Audio Card

Feb 1, 2001 12:00 PM, ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN STAFF

           
 

Digigram VXPocket Using a notebook computer as a digital audio workstation has long been a dream for virtually all musicians who want to travel with their studio. Unfortunately, this dream has been deferred due to a shortage of I/O options. Digigram's easily installable VXpocket PC (PCMCIA) card changes all that for owners of Macintosh and Windows notebook computers, offering 16- or 24-bit, full-duplex, stereo recording capability at up to 48 kHz.

The VXpocket doesn't require a bulky breakout box: its I/O is on a 15-pin connector that attaches to the card. Its analog inputs and outputs are on two pairs of balanced XLR jacks, and S/PDIF I/O is on RCA coax connectors. A handy mixer applet allows you to adjust the overall gain as well as switch between line and microphone levels. The card ships with Sound Manager and ASIO drivers for the Mac and with Wave and ASIO drivers for Windows. Installing the card and its drivers proved a breeze, and our reviewer was recording in a mere two minutes. Recording a CD through the Vxpocket's analog inputs at 24-bit resolution yielded quiet and uncolored digital audio that was virtually indistinguishable from the source material.

If you have been longing to convert your laptop computer into a digital audio workstation, Digigram's VXpocket is a convenient and elegant way to do it.