Marian Marc X 24/96 Audio MIDI Interface

Full Description

The basic outfit can be extended with one optional extender. Currently, there are two options The Extender ANX expands the system by two additional analog stereo I/Os. The Extender DGX provides two AES/EBU I/Os with sample rate converters. This makes the marc X an audio system with all in all 16 physical inputs and outputs.

The marc X is equipped with a 32 channel digital mixer. It operates directly within the hardware of the marc x using the fastest and most flexible DSP functions allowing latency-free mixing of all input and playback channels to 3 different stereo sums. That way, in a breeze, perfect monitor mixes can be set up and played back on any output of the marc x. Besides, every available audio signal may be monitored directly and latency-free to any physical output.

The optical appearance of the mixer is configurable all I/Os and many mixer sections can either be shown or hid. All audio and layout settings can be saved and recalled from session files. Thereby the marc X has a total recall function, known from digital mixing consoles. If no optional extender is connected, the mixer provides, besides the 12 physical outputs, 2 virtual stereo outputs, which appear as full size audio devices in any software and which can be used for special mixing purposes.

Analog: Two analog in and two analog outputs in full duplex architecture in connection with sound optimized circuit design provide professional audio specifications. A/D and D/A converters of the renowned manufacturer AKM, as well as the complete hard- and software architecture are design for 24bit/96 kHz operation.

The analog I/Os are lead outside via 6,3mm stereo TRS jacks. The outputs are low impedance and are therefore also headphone usable. An additional analog connector for the internal CD-ROM drive is located on the PCI card and can be used as alternative input in the DSP mixer.

The THD ranges a 104 dB(A) on the A/D and a 110 db(A) on the D/A side. Software controlled input amplifiers allow incoming signals to be boosted by +18 dB or cut by 40 dB. All input channels can be routed directly to any output also on multiple installed audio systems of the same type. The monitoring modes on-punch and on-rec are supported by all input channels.

Digital: The card provides an optical stereo input in TOS-/Link format, operating in S/PDIF format with up to 24bit and 96 kHz. This way high quality converters or signal processors can transmit data without quality-loss caused by dithering or resampling. At the same time there is a 2-pol digital input on the card which can be fed with e.g. the signal of a CD-ROM drive.

8 Channel ADAT I/O The optical digital connectors can alternatively be operated in regular ADAT format. This way up to 8 channels with 24 Bit and 48kHz can be transmitted back and forth the system.

Wordclock The Marc X carries a wordclock/superclock input and output (BNC) on the slot card. The Marc X can be operated either as clock master using the wordclock/superclock output or receive the clock from the wordclock input or any other digital input.

Two MIDI I/Os The equipment is completed by two MIDI in and outputs (DIN connector), lead outside with a labelled breakout cable.

Multi-card-operation/cascading

The Marc X is capable of easily being cascaded to other marian audio systems. It only needs a flatband SyncBus cable. This way up to four members of the marc-series can be combined to a very affordable multi-channel system, in which only one single driver manages controlling all parameters of the same marc-type. In connection with the syncbus it takes care for perfect synchronisation of all individual systems and makes all marc systems available to one ASIO-software application.

• 1 x stereo analog I/O (24/96)
• 1 x stereo S/PDIF I/O (opt., RCA)
• 1 x ADAT I/O (24/48)
• internal CD Input (analog/digital)
• 2 x MIDI I/O
• 1 x Wordclock/Superclock I/O
• Marc X Extender port

• Short PCI- + slot card:
• 32-bit 33MHz, 5V
• Sample formats: 8, 16, 20, 24, 32 Bit Mono/Stereo
• Sample rates Analog: 8-96 kHz +/-15% Pitch
• Sample rates Digital: 32-96 kHz +/-15% Pitch
• Sample rates ADAT: 36 - 52 kHz
• Frequency Response @ 44,1 kHz:
  • 20 Hz to 20 kHz
• Frequency Response @ 96 kHz:
  • 20 Hz to 40 kHz
• Maximum input/output Level: +8 dBu
• min. output gain: -90 dB
• SNR AD @ 44.1 kHz: 104 dB(A)
• SNR DA @ 44.1 kHz: 110 dB(A)
• THD+N AD @ -0,5 dbFS: 0,003%
• THD+N DA @ 0 dbFS: 0,002%

Driver suite

*Windows VISTA, XP, 2000, 2003: * MME, ASIO 2.0, DirectSound, GSIF, WDM (Kernel streaming) * Windows 95, 98, ME: * MME, ASIO 2.0, DirectSound, GSIF