Welcome to the Annex|Pro NAB 2008 Update

- AUDIO FOCUS -

Euphonix Ships Artist Series MC Mix

The MC Mix (USD$999 - Now Shipping) and MC Control (USD$1,499 - Shipping May) are the coolest of the cool new products.  Designed to fit snugly between your keyboard and display, they integrate with your DAW using Euphonix' proprietary EuCon Ethernet protocol, which delivers 250 times the resolution and eight times the speed of MIDI.  Both units feature motorized faders and a variety of buttons and rotaries. 

The MC Mix [above] offers eight OLED displays, whereas the MC Control has a touch-screen interface.  Euphonix has worked closely with software developers such as Apple, Steinberg, and MOTU to provide native support, and both units also support the HUI and Mackie Control protocols.  Annex|Pro is accepting orders now. >>>read more

At the Digidesign Booth, "No News" is Great News

While Avid did not display at NAB, Digidesign did have their own booth.  No new products were introduced, but Digidesign focused on reinforcing relationships with their mixing and post-production customers, and showed the latest versions of ICON, Pro Tools|HD, RMS reference monitors, and other Digidesign products.

Not exactly brand new, but new to most NAB-goers, The D-Control ES worksurface from Digidesign comes dressed in a new dark color scheme and combines the feel of a large-format console with a level of control and added Pro Tools functionality that can only be accessed with an ICON system.

D-Control ES offers a comprehensive array of touch-sensitive controls and visual mixing feedback.  Other features include a dedicated center section allowing critical mixing tasks to be performed without leaving the sweet spot, per-channel control over all processing functions and routing, global automation capabilities, and full studio and control room monitoring and communications facilities. 

Local ICON owners include DBC Sound, Sarah McLachlan, and Sharpe Sound.   Read a Client Profile on Sharpe Sound

Pro Tools Compatibility for Mac OS X Leopard*

Digidesign also announced that they will have Leopard compatibility across the board within 60 days, BUT.... please read the following before upgrading:

Pro Tools HD 7.4.1 software is now fully compatible with Mac OS X 10.5.1 (Leopard) when running on Apple’s current 8-core Mac Pro computers. For details on Pro Tools HD compatibility with Leopard on the 8-core Mac Pro, please visit Digi's Pro Tools HD 7.4.1 Intel Mac Support page.

At this time, Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools M-Powered systems are not yet compatible with Leopard, but Digidesign is currently working to ensure that when they are released, they’ll work flawlessly.  So DON'T upgrade your OS until compatibility is announced. 

If you're curious about how Apple and Digidesign are playing together these days, you can hear it directly from the source, in this posting by Dave Lebolt, General Manager of Digidesign, posted April 4, 2008 >>>read Dave's posting

Plug-ins:  Some currently shipping plug-ins and virtual instruments are not compatible with Pro Tools HD 7.4.1 running on Mac OS X 10.5.1, and some require that you update your plug-ins if an update is available.  Before you install the Pro Tools HD 7.4.1 update, be sure to review the latest plug-in compatibility information here.

As usual, if you have any questions about compatibility or software versions, get in touch with Bryon Low.  Remember that whether you bought your Pro Tools system from Annex Pro or not, the first 5 minutes of Pro Tools technical support is always complementary.

* Pro Tools HD 7.4.1 software works with Mac OS X 10.5.1 only, and is NOT compatible with Apple’s new Mac OS X 10.5.2 release. Please do not update your OS until an official announcement about compatibility is made

Digidesign RMS [Reference Series Monitors]

Again, while not exactly new, the RMS series monitors are coming to Vancouver soon, complete with a matching sub for 5.1 surround.  There are only two 5.1 sets of these monitors travelling around North America, so it you haven't had a chance to hear these yet, let Bryon know you're interested.

Co-developed by Digidesign and PMC, these specially engineered monitors employ PMC's groundbreaking Advanced Transmission Line (ATL) technology to deliver extreme accuracy and low distortion, with clarity and high dynamic range. 

PMC has a legacy of fine, handcrafted, cutting-edge design and meticulous manufacturing in the UK - it takes 21 days to build one speaker!.   The line offers two professional, bi-amplified, near-field studio monitor designs — the compact RM1 and its bigger, more powerful sibling, the RM2  >>>read more

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Cedar DNS1500 Dialog Noise Suppressor

Billed as the successor to the Academy Award winning DNS1000* dialogue noise suppressor [the most successful product of its type ever manufactured], the new DNS1500 will be used for film production, dubbing, OB (remote), studio noise suppression, and audio forensic investigation

Since the arrival of digital audio, engineers have been striving to provide high quality digital noise reduction with no appreciable delay between input and output.  Cedar DNS1500 provides superb noise suppression with a latency of a mere 1/400th of a frame.  No more loading hard disks, no more slipping against timecode, no more frame stores... just the highest quality noise suppression in real real-time.    >>>read more

Even cooler, check out the new Cedar DNS3000 with all of the above, plus moving faders, Digidesign Pro Tools integration, scenes, memories   >>>read more

*DNS1000 was installed in and used worldwide by TV, film and post studios.  It made otherwise unusable interviews intelligible, saved huge costs in ADR and looping, and rescued dialogue for movies such as The Lord Of The Rings, Spiderman, Castaway and many others.  It was also a valuable tool in audio forensic investigation, used for cleaning audio signals in the lab and during live surveillance

Studiologic by Fatar VMK Series:  Hammer Action USB Controllers Now in Canada

We're pretty excited about this one.  You know how you sit down at a great piano, or at a vintage Rhodes, and the ideas keep coming and coming?  With no obstacles, the music flows.  There is no other word for it: Inspiration. 

But most of us don't have the space or budget to own a concert grand, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, etc in our our studios, so we find ourselves trying to coax a little feeling out of cheap plastic keys and lifeless actions.

Studiologic to the rescue.  There is simply no more expressive, responsive action on the market than the VMK Plus Series, with both a 76 and 88 note version.   Now with USB bus power and dozens of control features, the Studiologic VMK series is the best way for keyboardists to get inside the music.  >>>read more

Merging Technologies VCube 1.3 SP1c Released at NAB

Like many of us, Merging Technologies had a look around for a replacement solution to the VTR in audio post-production, and found nothing that fitted their specific requirements including ease of use, reliability, speed and compatibility in the digital jungle.

That's why they designed the VCube:  A video hard disk based video player/recorder system designed specifically for use in audio post production.   And VCube scales all the way from SD and compressed HD, to uncompressed 2K HD [you can start with the economical SD version, and add options as required]

VCube manages directly more than 50 media file formats including MXF, and now version 1.3 also manages composition files like OMF, AAF or Apple XML to be easily integrated in an heterogeneous video editing environment.  Available as a turnkey package housed within a custom built 19 inch 4U chassis [no messing around with additional computers].   >>>read more

Genelec Celebrates 30th Anniversary With 6010A

Congrats goes out to Genelec who are celebrating their 30th birthday this year.  Their booth in the South Hall was packed with folks watching a variety of audio demos played over various systems.

The newest members of the Genelec family the are also the smallest active monitors they've ever built:  the desktop 6010A speakers (7 1/8″ x 4 3/4″ x 4 1/2″). The system has been designed for computer sound systems, workstations and other close proximity listening applications requiring a low-profile monitoring solution.  They come in a stunning white, silver or Genelec grey.

The new Genelec 5040A subwoofer provides a perfect partner to the 6010A for both stereo and surround applications.  Featuring a visually arresting design, the 5040A extends the LF response down to 35 Hz with amazing bass articulation. The playback level for the whole system is conveniently controlled by remote volume control provided with the 5040A subwoofer.  With five main input/output channels and a dedicated LFE channel with 35/120 Hz reproduction bandwidth selection, the 6010A/5040A system fulfills the needs of 5.1 productions.  >>>read more

RME Shows a New “Face”

RME’s booth was buzzing due to their new MADIface, the world’s first portable MADI solution for Laptops.  Consisting of the HDSPe ExpressCard MADI and a small breakout box, the MADIface offers full MADI power: 64 channels input and 64 channels output, up to 192 kHz sample rate, in MADI embedded MIDI transmission, complete TotalMix that is even remote controllable and has all features of the ‘bigger’ HDSPe MADI, as well as lowest latency and CPU-load. To make the usage as comfortable as possible, the power for the breakout box is provided directly by the ExpressCard, so no external power supply is required  >>>read more

TC Shows New Loudness Meter Plug-in

TC Electronic brought the LM5 Loudness Radar Meter plug-in for ProTools|HD.  LM5 derives statistical information from the ITU-R BS.1770 standard to visualize instant loudness and loudness history, thereby helping engineers to realize the dynamic range at their disposal during production, and to predict the dynamic range restriction needed during distribution to various platforms. LM5 is suitable for use in broadcast, post production, film and music.  SRP is USD$1245.  >>>read more

SNS Announces Leopard Readiness

Big news for studios running multiple Pro Tools workstations on Mac OSX:  Studio Network Solutions announced that ALL their software is now supported on Leopard [along with Tiger and Panther]

Known as "the" experts on Pro Tools networking, SNS solutions enable composers, sound designers, engineers and mixers to concurrently share massive amounts of data over high-speed Fibre and iSCSI Storage Networks.

A new Leopard-compatible version of Postmap (v.1.8) is now available for trial/download.  This latest version of Postmap includes some incredible new features, such as on-the-fly indexing, complete integration with SANmp, eSAS/eSATA compatibility and the ability to edit metadata for any number of files at once  >>>read more

If it's time to get your Pro Tools systems on a real network, give Bryon a ring for more details about SNS

Vancouver-based Martin Sitter [left], founder of Mac Pro Video, lives by the principle that efficiently commanding your computer can create dramatic shifts in your life.

Martin says "software now gives everybody the ability to create, mix, and master music that sounds as good as songs on the radio.  Video editors use Macs to make box-office hits.  And happily, Apple users have been given a front row ticket to the show:  With an Apple computer, anyone can tell their story!  In 2005 I stopped teaching for Apple, and turned my focus entirely to macProVideo.com.  While I continue to write courseware books for Apple, these days my focus is on video-based education."

Annex|Pro is proud to stock these unique tutorial DVD's, from a local company which as it's name suggests, is focused exclusively on Apple Mac OSX users.  Whether you use Logic Pro, Final Cut, Pro Tools, Motion, DVD Studio Pro, Reason, Ableton Live, Apple Color, or even Microsoft Office, investing in training will give a pro a competitive advantage, and will provide more fulfillment for the hobbyist.  Check out all their titles >>>read more

Just a heads up that New Music West is coming May 14 - 18.  Annex|Pro is proud to sponsor this year's Master Producers Workshops.  Last year workshops included:

Mike Fraser – AC/DC, Aerosmith, Metallica

Randy Staub – U2, David Bowie, Bon Jovi

Dave ‘Rave’ Ogilvie – Marilyn Manson, NIN Plus many more…

For more information, visit the New Music West Web Site

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Do you have a question, or curious about something you heard about at NAB?  Contact ANNEX|PRO

Thanks for reading!