At the recent NAMM show, I was offered a sneak preview of the NTG3, which expands RØDE's shotgun microphone offerings with a premium, high-performance model. For broadcasting, film/video production and field music/effects recording, the NTG-3 represents the company's third-generation shotgun mic design. Its 10-inch-long, ¾-inch-diameter body is ideal for on-camera, boom or handheld use, with low handling noise and ultra-low self-noise performance (EIN is 13dBA, per IEC 651). Other specifications include a 40 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response; a sensitivity rating of -32dB (±1dB re 1V/Pa @ 1kHz); 130dB maximum SPL handling (1kHz, 1% THD into a 1k-ohm load) and a nominal impedance of 25 ohms. The externally-RF biased, true condenser capsule has a high level of RFI rejection and requires standard 48VDC phantom power.

This Australian-made mic ships with a mic clip, windscreen, carry pouch and storage/transport cylinder. Water resistant and nearly indestructible, the latter is an anodized aluminum tube that resembles a Maglite flashlight. Intended for rough field conditions, the cylinder's removeable threaded end caps provide easy access to the mic, which is kept protected within a foam inner lining. The NTG3 includes a 10-year warranty and has a street price of $599. Options include mini (33- to 81-inch) and full-size (33- to 120-inch) extendable boom poles, shock-mounts and a fur-style windshield.

For more information, visit the RØDE Website at www.rodemic.com.

For more information on new products announced at Winter NAMM 2008, click here.

HOLOPHONE(R) AND RYCOTE COLLABORATE ON WINDSCREENS FOR COMPANY'S COMPLETE MICROPHONE LINE

RF CENTRAL RFX-CMT-II CAMERA TRANSMITTERS CAPTURE NEW SIGNAL OPTIONS AT NAB 2008

Meet Bob Heil at Sound Image Nashville on March 4
On Tuesday, March 4, the founder of Heil Sound will be at Sound Image Nashville from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. for a very special talk about the company's groundbreaking microphone products. The event will feature live product demonstrations, discussions and a presentation of Heil Sound's long and storied history in the concert sound industry. Please R.S.V.P. to gbmcv@aol.com. Sound Image Nashville can be reached at 615/256-0528.

New NEXO Loudspeaker Listening Event in New England March 6-7
Acoustical consultants and sound system engineers in the New England area are invited to listen to and critique the new NEXO GEO S 1210/1230 Series compact loudspeaker array on Thursday, March 6 (from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.) and Friday, March 7 (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.). The event will be hosted by New England Audio Tech and Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems Inc. on behalf of NEXO, and will take place at 11 Industrial Way in Atkinson, N.H. For more information and to register, contact Yamaha district manager Martin Dombey at mdombey@yamaha.com or 800/322-4322 x9718. For more information on the NEXO GEO S 12 Series, visit www.yamahaca.com.

Check Out Mix's Coverage of GDC 2008
Take a look at Mix's Game Developers Conference 2008 site, where you'll get access to our blogs from the show floor, videos of hot products and announcements, our special "survival guide" to getting in and around San Francisco, and much more: http://mixonline.com/ms/gdc08.

Missed Winter NAMM?
Then check out http://emusician.com/ms/namm08, where you'll find the editors of EM, Mix and Remix's top hits—from video to podcasts, new product announcements to blogs and much more!

Game Audio Digital Magazine
Hey, game lovers! Put that Wii remote down before you sprain a thumb again and check out the latest in Mix's new Game Audio digital magazine. This new monthly mag brings you behind the scenes on creating sounds for today's hottest titles, from Guitar Hero to Splinter Cell and Call of Duty, plus hot gear news, tech pages and spotlights on audio pros like you who've made it big. And if that's not enough to make you look, we've thrown in some cool giveaways, if you can find 'em! To check out the current issue, click here!

Mix's New Nashville Columnist, Peter Cooper
The editors of Mix are happy to announce that Peter Cooper has signed on as the new writer of our "Nashville Skyline" column. Cooper will be reporting on all the studio business/session news from Music City, and he couldn't be more qualified for the job! Cooper is a talented music writer for the Nashville Tennesean, as well as a country music-history teacher, and a performing musician who can often be seen out playing bass for singer/songwriter Todd Snider.

Cooper's first column for Mix appears in our March issue, in which he reveals a few more details about his own career and then digs into one of the biggest projects to come out of Nashville in recent months: Vince Gill's Grammy-nominated, multidisc/multigenre album These Days. Check out "Skyline" in our March "Coast to Coast" section, and find out how Gill and producer/engineers Justin Niebank and Gill Hobbs managed to recording and mixing the album's 43 tracks!

Electronic Arts Tries to Snatch Take-Two
According to a report in Business Week, leading independent developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software Electronic Arts (EA) has made an offer to purchase publisher, developer and distributor Take-Two Interactive, and in the process, acquire the rights to Take-Two's most successful titles, Grand Theft Auto and games based on the exclusive Major League Baseball franchise. MORE.