Digital Audio Connections; Aes/Ebu; S/Pdif; Midi Connections - Mackie Digital 8 Bus Owner's Manual

Digital Audio Connections

1
DIGITAL I/O

AES/EBU

interconnection established by the Audio
Engineering Society (AES) for transmitting two
channels of digital audio information between
two devices (see the glossary for more
IN
information).
Resist the temptation to use a standard
microphone cable. The digital signals
transmitted by the AES/EBU jack are much
OUT
higher in frequency than microphone cables
are designed to handle. Many audio cable
manufacturers have cables specifically
2
DIGITAL I/O
designed for AES/EBU digital audio transmission.

S/PDIF

the Master L/R output fader. The AES/EBU
IN
input connector is routed to the Control Room
output. Select DIGITAL IN 1 in the Control
OUT
Room section to monitor the AES/EBU input.
The monitoring level of the AES/EBU input is
controlled by the SPEAKER LEVEL control in
the Control Room Section.
DIGITAL I/O
Format) is similar to AES/EBU, but is more often
used in consumer-grade digital devices. The
obvious difference is in the connector type used.
The less obvious difference is in the formatting of
the non-audio digital data (channel status bits)
CONTROL ROOM
that is transmitted along with the digital audio.
2 TRACK A DIGITAL IN 1
connector. Resist the temptation to use a
standard audio-grade cable. The digital signals
2 TRACK B DIGITAL IN 2
transmitted by the S/PDIF jack are much
2 TRACK C MASTER
L-R
higher in frequency than standard cables are
designed to handle. Many audio cable
MONO
manufacturers have cables specifically
NEAR FIELD MAIN
designed for S/PDIF digital audio transmission.
SPEAKERS
Master L/R output fader. The S/PDIF input
connector is routed to the Control Room
SPEAKER LEVEL
Output. Select DIGITAL IN 2 in the Control
Room section to monitor the S/PDIF input. The
DIM TALKBACK
monitoring level of the S/PDIF input is dictated
by the SPEAKER LEVEL control in the Control
Room Section.

MIDI Connections

Source for Synchronization
Time Code, connect one end of a standard 5-pin
MIDI cable to the MIDI IN connector on the
back of the Remote CPU. Connect the other
4-6
Connections
AES/EBU
AES/EBU, also known as AES3, is a standard
This is a balanced XLR-type connector.
The AES/EBU output connector is fed from
S/PDIF
S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface
S/PDIF uses an unbalanced RCA-type
The S/PDIF output connector is fed from the
Connecting a MIDI Time Code
To synchronize the Remote CPU to MIDI
end to a MIDI Time Code
generating device (i.e.,
MIDI interface, SMPTE-to-
MTC converter, etc.). Upon
the arrival of MTC at the
MIDI input, the Remote
CPU will chase and lock to
the incoming timecode.
Using MMC (MIDI
Machine Control)
If you are using any
device that responds to
MIDI Machine Control, you
can control the transport
mechanisms with the
transport buttons on the
console surface. To do this,
connect one end of a
standard 5-pin MIDI cable
to the MIDI OUT connector on the back of the
Remote CPU. Connect the other end to the
input of the timecode master (i.e., MIDI
interface, ADAT Computer Interface (ACI),
BRC, SY88 card, etc.). See "Configuring MIDI
Parameters" in Chapter 3 for information on
setting up MIDI Machine Control.
Connections for External MIDI
Effects Processors
External effects processor settings may be
edited and stored in the console. To do so,
connect one end of a standard 5-pin MIDI cable
to the MIDI OUT connector on the back of the
Remote CPU. Connect the other end of the
cable to the MIDI input on the back of your
effects processor. Using a separate MIDI cable,
connect one end to the MIDI Out on the back of
your effects processor and connect the other
end to the MIDI IN connector on the back of
the Remote CPU.
You can sequence fader levels using MIDI
Channel Voice Messages. The L/R Master
Fader is MIDI Channel 0, and MIDI Channels 1
through 48 follow the channel numbers on the
console. See Chapter 8, "Advanced Techniques,"
for more information.
Note: These features may not be available at
the time your Digital 8•Bus was manufactured.
Contact Mackie Technical Support or check our
web site for software upgrades as they become
available.
MIDI
OUT
MIDI
IN