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Avisoft-UltraSoundGate
High-Quality Ultrasound Recording and Playback
The Avisoft-UltraSoundGate system is an integrated PC-based hardware and software solution for recording and playing back ultrasonic signals both in the field and in the laboratory,
which has been specifically designed for bioacoustic applications.
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Key Features
- Avisoft-UltraSoundGate is a turn-key system that consists of a
rugged data acquisition hardware with USB interface and a PC-based harddisk
recording software. Depending on the specific application, various ultrasound microphones or hydrophones can be attached.
- Selectable sample rates of up to 750 kHz with adaptive anti-aliasing filter,
- The accompanying Avisoft-RECORDER software provides a real-time
spectrogram display and advanced triggering facilities,
- Balanced analog inputs for high immunity against electric interference,
- Multichannel recording with guaranteed synchronity from up to 12 channels,
- Acoustic real-time (broad-band) monitor (model 116 only),
- Overload indicator & peak level meter (model 116 only),
- Gain adjustment potentiometer either continuous (standard version) or stepwise with eleven 3dB increments (optionally on request),
- Trigger button for quick start and stop of recordings.
- Digital inputs for external triggering,
- Easy plug-and-play installation,
- Bus-powered operation (no need for extra power-supplies, which is important in the field),
- Rugged and compact design suited for field use (all parts have
been selected for best performance and maximum reliability),
- Watertight, dustproof and unbreakable transport box.
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Principle of the UltraSoundGate system
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UltraSoundGate Product Family Members
The UltraSoundGate product family consists of the following components:
Recording Devices (A/D Converter Units)
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single channel |
multichannel |
| model number |
116Hb |
116H |
116Hm |
416 |
416H |
816H |
1216H |
| number of channels |
1 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
12 |
| max sample rate at 16 bit [kHz] |
300 |
1000 |
1000 |
500 |
750 |
750 |
750 |
| acoustic monitor output |
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| overload indicator |
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| peak level meter |
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| external trigger input |
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| digital input |
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| sync input/output |
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| USB version |
2.0 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
1.1 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
Ultrasound Microphones
- Externally polarized condenser microphone (10...200 KHz): CM16/CMPA
- Externally polarized condenser microphone (10...120 kHz): Polaroid/CMPA
- Prepolarized electret microphone (10...120 kHz): Emkay
Playback Devices
Ultrasound Speakers
- Dynamic speaker (1...55 kHz) : Magnat
- Dynamic speaker (1...120 kHz) : ScanSpeak
- Electrostatic speaker (25...200 kHz) : ESS 16
- Electrostatic speaker (25...150 kHz) : ESS Polaroid
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System Integration |
| Avisoft-UltraSoundGate is fully
integrated into the sound recording and analysis applications
Avisoft-RECORDER and Avisoft-SASLab Pro. |
| Avisoft-RECORDER provides the following
key-features in conjunction with UltraSoundGate: |
- Multichannel real-time spectrogram display (0% overlap),
waveform envelope display, energy waveform within selected
frequency range,
- Pre-tigger harddisk-recording with widely selectable trigger
options. Trigger event threshold definition for sound-activated
recording can be done graphically by mouse,
- There will be no limitations on the duration of continuous
recordings (harddisk space rather than RAM size limits the
duration of single recording sessions),
- ASCII-format LOG file containing date, time and duration of
each recorded event and optional text comments,
- Manual triggering by the UltraSoundGate button,
- External triggering through the UltraSoundGate digital input
(TTL-compatible, 2.5mm mini jack). This external signal can also
be used to enable/disable the sound-activated recording mode (e.g.
a photo transistor directly connected to the digital input for
limiting automatic recording to darkness),
- Multichannel recording with UltraSoundGate 416 / 416H / 816H / 1216H with either
separate triggering of each channel (separate .wav files for each
channel) or simultaneous triggering for all active channels (one
single multichannel .wav file containing all channels). The latter
configuration is suited for passive acoustic location of animals
because all channels are packed into a single data stream, which
secures the phase relationship between all channels. Several USG xx16H devices can be sychnronized in order to extend the total number of synchronous channels.
- Real-time measurements of call frequencies that can also be issued by voice messages.
- Real-time acoustic monitoring through the soundcard
(heterodyning or aliasing technique).
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Avisoft-RECORDER real-time spectrogram screen shot |
| The versatile sound analysis software Avisoft-SASLab Pro can be used to analyze the .wav files created by the RECORDER software. |
Sample recordings made with the UltraSoundGate system can be found at the Animal Sounds page.
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Third party solutions integrating the UltraSoundGate system
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avisoft.com