HOPEWELL JUNCTION, NEW YORK: Metric Halo announced the immediate availability of the 2d Card upgrade for Mobile I/O. Powered by the brand new 2d Card, the 2d Processing architecture expands and enhances the fundamental processing, routing and mixing engine of Metric Halo's world-renowned Mobile I/O FireWire audio interfaces. Included with every 2d Card is Metric Halo's exclusive "Character" processing engine. Character selectively adds the euphonic low-order distortions found in classic analog devices to the inputs and mix busses of the Mobile I/O. With fifteen different flavors of Character, users can choose the perfect euphonic characteristic for the sound they are recording or mixing.

"Version 5 of the MIO Console and the 2d Card have taken my ability to route and process audio to new heights. Character in particular has brought new life to the already exemplary Metric Halo preamps by giving them the personalities of my favorite boutique and vintage pres," says Don Gunn, recording/mixing engineer.

The 2d Card is based upon a new, next-generation DSP that provides a stunning increase in DSP power available for mixing and processing. The new DSP has 5.5 times the available processing power of the original Metric Halo +DSP implementation and includes a SIMD engine that enables an additional two-times increase in power for certain operations - like mixing.

Continuing to deliver on the promise made in 2000 of making a hardware platform that was designed to be future-proof, the 2d Card represents a major increase in the capabilities of the Mobile I/O. By adding more mixing, more DSP, more plug-ins, more routing, rock-solid ADAT and Optical SPDIF, the 2d Card makes the most flexible interfaces on the planet even more flexible and powerful while at the same time making them easier to use.

Philip J. Harvey, FOH engineer for The White Stripes and the Raconteurs puts it well: "I never go on tour without my Metric Halo MIO 2882+DSP. It has been my secret weapon when it comes to recording - using the Record Panel - playback and sound system analysis for the better part of eight years. With the v.5 software and 2d architecture, Metric Halo has set the bar even higher in cutting edge audio technology and breathes new life into existing hardware with a simple upgrade. Bottom line, MIO 2882 Expanded and ULN-2 Expanded are the best sounding and most diverse all-in-one mobile audio solution available."

The 2d Card also includes a brand-new ADAT implementation for rock-solid, worry-free interfacing with all ADAT capable devices. The new ADAT implementation includes optical SPDIF support - independently switchable on both input and output - and asynchronous SRC for the optical SPDIF input. Since the optical input and output are independently switchable, a wide variety of I/O configurations are supported.

Version 5 of the MIO Driver and MIO Console software, delivered with the 2d Card, provides direct access to the power of Mobile I/O and the 2d Processing Architecture. MIO Console Version 5 features a brand-new customizable mixer as well as unified control of all the mixing and processing resources of all connected Mobile I/O Expanded hardware.

The v.5 mixer also provides inserts for +DSP, greatly simplifying and accelerating the process of adding exceptional +DSP plug-ins to the signal path. The new mixer also expands upon the FireWire return features first implemented in Version 4 of the MIO software, allowing you to easily route any processed audio directly to the computer, providing one-click access to routing printed tracks to the host.

According to Charlie Pilzer, Grammy award-winning mastering engineer and producer, "I have the MIO wired into my rack and I use it every single day. The Metric Halo v.5 software/hardware is like having an analog console in a 1-U box. The combination of hardware and software is unmatched in its routing flexibility. With processing available on every track, I can mix anywhere!" McCaig adds, "Version 5 and the 2d Card turned my Metric Halo interface into a dedicated mastering console with hardware and software inserts! Now, it easily replaces a monitoring console and a dedicated hardware router, with a built in AD/DA. I am able to do everything with v.5 and the 2d Card, all in one location now. My DAW has been relegated to just playback and recording."

The 2d Card includes a bundle of basic production plug-ins, including MIOStrip (a full-featured channel strip with Gate, Compressor and six-band EQ), HaloVerb, Mid-Side Decoder, Sample Delay and Dither. In addition, all 2d Cards provide Metric Halo's exclusive Character processing on every input channel and mix bus.

2d Expanded systems can be further enhanced with the +DSP bundle license. Automatically included on all MIO+DSP units, this software license adds literally hundreds of plug-ins and processors to the zero-latency 2d Processing environment, including EQs, compressors, limiters, guitar amps, reverbs, mastering processors, distortion processors, effects units, and more for just $699. The +DSP bundle license also enables Metric Halo's exclusive graph processing engine that allows users to implement and insert their own "secret weapon" processors that support full internal latency compensation, multing and feedback. McCaig adds, "Version 5 with a 2d Card makes my needs and wants for any other hardware or software DSP solution disappear. Being able to use my own custom-built DSP environments, as an insert or send, anywhere in my signal chain, is beyond ridiculous."

The 2d Card is available as an upgrade for all existing Mobile I/O units. For 2882 and 2882+DSP units, the upgrade cost is $400 (user-install). For ULN-2 and ULN-2+DSP, the upgrade cost is $550 (including a new back-panel and ADAT I/O ports). Factory install options are available. The +DSP Bundle license can be added at any time to all 2d Expanded units for $699.