Flow Studios, a new recording facility based in France’s Loire Valley, has opened with a 32-channel Solid State Logic Origin analog in-line console in its control room. Nodal+Antoine Huot
Loire Valley, France (January 8, 2021) — Flow Studios, a new recording facility based in France’s Loire Valley, has opened with a 32-channel Solid State Logic Origin analog in-line console in its control room.
Studio owner Luke Aaron Clark reportedly built the studio control room to accommodate the Origin desk. The studio itself was designed by John Brandt, took three years to complete and involved modifying an old town hall.
“What I love about the Origin is that it gives me the ability to work with one artist in the control room, or to have a band or larger group spread out throughout the studio, with all instruments recorded simultaneously,” says Clark. “As a commercial studio owner, I wanted to create a beautiful space where an engineer or producer can get to work quickly. Thankfully, the engineering and design behind Origin is very intuitive.
“The SSL Origin is set up as fully patchable, which provides a highly flexible workflow throughout the studio. We have 96 patchable audio lines accessed via wall panels located throughout the facility, while we also use the intelligent and intuitive bus routing on the SSL Origin to manage our dedicated hearback system.”
Clark says the console can create a comprehensive workflow: “For tracking, if someone wants to get a session up and running quickly, they can run everything through the desk and it all sounds harmonious,” he explains. “After tracking, the desk, outboard gear or trusted plug-ins can be employed for mixing.”
He adds, “I was already familiar with the snarl and crunch of the E series 242-type EQ. It gives some added weight and the ability to fine-tune during or after tracking. And the glue you get from the classic bus compressor is indispensable.”
Studio A at 5 Star Production Studios in Atlanta is centered around an SSL AWS948 delta console.
Atlanta, GA (December 22, 2020)—At the 5 Star Production Studios complex in Atlanta, engineers and producers use the DAW control and automation capabilities of Solid State Logic mixing consoles to keep pace with prolific rapper Future and other artists as they work around the clock.
Since springing onto the Atlanta trap scene in 2010, Future has delivered eight solo full-length releases, six collaborative albums plus numerous mixtapes and other projects. Three years ago, Future moved his team into a building that had originally been producer and songwriter Dallas Austin’s DARP facility, which he opened in 1993. “We took it over and did a whole renovation, top to bottom,” says Eric Manco, Future’s Grammy-winning engineer.
Through his former colleagues at South Beach Studios in Miami, where he used to work, Manco contacted SSL’s regional sales representative and ordered an AWS 948 δelta for the A room, an XL-Desk for the B room, and two Nucleus consoles, for the C and D rooms. While rap and hip-hop productions typically require minimal channel counts during the tracking phase, Manco says having the AWS 948 in the A room is necessary when it comes to mixdown. “There’s nothing like having a board,” he says.
Manco, who trained at Full Sail University in Florida, prefers to work on a compact desk, he says. “My main problem with using a big board is I don’t want to be running around from one side to the other. But with the AWS, I have 48 faders in the space of 24 channels. The fact that I have everything within reach, and I can control 48 channels if I really need to, is insane.”
But it’s the AWS 948’s hardware control of Pro Tools and plug-in integration via SSL’s δelta-Control software that Manco finds most useful during tracking sessions. “Having the digital control side is really the main reason I got the board. It’s cool to be hands-on with stuff,” he says.
In the B room, says Manco, the ability to select outboard processing directly from the XL-Desk speeds up the workflow, too. “Being able to do inserts on your mixes without having to patch out — you just hit a button — makes it easier for people to discover the benefits of analog. And the faster you can get this stuff done, the better,” he says.
Belly of the Beast in South London has become the first facility in the U.K. to install an AMS Neve 8424 console.
Burnley, UK (December 2, 2020)—Belly of the Beast, a studio in South London owned by Nick Cage, producer and manager of Dizzee Rascal, has become the first facility in the U.K. to install an AMS Neve 8424 console.
“For studios like ours, where you have a large and varied collection of preamps, EQs and interesting bits of outboard gear, this desk is ideal because it provides a very logical system to bring all of those elements together,” says producer, mix engineer and studio manager James Rand.
“We now have an architecture where we can route our preamps directly into the console and send the sound wherever we need it. This makes life a lot more exciting because what used to be a faff to set up is now much simpler and easier,” says Rand.
The studio was set up as a private facility but in recent years — certainly since James Rand and musician/engineer Raf Rundell began working there — it has become an end-to-end facility where artists have access to a team of writers, session musicians and engineers who can handle all aspects of their projects, from recording through to mixing and mastering.
The studio pre-ordered the desk prior to its release in June, following an in-depth demo that highlighted its full range of features. The decision to replace Cage’s old TL Audio VTC console with the Neve 8424 was part of a longer-term plan to attract more commercial projects, Rand explains.
“We already do a lot of mixing and that part of our business became even more important during lockdown, so having a console with reliable recall was an imperative,” he says. “The arrival of the new desk gave us the opportunity to reorganize the studio and all our racks so that we could create an environment that really supports artists and allows them to get some wicked work done.”
Since installing the Neve 8424, Rand has used the desk on a number of projects including mixes for artists such as Lapsely, Sega Bodega, Mykki Blanco and Beatrice Dillon.
A new 32-channel Solid State Logic Origin analog in-line mixing console has been installed at Republic Records Studios in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles, CA (December 1, 2020)—Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group (UMG), has installed a new 32-channel Solid State Logic Origin analog in-line mixing console at its 6,000-square-foot Republic Records Studios facility in Los Angeles.
The label opened Republic Records Studios in 2017 and in the first year of operation produced projects by a host of label artists, including The Weeknd, Metro Boomin, Amine and others. The facility has produced six #1 albums over the last 18 months. The building encompasses a tracking space large enough for a medium-sized orchestra, two control rooms and four production suites.
Earlier this year, Rob Christie, Republic Records studio director since the facility opened, elected to replace Studio A’s aging mixing console with a new SSL Origin. With so many Top-40 artists and their production teams coming through the room, he wanted to eliminate any maintenance issues in the space. “One thing that we need on a session is reliability,” he says. “I need to know that everything is going to work, and that it’s laid out nicely and easily for access, speed and reliability.”
The in-house technical staff wired and installed the Origin console, which Republic Records acquired from Ferndale, MI-based Vintage King. “The SSL is just plug-and-play; it’s ready to go,” says Christie. During the installation, the control room front wall was customized to accommodate a soffited pair of Augspurger main monitors, complemented by a pair of 18-inch subwoofers positioned behind the console. Pairs of ATC SM45A Pro reference monitors and Yamaha NS-10s nearfield speakers are additionally available.
The technical staff also added a bay at both sides of the Origin. One houses a patchbay and the other contains a selection of outboard processing units, including several preamplifiers, equalizers, compressors and limiters.
Republic Records was honored as the top Billboard Hot 100 label for a sixth year in a row at the beginning of 2020 as a result of the success of artists including Ariana Grande, Post Malone, the Jonas Brothers, Drake and Taylor Swift. Billboard also named Republic Records the overall label of the year for the fourth time in five years.
2020 will be remembered as the year we’d like to forget, but when 2021 is recalled one day as the year everything bounced back, much of that will be due to groundwork laid down in the preceding 12 months. That includes the pro-audio industry—next year, when live events and concerts return, new hits rule the airwaves and the latest must-hear podcasts land in your listening queue, many of them will be created using pro-audio equipment that was introduced over the last 12 months. With that in mind, here’s the Gear of the Year for 2020.
So what was the Gear of the Year? That’s not an easy thing to determine, so rather than weigh a hot new plug-in against an arena-filling P.A. or an audio console years in development, we decided to let our readers show the way.
Product announcements have always been among the most popular stories on prosoundnetwork.com, so we dug through our Google Analytics (readership statistics), sifting through all the “new product” stories we ran 2020 (well into the triple digits!) to determine which ones were the most popular with PSN readers. With that in mind, here’s the Gear of the Year that YOU unknowingly picked—a true Top-20 for 2020.
YAMAHA RIVAGE PM5
1. YAMAHA RIVAGE PM3 AND PM5 DIGITAL MIXING SYSTEMS
This dual product launch in May was far and away the most popular product announcement of 2020 with our readers. Yamaha introduced two consoles—the PM5 and PM3—as well as a pair of DSP engines—DSPRX and DSP-RX-EX—and version 4 firmware that provides features to new and legacy Rivage systems.
Both of the new consoles feature large capacitive touchscreens that allow users to use multi-finger gestures, with the PM5 sporting three screens and the PM3 getting one. As with their predecessors, the PM5 and PM3 sport 38 faders—three bays of 12, with two masters—but each of the new control surfaces is laid out with an eye toward increased efficiency.
2. SOLID STATE LOGIC 2 AND 2+ USB AUDIO INTERFACES Solid State Logic unveiled its first personal studio-market products—the USB-powered SSL 2 (2-in/2-out) and SSL 2+ (2-in/4-out) audio interfaces—at the Winter NAMM Show. The 2+ in particular caught our readers’ eyes, with a 4K analog enhancement mode “inspired by classic SSL consoles,” monitoring and an SSL Production Pack software bundle. Offering expanded I/O for musicians collaborating, it includes two analog mic preamps, 24-bit/192 kHz AD/DA AKM converters, multiple headphone outputs with independent monitor mix, MIDI I/O, and additional unbalanced outputs for DJ mixers.
3. JBL 4349 STUDIO MONITOR
The JBL 4349 studio monitor is a compact, high-performance monitor loudspeaker built around the JBL D2415K dual 1.5-inch compression driver mated to a large format, High-Definition Imaging (HDI) horn, paired with a 12-inch cast-frame and pure-pulp cone woofer. The JBL D2415K compression driver features a pair of lightweight polymer annular diaphragms with reduced diaphragm mass, while the V-shaped geometry of the annular diaphragm reduces breakup modes, eliminates time smear and reduces distortion, according to JBL.
4. APPLE LOGIC PRO X 10.5 Apple updated Logic Pro X with a “professional” version of Live Loops, new sampling features and new and revamped beatmaking tools. Live Loops lets users arrange loops, samples and recordings on a grid to build musical ideas, which can then be further developed on Logic’s timeline. Remix FX brings effects to Live Loops that can be used in real time, while the updated Sampler augments the EXS24 plug-in with new sound shaping controls. Other new tools include Quick Sampler, Step Sequencer, Drum Synth and Drum Machine Designer.
5. AMS NEVE 8424 CONSOLE
The AMS Neve 8424 is a small-format desk based on the 80-series console range. Intended for hybrid studios, the desk provides a center point between analog outboard gear, synths and the like, and the digital world of DAW workflows, software plug-ins and session recall. As an analog mixing platform, the 8424 offers 24 DAW returns across 24 channel faders or, for larger DAW sessions, a 48-Mix mode that allows a total of 48 mono inputs with individual level and pan controls to be mixed through the stereo mix bus.
6. MILLENNIA MEDIA HV-316 MIC PREAMP Millennia Media bowed its fully remote-controllable microphone preamplifier, the HV-316. Offering 12V battery operation, the HV-316 is housed in a 10-pound, 1U aluminum chassis housing 16 channels of Millennia HV-3 microphone preamplifiers with simultaneous analog and Dante 32-bit/192 kHz Ethernet outputs. Other digital audio output options are planned, including USB and MADI. The unit is designed for high-temperature continuous operation (up to 150° F), is powered by both 12V DC and worldwide 80–264V AC, and features “pi filter” shielding on audio and digital feeds to prevent interference.
7. SHURE SLX-D DIGITAL WIRELESS SYSTEM
The Shure SLX-D, offered in single- and dual-channel models, provides operation of up to 32 channels per frequency band. Transmitters run on standard AA batteries or an optional lithium-ion rechargeable battery solution with a dual-docking charging station. For less technically inclined users, it offers Guided Frequency Setup and a Group Scan feature that sets up multiple channels by assigning frequencies to all receivers automatically via Ethernet connections, allowing a 30-plus channel system can be set up via Group Scan within a few seconds.
8. MEYER SOUND SPACEMAP GO
The Meyer Sound Spacemap Go is a free Apple iPad app for spatial sound design and mixing. Working with the company’s Galaxy Network Platform, Spacemap Go can control Galaxy processors using a single or multiple iPads as long as the units have current firmware and Compass control software. Spacemap Go is compatible with various sound design/show control programs such as QLab, so designs assembled using them can be implemented into a multichannel spatial mix using Spacemap Go’s templates for common multichannel configurations.
9. D&B AUDIOTECHNIK 44S LOUDSPEAKER
Housed in a flush-mountable cabinet, the d&b audiotechnik 44S is a two-way passive, point source installation loudspeaker with 2 x 4.5-inch neodymium LF drivers and 2 x 1.25-inch HF dome tweeters, delivering a frequency response of 90 Hz–17 kHz. The 44S features a waveguide and baffle design intended to provide horizontal dispersion down to the lower frequencies while being focused vertically, providing a 90° x 30° dispersion pattern to direct sound to specific spaces.
10. BEYERDYNAMIC TG D70 AND TG 151 MICS Beyerdynamic made two additions to its Touring Gear (TG) series. The second-generation TG D70 dynamic kickdrum mic is meant for capturing the impact of bass drums and similar low-frequency-intensive instruments, while the TG 151 instrument mic is a lean microphone with a short shaft that can be used on everything from snares and toms to brass instruments and guitar amplifiers.
11. QSC Q-SYS CORE PROCESSORS QSC’s Q-SYS Core 8 Flex and Nano audio, video and control processors provide scalable DSP processing, video routing and bridging for web conferencing, as well as third-party endpoint integration without the need for separate dedicated control processors. The 8 Flex includes onboard analog audio I/O and GPIO plus network I/O, while Nano offers network-only audio I/O processing and control.
12. TELEFUNKEN TF11 MICROPHONE Telefunken‘s TF11 is the company’s first phantom-powered large-diaphragm condenser mic. The CK12-style edge-terminated capsule is a single-membrane version of the capsule featured in the TF51, and the amplifier is a proprietary take on the FET mic amplifier similar to the M60, coupled with a custom large-format nickel-iron core transformer.
13. L-ACOUSTICS K3 LOUDSPEAKER
K3 is a compact loudspeaker from L-Acoustics that is intended as a main system to cover up to 10,000 people, or for use as outfills or delays for K1 or K2 systems. Designed as a full-range line source, K3 integrates 12-inch transducers for large-format system performance in the form factor of a 10-inch design.
14. CLEAR-COM HEADSET SANITIZATION KITS Clear-Com has sanitization kits for its CC-300, CC-400, CC-110, CC-220 and CC-26K headsets. They include replacement ear pads, pop filters, sanitizing wipes, ear sock covers and temple pads in a cloth bag. Items for each kit vary depending on the headset, and can also be purchased separately.
15. ZOOM PODTRAK P8 PODCAST STUDIO
The Zoom PodTrak P8 provides recording, editing and mixing capabilities all in one unit. Six mics, a smartphone and PC can be recorded simultaneously, each with its own fader and preamp with 70 dB of gain. A touchscreen controls monitoring, adjusting, onboard editing and more.
16. WAVES SHIPS KALEIDOSCOPES PLUG-IN Waves’ Kaleidoscopes plug-in creates classic analog studio effects such as 1960s phasing and tape flanging, 1970s stadium tremolo-guitar vibes and 1980s chorus sounds.
17. OUTLINE STADIA 28 LINE ARRAY SYSTEM
The Outline Stadia 28 is a medium-throw system intended for use in permanent outdoor installations. A single enclosure weighs 46.2 pounds and can reportedly reach 139 dB SPL.
18. LAB.GRUPPEN FA SERIES AMPLIFIERS Lab.gruppen‘s FA Series Energy Star-certified amplifiers are intended for commercial and industrial applications, and are offered in 2 x 60W, 2 x 120W and 2 x 240W.
19. D.W. FEARN VT-2 PREAMPLIFIER
The updated D.W. Fearn VT-2 Dual-Channel Vacuum Tube Microphone Preamplifier now features an integrated, switchable 43 dB pad, aiding patching into a master bus.
20. KEF LS50 META SPEAKER
Our Gear of the Year list concludes with the LS50, featuring KEF’s Metamaterial Absorption Technology driver array, a cone neck decoupler, offset flexible bass port, low-diffraction curved baffle and more.
The audio needs at this year’s World Rowing Championships included live and streaming sound, eight commentary channels in multiple languages, wireless mics for the medal ceremonies and music playback—all handled on one console.
Poznan, Poland (November 30, 2020)—There are nautical enthusiasts who may row, row, row their boat gently down the stream—but they are nowhere to be found at the World Rowing Championships. The word “gently” doesn’t appear either, because the event draws the best athletic rowers from around the world and the competition is fierce. The three-day rowing regatta is the annual culmination of the sport, bringing with it all the drama and excitement that one might expect as boats tear their way across aquatic expanses in record time. Ensuring that all in-person spectators at this year’s edition, held on Lake Malta in Poznan, Poland in October, could hear the commentary and become immersed in the experience was audio engineer Marcin Baran of MTS Studio, who mixed the event on an Allen & Heath SQ-5 console.
Baran chose the SQ-5 to handle all live and streaming sound, including eight commentary channels in multiple languages, wireless mics for the medal ceremonies and music playback. The SQ-5 was fitted with an SLink card, giving Baran the extra SLink port needed to deploy independent GX4816 and DX168 I/O expanders. One expander fed the various zones of the lakeside complex, while the second fed the main PA in the medals area as well as multiple speaker zones in the stands, with help from the built-in delays on the SQ’s busses. Further mixes were sent to commentators’ headphones, to two separate livestreams and to an OB van.
As heats started on the far side of the lake and ended 2 km from the spectators, a key challenge was to give fans in the grandstands and viewers at home a sense of immersion in the races. A submix of ambient mics captured the waterside sounds and starting signal from the start line, sent via old analog cables laid under the lakebed many years ago. The signal proved quite noisy, so Marcin connected a laptop running Waves X-Noise Native via the SQ’s USB port to identify and tackle the problem frequencies. Once the boats were underway, feeds from ambient mics from cameras mounted on a boat that followed the athletes, keeping the audience in contact with the action on the lake.
With so many different elements to stay across, automation and streamlining of workflows were essential, as Baran noted, “I created one group for all commentators that didn’t feed into any of the mixes, but triggered the duckers on all music inputs. I used an analog Bettermaker mastering limiter for the streaming and I used eight instances of SQ’s DynEQ4 dynamic EQ on all the commentator channels. With the mixer set up in this way, everything practically mixed itself, leaving my hands free to look after the music. For me, the SQ is a small, handy mixer with enormous possibilities. I love using this mixer on tour with bands, also SQ-5 is the heart of my mobile recording studio setup.”
New South Wales, Australia (November 24, 2020)—Damien Gerard Studios became Australia’s first client for the new Solid State Logic Origin after relocating to West Gosford in New South Wales.
“Once we had completed the move into the new larger facility, the old Soundcraft 2400 series console was probably our weak link compared to the quality we had elsewhere in our outboard and mic inventory, which had upgraded considerably with the move,” explains studio manager Marshall Cullen. “My new business partner Jason Stenning and I began looking at vintage consoles that might be available — including Sylvia Massy’s old Neve in the USA — but the economics of it didn’t stack up.”
Cullen had reportedly heard good things about the Origin, and was swayed by the advantages of buying a new console, including a warranty and a modern power supply design. Local AV distributor Amber Technology organized the testing and delivery of the new desk. Since the day Damien Gerard’s new control room came online, the studio has been busy with tracking, mixing and mastering, as well as hosting solo artists and voiceover sessions.
The studio’s large live room, which can accommodate 20 or more musicians, has recently done a number of sessions with people live streaming or recording and filming live for post production. “Having the workflow of the console with 64 faders in front of you, the split paths and being able to fly different ins and outs where it’s needed has really helped those sessions,” says Cullen. “Also having an engineer on the left-hand side of masters and plenty more faders for a producer or assistant on the right-hand side has been a great boon.”
House of Glass Studio in Tuscany recently installed a new Solid State Logic Duality console with a new System T.
Tuscany, Italy (November 12, 2020)—Italian producer/remixer Gianni Bini, owner of Viareggio-based recording studio House of Glass in Tuscany and one of the prime movers behind the Ocean Trax record label, has replaced a 10-year-old Solid State Logic Duality with a new System T.
The original House of Glass was destroyed in the tragic Viareggio railway disaster in 2009 and, as part of the rebuilding process, Bini decided to place a SSL Duality console at the new studio’s heart. A decade on, it became time to replace it and he found himself on the verge of signing a deal for a different brand.
“I really wanted to stay analogue and I was about sign the deal for a new analogue console when two things happened,” he says. “The first thing is that at the end of last year, I signed a huge contract for 100 albums to be produced in the next five years. And the only way to produce 100 albums in five years, is to record it live. I needed something that was going to be able to do that and manage the throughput.
“The second thing was that I heard System T,” he continues. “This console is closer to the SSL 4000 than the Duality is. I don’t know what they did, because this is a computer, but they did it. I wanted some input from people that I trust—and I expected them to come in and say, ‘No, no no, digital is no good, don’t buy it’—but they came in, listened to it, and they said, ‘Wow, this is fantastic, the sound is brilliant.’ The word they used was ‘stellar.’”
The new installation at the House of Glass consists of a 64-channel SSL System T S500 surface, Tempest Engines and Network I/O AoIP stage boxes, featuring SSL’s SuperAnalogue mic pre technology.
Bini has found that the System T has come in handy has he tackles the mammoth 100-album project. “I did 10 albums in two and a half months because the console let me do it,” he says. “I do a set up and I can save it, and when the next band comes, if I use the same mics, then it’s already saved. The gains are already done, the workflow is already done…it’s very quick.”
Fremont, CA (November 11, 2020)—Blackmagic Design has launched a new 12-fader Fairlight Desktop Console with integrated HDMI interface.
The Fairlight Desktop Console, available in December, is intended for new users, smaller studios, commercials, online and independent work, according to the manufacturer. It features a familiar mixer design with 12 motorized faders, control knobs and illuminated buttons for channel identification. The built-in HDMI output lets customers connect a display, giving them the same interactive graphical feedback of audio status and metering as larger Fairlight consoles.
The surface includes transport buttons and a jog shuttle wheel, enabling users to move around the timeline and navigate clips, scrub, start or stop playback, or jump to a new position. The controls are logically grouped, says the company, allowing the user to keep a hand in one position to quickly navigate the timeline from end to end or anywhere in between. The search dial can also be used for timeline zooming, clip levels and more.
By default, the console works in Strip Mode, giving customers one channel strip per track. Focus Mode lets customers assign all of the select buttons and knobs on the console to work on the parameters or plug-ins for a single track.
Customers can add an HDMI display to see an extensive graphical display of everything happening on the console without having to open pop-up windows on top of their timeline. For example, when customers adjust EQ settings, its interface will be displayed on the screen as customers turn the knob.
Fairlight HDMI monitor interface
Blackmagic Design also announced a new Fairlight HDMI monitor interface that lets customers use any HDMI or SDI television or computer monitor with the large Fairlight Studio Consoles.
“Fairlight LCD monitors have a graphics processing engine built-in,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design’s CEO, “so it means you cannot simply swap out the monitor with a custom monitor. However, now we have taken the graphics processor and packaged it into a low-cost converter that customers can use with any display.”
Mobile TV Group (MTVG) has added a third FLEX mobile unit to its fleet of 30-plus OB trucks, equipping 47 FLEX with Calrec digital audio products.
Denver, CO (November 2, 2020)—Denver-based live production company Mobile TV Group (MTVG) has added a third FLEX mobile unit to its fleet of 30-plus OB trucks, equipping 47 FLEX with Calrec digital audio products and MTVG’s new Cloud Control capability.
The new 47 FLEX truck, along with its sister vehicles 45 FLEX and 46 FLEX, takes full advantage of Calrec’s Artemis digital audio console, with audio-over-IP capabilities via Calrec’s H2-IP Gateway technology. The new dual-trailer units’ infrastructures are all based around the Grass Valley Kayenne K-Frame X IP switcher, an Evertz 384-port EXE 2.0 IP router and an Evertz Magnum control system, to offer 1080p capacity.
The three latest FLEX units are dual-trailer outfits, with 53-foot expanding trailers (to 16’ 6” wide) for unit A, and 53-foot long (8’ 6” wide) for Unit B VMU trailers. 47 FLEX serves the Marquee Sports Network, home of the Chicago Cubs. Mobile TV Group is also building a 48 FLEX OB truck, which is a 53-foot expandable unit and will also house a Calrec Artemis.
Mobile TV Group predominantly services the U.S. sports markets, with units spread across the country, each run by around 50 engineers. The current count of 30-plus mobile units, including 15 dual-trailer rigs (Unit A and VMU-Unit B) that can run the group’s ‘dual-feed’ production concept — operations for both home and visiting teams from two spaces but with shared technical resources.
2020 will be remembered as the year we’d like to forget, but when 2021 is recalled one day as the year everything bounced back, much of that will be due to groundwork laid down in the preceding 12 months. That includes the pro-audio industry—next year, when live events and concerts return, new hits rule the airwaves and the latest must-hear podcasts land in your listening queue, many of them will be created using pro-audio equipment that was introduced over the last 12 months. With that in mind, here’s the Gear of the Year for 2020.
4. APPLE LOGIC PRO X 10.5
5. AMS NEVE 8424 CONSOLE
6. MILLENNIA MEDIA HV-316 MIC PREAMP
7. SHURE SLX-D DIGITAL WIRELESS SYSTEM
8. MEYER SOUND SPACEMAP GO
9. D&B AUDIOTECHNIK 44S LOUDSPEAKER
10. BEYERDYNAMIC TG D70 AND TG 151 MICS
11. QSC Q-SYS CORE PROCESSORS 
12. TELEFUNKEN TF11 MICROPHONE
13. L-ACOUSTICS K3 LOUDSPEAKER
14. CLEAR-COM HEADSET SANITIZATION KITS
15. ZOOM PODTRAK P8 PODCAST STUDIO 
16. WAVES SHIPS KALEIDOSCOPES PLUG-IN 
17. OUTLINE STADIA 28 LINE ARRAY SYSTEM
18. LAB.GRUPPEN FA SERIES AMPLIFIERS
19. D.W. FEARN VT-2 PREAMPLIFIER 
20. KEF LS50 META SPEAKER
New South Wales, Australia (November 24, 2020)—Damien Gerard Studios became Australia’s first client for the new Solid State Logic Origin after relocating to West Gosford in New South Wales.
