Digital Video - July 2008 - (Page 40) TOOLS & TECHNOLOGY TOOL TIME ANNOUNCEMENTS & ADVANCEMENTS IN PRODUCTION & POST GEAR. MOTU 896MK3 www.motu.com MOTU’s new 896mk3 — retailing for $1,295 — is a cross-platform FireWire audio interface with onboard effects and mixing. Features include eight XLR/TRS “combo” style analog inputs with high-quality preamps, true hi-Z guitar inputs, a total of 28 inputs and 32 outputs, 192 kHz analog operation, signal overload protection, a 32-bit floating point DSP for digital mixing and effects processing, two banks of configurable optical I/O and much more. The 896mk3 provides 28 inputs and 32 outputs in a two rackspace form factor. All I/O is routed to a new onboard 16-bus digital mixer driven by hardware-based DSP with 32-bit floating-point precision. The mixer allows users to apply no-latency effects processing to inputs, outputs or busses directly in the 896mk3 hardware, independent of the computer. Effects can even be applied when the 896mk3 is operating standalone (without a computer) as a complete rack-mounted mixer. Input signals to the computer can be recorded wet, dry or dry with a wet monitor mix (for musicians during recording, for example). Effects include reverb, parametric EQ and compression/limiting. The 896mk3’s Classic Reverb provides five different room types, three frequency shelves with adjustable crossover points, shelf filtering and reverb lengths up to 60 seconds. Two forms of compression are supplied: a standard compressor with conventional threshold/ratio/attack/release/gain controls and the Leveler, an accurate model of the legendary LA-2A optical compressor, which provides vintage, musical automatic gain control. Finally, the EQ section provides seven-band parametric EQ modeled after British analog console EQs, featuring four filter styles (gain/Q profiles) to effectively cover a wide range of audio material. LP and HP filters are also supplied with slopes that range from 6dB to 36dB. An individual trim knob, 20dB pad switch and 48V phantom power switch is supplied on the front panel for each of eight mic/guitar combo jacks on the rear panel, all eight of which are equipped with preamps and V-Limit(tm), a hardware limiter that helps prevent digital clipping from overloaded input signals. With VLimit enabled, signals can go above 0dB (where limiting kicks in) to as high as +12dB above zero with no distortion due to digital clipping. Additional protection can be applied to the mike/guitar inputs by enabling the 896mk3’s Soft Clip feature, which engages just before clipping occurs and helps reduce perceptible distortion. Ten-segment ladder LEDs are provided for every input and output. One eight-channel meter bank is dedicated to the eight analog 40 dv june 2008 MOTU 896mk3 inputs. Another eight-channel meter bank can display any input or output bank, which the user can quickly select with a convenient front-panel rotary encoder. Dedicated main out meters are also provided. All of the settings in the 896mk3 are accessible from the programmable front-panel backlit LCD. The “master vol” knob can be programmed to control any combination of outputs (analog and/or digital). For example, it can control monitor output for an entire 5.1 or 7.1 surround mix. All analog I/O, including eight XLR outputs, two dedicated XLR main outs and the eight preamp inputs, can operate at sample rates up to 192 kHz (a total of eight analog inputs and ten outputs). Two optical banks provide 16 channels of ADAT optical at 48 kHz, 8 channels of S/MUX optical I/O at 96 kHz or two banks of stereo TOSLink at rates up to 96 kHz. The banks operate independently, allowing users to mix and match any optical formats. AES/EBU and RCA S/PDIF connectors also supply independent sets of stereo digital I/O. The 896mk3 can directly resolve to (or generate) time code via a dedicated 1⁄4" time code input and output, without the need for an extra synchronizer. The 896mk3 supplies two FireWire jacks so it can be daisychained with additional MOTU FireWire audio interfaces or other devices. The 896mk3 provides CueMix FX and drivers for Mac (OS X) and Windows (XP and Vista) for cross-platform compatibility with virtually all audio software via WDM/ASIO/Core Audio drivers. The included AudioDesk workstation software for Mac provides 24-bit recording/editing and 32-bit mixing/processing/mastering. EDIROL R44 www.edirol.com Introduced this year at the NAB Show, the Edirol R44 is a compact, solid-state, four-channel field recorder with built-in stereo microphones and monitor speakers. The onboard limiter helps suppress sudden peaks in sound from an input source. A low-cut filter is included to help prevent things like wind noise or mike handling noise. Studio class effects such as www.dv.com http://www.motu.com http://www.edirol.com http://www.dv.com
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