studio opruiming
2 x MOTU 2408,PCI 424 Audio Card Cuemix DSP 24 spoor studio
Studio desk top setup 48 channel/perfect om via ADAT/TDIF effecten terug te halen.
Interested in combining hard disk recording with other analogue and digital recording formats? Paul White connects with a versatile recording interface that offers a host of interconnection options and alsoclaims one of the lowest latency figures in the business.
It is probably true to say that more musicians are using hard disk recording than any other recording format, even though they may be using it in conjunction with technologies such as digital or analogue tape. Setting up such a system means choosing a computer, recording/sequencing software and an audio interface that will work happily together. It is generally agreed that for the best audio performance, the A‑D and D‑A converters should be outside the computer, and, unless you're happy to record one or two tracks at a time and do all your audio mixing within the computer itself, you're going to need an audio interface with multiple inputs and outputs.
Mark of the Unicorn (or MOTU for short) are well known throughout the industry, not only for their Digital Performer sequencing software, but also for their range of MIDI interfaces and synchronisation devices, such as the MIDI Time Piece and the MIDI Time Piece AV. With the 2408, they've added a dedicated Mac/PC audio interface to their range that, as well as providing eight, 20‑bit analogue inputs and outputs, interfaces directly with Alesis ADAT or Tascam DA88 (TDIF) digital tape recorders — or indeed any other equipment using the same interfacing protocols. In fact, the 2408 can handle up to 24 channels of audio at a time via three banks of eight channels, each of which can be set up to access one of three ADAT I/O ports, one of three TDIF I/O ports or the eight analogue I/Os. The 24 in the unit's title is explained by the fact that all three ADAT or TDIF ports can be used simultaneously. An S/PDIF stereo digital I/O is also included out of which any digital audio track pair can be routed.
As well as operating as an I/O device for a computer‑based digital multitrack system, the 2408 may also be used as a format converter to convert ADAT to TDIF, TDIF to ADAT, ADAT to S/PDIF and so on. It is also possible to use the 2408 for format conversion and hard disk recording I/O at the same time. There's also provision to swap the left and right channels when converting ADAT or TDIF to S/PDIF. To achieve all this, MOTU have developed their own custom VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) chip dedicated to handling I/O protocols.
A core system comprises one 2408 interface plus a short PCI card (PCI‑324) which also contains a custom MOTU chip. Up to three 2408 interfaces can be connected to the computer via one card and it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that other interfaces will be developed to expand this system in the future. In addition to sockets for three Audiowire interfaces (MOTU's own connection system based on Firewire 1394 hardware, but optimised for audio performance), the card has an ADAT 9‑pin sync connector and a Control Track connector (proprietary to the MOTU Digital Time Piece), which enable sample‑accurate transfer of data to and from the computer via the ADAT or TDIF ports. ADATs can sync directly via the 9‑pin interface, whereas Tascam DA88s will need to be used in conjunction with a Digital Time Piece if sample accurate sync is needed. Without a Digital Time Piece or ADAT, sync'ing is achieved via MIDI Time Code which is considerably less accurate, though still tight enough for most common applications. Incidentally, I tested the sample‑accuracy claim via ADAT by bouncing a track to an ADAT and back, reversing it in phase and playing it back mixed with the original. Phase cancellation was complete, as would only be the case if the sync were perfect.