Pinot User Manual
12
RECORDING WITH PINOT
If you have not calibrated the recording levels yet, please follow the instructions in the previous chapter. Also,
it is recommended to read the paragraph above about DC offset calibration if you have not done so already.
For basic recording you can use our own Sonoma Recorder software on a Windows PC platform. It is free
and you can download it from our website along with the user's manual. It requires Windows 8 or newer.
For more advanced recording features you can also use the shareware VinylStudio from Alpine Software
(www.alpinesoft.co.uk).
In both cases you are using the USB connection to the Pinot and need to select the recording sample rate in
the software you are using.
You can also use the AES or Coax outputs directly on the Pinot to record to other recorders that support this
interface. In this case you will need to select the recording sample rate on the Pinot itself. However, this
method is limited and only allows PCM sample rates up to 192kHz and no DSD. This is a limitation of the AES
and Coax interfaces.
MONITORING AND PLAYING BACK YOUR RECORDINGS
If your system is setup as in Fig.1 above then you can simply monitor and play your recordings from the same
computer as you recorded them on. For playback you can use any standard playback software such as
JRiver, Foobar etc.
If your system is setup as in Fig. 2 above then you will have to disconnect your computer from Pinot and
connect it to your DAC before playing the recorded file.
EXTERNAL CLOCK
The Pinot supports operation with an external clock. Simply select Clock Slave mode with the front panel
button and connect a word clock to its BNC input connector.
When in clock slave mode the Pinot will automatically detect the base frequency (44.1kHz or 48kHz). The
user can then select any multiple of the base frequency as the recording sample rate. For instance, if the
Pinot detects a base frequency of 44.1kHz, then the user can select any of the following recording sample
rates: 44.1, 88.2, 176.4, 352.8, DSD1, DSD2, DSD4. Similarly, if the Pinot detects a base frequency of 48kHz
then the following recording sample rates can be selected: 48, 96, 192, 384kHz (all DSD rates are multiples of
44.1kHz).
The frequency of the word clock input signal can be any binary multiple of 44.1kHz or 48kHz up to 512FS.
The purpose of operating the Pinot with an external clock should only be to synchronize it with other
equipment (video, other channels etc.), and not necessarily as a way to improve sound performance. In fact,
for optimal performance the clock source should be as close to the actual A/D process as possible - i.e.
internal.
