After spending too much time fighting with SCSI drives stricken with slow transfer rates and recurring meltdowns, mix engineer Tony Maserati decided it was time for a change. Looking for a drive that could handle 96k sample rates and intense file transfer demands, Maserati opted for the Fibre Channel-based A/V SAN™ drive system from Studio Network Solutions®.

Mr. Maserati, who spends much of his time working at The Hit Factory’s Studio 3 in New York, used the A/V SAN recently for sessions with Beyonce Knowles, Christina Aguilera and Destiny’s Child.

“I transfer files either from CDs or SCSI hotswaps,” explains Mr. Maserati. “Whole projects fit on one A/V SAN drive, which allows me to manage everything completely and easily.”

“On the Christina Aguilera sessions, I never once had to think about the drive, which is optimal for me. No matter what stress I put on the A/V SAN, it simply never stops working.”

The A/V SAN™ system, which uses fibre channel to achieve extremely high transfer rates, is capable of eliminating almost all hard drive and I/O-related PCI bus errors. This means that engineers such as Maserati, whose work demands are intense and deadline driven, can increase their workflow and productivity by not having to stop and and deal with hard-drive system failures.

“I have my own A/V SAN that I cart around with me from studio to studio,” says Mr. Maserati. “I will not go into a session without it; it just works. I don’t have to do anything! I don’t ever have to initialize or defrag the drives. In fact, I’ve never defragged the drives and I’ve had it for a year and a half. It works flawlessly every single day of the week, and I work a minimum of six days a week.”

The A/V SAN can deliver 128 tracks of 24-bit/48k audio from a single drive. It provides up to 400 MB/second of throughput, and concurrent access for multiple users. It can also do simultaneous data back-up while the drives are in use for production.

The A/V SAN package includes a 1U enclosure, up to 4 Fibre Channel drives, a Studio Network Solutions PCI card, custom SNS Software and optical cables.

Studio Network Solutions Web Site

At the New York International Auto Show (April 18-27, 2003), American Honda Motor Co. has announced that the new 2004 Acura TL will include XM Satellite Radio as standard equipment.

“As XM marches to the one million subscriber mark later this year, the all-new 2004 Acura TL represents another key expansion of XM into the great family of Acura and Honda vehicles,” comments Hugh Panero, XM president and CEO. “XM’s programming will be a perfect complement to the luxurious driving experience delivered by the 2004 Acura TL.”

According to American Honda, the 2004 Acura TL joins the 2004 Acura RL as the first luxury sedans to feature XM as standard equipment. For Honda products, a dealer-installed option is available for the 2003 Accord and Pilot. The Honda Division also expects to have XM Satellite Radio factory-installed beginning with the 2004 Accord later this year.

American Honda plans to expand the availability of XM-ready radios to additional Honda and Acura models during the 2005 model year and into the future.

XM Satellite Radio Web Site

At NAB2003, Microsoft® is showcasing advanced applications of its Windows Media® 9 technology as a key feature of leading software and hardware tools for the professional broadcast community.

Accom, Adobe, Avid, Digidesign, Discreet, Drastic Technologies, Echo Digital Audio, M-Audio/Midiman, Steinberg Media Technologies, and Sonic Foundry are all demonstrating professional multichannel audio and video production tools at the Microsoft booth.

Windows Media 9 offers 7.1-channel multichannel audio and standard-definition (SD) or high-definition (HD) video quality, in one-third the bit rate of MPEG-2, according to Microsoft. The broad spectrum of video acquisition, video production and high-resolution multichannel audio post-production solutions on show at NAB underscores how Microsoft Windows Media 9 Series is now a viable format for the professional authoring community.

“The two most important goals for us in designing Windows Media 9 Series were to deliver a new level of professional quality and to make it an easy platform that developers could harness for their own solutions,” said Amir Majidimehr, general manager of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft.

“To have this kind of support in shipping products less than three months following our final release speaks to how easy it is for developers to build on our platform and the value of our innovations for the professional community.”

The following new professional multichannel audio authoring solutions highlighted at NAB2003 have integrated the compression advantages of WMA Pro 7.1 channel capabilities as a key feature:

Digidesign® is unveiling plans at NAB for the new Pro Tools Windows Media Encoder 9 Series, which allows Pro Tools users to import and export Windows Media Audio (WMA) files in the simple and familiar Pro Tools environment. At Digidesign will give Windows-based Pro Tools demos showing a sneak peek of the new functionality, scheduled to be available in late 2003.

Steinberg, the Audio Group of Pinnacle Systems, will show support for WMA Pro in Steinberg’s flagship product, Nuendo 2.0. Designed with input from some of the biggest names in the audio industry, Nuendo 2.0 is built upon the most-advanced technologies available today to meet the needs of professionals in all facets of audio production: composition, film, broadcast, music, postproduction, surround sound, game sound and multimedia.

Echo Digital Audio will demonstrate its complete line of professional audio recording systems, as well as its new family of super-high-fidelity audio record and playback adapters for laptop/notebook computers, which offer complete support for the full-spectrum, full resolution audio capabilities of Windows Media 9 series.

M-Audio/Midiman will demonstrate its Delta 1010 PCI digital recording system, with support for playback of WMA Pro Audio.

Sonic Foundry will demo its new Vegas 4.0, which provides integrated real-time video and audio nonlinear editing of Windows Media Video and multichannel Windows Media Audio Professional (WMA Pro), with comprehensive features that include surround sound production.

The 114th AES Convention, the major annual European event of the Audio Engineering Society, opens Saturday March 22nd at Amsterdam’s RAI Convention Center, and runs until next Tuesday, March 25th.

As the only professional Convention devoted exclusively to audio technology, the AES shows in Europe and the U.S. (in the fall) are known as important gatherings for exhibitors, engineers, scientists and those from the recording, broadcasting and live sound worlds. In Amsterdam, AES is expecting a large attendance of audio professionals from all parts of Europe, as well as from Asia and the U.S.

In a question-and-answer session, AES executive director Roger Furness explains the key elements of this year’s European AES show.

Roger, why did the AES choose Amsterdam as this years location?

“The AES Conventions go to different places throughout Europe each year, in order to enable a larger geographic audience to take part. Amsterdam is easy to reach and it is an enjoyable and cosmopolitan metropolis. In the future we will be adding new cities in Europe.”

What makes the Exhibition floor at an AES Convention so important?

“There is no other place in the world where you can find all the important pro audio companies under one roof – the AES exhibition is all about audio. This means that not only the big names, but also smaller companies and developers have the opportunity to show their products on a level playing field. So people who go around the exhibit floor don’t miss a new product from a small company because it is overwhelmed by a huge multi-media presentation on the stand next door.”

During the last couple of years, the pro audio business has changed quite a bit. How does the AES react to this change?

“The AES Convention adapts from year to year to meet the wishes and needs of the attendees. This time, we have added two main new elements: Exhibitor Seminars and Tutorial Seminars. These open up the Technical Program to people who might feel that the traditional program of papers and workshops concentrates too much on academic and theoretical topics.”

How are the Exhibitors Seminars and the Tutorial Seminars different from the traditional program?

“Let’s start with the Exhibitor Seminars. Within the traditional Technical Program there was no place for product-related information. This is exactly what the Exhibitors Seminars offer because new products need much more explanation and are more complex than they used to be. Genelec, for example, is giving an Exhibitor Seminar about their new subwoofer technology. DVD-Audio and SACD authorities will be telling us how to make recordings in these new formats.”

So the Exhibitor Seminars are presentations of a new product or product-related technology?

“Yes, exactly. We offer the new Exhibitor Seminars in a quiet room away from the lively atmosphere of the exhibition as concentrated one-hour presentations. We have already had a strong response from the Exhibitors, showing that this brand-new part of our program will be well received!”

And how about the Tutorial Seminars?

“The Tutorial Seminars are lectures about the fundamentals of audio. They are intended both as starting tutorials, and as refresher courses for engineers who may be moving into a new field or just want to brush up their knowledge. People from all backgrounds in pro audio, from the motivated student to the seasoned sound engineer, are welcome to this new type of technical presentation.”

How many Tutorial Seminars does the Convention program offer?

“Knowledge is the basis for success, so we organized a complete series of Tutorial Seminars with, in total, 10 different topics. Lectures will be held every day in the morning and afternoon. The Seminars will be given by presenters who are experts in their field and are experienced in giving tutorials.”

Apart from the Exhibitor Seminars and the Tutorial Seminars – what do you feel is the most important event at the show?

“Well, don’t forget our traditional Technical Program. It is a good reflection of the state of developments in the industry and in new technology. This year’s program is the strongest we have ever offered in an European Convention! Due to some slight changes we now offer a diversified program with Papers, Posters and Workshops. We have also organized Technical Tours, an intensive Students program and a set of Historical Events and Social Events.”

“However, I really believe that the two new seminar formats we are introducing are very fundamental and important additions to our Conventions. The AES has always been the source of audio information – but now, not just at a very high level – but for every single visitor to the show. I look forward to seeing you in Amsterdam for a highly informative and exciting Convention.”

AES 114th Convention Web Site

You know consumer electronics manufacturers are selling a lot of portable audio players when the battery makers jump on the bandwagon.

Duracell®, one of the leading battery manufacturers, and part of the enormous Gillette empire, has announced the LP1. The new battery will be the first-ever alkaline prismatic battery designed specifically for portable digital audio devices such as MP3 players.

The LP1 will be available later this year in North America, Europe and Asia. It will be packaged in blister cards containing two batteries. Duracell says there are more than 200 digital audio devices that can already be powered by LP1 batteries.

The LP1 has a flat profile to meet the shrinking size requirements of today’s ever-thinner audio devices. It measures 6.1 millimeters thick, and thus offers manufacturers a slim alkaline battery with long-lasting, dependable performance to design into these smaller and thinner audio devices.

“As digital audio technology continues to progress, Duracell will innovate with new portable power solutions,” says Mark Bertolami, Duracell’s vice president of business development and strategy.

Unlike rechargeable batteries that lose power even when they are not being used, Duracell says the LP1 provides consumers with “always ready” portable power for audio enjoyment anytime and anywhere.

Getting down to the nitty-gritty of what’s in it for manufacturers of audio portables, Duracell points out that they can “design slim digital audio devices that run on primary power.”

The LP1 will be a lower-cost alternative to secondary batteries. Device manufacturers that wish to offer devices with interchangeable (i.e., primary and secondary) power solutions, the new battery provides a high-quality, primary battery option. The retail trade will benefit from ongoing battery sales as consumers replace their Duracell LP1 batteries over time.