RME Audio M-16 DA User Manual

Professional 32/16-channel d/a converter double balanced output stages 32/16-channel analog to madi / adat interface 24 bit / 192 khz digital audio midi remote control

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User's Guide

M-32 DA

M-16 DA

The Professional's Converter Solution

™

MADI I/O

TotalRemote

™

ADAT

I/O

SteadyClock

SyncCheck

Professional 32/16-Channel D/A Converter

Double Balanced Output Stages

32/16-Channel Analog to MADI / ADAT Interface

24 Bit / 192 kHz Digital Audio

MIDI Remote Control

AES-10

24 Bit Interface

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Page 1 User’s Guide M-32 DA M-16 DA The Professional’s Converter Solution ™ MADI I/O TotalRemote ™ ™ ® ADAT SteadyClock SyncCheck Professional 32/16-Channel D/A Converter Double Balanced Output Stages 32/16-Channel Analog to MADI / ADAT Interface 24 Bit / 192 kHz Digital Audio MIDI Remote Control AES-10 24 Bit Interface...
Page 2: Table Of Contents
Digital Inputs / Outputs 11.1 ADAT Optical ............23 11.2 MADI Input ............23 11.3 MADI Output ............24 Word Clock 12.1 Word Clock Input and Output.......25 12.2 Technical Description and Background ....26 12.3 Cables and Termination........27 MIDI................27 User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 3 20.1 Formats and Number of Channels ...... 48 20.2 Multichannel Playback ......... 49 20.3 Multichannel Recording ........51 20.4 Multichannel Recording and Playback ....53 20.5 Digital Multicore ........... 56 20.6 Multiple Playbacks ..........57 User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 4: Important Safety Instructions
When mounting in a rack, leave some space between this device and others for ventilation. Unauthorized servicing/repair voids warranty. Only use accessories specified by the manufacturer. Read the manual completely. It includes all information necessary to use and operate this device. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 6: Introduction
1. Introduction RME’s M-32 DA and M-16 DA are DA-converters with a truly unique feature set. They combine excellent analog circuit design with the latest generation of outstanding DA converter chips. Along with the integrated SteadyClock, they offer DA-conversion of the highest quality.
Page 7: First Usage - Quick Start
MADI or 5-pin DIN jack. MIDI INPUT indicates received MIDI data from the 5-pin DIN input or the MADI input. LOCK KEYS deactivates all keys. This way the M-32 DA is secured against accidental operat- ing errors. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 8 M-series operate in the range of 100V to 240V AC. It is short- circuit-proof, has an integrated line-filter, is fully regulated against voltage fluctuations, and sup- presses mains interference. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 9: Quick Start
3 of the XLR output is not connected. A con- nection to ground can cause a higher THD value (higher distortion)! The M-32 DA stores all current settings and automatically activates them when the device is turned on. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 10: Accessories
5. Accessories RME offers several optional components for the M-32 DA: Part Number Description OK0050 Optical cable, Toslink, 0.5 m (1.7 ft) OK0100 Optical cable, Toslink, 1 m (3.3 ft) OK0200 Optical cable, Toslink, 2 m (6.6 ft) OK0300 Optical cable, Toslink, 3 m (9.9 ft) OK0500 Optical cable, Toslink, 5 m 16.4 ft)
Page 11: Warranty
All entries in this User’s Guide have been thoroughly checked, however no guarantee for cor- rectness can be given. RME cannot be held responsible for any misleading or incorrect informa- tion provided throughout this manual. Lending or copying any part or the complete manual or its contents as well as the software belonging to it is only possible with the written permission from RME.
Page 12 For this the device has to be sent free to the door to: IMM Elektronik GmbH Leipziger Straße 32 D-09648 Mittweida Germany Shipments not prepaid will be rejected and returned on the original sender's costs. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 14: Front Panel Controls
FRAME: 48k or 96k frame. 48k frame can be used with Single, Double and Quad Speed. 96k frame is limited to the range 64 kHz to 96 kHz (Double Speed). FORMAT: 56-channel or 64-channel format. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 15: Adat Sync
192 kHz, but receives a synchronous word clock of 48 kHz, the button STATE activates DS or QS mode. This way, AD-conversion and digital outputs are configured to oper- ate in the frequency ranges Single Speed, Double Speed or Quad Speed. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 16 Speed flag. Then a manual configuration via the STATE button is not required. A Quad Speed flag does not exist, so no change will be performed automatically. In case the clock source sends the DS flag even at Single Speed, Follow Clock has to be deactivated. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 17: Meter
8.9 Lock Keys LOCK KEYS deactivates all keys. This way the M-32 DA is secured against accidental operating errors. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 18: Remote Control
So what about MIDI? Be it remote control commands or sequencer data, in practice only a single MADI line will not suffice. Therefore RME developed a MIDI over MADI technol- ogy. The data at the MIDI input are being included into the MADI signal invisibly, and can be collected at the MIDI output of another M-series converter, ADI-8 QS, ADI-6432, ADI-642, ADI- 648, Micstasy or a HDSP MADI, at the other end of the MADI line.
Page 19: Remote Control Software
M-32 DA. 9.3 Remote Control Software A free remote software fro Windows and Mac OS X can be downloaded from the RME website. It can use any existing MIDI port within the system to perform remote control and status re- quests of any number of M-series converters via a simple mouse click.
Page 20 5 (max.), below 45°C it switches back to speed 3. Normal Factory default Silent In Silent mode the fan starts not before 48°C and with highest speed. Below 45°C the fan is switched off again. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 22: Analog Outputs
The different output levels guarantee optimal conversion results, while still being compatible to any attached analog equipment. The M-32 DA uses the following level references: Reference 0 dBFS @ Headroom @ +4 dBu Other RME devices +24 dBu 20 dB +19 dBu 15 dB...
Page 23: Digital Inputs / Outputs
As MADI covers long distances up to 2 km, even the same channels can be converted in sev- eral different (electrically separated) locations, with comfortable and unambiguous front panel channel selection. The currently used 16- or 32-channel block is set on every unit’s front plate via the MADI IN key. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 24: Madi Output
• Up to 96 kHz one M-32 DA or two M-16 DA already use all available channels • Up to 192 kHz one M-16 DA uses all available channels. Channels 17 to 32 of the M-32 DA are not available. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 25: Word Clock
As soon as a valid signal is detected, the WCK LED is constantly lit, otherwise it is flashing. Thanks to RME's Signal Adaptation Circuit, the word clock input still works correctly even with heavily mis-shaped, dc-prone, too small or overshoot-prone signals. Thanks to automatic signal centering, 300 mV (0.3 V) input level are sufficient in principle.
Page 26: Technical Description And Background
22 MHz from a slow word clock of 44.1 kHz is no problem anymore. Additionally, jitter on the input signal is highly rejected, so that even in real world usage the re-gained clock signal is of highest quality. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 27: Cables And Termination
The M-32 DA has a standard MIDI input and output, a 5-pin DIN jack each. The MIDI I/O is used for: • remote control of the M-32 DA, see chapter 9.1 • transmission of MIDI data and remote control commands over MADI, see chapter 9.2 User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 30: Technical Specifications
• Level range: 1.0 Vpp – 5.6 Vpp • Lock Range: 27 kHz – 200 kHz • Jitter when synced to input signal: < 1 ns • Jitter suppression: > 30 dB (2.4 kHz) User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 31: Digital Outputs
• Jitter suppression of external clocks: > 30 dB (2.4 kHz) • Effective clock jitter influence on DA-conversion: near zero • PLL ensures zero dropout, even at more than 100 ns jitter • Supported sample rates: 28 kHz up to 200 kHz User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 32: Midi
Firmware 2.1: The temperature inside the unit can be read via MIDI. The fan operation can be changed via MIDI. 15.8 MADI User Bit Chart • RS-232: channels 1 to 9 (passed-through by the M-series) • ADC: channel 19 • MIDI: channel 56 (48k) / 28 (96k) User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 33: Connector Pinouts
Sleeve = GND The servo-balanced circuitry allows for the use of monaural TS jacks (unbalanced) with no loss in level. This is the same as when using a TRS-jack with ring connected to ground. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 34: Technical Background
The Quad Wire method realizes the transmission of two channels at up to 192 kHz via ADAT. The method is referred to as S/MUX4. Note: All conversions of the described methods are lossless. The existing samples are just spread or re-united between the channels. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 35: Lock And Synccheck
In practice, SyncCheck allows for a quick overview of the correct configuration of all digital de- vices. This way one of the most difficult and error-prone topics of the digital studio world finally becomes easy to handle. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 36: Latency And Monitoring
16.3 Latency and Monitoring The term Zero Latency Monitoring has been introduced by RME in 1998 for the DIGI96 series and describes the ability to pass-through the computer's input signal at the interface directly to the output. Since then, the idea behind has become one of the most important features of mod- ern hard disk recording.
Page 37: Ds - Double Speed
5/6/7/8 1/2/3/4 5/6/7/8 1/2/3/4 5/6/7/8 1/2/3/4 5/6/7/8 Analog Out As the transmission of quad rate signals is done at standard sample rate (Single Speed), the ADAT output still delivers 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 38: Madi Basics
64 channel format, but offer still no more than 56 audio channels. The rest is being eaten up by control commands for mixer settings etc.. RME units show that this can be done in a much better way, with an invisible transmission of 16 MIDI channels plus serial RS232 data stream, and the 64-channel MADI signal still being 100% compatible.
Page 39: Steadyclock
Latest circuit designs like hi-speed digital synthesizer, digital PLL, 100 MHz sample rate and analog filtering allow RME to realize a completely newly developed clock technology, right within the FPGA at lowest costs. The clock's performance exceeds even professional expectations.
Page 42: Midi Implementation M-Series
/ oo can be repeated freely. Value Response After being triggered by receiving a request value command, device sends a string of all value response data bytes. Message type is set to 30h. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 43: Table
29 (see below) level ch 30 (see below) level ch 31 (see below) level ch 32 (see below) fan control (see below) temperature (see below) (reserved) (reserved) set device id (response displays in header) User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 44 1 MADI input override MADI lock MADI sync MADI input 96k frame MADI input 64ch model subtype: 0 = M-16, 1 = M-32 LSB / 0 model subtype: 0 = AD, 1 = DA User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 45 Limiter state: 0 = idle, 1 = active MSB / 2 limiter reduction 000..111 limiter reduction LSB / 0 limiter reduction MSB / 2 level 000..101 (AD), 000..110 (DA) Level LSB / 0 LSB / 0 Level User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 46 (fan speed) 1..4 = slower..faster LSB / 0 LSB / 0 (fan speed) temperature MSB / 7 MSB / 6 temperature in °C, binary value 0..127 (temperature) (temperature) (temperature) (temperature) (temperature) LSB / 0 LSB / 0 (temperature) User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 48: Formats And Number Of Channels
20.1 Formats and Number of Channels PC or Mac based recording and playback can be realized easily with the M-series converters. ADAT optical and MADI formats are available for data transmission. RME offers several spe- cialized computer interfaces: • HDSPe RayDAT: PCI Express card with 4 optical inputs and outputs in ADAT format (3 channels in and out respectively).
Page 49: Multichannel Playback
ADAT signal (Slave). This setup will allow for up to 32 channels with 2 M-16 DA. The playback is automatically sample-synchronous between the units, as the RayDAT plays all sig- nals on all 4 ports perfectly synchronized. An additional word clock connection between Ray- DAT and converters is not required. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 50 When using the HDSPe MADI the converters and the card are connected serially. RME rec- ommends the usage of optical MADI cables. These provide a useful galvanical separation be- tween the units, and are immune against any kind of electromagnetic interference.
Page 51: Multichannel Recording
The same applies if the RayDAT’s WCM is present, so only one word clock line is required from the card to the converters. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 52 When using the HDSPe MADI the converters and the card are connected serially. RME rec- ommends the usage of optical MADI cables. These provide a useful galvanical separation be- tween the units, and are immune against any kind of electromagnetic interference.
Page 53: Multichannel Recording And Playback
No WCM is required, and no ADAT port has to be sacrificed. Up to 32 channels of recording and playback are available simultaneously. An additional word clock connection be- tween RayDAT and the converters is not required. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 54 When using the HDSPe MADI, the converters and the card are connected serially. RME rec- ommends the usage of optical MADI cables. These provide a useful galvanical separation be- tween the units, and are immune against any kind of electromagnetic interference.
Page 56: Digital Multicore
64 channels can be sent from the stage to the FOH. The Multicore consists of a MADI ring connection of all converters. Within the chain, one unit is operated with its internal clock, all others are synchronized to their MADI input signal. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...
Page 57: Multiple Playbacks
(electrically separated) locations, with comfortable and unambiguous front panel channel selection. The individual choice of a block of 16 or 32 channels to be converted is set on each unit’s front plate via the MADI IN key. User’s Guide M-32 DA © RME...

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M-32 da

RME Audio M-16 DA User Manual

General

1 Introduction

2 Package Contents

3 Brief Description and Characteristics

4 First Usage - Quick Start

5 Accessories

7 Appendix

6 Warranty

Usage and Operation

8 Front Panel Controls

9 Remote Control

Inputs and Outputs

10 Analog Outputs

11 Digital Inputs / Outputs

12 Word Clock

14 MIDI

Technical Reference

15 Technical Specifications

16 Technical Background

17 Block Diagram M-32 da

18 Block Diagram M-16 da

19 MIDI Implementation M-Series

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