last updated
February 15, 2004
A soundcard or
other audio interface is a requirement for any computer-based
home studio setup. Today's computers all come with built in audio
hardware, but for true CD quality or better results you will want to
upgrade to a higher quality soundcard or audio interface — either a
PCI plug-in card (called a "soundcard") or a PCMCIA, USB or FireWire
interface.
There are portable digital mixers that can double as a control surface
for your computer's digital audio software and provide multiple digital audio
and MIDI I/O options. Mackie has announced its new Onyx series mixers, which
are high quality analog mixers that can be equipped with a FireWire interface,
to route up to 14 channels of digital audio to a computer. This should work
great with laptops!
Speaking of laptops, there are several PCMCIA interfaces available for Mac G4 PowerBooks
and Windows XP notebooks. Who needs a DAT recorder anymore?
Audio for
Games and Internet Multimedia on the Windows PC
While standards
for pro audio and music production such as ASIO, VST, KS/WDM and GSIF have
reached maturity (and marketplace acceptance), Intel and Microsoft have been
more interested in the development of tools for the delivery of 'multimedia'
audio for games and the Internet, such as AC '97 and DirectSound. These
multimedia standards usually compromise sound quality in the
interest of providing compatiblity with low-bandwidth delivery mechanisms
such as Macromedia Flash and Microsoft NetMeeting. As a result, many
soundcards and audio interfaces for the professional audio
market do not support these consumer multimedia
standards. If you are producing audio for PC multimedia projects,
a professional audio interface probably won't help you much.
The Terratec EWX 24/96 is one product
that does combine a 24-bit audio interface with DirectSound
compatibility.
In the meantime, Apple Computer
has incorporated Core Audio into its OS X operating system, making it easier than
ever to connect audio hardware to your Mac, from consumer multimedia add-ons
to pro audio/MIDI interfaces. No FreeMIDI or OMS needed!
Audio Over
USB
There is a wide variety of USB
(Universal Serial Bus) audio and MIDI interfaces available for Windows and
Macintosh. The original USB spec (USB 1.1) only allows for data throughput speeds of
about 1 megabyte per second, which is about the same as an 8X speed CD-ROM drive.
Because of this, most USB audio interfaces cannot reliably record multitrack audio into
a computer, but most do work well enough for stereo (two channels). USB 2.0
has been introduced with claimed throughput of over 50MB per second. At this point, the
only audio interface that takes advantage of the new, faster USB 2.0 is the Edirol UA-1000,
but I'm sure it won't be long before there is a wide selection of these things.
Audio Over
FireWire
Digidesign,
Mark of the Unicorn and M-Audio have introduced new FireWire
audio interfaces that allow multichannel recordings to be
made using an Apple iMac, eMac or iBook, or any PC or laptop
equipped with FireWire ports (such as the Sony VAIO). FireWire
(a.k.a. IEEE-1394 or Sony i-Link) has become a popular way
of getting multiple channels of digital audio into and out of a fast
laptop computer — which has finally made an inexpensive,
portable DAW a reality.
COMPATIBILITY
ALERT!!
When shopping for an audio interface, you should
always
check with the manufacturer(s) to make sure your choice of audio
hardware will work with your particular PC or Mac computer –
before you plunk down
your hard-earned cash and find yourself calling their tech
support!
While it's easy to
figure out what exact model of Macintosh you have (it's written right
on the back of the case), PC users will need to identify the CPU installed
and the core logic chipset in the computer's mainboard (motherboard).
There are many perfectly fine audio interfaces and soundcards that are not
compatible with certain models of computers. Here are a few I know about
from first hand experience or bulletins published by manufacturers
on their websites:
-
Support for the latest OS's
Apple Macintosh
The latest version of the MacOS, OS X, is a complete redesign based on a UNIX
core. OS X requires completely new drivers for hardware to work with it.
If you're getting a new Mac, make sure there are
OS X drivers for your audio hardware!
-
Problems with Laptop PCs
PCMCIA Controllers
It appears that some recent Pentium 4 laptops use PCMCIA controllers that
won't work with PC Card or CardBus audio interfaces. The problem one hears is
bursts of "white noise" interrupting the recorded sound. This behavior is caused
by the PCMCIA controller not being able to continuously feed the audio data
to the audio interface. One PCMCIA controller built by a company named ENE is known
to have this problem. This ENE controller is used in some laptop models
sold by Hewlett-Packard (e.g. the Pavilion zd7000 series).
If you're putting together a Windows laptop-based recording system,
be sure to check around the Usenet newsgroups and audio interface
manufacturers' websites to see if the laptop you're looking at will work with
the audio hardware you want to use. You may find something like this:
According to the most recent Digidesign Compatibility Documents, current Hewlett-Packard
laptops do not meet the minimum requirements for use with the Mbox or Digi 002 systems and
Pro Tools LE. Digidesign is recommending laptops from Apple (PowerBook G4 and
"ice white" dual-USB iBook), Dell (Inspiron 8500 with P4-M or Centrino), Gateway (400 series),
IBM (A and T series) and Toshiba (satellite 1900 series).
Digidesign also recommends that laptop users disable the onboard wireless NIC to
save resources. They also recommend that if your laptop has an "ESS AudioDrive" audio
circuit built in, that it should be disabled in the laptop's BIOS.
- AMD
Athlon
As new versions of Athlon processors appear, new chipsets are
necessary to support their new features, such as the ability to use the latest and
fastest DDR-SDRAM or USB 2.0. However, it takes time for manufacturers of audio interfaces
to test their products in new platforms, so new drivers may not be
immediately available to fix the incompatibilities that can arise. Those manufacturers
who have in-house software engineers can write a new set of drivers, but many
manufacturers contract out for their products' drivers, which means that your
favorite audio interface may not be supported in your brand new computer for
a while. Your best bet is to ask your audio interface manufacturer's
TECH SUPPORT rep (not a sales rep) whether or not their product works
in your configuration — especially if you have an Athlon computer.
Don't be upset by all this — the very 'open' architecture of the PC creates
compatibility issues all the time. The best companies react quickly to problems
by writing new drivers and posting technical bulletins on their websites, and have
knowledgeable tech support reps who are willing to explain the issues to you. Some
companies have online forums or newsgroups where users of their products can post
requests for assistance. You can usually tell how adept a manufacturer is at fixing
problems by reading through the messages on its user forums, or by checking out the
Driver Download, FAQ and Support pages on its website.
NEWS ON
DISCONTINUED OR DEFUNCT PRODUCTS
The musical
equipment business is as cutthroat as any other (more than most!).
There are always some companies that will fail or pull out of the
audio-for-PC field, or have to completely revamp their product lines.
You can find great 'fire sale' deals on discontinued products, but one of
these is probably only a good choice as a short-term solution for older
Windows 98 or MacOS 9 computers (you can forget about future support for most of
these products).
-
The Digidesign Digi 001
has been discontinued and replaced with the Digi 002 Rack.
-
Creative Labs, the parent company of both Ensoniq and E-MU, has officially
discontinued the E-MU PARIS product line. This is a shame, because
the PARIS system is a really good one — some say better than Pro Tools.
- Yamaha
DSP Factory has been discontinued, probably
because they now offer a complete digital mixer/hard disk
recorder in a box, the AW2816, for the same
price — and the AW16G is even cheaper.
- In Windows PC's,
ISA products — Any soundcard or audio interface designed
for use with the old Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus will not
be usable in recent-issue Windows PC's. Only PCI, USB and IEEE1394 are
currently supported.
On the Mac side, it's been years since NuBus was put out to pasture.
|
The
following is a brief and admittedly incomplete list
of audio interfaces and soundcards for musicians (not PC games
or Internet multimedia). This list is for reference purposes only
— please don't take these brief descriptions as
endorsements or recommendations.
The products
described are organized into five categories grouped by
price, from least to most expensive. To find out more
about a particular product, click on the manufacturer's
name. This will take you to their website.
This list
is not exhaustive, as I can't possibly keep up with all
the new products flooding the market these days. If you
know of a great soundcard or audio interface that you
think should be included on this list, please drop me an
e-mail.
|
Category 1: Low Budget / Beginner Level ($100 or less)
On the low end,
these typical 'multimedia' soundcards for everyday
computer audio use can also be pressed into service as a basic audio interface for your
home studio computer. The microphone input will be a monaural (one-channel)
1/8" phone-jack ("mini-jack"), usually with 1.5V to 5V of phantom power.
Neither the jack nor the voltage are suitable for use with professional microphones.
If you are using a 'multimedia soundcard' I recommend using a small mixing board
for your microphones, instruments and other sources and sending the output of the mixer
to the LINE IN on your soundcard.
Also, bear in mind that 'multimedia' soundcards are designed for playing back audio from
computer games and DVD movies, or for general "business audio" use. They don't often work
very well for recording, mixing and playing back high fidelity audio for music production.
-
Creative Labs
Sound Blaster Audigy 2
- Creative Labs's Audigy 2 cards
are based on the latest Audigy 2 DSP chip, which includes a FireWire port, six audio
output channels and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround decoding. The Audigy 2 cards include
features that are meant to attract desktop musicians and "audiophiles," such as
24-bit/192kHz performance. The internal data path of the Audigy 2 DSP is 24-bit 96kHz for
surround sound playback, but audio is sampled at a maximum of 24-bit 48kHz
when being recorded from the Audigy 2's line inputs, and then only when using
an application that uses the card's ASIO 2.0 drivers.
So the moral of the story is that the Audigy 2 is really good for playing
back DVD movie or computer game soundtracks in full 24/96k resolution, or for
use with ASIO 2.0 music apps like Cubase SL or WaveLab 4.0 at 24/96 resolution.
Just remember that you'll need to add a mixer if you want to use a pro microphone.
Confused? Look, the Audigy 2 is not a pro music production card. It's really meant for
playing back DVD movies and games. If you're going to spend nearly $200 on a recording
soundcard, maybe you should be looking at an M-Audio Audiophile 24/96, ESI
Waveterminal 2496 or Echo Mia-MIDI (see below).
-
Creative Labs
Sound Blaster Live!
- The SBLive is probably the
world's most common PC soundcard. Millions are out there, and many of them cause a
problem - namely, a file the SBLive setup installs called Devldr32.exe will "hang" and
keep Windows 2000 or XP from being able to shut down. Here's what Microsoft has to say
about it:
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 315327
Error Message When You Shut Down Computer: DEVLDR Not Responding
SYMPTOMS
When you try to shut down your computer, you may receive an error message
similar to the following:
DEVLDR not responding.
If you click End Now, your computer stops responding.
CAUSE
This error may occur if you have the Creative Labs SoundBlaster Live
installed on your computer.
RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, remove or turn off the Creative Labs SoundBlaster Live
Driver and reinstall the driver from the Windows XP CD-ROM.
To do this, follow these steps:
- Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
- In Control Panel, double-click System.
- In the System Properties dialog box, click the Hardware tab, and then
click Device Manager.
- Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
- Right-click Creative Labs SoundBlaster, and then click Uninstall.
When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
Reinstall the sound card driver.
The SoundBlaster Live! driver that is included with Windows XP does not work.
To download an update for the driver, visit the following SoundBlaster Web site:
http://www.soundblaster.com/support/winxp/
The information in this article applies to:
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Last Reviewed: 11/14/2003 (2.0)
Keywords: kberrmsg kbprb KB315327
I find it amazing that a company that makes such a popular soundcard, with millions
in use, would not be able to deliver stable drivers to users of the most current
version of the world's most popular operating system, running on the world's most
popular computer hardware. The very latest version of the SBLive driver does
appear to fix this problem, but I mean, really...
To make matters even worse, this article mentions that the "SoundBlaster Live! driver
that is included with Windows XP does not work." Way to go!
I do not recommend using a SoundBlaster Live! in a computer meant to be
used for music production.
- Turtle
Beach Santa Cruz - This is a strictly 'home
entertainment' sound card limited to 16-bit audio I/O, but it can be put to use in an
ultra-low budget home studio. While the Santa Cruz doesn't offer a very capable
MIDI synthesizer, it does have reasonably good audio recording/playback performance
at 16-bit/44.1 or 48 kHz. The Santa Cruz was primarily designed for playback of
Dolby Digital 5.1 surround playback from DVD movies, so multichannel recording is
not really possible with this card. The 1/8" mini phone jack connector for channels
5 and 6 can be used as a S/PDIF digital output, though no S/PDIF input is available.
You'll need to add a mixer if you want to use a pro microphone with the Santa Cruz.
The card did receive a generally positive review on Arny Kreuger's PC AV Tech website.
Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000/XP are supported. No MacOS drivers available.
Category 2: Mid Budget
($125 to $350)
Here are some of the least expensive semi-pro
("pro-sumer") audio cards and interfaces for computers.
If you are planning to record
using professional microphones, you will need to add a suitable
microphone preamp (such as those from PreSonus, Bellari, ART, etc.)
or a good quality mixing board (such as those from Mackie,
Behringer, Allen & Heath, Soundcraft, etc.). I usually
recommend the mixing board option because it will give you more
flexibility in routing inputs and outputs and
patching in effects boxes.
Here are some of the least expensive semi-pro
("pro-sumer") audio cards and interfaces for computers.
- Echo MiaMIDI - A basic stereo
PCI audio card with great features for the price (~$200),
such as 24-bit 96kHz audio converters, +4dB balanced
analog inputs and outputs and 8 virtual outputs that fool
your software into thinking there are more outputs
available than actually exist (good for use with
Gigasampler or other software synths). Also includes a MIDI I/O interface.
Windows 98/Me/2000/XP and MacOS (ASIO) drivers available.
- EgoSys
Waveterminal 2496 - EgoSys is a recent entry to the
soundcard market from Korea. The Waveterminal 2496 (list
price $429) is a stereo PCI card with +4dBu balanced
analog audio on 1/4" jacks with 24-bit converters (32-bit
internal data path). Includes 24-bit coaxial S/PDIF
digital I/O. Features new "E-WDM" (Enhanced
Windows Driver Model) support for Windows 98 Second
Edition, Millenium Edition, 2000 and XP, along with support
for ASIO 2.0, EASI and Gigasampler and Windows MME (MacOS drivers?).
EgoSys claims that E-WDM allows latency as low as 1.5 milliseconds when
used with WDM-aware music software (like Cakewalk SONAR 2.0)
or ASIO 2.0 software (such as Steinberg Cubase and Nuendo, as well as SONAR 3.1).
I have only heard from two people who have actually used
Ego-Sys products. One said that his Waveterminal worked OK and
considered it a good purchase. The other bought a WamiRack and
was seriously disappointed, saying that it was not stable in his
system and that he was unable to make decent-sounding recordings
with it.
- M-Audio Audiophile
2496 - This is a simple PCI stereo soundcard with 24-bit
96kHz recording and playback capability. Includes MIDI I/O.
If all you need is a simple (but good) stereo soundcard with MIDI and S/PDIF
digital I/O for a low-budget price, this card should do
the trick. List price is $230, sells for about $175. Drivers
available for Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP or Mac G3/G4 with
MacOS 8.5.1 or higher, including OS X. Comes with a good bundle of
beginner software.
For those of you thinking of building a little home studio around
a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 or some other "gamer's" card in disguise,
I hope you take a close look at the Audiophile 2496. This is probably
what you really need...
- M-Audio Delta 44 - This is a 4-in 4-out
audio interface consisting of a small audio I/O box that
connects to a PCI card installed in the computer. Think
of it as a digital version of the old PortaStudio
cassette multitracks. Features 24-bit, 96kHz sampling
rate capability. No S/PDIF or MIDI I/O. Drivers support:
Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, ASIO, ASIO2, Direct Sound,
EASI, multi-card, Gigasampler, Mac Sound Manager, Mac ASIO –
and even Mac OS-X!. $400 list price, sells for about $300 (US).
Comes with a good bundle of beginner software.
The Delta 66 is the same thing as the Delta 44, but with S/PDIF I/O added.
- M-Audio Audiophile FireWire - This is a 4-in 6-out
audio interface consisting of a small audio I/O box that
connects via FireWire to the host computer (much higher performance than USB!).
Analog inputs are line level – add your own mixer or mic preamps.
Features 24-bit, 96kHz sampling rate capability, with S/PDIF or MIDI I/O.
Drivers support: Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP, ASIO 2, Direct Sound,
EASI, multi-card, Gigasampler, Mac Sound Manager, Mac ASIO –
and even Mac OS-X!. $350 list price (US).
- M-Audio Delta 1010 LT
- If all you need
is a combination of eight unbalanced analog inputs and outputs, and
S/PDIF inputs and outputs for your digital
mixer, DAT recorder or standalone A/D converters, this
PCI card setup is a good way to get the job done for cheap, at up
to 24-bit 96kHz resolution. Sells for about $350 or so.
MacOS (including OS X) and WinNT/2000/XP are supported.
Comes with a good bundle of beginner software.
- Terratec EWX 24/96 - This is a PCI stereo
"mastering" soundcard that features 24-bit 96kHz
sampling resolution and S/PDIF I/O on optical TOSlink
connectors (capable of AC-3 and DTS pass-through for use
with Dolby Digital and DTS surround decoders). Analog I/O
is unbalanced on RCA jacks, switchable between +4dBu and
-10dBV. ASIO 2.0, GigaSampler and DirectSound are
supported in Windows 95, 98, Millenium, NT 4.0 and 2000.
$249 list price (US). Comes with an extensive software
bundle including Gigasampler LE, Fruity Loops Express,
Emagic Logic Fun and Steinberg Wavelab Lite.
- Terratec EWS88 D - This is probably
the least expensive truly multichannel PCI soundcard around (~$200).
Features ADAT Lightpipe input and output connections for
simultaneous recording of eight channels of 24-bit 48kHz
digital audio from an ADAT deck or a digital mixer such
as the Yamaha 01V. The Lightpipe I/O can be switched to
optical S/PDIF for stereo transfers. There are also two
MIDI I/O interfaces built in. Includes 18-bit stereo
monitoring output (there are no analog inputs). ASIO 2.0,
DirectSound, Windows MME and GSIF are supported. Drivers
available for Windows 98, Me, NT 4.0 and 2000. Comes with
software bundle including Emagic MicroLogic A/V and SEK'D
Samplitude Studio.
Category 3: Low-End Pro
Level ($350 to $800)
While some of these more
professional interfaces will have built in mic preamps with +48V
phantom power and XLR inputs, others have line-level inputs only.
Those products which come equipped
with XLR microphone inputs with phantom power are designed to
function as close to a complete 'studio in a box' as possible.
These products usually include a mixer interface built into their
driver software so that the computer takes the place of the
mixing board in your studio. Others integrate so tightly with
your music software of choice (Cubase, Logic, Cakewalk, etc.)
that they accomplish pretty much the same thing.
- Aardvark Aark24 - This is an 8-channel
balanced analog I/O, 24-bit audio interface and PCI card
setup, with an additional 2-ins and 2-outs available via
S/PDIF on RCA's. ADAT Lighpipe I/O and ADAT Sync
interfaces are also included, for synchronized, 8-channel
digital audio transfers. Word clock sync is included on
BNC connectors. There is also an optional TDIF interface
available for connection to Tascam DA-38/DA-88/DA-78HR 8-channel
digital tape recorders. Drivers are available for Windows
98/Me/2000/XP and Steinberg ASIO 2.0.
- Aardvark Direct Pro
24/96 - This is a 4-channel analog I/O, 24-bit 96kHz
audio interface and PCI card setup, with an additional 2-ins
and 2-outs available via S/PDIF. Includes four +4dBu,
balanced mic/line preamps on XLR connectors in its
breakout box (complete with phantom power), as well as
MIDI I/O and S/PDIF I/O (no ADAT Lightpipe I/O). Drivers
are available for Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, MacOS, and Steinberg
ASIO.
- Digidesign Mbox- This is Digidesign's USB audio interface for 'personal' home studio use.
The Mbox comes with Pro Tools LE software, which now makes it possible
to run the same software on your iMac that the big boys run in their
studios. Mbox features a pair of Focusrite designed microphone preamps, with S/PDIF and
MIDI I/O. Requires a G4 or G5 Power Macintosh or Windows XP computer with USB.
- Digidesign
Digi 002 Rack- Here's Digidesign's entry into
the 'low end' studio market (~$800). This is a FireWire-based 24-bit audio
interface with 8 line level analog inputs and outputs, 4 balanced microphone inputs
with phantom power, headphone output, one MIDI IN and two MIDI OUT, coaxial S/PDIF,
and also includes the Pro Tools LE software. The Digi 002 system is basically a 'native'
version of Pro Tools, meaning it uses the computer's CPU for DSP and mixing instead
of the hardware DSP included with a full-blown Pro Tools rig. That means no TDM plugins,
but you can use Digidesign's Real-Time Audio System (RTAS) plugins. Supported in
Mac OS-X and Windows XP Home Edition. Windows 2000 is not supported, but the Mac-heads
out there will tell you that it works much better on a Mac!
- Digital
Audio Labs CardDeluxe - This is the PCI
stereo soundcard that has replaced the venerable CardD
Plus in the DAL lineup (~$450). It features 24-bit/96kHz
digital audio converters for its stereo, line level,
analog audio on balanced 1/4" TRS jacks, and 24-bit/96kHz
coaxial S/PDIF (24-bit internal data path). No microphone
inputs are on the card, so you'll need external mic
preamps or a mixing board. An AES/EBU I/O upgrade is
available. Multiple CardDeluxes can be synched from a
single word clock for multichannel operation. DAL has
developed a reputation for making good, solid, reliable
hardware that works. No MIDI I/O, ADAT Lightpipe
I/O or Word Clock output available. The CardDeluxe scored
very high marks when tested on Arny Kreuger's PC-AV Tech website and was awarded 'Component
of the Year' by Stereophile magazine. Windows NT 4.0/2000/XP
drivers are available, along with Mac ASIO and of course
Windows 95/98 drivers.
- Echo Gina 24/96
- This is a 24-bit, PCI card/breakout box
system for Mac or PC, with +4dBu, balanced 2-in/8-out
audio I/O on TRS jacks (~$400). Includes ADAT Lightpipe
and S/PDIF digital I/O. Uses a Motorola 56301 DSP for
audio mixing and signal routing. Drivers available for
Windows 98SE/Me/NT/2000/XP and MacOS (no OS X).
- Echo Layla 24/96
- This is a 24-bit 96kHz PCI card/breakout
box system for Mac or PC, with +4dBu, balanced 8-in/8-out
audio I/O on TRS jacks (~$800). Includes ADAT and S/DPIF
I/O. Word clock and 256x superclock are built in, along
with MIDI I/O. Uses a Motorola 56301 DSP for audio mixing
and signal routing. Drivers for Windows 98SE/Me/NT/2000/XP
and MacOS available (no OS X).
- Event EZBus - Here's a new
concept in DAW control – the EZBus works as a stand-alone
24-bit 96kHz digital mixer with eight main inputs or
connects to the PC via the USB interface and lets you
control your MIDI/digital audio software using real
faders and knobs instead of the PC's keyboard and mouse.
Compressor/limiters and 4-band EQ are included, so you
can save computer resources for other plugin software
effects. Includes two coaxial S/PDIF outs, one coaxial S/PDIF
in, one TOSLink optical I/O switchable betweenn S/PDIF
and ADAT Lightpipe, dual MIDI I/Os, Word Clock out, on
the fly resampling at up to 96kHz, Main Mix analog outs,
two Sends, two AUX Outs, Headphone Out... with so many
features I just hope they all work! ~$700.
- Frontier
Design Group Dakota - The Dakota PCI is
a 24-bit/96kHz ADAT I/O card offering 2 Lightpipe I/O
interfaces for a total of 16 channels on one card.
Includes ADAT Sync connector, 2 MIDI I/O ports. The
Dakota PCI has no analog audio I/O built in, as it is
meant to connect to ADAT recorders and digital mixers
that use the ADAT Lightpipe multichannel digital
interface. Win95/98/Me and MacOS drivers available (includes
ASIO 2.0 drivers). Beta drivers for Windows 2000/XP WDM are
available. Frontier also offers the Tango
and Zulu AD/DA converters to add
multichannel analog I/O capability to the Dakota.
- Lynx Studio LynxONE - This is a great-looking
stereo PCI soundcard. It appears to be built with very
high quality parts, and includes 24 bit/48kHz analog
audio on balanced XLR jacks (line level only; use a mic
pre or mixer to connect a microphone), 24-bit/96kHz AES/EBU
digital audio I/O, 32-bit internal data path, with a 2-in
2-out MIDI interface. Multiple LynxONE's can be synched
together for perfectly synchronized multichannel audio
recording to hard disk. The LynxONE has won unanimous
praise from all the reviews I've seen. Windows 98SE/Me/NT/2000/XP
and Mac ASIO 2 drivers are available. Sells for about $450.
- Lynx Studio LynxTWO - This is the
follow-up to Lynx Studio's very successful LynxONE card.
While the LynxONE is a stereo card, the LynxTWO offers
four channels of balanced, 24-bit/96kHz analog audio I/O
(line level only; use a mic pre or mixer to record from microphones).
Like the LynxONE, the LynxTWO is built to exeptionally
high quality standards. Includes 24-bit AES3 and S/PDIF
digital I/O (on RCA jacks). Lynx Studio offers
TDIF and ADAT Lightpipe multichannel digital I/O options
for connection to Tascam and Alesis MDM recorders and/or
digital mixers. Win98SE/ME/NT4/2000/XP and Macintosh ASIO
2.0 are supported. This looks like another killer product
from Lynx Studio. List price is $1095 (US). TDIF and Lightpipe
interfaces are extra cost options.
- Mark of the
Unicorn 828 - The 828 (~$730)
is the first multichannel audio interface that uses the
FireWire interface to connect to Mac G4 and PC computers
equipped with FireWire ports (also known as "i-Link"
and "IEEE-1394"). Housed in a
single rack-space chassis, the MOTU 828 provides 8
channels of 24-bit, balanced, line-level analog ins and
outs, two balanced mic preamps on XLR connectors (with +48VDC
phantom power included), 8 channels of ADAT Lightpipe I/O,
optical or coaxial S/PDIF and 9-pin ADAT sync connectors.
Latest drivers allow connection of two 828's to a single
FireWire port, for 16-track recording/playback. List
price is $795 (US). MacOS and Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP
are supported, although you will need an IEEE1394
interface card installed in your Windows PC. Of course
all the latest Apple iMac, iBook and G4 computers come
standard with built-in FireWire ports.
- M-Audio Omni
Studio - Based on the Delta 66, which is a 4-in/4-out
audio interface with two additional audio channels
available on its coaxial S/PDIF I/O (RCA jacks). Line
level audio connections are made to a small audio I/O box
which connects to the PCI card installed in the computer.
There are two mic preamps with inserts and phantom power
on the I/O box, as well as an effects send/return. No
MIDI I/O. Driver support for: Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP,
ASIO, ASIO2, Direct Sound, EASI, multi-card support, GSIF,
Mac Sound Manager and Mac ASIO (including OS X).
$700 list price, sells for about $450 (US).
- M-Audio Delta 1010
LT - This is a PCI card with eight channels of
24-bit, 96kHz capable analog audio I/O and S/PDIF digital I/O.
Two analog inputs are on XLR connectors and can be switched
between mic and line level (no phantom power). The remaining
six analog inputs and outputs are on RCA jacks. Includes
16-channel MIDI I/O. Two cable 'snake' assemblies connect to
the card with multi-pin DB connectors. Driver support for:
Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP, ASIO, ASIO2, Direct Sound, EASI,
multi-card support, GSIF, Mac Sound Manager and Mac ASIO
(including OS X). Includes Emagic Delta Logic software. List
price is $500, sells for about $400 (US).
- M-Audio Delta 1010
- This is a combination rack mount 8 channel
analog I/O box (line level only) plus S/PDIF and PCI card
(24-bit, 96kHz capable), somewhat like the Echo Layla
described previously, capable of eight channel
simultaneous recording. Includes MIDI I/O. Driver support for:
Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP, ASIO 2, Direct Sound, EASI,
multi-card support, GSIF, Mac Sound Manager and Mac ASIO
(including OS X). Includes Emagic Delta Logic software. List
price is $1000, sells for about $600 (US).
- M-Audio FireWire 410
- This is an analog I/O box (24-bit, 96kHz capable)
with 2 mic inputs, 2 line inputs,
8 line outputs, S/PDIF I/O and 1x1 MIDI I/O, that connects to the
host computer through FireWire. Driver support for:
Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP, ASIO 2, Direct Sound, EASI,
multi-card support, GSIF, Mac Sound Manager and Mac ASIO
(including OS X). List price is $500, sells for about $350 (US).
- RME-Audio DIGI96/8 PAD
- This German-made PCI audio interface card
($400) features:
- Unbalanced,
switchable -10dBV/+4dBu, 24-bit 96kHz stereo,
line level analog inputs and outputs on 1/4"
stereo jacks (requires a mic pre or mixer for use with
microphones)
- 8
channels of 24-bit 96kHz capable ADAT Lightpipe I/O;
switchable to optical S/PDIF
- S/PDIF
I/O on RCA jacks
- AES/EBU
stereo audio I/O on XLR connectors
Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP
drivers are available (including support for multi-processor WinNT/2000/XP Pro systems),
along with ASIO 2.0 drivers for both Win98/Me and Windows NT/2000/XP. MacOS (ASIO 2),
Mac OS X, Linux and BeOS drivers are also available.
Eight
unbalanced, 24-bit 48kHz analog line-level audio inputs can
be added using the AEB8-I daughterboard (~$200). Combine an
RME DIGI96/8 PAD with an AEB8-I and you'll have a rock-solid 8-in/2-out
hard disk recording setup complete with stereo S/PDIF and AES/EBU,
and 8-channel ADAT digital I/O, for less than $600!
Optional Word
Clock input and output is available for syncing with external
digital audio equipment is available (add ~$125).
RME's Windows
drivers allow up to three DIGI96/8 cards to
share the same IRQ (this has to be supported by the
motherboard's BIOS — both ASUS and Gigabyte motherboards
support this). Additional DIGI96/8 cards can be
synchronized to a single card acting as the clock 'master', and if
the Word Clock option is installed, the whole 'network' (all
digital recorders in the studio) can be synchronized to the
DIGI96/8 'master.'
I've never
seen a bad review of an RME Audio product, and I've had very
good experiences using the DIGI96/8 PAD (in a Windows NT 4.0/Celeron
system and in a Windows 2000/Athlon XP system). You
won't find the impressive features of some of its competitors—the
RME DIGI96/8 PAD has no mic pre's, MIDI I/O, ADAT sync or
balanced analog inputs/outputs—but you will find that
it sounds great, has rock-solid drivers and will always
let you get your work done. My DIGI96/8 PAD has performed like a champ
in every PC in which I've used it.
- RME-Audio DIGI9652 (
"Hammerfall")
and DIGI9636 ("Hammerfall Light") - This is RME's
optimized for ASIO, multi-ADAT Lightpipe I/O card. The
DIGI9652 Hammerfall was designed to be used with external
AD/DA converters with Lightpipe interfaces such as the
RME-Audio ADI-8 or the PreSonus DigiMAX,
with ADAT recorders or with Lightpipe-equipped digital mixing
consoles like the Yamaha 02R. Since the Hammerfall hardware
was specifically designed to work with Steinberg's ASIO audio
data handling application layer, latency (the delay between
recording a sound at the inputs and hearing it back at the outputs)
has been reduced to inconsequential levels—as little as 3mS
in a Pentium III running Cubase VST 24! Includes ADAT
sync for sample-accurate, multichannel digital audio
transfers. Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP (including multi-processor
NT/2000/XP Pro) and MacOS drivers available. Project Hammerfall has
been getting rave reviews in the European pro audio press...
and now Steinberg has made it a part of their Nuendo
DAW.
- RME-Audio Hammerfall
DSP - RME has now added DSP to enhance the
operation of their very successful Hammerfall audio
interfaces. They've also added MIDI I/O and balanced
analog monitoring outputs, with an option for 8 analog
inputs and outputs (in the Multiface model only).
- Hammerfall
DSP Digiface - Comes in
either a PCI-bus version for desktops or a
CardBus version for laptops. Multiple digital I/O
connections (AES/EBU, S/PDIF and ADAT Lightpipe)
with 24-bit/96kHz stereo analog monitoring output,
ADAT sync for sample-accurate, multichannel
digital audio transfers, and MIDI I/O. List price
is $965 for PCI, $1005 for CardBus.
- Hammerfall
DSP Multiface - Comes in
either a PCI-bus version for desktops or a
CardBus version for laptops. Multiple digital I/O
connections (AES/EBU, S/PDIF and ADAT Lightpipe)
with 24-bit/96kHz stereo analog monitoring output,
8 channels of balanced, 24-bit/96kHz analog
inputs and outputs, ADAT sync for sample-accurate,
multichannel digital audio transfers, and MIDI I/O.
List price is $1175 for PCI, $1215 for CardBus.
- Hammerfall
DSP 9652 - This is the new version
of the acclaimed Hammerfall 9652. It's a bus-mastering PCI card with
DSP-powered mixing and audio routing capabilities (with sample accurate
metering on all audio channels!). The HDSP 9652 includes three banks of
24-bit 96kHz capable ADAT Lightpipe I/O (24 channels in and out),
32-channel MIDI I/O, ADAT 9-pin sync, built in stereo monitoring at
24/96 resolution, and word clock I/O. The HDSP 9652 should sell for
about the same price as the older Hammerfall 9652 PCI card
($550 to $600).
- Sonorus STUDI/O +
AUDI/O AD/24, DA/24, Modular/8 - This system is
one of the least expensive ways to put together a truly
professional 24-bit/96kHz capable multitrack recording
system on your Mac or PC.
The STUDI/O card (~$600) has two ADAT
Lightpipe interfaces for 16 channels of 24-bit/96kHz
capable digital I/O. The analog, stereo monitor outputs
are on balanced 1/4" jacks. All signal routing,
metering and on-the-fly resampling is performed by an
onboard Motorola 56301 DSP chip, so the host CPU doesn't
have to work as hard. There is a word clock/ADAT sync
backplate available. Visit the Sonorus website and read
all about it! Supported in Win95/98 (including ASIO 2.0),
Windows NT 4.0/2000 (including multiprocessor NT systems,
though its a beta driver), Mac ASIO 2.0, Linux and BeOS.
The AUDI/O converters are 8-in/8-out, 24-bit
(up to 48 kHz sampling rate) AD/DA converters with ADAT
Lightpipe connections for hooking up to the STUDI/O or
other Lightpipe-equipped gear.
- Soundscape Mixtreme
ADAT/SPDIF - The Mixtreme (~$450) is a PCI card that
holds two Tascam TDIF 24-bit digital audio I/O interfaces
and a built in Motorola 56301 DSP (56-bit internal w/ 24-bit
I/O) for internal audio processing — the same DSP as used
in the Digidesign Pro Tools system. Mixtreme ships with
the Soundscape mixer software, which can mix up to 64
tracks of digital audio and comes with built in
parametric EQ. All of the mixing and effects processing
is performed in the Mixtreme's DSP, without the need to
do this in the host PC's CPU. The Mixtreme card
requires external Analog to Digital and
Digital to Analog converters, such as those in a Tascam
DA-78HR DTRS recorder. Soundscape sells daughterboards
and rack mount boxes for A/D and D/A, as well as for ADAT
Lightpipe, S/PDIF and AES/EBU digital I/O. There is also a
pretty wide selection of plug-in effects for the Mixtreme
DSP, available from Soundscape, TC Electronics, Wave
Mechanics and others.
- Terratec EWS 88 MT - 8 channel
soundcard that features 24-bit 96kHz sampling resolution,
along with MIDI and optical (TOSlink) S/PDIF I/O. The EWS
88 MT (~$400) features an external I/O box that can be
mounted in a 5-1/4" bay in the computer's case, or
can be used as a tabletop I/O box. The I/O box contains
sixteen 1/4" phone jacks (8 channels of input,
8 channels of output). Inputs are individually switchable
between -10dBV (consumer) and +4dBu (pro) levels. ASIO 2.0,
DirectSound, Windows MME and GSIF are supported. Drivers
available for Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP. Comes with
software bundle including Emagic MicroLogic A/V and SEK'D
Samplitude Studio.
Category 4: For Laptops
Only
- Aardvark Direct Mix
USB3 - Simple two-channel USB audio interface
with 24-bit converters (though it's limited to a 16-bit internal
data path), 1/4" line in/out jacks, 1/4" mic/guitar
input, 1/4" headphone jack, level controls and
clipping indicator LEDs. Can be used with laptop or
desktop computers equipped with USB port. Sells for about
$230. Drivers are available for Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, MacOS and
Steinberg ASIO 2.0.
-
Digidesign
Mbox- This is Digidesign's first USB audio interface.
The Mbox comes with Pro Tools LE software, which now makes it possible
to run the same software on your iBook that the big boys run in their
studios. Mbox features a Focusrite designed microphone preamp and direct
box, with S/PDIF I/O. Requires a USB-equipped computer, either a Macintosh
G4 or G5, or a PC running Windows XP Home Edition.
-
Digidesign
Digi 002- Digidesign has come out with a FireWire interface that includes
a control surface, four microphone inputs with phantom power, eight line level inputs,
an Adat interface and MIDI I/O, all in one package that can connect to any laptop
or desktop PC equipped with a FireWire (IEEE1394) interface. The Digi 002 comes with
Pro Tools LE software, which makes it possible to run the same software on your iBook
or other laptop that the big boys run in their studios. Requires either a Power Macintosh
G4 or G5, or a Pentium 4 PC running Windows XP Home Edition.
- Digigram VXpocket v2 and
VXpocket 440 - Big news for
portable recordists... Digigram offers pro-quality PC-Card audio
interfaces for making 24-bit recordings on your laptop
(Windows or Mac)!
The VXpocket v2 is the stereo version with
two balanced inputs switchable between mic and line level,
while the VXpocket 440 provides four balanced
mic/line inputs. Both provide stereo output monitoring,
LTC (SMPTE) time code input, coaxial S/PDIF I/O and XLR connectors
for the analog I/O.
- Echo Layla 24 LapTop
and Mona LapTop - Echo Audio, makers of the
popular Gina, Mona and Layla 24 audio interfaces, now offers laptop
versions of their Mona and Layla 24 products, complete with a CardBus
PCMCIA adapter.
If you already own a Mona or Layla 24 system, you can purchase
the Echo LapTop Adapter separately and use your current digital audio
hardware setup with your laptop computer.
- Echo Indigo - Echo Audio now makes a
series of CardBus audio adapters for basic 24-bit/96kHz audio
recording and/or playback. Simple, unbalanced connectors work with
the inexpensive cables you'll find at Radio Shack.
- EgoSys Waveterminal U24 - From Korea,
EgoSys brings 24-bit audio recording and playback capabilities to
Windows and MacOS laptops and USB-equipped desktops.
- Mark of the
Unicorn 828 - The 828 is the
first multichannel audio interface to use the FireWire
(IEEE-1394) interface to connect to Mac G4 and PC
laptops equipped with FireWire ports. Housed in a
single rack-space chassis, the 828 provides 8 channels of
24-bit 48kHz, balanced analog ins and outs, two balanced
mic preamps on XLR connectors (w/ 48VDC phantom power), 8
channels of ADAT Lightpipe I/O, optical or coaxial S/PDIF
and 9-pin ADAT sync connectors. Since it uses the
FireWire interface, you can now create a portable,
multichannel DAW based on a FireWire-equipped laptop computer (such
as the Mac iBook or Titanium G4, or Sony Vaio).
List price is $795 (US).
- Mark of the
Unicorn 896 - The 896 is the
latest multichannel audio interface to use FireWire
(IEEE-1394) to connect to Mac G4, iMac/iBook
and PC laptops equipped with FireWire ports. Housed in a
two rack-space chassis, the 896 provides 8 channels of
24-bit 96kHz balanced analog ins and outs, 8 balanced
mic preamps on XLR connectors (w/ individually switchable
48VDC phantom power for each mic pre), 8 channels of ADAT
Lightpipe I/O, optical or coaxial S/PDIF, AES-EBU and 9-pin
ADAT sync connectors. Since it uses the FireWire interface,
this should be a really good solution for creating
a portable, multichannel DAW based on a laptop computer
(such as the Mac iBook or Titanium G4, or Sony Vaio),
List price is $1295 (US).
- Tascam US428 DAW
Controller - Tascam became well known for the Porta-Studio
line of cassette multitracks. Now they're aiming for that
same market with the US428 (~$500), a combination mixer,
digital audio I/O and DAW control unit that connects via
USB to any PC (Pentium II or higher) or Mac (G3 or higher)
equipped with a USB port (desktop or laptop). Features
mic preamps on XLR connectors, balanced line inputs on 1/4"
TRS jacks and S/PDIF I/O. Use the faders and rotary
controls to adjust mix volumes and EQ settings in your
audio software of choice (as long as that software is
able to respond to commands sent from the US428). Ships
with Steinberg Cubasis VST software (Mac/Win).
- Yamaha AW16G
audio workstation with CD-Recorder - While this isn't a laptop audio interface, it is a cheap way to
get a digital mixer, effects box, hard disk recorder and CD burner all in one unit.
The AW16 has eight mic/line inputs (although not all of them have phantom power),
can record 8 tracks simultaneously (record the whole band at once) and has enough
storage space to record a lot of material. It's really small and can even
burn CDs. Maybe a laptop isn't such a great idea after all?
Category 5:
Professional Level
These products are designed for
use in professional studios. The computer-based products are
designed to be expandable with external interfaces and additional
DSP, and to connect to the other digital audio devices that are mormally
found in a full-blown recording studio. The stand-alone
products are designed to be used as a full-function, portable
"studio in a box."
- Alesis
HD24
- Alesis seems to be back
in the saddle again, now that the HD24 hard disk recorder/MDM is
shipping. For those of you who already have an ADAT-based studio in
place, for the price of an ADAT you can now get a 24-track, 24-bit
hard disk recorder that is completely compatible with your current
rig.
- CreamWare SCOPE Fusion Platform
- This is a complete line of PCI interfaces with DSP. Different
configurations are possible that can allow you to build your own live performance,
audio recording and software synthesis system, complete with hardware DSP-powered
software effects and mixing.
- Digidesign Pro Tools HD
- Pro Tools is the de facto standard for
computer-based hard disk recording equipment. The latest
"High-Definition" Pro Tools HD supports 24-bit audio processing at up to
192kHz sampling rates and 5.1 surround mixing. A full Pro Tools rig will
feature gobs of DSP horsepower in which to run its own TDM plug-in
architecture for mixing and effects processing. This allows these
processor-intensive tasks to execute in the Pro Tools hardware,
not in the host computer's CPU ("native").
Pro Tools on the PC bulletin:
Check the Digidesign Product
Compatibility Documents on their website for some
surprising information on the types of PC configurations
that can host a Pro Tools rig.
- Digidesign Digi 002
- Building on the success of the
now discontinued Digi 001, Digidesign now offers the new Digi 002, which connects to
the host computer (running MacOS 9.x, OS-X or Windows XP Home) via FireWire. The Digi 002
consists of a digital mixer/control surface/MIDI interface which, when connected to
a suitable computer and running Digidesign's Pro Tools LE software, will allow you to
record and play back 32 tracks of digital audio and 128 MIDI tracks. Works with
RTAS and AudioSuite audio plugins.
- iZ
Technology RADAR 24 - Starting at a
base price of about $4,000, the latest version of the RADAR
hard disk recording system is a truly professional
standalone product designed for high quality digital
audio recording and editing. Supports multichannel 24-bit
recording at up to 192kHz sampling rate. Many I/O options,
hardware controllers and automation add-ons are available.
- Mark of the
Unicorn 2408mkIII - The new mkIII is an update of
the popular MOTU 2408mkII. The mkIII version consists of a MOTU PCI-424
interface card, the 2408 interface itself, and the AudioDesk mixing application
for MacOS (Windows users must supply their own software). 'Street' price is
about $900. Sampling resolution is up to 24-bit 192kHz. Drivers are included
for MacOS (MAS and ASIO), OS X and Windows 98/Me/2000/XP (MME, WDM, ASIO
and GSIF). Includes a wide variety of analog and digital audio I/O and
synchronization formats, including:
- 24
channels of ADAT Lightpipe I/O
- 24
channels of Tascam TDIF I/O
- 8
analog inputs (24-bit 64X oversampling)
- 8
analog outputs (24-bit 128X oversampling)
- 2 S/PDIF
stereo digital audio I/O
- ADAT
sync input
- Word
Clock I/O (can act as clock 'master')
The 2408mkIII
is useful for dubbing between ADAT and TDIF or for
connection to an 8-bus analog mixer, allowing your
computer to act as an 8-track hard disk recorder. The
MOTU 2408mkII can be found in many professional studios.
It is designed to work with MOTU's high-end digital
audio sequencer, Digital Performer (though of course it
will work with other DAW software).
On the 2408mkII, only three 'ports' could be used at any one time.
Each eight-channel bank of I/O is a separate port. This means that
you can't transfer 16 ADAT tracks to two DA-78s in one pass using the mkII
version. Can you now accomplish this in the new mkIII version? That's something
to ask MOTU!
- Mark of the
Unicorn 896 - The 896 is the
latest multichannel audio interface to use FireWire
(IEEE-1394) to connect to Mac G4, iMac/iBook
and PC computers equipped with FireWire ports. Housed in a
two rack-space chassis, the 896 provides 8 channels of
24-bit 96kHz balanced analog ins and outs, eight balanced
mic preamps on XLR connectors (w/ individually switchable
48VDC phantom power for each mic pre), 8 channels of ADAT
Lightpipe I/O, optical or coaxial S/PDIF, AES-EBU and 9-pin
ADAT sync connectors. Since it uses the FireWire interface,
this should be a really good solution for creating
a portable, multichannel DAW based on a laptop computer
(such as the Mac iBook or Titanium G4, or Sony Vaio),
Any desktop computer with a FireWire port or FireWire I/O card
should work too.
List price is $1295 (US).
- Merging
Technologies Pyramix w/ Mykerinos - Merging is a
Swiss company best known in the USA for its multi-channel
I/O boxes and post-production workstations. With the
introduction of the Mykerinos PCI card with its onboard
Philips DSP, Merging has entered the pro and home studio markets
in a big way, and at a competitive price (~$3000 for
a basic configuration). Pyramix is Merging's audio mixing
software with its own built-in DSP-based effects and user-configurable
virtual mixing console. The latest version of Pyramix
also supports DirectX plugins. The Mykerinos PCI card can
be ordered with a variety of different plug-in
daughtercards, from dual ADAT or TDIF interfaces to a
MADI interface for 64 channels of audio I/O. Pyramix with
Mykerinos even supports DSD audio for SACD mastering!
Visit the Merging website — these guys are serious!
- Roland Virtual
Studio VS-890, VS-1880, VS-2480 - The Virtual
Studio systems are compact digital mixer/digital
effects/hard disk recorders. While the VS recorders don't
offer much in the way of I/O (AES/EBU, ADAT or TDIF I/O
are available only as additional-cost options for the VS-2480),
they are very capable "studio-in-a-box" systems
that offer an awful lot of recording/editing/mixing power
for the money. Add-ons include a CD-Recorder for direct
mixdown to CD-R.
- Soundscape products are
targeted at the same users who would be looking into a
full-blown Pro Tools TDM rig for audio-for-video ("A for V") work.
The basic unit provides 28 inputs and 32 outputs via built in
TDIF ports, which can connect to Tascam DTRS recorders (or the new MX-2424
hard disk recorder), or to TDIF-equipped digital mixing
boards such as the Yamaha 01V and 02R or the Tascam TM-D4000.
The Soundscape mixing software is useful, very user-friendly
and quite configurable and the system can also be expanded with
the many optional I/O configurations available, from 24-bit
analog audio to multichannel AES/EBU.
The Soundscape system is DSP-based with its own plugin
architecture. The PC is only used as a control interface,
not for audio processing (similar in concept to Pro Tools).
There are aftermarket effects plugins available from TC
Electronics, Wave Mechanics and others.
- Tascam
MX-2424
- This 24-track hard disk recorder was developed
in cooperation with TimeLine, a company specializing in
synchronization products and "dubbers" for audio-for-video
production. The MX-2424 is not a soundcard based system, but there
is a PCI card and software control interface for remote control of
multiple MX-2424s. The MX-2424 acts as a very "smart" MDM/hard disk
recorder that can record 24 tracks at up to 24-bit 48kHz
resolution, or 12 tracks at 24-bit 96kHz. SCSI-UW or LVD
hard drives can be swapped in and out of the front panel
drive bay for additional storage capacity.
- Tascam
DS-D98
- Want to start mastering to Direct Streaming Digital or pre-master
for SACD, just like the big Sony studios? Yes, you can actually do it!
This DTRS digital tape recorder can be used to record two tracks to
1-bit/2.28224 MHz DSD format (that's megahertz), eight tracks
to 24-bit/48kHz PCM, four tracks to 24-bit/96kHz PCM or two tracks to
24-bit/192kHz PCM. It uses widely available Hi-8 videocassettes for
storage. Up to sixteen DS-D98's can be synched together, allowing up
to 32 tracks of DSD multitrack audio. Bleeding edge, yes, but you gotta
admit that it's way cool!
- Yamaha AW4416
digital mixer/hard disk recorder - While not a
soundcard based system at all, the 4416 represents a real
breakthrough in home studio digital recording technology.
The AW4416 combines a 44-channel digital mixer section
with DSP effects based on the industry-standard 02R with
a 16 track, 24-bit hard disk recorder, all in one box and
all for $3599 list. Includes AES/EBU and S/PDIF stereo I/O,
MIDI I/O for automation and Word Clock and MTC I/O for
synchronization with external devices. The base unit can
be expanded with additional multichannel analog or
digital I/O cards and other goodies, including ADAT and
TDIF multichannel I/O and additional DSP effects.
- Yamaha AW2816 digital mixer/hard disk
recorder - Hot on the heels of the breakthrough AW4416,
Yamaha has released a less expensive version, the 2816 (list
price $2399). Combining an improved user interface, most
of the features of the Yamaha 02R digital mixer and a
very capable hard disk recorder all in one unit, the 2816
is definitely a product to watch out for. It comes with
two XLR microphone inputs (with switchable 48V phantom
power) and six additional balanced 1/4" low-Z mic/line
inputs, with channel 8 being switchable to high input
impedance for direct connection of electric guitars. The
2816 comes complete with lots of DSP, including an
improved digital EQ, compression/limiting on each channel,
digital reverb/delay and some other more specialized
effects. There is a coaxial S/PDIF digital I/O, while 8-channel
digital I/O can be added by installing an ADAT or TDIF I/O
card. This slot can also be used for adding additional
DSP, but there is only one slot in the 2816, so only one
card may be used at any given time. MIDI In/Out/Thru is
also provided. There is a rear-mounted SCSI port for
backing up projects to external drives. For a 'street'
price of about $1900, this could be the least expensive
pro-quality recorder around. All you need are some
microphones and some musicians to record, and you're on
your way. It looks like Yamaha's really done it this time!
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