Alesis
MasterLink ML-9600 High-Resolution Master Disk Recorder
By
Roger Maycock
 After
a decade of mastering to DAT, many audio professionals would
agree that an alternative to the venerable format has been long
overdue. While CD recorders are extremely popular, the fact
that CD-RW discs are not Red Book audio-compatible severely
limits their usefulness. While you can certainly mix to CD-R
media, the inability to change your mind and re-record to the
same disc makes this a rather inflexible choice as the sole
mastering device for today's studio environment. With the introduction
of the Alesis MasterLink, a combination of hard disk
recorder with DSP capability and CD-R burner, the studio engineer
now has an updateable unit that offers a significantly improved
feature set and the ability to grow with the evolving needs
of our industry.
The
Alesis MasterLink can record up to 24-bit/96kHz digital audio
direct to its hard disk. It can then burn this data to inexpensive
CD-R blanks via the integrated 8X read/4X write CD-R drive using
a proprietary format known as CD24. Although it is not compatible
with the Red Book audio format used by common CD players, CD24
data is written to disk as AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format)
files and can be read by CD-ROM drives, since the format conforms
to the ISO 9660 standard. This makes MasterLink files accessible
to virtually any mastering facility, even if they don't
own a MasterLink. Further, MasterLink can write standard Red
Book audio - ensuring compatibility with consumer CD players.
MasterLink
ships with a 3.2GB hard disk that provides roughly five hours
of 16-bit/44.1kHz recording time and better than 1.5 hours at
24-bit/96kHz. The drive accommodates 16 playlists, each with
99 tracks, providing ample room for multiple projects. The recorder
is unique in that it provides a 48-bit floating point DSP to
help you create a polished stereo master. The system includes
EQ, compression, normalization and peak limiting. These functions
let you optimize the timbre and dynamics of each individual
track, as well as achieve sonic consistency within your playlist.
For
analog I/O, the 2U MasterLink provides +4dBu balanced XLR and
-10dBV unbalanced RCA connectors. With both XLR (AES/EBU) and
coaxial connections, digital I/O conforms to the IEC958 Type
1 standard. MasterLink also provides a front panel headphone
output with level control. Further, it should be noted that
all transport, function, and other buttons on the unit have
a secure feel, inspiring confidence in the recorder's
ability to withstand the constant Stop, Start, and Edit tasks
that the machine will surely encounter under professional use.
Rounding out the package, MasterLink includes rack ears, a wireless
remote, a blank CD-R disc, and a well-written owner's
manual.
In
Session
My
evaluation system consisted of a PC, equipped with a Frontier
Design Wavecenter digital audio card tied to a TASCAM TM-D1000
digital mixer via ADAT lightpipe. I fed digital signals to the
MasterLink via AES/EBU and analog signals via +4dBu XLR. My
2-track return to the mixer was analog - though, after recording
all material to the MasterLink, I returned digitally via AES/EBU.
Throughout the three weeks that I worked with the machine prior
to writing this report, MasterLink performed without a hitch.
In
working with this unit, it is important to understand a few
key terms, specifically playlists, audio files and tracks. A playlist (there are 16) is just what you
would expect it to be -a collection of 99 individual songs/programs
that are referred to as tracks.
Individual tracks can be arranged and manipulated in a variety
of ways that enhance the sum total of your project. Tracks serve
as a "pointer" to the actual audio files that reside
on the hard drive.
Recording
When
recording to MasterLink, you begin by pressing the HD/CD button
until the LED indicates HD. Recording always takes place to
the hard drive. Upon pressing the Input Source button to select
digital or analog, you're ready to go. Should you select
digital, MasterLink automatically detects the incoming sample
rate and word length and adjusts itself accordingly.
After
defining a playlist and creating a track, the actual record
process is standard fare and is identical for both digital and
analog sources. Interestingly, MasterLink has no level adjustment
for incoming analog signals. You must define the level from
your console or other external source. While this is a reasonable
trade-off to conserve costs (remember, you are getting both
a hard disk recorder and a CD-R burner), it "feels"
strange: two-track master recorders traditionally have level
controls. After recording, you have to adjust a track's
level in Playlist Edit mode.
MasterLink
records well and playback sounds true to source - whether you
record digital or analog. The unit's A/D and D/A converters
are 24-bit with 128X oversampling. This is a good-sounding machine.
Track
Editing
MasterLink
has a number of functions for editing your material, though
limited, for a random access device. For identifying your work,
you can name both tracks and playlists. Further, you can reorder,
delete, and create (i.e., add a song to the existing playlist)
tracks. You can also edit a track's start time (for placing
spaces between selections) as well as adjust its level or create
a fade. Unfortunately, you can't record several selections
in a single pass and then split them up using start and end
IDs. Each selection must be individually recorded. Similarly,
there is no provision for crossfades between tracks.
MasterLink
has a crop feature for deleting unwanted portions of a track,
such as noise from the head or tail. To assist you, the unit
provides an audio scrub feature enabling you to pinpoint precise
locations within the audio file. Unlike other edits, cropping
is destructive, as it directly impacts the audio file: while
you can crop material, there is no paste function. Hence, you
can't join one section of audio data with another.
Finishing
School
Unlike
other 2-track master recorders, MasterLink offers a suite of
DSP functions for adding those "finishing touches"
to a project. These tools include compressor, EQ, a peak limiter,
and a normalizer. While perhaps a bit limited in comparison
to a workstation, MasterLink's DSP functions are a welcome
addition and represent the first time a master recorder has
ever offered such features.
MasterLink's
EQ is three-band parametric. It sounds good and is easy to use.
Similarly, the look-ahead peak limiter is quite effective in
increasing the track's gain.
I
consider MasterLink's normalization and compression functions
to be less effective. The normalization process does not, for
example, give you the ability to normalize to a specific level
that you define. This is a one-shot function that scans the
track, determines an appropriate gain multiplier, and executes
its task. Likewise, the compressor is single-band and lacks
any meters for measuring your gain reduction.
Burning
a CD
MasterLink
gives you the choice of creating either standard Red Book audio
CDs or burning your 24-bit recordings in the company's
proprietary CD24 format. This is one of MasterLink's key
strengths. To create Red Book (16-bit/44.1kHz) CDs, MasterLink
will perform the sample-rate conversion for you - even if your
source files are of mixed word lengths and sampling rates.
As
24-bit/high-sample-rate recording becomes the norm, CD24 allows
you to place these huge files onto standard CD-R discs. While
they won't play on consumer CD players, the discs enable
you to listen to your work at full resolution on MasterLink
and to clear the hard drive for new projects. Of course, you
can extract audio in either CD24 or Red Book formats and place
it onto the hard drive.
MasterLink
writes CD24 data as standard AIFF files when creating a CD.
In checking file format compatibility, however, I observed an
interesting characteristic: MasterLink writes its data using
a three-character extension. Thus, to the CD-ROM drive of an
external workstation, the filename appears in the format "yoursong.aif."
While I opened such files effortlessly in Sound Forge on my
PC, they didn't open in Bias Peak on my Mac. Why? Bias
Peak wants to see a four-character AIFF extension. The solution
to this is Rez Edit or some other utility that allows you to
manipulate the file extension. According to Alesis technical
support, this is a known issue that similarly affects other
Mac audio editors.
In
Conclusion
MasterLink
represents a bold attempt to provide the professional audio
community with a suitable replacement to the aging DAT machine
- and it succeeds on many fronts. The unit should not be thought
of as a final mastering solution, but rather as a 2-track master
recorder that adds basic editing and DSP functionality to assist
you. The machine's editing features and DSP finishing
tools are limited compared to what you would typically find
on a DAW. But at $1,699 MasterLink provides considerable value;
and, let's face it, not everyone owns a computer.
Aside
from not being able to record straight to CD for common 16-bit
reference discs, I would have expected this machine to have
a wired remote and a control port for fader starts. Without
a wired remote, placing multiple machines can be a challenge.
Similarly, without fader start capability, MasterLink will have
less opportunity in higher-level production or broadcast facilities.
So
what's the bottom line? The Alesis MasterLink is a rock stable,
good-sounding machine that enables you to accommodate high-resolution,
24-bit audio data and to transport those files via inexpensive
CD-R discs. For the home studio or small project facility, MasterLink
delivers a hard disk recorder, editing, DSP functionality, plus
a CD burner in one compact and affordable package. If you've
been searching for a mastering deck that brings more to the
party than just common record functions, look no further: the
Alesis MasterLink may well be the solution.
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