News

Thousands of New Yorkers will be forced to make a choice this winter between buying a warm coat and putting food on the table, heating their homes, or meeting other basic survival needs. That’s why for the last 23 years, New York Cares has collected winter coats each holiday season and distributed them to thousands of men, women, and children who would otherwise go cold.

Gotham Sound and Communications, Inc. is a collection site for the 24th Annual Coat Drive. Bring your new or gently used winter coats to our office at 330 W. 38th St. from 9am to 6pm, Mondays through Fridays from now until December 31st. (If it's more convenient, there are hundreds of other collection sites around the city!)

What is the Coat Drive?
The New York Cares Coat Drive is one of New York City’s largest and most cherished philanthropic traditions, providing local residents a way to meaningfully support their community during the holiday season.

• Who receives coats? Homeless men, women, and children, the working poor, and at-risk senior citizens from our partner nonprofit agencies and schools.
• How many coats have been distributed?  New York Cares has handed out about 1.5 million coats to local residents in need over the last 23 years.
• Who donates? As many as 65,000 caring New Yorkers donate coats annually. New York Cares also appeals to manufacturers and retailers to make bulk donations directly to help meet the unprecedented need for coats.
• How is it funded? Coats are the lifeblood of the New York Cares Coat Drive, but money allows it to flow. New York Cares relies on financial donations to fund this considerable philanthropic initiative.

If you have any questions, please contact Joe at [email protected] or 212-629-9430.

If you were thinking of buying some Sennheiser (and well you might!), there's no better time than the present! Now through the end of January 2013, get rebates on XS, ew 100 G3 LE, ew 100 G3, ew 300 G3, and ew 500 G3 wireless systems and selected evolution, Classic, and Neumann microphones!

Download the rebate form here or contact us for more details!

In this issue: Sennheiser and Tascam specials, Roger Phenix's reflections on filming in the Galpagos, a Sound Devices 664 update, and more!

Two pieces of news regarding the 664: 1) limited quantities are starting to ship now, so some of you should have 'em in your hot little hands soon and 2) a number of the problems we noted in our review have been fixed. Here's the list of fixes in the newest version of the firmware and the download link:

New Features:

• PreRoll (up to six seconds)
• Record File Split
• Track Names in Meters option
• External DC reference options (12V Ext DC, NiMH, Expanded NiMH, 12V Lead Acid, 14V Li-ion, Full Range)
• Headphone Warning Beeps for low power and other warning conditions
• Time code display indication when incoming frame rate does not match the 664 frame rate setting (display alternates between incoming shown in red and 664 setting shown in white)

Changes:

• LCD display indicator when Tone, Slate, or COM is active
• LCD display battery icon power status (green is healthy, flashing yellow is warning, and flashing red is critical)
• Limiters now ON at Factory Setting
• RTN levels now reset on Factory Settings
• Headphone program vs. TONE, Slate, COM, RTN priority changes
• Track Arm indicators now only show tracks that will be recorded according to Recorder settings and media inserted
• Metering improvements in Input Settings Window
• AES Output Routing navigation changes
• Tone is disabled during Playback

Fixes

• Various time code related issues
• Track polarity issue
• Channel Screen Fader value display now updated after Input has been turned on
• Rare Lock Up during boot cycle
• MP3 Recording Lock Ups
• Various AES Routing issues
• Various Input Linking issues
• Wordclock locking issue after unsupported rates where detected
• Various metadata entry bugs
• Various keyboard data entry bugs
• Various Take List updating bugs
• Headphone Preset Names now cleared after Factory Settings are restored

Update: Free ERX2TCD and headphones deal extended until Friday, November 2nd! See details below!

Zaxcom's revamping the Nomad line and you get to reap the benefits!

• First up, there's the all-new Nomad Lite (seen above), which replaces the Nomad 4. It's a 10 track unit with a more basic mixing capability. It's perfect for the user who really just wants to lay down tracks on the go and can benefit from extensive DSP based tools.
   
• The Nomad 10 will be taking the place of the Nomad 6, with 10 recording tracks and ZaxNet.
  
  
• The Nomad 12 remains, as ever, the Nomad 12, but at a lower price point!
   
• Need a run-down of the differences? Check out Zaxcom's handy Nomad comparison chart!

But, wait, as they say, there's more:  

Any customer who buys a Nomad 10 or 12 in October 2012 until Friday, November 2nd gets a free ERX2TCD with a pair of Sony MDR210 LP's!

Call or e-mail us for more details!

Already have a Nomad, but jonesing for the new features? Never fear! They're upgradeable!

• Nomad 4 to Nomad Lite - $95 (Software update only) - Upgrades to 10 recording tracks.
• Nomad 4 to Nomad 10 - $950 + $300 upgrade fee (Factory upgrade) - Upgrades to 10 recording tracks, automixer,  AES inputs, and Zaxnet.
• Nomad 4 to Nomad 12 - $2,095 + $300 upgrade fee  (Factory upgrade) - Upgrades to 12 recording tracks, automixer,  AES inputs, Zaxnet, and USB recording.
   
• Nomad 6 to Nomad 10 - $150 (Software update only) - Upgrades to 10 recording tracks.
• Nomad 6 to Nomad 12 - $1295 + $300 upgrade fee  (Factory upgrade) - Upgrades to 12 recording tracks and USB recording.
   
• Nomad 8 to Nomad 12 - $195  (Software update only) - Upgrades to 12 recording tracks and USB recording.

All software upgrades will be performed over the phone with an unlock code.

Nomad 8 to 12 upgrades are available now! Nomad Lite & 10 upgrades will be available November 1st.
These prices are good through the end of 2012, so don't delay!