Panasonic 3800 DAT into DP via 2408mk3

[rosindabow]

I would like to transfer my old DAT tapes into a digital format. I was thinking of using the IEC type 2 optical out from the 3800 into the 2408mk3 ADAT in - will that work? Does the 2408mk3 accept the 2track version of lightpipe? If this won't work, I'll just go analog. Thanks.

[Kurt Cowling]

If I remember right Bank C can be changed to S/DIF but I don't recall if that only worked with the RCA S/DIF input or if the optical worked too. Otherwise you can connect from the XLR digital out on the 3800 to the RCA S/DIF with an adaptor cable. You can but these online. They have some resistors inside the cable to deal with impedance mismatch between the two formats. Heck, you could even try it without the special cable. I did it many years ago from an Emulator E4 to a 2408.

[Kurt Cowling]

Just to clarify... The XLR digital out on the 3800 is AES/EBU and the input on the 2408 is S/DIF but pretty much the only difference between the two are the connectors, the voltage levels and the impedance.