Nsm 10 is part of President Biden’s plan to maintain US leadership in quantum information science while mitigating risks to vulnerable cryptographic systems and mandating that federal agencies implement quantum-resistant technology over the coming decade.
In an audio world prone to obsessing over new gear, one of the oldest and most revered nearfield studio monitors available is Yamaha’s NS-10 nearfield studio monitor – one that every top engineer (such as Bob Clearmountain ) keeps at hand in their studios.
Top Notes
Like any virus, the NS10 spreads in its own unique environment. It thrives when exposed to strong opinions or when welcomed into homes by welcoming hosts; its users often swear by it (even when using it professionally, even if they may not personally enjoy listening to its music).
Jopson claims he was the first engineer in the UK to regularly use NS10s after receiving them as gifts from a producer who heard of Bob Clearmountain using them when mixing Roxy Music records. Additionally, they’ve been seen being used at Motown or Sunset Studios in LA and TakeOne studios in Tokyo.
Middle Notes
As soon as NS10s began appearing on meter bridges worldwide in the late ’70s, engineers and artists became one. Digital was just around the corner; track counts increased exponentially; engineers searched for ways to harness all this new potential in their mix.
Bob Clearmountain wanted speakers he could carry from studio to studio so they would all sound consistent, so he chose domestic hi-fi speakers from Best Buy as his speakers of choice. But perhaps its global popularity first began earlier when an engineer from TakeOne Studios in Tokyo (now defunct) showed Bill Scheniman an NS10 pair he had used at Motown or Sunset studios.
Not to be overlooked is that many who dismiss the NS10 have never experienced it with a proper studio subwoofer, which makes a huge difference – once filled out properly it can create an unforgettable listening experience!
Bottom Notes
Last week’s Biden Memorandum (NSM-8) ordered those responsible for maintaining DOD and Intelligence Community systems to undertake some of the same tasks outlined in May’s Executive Order 14028 with more emphasis placed on encryption, tightening up defense mechanisms against cross domain connections, and developing an incident response protocol. Furthermore, NSS network owners/operators were instructed to employ more secure passwords where possible and update their software with quantum resistant cryptographic algorithms.
The NS10 monitors seem to elicit more passionate opinions than any d’Amp pair – those who love them say that they simply can’t live without them and argue they sound great; those who hate them call them awful. There’s some debate as to their origin – generally believed it started when Bob Clearmountain used them at Roxy Music where they quickly gained acceptance among fellow producers like David Lynch – however one story suggests Bob Clearmountain introduced them via his Roxy mix which caused a cascading effect across studios like Roxy Music before rapidly spreading from Bob Clearmountain’s mix to Roxy Music studios everywhere thereafter – an unlikely beginning is probably closer.
Nine years after initially releasing the NS10, Yamaha developed an upgraded model known as NS10M Studio that featured vertical orientation. Additionally, this version had improved connection terminals on the rear of each speaker to reduce HF sensitivity issues and better connection terminals on either speaker.
The NS10M Studio nearfield speaker was one of the first widely sold nearfield speakers, quickly becoming a standard reference when mixing big budget records. Perhaps its relative affordability and ease-of-use contributed to its widespread adoption; perhaps more significantly was its stellar audio quality which increased its popularity; today, this nearfield studio monitor remains amongst the world’s most beloved nearfield monitors.
Final Notes
Quantum computers hold promise for revolutionizing computation power and digital security and privacy solutions alike, yet also pose threats to them. Recently, the White House issued a worldwide “severe cyber storm” warning with their publication of NSM 10 (National Security Memorandum on Promoting U.S. Leadership in Quantum Information Science While Mitigating Risks to Vulnerable Cryptographic Systems).
It directs all Department of Defense and Intelligence Community agencies to implement quantum-resistant cryptography in their critical national security systems over an extended period. NSA, who will oversee this effort, has released an initial strategy towards this end.
NSM-10 involves compiling an inventory of National Security System assets, creating a timeline to replace those assets with PQC assets, and taking steps to address challenges such as strengthening defense mechanisms in cross domain connections (those places where different classification systems connect electronically). Furthermore, NSM 10 mandates NSS owners consider deleting any ciphers that may become vulnerable to side-channel attacks after NIST removes them as finalists; OMB will release additional guidance later that year in order to help agencies meet some benchmarks set out by NSM-10.