The 145th AES show is underway — and our team is cruising the show floor. Engineers, producers, and musicians from all over the world have made their way to New York City for the week to exchange ideas and check out the latest gear. Here are some of the highlights from this year’s convention.
Rupert Neve Designs 5211
The 5211 from Rupert Neve Designs offers two channels of classic Neve tone with 72dB of gain, sweepable highpass filters for precise control, and the sonic authority of Mr. Neve’s dual-tap output transformers with variable Silk saturation. The end result is a modern sound with vintage vibe that will be an asset to any studio.
SSL Fusion
Designed for today’s analog/digital hybrid studio, the SSL Fusion puts five powerful coloration tools — Vintage Drive, Violet EQ, HF Compressor, Stereo Image enhancer, and SSL Transformer — at your fingertips. These five controls can be used discretely or combined for additional flexibility. As a mix bus, Fusion injects analog soul into your tracks, with a highpass filter with three selectable cutoff frequencies, stereo/mid-side insert sends and returns, and peak hold metering rounding out the feature set.
AEA KU5A
AEA’s KU5A treads where most ribbons simply cannot, offering a supercardioid design that can withstand the most gusty of singers, even right up on the grille. The active electronics let you pair it with virtually any preamp, and the robust construction lends itself well to studio or stage work.
Chandler Limited TG Microphone
The TG Microphone boasts both cardioid and omni polar patterns, but what really sets it apart is an onboard Dual Tone System and EMI Tape Equalizer. The Dual Tone System modifies the TG Microphone’s input stage and extends the mic’s versatility to accommodate a broad array of sources. System A is classic TG mid-forward, while the alternative B voicing accommodates high SPLs and is the preferred setting wherever you would normally reach for a FET47. The Tape Equalizer circuitry is adapted from the NAB/IEC Tape EQ found on vintage EMI TG mastering consoles. Together you have 10 unique voicings.
Black Lion Audio B12A Quad and B173 Quad
Black Lion has 4-channel versions of popular existing products available. The B12A Quad features a revised gain stage and lower noise floor to deliver cleaner sound with lower distortion, while Cinemag input and output transformers keep things warm, creamy, and beefy. The B173 Quad packs a massive punch, delivering the muscular lows, assertive mids, and glossy highs characteristic of a vintage 1073.
Pultec EQM-1A
Complete with the same full-range progressive-taper Elma switch stepped controls as the company’s EQM-1A3 and EQM-1S3 mastering EQs for precise settings repeatability, the EQM-1A Mastering Equalizer’s Boost/Atten controls provide 0.5dB steps for the initial 50% of rotation and then increase step size as rotation is increased toward 100%. This gives you the fine control you need for subtle boosts and cuts that are commonplace in mastering and mix–bus applications, while still delivering the full range (16dB–20dB) of Boost/Atten for more aggressive applications during tracking.
TC Electronic TC1210-DT and TC8210-DT
TC Electronic is continuing its desktop-controlled plug-ins with a pair of new offerings. Based on the original schematics, the TC1210-DT models all the details of the original, including the sonically pleasing inaccuracies of the analog circuitry that catapulted it to legendary status. A hardware-controlled plug-in that brings TC’s celebrated reverb to your DAW, the TC8210-DT is a comprehensive hybrid reverb solution with a high-quality, tactile hardware controller that puts the parameters right at your fingertips.
API 1608-II and 2448
New from API is a pair of consoles. With its updated feature set, the 1608-II continues API’s rich legacy of crafting the world’s high-quality professional analog recording consoles. Designed and crafted to the same high standards as the 1608, the Legacy AXS, and Vision consoles, API’s 2448 offers an impressively robust feature set that includes Dual Inputs on each channel and Stereo Returns. Both consoles are optionally available with API’s new cross-platform Final Touch fader automation system.
Cool Limited-edition Finishes
Warm Audio is showing off a new version of their WA-87, which offers all the sonic properties of the original, but this time dressed up in a sleek black finish. Also benefiting from a cosmetic makeover is the xpressor 500 stereo compressor from elysia. Sonically identical, this version rocks a cool finish being dubbed Meteor.
Additional Highlights:
sE Electronics sE2300 Large-diaphragm Condenser Microphone
Burl Audio BDA4 D/A Card
Golden Age Project GA-251 Large-diaphragm Tube Microphone
SPL Crescendo 8-channel Microphone Preamp
sE Electronics DM1 Dynamite 1-channel Active Preamp
Drawmer CMC3 Compact Monitor Controller
sE Electronics sE7 Small-diaphragm Condenser Microphone
Bettermaker Mastering Equalizer
Heritage Audio HA73EQX2 ELITE 2-channel Microphone Preamp with EQ
Want to get your hands on this year’s hottest gear from AES? Call you Sales Engineer to pre-order these AES releases
