1. DL manuals
  2. Ferrofish
  3. Media Converter
  4. A32 DANTE
  5. User Manual

Ferrofish A32 DANTE User Manual

Other manuals for A32 DANTE: Owner's Manual
Manual is about: Professional 32 x 32-Channel AD/DA Converter

Summary of A32 DANTE

  • Page 1

    Manual professional 32 x 32-channel ad/da converter.

  • Page 2: Introduction

    Introduction thank you for choosing the a32 as your new a/d d/a converter! The a32 is an a/d-d/a converter with 32 analog inputs and outputs, 64x64 madi and 32x32 adat digital channels. Furthermore, it is possible to route internally between all i/o channels and even create submixes, which can be mo...

  • Page 3: A32 Operation

    Operation 1 a32 operation the a32 can be fully controlled from the front panel by using the select wheel and the menu button. The power button can be used as a home button and for switching the unit on and off. It is also possible to control the a32 via usb, midi or midi-over- madi. The main screen ...

  • Page 4: Headphones

    Operation 2 headphones turning the select knob whilst the main screen is visible on the display will make the headphones menu appear. You can now select the volume of the headphones output: by pressing the menu key, you can also select and then change the following: source: you can choose between an...

  • Page 5: Main Menu

    Operation 3 main menu pressing the menu key shows the main menu. Use the select wheel to choose the desired menu option and press menu to activate it. The main menu has the following functions: clock here you can set the a32 to generate the wordclock itself (master) or listen to a wordclock signal (...

  • Page 6: Preset

    Operation 4 preset levels, gains and the routing of the a32 can be saved and loaded in up to six different preset slots. Help you can change the language of the help system here, get information about the schematic structure and lookup the firmware version of the a32..

  • Page 7: Main Menu – Clock

    Operation 5 main menu – clock the clock source menu lets you select the wordclock source and the sample frequency of the a32 when running in master mode: the numbers below the labels show the internally generated clock as master or the measured external sample rate. If no sample rate is detected, „-...

  • Page 8: Smux Operation

    Operation 6 smux operation internally the a32 always uses all 32 analog channels, but the number of digital madi and adat channels is limited in relation to the smux mode currently in use. Smux/1 smux/1 offers frequencies from 32khz up to 48khz. Smux/2 when using higher frequencies (64khz to 96khz) ...

  • Page 9: Main Menu –  Mix

    Operation 7 main menu – mix inside the mix menu you can select one of seven mix presets. The a32 allows you to create a custom mix of all analog and digital i/o’s which can then be sent to the stereo headphones output on the front panel. You can choose between these mix presets within the headphones...

  • Page 10: Main Menu – Digital

    Operation 8 main menu – digital the digital menu shows all analog and digital inputs and outputs. All digital inputs and outputs are shown as dots with a traffic light color code. In this way, you have an overview of all channels at a glance. The traffic light led colors have the following meaning: ...

  • Page 11

    Operation 9 main menu – setup -> gains the analog inputs of the a32 can be set to different sensitivities. You can choose between three reference levels: +4dbu, +13dbu and +20dbu. Using the dsp, you can additionally set the reference levels from -8dbu to +20dbu in 1 db steps. The dsp always calculat...

  • Page 12

    Operation 10 main menu – setup -> levels the levels screen is similar to the gains screen described on the previous page and is responsible for the levels of the analog outputs. As with the inputs, you can set the level of each channel in 1db steps from -8dbu to +20dbu. The a32 offers individual ana...

  • Page 13

    Operation 11 main menu – setup -> routing the a32 features a sophisticated routing matrix. In the routing screen you can see a graphical representation on the left side and a list view on the right screen. To change the routing, do the following: choose the output: turn the select rotary to highligh...

  • Page 14: 1 - Optical

    Operation 12 main menu – setup -> madi the a32 has two madi formats (one optical and one coaxial) which can be used in a very flexible way: 1 - optical the a32 only uses the optical madi input. No automatic switching between the formats will happen. 2 - optical the a32 uses the optical madi input. W...

  • Page 15: 1 -  Separate

    Operation 13 main menu – setup -> midi the midi routing screen is intended to allow you to choose the way midi data is routed between midi and midi over madi: 1 - separate midi-over-madi and midi are separated. Control messages for the a32 are scanned from both input ports and replies are sent back ...

  • Page 16: Bnc Termination

    Operation 14 main menu – setup -> settings in the settings screen you can switch some global features: bnc termination the wordclock of the a32 is terminated internally with a 75-ohm resistor by default. When daisy chaining wordclock of several units, you should leave this option set to on. If you’r...

  • Page 17: Madi Short Frame

    Operation 15 madi short frame using the full bandwidth of madi you can transfer 64 (smux/2: 32, smux/4: 16) channels. By setting madi short frame, the a32 will only transfer 56 (smux/2: 28, smux/4: 14) channels. This setting corresponds to an early madi specification, which is capable of using the r...

  • Page 18

    Operation 16 main menu – setup -> lock to prevent accidental or forbidden operation of the a32, you can lock the front panel. The headphone screen is still accessible, but all other functions are locked. To lock the a32 front panel, enter the pin number printed on the bottom of the unit: after enter...

  • Page 19: Main Menu –  Dsp

    Operation 17 main menu – dsp the sharc dsp built into the a32 is used for routing, mixing and gain/level settings. But the dsp can do much more audio processing: using the usb connection, you can install ferrofish-dsp plugins, which are able to process audio effects with high accuracy and without la...

  • Page 20: Main Menu – Preset

    Operation 18 main menu – preset the a32’s gains, levels and the routing can be permanently stored in one of six preset slots. This lets you pre configure the a32 and saves you time later by just recalling the presets. The preset menu lets you choose which preset to load: after selecting the number o...

  • Page 21: Main Menu – Help

    Operation 19 main menu – help the help screen shows you the schematic structure of the a32, you can look up the firmware version and you can set the language of the help system. The a32 provides a help system, which explains all key sections of the unit, to guide you through using the a32 without ev...

  • Page 22

    A32 inputs and outputs 20 a32 inputs and outputs – analog: d-sub25 all analog inputs and outputs are fully balanced and can send or receive levels of +4dbu, +13dbu or +20dbu. Each channel can be set independently. You can also set levels between these three reference levels, which will be achieved d...

  • Page 23

    A32 inputs and outputs 21 a32 inputs and outputs – madi madi is a professional audio format, which can transfer 64 channels over a distance of up to 2 kilometers. When connecting several madi devices in series you need to put them in a daisy chain. This means that you connect the output of the first...

  • Page 24: Frame Switch.

    A32 inputs and outputs 22 when using sample rates higher than 48khz, channels have to be bundled to transport that higher data rate. As a result, the maximum amount of usable channels is reduced according to the following chart: the original madi standard utilized a maximum channel count of 56 chann...

  • Page 25

    A32 inputs and outputs 23 a32 inputs and outputs – adat adat is a very common digital multichannel interface standard invented by alesis. It is capable of transferring eight channels of audio at up to 48khz over an optical plastic fiber cable. The maximum length of an adat connection is limited to 1...

  • Page 26

    A32 inputs and outputs 24 a32 inputs and outputs – bnc wordclock every digital audio system needs a wordclock frequency to work. This clock frequency can either be generated by the system itself (master mode) or it can be supplied externally (slave mode). There can be only one master clock in a digi...

  • Page 27: Usb

    A32 inputs and outputs 25 a32 inputs and outputs – usb and midi usb the usb port can be used to remote control the a32. When connecting to the pc, the a32 will appear as a usb-midi device. Also, usb will be used to flash new firmware to the a32. Please visit our website to check for a new firmware v...

  • Page 28: Remote Software

    Remote software 26 remote software please note: the remote software is not available at the time of printing this manual. Please visit our website for more information. The a32 can be controlled from a computer via this software. To do so, select one option to connect the pc with the a32: usb interf...

  • Page 29: Technical Specifications

    Technical specifications 27 technical specifications madi i/o: optical + coaxial interface 64 channels @32khz, 44.1khz, 48khz 32 channels @64khz, 88.2khz, 96khz 32 channels @128khz, 176.4khz, 192khz* * both interfaces work independent to achieve full 32+32 channels midi over madi implemented latency...

  • Page 30: Ce / Fcc Compliance

    Ce/fcc, rohs, weee 28 headphone: independent stereo channel select any mono or stereo source select one of 5 mixes of all inputs and outputs digital volume control audio processor: sharc dsp adsp-21489 / 400mhz routing of all 128+128 channels mixing to headphone output dsp plugins pll: digitally con...

  • Page 31: Warranty

    Warranty 29 warranty each a32 is tested and all functions are checked extensively. Only high quality components are used, which enables us to give two years full warranty. As confirmation of the purchase date please keep the sales receipt. In case of a defect please consult your dealer. Defects, whi...

  • Page 32

    Info@ferrofish.Com www.Ferrofish.Com.