Los Angeles, CA. Some of the most interesting new product action at last week’s World Media Expo and NAB Radio Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center was in the area of codec and remote link technology for sending high quality audio point-to-point via ordinary telephone service or ISDN lines. The most energetic manufacturer on the WME floor in terms of new products was MUSICAM U.S.A.

Leading the lineup for MUSICAM was an enhanced version of the CDQPrima™ series of codecs for ISDN, which the company claims is already the fastest-selling audio codec on the market. The key new feature of the enhanced model is the addition of Layer III MPEG compression capability. With Layer III, the CDQPrima can now deliver 15kHz mono audio over a single ISDN “B” channel.

Front panel of the MUSICAM CDQPrima 120 Audio Codec

Added to the unit’s implementation of enhanced Layer II MPEG (MUSICAM®), the Layer III capability makes the CDQPrima extremely versatile and compatible. In addition to high quality digital audio, mono or stereo, it delivers SMPTE timecode, two ancillary data channels, eight relay contact closures, plus command and control channels, all on a single ISDN line.

Also on the ISDN transmission front, MUSICAM unveiled two new portable codecs with built in mixing capabilities. The top-of-the-line Olympian™ offers bidirectional stereo audio with no compromises. It includes the same MPEG Layer II (MUSICAM) and Layer III algorithms as the codec-only CDQPrima series. In addition to mono and stereo transmission, it supports dual-channel send of separate mono programs over two ISDN “B” channels. It can also send voice-grade analog audio over standard phone lines, when ISDN is unavailable.

MUSICAM's Olympian™ Stereo ISDN Portable Codec/Mixer

The company claims ultra-low distortion (0.01% THD+N) and superior signal-to-noise ratio (greater than 90 dB) for the Olympian. The standard configuration includes a built-in universal ISDN terminal adapter with integrated NT1, three mic inputs with stereo pan, a stereo line input, AES/EBU digital inputs and balanced line out. It also features numerous convenience features such as a snap-shot memory that saves presets of all operating parameters, including level settings, stereo pan position, ISDN numbers, bit rates, line format algorithm and mode, and sampling rate. The Olympian can match an incoming signal’s algorithm, mode, sampling rate and bit rate automatically.

For applications where absolute audio quality is less important, such as news gathering and voice over, MUSICAM introduced the RoadRunner™ portable codec/mixer. It offers similar automatic functions and convenience features as the Olympian, with MUSICAM enhanced Layer II and Layer III MPEG algorithms. But it is limited to mono send of a 15 kHz signal on a single ISDN “B” channel (or analog audio via standard phone line), has two mic inputs plus one mic/line input, and no digital I/O.

The RoadRunner™ Mono ISDN Portable Codec/Mixer

Finally, at the low end of its new product intros, MUSICAM brought out a studio version of its FieldFone audio codec for regular phone lines. The StudioFone™ is intended as the studio side of a field reporters’ link, enabling broadcast quality digital audio back to the studio via a single regular analog phone line. Both the FieldFone and the StudioFone offer frequency response approaching 9 kHz, and a “Sound Shaper” feature to sculpt the frequency response for optimum quality when sending music or other program involving higher bandwidth.