Alva Nanoface, User Manual, Page: 18 / 25

Digital Clock.
Digitally connected devices
need a so-called
Word Clock
to run in sync.
One device has to be the clock master - which
sets the clock for all connected devices - and
the other has to be the clock slave.
The Nanoface is the clock master and uses
the sample rate from the audio program on
the host. Other devices - like a DA converter
- run as clock slave to the Nanoface and use
the provided sample rate (e. g. 44.1 or 96 kHz).
If the Nanoface is connected to another digital
device through its optical input, it runs as a
slave and uses the clock of this master device.
Digital S/PDIF output
(red light)
34
5
Connecting equipment to the outputs
35
Digital equipment to the optical S/PDIF output
Connecting the outputs
1. Cable Connection
To send a digital signal from the Nanoface to another device, connect a standard
optical lightpipe cable from the optical output on the back of the Nanoface to digital
input of your external equipment. This could be an external DA converter, a HiFi
system, another audio interface or an external DA converter.
2. Playback with audio programs
Standard Windows or Mac OS X programs usually cannot play on the output 5/6. If
the Nanoface is the default sound device in the audio setup, those programs play
on the output 1/2 on the breakout cable (speakers). Some audio or video programs
provide an option to play on an available S/PDIF output.
Keep in mind, it’s not possible, to listen or route the S/PDIF output to the speakers or
the headphones. It’s a digital format and needs a previous digital to analog conversion
before it can be heard.
3. Multichannel audio programs
The Nanoface is a multitrack audio interface. The different outputs are available via
the driver to any audio software and the operating system, which supports multiple
audio outputs.
For the playback on the headphones with a professional multichannel audio software,
like Steinberg Cubase, Apple Logic, AVID Pro Tools or Reaper, just to name a few, two
steps are necessary:
• Choose the Nanoface in the audio setup of this program.
• Select Output 5/6 in the track (stereo audio track, submix bus or master out),
which should be play its signal on the digital out.
The Nanoface provides a digital SPDIF I/O in
the optical TOSLINK format (channel 5/6).
The S/PDIF I/O supports stereo format for
uncompressed PCM signals (WAV, AIF, mp3 ...). It
is used by the usual playback in a DAW, Windows
Media Player, iTunes and other audio programs.
The S/PDIF I/O supports also compressed surround
formats, like AC3 on Microsoft Windows.