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August 2005
Tranzport Wireless DAW Remote Controller
I'm an old-school engineer who's always had one foot firmly planted in the new school. I started recording in studios in the late 70's, and was raised on 2" 24-track tape decks and large-format consoles. When MIDI came out in the 80's I embraced it and in most cases stayed ahead of the curve. Some of my first professional work in larger studios in New York City was as a MIDI programmer and MIDI systems designer.
I also embraced digital audio when it came out in the 80's with systems like the Synclavier, and then in the 90's — mostly in the form of stand-alone recorders, such as the Akai ADAM and DR-16's, running into large consoles. I used some early ProTools systems and absolutely hated them. Never mind that the sound quality was poorly lacking or that they crashed every time you blinked; what I hated about it was being chained down staring at a computer screen. I didn't mind the screen for MIDI pre-production, but something about looking at WAV files all the time creeped me out. I grew up as someone who listened to music with my ears, not watching it on a screen.
When I was planning another personal project studio a couple of years ago, I almost went with RADAR and some sort of small but powerful console, such as a Neotek. But I couldn't deny the power of total recall. In the end I settled on a system built around a G4 and Nuendo. For the most part I've been happy with the choice, but I've always been bugged by a few things: the main one was having that damn computer monitor on all the time right in from of my face. And secondly, controlling the software with a computer QWERTY keyboard isn't exactly the sexiest interface. I've looked into some DAW controllers, and may very well get one at some point. But they still have the major hindrance of tying the engineer to the area directly in front of the computer.
I record a lot of music myself in my studio. The entire system is based around my needs and my workflow. I'm a multi-instrumentalist, so I often have quite a lot going on, and running back and forth is distracting. And that's something I've had to do for years when working alone, even in larger commerical studios. Hitting record and sprinting out to the drum set can work — but, hey, it's the 21st century. There's gotta be a better way.
Enter the TranzPort wireless remote control from Frontier Design. Current MSRP is $249.00, and a common street price is $199.00. I'd heard about the TranzPort and was itching to get one in my studio. Hearing about what it can do and actually seeing it in action in your own studio are two different things. The TranzPort arrived recently. The package included the remote unit, 4 Duracell AA batteries, a CD-ROM with software and drivers, Tranzceiver USB Interface, a quickstart guide, and the optional mount to fit the TranzPort on a mic stand. It runs on both Windows or Mac and with most digital audio workstation (DAW) software programs.
The TranzPort uses a a proprietary radio protocol developed by Frontier. And as far as interference with other devices, according to Frontier, "Unlike some 2.4GHz wireless devices, it uses a small (1MHz) portion of the available 79MHz bandwidth in this band, and uses intelligent frequency selection to find it, even switching frequencies automatically if new interference appears. This on top of a few forms of error checking and correction, and youčve got a very robust wireless system." And from my experience in my studio, with several computers, one of them wireless, and a Vonage phone system with two lines and three phones, two at 2.4GHz and one at 5.8GHz, I haven't heard even the slightest bit of interference or noise introduced by the Tranzport. The remote is quoted by Frontier as working up to approximately 10 meters away, and "you don't need line-of-sight between the TranzPort and your computer." The four AA batteries have a reported life of about 10 weeks under heavy use, and years if the TranzPort is in "sleep" mode, which it enters when no controls are touched for an amount of time this is programmaable from 1 - 60 minutes [ Shift+Backlight+Jogwhheel ]. There is also a 1/4" jack on the side of the remote unit for use with a foot pedal.
I'd been wanting to get a USB hub for my computer because I was always having to pull out the Nuendo dongle when I wanted to upload pictures from my digital camera. Now that I was going to need to have the Nuendo dongle and the Tranzceiver USB Interface running simultaineously there was no getting around the fact that I was going to have to pick up a hub. I went and bought a GE 4 Port TetraHub at Staple's for about $15.00. Hooking everything up, loading in the TranzPort software and getting the TranzPort going with Nuendo took about 15 minutes. Everything worked right off the bat without a hitch.
I can't speak for every DAW system, and I've read on the Tranzport forums that there are issues with the TranzPort panning display when using ProTools, but using Tranzport for me with a Mac G4 and Nuendo 2.2 has worked flawlessly. One control I had trouble figuring out was how to get to the panning parameters on the Tranzport display. After finding that Frontier had user forums, I did a search on panning and quickly found, "When you press SHIFT by itself, you'll see an arrow pointing to the parameter that SHIFT+Datawheel will affect. Pressing SHIFT+LOOP toggles between level and pan modes," posted as a reply by user "Central Scrutinizer", a Frontier admin. I also spent a little time in their forums, and found Frontier to be very active answering questions, supplying information, and just generally being involved with their customers. So, they're definitely getting an A+ for proactive customer support.
The next thing you realize when you get TranzPort hooked up and running is that it's doing all this stuff — all this control — to your DAW, right in front of your face — and look, Ma — no wires! Using the remote to select tracks and watching the tracks being selected in real time on the computer screen. Arm a track for record on the Tranzport and it instantly shows it on the screen, just as it does when giving commands from the computer keyboard. Mute, solo, fast-forward, rewind, play, stop — it all works. All the main controls needed to operate a DAW are at your fingertips, and the kicker is that you can walk around and work with the remote anywhere within about a 10-meter range. Even a simple task like listening back to tracks can now be done from sitting in the back of the room on the studio couch, instead of having to run up and tap on the computer keyboard.
I have an entry foyer and an additional large room with 15' ceilings next to my control room. I'd been wanting to track some acoustic guitar and other instruments in there, but didn't want to be running back and forth. I set everything up, got levels, and put the Tranzport up on a mic stand right next to me. Sheer freedom. Not only freedom from having to be near the computer, but freedom from not having to look at the blasted computer screen to see what's going on. While sitting with my guitar I was able to record a first track, then arm a second track while playing the first track. I continued the overdubbing process until I'd built up several tracks. I was also able to adjust each track's level and panning — which allowed me to do a reasonable amount of mixing right on the spot just using the Tranzport. The display screen not only allows for contrast adjustment, but also has a backlight option. I tend to work in lower lighting, and everything on the display is clear and easy to read. All the information needed to record with a remote controller is right there on the display screen: a choice of bar/beat or SMPTE real-time location display [ made by pressing Shift and then the Punch button ], track select, levels, record enable tracks, mute, solo, volume level, panning, create and locate markers, define punch points, loop...
At first when I had the TranzPort on the mic stand it struck me as a bit small. I was initially wanting a larger version — something meatier more along the lines of a traditional tape machine remote controller. The current unit weighs in at 1 lb and is about as big as a good-sized pastrami sandwich. But the more I've been moving around with it and even just using it while I'm sitting at the computer, the more I appreciate its size and ergonomics. When needing to set it down near the computer — or where ever — the footprint is small enough that it's not hard to find a place. The tape-style controls and jog wheel are easily preferable to using a QWERTY keyboard and mouse, and the unit has a nice, solid feel in the hands. Nothing about the TranzPort feels cheap. The jog wheel turns nicely, and all the buttons have a feeling of quality.
Believe the hype. This is the shizzle. If you have a DAW, you should run, not walk, and order a TranzPort. The TranzPort is too cool for school. This is a no-brainer, must-have for anyone with a DAW, and an indispensable tool for the 21st-century studio.
The Tranzport has been awarded Studio Reviews "2005 Product of the Year".
For more info on the TranzPort and other Frontier Design products visit www.frontierdesign.com
Talk about the Tranzport at Studio Forums...
Dan is currently producing and engineering The Listening Sessions where he's been testing and using hundreds of pro audio products. He's known in online circles as "Dot" and co-moderates the Recording Forum with Ronan Chris Murphy at Studio Forums.
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