Alesis ADAT-M20 Owner's Manual page 93

TUTORIAL 2: M
You can create safety copies of M20 tapes by copying all eight tracks to another M20 (or
ADAT-compatible machine) via the digital bus.
Alesis recommends creating a backup whenever you have irreplaceable material on tape.
Synchronizing two machines together via the 9-pin sync bus allows for making sample-
accurate copies, referred to the internal time code. This is preferred. Without sync, you can
simply start recording on the slave and play back from the master. This faithfully copies the
audio information, but in all likelihood there will be a timing offset between the two tapes.
Here's the procedure for creating a backup tape.
Action
Synchronize the master and
slave
Establish digital audio
connection
Load machines with tapes
To make a 20-bit backup, both machines must be Type II with tapes formatted in 20-bit mode.
If the tape is unformatted, put the slave into Format mode (see Chapter 4). If the tape is partially
formatted, the slave tape needs to have its format extended (see section 4.5).
For safety's sake, write-protect the tape to be copied by breaking off (or sliding open) the tape's
write protect tab.
Return both machines to a
common start point
Enable optical inputs
Select digital as the Input
Select source on both machines
Enable all slave tracks for
recording
Be sure that the Record Enable buttons are switched off for tracks 1—8 of the master M20!
Initiate tape cloning
End backup
A M20 R
LESIS EFERENCE
D
AKING IGITAL
You do...
Connect a male/male, 9-pin D
connector cable between the
master Sync Out and the slave
Sync In
Connect a fiber optic cable
between the master ADAT
Optical Out and the slave
ADAT Optical In
Insert the tape to be backed up
into the master, and a blank or
formatted tape into the slave
Press the Locate 0 button
Select ADAT Optical Digital
Source on both the master and
slave M20
Press Input Select then press
All Input
Press all slave Record Enable
buttons
Press both Play and Record on
the master
Press Stop on the master after
backup is complete
M 1.06
ANUAL
Chapter 15, Tutorials and Applications
B
ACKUPS
You see...
The master becomes ID 1 and the
slave ID 2 on power-up
No visible change on machine
Eject lights go off
Both Time counters read 0:00:00.00
Digital Source block shows ADAT
Optical
A "D" will be displayed beneath
all 8 channel meters
The Record indicators for all slave
tracks will flash
Both machines start, Record
Enable indicators on slave
machine light solid
Both machines stop
15-5