Scorpio User Guide
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Glossary
¼-inch jack
Common analog audio connector used as both an audio input and
output. When a ¼-inch jack is described as TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) it can
be wired as either a balanced connection or as a two-channel connec-
tion. ¼-inch headphone jacks are typically wired as TRS stereo jacks.
3.5 mm jack
Common small-format audio connector. Often used for headphones
and -10 dBV signals for portable audio devices.
10-pin Hirose
A high-density multi-pin connector commonly used to connect an
audio mixer with video cameras. Sound Devices has numerous eld
mixers with 10-pin Hirose connectors. Dedicated fantail breakout
cables from Sound Devices and other third parties offer Hirose-to-XLR
and 3.5 mm connections to simplify connection.
Advanced Audio Coding (AAC)
An audio coding standard for lossy digital audio compression. De-
signed to be the successor of the MP3 format, AAC generally achieves
better sound quality than MP3 at the same bit rate.
AES3
A standard for the exchange of digital audio signals between pro-
fessional audio devices. An AES3 signal can carry two channels of
PCM audio over balanced, 110 ohm interconnections. AES3 is most
commonly interconnected with XLR-3 cables.
AES42
A digital interface protocol for microphones and microphone inputs.
Microphones conforming to this standard directly output digital audio
through an XLR or XLD male connector, rather than producing an
analog output. AES42 microphones require powering.
Attenuation
A reduction in the level of an audio signal. Attenuation can be applied
to both analog and digital signals. A fader is used primarily to attenu-
ate signals, though a small amount of positive gain is often available
on a fader.
bEXT chunk
Broadcast WAV extension data added to the audio data in a WAV le.
The bEXT chunk includes timecode and user bit data. For systems
that do not recognize the bEXT chunk this additional information is
ignored.
Bias voltage
Voltage typically applied to a lavalier microphone from a wireless
transmitter or XLR adapter to power condenser capsules and/or
impedance converters. Different from phantom power, bias voltage is
most commonly single-ended, being sent only on one connection.
Bit depth
When converting between analog and PCM digital audio the ampli-
tude of an analog signal is measured in nite steps, measured in bits.
Higher bit rates result in greater resolution of amplitudes, resulting
in higher dynamic range. 24-bit audio, with a theoretical maximum
dynamic range of 144 dB, is the standard bit depth used throughout
the audio chain for production.
Broadcast WAV, BWAV
Broadcast WAV les are WAV les with additional, non-audio data,
such as bEXT chunk data. Broadcast WAV les offer timecode sup-
port.
Bus
An audio path that is the destination of one or multiple (mixed) chan-
nels. A bus is typically routed to an output, a record track, or both.
Camera return
An audio input on a mixer designed to receive the output, typically
the headphone output, of a camera. Camera return inputs allow the
user to monitor the level and quality of the signal received at the
camera. In Scorpio the camera returns can be used as a source for
any channel.
CEDAR sdnx™
CEDAR Audio Ltd.’s highly-regarded noise suppression technology is
available as an optional paid plugin from store.sounddevices.com.
Use CEDAR sdnx to reduce unwanted background noises so you can
better capture dialog. CEDAR sdnx has near-zero latency and one sim-
ple control for adjusting the amount of suppression. Up to 8 instanc-
es of CEDAR sdnx are available per mixer-recorder/device. These
instances can run on any combination of isolated channels (excluding
17-32 on Scorpio) or bus.
Channel
A “slot” of a mixer that is controllable and routable. A given input
feeds the channel and the channel’s settings process and route the
audio as required. It can also be thought of as the path its selected
input signal takes on its way to its record track, a bus, or an output.
Channel grouping
With Scorpio any of the rst 16 channels can be grouped together so
that their faders, record arming state mute states can be controlled
together. Channel grouping can be used as an alternative to sending
channels to a bus.
Circled take
An identifying character, the @ symbol, which is placed in the le
name to highlight a take. Circled takes can either be used to identify
good takes or to identify tracks or takes that will be ignored.
Compression
A tool that reduces the overall dynamic range of an audio recording
by attenuating louder signals and boosting quieter signals to a more
uniform range.
Com return
A dedicated audio input designed to receive signals from a PL, or
private line communications circuit. The com return on Scorpio can
routed to an output or a bus.
Com send
A dedicated output designed to send signal to a PL (private line,
talkback) communications circuit. The com send is toggled by a front
panel switch.
Dante
A combination of software, hardware, and network protocols that
deliver uncompressed, multi-channel, low-latency digital audio over a
standard Ethernet network using Layer 3 IP packets.
dBFS
A measurement of the signal level of a digital signal in dB incre-
ments, dB relative to full scale signal. The maximum signal in dBFS
is 0 dBFS, with signals expressed with a negative sign. dBFS signal
strength is an internal measurement and does not correspond to an-
alog signals unless the relationship between analog signal and digital
signal is known.
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