BURL Audio is proud to announce MOTHERSHIP 3, the first major code update to the B80 and B16 MOTHERSHIPs in many years. Now with MOTHERSHIP 3, up to 64 channels of IO (@ 44.1KHz and 48kHz) are possible per daughter card slot!
MOTHERSHIP 3 Channels per daughter card slot:
- 64 channels @ 44,1 kHz, 48 kHz
- 32 channels @ 88,2 kHz, 96 kHz
- 16 channels @ 176,4 kHz, 192 kHz
With the current MOTHERSHIP 3 offerings which include the new BAD16 and BDA16, our maximum channel IO usage is currently 16 channels per slot, but future MOTHERSHIP 3 daughter card offerings will include DANTE and MADI daughter cards which both have a maximum channel count of 64 channels @ 44.1kHz, and 48kHz. Stay tuned for that.
Motherboard:
On the MOTHERSHIP 3 BMBx Motherboard side, the max channel counts for both BMB2-MADI and BMB3-DANTE have been expanded to 128 inputs or 128 outputs @ 44.1kHz and 48KHz. With the ten card slots and the BAD16s and BDA16s, a B80-BMB2 or B80-BMB3 MOTHERSHIP can be setup for 128 inputs x 32 outputs, 32 inputs x 128 outputs, 64 inputs x 96 outputs, or any other combination of 10 cards slots x 16 channels per card (160 total) @ 44.1kHz and 48kHz.
These are the maximum IO channels for B80 MOTHERSHIP 3:
| Motherboard | 44.1kHz | 48kHz | 88.2kHz | 96kHx | 176.4kHz | 192kHz |
| B80-BMB1 Digilink | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 |
| B80-BMB2 MADI | 128 | 128 | 64 | 64 | 32 | 32 |
| B80-BMB3 DANTE | 128 | 128 | 64 | 64 | 32 | 32 |
| B80-BMB4 Soundgrid | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 | NA | NA |
These are the max channel IO for B16 MOTHERSHIP 3 (using current 16 channel daughter cards):
| Motherboard | 44.1kHz | 48kHz | 88.2kHz | 96kHx | 176.4kHz | 192kHz |
| B16-BMB1 Digilink | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| B16-BMB2 MADI | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| B16-BMB3 DANTE | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| B16-BMB4 Soundgrid | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | NA | NA |
| B16-BMB6 AES | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
New Burl Black ADC Daughter Cards:
The BAD16 features 16 channels of all discrete transistor, class-A, transformer coupled, Analog to Digital Conversion. The BAD16 employs the latest BURL Audio NextGen analog section featuring the brand new BX8 transformer, a smaller form factor input transformer for higher channel density.
The BDA16 features 16 channels of all discrete transistor op-amp, class-A, Digital to Analog Conversion. The BDA16 employs the latest BURL Audio NextGen analog section featuring the BOPA14 op-amp, and a smaller form factor DAC chip for increased channel density.
The BDA12 features 12 channels of class-A, discrete transistor op-amp, Digital to Analog Conversion, plus stereo, class-A, speaker and headphone, monitoring. The BDA12 employs the latest BURL Audio NextGen analog section featuring the BOPA14 op-amp, and multichannel DAC chip technology for increased channel density.
Technology Mothership 3:
The MOTHERSHIP 3 enabling technology is a new intercommunication protocol which allows for communication between the Motherboards and the Daughter cards. This allows the BMBx Motherboards to know exactly what daughter cards are occupying the daughter card slots. This then allows the MOTHERSHIP 3 Motherboards to automatically configure the daughter card IO mapping.
The original MOTHERSHIP 1 just had the 4 input BAD4s and the 8 output BDA8s and there was no configuration.
MOTHERSHIP 2 allowed for 8 channel input cards, i.e. the BAD8, and jumpers were used to set which card slots were used for which specific daughter cards.
Now with MOTHERSHIP 3, any daughter card of any channel count can be put into any MOTHERSHIP slot and the MOTHERSHIP 3 BMBx Motherboard will automatically configure all of the IO.
The left most input channel is channel 1 IN and the left most output channel is channel 1 OUT. The inputs and outputs are then numbered left to right, and input cards and output cards can be intermixed and in any order.
You no longer have to group ADC cards together and group DAC cards together.
For instance you may have input cards BAD4M and BAD16 with the BAD4M in slot 1 and BAD16 in slot 10. MOTHERSHIP 3 will automatically assign those to channels 1 to 20 In. You may also have output cards B22, BDA8, BDA16. You can put these in any slots and MOTHERSHIP 3 will automatically assign these to channels 1 to 28 OUT.
AVID DELAY Mothership 3:
B16 and B80-BMB1-Digilink MOTHERSHIP 3 automatically set AVID DELAY matching for all daughter cards. No more setting the daughter card jumpers for AVID DELAY matching.
Compatibility Mothership 3:
- Our existing BURL GREEN line of 4 and 8 channel daughter cards will still be compatible with both MOTHERSHIP 2 and with MOTHERSHIP 3 via the “D Jumper” setting on every GREEN daughter card.
Compatibility chart:
| B80 and B16 MOTHERSHIPS | M2 BURL GREEN Daughter Cards | M3 BURL GREEN Daughter Cards | BURL BLACK Daughter Cards |
| MOTHERSHIP 2 (M2) | SI | SI | NO |
| MOTHERSHIP 3 (M3) | NO | SI | SI |
Other Recommendations:
- We recommend that those who already have MOTHERSHIP2 stick with MOTHERSHIP2. MOTHERSHIPs cannot be upgraded in the field. They must come back to BURL Audio to be re-programmed, and that is only if all cards are of the latest revision.
- MOTHERSHIP3 does not affect sound quality in any way, so sticking with the existing MOTHERSHIP2 is just fine.
- MOTHERSHIP2 will continue to work with all 4 and 8 channels cards deep into the future.