AES NYC 2015 A Journeyman's Wandering #05 & Finale

Photo by Tom O'Connor

The AES/NYC show at the Javits Center (or in California on even years) is always an eye and an ear opener. Each time I attend I come in the door thinking I've pretty much seen everything. I'm always wrong.

From the white papers in sessions where engineers talk about what may be around the corner to the floor where you can see what's shipping or what's about to ship, my coverage continues with this 5th and last episode. 

Read on, there may be surprises for you. This last report features RME, Radial Engineering, TASCAM, Lewitt Microphones, Zoom Recorders, Cloud Microphones and from Shure, in-ear monitors and MOTIV, which offers digital microphones and new ways of recording. 
RME
I have been an RME user for about eight years. I bought one of their A/D D/A converters because I wanted to improve the audio quality going into my Digidesign 003r, rack mounted I/O box that I operate using Pro Tools. I still use the original RME ADI-8 DS for that job, even though RME has upgraded it to the RME ADI-8 DS Mk iii. If I needed that same sort of quality functionality today, the Mk iii would definitely be a contender. I reviewed the new unit in February of 2015 and you can find that review here. The combination of my room, mics, preamps and the RME ADI-8 DS, are responsible for the quality of the sound I get.

I was looking for a piece that would be attractive to small studios and also for actors who are called upon to do their own engineering when asked by producers for voice auditions. The audio book market continues to grow and the tech-savvy actor can open an account at www.acx.com and make at least a partial living by recordings book in the privacy of their own homes. 

The RME Babyface Pro (above) is one way to get there. Its small footprint belies its abilities. As I watched Jeff Petersen explain the ins and outs, it occurred to me that there was a lot going on inside this box. I'm sure you'll agree!

Radial Engineering
I have always enjoyed the thinking at Radial Engineering. They make a large number of audio boxes that do lots of different things - call them "problem solvers" if you like. You'll understand as you watch Jay Porter explain some of these boxes, like the BT-Pro, the first BlueTooth enabled stereo receiver direct box. The DI Net, direct boxes for DANTE systems that either input or output from a DANTE network. The JDX Direct-Drive a small instrument amp simulator that lets you feed a small house system or a small powered speaker, but the processing in the box supposedly makes it sounds like a Marshall 412……except at a much lower volume and without having to lug the amp in and out. Check them all out in the video below.

Radial bought Jensen a few years ago. John Hardy has been making the one rack space Jensen twin 990 servo preamp for some time and it's a truly great sounding preamp. I've had one here in my studio and also took it around to other music studios to the delight and amazement of others. For more details, here's a rabbit hole to my online archive and one of the reviews I wrote about the Night preamp and the Jensen twin 990. The Jensen twin servo mic preamps built into the 500 Series format caught my eye and ear.  

Jay also had a nice USB-Pro Stereo USB Laptop DI box (below) that can solve a lot of problems. 

TASCAM
TASCAM's Jeff Laity had a great little plug on recorder for dynamic mics, the DR-10X Plug-On Micro Linear PCM Recorder (below). If you're doing on the street reporting with a dynamic mic, you can now safely leave the cassette deck behind. This would probably be useful for singer-songwriters or anyone who want to quickly capture a mono file of a thought or musical performance. Keep one by the bed for those wake-up moments when you have a great idea that you'll never remember in the morning.

On the top end, TASCAM's DA-6400 is a 64-track recorder (below) for live sound, FOH or live broadcast recording and playback. Timceode, Gigabit Ethernet, Serial RS-422 and parallel control.

TASCAM has speced and engineered their own SSD hard drives and have hot-swappable enclosures for them. There are two I/O slots for optional audio interface cards: IF-MA64/EX 64-channel redundant (in/out/thru) MADI optical/coaxial interface card, IF-MA64/BN 64-channel MADI coaxial interface card, IF-DA64 64-channel Dante interface card and an IF-AE16 16-channel AES/EBU interface card.

Lewitt Audio
To be honest, I had never heard of Lewitt microphones. They started after Roman Perschon left his job as Project Manager for AKG, best I can tell, around 2009. Lewitt makes a line of dynamic and condenser mics. I wish them luck. It's a crowded market. The glowing vacuum tube in the Lewitt LCT940 (below) caught my eye and the power supply and pattern adjustment box it was attached to looked interesting, so I spent a few minutes with Dean Downey to learn more. It's a mic that combines both FET and tube and allows you to vary the mix of the two and choose among all the patterns from Omni to Figure Of Eight.

ZOOM
I've been a fan of Zoom for a while. They have made inroads into the pro audio and pro video markets with low cost gear that has some limitations, but gets the job done. I have reviewed both the Zoom Q4 and Zoom Q8 video cameras and am amazed that they can bring the technology they do at the price points they do.

I saw the Zoom F8 (above) come out earlier this year and have heard that it's selling very well. There are some cautions. The knobs are pretty difficult to mix with because they're so small. Also the gain knobs turn down, but not completely off. So the ideal use for the F8 is for a multi-track ISO recorder that you'll use to record audio and then mix the ISO tracks in post. Check out the new iPad control that Charlie Lederer demonstrates. Very Cool.

Cloud Microphones
I've known Roger for about five years. I reached out to him when the Cloud  JRS34 bi-directional ribbon mic came out. I worked with Cloud to make a few changes in the JRS34 as they were getting it ready for market. 

Somewhere along the line they put out a small amp stage called the Cloud Lifter. Then the Cloud Lifter CL-Z variable impedance mic activator. It's a truly neat device, especially if you have passive ribbon or dynamic mics, even a Shure SM57 or SM58. (Non-linear thought: If you're micing a snare with an SM57, try a Granelli G5790. It's an SM57 with a 90 degree angle that's a lot easier to position on a drum kit. These are local Baltimore guys.) The Cloud Lifter CL-Z allows you to continuously vary the impedance load the mic sees. That, of course, changes the sound of the mic; more flavors, more colors.

Shure
I've never seen so many in-ear phones! I asked Shure's Thomas Banks to run down the list and explain the differences. The Shure booth was very, very busy. I was concerned that all of the chatter around us would cover our comments. It's a little tough, but work with me here!

The Shure line (above) was very impressive. From the SE112 ($49), SE215 ($138.99), SE315 ($242.99), SE425 ($342.99), SE535 ($499), SE846 ($999), SHA900 listening amplifier ($999), and KSE1500 electrostatic earphones ($2,999.00) - there's a price point and feature set for everyone. (really? $3k? What must that sound like?)

My first thought was that one of these many in-ear drivers would be perfect for videographers who are also responsible for grabbing sound. Their problem is that even the small-ish Sony MDR 7506 headphones stick out too much and bang into the side of the camera when it's shoulder-mounted. NOT HELPFUL!! I hope to get around to trying some of these later to find out which model delivers sound similar enough to the MDR7506 to be useful in the location audio work I do. 

If you think Shure has been sitting on its laurels and watching the world go by, THINK AGAIN! This became apparent when Banks gave me a whirlwind (pun intended) tour of the Shure Motiv line of digital mics and new recording solutions. Please excuse the couple of places my camera decided to go soft focus. I may have had my finger over a focus sensor. I need to look into that. 

Banks showed me the Shure MVL lav, MV5, MV51, A free Motiv App, (a 24/48 recording software - check the App store), the MVi, MV88 Mid/Side stereo condenser with an amazing amount of control via the App in the above video. With these, Shure has definitely demonstrated that it's listening to "what the kids are saying."

That was my last stop of the second day and as the sun set over Manhattan, I walked back to the once grand (but not any more) Hotel Pennsylvania. OTOH, the Niles Restaurant a block south on 7th Avenue in the Affinia Hotel, was a great place to eat and drink.

The next day, as we trained from NYC back to Baltimore, I could only say that the AES Convention was, once again, great and showed me more than I expected. 
  

RME ADI-8 DS Mk iii A/D D/A Conversion - Time marches on, and gets more accurate.

Ty Ford

I’m writing this article in February 2015. If you’re still arguing that analog is better than digital, I can’t help you. I’m OK with the idea that drums and other sounds with high transients may be recorded on properly aligned and biased analog tape recorders and that the non-linearities of that system may result in a sound you like better. The rounding off by tape compression is an acknowledged, if not expensive, effect in music production today. I get it.

File that on the shelf next to “Ford’s Theorum” (something I’ve said for years) which states that, “Good analog is better than bad digital and good digital is better than bad analog.” Further, that, “Good solid state is better than bad tubes and good tubes are better than bad solid state.” You can argue the boundaries of those intersections, but you can’t argue that they don’t exist.

The transformer - no transformer debate is sort of a corollary of the above. Yes, iron changes the sound and in some cases can be said to make things sound more pleasing. Yes, the right iron and the right number of windings can help low sensitivity mics do better by providing some “free” gain. 

Once you get tired of arguing any of the above, there’s still A/D conversion to hammer out. Fortunately, we are years and many revisions past the early and ugly attempts at 16-bit, 44.1 kHz. Yes, there was a quantum leap when good 24-bit was achieved. Yes, we can and have taken it farther, but In a world where the largest market segment is happy listening to mp3 files on cell phone earbuds, how far do we really need to go?

Audio is seldom the prime mover in the Technology Circus. More typically, audio is the happy recipient of advances in the video, medical technology and scientific measurement industries. Below those impressive moments is...wait for it...Audio. 

George Massenburg GML 8204

In my own pursuit of “financially limited perfection”, I realized that there are others like myself who can hear things that others can’t. 

Likewise, there are things I’m relatively deaf to that others can hear. We are all in pursuit of satisfaction; our own individual happy place that makes us smile when we hear “the right stuff.” There are many paths.

I improved the audio on my first Pro Tools rig almost 15 years ago by carefully selecting some good preamps - GML 8204 and Millennia Media STT-1. After settling in with them, I took aim at the A/D conversion. The hardware I was using had an ADAT optical port, and because of my budget, I tried the RME ADI-8 DS shortly after it came out in 2000. This was back before AES standards had evolved and Tascam’s TASCAM Digital Interface (TDIF) and Alesis’ ADAT ruled the swamp.

Millennia Media STT-1

Almost 15 years later, my ADI-8 DS is still in the rack and apart from requiring a recent power supply replacement, has been powered up and quietly doing its job all along. I did the power supply swap out with a little help from RME US rep Jeff Petersen at the Synthax in Ft. Lauderdale office, distributors for RME/Alva Cableware and Ferrofish in the USA.

Synthax's Jeff Petersen

The thing is, A/D converters often don’t get the respect they deserve. Petersen puts it nicely, “Converters aren’t sexy, they’re just clean and effective.” He’s right. 

The RME ADI-8 DS Mk iii that's the object of this review, and an upgrade from the piece I've ben using is just a one rack-space box with a few lights and switches on the front and holes in the back. 

It’s supposed to be inaudible, invisible. If you’re an electric guitar player with a pedal board, you want each pedal to change the sound. Fine, but the job here is to allow as much original detail though as possible.

Back then, combined with the better preamps, the first RME ADI-8 DS made a noticeable improvement in my audio at 44.1kHz and 48 kHz. The Lavry and DB Technologies I tried had more detail, but were too expensive and I was satisfied by the improvement brought by the ADI-8 DS. I could go ADAT light pipe right in to the Digidesign hardware. That was a big plus.

By replacing Digi preamps and A/D conversion, I had bypassed the entire front end of the Digidesign hardware. I don’t use the D/A conversion, just the A/D. No disrespect to Digidesign. They had a piece at a price. I just built out from that with gear that I could hear made a difference and that (Including five preamps and eight channels of A/D conversion) cost nine times my original investment in Digidesign hardware and software. I expected that would pay off for my host-based system as computers got faster and storage got cheaper. It did.

I think I started with Pro Tools V 5 and am now at V 10. I use it every day and make a living with it. Pro Tools 11 is current and, for the first time, offers faster than real time Bounce To Disk, but I’ll need to upgrade my entire Mac platform and all the good and bad can be expected to go along with that. I’m just not ready to do that at the moment.

RME ADI-8 DS Mk iii

RME ADI-8 DS Mk iii

The most notable operational difference between my ADI-8 DS and the newer ADI-8 DS Mk iii is that the D-subs connections now go to AES/EBU I/Os instead of TDIF. As the AES/EBU spec has evolved, more AES enabled gear has been created; including this upgrade for the ADI-8 DS Mk iii. About how the line of RME converters plays out, Petersen says, “The ADI-8 Pro (48k max) was the original, the ADI-8 DS (96k max) would be the Mk ii essentially, and the ADI-8 DS Mk iii (192k max) is the 3rd generation of this venerable 8 channel converter. The QS is a different animal.” I took the opportunity to give it a test run during the time my “original recipe” unit was out of the rack for its power supply exchange.

The Mk iii benefits from the 14 years of advancing technology since the first ADI-8 DS was released. The most noticeable spec difference is the lower latency of the Mk iii. It’s at 12 samples, the old one was at 40 samples. I am not bothered by the old unit’s 40 samples, but if that was a deal killer for you, see how you like 12. 

Like the earlier model, The ADI-8 DS Mk iii is an 8-channel AD and DA converter in a standard 19", 1U box. This includes ICC Intelligent Clock Control (ICC), SyncCheck ™, four hardware reference levels up to +24 dBu (instead of just three), AES/EBU and ADAT I/O, with up to a 192 kHz sample rate. 

According to RME, “Our unique SyncCheck and AutoSync technology has evolved into the new Intelligent Clock Control of the Hammerfall DSP system. HDSP is the only digital I/O-system worldwide capable of measuring and displaying the frequency of all clock sources. Even word clock! Based on validity and current sample rate the system then decides which clock source should be used - fully automated and performed in hardware. With this the HDSP system offers the easiest handling of the present clocks.”

Word Clock Implementation

The signal present at the Mk iii BNC Word Clock input can be single, double or quad speed and when lock is achieved the WCK LED stops blinking and glows steadily. RME uses what they call a “Signal Adaptation Circuit” and “Automatic Signal Centering” to reshape the Word Clock signal. This reshaping addresses several possible fault problems, including poorly shaped, low or high signal at the input and sends the new signal to the Mk iii WCK BNC output. The WCK BNC output also has built-in 75 Ohm termination, should you need to slave the Mk iii at the end of a chain of digital devices.  

SteadyClock is RME’s answer to the problematic Superclock and has been added since the earlier ADI-8 DS. It uses a 22 MHz clock signal that RME believe better answers the stability problems raised by Superclock. The Dither feature of the earlier model is also absent from the Mk iii.

Analog-Land

Analog inputs are via eight 1/4” TRS jacks or one 24-pin D-sub connector. The TRS input jacks are servo-balanced to accept either balanced TRS audio or TS unbalanced audio. You may see the term “double balanced” in the marketing information. I had no idea what that term meant, so I inquired. Turns out it means that both the TRS and D-Sub connections are each balanced, hence “double balanced.” I would hope so, but you never know these days. Another term, Full Symmetrical, caught my eye and I was told that meant that all stages are fully balanced instead of single ended. 

While you may use only one of the inputs, 1/4” or D-sub, the Mk iii outputs have separate drivers enabling both 1/4” (TS or TRS) and D-Sub outputs to be used simultaneously. The TRS/TS output is servo-balanced, but the D-sub is not. When connecting with unbalanced audio gear, pin 3 must be lifted.

As with the analog input, the analog output also has four selections for level; +24 dBu, +19 dBu, +13 dBu and +4 dBu (-10 dBv).

A/D Input

If you have analog gear with different output levels, the DS Mk iii is even more obliging than the original DS. There’s a fourth analog sensitivity setting from which to choose. So now you have +4.2 dB (-10dBv, +13 dBu, +19 dBu and +24 dBu. These changes are all made before the A/D converter. 

The analog LED input level lights on the original DS flashed at 2 dB below FS, which I initially found disturbing, but learned to ignore. The Mk iii partially lights at -2dB FS and goes to full brightness at 0 dBFS. In the heat of the moment I don’t know if I’ll notice the difference. I’m still in ignore/denial mode. I’m not always looking at the rack, so LED hold lights may be helpful if you’re the type that likes pushing input levels as high as you can get them.

Digital Patch Bay

After A/D conversion, the audio is available at both AES and ADAT outputs simultaneously, except when in Patch Mode. The Patch Mode lights indicate the choice you’ve made and which output is active. 

Maybe the key differentiation feature for is the Digital Patch Bay. If you have a variety of digital audio boxes in your studio and they need to talk to each other, you may have had to stop, get behind your racks and swap cables and/or connections to do certain things from time to time. 

The RME web site explains this simple, push-button feature quite well, “A digital patchbay with free choice of source and destination setup can be used to convert ADAT to AES, AES to ADAT, cross-convert them at the same time, pass ADAT on to ADAT while monitored analog, and many more. The ADAT outputs also feature copy mode for connection of two different ADAT devices. These powerful and easy to use modes add significant value to the already outstanding conversion quality.

During single speed A/D conversion (up to 48 kHz), both ADAT and ADAT AUX outputs carry the same audio. A/D conversion is not available during AES input to ADAT and AES output

ADAT input to ADAT and AES output

AES input to ADAT output and ADAT input to AES output

AES input to AES output and AES input to AES output. 

In normal studio operations, the DS Mk iii will be the master and any digital devices connected to it will be slaves. That’s how it is with my setup. The Digidesign 003R is the slave and that is a choice in the Pro Tools software. Within Pro Tools, the ADAT protocol and optical source (because ADAT is optical) are the way to go. the When devices are locked correctly, the Mk ii Sync Light is on and steady. A blinking light means there’s a problem.

In Conclusion

As mentioned before, decidedly unsexy, but very important to the integrity of the signal chain. I recorded voice, acoustic guitar and drums separately on both my original ADI-8 DS and the Mk iii at 24-bit, 44.12 kHz. Try as I could, I could not detect any real difference in the sound. 

So it’s primarily about AES/EBU implementation, the lower latency, the added flexibility of the patch bay, SteadyCLock and an added input sensitivity and output level increment. My ADI-8 DS has been in the rack and powered up 24/7 for about 15 years before the power supply checked out. That’s got to count for something, too.

Technique Inc. © 2015 All Rights Reserved 

www.tyford.com

Here’s the bullet list from the RME web site.

8-channel AD converter, full symmetrical design, 119 dBA

8-channel DA converter, double balanced output, 120 dBA

Low latency conversion: less than 12 samples delay

4 x AES/EBU I/O per D-sub, 8 channels @ 192 kHz

2 x ADAT I/O, 8 channels @ 96 kHz, 4 channels at 192 kHz

Word clock input and output

2 x 8-channel level metering

Comprehensive digital patch mode for full interconnectivity

RME ADI-8DS SPECS

• Input AD: 1/4” TRS jack and 25 pin D-sub, servo balanced, all symmetrical audio path

• Output AD: 4 x AES/EBU, 2 x ADAT optical

• Input DA: 4 x AES/EBU, 2 x ADAT optical

• Output DA: 1/4” TRS jack servo balanced, to +21 dBu. 25 pin D-sub, balanced, to +24 dBu.

• Dynamic Range AD: 119 dBA

• THD AD: < -110 dB (< 0.00032 %)

• THD+N AD: < -104 dB (< 0.00063 %)

• Crosstalk AD: > 110 dB

• Dynamic Range DA: 120 dBA unmuted

• THD DA: < -104 dB (< 0.00063 %)

• THD+N DA: < -102 dB (< 0.0008 %)

• Crosstalk DA: > 110 dB

• Input level for 0 dBFS: +24 dBu, +19 dBu, +13 dBu, +4.2 dBu

• Output level for 0 dBFS: +24 dBu, +19 dBu, +13 dBu, +4.2 dBu

• Input/Output level at 0 dBFS @ -10 dBV: +2 dBV

• Sample rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2 , 96, 176.4, 192 kHz, variable (sync/word)

• Frequency response AD/DA -0.1 dB: 10 Hz - 23.2 kHz (sf 48 kHz)

• Frequency response AD/DA -0.5 dB: < 5 Hz - 43.0 kHz (sf 96 kHz)

• Frequency response AD/DA -1 dB: < 5 Hz - 85.0 kHz (sf 192 kHz)

• Power supply: Internal switching mode ps, 100 V-240 V AC

Handy Phone Recording Rig Improves Webinar Audio

Sometimes high fidelity takes a back seat to content. In this case, a company that does a webinar series asked for my help in cleaning up and streamlining their audio. I heard their previous webcast and, wow was it bad! Way too much data compression. Intelligibility was suffering. Surely I could do better.

I was asked to record the panelists in different cities in advance of the event, sequence their audio with other voice recordings and create a master .wav file that would be the bulk of the presentation. There would be a live Q&A and a pre-recorded good bye. The webinar would run a little less than an hour. I was also hired to be on site for the show to help the producer.

There are lots of ways to get audio off a phone line. Perhaps the easiest is a phone hybrid and I just happened to have a JK AutoHybrid in my bag of tricks. The phone line plugs into the hybrid and although it has XLR in and out, it has no level adjustments.

Between the hybrid and Pro Tools, I put a Sound Devices MixPre-D so that I could adjust levels as needed. I could have used the MixPre-D's USB out to get into the computer, but chose my RME ADI-8 DS A/D converter. It uses ADAT optical to get into my Digidesign DIGI003R.