Topic: Need help: Apogee ad1000

[dan434]

I am gonna run off the board and am going to try and use a ad1000 for the first time. I have read the manual and everything but it does not give as much detail as I would like and wanted to ask you some questions.
First what do people mean when they say is the Word Clock & Crystal good? How do you know if either one of them is bad?  What do I need to set my input at? What do I need to set the Sync Source at? And is it better using 44.1k or 48k? Do I run the soft limit or when would I? Should the phantom power be on?I am gonna power it via the 15-pin obviously but want to use the digital AES/EBU out on the back. Am I better just using the digital cable attached to the 15-pin, b/c the manual says the output is great via the aes/ebu out?

Also I bought it used and have not been able to test it. The person I bought it from said it was fine so I assume they were being honest but I guess you never know. Also if I do power it on with a 12v the OVR-L red light, lights up. Not sure why but I thought that was when it went over via the Left channel.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[marc0789]

whoa, lots to learn. Been there. You want to set it to dat as opposed to adat, uv16 rather than 16 or 20, crystal,soft limit off, phantom off, +4 for running out of the board, and adjust via right/left gain knobs. Run 48k.

As for input, just run xlr out of board into the xlr inputs. If you have an aes cable, use it as opposed to the 15 pin>coax>4pin xlr power connection. Sturdier c onnection.

As for the word clock, you know it's bad when you lose your lock on signal. You will see the clock run through it's cycle without locking on 48. Big trouble. Taking several passes to lock, however, is not necessarily a problem at all.

Good luck. The thing is a frigging time bomb. Hope ya got it cheap. But a helluva unit, no question. I've had 4, I think. Marc.

[DaryanLenz]

I am gonna try to answer all of these, so if it loks a little jumbled, it probably is...can you tell it is the end of the day!

anyhoo...

I am gonna run off the board and am going to try and use a ad1000 for the first time. I have read the manual and everything but it does not give as much detail as I would like and wanted to ask you some questions.
First what do people mean when they say is the Word Clock & Crystal good?
>>This refers to the internal mechanisms inside the unit.  The clock and crystal as far as I understand them determine whether or not the ad1k will lock onto a signal.  The signal light will cycle through about twice or so, and then should lock.  If it is taking a long time, or you are not getting a lock, these two parts are the usual culprits.   The reason we bring them up is they are exspensive to fix, and often not replaceable depending on apogee's mood I guess.  

How do you know if either one of them is bad?>>see above.

 What do I need to set my input at? >>>There are two options when runnning line in, either +4 or -10.  If the levels afrom the board are extremely low, -10 will give you 10 more decibels of level.  +$ actually attenuates the sbd level I believe, and is considered standard when running a line level signal to the ad1k.  

What do I need to set the Sync Source at? And is it better using 44.1k or 48k? >>>This I actually forget, but something tells me you need to set it at crystal in order for it to send a digital signal.


Do I run the soft limit or when would I? >>Soft limit will limit clipping on the ad1k.  Say you cranked the gain up all the way during a loud passage of music, this would attenuate your levels to -2, which is close to clipping.  The only reason I would use it would be at an acoustic gig, where the music is substantially softer than clqapping and crowd between songs.  It will lead to a more pleasing passage of clapping and noise than had the softlimit now been turned on.  Soft limit is what many would call a limiter.

le attached to the 15-pin, b/c the manual says the output is great via the aes/ebu out?

You may use either one, just make sure you have the correct cables.  

Also I bought it used and have not been able to test it. The person I bought it from said it was fine so I assume they were being honest but I guess you never know. >>>indeed, when you get a chance, test that sucker!!!

Also if I do power it on with a 12v the OVR-L red light, lights up. Not sure why but I thought that was when it went over via the Left channel.

This happens as the apogee is seeing a power surge from your external battery and then correcting itself.  This even happens on the mini-me as well when engaging phantom, a quick level spike.  Not a big deal assuming it performs fine otherwise.  >>

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Glad to help, I will try to answer more questions if you have them.  Welcome to ts.com BTW.

Daryan Lenz

[dan434]

Thanks for the help Marc & Daryan. I will post on Monday how my shit catches fire and I funk it up. Thanks again!

[Simp-Dawg]

I will post on Monday how my shit catches fire and I funk it up. Thanks again!

haha, looks like you've already learned all you need to know!  carry a fire extinguisher or at least some bread and kraft slices to make some phatty grilled cheese!  

[marc0789]

ditto what Daryan said about the reds when turning on. Not a big deal.

[Lee]

I will post on Monday how my shit catches fire and I funk it up. Thanks again!

haha, looks like you've already learned all you need to know!  carry a fire extinguisher or at least some bread and kraft slices to make some phatty grilled cheese!  

don't forget the garlic for super {{{{headiness}}}}

+T and welcome

[Simp-Dawg]

I will post on Monday how my shit catches fire and I funk it up. Thanks again!

haha, looks like you've already learned all you need to know!  carry a fire extinguisher or at least some bread and kraft slices to make some phatty grilled cheese!  

don't forget the garlic for super {{{{headiness}}}}

+T and welcome

hehe +T lee, i was waiting for someone to complete the recipe

[dan434]

Would I get better tapes if I ran v2>ad1000>da-p1 or just the ad? Or does it depend on how weak the signal is?

[nickgregory]

You wont need the pre for a SBD signal...just the A/D

[Sean Gallemore]

if you only knew

[dan434]

One last thing. I hope somebody replies soon: when I change the levels on the ad 1000 will I create clicks? Or digi-noise?

[DaryanLenz]

I noticed that you might get a loss of signal when bumping gain in 10 decibel increments, but it locks really quickly.  I would set your gain at 30 and fine tune with the knobs assuming your jumpers are set correctly.

Daryan