AMS Neve has always been one of the leading names in the professional audio industry. However, many of their products were large analogue consoles. So for many with home studios, Neve products have been a bit out of reach. Neve has kept up with the times, however, and created products aimed for these smaller studios. One such product is the 8816 Summing Mixer.
Right out of the box, you may be surprised at the size of this device. The 8816 hangs 14 inches behind the rack braces. It’s not as heavy as you might expect, though. The smooth, sleek knobs and buttons might not seem too durable, but the 8816 is actually solidly built. Part of the lightness is due to the back that the power supply is external. Don’t be overwhelmed by the many different controls on the front—you’ll get used to them, and they really give you many different options. This is more than just a 16-to-2 mix engine, after all.
The 8816 can be summed up in one word, and that word is “flexibility.” You’ll be amazed at how much you can do. Part of this is because almost every knob and button has two functions, which means you’ll need to be certain you’re on the right setting each time. You’ll have no trouble with that after reading the handbook (a must in this case). Some controls aren’t really intuitive. Continue reading
Every studio needs a good set of reference monitors that accurately reproduce sounds coming from the mixer. Cheap monitors just don’t do this. While the Dynaudio BM 12A set of monitors may be a little expensive, they are also very accurate and well-designed. Dynaudio, a company based in Denmark, has 25 years of experience in creating speakers, and they’ve put all of that experience into the BM 12A.
Coles Electroacoustics has been developing microphones for more than 30 years. While their first mics were broadcast models, they later branched out into ribbon mics for recording vocals. While the 4038 has been their most recognized studio model for several years, their new 4050 model is poised to take over as their main mic.
Radial Engineering has created a number of top quality, very sturdy devices that are incredibly useful and innovative. The Workhorse 500 merges two different ideas into one. First, it offers eight different 500 Series card slots, but it also has an eight-channel mixer with main, panning, and more. The entire unit is rackmountable and actually fairly affordable.
Many engineers have been using ADAM speakers for years, and there’s good reason for it: they’re incredibly good. Based on Dr. Oskar Heil’s Air Motion Transformer, ADAM has taken the idea and ran with it. Over the years, they have improved on the Air Motion Transformer, but they’ve also worked to bring the cost down. The A8X employs some of ADAM’s innovative technologies while staying within your budget. The ribbon tweeter, another name for the Air Motion Transformer, is at the core of the A8X. It actually uses something ADAM calls X-ART, or extended accelerating ribbon technology.
Sennheiser’s EW112P B-Band G3 wireless mic system features three different components: there’s the ME 2 clip on mic, the bodypack transmitter, and the diversity receiver, which can be mounted on a camera for easy use. The wireless mic transmits on the B band between 626 and 668 MHz. This combination is great for recording and reporting out in the field where more powerful mics are not an option. The portability and flexibility of this package is going to win over a lot of people.
The PCM-D50 handheld recorder by Sony is a nice, compact recorder that features many of the same features as the PCM-D1, only it doesn’t include the high price. The P50 is also smaller and more portable than the larger D1. This is because Sony has removed the D1’s peak meters, titanium case, and rechargeable battery pack and replaced them with aluminum, four standard batteries, and an AC power supply. While these features may be missed, the fact that the D50 is much more affordable, lighter, and smaller are definite pluses for many.
The Model 402 Aphex Aural Exciter was produced during the mid 70s, and it was instantly popular. However, there were only a few units produced, and they were never available for sale—they could only be rented, and the price was not cheap. These devices used a tube-powered processor that added harmonics to the audio signal, and many of the big names of the era loved them. It could add or enhance the details on each track and on the overall mix. Following the huge success, Aphex created a cheaper solid-state version for retail, and it looked like the monstrous tube units were gone. However, that all changed when Waves got their hands on one of the original tube-based devices and recreated its distinctive sound.
The Neve Quad 4081 mic preamp builds on one of Neve’s top devices, the 1081 and its upgrade, the 1081R. The Quad 4081 offers a lot of control over your sound, especially vocals. The Quad actually takes four 1081s and merged them into one device. These are the exact same preamps that Neve has been building since 1972, and they’re just as amazing and great since then.