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Product Announcement — Control|24:
Focusrite Ergonomic Control Surface Designed For Pro Tools
Suggested List Price (USD) $7995

Control|24 is a new control surface built especially for Pro Tools. Inheriting its superior analog design from Focusrite — the leaders in analog processing technology — Control|24 is designed for hands-on control of Pro Tools.

Features
Control|24 offers the following features:

• 24 touch-sensitive motorized faders
• 16 Focusrite Class A Mic Preamps
• Hands-on access to Pro Tools recording, routing, mixing, and editing parameters
• Comprehensive Control Room Section capable of up to 5.1 surround monitoring
• Illuminated switches for Mute, Solo, Record Arm, Channel Selects, and Automation Mode on every channel
• Dedicated EQ and Dynamics switches on every channel
• 26 scribble strips provided for system feedback
• Connects to Pro Tools TDM systems via high-speed Ethernet
• High-resolution LED display for transport location at a glance
• Integrated submixer with 8 stereo inputs
• Touch-Sensitive automation of plug-in parameters using faders via Plug-In Flip Mode[/list]
  Extensive Control
  Control|24 is an ergonomic control surface that will enhance the speed of working with TDM-equipped Pro Tools systems. This unit features a host of dedicated switches and faders, offering hands-on access to nearly every recording, routing, mixing, and editing function in Pro Tools. Control|24 transforms even the most complex sequence of functions into a series of simple movements, allowing users to spend a lot less time using the computer’s keyboard and mouse.
  
  World-Class Focusrite Analog Design
  High resolution digital audio workstations such as Pro Tools offer very accurate and detailed audio quality, making it all the more important to use high-end mic/line preamps to ensure that the most precise signal is being fed into the audio interface.
  With 16 Class A mic/line preamps from Focusrite, Control|24 provides a highly sophisticated front-end to Digidesign audio interfaces. It even features 2 DI (direct inject) inputs on the first two channels for directly plugging in instrument-level devices such as an electric guitar or bass.
  
  Huge Performance at a Small Price
  Control|24 combines many of the benefits of using a professional analog console — like hands-on control and world-class mic/line preamplification built-in — with all of the flexibility of working with Pro Tools. And, Control|24 makes all of this available for only a fraction of what it would otherwise cost to obtain such a wealth of features.
  
  
  Q&A
  
  Q: Does Control|24 provide the A/D-D/A conversion for me, replacing my audio interfaces?
  
  A: No, you still have a choice of which audio interface you would like to use with your Control|24. It provides a high quality signal path for your audio and is designed to be the perfect front end to high resolution Pro Tools audio interfaces like the 888|24 I/O.
  
  Q: How do I connect Control|24 to my Pro Tools system?
  
  A: Control|24 connects to the inputs of your audio interfaces via 25 pin D-Sub connectors on the back of the unit. These will fan out to either XLR or 1/4" balanced connections depending on which interface you use. There are a total of 7 D-Sub connections on the back of the unit.
  
  Q: Can I use Control|24 for mixing in surround?
  
  A: Yes! Control|24 provides access to all of the Pro Tools surround output panners including positions, divergence and LFE control. The Control Room monitor section also supports multichannel mixes up to 5.1 in width at the press of a button!
  
  Q: What kind of power requirements are there?
  
  A: Control|24 will work happily with 100 to 220 volt power. It is shipped with fuses for these and the user has to simply choose the correct fuse and insert the fuse holder with the arrow pointing to the desired operating voltage.
  
  Q: Can I listen to other input sources besides Pro Tools?
  
  A: Yes, Control|24 has 3 stereo External Sources available in addition to its 3 stereo Pro Tools Sources. You could also use the 8 channel stereo submixer to monitor more sources, if required.
  
  Q: How can I communicate with people in the studio?
  
  A: Control|24 has complete Talkback and Listenback capabilities. There is a built in mic and input for external Talkback and Listenback mics, complete with phantom power.
  
  Q: Can I have more than one Control|24 connected to my Pro Tools system?
  
  A: No. Control|24 can’t be expanded past 24 channels, but banking, nudging, show/hide and memory locations make it possible to navigate sessions with many more than 24 tracks.
  
  Q: When will Control|24 be available?
  
  A: It will be released in January 2001. To purchase, contact your Authorized Digidesign TDM Dealer.
  
  Q: What are the differences between Control|24 and ProControl?
  
  A: ProControl and Control|24 are both extremely powerful control surface options for Pro Tools, but there are distinct differences between them. Here are a few guidelines to distinguish the two:
  
  Expandability
  ProControl is a larger format, more professional control surface that can be operated by more than one user, if necessary. ProControl can be expanded up to 48 faders plus Edit Pack, so it can handle larger mixes more comfortably and with less banking. Control|24 is not expandable. It is a self-contained unit, fixed at a 24-fader configuration.
  
  Dedicated Editing and Mixing Features
  ProControl has a dedicated DSP Edit/Assign section and 8 character LED scribble strips that are able to display more information than the 4-character LCD scribble strips on Control|24. There is no dedicated DSP Edit/Assign section on Control|24, so its scribble strips have to toggle between two display functions: channel strip information and plug-in parameter information.
  
  Surround Mixing Controls
  The Edit Pack option for ProControl features two touch-sensitive motorized joystick panners, providing full access to all the surround panning controls in Pro Tools 5.1 software. Control|24 does not provide surround panning capability.
  
  Metering Options
  Edit Pack includes 8 high-resolution output meters for viewing up to 7.1 surround mixes, while Control|24 is limited to 6 regular-resolution output meters. Control|24 also lacks the dedicated, comprehensive MachineControl section featured in Edit Pack.
  
  Full Control of Pro Tools
  The Edit Pack option for ProControl, with its QWERTY keyboard and trackball, completely replaces the standard keyboard and mouse for computer input. Control|24 users will still need a computer keyboard and mouse or trackball to access Pro Tools commands.
  
  Professional Look and Feel
  The components (faders, encoders and switches) used on ProControl are higher in quality than those used on Control|24. Operationally, they will perform in an almost identical manner, meaning the data passed on to Pro Tools is about the same. However, these components on ProControl are substantially more expensive, giving users a more professional look and feel.
  
  SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
  Digidesign-approved Mac OS-based Pro Tools TDM system*
  * For the latest compatibility information see the Digidesign Compatibility Documents
  
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  Further information (with photos!) will be available in the Products section. See Control|24 in action at the NAMM show.
  
  [This message has been edited by Digidesign (edited January 17, 2001).]