Slate Digital 40% Off Summer VCC Sale and Video of their FOX Dual Mic Preamp

SUMMER SALE ON THE VIRTUAL CONSOLE COLLECTION

August 22nd 2011

Get Up To 40% off the Virtual Console Collection

The Virtual Console Collection has been called a major.. dare we say it.. GAME CHANGER in digital audio.  It brings the authentic sound of four world class analog mixers right into your workstation.  Using the Virtual Console Collection plugins will bring more space, depth, width, punch, and dimension to your mixes.  And for one week only, you can get the Virtual Console Collection for $149 (no ilok2) or $179 WITH EXPRESS SHIPPING of the ilok2 to your door!  International customers can get the VCC with ilok2 express shipping for only $189! The VCC 1.3.5 has now been CPU optimized and is fully compatible with 64bit workstations!  

Go to the Slate Digital Online Shop and take advantage of this wonderful deal.

http://www.slatedigital.com/shop/home.php?cat=249

Trisha Lurie Shows off the FOX Dual Mic Preamp

Talented Singer/Songwriter Trisha Lurie shows off how versatile our FOX mic pre is by singing through all four circuits.  The FOX has four independent mic pre circuits ranging for the fat and warm VINTAGE circuit to the clean and sparkly MODERN circuit, as well as to variations that combine the two!  Check it out at the SlateDigital TV youtube page:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af6u1GLwLMo

Then go to the Slate Pro Audio website to read more and find a dealer to demo.

www.slateproaudio.com

I mentioned the Fox in an earlier post.

Tech support on all Slate products here:

http://www.slatedigital.com/support

or here:

323 656 2050 x1

Steven is here for NON technical support chat:

slate@stevenslate.com

and here on most weeknights:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/crazy-girls-los-angeles

follow him on TWITTER for FREE stuff and his mindless ramblings of life:

http://www.twitter.com/slateproaudio

30 years of the music industry in 30 seconds

I was recently having a conversation about changes in the music industry and while researching the topic I discovered this pie chart. This is U.S. based only. Data for markets in other parts of the world are probably similiar.

"The music industry has changed drastically over the past 30 years. The various music formats–from vinyl records, to 8-track, to cassette, to CD, and then to digital downloads–show a number of transitions over the past three decades. The wax and wane of these formats is shown in a rather interesting pie chart from Digital Music News. The animated pie chart maps each format between the years of 1980 to 2010 based on RIAA revenue figures. The chart is perhaps the best way possible to represent what’s going on in the music industry in 30 seconds or less."

Read the rest of the article here

Individual charts for each year 1980 to 2010

                              

The Harrison Lineage Preamp is like having Four Decades of Sound In One Unit.

The Lineage 8-channel microphone preamplifier is another innovative product from Harrison a company with a very rich legacy in the music/audio industry. Harrison who has been making a name for themselves since the 70’s with their consoles such as the 32c (Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and “Bad”) the SeriesTen (Janet Jackson “Rhythm Nation”album) and the MR3 (Sade “Promise” album).  Countless other artists including Queen and Led Zeppelin used Harrisons to record and/or mix their albums. They recently introduced the 950m console which I blogged about previously. The Lineage is unique in the fact that it offers four pairs of microphone preamps with the tone and character of the Harrison console preamps from the 70’s to the present. I especially like the “FIX” button which enables the user to switch between setups without worrying about re-adjusting the input gain.

From the website:

“The Lineage 8-channel microphone preamplifier provides 8 microphone preamps, each from a different era of Harrison consoles.  Each pair of preamps has their own unique character, providing the recording engineer with several options in a compact 1RU box.”

“ The front panel provides inputs for channels 1 and 2  (with selector switches)  and controls for each of the 8 mic preamps:

(2) 70-80's era mic preamps, with pad and 48V switches.

(2) 80-90's era mic preamps, with pad and 48V switches.

(2) 90-00's era mic preamps, with pad and 48V switches.

(2) Trion mic preamps, each with pad, 48V, instrument mode, and "FIX" gain preset.

 An innovative addition is the "FIX" button on each of the two Trion preamps.  The "FIX" button engages a preset gain trim (user-adjustable via a trim pot).  The combination of the front-panel input switching and the "FIX" buttons allow you to switch the first two preamps between one use (such as 2 calibrated overhead mics in the studio) and another ( such as a vocal chain setup) without having to re-set the input gain in-between.

The rear panel includes 8 microphone preamp inputs and a DB25 connector carrying the 8 line outputs.

$2795 at VintageKing

Elysia xpressor 19" & 25% plugin deals

Elysia a company known for making great hardware and software emulations of said hardware is currently having a plugin sale. They are also introducing a 19' rackmount version of their xpressor compressor. I previously posted about the 500 series xpressor.

"The xpressor with its discrete audio path running in constant class-A mode combines a clear and open sound with a good lot of punch. The clearly laid out functions get you going straight away, while the extended features let you treat dynamics like never before.

Stereo buss compression, processing single signals, approaching dynamics in creative ways – the xpressor shines in many different applications..."

FEATURES:

• Discrete Class-A Topology

  Pristine audio quality.

• Auto Fast Attack

  Perfect attack in any situation.

• Switchable Release Characteristic

  Smooth or crisp – the choice is yours.

• Warm Mode

  Transparency? Saturation? Both!

• Bulletproof Lightweight

  Aluminum housing, panel and knobs.

• Parallel Compression
  Mixing direct and compressed signals.

• Sidechain Filter
  Frequency selective compression.

• Sidechain Send & Return
  External compression access.

• Gain Reduction Limiter
  Ultimate control on the compression process.

• Made in Germany
  Outstanding component and build quality.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Frequency response: <10 Hz - 400 kHz (-3.0 dB)

THD+N @ 0 dBu, 20 Hz - 22 kHz, Mix 0 %: 0.002 %

THD+N @ 0 dBu, 20 Hz - 22 kHz, Mix 100 %: 0.006 %

THD+N @ +10 dBu, 20 Hz - 22 kHz, Mix 0 %: 0.003 %

THD+N @ +10 dBu, 20 Hz - 22 kHz, Mix 100 %: 0.056 %

Noise floor, 20 Hz - 20 kHz: -94.0 dBu

Dynamic range, 20 Hz - 22 kHz: 115 dB

Maximum input level: +21 dBu

Maximum output level: +21 dBu

Input impedance: 10 kOhm

Output impedance: 68 Ohm

Shipping date 8/22/11

Cost: $1,499 / 990 €

	The xpressor is back! Many of you have asked for this, so we have created this 19“ version which comes in a full aluminum enclosure, making it very light and rock solid at the same time. Further additions to the xpressor are send and return connectors for an external sidechain, plus a superior linear power supply with a shielded toroidal transformer. And just like with our 'bigger' machines, you'll find no cables in the complete audio path at all. Looking for a great sounding and super flexible discrete class-A stereo compressor? The xpressor is shipping right now, and it is more affordable than you might think... The xpressor 500 is now available for $1,499 / 990 €*
		elysia 25 % software discount still valid! The alpha compressor, the mpressor and the alpha & mpressor bundle are availabe at 25 % discount in the elysia online store until 15 September 2011. 25 % discount code for payments in USD: 49ZO0J1FMY14PGZ6TMGPOYEZ 25 % discount code for payments in EUR: KXHREO369TZG583B75WH5JWK >>> USE YOUR DISCOUNT CODE HERE <<<
	*German residents and customers inside the European Union without a valid VAT number are liable to German VAT which is added to the quoted net price. The price incl. 19% VAT is: $1,783.81 / 1,178.10 €

Pensado's Place: #32 - Dave Way

Another great episode from Dave Pensado and crew. This one feature Dave Way (Teddy Riley & Guy, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Fiona Apple etc.) a great engineer I had the pleasure of meeting many years ago at Soundworks Studios in New York.

I've actually met a few of the guys featured on Pensado's Place including Jean Marie Horvat and Jimmy Douglass. All great engineer/producers and very cool people.

In this episode Eric Valentine gives a hands on demo of the UndertoneAudio Console that I reviewed in a previous post. 

Make sure you visit Pensado's Place YouTube Channel to view the past episodes.

Thanks Dave, Herb, Drew and all the people involved in the production of Pensado's Place.

Keep up the good work.