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127th AES Convention Coverage (New York, NY Oct. 9-12)
PRESS RELEASE
Alesis Breaks New Ground with ProLinear 820
January 19, 2001
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Addressing the need for greater accuracy in the audio control room, Alesis announces the first in their new DSP-enhanced studio monitor series, the ProLinear 820. Featuring ultra-flat frequency response, outstanding performance characteristics, and the ability for users to precisely customize speaker response using on-board digital processing, the ProLinear 820 represents the first studio monitor to provide greater level of accuracy using new Alesis digital technology. The ProLinear 820 will ship in the spring of 2001 at a suggested retail price of $1299/ pair. In the conventional sense, the ProLinear 820 is a bi-amplified, 8-inch two-way high-performance studio monitor, with outstanding base-line performance. But the heart of the ProLinear 820 is a new Alesis DSP module, which provides a range of new benefits. First, DSP is applied to each speaker right on the production line to correct for very small variations in drivers, bringing system performance to a new level of accuracy. The settings live internally and are specific to each unit. Alesis Product Marketing Manager, Randy Neiman explains, "our proprietary digital technology allows us to adjust for very small variations in drivers-something that's always a concern-giving us a frequency response that's completely flat from 40Hz to over 20kHz within 1.0dB, and that's amazing." Beyond producing a very flat speaker, Alesis chose to provide a level of control customers will find very attractive. Four-band parametric EQ with front-panel controls allows the user to customize speaker response to his or her own taste, and correct for anomalies in the acoustic environment. A front-panel module includes controls for four bands of parametric EQ, frequency, gain, peak-to-shelf Q control, and high-pass filter. The user can recall standard EQ curves stored in factory presets, modify them and store them in user memory. Over time, as the user analyzes daily mixes, he may decide the mixes need fine-tuning, or readjusting, such as more top end, or correction in the low end. The Alesis ProLinear 820 allows him to easily dial in the EQ settings he needs to produce perfect mixes. In this sense, the ProLinear 820 can be precisely customized for personal taste. EQ can also be applied to correct for standing waves and other problems in the listening position. Director of Product Marketing Peter Chaikin relates, "This is the first speaker to seriously address the need for personal customization. People hear differently, and that's why two great mix engineers have different preferences in monitors. ProLinear series starts with an accurate base-line performance and allows the individual to customize the response to his or her own ears. We've designed those settings to be programmable, giving musicians, engineers or any listener the power to store his or her unique preferences. That option has never been made available before in a personal reference monitor." The ProLinear 820's module interface gives users four bands of fully parametric EQ control from 20Hz-20kHz, with a range of Q factors, shelving and high-pass filter. Eight factory settings provide typical low-and high-frequency boost and roll-off curves, plus 8 user-definable programs to allow precise control and repeatability, studio to studio, session to session, and user to user. The rear panel of the ProLinear 820 includes a 9-pin serial interface, allowing the ProLinear 820 to be connected to other ProLinear monitors, or to a computer. The serial link allows all connected speakers to be controlled by any other speaker in the system, or by the supplied Windows and Macintosh software- allowing for sophisticated configurations in multi-channel applications and greater functionality in voicing the speakers. Owners can adjust the response of their monitors in real-time using a computer or a laptop, save the curves, and trade them via floppy disc or the internet. The ProLinear software gives graphic representation and control of equalization curves, and monitor "grouping" for surround or zone-mixing applications. Settings can be saved and recalled, and uploaded to any ProLinear 820 via a computer. The ProLinear 820 features a custom 8-inch polypropylene woofer and 1" silk dome tweeter for very smooth response and high power handling and 100W and 50W amplifiers for the 8-inch and 1-inch low and high frequency transducers respectively. The system provides a nominal output of 90db SPL @ 1 meter, and a maximum output of 105db SPL @ 1 meter. Inputs are balanced XLR and 1/4" TRS type with switch-selectable +4/-10dB levels. 9-pin serial In and Out connectors and power switch round out the rear panel feature set and the 820 has an internal 90 volt to 220 volt switch-selectable power supply. ProLinear 820 will ship in spring 2001 at a suggested retail price of $1299/pair. For more information, visit their web site at http://www.alesis.com/.
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