Audient has announced the Nero desktop monitor controller, offering comprehensive I/O, console-style monitor control and an assignable sub output, and featuring Audient’s Precision Matched Attenuation Technology.
‘Nero builds on our 20 years of expertise in analogue design heritage, courtesy of David Dearden designed circuitry,’ says Audient Marketing Director, Andy Allen. ‘As a studio grows, it can be difficult to keep a handle on monitoring but Nero will provide centralised, customisable control for all your monitoring needs, from the desktop.’
Four stereo analogue inputs, including two line level inputs, a dedicated cue mix input, one aux input (RCA or minijack) and both optical and coaxial SPDIF inputs give a wide variety of connectivity options. These can be fed to three stereo speaker outputs (with the ability to set and match volumes), one assignable sub output, and four headphone outputs. ‘Nero has both a monitoring grade headphone output for the engineer and three foldback headphone outs for the artists, providing plenty of volume and crystal clear headphone mixes when recording or mixing,’ Allen says.
Precision Matched Attenuation Technology perfectly matches the volume of the left and right channels of the stereo signal, preventing any deviation in volume between left and right loudspeakers.
Building on the functionality of the Centro monitor controller, Nero is inspired by Audient’s heritage in analogue console design and features a range of flexible monitor controls, including dedicated talkback, cut and dim, along with polarity, mono, speaker select and cue mix monitoring and the concept of Smart Touchpoints.
‘Smart Touchpoints are configurable buttons that allow you to customise your workflow on the fly,’ Allen explains. Hold a touchpoint down to enter set-up mode, then simply route and configure Nero’s relevant monitor controls to create and save monitoring combinations that work for you. For example route your sub permanently to any or all sets of speakers without losing the ability to switch it on and off. Or permanently sum an output to mono for your mono reference speaker.
Nero features an internal mic as well as a dedicated mic input with phantom power, enabling the use of a dynamic or condenser mic of choice; any input source as well as talkback can be routed to any headphone output.
‘Nero uses Audient’s vast experience in implementing monitor control in recording consoles and desktop controllers, and we feel that knowledge has led us to deliver the best sounding, most flexible desktop monitor controller available at this price point,’ Allen concludes.
Nero is expected to ship in Q2 2019, and will retail at £375 inc VAT, €429 inc VAT and US$499 MAP.
More: www.audient.com
