User manual ALESIS BRC

ALESIS BRC Reference Manual TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION 1.0 ABOUT THE BRC..............................................................................................1 1.1 IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT THIS MANUAL...................................................................................................................4 1.2 OVERVIEW OF MAIN FUNCTIONS...........................................................4 1.2A Transport.................................................................................................4 1.2B Record/Monitor functions...................................................................5 1.2C Autolocation...........................................................................................5 1.2D Punching..................................................................................................5 1.2E Rehearsing...............................................................................................6 1.2F Digital Bus................................................................................................6 1.3 "ENGAGED" VS "DISENGAGED" TAPES................................................7 1.4 BASIC OPERATION..........................................................................................7 1.4A Displays....................................................................................................7 1.4B Display Type............................................................................................8 1.4C Display Mode...........................................................................................8 1.4D LED Indicators.........................................................................................9 1.4E EDIT Button.............................................................................................9 1.4F Cursor Buttons........................................................................................10 1.4G Numeric Keypad....................................................................................10 1.4H UP/DOWN Buttons..............................................................................10 1.4I NAME Button..........................................................................................11 1.4J COPY TAPE LOCATION Button..........................................................11 CHAPTER 2 - HOOKUP 2.0 POWER................................................................................................................13 2.1 SYNCHRONIZING MULTIPLE ADATS......................................................13 2.1A Hooking Up Multiple ADATs............................................................13 2.1B ADAT ID (identification) Numbers...................................................14 2.1C Independent Slave Mode.....................................................................14 2.2 DIGITAL I/O.......................................................................................................15 2.2A Connecting the Digital Bus..................................................................15 2.2B Connecting the AI-1...............................................................................16 2.3 SMPTE IN/OUT.................................................................................................17 2.4 MIDI IN/OUT.....................................................................................................18 2.5 48 KHZ CLOCK IN/OUT..................................................................................18 2.6 VIDEO SYNC IN................................................................................................18 2.7 RMB REMOTE METER BRIDGE....................................................................18 2.8 FOOTSWITCHES...............................................................................................18 2.9 RACK-MOUNTING..........................................................................................19 2.10 ROLLAROUND STAND................................................................................19 CHAPTER 3 - GETTING READY TO RECORD 3.0 POWERING-UP.................................................................................................20 3.1 FORMATTING TAPES.....................................................................................21 3.1A Additional Formatting Considerations...........................................................................................................23 3.2 TRACK/RECORD MONITOR CONTROLS.................................................24 3.2A Track Bank Select...................................................................................24 3.2B Record Enables........................................................................................25 3.2C Auto Input...............................................................................................25 3.2D All Input..................................................................................................25 3.2E All Safe......................................................................................................25 3.2F All Clear....................................................................................................26 3.2G Groups 1 Through 4..............................................................................26 3.3 TRANSPORT CONTROLS..............................................................................27 3.3A Play............................................................................................................27 3.3B Stop............................................................................................................27 3.3C Record.......................................................................................................28 3.3D Rewind/Review.....................................................................................28 3.3E Fast Forward/Cue...................................................................................29 3.4 RECORD XFADE (CROSSFADE)....................................................................29 3.5 REHEARSE..........................................................................................................30 3.6 TRACK DELAY TIME.......................................................................................30 CHAPTER 4 - PITCH, AUTOLOCATION AND PUNCHING CONTROLS 4.0 PITCH CONTROLS............................................................................................33 4.1 AUTOLOCATION CONTROLS......................................................................34 4.1A Reset 0......................................................................................................34 4.1B Locate 0.....................................................................................................35 4.1C Setting a Locate Point............................................................................35 4.1D Naming a Locate Point..........................................................................37 4.1E Locating a Locate Point...........................................................................38 4.1F Manual Locate.........................................................................................39 4.1G Footswitch Controlled Autolocation.................................................40 4.1H Using the LRC Remote Control.........................................................41 4.1I Auto-Play...................................................................................................42 4.2 LOOPING.............................................................................................................42 4.2A Setting Loop Points...............................................................................43 4.2B Automatic Looping................................................................................44 4.3 AUTO-PUNCH...................................................................................................44 4.3A Setting Auto-Punch Points..................................................................45 4.3B Auto-Group Record...............................................................................47 4.3C Footswitch Controlled Punching........................................................50 4.4 PRE-ROLL & POST-ROLL................................................................................50 4.5 TAPE OFFSET.....................................................................................................51 4.5A Offsetting ADATs..................................................................................52 4.5B Continuous Play and Record...............................................................55 4.6 WHAT IS A SONG?..........................................................................................57 4.6A Setting a Song.........................................................................................58 4.6B Naming a Song.......................................................................................60 4.6C Locate Song..............................................................................................60 4.6D Copy Song................................................................................................61 4.6E Delete Song..............................................................................................62 4.7 DIGITAL BUSSING...........................................................................................63 4.7A Digital Input............................................................................................63 4.7B Bouncing tracks......................................................................................64 4.7C Using the AI-1.........................................................................................66 CHAPTER 5 - SYNCHRONIZATION, BACKUP AND MISC CONTROLS 5.0 SMPTE..................................................................................................................69 5.0A SMPTE Formats.....................................................................................69 5.0B SMPTE Start Offset.................................................................................69 5.0C External Sync...........................................................................................70 5.0D Generate Sync.........................................................................................74 5.1 TEMPO MAP.......................................................................................................75 5.1A Creating A Tempo Map........................................................................76 5.1B Displaying A Tempo Map....................................................................77 5.1C Deleting A Tempo Map Entry.............................................................77 5.1D Erasing A Tempo Map..........................................................................78 5.2 BACKING UP.....................................................................................................78 5.2A Save Setup To Tape...............................................................................79 5.2B Load Setup From Tape..........................................................................80 5.3 MIDI/UTIL BUTTON.......................................................................................81 5.3A MIDI Echo................................................................................................81 5.3B Dump Sysex.............................................................................................81 5.3C Tape Status...............................................................................................83 5.3D LCD Display Contrast............................................................................84 5.3E Group Buttons Enable/Disable............................................................85 5.3F Copy Tape Location Mode....................................................................85 5.3G Software Version...................................................................................86 CHAPTER 6 - APPENDICES 6.0 APPENDIX 1 SPECIFICATIONS............................................................................................87 6.1 APPENDIX 2 MAINTENANCE/SERVICE INFORMATION.......................................................................................................90 6.1A Cleaning...................................................................................................90 6.1B Maintenance............................................................................................90 6.1C Servicing..................................................................................................90 6.2 APPENDIX 3 TROUBLE-SHOOTING...................................................................................91 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.0 ABOUT THE BRC Congratulations! You've just purchased an incredible tool that will assist in streamlining your recording projects. The BRC master remote control is the key element that makes the most of the ADAT digital recording system. Whether using it in a professional commercial studio, recording a live performance, or working in postproduction, here are some of the features that illustrate the type of control using the BRC/ADAT system will afford you: · Sample accurate syncing capabilities. Using ADAT's exclusive Proprietary Synchronization Interface, the BRC can control up to 16 ADATs for a total of 128 tracks, and lock them together in perfect synchronization. Each ADAT tape is "formatted" (a simple operation that can be done before or during recording) with a proprietary Alesis time code that is much more accurate than SMPTE or other time code systems. This process time-stamps the tape to an incredible single-sample accuracy; that is, 1/48,000th of a second. Because of this incredibly tight sync performance, multiple ADATs are virtually free of the evils of incoherent phase between tracks playing on different machines. This means that when you lock two or more ADATs together, you're really creating the equivalent of one large digital tape recorder. And since the ADAT/BRC sync system is internalized and sample accurate, you get machine synchronization without giving up an audio track (which would otherwise be required for SMPTE); accurate tape counter readings without annoying slippage; and intelligent sample-accurate autolocation functions. · Easy and familiar front panel controls. If you've ever used a large remote control for a multitrack tape recorder, then you probably already know how to use many of the functions on the BRC. Familiar controls like play, record, fast forward, rewind and the track select buttons perform the majority of functions you'll need. Other functions (like Auto-Punch, Looping, Pre-Roll and PostRoll), may be toggled on and off by pressing their respective button; an LED set inside each button will light to indicate when a function is turned on. These same functions can be edited by first pressing the EDIT button, and then the toggle button whose function you wish to program. 1 · Modular recording. This is the feature that makes ADAT and the ADAT/BRC system perhaps the most flexible multitrack recorder ever designed. Because ADAT's S-VHS tape format is so inexpensive, you can easily afford to record alternate versions of vocals, solos, background accompaniments; whatever your creative urge requires. Modular recording means you can build as many tracks as you desire while you're recording and do composite editing with the BRC and ADAT's Optical Digital Interface (see next section) before the final mixdown. Tapes can be offset with pin-point accuracy. This feature is particularly useful for recording extended live performances when a 40 minute tape would not fit the entire recording. By offsetting the time location of a second ADAT by 30 minutes past the first, the second will take over while you change tapes on the first unit. Thus, a continuous recording can be preserved digitally on multiple cassettes, creating the equivalent of one very long seamless piece of tape. · Optical digital interface. In addition to conventional analog inputs and outputs, the ADAT's Proprietary Multichannel Optical Digital Interface carries up to eight tracks simultaneously via optical cable, allowing for perfect, degradation-free digital dubbing between ADATs. The BRC Remote Control allows you to assign any part of a track to any other track in a multiple ADAT system. This means you can do comprehensive editing of recorded tracks, all in the digital domain. · SMPTE, MIDI and external time code control. The BRC is capable of generating MIDI Time Code (MTC) and generating and reading all six SMPTE formats. It can also provide MIDI-Clock based on a user-definable Tempo Map. Generating SMPTE or MTC provides sync for external devices, such as sequencers and drum machines. Reading SMPTE allows for the syncing to external devices, including other multitrack machines of different manufacturers. Other synchronizing options include 48 KHz clock in and out, and a video sync in (accepts composite video as well as black burst video inputs). · Storage of setups. To insure instant recall of the BRC's settings, all setup information can be saved to the beginning of each ADAT tape for later retrieval. This information is known as the "table of contents", or TOC. This information can also be stored via MIDI, by dumping the BRC's data as System/Exclusive information to a MIDI storage device, such as the Alesis DataDisk. 2 · Digital interface and sample rate converter option. If you need to integrate your ADAT recordings to digital recording equipment from other manufacturers, an optional accessory box, the Alesis AI-1, can isolate the digital audio signal of two tracks at a time from any single eight-track ADAT in the system, and assign the pair to the industry standard AES/EBU and S/PDIF interfaces. This allows for direct digital connection, with sample rate conversion, to and from other digital audio recorders, DAT recorders, CDs, hard disk recorders, synthesizers, and more. · Meter bridge option. The RMB Remote Meter Bridge provides localized viewing of 32 channels of LED meters. It's designed to mount on top of the BRC so that you can install your ADATs in a remote rack and control functions and view critical metering of the recording directly from one location. The RMB may also be installed in any standard 19" rack. · LRC Remote Control. Each ADAT is supplied with the LRC Remote, which duplicates some of the ADAT's front panel functions. Up to two LRC Remotes can be connected to the BRC for additional sets of transport and locate controls. · Fast and easy hookup. Connection of the BRC is accomplished via a single 9 pin sync cable connected to the first ADAT in the system. Successive ADATs are connected in turn ­ sync out to sync in ­ using the same 9 pin style connector. When the BRC is turned on, it automatically becomes the system's master, and assigns each ADAT an identification number, from first to last in the chain. The BRC also automatically checks which units have a tape installed, and if the tapes are formatted. Finally, the BRC automatically autolocates each slave ADAT to the position of the first ADAT. This entire routine allows you to setup and be ready to record within minutes. The BRC may also be rack-mounted by removing the top, bottom and side panels, or mounted on an optional roll-around stand. · Voltage tolerant power supply. The BRC accepts any AC voltage between 90 and 250 volts. For more information on digital recording, see Appendix 1 in the ADAT manual. Appendix 2 in the ADAT manual is a glossary of digital recording terms that may be helpful as you read this manual. 3 1.1 IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT THIS MANUAL This manual has been divided into two separate books, of which this is the first. This book is designed as a reference to assist the recording professional in learning the basic operation of the BRC. All functions are explained in a clear manner, using step-by-step instructions and illustrations for setting up and performing various operations. However, it is assumed that you already have some understanding of multitrack recording in general. It also assumes you have read the ADAT manual and comprehend its operation. If you have little or no previous experience with multitrack recording, please read the second book of this manual, entitled BRC Concepts and Applications. It will give you an understanding of how an ADAT/BRC system works, and the types of things you may expect. It explains why certain features are significant, and how to employ them in your recording routine. Most importantly, there are simple tutorials for commonly performed operations, which illustrate exactly how to put it all together. Regardless of your level of experience, it is important that you read through section 1.3 on the difference between "engaged" and "disengaged" tapes, and section 3.1 on formatting tapes. These describe recording concepts that have no counterpart with analog recorders, and which must be understood before you start using ADAT and the BRC. In this manual, buttons and LEDs are spelled with all capital letters (such as RECORD LED or FORMAT TAPE button). 1.2 OVERVIEW OF MAIN FUNCTIONS Here is a brief rundown of the BRC's main functions. 1.2A Transport The transport controls are just like most standard remotes. Tape motion controls include play, fast forward, rewind, stop, and record. The tape location counter at the top shows elapsed time in SMPTE time, real time, or bars/beats/sub-beats. For more information on transport controls, see section 3.3. 1.2B Record/Monitor functions 4 The BRC can control as many as 16 ADATs for up to 128 tracks. The track select section of the BRC provides access to 32 tracks at any time. Four buttons let you switch between TRACK 1­32, TRACK 33­64, TRACK 65­96 and TRACK 97­128. The button that has its LED lit will indicate which group of tracks is currently selected, as will the LEDs centered in the track select area, above. If you find yourself using the TRACK 97­128 button often, consider yourself a lucky person. The BRC and ADATs do much of the recording/monitoring switchwork for you. Generally, tracks monitor what's on tape until you put them into recording ready, at which point they will monitor the inputs, so you can hear what is about to be recorded. The ALL INPUT button lets you monitor the inputs of all channels, regardless of record status. AUTO INPUT lets you monitor the tape on tracks that are in record ready, until you go into record at which time you will be monitoring the inputs. ALL CLEAR takes all tracks out of record ready, while the ALL SAFE button will temporarily disengage all tracks from record ready so you can instantly put the same tracks back into record ready later. You can also program up to 4 groups of record-enabled tracks for instant recall. For more information on recording and track monitor controls, see section 3.2. 1.2C Autolocation Besides locating to zero, you can store 20 different locate points per song, which can also be used by other functions including Loop, Auto-Punch and Tape Offsets. Each locate point can be named, and the BRC even gives you a list of typical names to choose from (like "Intro", "Verse A1", "Chorus 2", etc.). You can fine-tune the position of each locate point with the accuracy of a single sample step. Each set of locate points may be saved with each ADAT tape. For more information on Autolocation and Song controls, see sections 4.1 and 4.6. 1.2D Punching In addition to ADAT's seamless punching ability, the BRC provides you with many more advanced features to help you get your tracks down in record time, including: Auto-Punch, Loop, Pre-Roll, PostRoll, and a variable Record Crossfade time to allow a smooth transition of original audio to new audio. Auto-Group Record lets you continuously loop between two locate points and will automatically record each take to a different track, or set of tracks. 5 For more information on Auto-Punch and related controls, see section 4.3. 1.2E Rehearsing This works just like a real recording, but instead lets you "audition" exactly how a punch is going to work. By pressing the REHEARSE button, you can test out and change the settings of the various recording functions to get the results you want without being destructive in the process. When the punch-in point is reached, the record-enabled tracks will monitor their inputs, but no recording will occur. This way you can measure twice (or more) ... and cut only once. For more information on Rehearse mode, see section 3.5. 1.2F Digital Bus With both the sync and digital bus cables connected, the BRC/ADAT system offers powerful digital track bouncing and copying functions. Let's say you want to replace the chorus vocal on track 15 with the one you liked on track 2. This is easy to do with the two connections that all ADATs in the system share: the sync cable, carrying the timing and sync information, and the optical cable which carries the digital audio bus. The new chorus on track 15 will be an exact digital duplicate of the one on track 2. If you feel particularly inspired one day, but can't make up your mind about which lead solo to go with, fill five or six tracks of a single SVHS cassette tape with your hottest playing. This is easy using the Auto-Group Record function to automatically advance the record track(s) for playing multiple takes. Later on, you can take the best performance, or the best parts of each one and recompose the entire solo onto a new track. All in perfect sync, all sample accurate, all in the digital domain. The popular recording practice of composite vocals is just as easy, and more effective than ever with ADAT to support your efforts. For more information on bouncing tracks, see section 4.10B. 1.3 "ENGAGED" VS "DISENGAGED" 6 TAPES Analog audio recorders typically move tape past the heads at anywhere from 1-7/8 to 30 inches per second. Higher speeds result in a higher bandwidth, or ability to record high-frequency signals. ADAT's digital audio signals require much higher bandwidth than analog audio. In addition to moving the tape faster to handle the increased bandwidth, ADAT's VHS mechanism rotates the head itself at a very high speed and uses diagonal tape tracks. As far as the head is concerned, the tape appears to be moving by at a more rapid speed. With ADAT, the tape is "engaged" if the tape is not moving but comes in contact with the spinning head. This allows for going into play or record faster, as well as "cue" and "review" functions that let you monitor the tape audio during fast forward or rewind, respectively. When the machine is paused, the head remains spinning, and the tape is not disengaged from the head. When the tape is "disengaged", the head is not spinning and it takes slightly longer to go into play or record. This is because the tape moves away from the head in order to prolong tape and head life. Cue and review are not possible while the tape is disengaged, but rewind and fast forward speeds are much faster. If the tape is engaged, and no transport activity (play, record, rewind, etc.) occurs for 4 minutes, the tape will automatically disengage itself to minimize tape wear. 1.4 BASIC OPERATION In general, the operation of the BRC is similar to most currently available multitrack remote controllers. Almost all functions can be enabled and edited by incorporating the following displays and buttons. 1.4A Displays There are three displays on the BRC. The top two are LED displays. The leftmost 3-digit LED display is used to indicate the PITCH CONTROL value (the range of this value is -300 through +100 cents). See section 4.0 for more information on pitch controls. The larger, 8-digit LED display is the current TAPE LOCATION counter. The lower display is a 2x16 backlit LCD, and is used for 7 displaying and editing things like locate points, pre/post-roll times, etc. 1.4B Display Type It is important that you can reference tape positions in a way that you are comfortable with. That's why we've designed the BRC to provide you with three different types of position indicators, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs. Both the tape location counter and the lower display can reference the tape position in time to either N o r m a l ADAT timecode, SMPTE timecode, or Bars. Press the DISPLAY TYPE button next to the NORMAL, SMPTE, and BARS LEDs; the LEDs will cycle through the three formats. The LEDs will indicate which time format is currently being displayed. · When NORMAL is selected, time is referenced in minutes, seconds and frames (00:00:00). Frames are displayed in 1/30ths of a second. · When SMPTE is selected, time is referenced in hours, minutes, seconds and frames (00:00:00:00). Frames are displayed in 1/24ths, 1/25ths, or 1/30ths of a second, depending upon the SMPTE format selected by the SMPTE button (see section 5.0). · When BARS is selected, song position is referenced in bars, beats and sub-beats (01­01/00). Sub-beats are displayed in 1/24ths of a beat. This requires that the tempo and time signature (number of beats per bar) be set up in the TEMPO MAP (see section 5.1). 1.4C Display Mode While Normal Display Type is selected, pressing the DISPLAY MODE button next to the RELATIVE and ABSOLUTE LEDs will toggle between absolute and relative time modes. When in Absolute Mode, the display reflects the actual tape time (ABSOLUTE LED lit). When in Relative Mode, the display reflects the tape time referenced to the relative zero time (RELATIVE LED lit). The RESET 0 button is used to set the relative zero time. When this button is pressed, the tape location is set to zero. If the display was in absolute mode when RESET 0 was pressed, the display will now be set to relative mode (RELATIVE LED lit). The DISPLAY MODE button does not have any effect on the upper or lower displays when the Display Type is set to SMPTE or BARS, and 8 the ABSOLUTE and RELATIVE LEDs will both be off. This is because when the Display Type is set to SMPTE, the counter is referenced to the SMPTE Start Offset (see section 5.0B) you have chosen to represent the start position of the current song (see section 4.6A). When the Display Type is set to BARS, the counter is referenced to bar 1, which is the start position of the current song. Therefore, these two Display Types are always in a "Relative" mode. The Bars counter is also referenced to the tempo you have set in the TEMPO MAP (see section 5.1). 1.4D LED Indicators In addition to specific LED indicators (such as those that indicate when a track is record-enabled), several switches have built-in LEDs. These are referred to as toggle function buttons. When a toggle function button's LED is on, it either means it has been activated, or it has been selected for editing (if the EDIT button LED is also lit). 1.4E EDIT Button The EDIT button (located to the right of the GEN SYNC button) is labeled in blue ink to differentiate it from the other toggle buttons around it. It is used to display and edit the currently stored value(s) for the toggle function buttons, which are: AUTO-PUNCH, PREROLL, POST-ROLL, LOOP, TAPE OFFSET, TRACK DELAY TIME, DIGITAL I/O, FORMAT, EXT SYNC and GEN SYNC. These buttons (with the exception of EXT SYNC and FORMAT) are grouped together with the EDIT button, and are used by themselves to toggle their associated function on and off. The value(s) associated with a toggle button function can be accessed for viewing and edited by pressing the EDIT button followed by the desired button. · When the EDIT button is pressed for the first time, its LED will light and the display will read: Select function to edit You are now in edit mode. You can view and edit the currently stored value(s) of the functions within an edit group by pressing the desired toggle function button. · As long as the user is in edit mode (EDIT LED lit), pressing a toggle function button will display the currently stored value(s) for that function and will not toggle the function on and off. 9 · To exit from edit mode, press the EDIT button again (the EDIT LED will turn off) and the LCD will return to its state prior to entering edit mode. Pressing a toggle function button now will toggle that function on or off. Note: While in EDIT mode, only the currently selected function's LED will be lit (along with the EDIT LED). The current on/off status of all of the other functions is retained, but is not visible on the LEDs until EDIT mode is exited. 1.4F Cursor Buttons The left and right cursor buttons located directly beneath the lower display are used to move the cursor's position in the lower display. The cursor is the single underline character that appears underneath a word or value, and indicates that it is selected for editing. Values may be edited using the Numeric Keypad and the UP/DOWN buttons (see sections 1.4G and 1.4H). 1.4G Numeric Keypad The 10 numeric keys (0­9) centered beneath the Cursor buttons are used for entering parameter values and for editing locate names and song names in the lower display (see sections 4.1D and 4.6B). When editing a parameter value, pressing a key will enter its numeric value into the display (0­9). When editing a name, pressing a key repeatedly will cycle through its numeric value (0­9) and the characters screened on the keypad button. The following is a list of alpha-numeric characters that are available for creating a name: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 !@#$%^&*()-_+=;'¥,./<>?: 1.4H UP/DOWN Buttons The UP/DOWN buttons are used to increment or decrement numeric values. They are located on either side of the 0 key at the bottom of the Numeric Keypad. Holding down either button will cause the selected value to scroll through a list of choices. When editing the name of a locate point or song in the lower display, the UP/DOWN buttons may be used to select uppercase or lowercase characters from the Numeric Keypad. When either button is pressed, the character which has the cursor directly beneath it will 10 immediately change case. 1.4I NAME Button This button is used to edit the names of Songs and Cues. When you locate a Cue or Song, the name field in the display is not accessible using the cursor buttons. To edit a name, you must press the NAME button to select the name field. Pressing the NAME button will always position the cursor at the first character of the name. Once the name field is selected, the cursor buttons will function to select individual characters within the name field or other displayed fields. To edit a name: 1. Press the NAME button; 2. Use the cursor buttons to position the cursor under the character to be edited; 3. Use the keypad buttons to change the value. While a name is selected, repeatedly pressing a keypad button will cycle through its numeric value and the characters shown on that key; 4. To select uppercase characters, press the UP button. To select lowercase characters, press the DOWN button; 5. Press the NAME button again to store the name and return the cursor to its original position. Note: When editing locate names, an additional editing option is available. If the NAME button is held down while using the UP/DOWN buttons, a default set of 16 pre-stored names can be scrolled through (such as "Verse A1", "Chorus 2", "Bridge", etc.). These names can be edited, so that they represent the names that you wish to use, such as "TurnArnd" (turnaround), "BreakDwn" (breakdown), etc. For more information about selecting and editing pre-stored names, see section 4.1D. 1.4J COPY TAPE LOCATION Button Pressing this button copies the currently displayed TAPE LOCATION from the upper display into the lower LCD display for storing as a locate point or song start position. This button has two modes (Normal and Manual), which can be selected from by pressing the MIDI/UTIL button repeatedly (see section 5.3F). In N o r m a l mode, the 11 current tape location is copied into the currently display locate point (Locate 01­20) or Song Start (01­20). In Manual mode, when the COPY TAPE LOCATION button is pressed, the current tape location is copied to the manual locate point (Locate 00), and the display automatically goes to the Locate 00 page. This is useful when you want to be absolutely sure you don't accidentally write over a Locate that you wanted to keep. For more information on locating and storing locate points, see section 4.1. 12 CHAPTER 2: HOOKUP 2.0 POWER The BRC works with any AC voltage from 90 to 250 volts, 50 to 60 Hz. This eliminates the need for transformers or voltage switches. The BRC comes with a line cord for the destination to which the BRC is shipped. The BRC's IEC-spec AC cord (do not substitute any other AC cord) is designed to feed an outlet that includes three pins, with the third, round pin connected to ground. The ground connection is an important safety feature designed to keep the chassis of electronic devices such as the BRC and ADAT at ground potential. Unfortunately, the presence of a third ground pin does not always indicate that an outlet is properly grounded. Use an AC line tester to determine this. If the outlet is not grounded, consult with a licensed electrician. When AC currents are suspected of being highly unstable in VAC and Hz, a professional power conditioner should be used. 2.1 SYNCHRONIZING MULTIPLE ADATS 2.1A Hooking Up Multiple ADATs Synchronization requires a dual male, 9-pin D connector to connect the BRC to the first ADAT in your system, and an additional dual male, 9 pin D connector for each additional ADAT to be synchronized. This connection can be made while power is on or off, and the ADATs do not need to be turned on in any particular order (see figure 1). The maximum cable length allowed is 50 feet, between the BRC and the first ADAT in the system. 1. Connect one end of the cable to the BRC's sync out jack; 2. Connect the other end of the cable to the sync in jack of the first ADAT in the system (this unit will serve as tracks 1­8); 3. For each additional ADAT slave, connect one end of an additional dual male, 9-pin D connector to the first ADAT slave's sync out jack, and the other end to the second ADAT slave's sync in jack. Its sync out jack then connects to the third ADAT slave's sync in jack, and so on; Note: In a multiple ADAT system, if power is turned off on one of 13 the ADATs in the middle of the chain, all ADATs following it will no longer sync to the BRC, as the sync information will not pass through a unit that is turned off. Figure 1 2.1B ADAT ID (identification) Numbers After you have connected multiple ADATs and turned the machines on (they can be turned on in any order), you may now turn on the BRC, which will in turn assign ID numbers for each slave ADAT in the system. This is done automatically. You will see each ADAT momentarily display its assigned ID number. The ID numbers are assigned in ascending order, according to the order that the slave units are connected. So the first unit in the chain is assigned ID 1, the second is ID 2, and so on. Anytime an ADAT or the BRC is turned on or off, the ADATs will evaluate the situation and determine a master, which will in turn re-assign ID numbers. 2.1C Independent Slave Mode The BRC remote is a master controller that is used to control several ADATs chained together to form a single multitrack recorder. The fact that there are several slaves chained together should be transparent, as all control will come from the BRC. However, should you desire to operate a slave unit independently from the other units, you may do so when the BRC remote is in one of the two STOP modes (STOP LED on steady or flashing). 14 Each slave ADAT's front panel will indicate the status of the record/input enables and transport controls, and the track LED bar graphs to reflect the corresponding track input/tape levels. The numeric display on each slave ADAT unit will always show the NORMAL time (absolute or relative) location of each tape, regardless of the Display Type on the BRC (Normal, SMPTE or Bars; see section 1.4B). 2.2 DIGITAL I/O With analog recording, bouncing tracks or backing up from one multitrack to another loses one generation, which adds hiss and distortion. With digital recording, such procedures will produce a "clone" of the original. This makes it easy to create extra copies of tracks or safety copies of entire tapes, or make multiple copies for distribution. This is all done via the fiber optical digital bus, which can carry as many as eight tracks from one ADAT to any other ADAT(s) in the system, or to an Alesis AI-1 Digital Interface for exporting to other digital recording equipment using AES/EBU or S/PDIF formats. For more information on digital busing, see section 4.7. 2.2A Connecting the Digital Bus Digital busing requires a fiber optic cable for each ADAT in the system (the digital bus does not connect to the BRC). This connection can be made while power is on or off, and ADATs do not need to be turned on in any particular order (see figure 1). To connect the digital optical network: 1. Connect one end of the fiber optic cable into the optical output of the first ADAT in the system. The cable is non-polarized, so either end can be inserted into the optical output; Note: If the other end of the cable is disconnected and a signal is being sent through the cable, you will be able to see a red light at the output. This is an LED and not a laser light, so you don't have to worry about damage to your eyes. 2. Connect the other end of the fiber optic cable to the optical input of the second ADAT in the system; 3. For each additional ADAT, connect one end of an additional fiber optic cable to the first ADAT's optical out jack, and the other end 15 to the second ADAT's optical in jack. Its optical out jack then connects to the third ADAT's optical in jack, and so on; 4. Finally, connect one end of a fiber optic cable to the last ADAT's optical out jack, and the other end to the first ADAT's optical in jack. This last step creates a loop, and thus makes the digital bus accessible to all ADATs that are connected to it. Note: Always connect the optical cables in the same order as the sync cables, so that the digital routing will work correctly. 2.2B Connecting the AI-1 To connect an Alesis AI-1 module, simply insert it into the digital bus loop that was described above in 2.2A, at the end of the ADAT chain. You must also connect the sync cables so that the AI-1 is inserted between the BRC and the first ADAT in your system (see figure 2). 1. Connect one end of the fiber optic cable into the optical output of the last ADAT in the system; 2. Connect the other end of the fiber optic cable to the ADAT optical input of the first AI-1 in the system; 3. Connect one end of a fiber optic cable to the AI-1's ADAT optical out jack, and the other end to the first ADAT's optical in jack. This step creates a loop, and thus makes the digital bus accessible to all ADATs and all AI-1 modules connected to it; 4. Finally, connect one end of a dual male, 9-pin D connector to the BRC's sync out jack, and the other end to the AI-1's sync in jack. The AI-1's sync out jack must then be connected to the sync in jack of the first ADAT in your system; Figure 2 16