TC Electronic DB6 User Manual
English Manual
DB6
Product DB6
Product fir mware version
Frame software 1
.80.00
Document English Manual
Document version / date 2014-10-07
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) a
Important safety instructions 1
Warning 2
Caution: 3
Service 3
EMC/EMI 4
For the customers in Canada: 4
About this manual 5
Getting support 6
Before you get started 7
Register your product 8
Stay up-to-date on loudness 8
Unpacking and setup 9
Package contents 10
Setup 10
Software: TC Icon and DB6 firmware 11
Finding and installing TCIcon software –
Microsoft Windows 13
Finding and installing TCIcon software –
OSX 16
DB6: An introduction 18
Keeping audio transparent 19
DB6 and AC3 transmission 19
Signal path transparency check 20
Solid foundations 20
One-step loudness management 20
DB6 – Basic concepts and operation 21
Operating DB6 22
Hardware versions 22
Expanding your DB6 23
DB6 SDI: The Serial Digital Interface 23
DB6 AES 24
SDI vs. AES 24
DB6 presets 24
DB6
status indicators and ports 25
Front panel indicators 26
Front panel reset button 28
Back panel connectors 29
Setting up DB6 33
Networking basics and troubleshooting 34
Quick Setup 37
Updating DB6 software 38
Basic operation 39
Introduction 40
Basic TC Icon operation 40
Faders 41
On-screen keyboard 43
Accessing DB6 44
Operating multiple computers and/or TC
HD devices in one network 45
Scanning / rescanning a network for devices 46
Obtaining DB6 status information 47
Clock section 48
Status section 48
Setting up audio and syncing 51
I/O Setup – DB6 Single SDI and DB6
Multi SDI 52
I/O Setup – DB6 AES 55
Setting up audio dithering 57
DB6 remote control 58
Remote – Master 59
Remote – GPI 61
GP Input Calibration 66
Setting up GPO 67
Remote – SDI 67
Recalling, storing and deleting settings 71
Scenes, Routings, Engines 72
The Library concept 73
Library – Recall page 74
Library – Store page 75
Library – Delete page 77
Library – Bank page 78
Updating DB6 firmware 79
Finding and installing DB6 firmware –
Microsoft Windows 81
Finding and installing DB6 firmware – OSX 84
Icon Setup 87
Accessing the Icon Setup pages 88
Info page 88
Devices page 89
Security page 90
Joystick page 91
UI page 91
Color page 91
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) b
Loudness Wizard 93
An introduction to the Loudness Wizard 94
An introduction to the Loudness Wizard’s
UpCon module 94
Loudness Wizard – Main page 95
Loudness Wizard – Format – Setup page 98
Loudness Wizard – Format – UpCon page 100
Loudness Wizard – Style page 101
Loudness Wizard – Weight page 103
Loudness Wizard – ALC page 105
Loudness Wizard – Limit page 107
Loudness Wizard 2 109
An introduction to aNorm 110
Requirements for activating and using LWiz2 11 3
Activating your LWiz2 license 114
Getting started with aNorm Presets 114
LWiz2 – Reset feature 115
LWiz2 – Main page 116
LWiz2 Setup page 118
LWiz2 Format – UpCon page 120
LWiz2 Format – Weight page 121
LWiz2 Style page 123
LWiz2 aNorm – Setup page 125
LWiz2 aNorm – Trim page 126
LWiz2 aNorm – Advanced page 128
LWiz2 Butterfly page 129
LWiz2 Limit page 133
LM6 135
LM6 – Introduction 136
LM6 – Basic Use 138
LM6 – Radar Page 140
LM6 – Main page 143
LM6 – Setup page 14 6
LM6 – Stat(istic)s page 14 9
Level versus loudness 149
LM6 log files 152
Auto Logging 154
Appendix 1: Links and additional
information 158
Support resources 15 9
TC Electronic on… 159
TC HD resources 159
Product-related information 160
Extending your product’s capabilities with
optional licenses 160
Appendix 2: DB6 GPI/O page 161
GPIO Technical specifications 162
GPI installation 162
Technical specifications 164
DB6 Frame 165
Transmission 3G Card 166
Important safety instructions
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 1
Important safety instructions
Important safety instructions
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 2
The lightning flash with an arrowhead
symbol within an equilateral triangle, is
intended to alert the user to the presence
of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within
the product’s enclosure that may be of
sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk
of electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point within an equilat-
eral triangle is intended to alert the user to
the presence of important operating and
maintenance (servicing) instructions in
the literature accompanying the product.
1. Read these instructions.
2. Keep these instructions.
3. Heed all warnings.
4. Follow all instructions.
5. Do not use this apparatus near water.
6. Clean only with dry cloth.
7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions.
8. Do not install near any heat sources such as
radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce
heat.
9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized
plug has two blades with one wider than the
other. A grounding type plug has two blades
and a third grounding prong. The wide blade
or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your
outlet, consult an electrician for replacement
of the obsolete outlet.
10. Protect the power cord from being walked on
or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience
receptacles, and the point where they exit
from the apparatus.
11. Only use attachments/accessories specified
by the manufacturer.
12. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod,
bracket, or table specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When
a cart is used, use caution when moving the
cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury
from tip-over.
13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms
or when unused for long periods of time.
14. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such
as power-supply cord or plug is damaged,
liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen
into the apparatus, the apparatus has been
exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
Warning
►
To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock,
do not expose this equipment to dripping or
splashing and ensure that no objects filled
with liquids, such as vases, are placed on the
equipment.
►
Use a three wire grounding type line cord like
the one supplied with the product.
►
Be advised that different operating voltages
require the use of different types of line cord
and attachment plugs.
►
Check the voltage in your area and use the
correct type. See table below:
Volt age Line plug according to stan-
dard
110-125V UL817 and CSA C22.2 no 42.
220-230V CEE 7 page VII, SR section 107-2-
D1/IEC 83 page C4.
240 V BS 1363 of 1984. Specification
for 13A fused plugs and switched
and unswitched socket outlets.
►
This equipment should be installed near the
socket outlet and disconnection of the device
should be easily accessible.
►
Do not install in a confined space.
►
Do not open the unit – risk of electric shock
inside.
Important safety instructions
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 3
►
Mains ground must be connected.
►
Norwegian:
Apparatet må tilkoples jordet stikkontakt.
►
Swedish:
Apparaten skall anslutas till jordat uttag.
►
Finnish:
Laite on liitettävä suojakoskettimilla varus-tettuun pistorasiaan.
Caution:
►
You are cautioned that any change or modifications not expressly approved in this manual could void your authority to operate this
equipment.
►
To completely disconnect from AC mains,
disconnect the power supply cord from the
AC receptacle.
►
The mains plug of the power supply shall remain readily operable.
►
Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced. Replace only with the same or
equivalent type.
►
Ventilation should not be impeded by covering the ventilation openings with items, such
as newspapers, tablecloths, curtains, etc.
►
Only used at altitude not exceeding 2000 m.
Service
►
There are no user-serviceable parts inside.
►
All service must be performed by qualified
personnel.
Important safety instructions
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 4
EMC/EMI
This equipment has been tested and found to
comply with the limits for a Class B Digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules.
These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference in a residential installations.
This equipment generates, uses and can radiate
radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instructions, may
cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation.
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:
►
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
►
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
►
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver
is connected.
►
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/
TV technician for help.
The user may find the following booklet, prepared by the Federal Communications Com-
mission, helpful: “How to identify and Resolve
Radio/TV interference Problems.” This booklet
is available from the US. Government Printing
Office, Washington, DC 20402, Stock No. 004000-0034-4.
For the customers in Canada:
This Class B Digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing
Equipment Regulations ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respecte
toutes les exigences du Réglement sur le matériel brouilleur du Canada ICES-003.
About this manual
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 5
About this manual
About this manual
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 6
This manual will help you learn understanding
and operating the TC DB6.
To get the most from this manual, please
read it from start to finish, or you may miss
important information.
This manual is only available as a PDF download
from the TC Electronic website.
Please do not operate DB6 before you have
made all connections to external equipment as
described in “Setting up DB6” on page 33.
In the subsequent sections of the manual, we
assume that all connections are made correctly
and that you are familiar with the previous sections.
To download the most current version of this
manual, view the product warranty, and access the growing FAQ database for this product,
please visit the web page
tcelectronic.com/support/
Getting support
If you still have questions about the product after reading this manual, please get in touch with
TC Support:
tcelectronic.com/support/
Before you get st arted
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 7
Before you get started
Before you get st arted
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 8
Register your product
Please register this product so we can inform
you about updates and other product-related
news. To register your product, please go to:
tcelectronic.com/support/
account-registration/registration/
Stay up-to-date on loudness
There are many aspects to loudness, and keeping track of all of them can be a challenge. This
is why TC Electronic has created a dedicated
loudness website, where all of these aspects are
outlined, explained and discussed. This site is an
answer to the question:
“What is loudness – and why is it important?”
Visit the Loudness website at:
tcelectronic.com/loudness/
Unpacking and setup
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 9
Unpacking and setup
Unpacking and setup
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 10
Package contents
Depending on the configuration you have purchased, the box should contain the following
items:
►
1 DB6 unit
►
2 power cables
►
1 USB stick containing…
– the TC Icon software,
– the DB6 software,
– this manual in PDF format.
Setup
For basic setup information, see “Quick Setup”
on page 37.
Software: TC Icon and DB6 fir mware
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 11
Software: TC Icon and
DB6 firmware
Software: TC Icon and DB6 fir mware
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 12
Operating DB6 requires a TC Icon remote
(sold separately) or a computer running the
TC Icon software.
When you are working with a system involving
one or multiple DB6 units, you are interacting
with two types of software:
1. TCIcon software:
TC Icon is a software application that you in-
stall on the computer(s) which you are using
to access, configure, operate and update the
DB6 unit(s).
TC Icon software is available for Microsoft
Windows and Mac OSX operating systems.
TC Icon software is free and can be in-
stalled on multiple computers.
Downloading and installing TC Icon software
is described in this section of the DB6 manual.
2. TC DB6 firmware:
DB6 firmware is the software installed on ev-
ery DB6.
Every DB6 comes pre-installed with the most
current firmware version available at the time
of production. You can download newer versions of DB6 firmware from the TC website.
Firmware updates will contain bug fixes and/
or new features.
DB6 firmware updates are free.
Use TC Icon software installed on your com-
puter (see above) to transfer firmware to your
DB6 unit(s).
Downloading and installing DB6 firmware
updates is described in “Updating DB6 firmware” on page 79.
You should keep both the TC Icon software
running on your computer and the software
of your DB6 (the firmware) up to date. Using
up-to-date software versions ensures you benefit from bug fixes and the latest features.
Software: TC Icon and DB6 fir mware
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 13
Finding and installing TCIcon
software – Microsoft Windows
The most current version of TC Icon software for
Microsoft Windows at the time of production is
provided on the USB stick that came with your
DB6, but you may want to download the latest
version from the TC Electronic website.
You can download the latest version of the TC
Icon software for Microsoft Windows from:
tcelectronic.com/support/software/
►
On this page, locate the “DB6” section.
►
In this section of the support page, look for
“TC Icon software” and click the button representing the latest version of the TC Icon
software for Microsoft Windows.
Depending on your browser type and con-
figuration, a dialog may be shown asking you
what you want to do with this file.
Choose “Save”.
The software will be downloaded to your
browser’s default download location. Usually,
this is the “Downloads” folder for your user
account.
►
Go to the folder containing the ZIP file you
just downloaded.
Software: TC Icon and DB6 fir mware
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 14
►
Right-click the .ZIP file and choose “Extract
All…“ from the context menu.
A dialog box will allow you to specify where
the extracted files should be stored.
Accept the defaults or change the path.
►
After extracting the ZIP file, you will see a
.CAB (“Cabinet”) file in Windows Explorer.
►
Double-click the .CAB file.
An “Icon” application file will be shown.
►
Right-click the “Icon” application file and
choose “Extract…“ from the context menu.
In the dialog box that is shown next (“Select
destination”), select a folder where you can
easily find the application – e.g., the Windows
desktop.
►
Click “Extract” to extract the application to
the selected destination.
►
Launch the TC Icon application that you just
extracted by double-clicking its icon.
TC Icon will try to establish connections to all
connected TCdevices on a local network, including your DB6.
If a connection cannot be established, please
refer to “Networking basics and troubleshooting” on page 34.
If you experience technical problems during
software download or installation, please ask a
person with administrator privileges on this computer for assistance.
Software: TC Icon and DB6 fir mware
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 15
Updating TC Icon software
To update the TC Icon software on your computer when a newer version is released,
►
quit the TC Icon software if it currently running on your PC,
►
download and extract the newer version as
described in this section and
►
replace the currently installed version by
copying the newer version over it.
Software: TC Icon and DB6 fir mware
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 16
Finding and installing
TCIcon software – OSX
The most current version of TC Icon software for
OSX at the time of production is provided on the
USB stick that came with your DB6, but you may
want to download the latest version from the TC
Electronic website.
You can download the latest version of the TC
Icon software for OSX from:
tcelectronic.com/support/software/
►
On this page, locate the “DB6” section.
►
In this section of the support page, look for
“TC Icon software” and click the button representing the latest version of the TC Icon
software for OS X.
Depending on your browser type and con-
figuration, a dialog may be shown asking you
what you want to do with this file. Choose
“S ave ”.
The software will be downloaded to your
browser’s default download location. Usually,
this is the “Downloads” folder for your user
account.
►
Go to the folder containing the file you just
downloaded.
►
If you are seeing a .ZIP file, double-click it to
extract its contents. However, your browser
may already have extracted the contents from
the .ZIP file automatically.
►
After the ZIP file has been extracted, you will
see a .DMG (“Disk Image”) file in the Finder.
►
Double-click the .DMG file to mount this disk
image.
An “Icon” disk image containing an “Icon”
app will be shown.
Software: TC Icon and DB6 fir mware
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 17
►
Copy the TC Icon application from the disk
image to your hard disk by dragging it to the
“Applications” folder, or to another folder
where you can easily find it.
►
You can now unmount (eject) the disk image
by right-clicking it and selecting “Eject” from
the context menu.
►
Launch TC Icon by double-clicking the application.
TC Icon will try to establish connections to all
connected TCdevices on a local network, including your DB6.
If a connection cannot be established, please
refer to “Networking basics and troubleshooting” on page 34.
If you experience technical problems during
software download or installation, please ask a
person with administrator privileges on this computer for assistance.
Updating TC Icon software
To update the TC Icon software on your computer when a newer version is released,
►
quit the TC Icon software if it currently running on your Mac,
►
download and extract the newer version as
described in this section and
►
replace the currently installed version by
copying the newer version over it.
DB6: An introduction
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 18
DB6: An introduction
DB6: An introduction
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 19
Thank you for choosing DB6 – the next step
in professional loudness control. We want
to thank you for choosing this product, and we
hope it will serve you as a reliable, flexible loudness processor for many years to come.
Consistency in loudness is the single most
important audio issue to get right in broadcast today. DB6 employs cutting-edge tech-
nology allowing stations to avoid listener complaints about jumping levels, while transmitting
both analog and digital signals with optimum
processing.
Keeping audio transparent
One of the finest things about new international
loudness standards is that a transparent signal
path is defined all the way from production to the
consumer. We therefore encourage you to take
advantage of DB6’s multiple ways of turning off
loudness processing for content that is already
normalized and suitable for a given platform.
Partial or full disabling of loudness processing
can be automatic or based on external signaling. TC has taken initiatives to make such external signaling part of open broadcast standards
– so expect new developments in this field. For
unknown content, rather than using DB6 to inflict “sausage processing”, use its built-in radar
meters to pull in loudness just enough. The goal
should not be to have all programs sit constantly
at Target level, but rather to have DB6 intervene
as a “safety belt” when something has gone
wrong upstream.
Production measurements such as Program
Loudness and Loudness Range will gradu-
ally make audio mixing more precise and downstream processing less needed. Therefore, review your processing settings at regular intervals, and be prepared to back them off as production catches up.
DB6 and AC3 transmission
DB6 includes numerous functions to optimize
sound and logging when delivering to platforms
using the AC3 codec. While fixed AC3 metadata
recommendations in new ATSC and EBU guidelines means that there are fewer things that can
go wrong, the dynamics processor built into the
AC3 decoder (known as “DRC”) is still one of
the places where audio transparency tends to
get lost.
To prevent DRC from becoming the “sausage
processing” component of the signal path, we
recommended turning it off. DRC also isn’t
BS.1770 compliant, and the limited 20 dB headroom in the “RF” path of AC3 can be dealt with
in better ways that are available in DB6.
DB6: An introduction
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 20
Signal path transparency check
Once a transmission signal path has been configured and adjusted, check that it is indeed
free of loudness processing when you think it
should be. A good indicator of this is Loudness
Range. Measure a program’s Loudness Range
in the production studio, and check if the value
stays the same when delivered to the consumer.
As long as no dynamics processing is applied,
Loudness Range does not change if a program
is offset in gain.
Loudness range is also robust even across lossy
data reduction unless a low bit rate (lower than
64 kbps) is used. For AC3 transmission, be sure
to check Loudness Range after a domestic decoder as the DRC system may unexpectedly be
engaged.
Solid foundations
TC’s involvement with high quality digital audio
dates back to the mid-eighties of the last century. Our commitment to digital excellence has
continued over the years with equipment for the
music, film and mastering industries. The advanced loudness and true-peak meters in TC’s
signal processors are founded on ITU and EBU
standards – standards that TC has contributed
to significantly.
Many years of experience with analog and digital broadcast and the know-how of skilled engineers: This is the foundation on which this product was built. From the purist and quality-conscious hardware engineers to the software writers, some of whom were involved with designing
the MPEG codecs: The team who has worked on
this signal processor forms a competent, nondogmatic design group ready to take broadcast
audio to the next level.
We are confident you will value the result of their
hard work.
One-step loudness management
DB6 is a signal processor that is able to handle
all aspects of loudness in one simple process:
►
loudness metering at the input stage,
►
up and/or down conversion at any stage,
►
loudness processing,
►
on-line lip-sync delay,
►
loudness metering at the output stage and
►
logging of all relevant loudness statistics.
In short: DB6 is an intelligent loudness processor
that keeps your audio at its finest – regardless
of which platform you need to deliver to. However, please note that DB6 is not a substitute for
managing loudness and true-peak level sensibly in production and linking. The best result is
obtained when production, ingest, linking and
transmission is a transparent loop where as little
adjustment as possible happens downstream of
production.
DB6 – Basic concepts and operation
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 21
DB6 – Basic concepts
and operation
DB6 – Basic concepts and operation
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 22
Operating DB6
DB6 is equipped with one or more signal processing cards. Each card encompasses four so-
called engines.
Two of these engines are running the Loudness
Wizard algorithms (see “Loudness Wizard” on
page 93), while the other two are running the
LM6 metering algorithms (see “LM2 (optional)”
on page 148 ).
As you can easily see, DB6 is a „headless system“ – it has no front panel controls (with the exception of the Reset button).
DB6 is operated using the TC Icon software,
which you can download from the TC Electronic
website.
You can use the same version of the TC Icon
software to operate DB6 and other professional
broadcast products from TC Electronic (e.g. DB4
and DB8MKII).
Accordingly, a significant part of this manual
covers operating DB6 using TC Icon software
running on a standard computer, and the screen
shots you see are taken from the OS X or Windows versions of this software.
DB6 offers a variety of ways to engage or disengage audio processing. Processing may be invoked automatically, depending on format, level,
physical inputs etc., while remote control can be
achieved via Ethernet, GPI, SDI metadata etc.
When setting up the device, make sure to
only engage the methods you wish to use. For
example, if GPI inputs are not used, make sure to
make sure to disable the respective input.
Please invest some time in learning TC Icon’s
basic concepts – you will benefit from it when
operating systems that may include many networked TC signal processors.
Hardware versions
DB6 is available in six different hardware versions: DB6 Single, DB6 Multi with one, two or
three 3G Transmission cards installed, and DB6
AES in balanced and unbalanced versions.
DB6 Single handles one SD/HD/3G stream,
making it the perfect choice e.g. for local broadcasters or as an intelligent loudness management tool in an OB van. DB6 single cannot be
expanded to handle more audio streams.
DB6 Multi comes with the ability to process one
stream right out of the box, but users can install
one or two additional 3G Transmission dualengine cards.
DB6 AES (balanced and unbalanced) gives you
up to 16 channels of unbalanced AES I/O on
BNC connectors. Depending on your integrated
transmission system, you may prefer to pass
your entire SDI signal through a loudness management system, or you may prefer to route only
the audio signal through an insert point. With
DB6 AES, you get the opportunity to choose the
latter scenario as well.
DB6 – Basic concepts and operation
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 23
Expanding your DB6
DB6 offers considerable flexibility in routing, analyzing and processing audio signals. To benefit
from this flexibility, you need to understand the
basic concepts and building blocks of the device
as outlined in this section.
The audio processing capabilities of your device
depend on the number of dual-engine cards/
processors (3G Transmission cards) installed.
Each 3G Transmission card…
►
can process one SDI audio stream
►
holds two multichannel processors
►
is capable of running…
– two LoudnessWizard™ algorithms or
– two LoudnessWizard 2™ algorithms
as well as
– two LM6 Loudness Radar Meters
simultaneously.
Accordingly, a DB6 Multi with two 3G Transmission cards can handle three independent
streams – making it the perfect high-density
solution for any TV station in need of processing
multiple streams simultaneously.
Extensibility is the only relevant difference
between DB6 single and DB6 Multi. Both ver-
sions feature the same high-quality hardware as
well as the same powerful software algorithms.
Instructions on upgrading a base DB6 Multi
with one or two Transmission 3G cards are
not part of this manual. They are provided in
a separate document that comes with the 3G
Transmission card.
DB6 SDI: The Serial
Digital Interface
With regards to inputs and outputs, DB6 SDI
is based on the Serial digital interface (SDI) – a
family of audio and video interfaces standardized by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).
An SDI signal may contain up to sixteen audio
channels (8 pairs) at 48kHz sample rate and 24
bit resolution.
We assume that you have a good working knowledge of SDI. The standard as such is not discussed in this manual.
DB6 – Basic concepts and operation
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 24
DB6 AES
For many years, TC Electronic has focused on
developing highly intelligent clocking solutions.
DB6 features one of the most complex and intelligent technologies we have ever made. It is
based on the TC developed DICE™ core with
its JET™ technology, which has been further refined to deliver important features specifically for
broadcast use.
►
DB6 locks really fast and artefact-free to
clock sources.
►
It sends as good an audio signal as possible
through at all times.
►
If the source is lost, DB6 keeps on running at
the “last good sync source rate”.
►
DB6 keeps outgoing clock inconsistencies
(e.g. when the sync reference is lost or the
sync source changes) to a minimum. This ensures that e.g. upstream source switching will
affect downstream devices to the least possible extent.
►
DB6 reduces incoming jitter to a nearly unmeasurable level.
SDI vs. AES
There are no versions of DB6 that provide SDI
and AES inputs and outputs on the same unit.
DB6 presets
DB6 comes with ready-to-use presets based
on international standards. More presets will be
made available as part of software updates from
the TC website. These presets are based on information from broadcasters around the world.
If you feel that an important preset is missing or
that a given preset does not work as it should,
please get in touch with TC Electronic technical
suppor t:
tcelectronic.com/support/
DB6status indicators and ports
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 25
DB6
status indicators and ports
DB6status indicators and ports
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 26
This section of the manual describes the device’s status indicators and connectors.
Please note that the number of front panel status indicators and connectors on the device depends on the hardware version you have purchased.
Front panel indicators
DB6 has the following front panel status indicators:
Fig. 15.: Front panel indicators on DB6 Single
Additional status information can be displayed
using TC Icon software – see “Obtaining DB6
status information” on page 47.
PSU 1 and PSU 2 LEDs
The PSU 1 and PSU 2 LEDs indicate the status
of the two built-in power supplies.
LED co lor /
indication
Status
Green An external power is connect-
ed and the power supply is fully functioning.
Red There is a problem with the
power supply. Either there is
no external power connected,
or there is a problem at certain checkpoints in the relevant
power supply.
Please refer to the descriptions of the PSU connectors in the “Back panel connectors” on page
29 section for more information.
DB6status indicators and ports
DB6 English Ma nual (2014-10-07) 27
Sync LED(s) – SDI versions
DB6 Single has one Sync LED, while DB6 Multi
has three Sync LEDs – one for each of the up to
three cards/engines in the device.
The Sync LEDs indicate if synchronization to
the currently connected signal source has been
achieved.
LED co lor /
indication
Status
Off Startup – no lock achieved.
Green An SDI stream has been de-
tected at the corresponding in-
put, and DB6 is locked to it.
Yel l ow There is an SDI anomaly.
Red DB6 cannot lock to the SDI au-
dio stream.
Sync LED(s) – AES versions
The Sync LED of DB6 AES (balanced/unbalanced) indicates if synchronization to the signal source selected as Sync Source has been
achieved.
For a description of all Sync states, see “AES Input State indicators” on page 55.
LED co lor /
indication
Status
Off Startup – no lock achieved /
lock status unknown.
Green A clock signal has been de-
tected at the corresponding
AES input, and DB6 is locked
to it.
Yel l ow DB6 is following its internal
clock or set to Bypass.
Red No lock or Freewheel status
Alert LED
DB6 Single has one Alert LED, while DB6 Multi
has three Alert LEDs – one for each of the up to
three cards/engines in the device.
The Alert LEDs indicate problems either within
the device or with the signal being processed.
LED co lor /
indication
Status
Off DB6 is not connected to a
computer running the TC Icon
software or a hardware TC
Icon.
Green DB6 is connected to a com-
puter running the TC Icon software or a hardware TC Icon.
Normal operation, no problems
detected.
Green – blinking
Preset recall
Yel l ow There has been silence for
more than five seconds, or
the LM2/LM6 algorithm has
detected a “High Loudness”
state.
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