Core Sound — 4Mic Portable Four-Channel Microphone Pre-amp/A-to-D Converter

(Last updated 10/16/2007)

We are now accepting deposits to reserve a spot in the 4Mic shipment queue. See the On-Line Ordering page.

4Mic is a revolutionary, portable, handheld, battery-powered, four-channel, 24/192 microphone pre-amp/A-D converter. It offers true 24-bit performance, with exceedingly low noise, distortion and crosstalk. With two coaxial and two optical S/PDIF outputs available simultaneously, it provides four discrete output channels in both formats. It can also multiplex the four microphone channels down into two recorder channels, allowing a two-channel 24/192 recorder to record four channels at 24/96. When paired with Core Sound's PDAudio handheld portable digital audio recorder, it turns a PDA like HP's iPAQ or Dell's Axim into a four-channel, high-resolution digital audio recorder. And by providing professional-class microphone pre-amps and A-D converters, it turns any two-channel 24/96 recorder with an S/PDIF input (e.g., M-Audio's MicroTrack 24/96, Marantz's PMD661 or Sound Devices 722) into a truly professional, high-resolution four-channel recorder. It may also be able to turn a four channel recorder -- like the Sound Devices 744 -- into a six-channel recorder.

4Mic includes a few important features that allow it to be used for Ambisonics-type surround-sound recordings, creating for the first time the possiblity of a handheld, high-resolution, surround sound recording system. In "surround sound" mode, gain is matched across the four channels to within one-tenth of a dB. 4Mic also provides the proper power for the Core Sound TetraMic. (TetraMic is the first single point, portable, tetrahedral microphone available for under $1000.) 4Mic can also be used with other A-format Ambisonics-type microphones including the Soundfield SPS200.

4Mic is the only handheld, battery-powered microphone pre-amp that can provide a full ten milliamps of 48 Volt phantom power per channel, allowing it to be used with Earthworks, Schoeps, Neumann, AKG, Shure and other high current requirement microphones. It will run on primary and rechargeable batteries for more than four hours and accepts external battery packs and AC power supplies.