Sync with big ben

[detroitkruk]

I just checked an installation (HD2, mac, dual core, 7.4) that had the cable coming from the core card to a digidesign SYNC. the sync is there mainly for 2" transfers.

the big ben was coming off the sync and there is a 96 i/o getting clock from the sync (with a rosetta slaved off that 96 i/0 getting it's own clock from the big ben) plus another rosetta getting clock from the big ben (with an additional rosetta slaved off that and getting it's own clock from the big ben).

it seems obvious to me that in this setup the sync is clocking everything. but upon searches and googles and more searches, this seems to be the de facto installation for the use of a sync and a big ben.

CAN SOMEONE TELL ME DEFINATIVELY THAT THE BIG BEN IS CLOCKING EVERYTHING IN THIS SCENARIO?

thank you so much and happy new year!
detroitkruk

[Eric Seaberg]

From reading what you've entered I say NO, but you can easily tell by checking the clock source of your ProTools session. If it's set to INTERNAL, then the Sync IO is the master and feeding the BigBen, as you have mentioned.

To be honest with you, if you're running the Sync IO internal at 96k, then you don't need the BigBen as it's only regenerating clock based on the Sync IO feeding it. You really only need a Sync distro amp.

You could certainly lock the Sync IO ref'd to the Big Ben, but ProTools has less jitter when run INTERNAL from a Sync IO as opposed to external clock.

You really have multiple ways to run the system....