This is your inSync reporter’s 6th annual AES show and it continues to be my favorite trade show each year. For those of you that may not be familiar with the differences between shows like NAMM (and other similar music and audio trade shows) and the annual AES convention, I will take a minute to describe it for you.
The AES show floor is filled with state-of-the-art studio recording equipment. You generally don’t see many guitars, drums or other musical instruments. Likewise, you won’t see any DJ gear, stage lighting or long displays of music books and accessories. Instead, this is a show for the recording studio professional. Also unlike the other shows, this convention IS open to the public. That means the displays and booths are bigger, fancier and designed to really make your mouth water! Here, you’ll see the large format mixing desks from companies like SSL, AMS/Neve, Euphonix, etc. You see the newest and best new digital recording systems, studio microphones and every piece of new processing gear that a studio may ever want. There are companies that modify or re-release vintage recording equipment and companies that are introducing recording peripherals that we haven’t even heard of or thought about yet.
Because the AES show is also the annual convention for the Audio Engineering Society, there are also seminars, meetings and many booths dedicated to exploring the latest technologies and directions in the art of studio recording. It is never unusual to spot the most famous and talented producers, engineers and studio owners walking the aisles at AES.
AES 2000 exceeded our expectations with so many announcements of new products, technology and improvements to existing products and systems! The Surround Sound theme is everywhere. There’s almost no booth or product that doesn’t in some way involve or relate to surround sound production. This truly is the wave of the now! It is difficult to express just how exciting it is to see the wonderful advancements in technologies within the field that we all love so very much. It seems like the speed of the technological advancements in pro audio just keeps getting faster and faster from year to year.
I picked up a couple of noticeable trends at this year’s convention. First and foremost, the explosion of new and upgraded software applications for Digital Audio Workstations has seriously taken over the "center stage." This year’s continuing trend features more 24bit/96kHz applications and associated plug-ins, causing a reactive increase in the number of associated hardware devices that support digital output intended for use with those DAW’s. The new hardware releases include vintage and reissue products, as well as completely new preamps and processors that are designed to emulate the vintage sound prior to input into the mass of DAW’s now available. Tubes and tube emulation remain hot this year and physical modeling is becoming more and more popular.
This year’s AES show is a turning point for the kinds of products that are getting the greatest amount of attention from the public. We are still seeing some of the massive large format console desks pioneered in years gone by, but gone are the big multitrack tape machines with their glowing VU meters and roll-around autolocators. We recognize that an era has passed, even for the very companies that ushered in their existence. Many of the companies that annually exhibited their products at AES are not here. AMS/Neve is still here with an impressive display, as is Solid State Logic, with their beautiful booth. However, folks are not gawking at the 15’ wide analog consoles anymore. Instead, they are enamoured with the smaller digital desks sporting CRT displays and trackballs. Where have all the knobs and buttons gone? Where do the second engineers sit? We are witnessing the changing of the guard. Clearly, the companies that embrace the digital age are the companies that are enjoying continued success. The rest…well, you might remember the story of the majestic Bison.
Some very exciting new tools have been announced by manufacturers. Of course, before we get into the heart of the report we’ll have to state the usual disclaimer; products, specs and prices announced and reported here are all subject to change. Many manufacturers do not yet know compatibility answers and often do not know exact dates when the new products are likely to hit the streets. We’ll do our best to report things as we see them.
Here’s some of what we have seen thus far on the floor of AES 2000:
AARDVARK
Aardvark has introduced a new group of products to their Direct Pro Series family. The most stunning addition is the new Direct Pro Q32. It has a 1U rack design audio interface with 24-bit/96kHz shielded converters and their well-established and phenomenal low-jitter clock along with their shielded PCI card. The interface offers 8 XLR discrete mic inputs with phantom power, 16 line-level inputs, 2 guitar inputs, 4 inserts, 10 line outputs, 8-channel ADAT I/O, ADAT sync, 8-channel TDIF I/O, s/pdif, MIDI, wordclock, adjustable headphone output, and monitor output control. As in all of their Direct Pro Series, it offers latency-free DSP effects and is compatible with most every Windows audio software application. This product lists at only $899.
Aardvark also is showing the new Direct Pro LX6. This piece has the great 24bit/96kHz converters shared in all of their systems, along with the extremely low jitter clock and PCI card. The interface differs in that it offers 4 line inputs, 6 line outputs, s/pdif, MIDI and adjustable headphone output. Like the others, it has latency-free DSP effects and Windows audio software application compatibility. This piece has an MSRP of $349.
The Direct Mix USB 3 is a new USB audio interface designed for Mac, PC and laptop compatibility. This piece is a small desktop design with 2 knobs 3 switches and a fader for easy control. It offers 24-bit A/D converters, a stereo line in/out, guitar and mic input and a headphone output. A perfect addition to a portable audio workstation, the Direct Mix USB 3 lists at only $229.
