A Demonstration of Character

The audio in this example is best appreciated on headphones or studio monitors

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音響器材的功能在於將音樂完整無誤的重播。現代音訊進入數碼化的年代不長，但發展迅速，初期數碼化聲音機械化的弊端已不復再見，重播質素極為接近原音。

音響器材的設計築基於科學，並沒有神秘的成份，花一點時間就可以理解的。

建立優良音響系統，最主要是三個部份：
  • 音樂訊源
  • 音箱
  • 聆聽環境

音樂訊源



現時差不多所有錄音都是以數碼儲存，音樂檔案是一大堆0與1，最大的挑戰是將數碼資料轉換為電壓（voltage)而訊號保持完整。發燒友一向用的是CD 機。
In their own words: Users talk about Mobile I/O and 2d

“In their own words…”

Metric Halo users share their views on v.5 and 2d

Lolly Lewis

“I have been a Metric Halo user since 2003. I originally was attracted to their Mobile I/O 2882 for its portability and for the MIO Console, a software recording utility perfectly suited to my needs in location recording: I do live acoustic music recording, mostly classical, and I simply want to capture the audio tracks as cleanly as possible.

I usually work in 2-channel, but in recent years I have had more and more requests for multichannel recording with subsequent (not to mention simultaneous) mixing required. This has been possible with the MIO Console, but in a relatively two-dimensional way. I started out as a monitor mixer, so the MIO's matrix routing system made sense to me, but it wasn't particularly intuitive at first use and it required a lot of navigation from one window to another to set things up the way I wanted them and to control the mixer. And if I wanted to add any effects processing, that was another separate process (and set of windows) to manage. It was a bit of a struggle to create an independent cue mix, and to play back takes I had to have a yet another separate mixer setup.

With the new 2d Card and the v.5 Mixer it's like the MIO Console's gone from black and white to Technicolor. First of all, the routing is simple because — just like in a hardware console — all the functionality of the mixer is incorporated into the channels themselves. Input assignments, trims, EQ, effects, pans, output assignments: all in one place. Sends and sub-mixes pop up as floating auxiliary mixers. And the console is completely customizable – from the numbers of inputs and outputs down to the colors of the strips themselves.

Another real innovation is how the Console links up with the Monitor Controller. It's so easy to route any of my various mix outputs to the monitor selector, and configure all the available outputs: when I'm recording on location I have to switch frequently between sources and between speakers and headphones and now it happens seamlessly with one click, right in the software.

And all of this without losing a bit of Metric Halo's beautiful audio quality. I'm stoked!”

Lolly Lewis
Transparent Recordings

(Recording and/or live sound for numerous clients including San Francisco Symphony, SF Symphony Chorus, San Diego Symphony, Composer John Adams, Composer Anthony Davis, Earplay, Chanticleer, Kronos Quartet, San Francisco Choral Artists, Aspen Music Festival, Telluride Chamber Music Festival, and many more)

Barry Diament

“I’ve been using MIOs for several years now, because the hardware and software have provided not only the cleanest sound I could find but elegance in the execution and simplicity in use.

MIO Console v.5 takes it to a whole ‘nother level. If you can imagine a recording, mixing or processing setup, you can achieve it in minutes. And on top of that, you don’t have to trade sound quality to get the convenience. You get both, big time.

The plug-ins provide everything I need in the mastering room. Character lets you add color as desired and for those jobs where only a pristine path will do, I’ll take v.5 over any other option on the market. In combination with my MIO, the v.5 Console’s Record Panel is my favorite way to capture audio.

The Mixer, the Monitor Controller, the DSP, the Record Panel, oh my. The folks at Metric Halo have achievements they can be quite proud of.”

Barry Diament
Soundkeeper Recordings
Barry Diament Audio
Mastering and Recording Credits


Marc Schonbrun

“When the 2882 was introduced over eight years ago, Metric Halo had plans for its future. Well before it was fashionable to go Green, MH had built-in expandability without asking you to buy a whole new interface. The original 2882 is still ahead of its time. Now you pop in the 2d Board and you get the best sounding, most powerful, most flexible Firewire audio product ever shipped. The new console is absolutely amazing and Character is worth the price of admission alone. It's not an upgrade, it's a rebirth.”

Marc Schonbrun
Guitarist - Author - Music Technology Educator
Marc Schonbrun

Don Gunn

“v.5 of the MIO Console and the 2d Card have taken my ability to route and process audio to new heights. Character in particular has brought new life to the already exemplary MH preamps by giving them the personalities of my favorite boutique and vintage pres.”

Don Gunn
Recording/mixing engineer
http://www.dongunn.com


Floris van Manen

“v.5 is the key to unlock the quantum leap of audio processing power that the 2nd Card provides. These are the rock stable tools you want for ‘sound’ sound…”

Floris van Manen
sonographer & sonologist
Stichting Klankschap


John McCaig

“-v.5 and the 2d Card turned my metric halo interface into dedicated mastering console with hardware and software inserts! -v.5 and the 2d Card easily replaces a monitoring console, and a dedicated hardware router, with a built in AD/DA. -i am able to do things with v.5 and the 2d Card, all in one location now, my DAW has been relegated to just playback and recording. -v.5 with a 2d Card makes my needs and wants for any other hardware or software DSP solution disappear. -Being able to use my own custom-built DSP environments, as an insert or send, anywhere in my signal chain, is beyond ridiculous. ”

John McCaig
Mastering Engineer
panicStudios
credits include: Matt Cameron, The Long Winters, The History Channel, Miramax.


Andrew Levine

“I have been using MIO Systems – first the 2882+DSP, then a ULN-2, SpectraFoo, ChannelStrip, and on and on - since I started working as a freelance sound recordist five years ago, specializing from the beginning in the tracking of live events in real spaces. It has been a pleasure, both sonically and technically, regarding my peace of mind, and with regards to Metric Halo’s support and the assistance of the very knowledgeable user-group.

With v.4 hard- and software already rocks, or grooves, or simply allows me to capture music in the best possible way. Then along came 2d, and my life has been improved even more!

Currently I am tracking five hours of excellent music a day at an international musical competition in Amsterdam, supplying the jury and organizers with premixes of the performances of the 24 groups shortly after each set has ended. While tracking the widely varying ensembles, with a fixed soundcheck of 10 minutes max, I am able to tweak paramers on the fly for a high quality realtime mix.

Did I mention the possibilty of dialing in Character on demand and having a return on a reverb feed to sweeten the premix for some groups?

Using SpectraFoo on the FW Return of the sum allows me to check the quality and balance of the mix while the show is going on and helps me refine my judgement when working in the performance space with headphones. A separate mix goes to the analog outs for television crews passing by, who very much enjoy the convenience. This is as good as it gets, at least until MH comes up with another surprise :-)

It's not easy to find the words. 2d has changed my way of working with MIO Console, making it much more flexible and efficient, but it is such a fundamental change that you just dig it and then can't really remember how you did the kinds of things before, if you did so.

One of the moments I noticed that especially was when I quickly reconfigured the 2d mixer to create a realtime bounce of a concert I had tracked with the RP, forgetting my usual workflow of dragging the channels into a DAW, instead adding parallel compression, some reverb etc. and printing the mix - with the RP. Another is that when I got my new 5.1 monitoring setup I quickly patched a 2.0->2.1 config with the extracted LF on the subwoofer, a 5.1->2.0 downmix for cans, a 2.0->4.0 upmix with some reverb on the rear channels etc. It's _very_ flexible and a lot of fun.”

Andrew Levine
Tonmeister
blumlein records mobile recording
blumlein records


Tibor Páli

“As someone whose hobby (or rather, second life) is experimental music, sound, acoustics and audio engineering, I am interested in finding the best acoustic environment for any given [audio] project, capture the magic and expose it on the final material.

The Metric Halo hardware combined with clean and transparent microphones has always been an excellent choice for this approach, but the new MIO platform with the 2d-based mixer architecture has matured even further - into a complete production environment. It is a recording device, monitoring, sound reinforcement and production mixer, audio interface and processor, signal converter and router, monitor controller, and, and… The new mixer for instance offers nice reverb and coloration options should the artistic expression require these.

My latest recording & mixing project was for a Transylvanian band, Fabatka. They play very dynamic folk music. I decided to capture the album in a church (all live), whose acoustics I knew and found optimal for the purpose. I used an AB pair of very low-noise omnis aided with some spot omnis into 4 channels total. I did all crucial steps from the start to the end on the MIO platform, except for volume automation and final editing. The result, according to the band, is very live music combined with the ‘being there’ feeling. The album ‘Red in Summer, Blue in Winter’ will be distributed by Fono and released sometime Summer 2008.”

Dr. Tibor Páli, D.Sc.
Research Physicist
Szeged, Hungary


David Wilcock

“When I first had the resources to purchase serious recording gear, I did an unbelievable amount of research, knowing that it might be my last chance to do so, and I’d have to live with my decision. 5 years later, without doubt, my decision to purchase my Metric Halo MIOs was the best equipment purchasing decision I've ever made.

The sound and quality of my original Mobile I/Os still matches or surpasses that of equipment many times more expensive that is being released today, and their routing flexibility is unparalleled.

The addition of 2d and the v.5 software is just one more example in a long line of them, from a company who continues to add value to its existing product lines and user base. This is in stark contrast to the usual industry practice of letting those things languish and die to push out more new product that isn’t necessarily an improvement. It’s safe to say that the new 2d technology and v.5 software make me the fastest car on the block, and I thought I already was.”

David Wilcock
Owner, Tacklebox Music
www.tackleboxmusic.com


John Leonard

“The best just got a whole lot better.

With a bewildering selection of FireWire interfaces now on the market, my original investment in Metric Halo hardware and software has paid off big-time: eight years after my original purchase of my first 2882+DSP, MH has delivered a combined software and hardware upgrade that redefines the genre. The v.5 software is a revelation, with full multi-track recording and mixing facilities, plug-ins, complex routing possibilities and a fully configurable monitor controller, whilst the 2d expansion Card adds an extra helping of DSP capability. Unlike most other hardware that loses its value over time, my Metric Halo boxes are worth more to me now than when I first bought them.

Some of the best things improve with age and this is certainly true of my Metric Halo interfaces. From the very first set of surround recordings that I made eight years ago in the middle of a field using an entirely battery-powered system as a light plane hedge-hopped for my benefit, to a recent recording of a new chamber-music group that has won plaudits from all who’ve heard it, I’ve used one of my four Metric Halo interfaces for all my recording needs. The superb audio quality of the interface and the constantly updated software has meant that I’ve always been ahead of the game. Now, with the v.5 software and the retrofit hardware upgrade, I’ve effectively gained a whole new unit. With a whole raft of plug-ins and an immensely flexible mixer, I have all I need both for my theatre sound design work and my effects recordings in one small, but immensely powerful package. I can save whole system set-ups and recall them complete with all plug-ins and routing, not only for stand-alone use but also from within my DAW using ConsoleConnect, for when I’m working on complex surround mixes.

Some of my less-enlightened colleagues have had to upgrade their hardware two or three times in order to keep up with new releases from other manufacturers, often seeing the resale value of their old systems drop through the floor. I’ve never needed to play that game and I can’t emphasise enough how happy that makes me.

I now rely exclusively on my Metric Halo interfaces for all aspects of my recording and mixing needs. When I'm recording sound effects in surround on location, I have a beautifully transparent set of pre-amps and a superb multi-track recorder and with the new v.5 software and 2d Card upgrade, I can produce stunning-sounding mixes wherever my work takes me.

What’s astounding is that the functionality of the Metric Halo boxes has increased over the years that I’ve owned them: other manufacturers have constantly brought out new versions of their interfaces and the resale value of the old ones plummets. Metric Halo has constantly upgraded system performance via free software upgrades and now, with a reasonably-priced hardware add-on, arguably presents long-term users with a whole new interface. I can’t think of many other manufacturers who treat their customers so well.”

John Leonard
Theatre Sound & Show Control
Sound & Show Control


Mark Cahill

“I have been privileged to have had access to a substantial selection of the finest digital audio hardware and software which has come on the market over the past years, both in terms of native as well as DSP products.

I have to say that v.5 is a completely different, even daunting, experience compared to anything I have used to date. While it takes some time to get to grasp its many features and understand the enormous flexibility it offers the user, and I certainly won't pretend to have covered everything, the amount of thought, consultation and feedback from real-world professionals, ingenuity and sheer pride and love of one’s work which have gone into this becomes quickly apparent once the basics are grasped.

v.5 has raised the standard and “what is possible” by a very considerable amount. It is quite clear that Metric Halo have received, listened to and acted on advice from very competent, experienced audio professionals, and as such set an exemplary precedent other companies would do well to heed. It is going to be very hard for others to even begin to try to catch up, and I wonder what further surprises Metric Halo already has in the pipeline.

My favourite features? Well, the one that jumps out has to be the astonishing sonic choices available through the Character settings. Honestly, most other software companies would launch substantial marketing campaigns around this single feature, it would more than fullfill the needs of many companies to show as a major new product in itself and cause software engineers to deservedly sit back and savour a job well done, and, most significantly, would most certainly come with a very substantial price tag.

However, this is just one single new function amongst many, many others which are included in v.5. The choice of using either or both pre and post direct outs on each channel is so utterly useful and practical, and raises the question “why has nobody thought of this up until now?” The sheer simplicity of integrating the superb DSP tools in v.5 into other DAWs makes them as convenient as native AUs, but you may find yourself relying less and less on your DAWs mixer, once you start understanding just what v.5 is actually capable of. The addition of the very fine sounding Reverbs rounds off the collection of latency free DSP Plug-ins and makes Metric Halo a serious contender for providing reliable, latency-free, high quality studio monitoring, which is perhaps the last great challenge to be overcome in the non Pro Tools DAW world, as well as a complete live mixing environment, and of course, excellent mixing reverbs. Just as with the Character algorithms, the reverbs are a complete product in themselves, and could also command a high price.

I have to mention the very innovative sub mixers available for send mixes - I have never used a more comfortable, cleverly designed tool to set up cue and effect mixes. This is as good an example of how well designed native software can take us way beyond what the restrictions of even the largest studio consoles could ever be capable of.

One of my favourite improvements over v.4 (software I loved and used very frequently) is the intuitive, self explanatory, and very pleasant looking UI. I love the ability to color code channels either singly or in groups, Metric halo have very wisely left it to the user to choose exactly the colour he/she feels appropriate by incorporating colour wheels and sliders in RGB, CMYK and HSB, as well as which, performing functions such as re-arranging the order of channels shows the UI to be extremely fast and ‘snappy’…

The overall impression of v.5 is absolutely stunning, and surely must be a candidate for the most innovative, user-oriented and useful software not only in this year but for some years to come. Given the superb reputation the Metric Halo developers hold in the industry and in particular amongst their peers, this isn’t necessarily surprising, but I expect it will leave quite a few of those peers wide eyed and open mouthed when it they see it.”

Mark Cahill
musician, sound engineer
Owner, Logic Users Group
Co-Administrator, logicuser.net and logicuser.de


Allen Rowand

“I’ve used my MIO and SpectraFoo for years to do room tuning. With the introduction of 2d and v5, my workflow has been taken to another level. I have a v5 file that sets my rig up for using seven mics for analysis, with a console input for reference. The mics are run through the onboard dsp for calibration to keep the mic pres are at the same gain for consistent characteristics. I can view SPL at seven points in the venue simultaneously, view the frequency response of the room at any point or all points, and instantly see the transfer function of any speaker system at any microphone with a single keystroke. All with my MacBook Pro, a 2882 2d Expanded, a case with my mics and a calibrator- and at less than 1/10th the cost of the “industry standard” analyzer.

We recently played a venue that had a distinct room resonance; once ’Foo helped me pinpoint the frequency, I was able to apply a bandpass filter to the microphone’s signal in DSP to isolate it and immediately record it using the Record Panel. After the rehearsal, I played the recording for the mix engineer so that we could identify that this was the sound he was hearing and discuss how to deal with it. There is nothing else I can think of that would let me do this as quickly and easily as ’Foo and v5.

Room analysis is only a part of the picture for me. I’ve used my Metric Halo rig to diagnose equipment issues, make sure that replacement gear was gain and EQ matched to the piece it was replacing, and done quick multitrack recordings so that we can play the show back through the system to walk the room and listen. Version 5 gives me a routing paradigm that I can use in every part of my work. I don’t get slowed down thinking about how to do the job- with v5 and 2d I can just DO the job.

I’ve been through who-knows-how-many analyzers, measurement systems, and best-things-since-sliced-bread. But at the end of the day, there is one set of tools that will always have a place in my kit - SpectraFoo and a MIO with 2d. I stake my job on it every time I tune the system, and its never let me down. When there’s a few thousand people in the seats every night and producers listening to their $1,000,000 a week production, it’s nice to know that Metric Halo has me covered!”

Allen Rowand
Advance Sound Engineer
Wicked 1st National Tour


Ralf Kleeman

“I’m using my 2d enhanced ULN-2 every day in almost all situations - live recordings, studio sessions, FoH applications, even sound analysis. It’s also extremely handy for a variety of format conversions. The best sounding Swiss army knife I’ve ever known.

The ‘Swiss army knife’ is a popular comparison. However, it is not entirely appropriate for Metric Halo’s audio interfaces — Instead of going blunt over time or losing functionality, the MIOs actually grow more features and become more useful from year to year.

The 2d upgrade surprised me in both hardware and software features. I honestly don’t know of any other manufacturer out there who takes an already great design and makes an upgrade card for it, adding I/O ports, improving the clocking and raising the processing power by several hundred percent.

The new software that surrounds the 2d card is also a huge step in usability, it all feels very natural, and it's not in my way at any time.

As a small scale mobile studio, the MIOs have always been a god-send for versatility, mobility, and for being there when I need them. Now they even save me the trouble of buying and carrying a whole variety of outboard boxes — most of that is build right into the core, and all with a sound that continuously puts big smiles on my clients’ faces.”

Ralf Kleeman
Sound Engineer
Mobile Audio Studio


Tony Vincent

“I made the jump from a mass-produced audio interfaces to a Metric Halo unit 8 years ago and have never looked back. The fidelity of the MIO boxes is truly brilliant. Things that were masked on my prior interfaces/boxes are now clear and defined.

Whenever I’m working with A-list producers and bring them tracks that I’ve worked on with my MIO interfaces from my home studio, they are always blown away on how amazing the stuff sounds. The ULN-2s mic pres are unmatched in ANY dedicated audio interface — the clarity is absolutely pristine!

With the new v.5 software and 2d cards, the possibilities are wide open! My favorite addition with the 2d Cards is the Character modeling. I can get all sorts of clarity or colouration when tracking without ANY outboard gear — and it sounds unbelievable! Whether I’m looking for a warm, vintage, tube-sounding mic pre or the clarity that solid-state pres give, my tracks have never sounded better — and I am continually blown away that this is all inside a one 1U box! Brilliant!”

Tony Vincent
Musician
www.tonyvincent.com


Charlie Pilzer

“I have the MIO wired into my rack and I use it every single day. The Metric Halo v.5 software/hardware is like having an analog console in a 1-U box. The combination of hardware and software is unmatched in it's routing flexibility. With processing available on every track, I can mix anywhere!”

Charlie Pilzer
Grammy Award Nominated Musician
Grammy Award winning Mastering Engineer and Producer
Recording Label


Brian Monroney

“The 2d hardware combined with v.5 software and +DSP Plug-ins is a stunning upgrade for my beloved Mobile I/Os. Metric Halo continues to exceed all standards of customer service and support by vastly increasing the power and value of my MIO hardware investment.

There numerous new features that I'm excited about:

  • The new Character analog hardware emulation Plug-in on each mixer strip is totally addictive. Pure audio crack.
  • The v.5 MIO mixer is immensely powerful and flexible for routing audio, and with the enhanced integration of the Record Panel it makes almost any tracking/monitoring configuration easy to achieve.
  • The addition of ADAT I/O to my ULN-2 has already proven handy for interfacing with my Muse Receptor. Just try to imagine any other gear manufacturer adding 8 channels of I/O to a half-decade old product...
  • The Monitor Controller completely negates the need for my existing ‘large knob’ monitor controller (and removes its inferior signal path from between my MIO and speakers).
  • Did I mention HaloVerb? Or the amp simulations?

I have now switched almost entirely to summing my DP 5 projects in the MIO’s DSP mixer (it just sounds so damn good, combined with the great MIO EQ and dynamics Plug-ins). If you’re an existing MIO owner and on the fence about upgrading, don't think, just pull out the plastic and do it - there is something here for everyone, whether you use it for live performance, studio recording/production, mastering, theater sound, whatever... There are features here you don’t even know you need - but you soon won’t know how you lived without them!”

Brian Monroney
Guitarist/Musical Director for Tom Jones

John Curley

“My MIO 2882+DSP is the only piece of digital hardware I have ever owned that is more useful today than it was when I bought it.”

John Curley
Engineer
Ultrasuede Studio


Rico Sergeant

“To own a Metric Halo unit has always been a joy, but with the 2d Card v.5 upgrade it’s like a whole new world — I can setup my system and routing in any way I want and the possibilities are only limited by imagination. I almost fell of my seat when I first saw v.5, I sat there thinking, ‘This is it; this is what I have been dreaming of, it’s wonderful.’

There was a moment when I was tracking some guitar, I switched on some Character Plug-ins on the input and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing — it’s gorgeous.

If I want to add some reverb, no problem, I need some eq or compression or both, no problem, I need monitor control, no problem, I need separate headphone mix, easily done, then I need to record the whole show right there in the console, piece of cake, and all this is done in a elegant and logical way, and the quality is without compromise, just as is usual for Metric Halo, its all there and more… This is a huge update one that lifts units that may be several years old to a level that nothing else out there can touch.

Once the 2d Card is installed into a unit — even one that may be several years old — it becomes effectively a new unit. I think to give us all the opportunity to upgrade our units in this way is an amazingly generous move by Metric Halo, and shows just how classy a company they are, the value, the service, the technology is way above the rest, there is no other company that gives me the sense of security and reliability that Metric Halo does.

If there was ever a company that inspired confidence it’s Metric Halo — but to offer all their customers the opportunity to install the new 2d Card into their current machines running the new wonderful v.5 software, is absolutely inspiring, it brings the capabilities of a unit that may be several years old head and shoulders above the competition, and all for a very small cost. Truly no other company offers this kind of service, no other company offers this kind of technology. They are high class through and through.

This new 2d Card and V5 update is so feature packed it makes the mind boggle, the possibilities are endless, the routing possibilities alone are stunning, the Character Plug-ins are so cool they have made me stop using some of my outboard gear altogether; yes they are that good. The new console is so elegant it’s a joy to use and the new reverbs are surprisingly special, I just cannot imagine why anyone would want to use anything else, this does it all and then some, and all this