Know-how

Known for its big CANTUS and NEXUS systems that are often used in largescale networks, STAGETEC has now developed the small Reference Mastering A/D. Here Jakob Händel, one of the system’s first users, explains, how this compact converter is big on features

There is no device I think about less during a project than the Reference Mastering A/D. Once it is set up on stage, all signals are transmitted directly in the MADI format to my Pyramix hard disk recorder via a single BNC cable. It is safe to say that presetting the microphone input levels on stage – the only thing I still have to do manually – has become a routine job after some 150 studio and live recordings over four years.

Also for Fly-Ins

I used to work with a device looking similar to a NEXUS, that is to say, one without a user interface at the front, only controlled by a laptop computer. Since updating the system with the Reference Mastering panel, I have also used the device for other applications. One of them is transferring audio material on analog tape to my hard disk system. For such jobs, the operation panel and accurate level meters are particularly helpful, while the combined XLR/phone sockets have proved real trouble-shooters during quite a few studio sessions.

Customized Versions

The aforesaid configuration with MADI card is, in fact, a custom solution for expanding the NEXUS. I now have two output formats that I can use in parallel: MADI and AES/EBU, or to be more specific, S/PDIF, which we chose for reasons of space in our already full device. By returning the audio from the editor via MADI, we can distribute the AES outputs ad lib across the studio, thus using the Reference Mastering A/D as an active splitter.

Compatible Worldwide

I can no longer imagine working without this device. Since 1997, it has consistently proved its value for about 30 big projects abroad. One of many examples is a production for counter-tenor and organ in the Tokyo area. A Reference Mastering A/D and a Genex MOD recorder, in two flightcases, weighing only 26 kg, plus a backpack with aluminium stands, were all it took to work with eight channels in 24 bits back in 1998. And there was no charge for excess luggage at the airport. By the way, the combination of these two devices has proved reliable even under the most diverse power supply conditions and for a variety of applications.

Extremely Low-Noise

In particular, the Japanese counter-tenor production revealed the A/D converter’s exceptional accuracy. In pianissimo passages, extremely low-level background noises from outside the wooden church become audible. There was distinct hint of chirping birds in the recording; such noises are normally drowned out by the noise floor. The CD, titled Laudate Domino, was released on the Berlin-based Carpe Diem label. With its Reference Mastering A/D, STAGETEC has defined a new standard for mobile use of multichannel converters. Thanks to its amazing sound quality and awesome dynamic range, one feels the need for even better microphones with a lower noise, because right now, the converter beats many a microphone!

The Reference Mastering A/D

The Reference Mastering A/D is a high-quality, 28- bit analog-to-digital converter. Based on the patented STAGETEC True-Match principle, it provides high-fidelity quantization. Thanks to its 28-bit resolution, this converter is capable of covering a dynamic range of 150 dB, which allows the user to directly connect virtually any signal source – from high-level line signals to straight microphone signals, with the additional advantage that analog microphone preamplifiers are no longer necessary, so further lowering the noise floor.

The Reference Mastering A/D’s optical appearance is reminiscent of a NEXUS device: designed as a rack frame with 9 slots, it accepts various boards, such as A/D inputs, AES/EBU, Y2, ADAT, S/P DIF, and TDIF interfaces. Unlike the NEXUS, however, it cannot be expanded via a second rack module.

The Reference Mastering A/D provides part of the NEXUS’s functionality, albeit on an altogether different level. With a simple control program that runs on any PC, the inputs can be freely assigned to the desired outputs. After inserting several digital interface boards, this device can be used as a no-frills format converter-cum-router.

The Reference Mastering A/D comes with additional features, such as digital post-amplification, a high-pass filter, phantom power and phase inversion. In a way, the Reference Mastering A/D could be considered the entry-level device for recording studios. In fact, only one restriction applies to working with the A/D: it does not accept an optical card for connection to a CANTUS or NEXUS device. Unlike on a NEXUS, the input and output addresses required for managing such optical links are already used by the function that drives the LED level meters.