Apr 22, 2008 4:54 PM

This year's NAB offered all you'd expect from the world's largest media show, but with some considerable differences. The buzz on the floor centered around some missing key players. Apple and Avid did not have their usual impressive presence at NAB, although Apple had some other key events going on in the city. Digidesign, a subsidiary of Avid, was over in the North Hall this year, which came up about three aisles short because of missing exhibitors. Traffic was noticeably down, although the South Hall was a usual mad-rush of attendees wanting to gawk at the eye candy provided on the floor.

Speaking of the South Hall, there were some new looks on the floor as all the music library booths were consolidated together in a "Music Row" of large booths providing music styles from A-to-Z. Also on the floor was a motion-capture company with two women in skin-tight suits that portrayed their action on a screen; something you'd usually see at GDC. Red Digital Cinema, there for the second year showing its 4x hi-def video camera, had a line around the block wanting to see what 4900x2580 pixels looks like.

New audio gear was well represented in the North Hall, especially with the looming digital TV deadline next year. Codecs from Dolby and Minnetonka, and new consoles from SSL, Lawo, Studer and DiGiCo were getting a lot of attention, as were massive networked I/O systems from Lightwave and Aviom. Holophone got the booth-bling award, bringing a reggae band to its booth that spanned across an aisle and housed its slick black Winnebago.

The latest generation of Cedar’s Dialogue Noise Suppression technology combines the features of the DNS1500 and DNS2000. Like its predecessor, the DNS3000 integrates with and is controllable from Pro Tools via a plug-in interface, but also adds onboard scene save/recall and motorized faders for dynamic noise reduction locked to the session or SMPTE. Price: $10,000.

DiGiCo’s SD7 features the all-new Stealth® mixing and routing engine, using the latest incarnation of FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) technology. This--along with two SHARC effects, dynamics and control processors--gives the SD7 eight times the processing power of a D5 Live. Features include 128 simultaneous 192kHz signal paths or 256 at 48 kHz/96 kHz, 448 simultaneous optical, 224 MADI and 24 integral connections 128 buses, 32 matrix buses and 32 graphic EQs.

Holphone’s PortaMic 5.1 features a 2.5” x 1.5” mic head with six separate mic elements mounted on a 1” high encoder that outputs 2 channels of audio utilizing Dolby Laboratories’ Dolby® Pro Logic II® encoding technology. The low-profile unit allows audio to be recorded to any broadcast camera or stereo recording device. Price: $599.

Sound Devices' 788T is a full-featured, 8-track recorder offering eight mic preamps, metering for all channels, 160GB internal SATA disk drive, slot for a CompactFlash card slot and the ability to record to an external drive via FireWire 400/800 or USB 2, all at the same time. The aluminum chassis weighs less than 4 pounds and accommodates individual controls and connectors for each of its eight inputs, plus numerous additional I/O and data connections.

Genelec 6010A and companion 5040A sub offer operation from stereo up to 5.1 and come in white, silver or gray. The two-way 6010As are 7.125x 4.75x4.5 inches and feature a 3-inch bass driver and a 3/4-inch high-frequency driver each powered by 12-watt amps. The 5040A subwoofer is powered by a 40W amp and extends the LF response down to 35 Hz and features a volume control for the system, five main I/O channels and a dedicated LFE channel with 35/120Hz reproduction bandwidth selection. Price: $750 each.

Taking its lineage directly from its MKH 800, Senneheser’s new "Twin" is equipped with both front- and back-capsule outputs via a 5-pin XLR that breaks out to twin standard XLRs. These signals can be recorded to separate channels and then phase-manipulated and combined later, effectively changing the pattern of the mic after the recording. Price: $3,356.

Available for the first time in a single-space rack unit iZotope’s ANR-B uses the company's advanced noise-reduction technology to intelligently identify and suppress environmental broadband noise, hum, phone line artifacts and more, dramatically increasing the quality of audio broadcasts involving radio call-in programs and on-location broadcasting. Unlike other noise-reduction solutions, iZotope’s ANR-B detects noise in real time and adapts to changing noise over time, allowing for automatic operation with little to no input required from the user. Price: $4,995.

The Forte from Discmakers is an easy-to-use stand-alone unit that does not require a computer. Priced at $499, the Forte’s 20x DVD±R/40x CD-R drive features an ample 25-disc input/output capacity, a 160GB hard drive that stores up to 31 full-sized DVD images and dupes at rates of seven DVDs or 14 CDs per hour.

Audio-Technica introduced its AT8004 ($135) and AT8004L ($149) omnidirectional dynamic microphones, designed specifically for the broadcasting market. The AT8004 (5.93 inches) and the longer AT8004L (9.43 inches) are ideal for handheld interviews, ENG/EFP and sports broadcasting applications, or as the “mono” mic when used with a stereo mic.

The Dimension4™ Systems from MSR are pre-engineered acoustical systems for professional recording studios, project studios, media studios and game developers. Systems are available in three performance levels: entry-level (Prime System), intermediate (Project System) and high end (Pro System).

Lawo brought out the mc²56, a new member of the mc² Series offering full mc² performance in a reduced surface with compact dimensions. The mc²56 offers the Lawo HD core with up to 512 DSP channels, 144 summing buses and a routing capacity of up to 8,192 crosspoints. The complete functionality of the mc² Series is available, including the transfer of snapshots within the mc² family and dynamic automation and networking with other Lawo products.

Inspired by its 40 years of experience with ribbon mics, the whisper-quite, phantom-powered AEA A440 boasts the greatest usable dynamic range of any ribbon microphone manufactured today. Promising to deliver bass with authority, the A440 has a flat frequency response and holds an accurate figure-8 polar pattern down to 20 Hz.

DPA Microphones had the 4017 shotgun microphone on hand, as well as its new 4080 miniature cardioid lavalier. The 4017 features roll-off and high-boost switches, and a permanent third-order highpass filter at 50 Hz. The 4080 delivers isolation from mechanical noise by mounting the capsule in a foam windshield that is, in turn, held captive with a light pliable mount.

Studio Network Solutions announced that Leopard/Tiger support is available for PCIe and PCI-X Ellipse and Ellipse Enterprise Fibre Channel adapters. SANmp V. 2.5 supports Leopard, Tiger and Panther. The globalSAN iSCSI initiator for OS X Leopard is also available and can be downloaded at the SNS Website. In more feline news, the new Leopard-compatible version of Postmap (V. 1.8) is now available for trial/download.

Roland Systems Group showed its M-400 V mixing system, featuring a range of stage boxes that speak to the 24-fader console via Cat-5e. The system also speaks to Edirol’s video products via its V-Link, which offers control of audio from the video devices interface.

Shure unveiled its UR1M micro-bodypack transmitter, which features selectable battery metering by battery type, audio metering on the UR1M transmitter, 60MHz RF tuning range in 25kHz steps, adjusbable transmit power (10 mW or 50 mW) and is available with LEM03 or TA4F connector options.

Euphonix brought two new solution updates for its broadcast range of audio mixing systems to NAB this year. The Fiber Stagebox Solution for broadcast applications is a modular, remote, high-density Stagebox, capable of up to 56 mic preamps each, features redundant fiber audio connectivity and control. The company also showed Ross OverDrive Production Control integrated with the System 5-B mixing system. The OverDrive offers centralized control of many studio devices, including servers, routers and robotic cameras, as well as the audio console.

RME released the MADIface, the world’s first portable MADI solution for laptops. Comprising the HDSPe ExpressCard MADI and a small breakout box, the MADIface offers full MADI power, 64 channels input and 64 channels output, up to 192kHz sample rate, in MADI embedded MIDI transmission, complete TotalMix that is even remote controllable and has all thefeatures of the "bigger" HDSPe MADI, as well as low latency and CPU-load.

The new MSD100C ($2,690) meter from DK-Technologies is designed to tackle the issue of the perceived loudness of audio signals. It incorporates an algorithm that is recommended by ITU, and features selectable digital and analog stereo inputs and displays left and right channel loudness, as well as the summed loudness. It also delivers the information as a numeric readout and in a number of languages with different scales to suit different users.

Studer toasted its 60th anniversary with the release of the OnAir 2500, a self-contained system that builds upon the operational concepts of OnAir 2000. With the OnAir 2500, the control surface, I/O breakout, DSP core and power supply are all integrated within a single compact chassis.The desk’s fader strips each include a graphical OLED (Organic LED) screen, which contains a channel label, level and gain-reduction meter and parameter readouts, adjustable via a rotary encoder and two push buttons below the display.

TC Electronic brought the LM5 Loudness Radar Meter plug-in for Pro Tools 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. Price: $1,245.

Lightwave Audio Systems showed its new G5-4M boompole that weighs a mere 21.8 ounces and is just one meter long when collapsed. The carbon-fiber G5-4M is scheduled to begin shipping in May this year.

Linear Acoustic showed its new UPMAX:neo™ 2-channel-to-5.1-channel surround upmixer based on the company's upMAX 2251 product. The UPMAX:neo comes in a single-rackspace chassis; additional upmixing choices are added to the original upMAX algorithm for increased flexibility in post-production applications. Metadata input is standard, along with GPI inputs to control upmixing.

Aviom had its mic input module integrated into all of its other networked products in the booth. The 6416M offers 16 mic-level analog inputs to a Pro64® audio network system, and features continuously variable gain setting, multi-segment signal level LEDs and individual channel on/off switches. The 6416m supports all valid Pro64 sample rates, from 44.1/48 kHz± to 192 kHz±.

Denon Professional showed its DN635 professional CD player, offering CD-R/RW and MP3-encoded disc compatibility. Shock-Proof Memory ensures uninterrupted audio, while a high-speed Instant Start mechanism allows for instantaneous playback when play is engaged. The Auto-Cue function starts playback at the first point in a track where audio is detected.

SmartSound Software was giving a sneak peak at its new timing control and music search features in Sonicfire Pro 5. Editors can control the timing of the music to better fit a corresponding video while still maintaining customization control. Additionally, new spotting and timing features increase the precision that musical events can match visual cues.

In addition to announcing that its Orpheus interface was shipping, Prism Sound revealed that the company has acquired SADiE, the maker of PC-based digital audio workstation products. Existing customers will have full access to product support as before using the same telephone numbers and e-mail addresses; new orders are being accepted by Prism Sound’s sales offices in Cambridge, UK, and New Jersey.

Aphex Systems revealed the Model 824 distribution hub for its Anaconda system. The hub allows users to transmit signals to up to four receivers, and features redundant fiber connections and redundant power supplies. The Model 828 Anaconda is a point-to-point 64-channel bi-directional digital audio snake.

Brainstorm introduced its DCD-8 word clock distriplyzer, which synchronizes all of the common audio and video formats including SD and tri-level HD. It works with its new Hi-Res VSG-4 Video Sync Generator, offering four different sync formats that can be generated simultaneously through four BNC outputs, two HD and two SD.

Fiberplex unveiled its LightViper “Shadow," a combined media fiber-optic transport system. It comprises the MP16, a 16-channel, 19-inch 2U rack-mounted, bi-directional audio matrix module that includes 16 remotely controllable mic preamplifiers; and the STP64, a 19-inch 8U rackmounted system that incorporates 64 channels of bi-directional matrixed audio with 64 remotely controllable mic preamplifiers, an 8-channel intercom, two independent channels of 10/100 Ethernet with 1GHz switches, and more.