Server: Netscape-Enterprise/2.0a Date: Fri, 19 Dec 1997 03:48:02 GMT Set-Cookie: Am_UserId=8002d1916c230b36; path=/; expires=1/1/2001 Content-type: text/html Antex StudioCard AV Introducing the CardBus 1480 adapter from Adaptec.
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(Published in NewMedia December 15, 1997 Contents)


Antex StudioCard AV
Audio for Video
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With a list price of $1,595, it's clear that Antex's StudioCard is no ordinary audio card. According to Antex, the card is tailored to professional applications, particularly nonlinear video-editing environments running under Windows NT -- Windows 95 drivers are also available. The card delivers on the promise of professional features and performance, combining high-quality audio with an impressive array of video-savvy capabilities. But the value of the total package is compromised somewhat by software utilities that make using the AV Pro less than intuitive.
Antex Mixer       The AV Pro offers four channels of analog inputs and outputs, and two channels of digital I/O. It requires a single PCI slot on a minimum 486-DX2/66 machine with at least 16MB of RAM; NT drivers for DEC Alpha processors are also available.
      Line-level analog I/O is accessed via the Balanced I/O port, which takes a provided fan-out of four male and female XLR connectors. Analog-to-digital (A>D) converters are 16-bit, 64-times oversampling; D>A converters are 18-bit, 128-times oversampling. SMB clock connectors on the card edge allow synchronization -- sample-accurate, according to Antex -- of up to four cards in the same machine, for a total of 16 discrete analog inputs and outputs.
      The Digital Audio and Sync port fans out to two XLRs for digital I/O (professional AES/EBU and consumer S/PDIF are both supported), as well as connectors for linear timecode, MIDI, and external clock. The card is designed to read and write both SMPTE and MIDI timecode, and to lock to master video clocks (54MHz, 27MHz, or 13.5MHz). It also has composite video, NTSC, or PAL I/O connectors that may be used either to derive a clock reference for synching audio to video (horizontal sync lock) or to pass video through the card to use its handy timecode screenburn feature. Using a provided assembly, these video ports show up as BNC connectors in a 25-pin D-connector punch-out on the back panel of the computer.
Antex Demo       We tested the AV Pro running under Windows NT with a 200MHz AMD K6 MMX-type CPU and 120MB of RAM. Physical installation of the AV Pro is well documented and trouble-free. All connectors and fan-outs appear solid and professionally made. We especially appreciated that all the cables necessary are included with the system.
      Three software components are required to use the card: a driver, Demo, and Mixer applications -- all installed smoothly. However, any attempt to modify or even examine the driver's property settings while an application that addresses the card is open (including the Demo and Mixer programs) results in the driver being disabled, requiring a complete reinstall. A software engineer from Antex acknowledged the problem and said it was on their "short list" of fixes for the next revision.
      Demo is a simple utility for hard disk recording and playback combining transport functions: play, record, pause, and so forth; peak-level metering; and setup controls: sample rate, mono/stereo, digital vs. analog in, and so on. One nice feature here is the pitch-control adjustment, playback only -- less pleasing is the failure of the File dialog to automatically add the .WAV extension to the filename.
      The Mixer is a utility for routing signals to and from the card's ins and outs and adjusting levels. The working surface is made up of a number of what Antex calls lines,visually similar to module strips in a console, for input and output trim, recording, playback, and so on. The user may customize the display, showing only the lines needed for a given project, and custom mixer configurations (scenes) may be stored and recalled for later use. An important oversight on the record and play lines, however, is the lack of a numerical readout or graphical scale showing fader-level settings.
      One of the most important Mixer sections is the Adapter, where all the clock-source, sample-rate, digital-format and timecode parameters are set. This line is not displayed in the Mixer's default configuration, but it needs to be set up properly to achieve satisfactory results. Because of Antex's nomenclature, it can take a close reading of the manual to avoid setting some of these parameters incorrectly -- online help would be welcome. When recording from analog inputs, for example, most digital devices would require that the clock source be set to internal. Antex, however, uses internal to refer to the card's Clock In connector, while labeling the card's internal clock as DSP-Clock.
      Despite the inconveniences in the software and manual, the board performs as advertised. Testing with an Audio Precision Portable One Plus test set, we found the AV Pro offered true professional audio performance. Using the card's direct feedthrough mode, signal routed through the card's A>D and then D>A, frequency response was flat within .25dB from 20Hz to 20kHz. Signal-to-noise ratio (A-weighted) was a respectable 91dB, particularly impressive considering the noisy environment found inside most computers. We had no problem using the card for audio recording and playback with Sonic Foundry's Sound Forge, the most popular Windows professional audio software.
      While the StudioPro's audio performance is top-notch, the true benefit of the card comes in synching audio to video. To test video applications we used the AV Pro in conjunction with a Truevision Targa 1000 video board -- Antex says it also works with capture cards from Matrox and DPS, among others. We checked the synchronization feature by recording a movie of handclaps in Adobe Premiere 4.2 using the AV Pro's H-sync mode. Because the AV Pro supports scrubbing, we were able to scrub the resultant movie to confirm that the claps sounded exactly as the hands hit. The timecode burn-in feature also worked fine. The only problem we encountered is that changing capture settings in Premiere sometimes seemed to create conflicts with settings in the Demo software, resulting in loud hiss at the audio inputs. However, we were unable to clearly establish a pattern for this behavior.
      With the pro-audio industry moving toward 20- or 24-bit resolution, the 16-bit AV Pro may not be at the cutting edge, and its software implementation leaves room for improvement. But with high-quality performance, solid hardware design, and a comprehensive video feature set, together with a complete set of cables, the card is an excellent choice for multimedia and video producers. We'll upgrade it to an Awesome when the software is improved.--Philip De Lancie

Thanks to Guy Lento for help in the preparation of this review.

Antex Electronics (310) 532-3092

Antex StudioCard AV  December 15, 1997 Contents


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