NAB 2025
- Thread starter Alex H.
- Start date
Doug Jensen
Veteran
I'll be at the Sony booth again for the 17th year. But I'll be shopping in my spare time for a small, compact, lightweight fluid head tripod for backpack travel in tight places.
Jim Feeley
Veteran
I'm probably going. Hoping to find miraculously solid and affordable radio mic systems, a competitor or two to the Sony Z200 (which thanks to Doug I'm finding really attractive), a mixing control surface that I like (probably not the right show), see what mid49 and Radius are up to, try out a Schoeps KMIT capsule, and wondering if DJI debuts a clever camera... something like an Amaran FC22 that offers a few steps between 0 and 1 (it's an interesting light, but doesn't go as dim as I'd like)... And see friends; that's really the most important to me these days.
If you're going, what are you looking for Alex?
If you're going, what are you looking for Alex?
Mixing control surface for… mixer/recorder? DAW?
Yes, yes, and yes. I’ve gotten to be a HUGE fan of mid49, and have replaced all my Wooden Camera A-Boxes with them. I’ve given several folks on recent shows the link as well, after they show up on set with less-than-elegant solutions with their camera packages.
Radius has my attention, too. I’m ready to snag a new shock mount for my 8050, but waiting to see what drops.
And Schoeps is always worth watching.
All the above, plus a couple of things I know are coming (one that may or may not drop at NAB) but can’t say.
I’m booked Fri-Sun, so I won’t get in until midday Monday.
Jim Feeley
Veteran
DAW first, FOH(ish) second, production sound third. I don't really do cart work (I mean, I have a cart and have mixed from one, but by twisting knobs. For PSM I'm more of a bag guy)... I do like a nice fader, so that cuts out a lot of the cheaper surfaces (and mixers). I've used the SSL UF8 and Avid S1; those are both nice. And I had a really nice chat with the Fairlight guys at the BMD booth last year; their "small" desktop console seemed solid, though big for me and it only works with Fairlight; seems like those two people had already given plenty of thought to making a smaller console and I for sure wasn't the first to suggest making a console that works with some other DAWs and use that as a wedge into more small post studios.
I've spent a lot of time on A&H mixers (mainly Qu and SQ line) and if they updated the Qu line, that might be interesting. Also, they've made me comfortable with flipping fader banks.
Right now I'm also looking at the Yamaha DM3-D (the version with Dante). I know couple around here who have and like theirs. At US$2100 (street price), it's more expensive than some mid-range control surfaces, but not much more and it's an interesting mixer (especially since the latest V3 firmware update). Yamaha doesn't appear to have a booth at NAB, so mainly I'll be looking at alternatives (and hoping to see something new from A&H, SSL, etc). https://usa.yamaha.com/products/proaudio/mixers/dm3/index.html
Ya, I'm digging both of those companies, too. Good products and apparently good people. Have some of their stuff, will probably buy more.
Their MK41 is for sure my favorite mic capsule. I now have three (two on CMC6 preamps, one on a CMC5), so adding a KMIT would be easy and still leave me with some flexibility. I just wish their stuff was less expensive...
I'm *probably* going to be on the show floor Mon & Tues... I'm guessing we'll be at a bunch of the same booths
Who else is going?
DustinSchmidt
Well-known member
I'm mostly looking to see what new cameras will be announced from just an "interest perspective" and perhaps a little interested in lighting from a "purchase perspective".
Not sure how accurate the info is, but rumors of a Pyxis 12k being launched at NAB. Although I wouldn't be looking to pick one up, I'm still interested to see what that would look like.
Will Sony announce an FX9 successor? They recently announced it as discontinued, so that could be interesting if there's finally an update there.
Not sure how accurate the info is, but rumors of a Pyxis 12k being launched at NAB. Although I wouldn't be looking to pick one up, I'm still interested to see what that would look like.
Will Sony announce an FX9 successor? They recently announced it as discontinued, so that could be interesting if there's finally an update there.
Doug Jensen
Veteran
Sony already views the Burano as the FX9 successor, so I'll be shocked if they announce any new cinema cameras. But I've been shocked before.
I've been (mostly) very happy with my ICON Pro Audio P1-M for DAW control. Pro Tools won't send some things out over HUI, like track colors, but it has a mappable pad of virtual hot keys (a la StreamDeck). The missing track colors are annoying, but the display bridge is still very helpful. Faders are smooth.
Avantis is also a solid option, and to save on cost, the Avantis Solo. It definitely takes a little getting used to when working in layers/fader banks, but once you get the hang of it, it's actually pretty nice.
This is the way. I know a few mixers who have them on their carts now, and I'm extremely interested in getting one, especially since I've gotten into Dante. I keep hearing not only how functional they are, but how good they sound.
I'm hoping (perhaps with some sense of skepticism) that Sound Device will surprise us with a successor to the 970. People have been asking for it, but SD have been shrugging it off. It fills a much different space than the Scorpio. I love my Pix270i (really just a 970 with video), but would love to see something a bit more updated. It's still cranking along, and did a stellar job multitracking one of the venues at a music festival last weekend, but I wonder how long until it hits its wall, or something breaks that can't be replaced.
Jim Feeley
Veteran
Thanks for that post Alex!
Last year IIRC, Matt Anderson, CEO at Sound Devices and former head engineer (as you for sure know), said SD was more of a wireless company these days... So I wonder if they'd do a 970 followup... But ya, that'd be a cool thing.
OTOH, depending on how the tariff situation rolls out over the next few months, I might be buying a lot less equipment for a while... (
Last year IIRC, Matt Anderson, CEO at Sound Devices and former head engineer (as you for sure know), said SD was more of a wireless company these days... So I wonder if they'd do a 970 followup... But ya, that'd be a cool thing.
OTOH, depending on how the tariff situation rolls out over the next few months, I might be buying a lot less equipment for a while... (
Yeah, they’ve really been focusing on their Nexus products. But here’s the thing: their last big release was the Super Nexus, which is really aimed at live and install. The exact situations where something like the 970 shines. Scorpio’s great and all, but it’s limited to 32 tracks, and there are situations where the integrated mixer is overkill on top of the track limit. A 64-track bit bucket is such a handy tool, and there’s no other product currently on the market that can do what the 970 does, or as well as it does it.
In other news, Halter Technical just dropped this announcement:
Introducing Peeko: Advanced Stealth IFB Headset
Halter Technical is proud to introduce Peeko , our newest innovation in on-set communication. Built for both on-camera talent and behind-the-scenes professionals, Peeko is the most invisible IFB...
www.haltertechnical.com
A competitor to the Bubblebee Sidekick, and at half the price.
Jim Feeley
Veteran
Ya, good point. Though I could see other Audiotronix divisions, say DiGiCo and SSL, wanting to stretch out a bit. Hopefully we'll know more next week...
Speaking of SuperNexus, did you see the rack built that stuff for Coldplay's Glastonbury gig last year? Too big for my bag:
Here's the PR story from a couple weeks ago:
Coldplay Pushes the Envelope for Wireless Audio at 2024 Headline Glastonbury Set
Coldplay Pushes the Envelope for Wireless Audio at 2024 Headline Glastonbury Set - Sound Devices
RF Engineer Ali Viles on the ‘Impossible Gig’ made possible with Sound Devices A20-SuperNexus
www.sounddevices.com
That little Halter Technical IEM(ish) monitor looks nice. I use their over-ear IFB monitors; pretty good stuff. The Bubblebee Sidekick always looked nice to me, but I haven't tried on (bc as you suggest, the price); still like the company, though. Looks HT doesn't have a booth, but I'll keep an eye out for them in location-sound land...
I hadn’t seen that! Dang…
I have 8 of the Halter single-ear monitors, but they’re discontinued. If I recall correctly, the cost to manufacture wasn’t worth keeping them up. Too bad, because I do love those.
I have a Bubblebee Sidekick. It’s very nice, and a great option for on-cam talent IFB when you don’t have the budget for Phonak. But, I only have one, as I wasn’t going to drop $200/ea on a handful. At around $100 for the HT, though, I may be tempted to pick up a couple of them.
No Halter Technic booth, but Doc is going to be there. He said there’s a big announcement coming, but not until May.
Jim Feeley
Veteran
Three more things I'm looking for at NAB:
I want to see if DJI has a new camera at, say the US$5K level...
I want clarity on the Wireless Multichannel Audio Systems (WMAS) concept and insight on if we'll see WMAS for production sound anytime soon (and if we'll care). https://www.shure.com/en-US/insights/an-overview-of-wmas
I want to find a place in the convention hall that sells good coffee for reasonable prices and without a huge line.
I want to see if DJI has a new camera at, say the US$5K level...
I want clarity on the Wireless Multichannel Audio Systems (WMAS) concept and insight on if we'll see WMAS for production sound anytime soon (and if we'll care). https://www.shure.com/en-US/insights/an-overview-of-wmas
I want to find a place in the convention hall that sells good coffee for reasonable prices and without a huge line.
Doug Jensen
Veteran
And restrooms that don't already have piss all over the floor by 9:00am. I had a very nice "secret" restroom near the Sony booth that most people don't know about, but now that the booth has moved to a different hall, gotta be on the lookout.
DustinSchmidt
Well-known member
I've seen and heard about a lot of FX9 owners who decided to make the jump up to Burano. I feel like that's quite a jump to make at the Burano's $25k price point compared to when the FX9 launched at $11k, but times have certainly changed.
I still feel like Sony needs a product around the $10k price point, and maybe that could be a more direct FX9 successor, but we'll see.
Doug Jensen
Veteran
Yeah, I totally understand that if you just look at pricing there would seem to be a large gap between the FX6 and the Burano. But in reality, the gap in image quality, performance, and features isn't really big enough for another camera to sneak in there between them. In some ways the FX6 is already equal to and better than the Burano. So, what are you going to do to make a new camera that will fit in between them at a $12K-$15K price point? I have no idea. Like a lot of stuff (especially cars) the base mode is a bargain (FX6) and the premium version (Burano) costs a lot more than you'd think it should if you just looked at the diffferences between them.
If you really sat down and thought about it, I'll bet what you want is a Bruano at a lower price point. Because a dumbed down Burano, made to fit between the FX6 and the current Burano might not make anyone happy and probably wouldn't sell very well. So, for those reasons, I really don't see a new camera happening soon. But that's just my speculation.
The camera that I'm really waiting for is the replacement for the Z280.
If you really sat down and thought about it, I'll bet what you want is a Bruano at a lower price point. Because a dumbed down Burano, made to fit between the FX6 and the current Burano might not make anyone happy and probably wouldn't sell very well. So, for those reasons, I really don't see a new camera happening soon. But that's just my speculation.
The camera that I'm really waiting for is the replacement for the Z280.
Last edited:
Some cool stuff from Blackmagic.
- Resolve 20 with several AI improvements in the color and fusion pages. Nice.
- Pyxis camera, 12k, 16 stops for $4995..... Ok, so you will probably need another 2-3k for a handle, a side grip, a viewfinder or their touchscreen monitor. But still, pretty nice.
I don't get the big display on the side that doesn't come out for viewing by the operator. Useless to me, but I guess if you have an AC, that may be useful.
- Resolve 20 with several AI improvements in the color and fusion pages. Nice.
- Pyxis camera, 12k, 16 stops for $4995..... Ok, so you will probably need another 2-3k for a handle, a side grip, a viewfinder or their touchscreen monitor. But still, pretty nice.
I don't get the big display on the side that doesn't come out for viewing by the operator. Useless to me, but I guess if you have an AC, that may be useful.
Last edited:
But the display is on the operator side, so how is the AC going to see it?
NorBro
Major Contributor
The big URSA was designed for a small crew to gather around the cam (pic is from NAB 2014...2014!...could you imagine, it's been so long).
You don't see it here but there is a fixed monitor on the right side. And lol at the 'zones'...is that what they are called on pro sets? IDK
You don't see it here but there is a fixed monitor on the right side. And lol at the 'zones'...is that what they are called on pro sets? IDK
It's a health initiative. The AC runs around.