New Pro Audio Products at NAMM 2009 Feature Plenty of FireWire The 2009 version of the annual winter show sponsored by NAMM featured a broad range of new 1394-equipped mixers, amps, and recording equipment. The show was held Jan. 15-19 in Anaheim. New products and technologies included the following: Presonus Audio Electronics showcased a new digital mixing console, the StudioLive16.4.2. The console features 16 Mic/Line inputs, 6 auxiliary mixes and 4 subgroups and includes a dual effects processor and FireWire interface, which can serve as a computer recording interface providing 18 channels of recording and 22 channels of playback per mixer. Using FireWire, it is also possible to link several mixers together by connecting two or more mixers with a FireWire cable to create one bigger mixer. “This kind of connectivity is only possible due to the flexibility and quality of service of FireWire. All synchronization, control and audio flows through one cable and no configuration is required from the user,” said Presonus Co-founder Jim Odom.
At NAMM a setup with two mixers showed a full-featured 32-channel digital mixer setup. Presonus worked together with TC Applied Technologies, maker of the DICE family of FireWire chips, on the peer-to-peer communication. “We would not be able to do this with USB, as it is computer-centric and does not support device-to-device communication. While Ethernet offers peer-to-peer capabilities, it cannot guarantee reliable audio transport and computer recording due to the lack of QoS,” Odom said. For more information about StudioLive 16.4.2, visit www.presonus.com The new 1394b-equipped Pacarana from Symbolic Sound is a powerful multiprocessor computer that runs alongside a Macintosh or PC. Like other computers, its software defines the function of the Pacarana but the Pacarana doesn’t have to run a huge general-purpose operating system with elaborate GUIs and multiple independent processes that can interrupt each other at any time. With the Pacarana, all compute cycles are dedicated to sound; you don’t have to share it with any other tasks. On the back of the Pacarana—all the high-speed connectivity you want and need for digital audio production: two FireWire 800 ports, a 100-base T Ethernet jack, and more.
A DC power plug connects the Pacarana to an external power supply that auto-senses voltage and frequency of the AC power source. The Pacarana communicates with the Kyma X software running under Mac OS or Windows via FireWire 800 (IEEE1394B) or an 800-to-400 adapter cable. The Alesis MasterControl delivers eight channels of audio to a computer via FireWire with two XLR inputs, channel inserts, and six TRS inputs. Eighteen additional inputs are possible through the S/PDIF and S/MUX ADAT Lightpipe options. For monitoring, the Alesis MasterControl features 6 analogue outputs, configurable as discrete, 5.1 Surround or Stereo x 3. The Alesis MasterControl functions as a master control surface with hands-on, dedicated control over HUI-compatible DAWs. Along with 1394, it features 8 Built-in analog inputs – 2 XLR mic preamp inputs with Phantom Power and channel inserts, 6 TRS 1/4-inch line inputs; 192kHz analog recording / playback capability; 6 analog outputs – configurable as discrete, 5.1 Surround, or Stereo X 3, with dedicated speaker switching; 9 100mm motorized faders and eight 360° virtual assignable knobs (three banks each). It provides instant access to 28 different parameters on every DAW channel; and 2 banks of 8 fully-assignable buttons provide 16 different functions per preset (setting markers and loop points, setting automation modes, cut/copy/paste, etc.). Also included: Expandable audio inputs for up to 26 simultaneous inputs. S/PDIF and dual S/MUX ADAT Lightpipe inputs provide 18 additional recording inputs. Pricing starts at $1,499. From Focusrite, the Liquid Saffire 56 Multi-Channel FireWire Audio Interface is a 2U size multi-channel FireWire audio interface. Liquid technology combines with Saffire PRO FireWire interfacing to deliver a host of authentic pre-amp flavors, seamless software integration, excellent routing flexibility and future-proof, rock-solid driver stability. Two of Liquid Saffire 56’s eight pre-amps utilize the third generation of Focusrite’s Liquid Pre-amp, each providing a choice of ten different pre-amp emulations. These include emulations based on the Neve 1073, Pultec MB-1, Telefunken V72 and seven more. A harmonics dial on each Liquid pre-amp allows the user to compensate for variance in vintage originals of the same model, or to creatively add levels of 2nd, 3rd and 5th Harmonic distortion to shape the pre-amp's performance. Liquid Saffire 56 also comes bundled with the Focusrite plug-in suite. The new SCS.1m from Stanton is a mix controller designed in an intuitive Also at NAMM, Yamaha offered two new OS upgrades, including one that enhances user-sampling capacities, and a new FireWire driver that provides seamless connections to N Series mixers and Steinberg interfaces. MOTU, Inc. is now shipping Windows Wave RT drivers for its FireWire and audio interface products, including the UltraLite-mk3, 828mk3, 896mk3, and Traveler-mk3 models. Wave RT (Wave Real Time) is Microsoft's new audio driver model for the Windows family of operating systems, including Vista and Windows 7 (now in beta). Cakewalk SONAR already supports Wave RT, along with an emerging list of other Windows audio applications. Under Windows Vista and the Windows 7 beta, MOTU FireWire audio interface users can choose the new MOTU Wave RT driver for use with SONAR or any other Wave RT-compatible host application. A simple check box option in the MOTU Audio Console allows users to switch between Wave RT and WDM operation at any time for audio software that does not yet support Wave RT. Wave RT support is now shipping with all MOTU FireWire audio interfaces in both 32-bit and 64-bit native formats. Users can now download the latest Windows driver package with Wave RT support. For more information, check out this recent review of low-cost audio interfaces, published by Audio Throttle.
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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Report from the Executive Director New Dark Fire from Gibson, State-of-the-Art Electronic Guitar, Features 1394 for PC Connectivity New Low Priced MacBook White from Apple Includes FireWire, Upgraded Hard Drive 1394 TA Sets Technical Seminar on 1394 Automotive Standard New Pro Audio Products at NAMM 2009 Feature Plenty of FireWire 1394 Embedded in New Kontron Platform Serving Transportation in Belgium Updated, Upgraded Mac Minis Move to 1394b |
DJ mixer format that should be instantly familiar to a pro or amateur disk jockey. The SCS.1m features four channel strips with faders, EQ controls, and high-precision metering, as well as a responsive crossfader, and a straightforward Cue / Monitoring section. The surface layout has been carefully designed so that any experienced DJ can simply step up and begin basic mixing within seconds. The SCS.1m controls your DJ software and sends/receives audio to Mac or PC via its onboard, studio-quality FireWire connection. FireWire allows a simple, single-cable connection, with all the bandwidth required to handle just about any mixing and controlling task users are likely to need. It also ensures ultra-low latency (delay) of only 1.5ms and high sampling rates (sound quality) of up to 24 bit / 96 kHz. This translates into lightning-fast responsiveness and sound quality that’s far beyond competing mix control products. Pricing: $798.