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C-lab Unitor 2 MIDI expander Atari ST Series Notator
Condition Fully functional Excellent condition Includes unit only
Please look at other listing for notator dongle
Synchronisation is never the easiest of matters to deal with, but users of Creator/Notator sequencers have it easier than most if they adopt C-Lab’s own SMPTE synchroniser.
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You’re using C-LAB’S Creator sequencer or Notator scorewriting program and you’re looking to move into the big boys’ world of SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) synchronisation. The problem is that you’re not sure which synchroniser to go for. You want something that will do the job, sure, but you want it to integrate well with the software you’re using. On top of that, you’ve seen that the current batch of Macintosh synchronisers seem to offer all sorts of “extras”, like additional MIDI ports and patchbays. Where are the equivalent units for the poor ole ST? Are you being left behind by progress?
For once you can relax. Not only have C-Lab’s boffins largely anticipated your need, but the unit you’re searching for has been available for years – longer than the Mac boxes you were worrying about. Not only that, but you actually already have the software you need embedded within Creator or Notator. Unitor, as C-Lab have christened their synchroniser, has recently been superseded by Unitor 2. And that’s where this review comes in…
Briefly, then, Unitor 2 is a SMPTE/EBU synchroniser and MIDI interface expander. Sorry, no patchbay.
Unitor 2 – as it comes out of its cloth carrying case – is a black plastic box (roughly 8″ x 3.5″) which takes the place of the Creator/Notator dongle in the Atari’s ROM Port. The dongle then fits into a similar port on the front of Unitor. This is the only visible difference between this version of the unit and its predecessors – previously there were two versions, Unitor C and Unitor N, and the appropriate one of these took the place of your dongle. No, this didn’t mean you ended up with two dongles (and therefore the opportunity to sell on a copy of the program with the dongle you no longer needed) as the dongle was part of the “price” of Unitor. The new arrangement is more logical but leaves you with two pieces of hardware to lose instead of one. Classic swings-and-roundabouts stuff.
Along the left-hand (outside) edge of Unitor there are two MIDI In sockets (marked In I and In II) which function in addition to the Atari’s In, two MIDI Outs (Out E and Out F) which function in addition to the Atari’s Out, a 15-pin D-connector (marked Multi-port) and quarter-inch jack sockets for SMPTE In and Out.
ANY PORT
The additional MIDI Ins and Outs operate simply enough. When assigning instruments within a Creator/Notator Pattern, you now have the option of using MIDI Outs E and F, effectively giving you access to a total of 48 MIDI channels. The missing Outs C, D and E (the Atari’s own Out being designated the A port) are to be found on C-Lab’s Export unit. Unitor’s MIDI Ins can be merged together with the Atari’s In and filtered and submitted to Creator/Notator’s realtime Transform functions if required.
The D-connector is for use with other C-Lab peripherals, Human Touch and Steady Eye, which allow manual timing input and phase-synchronous operation with video respectively. The SMPTE jacks connect directly to your multitrack and are set up to output at -6dBm and accept input levels between -20dBm and +6dBm. The manual gives guidelines on setting levels for 2″ and 1″ machines, ” and ” machines and cassette multitracks. It’s reassuring to know that Unitor hasn’t been aimed at professional users to the exclusion of those with more modest studios.
So much for the hardware. To operate Unitor you’ll need to open the Synchronisation window under the Options menu (or hit S on the Atari’s keyboard). Here you’ll find all the setup facilities you need – and in a more convenient layout than you’ll find on a standalone hardware unit. All four frame rates are available (24, 25, 30 and 30 Drop Frame). For use with European TV standards you won’t need to change the default setting of 25 frames per second, but if you’re moving into the film industry you’ll need to use 24fps.
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Category: Musical Instruments:Pro Audio Equipment:Audio/MIDI Interfaces
Location: London