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Digital I/O & Clocking

Optical Digital Input and Output​

The iD2+ optical input and output connect ADAT or S/PDIF equipment. Set each port to the required format in iD Control.

Digital I/O & Clocking illustration

In ADAT mode, up to eight channels of digital input and eight channels of digital output are available, depending on sample rate.

The input and output digital modes can be selected independently, so the optical input and optical output do not have to use the same format.

S/PDIF provides two digital channels per optical port.

Word Clock Output​

The BNC word clock output sends a clock signal from iD2+ to external ADAT equipment.

The BNC word clock connection is output-only.

System Status​

Digital I/O & Clocking illustration

Check the System Status area in iD Control to see the current sample rate and clock source. Double-click either status pill to open Settings.

Available sample rates are 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192 kHz. To change the sample rate, use the Sample Rate dropdown in iD Control.

Above 96 kHz, EQ, Compressor and Comfort Reverb are unavailable.

Digital Mode​

Set the optical input and output independently to match the connected equipment. Choose ADAT for ADAT signals or S/PDIF for two-channel optical S/PDIF. ADAT is selected by default.

In ADAT mode, the available channel count per optical port changes with sample rate:

44.1/48 kHz: 8 channels

88.2/96 kHz: 4 channels

176.4/192 kHz: 2 channels

Digital I/O & Clocking illustration

At higher sample rates, only the first four or first two ADAT channels on each optical port remain available, respectively.

S/PDIF mode provides two digital channels per optical port. Optical S/PDIF is not supported at sample rates of 96 kHz or above.

Clock Source​

Use Internal for normal operation, or select Digital 1 when you want iD2+ to clock from the signal arriving at the optical input.

Internal uses iD2+’s own clock. Digital 1 uses the clock carried by the optical digital input.

Digital I/O & Clocking illustration

Internal is the default clock source. The BNC word clock connection is an output and is not listed as a selectable clock source for iD2+.

Connecting an External ADAT Microphone Preamp​

Use a TOSLINK optical cable to connect the external preamp's ADAT OUT to iD2+'s optical input. In iD Control, set the input's Digital Mode to ADAT and match the sample rate on both devices. Select the required digital input in your DAW. The available ADAT channel count at each sample rate is shown in the Digital Mode table above.

Choosing the Digital Clock Source​

There must be one clock master in a digital setup. If the external ADAT preamp is the master, set it to use its internal clock and select Digital 1 as the clock source on iD2+ so the interface synchronises to the incoming optical signal. Alternatively, if iD2+ is the master, select Internal as its clock source and arrange for the external preamp to follow the iD2+ optical digital output or BNC word-clock output, using a connection and clocking mode supported by the preamp. Match the sample rate on both devices.

If the Digital Inputs Produce Clicks or No Audio​

Check that the optical cable runs from the source's output to the interface's input, the Digital Mode matches the source format, and both devices agree on the clock master and sample rate. A digital signal can be connected but still unusable if the devices are not synchronised. If the digital input is missing in the DAW, check whether the selected sample rate reduces the number of available ADAT channels.