Pro audio

DJing has evolved considerably in the last 5 years, beginning with the transition in medium from analog to digital. As most every DJ will now tell you, digital media is far more portable than heavy crates of records and – perhaps most appealingly – is also notoriously more available and less expensive.

A quick recap for anyone who didn't get to read Part One. In the beginning of 2008, my friend, writer/director Tibor Spiegel shared with me the completed production footage of his independent film, "Overnite Shift". The thirty-plus minute movie tells the story of an older, immigrant New York City taxi driver who, on a particular evening, picks up a series of passengers. As he interacts with them, his past hauntingly resurfaces, and in the process changes his future irrevocably.

In my previous article about in-ear headphones, one model that wasn't explored was the SA6 from Sleek Audio, which is a unique offering from a relatively new contender in the headphone world. What's interesting about the SA6 is that it's a completely modular system, and it has customizable treble and bass response. To my knowledge, this is the only pair of in-ear headphones on the market to offer this feature, and it does so at a pretty reasonable price. 

Part One

Early in 2008, a friend sent me an email with a link to a YouTube video. The video was a preview of a movie he was producing/directing called "Overnite Shift". I was immediately intrigued by the excellent look of this no-budget movie, and something about the characters piqued my interest. I did however have reservations concerning the audio, which to my ears was problematic. On getting in touch with him, he informed me that most of the film had already been shot, but that he was having issues with the sound person delivering on his commitments. The director and I had previously worked together, so he asked me if I wanted to become involved in the project.

If you're from my generation and have ever explained the concept of the vinyl record to anyone under the age of 18, then you too have experienced the looks of bewildered amusement and the distinct realization that you're probably just getting old. Well before you put yourself out to pasture, or consider putting your beloved record collection up for auction on eBay, there are a few things you should know. A recent resurgence in vinyl records fueled by collectors, vinyl DJs and music enthusiasts who can't seem to find their favorite oldies on iTunes has paved the way for new products that merge one of the oldest audio achievements of the 20th century with the digital advancements of today – the turntable and the USB port.

The EOS 5D Mark II, one of the latest offerings from Canon, is the world's first dSLR camera to offer Full HD video recording capability. But what if you want to capture great sounding audio to accompany your great looking video? The 5D MkII records stunning video clips at a 1080p resolution with a frame rate of 30fps, but the audio is recorded with a tiny built-in mono microphone. Thankfully the camera also includes a stereo 3.5mm microphone input that will enable you to capture much better audio than that offered by the built-in mic. Shooting video on the MkII is very easy.

Wondering about a gift for the musician in your life? We've compiled a list of items representing practicality, value, and the occasional bit of indulgence. These products are meant to be enjoyed -- not collect dust. The solutions we've included serve a variety of music performance, engineering, and production needs, guaranteeing much use and pleasure without blowing your bonus check.