Graham-Patten Systems has introduced the Sonarae, the latest addition to its line of digital audio products for the video industry. Sonarae is an audio monitoring system designed for nonlinear editing system operators who, as a part of the nonlinear editing process, monitor the audio associated with a video edit session.
Sonarae offers an input mode selector for up to eight AES/EBU data streams or 16 individual audio channels, which allows the user to switch from the main AES/EBU inputs to STEM recorder preview inputs or to an external tone generator. A set-up, learn and clear function, along with 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1 surround-sound stereo mix-down selectors, allows the operator to store custom stereo mix-down formats that are available for recall at any time.
Options for monitoring include a master speaker level with two dim settings and a mute switch and a headphone amplifier with separate level control. The system provides outputs of pre- and post-level AES/EBU audio in addition to optional pre- and post-level analog audio. Operator-selectable delay, adjustable from zero to 9.5 video frames in half-frame steps, is built into the unit to allow for picture monitor latency compensation.
Len Dole, president of parent company ISIS, performed the needs analysis and concept design for Sonarae. "I didn't begin this project with an audio monitor in mind. I was gathering user requirements for our next-generation digital edit suite audio mixer. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that audio engineers wanted something completely different. They need to monitor audio. NLE post-production operations have been cobbling together workarounds for years. Sonarae brings elegance to the edit suite. It has one purpose: It lets the operator listen to the audio without distortion and without changing it in the process."
ISIS will offer hands-on demos of the Graham-Patten Sonarae in booth N1302 at NAB2008 in Las Vegas.
For more information, visit www.gpsys.com.
