London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios has received four NTP DAD AX24 units. The AX24 is an eight-channel, ultra-high-quality, analog-to-digital/digital-to-analog (AD/DA) audio signal converter. The four units will be deployed during recording sessions as microphone preamplifiers and analog-to-MADI interfaces. All will be operated in conjunction with Abbey Road's Pyramix DAWs, with two units also enabled for work with Avid Pro Tools. The four AX24 signal converters, as well as the DAWs, were supplied via NTP Technology's UK distributor, eMerging.
"The AX24 units have been purchased primarily for use by our mobile recording unit," said Simon Kiln, Abbey Road’s head of editing. "They give us the benefit of exceptionally low-noise analog signal preamplification.” Additional factors include fast implementation in remote locations. Kiln notes that the 32 channels of conversion from the AX24s now allow up to 32 mics (enough for a medium-sized orchestra) to be routed to the control room via just two cables. Each preamp channel can be adjusted remotely via laptop PC or digital audio workstation in the control room.
Celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2010, Abbey Road Studios continues to be an in-demand, cutting-edge recording facility known for maintaining the highest quality in audio standards. "The DAD AX24 has the quietest front-end amplifier we have ever tried," said Arne Akselberg, Abbey Road senior classical engineer. "Comparing the AX24 with other brands, the difference was astonishing, and it is one of the few such devices that sounds really good at 96kHz."
Designed for high-quality music recording as well as mastering and monitoring in DSD, the NTP DAD AX24 offers A/D and D/A conversion in PCM at up to 384kHz sampling rate, DSD at 64 frame/s or 128 frame/s, and 352.8kHz DXD. The optional microphone preamplifier incorporates analog gain control in 3dB steps as well as digital gain control with .25dB precision. Dynamic range is between 118dB and 121dB. The preamplifier's equivalent noise floor is -130dB.
See NTP Technology at IBC Stand 8.B51.