John Weigel
New member
I have been reading the knowledgeable posts by Mr Sjoko and others and now I know maybe more than I need to about the importance of word clock synchronization!
Anyhow, here's my setup: I have a dedicated music recording computer with a Lexicon Core 2 sound card, and Cool Edit Pro. I have been using the analog ins & outs on the breakout box with an Alesis Studio 12R mixer for recording and playback.
I recently got a Tascam TM-D1000 digital mixer, and have ordered an IF-TAD, which converts Tascam's TDIF cable to ADAT/TOSlink optical. The Core 2 has a word clock synch out on it, and ADAT/TOSlink optical ins & outs. The IF-TAD has a word clock synch out, and finally, the D1000 has word clock synch in & out. Naturally, all of these are configurable for master or slave word clock operation.
(It almost sounds like I know what I'm talking about, doesn't it?)
So here's my question: which do I set as the master and which should be the slaves?
Tascam says you cable the word clock synch between the IF-TAD and the D1000 (in which case the IF-TAD would be the master, since it has only a word clock synch out, and the D1000 would slave to it) and that the word clock synch is embedded in the optical ADAT data stream so a) a separate cable isn't needed to the Core 2 and b) the Core 2 would also be set to slave to the IF-TAD.
Somebody else says, no, you can't depend on the data stream to convey accurate word clock synch information. But I am not ready to drop the $400 or so needed for an outboard clock unless it's absolutely necessary...and then there are no word clock synch ins on either the converter or the sound card!
What to do, oh, what to do?
Anyhow, here's my setup: I have a dedicated music recording computer with a Lexicon Core 2 sound card, and Cool Edit Pro. I have been using the analog ins & outs on the breakout box with an Alesis Studio 12R mixer for recording and playback.
I recently got a Tascam TM-D1000 digital mixer, and have ordered an IF-TAD, which converts Tascam's TDIF cable to ADAT/TOSlink optical. The Core 2 has a word clock synch out on it, and ADAT/TOSlink optical ins & outs. The IF-TAD has a word clock synch out, and finally, the D1000 has word clock synch in & out. Naturally, all of these are configurable for master or slave word clock operation.
(It almost sounds like I know what I'm talking about, doesn't it?)
So here's my question: which do I set as the master and which should be the slaves?
Tascam says you cable the word clock synch between the IF-TAD and the D1000 (in which case the IF-TAD would be the master, since it has only a word clock synch out, and the D1000 would slave to it) and that the word clock synch is embedded in the optical ADAT data stream so a) a separate cable isn't needed to the Core 2 and b) the Core 2 would also be set to slave to the IF-TAD.
Somebody else says, no, you can't depend on the data stream to convey accurate word clock synch information. But I am not ready to drop the $400 or so needed for an outboard clock unless it's absolutely necessary...and then there are no word clock synch ins on either the converter or the sound card!
What to do, oh, what to do?
. No, actually I went with the D1000 because I do a lot of mixdown of previously recorded tapes into Cool Edit Pro and the D1000 was five hundred bucks!