While most of the recording world has marched happily along to the tune of the DAW for a number of years now, there’s still some merit in other recording platforms that don’t require lugging around a computer.

Of course, that’s the first advantage: minimal hardware to get the job done. Sometimes you just want to plug in and go without too much fuss and we all know the perils of a PC crash. Oh, the PERIL.
The other advantage is speed of operation. Often it takes a while to boot up the computer, open the DAW software, and set up a track to record. This procedure has a tendency to kill the vibe because, as we all know, when inspiration strikes it needs quick attention. You don’t want to miss out on that next hit, do you? You could be on your way to retirement, you know.

Lastly, we have simplicity. A standalone recorder is fool-proofishly simple. Often it’s a matter of powering up, plugging in and pressing record. No need to worry about USB drivers or monitoring latency because what you hear is what you get, instantly.
Allen & Heath recently released their own standalone recorder called the ICE-16, which is basically a 16-track digital recorder in a 1U rack space that interfaces to recording media via USB. Because this recorder costs considerably less than other contenders in the market, such as the Joeco Black Box, it is already turning heads. Let’s see what all the fuss is about.

Features

As mentioned, the ICE-16 is a 1U standalone multi-track recorder. It has 16 unbalanced TRS inputs, 16 unbalanced RCA outputs, hybrid USB and Firewire PC connectivity, and sync I/O over DIN connectors.
The ICE-16 can record up to 16 tracks of uncompressed PCM wav format audio at 24-bit 48kHz, and 8 tracks at 96kHz to any qualified USB media connected to the front USB port of the unit (the rear USB port is reserved for PC connectivity). It can accommodate six hours of 16-track recording on a 32GB flash drive and supports standard FAT 32 USB hard drives.

The front of the unit includes 16 monitor select buttons, a small blue numbered display, signal and peak LED metering on every channel, a mono headphone bus for input or output monitoring, and the usual transport control buttons.
Probably the most interesting feature is the fact that you can daisy chain multiple units together over Firewire for 32 channel connectivity to a computer or sync together via DIN connectors for synchronised recording to multiple USB memory devices. Future firmware releases will enable more. I suspect this will come in handy for small home or project studio owners who would like to steer clear of PC-based recording and mix out of the box while still having the flexibility of digital audio.

Another great feature of this recorder is that it doubles as a 16 x 16 recording interface for your PC. Merely connect the unit via either the USB or Firewire port, install the ASIO drivers (the ICE-16 is Core Audio compliant so no drivers are required for Mac), and you’re ready to record tracks to your favourite DAW. This should be a great draw card for those wishing to move between DAW- and standalone-based recording. As a side-note for the more tech-minded, the AD and DA converters are based around the Cirrus Logic CS5368 and Burr Brown PCM4104 converter chips respectively, assuring utmost conversion quality.

Conundrum

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Unbalanced RCA outputs?’ Yeah, me too. Admittedly, I can deal with the unbalanced ¼ inch inputs but the RCA connectors seemed a strange choice to me. However, you have to admit, Allen & Heath have fit quite a lot into a 1U box already and after doing some research I found a post on a famous audio forum by A&H designer Mike Griffin where he explains: “The reason the outputs are on RCA phonos is purely down to space. There was not enough room to fit jack sockets with the Firewire and USB connectors as well.’

Unfortunately, gaining insight as to what A&H was thinking from a design point of view does little to change the fact that anyone interfacing the unit’s outputs with most studio equipment is going to have to implement adapter cabling. However, you only need to procure them once and having to do so does not make the unit any less usable. In most cases you’re going to transfer the multi-tracks to your computer anyway so I doubt most people will ever even use the outputs. Those using the unit in a permanent studio installation will no doubt have to implement some sort of custom cabling anyway so what’s the difference? Call me an optimist, but it doesn’t bother me too much.

The wrap

The ICE-16 is a well-priced, flexible, high-quality standalone multi-track recording solution. Granted, the sole concern might be the RCA outputs but, as discussed above, it should not prove to be too much of an issue for most. Given the fact that the unit is based around converter technology from Cirrus Logic and Burr Brown, one can be assured that the sound quality is fantastic and with a pedigree like Allen & Heath attached to its name, you can be most certainly assured of its quality overall.