Tascam X-48 - Manual (Page 45)

Recorder
• The Input Routing pulldown menu selects which bank of 8 inputs will feed the
selected tracks. For example, setting the Input Routing for tracks 25-32 to Input
Grp1 1-8 will route inputs 1-8 to tracks 25-32.
Routing by individual channels (this supercedes the groups of 8 above):
•
Click a track in the Tracks tab (F1)
• Click the DSP button in the middle of the display (or press F6)
• Click the Input pulldown menu and select an input from 1-48.
Synchronization
Requirements
In order to reliably synchronize the X-48 to another device, two references are required:
• A
location reference, typically SMPTE (LTC) timecode sent to the X-48's
Timecode Input or into the RS-422 (Sony 9-pin) Remote input. This tells the X-48
where in the timeline to go.
• A clock reference, typically word clock sent to the X-48 through a BNC cable. This
tells the X-48 how fast to go once it gets to the right location.
The X-48 can be run without an external word clock source, but it will eventually drift out
of sync. (You can also use a digital audio signal such as AES/EBU as a clock source.) You
will also hear clicks and pops in the digital audio if your entire studio is not resolved to a
single master clock.
Note that video clock is available on the X-48, but it cannot be used as the reference clock.
Video clock is only updated 60 times per second, where word clock is updated 48,000 times
or more per second. Long cable runs can also cause video clock to go out of phase, which
may cause problems with digital consoles. Video clock on the X-48 is used to define the
frame edge of the SMPTE input.
•
Word Clock sets the playback speed. Once the SMPTE input tells the transport
where to go, the X-48 plays at the rate set by its Sample Clock source (Settings
menu, Source).
• Video Clock gives a precise frame edge to the SMPTE timecode. Not available as a
clock reference.
• SMPTE Timecode is used as a location reference, defining where in the timeline to
locate to.
• MIDI Timecode (MTC) is sometimes used as a location reference with MIDI
sequencing software or computer-based DAW software
• RS-422 remote receives transport commands such as play and record. It also carries
SMPTE timecode for location reference.
As these reference sources are all related, you can see the importance of making sure that all
of your devices are resolved to the same clock reference. Another way to look at sync on the
X-48 is to examine the order that things happen when the X-48 is online:
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