User Manual: Kappa 10926

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MARCH 1994 $5.00 £2.00

STUDIO

SOUND

AND BROADCAST ENGINEERIW;

M:':NIToRING.

The in -ear revolution; _driver analysis

Focusrite In -line

New console exclusive

770

4 594017

www.americanradiohistory.com

"G Pius Sounds Excellent

By Any Standards"

Allen Sides,-Ucean Way

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The world's largest music console -a 100- channel SL 8000 G Plus - is installed at

Ocean Way's 'Record One' facility in Sherman Oaks, California.

"Record One and Ocean Way share a common ethic - to

provide the best possible equipment, classic and modern, to

meet the needs of both artist and producer. I have always

respected the ergonomics and automation of SSL desks. The

addition of Ultimation' ', bypassing the fader VCAs, and

new audio enhancements mean that G Plus sounds excellent

by any standards."

Allen Sides, Owner

Ocean Way, Los Angeles

Solid State Logic

International headquarters:- Begbrokc, Oxford, England, OX51RU. Tel: (0865) 842300

Parisi!) 34 60 46 66 Milan (2) 262 24956 Darmstadt (6151) 93 86 40 Tokyo (3) 54 74 11 44

New York (212) 315 1111 Los Angeles (213) 463 4444 In USA call Toll Free 1- 800 343 0101

www.americanradiohistory.com

STUDIO

SOUN

AND BROADCAST ENGINEERING

5 Editorial

The adoption of circuitry

based on fuzzy logic offers a

solution to the errors inherent

in all digital electronic

systems -but will it find

acceptance?

6 International News

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Studio Sound and Broadcast Engineering

incorporates Sound International and Beat

Instrumental.

Studio Sound is published monthly.

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UK: Subscription Dept, Studio Sound

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Logical alternative

Apart from a small number of die -hards, we are currently busy building an increasingly

`digital' present on the ashes of our analogue past. Where once ever -improving analogue

recording equipment looked indefinitely able to provide for all our needs, digital

technology has offered us an irresistible alternative-one free from many of the intrinsic

limitations of analogue. Currently, we are all too engrossed in the advantages of digital

to look at its intrinsic limitations. Or are we?

There is an alternative to the accepted logical foundation of digital technology and it is

gaining ground alarmingly quickly. While the West in general -and Western Europe in

particular -has ignored it, the Far East has begun to embrace it and already

incorporated it into hi -tech systems ranging from rice cookers to helicopters.

This alternative is grounded in `fuzzy logic' as opposed to our Aristotelian logic. It is

born of a `fuzzy' school of scientific and mathematical thought where the `black and

white' logic of conventional mathematics have been replaced by a `grey' logic -where

zeros and ones give way to the values between, where bits defer to fits (Fuzzy unITs) and

MIPS to FLIPS (fuzzy logical inferences per second). Fuzzy logic, argue its protagonists,

give us back the real world vagaries missing from present mathematical systems and in

doing so, give us a convention that more closely represents the day -to -day mechanisms of

life. Illustrating the practical shortcomings of Aristotelian mathematics is easy -take a

look at quantisation error, for example. Offering an attractive alternative to it is less so.

But only in mathematics are matters perfectly precise, everything we, and our

equipment, set out to achieve involves degrees of a situation rather than all -or- nothing

situations. By adopting imprecise methods of assessing a situation and directing

resources, fuzzy logic addresses the real world on common ground. Fuzzy logic is claimed

to go so far as to allow machines to `reason' in a way analogous to the human brain

(significantly, it is now an important part of AI research in the form of neural nets).

Certainly, fuzzy systems demonstrably offer smoother control and processing than

traditional digital systems.

It is no surprise that fuzzy logic (or vague logic, as it was originally called) and fuzzy

maths are having a hard time in academia; after all, they challenge the very heart of

logical thinking -in the West. In the Far East, however, the vagaries of fuzzy logic strike

a harmonious chord with many traditional philosophies, a fact which appears to have

further hindered Western acceptance. A number of Eastern nations have, however, taken

to fuzzy thinking, and a significant part of their hi -tech industries now makes use of it.

An indication of the Japanese commitment to fuzzy technology can be judged to some

extent by the fact that they now operate two research centres dedicated to it -the

Laboratory for International Fuzzy Engineering Research (LIFE) in Yokohama and the

Fuzzy Logic Systems Institute (FLSI) near Tokyo. Both were established with the

assistance of MITI (the Ministry of International Trade and Industry). The companies

represented by the Board of Directors of LIFE include high- ranking executives from the

likes of Matsushita, Toshiba and Hitachi; its inaugural membership stood at around

50 companies including the likes of Sony, KAO and Mitsubishi.

In the Far East, fuzzy logic has already made a positive contribution to a wide variety

of products -some industrially pitched, others intended for the domestic market. A palm-

top computer from Sony, for example, and video camcorders from Panasonic, Canon and

Sanyo join an assembly -line scheduling from Omron give some idea of the scope and

scale of fuzzy applications. Make no mistake: the Far East is serious about fuzz.

Fuzzy thinking is slowly being accepted in to US too. And unless the whole concept of

scientific fuzz is soon proven to be invalid, we can expect to see it making its presence

felt in audio and video equipment imminently. Tim Goodyer

Cover: Garwood in -ear monitoring Photography: Phil Dent

www.americanradiohistory.com

In -brief

Dorrough Audio win award

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts

and Sciences has awarded Dorrough

Electronics a Technical Achievement

Award for its Audio Level Meter, now in

wide use in motion picture production,

posting, music mixing and dubbing.

Dorrough Audio. Tel: +1 818 998 2824

Digital Audio courses in Paris

Les Ateliers UPIC Institute in Paris,

have inaugurated an educational

programmme designed to complement

the music production in their three

studios. The nine -month programme,

open to students from around the world,

goes from October 1994 to May 1995.

Courses include Computer Music

Techniques; Compostion Seminar;

Electroacoustics and Studio Technology.

Les Ateliers. Tel: +33 1 60 13 93 39

Changes for Sennheiser

Paul Whiting has been appointed

General Manager of Sennheiser UK,

following the departure of Ralph

Martinke to take up a new position

with a German technology firm.

Sennheiser 11K. Tel: 0628 850811

Young Woman Engineer of 1993

Helen Marshman, Cable Engineer with

Cable and Wireless (Marine) Ltd, Essex,

has been awarded the title 1993 Young

Woman Engineer of the Year. The

aim of the award is to encourage

more young women to pursue a

worthwhile career in the electronic,

electrical or allied engineering fields.

I E E I E. Tel: 071 836 3357

HHB appointments to the board

Pro -audio supplier

HHB Communications have recently

appointed Steve Angel and Mike

Bradley to the board as Sales Director

and Technical Director respectively.

HHB. Tel: 081 960 2144

HHB Communications appoint

Steve Angel (left) and David Bradley

to the board

Emmy award for Nexus team

Members of NTL's Nexus division have

received an EMMY from the National

Academy of Television Arts and

Sciences. Nexus built NBC's technical

facilities for the Barcelona Olympics.

NTL. Tel: 0962 822582

6 Studio Sound, March 1994

International News

RIAA: 'Piracy in

decline after six

years of increase'

The Recording Industry Association

of America have released their 1993

antipiracy statistics reflecting the

first annual decline in counterfeit

cassette seizures in six years.

The RIAA indicates approximately

2 million counterfeit cassettes were

seized in 1993 -down from 2.5

million in 1992.

The association have explained the

decrease in street sales of counterfeit

cassettes is directly linked to a

decrease in the number of

manufacturers, distributors, street

vendors and other individuals

producing and selling counterfeit

cassettes. This fact, they say, is due

to the maturation of a number of

RIAA programmes introduced over

the last few years, targeted at illegal

street vendors as well as

manufacturers and distributors.

They also credit the increased

involvement of the legitimate

recording industry at the retail level,

mainly in building regional coalitions.

Notable statistics and activities

include 144 criminal convictions of

sound recording pirates, a 140%

increase over the past five years. The

report also mentions a small growth

in pirate vinyls and CDs. In New

Ralph Tittley, Senior Editor at Optical Image with the Korg SoundLink. This West

Midlands postproduction house have bought an eight -hour SoundLink digital audio editor

for its studios in Stourbridge, UK. Presently being used in the three Edit Suites and shortly

to be installed in the new Sound Dubbing Suite. The system comes complete with v.4.0

software and Exabyte 8500tape backup system which is five times faster than real time

York the first alleged counterfeit CD

operation in the US was uncovered

with 3,000 CDs seized.

RIAA Inc. Tel: +1 202 775 0101.

Multimedia broadcast first for NAB

Sveriges Television (SVT), the

Swedish national public service

broadcaster, will demonstrate a

prototype of a Multimedia Broadcast

Service at the NAB '94 in Las Vegas,

between March 20 -24th. It will be

the first North American

demonstration of this technology.

The system will exhibit several

potential applications of a multimedia

broadcasting service; interactive

multimedia programs such as games

or educational programs downloaded

to receivers; a current summary of TV

programmes, updates during the

course of the programme; an

electronic newspaper; and an

electronic programme guide.

In operating the multimedia

system, the video, audio and other

data stored in the receiving station

are continuously updated via a digital

transmission link.

Multimedia broadcasting will

become possible as high capacity

digital services are made available to

consumers. Within the NTSC

environment, the National Data

Broadcasting Committee is working

on standards for delivery of high

speed data using the NTSC television

service as a delivery medium. For the

all -digital advanced television service

under consideration by the FCC,

multimedia broadcasting is being

discussed as potential ancillary use of

the digital channel capacity.

The Sveriges Television

demonstration of multimedia

broadcasting shows that there are

few technical barriers preventing

television broadcasters from

becoming multimedia providers and

offering new, improved and unique

broadcasting services to the public.

NAB. Tel: +1 202 429 5350.

CTS Studio One

widens for 1994

Studio One at CTS in North London,

has been given a comprehensive

acoustical face -lift which has resulted

in an increase in floor space as well as

a warmer more reverberant acoustic.

The new -look Studio One is now

wider, after the selective removal of

elements of acoustic treatment

following computer analysis by

designers Recording Architecture.

This provides a more comfortable

environment for the orchestras which

routinely use the studio for classical

and soundtrack recording, as well as

allowing house and visiting engineers

more versatility in the way they set

up those orchestras.

This fine -tuning of Studio One's

acoustic is the latest project in a

long -standing relationship between

the Lansdowne Group's studios and

Recording Architecture, which has

included the attunement of Studios

Two and Three.

CTS. Tel: 081 903 4611.

www.americanradiohistory.com

Harman acquire

Studer Revox

Studer Revox AG have announced

that an agreement for the sale of the

company has been met between

Motor -Columbus Ltd and Harman

International.

The consumer electronics division

(hi -fi), which accounts for about 20%

of Studer Revox's turnover, is

excluded from this agreement and

negotiations with interested buyers

are still in progress.

With the takeover of Studer Revox

AG the Harman Group will have an

unmatched range of products in the

professional audio sector. At the

same time the worldwide market

penetration will be significantly

improved. In addition, future system

solutions can be offered with leading -

edge products of renowned brands.

Studer Revox will continue to be

managed as an independent group.

The Studer Professional product

range includes analogue and digital

mixing consoles and tape recorders,

digital audio workstations, compact

disc players and recorders, broadcast

automation systems and complete

systems.

Studio Revox AG, who are

headquartered in Regensdorf -Zurich

(Switzerland) operate wholly -owned

subsidiaries in France, USA,

Canada, Germany, Great Britain,

Japan, Singapore amd Austria.

Studer Revox AG.

Tel: +41 1 870 71 11.

Fax: +41 1 840 47 37.

Engineer Jackson Schwartz stands next to the Euphonix CS2000recently installed at

Pacific Ocean Post in Santa Monica. The console, marks Euphonix's hundredth sale

Audix make list

Audix Communications have

achieved the status of Sound and

Communication Industries

Federation (SCIF) approved installer,

as part of their committment to

promoting the quality of sound

system installations.

In order to achieve the status of

Approved Installer, Audix were asked

to supply the names of six customers

who have systems installed in the

past two years. SCIF officials then

approached those customers with a

view to discovering how satisfied they

were with the work carried out and

the completed installation. SCIF then

visited the company to inspect its

operation, looking at the actual site,

the company's documentation and the

British Standards they operate.

The professional audio -video group of 3M have presented their Visionary award to

Chipping Norton recording studio and Oxford -based band Radiohead. Pictured above are

Chipping Norton's Richard Vernon (third from right), together with members of Radiohead

and Richard Wilson of 3M (third from left)

SCIF see this as a logical extension

to BS5750 which, at the end of the

day, can only really guarantee quality

of administration rather than quality

of customer service.

SCIF. Tel: 0628 667 633.

AES STOP PRESS!

Studer revealed true 24 -bit

capability for their D827 -48 DASH

recorder... The AES are looking

to increase the European

membership by as much as 20%

according to Vice President in

Europe Dan Popescu speaking at

the show... A strategic alliance

between AT &T Digital Studio

Systems and Harrison by GLW will

result in a complete digital mixing

console before the end of the year,

the two manufacturers have

revealed... Studio design and

acoustic consultancy Munro

Associates have announced they

have gained the contract for a

£3 million studio for UK Producer

Mike Stock of Stock, Aitken

Waterman fame... Ex- Marillion

vocalist Fish previewed his latest

single Lady Let it Lie as part of a

paper on ISDN in broadcasting and

postproduction applications. The

single, to be released on the

4th April, was played back from

Fish's studio, The Funny Farm, in

Scotland... MITS International

reported that demand for Mitubishi

machines was still great 14 months

after Mitsubishi closed their

pro -audio operation... Harman

International confirmed their

agreement to acquire Studer

Revox from Motor Columbus for an

undisclosed sum.

Contracts

FX Rentals link -up to the world

FX Rentals are now offering for hire

ISDN hardware that allows studios to

use the international telephone network

to set up real -time high -quality audio

links. FX Rentals now can offer a choice

of codecs from CCS and Dolby.

FX Rentals. Tel: 081 964 2288

FX Rentals add ISDN hardware. Left to right

Neil White and Nick Dimes of FX Rentals,

with Bill Foster of the Audio Exchange

Logic 1 used on Korean song

The Logic 1 at Korean broadcaster,

MBC has been used to postproduce an

award- winning radio programme. The

30- minute adaptation of a traditional

Korean song was edited and mixed on

the Logic 1 by operator Suh Gi -Bong.

AMS Neve. Tel: 0282 457011

Operator Suh Gi -Bong with MBC's Logic 1

011ie J rolls over a Jade

The Soundtracs Jade 48 patchbay

production console in Studio One at Roll

Over Studios is being used by

19- year -old Producer 011ie J who is

attracting such artists as Rozalla,

East 17, 2/3rds and Leftfield. A second

Jade is due to be installed in place of a

Soundtracs in -line soon.

Soundtracs. Tel: 081 399 3392

Producer 011ie J and Soundtracs Jade

www.americanradiohistory.com

THE edit block. The razor blade.

And the splicing tape.

All you need really. Cut,

splice, listen, cut, splice,

listen, boom,

finished.

No waiting to get

what you've done

dumped from a hard

disk. No tying up an

entire facility to do a

simple transfer. You

walk out with your work under

your arm.

Well, now you can have all

that along with digital quality

and the program length offered

by DAT.

Two Fostex D -10 DAT

recorders will lock together and

give you sample accurate

splices. You can scrub back and

D -10 offers instant start at up

to 799 individual programme

points with a search speed up to

250 times normal.

Put simply

working with two

D- l Os is simple and

intuitive, just like

using your ears

and a chinagraph.

Digital doesn't have to be

complicated. The Fostex D -10

is proof of that.

forward, find your mark, hit the

button and there's another edit.

You want a bit of a

gap? DAT with silence

on it as quiet as leader

tape.

You want it to

happen... now? The

r Editing blocks, who needs 'em? Please send me more information about the D -10 or call 081 893 5111,

LNOW EVERYTHING CONNECTS)

FOSTEX (UK) Ltd. Jackson Way, Great Western Industrial Park, Southall. Middlesex UB2 4SA

www.americanradiohistory.com

OCEANEII

Oceane II is a stand -alone optical disk

recorder- editor launched by French

manufacturer Publison at the AES.

The machine comes in a 3U 19 -inch

rack with a sophisticated remote control.

Audio is recorded simultaneously onto

four optical tracks. The recording capacity

for each optical track is four hours on two

sides using a 1.3Gó optical media.

There is full compatibility with

Publison's Infernal Workstation when

more tracks are needed. A 3.5 -inch

floppy disk drive is also included to read

EDL information.

Oceane II features a remote with

comprehensive editing facilities. A colour

graphic screen enables the usual

functions; cut, cut and splice, copy, move,

insert, etc. Also featured are special

effects like time compression- expansion

or harmoniser on each track.

Publison, 18, Avenue de la

République, 93170 Bagnolet, France.

Tel: +31 1 43 60 84 64.

Fax +31 1 43 60 84 64.

SPL Optimizer

The Optimizer is a new parametric

equaliser from SPL, the makers of the

Vitalizer. The unit's proportionate Q

allows pinpoint adjustment of

frequencies and care has been taken

over the filter design to create smooth

bell characteristics.

The unit can be used in Stereo or

2- channel mono and has independent

output level control of each band.

Each band has a LP/HP/BP and notch

filter with a range of 10Hz- 24kHz.

A roll -off is provided with

adjustment from gentle to steep. This

feature allows you to change the

character of the sound just by

rotating the the control.

Europe: The Home Service, 178 High

Street, Teddington, Middlx.

TW118HU, UK. Tel: 081 943 4949.

Fax: 081 943 5155.

Solid Gold

from DAR

Launched at AES Amsterdam by

Digital Audio Research was the

SoundStation Gold -a new approach

to digital audio workstations.

SoundStation Gold is a complete,

integrated production centre,

comprising an assignable, dynamic

automated Mix Controller, a

dedicated edit Control Console and an

enhanced processing unit, which

contains both hard and optical disk

storage facilities.

The Mix Controller incorporates

eight assignable channel strips, with

four control layers, and a stereo

master. Each strip contains a touch -

sensitive motorised fader, a display

section and channel function control

keys. The Mix Controller provides

total control of digital mixing, system

monitoring and DAR's segment -based

Processing.

The Control Console uses simple,

tape -like operations for record,

playback and editing -all shown on a

single page. It is available in two

options; a compact console, high

resolution monitor and pointing

device, or the renowned Classic

SoundStation Console with

integrated touchscreen.

Other key features include dual

machine control, instant spotting to

remote time code, feet and frame

displays, and single key access to

editing functions. DAR's WordFit

dialogue synchronisation is available

as an option, and an Autoconform

package can also be specified.

Currently available in 8 and

16- channel versions, SoundStation

Gold provides a recording capacity of

up to 22 track -hours on hard disk, in

addition to removable, dual- density

optical disks. Studio integration is

achieved as standard by analogue and

digital AES -EBU inputs and outputs,

together with dual RS -422 serial

machine control and the ability to

lock to any external sync source.

Digital Audio Research,

2 Silverglade Business Park,

Leatherhead Road, Chessington,

Surrey. KT9 2QL, UK.

Tel: 0372 742848. Fax: 0372 743532.

Fostex D30

At the AES Amsterdam Fostex

launched the D30 DAT recorder. The

D30 is a four -head time -code machine

with extensive editing and

synchronisation capabilities.

Key features include RAM

scrubbing and instant start,

independent channel record

capability, plus built -in chase sync

facilities including a high -speed LTC

reader and VITC reader as standard.

A large menu -driven LCD is provided

for easy access to all control, setup

and user information.

UK: Fostex UK, Unit 1, Jackson Way,

Great Industrial Park, Southall,

Middlx, UB2 4SA. Tel: 081 893 5111.

Fax: 081 893 5237.

Fostex D30- launched at the AES in Amsterdam

In -brief

Fatigue -free Yorkville monitors

Yorkville have designed a three -way

studio monitor for long -term listening.

Yorkville designers have incorporated

high -grade components and many

hours of crossover optimisation

routines to give the YSM -3 a smooth

frequency response

Yorkville. Tel: +1 905 837 8481

Tukan play music with Linn

Linn, makers of discerning hi -fi

products have launched the Tukan

nearfield monitor which they claim will

be ideal for use in video applications

or multi room installations.

Linn Hi -Fi. Tel: 041 644 5111

The Tukan from hi -fi's Linn Products

DigiDesign demo MasterList CD

MasterList allows the user to create

CD or album masters on a number of

affordable CD recorders, as well as

DAT recorders or 8mm SCSI tape

drives. When used with a compatible

CD recorder, MasterList CD creates

fully Red Book -compatible

glass- master ready CDs, encoded

with PQ subcodes.

DigiDesign. Tel: +1 415 688 0600

Studer & Motionworks develop

Motionworks & Studer have joined

forces to develop an integrated

machine -control system for all Studer

mixing consoles by installing a

custom machine -control panel

containing full tape transport remotes,

individual machine status for up to

five machines, a control wheel and

many control functions.

Motionworks. Tel: 0865 790577

Biamp Advantage DEQ282/M

The Advantage DEQ282 offers two

channels of '13- octave, digitally

controlled EQ in a 1U space.

Sound Dept. Tel: 0865 514461

www.americanradiohistory.com

Now more

affordable!

Qmx Series

Double 15- Composite full range concert system 133dB SPL

Double 12- Composite full range concert system 133dB SPL

K Series

K 88 2 x 450 Watt at 4SZ

1K2 2 x 600 Watt at 482 K88TX -THX approved

AM Serie

AM 1200 4 x 320 watt at

AM1600 2x810 watt at

4L2

482 AM 2200 Tri- Amp

Renowned for

superb sound

reliability and

versatility

Backed up by

5 year warranty

f ustrMonitor Pty Ltd

53 College Street

Gladesville NSW 2111

Sydney Australia

Telephone 61 2 816 3544

Fax 61 2 8174303

Australian Monitors Europe

Tel 49 7248 4446

Fax 49 7248 4447

Australian Monitors USA

Tel 215 380 1394

Fax 215 380 1358

Australian Monitors Far East

Tel 65 742 9131

Fax 65 742 7288

Australian Monitors Canada

Tel 416 693 0300

Fax 416 691 7193

10 Studio Sound, March 1994

PRODUCTS

Bryston NPB Soundcraft Series

amplifier series lOSon-air desk

The 3B NPB, 4B NPB and 7B NPB,

`involve an approach radically

different from other amplifiers,' claim

manufacturers Bryston.

Bryston use two completely

independent power -supplies for the

utmost separation and image clarity.

Discrete and symmetrical circuitry is

used throughout for inherent

wide -band linearity.

Other standard features of the new

range include overload indicators

which sense any form of distortion;

front -panel gain controls; GROUND LIFT

and BRIDGE -MONO switches on the

back; and balanced (or unbalanced)

operation.

All models are backed by Bryston's

20 -year parts and labour warranty.

Bryston, 57 Westmore Drive,

Rexdale, Ontario, Canada

M9V 3Y6. Tel: +1 416 746 1800.

Fax: +1 416 746 0308.

UK: The Professional Monitor

Company, 27 The Avenue, Highams

Park, London. E4 9LB.

Tel: 081 531 5308. Fax: 0582 579278.

The Series /OS from Soundcraft is a

variant of the Series /OS on -air

modular self -op console designed for

the particular demands of the North

American and Asian broadcast

markets. This version is intended to

be particularly suitable for local radio

stations and smaller studios of

national broadcasters.

A choice of mono mic -line, stereo

line -line and Telco inputs allow

customers to specify a console

configuration to suit their individual

requirements, and the desk is

available in 12, 20 or 28 -input frame

sizes. Among the standard features

are twin stereo buses for programme

and audition, and an interlocking

remote control system that prevents

channels being opened when

machines are in record or wind.

Soundcraft Electronics,

Cranbourne House, Cranbourne

Industrial Estate, Cranbourne

Road, Potters Bar, Herts.

EN6 3JN, UK. Tel: 0707 665 000.

Fax: 0707 660 482.

www.americanradiohistory.com

H 1 G H T E C H

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12 Studio Sound, March 1994

NEWS REVIEW

Mistaken ID

The last couple of years have seen much discussion

over `consumer' technology in professional service.

One medium not yet caught up in the debate is

CD -R, but this too was originally a domestic

format. I was reminded of CD -R's domestic origins,

however, by a recent experience, which I offer here

for open comment.

I had finished mastering a CD project -apart

from the PQing, which was more complex than

usual. The content was a live recording of the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama's production

of Curlew River, a piece by Benjamin Britten,

which runs for 73 minutes without any clear

movement breaks in which it is not at all obvious

where the `tracks' should appear. Immediately the

question becomes an artistic rather than a

straightforward technical one. Having established

points in the score where an ID would make some

musical sense, it still remains to ensure that,

where possible, the CD can be started with a little

initial ambience. One possible set of track positions

suggested itself, and I decided to have a CD -R

made with these in place.

It struck me that the simplest way to do this

would be to make use of one of the systems which

can convert DAT Start IDs to CD track numbers

during transfer. These systems exploit the fact that

Start ID data appears in the SPDIF datastream

(not in AES -EBU) and can be used to trigger the

CD -R machine to write a track ID. A problem with

early equipment was the fact that it takes a finite

time for the unit to recognise the Start ID and to

carry out the conversion, often resulting in the CD

index appearing late. This is further compounded

by the fact that many source DATs are idented

using an automatic ID facility, which writes a Start

ID when audio rises above a certain threshold after

a period of silence; this, usually places the ID late'.

There are currently two units available to carry

out ID transfer (with other manipulation of the

data): Audio Design's SmartBox 2 and HHB's CDR

Indexer. Both manufacturers are aware of the

aforementioned problems, and both have

attempted to address them by delaying the audio

data. Both incorporate variable delays, the HHB

defaulting to a maximum of 185ms and the

SmartBox using a `zero' reference value of around

400ms which can be varied upwards or downwards

in increments of about 70ms (dependent on

sampling rates) to a maximum of almost 1.5s. It

seemed reasonable to assume that if the DAT IDs

were in the right places, the interface's delay could

be set so that the CD -R machine would replicate

those ID positions on the CD.

With this in mind, I took a DAT clone of the

Sony 1630 master where the relationship between

the DAT A -Time and the 1630's time code was

known to within a frame. I placed Start IDs on the

DAT using the ID Rehearsal function on the Fostex

D20. This allows an ID to be slid backwards and

forwards a frame at a time until it is in exactly the

required position before finally writing it. I noted

the resulting time position for each one in order to

make up a PQ listing for the 1630 and sent the

DAT to one of London's most reputable copying

houses -one which had specifically been

recommended as having considerable experience

with CD -R and the SmartBox. It therefore came as

a surprise to find the IDs had been effectively

remastered on hard disk (with PQ worked out by

listening to my DAT) for the CD. It seemed I was

expecting rather more from the system than it was

designed to deliver. Precise transfer of DAT IDs

-so that they end up on the CD in exactly the

same place relative to the music -is fraught with

unexpected difficulties.

In the first place, a DAT with precisely -

positioned IDs is a rarity in itself. Few machines

allow the kind of frame -accurate placement that

the D20 provides; even those that have a rehearse

function often work in increments of a few frames.

Auto identing is just about the only way most

people have of placing them hard on the start of a

track -the resulting position varying according to

the nature of the initial sound and the way in

which the individual DAT machine operates.

Then there is the time taken for an interface box

to recognise the ID in the datastream. Ideally this

is predictable, but if an error should occur on the

tape at the critical moment, it may take longer for

the ID to be distinguished from the audio. Finally,

there is the time taken for the CD -R transport

itself to write its ID, which apparently varies from

machine to machine. The only way to allow for this

with confidence would be to find out each model's

inherent delay by trial and error, and hope it does

not change next time the software is upgraded.

All these problems can be overcome given the

will. The first is not really a problem; IDs can be

written onto a DAT in precise positions. The second

is a small consideration, and probably makes little

practical difference. This leaves the last, with the

time -consuming and CD -R blank- wasting task of

tinkering with delay times until the right offset is

found for the particular combination of equipment,

and this is the bit nobody seems to have done.

It seems judging from from the various people I

have spoken to -that nobody has ever asked for

this kind of precision in such a transfer.

I ought to say at this point that none of this is

intended as undue criticism of any of the systems

currently available. They clearly meet a need, carry

out their intended tasks well, and are already

pushing the technology further than it was

originally designed to go. It seems to me, however,

that it could be pushed even further, and that some

work still needs to be done if its full potential is to

be realised. Am I asking too much? Am I asking for

something that nobody else wants? If there is

anybody out there who would find the kind of

facility I am talking about as useful as I perceive it

to be, then take this as a call to arms. If not then

please beware: DAT- to -CD -R transfer is not yet an

exact science. Dave Foister

Thanks to: Tim Channon, Designer of the SmartBox; Phil Beville

at Audio Design; Steve Angel at HHB; Tony Batchelor at TAM

Studio; and Tim MacNamara at Fostex UK

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C/)

LU L'ACOUSTICS V-DOSC

It would probably be true to say that

the beginnings of sound

reinforcement lie in the first cinema

sound systems -where it first became

essential to project amplified sound to

an audience in a large acoustic space.

From this point on, there have been

continual developments which have

marked recognisable steps forward in

the quest for improved live sound.

The first major revolution was the

Altec Voice of the Theatre system

which was employed into the 1960s in

various forms, where large multiples

of units were required for the

emerging requirement of high -power

requirements for rock concerts.

Good as these systems often were,

they were difficult and

time -consuming to set up, as well as

being physically bulky and difficult to

move around. In the search for a

better system, the research work

done by Meyer Sound Labs' John

Meyer, resulted in smaller, processor -

controlled systems. This, in turn, led

to a variety of one or two -box systems

intended to be installed in arrays.

However, large arrays have their

own associated problems -these can

be generally summarised as

interference and phasing products

due to the use of multiple sound

sources. Other shortcomings include

limitations on the maximum acoustic

power output in any one direction,

coupled with the law of diminishing

Cylindrical propagation

Spherical propagation

14 Studio Sound, March 1994

returns'. In order to achieve correct

coupling characteristics for multiple

enclosures, the cabinets are often

presented in trapezoidal form, and

should ideally incorporate the angles

defined by the horizontal directivity

characteristics of the system.

Attempting to make these

considerations can often give rise to

ergonomic and manufacturing

problems and, consequently, is not

always a feasible option.

Where modern systems (in the

right hands) are capable of excellent

results, there is a growing feeling

among engineers that the control end

of sound reinforcement system has

far outstripped available speaker

systems in terms of performance

-and that it is once again time to

move forward.

The challenge has been taken up

by L'Acoustics in France, led by

acoustician Dr Christian Heil.

The result is the V -DOSC (Diffuseur

d'Onde Sonore Cylindrique) sound

reinforcement system (it is worth

noting in passing that France is well

to the fore in bringing innovations to

the live sound industry).

V -DOSC has been designed for

medium to large events, and

addresses several basic criteria,

namely: a horizontal coverage angle

of 90° ( -6dB down points) with a

vertical angle of 5° per enclosure. It

has been found that the vertical

coverage requirements are normally

found between 10 °-40 °.

The vertical coverage corresponds

to the diffraction of a flat isophasis

radiating ribbon, the angle of which

varies according to frequency. In the

case of a single enclosure, this angle

is 5° at 12kHz and correspondingly

wider for lower frequencies.

This results in a major

improvement in stacked arrays: the

coupling of V -DOSC enclosures is

correct for all angles between 0 ° -5°

and is defined by the high- frequency

content required. At 0° the coupling is

claimed to be perfect at any

frequency, at 5° the upper limit is

around 12kHz.

In the case of enclosures being

stacked at 0° (one on top of the

other!), the HF limit will be that of

the HF driver, with the vertical

coverage being determined by the

height of the stack. Should a wider

horizontal coverage being required,

separate systems should be used and

spaced at a sufficient distance to

avoid interference problems.

The coupling characteristics of

V -DOSC can be summarised as

follows: a plane and even array of 0

identical sound sources is equivalent

to a single sound source having the

same shape, providing that the

wavelength is larger than the step of

the array' (Step<f/3000), and -or that

the filling coefficient of the array is

more than 80% (that is, the total

areas of the radiating sources is at

least equal to 80% of the total area of

the array).

The V -DOSC enclosure is equipped

with two 15 -inch (38cm) drivers in

separate reflex -loaded chambers, four

7 -inch midrange drivers mounted in a

v- shaped waveguide, and two 2 -inch

compression drivers loaded by the

special DOSC waveguide exiting into

the centre of the v- waveguide.

The distance between the acoustic

centres of two V -DOSC enclosures is

0.45m for the low -frequency range

and 0.22m for the mid- frequency

range. This means that the coupling

is excellent for frequencies below

730Hz for the LF, and below 1460Hz

for the MF. The crossover frequencies

of the system have been set at 200Hz

and 1300Hz, using the Yamaha

D2040 digital crossover unit

programmed with extensively-

researched parameters for enclosures

alignment

The coupling of the HF is produced

by the DOSC waveguide, which

provides a ribbon- shaped flat,

isophasis wavefront at the two

vertically- aligned exit ports.

A V -DOSC enclosure can be

considered as part of a modular

system where each module is

identical, and when four (the

minimum recommended number) or

more units are stacked, the results

are coplanar symmetry.

Other sound reinforcement

speakers act as spherical wave

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THE CALM

OASIS.

T H E o G 1 C 3

"The first thing I liked about the

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doesn't take up the whole studio. It

makes the place more relaxed, so you

can plan around it.

"Conceptually it's very different,

but it feels like a normal desk. I got into

it very quickly, there are no complicated

manuals to learn.

"But it's still very powerful. You

don't need to buy extra stuff like EQ and

compressors, because they're already in

there. And you don't have to touch the

patch bay, because the Logic 3 has

assignable routing.

"Yes, feel is very important, the

ergonomics are very good. The physical

contact you have with a desk is integral

to mixing and even though there's a lot

of automation with the Logic 3, you still

get physical things to do. I really like its

character.

ó "And its speed is a great asset.

2 You never need to compromise, even if

o time is short. You always get exactly

what you want.

"That's why a lot of people call it

the 'What -if?' machine. Because there's

so much it can do, you don't reach

technical limitations.

"I did look at other systems, but

you can't touch the heritage of AMS

Neve. The Logic 3 and Aud ioFile really

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station. It's like having a thousand

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generators and should, ideally,

behave like point -sources. The

V -DOSC system differs in that it

produces a cylindrical wavefront,

with three vertical sound- radiating

`strips'. This provides a very defined

and even coverage angle as well as

giving greater projection.

The soundfield generated by a

V -DOSC system behaves according to

two modes, the Fraunhofer Zone (or

far field) and the Fresnel Zone (or

so -called close field[nearfield]) and a

particularity of the DOSC system is

that the Fresnel Zone extends to a

large portion of the audience area. At

this stage, the reader interested in

delving more deeply into the physics

of the system is referred to the AES

Preprint; here we will examine the

real -world implications of V -DOSC.

I have had the opportunity to

evaluate the system in local free -air

conditions, a large open -air festival

and very recent tests in a large

concert hall designed to accomodate

symphony orchestras rather than

amplified instruments.

The cylindrical wavefront -best

visualised as wedge of cheese

-provides an even coverage over the

audience areas with minimal

variation of SPL from front to back.

High- frequency propagation is

exceptional, with a level of clarity

which -in less elegant terminology

-puts the signal `right in your face'.

Open -air events using V -DOSC have

been covered elsewhere so we will

come right up to date with the results

obtained very recently in the

above -mentioned hall.

The effect of the system is to push

back the barriers of the Critical

NEWS REVIEW

Distance and almost eliminate the

acoustics of the hall -a highly

desirable trait in particularly

reverberant spaces. This in turn

provides greater intelligibility and

control of the signal over the entire

frequency range -including the low

frequencies down to about 50 -60Hz.

The presence -quality of the signal

(especially with vocals) is very

noticeable, and the stereo field was

far wider than is normal with most

systems (once off the centre line, they

tend to collapse hard -left or

hard -right). In fact, the right channel

signal is easily discernible even when

standing near the left wall of the

above venue, and vice versa.

The `worst seat in the house' -or

the areas notoriously difficult to get

any decent sound into -are virtually

always under balconies, where the

combined effects or resonances,

reflections and so on. render poor

sound quality. The V -DOSC system

was able to provide sound so

consistent that it was almost

indistinguishable at the rear of the

hall (under the balcony) from that in

the centre -a remarkable

achievement.

I should not suggest that

L'Acoustics system is a panacea for

all ills, but it is aimed at fulfilling

specific requirements in a specific

manner. The results obtained thus

far show the V -DOSC system to be a

further step forward in the evolution

of sound reinforcement systems -and

to dispelling one of the greatest

rock 'n' roll lies: that it sounded great

`out front'. Terry Nelson

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A DOSC stack behaves like an ens

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IN THE ARMS OF MORPHEUS

Is there no end to the impressive use

E -mu Systems can make of lU of rack

space? It seems not, as the company's

new synth module, Morpheus, is by

far the most dramatic departure in

synth development for the company

to date. The complexity of its `Z -Plane

technology' (which E -mu claim offers

an amount of filtering `unprecedented

in all of electronic music history')

make it impossible to go into great

depth here, but as it is an important

device for E -mu and synthesis in

general, let us look at its potential.

Morpheus has 8Mb of 16 -bit

samples (which can be expanded to

16Mb) which form the basis for its

synthesis. It has 128 factory presets

and 128 user -programmable memory

locations. An actual memory -card slot

(as opposed to something that looked

like a memory -card slot on previous

models) permits additional storage,

and 128 Hyperpresets can be created.

A Hyperpreset is a type of

performance configuration that

includes keyboard zones, mappings

and layers. The 16- channel

multitimbral unit allows for up to

32 different sounds to be present on a

keyboard simultaneously.

Audio connections are via three

assignable stereo outputs using the

usual tip -ring- sleeve arrangement for

adding external processing, and there

are two internal effects units capable

of 28 different effects types. These

include delay, chorus, flanger, reverb,

early reflections, phase shifter,

chorus, distortion and ring

modulator and are essentially

separate from the presets -which

means you can treat them like

independent units that can switched

in or out. The degree of

programmability varies between

effect types but all are well suited to

the Morpheus sound, particularly the

fuzz tones.

Front panel controls are yet

another refinement of the tried and

tested Proteus -style presentation of

cursor keys, dial and small LCD

which now has LEDs beside the

buttons labelled MASTER, PRESET

(EDIT), MIDIMAP, HYPER (Hyperpreset

setup), COPY and HOME- ENTER. There

are 16 MIDIMaps (16 more on a

memory card) each of which contains

such things as effects configuration,

patch, and mix data for all

16 channels that you could use as a

prerun to a sequence, for example, so

that someone acquainted with a

Proteus will be able to get around the

Morpheus fairly comfortably.

Editing of Z -Plane synthesis is

considerably more involved than

previous synthesis systems, but their

are certain similarities. Presets are

composed of primary and secondary

instruments which can be further

layered in the aforementioned

Hyperpreset mode. Morpheus uses

two multiwave LFOs, three envelope

generators, two multisegment

function generators and it will

respond to four MIDI continuous

controllers at once.

The function generators have eight

segments each, adjustable for level,

time and one of 63 shapes. Add to this

conditional jumps -which are criteria

that can be entered to effectively

jump around the envelope depending

on how you are playing -and it

becomes complex stuff. One of the

natty up -shots of this is an additional

function generator, called a

free -running FG, that operates only

in Hyperpreset and enables a

collection of assembled sounds to be

modulated as one -and because the

generator is free running, it can be

programmed to work independently

of note triggers.

The Z -Plane aspect of Morpheus

concerns itself with filtering and is

really rather special. In very -and I

mean very- simplistic terms this

allows you to impose the filter

characteristics of one sound onto

another. There are 197 Z -Plane filter

templates in the box; these include

pianos, guitars, percussion, voices

and plenty of non -real -world

examples. By now any suspicion you

may have had that that this is a

pleasantly simple unit should have

been totally eradicated -the device is

positively frightening. It is not just a

case of getting your head around the

dialect Morpheus is talking, it is

getting into the unit and tweaking it

while remembering what you have

done and trying to keep a clear

picture of what you are attempting to

achieve that is the problem. It needs

a computer editor to do it justice

because the options are just too wide

and varied. I found myself drifting

around the filter and envelope pages

and fiddling with no set plan,

occasionally developing something

good, occasionally making a right old

din but strangely enough I found

myself still liking it.

The sound

Hopes that Morpheus might offer any

definitive `real -world sounds' are

largely unfounded. Instead the

sounds are strange and different, and

one of the biggest tasks you are faced

with is trying to imagine what a filter

of one type will do to a sound of

another. I could not, and find it hard

to describe even now but it sounds

quite unlike anything I have ever

heard before.

A high proportion of the presets

are aimed at techno music with

super -deep basses and kick drums,

loads of analogue synth blips and

blobs, filter sweeps and rhythmically

orientated textures -very `now'

sounding. It is easier to get sweepy

analogue results out of a Morpheus

than the originals simply because the

sounds are conveniently tailor -made

to rave.

All the presets including the pads

and polyphonic stuff have a superb

amount of movement, animation and

development and all are heavily

mapped for controller data that

drastically evolves the sound. If you

work these, you have a synth that

evades recognition through radio and

TV commercial play better than most.

Only the variability of the sound is

likely to help you identify a Morpheus

at play.

Standard piano, string and lead

timbres are strong and rich. If you

are taken by the prospect of

programming then you will be

arriving at sounds that are different.

The sound libraries and programmers

that will inevitably appear are going

to take it yet further.

Conclusion

E -mu have achieved something

extraordinary on two distinct levels.

They have presented Morpheus with

presets and in a way that will appeal

to those who are into current sounds.

On a more intellectual level, there is

a degree of control and movement

within Morpheus that will make it a

real programmer's synth.

It encourages interaction when

played and is very expressive. If

manufacturers continue to fail to

come up with genuinely new

synthesis methods then this is the

direction that synthesis is likely to

take -adopting an altogether higher

plane of manipulation of a set of core

sound sources.

Morpheus is a real synth for the

1990s; approachable and impressive

on one level and stupendously

powerful and complex on another.

Hear it.

E -mu Systems, PO Box 660015,

Scotts Valley CA 95067, USA.

Tel: +1 408 438 1921.

Europe: E -mu Systems UK, Suite 6,

Adam Ferguson House, Eskmills

Industrial Park, Musselburgh

EH21 7PQ, UK. Tel: 031 653 6556.

Music News is compiled

by Zenon Schoepe

MORPHEUS

Z-AL,t:N'E sYN714£slZéR

Morpheus -a real synthesiser for the 1990s

www.americanradiohistory.com

THE MILLER'S TALE

The decision to record in a residential studio, far from

the noise and hubbub of large cities, is based

primarily on the desire to be close to the work in

hand for the duration of a project and free of

unnecessary distractions. There are a number of good

residentials available, capable of achieving top -class

recordings in pleasant surroundings, so on what basis does

one make a selection? The skills of the house engineer, the

recording technology available and the recreational facilities

all contribute to the choice, further qualified by one's

subjective views of a studio's location and its perceived

ambience. And if levels of physical ambience could be

monitored on a mixing console, the degree of atmosphere

exuded by Sawmills Studio in southern Cornwall would peak

reassuringly. The meters for privacy, individuality and

quality of life would also be at OdBFS.

The aspects that make Sawmills different from other

residential studios become apparent even when making one's

initial enquiry regarding a booking. Any studio might respond

with, `Hold on while I check the diary', but a call to Sawmills

also results in an immediate check of the local tide tables.

Access to the studio is via a four -minute voyage down a tidal

river and is therefore very dependent on tide times. The

studio runs its own capacious launch, which is capable of

taking a transit -van's worth of gear in a single trip. Visitors

are collected from the quayside in the nearby village of

Golant. Those who try to cheat the moon and arrive at an

unscheduled time either have a long wait watching the river

fill up, or an eight -minute walk along the river's edge.

During the studio's 18 -year history, not a single item of

equipment has ever been lost overboard, making an aqualung

exploration of the river bed, in search of valuable musical

salvage, doomed to a very damp failure. Apparently there

were a few heart -stopping moments, while shipping in the

studio's grand piano a few years ago, but the river has

consistently remained free of submarine Steinways.

As the launch turns into the studio's private creek, which is

virtually a tidal lake, the magic of Sawmills begins to work its

spell. The lack of road access means that the 19th century

mill is about as private and as isolated as it could be -there

are no neighbours to complain about noise and the only

unscheduled visitors are likely to be a pair of swans

swimming in the creek. It offers pure tranquillity in terms of

location, atmosphere and outlook. Although customers

occasionally come for a day or two, the minimum practical

stay tends to be around a week, with many projects remaining

at Sawmills for a month or more.

Sawmills can accommodate up to eight residents in the

comfortable main building, (which includes a separate

producer's suite) and provides an excellent standard of

catering from its large kitchen. There is a games room in a

different

Andrew Sutcliffe visits

Sawmills -a remote residential

studio with a unique

approach to reverberation

20 Studio Sound, March 1994

building and

the studio's

library

features a

vast choice

of books and

videos.

Between

sessions, the

picture -postcard surroundings invite exploration, further

adding to the quality of the available recreation. The studio

also has its own canoes, while sailing and fishing can all be

arranged locally.

Facilities and support

In addition to the attractions of its unique location, Sawmills

is also a well equipped and superbly maintained 24 -track

studio. The acoustics of the control room were designed

in -house by John Cornfield & Simon Frazer. It is equipped

with a 54 -input Trident Series 80 console, which both staff

and customers appreciate for its almost legendary sound

quality. Cornfield, Sawmills' resident engineer since 1985,

comments that, the desk was originally installed soon after I

started working here, and it has performed admirably ever

since. It offers excellent flexibility, the quality of its EQ is

very popular and we would be loathe to change it. However,

it's reassuring to see that Malcolm Toft is now back into

designing consoles and we await the developments with

interest. We designed and installed our own mute automation

system into the Trident and recently added 32 channels of

fader automation. Many clients return to the studio partly

because of the Trident's sound. We would be foolish to change

the console, unless we and our customers felt that the

replacement would enable us to increase either our appeal or

the quality of the end result.'

The control room's Quested monitors have been well

integrated into the space and the room also features extensive

outboard gear, comprehensive sequencing and sampling

facilities, in addition to a large mic wardrobe. Good

microphone technique is something that Sawmills holds

especially important and the studio also has access to a

private collection of valve microphones, which are available

for hire. The main studio room leads to a separate isolation

booth, and also has a resident grand piano, together with a

drum kit and a selection of backline gear. Tie lines are

connected to several other buildings on the site, providing a

very large and flexible total studio area with a choice of

room acoustics.

Recorders at the studio comprise an Otari MTR90 24- track,

supported by an Ampex ATR 102, a Technics DAT machine

and hard -disk mastering facilities. The studio's preferred tape

for the analogue machines is the very high level 3M 996,

which has been specified increasingly frequently. It is used

without noise reduction on both the multitrack and the stereo

Ampex -the latter normally being run at 30 ips with a

half -inch head block.

Cornfield again: `One of our more recent converts to 996

has been Producer John Leckie. He was first introduced to it

earlier this year while mixing the first Verve album onto

half -inch and couldn't believe the lack of hiss, commenting

that it sounded "better than digital ". It seems that John has

continued to use it on many different projects and the tape

has certainly delayed any thoughts we may have had about

making a move towards digital multitrack. Other bands which

have enjoyed the high level benefits of 3M 996 include The

Mystics and The Julie Dolphin.'

In spite of the isolation of the studio, Sawmills has good

relationships with the major London -based equipment hire

companies, and most items can be at the studio within six

www.americanradiohistory.com

_ .

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www.americanradiohistory.com

hours of a request being made. If a client particularly wants a

digital multitrack, that can be arranged and the studio's

launch is entirely capable of handling the final part of the

journey.

Cornfield and his assistant Dylan Spalding are both

experienced electronics engineers. This fact contributes to the

high degree of studio maintenance at Sawmills and also

minimises the impact of breakdowns, ensuring that urgent

repairs can be carried out on site -an absolute necessity in

view of the location. The studio keeps a large stock of spares

in its well- equipped workshop, together with a good selection

of test equipment, and so far has never had to delay a session

due to lack of either parts or in -house skills.

The engineering staffs recording skills are complemented

by those of Sawmills' Ruth Taylor, who manages the studio

bookings. She describes her role as being a combination of

health visitor, social worker, hotel manager, caterer,

psychologist, backing vocalist and occasional audience.

Taylor highlights some aspects of life at Sawmills: `Largely

due to our location -which tends to mean a relatively long

stay for many clients -the whole structure of a project can be

quite different. The atmosphere is unhurried and even the

most stressed -up individuals manage to unwind here and

become extremely relaxed. You get to know people very well

during their stay, and indeed you have to, in order to be

aware of their individual needs, likes and dislikes, which

might encompass diet, health, privacy and working routine. It

can be like losing an old friend when they leave but

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fortunately, a large

percentage of our clients

keep returning year after

year.'

Echo creek

In addition to the privacy

and sheer natural beauty of

Sawmills, the studio's unique

location can play an integral

part in the recording process.

The immediate surroundings

prove that you do not

necessarily need the latest

digital gizmo to create an

interesting reverberation

effect. You can do it with a

lake, a generous supply of The 54 -input Trident Series &n console in the control room at Sawmills

microphone cable and a boat.

Which is the simpler method depends on your attitude to life,

and which is a more satisfactory recording technique depends

on the style of effect being sought. The simplest type of `creek

ambience' effect is often used on drums and is obtained by

opening a door on the side of the studio overlooking the water,

allowing the sound of the kit to reverberate around the creek

and bounce back from the hillside opposite. Microphones are

placed on a balcony above the studio and feed the returned

ambience back to the console.

Variations on this theme involve placing microphones

either around the banks or even on a boat in the middle of the

creek, and arranging loudspeakers outside the studio building

to fire out across the water. The delay patterns are as affected

by the state of the tide and the season as they are by the

relative mic and speaker placements. A smooth expanse of

water will reflect sound differently to damp mud and trees in

leaf will behave differently to bare branches. Some `creek

ambience' effects were utilised while recording tracks for

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Robert Plant's album Fate of Nations and the technique has

been put to good use on many other projects, including the

Julie Dolphin album Lit, due for release in early 1994.

In addition to the creek itself, Sawmills also has an

excellent selection of reverb and delay electronics, ranging

from AMS and Lexicon to Yamaha and an EMT stereo plate.

The creek's acoustics have also been exploited for quayside

backing vocals and the occasional floating lead vocal, although

the studio gets a little nervous about mounting expensive

microphones in a rowing boat. On one occasion, a band's

entire PA system was erected on the grass beside the studio

and microphone tie lines were laid to the other end of the

creek. The studio staff maintain a commendably flexible

attitude to unorthodox recording techniques, which

complement their more conventional skills and expertise.

Sawmills' co -owner Dennis Smith comments on the staffing

structure at the studio: `We have endeavoured to create a very

strong team at the studio. One needs a careful mix of

technical skill musical awareness and excellent

people -handling abilities, which we would appear to have

achieved. We enjoy total commitment from the whole crew,

some of whom live on site, and our clients certainly seem to

appreciate the friendly and professional atmosphere.'

Hum and nectar

Hum is usually the one thing that you can do without in a

recording studio. It is bad enough if the source is electronic

but it is especially unwelcome if a swarm of bees is to blame.

However, a recent project at Sawmills benefited from a swarm

which had been overflowing from a hive on the other side of

the creek. Ingrid Schroeder had just arrived at the studio to

work on a solo project, which included a song called

`Bee -charmer', and immediately took advantage of the

situation. Co- writer Barry Flynn rowed a tie line across the

water in a canoe and, armed with a Neumann U89, recorded

nearly two hours of bees onto DAT. This was harder than it

sounds as the bees mistook the wind- shielded U89 for another

swarm. However, the recording was successful, extracts were

sampled into the final piece and no stings were suffered. A

local beekeeper then re- united the swarm in his own hives.

Producer's paradise

Sawmills Studio demonstrates the fact that it is possible to

find a very well- equipped studio, noted for good sound and

quality results, which also offers some significant benefits

over other residentials. Its unique style of privacy encourages

a single- minded attitude to getting the music down correctly,

whilst also minimising unwelcome interruptions. Its isolation

can obviously inspire a high degree of creativity, by

maintaining a thoroughly relaxed atmosphere. From the

technological point of view it would be a good studio

anywhere, but its location can contribute as much to peace of

mind as it can to recording technique.

Sawmills Studio, Golant, Fowey, Cornwall PL23 1LP,

UK. Tel: 072 683 3338/3752. Fax: 072 683 2015.

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n these days of software -driven

development, there is a genuine

danger of passing judgment on a

product before it has approached

its full intended potential. While this

state of affairs can be seen as a

mitigation of the cavalier attitude of

those manufacturers who regularly

release equipment before it is fully

grown, we must accept that ongoing

development is now part and parcel of

software -based technology. Indeed, few

digital products would presently be

attractive if it were known that their

facilities were fully developed the

purchase date without the possibility of

future upgrades and enhancements.

AKAI

Akai's DR4d hard -disk recorder- the most accessible machine on the market

These qualities have become our assurance of

longevity and ongoing manufacturer support.

Thus we come to the Akai DR4d. This hard -disk

recorder been out and about for some time now, but

its sync capabilities have only been realised

recently. This simple addition takes the device

beyond the realms of the rather plain stand -alone

machine that first appeared on the market.

There is also the introduction of the DL4d

remote control unit to consider -a must for

multiple DR4d use which also adds significant

speed and convenience advantages over the front

panel controls of the stand -alone unit (the DR4d

when rackmounted vertically is harder to operate

than the horizontal and movable surface of the

remote). The DL4d also offers an LCD which

presents information more clearly and less

cryptically than the LED hieroglyphics display on

the host unit.

The DR4d was initially greeted with surprise in

some quarters. Considering Akai's skill with

samplers and excellent DD1000 magneto- optical

recorder -editor, some observers were disappointed

by the seemingly uncomplicated nature of the

DR4d. A more than passing resemblance to a tape

machine is reinforced the more you look into the

DR4d, prompting criticisms that the advantages of

hard disk recording were not being maximised.

The DR4d does employ hard disk features like

instant access and mobility of data, but it does not

use some of the fancier things like extended

crossfades and infinite layers of Undo.

Consequently, the DR4d's four tracks can be

stacked to a maximum of four for 16 -track stand-

alone or remote operation, has a fixed,

fast -crossfade time close to a butt edit and there is

only one layer of Undo available. Storage is

handled by up to 545Mb of internal drive plus

external drives to suit your requirement and

pocket. Indeed it is possible to buy an empty DR4d

to front your own hard drives although a loaded

unit does make a very attractive stand -alone

editing package.

Operation

What you have on the host unit is a set of chunky

traditional transport controls, four meters reading

to or from the four tracks, an AUTO MONITOR

button, individual illuminated track -arming

buttons and paired source selectors for digital or

analogue inputs.

It really is a matter of plugging something in,

hitting PLAY and RECORD, and away you go. No

matter what computer- fronted system

manufacturers say, it cannot be any simpler

than this. Analogies to tape recorder control

become obvious.

Everything is referenced to the DR4d's own

absolute time with Forward and Rewind controls

having two modes -fast with one press and very

fast with a second. They also function as cue and

review when in Play mode,and there are even a

Return -to -Zero and `counter' Reset functions.

Jog and Shuttle wheels are active in all

transport modes except Record, and on the DR4d

these are also used to enter parameter values. On

the remote the same wheels serve to select and

adjust parameters in the submenu and Edit modes.

The fact that merely touching one of the wheels

brings any audio movement to a standstill can be

disconcerting if you are used to wheels that have to

be switched in. However, you learn to exploit this

quickly and develop a skill for switching between

Scrub modes and normal transport functions for

fast cueing and locating. It is a superb combination

of control mechanisms.

Record is entered, after arming the track -record

buttons -by holding PLAY and tapping the RECORD

button or holding RECORD and pressing PLAY. The

former permutation is instantaneous, the latter

takes slightly longer to react and seems fairly

redundant to me. Unfortunately, you can not go

into record on the track -arming buttons from a

record -ready status which is a shame.

A numeric keypad permits access to eight, single

button -push, locate points and a further 100

so- called stack -locate points (which require a press

of the STACK button followed by a two -digit entry).

Most of the keypad buttons also serve a different

purpose in the Submenu mode which concerns

itself with general setup and backup functions.

Other locate related features include a LAST button,

which toggles between the last two positions at

which the STOP button was pressed, and

programmable preroll time.

Central to the heart of the DR4d is the

programming of IN and OUT buttons. These are set

by striking the STORE -ENTER button in any

transport mode which captures an absolute -time

point and allocating to the IN or OUT button with a

single press. The same simple process is used to

program locate points. The In or Out points can

thus represent the section markers for a delete

edit, for example, or the segment of audio

earmarked for an automated punch -in after

practising in a rehearse mode. The precise

adjustment of these In and Out points is, of course,

what the Jog and shuttle wheels are really about.

Editing

For a machine accused of being limited in the

cutting and splicing department, the DR4d offer a

lot of tricks through its seven edit modes. Copy

copies an In -Out marked segment to anywhere else

overwriting as it does so while Copy and Insert

takes the same segment and moves the audio along

at the destination to make room for it. Move takes

a segment and overwrites with it at its new

destination and Move and Insert shifts the audio

along at the destination. Copy and Move modes

permit the earmarked segment to be copied up to

99 times at the destination. Erase removes a

segment leaving a gap, Delete removes the

segment and rebuts, while Insert simply slots in a

gap of specified duration at the current location.

Zenon Schoepe gets

to grips with Akai's

hard disk recorder -

editor armed with

MIDI and SMPTE

cards and the new

DL4d remote

www.americanradiohistory.com

CONNECTIONS

Recording is 16 -bit linear PCM using 16 -bit,

64x oversampling, fifth Delta -Sigma

modulation, A D conversion and 18 -bit, 8x

oversampled, DA conversion.

The DR4d operates on balanced jack,

analogue inputs and outputs each pair being

switchable for -10dB / +4dB operation. The

standard digital I -0 supplied has XLR

AES -EBUs and phono SPDIF connectors which

are selected from the sub -up menu and can be

allocated to tracks for recording from the front

panel. An optional and identical digital I -0 can

be added for dedicated access to and from the

unit's four tracks. A SCSI -A port is standard for

daisy chaining a maximum of six external hard

drives in addition to a DR4d internal drive. The

optional SMPTE, MIDI and SCSI -B interfaces

have empty slots ready for installation.

Activation and selection of the desired Edit

procedure is performed by scrolling down the edit

modes on the EDIT button and confirming with the

ENTER key. On the remote you hit EDIT, scroll to the

required mode with the wheels and confirm with

ENTER. An annoying facet on both, which I would

like to see improved on the next software version,

is that the last used mode is not held in the Edit

menu so you have to scroll though the different

options each time.

When Copying or Moving a segment the source

tracks are identified on the input source selector

buttons and destination tracks on the track -arming

keys. The track -arming buttons are also used to

identify the tracks on which you wish to perform

the other edit procedures.

In all instances you get one crack at an Undo

which is lost once another edit or recording is

made. The jog wheel is surprisingly good and while

it does not sound terribly analogue it has a

predictable nature that can be adapted to.

Alternatively you can whizz around the audio with

the shuttle wheel, which graduates from 0.25, 0.5,

twice and 4x play speed. Add to this a Play

between In and Out points function, a continuous

Repeat function of the same segment and a Play to

Out function, which plays up to the currently

displayed position prerolled by a programmable

amount, and you have got some useful tools to help

you make sure you won't need the UNDO button. For

the sort of material that can be butt edited it is

about all you need and if you do get it wrong you

just undo and re -edit.

You can work quickly; I managed to compact a

mix severely in hardly any time just by tapping In

and Out points in on- the -fly and deleting with good

results (even if I say so myself). It's the way you

would want to be able to work with tape if only you

could. Dialogue is easy too and in general cutting

things down is far faster than building things up

because you have to wait for the DR4d to jumble

data around on a Move or Copy function and, of

course, you have to think a little more yourself.

MIDI and SMPTE

Loaded with the optional cards, the DR4d will

chase any time -code rate and varispeed accordingly

with no problem at all. You basically plug in the

code feed on a standard jack -it will tell you if the

code rate is different to what it is expecting to

receive -and then it will chase around on its

24 -hour absolute -time clock and you can forget

about it. Offsets are set within the Submenu

section and are relative to absolute time.

It will also function as a MIDI master for driving

a sequencer, although curiously -given the ease

with which it can chase time code -the DR4d is not

able to lock to MIDI. This would open up great

possibilities for a tapeless MIDI environment as it

can deal in bars, beats and clocks for a more

musical interpretation of the hardware. As a MIDI

clock source complicated beat maps can be created.

Future enhancements that will arrive with v3

software will support MIDI Machine Control, MTC

and time -code generation plus SCSI -B protocol

promises to allow direct and faster computer access

to the machine and its data. Sequencer

manufacturers are also busy incorporating the

DR4d into their systems.

The remote

Aside from duplicating all the controls available on

the DR4d main panel, many as scrollable menus on

the LCD, the DL4d remote gains some useful

features of its own. An ALL PLAYBACK button clears

all record -ready tracks while SOLO previews any

tracks selected on their track -arming buttons and

these are then auditioned each time SOLO is

pressed. Finally a machine selector assigns the

remote panel to the control of one of four connected

DR4ds. These can be daisy- chained by multipin

connector through their front panel Remote in and

Thru sockets; the master machine being

additionally attached to the remote control.

Impressions

The headphones output and level pot make the

DR4d a potent stand -alone editing machine

providing you are not dealing too much with mono

material as the odd -even track assignment in the

www.americanradiohistory.com

stereo can get you cross -eyed. The remote enhances

the operation considerably simply because it is

easier to understand, but it is worth keeping the

host unit in sight just to remind yourself of which

tracks are active from the meters.

Although you can capture an absolute -time point

in any transport mode, if you capture one on the fly

and then press STOP before allocating it to a locate

memory or In or Out point then it is cancelled. This

irritated me because I was grabbing a location and

knowing that I wanted to do something with it I

was scrubbing or stopping the audio before I had

decided precisely what that would be. The system

is basically rushing you to make a decision.

Analogies to tape run out when you discover that

you can only go to the generous 108 locate points

from Stop. That is pretty daft in my opinion.

Finally, for the amount of use and abuse it gets,

a larger and more substantial STORE -ENTER button

would have been a good idea particularly when you

compare it to the size and usefulness of the ZERO

RETURN button.

However, the machine has a high degree of logic

which means you can get out of a specified routine,

like an edit function, simply by pressing any other

button but the one you are supposed to. I have also

got to say that, despite my best efforts, it did not

crash once -pretty damn good for a brand new

remote and sync card particularly as I was working

it consistently at the limits of the meagre

18.25 track -minutes -48kHz hard disk that was

supplied with it. In such circumstances it can get a

tad sluggish but a larger drive would sort it.

However, you can align the data to rearrange it

more efficiently and for the aforementioned amount

of audio this took around five minutes to perform.

The answer has to be to use less of a larger drive.

About the only thing I really missed was the

ability to slide tracks around easily relative to each

other. You can approximate the effect by sequential

deletion or insertion of minute segments (21ms

minimum deletion, 1 frame minimum insertion)

but it is tedious.

Conclusion

When the DR4d was announced many questioned

the point of having hard disk on tap and presenting

it like a a tape machine. But Akai have got it right.

If we look at the success of the ADAT and

DÁ88 -I am talking about their use across the

professional spectrum -it has proved that people

are not entirely convinced that the hard disk

systems out there at the moment serve as an

adequate and widespread replacement for

traditionally implemented and presented

operational concepts. This is brought in to sharper

focus by cost. The DR4d has got to be the most

accessible hard -disk machine on the market. It is

also the cheapest stand -alone and a 213Mb

internal -drive version with SMPTE, and MIDI will

cost in the region of £2,400 inclusive of VAT in the

UK. You can expand with slave DR4ds for more

tracks, extra external storage and a remote. This

modularity will appeal to many.

The DR4d does not have really sophisticated

editing capabilities but it is still very clever and a

lot more than adequate. It has destructive editing

and one level of Undo -by my reckoning that's a

whole one better than you get on tape, some of

which can not be cut anyway.

The fact that the DR4d now locks reliably and

transparently to SMPTE and generates MIDI as an

output makes it a significant piece of kit. It is a

perfect and natural companion to any tape -based

system not just by expanding the system's tracks

The submenu can only be accessed wlnia ui

Stop. From here you can set the phono, XLR,

SPDIF or AES -EBU nature of the paired input

and output digital connectors, and the SMPTE

rate and offset. You can also preset Preroll and

Play To Out times in seconds, format anc erase

your hard disks, align them, set the sampling

frequency (32kHz, 44.1kHz and 48kHz) and set

emphasis. You also select time -code chase or

MIDI master status from here and create your

beat map.

Varispeed is activated on a dedicated button

and offers -3333% at 48kHz, -2744% to +8.84%

at 44.1kHz and +50% at 32kHz. The downside

to this is that varispeed values have to be

selected while the machine is in Stop, which

makes fine tuning for pitch a bit of a pig [Let's

say a trotter], and varispeed itself can also only

be activated while the machine is stationary.

but by releasing the potential of the machine(s) you

already have. It remains a fast stand -alone

recorder -editor.

Here is a machine you can master to, comp on,

assemble on and rearrange on that is cheap,

accessible, immediate and it sounds good too. For a

lot of applications this is all that is required.

UK: Akai (UK) Ltd, Haslemere Heathrow Estate,

Silver Jubilee Way, Parkway, Hounslow, Middlesex

TW4 6NQ. Tel: 081 897 6388. Fax: 081 759 8268.

US: Akai -AMC, 1316 East Lancaster, Fort Worth,

TX 76102. Tel: +1 817 336 5114.

Fax: +1 817 870 1271.

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www.americanradiohistory.com

IF SILENCE IS GOLDEN1

THIS CONSOLE SHOULD

COST 7486% MORE

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Next time you audition a console. from anyone at any price. ask

to hear a test for which we're well -known. It grxs Iikc this: We

select 4mic across the board. and assign every channel to the

mix bus. We crank up the studio monitor amp. all the way. We

push up all the channel and master faders. all the way. We turn

the consoles monitor level up. All the way. Next. we invite

each customer to place his or her ear right next to one of the

monitors tweeters.

Gingerly. they listen, to not much at all.

Then. we bring the monitor pot down from what would he

a speaker -destroying level to a merely deafening level. Beiore

ears are plugged and music blasts forth. we invite one last. close

listen. to confirm the remarkable: Even with everything

assigned and cranked up. a D &R console remains effectively -

and astonishingly - silent.

of course. a D &R is much more than the quietest analog

board you can buy. So we equip each handcrafted D &R with

110-

dozens of unique. high- sonic -performance features. And we hach

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HOW much is all of this worth? Will. if silence is

golden, then every D &R is worth its weight in gold.

In which case. until we raise its price about 75 times. the

D &R console pictured at left is one truly impressive

investment opportunity.

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www.americanradiohistory.com

If new technology has given people the freedom

to be more creative or more adventurous in

their work, then one of the great liberators in

live performance has been the wireless pack.

Radio microphones -and, latterly, in -ear

monitors -have enabled designers of both stage

sets and sound systems to be more daring and

release bands and theatre productions from the

constraints of traditional equipment and staging.

Last year's gigantic Zooropa tour by U2 was a

study in excess. Although its status as the biggest

stadium tour ever could be argued, it was without a

doubt the most equipment -heavy and,

consequently, costliest tour ever seen. U2 wanted

to take the live concert as far as it would go-and

they did. But it would not have worked without

wireless technology.

The shows used 22 dedicated frequencies for the

wireless microphones and in -ear monitors, allowing

the band members to not only move around the

main stage but to walk out along a gangway to a

secondary stage some 100 feet away in the middle

of the audience. This brought problems in the

shape of time -alignment and howl -round, with the

musicians being right in front of the main rig. The

band's front -of -house Engineer, Joe O'Herlihy, said

at the time, `The reason the whole thing works is

because of the in -ear monitoring.'

Zooropa was an extreme; wireless technology

(radio mics, instrument transmitters and in -ear

monitors) is now being used by a whole range of

groups and musicians, for varying reasons. UB40

have a large number of players on stage (see

sidebar) and the use of radio systems has reduced

the amount of wedges and backline; some use

them as an essential element of a `mobile' stage

show, while others use them simply because they

are there.

Musical theatre has now progressed to the point

where a great many shows could not be performed

without some form of wireless system. Productions

on both Broadway and in London's West End now

regularly feature anything up to 20 radio mics and

the increasing use of in -ear monitoring is set to

boost the need for frequencies. An example of this

is a new production of Jesus Christ Superstar,

which is touring Australia and New Zealand with

28 radio mic channels and ten in -ear systems.

When the revival of Joseph and the Amazing

Technicolored Dreamcoat was

being planned back in 1991,

sound designer, Martin Levan,

toyed with the idea of using

cabled mics (the norm when the

show was first performed in the

1970s), but soon abandoned it.

ó Joseph opened using a total of

24 radio -mic channels for the

ö25- strong cast, allowing greater

á freedom of movement on stage.

E This has led to increasingly

IN YOUR

startling productions, but it does tie the shows to

the technology, as Martin Noar -a director of

Garwood Communications, which designs and

manufactures the Radio Station in -ear monitor

-observes: `Because of current technologies, like

radio miss and foldback, set designers are taking

advantage to create more and more spectacular

shows. They would find it virtually impossible to

perform using conventional equipment like

cabled mics.'

As the use of wireless systems has increased

around the world, so has the level of regulation.

While the control of air -wave use is completely

understandable, many manufacturers, designers

and users are concerned at the number of

regulations between different territories,

particularly within the European Community.

`We're still getting to grips with the various

countries' attitudes,' comments Andrew Bruce,

leading Theatre -Sound Designer and a Director of

Autograph Sound Recording. `No other countries

have the same attitude as here but that's mainly

because we did a lot of work a few years ago

talking to the relevant authorities.'

The regulations for radio equipment divide type

approval, frequency allocation and licensing. Type

approval ensures that equipment reaches a

minimum performance standard and does not

cause interference to other radio users, while also

determining which part of the frequency spectrum

it will use. Frequency allocation relates to the

operation of systems in different countries while

licensing permits the user to operate them. With

the creation of the Single European Market,

manufacturers, designers and operators have been

hoping for unification of another kind, that of

uniform type approval and frequencies across the

proposed United States of Europe.

In the area of type approval standards, work has

been going on under the auspices of the European

Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) for

the past few years to achieve harmonised

standards for radio and telecommunication

systems. The proposal for a European type

approval standard was due to be sent out for public

consideration during March. In the past, the

mainstay of type approval has been frequency

modulation with a 200kHz bandwidth but this new

document proposes a `mask' approach, which

Kevin Hilton listens to the

practical and technical

considerations surrounding

the use of wireless mic

and monitoring systems

www.americanradiohistory.com

will work on 200kHz, 150kHz and 100kHz -wide

bands. If equipment fits into one of those slots, and

meets the necessary type- approval standards as

regards transmission power and unwanted

emissions, then it will be type approved.

'This should create a significant increase in the

number of channels within the allocated bands,'

says Brian Copsey, Secretary of the UK licensing

agency ASP Frequency Management. 'We're

encouraging manufacturers to be spectrum

efficient.' The proposed document includes radio

microphones using any form of modulation: FM,

linear and even digital. 'Providing they sit within

the mask, it won't be a problem,' says Copsey.

Creative types generally complain that

regulators are just administrators who do not have

an understanding of what designers are trying to

do. Consequently, they say, certain pieces of

equipment are often not taken into consideration.

A leading example is the Radio Station, which

uses some of the same technology as a radio

microphone but is used for a totally different

application. We were told that it would

probably fall into the same category as

radio mics,' explains its designer, Martin

Noar, 'but because it's a unique product,

there was no specific classification as far as

type approval was concerned.'

However, as far as the ETSI standard is

concerned, the attitude of the Association of

Service Providers, (ASP Frequency

Management grew out of the original

industry body), appears relatively laid back.

'The Radio Station is a fixed radio

microphone that just reverses the process,'

comments Copsey. 'It's also a very low -

power unit and it conforms to the basic

requirements.' In a strange way, the Radio

Station would appear to open up the way

for further work in the field of radio

microphones, as Copsey intimates. 'It's a

stereo unit and it sits within the mask with

no problem. Stereo microphones would be

feasible under the mask.'

John Wykes is Senior Engineer at Audio

Engineering, maker of the Micron range of

radio microphones, and is also a contributor

to the ETSI subcommittee RES (Radio and

Electronics Systems) 8, which deals with

technical standards. He says of the

type- approval proposal, 'In principle, it's

very similar to the current UK

type -approval. As far as the UK will be

concerned, there's not going to be any

obvious difference.'

Having now been released into the public

domain for discussion, the bureaucratic timetable

would look this : the document will be up for public

appraisal for about six months, after which it will

return to the committee stage for any

modifications. This would mean that it will be at

least a year before it is finally published.

However, type approval is only the beginning as

far as radio microphone regulations are concerned,

and things certainly get more complicated for the

end user after this point. As John Wykes says, 'If

type approval is accepted on a Europe -wide basis,

that will be statutory but frequencies and power

are still down to each individual country to decide.'

It is this situation which has caused

frustration among manufacturers of radio

equipment and the designers of the productions

that use it. 'There should be one specification,

absolutely,' asserts Noar. 'It's difficult enough for

me to deal with the companies who ask my advice

regarding suitable frequencies. It's even worse if

you think about the problems faced by the US

34 Studio Sound, March 1994

hire companies. They're confronted by a region

half the size of America which has 16 different

standards and 16 different frequencies.'

Andrew Bruce observes, We have to throw

ourselves on the mercy of the local PTT [Postal,

Telegraph and Telephone Administration, the

agency that provinces communication services in

many countries and also often acts as the

regulator]. Before we took Les Miserables to

Madrid, we had a year of to -ing and fro -ing with

the PTT out there. The problem is, in asking for

frequencies you're alerting them to the fact that

you need them. If they say no, they're likely to

come looking if you go ahead.'

Body language

Although the nature of radio microphones and

their importance to productions of every kind is

fully understood by the professional audio

industry, the licensing and regulatory bodies that

they have to deal with, which are generally

part in the process. 'The European Radio

Organisation (ERO) are looking at the frequencies

in the band sweep 29.6 to 900MHz,' he explains,

'and we are looking for a much higher profile for

radio microphones. The ASP have encouraged

people to reply to the relevant bodies so that radio

microphones can have a position within the band.'

When the latest UK Broadcasting Act came into

force in 1990, it proposed that a new national TV

station, Channel 5, would use the frequencies on

Channel 35 (582- 590MHz), which was already

being used for licensed radio microphones.

Pressure was put on the Department of Trade and

Industry (DTI) and consequently Channel 69 was

offered as a replacement, albeit with some

restrictions. Channel 35 is still available for radio

mic use in some areas of the UK, specifically

London, Birmingham and Bristol.

In December 1993, the new 14- channel bandplan

was added to Channel 69 for UHF use. This was

followed at the beginning of February this year by

a new category of licence for nonrental operations.

Single -channel licences currently cost £100

each and (through a SAP3 form) allow a

hire company to extend that licence to cover

the end user as well. The new licence,

costing £130, is for single or multiple

nonhire units, and is targeting such

organisations as small drama groups. The

£130 fee pays for all five VHF frequencies

or for either of the two groups of seven

frequencies on channel 69. Copsey feels it is

unlikely that end users would require all

three licences.

Another change, which was implemented

18 months ago, was to implement band -

edge licensing, with specific regard to fixed -

site systems. 'Where possible, we give the

top or bottom of the spectrum as a licence

block,' explains Copsey. 'This is in general

line with the ETSI standard to improve

spectrum efficiency. We are trying to give

more freedom to the end user and allows for

physically adjacent sites.'

As far as a Europe -wide agreement on

frequencies is concerned, Copsey says,

'Through our ETSI work, a request for

harmonisation of some radio microphone

frequencies has been sent to CEPT (Central

European Post and Telegraph

organisation). The Association has also

been talking to other national bodies.

Within other countries, the allocations often

work on spot frequencies, which is often a

mathematical progression.'

Garwood Communications Ltd

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459.511

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660.167

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69.500

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575.722

581.278

582.833

Detail of the Garwood in -ear monitor

concerned with telecommunications, are less aware

of their needs. 'When you look at the area of GSM

[which covers such equipment as cellular

telephones and mobile radio] it numbers millions of

people. Radio mics don't have the same clout when

you're talking on a European basis,' says Copsey.

'It's easier to justify the use of the spectrum if

you've got hundreds of thousands of users as

opposed to a few.'

From the manufacturer's perspective, Wykes

says: 'Some countries have basically got no licensing

systems for people other than broadcasters using a

radio microphone. They get used but it's without

official backing.' On the subject of lack of

understanding, he adds, 'Radio microphone users

come off badly. There are commercial pressures,

what with the weight of cellular manufacturers,

who have go a very loud voice.'

However, people are taking advantage of the

upcoming European spectrum review to stake their

claim to at least some parts of the spectrum. The

UK -based ASP is encouraging its members to take

It seems that this lack of understanding, coupled

with the influence of the powerful cellular phone

and other mobile systems operators, could work

against a single European frequency. However,

manufacturers and end users are aware that they

have to slot in alongside these other users.

'Realistically I can't see any Europe -wide common

frequency bands,' says John Wykes. 'I hope that

there will be some on VHF but at UHF I would

imagine that it would be 800- 808MHz and above

850MHz. The only way we could cover the whole of

Europe would be if there were a couple of TV bands

which could be used with synthesised equipment.'

Andrew Bruce says of the attempts to unify the

situation, 'It's good to hear that organisations are

doing this. It's a welcome step in the right

direction, they're interested enough to know what

we want. The UK is probably in the best position to

lead the way because we persuaded the various

agencies to give away as many frequencies as

possible. Perhaps we can do the same with the

PTTs.' However, Bruce adds that in many cases

www.americanradiohistory.com

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UB40: PLAYING BY EAR

The current tour by Birmingham's finest, UB40,

moved off to the American theatre circuit at the

end of January after a successful European trip.

It is a largely wireless affair; when they started

the European leg in October, the 11 -piece group

was using a total of 18 radio systems, including

four Radio Station units.

As there is a large number of people on stage

and a high degree of technical sophistication,

the band's monitor setup is consequently quite

elaborate, using a mixture of cabled and

wireless in -ear monitors, mixed with

conventional wedges.

The monitor engineer is Jon Ormesher, who

has been working with the band for the past

five to six years, mixing monitors on the last

three tours. `UB40 can be a difficult one to do,'

he says, `because with most bands you have just

one lead singer, but here it's an 8 -piece co-

operative where all are equally important. It's

also difficult keeping track of the people on

stage -there are 11 in the band and eight of

them are constantly moving.'

Ormesher first came across the Radio Station

five years ago when he was working with

Everything But The Girl and has used them

several times since. UB40's involvement with

the system goes back to a demo given four years

ago by Chrys Lindop of Personal Radio

Systems, the UK distributor of the unit.

Although this demo did not result in a sale at

the time, the trombone player -vocalist, who has

very specific monitoring needs because of a soft

singing voice, remembered the Radio Station

and pushed for it on this tour.

Four members of the band are now using the

Radio Station: percussionist, singer, vocalist -

optigon player, saxophonist and trombonist.

The keyboard player uses the unit's ear moulds,

but wired on a cable, while the drummer

monitors on a specially -designed rig using both

stage speakers and enclosed headphones. This

arrangement is fed with four subgroups from

the regulators could be accused of over -reacting:

`Theatre is not going to cause any interference

because the units are so low powered. Devices of

50mW or 20mW are not going to harm anyone.'

While discussion and debate continues on the

subject of type approval and frequency allocation,

there is another, perhaps greater matter to be

taken into consideration: electromagnetic

compatibility. Work towards agreement on this

issue is going on in parallel with the other

36 Studio Sound, March 1994

Ormesher's monitor console, which are then

specially mixed by the drum technician between

the wedges and the cans.

The total number of stage monitors used by

UB40 has been reduced due to the wireless

systems, although the current show is still

using 16 wedges. It's difficult with a lot of

wedges on stage,' reports Ormesher, `because

you're constantly changing where things are.

Before desks had VCAs, you had to be rerouting

mixes continually, while keeping an eye on

where the band was going.'

On this tour Ormesher is using a 40:18

TAC 6500 console with VCAs and eight mute

groups. Although this sounds more than

adequate, Ormesher observes that this board is

completely full. `You don't get separate outputs

for everyone on these things,' he says, `so desks

will have to get bigger in the future.'

Ormesher comments that as well as making

for a less cluttered stage, the Radio Station has

helped improve the overall sound of the band.

`It makes for a cleaner and quieter stage,' says

Ormesher. `As a monitor engineer, I want

almost silence. I think that monitoring in

general is going to become more headphones

oriented because it's more precise.'

While saying that the in -ear systems haven't

fundamentally changed the way he works,

Ormesher adds, `It gives me a lot more freedom

to mix. A lot of monitor mixing is guess -work

because I'm not on stage -the backline colours

the result as well. But now I've got my own ear

piece and I know exactly what is going on -it

cuts out the guesswork.'

Over the past five years, Ormesher has used

the Radio Station with a variety of different

bands and types of music but he says that this

is a less of a factor. `It works perfectly well for

any style of music. Live, it's the environment

that you're playing in that matters, not the type

of music. If you can control the environment, it

will work.' PHOTO: DAVID SCHIENMANN

aspects; in the work being carried out by the EC,

RES 9 is the committee responsible. Brian Copsey

observes that it is likely that EMC conformity will

consist of EMC tests and some tests taken from

the ETSI standard.

The EMC directive becomes law on 1st January

1996, after which all electrical equipment will be

expected to carry the CE mark. If a CE tag is not

obtained, then type approval and frequency

allocation both become rather academic issues.

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The Holy Grail of a `universal'

remote control interface for

audio and video equipment has

been sought after for many

years. In many instances the vested

interests of manufacturers in sticking to

their own unique remote protocols have

prevented the widespread adoption of

universal machine control standards

such as the ESbus (EBU -SMPTE remote

control bus). Even so, there is a light on

the horizon for the audio systems

engineer wanting to integrate the

control of different items of equipment

using a common bus. The relatively

recent introduction of a MIDI Machine

Control protocol allows MIDI to be used

in the remote control of tape machines

and other studio equipment, whilst

MIDI Show Control is a protocol

designed for the control of A -V

equipment and other effects used in live

productions. The recently issued Draft

AES -24ID protocol is intended as a

means of controlling and monitoring

audio systems using a high -speed

computer network as the common

interface.

This article investigates the

capabilities of these protocols and looks

to a future in which multiple audio

devices from a range of manufacturers

may be controlled by a single computer.

The benefits of such automation in live

sound, theatres, theme parks, and also

in the recording studio, will be

considerable. Audio systems will be

concentrated upon, although there is

crossover into video and related media.

There are two main fields in which

remote control is required in audio

systems -one is machine control and

synchronisation, the other is the control

of signal processing. In the first category

come applications such as tape (or disk)

recorder control for editing and

postproduction; in the second category

are included such operations as

adjusting the output level of an

amplifier or the setting of the equaliser

on a mixer.

The ESbus

The ESbus -properly described as the

EBU -SMPTE remote control bus -was

an attempt to standardise a remote

control protocol mainly for audio and

video recorders. It has been around

since the mid -1980s and is based on a

serial 9 -pin RS422 remote interface

running at 38.4kbaud (similar to Sony's

9 -pin interface used on its audio and

video equipment). It was particularly

welcomed by synchroniser

manufacturers, such as Audio Kinetics.

As such synchroniser manufacturers

know, virtually every tape machine on

the market has a slightly different

remote interface: some are parallel,

some are serial, and each tends to use

different connectors, voltages and pin

configurations. Furthermore there is no

common agreement over the frequency

or DC voltage used to control capstan

speed, there is a range of different

tachometer signals, and so forth. It is

rather like the days of synthesisers

before MIDI came along.

The ESbus protocol defines a common

electrical interface and also a common

set of commands for controlling

machines, with the benefit that a `Stop'

command will be interpreted as Stop by

any machine receiving it. Without

ESbus capability a synchroniser would

have had an interface dedicated to each

tape machine, but the beauty of ESbus

is the possibility for a single serial

interface from a controller to be looped

through all the controlled devices in the

system, each device having a unique

address. The controller could address

groups of devices together, or single

devices, and information from the tape

machines about their status would be

returned over the

same serial bus. In

synchronised systems

a time -code connection

is daisy -chained from

the master device to

all the slaves, and it is

expected that slaves

will be self -

synchronising to the

master time code (that

is, they need a built -in

synchroniser). Fig.1

Frances Rumsey looks

at the present options

for remote equipment

control and discusses

the role of MIDI as a

blueprint for the future

Machine 1

Master TC

ESBus

Machine 2 Machine 3

Master TC

ESBus

Controller

Fig.1: Internal synchronisation using ESbus

Machine 1 Machine 2 Machine 3

Dedicated IF

ESBus

Controller

Fig.2: External synchronisation using ESbus

shows an example.

Since only a small number of tape

machines have been equipped with

built -in synchronisers and ESbus

interfaces, a halfway -house solution has

been adopted in some cases. Audio

Kinetics ESbus range of equipment uses

a modular synchroniser for each

controlled tape machine which

communicates with the tape machine

over whatever dedicated remote

interface is required, and this

synchroniser in turn communicates with

the AK controller over an ESbus link.

Thus the ESbus interface and

synchroniser is effectively external to

the tape machine (see Fig.2).

It is no surprise that those most keen

on ESbus are the independent edit

www.americanradiohistory.com

controller and synchroniser manufacturers

(because it would make their job easier if every

tape machine talked the same language), whereas

many tape machine manufacturers have been less

enthusiastic. If you are a manufacturer of

videotape recorders, for example, you can force

your customers to buy your edit controller by

having a unique remote control interface. With a

universal remote interface, the customer is able to

mix and match machines from different

manufacturers in a large system. There are a few

ESbus -equipped audio tape recorders: Panasonic's

DAT machines are one example.

MIDI time code

and cueing

MIDI is an example of a universal remote control

interface (originally designed for musical

instruments) which has now found its way into all

sorts of applications never originally envisaged. Its

universality in studios and live setups has

encouraged designers to use MIDI for automation

applications such as machine control,

synchronisation, lighting control and complete

multimedia extravaganzas such as those mounted

in theme parks or museums. It is remarkable that

the MIDI standard, which in many parts is so loose

and non -proscriptive, works as well as it does, but

this is largely because it is governed by the

principle that it should be cheap to implement and

equally open to simple implementations as to

complex ones. The issues raised here are expanded

considerably in the newly published book MIDI

Systems and Control (2nd Edition), as detailed in

the Further Reading at the end of this article.

MIDI Time Code (MTC) was introduced back in

1987 as a means of translating SMPTE -EBU time

code into a form that could be carried as standard

MIDI messages, and this opened up the world of

MIDI to integration with professional audio and

video. MIDI sequencers were able then to control

events with relation to hours, minutes and seconds,

rather than to musical bars and beats, which is

vital for operations such as sound effects dubbing

and film music composition. A lesser -known part of

the MTC standard is the provision for setting up

cue points and events within intelligent MTC

peripherals, such that they can be programmed to

execute the programmed events when a particular

time code value is received. The intention was that

all sorts of studio devices, such as CD players, tape

machines and samplers, could be equipped with

cheap MTC interfaces and programmed to trigger

replay, recording or any other event type at a

particular time, under control of a computer

running Cue List Manager software.

Although the time code part of MTC has been

adopted widely, the cueing part of it is rarely used,

and has really been superseded to some extent by

the more recent MIDI Machine Control.

MIDI Machine

Control

The MIDI Machine Control (MMC) protocol was

introduced in 1992, and has a lot in common with

ESbus (see above). It is another attempt at a

universal remote interface for studio machines, but

based on MIDI rather than the RS422 electrical

interface. It is possible that it may stand a better

chance than ESbus in the audio world, for the

simple reason that nearly every studio already uses

MIDI, and this protocol makes it possible for

existing MIDI sequencers and other MIDI software

to control studio machines as well as existing MIDI

40 Studio Sound, March 1994

Controlled tape machine

Commands

Controlling computer Responses

from machine

Fig.3: Closed -loop MIDI Machine Control mode

Controlled tape machine

MMC Commands

Controlling computer MTC SMPTE

MTC

Fig.4: Open -loop MMC mode

High speed

serial or

parallel IF

Multiport

MIDI IF

Multiple

independent

MIDI inputs

and outputs

Fig.5: Multiport MIDI interface

equipment. It is also very cheap to implement, and

is not so rigid a standard as ESbus. It can be

implemented in a very simple fashion, but there

are possibilities for more complex operations.

In the way that commands are issued and

responses expected from machines, MMC

resembles ESbus, and the command set of MMC is

modelled on the Audio Tape Recorder part of the

ESbus standard. Because of this, any machine on

which ESbus has been implemented should also be

able to include MMC functionality with relative

ease. In its simplest form, a computer running

software with MMC capability will issue basic

transport commands such as Play, Stop, Rewind, to

a tape machine equipped with a MIDI interface.

The software will often be the same software that

controls the musical MIDI equipment, in other

words a sequencer package. For example, Opcode

sell a version of StudioVision for the Macintosh

with MMC implemented, so that external tape

machines can be made to follow the same transport

commands as control the music sequencer.

It is possible to run MMC in open or closed -loop

modes. In the closed -loop mode, as shown in Fig.3,

commands from the controller may result in

responses from the controlled machine. For

example, the controller may ask for a tape

machine's current status, or ask it its current time

code location. Such an arrangement would be used

in more advanced setups, whereas a simple open

loop could be used where only basic transport

functions were needed. In the open loop there is no

response path from the controlled machine back to

the controller. The controller distinguishes between

open and closed loops by sending out a command

and waiting to see if a response comes back. If no

response is received within two seconds it may

assume an open loop.

In an open loop situation, such as that shown in

Fig.4, the controller issues basic commands to a

tape machine using MMC. There are a number of

ways in which time code can be fed back from the

controlled machine to the controller. MMC devices

(such as tape machines) are intended to be able to

store their current time -code location in an internal

an internal time -code reader which reads time code

off tape, or in simpler devices requires that

tachometer or control track pulses are used to

update the time -code register. In Fig.4,

conventional SMPTE -EBU time code is taken from

the machine's time -code output and converted into

MTC using one of the many time -code -to -MTC

convertors on the market. The MTC data is then

read by the controller to determine the position of

the tape machine. It may be necessary for the

controller to send the current time code location

back to tape machine in order to set its internal

time -code register if it does not have an internal

time -code reader of its own.

If the tape machine had its own internal time -

code reader, it would be possible to do away with

the SMPTE -EBU time code output altogether, as

well as the SMPTE -MTC convertor. The MIDI Out

of the tape machine could then send time code to

the controller in the form of MTC data, possibly

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combined with MMC responses, to form a

closed -loop arrangement.

A number of audio recorders now have MMC as

standard, particularly those likely to be

incorporated within the `project studio' type of

environment, such as the modular digital

multitrack cassette machines which are taking the

industry by storm.

Can MIDI cope?

Users of MIDI tend to worry about the inadequacy

of the interface to carry much time -critical

information, and may be concerned that one

interface is carrying musical information for a

studio full of sound generators and effects, as well

as console automation data, machine control and

time code. Whether or not this is a real problem in

practice depends on the musical content and how

the system is configured. Anyone running a serious

MIDI -controlled studio or live rig needs to be using

a good multiport MIDI interface with their

computer, such as Opcode's Studio 5 or Mark of the

Unicorn's MIDI TimePiece. These interfaces can

communicate at high speed with the computer,

largely eliminating the data rate bottleneck which

otherwise occurs at this point, and allow each

controlled device in the studio to have its own

dedicated MIDI interface (Fig.5). Each MIDI

device is then only sent the data it needs, which

drastically reduces the amount of data on each

cable, and increases the effective number of MIDI

channels in the system (since each MIDI port on

the interface is capable of carrying data for all

16 MIDI channels).

It is then up to the sequencer software running

on the computer to optimise the handling of MIDI

events, including timing information. The various

MIDI operating system extensions available from

the top -end sequencer manufacturers deal with the

optimal routing and timing of MIDI data in

conjunction with multiport interfaces. Of course

there are limitations in responsiveness and speed

owing to the nature of MIDI as a relatively low -

speed serial interface, and it is not designed as a

real -time control network with guaranteed limits

on the delay of messages, but the fact is that it

works 95% of the time, it's everywhere and it's

cheap! Users will have to weigh improvements in

reliability and speed which might result from an

alternative means of control against the increased

cost and lack of universality.

PA422

PA422 is a remote control bus and protocol

designed mainly for PA equipment, and is based on

an RS422 serial bus running at 19.2kbaud. It will

run distances over 1000m and can be used to

connect up to 255 devices in a daisy- chained

fashion to a controller. It became an AES standard

in 1991. Controlled devices cannot initiate any sort

of communication with the controller, requiring

that the controller polls them if it needs to find out

their status. It may be superseded by AES24,

described below.

MIDI Show Control

MIDI Show Control (MSC) was introduced in 1991

as a means of allowing MIDI systems to control

things like lighting rigs, theatrical equipment, live

shows and A -V equipment. It is based on the sorts

of commands used in computer -based lighting

controllers and other show -control approaches such

as those used in theme parks and museums.

42 Studio Sound, March 1994

MSC messages are carried as universal system

exclusive MIDI messages, and fall into a number of

categories such as `lighting', `sound', `machinery',

`video', `projection', `process control' (dry ice, smoke

and so on) and `pyro' (flames, explosions and so on).

Many of the MSC messages are basic commands

like `go' or `fire' with a cue number to indicate

which of a stored list of cues is to be executed.

AES24

Work has been going on in the AES over the past

few years to standardise a means for controlling

and monitoring audio systems using a computer

network. Networked approaches are gradually

superseding the concept of the point -to -point

remote control interface that has been used over

that last 20 or so years, and this acknowledges the

increasing use of computer control in all areas of

audio. Network technology is now getting to the

point where the cost per node is reasonable

(although still not as low as MIDI).

The Draft AES24ID document, which was

published in December by the AES, is intended as

a discussion document and introduces an object -

based protocol for controlling and monitoring a

wide range of audio equipment such as amplifiers,

mixers, equalisers, and other devices. It does not

appear to preclude the control and synchronisation

of tape machines or other such equipment,

although it is not specific on the matter, being a

relatively open protocol with many of its

applications currently undefined. Those working on

the AES24 standard are conscious of the need to

maintain as much compatibility in appropriate

areas with MIDI remote protocols such as MSC

and MMC.

Work on the AES24 standard (conducted by the

SC -10 subcommittee) has been intentionally split

into two parts: one being the application protocol

dealing with the structure of messages and the

object -based approach to control, and the other

looking at the transport mechanism for the data.

What has been published for discussion is the

application protocol, whereas the transport

network is still to be defined. The SC -10 group put

out a 'call for technology' last October, as a means

of inviting proprietary network technology

manufacturers to submit their approach for

consideration as the (or one of the) recommended

transport mechanism(s).

It is likely that the chosen transport technology

will perform in a deterministic fashion, that is it

will be able to deliver packets of data from

controller to destination in a specified time -frame,

with a known maximum delay. This is a

requirement of many real -time control systems,

and is important for audio control since many

applications may be time -critical. SC -10 is also

looking for technology which can be implemented

at a low cost per node (around $5), since this will

be the deciding factor in determining whether a

manufacturer will implement it or not. There is a

difficult decision to be made here between settling

on a high -performance, high -cost network which

will be relatively `future- proof, and a lower speed,

low -cost solution which could be implemented

today. The evidence from MIDI is that a widely -

adopted, low -cost solution with adequate

performance for the majority of situations is the

correct choice. There is no point in a standard

which cannot be implemented widely.

One of the problems in settling on a network

system is the dilemma over whether or not to allow

for the possibility of the network carrying digital

audio in the future. The data rate required for

digital audio is vastly in excess of that required for

control data, and this puts a completely different

face on the problem. Clearly there are benefits in

what might loosely be called a multimedia

network, carrying audio, video and control data,

but there is a distinct need for a network with the

single clearly- defined purpose of control. The cost

of implementing a network designed to carry

digital audio on a low -cost amplifier would

probably be prohibitive.

MediaLink

The MediaLink protocol was introduced in 1989

and is still under further development. It is

principally a fibre -based network protocol, but it is

possible to run it over other media, and currently

there is a version running at 125kbit/s which

carries MIDI, RS232 and PA422 data for control

and monitoring purposes (MediaLink 1). Current

development centres on the manufacture of a

custom chip for high speed networking which could

be installed in virtually any product intended for

multimedia applications, so as to allow the network

to carry audio, video and control data, as well as

other types.

MediaLink's manufacturers, Lone Wolf, have

demonstrated multiple audio devices from different

manufacturers being controlled over a significant

distance, and the company already sells devices

which allow a large number of MIDI channels to be

multiplexed on a single optical fibre and routed

over distances much greater than those possible

with ordinary MIDI. The company appears to see

itself as a strong contender for the AES24

transport prize, although the costs of MediaLink 1

implementation currently seem considerably

higher than the AES24 goal of $5 per node.

The future

It is my prediction that MIDI Machine Control will

be used increasingly in audio equipment, and will

succeed where MTC cueing did not. One computer

with a multiport MIDI interface could then be used

to control nearly all automated studio operations.

MMC may also be more popular as a means of

implementing ESbus -like control than ESbus itself,

which would be ironic.

It would be reasonable to suggest that computer -

controlled data networks will begin to take over

from dedicated remote interfaces in the near

future, particularly in the field of audio system

control. The universality and cheapness of MIDI as

a remote interface will ensure its continued

existence for many years to come, especially in the

music industry, and we may well see a long

crossover period between MIDI and a higher speed

network carrying MIDI -like data as part of its

protocol, with intermediate gateways to convert

between the network protocol and a number of

individual MIDI interfaces.

Further reading

1. 'Application Protocol for Controlling and Monitoring Audio

Systems.' Journal of the Audio Engineering Society.VoL41 (12).

December 1993.

2. M Karagosian,'Report of the SC-10-1 Working Group on Data

Communications.' Journal of the Audio Engineering Society

Vol.41 (11), November 1993.

3. M Lacas and D Warman. The MediaLink Real-Time

Multimedia Network. Presented at the 95th AES Convention,

New York, 7-10th October 1993. Preprint 3736.

4. MIDI Show Control 1.0. International MIDI Association. 1993.

6. MIDI Machine Control 1.0. International MIDI Association. 1992.

7. MIDI Time Code and Cueing. International MIDI Association. 1987.

8. F Rumsey, MIDI Systems and Control, 2nd Edition.

Focal Press, Oxford and Boston. 1994.

www.americanradiohistory.com

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MANAGEMENT

For many of us, real -time MIDI

control is an essential aspect of

modern musical life. From

lighting rigs and general MIDI

equipment in the live arena, down to

activating a synth's filters in the

studio -a central MIDI control unit can

be worth its weight in gold.

Previous attempts to build such a

unit have only met with partial

success -perhaps due to the religious

use of `standard' faders. While to many

this is infinitely better than moving an

on- screen fader with a mouse, the

problem of movement from one setting

to another, and the resulting lack of

fader position update, has never been

solved. The best results have probably

been achieved with a pair of arrow -

shaped LEDs next to the fader (where a

button is held down to disable the fader

which is then moved until both LEDs

are alight, so establishing the current

fader, or `null', position).

Penny & Giles believe they have the

answer and have implemented it in

their brand new MM16 MIDI

Management System. Instead of using a

normal fader, a clear, ridged nylon

caterpillar track has been placed over a

static 20- segment LED bar display -the

LEDs always show the current fader

status so removing the need to find the

null position. P &G call this an `Endless

Belt' and the fact that no -one has

previously developed a similar `fader' is

quite incredible; such innovation

represents a significant step forward

over many aspects of fader design.

Layout

The MM16 is aimed firmly at the

professional market and so is

substantial in build, weighing some

6.5kg and measuring 43cm by 24cm by

14cm in a gentle wedge shape. While

there are holes to facilitate

rackmounting, it is unlikely that anyone

would want to use the MM16 vertically;

access to the rear sockets is made

awkward as is removal of the locking

external PSU lead.

The main part of the MM16 has

16 channels of belts, each with an

associated switch, or `key' as P &G refer

to it, above. The program- select buttons

to the left allow access to the

64 different programmable patches, in

eight banks of eight, while directly

above this are the eight control buttons.

Above this arrangement is a 2 -line by

20- character backlit display, a pair of

buttons with which to move the

on- screen cursor and a large easy -to -use

rotary wheel for parameter changing.

The latter function can also be carried

out with a pair of dedicated increment-

decrement buttons. Finally, the MM16

offers three buttons for sequencer

control (transmitting MIDI Start, Stop

and Continue commands) and a further

five buttons to handle MIDI Machine

Control commands.

A fair degree of thought has gone into

the design of the rear of the unit; P &G

appreciate that most MIDI systems

comprise multiple units and so have

equipped the MM16 with two banks

(Main and Auxiliary) of six, parallel

MIDI Outs, so removing the necessity

for a MIDI Thru box. Additionally, a

merging MIDI In is provided so that a

MIDI keyboard can be incorporated into

the system, and a Control MIDI In is

intended to be connected to a

sequencer's MIDI Out so that any

MM16- specific data can be acted on.

A pair of footswitch sockets and a RAM

card input complete the rear

arrangement.

Belts and keys

Each of the 64 patches holds

information concerning the 16 belts,

16 keys and a setup message. Editing

such data is remarkably easy; a swift

press of the EDIT button and the display

changes to show the setting for the

Premier fader manufacturer Penny & Giles

have produced a professional real -time MIDI

controller. Vic Lennard lets his fingers do the

talking in this exclusive review

44 Studio Sound, March 1994

current fader or key. At the moment, the

cursor has to be moved to the part of the

screen displaying the belt -key number to

select the particular element you wish to

edit; P &G assure me that in the final

software version the simplest action will

make an item active. Once selected, any

aspect can be changed.

A belt can be set to control any of the

major MIDI functions, namely: MIDI

Controllers, Aftertouch, Polyphonic

Aftertouch and Pitch Bend. Any belt can

be designated as a Group Master to

control any number of other belts, a

particularly helpful facility when

handling group fades or swells. Also, a

string of MIDI data (up to 64 bytes) can

be set which is very useful when dealing

with the System Exclusive side of life.

The belt value can be inserted in such a

string so that different messages are

transmitted dependent on the position of

the belt. While this lets you make

real -time parameter changes to MIDI

equipment, no allowance has been made

for the checksum facility used by various

manufacturers. Consequently, this

facility of the MM16 does not work with

any modern day Roland equipment

(post -Sound Canvas) among others.

Another minor beef is that for those of

us who prefer to use the buttons for

increment -decrement rather than the

wheel, it would be nice if said buttons

scrolled through numbers when held

down rather than require you to

repeatedly click on them. The same can

also be said of the cursor movement

buttons; it is frustrating to have to

continuously click on these in order to

scroll through a MIDI string.

As might be expected, the keys access

the more switch -orientated types of

MIDI message such as notes, program

changes or specific MIDI Controller

values. Keys can be set to either

momentary or toggle which is

particularly useful for accurate control

of note lengths or MIDI Controller

functions such as sustain pedal. In a

similar vein, independent strings of

MIDI data can be set for both the press

and release of a key; this can be put to

very good use with rackmounted synths

whose sound functions are usually a

closed book. For instance, MIDI strings

can be used to set and control the filter

cut -off or resonance of an analogue

synth such as the Oberheim Matrix

www.americanradiohistory.com

1000. A key can also mute its associated

belt which gives you the opportunity of

effectively removing a belt from the

scene, setting its position according to

the displayed value and reintroducing it.

Snapshots

At the heart of the MM16 is its ability to

save all current belt positions in one of

128 available snapshot locations simply

by pressing SNAP followed by STORE.

A snapshot can then be fired off at the

press of the SEND button. Also, the

snapshot number can automatically

increment so that you can easily

recreate all necessary scenes for a

performance.

This particular aspect of the machine

has been well thought out. Selection of a

particular patch via the front panel or

an external program- change command

can also be accompanied by the sending

of a snapshot, and either of the rear

panel footswitches can carry out the

same task as hitting the SEND button,

including incrementing or decrementing

the snapshot number. From a live point

of view, this is most desirable.

If there is a fly in the ointment, then

it has to be that snapshots are not

reviewable -you simply cannot check

the various settings.

Other facilities

The optional RAM card can be used to

back up all programs or all snapshots

and you have the option of operating

directly from the card if you wish. This

effectively gives you easy access to

128 programs and snapshots.

With the ability to transmit MIDI

Clock, the MM16 can act as a central

master timing device. The inclusion of

the two dedicated sets of MIDI

sequencer and MMC keys adds strength

to this. However, it would be more

sensible to allow you to set the strings of

MIDI data for these keys; not all

transport -based devices can recognise

MMC commands.

By incorporating a Control In port,

MIDI Controller data from a sequencer

can directly manage the positions of the

belt LEDs. As there are occasions when

this would be undesirable, there is the

option of stating which belts and keys

will respond to update information.

Apart from sending snapshots, the

footswitches can also recall programs,

transmit MIDI program changes, drop

in and out of MMC record, operate the

start- continue feature or create a tempo

change by pressing on a pedal twice. All

of these functions add to the general

worth of the MM16.

Conclusion

There is little doubt that the MM16 has

been built on the back of the Endless

Belts, but there are aspects of the unit

that are of concern bearing in mind the

UK price tag of £1,575.

It is almost impossible to edit at

speed in a live situation. Take the

www.americanradiohistory.com

Development illustration of the MM16

typical situation of working within a

bank of eight programs -to save having

to hit two numerical keys each time (the

first for the bank number, the second for

the program within that bank), the

MM16 has a HOLD key which freezes the

current bank. After entering Edit mode,

manoeuvring your way to the relevant

key or belt, (as noted above, keys and

belts cannot be selected by operation in

this mode), altering a particular aspect

and exiting, the HOLD key is

automatically disabled. In a tight spot,

it is easy to forget to turn HOLD back on

with potentially disastrous results. It is

fair to say that the review model had

software v0.94; some of the noted

problems are likely to have been

corrected by the time v1.0 is available.

An internal memory dump via System

Exclusive will definitely be included.

It would be encouraging to see either

an external video monitor socket or a

computer interface. This would make it

possible to immediately overview all

parameters for a program and to see

snapshot settings. The external power

supply is also of dubious quality

-having opted for a locking metal plug

and socket at the body of MM16, P &G

have then used flimsy bell -wire cable

that may snap.

Were the MM16 to be priced at, say,

£600 or £700 then it would appeal to

almost all those who want a professional

quality, real -time MIDI control device.

As it is, the price tag will certainly place

it out of the reach of any nonprofessional

interested parties (especially as the

Peavey PC1600, which offers similar

facilities, is available for a small fraction

of this asking price).

There is one question that begs an

answer; which console manufacturer

will be the first to utilise these faders?

They offer all the advantages of

expensive, up- market systems (and a

few more besides) at a fraction of the

cost- as such they appear to be custom -

made for a budget automated desk.

Perhaps they should be renamed the

poor man's moving faders...

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Ltd, Blackwood, Gwent NP2 2YD.

Tel: 0495 228000. Fax: 0495 227243.

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46 Studio Sound, March 1994

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FABULOUS FOCUSRITE

Focusrite's 72 -input Studio console with GML automation in the Crescente Studios, Japan

Since Focusrite were taken over

by Phil Dudderidge in 1989, the

company have sold nine of their

prestigious Studio Consoles.

During this time there have been two

persistent comments coming back from

potential customers that Focusrite have

associated with the possibility of lost

sales. The first is that the Studio

Console lacks inputs relative to its size,

and the second is that it does not include

a recall system.

Focusrite have decided to address

both these issues by developing a

dual -path in -line module that includes a

recall system for the pots and automatic

reset for the switches. As yet the module

exists only on paper, but Studio Sound

have been given an exclusive preview of

the design and permission to publish the

preliminary CAD drawings.

Apart from offering an alternative

in -line version of the Studio Console,

the newly designed module can also be

used together with existing single path

modules to form a hybrid `split -line'

desk. Although the new module is not

directly retrofittable to the old frame,

due to physical differences and

different bus cards, it is available by

means of exchanging or adding

complete bays. In -line bays remain

identical in external appearance and

dimensions to the existing bays; they

contain eight channels and can be

supplied to form either a curved or a

straight console format.

The module

The current arrangement of the Studio

Console is such that each channel splits

into three separate modules -the ISA

110 which contains mic -line preamps,

equalisation and phase inversion; the

ISA 111 containing insertion switching,

auxiliary sends, routing control, and

pan; and the ISA 112 which houses the

fader with its solo, cut and group -tape

switching. The new in -line version has

just two modules -an ISA 119 channel

fader -module and a full -length ISA 118

both of which retain the Focusrite

circuitry exactly while adding a second

signal path with its associated

switching, and a noise gate.

The decision to combine the original

channel -strip modules into a 1 -piece

module was principally for 'hunger of

real estate', and has resulted in a 2.5cm

gain of usable panel space where the two

modules were previously joined.

Internally space has been maximised by

running two large boards down the full

length of the strip achieving a 20%

increase in board area.

Working from the top of the channel

down, the first noticeable change is to

the input section which now

incorporates a SELECT button. This

operates in a similar way to the

console's routing assignment, by

stepping through input source selection

(Mic, Line or Tape) which is indicated by

a display in the penthouse section of the

channel. As before Mic and Line inputs

have separate gain controls, while the

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www.americanradiohistory.com

Stereo Busses

D E F i

Pan

Pan In

Isolate

SOLO

CUT

Se s

Mo icor

Routing

Innut

Cues

Sf0

LfO

Routing

O O

Select

Monitor

20 ,

40.

50 c 70

Channel strip showing

auxes and monitor

tage

Stereo Busses

A B C

Pan In

Isolate

Pan Y

SOLO CUT

10,

30,

40=

Tape input (once selected) is controlled by the Line gain ( -18dB to +18dB). The TRIM control

that was previously included has been removed and the gain controls are now continuous

rather than 6dB stepped to compensate. Also in this section is a PHASE INVERSION switch.

Below the input section is a simple gate operating at a fixed fast -attack and with an

envelope controlled ratio which has been designed to avoid tail cut -off. Although the design

has been derived from previous Focusrite dynamics it does not use a VCA. Focusrite have

always resisted VCA circuitry in their consoles to avoid compromising the signal path; but

exactly how this device works remains, for the time being, an R &D secret. The gate

operates only in the channel path.

The next change is to the equaliser, which has been differently laid out. Instead of the

high and low -pass filters appearing at the bottom of the section, they have now been moved

to the top; also the four bands have been repositioned and are now organised in terms of

frequency with HF controls at the top and LF at the bottom, rather than being sectionalised

into shelving and peaking filters. The new arrangement does away with individual switches

for shelf and peak sections, and there is now just one overall EQ 1N-our switch. The

frequency range and curves remain identical although a roll -off selector (marked ROLL) has

been added to the low- frequency shelf -Focusrite's

Development Director, Richard Salter, explains why.

`The ISA 110 equaliser is often compared with the

80 Series of Neve consoles -particularly the 8070 type

which have the 1073 equaliser fitted. In the older Neves

they used to roll -off the bottom end from about 20Hz

downwards with a very mild phase shift so it produced

quite a benign effect. In the case of the ISA 110, the

response is flat down to about 4Hz, and this can produce

problems with an LF shelf when you come to boost

signals as it will also bring up the crud between DC and

15Hz. To avoid this we've added a selectable roll -off from

20Hz which mimics the style of the gentle roll -off

electronics used 20 years ago. When boosting, you end up

with a broader curve than a traditional bell which has a

flat rather than a rounded top to it; when cutting

frequencies the curve will look like a double step going

from a flat shelf plateau to roll -off at 20Hz. '

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises for an in -line

design is that the EQ section is not assignable between

the channel and monitor paths. Instead it remains fixed

in the channel path. Richard Salter provides the rationale

behind this.

`This was the subject of some debate, but what finally

drove us to leaving the EQ in the channel path came

down to one fundamental issue -audio quality. We have

a signal path that is extraordinarily quiet and extremely

clean; and by putting a

second input into the

same channel strip you

obviously introduce the

problems of crosstalk

and interaction which

must be addressed.

With functions such as

cue sends where

selection is sourced

from one path or the

other it's like an input

selector switch and

there is little chance of

crosstalk finding its

way back into the main

signal path even

though the two paths

are in very close

proximity. However,

allowing two signals to

get as close as they do

in an EQ crossover

relay and maintain a

crosstalk separation of

better than -96dB right

the way through to

20kHz is a little

difficult. With other

large manufacturers,

where crosstalk figures

are not as clean as

ours, it's not so much

of a problem, but

Channel strip showing

main fader and general

controls

® .iV ISAl18

Filters

36 60 105

Off

Threshold

reshold

185

330 162720ff

0 10 2

50 Studio Sound, March 1994

Mie

Line

Tape BB

tChOut\

Line

Tape/

1 2 Routing 25 26

3 4 27 28

5 6 29 30

7 8 31 32

9 10 33 34

11 12 35 36

13 14 37 38

15 16 39 40

17 18 41 42

19 20 43 44

21 22 45 46

23 24 47 48

Routing panel

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given that we are endeavouring to maintain bus

noise at better than 100dB down, it is obviously

essential to keep the crosstalk as low as possible.

There's absolutely no point in having a good

noise -floor if all you do is compromise it with poor

crosstalk, so we made the decision to retain audio

integrity by leaving off EQ path switching.

`The way round this operationally is in the way

we've configured the inputs so that both Tape and

Line can be sourced by either path. So for example,

if a tape return on a monitor fader requires EQ, it

can simply be sourced by the channel path.'

In the centre of the EQ section is the channel

overload LED which operates at 3dB below clipping

as measured at a number of critical gain points

throughout the channel path. A monitor path

overload LED is a likely addition that will appear

at the top of the small fader.

Directly below the equaliser are the Insert

switches which now include a MONITOR button

allowing the insert point to appear either in the

channel path pre or post the EQ, or in the monitor

path pre or post fader.

The auxiliary sends are arranged as before into

pairs with stereo cuEs 1 and 2 at the top. Each

individual send has an ON -OFF switch, and each

pair share gain control, pre -post and chan -mon

switching. The number of auxiliaries have been

reduced from 12 to 10 due to space restrictions and

also to allow for the extra stereo buses available to

the monitor.

The 65mm Penny & Giles monitor fader is

flanked by three routing source selectors (Channel,

Monitor, Stereo Cue) and the routing control

buttons. The 48 -track routing operates as before

with the UP -DOWN cursor buttons accessing tracks

in the routing display, while the SELECT button

confirms or cancels selection.

The small fader is not motorised although room

has been left inside the module to fit motor control

cards and so on, in the event that the customer

may require it. The input to the monitor fader is

sourced either from Tape, Line or from the Channel

Output and as with channel inputs a single

selector switch steps through the sources. All

selections can also be switched from the centre of

the console either globally or by individual bays.

Another operational surprise is that the desk

contains no switchable Tape -Group monitoring

facility or record machine Safe -Ready switching

-both of which are present on the existing console.

We looked very closely at the way people were

using our consoles -and, indeed, other

manufacturers' consoles,' says Salter. `What we

discovered was that the vast majority were using

the tape machine remote to control Group -Tape

switching and other machine functions, rather

than using onboard controls.

`The view we've received from existing and

potential clients is that this is something of a

redundant facility given the sophistication of

today's tape machine remotes, and is something

that wouldn't be terribly missed. However, if a

client particularly wanted us to incorporate this

type of facility, it would be possible to provide a

Group -Tape switching bank in the centre of the

console that could be patched -in to control, say,

half -a -dozen channels. But in our opinion to do it

on a channel- per -channel basis is consuming a

disproportionate amount of space for the utility it

is providing.'

Both channel and monitor paths have separate

access to a possible total of six stereo buses. The

channel has routing buttons for stereo buses A, B

and C, and the monitor for D, E, and F.

We had a lot of good feedback concerning the

three stereo buses in the original console,'

52 Studio Sound, March 1994

comments Salter, `as it allows studio owners to

cater for elementary film and picture work very

easily. One of the comments that has come out of

that regarding the in -line module is that we should

include access to all three stereo buses from the

monitor path, and this led on to people asking if

these buses could be different to the channel buses.

If customers want all six buses rather than just

three we will extend the cross -mixing matrix in the

centre of the desk so that there are seven faders

rather than four (A, B, C, D, E, and F with a final

stereo output master). This has no penalty as far as

noise is concerned but does, of course, improve

operational flexibility.

`There will be another version of the module that

will be totally transparent from the front panel,

which along with modifications to the central

monitoring panel, will provide film monitoring.

In this configuration the implementation of the pan

controls will change and the six stereo buses will

become six triple -buses thus providing Left,

Centre, Right panning.'

The new in -line channel is practically identical

to the previous design when it comes to details

such as colour scheme and the type of control knobs

and switches that have been used. So far the only

changes have been to reduce the size of some of the

EQ BOOST -CUT knobs, the pan control knobs, and

the SOLO and cur switches to save valuable space.

With regard to automation and recall- reset,

Focusrite are currently half -way through

discussions with a particular automation

manufacturer and it is still too early for them to

say very much about it. However, they do confirm

that they will not be manufacturing any of the

moving fader system or recall package themselves,

apart from some of the switch reset and data recall

acquisition parts that will be in the module itself.

The company remain very aware of the

importance of customer choice, and although they

will be offering a proprietary automation system,

they still fully intend the console to be used with

other systems as Richard Salter confirms.

`We're aiming to make the console as flexible as

possible, the last thing we want to do is stifle its

appeal by restricting the choice of automation

system. In the past we've supplied consoles with

GML, Flying Faders and Uptown, and what we

hope to do is offer packages whereby automation

and recall -reset are combined.'.

Focusrite expect to show their in -line console for

the first time at the San Francisco AES in the

autumn. The price will be on a par with the current

console on a channel- for -channel basis, although, of

course, the number of available inputs will have

doubled. The new configuration will also enable

something that before would have been a

contradiction in terms -a small Focusrite desk.

As mentioned the information and drawings

contained in this report are preliminary and should

be viewed as such as changes may still take place.

However, it does give a good indication of what the

in -line configuration will have to offer, as well as

providing an insight into the company's philosophy

of listening to clients, being forward thinking and

above all continually striving for audio excellence

without compromise.

Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd, Unit 2,

Bonnie End Business Centre, Cores End

Road, Bourne End, Bucks SL8 5AS.

Tel: 0628 819456. Fax: 0628 819443.

US: Group One, 80 Sea Lane, Farmingdale,

New York, NY 11735. Tel: +1 516 249 1399.

Fax: +1 516 753 1020.

HHB DAT TAPE

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTORS

AUSTRALIA: AUDIO SERVICES CORP.

Tel 02 901 4455 Fax 02 901 4229

Contact Geoff Grist

BELGIUM: AMPTEC BVBA

Tel 011 281458 Fax: 011 281459

Contact: George Lemmens

CANADA: STUDER REVOX CANADA LTD

Tel: 416 510 1347 Fax: 416 510 1294

Contact: Dave Dysart

CZECH REPUBLIC: AUDIOPOLIS

Tel 42 2 322 552 Fax: 42 2 323 069

Contact: Jan Adams

DENMARK: INTERSTAGE A/S

Tel: 31 62 00 26 Fax 31 62 06 40

Contact: Finn Juul

FRANCE: S.A.V.

Tel: 1 42 40 55 22 Fax: 1 42 40 47 80

Contact: Philippe Desgué

GERMANY: RTW GMBH

Tel 0221 709 1333 Fax: 0221 709 1332

Contact: Heike Klötsch / Rolf Kneisel

GREECE: KEM ELECTRONICS O.E.

Tel 01 647 8514 Fax 01 647 6384

Contact: Thimios Koliokotsis

ISRAEL: MORE AUDIO

PROFESSIONAL STAGE SYSTEMS LTD

Tel 03 6956367 Fax: 03 695007

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ITALY: AUDIO INTERNATIONAL SRL

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NETHERLANDS: K &D PROFESSIONELE

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Tel 2526 87889 Fax 2526 87362

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Tel 22 145460 Fax 22 148259

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POLAND: STUDIO DAVE

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PORTUGAL: AUDIO PRO

Tel 1 692456 Fax 1 690924

Contact: Paulo Ferreira

SPAIN: KASH PRODUCTIONS SA

Tel 91 367 5222 / 377 0068 Fax 91 367 5209

Contact: Jim or Carmen

SWEDEN: INERSONIC LEAB

Tel 08 7445850 Fax 08 184354

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USA: INDEPENDENT AUDIO

Tel 207 773 2424 Fax 207 773 2422

Contact: Fraser Jones

HHB Communications Limited

73 -75 Scrubs Lane London NW10 60U

Tel: 081 960 2144 Fax: 081 960 1160 Telex: 923393

www.americanradiohistory.com

ALL DAT TAPES ARE NOT THE SAME

BUT DON'T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT

Ask Studio Sound, one of the

world's most highly respected pro-

fessional audio publications. They

recently subjected eight leading

DAT tape brands to an exhaustive

ser es of tests and the results

shculd be of interest to

everyone serious about audio.

AAVANCED

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Perhaps even more significant was

the fact that one of these leading

tapes was clearly more consistent

than the others, with its low error

rates changing very little over multi-

ple passes. That tape was HHB.

And when it came

to archiving stability, Studio

In the critical area of block errors, Sound's reviewer was moved to write:

the tapes fell into two distinct cate- "If it were my recordings at risk, it is clear which choice I

genes of performance. Three exhibited would make ". His choice? You guessed it - HHB.

sim larly low error rates with the others presenting error

levels considerably higher. HHB DAT Tape was one of the ` HHB DAT Tape. Would you trust your recordings to any-

leacing three,

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Tel 08.1 960 2144 Fax 081 960 1160 . Telex 923393

In North America: ndependent Audio 295 Forest Avenue, Suite 121,

Portland, Maine 04101 -2000 Tel 207 773 2424 Fax 207 773 2422

www.americanradiohistory.com

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It all used to be so simple: the Post Office

looked after telephone calls, computer

programmers busied themselves with arcane

code, recording engineers were confined to the

latest music fad, and broadcast technicians rarely

ventured out of their cosy studios. Technology has

changed that, and the edges have started to blur:

telecommunication agencies now deal in computer

languages, computer bods can record music,

rock -and -roll -types now do postproduction on

cerebral documentaries and broadcasters wrestle

with satellite up- links.

Convergence is the word that is being applied to

this new order. Technology is enabling a crossover

between different disciplines, enabling faster

access to information and better economies of scale.

If money can be saved by using a digitally -coded

communications link (as opposed to a first -class air

ticket, three nights in a top London hotel and the

associated schoomzing) to obtain the services of a

leading actor or voice -over artist, then all to the

good, reason the TV and film producers.

While the technology is still in its early stages, a

great deal of work has been done in both America

and Europe. The breakthrough came two years ago

when soundtrack mixes were fed to studios in

Los Angeles from Lucas Films' Skywalker Sound

complex in Northern California along high -quality

communications links.

The General Manager of Skywalker, at the time

Tom Kobayashi, later formed his own company to

specialise in the new technology, EDnet

(Entertainment Digital Network). Based in

San Francisco, EDnet are now offering the service

worldwide, working on their own private network.

A recent contract was a five -hour ADR session for

the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, with actors

Ben Kingsley and Robert Stephens in London

revoicing scenes postproduced in Hollywood.

Since this event, others have begun to offer

facilities and equipment for the application. Dolby

Laboratories have introduced the AC -2 unit, which

can be used in stereo mode or as two discrete

channels, covering a bandwidth of 20Hz- 20kHz.

The device used in conjunction with either telecom

giant Pacific Bell's Advanced Broadcast Video

Service (ABVS) or Ti digital fibre- optics.

One user of the AC- 2/ABVS combination is TV

Producer Steven Bochco, cocreator of Hill Street

Blues and LA Law, who has been using it on the

postproduction of NYPD Blue, transferring the

Dolby Surround soundtrack between his central LA

production offices and the Pacific Ocean Post

facility down the coast in Santa Monica (see Studio

Sound, January 1994).

Although the Americans have been leading in

this new technology application, the Europeans

have been establishing their own facilities and

networks over the past year. Telecommunications

provider British Telecom have been active both in

their domestic UK market and in mainland

Europe, working with the national

telecommunications companies of other countries

to create a usable European network.

These ventures are based on the ISDN

(Integrated Services Digital Network) standard,

which was developed by various Postal, Telegraph

and Telephone Administrations to supply one

Kevin Hilton

Convergent

technology and the

changing face of

audio working

fibre -optic service for a variety of signals- speech,

low and high -speed data and video-on a single

platform. An ISDN connection can either be

formatted as one Basic -Rate Access line, giving two

channels with a total data rate of 128kbits/s, or as

two lines, providing four -channels with a data rate

of 256kbit/s.

A company taking advantage of ISDN is The

Audio Exchange, founded by former Tape One

studio partner Bill Foster, whose intention is to

build up a network of studios throughout the world

equipped with the codecs to enable the exchange of

material over communications lines. Users pay an

annual fee (at the moment £250), which gives

access to The Audio Exchange's list of members

and directory, plus technical support.

The company recommend only two coding

systems, one the AC -2 (costing £9,450 + VAT,

coupled with the ascend terminal), the other the

CCS CDQ2000 (costing a little under £7,000),

which uses the Musicam Layer 2 standard. With

these devices, The Audio Exchange have linked a

number of studios in Europe, including

Magmasters in Soho, central London, CTS in north

London and DUY Studios in Barcelona. Foster has

said that his target is to have 100 studios in

Europe on the network.

A great deal of the company's work is in with

telecom major AT &T, they have enabled a daily

link to New York. At the end of last year Pacific

Bell installed lines into studios in Burbank,

California, allowing connections with major film

companies. While this transatlantic traffic sounds

impressive, there are benefits to be had on a local

level. Dave Immer of New York studio Digifon,

which specialises in music and voice -overs for

advertisements, observed that sometimes it was

easier to link between two NY studios than put

tapes at the mercy of the city's traffic gridlock.

This kind of local trade is being targeted by a

newly founded UK company, On Line Radio, who

are offering one -to -one interviews with radio

stations around the country from their studio in

It was easier to link

between two NY

studios than put

tapes at the mercy

of the city's

traffic gridlock

North Kensington, London. A major problem for

local radio stations, especially those on the BBC

network, which have a higher speech content than

their independent competitors, is getting

worthwhile or `name' guests on a tight budget.

Conversely, it is often difficult for publicity

companies to get clients round the many stations to

promote their book, film, record or self.

Using BT's ISDN links, On Line Radio reckon

they can set up a two to three -hour session, during

which links can be made with up to 12 stations.

Each local service gets a one -to -one interview

between the celebrity and their own presenter, and

the object of all this attention does not have to

venture beyond the safe confines of the M25

motorway encircling London.

The company was founded by Simon Wynn

& Nicola Mayhew, both publicists who have been

involved in a number of charitable events which

have required national attention. On Line have

already won a £3,000 contract from BT to supply a

series of interviews for the National Swimathon '94

event, which will involve 450 swimming pools and

50,000 participants.

Based in Kensington's Canalot media building,

On Line's facilities consist of a speech booth and

equipment room. The crux of the setup is the CCS

G722 codec, linked with a Northern Telecom dual

adaptor. This allows instant connection with the

BBC local radio network, which is already

equipped with compatible equipment. `We kicked

off with BBC stations because they're the most

obvious, having the greatest amount of speech to

fill,' says On Line's Simon Wynn.

At present the ILR (Independent Local Radio)

stations, if they are connected at all, are using the

aptx system, which is not compatible with G722.

`The BBC have got the kit anyway,' says Wynn, `so

there's no outlay for them and it's cheaper for them

to have ISDN. From the news gathering point -of-

view, they're really well connected. A bigger

problem is ILR, because they've not got very much

money to spend.' Wynn adds that the service

involves an initial outlay of £5,000 for the

equipment, plus rental charges.

The company are currently gearing up for the

Annual Charities Event, to be held at the Business

Design Centre in Islington, North London, this

month. As well as BT ISDN lines, this will also

feature satellite connections. Commenting on the

use of advanced telecommunications technology,

Wynn comments, `It's going to change the face of

broadcasting because it is so much more flexible.'

On Line Radio's equipment was supplied by

Nicral of Swindon, Wiltshire, who are the UK

representatives for CCS, as well as manufacturing

their own range of ISDN equipment. One of these

is the RePort unit, a custom -built battery or mains

powered three -channel outside -broadcast

commentary package that can be programmed to

use aptx, Musicam or G722.

UK: Dolby Laboratories. Tel: 0793 842100.

USA: Dolby Laboratories.Tel: +1 415 558 0200.

UK: The Audio Exchange. Tel: 071 437 8273.

UK: On Line Radio. Tel: 081 964 4720 and

081 960 6608.

UK: Nierai. Tel: 0793 845271.

www.americanradiohistory.com

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Over the last 15 years or so in America,

there has developed a stratified

educational system in audio. A number

of private schools have developed

elaborate curriculums devoted to enhancing skills

in studio audio -for a period of study of two years

or less. During the same period, a number of four -

year programmes leading to the baccalaureate

degree have embraced the study of sound and

music recording as part of a greater programme of

studies -usually music. Many of these programmes

run at publicly -financed 'state' universities

although some run at private institutions.

Although in the past audio education within the

context of higher educational institutions as well

as through short courses has been justifiable, it

may be more appropriate for many to forego four

years of educational commitment; what has

changed the ground rules so dramatically is a

combination of six factors.

First is the changing and declining face of audio

employment. Compared to the base number of jobs

available in 1980, entry-level positions in music

studio and related recording activity -the primary

focus of over 90% of all audio education

programmes -had decreased by more than 50% in

1991. This was before the current worldwide

economic recession had taken effect.

In 1980, 807 of the activities undertaken at a

mainstream recording studio were focused on

recording music for release on records. In 1993,

well over half of those studios extant in 1980 have

been replaced by owner -operated personal and

project studio activities, and the remaining

mainstream studios spend considerably less than

half of their billable time in sound recording for

record release.

Second is the increasing cost of any and all audio

education programmes, and especially of four -year

programmes. Recent US government figures

indicate that four years of instruction plus room

and board at any institution of higher learning will

cost no less than $60,000 on average, and could run

as high as $100,000.

Third is the difficulty that four -year graduates

have recently experienced in using their generic

education in application -specific employment

opportunities other than studio audio. This is the

tightest job market in the US since the great

depression of the 1930s; both in and out of the

audio industry.

Fourth, the 'cash crunch' at educational

institutions nationwide in terms of equipment

currency has never been worse and has struck

audio programmes especially harshly. Top

administrators accustomed to 10 -year life cycles or

longer for 'capital' equipment are shocked to find

out that studio electronics are frequently obsolete

in three years or less. Additionally, the audio

industry has the lowest percentage of support of

college -level teaching programmes of any

comparable industry in the US-chemical

companies, computer manufacturers and even the

funeral industry provide more to education in

terms of equipment donations, library materials,

paid internships and even teaching 'sabbaticals' on

campus for working audio professionals.

Fifth, limited financial resources are frequently

Martin Polon

US audio education:

learning to swim or

treading water?

hotly contested between the various teaching

specialisations in a faculty.

Sixth, the extraordinary computerisation of the

audio industry and its melding with video and

multimedia, is creating an future audio industry

that is less orientated towards music. At a recent

conference, attendees noted that the 'audio

industry seems to be reinventing its academic

programme: training received may not be as valid

at the end of the period as it was at the beginning.'

To assist in making an appropriate decision over

an educational course, the answers to the following

questions might be sought:

1. Is the equipment base at the school current and

relevant to the study of audio practices?

2. Does the curriculum focus on recording- studio

engineering or is the programme optimised for

assorted 'audio opportunities'?

3. Does the educational programme being

considered have a real pathway for the study of

audio with video and multimedia development?

4. How much time do students spend 'hands on'

with the programme's audio equipment; especially

in a studio environment?

5. Does the school have a specific library within the

audio studies department or in a section of the

school's main library devoted to audio trade

magazines, equipment manuals, books and other

literature vital to all audio professionals?

6. Do students in a programme get to work with

audio in the campus audio -visual services area,

campus radio, instructional television or an on -air

broadcast facility?

7. Are students offered the opportunity to learn in

their last year or so through 'internships' in

established audio firms -for which the student

may receive a grade and credits. Does the faculty

actively participate in matching the students to an

internship job'?

8. What are the student -to- faculty ratios within the

programme and to the larger music or other 'host'

programme as a whole? Unfortunately, it is not

uncommon to find music departments in which the

audio students account for over half of the total

number of students enrolled in music, while the

dedicated musicianship faculty number in double

digits -and the audio programme has but one or

two full -time instructors.

9. Are audio professionals brought in on a regular

basis to enrich the teaching programme?

10. Does the programme support a chapter of the

AES or SMPTE? If the programme is less isolated

How does anyone

judge a programme?

geographically from the 'big city' sections of these

organisations, is the school well represented?

11. Is the programme close to some geographical

centre of audio business enterprise? LA has film

and television production; NYC has much the same

as well as corporate A -V and live theatre;

Washington DC has government agencies and

military activities that require audio support,

recording and reinforcement; San Francisco and

the Silicon Valley support multimedia and

computer development; Nashville has country

music performance, recording and theme parks and

Florida has theme parks, film making and

Latin -American music recording. Other places such

as Chicago focus on some particular element such

as television and radio commercial production.

International audio centres support film,

broadcast, television and studio recording.

12. What are the professional qualifications of a

programme's faculty and the individual who heads

the programme? In some cases, staff have

impressive professional contact with the real world

of audio.

13. How does a prospective audio student make the

'right' decision? How does anyone judge a

programme? The above criteria are helpful in

evaluating what a school will and will not provide

to it's students, but the most reliable way to

measure an education programme is to question

graduates as to their subsequent experience in

gaining employment and career advancement.

The bottom line for anyone considering an

education in audio is to contemplate very carefully

the choice of formal educational against that of

going it alone -or a combination thereof. Make no

mistake, there are excellent programmes of

instruction in audio as related to music, available

at all levels of the educational spectrum. What

would be a desirable alternative for some who are

committed to a four -year degree effort is to

undertake a course of study in Computer Science,

Engineering, Management or the Law that would

allow continuance at the Masters' degree level,

immediate employment, or the undertaking of a

specific six -month, one -year or two -year short

course in audio after graduation and -or any

combination of the above.

However, for certain individuals willing to make

the commitment of $60,000 -$80,000, a marvellous

personal and -or project studio is a real alternative.

Two young persons would have an even greater

fiscal base to expend on setting up a facility and

even have a little left over for a six -month or

one -year vocational programme in audio for each

person. I am quite serious when I suggest that a

short course followed by the construction and

operation of a start-of -the -art project studio might

be an equally valid use of the financial and human

calendar resources earmarked for a college

education in audio for certain individuals.

The crisis in academic relevancy in America and

elsewhere has struck all corners of the educational

landscape, but we are dealing with peoples' lives

here and a four -year commitment in audio that

finds the college student working at McDonald's

after graduation serves neither the graduate, the

audio community nor the community as a whole

very well.

U")

m n

www.americanradiohistory.com

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Loudspeaker f(Hz) Input(v) 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

1K 2.04 -59 -60 -69 -66

QUAD 2.8K 5.6 -62 -49 - -

5K 3.5 -66 -51 - -

1K 1.01 -59 -54 -68 -

AUDAX 2.8K 0.75 -61 -60 - -

5K 0.64 -62 -59 - -

1K 0.2 -53 -75 -77 -

JBL 2.8K 0.18 -38 -27 -46 -38

5K 0.19 -47 -31 -59 -

1K 0.24 -61 -66 - -

EMILAR 2.8K 0.17 -58 -73 -70 -

5K 0.3 -47 -57 - -

Loudspeaker f(Hz) Input(v) 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

2.8K 6.02 -57 -57 -80 -

1K 3.8 -54 -49 -78 -67

A t- 2.8K 1.7 -57 -57 - -

5K 2.5 -47 -67 - -

1K 0.67 -42 -44 -60 -59

4141, 2.8K 0.44 -43 -36 -49 -

5K 0.54 41 -37 -61 -

1K 0.73 -50 -55 -76 -

EMILAR 2.8K 0.44 -49 -65 -73 -

5K 0.87 -38 -54 -71 -

Loudspeaker f(Hz) Input(v) 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

1K 10.1 -50 -44 -79 -69

AI b 2.8K 5.7 -49 -49 - -

5K 7.7 -37 -57 - -

1K 2 -41 -49 -55 -53

JBL 2.8K 1.5 -35 -53 -67 -53

5K 2.1 -29 -55 - -

1K 2.45 -40 -53 -68 -59

EMII.AR 2.8K 1.4 -40 -55 -61 -63

5K 2.9 -29 -48 -71 -

Loudspeaker f( Hz) 3rd I t h 5th

1K 7.8 -26 41 -58 -51

JBL 2.8K 4.4 -27 -43 -55 -57

5K 7.1 -19 -37 -60 -

1K 10.5 -28 -32 -45 -55

EMI LAR 2.8K 4.4 -29 -52 -57 -59

5K 8.8 -20 -36 -51

ROUN D THE HORN

Fig.1: Measured harmonic distortion levels of drivers under test

Philip Newell

re- evaluates horn

drivers in midrange

studio monitoring

and answers some

long- standing

questions

ogether with higher efficiency and aspects

of their far -field propagation qualities,

the generally higher output capability of

horns means that they still have a role to

play in studio monitoring loudspeakers. The `horns

versus direct radiators' debate has continued for

decades with partisan factions supporting each

point of view, but few horns have been developed

purely for studio use, thus most studio systems

have borrowed technology from cinema, sound

reinforcement and public address. In order to

discover whether there was further potential in the

use of midrange horns in studios, a five -year study

was undertaken by Keith Holland at the Institute

of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) at

Southampton University, England. One of the

main objects of the work was to attempt to

determine whether the less favourable

characteristics of horns are a function of horns

per se or whether some of these characteristics

were inherited along with aspects of the borrowed

nature of the technology.

This article discusses the findings of the above

research programme. It details aspects of horn

performance considered undesirable for studio

purposes, and separates individual physical

parameters of horn design which give rise to many

unwanted acoustic properties. The conclusion

attempts to define the limits of horn performance

within which the greatest number of unpleasant

sonic attributes can be designed out. The work is

based on physical and mathematical analysis of the

problems, closely related to a rigorous series of

listening tests.

The use of horn loudspeakers for public address

and cinema applications is almost universally

accepted as good practice. Indeed, in many of these

instances, there is no practically viable alternative,

as the requirements of high electroacoustic

efficiency and flexibility of directivity control are

not easily achieved with anything other than

horns. Changing practices in the techniques of

music recording have brought with them a

tendency towards larger control rooms.

Concurrently, control room acoustic -design

www.americanradiohistory.com

philosophy has tended towards lower reverberation

times and in many, true reverberation does not

exist at all. In these relatively large and

acoustically `dead' control rooms, a borderline case

has been reached between studio monitor systems

and small public address systems. Sterling

attempts have been made by numerous designers

to develop direct- radiator technology to meet these

needs, but while many fine systems now exist, they

usually require high amplifier power, and live

much of their working lives close to their power

handling performance limits.

On the other hand, systems using horn- loaded,

midrange systems, even in control rooms of 60m2 or

more, are rarely driven much beyond 20% of their

design power handling capacity. As such, a long

and stable working life can be expected, together

with lower amplifier power- requirements and a

good reserve of damage tolerance. Another

desirable attribute of horn loudspeakers is that

they tend to produce an output in the form of a

spherical expanding wave, free of many of the

lobing' problems of the pistonically derived output

from direct radiators.

No attempt is being made here to claim overall

superiority of any one type of drive system, as

many subjective aspects of performance differ

greatly from one listener to another. However, if

some of the negative attributes of one system can

be detected, isolated, and ultimately circumvented.

then it will provide designers of future systems

with more options in their quest for their optimum

design requirements.

The test programme

The basis of the research work was to find links

between measurable characteristics of horn

performance and perceived subjective sonic

characteristics. In order to reduce some of the

tedium and general impracticability of first

manufacturing, then setting up experiments for the

measurements of every interesting development

suggested by the research, a 1- parameter computer

analysis technique was developed, then rigorously

tested against actual measurements of real horns.

This technique has already been published 1.2

together with the development of an impedance

tube measurement system' which made practical

the rapid measurements for the physical -

numerical cross correlations.

An extensive programme of listening tests was

carried out in the large anechoic chamber of the

ISVR, and again, a general outline of this

Cepstral analysis

was undertaken in

order to isolate

discrete reflection

patterns in

different horns not

easily discernible

from conventional

measurement

techniques

60 Studio Sound, March 1994

0 IIII16IIII1.dIi1.IIIhIIUh.i.ho.,1.,h, ..... ...

0 2 4

Time (ms)

A: Quad Electrostatic -original type

0 11 IIII III,III,IIhI,,,,..1.

0 2 4

Time (ms)

C: Fostex H351 -HA2I horn with Emilar

compression driver

0 I11II1III1II I61,,0nulh...,..

0 2 4

Time (ms)

B: Son Audax PR17- HR100 -1AK7 cone

midrange driver

0 iIi111,,11.11 0101

0 2 4

Time (ms)

D: High- frequency section of Tannoy

15 -inch dual concentric

Fig.2.1: Power cepstra of archetype loudspeakers

procedure has already been published.'

Measurements of nonlinearities, both in the horn

flares themselves, and in the horn- driver

combinations were cross -referenced with the

results of the above listening tests, and a finite

amplitude model was developed5.6 to predict

nonlinearities in different flare shapes. Cepstral

analysis was undertaken' in order to isolate

discrete reflection patterns in different horns not

easily discernible from conventional measurement

techniques. The research project was compiled into

a thesis for which Keith Holland received his PhD

at Southampton University in December 1992.8 As

individual aspects of the research are so well

documented in the papers'-' above, this article

concentrates on the less -widely promulgated

aspects of the conclusions.

The listening tests involved over 7,000

comparisons of 20 different drive units and nine

different sounds. The drive units consisted of horns

of many different flare shapes, moving -coil direct

radiators, and an Electrostatic. The nine sounds

were essentially nonmusical, but contained

different combinations of transient and steady -

state or tonal content. They were band -limited

(1kHz -6kHz) on playback, in order to avoid

problems either solely due to horn cut -off or other

out -of -band anomalies. It was hoped that the

different combinations would help to isolate any

'horn sound' which the units may possess. The

initial question was whether all the horns would

group together, either on some of the sounds or on

all of them. After the results had been numerically,

statistically, and 'common sense' analysed, there

were groupings -but not in ways which had been

anticipated.

Of the four reference `archetypes' to which other

samples were compared, two were direct radiators

and two were horns. Of the direct radiators, one

was a Son Audax 6'/2 -inch moving -coil unit (B), and

the other a Quad Electrostatic (A). Of the horn

`archetypes', C was a Fostex H351-HA21 long

(490mm) sectoral horn driven by an Emilar EK175

drive unit, and D was the `high' frequency section

of a Tannoy 15 -inch dual concentric, with the bass

cone forming the high- frequency horn flare.

General findings

In general, the horns with a throat -to -mouth

distance of more than about 350mm were deemed

to sound like archetype C, while the horns with a

throat -to -mouth distance of less than 350mm were

generally judged to sound like archetype B. Within

each of the long -short groups however, there were

some odd exceptions. One of the 'long' horns was a

Fostex wooden -flared sectoral horn, 440mm in

length from throat to mouth. Possibly more

strongly than any other horn in the entire test, this

horn was judged to sound like the direct radiator

cone, archetype B. The whole thing consisted of a

very short 'throat extension', coupled to what were

effectively large semicircular lips with a horizontal

flare of 140 °. The horn produced undesirable throat

impedance plots, implying an uneven pressure

amplitude response when connected to a driver,

nonetheless in auditioning before the tests began,

the horn was generally considered 'musical',

www.americanradiohistory.com

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0 I,IhIIli1 ululldtl.11lli u,.,1111INu ,..

0 2 4

Tune (ms)

1: Metal horn with Emilar EK175

compression driver

0 11111111111111 III,..dnllluh.la"Lid it

2 4

Tune (ms) 6

2: JBL 2105 cone driver

JIIIiIilIIluI,iIIIIlI,iiuIIiIIIi,IIIliIii,,

0 2 4

Tune (ms) 6

3: JBL 2121 cone driver

Fig.2.2: Power cepstra of sample loudspeakers

pleasant to listen to, and definitely not horn-like.

Among the short horns (350mm or less) two

failed to group with the direct radiator, archetype

B. One horn was the AX2, specifically designed for

the tests as a result of the `seminumerical'

1- parameter modelling, and information gleaned

from the use of the impedance tube. The horn was

180mm from throat to mouth, and possessed a

rapid flare which prior analysis had suggested to

be a requirement for a desirably smooth mouth

termination, avoiding any sudden cross -sectional

changes where the mouth meets the baffle. The

horn showed an overall similarity to archetype D,

the Tannoy dual concentric, which was itself a

short, axisymmetric horn. The third nongrouping

horn was a Yamaha aluminium sectoral horn

which was a `borderline' 300mm in length.

Unsurprisingly, this horn straddled groups B and

C, but also gave a great number of results showing

it dissimilar to any of the archetypes. Only on four

of the nine sounds did it clearly group with B or C.

Nonlinear distortion

The first attempts to explain these anomalies -and

the `break' at 300mm to 350mm- focussed on

nonlinear distortions. Much has been presented on

the subject of horn distortion, to the extent where

it is taken as a fact in some circles that it is

harmonic distortion which makes many horns

sound hard and

SIIIJRE

GEMIJS

62 Studio Sound, March 1994

unpleasant. There are

three predominating

sources of this harmonic

distortion. Firstly, there

are the

electromechanical

limitations of the drive

unit, including thermal

power compression

effects, suspension

nonlinearities and

magnet -gap problems.

Secondly, is the

nonlinearity produced

as a function of the

volumetric changes

between the diaphragm

and the phase plug on

positive and negative

half- cycles; and thirdly

is a distortion produced

by nonlinear

propagation within the

horn itself, which can,

at very high levels, lead

to shock formation.°

To test the less well -

documented third

cause, a finite

amplitude model was

devised for computer

prediction. Most

standard `horn'

formulae are calculated

on the basis of

infinitesimal wave

amplitude but, in

reality, usable sound

waves have finite amplitudes. Superimposed on the

initial sound waves are reflections from the mouth

and obstructions within certain horns, plus

complications due to phase dispersion within the

horn flare. The models proved highly successful and

gave good correlation with actual measured

results, which used a Community M4 as a signal

source, capable of producing signals with less than

1% harmonic distortion, even at 150dB. The test

setup was complicated and unwieldy, requiring the

use of two specially- treated, adjoining rooms, so

once adequate verification of the computer model

had been achieved, it was certainly the most

practical choice for further study on other horns.

Fig.1 shows a table of actual, measured results

comparing harmonic distortion levels of a direct

radiating cone, an Electrostatic, and two horn

loudspeakers, all used in the listening tests. The

results show that at low levels (below 90dB) at 3m,

there is no significant difference in distortion levels

of the different devices. At high levels, say >110dB,

very few drivers can produce such continuous sine

wave levels, so comparison is not really relevant.

Furthermore, certain audiological reasons reduce

the relevance of very high -level measurements in a

studio environment. From the above

measurements and the computer analysis of the

finite amplitude model, it was possible to separate

out the distortions attributable to each of the three

main causes previously mentioned. Much

second harmonic distortion can be attributed to

propagation nonlinearities, with most higher -order

harmonics being driver related. None of this,

Once adequate

verification of the

computer model

had been achieved,

it was certainly

the most

practical choice for

further study on

other horns

www.americanradiohistory.com

0 illl

0 2 4

Time (ms) 6

4: AX1 axisymmetric horn with EK175

driver

0 Ill11lu,.n,Jlot,ih.il,1..,, ..._.,...

2 4

Time (ms)

5: Reflexion Arts horn with EK175

driver

0 II IIIIIlilill

0 2 4

Time (ms) 6

6: Son Audax (as `B') R.

Fig.2.3: Power cepstra of sample loudspeakers

however, falls into any sort of pattern when

cross -correlated with the similarities and

groupings found in the listening tests. Indeed,

whichever ways the results were dissected and

analysed, no link could be demonstrated between

harmonic distortion and audible similarity. Units

with up to 20dB difference in distortion levels were

deemed tosound similar, while others of almost

equal distortion figures were considered to sound

totally different. From the results of these tests

and analyses, nonlinear distortions were

emphatically not responsible for any characteristic

horn sound.

Amplitude and

phase responses

Pressure amplitude response (frequency response)

was another prime candidate for producing sonic

similarity or dissimilarity. After the tests were

completed, a Waveform Spectral Similarity index

was calculated for each loudspeaker on each sound.

This was derived by calculation of the root -mean-

squared error between the spectra of the original

signal, and that radiated by each loudspeaker.

A comparison was made speaker -to- filter- input,

and speaker -to- speaker for each sound. A

reasonably good tie -up was achieved here (around

80% similarity) between the calculated waveform

similarity and the listening tests. Unfortunately,

some of the results which refused to correlate, did

so in a glaring way. Usually, when a sample driver

which was deemed to be sonically similar to an

archetype failed to show a similar pressure

amplitude response, then a strong similarity was

noted in the phase response. This has so far not yet

been adequately explained.

Certainly, the agreement between listening test

results and comparisons between the spectra of the

reproduced signals indicate that a large part of the

cause of acoustic similarity is due to the on -axis

amplitude frequency response, but clearly, this was

not the sole reason. For example, a JBL 2370/2426

combination was very similar in its waveform

spectral similarity to the Son Audax cone driver,

archetype B, for all nine of the test signals, yet in

the listening tests it showed a reasonable

similarity with B on only one of the nine sounds.

It closely resembled the horn C on five of the

signals, and was judged similar to none of the

archetypes on the other three signals. The phase

response of the JBL combination was more similar

to archetypes C and D, the two horns.

Cepstral analysis

With neither amplitude, phase, nor harmonic

distortions clearly explaining the sonic similarities

or otherwise of the different drivers, it was decided

to make further studies in the time domain. In

order to further identify any reflections that may

be produced at the mouth or within the flare of a

horn, a form of power cepstrum was calculated

from the modulus of the measured throat

impedance. In this type of analysis, the

frequency- domain representation of the modulus of

the throat impedance is treated as a spectrum; the

power cepstrum is then calculated using Fourier

transforms. Cepstral analysis was first defined in

the mid -1960s as a

means of helping to

separate echoes from

`clutter' in seismic

research. The power

cepstrum of a transfer

function is the Fourier

transform of the log of

the amplitude of the

transfer function. The

power cepstrum of each

driver was plotted using

a y -axis scaled in

nondimensional dBs and

an x -axis plotted in terms

of both time and

distance. Fig.2 shows the

power cepstra of the 20

units used in the tests.

The power cepstra plots

proved to be revealing, as

they are very effective in

showing reflections. In a

conventional pressure

amplitude plot, a

reflection would show as

a comb -filtering effect,

but on a complex

spectrum, this can be

difficult to recognise. On

a power cepstrum,

however, reflections exist

as single spikes along the

time -distance axis, and

can thus readily be

recognised.

In general, what

followed from the

cepstral analysis was

that the audible similarity groupings from the

listening tests could be described in terms of the

reflection patterns shown in the power cepstra. The

various reflections and resonances produced in the

cone of a direct -radiating loudspeaker can give rise

to irregularities in the frequency response function

that are similar to those due to mouth reflections

in short (sub 350mm) horns. This explained the

anomalous behaviour of the `long' Fostex wooden

horn in the listening tests. As previously

mentioned, the horn was strongly identified as

sounding similar to the direct radiating cone,

archetype B, but the cepstral analysis showed that

the true `horn' was the 150mm throat section only,

with the 140° horizontal wooden flare acting

m n

ñ D

m m

www.americanradiohistory.com

o 11111111 lmr.tr ...tllluilllllLr...t..

0 2 4

Time (ms)

7: As `5' but with the lips sawn off

o IIIIILIIItIIrrt.nt..dllnlll.IH.

o 2 4

Tizne (ms)

8: AX2 axisymmetric horn

o 111111111 1IIIlllhl.11ll.iltl1lu

0 2 4

Time (ms)

9: Yamaha horn with EK175 driver

Fig.2.4: Power cepstra of sample loudspeakers

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64 Studio Sound, March 1994

only as waveguide `lips' for directivity control. The

unevenness in the throat impedance was largely

due to the abrupt, horn-to -lip termination at about

150mm from the driver diaphragm. The horn was

consequently reclassified as a 150mm horn with

290mm lips (the shortest horn of all tested),

explaining the similarity between this horn and the

direct radiators. It should be remembered that

there is no absolute dividing line between horns

and direct radiators, as a direct radiator can be

considered as a 180° conical horn of zero length.

The longer horns, even those with relatively

good mouth termination (which is usually easier to

achieve in a long horn,) are identified as horns by

the temporal spacing of the reflections. Even when

the reflections are significantly lower in level than

those of the short horns, the greater separation in

time of these reflections are recognised by the ear

as a pattern which we know as a horn-like sound.

The two horns which were not identified in the

listening tests as sounding like archetypes B or C,

were both shown by cepstral analysis to exhibit

minimal mouth reflections. One of these horns was

long, and one was short. The long horn, though

showing some similarity to C, did not have a

particularly strong resemblance, and was

considered on some sounds to be similar to

archetype A, the Electrostatic. The short horn

showed a considerable sonic resemblance to

archetype D, the Tannoy dual concentric: both the

Tannoy and the Quad Electrostatic have their roots

in 1950s design, yet are still in daily use in `quality

control' suites. Furthermore, both of these units

had historic `difficulties' in the low and

high- frequency ends of their performance, but both

had a clear midrange, suiting them to quality

control applications. Apart from reasons of

inadequate (woolly) bass, and limitations on

maximum sound pressure level, these loudspeakers

also lost favour as studio monitors as a result of not

sounding representative of other loudspeakers in

general. From the cepstral analysis the reason for

this is clear, but it poses an interesting

philosophical point: should a monitor loudspeaker

be rejected because it does not possess the

midrange problems inherent in most other

production loudspeakers?

While the Electrostatic, archetype A, was

deemed similar to the sample loudspeakers on a

relatively small number of occasions, it was

frequently noted that one of the nine test signals (a

recording of a waterfall, band -limited 1k -6kHz on

playback) sounded more `wet' on A than on any

other loudspeaker; a testament to its reality.

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Q U

U LU

o iIIIIIIIIuIIillllll lllltllllllil.11 Ill hllln.nn.

0 2 4

Time (ms) 6

10: Fostex H320 wooden radial horn

with EK175 driver

o d 111.111111 11111,111,. .Jillllnl.h,.11tll,llhd..

0 2 4

Time (ms) 6

11: JBL 2307 -2308 horn/slant -plate

combination with EK175 driver

o I1IIII I.IIIII,1I.IIltiiliindllll llllllllh..ll....

0 2 4

Time (ms) 6

12: Altec sectoral horn with EK175

driver

Fig.2.5: Power cepstra of sample loudspeakers

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66 Studio Sound, March 1994

Design implications

Throughout the tests, a watchful eye was

maintained for evidence of the material from which

a horn was constructed showing any patterns in

the sonic test results. Other than certain materials

having specific problems due to bad design or

construction, no evidence was found to indicate

that any well -damped, solid material could not be

used in the manufacture of horns. Obviously,

certain materials lend themselves more readily to

the manufacture of different shapes, and it could be

that some materials have had sonic characteristics

attached to them because they are only found on

certain generic designs.

Wave shapes

Investigations into the actual wavefronts leaving

the different horns, showed that the axisymmetric

designs generated waves which resembled

flattened spherical caps, midway between a true

spherical expanding wave and a plane wave

leaving the mouth. The waves leaving rectangular

horns were of the form of spherical expanding

waves which struck the walls of the horn at 90 °.

Early in the tests, `bubble -blowing' experiments

were performed -wire loops were bent into the

mouth shapes of the horns to be tested, and it was

noted that only circular, or near -circular mouths

would produce complete bubbles; rectangular

shapes causing the bubbles to tear themselves

apart before they could leave the wire. It was also

noticed that rectangular horn designs would

produce disturbed responses when listening to

them or measuring them from a position 90° to

any discontinuity. Such discontinuities include

waveguide plates, the top- bottom to sidewall

junctions, and any other departures from a smooth

surface. The mouth shape and any internal

discontinuities tend to produce reflections from the

mouth or strange aberrations in the off -axis

responses. All of these things were strong pointers

in the direction of the concept of axial symmetry

being the only viable option for the highest quality

reproduction.

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applications, directivity is a prime factor in horn

design; in studio monitoring, the on -axis ±20°

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0 11111111111.1,1 611.1111111111.11..

o 2 4

Time (ms) 6

13: Altec 806C multicellular horn with

EK175 driver

0 1111111,11111,1111.11,11,11111 I IIUNI'In

0 2 4

Time (ms) 6

14: Starr Singing Throat wooden

gramophone horn with EK175 driver

IIII1.111IIIIIIiIl.,1.111111n111.16

2 4

Time (ms) 6

15: Vitavox sectoral horn with EK175

driver

0 III IIIIII,1.11,,,11..IIIIIIIIIi, ,r

0 2 4

Time (ms) 6

16: JBL 2370 with JBL 2426 driver

Fig.2.6: Power cepstra of sample loudspeakers

which changes in its frequency balance in a smooth

and uniform way, is usually more important. In the

above tests, the axisymmetric AX2 horn was driven

by an Emilar EK175 compression driver. In the

cepstrum plots shown in Fig.2.4 the combination is

sample 8, and a small reflection can be seen at a

distance of about 50mm from the diaphragm.

Investigation showed this to be due to the slightly

differing flare rates of the driver throat and the

throat of the horn. When mated with the TAD

TD2001 compression driver, the flares match

exactly and the reflection disappears. The power

response of the TAD is also such that its falling

high- frequency response is closely matched by the

gradually narrowing directivity of the AX2 horn,

producing a smooth on -axis pressure amplitude

response, together with an off -axis response where

the fall -off of high frequencies takes place in a

smoothly controlled manner. These responses are

shown in Fig.3.

Monitor systems using the TD2001 -AX2

combination are now in commercial use,

particularly in control rooms of a very nonreflective

nature where the on -axis response is highly

important. These monitor systems, especially in

inexperienced hands, do suffer from some of the

criticisms formerly aimed at the Quad

Electrostatics and Tannoys, in that they are not

necessarily representative of other loudspeakers,

but equally, many experienced engineers praise

their ability to pinpoint fine detail. Most studios'

use of large and small monitor systems -one

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Fig.3: Frequency response and phase

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axis, in room, at 2 metres

representing `truth', the other a `real world' mix

-still seems to offer the most viable partnership.

In many ways, the AX2 could be defining the

limits of midrange horn design. The axisymmetric

shape (Fig.4) seems to be the only one which can

produce an output free of the irregularities of

response caused by pillars, plates, other

obstructions or surface junctions. Horns much

more than 300mm in length begin to produce

`horn -like' sounds unless the mouth termination is

close to perfect. Given that the rate of flare dictates

the throat cut -off frequency, and the mouth size

controls the smoothness of the low- frequency

termination to the room, then a horn with a low

cut -off frequency, possessing a mouth which

smoothly flares into the baffle, would be of such

great length and mouth size that close coupling to

the other drivers in the loudspeaker system could

be almost impossible. The AX2 has a cut -off

frequency of around 750Hz, but is so smooth in its

response that it can be used through cut -off. This is

the lowest cut -off frequency that can be achieved,

consistent with a flare which smoothly blends into

the baffle, originating from a 1 -inch throat in a

diaphragm -to -mouth distance (with TD2001) not

exceeding 300mm.

However, a high -efficiency horn system, usable

from below 1kHz to over 20kHz, with a mouth

diameter of 121/2 inches, capable of producing very

high fidelity and a maximum output of 125dB at

1 metre is certainly a useful tool. What is more, it

definitely is not `horn-like' in its sound. Clearly,

when the many variables are fully understood and

appreciated, horn systems can be produced which

do not possess any typically horn -like vices.

Attention to detail is a prerequisite, as is a

comprehensive knowledge of the caveats.

Two further aspects of horn design are called

into question as a result of this research, both

requiring further investigation. Firstly, given the

extreme sensitivity to small disturbances in the

throat region, can the Tannoy concept of having an

actual gap in the horn, (the voice -coil gap of the

bass cone) ever be expected to produce optimal

results? More particularly, when that gap is

modulated by high levels of bass driver movement,

can a variable length, variable flare, gapped throat

ever be expected to produce optimal results?

Secondly, the results show that any abrupt

flare -rate changes within the horn, can, do, and

will cause reflections which will superimpose

themselves on the transfer function. As the whole

concept of constant -directivity horns relies upon

flare -rate changes of no subtle nature, then can the

best results ever be achieved from

constant -directivity horns ?10 Fig.5 shows the

measured throat impedance plot of the AX2,

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Presented at the 12th International Symposium on Nonlinear

Acoustics, Austin, Texas, 1990.

7. K R Holland, The Use of Cepstral Analysis in the

Interpretation of Loudspeaker Response Measurements'

Proceedings of the Institute of Acoustics, Reproduced Sound 9,

pps 65-71, 1993.

8. K R Holland, PhD Thesis, Southampton University, 1992.

9. P R Newell, 'Monitor Systems -Midrange Horns Part 2',

Studio Sound, Vol.31 (a), pps 62 -72, September 1989.

10. M A Dodd, A Wide Dispersion Constant Directivity Dual

Concentric Driver, Presented at AES 92nd Convention, Vienna,

1992, AES Preprint No 3257.

Fig.4: Axisymmetric horn geometry

Fig.5a: Throat impedance plot of a

typical constant -directivity horn

1110111TIE IREIRMEE 1IttRENEN1

Oat. : 31 -5 -30

Sample lave 112

Speed 0l 5,uv0 311.5

n,craphaae posit loes : 31 1 55 -

N.rulls.a threat I- .lance Qt- rVrett

ieoo Frem,e-R lN+

..al ... lus.

4..> 511

Fig.5b: Throat impedance of AX2

axisymmetric horn

compared to that of a widely -used

constant -directivity horn of reputable manufacture

and of similar dimensions. However, this should

not overly concern manufacturers of

constant -directivity horns, as the bulk of their

sales are in the PA/SR field, where their smooth

coverage of a desired area far outweighs the sonic

subtleties discussed here. For studio purposes

though, constant -directivity horns would not seem

to be the ultimate solution.

References

1. K R Holland, F J Fahy,

C L Morfey and P R Newell,

The Prediction and Measurement of

the Throat Impedance of Horns',

Proceedings of the Institute of

Acoustics, Vol.11(7), Reproduced

Sound 5, pps 247 -254, 1989.

2. K R Holland, F J Fahy, and

C L Morfey, 'Prediction and

Measurement of the One Parameter

Behaviour of Horns', Journal of the

Audio Engineering Society, Vol.39

15I, pps 315 -337, 1991.

3. F J Fahy, 'Rapid Methods for the

Measurement of Sample Acoustic

Impedance in a Standing Wave

Tube', Letter to Editor, Journal of

Sound and Vibration, Vol.97 (1),

p 168, 1984

4. P R Newell and K R Holland,

'Do All Midrange Horn

Loudspeakers have a Recognisable

Characteristic Sound ?' Proceedings

of the Institute of Acoustics,

Reproduced Sound 6, pps 249 -258,

1990.

5. K R Holland and C L Morfey,

'A Model of Finite Amplitude Sound

Propagation in Horns', Proceedings

of the Institute of Acoustics, Vol.12,

Acoustics 90, 1990.

6. K R Holland and C L Morfey,

Finite Amplitude Sound Propagation

n Waveguides of Variable Area,

Audio Test-System

easy to operate

storage capabilities

t. highest performance

large graphics display

comprehensive two channel system

Neutrik AG Neutrik Mich NCV GmbH Neutrik Marketing Ltd. Neutrik Instrumentation Inc.

Uechtensteln Switzerland Germany United Kingdom Canoda /USA

Tel 075/2329666 Tel 01/7340400 Tel 0941/98041 Tel 071/7928188 Tel 514/3445220

Fax 075/2325393 Fax 01/7343891 Fox 0941/999772 Fax 071/7928187 Fax 514/3445221 NEUT/2/K

CONNECTING THE WORLD

SEE US AT AES ON STAND F -20 www.americanradiohistory.com

STUDIO DIRECTORY

LEGEND TO SYMBOLS:

Mobile

Recording

NO Digital

Console

Residential

Studio

Full -Time

Maintenance

Digital

Editing

Audio for

Video

Digital -

Tracks

Audio -

Tracks

ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS

a<66e y roccá

3 Abbey Road, London NW8 9AY. Tel: (071)

286 1161; Fax: (071) 289 7527. Owner: Martin

Benge - Managing Director; Studio/bookings

Manager: Colette Barber; No. of studios and

dimensions: Studio 1: 94ft. x 55ft. x 42ft.h, Studio

2: 58ft. x 37ft. x 28ft. h, Studio 3: 28ft. x 23ft. x

24ft. h, Penthouse: 20ft. x 20ft. x 9ft. h. Mixing

consoles: Studio 1: Neve VRP Legend 62 cm.

Studio 2: SSL 4000E with G Series computer 56

c + / -i. Studio 3: SSL G 72 channel with ultimation.

Penthouse: Neve Capricorn digital. Recorders:

Studer A820, Sony 3348, 20 Bit DAT, Sony 3324A,

Mitsubishi x880, Sony 1630 1 /2inch, 1 /4inch etc.

Digital audio workstations: Sonic Solutions.

MIDI set -up: Atari Notator, Akai Samplers, Korg

KeyBoards. Monitors: Quested, Bdw, JBL,

Nearfield: Yamaha NS10's, ATC, B &W 805.

Special services: Accommodation,

Restaurant/Bar, Games Room.

M!, D x48 IA x48

DOUBLEWTRONICS

Eugenio Salazar 42. +34 (1) 519 0566; Fax:

+34 (1) 519 1496. Owner: Jesus N. Gomez.

Studio/Bookings Manager: Regina Marfil. No. of

studios & dimensions: 1 - 70m* (studio), 1 - 9m*

(mastering suite). Mixing consoles: AMEK

Custom G2520 W/Master Mix (48CH). Recorders:

Sony PCM 3348 - MCI JH24. Digital audio work-

station: (3) Mac II FX W /SD II (Sound Tools II).

MIDI set-up: Two large systems to be described

here! (emulptor II, III x P, Akai S1100, MP660,

Yamaha....). Monitors: MDIN - Custom JBL 4435

(3 way- active) W /Crown AMPS (Macro

Reference), Small - JBL 4401- JBL 4412 -

Yamaha NS1OM (W /Crown DC 300). Specified

outboard: Lexicon (224XL - 480 - PCM70 - etc)

AMS DMX 1580 - Eventide 113500 - Valley People

(Ketex II - GAIN BRAIN - 610 MAXI Q - etc) -

UREI - DBX - TC Electronics - KORG - Yamaha...

A/V equipment: UMATICS, VHS, Color Monitors

(Sony). Special services: Specialises in digital

work. Mastering suite (PCM 1630 w/PQ for CD

Prep.) Association member: AEGS.

ï A x 24 D x 48

FONOPRINT RECORDING

STUDIOS

V. Bocca di Lupo 6, Bologna, Italy. +39 51

5852 54; Fax: +39 51 3340 22.

Studio/Bookings Manager: Nicolini Luciano.

No. of studios & dimensions: Studio 1 Control

Room 60 m* Recording room 85 m *. Studio A

Control Room 26m* Recording room 56m *.

Studio B Control Room 27m *, Recording room

30m *. Mixing consoles: SSL 4064 G Series with

total recall, MCI 500 28CH with Automation, DR

8000. Recorders: 2 x Sony PCM 3324, I x Otani

DTR 900 II, 2 x Otani MTR100. Digital audio

workstations: Sound Tools with Maclntosh II Ci.

Monitors: Quested Q412B, Urei 813B, Yamaha

NS1OM. Specified outboard: Lexicon 480, 224,

PCM70, AMS RMX16, 1580S Yamaha Rev5 Rev?

Eventide H949, H3000S, K.T. DN780, Prisma

Neve. Special services: Studio Design By: ADG

Acoustic Design Group. Kitchen, Catering,

Satellite TV, Biliard Table.

\ 0

PINK TONSTUDIO

Luzernstrasse 123, 4528 Zuchwil, Switzerland.

+41 (0) 65 25 24 88; Fax: +41 (0) 65 25 30

31. Owner: Jurg Naegeli AG. Studio/Bookings

Manager: Jung Naegeli. No. of studios & dimen-

sions: a) Studio 40m *, Control room 30 m *, c)

ProTools & MIDI room 24 m *. Mixing consoles:

a) Soundcraft 2400 28/24/2, Bargraphs, c)

Yamaha DMP 11. Recorders: A): Otani MTR 90

MkII; Studer A 812, Dolby SR; Studer A 812 TC;

Studer D780 DAT; Studer D 740 CD- Recorder;

Sony & Tascam DAT's & Cassette's. Digital audio

workstations: DigiDisign PROTOOLS. MIDI set-

up: Akai S 1000 KB, 12 MB, HD; Emulator II; 2 x

Emu Proteus 1; 2 x Emu ProCussion; Korg M1 &

MIR; Yamaha DX 7; Roland JX8P & D110 & Juno

60 ( Midi); ARP Odyssey; Oberheim Matrix 1000;

Rohner String Ensemble; Alesis HR 16B Atari

1040 ST, 4MB; C -Lab Notator; Mac Quadra;

Opcode Studiovision. Monitors: MANGER

Schallwandler; JBL 4313; JBL 4315; Yamaha NS

10M; Auratones. Specified outboard: Lexicon

480L & PCM 70; AMS RMX 16; AKG BX 15 Spring

Reverb; Roland SRV 2000 & DEP -5 & 3x SDE 2000

& Dimension D & PH 830 & SBF 325 & SVC 350 &

2x Chorus Echo; 3x Yamaha SPX 900 & 2x SPX

90; AMS dm 2 -20; Eventide 910; DeltaLab DL -2;

SPL SX -2; Aphex Compellor & Dominator &

Exciter III & C; Alesis Quadrave ; Ibanez DM

1000; 2x DBX 160; DBX 120X -DS; SCAMP -Rack w.

Comp., gates, param. EQ's, De- Essers & Drawmer

gates; Mark Teknik graphic EQ's; Yamaha graph-

ic EQ's; T.C. param. EQ's, Behringer Composers,

Intellicates. Denoiser, Ultrafax, Edison, Bassfex;

T.C. 2290, a.s.o. A/V equipment: Sony U -matic Hi

& Lo Band; Sony Monitors; Fostex Sync. Roland

SBX 80 SyncBox. Specials: Bosendorfer Grand

Piano; Hayman Drums; Hammond A 100 & L 100

with Leslies; selection of rare Gtr. - & Bass Amps

& -Cabinets; selection of Gtr. - FX - Pedals.

1160 D! 2 +4

PILOT TONSTUDIO GmbH

Rumfordstr.15 D -80469 Munchen, Germany.

Tel: +49 89 296 396; Fax: +49 89 299 891.

Owner: C. Cress, A. Volker, Mambo Musik.

Studio/bookings Manager: Hans Menzel. No. of

studios & dimensions: Studio U SSL 50 sqm 6m

height, Studio II/Harrison Ten. 6sqm, Studio III

Midi, 6sqm, Studio IV/Hard Disk -Mastering.

Mixing Consoles: SSL 4000 G- Series 56 Channels

Total Recall, Harrison Series Ten, fully automat-

ed Sony Estee 32 channels, Studer Dyaxis II.

Recorders: 2 x Studer D820 48 -track digital, 2 x

Otani DTR 900 32 -track digital, 2 x Studer A 820

24 track analogue with Dolby SR. Digital audio

workstations: Studer Dyaxis. MIDI set -up: EMU

XP 32MB, 105 MBinternal, Akai S1100 HD 26 MB,

CD -Rom, 60 MB Hard Disc, Roland W -30

Sampler -CD ROM, Roland D550, Roland D110,

Roland Suiper Jupiter +Programmer Prophet VS,

Korg MI, Yamaha DX7 II, Yamaha TX 802,

Yamaha RX 5, Yamaha RX 7, Yamaha TG 77, JD

800, Korg Wave Station AD, 2 Atari Mega ST4, 2

Atari 1040 ST, 2 Atari Hard Disk. Monitors:

Quested Monitor System Custom Made in Studio

I + II, III, Westlake BBSM 4, Yamaha NS10 M,

Tannoy Eclipse. A/V equipment: Studer Dyaxis

II.

toil (160) D (48) ,

SAFE & SOUND STUDIO

Midden Akker 72, 1446 GS Purmerend,

Holland. +31 2990 49354; Fax: +31 2992

1620. Owner: Olof Bosma/Marc Christian.

Studio/Bookings Manager: Marc Christian. No.

of studios & dimensions: 1 studio, dimensions:

7.5 x 5 meters (New larger studio shortly avail-

able). Mixing consoles: TAC Matchless (Cmix),

Side car: D &R 4000. Recorders: Soundcraft 2"

(24), Ampex ATR 1000 2" (16) track, Awai DAT,

Tascam D, TEAC Master Un. MIDI set -up: Atari

1040 Cubase - Akai Sampler, Akai Audio, Midi

Trigger. Monitors: Tannoy Little Reds &

Auratone. Specified outboard:Lexicon PCM 70 -

Lexicon LXPI, Yamaha SPX 900 - Yamaha R100 -

Boss Multi- Effect, Master Room Spring Reverb

Unit - Aphex Aural Exciter BBE Maximizer -

Drawmer Comp/Limiters - D &R Limiters D &R

Gates. Microphones U87 -AKG - Beyer Sennheiser.

Special services: 24 track digital available on

request. Associated Member: RE- PRO /APRS.

www.americanradiohistory.com

CLASSIFIEDS

Please call Steve Grice or Phil Bourne

Rates and details +44 (0) 620 3636

The attention of advertisers is drawn to The

Business Advertisements (Disclosure) Order 1977 ",

which requires that, all advertisements by person

who seek to sell goods in the course of business

must make that fact clear.

All job advertisements are bound by the Sex

Discrimination Act 1975.

Advertisement copy must be clearly printed in block

capitals or typewritten and addressed to: Steve

Grice /Phil Bourne, Studio Sound, Spotlight

Publications Limited, 8th Floor, Ludgate House, 245

Blackfriars Road, London . SE1 9UR

SOHO SOUNDHOUSE/

TURNKEY

Require a mature person (not necessarily in age!)

to run our accessories department. The ideal

candidate will have previous experience in this field,

and whilst this is not essential, a comprehensive

knowledge of this marketplace is.

Please send a CV and letter outlining the benefits

you could bring to our company. Excellent salary/

prospects. We are an equal opportunity employer.

I14 -I16 Charing Cross Road,

London WC2H ODT. Fax: 071 379 0093

Port of the Arbiter Group PLC

NEW TAPE HEADS SUPPLIED FOR MOST

MAKES, TAPE HEAD RE- LAPPING /RE- PROFIL-

ING. Same day turn round. Head technology, I 1 Brittania

Way, Stanwell, Staines. Middx. Tel: (1784 256046

CASSETTE DUPLICATION - Second to None. Simon

Stable Promotions. Lyrec Loop -hin. On -body printing.

Shrink- wrapping. Blanks wound to length. Sample rape

available. Tel: 0869 252831

Technical Support Engineer

- c£18k

Located Herts. Technical support to manu-

facturing. An understanding of analogue

and digital electronics plus an under-

standing of the design process required.

Digital Audio Sales - £neg

Experience selling digital products

advantageous UK and export sales. Know-

ledge of post production important.

Service Engineers

- £12 -17k

HNC Electronics and knowledge of

analogue and digital. Tape machine

experience also revelant.

For further information please contact Mike

Jones, Broadcast & Communications

Professionals, Unit 9b, Intec 2, Wade

Road, Basingstoke, Hants RG24 8NE.

Tel: 0256 470704. Fax: 0256 844054.

Recruitment specialists in Audio and Video

SERVICES

FOR SALE

NEVE V3 - 48 CHANNELS

Flying Faders 1,500,000 French Francs

SONY 33/48 - UPGRADED

1600 Hours, Mint Condition

1,000,000 French Francs

Total sale of both for

2,400,000 French Francs

£270,000 - U.S. $480,000

For enquiries, Call:

+ 33 (1)- 47.24.66.55 in France

Digital and analogue editing.

mastering. Duplicating of an

format including

One -off CDs from £19.90

Also CD testing, custom wound

Hanks and mice -over recording.

Ref SS591, 13a Hamilton Way

London N3 IAN

Tel: 081 -346 0033

Fax: 081 -346 0530

FAIRLIGHT SERIES THREES

Sold, repaired, serviced, hired. Stock constantly

changing, please phone or fax for list.

Tel: +44 (0) 71- 700 -1852. Fax: +44 (0)71- 607 -1410

23a Benwell Road, London N7 7BL

HORIZONTAL PRODUCTIONS

AUDIO & VIDEO TECHNICAL SERVICES.

Custom electronic design - signal processing and

switching - on screen metering - logic control -

wiring - complete installations. COLOUR SOUND

0483 574545 or 081 898 3838.

HAMMOND C3 TYPE ORGAN, 25 -note Pedal -

board, Bench, Leslie & PR40 Tone Cabinet.

Extensively rewired, £1495. Tel: 0453 752142

(daytime).

SITS VAC

THE CASSETTE DUPLICATING SPECIALISTS

Real time & high speed loop bin duplication,

printing & packaging. Blanks wound to length

TEL: 061 -973 1884

NEW & USED EQUIPMENT SALES WORLDWIDE

Otani MTR90 Mkll

remote & locator

MCI 2 inch 24 track

Fasten G24sS

Studer 5800 Mklll

Roland DM80 4 track system

Roland DM80 8 track system

Roland DM8OS Mac software

Akai ADAM digital recorder

Alesis adat 8 trackdigital

Alesis BRC remote

Lexicon LARC

(for 480L or 224)

Lexicon 480L

Lexicon 224x1

Lexicon PCM70

Eventide H3000 harmonizer

Roland RSS system

Maasenburg GML eq

AMS 1580S

Fostex 4050 auto locator

TAC matchless 32 frame

AMEX Mozart 56 frame,

supertrue automation

SSL 4000e 56 frame 48 mono

channels Producer desk

Soundtracs Jade 40 frame

36 inputs

Tel: +44(0)81 749 8222 Fax: +44(0)81 749 8767

7 Goldhawk Mews, London W12 8PA

................

CRYSTAL!

SET UP BY AN

ESTABLISHED COMPANY

TO MARKET A NEW

RANGE OF AFFORDABLE

PRODUCTS

CALL FOR FULL

WHY PAY MORE FOR DAIS?

DAT R48 - FROM £2.75 + VAT!

DAT R62 - FROM £2.75 + VAT!

DAT R92 FROM £3.30 + VAT!

DAT R122 - FROM £3.69 + VAT!

WE USE MAXELL TAPE

RECENTLY RATED FIRST IN A

NATIONAL SURVEY

TEL 0223 208937 FAX 0223 208937

NORTH ROAD WENDY ROYSTON HERTS SGS 0AB

MANUFACTURERS CLEARANCE SALE

We must sell a quantity of PLATINUM Level IV recording desks. Available

in 24 or 32 channel frames. 8 group, 24 track monitoring or as 12 group

monitor desks. Bar graphs on every channel and output. Fully Modular design,

excellent specs.

Prices start at under 13000. Phone for a brochure and price list.

is (0444) 400432. Trade enquiries and Expert sales welcome.

SOUNDTRACS;,

CUSTOMER SERVICE ENGINEER

Analogue and Digital Circuitry

Soundtracs in Surbiton require an experienced audio engineer with extensive knowledge

of analogue mixing consoles with digital control of analogue to liaise with customers over

technical queries both overseas and UK.

This vacancy will suit an engineer with a minimum of an HND qualification and over five

years practical experience. An intelligent and coherent telephone manner as well as an

exacting and detailed approach to analysing problems is vital. Knowledge of database,

spreadsheets, MS -DOS computer systems is also desirable for retrieving information.

Circuit knowledge to include discrete integrated circuits, CMOS, TTL microprocessors

and DSP is sought.

System knowledge to include interfacing consoles with the real world.

The position will entail some overseas travel.

The salary and benefits including a company related bonus scheme will be commensurate

with the responsibility of the position.

Please apply in writing to:

Simon Payne

Soundtracs PLC, 91 Ewell Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6AH

Telephone 081 -399 3392, Fax 081 -399 6821.

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

www.americanradiohistory.com

FOR SALE

Buying and Selling qt lality l )r( )iessic

equipment ti nut )t at I .t trot )e

nick ryan 23 +44 (0)892 861099 Fax +44 (0)892 863485

TONY LARKING

PROFESSIONAL SALES LIMITED

ENGLAND'S LARGEST STOCKIST OF

USED

PRO -AUDIO EQUIPMENT

For a complete new and used equipment list contact Tony Larking

Worldwide Delivery Service

Tel: +44 (0)462 480009 . Fax: +4 (0)462 480035

(Visitors strictly by appointment only)

R.N..y.,,anr.,

tony larking professional salesT

F;liclYrfy4PFS

EAST MIDLANDS AUDIO

STUDER -REVOX

NEW AND USED SALES

SERVICE - SPARES

APPROVED CONVERSIONS

STUDER A62 B62 SPARES

STUDER A80 24-TRACK £500.00

STUDER A80 16-TRACK £6000.00

STUDER A80 2-TRACK £1200.00

STUDER A810 4-SPEED £4000.00

STUDER A812 4-SPEED £7500.00

STUDER B67 PORTABLE VU £1400.00

STUDER B67 Mk II £1000.00

STUDER C37 STEREO VALVE £1000.00

STUDER A725 CD PLAYER £650.00

STUDER B62, TROLLY £600.00

REVOX PR99 £1200.00

REVOX B77 Mk II £1600.00

REVOX A700 3-SPEED £800.00

STUDER A80 8-TRACK £1500.00

REVOX C221 PRO CD £1200.00

REVOX B126 CD PLAYER £650.00

REVOX A77 HS £600.00

REVOX C279 WITH EXP £1400.00

REVOX PR99 Mk III £2868.00

REVOX B77 £2100.00

STUDER D730 PRO CD £2265.00

STUDER D740 CD R £3600.00

REVOX MB16 £7500.00

REVOX PR99 BROADCAST £1800.00

ALL PLUS V.A.T.

TEL: 0246 275479

FAX: 0246 550421

71talee e wea cea, ...

Soun

Recording

TECHNOLOGY

DIRECT

COMPACT DISCS

FULL MASTERING

LATEST 32 -BIT DSP

SUPER BIT MAPPING

20 BIT DIGITAL RECORDING STUDIO

20 BIT EDITING

SOUND RESTORATION, 0E -CLICK etc

COPY MASTERS

DIGITALLY DUPLICATED

CASSETTES

PRINT REPROGRAPHICS

MARKET LEADERS

a 081 446 3218 LONDON

s 0480 461880 CAMBRIDGE

SITS VAC

SALES ENGINEER

SCV Electronics manufacture and distribute

world -wide one of the most extensive ranges of

signal processing equipment for PA., contracting

and broadcast applications.

As part of a group owned by the largest

independent professional audio distributor in

Europe, we are fast expanding and are therefore

seeking an experienced sales professional l.o market

the line primarily in the UK.

The successful candidate will possess a sound

technical knowledge and initiative to develop our

contractor /installer market sector. The candidate

should also be able to assist with U.K. dealer sales

and seminars and our extensive world -wide

marketing plan.

Naturally, we offer a flexible and rewarding

remuneration package coupled with the

opportunity to be part of an exciting and

stimulating team.

Applications in writing including CV to the

Sales Director at:

ELECTRONICS

3A 6 24 Southgate Road, London NI 3J)

Fax: 071 -241 3644

www.americanradiohistory.com

A t the Annual General

Meeting of the Performing

Rights Society (PRS) in

September, John

Timperley asked a question that

seemed innocent enough at the time

but only later revealed its full

significance.

`What qualities does new Chief

Executive Ted McLean feel he brings

to the post ?'

Earlier PRS Chairman Wayne

Bickerton had told the PRS members

that McLean's appointment in April

had, `...set us on the road to efficient

and properly -tailored new

information systems, and to

management restructuring which will

contribute to a decrease in

administration costs.'

McLean told Timperley: He had

been responsible for the information

technology function in a large

company in the past.'

Just a month later, the PRS sent

out a letter to its members.

`Mr Edward McLean has offered his

resignation and it has been accepted

by your General Council...

Mr McLean was selected from

several appropriate candidates who

had been short- listed from a very

large number of applicants... the

appointment was made on the basis

of the information given to the

interview panel... certain

information, which has recently

come to light, was brought to the

attention of the General Council

and, after discussions, Mr McLean

decided to resign.'

For obvious reasons, the PRS are

saying no more, other than to explain

that Ted McLean had previously

worked for movie distributor UIP.

What the PRS will say, however, is

that they have now created and filled

a new position- Director of

Information Systems -and the PRS

are talking seriously with the MCPS

about some kind of a tie -up or merger

to cut administration costs. This

would bring Britain into line with

other European countries, like

Germany and Holland, where work

on the collection of royalties on

musical performances (done in the

UK by the PRS) and on collecting

royalties on recordings (the MCPS) is

handled by a single bureaucracy.

It is the infamous PROMS episode

that has concentrated the copyright

collectors' minds.

In 1988, the PRS decided to make

revolutionary, rather than

evolutionary, changes to the

computer system which kept track of

royalty collection and distribution.

74 Studio Sound, March 1994

Barry Fox

Last night of the PROMS: the

need for education on

information technology

The new system would be called the

Performing Rights On -line

Membership Service, or PROMS. The

plan was to get rid of the ICL

mainframe computer used by the

PRS, and replace it with a database

program run on a network of

personal computers. The PRS

earmarked £10m for the project,

which inflation pushed to £12m.

Hardware and software were bought

and project managers appointed.

Almost immediately things started to

go seriously wrong. The PRS had

grossly underestimated the difficulty

of automating a system which relied

so heavily on human beings helping

the computer.

As one insider astutely put it: The

human beings had been the chips.

They had been tying all the loose

ends together, and it was impossible

to create a single all- embracing

electronic system'.

In November 1992, the PRS froze

all further development of PROMS.

Ewen Fletcher was commissioned to

produce a report which was only ever

seen in full by the PRS Council.

A synopsis quite bluntly told the PRS

that PROMS would never work

-however much money was thrown

at it. The report also recommended

that the PRS create a new post,

Director of Information Systems. The

new Director is John Rathbone, who

was working in the role as consultant

before he got the permanent job.

PROMS was a complete failure.

The system never went on line. On

Rathbone's advice, the PRS have

now scrapped the idea of revolution

and gone back to evolution of the

ICL mainframe. In all, the PRS

spent £11m of the budgeted £10m,

but reckons that only (!) £8m of this

was a complete write -off, because

£3m was spent on hardware,

software and training.

Although the PRS and MCPS had

been talking for years about a

possible liaison, the watershed was

the anger of PRS members who saw

their royalties squandered on the

PROMS debacle. The two industry

bodies are now committed to joint

working within five years, probably

far sooner. The PRS accept that

UK. Already royalty information is

going into the MCPS computer, and

from there being relayed

electronically to the PRS.

If the PRS had known a bit more

about IT in the first place, they would

surely have seen the need for an IT

Director to pull the PROMS project

together, warn of the risks and

perhaps warn against even trying to

replace the human element. Or the

PRS could simply have talked to

Brian Eno.

Eno started out playing with

flamboyant 1970s rock art -group

Roxy Music, went on to earn himself

an enviable reputation as the

producer of records made by David

Bowie, Talking Heads and U2, and

makes his own `ambient' music as

well. He spends his life working -in

part -with computer -controlled

synths, such that the pop music press

dubbed him `Professor Eno'. Recently

the University of Plymouth gave him

an Honourary Degree. -so Eno is now

a Doctor of Technology.

With the Professor's kind

permission I quote from a letter he

wrote to a friend after buying a new

computer and struggling with the

instruction manual.

`Welcome to your new computer.

We would like to thank you for

agreeing to sacrifice the best years of

your life trying to understand an

under -evolved technology. If you have

never used a computer before, then

this is a really bad time to start.

The first section of the manual

explains how to use the section of the

manual that explains how to use the

rest of the manual. Before you read

this section, please familiarise

yourself with the following section

which will make clear why the first

section was important. When you

have read the manual you will not be

able to understand your computer,

but you will be considerably older.

`Setting up your modem: Where

you will learn the difference between

application folders, modem startup

documents, SCSI disk mode and

autoremounting.

`If your modem will not work...

`Please consult Troubleshooting...

`Problem: Modem not working...

`You have run out of memory, or

acquired this product before its

design phase was completed, or the

salesperson who told you that the use

of the modem was straightforward

was a pathological liar.'

www.americanradiohistory.com

Out on Location

Superb audio performance

time after time.

Anyone involved in TV, radio or film

production will appreciate the value of rugged,

portable sound recording equipment built to

withstand the rigours of location shooting.

The LM I portable audio mixer is a product

of Soundcraft's specialist design and

manufacturing experience. It is

robust, compact and built to last,

with a range of features specifically

geared towards modern production.

Lml

Long life batteries sustain the LM l's

trouble -free repeatable performance in the

most inaccessible places.

Wide range input gain, switchable in 5dB

steps, coupled with low noise circuits

guarantees the best results in the

worst conditions.

The mono and stereo mic inputs both offer

3 -band equalization sections with

independent HP filters and 2 auxiliary sends

with master faders.

The mono, stereo and stereo line inputs are

all equipped with I00mm long -throw

conductive plastic faders.

Comprehensive M/S encoding and decoding

allows for input modules to be paired for

M/S working, then decoded for metering

and L -R monitoring.

For further information on the LM I , please

contact Soundcraft at the number below.

Soundcraft

HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES LIMITED, CRANBORNE HOUSE, CRANBORNE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE. POTTERS BAR,

HERTFORDSHIRE, EN6 3JN, ENGLAND. TEL. 0707 665000 FAX 0707 660482

f j A Harman international Company

www.americanradiohistory.com

The audio mastering revolution starts here.

Because now, Sony sets a new standard in audio mastering

to take you into the next century.

MSdisc.

For the first time, there's an audio mastering system that

incorporates the latest laser technology.

Now Sony is

setting a new

standard in

audio mastering.

It means a storage

medium on ready- formatted,

erasable magneto -optical

disc, providing random access

that's virtually instantaneous.

It means a pristine

recording surface, untouched by any part of the record /playback

mechanism.

And it means that a single unit for recording and simple

editing can be all you need. Compatibility with current and future

Sony editing systems is guaranteed.

The new PCM -9000 MSdisc recorder is exceptionally

compact, and because it has a modular design, you pay only for

the functions you need.

What's more, it offers 80

minutes of full 20-bit digital sound

quality today, with 24 -bit capability already built in for tomorrow.

Put it all together and one thing's clear.

Audio mastering will never be the same again.

SONY

Sony Broadcast T

International

SONY 1311oADCA57 I MINATIONAL, JAYS CLOSE. VUBIES. BASINGSTOKE. NAAPSNME, RG22 458. UNf1ED KINGDOM.

SIMPLY CALL US ON AMSTERDAM 020 6581911. BASINGSTOKE, UK 0256 483666. MIISSEIS 02- 7241711: COLONS 022159660; COPBINMGEN 042 995100; OIRVM 04 313472; 1E1.SRN 0 50291; 6TANMA 0212 224 5961,

US80I 01 837 2566, MADRD 091 536 5700: MAN 02 61838440. MOSCOW 095 253 2575 OSLO 02 2303530, PARE 014945 4000: RITE 06 549131: S1OCNNOEM 08 7950800. VFINA 0222 61050: ZIIRICII ISCHUMIEPO 01 733 3511:

EAST CENTRAL EUROPE. CIS, BALTIC STATES - US 2256 483294: MIME EAST/MORIN ARICA - GENEVA 022 7336350: AFRICA - UK 0256 483248. sorry ant MS6sp are traa2marks of the Sony Corpor000n. Japan.

www.americanradiohistory.com

Kappa 10926 Studio Sound 1994 03

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