The Score Magazine August 2019 issue! | Page 49

The best way to set up multiple speakers in a studio is via a ‘Monitor Controller’ and one of the most reputed brands in professional audio just released a brand new model that has more than few tricks up its sleeve. Cut - The cutter will simply mute all outputs of Nero. This button can be extremely helpful during loud MIDI hangs, accidental microphone feedback or digital glitches as it allows you to quickly cut all signals going to your monitors. Audient NERO Mono – The mono button allows you to hear your playback in collapsed mono. Audient Nero is simply, a reversed mixer. It takes the input from your audio interface and distributes it to a selection of multiple sets of speakers at the same level, all controlled by one big volume knob and allows you to switch between speakers seamlessly. Features Inputs – Nero can take up to three stereo inputs from three separate devices which allow you to playback audio from, on three sets of speakers at the same level. It has two balanced stereo TRS inputs and an aux input with 3.5mm or RCA options. The aux input can also be fed a digital signal using a SPDIF or Toslink connection that is capable of sample conversions up to 192kHz. Apart from the regular stereo inputs, the Nero also has a ‘Cue’ input and a ‘Talkback’ input. The cue input allows you to send a signal that you want only on the headphones like a click track or a demo backing track. The talkback input is equipped with phantom power so you can even connect condenser microphones. And in case you don't have any spare microphones lying around, Nero has a built in talkback microphone for the most convenient and clean setup. Outputs – Nero offers three balanced stereo TRS outputs that you can connect to three pairs of speakers. It also offers a separate balanced mono output for a subwoofer, which is one the best features as this separate sub output allows you mix and match the subwoofer with any of the three connected stereo monitors and even allows you to monitor just the sub for low end monitoring. Nero also offers four built in amplified headphone outputs, each with a separate level controller and the ability to send the Cue and Talkback signals to them. Nero will allow you to set the levels you are outputting to your speakers at the time of initial setup so you can ensure that when you switch between speakers, the levels will remain consistent. Additional Features Dimmer - The dimmer simply lowers the levels of all outputs from Nero to a desired set level at the push of a button without disturbing the main volume knob. Polarity Flip – The polarity flip will phase flip the left stereo signal when used alone and when used in conjunction with the mono button, will remove all center information and allow only the stereo fields through the circuit. This button is extremely useful to phase check your stereo mix. Even more features The Nero has a few more features that make it fit your workflow better. For instance, the Dim, Mono, Polarity and Cut buttons can be set to latch or toggle mode and the speaker selectors can be paired together to each other. You can also set the Sub button to be automatically toggled with desired speaker selections. Conclusion The addition of a monitor controller to your setup is one of the most facilitating steps you can take towards becoming a better mix engineer or producer. Once you add such a device in your setup, it becomes one of the most essential features in your workflow. It is really up to you if you want all your speakers to be studio monitors or not. I suggest you keep as much variation as possible to ensure your mix translates well on a wide variety of speakers. With the availability of four headphone outputs you can even connect simple 2.1 desktop speakers so you can also monitor on consumer grade speakers on the fly. For me personally, my first monitor controller was one of the most notable equipment that helped me become a better engineer. Great and expensive studio monitors are definitely a good investment, but you won’t be able to understand them as well if you can't hear them in comparison to other speakers and hear exactly how they sound different. My suggestion, before you break your bank on expensive monitors is, get yourself a Monitor controller and a set of decent speakers. Connect every other speaker that you have lying around and work your way up. Mukul Jain (Chief Engineer/Proprietor at Ferris Wheel Studios) The Score Magazine highonscore.com 47