Sony DMX-R100 Quick Reference page 91

Appendix A: If This Is Your First Digital Console
This is the single most important difference between the two types of consoles: in an analog console, the signal
is actually passing through the fader VCAs (voltage control amplifiers) and the switches and knob potentiome-
ters that physically are part of the equalization, filtering and other processing circuitry. In a digital console, the
faders, switches and knobs are simply input devices to the CPU, telling it information about the relative levels,
pan positions, and processing you want to impart, thus controlling the data stream. For this reason, the front
panel of a digital mixer is often called a control surface.
Another important advantage to using this kind of system of "virtual" faders, switches and knobs is that they can
take on multiple functions, thus saving both space and cost. For example, the 24 main channel faders on the
DMX-R100 can actually control up to 56 discrete input signals (48 inputs plus 8 aux returns) as well as the 8
multitrack (MTR) bus outputs and 8 Aux sends. In addition, the DMX-R100's flexible routing matrix allows
any channel to carry any input signal (multiple channels can even carry the same input signal) and, conversely,
any signal(s) to be routed to any physical jacks on the rear panel. The DMX-R100 faders (and the channel pan-
pot knobs) can also be used for a variety of different functions, including setting trims and individual channel
Aux send levels.
Digital and analog interconnections also differ significantly, even though they may use some of the same physical
connectors. For example, digital AES/EBU signal (sometimes called the "professional" format) uses XLR connec-
tors, same as mic connectors. But AES/EBU signal is a stream of digital ones and zeroes, and each XLR connec-
tor carries a pair of left-right stereo signals. That's why there is only a single "PGM" XLR jack on the rear panel of
the DMX-R100; it carries the two-channel Program (PGM) bus signal. Similarly, the two digital Aux sends and
two digital Aux returns on the rear panel carry four discrete signals out and four discrete signals in. (See Figure 7)
AUX RET AUX SEND
PUSH PUSH
7/8 5/6 7/8
AUX 7 and 8 AUX 7 and 8
AUX 5 and 6 AUX 5 and 6
Figure 7
Appendix A If This Is Your First Digital Console
2TR IN2 PGM
PUSH
5/6
Left and Right
A-7