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Road Tests

The M18 mixer is iPad controlled.

RCF M18 Digital Mixer and EVOX 8 Speakers

Italy-based RCF has a long history of providing solid, dependable gear used in the most critical applications. So when they debuted their new M18 digital mixer and EVOX series of compact column-array speakers, we were interested in checking these out. While not specifically offered as a package, we took both the M18 and an EVOX 8 system out for a real-world test drive, as the combination of the two creates a powerful, compact and easy to use system for portable grab-and-go gigs.

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The Venue 2 receiver

Lectrosonics Venue 2 and HHa Digital Hybrid Wireless

The world of wireless audio for live sound is tough, and truthfully, it’s not getting any easier, with ever-increasing RF traffic, fewer available UHF bands and the uncertainty of a spectra landscape that may (or may not) change at the whim of any future FCC rulings. Specifically designed to address those very issues is Lectrosonics’ Venue 2 Digital Hybrid Wireless modular receiver. Lectrosonics’ Digital Hybrid Wireless process delivers a wide 20 kHz audio bandwidth, compander-free audio and uses an analog FM carrier to transmit a specially encoded signal that delivers digital audio quality while remaining highly spectrum efficient.

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The small aluminum insert at the base of each earpiece houses an ADEL (Ambrose Diaphonic Ear Lens) module.

64 Audio A12/U12 IEM Earpieces

Over the past few years, 64 Audio (formerly 1964 Ears) has come on strong as a provider with a full line of IEM earpieces for musicians and audio professionals alike. The A Series offers a choice of eight designs from $599 to $1,999 made from your custom earmolds. The U Series (Universal fit) has models starting at $399 (for the dual-driver U2) and ranges up to the U12, which are $1,599.

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Royer R-101 in shockmount

Royer Labs R-101 Live Ribbon Microphone

Way back in 1998, I reviewed the R-121, the first microphone from a startup company called Royer Labs. This mic sparked a revival in ribbon mics that continues to this day, not only from Royer, but other manufacturers as well. But the R-121, and its patented (U.S. #6,434,252) proprietary offset ribbon technology with a pure aluminum ribbon and neodymium magnet structure proved to be a hit even to this day (and earning a Technical Grammy Award in 2013), offering a warm, smooth sound from a transducer that was more compact and rugged than previous ribbon designs.

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XIRIUM PRO units with Dante and analog output modules

Neutrik XIRIUM PRO Cable Replacement System

A lot of what we do in sound reinforcement involves attempting to do what amounts to a seemingly impossible task. This may come in the form of mixing in some acoustically horrible environment with glass walls and marble floors. Another vexing issue comes when you need a long cable run of up to a half mile across rough terrain, crowds, a body of water, a stadium, an alligator pit or other obstacles — or simply do a gig in a museum, theme park, convention center or historic building/site, where extended cable runs are either impractical or simply prohibited.

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Shure KSM8 Dualdyne Vocal Microphne

Shure KSM8 Dualdyne Vocal Microphone

In 2004, my friend Harold Blumberg, a product consultant for Shure for more than 30 years, contacted me about a prototype microphone. I rarely heard him speak so glowingly about a piece of gear, but he said Shure engineers created a truly revolutionary condenser live vocal mic. He asked if I was interested in beta testing the then-new KSM9. Always open to experience better performance and more pleasing results from a vocal mic, I enthusiastically volunteered to give the new unit a shakedown on the road.

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DiGiCo S21

DiGiCo S21 Digital Console

Representing a significant departure from what the company has done over the past 10 years is the S21 — the latest offering from DiGiCo. In an effort to reach a new set of customers that can’t afford its higher-end desks, DiGiCo went back to the drawing board to create a console that they hope will redefine the industry’s expectations of what a sub-$10,000 console is capable of. My demo system consisted of an S21 surface in a custom road case, as well as a D-Rack for remote I/O and a Cat-5 snake for connecting the two together. In the time I spent with the S21, it was clear that DiGiCo has something new and special that isn’t just another digital console.

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Radial JDV Mk5 Direct Box

Radial JDV Mk5 Direct Box

How many times can you reinvent the wheel? A direct box may seem like a simple piece of gear — and some are, such as Radial’s acclaimed JDI line of passive direct boxes. But when active processing enters the picture, Radial has been known to break out of that “just a direct box” mold with some creative designs and features that redefine the modern direct box. In fact, Radial seems to do this on a regular basis and improves on it every time. The Mk5, the latest version (and fifth generation) of the company’s popular JDV active direct box, features some interesting and useful innovations that take it well beyond the norm.

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The BBR1MP, as tested has 24 channels of microphone preamplifiers on D-Sub 25 connectors. Shown here with control software running on an iPad and the optional 2-rackspace XLR breakout panel.

JoeCo BBR1MP Location Recorder

The first multi-track recorder I ever owned was a Tascam DA-88. In subsequent years, I used a lot of Tascam MX2424’s, Alesis HD24’s, and for the last six years or so, I’ve almost exclusively used DAW’s such as Pro Tools and Nuendo for live multi-track recording.

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The Reach system can be used singly or in pairs.

Mackie Reach

Mackie has long been an innovator in speaker technology. At NAMM 2015, Mackie debuted its FreePlay “Personal P.A.” system, a grab-and-go rig with an 8-inch woofer and two 1-inch compression drivers, 150 watts of amplification, onboard digital mixing with DSP, Bluetooth connectivity for music streaming and/or remote tablet/smartphone control and more. Now Mackie ups the ante with “Reach,” which expands its Personal P.A. line with a higher powered, more flexible speaker/mixer combination.

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The Roland M-5000 Digital Console offers numerous options for remote operations.

Roland M-5000 Digital Console

The digital console market is crowded in 2015. Every new console I encounter is better (and cheaper) than the last. Features that were previously only found on high-end mixing consoles are cropping up on sub-$30,000 boards left and right. It’s simply amazing how fast the market is moving, and how far prices have fallen in just a few short years.

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