New Audio Products for April

Finally, a flux capacitor that really works

Early April always brings a round of new pro-audio products seeking to beat the scramble for attention ahead of the NAB Show later in the month. Here are some of the most interesting in this round.

RØDE Microphones introduces the FoodMic Pro cuisine condenser microphone: In a revolution of design and technology, it adds a crucial aural element to the aromatic ones you expect with great grub. “Be aroused by the sizzle of your steak, thrilled by the resonant rip of shelled shrimp, or engulfed by the deep swelling thrum of a gravy cascade,” gushes the company’s press release. “At home or in the restaurants of the world, make your next meal a feast for all the senses.”

Slate Digital has been a pioneer in bringing touchscreen technology to audio-mix consoles, but its new Mixtron plug-in will also find plenty of applications at audio-education facilities, teaching all those little snowflake students that learning the hard way really is the best way.

Lectrosonics’ Nano Cassette tape

And we’ve saved the best for last. Lectrosonics is introducing a new bodypack transmitter unit with built-in recording capability, using the newly developed Nano-Cassette tape. The transmitter, dubbed the Nano Cassette TX (NCTX for short), includes all the standard features of similar Lectrosonics transmitters introduced during the past two years, but the addition of the Nano-Cassette recording provides the ability to back up the audio signal in the event that the transmitter goes out of range of the receiver.

Specifications for the new Nano-Cassette tape format include 0.03-mil tape material based on a newly developed, proprietary iron trioxide material, two hours of recording time per cassette side or four hours using auto-reverse, mono or stereo audio, and dynamic range of more than 100 dBA using a proprietary Digital Hybrid noise-suppression method derived from Lectrosonics’ patented Digital Hybrid Wireless transmission scheme. The tiny tape cartridges measure 21 x 10 x 2 mm and weigh 1 gram. The recording head measures a scant 1 x 1.2 x 0.9 mm but has to be liquid-cooled due to the enormous flux density. The tiny cooling system uses standard R134a coolant found in auto air-conditioning, and a tiny DC-powered refrigeration system employs brushless nanomotors and takes up only a few square millimeters on the audio circuit board.

“We’re really excited about this product,” says Lectrosonics President Gordon Moore. The NCTX is supplied with a removable belt clip, two Nano-Cassettes, and a tiny pencil for taking up slack on the itty-bitty reels before inserting the tape into the transmitter mechanism. A software app is also included, with a plug-in using a deconvolution algorithm to eliminate wow and flutter artifacts in the audio file. MSRP: $2,017. Availability: April 1. Which tells you everything you need to know.