I think the phrase “…at least it’s a dry heat” makes sense most of the time. However, it did not offer much comfort when attending the 2008 New Media Expo in Las Vegas, which took place August 14-16. Daytime temps of over 100 degrees everyday ensured that you stayed in the convention center (or casinos) for as long as possible and kept all outdoor activities to a minimum. That seemed to work out well for the 2500+ attendees, who were fine hanging out in the lobby, tapping away at their laptops after visiting booths and attending workshops.

The New Media Expo is in its fourth year, catering to content creators and promising to arm them with the knowledge and networking necessary to not only improve the quality of their content, but hopefully expand their audiences and get some money in their pockets.

A large portion of the attendees were podcasters and, as such, spend a large part of their time recording audio. Mackie was there to not only show off the U.Series Production Mixers and MR Mackie Reference Monitors, but also served to educate people who were just starting out, or have produced their show using only the most modest of tools.

There were a lot of people whose studio consisted of a USB mic and a pair of computer speakers or headphones, and when podcasting was in its infancy, this may have served them well. However, times have changed. People are making money podcasting, and it only stands to reason that quality audio production would not be far behind. Many people were interested in making the wise move to a hybrid mixer. The U.420d, with two mic pres, two stereo line channels and great price point was definitely a crowd pleaser. The hip crowd loved the unique form factor, and the FireWire “loop-thru”  feature was a huge success. With this feature, a podcaster could hook up with an interviewee on Skype, bring that audio into the U.420d, combine it with their own mic and send the whole mix back to the computer for recording. This was a revelation to many and a perfect solution to their problems.

Mackie’s MR5 monitors were also a huge hit. Besides letting the attendees listen to their favorite music through the pair, Mackie Product Manager Matt Redmon and Communications Lead, Ryan Cassady, explained the other benefits of using a reference monitor with flat frequency response. A podcaster cannot assume their audience is only listening through headphones. As new media grows, the audience becomes more sophisticated and a content creator must be sure that their mix will translate well on any playback system. Once that light bulb went off, people could really see the value of the MR monitors, which you can get for around $300 a pair at any US authorized Mackie dealer.

We also had a decidedly more professional setup, consisting of an Onyx1220 (w/ FW card), a pair of HR624mk2 Studio Monitors and an MCU Pro. Since the crowd was a real mix, from noob to pro, there was also a lot of interest in this station. The ability to multi-track record out of the Onyx was a really strong selling point and the monitors sounded excellent, of course.

 

We even gave away a couple of U.420d mixers, which was a sure crowd pleaser!

Besides manning the booth, Matt Redmon was also tasked with conducting two separate on-site workshops. In these discussions, he outlined what hardware would be needed for a serious audio production rig. From mic to ear, he explained

the benefits and drawbacks that a consumer faces when choosing the right hardware and software for their applications. He also walked them through Tracktion 3, showing them how easy it is to get a session going, lay down a music bed and export the whole mix for distribution.

We would have to say that this event was a huge success. Everyone who attended is sure to benefit from increased production capabilities and marketing. There are undoubtedly many blogs out there giving you a play by play, so be sure to search those out. Everyone was networking like crazy, proving once again that what happens in Vegas, does not necessarily STAY in Vegas!