Clocking question

[awakenedgroup]

Hi PT folks. We have been using a black lion sparrow with its internal clock (basically the Black lion micro clock) for about three years as our clock for a 003 rack + with PT 10 . We just recently purchased a new UA Apollo 16. My question is this:

Is three years enough time for clock technology to have improved to a point where we could be comfortable using the Apollo clock to be the master and the sparrow as slave for the two ua la-610s it converts for our rig, or should we consider slaving the apollo to the BL sparrow. I have tried both and both will work. We are thunderbolt from the apollo to the mac and there are no other digital devices that need to be clocked. We are 16 analog lines into the apollo from our analog console and two aes/ebu lines from the sparrow.

Acoustically there is not enough difference to make the decision easy.

Thanks!

Skip Brown
Final Track Studios - Home - Roanoke, VA
Roanoke, Va
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[Chief Technician]

I can't answer your question directly. Here is some information to think about.

Most studios that use a clock that is not in the same chassis as their A/D and D/A converter do so for the following reasons:

• They need a video reference. Most A/D and D/A converters do not lock to video reference.
• They know, either through technical data or listening tests, that a dedicated external clock performs better than the clock in their A/D and D/A converter.
• If they are using TDM, HD Native, or HDX, they are using a SYNC peripheral for either video ref or lack of worry, as the clock of the audio interfaces follows that of the SYNC.

I don't keep up on clocking technology and circuit design. Is it possible that the UA interface has better clocking than the BL? Yes. Do I know this to be the case? No. Unless we want to get into an EE discussion, given the choice, you are better served with the clock in the same chassis as the A/D and D/A.

A Matter of Time: The Audibility of Clock Jitter might be worth reading. I hope you find something here helpful.

[awakenedgroup]

Thanks Jonathan
Thanks for the response. I have reset it to the clock in the converter to be the master. Thanks for the reading leads too.

skip

[jrtme]

The BLA will have the better clock. Call those guys on the phone they are very helpful with that sort of stuff. I have a BLA modded Apollo and the BLA MKII clock and it sounds great.