The Sony PCM-3324 is an advanced digital recording system that delivers high-quality audio and robust features for professional use. Here’s a breakdown of its key features:
- Precise Auto Locate: This feature allows for accurate positioning within a recording, making it easier to navigate to specific sections.
- Punch In/Out with Electronic Crossfade: Enables seamless insertion and removal of audio segments, with smooth transitions between edits.
- Cut-and-Splice Editing: Facilitates precise editing of audio tracks, allowing for meticulous modifications.
- Synchronised Operation for Up to 72 Channels: Supports multi-channel recording and playback, making it suitable for complex projects requiring numerous audio tracks.
- Ultrahigh Fidelity: Ensures superior audio quality, capturing sound with exceptional clarity and detail.
The system utilises the DASH (Digital Audio Stationary Head) Format, which ensures compatibility with other brands that use the same format. This versatility makes the PCM-3324 a reliable choice for digital audio recording.
The Sony PCM-3324/RM-3310 system is designed to keep professionals at the forefront of audio recording technology, providing tools that will remain relevant and effective for years to come. Or so it seemed…
* “DASH” (Digital Audio Stationary Head) Format has been established to solve the long-pending question of compatibility among stationary head digital audio recorders. It has been agreed upon by Sony, Willi Studer AG., Matsushita Electric Industries and MCI, all in the forefront of digital audio technology.
All the Superiority of Digital Recording
Ultrahigh Fidelity
The Sony PCM-3324 brings a dramatic improvement to the quality of your master tape. It provides an exceptional 90dB-plus dynamic range. Distortion is a minuscule 0.05%. Frequency response is Wide and flat, and wow and flutter are too low to be measured. In addition, incorporating “DASH” (Digital Audio Stationary Head) Format with its effective error correction system, the Sony PCM-3324 can maintain this ultrahigh fidelity even under the most adverse operating conditions.
Editing and Dubbing with Zero Signal Degradation
With the Sony PCM-3324, the full quality assured by these extraordinary specifications can be perfectly retained however many second thoughts and reruns you may have when recording and editing. The recorded tape can be duplicated any number of times, without suffering from generation loss, added noise and distortion until now unavoidable when copying in the analogue domain. Each duplicate master remains exactly identical with the original.
High Density Recording on 1/2″ Tape
Based on the Fast Version “DASH” (Digital Audio Stationary Head) Format. the Sony PCM-3324 not only proclaims unexcelled quality but also offers outstanding tape economy and handling ease. A standard half-inch tape is enough to record 24 channels. The tape runs at 30 ips (76.20cm/sec.) and gives one full hour of recording from a 14″ reel (at 48kHz sampling frequency). The 24 digital tracks are located across the width of the tape, with two analogue tracks on the outside plus control and external data tracks in the centre. Complete with these option tracks, no digital track needs to be sacrificed for time coding to perform external synchronisation.
A New Level of Control Precision and Flexibility
Adoption of Sector Address
Using the sector address as the basis of all operations, the Sony PCM-3324 offers the highest level of auto locate, punch in/out and synchronisation accuracy ever achieved in the recording industry. The editing accuracy of this recorder is zero, and resolution is 1 sector*. The adoption of the sector address also results in an extremely powerful error correction system. For formatting the control track with the sector address, the Sony PCM-3324 features the Advance Rec Mode. (1 sector= msec at fs=48kHz)
Comprehensive Auto Locate Function
Besides the shuttle dial for manual search in either tape direction, the Sony PCM-3324 provides a convenient auto locate function. A maximum of 4 points on the tape can be memorised as cue points, to be located automatically at the touch of a button. In addition, pressing the LOCATE key in the play mode causes the recorder to start playing as soon as the specified cue point is reached. To perform the same in the other modes, the PLAY key must be pressed in addition to the LOCATE key.
When modification of the memorised cue point is necessary, there are the UP and DOWN keys for Shifting it quickly on the Behind the exceptional locate accuracy of this recorder is an elaborate timer roller reading out the tape time in 1 sector units. With the AM-3310: Add the RM-3310 and you have a truly flexible, timesaving auto locate system. The cue points to be memorised are increased to 100.
The 10-key pad enables instant, direct cue point search and entry and best of all, four additional automatic operations—return, repeat, roll back and roll back to play—become feasible for a total of six including auto locate and auto locate to play. Punch In/Out with Crossfade Punch in/out could hardly be simpler and more accurate, with convenient rehearsal. Unlike analogue recorders. there’s no need to deliberate on the exact timing, keeping the erase delay in mind.
The punch in/out points are memorised in the Sony PCM-3324 for automatic operation at exactly the same timing. They are also completely free of noise, with the electronic crossfade insuring smooth, natural continuation of sound. The crossfade time is variable in 16 steps. By virtue of digital operation, moreover, punch in/out with the Sony PCM-3324 never introduces signal deterioration however many times it’s repeated – even 100 times!
With the RM-3310: Modification of the punch in/out point can be achieved in 1 msec. steps on the RM-3310, allowing such a demanding operation as spot erase. If the RM-3310 is connected to an external computer via IEEE-488 bus, multi-point editing and sequential punch in/ out become possible. Just as important, the crossfade time can be set individually for each channel.
Cut-and-Splice Editing
This feature means that tapes recorded on the Sony PCM-3324 can be edited precisely in the same way as analogue tapes. For the extensive code errors generated when the tape is cut, the Sony PCM-3324 automatically carries out the electronic correction and 5.20 msec. crossfade for a completely inaudible result – no noise, no interruption at all. The signals before and after the splice join as smoothly as if they are part of a Single take.
Synchronised Operation
With each Sony PCM-3324 paired with the RM-3310 which is connected to each other through the IEEE-488 bus, two or three recorders can be operated in synchronisation to accommodate 48 or up to 72 channels. The synchronisation accuracy of this system is on the order of the internal reference clock, and this means that there isn’t even the slightest chance of phase difference between the master and slave recorders.
With the VCLK board that will be available as an option. the Sony PCM-3324 can also be locked to external sync signals such as NTSC or CCIR (PAUSECAM) composite video signals, frame sync from film equipment, and 50/60Hz power frequency—an exceptionally convenient feature for total audio/video studios.
Remote Interfacing
The rear panel of the Sony PCM-3324 provides 3 types of remote I/O connectors. The REMOTE 1 connector accepts parallel bus for controlling the tape transport. REMOTE 2 also connects parallel bus for control of channels and transport functions as well as remote display of meters. REMOTE 3 allows the most extensive data communication for regulating virtually every function of this recorder. For the present. the RM-3310 connects to REMOTE 3.
Precision Heavy-Duty Transport
Wow and flutter of a digital recorder are theoretically said to be zero. because they are determined by the extremely high accuracy of the internal reference clock. In actual application. however, the accuracy of the tape transport has not a negligible effect on the error rate and hence on the quality of the recorded sound.
For this reason. the Sony PCM-3324 incorporates a precision heavy-duty transport built with Sony’s vast reservoir of knowhow. Variations in the tape tension is detected by a potentiometer of a tension arm, one each located on both sides of the head assembly and fed back to the reel motor to control its rotation. With this elaborate servo system, the tape tension is kept uniform at 200g on the take-up side, with a consistent back tension of 130g in the Play mode.
This means wow and flutter are totally dependent on the rotational precision of the capstan, for which an oversize Sony original BSL motor is employed. This motor has no brushes, no slots, and cogging is just impossible. It also engages a quartz-locked FG for precise velocity and phase control. As a result, mechanical wow and flutter of the Sony PCM-3324 is as low as 0.03% (weighted, at 30 ips), Which can be easily reduced to zero by being passed through a memory. The tape transport of this recorder also handles the tape very gently and allows fool-proof operation.
Exquisite Multi-Head Assembly
The newly developed mufti-head assembly of the Sony PCM-3324 is a kind of masterpiece. Reflecting the latest in Sony’s video head technology, it enables extremely high-density recording, yields remarkable efficiency for perfect signal detection, and minimises crosstalk to the vanishing point. Extremely durable, it also ensures extended life and consistent high performance throughout the lifetime.
RM-3310 Synchroniser/Auto Loactor/Remote Control
With the RM.3310, the Sony PCM-3324’s upward flexibility comes into play, with the extra useful feature of synchronised operation of up to 3 recorders. Consisting of compact, separately built audio and system control units, the RM-3310 can also be used anywhere it’s convenient in your studio. All controls are arranged in function groups and work with laboratory precision to give unprecedented control over the creative recording process.
Features
- Single cable connection to the Sony PCM-3324.
- Consists of a compact system control unit and a separate keyboard for audio control; can be placed on a desk, mounted on the SU•15 stand, or installed in a 19″ standard rack.
- Makes it possible to operate up to three Sony PCM-3324 recorders in perfect synchronisation. Offset time between the master and Slave recorders will be automatically detected for one-touch adjustment.
- Selectable cue memory points (max. 10 or 100).
- IO-key pad for time data and cue number entries. Arithmetical keys (+, -, and =) are also provided for quickly shifting the tape time or calculating the time interval between 2 points on the tape.
- Instant and precise auto locate functions. The point to be located can be instructed either by tape time or cue number, while the recorder can be commanded to stop or start playing at the point located.
- Return, roll back, roll back to play, and repeat operations can be programmed for a total of six automatic operations including auto locate and auto locate to play.
- Spot Erase and auto punch in/out at exactly the right timing and with electronic crossfade; rehearsal function is also provided.
- Setup memory and keys for registering the channel setups of the recorder for convenient one-touch recall (max. 4)
- Complete master control – Rec ready control disable and 5-mode monitoring facility (AUTO INPUT, INDIVIDUAL, ALL REPRO, Al I INPUT, and ALL MUTE).
- Digital readouts of absolute or relative tape time and locate time. The locate time display is switchable between sec. and msec. indications. It also shows various other time information such as pre-roll time, post-roll time, and sync offset time.
- LED indicators for the recorder’s sampling frequency, operation status, and recording mode.
