Master/Slave Interaction; Achieving Lock; Independent Slave Mode; Formatting Multiple Tapes - Alesis ADAT-LX20 Reference Manual

M
ASTER
Pressing any of the transport buttons (PLAY, STOP, etc.), or AUTO REC, PITCH
or , LOCATE 0 – LOCATE 4, ALL INPUT, or AUTO INPUT will automatically
trigger the same functions on the slave machine(s).
As slaves can operate independently, to minimize confusion initiate all operations
from the master, including transport control functions. When you press PLAY on the
master, the slave(s) will locate to the same time code point and begin playing once
sync is achieved (indicated by a lit LOCKED indicator).
Eject protocol: Pressing EJECT on the master also ejects all slave's tapes. To eject
only the master's tape, press and hold SET LOCATE, then press EJECT on the
master.
Recording or punching in on slaves: Initiate recording on the master but do not
record-enable any master tracks (unless, of course, you need to record tracks on the
master). Any slave tracks that are record-enabled will go into record, while the
master will simply play (this is why record enable is an independent function for
each slave). Digital Input is also independent for the slave(s) since you may want
to record via the analog inputs on some machines, and the digital inputs on others.
Formatting: This is initiated independently on each slave (described later),
however, simultaneous formatting on all slaves is possible.
A
CHIEVING
In a multiple-ADAT system, the slaves will "chase" the master (CHASE indicator
lights on the LX20) and can only enter record once they are locked. Audio will not
appear at an ADAT's outputs until it is locked, as shown by a lit LOCKED
indicator. For the fastest chase-lock performance in a multi-ADAT system, when
possible use the Locate points to go to different tape locations.
I
NDEPENDENT
If the master LX20 is stopped, each slave functions independently. Example: Press
PLAY on one of the slaves and it will play, but the other slaves and master will not
respond. However, any time you press PLAY on the master or initiate any transport
function, it will take over and control the slaves.
F
ORMATTING
Formatting multiple ADATs works similarly to formatting on a single LX20,
however there are some considerations unique to formatting multiple tapes. (For
basic information on formatting, see Chapter 3.)
The following chart indicates the possibilities for various slave and master format
combinations. Remember that any record-enabled tracks will start recording at
00:00:00 of the formatting process.
ADAT LX20 Reference Manual
/S I
LAVE NTERACTION
L
OCK
S M
LAVE ODE
M
ULTIPLE
Chapter 10 - Multiple LX20/ADAT Operation
T
APES
57