LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MAY 2010: TransAudio Group, the U.S. distributor for TRUE Systems is now shipping the PT2-500 mic pre and DI. TRUE Systems continues its contortionist legacy of packing immense-sounding microphone preamplification into tiny spaces. Descendant of the TRUE Systems Precision 8, which squeezes eight audiophile-grade preamps into a single rack space, the PT2-500 conforms to the modular 500 Series format. Like all the other preamps in the TRUE Systems family, the PT2-500 delivers stunning detail, rich analog depth, and a robust, reliable design. But the PT2-500 is 500 module sized, for audio professionals who want everything in a rack ready to use, over and over again, without buying additional power supplies and multiple racks.

The PT2-500 features up to 70 dB of high-headroom, low-noise microphone gain. An exceptionally high-quality direct input (DI) calms edgy piezos and provides a THRU jack for amping or effects. Switchable phantom power, 80 Hz high pass filter, and polarity reverse give the unit appropriate flexibility, even in its tiny, 500 Series space. Like all TRUE Systems preamps, the PT2-500 boasts a frequency response that reads like a misprint, 1.5 Hz to 600 kHz (-3 dB), ensuring that the audible and usable ultrasonic ranges are well within its linear response. more

GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA – APRIL 2010: Danley Sound Labs, a manufacturer of innovative loudspeakers and subwoofers of uncommon fidelity, SPL, and directivity, announces the introduction of two new molded horn loudspeakers – the SM-60M and SM-60F – at InfoComm 2010. Both units feature Tom Danley’s patent-pending synergy horn technology. The SM-60F delivers full-range content, whereas the SM-60M delivers mid- and high-frequency content only. The units are similar in spirit to Danley’s flagship SH-50 full-range loudspeaker, but use fewer drivers and are constructed of molded plastic, making the stock units completely weatherproof (other Danley loudspeakers and subwoofers can be special ordered with weatherproofing at additional cost). Danley has priced the SM-60M and SM-60F to compete favorably with competitive molded horns, even though the Danley designs offer dramatically greater fidelity and directivity. more

GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA – MAY 2010: Danley Sound Labs, a manufacturer of sound reinforcement’s most innovative products, is introducing the TH-118 at InfoComm 2010. The unit joins Danley’s family of patent-pending tapped horn subwoofers, delivering uniquely flat, low, and powerful bass from relatively lightweight, compact enclosures. The TH-118 modifies Danley’s popular TH-115 subwoofer with an 18-inch driver that adds even greater output to a format that is already famous for generating big sound from a little package. This is an ideal solution for sound reinforcement or fixed installation for corporate A/V, clubs, ballrooms, theaters, performing arts centers, houses of worship and more. more

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 2010: Almost two years after John McBride’s Blackbird Studio in Nashville purchased 1608 serial number 001, API president Larry Droppa recently traveled to Los Angeles to congratulate film and television composer William Anderson on his purchase of the 100th API 1608 console. Built to the exacting standards of API’s revered 1604 console, the 1608 puts API’s coveted sound and discrete analog circuitry into a modern mixer that is perfectly suited to work with digital recording platforms, at a price that is within reach for project studio owners.

Anderson, owner of Anderson Scores, is a full-time film and television composer with over two hundred projects to his name, including nearly one thousand episodes of animated programming. His music can be heard on commercials, comedies, dramas, features, games, radio and CD. He was honored at the 2009 ASCAP 25th Annual Film and Television Awards for his theme and music for Fox’s The Moment of Truth. He will use his API 1608 together with Pro Tools to both track and mix a wide spectrum of genres, from orchestral music to hip-hop to oblique electronic etudes. more

Pointe Claire, Quebec, Canada, May 2010: This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the introduction of the classic Sennheiser MD 421-U large diaphragm, cardioid, dynamic microphone. The venerable MD 421, which is still in production as the MD 421 II, has been one of Sennheiser’s best-selling dynamic microphones for decades thanks to its durability, versatility, and ability to handle high sound pressure levels. Offering exemplary performance on voices, but equally effective on a wide range of acoustic and amplified instruments, the MD 421 continues to be an essential component of any microphone collection in the studio or on the road.

The MD 421 has been improved over the years with upgrades to the housing, output connector, basket, and capsule assembly. A limited-production MD 421 Special Edition that recaptured the full-bodied performance of the microphone’s original design was introduced in 2003 to commemorate the 90th birthday of Sennheiser founder, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Fritz Sennheiser. The MD 421 II continues the tradition of the MD 421 while upgrading the original design in order to take advantage of improved production techniques and materials. more

HOPEWELL JUNCTION, NEW YORK – APRIL 2010: Metric Halo announced the immediate availability of version 5.3 of MIO Console, Mobile I/O CoreAudio driver and Mobile I/O Firmware. The new version is available as a FREE update, and applies to all Metric Halo FireWire audio devices including the 2882, ULN-2, ULN-8 and the recently introduced LIO-8 multichannel A/D/A converter. more

BANGOR, MAINE – MARCH 2010: Graduates from the New England School of Communications (NESCOM) are highly sought-after in the pro audio trades for their balanced appreciation of theory, application, and technique. One of the ways NESCOM keeps current is by replacing one of the consoles in its seven fully-appointed control rooms every year, as well as by providing regular upgrades to its remote truck and its 500-seat theater complex. Last year’s pick was a 32-channel API 1608 with a 16-channel expander. The overwhelming enthusiasm for the 1608 contributed to this year’s decision. NESCOM will replace a control surface in one of its surround rooms – Studio D – with a 48-channel API Vision surround production console, providing a superb front-end and mixing environment that ably handles stereo and surround simultaneously with an intuitive and instructive topology.

“There are a variety of schools of thought about whether it is better to mix ‘in the box’ or ‘out of the box’,” said Dave MacLaughlin, executive director of audio for NESCOM. “There are even regional variations. Nashville engineers, for example, tend to treat their DAWs like tape recorders, relying on external gear and summing to complete their mixes. Of course, we think students need experience with both approaches, but we already have control surfaces in a few of our other rooms. For Studio D, we wanted to give students more experience recording on a high-end console and then mixing back through that same console.” more

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 2010: For decades, German sport on television has been associated with one program above all others – Sportschau, the weekend sports roundup produced by West German Broadcasting (Westdeutsche Rundfunk, or WDR) and broadcast on the main German public-service terrestrial channel ARD. As the Winter Olympics opened in Vancouver and German public-service TV channels began their long-planned transition to high-definition broadcasting, the much-loved Sportschau moved to a new timeslot on Saturday nights, and, from February 13, 2010, began transmission in high-definition with 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound.

WDR needed to ensure that the whole of Sportschau could be broadcast with a 5.1 surround soundtrack every week, even when older or archive material with a stereo soundtrack was due to be included – a considerable technical challenge. Many viewers find it jarring when a stereo segment is broadcast in the midst of a modern high-definition transmission which otherwise features a full 5.1 soundtrack. The stereo parts seem extremely ‘flat’ by comparison. After an intense period of testing various ways of up-mixing stereo to surround, WDR turned to UK manufacturer SoundField and acquired one of its UPM-1 Stereo-to-5.1 processors to handle the job. more

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 2010: TransAudio Group, the worldwide distributor of Daking gear has announced a limited time rebate offer effective February 8, 2010 through April 8, 2010. This offer, of up to $100 off, is valid on select Daking high-end analog signal processors purchased from authorized U.S. resellers. There has never been a better time to upgrade your signal path with the unmistakable fidelity of Geoff Daking’s inventions, designed and manufactured in the tradition of the great analog console manufacturers like Trident, Neve and API. Together with Daking’s surprisingly reasonable price tag and excellent product support, there is no better value in the high-end pro audio industry today. more

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JANUARY 2010: Symetrix, a leading provider of audio processing solutions for the commercial, broadcast, and pro audio markets, announces the availability of the AirTools Multiband Processor 2m, which marshals the power and innovation of the company’s DSP solutions to meet the very specific needs of broadcast professionals. The inclusion and easy configuration of every necessary DSP module optimizes broadcast audio for dramatic improvements in tone, intelligibility, and intensity. The Multiband Processor 2m hardware implementation is robust, allowing for multiple audio connections across all of the most widely-used interconnect protocols, with minimum latency, wide dynamic range, and extremely low distortion.

Easily-configurable floating-point DSP modules include: programmable filters, phase rotator, de-esser, downward expander, broadband automatic gain control (AGC), eight-band parametric equalizer, four-way programmable crossover, four-band multiband compressor and limiter, stereo image enhancer, acoustic environment simulator, clipper, and alignment delay, among others. Inputs and outputs consist of dual-balanced analog lines or AES3 digital lines configurable for stereo, mono, MS encode, or MS decode operating modes. Word clock input, Ethernet, RS-485, and user-configurable audio input failover complete the back panel array. more