Sound Devices Showcases Audio And Video Production Solutions At CCW 2012

Sound Devices will showcase the latest audio and video production gear for content creation professionals at this year's CCW (Booth 946).
The company is exhibiting the recently upgraded PIX 240i and PIX 260i Audio/Video Recorders, as well as the 664 Production Mixer.
Sound Devices' PIX 240i Audio/Video Recorder features a five-inch, IPS-based LCD panel with accurate color rendition and consistent off-axis viewing response. The upgraded display is essential in the field, providing users with immediate confirmation of framing, exposure, focus, audio-metering and setup menu selections. It also offers higher contrast and better off-axis viewing. PIX 240i users can monitor an image's exposure with Exposure Assist, a feature that depicts either false-color or multilevel zebra stripes. It comes equipped with Focus Assist, which includes a peaking filter and 1:1 pixel zoom. Monitor brightness, contrast and chroma adjustments are also now available. PIX 240i provides standard definition recording (NTSC and PAL) and support for using simultaneous analog and SDI/HDMI audio inputs.
Users can connect the PIX 240i to cameras with HDMI (plus SDI with the PIX 240i) and record directly to QuickTime using Apple's ProRes or Avid's DNxHD codecs. Use of these codecs enables files recorded in the field to be used directly in post production, making the workflow simple and fast. The audio circuitry on the PIX 240i is based on Sound Devices' award-winning 7-Series Digital Audio Recorders. The low-noise (-128 dBu EIN), high-headroom, high-bandwidth inputs are mic/line switchable and include limiters, high-pass filters and phantom power.
Also on display is the Sound Devices PIX 260i Production Audio/Video Recorder. Based on the field-proven PIX 240i recorder, the rack-mounted PIX 260i is a file-based audio/video deck that seamlessly replaces tape-based video decks in production and post-production environments, while offering 32 tracks of audio record/playback. Using the Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD codecs, the PIX 260i records and plays files at up to 220 Mbps in high-quality, 10-bit 4:2:2 video. It also records 32 tracks of 48-kHz audio. Files from the PIX 260i are ready for direct import into the Avid and Final Cut Pro editing platforms, eliminating time-consuming transferring and transcoding. Files can also play out of the PIX 260i for real-time applications.
The PIX 260i has a built-in, five-inch 800 x 480-pixel IPS video display that allows users tto view video and setup-menu selections. With its extensive control capabilities, the PIX 260i is a flexible video playback source, compatible with Final Cut Pro 7, Final Cut Pro X and Avid Quicktime files. The PIX 260i can be controlled by both external RS-422 and via Ethernet through its embedded Web server, allowing for machine transport control over Ethernet-based networks.
Up to four SATA drives can be connected to the PIX 260i simultaneously. For RAID-type redundancy and to eliminate the need for post-record copying when multiple copies are required, users can record to all four drives simultaneously.
As with the PIX 240i, the PIX 260i includes a built-in Ambient Clockit time-code generator/reader with genlock output for rock-steady, multi-camera and double-system sound applications. In addition to generating ultra-stable time code, time codes can be read from the SDI stream, the HDMI stream or from an external source.
Sound Devices will also be featuring its 664 Production Mixer at CCW 2012. The 664 was designed to build upon the powerful features of the company's best-selling line of field and production mixers and offers expanded input/output connectivity and recording capabilities, along with greater flexibility and ease-of-use. The flagship recorder's six input channels have dedicated controls for trim, fader, pan and PFL. The inputs and four output buses are all recordable, for a total of 10 tracks of recording.
The 664 contains six ultra-low noise, high-dynamic range and transformer-less preamps, which accept mic- or line-level signals and include analog peak limiters, high-pass filters, input trim control and direct outputs on every channel. Featuring full analog audio paths for high-performance audio and superb power efficiency, the 664 also has numerous digital capabilities. Inputs 1 and 6 can be selected as AES3 or AES42 inputs for digital microphones, each with its own SRC for simplicity in system clocking.
The 664 can record up to 10 tracks of 16- or 24-bit broadcast WAV files to SD and/or CompactFlash cards. All inputs and outputs are individually selectable for recording, enabling the mixer to record all 10 channels of audio. With the 664's dual card slots, content can be recorded to either or both cards simultaneously, with the added ability to assign different tracks to each memory card.
Sound Devices is also highlighting a companion accessory, the CL-6 Input Expander, for the 664 Production Mixer. It is designed specifically to add six analog line-level inputs to the mixer. With the CL-6 attached, the direct output connectors are available as inputs, controlled by faders located on the CL-6 front panel. The CL-6 also offers additional LED output metering and duplicate-recording transport controls. With the 664 Production Mixer connected to the CL-6 Input Expander, users can now record all 12 input channels and four outputs, for a total of 16 tracks.
Sound Devices, LLC designs and manufactures portable audio mixers, digital audio recorders, and digital video recorders and related equipment for feature film, episodic television, documentary, news-gathering, and acoustical test and measurement applications. The fourteen-year old company designs and manufactures from their Reedsburg, Wisconsin headquarters with additional offices in Madison, WI and Highland Park, IL. www.sounddevices.com.