Creamware Tripledat

Creamware's recently‑updated, PC‑based TripleDAT system attempts to offer a 'halfway house' solution to those who've outgrown their MPC audio system, but can't afford a professional digital recording setup. Brian Heywood is the cat who gets the Cream(ware)...

From a musician's point of view, the IBM‑compatible PC has progressed in leaps and bounds over the last few years — both in terms of its available computing power and support for digital audio. A wide range of non‑linear audio editing (ie. hard disk recorder) solutions have become available to the PC owner, allowing you to choose a system that suits your requirements and budget. Systems of this nature tend to fall into two camps: those that use DSPs to handle the audio — for instance, Soundscape, SADiE and Digidesign's Session 8 — and those that use the PC's hard disk, processor and one or more MPC (multimedia PC) soundcards.

MPC‑based systems are the cheapest of these, since you can easily create a system using hardware that you already own, and there is a lot of competition between software vendors, ensuring that prices are low. However, using the MPC approach means that the PC has to do a lot more work, so your computer has to be more powerful to cope, and thus more expensive — check out Martin Walker's article on the requirements for PC‑based hard disk recording in last month's SOS for more information.

From a purely professional audio standpoint, the other major difference between MPC‑ and DSP‑based systems is that the latter invariably allow you to transfer the audio to DAT as a digital signal, either using the S/PDIF or AES/EBU protocols, while the MPC systems tend to have only analogue outputs. Apart from the product under review here, the only other digitally‑equipped MPC‑based soundcard generally available at the time of writing is DAL's CardD. So there is a bit of a gap between the better MPC‑based systems and the low end of the DSP‑based professional systems, both in terms of price and capabilities. TripleDAT slots neatly into this gap, as it has digital I/O and dedicated software, but still uses the PC to provide the hard disk sub‑system and processing power, which keeps the cost down.

What You Get

The TripleDAT system is actually a combination of hardware and software: the hardware is an audio card (the unsurprisingly‑named TripleBOARD), and the TripleDAT software is a full‑featured, non‑linear audio application dedicated to the hardware. As regular SOS readers will be aware, this is not the first time I've looked at the TripleDAT system — back in the September '95 issue, I reviewed it when the software component was entitled TripleMAGIC, and stood at version 1.0. Well, 12 months have seen a considerable refinement of the package, which has now reached version 2.3. The whole thing seems a lot more solid, and the rough edges I commented on in my last review have been removed.

While the TripleDAT software is keyed to the TripleBOARD, the hardware can be used with any MPC audio application, since Windows audio and MIDI drivers are provided. This makes the card extremely versatile, since you can use different software packages depending on what you happen to be doing at the time. For instance, you might want to use Cakewalk Audio for creating the music and then run the TripleDAT software for CD pre‑mastering. In fact, if you don't need the more advanced features in the bundled software, there will soon be a cut‑down system available called Master Port, which is useful if you simply want to use the hardware with your favourite digital audio software.

The TripleDAT software is primarily designed for handling digital audio, providing tools for recording, editing and processing the audio data which is stored on your PC's hard disk (on‑board effects are included — see the 'Here's How It Effects You...' box elsewhere in this article). This means that you need to have a fair amount of spare hard disk space (either on your main drive, or on a dedicated drive for your digital audio), since it takes just over 10Mb of storage to hold a stereo minute of sound at CD quality. You can record at 48kHz or 32kHz, but I imagine that the bulk of the work done on the system will use the standard CD rate of 44.1kHz. Luckily, the prices of large‑capacity hard drives have plummeted over the last year, although for digital audio applications, you will get the best results with drives that are AV‑rated, which are, needless to say, more expensive.

While it is possible to record audio in synchronisation with either an external device or a MIDI sequencer running on the same PC, or even by loading a completed MIDI file into TripleDAT's internal MIDI file player, I feel this would be a rather awkward way of using the system — more on this point later. In my opinion, the software is more suited to straight manipulation of audio data. To this end, it uses a lot of the techniques pioneered by more expensive professional systems, such as non‑destructive editing and real‑time control of fades and crossfades.

The TripleDAT system also comes with a DOS‑based tape streamer application that allows you to use a DAT recorder to back up your hard disk via the card's digital audio output. This is quite an important consideration when using a hard disk‑based system, since you either have to archive the material you record, or erase it when your hard disk becomes full.

Tripledat Hardware

The TripleBOARD is a half‑length ISA buss audio card with both audio and MIDI interface capabilities. The card takes up a single interrupt which can be set to IRQ 10, 11 or 15, and has a base I/O address that can be set to 290, 300 or 310 hexadecimal. There are both analogue and digital stereo audio inputs and outputs, and for the digital input, you can choose between one of two optical inputs or a co‑axial (ie. RCA phono 'cinch') connector. The card uses 18‑bit, 128 x oversampling bitstream‑type converters, with overload detection on the analogue‑to‑digital converter (ADC) and digital de‑emphasis available on the digital‑to‑analogue converter (DAC).

The specification quotes dynamic ranges of (better than) 90dB for input and 96dB for output, and a typical channel separation of 100dB. These figures will undoubtedly be degraded in a PC with a noisy power supply. Subjectively, the quality of the analogue outputs compared well with that of my SADiE system, sounding warmer.

In addition, the TripleBOARD includes a MIDI input and output, and a driver for an infra‑red (IR) LED module which can be used to remote‑control a DAT machine. This is really only important when you are using the tape‑streaming software (of which more in a moment). The co‑axial S/PDIF, analogue audio signals and MIDI data is routed to the card via a 25‑way 'D'‑type feature connector on the metal mounting bracket, where the optical connectors and the IR‑LED output are located. The card is supplied with a suitable plug with clearly‑labelled flying leads for the audio and MIDI signals. The manual gives a full 'pin out' of the feature connector, so it would be a simple matter to build a breakout box for the TripleBOARD.

Creamware also produce an optional AES/EBU interface, but this was not included with the review system, so I was unable to test it. Together with the rest of the TripleDAT package, this forms the TripleDAT Plus system. You can buy this as an all‑in‑one package, or alternatively, you can buy the TripleDAT system, and then upgrade to the TripleDAT Plus for an extra fee later.

Tripledat Software

Anyone who has used a track‑based sequencer or a professional segment‑based digital audio editor will feel immediately at home with TripleDAT's software interface. The main action occurs in the Arrange window, which is laid out as a series of horizontal tracks stacked vertically, with the time axis along the top edge of the window. Segments of audio appear as blocks, with fades and crossfades being indicated graphically. The blocks can either be blank, or can display the audio waveform, though the latter will slow down the screen updates somewhat. The blocks can either be 'frozen' (ie. fixed to their original timecode position) or 'melted', which means that you can move them around the arrangement.

Down the left‑hand side of the Arrange window are the individual track controls. These allow you to select the physical output the audio is sent to, and the volume and pan position of the audio. The track names, their mute/solo status, and a display of the number of samples currently on each track are also displayed on the controls themselves.

Within the Arrange window, the current playback position is indicated as a vertical green line which can either move left to right over the sound blocks as they play back, or can remain stationery while the audio blocks move from right to left. The first method is common on computer‑based systems since it involves less in the way of screen updates, while the second is common on dedicated hard disk recorders. Having the entire screen scrolling is very cool, but even on the test system — a 166MHz Pentium with 24Mb of RAM — the display was somewhat jerky when there were a lot of audio segments displayed on the screen.

The Arrange screen also shows various markers, including two special ones that allow you to loop a section of the arrangement. The markers help you to move quickly to various parts of the track, and can be dropped into the arrangement during playback by pressing the 'M' key. The markers have the rather curious additional function of controlling your DAT machine via the IR‑LED remote control interface. I can't actually think of any practical use for this feature, considering the lack of any feedback from the DAT to the PC.

Lastly for this quick look at the Arrange window, the Toolbar deserves a mention. This lets you manipulate the sample data and display characteristics, though I found it tended to get in the way if I left it 'floating' over the sample work area. Luckily, the Toolbar can be dropped into the top left corner of the Arrange window, where the only thing it hides is the Creamware logo!

Recording

Recording audio to hard disk involves using the Record window, which I found curiously non‑intuitive. In terms of the features on offer and the clarity of its layout, it is actually very good, allowing you to record any combination of stereo signals using the two sets of inputs (ie. stereo analogue and digital inputs). There are certain limitations — you can't monitor the current tracks if you use all four inputs, for example. My main concern is that has the feel of a stand‑alone recording device, as if you've left the TripleDAT application and are using a 'bolted‑on' annexe. I feel that it would be perfectly adequate for transferring data from a different format, say a DAT machine, to your hard disk, but it could be a bit fiddly to use to record a live performance.

Likewise, I don't really feel that TripleDAT's recording interface is particularly well suited to the task of multi‑track recording, say as a replacement for a traditional tape‑based system. The reason for this is twofold; firstly the recording window breaks the connection between the track‑based audio and the recording process, and secondly you have to hit the record button twice (Rec/Pause and then Rec) before it actually starts recording. The way it works is that you record an audio segment, and then, when you are happy with it, you hit the on‑screen 'OK' button which drops you back into the Arrange window, so that you can place the recorded audio into one of the tracks. Basically, TripleDAT has all the recording machinery you'd expect — including a punch in/out facility — but it's not laid out to make it easy for the musician/recordist to operate and play at the same time.

The Cutter

While you can select and position the samples in the Arrange window, precise editing requires use of the Cutter window. This looks very much like a WAV. editor, and works closely with the Arrange window; you can load audio segments into the Cutter by just double‑clicking on them in the Arrange window. Using the Cutter, you can take advantage of the features allowed by non‑destructive editing: for example, you can repeat (ie. loop), skip or mute sections of the sample without changing the data actually stored on the disk. An example of this is where you need to extend a section of music, say a two‑bar bridge between a chorus and a verse, so that you can insert a voice‑over. By looping the bars, you can create a bed for the spoken section, and using the Cutter's volume control envelope, you can 'dip' the music so that it doesn't interfere with the intelligibility of the commentary — which is a very useful feature for multimedia, radio and video post‑production. You can also create a pan envelope to move a sample within the stereo image, say for separating two voices taking part in a dialogue.

Synchronisation

TripleDAT can act as either a synchronisation slave or master, with timecode being channelled through the MIDI ports as either MTC (MIDI Time Code) or MIDI Clock. The synchronisation source or slave can either be an external device, or can be software running on the same PC, connected via the Windows driver installed as part of TripleDAT's MPC Windows support. This means that you could run the TripleDAT software in tandem with a MIDI sequencer such as Cubase or Cakewalk, though I think that a dedicated 'MIDI + Audio' package would be easier to use. The MTC implementation seems pretty comprehensive, and supports the four standard frame rates (24, 25, 30 and 29.97 drop frame), though I'm not sure that their definition of the rather bizarre 29.97 rate sometimes used in North America is correct — it should be either 30fps (drop frame) or 29.97fps. Thankfully, this is not an issue with European video work. MIDI Clock is also supported, though I'm not sure if there is anyone out there still using this — I guess the facility has only been included for backwards compatibility with the previous version of TripleDAT.

One of the critical features of a non‑linear editor, particularly in the audio post‑production world, is how well it chases external timecode. If you are trying to add a soundtrack to a video, your editor must be able to follow the variations in speed inherent in a mechanical tape transport. This feature is called 'continuous re‑sync' and is also important if you are using your hard disk editor in conjunction with a multitrack tape machine, say an Alesis ADAT or a Tascam DA88. I performed some sync tests on the TripleDAT system, taking an external tape‑based MTC sync signal, and changing its speed with the tape machine's varispeed control. I found that TripleDAT would continue to follow the external timecode, as long as the speed variations weren't too extreme. There seemed to be a buffer delay which caused an echo for a second or so, after which the PC would catch up (or slow down) until the two signals were in step. However, fast changes in the timecode rate caused a permanent time offset (ie. delay) to be introduced, until the timecode was stopped and then restarted, at which point synchronisation would be re‑established. I concluded that TripleDAT is suitable for sync'ing to an external tape machine as long as you never need to use extreme varispeed or a shuttle wheel as part of your normal working methods. This will only be an issue if you're trying to use the system for video post‑production (where the hard disk system has to chase the video machine when it's being controlled by a jog/shuttle wheel). To be honest, for most musical applications this would never be a problem, and Creamware recognise this; they say that they have optimised synchronisation to "run smooth and stable [sic] within usual studio applications" — in other words, the system is aimed at music production rather than video post. Even so, TripleDAT outperforms virtually all MPC‑based systems in this area, and even a few professional systems — Digidesign's Session 8, for example, can't do continuous re‑sync unless you buy extra hardware.

CD‑R Facilities

The latest version of the TripleDAT system includes bundled software for creating a CD‑R (ie. a 'gold disc' audio CD) directly from the audio data in the Arrange window. You can create a finished CD using Disk at Once (DAO) or you can compile a disk one track at a time using Track at Once (TAO). TripleDAT supports a large number of CD‑R drives — I tested this facility using a Yamaha CDE102 dual‑speed CD‑writer, which gave excellent results. It took me about five minutes to work out how to use this part of the program, which is pretty good considering that at the time of the review, the full manual and help file updates weren't available in English! The CD‑R feature means that you can carry out the entire mastering process using TripleDAT, though you have to be extremely careful handling the CD‑R disc if you want to use it to produce a glass master for CD production. TripleDAT will even produce multiple copies of a gold disc by ejecting the finished CD and then prompting you for the next blank — very useful for short CD runs.

Conclusions

While I haven't had the time to cover all the features present in TripleDAT in detail, I feel that Creamware have provided all the facilities you would expect to find in a computer‑based hard disk editor. The only reservations I have regard the reliability of the external synchronisation under certain situations (which will only affect a small number of applications anyway), the quirkiness of the user interface (which doesn't influence how the system performs), and the non‑intuitive nature of the multitrack recording functions. The provision of both optical and co‑axial digital interfaces on the TripleBOARD means that you can use the system with a wide range of consumer and low‑end professional equipment, while the AES/EBU option means that the system can also be at home in a professional production environment. The implementation of the Windows MPC drivers is also very nice, as it allows musician users to take advantage of the growing band of 'MIDI + Audio' sequencers such as Cakewalk Audio and Cubase Audio. In fact, the cut‑down version (Master Port) may be all you need if you're not too bothered about using the bundled software, but just want to upgrade the audio hardware of your current sequencing system. The TripleDAT software can also take advantage of any additional soundcard fitted to the PC, so you have a 'win‑win' situation, with each use of the PC supporting the other. The implementation of the tape streamer software — even though it's rather awkward to set up — is another vital feature that allows you to use TripleDAT as a professional tool. It would be nice to see this function either integrated into the main application or given a Windows front end — and in fact I hear Creamware are planning a Windows version.

The TripleDAT system is a good example of what I choose to call 'Desktop Audio', where advances in computer technology have brought advanced audio production facilities within the reach of a much wider band of practitioners. Creamware have managed to do this without cutting any corners in terms of quality or capabilities; in fact, some of the effects are more advanced than those offered by more expensive non‑linear editing systems. TripleDAT's major shortcoming here is that it relies on the PC's processor, and can therefore be slower for certain tasks, although I only fell foul of this once when working on an audio segment the length of a CD! All in all, I reckon TripleDAT is a good choice if you need a budget professional mastering/non‑linear editing system, and Master Port is worth looking at if you just want to take advantage of the digital I/O hardware.