The full capabilities of the Anaconda system were on display at our booth at the 2008 NAMM Show. A rack was set up with three 1788As, the 1788A R-C remote controller, two ends of the Anaconda, a 1000 foot spool of multimode fiber, a Model 144 ADAT/AES converter, a Model 141 ADAT/analog converter and the HeadPod.

The signal flow was as follows:

Mic into 1788A

People were also impressed when the one of the connections of the spool was removed from the Anaconda and the audio seamlessly switched from the spool to the redundant fiber run with only the slightest 'tick' audible. And last but not least, people were impressed with the control and metering of the 1788As from the hardware remote through the Anaconda. The system powered up instantly and ran flawlessly for four days.

One of the people who listened and was impressed was Mark Frink, the technical editor of Live Sound Magazine. He was so impressed that he kept bringing more and more of his staff to hear the demo. The last day he brought a photographer over to take a picture of the rack, Marvin and himself. He then announced that the system was selected as "Frink's Favorite" for the best product in the entire NAMM show!

While it is wonderful to get so much positive recognition at a trade show booth, it is even better to get that reaction when the gear is used on real shows with live performers. The John Lennon Song Bus wanted to expand its capabilities to do live sound as well as record the live performances. The Anaconda system was added for their new bus to fulfill that goal.

The system was up and running for the CES, MACWorld, before even coming to NAMM. At NAMM a new demand was made on the system- not only was it needed to be a mic snake but simultaneously a drive snake!

The 1788As were on stage, connected to the Anaconda. The Anaconda was connected through the Neutrik Opticalcon mil spec fiber system to the other Anaconda at the front of house position. The FOH board was a Mackie Onyx 3280 analog board. The output of the Anaconda was converted to analog with the Model 141s. The analog output of the 141s went to the insert returns in each channel (remember that 'Line In' in most consoles is only a padded preamplifier!). The FOH engineer mixed the stereo PA and six separate monitor mixes. Those outputs were sent to the Model 142 Analog to Digital converter and into the Anaconda, back to the stage, into another Model 141 and into the amplifiers.

What is critical in this application is that there were no discernable delays, even though the audio had to be converted A/D at the stage, D/A and A/D at the FOH, and then finally back to analog on the stage. The performers were thrilled with the audio quality and the FOH engineer had never heard the clarity he achieved with any other PA in his entire career. He was particularly impressed with an acoustic guitar which he said was 'huge and detailed'.

While the FOH was only about 100 feet from the stage, the fiber was on a 1000' spool of Kevlar coated mil spec fiber. One person carried the spool and laid out the snake in about 10 minutes. Imagine for a moment how many people it would take to carry and lay out two 64 channel 1000 foot snakes! Now imagine how much they weigh and would cost to ship from gig to gig. And, finally, imagine how much affect all that copper has on audio quality.

The bus also has 207D's preamplifiers on board as well as several of the Aphex dynamics processors. The latest product that is sprinkled throughout the bus is the HeadPod headphone amplifier. Jeff Sobel, the chief engineer of the bus, says that they have been invaluable additions for overdubbing and for monitoring. They are accurate, clean and have loads of headroom. And their small size allows them to be used almost anywhere without people being tethered to a rack unit.

Aphex Systems is very proud indeed to be a critical part of the sound of the John Lennon Song Bus.

Other prominent television users of the 1788A include the Oprah Show, Bloomberg TV, Letterman Show, and KCET-TV in Los Angeles. And almost every reality show is recorded with the 1788A. Sorry, don't blame us.

The review came out in the February 2008 issue and is also available on the web at:
www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2008/Feb/Aphex_230_Master_Voice_Processor.aspx.

Gayla sums up the Model 230 by saying it is "…one of the most powerful, can't-live-without-it pieces of studio gear on the planet."

Georgia Public Radio is moving to new headquarters, adding HD programming and is upgrading all its processing. As a critical part of the upgrade they have standardized on the 2020MkIII for both the analog signal as well as their HD signal- 32 units in total.

Public radio, generally speaking, is a step above commercial radio in terms of quality, both in their programming and their audio processing. While most commercial stations use the mush and crunch boxes to achieve loudness regardless of the damage to the audio, public radio tries to achieve the highest quality audio while maintaining competitive loudness. The 2020MkIII provides the most natural and musical sound as well as maximum intelligibility. Georgia Public Radio joins many of the public radio stations and the higher quality oriented radio stations around the world that rely on the 2020MkIII.

broadcasts relaxing music and scenery for deep relaxation and meditation. The viewer can select commentary, music, ambience, or combinations. All voices are recorded through the Aphex 230. The music stream is processed through the Aphex 240 Gated Compressor and Model 720 Dominator. The entire stream is then processed through a 2020MkIII and re-embedded into the video stream. The Aphex processing provides consistent high quality signal, but without any artifacts that would disturb the mood.

We knew that the HeadPod was a fabulous product when we listened to the prototype. But with so many other headphone amplifiers in the marketplace many people just assumed that it was just another, albeit better looking, one. Despite that response, we pressed on and brought out the product. People are now able to monitor with more accuracy and clarity. They work faster and better. And they find that they can listen at lower levels, allowing them to work longer.

Here are just some of the people and companies that are using the unit for live, recording, mixing, broadcasting and Podcasting:

Stevie Wonder

Studio Marcadet in Paris bought 10 units to replace Bryston power amplifiers! Also, Ultrasone uses the HeadPods in its own booth to demonstrate their headphones.

Reviews, as usual for Aphex products, have been gushingly positive. Comparing the HeadPod to what was considered a good headphone amp a reviewer said that the improvement was "astonishing". Pro Audio Review selected it as an Editor's Pick as one of the top products of all of 2007.

Newsworthy Aphex Links: