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new recorders from KORG


Jeff Wexler

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http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?A_PROD_NO=MR__Series

It looks like KORG is coming out with some new semi-Pro recorders that feature 1-bit recording. I would love someone to explain 1-bit technology to me, again, since I really don't understand it so well. We always think in terms of 16-bit, 24-bit etc., and I'm sure "1-bit" technology has a PR problem since it is a very low number, so what's it all about?

-  Jeff Wexler

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i can't explain 1-bit recording, but i can tell you that i was looking into these recorders last week.  just fyi, it turns out they both can also do 16 and 24 bit recording too.

the other thing that i found out that is severly dissapointing (unless i read wrong) is that the smaller recorder of the two is auto-level only.  you can't manually set the recording level. kind of strange for a box that will cost about 700 to 800 at the store!

-greg-

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Hello Jeff,

1-bit but at a really really high sample rate.

Of course all the 24 bit AD converters are actually delta-sigma AD converters which are also low-bit (some 1-bit even) internally. Delta-sigma AD converters use high sample rate, dithering and averaging to get the actual 24-bit sample.

The only problem I see with 1-bit converters is that the rise time of large transients is a little bit slow, depending on the sample rate, but I guess the same happens on modern 24bit AD converters as well.

Cheers,

  Take

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Just what we need in today's complex workflow. Another Monkey Wrench....

1 Bit recorders were created as a marketing tool to avoid payment of royalties to Sony Phillips over the PCM format used in CD's.  It uses (according to my calculations) about 42 Megabytes per minute per channel of data storage.  Plus it can't be used in it's native format in any digital mixing or DSP based digital filtration software or hardware. It must be decimated and converted to PCM before any manipulation is done so what is the point?  Future Proofing audio?  are they expecting the human race to evolve in the future to be able to hear frequencies above 17khz and below 20 Hz? or be able to hear over a dynamic range of 140 db?  I personally think we humans are heading in the Other direction thanks to exposure to iPods and Rock and Roll....

---Courtney

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Hi,

I don't know if this is a bad place to go. It does make sample technology simpler. Basically you don't have bit-depths anymore. You only have a sample rate.

Increasing the sample rate both increases the maximum frequency as well as dynamic range.

Although you exchange dynamic range with the maximum frequency, you can handle 1.4 Mhz, but at a very low audio level, higher audio levels can only be encoded for lower (audible) frequencies.

The storage requirements are not that bad either.

96 kHz, 24 bit = 2.3 Mbit/second

192 kHz, 24 bit = 4.6 Mbit/second

2.8 MHz, 1 bit = 2.8 Mbit/second

5.6 MHz, 1 bit - 5.6 Mbit/second

It also opens up a lot of new possibilities in audio processing, right now you have to convert it to PCM and back, this not have to be like this in the future though.

Royalties for PCM? The patents for PCM where granted in 1943. Although the CD format does add some sub channels with metadata which may have been patented (which would make the patent invalid as in the '80s you couldn't patent data formats) by Sony Philips, this is not necessary to use PCM.

Cheers,

    Take

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