New Hard Disk Recorder from Tascam

(Click for a close-up)

TASCAM announces its new MX-2424 digital hard disk audio recorder at the 107th AES Convention. Slated for release during the first quarter of 2000, the new unit is a 24-track, 24-bit random access record/player/editor with a base unit price of $3,999.

The TASCAM MX-2424 unit comes with a built-in nine Gigabyte SCSI hard drive and two channels of AES/EBU and SPDIF digital I/O, routable to any disk channel. The user has the choice of 24 channels of TASCAM TDIF, ADAT Optical, or AES/EBU digital I/O. Professional quality analog I/O is available with 24 channels of 24-bit 48/44.1kHz audio and 12 channels of 24-bit 96kHz audio. Time code synchronization is provided via SMPTE LTC in and out, with digital word clock, video sync, MIDI Machine Control and MIDI Time Code rounding out the list of standard synchronization features. An internal drive bay and external SCSI port provide for easy connection of standard disk recording or backup devices such as hard drives, optical disks, removable SCSI media and DVD-RAM drives.

The MX-2424 is the first in a new line of products that TASCAM has co-developed in conjunction with well known U.S. audio manufacturer TimeLine Vista. The new product line has a distinctive look and will be branded as "TASCAM by TimeLine."

Worldwide sales, marketing, and customer support will be handled by TASCAM, while TimeLine manages product hardware design, software engineering and manufacturing from their headquarters near San Diego.

TASCAM Division Manager Gene Joly says, "The MX-2424 represents the culmination of years of effort on the part of TASCAM and TimeLine. We have listened carefully to our customers and created a digital recording solution that truly breaks new ground. TASCAM's market leadership in professional recording products combined with TimeLine's advanced technical expertise has produced a system which we believe will set a new standard in price and performance well into the new millennium."

The unit is compatible with both Macintosh and PC format disks using industry standard AIFF, Broadcast Wave and Sound Designer II audio files. The system uses TimeLine's simple Open Track List (Open TL) EDL format which is being made freely available to the audio industry by TimeLine and provides easy compatibility with the TASCAM MX-2424 for companies wishing to implement Open TL in their products.

Options for the system include the TASCAM RC-2424 remote control unit and the TASCAM TL-Sync synchronizer. On-board metering for all 24 channels and extensive editing capabilities are included as standard features. Editing can be performed using the front panel, the RC-2424 remote, or TASCAM's ViewNet MX graphical interface software.

The ViewNet MX software application is included as a standard part of the system, and provides a networked graphical interface that allows an external personal computer to control all facets of MX-2424 operation via the unit's built-in Fast Ethernet port. Since the ViewNet MX application is written using the JAVA programming environment, it can run on computers using the Macintosh or Windows (95, 98 or NT) operating systems.

The integrated TL-Bus provides common sample clock and time position signals for multiple TASCAM MX-2424 units. Up to 32 MX units may be chained together using the TL-Bus sync connector to provide sample-accurate synchronization across all tracks on all machines. The optional TL-Sync stand-alone synchronizer provides a link to DTRS, ADAT, MMC and Sony 9-pin serial devices as well as TimeLine's Lynx-2 synchronizer modules. Software updates may be loaded by using the built in Smart Card flash ROM on the front of the unit, or via the Fast Ethernet port when connected to a computer which is attached to the Internet.