Telefunken Elektroakustik has announced four new DI boxes, including mono and dual models of both active FET and passive designs.

The Telefunken TDA-1 (mono) and TDA-2 (dual) are newly designed active FET direct injection (DI) boxes that employ discrete class-A FET circuitry coupled with a high-quality transformer to balance between clean, high headroom performance and ‘warm, saturated’ tone. The Telefunken TD-1 (mono) and TD-2 (dual) are passive transformer designs that combine premium-quality components with a rugged construction to create a reliable DI with character.

AT the heart of each new DI box design are custom-wound output transformers by OEP/Carnhill, made in the UK. The circuit boards feature gold-plated traces for conductivity and are hand-assembled exclusively with through-hole components providing a secure and reliable connection compared to common surface-mount technology.

The circuits are housed in an extremely durable extruded aluminium enclosure with recessed heavy-duty metal toggle switches to engage a -15dB pad and ground lift. The rugged construction is virtually indestructible, able to easily withstand the wear and tear of gigging.

More: www.telefunken-elektroakustik.com

The Anexe Studio is the realisation of Steve and Lindsey Trougton’s long-held ambition to own and operate their own commercial recording studio. Located on Exeter in the UK, the studio is a new ground-up facility built around an SSL AWS 948 DAW control/mixing set-up.

Returning from a spell in New York (where they went in 2011 to study sound recording after a dramatic change in careers), the pair saw opportunity in the region’s growing cultural credentials: ‘It’s an up-and-coming city with a vibrant music and arts scene,’ explains Lindsey. ‘There’s a lot of investment and growth, so we thought it would be an exciting place to build our studio and our home.

Both come from musical backgrounds – Steve is a trumpet player, bass guitarist and vocalist who has been in many bands from the age of 12. Lindsey is a vocalist, who has trained in stage performance and spent a lot of time in recording studios over the years as a session singer and vocal director.

‘There’s no direct competition for us here, which we thought was quite exciting,’ Lindsey continues. ‘We’re only a two-hour train journey from London, and we have a local airport with regular flights to and from Europe.’

Steve and Lindsey were keen not to build themselves into a corner where the range of potential customers was concerned, so the facility and the technology had to be flexible. They decided that the SSL AWS 948 could draw a wide crowd. ‘To have 48 channels in such a small footprint is a massive selling point,’ says Steve.

The AWS console uses an innovative dual path channel design to fit 48 channels into a 24-channel frame, and offers three versatile operating modes, selectable per channel. ‘It’s got four-band EQ on every channel, selectable between E and G-Series, and SSL dynamics, and of course the Master Bus Compressor from the G-Series console,’ Steve enthuses.

The hybrid nature of the AWS is another aspect that Steve and Lindsey find suits their purposes well. The console’s Focus button selects Analogue and DAW Focus modes, allowing fast switching between an analogue and DAW operator focus, with reassigned meter, fader, Select switch and V-Pots. ‘Even when we’re tracking, we’re on that Focus button doing the rough mix,’ explains Steve. ‘Which is pretty much ready to go when the band has finished a take. That workflow is incredible.’

The Anexe Studio was built from scratch, starting with a 2.6m hole so the building could partially submerged into the landscape, giving them 4m-high ceilings in the live room without imposing on the local skyline.

UK studio design and installation specialist, Studio Creations, came up with the architectural, acoustic, and technical plans for The Anexe Studio, and completed the construction, internal finishes and technical installation. Studio Creations Director Mark Russell appreciates Steve and Lindsey’s vision for the studio: ‘The flow of the place, the vibe, everything is high quality,’ he says. ‘They have a fantastic eye for style and were very clear on their preferences. It’s not a typical or ordinary studio. There’s a great mixture of materials used inside, including the cedar panelling taken from the original building, the New York-inspired brick work, fabric panels… Lots of things.’

To help with the design process, the Studio Creations service includes 3D renderings of the designs plus an innovative ‘auralisation’ demo, which allows clients to assess different levels of sound proofing and isolation before committing to anything – and to satisfy any planning concerns.

Inside, the studio consists of a control room, a main live room with three isolation booths and a recreational room with kitchen facilities. Detail is everything, and there’s independent air conditioning in every space, plenty of parking and a ramp to the studio for easy load-in. Even the bathroom sink is special – a one-off moulded concrete basin created from the body of one of Steve’s Telecasters.

The new studio has been put through its paces by a stream of local acts: ‘We’re getting to know our space at the moment,’ says Lindsey. ‘It’s been a learning experience for us and we’ve had some great feedback.

‘Bands love the fact that they can record live. The local laptop studios have their place, but there’s no substitute for a dedicated live space and great equipment. Everybody knows the SSL name, though of course not all bands have experienced an SSL. They all love the look of the AWS 948, but they especially love the sound.

The XpoNorth music, arts and media conference will also provide the setting for a panel hosted by the Music Producers Guild, featuring four of the UK’s top music producers.

Entitled The Art of Making Records, the panel will focus on the creativity and skill that goes into making a record. The event (which is free of charge) will include producer and MPG Award winner John Leckie (Radiohead, The Coral, Muse), Cam Blackwood (George Ezra, London Grammar, Florence and the Machine) and Dave Bascombe (Tears For Fears, Echo and the Bunnymen, Peter Gabriel). They will be joined by Brett Cox, winner of the MPG’s Breakthrough Engineer of the Year Award for 2016, and by MPG Executive Director Andrew Hunt who will host the discussion.

‘There’s plenty of focus on the healthy revenue that still exists for artists playing live,’ says Hunt. ‘Regardless of whether or not this is true, we believe that the process of making a record should be acknowledged because it is an art form in its own right. As an organisation that represents the interests of recording professionals, we feel this should be celebrated and championed. To quote Edgar Degas, “art is not what you see, but what you make others see”, or as Sir George Martin has it, “the recording is not what one hears, but what one must make others hear”.’

Devoted to boosting creative careers in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and beyond, XpoNorth includes daytime panels, workshops and showcasing opportunities for artists and bands from all over Europe.

‘We will have a stand in the main exhibition hall where attendees can meet our panellists, all of whom are Full Members of the MPG,’ says MPG Executive Director Mick Glossop, who will also be attending XpoNorth. ‘We are also planning a social event in Glasgow after XpoNorth, which will be open to all artists, labels, managers and of course producers and engineers. We look forward to seeing our Scottish colleagues there.’

The Art of Making Recordstakes place at 3pm on 9 June on the UHI Stage at The One Touch Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness. The Glasgow social event will take place at 6pm on 10 June at the Centre for Contemporary Arts.

More: www.mpg.org.uk

Under siege from home recording equipment on one front and new music distribution models on another, as well as being eclipsed by the world of gaming, the wider music business has been forced into increasingly desperate attempts to re-evaluate and reinvent itself.

The latest of these is to turn the recording of music itself into an arts project. Can we make the recording studio a show?

Sheffield’s Foundry Studio is the home of the first and only 72-channel Audient ASP8024 mixing console to be built – effectively the largest Audient desk in the world.

The official relaunch of The Foundry Studio makes its1,000-sq-ft live room one of the largest outside of London. ‘With the new console, we can facilitate larger ensembles such as brass bands, choirs and full orchestras, all of which require a significant number of channels,’ explains songwriter and producer Sam Craggs, who is one of the facility’s co-owners.

The Townsend Labs Sphere L22 microphone system models the characteristics of sought-after large-diaphragm condenser microphone classics, and allows selection of different mic characteristics and patterns after tracking. Models include the Nuemann U47 (with VF14 tube), U67 and M49, and AKG C12.

The Sphere system comprises a high-precision, dual-channel microphone which, when paired with the Sphere DSP plug-in (UAD, VST, AU, AAX Native), models the response of a wide range of mics, including transient response, harmonics, proximity effect and three-dimensional polar response. Sphere’s three-dimensional approach captures the spatial nuances, proximity effect and off-axis frequency response of a wide range of microphones.

The Sphere system employs the custom designed, high-resolution, dual-channel L22 large-diaphragm condenser microphone, which captures a three-dimensional soundfield in detail. Using Dual Mode in the Sphere plug-in, it is possible to do phase coherent mixing of multiple virtual mic models from the same physical microphone before or after, tracking. It is also possible to adjust the relative phase alignment of the two mics with the Align control.

The system also eliminates need to move a microphone solely because of too little or too much bass due to proximity effect, allowing it to be used for punching in a vocal, even if the distance from the mic is different from take-to-take.

More: http://townsendlabs.com

For some of us who grew up with the rigours of analogue tape multitracking, the term ‘infinite tracks’ has never really lost its shock value.

From a time when tracks were among studio recording’s most valuable resources – and played a quantifiable part in determining the recording process both practically and musically – they’ve become a cheap digital commodity. We think we want more of them.. but we may be a whole lot better off with far fewer.

The Tree Audio Branch II is an all-valve channel strip based on the company’s Roots mixing console.

Building on the success of its predecessor, the Tree Audio Branch II features the same audio path as the original Branch channel strip, and adds new features based on customer feedback. Additions in the preamp section include a new variable gain select control as well as an input impedance selector ranging from 37.5Ω to 600Ω and a high-pass filter with selectable frequencies ranging from 80Hz to 250Hz.

The two-band EQ is the same as found on the Roots console offering ±6dB of gain and selectable LF and HF frequencies carefully chosen to add depth and presence without ever sounding harsh.

The limiter employed uses the same circuit design found on the Inward Connection TSL-4 limiter, and is easily activated with the gain reduction knob. A 250Hz sidechain high-pass filter is included.

• Same sound and circuitry as the Roots console.
• Mic pre/line input/direct input (instrument in).
• EQ and limiter.
• Direct Input.
• 80Hz, 125Hz, 250Hz Hi-pass filter.
• Variable gain select.
• Input Impedance Select: 37.5Ω, 150Ω, 600Ω.
• EQ Lo level 50Hz, 80Hz, 100Hz, 400Hz.
• EQ Hi level 7kHz, 10kHz, 12kHz, 16kHz.
• Limiter (Out, In, HPF) 250Hz.
• Gain reduction level (limiter).
• Meter select (Input, Gain Reduction, Output).
• Vaccuum tube (valve) and linear regulated PSU.

Tree Audio Branch II is available the UK and Germany via KMR Audio at £2,340 inc VAT (£1,950 ex VAT).

The UK’s Middlesbrough College has claimed its place as having the largest collection of Audient iD14s interfaces in one education facility – 54 of them shared across three Music Labs.

‘The iD14s offer seamless audio experience between both our PCs and iMacs.’ Says technician and lecturer, Jamie Donnelly. ‘Also, 16 out of the 24 available channels in four out of our five control rooms are Audient [ASP800] desks, taking us up to 64 channels of Audient preamps.’

With each iD14 offering two channels of Audient-designed console mic preamps and Burr-Brown conversion, Donnelly is impressed: ‘They’re used in every module of the course that requires audio,’ he confirms. ‘Students think they’re great – indeed there are a number of students who’ve purchased their own.

‘They just sound great,’ Donnelly continues. ‘I compared one to a dual-channel mic preamp costing in excess of £1,500. Given the choice between the two, I’d take eight channels of Audient over the two channels offered in the expensive preamp. The Audient held up sound wise, and is easily more bang for buck.

‘A favourite feature of the iD14 has to be the big knob,’ he adds. ‘It’s nice to know there’s a sturdy knob for controlling the output as opposed to the finicky ones found on other units.’

The same knob can also be switched into Audient’s ScrollControl mode, which turns it into a virtual scroll wheel for control of host DAWs and plug-in parameters.

With places limited to around 30 seats per year, Middlesbrough College’s BSc (Hons) Music Technology degree course (accredited by Teesside University) is in the strong position of having more UCAS applicants than places available. Successful applicants are chosen on the basis to their performance at interview, at which they get the opportunity to visit the facilities.

‘Having top-quality, reliable audio heavy-hitters as part of our audio infrastructure is key to being a successful, worthwhile course, and Audient is without doubt part of that picture,’ Donnelly opines.

More: https://audient.com

A long-term user of Merging Technologies’ Pyramix audio workstation, United – based in the Muziekpaviljoen building at Hilversum Media Park in the Netherlands has been using the system to record a multitude of live and sports events, as well as concerts by André Rieu.

As a leading TV postproduction facility, audio quality is an overriding priority for United, prompting its team to investigate the hybrid scenario offered by pairing an AMS Neve Genesys Black console/control surface with the Pyramix – and so combining high-quality analogue circuitry with control of the DAW. As a direct result of this sale, engineers from Merging and AMS Neve are making significant improvements to the functionality of the controller, to be made available in coming firmware.

‘Reverting’ to analogue might seem a retrograde step against the prevailing uptake of digital audio working, but the United specialists are so passionate about their profession that they feel digital audio isn’t quite good enough in every situation…

‘Where picture is concerned, everything related to television now takes place in the digital domain.’ Rob van Schoonderwalt, United’s Head of Audio explains; ‘However, for audio editing, analogue remains a popular choice and, in our opinion, the difference with digital audio is clearly audible. High-quality analogue editing adds an extra dimension to sound, making it just a little more saturated and warmer. We also chose this audio mixer so that anyone interested can be offered the opportunity to work on it. For those content with their existing level of production, the Neve Genesys Black hybrid mixer won’t change anything. However, those with an above-average interest in sound can now access the next level. The analogue option can be used at the discretion of our customers and technicians. We have the best AD/DA conversion available in house, so quality is uncompromised.’

It was also highly beneficial that Merging Technologies and AMS Neve share a local sales representative in Maarten’s Sound & Vision. Sales Director, Jasper van Eif commented, ‘United is a highly valued client of ours and we were happy to assist in establishing a really world class facility. It is a great solution; two really top quality manufacturers working in an elegant fashion.’

Founded in 1957 by recording engineer, studio designer and electronics innovator Bill Putnam, mastering has returned to LA’s United Recording.

A key element of the studio’s heritage, the launch of a new mastering division was announced by Studio Manager Robin Goodchild. ‘Mastering was always a key aspect of Bill’s predominance in the recording studio world,’ Goodchild confirms. ‘We are simply bringing it back as a convenience to our clients, but also as a reimagined service operating in today’s internet world market.’

The Mini-Rock 2 is the smallest model in Unity Audio’s professional active monitor range.

Measuring 279mm high, 184mm wide, 256mm deep, the shares the same 50kHz folded ribbon tweeter that is used in the larger Rock and the three-way Boulder, but has a new crystal membrane woofer measuring 150mm. The cabinet retains the same trademark sealed design of all models in the Unity Audio range but is the first monitor (with the exception of the Avalanche subwoofer) to use a split dual-chamber cabinet with an Aperiodic Vent. This delivers the benefits of a sealed cabinet – such as zero port noise and tight fast accurate bass reproduction – and significantly increases the bass response available from a smaller cabinet design.

The speaker’s crystal-shaped inverse aluminium dome is joined to a paper cone in a special gluing process to result in the desired sandwich construction. The crystal cone aluminium-foil stamping stiffens the dome, diminishing resonances and minimising colouration, while improving power handling and dynamics. The voice coil design of the woofer results in an expanded range of the respective drivers by nearly an octave. The Mini-Rock also uses two 180W class-D amplifiers one per drive unit, which also includes DC protection.

‘It sounds way bigger then it looks,’ says Unity Audio MD, Kevin Walker. ‘It’s totally balanced in an un-hyped way. A custom input/crossover has been designed providing a rear panel volume control. The class-D power supply provides switchable 115V-230V operation. The stereo imaging, staging and placement are outstanding, with 3D like quality to the ambience and reverb tails.’

The Mini-Rock cabinet also has mounting points for third party yokes and brackets for the installation market.

More: www.unityaudioproducts.co.uk

Vintage Studio Bangkok has become a new distributor of SSL’s retail products in Thailand, including XL Desk, Matrix², Nucleus², analogue rack products and software.

Teerawat ‘Bill’ Puengrusme is the co-owner of the business – already a popular working recording facility and a convenient location for demos and promotional events. Puengrusme is confident that he can build SSL’s presence in the country: ‘Thai people often say they want the Western Sound,’ he says. ‘They want their productions to be clear and “big”. They want recordings to match up to the instruments and voices that they bring to the live room; and they want their studio tools to give them creative options. SSL SuperAnalogue technology can give them that.

‘It’s not just limited to the biggest studios – all studios can benefit from SSL. There are products to fit most rooms and budgets.’

Puengrusme’s passion for the studio began while recording with his university band in 1999. This turned into profession and in 2003 – along with his brother, Birth, and sister, Belle, he opened Vintage Studio. ‘Our slogan is “Better Sound”,’ says Puengrusme. ‘The goal is for our studio to be better today than yesterday, and to have a plan for it to be even better tomorrow.’

The studio now has three recording spaces, a large team of engineers and support staff, and is currently developing an educational programme with several universities. Rates at the studio are purposefully low to make it more accessible to young, up-and-coming artists. Puengrusme is certain that the addition of SSL to his business will be a perfect fit.

‘I love the SSL philosophy,’ he explains. ‘It’s about great equipment and great support... it’s legendary.’

While cylinders for Edison’s phonograph were the world’s first consumer music format in the late 1880s, the first music chart preceded them by around 50 years. Having originally represented sheet music sales, the music charts have tracked delivery formats through vinyl, cassette and CD to digital downloads.

Now, with music sales in a downward spiral, the UK’s first weekly vinyl chart has been launched.

With its official opening set for 19 September, The Visconti Studio is set to take its place on the Kingston University London campus.

Set up in partnership between the university and record producer Tony Visconti, The Visconti Studio is part of a research and teaching project centred around the heritage of technology, associated practices and the sound of analogue recording. The project will allow students training in recording techniques, as well as the use and maintenance of equipment.

It will be based around a 300m² octagonal live room and stocked with vintage and rare recording equipment – some from Studer, Neve, Neumann and Universal Audio. The tape-based facility will also feature a collection of instruments including a Mellotron, a Hammond organ and Steinway concert grand piano.

Other partners on this project include the British Library and the London Science Museum. Tony Visconti will be a key contributor to the project's research and enterprise outputs. The project will see him working with students and staff of Kingston University, as well as invited artists, to produce records. The studio will also be available for commercial hire.

‘It’s for real. It will open in September,’ Visconti promises on his Facebook page.

More: http://visconti-studio.com

The Waves Abbey Road Vinyl Plugin reckons to be a precise model of Abbey Road Studios’ vinyl cutting and playback gear, ‘designed to give your music the vintage warmth of vinyl records played on classic turntables and needles’.

Designed in collaboration Abbey Road Studios, the plug-in captures each stage of the vinyl production and playback process, allowing choice of the sound of a pure acetate (lacquer) cut or the print master vinyl pressing from the factory as well as ‘playing’ the records on two distinct turntable types with a choice of three cartridges. The audio can also be processed by a model of Abbey Road’s TG12410 mastering console on the path into the vinyl lathe.

Abbey Road Vinyl can also mimic the position of the tone arm as it tracks across the record, changing the frequency response and distortion artefacts. Vinyl noise, pops and crackles can be applied, and there is a gradual slow-down/stop turntable effect, and wow and flutter effects cann be used for ‘analogue warmth’.

‘One of the really amazing things about this plug-in is that it allows you to experiment with the vinyl sound in ways and situations that just wouldn’t be practical in the real world,’ says Abbey Road Head of Audio Products, Mirek Stiles. ‘This is a really authentic plug-in of the vinyl sound, which no one has done before. The sound that’s been captured with this plu-gin, and the work that Waves has done, is absolutely amazing.’

‘This is the true sound of vinyl cutting at Abbey Road, adds Geoff Pesche, Vinyl Mastering and Cutting Engineer at Abbey Road Studios. ‘The noise, the clicks, the bumps, the wow and flutter, all that ‘nasty’ stuff on records that people love – the analogue sound and the warmth.’

More: www.waves.com

The Waves Audio F6 Floating-Band Dynamic EQ Plugin is a ‘surgical’ dynamic equaliser with six floating, fully-adjustable parametric filter bands, advanced EQ and compression/expansion controls per band and mid-side processing options. The plug-in can be used for diverse equalisation, compression, expansion and de-essing processes during mixing and mastering, and for live work.

Each of the six floating bands contains advanced EQ and dynamic controls to zero in on a problem spot. Rather than treating a frequency one time and then leaving it there for the entire track, it combines equalisation with compression/expansion, such that the EQ is sensitive to the dynamics of a track.

F6 offers filters that can be as narrow or as wide as desired, free-floating bands that can overlap, and variable EQ shapes that give the flexibility to deal with very specific problems. In addition, advanced mid-side processing capabilities give a greater ability to create EQ space in a busy mix.

More: www.waves.com

Waves Audio has released the Waves Electric 200 piano, the latest addition to its line of virtual instruments. Electric 200 is a sampling of two classic 200-model electric pianos, featuring studio-quality effects, compressor, limiter and an amp.

The plug-in targets the bite, bark and punchy Wurlitzer reed tone used on classic recordings by from Ray Charles, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan and Supertramp. Sampled from two individual instruments, each with its own distinct tone, Electric 200 gives the flexibility to create classic and adventurous sounds in rock, jazz, R&B and electronic music – ‘a quantum leap forward in feature, tone, responsiveness, realism and grit from the other sampled Wurlitzer pianos out there’, according to top studio musician Charlie Judge (Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban). It is designed to deliver the human touch that is so essential when sampling tonally complex analogue instruments. For an authentic feel with true physical presence, users can mix in the sound of the internal piano mechanisms, as if the original instruments were sitting right in front of them.

The included effects offer versatility in just a few knobs. The phaser for offers a classic 70s sound, while the reverb helps to give natural spatial placement within the mix.

More: www.waves.com/200

Waves Audio has released the Greg Wells ToneCentric plug-in, part of its Greg Wells Signature Series.

Created in collaboration with multiple Grammy-nominated producer, musician and mixing engineer Greg Wells (Adele, OneRepublic, Katy Perry, Twenty One Pilots), Greg Wells ToneCentric is a musical harmonic enhancer based on Wells’ preferred pieces of analogue gear. It is designed to add rich analog tone to individual tracks or entire mixes, in the studio or live, with an extremely easy-to-use single-knob interface.

‘I’m constantly on the hunt for ways to pull more music out of the speakers,’ he says. ‘You get a beautiful effect when you run audio through healthy vacuum tubes and big transformers wound the right way, and record it to a great tape machine. This plug-in is an homage to the great analogue gear that leaves a wonderful sonic footprint on your sound.

‘There are certain pieces of gear in my studio that consistently do this for me without fail – a Holy Grail 1950s mono tube compressor, a tape machine and a custom-made vacuum tube console. Several plug-ins do a great job pointing in this direction, but sometimes I find the high-end suffers. In developing ToneCentric, it was important to me to keep things sonically quite full overall, but with an added depth of field.

‘As with all the plug-ins in my Signature Series, there is an enormous amount going on behind the simplicity of the single-knob interface. Different settings on the knob will yield different results, and I encourage you to experiment with subtle to mid to drastic levels. Here’s to more tone-filled music.’

More: www.waves.com

Waves has announced two Nx Virtual Mix Room with multiple Nx Head Trackers – the Nx Virtual Mix Room plug-in + 6 Nx Head Trackers, and Nx Head Tracker 5-Pack – for recording/mixing sessions with multiple participants.

Powered by Waves’ Nx technology, Waves Nx Virtual Mix Room is a virtual monitoring plug-in that simulates the acoustics of a high-end mix room inside a set of headphones. Nx mimics the depth, reflections and stereo image created by loudspeakers in a physical room environment, to enable mixing and monitoring ‘with real-world dimension’ rather than the classical headphone experience.

The Nx plug-in has been updated to operate with up to six Nx Head Trackers at the same time. This allows as many as six musicians (or five musicians and one engineer) to hear Nx simultaneously in their headphones while recording. Alternatively, two (or more) mixing engineers can now use Nx to mix together on headphones.

Using Nx, recording engineers can provide musicians with more open headphone mixes that spreads across a perceived three-dimensional audio spectrum, as if listening to monitors in a real room. When recording vocals in particular, Nx reduces the performer’s impression of hearing an ‘inner voice’, in that it moves the sound from inside the head to the outside – thus staying true to how the singer is used to hearing and perceiving his or her voice in playback. Since vocalists are not accustomed to hearing themselves through headphones, Nx makes them feel comfortable and helps them to stay in tune.

More: www.waves.com