Bill Park

Summer NAMM 2003

Fri, 01 Aug 2003 00:00:00 GMT

Five years ago or so, Ocean Way opened a facility in Nashville. They bought an old stone church at 1200 17th Avenue South. They converted it into a recording studio, and took what I assume was the rectory next door, and turned it into offices.

The main room is where the pews would have been, and the stained glass windows are still in place. This lends a very nice light in the space, though everyone who looks out the windows might not approve of the religious images that they see. The woodwork is a light and airy raw sienna color, and is quite attractive.

The space that would have housed the altar and back have been converted into a control room holding a large Neve console with GML automation, a machine room, a booth holding a grand piano, and various smaller rooms.

Today, just in front of the control booth glass is a temporary stage made from risers, a center stage podium, and a table and chairs to each side. Flanking the riser is a PA system made up of Genelecs and small traps.

Today there is a projector and screen stage right. In the booth, between the console and the glass, there is an array of microphone stands.

Today, in front of the stage, surrounded by the booths and the PA control area, sits a couple of hundred chairs for people like Garry and myself.

Today the walls are lined with display tables with mics and mic company reps.

Because today, Ocean Way Studios Nashville is home of the first Vocal Microphone Invitational.

What is it? The Vocal Microphone Invitational is an opportunity for microphone manufacturers to present their products in a controlled environment, talk about their designs, applications, and usages, and to show an audience of engineers producers, journalists, students, and each other just what their products could do.

The manufacturers were each allotted the same amount of time to set up and the same amount of time to present. A test tone was run through each mic to balance levels in an attempt to keep a proper gain structure for each mic, and to try to match the relative volumes of the various mics. Each presenter had the same available sound source of Deborah Bulla and Michael Shoup, each reading spoken word and singing various passages. As each manufacturer presented, the audience was encouraged to ask questions, have the sound sources do particular things at particular mics, and make any other test that was practical within the time restraints that fairness decreed.

The event was hosted by Frank Wells, outgoing Chair of AES Nashville and current candidate for VP of the Central Region, Editor of Pro Sound News and Executive Editor of Surround Sound Professional. The event was produced by AES Nashville and Pro Sound News. The subcommittee of the AES steering committee was Dr. Wels Bulla and professor David Henson of Belmont, owner of The Equipment Pool and incoming Chair AES Nashville Mike Poston, Lynn Fuston of 3D Audio, and Frank Wells, with PSN National Sales Manager Tara Preston coordinating from New York.

Frank Wells acted as Master of Ceremonies. The following companies were represented:
For AKG Acoustics: Norbert Sobel, Product Manager, Broadcast and Recording. Showing: On the female vocal, C12VR, 414TLII. On the male vocal, SolidTube, C3000B.
For Shure: Dan Smith, Prodcut Specialist, showing the KMS27, 32, and 44.
For Neumann: Jeff Alexander, Director of Neumann for Sennheiser, showing the U87, TLM 103, TLM 127, Solution D.
For Studio Projects: Alan Hyatt, President of PMI/Studio Projects introduced Brian Casey showing the B1, C1, C3, T3.
For DPA Microphones: Engineer Gary Baldassari, showing the 4015, 4041, 4066.
For Audio Technica: Gary Boss, Mike Edwards, and Joel Singer, showing the AT 4033, AE3300, AEW-T3300.

It was an educational experience, and all of the manufacturers provided useful demonstrations and information on microphones and micing in general, and their products in particular. All of the presenters were informative, prepared, and capable of fielding difficult questions from a knowlegable audience.

I enjoyed the DPA presentation best of all, because I have always been fascinated by their products. Their attention to detail and accuracy is unparalleled in the industry. The DPA mics offer an incredibly even frequency response and pickup, both on and off axis, but at a hefty price. In speaking to the DPA reps I asked them about the lack of penetration that DPA has in the American market. The reply was that DPA previously had very minor representation in America, but that they have just this year committed to get their products to our shores and heighten public awareness of the DPA line.

Garry: What'd I learn at Ocean Way? I wish I had that live room to record in. Wonderful space. I haven't had the chance to test drive any Studio Projects mics, but the C3 caught my attention, especially given it's price point. The Neumann TLM127 sounded pretty good to my ears. The Neumann Solution D is a digital mic, meaning it takes care of A/D conversion, remote control and even some processing on-board.

Bill: Garry seemed very interested in the Neumann D, because of its impressive possibilities. This digital microphone may be the father of an entirely new microphone technology. It's already been the cause for a new AES specification, AES 42. Think of a mic that IS the converter, and already contains software functions such as compression and eq.... Besides, it is heavily reliant on software, and Garry writes code, so it appears to me to be an obvious match. I wasn't quite as excited by the sound of the Solution D as some others were, but I figure that it is a new product showing limited portions of it's many facets, and may be better auditioned in a different circumstance. I liked the 127, too. It sounded very nice to me and offers more options to the recordist on a limited budget than was previously available under the Neumann label.

A panel discussion followed the presentations. The panel was moderated by Bil VornDick, and consisted of Chuck Ainlay, Pat McMakin, Justin Niebank, Michael Wagener, and Gary Baldassari. Each of these panalists owns or runs a production company. I can't count the Grammys... VornDick has seven of his own and has racked up 41 nominations... but the client lists include Ozzy Osborne, Chet Atkins, Alice Cooper, Johnny Winter, Albert Collins, Nsync, Eminem, Peter Frampton, Reba McEntire.... I think that it is safe to say that these are men of experience.

In spite of the level of talent on the dias, we chose to skip the panel discussion. We had been traveling all day, and had gone straight from the airport to Ocean Way, and we felt the need to check into our hotel and at least unpack before treking off to the Gibson Custom Shop for a press conference. The problem with conferences like NAMM is that so many of the attractive events overlap. The Pro Sound News event was scheduled to run until six, while the Gibson event started at four. So we stayed a little longer at Ocean Way, and showed up a little late at Gibson. In retrospect I might have been better served to have listened to the panel discussion, but I was pooped, and after all, I am a guitar junkie.

Garry: We continued our adventure at the Gibson Custom Shop, a fairly non-descript building in an industrial park a short cab ride from downtown. It turns out the event is more of a party for Gibson dealers that are in town with a short press conference in the middle. The big news was that Chevy had teamed up with Gibson on a guitar/car combo. Chevy is making 25 custom SSR cars, each with a particular theme in mind.

The first couple hours had various flavors of blues bands cranking in the parking lot while Gibson dealers and friends hung out and drank. The front parking lot featured a monster truck, some new and old Corvettes, Line 6 demo kiosks, and the Gibson traveling guitar trailer. You could even get your picture on the cover of Rolling Stone. Need a break from the sun? Wander inside the Custom Shop and check out wall after wall of wonderful guitars.

The press conference about the SSR guitar also included appearances by Les Paul and Duane Eddy. That was followed by a buffet dinner behind the factory and more entertainment. A band from Memphis (sorry forgot the name) opened the set. Johnnie A, Lee Roy Parnell, and Ted Nugent rounded out the night. Bill and I stuck around for Johnnie A, a personal favorite. The Johnnie A set was perhaps the highlight of my NAMM show. Watching that man play from a few feet away was both humbling and inspiring. We both wanted to head back downtown for the remainder of the evening, so we bailed after Johnnie A.

Bill: I have to say that Gibson throws a very nice party, and obviously worked hard to try to provide a wide range of enjoyments for all comers. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Custom Shop, and to celebrate this milestone there are four Tenth Anniversary Gibsons being released this year, one for each quarter, in limited editions of 30 each. They all feature a Diamond White sparkle finish with highly engraved gold hardware, with gold engraved pickguards and truss rod covers. So far they have released the L-4 Thinline, the‘68 Les Paul Custom, and the 10th Anniversary CS-356.

But the focus of the press conference/party was the SSR car and guitar. Gibson has partnered with Chevrolet on a few projects over the years, but this has to be the most ambitious.

The first part of the party took place in the front parking lot of the Custom Shop and throughout the Custom Shop building. There was a stage at one end of the lot, with constant entertainment. Near the stage sat the new Chevy SSR, VIN#12. An old style/new style car along the lines of the Prowler and PT Cruiser, this beautiful automobile is painted a rich, deep purple called Ultraviolet. The matching Gibson Custom Shop guitar would be unveiled later in the day. As Garry said, Line6 had a setup at the party, showing the POD and the Guitar Port. Erstwhile guitar stars could put on a pair of headphones, pick up a nice classic Gibson, and jam away. And then they could step to the adjacent booth, and get their picture taken and put on the cover of Rolling Stone, holding a Les Paul. My mom will be so proud....

One of the Gibson guitar trailers was on site displaying some current collectibles. There were a number of classic Corvettes scattered around the lot, along with an SSR pickup truck and the Zakk Wylde monster truck.

Inside the building Gibson clears some space through the Custom Shop and puts up display walls, lining them with guitars and photos of guitar making processes all through the shop. These walls work to keep the attendees from wandering into areas where they could hurt themselves or damage any instruments under construction. And there is a display room, housing some of the more unique offerings. There are hundreds of incredible instruments hanging on these walls, cluttered together so close that it is hard to distinguish one from another. I start to look at one cool guitar, only to get distracted by the one beside it ... and the one beside that... it took a couple of trips through the plant just to get enough perspective to actually take in what I was seeing. Fortunately a bar was located in the plant, which gave me an excuse to make many trips.

The highlight of the first part of the party was the presentation of a plaque to Les Paul. Les was joined on stage by Dwayne Edy, and Kenny Olson, at which point they presented the Gibson Custom Shop SSR Guitar, with a serial number to match the VIN of the Chevy SSR Signature Series on display. The guitar and car will travel around the country and gather memorabilia while a photo record of the journey is made, and then car and guitar will be auctioned off as a package. There are 25 of these cars and each one will take a separate and unique journey, making each one special in its own right.

Car Number 1 is a part of the GM Historical Collection. Car Number 2, the Society of Automotive Engineers Foundation SSR, was auctioned off earlier this year for just under $138,000. The Gibson Guitar SSR, Number 12, will hit the auction block on October 18th, in Santa Clara, CA. Number 17, the Chevrolet Rock and Roll Tour SSR, be auctioned off in Dallas on November 22. So ya'll save them pennies, hear?

We had other places to be that night, so we did not stay past the performance of Johnny A. Side note: Gibson just announced the release of a Johnny A. Signature model guitar. Garry was already familiar with Johnny A., and was quite excited to see him. Now, I'm also a fan. What a wonderful guitar player! I might have stayed and watched the other performers, but for my one complaint.

The only thing that I have to complain about is that the sound system on both stages sucked. I don't mean ‘a little off...' or ‘slightly distorted...'. It was just plain bad. Unintelligible when used for speech, and unbalanced in response. I would think that any sound company supplying gear for a show about guitars, being hosted by a guitar manufacturer, would feature the guitars prominently in the mix, rather than the kick drum. The voicing was KICK DRUM, DRUms, BAss, Vocals, guitar. Really sad. I walked all over the place looking for a good sound or a sweet spot, but there just wasn't one.

By contrast, the sound system at "The Hang" was superb. I absolutely hated "The Hang" last year. Almost everything about it was bad, from the sound through the entertainment, and even the "I'm trapped in an dungeon..." feel. This year the audio and the bands rocked, and a good time was had by all. I still feel that the layout ambience could be improved, but the entire event was a massive improvement over last year. We had occasion to attend a couple of events at The Hang, and all were well done.

Garry: Last year's NAMM show had a pre-show party in a converted part of the arena they called the "The Hang", featuring various music industry members in the bands. Bill and I weren't too impressed last year, mostly due to bad sound, so our hopes weren't real high for this year's version. But we went anyway. The sound was better and the bands were better. We hung out for a bit (pun intended) and then headed across the street to Ripey's for a drink and more music.

Bill: We enjoyed Ripeys last year. The food and drinks were good, the wait staff was both pretty and engaging, and Ripeys is located just across the street from the show. We also enjoyed the live music, both in volume level and in the choices of material.

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Summer NAMM 2003 pt. 2

Thu, 31 Jul 2003 18:00:00 GMT

Showtime!

The first thing that we should say is that the attendance was huge, breaking last years numbers. So anyone who chose not to show at the Summer NAMM definitely lost out. In fact, even Sunday was jamming. Yet Sunday is a day that is traditionally slow in the trade show market because it is the last day and a lot of attendees leave early.

The poor economy has caused an impact in almost every part of the country, and the musical instrument business is no exception. This impact has manifested itself as a move to conservatism in product and product releases as businesses try to support and expand on successful products. Though there was no shortage of new products, there were fewer wild and crazy products, and more practical and well thought-out products.

Garry and I are a particularly good fit for a show like this. I tend to run around, get an overview of the whole show, and select what I want to check out from what I have seen and from what I already knew that I was looking for. I tend to make snap decisions and judgements, and I fly on instinct a lot. On the other hand, Garry is very methodical. He goes into a booth and slowly chews his way through the information one booth at a time, digests it, and makes his decisions. He also has very good instincts and between the two of us, we tend to see what is good and what is not so good with most products. I know that I can always rely on Garry for a balancing opinion. We don't always agree, but we always watch each other's backs, so to speak, each picking up on things that the other might have missed about a product or solution.

Garry: Bill and I don't attempt to visit every booth, or even every major booth, when we're at these things. Of course we stop at the booths of our favorite vendors to see what's new. Aside from that, we basically troll the floor looking for particular types of gear or software that we're contemplating purchasing for our studios, keep an eye out for nice guitars to test drive (especially acoustics), and are always on the lookout for new/weird products. Just meeting the people in the booths can be good fun. Anyway, here's a list of what caught our attention, in no particular order.

Jellifish - So how special can a guitar pick be? The "Jellifish" isn't a regular plastic pick, instead it uses about twenty pieces of wire, like an angled brush, to contact the strings. Way cool idea, IMO. It definitely sounds different than a regular plastic pick. I found that it takes some practice to get the feel of the thing. I was using too much force initially and the sound of the wires brushing against my acoustic guitar strings was annoying. With the right touch, you can get chorus-like sounds out of it. $9.95 list. More info at http://www.jellifish.com.

Bill: Picks? I check them out, though I tend to default to the same thing year after year, and that is the Jim Dunlop .96mm Gator Grip. But I like to have a pick assortment on hand for others to use, since nobody ever seems to remember to bring them. Grip Guitar Picks have been around for a while now. The three styles, Rigid, Acetal, and Nylon, each come in three gauges, and each pick is shaped to fit around your finger providing a solid grip and a slightly different attack presentation to the string.

Fred Kelly - I've been a fan of the Fred Kelly Speed Pick. Somewhere along the way I picked one up a couple of years ago, and I have been searching for them ever since. Though I am not a fan of thumb picks, this unconventional thumb pick doesn't feel like a thumb pick, and I find it to be quite comfortable after a short break-in period. (I needed the break in, not the pick.) Widely available but not available everywhere, Kelly has a normal thumb pick, the Speed Pick, the Slick Pick, and the newest, the Bumble Bee. I like the Speed Pick, and I bought a bag of them. http://www.fredkellyspicks.com

Jim Dunlop - also had a new formulation called Ultex. Interesting feel, and could challenge my new favorite Kelly Speed Pick. http://www.jimdunlop.com

Garry: Brian Moore Guitars - Jeez, it was like they had a black hole in there or something. I couldn't walk by their room without getting sucked in. I love nice wood on guitars. The thing that attracts me about the Brian Moore line is that you get a great looking and playing guitar, but it also has a piezo pickup that you can blend in, PLUS the ".13" models come with a 13-pin Roland-compatible jack for hooking up your guitar synth. They claim that the tracking is way better than my Roland GK-2 equipped G&L Legacy. They were demo-ing their guitars using a new Roland guitar synth interface called the GI-20. I couldn't find one in the Roland booth, but it appears to just do the pitch-to-MIDI conversion (no onboard sounds). Anyway, they've just released the "i1000" line of guitars at more affordable price points. Personally, I want the Custom Shop to build me one. More info at http://www.brianmooreguitars.com

Bill: Every time we walked down that hall, Garry turned left into the Brian Moore display room. He's hooked. If you look at what they have to offer, you might be, too.

Guitar manufacturers have concentrated on fancier finishes and tastier woods. Paul Reed Smith always fills a room with amazing finishes and details. This year was no different, and the PRS room is a place to just stand back and admire the craftsmanship. Gibson and Fender field the most popular electric guitars, but boutique guitar makers have a solid customer base and are thriving.

Garry: Goodall Guitars - Bill and I were basically on our way out of the show and off to the airport when he suggested that I stop at the Goodall Guitar booth. Since we had maybe 15 minutes to spare, I tried out the one that caught my eye, an all-koa model called the Royal Hawaiian. I had played several VERY nice acoustic guitars from various boutique makers including Santa Cruz, Breedlove, Lowden, etc, but this guitar was seriously speaking to me. If I hadn't just blown my toy budget on a new motorcycle, I'd have that guitar in my studio right now. About the same price as a new bike too. $7300 list. I really, really wanted that guitar. And it's only across the state at Acoustic Roots in Bryn Mawr, PA. I swear I can hear it calling to me. Honest. SWMBO would not be amused. More info at http://www.goodallguitars.com.

Bill: I spoke to Jane Goodall while Garry fell in love with the Royal Hawaiian. They make beautiful instruments, and used some particularly smart custom appointments on the piece that Garry liked so much, like a mottled cream and brown fossilized bone saddle, and purple heart binding. And they do it while living in Hawaii, in a shop with all the shutters raised to nature and the surf pounding in the near distance. Damn.

Speaking of acoustic guitars, the Santa Cruz and Breedlove offerings always please my eyes and ears. Collings was there, too. In general the high end acoustic guitar makers were out in force, showing that their market segment might not be experiencing the same economic vaguarities as the rest of the market.

Taylor had taken a slightly different approach and was showing a more affordable line of instruments. Last year their display of presentation pieces was stunning. The newer line is in the reach of just about anyone. Taylor also presented their new pickup system, designed in conjunction with Mr Rupert Neve. I had a brief encounter with Mr Neve, which is always a pleasure. http://www.taylorguitars.com

Kiso Guitars is trying to break into the mid to high end acoustic and arch top guitar market. Their designs are quite attractive, but neither Garry nor I thought that their tonality and construction is quite as mature as that of their competition. In our opinion, they qualify as nice, but not great, guitars and could provide serious competition to the mid-level Martin guitars in quality and sound. I expect that this company will grow and improve, and I'm looking forward to what they show next year. http://www.kisoguitars.com

I was disappointed that there were not more acoustic guitar events. I always look forward to seeing world class finger style guitarists when I go to NAMM. I'm spoiled by evenings at Café Milano, the Ryman, or the Wildhorse watching guys like Ed Gerhard and Lawrence Juber play all night, then seeing them performing all day at various guitar booths.

Garry: Tascam - I've been excited about the new FW-1884 since I first heard about it. These days I'm into tools that simplify my studio without giving up performance or flexibility. The idea of having eight mic preamps, audio interface, MIDI interface and control surface in one box is seriously appealing to me. I hope to get a unit in for a test drive and extensive review for ProRec in a month or so. This looks to be one cool piece of gear. Bill was especially interested in the new US-122, a small USB-based stereo audio interface. More info at http://www.tascam.com.

Bill: I really didn't expect the 1884 to be ready by the NAMM show, but it was. And the US-122 was not only showing, but it had been shipping, at least to reviewers. This smaller brother to the US 428 and 244 is a cool little 2 channel USB 24/96k box with MIDI and line inputs as well as mic pres with phantom power. Seems like a great way to get a couple of tracks into a laptop, or a great front end for a SMAART system, from our friends at Frontier Designs and Tascam. The CD-GT1 CD player/guitar/mic processor makes a great training tool. You can slow the speed of playback down to 50% without changing the pitch. A similar tool exists for bass players, the CD-BT1.

Teac/Tascam is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. I've been buying their products since the early 1970s and I generally find them hard to beat for sound, value, design, and ease of use.

Garry: Sound Enhancer - The company basically makes folded horn cabinets for open back combo amps. The poor guy in the booth was lifting up a Fender combo amp to let people hear the regular sound, then putting it on a small Sound Enhancer to hear the enhanced sound. Hell of a way to make a living. Up and down. But I digress. This thing sounds great. I was seriously impressed at the change in tone. More clarity and bottom and volume. Just what the doctor ordered for a combo amp. And since I just got a Vox Valvetronix combo amp myself, a Sound Enhancer could be on its way to my studio Real Soon Now. It also tips the amp up so that you can hear it better. Another simple, but effective product. More info at http://www.soundenhancer.com.

Atomic Amplifiers - Yet another cool idea for fans of guitar modeling preamps such as the Line 6 POD. Atomic Amplifiers make an 18W tube amp called the Reactor 112 that lets you mount your POD into a guitar amp cabinet. Seems like a much cooler way to use a POD on-stage or in practice. It sounded good to me and looks to be a great solution to a common problem. You need to see a picture to really appreciate it, so go to http://www.atomicamps.com for more info.

Line 6 - Line 6 pretty much blew my mind last year at the NAMM show with the Variax, so what have they got this year? For starters, the new Vetta2 amp can communicate with the Variax. This means that changing a preset on the amp can (optionally) change the guitar model on the Variax. Very cool. It's nice to see them making these products work together as a system. They also have a new 300W(!) amp called the HD147. Version 2 of the Guitar Port is out featuring more amp models and effects and better quality sounds. Version 1 owner can update to version 2. More info at http://www.line6.com.

Roger Linn - I guess the AdrenaLinn is old news to some of you, but I missed it. Well now there's the AdrenaLinn2. What a cool box. I've always been a fan of tempo-mapped effects (delays usually), but the AdrenaLinn2 does some much more. Amp modeling, all manner of beat-mapped effects, and a built-in drum machine. It will even slave to your sequence, so you can skip the drum machine part if needed and jam along with your existing songs. I'm not sure the user-interface is all that guitar-player friendly, but what fun. Roger gave a nice demo (even though it was Sunday). He did his job. I know I want to spend some quality time with one at a local music store. More info at http://www.rogerlinn.com.

Bill: Part drum machine, part effects box, and lot's of fun. The effects track to the tempo of the drums, or to incoming MIDI tempo. Twenty four amp models, beat-synced delay with looping, filter effects, Worth checking out. It was a lot cooler than I expected, and I may try to work one into the budget this year.

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Summer NAMM 2003 pt. 3

Wed, 23 Jul 2003 04:00:00 GMT

ATI - The guys from ATI show up with their high end products and just make me drool every show. I bought an ATI mic pre last year, but I've been hot for an API for a long time. Though the models haven't changed, they still warrant your attention. The 512 module is a classic mic preamp and daddy of the 500 series of signal processing and racking choices. The 200 series is a more affordable and smaller solution, with it's own racking options. The 7600 Input Module channel strip and the 7800 Master Control Module are single rack space pieces that can be chained to suit your needs. Of course, you can opt for the Legacy or Legacy Plus full-blown studio consoles. http://www.apiaudio.com.

Garry: Moog - Moog introduced the Piano Bar, a MIDI controller for acoustic pianos. The Piano Bar rests just above the keys on the piano and senses their movement and velocity using infrared technology. I attended a demo of the Piano Bar after the show on Saturday. We were in a small room, so you could hear the blend of the acoustic piano and the synth module it was driving. The pianist used a volume pedal to control the output of the Piano Bar, so he could blend it with the piano (or mute it) as desired. Pretty cool. It doesn't require any mods to the piano and is portable, so you can schlep it from gig to gig as needed. More info at http://www.moogmusic.com

Bill: Bob Moog is a pioneer in the synth industry. Moog Music released the Voyager to much aclaim earlier this year. The "Piano Bar" is a scanner which reads the performance information from any standard 88 key piano. It consists of a ½" thick infra-red sensor bar which lays against the fall board and a pedal sensor to read pedal movements, and a Control Module. The Control Module contains 300 sounds of its own, and also acts as the MIDI output. 16 MIDI channels are supported.

Garry: Blue Microphones - I'm not sure if Blue actually had a booth or not, but the pianist demo'ing the Moog Piano Bar was singing through the new Blue Ball mic. It's a phantom-powered dynamic mic. Interesting looking mic and a cool name (gotta love a company with a sense of humor). I'm expecting to get one (and a Blue Kiwi) to review in the very near future. More info at http://www.bluemic.com

Bill: Speaking of mics, the big players were all there and most had new products or familiar favorites to show. AT, Shure, Audix, Neumann/Sennheiser, AKG, ADK, CADD, SE, MXL, and Studio Projects presented new choices for the 2003/2004 season.

The many booths filled with no-name Chinese knock-off microphones at past shows were gone. But several companies with brand recognition have started marketing cheap mics, which leads me to believe that we'll continue to see these types of mics popping up in various guises with familiar labels. At any rate, they are all using Chinese capsules, which is the first weak link in the chain, even though it is the catalyst that makes an inexpensive yet decent sounding condenser microphone a possibility.

Sennheiser/Neumann - In addition to the microphones, Sennheiser/Neumann was also demoing the Inovasion console. In the increasingly more crowded digital console marketplace, Innovasion has become more popular than ever. I've seen larger format consoles at recent NAMM shows, but this summer, Innovason was one of the few, if not the only large format live console on the floor.

The new 609 Silver has been the subject of some on line discussion here at ProRec. The original 609 reissue was not as successful as Sennheiser had hoped, did not sound quite like the 409 that it was supposed to emulate, and was expensive to manufacture. The 609 Silver is a less expensive yet more authentic sounding replacement for the 409. http://www.sennheiserusa.com

Garry: Trident / Oram - John Oram and company were showing the Trident S-series. I'm hoping to get the S40 channel strip in for a review. The Oram line has been expanded to include the new OctaSonic Plus 8-channel mic preamp. Bill bought one on the spot. Look for a review on Bill's new toy and an interview with John Oram in ProRec. More info at http://www.oram.co.uk/ and http://www.tridentaudio.co.uk/

Bill: I also spent a few moments talking with John Oram. We met John at last year's summer NAMM, and found him to be surprisingly outgoing and an energetic self-promoter. Most people in his position would have turned the promotion of the company over to professional media people, but John still shows up at the trade booths and talks to the buyers personally. I think that a lot of people appreciate this, I know that I do. John will be celebrating his 40th year in pro audio next year, and he is still in the trenches. How cool is that?

Garry: M-Audio: M-Audio continues the trend of offering audio interfaces that talk USB or Firewire. Bill was especially interested in the MobilePre USB, a small USB-based two channel interface. They were also showing their new FireWire 410, a 4-in/10-out Firewire-based interface. More info at http://www.maudio.net

Bill: Software and computer hardware technology played a smaller role this year at the Summer NAMM, and many of my favorite companies chose not to show. But stalwarts like Ederol, Echo, Korg, Lynx, Playpro, Tascam, Sibelius, Thinkware, M-Audio, Cakewalk, PG Music, PreSonus, and Aardvark, among others, were present. M-Audio in particular fielded a large space and ran constant demos for their software and hardware products. The Firewire 410 looks like a standout small product, though I thought that the Transit was a nice piece for those seeking an device interface solution among various digital formats as well as two track analog, and the Mobilepre USB caught my eye for those seeking a simple two track bus-powered interface with mic pres and phantom.

Cakewalk - Sonar is the current big dog at Cakewalk, and is a rather amazing piece of work. But there is also the new Project 5, based around software synths. http://www.cakewalk.com

Lynx - Lynx seems to be setting itself on the pro course, offering a new card that is a 16 channel 24 bit 192kHz AES/EBU digital PCI card for Mac or PC. Included is a 32 channel software mixer, SyncroLock jitter reduction technology, and Lstream format conversion. There is an optional Lightpipe I/O adapter. http://www.lynxstudio.com

Pearl, Yamaha, and most other drum manufacturers have come out with interesting new shell colors, and black hardware seems to be replacing chrome on rims and lugs.

Mapex- Mapex has a new system that allows one pedal to work either the hat or to quickly switch over and work as a second kick pedal. I also liked their new Carmel Fade color. http://www.mapexdrums.com

Yamaha - Yamaha has taken the old trick of using a large speaker as a microphone for the kick drum and turned it into a product. Called the SubKick, it is a 10 inch woofer mounted inside a 7 ply drum shell, and is designed to be used in conjunction with a standard kick mic. http://www.yamaha.com

Gig Box - I was first exposed to Gig Box products at a Marty Stuart show. I was sitting on stage playing The Clarence White (and if you don't know what THE Claerence White IS, go back to Guitar 101 for a refresher course in guitar history ) when the tech opened a road case that turned into a cool guitar stand. Now, I've seen many different types of guitar stand and case combos, but this one appealed to me. I asked about it, and they told me about the company. Turns out it is a Nashville-based group. They also showed me an amp made by the same parent company, the ESP Corporation. Go to the plant, play your guitar through their setup, tweak knobs and change speakers and cabinets until you find "your" sound; then they build an amp for you with the amount of power that you want, using the speakers that you picked, and with the tone settings that made "your" sound being the mid-point or zero settings on the amp. Turn on your amp, put all the settings at flat, and you are starting out with your signature sound, and you have the ability to tweak up or down from there should you need to do so. I like it!

Back to Gig Box. Ths basic Gig Box product line encompasses a collection of road cases that are pedal box cases, guitar stands, guitar repair/string changing stations, and combinations of those options. You can pick from pre-existing products or have one custom built to your needs. http://www.gig-box.com

VOX - Among the products in the Vox line, Vox showed their stand-alone modeling box, the ToneLab. Garry recently bought the AD60VT modeling amp and is quite happy with it. He brought it over to my studio and gave me a demo and let me play with it for a while, and I enjoyed the many options, too. And I know that I barely scratched the surface of what their modeling technology can do. The stand-alone box is the same front end, minus the amp and speaker cabinet. Vox also introduced the VC-12Foot Controller for the Valvetronix and Tonelab. In the spring the Vox Brian May Special amp was released, and this was also shown. I ordered one, but missed the first round of manufacturing and I have been waiting ever since. If you are also waiting for one of these cool little 10 watt amps for your studio or practice room, the rep PROMISED that the new batch would hit the store in two weeks. No, really, two weeks. He promised. http://www.voxamps.co.uk

Korg - Korg showed the microKontrol MIDI Controller, a 37 note keyboard with 16 velocity sensitive pads, 8 rotary encoders, and sliders. The D32XD and D16XD 24/96 recorders were a new addition in the stand alone DAW world, with 188 track/hours of recording to the internal 40 gig hard drive. The successful D1600 and D1200 both received updates and new Mark II status.

The Toneworks division announced the Ampworks and Bass Ampworks Personal Modeling signal processors, which allow multiple popular amps, cabinets, and effects to be chained together.

Marshall news includes the new Mode Four dual amplifier system. Happy birthday to Jim Marshall, who turns 80 this year. http://www.korg.com

PGMusic - PGMusic's Band In A Box is now on version 12. PG shows some interesting products at bargain basement pricing, and the consumer really gets a lot of value for the dollar spent. PowerTracks ProAudio, their Power Paks and MegaPaks, The Barber Shop Quartet, Oscar Petersen Note By Note, the Master Class series of guitar and piano instruction... really, they have a very comprehensive and wide ranging product line. http://www.pgmusic.com

Edirol - Last year Edirol caught my eye with a handful of handy audio gozintas and cumzoutas boxes for computers. This year they continued that tradition, with some handy interface boxes. But they dropped a new product into the DAW fray with their UA-1000. 10 ins, 10 outs, 24/96, front panel XLR inputs for four channels and phantom power. http://www.edirol.com

Seymour Duncan - Duncan announced the release of a new pickup, the Twang-Banger. Said to be a combination of the sounds of a Tele and a Strat, it is a direct replacement for the bridge position Strat pickup. http://www.seymourduncan.com

The John Lennon Songwriting Competition Bus - The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a non-profit traveling audio and video recording studio, with instruments, turn tables, mics, and multiple recording formats. The Bus travels the country bringing the technology of recording to youth groups, clubs, and schools. They were parked inside the convention center, spreading the good word. http://www.jlsc.com

Garry: OT: Beer Hunting - I'm a home brewer and beer geek, so when I travel I'm more interested in finding good beer than good food. Here are my picks for beer hunting in downtown Nashville. I know of two good beer bars downtown: Flying Saucer (10th and Broadway, part of the Wyndham) and the Beer Sellar (Church St. between 1st and 2nd) The Flying Saucer is my favorite. I know of four brewpubs: Big Wind Brewery (111 Broadway), Market St (134 Second Ave), Blackstone (1918 West End Ave, Music Row) and Bosco's (1805 21st St South, Vanderbuilt). Bosco's is my favorite, but it's the farthest out. I prefer Big Wind to Market St if I'm downtown. Only been to the Blackstone once, but it was nice as I recall. Here's a URL with more info: http://beerexpedition.com/tn/b_nashville.shtml

Post-NAMM Friday: Bill and I went to Third and Lindsley, one of Nashville's showcase clubs, for an early set by Ally Taylor. More information is available at www.allytaylor.com . She put on a funky, soulful set of originals from her album "Do You See Me". Bill and I then headed back downtown to the famous Wild Horse Saloon. Fender was sponsoring a show headlined by the Brian Setzer Trio. Our timing was perfect. The place was packed, but we found an acceptable spot to stand and next thing we knew, Brian and the band were on stage. I've been a Brian Setzer fan since the early days of the Stray Cats and he did not disappoint.

Bill: Glenn Meadows turned me on to Ally's recordings some time ago, but this was my first chance to see a live show. Ally has a lot of soul, and a lot of presence on stage. Third and Lindsley provided me with what has been the most enjoyable tequila-based drinking that I have been able to find in all my years of visiting Nashville. And what can anyone say about Brian Setzer? He rocked, he rolled, and he set the place afire in a set that started out about as hot as I could imagine, but he was able to raise the temperature with each number. Great fun, and a great way to end the night.

Another problem with going to Nashville is that there are just so darned many things happening there all the time anyway, outside of the conference or event that you were there to attend. While I was at NAMM ,I ran into another NARAS member, who asked me if I was going to the Grammy Professional Development Program event. These are ongoing events, and this particular one was entitled, "From Student to Studio". It was sponsored by the Producers and Engineers Wing of National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and Steinberg, with additional support from BMI, Mix, NHTPro, Waves, NAPRS, Apogee, AudioTechnica, Soundstage Studios, Primal Gear, SAE, and Studio Network Solutions.

It was a day of Nuendo studio demos at Soundstage and manufacturers demos at SAE, followed by a panel discussion in the BMI lobby with Chuck Ainlay, Jeff Balding, George Massenburg, Steve Bishir, Tony Brown, Gary Paczosa, moderated by Frank Wells. After the panel discussion, there was a big party/concert, featuring Blue Mother Tupelo, being recorded live on Nuendo by Chuck Ainlay, George Massenburg, and Jeff Balding.

Again I felt the pinch of a schedule conflict, but as I was there to cover NAMM, I went to NAMM.

But I did manage to sneak out to 10 Music Square East long enough for the panel discussion. The space was filled with both students, and luminaries. Paul Gallo came in and sat next to me, and a lot of other familiar names and faces dotted the crowd. Topics ranged from work methods, the evils of digital technology, the evils of technology in general and the choices that they bring, to archival and inter-studio storage and transmission technologies and opinions about the future. I think that George Massenburg commented that "Choice was the enemy of commitment", while Frank Wells countered with something about indecision equaling flexibility, thereby mating the ying and the yang, the two sides of the same coin. We were all seated under a particularly pithy quote from 17th century John Dryden,

"..What passion cannot music raise and quell?
The trumpets shall be heard on high.
The dead shall live and living die,
and music shall untune the sky."

I dearly wanted to attend the party and see these guys at work, but Garry and Mike Rivers were waiting for me back at NAMM, so I hit the street. Maybe next time. Meanwhile, stick around, as Garry and I cover the October AES Conference in New York City.

Mary Fahl

Tue, 01 Jul 2003 00:00:00 GMT

Chick singers are a dime a dozen, expensive at that price, and mostly downright forgettable. There are a handful of female artists who can rock my world, but most are from the past or distant past. Yes, I still play the occasional Joni Mitchell CD, and even Judy Collins seminal "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" gets a spin now and then. Janice and Grace get played some, too. But Melissa Ethridge and Mary Chapin Carpenter are about the only contemporary female artists that I listen to with any regularity.

Enter Mary Fahl, definitely NOT a ‘Chick Singer". Most certainly an Artist of the finest caliber.

Live….

I had been a fan of "The October Project", and I missed my chance to see them before they broke up. So when I saw that former "T.O.P." lead singer Mary Fahl was appearing locally, I made it a point to go and see what she had to offer.

Her show was a couple of days after my birthday, in the middle of a celebratory multi-Gemini group-abuse week, and I almost did not make the performance. Life issues conspired to delay my arrival. The weather was arguing with itself, and dark clouds rolled angrily. When I finally walked into Pittsburgh's Rosebud, the show was already underway.

There was a smallish crowd. Enthusiastic and substantial, but not nearly the crush that I had expected. Still, it was an interesting mix of people. I saw a formerly-famous female lead singer in the room, and a current singer for the Pittsburgh Opera, and a small cadre of musicians who always seem to know about the cool, under-appreciated talent mixed in with the few hundred attendees.

The clever layout of Rosebud disguises its large size. Every floor seat is a good one and the stage is not too tall and is shallow, pushing the performers toward the audience. There is an intimacy between the performer and the audience in this room, and there is no way to hide problems or problematic performances.

Ms Fahl was apparently having some technical difficulties with her stage monitors and in-ear monitors; both acting up, as monitors are want to do. But she seemed to maintain a calmness in spite of the troubles, chatting comfortably with the audience and carrying on as if there was no problem, when no solution appeared to be in sight. Where other performers would be whining, bitching, or throwing a tantrum, she acted as if life was beautiful, and gave the audience 110% of what they came to hear. I could say that I was very impressed with her professionalism and coolness in the face of adversity, but it was more than that. She seemed perfectly serene and clearly focused, and at times downright transcendent.

Her band was under. Under-supportive, under-rehearsed, under-dressed, and under-involved. Perhaps under-paid, I don't know. They noodled around behind her, sometimes in time, as often in the way of the songs as not. They may each be great musicians individually, but with them as a group, she would have been better off performing by herself. There was no crispness, no tightness to their playing.

In spite of the band, Mary Fahl entertained the crowd a full measure, left to a standing ovation, came back for a long encore, and gave a full measure more. When the performance was over she came out into the audience and talked and signed autographs until the last patron was satisfied and had gone home. I don't see how a performer could have given more. Although I assumed that I knew what I would see and hear, I did not anticipate anything like the experience that I had that evening. It was the kind of event that drew me to become a musician and songwriter, and there have been far too few of those events in recent years.

What does she sound like? This is not rock and roll. No dance mixes or funky grooves, either. She is unlike any other popular performer today. Her lyrics are deeper and richer, like a Marc Cohen or a less self-involved Joni Mitchell. Her voice is the real treat, though. It is a force of nature, pulling you along as she rages against the heavens in full throttle; or softly, intimately singing to a private part of your soul that only she knew was there. Scary stuff.

I was probably the last to leave. I did not approach Ms Fahl that night, other than to thank her for a wonderful evening. I would like to have talked to her, but enough people had been pulling on her coat all night long. I was in a pensive mood. I didn't want to be a bother. Maybe I was a little afraid to meet the person behind the music. I huddled into my leather and walked out into the threatening skies, touched in ways that few know.

On Disc…

My first exposure to Marry Fahl was via the October Project, in the mid 1990s. The songwriting, the themes, and the sweep of the music placed it far above contemporary offerings from similar acts like "Grey Eyed Glances" or even the follow-up "November Project". The music would be classed as Adult Contemporary. It has Celtic leanings, but this is no Irish tin whistle band. The recordings were technically less than thrilling, but the music was simply amazing. Though I enjoyed every part of the performances, I have to mention the wonderful music and lyrics by Emil Adler and Julie Flanders, and the beautiful harmonies supplied by Marina Belica. "The October Project" disbanded after an absurdly short career. They had been dropped by Epic, even though their second CD cracked the Top 200, which was no mean feat.

Mary Fahl was the lead voice in "The October Project". It is impossible to judge her current work without referring to her past association with "The October Project", because "The October Project" was so well conceived and executed. That may be unfair. After all, "Wings" was certainly no "the Beatles", but Sir Paul still managed to muddle through and create a successful career as a solo artist. But the fact is, that it was hard to separate Mr McCartney from his association with "the Beatles", and it will take some time for me to separate Mary Fahl from her stint with "The October Project".

In 2001 Mary Fahl released a solo EP, "Lenses of Contact", which was somewhat weak but showed promise. Mostly, the songs and/or arrangements were several sizes too small for her stunning voice.

Now, several years later, Sony Classical has released her first full length solo effort, "The Other Side of Time". It is an ambitious project, covering many styles and types of music and displaying her vocal talents. Her voice is as rich and powerful as ever, and it is a simple joy to listen to her handle a lyric or phrase.

I am a big fan of intelligent, adult lyrics and good melodies. I enjoy a little introspection, with tales that express life and evocative themes that document our journeys through it. I like songs that are capable of bringing well thought out and full-blown images to the mind of the listener. Ms Fahl writes a very full and convincing lyric, and where the music falters or fails to impress, there is not a point at which her voice fails to please.

I am not as excited about the music. In a world where Nora Jones is considered to be a breakout artist, this music is exceptional. But like the songs of Nora Jones, I've heard a lot of this music before. Again, the ghost of "The October Project" clouds my judgment. Their artistic vision was very clear.

Taken on it's own, "The Other Side of Time" CD falters from lack of focus…. Too many styles, too many choices. It might even be considered to be too long, if it was possible to tire of her voice. There are some very filmic orchestral pieces, songs with jazzy, ethnic, and folk leanings, and she nails them all. Two pieces are from films. "Going Home" is from "Gods and Generals", and "The Dawning of the Day" is from the soundtrack of "The Guys". Both are beautiful. "Dream of You" and "Kindness Can Be Cruel" have a Julia Forham groove, some might even say Helen Morgan or Polly Bergen. "Ben Aindi Habibi" and "Una furtive lagrima" go in interesting and unexpected directions, and the lyrics of "Annie" paint a lovely tale in a more traditional Irish style. The types of songs that work best for me are in the vein of "Raging Child", "The Other Side of Time" and "In The Great Unknown.

But it is possible to offer the audience too much diversity, and that is the case here. Every individual song is good, yet the sum total does not hang together as an entity. Is she a jazz artist? A torch singer? Adult Contemporary? Ethnic? In a perfect world she could be all of these things and more. In our world, attempting to offer so much diversity on a single release makes a recording hard to market and tends to confuse the CD buying public. Giving it due credit, "The Other Side of Time" is a more than credible first solo effort. I'm still playing it daily. I hope that Ms Fahl finds an artistic focus to match her voice for her next release.

For the first time listener, her most enjoyable recording is still the first "The October Project" CD. Why? Because the songs are grand, and incredibly well crafted pieces of music. The themes are grand. The arrangements are superb. The vision is clear. The performances are spot on. And the sum total is big…. big enough to support Ms Fahl's complex and substantial voice.

Choosing a World Class Microphone

Thu, 01 Aug 2002 00:00:00 GMT

I've been upgrading my studio for a couple of years now. Each improvement and change has brought other weaknesses to light. Each improvement has been a double-edged sword, bringing both the joy of better audio and the curse of finding yet another area that could be addressed.

All along the way, various friends have remarked upon my lack of a world-class large diaphragm tube vocal microphone. I have an eclectic and interesting mic collection, and there is little to complain about. But when it comes to large diaphragm condensers, my choices are middling at best. I have a Neumann U-89. I have a pair of AKG 414s, one with the C-12 capsule, one with the newer capsule. These are my main choices. I have an Oktava 219 and a pair of Cascade M-20s, none of which I have ever used. It is easy to see that my options are not horrible, but not up to par with the rest of my system, and there is nary a tube to be found in the bunch.

I look at mics the same way that I look at guitars, amplifiers, and mic pres. This is the link in the signal chain where I try to pick my coloration. Correct choices in these areas lessens knob twiddling and effects chaining further down the line. Even the decision to use an uncolored mic and/or mic pre is a creative choice, with its own implications. My friends are correct… I am due for a large diaphragm tube microphone.

I look at the new offerings from the major manufacturers, and I look at the vintage market. The new offerings from major manufacturers hold some interest, but I'm drawn, probably like many other suckers, to the vintage market.

Buying Vintage

Now, there are really TWO "vintage" marketplaces. There is the ebay/internet/music store ‘vintage' mic market, where anything with a little dust on it is ‘vintage'; and there are the people who understand The Real Deal. In the ebay/interent/music store market, anything that is labeled "Neumann" is valuable, and anything that purportedly has a C-12 capsule is valuable, and people pay outrageous amounts of cash in purchasing products that they do not understand. And there are more ways to scam the unwary buyer in used microphones than there are in used cars. As Tom Waits said, "There's a sucker born every minute, and you just happened to be coming along at the right time…"

The actual vintage microphone market, as conducted by knowing professionals, is an interesting area. These people know the various scams that are perpetrated on clueless buyers. They know the various production runs of mic models, and which ones were good and which were dogs. They also know that, due to component aging and due to various methods of usage, care, and storage, most vintage mics do not sound alike within a given model. When one of these people sells a mic, there is a lot more to the description than "Crumpus 762!" and when one of them buys a mic, it is generally opened up and carefully examined for original parts, modifications, and any discrepancies.

Still, the ‘vintage' sound is most desirable, and a vintage mic most appeals to me as the answer to fill my need for a World-Class Vocal Microphone. So what vintage mics are at the top of the heap in desirability?

Here's my short list:

Neumann created the U47 in 1947. This is the granddaddy of all modern vocal microphones, and one of the designs that set the standard for how a large diaphragm microphone was supposed to perform. Among its other innovations, it was the first large diaphragm condenser to incorporate a pattern switch. The two patterns were cardioid and omni. Telefunken originally sold this microphone for export until 1963, when Neumann decided to join the export market. Although some people ascribe mystical qualities to a Telefunken-badge on a U47, there is no functional difference. There were model changes and updates throughout the production of the U47, but the nameplate is not an indicator.

The U47 first used the famous M7 capsule, which was also used in a number of other Neumann designs. Versatile and rugged when treated properly, these capsules provided a great sound and long life. But like any other diaphragm, the M7 is subject to aging and abuse. As the capsule ages it dries out and looses it's flexibility. Tiny cracks begin to appear on the diaphragm membrane, and the microphone looses its response characteristics. Later versions of the microphone used the K-47 capsule.

The U47 amplifier section was designed around the Telefunken VF14, a steel tube originally built for the army and used in German field radios during World War II. In 1959 Telefunken ceased producing this tube. By this time, the only remaining customer for the VF14 was Neumann. Shortly afterwards, Neumann withdrew the U47 from production. By the 1970s, VF14 tubes were gone from the market. Thousands of Neumann U47s were produced, and with no replacement tubes available, countless modifications have been attempted to allow the microphone to operate with various other tubes or solid state replacement devices. None have proven to be satisfactory, and the buyer should beware.

The hardest to find of the popular rare vintage large diaphragm tube microphones would be the series that was built by AKG. These would be the C-12, Elam 250, and Elam 251.

The AKG C-12 was produced from 1953 to 1963. It had a remote controlled pattern selector box located between the microphone body and the power supply. Based upon the CK-12 capsule and the 6072 vacuum tube amplifier, this microphone had achieved cult status by the 1980s. The original C-12 was replaced by the C-12A, a microphone that used a Nuvistor amplifier circuit and looked a lot like the 414 of today. This is nowhere near as desirable a microphone, and it is entirely a different sort of product. In 1994 AKG attempted to re-issue the C12 as the C-12 VR, but it is not even close to the sound of the original.

A similar microphone based on the original AKG C-12 was produced for Telefunken as an export piece, designated the Elam 250. The major difference was the body construction, which was wider, with a heavier grille. A two pattern selector switch was placed on the microphone body.

A further modification came with the design for the Elam 251 and 251e, when a third pattern was added. A stock 251 can sell for upwards of $20,000. The "e" designates that the microphone was earmarked for export from Germany. These versions use the 6072 tube, also found in other designs. The non-export model used the AC701 vacuum tubes, which had become a standard tube in the German broadcast market.

The Neumann U67 was launched in 1960 as the planned successor to the U47. By the time the last U47 was made in 1965, the U67 had achieved this goal. A new capsule was developed for this design. The K-67 capsule allowed for a true figure of eight pattern. This enabled the U67 microphone to have three patterns instead of the previous two available on the U47. Also, a switch and compensation circuitry was incorporated to counter the proximity effect, as many singers were beginning to sing directly into their microphones. The amplifier circuit was built around the EF86 tube, at the time a more modern tube design than the war surplus VF14M or the 701. Following the long standing Neumann tradition of naming a microphone after the year that it was introduced, this microphone was originally released as the U60. But someone in marketing decided that U67 sounded closer to U47, and Neumann wanted to piggy-back on the success of the previous model. The official line was "to honor the origins…" or something like that. Many thousands were sold.

Buyer Beware

Okay, so I have a short list. I left off the M-49 and the C-24 and a few other options. But even with a list of four or five, there is just too much to know.

It is obvious to me that I cannot buy intelligently in the vintage market. It's one thing to buy a couple of $700 or $800 Neumann or AKG small diaphragm condensers and have them brought back to factory spec. It is quite another to try to purchase an ELAM 251, Neumann U47, U67, or original AKG C-12. I simply do not have enough knowledge to play on this field at this level. After I research the pricing of desirable vintage mics from reputable dealers, I am also aware of the shortfall in my bank account that makes such a purchase an impossibility at this time. Probably at any time.

Another factor with top of the line highly desirable vintage microphones is that, due to their age, components are reaching failure points. A vintage microphone could need regular visits to the shop to replace old electronics. The total cost of ownership could rise well above what one might originally anticipate. The availability of replacement tubes is another question. Since some of these tubes haven't been manufactured in decades, there are only so many to go around, and that number decreases daily. Consequently, an owner could find himself with a bill for $1,000 or more just to replace a tube, and eventually find that tube to be unobtainable at any cost. Solid state substitutes have proven unacceptable so far. And there is also the issue of diaphragms. Another hard to find, hard to replace part that just has to be seriously expensive. Even the appropriate cables and connectors are expensive and somewhat rare. Maybe I need to look at newer choices.

What is the next viable option? There are a handful of people out there manufacturing quality microphones to exacting specifications. I'm not talking about cosmetically similar Chinese knockoffs, mass produced off-shore; or parts made off-shore and assembled here and available at any music store for under $200. I mean real, hand crafted quality workmanship, with custom made diaphragms, individually tuned for perfect response. Some companies are even making functionally exact copies of famous vintage microphones.

Other Options

I am lucky to have one such company located in my area. In fact, Korby Audio Technologies is the company to which I send my mics for repairs, and my used microphone purchases to have them brought back up to factory spec. Tracy Korby is well known throughout the industry and has a stellar reputation. And he only lives a few miles from me. In addition to his repair work, Tracy has been making high quality microphones for many years, and has received accolades from many quarters. Eric Johnson, known for being seriously picky about details, particularly when it comes to his tone, uses a custom Korby Audio CM3 based upon an AKG C12. Lenny Kravitz owns two based upon the Elam 251, and several custom made Korby mics.

Chosing a new microphone with a vintage sound seems like a good plan. A new microphone is going to require much less maintenance than a vintage one; and the components, since they are new, are going to hold up a lot longer for me before they need to be replaced. Buying such a microphone locally has obvious advantages, too. It is even better that I know the manufacturer and have been a customer for a long time. I do not really consider buying from anyone else.

So what does Korby Audio have available today? Korby Audio Technologies has just released a microphone line with a unique twist in large diaphragm tube mic technology. It has removable capsule heads, and a number of microphone bodies with different electronics. I can buy one complete microphone now, and buy other bodies and capsules later to effectively expand my mic locker for several times less than what it would cost to own the vintage equivalents.

This new microphone is called "The Convertible" and, in their words, is: "An Interchangable Classic Microphone Capsule System Designed and Hand-Built by Korby Audio Technologies". The new body style is a clean, powder-coated cylinder, color coded to designate model number and amplifier electronics. The capsule is housed in a sturdy bright nickel plate and mesh grille assembly. The capsule assembly simply pulls out, with no twisting required. The whole capsule assembly is mounted on a 4-pin socket. To replace a capsule assembly just line up the pins, and insert the capsule to the body with a gentle push. Done deal.

Korby Audio M10

The first available amplifier body in the series is the Model 10, which is an attractive gray/white color, containing electronics based around a 5703 vacuum tube. There are two additional microphone bodies under current development. One is a different tube style and one is a solid state model. More models are on the drawing board.

There are four capsule styles available at this writing. These are the 47, the 251, the 12, and the 67M, which correspond to the Neumann U47, the Elam 251, the AKG C-12, and a custom modified version of the Neumann U67. There are several more popular models in development. Korby Audio has always excelled in custom modifications, so virtually anything can be created for the customer who wants something special or unique.

The Model 10 microphone comes housed in a beautiful foam-lined wooden presentation case and is accompanied by a handsome and uniquely designed black shock mount, Korby Audio power supply, and cable. There is an optional flight case available, which holds all four capsules, the mic, shock mount, the power supply, and the cables.

I should explain about the 67 modifications. The original U67 is a microphone with an overly forward midrange. This has a lot of uses, and is great for fattening things up. But the downside of the original Neumann design is that the lows and highs were sacrificed. Korby Audio has been performing a modification to stock Neumann U67s, which extends the highs and lows, while preserving the mid characteristics. In my opinion, this yields a more useful, less dark sounding microphone. Korby Audio has made this modification a stock part of their 67M capsules. I now that it is a little confusing, but the other Korby capsules are all emulations of stock microphones. But the 67M is not a stock U67 emulation, but an emulation of the Neumann U67 after a Korby modification.

I call Korby Audio and ask which microphone capsule they would suggest for my voice. I sing in a kind of David Crosby-ish voice, and I asked their recommendation since I have no experience with mics like the Elam 251 or the AKG C-12. It is not that simple though. The Korbys insist that I need to hear the mics. I would just as soon take their recommendation, looking at it as the advice of an experienced professional. After all, that I what I expect my clients to do when I suggest something to them.

"What would you sell to David Crosby if he called you to buy a microphone today and wanted you to ship it out right now?" I press.

"Well," Nadine Korby replies, "Since you live so close to us, you should really hear them. But I'd probably look at a 251 or our 67M capsules. Why don't you come over and listen to them?"

I explain that since I don't have any experience in this area of mics, that it would be a waste of our time. I don't know what a real Elam 251 sounds like, so how could I judge their version of a 251, or any other microphone of that value? "Oh," says Nadine. "We can fix that. What are you doing on Friday?"

Listening Test

And when Friday morning rolled around, Nadine showed up at the studio door with a vintage stock Elam 251, U47, U67, and a modified U67. These were not just any group of vintage microphones with unknown pedigrees. They happened to be the microphones used to record some very famous multi-platinum artists.

There is a certain synergy of events that has been telling me that this is the correct time to make this particular purchase, and here is a part of it. This particular group of rare microphones, all happening to be in the Korby Audio shop at the same time, all being completed at the same time and being available to be used for comparison is a good sign. The stars are in alignment. I got my black cat bone. My bread fell, buttered side up. The gypsy woman told me… well, you get the idea.

Although they have several AKG C-12 microphones in the shop, they did not happen to have one repaired and ready to show. Somehow I will suffer though this absence. In addition, Nadine bought the new Korby Audio Model 10 mic with the 251, 47, and 67M capsules. Not having a vintage AKG C-12 to show, she did not bring the Korby Audio C12 capsule.

It was an interesting morning. I was a little intimidated to be working with microphones of such quality and pedigree. Though we were using them with the owners' permissions, I was reluctant to handle them. Since they were not mine, I preferred that Nadine do all the setup work. She knows more about it than I do, anyway.

I matched the gains between the Korby 251 and the original Elam 251, using my John Hardy mic pres. I pulled out my Santa Cruz, and played and sang. I did the same comparison between the Korby Audio versions and the Neumann 47 and the modified Neumann 67, and the stock Neumann 67 just for the fun of it. Eye opening. Which did I like best?

First let me say that the Korby mics do a fine job of duplicating the sounds of the original microphones. I do not think that anyone could identify which was which in a blind listening test. Not that many of us are going to get a chance to have such a World Class array of microphones at our disposal at any given time, anyway. The decision for me became a choice of which Korby microphone capsule I preferred for my voice and my guitar.

Damn, they all sound good, and in different ways. I can see a use for all of them, and I want them all. I have been very frugal this month, so I can buy the Model 10 and one extra capsule. I think that my capsule choices will be the 251 and the 67M. I know that the 251 will sound good with just about anything, while the 67M has a certain character that I found attractive. The 67M sounded outstanding with my Santa Cruz acoustic guitar, too.

I've made my decision and placed my order. With luck, I will get my brand new Korby Audio Technologies Model 10 by the time you read this. I'm going to do some side-by-side recording, and I'll let you know how it comes out.

A Model 10 with one capsule sells for $3200. A Model 10 with a pair of capsules sells for $4000. Contact Korby Audio Technologies at http://www.KorbyAudio.com, or 412.937.1349.

Sony, Such Baloney

Sat, 01 Jun 2002 00:00:00 GMT

So, I've been tied up a while, and not as available or hanging around as much as usual. I've been both on the road sporadically, and swamped with work. Now this has never stopped me from participating on line before, so what has been the problem for the last few months? After all, all the hotels and venues are wired…

I've had a nice little Sony 505HS for a few years now. Great little machine, with a 500 mHz Pentium III processor, 128 megs of RAM, large hard drive, nice screen, and every type of interconnection I could imagine. Less than an inch thick, and under 4 pounds, it has been my constant companion. I even have done some minor recording projects on this machine. Anywhere that I might be, I could write, work on any of the corporate jobs I might be involved with, or hook up to the internet and keep in touch with all of my friends.

Sure, the floppy and CD drives were loose and connected to the computer in a variety of ways, and there was a docking bar needed to get to the video, parallel port, and serial port, as well as gaining access to more USB I/O. So if I wanted to carry all of the accessories and a few blank disks I was really talking about a lot more weight than just 4 pounds.

But the up side was the size, and the support that Sony gave to me over the life of the box. If I had a problem, they fixed it. That simple. Once I broke a key, and once the modem failed. On both occasions, Sony sent a shipping box to me, which arrived the next morning after I called the support line. I boxed up the computer and shipped it out, and in both cases it was returned to me promptly and repaired properly.

I started looking around for a newer, faster machine. The 505HS just can't keep up with the demands of some of the high res photo projects in which I have been involved, and is beginning to feel a little sluggish with some of the newer versions of the apps that I use. Since I had been so happy with the 505HS, I immediately looked at the new Sony R-505 series computers.

But the price was a bit more than I wanted to spend.

Like many others, I turned to ebay to search for a better deal. I found many sellers of refurbished and used Sonys on ebay. I placed a bid on one nice looking machine, and I won the auction. The transaction was smooth, and the seller was friendly and easy to deal with. In the original ad it clearly stated that the machine had no recovery disks. I was not overly concerned about this, as Sony generally posts all the drivers on their websites.

The machine arrived and worked as advertised. It contained Windows XP Pro. I fooled around with it for a while, and was quite happy. The new machine was designated an R-505 JSK (UC).

Garry Simmons dropped by one day, and he showed me some tricks and configuration tips. I had just received my own copy of XP Pro, so Garry suggested the logical thing…

"Hey, why not clean the machine out and start from scratch? Reformat the hard drive and load in your copy of XP Pro?"

"Sure, why not?", I replied.

Fatal decision.

When I got the OS loaded, XP had none of the drivers needed to support any of the hardware in the machine. I went to the Sony website and downloaded the drivers for the R-505 JSK. The drivers did not work with the machine, which reported that the drivers were not the correct drivers for my machine.

So I look at the specs, and find that my R-505JSK (UC) does not have the specs of the standard R-505 J models. It had the specs of the newer R-505 DS (P), including 1.2 mHz processor, wireless lan, 30 meg hard drive, and 256 megs of RAM. Instead of the little docking bar of my old machine, this machine has a docking tray, which conveniently combines all of the loose drives into one box into which the computer slides and latches securely. In my older model, the S meant 128 megs of RAM, and the new machine has 256. In my older model the K meant Windows 2000, and my new machine has Windows XP Professional.

I begin to get the feeling that I might have a prototype machine.

So I've got a very fast computer that is limited to 8 bit video, filling only about 1/3 of the screen, and no interconnectivity at all.

I try to contact Sony technical support. They didn't want to talk to me, since I am not the original owner. I try to explain that I don't expect warranty coverage, I just want to get the machine working again. I try to get them to sell the System Recovery disks, and here's where the wheels come off the wagon.

The Tech wants to register the machine. Fair enough. I look where the serial number should be… no serial number. I look where the model number should be… no model number. Now, one of the places that the model number would normally be is in a little recessed space at the bottom of the screen. If anyone had ever glued a metal tab in that space with model number info, it would have to be pried out with a sharp object, leaving scratches, or floated out using some chemical, which would most likely leave some traces of damage to the plastic housing. I look all over the machine, and other than "Sony" and "Vaio" there are no identifying marks on the machine. At this point the Tech is no longer willing to help. I even try having him trace the serial number from the docking station and the battery, figuring that the whole unit was a set, and he could find no record of those items having ever been registered. I went to the BIOS, where the serial number is normally burned into the system information. Nope. The serial number field is blank in the CMOS, though the model number is listed as an R-505 JSK (UC).

I hang up, and try calling back to get another Tech. Again, no help. He points me to the Parts Department, and gives me a phone number to call. But the Parts Department will not help me unless I have a registration number, which I cannot get unless I have a serial number and model number.

In frustration, I turn to the various internet sources that I have, but no one can help me.

Finally, I contact PC World magazine. I figure that I am not the only person buying used computers over the internet, and I wanted to know if they had received similar complaints.

I was contacted by a very nice person from PC World, who put a lot of time into trying to help me to resolve my problem. She arranged for me to be able to buy the D series Recovery Disks. They did not work. I then bought the J series Recovery Disks, which also did not work.

So I call Sony Tech Support again. I get a very rude individual who is not interested in helping me at all. He tells me that since I am not registered, I will have to give him a credit card number, and he will charge me per incident for any information that he gives. I should further understand that he does not guarantee to solve my problem, he will simply look into their Knowledge Base and see if he can find an answer that has worked for others in the past.

Now, the Sony Knowledge Base is available on line, and I can search it myself. I ask him if the disks that I bought are not entitled to some Tech Support, and he says No. I ask him for the phone number for the parts department, but he says that he cannot give me that information until I give him a credit card number and it will cost me $20 to get that phone number from him.

Back to my wonderful contact at PC World. And I really want to thank her for all her support. If she had not intervened, I never would have got as far as I did in trying to solve my problem. Though the end result wasn't what I had hoped, she really made every attempt on my behalf. She even managed to get a person from Sony to contact me to discuss my situation.

This would have been great, if the Sony representative had been interested in helping me. She told me that I had a prototype machine, which I had been saying all along. She said that, on that basis, it was stolen from Sony and she could not help me. She was not interested in fixing it, buying it back, or having me ‘trade it in' on any other model "But I've got nearly $1800 invested in this Sony machine!" Not Sony's problem. "What about the two sets of disks that you sold me that did not work?" Also not Sony's problem. . End of story, see ya, bye.

Now, here's the logic… she is protecting Sony.

Okay, protecting Sony from what?

God knows that if any other rogue prototype notebooks get out into the mainstream, we know better than to reformat the hard drives, because Sony won't help us. But how many of these can there be? Meanwhile here I am, a good and loyal Sony customer. I've bought a fair amount of Sony gear in the past, often paying the premium for the brand name when other brands of similar products sell for significantly less. This is the second Sony computer that I have bought in the last three years, and due to seeing mine, a couple of people that I know have bought Sony computers for themselves. I've even toyed with buying the RMX-100, in a configuration that would be about $24,000.

So how did she protect Sony? By pissing me off and insuring that I never buy another Sony product again in my lifetime, she did not help them as far as I can tell. One would expect someone interested in Customer support and care to fix the machine or offer a trade in deal, in order to keep the customer happy and coming back. That is how to protect the brand name, because that would take an already loyal customer and probably keep him as a fan of Sony products for life.

The origin of the notebook in question is of little import, since I am obviously not the thief, nor a fence, and I did obviously buy it for a reasonable price through a legitimate outlet. Since the prototype was based upon the older J series and resulted in the D series which has been available for some months now, it seems to me that whoever was testing it has moved on to test the next series which we won't see for a year or so yet, and had abandoned my unit. Where it went from that point matters little, since it had served its purpose for Sony developers. In effect, it is now trash to them, and no loss.

There is also no real loss to Sony by supporting the notebook, as we are talking about a copy of the original software that was meant for this machine, in the form of the proper System Recovery Disks for this machine. And I have offered to pay for that support,… in fact I have already paid for it twice.

They are not interested in tracking the seller, or finding the original person who took the machine from Sony. More proof that this unit has no value to them. Instead they want to pretend that it does not exist. In doing so, they have alienated me and stuck me with the cost of not only the computer, but two sets of System Recovery Disks that are not the proper disks for the machine. Insult to injury.

I've been attending corporate customer care meetings for many years, and I know that the folks at Sony have to have been going to the same meetings that I have been attending. These meetings are all about the science of making the right decisions required to keep customers, and to create brand loyalty. Sony is a very successful company and has obviously mastered the issues in question. So what happened in my case? I don't know. I was always polite, I never displayed attitude or hostility, and I always tried to deal with the people on the other end of the line with rational, logical conversation. Still, I end up losing money, Sony loses a customer, and another company will gain both my money and my loyalty.

So, I have been dicking around with Sony since March, hoping against hope for a happy resolution to this problem. Meanwhile, I have been off-line, borrowing connections and hitting this site in a ‘catch as catch can' method.

But all that has changed now. I just took delivery of a brand new notebook. You all remember AsusTek, the company most noted for their motherboards? Well, they also make notebooks. Apparently they have done so for some years. I got a brand new model, just released in June of this year. It is an M2A, with built in DVD/CDRW, 256 megs of RAM, 30 gig hard drive, wireless lan, modem, soundcard I/O, PCMCIA, USB, 1394, and VGA and printer port all on board, with a docking bar port for an optional docking bar to provide even more interconnectivity. It has a microphone built into the front of the video screen. It weighs in at about four and a half pounds or so, and came with Windows XP Professional and a very nice carrying case with plenty of room for disks, papers, and accessories. The total price including shipping was less than what I paid for the Sony R-505 JSK (UC). Yes, I am still out the cost of the Sony, so this in effect cost me twice as much as it should have. But it is quite a nice machine, has a 14.1 inch screen, includes the CD internally, gets three times better battery life, and at first blush, I am very impressed. The keyboard is larger and easier for a clumsy guy like me to use, though it is a new layout, and I keep hitting [Home] when I shoot for [Backspace]. (I'll get over it, really.) The buttons and ports are better and more logically located. AsusTek even threw in a mouse, for those who use their notebooks as desktop replacements and can't get the hang of the touch pad.

Will this machine be any good at audio recording? I don't know. That is not it's primary purpose in life. But I was able to get 15 tracks of 16 bit playback without a problem on the Sony 505HS, so I imagine that I will be able to do as well with the AsusTek M2A, and have more plugs, since this machine has twice the processing power. I know at some point I will try it out as an audio machine, but frankly I just don't care. It is a way cool replacement for my daily companion Sony, which I had not realized had slipped into such an important place in my daily routine.

It's a shame that I had to lose so much money to discover this new machine, but what is done is done. I am happy to have my tools back, and in the next couple of days I will get it all configured and be back to my normal, web-crawling, opinionated self. So those of you who have wondered of my whereabouts, and to those of you with whom I have lost touch, I apologize for my lengthy time away, but…. I'M BAAACCCCKKKK!!!!!

For those of you who might be interested in picking up an AsusTek M2A for yourself, they are not that easy to find in local outlets, but are available at a few on-line sources. I got mine from www.googlegear.com. This is the first time that I have bought from them, but others, including fellow ProRec Editor Garry Simmons, recommended the site to me.

Raxxess Big Apple

Mon, 01 Apr 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Okay, so you know that I have just got the new studio to the point where I can start to put gear into it. I'm chomping at the bit (heh heh, bit…. What, you aren't going to byte on that one?) to get some recording done. But I have other issues. First I need to put in the speakers, run some tests, take some measurements, and properly treat the room.

I have done much of this work myself, and with the help of my friends and particularly with the help of my brother Bob. I'm just not up to tackling another DIY project for the studio right now. In the past I have either built all of the studio furniture myself, or contracted out to have it custom built. The new layout requires new racks and a new desk. I did have one custom rack shopped out. Built from all birch, it is a dual 12-space rack with a birch tabletop, on 4-inch wheels. Still, I need a new main desk, and a couple of more rack spaces wouldn't hurt.

So I look at the pre-fab offerings. I'm not too excited about any of them, but I was sort of attracted to the Raxxess "Big Apple". Oddly enough, fellow Pro Rec Editor Garry Simmons was also interested in the same desk.

There are several manufacturers churning out prefab racks and desks. Most are just so-so, being functional, cheap, and quickly and poorly made, with little attention to detail or fit and finish.

I have had no previous experience with Raxxess, so this was totally a shot in the dark for me. Raxxess offers several models of desk and desk/rack combo sets in their "Studio Furniture" line. The "Big Apple" has a large work surface and two 14 space racks, one on each side of the kneehole. There is a 60-inch long adjustable height shelf to hold audio and video monitors.

Raxxess Big Apple

Garry shopped around, and was able to get quite a good deal from Sweetwater. I just jumped on what looked like a reasonable price from another vendor. As it turned out, Garry got the better deal. He paid $40 more than I did, but he got the sliding keyboard shelf. This shelf sells for about $100. I hadn't really looked at it, because I still have a similar shelf sitting here from a previous custom desk. I'll have to modify it, and work out a new mounting for it. It would have been well worth the extra $40 not to have to deal with retrofitting the old shelf into the new desk. I haven't done it yet, I don't know when I'll get to it, and I'm not looking forward to it, though I know that it will have to be done. But gee, I saved 40 whole dollars! (It appears as if I have outsmarted myself again…)

Painful Delivery

Garry ordered his Big Apple a few days before I did, and he received his desk quickly. I ordered mine, and I got a call from the freight company on the Thursday before Easter, telling me that it had arrived but would not be delivered until Monday. Okay, no problem.

When Garry's desk was delivered, the 40-foot semi rolled into his neighborhood, and the driver could not unload the 300-pound crate. No loading dock, no forklift, no lift gate. Garry's wife had to open the crate and carry the pieces down the driveway and into the house one at a time. The driver was a Nice Guy, and he helped her, though he was under no obligation to do so. Then he had to try to wind his 40-foot trailer through Garry's winding residential neighborhood.

Now, I live in the city proper. At my place, the driver could bring any size truck and just dump the crate in my driveway and leave, provided he had a lift gate or ramp. Being a Nice Guy, I mention to the trucking company representative that they might want to send it on a truck with a lift gate, since I don't have a loading dock. Otherwise, the driver would have to hang around while I unpacked the crate.

This concept caused much confusion with the trucking company. They wanted to charge me to deliver the crate on a truck with a lift gate. They shuffled me to four different people. The last guy told me haughtily that the driver would not help me unload the crate. Well, that's fine. I never mentioned that he should or that I would want him to do so. He told me that the driver would not wait while I unloaded the crate. So, was the crate just dropping by for a visit? I'd get to wave at it while the driver drove off into the sunset? He was all round snotty and shitty, and was not at all interested in helping me. He said that he would "have to talk to Raxxess." As if he was going to set them straight. I told him that I didn't care what he did with the crate. I had only mentioned this for –their- convenience, and they could deliver it or they could send it back to Raxxess, but in any case I wasn't paying any more money for delivery over what I had already paid.

I was, at that moment, in the middle of flying a bunch of truss in an arena. Frankly, I was more interested in the safety of the procedure than in taking the names of rude service personnel. But it was New Penn trucking, if you are looking for a company to avoid.

When I got home I fired off an email to Raxxess, explaining the situation, and suggesting to them that they might want to explain to New Penn that the success of New Penn hinged on the success of the business that they deliver for, and since that is the case, New Penn might want to treat Raxxess's customers as if they were New Penn customers. I got a very nice email from Raxxess, thanking me for my feedback and saying that they would look into the matter. Still, the desk was not delivered on the promised Monday. I did get a phone call on that Monday from a contrite sounding individual from the trucking company asking if they could deliver on Tuesday.

This was actually no problem for me, as I was expecting another delivery on Tuesday. But the problem was that I had also taken Monday off of work in order to receive the desk. So I was screwed out of quite a bit of money.

Still, the desk was finally delivered, in a small truck with a lift gate. The driver was a very nice fellow who lives in my neighborhood, and he even came equipped with a pallet jack. He rolled the crate onto the lift, rolled it off the lift and into my driveway, and was gone in probably 90 seconds.

Easy Assembly

Now I break open the crate and take the pieces round back to the studio entrance. I laid out the pieces around the floor, and removed all of the packing materials. The packing materials are clearly labeled as to what pieces they contain, so look at the labels before you remove the packing. If you have ever put together any Ikea furniture, this is similar. Similar, but far easier. I literally put the desk together in less than ten minutes. The first rack probably took twelve minutes, and the second one took less than five minutes, because by that time I had gathered the proper tools and I knew what I was doing, having already done it once.

Garry and his wife assembled his desk, and he suggested that I might need help to build the Big Apple. Maybe because his room is small and filled with stuff, and mine is larger and currently empty, but I spread the pieces out all over the place and had no trouble assembling all three pieces by myself. There was nothing to the process.

Everything fit together properly and with ease. The directions are superfluous, and that is good. There is one page of text and a couple of pages of rough drawings, but they are not very clear. The more critical operations that would benefit from pictures have none, while the obvious operations are sketched out. Still, none of it is rocket science and a couple of minutes spent studying the pieces makes everything clear, since almost everything only goes together one way. You might be able to put the metal foot panels of the racks on backwards. You could put the tops on backwards, so that the oak beauty strips faced the opposite way as the ones on the rack face. You could put the desk shelf so that it hung off the back of the desk and ran the risk of tipping over when you put a load on it. That's about all the placement mistakes that you can make, and they are all pretty obvious.

I used a hand operated Phillips screwdriver for most operations, and this is recommended in the instructions. Going into particleboard is always risky, and I prefer the tactile sensation that one gets from a hand driver in this situation. I did use my Dewalt battery powered screw gun on the sixteen 2-inch machine screws, with the clutch set to 12. This was just about right to prevent stripping of the heads or threads. I used a large flat blade screwdriver to turn the cams that attach the tops of the racks to the sides.

There are also several plastic inserts, which receive threaded rods. The instructions clearly warn about this, but I will re-iterate…. Hand tighten, and then tighten an additional quarter turn, and ONLY a quarter turn, with a hand screwdriver. It is too easy to strip these pieces with just a little too much force.

A BIG bonus was that Raxxess thoughtfully provided extra pieces for most of the small metal parts like screws and connecting rods. So often in this type of pre-fab assembly there are small parts missing.

Versatile Performer

The fit and finish was better than I expected. I know a bit about custom furniture. As pre-fab cabinets go, these look pretty good. A very minor complaint that I have is with the desk shelf. The receiver square stock on the desk is larger than the square stock from the shelf brackets that have to fit down into the receivers. As a result, the shelf is less solid feeling and kind of rattles around when there is no load on it. This has nothing to do with actual performance… the pieces are solid, the receivers are securely welded to the desk legs, there are even double locking pins for each bracket, and gravity is your friend… the shelf is not going anywhere. But everything else fit so well and was so easy to put together, that this little oddity stuck out. Another oddity was with the Raxxess logos. These are metal foil stick-ons, and are stuck onto the front bottom metal panels of each rack. So far, so good. But on my set, one was perfectly straight, while the other was very crooked. I would think that if you were going to install your logo where the entire world is going to see it and where the worker has to look at it every day, a little more care would be taken in the placement phase.

One cool part of the layout is that the tops of the racks can be put in two different positions relative to the location of the sides of the rack. The top can sit with a couple of inches of overhang, bringing the front of the rack forward. Or the tops can over hang the racks by quite a bit. Raxxess recommends the first option. But the second option allows the racks to act as a table, and provides legroom for anyone sitting in front of them. No doubt that Raxxess is concerned about stability, but with any amount of gear in the rack, the chances of tipping the rack over by leaning on the table edge would be very small.

The laminate edges were trimmed and smooth… much better than what I see on a lot of prefab units, and the joints between laminate and oak stripping were crisp, though a little more care could have been taken to wipe up the excess glue. The powder coat black on all metal parts is clean and smooth.

Garry and I both expected the desktop to be one piece, with the racks fitting underneath. Most indications are that this is the case, since you can even buy wheels for the racks, and in the pictures, that is the way that the desk appears. But the desktop is actually three pieces, with the left and right pieces forming the top of the racks. Once you see this, the drawings on the site become clear. "Oh, yeah… I get it, NOW!". In practical usage, this turns out to not be a problem at all. The desk comes with hardware to attach the rack tops to the desk, to make it in to one solid, contiguous unit if that is what you want.

But Garry chose to leave the tops unattached. This allows him to pull the racks out to get at the backs with ease. On the other hand, I chose a totally different approach. I took both racks and put them together in a different location. Side by side they make a great producers desk, because of the tabletop overhang that I mentioned. So I have my desk with the fairly open skeleton of the welded legs, flanked by the Dunlavys making a very clean look at my mix position; and in another location in the room there is a nice worktable for visitors that also holds 28 spaces of gear. I know that this will come in handy, as some of my clients arrive with lots of notes.

Minor gripes aside, I think that this is a superior piece of work and I'm happy that I bought it. I wish that I had got the keyboard shelf, though. When I think of all of the time that I have spent either building or designing custom studio desks and racks, I am very glad to have just looked at a web site picture, made a decision, and plunked down the cash. If you are looking for a new desk or desk and rack assembly for your room, be sure to look at the offerings from Raxxess.

All Things Must Pass Away

Thu, 01 Nov 2001 00:00:00 GMT

When we speak of art, and in particular the art of music, we are always relating to how the music has affected each of us on a personal level. Few musical artists have so broadly affected not just the music, but also the culture of the western world as the Beatles. That's an undeniable fact. Their impact on the recording world was equally strong. Love them or hate them, the face of pop music, how it is written and recorded, and how artists are treated, changed radically because of the Beatles and George Martin.

Many of you are too young to have been affected by Beatlemania. I happen to be just barely old enough to have experienced it. But this was not where the Beatles came to the forefront and made the changes that I spoke of above. That came later. At first, the Beatles were just a pop group. Another, of many others, they were disposable entertainment for the masses like any other here-today-gone-tomorrow pop group of the time.

But this is where fans are born and where young lives are affected. I wanted to look like Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. He always wore the coolest clothes, played the coolest instruments, and stood apart from the rest of the Stones. But like so many other young men at the time, I really wanted to -be- John Lennon. In the superficial pop news coverage of the era John appeared to be the witty, extroverted artist, musician, and writer. Super cool and way out front. George was the gangly shy one who didn't talk much and tended to hide a bit behind his hair and fidget uncertainly between John and Paul on stage.

I was an artist, musician, and writer. And I tried to be John. But inside I knew that I was really much more like George, or what I thought that George was like at the time. I was the tall, lanky guy; a little bit shy and a tad uncertain of just where to stand and what to do.

Then the Beatles made a left turn. They broke away from the mold, and started experimenting. Instead of recreating their last hit record, instead of mounting larger and larger tours and watching the franchise grow and the bucks roll in, they became more and more withdrawn and eclectic. They were not worried about popularity any longer; they were concerned with where their creativity could take them. And that's when it happened. Because I went with them and made the journey of a lifetime, that will take my lifetime to complete. Because that is where I saw the convergence of art, music, creativity, popularity, and self-expression, and that is when I knew what I wanted to do with my life, and I am still doing it.

And the major architect of that life-altering change was George Harrison, not Brian Jones or John Lennon. His journeys into creativity, his search for inner peace, his quiet confidence, his forays into international aid all became beacons for me. He showed me that I did not need to buy into the male strutting machismo bullshit fantasy that most men are raised to believe they have to act out if they want to become and be men. He showed me that the confusion of adolescence would become the confidence of adulthood if I would just follow the path that lay clearly before me. He showed me that the man inside was what was important, and he helped me to understand each individual man's place in the scheme of the universe and his responsibilities to that universe. Big lessons to have received from a man that I never met. Para chaina bhitara vaha alingana babta Ishvara. (My structure may be wrong, but the sentiment is honest.)

The Depth of the Surface

by Satyendra Srivastava