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Cymatic uTrack 24 OK for Hauptwerk?

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organsRgreat

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Cymatic uTrack 24 OK for Hauptwerk?

PostSun Jun 11, 2017 1:31 pm

Would the Cymatic uTrack 24 work as an interface for Hauptwerk?

https://cymaticaudio.com/products/recor ... /utrack-24

The company's website states:

“The uTrack24 also works as a powerful and affordable 24x24 computer audio interface”.

The disadvantage would be the D-Sub connectors, needing an adaptor cable to interface with other units' jack sockets, but three UK dealers are advertising the unit at £329, so it looks very useful.
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organtechnology

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Re: Cymatic uTrack 24 OK for Hauptwerk?

PostSun Jun 11, 2017 10:36 pm

organsRgreat wrote:Would the Cymatic uTrack 24 work as an interface for Hauptwerk?

https://cymaticaudio.com/products/recor ... /utrack-24

The company's website states:

“The uTrack24 also works as a powerful and affordable 24x24 computer audio interface”.

The disadvantage would be the D-Sub connectors, needing an adaptor cable to interface with other units' jack sockets, but three UK dealers are advertising the unit at £329, so it looks very useful.


Here is the HOSA cable from DB25 to 8 TRS part number Hosa DTP-803 - 3 Meter ~$55 ea.
uTrack24 is $999.00 in USA.

Thomas
Complete Hauptwerk™ systems using real wood consoles, PC Sound Engines, Dante Audio for Home or Church. info (at) organtechnology.com http://www.organtechnology.com
Authorized Hauptwerk; Milan Digital Audio and Lavender Audio reseller.
USA and Canada shipments only.
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mdyde

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Re: Cymatic uTrack 24 OK for Hauptwerk?

PostMon Jun 12, 2017 3:47 am

Hello organsRgreat,

I have no experience with Cymatic's products myself, but it certainly looks remarkably inexpensive for the number of audio channels (and other functionality, such as 24-track recording). I found a review from Sound on Sound (a respected UK studio technology magazine): http://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/cymatic-utrack-24
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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organsRgreat

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Re: Cymatic uTrack 24 OK for Hauptwerk?

PostMon Jun 12, 2017 12:36 pm

Thank you Martin. Accessing the complete SOS article requires one to buy the pdf download - at a cost of £1! The only mildly negative comment is on the dynamic range:

“We’re talking here about AES17 dynamic range figures around 102dB (A-weighted). In strict numerical terms, this is quite low compared to most modern interfaces, which are typically around 115dB (A-weighted) and upwards, with the very best reaching the 122dB mark or higher”.

Figures for the Echo Audiofire 12 are Input: 113dB A-weighted; Output: 114dB A-weighted. I presume that this difference is unlikely to be significant in practice?

Thank you Thomas. The difference in price between the USA and UK is striking - more than twice the price. I believe Cymatic are a Dutch company, so perhaps the fact that we are so much nearer is a factor. Nevertheless I've imported some large items from America e.g. speakers, and the cost of shipping, customs duties etc., was not a problem, so I'm at a loss to fully explain the difference. Usually electronic products are cheaper in the USA than here.

The lowest price I can find for a cable from D sub to eight TRS jack plugs is £23.51:

http://cpc.farnell.com/pro-signal/psg01 ... es-AV14524

so using all 24 outputs would add £70.53, bringing the total to around £400 – still very reasonable for the facilities available. I trust that there is an accepted protocol for these connections? A 25 pin connector would provide for eight TRS (balanced) jacks with one pin spare.
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organtechnology

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Re: Cymatic uTrack 24 OK for Hauptwerk?

PostMon Jun 12, 2017 7:44 pm

organsRgreat wrote:Thank you Martin. Accessing the complete SOS article requires one to buy the pdf download - at a cost of £1! The only mildly negative comment is on the dynamic range:

“We’re talking here about AES17 dynamic range figures around 102dB (A-weighted). In strict numerical terms, this is quite low compared to most modern interfaces, which are typically around 115dB (A-weighted) and upwards, with the very best reaching the 122dB mark or higher”.

Figures for the Echo Audiofire 12 are Input: 113dB A-weighted; Output: 114dB A-weighted. I presume that this difference is unlikely to be significant in practice?

Thank you Thomas. The difference in price between the USA and UK is striking - more than twice the price. I believe Cymatic are a Dutch company, so perhaps the fact that we are so much nearer is a factor. Nevertheless I've imported some large items from America e.g. speakers, and the cost of shipping, customs duties etc., was not a problem, so I'm at a loss to fully explain the difference. Usually electronic products are cheaper in the USA than here.

The lowest price I can find for a cable from D sub to eight TRS jack plugs is £23.51:

http://cpc.farnell.com/pro-signal/psg01 ... es-AV14524

so using all 24 outputs would add £70.53, bringing the total to around £400 – still very reasonable for the facilities available. I trust that there is an accepted protocol for these connections? A 25 pin connector would provide for eight TRS (balanced) jacks with one pin spare.


Yes I believe that to be true since the cables were advertised directly underneath the uTrack24.
You might check for a distributor of HOSA in the UK.
Complete Hauptwerk™ systems using real wood consoles, PC Sound Engines, Dante Audio for Home or Church. info (at) organtechnology.com http://www.organtechnology.com
Authorized Hauptwerk; Milan Digital Audio and Lavender Audio reseller.
USA and Canada shipments only.
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mdyde

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Re: Cymatic uTrack 24 OK for Hauptwerk?

PostTue Jun 13, 2017 4:52 am

organsRgreat wrote:The only mildly negative comment is on the dynamic range:

“We’re talking here about AES17 dynamic range figures around 102dB (A-weighted). In strict numerical terms, this is quite low compared to most modern interfaces, which are typically around 115dB (A-weighted) and upwards, with the very best reaching the 122dB mark or higher”.

Figures for the Echo Audiofire 12 are Input: 113dB A-weighted; Output: 114dB A-weighted. I presume that this difference is unlikely to be significant in practice?


Whilst not exactly comparable directly, the theoretical quantisation signal-to-noise ratio for audio is about 96 dB at 16-bit, 120 dB at 20-bit, and 144 dB at 24-bit, and the dynamic range of human hearing is supposed to be in the region of 120-140 dB. However, the signal-to-noise ratio of active studio monitors is rarely much more than about 100 dB. I would expect that if you had good hearing, very good amplifiers/speakers (or especially headphones), a perfectly quiet room, and had the amplifiers turned up quite high, and used 20+ -bit samples and optimal signal levels throughout, then you might just-about be able to hear the differences in the noise floors between an audio interface with a DAC line-out signal-to-noise ratio of ~100 dB and one with ~120 dB.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.

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