Apple Final Cut Pro 7 - Manual (Page 213)

Connecting Professional Analog Audio Devices
Professional analog audio devices use balanced XLR or 1/4" TRS connectors for each audio
channel. Most audio interfaces that support multiple audio channels come with a breakout
box that contains all the connectors.
To connect multiple analog audio channels from a VTR or audio device to a multichannel
audio interface
µ
Connect each audio output channel on the VTR or audio device to each audio input
channel on the audio interface or corresponding breakout box, if included.
A Recommended Audio System Using a Third-Party Audio Interface
To set up a system using a third-party audio interface, you need the following equipment:
• Your computer and display
• A device-controllable audio deck, such as a DAT or multitrack deck
• Appropriate analog cables for your system
• An audio interface
Note: Some third-party PCI Express interface cards have a breakout box connected to
the card with a special cable.
• A USB-to-serial adapter or internal modem serial port adapter
• A blackburst generator, with the appropriate cables to connect it to both your third-party
audio interface and your audio deck
• An RS-422 video deck control cable
Synchronizing Equipment with a Blackburst Generator
With most professional editing systems, you capture video, audio, and timecode via
separate cables. It’s important that when you capture, the VTR and the video and audio
interfaces are synchronized via a common video timing signal. If digital audio samples
and video lines and frames are not precisely synchronized, they eventually drift apart
because they are captured at slightly different rates.
Using a common sync source is especially important when you are independently
capturing long segments of video and audio to synchronize together later. If your audio
deck and capture interface are not both receiving the same timing information, the sync
between the audio and video portions of clips might drift over time.
A blackburst generator provides a common timing signal (or clock) to lock together the
timing clocks of all devices in a system. This is sometimes referred to as external sync or
house sync because every device in an entire facility can be timed to this common
reference.
213 Chapter 12 Connecting Professional Video and Audio Equipment