The Year of the Surface
While technically and legally I’m still a Washington State resident, I am firmly entrenched down in the desert. I’m in the shadow of the casino with restaurants worldwide, famous for “The Pig” sandwich. On a recent trip to Hillbilly Heaven I was informed the delightful pork offering was no longer called “The Pig”, but rather the “Pulled Pork” sandwich. Having such a hard rocking casino next door is pretty handy, particularly with a Nobu on the premise. After a few orders of Nobu toro and some edamame, along with the requisite big Kirin it makes one forget about The Pig. A few orders of Nobu toro, edamame and the big Kirin, with tip, will set you back about a Franklin.
Other than that outing, where I met Patrick and Jane while at the Nobu sushi bar, I haven’t been out much. Patrick was a lawyer from Phoenix with wife Jane in tow who could give anyone of the Desparate Housewives a run for the money. Patrick’s fascination with John Entwistle led him and his lovely wife of 15 years (no kids) to stay in the very hotel where The Ox expired after a night of hard partying. I wish I would have known that prior to telling they what I did for a living. I should go back to my old alibi of saying I’m “in computers”. No one thinks that’s glamorous or exciting. What I’ve been telling people is that I’m in the entertainment technology biz. I usually have to clarify that I’m a soundguy and if they don’t get that, I usually tell them I’m a roadie. I had to leave them on the gaming floor after June started becoming abusive to a bartender. She had had one (or three) too many and I decided to pull the patented Snagglepuss “exit, stage right” before they noticed.
Anyway, this post was supposed to be about how this AES is ushering in (finally) the general acceptance of control surfaces in the touring and regional end of pro audio. This AES will see the most high performance surfaces ever offered in the history of the biz. Yamaha will be there with the iconoclast PM1D, the largest seller so far the PM5D and the new M7 whatever the hell else it’s called. Basically a DM2k met for SR. Digico will be showing their wares as well as the new A&H model, the Digidesign Venue along with the stalwart that never quite caught on (though is a nice surface) the Innovason. There is also one new entry, though I can’t mention it by name it may be the worst kept secret in the surface market today. If they hit the price point right it could gain a foothold in the mid range market which is largely unserviced at this point. Disclaimer, I was involved (as were scores of others) in several sit downs and tours of the surface over the last couple of years. Hope I didn’t break the NDA.
It will be good to see the AES attempt to achieve the glory it once had. The program looks good. I wish I could be there. I had planned to go, but hesitated due to high rooming costs. When I finally did find an affordable place I’d gotten a gig and new client ( a high end caberet/ corporate/ casino act)in the new city for that weekend and chose not to make the trip to Javitz and stay home and work. I’d appreciate any first hand reports from the scene. Email me or post them in the comments.
October 7th, 2005 at 9:45 pm
If the digital console you were alluding to is the EAW umx.96, you may be right. If they can produce the console they are trying to, at the price point they are hoping for, it could be a formidable entry into the mid price console market. If you were NOT talking about the EAW console, what the hell WERE you talking about?
Most interesting small bit goes to Rode, for a 20dB mic pre in an XLR barrel that runs off phantom. Good for dynamic mics only as it doesn’t pass phantom it is way cool none the less. So far the live sound seminars have been well attended, we’ll see tomorrow if anyone cares about my intercom seminar.
Mac
October 9th, 2005 at 7:52 am
Dave,
I’m still inclinced to think that while these may be the best and most powerful digital consoles ever, that as a recent thread on the LAB polled, we really haven’t seen anything yet. These consoles are still following the format of an analog mixing console, admittly one with every bell and whistle you could imagine. Even the new EAW with all it’s built in extras (system DSP and SMAART) isn’t more than the sum of its parts. I’m sure many people that say they won’t use either will, once they see the conveince of them, but none the less, it offers no functionality that separate systems would offer anyway.
Some of the things I’m looking for may be available in plugin form on some consoles out there. For one, I’d like to see freeform EQ for each channel, where you can keep adding bands of EQ at any frequency and Q until you have what you are looking for. Does that 58 on vocal take 2 bands of active EQ, while that lav for the speaker that wants to walk the house at the corporate event take 6 or 7 tight notches of EQ? No problem you could still do it right in the channel. The trick to this would have to be the interface.
In my limited experience the interface is also one of the areas that needs the most work on consoles, although this is one of the areas that seems to be showing constant improvement with each new release.
-Mikey P