Creative 1212M, 1820M owner manual Sync Daughter Card, Connections

3 - PCI Card & Interfaces

The Sync Daughter Card

The Sync Daughter Card

The Sync Daughter card (included in the E-MU 1820M system and available as an option for other systems) provides word clock in and out, SMPTE (LTC) in and out and an additional MIDI output for transmitting MIDI Time Code (MTC). MIDI Time Code is a special rendering of SMPTE that can be transmitted over MIDI cables. For additional information about SMPTE, please refer to SMPTE Background.

Synchronization is a basic technique needed for connecting multiple pieces of equipment. Word Clock, S/PDIF or ADAT optical are all industry standard methods of synchronizing digital equipment together at the system sample rate (44.1kHz, 48kHz, 96kHz, or 192kHz). The master clock source is set in the Mixer Session Settings menu. See System Settings for more information.

Recording equipment can also be synchronized so that two audio recorders or an audio and video recorder can lock together as a single machine. SMPTE and MTC sync are used because they convey absolute time information. Word clock, S/PDIF or ADAT optical sync only synchronize the sample rate and unlike SMPTE and MTC, do not convey song position information. In a synchronized system, there is usually one MASTER machine, and one or more SLAVES. When the master starts, the others will follow (chase).

The Sync Daughter card is also a format converter. It converts incoming SMPTE time code to MIDI Time Code (MTC) and passes this information to the host computer to be used by a sequencer or audio recorder application. When your computer application is the “Master”, the Sync Daughter card converts MTC into SMPTE and sends it out to another SMPTE device.

In

Word Clock

Out

In

SMPTE

Out

MTC Out

Connections

The Sync Daughter Card contains Word Clock inputs and outputs for clock signals used in a studio where a common sample rate reference is required to keep multiple pieces of digital equipment running together. This is referred to as “house clock” or “house sync,” and is set to the actual sample rate of the system. Use a cable with BNC connectors to connect incoming clock signals to the Word Clock In jack on the Sync Daughter card. Connect the Word Clock Out to your other digital equipment to use the Sync Daughter Card as the Master Word Clock source. See Word Clock In/Out.

The Sync Daughter Card provides SMPTE (LTC) sync in and out, on two 1/4” phone jacks. LTC can be recorded onto an unused audio track on an analog or digital recorder and then fed back into the SMPTE input to synchronize your computer sequencer/recorder. See SMPTE Background for more information.

MIDI Time Code is also output whenever MTC is being generated by the host application (sequencer or audio recorder). A special cable converts the mini DIN to a standard MIDI jack.

See the Sync Daughter Card Supplement for more information about using the Sync Daughter Card.

24 Creative Professional