311 West 43rd Street, Suite #1100, New York NY 10036. Tel: 212.586.1033 Toll Free: 800.883.1033

Three Generations of Sound at NAB

From left: Richard Topham III, Rich Topham Jr. and Dick Topham.

Joining Rich Topham, president of Professional Sound Services, at NAB 2008 was his father Dick Topham and son Richard III. Between the three generations, you are looking at over 85 years of professional sound experience! That's a lot of knowledge!

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced that audio pioneer Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser is to be inducted into its CE Hall of Fame. The 95-year-old founder of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG is one of twelve honorees to be inducted in 2008, and has been chosen by the expert jury in the category "Founders and Inventors."
 

Under the management of Fritz Sennheiser, who also taught RF wireless technology and electro-acoustics at Hanover University in Germany, the family-owned company designed many important innovations. These included the shotgun microphone in the 1950s, open-back headphones in the 1960s, infrared transmission technology in the 1970s and revolutionary developments in multi-channel wireless technology in the early 1980s.
 

May Deal of the Month

The HD280 Professional is Sennheiser's most significant closed, circumaural headphone to be introduced in years. Designed to exceed the demands of the professional environment, the HD280Pro boasts extremely robust construction combined with extensive features that meet the requirements of today's most demanding applications. The unique collapsible design combined with swiveling ear cups, offers maximum flexibility in any application.
 

10% OFF ALL
PORTA-BRACE IN STOCK

10% OFF ALL
PETROL IN STOCK
 

10% OFF ALL
VERSA-FLEX HARNESSES IN STOCK
 

Taught by Professional Sound Services, our workshops cover the tools, techniques, and procedures used in the professional sound business. Students gain an appreciation of the aesthetic aspects of sound recording, learn tricks for creating an audio design and explore how to manipulate room tone, dialogue, and effects tracks for a realistic sound presence. Pre-production planning, boom and wireless microphone operation, microphone planting, tape-deck signal setup, and other techniques are also addressed. In addition, students are introduced to the latest DAT and analog systems, inter-format recording for music videos and commercial production, time code and other management tools for post production.

Call us today 212.586.1033
to find out more about PSS's unlimited sound
knowledge they can share with you!

PSS SERVICE DEPARTMENT

Do you have equipment that just sits in the corner of your room that is collecting dust due to the fact that it's broken? Say no more, here at Professional Sound Services not only do we rent and sell  equipment but we also repair equipment. Plus, if you bring any of your equipment to Professional Sound Services and you need to rent that same item while it's in Service we will give you a 50% discount on that item. We fix anything from Transmitters, Receivers, Mixers, Recorders, Microphones, Wires and etc...at incredible rates. Let our highly trained Service Technicians help you out by fixing your equipment at a very low rate!

Rich's View:
"What I saw at NAB"

Sound Devices 788

The 788T is a powerful eight input, eight-track digital audio recorder designed for production sound. Building on the success of the proven 7-Series architecture, the 788T offers greatly expanded input and output connectivity while continuing the 7-Series heritage of extensive control in a compact package.

Lectrosonics SR

A new two-channel slot-mount Digital Hybrid Wireless™ diversity receiver. The SR receiver offers two independent channels and fits into the standard video camera slots found on professional cameras. The two audio channels can feed separate inputs or can be mixed internally to feed a single input.

Zaxcom Fusion
 

The Zaxcom Fusion is a high resolution audio mixer and recorder for reality television, surround recording and ENG.

Sonosax SX-M32

Ultra Compact and Light Weight High Quality 3 channels Stereo ENG/EFP Mixer. Ideal companion for News - ENG - small Documentaries - Foley's - Music. Small and robust construction. Easy maintenance. Low Power consumption.
 

Sonosax SX-R4

Compact and light weight 8 tracks Recorder on Hard Disk and CF Card. The ideal companion for classical music and on location multi-track recording. Perfect Gain control and advanced linking capabilities. Up to 8 tracks on the HD plus 2 tracks on the CF Card. Small and robust construction. Friendly user interface, easy maintenance battery or external DC operated.
 

Rycote S-Series Suspension and Windshield System
 

The S-series is a wholly new design - new suspension concept, new materials, new windshield construction - and retains all the renowned Rycote features of flexibility, balance and professional performance. It is lightweight with a minimum of parts, tough enough to withstand the rigors of ENG and simple to use straight out of the box - with the XLR cable supplied.

AETA Mix 2000

Following extensive consultations with film sound recording engineers and the electronic newsgathering requirements of the television industry, AETA has developed the MIX2000 Portable mixer. Aeta incorporates the latest audio circuits to reduce size while increasing overall performance. Weighing less than 4 lbs. the unit is equipped with insulation transformers and offers a remarkable 46 dB input headroom with an equivalent input noise of almost 130 dB.
 

New K-Tek Shockmounts

The K-Mount is the latest step in K-Tek's evolving line of professional microphones support products. A smart combination of meticulous design and affordability, the K-MT offers both the ruggedness of a shock mount and the isolation characteristics of more expensive suspension systems.

Loon Boompoles

A boom pole with the latest Patent Pending technology and enhanced features that allow boom operators to confidently capture pure sound. The graphite is significantly lighter than the conventional boom without sacrificing durability or stiffness. This allows for improved agility during rapid cuing. Boom operators can manipulate this feather light pole from point to point because of its critical design features.

The Federal Communications Commission Sale of "White Spaces"
By Richard Lightstone, CAS

The sale of the audio spectrum "white spaces" has created a near panic within the entertainment industry. In an attempt to let the FCC know how it will personally affect each of us, I am copying a letter that Ed Greene, CAS has sent to FCC Chairman, Kevin Martin.
 

The CAS Board along with the Ed Greene is initiating a letter writing campaign. The more of us "end users" who contact the FCC with our concerns will assist in the protection of some of the spectrum.
 

So here is Ed Green's letter -- use it as a boilerplate, edit it and add your own personal take on this. The FCC, being an old government institution will respond favorably to old fashioned letters via "snail mail". Let's flood their mailbox!
 

There is also an email address: Chairman Kevin J. Martin:
KJM...@fcc.gov
 

Here is the mail address:
 

Federal Communications Commission
Chairman Kevin J. Martin
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554
 

ED GREENE LETTER TO FCC:
 

To Kevin J. Martin
FCC Commissioner
 

Dear Commissioner Martin:
 

I am an audio professional who works with RF microphones and other wireless devices. At present, RF devices operate in a small part of the white space area of television, with many thousands in use nationally on a daily basis. I recently read that the FCC has auctioned off the 700 Mhz spectrum for 19+ billion dollars and is considering new uses for other portions of the spectrum.
 

Does the FCC have any plans to protect the “white space” frequencies now in use for Motion Pictures, Entertainment, Sports, Broadway shows, Concerts, Television, Theme parks, Schools and Churches?  Any interruption from multiple, new, wireless devices on those frequencies will make present wireless, as a practical matter, unusable. In these economic times, moving their RF spectrum would represent an impossible financial burden for the majority of the users of the present technology. In addition, there would be a seriously  negative effect for producers of all these events.
 

About a year ago, I appeared with other audio professionals before the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology, two commissioners, and your legal representative, to describe the size and scope of this issue. With less than a year left before analog television is gone, many professionals in this field face an uncertain future. Can you provide any insight to FCC consideration for protecting their spectrum?

Very truly yours,
Edward J. Greene

Member, Cinema Audio Society, Board of Directors
Member, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Television mixer for: “The Kennedy Center Honors”
                                     “A Capitol 4th”
                                     “Christmas in Washington”
                                     “The National Memorial Day Concert”
                                     “The Academy Awards”
                                     “American Idol”
 

THIS MONTHS FEATURED ONLINE PRODUCTS

Fostex PD-204 DVD/HD Location Recorder
-- Our Low ONLINE Price: $3,499.00

Fostex PD-606 Portable Professional 6 Channel DVD RAM Location Recorder and Mixer
-- Our Low ONLINE Price: $7,999.00

DPA 4017 Shotgun Microphone
-- Our Low ONLINE Price: $2,079.00

Sound Devices 702T Portable Digital Recorder with Time Code
-- Our Low ONLINE Price: $2,495.00

Sound Devices 744T Digital Audio Recorder with Time Code  
-- Our Low ONLINE Price: $4,095.00

SAE Institute of Technology - New York

OPEN HOUSE: SUNDAY, MAY 18TH, 2-5PM

SAE NY occupies over 15,000 sq. feet with over 30 studios and workstations including SSL 4000G+ and Neve 88R control rooms, a 5.1 surround studio as well as Mackie analog and digital control rooms. With exclusive AMS-NEVE & SSL training, as well as an included Apple laptop for every student in the Audio Technology Program, SAE NY is the clear choice to jump start your career in the audio industry.

Studying at SAE is the first step towards starting a career in the Audio Industry. Working as a Sound Engineer, Live Engineer, Producer and numerous other jobs in the audio and music industry require practical experience, combined with a strong technical knowledge. Training at SAE is highly practical, with an intense amount of practical studio time to perfect the craft.

Theory lectures delivered by experienced sound engineers and music industry professionals provide the basis for preparing students for work in recording studios, at live sound venues, in post-production studios and broadcast facilities.

SAE's Audio Technology Program has received industry and academic acclaim for over 25 years across the globe. This intensive program is the foundation of every SAE qualification and offer high-level, hands-on practical training in combination with advanced theoretical study. This powerful combination provides our students with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in the competitive creative media industries as well as equipping graduates for further study towards the degree level.

Pro Tools class taught by Michael White;
Students are using their Apple laptops
 

Would you like more information about:

SAE School of Audio Engineering

Contact them at:

1293 Broadway - Herald Square
New York, NY 1001
212.944.9121