Whats SPDIF?

[swivelingchair]

What is it? How does it work and what are it's uses?

[bennychico11]

it's a digital protocol. It's used to connect some digital gear...usually a lot of consumer gear has it. The most common gear you'll see it on is CD players and DAT players. Some preamps and audio interfaces have it as a connection.

[snakeyez]

I believe SPDIF is a name for a connector that connects to a PC interface or sound card, and the signal is digital.

*Goes to wiki*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spdif

Sony/Philips Digital Interconnect Format (more commonly known as Sony Philips Digital Interface)

[swivelingchair]

Okay, I have these on the back of my 410. What could they be used for? (aside from the aforementioned items)

[bennychico11]

Originally Posted by snakeyez

I believe SPDIF is a name for a connector that connects to a PC interface or sound card, and the signal is digital.

*Goes to wiki*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spdif

Sony/Philips Digital Interconnect Format (more commonly known as Sony Philips Digital Interface)

it's the protocol that makes it S/PDIF...not the connector or the fact that it's just digital.

Okay, I have these on the back of my 410. What could they be used for? (aside from the aforementioned items)

ummmm, basically the aforementioned items.
again, DAT players, CD players, preamps that have S/PDIF outputs on them, etc. Anything that has S/PDIF outputs on them you can plug into your 410 S/PDIF inputs.

[mikemorgan]

In order to convert digital signal to audio you need converters.

Some converters suck.

It's best to leave a digital signal intact until it it's last stage before audio (conversion).

If you transfer audio back and forth between devices (mixers, computers, DAT, interfaces), you can keep your audio path completely digital (no degredation, none) until it is converted to audio.

Many studio owners like to keep everything digital until they finally use their very best digital-to-audio converters.

[dementedchord]

as an example a client uses looped samples... by connecting his cd player to his mpc2000 by means of the spdif he can transfer the loops without any conversion loss...

[dgatwood]

Originally Posted by dementedchord

as an example a client uses looped samples... by connecting his cd player to his mpc2000 by means of the spdif he can transfer the loops without any conversion loss...

By ripping them with a computer's optical drive, he can do that, too, but with a lot less effort and equipment....

The most common use of S/PDIF is in the form of its optical variant, TOSLink, which is used mainly for hooking up DVD players and similar to home theater amplifiers.... (This is not to be confused with ADAT optical. While the connector is the same, the data stream format is completely different.)

In the recording world, the copper version of S/PDIF is mostly used for connecting outboard devices with built-in converters like some pres, amp simulators (e.g. Behringer V-Amp Pro), certain types of monitor speakers, etc.

[dementedchord]

[QUOTE=dgatwood;2907675]By ripping them with a computer's optical drive, he can do that, too, but with a lot less effort and equipment....
QUOTE]


granted.... i was not giving the example of the best way to accomplish the task.... but rather an example of how some people actually use the thing.... this guys a bit of a technophobe and wouldn't own a computer.... breaks out in a sweat when you suggest the mpc is a computer...