Townshend Computer Tools DAT-Link - 2.5 Connecting to a Digital Audio Device

34 Installation
2.5 Connecting to a Digital Audio Device
Now that the DAT-Link is connected to your computer, you need to make the
other half of the connection|b etween the DAT-Link and a digital audio device.
This will usually be a Digital Audio Tape (DAT) recorder, but you can also connect
the DAT-Link to a Compact Disk (CD) player, a MiniDisk (MD), a Digital Compact
Cassette (DCC), a standalone digital-to-analog or analog-to-digital converter, or a
special eects pro cessor. The only requirement is that the device has a digital input
and/or digital output.
The DAT-Link supports three dierenttyp es of connections to digital audio devices:
SPDIF: This is the interconnect that is most often used on consumer DAT ma-
chines. The connectors are standard phono connectors. This type of connector
may also b e label \IEC Type II" or simply \Digital I/O". Standard analog
phono cables can usually be used for the digital data, however some cables
that are designed for analog may not be able to carry the high rates needed for
the digital data, especially over long distances. Many high-end audio stores
carry sp ecial digital phono cables that solve this problem.
AES/EBU: This typ e of cabling is most often found on professional equipment.
It uses three-pin XLR connectors. Cables designed for analog applications
work ne for AES/EBU connections as well. However, note that shielded
cables (most cables are shielded) must b e used, otherwise unacceptable levels
of radio or TV interference may b e generated by the DAT-Link . This typ e of
cabling is the preferred choice for long distance runs between the DAT-Link
and the digital audio equipment.
Fib er-optic: Many CD players use a ber-optic output which can be connected
to the DAT-Link using this connection. Also, DAT machines are increasingly
moving to this type of connection. Note that the typ e of b er-optic cables
used by digital audio equipment limits the distance of this type of connection
to about 3 meters (10 feet).
If the appropriate cables were not included with your digital audio equipment, they
can be obtained at any audio store which carries digital equipment.
Using the connection typ e available on your equipment, connect the devices using
two cables, one for each direction | playback and record. If you're using a CD
player or other device which is not able to make recordings, you will only need one
cable | from the CD player's digital output to the DAT-Link 's digital input.
Multiple devices can b e connected to a single DAT-Link as long as they use dierent
connections. When audio output is generated, the data appears on all three output
connectors. For audio input, the programs provided allow the user to select which
connector is used for the input source. You can, for example, connect a DAT
machine via the IEC TypeII connectors and a CD player via the ber-optic input.