Output Level Switch; Application Examples - Tascam IF-DA8 Owner's Manual

5 OUTPUT LEVEL switch

This switch should be used in conjunction with the
"reference level" settings on various pieces of TAS-
CAM equipment.
When an analog signal is at its nominal level (i.e. the
meter reads "0 dB"), the signal level on digital equip-
ment must not read 0 dB—this would mean that any
signals above 0 dB (analog) would produce unac-
ceptable clipping and distortion on the digital equip-
ment. Accordingly, there are a number of standards,
which reference the analog 0 dB level to a specific
level on a digital unit.
These standard levels are as follows, together with
the settings of this switch which will match the refer-
ence level in use in your installation.:
Reference
Standard level
(0 dBFS)
–16 dB
TASCAM
–9 dB
EBU2
–20 dB
SMPTE
NOTE
Make sure that the reference level settings on
your other digital equipment and the switch
settings here match, otherwise you may find
yourself working with analog levels that are
too high or too low.
6 DIGITAL I/O 1 (AUX)
This connector is typically used to connect an auxil-
iary TDIF-1 device, such as a DTRS multitrack
recorder.
WARNING
Note that you should always use genuine
TASCAM cables, or cables which have been
approved for use with TDIF-1 interfaces by
TASCAM.
Although these cables appear similar to cer-
tain types of computer cables and use similar
connectors, the cables themselves are very
different, and the different electrical character-
istics of the cables can cause damage to the
equipment connected with the wrong cables.
IF-DA8
Nominal OUTPUT
level LEVEL
(MAX:dBu)
+4 dBu +20
+6 dBu +15
+4 dBu +24
IF-DA8 D/A Converter
If the use of cables other than TASCAM
cables causes or results in damage, the war-
ranty is voided.
The signals received at this connector are passed
straight through as outputs to the D I/O 2 connector
7.
The signals output from this connector are the sig-
nals from the D I/O 2 connector 7, passed through
unchanged.
7 DIGITAL I/O 2 (TO LINE OUTPUTS)
This connector is typically used to connect the main
TDIF-1 source whose digital audio will be converted
to analog by the IF-DA8 (for example, a digital mix-
ing console).
The signals received at this connector are passed
straight through to the D I/O 1 connector 6, as well
as being fed to the D/A convertors.
The signals output from this connector are received
from the D I/O 1 connector.
When the CLOCK switch 3 is set to the lower posi-
tion (D I/O 2 (TDIF-1)), this connector is used as the
word clock source for the unit.
8 WORD IN
An external word clock may be connected to this
BNC connector (75Ω), and used as the word syn-
chronization for the IF-DA8, selected with the
CLOCK switch 3.
9 WORD THRU
This BNC connector echoes the clock signal received
at the WORD IN 8 connector. If no device is con-
nected here, the word clock chain is automatically
terminated.

1.3 Application examples

Since this unit provides two TDIF-1 connectors,
there are a large number of uses to which it can be
put effectively.
At its simplest, the IF-DA8 can be used to transfer
tracks recorded on a project studio DTRS recorder to
an analog recorder. The superior resolution and sonic
quality of the conversion process makes it admirably
suited for this role.
As briefly mentioned earlier, the same digital mixing
console may be used to record on both analog and
DTRS multitrack recorders simultaneously.
5
TASCAM IF-DA8