Digigram VX1221e User manual


VX1221e
VX1222e
Professional Multichannel
Sound Cards






User’s manual


For technical support,
please contact your system supplier.
Digigram S.A.
82/84 Allée Galilée, 38330 Montbonnot-Saint-Martin, FRANCE
Tel: [phone]• Fax: [phone]• E-mail: [email protected]

Digigram Asia Pte Ltd.
60 Albert Street - #19-11OG Albert Complex Singapore 189969, Singapore
Tel : [phone] • Fax : [phone] • E-mail : [email protected]

2

VX1221e & VX1222e
User Manual
Table of Contents
1 INFORMATION FOR THE USER 4
2 IMPORTANT NOTICE 6
3 CONTENTS OF THIS PACKAGE 7
4 FEATURES 7
4.1 VX1221e main hardware features 8
4.2 VX1222e main hardware features 8
4.3 Main software features 9
5 REQUIREMENTS 9
5.1 Minimum hardware requirements 10
5.2 Software requirements 10
5.3 Supported operating systems 10
6 HARDWARE INSTALLATION 10
7 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION 12
7.1 Standard installation under Windows 12
7.2 Parameterizing the ASIO and Wave drivers 13
Removing the driver under Windows XP
and Windows Server 2003 15
7.4 Removing the driver under other Windows versions 15
8 How to check the installation 15
9 The ‘Digigram Hardware Settings’ (‘DHS’) control panel 17
10 SPECIFICATIONS 19
10.1 Configuration 19
10.2 Inputs 19
10.3 Outputs 20
10.4 Connectors 20
10.5 Audio specifications 20
10.6 Audio Performance 21
10.7 Development environments 21
10.8 VX1221e Schematic Diagram 22
10.9 VX1222e Schematic Diagram 22
3


10.10 LAYOUT 23
10.11 VX1221e cable diagram 24
10.12 VX1221e wiring diagram 25
10.13 Adapter cable Sub-D 62 ⬄ SCSI 68 MDR (before July 2015) 25
10.14 Adapter cable Sub-D 62 ⬄ SCSI 68 MDR (since July 2015) 26
10.15 Connection cable VX1222e ⬄ BoB12 (before July 2015) 26
10.16 Connection cable VX1222e ⬄ BoB8 (since July 2015) 27
10.17 Sub-D 62 ⬄ SCSI 68 MDR wiring diagram 28
10.18 VX1222e cable diagram 29
10.19 VX1222e wiring diagram 30
10.20 VX1221e cable pinout 32
10.21 VX1222e cable pinout 32
Copyright 2007 – 2018 Digigram. All rights reserved. 
No portion of this manual may be reproduced without prior written consent from Digigram. The copyright
protection claimed here includes photocopying, translation and/or reformatting of the information contained in this
manual. 
While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, Digigram is not responsible for typos, errors, or omissions,
and reserves the right to make improvements or changes in the products and programs described without notice. 
Digigram and the Digigram logo, VX1222e, and VX1221e are registered trademarks or trademarks of Digigram S.A.
Other trademarks are property of their respective holders. 

4

VX1221e & VX1222e
User Manual
1 INFORMATION FOR THE USER
This device 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.
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 contained in this data sheet, may cause harmful interference to
radio and television 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 the receiver
* connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that of the
receiver
* consult the dealer or an experienced audio television technician.
Note  : Connecting this device to peripheral devices that do not comply with
CLASS B requirements or using an unshielded peripheral data cable could also
result in harmful interference to radio or television reception. The user is
cautioned that any changes or modifications not expressly approved
by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s
authority to operate this equipment. To ensure that the use of this product
does not contribute to interference, it is necessary to use shielded I/O
cables.
Warning:
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage
several components on the board. To avoid
such damage in handling the board, take the
following precautions:
Bring the device and everything that contacts it
to ground potential by providing a conductive
surface and discharge paths. As a minimum, observe these precautions:
●Disconnect all power and signal sources.
●Place the device on a grounded conductive work surface.
5


●Ground yourself via a grounding wrist strap or
by holding a grounded object.
●Ground any tool that will contact the device.
Due to the reduced length of the PCI EXPRESS 
TM bus connector
and the resulting lack of mechanical stability, we strongly advise
against transporting the card(s) installed in a computer, unless its
chassis or case provides a dedicated support to keep the card
securely in place in order to avoid physical damage.

6

VX1221e & VX1222e
User Manual
2 IMPORTANT NOTICE
This card has been tested and found to comply with the following
standards:
● International: CISPR22 Class B
● Europe: EMC 89/336/CEE (1992) specifications
● United States: FCC Rules-Part 15-Class B (digital device)
In order to guarantee compliance with the above standards in an
installation, the following must be done:
● the provided cable must not be modified
● additional cables used must have their respective shield
connected to each extremity

3 CONTENTS OF THIS PACKAGE
Thank you for purchasing a Digigram VX sound card.
The package consists of the following components:
● a VX1221e or VX1222e sound card
The end user version additionally includes:
● breakout cable(s)
● a CD-Rom with drivers, installation notices, FAQs, etc…
For the OEM version, the cables are available optionally.
Also available (optional):
2U 19-inch breakout box allowing straightforward and secure
connection to all the cards’ I/Os

7


4 FEATURES
VX1222e and VX1221e are audio cards for PCI EXPRESSTM (PCIe®)
bus. They are in PCI EXPRESSTM x1 format and can thus be plugged
into any PCIe® slot
(x1, x2, x4, x8, x16, x32).
4.1 VX1221e main hardware features
● 1 digital AES/EBU ∗∗ stereo input, with hardware sample rate
1
converter
(up to 192 kHz) and programmable digital gain
● 6 digital AES/EBU∗∗ stereo outputs (up to 192 kHz) with
programmable digital gain
● 1 digital AES/EBU∗∗ stereo sync input (up to 192 kHz in play and
record)
● 1 standard Word Clock input (up to 96 kHz)
● 1 standard Word Clock output (up to 96 kHz)
● 1 video sync input
● 1 SMPTE/LTC (Linear Time Code) sync input
4.2 VX1222e main hardware features
All features of the VX1221e, plus:
● 2 balanced ∗∗∗∗ analog mono line inputs, with software
2
programmable analog and digital gain
● 12 servo-balanced ∗∗∗∗∗∗ analog mono line outputs, with software
3
programmable analog and digital gain
● 192 kHz / 24-bit converters
● Maximum level on analog inputs and outputs: +24 dBu
Note  : The digital outputs always play the digital version of the corresponding
analog outputs.
The selection of the AES/EBU input excludes the selection of the
corresponding analog inputs.
1∗∗ can be used as S/PDIF interface as well
2∗∗∗∗ can be used with unbalanced signals
3∗∗∗∗∗∗
 Electronically servo-balanced outputs provide automatic level adjustment
to accommodate either balanced or unbalanced lines
8

VX1221e & VX1222e
User Manual
4.3 Main software features
● Real-time, simultaneous PCM record and playback (8, 16 and 24
bits), Float IEEE754 (with 24-bit fixed-point dynamic range)
● When using the np SDK, real-time on-board mixing of several
PCM audio streams, direct monitoring, level adjustment, panning,
cross-fades, punch-in/punch-out, scrubbing
● Low latency DirectSound, Wave ∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗, and ASIO drivers
4

4∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗ Windows XP and Server 2003 only
9


5 REQUIREMENTS
5.1 Minimum hardware requirements
PC with one free PCI EXPRESSTM (PCIe®) slot (x1, x2, x4, x8, x16 or
x32).
CPU power and memory required depend on the operating system and
on the audio application used.
5.2 Software requirements
To use your VX1221e or VX1222e, install the driver from the HR
Runtime package version 1.60 or higher. This package includes:
● a Digigram np driver enabling OEM applications to best
capitalize on the boards
● a WDM DirectSound driver
Microsoft DirectX 9 or higher must be installed on your
computer
● a Wave driver ∗∗ (32 bits, installation optional)
5
● an ASIO driver (32 bits, installation optional)
Note:  the  HR Runtime package for Windows Vista does not include a
Wave driver. In case your audio application explicitly requires a
Wave interface, a Wave driver is available on request. In this
case, please contact  Digigram  .
5.3 Supported operating systems
VX1221e and VX1222e cards run under Windows XP, Windows
Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7.
6 HARDWARE INSTALLATION
Due to the reduced length of the PCI EXPRESS
TM bus connector and the            
resulting lack of mechanical stability, we strongly advise against transporting         
the card(s) installed in a computer, unless its chassis or case provides a            
dedicated support to keep the card securely in place in order to avoid            
physical damage.
The card has to be installed in the computer prior to installing its driver.
5∗∗ Windows XP and Server 2003 only
10