Musikmesse 2016: The German Showcase Brings You a Slew of New Audio Gear

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Held in Frankfurt, Musikmesse is an international trade fair for musical instruments, sheet music, and music production. More than 100k visitors from nearly 130 countries made their way to the Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Center to find out about the latest innovations and new products. Let’s see what’s up and coming!

Three New Antelope Products

Antelope announces the LiveClock, Zen Tour, and Goliath. The LiveClock is a master-clocking device built specifically for live scenarios. Featuring compact construction and proven Antelope innards, this clock is designed to synchronize digital sources on the road, bestowing upon your live-sound engineer the ability to clock FOH and monitoring rigs together for a more detailed and precise sound. This will result in a supremely pleasurable concert experience for musicians and audience members.

Antelope is also hopping into the interface market with two new items: the Zen Tour—bringing peace of mind to the project studio with eight analog I/Os, onboard DSP (including guitar amplifier/cabinet emulations), and connection possibilities via Thunderbolt and USB—as well as the Goliath, a comprehensively massive interface that adds 36 analog inputs, 32 analog outputs, 16 class-A microphone preamps, two MADI ports (for 128 channels total), and custom-modeled digital EQs to all the aforementioned goodies: the onboard DSP processing, the Thunderbolt connectivity, and the USB capabilities.

Heritage Audio BT500: Balanced Approach to Bluetooth

Finally, a 500-series module that streams audio from Bluetooth devices to deliver a balanced +22 dBu stereo output, the Heritage Audio BT500 aims to ameliorate the inevitable problems of integrating mobile devices into studio setups. It does so by providing onboard support for common codecs (APTX, AAC and SBC), as well as a fully differential, balanced output stage for said streaming sound. Now, with the BT500, you can successfully achieve direct-level comparisons with Bluetooth-Streamed audio over your own monitoring setup—a welcome boon to mastering and mixing engineers alike.

RME ADI-2 Pro High-Performance 768 kHz 2-Channel ADAT, SPDIF, AES/EBU AD/DA Converter

New from RME, the ADI-2 Pro is a compact and extremely flexible two channel Hi-Performance AD/DA-converter. Featuring a small 9.5" unit that offers top-notch conversion from/to SPDIF, AES, and ADAT at up to 768 kHz, the ADI-2 Pro provides outstanding compatibility in several formats, and is a versatile way to get connected. The converter is equipped with a balanced stereo line input via two Neutrik XLR/phone combo jacks, a balanced stereo line output with XLR, plus separate and simultaneously active phone jacks, as well as an adjustable headphone output. 

A further highlight is SteadyClock III technology. It is a proprietary clock technology for maximum jitter suppression that guarantees superb sound quality, completely independent from the quality of the current reference clock. Finally, the clear layout and the distinct labeling of the front panel with its functional buttons, the informative status displays, a 6-LED level meter, as well as the tidy functional back panel, make it easy to operate the unit right out of the box. Protective rack handles and a strain-relief for power cord and audio cables are additional useful details that make the ADI-2 Pro even more unique.

Tverb from Eventide

The musical application of the reverberation has long been used in modern pop music, and not just to emulate real spaces. A case in point is Tverb, a new reverb plug-in from Eventide, based on the work of Tony Visconti and the iconic sound he created for the title track of David Bowie’s Heroes studio album. The plug-in recreates what at the time was an expedient solution to the lack of available tracks for Bowie’s final vocal recording. 

With only a single track available, three microphones were set up in the Meistersaal concert hall of Berlin’s Hansa Studios. The first was used for Bowie to sing directly into, a second positioned about fifteen feet away, and the third farther back in the hall. Gates were placed on the second and third microphones, set to open as Bowie sang louder and louder. The plug-in provides the authentic sound of the hall from three locations, while allowing the two ambient microphones to be moved around at will. 

Multiple controls with full automation are available for the microphones, their positions, the associated processors, and the room sound itself. An additional enhancement is the use of stereo microphones, which along with the original concept, opens up a vast creative space that can be utilized for virtually any audio source.

Avantone MP1 Mix Phone Headphones

Just spotted at Musikmesse are the Avantone MP1 closed-back headphones that are very comfortable to wear. With large ear cups covering your ears entirely, they are aimed at those who use them for long durations of intensive work. They are also aimed at being critical mixing headphones. Mixing on headphones isn’t always everyone’s preferred way of working, since many of us need to work while on the move. Mixing on headphones is something we can’t always avoid, and checking back on a final mix on headphone is always advisable.

In addition, Avantone Pro appears to have aimed these headphones for just this purpose, with an onboard select switch for normal stereo operation, listening back in mono, or a “Contoured” mode, which emphasizes the mid-frequencies. With an impedance of 160hms and maximum power of 30mW, these should be fairly powerful even with domestic headphone outputs.

 

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