User manual PRESONUS DIGIMAX 96 K V 2.0

[. . . ] DIGIMAX 96K 8 Channel Preamplifier with Dual Domain Limiters and Digital Outputs User's Manual Version 2. 0 © 2007, PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc. All Rights Reserved. PRESONUS LIMITED WARRANTY PreSonus Audio Electronics Inc. warrants this product to be free of defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of original retail purchase. To be protected by this warranty, the purchaser must complete and return the enclosed warranty card within 14 days of purchase. [. . . ] Word clock generators usually have one BNC word clock input and multiple BNC word clock outputs (sometimes TDIF, S/PDIF or ADAT outputs as well to make them compatible with as many types of digital devices as possible). Without a dedicated word clock generator, it is necessary to split the word clock signal generated by the Master device by daisy chaining the slaved devices as described above. Because of this, many engineers feel that the resulting digital audio signals will be of a higher quality when a dedicated word clock generator is used; because all the digital devices are receiving the same digital pulse from the same source at exactly the same time. Whichever approach one uses, it is always advisable to use good quality BNC cables that are not excessively longer than necessary for the job at hand and, as with any audio cabling, it is always good to keep word clock cables separate from AC cable lines or other possible sources of interference. 3. 2. 4 Setting Up Your DAW Software If you are planning on using your DigiMax 96K as the master clock for your digital device system, you will need to refer to the instructions on external synchronization provided by the manufacturer of both your audio interface and your DAW recording application. Setting external sync usually must be done in both the audio interface's control panel software application (if it has one) and your recording application. As a general rule of thumb, this will be necessary when you are using any device other than your audio interface as the master clock for your system. 12 | PreSonus 2007 TECHNICAL INFORMATION 3. 3 A BRIEF TUTORIAL ON DYANAMICS PROCESSING The DigiMax 96k features a dual domain limiter with a variable threshold on each of its eight channels. This section is an excerpt from brief tutorial on dynamics processing written by PreSonus President and Chief Technical Officer, Jim Odom. This tutorial will take you through the basics of dynamics processing as well as explain the various types of dynamics processors, including limiters. 3. 3. 1 Common Questions Regarding Dynamics What is dynamic range?Dynamic range can be defined as the distance between the loudest possible level to the lowest possible level. For example, if a processor states that the maximum input level before distortion is +24dBu and the output noise floor is -92dBu, then the processor has a total dynamic range of 24 + 92 = 116dB. The average dynamic range of an orchestral performance can range from -50dBu to +10dBu on average. 60dB may not appear to be a large dynamic range but do the math and you'll discover that +10dBu is 1000 times louder than -50dBu!Rock music on the other hand has a much smaller dynamic range, typically -10dBu to +10dBu, or 20dB. This makes mixing the various signals of a rock performance together a much more tedious task. Consider the previous discussion: You are mixing a rock performance with an average dynamic range of 20dB. The passages that are +10dBu and higher will be heard over the mix, no problem. However, the passages that are at -30dBu and below will never be heard over the roar of the rest of the mix. A compressor can be used in this situation to reduce (compress) the dynamic range of the vocal to around 10dB. The lower level phrases will now be well above the lower level of the mix and louder phrases will not overpower the mix, allowing the vocal to `sit in the track'. Each instrument has its place and a good compressor can assist the engineer in the overall blend of each instrument. This question may lead many folks to say `absolutely not, overcompression is horrible'. The term itself, `overcompression' must have been derived from the fact that you can hear the compressor working. [. . . ] > 120 dB Power Supply Rejection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . > 98 dB Amplifier Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dual Servo Phantom Power (±2 VDC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +48 VDC Instrument Input (channels 1 & 2 only) Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [. . . ]