NewTek TriCaster 2 Elite (3 RU) User Manual
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Each input and output has its own control column with
Volume
slider(s), VU meter(s), and other convenient
features. An identifying label sits at the top of each control panel. Roll the mouse pointer over the label to
reveal a
Configuration button
(gear) at right which, when clicked, opens the
Configuration
panel for the input
In this latter panel, click the
Connection
menu to display options for an input. You will see the local hardware
inputs listed in the
Local
group
as “IN 1”, “IN 2”, etc
.
Local connections can be assigned to ‘listen’ to either an SDI embedded audio source connected to the
corresponding video input, or analog audio inputs provided on the unit.
Note: Analog audio levels conform to SMPTE RP-155. The maximum input/output level is +24 dBu and the
sample rate is 48 kHz.
Beyond this, you have the option of assigning the audio delivered over the network from any NDI or other
supported network aud
io source (such as Audinate’s Dante™ sources) available on the system.
Returning to the audio
Input Configuration
panel, note that it holds both basic and advanced audio features.
In the former category, volume
sliders are provided below
VU
meters
for each audio source and output. Source sliders
default to their 0dB gain setting on first launch. After adding
audio sources, adjust these sliders as required.
Hint: Most numeric controls in the interface can be reset to
their defaults using Shift + double-click on the control knob.
The default value for Gain sliders is 0dBVU.
A
UDIO
H
EADROOM
In digital audio systems, levels exceeding
‘legal’
values are
‘clipped’ (uniformly assigned the maximum value). This
results in audible issues that cannot be easily corrected later.
For this reason, it’s customary to configure normal operating
level
(also referred to as the ‘alignment level’, and sometime
s,
‘nominal level’)
well below the clipping limit
–
sufficiently so
that occasional excessively loud sounds (say, loud laughter or
applause) can be accommodated without risk.
This range above between nominal level and the highest
possible
level is common
ly referred to as ‘audio headroom’.
What is considered a suitable headroom allowance can vary
from one locale to another, in different industry applications,
and even in individual studios. NewTek systems follow well-
established audio conventions, providing 20dB of headroom
above nominal level (+4dBu at 0dB on the VU scale).
Hint: Confusion can sometimes arise because different calibration scales are common in various audio realms,
and even for different device types and software.
FIGURE 27