Table of Contents Flying Cow™ MANUAL
Contents
1. 20 WARNING This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a CLASS B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions contained in this manual may cause harmful interference to radio and television communications However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures 1 reorient or relocate the receiving antenna 2 increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver 3 connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that of the receiver 4 consult the dealer or an experienced audio television technician NOTE Connecting this device to peripheral devices that do not comply with CLASS B requirements or using an unshielded peripheral data cable could also result in harmful interference to radio or television reception The user is cautioned that any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could voi2. dQ 9 01 08 08 108135 13437 13437 av wa DSOTWNY Nom 2N Panel Description Front Panel 1 D A Valid This LED indicates valid incoming digital data for the D A converter When in AES EBU mode this LED lights whenever there is a valid digital signal present at the AES EBU In jack When in S PDIF mode this LED lights whenever there is a valid digital signal present at the S PDIF In jack Digital Format These two LED s indicate the current digital interface mode as either AES EBU professional or S PDIF consumer The mode applies to digital data both entering and exiting the Flying Cow The Digital Format is selected via the Mode Select Button A D Sample Rate These four LED s indicate the current sample rate in use by the A D converter 48kHz 44 1 kHz 32 kHz or EXT The first three are standard sample rates EXT is a special mode in which A D conversion is synchronized with the sample rate of some external source It is often used to sync with less common and non standard sample rates Mode Select Repeatedly pressing this button will cycle through all of the available sample rates and digital formats When powered up the Flying Cow will restore the mode and sample rate that was set before the previous power down A D Input Level LED s These LED meters indicate the le
3. audio in on the amplifier sound system Typical Setup Fig 2 SPEAKERS 10 CHANNEL MIXER eee 4 _ S PDIF Out In DIGITAL AUDIO CARD Inside PC S PDIF AUDIO AUDIO In Out In Out FIiyine cow Operation The A D and D A sections of the Flying Cow operate simultaneously even though you may sometimes choose to use only one or the other at any given time The A D and D A are both set up from the Flying Cow s front panel Selecting Modes The Mode Select button is used to select the A D Sample Rate and the Digital Audio Format As the Mode Select button is repeatedly pressed the Flying Cow cycles between the four Sample Rate settings 48 kHz 44 1 kHz 32 kHz and EXT After every four presses of the button the Digital Format will also change between AES EBU and S PDIF settings Therefore it should never take more than 8 presses of the button to get to your desired setup As they are changed the Sample Rate and Digital Format settings are stored inside the Flying Cow When the Flying Cow is turned off and then back on these changed settings will be retained D A Operation The Flying Cow D A converter is compatible with 24bit 20bit 18bit and even 16bit digital data the more bits per data word the better the dynamic range of the output signal and therefore the better the audio qua
4. in some cases it is advantageous to have the ground of two boxes held to the same potential and the cable shield might be depended upon to make that electrical connection The Flying Cow provides the option of grounding or capacitively coupling to ground with a pair of ground lift jumpers inside the Cow chassis 2 is used to ground the shield of the AES EBU In digital receiver and JP5 is used to ground the shield of the AES EBU Out digital transmitter When each jumper is installed it connects the associated shield directly to ground When each jumper is removed it connects the associated shield to ground through 0 1uF capacitor Figure 1 shows the location of the jumpers JP2 and JP5 within the Flying Cow chassis IMPORTANT The device power for the Flying Cow and all connected devices should be turned off before opening the Cow and changing its ground jumper settings SERRE Figure 1 19 Lifetime Limited Warranty MIDIMAN warrants that this product is free of defects in materials and workmanship under normal use so long as the product is owned by the original purchaser and that purchaser has registered his her ownership of the product by sending in the completed warranty card In the event that MIDIMAN receives written notice of defects in materials or workmanship from such an original purchaser MIDIMAN will either replace the product repair the product or refund the purchase price at i
5. any flat surface or it may be installed in a standard 19 rack equipment tray For installation in a 19 rack tray you will first need to remove the four rubber feet from the unit Next left or right justify the Flying Cow in the rack tray Lastly tighten the included rack mount screw through the rack tray hole into the single threaded hole on the bottom of the Flying Cow chassis Plug in the power supply With the Flying Cow s power turned off make your connections to any analog or digital cables you will be using Next power up the Flying Cow by pressing the Power button on the front panel IMPORTANT Before powering up the Flying Cow turn down any amplifiers or mixers connected to the Flying Cow s outputs Since it takes several milliseconds for the Flying Cow to acquire and lock onto an incoming digital signal there may be a slight pop sound while powering up A typical configuration in which a Flying Cow would be used includes a Flying Cow a PC based digital I O card a mixer and an amplifier sound system see Typical Setup figure Such a configuration could be setup as follows 1 the unbalanced stereo audio out of the mixer goes to the 1 4 audio inputs on the Flying Cow 2 the S PDIF out of the digital audio card goes to the S PDIF In on the Flying Cow 3 the S PDIF in of the digital audio card goes to the S PDIF Out on the Flying Cow 4 the unbalanced Analog Out on the Flying Cow goes to a line level
6. into the XLR ports of the Analog In jack s Solution A microphone preamp such as Midiman s AUDIO BUDDY is required to boost the low level mic signal to line level that is compatible with the Flying Cow s analog inputs Appendix A Specifications Power Supply Output 8 5 Volts to 9 Volts AC 1 Amp or greater A D Converter 24 bit stereo A D delta sigma converters with 128x oversampling Dynamic range of 102dB A weighted THD 0 0015 OdBFS Frequency Response 20Hz 20kHz 0 5 0 3dB Sample Rates 32 44 1 48 kHz and EXT D A Converter 24 bit stereo D A delta sigma converters with 128x oversampling Dynamic range of 104dB A weighted THD 0 001 OdBFS Frequency Response 20Hz 22kHz 0 5 0 3dB Signal Levels Analog Output XLR balanced 4dBu nominal 20dBu peak Analog Input XLR balanced 4dBu nominal 20dBu peak Analog Output 1 4 unbalanced TR 10dBV nominal 6dBV peak Analog Input 1 4 unbalanced TR 10dBV nominal 6dBV peak balanced TRS 10dBV nominal 6dBV peak 16 Appendix B Diagnostic Tests The Flying Cow does not have built in diagnostics but there are a few simple tests you can run to verify its operation These tests involve connecting a digital output to a digital input and then playing analog audio through the unit For the audio coming out of the unit to have high fidelity both the A D and D A circuitry in the unit must be working properly S PDIF Loopba
7. Flying MANUAL version FC 042799 Table of Contents FCC Class B CE Compliance 2 3 eee lee cae ew KER ia 4 D A EEE eee 4 A D Converter 4 Front 3 tht oxi yyy sey 4 Fip 5 a 6 Front San ae 6 Rear Panel seivetivediv 7 Installation and Typical Setup avsvavaccvacaveneunuenadens 8 Typical Setup 9 Operation eis see eh eee ee ee eee 99909940449 10 pelecting Mod s keen srs EEEE POPPE EEEE EEEE 10 D A Operation 10 A D 1 eh rp eee 14 Appendix A Specificati ns iin eas 16 S PDIF Loopback 17 AES EBU Loopback Test 17 Appendix C Block Diagram 18 D Grounding 19 Limited Warranty
8. TE If you have set the Sample Rate to EXT and a valid digital audio signal is being received at the input selected by the Digital Format LED s AES EBU or S PDIF the D A Valid LED will light If the D A Valid LED does not light then either the Digital Format is not set to the proper digital audio format or a valid digital audio signal is not reaching the appropriate digital audio in NOTE When the A D is in EXT mode the D A converter continues to function normally i e the digital data stream being input to the D A the EXT sync to data in this case will be decoded by the D A and analog audio will be output 13 Troubleshooting Symptom Solution Symptom Solution Symptom Solution Symptom Solution 1 Solution 2 Symptom Solution 1 Solution 2 When power is applied there are no LED s lit on the Flying Cow s front panel Make sure the power supply is properly plugged into the unit and also into a live wall source Also make sure the Power button is pushed in and latched When changing modes from the front panel small bursts of noise are sometimes present This is a normal and is the result of AES EBU and S PDIF receivers and transmitters taking a small amount of time to lock onto a new clock frequency or digital audio source Using a tip ring sleeve 1 4 cable I can t seem to get balanced analog audio out of the Flying Cow The analog outputs are balanced o
9. ck Test To test for proper S PDIF operation use a coaxial cable to connect the S PDIF Out to the S PDIF In From the front panel set the Digital Format to S PDIF and the A D Sample Rate to something other than EXT 48 kHz sampling rate is recommended for the highest fidelity though this test should be run once for each of the three standard sample rates The D A Valid LED should light indicating that a valid S PDIF signal is present To test further apply a known analog signal to the Analog In connectors Set the Analog Input Level so that the incoming signal is not clipping the A D converter Finally listen to the Analog Out signals and verify that it matches the known incoming signals with no discernible distortion AES EBU Loopback Test To test for proper AES EBU operation use an XLR cable to connect the AES EBU Out to the AES EBU In From the front panel set the Digital Format to AES EBU and the A D Sample Rate to something other than EXT 48 kHz sample rate is recommended for the highest fidelity though this test should be run once for each of the three standard sample rates The D A Valid LED should light indicating a valid AES EBU signal is present To test further apply a known analog signal to the Analog In connectors Set the Analog Input Level so that the incoming signal is not clipping the A D converter Finally listen to the Analog Out signals and verify that it matches the known incoming signals with no di
10. d the user s authority to operate this equipment To ensure that the use of this product does not contribute to interference it is necessary to use shielded I O cables This product also complies with European CE requirements Overview Thanks for choosing the Flying Cow professional external digital audio converter box The unit provides high quality 24 bit A D and D A converters and supports the popular digital audio formats S PDIF and AES EBU The Flying Cow s unique design allows it to fit into half of a standard 19 rack space two Flying Cows may be mounted side by side in a single 19 rack space The Flying Cow is a perfect companion for computer digital I O cards or any other digital audio device that requires high quality A D and or D A conversion It can even be used as a replacement for lower performance DAT or DVD converters This manual assumes that you have a basic understanding of A D and D A conversion and digital audio If after reading this manual you need additional technical support or if you have comments or suggestions we invite you to contact us directly by any one of the following methods MIDIMAN 45 E Saint Joseph Street Arcadia CA 91006 2861 Technical Assistance 626 445 8495 Fax 626 445 7564 Sales 626 445 2842 Internet Tech Support techsupt midiman net Internet Web Site http www midiman net Tech Support techsupt midiman net Sales Info info midiman net Feat
11. ft and right analog audio levels entering the A D converter CLIP indicates an overload condition to the A D channel and will result in distortion Analog Input Level This knob sets the level of the incoming analog audio signal as it enters the A D converter For the greatest dynamic range and signal to noise ratio it is best to set these levels as high as possible without making the CLIP LED s light When turned all the way down 0 attenuation is full and when turned all the way up Max gain is maximum Power When this button is in power is applied to the unit When out power is off When power is turned off the Digital Format and A D Sample Rate settings are saved and restored upon power up Rear Panel 8 10 11 12 13 14 Power connector For connection to the unit s external wall wart power supply The Flying Cow uses an external 8 5 or 9 volt A C power supply with 1 amp or greater current capacity Analog Out Right and Left These are the analog audio outputs from the Flying Cow s D A converters These unique combination jacks mate with either male XLR type connectors or 1 4 phone plugs The XLR outer portions of the jacks provide balanced outs The 1 4 inner portions provide unbalanced outs Analog In Right and Left These are the analog audio inputs to the Flying Cow s A D converters These unique combination jacks mate with either male XLR type connectors or 1 4 phone pl
12. gnal to properly attain the 11 optimum A D input level The Flying Cow front panel A D Input Level indicators aid in this adjustment Set the A D input level knob so that you light as many level indicator LED s as possible without lighting the red Clip LED s When the Clip LED s light the audio signal is being clipped at the maximum allowable input level of the A D converter This may cause extreme distortion and should be avoided NOTE For the absolute best results set the Analog Input Level to full attenuation 0 setting and externally adjust the incoming analog signals to reach the 3 dB levels at peak volume An occasional CLIP reading is sometimes OK it s best to let your ears be the judge The A D Sample Rate should be set according to your application s needs see page 10 Selecting Modes The higher the sample rate the better the audio quality On the down side the higher the sample rate the more digital data has to be stored per second Quite often the sample rate you select for the Flying Cow will be dictated by the sample rates accepted by other components in the system such as sound cards digital audio workstations CD players and DAT machines The Flying Cow supports three standard sample rates 48 kHz In the past this sample rate was reserved for the most costly professional systems Today it s even supported by computer sound cards and many software applications 48 kHz will achieve t
13. he highest fidelity conversion at the expense however of requiring more storage space per second of recording if saved to a disk drive DAT cartridge etc 44 1 kHz Historically this has been the most commonly used sample rate because it is the current consumer CD audio sample rate a k a redbook audio It strikes a good balance between sound quality and storage requirements 32 kHz Used for lower fidelity conversion and utilized mostly in applications that have limited storage space Frequency response is similar to a mid priced cassette deck but signal to noise ratio is much higher than any analog tape deck 12 The Flying Cow also supports synchronization to an external source The EXT sample rate setting locks the A D sample rate to a valid AES EBU or S PDIF signal received at the digital audio inputs at the back of the unit This is obviously useful for synchronization A less obvious application is to use the external sample rate to generate a non standard or less common sample rate i e other than 48 kHz 44 1 kHz or 32 kHz VERY IMPORTANT In order to successfully use EXT mode the following requirements must be met 1 the Flying Cow s A D Sample Rate must be set to EXT mode 2 the Flying Cow s Digital Format setting must match the digital input jack that is to receive the sync to data AES EBU In or S PDIF In and 3 a valid digital data stream must be present at that selected digital input NO
14. lity The D A converter receives a continuous digital audio stream from either the AES EBU In or S PDIF In jack depending on the setting of the Digital Format on the Flying Cow s front panel The digital data is converted to stereo analog audio and output through the left and right Analog Out jacks The Analog Out jacks can accept either XLR connections or 1 4 connections On the XLR audio out connections the audio is balanced on the 1 4 audio out connections the audio is unbalanced The D A does not require you to manually select a sample rate Instead it automatically detects the sample rate of the incoming digital audio data and adjusts it accordingly If a valid digital stream is detected the front panel D A Valid LED will light 10 IMPORTANT For the Flying Cow D A converter to work properly the Digital Format must be set to the correct incoming digital format AES EBU or S PDIF A D Operation The Flying Cow A D converter accepts analog audio from the left and right Analog In jacks using either XLR or 1 4 connections The XLR audio input connections accept balanced signals The 1 4 audio input connections accept either balanced tip ring sleeve or unbalanced tip sleeve signals The analog signals then pass through the Analog Input Level control and into the A D converter as balanced signals Finally the A D converter converts the analog data to a digital data stream and outputs it to both the AES EBU O
15. nly on the XLR connections The 1 4 analog output connections are unbalanced When applying a digital signal to the Flying Cow the D A Valid LED never lights Make sure the front panel Digital Format is set to match the digital audio format AES EBU or S PDIF you are inputting to the Flying Cow The digital signal may be invalid or the cable going to the digital audio in may be faulty Valid digital data is coming into one of the digital audio inputs the D A Valid LED is lit but there is no audible D A output Check your analog output connections from the Flying Cow The digital data source may be sending a static non changing or DC signal The digital audio stream is valid but the data is not changing Or the data represents an extremely small waveform that you are unable to hear 14 Symptom Solution 1 Solution 2 Symptom Solution 1 Solution 2 Symptom Solution Even though the front panel Analog Input Level knob is set to the MAX setting none of the Input Level LED s light Check your source signal and analog input cables The input signal is too weak Turn up the volume of the source the lower you can set the Analog Input Level knob the better the signal to noise performance achieved Even though the front panel Analog Input Level knob is turned all the way down 0 all of the Input Level LED s and even the CLIP LED often light Check your source signal and analog inpu
16. of California If any provision of this warranty is found void invalid or unenforceable it will not affect the validity of the balance of the warranty which shall remain valid and enforceable according to its terms In the event any remedy hereunder is determined to have failed of its essential purpose all limitations of liability and exclusion of damages set forth herein shall remain in full force and effect 20
17. scernible distortion 17 Appendix C Block Diagram LEFT ANALOG INPUT zal XLR o ANaLos O MT 1 4 LED Digital Format Ladder s p Mode Select V EBU DIF Switch Mode Select Switch DIGITAL OUTPUTS RIGHT ANALOG INPUT A D AES EBU XLR Cat CONVERTER S PDIF ae ace 8 174 LEVEL Mode Select Switch V 5 ner ample Rate by 44 1 32 Ett Mode Select Switch Extracted Clock gt LEFT ANALOG OUTPUT DIGITAL Mode Select Switch gt INPUTS AES EBU D A AES S P CONVERTER S PDIF EBU DIF 9 Digital Format RIGHT ANALOG OUTPUT changed by Mode Select Switch XLR 1 4 18 Appendix D Grounding Grounding the shield of a digital cable can sometimes be a tricky issue In the configuration of audio systems it is important to avoid ground loops and DC current flowing down the shield of the cable that could result when boxes with different ground potentials are connected Generally it is good practice to ground the shield to the chassis of the transmitting unit and connect the shield through a capacitor to chassis ground at the receiver This is how the Flying Cow is factory configured and should work fine with most systems However
18. t cables The input signal is too strong Reduce the volume of the source and try to keep the Analog Input Level knob set to 0 if possible This will achieve optimum signal to noise performance With the A D in EXT mode the Flying Cow is outputting erroneous digital data even though 1 think there is a valid digital audio signal coming into the unit The D A Valid LED does not light If the D A Valid LED does not light then 1 the Digital Format is not set to the proper digital audio format OR 2 a valid digital audio signal is not reaching the correct digital audio in This could happen if you are using the wrong digital audio in or if the digital audio cable is bad or if the device you are using to produce the sync signal is malfunctioning If any of these mishaps have occurred then the D A Valid LED will not light and the Flying Cow will convert A D data at a rate that is unpredictable typically between 10 kHz and 32 kHz 15 Symptom With the A D in EXT mode the Flying Cow 15 outputting digital data even though there is no signal present at the AES EBU In or S PDIF In connectors The D A Valid LED does not light Solution Even without an external sync source present the Flying Cow will convert A D data The sample rate is unpredictable but is usually somewhere between 10 kHz and 32 kHz Symptom I can t seem to get a good signal to the A D when I plug one or more balanced lo Z microphone s
19. ts option In the event any repair is required shipment to and from MIDIMAN and a nominal handling charge shall be born by the purchaser In the event that repair is required a Return Authorization number must be obtained from MIDIMAN After this number is obtained the unit should be shipped back to MIDIMAN in a protective package with a description of the problem and the Return Authorization clearly written on the package In the event that MIDIMAN determines that the product requires repair because of user misuse or regular wear it will assess a fair repair or replacement fee The customer will have the option to pay this fee and have the unit repaired and returned or not pay this fee and have the unit returned unrepaired The remedy for breach of this limited warranty shall not include any other damages MIDIMAN will not be liable for consequential special indirect or similar damages or claims including loss of profit or any other commercial damage even if its agents have been advised of the possibility of such damages and in no event will MIDIMAN s liability for any damages to the purchaser or any other person exceed the price paid for the product regardless of any form of the claim MIDIMAN specifically disclaims all other warranties expressed or implied Specifically MIDIMAN makes no warranty that the product is fit for any particular purpose This warranty shall be construed interpreted and governed by the laws of the state
20. ugs The XLR outer portions of the jacks are compatible with balanced inputs The 1 4 inner portions are compatible with both balanced tip ring sleeve and unbalanced tip sleeve inputs AES EBU Out This male XLR jack provides standard AES EBU digital output from the Flying Cow s A D converters The digital audio signal is stereo containing both left and right channel data S PDIF In This female RCA jack accepts standard S PDIF input to the Flying Cow s D A converters The digital audio signal is stereo containing both left and right channel data This jack may also be used to accept S PDIF Word Clock to the Flying Cow when operating with EXT sample rate S PDIF Out This female RCA jack provides standard S PDIF digital output from the Flying Cow s A D converters The digital audio signal is stereo containing both left and right channel data AES EBU In This female XLR jack accepts standard AES EBU input to the Flying Cow s D A converters The digital audio signal is stereo containing both left and right channel data This jack may also be used to accept AES EBU Word Clock to the Flying Cow when operating with EXT sample rate Installation and Typical Setup Your Flying Cow box should contain this manual a wallwart power transformer U S customers only and the Flying Cow unit itself Please save all packing materials in case you should ever need to ship the unit The Flying Cow may be operated on
21. ures Pro quality stereo A D and D A converters Simultaneous A D and D A conversion Standard single height half rack dimensions AES EBU digital I O on XLR connectors S PDIF digital 1 O on RCA connectors Balanced analog inputs on either XLR or 1 4 tip ring sleeve connectors Unbalanced analog inputs on 1 4 tip sleeve connectors Balanced analog outputs on XLR connectors Unbalanced analog outputs on 1 4 connectors D A Converter 24 bit stereo D A delta sigma converters with 128x oversampling Dynamic range of 104dB A weighted THD 0 001 OdBFS Frequency Response t 20Hz 22kHz 0 5 0 3dB A D Converter 24 bit stereo A D delta sigma converters with 128x oversampling Dynamic range of 102dB A weighted THD 0 0015 OdBFS Frequency Response t 20Hz 20kHz 0 5 0 3dB Sample Rates t 32 44 1 48 kHz and EXT Front Panel Analog Input Level knob allows optimum gain setting of input signal to A D Dual LED level ladders accurately depict incoming signal levels to A D A D sample rate adjustable from front panel D A Valid LED indicates valid incoming digital data LEDs indicate current digital format and A D sample rate Unit remembers system setup even after power off NI nag say 3199 5 3 53 1 5 OVAG 1 1 97 D vl EL Sh bE OL 6 8 0 020009 bbb 38 Rav
22. ut and S PDIF Out jacks simultaneously IMPORTANT The same digital data is always present at both the AES EBU and S PDIF output jacks Electrically both of these signals will always be correct However the data format of the audio stream will be correct on one jack but not the other the data format will match the Flying Cow s front panel Digital Format setting In many applications this will not present a problem However if it does you must set the front panel Digital Format to match the digital output standard you will be using The A D converter requires three parameters to be set up for proper operation Digital Format Input Level and Sample Rate From the front panel controls of the Flying Cow set the Digital Format to match that of the digital output jack of the external equipment to which you are connecting the Flying Cow see page 10 Selecting Modes For example if you are connecting the Flying Cow S PDIF Out to the S PDIF In of a PC digital sound card set the Digital Format to S PDIF Input Level should be adjusted for optimum A D sampling quality For best conversion the input signal should have enough amplitude to take advantage of all 24 bits of A D resolution In other words the incoming audio signal should be loud enough to approach the A D converter s maximum acceptable full scale signal level The Analog Input Level adjustment on the Flying Cow s front panel allows you to attenuate or amplify an incoming si
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