Korg MR 1000

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Specifications

Uncompromising, Future-proof Fidelity at an
Unprecedented Price
Korg’s new, super-portable MR Professional Mobile Recorders break new ground by providing high fidelity 1-bit recording technology at unheard of low prices.

The mobile/tabletop MR-1000 delivers an astonishing 1-bit/5.6 MHz, doubling industry DSD recording quality standards. This new super-rate spec delivers a “true to what you heard” fidelity that will amaze even the most jaded audio enthusiast.

The MR-1000 is the perfect tool for the professional who wants to record and archive their final mixes in the studio, while its compact size and portability make it ideal for location recording, podcasting, live music performances – even for rehearsals and song-writing sessions.

After recording and editing all your tracks in the DAW/hardware system of your choice, you can mix directly, or via an analog summing mixer, to the MR-1000. This gives you the superb fidelity of high-rate 1-bit technology, which preserves all the transients, nuances, and “air” from the original recording.

Powerful new software bundled with the MR-1000 enables the conversion of your 1-bit recordings and mixes into all of today’s audio formats without degradation. Best of all, by archiving your data/mix in this new double-speed 1-bit format you’re ready for the future, as playback systems and standards change.

Real World Features
The MR-1000 supports multiple recording formats including DSDIFF, DSF, and WSD 1-bit formats*, as well as multi-bit PCM format (BWF) with resolutions up to 24-bit/192 kHz.

It features a 40 Gbyte internal hard drive, offering up to six hours of recording at the highest audio quality (1-bit 5.6448 MHz stereo), or approximately sixty hours at CD quality (16-bit 44.1 kHz).

The table-top MR-1000 includes combination XLR/ 1/4" input connectors with top quality microphone preamps, phantom power and built-in limiting. Both XLR and RCA outputs are provided for maximum flexibility.

MR-1000 Back Panel

High-speed USB 2.0 connectivity provides for fast and easy transfer of files between the recorder and your computer.

The MR-1000 can accommodate a total of 800 projects internally, and you can easily perform file management operations such as Rename, Delete, and Protect for individual songs. You can also register one hundred mark points in each song.

Designed for High Audio Quality
In order to deliver an unprecedented level of audio quality, careful attention was paid not only to the digital signal domain but also to the hardware design. The input/output circuitry of the MR-1000 features ultra-high quality mic preamps. Power is supplied independently to the MR-1000’s digital circuitry and analog circuitry, thus holding interference due to electrical current to an extremely low level.

Every component of the MR-1000 has been carefully selected to maximize performance. The respected Cirrus Logic CS4398 is used as the DAC (Digital/Analog Converter), and the Burr-Brown PCM4202 from Texas Instruments is used as the ADC (Analog/Digital Converter). By paying close attention to every component, the design has minimized any possible degradation of the audio signal.

Quality and Portability
The MR-1000 allows two-way operation; it can be powered by the included AC adaptor or by eight AA batteries, delivering 1-bit audio in a portable package that’s equally at home in the studio or in the field. It comes with a specially-made carrying case that lets you record without removing the MR-1000 from the case, making it a great choice for field recording. The large backlit LCD display guarantees excellent visibility, ensuring smooth workflow. The Almite-coated aluminum body provides strong impact resistance and stable operation in any situation.

1-bit Technology Equals Pristine Fidelity
1-bit recording is the latest advancement in audio, and has been adopted for use in the critically acclaimed SACD recording format. It offers a frequency response of DC to 100 kHz and dynamic range of 120 dB. This uncompromising fidelity, low noise floor, extended dynamic range, lifelike imaging and analog quality depth has been praised by top experts. But there are other important advantages to the format that are of benefit to all recording professionals, regardless of their tracking platform.

Future Proof Flexibility
Today’s state-of-the-art 24-bit converters use high-speed 1-bit conversion to capture audio, using real-time decimation and other processes to present the data in the desired bit depth/sample rate format. The beauty of the MR’s bitstream format is that it uses the original 1-bit data, without the need for the other processes. What comes in comes out, with no manipulation needed.

As files are converted and reconverted between various bit depths and sampling rates, there are possibly degrading effects, depending on the sample rate conversion algorithms. The critical issue is that files mixed and mastered in today’s state of the art resolution may be insufficient for tomorrow’s formats. Archiving your final mixes and masters in a 1-bit system allows you to bypass these issues, and preserve your music with both the highest fidelity and in a more "universal" format. That data then can more easily be converted at a later date to the bit depth/sample rate format of your choice without compromising the integrity or fidelity of the data. You can even convert to newer formats that will be adopted in the future, be they multi-bit or a further migration to the 1-bit format.

Free Integrated Software Solution
The MR-1000 comes with Korg’s innovative and powerful AudioGate™ software for Mac® and PC. AudioGate can convert 1-bit recordings into WAV and AIFF formats at various bit-rates (and vice versa) and offers real-time conversion and playback of 1-bit files using your computer’s audio hardware.

It also does essential functions like DC offset removal, gain control, and fade in/out. The combination of these recorders and this exclusive software makes the perfect system for both capturing and preserving your critical projects and source recordings. This archiving capability that had only been the domain of the major record companies and top studios is now available for everyone!

Future Proof Recording Explained
For a complete overview of current PCM digital audio techniques and some of the principals and advantages that 1-bit recording provides both in terms of fidelity and archiving for future use, read Future Proof Recording Explained.



* Notes: Recording Formats

DSF (DSD Stream File)
This is a DSD file format supported by some Sony "VAIO" personal computers (models with the "Sound Reality" engine) sold since September, 2005. This format is already supported by software such as "SonicStage Mastering StudioVer.2.0" and "DSD Direct," and it is expected that increasing numbers of software titles will support it in the future, including shareware and freeware.

WSD (Wideband Single-bit Data)
This is a 1-bit audio file format created by the "One-bit Audio Consortium." It accommodates all formats of one-bit audio data without limitation of channel number or sample rate. The "One-bit Audio Consortium" was established in 2001 with the goal of contributing to the advance of audio through research, development, and popularization of 1-bit audio technology, and its work is currently supported by more than sixty members.