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RME HDSP Cardbus Overview
In the year
2001 RME started a revolution in mobile audio recording: the HDSP System,
consisting of a CardBus card (or PCI card / PCI Express card) plus an external
I/O-box has been the world's first audio system, operating at both desktop and
laptop. And the world's first professional multitrack system for notebooks at
all.
In the year
2005 we are proud to look back and conclude: the HDSP system has become a true
'industry standard'. Thanks to continuing firmware and driver updates it stayed
a cutting-edge product, still offers un-beaten performance, and still enjoys
great popularity among the users.
PCI and
CardBus have not been surpassed by any other interface technology for
professional audio - no other solution can keep up regarding low Latency and lowest CPU load. Also
in regards of competition RME's HDSP system is still unsurpassed after 4 years.
No other manufacturer offers such a flexible,
robust, performing and expandable
solution.
RME HDSP Cardbus Interface
For the
Hammerfall DSP I/O-boxes Digiface, Multiface and RPM, RME have developed a
world-exclusive PCMCIA type II card in Zero wait state CardBus Busmaster
technology. With up to 130 MB/s transfer rate in both directions the same basic
performance is provided on a notebook as a PCI card would offer on a desktop
computer. Additionally the card offers highest compatibility by being 100% Plug
& Play compatible under Windows and Mac OS, and being able to share
interrupts. The card itself will only use one interrupt (IRQ) for all functions
(audio/MIDI.)
The
connection between CardBus card and I/O-box is established using ordinary
FireWire cable (6-pin IEEE 1394a). The data transfer does not use FireWire
protocol, but a proprietary bus protocol by RME. The supplied cable has a
length of 4 m (12 ft.). The CardBus card does not provide power to the attached
I/O-box. Therefore a compact and light-weight hi-tech switch-mode power supply
is included.
The CardBus
shown above ships since mid 2005. In case two HDSP CardBus shall be used in one
laptop, the lower card must be a flat version, which is also available. It uses
a special cable (15-pin Closed LAN to 6-pin IEEE1394a, included), with a length
of 4 meters (12 ft.). The flat card is 100% identical and compatible, but does
not offer the Secure BIOS technology of the upper version.
RME HDSP Cardbus Tech Specifications
- PCMCIA type
II, 32 bit CardBus card
- Zero wait
state PCI Busmaster interface (130 MB/s transfer rate in both directions)
- Secure BIOS
Technology: card stays fully functional even when the flash process fails
- Output:
IEEE 1394 connector, RPM bus protocol
- Package
contents: PCMCIA type II card, cable 4 meter (12 ft) (IEEE 1394),
switch-mode power supply 100 V-240 V/12 V - 1.25 A, car cable, battery cable
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RME Products Review / See
All ZenPro Audio Reviews Here: Review Page
I have used RME PCI cards and
breakout boxes and converters over the years, and have never seen an issue with
reliability or stability. Overall I think the most stable PC drivers in the
industry would have to have RME among them: I mean this stuff just works…and
works…and works. As Vince from Sham-Wow says, “you know the Germans make good
stuff”. In this case I would certainly say it is proven true.
Digital connectivity is never easier
than choosing the right RME product, from ADAT to SPDIF to AES to TOSLINK to
MADI to Wordclock, they really have it all. Latency is virtually non-existent
thanks to ultra low latency drivers and on board DSP power that takes the load
off your computer. “Totalmix”, RME’s internal routing matrix is INCREDIBLE. It
took me a while to wrap my brain around it but once I did, I realized I can
send anything anywhere at anytime with no noticeable latency at all. Multiple
headphone mixes and splits? No problem, RME is on it with Totalmix.
The “Steadyclock” wordclock
technology is also just awesome stuff. I have witnessed this clock snap those 1’s
and 0’s in line on many a device and it always made an improvement when it was
the master. Many RME devices have Steadyclock as standard, it can make a real
difference. The A/D and D/A conversion of RME is clean and neutral for the most
part, not huge or small or anywhere in between, but pretty true to the source
overall. An RME converter will never get in the way of a good recording.
Conclusion: No matter the connection
you need to make, RME has it covered. My personal experience has been glitch
free and for that reason I am proud to be an authorized RME dealer.
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