"Where Sound Comes Alive"‚ was the catchphrase buzzing around San Francisco as the Audio Engineering Society (AES) brought its 121st AES Convention to the Bay Area on Oct. 5-8. Pro audio manufacturers packed the tradeshow floor at the Moscone Convention Center, eager to give light to their newest releases. The tradeshow marked the launching point for many innovative products from the biggest names in the audio realm and brought curious registrants out in the thousands. This month, we bring you the most exciting discoveries from the show.?

Audix VX-5 Hand-Held Condenser
Price: $299


Audix debuted their new VX-5 at AES, a sleek and innovative hand-held condenser microphone. Designed by a company known for its superior microphones, the VX-5 was Audix’s response to a strong demand for a high performance condenser microphone that was rugged, easy to use, and portable enough to take on the road. Comparable in both design and sound quality to industry standard condenser microphones, the VX-5 is perfect for both vocal and acoustic instrument applications onstage or in the studio. The new microphone produces a smooth and accurate sound while providing over 20 dB of ambient noise rejection for feedback control when used live. When set in the pad and roll-off position, the VX-5 can handle sound pressure just over 140 dB without any resulting distortion. The microphone features a 14mm gold vapor diaphragm, a supercardioid polar pattern, a -10dB pad, a bass roll-off filter, and an acoustically ported steel grill mesh screen that is completely pop resistant. The microphone itself has a rugged die cast black zinc body and weighs eight ounces. The wireless version of the VX-5 will be available in early 2007 and will operate off of the RAD360 wireless system.
www.audixusa.com

Yamaha LS9 Digital Mixing Consoles
Price Not Available at Press Time


Yamaha unveiled two new cost-effective LS9 digital mixing consoles this year at AES. The smaller, highly portable LS9-16 model allows you to set up professional and high-performance sound mixing wherever you go, with the same effect as a larger, more complex system. A single rack 480 x 220 x 500 mount console weighing in at 12lbs, the LS9-16 eliminates the use of extra gear and cabling by allowing you to plug microphones and speakers right into the console itself. The LS9-32 model offers 32 input head amplifiers and can be expanded to 64 channels by adding external preamps to the Mini-YGDAI expansion slots. Though twice as long as the LS9-16 model, it still remains lightweight and portable enough to use in temporary systems, and in the studio to free up space. Both are designed with the first-time user in mind, integrating physical controllers and a large color LCD panel. The LS9-16 model has 17 physical faders, the LS9-32 has 33, giving you fast and easy access to all input channel, mix bus, matrix and master levels.
www.yamaha.com

Tascam LD-74 Condenser Microphone
Price: $99


Tascam debuted its first condenser microphone, the LD-74, at AES this year. Featuring a 1‚ gold-sputtered diaphragm, FET preamp, and brass construction, the highly affordable LD-74 produces a lush, detailed sound that captures every nuance of both vocal and instrument output. Available separately with a tabletop stand and XLR cable, the LD-74 is also part of the new TNT Bundle ($269) that includes Tascam‚Äôs US-122L audio/MIDI interface and 48-track Cubase LE software. This affordable package provides you with all the components necessary to create your own home or portable recording studio, with the aid of a Mac or PC.
www.tascam.com



Ultrasone HFI 700 Headphones
Price: $249


Ultrasone, the leader in natural surround sound headphones, showcased their HFI 700 model at AES this year. Perfect for the road and at-home studio use, the durable and versatile HFI 700 are ideal for male and female vocalists, guitarists and keyboardists. Featuring a 40mm gold-plated driver and Ultrasone’s patented S-Logic surround sound technology, these headphones mimic a natural method of sound processing that gives you a more lifelike listening experience while protecting your hearing. By aiming the sound at the pinnea, or outer ear, instead of directly down the ear canal, Ultrasone headphones enhance perception of distance, depth and instrument placement, while putting 40% less pressure on your eardrum.
www.ultrasoneusa.com

T.C. Electronic Konnekt Audio Interfaces
Price: $375-625


T.C. Electronic introduced its new FireWire audio interface line at AES this year. The Konnekt 24D and Konnekt 8 are designed for recording and performing musicians who need to transfer analog recordings to hard disk. Both come with two high quality IMPACT preamps that eliminate the need for any additional amplifiers. Guitars can be plugged directly into one of the two Hi-Z guitar input circuits on the front panel, made to preserve the original tone and sound quality of both bass and guitar inputs. There are also dual headphone outputs on the front panel, one with audio speaker muting, an analog volume control, and a light ring for easy access to important parameters. The Konnekt 24D model offers additional built-in real-time DSP effects so you can add reverb, etc. to your recordings. To increase your I/O inputs, up to four Konnekts can be stacked together using the 1394 FireWire-based TC NEAR.
www.tcelectronic.com

Frontier TranzPort Wireless DAW Controller
Price: $200-250


TranzPort is a small and lightweight wireless controller for Digital Audio Workstations designed to enable complete mobility in the studio by allowing you to compose, record, and produce music away from the computer. Instead of relying on infrared, this bi-directional controller uses high-frequency radio waves to send and receive control data up to 30 feet ‚ even through the wall ‚ without causing interference. Function keys allow you to rewind, fast forward, stop, play, record, channel left/right, record arm, mute, solo, undo, in, out, punch, loop, shift, and more. In addition, the backlit LCD display lets you retrieve timecode position, track name/number, track volume, and pan settings to remotely control your computer in the studio and during live performances. TranzPort is fully compatible with Pro Tools, Logic, Sonar, Cubase, Digital Performer, Reaper and other DAW software.
www.frontierdesign.com

Aviom A-16II Personal Monitor Mixing System
Price: A-16 Personal Mixer ‚ $439.95;
A-16T Transmitter ‚ $749.95


The A-16II is a personal monitoring system from Aviom that puts you in complete control of your own monitors and enables you to adjust your sound levels to your preference, both onstage and in the studio. It consists of two components — the rack mountable A-16T Transmitter and the small, compact A-16 Personal Mixer with an optional MT-1 microphone stand mount. The system uses Aviom’s A-Net technology to transmit 16 channels of high quality 24bit audio with virtually no latency over a Cat-5 cable. The A-16 allows you to adjust channel volume, grouping, pan, stereo spread and master volume and tone to create your own unique monitor mix up to 330 feet away from the transmitter. The system also allows you to save up to 16 custom mixes as presets and can be used to drive wired or wireless in-ear monitors, headphones, powered floor wedges, amplifiers or spot monitors. Mixers can be connected to one another using an A-Net Distributor.
www.aviom.com

Furman Power Factor Pro Power Conditioner
Price: $379-439


The Power Factor Pro power conditioner enables you to get the most out of your amplifiers by serving as the middleman between your gear and your building’s poor AC power supply. The PF-Pro plugs into the AC outlet, and is able to lower the AC line impedance by storing 45 amps of instantaneous current reserve for peak current demands. Its Linear Filtering Technology also significantly lowers actual AC line noise, increasing instrument clarity, dynamics and harmonics. This enhances sound quality notably and protects your gear from voltage spikes. If voltage exceeds a certain level, the Extreme Voltage Shutdown feature will immediately shut down your connected equipment. The unit features four rear panel outlets and a front display of incoming line voltage, ranging from 90 to 128 volts.
www.furmansound.com

Blue Microphones Snowball USB mic
Price: $159


The Snowball, a direct plug-and-play USB microphone, is the latest addition to the Blue Microphone family. Both Mac and PC compatible, the Snowball plugs right into your computer and allows you to make professional sounding recordings outside of the studio and without any other equipment or software. Its spherical dual-capsule design and three-pattern switch can accommodate vocals and instrument recordings, and can handle everything from delicate to fierce sound. Its small, durable design allows for increased portability, allowing you to record on the road or wherever you have your laptop. Blue introduced two new free applets to the Snowball at this October‚Äôs AES Convention. These additions let you adjust gain levels on a Mac or PC for greater control in recording loud or soft sources, and are available at Blue‚ AOS website to download free of charge.
www.bluemic.com