GH,
My Masterlink just arrived last week, I picked it up, unpacked it,racked it, but believe it or not, I haven't had time to really "dig in" yet! (I'm in tracking mode right now, probably won't mix down anything for a couple of weeks at least.)
Anyway, from research, the manual, and the little bit I know, here's my take...and the reason I went with this product: All in one unit, mix to hard drive, push a button, bang...CD! Need another copy?
...push a button, bang...another CD! In other words, no need for two machines, one to copy another's master...multiple mixes...no problem, store them on the internal hard drive....easy to re-order songs....DSP is built in, if you don't like it, don't worry, upgrades will be available for upload (cross your fingers) through the CD drive...Yes, I personally think this unit definitely replaces the DAT, at least for my use, as I can supply an outside mastering facility my final mix on CD, or use the Masterlink for final mastering in house (Yuuuk!) if a client's budget is limited to this choice!
I assume any facility set up to receive product or masters on DAT, would be equally able to handle CD.
Rumour has it lot's of these were shipped to mastering facilities, probably on spec (or free) not sure about that though....also some
high profile tech's (third party) are already upgrading DSP (?)
Anyway, provided Alesis supports this product long term, and I see no reason why not (yet) I decided to give it a shot. I can't really afford to make a mistake but hell, I needed a mastering system anyway, and DAT made me nervous! Hey, I'm on the cutting edge, hope I don't fall over! (g)
As I always say, your ears may vary,
BW
