REPORT
/ AES TD1008: Streaming loudness / ISE in 2022: back and in Barcelona! / Resolution Awards 2021: all the winners
REVIEWS
/ Eventide SplitEQ: a new approach / Apogee Clearmountain’s Phases / PSP Saturator: back to the classics
REVEALED
/ Matt Colton: mastering master / Neve 88R: living with a legend / REDIAcoustics & NIRO
V21.7 | November/December 2021 | £5.50
The
Interview
Stephen Lipson
Unleash your creativity Introducing GLM 4.1 loudspeaker manager software For 15 years, GLM software has worked with our Smart Active Monitors to minimise the unwanted acoustic influences of your room and help your mixes sound great, everywhere. Now, GLM 4.1 includes the next generation AutoCal 2 calibration algorithm and a host of new features – delivering a much faster calibration time and an even more precise frequency response. So, wherever you choose to work, GLM 4.1 will unleash your creativity, and help you produce mixes that translate consistently to other rooms and playback systems. And with GLM 4.1, both your monitoring system and your listening skills have room to develop and grow naturally too. Find out more at www.genelec.com/glm
AWARDS 2021
WINNER MONITORING
Genelec GLM4.1 Software REWARDING QUALITY AND INNOVATION
/ Contents
38 V21.7 | November/December 2021
News & Analysis 5 6
Leader News News, studios and appointments 12 News Report: ISE in Barcelona Nigel Jopson takes a look ahead to the upcoming Integrated Systems Europe show, due to take place in Barcelona in February 14 New Products The best of the new products for the month, including DPA, SalsaSound and Audio-Technica
Stephen Lipson
Columns 18
Crosstalk: Rob Speight Rob takes a look at the AES’ TD1008 standard, which gives recommendations for Loudness of Internet Audio Streaming and On-Demand Distribution 44 RESOLUTION AWARDS WINNERS We round up 2021 with a look at all the winners of this year’s Resolution Awards — voted for by you! 54 Playlist In honour of Stephen Lipson’s role mixing the No Time To Die title track, we take a look at some classic Bond musical moments
Craft
28 Matt Colton George Shillings gets the low down on vinyl cutting and the changing trends of the mastering scene during an in-depth conversation with the Metropolis-based engineer 32 The 88R at Capitol Studios and British Grove As the AMS Neve 88R celebrates its 20th birthday, John Moore talks to British Grove’s Andy Cook and Jason Elliot and Capitol Studios’ Dave Clark about the console 38 Stephen Lipson Danny Turner talks to Stephen Lipson about his homebased studio, and mixing the music for blockbusters like No Time To Die and the upcoming Top Gun: Maverick
Technology
50 REDIacoustics & NIRO Nigel Jopson sits down with Peter DiAntonio of REDIacoustics for an in-depth analysis of the development of NIRO, a potentially powerful tool for studio designers
28 12 AWARDS 2021 REWARDING QUALITY AND INNOVATION
32
44
50
REVIEWS 22 23 24 26
Apogee Clearmountain’s Phases PSP Saturator Leapwing UltraVox Eventide SplitEQ
November/December 2021 / 3
MIX MORE The McDSP APB-8 and APB-16 programmable analog processors bring mixing out of the box right back into the box. Choose from a growing list of APB ready plug-ins, available in all the major formats (AAX, AU, or VST3). Sample accurate automation. Savable presets. Instant session recall. You can spend your time recalling mixes with patch cables and traditional outboard gear, or you can spend your time mixing. Isn't it about time you got to mix more? Find out more mo at www.mcdsp.com/apb.
P R O F E S S I O N A L
A U D I O
H A R D W A R E
A N D
S O F T W A R E
/ Welcome
Leader
John Moore
Editor/Content Manager John Moore john@resolutionmag.com
Editor-at-large Nigel Jopson
Contributors Mike Aiton, Dennis Baxter, John Broomhall, Simon Clark, Russell Cottier, Jay Dean, Gijs Friesen, Kevin Hilton, Tim Oliver, George Shilling, Rob Speight, Jon Thornton, Danny Turner, Phil Ward
It was a very good year, I guess...
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O
f course, this time of year will always be a time to look back on the 12 months just passed and further into the past. And what better way for Resolution to look back on the year just gone than with the announcement of our Awards winners for 2021 — which you’ll find on page 44 this month. Winning a vote isn’t everything of course, as politics often shows us. Thus, all the nominees this year — as every year — deserve our congratulations and praise for their excellent contributions to music technology. Some of which, it has to be said, was developed and launched in the most trying of times. While on our side of the business, things are largely returning to how they were pre-Covid as the year draws to a close, the recent cancellation of the IBC show — due to take place in Amsterdam in early December — has shown that live events may not be returning to what we used to consider normal just yet. However, as our news feature this month shows, we’re hopeful for a return to face-to-face meetings in Europe early next year with the Integrated Systems Europe show in Barcelona. Here’s hoping that’s the case. Do check out our events diary in the News section for the latest information we have on shows due to go ahead, and their dates. Despite continuing and unfortunate problems on the live side of the business, conversations our team has had with a lot of music equipment manufacturers has proven to us that on the broadcast, post and recording side of the industry, business has been somewhat booming over the last 18
months. Here’s to that continuing into 2022. Much of that boom has, it would seem, been down to the rise in home working, which we’ve discussed with many interviewees this year. While some have relished it, and others not, it’s something that our cover star Stephen Lipson has been way ahead of the curve with — having worked much more in his home studio over the past three years than he has in the room he retains at Battery in London. Danny Turner’s interview with him gives a fascinating insight into why he began to make that switch, and his gradual transition into the world of soundtracks after his illustrious pop career — including his work on the latest Bond, No Time To Die and other projects with Hans Zimmer, such as the new Top Gun movie. Echoing Stephen’s wish to be more flexible about his work, Jason Elliot (British Grove) talks a lot about his need to be flexible in his film and TV work — though he and the studio’s manager, Andy Cook, made a strong case for the ongoing demand for large studios and large format consoles when I interviewed them about British Grove’s AMS Neve 88R to celebrate that desk’s 20th Birthday. You can read their interview on page 32. So, that’s it then, another year done! We’ll be back early in 2022 with a new Res — and working towards our 20th Anniversary, believe it or not. I know, I know, we don’t look that old… Oh stop, you’ll make us blush… I’d personally like to thank all our contributors, advertisers, and most of all, you, our readers for another year of support. Onwards and upwards, eh? Take care.
John
November/December 2021 / 5
/ News
Lawo projects win awards Lawo has won two industry awards that recognise new products and technologies. It’s HOME Management Platform has won a NAB Show Product of the Year Award in the category for ‘IT Networking/Infrastructure & Security.’ Launched in April, HOME is natively built on a cloud-ready microservices architecture, enabling users to connect, manage and secure networked production setups from the ground up, providing centralised access and control for all Lawo gear within a setup. Secondly, it Zurich Opera secured an AVard for ‘Best Innovative Integration 2021’ for its use of an IP-based, near-zero latency setup to physically separate musicians, the choir, and soloists while uniting them on a virtual level at the hall. The soloists on stage followed the conductor on a screen, and the orchestra was replaced by 10 speakers in the pit. www.lawo.com
Nugen helps Vaudeville celebrate its 15th
Since opening in 2006, Vaudeville Sound Group — the London-based postproduction house for TV, film, broadcast, gaming and documentary work — has expanded to locations in Los Angeles (2013) and Vancouver (2020), and recently completed its 35th sound studio build — which accommodate 60+ creatives in various departments, including sound design and dialogue editing, as well as ADR and mixing. “We are a talent-led group that works differently than traditional post-production facilities,” explains Daniel Jones, CEO of Vaudeville Sound Group. “In addition to our high-security post-production facilities in those three territories, we also create and supervise full audio post-production facilities for clients.” Each of its studio locations relies on Nugen Audio’s plug-ins, especially Halo Upmix, which has proven particularly beneficial for Vaudeville’s immersive sound/ Dolby Atmos projects. This includes the world’s first immersive history podcast series, Amazing War Stories, which was completed using Upmix’s 3D extension. www.nugenaudio.com 10 / November/December 2021
ATC mix Jam & Lewis Volume 1 After nearly 40 years in the industry, the five-time Grammy-winning songwriting/ production duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, have released their debut album as artists: Jam & Lewis Volume One. As their pedigree demands, the album boasts guests including Mariah Carey, Babyface, Mary J. Blige, Boyz II Men, Toni Braxton and Usher. And, as modern taste demands, the team mixed their new tracks in immersive formats, using ATC monitoring. “We wanted to mix the entire album in an immersive format, but we had never mixed for surround in our studio,” Lewis noted. “We had been impressed by ATC monitors, and the array of different ATC models and sizes made it possible to outfit our Flyte Tyme control room with the right boxes for an immersive system.” That meant three ATC SCM45A Pro monitors to serve as left/center/right, two slightly smaller ATC SCM25A Pro monitors for rear channels, six smaller-still ATC SCM12 Pro monitors as side channels, and four ATC SCM12i Pros overhead. “We’re always looking for a good mix with lots of detail that adds up to an effective whole,” Jam said. “The ATCs are great for that; they’re very true. They sound warm and pleasant and are easy to work on, but they aren’t hyped. They won’t make a bad mix sound good, so they make us work! But once we have things sounding good on the ATCs, we can be confident that they will translate everywhere else.” www.transaudiogroup.com
RND debuts limited edition Dual Shelford Rupert Neve Designs has announced a limited edition run of 300 5025 Dual Shelford Mic Pres. They will be twochannel units based on their best-selling Shelford Channel. Production, which the company describes as “the definitive evolution of the original technologies found in Rupert’s classic modules like the 1073, 1064 and 2254, advanced and refined for the modern engineer.” The Dual Shelford Mic Pre utilises custom step-up transformers on the microphone inputs, which provide the first 15dB of gain, while also offering 72dB of low-noise class-A gain, a sweepable high-pass filter,
EVENTS GUIDE CES, Las Vegas
5-8 January 2022
the company’s well-known Silk Red and Blue circuit and the dual output level transformers originally developed for the Shelford Channel. The Dual Shelford Mic Pre is now shipping worldwide in limited quantities, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $3,999 USD. www.rupertneve.com
MPTS, London
NAMM Believe in Music (online) 20-21 January
PALM Expo, India
ISE, Barcelona
NAMM, Anaheim
NAB, Las Vegas Prolight+Sound, Frankfurt Musikmesse, Frankfurt High End, Munich
1-4 February 23-27 April
Infocomm, Las Vegas
11-12 May 26-28 May 3-5 June 4-10 June
26-29 April
MIDEM, Cannes
7-10 June
29 April-1 May
PLASA, London
4-6 September
19-22 May
IBC, Amsterdam
9-12 September
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/ News
/ ISE’s new venue at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Vía
Integrated Systems Europe — big in Barcelona Exhibitors are signing up to take part in ISE 2022, NIGEL JOPSON takes a look at the plans for a new venue
R
egistration for ISE 2022 is now open, offering the international audio, visual, and systems integration community a long-anticipated opportunity to reconnect in person at ISE’s new home at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Vía exhibition centre — the second largest trade fair and exhibition centre in Europe. Six Technology Zones, set out over five spacious halls will welcome in-person visitors from 1st-4th February 2022. The ISE Conference programme runs from Monday 31st January through to Friday 4th February. After 16 years being held at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre, the organisers of ISE — the world's largest audio-visual fair — announced in 2018 that Barcelona would become the permanent venue for the event for its next exhibitions. Pre-pandemic, with annual growth in ISE exhibitors and attendees approaching 10%, and the AV market forecast to grow by 5% per annum through 2021, it seemed eminently sensible to conclude that ISE was outgrowing its popular Amsterdam location. These plans took a hard knock from Covid, with the 2021 show having to be moved from February to June, and then replaced by ‘ISE Live & Online’, a series of two-day in-person events taking place in Barcelona, Munich, Amsterdam, and London. 12 / November/December 2021
Barca!
This hybrid 2021 event from ISE, combining live and digital content, nevertheless achieved 1,431
in-person attendees on Day 1, and 990 on Day 2 in Barcelona. Over 8,000 people registered for ISE Digital, which had 120 live sessions. It’s been a 17-year journey to get to Barcelona so it was bittersweet not to make the big bang we’d hoped for on our debut, but we know the value of live events for forging trust, deeper business relationships and driving business,” commented Integrated Systems Events managing director, Mike Blackman, “I hope this sends a message of confidence to cities around the world that live events can be safe and successful. All visitors within the venues in June this year had to provide a negative Covid-19 anti-allergen test result prior to entry, and wore FFP2 NR
/ News
facemasks inside the venue. Despite these stringent health restrictions, the turnout demonstrated that, for many, in-person trade shows are still a persuasive draw. After more than a year without events and exhibitions, we were excited and delighted to meet people face-to-face again,“ said Oriol Massague, field marketing manager at Panasonic. Spread across five halls at the Fira Gran Vía, the 2022 show floor has been organised into five Technology Zones to provide a muchimproved visitor experience over RAI, which had begun to look a little cramped. With a motivational motto of ‘Rise up. Reconnect. Ignite the future’, the wide aisles and easy-tonavigate layout of ISE 2022 is designed to provide both the AV channel and end-users with plenty of inspiration. It is very heartening to see that globally, events and exhibitions are returning to strength,” said Blackman. “We are delighted that we already have over 700 exhibitors confirming their presence at ISE 2022 and we expect more to confirm in the coming days.” Committed exhibitors include big names like Barco, Crestron, KNX, Kramer, LG, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony.
Sound Xperience
Audio shares Hall 7 with Lighting and Staging. There will be three new demo areas covering lighting and staging (within the Lighting & Staging Zone), audio and digital signage (both outdoors). Taking advantage of the expansive facilities at the new venue, these areas will allow visitors to experience major multi-technology solutions in ‘real-life’ set-ups. A perennial problem for audio pros at trade shows is not being able to objectively and accurately
/ The 2021 show is scheduled for February 2022
evaluate new equipment; ISE has addressed this for the 2022 show with the ‘Sound Xperience’. Set just metres away from the Fira Gran Vía, a dedicated cinema complex offers 12 specially configured listening rooms to showcase audio “with depth, accuracy and pin-point clarity”. This initiative, in partnership with Eventos Filmax Cinema Gran Vía complex, takes advantage of treated screening rooms
/ Six Technology Zones will be spread out across the five halls
14 / November/December 2021
with a capacity to host up to 2,500 people, within a very modern movie complex, which includes 4DX theatres. The redesigned show floor will feature a new Discovery Zone, highlighting 40 companies exhibiting for the first time. The numbers are lower than the 1,300 recorded in ISE’s peak year of 2019, but ten times higher than the number of exhibitors seen at ISE’s 2021 regional roadshows in Barcelona and London. A new development for 2022 is a paperless approach to visitor registration in the form of digital badges, issued via the new ISE app, which will also be a source of additional information and content. “There will be many education opportunities for attendees to explore, including our CTS (Certified Technology Specialist) half-day workshops in multiple languages, along with member events,” said Sarah Joyce, Chief Global Officer, AVIXA. AV Career Day also returns to ISE 2022, taking place on Thursday 2 February. Supported by AVIXA, CEDIA and ISE, this initiative is designed to showcase career opportunities and ensure that the next generation of professionals has the skills to meet the challenges of the future. ISE 2022 will provide plenty of opportunities for professional development through its five-day, multilanguage content programme. Combining a mix of paid-for and free sessions, To register, the 2022 thought-leadership scan the code programme covers a wide variety of industry topics. Starting on Monday with two full-day conferences, the programme will take place on three dedicated stages within Hall 1.
Rise Up. Reimagine. Ignite the Future. ISE 2022 unites and inspires AV professionals to meet the latest challenges with innovative solutions. The future begins in Barcelona. Fira de Barcelona | Gran Vía 1-4 February 2022
A joint venture partnership of
Discover more iseurope.org
Craft
Stephen Lipson For 40 years, Stephen Lipson produced and engineered a catalogue of iconic hits before being hauled into the world of big-budget film scores. DANNY TURNER discusses his remarkable career
A
lthough setting up a recording studio in the early ‘80s proved to be a short-lived affair, Stephen Lipson managed to earn the attention of record company entrepreneur Jill Sinclair who invited the promising engineer to work at SARM West studios as Trevor Horn’s right-hand man. A jack of all trades, it was at Horn’s ZTT label 38 / November/December 2021
that Lipson played on, produced and engineered numerous landmark records for the likes of Grace Jones, Propaganda and Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Lipson’s back catalogue of studio credits would later go on to read like a who’s who of household names, with Annie Lennox, Paul McCartney, Whitney Houston and The Rolling
Stones being the tip of the iceberg. Following a chance meeting with Hans Zimmer in the late ‘00s, Lipson was inducted into the world of film soundtrack by the legendary composer. Their partnership incorporated Lipson’s debut on Batman: The Dark Knight Rises in 2012 and now includes the latest James Bond installment No Time To Die and upcoming Top Gun: Maverick. What chain of events led to you becoming an engineer at SARM West studios? I never really intended to be an engineer, it’s just something that happened by accident. In a nutshell, I ended up co-owning a studio at a very early age with an old friend that I was doing guitar sessions for. He had the building and the money and told me I could equip and run the studio. I had a year to set this place up with £15,000 and zero knowledge. Despite
/ Much of Lipson’s work is now completed from a home Atmos-equipped studio, though he retains his room at Battery too
pretending to be producer, within six months I got a co-production credit for Sniff ‘n’ The Tears’ Driver’s Seat, which was a top 10 record in America. Unfortunately, the studio partnership dissolved and the only way I could make a living was to be a freelance engineer. That’s when Jill Sinclair asked me to work with Trevor Horn for a couple of days. Once I started resolution 1 12.10.2021 working with Trevor,2021_2.pdf I figured where I‘d been 22.46
going wrong, a few holes in my knowledge got filled and I ended up producing most of ZTT’s output. What qualities did Trevor possess that rubbed off on you? Tenacity is his biggest attribute — he was never satisfied. On many occasions we’d start a track again from scratch, which I’d never done before,
or he’d get a drummer in and then try another one who he thought might be better. He also has a great way of capturing stuff that wasn’t supposed to be recorded. That would happen all the time — the machine would be in record and he’d capture a performance of mine that hadn’t even occurred to me was a performance. I’m not sure if he had a sound vision, but he kept pushing.
AWARDS 2021
WINNER MICROPHONE
Scope Labs Periscope C
REWARDING QUALITY AND INNOVATION
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
November/December 2021 / 39
Awards 2021
AWARDS 2021 REWARDING QUALITY AND INNOVATION
Resolution Awards 2021 Winners! The results are in! Thanks to everyone who voted in the Resolution Awards 2021 via www.resolutionmag.com, and helped decide the winners for this year. The following pages showcase the companies and products that came out on top in some ultra-competitive categories this year.
W
hile the world at large has attempted to return to normality, it’s still been a disrupted cycle for many of us — though the pro audio industry has showed no signs of slowing down its development and progress in that time, and many have experienced another excellent year of trading as more and more audio pros alter and augment their set-ups to reflect the new reality of a world involving more remote work and needing more flexible arrangements. AVID, for example is currently reporting a 12% rise in profits, driven by a 50%+ rise in its subscription revenues for Pro Tools. With 2021 seeing a major update for the long-standing DAW that significantly upgraded its operation thanks to the new Hybrid Engine under the bonnet — an achievement recognised in these awards — more people seem to now be ready to take the plunge with the monthly and yearly options. Last year we reported on a stellar year for Focusrite (a PLC that reports detailed financials), and that performance was repeated in 2021 as the company’s profits leapt almost four-fold on the back of a 30%+ increase in revenue, This shows that that demand for high-end audio equipment has not slowed down. The markets may be changing, but the need for quality hardware is not only persistent, but growing; and Focusrite’s CEO Tim Carrol believes that even “those sectors negatively impacted by COVID-19 are showing ongoing signs of recovery.” So, here’s to all the 2021 nominees. The Resolution Awards have always looked to recognise innovation and excellence in Pro Audio, so every product here deserves praise. As my predecessor was fond of saying: “nomination is our accolade”. That continues to be true this year. All the best, John Moore (Editor & Content Manager) john@resolutionmag.com
44 / November/December 2021
A N A LO G U E O U TB OA R D
Winner: SSL 500 UV EQ Given the popularity of its Fusion 1U processing rack, it’s little surprise that when SSL decided to begin pulling out elements from it for discreet 500 Series units, it would have a winner on its hands — and the 500 UV EQ proves that point. Specifically, the UV EQ is the ‘Voilet’ four-band Stereo EQ from Fusion, with its high and low shelving bands, high pass filter, and ‘minimum-phase’ design. However, ‘Ultra Violet’ augments the original with dual fully-parametric mid bands, and 'Focus' mode, which can be used to create much tighter notch filtering curves for precision shaping. A great way to access a modern SSL EQ sound in an affordable and versatile package. www.solidstatelogic.com
Also nominated: API Select T25; Little Labs LL2A; Audio Digital Technologies Olympic 500 series Mic EQ A notable element of the new Select range, the API Select T25 is a classic two-channel tube compressor that has caught many an eye as part of the company's new outboard line. Though not a name as associated with vacuum tubes as some out there, API has nevertheless produced a bit of a winner in the shape of a 2U, blue rackmount unit. Little Labs' LL2A is a diminutive, seemingly simple compressor/limiter with a lot of interesting electronics going on within its half-rack-sized enclosure, and a new way of doing things. Rather than light-sensitive resistors (optical), valves or any of the other compression methods we’re used to seeing, it uses a signal processor dubbed the ‘four‑quadrant analogue multiplier’. Finally, the Audio Digital Technology Olympic 500 EQ, reviewed in (Resolution V21.4), is an impressive attempt to recreate the magic of the Olympic Studios Helios desks of yore — recreating the circuitry of the units used in Studio One there. www.apiaudio.com | www.audiodigitaltechnology.com www.littlelabs.com
D AW/ S O F T WA R E S U I T E
Winner: AVID Pro Tools 2021.6 HDX hardware could support 2048 voices (streams of data from the hard drive), and up to 256 7.1 audio tracks in one session via a mixture of native and hardware processing, making single-card HDX systems (or Pro Tools | Carbon-equipped studios — see below) viable for even the biggest of projects. www.avid.com Also nominated: Nuendo 11; UAD Luna; L’Acoustics L-ISA Studio
It’s little surprise, perhaps, that the ever-popular and somewhat ubiquitous Pro Tools came out on top of our poll in this category, but that does not mean that the 2021.6 update (assessed by Rob Speight in his column in Resolution V21.5) simply won on reputation alone. The big update to Pro Tool’s functionality and the addition of the Hybrid Engine in this year’s June update has made a massive difference to the platform for pro users, and enhanced the appeal of the HDX-enabled hardware and its AAX-DSP plug-in format — which offers near-zero latency processing when tracking and mixing. The real key was that, following the update,
Also nominated were Nuendo 11, which added a significant raft of features to its well-known, well established DAW platform — including in-the-box Atmos support and ADM authoring, Spectral editing, and enhanced Intelligibility and Loudness monitoring features. UAD's Luna stepped into the ring to compete with the established DAWs by taking an analogueinspired approach to in-the-box recording, leveraging its creator’s expertise in modelling and hardware-supported processing, while L’Acoustics’ L-ISA Studio offered a software suite dedicated to emulating immersive audio environments for headphone mixing, bringing the power of the L-ISA processing to desktop and laptop computers. www.steinberg.net | www.uaudio.com | www.l-isa-immersive.com November/December 2021 / 45
I N T E R FA C E ( A - D / D - A )
Winner: Prism Sound Dream ADA-128
The Prism Sound Dream ADA-128 represents five years of research from a company synonymous with transparent, high-quality digital conversion. It operates as a modular, expandable, high-performance A/D that can accommodate up to 128 channels and be tailored to almost any requirement via its four modular host slots (supporting AES, HDX and Dante currently) alongside 16 modular I/O slots for eight-channel line/out or mic/line cards. Internally, its QCLOCK system provides independent synchronization of I/O cards, enabling operation with up to four different clock domains. Control comes via network-connected desktop remote software, or via the front-panel touchscreen. It represents a significant investment to acquire this unit and get it kitted out with cards, but considering it’s inheriting the mantle of a unit that some consider to have been the flagship A-D/D-A system for nigh-on two decades — and its modular nature lends itself to moving with the times — Prism has done all it can to make that investment a wise one. www.prismsound.com
Also nominated: Antelope Galaxy 32 Synergy Core; AVID Pro Tools | Carbon; Focusrite Red8Line The Antelope Galaxy 32 Synergy Core (reviewed in V21.6) further develops the company's bespoke FGPA chipset ecosystem and makes a powerful platform for its low-latency plug-in range with Dante, HDX and Thunderbolt connectivity. Released prior to the 2021.6 update of the DAW — but probably with it in mind — the Avid Pro Tools | Carbon pairs wonderfully with its changes to the Pro Tools with the Hybrid Engine for those looking to move towards HDX in high-end project, and small professional, studio settings. The Focusrite Red8Line is a powerhouse 58-In, 64-Out Thunderbolt interface with a wide gamut of connectivity options (analogue line-level, DigiLink, Dante, ADAT and S/PDIF) along with two Red Evolution mic pres. www.antelopeaudio.com | www.avid.com | www.focusrite.com
MICROPHONE
Winner: Scope Labs Periscope
A real left-field winner here, but no less worthy for it! The Scope Labs periscope undoubtedly charmed us when we reviewed it earlier in the year, as a ‘character’ mic that is perfect when you’re looking for something a little bit different. Eye-catching in looks and sound, this steampunk-inspired copper-enclosed mic offers an omni patterned electret capsule twinned with a built-in, pre-set compressor designed by audio engineering team Matt Sartori (formerly a tech a London’s Mayfair Studios) and Paavo Kurkela — and it’s hand-built in Finland. Despite lacking any control over the compressor operation, we found it surprisingly versatile. The qualities of the capsule and the compressor’s attack and release, made its unique sound easy to shape with attention to axis and distance placement (and thus input volume — with attention to the raised noise floor). It was especially adept at providing drum ambience, and ideal to have on hand at all times for adding colour. www.scopelabs.eu 46 / November/December 2021
Also nominated: DPA 4097 CORE micro shotgun; JZ BB29 Signature; Telefunken TF11 FET With its highly directional supercardioid pattern, the DPA 4097 CORE Micro Shotgun (Resolution V19.4) proved to be a rugged performer in our tests last year, greatly impressing Simon Clarke with its ability to handle high-SPLs and just how great it was for discreet placements — in fact, the review described it as “mindblowingly miniscule” given its performance for its size. Our reviewer Jay Dean also loved the JZ BB29 Signature (Resolution V21.4), not only for its eye-catching design and looks — though they are to be appreciated — but also for its excellent handling of vocals and acoustic instruments, concluding that: “It’s actually refreshing to use a microphone that is carving its own niche and isn’t trying to replicate any of the famous vintage models.” By contrast, the beautiful but classic design of the Telefunken TF11 FET hits the retro itch that the company is so good at scratching by melding a CK12-style capsule design with modern circuitry, build quality and style. www.dpamicrophones.com | www.jzmic.com www.telefunken-elektroakustik.com
/ Resolution Awards 2021
M I X E R / C O N T R O L L E R ( A N A L O G U E O R D I G I TA L )
Winner: SSL UF-8
Solid State Logic UF-8 (Resolution V21.3) provides a modular, expandable controller option for DAW users. What’s notable, though, is that it does it marrying the kind of functionality you expect from SSL to that company’s eye for building quality tactile control. Our review described it as “a solidly built, elegant and modern looking fader unit,” that features 79 siliconrubberised multi-colour illuminating buttons, and eight motorised faders. George Shilling found it had all the feel and quality we’d expect from Solid State Logic, and described it as a “very fine unit.” www.solidstatelogic.com
Also nominated: Calrec Brio Medley; Lawo MC236 48-fader; Rupert Neve Designs 5057 Orbit Also recognised in this category was the Calrec Brio Medley, a package built around the company’s excellent Brio 36 Compact console, with 96-Input channel upgrade, a Dante or MADI expansion card and a Br.IO I/O to form a powerful integrated system for broadcast that’s ready to go right out of the box. Launched at the end of 2020, Lawo's MC236 48-fader delivers extra faders and control options to the firm's compact desk, along with in-built A-UHD Core processing that is centred around the 21.5” full HD touchscreens and touch-sensitive colour-illuminated rotary encoders, it offers 256 DSP channels and up to 896 channels of I/O. Finally, but by no means last, was that the Rupert Neve Designs 5057 Orbit; an ultra-stripped back, quality summing option for DAWbased studios looking to add analogue flavour to tracks or final mixes. www.calrec.com | www.lawo.com | www.rupertneve.com
MONITORING
Winner: Genelec GLM4.1 Software Though the Genelec GLM software concept has recently celebrated its 15th birthday (we looked at a previous incarnation in Resolution V19.4), the 4.1 software update completely overhauls its extremely userfriendly room optimisation system with a brand new, top-to-bottom rewrite of the room analysis engine, and adds a whole host of functionality and accessibility options. In conjunction with its GLM reference microphone kit, the 4.1 software allows the user’s room acoustics to be accurately analysed, after which each monitor and subwoofer can be automatically calibrated for relative level and relative distance delay, plus subwoofer crossover phase and frequency response. At that point, additional customisations can be made, including the calibration of absolute listening level in dB SPL. www.genelec.com
Also nominated: Focal Alpha 65 Evo; Grace Designs m908; Trinnov D-Mon and La Remote Also in the running in this category were the two-way, bi-amped Focal Alpha 65 EVO active nearfield monitors. These served to bring the French company’s notable sonic panache to a very competitive price point. Focal has won Resolution Awards in the past, and we wouldn’t have been surprised had that been the case here. They were joined in the running by the Grace Designs m908 (Resolution V19.6), which proved to be an extremely capable, super-flexible monitor controller in our tests. Jon Thornton concluded his review by saying that, if he was “building a new multi-channel studio from scratch, I’d give m908 serious consideration”. In the same spirit, the Trinnov D-Mon also presented an attractive technology-driven option for controlling and perfecting the sound of your room thanks not only to its powerful rackmount unit and its optimisation processing, but also thanks to the addition of the smart, stylish La Remote. That’s a combo that greatly impressed mic Aition and his post-production pals back in Resolution V21.3. www.focal.com | www.gracedesign.com | www.trinnov.com November/December 2021 / 47
PLUG -IN
Winner: UAD API Vision Console “integral summing and tape options… make this the most analoguesounding [DAW] platform I’ve worked on,” and that “the variety of colour and glue available is a pure joy.” www.uaudio.com Also nominated: Bettermaker EQ232D; Leapwing Al Schmitt; SynchroArts VocAlign
Coming out on top of an ultra-competitive field in this category is the UAD API Vision Console. In many ways more than ‘just’ a plug-in, the Vision Console fundamentally changes the look, feel and workflow of UAD’s rapidly developing Luna DAW, turning, delivering an end-to-end emulation of an API desk, meaning users can track in real-time through API preamp and channel modules, then mix via models of API's analogue summing and bus compression. Tim Oliver’s review said of it that its
Also in the running for the plug-in pize was Bettermaker’s EQ232D, a perfect plug-in representation of the company’s very powerful piece of outboard Mastering EQ hardware. It’s a piece of software we couldn't really have been more impressed by the than we were in Resolution V21.2’s review. Alongside it stood, Leapwing’s equally pleasing Al Schmitt Signature plug-in, which managed to perfectly capture the late engineer’s impeccable taste and light touch in the control room while still delivering a good range of sounds and options. The final contender was SynchroArts' VocAlign Ultra (Resolution V21.3); a wonderful no-frills tool for aligning audio and performing basic pitch correction that represents a real time-saver for those that need it. www.bettermaker.com | www.leapwingaudio.comw | ww.synchroarts.com
PREAMP
Winner: AMS Neve 1073OPX The AMS Neve 1073OPX presents as the perfect partner to the company’s 8424 desk for providing the additional mic preamps that some users will need to augment its stripped-back but flexible configuration. However, it’s also a great addition to almost any rig. Reviewed in Resolution V19.3, it melds eight-channels of the company’s much-appreciated 1073 preamp circuitry — including the Marinair transformers — with a flexible, network controllable, rackmount enclosure that allows a mic, line and DI input for each channel. These take the form of both front and rear input connections with independent switching, allowing for integration into a studio rack and augmented by a simple direct link via the front of the unit. These inputs all have separate gain controls paired with an analogue summing and monitoring matrix. The addition of a digital card can also provide A-D conversion up to 192kHz, with USB2.0 connectively or Dante integration via dual redundant Ethernet ports. The digital add-on also provides stereo digital monitor return — making it every bit the modern studio tool. This is especially so when the fact that up to eight of the units — which adds up to a total of 64 mic/line channels — can be network controlled via the OPX app is taken into account, which means it can add placement flexibility to its admirable list of attributes. www.ams-neve.com 48 / November/December 2021
Also nominated: API Select T12; Cranborne Audio EC1; RME 12Mic Also nominated was the API Select T12, and pretty un-API (but excellent) 2-channel, all-tube, Class-A mic pre in a 2U rack. Part of the new Select line (we reviewed the SR22 and SE24 units in Resolution V21.6) in leverages its AP2516 transformer in the input stage and a custom API transformer on the output stage. The Cranborne Audio Camden EC1 interface offers a diminutive 1/2 rack option for musicians and podcasters who need a compact portable preamp, while still delivering excellent quality pre-amp circuitry in multiple flavours, headphone monitoring and access to the company’s C.A.S.T. CAT5 cable audio distribution system, which can be further added to with headphone amps (N22H) or basic I/O option (N22). Finally, the RME 12Mic (Resolution V21.4) is a network controllable, reliable, reat-sounding workhorse set of mic pres that with MADI and AVB connections. It greatly impressed during our tests, as system that “in concept and operation… is an extremely capable, flexible and great-sounding mic pre-amp.” www.apiaudio.com | www.cranborne-audio.com | www.rme-audio.de
/ Resolution Awards 2021
PROCESSOR
Winner: Flock Audio PATCH LT including recordists, live engineers, mixers, broadcast and mastering engineers will enjoy the power of this marvellous system.” www.flockaudio.com
Every now and then a product comes along that, while far from what you would describe as ‘exciting’, is something that opens up a ton of possibilities. Such is the Flock Audio Patch systems — the latest of which, the 16-in/16-out LT, we reviewed earlier this year. In that review, George Shilling described it as “revelatory”, and our voters agreed that the prospect of a software-driven, superb sounding “completely transparent” analogue, completely configurable, patchbay was something worth their praise. George’s review concluded that “the neat Patch app makes routing and patching a breeze compared to the old-fashioned tangle of a conventional patchbay,” and that “all kinds of audio professionals
Also nominated: Lawo A_UHD CORE; Lawo Home; Studio Technologies Model 5422A Also nominated was the Lawo A_UHD CORE, the new heart of the company's MC2 mixers. It offers up to 1,024 channels of flexible DSP processing that can be shared between consoles, as well as extensive IP Audio capabilities. Also from the same company, was a very different proposition in the form of Lawo Home, a system that provides a highly flexible, cloud-based portal for management and connection of IP-based media infrastructure. Finally, the Studio Technologies Model 5422A Dante Intercom Audio Engine builds on and expands the 5422's reputation for providing IP-based Intercom facilities and broadcast-related mixing. www.lawo.com | www.studio-tech.com
RECORDER
Winner: Lectrosonics SPDR Ideal as a rugged, aluminium-cased, full stereo recorder, that can be employed when a wireless system cannot be used, the Stereo Personal Digital Recorder (SPDR) also doubles as a compact backup recorder to keep in the kitbag, could be a reliable part of a low-profile interview kit for journalists or documentarians, and part of a plant mic system. With a temperature compensating clock accurate to 1ppm at all temperatures, and strong build quality, it’s also geared up for extreme sports or extreme conditions, and the company says it was launched to fill demand for binaural VR recording. It utilises the same high-def display as the PDR, and can be started and stopped with dweedle tone commands via the PDRRemote app. It stores audio in the Broadcast Wave Format (iXML metadata) on microSDHC memory card, with mic and line-level inputs that utilise Lectrosonics’ ‘servo bias’ input preamp, alongside an AES in for digital signals and a high-quality headphone output for monitoring. It can deliver 20 hours or more of operation on dual AA lithium batteries, while a 32GB memory card can potentially hold 30hrs of recording at 48kHz. A true workhorse piece of kit, that’s also a potential lifesaver to boot. www.lectrosonics.com
Also nominated: TASCAM DR-10L; iZotope Spire Studio; Zoom PodTrack P8 Also competing in the category were the Tascam DR-10L, another a compact discreet recorder — but this time twinned with a lavalier mic to make it ideal for videographers, content creators or reporters to use out in the field. On a distinctly more musical bent, iZotope's Spire Studio provides a wireless, portable, musicianfriendly recording system that twins an internal mic with additional connectivity options, along with appdriven effects and AI cloud processing to create a powerful, portable musical notepad for ideas and collaboration. As a great addition to the ever-growing toolkit aimed at the burgeoning podcast market, the Zoom PodTrack P8 delivers an easy-to-use, portable and powerful option for podcasters with six mic inputs and a multitude of other connection options. www.izotope.com | www.tascam.com | www.zoomcorp.com November/December 2021 / 49
DNS 8D e n h a n c e d m u l t i - c h a n n e l n o i s e s u p p re s s o r
t h e d i a l o g u e n o i s e s u p p re s s o r that talks your language
www.cedaraudio.com