Antelope OCX-V Master Clock User Manual

Isochrone OCX-V achieves the breakthrough clock stability by placing the quartz

crystal in an isolated, temperature controlled oven. Constant temperature control of the
crystal oscillator and a proprietary Jitter Management Module provide unprecedented
sonic benefits. Isochrone OCX-V takes the digital sound out of digital audio, giving you
the audio in its purest form whether connected to digital mixer, Pro-Tools system, DAW or
digital effects unit.

The amazingly stable Isochrone OCX-V can be taken to the ultimate level by locking it to
the most stable clock on Earth: the Atomic clock.

Designed for the modern studio and beyond, the Antelope's master clock provides the
most comprehensive video support in the industry. The OCX-V locks to PAL, NTSC, and a
staggering array of 20 HDTV standards. International pull ups and pull downs are also
supported.

With added flexibility of being able to output multiple sample rates and the built in support
for Pro Tools, Isocrone OCX-V easily surpasses the industry standard AardSync II, and is
destined to become the new Gold Standard.

Getting Started:

It takes only seconds to harness the benefits of the Isochrone OCX-V.

1

Connect the AC input to a power outlet.

2

If you plan on slaving to an external source, connect the master sync device to a
corresponding sync input on the on OCX-V rear panel. Set the SOURCE knob on front
to the input receiving incoming clock. If you are using OCX-V's internal clock, set
SOURCE to OVEN.

3

Connect any devices you want synced to the appropriate outputs on the OCX-V back
panel.

4

Power the OCX-V on via the power button on the front panel. Verify that both the
LOCK LED is lit, and that none of the red warning LEDs are flashing.

5

The OCX-V is now providing clock to connected devices. Some devices will
automatically sync to clock coming from the OCX-V. Other devices may require
additional configuration in order to utilize this incoming clock.

Note: When making initial connections, do so with the studio volume turned down.

Some devices may emit unpleasant sound until properly configured to accept incoming
clock.

1 2

3

4

5

Front Panel

7

6

8

10

9

Front Panel

1

Power Switch

2

SOURCE Knob Designates which input the OCX-V receives its timing reference from.

The first five options correspond to physical inputs on the back of the unit. The final setting,
OVEN, configures the OCX-V to use its internal, oven controlled crystal oscillator as timing
reference, with one exception. The OVEN setting is also used to slave the OCX-V to
incoming atomic clock; the device will do so automatically, if an incoming atomic clock signal
is present.

Directly above the SOURCE knob is a red LED. When lit, it verifies a valid source signal is
present at the selected input. When flashing, it means the selected input is not receiving a
signal, or the incoming signal is not at a valid frequency.

More discussion about what constitutes a valid frequency is found in SAMPLE RATE Knob
section.

3

SAMPLE RATE Knob

Determines the frequency of the Word Clock, AES/EBU and S/PDIF outputs on the back of
the unit. The first seven choices are specific sample rates, which will be generated
regardless of the incoming reference frequency. When the sample rate does not match the
incoming reference frequency, the OCX-V operates in gearboxing mode, which is explained
in greater detail later in the manual.

The final setting of the SAMPLE RATE knob is DA (Distribution Amplifier). In the DA there is
no gearboxing functionality. The OCX-V simply takes the incoming audio clock selected by
the SOURCE knob, puts it through the Jitter Management Module to regenerate a clean,
de-jittered signal that is distributed to all audio outputs. In DA mode, the outgoing sample
rate will always match the incoming reference.

The DA mode will not work if the SOURCE knob is set to VIDEO or OVEN, as there is no
audio reference to distribute. In this case the red LED above SAMPLE RATE knob will
flash. Note that in the DA mode, the OCX-V can work with non-standard sample rates as
may occur in vari-speed mode; any sample rate from 30 to 202 kHz is acceptable.

4

Pull up / Pull down Buttons

These buttons are used to modify the outgoing sample rate chosen with the SAMPLE
RATE knob. The first button accommodates the United States pull up / pull down standard,
increasing or decreasing the selected sample rate by 0.1 %. The second button
accommodates the European pull up/ pull down standard, increasing or decreasing the
selected sample rate by 4 %.

The rectangular LEDs above each button indicate whether the frequency is pulled up (+),
pulled down (-) , or not modified (0) by its corresponding button. You can always use the
Frequency Display window to see the actual frequency the unit outputs, with the pull ups /
pull downs selected at the moment.

Note that pull up / pull down feature is disabled when the SAMPLE RATE switch is set to
DA.

5

Frequency Display

Displays the sample rate outputted by the Word Clock, AES / EBU and S/PDIF outputs.

Word Clock outputs 7 and 8 are capable of providing fractional frequencies different from
the one displayed here. When the output frequency can not be generated during some
error conditions, the display will show "------".

6

Contrast Knob

Adjusts the contrast of the frequency display.

7

Status LEDs

LOCK , when lit indicates that the OCX-V is locked to a valid incoming reference.

ATOMIC, when lit, indicates that the OCX-V is slaving to external atomic clock.

OVEN, will flash when the OCX-V is first turned on, until the oven reaches its temperature
of operation. Once this temperature is achieved, the light will remain lit.

NTSC / PAL, will be lit if SOURCE is set to VIDEO, and the incoming video signal is either
NTSC or PAL format.

HDTV, will be lit if SOURCE is set to VIDEO, and the incoming video signal is a valid
HDTV format. See Appendix B for a a list of the supported HDTV formats.