ATH-ANC7 Noise Canceling Headphones Review

Review of the ATH-ANC7 Noise Canceling headphones
I may never fly without them again!
by Jason Johnston

I decided to test the Audio Technica ATH-ANC7 headphones on a recent flight flight. I like to travel as light as possible, especially if I have to make connections, but decided to take the protective carrying case as well in my laptop bag since it was not that much bigger than the headphones themselves and was extremely light. (click here for more technical info on the ATH-ANC7's)

Once we were at cruising altitude, I decided to try the headphones first with my MP3 player. Right away I noticed how light they were on my head, the adjustments were easy and the earpieces nicely angled for comfort and fit. I decided to try them passively first (without turning on the active noise cancellation) and found that they cut out quite a bit of noise without even being turned on. But on the downside, I found the volume level output to be on the low side compared to my earbuds. But this, and my whole flying world, changed the second I turned them on. In one word... "Wow." It was like the entire full flight and the engine all hushed in silence as soon as I flipped the switch. The volume level as well immediately increased and I was able to turn down my MP3 player, I'm sure in part to all the outside noise it was competing with before.

The music was clear and reminded me of other top non-noise canceling headphones in it's class. I found the detail of the sound to be quite good, the higher frequencies clear but soft and the bass not too pronounced. If you like the exaggerated bass sound of cheaper headphones, the ANC7's are probably not for you. But I found the listening experience with Rock, Acoustic, Bluegrass, Folk all to be remarkable. I didn't test them on classical, but from the strings I heard in other mixes I expect it would sound great.

The ANC7's also come with some handy accessories like a 1/8 to 1/4 converter and an airplane audio adapter which saved me $3 and let me test it out on the inflight action movie. The bass was smooth, the dialog was clear and it was an enjoyable listening experience.

To wrap up, you can buy a simple pair of noise canceling headphones for less money. But if you want great noise canceling and excellent sound I would recommend the ATH-ANC7 headphones.

Find the best price for the ATH-ANC7 headphones here online

Izotope Ozone 4 Announced - shipping January 2009

Around Revolution Audio, we have found the Ozone 3 Full-Suite Mastering Plug-in (pictured here) to be an amazing tool for all of us on the front lines. So, we are very excited about the updated version coming this January. Anyone who purchases Ozone 3 after Oct. 1 -in stock and available in our online store here - will be entitled to a free upgrade in January. Check out the full press release below: IZOTOPE ANNOUNCES OZONE 4 October 6, 2008 Ozone 4 builds on the program's reputation for superior sound quality and industry-standard mastering tools with new innovations. iZotope has updated and expanded Ozone's processing algorithms, optimizing them for today's low-latency DAW environments. Ozone 4 features a new Intelligent Loudness Maximizer, Perfect Reconstruction crossovers, mid/side processing for superior control over the sound stage, and a new True Envelope dynamics processing mode. In addition, numerous interface improvements and ease-of-use additions make Ozone even more accessible to musicians and engineers who want to quickly finalize their projects. Key Features:

* Integrated mastering system combining analog warmth and digital precision * New Intelligent Loudness Maximizer mode provides full-sounding masters while handling transients with unprecedented clarity * New Perfect Reconstruction crossovers combine analog character with digital clarity * New mid/side processing adds a whole new dimension of power to Ozone's EQ, dynamics and harmonic exciter by letting you process different parts of the soundstage separately * True Envelope dynamics processing introduces a new alternative to traditional Peak and RMS-based dynamics processing for exceptionally transparent compression, expansion and limiting * Improved and enhanced preset system lets users adjust a few simple parameters to get amazing results * Many more interface and ease-of-use additions

Plug-in formats: Pro Tools 7 (RTAS/AudioSuite), VST, MAS, Audio Units, and DirectX Platforms: Windows Vista, XP Apple OS X (Universal Binary) Pricing and availability: Ozone 4 will be available from Revolution Audio in January of 2009 pricing TBA. Purchase Ozone 3 here and get a free upgrade when Ozone 4 comes out in January

Sonar 8 Recording Software for PC

Sonar 8 Recording Software now Shipping Roland / Cakewalk has announced Sonar 8 software is now shipping. Here is a brief review of what to expect in this new software. The top new features include:

Loop Explorer 2.0 view provides browse and preview of audio and MIDI groove clips and patterns; quickly drag and drop loops and patterns into the track view; MIDI groove clips and patterns can be previewed with the virtual instrument of your choice. Dedicated Instrument Track single track optimized for mono or stereo virtual synths which simplifies the process of working with virtual instruments. In the pursuit of offering users options in how they want to work, the multi-track method of using virtual instruments employed by previous versions of SONAR is still supported. In addition users can split and combine instrument tracks to/from discrete audio/MIDI tracks. SONAR Performance Optimizations with focus on functionality including improved performance at high track counts and low latencies, faster launch time, and the ability to change audio devices without restarting; streamlined communication with VST plug-ins and Improved ASIO performance with output latency compensation. User Interface optimizations smoother display when resizing windows and panes, optimized metering, more responsive zoom and scroll. Channel Tools provides easy and powerful zero-latency channel processing for adjusting L/R channel placement, gain, pan/width, and phase; sample delay for precision timing adjustment of L/R channels in recordings; Automatic Mid-Side decoding of imported Mid-Side recorded material. Channel Tools can also provide a widening or narrowing effect to stereo recordings through adjustments to mid-side gain.

They have also added a number of new instruments included, only in the top Sonar 8 Producer version:

Beatscape loop performance instrument Beatscape, the latest instrument by Cakewalk's premier synthesis architect René Ceballos takes loop manipulation and realtime triggering/performance to new heights. Beatscape provides 16-pads to load and trigger loops or samples for sequencing your productions and beats. Each pad features a full powered REX player, Rapture-style step generator, multiple effect processors, and sophisticated groove slicing and dicing tools powered by Cakewalk's own AudioSnap slicing technology. Dimension Pro SONAR now includes a full version of the acclaimed synthesizer that combines real instruments with advanced synthesis for endless sound possibilities. The underpinnings of Dimension Pro's creative possibilities is the powerful Cakewalk's Expression Engine providing several types of synthesis including multi-sample rendering, wavetable synthesis, waveguide synthesis, and REX playback and manipulation. TruePianos Amber VSTi Module One of four modules that currently ship with the full version of TruePianos VSTi, the TruePianos Amber Module will provide SONAR users with world-class, playable piano sounds through its combination sampling, modeling, and synthesis sound design. TruePianos sounds and feels great, just like a real acoustic piano, with all the important characteristics: sympathetic resonance, inter-string harmonics, repedalling and more.

And a number of new audio processors, also exclusive to Sonar 8 Producer:

TS 64 Transient Shaper a powerful tool for sculpting the transient dynamics of any percussive based source material such as drums or guitars. The TS 64 Transient Shaper employs powerful envelope/transient-detection, linear-phase filtering, and gain-shaping to control the dynamics of individual transients of any sound with amplitude variation over time. TL-64 Tube Leveler a line driver/leveling processor that employs advanced analog vacuum-tube circuit modeling algorithms to add the unique qualities of tube color and warmth found in classic recordings to whatever source material it is applied. Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 LE S built on the latest award-winning guitar amp modeler from Native Instruments; 3 amps and cabinets, 11 effects, tuner, metronome, and over 50 presets.

In Conclusion: Sonar software, especially the Producer version, has always come packed full of extra instrument and audio plug-ins and Sonar 8 is no exception. Sonar 8 Producer is excellent value for money and has the full capabilities to be the center of any PC based recording studio and is Revolution Audio's current choice for working in the Windows Vista 64 bit environment. The full version of Sonar 8 Studio and Producer and upgrades from previous Sonar versions are available through Revolution Audio.