Playback in mio console12/27/2023 Phantom power can be applied independently at either analogue input, and there's a flexible gain stage: a 12-position stepped main gain control on the front panel is joined by a passive trim pot that can be switched into circuit independently the trim controls can be linked in order to change the settings for both channels simultaneously, for stereo use.ĭigital interfacing is similar to that of the 2882, though lacking the multi-channel ADAT interface: your choice is a professional bi-directional AES connection on XLRs, or co-axial S/PDIF I/O on a pair of phono jacks. The unit can operate at 44.1, 48 or 88.2 kHz, but the bit rate is fixed, so your application will need some way to dither down if you work with 16-bit audio in your sessions. The input electronics have been designed to be 'ultra low noise' (as in ULN), and feed 24-bit, 96kHz A-D converters. This isn't addressable by software in any way (shame), but is nevertheless a refreshing addition: no matter how good software signal processing becomes, there will still be those of us who have favourite hardware that we'd like to use early on in the audio acquisition process. Amazingly, each also offers a send/return insert point. Making the choice switches in different circuitry for the mic amp or the DI amp. Starting with the analogue inputs, we find a pair of Neutrik combi jacks which can accommodate balanced/unbalanced jacks or XLR connections, the choice of input made by a front-panel switch. If location recording is your thing, knowing you won't have to worry about mains problems will be a bonus point. This flexibility of powering makes ULN2 an ideal compact companion to an Apple computer in any static or mobile situation (currently, there are no Windows drivers). It can draw power from the Firewire connection to your computer, a supplied international 9V power supply, or optional broadcast battery pack (a special four-pin connector can be found on the rear panel). First of all, this is a Mobile I/O product, with the emphasis on mobile. Photo: Mike Cameronīut if it lacks in audio channels, the ULN2 makes up for this in facilities and quality of hardware. The ULN2's digital I/O is available in both professional AES-EBU and domestic S/PDIF formats, and there's also word clock I/O. Neither unit offers MIDI interfacing, which seems de rigeur on USB audio interfaces. That's a fraction of the 2882's 18 ins and outs, and is unlikely to overtax the Firewire connection. The interface offers six audio inputs, only four of which can be used simultaneously, and in addition to the resulting four audio channels that can be routed to your audio application, up to six audio streams can be routed back to the hardware. Getting Physicalīoth basic and +DSP units have the same physical controls and interfacing. As a taster, a handful of pretty useful plug-ins are included as part of the package, with the potential for other developers to repurpose their plug-ins to run on this DSP. This +DSP model is noticeably more expensive, but is equipped with a significant chunk of configurable processing power that takes a big load off your computer. And what's more, since SOS 's original review of the Mobile I/O, both the MIO 2882 and the ULN2 have become available in '+DSP' versions equipped with an Analog Devices SHARC 21065 chip, 2MB of flash memory and 8MB of SDRAM, and it's this version of the ULN2 that's under review here. Internally, for instance, the ULN2 is equipped with a powerful, user-configurable digital mixer that offers very low-latency monitoring. It may not be awash with inputs and outputs, but it does make up for this lack in other ways. This is especially the case with their ULN2 - a limited-input partner to the original, equally compact, MIO 2882. Metric Halo's products sit somewhere in the middle of the market price-wise, offering good value rather than rock-bottom retail. Different manufacturers may have differing ideas about how to engineer a Firewire audio interface, but there is now a range of audio devices using this high-bandwidth standard, from affordable to rather expensive. It's about 18 months later as I write, and though the market has grown, it hasn't done so explosively. At the time of SOS's review in November 2002, the only other manufacturer to have entered the fray were Mark Of The Unicorn, against whose popular 828 and 896 interfaces the Mobile I/O was pitched. When it was released, Metric Halo's MIO 1882 Mobile I/O Firewire-equipped audio interface was in the vanguard of such devices. The latest addition to Metric Halo's Mobile I/O range is, like the existing MIO 2882, now available with a powerful DSP option for running audio processing plug-ins.
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