Digital surround consoles are de rigueur these days, but from the manufacturing side, the demands are...well, demanding. More power, more inputs, more surround program outs- and half the price, naturally. Harrison countered with the Ikis-powered Trion, priced under $150k, and has sold four in Germany and a few more in Taipei over the last couple of months. SSL has renamed the C line to C100 HD and C300 HD, doubling the inputs to 512 and adding the workstation control that they introduced in the AWS line. Euphonix introduced S5 Fusion, bringing their MC control, System 5 resources and painting it all black for the post world. Studer showed Vista 8, upping the channel paths; Soundcraft showed Vi4, lowering the channel count for a more compact Vi6. And Calrec intro'd Omega, powered by Bluefin technology; it features 160 mono DSP paths (48 stereo and 64 mono). Jon Gluck also let it be known that this was all made possible with the use of FPGAs, which they've been using in the Alpha and Sigma lines. This push toward smaller footprints works for stations and it works for the coming wave of smaller to mid-sized HD trucks. As one sage said, "Think about how many college football games are going to want to be in HD over the next three years."

BIAS PEAK PRO 6
Peak Pro 6 editing/processing/mastering/delivery software features a redesign of the GUI, and enhancements to the playlist, including new cross fades and the ability to tweak volume envelopes. Other interesting features include Pitch Envelope, Convolve Envelope, Perpetual Looper and Vbox Link. The new version will ship this summer and a variety of upgrade paths are available. Retail is $599. NAB booth: SL14716.
www.bias-inc.com

PRISM SOUND ORPHEUS
UK converter specialists Prism Sound are showing their new affordable Firewire interface for computer-based studios. Orpheus offers eight analog recording inputs, eight monitoring outputs, plus S/PDIF and TOSlink/ADAT optical ports, for a total of 18 I/O channels. There are four digitally controlled mic preamps and a powerful built-in digital mixer, which, like most Orpheus features, can be controlled from the host computer. Orpheus runs under Windows XP or Vista and Mac OS 10.4 or higher. NAB booth: N3116.
www.prismsound.com

AUDIO-TECHNICA 2-CHANNEL CAMERA-MOUNT WIRELESS
Designed for the simultaneous use of two mics, the new 1800 Series dual-channel camera-mount UHF wireless include plug-on and/or bodypack transmitters, plus a True Diversity dual-channel receiver. The dual-receiver's internal mixer, balanced outputs and independent level controls offer sophisticated mixing and monitoring possibilities. Other features include crystal-clear audio quality, automatic frequency scanning, 996 UHF frequencies (selectable in 25kHz steps), ToneLock™ squelch and headphone monitor output (independent level control). Single-channel systems are also available. NAB booth: N4526.
www.audio-technica.com

MACKIE HR MK2 MONITORS
The new THX-approved HR824mk2 and HR624mk2 monitors are designed for the demands of the modern studio. The HRmk2's new Zero Edge Baffle™ minimizes diffraction for a crystal-clear mix image, while its optimized waveguide delivers wide, even dispersion and full, articulate mids. Coupled with the passive radiator, the new baffle design also ensures tight, articulate bass extension. NAB booth: SL9208.
www.mackie.com

SSL C100 HD, C100 HD-S CONSOLES
Solid State Logic's acclaimed C100 digital broadcast console has evolved to become the C100 HD with new Version 4 software that delivers an enhanced feature set and a significant boost in processing power. The C100 HD is joined by the C100 HD-S, a smaller form-factor console designed for space-limited applications. The new C100 HD range is further enhanced by the addition of a new smaller front-loading Processor option, the Centuri HD-S. NAB booth: N2526.
www.solid-state-logic.com

One Size Fits All
Okay. Ever run into a piece of gear that does SO MUCH that it's hard to get a handle on? Me Either! That is until I ran into Denon's DN-C640. It not only plays every format known to man, but it can play across a network and much much more. MORE

Go Go Dio
For more than a year, we've been talking about our new, high-speed audio distribution platform, Pro64. We started shipping the line-level boxes of the series last month and, now, we're introducing the key to unlock the whole package - the 6416dio digital i/o module. --Jason Frenchman, Aviom MORE

SSL Never Stops
The entire C-line, the 100, 200 and 300, have been upgraded and expanded to showcase the HD capabilities with new V4.0 software, additional MORSE routing capabilities, updated Century processing, and DAW control across all of them, incorporating the technology first introduced in the AWS 900 and put on steroids with Duality. MORE

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