TC Electronic DB6 User manual

DB6 Single / Multi / AES

English Manual

Applies to

DB6 firmware version 1.30

TC Icon version 7.50

Last manual update: 2014-03-05

English Manual (2014-03-05) a

Important safety instructions 1

About this manual 2

Before you get started 2

Register your product 2

Stay up-to-date on loudness 2

Unpacking and setup 3

Package contents 3

Software: TC Icon and DB6 firmware 3

DB6: An introduction 8

Keeping audio transparent 8

DB6 and AC3 transmission 8

Signal path transparency check 8

Solid foundations 8

One-step loudness management 9

Operating DB6 9

DB6 Single vs. DB6 Multi 10

3G Transmission cards 10

SDI: The Serial Digital Interface 10

DB6 AES 10

SDI vs. AES 10

DB6 presets 11

Getting to know DB6 12

Front panel indicators 12

Front panel reset button 13

Back panel connectors 13

Scenes, Routings, Engines 15

Setting up DB6 16

Networking basics and troubleshooting 16

Quick Setup 18

Updating DB6 software 19

Basic operation 20

Introduction 20

Basic TC Icon operation 20

Faders 20

On-screen keyboard 21

Accessing DB6 22

Operating multiple computers and/or DB6

units in one network 22

Scanning / rescanning a network for devices 22

Obtaining DB6 status information 23

Clock section 23

Status section 23

Setting up audio and syncing 25

I/O Setup – DB6 Single and Multi (SDI) 25

I/O Setup – DB6 AES 27

Setting up audio dithering 29

Setting up GPI/O 30

Setting up GPI 30

GPI 1: Preset Recall 30

GP Input Calibration 32

Setting up GPO 32

Recalling, storing and deleting settings 33

The Library concept 33

Library – Recall page 33

Library – Store page 33

Library – Delete page 34

Library – Bank page 35

Updating DB6 firmware 36

Icon Setup 42

Accessing the Icon Setup pages

42

Info page 42

Devices page 42

Security page 42

Joystick page 43

UI page 43

Color page 43

Loudness Wizard 44

An introduction to the Loudness Wizard 44

An introduction to the Loudness Wizard’s Up-

Con module 44

Loudness Wizard – Main page 44

Loudness Wizard – Format / Setup page 46

Loudness Wizard – Format / UpCon page 47

Loudness Wizard – Style page 47

Loudness Wizard – Weight page 48

Loudness Wizard – ALC page 49

Loudness Wizard – Limit page 50

LM6 52

LM6 – Introduction 52

LM6 – Basic Use 54

LM6 – Radar Page 54

LM6 – Main page 56

LM6 – Setup page 58

LM6 – Stat(istic)s page 59

Level versus loudness 59

Appendix 1:

Links and additional information 63

Appendix 2: DB6 GPI/O page 64

Technical specifications 66

Important safety instructions

English Manual (2014-03-05) 1

Important safety

instructions

1. Please read these instructions.

2. Keep these instructions.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Follow all instructions.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water.

6. Clean only with dry cloth.

7. Do not block any ventilation openings.

8. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s

instructions.

9. Do not install near heat sources such as ra-

diators, heat registers, stoves, or other appa-

ratus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

10. Only use attachments/accessories specified

by the manufacturer.

11. Refer all servicing to qualified service per-

sonnel. Servicing is required when the ap-

paratus has been damaged in any way, such

as power-supply cord or plug is damaged,

liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen

into the apparatus, the apparatus has been

exposed to rain or moisture, does not oper-

ate normally, or has been dropped.

Warning

– To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock,

do not expose this equipment to dripping or

splashing and ensure that no objects filled

with liquids, such as vases, are placed on the

equipment.

– Do not install in a confined space.

Service

All service must be performed by qualified per-

sonnel.

Caution

You are cautioned that any change or modifi-

cations not expressly approved in this manual

could void your warranty.

EMC/EMI

This equipment has been tested and found to

comply with the limits for a Class B Digital de-

vice, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules.

These limits are designed to provide reasonable

protection against harmful interference in resi-

dential installations. This equipment generates,

uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and

– if not installed and used in accordance with the

instructions – may cause harmful interference

to radio communications. However, there is no

guarantee that interference will not occur in a

particular installation.

If this equipment does cause harmful interfer-

ence to radio or television reception – which can

be determined by turning the equipment off and

on –, the user is encouraged to try correcting

the interference by one or more of the following

measures:

– Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

– Increase the separation between the equip-

ment and the receiver.

– Connect the equipment to an outlet on a cir-

cuit different from the one to which the receiv-

er is connected.

– Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV

technician for help.

For the customers in Canada

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Ca-

nadian ICES-003.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est

conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

Before you get started

2 DB6 Single / Multi / AES – Firmware version 1.30

About this manual

This manual will help you learn understanding

and operating the TC DB6. This manual is avail-

able in print and as a PDF download from the TC

Electronic website.

Please read this manual in full, or you may

miss important information.

Please do not operate DB6 before you have

made all connections to external equipment as

described in the “Setting up DB6” section. In the

subsequent sections of the manual, we assume

that all connections are made correctly and that

you are familiar with the previous sections.

To download the most current version of this

manual, view the product warranty, and access

the growing FAQ database for this product, visit

the web page

www.tcelectronic.com/support/

Getting support

If you still have questions about the product af-

ter reading this manual, please get in touch with

TC Support:

tcelectronic.com/support/

Before you get started

Register your product

Please register this product so we can inform

you about updates and other product-related

news. To register your product, please go to:

tcelectronic.com/support/account-registration/

registration/

Stay up-to-date on loudness

There are many aspects to loudness, and keep-

ing track of all of them can be a challenge. This

is why TC Electronic has created a dedicated

loudness website, where all of these aspects are

outlined, explained and discussed. This site is an

answer to the question:

“What is loudness – and why is it important?”

Visit the Loudness website at:

www.tcelectronic.com/loudness/

Software: TC Icon and DB6 firmware

English Manual (2014-03-05) 3

Unpacking and setup

Package contents

Depending on the configuration you have pur-

chased, the box should contain the following

items:

– 1 DB6 unit (Single, Multi or AES)

– 2 power cables

– 1 USB stick containing…

– the TC Icon software,

– the DB6 software,

– this manual in PDF format,

– this manual.

Software: TC Icon

and DB6 firmware

Operating DB6 requires a TC Icon remote or

a computer running the TC Icon software.

When you are working with a system involving

one or multiple DB6 units, you are interacting

with two types of software:

1. TCIcon software:

TC Icon is the software that you will install on

the computer(s) which you are using to ac-

cess, configure, operate and update the DB6

unit(s).

TC Icon software is available for Microsoft

Windows and Mac OSX operating systems.

TC Icon software is free and can be in-

stalled on multiple computers.

Downloading and installing TC Icon software

is described in this section of the DB6 manual.

2. TCDB6 firmware:

DB6 firmware is the software installed on ev-

ery DB6.

Every DB6 comes pre-installed with the most

current firmware version available at the time

of production. You can download newer ver-

sion of DB6 firmware from the TC website.

Newer firmware version will contain bug fixes

and/or new features.

DB6 firmware updates are free.

Use TC Icon software installed on your com-

puter (see above) to transfer firmware to your

DB6 unit(s).

Downloading and installing DB6 firmware up-

dates is described in “Updating DB6 firm-

ware” on page 36.

You should keep both the TC Icon software

running on your computer and the software

of your DB6 (the firmware) up to date. Using

up-to-date software versions ensures you ben-

efit from bug fixes and the latest features.

Software: TC Icon and DB6 firmware

4 DB6 Single / Multi / AES – Firmware version 1.30

Finding and installing TCIcon

software – Microsoft Windows

The most current version of TC Icon software for

Microsoft Windows at the time of production is

provided on the USB stick that came with your

DB6, but you may want to download the latest

version from the TC Electronic website.

You can download the latest version of the TC

Icon software for Microsoft Windows from:

www.tcelectronic.com/support/software/

– On this page, locate the “DB6” section.

– In this section of the support page, look for

“TC Icon software” and click the button repre-

senting the latest version of the TC Icon soft-

ware for Microsoft Windows.

Depending on your browser type and con-

figuration, a dialog may be shown asking you

what you want to do with this file.

Choose “Save”.

The software will be downloaded to your

browser’s default download location. Usually,

this is the “Downloads” folder for your user ac-

count.

– Go to the folder containing the ZIP file you just

downloaded.

– Right-click the .ZIP file and choose “Extract

All…“ from the context menu.

A dialog box will allow you to specify where

the extracted files should be stored.

Accept the defaults or change the path.

– After extracting the ZIP file, you will see a

.CAB (“Cabinet”) file in Windows Explorer.

Software: TC Icon and DB6 firmware

English Manual (2014-03-05) 5

– Double-click the .CAB file.

An “Icon” application file will be shown.

– Right-click the “Icon” application file and

choose “Extract…“ from the context menu.

In the dialog box that is shown next (“Select

destination”), select a folder where you can

easily find the application – e.g., the Windows

desktop.

– Click “Extract” to extract the application to the

selected destination.

– Launch the TC Icon application that you just

extracted by double-clicking its icon.

TC Icon will try to establish connections to all

connected TCdevices on a local network, in-

cluding your DB6.

If a connection cannot be established, please

refer to “Networking basics and troubleshoot-

ing” on page 16.

If you experience technical problems during

software download or installation, please ask a

person with administrator privileges on this com-

puter for assistance.

Updating TC Icon software

To update the TC Icon software on your comput-

er when a newer version is released,

– quit the TC Icon software if it currently running

on your PC,

– download and extract the newer version as

described in this section and

– replace the currently installed version by copy-

ing the newer version over it.

Software: TC Icon and DB6 firmware

6 DB6 Single / Multi / AES – Firmware version 1.30

Finding and installing

TCIcon software – OSX

The most current version of TC Icon software for

OSX at the time of production is provided on the

USB stick that came with your DB6, but you may

want to download the latest version from the TC

Electronic website.

You can download the latest version of the TC

Icon software for OSX from:

www.tcelectronic.com/support/software/

– On this page, locate the “DB6” section.

– In this section of the support page, look for

“TC Icon software” and click the button repre-

senting the latest version of the TC Icon soft-

ware for OS X.

Depending on your browser type and con-

figuration, a dialog may be shown asking you

what you want to do with this file. Choose

“Save”.

The software will be downloaded to your

browser’s default download location. Usually,

this is the “Downloads” folder for your user ac-

count.

– Go to the folder containing the file you just

downloaded.

– If you are seeing a .ZIP file, double-click it to

extract its contents. However, your browser

may already have extracted the contents from

the .ZIP file automatically.

– After the ZIP file has been extracted, you will

see a .DMG (“Disk Image”) file in the Finder.

– Double-click the .DMG file to mount this disk

image.

An “Icon” disk image containing an “Icon” app

will be shown.

– Copy the TC Icon application from the disk im-

age to your hard disk by dragging it to the “Ap-

plications” folder, or to another folder where

you can easily find it.

– You can now unmount (eject) the disk image

by right-clicking it and selecting “Eject” from

the context menu.

Software: TC Icon and DB6 firmware

English Manual (2014-03-05) 7

– Launch TC Icon by double-clicking the appli-

cation.

TC Icon will try to establish connections to all

connected TCdevices on a local network, in-

cluding your DB6.

If a connection cannot be established, please

refer to “Networking basics and troubleshoot-

ing” on page 16.

If you experience technical problems during

software download or installation, please ask a

person with administrator privileges on this com-

puter for assistance.

Updating TC Icon software

To update the TC Icon software on your comput-

er when a newer version is released,

– quit the TC Icon software if it currently running

on your Mac,

– download and extract the newer version as

described in this section and

– replace the currently installed version by copy-

ing the newer version over it.

DB6: An introduction

8 DB6 Single / Multi / AES – Firmware version 1.30

DB6: An introduction

Thank you for choosing DB6 – the next step

in professional loudness control. We want

to thank you for choosing this product, and we

hope it will serve you as a reliable, flexible loud-

ness processor for many years to come.

Consistency in loudness is the single most

important audio issue to get right in broad-

cast today. DB6 employs cutting-edge tech-

nology allowing stations to avoid listener com-

plaints about jumping levels, while transmitting

both analog and digital signals with optimum

processing.

Keeping audio transparent

One of the finest things about new international

loudness standards is that a transparent signal

path is defined all the way from production to the

consumer. We therefore encourage you to take

advantage of DB6’s multiple ways of turning off

loudness processing for content that is already

normalized and suitable for a given platform.

Partial or full disabling of loudness processing

can be automatic or based on external signal-

ing. TC has taken initiatives to make such exter-

nal signaling part of open broadcast standards

– so expect new developments in this field. For

unknown content, rather than using DB6 to in-

flict “sausage processing”, use its built-in radar

meters to pull in loudness just enough. The goal

should not be to have all programs sit constantly

at Target level, but rather to have DB6 intervene

as a “safety belt” when something has gone

wrong upstream.

Production measurements such as Program

Loudness and Loudness Range will gradu-

ally make audio mixing more precise and down-

stream processing less needed. Therefore, re-

view your processing settings at regular inter-

vals, and be prepared to back them off as pro-

duction catches up.

DB6 and AC3 transmission

DB6 includes numerous functions to optimize

sound and logging when delivering to platforms

using the AC3 codec. While fixed AC3 metadata

recommendations in new ATSC and EBU guide-

lines means that there are fewer things that can

go wrong, the dynamics processor built into the

AC3 decoder (known as “DRC”) is still one of

the places where audio transparency tends to

get lost.

To prevent DRC from becoming the “sausage

processing” component of the signal path, we

recommended turning it off. DRC also isn’t

BS.1770 compliant, and the limited 20 dB head-

room in the “RF” path of AC3 can be dealt with

in better ways that are available in DB6.

Signal path transparency check

Once a transmission signal path has been con-

figured and adjusted, check that it is indeed

free of loudness processing when you think it

should be. A good indicator of this is Loudness

Range. Measure a program’s Loudness Range

in the production studio, and check if the value

stays the same when delivered to the consumer.

As long as no dynamics processing is applied,

Loudness Range does not change if a program

is offset in gain.

Loudness range is also robust even across lossy

data reduction unless a low bit rate (lower than

64 kbps) is used. For AC3 transmission, be sure

to check Loudness Range after a domestic de-

coder as the DRC system may unexpectedly be

engaged.

Solid foundations

TC’s involvement with high quality digital audio

dates back to the mid-eighties of the last cen-

tury. Our commitment to digital excellence has

continued over the years with equipment for the

music, film and mastering industries. The ad-

vanced loudness and true-peak meters in TC’s

signal processors are founded on ITU and EBU

standards – standards that TC has contributed

to significantly.

Many years of experience with analog and digi-

tal broadcast and the know-how of skilled engi-

neers: This is the foundation on which this prod-

uct was built. From the purist and quality-con-

scious hardware engineers to the software writ-

ers, some of whom were involved with designing

the MPEG codecs: The team who has worked on

this signal processor forms a competent, non-

dogmatic design group ready to take broadcast

audio to the next level.

We are confident you will value the result of their

hard work.

DB6: An introduction

English Manual (2014-03-05) 9

One-step loudness management

DB6 is a signal processor that is able to handle

all aspects of loudness in one simple process:

– loudness metering at the input stage,

– up and/or down conversion at any stage,

– loudness processing,

– on-line lip-sync delay,

– loudness metering at the output stage and

– logging of all relevant loudness statistics.

In short: DB6 is an intelligent loudness processor

that keeps your audio at its finest – regardless

of which platform you need to deliver to. How-

ever, please note that DB6 is not a substitute for

managing loudness and true-peak level sensi-

bly in production and linking. The best result is

obtained when production, ingest, linking and

transmission is a transparent loop where as little

adjustment as possible happens downstream of

production.

Operating DB6

A DB6 is equipped with one or more signal pro-

cessing cards. Each card encompasses four so-

called engines. Two of these engines are running

the Loudness Wizard algorithms, while the other

two are running the LM6 metering algorithms.

A DB6 Single equipped with one signal pro-

cessing card can process and meter one audio

stream, while a DB6 Multi equipped with two

additional signal processing cards can process

three independent SDI audio streams.

As you can easily see, DB6 is a „headless sys-

tem“ – it has no front panel controls (with the ex-

ception of the Reset button).

DB6 is operated using the TC Icon software,

which you can download from the TC Electronic

website.

You can use the same version of the TC Icon

software to operate DB6 and other professional

broadcast products from TC Electronic (e.g. DB4

and DB8MKII).

Accordingly, a significant part of this manual

covers operating DB6 using TC Icon software

running on a standard computer, and the screen

shots you see are taken from the OSX or Win-

dows versions of this software.

DB6 offers a variety of ways to engage or dis-

engage processing. Processing may be invoked

automatically, depending on format, level, physi-

cal inputs etc., while remote control can be

achieved via Ethernet, GPI, SDI metadata etc.

When setting up the device, make sure to

only engage the methods you wish to use. For

example, if GPI inputs are not used, make sure to

set the respective GPI parameters to off.

Please invest some time in learning TC Icon’s

basic concepts – you will benefit from it when

operating systems that may include many net-

worked TC signal processors.

DB6: An introduction

10 DB6 Single / Multi / AES – Firmware version 1.30

DB6 Single vs. DB6 Multi

DB6 is available in three different hardware ver-

sions: DB6 Single, DB6 Multi and DB6 AES.

DB6 Single handles one SD/HD/3G stream,

making it the perfect choice e.g. for local broad-

casters or as an intelligent loudness manage-

ment tool in an OB van. DB6 single cannot be

expanded to handle more audio streams.

DB6 Multi comes with the ability to process one

stream right out of the box, but users can install

one or two additional 3G Transmission dual-

engine cards.

DB6 AES gives you up to 16 channels of unbal-

anced AES I/O on BNC connectors. Depending

on your integrated transmission system, you may

prefer to pass your entire SDI signal through a

loudness management system, or you may pre-

fer to route only the audio signal through an in-

sert point. With DB6 AES, you get the opportu-

nity to choose the latter scenario as well.

3G Transmission cards

Each 3G Transmission card…

– can process one SDI audio stream

– holds two multichannel processors

– is capable of running…

– two LM6 Loudness Radar Meters

as well as

– two LoudnessWizard™ algorithms simul-

taneously.

Accordingly, a DB6 Multi with two 3G Trans-

mission cards can handle three independent

streams – making it the perfect high-density

solution for any TV station in need of processing

multiple streams simultaneously.

Extensibility is the only relevant difference

between DB6 single and DB6 Multi. Both ver-

sions feature the same high-quality hardware as

well as the same powerful software algorithms.

Instructions on upgrading a base DB6 Multi

with one or two Transmission 3G cards are

not part of this manual. They are provided in

a separate document that comes with the 3G

Transmission card.

SDI: The Serial Digital Interface

With regards to inputs and outputs, DB6 is

based on the Serial digital interface (SDI) – a

family of audio and video interfaces standard-

ized by the Society of Motion Picture and Televi-

sion Engineers (SMPTE).

An SDI signal may contain up to sixteen audio

channels (8 pairs) at 48kHz sample rate and 24

bit resolution. We assume that you have a good

working knowledge of SDI. The standard as such

is not discussed in this manual.

DB6 AES

For many years, TC Electronic has focused on

developing highly intelligent clocking solutions.

The DB6 features one of the most complex and

intelligent technologies we have ever made. It is

based on the TC developed DICE™ core with its

JET™ Technology, which has been further re-

fined to deliver important features specifically for

broadcast use.

– DB6 locks really fast and artefact-free to clock

sources.

– It sends as good an audio signal as possible

through at all times.

– If the source is lost, DB6 keeps on running at

the “last good sync source rate”.

– DB6 keeps outgoing clock inconsistencies

(e.g. when the sync reference is lost or the

sync source changes) to a minimum. This en-

sures that e.g. upstream source switching will

affect downstream devices to the least pos-

sible extent.

– DB6 reduces incoming jitter to a nearly un-

measurable level.

SDI vs. AES

There are no versions of DB6 that provide SDI

and AES inputs and outputs on the same unit.

DB6: An introduction

English Manual (2014-03-05) 11

DB6 presets

DB6 comes with ready-to-use presets based

on international standards. More presets will be

made available as part of software updates, and

from the TC website. These presets are based

on information from broadcasters around the

world.

If you feel that an important preset is missing or

that a given preset does not work as it should,

please get in touch with TC Electronic technical

support.

Getting to know DB6

12 DB6 Single / Multi / AES – Firmware version 1.30

Getting to know DB6

This section of the manual describes the de-

vice’s status indicators and connectors.

! Please note that additional status information

can be displayed using TC Icon software – see

“Obtaining DB6 status information” on page

23.

Front panel indicators

DB6 has the following front panel status indica-

tors:

Front panel indicators on DB6 Single

PSU 1 and PSU 2 LEDs

The PSU 1 and PSU 2 LEDs indicate the status

of the two built-in power supplies.

LED color /

indication

Status

Green An external power is connect-

ed and the power supply is ful-

ly functioning.

Red There is a problem with the

power supply. Either there is

no external power connected,

or there is a problem at cer-

tain checkpoints in the relevant

power supply.

Please refer to the descriptions of the PSU con-

nectors in the “Back panel connectors” on page

13 section for more information.

Sync LED(s) – SDI

DB6 Single has one Sync LED, while DB6 Multi

has three Sync LEDs – one for each of the up to

three cards/engines in the device.

The Sync LEDs indicate if synchronization to

the currently connected signal source has been

achieved.

LED color /

indication

Status

Off Startup – no lock achieved.

Green An SDI stream has been detect-

ed at the corresponding input,

and DB6 is locked to it.

Yellow There is an SDI anomaly.

Red DB6 cannot lock to the SDI au-

dio stream.

Sync LED(s) – AES

The Sync Led of the DB6 AES indicates if syn-

chronization to the signal source selected as

Sync Source has been achieved.

For a description of all Sync states, see “AES In-

put State indicators” on page 27.

LED color /

indication

Status

Off Startup – no lock achieved /

lock status unknown.

Green A clock signal has been de-

tected at the corresponding

AES input, and DB6 is locked

to it.

Yellow DB6 is following its internal

clock or set to Bypass.

Red No lock or Freewheel status

Alert LED

DB6 Single has one Alert LED, while DB6 Multi

has three Alert LEDs – one for each of the up to

three cards/engines in the device.

The Alert LEDs indicate problems either within

the device or with the signal being processed.

LED color /

indication

Status

Off DB6 is not connected to a

computer running the TC Icon

software or a hardware TC

Icon.

Green DB6 is connected to a com-

puter running the TC Icon soft-

ware or a hardware TC Icon.

Normal operation, no problems

detected.

Green –

blinking

Preset recall

Getting to know DB6

English Manual (2014-03-05) 13

Yellow There has been silence for

more than five seconds, or the

LM6 algorithm has detected a

“High Loudness” state.

Signal LED

DB6 Single has one Signal LED, while DB6 Multi

has three Signal LEDs – one for each of the up to

three cards/engines in the device.

The Signal LEDs indicate if audio stream are re-

ceived and processed by DB6.

LED color /

indication

Status

Off No audio signal (above

-70dBFS) has been detected.

Green An audio signal above

-70dBFS has been detected.

Yellow An audio signal above -1dBFS

has been detected.

Front panel reset button

The Reset button on the front panel can be used

to reset the IP address of a DB6 unit or to reset

Ethernet communication between DB6 and a

computer when a communication error has oc-

curred.

Resetting the IP address

of a DB6 unit

It may be necessary to reset the IP address of a

DB6 unit. To do so, proceed as follows:

– Switch off DB6 by disconnecting both power

supplies.

– Insert a straightened paper clip or a similar

object into the “Reset” hole on the front panel

until it touches the button behind the panel.

– Boot the DB6 by connecting one or both pow-

er supplies while still holding the straightened

paper clip onto the Reset button.

DB6 will boot using its default IP address.

The default IP address is 192.168.1.[xx], where

[xx] is the last two digits of the device’s serial

number as printed on its back.

Resetting Ethernet communication

It may be necessary to reset Ethernet communi-

cation between DB6 and a computer during op-

eration. To do so, proceed as follows:

– During operation, insert a straightened paper

clip or a similar object into the “Reset” hole

on the front panel until it touches the button

behind the panel, and press the button for

approximately 5 seconds until the LEDs start

blinking.

This will reset Ethernet communication with-

out interrupting audio streams.

Back panel connectors

Back panel connectors on a DB6 Single

PSU (2 x)

DB6 has two C13 type power inlet sockets. The

dual power inlets provide extended operational

security and stability. They accept 100 to 230

Volts AC at 50/60Hz.

If possible, connect these two power sockets to

two independent power sources to minimize the

risk of power loss.

Due to the redundant design, DB6 will still be

fully operational when one of the two power sup-

plies fails. However, to ensure maximum security

and stability, you should address the issue and

investigate the cause of the error indication at

the first given opportunity.

In case of complete power loss, the device is

hardware-bypassed via relays, ensuring that no

signal loss occurs.

Ethernet (2 x / 6 x)

DB6 is equipped with 32 bit Ethernet inter-

faces fully compliant with the IEE 802.3u stan-

dard, supporting 10 and 100 Mbit/s (100Base-TX

ports).

DB6 Single and DB6 AES have two Ethernet

ports, while DB6 Multi has either two, four or six

Ethernet ports, depending on the number of 3G

Transmission cards installed.

Connect a computer running TC Icon software

or a hardware TC Icon device to one of these

ports using a “straight-through” cable with 8P8C

modular connectors (“RJ45”). A “crossover” type

cable is not required.

Getting to know DB6

14 DB6 Single / Multi / AES – Firmware version 1.30

The Ethernet ports are used exclusively for con-

necting a controller (namely a computer running

TC Icon software). No audio signals are transmit-

ted for processing over Ethernet ports.

SDI In Port(s) – (1 / 3 / none)

DB6 Single has one SDI In port, while DB6

Multi has either one, two or three SDI In ports,

depending on the number of 3G Transmission

cards installed. DB6 AES has no SDI In ports.

Connect the upstream SDI device to an SDI In

socket on DB6. Use a coaxial cable with BNC

connectors with a nominal impedance of 75

Ohms.

SDI Out Port(s) – (1 / 3 / none)

DB6 Single has one SDI Out port, while DB6

Multi has either one, two or three SDI Out ports,

depending on the number of Transmission 3G

cards installed. DB6 AES has no SDI Out ports.

Connect the downstream SDI device to an SDI

Out socket on DB6. Use a coaxial cable with

BNC connectors with a nominal impedance of

75 Ohms.

AES-3id In Ports – (none / none / 8)

DB6 AES has 8 AES-3id In ports on BNC con-

nectors with one channel pair per connector.

DB6 Single and DB6 Multi have no AES In ports.

AES-3id Out Ports – (none / none / 8)

DB6 AES has 8 AES-3id Out ports on BNC

connectors with one channel pair per connec-

tor. DB6 Single and DB6 Multi have no AES Out

ports.

Back panel connectors on a DB6 AES

About AES channels

DB6 AES comes fully loaded with 16 channels

of unbalanced AES I/O, and by default the first 8

channels are active. Should you need even more

channels, you can purchase a separate license

for activating channels 9-16.

GPIO Port(s) – (1 / 3)

Connect a controller to this port to control vari-

ous DB6 features remotely.

For more information on GPI, see “Setting up

GPI” on page 30 and “Appendix 2: DB6 GPI/O

page” on page 64.

Getting to know DB6

English Manual (2014-03-05) 15

Scenes, Routings, Engines

DB6 offers considerable flexibility in routing, pro-

cessing and analyzing audio signals. To benefit

from this flexibility, you need to understand the

basic concepts and building blocks of the device

as outlined in this chapter.

The physical basis of both DB6 Single and DB6

Multi are dual-engine cards/processors. Each

of these multichannel cards/processors is ca-

pable of running…

– two LoudnessWizard™ algorithms and

– two LM6 Loudness Radar Meters simultane-

ously.

– A DB6 Single contains one such processor.

– A DB6 Multi can contain one, two or three of

these processors/cards.

You can define how these engines will be used to

process the incoming audio stream as described

in the following sections.

Scenes

A Scene is the most extensive selection you can

make when recalling, storing or deleting settings.

A Scene includes…

– all settings for both Engines on a processor/

card

– signal routings to and from these Engines.

Recalling a Scene is equivalent to a “total recall.”

All the settings that make up a Scene are called

a Scene preset.

Recalling (Loading), storing (saving) and deleting

Scene Presets is covered in the “Recalling, stor-

ing and deleting settings” on page 33 section

of this manual.

Engines

Instead of recalling or storing a full Scene as de-

scribed in the previous section, you may want to

edit, store or recall the settings for one particular

Engine.

All the settings for one particular Engine are

called an Engine preset.

Recalling (Loading), storing (saving) and deleting

Engine Presets is covered in the “Recalling, stor-

ing and deleting settings” on page 33 section

of this manual.

Routings

All the settings that define how signals are rout-

ed to and from the Engines on a processor/card

are called a Routing preset.

Recalling (Loading), storing (saving) and delet-

ing Routing Presets is covered in the “Recalling,

storing and deleting settings” on page 33 sec-

tion of this manual.

Setting up DB6

16 DB6 Single / Multi / AES – Firmware version 1.30

Setting up DB6

DB6 can be used in a variety of configurations

and setups. However, as all TC Broadcast pro-

cessors in your system can be controlled from a

single computer running TC Icon software, even

large and complex setups are basically oper-

ated in the same manner as the basic setup de-

scribed in this chapter.

Networking basics and

troubleshooting

You may setup and operate your DB6 in a simple

networking environment – where you can con-

nect a computer and one DB6 directly using a

standard Ethernet cable –, or your system may

be more complex, involving several computers,

several DB6 and other TC devices.

Either way, you are operating a system based on

TCP/IP – the same protocol suite the Internet is

built on. Accordingly, you need to follow basic

networking procedures when setting up your

system.

It is absolutely possible that a standard comput-

er running the TC Icon software will detect a DB6

“out of the box” without problems. However, if it

doesn’t, there is most likely a subnet issue or an

IP address conflict. In this case, please refer to

the following sections.

Subnet mask and TCP/IP addresses

The subnet mask is a number that defines a

“group” of computers (or other devices) con-

nected to a network. All units in this group must

have the same subnet mask.

The default subnet mask of each DB6 is

255.255.255.0.

The TCP/IP address of each device connect-

ed to a network has to be unique. An IP ad-

dress consists of four decimal numbers (ranging

from 0 to 255) separated by dots, e.g. 192.168.1.1

The first three numbers (e.g. “192.168.1”) must

be the same for each unit – but the remaining

number has to be unique in the subnet. I.e., no

two units in the subnet can have the same last

number.

The default IP address of each DB6 is

192.168 .1.[nn],

…where [nn] is identical to the last two digits in

the DB6’s serial number (you will find the serial

number of DB6 on a label on the rear side of the

device). This way, multiple DB6’s can be setup

directly out of the box without having to change

their IP numbers.

If your computer is using the same IP address

as a DB6 on the same network, you have two

options:

– Alter the last octet (the last three numbers) of

your computer’s IP address or

– Alter the last octet of the DB6’s IP address.

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TC Electronic DB6 User manual

TC Electronic DB6 User manual

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