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SADiE announces the LRX2 Location Audio Workstation for remote recording applications (26/6/2006)

SADiE announces the launch of the LRX2 Location Audio Workstation, a significantly enhanced version of the popular LRX laptop-based flexible location recorder for a wide variety of remote recording applications. The LRX2 combines SADiE's proven high-quality professional audio input and output modules with a tactile hardware control surface and the ability to use a standard laptop as the host computer to provide a powerful and effective combination according to the particular application.

Based on the original and innovative SADiE LRX introduced in 2005, the LRX2 takes the concept a significant stage forward by the provision of additional DSP power, plus control surface enhancements, to offer the user the ability to record up to 48 discrete inputs at 48kHz/24bit (or up to 32 tracks at 96kHz/24bit) from a variety of dedicated input 'slither' cards. For maximum compatibility, these cards are the same as those employed in SADiE's flagship PCM-H64/H128 multitrack editing workstations. In addition to the standard 16ch ADC/DAC and AES/EBU digital i/o cards, a new switchable high quality 16ch mic/line card is available with 48v phantom power and selectable gain steps. A new dedicated MADI interface card is also under development for the LRX2 and will be available shortly - this will facilitate easy interconnection of up to 64 tracks to studio or live digital consoles.

The LRX2 hardware comprises a small assignable mixer with 8 motorised faders; including pre-fade listen and dedicated record enable buttons; a complete editorial interface with fully weighted jog wheel and ergonomic editing buttons; locator memories; transport controls and a headphone monitor output. With the introduction of the LRX2, the original LRX hardware control surface has also had a makeover with improved and extended front panel graphics to indicate the various fader modes, plus provision of a separate headphone level control and a separate side-mounted microphone input for slate/talkback functions. The dedicated and assignable editing function buttons include Scrub, EDL/SRC, Xfade, Select, Zoom, In, Out, Razor and Preview plus the weighted jog wheel. The built-in mixer with automation and the 8 motorised faders allow rapid switching between the input and output busses with simple bank switching, pre-fade listen over headphone output, direct record track select, plus locator buttons and a separate monitor buss. The LRX2 is complemented with professional interfaces to lock the machine to timecode, video ref or gen-locked incoming AES ref, depending upon the application.

In addition to the current V5 operating software, the LRX2 is supplied with the SADiE MTR on-screen graphical user interface, which greatly simplifies user operation and enables the operator to quickly get to grips with the system. Sessions created in MTR mode are fully compatible with, and may be opened in, V5 for more sophisticated post production. Full Metadata support is provided in MTR mode to allow the operator to easily keep track of recordings and takes to simplify the whole audio production chain. Users have claimed the ease of installation combined with the simplified MTR interface has allowed them to be up and recording within minutes.

The LRX2 utilises a standard PC Laptop with a USB2 interface. A second external drive may be simply attached, via USB2 or Firewire, to mirror recordings and provide a simultaneous safety copy. An added benefit is that a video stream may be simultaneously captured for playback or ADR whilst the actors are still on set.

Speaking of the new development, SADiE Sales & Marketing Director Geoff Calver commented, "The LRX concept has been widely adopted by industry professionals who have recognised its ability to provide a compact and effective portable multitrack recording and editing solution. SADiE users have been just as enthusiastic in adopting the LRX for location multitrack music recording as leading independent sound recordists such as Simon Bishop who are using it for capturing original soundtracks for film and television productions. Following extensive customer feedback we identified the need for a version of the LRX that would support the maximum track count that the design could accommodate - hence the LRX2. The LRX2 will replace the current LRX and there will be a program of customer upgrades for those wishing to take advantage of the extended capabilities of the new machine".

www.sadie.com

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