Filter
Top Products
Overview, Setup and Basics, Chapter 1
1-4 ALESIS M20 REFERENCE MANUAL 1.06
1.6 BASIC AUDIO HOOKUP
When connecting audio cables and/or turning power on and off, turn off all devices in
your system and turn down your monitor system’s volume controls.
The M20 provides 10 pairs of XLR connectors (8 pairs for audio in/out, 1 pair for the
auxiliary analog channel, and 1 pair above for SMPTE time code). The nine sets of audio
XLRs connect to your mixer’s tape or line inputs and outputs. An additional multipin
ELCO connector , wired in parallel with the 8 XLR audio pairs, can connect to a “snake”
that goes to your mixer. Several manufacturers make ADAT/M20-specific cables that break
out the ELCO connector into individual ins and outs.
1.7 USE THE RIGHT TAPE
Use only premium quality, name brand S-VHS cassettes such as Quantegy 489 DM Digital
Mastering Audio Tape, or Alesis ADAT Mastering Audio Cassettes. Other acceptable brands
include Maxell XR-S Black, JVC XZ, Sony DASV, BASF Digital Master 938, Apogee AA-40,
HHB ADAT45, and TDK SP Super Pro. The cassette shell, hubs, rollers and tape guides in S-
VHS cassettes are precision devices that properly handle and protect the tape within them.
Caution: Do not use VHS cassettes. While they may appear to function properly at
first, their less-than-premium formulation will decrease the reliability of
your recording. They may also shed oxide and leave behind a coating of
dirt that will interfere with future recordings, even if you switch back to
premium quality tape. Defective tape may even clog the head, requiring
service. Trust your work only to premium quality S-VHS tape.
1.8 PREPARING THE TAPE PRIOR TO USE
Fast forward and rewind all new tapes at least once from end to end before attempting to
format and record on them. This important step “unpacks” the tape properly, and leads to
far more reliable operation (this is also recommended practice for DAT tapes).
1.9 EJECT TAPE PROPERLY
After a session, eject the tape and put it in a protective case. Do not:
• Leave the tape in the M20 when power is off.
• Leave the tape halfway ejected in the well. Always remove completely after ejection.
• Eject in the middle of recorded material. Malfunctions that could possibly damage the
tape are statistically most likely to occur when inserting or ejecting a tape, so always
eject where nothing is recorded.
1.10 BACKUP
Accidents can happen ó so, like computer floppy disks and hard disks, back up your M20
tapes to another M20 or ADAT using the fiber optic digital connector (see Tutorial 2 for
step-by-step instructions on backing up M20 tapes).