Audio conversion for the 21st century

Forming part of the manufacturer’s Dream A/D and D/A converter range, Prism Sound has created the ADA-128 to complement the existing products and bring flexibility, functionality and cost effectiveness to the professional audio market, without any compromise in sound quality.

Mark Evans, Prism Sound’s sales director, explained: “This is the first product of a new generation of Prism Sound converters and we are confident that it will be well received by audio professionals across many different disciplines, including music recording, postproduction, broadcast and installation. It builds on everything that is great about Prism Sound conversion but takes it to a new level in terms of power and flexibility. It is also a very cost-effective solution for people who require a high channel count.”

Designed as both a conversion system and a high-performance, networkable audio distribution and processing system, the ADA-128 is built around a flexible 2U mainframe that can be fitted with up to 16 analogue and digital I/O modules (each of which nominally provides eight input or output ports, or both). Up to four Host modules provide bidirectional multichannel connections to host computers, workstations and networks. The ADA-128 provides free routing between all of these inputs and outputs under detailed user control, as well as a wide range of processing functions.

“The ADA-128 has a host of exciting features, including low-jitter master clocks, flexible routing and synchronisation options, and a comprehensive store system for fast-access factory and user presets,” Evans added. “However, one of its key benefits is the ability to independently synchronise the I/O cards to create four different domains, each with its own sample rate and clock. This level of flexibility will appeal to facilities with more than one control room, as well as projects requiring a large amount of I/O.”

The inspiration for the ADA-128 originally came from discussions between Prism Sound’s managing director Jody Thorne and The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, a faculty of Birmingham City University.

“The Conservatoire were looking for high-quality converters and knew Prism Sound’s reputation in this area, which is why they approached us,” said Thorne. “Our discussions identified the need for a high-channel-count conversion system that could be networked across their entire facility. As this didn’t exist, we set about designing it and that project formed the basis of the ADA-128. This has now gone beyond their original specifications and we have ended up with a product that is absolutely perfect for many more customers in the installation market.”