The original AKG C 747, the so called „pencil microphone", was first built in 1987. Due to its excellent technical specifications, especially the wide and flat frequency range, it was used for the recording of all kinds of musical instruments, even those with very low frequencies. As it is more and more used in conference applications, AKG carefully redesigned the C 747 to better cope with some specific installed sound issues.

The new C 747 V11 will have an integrated RFi shield to block out unwanted interference by mobile phones, wireless mics and the like. Also AKG have fine tuned the frequency response to give especially the spoken word an outstanding presence, without changing the flavour of the classic C 747 sound.

An enhanced polar pattern provides consistent off-axis rejection to control ambient noise and feedback in acoustically difficult environments. This makes the C 747 V11 an excellent choice for noisy discussion groups or reverberant pulpits while it is forgiving enough to clearly pick up talkers moving around in front of the microphone. A switchable LF roll-off filter suppresses mechanical noise. The low-impedance transformerless preamp operates on 9 to 52 V phantom power.

The C 747 V11 ships with an extensive accessory set including a shock mount/adapter, mini gooseneck, stand adapter, mounting clamp, thread link, and windscreen.

Pricing TBA.

Our "Articles" section has been entirely redesigned. Renamed "Learn", it now features a clearer layout with the classic Reviews, Articles, Tips & Tricks, and Interviews categories.

On top of that we have also include a brand new Videos category which includes all the tutorial videos from 440tv !

So it's time for all of us to

Ableton Live 8 software is now available, so it's time to discover its new features and functions through these workshops. An Ableton specialist will be on hand to introduce Live to those who haven't yet seen it in action, with its unique approach to creating and performing music. The workshops will also give existing Live users a chance to explore some of its more advanced features and participate in question and answer sessions.

There will also be various Ableton goodies to give away, as well as exclusive Loopmasters sample disks with over 500MB of copyright-free samples, Ableton free trial disks and much more. Ableton and Novation will also be giving away one of Novation's Nocturn MIDI controllers – worth £90 – at every single event. The prize draw will be open to all those who attend.

Tour dates :

1st May — Sheffield College of Music, 1pm.
8th May — Confetti, Nottingham, 11am.
6th May — Futureworks, Manchester, 4pm.
6th May — PMT, Manchester, 7pm.
9th May — SAE, Liverpool. Multiple sessions starting at 11am.
13th May — Middlesbrough College, 2pm.
14th May — Manchester Walrus (Livetek Event), 1-5pm.
14th May — Sounds Live, Newcastle, 3pm.
15th May — SAE, Glasgow, 1pm.
16th May — Academy of Music and Sound, Edinburgh, 12pm.
20th May — SAE, London, 11am.
21st May — Digital Village, Romford, 11am.

The events are free, but attendees are required to sign up to the workshops at :

Alternate Soundings, aka AL.SO, unveils the M26 which is a new summing module designed to work in standard "500" racks. Here are the specs from the website :

"26 x 2 Summing Module Including insertions pathes

Designed to work in standard "500" racks.
Specs:
10Hz to 120 kHz +/- 0,2dB
THD at 16dBu, 2ch: 0,002 %
Xtalk, 1kHz,+16dBu better than -96 dB
Maximum input level for 1% distorsion: +26dBu

Permits to compress drums separately and to compress differently the main mix

Main mix insertion and output level control

Special feature: Sigma Bus trim in order to have the best level and avoid mix amp saturation when inputs are high level and correlated."

Pricing and availability TBA.

Groove 3 unveils a new training video called "Pro Tools 8 HD Automation Secret".

Presented by Pro Tools master Michael Costa, this comprehensive series goes in-depth into the lesser known but incredibly powerful mixing automation features of Pro Tools HD. You'll learn about plug-in automation, advanced write and capture modes, time saving automation editing techniques, tips and tricks and so much more.

Product Hightlights :

• 21 Tutorials / Over 3 Hours Total Runtime
• For all intermediate to advanced Pro Tools 8 HD users
• Tutorials written by Pro Tools wizard Michael Costa
• Simple to use video control interface for Mac & PC

Next time someone starts a debate about HD vs LE and the only points of difference mentioned are DSP cards vs native power or latency compensation - don't forget the automation ! This is where Pro Tools HD kicks LE's butt !

Pricing :

- Digital Download and Boxd Disc : $54.99
- Digital Download : $49.99
- Watch Online (30 days) : $17.99