Quick Question About ADAT

  • Thread starter Thread starter dremits
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dremits

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Hi,

I'm finding it hard to understand how ADAT ports work in a DAW. For each port on an interface, are there eight input busses available in the DAW if that makes sense?
 
Yes. "ADAT" ports are just 8-channel lightpipe connections. They can accept either 2- or 8-channel signals.
 
Some multi channel preamps will have a adat output option. This will save you from using analog patch cords to your interface and possibly better and more a/d conversion. There may be some setup invovled because the adat signal can be used for 8, or 4, or 2 channels. The sample rates will determine the number of channels used. (I think it is 22k for 8, 44k for 4, and 96k for 2).
 
You can run 8 @ 44.1k. This is the standard usage of ADAT. I don't know anyone who would record at 22k :D
Some interfaces/soundcards allow you to run 8 channels at 96k using multiplexing over two ADAT links (look for 'S-Mux').
 
mattr said:
You can run 8 @ 44.1k. This is the standard usage of ADAT. I don't know anyone who would record at 22k :D
Some interfaces/soundcards allow you to run 8 channels at 96k using multiplexing over two ADAT links (look for 'S-Mux').
Click to expand...

I may stand corrected. Wasnt to sure on the sample rates.

thanks
 
Thanks for the info guys. mattr, after searching for s mux i found a useful glossary but which hardware units use this technology and how is it another port or something? Is it commonly used?
 
Its not as common as standard ADAT, but a few bits of hardware support it. It uses the same connections, just allows for higher sample rates in exchange for lower channel counts.

Off the top of my head, a lot of the newer Motu stuff support it.
If you look at the back of the Motu 8pre you'll see it has 4 adat ports (2 in, 2 out). If you're running at 44.1k you use the top two, but if you're connecting to another piece of hardware that supports it then you can connect all 4 and run at 96k (4 channels on each connection).

Note how you generally connect two ADAT cables per connection for a two-way connection. This is because you have to sync the units in some way, and for us lazy people its easier to have them sync to the clock signal sent over ADAT than to fiddle with word-clock distribution, BNC cables and the like :D

...or you might just want to send audio both ways. Its up to you :)
 
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