The Direct
Pro Q10 is an elegant 24-bit studio quality audio interface with
8 low -noise, discrete mic pre-amps (4 with 48V phantom power) that
let you record your entire band directly to your computer with legendary
Aardvark sound quality. The Direct Pro Q10 even include 2 Hi-Z inputs
for guitars and separate headphone and monitor outs and 4 inserts to
easily intergrate your favourite effects processors.
The ultra
low latency - multiclient drivers makes the Q10 the ideal solution
for delivering the best from your music and audio applications including:
SONAR, Cubase, Nuendo, Logic Audio, Cool Edit Pro, Cool Edit Pro
2, Sound Forge, Acid, Wavelab, Samplitude, GigaStudio, Reason,
Live and many more.
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The Direct
Pro Q10 is the latest entry to Aardvark’s innovative Direct Pro
Series.A unique feature to the Direct Pro Series is the powerful DSP-based
virtual mixing software which eliminates the need for an external outboard
mixer by providing complete control of recording, monitoring and mixing
within the digital audio workstation. The Q10’s Control Panel mixer
software provides many of the features of an automated digital mixer,
including a digital patch bay, digital peak metering, VU meters and
presets for snapshot recall of any mixer setting.
NOW with
ASIO and AWDM drivers for ultra low latency in SONAR, Cubase,
Nuendo, Logic Audio, Reason, Reason 2 etc.
This bundle
comes complete with Cakewalk's acclaimed Pro Audio 9 hard disk recording
and sequencing software.
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In More Detail |
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Q10
Hardware Features
The
true brilliance of the Q10 is the combination of the great sounding,
flexible hardware & brilliant DSP powered software. But for anyone
that knows Aardvark, they know of the great reputation for amazing sounding
audio hardware. The Q10 embodies all of Aardvark's great hardware technologies
to bring to you one of the highest quality systems available.
As you'll quickly notice, that the Q10 not only has
great mic preamps and converters, but its hardware has all the appropriate
I/O of an analogue mixer. This means with one unit, you can record
direct to you computer without having to go through the mixer, the noisy
mic preamps and all the extra noisy cables just to record audio on your
computer.
However, anyone with a Q10 will tell you that the single
greatest feature of the Q10 is the 8 flexible and high quality inputs.
With the XLR inputs going directly to the discrete mic preamp circuitry
and the ¼" inputs going directly to the line level inputs.
These have software controllable analogue input gain that's before the
A/D to maximize your sound and get gain just like an analogue mixer. There's
even Aardvark's proprietary EFR™ Hi-Z guitar input circuitry to
warm up any guitar while you connect directly into the Q10.
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8 Discrete Microphone preamps
The mic pre-amps in the Q10 are a hand crafted,
discrete transistor design that yield outstanding noise specs and pristine
sound quality. Most other manufacturers soundcards use standard "mic-pre-on-a-chip"
solutions, which are not discrete and can lack the clarity and definition
needed for professional use. The mic pre's in the Q10 are shielded in
the breakout box and combine with top of the line converters to deliver
professional audio quality from your mic's to your computer. |
4 Inserts for Outboard Effects
The Q10 is armed with 4 TRS ¼" inserts
that work just like an analogue mixer. These connect directly to outboard
signal processing gear and so you can 'insert' the processed analogue
signal between the Q10's mic preamps and the A/D converter. This means
your classic analogue signal processing gear such as EQs, compressors,
limiters, can be easily integrated with the Q10s crystal clear mic preamps,
allowing you to still use your favorite analogue processors when you record
direct to the computer. |
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EFRTM Hi-Z Guitar Inputs
The selectable front panel Hi-Z inputs (inputs 7+8) feature an Enhanced
Frequency Response circuit (EFRTM ) which is specifically tailored for
recording electric and bass guitars with a unique warmth and clarity.
If you've ever disliked the sound of a cheap DI box, then you'll love
the warm, rich sound the EFR™ provides. You also don't need any more
stomp boxes or extra cables to record. |
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Headphone & Monitor Output
It wouldn't be possible to professional record to your computer unless
you had convenient, pro quality monitoring. The Q10 has both a headphone
output on the front of the unit and stereo Monitor outputs on the back
to connect directly to your speakers to give you all the control over
your mixes. Both outputs have individual level controls with easy access
on the front to give you mixer-like monitoring capability. Combine that
with the 20 channel real-time DSP Mixer, and you have a system that much
more flexible and professional than any sound card & mixer combination.
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Shielded
PCI Card
Only Aardvark provides custom shielding on its PCI cards. Both the breakout
box and the PCI card are designed to be completely noise free.
This extra
shielding keeps harmful computer noise out of your precious audio.
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Expandable
With the clever design of the Q10, we can run
up to 4 Q10's in the same computer for a maximum of 32 analogue inputs
and 8 channels of digital I/O. In fact, all Aardvark audio interfaces
can be expanded up to 4 units…mix and match!
No other line of computer interfaces allows as
much flexibility and expansion as the Aardvark Direct Pro Series.
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| Just connect the word clock in & outs on the
Q10's to each of the devices and your running sample accurate with an
unprecedented 40 channels of great sounding I/O. This is perfect for portable
rigs that need tons of I/O and great sounding mic preamps. |
Aardvark Low Jitter Clock
Every Aardvark computer audio card uses a similar
clocking technology to its legendary AardSync II master clock generator.
The AardSync II is the industry standard master clock, used to sync Pro
Tools, digital mixers, A/D converters and other devices, improving their
sound via its low-jitter clock. This proprietary clocking technology gives
Aardvark's computer audio interfaces improved stereo imaging and better
resolution on the high and low frequency audio tracks.
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Software
Features
Aside from the great sounding hardware, the Q10 also sets itself apart
from other interfaces by have a fully-DSP powered software control panel.
This control panel is packed with user friendly features, and is laid
out just like an analogue mixer with stereo monitor outputs. The hardware
& software combination of the Q10 truly replace every aspect of
having an analogue mixer and audio interface, except you're getting
better sound and tons more flexibility with presets and routing.
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Q10 Control Panel
The brain of the Q10 is the DSP powered Control
Panel, which is designed to replace the need for an external hardware
mixer, while still providing real-time mixing and easy monitoring that
you get with an analogue mixer. All the features in it are powered by the
powerful DSP processor on the PCI Card, so the mixing, monitoring and
metering won't slow down your computer. It works in a very similar way
as an outboard mixer, and it works in combination with the Q10 hardware
to provide a total digital mixing solution that includes flexible routing,
zero-latency monitoring, snapshot preset recall, input level trim, digital
peak metering, +4/-10 selectable. |
The Q10 Control Panel |
 Powered
by the an onboard DSP Processor
The Direct Pro Q10 Control Panel is the DSP software
control interface that completely controls Aardvark's card. It has complete
mixing capabilities built right into it and is extremely easy to use.
The Control Panel is laid out just like a mixer and functions almost exactly
as if you had a small mixer sitting next to your computer. It can be seen
as a 20 channel mixer with a 2 channel monitor output that is routed to
¼" stereo line outs on the back panel, and a ¼"
front panel headphone out. Ten of the channels are from the physical 10
inputs of the box (8 analogue and stereo digital), and the other 10 channels
are from the software application. Any combination of previously recorded
audio tracks can be played back, mixed and monitored individually or in
subgroups, while simultaneously recording additional audio tracks. This
control panel even comes in 4 cool colors that you can change as often
as you'd like. This lets you match it to your studio, or makes life easy
on the eyes during an all night recording session. |
3-Stage Input Gain
The input trim (found at the top of each mixer strip
on the Q10 Software Control Panel) provides up to 75dB gain on the mic
inputs. This gain is done in the analogue stage (pre A/D conversion), just
like an analogue mixer would do. In contrast, most other audio cards provide
the gain after the A/D, which dramatically increases the noise. The Q10
software avoids this by sending commands to the analogue circuitry in the
breakout box to get the best sound possible. This actually has 3 separate
gain stages; m2 (Mic 2), m2 (mic 1), and L (Line level), which are each
optimized for that particular gain range to give you the best possible
sound.
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ASIO Turbo Mode
Aardvark's enhanced ASIO2 driver provides some of the best latency performance
in the industry. Down to 4ms or less with some applications such as software
synths and VST instruments. Great for real-time performance.
ASIO Buffer Slider
Not only is the ASIO driver really efficient, but it has a unique 31-step
ASIO Buffer Slider which lets the user dial in the exact buffer size
that is optimal for the computer. No other card goes this far to get
real-time performance.
Snapshot Preset Recall
Hitting the Presets button on the Control Panel activates the Presets
window, which let you save an unlimited number of screen shots to recall
at any time later. This is particularly useful when you need to change
the patch bay settings or the input levels for different studio sessions.
It's also nice to save different mixes so you can get up and running
in no time.
Output Routing (Patch Bay)
Dealing with the software routing of audio interfaces can sometimes
be a big hassle. That's why we took a photo of the back panel, and put
easy to use drop down menu's to select what you want routed. This includes
analogue through to the outputs (analogue 1-8), any of the playback tracks
(Playback 1-10), generating a tone and using the stereo output of the
Control Panel's Monitor Bus (MONITOR).
Aardvark Logo Brightness Control
One of the coolest features of the Q10 is that the power LED on the
front is in the shape of the Aardvark logo, and its brightness can be
controlled from the DSP Control Panel to match your studio. Even the
phantom power button on the front activates both an LED on the front
of the unit and one in the control panel.
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Features |
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Hardware
- 10 In/10 Out Computer Audio Interface
- Discrete Transistor XLR Mic Preamps
- 8 ¼" Balanced Line Inputs (+4dBu/-10dBv)
- 8 ¼" Balanced Line Outputs (+4 dBu/-10dBv)
- 4 ¼" TRS Inserts ? DSP Powered VU Meters
- 48 Volt Phantom Power (on 4 inputs)
- 2 EFR Guitar Hi-Z Inputs
- 24 Bit AD/DA
- S/PDIF Digital I/O
- MIDI I/O ? True Multi-Client Driver
- Word Clock I/O
- ¼" Headphone Out w/ Level Knob
- Stereo ¼" Monitor Out w/ Level Knob
- Shielded PCI Card
- Aardvark Low-Jitter Clock
- Powerful On-Board DSP Processor
- Expandable up to 4 Units (40 In/40 Out)
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Software
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Zero-Latency Monitoring
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20 Channel Real-Time DSP Mixing
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3-Stage Input Level Gain
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Snapshot Preset Recall
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DSP Powered Digital Peak Meters
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Pan/Solo/Mute and Level Faders
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Selectable +4dBu/-10dBv
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Drop-down Digital Patch Bay
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Simultaneous ASIO, GSIF, Dir X, MME
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4 Color Schemes for the Control Panel
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Room Brightness Control for Front Panel LED
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Low-Latency ASIO2, GSIF, MME, DirectSound
- True
Multi-Client Driver
- ASIO
Turbo Mode for Soft Synths
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Windows 95/98/ME/2000/NT/XP
- Comes
with the full Cakewalk Pro Audio 9
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Q10 Up Close |
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Direct
Pro Q10 Front Panel
Direct
Pro Q10 Back Panel
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Q10 Typical Applications |
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Home
& Project Studio
The Q10 gives any home or project studio great mic preamps and tons of
mixer-like features so they can do professional, multichannel computer
recordings without the big studio cost. It has everything needed to do
professional quality recordings in a home studio environment, including
flexible inputs to record almost any band directly to the computer, without
a mixer. Plug in 2 mics, 4 line and 2 guitar inputs, or record 8 mics
all at once for an entire drum kit. The 8 combo XLR/¼" jacks
saves space in a crowded studio environment, and the 8 discrete, hand-crafted
mic preamps will be better than most outboard mixers. An intuitive DSP
software mixer lets the Q10 look and feel just like an outboard analogue
mixer, complete with real-time, zero-latency monitoring, with separate
headphone and monitor outputs, each with their own level knob right on
the front.
Just
think of the actual cost of buying 8 outboard mic preamps, an expensive
analogue mixer, DI boxes, the latest professional software application
and a good, multichannel interface, and you'll quickly see just how
valuable the Q10 really is.
Professional
Studio
Professionals will appreciate the Aardvark quality in every aspect of
the Q10. The number one feature they'll appreciate the most: 8 hand-crafted,
discrete transistor mic preamps with phantom power and an ultra-quiet
.0005% THD. This discrete transistor circuitry is more transparent than
most expensive outboard mic pre's to yield a very clean and crisp sound.
The Q10 also has a shielded PCI card to keep out computer noise, a solid
steel enclosure, brilliant converters with all balanced i/o and it utilizes
Aardvark's proprietary low-jitter clocking technology for optimum stereo
imaging and more clarity and imaging on vocals and guitar. Most professionals
may already have a mixer, so they can take advantage of the Q10's ¼"
balanced line level I/O, and utilize the 4 TRS ¼" effects
inserts on the back, which let them use the Q10 discrete mic preamps
with their existing analogue processors, a feature unheard of in computer
audio interfaces. Studios can even expand the Q10 to 4 complete systems
in one computer, and use it with any software on the market, including
with their favorite software plug-in.
The Q10
also has low-latency drivers, including an ASIO Turbo Mode to use with
Propellerhead Reason and Native Instruments soft synths and samplers.
Its true multi-client, multi-driver operation make it the perfect solution
for delivering the best from your music and audio applications including:
SONAR, Cubase, Nuendo, Logic Audio, Cool Edit Pro, Cool Edit Pro
2, Sound Forge, Wavelab, Samplitude, GigaStudio, Reason, Live
and many more.
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Options |
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The AES/EBU option gives you professional quality stereo digital audio
throughput for the Q10. The options are a pair of adapters that fit
onto the Electrical S/PDIF (RCA) I/O on the 24/96 breakout box. These
adapters effortlessly convert incoming and outgoing stereo S/PDIF digital
audio to stereo AES/EBU digital audio!
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Technical Specification |
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- THD+N
- .002%@1kHz
- Dynamic
Range -110db D/A 100
- Frequency
Response: 7Hz-44KHz, +/- .5 dB
- Sample
Rates: 48 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 32 kHz
- Analogue
Inputs: 8 Discrete Mic Preamp w/input trim OR 8 ¼ inch balanced
line (+4dBu/-10dBv) w/input trim AND 2 ¼ inch Hi-Z Guitar Guitar
Inputs (replaces Line in 7 and 8)
- 4 ¼
inch inserts for using Mic Preamps with outboard effects
- Analogue
Outputs: 10 Balanced ¼ inch line (+4dBu/-10dBv), 2 are Monitor out
PLUS 1 ¼ inch headphone out with Level knob
- Digital
I/O: S/PDIF In/Out (RCA Connectors)
- MIDI
I/O MIDI In/Out on 5-pin DIN Connectors
- Sync
I/O: S/PDIF Digital Clock, MIDI (MTC) and Word Clock (BNC) In/Out
- Modes:
Full Duplex Simultaneous Record/Play
- Expansion:
Up to Four (4) Direct Pro Q10 systems can be installed in the same
computer
- Computer
Card Type: PCI Bus Architecture, 5" Length
- Connectors
on Card: 6 inch shielded 25-pin Connector
- Powerful
DSP: 24Bit, 80 MIPS
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System Requirements |
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- 233
MHz or greater processor
- Win
95/98/ME/2000/XP
- Uses
ASIO 1 and 2, DirectSound, AWDM, GSIF Drivers
- 128
MB RAM
For
Pro Audio 9
Windows
95/98:
Minimum
Requirements
Pentium 200 MHz or higher; 64 MB RAM
Recommended
Requirements
Pentium 300 MHz or higher; 128 MB RAM
Windows
NT 4.0: Please note that the Direct Pro LX6 does not support Windows
NT Yet!
Minimum
Requirements
Pentium 300 MHz or higher; 128 MB RAM
Number
of simultaneous Audio tracks and effects are system dependant including
Hard Disk performance.
CD-ROM
required for installation.
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Q10 FAQ |
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GENERAL
INFORMATION
Along with special anouncements, the general information section contains
answers to many common questions that potential and new owners may have.
To make navigation easier, we have listed an index of common questions
at the top of this page. Simply click on any question/s that may be
of interest and the page will jump to the appropriate section.
What
is the DIRECT PRO Q10?
The Direct Pro Q10 is truly a hard disk recording revolution. It's a
professional hardware solution (PCI card, cable & rack mount box)
for audio software recording programs like Steinberg, Cakewalk, Sonic
Foundry, Emagic and many others. It even works great with stand alone
soft synths & samplers. The Q10 gives you a professionally integrated
system that lets you record direct to your computer with top of the
line mic preamps and converters, and has the monitoring & mixing
capabilities of an outboard mixer.
The Q10 is not just a sound card by any means. In fact, you'll notice
there's quite a bit different about the Q10. From Aardvark's superior
clock technology that ensures maximum 24 bit resolution, the extra shielding
on our PCI card to keep the computer noise out of your audio, to the
powerful DSP that keeps your computer running lightning fast. We even
went the extra mile and put 8 universal inputs on the front so you can
connect any microphone, line level input or guitar input directly into
your computer without the hassles of mixers or extra adapters.
Everything
we did when designing the new Q10 is about getting you an easy to use
hard disk recording system that has mic preamps & converters like
you‚ve never heard before. It has all the quality and features
of a professional workstation, without the complicated manual and the
hefty price tag
Those
8 input jacks on the front look different. What are they?
So you noticed our unique connectors, eh? These are the new combo‚
connectors from Neutrik that allow you to plug either a ¼"
connector or an XLR (3-prong) connector. Aardvark uses the ¼"
as the line level inputs only, with Input 7 & 8 switchable to a
Hi-Z guitar input. The XLR inputs are strictly for use with microphones.
Do not plug in a ¼" mic or a balanced line level into the
XLR connector!!! The clever use of this connector allows you to go directly
into your computer from any source so you don‚t need a mixer and
messy adapters just to get audio into the computer.
How
many inputs & outputs does the Q10 have?
The Q10 has 10 inputs and 10 outputs that can record and playback from
the software simultaneously. The inputs consist of 8 analogue and 2
S/PDIF digital inputs. The 8 analogue inputs use the clever XLR and
¼" combo jack so you can input any XLR mic, ¼"
line or ¼" guitar. All 8 inputs can be either XLR mic or
¼" line level, and ¼" inputs 7 & 8 can be
switched to Aardvark proprietary EFR™ Guitar Hi-Z input circuitry.
XLR mic inputs 1-4 can have phantom power, and the S/PDIF digital I/O
is on the back of the Q10. The Q10 has 10 analogue ¼" line
outputs and 2 S/PDIF digital outputs. Two of the analogue outputs are
separately labeled MONITOR, so you can connect those out to your speakers
and have full level control from the front of the Q10.
What
are the Q10's discrete transistor based mic preamps?
With Aardvark's reputation, we knew we had to make the Q10's mic preamps
as clean and professional as possible. That's why we went to great lengths
to design a discrete transistor based mic preamp that gets a THD of
.0005% (that's super quiet) and sounds amazingly clean and clear. Many
mixer and sound card preamps are what we call a "mic-pre-on-a-chip",
which means the entire mic preamp is on a $3 off the shelf chip. Not
Aardvark. We put individual transistors on each input channel to make
sure the most critical part of the preamp is as quiet and professional
as possible. This went through many revisions and comparisons with other
popular mic preamps and mixers and we didn't stop until the Q10 had
the quietest preamps around.
What
if I don't even have 8 microphones?
The value of the Q10 is that it delivers the ultimate in flexibility
and quality, so even if you don't have 8 microphones, the Q10 still
gives you quite a bit of bang for your buck. In fact, many home and
project studios don't even have 8 microphones. That's why we set up
the Q10 so they can easily use 2 microphones, 4 line level inputs and
2 guitars if they want. Some may use all 8 mic preamps simultaneously,
some may only use the 8 line inputs. It's flexible to use with your
studio right now, and it can grow as your studio grows.
Can
I use some XLR Mic inputs & ¼" line inputs simultaneously?
YES. You can use any combination or the 8 XLR mic, 8 line or 2 Hi-Z
guitar inputs. Let's say your recording a session and you have 2 condenser
mics for vocals (XLR 1,2), 1overhead mic (XLR 3), 1 outboard synth line
input (¼" 4), 2 line inputs (¼" 5,6) and have
a lead and a bass guitar (¼" 7,8). You can set all these
levels individually, mixing them and monitor them all in real-time through
the Monitor outputs.
Do
I need a mixer to use the Q10?
Not at all. That's exactly why you'll find mic preamps, a headphone
output, level adjustment, DSP Monitor Mixer software, outboard effects
inserts and a flexible audio patch bay included with the Q10. Now a
musician no longer needs to buy costly external mic pre-amps and mixers,
outboard effects, or MIDI gear in order to make great sounding recordings
on their computer. We've included all of these features and cleverly
integrated them with our unique combination of hardware and software.
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For more information, please contact us. |
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