Sound Devices 788T Manual

788T
High Resolution Digital Audio Recorder with Time Code
User Guide and Technical Information
for 788T and 788T-SSD Recorders
Version 3.01
Sound Devices, LLC
E7556 State Rd. 23 and 33 • Reedsburg, WI • USA
[phone] • fax: [phone]
Toll-Free: [phone]
www.sounddevices.com
[e-mail]
UDMA
USB
2.0
SATA
2.5"

Chapter 1: Quick Start Guide
Chapter 2: Panel and LCD Descriptions
Front Panel Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Panel Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Left Panel Connectors and Controls . . . . . . . . . 11
Right Panel Connectors and Controls . . . . . . . . 12
Rear Panel Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
LCD Display Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Input Settings Window Descriptions . . . . . . . . . 17
Track Setup Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Track Level Meters View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Track Routing View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Track-to-Media View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Master Gain Levels View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Take List Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Drive Directory (File Viewer) Descriptions . . . . . 24
Root Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Chapter 3: Inputs and Outputs
Input Setup and Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Input Trim and Input Faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Input Settings Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Analog Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Input Linking (Stereo or MS Decoding) . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Digital Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
AES42 Digital Microphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Input Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Deactivate Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Outputs – Analog and Digital . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Output Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Output Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Output Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Chapter 4: Routing and Mixing
Input to Track Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Pre-Fade vs. Post Fade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Routing Using the Input Settings Window . . . . . . . . . . 35
Routing Using the Setup Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Routing Using The Track Setup Window . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Routing Using the CL-8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Routing Using the CL-9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Mix Assist™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Noise Adaptive Threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Number of Open Microphone Attenuation . . . . . . . . 38
Last Mic Lock-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
One Mic Per Sound Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Using Mix Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Chapter 5: Recording and Playback
Pre-Record Buffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Media Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Failure During Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Record Timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Track Arming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Track Enabling Using the CL-9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Track Status Indication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Track-to-Media Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Master Gain Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Track Limiters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Master Gain Levels Using the CL-9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Sampling Rate and Bit Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Sampling Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Bit Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Audio File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
.WAV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
File Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Introduction
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
i
Table of Contents

Take Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Scene Name/Numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Scene Name Incrementing/Decrementing . . . . . . . . . 49
Take Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Take Number Incrementing/Decrementing . . . . . . . . . 51
False Take Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Emptying the False Take Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Track Naming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Metadata Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Take List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Take Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Wave Agent Metadata Entry and Editing . . . . . . . . . . 59
CL-WiFi Metering and Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
CSV Sound Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Sound Report Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Generating Sound Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Sound Report Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
AutoPlay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Chapter 6: Synchronization and Timecode
Synchronization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Clock Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Word Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
AES Digital Outputs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Clock Slave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Internal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Word Clock Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Video Sync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Digital Inputs 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Time Code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Frame Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
F Sampling Rate Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Time Code Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Time Code Hold Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Jam Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
User Bits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
NTSC Standard Def Video Production . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Chapter 7: Monitoring and Metering
Headphone Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Selecting Headphone Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Setting Headphone Source Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Headphone Source as Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Input Solo (PFL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
MS Stereo Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
SoundField B-Format Surround Monitoring . . . . . . . . 75
Rotary Switch Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Headphone Favorite Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Headphone Playback Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Headphone Warning Tones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Headphone Power Up Gain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
CL-9 Headphone Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Metering and Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Output Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Meter Scale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Digital Meter View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Meter Ballistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Peak Hold Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Input Activity Ring LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Headphone Peak LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Tone Oscillator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
LCD Contrast & LED Brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
LCD Backlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
CL-2 Metering and Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
CL-8 Metering and Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
CL-9 Metering and Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Wave Agent Metering and Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
CL-WiFi Metering and Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Chapter 8: File Management and Storage
Automatic File Splitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
File Time and Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Folder Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
ii v. 3.01 Features and specifications are subject to change. Visit www.sounddevices.com for the latest documentation.
Table of Contents

The Drive Directory (File Viewer) . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Selecting Files for Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Folder Options Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
File Options Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Drive Directory Options Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Storage Media – Internal Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
788T Drive Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
788T-SSD Drive Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Drive Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Storage Medium – Removable CompactFlash . . 92
When to Use CF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Formatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Qualified CF Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Storage Medium – External FireWire Drives . . . 93
When to Use External FireWire Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Formatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
FireWire Bus Powering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Qualified Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
DVD-RAM Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
File Copying Among Available Media . . . . . . . 94
File Transfer to Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Chapter 9: Remote Control
Keyboard Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Logic In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Logic Out (Record Tally) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Multi-Unit Linking Via C. Link . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
C.Link Setup Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
C.Link Metadata Sharing (788T Only). . . . . . . . . . . 105
Wave Agent Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
CL-WIFI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Connecting the CL-WIFI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Configuring the CL-WIFI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Configuring Apple iOS Wi-Fi Settings . . . . . . . . . . . 108
CL-WiFi Application for Apple iOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Transport View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Take List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Chapter 10: Hardware Controllers
CL-1 Keyboard and Remote Control Interface . 114
CL-2 Remote Fader (optional). . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
CL-2 Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
CL-2 Panel Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Fader Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
CL-2 Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
CL-8 Controller (optional). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
CL-8 Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
CL-8 Front Panel Descriptors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
CL-8 Side Panel Descriptors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
CL-8 Back Panel Descriptors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
CL-8 Fader Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
CL-8 Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Slate Mic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
CL-9 Linear Fader Controller (optional) . . . . . 127
CL-9 Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
CL-9 Rear Panel Descriptors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
CL-9 Fader Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
CL-9 Master Gain Level Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
CL-9 Headphone Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Setup Menu Navigation From CL-9 . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Soloing Inputs. Outputs, or Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
EQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Encoder Acceleration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
CL-9 Mode Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Factory Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
User Modes (U1-U4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
CL-9 Input-to-Track Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
CL-9 Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
CL-9 Transport Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
CL-9 Footswitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
CL-9 LED Brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
CL-9 Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
CL-WIFI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
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Table of Contents

Chapter 11: Setup and Shortcut Reference
Setup Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Saving and Recalling User Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Setup Menu Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Front Panel Button Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Chapter 12: Specifications
Connector Pin Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Chapter 13: Accessories
Included Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Optional Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Chapter 14: Appendix
Software License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Warranty & Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Technical Support / Bug Reports . . . . . . . . . . 168
788T CE Declaration of Conformity . . . . . . . . . 169
Welcome
Thank you for purchasing the 788T/788T-SSD. The ultra-compact 788T records and plays back up
to 12 tracks of audio to and from its internal drive, CompactFlash, or external drives, making field
recording simple and fast. It writes and reads uncompressed PCM audio at 16 or 24 bits with sam-
pling rates between 32 kHz and 192 kHz. The time code implementation makes the 788T ready for
any recording job—from over-the-shoulder to cart-based production.
The 788T implements a no-compromise audio path that includes Sound Devices’ high-performance
microphone preamplifiers. Designed specifically for high bandwidth, high bit rate digital recording,
these preamps set a new standard for frequency response linearity, low distortion performance, and
low noise.
With documentary and ENG mixing engineers in mind, the 788T is very small, while still being
feature-rich. No other recorder on the market matches its size and feature set. In addition, its learn-
ing curve is quite short—powerful does not mean complicated.
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
iv v. 3.01 Features and specifications are subject to change. Visit www.sounddevices.com for the latest documentation.
Introduction

Sound Devices took advantage of the best in professional and consumer electronic technologies to
bring incredible feature depth with ease of use. Hard drives, SSD drives, and CompactFlash are
highly reliable, industry standard, and easily obtainable. With the ability to write to an external
drive, low-cost, portable media can be delivered to post production. The removable, rechargeable
battery is a standard Sony-compatible Li-ion camcorder battery pack. The 788T interconnects with
Windows and Mac OS computers for convenient data transfer and backup.
The 788T is available in two models, The standard 788T ships with an internal hard drive. The 788T-
SSD ships with an internal solid state drive. Throughout this document both models will be referred
to as the 788T, except when information is specific to each model.
788T and 788T-SSD Firmware Known Issues
For a complete list of any known issues: www.sounddevices.com/download/788t-firmware.htm.
Copyright Notice and Release
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the expressed written permission of SOUND DEVICES,
LLC. SOUND DEVICES is not responsible for any use of this information.
Microsoft Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer. Other
product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
The sound waves logo is a registered trademark of Sound Devices, LLC.
Limitation of Liability
LIMITATION ON SOUND DEVICES’ LIABILITY. SOUND DEVICES, LLC SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO THE PURCHASER OF THIS
PRODUCT OR THIRD PARTIES FOR DAMAGES, LOSSES, COSTS, OR EXPENSES INCURRED BY PURCHASER OR THIRD PAR-
TIES AS A RESULT OF: ACCIDENT, MISUSE, OR ABUSE OF THIS PRODUCT OR UNAUTHORIZED MODIFICATIONS, REPAIRS,
OR ALTERATIONS TO THIS PRODUCT, OR FAILURE TO STRICTLY COMPLY WITH SOUND DEVICES, LLC’S OPERATING AND
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, SOUND DEVICES SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY
TO THE END USER OR ANY OTHER PERSON FOR COSTS, EXPENSES, DIRECT DAMAGES, INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, PUNITIVE
DAMAGES, SPECIAL DAMAGES, CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR OTHER DAMAGES OF ANY KIND OR NATURE WHATSOEVER
ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE PRODUCTS, THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OR THE PARTIES’ RELATIONSHIP,
INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES RESULTING FROM OR RELATED TO THE DELETION OR OTHER LOSS OF AUDIO
OR VIDEO RECORDINGS OR DATA, REDUCED OR DIMINISHED AUDIO OR VIDEO QUALITY OR OTHER SIMILAR AUDIO OR
VIDEO DEFECTS ARISING FROM, RELATED TO OR OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE PRODUCTS OR THE END USER’S USE
OR OPERATION THEREOF, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH DAMAGES ARE CLAIMED UNDER CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY
OTHER THEORY. “CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES” FOR WHICH SOUND DEVICES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE SHALL INCLUDE, WITH-
OUT LIMITATION, LOST PROFITS, PENALTIES, DELAY DAMAGES, LIQUIDATED DAMAGES AND OTHER DAMAGES AND LIABILI-
TIES WHICH END USER SHALL BE OBLIGATED TO PAY OR WHICH END USER OR ANY OTHER PARTY MAY INCUR RELATED TO
OR ARISING OUT OF ITS CONTRACTS WITH ITS CUSTOMERS OR OTHER THIRD PARTIES. NOTWITHSTANDING AND WITHOUT
LIMITING THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL SOUND DEVICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY AMOUNT OF DAMAGES IN EXCESS
OF AMOUNTS PAID BY THE END USER FOR THE PRODUCTS AS TO WHICH ANY LIABILITY HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO EXIST.
SOUND DEVICES AND END USER EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT THE PRICE FOR THE PRODUCTS WAS DETERMINED IN CONSID-
ERATION OF THE LIMITATION ON LIABILITY AND DAMAGES SET FORTH HEREIN AND SUCH LIMITATION HAS BEEN SPECIFI-
CALLY BARGAINED FOR AND CONSTITUTES AN AGREED ALLOCATION OF RISK WHICH SHALL SURVIVE THE DETERMINATION
OF ANY COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION THAT ANY REMEDY HEREIN FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE.
Introduction
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
v

Quick Start Guide
This Quick Start Guide provides a brief overview for first use of the 788T/788T-SSD. The Quick Start
Guide walks through the steps of getting signal into the 788T and making a recording. Many opera-
tional and relevant technical and operational details are not mentioned in these steps. For detailed
operating instructions refer to the 788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information.
1. Connect Power.
Connect the supplied AC-to-DC power supply to the DC connector on the
Right Panel.
2. Attach the supplied Li-ion rechargeable battery to the recorder.
Line up battery contacts with the battery compartment mounting pins. Rotate
battery lock to secure the battery in place.
788T Rear Panel
Included L-Mount Battery
The included battery must be charged for six hours before initial use.
The 788T will charge the L-Mount battery when DC is connected.
3. Connect analog microphone or line sources.
Please refer to the 788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information for
connections with digital audio sources.
788T Left Panel
1
Quick Start Guide
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
1

4. Connect headphones
Connect to either the 1/4-inch or 1/8-inch headphone output on the Right
Panel.
788T Right Panel
MENU
SELECT 123
4
5,6
UNBAL
ANALOG BAL LINE OUTS FW800 FW400 USB
BALAES
OUT
1,2 3,4 TIMECODE
SYNC
WORD / VID IN
DC IN
10-18V
PIN 4
PIN 1 ()
()
+
-
WORD OUT
5. Press and hold the PWR key for one second to power on.
788T
C
D
E
F
BFS
d
0
ARM
BFS
d
0
U
TPWR
REC
6. INPUTS MUST BE ACTIVE TO BE RECORDED.
Push to release the recessed Input Gain Controls. Rotate the knob clockwise
past the detent to turn on the input.
In the full counter-clockwise position, the input is not active and is not available for use.
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
2v. 3.01 Features and specifications are subject to change. Visit www.sounddevices.com for the latest documentation.
Quick Start Guide

7. Access the Input Settings Window
To access, momentarily move the Input Selector Switch in the direction of
the Input. This action also sends the input signal to the headphone monitor
(solo).
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
MENU
HDD
1
2
Left for odd inputs
Right for even inputs
MENU
HDD
Input Setting Options:
Source (mic/line/digital)
Phantom (on (mic)/on (line)/off)
High-Pass Filter (on/off)
Limiter (on/off)
Input-to-Track Routing
Mute (none / mute)
Polarity (normal / reverse)
Press adjacent key to change the parameter.
8. The Input Settings Window is where changes are made to input parameters.
Press the TONE key to toggle Phantom Power (Choose 48V for microphones).
Turn the Rotary Switch to adjust the High-Pass Filter Frequency.
MENU
HDD
Turn the Rotary Switch
Quick Start Guide
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
3

9. INPUTS MUST BE ROUTED TO TRACKS TO RECORD.
From the Input Settings Window, press the PLAY key to enter Input-to-Track
Routing. An Input can be assigned to any Track. The Rewind and Fast-For-
ward keys route inputs to Track L and R, respectively. Turn the Rotary Switch
to select a Track from A to X2. Push in on the Rotary Switch to route the input
to the track. Press PLAY again to return to the Input Settings Window.
MENU
HDD
MENU
HDD
Press PLAY to enter
Input-to-Track routing.
Press again to exit.
Press REW to route to
Track L, Press FF to
route to Track R. Use the
Rotary Switch to route to
Tracks A - X2.
10. Return to the Main Display.
Momentarily move the Input Selector Switch again.
11. Press the MENU key to enter the Setup Menu.
Various options are configured from the Setup Menu, including Sampling
Rate, Bit Depth, Time Code, etc. Navigate through the Setup Menu by turn-
ing the Rotary Switch.
A
B
MENU
HDD
R
L
MENU
HDD
Setup Menu Basics:
Highlighted selection
Selects highlighted option
Navigates through the menu
Exits option and menu
Cancels changes and exits the menu
Turn the Rotary Switch to navigate
through the Setup Menu, push to select an option.
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
4v. 3.01 Features and specifications are subject to change. Visit www.sounddevices.com for the latest documentation.
Quick Start Guide

12. A TRACK MUST BE ARMED TO BE RECORDED.
Press the INPUT key to enter the Track Setup Window, where Tracks are en-
abled for recording. An * (asterisk) character next to a Track indicates that the
track is record enabled. Navigate through the Tracks using the Rotary Switch.
To enable/disable the track, press in on the Rotary Switch. Track Status is
indicated by the asterisk and by the blue Track Status LEDs on the 788T front
panel. When the LED and asterisk is solid the track is armed and will be re-
corded. A track becomes armed when it is enabled and has at least one active
(Switched on) Input routed to it.
When the asterisk and blue LED’s are flashing, the track is enabled but not
armed. Tracks that enabled but not armed will not be recorded!
788T
A
B
C
D
E
F
BFS
d
0
IN
CF
EX
ARM ARM
BFS
d
0
INPUT PWR
REC
R
L
MENU
HDD
Track Setup Menu Basics:
Selector Box
Track Status Indicator
Input Routing Window
Master Levels Window
Track-to-Media Window
Meter Toggle
Meter Toggle selects the Tracks displayed on the Track Meter LEDs.
VU1 = Tracks C, D, E, F, G. VU2 = G, H, X1, X2. A-H = Tracks A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H
Tip: After Inputs are routed to Tracks and the Tracks are enabled, simply click the Input Gain Pots on and
off to arm and disarm tracks respectively.
Quick Start Guide
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
5

13. HEADPHONE MONITOR.
Press the STOP key to return to the Main Display. Turn the Rotary Switch to
select the headphone preset best suited for the particular setup.
Active headphone routing. Track L in the left ear, Track R in the right ear.
14. Press the REC key to start recording.
Press the STOP key to stop the recording. Press the PLAY key to playback the
last recorded take.
15. Press the HDD key to enter the Take List.
The take list displays a listing of all recordings.
A
B
MENU
HDD
R
L
MENU
HDD
Take List Basics:
Next Take
Selected Take (*= Last recorded Take)
Rename Take
Metadata Edit Menu
Add Take Notes
Exits the Take List
Turn the Rotary Switch to navigate through the Take List,
push to toggle the type of information displayed.
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
6v. 3.01 Features and specifications are subject to change. Visit www.sounddevices.com for the latest documentation.
Quick Start Guide

16. From the Take List, press the HDD key again to enter the Drive Direc-
tory.
MENU
HDD
Drive Directory Basics:
File Information Toggle
Jump to Root Directory
Selected File
Return to Take List
Exits the Drive Directory
Drive Formatting and other media-specific operations are accessed in the
Drive Options Menu located at the root directory.
17. After recording, transfer files from the 788T to a computer using ei-
ther FireWire 400, FireWire 800, or USB.
When connecting to a computer with a USB cable, make sure that the Setup
Menu option CONNECTION MODE is set to CONNECT AS MASS STORAGE.
MENU
SELECT 123
4
5,6
UNBAL
ANALOG BAL LINE OUTS FW800 FW400 USB
BALAES
OUT
1,2 3,4 TIMECODE
SYNC
WORD / VID IN
DC IN
10-18V
PIN 4
PIN 1 ()
()
+
-
WORD OUT
MENU
SELECT 123
4
5,6
UNBAL
ANALOG BAL LINE OUTS FW800 FW400 USB
BALAES
OUT
1,2 3,4 TIMECODE
SYNC
WORD / VID IN
DC IN
10-18V
PIN 4
PIN 1 ()
()
+
-
WORD OUT
MENU
SELECT 123
4
5,6
UNBAL
ANALOG BAL LINE OUTS FW800 FW400 USB
BALAES
OUT
1,2 3,4 TIMECODE
SYNC
WORD / VID IN
DC IN
10-18V
PIN 4
PIN 1 ()
()
+
-
WORD OUT
FW400 USB
FW800
USB
FireWire 400FireWire 800
To avoid any possible directory corruption on the 788T, do not interrupt the connection process. Always
properly dismount the drives from the operating system. On Mac OS platforms, drag the drive icons to
the trash. On Windows platforms, use the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon in the system tray.
18. Press and hold the PWR key for one second to shut down the record-
er.
788T
C
D
E
F
BFS
d
0
ARM
BFS
d
0
U
TPWR
REC
Front Panel Descriptions
All 788T settings can be accessed and monitored through the front panel LCD and navigation keys.
This allows the unit to be placed in a production bag along with other equipment.
Quick Start Guide
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
7

Panel and LCD Descriptions
Front Panel Descriptions
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
788T
A
B
C
D
E
F
BFS
d
0
IN
CF
EX
ARM ARM
BFS
d
0
INPUT PWR
MENU
HDD
REC
R
L
1
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
610 11 12
7 8
249
5
3
1) Input Activity Ring LEDs
The LEDs surrounding each Input gain
pot indicate the input’s signal activity and
status.
See Metering and Display.
2) Input Gain Control
By default, controls the analog and digital
input gain (input trim) of each channel
respectively. The Input gain control can
be changed in the Setup Menu to act as
FADER CONTROLS. See Fader Control.
Can also be restricted to act as
INPUT ENABLES ONLY where gain
adjustments are made from the Input Set-
tings window. See Input Setup and Control
3) Input Selector/Solo Switch
Displays the Input Settings Screen for
the chosen Input. Setup Menu option
INPUT: PFL FUNCTION controls whether
or not the selected input will solo in the
headphones when the Input Settings Win-
dow is open. For momentary action, press
and hold the Input Selector in position for
one second or longer. See Input Setup and
Control
4) MENU Key
Accesses the 788T Setup Menu. When in
the Setup Menu use the MENU key to
move upward through the options and
parameters.
5) LCD Display
Primary display. Press and hold the LCD
Backlight key and press the Rotary Switch
to turn the LCD backlight on or off. Press
and hold the LCD Backlight key and turn
the Rotary Switch to adjust LCD backlight
brightness. By default the LCD backlight
color will indicate the recorder’s current
mode (configurable with Setup Menu op-
tion LCD: BACKLIGHT MODE). Red = Re-
cord, Green = Playback, White = Standby
6) TONE key
Press to activate the tone oscillator. Press
and hold for two seconds or longer to
latch on (Press again to deactivate). Press
and hold, then press LCD Backlight key
to toggle L-Ident tone mode. Frequency,
tone level, and routing are controlled in
the Setup Menu. When in the Setup Menu
use the TONE key to enter Setup Menu
options and select parameters when the
check mark appears in the upper right
hand corner of the LCD.
7) Track Status LEDs
A solid blue LED indicates that the re-
spective track is armed (will be recorded).
A flashing blue LED indicates that the
Track is enabled but there is no active
input routed to it (will not be recorded).
The LED is off when the track is disabled.
2
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
8v. 3.01 Features and specifications are subject to change. Visit www.sounddevices.com for the latest documentation.
Panel and LCD Descriptions2

8) Level Meter LEDs
Eight, 13-segment track level-meters indi-
cate level in dBFS. Metering scale, bal-
listics, and peak hold times are selected in
the Setup Menu. Meters labeled C, D, E, F
can be used to view Tracks G, H, X1, X2.
See Metering and Display.
9) INPUT Key
Press to access the Track Setup Menu,
which provides access to enabling/
disabling and meter activity for all 12
Tracks. Press and hold the STOP key
and press the Input key to access the
INPUT: TRACK ROUTING Setup Menu.
Cycle through factory and custom rout-
ings by pressing the Input key while
holding the STOP key. See Input-to-Track
Routing
10) Power Key
To turn the 788T on or off, press and hold
the Power (PWR) Key for one second.
11) Power/Charge LED
Indicates the 788T is powered and avail-
able for operation. Also indicates the
charge status of the onboard battery
charger.
12) Headphone Output Peak LED
Indicates overload of the headphone am-
plifier. When lit, the headphone circuit is
overloading. Reduce headphone level.
13) HDD Key
From the main screen, press the HDD
key to access the Take List (view and
edit metadata across all attached storage
media).
From the Take List, press the HDD key to
access the Drive Directory (navigate the
file system of all attached media, view
folder and file properties, and select files
for playback).
From the main screen, press and hold the
HDD key to toggle the playback source
between available media. In the Setup
Menu, use the HDD key to move down
through the options and parameters.
14) Rewind Key
Performs reverse (REW) scrubbing
through the played file when pressed
(and held) in playback and play-pause
mode. Reverse playback rate increases the
longer the key is held. In play-stop mode,
selects the previous file in the record
folder.
15) Play Key
Plays the file displayed in the LCD when
pressed in standby and play-pause mode.
Pauses playback when pressed in play-
back mode.
16) Fast-Forward Key
Performs fast-forward (FF) scrubbing
through the played file when pressed
(and held) in playback and play-pause
mode. Fast forward rate increases the
longer the key is held. In play-stop mode,
selects the next file in the record folder.
17) LCD Backlight Key
Press to toggle the Level Meter LEDs
View 1 (Tracks C - F) and View 2 (Tracks
G, H, X1, X2). Press and hold for 2 sec-
onds to toggle between the select meter
scale and the favorite meter scale. See
Metering. Hold the Backlight key then
press the Rotary Switch to toggle the LCD
and Front Panel soft key backlighting on
and off. Hold the Backlight key and turn
the Rotary Switch to adjust the bright-
ness of LEDs. In the Setup Menu the LCD
Backlight key functions as the cancel and
exit key.
Panel and LCD Descriptions2
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
9

Front Panel Descriptions cont.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
788T
A
B
C
D
E
F
BFS
d
0
IN
CF
EX
ARM ARM
BFS
d
0
INPUT PWR
MENU
HDD
REC
R
L
1
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
610 11 12
7 8
249
5
3
18) Media Activity LEDs
Indicates storage media activity. IN
(internal drive), CF (CompactFlash), EX
(external FireWire device). The LED illu-
minates green when the storage media is
ready, illuminates yellow when the stor-
age media is writing/reading and while
connected to a computer, and illuminates
red when the storage media has encoun-
tered an error or if the drive has less than
one minute of recording time left.
19) Stop/Pause Key
Momentarily press and hold this key to
stop recording. In playback mode, a sin-
gle press pauses playback (play-pause),
allowing audio scrubbing with the FF
and REW keys. Another press of the key
enters play-stop mode where the FF and
REW keys select files for playback from
the current directory, the filename and
time display flash to indicate that a new
file has been selected. One more press of
the key exits playback mode.
Pressing the STOP key whilst in stop
mode displays the name of the next file
to be recorded in the LCD. In the Setup
Menu the STOP key is also used to exit
from any menu, returning to the main
display.
20) Record Key
Press to begin recording. The 788T is a
record-priority device; pressing this key
starts recording and discontinues all other
functions, except file operations. The REC
key will illuminate red when the 788T is
actively recording. If the selected storage
media is not ready to begin recording a
new file, the REC key will flash red until
the recording has begun. Pressing the
REC key during recording can set a cue
marker, start a new file, as selected in the
Setup Menu.
21) Record LED
Illuminates red when record mode is ac-
tive.
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
10 v. 3.01 Features and specifications are subject to change. Visit www.sounddevices.com for the latest documentation.
Panel and LCD Descriptions2

Panel Lock
Press and hold the LCD backlight key then the TONE key to bring up the front panel But-
ton Lock Screen. Button lock prevents unintentional setting changes and/or record status. The 788T
displays any button lock options currently enabled.
select the soft keys to
activate the appropriate
button lock mode
There are three modes:
• Unlocked – all keys are accessible and operate normally.
• Non-Transport Lock – All front panel controls are locked except the Record, Stop, Play, Rewind
and Fast Forward keys.
• Lock All – All front panel keys are locked except the REC key. The REC key is kept active so
the user can initiate recording after entering this mode and enter cue markers. To stop record-
ing in this mode, you must disengage the panel lock and press the stop key.
Left Panel Connectors and Controls
3
12
1) XLR Analog Inputs Channels 1-4
Active-balanced analog microphone- or
line-level input for inputs 1-4 on XLR con-
nector. Input type is set within the Input
Settings Window. Pin-1 ground, pin-2 (+),
pin-3 ().
2) TA3 Analog Input Channels 5-8
Active-balanced analog microphone-or-
line-level input connector for inputs 5-8.
Input type is set within the Input Settings
Window. Pin-1 ground, pin-2 (+), pin-3
().
3) Headphone Volume
Adjusts the headphone volume. NOTE:
the 788T is capable of producing ear-
damaging levels in headphones. Please
use with caution
Panel and LCD Descriptions2
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
11

Right Panel Connectors and Controls
MENU
SELECT 123
4
5,6
UNBAL
ANALOG BAL LINE OUTS FW800 FW400 USB
BALAES
OUT
1,2 3,4 TIMECODE
SYNC
WORD / VID IN
DC IN
10-18V
PIN 4
PIN 1 ()
()
+
-
WORD OUT
13 4 5 6
2 7
8 9 10 11 12
1) Rotary Switch
When in the Setup Menu, the rotary
switch moves between menu selections;
push to enter selection or enter data.
In Record and Playback modes, selects
headphone monitor source; press action is
user selectable. Turn the knob while hold-
ing the LCD Backlight key to adjust the
brightness of LEDs.
2) TA3 Analog Outputs 1-4
Active-balanced, analog outputs 1-4.
Program source and attenuation levels are
user selectable. Pin-1 ground, pin-2 (+),
pin-3 (–). When connecting to an unbal-
anced input, do not connect pin-3.
3) FireWire 800 (IEEE-1394b) Port
Connection to a computer (Mac OS, Win-
dows) to access the internal hard drive
and CompactFlash volumes as mass stor-
age devices. Also used to attach external
FAT32-formatted FireWire drives to the
788T for direct recording and copying.
4) FireWire 400 (IEEE-1394a) Port
Connection to a computer (Mac OS, Win-
dows) to access the internal hard drive
and CompactFlash volumes as mass stor-
age devices. Also used to attach external
FAT32-formatted FireWire drives to the
788T for direct recording and copying.
5) USB-B Port
Connection to a computer (Mac OS, Win-
dows) to access the internal hard drive
and CompactFlash volumes as mass stor-
age devices or for extended display and
control of the 788T using Wave Agent. See
Wave Agent for details.
6) Sync Input
This BNC is used to connect an external
video sync or word clock reference signal
for word clock purposes. Accepts NTSC,
PAL, and Tri-level video syncs as well
as word clock rates between 32 kHz and
48.048 kHz.
7) External DC In
Accepts power from 10–18 volts DC to
power and charge the Li-ion battery.
Hirose 4-pin connector is wired pin-1
negative (-), pin-4 positive (+). Pin-2 and
pin-3 are not connected. Charging charac-
teristics are set in the Setup Menu.
8) Headphone Output
1/4-inch and 3.5 mm TRS stereo head-
phone connectors. Can drive headphones
from 8 to 1000 ohm impedances to very
high levels. Tip = left, ring = right, sleeve
= ground.
9) Analog Output 5-6
Unbalanced output on 3.5 mm TRS stereo
connector. Program source and attenua-
tion levels are user selectable. Tip = Ch5,
ring = Ch6, sleeve = ground.
10) AES3 Output 1-2 and 3-4
Transformer-balanced AES3 digital out-
puts 1-2 and 3-4. Program source is user
selectable.
11) Time Code Multi-Pin
Time code input and output on 5-pin
LEMO®connector.
12) Word Clock Output
Provides a word clock output running at
the sample rate of the 788T.
788T/788T-SSD User Guide and Technical Information
12 v. 3.01 Features and specifications are subject to change. Visit www.sounddevices.com for the latest documentation.
Panel and LCD Descriptions2