Pro-Audio Technology Continues To Expand Its Presence at NAMM Show

Gear deployed on music tours is increasingly showing up in sports venues

No one would mistake the Winter NAMM Show (Jan. 19-22) — a massive cacophony of music or noise, depending upon one’s thresholds of art and pain — for a broadcast-technology show. The show, which attracted nearly 107,000 attendees, could, however, be viewed as the equivalent of a high school reunion, given the high percentage of broadcast-audio professionals who began their careers as musicians and music engineers. It’s also not surprising that some of that is coming full circle, with more pro-audio equipment shown at the show each year, as musicians become more self-sufficient in the recording and performance aspects of careers. As a result, many of the brands seen at the NAB and AES expos are also present at NAMM: the same consoles and speakers taken on tour are also showing up in sports venues, where music is receiving greater emphasis. In fact, the show’s pro-audio contingent, long at the far end of the massive Anaheim Convention Center, will be among the first tenants of that venue’s 200,000-sq.-ft. expansion scheduled to open in time for next year’s event.

Consoles
Audio consoles are being asked to be more things to more people. DiGiCo, in particular, has been getting good at multitasking: its desks work both live sound and broadcast applications, with dedicated software adapting the boards to each mission. New at NAMM was DiGiCo’s SD12, aka Project Vulcan. Leveraging features from its bigger SD siblings, it offers dual 15-in. touchscreens, never before seen on a console in this price bracket, and is the first in the SD range with built-in recording interfaces for such applications as virtual soundchecks.

Solid State Logic announced a significant V2.1 update to Sigma, SSL’s Remote Controlled Analogue Summing Mixer. The free Sigma δelta 2.1 software update introduces Eucon control and three AAX, AU, and VST3/VST format plug-ins; a new 16-channel plug-in offers Logic compatibility for the first time, and new Mix Bus and Monitoring plug-ins streamline session control and recall.

Microphones
Microphones cross all sector boundaries and were prevalent at the show. Shure introduced the latest addition to its GLX-D Digital Wireless line: GLX-D Advanced Digital Wireless is an enhanced suite of products, comprising the GLX-D Advanced Frequency Manager, rack-mount receiver system, remote antennas. and accessories. The company also announced establishment of a resource center summarizing the status of the recent FCC spectrum auction, providing links to relevant tools and product information for wireless customers.

Beyerdynamic unveiled the TG 500, a wireless system that can be used license-free almost all over the world, depending on the frequency band selected. The TG 500 system is available in five sets, each containing an individual receiver and two removable antennas. The switching bandwidth is up to 40 MHz, and, when all four frequency bands (518-548 MHz, 606-636 MHz, 794-832 MHz, and 1.780-1.810 MHz) are used, up to 72 channels (18 compatible frequencies per band) can be operated simultaneously, making the TG 500 system suitable even for large installations. Each of the five TG 500 sets is available for use in one of four frequency bands, so there are 20 sets to choose from in total.

Sennheiser’s new XS Wireless 1 features six mic sets for the budget-conscious user looking for ease of use and fast setup.

Sennheiser introduced the XS Wireless 1, a series of six wireless microphone sets for the budget-conscious user looking for exceptional ease of use and fast setup, and XS Wireless 2 radio-microphone series, which will become available later this year and take the benefits of XSW 1 further. The company’s AMBEO VR mic and mobile recording microphones designed in collaboration with Apogee Electronics were also on display, including the ClipMic digital and MKE 2 digital for iPhones and the new MK 4 digital for high-quality music recordings on iOS and USB devices. GoPro users will be happy to hear about Sennheiser’s upcoming microphone for GoPro HERO4 cameras, which uses the broadcast-familiar MKE 2 elements.

Audio-Technica showed its ATM350a microphone systems, capable of handling 159-dB max SPL, a 10-dB increase over its predecessor. This allows the mic to cope with an even greater range of extremely dynamic sound sources. Like the ATM350, the new mic features a cardioid polar pattern that reduces side and rear pickup and protects against feedback. The mic’s in-line power module incorporates a switchable 80-Hz hi-pass filter to help control undesired ambient noise.

Speakers
Speakers saw some innovation as well. Harman introduced the Connected PA, a complete, integrated ecosystem of the company’s live-sound products. Connected PA brings together Soundcraft mixing consoles, AKG microphones, dbx stage boxes, and JBL speakers that integrate ioSYS technology to offer a flexible and scalable solution. At its center is the new Connected PA mobile app, which provides one centralized solution for intuitive setup, configuration, and control. The app automatically identifies and configures connected equipment, provides setup wizards for quick and easy system configuration, and offers access from iOS, Android, Mac OS, and Windows devices. At launch, compatible products include Soundcraft Ui12, Ui16, and Ui24R digital mixers; JBL PRX800W Series loudspeakers; dbx DI1 active direct box; and the AKG P5i microphone. Plans call for additional compatible products. The Connected PA app is expected to be available in the second quarter from the Apple App Store, Google Play, Soundcraft.com, and JBL.com. The Soundcraft Ui24R is expected to be available in March. The AKG P5i microphone will be available next month. JBL PRX800W speakers and the dbx DI1 are currently available but may require firmware updates to enable Connected PA functionality.

Renkus-Heinz introduced its C Series of professional loudspeakers for installed-sound applications. They incorporate the latest generation of Complex Conic horns, with updated drivers to provide tighter pattern control. C Series models will be available in amplified (CA Series) and passive (CX Series) versions. The CX42 stairstep loudspeaker, an updated version of the CFX41, will be available only in a passive design. C Series will be shipping in the spring.

Processing
The 2017 NAMM Show marked the U.S. debut of MasterCheck Pro, NUGEN Audio’s new loudness, dynamics, and codec auditioner developed with streaming in mind. MasterCheck Pro lets producers hear and visualize what music-streaming services will do with their mix ahead of time — including the playout encoding and loudness matching now in use by Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Digital Radio, and many others. Loudness matching is increasingly used by streaming services to automatically even out the average playback level for each track. With MasterCheck Pro, producers can instantly hear how their tracks are affected by loudness matching on different devices and services, via meters that show loudness and peak-to-loudness ratio (PLR or dynamic range). The actual level changes applied by each streaming service can be auditioned. Industry-standard true-peak metering ensures that the mix is within the delivery spec and guarantees that the music won’t be clipped at later encoding stages.