A DAD AX32 AD/DA converter, multichannel preamp, monitor controller and audio router by NTP Technology now plays a central role in the studio design, as mixing ‘in the box’, staying within in the digital domain, allows Craig Bauer to create a studio setup where he can control everything hands-on from his Avid S6, and via the Eucon control protocol the AX32 and S6 integration happens seamlessly as Craig Bauer explains...
I conducted an extensive shootout of various converters and the AX32 became the clear winner. And not only in terms of the ‘sound’ of the conversion, but also the amount of flexibility the AX32 offered for my Pro Tools rig. I have fitted my AX32 with AD cards, each holding 8 microphone preamps, and being able to control every parameter of the mic pres directly from the S6 surface is perfection.
Another major factor for Craig in integrating the AX32 was the monitor control facilities...
The AX32 Pro | Mon monitor controller license offers a lot of flexibility. In fact, it was a driving factor in adding the AX32 to my setup. Integrating the AX32 and having complete control of my monitors, cue and talkback directly from the surface is indispensable. But more importantly, it eliminates one of the weakest links in any modern studio... outboard analog monitor control. With the monitor level now being handled in the digital domain with the AX32, all of the inherent issues of an analog pot simply go away.
Finally, adding the Dante AoIP option has made a huge difference to the Hinge Studios setup. In short, Audio over IP allows compatible devices to communicate, send and receive audio streams seamlessly over an audio network. And in Craig’s case this represented a very concrete opportunity that has optimised his mixing workflow and saves him production time...
I recently added the Dante card to my AX32. I only wish I had done it sooner. I use the Dante functionality of the AX32 to feed digital audio to my Hear Technologies Hear Back Pro Cue mixer. The flexibility in Dante combined with the DAD software is very powerful. Further, the Dante card also solved a long-standing annoyance as well. I can now route audio directly from my Mac into my control room monitors without having to quit or change anything in other audio applications while mixing. Subsequently, I can reference a track from a streaming site, iTunes, or browser simply by selecting a different monitor path from my S6. That's not just a small thing in terms of my daily workflow, that’s huge!
Apart from being a powerful audio-routing device, the AX32 also handles the critical processes of converting between the analog and digital domains, which can have a significant impact on the audio. The same goes for when using the built-in mic preamps on the AD card...
I find the preamps on the AD card very transparent, providing a great deal of gain with incredibly low self-noise. And if you ask whether there is an audible difference in the audio quality of the AD/DA convertors… Simply put, if they weren't better sounding than the alternatives, then I would not be using them. That decision was easy.
Even though Craig does tend to do more and more ‘mixing within the box’, he sometimes like to route a signal to a couple of external outboard units:
I do both in-the-box and hybrid mixing. More and more I find myself staying completely within the box. The few analog boxes I do still like to use when doing hybrid mixing all center around what happens on my 2 bus chain. I'm a huge fan of Vertigo Sound boxes including the VSM-2, VSC-2, and the new VSE-2 eq.