Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Synthax stand at Confetti College in Nottingham
On Wednesday 7th March, Synthax headed up to Nottingham to take part in the Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies' annual Music Expo. Specialising in media production, Confetti offers a range of foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees (in partnership with Nottingham Trent University) in subjects including music technology, audio production and live performance, along with digital media, game design and TV & film production.
Part of the college's annual Industry Week, the Music Expo was a chance for students to speak to various tech companies, hear talks from industry professionals, and try out some of our favourite recording equipment from RME, Ferrofish, Icon Pro Audio, Lauten Audio and Pop Audio.
RME
The RME Babyface Pro is the go-to for high-quality desktop and mobile recording. Compact and with easy front panel control, the Babyface Pro is also bus-powerable over USB (including powering both microphones preamps with 48V phantom power), and can be expanded with another 8 inputs and outputs via the ADAT I/O, for connecting additional instruments, microphones, speakers and other external hardware.
With pristine, transparent sound quality that rivals RME's far more expensive interfaces; equal performance on both Mac and Windows; and comprehensive mixing, routing and monitoring with TotalMix FX, the Babyface Pro is a versatile interface that's ideal for studio, live and mobile recording.
RME interfaces also have iOS support, so we took the opportunity at Confetti to show how TotalMix FX can be operated via an iPad. The latest version of TotalMix (v1.50) also saw the release of TotalMix Remote, which now allows for full wireless control of TotalMix over WiFi!
Find out more about RME audio interfaces
Icon Pro Audio
The Icon Platform M+ with D2 Display is always a popular draw at our stand. The motorised faders allow for easy project recall, and the Platform M+ pairs perfectly with a laptop for editing and mixing on the move, or for smaller setups where desk-space is at a premium.
The Platform M+ is also expandable (up to 32 channels), with additional sets of 8 faders available in the form of the Icon Platform X+. Icon also announced the Icon OneHub at NAMM earlier this year, which will allow all Platform series (and Icon QCon Pro) modules to be connected to a single USB port, and powered from a single mains socket.
Find out more about Icon Pro Audio
Lauten Audio
Lauten Audio manufactures boutique studio microphones, each with its own unique character. Rather than try to emulate mics of the past, Lauten are looking to create the classics of the future, with their premium Signature Series becoming a favourite with professional recording engineers around the world. The company has also brought new technical innovations to microphone design such as the flagship Eden LT-386's Multi-Voicing™ feature, which provides three different recording flavours from a single mic (soft and gentle, forward and aggressive, and laid-back and vintage).
The Lauten Audio Series Black are the latest additions to the family, and offer musicians, engineers and producers a more affordable entry to the sound of Lauten mics. Despite the lower price, the Series Black mics punch well above their weight, performing very favourably in several shootouts, and often up against far more expensive options.
Find out more about Lauten Audio
Pop Audio
Pop Audio's redesigned pop shield takes all the hassle out of pop filters. Anyone who's recorded vocals on a day in, day out basis will have experienced the small (but nonetheless irritating) problems that can develop with a pop shield, such as weak arms that won't stay in place, or clamps that lose tension over time.
The Pop Audio Pop Filter was designed by two professional recording engineers from Cambridge, and the guys have done a fantastic job in correcting the flaws they noticed in the traditional design.
Features include a strong yet flexible gorrila-pod style arm; replaceable filters that are easy to clean and have differing acoustic properties; and a strong clamp that is super easy to remove or adjust. Reviews have also been very positive, with MusicTech rating it 10 out of 10 and awarding it their "Excellence Award", and Audio Media International saying "Quite frankly I don’t think there is any other pop filter worth considering. This is the one you should buy."
Big thanks to Confetti for inviting us along, and to everyone who stopped by the Synthax stand.
For more information about studying at Confetti, visit the Confetti website.
If you're a college or education establishment and would like to know more about the range of pro audio products we offer, give us a call on 01727 821 870 to speak to one of our team. You can also contact us.
