Solid State Logic Alpha-Link AX, User Manual

Page 1: ...XLogic Alpha Link This is SSL XLogic Alpha Link AX MADI AX MADI SX LIVE User Guide ...

Page 2: ......

Page 3: ...tches Page One Alpha Link AX MADI AX and MADI SX 14 Virtual Switches Page One Alpha Link LIVE 15 Notes for Virtual Switches Page One 16 Virtual Switches Page Two Alpha Link AX and MADI AX 18 Virtual Switches Page Two Alpha Link MADI SX and LIVE 19 Notes for Virtual Switches Page Two 20 Virtual Switches Page Three Alpha Link LIVE 21 A Ap pp pe en nd di ix x A A A AE ES S E EB BU U I In nt te er rf ...

Page 4: ...ii ...

Page 5: ...p to three Alpha Link 8 RMP Mic preamps Two configurations of Alpha Link LIVE are available to suit either European or US broadcast analogue interface levels Each unit offers simple front panel controls to control unit configuration and the comprehensive input output routing matrix which can be used to set up global connections between the various I O connections and makes all combinations possibl...

Page 6: ...eferred to as the Alpha Link References to particular audio interfaces MADI ADAT AES EBU or analogue obviously apply only to the Alpha Link models that support the interface IMPORTANT Please register your XLogic Alpha Link unit on our website This will ensure that you receive notification of future updates and other important information and that your guarantee is registered Registration will also...

Page 7: ...e actual transmission rate This leads to a lower channel count for a given interface but results in a 2Fs interface that is broadly compatible with the original Fs rate interface Later improvements for some interface types lead to proper double speed 2Fs interfaces that did not compromise the channel count but were no longer compatible with older Fs rate interfaces These developments resulted in t...

Page 8: ...e the default CLOCK SOURCE please refer to the Clock Source Selection discussion on page 8 for further details Please turn down switch off or disconnect any connected amplifiers before re configuring your Alpha Link Changing signal routing and or clock source can potentially produce loud audible clicks To use an Alpha Link unit with an SSL or Soundscape Mixpander PCI audio card connect the Expansi...

Page 9: ...ed in non volatile memory when the unit is switched off and recalled the next time it is switched on When the Alpha Link is used in combination with an SSL or Soundscape Mixpander card the SSL Mixer software controls all front panel settings and the settings defined in the software will be restored as soon as the unit is powered up again if still connected to the Mixpander card Power Switch Routin...

Page 10: ...oup ADAT or AES EBU Analogue Expansion Bus or MADI can be connected to any output group If the Alpha Link is connected to a Mixpander card via the Expansion Bus port it can then act as multi channel bi directional format converter between the inputs and outputs and the Expansion Bus All routing in this case is determined by the SSL Mixer software and the front panel routing matrix control is deact...

Page 11: ...lease note that the INPUT button works only in combination with the OUTPUT button Where capacity is available two input groups may be assigned to one output group the AES and analogue input groups of an Alpha Link MADI SX or LIVE for example can both connect to the MADI output group Where this is possible it will be indicated by illuminating both input group LEDs whilst stepping through the differ...

Page 12: ...selected port input If either ADAT or AES EBU are selected as an external clock source it may be necessary to preset which ADAT port or AES EBU input port A only is used to derive the clock signal from In the same manner the External source MADI or Wordclock must also be preset Please refer to the System Settings and Diagnostics section of this guide for details of how to preset these clock source...

Page 13: ...lock range at up to 10 of the nominal rate provided that the nominal rate corresponds to one of the supported rates 44 1kHz 48kHz 88 2kHz and 96kHz As noted above if the sample rate from an external source falls outside of the expected tolerance all sample rate LEDs will be extinguished although the clock source LED should still indicate if a valid signal is being received The exception to this ex...

Page 14: ... FS less than 8dBu applied to an analogue input 12dBu or 6dBu for Alpha Link LIVE GREEN 30dB FS greater than 8dBu applied to an analogue input 12dBu or 6dBu for Alpha Link LIVE AMBER 3 0dB FS greater than 19dBu applied to an analogue input 15dBu or 21dBu for Alpha Link LIVE RED 0 1dB FS 22dBu or more applied to an analogue input 18dBu or 24dBu for Alpha Link LIVE Whilst the XS LED is located in th...

Page 15: ... by a flashing XS LED Diagnostic mode can be cancelled either by power cycling the unit or by simultaneously pressing both the SAMPLE RATE and CLOCK buttons once more Any changes will be lost if the unit is power cycled the internal memory is only written to if diagnostic mode is exited by pressing both SAMPLE RATE and CLOCK buttons Please allow time for any changes to take effect Picking a Page o...

Page 16: ...tting of each option in the current page is indicated in GREEN by the state of the corresponding LED in the first row of meter LEDs where the Channel 1 LED indicates the state of Option 1 Channel 2 indicates Option 2 etc When an option is selected pressing the INPUT button toggles the state of that option ON or OFF Tables detailing the available options and their default settings will be found on ...

Page 17: ...eter LEDs 1 through 8 whilst the buttons are pressed releasing the buttons will return the unit to normal operation The number will be displayed as a two digit binary number where LEDs 1 to 4 indicate the major part and LEDs 5 to 8 the minor part the table here can be used to convert the numbers displayed on the unit into decimal for example a version number of 1 2 would display as where indicates...

Page 18: ...t AX 64 32 at 2Fs 1 56 28 at 2Fs 2 MADI 2Fs data format not AX High Speed 2 Legacy SMUX 3 AES EBU 2Fs data format MADI SX High Speed 2 Legacy SMUX 4 Analogue Digital connection mode Analogue first lowest 3 Digital first lowest 5 ADAT or AES EBU channel status Use 4 Ignore 6 Sample rate when an Fs rate signal is applied to the wordclock input Fs 5 2Fs 7 Wordclock output at 2Fs Fs Clock 6 2Fs Clock ...

Page 19: ... 64 32 at 2Fs 1 56 28 at 2Fs 2 MADI 2Fs data format High Speed 2 Legacy SMUX 3 AES EBU 2Fs data format High Speed 2 Legacy SMUX 4 Analogue Digital connection mode Analogue first lowest 3 Digital first lowest 5 AES EBU channel status Use 4 Ignore 6 Sample rate when an Fs rate signal is applied to the wordclock input Fs 5 2Fs 7 Wordclock output at 2Fs Fs Clock 6 2Fs Clock 8 Phase angle of Wordclock ...

Page 20: ... over channel 57 2 These options are used at 2Fs rates only either to determine the rate of the master clock or to set the data format for that interface If the unit is set to lock to the interface in question these options determine how the clock signal embedded in the selected clock source is interpreted when the clock is below 57kHz When set to Legacy SMUX the distributed clock will be at Fs ra...

Page 21: ...e 6 for more detail 4 Many ADAT and AES EBU interfaces embed sample rate information in the data stream which Alpha Link can use to configure itself This information on occasion however might not correlate with the actual sample rate and in such circumstances Alpha Link can be set to ignore this information 5 Further to point 2 opposite when Alpha Link is set to lock to external wordclock whilst o...

Page 22: ...the notes overleaf for details regarding each setting LED Option Setting LED States See Note 1 2 ADAT clock source ADAT In 1 8 1 ADAT In 9 16 ADAT In 17 24 3 Clock source for External selection Wordclock 2 MADI MADI AX only 4 Unused n a n a 5 Unused n a n a 6 Unused n a n a 7 Unused n a n a 8 Unused n a n a ...

Page 23: ...es See Note 1 2 AES EBU clock source port A only AES EBU In 1 2 3 AES EBU In 3 4 AES EBU In 5 6 AES EBU In 7 8 3 Clock source for External selection Wordclock MADI SX 4 MADI LIVE 4 AES EBU sample rate converters port A only Input 1 2 enabled 5 Input 1 2 bypassed 5 Input 3 4 enabled Input 3 4 bypassed 6 Input 5 6 enabled Input 5 6 bypassed 7 Input 7 8 enabled Input 7 8 bypassed 8 Unused n a n a ...

Page 24: ...ptionally lock to one of the four AES EBU inputs provided on AES EBU port A To enable one of these four inputs to be selected the first two option switches operate together For the Alpha Link unit to lock to one of these inputs requires that the sample rate converter on that input is also bypassed see point 5 below 4 When EXT is selected as the clock source this can optionally be MADI instead of a...

Page 25: ...its in the Alpha Link range but the Expansion port is unable to detect this difference Therefore to guard against accidental and incorrect firmware updates the Alpha Link LIVE will by default not accept firmware updates over the Expansion port At the time of writing firmware update is not possible over the MADI port LED Option Setting LED States See Note 1 Control Host MADI 1 Expansion Bus 2 Unuse...

Page 26: ...22 ...

Page 27: ...easured from the selected AES EBU stereo pair on port A see page 17 not extracted from the in coming channel status bits Information about Legacy or High Speed mode may be extracted from the channel status bits if the in coming stream contains this information but this should not be relied upon see page 15 Inputs without Sample Rate Conversion The inputs of AES EBU ports B and C channels 9 through...

Page 28: ...utput buttons do not work The Input and Output LEDs are off The Clock button does not work The Sample Rate button does not work Is the Alpha Link unit being used together with a Mixpander card If so it is normal for these controls to be deactivated Otherwise please contact Solid State Logic s technical support When the Soundscape Mixer software is started a dialogue box states that the Alpha Link ...

Page 29: ...c com support The information that you will find there is kept up to date by our support staff to make sure all information is accurate All information is available to you 24 hours a day 7 days a week If you can t find an answer or solution to your issue you can submit a question on the site to our support staff for resolution ...

Page 30: ...26 ...

Page 31: ...the SSL Part number for ordering and unit returns 2 This is the number found on the rear of the unit adjacent to the unit Serial Number 3 Nominal maximum analogue I O level for 0dB FS Model SSL Part Number 1 Unit Identifier 2 Analogue I O Level 3 Digital Interfaces AX 726903X1 AFN 047 22dBu ADAT MADI AX 726902X1 AFN 046 22dBu ADAT MADI MADI SX 726901X1 AFN 045 22dBu AES EBU MADI LIVE 726908X1 AFN ...

Page 32: ...ctive owners and are hereby acknowledged No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means whether mechanical or electronic without the written permission of Solid State Logic Oxford OX5 1RU England As research and development is a continual process Solid State Logic reserves the right to change the features and specifications described herein without notice or obligation S...