Like many others, we were saddened to learn of the death of Quincy Jones. 

He leaves us an incredible musical legacy of compositions, arrangements, albums, and concerts across a wide musical spectrum, which I won’t even attempt to summarize.

He also leaves us with the memory of a unique concert at the 25th Montreux Jazz Festival, the only one in which Quincy Jones conducted Miles Davis, accompanied by 2 big bands.

This performance, recorded on July 8, 1991, was one of the last concerts for Miles Davis, who passed soon after on September 28, 1991.

This exceptional concert, along with all the concerts recorded at the Casino de Montreux during this edition, was captured using 48 channels of SONOSAX FD-M4 microphone preamplifiers. That is, up to 48 microphones on stage connected to the SONOSAX rack, with main pre-amplifier outputs connected directly to the 48-track SONY PCM3348 recorder, secondary outputs connected to the Mountain Studio mixing console.

This system allowed the studio assistant to manage the gain of the preamps, while David Richards, Mountain Studio’s renowned sound engineer, could concentrate on the stereo mix. He died on December 20, 2013.

The late David Richards, who worked with David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Iggy Pop, Chris Rea, and many others, and was also a co-producer for Queen, had greatly appreciated this recording system.

It’s immensely satisfying for SONOSAX to have played an active part in this anthology recording.

Our thoughts are with Quincy’s family, friends and loved ones.

Recording off the beaten tracks

Emmanuel Faivre

I would particularly like to thank you and tell you how much I enjoy recording life in natural environments with your equipment. The SX-R4+ preamplifiers deliver powerful sonic emotions, with wonderful timbres, dynamics and noise levels, in the realms of silence….. With Aurélia Frey, Photographer and Author, we travelled to Iceland in April and May 2024 for 40 days, following in the footsteps of the Breton fishermen who left Paimpol to fish for cod in the icy waters of Iceland.

We recorded and photographed, from before dawn to nightfall, all the landscapes and settings that caught our eye. All this high-quality equipment, properly protected, wired and powered, has proved its reliability in glacier country!

• Find my first derushes on soundcloud playlist: Le Murmure des Égarés.
• The multi-channel versions are used in our installations visuelles et sonores
• More at:  https://emmanuelfaivre.net/paysages-sonores
• Photo credits, Aurélia Frey: https://aureliafrey.com/

Chris Watson

I’ve recently returned from a film sound recording trip to Zambia and wanted to say how well my recorder performed in very challenging conditions. The weather was very hot and dry with clouds of gritty dust all over my equipment, however my SX-R4, inside it’s case was most reliable.

More about the outstanding life experiences and works of M. Chris Watson at: https://chriswatson.net/

Analog is not dead

TONHAUS   in Hamburg/Germany, an audio production house specializing in voice recording, sound design and music production for commercials, recently acquired a SONOSAX SX-VT16.

TONHAUS managing Manfred Brunwey, whose discography is impressive, is also a musician, engineer and producer and has operated several recording, mixing and post-production studios.

Together with Horst Püttjer, both of whom have shared a passion for the best sound recordings for many decades, Horst has his roots in studio and communications engineering, it was decided: In addition to studio activities, to record and produce live again, they were looking for a mixer that would give them a real analog sound. A few attempts with the SONOSAX SX-ST quickly convinced them that this was the sound they were looking for.

So they decided on a SONOSAX SX-VT with more input channels than the SX-ST. The small size and light weight of the SX-VT, which makes it easy to transport and install on site, are further advantages that contributed to Manfred Brunwey and Horst Püttjer’s decision

Many thanks also to Zeigermann Audio in Hamburg, who played their role as distributor to perfection.

SONOSAX SX-VT – the ideal choice for the most demanding customers

SONOSAX AEM-1 on the forthcoming ALEXA 265

ARRI recently announced the small, lightweight ALEXA 265 camera, destined to revolutionize 65mm cinematography. The ALEXA 265 housing is based on that of the ALEXA 35, and is therefore compatible with the ALEXA 35 accessory set, offering many mounting options, including the SONOSAX AEM-1 preamplifier.

New mouse controller!

Courtesy of Ed Novick, one of our long-time loyal customers.

MAY ALL THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE COME YOUR WAY IN 2025 !

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Joseph Tarradellas, author of the book “Le son suisse” and editor of the “Matériel de légende” section in the magazine “Vinyle & Audio” says: “for a music lover who is also an audiophile and wants to digitise his magnetic tapes (or cassettes/vinyl, etc.) in the highest quality, the SX-M2D2 combined with free software such as Audacity is the perfect solution.”

Up to 4 audio channels on ALEXA35 using the SONOSAX AEM-1 and SX-M2D2

Specifically designed for the ARRI ALEXA35, the SONOSAX AEM-1 offers a fantastic and compact solution, acclaimed by ALEXA35 users for its sound performance and ergonomics, but limited to 2 channels. Adding our SX-M2D2 is the perfect solution for upgrading to 4 channels.

Using a single cable, the SX-M2D2 is powered by the camera and sends two additional analogue channels to the ALEXA35. As the camera’s analogue input has a slightly lower dynamic range, the SONOSAX SX-M2D2‘s limiter can be engaged to protect the ALEXA35’s analogue inputs from overload.

A new batch of SONOSAX SX-DD2 ready for delivery.

After solving the problem of component shortages, the SONOSAX SX-DD2 converter/preamplifier is again available.

For the HI END MUENCHEN visitors, a  SONOSAX SX-DD2 is on display at the PSI booth (Halle3, R09), our neighbour and friends making the famous PSI studio active speakers, and the AAVA, low frequency active absorber.

https://www.psiaudio.swiss/event/meet-psi-audio-highend-munich-2024/

The SONOSAX SX-RX8+ available in stock

The SONOSAX SX-RX8+ receiver’s holder with rotary controllers is also compatible with the series 8 of our friendly competitors SOUND DEVICES.

As with our SONOSAX SX-LC8+ control surface, the SX-RX8+ features a MIDI-USB interface for controlling gain and other functions on the 8 Series via an 8-pin Binder to USB cable.

Classical recording

Our customer Paul Sissener recording the Requiem of Mozart at the Cathedral de Lausanne last week with SONOSAX SX-R4+ and SX-AD8+, and 12 microphones.

More at: https://www.dclr-records.ch/

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Joseph Tarradellas, auteur du livre « Le son suisse » et rédacteur de la rubrique « Matériel de légende » du magazine « Vinyle & Audio » témoigne : « pour un mélomane qui est également audiophile et qui souhaite numériser ses bandes magnétiques (ou cassettes/vinyles, etc.) dans la plus haute qualité, le SX-M2D2 associé à un logiciel gratuit comme Audacity est la solution parfaite. »

Jusqu’à 4 canaux audio sur ALEXA35 en utilisant le SONOSAX AEM-1 et le SX-M2D2

Spécialement conçu pour l’ARRI ALEXA35, le SONOSAX AEM-1 offre une solution fantastique et compacte, plébiscitée par les utilisateurs de l’ALEXA35 pour ses performances sonores et son ergonomie, mais limitée à 2 canaux. L’ajout de notre SX-M2D2 est la solution parfaite pour passer à 4 canaux.

À l’aide d’un seul câble, le SX-M2D2 est alimenté par la caméra et envoie deux canaux analogiques supplémentaires à l’ALEXA35. Comme l’entrée analogique de la caméra a une plage dynamique légèrement inférieure, le limiteur du SONOSAX SX-M2D2 peut être activé pour protéger les entrées analogiques de l’ALEXA35 contre les surcharges.

Un nouveau lot de SONOSAX SX-DD2 prêt à être livré

Après avoir résolu le problème de pénurie de composants, le convertisseur/préamplificateur SONOSAX SX-DD2 est à nouveau disponible.

Pour les visiteurs du Salon HI END de Munich, un SONOSAX SX-DD2 est exposé sur le stand PSI (Halle3, R09), notre voisin et ami fabriquant les célèbres enceintes actives de studio PSI et l’AAVA, absorbeur actif basse fréquence.

https://www.psiaudio.swiss/event/meet-psi-audio-highend-munich-2024/

LE SONOSAX SX-RX8 PLUS disponible en stock

Le support du récepteur SONOSAX SX-RX8+ avec contrôleurs rotatifs est également compatible avec la série 8 de nos sympathiques concurrents SOUND DEVICES.

Comme notre surface de contrôle SONOSAX SX-LC8+, le SX-RX8+ dispose d’une interface MIDI-USB pour contrôler le gain et d’autres fonctions de la série 8 via un câble Binder vers USB à 8 broches.

Enregistrement classique

Notre client Paul Sissener a enregistré le Requiem de Mozart dans la Cathédrale de Lausanne la semaine dernière avec le SONOSAX SX-R4+, le SX-AD8+, et 12 microphones.

Plus d’infos sur https://www.dclr-records.ch/

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Since the beginnings of SONOSAX in 1977, I’ve been extremely privileged to work with Ateliers Du Nord in Lausanne.

Together with Antoine Cahen, we designed the famous SONOSAX SX-S mixer, whose design and quality earned it an almost instant reputation in the cinema industry, particularly in the USA.

Antoine is known to the general public for designing Nespresso machines, Laura Star, his ADN watches, an educational music box, and many other products.

He was awarded the Grand Prix de la Fondation vaudoise pour la culture (FVPC) on 4 November, a well-deserved prize!

See also: http://www.adn-design.ch/Cahen/index.html

SONOSAX and lead time

After the difficult period with Covid and the shortage of components, the situation has improved considerably and we have finally been able to stabilise our production.
Main products are now in stock or with lead times of approx 1 week to 10 days.
Mixing console and special versions require between 1 and 2 months.

SONOSAX SX-RX8+

Available since last summer, the SX-RX8+ is not exactly a Superslot or a Unislot, we call it Minislot !

Built with a minimum of mechanical parts to keep it small and light, it weighs around 900gr with 2 receivers and a removable 98Wh smart battery that keeps the whole system running for a good day of work.

The SX-RX8+ can hold 2 receivers feeding the recorder with up to 8 digital channels (AES31). When connected to the SX-R4+ the 8 rotary knobs can be set in either Gain of Fader mode to control the 8 audio tracks on the recorder. Their Push On switches can be freely assigned by the user to recall specific functions.

As on the SX-LC8+ the SX-RX8+ provides with a USB port carrying a MIDI protocol that can control external devices such as the Sound Devices for example.

SONOSAX SX-DD2

A new firmware has been released for the SX-DD2, offering the possibility of cutting the main output independently of the headphone output.
This new firmware V1.7 is available for download from our website: https://sonosax.ch/product/sx-dd2/

ARRI / SONOSAX AEM-1

The first feedbacks on the AEM-1 are unanimous in regards to its unprecedented high sound quality. Also much appreciated is its ergonomic design, perfectly matching the camera body without adding much weight and without interfering with the camera operation.
For most ALEXA 35 users, AEM-1 is a game-changer, particularly for small-sized crew or solo operation.

Carnets noirs

Chris Price

A sound engineer since 1974, then founder of Ambient Recording in Germany, a company manufacturing carbon fiber booms and time code products, he created the company Cinesonics in Portugal in 2006 with his friend Joaquim Pinto.

He was a figure in audio, always in a good mood and ready to joke about anything.
For several years, passionate about oenology, he and his wife had, since 2004, given new life to a wine estate, Cortem, north of Lisbon. This area was his retirement.

I contacted him quite by chance, in September 2018 while I was sailing in Portugal. I was at the Peniche Marina, very close to Chris who was a few dozen kilometers away.

We met at the Marina, and we spent a memorable day together, visiting its region, tasting its wines, some of which won medals, then its wine estate.

That was the last time I saw him, and it is with great sadness that he passed away on November 11th of this year.

All my thoughts are with his loved ones and family.
Jacques Sax and the entire SONOSAX team

Check this out: https://wineeccentrics.com/about-us/

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SONOSAX AEM-1 for ALEXA 35

By May 31, ARRI proudly announced the release of their new born, the ALEXA 35.
From the very beginning, ARRI decided to offers a high quality two channels microphone preamplifier that would perfectly integrate their housing and still be adaptable with other accessory mounts.

We are proud that ARRI placed their trust and confidence in SONOSAX to develop and manufacture the Audio-Extension-Module AEM-1.

The AEM-1 module was developed in close collaboration with ARRI engineers and it was pretty challenging for SONOSAX to meet all mechanical and technical requirements to adapt to their camera while keeping our legendary sound quality.

Needless to say we are very happy and honoured to sign this collaboration and for being part a development that brings together the top range of the image and the top range of the sound.

The AEM-1 module is an OEM product dedicated to ARRI camera and therefore only available through ARRI dealer network.

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