The AudioTrix 3D-XG, by MediaTrix Peripherals of Quebec, is billed as a “professional sound card for the computer musician” and it generally fits the description. However, I looked for a sound card that consistently delivered excellent audio from a variety of electronic sources through good quality bookshelf speakers (non-computer, non-amplified). I didn’t expect concert ha ll quality, but sound for the discerning listener. This card meets all my expectations, and then some.
For instance, most sound cards are based on one or the other Yamaha chips and this card is no different, except that it goes considerably further and includes three DSPs (special chips that perform specific functions very efficiently). An extensive and m uch larger “wave table” capability is added to dramatically increase the range of voices, instruments, and effects that can be produced (16-bit full-duplex audio). This is the first board that I have seen using Yamaha’s newest XG MIDI technology. This si mply means that the increased level of features improves the output - not just MIDI, but other types of audio as well. This capability is enhanced by a four megabyte on-board ROM. “Synthetic” sounds are produced electrically by “sampling” the actual soun d, voice, or instrument. The more frequent the sampling the better the quality and the more realistic the sound. Added to this is that the variety of instruments is four to twenty times a typical sound board in this price range.
The three DSP chips (or effects processors as technical folk call them) not only improve the quality of the audio output, but provide the professional musician with a number of tools to record, remix, and blend original or existing music. As an example of how quality can be affected by a card’s “wavetable synthesis”, consider the average sound card contains about 100 instruments, while this card has more than 675, plus 21 drum-kits and more than 60 different effects, such as reverb, chorus, and remix.
Now are you going to use all of these? I’m not. At least not directly, but most of the capabilities are automatically employed to enhance the sound output. That’s what interests me and what I expect. As audio is becoming more common in all sorts of compu ter activities from web sites to presentations and training, sound becomes more central to computer productivity.
Yes, but what about us musicians? I’ve pointed to several features that you can use and I can listen to.
Setup consisted of inserting the floppy to load the driver and inserting the CD to load the applications software. That’s it, but carefully note the bottom of the “Quick Start” card if you want to play MIDI files. NOTE: This is the only time I called tec h support. They answered within one minute and in two more I was saying goodbye with all three questions answered. The CD software comes in three languages, and will work on everything from Windows 3.1 to UNIX, including OS/2, NT 3.5-5.0, Windows 95 and OSR2 + Windows 98 (beta). Such currency impressed me. GAMERS: the DOS software is included.
Yes, but what about us musicians? I’ve pointed to several features that you can use and I can listen to. There are several software packages and most are limited in some way, which is not unusual. For the “pro musician” and the casual, adventuresome amat eur there is Cakewalk 5, a version prior to the current Cakewalk Pro Audio 6. This 5.0 version has extensive features to produce music and modify both what you create or whatever music/audio you bring into it. I tried it out using simpler tools such as changing the “reverb” rat e, pitch, and chorus. It performed well, although I can tell I shouldn’t quit my day job! I was impressed with its ability to convert from audio to MIDI, since MIDI is considered a better quality sound file. There’s more, but go to Cakewalk’s web site fo r more complete info. There are three other programs for the pro: Cool Edit Pro LE (limited edition), which is well integrated into Cakewalk and is basically a sophisticated “mixer” in a very broad sense - 64 tracks plus a wide variety of special effects; and XG Edit, which is a comprehensive files editor. Now what did I use? There is a beautiful Wind Chimes which is a shareware program you can program with several features including type of chime (define chime in a very broad sense) with a variety of instruments and pacing. It is now my sort of “audio wallpaper”. For fun try the Hotz Trax Composer. It is a serious program, but that didn’t preclude my having fun with it. Take most any music and change its characteristics. With a street price of about $245, this card is more than competitive with other sound cards. What’s not to like? There are sev eral areas I think could be improved. I understand why the six ancillary programs are not automatically installed, even though they have individual install icons, but there must be a simpler approach - maybe a menu with choices? The sound quality is exce llent, no doubt. However, using a sound generator, the unamp’d line output was more uneven than I would have expected. That is, there was more than a 3db difference between the sound at 100 cycles and at 16K cycles and the line was not as linear as my ear would have suggested. For most users, this is a moot point. For the professional musician, I don’t know. Having used this card for a while, would I recommend it to a friend? Yes.
Dewayne Dickey is a HAL-PC member and audio enthusiast. He is VP for Operations at Bertek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and.
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