Mx2424 Views
Housed in a deep 4U case, the Tascam MX2424 looks very much like a 24-track version of a modular digital multitrack, with bar-graph metering for every channel as well as conventional track-arming buttons and familiar transport controls. Unlike a tape machine, up to 999 virtual tracks are available per Project -- the standard name for a work-in-progress on the MX2424 -- and these tracks may be loaded into any playback track as required, whether the destination track is in the same Project or a different one. There's no numerical limit on the number of Projects you can create -- this is determined only by the storage capacity of the attached recording drive (or drives -- see below). The MX2424 ships with an internal 9.1Gb hard drive, which stores around 1200 to 1800 track minutes depending on the recording format you use. This in turn equates to around 45 minutes of 24-track recording.
In order to provide a degree of compatibility with mainstream computer-based workstations, the MX2424's hard drive is formatted to the HFS standard (as used in Macintosh computers), though it is planned to extend the options to HFS Plus and Windows-compatible FAT32 later this year. Audio files can currently be stored in Sound Designer II format only, but when the FAT32 disk format option becomes available, use of Broadcast WAV files will also be possible (these can read by any WAV-compatible devices, but unlike ordinary WAV files, provide additional time-stamping information embedded in the file. Easy interfacing with other Digital Audio Workstations (or DAWs) is made possible by the MX2424's use of the Open-TL Edit Decision List (EDL) format, as already used by SADiE and Waveframe systems and now also Steinberg's Nuendo (see review on page 158 of this issue).
The SDII format allows the files to be read by systems such as Pro Tools, and similarly, Pro Tools audio files can be imported into the MX2424. When using a Mac-formatted drive the MX2424 reads/writes time-stamped SDII audio files. This provision ensures correct sync when exporting MX2424 audio files into Pro Tools, which can be done by connecting the SCSI drive directly to the Pro Tools system. When projects need to be moved between hardware and computer platforms, the user can format the drive with the MX2424, record audio and then physically take the drive to the computer. Interestingly, 16-bit and 24-bit files may be used in the same project, so it's possible to load in a session recorded at 16-bit resolution, then add overdubs at 24-bit or vice versa (when 16-bit files are imported for use in a 24-bit project, the 16-bit files are played back as 24-bit signals, with dither used to create the additional eight bits.)
Other rear-panel connectors include a footswitch jack for hands-free punching in or out (this socket also accepts a connection from an Alesis LRC for basic transport control), and a 9-pin 'D'-connector which links the machine to the optional RC2424 remote controller. The remote duplicates all of the MX2424's front-panel functions, including the Jog/Scrub wheels, and also allows you to select which MX2424 it will address when you're running a multiple-machine setup (the remote control itself can 'only' address up to six machines, but this is hardly a limitation).
Mx2424 Images
