  Mark of the Unicorn (you and I know them as MOTU) recently dropped a bombshell with their announcement of a new hard disk recording system for Windows 95 and Power Macintosh called the 2408. It's our cover story this issue for a good reason: Sweetwater's pre-orders for the 2408 already match some of the most successful products we've ever shipped! Why does MOTU call it the 2408? And why is it such a bombshell? Fair questions. Simply put, the 2408 core system offers hard disk recording with 24 simultaneous inputs and outputs to and from your computer, hence the "24" part of its name. The "08" part refers to the number of analog inputs and outputs offered by the system. But the core system is also chock full of digital I/O, offering up to 24 simultaneous channels of Alesis ADAT optical and TASCAM TDIF digital I/O with two stereo pairs of S/PDIF outputs, stereo main outs, and a headphone jack (with volume knob) on the front panel for good measure. The system is also expandable. You can connect up to three single rack space 2408 I/O units to its PCI audio card for up to 72 input and output connections! Okay, so we're talking about an impressive amount of I/O here. But what's the bombshell? You get all of this, plus workstation software for the Mac and drivers for today's most popular Windows programs and many other features we haven't even mentioned yet for under $1,000! What's more, it not vaporware — it's shipping right now! Is the 2408 for you? Before we dive into explaining all the cool stuff this system can do, some of you may be wondering exactly how the 2408 might fit into your existing studio. Many of you already have (or are thinking about getting) a computer. You should definitely read on because the 2408 turns your Mac or PC into a powerful multitrack hard disk recorder and audio workstation with many features formerly available only in systems costing thousands of dollars more. Many of you have at least one ADAT, DA-88 or similar recording or mixing device that supports the ADAT or TDIF I/O formats. If you've ever dreamed about unleashing the power of a complete audio workstation on the tracks in these devices with sample-accurate digital transfer between them (so that there's no signal degradation), the 2408 could be just the thing. Even if you've been thinking about other types of non-computer based recording systems, like Mini-Disc recorders and stand-alone hard disk recorders, the 2408 offers so much that you may want to look at the benefits of a computer-based system.
The 2408 actually cuts across several product categories and prices ranges. For example, even if you've been considering spending considerably more (or even less) than $1,000 for an audio card, the 2408 changes the playing field enough that we highly recommend taking a closer look at it. The 2408 offers so much at this price point that you may just want to invest a few hundred dollars more than you were planning to spend on a less expensive card. If you've been looking at systems with higher price tags, look again. With 24 channels of digital I/O, expansion and sample-accurate sync, the 2408 may provide what you need for significantly less money. System components: A core 2408 system ships with the following components: A one-rack space I/O unit; a PCI-324 audio card (Mac and PC compatible); AudioDesk workstation software for Macintosh on CD-ROM (see screen shot at right); Mac OS Sound Manager driver on CD-ROM for stereo I/O with any Sound Manager compatible audio software; Windows audio Wave driver on CD-ROM for multi-channel I/O with any Windows audio program that supports multi-channel Wave drivers. 2408 I/O Gozintas and Comezoutas: If you take a look at the accompanying picture of the 2408's rear panel (above), you'll notice that MOTU has packed an impressive number of connectors on this single space rack unit. There are three pairs of 8-channel ADAT optical connectors, three TASCAM 8-channel TDIF connectors, a bank of 8 gold-plated analog RCA (unbalanced -10 dB) ins/outs, a stereo pair of S/PDIF connectors, an extra S/PDIF stereo out (labelled DAT), a pair of balanced +4 dB 1/4" TRS jacks that serve as main outputs, an "Audio Wire" jack (for connection to the PCI-324 audio card), and a pair of standard word clock BNC connectors. Whew! This one I/O box lets you actually connect up to three ADATs, three DA88s, two S/PDIF devices, and eight analog ins and outs. If you count the main outs and the front-panel headphone jacks, that's 58 input connections and 64 output connections! The main outputs, as well as the DAT S/PDIF connector and the headphone output on the front panel all match analog outputs 1 and 2. By mixing everything to these outputs (via software), you can monitor everything through the headphones, a pair of speakers connected to the main outs, or even record the stereo mix to DAT. Nice touches. PCI-324 audio card — Expansion and Sync: We're always hungry for more ins and outs, right? The 2408 serves up a large helping of expansion possibilities.
When it comes to synchronization, the 2408 is sample-accurate. Each PCI-324 card has an ADAT SYNC IN connector that allows it to synchronize to all of the ADATs connected to it with single-sample accuracy. If you transfer some audio from an ADAT into the computer and back to the ADAT, it will be recorded precisely at its original location, down to the sample. Sample-accurate ADAT sync can be achieved without a separate synchronizer of any kind. If you have a MIDI Timepiece AV, Digital Timepiece, or Alesis BRC, you can drive the whole rig from the transport controls in your MMC-compatible computer software. While the 2408 hardware is capable of sample-accurate sync, the software you are using on your host computer needs to support it, too. Initially, AudioDesk and Digital Performer will support sample-accurate sync with the 2408. AudioDesk zooms in to the sample level (one screen pixel equals one sample) so you can see in detail just how tight the sync is. For example, you can place an audio region in a track in AudioDesk, record it into the ADAT, record it back into an adjacent track in AudioDesk, zoom in to the sample level and see the waveforms exactly aligned with one another. With audio software from other companies, you can transfer tracks to and from an ADAT or DA88 as a simple ADAT optical or TDIF transfer with no additional sync gear (the 2408 clocks to the digital input from the tape deck). If you want to be able to transfer audio back and forth, maintaining its position in each track, the best solution is a MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital Timepiece. Software compatibility: AudioDesk provides all of the features you would expect in an advanced workstation package, including stereo tracks, 16- or 24-bit recording, sample-accurate sync, automated virtual mixing, multi-track waveform editing with graphic mix automation, 32-bit effects processing, stereo time-stretching and pitch shifting, scrubbing, trimming, spotting, crossfades, support for third-party effects Plug-ins (in MOTU Audio System and Adobe Premiere formats), and more. The 2408 is also fully compatible with MOTU's flagship audio sequencer Digital Performer in case you need to do MIDI sequencing along with your digital audio recording. MOTU made the wise choice of using today's current affordable crop of 20-bit A/D/A converters for the 2408. While 24-bit converters are still much too expensive for a product under $1,000, the converters in the 2408 provide signal-to-noise and dynamic range specs that are considerably better than those used in the expensive, "high-end" systems everyone was using just a few years ago. The analog ins and outs are unbalanced -10 dB RCA connectors; if you need +4 balanced analog I/O, you can use your ADAT, DA88, digital mixer, or any other device that connects optically or via TDIF. The main outs are balanced +4 TRS. The 2408 has a 24-bit internal data bus, so regardless of what you hook up to it, it will carry all 24-bits to the computer. What happens to all those 24 bits once they reach the computer? It depends on the host software you are using. If it is capable of recording 24-bit audio (AudioDesk and Digital Performer are), then you can do 24-bit recording. Hard disk recording has already made a significant impact on audio recording, and its presence in the industry is growing faster than almost any other type of product. The 2408 represents the next big step in the progress of this technology by bridging the tape-based world with the emerging world of hard disk recording. Compare the total cost of the 2408 and a computer with some of the stand-alone hard disk recorders out there, and the prices are almost equal, but imagine all the other things you can do with a computer! Obviously, we wish we had several more pages to devote to the 2408, but for additional info and special package pricing, please call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer today! Master Index | Sweet Notes Index | Home | Back Page | Next Page |
