Recorders

Yamaha's soundcard is a synth, a mixer and an effects unit in one. Martin Walker finds plenty to talk about.

Yes, it's a Minidisc machine and it's not even a multitrack, just a stereo recorder. Why on earth could you possibly want one in the studio? Dave Shapton explains...

Superficially, it may look no different from other soundcards, but Yamaha's new DSP Factory is a real TARDIS when it comes to facilities. Martin Walker explores a soundcard that's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.

The ADAT format is more often the choice of personal studios than professional facilities — but the new M20 is set to change all that. Hugh Robjohns takes the 20-bit ADAT for a spin.

These days there are several ways of going about recording your own CDs. Paul White gives this new Marantz professional stand-alone model a spin and discovers a few advantages over using a computer and CD-ROM drive.

If you want more of everything digital, why not try 24-bit recording at a 96kHz sample rate? Martin Walker is floored as his dynamics increase in leaps and bounds.

As the popularity of the ADAT optical 8-channel digital interface has grown, so PCI soundcards have appeared to transfer audio into this format and out of computers. Previous cards have included one optical connector, but Sonorus's STUDI/O has two, permitting 16-channel operation. Martin Walker makes light work of his optical cables.

Paul White meets the junior member of Alesis' family of Type II 20-bit ADAT recorders.

Multichannel PCI-card based digital audio recording systems are increasingly common these days, but not all of them focus on the quality of the onboard converters to the extent they should. Dave Shapton checks out a new card from far-sighted digital problem-solvers Aardvark that promises not to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

There's plenty of choice when it comes to audio cards for Windows 95/NT PCs — Janet Harniman-Cook finds out what sets the new WaveCenter from Frontier Design Group apart from the pack.

Combining the famous Lexicon reverb sound with the latest hard disk recording technology, the Lexicon Studio system should win many admirers. Martin Walker falls in love.

Paul White checks over the latest incarnation of an old friend.

In the space of just two years, Roland have doubled the power of their hard disk multitrack concept, going from the eight tracks of the VS880 to the 16 of their latest baby. Paul Nagle admires the VS's sparkling new options.

Though the FD4 doesn't have a built-in recording drive, it records to a choise of popular types, costs less than £400, and has been designed to be almost as easy to use as a cassette multitracker. David Mellor goes back to basics...

Paul White tests the 20-bit Alesis ADAT XT20, to see whether it wil really help us make better recordings or just allows us to record our low-level hum and noise more accurately!

Digital multitrackers are now nothing new, but this one records to a built-in Zip drive using low-cost 100Mb cartridges. Duke Ashton carries on recording.

Paul White tests an integrated 8-track digital studio package, no larger than a drum machine, that comes with just about everything you'll need to make high-quality recordings.

Paul White tests a new Sony DAT recorder offering professional features at an affordable price.

If you liked the look of last year's Minidisc-based digital 4-track machines, but need more tracks, look no further. The Yamaha MD8 manages 8-track recording and palyback, but is still priced at just under a thousand pounds. Martin Walker suddenly finds less need to bounce.

Paul White previews a new digital conversion technique designed to provide high-resolution sounds without the need for extravagant sampling frequencies.

Akai build on their years of expertise in stand-alone digital recorders with a truly portable personal multitracker offering a digital mixer and 12 tracks of audio on a removable-media drive. David Mellor takes it away.