SHOW REVIEW
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With a packed showfloor and a noticeable buzz around the Jacob Javits Center, the 135th AES Convention in New York was back to its best.
ANYONE WHO navigated the busy aisles of this year’s New York AES Convention won’t be surprised to learn that the show recorded a five-year attendance high with 18,453 registrants tallied, a 16 percent increase in registration since the last time the convention was in New York two years ago. “I can’t express how thrilled I am with our
convention this year,” stated Bob Moses, executive director of the AES. “Our organising committee really outdid themselves, with over 250 presentations from an astounding 682 leading researchers and practitioners in the field, many of them standing-room only. The convention floor was absolutely packed, and the only complaint I heard was that we ran out of programmes on the second day because so many people showed up.”
DRAWING CROWDS In terms of product launches, one of the highlights of the show had to be the latest from Rupert Neve Designs – the new Shelford Series, consisting of the 5052 Mic Pre/Inductor EQ and the updated 5051 Inductor EQ/Compressor. The Shelford 5052 echoes the 1073 feature set with a vertically-oriented mic pre, high pass filter, and three-band inductor EQ. It also incorporates modern capabilities like the variable Silk/Texture control from the Portico II Series and simultaneous pre/post ‘tape’ operation. It uses Class A, discrete, +/-24V topologies with custom-wound transformers and inductors. The 5051 features the same high voltage line driver and EQ topologies as the 5052, while also incorporating a linkable VCA compressor similar to that found in the Portico II Master Buss Processor. Garnering its own fair share of attention was the newly launched Neumann TLM 107 large-
16 November 2013
diaphragm mic. Wolfgang Fraissinet, president of
Neumann.Berlin, explains: “The TLM 107 is a modern, high-resolution sound transducer with excellent reproduction characteristics that enable it to capture the original sound without any coloration, thus ensuring unlimited design freedom in mixing and post production.” Neumann designed the TLM 107 so that, for the
first time, all of the microphone’s switch functions are controlled through a wear-resistant navigation switch. Along with a newly developed double diaphragm capsule inspired by the D-01, the TLM 107 features high impulse fidelity, making it particularly suitable for percussion and stringed instruments.
TAKING CONTROL The Friday of the show proved to be the big contender for new gear announcements led by API’s new analogue console, The Box, which features the same circuitry, performance and API sound as the company’s Vision, Legacy Plus, and 1608 consoles. Names and ‘Mixing in the Box’ branding aside,
The Box is perfectly suited for producers and home studios based around a digital workflow and handles all the functions needed for production not provided by most DAWs. “The Box offers an easy, turnkey solution for
recording and mixing,” said API president Larry Droppa. “It’s a great option for people who record a few channels at a time, but demand the warmth and punch that a large API console delivers. In addition to four inputs, full centre section control, and 16 channels of API’s famous summing, the icing on the cake is a classic API stereo compressor on the program bus.” Solid State Logic launched an updated version of its Matrix console in the Matrix2. After listening to
what a number of Matrix users wanted in a new version, SSL’s latest desk provides a collection of additional features including an upgrade to the console’s integrated software controlled patching of analogue channel inserts. Hardware device inserts can now be loaded directly from the console hardware controls, with a new interface that facilitates loading individual processors, A/B comparison of different processors, and building processor chains. Additionally, the A-FADA (Analogue Fader
Accesses DAW Automation) summing system used in Duality, AWS, and the new SSL Sigma rack has been introduced to enable the analogue faders of Matrix2 to be driven by automation data from a user’s DAW. While not exhibiting at the show, it has to be
mentioned that AMS Neve used the occasion of the convention to announce the new Neve Genesys Black, a digitally controlled analogue recording console that offers total
integration with the studio environment and digital audio workstations. Genesys Black features eight channels of mic/line preamps, 16-channel DAW/Tape monitoring;
Neumann’s new TLM 107
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