DigiDesign AI16 User manual

Digidesign
2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard
Daly City, CA 94014-3886 USA
tel: 650·731·6300
fax: 650·731·6399
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Website
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AI16 Analog Input Card
For Mix Rack
9321-58609-00 REV A 1/08

Legal Notices
This guide is copyrighted ©2008 by Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc.
(hereafter “Digidesign”), with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this guide
may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of
Digidesign.
003, 003 Rack, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 192 I/O, 888|24 I/O,
882|20 I/O, 1622 I/O, 24-Bit ADAT Bridge I/O, AudioSuite, Avid, Avid DNA,
Avid Mojo, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS, Avid Unity MediaNetwork, Avid Xpress,
AVoption, AVoption|V10, Beat Detective, Bruno, C|24, Command|8, Control|24,
D-Command, D-Control, D-Fi, D-fx, D-Show, DAE, Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack,
DigiBase, DigiDelivery, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign
Intelligent Noise Reduction, Digidesign TDM Bus, DigiDrive, DigiRack, DigiTest,
DigiTranslator, DINR, DV Toolkit, EditPack, Eleven, Impact, Interplay, M-Audio,
MachineControl, Maxim, Mbox, MediaComposer, MIDI I/O, MIX, MultiShell,
OMF, OMF Interchange, PRE, ProControl, Pro Tools M-Powered, Pro Tools,
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RTAS, Smack!, SoundReplacer, Sound Designer II, Strike, Structure, SYNC HD,
SYNC I/O, Synchronic, TL Space, Velvet, X-Form and Xpand! are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Digidesign and/or Avid Technology, Inc. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Product features, specifications, system requirements, and availability are
subject to change without notice.
9321-58609-00 REV A 01/08
Comments or suggestions regarding our documentation?
email: [email protected]
Communications and Safety Regulation Information
Compliance Statement
This model Digidesign AI16 Analog Input Card complies with the following
standards regulating interference and EMC:
• FCC Part 15 Class B
• EN 55103-1 E3
• EN 55103-2 E3
• AS/NZS 3548 Class B
• CISPR 22 Class B
Radio and Television Interference
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.
DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY
We Digidesign,
2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard, Suite 200
Daly City, CA 94014 USA
tel: [phone]
declare under our sole responsibility that the product
AI16 Analog Input Card
complies with Part 15 of 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.
Communication Statement
NOTE: 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 installation. 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 and correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:
• Reorient or locate 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.
Any modifications to the unit, unless expressly approved by Digidesign, could
void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
Canadian Compliance Statement:
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du
Canada.
Australian Compliance
European Compliance

Contents iii
Contents
Chapter 1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
AI16 Card Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
AI16 Card Capabilities and Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Conventions Used in This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Chapter 2. Installing the AI16 Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Installing an AI16 Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Removing an AI16 Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Completing and Confirming Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 3. Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Audio Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

AI16 Analog Input Card iv

Chapter 1: Overview 1
Chapter 1: Overview
The AI16 Analog Input Card provides 16 channels of software
controlled and fully recallable analog microphone/ line inputs
to the Digidesign
®
Mix Rack.
AI16 Card Components
The AI16 Card includes the following items:
• AI16 Card
• Mounting screws
• Digidesign Registration Information Card
• This guide
AI16 Card Capabilities and Features
The AI16 Card provides the following:
• 16 channels of analog microphone and line inputs via
XLR3-Female connectors
• +48V Phantom Power (selectable per channel via D-Show
software)
• 20 dB pad (selectable per channel via D-Show software)
• Gain adjustable in 0.1dB steps
• Polarity invert (selectable per channel via D-Show soft-
ware)
System Requirements
The following are required to use the AI16 Card with your in-
stalled and configured VENUE system:
• Digidesign Mix Rack
• D-Show software version 2.7 or higher
Figure 1. AI16 Analog Input Card
AI
16

AI16 Analog Input Card 2
Conventions Used in This Guide
All Digidesign guides use the following conventions to indi-
cate menu choices and key commands in D-Show and
Pro Tools:
:
The following symbols are used to highlight important infor-
mation:
Convention Action
File > Save Session In Pro Tools, choose Save
Session from the File menu.
Options > System Config In the D-Show software
screen, click Options to dis-
play the Options page, then
click the System Config tab.
Ctrl+N Hold down the Control key
and press the N key.
Ctrl-click Hold down the Control key
and click the mouse button.
User Tips are helpful hints for getting the
most from your VENUE system.
Important Notices include information that
could affect data or performance.
Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or
mouse shortcuts.
Cross References point to related sections in
the D-Show or Pro Tools Guides.

Chapter 2: Installing the AI16 Card 3
Chapter 2: Installing the AI16 Card
The AI16 Analog Input Card is installed in Mix Rack and is
connected to the appropriate Mix Rack ribbon cable. Mix Rack
supports a total of three AI16 Cards. In its base configuration,
input slots A, B, and C contain an AI16 Card.
If you want to remove an AI16 Card from the Mix Rack, see
“Removing an AI16 Card” on page 4.
Installing an AI16 Card
Your Mix Rack has three available input slots: slots A, B,
and C. You must install the AI16 Card in one of these three in-
put slots.
To install an AI16 Card:
1 Shut down the VENUE system, and turn off power to the
Mix Rack.
2 Disconnect all cables from Mix Rack.
3 Remove Mix Rack’s front panel cover by unscrewing its
mounting screws (#1 Phillips).
4 On Mix Rack’s back panel, locate input slot A, B, or C.
5 Remove the card from its packing material. Hold the card by
its edges.
6 Gently slide the card into the input slot.
7 When the card is seated in its slot, use the captive thumb-
screws to secure the card to Mix Rack’s chassis in the back of
Mix Rack.
8 Secure the card to the front panel of Mix Rack using the four
mounting screws you removed earlier.
9 Find the ribbon cable that corresponds to the input slot in
which you have installed the AI16 Card.
Mix Rack front panel
Mounting screws (remove all)
Mix Rack back panel
If you are replacing an AI16 Card, you must first remove
one of the cards. See “Removing an AI16 Analog Input
Card” on the next page, then proceed with these instruc-
tions.
Mix Rack contains 5 ribbon cables that connect to the Input
and Output Cards. The are aligned vertically. The bottom
ribbon cable corresponds with input slot A, the next with
input slot B, the next with input slot C, the next with out-
put slot D, and the top ribbon cable corresponds with out-
put slot E.
Input slots
A, B, & C

AI16 Analog Input Card 4
10 Find the Hub48 Board ribbon cable that corresponds to the
input slot in which you have installed the AI16 Card. The
Hub48 board’s five ribbon cables connect to the Input and
Output Expansion Cards.
.
11 Connect the AI16 Card’s ribbon cable socket.
Make sure the pins on the socket are correctly aligned with the
ribbon cable connector. Secure the connection by moving the
retaining clips on each side of the socket connector inward.
Check to make sure the ribbon cable is connected securely.
Removing an AI16 Card
If you want to replace an AI16 Input Expansion Card in your
Mix Rack, you must first remove a card.
To remove an AI16 Card:
1 Shut down the VENUE system, and turn off power to the
Mix Rack.
2 Disconnect all cables from Mix Rack.
3 Remove Mix Rack’s front panel cover by unscrewing its
mounting screws (#1 Phillips).
4 On the back panel, locate the input card you want to re-
move.
5 Remove the mounting screws that secures the output card to
the front panel of Mix Rack’s chassis.
6 Disconnect the card’s ribbon cable.
7 Loosen the thumbscrews that secure the input card to the
Mix Rack’s chassis.
8 Gently slide the card out of the slot.
Do not remove or re-seat the ribbon cable connections on
the Hub48 Board while the board is installed in the Mix
Rack. This may cause excessive flexing of the Hub48
Board. If necessary, disconnect the Hub48 and all Expan-
sion Card ribbon connections, and remove the entire assem-
bly from the rack prior to changing connections.
Detail of back of Mix Rack, the Hub48 Board, and the ribbon cables
Mix Rack contains 5 ribbon cables that connect to the Input
and Output Cards. The bottom three ribbon cables connect
to the AI16 Cards installed in Slots A, B, and C.
A properly connected Expansion Card
Hub48 Board
Connects to Card in
Connects to Card in
Connects to Card in
Slot A
Slot B
Slot C

Chapter 2: Installing the AI16 Card 5
Completing and Confirming
Installation
To complete and confirm installation:
1 Reattach the Mix Rack’s front panel.
2 Reconnect the power and any audio cables to the Mix Rack.
3 Turn on the system.
4 Go to the Options page and click the Devices tab to view
your system hardware status. The newly installed AI16 Card
should be displayed.
5 In the standalone software, right-click the Mix Rack graphic
to see your Mix Rack’s Input and Output Card configuration.
AI16 Cards appear in slots A, B, and C of the pop-up menu as
“Analog Input Card”.
6 Go to the Patchbay page and click the Stage tab to verify
that the AI16 Card appears in the patchbay.
If the AI16 Card does not appear in the Mix Rack graphic,
check the ribbon cable connection. Disconnect and recon-
nect the ribbon cable to the Card, making sure to properly
seat the connector in its socket.
Detail of Devices tab indicating presence of three AI16 Cards
Detail of standalone software’s Devices tab pop-up menu showing AI16
Cards

AI16 Analog Input Card 6

Chapter 3: Specifications 7
Chapter 3: Specifications
Audio Specifications
All measurements at Fs=48 kHz with 150 Ohm source impedance and 600 Ohm load impedance, unless otherwise specified.
0 dBU = 0.775Vrms.
AI16 Analog Mic/Line Inputs
Parameter Specifications Limit Units Condition/ Comment
Type Balanced, XLR3-Female
Gain +10 to +60 dB 6 dB analog steps with 0.1 dB dig-
ital increments and crossfade at
analog relay switch point
Max Input Level +32 dBu Pad ON
Pad 20 dB
Input Impedance, pad OFF 5.5k Ohm Each leg to ground
Input Impedance, pad ON 3.8k Ohm Each leg to ground
Phantom Power +48 VDC 10 mA max per channel
EIN -126 max dBu Max gain, 150 ohm source,
20 Hz-20 kHz BW, unweighted
THD + N 0.003 % Minimum gain, pad OFF, –1 dBFS
output, 20 HZ – 20 kHz BW
A/D Converter Latency 0.25 ms Fs=48kHz

AI16 Analog Input Card 8