SDIF AMBus Card Operating Information v 1.0 AMBus SDIF Card Installing the AMBus Card To install the AMBus card, first make sure the power is turned off. You may wish to keep the unit plugged into a switched-off, grounded AC receptacle so as to minimize the chance of static discharge, and avoid standing on carpeting while carrying out this procedure. Keep the new AMBus card in its packaging until you are ready to install. Now turn the unit around so you're facing the back panel. Remove the plate covering an available AMBus slot. Ground yourself by touching a connector on the AD-8000 rear panel and unpack the card. Insert the card until you feel it mate with the connector at the back of the card bay. Fasten the card in place with the screws. You will need to remember the identification of the card slot (A-D) into which you have installed the card. SDIF, Sony Digital Multitracks and the AD-8000 The Apogee AMBus SDIF card provides eight channels of SDIF Input and Output via 25-pin D-connectors. The Output connector is to the left of the card and the Input to the right. Both connectors are DB-25 Female connectors so as to provide compatibility with the Tascam SDIF/TDIF converter. Note: Be careful to connect the connectors correctly! Special wiring harnesses are available, one for output from the AD-8000 and one for input to the AD-8000. These harnesses consist of a DB-50 connector on one end, to go into the SDIF connector on a Sony digital multitrack (a male DB50 to connect to the Sony output or a female DB50 to connect to the Sony machine's input), and three male DB-25 connectors on the other, to connect to up to three AD-8000s equipped with SDIF cards. This means that each harness allows access to up to 24 Sony tracks. If you wish to use the AD-8000 in conjunction with other SDIF systems, please contact Technical Support for information on the pinout of the DB-25 connectors. The SDIF AMBus card supports both the 4/24 and 6/20 Apogee Bit-Splitting modes. As a result, the following track configurations are possible: Sony 3348HR: All tracks 24-bit (no bit-splitting) Sony 3348: 24 tracks of 24-bit recording (4/24 mode) or 36 tracks of 20-bit audio (6/20 mode) Sony 3324: 12 tracks of 24-bit or 18 tracks of 20-bit recording. The 4/24 mode (four channels of 24 bits on eight 16-bit tracks) records the first 16 bits of a channel on the first track, and the remaining bits on a subsequent track along with a tone to indicate that you shouldn't be listening to it on its own! You can listen to the first track in each pair, but remember that the signal will only be 16-bit. This mode is compatible with Rane's PaqRat system. An advantage of the 4/24 modes is that you can record or overdub on an individual 24-bit channel, by recording on two adjacent odd/even tracks at the same time, without damaging any other tracks. This is not possible with the 6/20 mode, which is more intended for multi-channel live recordings where subsequent individual channel overdubs are not required. In any of the bit-splitting modes, the source resolution will be displayed as "24" in the source resolution display (above the SOURCE SELECT button). The bit-splitting modes are selected by DIP switches on the top of the SDIF card, as shown below. Note that you will need to remove the card to change the switch settings. We recommend that you turn the AD-8000 off to do so. SDIF DIP Switch Switch Function when `ON' 1 ABS 4/24 mode (PaqRat compatible) 2 ABS 6/20 mode 3 not defined 4 not defined If both switches 1 and 2 are both ON or both OFF, then ABS is turned off. The default setting is all switches OFF ("Open"). Page 1 SDIF AMBus Card Operating Information v 1.0 Word Clock configuration with the AMBus SDIF Card SDIF requires Word Clock for correct operation. There are two primary ways in which you can connect Word Clock in conjunction with Sony digital multitracks, the SDIF card and the AD-8000. Using the AD-8000 as the master This is the preferred configuration as it uses the AD-8000 high-stability clock as the master clock for the whole system. The disadvantage is that varispeed operation is not available. Distribute Word Clock to the system as follows: 1 Define one AD-8000 as the master and set it to CRYSTAL at the desired sample rate. Set all other AD-8000 units and the Sony machine to lock to Word Clock In. 2 Connect a high-quality digital BNC cable (such as Apogee Wyde Eye AD) of the shortest reasonable length to the WC OUT socket on the master AD-8000 and connect the other end to a 75 T-connector attached to the WC IN of the next AD-8000. 3 Take another cable and connect it between the other leg of the T-connector and a T-connector on the WC IN of the next AD-8000. 4 Continue this daisy-chaining operation until all AD-8000 units are connected. 5 Run a Word Clock cable from the spare leg of the T-connector on the last AD-8000 to the WC input on the Sony digital recorder and terminate as required. 6 Insure that all machines except the master AD-8000 are set to lock to WC IN. Using the Sony machine as the master Use this configuration only if you require varispeed operation on the Sony multitrack, as it relies on the Sony clock instead of the AD-8000 high-stability master clock. However, the incoming word clock signal is reclocked by the first AD-8000 in the chain for maximum stability and jitter-free operation. Distribute Word Clock to the system as follows: 1 Set all AD-8000 units to lock to Word Clock In. Set the Sony machine to its internal clock. 2 Connect a high-quality digital BNC cable (such as Apogee Wyde Eye AD) of the shortest reasonable length to the WC OUT socket on the Sony machine and connect the other end to the WC IN of the first AD-8000. 3 Connect a cable to the WC OUT socket on the master AD-8000 and connect the other end to a 75 T-connector attached to the WC IN of the next AD-8000. 4 Take another cable and connect it between the other leg of the T-connector and a T-connector on the WC IN of the next AD-8000. 5 Continue this daisy-chaining operation until all AD-8000 units are connected. 6 Connect a 75 terminator to the open leg of the T-connector on the last AD-8000. 7 Insure that all machines except the Sony recorder are set to lock to WC IN. Emphasis and De-Emphasis The DAC-2 and DAC-8 D/A converter cards for the AD-8000 will apply de-emphasis automatically when required. On the DAC-2, set SW3 to ON to disable automatic de-emphasis. On the DAC-8, SW2 set to ON will disable automatic de-emphasis sensing. The AD-8000 and the SDIF card do not implement pre-emphasis on recording. If you attempt to overdub on a track which was previously recorded with emphasis, the Sony recorder will indicate an error. More on ABS Bit-Splitting Formats There are two ABS formats. The first mode allows up to four simultaneous 24-bit channels to be recorded across eight 16-bit tracks. This mode is compatible with Rane's PaqRat system, and thus permits replay of tracks previously recorded with an Apogee AD-1000 Platinum Edition system. In this mode, each 24-bit channel is recorded on two adjacent 16-bit tracks. The 16 most-significant bits of the first 24-bit channel are recorded on the first track of the pair, while the remaining eight bits are recorded on the second track. The remaining eight bits of the second track are used to record a tone to indicate that this track was not designed to be monitored on its own (as a result, even numbered tracks always have signal present on record). The odd-numbered tracks, however, may be monitored if desired (bearing in mind that they will only deliver 16-bits of resolution). VERY IMPORTANT: When using this mode, ensure that UV22 is turned off on the AD-8000 channels you are using. Page 2 SDIF AMBus Card Operating Information v 1.0 A benefit of the 4/24 bit-splitting mode is that each of the four high-resolution channels can be re-recorded or overdubbed upon, simply by placing two adjacent odd/even tracks of the machine in record. The third mode allows up to six simultaneous channels of 20-bit audio to be recorded on a set of eight 16bit tracks. The first 16 bits of the first three channels are recorded on tracks 1, 2 and 3. The five least-significant bits of these three channels are recorded on track 4. The first 16 bit of the second three channels are recorded on tracks 5, 6 and 7 with the LSBs on track 8. This mode is designed for simultaneous and multi-channel surround recording, and as a result it is only possible to re-record (overdub) three 20-bit channels at a time. We do not recommend that you try listening to tracks 4 and 8 in each set. IMPORTANT: We advise employing UV22 in this mode, to capture more of the 24-bit detail of the AD-8000. Be sure to set the UV22 output word length to 20 bits rather than the default 16 bits. Set SW2 on the rear of the AD-8000 (NOT on the card) to ON. Bit-splitting with multiple cards You can use two SDIF cards in 4/24 mode to fully utilize all eight channels of the AD-8000. In 4/24 mode, when a card is in an "odd" slot (A or C), channels 1­4 will be encoded/decoded by that card. When a card is in an "even" slot (B or D) then channels 5­8 will be encoded/decoded by that card. Page 3 ADAT Card Operating Information v 1.4 AMBus ADAT8 Card Installing the AMBus Card To install the AMBus card, first make sure the power is turned off. You may wish to keep the unit plugged into a switched-off, grounded AC receptacle so as to minimize the chance of static discharge, and avoid standing on carpeting while carrying out this procedure. Keep the new AMBus card in its packaging until you are ready to install. Now turn the unit around so you're facing the back panel. Remove the plate covering an available AMBus slot. Ground yourself by touching a connector on the AD-8000 rear panel and unpack the card. Insert the card until you feel it mate with the connector at the back of the card bay. Fasten the card in place with the screws. You will need to remember the identification of the card slot (A-D) into which you have installed the card. If you intend to use the 4/24 bit splitting mode (see below), you should install the first card in slot A or C, and the second card (if any) in slot B or D. ADAT and the AD-8000 The ADAT lightpipe audio format and the ADAT8 AMBus card both support 24 bit I/O, even though the basic ADAT and the ADAT XT only support 16 bits, and the M20 only supports 20 bits. In the event that a 24-bit ADAT machine becomes available, your ADAT8 card will provide full 24-bit compatibility. In the meantime, to allow recording of higher resolutions (20- and 24-bit) on standard 16-bit ADAT machines, the ADAT8 card includes several additional "bit-splitting" formats which split high resolution signals among multiple 16-bit tracks, at the cost of having fewer total tracks available for recording. The ADAT8 card supports the following digital audio formats: 1. 2. 3. 4. 8 4 4 6 tracks of 16 bits on ADAT/XT, 20 bits on M20 (and 24 bits on a future 24-bit ADAT machine) channels of 24 bits each (Rane's PaqRat format) on an 8-track 16-bit recorder channels of 24 bits each (ABS 4/24 format, which is identical to PaqRat, but with auto-ID) channels of 20 bits each (ABS 6/20 format with auto-ID) on an 8-track 16-bit recorder The auto-ID facility (available shortly) enables the AD-8000 to recognize an incoming ABS signal automatically, without having to set any switches. Full PaqRat capability is provided, however, enabling you to create or replay recordings that are completely compatible with Rane's PaqRat equipment or with the PaqRat-compatible mode of the enhanced Apogee AD-1000. 4/24 recordings made with the AD-8000 will always include the ABS auto-ID, but this does not affect replay via a PaqRat system. The two 4/24 modes (four channels of 24 bits on eight 16-bit tracks) record the first 16 bits of a channel on the first track, and the remaining bits on a subsequent track along with a tone to indicate that you shouldn't be listening to it on its own! You can listen to the first track in each pair, but remember that the signal will only be 16-bit. An advantage of the 4/24 modes is that you can record or overdub on an individual 24-bit channel, by recording on two adjacent odd/even tracks at the same time, without damaging any other tracks. This is not possible with the 6/20 mode, which is more intended for surround-sound mixing and multi-channel live recordings where subsequent individual channel overdubs are not required. An additional feature of the 4/24 modes is the ability to record eight simultaneous 24-bit channels by using two ADAT machines (and thus two ADAT8 cards). In 4/24 mode (either PaqRat or ABS), a card in slot A will output 24-bit audio from channels 1-4, and likewise on input will reconstruct the 24-bit audio onto channels 1-4. Similarly, slot B will use 24-bit data on channels 5-8, slot C will use 24-bit data on channels 1-4, and slot D will use 24-bit data on channels 5-8. Alternating slots us ...