Lexicon PCM96

Lexicon PCM96 | Reviews
87
they have used it to very good effect
here. It does what I would expect of it
and has some great new additions, such
as an infinite reverb, which allows you
to trap the ‘tail’ of the reverb, holding a
chord or making a drone, from any
sound. There are all the old classics
such as the Concert Hall and Room
simulations, and even the Resonant
Chord algorithm, which is hours of fun.
As for the control surface, I
personally hate multi-function buttons
and scrolling through hoards of
parameters and despite having used
them for 24 years, I still don’t really get
on with them. I prefer the big remotes
that Lexicon built for the 480L etc, that
put a lot more parameters directly under
your fingers. The fact that I can cope
with using a PCM96 in this way says a
lot for the sensible way that Lexicon
devise their onboard navigation software
and their control layouts. Also, the three
smaller knobs marked A, B and C give
you direct control of the three
parameters displayed on the screen,
taking old blokes like me away from the
horrors of single knob operation.
There was a time when that would
have been the end of the review, but we
live in an age when being a simple bit
of hardware is no longer enough, we
need ‘added value’. Those FireWire and
Ethernet ports loitering with intent on
the back of the unit provide just that.
Software-centric
The PCM96 comes with a CD
containing software, which allows you to
control the unit remotely from your DAW
and stream audio through it via
FireWire, giving you external DSP that
provides reverb. This is a great idea,
especially if you mix in the box, as I
often do, and find that reverbs can be
very processor heavy. However,
remember that being an external unit
you only get two installs for any given
session as it is an external device and
isn’t simply loading into memory.
Installing the software was, if not a
nightmare, then pretty close to one. It
strikes me that Lexicon didn’t pay
enough attention to this side of things
as, even though I upgraded my system
to the latest versions of Logic and OS, it
didn’t work. I had to upgrade the
firmware in the PCM96 itself and then
re-install the software twice before it
finally worked. The documentation was
bad and if it weren’t for the very helpful
Sam at UK distributor Harman, I’d
probably be scratching my head still.
Now, if I’m having trouble doing that
(and I’m supposed to be an expert) it
could be pretty difficult for anyone else.
So, slapped wrists and a little time on
the naughty step
for somebody. At
this price we
expect better!
That said, once
we got it going it
works exactly as it
should. In Logic I
need to run the
system with the maximum I/O buffer of
1024 as with any lesser setting the
latency is very big, so using it as a
monitor reverb when overdubbing is
nigh-on impossible, unless your name is
Spector or you’re making the Ronettes
comeback single.
Digital stream
Now, the beauty of running this
machine from your DAW is that you get
the software equivalent of the Lexicon
LARC which makes it even simpler to
program. There are two ways of using it
in this mode, as a plug-in or as a
controller for the analogue version. That
means that even if you are using it
analogue through a console you can still
control it via the Ethernet port
like a plug-in, with all the
advantages of
SPECS
I/Os: Two analogue inputs
and outputs on XLR’s, AES
Digital In and Out on XLR’s,
two Ethernet ports, two
FireWire 400 ports, IEC
mains, word clock input on
BNC, compact flash Memory
card slot.
Sample rates supported:
44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz
and 96kHz.
System Requirements:
when used as a streaming
plug-in either in Audio unit
or RTAS formats. At the
present moment this is
Mac only:
PPC G5 1.8GHz or any Intel,
OS X 10.4.9, Standard
10/100 Ethernet, Firewire
400 (800 works with
adapter), 1GB ram, 150MB
free HD space, CD drive,
ProTools LE 7.3.1 and
higher, ProTools HD 7.3
and higher or Logic 8.0
and higher
Size:
483 x 318 x 45mm
Weight:
3.93kg
There are the classics such as the
Concert Hall and Room, and even
the Resonant Chord algorithm
FMU206.rev_lexicon 87 12/9/08 2:35:7 pm