 | The 137th AES Convention, held Thursday, October 9, 2014, through Sunday, October 12, 2014, at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California was a huge success, garnering more attention and attendance than any West Coast AES convention in recent memory—and the statistics bear that out.
The annual convocation of all things pro audio garnered 15,403 registered attendees and 307 exhibitors/sponsors—numbers that helped AES137 surpass any West-Coast AES Convention in the last 10 years. At show close, AES reported a 28 percent increase in registration since the last time the convention was on the West Coast (133rd AES Convention in San Francisco in 2012).
While the convention attracted a record number of attendees, there was a lot going on at the four-day event for visitors to take in. AES Executive Director Robert Moses pointed out during the convention, "The standing-room-only crowd for Thursday's opening ceremonies and keynote, along with packed technical program sessions all day, were a predictor of the flood of attendees Friday as the exhibit floor opened, carrying on into today. The exhibitor aisles are crowded, the Project Studio Expo and Live Sound Expo Exhibits-Plus sessions are drawing attendees to their exhibits floor stages, and the technical program sessions are still packed. What's already been an awesome convention is up to full steam!"
That the aisles were packed was no secret; it took a while to get around through the crowds actually, but it was a welcome nuisance. Much as AES had finally come back to Los Angeles, in the larger picture, the AES Convention itself had come back, too. There were more exhibitors this year than in the 2013 New York edition-something that's never happened in the history of the Convention-and 11,806 people pre-registered for the four-day convocation. What makes that number particularly impressive is that it does not include the badges of exhibitors, manufacturer reps or the 130 student volunteers on-site. In fact, the final day of pre-registration set a West Coast single-day record with 1,327 people signing up for the Convention. That, in turn, made the 11,806 pre-reg the largest ever for an AES Convention on the West Coast.
It was an achievement that didn't go unnoticed. Kicking off his lunchtime keynote on the second day of the Convention, Recording Academy president/CEO Neil Portnow remarked, "Congratulations on the huge success of the AES Convention. Times haven't been so wonderful, so the fact that we are at the point with our economy and in general that you can have a record attendance for a convention like this is really great news."
The convention was a hit for attendees attending seminars, panels and workshops, eyeballing gear and catching up with the rest of the industry. Ken "Pooch" Van Druten, FOH engineer for Linkin Park, made a point of visiting the convention, even though he was in the middle of rehearsals for the Brazilian leg of the band's world tour: "Mainly I'm here to say hi to a bunch of friends and manufacturers that I work with and some of those guys that I don't get to see all the time. Also, keep my head in what's new and what's going.
While the onsite workshops, presentations, seminars, keynotes and more kept attendees enthralled, for those who had to stay home, the big news was inevitably the products that were released at the Convention. Here's a rundown of just a handful of the dozens of pro audio releases that came to light in Los Angeles this year.
AEA N8 PHANTOM-POWERED RIBBON MICROPHONE. A new addition to the NUVO Series, the N8 microphone is the result of the company aiming to create "the most open and natural sounding ribbon microphone ever made." The aluminum ribbon in the N8 is identical to the flagship R44 model in its dimensions and tuning, and the microphone is intended for drum overheads and rooms, strings, classical ensembles and orchestras.
ANTELOPE AUDIO SATORI ANALOG MONITORING AND SUMMING SYSTEM. Satori expands upon the design architecture of Eclipse 384—Antelope's AD/DA and monitoring controller. A relay-controlled stepped attenuator, numerous connectivity options and a selection of stereo effects such as mid-side monitoring are provided for this unit, which is intended for both commercial and project studios.
APOGEE ELECTRONICS ENSEMBLE 30X34 THUNDERBOLT 2 AUDIO INTERFACE. A 30x34 Thunderbolt 2 audio interface, Ensemble provides users with the ability to record, edit, mix and master audio and reportedly offers 1.1ms round-trip latency performance, as well as eight mic preamps featuring Apogee's Advanced Stepped Gain circuitry, front panel Guitar I/O and built-in talkback functionality.
AUDIO-TECHNICA AT5045 CARDIOID CONDENSER MICROPHONE. The hand-built AT5045 is a "stick-design," large-diaphragm electret side-address condenser instrument microphone with a cardioid polar pattern. Available separately or as stereo pairs (AT5045P), the mics feature a large diaphragm, fast transient response, low noise, the ability to handle high sound pressure levels (149 dB SPL), and a 141 dB dynamic range. The mic employs a large, rectangular element, created with an intent to improve transient response and increase response bandwidth. The two-micron-thick, vapor-deposited gold diaphragm has been aged, aiming to achieve optimum sonic characteristics.
AVID VENUE S3L-X. This compact live sound system is a scalable, Ethernet AVB-networked modular system that lets users mix and record live shows, providing 64-bit AAX DSP plug-in support, 16–64 mic pres, two-times more RAM than the original S3L, support for 64-bit AAX DSP plug-ins, plus open EUCON and Ethernet AVB network protocols.
JOECO BLACKBOX BBR1MP RECORDER. The 24-channel, stand-alone, live audio acquisition solution features 24 in-house developed microphone preamps, operating at up to 24-bit/96 kHz, integrated into the recorder's 1U housing. Connection options include individually switchable mic/line inputs, balanced outputs, video sync, timecode and word clock inputs. Installable Dante and MADI interface cards are also available as options.
CYMATIC AUDIO UTRACK 24 1U HARDWARE RECORDER/PLAYER/INTERFACE. Housed in a 19-inch format, the uTrack 24 records directly onto USB media plugged into the front panel, while a three-color LED displays the level of all channels. The unit features transport controls on the front panel, and can record 24 channels with a sampling rate of 48 kHz and up to 24 bits, or up to eight channels with a sampling rate of 96 kHz at 24 bits.
FAIRLIGHT QUANTUM.LIVE CONSOLE. The smallest console in Fairlight's Live digital audio mixing system line-up, Quantum.Live TT comes with faders accommodating 144 signal paths over 12 layers. It delivers tactile access and command over two monitor systems. A second TT frame can be added, increasing the system to 24 faders.
GENELEC 8351 ACOUSTICALLY COAXIAL COMPACT THREE-WAY STUDIO LOUDSPEAKER. Developed for near-field recording and mix environments, the 8351 has a compact footprint and is capable of delivering 110dB at 1 meter through Class D amplifiers for the bass (150 W) and midrange (120 W) drivers, while a discrete (90 W) Genelec-designed Class A/B amplifier applies power to the tweeter.
NEUMANN COLLECTORS EDITION U 47 FET MICROPHONE. Following the same design as the original mic from the 1970s, the U 47 fet is a condenser microphone with a cardioid directional characteristic and fet 80 circuit technology. The K 47 is a double large-diaphragm capsule with a slight boost in the range above 2 kHz. A switchable low-cut filter raises the lower cutoff frequency electronically from 40 Hz to 140 Hz.
NEVE GENESYS BLACK DIGITALLY-CONTROLLED ANALOG RECORDING CONSOLE. Genesys Black offers 8 channels of 1073 mic/line preamps; 16-channels DAW/Tape monitoring; hands-on DAW control; 8 channels of analogue 4-band EQ; 8 channels of analogue VCA dynamics and channel A/D/D/A conversion via MADI, AES and FireWire formats; a central touch screen, 8 auxiliary buses, 8 group buses, 2 main outputs, 4 effects returns and more.
PMC QB1-ACTIVE LARGE-SCALE ACTIVE REFERENCE MONITOR. A large-scale, ultra-high-resolution main studio monitor with analog and digital (up to 192kHz) inputs, each QB1-A incorporates the latest generation of PMC's driver designs, Class-D amplification, Advanced Transmission Line (ATL) bass-loading technology, DSP control, and a quartet of 10-inch carbon fiber/Nomex piston bass drivers.
PRESONUS STUDIOLIVE RM SERIES RACK-MOUNT DIGITAL MIXERS. Based on the StudioLive AI-series engine, both mixers offer 32 internal channels and 25 buses; a 52x34 FireWire 800 recording interface; 96 kHz operation; and signal processing. The RM16AI has locking XLR inputs with recallable XMAX Class A preamps and 8 XLR line outs, while the RM32AI offers 32 inputs with recallable XMAX preamps and 16 line outputs.
RADIAL J48 STEREO ACTIVE TWO-CHANNEL DIRECT BOX. The J48 Stereo is a stereo update of the long-running J48 DI. According to Radial, an internal switching power supply elevates the internal rail voltage for more headroom and less distortion, resulting in a wider frequency response, a higher output level over a passive DI and the elimination of having to deal with batteries going dead in the middle of a show.
SHURE PSM 300 STEREO PERSONAL MONITOR SYSTEM. Available in two versions, the entry-level edition provides coverage up to 300 feet, one-touch frequency scan and IR sync to find and assign a clean wireless channel, while the professional edition offers advanced features and a rugged, all-metal bodypack. MixMode technology enables users of all levels to create their own personal mix.
SOLID STATE LOGIC XL-DESK MID-SIZED ANALOG STUDIO CONSOLE. A mid-sized analog studio console intended for tracking or mixing within a DAW-oriented workspace that doesn't require integrated DAW control, the XL-Desk, arranged as a traditional 24 into 8 analogue console, features 40-plus inputs of SSL SuperAnalogue summing; an built-in 18-slot 500 format rack (with an SSL Stereo Bus Compressor pre-loaded) and more.
SOLID STATE LOGIC LIVE.L300 DIGITAL LIVE SOUND CONSOLE. A more compact version of the original L500 live desk, the L300 delivers power and connectivity to handle large scale productions with up to 568 input/outputs, 128 mix paths (96 fully processed, 32 dry), a 32 x 36 matrix, 36 VCAs, and 48 FX slots. It is intended for use in Touring, Installation, Houses Of Worship and Theatre.
SOUNDTOYS 5 EFFECTS PLUG-IN COLLECTION. Soundtoys 5 includes all Soundtoys effects plug-ins in one package and adds the new Soundtoys Effect Rack, PrimalTap retro delay plug-in, and a new "dongle-free" licensing option. Effect Rack integrates all 12 Soundtoys effects into a single plug-in—a full modular effects system that simplifies the processes to create, audition, save and recall combinations of Soundtoys effects.
STUDER VISTA V DIGITAL CONSOLE. The Vista V features a built-in meter bridge, motorized faders, and a built-in Dynamic Automation system with DAW remote control. The console is fully surround-sound capable, with panning and monitoring functionality. It features the Infinity Core, which uses CPU-based processors to deliver 800-plus audio channels, and more than 5,000 inputs and outputs.
TELEFUNKEN M60 FET SMALL DIAPHRAGM CONDENSER MICROPHONE. The company's first non-vacuum tube, FET-based condenser mic, the M60 sports a unique proprietary circuit topology; components hand-plugged into gold-plated circuit board traces; a frequency response of +/- 2 dB from 20 Hz to 50 kHz; and a custom American-made transformer that offers low self-noise and a typical THD+N of 0.0015 percent or better.
UNIVERSAL AUDIO UAD-2 SATELLITE THUNDERBOLT DSP ACCELERATORS. UA reports the units will let users "supercharge" systems and run larger mixes filled with DSP-intensive plug-ins. Available in QUAD or OCTO models with a choice of four or eight SHARC processors, the Accelerators can also be integrated alongside UAD-2 PCIe cards and Thunderbolt-enabled Apollo interfaces, including Apollo Twin, Apollo, and Apollo 16.
YAMAHA CL/QL V3 CONSOLE SOFTWARE UPDATE. Yamaha announced its CL and QL Digital Audio Consoles will get V3.0 updates available in early 2015, focusing largely on broadcast applications and live sound uses. Broadcast engineers will get new features such as 5.1 panning and monitoring for surround. For live sound applications, V3.0 will include a new 8-band parametric EQ and real time analyzer, among other new features. |
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