The Audio Engineering Society's annual convention is happening this week in New York City, and with it are some great new gear announcements from pro audio manufacturers. While some brands are unveiling new products at the show, others are showing off gear announced in the weeks leading up to the event.
These include an affordable Neumann clone, the return of a famous line of studio monitors, and SSL's first new large-format mixing console in over a decade.
United Studio Technologies UT FET47
While it won't be available until January 2020, United Studio Technologies' UT FET47 is sure to be a popular hit with home- and project-studio recordists. The brand-new company is trying to swing for the fences by offering a handbuilt-in-the-US Neumann clone for an MSRP of $799 USD.
The company says, "The UTFET47 features a custom Cinemag transformer, a custom Heiserman HZ series capsule, vintage polystyrene capacitors, and NOS (new old stock) FETs. Custom parts. Vintage new-old-stock parts. Mix that together with each microphone being built in the USA by actual recording engineers, and you have the UT FET47."
Tannoy Gold Dual Concentric Monitors
Back in 1967, Tannoy released its Monitor Gold Dual Concentric range of studio monitors, which helped the brand become a mainstay in studios like Abbey Road and Air throughout the '70s and '80s.
While intervening decades saw the company shift focus to hi-fi stereo and other consumer equipment, since 2015, Tannoy has been under Uli Behringer's Music Tribe umbrella. The new Gold Dual Concentric range will be available in three sizes.
The Gold 5 is a 200-watt monitor, with a 5" driver and a 0.75" titanium tweeter. The Gold 7 can handle up to 300 watts, with a 6.5" driver and 1" tweeter. The Gold 8 has an 8" speaker, but also includes a 1" tweeter and is rated at 300 watts. All of the monitors have a front-facing bass port.
API 2500 Stereo Bus Compressor 50th Anniversary Edition
Back at NAMM in January, API kicked off its 50th anniversary celebrations with two limited-edition 312 and 550A modules.
This week, the company has announced the latest in its line of anniversary models, revisiting the 2500 Stereo Bus Compressor. Like the op-amp-based original, the 50th Anniversary 2500 has selectable ratio, attack, and release times and API's "Thrust" circuit for punchy low-end.
However, only 50 units will be available, with limited-edition models featuring a gold front-panel and premium VU meters.
Retro Instruments 500PRE Tube Mic Preamp
Retro Instruments has built its reputation on making faithful recreations of tube-based studio classics. Its very first product, the Retro Sta-Level, was a redesign of the 1956 Gates Sta-Level Tube Compressor, and as such was a large rack unit.
With the brand-new 500PRE, Retro says it "took the circuit topology of the Sta-Level and packed it into a single-width 500 module." While the original was of course a compressor, Retro is promoting this 500-series module as a three-gain-stage mic preamp. Because the tubes limit the signal at +18 dBu, though, you can use the module as a limiter as well.
"The Retro 500PRE doesn’t sleep when you’re done tracking," the company says. "The 500PRE design purposely has the limiter effect of tube amplifiers. You'll love to use it as a limiter to fatten all kinds of tracks."
SSL Studio Origin
While the other products on this list are apt for amateur and pro recording rigs alike, the legendary SSL announced a large-format console tailored for today's professional studios.
The SSL Origin is a 32-channel console that "has traditional analogue studio workflow at its heart whilst providing the perfect partner for a modern DAW-driven hybrid production studio" according to SSL.
It includes analog features like the E-Series EQ, classic SSL Bus Compressor, and new PureDrive mic preamps, but also includes an adjustable center section with rack space for a computer monitor and keyboard, software controllers, or additional processors.