This is a partial list of the sound cards that work in Macintosh computers.
This list covers both Nubus and PCI products. Nubus products are becoming harder
to find, but you can by them used if you can't find a dealer that sells them.
If you don't see a product that you heard about and would like me to list
it, please send me email at mxmora@best.com.
Lucid Technology (division of Symetrix) offers the NB24 card,
which is a $300 digital I/O NuBus board for the Mac.
You can now make perfect digital audio transfers into and out of
most any NuBus equipped Apple Macintosh. The NB24 is a low cost
plug-in card for making direct digital connections from Macintosh to
DATs, outboard A/D and D/A converters, samplers, or any other digital
audio devices with industry standard S/PDIF (IEC 958) ports. With the
added bonus of a 24-bit digital signal processing chip on board, the
NB24 brings DSP functionality to NuBus Macs at an unbelievably low
price.
Features + Specifications
- Stereo direct-to-disk digital recording and playback
- 16-bit, 44.1 and 48 kHz sample rates
- Stereo analog input and output (RCA-type connectors)
- Stereo S/PDIF digital input and output (RCA-type connectors)
- Waveform editing at single sample resolution
- Non destructive playlist editing
- Digital signal processing (DSP), including newly improved
stereo time compression and expansion, pitch shifting, sample rate
conversion, real-time dynamics processing, and multi-band graphic
and parametric EQs
- Continuous SMPTE resynchronization
- System includes the Audiomedia II sound card, Sound Designer
II software, and three RCA cables
- Compatible with Pro Tools™ Software and Session®
Software for multi-track audio recording, editing and mixing
System Requirements
- A NuBus-equipped Macintosh II (030 CPU), Centris or Quadra
series, or NuBus PowerPC-based computer (including Macintoshes and
Mac clones), running System 7.1, or higher, in 32-bit mode
- 8 Megabytes of RAM minimum
- External SCSI hard disk requirements: With Sound Designer II:
18ms access time for stereo recording. With digital audio
sequencers: 18ms access time for multi-track recording.
- Recording length is limited only by hard disk size (10
megabytes per minute of stereo recording at 44.1 kHz sample rate)
Audiomedia
III
Key Features
- Two Analog Inputs: (-10dBV, unbalanced RCA connections)
- Two Analog Outputs: (-10dBV, unbalanced RCA connections)
- Stereo Digital Input and Output: (S/PDIF, RCA connections,
24-bit output1)
- Analog-to-Digital Converter: 1-bit Delta-Sigma; 128x
Oversampling; 18-bit output1
- Digital-to Analog Converter: 18-bit output**
- THD: 0.08% @ 1 kHz
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 88 dB, 22 Hz - 22 kHz band-limited,
input-to-output
- Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz
- Slot requirements: 7" PCI card, slot independent
- Recommended clock speed of computer: 75 MHz or greater
Sonorus STUDI/O
Key Features
- Two 8-channel, 24-bit Alesis ADAT optical interfaces
- High-resolution, 18-bit, 1/4" stereo analog monitor/headphone output
- Full Windows audio drivers for PC and Cubase VST (PC & Mac) so it works with your existing software.
- Each interface is configurable to ADAT or SPDIF (2 channel) optical, with real time stereo sample rate conversion.
Korg Sound Link 1212
Korg USA Inc. of Melville, N.Y., demonstrated the SoundLink DRS
1212 I/O
Multi-Channel Audio Interface, a $1,250 PCI card for digital audio
I/O.
The card will include 12 inputs and outputs: one each for stereo
analog and S/PDIF digital, and eight for optical. The optical interfaces
will work with multitrack ADAT recorders. All the inputs and outputs
will work simultaneously, Korg said, allowing concurrent recording and
playback.
The SoundLink card will use an ADSP-2101 digital signal processor
(DSP) chip from Analog Devices Inc. of Norwood, Mass., for signal
routing. Audio processing, however, will be handled by the Mac's own
PowerPC chip.
The card will be bundled with San Francisco-based Macromedia
Inc.'s Deck II Version 2.5.3 multitrack recording software, which is optimized
for Korg's multichannel API. Other popular music packages will work
with the card in standard stereo mode, Korg said. However, users who want
multichannel capabilities will have to wait for optimized versions
of the packages, which Korg said are in development.
Lucid PCI24
Key features of the PCI24
- AES/EBU and S/PDIF digital I/O
- 48kHz, 44.1kHz, and 32kHz sample rates, with real-time sample rate conversion.
- Use with Lucid ADA1000 or any outboard A/D-D/A converter including DAT
machines
- Used precision clock oscillators for low jitter.
- On board 24-bit DSP.
- Works with PCI bus Power Mac computers.
Lexicon Studio
Key Features
- The Core-32 System Card, a full-size PCI card for both PC and Macintosh
computers is capable of supporting 32 audio streams simultaneously.
The Core-32 can also be used as a time code master or
slave, or a clock master or slave and has an on-board variable rate
oscillator, for lock to time code from external sources.
- The PC-90 Digital Reverb daughterboard clips on conveniently to the
Core-32 System Card, providing 2 discrete stereo reverbs. The PC-90 uses
the exact DSP architecture from our award-winning PCM 90.
The LDI-12T interfaces with Lexicon Studio, providing up to 12 channels
of simultaneous I/O supporting analog (+4 XLR and -10 RCA), s/pdif, and
ADAT. The LDI-12T also provides a balanced XLR longitudinal time code
input.
- Lexicon Studio directly supports Steinberg Cubase VST, and also will
interface with any application that supports the Multimedia I/O driver
standard for the PC. Companies added to the Lexicon partnership program
will be announced as information is made available.
MOTU 2408 Audio
Ensoniq Paris
Key Features
PARIS is a totally integrated digital audio recording system. It includes all the cutting
edge components you need to record, edit and mix digital audio at a professional level.
It is a fully cross platform product which means that you can run the same PARIS system on a
PowerPC Macintosh or Windows 95 PC. Right out of the box, PARIS gives you the most complete
integrated digital audio solution on the market today...for a whole lot less. It is a complete
recording studio, with...
- Integrated Control - Every PARIS system includes a 16 channel dedicated control surface that interacts seamlessly with the PARIS software.
- 24-Bit Precision - 24-bit inputs*, outputs*, file path and effects processor.
- 128 Track Playback - With PARIS version 1.5 you can go beyond the 16 track barrier, using the intelligent submixing technique.
- World Class Effects - Each PARIS system includes 12 real-time, 24-bit effects, including reverb, delay, chorus, compressor, expander and more.
- 64 Bands of Parametric EQ - Plus, an additional 448 virtual EQs, with intelligent submixing.
- I/O Expandability - The new MEC (Modular Expansion Chassis) includes 9 available slots, making it easy to increase the input/output capacity of your system.
- New MEC modules: 24-bit 8 input and 24-bit 8 output modules are shipping now. ADAT, SMPTE, and many more are scheduled for release in the near future.
*with optional MEC Modules
ADAT-PCR
Key Features
- Digital Audio Input:
Combination 8-channel ADAT MultiChannel Optical
Digital Interface and 2-channel S/PDIF port
- Digital Audio Output:
Combination 8-channel ADAT MultiChannel Optical
Digital Interface and 2-channel S/PDIF port
- Synchronization Input:
ADAT Synchronization Interface; 9-pin connector
- Synchronization Output:
ADAT Synchronization Interface; 9-pin connector
- Data Transfer:
8-channel synchronous at 16-, 20- or 24-bit
- Software Drivers:
Win95, Win NT, Macintosh
- Included Accessories:
Recording/editing/sequencing software,
ADAT optical cable
Creamw@re Pulsar
Key Features
- A world of DSP modules.
- fully featured 32 channel digital mixer
- EQs, Dynamics, Delays and more
- sensational synthesizer devices
- high performance sample player
- powerful Third Party platform
- Ultra powerful DSP Engine.
- PCI board for PC and MAC
- 4 x 60MHz Analog Devices SHARC
- zero latency multi processing
- multi channel, polyphonic
- I/Os and ultimate quality.
- 20 channels In
- 20 channels Out
- 2 x ADAT, S/PDIF + analog
- 96kHz support
- 24 bit resolution
- 19" analog expansion via optional A8, A16
- int. SCOPE bus connector
- MIDI interface
- MME- and ASIO-drivers
MidiMan Dman 2044
Key Features
- High-performance PCI interface
- 4 Independent analog inputs and outputs.
- 20-bit delta-sigma converters with 128x oversampling.
- All converters rated at 99 dB dynamic range.
- Frequency response: 20 Hz to 22 kHz at +/- 0.5 dB.
- All channels are full-duplex for simultaneous record and playback.
- Audio connections via break-out cable with unbalanced 1/4" female connections.
- Powerful onboard digital mixer allows inputs to be monitored at any combination of outputs.
- On-board DSP performs audio effects such as reverb and chorus on all audio channels.
- Sample rates: 22, 24, 44.1, 48 kHz
- Mac ASIO and Sound Mnaager Drivers
This page is under constuction
This page last updated 10-9-98