Prism Sound Orpheus - Audio Media

PRODUCT SAMPLERFIREWIRE AUDIO INTERFACESPlug in your DAWs as Audio Media prepares tostream audio aplenty.In an age where professional recordists are increasingly turning to their favourite computer-basedDAW for a variety of valid reasons – spanning cost, convenience, precision editing, project portability,‘true’ total recall, and more, getting that all-important audio to and from the computer in questionhas become an art in itself, with many manufacturers more than happy to take up the challenge withproducts to suit projects and pockets alike. FireWire-based solutions are the order of the day in thewonderful world of pro audio; here’s who’s currently offering what, though the ‘to whom’ part of thatequation is, as always, in the hands (and ears) of the purchaser.Alesis’ iO|26 is a desktop 24-bit/192kHz-inputFireWire audio interface designed for easy Macor PC integration, featuring two headphoneoutputs, line-level inserts on its Alesis HighDefinition Mic Pre-amps, 48V phantom power,five-segment signal/clip meters, plus full MIDIand SPDIF I/O. Being an Alesis unit, it alsofeatures ADAT lightpipe inputs for additionalconnectivity, while its flexible Hardware DirectMonitoring allowscustomised, latencyfreemixes to be sentto each output pair.www.alesis.comApogee Electronics’ duet is a 24-bit/96kHztwo-channel FireWire (400) interface designedfor Apple Macs. Its sleek desktop design offerstwo digitally-controlled mic pre-amps with75dB gain, two unbalanced (-10dBV) highimpendenceinstrument inputs, two 1/4-inchpowered speaker connections, a high-levelstereo headphone output, multi-segmentinput/output LEDmetering, and a multifunctioncontroller knobfor volume and input gaincontrol (plus assignableMIDI functions).www.apogeedigital.comApogee Electronics’ rack-mountableensemble features 36 channels ofsimultaneous audio, including eightchannels of Apogee’s acclaimed A/D andD/A conversion; four transparent, digitallycontrolled75dB mic pre-amps; eight channelsof ADAT I/O; two channels of S/PDIF coax andoptical I/O; and FireWire connectivity to andfrom a Mac computer. A stand-alone firmwareupdate allows it function without beingcomputerconnected.www.apogeedigital.comDigidesign’s 003 Rack packs analogue anddigital I/O, including MIDI, ADAT optical,and SPDIF, plus FireWire connectivity, intoa streamlined 2U chassis. It also comescomplete with the Pro Tools Ignition Pack 2Pro bundle, offering numerous effects andsignal processing plug-ins, virtual instruments,high-quality sampled sounds, and creativeapplications,includingPropellerheadReason 3Adapted,and more.www.digidesign.comThe AudioFire12 from Echo Digital AudioCorporation – to give its creator their full dues– boasts 12 balanced analogue inputs andoutputs (TRS), two FireWire ports, MIDI I/O,word clock synchronisation, and 12 channelsof full-duplex 24-bit/192kHz recording andplayback, all squeezed into a slimline (1U) rack.Supplied software (Mac- and PC-compatible)provides for monitoring, metering, and settinglevels, while low-latency drivers supportall majorpro audiosoftware.www.echoaudio.comEdirol’s FireWire AudioCapture FA-101represents the company’s first FireWire audiointerface, featuring 10x10 24-bit/96kHz (6x624-bit/192kHz) audio performance at DVD-Aand SACD quality – according to its creator.Other notable features include two frontpanel-mounted phantom-powered XLR/TRS combo jacks for connecting to the unit’spremium pre-amps, plus SPDIF and Optical I/O,while six inputs and eight outputs on balanced1/4-inch TRSjacks are to befound on itsrear.www.ediroleurope.comESI Audiotechnik’s DuaFire 2x4 FireWire AudioInterface (24-bit/96kHz) is billed as the world’sfirst FireWire audio interface that supportsEWDM (a major extension to the MicrosoftWDM driver standard that is compatible withall current Windows versions, to integrate allcommonly used driver standards into a singledriver package). That apart, mic pre-amps,switchable phantom power, and Hi-Z circuitryare all present andcorrect here, as isa bundled copy ofSteinberg CubaseLE 4.0.Focusrite’s Saffire PRO 10 i/o FireWire audiointerface is a stripped-down version of its Pro26 I/O, featuring 10 channels of I/O – stereoSPDIF, eight analogue channels, each inputhaving a mic pre-amp based on the FocusriteGreen Series with XLR connections on theback panel while its front-panel-mounted1/4-inch connections are line level affairs. VST/AU (Compression, Reverb, Amp Modelling, andEQ) plug-in effects are also included, while upto three PRO 10 I/Os can be daisy-chained forincreased I/O.Lynx Studio Technology recently released theLT-FW LSlot FireWire interface for its Aurora16, allowing the 16 Channel Mastering A/Dand D/A Converter to be interfaced with andcontrolled from suitably equipped computers.The unit itself allows the control of parameters,clock settings, mixing/routing, and mixerscenes via remote control. According toreviewer Russ Long, “The unit is the perfectsolution for stereo or multi-channel musicproduction or mastering, or simply as thefront end fordigital audioworkstations.”www.esi-audio.com www.focusrite.com www.lynxstudio.com60AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2008