by Jerry Vigil
Just when you thought it was safe to buy that digital workstation you decided upon after months of shopping, Otari introduces the RADAR, Random Access Digital Audio Recorder. Here's a machine that will appeal to many, both in the radio production studio and in other recording facilities, no matter how big or small.
This disk-based system can be configured as an 8, 16, or 24-track recorder. There are twenty-four separate analog inputs and outputs on the rear panel. This makes the unit attractive for recording live music because up to twenty-four tracks can be recorded simultaneously. An advantage this type of layout has for radio production is that the RADAR can slip into your current analog multi-track configuration quite easily, and the user doesn't have to get familiar with a new "computer" type of interface to handle the usual tasks of mixing, EQ-ing, panning, and level control. All these things are handled externally and independent of the RADAR.
The main component of the system is the four rack-space unit which houses all the electronics including internal disk drives and I/O cards. The attractive front panel provides twenty-four LED meters with track arming buttons below each LED meter. A red LED on each track arming button indicates track status. To the right is a 2-line LCD display. Below it are several buttons that access various functions of the RADAR. Below these buttons is a set of standard transport buttons, and below the transport controls is a 3.5-inch floppy drive used for upgrading the system software. A power on/off switch at the bottom left completes the front panel. The majority of the RADAR's functions can be accessed using the front panel controls, but to use all of the unit's editing capabilities and scrub wheel, the RE-8 remote control is necessary. Rather than detail using the RADAR from the front panel, this review will deal with operation from the RE-8 only. In fact, especially for the fast pace of radio production, the optional RE-8 is a must.
After what was a much too easy installation, I was quite surprised to find that I could arm tracks, record, and perform some basic edits using the RE-8 without even a glance at the manual. The RE-8 is a light-weight dedicated control panel not much bigger than a standard computer keyboard. At the top left are twenty-four track arming buttons, each with a built-in LED to indicate record-ready status. To the right of these buttons are three more track function buttons. The Record Safe button disables track arming. The Track Solo button enables listening to individual or multiple tracks while muting the others. The Auto Input button engages the unit's automatic monitoring function so that inputs are monitored when recording, and playback otherwise.
Below the track arming buttons is a standard QWERTY keyboard minus the numeric keys and a few punctuation keys. This is used mainly for naming projects and locate points. The keys also perform "quick searches" through menu choices in the LCD display located at the top center of the RE-8. This is just a 2-line 16-character display, but the characters are quite large compared to most LCD displays. This makes reading the display from a distance very easy. And the fact that only a minimal amount of information can be displayed at one time forces the display to provide simple and concise screens.
Below the LCD display is a numeric keypad used for entering numbers in the display. The 1 through 9 keys also cue to whatever locate point is stored in that respective number's location, and a press of the 0 key provides a "return to zero" function. Within this group of keys are four more function buttons. The Enter Time button allows locating by entering a specific time using the numeric keypad, arrow buttons, or the scrub wheel. The Enter button performs the locate and executes other functions. The Recall Locate button accesses the RADAR's 99 locate points. To go to locate point number 5, simply press the 5 key, or press the Recall Locate button then use the up/down arrows or the numeric keypad to select the locate number followed by a press of the Enter key.
This group of keys also includes the MENU/PREV key which accesses the RADAR's extensive menu of functions. While stepping through the various menu choices, if you select one by mistake, the MENU/PREV key back-steps to the previous screen. There are six main menu choices, each with a sub-menu (with the exception of the last choice, Shut Down RADAR). There are four choices under the System Menu. System Version retrieves the current operating system version number. Upgrade System uploads new system software from the 3.5-inch floppy. Configure Disks sets up the combination of internal and external drives. And Digital I/O accesses the RADAR's S/PDIF and AES/EBU digital inputs and outputs. There are two digital ins and two outs. To record a music track from CD to tracks 1 and 2 using the CD's digital output, select Digital I/O from the System Menu and press Enter. The display then offers four fields for data entry: left channel digital in and out, and right channel digital in and out. Use the numeric keypad, data wheel, or up/down arrows to select tracks 1 and 2 for recording digitally -- 1 for left channel, 2 for right. The output defaults to the selected input channels, but you have the option to send the output to whatever channel you desire. Once channel assignment is done, press Enter again to select which digital format you are using.
The next Main Menu selection is the Project Menu. The RADAR can store up to 99 projects including all audio, edits, and locate points. A large red LED display to the right of the LCD display shows the current active project. Included in the Project Menu is the Backup function. The optional EXB-5G tape backup system utilizes the Exabyte 8505 drive to backup the entire contents of the system's drives or individual projects to 8mm tape.
The Goto Project function is self explanatory. Press Enter and use the data wheel, numeric keys, or the up/down arrows to select the project to load. The top line of the display shows the project number and the date it was last updated. The bottom line of the display shows the project's name (up to 16 characters). Press Enter to select the project. Since this is a disk-based system, you don't have to wait for the system to load the audio into RAM. Projects are ready to work on within a second or two of pressing Enter. The Create Project menu choice is where you start a new project. The system automatically numbers it with the next available number (between 1 and 99), and you are given the option of naming it, though you don't have to. Use the Name Project function to name untitled projects or rename projects. The Copy Project function copies an entire project to another project location but doesn't use additional disk space. The Delete Project function erases the project's playlist information and locate points, but the audio is not erased. This is because multiple projects can use the same audio, and you wouldn't want to destroy audio being shared by other projects. To free up disk space for future recording, use the Reclaim Space function. This function checks all the projects to see if audio is being used on another project before reallocating drive space. Other functions in the Project Menu include the Sync Offset used when syncing to external devices. The Renumber Locates function renumbers locate points in time-code order. The Sample Rate function selects the sampling rate for the current project. Choices are 32kHz, 44.056kHz, 44.1kHz, 47.952kHz, and 48kHz. Finally, the Erase All Disks function does just that, and returns to you a fresh system.
The Preferences Menu selection from the Main Menu is used to select the default position of the cursor when an editable time is displayed. The choices are frames and seconds. The Low Disk Warning function warns you when you are about to run out of disk space or recording time. The default value is 5 minutes of recording time left.
The Diagnostics Menu from the Main Menu provides a variety of programs for checking the RADAR, the SCSI bus, the SCSI devices, and the displays. Programs include Initialize Disk, Repair Disk, Check Disk, Show Free RAM, and more, including Otari's version of the popular Tetris game and a pong game that the manual suggests you play from time to time in order to check for proper functioning of the LEDs in the large level meter display on the RADAR. (Personally, I think these games are here for a more important reason!)
Finally, there is the Edit Menu selection from the Main Menu. From this menu you get Undo/Redo, Modify Edit, Cut, Copy, Paste, Move, Erase, Loop, Slide, Listen, Record Safe, and Crossfade Time. Each of these functions has a dedicated key on the RE-8 with the exception of Crossfade Time. The default crossfade time for edits is 5 milliseconds and is adjustable from this menu choice from 0 to 100 milliseconds.
As mentioned, the panel of the RE-8 contains a set of arrow keys, both up/down and left/right, used for data entry and cursor movement. When the left and right arrow keys are pressed simultaneously, the display shows the remaining recording time left on each of the three drives. In a 24-track configuration, there are three 1-gigabyte drives for each eight tracks. If you record to track 5, you're recording on Drive A. If you record to track 13, you record to Drive B, and so on.
Below the arrow keys are the Jog and Shuttle buttons which are next to the data or "scrub" wheel. Pressing Jog engages the RADAR's scrub function. Slow turns of the wheel enable precise cuing. Spinning the wheel rapidly brings playback to normal speed in either direction. The scrub on the RADAR is as good as any scrub I've used on a disk-based system. The Shuttle function is like the Jog except that the audio plays back continuously after you stop turning the wheel. The faster the wheel is turned, the faster the audio plays back, up to normal speed in either direction.
There is a group of ten buttons at the top right of the RE-8. The Undo button performs one level of undo. Pressing the button again, "re-does" the last action. The Digital I/O button takes you immediately to the digital I/O selection display without having to use the MENU/PREV button. This saves three keystrokes. The Shift button is used with other buttons to enable multiple functions from single buttons. The Backup/Project button is one of these multi-function keys. Without the Shift key, pressing Project quickly lets you select a project to load. Pressing Shift with this key accesses the unit's backup feature. The Vari-Speed key activates the RADAR's great sounding vari-speed. The percentage of vari-speed differs depending upon the sampling frequency in use. At 32kHz sampling, vari-speed ranges from plus 54% to minus 25%. At 48kHz sampling, the range is from plus 2.8% to minus 50%. At 44.1kHz, plus 11.9% to minus 45%.
The Cancel key works much like a computer's ESCape key, backing you up to the previous state without performing the selected function. The Mark Locate key is a quick way to mark locate points. Each press stores the current "tape time" to the next available locate point. This can be done while the transport is in any mode including record, shuttle, rewind and fast-forward. The Edit Locate button lets you fine-tune a locate point and even assign a 9-character name to it. As playback occurs and these locate points are crossed, the display shows the most recently passed locate number and its name, if any. (During recording and playback, the LCD display continuously displays current time on the top line and the current locate point and name, if any, on the bottom line.)
The Chase key and the Offset/Sync key round out the ten keys in the upper right hand portion of the RE-8 and are used for syncing to external devices. Below these keys is a group of twelve keys. Most of these keys' functions are available through menu choices, but since they are the RADAR's most used editing functions, they each have a dedicated key. The Auto Play key is used with the Auto Locate functions of the RADAR to put the unit into playback whenever a locate point is recalled. This is really nice when recording and you want to quickly hear what you've recorded after your through with the take. Simply set a locate point at the start of recording, let's say locate point 5, then begin recording. When through, simply press the 5 key, and the RADAR stops recording and immediately begins playing back what you recorded. The Auto Punch key activates the RADAR's automatic punch-in/out function. The in/out points are set using the Mark In and Mark Out keys next to the data wheel. Pressing the Cycle key enables continuous playback from the Mark In point to the Mark Out point, ideal for "rehearsals" and making multiple dubs to tape, though you cannot set the number of times the system will cycle. The Pre Roll function adjusts the pre-roll and post-roll times when using locate points and works with the Cycle function to add time to the front and back side of the "cycled" segment.
The remaining eight keys are the audio editing keys and are what make the RADAR more than a fancy 24-track recorder. There are seven editing functions, and each of them uses the Mark In and Mark Out keys to set edit points. The Cut function removes audio between the in/out points and joins the two ends together -- your basic splice job in the analog world. The Copy function copies the audio between the in/out points into the RADAR's "clipboard." You can then use the Paste function to put the clipboard's audio anywhere on any of the twenty-four tracks within the current project or any other project in the system. (Use the Shift key with the Paste key to audition whatever is in the clipboard.) You get the option of overwriting the audio at the destination or inserting the audio at the destination and moving everything else on that track (or tracks) down. The Erase function removes the audio between the in/out points but does not join the two ends together - the equivalent of inserting leader tape between the in/out points. The Move function combines the Erase, Copy, and Paste functions. It leaves silence between the in/out points, copies the audio into the clipboard (something the Erase function does not do), and pastes it to the destination point in either overwrite or insert mode. The Slide function is much like the Move function, only you must enter a value in milliseconds for the amount you wish to "slide" the selected audio on the track. This function is okay, if you know how many milliseconds you want to move something. The Loop function works like a charm. Mark your in/out points, press Loop, arm the tracks you want to loop, select overwrite or insert mode, and tell the RADAR how many repeats you want, up to 999. Finally, the Modify Edit key lets you change any of the parameters of the most recent edit. This is handy when the last edit was something like the loop just described. If your in-time was a little off, you could press Undo and re-enter everything, or just press Modify Edit and adjust only the in-time!
Finally, we come to the transport controls on the RE-8. They duplicate the controls on the front panel of the RADAR. You get Rewind, Fast Forward, Play, Stop, and Record. Pressing Fast Forward once moves the "tape" forward at six times normal speed. Pressing it twice within one second fast forwards at twenty times normal speed. Same for rewind. There is no playback of audio during fast forward and rewind modes. The system utilizes a small RAM buffer to allow for "instant start" of audio when Play is pressed.
The back panel of the RADAR provides twenty-four analog ins and outs (1/4-inch TRS balanced or unbalanced). Two switches let you adjust input and output levels to 10dB or +4dB. There's a video reference/Word Clock input and a SMPTE Time Code input. The SMPTE Time Code output will be available in January. There are AES/EBU and S/PDIF digital I/Os and MIDI IN/OUT/THRU connectors. The MIDI I/O will be available in the new software version in January. Other rear panel connectors include a PC keyboard connector which is not utilized at this time. The RADARLINK connector allows connecting another RADAR to create a 48-track system. This is another feature due in January. The external SCSI port allows connection of up to three additional drives. Finally, there is a connector for the back-up device and for the RE-8.
The back of the RE-8 has an "AUX" port which is not in use yet. The same goes for the "Mouse Port." However, there are three footswitch inputs that do work. Footswitch 1 toggles between Play and Stop. Footswitch 2 cues to the current Auto Locate point, and Footswitch 3 puts the unit into Record mode from the Play mode.
And that completes the grand tour. But, wait! Isn't there something missing? Where's the video monitor for this digital workstation? That was my first reaction. Initially, I felt a little lost without a video monitor, fumbling around those twenty-four tracks without eyes. But within hours, I felt perfectly comfortable moving audio around the RADAR without visual aid. Indeed, mistakes were made because I didn't have the extra help of the visuals, but the Undo button quickly fixed these.
I only had five days to really work with the RADAR, but by the third day, the RADAR was showing its speed. One of its more useful features is the ability to use the numeric keypad as ten individual locate points. Let's say you have one spot that needs eight different tags. Arm a track, press Play and Record, and put one finger on the Mark Locate button. Press it as you begin reading each tag. The RADAR will automatically assign the tags to a locate point starting with locate number 1. When done, cuing to each tag is a one-key operation -- fast, friendly, and digital! (There is one drawback to using multiple locate points: if you edit a point in front of other points, particularly with a Cut operation, the locate points down the "tape" lose their place with respect to the audio they once pointed to. However, this is a function of the software and probably something one can look forward to as a small fix or user option in a future software update.)
I found it handy to have one project designated for recording "temporary" voice tracks -- you're in the middle of one project, and someone walks in to record the voice track for another. In the analog world, this can be bothersome. With the RADAR, simply press Project, select your "temporary" project, press Enter, and bam! You're ready to record the voice track and can quickly get back to your previous project when done. Then, when time comes to begin the next project with that new voice track, simply go to the "temporary" project, copy the track to the clipboard, go to the new project, and paste it where you want it.
Many workstations offer a "library" of sorts where sound effects, jingles, etc. can be stored and retrieved. The RADAR doesn't specifically provide a "library" function, but there's no reason why you can't assign Project 99, let's say, to Sound Effects. Then, use the 99 available locate points to store the location of up to 99 sounds. Since the locate points can have names, short descriptions of the sounds can be stored with the locate point. Project 98 could be used exclusively for station IDs often used in promos, etc.. Project 97 could be used exclusively to store often used music beds. It would be necessary to keep a log on paper (or computer) of what sounds are in what project at what locate point if you don't want to spend a lot of time scrolling.
The Otari RADAR is loaded with pluses. A major one is its incredibly short learning curve made possible with the help of the RE-8 Session Controller. Most of the keys on the RE-8 speak for themselves, and even the most digital-shy producer feels at home quickly. The multiple sampling frequencies make the system ideal for broadcast because you can use 32kHz sampling, maintain "broadcast quality," and use recording time efficiently. And the availability of the higher sampling frequencies doesn't limit your studio from doing serious recording jobs requiring higher sampling frequencies. The RE-8 comes standard with a 30-foot cord which lets you put the RADAR at a distance from the work area, leaving the small RE-8 as the only item needed to do some serious digital 24-track work. The digital I/O is easy to use and provides an ideal interface for studios that continue to employ more and more digital devices. However, the fact that the twenty-four outputs are analog will prevent one from staying entirely in the digital domain with this system -- if you master to DAT, you'll have to master to the analog inputs.
The system software version of the unit used for this Test Drive is version 1.02. While writing this review, version 1.05 became available, and yet another upgrade is due in January. One major advantage of the new software is in the way the drives can be configured. An 8-track RADAR using version 1.02 comes standard with one internal drive, even though the system will house three drives. To expand recording time, you had to add an external drive. With the new software version, the two additional internal drive slots can now be used to create what Otari calls the "Mondo 8" configuration -- an 8-track RADAR with three internal 1-gigabyte drives. This is a major plus for radio because most stations would probably opt for the 8-track version with three times the recording and storage time rather than the 24-track version with shorter record times.
There are several other new features of the software upgrades I was unable to check out, but they sound exciting nevertheless. Some of them include the ability to play audio between the Mark In and Out points, programmable peak and clip hold times, cue to next/previous audio segment, reverse play and "reverse clipboard" which lets you reverse the audio in the clipboard and paste it that way. There's a .WAV file import utility, user defined fast forward and rewind rates, and "jog nudge" which probably allows for even more accurate cuing with the jog wheel.
New hardware options include the ADATLINK Card which allows optical digital connection between the RADAR and the Alesis ADAT and Fostex RD-8, a parallel interface card which allows the RADAR to be controlled from Otari remote controllers as well as automation systems, and the RADAR Back-up Station, an off-line system designed for back-up of RADAR to removable hard disks. The system uses a standard PC computer with supplied software and hardware interface card.
List price on the 24-track RADAR is $21,300. The RE-8's price tag is $1,100. The optional Exabyte back-up system is $3,500. Order the 16-track version with just two 1-gigabyte drives for just $15,725, or the 8-track with one 1-gig drive for $10,164. 2-gigabyte drives are available, though the pricing structure with these drives was not. Up to three additional drives can be added externally to the SCSI bus. At 32kHz sampling, you get almost 4.5 HOURS of track recording time with each gigabyte! My choice would be an 8-track configuration with three internal 2-gig drives.
There's no doubt about it; the Otari RADAR is one serious workstation, loaded with features and incredibly easy to learn and use. For radio production, it is certainly worth considering.