Steinberg Nuendo Time Base User manual

Time Base – Operation Manual

Operation Manual by D. Popow
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not rep-
resent a commitment on the part of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. No part of
this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for
any purpose, without prior written permission by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.
All product and company names are ™ or ® trademarks of their respective owners.
© Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, 2004.
All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

TIME BASE
4 Table of Contents
7 Preface
9 Package Contents and
Installation
10 Package Contents
10 Installation – Connections –
Getting Started
11 Im ortant Safety Instructions
12 Driver Software Installation
12 Windows PC Drivers
12 Mac OS X Drivers
13 Features and Basic
Settings
14 Time Base – Brief Overview
15 Basic Settings
17 Typical Setup
Exa ples
18 Basics
19 Com uter Connection
20 Settings in Nuendo
20 Time Base
22 Setting u the Time Base
9-Pin Device Control Panel
24 Time Base Slave
25 Setu Exam les
25 LTC as the Master
25 MTC as the Master
27 Internal Clock as the Master
28 House Sync (Blackburst) as
the Master
30 Machine Control
34 Video functions
36 Digital Varis eed
37 Reference
38 Basics
40 Selecting Pages in the
Dis lay
40 The Main Page – Dis lay
age P.1
48 VITC and Time Code
Inserter – Dis lay age P.2
50 Varis eed, Word Clock 2,
3, 4 and AES/EBU Out ut –
Dis lay age P.3
52 Time Code Test and Offset
– Dis lay age P.4
54 LTC out ut, Preroll, USB
ort and System Video
settings – Dis lay age P.5
57 Selecting tracks and
switching Track Selection
ages – 9-Pin-Machine A –
Dis lay age P.A
59 Track Selection Virtual
Machine – Dis lay age P.V
61 Service and Machine
Pages
62 Calling u the Service and
Machine Pages
62 Virtual Machine and MMC
settings – Dis lay age SP1
65 Presets, Time Code level,
Red light and SYSEX
handling, Initialization after a
Software U date – Dis lay
age SP2
68 Test and Setu Machine A
72 Preset Tables

TIME BASE
Table of Contents 5
77 Connections
78 Connections on the rear anel
78 VITC-Reader/Generator/
Inserter
78 Video Sync In/Out
78 LTC – Longitudinal Time
Code
79 VST System Link
79 Word Clock OUT 1-4
79 USB
79 9-Pin
80 GPI/O | MIDI
80 Wiring Exam les – GPI/O
81 Power and Protection
Circuit
82 Technical Data
83 VST Syste Link
84 What is VST System Link?
85 How does VST System Link
work?
86 VST System Link –
Troubleshooting
87 Glossary

TIME BASE
6 Table of Contents

1
Preface

TIME BASE
1 – 8 Preface
Congratulations on your urchase of Nuendo Time Base!
The Time Base offers erfect solutions for sam le-accurate synchronization
of digital audio roduction systems like Nuendo via House Sync (Black-
burst), AES/EBU – VST System Link, LTC or VITC with analog or digital
audio and video ta e recorders, mixing desks, sequencers etc.
Time Base combines the functional domains Word Clock (AES/EBU –
VST System Link), Time Code, Machine Control and Virtual Machine.
It reads and generates the standard Time Code formats LTC, VITC, MTC
and 9- in. Generated Time Code is in sync with the video sync signal.
A built-in Video Inserter lets you visually insert Time Code into the video
icture or add VITC to the video signal.
An integrated 9- in interface lets you control external 9- in com atible
devices, e.g. a Betacam video recorder, Tascam DA88, DA98, MMR8 or
Doremi V1.
Time Base can also be used as a Virtual Machine. This lets you, for in-
stance, remote control Nuendo from 9- in Edit Controllers, and mixing
desks that rovide 9- in machine control (SSL, NEVE…). The GPI/O
socket on the Time Base rovides the ossibility to realize Red light
(“on air”) control.
Time Base rovides a two-line dis lay and four ergonomically ositioned
buttons. These can be used to call u various dis lay ages and set indi-
vidual arameters. Settings can also be made from within Nuendo, ro-
vided that the corres onding a lication is connected to the Time Base
via USB. When you load a Project, all relevant Project settings are auto-
matically transferred to the Time Base.
We are sure that using Time Base will sim lify your studio work and will
hel you to become even more roductive.
We ho e that you have fun using Time Base!
For their continuous su ort during the develo ment of Time Base,
we would articularly like to thank:
Achim Kruse, Burkhard Bürgerhoff – C-Lab
The Steinberg team

2
Package Contents and
Installation

TIME BASE
2 – 10 Package Contents and Installation
Package Contents
• Time Base
• Power Cable
• User Manual
• Driver CD
• Warranty Card
Installation – Connections – Getting Started
Time Base is designed to be mounted in a 19“ rack. It should either be in-
stalled in a 19” rack or laced on a stable surface, as it can fall down and
be damaged. Proximity to heating or cooling equi ment should be avoided
(o erational tem erature range 15-35 degrees Celsius).
The ower connector should only be connected to an earthed ower
socket using an earthed ower cable delivering 110-240V.
All signal connections should be made with shielded cables! All connec-
tions, exce t LTC in/out (analog audio), should be made with cables of
the correct im edance, suitable lugs and termination, if necessary (see
age 82).
❐ For so e Syste setup exa ples see page 17.

TIME BASE
Package Contents and Installation 2 – 11
Important Safet Instructions
• Do not leave the ower cable where eo le walk, in order to avoid any
accidental interru tion of ower. If an extension block is used, then care
should also be taken that all the connected devices do not together ex-
ceed the maximum safe current draw.
• Disconnect the ower before cleaning.
• Take care that no foreign objects get inside the machine. They could come
into contact with current-conducting com onents or cause a short circuit,
which in turn could cause a fire or an electric shock. Under no circum-
stances should liquids be allowed to get inside Time Base.
• When the cover of Time Base is removed, it is ossible that dangerous
current-carrying arts will be ex osed to human contact. Therefore, all ser-
vice o erations should be carried out only by authorized service ersonnel.
• Time Base should under no circumstances ever be used in roximity to
water.

TIME BASE
2 – 12 Package Contents and Installation
Driver Software Installation
Windows PC Drivers
When you connect Time Base to your com uter for the first time, Windows
will recognize the new hardware com onent and start its “Add New Hard-
ware Wizard”.
• Insert the Driver CD into your CD-ROM drive and follow the instructions
dis layed on your com uter screen.
The necessary driver software – a Firmware Loader and the actual Time Base driver – will
now be installed during two se arate installation rocesses.
❐ You can safely ignore alert essages like “Digital signature not found”, “Do
not install driver”, “Driver not certified”. Si ply continue with the installation.
• Restart your com uter when the installation rocedure has been com-
leted.
Mac OS X Drivers
When you have connected the hardware for the first time and started the
com uter, you can install the driver software from the Driver CD-ROM.
1. Start driver installation by double clicking on the Time Base Driver icon.
2. Follow the instructions on the screen and restart your com uter when the
rocedure has been com leted.

3
Features and Basic Settings

TIME BASE
3 – 14 Features and Basic Settings
Time Base – Brief Overview
Time Base is a universal synchronization and control device for digital audio
and video in all fields of studio roduction.
Time Base combines the following four functional domains in one com act
device:
• Time code
• Word-Clock (AES/EBU digital zero or AES/EBU for VST System Link)
• Machine Control (MMC and P2 rotocol/9- in-control)
• Virtual Machine (emulated 9- in/P2 machine)
Time Base offers the following functions:
• Reads and writes all standard Time Code formats: LTC, VITC, MTC and 9- in
(serial Time Code).
The Time Code generator is in sync with the video sync signal.
• Synchronizes digital audio systems to House Sync (Blackburst, video), AES/EBU
(digital audio), LTC (“Longitudinal Time Code”, e.g. coming from an analog 24
track ta e recorder).
• Su orts all sam le rates between 16 and 192 kHz including ull-u / ull-down
(NTSC).
• Includes a synchronous digital Varis eed engine.
• Converts MMC to 9- in machine control.
The built-in 9- in bus can e.g. control Betacam VCR, Tascam DA88, DA98,
MMR8, Doremi V1 etc.
• Can be used as a Virtual Machine. This lets you remote control several hard disk re-
cording systems from various oints without having to switch the “remote control”.
The Virtual 9- in machine functions make it ossible to control Nuendo from 9- in
edit controllers and from mixing desks that are equi ed with a 9- in machine con-
troller (e.g. SSL, NEVE).
• Can dis lay (insert) Time Code in(to) video frames in two sizes and four dis lay
modes. The Time Code can be freely ositioned within the frame.

TIME BASE
Features and Basic Settings 3 – 15
Basic Settings
Before each session, the following basic settings should be made or
checked. Both of the following settings would normally be set according
to the standard settings used in the res ective country:
If the Time Base is being driven by video sync, the Time Code frame rate
will be automatically set to the video frame rate.
❐ The fra e rate of the connected devices ust be set to the sa e value!
❐ The Sa ple of synchronized devices ust be set to the sa e value! When
you ake the settings for a new Project in Ti e Base, Nuendo will auto at-
ically recognize the . When you load a Project in Nuendo, Ti e Base will
auto atically be set to the sa e settings.
Time Base
Displa Page
Parameter Explanation Options
P.5 SYS-VIDEO
Video frame
rate
E.g. 25 frames in Euro e (PAL) or
29 frames in USA/Canada (NTSC).
P.1 FRM
Time code
frame rate
25 frame (PAL), 29, or 29D (dro )
frames (NTSC).
Time Base
Displa Page
Parameter Explanation Options
P.1 SR
Sam le rate The Sam le Rate should be set to the
desired value for the roject, and should
be maintained unchanged throughout
the whole roject (e.g. 44.1 for CD, 48
for Video/Film, 192 for DVD Audio).

TIME BASE
3 – 16 Features and Basic Settings
In the case of incoming re- roduced material, all three arameters
should be set to match, or the delivered material should be converted to
the “house” standard (if the latter, lease do so while synchronized!).
• When you install and check out Ti e Base for the first ti e, it is a good idea to
start out with one of the Ti e Base presets (see page 65). The individual Ti e
Base para eters are described in detail on page 37.
Time Base
Displa Page
Parameter Explanation Options
P.3 VARSP=OFF
Varis eed In this case, this arameter should be
set to OFF.

4
T pical Setup Examples

TIME BASE
4 – 18 Ty ical Setu Exam les
Basics
A few words of introduction to the technical roblems which can occur in
synchronization in an all-digital or hybrid analog/digital studio setu :
Basically, there are two different synchronization rocedures.
One of the available audio or video machines becomes the master.
But the ty e of Time Code often used, LTC, contains two information
streams:
• The visible time information (hh:mm:ss:ff).
• The invisible tem o information (Clock).
The LTC is thus used as osition and Word Clock reference! It is this
which may cause the roblem, that errors in the Master Clock, i.e. in the
Time Code (jitter, dro outs, wow & flutter in the master device) are assed
on to all connected slave devices. Time Base is conceived in such a way
that such roblems are contained as much as is technically ossible.
The signal used for synchronization in this case is referred to as “self-clock-
ing”, because the rinci al aim is to transmit a clock signal (s eed, Word
Clock) in which the other data (Time Code numbers in LTC, digital audio in
AES/EBU) ha ens to be included. Precisely because of this unavoidable
assing on to slave machines of errors caused in art by the system itself,
s ecial care should be taken that the Time Code is error-free.
The more reliable procedure is this:
One Master Clock is used to synchronize all devices (data streams) in the
studio. The Master Clock is the only device that generates a sync signal
(e.g. Blackburst or Word Clock). When using Blackburst, Time Base
uses this to generate the Digital Audio Clock. All connected audio and
video devices there run from the same ace and use this as a s eed ref-
erence. This avoids the error described above.
This rocedure only works with devices that can be synchronized externally.
This includes not just audio and video devices, but also Time Code gener-
ators as in Time Base). This means that when the Time Code generator has
clocked another second, a digital audio signal with a 48 kHz sam ling fre-
quency for exam le should have layed back exactly 48,000 sam les). This
rocedure also means that tem o information is derived from a recise and
stable source, which drives everything!
Time Base contains just such a clock.

TIME BASE
Ty ical Setu Exam les 4 – 19
Computer Connection
Time Base must be connected to the com uter via its USB ort which is
located on the rear anel. USB is used to transfer control and configura-
tion data.
VST System Link is used for synchronization. All time-related data is
therefore transferred via VST System Link.
Synchronization via USB-Serial-TC is also ossible, if necessary.

TIME BASE
4 – 20 Ty ical Setu Exam les
Settings in Nuendo
❐ A detailed description of the Ti e Base Setup windows in Nuendo can be
found in the docu entation and Online Help syste s of the corresponding
– Ti e Base supporting – progra versions.
1. Switch on Time Base, then start Nuendo.
Various setu arameter sets are available in Nuendo’s Devices Setu dialog for the differ-
ent Time Base setu o tions.
2. You can o en this dialog by selecting “Device Setu …” on the Devices
menu.
3. First, use the “ADD/Remove” tab in the dialog to add the res ective De-
vice Class, if necessary or select one in the Devices list on the left side of
the dialog.
Several Device Classes are available for Time Base. Click on the “Setu ” tab, to make the
corres onding settings.
Time Base
Here you can make basic settings.