Already time for AES again! Man, time flies. Unfortunately I won’t be attending it this year. The worst part about that isn’t necessarily that I can’t go around molesting the latest gear, but that I’ll miss all the kickass parties I’ve been invited to! Oh well. I’ll of course do my best to cover the news, and hopefully some friendly dude or dudette will supply me with some floor footage as well (if you’re going and is interested, let me know).

In the meantime, here are some of the AES news that have dropped into my mailbox over the last few weeks.
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The 710 Twin-Finity Single Channel, Tube & Solid-State, Tone-Blending Preamp is a looker (but doesn’t look very UA). The main feature of this unit is the “Tone-Blending” knob which is continually variable from 100% Tube to 100% Solid-State. I got to say that I’m skeptic against these type of units, but who knows? It might be good. It’s supposedly aimed towards DAW users. The UA 710 Twin-Finity is designed and built in the USA, will have an MSRP of US$999, an estimated street price of US$799, and will include a single or dual-unit 19” pro rack mount kit. The 710 Twin-Finity will ship worldwide in July 2008.
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The ASP008 isn’t exactly new, but we have a new reviewer whom we need to break in! Thanks to ProToolerBlogs expansion into Germany we’re now honored with the presence of hardware-savvy Mister G. So I’ll let him take it from here. - stiff
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Or should I say “new, and not new”? Certainly things like the Genesys and 4081 is old news by now, but it seems like they’re finally getting close to a release. The 4081 looks great with it’s Neve Remote Control software. Basically every little thing on that unit can be controlled on your computer! But AMS-Neve also showed the new DMC console as well as CineFile.
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TK is the man behind the Vintage Design products which are based on earlier Neve models. Here’s two videos of him talking about the new ProPack.

This first video got a little messed up so I had to cut it. It’s really short but describes the essence of the ProPack.

This video was shot by George Necola and is a little more detailed.

Vintage Design

Universal Audio today announced the LA-610 Signature Edition, which is a limited run version of the best-selling LA-610 Channel Strip. Only 500 will be released worldwide of the Signature Edition which features US-made New Old-Stock (NOS) Tubes, CineMag(r) Transformers and a unique “blackface” cosmetic look complete with its own certificate of authenticity from Bill Putnam Jr. The LA-610 Signature Edition will have an MSRP of US$2399 and an estimated street price of US$1999 and is expected to be quickly snapped-up by audiophile enthusiasts when it ships in March 08.
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The PR8DS is a professional multi-channel pre-amp designed for applications where remote control is desired. Based on their best selling PR8E, the PR8DS features 8 channels of high-quality balanced microphone pre-amplification with independent 48v phantom power and peak led indicators. Analog connectivity is provided by way of 8 x balanced/unbalanced combo connector inputs on the front panel and 8 x balanced analog outputs (D-sub 25) on the rear.
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NAMM 2008 sees the unveiling of Focusrite’s new ‘ISA One’ microphone pre-amplifier. ISA One delivers Focusrite’s prestigious ISA transformer-based pre amp in a rugged and portable chassis, at a ground-breaking price.

ISA One features the classic vintage microphone pre-amplifier topology from the original ISA110 module, including the Lundahl L1538 transformer and bespoke zobel network. (The original 110 pre amp formed the cornerstone of each channel of Focusrite’s legendary Forte console.)
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TC-Helicon is pleased to announce the immediate availability of their professional rackmount voice processor, VoiceWorksPlus (you can read the previous post about it here).

The availability of the latest vocal harmony processor from TC-Helicon further satisfies the growing demand for intelligent harmony and vocal processing tools for live performance and professional studio applications. VoiceWorksPlus is available for at EUR 740 excl. VAT from TC-Helicon dealers.

VoiceWorksPlus features a complete suite of vocal processing from EQ, intelligent harmony, voice modeling, and TC-engineered studio effects to megaphone and distortions. The fourth generation intelligent harmony processing boasts more flexible and natural MIDI control, as well as new humanization technology.

Video examples of presets can be found online at www.tc-helicon.com/voiceworksplus.

TC-Helicon

The new, proprietary SPL RackPack modular system allows for free configuration of an analog rackfully loaded with all SPL specialties. Whether eight-channel preamp, effects rack or individual channel strip, the RackPack system allows for free configuration of analog racks according to individual needs in studio or live applications.
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