(DMTi) Digital MultiTrack interface Overview

Today, more than ever, musical instruments and recording devices must be able to communicate with each other in the digital domain. With this in mind, we created the DMTi Digital MultiTrack interface. Designed for use either with your K2500 or K2600 Series instrument or as a stand-alone digital audio converter, the DMTi is the first Kurzweil product designed specifically to interface with non-Kurzweil digital audio systems in their native formats - at selectable sample rates and full 16-bit resolution.

The 1U rack-mount DMTi transfers data between the K2500/K2600, the Alesis ADAT, the Tascam DA-88 (in their native formats) and almost any other digital audio equipment via the AES/EBU and S/PDIF standards. The DMTi 's digital inputs include eight channels of K2500/K2600 Series, two stereo channels of AES/EBU (one of which is switchable to a stereo channel of S/PDIF optical), and eight channels of ADAT or DA-88.

The converted data may be output digitally via four stereo AES/EBU channels (or three stereo AES/EBU and one stereo S/PDIF optical), eight ADAT or DA-88 channels, eight Kurzweil Digital Stream channels, or one stereo K2500/K2600 return. With the DMTi 's built-in Asynchronous Sample Rate Converters, any of these outputs can sync to an external sample clock or two fixed sample rates - 44.1 kHz (for CD mastering) and 48 kHz.

Using the DMTi with the K2500/K2600

By connecting the DMTi interface to the K2500/K2600, you enable Kurzweil's most powerful production station ever to transfer its digital data quickly and easily to your other digital gear - in the format you choose and at the sample rate you choose. The K2500/K2600 interfaces with the DMTi via the Kurzweil Digital Stream (KDS) connectors. KDS is Kurzweil's proprietary interface system, which will be published to enable third party developers to make their equipment compatible with the K2500/K2600, DMTi , and future Kurzweil products.

Via the DMTi , eight channels of K2500/K2600 data can be sent directly to the Alesis ADAT and the Tascam DA-88, or other systems compatible with their data formats. A simple plug-in card installed in the back of the DMTi configures the output signals for either of these popular formats. (Additional format cards for other digital products will be made available in the future). All eight K2500/K2600 outputs may also be sent to the AES/EBU or optical outputs of the DMTi .

In addition, digital audio can be sent back to the K2500/K2600. For the K2500, a single stereo pair is returned from the DMTi . In addition to this two channel return, for the K2600, eight channels can be sent back into the instrument . All incoming signal can be processed through V.A.S.T. and KDFX.

The DMTi as a Stand-Alone Interface

As a stand-alone unit, the DMTi provides data conversions between AES/EBU, optical, and ADAT or DA-88 digital formats. Four asynchronous sample rate converters inside the DMTi permit any of the inputs to be converted to a different sample rate. A K2500/K2600 is not required for the DMTi 's stand-alone functions.

The DMTi is the first unit ever which enables you to convert DA-88 data to ADAT format and vice-versa. For a complete 8-channel digital transfer between the ADAT and the DA-88, you must use two DMTi units, connecting the KDS output port from one DMTi to the KDS input port of the other (and vice-versa for the second pair of KDS ports). With one DMTi configured for the ADAT and the second for the DA-88, you can convert either format to the other.

A few of the other possible applications include changing the data format on a stereo channel of AES/EBU while the second AES/EBU stereo channel sends the clock rate. Eight tracks of digital data from a multitrack system can be sent to the DMTi and broken out into four stereo AES/EBU outputs with or without sample rate conversion. A 48 kHz DAT track can have its sample rate converted for transfer to a digital multitrack recorded at 44.1 kHz.