NAMM 2014 Countdown

[WK154]

Now that NAMM is only 23 days away what new toys will catch our fancy? Will the marketing droids maneuver to stop you from buying their competitors gear now with news leaks and the usual vague carrots? If you hear anything worthwhile post it but don't turn into a marketing droid yourself. Now all we have to do is sit back and wait.
Happy New Year!

[Jerrylee]

Namm will see Mackie release the revolutionary DL404. It will look exactly like the 1608 and 806 but with 4 xlr ins and 4 outs. It will be another huge step forward! They will also release an even smaller speaker that sounds worse than the dlm series. If that's even possible. Meanwhile company's like behringer, and mackies other competition, are building mixers that will fly you to the moon and back.

[WK154]

There's a rumor that Midas will introduce a new mixer. Just at what price point is unknown. They have mixers as low as $1200. Uli could be trying to pick up more of the lower end market those opposed to the Behringer name. Then again it could be one in the six figures kind.

[walterw]

well, there's this, which looks like an ipad-sized touchscreen mixer interface from QSC:

http://qscmarketing.com/january2014

[WK154]

On the high end $ of most DL users is a new entry based on the touch panel workflow. The are also known as LAW's (live audio workstations). Here is one of several LAW's I'm aware of. For $2400 and certainly competition for the X32 is the Raven MTi. The video is for both consoles the much pricier MTX and the low end MTi. Will they show at NAMM?
 http://www.slateproaudio.com/videos/
Perhaps Phonic will actually show a Acapela 16 at NAMM.
Then there is the ever present but not at NAMM Bob Lentini with S.A.C. and his SawStudio DIY rigs not for the uninitiated. For those unfamiliar with this concept a video.
http://www.softwareaudioconsole.com/Videos_SAC_On_Stage.htm
With the ADA8200 and their Firewire/USB FCA1616 and S.A.C. software will be in the range of the DL. Instead of an iPad you get either a PC tablet (X86 based) or a laptop for a complete live mixer recorder (16 channels). His software also handles the touch screen gestures or you can use a mouse/keyboard.
Will the vanquished iX16 be shown?

19 days 12hrs 46 minutes left.   http://www.namm.org/thenammshow/2014

[Jerrylee]

Wk you are way off on that post. Way off. The raven is simply a control panel for a daw. There is no ins or outs. No software, no computer. It's a giant touchscreen. Does nothing on its own but control other gear.

There is also a lot more to the sac software you discussed. It's a multi thousand dollar investment just to get started. It's just software no hardware.

[CyberHippy]

Then there is the ever present but not at NAMM Bob Lentini with S.A.C. and his SawStudio DIY rigs not for the uninitiated. For those unfamiliar with this concept a video.
http://www.softwareaudioconsole.com/Videos_SAC_On_Stage.htm

Oh man, flashback time... I've had many discussions with an engineer who will swear up & down that no digital rig, live or studio, comes close to the sonic quality of SAC/SAW... his argument has always been that because the summing bus uses integer math instead of floating point, it's way more accurate.

Of course his argument hasn't changed in 20 years, while everything else has.

He's also a 9/11 Truther, FWIW

[WK154]

Wk you are way off on that post. Way off. The raven is simply a control panel for a daw. There is no ins or outs. No software, no computer. It's a giant touchscreen. Does nothing on its own but control other gear.

There is also a lot more to the sac software you discussed. It's a multi thousand dollar investment just to get started. It's just software no hardware.

Actually JR it's a control surface with software that runs on a Mac front-ending DAW hardware. I should have qualified the use which would be in the studio for now and pricier as a system than the full X32. Out of it's element in live venues for now. The X32 was intended for live venues but it's also being used in studio's. The lines are blurring as hardware runs faster and delays become a non-issue.
I bought into SawStudio back in 2005 with a M-audio 1814 and ADA8000. The weak link was the M-audio Fire-wire driver. Starting to sound familiar? iOS Core Audio USB type link and a DL. It comes down to where the dividing line on equipment rests. Do you simply hook up mics to a computer by sending it numbers (Neumann Digital series) and then manipulate those numbers and send them to a Speaker that converts this to analog? All these things exist today just not at the right price and bundled by one company. As to the price for a 16 input system ADA8200~$350 , FCA1616 ~$250 and S.A.C. software ~$500 that's a total of $1100 not far from a DL. No "B" gear OK Focusrite Octopre ~$350, a 18i20 ~$450 and S.A.C. software~$500 for $1300. Features and expansion capability far beyond a DL. In both cases at minimum you need a tablet to complete the system.

[sam.spoons]

The basic system is 4 mic pre's short of the DL but otherwise it's an option I may have tried years ago if I'd known about it. OTOH, Windoze and live audio…… Noooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WK154]

Then there is the ever present but not at NAMM Bob Lentini with S.A.C. and his SawStudio DIY rigs not for the uninitiated. For those unfamiliar with this concept a video.
http://www.softwareaudioconsole.com/Videos_SAC_On_Stage.htm

Oh man, flashback time... I've had many discussions with an engineer who will swear up & down that no digital rig, live or studio, comes close to the sonic quality of SAC/SAW... his argument has always been that because the summing bus uses integer math instead of floating point, it's way more accurate.

Of course his argument hasn't changed in 20 years, while everything else has.

He's also a 9/11 Truther, FWIW

In a 32 bit world he is right on the precision of integer over 32 bit floating point as long as the summing bus values don't exceed 32bits. Did you ever ask him what he would do with all that precision when it comes down to a 24bit D/A converter? Oh 8 bits thrown away that were never needed or do we need a 32 bit D/A converter. The SAW/SAC is a digital studio/live mixer and the ancillary equipment to make this work has a lot more to do with the sonic quality (ie. mics, pre's and speakers all analog). What argument? Engineer?

[WK154]

The basic system is 4 mic pre's short of the DL but otherwise it's an option I may have tried years ago if I'd known about it. OTOH, Windoze and live audio…… Noooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm on a Windozz system that's been running for a month no reboot. Only shut down for my trips. Not something a lot of you can say about the sour fruits current state. FCA has 4 line inputs as well so keyboards and other line equipment makes it 8. Yes a midi input as well that's 9. You only use mics? Let me state it another way the DL is short 4 line inputs and has no high impedance input and no MIDI input.

[Jerrylee]

Wk are you not forgetting about the computer to run the sac software. A cheap computer is not gonna handle it well. 

[WK154]

Wk are you not forgetting about the computer to run the sac software. A cheap computer is not gonna handle it well.

Not at all that's more a personal choice as to how much hp and screen size you want to apply but a i5 based tablet/laptop for under $800 easily will do the job. About the same as an Air with 128gb. His requirements are far below this. Multi-core is actually being used on this engine (SAC). Don't forget that you have to turn a general purpose OS into a real time OS to run smoothly. Same as the iPad's iOS needs tuning. I would probably opt for a 1U server rackmount with 2 PCIe slots and add in RME Adat card instead of the FCA. There are endless combinations with this software up to 72 inputs.

[sam.spoons]

The basic system is 4 mic pre's short of the DL but otherwise it's an option I may have tried years ago if I'd known about it. OTOH, Windoze and live audio…… Noooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm on a Windozz system that's been running for a month no reboot. Only shut down for my trips. Not something a lot of you can say about the sour fruits current state. FCA has 4 line inputs as well so keyboards and other line equipment makes it 8. Yes a midi input as well that's 9. You only use mics? Let me state it another way the DL is short 4 line inputs and has no high impedance input.

Yes, I only use mics or DIs, the only time I use the jack inputs is for a laptop local to the desk, and I'll use DIs for that if it's more than a 1.5M lead away.

In the UK the hardware cost is probably slightly higher than the DL and, as the DL does it's own processing of the audio you would need a laptop or local Windows tablet to run the audio processing, that would bring the total up to X32 rack territory.

If your local PC crashes (not uncommon IME) you lose audio unlike the DL/X32 rack based system. I'd always prefer to use a dedicated device over a general purpose computer for mission critical stuff.

My various fruit has been free from blemish so far.

[WK154]

The basic system is 4 mic pre's short of the DL but otherwise it's an option I may have tried years ago if I'd known about it. OTOH, Windoze and live audio…… Noooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm on a Windozz system that's been running for a month no reboot. Only shut down for my trips. Not something a lot of you can say about the sour fruits current state. FCA has 4 line inputs as well so keyboards and other line equipment makes it 8. Yes a midi input as well that's 9. You only use mics? Let me state it another way the DL is short 4 line inputs and has no high impedance input.

Yes, I only use mics or DIs, the only time I use the jack inputs is for a laptop local to the desk, and I'll use DIs for that if it's more than a 1.5M lead away.

In the UK the hardware cost is probably slightly higher than the DL and, as the DL does it's own processing of the audio you would need a laptop or local Windows tablet to run the audio processing, that would bring the total up to X32 rack territory.

If your local PC crashes (not uncommon IME) you lose audio unlike the DL/X32 rack based system. I'd always prefer to use a dedicated device over a general purpose computer for mission critical stuff.

My various fruit has been free from blemish so far.

I get were your coming from but in my world for many decades the general purpose computer was used in mission critical stuff. Many 24/7/365 apps that ran factories etc. Yes backup plans and scheduled maintenance.
 Shh don't tell those fruits that or they'll rot on you.