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AlienHealth · 19th June 2008

Hi all,

I am speaking on behalf of A&H, and thought I’d come in and clear up some confusion around the ZED-R16. I was at the show at LIMS last week – good to meet you Jules.

Saudade -
“This one has 16(ch)+2(master) analog to FW, and additional 16 ADAT inputs switchable for a total 26 simultaneous streams in (and 26 outs) If I understand the initial specs listed on the website correctly”

First of all, let me draw attention to the software options on the ZED-R16 (straight from the upcoming user guide);

The number of digital channels and range of sample rate options are dependent on the configuration of ZED-R. There is a table of the I/O options available on the ZED-R16 in the User Guide, page 24.

http://www.allen-heath.com/zed/dl/AP7236_iss_1.pdf

The ADAT ins & outs go to the FireWire streaming controller device. They can then be selected by your application running on the computer connected to ZED-R16 via FireWire as inputs and outputs and sourced from or routed to using the application. In other words, when in FireWire mode (switch on the back) you have available 18 FireWire inputs & outputs which are hardware routed by the streaming controller, plus 8 ADAT ins & outs which can be routed to & from using the software application on the computer. Slightly differently, when in ADAT mode (switch on the back) the ADAT ins & outs are hardware routed to the channels 1 to 16. The FireWire channels are then disabled.

Whilst we are on this topic, the ZED has an entirely analogue channel signal path, apart from the necessary ADCs and DACs and MIDI to make this a recording mixer.

mothermix -
“I expect at least 2000€/$ for this unit...
But it seems really nice. And yes it's an analog mixer.
Am I right that only the black fader are motorized and can control the and be controlled by the Sequencer?”

The ZED-R16 does not have motorised faders – the black knobbed faders are part of the MIDI machine control section of the mixer, for controlling the sequencer. To include motorised faders would have added around £1000 to the price, which would have changed its market quite significantly. (Here in the UK, the RRP is £1819 inc. VAT. )

However, a fader pickup algorithm is written into the software to make the hardware and software integration as seamless as possible – no ‘stair-step’ jumps when you switch the audio away from the faders and they become MIDI controllers.

sirthought –
“…Could anyone comment on the sound of A&H preamps. I understand no one has heard this unit yet.”

The preamps are a design very similar to the large GL2800 and GL3800 live touring mixers. Of course, studio preamps have to be very quiet, and have great transparency. The preamps on the ZED-R16 are the quietest preamps we have ever designed, and have an even spread of gain throughout the pot travel.

Most mixer pre-amps use low noise transistors with a cross coupled gain control and feedback to one phase of the input signal from a differential amplifier following the transistor stage. This works fairly well giving good noise performance, but can suffer from high harmonic distortion, especially at mid to high gain. Designers try to mitigate this by using pairs of transistors to reduce loading and improve performance.

With ZED-R16, a symmetrical ultra linear circuit is used for the pre-amp, resulting in super-low distortion while maintaining low noise (-128.5dBu EIN), high CMRR, and quite frankly the most transparent and beautiful sounding pre-amp known to man – probably!)

“I hope it has motorized faders too. But if it doesn't, the fact that each of the faders can utilize midi control is still pretty powerful. Compared to something like the n12, where you basically have to mix everything live to two tracks, here you are still mixing live…”

Exactly! You can leave the DAW and mix in real time, with the faders passing audio back into the DAW. This way you can use the EQ on mix-down, insert points, and all of the creature comforts of re-entering the mixer like in the old days of tape returns (!). Or, you could record MIDI automation data into the sequencer with the faders.

sirthought -
“What is the driver situation?”

We supply customised drivers for Windows & Mac computers which are based on the standard device drivers from TC Applied Technologies. The advantage of using these is that they are based on driver software that has been tried and tested with other products in the industry using the same device.

“Why just a midi out? Why no midi in?
“Can one use virtual instruments and run those to the board?”

The ZED-R has no state indicators on the front panel which would be changed via MIDI into the device. Virtual instruments. The ZED-R16 could control virtual instrument parameters, but sending MIDI as a musical performance to a plug in instrument would be a little limited!

“Are there any DAW templates to simplify routing setup?”

A Sonar template exists; it would be easy to map other software to the ZED-R. Apart from the MIDI faders and sequencer transport, most users would want to configure the other machine controls themselves I would imagine. Given the wide choice of plug-ins and different sequencer layouts, this is down to individual taste.

“Why does the block diagram use the term "digital master"?”

Digital master L-R = 2 x ADCs (channels 17 and 18) derived from the L and R post fade. The block diagram shows the routing options.

“Where does the digital signal kick in?”

It depends what the routing buttons are set to, either pre-insert or post-EQ. Either way it is post gain.

“Is the EQ analog or digital?”

Analogue EQ section – 2 shelving EQs (HF and LF) and 2 fully parametric mid-bands.

“What is the support situation? I see no link for customer service or support on the A&H ZED site.”

The support is just the same as our other equipment, and that includes all ZED mixers. (http://www.allen-heath.com/uk/TechnicalSupport.asp)

tsvisser -
“…I'll even come down to Cornwall or wherever it is the factory is located to do some QC as long as it is not in the winter.”

Apparently it’s summer, but it's raining today, here in 'sunny Cornwall'... L
We’ll be happy to show you around our factory here if you’d like to come down!

19th June 2008	#23
AlienHealth Gear maniac Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Cornwall, UK Posts: 238	Hi all, I am speaking on behalf of A&H, and thought I’d come in and clear up some confusion around the ZED-R16. I was at the show at LIMS last week – good to meet you Jules. Saudade - “This one has 16(ch)+2(master) analog to FW, and additional 16 ADAT inputs switchable for a total 26 simultaneous streams in (and 26 outs) If I understand the initial specs listed on the website correctly” First of all, let me draw attention to the software options on the ZED-R16 (straight from the upcoming user guide); The number of digital channels and range of sample rate options are dependent on the configuration of ZED-R. There is a table of the I/O options available on the ZED-R16 in the User Guide, page 24. http://www.allen-heath.com/zed/dl/AP7236_iss_1.pdf The ADAT ins & outs go to the FireWire streaming controller device. They can then be selected by your application running on the computer connected to ZED-R16 via FireWire as inputs and outputs and sourced from or routed to using the application. In other words, when in FireWire mode (switch on the back) you have available 18 FireWire inputs & outputs which are hardware routed by the streaming controller, plus 8 ADAT ins & outs which can be routed to & from using the software application on the computer. Slightly differently, when in ADAT mode (switch on the back) the ADAT ins & outs are hardware routed to the channels 1 to 16. The FireWire channels are then disabled. Whilst we are on this topic, the ZED has an entirely analogue channel signal path, apart from the necessary ADCs and DACs and MIDI to make this a recording mixer. mothermix - “I expect at least 2000€/$ for this unit... But it seems really nice. And yes it's an analog mixer. Am I right that only the black fader are motorized and can control the and be controlled by the Sequencer?” The ZED-R16 does not have motorised faders – the black knobbed faders are part of the MIDI machine control section of the mixer, for controlling the sequencer. To include motorised faders would have added around £1000 to the price, which would have changed its market quite significantly. (Here in the UK, the RRP is £1819 inc. VAT. ) However, a fader pickup algorithm is written into the software to make the hardware and software integration as seamless as possible – no ‘stair-step’ jumps when you switch the audio away from the faders and they become MIDI controllers. sirthought – “…Could anyone comment on the sound of A&H preamps. I understand no one has heard this unit yet.” The preamps are a design very similar to the large GL2800 and GL3800 live touring mixers. Of course, studio preamps have to be very quiet, and have great transparency. The preamps on the ZED-R16 are the quietest preamps we have ever designed, and have an even spread of gain throughout the pot travel. Most mixer pre-amps use low noise transistors with a cross coupled gain control and feedback to one phase of the input signal from a differential amplifier following the transistor stage. This works fairly well giving good noise performance, but can suffer from high harmonic distortion, especially at mid to high gain. Designers try to mitigate this by using pairs of transistors to reduce loading and improve performance. With ZED-R16, a symmetrical ultra linear circuit is used for the pre-amp, resulting in super-low distortion while maintaining low noise (-128.5dBu EIN), high CMRR, and quite frankly the most transparent and beautiful sounding pre-amp known to man – probably!) “I hope it has motorized faders too. But if it doesn't, the fact that each of the faders can utilize midi control is still pretty powerful. Compared to something like the n12, where you basically have to mix everything live to two tracks, here you are still mixing live…” Exactly! You can leave the DAW and mix in real time, with the faders passing audio back into the DAW. This way you can use the EQ on mix-down, insert points, and all of the creature comforts of re-entering the mixer like in the old days of tape returns (!). Or, you could record MIDI automation data into the sequencer with the faders. sirthought - “What is the driver situation?” We supply customised drivers for Windows & Mac computers which are based on the standard device drivers from TC Applied Technologies. The advantage of using these is that they are based on driver software that has been tried and tested with other products in the industry using the same device. “Why just a midi out? Why no midi in? “Can one use virtual instruments and run those to the board?” The ZED-R has no state indicators on the front panel which would be changed via MIDI into the device. Virtual instruments. The ZED-R16 could control virtual instrument parameters, but sending MIDI as a musical performance to a plug in instrument would be a little limited! “Are there any DAW templates to simplify routing setup?” A Sonar template exists; it would be easy to map other software to the ZED-R. Apart from the MIDI faders and sequencer transport, most users would want to configure the other machine controls themselves I would imagine. Given the wide choice of plug-ins and different sequencer layouts, this is down to individual taste. “Why does the block diagram use the term "digital master"?” Digital master L-R = 2 x ADCs (channels 17 and 18) derived from the L and R post fade. The block diagram shows the routing options. “Where does the digital signal kick in?” It depends what the routing buttons are set to, either pre-insert or post-EQ. Either way it is post gain. “Is the EQ analog or digital?” Analogue EQ section – 2 shelving EQs (HF and LF) and 2 fully parametric mid-bands. “What is the support situation? I see no link for customer service or support on the A&H ZED site.” The support is just the same as our other equipment, and that includes all ZED mixers. (http://www.allen-heath.com/uk/TechnicalSupport.asp) tsvisser - “…I'll even come down to Cornwall or wherever it is the factory is located to do some QC as long as it is not in the winter.” Apparently it’s summer, but it's raining today, here in 'sunny Cornwall'... L We’ll be happy to show you around our factory here if you’d like to come down!