PreSonus DigiMax FS - Manual (Page 11)

APPLICATIONS
BNC Sync
Many engineers prefer to take care of word clock and audio separately from each other, and
you will find BNC cables used to deliver word clock in many quality studios and broadcast
facilities worldwide. BNC cables are more rugged, lock into position, and can carry clock
signals much farther distances than the standard optical cable. A BNC word clock cable is a
75ohm, shielded coaxial cable with standard ‘twist-lock’ BNC-type connections on each end.
To synchronize the DigiMax FS via BNC connector, you will need to run a BNC word clock
cable from device with the BNC clock source to the BNC word clock input of your Digimax
FS. From the front panel, select BNC for your external clock source. The Digimax FS will
sync to the word clock coming into its BNC input. To sync another device from the DigiMax
FS via BNC, simply run a BNC cable from the DigiMax FS to the device you wish to connect
and set the other device to receive External Clock from its BNC input. You can do this
whether the Digimax FS is set as a word clock master or slave. BNC supports all currently
available sample rates.
Master/Slave discussion
The DigiMax FS should perform equally well as a master or slave in most cases, though
synchronizing to a poorer quality clock source may affect performance. Not all word clock’s
are created equal. As a general rule, many digital devices will sound best on their own
internal clock, although there are exceptions; and many engineers believe that a high quality
dedicated word clock generator and distribution amplifier can enhance the performance of a
device. In a case when two devices need to work together, and assuming that these devices
have the available word clock or optical inputs and outputs, the general approach is to
determine which device has the best clock to reference from and to designate that device as
the word clock master. This is done by carefully listening and A/B testing. We believe that
our product makes an excellent word clock master using JetPLL technology.
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