Prism Sound has a new website! Click on the button to visit it and see what's new! VIEW SITE
Prism Sound / SADiE Statement over the Coronavirus Outbreak – click to read
Prism Sound Where to Buy
  • Recording & Production
  • Test & Measurement
  • SADiE audio editors
  • Audiophile Products
  • Touch navigation
  • Home
    • In the News
    • Offers
    • Videos
    • Corporate
    • Heritage
    • Events
    • Careers
    • Other Sites:
      • Test and Measurement
      • Logging and Transcription
      • SADiE
      • Imerge
      • Audiophile
      • XiVA
    • Links
      • Reviews
      • Users
  • PRODUCTS
    • TitanTitan
      8 Channel USB Audio Interface
    • AtlasAtlas

      8 Channel USB Audio Interface
    • Lyra 1Lyra
      Compact USB Audio Interface
    • ADA-8XRDream
      ADA-8XR
      Modular Audio Interface
    • DA-2Dream DA-2
      Premium 2 channel D/A converter
    • Overkiller
      passive barrel limiter
    • VerifileVerifile
      Software
    • Legacy Products:
      • OrpheusOrpheus
        8 Channel Firewire Audio Interface
      • AD-2Dream AD-2
        Premium 2 channel A/D converter
    • Other Sites:
      • Test and Measurement
      • Logging and Transcription
      • SADiE products
      • Imerge
      • Audiophile
  • SUPPORT
    • Support Home
    • FAQ
    • Downloads
    • Resources
    • Tech Support Form
    • Register Product
  • CONTACTS
    • Company Contact Info
    • Dealers and Distributors
    • Enquiry Form
    • Quotation Form
  • Home:
    • In the News
      News stories and press releases
    • Offers
      Offers and promotions
    • Videos
      Prism Sound Videos
    • Corporate
      Company information and history
    • Heritage
      Prism Sound heritage
    • Events
      Upcoming shows, exhibitions and events
    • Careers
      Jobs, careers and opportunities at Prism Sound
    • Other Sites:
      • Test and Measurement
        Link to Prism Sound Test and Measurement site
      • Logging and Transcription
        Link to Prism Sound Logging and Transcription site
      • SADiE
        Link to SADiE website
      • Imerge
        Link to Imerge website
      • Audiophile
        Link to Audiophile website
      • XiVA
        Link to XiVA website
    • Links
      Links to Prism Sound User's sites
      • Reviews
        Link to Prism Sound product reviews
      • Users
        Links to Prism Sound User's sites
  • PRODUCTS:
    • TitanTitan
      8 Channel USB Audio Interface
    • AtlasAtlas

      8 Channel USB Audio Interface
    • Lyra 1Lyra
      Compact USB Audio Interface
    • ADA-8XRDream
      ADA-8XR
      Modular Audio Interface
    • DA-2Dream DA-2
      Premium 2 channel D/A converter
    • Overkiller
      passive barrel limiter
    • VerifileVerifile
      Software
    • Legacy Products:
      • OrpheusOrpheus
        8 Channel Firewire Audio Interface
      • AD-2Dream AD-2
        Premium 2 channel A/D converter
    • Other Sites:
      • Test and Measurement
        Test and Measurement products
      • Logging and Transcription
        Link to Prism Sound Logging and Transcription site
      • SADiE products
        Link to SADiE website
      • Imerge
        Link to Imerge website
      • Audiophile
        Link to Audiophile website
  • SUPPORT:
    • Support Home
      Product technical support
    • FAQ
      FAQ's, Tips and Techniques
    • Downloads
      Software, Firmware and Manuals
    • Resources
      Reference material and downloadable resources
    • Tech Support Form
      Technical Support form
    • Register Product
      Studio products registration form
  • CONTACTS:
    • Company Contact Info
    • Dealers and Distributors
    • Enquiry Form
      Quick and Simple Enquiry Form
    • Quotation Form
      Request prices, loan or demo equipment

AD-2 FAQ, Tips and Techniques

  • Overview
  • Tech Spec
  • FAQ
  • Downloads

General FAQs
? What do the flashing !!! Characters mean in the display?
These indicate a warning condition and further explanation can be seen by pressing [>]. A common display is Warnings: [Lvl] *Bad External DI. This means that a Digital Input (DI) signal is expected but not present or is incorrect.

In the default state of the AD-2, if an external Wordclock is not connected, this warning is shown accompanied by a solid ON "Local" LED and a flashing "WCK" LED.

If this display appears at other times, use the [>] key to investigate.

FAQ ID = 90
? Can I assign the Aux output to one of the XLR connectors?
Yes, but take care not to confuse the functions of XLR 1 & 2 if you assign them separately with Main and Aux generating different audio formats.

FAQ ID = 91
? How can I enable headroom setting by the stores?
The AD-2 allows you to set the input level at which digital full-scale (0dBFS) is reached using the 0dBFS: setting in the A-D Mode Setup sub-menu. The headroom limit can be considered as being the same as the maximum input level. Clipping will occur cleanly at this point. Then use the [down] key to get to the Preferences Menu. Press [Enter]. Press [down] repeatedly until Load A-D Gains: N is displayed. Then use the [>] key to change the setting to Yes and finally Press [Enter].

Once you have done this, any future store save and load operations will respectively set and restore the store's maximum input level (line-up) setting.

USE THIS WITH GREAT CARE!

FAQ ID = 92
? Can I drive 2 wire and 1-wire 96kHz at the same time?
Yes. You could use any of the A-D Factory Presets 1, 2 or 4 as a base or you could start with the Set-up Wizard and set 96k 1-wire 24-bit output. Then, you must modify the resulting setup to obtain the formats you need.

Starting from A-D Factory Preset 2; Factory Preset Store 2 places the Main Output on the XLR and BNC connectors in 1-wire (2x speed) AES-3id format. XLR1 & 2 can then be configured as 2-wire, leaving 1-wire (i.e. 2x speed AES3) 96k on the BNC outputs. First ensure that Factory Preset Store 2 is loaded. Press <A-D Modes>, then <Factory Presets>, then <2>. You should see A-D:96k,24b 1XLR. Press [Enter] to load the store.

Then, use the [down] key to select the Dig O/P Assign menu; press [Enter] and then press [down] until the XLR2 O/P: Main display is obtained. Use [<] to select Split96 and then press [Enter]. Check that the yellow "Link" LED is now on adjacent to the XLR1 & 2 LEDs in the "Output Assignment" box. Now, the XLRs are driving 2-wire and the BNCs are driving 1-wire, 2x speed AES3.

FAQ ID = 93
? How do I do sample-rate conversion?
A common requirement is down-conversion from a high sample-rate to a low rate such as 44.1kHz for CD release. To do this, press <D-D Modes>, <Factory Presets> and then <1> for 1-wire or <2> for 2-wire and then [Enter] to load the store.

See section 2.4 of the manual for details of Factory Preset stores D-D 1 and 2. To change the output sample rate from the preset 44.1kHz, press [down] until Main O/P Setup is displayed, then [Enter].

Use the [<] and [>] keys to select the desired output sample-rate and then press [Enter] to confirm the selection.

FAQ ID = 94
? Can the AD-2 convert up to 96kHz from 44.1kHz?
Yes. Use D-D Factory Preset Store 1 as a base. (Store 2 will be less useful as it specifies 2-wire input and this would need to be changed.)

Press <D-D Modes>, <Factory Presets> and then <1>. Press [Enter] to load the store.

Now change the output sample rate from the preset 44.1kHz to 96 or 88.2kHz. Press [down] until Main O/P Setup is displayed, then [Enter]. Use the [<] and [>] keys to select the desired high sampling rate, followed by [Enter] to confirm the selection. The AD-2 is now ready to up-convert using AES3 input on input XLR1 and generating 1-wire (2x speed) output on XLR1 and XLR2.

FAQ ID = 95
? How do I change the synchronization to AES3?
This can be set starting from any of the A-D mode Factory Presets by using the Menu controls. Start using the [down] control to locate the D-D Mode Setup sub-menu. Press [Enter] and then use the [<] and [>] keys to select XLR1 or XLR2. Confirm the selection with [Enter].

The AD-2 can accept sync at a frequency which differs from its outputs. For more information about the highly flexible synchronization modes of the AD-2, see section 5 of the user manual for more information. The manual can be downloaded from the downloads page.

FAQ ID = 96
? What is DRE?
Dynamic Range Enhancement (DRE) is a process designed for increasing the dynamic range of 16-bit recording channels, such as DAT, CD-R, or 1630+U-matic, when further post-processing is required. It requires an encode process on recording and a decode process on playback. It is suitable for applications where 20-bit dynamic performance is desired of the recorder but only a 16-bit recorder is available, and where the requirement for a decode process is not a problem.

The AD-2 Dual-rate A/D converter can encode DRE signals from analogue or digital sources, and can also decode them (in digital to digital mode) to transfer the high resolution signal, encoded on a 16-bit tape, onto a 20 bit digital audio workstation. (The Prism Sound Dream DA-2 can be used to provide analogue monitoring of the encoded signal.)

FAQ ID = 97
? What is the menu structure of my AD-2?
Please see this technical note.

FAQ ID = 98
? What are the factory analogue preset store settings?
Please see this technical note.

FAQ ID = 99
? What are the factory digital preset store settings?
Please see this technical note.

FAQ ID = 100



My problem is not listed here - what should I try next?

You can do one or more of the following:

Download the AD-2 manual for full product details.

Contact your local distributor for help.

Contact tech.support@prismsound.com for specific problems not found above.




UK: +44 1353 648888   US: +1 212 586 1033


Find Prism Sound on Facebook Follow Prism Sound on Twitter Prism Sound - a METAlliance Pro Partner AES Sustaining Member


  Prism Media Products Limited; Registered in the UK, Reg. No. 2719511,   Prism Sound Limited; Registered in the UK, Reg. No. 2176912
  Address for both companies: Unit 1A, Grovemere House, Lancaster Way Business Park, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB6 3NW, UK