The Mac version of the Reaktor plug-in is now available at Sweetwater. Reaktor is sort of an all-in-one creative tool for sound design. It’s like an instrument that can be used as a synth, a sampler, an effects processor, a groovebox, and much more.
We’ve noticed quite a bit of recent confusion about the features and benefits of the two Mackie digital hard disk recorders currently being sold. It seems many people feel that the MDR2496 is the same thing as the HDR2496 with just a few options removed. This perception may turn out to be largely true in the long run (after much more functionality (and price) is added to the MDR), but right now slant is somewhat misleading, though I suppose that depends on your perception of what important features are. Today we bring you a special feature, authored by Sweetwater Sales Engineer Nika Aldrich, to attempt to clarify the differences among these two popular machines.
Here is the story. The HDR24/96 is a 24 channel hard disk recorder with variable options in the back for adding or swapping analog or digital I/O. the system itself is actually a Pentium computer running a proprietary operating system. Because of this, the system is networkable for data transfers between other devices, but more importantly, a keyboard, mouse, and monitor can be added. The addition of the screen allows for many editing features to be utilized very similarly to any computer based editing system.
It allows importing and placing into a session an audio clip from a previous session. It allows various processing options and editing tools including moving clips, truncating clips, fades and crossfades, duplicating tracks, undo, spotting to timecode, and even just viewing of waveforms. It also allows the menu options for purging unused files (though whole projects can be deleted from the front panel) and rendering the files into usable formats for other systems so that the files can be FTP’d to another computer (presumably a DAW) on a network.
To review, since this is where most are confused, the GUI of the computer monitor allows:
– The menu option for purging unused files (though whole projects can be deleted from the front panel)
– Rendering the files into usable formats for other systems so that the files can be FTP‘d to another computer (presumably a DAW) on a network
Importing and placing into a session an audio clip from a previous session.
– Various processing options and editing tools including:
– Moving clips
– Truncating clips
– Fades and crossfades
– Duplicating tracks
– Undo
– Spotting to timecode
– And even just viewing of waveforms.
While an HDR can be used without the computer monitor and mouse, it essentially limits the functionality of it to basic transport controls and track arming. New “projects” can be opened and old ones can be deleted from the front panel. Backups can still be done. Certainly selecting bit rate and sample rate can be done from the front panel, but the system becomes, essentially, a great hard disk tracking device – very much like a very slick hard disk version of a 24 track ADAT.
Now, on to the MDR24/96: the MDR is the exact same box as the HDR with two exceptions. One is that the machine comes with three of the analog cards stock, from the factory (any other cards still need to be purchased separately). The other change is that there is no ability to use a computer monitor. This means that any functionality that was only doable on the computer monitor is not doable at this time on the MDR. The operating system and functionality of all of the keys between the HDR and the MDR is identical, so any function that is dependent upon a computer monitor is not available on the front panel of either unit. All buttons have the same function on both machines.
As for personal opinions: If you are looking for a great hard disk recorder as a tracking device only (such as for field recording), but editing and all further work is to be handled externally, the MDR might be a great solution for you. If you are looking for a hard disk recorder to be the main form of digital recording and editing in a studio I think that the HDR is likely more appropriate. Keep in mind, however, that due to the expected uses of the MDR it comes with analog I/O already in place. Anything else you add, you add as an option.
