Digidesign Announces 1622 I/O Interface

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September 25, 1999 -- Digidesign's vision of truly integrated mixing and flexible I/O routing moves forward today with the release of the new 1622 I/O audio interface. Combined with Digidesign's other audio interfaces, users now have a broad range of connectivity options that allow them to integrate their external audio/MIDI gear into the Pro Tools mix environment.

The 1622 I/O offers 16 high-quality adjustable gain inputs and 2 outputs in a single 1U rack unit. It's a great solution for adding synthesizers or external effects units into Pro Tools for recording, processing and mixing. Coupled with the speed and ease of use of software-controlled audio routing within Pro Tools, the 1622 I/O, in addition to Digidesign's other audio interfaces, comprise an extremely flexible studio work environment.

The 16 discrete analog inputs of the 1622 I/O use 1/4" TRS jacks, and employ software-controlled gain for each of the 16 balanced inputs, that allow a user to trim individual inputs to suit differing audio output levels of external gear. The input gain settings for each 1622 I/O that exists in a studio are stored in the unit itself. This allows users to calibrate their gear once and use the Pro Tools mixer to instantly route any piece of connected gear to any Pro Tools track, without the need to recalibrate. Input gain settings are retained even when the unit is power-cycled.

The 1622 I/O unit is a full width, 1U rack space interface that includes 16 analog inputs, 2 analog outputs, two-channel S/PDIF input/output connectors, a 60-pin peripheral cable connector, and slave clock input/output connections. The analog outputs are software switchable between +4 dBu and -10 dBV operating levels and the S/PDIF port is a two-channel digital port capable of 24-bit resolution. The front of the interface features LEDs to indicate input and output metering on all I/O channels, clock mode, channel input formats, and sync mode.

Specific features of the 1622 I/O are:

16 channels of high quality A/D converters on a single interface
Software-controlled gain on all inputs; outputs switchable between +4 dBu /-10 dBV
Two-channel high quality D/A converters
Two-channel S/PDIF port 24-bit capable
Support for balanced/unbalanced connections (1/4" TRS connectors)

The 1622 I/O is available mid-November at the MSRP of $1,595 (U.S.) from authorized Digidesign dealers worldwide.

For more information, visit Digidesign at www.digidesign.com.