AMERICAS FASTEST-GROWING MUSIC RETAILER

SPRING 1997

ORAM PRO AUDIO PRODUCTS

The Oram BEQ24 Console

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

NEW ROLAND PRODUCTS

Typically, nobody shows more new products at a NAMM Show than Roland, and this year is certainly no exception. We take a first look at the companys most exciting new products like the VS-880 V-Xpanded, JP-8000 synth, VK-7 Combo Organ, V-Drums TD-10 and much more. SEE PAGE 2

SONYS NEW MDM-X4

Imagine recording four tracks of superb quality digital audio on a single 2.5" MiniDisc. Thats exactly what you can do with the remarkable Sony MDM-X4 with integral six-channel mixer and the exclusive Edit Track System. SEE PAGE 2
Classic European Design and Audio Excellence Now Available in North America
No one has to tell you that mixing console quality has skyrocketed over the last few years, primarily in response to the proliferation of digital recorders. Even the mass market products aimed at the millions of musicians with home studios have amazing specs that come close to what was once considered pro quality. But how good is good? Is there really still a great difference between semi-pro and pro equipment? The answer is, quite simply, yes. As low to mid-priced mixers have gotten better, so too have the high end boards used in major studios around the world. While the average musician can now afford a mixer that will produce a fine recording, the domain of truly great sound still belongs in the realm of the elite few consoles. And yet, even here, absolute sonic transparency and awesome fidelity have become more affordable. Consider this: You can now purchase a mixing console that can go head-to-head with $100,000 mixers for less than a third of that price. And the manufacturer that has done it is Oram Professional Audio in the form of their BEQ Series 8 and 24 bus Consoles. What is not surprising is that the man behind this equipment is the same person who became world famous as the Father of British EQ, John Oram. His reputation for sonic excellence and outstanding audio designs have been heard worldwide in such diverse products as the renowned Trident Consoles, Vox amplifiers and even Martin guitar preamplifiers. Anyone who has ever researched buying a mixer has heard the term British EQ. This refers to a particularly smooth and musical equalization that many manufacturers have attempted to copy, but none has duplicated. Some have even termed this particular sound magical. Unfortunately, John Orams latest products and designs have been rather hard to come by in North America. Those who wanted the pristine quality and authentic Oram British EQ were forced to import Oram consoles, preamps and equalizers from Europe. But all of this has now changed: When we heard these phenomenal mixers for ourselves and saw the incredible quality of their construction, we immediately knew we had to make these monster boards available to all our customers. To make a long story short, Sweetwater Sound is now the exclusive North American distributor for Oram products, meaning that Americas fastest-growing music retailer will be selling one of Europes best selling and best sounding professional audio products. This partnership could not come at a better time for the many studios here in North America that have been looking to upgrade to the very best hardware available in order to finally achieve that quantum leap into world class sound. In fact, many have said that the new Oram consoles are the only products in their price range that can actually compete favorably with a Neve console for overall audio quality high praise indeed for any product. Continued on page 9

NAMM SHOW REPORT

Every January, the music industry gathers in Anaheim, California for the Winter NAMM Show. We take you on a whirlwind tour of the 1997 show and give you the inside story on the hottest products from all the major manufacturers. SEE PAGE 3

MACKIE DIGITAL CONSOLE

It was probably the biggest news at this years NAMM Show. We take a preliminary look at Mackie Designs revolutionary Digital 8Bus Console and its list of innovative features. SEE PAGE 4 Want the hottest technology without the hefty price tag? See Tech Notes for information on our exclusive new Sweetwater Certified Pre-Owned Equipment Plan PLUS: Greg Hanks BA-660 Mic Preamp, Beyerdynamic Cordless Headphones, Akai MPC2000 Production Center AND MORE!
Oram Sonics MWS Microphone Work Station

Sweet Notes

Spring 1997

Page 2

SWEETWATER OFFERS THE BEST PRICES, SELECTION, TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND SERVICE! WHY SHOP ANYWHERE ELSE?
NEW ROLAND PRODUCTS: 1997
Longtime NAMM attendees know one thing: Triangle Mod and Feedback OSC. The unit produces form of what the company calls the future of percussion. Roland unveiled their V-Drums TD-10 Roland typically releases more cool new products per 8-voice polyphony and has a 49-key (four octave) module ($1895) which features over 600 drum and square foot than just about any other exhibitor at velocity sensitive keyboard. the show, and this year percussion sounds, plus 50 melodic instruments. Via COSM, you can actually model the drum head was certainly no exceptype, shell materials and size, plus select which tion. Here are just a few mics are used to record the sound, their position of the highlights: and type of room ambience. These modeled drums VS-880 V-XPANDED: can even be controlled (just like real drums) with Already one of the industrys major success brushes. A complete drum pad kit (PD-120/100 Vpads) to match the TD-10 will also be available stories of the last year, watch these pages. the new VS-880s Version Also getting a lot of attention was the newest 2 software and a one addition to the Roland Guitar Synth family, the GRgigabyte hard drive have The JP-8000: offering plenty of knobs, sliders and other realtime controllers 30 ($895) which features the worlds fastest guireally enhanced this alThe new JV-2080 64-Voice Synth Module ready amazing unit. Now add an Auto Mixing Function that records and plays back mixing data for your ($2095) is essentially a JV-1080 with four more exsong in real time, including full fader movements and pansion slots for a total of about 2,900 total patches all panning positions, full MIDI control over scene or 128 megs of 16-bit linear format waveforms when change, and an insert for the master output so you fully expanded. For instance, Rolands new Bass and can process the final output with an effect like com- Drums Expansion Board ($475) which features samples from five of the worlds most respected sespression. The Recorder Section now allows simultaneous sion musicians, like Marcus Miller and John playback of six tracks in MASTER MODE and offers Patitucci. If you dont own one of the companys exa digital output with full copy protection. Addition- pandable synths, you can still get these sounds in ally, there are over 20 powerful new and convenient the M-BD1 Expansion Module ($695). You say you need classic B-3 sounds? Presenting the VK-7 Combo Organ ($2495 Fastest triggering in town: the GR-30 Guitar Synth list) which emulates vintage organ tones via Rolands new tar triggering response, a staggering 384 onboard Virtual Tone Wheel technology sounds, a new arpeggiator, polyphonic Harmonist and features sophisticated ro- and much more. tary speaker simulation Among the other products Roland showed was thanks to the companys their next generation digital piano, the RD-600 Need 2,900 patches? Just get yourself a JV-2080 and all eight Expansion Boards COSM technology. There are ($2495) with 64-note polyphony, outstanding refeatures in the editing/sync sections to enhance con- even nine harmonic drawbars for realtime tonal ma- alism, improved hammer action and more. nipulations, percussion stops, amp simulator plus a For complete information and your pricing on trol of your VS-880. But heres the mind-blowing part: Roland has now full set of onboard orchestral voices. these and other incredible new Roland products, Another COSM-based product emerged in the call your Sweetwater sales engineer today incorporated their revolutionary COSM technology right into this recorder. What does that mean? Well, you might, for example, record tracks using Rolands new DR-10 ($95) or DR-20 ($150) dynamic mics, then use the Mic Simulator function to make those Lets be honest: multitracking onto cassettes was useful in its time, but its stone-age technology compared to whats tracks sound like they were recorded using an exavailable today. Take for example the MiniDisc: Its a highly reliable digital recording medium thats perfect for people pensive large diaphragm studio mic (we cant mention names, but you can probably guess which one who want the kind of quality associated with digital recording, but dont want to invest in a huge, elaborate (and costly) we mean). There are a number of mic emulations studio setup. The original masterminds behind the MiniDisc format is none other than Sony, so you know their engiavailable (you can even control the perceived dis- neers really understand how to get maxitance between the mic and sound source) plus other mum performance from this convenient incredible algorithms like 19-band Vocoder, Hum Can- recording medium. These guys burned a celer, Lo-Fi Sound Processor, Space Chorus and many, lot of midnight oil and came up with the many more. In all, there are 100 additional preset amazing new MDM-X4 MD MultiTrack Recorder ($1250 list), a whole effect patches. If all this sounds incredible, wait until you hear new standard in personal studios. The MDM-X4 offers up to 37 minthe price: just $2695 list! Existing VS-880 owners can even upgrade their software for only $125. Wow! utes of superb quality 4-track digital auSince were sure to run out of space if we spend dio on an MD data disc (74 minutes of 2too much time on any one product, lets move on to track) that simply outperforms any casthe new JP-8000 ($2295 list). This synth is a throw- sette system to date. It also includes the back to the companys glorious analog synths, com- exclusive Track Edit system (for editing bining lots of knobs and realtime controllers with between two tracks) and a host of other vintage synth sounds provided via Analog Modeling incredible features that will revolutionize Technology. A newly developed DSP oscillator offers your concept of personal recording. seven unique algorithms: sawtooth, triangle and The MDM-X4 comes equipped with square waves, plus new waveforms like Super Saw, Continued on page 8

1997 WINTER NAMM REPORT

bus console, but Mackie was also showing off their won- MIDI controller ($199.95) with 49 keys plus full MIDI con Continued from previous page trol capabilities, making it just about perfect for any size lee with two 20-bit multitrack recorders, DARla and Layla. derful HR-824 powered studio monitors ($749 each) to rave MIDI studio or keyboard rig. DARla is a Windows 95 PCI card (soon available for the reviews. Definitely worth checking these out! For more on ROLAND. See page two for a complete report. Mac) offering two analog ins/eight analog outs, Omnibus the Digital 8Bus, see elsewhere on this page. MARK OF THE UNICORN. MOTU was showing VerSONIC FOUNDRY. New plug-ins for Sound Forge 4.0 technology for aux, monitor and bus routing, plus sample rates up to 50 kHz. Layla combines a Windows 95 PCI card sion 2.0 of their superb Freestyle trackless sequencer were the buzz at the Sonic Foundry booth. The Acoustics Modeler ($249) models the acoustics of real environments (also soon for Mac) with an external audio interface that ($199). New features include notation enhancements, Sense provides eight balanced ins and 10 balanced outs, S/PDIF, Tempo, new beat adjustment features, SMPTE sync capa- and recording devices. Depending upon the acoustic signature applied, this plug-in can simulate responses varying Word Clock, MIDI and more for under $1000. Both systems bilities and tons more. Its available for both Mac and Winfrom large concert halls to the vintage sound of an old tube feature Plug and Play compliant designs allowing for easy dows and is 100% PowerPC Native! Then theres Digital mic! CD Architect ($395) writes setup and compatibility with most existRedbook audio direct to recordable CD. ing audio software. It has extensive support for PQ editing, Finally, Event was showing the new as well as flexible playlist control. Rode NT-1 microphone, a single patTASCAM. The people at TASCAM tern, large diaphragm mic designed to had their awesome new digital mixing provide the clarity and dynamic range console on display, and it looks to be a that today's recording systems require. red hot setup for those who want to seriIt has the looks, performance and fidelously upgrade the quality and versatility ity to make it a valuable addition to evThe unusual-looking (but terrific sounding) Green 4 Dual Compressor/Limiter from Focusrite of their studio. Priced under $10,000, it ery mic collection. FOCUSRITE. New in the Focusrite Green Series are Performer for the Mac which is also moving to version 2.0 offers pretty much everything you could possibly want or need in a mixer, like full automation and that great TASCAM the Green 4 Dual Compressor/Limiter ($1495) and the with PowerPC Native code, PureDSP, sample rate converGreen 5 Channel Strip ($1595). If you havent had a sion plus all the features recently introduced in the latest sound quality. More next issue on this one! chance to check out the amazing quality and value offered Performer 5.5 upgrade. List price remains at $899. VOCE. The V5 Tone Wheel Organ module is the latest MIDDLE ATLANTIC PRODUCTS. New from MAP by the entire Green series, you owe it to yourself to do so in Voces series of B-3 simulators. It combines Digital soon these pieces make outstanding additions to virtually is the MultiDesk Pro (price based upon configuration), an Tonewheel Technology with MIDI drawbars for a compact, excellent solution for your studio organization and ergo- integrated package. Combine it with Voces Spin II rotary any level studio. FOSTEX. The folks from Fostex were showing new, nomic requirements. A modular, flexible design allows you speaker simulator ($399) and youve got a combination thats improved versions of several products, including the D-80v2 to set up exactly the configuration you need, without hassles. tough to beat. Hint: Spin sounds great on guitars, too. and the DMT-8vl ($1295). Larger hard drives, optional SCSI The new Pro Series line of studio racks, CPU mounts, WAVES. The company had lots of cool new plug-in softexpansion and a variety of new software features greatly overbridges and even cup holders (gotta have one.) add ware to show like the PAZ Psychoacoustic Analyzer ($550) the finishing touches to your studios organizational needs. enhance these already successful recorders. and Renaissance Compressor ($550). Id tell you more MIDIMAN. Along with an impressive assortment of but were out of room. Watch these pages for more on Waves LINE 6. The company released the Floor Board ($299), a companion foot control unit for their very hip AxSys 212 MIDI and sync interfaces, small mixers and other useful items, products in upcoming issues (also see page 11 ed.). digital guitar system. Stomp box style FX control, wah and MIDIMAN introduced Digipatch, a 12x6 coax and optical There you have it, just a few of the new items on dispatch bay/router ($699). The optical lines support either S/ play at NAMM. Give your Sweetwater sales engineer a call volume pedals and more. Every AxSys owner needs one! MACKIE. The big news, of course, is the new digital 8 PDIF or ADAT formats. Also new is the Keystation Pro for availability and your special pricing on all this great gear!

IF ITS BROKEN AND YOU NEED IT FIXED. Our Service Department is Factory Authorized! (219) 432-8176
Sweet Notes Spring 1997 TIME FOR A REALITY CHECK? By Chuck and Brenda Surack Owners, Sweetwater Sound If you regularly thumb through the pages of Keyboard, Electronic Musician, Recording, etc., you know that hardly a month goes by that you dont see glossy, full page, four-color advertisements for a variety of new products both hardware and software that claim to be faster, cooler, more innovative and less expensive than the competition. In the majority of cases, their claims are true. The question is: Is it a real product yet, or is it just another case of industry vaporware? While most companies do their best to release products in a timely manner, there are several reasons why ads start appearing for gear that simply doesnt exist yet. One reason is because the deadlines for submitting ads for all the various magazines are many months in advance of the day you actually get your copy. For instance, an ad placed today (in March) might not actually run until the June issue. To make sure theres a ready market for their new equipment, companies have to sometimes guess months in advance what the real release date might be to give their marketing departments time to build effective ad campaigns. But suppose that sometime during those two or three months, one of their suppliers (for example, a subcontractor that builds power supplies) experiences problems on their own assembly line. Now the manufacturer has thousands of units ready to ship, but without power supplies. Such delays are understandable and completely out of the control of the manufacturer. But there are other equipment manufacturers who begin to advertise well in advance of the actual release date simply to keep musicians from buying a competitors product thats already available. As we all know, the music industry is tiny compared to other mega-industries (like automobile, appliance or furniture manufacturing), and any advantage they can gain to keep a specific share of their potential market can often mean the difference between a companys success or failure. Unfortunately, like a stone thrown into a still pond, the ripples move outwards: Customers call and ask for this new product, so dealers order tons of it. Then, when the product doesnt ship when its supposed to, customers get angry and often take out their frustrations on the retailer who has significant money tied up in a product that actually doesnt exist yet. Its frustrating for all of us. Despite our best efforts, there have been a few times when we have published information about new products right here in Sweet Notes, only to have the manufacturer tell us (after we print 150,000 copies) that they just wont be able to ship on time. In most cases, its hard for us to be upset with the manufacturer theyre doing the best they can to be successful in what is an incredibly competitive industry. Here at Sweetwater, we have begun an innovative pro-

Q: I am trying to transfer a file between my DAT and my DAW. The problems is that after I transfer the file, I have all kinds of pops and clicks in the audio. Any Ideas on whats causing this? A: You must sync the digital clock in the DAT and DAW together when you are transferring the data. You should set the sync mode in your DAW to Digital so that it syncs to the digital clock (44.1 kHz or 48 kHz) from the DAT. Once the transfer of you audio is complete you can set the clock in your DAW back to internal. That should resolve your pop and click problems. Also make sure that when you open your file in the DAW that you select the same clock rate as the clock rate the DAT was recorded at. If your clocks are set at different rates, the audio will play back either too fast or too slow. Q: I have a Kurzweil K2000 and I seem to remember that when I bought it, Sweetwater installed a fan kit. Are there filters on these fans and do they need to be cleaned? A: The K2000 does have a fan filter that needs to be cleaned on a regular basis. You should make cleaning the fan filters in all your gear a part of the regular maintenance schedule for your studio. Here are some other products that may have filters that need to be cleaned: Power amps, mixing board power supplies, hard drives, computers, and some samplers and effects processors. How often should you clean them you ask? Well, that would depend on the location and environment where your gear is being used. The dustier your environment, the more often you should clean it. Try starting out by cleaning the filters every month and increase or decrease the frequency as necessary. Q: I have a computer sequencer and a digital 8track. I want to set up my system so that I can use the MMC controls in my sequencer, but I dont understand how I can get everything to sync up. A: The digital multitrack (i.e. ADAT/DA88, etc.) will be the clock master and will need to output time code information to your computer sequencer via either MTC or SMPTE. You will set your sequencer to receive and slave to the incoming time code, either MTC or SMPTE. The multitrack should also be set up to receive MMC command from your computer sequencer. When you press play on your sequencer, that will send a command to your recorder which will press the play button. The multitrack will then start playing and outputting timecode to your sequencer and it, in turn, will start to play. Q: I just got a new tube mic preamp and I am not sure how to integrate it into my board. It does not make sense to also run the signal through my boards mic preamps. How can I get the signal into my board and not use the boards mic pres? A: The best solution is to plug your new preamp directly into the inputs of your multitrack, then use Continued on page 10
ORDERS PROCESSED SAME DAY! In most cases, orders ship the same day we receive them! (219) 432-8176

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THE VERSATILE BA-660 BY GREG HANKS DESIGN
even a classic Neve console bus limiter. How many other products can make that claim? Zero! Backed by a three-year warranty and hand crafted right here in the USA by people who really care about quality, the BA-660 is an incredible investment. It will pay dividends over many years in your studio by providing the absolute best audio imaginable on project after project. No, this isnt a mass-market product at $3875 it represents a significant investment for any studio or individual. But unlike other products that come with high price tags, yet become expendable when the next hot product comes along, the BA660 will provide a timeless, rock-solid foundation for your Greg Hanks Designs BA-660: Its one-of-a-kind, and its only available from Sweetwater Sound studio thanks to its suest microphone preamplifier virtually guarantees that there perior design and absolutely flawless performance. Of course the BA-660 has some truly impressive specs, will not be any compromising in your finished product. To that end, the Greg Hanks Design BA-660 was de- like a maximum dynamic range of >154 dB and a frequency signed right from the start to be the absolute best mic pream- response from 11 Hz all the way up to 35 kHz. It features a plifier available anywhere, at any price. Ultra low noise, wide 100 dB metering range, full phantom power, inserts, all Class dynamic range, and the pure, warm, fat sound of tubes, plus A circuitry with absolutely no negative feedback in the autrue class A electronics put the BA-660 squarely in a class dio path, and of course, the ins and outs are fully balanced. You may never need the kind of performance this unit all its own. But this is more than just a mic preamp; the BA-660 is will deliver, but if you ever do, isnt it great to know that also a world-class compressor/limiter. Using sophisticated theres a product you can absolutely stake your reputation tube design and cutting edge technology, this remarkable on? The BA-660 is exclusively available only from product has presets that exactly emulate the sound and re- Sweetwater Sound, so if you would like more information sponse of much sought-after vintage equipment like the and your special pricing on this dream machine, call your Fairchild 660, Urei LA-2, SSL Quad Limiter, RCA BA-6, or sales engineer immediately. There are times when nothing less than the best will do. As a recording engineer or producer with a make-or-break project on your hands, you cant afford to make compromises. Yet thats exactly what you do when you trust your finished product to equipment that just doesnt cut it in the highly competitive world of first class recording. Careful selection and placement of the correct microphone is essential, and passing that signal through the fin-

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SWEETWATER HAS IT ALL:

The Biggest Selection of Products IN STOCK! The Best Prices! The Most Knowledgeable Sales Staff Anywhere! The Finest Technical Support Department on the Entire Planet! PLUS OUR FAMOUS NO HYPE/NO HASSLES BEST VALUE GUARANTEE
SOUNDTRACS MIXERS: SUPER QUALITY NOW SUPER AFFORDABLE
Options: Its what makes the music business so interesting. There are products for every need and in virtually every price range. But it wasnt always like that. For years, serious musicians had to spend huge amounts of cash to buy a quality mixing console. Or else they had to settle for a noisy board that carried a modest price tag. Honestly, its hard for us not to feel spoiled when we can now buy a high quality mixer with specs that even the pros would have died for not so long ago. Take for example the Soundtracs Topaz line of mixing consoles. You can get the configuration that makes the most sense for your needs, from 12 to 32 channels, four or eight bus, at prices that wont break anyones budget. Even with the least expensive Topaz mixer, you get a 12 channel/4 bus design with dual aux sends, three band EQ on every channel (lesser boards make do with two), phantom power and super low noise inputs, all at a list price of just $449. No, thats not a typo. Or maybe youre ready to move up to a full-featured 8-bus recording console. Then maybe the Topaz Project 8 is the perfect solution for your studio. Packed with features and looking like a million bucks, the Project 8 provides flawless audio performance, incredibly versatile semi-parametric EQ on every channel plus secondary high and low shelving filters, six switchable aux sends, a dual input/output module (unbeatable during mixdowns), smooth ultra-glide pots for precise control, true in-line mixing capabilities, long throw faders, a choice of 24 or 32 inputs with up to 72 inputs at mixdown (giving you the ability to handle up to a 32 track recorder without repatching) and optional sophisticated automation. List prices start at $3999. Of course, with Sweetwaters super low pricing, you wont be paying near that, but The Topaz youll still be getting the killer mixer youve alProject 8: more ways wanted. So come on, call your sales enfeatures than we have room gineer today and get the inside story on the to list at a truly surprising price full line of super quality Soundtracs mixers!

NEED IT RIGHT AWAY? We can ship any product to you overnight! Call for details: (219) 432-8176

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AKAIS MPC2000 MIDI PRODUCTION CENTER
with a MIDI sequencer that set the standard for both immediacy and ease-of-use. What that meant was that you could sample in your favorite drum sounds, play them from the great-feeling onboard drum pads, then use the sequencer to control all your synths and samplers. It was very cool then, but this new machine has taken this design philosophy to a new level. The MPC2000 ships standard with a 16-bit sampling engine with 32 note polyphony, two megs of onboard RAM (upgradable to 32 megs via standard SIMMs),dynamic digital filters with resonance, graphic cut and paste sample editing, a 64 track sequencer with 100,000 note capacity, linear or pattern (drum machine style) recording, enhanced sequence editing, and the MPCs unique note variation slider for note-bynote control of level, tuning, attack, decay or filter. Of course, theres a large, 248x60 LCD with graphic user interface, a 25-pin SCSI port, 16 great-feeling velocity and pressure sensitive drum machine pads, floppy drive and fully erAkais sophisticated MPC2000, a true pro quality MIDI production center gonomic data/digit wheels for entering data. Show a number of years ago, and have been trying to If thats still not enough, how about 1/4" balanced figure out a way to get my hands on one ever since. recording ins, RCA-pin digital ins and outs, 1/4" steSee, the problem was, these things were not only super reo outs, headphone out, and full MIDI in/out/thru sophisticated, but expensive as well. Certainly way out ports? And if you want even more, you can add eight of my league. At least until now. individual outs, S/PDIF digital in and out, a multiThanks to numerous breakthroughs in both techeffects processor, 8 meg Flash ROM board, and a nology and production techniques, the engineers at SMPTE board, all of which are optional. Akai have finally been able to bring the MPC Series What none of this tells you is exactly how easy the within reach of all serious musicians with the release MPC is to work with. Controls are right where youd of the brand new MPC2000.With a new lower list price expect them to be and the large LCD graphic interof just $1495, it looks like I can finally have my dream face takes you through every function with ease. machine. Whats so special you ask? Lets take a look Hey kids, Ive already ordered one for myself and I under the hood. suggest you do the same. Call your sales engineer for The MPC Series was the first serious piece of equipall the facts and your special price on the MPC2000. ment to merge CD-quality 16-bit sampling technology Jim Miller Okay, Ill admit it: For years Ive personally lusted after one of Akais MPC Series Production Centers. I had the opportunity to try out an MPC60 at a NAMM

SEARCHING FOR A REAL CAREER IN PRO AUDIO SALES?
Tired of showing up, day after day at a dead-end sales job where your knowledge of the music business and people skills are undervalued and unappreciated? Are you ready for a new challenge? Consider trading that unsatisfying day job for a real career in pro audio with Sweetwater Sound. Were always looking for talented, highly motivated individuals who have both the knowledge and drive to take the ball and run. We provide a thoroughly professional work environment plus all the tools essential to your personal success. Youll be working side-by-side with the best people in the industry, and if youre willing to put forth the effort, youll be rewarded by earning a salary that is finally commensurate with your personal abilities and ambition. We also offer you the opportunity to live in a wonderful community with excellent quality-of-life; a place where you can feel safe walking down the streets at night, but where you also have access to all the benefits of big city living. Warning: This is not an easy job! If you cant handle a fast-paced workplace while staying on top of the latest technical advances, then please do not apply. But if you are genuinely ready to begin a great new career, we want to hear from you. Please submit a resume and salary history. All inquiries will be completely confidential.
WERE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR GREAT PEOPLE!
We have grown from a staff of six to over 100 employees in less than five years. We are growing in every department and are always looking for the best people to bring onto our winning team. That includes receptionists, service staff, purchasing agents, desktop publishing, web specialists, general management, audio and video professionals and sales staff. If you are ready to move up to a great new career with one of the fastest growing companies in the nation, dont wait another day! All inquiries will be confidential.
SONYS MDM-X4 MULTI-TRACK RECORDER
Continued from page two an integral six-channel mixer with great sound quality (after all, you are recording to digital) and lots of functionality like 10 inputs/4 bus, 2 aux sends and a 3-band equalizer. The unit also incorporates highly sophisticated MIDI features that ensure a flexible system configuration, such as MMC/MTC synchronization and compatibility with all major sequencing software. Sit down in front of an MDM-X4 and one of the first features youll notice is the Mix-Write function. This stateof-the-art editing feature lets you handle track-summing and doubling as if you were mixing and recording sounds using multiple 4-track recorders. For example: Lets say you recorded music onto all four tracks. With Mix-Write, you can mix the four different tracks and stereo pingpong them to tracks one and two (go ahead, try that with

any cassette multitrack). This then frees up two more tracks (3 and 4) for additional recording. Other supersophisticated editing functions allow you to further edit your high quality digital sound creations by track, 4-track section and even song. With the MDM-X4, the creative possibilities are almost limitless. It takes Sony eight full pages to describe every MDMX4 feature (lots of it in little-bitty type), so you know in our limited space well never be able to fully describe all its useful functions (like Auto Punch In/Out, Undo/Redo, Rehearsal Mode and 11-Point Locate Function, just to name a few). Fortunately your Sweetwater sales engineer can tell you a lot more about this great-sounding, easy to use digital recorder (they may even own one themselves). So call today for information and your special low pricing on the incredible Sony MDM-X4.
5335 BASS RD., FT. WAYNE, IN 46808 ATTN: HUMAN RESOURCES DEPT. (219) 432-8176 personnel@sweetwater.com
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Continued from Page One All Oram products essentially take a brute force approach to mixer design, from the individual channel strips and great-feeling full length faders, right down to the extra heavy duty power supplies. These products are built to perform day in and day out, year after year, yet still deliver the outstanding sonic performance required in even the most demanding situations. Sitting at the top of the Oram family tree is the BEQ Series 24 with list prices starting at $39,900 a hefty investment to be sure, but still far better value than many mixers sporting even bigger price tags, but delivering sound quality that just doesnt come close to that of the BEQ Series 24. This console features the superb, warm, vintage sound of Oram Sonics super low noise circuitry, enhanced by the low noise characteristics and reliability of true Surface Mount Technology (SMT). There are 10 aux sends per channel with 10 FX returns, each with dual band EQ plus Orams unique Triple Aux which allows connection to 30 FX with full level control (can your mixer do that?). Of course, you get smooth 100mm main faders (which can be factory or retro fitted for any automation system) and 60mm monitor faders with dual channel EQ. There are 112 Inputs to the mix bus with a 32 input console plus a noise gate on every channel. Each Series 24 is fully modular with 3mm aluminum panels held in place by tough Nyloc fasteners. The prestigious British trade magazine Sound On Sound praised the BEQ Series 24 in its August 1996 issue, stating.above all (it) offers a quality of signal path comparable to the best. You might expect to find this much functionality on a desk at this price, but not with this much attention to detail and pride in its audio specs and performance. We couldnt possibly agree more. Next in the Oram line is the BEQ Series 8 with a list price starting at $15,395. It, too, features the superb Oram Sonics super low noise circuitry, Surface Mount Technology, 7 aux sends per channel with 5 FX returns, 100mm main faders and 60mm monitor faders, 72 inputs to mix bus with a 24 input configuration, two separate stereo mix outs with master faders and an external, silent running power supply, all standard. A quote from EQ magazine (March 1996) probably sums up the Series 8 the best: The Father of British EQ has just made the Mother of

all Consoles. Guess they were impressed, eh? So much so, in fact, that the magazine awarded this console not one, but two blue ribbons for quality at a recent AES Show. The Series 8 also was a TEC Award nominee in 1996. From experience we know that you can find other mixers that have more bells and whistles, but almost none can compete with the unsurpassed Oram sound quality. Plus,
The BEQ Series 8 features Orams world renowned British EQ which has been described as magical.
with a BEQ console, you get a REAL mixing desk, not some table-top mixer that your clients will look at as something less than professional. But Oram Professional Audio Products include more than mixing consoles. Also available is the Oram Sonics MWS ($2195 list) which stands for Microphone Work Station. Essentially, this is a stand-alone version of the ultra high quality mic preamps found in Orams consoles, plus the companys exceptional EQ with high and low pass filters, bass and treble shelving and sweepable mids. If you want the sound of Orams low noise (essentially NO noise) mic preamps without investing in a whole new board, this unit will make perfect sense. Talk to your sales engineer theyve heard this masterpiece and theyre now true believers. You will be too, once you add one to your studio. The stand-alone Oram Sonics HD-EQ2 ($4070 list see photo below) applies John Orams years of experience to the problem of designing an outboard EQ that combines outstanding flexibility with the highly desirable British EQ sound. It has a total of 8 bands of EQ per channel with both sweep and shelf circuitry, separate filter and EQ bypass, plus switch selectable plus/minus 6/18 dB control.
By Daniel Fisher, Chief Soundware Engineer Regular readers of Sweet Notes know that our Soundware Scene column is the place to go for the latest on all our soundware development projects. But today Id like to address those who may have heard a lot about Kurzweil keyboards, but want to know exactly why we feel theyre the most extraordinary synthesizers and samplers yet made and why Sweetwater Sound is the most logical place to buy them. If you watch way too much TV (guilty!), youve probably noticed that theres an army of professional musicians out there who all have the word KURZWEIL on their keyboard rigs. Do they all know something that you dont? Well, if you dont own a K2000/K2vx/K2500 or PC-88 then, Yes, they do! Kurzweils current flagship line, the K2500 Series, is a remarkable achievement in both synth and sampler design. There are four keyboard versions: the K2500 which has 76 semi-weighted keys, the K2500S which adds the Sampling Option, the K2500X with 88 weighted keys, and K2500XS which has 88 notes plus the Sampling Option. Theres a tremendous choice of physical controllers on these instruments like 8 fully assignable sliders, 8 zone switches, 2 assignable switches, 2 assignable wheels, a long and short assignable ribbon controller, a breath controller input, 2 foot switch controllers, 2 continuous foot controllers, plus key pressure and velocity sensitivity. Add to this a fantastic stereo sampler that can have up to

ART GOES PRO IN A BIG WAY
of pros is their exceptional tube-based analog leveling/comA few years ago, Applied Research and Technolpression processors. In fact, our own Jim Miller (Tech Notes) ogy, better known as ART, was widely recognized for their recently completed a review of the Pro VLA Two Channel guitar and bass effects units. You know, the ones with the Vactrol/Tube Leveling Amplifier ($599 list) for Elecbright post-psychedelic graphics on the front? Priced aggrestronic Musician magazine in which he pretty much raves sively and offering plenty of bang for the buck, these procesabout the units transparent sound quality and overall warmth sors were quite successful. and clarity (and around here, we know Jims no big fan of But the company had bigger plans, as evidenced by the compressors in general, so we know he was impressed). This products they have been releasing over the last year or so, like the much-acclaimed Pro MPA Two Channel Tube Mic Preamp ($599 list) and its smaller relative, the single channel Tube MP ($149 list). ART was moving into the big leagues with products aimed squarely at the pro audio market. The PRO VLA: designed to excel in areas where transparent, expressive dynamics control is desired. Not that the company has forgotten its guitar-based roots; unit is indeed a significant achievement, both in terms of its sound quality and price. But ART also offers the Dual Levelar it still offers an enormous variety of effects processors such as Two channel leveling amplifier at just $329 list, and the single the Quadra/FX Dual DSP/Four Channel Multi Effects unit channel Levelar at only $159 list. All three are designed ($299 list) and the DST Eighty/Eighty Express Powered around the same basic VCA-less Vactrol circuitry and real Processor ($799 list), both of which offer tremendous processing power and excellent sound quality at affordable prices. 12AX7 tubes. And each features both 1/4" TRS and XLR balanced ins and outs, so you know the company was thinking Theres even a dedicated stomp box called the XTREME+ for of the pro market when they designed these units. guitar players who want their effects on the floor. Were certain that youll want to give these processors a Whats more, ART has recently moved into the guitar serious listen, as well as the new Model 351 31-Band and combo amp department with products like the Model Dual 15-Band Equalizers. Give us a call to find out Classic Openback ($999 list) and the Model 820 Clasmore about these and all of the other great ART products sic Head ($899 list). and, of course, for your special low Sweetwater pricing. But what has really brought the company to the attention

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