Prism Sound Lyra 1 USB Audio Interface

Analog and digital input channels are available as inputs for your audio workstation software through the host computer’s audio driver. Similarly, analog and digital outputs and stereo headphone outputs can be played independently. For low-latency monitoring to headphone or main outputs, each output pair can optionally be driven from the built-in DSP mixer with an individual local mix of any selection of inputs through the controller applet. All analog inputs are electronically balanced with automatic unbalanced operation. Analog outputs are electronically balanced with bootstrapping (level is maintained if one leg is grounded).

Verifile is a radical new proprietary technology exclusive to Prism Sound which allows computer audio streams and recorded files to be quickly checked for a wide range of clicks, errors and dropouts, without any compromise in the audio content or any additional metadata. Verifile is a fragile steganographic process, which embeds derivative data within the dither of the ADC, containing a rolling hash code which allows the audio data to be thoroughly and continuously checked. Recovery of this data from the audio stream or file enables verification that the stream or file contains exactly the audio data that was produced by the ADC at the time of recording. Any incorrect samples, missing or repeated audio segments or any other audio errors in the resulting files can be reliably detected, providing complete confidence that the recorded file is error-free. Processing such as EQ, level changes, additional re-dithering, or sample-rate conversion done to a Verifile recording will result in a failure to decode the rolling hash code in the dither and hence indicate that the recording is not an original.

Prism Sound uses precise software calibration techniques in its converters to avoid the unreliability of pots and tweaks. Minimizing noise, interference, and hum was a priority in the design. All the analog circuits have galvanic isolation, while the unit’s electronically balanced I/O allows it to handle common mode interference sources and trouble-free connection to unbalanced equipment.

The Lyra 1 is easy to connect to your computer and to your outboard gear. For both Mac and Windows platforms, there is a controller application to configure the unit and control its built-in mixer and various functions. Aside from the monitor and headphone level controls, everything else is operated solely from the Lyra controller application. The controller software opens on-screen as a separate panel alongside your existing editing software. Since the Lyra 1 is UAC2 compliant, it will also work in recent Linux and Android builds, although no control panel is provided.

Utilizing the same mic amps as Orpheus, the Lyra offers software-controlled gain in 1 dB steps, switchable phantom power, a 20 dB pad, and low noise and distortion. The inputs are auto-sensing with software override. Channel one can be instrument or line while channel two can be microphone or line. Analog inputs have individually-selectable Prism Sound Overkiller peak limiters built in—just as on the ADA-8XR and Orpheus—to catch those fast transients. The Overkiller threshold automatically follows the operating line-level selection (+4 dBu or -10 dBV). Overkillers are ideal for percussive sounds, particularly drums, where headroom can be a problem.

A built-in digital mixer can be configured from the host computer to provide foldback feeds to performers, each with their own stereo mix of workstation playback and any of the inputs. This provides console quality local mixing—each output has its own independent mixer, with channel strips for all inputs and workstation feeds, complete with fader, pan/balance pot, solo and mute buttons, and full metering. Strips can be stereo or mono, and the mixes are dithered with filtered coefficients, just as in a top-end digital mixer. With the Prism Sound DSP mixer, the latency is as low as 0.08 ms at a 192 kHz sampling rate.

Sample rate conversion on the digital input enables use of any standard input sample rate between 44.1 kHz and 192 kHz. The digital output is equipped with the four Prism Sound SNS noise-shaping curves, allowing you to reduce to 16-bits for CD at mastering-house quality.

State-of-the-art clock generation with proprietary hybrid 2-stage DPLL keeps jitter to a minimum. The sample rate can be sourced from the local clock or via the S/PDIF input stream.