Products of Interest

Frontier Design Group AlphaTrack Control Surface

The AlphaTrack control surface from Frontier Design Group is a small, portable, single-fader controller with 22 buttons, three encoders, and a touch-sensitive strip for jog and shuttle functions.

The device features a 100-mm touch-sensitive motorized fader with 10-bit resolution (see Figure 1). A 32 character backlit display is located at the top of the unit for user feedback and three touch-sensitive encoders with push-button functionality are located just below this display. These encoders provide the user with quick access to pan, equalization, and plug-in controls with context-specific feedback appearing on the display panel. Twenty-two further buttons are included for transport control and other commonly used functions. The user can customize four of these but-professional tons. Twenty-one LEDs are included as status indicators.

Figure 1.

Frontier Design Group AlphaTrack control surface.

Among the most notable features of this control surface is the touch-sensitive jog and shuttle strip. Through the use of a combination of one and two fingers, the user can scroll though the project timeline, adjust the shuttle speed, and navigate to project markers.

The unit is powered by a USB connection (USB 2.0 or USB 1.1) to a computer and is compatible with both Windows XP and Mac OS X operating systems. A footswitch input is also included. The control surface weighs just 1 lb, 2 oz, and measures 8.5 × 6 × 3 in.

The AlphaTrack is listed for US$ 249. Contact: Frontier Design Group, LLC, 240 Mechanic Street, Lebanon, New Hampshire 03766, USA; telephone (+1) 603-448-6283 (toll-free in the USA 1-800-928-3236); fax (+1) 603-448-6398; electronic mail info@frontierdesign.com; Web www.frontierdesign.com/.

Korg MR-1 and MR-1000 1-Bit Mobile Recorders

Korg's MR-1 and MR-1000 mobile recorders offer 1-bit recording, 20-GB hard drives, and support for multiple professional recording formats. The MR-1 is a handheld device, and the MR-1000 is designed for tabletop use (see Figure 2).

1-bit recording is already in use in Super Audio CDs (SACD) recording and has been chosen by Korg because it provides a frequency response of DC to 100 kHz, a dynamic range of 120 dB, and allows conversion to any other bit depth and sample rate without loss of quality. Korg also suggests that the use of such a 1-bit system for mixing and mastering allows users to store their music in formats that will be compatible with future resolutions and formats.

The handheld recorder samples at up to 2.8 MHz and the tabletop version can sample at 5.6 MHz. Direct Stream Digital Interchange File Format (DSDIFF), DSF, and WSD 1-bit formats are supported, along with 24 bit/192-kHz PCM format (BWF). The MR-1000 includes studio-quality low-impedance microphone pre-amplifiers on balanced 1/4-in. jack/XLR inputs. XLR and 1/4-in. jack outputs are provided. Switches for phantom power, limiting, and gain feature on the back input/output panel. A high-speed USB 2.0 connection is included for transferring audio to computer. The recorder operates on AC power or from AA batteries.

Figure 2.

The Korg MR-1 and MR-1000 1-bit mobile recorders.

The MR-1 handheld recorder features two balanced mini-jack inputs and a stereo mini-jack output. A stereo electret condenser microphone is included with the recorder. A USB 2.0 connection is featured here also and the recorder runs on AC or a long-life rechargeable lithium polymer battery. Each recorder is enclosed in metal housing, features a backlit LCD, and comes in a soft case that does not have to be removed when recording.

Korg also packages a software application, AudioGate, for converting 1-bit recordings into WAV and AIFF files. Real-time conversion and playback is possible and additional functions include gain control, fade input/ output, and removal of DC offset.

Contact: Korg USA, 316 South Service Road, Melville, New York 11747-3201...