Fela Davis

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SPL Marc One Monitoring and Recording Controller – A Real-World Review

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Fela Davis

New York, NY (April 30, 2021)—The SPL Marc One Monitoring and Recording Controller is a beast, providing high-end quality whether you’re listening back or putting down tracks. It offers three monitoring modes, a 32-bit AD/DA converter and a smart, user-friendly design.

For this review, we connected it to our Kali IN-8s and Neumann KH 120s studio monitors via USB to the DAW, but it was impressing us before we even turned it on. First of all, its heavy-duty metal frame body and actual weight give you a hint of the quality you’re about to hear. All knobs and toggle switches are weighted, supporting the impression of a high-end product.

The first toggle switch on the left side of the device controls the two sets of studio monitors and has an off position in the middle. Position A on the toggle includes the subwoofer if you have one, while the off position is silent. There’s no bleed into your monitors in any switch position.

SPL Ships Control One, Marc One Monitor Controllers

Next is the volume knob. It takes up a lot of real estate but it’s ultimately the reason I love this controller. It provides lots of ways to tweak your outputs that we will get into later. You’ll use this knob the most, and the even volume response sounds amazing.

The second toggle switch gives you the option to listen in mono, stereo or channel swap, which reverses the stereo image so you can hear everything that’s going on with your mix. There are light indicators for left and right monitor distortion to help protect your monitors.

When the monitor knob is centered, all input signals are equally loud; turn to the left and the analog stereo inputs get louder while the USB input signal gets quieter. Turning from the center to the right does the opfeposite, all helping to tweak your system to deliver the perfect volume for mixing. There’s also a headphone volume knob and a cross-feed knob so you can blind-hear the studio monitors and headphones together for more listening options. The amount of depth from the headphone amp to our studio headphones, Sennheiser HD 800s, opened my ears to new things in our mixes.

Fela had more to say about the SPL Marc One on a recent episode of her podcast, The Art Of Music Tech.

Now to the back of the unit. First is a heavy-duty on/off switch that looks like it can stand up to years of use. Next to it are two dip switches: 1 provides a 10 dB pad on your studio monitor sources, while 2 is a Rec 1+2, which mixes together both line inputs and allows you to record them together via USB in mono. Both dip switches are easy to flip without requiring a tool or a long fingernail to use.

All of the TS and TRS inputs and outputs on the back of the unit stick out for better grounding. The USB connection is class-compliant, which means that all Mac computers and iOS devices like iPads and iPhones can use the full performance bandwidth of the 32-bit AD/DA converter without driver installation. (iOS devices will need the camera adapter to connect, however.) For Windows, you’ll only have to install a driver (downloadable on the SPL site) if you need higher sample rates. The USB connection will connect to your DAW for superb studio monitor playback at very high resolutions— for example, DSD4 and DSD256 (11.2 MHz) are supported.

Over the course of our review period, we found the amazing resolution and high-quality build combined perfectly in use as we toggled seamlessly between studio monitors and headphones to listen to mixes. Used as a monitor controller, SPL got the layout perfect for muscle-memory mixing, with the monitor toggle switch and volume knob ideally located for quick adjustments while listening. When you consider that it’s also an interface for recording, able to record high-resolution audio from 10 Hz to 200 kHz, the $799 price tag is worth it. The SPL Marc One is now a staple in our studio and workflow.

SPL Audio • www.spl.audio

Fela Davis is a 2019 Hall of Fame inductee at Full Sail University. She owns 23dB Productions and One of One Productions Studio, which specializes in podcasting, video, and music production. Clients include the Holding Court with Eboni K. Williams podcast, SiriusXM, Atlantic Records, iHeartRadio and numerous Grammy Award-winning musicians. www.oneofoneproductions.com.

World News

Podcasting Pros Ready for Pro Audio & Radio Tech Summit

Posted on March 18, 2021March 25, 2021 by Clive Young

podcast panel New York, NY (March 17, 2021)—A panel of top podcasting professionals will share their insights and knowledge at the upcoming Pro Audio & Radio Tech Summit on April 1. Produced jointly by Mix magazine, Pro Sound News and Radio World, the event is a free one-day virtual trade show where radio and pro audio professionals can learn about new products and technology and network with colleagues and manufacturers.

Podcasts have exploded in popularity over the last five years, inspiring millions of people to start their own shows, in part due to the low cost of entry-level audio gear. In reality, however, the DIY days of podcasting are long gone; today, audio quality is a crucial factor in building and keeping your audience. In the kickoff panel, Podcasting: ‘Good Enough’ Audio Is Not Good Enough, Chris Crump of Comrex Corporation, Fela Davis of One of One Productions, Dallas Taylor of the hit podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz, and Frank Verderosa of Digital Arts NY, will share their insights and real-world experiences, discussing superior audio tools, developing and applying best practices, and more.

Registration for the free event is open.

Chris Crump has served as the Sr. Director of Sales & Marketing for Comrex since 2004. In 1987, he began his professional radio career at ABC/Cap Cities Detroit before taking the Features Editor position at MediaBase Research/Monday Morning Replay. On-air, remote broadcast engineer, Creative Services Director roles followed for Capitol Broadcasting (subsequently Paxson Communications) in Orlando and the Ron & Ron Radio Network in Tampa/St. Petersburg. In 1996, Crump moved to the manufacturing side of the broadcast business performing sales & marketing roles for Spectral, Inc., Euphonix, Symetrix and Klotz Digital America. Crump resides in Buford, Georgia (outside of Atlanta) with his wife Seval, 15 year-old daughter Zara and their Affenpinscher Olive. He is a CBNE certified member of SBE Chapter 5 in Atlanta as well an Assistant Scoutmaster with Troops 597 and 5597 in Dacula, GA.

Fela Davis is a graduate of Full Sail University with 20 years of experience in audio engineering and inducted into the University’s Hall of Fame in 2020. Her live mixing experience includes Ron Carter, Brian Blade, Jose Feliciano, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Bilal. She is front of house engineer for six-time Grammy Award winner Christian McBride, mixing sold-out shows across Asia, Europe, Canada, and America. Fela records, mixes, and edits at her One of One Productions Studio located 5 minutes from NYC in Fort Lee, NJ. The One of One Productions studio also specializes in podcast recordings for top 200 Apple Podcasts like Holding Court with Eboni K. Williams and The Art of Music Tech Podcast that she hosts with her business partner, Dennis. The Art of Music Tech Podcast highlights the latest in audio gear, mixing techniques, and interviews with top audio engineers, musicians, and producers (Leslie Ann Jones, Jeff Bova, Jett Galindo, Patrick Smith) about their journey in audio. It’s also featured with many of her writings for Pro Sound News Magazine & Podcast Pro Newsletters.

Dallas Taylor is the host and creator of Twenty Thousand Hertz, a lovingly crafted podcast revealing the stories behind the world’s most recognizable and interesting sounds. Dallas is also the Creative Director of Defacto Sound, where he has led thousands of high-profile projects ranging from blockbuster trailers and advertising campaigns to Sundance award-winning films and major television series. Dallas is a sought-after speaker at conferences, a regular contributor to major publications, and a respected thought leader on the narrative power of sound.

Frank Verderosa (www.frankverderosa.com) is a 30-year veteran of the New York audio industry, fighting the good fight for film studios, ad agencies and production companies, but secretly loves mixing music most of all. These days, he plies his trade at Digital Arts in NYC, but he has additionally taught hundreds of voice-over artists how to record professionally while at home during the pandemic, and is also a longtime engineer for a number of high-profile podcasts.

The Pro Audio & Radio Tech Summit will also feature a virtual exhibition floor, live chat and a separate track of presentations showcasing technologies and trends in pro audio.

Registration for the free event is open.

World News

Sennheiser MD 435 and MD 445 Microphones – A Real-World Review

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Fela Davis

Sennheiser's MD 435 and MD 445 — Sennheiser’s MD 435 and MD 445

In November, Sennheiser introduced the new dynamic MD 435 and MD 445 handheld vocal microphones for use in live sound settings. The heads on these mics are based on the legendary Sennheiser MD 9235 wireless handheld microphone head, used on the biggest stages and artists in the world. Many of my friends that mix big hip-hop artists rely on 9235s for their ability to handle loudness and their cardioid rejection—great for avoiding feedback from the monitors.

Those features can be found in these two mics as well: The MD 445 is a high-rejection, super-cardioid microphone and the MD 435 is cardioid. Both microphones are great for loud sound pressure levels (163 dB) like a snare drum or guitar amps, but they can also handle a delicate human voice. They’re not as sensitive as a condenser mic, of course, but each one has a great natural sound in the higher frequencies. After checking out the frequency responses for each microphone, I noticed the MD 435 peaks at around the 5k-7k range in a way that reminded me of the Sennheiser 935, capturing very clean sound with a little help in the higher frequencies for vocals. Meanwhile, the MD 445 has a darker yet slightly fuller sound, because the frequency response has a smoother curve at those 5k-7K Hz frequencies. Both microphones needed a decent amount of gain from my mic pre to get a respectable signal, but there was little to no white noise created.

I’m a big fan of the super-cardioid polar pattern from my live-mixing days—and now in my studio, too, for getting for ultimate rear rejection—and in that respect, the MD 445 really knocks it out the park. The beautiful vocal response that it produces is second to none in dynamic handheld microphones, and I found I like this microphone on male vocals a little better for the darker lower frequencies.

In use, I found that handling noise for both the MD 445 and 435 handhelds was almost nonexistent, as you can hear for yourself on a special episode of The Art of Music Tech podcast that I recorded with my business partner, Denis. We recorded an entire podcast using the microphones, and at one point switched mics to hear them on female and male vocals. I was amazed at the silence of switching hands with the microphone and not getting those weird low-frequency thumps that are heard with all handheld microphones. That truly blew me away—and it’s exactly why I would use them for a live podcast setting: They sound excellent and reject the noise that’s happening behind the microphone.

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Out of the two, the MD 435 is my favorite for a female vocalist because of the sweetness around the 8 kHz range. I didn’t need to EQ frequencies as much as I would for the MD 445; I don’t like to tweak things if I don’t have to, so I would definitely have this in the audio toolbox for a female vocalist. As I mentioned earlier, the MD 435 sound reminds me of a richer toned Sennheiser 935, and they share similar frequency responses with the MD 435 at 40 Hz – 20 kHz, and the 935 topping out at 18k Hz. The MD 435 has a silky tone on the top end that’s not too harsh, but lets the vocals sit on top.

Overall, the MD 435 and MD 445 are amazing microphones. The bodies of the microphones are a slick, black finish and have that nice feel and shape that we’re used to seeing from the Sennheiser brand, along with a weight that is solid and but not heavy. Each microphone retails at $499, so it’s not a beginner’s microphone, but well worth it for a road warrior engineer or vocalist. I’d even suggest it to podcasters that record in a non-studio setting. Sennheiser has continued its legendary evolution in the microphone world.

Sennheiser • www.sennheiser.com

World News

Mackie MP-360 & MP-460 In-Ear Monitors — A Real-World Review

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Fela Davis

Mackie’s MP-360 and MP-460 professional in-ear monitors are a great option for the engineer that can’t afford $1,500 custom IEMs but wants something better than basic buds that have one speaker driver.

More drivers can give better clarity for recording and mixing, so Mackie has packed both models with Knowles balanced armature drivers and a 3-way crossover. The MP-360 has three Knowles drivers in each ear, while the MP-460 gets four drivers for a quad driver design. These drivers, originally developed for hearing aids and critical listening applications, are intended to provide fidelity, realism and detail, providing considerable output with less power, with the MP-360 impedance at 36 ohms and MP-460 impedance at 15.5 ohms.

The Mackie MP IEMs arrive with a small, sturdy hard-molded travel box that holds everything needed to take care of the in-ear monitors. This includes a cleaning cloth, cleaning tool, 1/8″-to-1/4″ adapter, braided cable and an extra braided cable with remote for phone or laptop use. Attaching the IEMs to the MMCX connectors is with a simple click-and-go system. There’s also a dozen pairs of ear tips which include wide-bore silicone, silicone, foam, triple-flange styles with a small, medium, and large option in each style.

The frequency range for both sets of MP IEMs is 20 Hz to 20 KHz, with up to 40 dB of sound isolation, which is key to blocking outside noises in order to hear what’s going on with your recording or mix. The Mackie MP-360 has 117 dB of audio output and the MP-460 gives you an extra decibel at 118 dB. I could definitely hear the differences and it’s one of the reasons I liked the MP-460 a bit more. The MP-460’s four drivers ultimately give you more information in the mid-range; that was what really put it over the edge, not the loudness. You’ll never turn it up all the way with it being so close to the threshold of pain for hearing.

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The isolation that can be achieved once you find the correct ear tips is just what’s needed for a pristine recording and mix. Clarity in the mid-range for vocals is what I look for in any IEM and the MP-460 knocked that right out of the park for me! That clarity gave me a real sense of what was going on with my recordings and mixes.

I found that the MP-460 sat better in my ears as well, and gave a better seal for me to hear, whether I was recording, using them for mixing podcasts or walking around town listening to music. The MP-360 felt a little tighter in my ears compared to the MP-460, but both pairs were enjoyable and comfortable.

Overall, I was very impressed by both pairs of MP IEMs. They’re versatile enough to use out on tour, in the studio or during a good workout! The hard-plastic case that houses the IEMs is perfect for the road and light packing. An important accessory for the Mackie MP series is the MP-BTA Bluetooth adapter, which makes the IEMs perfect for working out, also adding a crystal-clear microphone for cell phone use. It was amazing to finally have mobility with a great-sounding IEM. The additional $99.99 is well worth it to have an enjoyable listening experience.

The Mackie MP-360 retail price is $399 and the Mackie MP-460 retail price is $499. Both of these IEMs were impressive, but I’d suggest spending the additional $100 for the MP-460, as I found the fit and clarity are totally worth it.

Mackie • www.mackie.com

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