Steinberg North America will distribute the MindPrint DI-PORT
 

Munich, Germany, June 23, 2000 -- The majority of functions found on professional devices just a decade ago, are now standard features in contemporary hard disk recording systems. More processing operations can be executed in the digital domain, which significantly enhances the quality of productions. Today modern hard disk recording systems-in conjunction with powerful computers-deliver the wide range of functions and number of tracks that in the past would have been found only in the finest of studios. With a word length of 24 bits, these systems deliver excellent audio specs for as long as the signal remains in the computer.

The interfaces have historically been a huge problem. The on-board converters of soundcards work with 16 or 18 bits and frequently generate distortion. As these are installed inside the computer's housing, the signal-to-noise ratio is degraded considerably by stray pick-up of clock frequencies. Finally, the high quality of computer-based signal processing can't in the final analysis be exploited fully, because the signal is digitized by a soundcard that offers audio quality roughly comparable to that of a cassette deck.

The logical consequence is to deploy a high-quality converter housed in an external device. Its signal is then transmitted digitally and loss-free to the computer. Not only do the A/D and D/A converters of the DI-PORT work with 24 bits, they are also extremely linear. The device is full of high-quality analog circuitry. Since it's a stand-alone device in a dedicated housing, it is immune to pick-up of stray interference. With the DI-PORT, in combination with a digital I/O card (or the digital interface of a high-quality soundcard), you should experience a leap in the definition and quality of your audio.

The DI-PORT as a High-end Audio Card The DI-PORT's primary purpose is to provide an outboard home to all analog components and AD/DA converters that normally reside in the interior of the computer's casing. Use it in conjunction with a digital I/O card or the digital interfaces of quality soundcards, and you will end up with a true high-end audio card.

DI-PORT, 24 Bit Stereo AD/DA Converter

  • 24 Bit AD/DA-Conversion witht 105 dB(a) Signal To Noise Ratio
  • Discrete Class A Mic/Line Preamp witht 48Volt Phantom power
  • 44.1, 48 kHz Sampling-Rates switchable
  • S/PDIF optical and coaxial
  • Auto-Sync and Master switchable
  • Monitor Out with DA-Mixing
  • Headphones Connector
  • Line Out

Connect the digital output of the DI-PORT to the digital input of your computer and the digital output of the computer to the digital input of the DI-PORT. In this setup, the DI-PORT serves as an outboard converter unit for your digital audio card.

In order to record analog line signal sources or microphone signals, simply connect these to the appropriate inputs of the DI-PORT. Connect your monitoring system to the Monitor Out outputs. If you own an analog recorder or want to patch an analog signal to your external mixer, connect these devices to the D/A outputs of the DI-PORT.

To assure highest quality audio for your tracks, you should run your recording program at a word length of 24 bits. If the program does not offer this option, or your digital card does not support this resolution, or you aren't willing to sacrifice the extra hard disk real estate that a higher resolution requires, you can still use the DI-PORT to your benefit. It is of course compatible with the 16-bit format and, even in this mode, the device is far superior to the internal converter of a soundcard not to mention its microphone preamplifiers featuring phantom power.

Converter for Digital Recorders
If in your studio you work with an analog mixer and record your mixdown to a DAT recorder, you may have had good cause to be annoyed at the poor quality of its converter. The DI-PORT remedies this problem, simply use it as a converter for your recorder. Connect the DI-PORT to your DAT, CD-R or MO recorder in both directions via the coaxial or optical S/PDIF digital interfaces. The DI-PORT supports all word lengths of 16 to 24 bits and sampling rates between 44.1 and 48 kHz, which means that it is compatible with all standard recorders on the market.

When you opt for this type of setup, the analog busses of the DI-PORT respond just as if they were part of the analog circuitry of your recorder. You can even use the level meter of your recorder, provided that it is a digital rather than an analog meter. The only difference lies in the handling of the control features. You must adjust levels via the knobs on the DI-PORT rather than by means of the recorder's controls.

Live Recording
Should you chose to deploy this device as a converter for a digital recorder, here's an application option that might come in handy: live recording via a classic two-microphone setup or a single-microphone setup when you need just two channels. Most DAT recorders available to date are unsuitable for this application because they lack microphone preamplifiers. The DI-PORT takes care of this problem and, with the benefit of its high-quality microphone preamplifiers and onboard conversion that is executed immediately right in the device, you can achieve excellent signal-to-noise ratios.

Analog Microphone Preamplifiers
Although the primary purpose of the DI-PORT is signal conversion, some users, impressed by the high quality of its microphone preamplifiers, will want to use it in conjunction with an analog mixer. This is anything but a problem, the Monitor Out sockets can be used specifically for this purpose. All you have to do is adjust the Monitor knob located on the front panel so that solely the input signal of the DI-PORT is routed via this circuit. Simply connect the Monitor Out sockets to two inputs of your mixer. With this setup, you can exploit the audio qualities of the microphone preamplifier even when you're not using the device's converters.

Source: MindPrint
Internet: www.mindprint.com