Typical Setup
Balanced signal source
Stereo96 ADC is equipped with 2 XLR analog inputs. For best signal to
noise performance it is recommended the signal source has a typical low
impedance output with st4dB line level balanced signal.
Alternatively a weaker unbalanced signal source can be used as described
in subsequent paragraph.
In typical setup the ADC is running on its internal clock with the rest of
equipment synchronized to Mytek clock either through digital output
signal or wordclock. In this configuration Mytek ADC serves as a very
stable low jitter house clock which increases the integrity and robustness
of the rest of the system. Because of careful design this clock is as good or
better than dedicated studio clock generators. Unlike in lesser quality
equipment there is no sonic benefit in clocking Mytek ADC externally. In
case of such operational need refer to "Sampling frequencies and external
synchronization".
Setup for typical balanced operation includes following steps:
1. Setup the unit using external jumpers to:
a. Balanced inputs fed through input knob (factory default). This mode is
recommended for casual use where the input level is vaguely defined and
needs to be quickly adjusted with input knob.
or:
b. Set the jumpers to balanced inputs fed through precision 10-turn
trimpots. Then perform "analog input alignment" as described in the next
chapter.
2. Setup all other connections.
3. Select desired clock source (sync), either internal or external. If
external wordclock or superclock source is required for systemic reasons,
setup its mode using the DIP switch as described in "Internal jumpers".
The wordclock source can be terminated with internal 75 Ohm resistor
inside the Mytek unit (see: "Internal jumpers"). The termination is
recommended when using long wordclock cables (above 10 ft) and when
the wordclock source is capable handling such termination. Do not
terminate if the source is not capable of high current drive or cable is
short.
4. Select sampling frequency. If wordclock/superclock is used the
sampling frequency has to correspond to external clock frequency (can be
multiple, see: "Internal jumpers")
5. Select output wordlength- 24 bit full output is recommended. 16 and 20
bit output are meant to be used when the destination (recorder such as
CDR, ADAT tape machine) limits the wordlength. 20 bit output is
dithered with flat dither. 16 bit output can either be dithered flat
(recommended for multitrack recording) or 16 bit noiseshaped
(recommended for final masters, printing to CDR or DAT machine).
The Supershaper HR (tm) used for 16 bit wordlenght reduction is a
sophisticated 9th order noise shaper with dither, similar in operation to
Pow-r #3 (tm) noise reduction algorithm (see: "Supershaper HR...").
6. Synchronize the destination either to digital input sync or to wordclock
sync, depending on system configuration. The quality of
signal
does not depend on how the digital destination is synchronized with
Mytek AD converter.
7. Record- adjust input level with knob or by adjusting level at the source.
Unless you are printing final CD master, we do not recommend recording
too hot. There is no sonic benefit of pushing the level up to 0dBFS. A
healthy 1-2-3 dBs headroom allows more freedom in later processing and
mixing of recorded tracks. The red peak light is triggered digitally when 1
or more samples are overload. It's not recommended to peak frequently
although occasional overloads might be acceptable.
recorded
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