Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/681510
40 S P R I N G 2 0 1 6 C A S Q U A R T E R L Y P aul Isaacs, Director of Product Management and Design at Sound Devices, summed it up nicely in one of the Sound Devices product videos when he said: "I think we can all agree that cables suck. Especially in a confined space, like a production sound mixer's bag." In an effort to greatly reduce the amount of cables cluttering a mixer's bag, Sound Devices developed the SL-6, which smoothly integrates with their 688 mixer/recorder—and intro- duced both last spring. The SL-6 has three SuperSlot slots that can house most receivers. It also offers some convenient power features such as an NP1 battery slot, two 12V iso outputs, and a USB charging port. I asked Sound Devices co-founder and Managing Director Jon Tatooles what the inspiration for the SL-6 was. "We see so many photos of customers' bags with complex interconnections and power schemes—and we're part of the mess that's in the bag. (Sound Devices President) Matt Anderson came up with the idea of taking the existing slots and extending their capa- bilities. The Unislot has been around for a couple of years— with Audio Ltd. and Lectrosonics using them direct to camer- as—so we added digital interconnects and serial control." Because the sound bag is centered around the recorder, they reached out to wireless manufacturers and worked together with them to implement Sound Devices' SuperSlot—which is the industry's first non-proprietary, open wireless control and interfacing standard. Speaking of the initial introduction of products from wireless manufactures, Jon said, "Wisycom and Lectrosonics were the first two companies ready to have their products work with SuperSlot, but Audio Ltd., Sennheiser, and Zaxcom will soon have wireless products available with the technology." I asked Jon how Sound Devices tested the SL-6 to make sure it—along with the 688—were ready for the market. "We pound the products to create and re-create scenarios to make sure every- thing is working as expected. We even joke that my colleague Nicholas Vandrush is 'the Bug Whisperer' because of his ability to get all the bugs out." Inquiring on how the development of recorders/mixers has changed over the years, Jon provided this insight: "A lot of devices today are, basically, computers that are application specific. They're very different than just the pure electro-mechanical devices such as mics or loudspeakers." With the continual development of creative products that serve our craft and improve our ability to do work, it's no won- der that Sound Devices was awarded this recognition. Congratulations! Ed Capp, Vice President, Jennifer Schwarzkopf, Head of Marketing Communications, Jon Tatooles, President of Sound Devices. Photo: ©Ana Gibert 2016 W ith its RX software, iZotope is a company that seems to be constantly focused on improving its products. Recently, I caught up with Melissa Misicka, iZo- tope's Brand and Corporate Marketing Director, to get some "Insight" into the company's process. What does iZotope do relative to research that inspires new processors or features? It's a mix of internal and external inspiration. We're constantly on the road, visiting facilities large and small, from major film and television networks to individual users who work from home. It's exciting … there's nothing like the human aspect of sitting in the trenches with users, experiencing the pains and frustrations that come with wanting maximum audio quality under tight deadlines and workflow impediments. We also receive a constant stream of audio files, which we use both to help educate users on better methods, and to chal- lenge our research team to improve our DSP. There are perks TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNERS by Matt Foglia CAS PRODUCTION SOUND DEVICES SL POST PRODUCTION iZotope RX ADVANCED Sound Devices SL-6