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- From: bc2y+@andrew.cmu.edu (Brian T Cheek)
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.audio
- Subject: Mini-Review: AD1012 by Sunrize
- Message-ID: <of_skTG00WB_A627dQ@andrew.cmu.edu>
- Date: 13 Dec 92 09:16:47 GMT
- Article-I.D.: andrew.of_skTG00WB_A627dQ
- Organization: Misc. student, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
- Lines: 93
- In-Reply-To: <Ace.045u@auilcs0.UUCP>
-
- MINI-REVIEW of Sun-Rize's AD1012 12 bit Direct to Hard Disk board.
-
- For convenience, i'll use the term D2HD for Direct to Hard Disk. Also,
- please read up on D2HD terms before trying to decipher my mini-review.
- This board is capable of producing 4 channels of audio consisting of
- information recorded D2HD. It's selling points would be for anyone who
- wants to (but, of course, not limited to) do audio editing for video,
- song mastering, remixing, etc. It is unlike a sampler or sample
- playback device, like the amiga's own outputs as you can not pitch shift
- with it (for example, you can't record a middle C on piano, then play
- back a scale.)
-
- The main competetion is from the Macintosh (nothing else on the amiga
- can do what this card can do). The Mac program I'll compare it to is
- Sound-Tools, a 2nd or 3rd generation program which does the same thing.
- Do note that the AD1012 lists for $595, the AD516 for $1595, and the Mac
- version that does the equivelant (hardware only, anyway) is around
- $6000. Do you need 12 or 16 bit? Ears, my friends, you must use your
- ears.
-
- The AD1012 sound is wonderful, and most people (myself included) could
- easily confuse it for a 16 bit board. It is a mono device with sampling
- rates from 8,000 sps (samples per second) to 90,000 sps. Because of the
- design, it is ideal to pick one rate and stick with it. I picked 44,646
- sps (@CD rate). Storing samples takes mondo hard drive space. It takes
- 5 megabytes per sample minute per channel at CD-rate. (For all you with
- your calculators, the discrepency comes from the fact it stores samples
- in 16 bit format to be completely compatible with the 16 bit card, which
- I think they may have a trade in policy for). So if you're doing 4
- tracks on the AD1012, thats 20 meg/minute. I'd recommemd a minimum of
- 200 megs devoted to this card, and devote the entire partition too,
- because fragmentation can lead to jumps and skips on playback.
-
- BTW, the AD516 supports 8 tracks and is in stereo. No single card for
- any computer can do that. (Thats why the Mac equivelant is $6000, you
- need multiple cards). At CD-Rate, this translates into 40
- megabytes/sample minute. You may need (and it supports) multiple SCSI
- chains (not drives) to accomidate. BTW (and I'm not sure if this is
- possible) if the program supports multiple 516's, that means 16 track
- D2HD production. Yes, you will put professional studio's out of
- business.
-
- The interface is clean, intuitive, and easy to use. It supports
- drag-and-drop for operations like cue-list making, and in 640x400, you
- can see (assuming your monitor won't make you go blind) all you need to
- see. The interface is a little unlike Amiga standard, but that seems to
- be a benefit (It looks pro).
-
- Operation is simple and straightforward, and once you learn it
- (excellent manual) It is as easy to drop new samples in as it is to use
- a tape deck. When you have a list of samples, you make a SMPTE
- triggered cue-list. This plays your samples in any order you choose,
- according to incoming SMPTE (it has it's own SMPTE in port, as well as
- it's own audio in/out).
-
- Editing is sparce. Current software (and to fix the problem would only
- require software) only includes cut&paste, echo, FFT, normalize,
- reverse, invert (phase shift? I'm not sure). This is rudimentary, and
- the board is well suited only if your source material is processed in
- the way you want the output to sound. The mac software is miles ahead.
- (with things like real-time EQ, reverb, non-realtime; compression,
- expansion). Both Amiga and Mac's software are natural feeling, no
- kludges, and don't crash (Studio 16 is up to at least 2.0).
-
- Oh yeah, how's this for multi-tasking... While playing a sample back, I
- went to Workbench, booted DeluxePaint IV, loaded a 640x400 16 color
- anim, played it, quit and returned. The audio file never hiccuped. It
- played flawlessly straight through. This is VERY important for
- videographers, as your machine can run video stuff at the same time.
- This is also a tribute to the Sunrize programmers. Good Job. (I doubt
- multifinder will allow this...). This test occured on a 2000 with a
- 68030 accelerator.
-
- This board was used in a 60 minute self-help production (talking with
- music under it). The project was without a hitch, and proved a success
- for the board. The client felt comfortable saying "Oh, move that line
- back before this time" With tape, you'd be getting out the razor blades
- now.
-
- This program also works with Bars&Pipes Professional. From B&P, you can
- trigger samples, and even open the edit screens from B&P. Nice. (And
- with B&P2.0's virtual screen, drool!)
-
- One note about the sound. When you listen reeeallly close, there is a
- noise floor. The board isn't totally noise free (but then neither is my
- professional sampler, which costs a lot more!)
-
- This board works fine now, and also has great potential. If they add
- more editing tools, I will buy the 16 bit card, (if I can afford the
- hard-drive to accompany). This requires user feedback...
-
- Hope this info was of help.
- -Brian :)
-