New features include multi-channel capture support and ISO recording to H.264, DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO50 and DVCPRO HD

Matrox Video today announced support for Telestream Wirecast 4.2.4 for Windows software and new features across the entire line of Matrox® MXO2™ capture devices and the Mojito MAX™ I/O card. Multiple Matrox I/O products can now be used to provide multi-channel capture for streaming and ISO recording of live events. In addition, Matrox ISO recording now supports direct capture to H.264 on Matrox I/O products with MAX and direct capture to DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO50 and DVCPRO HD on all products enabling post-event editing using popular apps from Adobe, Apple and Avid.

“We’ve opened up Matrox ISO recording to include additional codecs so that all of our customers can use their NLE of choice for post-event editing of live productions,� said Wayne Andrews, product manager at Matrox. “Wirecast users are sure to find the exact digital and analog video and audio connectivity they need in the versatile Matrox product line and they can add additional channels as their budgets allow.�

Matrox streaming production solutions for Wirecast will be demonstrated at the 2013 NAB Show in booth SL4616.

Price and availability
Matrox MXO2 devices are priced starting at $449 US (£338, €382) not including local taxes and delivery. Matrox Mojito MAX is priced at $995 US (£749, €799). Matrox products are available through a worldwide network of authorized dealers. Support for Wirecast 4.2.4 for Windows is part of Matrox driver release 7.3 which is available to registered users as a free download from the Matrox website.

About Matrox
Matrox Video is a technology and market leader in the field of HD and SD digital video hardware and software for accelerated H.264 encoding, realtime editing, audio/video input/output, streaming, A/V signal conversion, capture/playout servers, channel-in-a box systems and CGs. Matrox’s Emmy award-winning technology powers a full range of multi-screen content creation and delivery platforms used by broadcasters, telcos, cable operators, post-production facilities, videographers and A/V professionals worldwide. Founded in 1976, Matrox is a privately held company headquartered in Montreal, Canada. For more information, visit www.matrox.com/video.

DPA Microphones played a vital role in helping nearly 100 studio engineers get to grips with the black art of miking a drum kit during a workshop seminar given by Grammy award-winning drummer Morgan Ã…gren.

Entitled Producers Seminar: Drums with Morgan Ã…gren, the seminar took place in Stockholm and was hosted by Swedish Studio Magazine, in conjunction with DPA Microphones and Avid/Pro Tools. Opus3 label founder and “Microphone Doctor” Jan-Eric Persson was also a guest speaker.

“The aim of this workshop was to show how to record and mix drums and percussion,� Morgan Ågren explains. “There was a strong focus on sound ideals and I used examples from my own Pro Tools sessions, with and without software plugins, to demonstrate the points I was making. I also played some CDs that I have mixed and some that I simply find inspiring.�

Ã…gren used a DPA d:voteâ„¢ 4099 Instrument Microphone on his kit-pig compact drum kit. To demonstrate transient response he conducted a test with a similar microphone from another manufacturer and the audience reaction to the DPA d:vote was incredibly positive. He also explained the advantages of having as few different types of microphones as possible so that the sound blended together better. His personal preference is for DPA microphones, which he likes to use for all of the instruments he is recording.

Ã…gren also discussed the importance of recording as cleanly as possible, and referred this back to his own experiences where he is often recording for people who are not 100% sure of the character they want for the final version of the track. He explained that it was important to leave that decision to the person who was going to mix the track so that they could decide on the sound they wanted.

To complete the seminar, Ã…gren gave a practical demonstration of drum kit miking using DPA 2011 Twin Diaphragm Cardioid Microphones. Designed to offer a linear off-axis response in a smaller frequency bandwidth, DPA 2011 microphones make stage separation and gain-to-feedback higher and microphone level easier to control.

“I always use DPA microphones because they sound better than any other mike I’ve tried,� Ågren says. “They even sound better on the snare, which is rare for a condenser mike. I now own 12 DPA microphones and during this seminar I was happy to tell the audience why I like them so much.�

Born in Umeå, Sweden, Ågren has been a drummer since the age of four and first performed live when he was seven. In conjunction with blind keyboardist Mats Öberg, he formed the Mats/Morgan Band in the mid-1990s and began releasing CDs on his own label, Ultimate Audio Entertainment. The band has subsequently toured in Europe, Asia and the USA where Ågren and Öberg’s superb playing ability has amazed progressive jazz/rock audiences.

As a drummer, Ågren has also played and recorded with many internationally acclaimed artists including Frank Zappa, Bill Laswell, Steve Vai, and Mike Keneally. He was also voted No.1 in Modern Drummers reader’s poll in the Fusion category and is widely admired by professional drummers on both side of the Atlantic.

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Editors’ information:
DPA Microphones is the leading Danish Professional Audio manufacturer of high quality condenser microphones and microphone solutions for professional applications in studio, broadcast, theatre, video/film and sound reinforcement environments. All DPA microphones and components are manufactured at the company’s purpose-built factory in Denmark.
For more information on DPA Microphones, please visit www.dpamicrophones.com

Prism Sound ADA-8XR multichannel audio converters are being used to help the British Library digitise its collection of multitrack audio tapes in order to ensure the future of these valuable and historic recordings.

To tackle this project the British Library has acquired two more ADA-8XR converters, bringing the total number of units in its sound facilities to seven. It has also acquired a Prism Sound Orpheus interface.

Nigel Bewley, the British Library’s Operations Manager Sound & Vision, says: “We have a relatively small collection of 200 multitrack tapes and we think it will take about 20 weeks to complete this project, including the preparation of the resultant files, metadata compilation etc. We will also be using a third Prism Sound ADA-8XR converter, which we already own, to digitise 24 track tapes and to ingest all tracks simultaneously.�

Bewley adds that it is much more cost effective for the British Library to undertake this project in-house, rather than to out-house it. Also, by carrying out the work in-house, the British Library’s curators and content specialists can readily advise on the project.

“We use multiple ingest techniques with other analogue carriers such as tape and cassette,� Bewley explains. “The Prism Sound ADA-8XR units allow us to input 4 stereo channels or 8 mono channels (or any permutation) simultaneously. We use Prism Sound ADA-8XR converters because of their high audio quality. Furthermore they are 8 channel so support our multiple ingest workflows. Another important reason is that the Prism Sound ADA-8XR supports a wide range of sample rates including 32kHz. Once this project is completed, the new units will be used on other projects throughout our sound facilities.�

Multitrack tapes are notorious for their ability to degrade over time. In cases where the oxide is shedding they have to be ‘baked’ to return them to a stable condition so that they can be transferred onto a more secure medium.

“We do bake tapes when required and some of the multitrack tapes we are currently dealing with may need baking,â€� Bewley says. “The multitrack project is a preservation project – we want to preserve the individual tracks. Researchers may want to listen to just one track to hear a bass guitar part, for example, isolated from the mix. Many of the multitracks will have been mixed and made available as published CDs, LPs etc, but some have not, in which case we will need to work out how we are going to do a mixdown (if at all) for access purposes.â€�

The Sound Archive at the British Library is a resource with enormous national and historical importance. Its history can be traced back to 1905, when it was first suggested that the British Museum should have a collection of audio recordings of poets and statesmen. The Gramophone Company started donating metal masters of audio recordings, among them recordings by Nellie Melba, Adelina Patti, Caruso, Lev Tolstoy, Ernest Shackleton and Herbert Beerbohm Tree.
However, the British Museum was not maintaining a comprehensive archive and this worried Patrick Saul who, in 1955, started the British Institute of Recorded Sound. A public appeal was launched and thousands of shellac discs were donated, which started off the collection.

In 1983, the British Institute of Recorded Sound became part of the British Library, which had split off from the British Museum. Later renamed the British Library Sound Archive, it eventually acquired the metal masters originally collected by the British Museum when these were transferred to the Archive in 1992.
Situated near London’s Kings Cross, The British Library has 10 transfer studios and one recording studio, which is designed for speech recording. The audio suites are named after pioneers in audio technology and techniques from across the years and include Emile Berliner (1851-1929), Alan Blumlein (1903-1942), Thomas Edison (1847-1931), Fred Gaisberg (1873-1951), Michael Gerzon (1945-1996), George Gouraud (1841-1912), Arthur Haddy (1906-1989), Martin Hannett (1948-1991), Jean Jenkins (1922-1990), Joe Meek (1929-1967) and Alec Reeves (1902-1971).

All of the transfer studios are equipped with Digital Audio Workstations running SADiE or Wavelab and most also have Prism Sound ADA-8XR converters. The majority of these transfer suites are used for archival transfers but the rooms are also designed for more complicated transfer work, combined with restoration and editing, which is carried out by specialist audio engineers. The facilities have been used to train archivists from other organisations in audio archiving methodology and techniques.

“The larger studios have analogue kit to deal with a variety of formats,â€� Bewley explains. “We also have an Artefact Collection representing the history of recorded sound. We often ‘raid’ this collection to deal with obscure formats such as short-lived dictation formats, wire recordings, dictabelts and others. We also have a custom made cylinder player and we can deal with a wide range of legacy analogue formats, but we do have a wide range of digital kit, too.â€�

The British Library’s recording studio is used for podcasts, oral history interviews and audiobook recording for the British Library’s CD publication programme. Alongside its fixed facilities, the British Library has a busy location recording programme that takes in theatres, poetry and literary events, soundscape recording, wildlife, sound effect recording, oral history interviews in the interviewee’s home, workshops and seminars, music concerts and performances.

With such a wealth of recorded material in the archive, Nigel Bewley says real gems can be discovered when material is being transferred from one format to another.

“We recently discovered a collection of recordings made by the Swiss psychotherapist and psychiatrist Carl Jung that were made on wire during the 1960s,� he says. “Obviously it is very exciting when we unearth recordings like that – and it’s surprising how often it happens.�

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About Prism Sound
Founded in 1987, Prism Sound manufacture high-quality professional digital audio equipment for the International broadcast, film, music production, manufacturing and telecommunications sectors. The company’s product range includes the Prism ADA-8XR precision 8-channel converter unit, which is regularly used for music and film soundtrack projects by clients such as EMI Abbey Road, BBC, Sony, Lucasfilm and Walt Disney. Prism Sound also manufactures a range of audio test and measurement products, including the de facto standard DSA-1 handheld digital audio generator/analyser and the dScope Series III audio analyser system.

For more information: www.prismsound.com

With the launch of the new d:facto II Vocal Microphone, which will be on show for the first time in Europe at Prolight + Sound 2013 (Booth 8.B60), DPA Microphones has now broadened its range of products for the live stage by introducing a high quality vocal microphone that gives users unlimited possibilities for their performance.

This eagerly awaited addition to the DPA condenser microphone range brings true studio sound to the live stage by offering an extraordinarily natural sound, superior gain before feedback and extreme SPL handling. In addition to use with the new wired DPA handle, the d:facto II provides singers and engineers with the added benefit of a state-of-the-art adapter system that allows for seamless integration with many professional wireless systems.

“The launch of the d:facto II Vocal Microphone is a major step for DPA as it means that we now have a microphone for every acoustic miking situation, whether you are amplifying or recording,� says DPA’s CEO Christian Poulsen. “Our highly regarded Reference Standard microphones have long delivered superb audio quality to musicians who want to use a microphone on a stand, while our innovative d:vote™ 4099 Instrument Microphones and our range of miniature microphones are ideal for those who prefer to have their microphone mounted on their instrument. With d:facto II we can now offer the same renowned DPA sound to vocalists who can choose the wired d:facto II or the wireless d:facto II if they prefer the freedom of movement that a wireless microphone delivers. And, of course, for an even more mobile solution we have the lightweight, easy to wear d:fine™ headset microphones that are so popular with theatre and musical productions and is demanded for more and more live concerts where the singers require superior sound while dancing and performing.�

The new d:facto II guarantees users exceptional DPA sound with popular existing wireless systems such as Sony, Lectrosonics, Shure, Wisycom and Sennheiser. To achieve such a high level of audio quality, DPA had tothink differently.

“These systems deliver very limited power to drive our high-end microphone capsule, so we had to be creative and put a huge amount of work and thought into the electronic circuit of the adapter solution,� Christian Poulsen adds. “We are extremely proud to have developed an ingenious adapter range that brings the acclaimed DPA sound out of a wireless system. We wanted to be completely true to the input of the vocalist, and with d:facto II we have reached this goal.�

Equally at home in sound reinforcement and recording applications, the d:facto II is the vocal microphone that the music industry has been waiting for. Its simple plug-and-play features allow it to reproduce an extraordinary natural sound, which reaches the extreme sound level handling of 160 dB. As with all DPA mics, the d:facto II is superbly linear in frequency and phase, both on- and off-axis, while its impressive definition and accuracy reproduces a singer’s voice effortlessly. It also sets new standards its robust three-stage pop protection grid that ensures the removal of unwanted noise.

At Prosound + Light 2013, folk pop band SHEL will be performing on the DPA booth using the new d:facto II vocal microphones in several wireless configurations. Already fans of DPA’s d:vote 4099 Instrument Mics which they use on their violin and djembe drums, SHEL recently took the d:facto II Vocal Microphone on the road for concerts in Denver, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles where they performed at the NAMM show.

Alongside the new d:facto II, DPA will also be showing new solutions for its Reference Standard range of microphones, including a new and unobtrusive gooseneck cable that is available in several lengths. Furthermore, DPA will show the supercardioid d:vote 4099 instrument microphone mounted in an elegant gooseneck – perfect for capturing the sound of drums and other static instruments.

Visitors to the DPA booth will have the opportunity to win a DPA microphone by having their badge scanned and entering a free draw.

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Editors information:
DPA Microphones is the leading Danish Professional Audio manufacturer of high quality condenser microphones and microphone solutions for professional applications in studio, broadcast, theatre, video/film and sound reinforcement environments. All DPA microphones and components are manufactured at the company’s purpose-built factory in Denmark.
For more information on DPA Microphones, please visit www.dpamicrophones.com

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — At CABSAT 2013, HARMAN’s Studer will be exhibiting with partner GSL Professional, showing a range of its world-class digital audio consoles for broadcast environments. CABSAT will be held March 12-14 at the Dubai World Trade Center in the United Arab Emirates.

Studer will show several products at CABSAT, including: the Vista 9 42-fader console, the Vista 5M2 22-fader console, the Vista 1 32-fader console, as well as its OnAir 2500 and OnAir 1500 consoles. Studer will also showcase its VISTA FX engine, which enables Vista users to add up to 24 channels of Lexicon effects to their console.

“Studer has enjoyed tremendous success in recent years in the Middle East and Africa broadcast markets, with Studer consoles being installed in some of the largest and most prestigious television and radio broadcast facilities in these regions,� said Bruno Hochstrasser, General Manager, Studer. “We invite everyone at CABSAT to see our market-leading consoles for themselves!�

Studer’s range of products can be seen at the GSL Professional stand, Number 414 in Hall 4.

CABSAT is the Middle East and Africa’s largest broadcast, digital media and satellite expo. For more information on Studer products, please visit www.studer.ch

For more information on GSL Professional, please visit www.gslprofessional.com

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets — supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,400 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for the twelve months ending June 30, 2012.

Extron Electronics is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the IN1606, a six input, HDCP-compliant video scaler that includes four HDMI inputs, two universal analog video inputs, and two simultaneous HDMI outputs. The IN1606 accepts a wide variety of video formats including HDMI, HDTV, RGB, and standard definition video. Its high performance video scaling engine features 1080i deinterlacing, Deep Color processing, and seamless switching with support for up to 1920×1200 and 2K output resolutions. Enhanced audio features include six stereo inputs, fixed and variable stereo outputs, two mic/line inputs with ducking and 48 V phantom power, plus HDMI audio embedding and de-embedding. Designed for professional AV integration, the IN1606 offers a complete AV switching system with flexible control options including Ethernet, RS-232, and USB.

“The IN1606 delivers a high performance, one-box solution for today’s presentation systems by combining multi-input switching and signal format flexibility with advanced scaling functionality,” says Casey Hall, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Extron. “Integrators can take advantage of the powerful audio capabilities for fine-tuning to suit the needs of each installation.”

To enhance and simplify integration, the IN1606 features SpeedSwitch™ Technology, which provides exceptional switching speed for HDCP-encrypted content. EDID Minder® and Key Minder® automatically manage EDID communication and HDCP key negotiation between input and output devices to ensure reliable operation. The IN1606 also provides immediate visual confirmation and real-time HDCP status verification, offering valuable feedback to system operators and helpdesk support staff.

With HDMI audio embedding and de-embedding, the IN1606 can insert analog input audio signals onto the HDMI output or extract embedded HDMI audio signals. Audio breakaway allows the analog audio channels to be separated from corresponding video signals so that the audio channels can operate as an independent switcher. The IN1606 also provides control of advanced audio configuration settings, such as audio gain, attenuation, mixing, and ducking, through an intuitive Graphical User Interface.

Visit our Web site at www.extron.com for more information.

GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA: Not content to rest on its laurels, Danley Sound Labs announces improvements to many of its already highly-regarded SH-Series full-range loudspeakers. The new versions are identified by the suffix “HO,� which stands for “high output.� For example, the if one wishes to get the most performance out of the Danley SH-96 they should order the Danley SH-96 HO. The new designs use a more powerful two-way high frequency. As a result, the low- and mid-frequency drivers can now be driven to their full potential while still maintaining Danley’s characteristic frequency response, phase response, and fidelity. In conjunction, the new designs use a new crossover and have additional options for bi-amping and for changing the low-frequency impedance. Because the cabinets themselves haven’t changed, the new versions retain the coverage and frequency loss patterns of the originals. The new models include the SH-95 HO, SH-96 HO, SH-64 HO

“The original versions can be easily modified to become the new ‘High Output’ versions,� explained Ivan Beaver, lead engineer at Danley Sound Labs. “It just takes the new high frequency driver, a new crossover, and a new switch panel.� In addition, the midrange drivers are also wired a little differently, which is incorporated as part of the new crossover wiring harness. “There are two options on the new switch panel,� said Beaver. “First, there’s a biamp/passive switch. In passive mode, the new cabinets run pretty much like the old versions, except that the mid/high section will be relatively louder than the woofers, assuming the woofers are running at 8ohms.�

He continued, “And that’s the second option. Users can select a woofer impedance of either 2ohms or 8ohms. Some people do not like to run at 2ohms, whereas others may need the additional output when using smaller amplifiers. The wire run should also be considered when choosing the impedance. With a 2ohm load there will be more loss across the wire. How much loss will depend on the size of the wire and the length of the run. An 8ohm load will have a higher damping factor than a 2ohm load, and it is of course easier to bridge an amp into an 8ohm load than into a 2ohm load.� In biamp mode, the mid/high section takes the crossover circuitry and the low section thus has no built-in crossover.

Because the new switch panel cannot be expected to operate reliably if left exposed to the elements, weatherized versions of the new High Output loudspeakers must be pre-ordered with specified biamping and impedance settings.

ABOUT DANLEY SOUND LABS Danley Sound Labs is the exclusive home of Tom Danley, one of the most innovative loudspeaker designers in the industry today and recognized worldwide as a pioneer for “outside the box” thinking in professional audio technology. www.danleysoundlabs.com

CASIO REVOLUTIONIZES STOREFRONT ADVERTISING WITH NEW DIGITAL SIGNAGE
BUSINESS AT DSE 2013

Casio Signage Drives Business and
Offers Infinite Applications

 

LAS VEGAS, NV (FEBRUARY 27, 2013) — Coming off the cusp of a successful Consumer Electronics Show, Casio America, Inc. is pleased to showcase its new digital signage business with its ground-breaking approach to storefront advertising at the Digital Signage Expo. As the hero application of Casio’s new digital signage business, Casio Signage takes a revolutionary new approach by leveraging optimum advertising tools and cloud services to attract new customers and increase repeat business. Casio Signage will be exhibited in Casio’s booth (#147) at the Digital Signage Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center, February 27-28, 2013.

“Storefront advertising must be attractive, interesting and versatile in order to entice consumers to enter an establishment,� said Shigenori Itoh, Chairman and CEO of Casio America, Inc. “Casio Signage offers retailers and business owners a unique way to make consumers feel welcome, while delivering relevant content in a personal manner. We have no doubt that Casio Signage will
set a new standard for storefront advertising and change the industry as a whole.�

Casio Signage is a cutting-edge storefront advertising tool with the ability to captivate passers-by with a realistic-looking character that talks to them. Using a custom designed screen shaped like a character, content is created to match the characteristics needed to bring people into a store. The character’s appearance and voice can be easily changed to keep customers from losing interest and increase store traffic. Casio Signage is compact and requires no installation work, making it easy to place nearly anywhere. It also offers multilingual support or multifunctional options creating a fully customizable system with content that is most relevant for the customer base.

Together with innovative cloud services such as the distribution of digital coupons, stores with Casio Signage will enjoy an edge
over the competition.

Main Features of Casio Signage

• Realistic images help captivate passers-by and attract new customers – The screen itself is shaped like a character or person, and speaks to visitors to get their attention and invite them in.

• Content is easily updated to increase store traffic  – Retailers simply provide Casio with a still image and text. Casio then animates the image and adds the voice. No video production is required for stores. This process makes it easy to edit the animation for future use.

• Compact size that can fit almost anywhere – It features a small 18â€� x 21.10â€� footprint. No installation work is required.

• Multilingual support – Available languages include English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and more. Customers can select the language they want to hear.

• Cloud services are available for unique retail promotions – Casio can provide cloud services such as digital coupons for customers with smartphones.

• Long-lasting light source – The originally developed Laser-LED Hybrid Light Source by Casio delivers approximately 20,000 hours of life.

###

About Casio America, Inc.

Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions. Established in 1957, Casio America, Inc. markets calculators, keyboards, digital cameras, mobile presentation devices, disc title and label printers, watches, cash registers and other consumer electronic products. Casio has strived to fulfill its corporate creed of “creativity and contribution� through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit www.casiousa.com.

Extron Electronics is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the DSC 301 HD, a compact HDCP-compliant video scaler. This scaler has an HDMI input, a configurable high resolution analog input, a composite video input, and an HDMI output. Featuring an advanced scaling engine with 30-bit processing and 1080i deinterlacing, the DSC 301 HD delivers uncompromised picture quality for output resolutions up to 1920×1200, including 1080p and 2K. It includes EDID Minder®, automatic input switching, and simplifies system connections by embedding audio from one of the three stereo inputs onto the HDMI output.

“The DSC 301 HD delivers high performance and a compelling feature set,” says Casey Hall, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Extron. “With its compact form factor and integrator-friendly features, this scaler lends itself to basic conference room applications as well as more complex systems where multiple scalers are deployed into a large signal distribution system.”

The DSC 301 HD offers several features that enhance and simplify AV system setup and operation. For HDMI signals with protected content, Key Minder® authenticates and maintains continuous HDCP encryption between input sources and displays to ensure quick and reliable switching. EDID Minder ensures that the display’s capabilities are communicated to connected video sources to obtain an optimal image. Front panel controls, intuitive on-screen menus, plus USB and RS-232 connections provide flexible control and monitoring capability.

Visit our Web site at www.extron.com for more information.

REEDSBURG, WI, FEBRUARY 25, 2013 — Sound Devices, experts in portable audio and video products for field production, is pleased to announce that its 664 Production Mixer has earned the prestigious Cinema Audio Society (CAS) Technical Achievement Award in the production category. The CAS Technical Achievement Awards recognize innovations in recording technologies, including hardware and software products that are used by sound mixing professionals.

“We are thrilled to once again be the recipient of the CAS Technical Award,� says Matt Anderson, President of Sound Devices. “We strive to bring innovative, field-proven products to market and being given this prominent award for the 664, our newest production mixer, confirms our dedication to developing award-winning products.�

Sound Devices has now been recipient of the CAS Technical Achievement Award three times. The 744T and 788T Production Recorders are past winners. The 664 Field Production Mixer is the new flagship in Sound Devices’ line of portable audio mixers. The intuitive 664 has six input channels and four output buses. All inputs and outputs are recordable to both CompactFlash and SD cards. This unprecedented amount of I/O connectivity and recording capability makes the 664 perfect for any portable production application.

The 664 has six ultra-low noise, high-dynamic-range analog inputs. These transformer-less preamps accept mic- or line-level signals, and include analog peak limiters, high-pass filters, input trim controls and direct outputs. Input connectors 1 and 6 can be selected to accept AES42 or AES3 digital signals

In complex multi-camera productions, output flexibility is essential. The 664 can send its main left/right outputs to three cameras simultaneously. Two additional output buses, X1 and X2, appear on balanced TA3 connectors. AES3 digital outputs are individually selected to appear on the main XLR and multi-pin output connectors.

The 664 can record each of its inputs and four output buses for 10 record tracks. Recordings are saved to CompactFlash and SD cards. Recordings are either 16- or 24-bit broadcast WAV files, with extensive metadata. All popular production sampling rates are supported. When used with a CL-6 Input Expander, the 664 records 16 tracks, 12 inputs and four output buses.

The mixer’s built-in, rock-steady Ambient time-code generator allows multiple devices to operate in synchronization. The 664 can operate as a time code master clock, or its clock can be jammed from an external time code. A helpful time-code comparison utility displays the difference between internal and external time codes.

Sound Devices, LLC designs and manufactures portable audio mixers, digital audio recorders, and digital video recorders and related equipment for feature film, episodic television, documentary, news-gathering, and acoustical test and measurement applications. The fourteen-year old company designs and manufactures from their Reedsburg, Wisconsin headquarters with additional offices in Madison, WI and Highland Park, IL. For more information, visit the Sound Devices website, www.sounddevices.com.