AMBus Expansion Cards
FireWire 800 and Pro Tools | HD expansion cards for

Trak2 and AD-8000

Prototype shown with S400 connectors

AMBus FireWire 800 Card

The Apogee AMBus FireWire 800 Card gives you the power and convenience of a direct connection to any FireWire equipped computer. Based on new S800 standards (with backwards compatibility for S400 connections) the AMBus FireWire 800 Card uses an expansion slot in the Trak2 and the AD-8000 to give users of Logic, Nuendo and other popular software the option of amazing sounding Apogee conversion. With low-latency Core Audio (Mac) and ASIO drivers for leading operating systems, your hardware options for your DAW are greatly expanded.

AMBus HD Card

At last Apogee makes the direct connection to Pro Tools | HD systems a reality. The Apogee AMBus HD option Card allows for direct connectivity between Pro Tools HD systems and the Trak2 or the AD-8000. The result is an incredibly powerful combination of Digidesign's industry leading software and superior Apogee conversion and clocking hardware that provides a workstation that will excite Apogee and Pro Tools fans alike.

AMBus FireWire 800 Card:

2, S800 FireWire connectors, allowing convenient chaining of multiple units A standard off-the shelf adapter cable allows connection to S400 FireWire ports. Compatible with Apple's OS X built-in FireWire Core Audio driver Supplied with Windows XP WDM/ASIO driver Up to 8x8 24-bit channels at 44.1/48/88.2/96KHz Fully compliant and compatible with 61883-6 and other relevant 1394 IEEE and AES specifications Allows low-jitter synchronization to a FireWire audio network and can provide a master clock source for a FireWire audio network

AMBus HD Card:

Primary HD port for connecting directly to HD Core or Accel cards. Expansion port for daisy-chaining multiple Apogee devices Compatible with the latest versions of ProTools (6.0/6.1) May be used along side similar interfaces (such as Digidesign 96 I/O, 192 I/O, Prism Dream ADA-8)

www.apogeedigital.com

2003, Apogee Electronics Corp. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks herein are property of their respective holders.

AD-8000

24-bit 8-channel Digital Audio Conversion System
Operating Manual and UV22 License Agreement
Rev 1.5 June 1999 Firmware revision 1.20
AD-8000 Operating Manual Manual written by Bob Clearmountain and Brent Elder. Edited by Julio Alvarez and Joe Raia. Interconnection diagrams by Julio Alvarez. Produced and edited by Richard Elen. Color by WaterColor. At a theater or drive-in near you. Batteries not included.
SoftLimit and UV22 are Registered Trademarks of Apogee Electronics Corporation. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders. Technology within the AD-8000 including the Low Jitter Clock may be covered by one or more patents that are the property of Apogee Electronics Corporation. Registered User Customer Support: For customer support, please call (310) 915-1000 or email support@apogeedigital.com You can register your AD-8000 on the Internet: visit http://www.apogeedigital.com/register.html
Features and specifications subject to change without notice. 1998 APOGEE ELECTRONICS CORPORATION 3145 Donald Douglas Loop South Santa Monica California 90405 USA Tel: +1 310/915-1000 Fax: +1 310/391-6262 Email: info@apogeedigital.com Web: http://www.apogeedigital.com/ This manual is copyrighted 1997 by APOGEE ELECTRONICS CORPORATION, with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this manual may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Apogee.

Part Number MANUALAD8000

Rev 1.4 November 1998

AD-8000 Operating Manual

The Apogee AD-8000 24-bit, 8-channel Digital Conversion System
Its not an optionits a necessity!
Registration and Warranty Information
Be sure to register your AD-8000, either by filling in the enclosed Registration Card or by completing our on-line registration form at our Web site: http://www.apogeedigital.com/register.html. If you do so, Apogee can contact you with any update information. As enhancements and upgrades are developed, you will be contacted at the registration address. Firmware updates are free for the first year of ownership. Please address any inquiries to your dealer or directly to Apogee at:
APOGEE ELECTRONICS CORPORATION, 3145 Donald Douglas Loop South, Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA. TEL: (310) 915-1000, FAX: (310) 391-6262 email: support@apogeedigital.com. Web: http://www.apogeedigital.com/ APOGEE ELECTRONICS CORPORATION warrants this product to be free of defects in material and manufacture under normal use for a period of 12 months. The term of this warranty begins on the date of sale to the purchaser. Units returned for warranty repair to Apogee or an authorized Apogee warranty repair facility will be repaired or replaced at the manufacturers option, free of charge. All units returned to Apogee or an authorized APOGEE repair facility must be prepaid, insured and properly packaged. Apogee reserves the right to change or improve design at any time without prior notice. Design changes are not implemented retrospectively, and the incorporation of design changes into future units does not imply the availability of an upgrade to existing units. This warranty is void if Apogee determines, in its sole business judgment, the defect to be the result of abuse, neglect, alteration or attempted repair by unauthorized personnel. The warranties set forth above are in lieu of all other warranties, expressed or implied, and Apogee specifically disclaims any and all implied warranty of merchantability or of fitness for a particular purpose. The buyer acknowledges and agrees that in no event shall the company be held liable for any special, indirect, incidental or consequential damages, or for injury, loss or damage sustained by any person or property, that may result from this product failing to operate correctly at any time. Full warranty terms and conditions are given at the end of this manual. USA: Some states do not allow for the exclusion or limitation of implied warranties or liability for incidental or consequential damage, so the above exclusion may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may have other rights which vary from state to state.

Service Information

If the AD-8000 is kept in a clean environment free of excess dust, moisture and heat, it will give years of trouble-free service. Please see the installation information in the manual. The AD-8000 contains no user-serviceable components: refer to qualified service personnel for repair or upgrade. Your warranty will be voided if you tamper with the internal components. If you have any questions with regard to the above, please contact Apogee by phone at (310) 915-1000, by fax at (310) 391-6262, or via email to support@apogeedigital.com. In the event your AD-8000 needs to be upgraded or repaired, it is necessary to contact Apogee prior to shipping, and a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) number will be assigned. This number will serve as a reference for you and helps facilitate and expedite the return process. Apogee requires that shipments be pre-paid and insured unless otherwise authorized in advance. IMPORTANT: Any shipment that is not pre-paid or is sent without an RMA number will not be accepted.

Declarations of Conformity
Declaration of ConformityFCC

Apogee AD-8000

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits of a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful inteference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instrcutions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: 1. 2. 3. 4. Re-orient or relocate the receiving antenna. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. Connect the equipment into an outlet on a different circuit from that to which the receiver is connected. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
NOTE: The use of non-shielded interference cable with this equipment is prohibited. CAUTION: Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer responsible for compliance could void the users authority to operate the equipment. Apogee Electronics Corporation, 3145 Donald Douglas Loop South, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Ed Pendyk, VP Engineering.

Industry Canada Notice

This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations. Cet appareil numrique de la classe B respecte toutes les exigences du Rglement sur le matrial brouilleur du Canada.
Declaration of Conformity CE
Apogee Electronics Corporation hereby declares that the product, the AD-8000 system, to which this declaration relates, is in material conformity with the following standards or other normative documents: EN50081-1/EN55022; 1995 EN50082-1/IEC 801-2, 3, 4; 1992
following the provisions of: 73/23/EEC Low Voltage Directive 89/336/EEC EMC Directive
Licensing and Legal Information
Carefully read the following legal agreement prior to using the UV22 process provided in the AD-8000. Use of UV22 constitutes your acceptance of these terms. If you do not agree to the terms of the agreement, promptly return the AD-8000 and the accompanying items, including written materials and containers to the location where you obtained them for a full refund. 1. License Grant APOGEE ELECTRONICS CORPORATION (Apogee) hereby grants to you, the Purchaser (either as an individual or entity), a personal, non-transferable, and non-exclusive right to use the UV22 Process provided with this license. You agree you will not copy the materials accompanying the AD-8000. The material contained in this manual consists of information that is the property of Apogee and is intended solely for use by the purchasers of the equipment described in this manual. Apogee expressly prohibits the duplication of any portion of this manual or the use thereof for any purpose other than the operation or maintenance of the equipment described in this manual without the express written permission of Apogee. 2. Copyright You acknowledge that no title to the intellectual property in the AD-8000 is transferred to you. You further acknowledge that title and full ownership rights to the AD-8000 will remain the exclusive property of Apogee, and you will not acquire any rights to the UV22 process except as expressly set forth above. 3. Reverse Engineering You agree that you will not attempt (and, if you are a corporation, you agree to use your best efforts to prevent your employees and contractors from attempting) to reverse compile, modify, translate or disassemble the UV22 Process Software in whole or in part. 4. Customer Remedies Apogees entire liability and your sole and exclusive remedy shall be, at Apogees option, either to (a) correct the error, (b) help you work around or avoid the error or (c) authorize a refund or replacement (at Apogees option), so long as the AD-8000, documentation and all accompanying items are returned to Apogee according to the instructions on the Warranty Information page opposite, with a copy of your receipts.

Features
Eight channels of state-of-the-art 24-bit A/D converters Apogee Soft Limit on each channel Apogee UV22 word-length reduction on each channel to 20 or 16 bits Advanced multi-mode 8-channel metering Built-in level calibration to within.05 dB Built-in 5-level digital oscillator Flexible over detection and tracking Overdub/confidence source/destination monitoring Headphone monitor for any channel pair DC Offset removal (switchable) on each channel for analog and digital sources Balanced or unbalanced inputs Smart sync capabilities include word clock, video, crystal, or any digital input Standard XLR jacks for analog in and AES/EBU digital out 2 RCA jacks for S/PDIF in and out 1 XLR jack for AES input One-to-four AES/EBU signal distribution facilities Installation of up to four different digital I/O AMBus cards with format conversion and re-clocking Proprietary low jitter master clock Non-volatile storage of front panel settings Optional video sync plug-in module with 0.1% pull up/down control Optional stereo 24-bit D/A analog expansion card Optional 8-channel 24-bit stereo D/A analog expansion card Expanding selection of optional AMBus cards for a wide range of interfaces and facilities

Firmware Revisions

Much of the AD-8000s functionality is defined in the systems internal firmware EPROM. From time to time, additional firmware revisions may be introduced which offer additional features and/or fix bugs, and you may wish to upgrade to the latest version. Information on the latest firmware revision may be found on our Web site, at http://www.apogeedigital.com/ad8kupd.html. You can check the firmware version you are currently running by holding down the SOFT LIMIT button during power-up. The code version number is indicated in the Over display LEDs. The version number is shown as long as the button is pressed. Upgrading the EEPROM in the unit requires removing the cover and potential exposure to dangerous voltages. As a result, this should be carried out only by technically-qualified personnel. You can optionally ask your Apogee or one of our authorized service centers to do it for you, for which there may be a small charge. Depending on the content of the revision and other factors, you may be sent an EEPROM free of charge, offered a free EEPROM, or you may be able to purchase an upgrade. We will be in touch with you (if youve registered your AD-8000!) if you would benefit from an upgrade. It is extremely important that you register your unit as soon as possible so that you can be informed about any relevant updates. Return your Warranty Registration Card or complete our on-line registration form at http://www.apogeedigital.com/register.html.

Sync Source

Initially, youll probably want to set this to CRYSTAL just to make sure everything is working OK. Repeatedly press the button immediately below the columns of sync source indicators on the far left of the unit until CRYSTAL is indicated. In this mode, the AD-8000 locks to its own extremely stable internal crystal at either 44.1 or 48 kHz sample rates. Other sync sources can be accessed via the external word clock (WC), AES or S/PDIF inputs on the back. Additionally, the unit can lock to any device which has an active output connected to an AMBus card installed in one of the AMBus slots. The sync sources are designated by indicators labeled accordingly with the respective AMBus slots designated as AMB A through AMB D.

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AD-8000 Operating Manual If you have the optional Video Sync module installed, the AD-8000 gains the ability to lock to PAL, NTSC or Monochrome (B&W) external video sync, chosen by selecting VIDEO. The connected video sync is automatically detected, locked to and the sync rate is displayed. The unit also gains the ability to do Pull-Ups and Pull-Downs multiplying or dividing the NTSC video sync rate by 1.001 to compensate for the speed change necessary for film to video (or vice versa) transfers. This is selected with the SAMPLE RATE button.
Your choice. If you believe this will be your projects final analog to digital conversion before the final CD mastering, youll probably want to select 44.1 kHz. If its a multitrack project that will be mixed through an analog console, you may wish to choose 48 kHz for slightly better resolution. x1.001 (pull up) and 1.001 (pull down) wont be available unless you have the Video Sync module installed, as mentioned above. If youre locking the unit to external word clock (selected by the SYNC SOURCE button), the sample rate display will reflect the incoming sample rate, and the LOCK LED will light if the external sync is stable. If the external word clock is running at a stable, but non-standard rate, i.e. not 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz, the sample rate indicator closest to the incoming clock rate will flash and the LOCK LED will light indicating this condition, usually resulting from the word sync source being varisped. The ERROR LED indicates a problem with the external sync signal, the incoming digital audio or cable connection. In this condition all outputs are muted.

Sample Rate

Selecting HOLD or AUTOCLEAR causes the 7 segment over counter displays to keep track of the number of digital overs on each channel up to a total of 9. More than 9 overs is indicated as -. The displays can be reset to 0 by pressing the CLEAR METERS button. Selecting AUTOCLEAR causes the displays to hold the last indication, but they will automatically clear when any audio above -50 dB is detected after 15 seconds of silence. Over detection is disabled for one second after each over, to avoid counter saturation. The number of full scale samples that trigger the over LEDs and the counters are determined by a DIP switch on the back of the unit (see Appendix I). OFF, we feel, is self explanatory. There are six metering modes selectable by the METER button. Peak metering is always on, but various other functions can be displayed in addition: 1. AVERAGE and 2 SEC HOLD indicates simultaneous peak and average with 2 second peak hold (selected on initial power-up). 2. AVERAGE and HOLD LEDs indicates simultaneous peak and average metering with infinite peak hold. 3. AVERAGE LED only indicates peak and average. The meters appear solid from -50 up to the average level, the peak level is indicated by a single LED. 4. 2 SEC HOLD indicates peak and a peak level hold that automatically clears after 2 seconds. 5. HOLD LED only indicates peak and infinite peak hold. This adds highest peak infinite hold to the peak indication described above (#1), that can be cleared by pressing the CLEAR METERS button. 6. No LEDs lit indicates peak mode only, with no peak hold. In this mode, the meters appear as a solid bar between -50 and the peak level.

Metering

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AD-8000 Operating Manual Soft Limit is the same exclusive transparent system of controlling digital overs that Apogee has become famous for with our two-channel AD-500 and AD-1000 A/D Converters. It can allow several more decibels of apparent level to be recorded on your digital tape, while subtlely giving your recording a more analog sound. Soft Limit may only be selected on analog inputs and cannot be selected on digital input sources. To select Soft Limit on individual channels, press the SOFT LIMIT button briefly and the indicator will light. Then select the channel you would like to apply it to by pressing one or more of the eight CHANNEL SELECT buttons below the meters. The Soft Limit indicator on the channel youve selected will illuminate. If you wish to select all the channels, press and hold the SOFT LIMIT button for at least one second. Whenever the Soft Limit threshold is crossed, the decimal point on the Over Counter display will light, so youll know when its working. UV22 is Apogees exclusive process of encoding high resolution (20 to 24 bit) digital audio into 16 or 20 bit formats avoiding truncation, dithering or noise shaping, processes that either add noise or can adversely affect the audio quality of your recording. You can apply UV22 to individual analog input channels or pairs of digital inputs. UV22 is selected in the same manner as Soft Limit. If your recorder is not capable of 24 bit recording, you should select UV22 on all channels. If you expect UV22 to be used on your project later on down the line, for example mastering or mixing, set UV22 to low by switching SW5 on the Aux Control DIP switch (found on the back of the unit) to ON. The normal UV22 setting is SW5 OFF (default). UV22 can be set to deliver a 16- or 20-bit output, according to the setting of the SW2 DIP switch on the rear panel: OFF (default) selects 16-bit; ON selects a 20-bit output. Set this switch according to the resolution of the digital device you are using with the AD-8000. IMPORTANT NOTE: Most current DAT machines (with a couple of exceptions) do not actually record more than 16-bit words to tape, even though some say 20 bit on them. This actually means that the analog to digital converters are 20 bit, but the extra four bits have been dithered, noise-shaped or merely truncated (chopped off) before recording. UV22 is a much more efficient way of doing this, and we believe youll find that the result of using the UV22 process is a significant, audible improvement in audio quality at the final resolution of your recording. The simple rule is to check the actual resolution of your recording system. If it records 24-bit, set UV22 off. If it records 16 or 20 bits, set UV22 accordingly.

Calibrate

Oscillator
The AD-8000 has a built-in digital oscillator, selected by holding the OSCILLATOR button down for at least one second (to prevent potentially painful accidents), that generates a sine wave at 1 kHz and puts it across all eight digital outputs, including all AMBus cards, at the selected headroom setting. This is useful for quickly checking digital connections and routing, and also for recording an extremely accurate alignment tone at the head of your project tape, for setting playback levels. Pressing the button again turns the oscillator off. The oscillator level can be set to any one of the five different reference levels, which are selected by repeatedly pressing the headroom select button until the desired headroom setting is displayed. The oscillator can be locked to internal crystal, or to any other external sync source. The frequency of the tone will vary in proportion to the sample rate: for example, at 44.1 kHz, the oscillator tone is 1.00 kHz, while at 48 kHz it is 1.09 kHz.
Storage of Front Panel Settings
The front panel settings on the AD-8000 are stored automatically on power-down and are remembered for the next time you turn the unit on, when they are recalled automatically. If you do not wish to restore the previous settings on power-up, hold the OVERS button down during the power-up sequence. And, incidentally, if the power-on Apogee wave gets boring, you can skip it by holding the CLEAR METERS button down during power-up.

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Monitor
The AD-8000 incorporates a high-quality, 18-bit stereo digital to analog converter for monitoring purposes. Briefly pressing the MONITOR SELECT button routes program from the selected pair of channels or the AES input to three destinations: the S/PDIF output on the back of the unit, the D/A converter for the front panel headphone output, and the optional 24-bit stereo D/A card (if installed). There is no facility for mixing tracks together. The headphone output includes a toggle switch for raising and lowering the headphone level, with a seven-segment numerical display to indicate relative headphone volume. This control affects the headphone monitor socket output level only, and does not affect any of the other outputs, so you can make perfect digital copies while independently controlling the headphone level. Although the indicator only displays 10 digits, the volume control actually consists of 255 steps for smooth headphone volume control. Pressing the MONITOR SELECT button steps through the input selections: 1/2, 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8. The LEDs illuminate to indicate the channel pair selected. Pressing the button once more when 7/8 is displayed illiminates all four LEDs. In this condition, the on-board AES input is fed directly to the headphone D/A and the optional 2-channel D/A card if installed.

TDIF 8 AMBus Card

This card is used to interface the AD-8000 to a Tascam DA-88, DA-38 or any device that utilizes the Tascam Digital Interface Format (TDIF). You will need a special TDIF cable that terminates with a DB-25 connector at each end. These are available from Tascam and third-party suppliers. The card includes Apogee Bit-Splitting technology to enable 24-bit channels to be recorded on multiple 16-bit tracks. For full details on cabling and on how to use this card, see the TDIF AMBus card documentation.

ADAT 8 AMBus Card

This card is used to interface the AD-8000 to the Alesis ADAT or any device that utilizes the Alesis Digital Interface Protocol. You will need special Toslink optical cables to utilize the card, one to send to the ADAT and one to return from it to the AD-8000. The card includes Apogee Bit-Splitting technology to enable 20- and 24bit channels to be recorded on multiple 16-bit tracks. The more recent 20-bit ADAT-format machines are also supported. For full details on cabling and on how to use this card, see the ADAT AMBus card documentation.

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The AD-8000 comes equipped with a single XLR female socket for a 2-channel AES/EBU input. The AES AMBus card provides an additional eight channels of AES/EBU I/O capability. This card also incorporates bitsplitting, like the ADAT and TDIF cards, to allow six channels of 20-bit or four channels of 24-bit audio to be recorded on a 16-bit 8-channel system. The AES Card is therefore ideal for use with machines such as the Sony PCM-800 and as a method of interfacing with any system that offers AES/EBU interfacing, such as Sonic Solutions or SADiE systems. The AES AMBus card terminates in a DB-25 female connector which carries the digital data. This connector is wired to the same pinout as Yamaha AES interfaces and the same cables may be used as an alternative to the AES Interface breakout cable available from Apogee.

AES 8 AMBus Card

This card is used to interface the AD-8000 to Digidesigns Pro Tools, Pro Tools/24 or Sound Designer cards. With this card and the 8-channel D/A card installed, the AD-8000 replaces Digidesigns 882, 888 and 88824 I/O converter units, and adds many more features. It is necessary to have Digidesigns Digital I/O card installed in your computer, connected to the AMBus card via the special cable supplied with Digidesigns card. For full details on cabling and on how to use this card, see the DIGI 8 AMBus card documentation. The card includes Slave Clock in and out for use in conjunction with Digidesign interfaces where necessary.
DIGI 8 Plus (Pro Tools) AMBus Card

SDIF AMBus Card

This card (available first quarter 1999) allows the AD-8000 and other AMBus-equipped devices to communicate with Sony multitrack machines and other devices utilizing the Sony Digital Interface 2 (SDIF II) standard. The card is available with an optional wiring harness for Sony multitracks which enables a series of AD-8000s to be interfaced with the recorder. Sony machines such as the 3348HR provide 24-bit recording capability and can be ordered without converters, making it a simple matter to use the AD-8000 for this purpose.

Video Module Sync Options
The video module is a separate, optional board which is plugged into a socket on the main digital board. If present, the video module enables the video sync options, as well as pulling external sync by 0.1%. The video module accepts either video horizontal sync pulses (PAL, NTSC, or 60 Hz monochrome) or FS (word clock) from any one of several sources (as selected on the main board), and generates FS, FS x 1.001, or FS 1.001 (pulled FS).
Video Sync and Sampling Rates
Video 60 Hz NTSC PAL WC XTAL Horiz. Sync. 15.75 15.734 15.625 N/A N/A Sample 44.056, 44.056, 44.056, Any 44.056, Rate(s) 44.1, 44.144, 47.952, 48, 48.048 44.1, 44.144, 47.952, 48, 48.048 44.1, 44.144, 47.952, 48, 48.048 44.1, 44.144, 47.952, 48, 48.048
Locking to a Video Sync Source
Locking to a video sync source is very straightforward, thanks to the mediation of the microprocessor. All that has to be done is to select VIDEO as the sync source, and then select the desired sample rate. The microprocessor measures the video horizontal line rate, determines the type of video from that measurement, and configures the video module phase-locked loops to multiply the line rate by the appropriate ratio to get the desired sample rate.
Pulling Any Sync Source by 0.1%
The video module also makes possible adjusting any sync source, including the 44.1 or 48 kHz crystal, by 0.1% up or down.

Sync Source Selection

Standard synchronization sources are AES, S/PDIF, word clock, and crystal. Optional synchronization sources with the video module are PAL, NTSC, and 60 Hz video. Additional digital audio sync sources are available through use of the AMBus. The microprocessor determines which optional modules or cards are plugged in and enables those selections if they are available. Additionally, if the video module is plugged in, then it will also identify the type of video from the measured horizontal sync rate (15.75 kHz = Mono 60 Hz, 15.734 kHz = NTSC, and 15.625 kHz = PAL) and set the NTSC, PAL, and Mono LEDs accordingly.

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AD-8000 Operating Manual At power-up, the microprocessor will recall the last selected sync source and determine if it is active (via the measurement circuitry.) If it is active, then the AD-8000 will lock to it, preferably at the old sample rate, or if that is not possible, at the present sample rate. If it is not active, then the microprocessor will default to CRYSTAL at 48 kHz. With no optional modules, four selections are available: Crystal: sync to internal crystal Word clock: sync to external word clock AES: sync to AES input S/PDIF sync to S/PDIF input With the Video Sync Module, one further selection becomes available: Video: sync to external video source (PAL, Monochrome, NTSC) Note: the microprocessor measures the horizontal sync rate and sets the NTSC/PAL/Mono LEDs accordingly. With Module A, B, C, or D, up to four more selections become available: AMBus A: sync from AMBus module A AMBus B: sync from AMBus module B AMBus C: sync from AMBus module C AMBus D: sync from AMBus module D

Rear Panel

The rear panel includes the following input and output connectors and switches:
Aux Control This 10-position DIP switch controls a series of internal settings. If you change any DIP switch settings, do so with the unit powered down to ensure that the changes are registered. Note: AD-8000 units leave the factory with all DIP switches in the default (down) position. DOWN = OFF (Default) UP = ON SW1 Pro line level (+4 dBu) Consumer line level (10dBV) SW2 UV22 to 16 bits UV22 to 20 bits SW3/SW4 Over detection threshold (see below) SW5 UV22 Normal setting UV22 Low setting SW6 Digital Input DC remove DISABLED Digital Input DC remove ENABLED SW7 Analog Input DC remove DISABLED Analog Input DC remove ENABLED SW8 Polarity Pin 2 hot Polarity Pin 3 hot SW9 Truncation Logic ENABLED* Truncation Logic DISABLED* SW10 Autosync ENABLED Autosync DISABLED Over Detection Threshold The over detection threshold is the number of consecutive full-scale samples that constitutes a digital over. The Over indicator will increment when the threshold is reached. To avoid rapid saturation of the counter, the DSP times out for one second after detecting an over, before detection is re-enabled. SW3 SW4 Threshold ON ON 1 ON OFF 2 OFF ON 3 OFF OFF 4
*Truncation Logic is applied only to digital inputs such as AES/EBU and S/PDIF, which carry internal data about the sample length. If an input is applied which, for example, identifies itself as 16-bit, then the truncation logic will discard any additional bits in case they contain undefined data. If you are handling a signal in which the LSBs are used for some other purpose, however, and wish to preserve them, you can turn the truncation logic off to ensure that the data is passed unchanged. SW7 is set to OFF (down) when the AD-8000 leaves the factory. In this default position, DC components are not removed from incoming analog signals. The over threshold setting defaults to four consecutive full-scale samples. If you wish to remove DC from analog signals, we recommend that you set the over threshold to one sample, ie set DIP switches 3 and 4 ON (up). If you attempt to perform DC removal on analog input signals with the threshold set to a higher value, some overs may go unregistered, because the DC removal circuitry interprets any analog clipping longer than a single full-scale sample as a DC component, and consequently removes it before it can be registered as an over, if the over threshold is set to more than one sample.
AES Outputs Connectors: Function:
Male XLR connectors (4) Transmits AES data from A/D converters or digital inputseach carries two channels

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AD-8000 Operating Manual AES and S/PDIF Input Connectors: Female XLR connector (AES), RCA connector (S/PDIF)each carries two channels Function: Multiplexed AES or S/PDIF receiver S/PDIF Output Connector: RCA connectorcarries two channels Function: S/PDIF transmitter Word Clock/Video In Connector: BNC connector Function: Word clock sync in or Video (PAL, NTSC, Mono) in Word Clock Out Connector: BNC connector Function: Word clock sync out Analog Expansion Card Connectors: Plug-in edge connector on 0.1 centers on motherboard Card size: 2in x 6 in approx. Function: Stereo 24-bit balanced analog output, controlled by headphone amp selector switch, or 8-channel 24-bit DAC AMBus Card Cage Connectors: 120-pin PCI connectors (4) Card size: Approx 6.3 in deep x 4.5 in wide, height can be one or two slots Function: AMBus digital I/O cardsa range of cards are available for different functions and interfaces Connection: To AMBus

Analog Inputs

The Analog Front-End
The analog front-end contains common-mode and differential filters, +4 dBu (default)/10 dBV gain switching, a balanced gain stage with 20 dB of gain, a precision balancing circuit (for unbalanced inputs), buffer amplifiers to drive the A/D, and Apogees proprietary Soft Limit circuit with trimpot-adjustable thresholds. To adjust the Soft Limit threshold, it is necessary to remove the units top cover. See the Card Installation and Adjustments Guide at the end of this manual.
Analog shield grounds are normally tied only to chassis ground. A jumper on each channel, near the XLR connector, can be shorted to connect the shield to analog ground. This is potentially useful for an ungrounded analog source, although it is not recommended under normal conditions. To change the jumper settings, it is necessary to remove the units top cover. See the Card Installation and Adjustments Guide at the end of this manual.

Grounding

Balanced vs Unbalanced Inputs
The AD-8000 can accept unbalanced or balanced inputs. Unbalanced inputs are dynamically balanced before being applied to the A/D inputs. For optimum performance, use balanced inputs whenever possible.
Headroom and Gain Adjustment
The attenuator is designed as a compromise between keeping the signal as hot as possible, in order to maintain a high S/N ratio, and attenuating the potentially very high peak signal levels of professional line levels (up to 28 dBu) so that up to 20 dB of headroom adjustment is available in the first stage.

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AD-8000 Operating Manual Headroom requirements vary with the type of music, but can range from 8 dB for rock, to 24 dB for classical music. The first amplifier stage can accommodate this range with no compromise in the noise floor due to careful design. To further optimize the design, the attenuator has two settings, one for professional inputs and one for consumer inputs.
Common Mode Rejection/RF Filtering
The first stage includes a common-mode and differential filter. The latter has a corner frequency of 265 kHz. The common-mode filter is designed to reduce common-mode pick-up at RF frequencies, as well as to reduce conducted and radiated RF emmissions in compliance with FCC and CE regulations. Each analog channel is adjusted for maximum common mode rejection before leaving the factory.
The default source for channels 18 are the line-level analog inputs. The default nominal level for these inputs is +4 dBu (professional setting). DIP switch SW1 on the back allows this to be changed to 10 dBV (OFF positionconsumer setting.) When the inputs are selected as analog source, the DIGITAL ROUTING matrix has the top row illuminated, indicating that all eight channel sources are analog (the A/D converters), and the DIG IN 1/2, DIG IN 3/4, DIG IN 5/6, and DIG IN 7/8 LEDs are all off. If any of these LEDs are on, they can be turned off by pressing the DIGITAL IN mode button briefly and then the channel button, or alternatively, all the DIGITAL IN LEDs can be toggled by holding down the mode button.

Analog Line-Level Inputs

Standard
In the standard configuration, analog inputs are plugged into the XLR jacks on the rear panel. Optimum performance is obtained by feeding a balanced pro or consumer level into the connector. The AD-8000 contains dynamic input balancing circuitry, so an unbalanced signal can also be utilized, if desired. Levels can be trimmed over a range of 20 dB by adjusting the trimpots through the small holes in the front panel.

Digital Inputs

The AD-8000 has facilities for accepting up to 8 digital inputs. Each pair of channels (1/2, 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8) can be selected to accept either analog (A/D) or digital inputs. There can be up to six different digital sources in the AD-8000 AES and S/PDIF on-board inputs plus up to four AMBus cards. At the time of writing, it is only possible to use one digital input at a time, but a future firmware upgrade is intended to enable up to four digital input pairs to be selected simultaneously. You can check the features of the latest firmware revision by visiting our Web site, http://www.apogeedigital.com/. The source to be used is determined by the SOURCE selection under DIGITAL ROUTING. Pushing this switch toggles the selection between the standard S/PDIF (IEC958) input connector (RCA), the standard AES input connector (XLR), and up to four AMBus cards. Having chosen the digital source, you can assign it to a pair of channels (1/2, 3/4, 5/6 or 7/8) by pressing the CHANNEL SELECT button under either one of the channels in the pair to which you wish to assign this source. Digital sources are always enabled in channel pairs, by pushing the DIGITAL IN mode switch and one of the channel buttons (either the odd or even numbered button will work). The DIG IN legend will illuminate. The dot matrix display shows which channels have an analog source and which have a digital source. The matrix also identifies the AMBus card slot being used as the source for each pair of digital outputs.
Digital Input Capabilities
Standard inputs on the AD-8000 are an AES/EBU input pair (a single XLR connector) and an S/PDIF (IEC 958) input pair (one single RCA connector).

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AD-8000 Operating Manual Four AMBus slots on the AD-8000 allow up to eight channels of digital input, in virtually any format. The onboard microprocessor senses the identity of any AMBus card which is plugged in, and will enable the card to be selected on the front panel as an input. It will also allow the card to receive the eight digital output channels (if permitted by the specific card).

AMBus TDIF AMBus TDIF AMBus TDIF

AES AES

AMBus Pro Tools
slave to AD-8000 WC (set to reference EXT WC) / SMPTE/MTC master
MTC from SY-88 card Remote 'in' connector SYNC

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NTSC Generator (clock master)/VTR (transport slave)/ DAW/Digital Console/DA-88s
NTSC Generator: Master Clock
NTSC video signal or black burst
AMBus TDIF AMBus TDIF AMBus TDIF Word Clock

AES AES AMBus Pro Tools

slave to AD-8000 WC (set to reference EXT WC) / SMPTE master

Mult TC D/A SMPTE

Sony 9 pin RS-422
Although this setup is fairly complex, it is designed to illustrate the flow of time code, NTSC video signal (or black burst), and word clock. Understanding the overall concept allows you to add or remove different pieces of equipment while keeping the system synchronized.

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Appendix IV: AD-8000 Specifications

ANALOG AND A/D CONVERTER

Parameter Resolution Sample Rate Input Impedance Pro Consumer Relative THD+N 0.1 dBFS 20 dBFS 60 dBFS Value 9K 15K 108 110.54 Units bits kHz dB dB (A-weighted) dB dB (A-weighted) dB dB (A-weighted) dB dB dB (Max) seconds dB kHz dB dB (Worst Case) dB (Worst Case) dB Degrees dB dB dBu dBu dBu dBu dBu ppm psec
HEADPHONE D/A AND AMPLIFIER
Resolution Sample Rate Relative THD+N, S/(N+D) 0.5 dBFS input Dynamic range 60 dB 60 dB, A-weighted (EIAJ), typ Group Delay (in passband) Passband Ripple Stop-Band Attenuation Channel Separation DAC Amplifier Frequency Response (20Hz20 kHz) Gain Phase Output Level (max) Output Power (max) 8 load 150 load 600 load 88 94.22.25/Fs 0.0.05 < 2.20 bits kHz dB dB dB sec dB dB dB dB dB degrees Vp-p W/channel mW/channel mW/channel
Dynamic range 60 dB dB, A-weighted 114 Peak Spurious Component 120 Group Delay (in passband) 38.7/Fs Passband Ripple 0.001 Digital Filter Stopband 26.232 Stop-band Attenuation 110 Channel Separation Left/right 113 Between pairs 113 Frequency Response (20 Hz20 kHz) Gain 0.025 Phase <2 Common-Mode Rejection Ratio 60 Hz > kHz > 80 Input Level, Maximum (No Gain) Professional, balanced 27 Professional, unbalanced 23 Consumer, balanced 16 Consumer, unbalanced 15 Input Level, Adjustment Range 20 Crystal Oscillator Accuracy 25 Clock Jitter, 32kHz54 kHz << 50

DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSOR

Processing Delay DC High-Pass Filter Corner Freq. UV22 Amplitude Normal, 16 bits Low, 16 bits Normal, 20 bits Low, 20 bits Metering Accuracy Over Detection 16/Fs 1.114 Seconds Hz dB dB dB dB
0.05 dB 14 consecutive 0 dBFS readings (User-definable)

SYSTEM

AC line voltage Fusing Power Size (w, h, d) Weight 100, 120, 220, 240 vac (set internally) 1 A slow-blow U.S.A. 60 Watts 19 in, 3.5 in (2U), 14.25 in 20 lb (9.1 kg)
Note: These specifications are subject to change without notice.

Public Revision History

Version 1.0, July 24, 1997 Initial release version: for distribution. Version 1.1, August 29, 1997 Reference to DIP switch corrected on p11 (Connections). Minor revisions to diagram on p31 (NTSC generator with DA-88). Release version for distribution. Version 1.2b, October 7, 1997 Corrections to reflect firmware revisions 0.55-1.02. Discussion of Autosync and power-up version display added. Version 1.3, December 1997 Corrections and additions to reflect firmware revisions to 1.15. Changes from previous firmware revisions is available on the Apogee Web Site. Version 1.4, November 1998 Corrections and additions to meet CE requirements. Some additional information included.

Installing an Optional Analog Expansion Card
Installing the Video Sync module

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AD-8000 Operating Manual To remove the module, ease it out of the connectors by gently rocking the module back and forth while pulling upward. If the module fails to operate correctly, it is most likely reversed or offset in the connectors. Please check that the orientation is correct before calling technical support.
Installing the System EEPROM
If your existing revision is 1.01 or later, you can check the firmware version you are currently running by holding down the SOFT LIMIT button during power-up. The code version is shown in the Over display LEDs. The version is shown as long as the button is pressed. If you obtain a new system EEPROM, install it as follows. Remove the AD-8000 cover as described above. Locate the EEPROM towards the front of the unit. You will notice that it carries a label indicating the firmware revision. NOTE: If you have a Video Sync module installed in your AD-8000, you will need to remove it before upgrading the system EEPROM. See the instructions in the previous section. Using a chip-extraction tool, remove the old System EEPROM and recyle it. Carefully insert the new chip with an appropriate tool, insuring that the chip is oriented correctly and that no pins are bent. After installation, replace the unit cover as described above. If the EEPROM is incorrectly inserted, the unit will not operate. Check that the EEPROM is installed correctly before calling technical support. To adjust the Soft Limit threshold, you will need to remove the units top cover and locate the trimpots labelled with R-33 plus the channel number. These trimpots are located on the Analog board, which is to the rear of the unit and extends under the rear panel connectors. Rotating a trimpot clockwise reduces the Soft Limit threshold, making the circuit more sensitive. Rotating it counter-clockwise increases the threshold, making the Soft Limit circuit engage at higher levels, thus making it less sensitive.
Adjusting the Soft Limit Threshold