MXL at NAMM 2013
January 2013 – At the NAMM show in Anaheim, Marshall Electronics launched a number of new devices for the creation, recording and distribution of audio and video content. Their new products at this show, which focus on the audio professional (as opposed to the CES audience of consumer mics and the NAB/AES audience of studio products) for small and mid recording rather than broadcast studios. Some of the products are focusing on the area of high performance audio for video. This includes new wireless rigs for bringing high quality mics to the cell phone, tablet and laptops. These include the MXL CR series, the Guitar Center 800 series, and a new kit from Mixcraft. The Mixcraft VocalStudio Kit includes an Acoustica MVS USB Micrphone designed by MXL, the Mixcraft V6 softwareand a table stand for the microphone. This sub $100 kit is targeted at podcasting and video conferencing capabilities while it can also manage vocal and instrument recording with an electret condenser mic. The system also includes a headphone jack for monitoring of the recording. The Mixcraft software works with most USB microphones. The configuration is for direct connection without a preamp, and they work with all sampling rates from 24KHz-96KHz and bit depths of 10-24 bits
For the studio market and home studio use, they launched the CR89 microphone. All of the MXL Microphones, including the CR89 are designed and engineered in the US. The low noise condenser has very low proximity effects which makes it ideal for closeup recording. It comes with a shock mount and has won several vocal shoot out competitions.
Gutiar Center has packaged a number of the MXL 800 series mics – condenser mics, ribbon mics, and the brass body condenser mics a 6 piece mic locker. These include a case/locker and shock mounts for the mics. They are targeted at vocal, instruments, and mixed systems that allow for a single SKU purchase of a small / home studio setup . These kits are usually under $1,000MSRP.
Streamvu-TV system chart
On the video front, Marshall Electronics was showing the StreamVu TV product and service. THis is a partnership where StreamVu and Marshall Electronics has joined forces to provide a cost effect and easy to use live streaming solution to their common client base. Their live streaming is targeted at bands, performers, companies, and educational markets that want to private channel broadcast live events and have them available for VOD after the broadcast. The StreamVu TV service integrates with the line of Marshall Electronics PS Series Producer Stations. The PS-102-HDSDI Producer Station handles all of the video and audio from the capture camera and the sending to the cloud based network. The hardware is a DAM system that handles a 1080p 30fps service using an H.264 codec compression for low latency. The system is designed for three tiers of use model on a monthly basis and also a PPV/VOD service for as low as $0.18 per viewer.
