每隔一段时间，ATC就会推出限量特别版音箱，中坚产品150尤其多，型号也略有不同，比如EL150 SLP、EL150 SLA、SCM150SL AT、SCM150 Anniversary、SCM150SE等。其中EL150 SLP与SCM150 Anniversary仍在产品目录中，木皮外饰可以根据用家的定单要求定制。这些特别版150音箱都装载新改良的25mm球顶高音SH25-76S，新改进的独立音腔钕磁铁软球顶高音安装在一组精密的铝波导管内，与箱体形成相对独立的两个工作空间。而且高音单元面板的扩散弧度经过精密计算，让前扩散角更广和稳定。中音为SM75-150S软球顶中音，这是ATC的经典之作、镇厂之宝。采用Super Linear超线性技术的375mm低音单元SB75-375SL，能降低单元的失真率，进而在听感上提升中频的清晰度，使乐器的表现更加传真。所有单元都会进行仔细的配对，分音器采用精确配对的聚丙烯电容、空芯线圈电感、高精度陶瓷电阻等。不论哪一款特别版的150，其音色之圆滑、动态之强烈和音场之立体，都足以名列当今世上最靓声的动圈扬声器之一。
ATC SCM19A有源扬声器和ATC最新的CDA2 MK2 CD/解码/前级一体机自然是最好的搭配，同时在理论上也能实现最短的讯号传输路径。ATC SCM19A有源版配备电子分音设计，基于A/B类的全分立元件Mosfet场效应晶体管放大输出，配合相位校正和过载保护。对每个声道采取独立的功率供给，控制在低失真情况中运作，两组功放分别输出150W驱动中低音和32W驱动高音单元。ATC推出了全新的CDA2 MK2 CD/解码/前级一体机，这款机器在旧款CDA2基础上进行全新升级。CDA2 MK2的数字电路为重新设计及优化版本，采用32bit的AKM DAC解码芯片，此外为了支持DAC，MK2在电源架构上新增了九只电压调节器，电源去耦设计比起第一代的更为优秀。
英国ATC扬声器，属于之前家庭Hi-End系统“推荐”介绍的继续，不过这次要推荐的扬声器为体型较大的100系列，而且是有源系统——SCM100ASL。很早的时候我就聆听过SCM50SE和SCM100SE座地式扬声器，其均以被动方式进行运作，也就是说全频的音乐讯号传输末端将在内置扬声器中的被动分频器进行HF\MF\LF滤波还原，这种无源设计成为了民用Hi-End市场的主流，因为其能视为独立环节，自然在搭配上更加灵活和轻松。
为什么还要推荐SCM100ASL有源版呢？它存在的意义和价值又在哪里呢？首先，这次要推荐的SCM100ASL，属于SCM100SE的衍生版，有源设计对于ATC厂商来说是确实是小菜一碟。作为专为录音室输出专业监听有源扬声器的厂家，SCM100SE民用无源版本就是针对民用发烧友及搭配所需而生，但厂家也发现市场对ATC专业监听有源技术同样痴迷，ATC索性炮制多一款发烧级的监听有源产品SCM100ASL。其在外观上识别是有点难度的。不过玩家只要摸摸背面的散热片就能清楚，这些硕大的散热片都是紧贴着内部的功放管，放大线路设计以AB类型进行运作。
早在2010年，ATC就推出了CDA2，这是ATC的第一款音源系统，包含了CD播放、DAC解码和前级功能，完全在英国工厂制造。对于搭配高级有源喇叭的用家，CDA2提供了简单高质的搭配选择。而这次试听的CDA2 MK2则是时隔8年后推出的第二代产品，在2018年底才正式上市。相比前代产品，它的CD、解码器版块都进行了升级，增加了输入选择，并且重新设计了模拟信号放大电路。融合专业气质的外观设计,面板中央的指示灯显示播放的讯源，除了可播放CD唱片外，还备有两组RCA模拟输入，以及备有同轴/光纤与USB数字输入。机身采用了钢铝混合结构，并加入特殊的阻尼层约束共振的问题，机脚也是实心金属制造。
CD2播放机采用TEAC专为CD唱机设计的5020A-AT转盘，DAC则是来自AKM的32Bit制品，不过低噪多反馈模拟滤波器则出自ATC自家之手。输出部分包括RCA单端和真正差分输出的XLR平衡端，同时也有数字光纤和同轴端口，以便外接DAC使用。
SIA2-100同样内置DAC，因此也具备数字光纤和同轴的输入，不过没有设计XLR平衡输入，因此主要的设计目标依然是面向民用市场。ATC强调其前置放大电路和后级功率放大都采取了完全独立的电源供应，以减少彼此的干扰。同时，板载的AKM DAC和USB接收也使用了独立的电源稳压器，模拟信号线路更是分立式设计。USB输入支持32Bit/44.1kHz～384kHz的PCM采样，支持2.822MHz（单速率DSD64）、5.644MHz（双速率，DSD128）下解码DSD数据流。而后级功率放大部分，并没有因为机箱小巧而采用时下流行的廉价D类放大技术，而是保持了ATC一贯对高音质要求的AB类技术，采用MOS-FET场效应功率管输出功率为100W×2（8Ω）。此外，SIA2-100还内置了高素质耳放，并且以偏A类输出，可适配32～600Ω阻抗的耳机。
ATC SCM150 LE限量纪念版落地箱是在全年12月上市的，国内首次露面就是在音响展上首发。在展会上对ATC工程经理Richard Newman先生的专访中得知，SCM-150LE是一款主动有源落地箱，整体主要架构依然源自于成熟的SCM150，外观上最大的改变是箱体表面采用精选玫瑰木皮，再以多层钢琴烤漆打磨，质感上乘。更显高贵之余，还有效提高箱体刚性，减低谐振。
另一个改变，是箱体下的脚座由 Billy Woodman亲自设计，底座还镶嵌了一圈镀24K金裙边，不但彰显限量版的极致奢华，还有实际作用的。据ATC工程师介绍，这是为了加固底座的稳定性，有效降低15英寸的大口径低音在重播大动态时的剧烈震动状况，提供更沉稳的低频，更均衡的声音表现。可见，ATC老板为了限量版用户能够有最好的聆听享受，可谓是绞尽脑汁，尽善尽美了。箱体外观虽然和以往的产品区别不大，但箱体内部经过重新强化设计，用料非常扎实，重量甚至直逼旗舰的SCM-300。
Alistair concludes, “I have been massively impressed by the SCM 12 Pro – defying mere fashion it’s an evolutionary product from a firm that refuses to compromise engineering decisions for marketing acceptability. They are professional tools designed for a working studio environment. The finish is utilitarian but the sound extraordinary, and if you need compact monitors that tell the unvarnished truth about your audio, start here.”
To read the review in full please visit the Audio Media International website.
“Finding a path through all the conflicting constraints when designing a monitor is akin to making the pieces of a jigsaw fit together, and when you get it right, everything snaps into focus. The SCM12 Pro had that from the very start.”
“The foundation of the SCM12 Pro is its low-frequency performance: typically closed-box with its lack of overhang and reassuring security of pitch, whatever the volume level, but with the added quality that comes from driver engineering that’s a level or two above run-of-the-mill and can play surprisingly loud.”
“As you can probably tell, I really like the SCM12 Pro. I think it’s a genuinely fine nearfield monitor, and given the relatively low price for the level of engineering involved, it is something of a bargain.”
Phil Ward, Sound on Sound Magazine, September 2017.
You can read the review in full on the Sound on Sound Website where you can also subscribe to both print and digital versions of the magazine.
John Webber at Air Studios Mastering. Photography by Adam Crowe. www.adamcrowe.net
According to AIR Studios Mastering’s wisely-worded website: Professional audio mastering is the last part of the sound production process where recordings are given a final gloss. Our role is to bring multiple songs together within a project, creating consistency across different formats and ensuring greatest possible impact when played on different systems. Using a full-range speaker monitoring system in an acoustically treated room, our experienced ear will polish your music for release. It’s a creative and technical process. No two tracks are the same; each track is treated individually, and this requires ever-changing and well-maintained solutions to ensure the best results. All of which is made possible at AIR Studios Mastering.
Making all that perfectly possible at AIR Studios Mastering comes courtesy of a killer combination of top-tier creative technical talent with three pairs of experienced ears between them. Award winning mastering engineer, John Webber who cut Air’s first ever direct to disc sessions and has re-mastered many classic albums, “often from the original analogue sources” as well as working with releases for a wide range of notable film and TV scores. Cicely Balston, who joined from Gearbox records and the semi-retired Ray Staff (hit after hit spanning all genres of music since starting out at London’s Trident Studios in 1970).
Being part of (the dearly departed) George Martin’s studio legacy clearly comes with some serious fringe benefits. Beautifully built, the “…one fully-kitted mastering suite…” in which John Webber now spends most of his time — now that Ray Staff “…comes in occasionally on a freelance/consultation basis…” — boasts a full-range, ‘no-expense spared’ monitoring system. Said system was developed in surroundings akin to Lockheed’s secretive ‘Skunk Works’ advanced aircraft facility with a purchase price skyrocketing towards a lofty six-figure sum! “The TAD Reference One’s dual-concentric driver was partly developed here at AIR, and they were very kindly gifted to us by Pioneer when the room was conceived,” clarifies their principal practitioner.
Pioneer’s kindness notwithstanding, there is routinely room for improvement in most mastering studio setups — even one as well specced as AIR Studios’. “Originally Class-D amps were chosen for our speakers, but we always felt they were a little hard-sounding and lacking in musicality,” maintains John Webber. “We felt it was worth exploring some Class A/B amp options, but, having tried several, we weren’t impressed… until we came across the ATC P2 PROs.”
Perhaps this is hardly surprising since the P2 PRO power amp is a true dual mono design delivering 300W of continuous power simultaneously from both channels to drive the most challenging loudspeaker loads with ATC’s signature virtues of wide bandwidth and ultra-low distortion. “The TADs are potentially a tough load with dual 10-inch bass drivers to control, and then there’s the passive crossover network and 4-ohm impedance to consider,” continues John Webber. “They’re designed to be very responsive and linear, so, speculatively, we were looking for something that provided a balance between fast, focused, and sweet.”
So sweet it is that those two P2 PRO power amp additions at AIR Studios Mastering proved to be a perfect pairing. “The sound is still quite lively and true, but now there’s a more musical bottom end, and this extra dimension has made things more enjoyable to listen to,” trumpets John Webber. “Two P2 PROs in a bi-amped configuration certainly sound different to just using one and took a little time getting used to, but I have always found brutally honest and revealing monitors to be best for my work because there’s little in the way of flattery going on and I generally find that masters translate better in the outside world.”
While original soundtrack albums for vinyl, CD, and download by Jed Jurzel (Alien Covenant), Murray Gold (Dr. Who) and Clint Mansell (Loving Vincent) alongside “…a ten-LP
boxset of Ornette Coleman’s Atlantic-era releases and reissues for George Michael, Chris Rea and many others….” have already been benefiting from P2 PRO-amplified mastering by John Webber, his brutal honesty shines forth in his closing comments: “If I was to describe the ‘sound’ of the amps in general, I would say they’re balanced, open, and uninhibited. We’re achieving a naturally unveiled soundstage, clean top end, and extended — but never over-egged — extension at the bottom end. I feel like P2 PROs provide excellent value for money… for us, they definitely came out on top when compared with similarly priced competitors.”
While weighing in at a reasonable 15kg/33lbs (per cabinet), the SCM12i Pro’s compact cabinet size — 400x238x235mm/15.7”x9.4”x9.3” (HxWxD) — and exceptional performance attributes of an even on and off-axis frequency response, wide dispersion and high dynamic range — make it an ideal loudspeaker for use in surround/multi-channel recording/mixing, and immersive audio applications such as Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Auro 3D. To facilitate simple installation in whatever audio environment it may find itself — immersive or otherwise, the cabinet features mounting points compatible with popular wall/ceiling brackets, such as those offered by the likes of Californian company Adaptive Technologies Group and German giant König & Meyer (K&M).
Distinguishing Deutschland-compatible, installation-friendly features apart, the SCM12i Pro is designed around the same philosophy as ATC’s two- and three-way active monitor loudspeakers and also employs driver components and technology found in those larger models, resulting in exceptional consistency across the product range. Indeed, it is worth noting that the monitor makes use of the company’s celebrated drive units for both the mid/bass and tweeter, both being meticulously hand built at its UK facility.
The tweeter itself is a 25mm/one-inch soft-dome designed around ATC’s unique dual-suspension technology. Unlike conventional tweeters, this precision part employs two suspensions, offering far greater control of the voice coil and dome motion — especially at higher sound pressure levels. The result is an extended high-frequency response with much greater clarity and definition due to the reduction in disturbing anharmonic distortion. Listener fatigue is also greatly reduced, resulting in users being able to work for longer periods with greater accuracy.
At the lower end of the frequency spectrum, mid/bass reproduction is handled by ATC’s 150mm/six-inch proprietary CLD drive unit. Using a 45mm/1.75-inch diameter voice coil, and employing an FEA (Finite Element Analysis) optimised high-energy symmetric gap motor system, the driver is capable of tremendous dynamic range with minimal power compression. Cone construction is courtesy of another proprietary ATC technology that represents another advance in driver performance — namely, Constrained Layer Damping (CLD), a process that uses multiple laminated fabric cones to form a stiff, light, and tremendously well-damped structure. Speaking acoustically, this construction creates a smoother on- and off-axis frequency response and also a reduction in distortion leading to a more lifelike reproduction of source material. Meaningfully, judgements and decisions can be made more quickly, more accurately, and for longer periods of time by busy working audio professionals.
Let it be known, then, that simple, well-engineered products almost always trump feature-rich, cost-engineered alternatives, and ATC’s SCM12i Pro has been duly designed with that philosophy very much intact. Its neutral fidelity makes for a very versatile proposition, one which — when backed up with the company’s industry-leading six-year warranty — makes for a high-value, longterm investment for anyone looking to make a move into immersive audio or upgrade their existing monitoring system. So surely now is the time to consider entering that brave new world of EQ’ing, balancing, and editing faster, with more consistent results and reduced listening fatigue using the latest, high-performance, compact two-way passive monitor marvel from ATC, perfectly positioned for installation into recording, post-production, broadcast, and film studios of all shapes and sizes!
The British-built SCM12i Pro retails in the UK for £1,604.00 GBP (plus VAT) per pair.
For more in-depth information, please visit the dedicated SCM12i Pro Product Webpage
For availability and pricing internationally, please visit the ATC Where to Buy Webpage
In addition, Scheiner garnered two Emmy Awards and three TEC Award nominations. He is a TEC Hall of Fame inductee and holds an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, where he currently runs recording and mixing workshops. It was at Berklee that Scheiner fell in love with ATC’s revealing transparency, inspiring him to overcome a “superstitious” attachment to his NS-10s in favor of ATC SCM25A Pro three-way monitors.
Scheiner heard ATCs over a decade ago and thought they sounded “incredible,” but that experience didn’t move him to make the jump. “You can get yourself to a place where you’re superstitious about the tools that brought you to that place,” he explained. “I used NS-10s for most of my life.” Given his unambiguous success, it seemed like an open-and-shut case of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’
It was only after Scheiner repeatedly got in front of ATCs to do workshops at Berklee that the practical benefits of their “incredible” sound became apparent. “Every one of the rooms at Berklee has ATC monitors,” he said. “I fell in love with them. The ATCs gave me an honest representation of what I was recording and mixing. At the end of the day, I would bring the work home to my NS-10s to finish, but there was nothing left to do! The decisions I made with the ATCs stuck.” He views the difference between working on the ATCs and the NS-10s not as working faster, but rather working with less effort. “Ears are a funny thing,” he mused. “I could try to throw some facts at you about why I like the ATCs so much, but in the end it’s just that I hear what I want to hear on the ATCs. With other speakers, I know what I want but I have to go out and get it. The ATCs just give it to me.”
Since he first got the ATC SCM25As a few months ago, Scheiner has completed work on forthcoming releases by jazz musicians Kandace Springs and New York Voices.
ATC Pro products are distributed in the U.S.A. by Transaudio Group. www.transaudiogroup.com
Michael Ashby is a young recording and mix engineer with an incredible work ethic who has taken the blessing of great sonic instincts and leveraged it with dedicated study at New York City’s SAE Institute. After just a decade behind the console, Ashby has five Platinum albums to his name, was twice nominated for a Grammy Award, and was nominated for “Recording Engineer of the Year” by the Pensado’s Place Academy. His highest-profile clients include Cardi B, Latoya Jackson, Fetty Wap, Zoey Dollar, and Offset, but Ashby’s passion for music and aptitude for recording and mixing have earned him a client list that numbers four-hundred strong. Ashby operates out of his own Krematorium Studios in New York City, where he recently upgraded to a pair of SCM25A Pro compact three-way monitors. The new ATCs let him make risky moves with confidence and create mixes that reliably translate whether he’s mixing alone at a reasonable volume or in a room full of excited clients at a loud (i.e. less-than-reasonable) volume.
“I started out as a drummer, but I was lucky enough to become an audio engineer before I went deaf,” Ashby joked. Although he’s tremendously passionate about music, he is also refreshingly humble: “I kind of fell into engineering. It wasn’t something that I initially decided. People liked what I was doing, so I just kept doing it.” That said, once Ashby knew that engineering spoke to his heart, he had the good sense to formally train up and continued to work while taking classes at SAE Institute. Great work and excellent referrals kept his existing clients and organically networked him with new clients, many of whom were already big names in the music industry. “Things just got more and more serious over the years,” he reflected.
With that growing seriousness and Ashby’s own deepening knowledge and experience, he figured it was time to elevate his monitoring situation. “I wanted to listen and evaluate using the same tools that my favorite mix engineers use,” he said. “I’m inspired by Jaycen Joshua [Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Rihanna, etc.], and he recently made the switch to ATCs. In addition, I saw a pair of ATCs in the room of Craig Bauer [Kayne West, Justin Timberlake, Ed Sheeran, etc.], and I also have a deep respect for his work. So, there I was, seeing different styles of music, different engineers, and the same monitor company. I looked into ATC and learned what a lot of other highly-respected engineers were saying about ATC’s midrange clarity and translation.”
Now several months in, Ashby is more than satisfied with the upgrade. “I can use the ATCs to be super surgical or I can use them to bump,” he said. “I can listen in depth by myself, but sometimes I’m forced to do a rough mix when the room is filled with people. The ATCs let me satisfy the client while still giving me the clarity and balance I need to deliver an effective mix. I think it’s important to point out that they aren’t dangerously flat-sounding. They’re really fun to listen to, but everything I do still translates. For monitors to sound great and bump in the room but still translate perfectly outside the room… that’s everything!”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 2019: For over 25 years, Ken “Duro” Ifill has been mixing the living history of urban hip-hop and R&B. His client list includes Jay-Z, NAS, Pharrell, Erykah Badu, Will Smith, Beastie Boys, Usher, and on and on, and through a singular focus on making everything he works on as cool as possible, he has won six Grammy Awards. These days, Duro splits his time between the studio, where he still engages his first and enduring passion (mixing!) and Senior VP of A&R at Republic/Universal Records. After twenty years on the same monitors and two years in dissatisfied flux, Duro recently upgraded to ATC SCM45A three-way nearfield monitors.
“I discovered ATC working at Q-Tip’s studio (A Tribe Called Quest),” Duro explained. “He had a pair of soffit-mounted ATC SCM150ASL Pros and some other well-respected nearfields. The first thing I fell in love with on his ATCs was the imaging. As a mix engineer, I don’t think of things as just left or right. I think in three dimensions, which makes imaging especially important. I’ll put things, say, to the left-rear or center-up. Even beyond that, I’m thinking in actual depth. Say, for example, is something three feet back on the left or is it six feet back? I quickly stopped using Q-Tip’s nearfields entirely and just mixed everything on the ATCs. I loved how the volume didn’t affect the mix. I could mix quiet or loud and still have the same stable relationships and all the bass information. The top end was smooth and not at all fatiguing. It was a really enjoyable and productive mixing experience.”
Around the same time, Duro was acquainting himself with a new set of nearfields in his own studio that he had committed to before the Q-Tip ATC experience. They came after two decades on the same monitors. “I was having reliability issues with my new nearfields, but because I had made a pretty sizable investment in them, I wasn’t ready to abandon ship,” Duro said. “Then I went back to Q-Tip’s studio and he had upgraded to the biggest monitors that ATC makes – soffit-mounted mains with dual 15s (ATC SCM300ASL Pros)! I said, ‘man, you must really love these things!’ When I got back to my studio and still had the same unresolved reliability issues, I said forget it. I decided to just get the ATCs that I was wanting.”
Based on the size of the nearfields he has always preferred mixing on, Duro went with the ATC SCM45A three-way monitors, which use two 6.5-inch low frequency drivers, a three-inch soft dome mid-frequency driver, and a one-inch high-frequency driver. Although he has only had them for a short time, Duro already completed Kiana Ledé EP Myself using the ATC SCM45As. “The translation on the ATCs is great,” he said. “But even beyond the balance between the instruments, the more nuanced texture of the sounds translates. The same way that two vocalists can hit the same note and still sound different… it’s kind of analogous to what I’m talking about.” That translation of texture allows Duro to reliably mix not just for balance, but also for the emotional edge that separates a good mix from a fantastic mix. Thoroughly pleased, Duro is convinced he now has the monitors that will see him through the decades to come. A huge thanks go out to Dan Physics at Alto Music in New York who was instrumental in his quest to acquire the ATCs.
内华达州拉斯维加斯——2020年1月：TransAudio集团，U、 S公司.空中交通管制的经销商和全系列高端专业录音设备，将在2020年冬季NAMM在14914号展位展示杜比大气音乐播放系统。这将是其在纳什维尔黑鸟工作室举行的2019年夏季NAMMDolbyAtmos音乐演示的一个小版本。Dolby Atmos Music是下一代沉浸式音频体验，它将音乐远远超越传统的“环绕”，包括三维空间信息，将听众带入音乐本身。TransAudio集团为杜比提供了适用于Atmos的空中交通管制扬声器，用于其旧金山市场街总部和其他多通道杜比行政监听室。现在TransAudio将在NAMM2020建立一个全空中交通管制监控系统，让游客第一次体验杜比大气音乐。在环球音乐集团（Universal Music Group）、网飞（Netflix）、亚马逊（Amazon）等公司的支持下，Atmos Music准备为全球听众创建一个新的音乐播放标准。全空中交通管制7.1.4条冬季NAMM的Dolby Atmos音乐系统还将使用Lack Music开发的新产品，这是一个独立的高扬声器支架，可支持8到9英尺高的扬声器。该系统专为Atmos音乐播放而设计，适用于混音、制作或非常高端的个人监听系统。
除了Dolby Atmos演示外，TransAudio Group还将采用传统的立体声设置，演示ATC SCM25A和SCM45A显示器。
隔音板将形成一个350平方英尺、9英尺高的演示室，TransAudio Group将带一组与会者参加准备好的演示体验。三个ATC SCM110ASL监视器将包括前LCR信道，四个ATC SCM25A监视器将包括侧/环绕信道，四个ATC SCM12i监视器将包括头顶高度信道。两个空中交通管制SCM0.1/15SL型15英寸低音炮将处理低频频道。杜比Atmos或其他多声道音乐制作系统目前面临的挑战之一是需要安装或安装头顶高度的扬声器。为了克服这一问题，TransAudio集团与Lacke合作开发了一个用于高架高度通道SCM12i扬声器的独立式扬声器支架原型。
TransAudio Group的创始人兼总裁布拉德•伦德（Brad Lunde）说：“很少有人有机会听到专门为杜比大气（Dolby Atmos）或其他多声道沉浸式格式混音的音乐，更不用说我们用空中交通管制显示器实现的高分辨率了。”。“我们很高兴能为NAMM的游客提供这一全新独特的体验，我们也很高兴这一设施将同时演示AirHush隔音技术和使用Lacket技术构建多通道系统的便携式、非永久性方法。我们提供这些小型非永久性系统的能力将使专业人员和艺术家能够比以前更轻松地在Atmos和其他格式中工作。”
NAMM的演示将在先到先得的基础上进行。
Transaudio集团
