| Aardvark DirectPro 24/96 |
Windows-based Audio Interface
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By
David Ogilvy
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The actual recording and editing takes place in the software of your choice. The Aardvark package includes Cakewalk Pro Audio 9, but it should be understood that the DirectPro does not actually record. It is an extremely efficient input/output for a wide variety of available programs. The 10-channel virtual mixer features EQ, compression (on input only) and reverb, all with zero latency, so you can hear your adjustments in real time, without waiting for the computer to calculate the changes. Typical latency in similar devices is around half a second.
Out of the box, the system appears simple: two software disks, a manual, a PCI card, a breakout box and a sturdy shielded 25-pin cable. The breakout box has four combo ¼-inch/XLR inputs, a phantom power switch with LED and a headphone jack on the front panel; the rear panel has four ¼-inch outputs, two RCA outputs, and MIDI in and out. S/PDIF in and out can be found on the card at the back of the computer. All ¼-inch jacks allow both balanced and unbalanced connections at +4 dBu and -10 dBu, respectively.
Optional accessories include rack adapters for one or two breakout boxes (each occupy two rackspaces) and AES/EBU-to-S/PDIF adapters (manufactured by Aardvark to change voltage and impedance).
The manual is brief but effective, with separate instructions for installation on both Windows 95 and Windows 98 platforms. After consulting the recommendations for the placement of the PCI card into my computer, onscreen messages prompted me through the rest of the install. Thereafter, I only consulted the 35-page pamphlet for quick-start guides that explain integration of the DirectPro with Samplitude, Cubase VST, Cakewalk Pro Audio, Sound Forge and Wavelab.
THE INSTALL
For DirectPro, Aardvark recommends a Pentium PC or compatible, running at 200 MHz or higher, with Windows 95 or Windows 98, a minimum of 64MB RAM and one available PCI slot. For this review, I used a modestly equipped 300MHz Pentium II 300A PC with CD-ROM/DVD drive, 128MB RAM and 4 GB of available disk space.
Hardware installation was simple. However, the DirectPro software didn’t load properly the first time I tried, but tech support at Aardvark is excellent (there was always more than one able-minded technician available when I called during East Coast business hours), and they e-mailed me the file I needed for a smooth install.
ONSCREEN
The virtual console—or “Control Panel” screen—is laid out well, with four channel strips on the left for the four inputs. Each of these includes gain, compression, EQ, reverb send, pan and a “fader,” while the playback (or output of the recording program) appears on the right as three permanently linked stereo pairs with reverb sends. Each channel has a Mute and a Solo switch, but the playback pairs will not mute or solo one side of the stereo pair—this has to be done within the recording/editing program you’ve selected.
All 10 channels are summed to the stereo-linked master fader (“Monitor Out”). There are 12 replicas of LED-style meters, one next to each fader. Each meter uses over 40 segments in green, yellow and red, and peak hold is an option. There is also a large replica of a 2-channel VU meter, redundant with the Monitor Out “LEDs.” The VU meter “needles” are understandably slow to react, as Aardvark has justifiably assigned their movement a low priority in terms of DSP operations.
Reprinted with permission from
Magazine, May, 2001© 2001, Intertec Publishing, A Primedia Company All Rights Reserved
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