Pro audio

While vinyl has been making a comeback in the past few years, there is no denying that the future of mainstream music is digital (analog lovers, feel free to groan here). Pioneer has released a couple of excellent, DJ friendly CDJ digital multiplayers that allow you to manipulate digital music in much the same way you would work with analog music. 

People today expect their digital devices to handle multiple tasks. We check our e-mail, surf the Internet and shoot video with our mobile phones, so it makes sense that a stand-alone multitrack recorder should also work as a computer audio interface, controller and portable recorder. The Zoom R16 does all of these jobs, and the R24 accomplishes even more.

The acronym "PA" stands for Public Address, and a portable PA system allows you to do just that—speak publicly to a large group of people. A portable PA is a compact audio solution for amplifying your voice and music. Before you buy a portable PA system, there are a few questions you should ask yourself first...

A couple of months ago, a B&H Insights reader posted a comment in the B&H Guide to Telephone Interviews article, asking how to tap an iPhone. The product the reader was inquiring about, the JK Audio CellTap, turned out to be incompatible with the iPhone. However, the JK Audio BlueKeeper works like a charm for tapping the iPhone and any Bluetooth headset-enabled device.

The world of pro audio is filled with confusing nomenclature and contradictions. For example, turning on a low pass filter will cut high frequencies, and recording at 1 bit with the Korg MR-2 portable field recorder can yield better results than using higher bit rates. Check out this post to learn more about the MR-2's powerful 1-bit DSD technology, and how it may be the best sounding hand-sized recorder out there.

The new BM 5A MKII near field active studio monitor from Dynaudio Acoustics is the latest update of their much-respected BM series. It may look remarkably similar to the original BM 5A, but there have been a number of updates made throughout its design. Check out this post for details about the new model and a side-by-side look at the old and new versions.

You might not think a portable digital recorder would need to wear a thick fur hat in the sweltering heat of summer, but if you're using its built-in microphones, special windshields are absolutely necessary to protect your audio from wind noise. Not only will they allow you to capture clean audio in gusty locations, they also make your recorder look really cute. Check out this post for the coolest hot summer accessories for portable audio recorders.