Specifications
CARILLON
19˝ Rackmount Case Design
A PC fully loaded for audio can weigh as much as 50 lbs -
heavier than most studio power amps.The design of a 19˝ rack
mount enclosure to safely support this type of load, and
accommodate requirements for a high level of access and
connectivity, presents several unique challenges.
Carillon uses a box (case) that is over- engineered from high
grade aluminum and 2mm 14-gauge steel to provide an
incredibly strong and totally rigid housing.A full 4U height
contributes to a particularly well cooled, spacious interior with
generous capacity for retro-fit components. The massive front
panel is precision die cast in ADC 12/LM2 aluminum alloy by
10,000psi high pressure casting machines.This method is far
more costly than regular gravity die casting but delivers a
stronger, more consistent material, cast to much closer tolerances.
But the Carillon Audio Computer is equally at home on the
desktop largely due to specially designed, removable Sorbothane
feet. If you do prefer this arrangement, it’s worth noting that the
fourteen gauge cover supports a conventional 17˝ monitor
effortlessly. And nowhere is this heavy duty approach more
appropriate than on the road—making these computers ideal for
live and mobile recording use.
Internal layout is clean & spacious and the full-size ATX
motherboards have six PCI slots and four USB ports for
maximum expandability. Carillon uses Intel Pentium processors
exclusively to consistently deliver the floating-point performance
necessary for DSP intensive multitrack digital audio.
Front Panel
With software equivalents of most music technology hardware now available,
‘software only’ production is reality for a small but growing number of
producers.But real controls are fast and fun so Carillon includes a bay to
receive a variety of inexpensive optional control boards like ‘tape’transport
buttons, MIDI controller knobs and a jog-shuttle edit controller. The bay is
user accessible by way of stainless steel hex bolts used to fix the main bezel.
High temperatures in some fully loaded enclosed racks, particularly live
racks stacked with power amps, necessitate the intake of cooler air through
the front panel.The intake features an easily replaceable filter.
There is a standard Neutrik bay housing the highest quality audio socket
routed through to the computer’s back panel. It can be permanently
connected to the soundcard which often employs fiddly consumer grade
connectors intended for infrequent ‘install and leave’use. Alternatively, you
can use it for a stereo headphone output.
In addition to three 5
1
⁄4˝ bays, the Pentium 4 compatible chassis can
accommodate a further two drives mounted transversely inside the
machine, both in noise cancelling Silent Drive enclosures.
COMPUTER HARDWARE
872
www.bhphotovideo.com
PHOTO - VIDEO - PRO AUDIO
Audio Computer
When today’s computers are on the drawing board, audio professionals are
somewhere between the bottom and nowhere on the designer’s list of target
users. Working from the outside in, the average PC case does little more than
keep the dog out. Covers and plastic front panels are wafer thin and employ
clips rather than fasteners wherever possible, so as well as offering minimal
sound insulation they also rattle like a snare drum when you monitor anything
below 500Hz. They’re also not designed to travel, so if you use a computer for
audio, chances are you pretty much accept being tied to your own studio.
On the other hand, the sophisticated manipulation of audio is one of the
toughest jobs you could throw at a computer. Accurate timing and synchro-
nization rely heavily on highly stable processing, and one minute of one track
of full bandwidth audio soaks up the same amount of memory as the text of ten novels. But the unremitting pressure to
lower the price of consumer PCs frequently means manufacturers resort to the cheapest available components. From simple
things like switches, down to boards, drives and even memory. And with the emphasis on straightforward ‘office’ applications
and web browsing, expandability and future proofing are also low on the list of priorities. Spare motherboard slots for example
and bays for additional internal and removable storage, are frequently in short supply or absent altogether. . .
Welcome to the AC1 Audio Computer
AC-1