The Mark Of The Unicorn 2408mk3 contains everything you need to turn your computer into a powerful 24-bit/96kHz digital audio workstation. It provides eight channels of pristine 96kHz analog recording/playback combined with 24 channels of ADAT and Tascam digital I/O -- the most ever offered in a single rack space audio interface. Connect up to four interfaces to the included PCI-424 card for an expanded system capable of 96 simultaneous active input and output connections at 96kHz. The 2408mk3 is ideal for both the computer-based studio with no mixing board and more elaborate studios built around a digital mixer of any size.
For the computer-based studio, the included PCI-424 card features CueMix DSP, a flexible DSP-driven mixing and monitoring matrix that eliminates the need for an external mixer or patch-bay. Connect all of your studio gear, including synths, keyboards and even effects processors. Then control it all from your desktop with no audible monitoring latency and no processor drain on your computer. With 24 channels of digital I/O, the 2408 is ideal for connecting your computer to a digital mixer. Both ADAT lightpipe and Tascam TDIF digital connections are supported at any sample rate up to 96kHz.
And here's another 2408mk3 first: built-in video and SMPTE synchronization. Slave your entire workstation directly to video or SMPTE time code with sub-frame accuracy--without a dedicated synchronizer. The 2408mk3 provides cross-platform compatibility with Macintosh, Windows 98SE/Me/2K/XP and all of your favorite audio software and host-based effects via WDM/ASIO/Sound Manager drivers. Or you can use the included AudioDesk workstation software for Macintosh, with 24-bit recording/editing and 32-bit mixing/processing/mastering.
The 2408mk3 upgrades the award-winning 2408 with many significant improvements including 96kHz support, SMPTE synchronization, support for four interfaces and a 96-channel DSP-driven monitor mixer. The 1U rack-mountable 2408mk3 provides seven banks of I/O: one bank of 24-bit, 96kHz analog on balanced TRS connectors, three banks of 96kHz ADAT optical, three banks of 96kHz Tascam TDIF, plus stereo S/PDIF. You can choose any three banks (up to 24 channels) to be active at one time. This means you can hook up three ADATs, three DA-88s, and eight analog devices all at the same time and access any three banks - in any combination of formats. And you can freely switch formats at any time.
In addition to the eight dedicated analog outputs, the 2408mk3 also features a stereo output with front panel volume control so you can plug powered monitors directly into the 2408mk3. The PCI-424 card included with 2408mk3 core systems is fully compatible with legacy MOTU interfaces originally designed for the PCI-324 card. Connect any MOTU PCI interface, including the 2408, 2408mkII, 1296, 1224, 24i and 308. Mix and match new and legacy interfaces as you please. The PCI-424 card features Cuemix DSP, a powerful processor dedicated to creating a custom tailored monitor mix of up to 96 channels of 96kHz audio. Because the mixing takes place on the card itself, instead of making the round trip from the PCI bus to the host processor, the 2408mk3 system provides the same near-zero latency performance as today's latest digital mixers. CueMix DSP completely eliminates the buffer latency associated with monitoring on host-based systems. Because the DSP is mixing for you, your computer's CPU is free for other tasks. Cuemix DSP is the most flexible Cuemix ever, allowing you to mix multiple channels into multiple mix busses or directly assigned outputs. Manage your monitor mix with the enhanced Cuemix Console software included with the 2408mk3. The Cuemix console now provides independent level and pan controls for each input on every mix. Also, CueMix DSP does not limit you to four stereo mixes. You can configurea unique mix for every physical stereo output you have available. This means you can have up to 48 separate stereo mixes on a 96 output system.
Because the mixing takes place on the PCI-424 card, any MOTU Audiowire interface, including the original 2408, can take advantage of Cuemix's flexible monitoring. A core 2408mk3 system provides 24 inputs and outputs, but it also offers the most expansion ever offered in a single PCI card. Up to four interfaces can be connected to the PCI-424 for up to 96 channels of simultaneous input and output at sample rates up to 96kHz. Think about the possibilities: you could connect 12 ADATs and 12 DA-88s to your computer, along with 32 channels of analog I/O, and simultaneously record and play as many tracks of audio as your computer allows. If you have a digital mixer, the 2408mk3 provides up to 96 channels of digital I/O at 44.1 or 48kHz and 48 channels at 88.2 or 96kHz.
The 2408mk3 also operates as a stand-alone audio format converter. You can convert audio from any one of its formats to any other, in banks of eight channels. For example, if you connect three Alesis recorders and three Tascam recorders, you can digitally transfer 24 channels from one format to the other in one pass. If you expand your 2408mk3 system to four 2408mk3 I/O rack units, you can simultaneously connect 96 channels of ADAT optical, 96 channels of Tascam TDIF and then transfer 96 channels of material in a single pass! The 2408mk3 makes the distinction between the two digital I/O formats more transparent than ever; you can freely work with either format. Your digital mixer is an ideal companion for the 2408mk3 with its ability to integrate 24 channels of digital I/O with a single unit.
For example, the Yamaha DM2000 provides an automated moving fader interface, additional realtime digital audio effects, mic preamps and DSP power. Connect the DM2000 to your 2408mk3 and now you have 24 channels of pristine digital I/O between the mixer and your computer. If you need more channels, you can add additional 2408mk3 interfaces to support digital transfers as large as 96 channels at 48kHz or 48 channels at 96kHz. The 2408mk3 is the perfect bridge between your digital mixer and your computer audio workstation, and it supports both the ADAT optical lightpipe format and Tascam's TDIF format.
The 2408mk3 provides S/PDIF digital I/O so that you can exchange digital audio with a wide variety of other devices via this industry standard format. But the 2408mk3 takes S/PDIF one step further than most other systems by providing an extra S/PDIF stereo output of the main mix. You can use this extra stereo digital output for whatever you want. For example, you can leave it connected to a DAT machine so that at any time you can record a stereo mix of the project you are working on - without having to swap cables with another S/PDIF device that may be connected.
The 2408mk3 is the first audio interface to provide onboard video and SMPTE time code synchronization features. These features allow you to slave your 2408mk3 system to video, SMPTE time code or both - without a dedicated synchronizer. The PCI-424 card provides a DSP-driven phase-lock engine with sophisticated filtering that provides fast lockup times and sub-frame accuracy.
The 2408mk3 interface provides a dedicated RCA timecode input and output, but with the PCI-424 onboard DSP any analog input can be a SMPTE input and time code can be sent to any output - analog or digital. The included software also provides a complete set of tools to generate SMPTE for striping, regenerating or slaving to other devices to your computer. Resolve your 2408mk3 system to NTSC video, PAL/SECAM or blackburst. Like Cuemix DSP, the synchronization features are cross-platform and compatible with your favorite audio sequencer software. With the 2408mk3, you have everything you need to sync to SMPTE and video.
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