Meet the 37th Annual TEC Awards Finalists: Computer Audio Hardware

Elizabeth Dale

The NAMM TEC Committee is honored to present the 37th Annual TEC Awards in June, at The NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.

The TEC Awards “recognize the individuals, companies, and technical innovations behind the sound of recordings, live performances, film, television, video games, and multimedia.” With award categories spanning 21 Technical Achievement and six Creative Achievement categories, the TEC Awards is considered the highest honor dedicated to the pro audio and sound recording industry.

TEC Awards finalists are identified through a three-step process starting in March with a “Call for Entries.” After the entry period, a panel comprised of industry leaders and professionals nominated eligible products and project submissions that “represent superior accomplishment in their respective fields.” Beginning in November, pro audio, live event, and music industry professionals will vote for a finalist in each respective category, with one taking home the title of “Product of the Year.”


Computer Audio Hardware
Products selected as finalists under this category include converters, interfaces, master clocks, data storage, peripherals, and made-for-audio computers.

Avid – Pro Tools – Carbon: Cut from the same cloth as Pro Tools systems and used in the world’s most acclaimed studios, Carbon’s “custom-designed FPGA and eight HDX DSPs achieve remarkable sub-1 ms recording latency and free up your computer to run big, plugin-heavy sessions smoothly.” Carbon also provides “superior sound quality and intelligent software integration that removes barriers to creativity, so you can bring out the best in your performance and capture it beautifully.”

Avid Pro Tools Carbon Teaser

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Black Lion Audio – Revolution 2x2: This product is “built with the most cutting edge, high-end ICs. High-end Vishay, Nichicon, and Wima capacitors are used throughout the entire circuit. All internal gain-staging has been optimized for the very lowest signal-to-noise ratio. All of the analog I/O has not only been built with the finest components but are fully decouples and balanced – right to the very core of the converter!”

Black Lion Audio Revolution 2x2 Audio

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Focusrite – RedNet A16R Mkll: Focusrite present a “16-channel analogue interface for Dante® networks, with two channels of AES3 I/O. Precision A-D and D-A conversion provide 119dB of dynamic range, flat from 20Hz – 20kHz (+/- 0.15dB). Individual input and output channel level controls allow for precise adjustment of all I/O levels. RedNet A16R Mkll is perfect for critical-path applications in recording, post-production, live sound, and broadcast.”

Focusrite RedNet A16R Mkll Teaser

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Merging Technology – Merging+Anubis Music Mission: Thirty years of development is concentrated in the Anubis. “This compact AD/DA is unique in its configurability to perform your mission without changing the hardware. Included are 32-bit dual preamp topology, incredible headphone amps, D/A converters derived from years of audiophile experience, all combined with a powerful low-latency mixing engine evolved from 25 years of DAW design.”

Merging Technology Merging+Anubis Music Mission Teaser

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MOTO – UltraLite-mk5: This 5th generation product delivers “unprecedented sound quality, ultra-low latency and proven performance. It includes renowned ESS Sabre32™ DAC technology, featuring the ES9026PRO DAC, to deliver measured 125 dB dynamic range and -114 dB THD+N. Renowned drivers deliver rock-solid performance and industry-leading low latency.”

Rupert Neve Designs – MBC: Dual Path A-D Converter & Limiter: “Whether you’re tracking, printing mixes, or mastering, the Master Buss Converter is a revelation in quality and functionality of A-D conversion technology. The analog drive circuitry allows the MBC’s converter to either be fed by a class-A transformerless path for maximum transparency, or by custom interstage audio transformers with variable Silk for a wide variety of tonal enhancements.”

Rupert Neve Designs MBC: Dual Path A-D Converter & Limiter Teaser

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For more information about the TEC Awards, including the entire list of finalists, please visit https://www.tecawards.org/.