Alesis ADAT-LX20 Bedienungsanleitung

A L ES I S ADAT LX20 Reference M a nu a l[...]

Contents ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 1 C ONTENTS Introduction 5 How To Use This Manual 6 Conventions 6 1 S ETTING U P AND M AKING C ONNECTIONS 7 Unpacking and Inspection 7 Operating Environment 7 Thermal Considerations in Rack Mounting 7 Mounting on a Shelf or Non-Rack Enclosure 8 Avoiding Electromagnetic Interference 8 AC Power Hookup 8 Avoiding Gr[...]

Contents 2 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual What is Tape Formatting? 2 4 3 P OWER -U P AND T APE F ORMATTING 26 Power-up and Tape Insertion 2 6 Setting Tape Length 2 7 How to Format Tapes 2 8 About Type I and Type II Formats 2 8 Defeating The Write Protect Tab 2 8 General Formatting Procedure 2 9 Recording While Formatting 3 1 Re-Formatting a Previously [...]

Contents ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 3 Manual Punching Options 4 5 Transport Controls 4 5 Record Enable Buttons 4 5 Footswitch 4 6 Automated Recording 4 6 Looped Recording 4 7 Rehearsing 4 7 Adjusting Punch Crossfade Time 4 8 7 P ITCH C ONTROL 49 8 A BOUT D IGITAL A UDIO I N /O UT 51 ADAT Optical Interface Basics 5 1 About 16-bit and 20-bit signal t[...]

Contents 4 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual Live/Long-Term Recording 6 6 Locking to Video: Code-Only Master 6 6 Libraries and Archives 6 7 Modular Recording 6 7 Computer Control and MIDI 6 7 MIDI Systems: Virtual Tracking 6 7 MIDI Systems: Automated Mixdown 6 8 MIDI Systems: Virtual Tracks and Automated Mixdown 68 MIDI Machine Control: Virtual Remote Con[...]

Introduction ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 5 I NTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing the Alesis ADAT-LX20 20-Bit Digital Audio Recorder. To take full advantage of the LX20’s functions, and to enjoy long and trouble-free use, please read this manual carefully. Here are some of the LX20’s most significant features: • Low tape cost. The LX20 can rec[...]

Introduction 6 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual H OW T O U SE T HIS M ANUAL Though we recommend you read through the entire manual once, those having general knowledge about multitrack recorders should use the table of contents and index to reference specific functions while using the LX20. Here’s how the manual is organized: Chapter 1: Setting Up and [...]

Chapter 1 - Setting Up and Making Connections ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 7 C HAPTER 1 S ETTING U P AND M AKING C ONNECTIONS U NPACKING AND I NSPECTION Your ADAT-LX20 was packed carefully at the factory. The shipping carton was designed to protect the unit during shipping. Please retain this container in the highly unlikely event that you need to re[...]

Setting Up and Making Connections - Chapter 1 8 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual M OUNTING ON A S HELF OR N ON -R ACK E NCLOSURE To mount the LX20 on a shelf or other flat surface, Alesis recommends attaching stick-on rubber feet to avoid scratching the shelf’s surface with the deck’s bottom. Please observe the general comments on thermal considerati[...]

Chapter 1 - Setting Up and Making Connections ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 9 A VOIDING G ROUND L OOPS In today’s studio, there are many opportunities for ground loop problems to occur. These show up as hums, buzzes, or sometimes radio reception, and can occur if a piece of equipment “sees” two or more different paths to ground, as shown below. [...]

Setting Up and Making Connections - Chapter 1 10 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual L INE C ONDITIONERS AND P ROTECTORS Although the LX20 can tolerate typical voltage variations, the AC line voltage may contain spikes or transients that can possibly stress your gear and, over time, cause a failure. There are three main ways to protect against this, listed [...]

Chapter 1 - Setting Up and Making Connections ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 11 A NALOG A UDIO C ONNECTIONS A BOUT A UDIO C ABLES The connections between the LX20 and your studio are your music’s lifeline, so use only high quality cables. These should be low-capacitance shielded cables with a stranded (not solid) internal conductor and a low-resistan[...]

Setting Up and Making Connections - Chapter 1 12 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual Here’s how the input jacks and plugs are wired: Tip Signal Sleeve Ground Tip Sleeve T YPICAL INPUT JACK HOOKUPS You typically patch the following into the inputs: • Console direct tape outs. With many mixing consoles, such as the Alesis Studio 24, each mixer channel has[...]

Chapter 1 - Setting Up and Making Connections ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 13 O UTPUTS The -10 dBV outputs use phono jacks, and carry signals at a nominal -10 dBV level. These connect to your mixer’s channel tape returns or line inputs. You would normally connect output 1 to mixer line input 1 or tape return 1, output 2 to mixer line input 2 or tap[...]

Setting Up and Making Connections - Chapter 1 14 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual S YNC I N /O UT The two rear panel DB-9 connectors marked SYNC IN and SYNC OUT synchronize two or more ADAT-family devices, such as the LX20, XT20, M20, original ADAT, ADAT-XT, and/or a computer hard disk audio recording/editing system using the ADAT-PCR sound card or simil[...]

Chapter 1 - Setting Up and Making Connections ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 15 D IGITAL A UDIO C ONNECTIONS The digital input and output carries all eight tracks on a single fiber optical cable (called the ADAT Optical Interface, and sometimes nicknamed the ADAT “Light Pipe”). This powerful feature allows you to transfer digital audio between mult[...]

Setting Up and Making Connections - Chapter 1 16 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual ➃ For each additional machine, connect one end of an additional fiber optic cable to the second machine’s DIGITAL OUT jack, and the other end to the third machine’s DIGITAL IN jack. Its DIGITAL OUT jack then connects to the fourth machine’s DIGITAL IN jack, and so o[...]

Chapter 1 - Setting Up and Making Connections ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 17[...]

Setting Up and Making Connections - Chapter 1 18 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual There are three ways to use this jack. • Footswitch only. Plug a momentary, single-pole/single-throw footswitch (either normally open or normally closed) halfway into the jack so that the footswitch plug tip connects to the jack ring connection. In other word, plug in onl[...]

Chapter 1 - Setting Up and Making Connections ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 19[...]

LX20 Essentials - Chapter 2 20 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual C HAPTER 2 LX20 E SSENTIALS A BOUT T HE D ISPLAY The LX20’s display shows the current level of each of the eight audio tracks, the tape position (in hours, minutes, seconds, and 100ths of seconds or frames), and the current modes of the many available parameters. It also provides a “wind[...]

Chapter 2 - LX20 Essentials ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 21 B LOCKS There are three ”blocks” located in the lower right-hand corner: Clock, Input Mon, and Input. Each block shows the selected option for the block’s parameter. S TATUS I NDICATORS These are individual status indicators. For example, to the left of the Input Mon block, there are s[...]

LX20 Essentials - Chapter 2 22 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual I NPUT S ELECT B UTTONS These determine how signals, both analog and digital, are routed to the LX20. P ITCH C ONTROL B UTTONS These increase or slow down the playback and record speeds to change pitch. L OCATION B UTTONS The LX20 can find particular places on tape. Example: You might want t[...]

Chapter 2 - LX20 Essentials ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 23 D IFFERENCES C OMPARED TO A NALOG R ECORDING Recording on the LX20 is very similar to most multitrack tape machines. With a formatted tape loaded, put one or more tracks into record-ready, adjust record levels on your mixer, set the input monitor mode, locate to where you want to begin recor[...]

LX20 Essentials - Chapter 2 24 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual C HOOSING THE R IGHT S-VHS C ASSETTE T APE We cannot overemphasize the importance of using only premium quality, name brand S-VHS cassettes such as Quantegy 489 DM Digital Mastering Audio Tape, or Alesis ADAT Mastering Audio Cassettes. Other acceptable brands include Maxell XR-S Black, JVC X[...]

Chapter 2 - LX20 Essentials ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 25[...]

Power-Up and Tape Formatting - Chapter 3 26 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual C HAPTER 3 P OWER -U P AND T APE F ORMATTING P OWER - UP AND T APE I NSERTION Patch the LX20’s power cord between the rear panel, three-prong power socket and a properly-wired AC outlet receptacle. Please take account of the grounding considerations mentioned in Chapter 1. The[...]

Chapter 3 - Power-Up and Tape Formatting ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 27 S ETTING T APE L ENGTH The LX20 can use tapes longer than the standard ST-120 length (an ST-180 tape gives over one hour of recording time, an ST-160 gives 53 minutes). The LX20 automatically recognizes ST-60 tapes and adjusts itself accordingly, but cannot tell apart ST-120, ST[...]

Power-Up and Tape Formatting - Chapter 3 28 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual H OW TO F ORMAT T APES What it does: Formatting an LX20 tape “time-stamps” the tape every 1/48,000 of a second (at a 48 kHz sample rate), and stores reference information about the tape in a data header at the tape’s beginning. Caution: Formatting a tape erases audio on al[...]

Chapter 3 - Power-Up and Tape Formatting ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 29 G ENERAL F ORMATTING P ROCEDURE Formatting consists of inserting the tape, selecting the sample rate, selecting the audio resolution, then initiating formatting. Following are the steps needed to format a tape. Operation You Do… You see… Cassette insertion Insert a fresh, bl[...]

Power-Up and Tape Formatting - Chapter 3 30 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual[...]

Chapter 3 - Power-Up and Tape Formatting ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 31 R ECORDING W HILE F ORMATTING To record onto tape while formatting, before pressing the FORMAT button press the RECORD ENABLE button(s) 1–8 associated with the track(s) to be recorded. These can accept analog or digital signals, as described in Chapter 4. • Do not begin reco[...]

Power-Up and Tape Formatting - Chapter 3 32 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual[...]

Chapter 4 - Record and Playback Basics ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 33 C HAPTER 4 R ECORD AND P LAYBACK B ASICS U NDERSTANDING THE T IME C OUNTER Before recording, familiarize yourself with the TIME counter in the display’s top left corner. This counter shows the time reference “stamped” on a formatted tape as hours:minutes: seconds.hundredths-[...]

Record and Playback Basics - Chapter 4 34 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual The reason for these three modes is to take equal advantage of 2, 4 and 8 bus mixing consoles. To select the appropriate Input Mode, hold the ANALOG INPUT button and press one of the RECORD ENABLE buttons (1–8). The blue INPUT indicators, located along the bottom of the display [...]

Chapter 4 - Record and Playback Basics ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 35 S ELECT T RACK ( S ) FOR R ECORDING A track can be in one of 3 states: • Safe The track RECORD indicator (the red bar located right below the meter) is off. • Record-ready The track RECORD indicator flashes • Recording The track RECORD indicator is lit solid Here’s how to [...]

Record and Playback Basics - Chapter 4 36 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual P LAY Press to start playback from the current tape location. The PLAY button also has special functions in Record and Autolocation modes, as described in Chapter 5. The following chart summarizes all possible Play button options. If the tape is… Pressing Play causes… You see?[...]

Chapter 4 - Record and Playback Basics ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 37 To end a Cue or Review operation, press PLAY, STOP, REWIND, or FFWD. S TEP -B Y -S TEP P ROCEDURES The following sections describe in detail how to record, play back, cue, and review. Note: When recording for the first time, be sure the Auto Input function is off. When recording o[...]

Record and Playback Basics - Chapter 4 38 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual R EVIEWING AND C UEING The review and cue modes make it easy to locate a particular section of a recording. Review mode lets you play the tape in reverse 3 times faster than normal play, while hearing “fragments” of audio. Similarly, Cue mode plays forward 3 times faster than [...]

Chapter 4 - Record and Playback Basics ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 39 Record-enabled tracks monitor the… Input signal Input while recording or stopped, tape while playing Non-record-enabled tracks monitor the… Tape Tape while playing or recording, input signal when stopped A LL I NPUT Selecting All Input causes all 8 tracks to monitor their inpu[...]

Record and Playback Basics - Chapter 4 40 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual[...]

Chapter 5 - Autolocation and Loop Functions ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 41 C HAPTER 5 A UTOLOCATION AND L OOP F UNCTIONS The LX20 lets you concentrate on making music by automating several common processes, including location, recording, and playback. A UTOLOCATION Autolocation is the process of having the tape transport search for a point on the ta[...]

Autolocation and Loop Functions - Chapter 5 42 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual buttons. tr ansport plays, and the PLAY LED lights. To edit a Locate Point: Operation You press… You see… Initiate Locate Point editing The EDIT VALUE button The EDIT indicator appears in the display, along with one of the numbered LOCATE points below it. Select a Locate [...]

Chapter 5 - Autolocation and Loop Functions ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 43 To enable Auto Return: Operation You press… You see… Store the tape position to which the LX20 should return into LOCATE 1. Press and hold SET LOCATE, then LOCATE 1 at the desired time (tape can be running or stopped) The display shows the selected Locate Point number nex[...]

Autolocation and Loop Functions - Chapter 5 44 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual L OOP L IMIT To protect against unnecessary wear and tear, the LX20 automatically disables Auto Loop after completing 100 consecutive loops. To disable this safeguard, hold the SET LOCATE button and press AUTO RETURN. Pressing STOP restores the 100 loop limit. Alesis strongly[...]

Chapter 6 - Punching and Automated Recording ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 45 C HAPTER 6 P UNCHING AND A UTOMATED R ECORDING Punching is the process of recording over a section of tape (for example, to replace a bad note in an otherwise good performance). Punch-in is where recording begins, and punch-out is where it ends. There are several ways to pun[...]

Punching and Automated Recording - Chapter 6 46 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual F OOTSWITCH Pressing the punch footswitch is equivalent to pressing RECORD and PLAY. If the LX20 is already recording, pressing the punch footswitch exits Record mode but the transport continues to play. Note: Footswitch-controlled recording also works in conjunction with Re[...]

Chapter 6 - Punching and Automated Recording ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 47 If Locate 2’s position is later than Locate 3’s position, the TIME counter will temporarily read “ invALid”. Initiating record past Locate 2’s position but before Locate 3’s position starts recording immediately. Initiating record after Locate 3’s position has [...]

Punching and Automated Recording - Chapter 6 48 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual A DJUSTING P UNCH C ROSSFADE T IME Whenever recording begins or ends, the XT20 provides a smooth transition between the audio on tape and the audio being recorded. This prevents gaps and/or noises when punching in and out of record. The Record Crossfade Time sets how long it[...]

Chapter 7 - Pitch Control ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 49 C HAPTER 7 P ITCH C ONTROL The Pitch function controls the tape’s speed, which changes the pitch of the audio recorded on tape. The LX20’s Pitch control range covers -300 to +100 cents with a 48kHz sample rate, and -200 to +200 cents at 44.1kHz. When adjusting pitch, the TIME counter immed[...]

Punching and Automated Recording - Chapter 6 50 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual[...]

Chapter 8 - About Digital Audio In/Out ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 51 C HAPTER 8 A BOUT D IGITAL A UDIO I N /O UT The ADAT Optical Interface carries 8 tracks of digital audio between ADAT compatible products such as: • Multiple LX20s and ADAT • QuadraVerb 2 • Q20 • Many Alesis keyboards • ADAT-PCR computer interface card • 3rd-party prod[...]

About Digital Audio In/Out - Chapter 8 52 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual S ELECTING T HE D IGITAL O UTPUT M ODE Many applications involve sending the LX20’s digital output to another device, such as another ADAT for backup, or the ADAT-PCR card for digital editing. The type of transfer will require a particular digital output mode, as set with the DI[...]

Chapter 8 - About Digital Audio In/Out ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 53 C HAPTER 9 U SING THE LX20 LRC R EMOTE The hand-held LRC remote provides the following functions: • Transport functions: Rewind, Fast Forward, Stop, Play and Record. • Autolocation functions: Locate 1, Locate 2, Locate 3, Locate 4, Set Locate, and Auto Loop • Track functions[...]

Using the LX20 LRC Remote - Chapter 9 54 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual[...]

Chapter 10 - Multiple LX20/ADAT Operation ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 55 C HAPTER 10 M ULTIPLE LX20/ADAT O PERATION O VERVIEW The LX20 can work together with up to 15 other ADAT-family machines to provide a total of 128 tracks. ADAT machines have a sync bus that provides timing information for all ADATs in a system. When linking multiple ADATs toget[...]

Applications - Chapter 11 56 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual POWER INPUT 90-250 V 50- 60 Hz 80 W MAX LISTED 3T55 COMMERCIAL RECORDER U ® U.S. Patents 5,297,181 5,321,561 5,541,781 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 DEV[...]

Chapter 10 - Multiple LX20/ADAT Operation ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 57 M ASTER /S LAVE I NTERACTION Pressing any of the transport buttons (PLAY, STOP, etc.), or AUTO REC, PITCH ▲ or ▼ , LOCATE 0 – LOCATE 4, ALL INPUT, or AUTO INPUT will automatically trigger the same functions on the slave machine(s). As slaves can operate independently, to [...]

Applications - Chapter 11 58 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual To properly extend a format, the master and slaves should be locked before punching into format record. Format Mode Master format ind. Slave format ind. Slave formatted? Result What you see Complete L i t L i t No Rewinds to tape start, formats along with master Slave FORMAT indicator lit soli[...]

Chapter 10 - Multiple LX20/ADAT Operation ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 59 track 1 going to input 1, track 2 going to input 2, etc. (however, tracks can be re- assigned to different inputs; see next section). To create an exact (sample-accurate) digital copy from a master to a slave, both master and slave machines must have their DIGITAL INPUT buttons[...]

Applications - Chapter 11 60 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual M AKING D IGITAL B ACKUPS You can (and should!) back up LX20 tapes by copying all eight tracks to another LX20 (or ADAT-compatible machine) via the digital bus. Alesis urges you to back up whenever you have material you don’t want to lose. This is not yet a perfect world. Synchronizing two m[...]

Chapter 10 - Multiple LX20/ADAT Operation ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 61 put the new tape into the master, the damaged tape in the slave, and copy from the slave to the master. M AKING A 16- BIT COPY FROM A 20- BIT MASTER With over 100,000 ADAT 16-bit Type I machines in use, you may need to trade tapes with someone who owns an older machine. You can[...]

Applications - Chapter 11 62 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual D IGITAL C LOCK C ONSIDERATIONS Switching between the LX20’s two internal clock sample rates (48 kHz and 44.1 kHz) changes the reference used for computing tape location. Therefore, the same tape location will appear to have two different time addresses depending on the selected sample rate.[...]

Chapter 10 - Multiple LX20/ADAT Operation ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 63 I NPUT M ONITORING The ADAT LX20 monitors the input signals through the A/D and D/A converters at all times. This lets you hear eactly what the audio will sound like when it’s played back from tape. However, there’s a minuscule delay as the digital audio passes through the [...]

Applications - Chapter 11 64 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual Here are some possible solutions: • Use a phase switch on your mixer (if your mixing board provides this) to invert the phase of a “problem track” to compensate. • Wire your patchbay to reverse the input and output polarity of the LX20s in the system, but use standard cables on the ADA[...]

Chapter 11 - Applications ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 65 C HAPTER 11 A PPLICATIONS O VERVIEW This chapter describes some typical LX20 applications. These are overviews that do not include step-by-step instructions. Therefore, you may need to refer to other sections of this manual for details on how to set up the LX20 for a particular application. C [...]

Applications - Chapter 11 66 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual Example: Suppose a guitar lick is too loud in the mix. Rewind to before the offending lick, reduce only the guitar level at the mixer, then press Play. Punch in at the point where you want the lower guitar level. Punch out at the end of the loud guitar lick to return to the previous volume lev[...]

Chapter 11 - Applications ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 67 L IBRARIES AND A RCHIVES The LX20 is superb for archiving purposes, such as speeches and broadcasts, stereo mixes or libraries of stereo samples. The LX20 can record over eight hours of mono material by recording approx. 60 minutes on each track (using ST-180 tape). Over four hours of stereo m[...]

Applications - Chapter 11 68 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual Doing a premix of virtual tracks to two or more tape tracks can solve these and other problems. Many times this premix will have that kind of special energy that exists only during the early process of constructing a song, and will be preferable to a more laboriously-done premix during the fin[...]

Chapter 11 - Applications ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 69 To set up a system for MMC control, first lock the sequencer to the LX20’s time code; the transport commands you issue from the sequencer act like a remote control. Here’s the basic hookup: • Make sure your sequencer is receiving MTC from the LX20. • Connect your computer’s MIDI inte[...]

Applications - Chapter 11 70 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual T YPICAL APPLICATIONS Over 100 manufacturers support the ADAT Optical Interface. Compatible products include computer interfaces (such as the Alesis ADAT-PCR), signal processors, keyboards (Korg Trinity, Alesis QS Series), data translators, and more. (In fact, for digital audio transfer Silico[...]

Chapter 11 - Applications ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 71 A R EAL -W ORLD E XAMPLE Suppose you did a great tape on your ADAT at home, and now want to edit it in a hard disk recording setup at a commercial studio. You then want to transfer the hard disk material over to a different digital tape format, which happens to be the digital tape recorder use[...]

Applications - Chapter 11 72 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual P RE -M ASTERING WITH THE LX20 Mastering has typically been the weak link in the project studio. Sure, you can mix down to DAT—but how about assembling those mixes into a smooth, well- integrated recording? The following summarizes how to do pre-mastering with a DAT, hard disk editing progra[...]

Appendix A - Digital Recording Concepts ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 73 A PPENDIX A D IGITAL R ECORDING C ONCEPTS A NALOG R ECORDING B ASICS Digital recording works very differently from analog recording. With analog recording, tape containing millions of tiny magnetizable particles move past a record head. The magnetic field around this head fluctua[...]

Digital Recording Concepts - Appendix A 74 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual A/D Analog Signal Digital Signal These numbers, which represent coded audio, are then converted into an audio signal that can be recorded on tape. Fortunately, recording a number on tape doesn’t degrade the signal. During playback, a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter reads the [...]

Appendix A - Digital Recording Concepts ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 75 W HY S-VHS? S-VHS recording technology offers more than enough bandwidth to record eight tracks of digital audio. S-VHS tapes are built to higher standards than standard VHS tapes, and can take the tape shuttling required by professional audio applications. S-VHS tape cassettes a[...]

Troubleshooting - Appendix B 76 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual A PPENDIX B T ROUBLESHOOTING R E -I NITIALIZING : T RY T HIS F IRST If your unit behaves erratically or “freezes,” do not assume you need to clean the heads or perform any type of servicing. This situation can sometimes occur due to line voltage spikes, temporary brownouts, and other pr[...]

Appendix B - Troubleshooting ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 77 T ROUBLESHOOTING I NDEX If you experience problems while operating the LX20, please use the following table to locate possible causes and solutions before contacting Alesis customer service for assistance. Symptom Cause Solution The display does not light when the POWER switch is turned on.[...]

Troubleshooting - Appendix B 78 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual E RROR R ATE D ISPLAY The TIME counter has a secondary mode which, when selected, will display only the minutes and seconds of the tape position, and the error rate while the transport is engaged in play or record. This error rate is viewed as a count of the number of sync block errors per [...]

Appendix B - Troubleshooting ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 79 ADAT H EAD L IFE The expected head life for each ADAT varies according to a number of factors. Properly cared for, your heads should last for thousands of hours. If abused, they will wear out dramatically sooner. You should not subject your ADAT to environmental extremes, humidity or moistu[...]

Troubleshooting - Appendix B 80 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual ADAT H EAD M AINTENANCE The heads of each ADAT are pre-aligned at Alesis. No user adjustment is necessary. Eventually, depending on the quality of the tapes used and the environmental conditions where the ADAT and its tapes are stored, head cleaning may become necessary. Unlike analog or ev[...]

Appendix B - Troubleshooting ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 81 T APE C ARE AND M AINTENANCE ADAT tapes are no different than any standard tape: they must be treated with care. Never expose ADAT tapes to temperature extremes, strong magnetic fields (such as speakers), high humidity, dust and so on. You should always practice SAFE TAPE: • At the end of[...]

Troubleshooting - Appendix B 82 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual M AINTENANCE /S ERVICE C LEANING Disconnect the AC cord, then use a damp cloth to clean the LX-20’s metal and plastic surfaces. For heavy dirt, use a non-abrasive household cleaner such as Formula 409 or Fantastik. DO NOT SPRAY THE CLEANER DIRECTLY ONTO THE FRONT OF THE UNIT AS IT MAY DES[...]

Appendix B - Troubleshooting ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 83 O BTAINING R EPAIR S ERVICE Before contacting Alesis, check over all your connections, and make sure you’ve read the manual. Customers in the USA: If the problem persists, call Alesis USA at 1-800-5ALESIS and request the Product Support department. Please have your serial number (located [...]

Error Codes - Appendix C 84 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual A PPENDIX C E RROR C ODES The following errors codes may appear from time to time in the TIME counter display. Use this reference to learn the possible cause of the error code before attempting to contact Alesis Product Support. dv Dew Sensor: The unit has been subjected to overly high humidity[...]

Appendix C - Error Codes ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 85 Er 7 Clean Heads: If this error message is seen, it may indicate that the heads are in need of cleaning. See ADAT Head Maintenance for information about cleaning your heads. Er 8 Sync Lost: Error message 8 normally occurs when the tape reaches the end while formatting or recording. It is caused[...]

Error Codes - Appendix C 86 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual A UTOMATIC B RAKE C ALIBRATION P ROCEDURE If the "CAL brAc" error message appears, the internal braking system of the LX20 may need to be adjusted. The intelligent transport software is capable of calibrating the LX20’s brakes automatically in a self-test procedure. You may perform [...]

Appendix C - Error Codes ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 87 S TEPS T O T AKE B EFORE C ALLING F OR H ELP If an error message is displayed or if an ADAT starts behaving strangely, it will be helpful if you can pinpoint the problem as precisely as possible. Before calling Alesis, please try the suggested tests below: ❿ Stop the tape playing (or recordin[...]

Specifications 88 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual S PECIFICATIONS Transport Recording Format: ADAT Rotary head digital recording Type I (16-bit) and Type II (20-bit) Tape Format: S- VHS cartridge Heads: 4 (2 Read, 2 Write); Read before Write Approximate Recording Times: S T - 6 0 : 22 minutes ST-120/SE-180: 4 0 m i nu t es ST-160/SE-240: 5 4 m i nu t es[...]

Specifications ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 89 Digital Inputs/Outputs Connectors: Two EIAJ fiber optical jacks (1 in, 1 out) Communications Protocol: 8 - Channel Serial Communication General Power Requirements: 90V–250V AC, 50/60 Hz Power Consumption: 4 0 W Operating Temperature: 10–40° C for specified performance Operating Humidity: 80% maximum[...]

Glossary 90 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual G LOSSARY A A/D or Analog-to-Digital Converter The device that converts an analog audio signal to digital audio. Once encoded, all audio is stored or processed as a series of numbers rather than as the audio itself. AES/EBU Interface A two-channel, digital audio hardware/software standard. The AES/EBU interfac[...]

Glossary ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 91 called the Auto Return End point. The point that is returned to is called the Auto Return Start point.[...]

Glossary 92 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual B Balanced Audio Signals Signals that are carried on three-conductor cables, with two of the conductors carrying the same signal 180° out of phase and third as ground. Balanced connections usually cost more than unbalanced connections, but are less susceptible to picking up hum and interference with low-level[...]

Glossary ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 93 D DAT Digital Audio Tape. This term has come to mean specific digital audio tape recorders that use cartridges smaller than those of a standard cassette, and which record two tracks of digital audio (and sometimes timecode). Digital I/O Input and output connections where signals passed from one stage to anothe[...]

Glossary 94 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual L[...]

Glossary ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 95 M MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI). A protocol whereby various MIDI- compatible products can communicate various musical and non-musical messages (such as notes, controls, etc.). MMC MIDI Machine Control (MMC). A subset of MIDI messages which correspond to tape machine’s transport controls an[...]

Glossary 96 ADAT LX20 Reference Manual Q R Record-Ready A track mode, often called “armed.” When you want to record on a track, you “ready” or “arm” the track. When you push the record button, all tracks that are ready or armed will go into record mode. Rotary Head A type of tape head, as used in the XT20, that spins at a high rate of s[...]

Glossary ADAT LX20 Reference Manual 97 Similar to the AES/EBU interface, but created by Sony and Philips with consumer applications in mind. The optional AI-1 from Alesis offers both the consumer S/PDIF interface and professional AES/EBU format for use with the XT20. S-VHS Acronym for Super Video Home System, an improved version of VHS with greater[...]