![]() ![]() ![]() Finally, there is a quarter-inch headphone socket with mute and dim buttons, the latter providing 18dB of attenuation. More LEDs indicate whether the AES or S/PDIF input ports are feeding the stereo digital input, and whether the unit is locked to the incoming digital audio signal. If lock is lost the Mobile I/O will revert to its internal clock. ![]() There are four 'status' LEDs: Power to indicate that the unit is receiving power, whether it be from the DC input or the FireWire buss Phantom Power to indicate that at least one of the preamps has phantom power enabled FireWire to indicate that the unit is successfully connected to a FireWire buss and Locked to indicate that the unit is properly locked to the selected clock source. The front panel offers 10-segment metering for the eight analogue inputs and outputs, to the right of which are four groups of LEDs, showing the sample rate of the currently selected clock source and whether the unit is clocking from the internal clock, word clock, digital in (AES or S/PDIF) or ADAT optical (256x word clock). ![]() The Mobile I/O offers 18 channels of I/O, comprising eight analogue, eight ADAT optical digital and stereo electrical digital connectors. Finally, there are two 400Mbps FireWire ports and a DC power socket. As usual for this kind of device, only one input pair of 'copper-based' digital audio channels is supported at any one time, although both digital output paths are active simultaneously, allowing the same stereo signal to be sent to two devices at once. Next come the S/PDIF input and output on RCA connectors, followed by the AES-EBU input and output on XLR connectors. To the right of the analogue outputs are the ADAT lightpipe (or optical if you prefer) input and output, below which are BNC connectors for word clock input and output. Plug-ins not yet available for +DSP version.Ī great-sounding, well thought-out piece of gear which takes the concept of the computer audio interface to another level.Hardware equally at home in the studio or on the road, not requiring a mains supply.Built-in mixing, routing and remote control.It is therefore advisable to work at 24-bit whenever possible. Although the I/O supports all four common sample rates (44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96 kHz) it only records at 24-bit, meaning that when you record into an existing 16-bit session the data will be truncated to 16-bit depth by the host software. Analogue outputs are on eight balanced TRS sockets with 24-bit/96kHz D-A converters. There are four balanced XLR inputs and four balanced TRS inputs, all with 24-bit/96kHz A-D converters. On the rear panel the physical access to these channels is laid out as follows. The Mobile I/O offers 18 channels of input and output: eight analogue, eight via ADAT lightpipe and two 'copper-based' digital (either AES-EBU or S/PDIF). At 1U high it can also be rackmounted if required, and rack ears are supplied. It can be powered by the FireWire buss if required and at 347mm wide, it is only 8mm wider than the Apple Powerbook with which it is ideally partnered (users of Windows laptops will have to wait until the New Year for appropriate software). Photo: Mark EwingMetric Halo's long-awaited Mobile I/O is now available, and looks set to provide an interesting alternative. FireWire should be an ideal audio connection protocol for laptops, since it doesn't require a PCI card: however, any mobility that you might gain with the MOTU products is hindered by their need for mains connection, and their standard 19-inch rack width which does not slot easily into a briefcase! The variety of FireWire audio interfaces currently on the market is very limited compared to their PCI counterparts, and MOTU have dominated the field with their 828 and 896 (reviewed SOS July 2001 and July 2002 respectively), both of which are highly popular with users. Now, however, Metric Halo's Mobile I/O looks likely to threaten their dominance, offering true portability and built-in DSP mixing. Despite the obvious advantages of FireWire as an audio interface protocol, MOTU have had the market to themselves. ![]()
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