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Quality
Sound is In The Cards - Hands-On Review of Antex StudioCard AVPro
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Written
By George Avgerakis
When
ordering nonlinear editing (NLE) systems from computer
vendors, or building your own systems from off-the-shelf
components, the tendency to make default sound card
choices results in systems that do great editing but
sound rather thin. This tendency often persists as
the system owner opts for greater hard drive options
to store more video, but continues to set aside sound
upgrades.
Eventually,
the client or a freelance editor notices the widening
gap and demands are made for professional level sound
replication. The search usually leads to Antex, a
provider of several levels of sound cards, many of
which are cross platform capable.
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This hands-on
review evaluates the StudioCard AV Pro, at the top of Antex's
line, which may be used in conjunction with a wide range of video
capture/playback cards, such as the DPS, Matrox, Intergraph and
Truevision.
The Antex
StudioCard AV Pro card (List Price $1,595) is a four, stereo channel,
PCI audio record/playback board capable of maintaining perfect
synchronization with video playback by employing either a master
27 MHz clock lock (when operating with the DPS Perception card)
or by horizontal sync lock, by looping the video board's output
through the AV Pro. This loop can automatically detect PAL or
NTSC, thereby enabling the AV Pro to be used worldwide.
Up to four
AV Pros can be installed in one computer, each linked to the other
and to the video card for perfect synchronization of up to 16
stereo tracks.
Test Platforms
The Antex
StudioCard AV Pro, configured with a DPS Perception capture and
playback set was first tested on a Digital Equipment Corporation
Alpha 466 platform with an Accelgraphics 500GL and 2 Seagate 9
gig Elite drives. A separate 4 gig Seagate Barracuda was used
as the dedicated audio drive.
Other test
platforms included a clone dual Pentium Pro 200 equipped with
a Matrox Millennium video card and two separate drive arrays for
audio and video. On this platform the audio drives consist of
a 9 gig Seagate Elite and 4 gig Seagate Barracuda chained to an
Adaptec 2940 U/W SCSI. The video source drives, chained to the
DPS Perception card consist of 3 Seagate Barracuda 4 gig Barracuda
drives and a 23 gig Seagate Cheetah drive.
We also tested
the AV Pro on an Intergraph Studio-Z 400 platform, with the RealiZm
video card and two Seagate 9 gig Elite drives for audio and video
respectively.
Our tests,
not run under strict laboratory conditions with sophisticated
audio analysis equipment, depended on the subjective impressions
of our professional editing staff and included evaluations of
sound as well as editorial ease and operational stability.
Specifications
The Antex
AV Pro creates a virtual mixing board of 4 stereo audio tracks,
with maximum quantizing at 32 bits and sampling rates up to 48
kHz (lower rates supported). The 40 MHz floating point DSP chips
(TMS320C31) support A/D conversion at 16 bit, 64 times oversampling
and D/A conversion at 18 bit, 128 times oversampling.
Frequency
response claimed is 20 Hz to 20 kHz with a dynamic range of 95
dB and harmonic distortion at 0.005%.
The card comes
equipped with two cable sets for connection to external devices,
one analog, the other digital. Both cable sets are exclusively
fitted with (balanced) XLR connectors, leaving no room for consumer
quality connections. Only two channels are digital record and
playback capable and the system can automatically sense if the
input signal on the first two tracks is digital or analog.
Also included
on the digital cable set are longitudinal time code (LTC) in and
out, MIDI in and out, and an external clock input (BNC). The card
is capable of providing SMPTE time code burn-in by using the video
loop through and assigning the software controlled SMPTE read/write
module to play through the monitor loop.
Installation
Installation
of the AV Pro, is assisted by a complete documentation and the
manufacturer has even gone the extra mile of labeling each of
the external cables with permanent, plastic labels on each wire.
Eventually, the back side of any NLE becomes a huge jumble of
unidentified wires and this simple contribution to sanity is well
appreciated both on the install and later whenever the operator
is faced with a repatch.
In addition
to installing the PCI card and external cables, an additional
pair of jacks, for video pass-through must be mounted on the back
of the computer and connected to the board. Following hardware
installation, the software setup is easy and straightforward both
on the Digital Alpha computers and on Intel systems.
In overcrowded
systems, users will appreciate the physical design of the AV Pro's
printed circuit board, which features a cut-out that allows it
to hang, with sufficient clearance, over your computer's CPU or
SIMM chips.
Operation
The software
for the AV Pro is divided into two parts; a "Demo" module
and a mixer module. The Demo module is the acquisition and configuration
portion of the software and would be better named as such. "Demo"
suggests a tutorial function and those purchasers who prefer to
launch right into a product without reading documentation, may
mistake the demo module for something less than it is.
In the Demo,
the operator may set the characteristics of the sample to be acquired
or read the characteristics of a previously recorded sample. Characteristics
include sample rate (six default rates up to 48,000 and "other"),
compression (PCM-8, PCM-16 or Custom), stereo/mono, and pitch.
A wave device selection panel is also featured for use when more
than one sound card is installed, and there is a numeric line
level meter. Here, the operator may also select "Digital
In" as a capturing option, if direct digital equipment is
feeding signal to the AV Pro. At the bottom of the Demo panel
is a set of buttons that replicate a tape machine's motion controls,
although Rewind and Fast Forward are not featured, a significant
drawback.
We appreciated
the pitch control, a playback-only function, which allows the
playback to be adjusted between a wide range depending on the
sample rate (-86% to +13% in 44.1 kHz). This feature is not found
on any other sound cards we've tested.
The Mixer
module is adequate though not abundantly featured. In addition
to the four, stereo record/play level controls, there is a Trim
control that allows for the clipping level of the analog input
to be adjusted between +12 dBu or +24 dBu. Where the Mixer module
shines is in its ability to configure the line controls, from
software, for a very wide assortment of inputs. This is done with
a pull down Mixer Adapter menu.
The Mixer
Adapter features selection windows for Source (DSP Clock, Internal,
External HSync and Digital), allowing the card to sync to external
sources by way of the widest range of configurations we've ever
seen. These include, DSP for the Perception card, multiple DPS
cards with and without the PFx optional accelerator, external
sources connected to the BNC connector, HSync for VTRs and non-standard
video cards, AES/EBU or S/PDIF digital sources, and even word
clock frequencies of 32, 44.1 and 48 kHz.
The Mixer
Adapter also controls the SMPTE read, write and code burn-in features
of the card with numeric readouts for in and out points, and concurrent
MIDI conversion of SMPTE code. The Adapter also allows switching
between consumer (S/PDIF) vs. professional (AES/EBU) digital pin
configurations of the I/O cables (thus eliminating the need for
extra patch work).
Clicking the
Timecode Options button brings up a detailed control screen dedicated
to the SMPTE features of the AV Pro card, which include source
(input) and destination (output) type (LTC, VITC and MIDI), Frame
Rate (29.97, 30, 30 Drop, 25 and 24), jam sync options, and LTC
Edge Rate (SMPTE or EBU). Two lines of VITC may be read, enabling
the reading of encoded VITC data. As one would expect, configuring
the source configuration different from the destination configuration
will result in a conversion of source type on the fly.
Simultaneous
record-play (SRP) mode is possible on the AV Pro, allowing any
of the eight tracks on each card to be selected for playback or
mixdown record. If the operator opts for installing multiple AV
Pro sound cards, the software for the Mixer can adapt to provide
control of all the available channels.
NLE Operation
Although the
Antex StudioCard AV Pro will operate quite well as a standalone
audio system, most users will purchase it to augment an NLE or
sound studio configuration. The AV Pro comes complete with WindowsNT
drivers for Intel and Alpha machines ensuring compatibility with
in-synch Speed Razor, D-Vision Online, DPS Video Action NT and
Saw Plus. We tested the system with DPS's VideoAction NT with
excellent results, smooth scrubbing and high system stability.
Technical
Support
The AV Pro's
manual, over 200 pages long, is well illustrated with both drawings
(for installation placement of parts) and screengrabs of the operating
system. Installation of the hardware, configuration of the software
and operation of the card with and without NLE integration, was
easy and required no assistance from technical support.
A unique touch
to the documentation was a detailed collection of schematic drawings
of XLR, MIDI and consumer-grade plug wirings. We always find it
hard to remember which of the three XLR pins is which, whenever
we have to solder new lines into our patch bay (as Antex anticipated
you'd be doing after installing their card), and having the diagrams
right at hand was most appreciated!
Telephone
numbers for technical support, including an 800 toll-free number
are published prominently on the documentation's cover along with
email and website addresses. Technical support calls were answered
in the middle of a busy day with a voicemail by a named technician
who returned the call in an hour or less. Tech questions are answered
quicker if the request if faxed into the company.
When tech
support is reached, the technician well-briefed and polite, referring
tough video-specific questions quickly to an escalation manager
who knew his product and the wide range of NLE's.
Tech support
is located in the Pacific Time Zone and operates 8AM to 5PM, Monday
through Friday. Although we found technical support excellent,
professional online editors often require 24 hour technical support
and this would be a welcome plus, even if available on a premium
toll-line or emergency call-back policy.
Summary
The eight
channel Antex StudioCard AV Pro offers superior audio record and
playback quality for systems using a wide range of video capture-playback
cards including Truevision, DPS and Matrox, for those requiring
professional results and synchronization.
Although the
card and software do not offer batch capturing, sophisticated
signal processing or remote VCR control, it does support the widest
range of configurations available on the market, with the capability
of executing sophisticated conversions between various NLE signal
paths, such as SMPTE - VITC and compression type conversions.
For users
requiring a wide range of video card and source-record configurations,
the Antex StudioCard AV Pro is a wise choice.
Quality of
Product: 10
Ease of Installation: 10
Useful Tools: 6
Stability: 10
Technical Support: 8
Bang-for-Buck 9
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