Archive of the Audio Category

The audio console powerhouse, SSL demonstrated a new combination of mixing console, signal router and workstation controller called Matrix. SSL says it is targeted at post production and television studios who work primarly on DAWs.

Matrix is a SuperAnalogue 16 channel, 40 input mixing console with built-in signal router and multi-layer digital workstation control. It’s designed to bring analog audio mixing and posting into a digital workflow by providing a varaiety of new tools to work effectively in both domains simultaneously.

The console comes equipped with comprehensive foldback facilities and mix and auxiliary busses. A 16+1 fader, 4 layer DAW controller connects to other devices over a single Ethernet connection enabling access to popular DAWs including Pro Tools, Logic, Live and Reason.

The console has an integrated, recallable, software-controlled 32×16x16 analogue routing matrix, which eliminates the need for external patchbays.

The Matrix provides platform-independent project management and routing control for facilities of all sizes.

Miranda Technologies’ Michel Proulx, CTO spent most of his press conference time discussing the problems broadcasters face in delivering good new 5.1 audio. “Time and time again, we’ve found that it’s multi-channel audio that causes the most problems when transitioning to HD,” he said.

He described three key problem areas: loudness measurement and control; handling Dolby metadata; and maintaining 5.1 surround sound when playing out stereo legacy content. He said that loudness control is especially evident to anyone watching popular HD programming.

Miranda’s new solutions for these issues include new Densité Series cards with advanced audio processing, upmixing and level control. The DAP-1781 audio processing module. The DAP-1781 is an eight channel digital audio processor which can perform accurate loudness control and measurement, using ITU-R BS.1770 or LEQ(A) and trigger an alarm if limits are exceeded. more

Communications Specialties Inc. (CSI) is in booth SL8025, which happens to be just across the aisle from the Penton booth (Broadcast Engineering’s parent company) in the South Lower Hall. In the CSI booth, Derek Miranda walked me through a live setup of the company’s new Pure Digital Fiberlink 3150 Series, which allows users to transmit HD/SD-SDI over one single mode or multimode fiber.

The company also offers the Pure Digital Fiberlink in 7500 Series and 7502 Series versions. They use no compression or sync stripping.

For more, check out a short audio clip of John Lopinto, president and CEO, talking about the Pure Digital Fiverlink 3150 Series.

Related article: Communications Specialties to feature 7500 Series fiber transmission system.

Not every company at this year’s NAB Show has the newest, hottest technology. And as Mark Richards, international broadcast manager for the UK’s Fischer Connectors, told me, it’s often not worth it to release a new product at a show just for the sake of releasing a new product.

Fischer, though, is a special case, considering that it works in connectors and, because of this, a particular challenge for the company breaking into the U.S. market is based on the different standards here in the States. To its credit, the company did showcase some new products at IBC this year. But Richards doesn’t want to rush anything this year, preferring to wait to release a proven, reliable product than to just whip something up for the show that won’t be available until who knows when (he says the company should have some new technology to highlight by next year’s NAB). more