Way back in the late 1950s an engineer named Jack Kilby working at Texas Instruments developed the first integrated circuit (IC) or "chip." Kilby's IC consisted of a single transistor plus a few semiconductors, all on a small wafer of germanium (interestingly, engineer Robert Noyce simultaneously developed an IC using silicon at Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation). A few years later (round about the time a new band called The Beatles ruled the charts with songs like "I Wanna Hold Your Hand") Gordon Moore (one of the co-founders of Intel) predicted that–due to rapid advancements in manufacturing technology–the number of devices that could be engineered onto a chip would double roughly every 24 months. In the '80s Moore's statement became bastardized, and began referring to the idea that the number of transistors on a chip could be doubled every 18 months. Fast forward to the late-'80s/early-'90s and the personal computing industry adopted to the PC world what has become known as "Moore's Law": processing power doubles roughly every 18 months while the cost of this processing power remains relatively stable. If the effect of Moore's Law can be considered dramatic on business in general, then its effect on digital audio is profound–so much so that audio professionals are becoming wary of the same problems faced by anyone who relies upon PCs to get work done: (1) how long do I wait for the "next great thing" before I buy a new machine and (2) what happens to my business when that machine becomes outdated (or worse, obsolete) after two years? Substitute the words "mixing console" for "machine" and you begin to appreciate the quandary.
Initially this problem was merely an annoyance for audio professionals. But the problem has become much more serious as this kind of processor advancement has made its way into our computer-based mixing consoles. How do we justify investing $75,000 or more in a new digital mixing console when we know that a better, faster, cheaper, lighter and more efficient product is on the way? Yet if we hesitate technology will run us over and we will not remain competitive in the marketplace. Big problem.
The result of such technological advancement is that bubbling under the surface of our industry is another audio revolution that cannot be ignored. Several issues are at hand which we'll discuss in the next few months (it'd be impossible to hit all of them in one month). First we'll tackle the issue of processing, which as in the studio environment is now migrating towards software plug-ins instead of hardware boxes. Over the next couple months we'll look at such issues as the increasing demand for content (e.g., live recording for video release) and the unwillingness of record labels to pay a premium for it. And–in spite of the fact that interfacing live digital consoles with digital recorders is becoming simplified–there's no consistency with them. Less obvious is the fact that storage, transfer and delivery of digital information is changing the way we work, but the format war has just begun.
The Migration of Audio Processing from Hardware to Software
The idea of running audio processing as software plug-ins under "host" applications such as Pro Tools or Digital Performer is nothing new in the studio, but it's taken a long time to reach live sound reinforcement. It's hard to say where the idea got started but you can't ignore the fact that early on the Yamaha PM1D and PM5D provided the ability to expand onboard effect processing through additional software. Digidesign took this idea up to another level when they introduced the VENUE, a live sound console that has the ability to use any Pro Tools TDM-compatible plug-in. At PLASA 2006, InnovaSON announced that they will adopt software plug-in processing from Waves Ltd. as well as VB-Audio. The XL8 from Midas offers a variety of Klark Teknik plug-in emulations, including one for the DN780 digital reverb. (Can I please get that to run under Digital Performer?)
So just how important is plug-in processing to live sound engineers? Well, let's look at it from several viewpoints. Suppose you've just landed that mixing gig you've always dreamed of: major artist, first class venues, primo bunk with satellite TV and wireless Internet and top-of-the-line PA with all the toys you want. Since it's a high-profile tour, you decide that you'll get the best reverbs, comps, gates and EQs that money can buy. For the lead and backing vocalists you want something like the dbx 160S (approximately $3,000 for two channels), Drawmer 1960 for bass (another $3K), Universal Audio 1176's ($1,700 each), Neve 1073's ($3k per channel) for kick and snare… the list goes on–until the tour accountant reports to the artist how much your outboard gear is going to cost. The artist decides they don't want to spend $60,000 on your outboard gear because they can use that money to hire their masseuse for the 6-month tour. The artist's astute accountant also points out that your toys will require two 5-foot, 200-pound shock-mounted racks that have to go on the truck, eating up space as well as increasing fuel costs.
So are you screwed? Not if you can hang with a digital console like the VENUE or the Yamaha PM5D (which supports a variety of compressor, reverb and EQ software plugins). Sure, there's an investment, but after you spend a mere $250 for the UA 1073 TDM plug-in (it does a pretty darn good emulation of the Neve 1073), you can use it on as many channels as the mixing system supports. You won't have to write a $3,000 check for every channel you need, and it adds absolutely no weight to the truck.
Now here's something you might not know about using TDM (and some other) plug-in software: you can install a plug-in on any audio computer system (whether it be Pro Tools or the VENUE or whatever) at no cost. To use that plug-in you'll need to purchase authorization, the preferred version of which these days exists on a device known as an iLok. The iLok is a USB hardware key that unlocks software when it is plugged into a USB port on the host computer. When purchased (around $40) an iLok is "empty." When you purchase a plug-in, the manufacturer "deposits" a software key into your iLok account (without the key the plug-in will not run). You then place your iLok into a computer that has Internet access, log on to your account and download the key into your iLok. One iLok can hold more than 100 authorization keys, and will work with both Mac OS and Windows. iLok's "Zero Downtime" program allows you to insure your investment in case of a lost, stolen or broken iLok, facilitating quick replacement so you can get back to work.
Alas, not all can be perfect in the land of Oz. Digital console manufacturers would be wise to observe a lesson demonstrated (but not necessarily learned) in the studio where there is more than one plug-in format. A variety of formats are available such as TDM, RTAS, MAS and VST, just to name a few. As you'd expect they are not interchangeable. If we really want the software plugin concept to spread in live sound, we need to agree on a format and make it quick. Engineers are not going to be happy purchasing a plug-in formatted for use on a particular mixing system, only to find that they cannot use that plug-in when they decide to mix on a different system. Listen up live sound manufacturers: let's nip this in the bud and get a standard straight away before things get out of hand. How about some dialogue between the major players to agree upon a universal format?
While there are other plug-in formats that are viable, as soon as you step outside the world of live audio the TDM format is the de facto standard, with a significant majority of the market already spoken for. And given that it is studio technology that is really driving this move toward digital consoles and plug ins, our first inclination was to issue a sweeping declaration that the TDM format should adopted as the standard for live audio as well. There are hundreds of TDM plug-ins already available so engineers wouldn't have to wait for a favorite to be released, and the format is proven: there's very little doubt that a TDM-compatible plug-in will operate properly, with negligible latency.
Unfortunately, it may not be anywhere near that simple. Yes, while TDM is thought of as a Digidesign thing, Time Domain Mulitplexing was actually invented by AT&T and Digi repurposed it for their digital audio workstations. And, no, there is nothing on the legal, ethical or moral fronts that would stop a company not associated with Digidesign from developing plug-ins that are TDM based (although using the Digi-developed architecture to do so may be a problem on all of those fronts, not to mention a massive technological undertaking).
However, there are issues ranging from hardware configurations to console operating systems that leave us with a hard truth: moving to a universal standard would not be a simple "port" from one operating system to another. The best way to illustrate it is with the recent switch of the Mac platform from Motorola processors to Intel. Even within the family of Digi developers, that switch has meant changes and most–if not all–TDM plug-ins are available for Motorola-based Mac systems and for Intelbased systems but there are not single plugs that work with both. If that is the case within existing Pro Tools architecture then the chances of other manufacturers who use other chip sets, hardware and sometimes proprietary operating systems all getting on the same page, well, you can see how big a problem this really is. But it does not change the fact that something has to give. And while TDM is the 800 lb. gorilla, that "something" may come from someone else. Yamaha boards have been able to run Waves plug-ins via an add-on card for sometime and InnovaSon announced the same thing for their new consoles at PLASA.
A physical board added to the system will introduce additional latency, that's just physics. But unless the entire industry is willing to settle on a standard that everyone can use [and monkeys might fly out of my butt–ed.] it may be the best answer. And we need an answer. (Ironically, the big Waves news of the moment is that they are introducing a plug-in bundle specifically to run on the VENUE system.)
Hello!?! You folks on the manufacturing side? Are you starting to get why there is confusion and frustration out there?If we don't agree on a plug-in format standard, here is what will happen: engineers and sound companies will hesitate to purchase a digital mixing system that does not support their favorite processors and they'll also hesitate to purchase plug-ins that won't run on their favorite mixing system. Can you imagine buying an analog mixing desk that wouldn't interface with a TC 2290 delay? I think not.
With a set of plug-ins onboard one's mixing system, audio life can become very easy. Obviously you'd have your favorite effects for use everywhere you went–without the need, expense, backache, cables or interface problems of carrying a hardware rack. Not-so-obviously, you'd be able to carry presets (in your laptop) for devices that have no such capability in their original hardware form–such as the aforementioned Neve 1073 or Universal Audio 1176. Sound check time would be reduced for engineers who don't have the luxury of carrying production because they wouldn't have to dial in the same effects everyday for the same instruments, and they'd have the consistency of mixing with the same effects day after day. If you're willing to commit a few bucks, you can purchase "bundles" of plugins that include thousands of dollars of outboard at a fraction of the individual prices.
Also worth noting is the fact that plug-ins are available to emulate hardware devices that are simply no longer manufactured, and may have to be purchased second-hand. For example, the Eventide Clockworks Legacy package includes software that emulates the venerable H910 and H949 Harmonizers–devices long out of production and only found on the used market. Do you really want to take such a hardware device out on the road where it could be damaged due to road abuse or (worse) stolen? Probably not.
Plug in and stay tuned!
