System 6000 "ICON" (click for larger image)

It must be said that mixing in surround can be a pain; it seems to require mounds of stereo reverbs in order to create 5.1 or 7.1 room ambiences, plus at least five of every piece of ancillary equipment used for equalizing, compressing, harmonic exciting, etc. Similarly, mastering in surround appears to require five times more outboard gear than a standard stereo job. It’s not going to get better; as consumer surround sound gathers momentum, the need for a comprehensive multichannel audio processor becomes more pressing. Fortunately, the System 6000 from TC Electronic is exactly the tool needed to simplify the complex task of mixing for surround.

The System 6000 includes the best of what TC Electronic offers. Programs from the M3000, M5000 and the Finalizer are represented. New algorithms—such as VP8 VariPitch™—control pitch shifting from a single channel to eight channels simultaneously, without any audible artifacts. Newly developed optional 5.1 programs and applications are fully functional for post and film, stereo to 5.1 breakouts, 5.1-to-5.1 processing, dynamics and equalization of multichannel source material and full 5.1 reverb programs. Do I have your attention yet?

Hardware Specs
Priced from $8,395 (base 8-channel unit with digital I/O), the hardware consists of three separate components—the Mainframe, the CPU and the “ICON” remote controller.

The two-rackspace Mainframe handles all the audio and DSP processing. The front panel sports a power switch, floppy drive, PCM-CIA slot and a multicolor AC power LED that doubles as an activity indicator when updating software. Input/output (I/O) connections are on the rear on a single DSP/digital I/O card that contains all the DSP hardware. The base I/O configuration consists of four stereo channels of AES/EBU, but there are also three slots open for various I/O card configurations.

Two cards currently available for the Mainframe include one that adds AES/EBU I/O connections (giving four more stereo inputs and outputs) and a 2-channel Analog to Digital to Analog (ADA) card. Each ADA card handles two channels of balanced I/O that sample at double rate (88.2 to 96 kHz), allowing the digital filters to do up/down conversions using local onboard DSP. A unique feature of TC’s analog I/O is the ability to choose down- and up-sampling filter types. Under the Frame/System/I/O menu, there is a choice of filter types for each analog input: Linear, Natural, Vintage, Bright and Standard. Depending on the material, the filter-type selection can “warm” or “brighten up” the source.

The proprietary domain multiplexed (TDM) bus inside the Mainframe can carry 16 channels of 24/96k audio to the DSP at once. Card combinations bring a maximum of 16 usable channels of digital I/O, or eight channels of digital I/O and six channels of analog I/O (for a total of 14 usable channels). MIDI connectors, 1/4-inch SMPTE jack, 1/4-inch GPI jack and an Ethernet/LAN connector (to communicate with the CPU) are accessible via the rear panel.

The single-spaced CPU box contains an embedded Microsoft NT system that takes care of all communications between the Mainframe and the ICON remote. Rear panel connections include Ethernet/LAN, PS 2 connection for PC keyboard and mouse, VGA external monitor, 36-pin connector for the ICON controller, two type-A USB connectors and an option plate for upgrades. Connection between the CPU and the Mainframe is a simple local area network that gives point-to-point access. Adding a network hub to this configuration allows access to multiple Mainframes, ICON remotes and computers, and a multiroom facility can access and share multiple Mainframes or share resources on the same Mainframe. Currently, the ICON controller accesses up to eight Mainframes. PC/Mac software that allows for control of the 6000 without using the ICON has been promised.

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Reprinted with permission from Magazine, November, 2000
© 2000, Intertec Publishing, A Primedia Company All Rights Reserved