Steinberg Nuendo SyncStation Operation Manual
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Operation Manual by Ashley Shepherd Revision and Quality Control: Cristina Bachmann, Heiko Bischoff, Marion Bröer, Sabine Pfeifer, Heike Schilling The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmit- ted 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. Windows XP is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Windows Vista is a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The Mac logo is a trademark used under license. Macintosh and Power Macintosh are registered trademarks. Release Date: August 31, 2009 © Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, 2009. All rights reserved.
5 Table of Contents 6Introduction 7About this manual 7What can the SyncStation do? 7Clock distributor 7Machine control 7Timecode synchronizer 7SyncStation extended System Link 8GPIO (General Purpose In/Out) 8Synchronizing with the SyncStation 8Synchronization basics 8Timecode (positional references) 10Clock sources (speed references) 11Frame reference (phase) 11Machine control 13Connecting the SyncStation 14The inputs and outputs on the SyncStation rear panel 14USB connection 15Frame and clock reference inputs 15Slave clocks (outputs) 15Machine control 15GPIO (General Purpose Input Output) 16SyncStation Controls 17Front panel controls 17Cursor buttons and indicator 17Status LEDs 17Reset button 18The SyncStation display 18Operation display mode 19Settings Menu display mode 20Resetting the SyncStation from Nuendo 20The SyncStation 9-Pin window in Nuendo 20The SyncStation Status window in Nuendo 21Menu Reference 23Root menu 23Unit menu 23Unit 01 - Master & Timecode Source 24Unit 02 - Frame Reference 25Unit 03 - Timecode Standard 25Unit 04 - Reference Frame Rate 25Unit 05 - System Link 25Unit 06 - System Link Input 26Unit 07 - Install Template 26Unit 08 - Line 2 Display 26Clock menu 26Clock 01 - Clock Reference 27Clock 02 - System Clock Rate 27Clock 03 - Audio Pull/Varispeed 0.1 % 28Clock 04 - Audio Pull/Varispeed 4 % 28Clock 05 - Wordclock A 29Clock 06 - Wordclock B 29Clock 07 - Wordclock C 29Clock 08 - Wordclock D 29Clock 09 - AES 1/AES 2 Output 30Clock 10 - Opto/SPDIF Output 30Clock 11 - Wordclock Input Rate 31P2 Out menu 31P2out 01 - Record Tracks 31P2out 02 - Position Request 32P2out 03 - Position From 32P2 In menu 32P2in 01 - Device ID 33P2in 02 - RS422-In Track Arming 33MIDI menu 33MIDI 01 - MTC -> MIDI Out 33MIDI 02 - Full Position -> MIDI Out 34MIDI 03 - MIDI In Track Arming 34MIDI 04 - MIDI ID 35USB menu 35USB 01 - MTC -> Nuendo 35USB 02 - Full Position -> Nuendo 35USB 03 - Nuendo Track Arming 35USB 04 - Nuendo MIDI ID 36USB 05 - USB Driver 37Example Studio Setups 38Composer’s home studio 39Mid-level post-production suite 39Film dubbing theater 41Technical Data 42Specifications 42GPIO pin assignment 43FCC information (U. S. A.) 43CE Declaration of Conformity 44Handling warranty issues 44Updating the SyncStation driver 44Updating the SyncStation firmware 45Index
7 Introduction About this manual In this manual you will find a basic overview of what the Nuendo SyncStation can do. A quick synchronization primer will help define the terms and concepts used in this manual. A detailed explanation of all the possible connec- tions that can be made to the SyncStation will follow. Next, the menu system of the SyncStation will be explored in de- tail and how these settings can also be made in Nuendo. Some example hookup diagrams will be used to explain some of the possible hardware connections to the Sync- Station. What can the SyncStation do? The Nuendo SyncStation is a complete hardware synchro- nizer solution for your Nuendo digital audio workstation. It allows your Nuendo system to be accurately synchronized with other audio and video hardware including: • Video Tape Recorders (VTRs) • Analog tape machines • Other Steinberg systems (System Link) • Other Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) • Multi-machine synchronization systems • Centralized house sync generators (black burst, tri-level) • GPIO interface for record lights, online indicators, and record footswitches The Nuendo SyncStation is the central hub by which all of these different tape machines and other systems can communicate with Nuendo in order to maintain perfect (sample-accurate) sync between all devices. In today’s ever-changing world of new media, HDTV and the Inter- net, the needs of a synchronization system have evolved, requiring the adoption of new standards such as tri-level HD video sync, hi-resolution audio clocks (96 K, 192 K) and various transport protocols (MIDI Machine Control, Sony P2 9-Pin RS422). Steinberg’s SyncStation includes all of these standards in a professional, rugged and so- phisticated piece of hardware designed to meet your syn- chronization needs. Clock distributor In today’s digital music and post-production environments, accurate clock synchronization between audio devices is always necessary. The SyncStation can receive, generate and distribute audio clock signals to four word clock out- puts, two AES outputs, and consumer Toslink and SPDIF outputs simultaneously. Machine control Using both MIDI Machine Control (MMC) and Sony 9-Pin RS422 protocols, the SyncStation can receive and send machine control commands, allowing Nuendo to control audio and video tape machines and have the SyncStation to be controlled from an external controller. This allows for easy locating of an entire system to a spe- cific timecode position. Plus, machine control can be used to arm tracks for recording and automating audio layback to VTRs using Nuendo’s punch features, for example. Timecode synchronizer As a timecode synchronizer, the SyncStation can read and generate timecode via LTC, MTC or RS422 connections, so that other computer workstations, MIDI sequencers and audio and video recorders can follow a master timecode source. SyncStation extended System Link The SyncStation uses an extended implementation of the System Link protocol, allowing the SyncStation to correct Nuendo’s position relative to the edge of each frame down to the sample. Since MIDI timecode is used to send position data to Nuendo, it can only be accurate to a few milliseconds (depending on the MIDI interface). The System Link con- nection is used to send sample-accurate position informa- tion back to the SyncStation which then calculates an offset to correctly align Nuendo’s transport to the edge of the video frame. This is a unique and extremely accurate method of synchronization exclusively provided by the SyncStation.
8 Introduction GPIO (General Purpose In/Out) With the GPIO interface, the SyncStation can receive and send various external signals, such as “red light” and “on- line” indicators including support for a record punch foot- switch. The GPIO pin assignment is listed in the section “GPIO pin assignment” on page 42. Synchronizing with the SyncStation Before exploring all of the options in the SyncStation, a basic understanding of the concepts and terms involved in audio and video synchronization is needed. For many, this knowledge may be old news and it is provided here only as a convenient way of defining the terms used in this manual. Synchronization basics There are three basic components of audio/visual synchro- nization: position, speed, and phase. If these parameters are known for a particular device, a second device can have its speed and position “resolved” to the first in order to have the two devices play in perfect sync with one an- other. The process of “resolving” the one device to the other is performed by the synchronizer, in this case, the Nuendo SyncStation. The synchronizer analyzes the position of the primary (ma- ster) device and moves the secondary device to the same position in time. When playback begins, the synchronizer analyzes the speed of the master device and adjusts the playback speed of the secondary (slave) device to per- fectly match the first and then maintain that speed in a highly accurate manner, sample-accurate if possible. The phase component is the alignment of each frame of timecode to the corresponding sample of audio. Simpler, low-resolution synchronization scenarios often ignore the phase relationship between timecode and word clock. Since the SyncStation handles video sync, timecode and word clock in one device, it can use the extended System Link connection to correct the phase between Nuendo and the video frame reference. This is essential for truly sample- accurate synchronization between audio and video. Timecode (positional references) The position of any device in the system is most often de- scribed using timecode. Timecode represents time using hours, minutes, seconds, and frames to provide a location for each device. Each frame represents a visual film or video frame. ÖFilm uses another positional standard called feet+ frames, which uses lengths of film in feet plus additional frames to denote its position on the timeline. While Nuendo is capable of displaying feet+frames counters and rulers for both 16 mm and 35 mm film, it is for internal reference only. The SyncStation does not have the ability to resolve direct film synchronization signals (e. g. tach pulses). Timecode can be communicated in several ways: • LTC (Longitudinal Timecode) is an analog signal that can be recorded on tape. It should be used for positional information primarily. It can also be used for speed and phase information as a last resort if no other clock source is available. • VITC (Vertical Interval Timecode) is contained within a com- posite video signal. It is recorded onto video tape and is phys- ically tied to each video frame. • MTC (MIDI Timecode) is identical to LTC except that it is transmitted via MIDI connections and is a digital signal. MTC is accurate to 1/4 of a frame. • Sony P2 (9-Pin, RS422) Machine Control also has a time- code protocol that is mainly used for locating and is not nearly accurate enough for speed and phase. It can be used in cer- tain situations where there is no other alternative. As a timecode synchronizer, the SyncStation can use either LTC, MTC, 9-Pin timecode or its internal generator as a po- sitional reference and generate outgoing timecode based on that reference. This is called the timecode source. For more information on how to set the timecode source, see “Unit 01 - Master & Timecode Source” on page 23. Timecode has several standards that are used commonly. The subject of the various timecode formats can be very confusing due to the use and misuse of various shorthand names for specific timecode standards and frame rates. The confusing part of this is that regardless of how many frames of video there are per second of timecode, those frames can be moving at different rates depending on the speed of the video reference.
9 Introduction The timecode format can be divided into two variables: frame count and frame rate. Frame count (frames per second) The frame count of timecode defines the standard with which it is labelled. There are four timecode standards. The SyncStation uses four letters to denote these stan- dard (F, P, N, and D). •24 fps Film (F) This frame count is the traditional count for film. It is also used for HD video formats and commonly referred to as “24 p”. However, with HD video, the actual frame rate or speed of the video sync reference is slower, 23.976 frames per second, so timecode does not reflect the actual real- time on the clock for HD video. •25 fps PAL (P) This is the broadcast video standard frame count for European (and other PAL countries) television broadcast. •30 fps non-drop SMPTE (N) This is the frame count of NTSC broadcast video. However, the actual frame rate or speed of the video standard runs at 29.97fps. This time- code clock does not run in real-time. It is slightly slower by 0.1 %. •30 fps drop-frame SMPTE (D) The 30 fps drop-frame count is an adaptation that allows a timecode dis- play running at 29.97 fps to actually show the real-time of the timeline by “dropping” specific frame numbers in order to “catch the clock up” to real-time. Confused? Well just remember to keep the timecode stan- dard (or frame count) and frame rate (or speed) separate. Frame rate (speed) Regardless of the frame counting system, the actual speed at which frames of video go by in real-time is the true frame rate. There are many frame rates when you include pull- downs and pull-ups. When transferring material between various video formats, it becomes necessary to change the speed (frame rate) of one timecode standard so that video or film frames can line up in some mathematical relationship to the destina- tion format. That’s where all the various pull-ups and pull- downs come from.These are the standard frame rates used in the SyncStation: •23.9 fps This frame rate is used for film that is being transferred to NTSC video and must be slowed down for a 2-3 pull-down telecine transfer. It is also used for HD video and referred to as “24 p”. •24 fps This is the true speed of standard film cameras. •24.9 fps This frame rate is commonly used to facilitate transfers between PAL and NTSC video and film sources. It is usually used to correct for some error. •25 fps This is the frame rate of PAL video. •29.97 fps This is the frame rate of NTSC video. The count can be either non-drop or drop-frame. •30 fps This frame rate is not a video standard anymore but has been commonly used in music recording. Many years ago it was the black and white NTSC broadcast standard. It is equal to NTSC video being pulled up to film speed after a 2-3 telecine transfer. •59.98 fps While the SyncStation does not directly support this frame rate, it can deal with it by using a multiplier to match the speed (29.97 x 2). This rate is also referred to as “60 p”. While 60 fps could theoretically exist as a frame rate, no current HD video camera records at a full 60 fps as a standard rate. ÖPart of the confusion in timecode stems from the use of “frames per second” in both the timecode standard and the actual frame rate. When used to describe a timecode standard, frames per second defines how many frames of timecode are counted before one second on the counter increments. When describing frame rates, frames per sec- ond define how many frames are played back during the span of one second of real-time. For example, NTSC time- code (SMPTE) has a frame count of 30 fps. However, NTSC video runs at a rate of 29.97 fps. So the NTSC timecode standard known as SMPTE is a 30 fps standard that runs at 29.97 fps real-time.
10 Introduction Clock sources (speed references) Once the position is established, the next important factor for synchronization is the speed of playback. Once two devices start playing from the same position, they must run at exactly the same speed in order to remain in sync. With digital audio, the speed is determined by the audio clock rate. With video, the speed is determined by the video sync signal. For proper synchronization, a master speed reference must be used and all devices in the system must follow that reference. As a clock generator and distributor, the SyncStation can receive a master clock signal and gener- ate outgoing clock signals for multiple audio devices. Internal generator The SyncStation can use its internal crystal-locked clock generator as a master clock source for an entire system. This generator may also use an external source as a refer- ence for the clock speed. Video black burst and tri-level sync When working with external video devices, it is necessary to reference the video frame rate for speed information. A video black burst generator is used to control the speed of each video device including VTRs, video workstations, and even high-end computer video cards. That same black burst signal can be used as a reference for the SyncStation’s clock generator. A black burst signal can be fed into the Video Sync BNC connector of the SyncStation in order to lock the audio sample rate to the video frame rate. The SyncStation sup- ports two types of video sync signals. Standard definition video (SD PAL or NTSC) uses the traditional bi-level sync signal (simply known as black burst) for frame rates up to 30 fps. HD video requires the use of tri-level sync signals in frame rates up to 60 fps. The SyncStation supports both bi-level and tri-level video sync for the most compatibility in today’s HD video world. ÖThe SyncStation has a video sync “thru” connection to allow the chaining of multiple video devices together with one video sync signal. Word clock The SyncStation can reference its internal clock to incom- ing word clock signals received on the “W/C IN” BNC connector. All standard sample rates are supported from 32 kHz up to 192 kHz. The word clock input uses a multiplier system to achieve the various sample rates. The internal system clock has three basic rates: 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, and 48 kHz. Using four multipliers (1x, 2x, 4x, and 256x), all other standard sam- ple rates can be derived. For example, to use a 96 kHz word clock signal, set the system clock to 48 kHz and the reference multiplier to 2x (2 x 48=96). The SyncStation can reference the following clock rates: • 32 kHz (Typically this rate will not use any multipliers since they would be non-standard sample rates.) • 44.1 kHz, 2x = 88.2 kHz, 4x = 176.4 kHz • 48 kHz, 2x = 96 kHz, 4x = 192 kHz • 256x is used only for Digidesign hardware superclock signals. 12.3 MHz (48 kHz x 256) is not a standard audio sample rate. ÖThis same multiplier system is also used for the Sync- Station’s word clock and AES (1x and 2x only) outputs. AES Audio Clock The SyncStation may also use an AES digital audio signal as a clock reference. Each AES input (XLR and BNC) can be used as a clock reference. The AES inputs also use a multiplier to derive high-resolution sample rates. SPDIF and Opto The SPDIF and optical Toslink inputs may be used as a clock reference in the same fashion as the AES inputs. Video, LTC and MTC (using frame reference) The SyncStation may use signals other than word clock as clock references. A high-quality video sync signal can be a good source for a clock reference. In cases where a high-quality audio clock source or video sync signal is not available, other references can be used to derive an audio clock. LTC and MTC sources are not optimal but will suffice if no other clock reference exists. The SyncStation is able to generate audio clock based on these frame references. !Care must be taken to ensure that the incoming video frame rate matches that of the Nuendo project.