[Karl Engel]

Anyone tested a Shure X2u up against a real preamp with the same mic? I'm
particularly curious to know how it fares against the RNP which I use for
voiceovers (into RME Multiface then MBox 2 via SPDIF) - Would consider as a
laptop solution for when I'm away (straight into Audition).

[Mike Rivers]

Karl Engel wrote:
Anyone tested a Shure X2u up against a real preamp with the same mic? I'm
particularly curious to know how it fares against the RNP which I use for
voiceovers (into RME Multiface then MBox 2 via SPDIF) - Would consider as a
laptop solution for when I'm away (straight into Audition).

Of course it will be different, but then so will your acoustical
environment, so why
worry? I'm sure it'll be fine, as would, probably, the "original"
product like that, the
CEntrance MicPort Pro. I have one of those and I think it's pretty much
the equivalent
of a Mackie VLZ preamp with a clean A/D converter after it. The RNP has
some
"character" that the CEntrance, and most likely the Shure lacks, but you
can either
ignore that or tweak it later.



--
"Today's production equipment is IT based and cannot be operated without
a passing knowledge of computing, although it seems that it can be
operated without a passing knowledge of audio." - John Watkinson

[Steve King]

"Karl Engel" wrote in message
. au...
| Anyone tested a Shure X2u up against a real preamp with the same mic? I'm
| particularly curious to know how it fares against the RNP which I use for
| voiceovers (into RME Multiface then MBox 2 via SPDIF) - Would consider as
a
| laptop solution for when I'm away (straight into Audition).
|

I use a Centrance MicPortPro. I love it. My best audio purchase in the
last two years. Sounds very good. Earphone level is loud and clean. It
really simplified my travel kit for VO work, which now consists of a Senn.
416 on a mini-folding desk stand, a three foot XLR cable, a three foot
mini-USB to USB (to get from the MicPortPro to the computer), a set of ear
buds, and a laptop. Coincidently, I had dinner this week with Michael
Goodman the owner and senior designer of Centrance. I was impressed. He
worked for Shure for nine years IFIRC before setting up his own company. In
addition to his two products, MicPortPro and AxPortPro he along with other
Centrance designers do work for some of the top names in audio. Check out
the Centrance web site.

Disclaimer.... I have no interest in the company other than an admiration
for an entrepeneur who can design a great little product and take it to
manufacturing and marketing success. The reason for the dinner was that I
went along with a friend of mine who is selling Centrance products on a web
site.

Steve King

[Ty Ford]

On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:22:10 -0500, Steve King wrote
(in article ):

"Karl Engel" wrote in message
. au...
Anyone tested a Shure X2u up against a real preamp with the same mic? I'm
particularly curious to know how it fares against the RNP which I use for
voiceovers (into RME Multiface then MBox 2 via SPDIF) - Would consider as
a
laptop solution for when I'm away (straight into Audition).


I use a Centrance MicPortPro. I love it. My best audio purchase in the
last two years. Sounds very good. Earphone level is loud and clean. It
really simplified my travel kit for VO work, which now consists of a Senn.
416 on a mini-folding desk stand, a three foot XLR cable, a three foot
mini-USB to USB (to get from the MicPortPro to the computer), a set of ear
buds, and a laptop. Coincidently, I had dinner this week with Michael
Goodman the owner and senior designer of Centrance. I was impressed. He
worked for Shure for nine years IFIRC before setting up his own company. In
addition to his two products, MicPortPro and AxPortPro he along with other
Centrance designers do work for some of the top names in audio. Check out
the Centrance web site.

Disclaimer.... I have no interest in the company other than an admiration
for an entrepeneur who can design a great little product and take it to
manufacturing and marketing success. The reason for the dinner was that I
went along with a friend of mine who is selling Centrance products on a web
site.

Steve King



+1 for Mic Port Pro and Axe Pro.

Regards,

Ty Ford



--Audio Equipment Reviews Audio Production Services
Acting and Voiceover Demos http://www.tyford.com
Guitar player?:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWaPRHMGhGA

[mcp6453[_2_]]

On 2/12/2010 12:22 PM, Steve King wrote:

I use a Centrance MicPortPro. I love it. My best audio purchase in the
last two years. Sounds very good. Earphone level is loud and clean. It
really simplified my travel kit for VO work, which now consists of a Senn.
416 on a mini-folding desk stand, a three foot XLR cable, a three foot
mini-USB to USB (to get from the MicPortPro to the computer), a set of ear
buds, and a laptop. Coincidently, I had dinner this week with Michael
Goodman the owner and senior designer of Centrance. I was impressed. He
worked for Shure for nine years IFIRC before setting up his own company. In
addition to his two products, MicPortPro and AxPortPro he along with other
Centrance designers do work for some of the top names in audio. Check out
the Centrance web site.

Can the MicPort Pro driver cause the converter to operate at 44kHz 16 bit, or
does the driver actually do a conversion? From what I'm reading, it seems that
the MPP only operates at 96kHz.

[Mike Rivers]

mcp6453 wrote:

Can the MicPort Pro driver cause the converter to operate at 44kHz 16 bit, or
does the driver actually do a conversion? From what I'm reading, it seems that
the MPP only operates at 96kHz.

It operates at 96 kHz if you don't install the CEntrance
driver, but just use the standard Windows class clompliant
USB1.1 audio driver. 96 kHz is its "native" speed and the
Windows driver just tells it to run at the speed that it
would run if not told anything different. With the CEntrance
driver installed, you can select the sample rate from the
program.

--
"Today's production equipment is IT based and cannot be
operated without a passing knowledge of computing, although
it seems that it can be operated without a passing knowledge
of audio." - John Watkinson

[mcp6453[_2_]]

On 9/5/2010 8:55 PM, Mike Rivers wrote:
mcp6453 wrote:

Can the MicPort Pro driver cause the converter to operate at 44kHz 16
bit, or
does the driver actually do a conversion? From what I'm reading, it
seems that
the MPP only operates at 96kHz.

It operates at 96 kHz if you don't install the CEntrance driver, but
just use the standard Windows class clompliant USB1.1 audio driver. 96
kHz is its "native" speed and the Windows driver just tells it to run at
the speed that it would run if not told anything different. With the
CEntrance driver installed, you can select the sample rate from the
program.


That's my understanding, but my question is whether the driver converts from 96
to 44.1, or does the driver cause the converter to actually run at 44.1 so that
no conversion is necessary?

[Scott Dorsey]

Mike Rivers wrote:
The driver contains a dedicated control panel with two
parameters, latency and sample rate, and a check box for
"lock sample rate" which seems to take priority over the
sample rate setting in a program. I see no reason to run at
a higher sample rate and initiate a conversion in the driver
software, but if you're really suspicious, perhaps it's best
to ask CEntrance directly.

You know, Mike, if it were running Linux it would be pretty easy to
watch the driver inside and see what it was doing. (Or BeOS or
just about any non-Microsoft OS for that matter. OSX is pretty bad
about letting you look inside kernal space but it's not _too_ bad.)
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Mike Rivers]

Scott Dorsey wrote:

You know, Mike, if it were running Linux it would be pretty easy to
watch the driver inside and see what it was doing.

Why watch the driver when you can read the source code?
If I hadn't disconnected the Linux-loaded computer from the
monitor, mouse and keyboard, I'd plug the CEntrance MicPort
Pro in and see if it even worked. Surely the CEntrance
driver wouldn't work other than perhaps with WINE in
between, but most USB1.1 devices that work with the Core
Audio and Windows USB audio driver seem to work under Linux.
But without anything telling it what to do, it would be
running at 96 kHz.


--
"Today's production equipment is IT based and cannot be
operated without a passing knowledge of computing, although
it seems that it can be operated without a passing knowledge
of audio." - John Watkinson

[Scott Dorsey]

Mike Rivers wrote:
Scott Dorsey wrote:

You know, Mike, if it were running Linux it would be pretty easy to
watch the driver inside and see what it was doing.

Why watch the driver when you can read the source code?

Because Centrance won't give you the source code for their driver any
more than they will give you a schematic for the device itself.

Having grown up with service manuals coming free with any pro audio
product, and schematics provided inside the case of most consumer
electronics products, I think this is shameful. But it's the way the
world is now.

iF I hadn't disconnected the Linux-loaded computer from the
monitor, mouse and keyboard, I'd plug the CEntrance MicPort
Pro in and see if it even worked. Surely the CEntrance
driver wouldn't work other than perhaps with WINE in
between, but most USB1.1 devices that work with the Core
Audio and Windows USB audio driver seem to work under Linux.
But without anything telling it what to do, it would be
running at 96 kHz.

Right, that's what it should do... it will show up as a generic 96 ksamp/sec
audio device using the generic driver provided in the distribution.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[mcp6453[_2_]]

On 9/6/2010 2:51 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
Mike Rivers wrote:
Scott Dorsey wrote:

You know, Mike, if it were running Linux it would be pretty easy to
watch the driver inside and see what it was doing.

Why watch the driver when you can read the source code?

Because Centrance won't give you the source code for their driver any
more than they will give you a schematic for the device itself.

Having grown up with service manuals coming free with any pro audio
product, and schematics provided inside the case of most consumer
electronics products, I think this is shameful. But it's the way the
world is now.

iF I hadn't disconnected the Linux-loaded computer from the
monitor, mouse and keyboard, I'd plug the CEntrance MicPort
Pro in and see if it even worked. Surely the CEntrance
driver wouldn't work other than perhaps with WINE in
between, but most USB1.1 devices that work with the Core
Audio and Windows USB audio driver seem to work under Linux.
But without anything telling it what to do, it would be
running at 96 kHz.

Right, that's what it should do... it will show up as a generic 96 ksamp/sec
audio device using the generic driver provided in the distribution.
--scott

For some reason, all of the posts in this thread are not coming threw. There are
responses to posts that I have not seen, so this may have already been posted.

I just called Centrance. If you use the driver, the clock rate in the converter
changes. The driver is not a sample rate converter, which is the good answer.

After all that, the Shure X2U may be a better unit at 44.1/16, according to a
buddy of mine who compared them.