28 Bits in your Bag

Known for its big Cantus and Nexus systems that are often used in largescale networks, Stage Tec has now developed the small TrueMatch RMC. 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 TrueMatch RMC. 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 TrueMatch RMC 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/EBU outputs ad lib across the studio, thus using the TrueMatch RMC 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 TrueMatch RMC 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 TrueMatch RMC, Stage Tec 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!