Reference Manual
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Table Of Contents Introduction..........................................................5 About the IO|14 and IO|26 ..............................................6 How to Use This Manual ...................................................7 Chapter 1: Hardware Overview .......................9 Section Identification........................................................9 Top Panel ..................................................................................................... 9 Rear Panel ...........
Table Of Contents The Alesis Hardware Direct Monitoring and Routing Application...........................................................35 Using the Hardware Direct Monitoring (HDM) panel.........................................................................35 1. Output Monitor Tabs ........................................................................... 36 2. Pan/Mute/Solo ..................................................................................... 36 3. Volume..............................
Table Of Contents Audio playback or recording is at the wrong speed......................................................................................58 Audio playback or recording stutters or drops out...............................................................................59 Audio echoes during recording.......................................59 Technical Specifications ....................................60 Technical Specifications...................................................60 Glossary .
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Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Alesis IO FireWire audio interface! You could say Alesis knows a thing or two about recording. Countless artists, engineers, and producers have relied on our digital recorders since the introduction of the original “Blackface” ADAT in 1991. Some publications have even claimed that our ADAT recorders started the “home studio revolution” back in the 1990s.
Introduction About the IO|14 and IO|26 Our IO|14 and IO|26 audio interfaces are professional-grade tools with everything you need to turn your musical ideas to polished recordings. The two units are virtually identical except that the larger IO|26 has more inputs and outputs than its smaller sibling, the IO|14. The IO|14 and IO|26 feature the following: 6 • High-speed FireWire (IEEE 1394a) interface for low latency and tons of audio I/O from your computer.
Introduction How to Use This Manual We know this manual will be an integral part of the experience with your IO 14 or IO|26 interface so we’ve done our best to make it complete, accurate, and helpful for you. The manual is divided into the following sections describing the various functions and applications of the IO audio interface.
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1 Hardware Overview Section Identification Top Panel Here’s what you’ll find on the top of your IO|14/26: MIC / LINE The combo jack inputs The XLR input “expects” to see a microphone and delivers between 6.8dB and 50dB of gain, depending on the position of the gain knob. 1. Inputs – The IO|14/26 features “combo” connectors that allow you to connect either XLR or ¼” cables to the inputs. For the IO’s inputs, use one of three different cable types: Use XLR cables to connect to standard microphones.
Hardware Overview 1 2. Inserts – The IO|14/26 features “insert” jacks on every analog input. These inserts allow you to place additional equipment (like compressors, equalizers, etc.) into your signal path using “insert” cables. Insert cables feature a ¼” TRS connector on one end and two ¼” TS connectors on the other end.. This jack is covered in detail on page 42. 3.
Hardware Overview 5. 1 Monitor Blend Knob – This knob controls the amount of direct signal (from the analog and digital inputs) that gets blended in to outputs 1/2. This direct signal monitoring bypasses the computer for lag-free listening while tracking. The levels and pan positions of each of the direct signals is set using the “Hardware Direct Monitoring” program that ships with the IO|14/26 (see page 35 for more about this program).
Hardware Overview 1 Rear Panel You’ll find the following on the rear of your IO|14/26: 1. 2. Headphone Outputs – Connect your headphones to these outputs. The first headphone output always mirrors the analog 1/2 output pair. The second headphone output is assignable in software. Main outputs (8 outputs on IO|26; 2 outputs on IO|14) – Use ¼,” “TRS” cables to connect these outputs to the balanced inputs of your powered speakers or power amplifier.
Hardware Overview 7. 8. FireWire Connectors – Connect one of these plugs to your computer’s FireWire port. You can use the other jack to connect additional FireWire devices (such as hard drives) to your computer. Up to 127 devices can be “daisy-chained” on one FireWire bus. Power Connector – Use the supplied AC adapter if your computer does not provide sufficient Firewire bus power to power the IO|14/26 or if you want to preserve battery power.
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2 Installation (Windows) Important: Download and install the drivers from http://www.alesis.com-or insert the software CD into your computer’s CD drive—BEFORE you plug your IO|14/26 into your computer for the first time. Install the software/drivers first Important: Follow these steps BEFORE you plug your IO14/26 into your computer for the first time. Begin by running the Alesis installer(s).
2 Installation (Windows) Install Cubase LE (optional) If you are interested in using Cubase LE as your multitrack Digital Audio Workstation, install it from the CD now. Connect your IO|14/26 Now, connect your IO|14/26 to your computer using a Firewire cable. Watch for one of the lights on the unit to turn on within a few seconds. If a light does not turn on—or if you are using a notebook computer with a small four-pin Firewire connector— plug in the external AC adapter.
Installation (Windows) 2 Make IO|14/26 the default audio device To use your IO|14/26 interface as your default Windows sound device, follow these steps: 1. From the Windows Start menu, choose “Control Panel.” Depending on your Windows preferences, it will appear similar to one of the two pictures below: 2. Choose “Sounds and Audio Devices”. 3. Click the “Audio” tab. Change the default devices for both sound playback and sound recording to your IO interface.
2 18 Installation (Windows) 4. Click the “Voice” tab. Change the voice playback and voice recording settings to the IO|14/26. 5. Click “Apply” to apply these changes.
Installation (Windows) 2 Disable Windows System Sounds Windows System Sounds—the sounds that Windows plays to signal starting up, shutting down, alerts and so forth—can interfere with your audio recording. We strongly suggest that you disable these sounds. 1. Click the “Sounds” tab of “Sounds and Audio Devices.” 2. Under “Sound Scheme,” choose “No sounds.” 3. Click “OK” to accept this entry and close the dialog box.
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3 Installation (Macintosh) Important: Download the drivers from http://www.alesis.com onto a folder on your desktop or insert the software CD into your computer’s CD drive BEFORE you plug your IO|14/26 into your computer for the first time. Install the software/drivers first Important: Follow these steps BEFORE you plug your IO14/26 into your computer for the first time. Begin by running the Alesis installer(s).
3 Installation (Macintosh) Make IO|14/26 the active audio device Open Audio/MIDI Setup and choose your IO|14/26 for both your inputs and outputs.
4 Getting Started with Cubase LE Introducing Cubase LE Your IO|14/26 ships with Cubase LE, a powerful audio and MIDI Digital Audio Workstation. The following instructions are designed to get you set up and recording audio with Cubase LE quickly. For more information on using this software, consult the documentation available in Cubase’s Help menu. Windows only: selecting the IO|14/26 as your audio and MIDI device. 1. Choose the menu option “Devices” | “Device Setup….
4 24 Getting Started with Cubase LE 2. Click the “VST Multitrack” option. 3. From within the ASIO Driver drop-down box, choose the IO|14/26. Press Apply to accept the change.
Getting Started with Cubase LE 4. To enable MIDI, click on the “Default MIDI Ports” option on the left-hand side and select IO|14/26’s MIDI ports for input and output. Again, click “Apply” to accept the changes. Then press “OK” to exit this screen. 5. Now that the IO|14/26 is selected as the audio device, individual channels must be activated for use. Again, return to the “Devices” menu, and select “VST inputs.” 6. Click the activation buttons for channel pairs that you want to use.
4 Getting Started with Cubase LE 7. 26 In Cubase, you can rename channels by clicking in the “Label” area. This is useful if, for instance, your lead vocals are always on channel 1, your bass drum is always on channel 2, etc.
Getting Started with Cubase LE 4 Creating a new file Now, you’re ready to create an audio project. 1. Choose “File” | “New Project…” 2. You can begin with a template or an empty file. For now, begin with an empty file.
4 Getting Started with Cubase LE 3. 4. 28 Cubase needs to know where to place audio. Choose a directory here. Now, you have a blank project. Add an audio track for recording by choosing “Project” | “Add Track” | “Audio.” An excellent scheme for storing your projects is to create a directory called “audio projects.” Then, within that folder, create a new folder for each song you work on. Cubase will store your song file and all associated audio files in that same folder.
Getting Started with Cubase LE 5. Be sure that the “inspector”—a strip on the left-hand side of Cubase that shows all sorts of information about the selected track—is active. If your view is similar to that shown below, the Inspector is active. If you do not see all of the information on the lefthand side, the Inspector is not active. To activate it, press the “show Inspector” button towards the upper left of the screen (just below the “Edit” menu in the following picture). 6.
4 Getting Started with Cubase LE 7. If you want to monitor your audio with Cubase’s effects (distortion, reverb, etc.), press the direct monitoring button next to the Record Enable button. Using Cubase’s direct monitoring requires the audio to make a round-trip through the computer, which causes a small but noticeable delay as the digital audio is processed. To avoid any echo effects, open the Alesis Hardware Direct Monitoring panel and mute the corresponding input.
5 Using the Control Panel Working with the IO14/26 control panel Accessing the control panel In Windows, open the control panel from the shortcut on your desktop, the Programs menu, or from within your audio application. On the Mac, access this panel from the “configure device” button of Audio/MIDI Setup. To open the control panel from within Cubase in Windows, select “Devices” | “Device Setup….” | “VST MultiTrack.” Then, click the “Control Panel” button. 1. Select the Alesis IO.
5 Using the Control Panel 3. Adjust latency by changing the buffer size “Latency” refers to the amount of time it takes for audio to get into and out of the computer. In the best of all possible worlds, there would be no such thing as latency—we would hear audio the moment it was created. However, computers have limited processing power, and they can “choke”—cutting off recording or crashing programs—if they are asked to handle too much data all at once.
Using the Control Panel 5 5. Specify how sample rates can change Since Windows (and various Windows applications) have a nasty tendency to try and take control over your audio sample rate— often without notice—this section allows you to ignore those sample change events. - If you do not mind your sample rate changing freely, choose “Allow SR Changes.” - To allow only ASIO applications (like Cubase) to change the sample rate, select “Allow ASIO changes only.
5 Using the Control Panel synchronize their clocks using dedicated cables; then choose one of the as the clock master. Note that ADAT2 on the IO|26 cannot be the clock master. If you are only using one ADAT input on the IO|26, use the first input. If you are using both ADAT1 and ADAT2 with two different hardware devices, be sure to clock one device to the other. 3. FIREWIRE.
6 Hardware Direct Monitoring The Alesis Hardware Direct Monitoring and Routing Application A powerful digital mixer is built into your io. This digital mixer allows you to route your analog and digital inputs directly to the outputs, completely bypassing the computer. This hardware-based routing allows musicians to monitor their performances with no perceptible delay. There may be times when you find this functionality to be unnecessary.
6 Hardware Direct Monitoring 1. Output Monitor Tabs Use these tabs to select the output pairs to which you will blend in the incoming signal. Each tab’s HDM mix is completely separate from the others. Setting up direct monitor mixes for single musicians and for multiple musicians Most commonly, you’ll have a stereo set of speakers attached to outputs 1/2. This is the output pair to use for your Digital Audio Workstation’s stereo outputs.
Hardware Direct Monitoring 6 For outputs 1 and 2, the MIX BLEND knob on the front panel of the hardware can also be used to control this slider. 7. Narrow/Wide View Switch You can switch between “Narrow” and “Wide” views of the HDM panel. Note that the Input Monitor tab is always in Narrow mode. 8. Metering Options Choose from a number of different metering options here. Meter Scale Under “Meter Scale,” choose “High,” “Medium,” or “Safe.
6 Hardware Direct Monitoring Numbers 12 through 15: Load/Save and Audio Routing Settings 12. Save/Recall Settings Your HDM settings will only be recalled if you save them. Save them as “default.hdm” and they will be recalled every time that the panel is opened. Save setups that you want to recall for specific sessions under some other name. 13.
7 Getting In Deeper: Hardware Cabling 101 Cables are a crucial (and often overlooked) part of a studio. Many beginners run into problems because they use inappropriate or poor quality cabling to connect their gear and their recordings suffer as a result. Don’t let this happen to you! Use the following guidelines to maximize your sound quality: 1.
7 Getting In Deeper: Hardware Common Hookup Scenarios Singer / Songwriter The following setup will be commonly used by singer/songwriters working in their home studios. It allows for the artist to hook up guitars, keyboards, and microphones to the IO|14/26 and to monitor him/herself on headphones. The guitar, keyboard, or microphone shown below can easily be swapped with other equipment (i.e., samplers, CD players, more microphones, etc.) to match the artist’s needs.
Getting In Deeper: Hardware 7 Full Studio Setup The following setup makes full use of the IO|14’s audio inputs and outputs. All of the arrows indicate analog ¼” or XLR cabling unless otherwise noted. An IO|26 would allow you to connect four additional analog inputs as well as 8 additional digital inputs via a second ADAT port.
7 Getting In Deeper: Hardware Using the Insert Jacks Sometimes, you may want to add additional gear into your signal path before your analog-to-digital converter digitizes your signal and sends it to the computer. For example, many bass players like to compress their instrument with an analog compressor before recording into the computer. Inserts help you do this by letting you tap into your signal after the IO|14/26’s preamplifier but before the A/D converter.
Getting In Deeper: Hardware 7 Additional Uses of Insert Jacks Inserts can be used in two additional ways that you may find useful. They are as follows: 1. Using the IO|14/26 as a preamplifier – In certain situations, you may want to use the IO|14/26’s preamps by themselves.
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8 Getting In Deeper: Recording Watch Your Levels While Recording A basic principle in digital recording is that you want to capture the loudest signal you can, but at the same time you never, ever want to exceed the maximum digital threshold. If you do, you’ll introduce the nasty distortion known as “digital clipping” into your recording. Your Alesis io provides a number of methods to help you avoid digital clipping: 1.
8 Getting In Deeper: Recording Base Sample Rates: 44.1/88.2/ 176.4kHz versus 48/96/192kHz There are two “base” sampling rate standards in the world of professional audio—44,100 samples per second (44.1kHz) and 48,000 samples per second (48kHz). Broadly speaking, audio CD’s operate at 44.1kHz, while film and television operate at 48kHz. High definition sample rates—including 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, and 192kHz—are all simply multiples (doublings and quadruplings) of the 44.1kHz and 48kHz standards.
Getting In Deeper: Recording 3. 8 Archiving: If you’re capturing a special recording that may have some historical value in the future, it makes sense to capture it with the highest level of technical accuracy. Alesis has designed your IO14/26 to sound excellent at all sample rates. Decide for yourself if the benefits and tradeoffs are worth it for a particular session. The Downsides of High Definition Recording 1.
8 Getting In Deeper: Recording Geek talk: Why do we multiply by 3? We have to multiply our disk usage by 3 because we assume you’ll be recording at 24 bit. One “byte” of disk space contains 8 “bits” of information. Thus, if you are recording at 24-bit resolution, you’ll need 3 bytes to contain all of that sample data (since 3 x 8 = 24). This is why your disk usage must be multiplied by 3.
Getting In Deeper: Recording 8 Surround Sound (IO|26 only) The IO|26’s 8 analog outputs make it perfect for multichannel surround-sound applications (such as sound for film, TV, or DVD). If your software supports surround mixing, simply hook up your speakers to the IO|26 and refer to the software’s documentation on how to set up a surround mixing environment. Note that there are several common surround formats including 4-channel (a.k.a. “quad”), 6channel (“5.1”), and 8-channel (“7.1”).
8 Getting In Deeper: Recording Using the IO14/26 with Sonar and other WDM applications WDM or ASIO? Experiment with both protocols An increasing number of Windows audio applications—including Sonar—offer a choice of either ASIO or WDM operation. It’s worth experimenting with the two different modes of operation. ASIO will often (but not always) prove to be the superior choice. For applications that only work using WDM, the following instructions should prove helpful.
Getting In Deeper: Recording 2. 8 On the “General” tab, select any available IO14/26 channels as the Playback and Record timing masters. This discussion uses Cakewalk’s Sonar software, but the principles provided here apply to all WDM-based recording software. For applications like Sonar that support both WDM and ASIO modes, you may want to experiment with each to see if either mode offers greater stability. Alesis generally recommends using ASIO mode when possible. 3. Click the “Advanced” tab.
8 Getting In Deeper: Recording Move to the “Drivers” tab. Click on each input pair and also on the output pair to make them available to Sonar.
9 Troubleshooting If you’re having problems operating the IO|14 or IO|26, this troubleshooting index may help you resolve your issues. Symptoms No sound from the IO|14/26. Audio signal is distorted. Cause Solution No power. Plug in power adapter or FireWire cable. If using FireWire bus power, be sure that your computer’s FireWire port can provide power to the IO|14/26. Main Output level set too low. Raise the MAIN LEVEL knob. Speakers (or amplifier) is turned off or down.
9 Troubleshooting Audio signal carries an unwanted hum. Microphone level is too low. No or low sound from a channel input. Turntable input is too low in level and/or lacks bass. 54 Not using balanced cables. Make sure you are using balanced (XLR or 1/4” TRS) cables wherever possible. Improper grounding Insert a “ground lift switch” into the offending cable’s signal path. Damaged cable Replace cable with a known good cable. Phantom power is not turned on.
Troubleshooting LED input meters not working. Input level too low Turn up the GAIN knob or the output level of your instrument. LED output meters not working. Output level too low (or muted) Un-mute and/or turn up the output level of your audio software Audio is not routed to the correct outputs in your audio software. Make sure your audio software is routing your signal to the correct outputs. Computer does not see the IO|14/26.
9 Troubleshooting you’re using a 6-pin FireWire cable that can carry power. The mini, 4-pin connector found on most Windows notebook computers is not capable of providing bus power. Computer provides insufficient power for bus power operation. Use the supplied AC adapter.
Troubleshooting 2. Right-click the “My Computer” icon and select “Properties.” 3. The active tab at the top of this window is now the “General” tab. Click the “Hardware” tab. Then, click the “Device Manager” button.
9 Troubleshooting 4. Finally, expand the “Sound, video and game controllers” section. An “Alesis 1394” entry should appear. No connection If “Alesis 1394” does not appear, Windows does not see the interface as being connected to the computer. 1. Check your Firewire cable and try powering the mixer off and on again. 2. Expand the “IEEE 1394 Bus host controllers” section. Check that your Firewire card is listed as properly working. 3. As a last resort, power your computer off and on.
Troubleshooting 9 Audio playback or recording stutters or drops out Again, work with the buffer settings in the ASIO control panel or through your WDM application’s audio setup options in order to find the most reliable setting. Many audio applications include advanced setting dialog boxes where pre-fetch and other parameters can be set. Explore those options.
9 Troubleshooting Technical Specifications Analog Inputs Sample rates: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz Frequency response: +/- 0.05dB from 20Hz to 22kHz Dynamic range: Signal-to-noise ratio: THD+N: Crosstalk: 112dB, A-weighted 112 dB, A-weighted, minimum gain 0.001 -0.0015% @ 1kHz/0dBFS -110dB @ 1 kHz Preamplifier THD+N: Preamplifier slew rate: <0.0007 at 20dB gain 15 volts/microsecond Microphone gain range: Microphone impedance: +6.8dB to +50dB 1.
Technical Specifications Crosstalk: -105dB @ 1 kHz Output impedance: 220 Ohm Headphone Outputs Frequency response: Power (@ 32 Ohms): Gain range: THD+N: Signal-to-noise ratio: +/-0.1 dB, 22Hz to 22kHz 50mW 20dB <0.05 % 100 dB, A-weighted Output impedance: Load impedance range: 32 Ohm 32 to 600 Ohms S/PDIF and ADAT digital inputs Bit depth: 24 bit Sample rates: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz Dimensions (W x D x H) (Without packaging or power adapter) IO|14: 7.9375” x 8.0” x 2.
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Glossary Here are the definitions to some terms you’ll probably encounter while using your IO|14/26 FireWire Audio Interface. Term Definition ASIO ASIO is an acronym for “Audio Stream Input/Output.” It is an audio protocol developed by Steinberg and used by many software manufacturers to communicate with audio hardware. balance A control that lets you adjust the ratio of one signal to another.
Glossary 64 fader A device that allows you to control the level of an audio signal by sliding the fader up and down a straight path. Each input on the IO|14/26 has its own fader in the Zero Latency Monitoring application. Firewire A standard for connecting external devices to a computer. Also called IEEE 1394a gain The measure of extra amplification applied to an audio signal. Each analog input on your IO|14/26 has its own gain knob, which can be used for boosting mic and line signals.
Glossary sample rate Digital audio is chopped up into tiny time slices. The sample rate is the number of time slices captured in one second. 44.1kHz—44,100 samples per second—is the standard used for Compact Disc audio. 48kHz—48,000 samples per second, is commonly used for film and video. send A line output whose function is to send a signal from the mixer to an external device, usually an effects processor. Like returns, sends are used in conjunction with insert cables.
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Warranty / Contact Alesis Limited Warranty ALESIS CORPORATION ("ALESIS") warrants this product to be free of defects in material and workmanship for a period of one (1) year for parts and for a period of one (1) year for labor from the date of original retail purchase. This warranty is enforceable only by the original retail purchaser and cannot be transferred or assigned. For the most effective service, the purchaser should register the purchase on the ALESIS website at http://www.alesis.
Warranty/Contact Alesis Contact Information Alesis Distribution, LLC Los Angeles, CA USA E-mail: Web site: support@alesis.com http://www.alesis.com IO|14/IO|26 FireWire Audio Interface Reference Manual Revision 1.0 by Leo Der Stepanian and Fred Morgenstern Copyright 2006, Alesis Distribution, LLC. All rights reserved Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. “IO|14” and “IO|26” are trademarks of Alesis, LLC. Specifications subject to change without notice.
