Digital I/O & Cascading 41
02R96—Owner’s Manual
5 Digital I/O & Cascading

Wordclocks

Unlike analog audio equipment, digital audio equipment must be synchronized when dig-
ital audio signals are transferred from one device to another, otherwise, signals may not be
received correctly and audible noise, glitches, or clicks may occur. Synchronization is
achieved using what’s called a wordclock, which is a clock signal for synchronizing all the
digital audio signals in a system. Note that wordclocks are not the same as SMPTE/EBU or
MTC timecode, which is typically used to synchronize tape machines, MIDI sequencers,
and so on. Wordclock synchronization refers to the synchronization of the digital audio
processing circuits inside each digital audio device.
In a typical digital audio system, one device operates as the wordclock master, and the other
devices operate as wordclock slaves, synchronizing to the wordclock master. Wordclock sig-
nals can be distributed via dedicated cables, typically BNC cables, or derived from digital
audio connections, including AES/EBU, ADAT, and Tascam formats.
If you’re connecting to the 02R96 using only analog inputs and outputs, no special word-
clock settings are required, and the 02R96 can be set to use its own internally generated
wordclock. If you’re connecting other equipment digitally, however, you must decide which
device to use as the wordclock master and which devices to use as slaves.
The 02R96 can be used as the wordclock master running at either 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz,
88.2 kHz, or 96 kHz, or slaved to an external wordclock source. External wordclock signals
can be received via the Slot Inputs, 2TR Digital Inputs, the CASCADE IN port, or the ded-
icated BNC WORD CLOCK IN connector.
In a system where all devices share a common wordclock, it’s important that all devices be
turned on even if they’re not being used. Turn on the wordclock master first, and then the
slaves. When shutting down the system, turn off the slaves first, and then the master. Before
use, make sure that the wordclock slaves are correctly locked to the wordclock master. Most
devices have front panel indicators to indicate this. Refer to the relevant owner’s manuals
for more information.

Wordclock Connections

The 02R96 features a BNC wordclock input and a BNC wordclock
output. External wordclock signals can be connected to the WORD
CLOCK IN connector, and terminated by using the 75Ω ON/OFF
switch (see page 43). The WORD CLOCK OUT outputs a word-
clock signal at the same clock rate as the 02R96.