• NUGEN Audio Launches Aligner Plugin

• INOGENI U-BRIDGE USB 2.0 Video Camera and Audio Extender

Discussing the latest technological news with our respected experts –  Philip Grossman and Mary Ann Seidler. Don’t forget to give the program a like!

Maria: NUGEN Audio introduced Aligner, an automatic phase and alignment solution. This plugin streamlines workflows, saving time for creativity. It addresses phase and polarity issues when using multiple microphones and avoids manual fixes. Aligner ensures optimal recordings. With improved algorithms and availability to all users, NUGEN Audio simplifies phase and alignment correction. So Mary, what are your thoughts on NUGEN Audio’s Aligner plugin?

Mary: I was excited about this. To understand just how cool their plugin is, we have to go back to why this is a problem. In the early 60s, we had the eight-track, then 16-track, and 24-track. So you were limited to the number of microphones you could use. There would still be issues, but not as much as there are now. Now, you can have eight microphones on drums to produce an amazing sound, but be careful what you want because now you do have the issue of polarity. You can have audio that just sounds thin because you’re actually canceling out the high frequencies and low frequencies. This allows anyone who wants to have eight microphones on drums or whatever else to automatically fix the problem without having to take time out of a mix to solve something that shouldn’t be there to begin with. The other part that I love about this product is that it is super easy to use and very affordable too. Another reason I love this product is that a sound engineer doesn’t have to be in a big recording studio to use it. I was going through the videos yesterday, and I hate to say it because both Philip and I both agree that you should always read the manuals, but I was able to figure it out without looking at any manual. So two thumbs up on this product solving a huge problem for audio.

NUGEN Audio Announces New Aligner Plugin

Maria: Philip, I know that you’re primarily in video, but what do you think about this?

Philip: Well, I’m always amazed at the things that people don’t think about in audio, but I’m glad to see that there are tools out there that make the job easier and make the sound better. I’m so tired of watching shows that just have bad audio mixes. Mary, what do you see as the primary use for this?

Mary: It’s for anyone who’s recording and uses multiple mics. I actually talked to a recording engineer yesterday about this, and they said, “Any mix I do where I’ve got multiple mics, I could just use this and then move on to the rest of the song without having to manually fix it.” And that’s what it does. You can fix this problem manually, but it’s very time-consuming.

Maria: Moving on to INOGEN. INOGENI’s U-BRIDGE is a versatile USB 2.0 video camera and audio extender that supports USB devices, cameras, microphones, and more. With a single CAT 5, 6, or 7 cable, it enables high-speed USB 2.0 connections up to 100m/330ft. It allows users to simplify AV installations while maintaining exceptional video quality. Philip, what do you think about this product?

Philip: I’m always looking for USB extenders, and we’re now on USB 4.0, but most of the extenders out there are still in that 2.0 realm. I don’t know whether it’s just that the total addressable market is better there or it’s more expensive. Also, 2.0 is 480 megabits, which is more than enough for a video camera because most cameras were 50 megabits or 100 megabits, so it works. I guess they’re balancing between the two in general. The concept of having a USB extender to help simplify integrations of USB-based cameras really helps on the smaller corporate AV model, so it’s interesting to see them going down that route.

INOGENI’s New U-BRIDGE USB 2.0 Video Camera and Audio Extender

Maria: And Mary, what do you think about the audio side of this?

Mary: Yeah, it does. There’s not a real big audio component, but it certainly solves a problem. I’ve often thought about doing a blog post on USB because we hear people say that USB-C is the preferred cable, and just like you have USB-A or USB Type B, it’s really about the protocol. And 2.0 is not a fast protocol. It’s used for peripherals like mice and such, but 480 megabits is more than enough for a webcam and audio. There’s still a market for these types of devices, and being able to extend them from your typical 15-foot cable to upwards of 300 feet over an Ethernet cable does start to make some of these devices more interesting for sure.

Maria: That’s all the time we have today. Many thanks to our experts – Philip and Mary! And don’t forget to comment on the news we’ve discussed. See you next Monday at the same time! Goodbye!

The live broadcast took place on June 12, 2023. Production – TKT1957 LLC.

Media Partner – Cine Gear Expo 

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