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Road Tests

The control panel on the side of the Black12 has I/O, mixing and access to DSP settings.

Alto Professional Black Series

Whether aging a fine wine or tweaking a speaker design, good things often take a while to develop. During the InfoComm show back in 2012, I stopped by the Alto Professional booth and was taken aback by a preview of the company’s just-unveiled Black Series loudspeakers. I had been aware of Alto Professional since 2000, when the company was first launched. That young company had ambition and good ideas, but seemed unfocused and often embarked on products which, I suppose, had great appeal to overseas customers, yet weren’t always quite in sync with the needs of pro users in North America.

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Line 6 V75-40V Handheld Wireless Mic with Earthworks WL40V hypercardoid capsule.

Line 6 V75-40V Handheld Wireless Mic

The V75-40V is the latest digital wireless microphone from Line 6. It transmits in the 2.4 GHz band and features an Earthworks WL40V hypercardioid capsule. It’s made to be used with Line 6’s 2.4 GHz receivers, the XD-V75, XD-V55 and XD-V35, running v2.0 firmware or later. The V75-40V equipped with the Earthworks WL40V capsule is sold a la carte and is not packaged with any particular wireless receiver system.

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CEDAR Audio DNS 8 Live

CEDAR Audio DNS 8 Live

CEDAR Audio is no stranger to noise reduction systems. The company pretty much wrote the book on state-of-the-art hardware- and software-based solutions for all types type of unwanted audio artifacts, ranging from pops and crackling on vintage 78 records to wind, rain and nearly every other type of sound that could creep onto an audio channel. In fact, CEDAR received an Academy Award for its original DNS (Dialogue Noise Supressor) system.

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PreSonus StudioLive 32.4.2 AI Digital Mixer

PreSonus StudioLive 32.4.2 AI Digital Mixer

The much-anticipated next generation of StudioLive consoles has finally arrived. The new StudioLive AI line is offered in 16-, 24- and 32-channel versions. And the numbers refer to full channels with mic preamps — there’s none of that “24 input board with 16 mic inputs and four stereo line inputs” business. All are four-bus designs.

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Telefunken M82 Kick Drum Microphone. For a video, go to fohonline.com/foh-tv.

Telefunken M82 Kick Drum Microphone

Maybe it’s because I’m also a drummer, but whenever a company introduces a new microphone designed for kick drum, I’m all ears. So earlier this year, when Telefunken Eletroakustik announced its new M82, I was definitely interested and even more so because the M82 also has onboard tone shaping switches to tailor the response to the job at hand.

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Soundcraft Si Expression 2

Soundcraft Si Expression 2

The Si Expression comes in three models, the 16-input Si Expression 1, the 24-input Si Expression 2 and the 32-input Si Expression 3. For my review, I took the Si Expression 2, (the 24 mic pre version) for a test drive.

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Point Source Audio CO-8WD headset mic

Point Source Audio SERIES8

Over the past few years, Point Source Audio has gained a reputation for supplying tough, good-sounding miniature microphones in headset, earworn and lavalier styles. Now, with its new flagship SERIES8 line, the company is poised to take things up a notch — or two.

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The 24-input MGP24X

Yamaha MGP24X and MGP32X Consoles

Yamaha’s had a long history of building solid analog consoles, going back to 1974’s PM1000, which brought balanced I/O’s, 3-band channel EQ, matrix mixing and tough, roadworthy construction into 16/24/32-channel packages and began a legacy of pro-quality live gear that continues to this day. As the years progressed, Yamaha evolved digital consoles, which like its analog boards, have become world standards. There’s no doubt that the future lies in digital technology, but our old pal analog still survives and thrives, particularly in certain market segments.

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Cymatic Audio LR-16 Live Recorder

Cymatic Audio LR-16 Live Recorder

Once upon a time, live recording was a real pain. In the old days, it involved dragging a recorder or rack of ADATs/DA-88s to the FOH position and connecting them via console direct outs. I can even recall shows where large reel-to-reel digital machines (typically a Sony PCM-24 or PCM-48) would be lugged up to sit next to the house console. The alternative was to call a remote recording truck/van, determine the pecking order of analog splitting and then let that crew handle the details.

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Australian manufacturer Que Audio’s DA12 is a single-ear boom mount headworn mic featuring a compact (2.5mm) vocal capsule. Formerly marketed under the Da-Cappo brand, these mics delivered smooth, natural reproduction and good feedback resistance at an affordable price.

Que Audio DA04 and DA12

To prepare for this review, I visited Que Audio’s website and found out some interesting facts about the company and its products. First, Que Audio is owned by the Syncrotech Group, which is an Australian-owned group of professional audio companies that has been operating down under for more 30 years. When I read this info on the Que Audio site, I was quite impressed. Maybe because I happen to love Australia (and not for the shrimp), but also because 30 years is a long time to do anything in Australia, or anywhere else for that matter.

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Shure SM91 mounted inside a kick drum using the SHU Flatz mount, which in addition to holding the mic, can also keep a dampening pillow in place, if desired.

Kelly SHU Microphone Mounts

It’s not often that anything exciting comes along in the realm of bass drum mic mounts, so when I heard about the Kelly SHU™ Microphone Mounting System, I was extremely curious. The Kelly SHU is a semi-permanent suspension mount designed specifically for kick drum mics. It comes in three flavors: the SHU Pro, the SHU Composite and the SHU Flatz. The Pro and Composite will hold just about any kick drum microphone; the Flatz is designed for use with the Shure Beta 91/91A, SM91 or Sennheiser E901 (you must specify which mic when ordering).

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