 |
Whoa. That's the most buttons we've ever seen in a single rack space. Just looking at the TC Electronic Digital Konnekt x32 gives you the idea that it can send any digital signal anywhere you could possibly want it to go. Cause, you know, it pretty much can.
|
 |
Select your source signal, tell it where you want it to go at what sample rate and in which format, and bang zoom! You're there.
|
 |
Seriously, have you ever seen this many buttons in one rack space? I mean, I know I'm obsessing on this, but to calculate the total number of signal combinations, you need a degree in calculus or something.
|
 |
This is the Integrator plug-in from TC, which lets you route your external digital gear into the x32, from the comfort of your DAW.
|
|
Some companies just seem to "get it". You know what I mean; the products they release are those that people really need, or solve some issue of features or functionality that seem obvious in retrospect.
In our little world of audio, TC Electronic is one such company. Many of their products are either a step ahead of the world (think about their PowerCore platform), or do whatever they do in a way that's better (or at least more well thought-out) than the other products in the category. It's that second group that would include their new Digital Konnekt x32.
Digital patchbay, format converter and FireWire audio interface
We hate the term "Swiss Army Knife", which is quickly becoming the most overused (and often undeserved) analogy when discussing a product that packs a lot of varied functionality into a single box. However, we'll forgive the folks at TC for using it when describing the Digital Konnekt x32. The fact is that you get a great digital patchbay, a full-function format converter, and a high-quality FireWire interface in this one package, with no skimping or compromising on any of the above.
So what does that mean to you? Simply put, it's a single box that can be the centerpiece of your entire studio in terms of getting your signal from here to there with style. You can easily interface your other digital gear (think outboard processors and so on) to your DAW via the digital patchbay without having to constantly change out your cabling. You can convert digital audio from gear of different types running at different sampling rates without suffering degradation of your signal in the process. And, of course, you can use its two FireWire interfaces to get 16 channels of audio back and forth from your DAW. So, though there's no bottle opener or saw included, we'll let this "Swiss Army Knife" description slide. Just this once, though! The next thing we see called a "Swiss Army Knife" had better be red with a little white cross on it. And include a bottle opener.
Looking (and Listening) Closer
If you're tired of swapping out cables in your studio, the Digital Konnekt x32 will save you the hassle. Plug your stuff in once, and then use the front panel of the box to tell what signal to go where. But what if one box has ADAT I/O, and the other one is AES/EBU? No worries; that's what the format converter does for you (as well as translating between any sample rate between 44.1 and 96 kHz). Those eight channels of SRC will come in handy when you've set up to record at 96kHz, but still like the sound of that 48khz effects box (or the digital output of your synthesizer that's a few years old, or your CD player, and so on and so forth). Finally, you also get analog stereo outs (and phone outputs) so you can connect a set of monitor speakers.
Here's the complete I/O list:
• 8x AES/SPDIF IO/6x TOS IN, 4x TOS OUT
• 8x ADAT (up to 96 kHz SMUX) IO
• 16 channels FireWire IO
• Word Clock IO
• Analog stereo out + headphone out
Jitter be Gone!
TC developed their own integrated circuit, the DICE II chip, to make sure that your stuff not only connects in the way it should, but sounds great while it's doing it. Their JET™ (Jitter Elimination Technology) allows the DICE II chip to align all digital signals from external digital sources with extreme perfection. What do you get with well-aligned digital signals? Less jitter, less clicking, less popping, more bettah sound. Enough said.
Another item of note: the Digital Konnekt x32 has a built-in latency roundtrip measuring feature that works along with your DAWs latency compensation, so all this use of external hardware won't add up to increased latency.
Get Integratored
Along with the Digital Konnekt x32, you get a TC plug-in called Integrator. True to its name, it makes integration of external hardware into your DAW environment seamless. You get an audio routing representation of your external hardware to make studio setup and use of your outboard gear a breeze. Since Integrator operates like a normal VST/AU plug-in, it can be inserted on any track, as a send effect or on the master output of your host application. The Digital Konnekt x32 also offers a Scene recall function so you can store up to four snapshots of all active routings and settings. Handy!
GC Pro (Heart) TC Electronic
Our Account Manager are big fans of TC Electronic's fine products, and the Digital Konnekt x32 is a great example of TC's rock-solid product engineering. Plus, it's a big help in the modern studio of today. Contact us to get more info on this terrific Swiss Army- er, multipurpose interface box!
|
