Apogee AD-8000 User Manual

AADD--88000000

24-bit 8-channel

Digital Audio

Conversion System

Operating Manual and

UV22

®

License Agreement

Rev 1.5 — June 1999

Firmware revision 1.20

AD-8000 Operating Manual

Manual written by Bob Clearmountain and Brent Elder.
Edited by Julio Alvarez and Joe Raia. Interconnection diagrams by Julio Alvarez.
Produced and edited by Richard Elen.
Color by WaterColor. At a theater or drive-in near you. Batteries not included.

SoftLimit and UV22 are Registered Trademarks of Apogee Electronics Corporation. All other trademarks are
property of their respective holders.

Technology within the AD-8000 including the Low Jitter Clock may be covered by one or more patents that are
the property of Apogee Electronics Corporation.

Registered User Customer Support:

For customer support, please call [phone]
or email [e-mail]
You can register your AD-8000 on the Internet: visit http://www.apogeedigital.com/register.html

Features and specifications subject to change without notice.

© 1998 APOGEE ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
3145 Donald Douglas Loop South
Santa Monica
California 90405
USA

Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Web: http://www.apogeedigital.com/

This manual is copyrighted ©1997 by APOGEE ELECTRONICS CORPORATION, with all rights reserved. Under
copyright laws, this manual may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Apogee.

Part Number MANUAL–AD8000 Rev 1.4 November 1998

The Apogee AD-8000

24-bit, 8-channel

Digital Conversion System

It’s not an option—it’s a necessity!

AD-8000 Operating Manual

AD-8000 Operating Manual

Registration and Warranty Information

Be sure to register your AD-8000, either by filling in the enclosed Registration Card or
by completing our on-line registration form at our Web site: http://www.apogeedigi­tal.com/register.html. If you do so, Apogee can contact you with any update information. As

enhancements and upgrades are developed, you will be contacted at the registration
address. Firmware updates are free for the first year of ownership. Please address any
inquiries to your dealer or directly to Apogee at:

APOGEE ELECTRONICS CORPORATION, 3145 Donald Douglas Loop South, Santa Monica, CA 90405, USA.

TEL: [phone], FAX: [phone]

email: [e-mail]. Web: http://www.apogeedigital.com/

APOGEE ELECTRONICS CORPORATION warrants this product to be free of defects in material and manufac­ture under normal use for a period of 12 months. The term of this warranty begins on the date of sale to the
purchaser. Units returned for warranty repair to Apogee or an authorized Apogee warranty repair facility will be
repaired or replaced at the manufacturer’s option, free of charge. All units returned to Apogee or an autho-
rized APOGEE repair facility must be prepaid, insured and properly packaged. Apogee reserves the right
to change or improve design at any time without prior notice. Design changes are not implemented retrospec­tively, and the incorporation of design changes into future units does not imply the availability of an upgrade
to existing units.

This warranty is void if Apogee determines, in its sole business judgment, the defect to be the result of abuse,
neglect, alteration or attempted repair by unauthorized personnel.

The warranties set forth above are in lieu of all other warranties, expressed or implied, and Apogee specifical­ly disclaims any and all implied warranty of merchantability or of fitness for a particular purpose. The buyer
acknowledges and agrees that in no event shall the company be held liable for any special, indirect, incidental
or consequential damages, or for injury, loss or damage sustained by any person or property, that may result
from this product failing to operate correctly at any time.

Full warranty terms and conditions are given at the end of this manual.

USA: Some states do not allow for the exclusion or limitation of implied warranties or liability for incidental or
consequential damage, so the above exclusion may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal
rights, and you may have other rights which vary from state to state.

Service Information

If the AD-8000 is kept in a clean environment free of excess dust, moisture and heat, it will give years of trou­ble-free service. Please see the installation information in the manual.

The AD-8000 contains no user-serviceable components: refer to qualified service personnel for repair or
upgrade. Your warranty will be voided if you tamper with the internal components. If you have any questions
with regard to the above, please contact Apogee by phone at [phone], by fax at [phone], or via
email to [e-mail].

In the event your AD-8000 needs to be upgraded or repaired, it is necessary to contact Apogee prior to ship­ping, and a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) number will be assigned. This number will serve as a refer­ence for you and helps facilitate and expedite the return process.

Apogee requires that shipments be pre-paid

and insured — unless otherwise authorized in advance. IMPORTANT: Any shipment that is not pre-paid or is

sent without an RMA number will not be accepted.

Declarations of Conformity

Declaration of Conformity—FCC

Apogee AD-8000

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 device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired opera­tion.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits of a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part
15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful inteference in
a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not
installed and used in accordance with the instrcutions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of
the following measures:

1. Re-orient or relocate the receiving antenna.

2. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

3. Connect the equipment into an outlet on a different circuit from that to which the receiver is connected.

4. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

NOTE: The use of non-shielded interference cable with this equipment is prohibited.

CAUTION: Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer responsible for compliance
could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

Apogee Electronics Corporation, 3145 Donald Douglas Loop South, Santa Monica, CA 90405.
Ed Pendyk, VP Engineering.

Industry Canada Notice

This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment
Regulations.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respecte toutes les exigences du Réglement sur le matérial brouilleur du
Canada.

Declaration of Conformity – CE

Apogee Electronics Corporation hereby declares that the product, the AD-8000 system, to which this declara­tion relates, is in material conformity with the following standards or other normative documents:

• EN50081-1/EN55022; 1995

• EN50082-1/IEC 801-2, 3, 4; 1992

following the provisions of:

• 73/23/EEC – Low Voltage Directive

• 89/336/EEC – EMC Directive

AD-8000 Operating Manual

AD-8000 Operating Manual

Licensing and Legal Information

Carefully read the following legal agreement prior to using the UV22 process provided in the AD-8000.

Use of UV22 constitutes your acceptance of these terms. If you do not agree to the terms of the agreement,
promptly return the AD-8000 and the accompanying items, including written materials and containers to the
location where you obtained them for a full refund.

1. License Grant APOGEE ELECTRONICS CORPORATION (“Apogee”) hereby grants to you, the Purchaser
(either as an individual or entity), a personal, non-transferable, and non-exclusive right to use the UV22 Process
provided with this license. You agree you will not copy the materials accompanying the AD-8000. The materi­al contained in this manual consists of information that is the property of Apogee and is intended solely for use
by the purchasers of the equipment described in this manual. Apogee expressly prohibits the duplication of any
portion of this manual or the use thereof for any purpose other than the operation or maintenance of the equip­ment described in this manual without the express written permission of Apogee.

2. Copyright You acknowledge that no title to the intellectual property in the AD-8000 is transferred to you.
You further acknowledge that title and full ownership rights to the AD-8000 will remain the exclusive property
of Apogee, and you will not acquire any rights to the UV22 process except as expressly set forth above.

3. Reverse Engineering You agree that you will not attempt (and, if you are a corporation, you agree to use
your best efforts to prevent your employees and contractors from attempting) to reverse compile, modify,
translate or disassemble the UV22 Process Software in whole or in part.

4. Customer Remedies Apogee’s entire liability and your sole and exclusive remedy shall be, at Apogee’s
option, either to (a) correct the error, (b) help you work around or avoid the error or (c) authorize a refund or
replacement (at Apogee’s option), so long as the AD-8000, documentation and all accompanying items are
returned to Apogee according to the instructions on the Warranty Information page opposite, with a copy of
your receipts.

CAUTION

Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by APOGEE ELECTRONICS CORPORATION could void

your authority to operate this equipment under the FCC rules.

OWNER’S RECORD

The serial number is located on the rear of the side panel of the unit. We suggest you record the serial number
in the space provided below. Refer to it whenever you call an authorized APOGEE repair facility or the manu­facturer. Make sure that you return your completed warranty card immediately!

Model No. AD-8000 Serial No. ________________ Purchase Date __________________

Dealer____________________________________________________

AD-8000 Operating Manual

Table of Contents

Registration and Warranty Information
Service Information
Declarations of Conformity
Licensing and Legal Information
Owner’s Record

Warnings ...........................................................................................................................9

Environmental Warnings...................................................................................................................................9

Power Warning..................................................................................................................................................9

FCC Warning.....................................................................................................................................................9

Copyright Notice ..............................................................................................................................................9

Introduction ....................................................................................................................10

Features ..........................................................................................................................................................10

Firmware Revisions .........................................................................................................................................10

Getting Started...............................................................................................................11

Connections ....................................................................................................................................................11

Settings.......................................................................................................................11

Power ..............................................................................................................................................................11

Sync Source.....................................................................................................................................................11

Sample Rate ....................................................................................................................................................11

Overs...............................................................................................................................................................12

Metering..........................................................................................................................................................12

Soft Limit.........................................................................................................................................................12

UV22................................................................................................................................................................13

Digital In..........................................................................................................................................................13

Mute ................................................................................................................................................................13

Channel Routing..............................................................................................................................................13

Calibrate..........................................................................................................................................................14

Oscillator .........................................................................................................................................................14

Storage of front panel settings ......................................................................................................................14

Monitor............................................................................................................................................................14

Monitor/Destination .......................................................................................................................................15

AMBus Cards ..................................................................................................................15

Installing AMBus Cards...................................................................................................................................15

TDIF AMBus Card ...........................................................................................................................................15

ADAT AMBus Card..........................................................................................................................................15

AES 8 AMBus Card .........................................................................................................................................15

DIGI 8 (Pro Tools) AMBus Card ......................................................................................................................15

SDIF AMBus Card ...........................................................................................................................................16

Fiber DX Card .................................................................................................................................................16

Analog Option Cards ......................................................................................................16

Installing Option Cards...................................................................................................................................16

Optional Video Sync Module..........................................................................................................................16

Synchronizing the AD-8000 ............................................................................................16

Internal Sync....................................................................................................................................................16

External Sync...................................................................................................................................................16

Video Module Sync Options...........................................................................................................................17

Video Sync and Sampling Rates .....................................................................................................................17

Pulling Any Source by 0.1%............................................................................................................................17

Sync Source Selection.....................................................................................................................................17

Autosync .........................................................................................................................................................18

Digital Routing ................................................................................................................................................18

AD-8000 Operating Manual

Source Switch..................................................................................................................................................18

Rear Panel.......................................................................................................................19

Analog Inputs..................................................................................................................20

The Analog Front End ....................................................................................................................................20

Grounding .......................................................................................................................................................20

Balanced vs Unbalanced Inputs......................................................................................................................20

Headroom & Gain Adjustment.......................................................................................................................20

Common Mode Rejection/RF Filtering...........................................................................................................20

Analog Line-Level Inputs ................................................................................................................................20

Standard..........................................................................................................................................................21

Digital Inputs ..................................................................................................................21

Digital Input Capabilities ...............................................................................................................................21

Input Resolution Indicators.............................................................................................................................21

Output Formats ..............................................................................................................21

Digital Outputs ...............................................................................................................................................21

AMBus Cards ..................................................................................................................................................22

ABS, PaqRat & AMBus....................................................................................................................................22

Analog Outputs ..............................................................................................................22

Headphone Monitor .......................................................................................................................................22

Stereo D/A Option..........................................................................................................................................22

8-Channel D/A Option....................................................................................................................................22

Digital Processing ...........................................................................................................22

DC Removal ....................................................................................................................................................22

UV22................................................................................................................................................................23

Emphasis/De-Emphasis...................................................................................................................................23

Soft Muting .....................................................................................................................................................23

Appendix I: DIP Switch Settings .....................................................................................23

Appendix II: About UV22 Super CD Encoding ...............................................................24

UV22 Process Caveats ....................................................................................................................................24

Appendix III: Typical System Configurations ..................................................................25

AD-8000 with ADAT machines .......................................................................................................................26

AD-8000 with ADATs and BRC .......................................................................................................................26

AD-8000 with DAW/Digital Console/ADATs..................................................................................................27

AD-8000 with ADATs, Video Sync Generator, VTR etc ..................................................................................28

AD-8000 with DA-88 machines.......................................................................................................................29

AD-8000 with DA-88s and RC-848 .................................................................................................................29

AD-8000 with DAW/Digital Console/DA-88s.................................................................................................30

AD-8000 with DA-88s, Video Sync Generator, VTR etc.................................................................................31

Appendix IV: AD-8000 Specifications .............................................................................32

Revision History..............................................................................................................32

Appendix V: Installation and Internal Settings Guide ....................................................33

Technically qualified personnel only!..............................................................................................................33

Removing and replacing the cover.................................................................................................................33

Installing an Optional Analog Expansion Card ..............................................................................................33

Installing the Video Sync Module...................................................................................................................33

Installing the System EEPROM.......................................................................................................................34

Adjusting the Soft Limit Threshold.................................................................................................................34

Grounding .......................................................................................................................................................34

Changing the Power Input Setting.................................................................................................................34

Warranty Terms & Conditions.........................................................................................35

Warnings

CAUTION: To reduce the risk of electrical shock, do not remove the cover. No user serviceable parts inside;

refer servicing to qualified personnel. To change the operating voltage and install certain accessory cards, it is
necessary to remove the cover of the unit. As a result, such operations must be carried out only by technically­qualified personnel.

WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock, do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture.

This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage inside
the enclosure—voltage that may be sufficient to constitute a risk of shock. Operations indicated with
this symbol should be carried out only by technically-qualified personnel.

This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to important operating and maintenance instructions in
the accompanying literature. Read the manual.

Environmental warnings

• Never touch the AC plug with wet hands.

• Do not use this unit in damp areas or near water.

• Avoid damaging the AC plug or cord and potentially causing a shock hazard.

• If liquids spill into or onto the AD-8000, disconnect the power and return to your dealer for servicing.

• This unit should only be connected to an AC power supply of the correct voltage. Check with your dealer

if in doubt.

• Precautions should be taken so that the grounding or polarization of the AC power is not defeated.

• Unplug the AC cord when the unit is unused for long periods of time.

• This unit should only be cleaned as recommended by the manufacturer, or damage to the finish may result.

• To avoid potential damage to your unit, only use in areas where proper ventilation and moderate tempera-

tures are assured.

Power warning

AC voltage ratings for electrical power vary from area to area. Severe damage to your unit is possible
if your AD-8000 is configured incorrectly for your local power. If in doubt, consult an Apogee dealer. A
label adjacent to the power connector indicates the voltage to which the unit was set on leaving the

factory.

Instructions for changing the power input voltage are provided. We strongly advise you to check that
the voltage label remains current and is updated if the input voltage setting is changed.

FCC warning

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pur­suant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against

harmful interference when operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses,
and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manu­al, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area
is likely to cause harmful interference, in which case the user will be required to take whatever measures may
be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

Copyright Notice

The Apogee AD-8000 is a computer-based device, and as such contains and uses software in ROMs. This
software, and all related documentation, including this Owner’s Manual, contain proprietary information which
is protected by copyright laws. All rights are reserved. No part of the software and its related documentation
may be copied, transferred, or modified. You may not modify, adapt, translate, lease, distribute, resell for prof­it or create derivative works based on the software and its related documentation or any part thereof without
prior written constent from Apogee Electronics Corporation, U.S.A.

AD-8000 Operating Manual

Page 9

Introduction

The AD-8000 is an eight-channel 24-bit A/D converter with extensive I/O and processing features and an
extensive, accessible user interface. Its primary components are the A/D section and its associated analog elec­tronics, an extensive digital I/O section with four stereo AES/EBU outputs, plus one stereo AES and one stereo
S/PDIF input as standard. A headphone DAC and amplifier to monitor any two of the eight channels (whether
the source is digital or analog) is also included, and the AD-8000 utilizes the patented Apogee Low-Jitter Clock
to minimize input jitter.

The AD-8000’s add-on options include a stereo 24-bit DAC card with dual XLR jack outputs, an eight-chan-
nel 24-bit DAC card, a remote microphone pre-amplifier controlled from the AD-8000, a video sync plug-in card,
and up to four digital audio I/O cards which plug into the four-slot Apogee Multimedia Bus (AMBus).

Features

• Eight channels of state-of-the-art 24-bit A/D converters

• Apogee Soft Limit

®

on each channel

• Apogee UV22

®

word-length reduction on each channel to 20 or 16 bits

• Advanced multi-mode 8-channel metering

• Built-in level calibration to within ±.05 dB

• Built-in 5-level digital oscillator

• Flexible over detection and tracking

• Overdub/confidence source/destination monitoring

• Headphone monitor for any channel pair

• DC Offset removal (switchable) on each channel for analog and digital sources

• Balanced or unbalanced inputs

•“Smart” sync capabilities include word clock, video, crystal, or any digital input

• Standard XLR jacks for analog in and AES/EBU digital out

• 2 RCA jacks for S/PDIF in and out

• 1 XLR jack for AES input

• One-to-four AES/EBU signal distribution facilities

• Installation of up to four different digital I/O AMBus cards with format conversion and re-clocking

• Proprietary low jitter master clock

• Non-volatile storage of front panel settings

• Optional video sync plug-in module with 0.1% pull up/down control

• Optional stereo 24-bit D/A analog expansion card

• Optional 8-channel 24-bit stereo D/A analog expansion card

• Expanding selection of optional AMBus cards for a wide range of interfaces and facilities

Firmware Revisions

Much of the AD-8000’s functionality is defined in the system’s internal firmware EPROM. From time to time,
additional firmware revisions may be introduced which offer additional features and/or fix bugs, and you may
wish to upgrade to the latest version. Information on the latest firmware revision may be found on our Web site,
at

http://www.apogeedigital.com/ad8kupd.html.

You can check the firmware version you are currently running by holding down the SOFT LIMIT button dur­ing power-up. The code version number is indicated in the “Over” display LEDs. The version number is shown
as long as the button is pressed.

Upgrading the EEPROM in the unit requires removing the cover and potential exposure to dangerous
voltages. As a result, this should be carried out only by technically-qualified personnel. You can option-

ally ask your Apogee or one of our authorized service centers to do it for you, for which there may be
a small charge. Depending on the content of the revision and other factors, you may be sent an EEPROM free
of charge, offered a free EEPROM, or you may be able to purchase an upgrade. We will be in touch with you (if
you’ve registered your AD-8000!) if you would benefit from an upgrade.

It is extremely important that you register your unit as soon as possible so that you can be informed
about any relevant updates. Return your Warranty Registration Card or complete our on-line registration
form at

http://www.apogeedigital.com/register.html.

AD-8000 Operating Manual

Page 10

AD-8000 Operating Manual

Page 11

Getting Started

Installation

The AD-8000 incorporates a highly-specified and rated power-supply section. However, when fully loaded
with interface and D/A cards, the unit does consumer quite a lot of power, and thus generates a certain amount
of heat. As a result, we recommend that, to minimize the risk of failure, you insure that the AD-8000 is installed
in a well-ventilated environment, with plenty of airflow around the unit. Monitor the temperature in the rack dur­ing operation. A thermally-controlled fan is used to control the temperature inside the unit, and if you find that
this is running at full speed all the time, you may wish to check the ventilation of the rack and, if neccessary,
include a 1U ventilated rack plate above and/or below the AD-8000.

Connections

(See rear panel illustration above.) Use high-quality audio cable to make analog connections from your mixer
or other source to the balanced XLR line-level inputs on the back of the unit. If your mixer has –10 dBu (con­sumer level) outputs, flick the input gain switch — switch #1 of the AUX CONTROL DIP switch on the back of
the unit — to “ON” (up); otherwise leave the unit in the +4 dBu mode (switch #1 “OFF”).

Use high-quality 110Ω digital audio cable, preferably Apogee Wyde Eye

®

Digital Audio Cable, to make con-

nections between the AD-8000’s AES outputs (XLR connectors) to the AES inputs of your digital recorder.

If you’re using an AMBus card to interface directly to a specific recorder or workstation, make the connec­tion with the appropriate cable from the AMBus card to the recording device. If the AMBus card hasn’t been
installed, refer to the section entitled “Installing AMBus Cards”.

If you’re using external word clock, use high-quality 75Ω video cable, preferably Apogee Wyde Eye®

S/PDIF cable, to make a connection between your clock source, usually the word clock output of the recording
device or another A/D converter, to the word clock input on the back of the unit. Note: This is usually not nec­essary unless you are running multiple recorders and you’re recording on a slave machine. In fact, you may find
a slight improvement in the audio quality if you can use the AD-8000 as your master clock source, because of
its proprietary Apogee Low Jitter Clock.

Settings

(see front panel illustration overleaf)

Power

Check that the voltage setting is correct for your local requirements. Power up the unit. During the power­up self-test sequence you will see the meters indicate the “Apogee Wave” if all is well.

Sync Source

Initially, you’ll probably want to set this to CRYSTAL just to make sure everything is working OK. Repeatedly
press the button immediately below the columns of sync source indicators on the far left of the unit until CRYS­TAL is indicated. In this mode, the AD-8000 locks to its own extremely stable internal crystal at either 44.1 or
48 kHz sample rates.

Other sync sources can be accessed via the external word clock (WC), AES or S/PDIF inputs on the back.
Additionally, the unit can lock to any device which has an active output connected to an AMBus card installed
in one of the AMBus slots. The sync sources are designated by indicators labeled accordingly with the respec­tive AMBus slots designated as “AMB A” through “AMB D”.