Steinberg Time Base User Manual
Have a look at the manual Steinberg Time Base User Manual online for free. It’s possible to download the document as PDF or print. UserManuals.tech offer 523 Steinberg manuals and user’s guides for free. Share the user manual or guide on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.
TIME BASE Package Contents and Installation 2 – 11 Important Safety Instructions • Do not leave the power cable where people walk, in order to avoid any accidental interruption of power. 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 power before cleaning. • Take care that no foreign objects get inside the machine. They could come into contact with current-conducting components 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 possible that dangerous current-carrying parts will be exposed to human contact. Therefore, all ser- vice operations should be carried out only by authorized service personnel. • Time Base should under no circumstances ever be used in proximity to water.
TIME BASE 2 – 12 Package Contents and Installation Driver Software Installation Windows PC Drivers When you connect Time Base to your computer for the first time, Windows will recognize the new hardware component and start its “Add New Hard- ware Wizard”. • Insert the Driver CD into your CD-ROM drive and follow the instructions displayed on your computer screen. The necessary driver software – a Firmware Loader and the actual Time Base driver – will now be installed during two separate installation processes. ❐ You can safely ignore alert messages like “Digital signature not found”, “Do not install driver”, “Driver not certified”. Simply continue with the installation. • Restart your computer when the installation procedure has been com- pleted. Mac OS X Drivers When you have connected the hardware for the first time and started the computer, 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 computer when the procedure has been completed.
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 production. Time Base combines the following four functional domains in one compact device: • Time code • Word-Clock (AES/EBU digital zero or AES/EBU for VST System Link) • Machine Control (MMC and P2 protocol/9-pin-control) • Virtual Machine (emulated 9-pin/P2 machine) Time Base offers the following functions: • Reads and writes all standard Time Code formats: LTC, VITC, MTC and 9-pin (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 tape recorder). • Supports all sample rates between 16 and 192 kHz including pull-up/pull-down (NTSC). • Includes a synchronous digital Varispeed engine. • Converts MMC to 9-pin machine control. The built-in 9-pin 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 points without having to switch the “remote control”. The Virtual 9-pin machine functions make it possible to control Nuendo from 9-pin edit controllers and from mixing desks that are equipped with a 9-pin machine con- troller (e.g. SSL, NEVE). • Can display (insert) Time Code in(to) video frames in two sizes and four display modes. The Time Code can be freely positioned 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 respective 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 frame rate of the connected devices must be set to the same value! ❐ The Sample of synchronized devices must be set to the same value! When you make the settings for a new Project in Time Base, Nuendo will automat- ically recognize them. When you load a Project in Nuendo, Time Base will automatically be set to the same settings. Time Base Display PageParameter Explanation Options P.5 SYS-VIDEO Video frame rateE.g. 25 frames in Europe (PAL) or 29 frames in USA/Canada (NTSC). P.1 FRM Time code frame rate25 frame (PAL), 29, or 29D (drop) frames (NTSC). Time Base Display PageParameter Explanation Options P.1 SR Sample rate The Sample Rate should be set to the desired value for the project, and should be maintained unchanged throughout the whole project (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 pre-produced material, all three parameters should be set to match, or the delivered material should be converted to the “house” standard (if the latter, please do so while synchronized!). • When you install and check out Time Base for the first time, it is a good idea to start out with one of the Time Base presets (see page 65). The individual Time Base parameters are described in detail on page 37. Time Base Display PageParameter Explanation Options P.3 VARSP=OFF Varispeed In this case, this parameter should be set to OFF.
TIME BASE 4 – 18 Typical Setup Examples Basics A few words of introduction to the technical problems which can occur in synchronization in an all-digital or hybrid analog/digital studio setup: Basically, there are two different synchronization procedures. One of the available audio or video machines becomes the master. But the type of Time Code often used, LTC, contains two information streams: • The visible time information (hh:mm:ss:ff). • The invisible tempo information (Clock). The LTC is thus used as position and Word Clock reference! It is this which may cause the problem, that errors in the Master Clock, i.e. in the Time Code (jitter, dropouts, wow & flutter in the master device) are passed on to all connected slave devices. Time Base is conceived in such a way that such problems are contained as much as is technically possible. The signal used for synchronization in this case is referred to as “self-clock- ing”, because the principal aim is to transmit a clock signal (speed, Word Clock) in which the other data (Time Code numbers in LTC, digital audio in AES/EBU) happens to be included. Precisely because of this unavoidable passing on to slave machines of errors caused in part by the system itself, special 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 pace and use this as a speed ref- erence. This avoids the error described above. This procedure 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 sampling fre- quency for example should have played back exactly 48,000 samples). This procedure also means that tempo information is derived from a precise and stable source, which drives everything! Time Base contains just such a clock.
TIME BASE Typical Setup Examples 4 – 19 Computer Connection Time Base must be connected to the computer via its USB port which is located on the rear panel. 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 possible, if necessary.
TIME BASE 4 – 20 Typical Setup Examples Settings in Nuendo ❐ A detailed description of the Time Base Setup windows in Nuendo can be found in the documentation and Online Help systems of the corresponding – Time Base supporting – program versions. 1. Switch on Time Base, then start Nuendo. Various setup parameter sets are available in Nuendo’s Devices Setup dialog for the differ- ent Time Base setup options. 2. You can open this dialog by selecting “Device Setup…” on the Devices menu. 3. First, use the “ADD/Remove” tab in the dialog to add the respective 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 “Setup” tab, to make the corresponding settings. Time Base Here you can make basic settings.