Audio Engineering Associates (www.wesdooley.com) has taken the audio world by storm with its superb reissues of the beloved vintage RCA 44 ribbon mics. Now AEA is doing the same with RCA’s model 77, available first as an empty shell ($795) with an internal mount for inserting your mic of choice; the full-blown 77 reissue is planned for later this year.
Audio Precision (www.audioprecision. com) showed a utility for its Dual Domain System Two audio analyzer that runs a series of performance tests on sound cards. And with the proliferation of PC-based audio systems, this one is a winner all around.
Broadcast Monitoring (www.checkyoursignal. com) showed a full range of “must have” problem solvers for troubleshooting and signal monitoring of analog or digital audio signals in any production environment. My fave was “The Audio Pen,” a digital audio monitor with a BNC at one end and a 10-segment LED meter along its highlighter-sized body.
Countryman Associates (www.countryman.com) is now shipping its B6, said to be the world’s smallest lavalier, and with a capsule barely larger than the cable diameter, it can be placed in areas (such as behind a shirt button) where other lavs can’t hide. Despite its tiny size, the B6 has a smooth, natural sound. This one rocks!
Magtrax (www.independentaudio.com) showed a variety of monitoring solutions and outboard controllers for helping your DAW, console or playback system seamlessly deal with LCRS, 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 mixes in studio, mastering, broadcast or post-production environments.
Posthorn Recordings (www.posthorn.com) now distributes Stabilant 22, which-in a diluted form-was previously marketed as “Tweek” contact enhancer. As a Tweek fan for years, I’m glad that someone has brought Stabilant 22 back to the pro community where it belongs.
