Recording - August 2019 - 14

REVIEW

Steinberg AXR4 Thunderbolt 2
Audio Interface
Jam-Packed Back

On the rear of the unit are an additional eight TRS analog inputs,
labeled 5 through 12, and eight TRS analog outs. Digital connections are
plentiful, with 8 channels of AES I/O carried over DB-25 as well as two
pairs of ADAT Toslink sockets. The AXR4 has BNC word clock I/O as well
as a pair of a pair of old school 5-pin MIDI jacks-cuz Steinberg is the
venerable master of the MIDI sequencer!
Finally, we have a pair of Thunderbolt 2 jacks. Not to jump to any
conclusions here, but these live on what looks like a removable interface
card, so perhaps further connectivity options will be available in the
future. Power is handled by an external line lump PSU.

Interface, Software and DSP

Some high end audio interfaces make use of a matrix-style routing
app, while others utilize a software mixer. The ARX4 offers both-and
they work seamlessly together.
The AXR4 mixer app appears as a full-on desk with faders, pan controls, channel linking, insert slots and an effect send. You can also access
the preamp controls here, including the SILK settings.
The channel inserts call up the unit's onboard zero-latency DSP effects. These
are: Yamaha's Sweet Spot Morphing Channel Strip, the Vintage Classics VCM
Compressor 276, and the VCM EQ 601. Effects can be printed if you wish or
simply monitored here. The effect sends route to the onboard Yamaha REV-X
reverb, a long-standing company classic based on the popular SPX code.
If we stop here, the AXR4 is a professional DAW-agnostic interface,
made to integrate with any major DAW from Ableton Live to Pro Tools.

Cubase/Nuendo Integration

Used with Steinberg Cubase or Nuendo, the ARX4 workflow becomes
even more seamless. Input channels and DSP effects can be instantly
routed and configured right in the Cubase mixer. Another direct benefit
is the total integration of AXR4 32-bit integer converters with the native
32-bit Cubase environment. I am a Cubase user and found workflow with
the AXR4 a breeze, so much so that I took it out of the studio and used it
as both a live mixer and a tracking interface.

The Sound

As I often say in converter reviews, the bells, whistles and blinky lights are
great, but a converter is only as good as it sounds-and, drum roll please-it
sounds fantastic. In the past few months I have owned, used, compared and
reviewed three of the industry's top-rated converters, and the AXR4 stands
proudly toe-to-toe with them all. I do not say this lightly; the AXR4 is that nice.
At this quality and price point, one might subjectively prefer the tightness of one, or the openness of another, but sonic integrity is never an
issue. I do wish I could say that I hear a drastic difference between 24-bit
and 32-bit integer conversion, but if I hear it at all, it's not as drastic as
the jump from 16-bit to 24-bit way back when.

Conclusion

Steinberg has come to the table with a seriously great-sounding, welldesigned, and feature-rich interface that can proudly stand as the centerpiece of
any professional studio. If you're a Cubase or Nuendo user, it's even sweeter.
14 RECORDING August 2019

Price: $2799
More from: Steinberg, www.steinberg.net

http://www.steinberg.net

Recording - August 2019

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