Ferrofish PULSE-16 Users Manual
MX
DX
USERS GUIDE
Version 1.1
Ferrofish
Advanced Audio Applications
Brüderstr. 10, 53545 Linz am Rhein, Germany www.ferrofish.de
Safety instructions and warnings
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
Safety symbols used in this manual:
This symbol is an alert that there are important maintenance
and operating instructions in the literature.
This symbol warns the user of uninsulated, potentially dangerous voltage inside the unit
that can cause an electric shock.
This symbol warns the user that the output connectors of the power supply contain
voltages that can cause dangerous, potentially lethal shocks.
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• Read these Instructions • Keep these instructions
• Heed all warnings • Follow all instructions
1. Do not use this device near water.
2. Clean only with a dry cloth. Do not spray liquid cleaner onto the faceplate or into the
ventilation slots. This may damage the front panel or cause a dangerous condition.
3. Only install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
4. Do not install or operate near heat sources such as stoves, radiators or other devices
that may produce heat.
5. NEVER compromise the functioning of the power plug’s ground connection. When
the provided plug doesn’t fit into the outlet, please consult a qualified electrician for
assistance.
6. Use power adaptors and accessories specified by the manufacturer only.
7. Protect the power cord from being pinched or stepped on.
8. Unplug this device during lightning storms, or when not in use for extended periods of time.
9. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel only. Servicing is required when the
device has been damaged in any way. For example when liquids have been spilled on
the device, objects have fallen onto it, or the device itself has been dropped. Servicing
is also essential when the device no longer functions normally or has been exposed
to rain or moisture.
10. This unit generates heat during normal operation. Use it in a well ventilated environ-
ment with at least 1RU space between any other equipment.
11. This product in combination with headphones or other external amplifiers and
speakers may produce sound levels that could lead to permanent hearing damage.
Do not operate at high or uncomfortable volume levels for a long time. If you are
experiencing ringing in your ears, a loss of high frequency sound information or
other hearing loss, please contact an audiologist immediately.
12. WARNING: To reduce the risk of an electric shock or fire, do not expose the device
to rain or moisture.
13. The power supply of this audio device may cause electronic interference to surround-
ing equipment. If you find that this or any nearby unit is malfunctioning, try resetting
the device, relocating it, or getting an electrician to install a powerline conditioner.
14. Always use a stand, 19“ rack or table designed for the use of pro audio equipment.
In a permanent installation make sure that damage or even injury will not result
from the mounting of the device or from cables pulling on the device. When using
a cart, use caution when moving the device inside the cart to avoid injury from
tipping-over.
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Introduction
Dear Customer,
Thank you for purchasing our product. We are very pleased that you have chosen the
PULSE16 series from our product range.
Using your PULSE16 you can simultaneously convert 16 analog channels to digital and
16 channels to analog. As digital interface, you can choose between ADAT, MADI (optional) and Dante (optional), and you can freely route between them in groups of 8
channels.
We also added a headphone output so you can monitor mono or stereo channels from
an arbitrary source.
Two TFT screens show all analog input and output levels at a time. The intuitive one
knob operation makes using the PULSE16 a breeze.
We sincerely hope that you will enjoy using your PULSE16 as much as we enjoyed developing it. Should you have any suggestions, praise or criticism for us, please visit us
on Facebook or at www.ferrofish.de - a handwritten letter is of course also happily
received.
Warm greetings from Linz near the river Rhine.
The Ferrofish Team
Symbols used in this manual:
This symbol indicated sections of detailed explanation.
Paragraphs showing this symbol require the readers attention.
Software and Updates
For more information, updates and support please visit our website: www.ferrofish.de
Scope of Delivery
This package includes:
1x PULSE16 device
1x Instructions (German & English)
1x Power supply 12V
1x MADI cable (PULSE16 MX and DX only)
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Optional digital interfaces
The PULSE16 is shipped in three different versions, which differs by the installed digital
interfaces:
Model ADAT MADI DANTE
PULSE16 JA optional NEIN
PULSE16 MX JA JA NEIN
PULSE16 DX JA JA JA
Remark: To add MADI to your PULSE16, you need a Ferrofish MADI SFP module and an
upgrade of the PULSE16 firmware to PULSE16 MX. Further information can be found
in this manual.
Operation
The PULSE16 can be operated completely from the front panel by using the SELECT pot
and the MENU button. The POWER button can be used as a “home button” and for
switching the unit on and off. For switching it off, keep the button pressed for over 3
seconds. When you do, a countdown will be shown on the screen to prevent accidentally shutting down the unit. You can control the PULSE16 over the integrated 5-pin MIDI
Port or via MIDI-over-MADI (MX or DX only) or Dante (DX only). The main screen shows
the levels of all 16 analog inputs and outputs as well as important status information.
Press POWER to get back into this screen from any point.
The status bar below the level I/O’s show:
• Wordclock sync source and sample frequency
• MADI input (MX or DX only): grey = no connection, yellow = signal detected, green
= locked on sample frequency
• ADAT inputs 1-4. Same color coding as MADI.
• BNC Wordclock Input
• Dante input (DX only). Same color coding as MADI.
• MIDI input indicator
• MIDI-over-MADI input (MX or DX only)
• Active preset number
The wordclock input (MADI, ADAT, Dante or BNC) is indicated by a flashing “squarewave” icon.
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Headphones
When turning the SELECT pot inside the main screen the headphone menu is shown.
You can select the volume of the headphone output now:
Press the MENU key to select:
• Source: You can choose between ANALOG IN / OUT, ADAT IN / OUT, MADI IN / OUT (MX
or DX only) and Dante IN / OUT (DX only).
• Channel: Select the desired channel. The first cycle contains all available channels in
mono, the second cycle lets you listen to the channels grouped in stereo pairs.
Please note that using headphones at high sound pressure levels for a longer time can
result in permanent hearing loss or hearing damage. Take care of your ears – you only
have this single pair.
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Main Menu
By pressing the MENU button you engage the main menu. Use the SELECT pot to navigate to the desired menu point and press MENU to select it.
Inside the Main Menu you can choose between:
CLOCK
Here you select if the PULSE16 should generate the wordclock signal by itself (Master)
or if it should listen to a wordclock signal (Slave) from an external source. If choosing
Master you can also set the sample rate here.
GAINS
Here you can set the sensitivities of the 16 analog inputs individually.
LEVELS
Here you can set the levels of the 16 analog outputs individually.
ROUTING
In this menu you can configure the routing of the inputs and outputs.
MADI SFP
Here you view the parameters of the SFP module. If the MADI version of the PULSE16 is
not unlocked yet, you can do so by choosing this menu item.
SETUP
The setup menu lets you control various settings
PRESET
You can load or save presets to one of a total six preset slots.
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Main Menu – CLOCK
Inside this menu you can select the source of the wordclock and the sample frequency
of the PULSE16 when running as Master:
Clock Screen PULSE16 Clock Screen PULSE16 MX
Clock Screen PULSE16 DX
The numbers below the labels show the internal generated clock frequency when set
to MASTER or the measured external sample frequency. If no sample rate is detected
“---” is shown.
If one of the external inputs (ADAT, MADI, BNC or Dante) is used as Wordclock source,
the status screen shows a blinking rectangular icon at the corresponding port.
MASTER
If the clock source is set to MASTER, the internal wordclock generator of the PULSE16 is
used. All other digital devices attached have to be set to Slave.
MADI (MX or DX only)
The wordclock is extracted and conditioned from the MADI input.
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ADAT
The wordclock is extracted and conditioned from one of the four ADAT inputs. Always
the first ADAT input with a valid signal is used.
BNC
When using an external wordclock on the BNC IN of the PULSE16, the wordclock signal
will also be routed thru the jitter reduction stage and sent back to the BNC OUT.
Dante (DX only)
The wordclock is extracted and conditioned from the Dante network. Usually the Wordclock provided by Dante should be used, so choosing this source is recommended when
using Dante.
Main Menu – CLOCK-SMUX mode
Although the PULSE16 always works using the 16 analog input and output channels,
the number of ADAT, MADI and Dante channels is dependent on the sample frequency
and the SMUX mode used:
SMUX/1
The SMUX/1 mode allows sampling rates from 32kHz up to 48kHz.
SMUX/2
When using higher sampling rates in SMUX/2 mode (64kHz to 96kHz), the digital channels are
being split into channel pairs (Signal MUltipleXing). For this reason, the number of channels is
reduced by half. To overcome this limitation, the digital ADAT I/O’s of the PULSE16 are available as a double configuration. So, you can run all 16 analog inputs and outputs at sample rated
up to 96kHz in SMUX/2 mode.
SMUX/4 (MX or DX only)
At even higher sampling rates from 128kHz up to 192kHz the SMUX/4 mode is used.
In this mode, an analog channel is being split up to four digital channels. Using the optional MADI interface all 64 x 64 digital channels are used for 16 analog inputs and 16
analog outputs. In other words: A single PULSE16 unit can handle all full 16 inputs and
outputs at 192kHz without any limitation of the total channelcount.
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