Mac OS 9 Lives
Digital Audio Workstation & MIDI => Audio & MIDI Hardware => Topic started by: darthnVader on March 11, 2023, 12:29:00 AM
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So what is the World Clock and how/when should it be used?
I mean I think I understand that it's used to sync digital sound devices, but I don't know how or when I may need to use it?
Keep it simple folks, I'm in way over my head now!
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You will need WC synchronization when dealing with more than two digital audio devices to make sure that they all work at absolutely the same sampling clock frequency.
Since you're not there yet, I'd say forget about it for the moment.
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like you noticed in the other thread people have different preferences what to call "sync" and what not.
so you could say if WC "synchronizes" something, then it only syncs DACs or ADCs. everything else in a device, such as a software or a tape machine, is only controlled by its DAC.
lets say an analog to digital signal converter constists of a clock, the actual converter and the analog components.
converters all sound the same. the difference in sound quality comes from the accuracy of the clock and the quality of the amplifier.
sending a device an external clock signal means that the external clock can now be used instead of the internal one.
for recording it is okay to put up to 3 DACs in series, which introduces a minimal delay to the WC signal. for other applications you might need "100% sync" and then you have to use a clock multiplier (a splitter - makes 2 or 4 signals out of one)
the WC itself is nothing more than a gate signal / square waveform at samplingrate.
external clock is nowehere really required to operate stuff, except for transmitting signals between devices (which is a pretty 1990 idea)
but for some mid range audio interfaces (motu, behringer, focusrite) it can do wonders to the sound quality. a good clocker or reclocker today is far below 1000 bucks and that is easily justified if you have multiple audio interfaces.
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Thanks guys, I noticed very few world clocks for sale on eBay, and they are pricey!
Tho I only have one device with a BNC connector for an external world clock( Box 3 Pro Firewire).
I suppose Logic Pro and the VS-1680 have their own world clock or lack it altogether?
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A clock is a crystal i.e. like the ones on motherboards
Its a physical thing,
Logic doesnt have a clock, its software
If you run multiple digital devices in series, a clock locks those
Devices to the same "clock".
Tick tock
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It's "word clock".
It is mostly needed when have an A-D converter that you want to connect digitally to something else, such as a sound card, but you want that something else to be the clock master.
https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/digital-clocking-explained