Zaxcom Nova 2 – Portable Recorder with Mixer / Wireless Receiver Slots / ZaxNet Zaxcom

Nova 2 is an updated version of the Nova complete sound solution. Nova 2 is a mixer, a recorder, ZaxNet remote control and has two built-in wireless receiver slots – all in one compact and lightweight device. Fully loaded with 2 slot-in receivers Nova 2 can receive up to 8 transmitter signals, weighs less than 4lbs, and is the smallest, neatest, most complete portable sound package on the market today.

A fully loaded Nova 2 provides unmatched features and sonic performance in an industry leading package weighing only 3lbs, 8oz. Nova has built-in RF filtering, distribution, amplification, metering, and ZaxNet remote control. Slot-in receivers increase reliability since there’s almost no external wiring – you can build a Nova kit into the tiniest, lightest sound bag.

NEWLY EXPANDED AES I/O
The Nova 2 has 16 digital inputs that can be used either with or without the internal receivers. You can use either 16 x external AES digital inputs (8 pairs) or 8 x external AES digital inputs (4 pair) and the 8 x internal AES inputs via the built-in receiver slots. When you’re using the internal receivers you can output them as AES direct outputs from the Nova 2. The external AES sample rate converting inputs can be used to connect 2 x AES42 microphones or to connect to any external wireless receivers.

ADDITIONAL I/O
On the analog side, Nova 2 features 4 XLR mic/line NeverClip inputs with 48V phantom power and 2 x line level balanced inputs. Nova 2 has 8 output busses plus the headphone output.

USER INTERFACE
Nova 2’s graphical user interface is intuitive and simple. All buttons and knobs are ergonomically spaced to avoid embarrassing accidental bumps or jogs. The LCD screen paired with 6 dynamic push buttons provides easy menu navigation that can be operated even while wearing gloves, giving you as much flexibility as a touch screen.

MIXING INTERFACE
When is a fader not just a fader…? When it’s an infinity encoder! An infinity encoder is a fader knob that turns continuously with no end points. It looks like there are only five faders on Nova, but each of these five faders has three functions and can be on any one of five banks – so really, you have 75 functions accessible at the push of a button. The three functions are: fader levels, input trim, and Zaxnet gain. A patented ring of colored LED’s around the outside of each fader shows you its ‘position’ and audio level, and the color shows you which bank it’s on.

RECORDING
Nova 2 can record up to 16 channels of audio with 24-bit depth. Sample rates include 44.1, 47.952, 48, and 48.048. Audio can be recorded individually or simultaneously on two Compact Flash Cards. Primary card files are recorded as MARF II, a lossless fault tolerant recording format, and mirror card files can be recorded as Broadcast Wave files (BWF).

NOVA 2 AUTOMIXER
The Nova 2 Automixer can mix up to 18 inputs for you automatically. The automixer is based on industry-standard algorithms and improves on other devices by including a downward expander on each input to minimize the noise contribution from inactive channels. The result is a clean mix with a constant noise floor. The Nova automixer can be your invisible friend when things get a bit “unscripty”.

NEVERCLIP
Each NeverClip™ analog input has a dual A-D converter to increase the dynamic range recorded on Nova 2 to 140dB. With NeverClip™, there’s no compressor, limiter or bad gain staging distortion. This is because the 24 bit ISO files are recorded with an extra 24 dB of headroom to accommodate the enhanced dynamic range.

SLOT-IN WIRELESS RECEIVER MODULES
There are two receiver slots for optional module receivers – MRX414, MRX214 or QRX212. When installed, all connections are made internally. Each MRX414 receiver module can receive audio from up to 4 separate transmitters. The MRX214 and QRX212 can receive audio from up to 2 separate transmitters in mono or stereo mode for up to 4 channels of wireless audio. These module receivers are the same ones used with the RX-12 and RX-12R and are interchangeable back and forth with the Nova.

• MRX414 – 4 Mono or 2 Stereo Transmitters (Single Mode), 8 Mono or 4 Stereo Transmitters (Dual Mode)
• MRX214 – 2 Mono or 1 Stereo Transmitters (Single Mode), 4 Mono or 2 Stereo Transmitters (Dual Mode)
• QRX212 – 1 Mono or Stereo Transmitter (Single Mode), 2 Mono or Stereo Transmitters (Dual Mode)

The MRX414, MRX214, and QRX212 modules are hot-swappable and can be added or removed in any combination at any time. With 2 x MRX414 receiver modules the Nova 2 is capable of receiving up to 8 separate transmitters.

POWERFUL RECEPTION
Nova 2 has an automatic tracking front-end filter and RF distribution (a built-in MicPlexer) so you can receive on any frequency in any block from 20 through 26 (512-698MHz) with impressive range. Here’s how that works – the filter allows signals within the 35 MHz tunable window into the receiver while blocking the interfering high-level signals outside this window. The nerds call this desensing. We let the good stuff in (your radio mic transmitters) and we keep the bad stuff out (walkie-talkies, the follow focus, etc.). Think of it like the bouncer outside a nightclub.

AUTOPICK FREQUENCIES
The module receivers are fully integrated into the Nova 2. When a frequency is changed, both the receiver channel and the transmitters on the talent are changed at the same time. When frequency scans are initiated, all transmitters on talent are put in non-transmission mode so an accurate scan can be done. Once the scan is complete all transmitters and receivers can be assigned to clean frequencies instantly with the touch of a single button.

AUDITION AND RE-RECORD
When used with Zaxcom digital recording wireless transmitters, the wireless functions as a virtual multitrack recording system using our audition and re-record function. You can re-play, re-mix and re-record a take on Nova using audio played back from the digital recording wireless transmitters’ internal memory cards. Transmitter memory cards never need to be removed in order to recover lost audio.

ZAXNET
ZaxNet remote control gives the ability to adjust transmitter settings remotely from the Nova, so you never need to disturb talent. Settings include frequency, preamp gain, output power, and transport controls (play, record and stop) on Zaxcom digital recording wireless transmitters.

The timecode is wirelessly jammed to every transmitter via ZaxNet. The transmitter’s timecode is always perfectly in sync with sub-frame accuracy. Any change to the master timecode is always instantly reflected in each digital recording wireless transmitter.

POWER
Nova 2 uses two power inputs for redundant operation. The Nova will run from 8V-18VDC and draws only 1.1 Amps with 8 channels of internal receiver. The reason Nova’s primary card records in our proprietary MARF (Mobile Audio Recording Format) file system is that it tolerates intermittent power without file corruption so only a single power source is required.

SELF SERVICE
The Nova 2 has been designed to make basic repairs field serviceable. In Nova 2, both the memory card interface and the IFB transmitter are plug-in modules. In past recorders, the most common faults we’ve seen in the shop were bent CF connection pins and damaged IFB antenna connections. In Nova all you need to perform a repair is a screwdriver.