DPS24 Digital Audio Workstation Released
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(Click for a close-up) |
October 10, 2002
At AES, Akai announce that the first Akai Professional DPS24 Digital Audio Workstations are shipping, and are on authorized Akai dealers' shelves now.
The DPS24 eliminates the need for complex multi-product interfacing by combining a professional 24-track digital recorder with a ful featured digital mixer. Offering a host of editing, mastering, mixing automation, and recording tools, the DPS24 can be used in project studios, DVD creation, radio broadcast production, and pro audio applications.
Providing true 24 bit/96kHz, uncompressed digital recording, the DPS24 offers 20 tracks of simultaneous recording and 24 channels of simultaneous playback, and supports 24-track recording in a special transfer mode designed to make digital transfers from other sources in a single pass. The DPS24 also features 56-bit internal processing to ensure that nothing is lost during processing, and a 56-bit, 4-bus multi-effects processor provides a wide range of studio-quality effects.
The DPS24 offers 100mm, Q-Touch touch sensitive moving faders --- technology previously only available on expensive digital mixers. Using motorized faders, the DPS24 supports full dynamic automation of level and pan, channel on/off, FX/AUX sends, FX select, and UNDO/REDO. And Q-Touch technology makes recording and editing mix automation data as easy as touching and moving a fader.
The DPS24 features a 46-channel digital mixer consisting of 12 input channels, 24 disk tracks, and 4 stereo effects returns. Each channel features level, pan, 3-band EQ (hi/low shelving, sweepable mid w/variable Q), dedicated dynamics processing, in-place solo, L/R routing, Group 1 -- 8 routing, 4 x pre/post FX sends to the internal FX, and 4 pre/post FX sends to external FX and/or Studio outs for talkback monitoring.
Featuring non-destructive Copy, Cut, Erase, Insert, Paste, and Move functions, the DPS24 uses an edit "clipboard" in much the same way as computer-based applications, allowing audio regions to be copied within the same project, or between different projects. Additionally, up to two tracks can be viewed in the waveform screen at once, making it easier to edit stereo tracks. And to assist in locating accurate edit points, the DPS24 uses a high-resolution Jog/Shuttle wheel that allows audio to sound like it's supposed to.
In addition to the editing capabilities, the DPS24 features Akai's best DSP technology, including phase coherent Timestretch, BPM matching, Normalize, and Reverse functions. And all editing and DPS functions allow the user to decide if the mix automation data should be processed as well, reducing the need to make changes to the automation data.
Interfacing with the DPS24 is done via an extensive array of inputs and outputs. The DPS24 features 28 analog inputs arranged in 2 banks of 12 inputs, plus 2 x RCA tape inputs and 2 x AUX inputs for bringing in sub-mixers, or just about anything else. Each input channel has an XLR-1/4" balanced combo jack (Inputs A) and a separate line level input (Inputs B) that can be selected with a push button switch located at the top of each channel strip. This virtually eliminates the need for continual re-patching by allowing you to have many devices connected, while allowing you to easily select the source for that input channel.
The DPS24 comes equipped with a large capacity 60GB internal IDE drive, and using the optional SCSI interface (IB24SCSI) can link up to seven additional external SCSI drives providing the flexibility of recording cuts of any length, limited only by the size of the selected storage medium. A CD burner is built in, allowing users to produce CDs and cost-effective project archiving.
The DPS24 also provides up to 256 virtual tracks, all freely assignable and limited only by disk capacity. During mixdown, any virtual track can be assigned to any of the 24 physical tracks for playback. This allows the freedom of comparing multiple takes, experimenting with alternate arrangements, or combining parts of different virtual tracks on a single track -- without erasing or recording over previously recorded material.
With all of the power and flexibility of the DPS24, Akai's Q-Link Navigation System interface, with the large 6-inch diagonal (320 x 240) graphic LCD display, keeps it all intuitive and easy to use. Q-Link navigation was pioneered on Akai's DPS16, and is designed for quick, direct access to all major functions, including easy access to EQ, Aux send levels, and effects parameters, without the need to wade through complex menu layers.
Enhancing the Q-link Navigation System for the DPS24 is a row of assignable encoders that are normally used as dedicated pan controllers. However these same encoders can be quickly assigned to make adjustments to FX/AUX Send levels, or adapted to become a full Q-Channel channel strip providing access to all parameters of an individual channel.
Further enhancements to the DPS24's user interface include the ak.Sys Track View utility designed to allowing real-time track displays to be viewed on any Mac or PC computer with a USB connection.
For more information, visit their web site at www.akaipro.com. |
