Cymatic Audio LR-16 Manual - Manual (Page 12)

PRODUCT MANUAL PRODUCT MANUAL 23 22 USB HARD DRIVES VS. USB FLASH DRIVES CONNECTING RECORDING SOURCES
It is NOT recommended to use the Live Recorder LR-16 with either of the above two types
of USB flash drives; the nature of these drives results in them offering unreliable read/write
speeds. Although they can offer very fast AVERAGE data read/write speeds, they are subject to
occasional pauses in data writing. This is not practical for a device like the Live Recorder LR-16
that needs to constantly write a data stream to the attached disk in order to avoid dropouts.
10.3. Auto-Detection of USB Drive Type
When a USB drive is attached to the front panel USB port, the attached drive is mounted and
then the Live Recorder LR-16 optimizes itself for reading and writing the drive. With large drives
it may take around half a minute to complete this process.
• The default recording parameters for the Live Recorder LR-16 are 16 tracks, 24-bit, 48 kHz.
• A USB hard drive is most often fast enough to handle these settings with no dropouts
whatsoever. It is still recommended to always perform a test recording the length of your
planned recording, using the same drive you will use at the event.
• If the drive reports itself as a USB flash drive, the Live Recorder LR-16 then automatically
sets the recording parameters to a lower value of 16-bit, in case they were preset to higher
values.
These settings require less data throughput from the attached drive, and are thus more likely to
work correctly with a flash drive. You are still free to then change the recording settings using the
‘Sample rate & Width’ menu, but again you should perform a long test recording to make sure
the USB drive you plan to use is sufficiently fast.
In summary, to have confidence that your recordings will be 100% dropout free, each and every
time, follows these steps:
• Use a USB hard drive; do NOT use a USB flash drive
• Format the attached drive using the Live Recorder LR-16 format utility, do NOT format the
drive using your computer
• Perform a test recording using your planned USB hard drive, making sure the test recording
is as long, or longer than the event you plan to record. Check that you do not see any
dropouts reported on the recording page at the end of the recording, and that you do not
see a dropouts log file in the take folder of the USB drive, when you mount the drive on your
computer.
• Always re-format the USB hard drive, using the Live Recorder LR-16 format utility, each and
every time you record a new event. Although this is technically not required, it reduces the
chance of cluttering up your hard drive with multiple recordings from different dates, and
causing disk fragmentation.
As long as you do not see any dropouts during your test recording, and you reformat your drive
on the Live Recorder LR-16 before the real recording, your recordings should be error free each
and every time.
Since the read/write speed of a freshly formatted USB hard drive is a consistent and known
quantity that never changes (unlike a USB flash drive), you can be confident that the real recording
will occur exactly as the test recording did.
11. CONNECTING RECORDING SOURCES
11.1. Connecting the LR-16 to TRS Insert Plugs of a Mixing Console
The LR- 16 offers 16 analog input connectors, using a TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) insert configuration.
Thus, it is best connected to recording sources (such as a mixing console) that provide TRS
style insert connectors on every channel. When connected with the above scenario, the LR-16
operates as follows:
• The 16 individual signal return outputs, feeding the individual signals back to the mixing
console, is taken as a direct “loop output” from the LR-16’s line inputs.
• The signal path of the LR-16 is designed to never interrupt the signal path of the audio
channels of the mixing console, and will always “stay out of the way” of the mixing console’s
primary role of providing a live sound mix to an audience. Even if the LR-16 is not recording,
or even if power is for some reason cut to the device and it accidentally switched off, the
signal path of the mixing console’s TRS connectors will remain uninterrupted, so that the
“show will go on”.
Mic Inputs
(x 16)
Console TRS
inserts (x 16)
LR-16 inputs
(x 16)
Tape
Return
LR-16 Line
Out Stereo
TRS
TRS TRS
Standard TRS Cable
Configuration
Tip = Send, Ring = Return,
Sleeve = GND
The illustration above shows the following connections:
• Microphones or other input sources are connected to the inputs of a mixing console
• Up to 16 separate TRS to TRS cables are used, connecting the TRS insert connectors of the
mixing console, to the TRS inputs of the LR-16 recorder
• A set of headphones is connected to the front panel headphone output, allowing you to
monitor the stereo signal generated by the internal mixer
• The Stereo Line Out connector of the LR-16 is used with a “Y-cable” that splits the stereo
signal into RCA connectors carrying the left and right channels. These are connected to
the tape return path of the mixing console, allowing you to switch the LR-16 to player mode
during a break, and playback break music from the unit.