Aaton Cantar X2

The Cantar X-2 is able to simultaneously record the same audio files on both the internal and external hard drives.
Save your “Cantar Configurations” in a laptop. Next time you rent a Cantar, you can load them in the new machine, allowing you to pick up where you previously left off.
No wait in powering-up Cantar up: a cold-start from ZERO power to ‘REC’ can be executed in less than five seconds.
The track-names (actors’ name) can be entered from either a PS2 keyboard or directly with the Cantar jog.
While entering a ‘Differential Delay’ (up to 85 milliseconds) between two audio sources, you can fine tune it by listening to the tracks in left/right ears ‘double-solo’.

The Cantar interface is the easiest to use under the most technically demanding conditions:
It offers the largest display surface of all portable recorders, which simultaneously shows every critical recording parameter.
The custom designed high contrast displays remain viewable under bright light (sun, sand, sea, snow, storm), and at very low temperatures too.
The swiveling front panel always provides the best viewing angle for both on cart and over the shoulder work.
The large twelve position MainSelector eliminates diving into numerous sub-menus.
The unique three-crown turret gives instant access to all recording and monitoring configurations, even while wearing heavy winter gloves.
Nine rotary faders (analog inputs) plus six linear faders (mixdown), each entirely devoted to one specific task, are faster to handle than multi-function knobs.
An important consideration for those who work in deserts and on the high seas, all of the mechanical actuators (faders, sliders, selectors) are sandproof and waterproof.
To complement the waterproof design, all audio socketsare pointed toward Earth, the same direction that rain falls. This concept has the subsidiary advantage that no plugs are protruding from the sides; this allows third party designers to build very narrow ‘Made for Cantar’ carts!

Built-in ‘B-Format’ stereo monitoring

Cantar is the only on-location digital recorder allowing stereo monitoring of the complete Soundfield B-Format (which includes 5.1) with no extra accessories. Thanks to its on-board mixer sliders, it is easy to dynamically adjust the ‘space’ parameters: pattern, width and rotation. And since the gain of the Mic/Line preamplifiers can be aligned to a half dB, and then ganged to a master fader, Cantar insures total control over later B-format treatments.
Long recording hours

The power consumption of a portable recorder is a potentially stressful issue on location. Cantar goes well beyond the two hour autonomy of other machines; with Li-Ion batteries, it can perform for up to sixteen hours.
Audio post compatibility

The Cantar ‘WorkDay’ file structure eliminates the dreaded disk-partition confusion and makes Post Production file handling much easier. The mixdown generated by the built-in mixer is treated separately from the primary channels and can be backed-up on tracks 1&2.

Specification

Play&Rec: records live audio while playing-back pre-recorded sounds; overdubs cued dialog tracks.
WordSync: sample-rate syncing of paralleled recorders
Differential Delays: up to 85ms@48kHz on analog inputs.
Ethernet TCP/IP: communication with Mac & PC laptops, allowing realtime control by Grand-Arcan.
Media
Recording and playback to and from shock resistant and sealed 2.5″ internal FireWire connected hard drive. Stores the sound of a complete film production.
Simultaneous 8 track recording on internal hard drive or flash memory, and external FireWire connected HDD. The 8 tracks can be either 6 digital fader controlled tracks plus 2 tracks receiving either the mixdown, or direct inputs.
FAT32 formatting allows for up to 127GB, i.e. up to 60 hours depending on number of tracks and sample rate (up to 96K). The removable internal disk is hot pluggable to PC or Mac workstations (Avid, FCP, Sadie, Fairlight, Pyramix Protools etc.)
Fast copy to external drives such as HDD and DVD-Ram powered by Cantar through FireWire, or copy to on board CDR/DVD±R/DVD-RAM burner.
Not using a proprietary format nor compressed files, the Cantar internal hard disk is instantly accessible, through FireWire, from the desktop of a PC or Mac laptop: a quick way to make copies to other medias, to insure TCP/IP internet transmission and to load Cantar software updates.
Audio Format
AES31 BWF Monophonic tracks for instant use by any computer or mixing console with no de-interleaving nor decompressing treatment.
Built-in CDR burner delivers ISO 9660 Mono or Poly files (stereo interleaved) for on-the-fly telecine syncing and editing stations.
16 and 24 bit, 44.1Khz to 96.096Khz sampling rates in & out. Built-in sample converters allow for any AES source sample-rate.
‘Working day’ based session recording. Eliminates clumsy disk partitioning.
Management of several projects on the same disk.
Automatic ‘unique identifier’ file name generator.
Circled takes, slate locators, sc&tk Ids etc. are entered from either the Cantar control panel or from a wireless (Bluetooth) connected PDA or external keyboard.
Metadata (e.g. scene & take & comments, in and out points etc.) is delivered as ALE lists and embedded in the AES31 description field that Avid v11, Xpress-DV and FCP import (see http://www.aaton.com/products/post/indaw/ flow chart)
Audio files are compatible with the Aaton Keylink (telecine code reader with on the fly audio syncing), and the Aaton InDaw (video post syncing station).
Inputs
Nine simultaneous analog inputs on XLRs:
Five low noise mic preamps with isolation 10dBU very high quality transformers (Zin = 2KOhm each with its own 48V Phantom supply (40mA distributed to the five mics), analog HP filter (60 to 240, -6 and -12 db slope, plus LFA) and analog domain limiter. Two gangable pairs (gain, limiter, and filter).
Four analog line inputs, G = +15dB, max level +22dB. Zin = 4.4KOhm.
Eight AES inputs, each pair with its own sample rate converter.
Mixer and outputs
All 18 inputs can be mixed and routed to:
One to 8 tracks
Stereo 1/4″ headphone (automatic MS decoding). 65mW (70 Ohm), 140mW (32 Ohm), 560mW (8 Ohm).
Two symmetrical analog line (XLR-5).
Two asymmetrical analog wireless IFB (mini-jack).
Eight AES with sample rate converters
Advances in the field recorder domain
all routing and physical configurations are memorized and can be recalled.They can also be stored in a PDA or laptop for instant programation of a new machine.
Built-in, dustproof and waterproof six linear fader mixer (patent pending) for comprehensive ‘dynamic’ control of the two track mixdown. Individual gain values are stored using XML syntax as a guide for the final sound- mixing stage.
AutoSlate automatically stamps a TC on the detected clapsticks.
Ready to print PDF sound-report.
Metering
Dial shapped modulometers with 1 dB increments with peak, clip and limiter-in-action indicators.
User-selectable ballistics.
High contrast LCD displays highly visible in direct sunlight. Adjustable back-lighting.
Swivelling display panel optimizes visibility for shoulder strap and cart.
Timecode
1ppm Tcxo reference internal clock, eight hours before re-jamming.
Dual Smpte and AatonCode jamming.
Timecode i/o through Lemo-5.
Power
Aaton’s operating system insures low power operation: 500mA in test with all inputs activated, ultra-fast cold start-up (<5 sec), and fail-safe disk control.
Two identical on board quick release Aaton batteries (4 pin XLR) insure seamless switchover during recording (NP1s can be used too).
Depending on the “test-to-record” ratio, one on-board battery set lasts from 10 to 18 hours.
Miscellaneous
1 to 35 second pre-record.
Immediate playback of the last recorded file.
Play back scrub, in-points markers and slate markers.
Softwares and pre-configured routings can be downloaded from Aaton’s servers and transmitted to the core OS by FireWire.
Reference tone and warning generator.
Open mechanical structure with independant Analog, Digital and Display modules for easy maintenance and – ‘anti-obsolescence’ – upgrades.
Wireless Bluetooth link to and from PDAs.
Physical
Housings made of molded aluminium. Waterproof, dustproof faders.
Dimensions: 230 x 310 x 80 mm (9 x 12 x 3.2″)
Weight 3.2 kg (7.5lbs), without battery.

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Tags: 24 Bit, Aaton, location, mixer, Phantom power, recorder, Timecode

This entry was posted on Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 3:57 pm and is filed under Location Recorders. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.