Roland Systems Group has announced that its new R-1000 48-track recorder/player is now shipping. The R-1000 is a standalone, dedicated recorder/player designed to work with the company’s V-Mixing System. Setup and control parameters of the R-1000 can be done directly from any V-Mixer or through the PC/Mac control utility (R-1000 RCS). The R-1000 can interface with any digital console with MADI output capabilities by using the Roland S-MADI REAC MADI Bridge.
The R-1000 can capture up to 48 channels of discrete audio as separate broadcast .WAV files ready to open in a DAW of choice. As a playback device, it can be used as a multichannel playout source, perfect for augmenting a live musical performance, theater production or amusement park/museum applications.
Two R-1000 units can be synched together for a 96-channel recorder/player,
or sync to video with SMPTE (LTC) or via black burst. All files are stored on the included 500GB removable hard disk drive (HDD). Material can also be transferred via USB to a connected drive.
Virtual rehearsals are now possible when the R-1000 is integrated with a Roland V-Mixer Digital Console. Not only does it become a powerful training tool, it can greatly reduce sound check and preproduction time. Setup and configuration can be done using the color LCD touch panel on the front panel, or with the PC/Mac Remote Control software via a USB connection.
The R-1000 is based on REAC (Roland Ethernet Audio Communication) and eliminates the bulk and noise susceptibility typically associated with analog snakes. Instead, it replaces it with Cat5/6 (Ethernet/LAN) cable. The R-1000 records superior audio by capturing the converted sound connected to the Roland Digital Snake Systems. Analog inputs and high-quality mic preamps are located close to the source where audio is immediately converted to 24-bit digital streams and sent over Ethernet. Using REAC, the pristine digital audio signal is transferred throughout the complete system path en route to the R-1000 hard drive and then back to any outputs and on to limitless split positions.
While designed for use with Roland’s V-Mixing System, the flexibility of the R-1000 suggests a variety of uses in both recording and playout modes.