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96 I/O Guide

18

Setting Operating Levels

There are specific windows within the Hardware 
Setup dialog in which to make I/O settings spe-
cific to your 96 I/O. These include setting input 
and output operating levels.

Ch4 dBu or –10 dBV 
Operating Levels

It is important that you determine which line 
level is appropriate for your studio. In +4 dBu 
operating mode, the 96 I/O  is a 24-bit digital 
audio device capable of producing audio signals 
up to + 18 dBu 4 dBu input/output. The 
default headroom value is 14 dB. This translates 
to a maximum output of + 18 dBu. 

Check the owner’s manual for your mixer, 
power amplifier or effects processor to see if it 
can handle this load. If the other devices in your 
studio cannot handle this load, consider lower-
ing the headroom value of Pro Tools.

About Input Operating Levels

As with Output levels, check the owner’s man-
ual for your mixer, power amplifier or effects 
processor to see if it operates more comfortably 
at line level, in which case consider setting the 
96 I/O  to operate at –10 dBV line levels.

Consider the following when connecting a 
mixer:

If your mixer cannot handle more than 1.5V 

(RMS) inputs at +4 dBu, then you should set the 
96 I/O  to operate at –10 dBV line level.

If your mixer can handle up to 6.15V (RMS) 

inputs, or has pads or attenuators on its inputs, 
then you can use the +4 dBu setting on the 
96 I/O.

96 I/O is calibrated for 14 dB headroom at the 

+4 dBu setting.

Most manuals contain device input specifica-
tions, including whether or not there are pads or 
attenuators. Consult the manufacturer’s docu-
mentation for your mixer or power amplifier for 
further information.

Selecting Analog Input Operating 
Levels

If you want to switch the input levels of the 
96 I/O from +4 dBu to –10 dBV, you can access 
these parameters, on a channel-by-channel ba-
sis, in the Hardware Setup dialog.

To Set Input Operating Levels:

1  

Launch Pro Tools.

2  

Choose Setups > Hardware Setup in Pro Tools.

Hardware Setup dialog with 96 I/O as the Primary 
audio interface 

Sel4 dBu or –10 dBV levels in the Hardware 
Setup Dialog 

Summary of Contents for 96 I/O

Page 1: ...4 3886 USA tel 650 731 6300 fax 650 731 6399 Technical Support USA 650 731 6100 650 856 4275 Product Information USA 650 731 6102 800 333 2137 International Offices Visit the Digidesign Web site for contact information Web Site www digidesign com 96 I O Guide ...

Page 2: ...he possibility of causing interference to radios television sets and other electronic devices Safety Statement This equipment has been tested to comply with USA and Canadian safety certification in accordance with the specifications of UL Standards UL1419 and Canadian CSA standard CSA C22 2 No 1 M90 Digidesign Inc has been authorized to apply the appropriate UL CUL mark on its compliant equipment ...

Page 3: ...ation Overview 9 Checking Installation 10 Powering Up Your System 10 Example Studio Setup with a Mixing Console 11 Example Studio Setup without a Mixing Console 12 Making Signal Connections to the 96 I O 13 Hardware Setup 13 Multiple Outputs 17 Setting Operating Levels 18 Synchronization Mode and Clock Source 19 Appendix A Card Removal and Replacement 23 Removing an I O Card 23 Hardware Setup Chan...

Page 4: ...96 I O Guide iv ...

Page 5: ... units is supported for a maximum of 96 channels of I O at 48 kHz Legacy port for Digidesign MIX series Audio Interfaces Interface with digital mixing consoles and other peripherals equipped with ADAT Light pipe connections using the ADAT Optical standard at up to 24 bit resolution What s Included 96 I O with power cable This guide DigiLink cable 1 5ft 0 46m BNC cable 1 5ft 0 46m System Requiremen...

Page 6: ... Save Session Choose Save Session from the File menu Control N Hold down the Control key and press the N key Option click Hold down the Option key and click the mouse but ton User Tips are helpful hints for getting the most from your system Important Notices include information that could affect your session data or the perfor mance of your system Cross References point to related sections in this...

Page 7: ...it is connected to is shut down Sample Rate These LEDs display the current sample rate of the 96 I O internal crystal oscillator which can be 44 1 kHz 48 kHz 88 2 kHz and 96 kHz The sample rate can be set when you create a new session or in the Hardware Setup or Playback Engine dialogs if no session is open Loop Master LED The LOOP MASTER LED indicates which HD au dio interface is the master Pro T...

Page 8: ...ripheral only and unlit on all other peripher als For more information see Synchronization Mode and Clock Source on page 19 Meters These four segment LEDs indicate signal level for each of 16 channels Two additional LEDs located to the left of the meters indicate whether the 96 I O is displaying input or output levels the meters indicate output levels by de fault and can be switched from within th...

Page 9: ...o output connections The 96 I O analog outputs feature 24 bit D A con verters All eight output channels are continuously ac tive Output operating levels are switchable be tween 4 dBu and 10 dBV operation from within the Hardware Setup window in Pro Tools Unbalanced connections are sup ported with the use of standard 1 4 inch mono phone plugs AES EBU Digital In and Out These are balanced three cond...

Page 10: ...s EXT CLOCK In and Out The External Clock I O ports are standard BNC connectors that receive and output a word clock signal These ports can be used to synchronize the 96 I O to any device that requires or pro vides word clock The External Clock In port is configured by your choice for Clock Source in the Hardware Setup dialog The External Clock Out is configured us ing the External Clock Out selec...

Page 11: ...se one at a time To select the Legacy or Expansion ports refer to the Pro Tools Reference Guide The Legacy port is not available in any session in which the sample rate is set for higher than 48 kHz Accessory Port This port is not supported at this time DigiLink Connections DigiLink cables make the vital connection be tween your HD Core or HD Process card and your HD I Os DigiLink cables are also ...

Page 12: ...96 I O Guide 8 ...

Page 13: ...n 18 DigiLink cable for linking additional I O units If you need a 12 or longer DigiLink cable to con nect to the HD Process card you must purchase DigiLink cables separately Guidelines for DigiLink Connections For additional details on the ordering of audio interfaces in an expanded system see the Expanded Systems Guide To connect the 96 I O to an existing HD System If the existing system contain...

Page 14: ...rn off all interfaces Then turn the power back on all interfaces and boot the computer See Powering Up Your System on page 10 for more information Powering Up Your System In order for Pro Tools to communicate properly with audio interfaces and other peripherals it is important that you start up and shut down your system in the following order Power up your system in this order 1 Turn on your Pro T...

Page 15: ...p with a Mixing Console Power Amp and Speakers Digital Inputs Outputs To DAT Recorder DAT Recorder ADAT optical in out to ADAT Instruments Connected to Console Analog Audio Outputs Effects Devices Digital Effects Device set to external sync Tape Returns or Inputs Analog Audio Inputs Channel Outputs ...

Page 16: ...thout a Mixing Console Power Amp and Speakers Digital Inputs Outputs To DAT Recorder DAT Recorder ADAT Optical in out to ADAT Analog Audio Outputs Analog Audio ins outs Other Effects Devices Digital Effects Device set to external sync Mic Preamp Direct Box Synth etc Analog Audio Inputs ...

Page 17: ...e as well The second diagram shows a setup without a mixer where effects and monitoring gear are connected directly to the 96 I O Hardware Setup The Hardware Setup dialog shows you a list of all audio interfaces in the system as well as I O routing and clock selections for your HD I Os The Hardware Setup also allows you to set spe cial options unique to the 96 I O Hardware Setup automatically conf...

Page 18: ...outputs The Main tab also provides controls for session Sample Rate synchronization settings and to define whether Expansion port or Legacy port peripherals are active Sample Rate can only be changed when there is no session open Additional tabs are available to configure other parameters on each audio interface such as set ting operating levels You must select an HD I O from the Peripherals colum...

Page 19: ...selected when a Legacy peripheral has been declared See Clock Source and Loop Master on page 19 7 For S PDIF compatibility with Tascam DA30 DAT recorders click on the Tascam button un der S PDIF Format 8 From the Input and Output channel pop up menus select the physical ports such as Analog 1 2 Optical 5 6 and so on that will be routed to the Pro Tools input and output channels Ch 1 2 3 4 and so o...

Page 20: ...cy I Os 1 Make sure the entire HD system is powered down before connecting your Legacy I O 2 Connect the slave clock cable that came with your MIX series peripheral to the Ext Clock Output of the HD I O and the Slave Clock In port on the back of your MIX series peripheral 3 Connect your Legacy I O with its MIX series cable to the Legacy port on the HD peripheral 4 Power up your system and launch P...

Page 21: ...hannels 1 and 2 Select the pop up menu for channels 1 and 2 in the Output column of the Main tab you will see that the Digital AES EBU S PDIF outputs are also checked which means that those ports are outputting Pro Tools channels 1 and 2 as well In fact the Digital AES EBU S PDIF outputs al ways mirror each other This allows you for example to quickly make a single output assignment in an Pro Tool...

Page 22: ...f it operates more comfortably at line level in which case consider setting the 96 I O to operate at 10 dBV line levels Consider the following when connecting a mixer If your mixer cannot handle more than 1 5V RMS inputs at 4 dBu then you should set the 96 I O to operate at 10 dBV line level If your mixer can handle up to 6 15V RMS inputs or has pads or attenuators on its inputs then you can use t...

Page 23: ...master clock device 6 96 I O can only be the clock source when it is the master audio interface If you choose a clock source on another HD I O other than the Loop Master Pro Tools will automatically designate the new interface as the Loop MASTER periph eral switch to it for the chosen Clock Source and set all other HD I Os to Loop Slave mode Clock Source and Loop Master In the Hardware Setup dialo...

Page 24: ...ce To connect digitally with other digital devices that are functioning as more than an input de vice such as when sending and returning sig nals to and from an external digital signal pro cessing device be sure to set the external digital device to external clock This will allow the ex ternal digital device to clock off the digital out put port you are using on the 96 I O The 96 I O can function ...

Page 25: ...er you can use the digital or Ex ternal Clock ports for synchronization on any peripherals without having to physically change any of the synchronization connections EXT External This setting indicates that 96 I O is using the EXT CLOCK IN port for system syn chronization External Clock input and output do not have to be at the Word clock rate EXT CLOCK IN synchronization will typically be 1x the ...

Page 26: ...96 I O Guide 22 ...

Page 27: ... more than one of the factory in stalled cards is removed To remove an I O card from the 96 I O 1 Power off and disconnect the 96 I O from your HD system 2 Make sure that the 96 I O is plugged in so that it is grounded 3 Remove all of the 16 small phillips head screws around the edges of the top cover Don t lose the screws put them in a safe place 4 Lift off the top of the 96 I O and set aside 5 G...

Page 28: ...i static bag and send it to Digidesign according to in structions from the Customer Support dept Hardware Setup Changes When Removing a Card In this case the Hardware Setup dialog will re flect the change by setting the removed inputs and outputs to None The remaining inputs and outputs will function normally For example if you remove the Analog Input card the Analog Input tab will disappear from ...

Page 29: ...his often throughout the process 6 Look into the empty bay to locate the guide rails for the card to slide in on 7 Slide the edges of the card into the guide rails on each side of the bay Push the card all the way in until the card s faceplate is nearly flush with the rear panel of the 96 I O 8 Screw the card s faceplate onto the rear panel surface of the 96 I O with the same screws you removed fr...

Page 30: ...hat the new card is recognized If you installed a 96 AD card you should see a new tab called Analog In 1 8 If you installed a 96 DA card you should see a new tab called Analog Out 1 8 19 If the new card does not appear in the Hard ware Setup dialog power down check the seat ing of the card and recheck the cables inside the 96 I O Troubleshooting If the power ring does not turn from orange to green...

Page 31: ... 15 B base rate 6 C Clock Source 4 15 19 20 and Loop Master 19 pop up menu 15 Configuring Hardware Setup 14 Configuring I O Setup 17 Connecting the 96 I O to an Existing HD System 9 D Default button 17 Default button in Hardware Setup 15 DIG Digital 20 DigiLink Cable Connections 9 connections 7 expansion 6 Guidelines for Connections 9 Length Specifications 7 Primary 6 secondary 6 DigiSetup 10 Digi...

Page 32: ...etup 14 16 17 20 Making Signal Connections to the 96 I O 13 Meters 4 MIDI 10 peripherals 10 mirroring 17 MIX series audio interfaces 10 cables 16 peripherals 7 16 Multiple Outputs 17 multiplexing 17 O Optical ADAT 6 15 19 ADAT port 20 S PDIF 6 15 20 I O port 15 Output column of the Main tab 17 P patchbay 14 Peripherals list 10 15 16 Playback Engine 3 18 19 20 Port Limitations Legacy and Expansion ...

Page 33: ... Studio 13 Slave Clock 15 cable 16 In 16 Sync Mode 4 19 Indicators 20 LEDs 20 synchronization 10 14 20 21 connections 21 T Tascam button 15 Tascam DA30 15 time slot count 17 TOS Link mode 6 20 Troubleshooting 26 U Unbalanced connections 5 W word clock 6 21 ...

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