Too good to be true?

[Dom Franco]

I have an ADAT LX20, and I am wondering if can just buy another ADAT, and hook them together with a cable, so that they will sync together for 16 tracks. Can I?

I know that they will sync if I use a BRC for about($1000) bucks!!

I am a cheapskate, and I just want more tracks....

Dom Franco

 

[Recording Engineer]

Yep!

 

[Recording Engineer]

That is to yes it can be done.

Nope to it's too good to be true.

 

[BLISS]

Dom Franco: I got a BRC for $675 (absolutely nothing wrong with it), go to "WWW.ROGUE.COM" I went to the store the other day and saw they had one for bout the same price as mine, just showing you a way to your destination, hope this helps

 

[gmstudio99]

Just for the record, you don't NEED a BRC to sync the two together. Your LRC will work just fine.

-GM

 

[Dom Franco]

Cool, That's what I wanted to hear....

What kind of cable do I need to connect 2 ADAT's together?

Thanks;

Dom Franco

 

[Recording Engineer]

Just your avarage male 9-Pin to male 9-Pin, 9-Pin D connector. Ofcourse Alesis says they recommend "Alesis-approved" cables because ones from average computer stores for your computer "may not fuction correctly".

I think I do use an "Alesis-approved" one myself but many say the ones from your local computer store have worked fine for them.

I don't know...

 

[Jason001]

What about the light pipe?
Isn't that whats used the most for synching them together and mastering with say a Masterlink?

 

[Recording Engineer]

The light pipe has nothing to do with syncing (not that I know of). The light pipe transfers the "audio", digitally (or should say something to do with light), from one unit to another.

 

[dragonworks]

I use the lightpipe to download tracks into
my pc via the adat pcr card but I still have to have a sync cable running between the pcr card and the adat 8 track. I think the lightpipe is only for track transfer and does not control syncing. I don't know for
sure but this may help.

 

[sonusman]

Your soundcard can possibly use the lightpipe signal for deriving a Clock for syncing, but ADAT's cannot. So goint TO you card, you could set the PCI Card to sync to the lightpipe Input. But going back to the ADAT's, you still need the Sync Cable.

Any computer cable should work for syncing ADAT's together. Although, since this is digital info, longer runs of bad cable could produce problems with syncing. This is why Alesis recommends their cable. But when you buy a BRC, it has a sync cable provided that is 30 feet long. For syncing the decks together, any cable 6 feet or shorter should do the job. I ordered the Alesis sync cables long ago, and found a few LESS errors with syncing, but nothing drastic. We are talking maybe 1 out of 100 plays less syncing problems using their cable.

Ed

 

[sonusman]

Oh yeah, I think it is important that you remember that there is a difference between Digital Clock, and Timing Clock.

Digital Clock is used to align the digital audio as far as having sample accurate transfers. Timing clock is used to keep the relative Tape Position of two devices together. The ADAT lightpipe is excellent for having samples line up in the digital realm, but as I recall, has no Tape Position info. That is what the Sync cables are used for, to line up two or more recording devices so they are running together right down to the sample.

Confused? To put it simply, there is a difference between making sure two digital devices have their sampling rates aligned, and making sure two recording devices are playing back at the same time, down to the sample level. Read your BRC manual. It has excellent help on syncing issues, and digital transfer issues, and explainations of the difference betweens syncing clocks, and digital clocks.

Ed

 

[Track Rat]

Sonusman, you beat me to the punch.

 

[sonusman]

Tis' why I am the moderator Track Rat...

Ed