That said, there were some traditional product introductions and some real innovations on the floor. Mix editor George Petersen said that his initial thoughts, by mid-afternoon, are that the pro is being put back into pro audio. Real pro audio. Boutique manufacturers like Manley introducing TNT, a mic pre that is both tube and transistor, and then larger companies like SSL coming out with an analog console called Duality.

And then there are the real innovations, like Fairlight's introduction of Crystal Core 1, making the move away from DSP-based architecture toward Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA). It's a quantum leap forward in terms of speed and power, available on a single chip -- up to 230 fully featured channels with full dynamics, EQ, etc., on every one. Check it out.

And we will be heading to DigiWorld tomorrow for a preliminary report. You'll hear it first-hand.

CharterOak New Models, New Service Model
In addition to the company's mic build quality, CharterOak's futuristic service-oriented attitude blew us away. Users can send their mics in to the manufacturer a year after purchase and the company will make user-defined mods. New models: the SA538, SA538B vocal mic, S600 cardioid stereo pair and E700 solid-state, large-diaphragm condenser.

Waves Mercury
Waves' Mercury drew a lot of attention. It's essentially a bundle of everything the company has put out, including the new V Series, which emulates the sound of much of a vintage console that everyone has been asking for. We'll leave it to our readers to figure this one out, as the company is being coy.

Korg MR-1000, MR-1
Korg showed the MR-1000 and MR-1 1-bit recorders, the latter a handheld field unit. The 1-bit recording is convertible to any type of PCM-based format. Great for archiving to the 20GB internal drives. The sound, at least on the show floor, was superb. Expect to see something available by February at around $999 for the MR-1000 or around $799 for the MR-1. Pricing is not yet finalized.

RMGI: Remember the Long Live Analog days from Emtec? Well, were back! RMG International has taken over the manufacturing and production of the Emtec lines of anlog tape. SM900, SM911, SM468 and LPR 35 are now available in the United States. We are shipping and trying to keep up with demand. The quaility is better than the old Emtec tapes, slitting is better and the surface is smoother, resulting in a lower modulation noise figure and fewer dropout. The frequency response is excellent.

Kevin Becka on SSL's Duality: I just got through podcasting Sam Wetmore over at the SSL booth in reference to their new Duality analog desk. The name refers to the fact that the console doubles as an SSL Superanalogue front end, plus a DAW controller. Think AWS900 nextgen. Alicia Keys' The Oven Studios will be the first facility to house the new desk. Keys' right hand and engineer Ann Miceli told us that they will be adding an extra floor to the facility for the console to call home. Be sure to check out the Mix podcast from Day 1 for more info.

Andy Deguara of A and D Studios (Sunnyvale, Calif., www.aanddstudios.com): Thank you! I am glad to be here at the AES Show once again! It is always a good time. So far this year it looks like it is going to be a big event. There are alot of people here already and it's only Friday morning. I was excited to find a new analog tape manufaturer here (RMG)! I am just getting started, but am looking foward to seeing all the new gear!

READ MORE BLOGS AT blog.mixonline.com/aes2006

• New Products Guide
• Survival Guide
• Nightly E-News
• Blog
• Tech Minutes
• Podcast