Gear Reviews
Blackmagic Design Atem Television Studio Pro HD Production Switcher
Road Test Blackmagic Design Atem Television Studio Pro HD Production Switcher By Alex Schwindt. Alex Schwindt is the Film Team Director at Hope Community Church in Raleigh, NC. He also does freelance media creation and consulting through Alex Schwindt Media. This review was first published in Church Production Magazine. Accessible enough for volunteer operators to…
Read MoreAllen & Heath SQ Series
Road Test Allen & Heath SQ Series By Adam Biggs. Adam is the proprietor of Biggsounds Productions. Servicing New South Wales and southeast Queensland for 15 years, Biggsounds have a dedicated team of live engineers and also provide quality audio, visual, and lighting equipment to the pro audio, education, community, and worship markets. …
Read MoreElation Sixbar 1000
ROAD TEST Elation Sixbar 1000 By Thomas Cox. Thomas is the Senior Lighting technician at Sydney’s Audio Visual Events (AVE). Based in St Leonards, AVE has been providing production and equipment for everything from small boardroom meetings through to large scale events for 16 years. Thomas has over 10 years’ experience across multiple disciplines including…
Read MoreWarm Audio WA-47 & WA73 recording chain
ROAD TEST Warm Audio WA-47 & WA73 recording chain By Andy Stewart. Two of the most highly prized, awesome sounding and prominently featured pieces of gear found in professional recording studios over the last half-century have been the legendary Neumann U47 tube condenser microphone and the Neve 80-series mic preamplifier. Everything that’s ever been said…
Read MoreETC Ion Xe Lighting Console
Road Test ETC Ion Xe Lighting Console By Jim Kumorek. Recently, Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC) released the latest member of its Eos console line, the Ion Xe lighting console. There are two versions of the console: one with 20 hardware faders (the model we reviewed), and one without. The Ion series is in the middle…
Read MoreZactrack: How It Works
FEATURES Zactrack: How It Works With a gig as globally prestigious as Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, and Opera Australia sizing up the tech for future use, Zactrack CEO Werner Petricek and Project Manager Paul Roch were on-hand in Sydney to make sure the OA’s techs had all the guidance they needed. We talked…
Read MoreTheatrixx Technologies xVision – Video Converters for Grown-ups
GEARBOX Theatrixx Technologies xVision – Video Converters for Grown-ups By Jason Allen. According to market research, a full 60% of the market for new video converters is to replace units that have broken with use. This is not going to come as a surprise to anyone working with video who has wrangled cheap, plastic converters…
Read MoreTelevic Plixus – Clever Conferencing
GEARBOX Televic Plixus – Clever Conferencing By Jason Allen. Belgium’s Televic make, amongst other things, high-end conferencing systems, the kind of thing you find installed in 200 delegate seats at the UN, which is in fact one of Televic’s customers. Their slick panels with built-in touchscreens, cameras, speakers, and microphones mount beautifully into custom made furniture,…
Read MoreAn ACME Double
GEARBOX An ACME double By Julius Grafton. Acme MP-400Z IP: This handy PAR has 7 x 30w Osram RGBW LED, and is IP 65 rated as “dust tight” and protected against water projected from a nozzle. The electronics are out the back in a die cast aluminum case, with the lens and zoom up…
Read MoreMidas MR18 Digital Tablet Mixer
GEARBOX Midas MR18 digital tablet mixer It’s M, not X, and there’s a BIG difference By Jason Allen. Uli Behringer’s ‘MUSIC Tribe’ now manufactures audio products that are remarkable similar, and separates them into ‘Behringer’ or ‘Midas’ branded product. Before reviewing the Midas MR18, I was very familiar with the Behringer equivalent, the XR18, having…
Read Morealt-J Worldwide Tour
Roadskills alt-J Worldwide Tour alt-j took to a stage lit with Sceptrons that segregated the performers and dazzled the eye. By Cat Strom / Photos: David Youdell Three years of worldwide touring have forged alt-J’s reputation as a fierce live act. alt-J have headlined festivals across the globe, including Australia’s very own Falls Music and…
Read MoreMuse
Roadskills MUSE Hailed as one of the best live bands in the world, muse did not disappoint with crystal clear audio clarity. By Cat Strom / Photos: David Yodel. Marc Carolan has been Muse’s sound engineer for sixteen years, faithfully sticking with an analogue console because quite simply, it’s the best option for the band.…
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