Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM

Vintage Gain Crusher

Analogue Tube
AT-101

The AT-101 ($19,000) from Analogue Tube (www.analogue tube.com) is a faithful re-creation of the original Fairchild 670 stereo limiter. The sturdy unit is handmade with Grayhill switches, Sowter transformers, Hovland caps and a new-generation 6386 remote cut-off triode developed to replace the original 50-year-old tubes. Controls on each channel include input gain, AC threshold, DC threshold, 6-position time-constant switches and metering switches. Improvements on the original include a hinged front panel, stereo-link switch and a power supply mod with controlled heater voltage switch-on to help extend the life of critical tubes from power-ups.

Big Screen Sound, Smaller Boxes

Meyer
Acheron Studio

ONLINE EXTRAS

READ:
Technology Spotlight on Meyer Sound Acheron Studio

A more compact version of the acclaimed Acheron 80 and Acheron 100 cinema screen loudspeakers, Meyer Sound's (www.meyersound.com) Acheron Studio (targeted at $8,500 each) is now shipping. Designed for smaller re-recording stages, post-production facilities and smaller theater/screening rooms, the systems are voiced for perforated or non-perf screen installs. The 30.8×25.4×16-inch (H×W×D) enclosures feature onboard DSP, 700 watts of noiseless convection-cooled Class-A/B MOSFET bi-amplification, a 15-inch woofer and a 4-inch compression driver mated to an 80×50-degree horn based on the technology of the larger Acheron systems. Options include subwoofer(s), surround channels and remote monitoring of system parameters via a PC.

Handy Handheld

Sony
PCM-M10 Recorder

The Sony (pro.sony.com) PCM-M10 ($399) is a palm-sized compact recorder featuring electret condenser stereo mics, USB port (Mac/PC), 4GB internal Flash memory, 96kHz/24-bit capability and a microSD/Memory Stick Micro (M2) slot. Other features include a built-in speaker, cross-memory recording, digital pitch control, digital limiter, low-cut filter, track mark functions, a 5-second pre-recording buffer and A/B repeat capability. The PCM-M10 comes supplied with Sound Forge Audio Studio Recorder Edition software.

Space-Maker

Vienna
MIR Mixing Software

Vienna MIR ($1,695) is a stand-alone Windows application that runs exclusively with Vienna Instruments (www.ilio.com). MIR's Control icon lets users move and rotate instruments freely on the concert stage, changing their volume and stereo width within a 3-D environment. Using Multi-Impulse Response convolution, Vienna MIR combines directional and reflection information from every instrument, assembling all of the acoustic interactions into an accurate re-creation of musicians playing their instruments in place and in space. Minimum system requirements include PC Intel quad-core i7-920 or better, with Vista/Windows 7 64-bit and 12GB RAM.

Model Behavior

Focusrite
Saffire PRO 24 DSP I/O Solution

Focusrite's (www.focusrite.com) Saffire PRO 24 DSP ($499) is a 16-input/8-output FireWire audio interface featuring Virtual Reference Monitoring (VRM) for headphone monitoring of 15 different modeled sets of speakers in different acoustic environments from different positions. Other features include twin mic preamps, A/D converters, six analog outs, ADAT inputs, stereo S/PDIF I/O and two virtual “loopback” inputs for routing digital audio between software applications. Users can also take advantage of the onboard DSP to power Focusrite Studio Suite, Compression, Gating, EQ and Reverb plug-ins for latency-free, professional tracking solutions. Added extras include Saffire Mix Control software, Focusrite's Xcite+ bundle, Ableton Live 7 Lite, Novation's Bass Station soft synth and more than 1 GB of royalty-free samples from Loopmasters and “Mike the Drummer.”

Mix Books

Modern Recording and Mixing

This 2-DVD set will show you how the best in the music industry set up a studio to make world-class records. Regardless of what gear you are using, the information you'll find here will allow you to take advantage of decades of expert knowledge. Order now $39.95

Mastering Cubase 4

Electronic Musician magazine and Thomson Course Technology PTR have joined forces again to create the second volume in their Personal Studio Series, Mastering Steinberg's Cubase(tm). Edited and produced by the staff of Electronic Musician, this special issue is not only a must-read for users of Cubase(tm) software, but it also delivers essential information for anyone recording/producing music in a personal-studio. Order now $12.95

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