SOUND DEVICES INTRODUCES FIRMWARE UPDATE 1.10 FOR 552 PRODUCTION MIXER

REEDSBURG, WISCONSIN — Sound Devices introduces its latest 1.10 Firmware update for its newest 552 Production Mixer, the company’s first mixer to incorporate a fully integrated digital audio recorder. This new firmware release includes numerous functional enhancements and several important upgrades.

Sound Devices 552 Production Mixer can now incorporate the very latest technological advances into the mixer/recorder’s functionality, specifically the ability to record time code to a track. This feature is helpful for transcriptions for network news magazine applications. In addition, the Firmware update also incorporates many important improvements that make the 552 even more accessible and powerful for sound mixers.

“Sound Devices 552 Production Mixer is in high demand and has been quickly incorporated by our customers into production applications ranging from reality television and news magazines to sports and drama,” says Jon Tatooles, managing director for Sound Devices. “To date, the 552 has been Sound Devices most successful product.”

Additional features included with the 1.10 firmware update includes split ear return metering, auto-record feature on time code advance, and a record-pause feature. The newest firmware update also enables the slate mic on the 552 to be available during file playback, makes the ‘record time remaining’ announcement visible while still recording, and has added meter ballistics and file metadata functions.

Designed specifically for professional sound engineers, Sound Devices 552 contains five precision, high-dynamic range, transformer-balanced microphone inputs with expanded gain and headroom. The studio-grade inputs have their own limiter, sweepable high-pass filter and pre- or post-fade direct output. At the heart of each microphone input lies a high-performance Lundahl input transformer, which provides freedom from interference in even the most severe RF and EMI environments that are encountered in the field.

Additionally, Sound Devices 552 has an integrated two-track, 24-bit digital audio recorder that writes Broadcast WAV files or MP3 files to SD and SDHC media. The recorder is ideal for applications where a high-quality, 24-bit local recording is required. Either the outputs or combinations of inputs and outputs can be assigned as record sources.

The 552, like all Sound Devices products, is designed to withstand the physical and environmental extremes of field production. Its top and bottom chassis panels are made from molded, metalized carbon fiber for superior durability and weight reduction. The front panel is also gasketed for water resistance.

Sound Devices, LLC designs and manufactures portable audio mixers, digital recorders and related audio equipment for feature film, episodic television, documentary, news-gathering, and acoustical test and measurement applications. The eleven-year-old company designs and manufactures from its Reedsburg, Wisconsin, headquarters with additional offices in Madison, WI, and Highland Park, IL. For more information, visit the Sound Devices website, www.sounddevices.com.

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