Daniel Pellerin is the Genie- and Gemini Award-winning director of mixing services at Deluxe Post Production Sound in Toronto, which specializes in feature films and long-form TV.

As fate would have it, the trip we at Deluxe were hoping to take to NAB2001 (April 21-26 in Las Vegas) slipped out of our grip due to unforeseen last-minute duties on the home front. This was particularly disappointing since this year's trade show offered a significant amount of information pertinent in identifying the missing pieces of the digital puzzle as well as the network options now available to those who work in post-production sound.

These technological developments - and the way we integrate them in our studios - will go a long way in maximizing the efficiency of our facilities. The key, of course, is to complement the technology that already exists.

Luckily, Sean Cowan, senior technical engineer at Manta Digital Sound and Picture and intergalactic overlord, managed to slip undetected through the force field to attend NAB and explore the ever-expanding universe of digital media.

He returned from his mission inspired and armed with a veritable wellspring of information. So we decided to collaborate on this article to unveil the exciting discoveries he made and provide a glimpse into the future.

Pellerin: "What was your overall impression of NAB2001?"

Cowan: "At first, it was absolutely overwhelming. Being a veteran of several Audio Engineering Society shows, but never having attended NAB, I think the first thing I noticed was the size of the show. At the Las Vegas Convention Center, it was broken down into TV/video/film exhibits and radio/audio exhibits. At the Sands Expo Center there were more TV/video/film exhibits as well as satellite/telecommunications and Internet/streaming/multimedia exhibits.

The scope is so huge, it's difficult to imagine taking it all in, and you really have to plan ahead."

Pellerin: "From an audio perspective, what were the highlights of the show?"

Cowan: "I was sent to NAB with a specific mission: to research digital consoles, digital recorders and networking solutions. At first, because of the scope of the exhibit, it seemed daunting, but I felt up to the task.

All the major console manufacturers were present, and they have all developed to a significantly higher level of maturity. I must say I was impressed by the quality of performance of all the products demonstrated this year - there wasn't one system crash.

The other thing that stuck out was the power and elegance of the automation systems. Each manufacturer has a unique design philosophy, but since you can now automate most or all of the console parameters, they need to be powerful and simple to use - not an easy trick.

Console highlights included the AMS Neve Libra Post (for TV mixing) as well as the Euphonix System 5 and Studer D950 (for large-format/film mixing). In order to judge the large-format consoles, one must take into account functionality, reliability, expandability and overall technical performance. The main technical criteria for console platform selection include: whether it's Mac- or PC-based, network and transfer ability, and project interchangeability. For the person performing the mix, setup features and operating methods are major considerations.