CTW NAMM Coverage: Pivitec Personal Monitors

In case you hadn't noticed, personal monitors are exploding. Well, that's not true; the market for personal mixers is exploding. Aviom started it all back in the late '90s (and hasn't done anything since...), and we've seen many new players take the field in recent years. Roland has their M-48s; MyMix is doing well, we looked at the new Elite Core system at WFX, heck, even Behringer has a personal mixing system. And now we have Pivitec. 

The analog input module.

The team at Pivitec are the same guys who designed the original Aviom system. Apparently, they are not content to sit around doing nothing for 10 years, so they have taken a new approach to personal mixing. The system is based on the open AVB standard, so it should be fairly easy to convert from other protocols. Like every other system on the market, it's based on an input module (a 16 channel analog in to start with), a distribution switch (in this case an 8-port POE managed switch), and a module for each musician.

Where they diverge is in the control surface. Instead of the standard box with a bunch of knobs (or a single knob), they are using an iPad app to control each mixer. The iPad has a few distinct advantages. First, it's big and self-illuminated. That makes it easy to use on dark stages. Second, it's just software. So changes are easy to make. 

The mixer module.

Each individual mixer has plenty of DSP inside to handle things like master EQ and individual channel EQ. They could even add compression and reverb if they want to. The system will initially ship with the ability to mix up to 32 channels, and the expect to be doing 64 channels by summer. They told us that mixing 128 channels is easy and they can probably go up to 400 or so. 

And this is where it gets interesting. While it might be possible to mix 400 channels, they also realize it may not be a good idea. They plan on listening carefully to their customers and rolling out features that make sense for the end user. We talked with them about coming up with a monitor engineer function, for example, and they thought that sounded like a great idea. As I said, the benefit of doing this in software is that it's easy to make changes to the interface.

The switch.

It was a bit hard to tell from the tracks they had playing, but overall, the audio quality was good. The software is still in development so I'll withhold judgement for now. They expect to ship in low quantity by March, with volume ramping up after that.

Pricing is not too bad; the input module will list for $999, the individual mixers are $795 and the switch will be in the $500 range. Of course, this doesn't include the iPads, so you'll have to consider that. Still, the ability to mix up to 64 channels for $1300 per mixer (plus input modules) isn't too bad. 

The interface is pretty clean, and easy to use. Since it's not officially out, we can't yet give it the thumbs up or down, but it's certainly a product to watch.

CTW NAMM Coverage: Mackie DL1608 iPad Mixer

This is a guest post by my good friend, Duke Dejong. He got hands on with the new Mackie mixer and here is his overview.

What makes the DL1608 so unique is the fact that outside of gain knobs, the mixer is entirely iPad based, with all of your mixing and processing control happening real time on either a docked or wirelessly connected iPad. 

Sporting 16 of their Onyx pre-amps (4 being combo mic/line inputs) with 24bit Cirrus Logic® AD/DA converters and a 4 band EQ, compression and gate for each input, this mixer has some possibilities as a great small room or portable solution, especially where possible FOH positions are less than ideal.  With the ability to connect 1 docked and 10 wireless iPads, up to 11 iPads within wireless reach can share the duties of mixing house and monitor sound. 

To add more fun from your iPad, the console includes 2 stereo channels from the iPad dock which can integrate audio from ANY app (can you say click or loop tracks?).  If playing music back isn’t what you need, a docked iPad can also record a stereo mix direct from the board.  Add total snapshot recall and custom channel presets and you have a powerful, compact, versatile mixer that can be controlled at your fingertips wherever you go in the room.  And did I mention the expected list price is only $995 (not including iPad)?  I’ll be very anxious to play with one of these once they ship, expected to begin in June.

CTW NAMM Coverage: Lectrosonics HH Handheld Transmitter

Lectrosonics is the wireless system of choice for broadcast and film production, but they are relatively unknown in the HOW market. That's too bad, because they make some great products. My first really good wireless set was a Lectrosonics back when I owned my video company, and it was rock-solid and sounded great. 

Lectro makes some fantastic, feature-rich wireless products for installations as well. The Venue line of receivers packs 6 receivers into a single rack space. And while their bodypacks have been well respected, the handhelds have enjoyed a bit more lukewarm reception. With the new HH, that should change. 

Right away, you notice that it feels good in the hand; well-balanced and not too slippery. The mic capsule is the Shure/EV standard, so any other heads with that thread pitch and connections will work (can you say Heil?). The display is clear and bright, and the buttons are actually sized for human fingers. In fact, all the buttons are inside the battery compartment; no on-off switch outside to cause you grief. 

They added a few key features that I think are really smart. First off, they built a clever battery eject lever into the battery bay to make removing the cells a breeze. As I said, the buttons are actually easy to press, and if you look at the picture, those -10 and -20 indicators (the numbers are upside down so you can see them while speaking into it) make it easy to set the sensitivity of the mic. 

Finally, there is a little rubber button on the mic body that can be set up to do three things; 1) nothing, 2) audio mute or 3) talkback. The first two are self-explanatory, but the third is really cool. The Lectro R400a receivers have two audio outputs on them.  Pressing the talkback button (when it's in that mode) sends the audio to the secondary output, meaning that could be routed to FOH, monitors or the musicians ears if it's a worship leader or MD.

UPDATE: From my friend Karl Winkler who works at Lectrosonics, "the R400A receiver does have two outputs with independent level controls, but can not be used with the talk-back feature of the new HH transmitter. The Venue receiver is the one that can be used this way by selecting talkback in the "compatibility mode" setting." My bad, I missed that. END UPDATE

Like all Lectrosonics 400 series products, it's all digital with no companding so it's going to sound fantastic. It will also work with 200 and 100 series receivers if you have any lying around. I didn't get pricing, but from what I understand, it's comparable to or a little less than Shure UHF-R. So it's a premium product with some unique features. Oh, and they're made right here in the USA in New Mexico, and speaking from experience, customer services is top-notch.

Today's post is brought to you by the Roland R-1000. The R-1000 is a multi-channel recorder/player ideal for the V-Mixing System or any MADI equipped console or environment. Ideal for virtual sound checks, multi-channel recording, and playback.

CTW NAMM Coverage: Tascam Solid State Recorders

I am regularly asked for recommendations on how to record church services or sermons. Most people simply want to record to some kind of file, perhaps do a little editing or post processing, then upload to the web. While you could record straight to a laptop, that requires the laptop to be there at FOH, you need an interface, and you have to be confident the laptop won't bug out on you. Sometimes you want the hardware reliability of a rack-mountable recorder that just works. Tascam is here to hook you up.

I found an entire rack full of recorders that record to solid state media (either Compact Flash, SD or both, depending on the model) or to CD, again, depending on the model. 

Going in photo order, the HD-R1 is the big dog of the group. It has balanced I/O, mic preamps with phantom power, RS232 control (I know, who cares...) and more importantly, Ethernet control! Assign it an IP address, put it on your network and you can control it with your browser. I want one already... You can record from 44.1 to 96 KHz in either 16 or 24 bit MP3 or PCM modes, and transfer files via Ethernet or USB. It will list for about $1,000.

The SS CDR200 is a combo CD Recorder/Solid State recorder. It is chock full of features both on the I/O side (balanced and unbalanced analog, AES, S/PDIF) and recording targets (Compact Flash, SD, USB, CD). It's RS232 controllable (for you install guys), and it can be programmed with up to 20 instant start selections for firing off tracks or sound effects. It too costs about $1,000.

If you don't need to record to CDs any more (and who really does...) the SS 200 offers pretty much the same feature set as the SS CDR200 without the CD bay. It lists for $599.

For those on a tight budget, the SS 100 offers the cuing and media options of the 200 without balanced or AES I/O. It has RCA jacks plus S/PDIF I/O on the back, though you also give up RS232 control. However, you do save $100 as list is $499.

So there you go. Four options for recording a two-track version of your service or sermon. 

CTW NAMM Coverage: Allen & Heath GLD Mixer

Following up on their successful iLive line, A&H have introduced the new GLD. Think of the GLD as the SC48 to Avid's Profile. Whereas in the iLive, the DSP is done in the rack and the surface is an expensive keyboard, the GLD surface contains all the DSP and a small bit of I/O. With a simple Cat5 connection, additional I/O can be added. 

Now, I'll say up front that I don't really care for the UI of any of the A&H digital consoles. I'm not saying they're bad, I just don't really like them. They often don't work the way I expect them to, and thus I find them cumbersome to use. But that's me. A lot of people love them. 

The GLD is a little bit of a departure from the iLive, but not much. The "channel strip" is present and accounted for, though with slightly reduced functionality. You still get big, customizable colored scribble strips, and the 8.4" screen is a touch screen.

The surface provides you with 20 freely assignable faders with 4 layers and a total of 80 channel strips. The desk will process 48 channels at any given time and has 30 busses and 20 mix outputs (I'm still trying to figure that spec out...).

There are a boat load of features for such a small footprint, and you can read all about it on their website. But here are a few things of note. First, the main audio rack has an Aviom compliant output on it, so if you want to use the GLD with an Aviom system, buy the distro along with some mixers and you're done. No extra output card needed.

Speaking of cards, there is a card slot that will enable you to spit out Dante, MADI, EtherSound and A&H's own ACE protocols. You can record two tracks to a USB stick right on the desk, and the touch screen lets you drag and drop channels into their fader positions. 

But perhaps the most interesting thing is the price. The surface lists for about $9,000; the 24x12 rack is $2,450 and the 8x4 rack is $1,100. So for under $13K street, you should be in a 48x24 I/O configuration with Aviom output. That's not too bad. 

Like I said, I'm still not sold on their UI or workflow. But at this price/feature set, it has to be part of the discussion if you're looking for a 48 channel digital console in the $10K range. If you like the way it works, it could be a great way to go.

CTW NAMM Coverage: Shure ULXD Digital Wireless

Last year we got a sneak peak at Axient, Shure's new high-end wireless system. For those that can afford it, Axient is now shipping. I asked about pricing and was told, "Well, it's really based on a system; the Spectrum Manager, ShowLink and then how many channels and transmitters do you want?" An acutal number never came up... I'll keep digging.

But ULXD does have pricing, and it's an interesting product. Unlike just about every other analog wireless system how there, the ULXD does not use companding. It transmits full-bandwidth audio from the mic (or guitar pack) to the receiver. It's also encrypted, so if you are worried about someone stealing your bass line, worry no more. 

For RF hostile environments, the ULXD has some distinct advantages. First, it's digital, so the signal will get there or it won't. Interference should be less of an issue. It's also very efficient; I'm told they can fit 14 channels of ULXD into a single DTV channel (6 MHz). That's not bad. You can also use up to 60 channels per band (there are three bands available). Also good.

ULXD works with the Axient Spectrum Manager as well, so you could design a hybrid system with a couple of channels of Axient for your money channels, then use ULXD for everything else. It operates in the same frequency bands as UHF-R so existing paddles and antenna distros will work fine.

Finally, they are giving it the new LiOn battery system developed for Axient. With a variety of chargers (that are networkable), you get fast charging, no memory effect and up to 12 hours of battery life. I'm a huge fan of rechargeable batteries, and I'm glad to see manufacturers supporting that trend. 

Pricing should come in around $1,300-1,500 per channel and it's available now. Also shipping is the UR5 and UR3 ENG wireless systems. 

CTW NAMM Coverage: DPA d:fine

Released only a few months ago, the d:fine has been a hugely popular headset mic. I talked with my friend Jarrod from DPA and he told me they were flying off the shelves. It makes sense; it's a great mic. I've been recommending them to everyone because they are easy to use and they sound better than every other headset mic out there. 

The d:fine is a single ear headset, developed because many loved the sound of the 4066 and 4088, but didn't like the dual-ear design. Apparently, there are some who are happy because there was a request for a dual-ear version of the d:fine. While it makes no sense to me, it's now available if you really feel you need the dual-ear. The nice things is, the way the mic is designed, you can actually add the second ear holder to the existing mic. It connects easily so you could use the same mic in either configuration. Those Danes are always thinking.

Jarrod Renaud models the new super short boom.

Additionally, we got a look at the new super-short boom version that is due out in about six weeks. Developed primarily for theater, it's nearly invisible from the front. Because the element is farther from the mouth, they are going to do a little bit of EQ in the mic to restore the lost HF content, but it should otherwise sound pretty much the same as the longer boom. 

Pricing on the short boom will be about the same as the long boom, and because of the modular design, you could purchase just the short boom and use it with your existing cable and earpiece. Thus, it would be really simple to build a kit that includes both ear pieces, both boom lengths and you'd be ready for anything. 

CTW NAMM Coverage: Gepco RunONE

When I was at NAB last spring, I talked with Gepco about a new cable they were working on that included data, digital audio and power lines in one jacket. RunONE is now a real product and is available in a variety of configurations. 

Some of the example configurations of RunONE.

The basic configuration consists of a single run of power along with two, eight or twelve lines of 110 Ohm audio. Because it's 110 Ohm, it can carry standard analog mic or line levels, digital audio or DMX (a single stringer for LEDs anyone?)

You can also get a version that includes not one but two Cat5 data cables in the same jacket. I really wish this cable was available when I built my inexpensive stage boxes a few months back. The loomed version is fine, but we still have to run power to the musician, and it would be nice to have it all in one jacket.

Add in an EtherCon and we're pretty much set for our needs....

I'm not sure how they cracked it, but they managed to keep the 60-cycle hum completely out of the audio lines. They demonstrated with real-time analysis (I didn't get a picture, sorry!) that showed absolutely no interference of the power into the audio lines. It was pretty amazing. 

UPDATE: Thanks to Jeff (in the comments), we have a YouTube video that shows how they manage "spectral sheilding." Pretty cool. The video is not great, but it's a good illustration of how it works.

END UPDATE.

Clean stagees have become a passion for me, and this is one more step in the right direction. RunONE is available now; pricing will depend on the cable configuration.