Specifications

96 I/O Guide 6
S/PDIF Digital In and Out
These are unbalanced, two-conductor RCA jacks
that accept and output a stereo S/PDIF digital
data stream. S/PDIF supports up to 24-bit audio,
at sample rates up to 96 kHz.
Loop Sync In and Out
Loop Sync is a dedicated clock signal for syn-
chronizing multiple Pro Tools|HD peripherals
together. Loop Sync uses a word clock signal
based on sample rates of either 44.1 kHz or
48 kHz. As sample rate increases in the system,
Loop Sync continues to operate at a base rate of
44.1 kHz or 48 kHz, depending upon the higher
rate.
The Loop Sync In and Out ports are standard
BNC connectors that output a 1x Loop Sync
clock signal. Loop Sync should only be used to
chain multiple Pro Tools|HD peripherals to-
gether (audio interfaces and the Digidesign
SYNC I/O).
Optical (ADAT) In and Out
The Optical ports accept up to eight channels of
Optical (ADAT) input and output, or two chan-
nels (stereo) optical S/PDIF input and output.
Optical (ADAT) mode supports sample rates up
to 48 kHz. In TOS-Link mode, the 96 I/O sup-
ports two-channel Optical input and output at
sample rates up to 96 kHz.
About Lightpipe-Compatible Devices
Lightpipe is an industry standard, eight-channel
optical digital audio connection created by Ale-
sis. Lightpipe is found on many devices, includ-
ing Optical (ADAT) decks, modular digital
multitracks (MDMs), sound cards, A/D or D/A
converters, and digital consoles.
EXT. CLOCK In and Out
The External Clock In and Out ports are stan-
dard BNC connectors that receive and output a
word clock signal. These ports can be used to
synchronize the 96 I/O to any device that re-
quires (or provides) word clock.
The External Clock In port is configured by your
choice for Clock Source in the Pro Tools Hard-
ware Setup dialog. The External Clock Out is
configured using the External Clock Out selec-
tor in the Hardware Setup dialog. (For more in-
formation, see the
Pro Tools|HD Getting Started
Guide
.)
AC Power
This connector accepts a standard AC power ca-
ble (one is included with each audio interface).
The 96 I/O is auto power-selecting (100V to
240V) and will automatically work with a stan-
dard modular cable to connect to AC power re-
ceptacles in any country.
To avoid RF interference during S/PDIF
transfers, use 75-ohm coaxial cable.
Because crucial timing data is passed
through the Loop Sync and Word Clock ports,
you should use high-quality, 75-ohm RG-59
cables for making connections.