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Capybara-LS (aka Capybara-320A)

What is it?

A Capybara LS is a refurbished Capybara-66 motherboard and case that has been upgraded to run with Capybara•320 (Anaconda) expansion cards and (just to make things more confusing) has a Capybara•320 front panel. It was produced for a short period of time around 1998 when people were trading in Capybara-66's for Capybara•320s. The unit came with two expansion cards and analog I/O and some were upgraded to include digital I/O. It also came with a PCI, PC(MCIA), ISA or NuBus interface card. The Capy-LS can still be used with the current software (but would require a FireWire interface if you wanted to use it under OS X or Win XP).

Visually, how can it be distinguished from a Capybara•320?

The front panel is identical but the back panel is quite different. Here is a Capybara•320 with 8 audio I/O channels:

A Capy-LS has quarter-inch jacks rather than XLR connectors, and it has stereo (rather than 4 or 8) audio inputs and outputs.

Original price (in 1998):

US$ 1995 (optional digital i/o for $200 more)

Availability:

No longer available from Symbolic Sound Corporation. Last sold in 1998.

What are some reasons you might prefer to get a Capybara•320 instead of the Capy-LS?

• The Capy-LS has only two 16-bit 48 kHz audio I/O channels, and the number of I/O channels cannot be expanded (whereas a basic Capybara-320 comes with four 24-bit 100 kHz audio I/O channels and can be expanded to 8 channels).

• You cannot get as many simultaneous disk tracks on a Capy-LS as you can on a Capybara•320.

• Communications between the host computer and the Capy-LS are slower than on the Capybara•320 (impacting the speed of wavetable and sampling loading).

• The Capybara•320 works with the CM Motor Mix (but the Motor Mix will not work with the Capy-LS or the Capybara-66 due to differences on the motherboard).

• A new Capybara•320 comes with a one year warranty (whereas the warranty on the Capy-LS has expired)

• Although you are encouraged to transfer the software license in order to receive free tech support and free access to minor software updates and fixes; discounts on future hardware and major software upgrades apply to original purchasers only.

How powerful is it in terms of sound computation?

A basic Capy-LS has 4 processors and 96 MB of RAM, so it has the same computing power as a basic Capybara•320.

Can it be expanded?

You can add up to 6 more expansion cards to it (at $595 each) for more computing power.

Can I trade it in for a discount on a Capybara•320?

Yes, original purchasers can trade in a Capy-LS for a Capybara•320 (including Flame FireWire interface) for $2695.