Tascam Professional Digital Surround Monitor Controller DS-M7. 1 Owners Manual

2 – Parts of the DS-M7.1
  TASCAM DS-M7.1 11
Rear panel
See the section on Connections for details of how to 
make connections to and from the DS-M7.1.
1Expansion slots The DS-M7.1 is fitted 
with three expansion slots, which can take different 
types of I/O card. Consult your TASCAM dealer for 
details concerning the availability and the fitting of 
these cards. When a card is fitted, it can be used as an 
alternative to one of the three connectors immedi-
ately to the right of the slots, as described...

2 – Parts of the DS-M7.1
12 TASCAM DS-M7.1
8MASTER RECORDER I/O There are 
three sets of connectors for connecting the master 
recorder: 
TDIF-1 (combined input and output), ADAT 
(separate input and output “lightpipe” connectors) 
and 
AES/EBU (combined input and output). 
9REMOTE IN 1 Use this as an alternative to 
the front panel 
REMOTE IN 2 connector when using 
the front panel as a remote control. See “Making up a 
remote control cable” on page 38 for details.
ARS-232C Reserved for future software...

  TASCAM DS-M7.1 13
3 – Connections
This section describes not only the connections you 
make between other equipment and the DS-M7.1, but 
also the software steps necessary to make that other 
equipment recognizable by and usable with the unit.
Read this section carefully, especially the section on 
word clock, as it is essential to the proper operation 
of your system, and may even result in damage to 
your equipment if the appropriate steps are not car-
ried out.
NOTE
When making connections between...

3 – Connections
14 TASCAM DS-M7.1
the console outputs, and may not be monitored 
directly from the DS-M7.1.
Outputs to the tracking recorder These 
connect to the recorder inputs. These may be moni-
tored as 
BUS signals from the DS-M7.1.
When this connection, together with all other con-
nections, have been made, you should set up the DS-
M7.1 to recognize the appropriate tracking recorder 
source (TDIF or slot), as described here.1Press the 
SYSTEM key and press the cursor 
keys until the cursor...

3 – Connections
  TASCAM DS-M7.1 15
Console and MasterRec (mastering 
recorder).
The second and third lines of the screen will 
be automatically filled in depending on both 
the source and the settings made elsewhere in 
the system as described in “Routing and 
patching” on page 19. Possible values are:NOTE
High-speed connections cannot be made using the TAS-
CAM DM-24 digital mixing console. They may not be 
supported by other equipment, and you should check 
carefully in the documentation of all the...

3 – Connections
16 TASCAM DS-M7.1
Inserts
Either analog or digital insert units can be connected 
to operate after the 
BUS/RTN switch. These are 
selectable pre- or post- the Input Summing Router.
These inserts can be pre- or post- the input summing 
router (placed between the inputs and the RTN/BUS 
selector switch) and always pre- the RTN/BUS 
switch. See the block diagram at the end of this man-
ual for details.
Either AES/EBU digital devices, or analog (standard 
+4 dBu balanced) may be used here....

3 – Connections
  TASCAM DS-M7.1 17
1Press the SYSTEM key, and use the cursor 
keys until a screen similar to the following 
appears:2Use the VA L U E control to select between 
POST (the digital signals mirror the analog 
signals) and 
PRE (the parameters described 
above are ignored).
Other monitoring settings
There are other system settings related to the monitor 
system, which affect the analog outputs and the digi-
tal outputs in “post” mode.
These are the SPL Reference Level, the Dimmer 
level, the...

3 – Connections
18 TASCAM DS-M7.1
Dimmer and mute control connections
A remote box for mute (MUTE ALL) and dimmer 
control may be made up and used so that the control 
of these functions can be carried out from a location 
in the listening environment other than the main mix-
ing location.
Use non-latching push-to-make switches wired to a 
common sleeve ground with the dimmer wired to 
ring, and the mute to the tip of a standard 3.5 mm ste-
reo plug. The detection of the change in level, rather than the...

  TASCAM DS-M7.1 19
4 – Routing and patching
When the physical external connections have been 
made, it is time to set up the internal connections 
within the DS-M7.1 as described here.Since project needs and applications vary, the DS-
M7.1 provides flexibility in the way in which incom-
ing signals are received and monitored.
Choosing the surround format
First, you must decide in what format the incoming 
signals are to be processed. The available options are: 
7.1, 6.1, 5.1, LCRS (LS, RS), LCRS (CS)...

4 – Routing and patching
20 TASCAM DS-M7.1
1With the SHIFT indicator lit, press the 
STATUS/INPUT key so that the screen dis-
plays the following:2Use the cursor keys to navigate to the Input parameter, and set the value 
(
VA L U E control) to one of those listed above.
As you select the surround pattern, note how the 
green indicators under each 
MUTE CONTROL key 
light and go out, reflecting the surround pattern you 
have selected.
A note on LCRS
The DS-M7.1 supports two variants of the LCRS for-
mat...