Photo: Mike Cameron
As well as bringing 192kHz capability to the project-studio market, ESI Pro's new range of soundcards also features revolutionary drivers which allow the user new freedom to route audio between applications.
Most musicians now appreciate the benefits of 24-bit recording, particularly in dealing with live performances when levels can't always be predicted. Many of these musicians have already embraced 96kHz sample rates, claiming cleaner and more realistic transients with drums and percussion, and a more natural top end in all acoustic recordings.
However, technology marches on, and there are now converters capable to being used at sample rates as high as 192kHz. I've already tried these out in the Lynx Two (in SOS March 2002), but not every musician will be able to afford its £1000 price tag, even to attain the impressive 115dBA dynamic range. For those with a tighter budget, ESI Pro (a division of Ego Systems) have been quick off the mark with the four models in their new 192 range, each capable of 192kHz operation.
The WaMi Rack 192X is the flagship model reviewed here. It offers four mic/line inputs and eight analogue outputs plus a headphone output, along with co-axial S/PDIF digital I/O and a single MIDI In and Out. Both the A-D and D-A converters and the digital I/O support 24-bit audio at up to 192kHz. The WaMi Rack 192L is very similar to the 'X' model, with the same 24-bit/192kHz D-A converters, but its A-D converters are only capable of 24-bit/96kHz operation. The Waveterminal 192X and 192L, however, are completely different products, with a two-in/six-out format, no rackmount interface, and a single Toslink optical output. Again, the 'X' version offers 192kHz A-D and D-A conversion, while the 'L' model's A-Ds only go up to 96kHz. A backplate with optical input and MIDI In and Out is an optional extra for these two.
With all four models offering at least six audio outputs, it's not surprising that the 192 range is designed with DVD Audio production in mind. The cards support Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1, DTS ES 6.1 and 7.1 surround formats, and when used with a software decoder like WinDVD Player can "transform your PC into a full-blown 5.1 home theatre system", should you wish them to do so.
Overview
The bulk of the 192X I/O socketry is housed in a smart blue-grey, silver and black 1U rackmount case, shown above. On the front panel are two pairs of XLR mic inputs, each pair with a common +48 Volt phantom power button. The older WaMi Rack 24 provided only +12 Volt phantom power, despite having its own mains power supply, but with the WaMi Rack 192X, ESI have managed the full +48 Volts powered solely from the computer.
Each input pair also has a Mic button, which when released disconnects the front-panel sockets in favour of the rear-panel TRS-wired line-level inputs. However, the four input level knobs are active in both mic and line modes, and provide a 20dB gain range. The front panel is completed by a red LED power indicator, and a stereo headphone output with its own level control.
The rear panel is also straightforward. Apart from the four line inputs just mentioned, there are eight TRS-wired analogue output sockets, a pair of XLR sockets duplicating outputs 1 and 2 for monitoring purposes, MIDI In and Out, and the D-sub connector to connect the breakout box to the PCI soundcard.
Photo: Mike CameronThe card itself is a simple affair, with backplate connections for the umbilical and a pair of phono sockets for the co-axial digital in and out. There are also Sync In and Sync Out headers on the card itself, which are used to lock up to four cards together internally, and a suitable Sync cable is also supplied. At five metres, the 192X's umbilical cable is also at least double the length of any I've encountered, which will endear it to anyone who wants their noisy PC well away from their audio rack.
Drivers
The ESI E-WDM drivers provide some unique features (see 'E-WDM' box), and support Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 and XP. The drivers themselves comprise just six files totalling 616k, but install in a somewhat different way to those of most other soundcards. Instead of giving a single 'New Hardware Found' message, my PC found a total of eight new devices — the WaMi Rack 192 E-WDM Controller, followed by Wave-1 through to Wave-6 and finally MIDI. Just leave your PC to its own devices, and it will find them all and install each one in turn.
Device Manager also displays the 192X as eight devices, but inside music applications you'll find six audio devices, which appear as analogue outputs 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8, S/PDIF-AC3, and Multi-10 ch. The latter is for surround sound, and provides access to all 10 outputs within one driver. Exactly the same six devices appear as inputs, although inputs 5 to 8 don't actually exist except when using the special DirectWire features (more details in the box, below).