User manual RANE RPM 44

[. . . ] Launch the Drag Net application and follow the steps to create a new project and new RPM 44 device configuration. Click the Configure Hardware IP shortcut to set the unit's IP address to be compatible with your computer's Network settings. Tip: If you aren't sure what IP to use, try the address 192. 168. 69. 69 and subnet 255. 255. 255. 0. A device name and IP address should appear under the Live folder in the Project window. [. . . ] The first stage contains a software controlled analog line/mic pad and switchable-gain preamp. The second stage contains a Digital Trim control located immediately after the A/D converter. The RPM 44 takes the following approach to input clipping: If you've set the Analog Gain so the input stage is not clipping, it is not possible to clip the A/D converter, since there is no additional gain between the initial input stage and the A/D converter. The Digital Trim control, located after the A/D converter, can be set to clip the signal to your heart's content, so adjusting this trim to provide the hottest signal to the DSPs without clipping is the most important step when setting up gain structure. For this reason, a dedicated meter displaying the signal level being passed to the DSPs is provided in each Analog Input block. If the DSPs are working with a clipped signal, the audio is (as expected) distorted and none too pretty, but it is not a drastic, damaging sound. And while it's technically possible to write a DSP algorithm to emulate the glorious clipping distortion of vacuum tubes, it's not particularly useful for an installed sound system, where the DSP power could be put to better use removing that annoying 500 Hz feedback from the Pope's podium mic. Plus, they don't yet make DSP chips with gold-plated substrates for those celestial highs and that moist, supple midrange. Analog Output Stage Each analog output also uses a two-stage gain approach, which differs slightly from that of the analog input stage. The first stage is a Digital Trim control located immediately before the D/A converter. The second stage is an analog trim control located immediately after the D/A converter. Attenuation is handled in the analog domain, while boosting (when the incoming digital signal is low) is handled in the digital domain. Boosting and attenuating using this two-stage approach helps maintain the RPM 44's excellent noise performance. Digital (AES3) Input and Output AES3 is a popular 2-channel (stereo) digital audio interface commonly found on professional digital audio equipment (digital mixers, DAT machines, etc. ). Each channel of the AES3 digital stream is treated independently within the RPM 44. See the RaneNote "Interfacing AES3 and S/PDIF", available from Rane's web site (www. rane. com/library. html), for more information about interfacing consumer S/PDIF gear to the professional AES3 standard. Use the AES3 I/O to: · Connect multiple RPM 88/44/22/2m/26z's together to create a 2-channel digital "bus" between devices. · Connect directly to the AES3 output of a digital mixing console. · Connect directly to the AES3 input of a DAT machine for recording purposes. · Connect to an external A/D or D/A converter, effectively adding two more analog inputs or outputs. Incoming Sample Rate and Word Length The AES3 input has a built-in sample rate converter capable of accepting incoming sample rates up to 96 kHz. Sample rates exceeding the RPM 44's internal 48 kHz sample rate are automatically downsampled. Outgoing Sample Rate and Word Length The AES3 output uses a fixed 48 kHz sample rate and 24-bit word length. Manual- Control Connections Versatile Input Port (VIP) Eight logic input pins are provided, each capable of accepting DC voltage between 0-5 VDC. [. . . ] Combinations of Preset switches & voltage Level "pots" are possible as long as combined, they do not exceed the eight pins provided. Since you can Group any or all Level blocks in Drag Net's Remote Map, it's much easier to implement a stereo level control since the Drag Net device is burdened with the task of tracking many Levels. You can use this to your advantage when using VIP pins to adjust multiple zones or levels. Since you can place the Level block anywhere within the Drag Net Processing Map, you can Group Level blocks at the input, at the output or anywhere in-between -- just place the Level block where you want it. [. . . ]