clocking converters together to use multiple interfaces?

H

hrn

New member
Hi,
I got a problem which I get different advises about, maybe someone here can help me.

I got a RME Light (DIGI9636) and a Presonus Digimax DA converter. I will get a second interface and run the two together and are thinking about the Alesis AI-3 or a Frontier Tango24.

Some says I need to clock (word clock) the converters together to avoid clicks and pops, which turns me to the Tango24. Other says the Alesis will do a wonderful job without problems.

Anyone using a similar setup with answers?

All the best,
Hans Rosén

www.hagen.nu
 
You don't need an external word clock device to use your gear together. There is clock information embedded in the digital data, be it ADAT lightpipe, S/PDIF or AES/EBU. You just have to designate which is going to be the master and which is going to be the slave. For instance, if you'were using the Digimax as a mic pre and recording into a computer, the Digimax is the master and the computer is the slave to the incoming data.
Now a good external Wordclock generator (like my Lucid GenX 6) can make things better by genertating and distributing VERY stable, low jitter word clock.:D
 
Track Rat,

Thanks for your reply. If I follow you right, I can use the Digimax and an Alesis AI-3 at the same time recording 16 tracks without problems or?

You say that a Lucid GenX 6 can make things better by genertating and distributing VERY stable, low jitter word clock.

Does this meen that I could make it better if I get the extra word clock unit available (standard in the "big" Hammerfall) for the RME card.

Could you make it clearer, please?

Hans
 
What Track Rat means is that one of your units will have to be the master word clock generator. This is usually the "sending" unit, like in the case of using your Alesis unit, it would be the word clock master. The only thing you need to do is make your soundcard "slave" to the Alesis word clock.

As far as a external word clock generator, I believe what he meant is that not all word clock generator's are the same. Some produce much more stable clocks than others (EVERYBODY claims their word clock is "stable" with "low jitter".....). The Lucid unit he mentioned happens to be regarded by many professionals as being one of the better word clock generators on the market. How much of an improvement it makes over others is open to debate and your ears! :) All other devices would "slave" to this external word clock. It is a good way to make everything share the same clock without having to resort of repatching things and working in a way to that you may not like to work in.

Ed
 
Hi,

So, if I get the extra word clock plate for The Hammerfall lite and a Frontier Tango24 to run together with the DigiMax, this would run smooth, do you think?

Both the DigiMax and the Tango24 got external word clock connections.

Hans
 
I am not familiar with the Hammerfall hardware. You should have any problem though making it slave to incoming word clock from another device without purchasing yet another card. I also don't know if that seperate card offers a more stable word clock of not. Probably doesn't, but who knows.

Ed
 
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