Digigram VXpocket PC Card Digital Audio Interface.(Brief Article)

Digigram, S.A., Parc de Pre Millier, 38330 Montbonnot, France; telephone (+33)4-7652-4747; fax (+33) 4-7652-1844; electronic mail info@digigram.com; World Wide Web www.digigram.com

As components have shrunk and processing power has increased, it is becoming increasingly popular to do digital audio--recording, editing, processing, performing--using a notebook computer. The convenience of being able to travel with much less gear is an obvious advantage. Interactive performances can be more engaging as well, as musicians need not be quite so hidden behind desktop computer components and full-sized monitors. One thing that has been lacking, however, is a compact, high-quality interface for importing, converting, and exporting audio. Digigram has filled that gap admirably with its VXpocket audio interface. At a list price of US$ 729, this 24-bit unit easily turns your portable computer into a two channel audio workstation.

The VXpocket is a sleek, credit card-sized PC card (see Figure 2) that pops into the built-in Type II slot that comes with most newer notebook computers, both Macintosh and Windows models. A single cable that attaches to the card splits into balanced XLR analog connectors (two channels each of input and output) and S/PDIF coaxial digital RCA connectors for digital input/output (see Figure 3). I found that the length of cable provided with the VXpocket is a bit short to allow one to plug into the back of a DAT recorder or CD player without having to re-position the computer or audio devices. The entire cable set is approximately three feet in length, with the break-out portion, containing the individual connectors, being no more than six inches. Of course, this is easily solved by connecting your own cables, but that does start to add to the bulk of your necessities.

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Installation is very simple. Digigram has provided ASIO drivers for both Macintosh and Windows (95, 98, NT), and additional ones for Macintosh Sound Manager and Windows Wave (PC users must also have a free IRQ). Version 2.20b and higher ASIO drivers provide 24-bit support, and allow selection of internal or external clock synchronization. An announced upgrade adds SMPTE (LTC) time-code input, which will require purchase of an additional cable. I tested the VXpocket on a Macintosh G3 PowerBook (OS 9.0.4, 400 MHz, 192 MB RAM). When installed, you need to verify that the ASIO driver is placed in the VX folder. Otherwise, the required extensions are added automatically and the controls for the card added to the Sound Manager interface, accessed either through the ...