MONA Owner’s Manual Version 1.0 for Mac Mona is designed and manufactured in the U.S.
Important Safety Instructions 1. Read Instructions - Be sure to read all of the safety and operating instructions before operating this product. 2. Retain Instructions - The safety instructions and owner's manual should be retained for future reference. 3. Heed Warnings - All warnings on Mona and in the Owner's Manual should be followed. 4. Follow Instructions - All operating and use instructions should be followed. 5. Moisture - Water and moisture are detrimental to the continued good health of Mona.
10. Servicing - Do not attempt to service this unit yourself, as opening the case will expose you to hazardous voltage or other dangers. All servicing should be referred to qualified service personnel. 11.
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Table of Contents Introduction What You Should Have Received in the Mona Box System Requirements 6 6 6 Mona Installation Checking your Macintosh Install ASIO based Multitrack Recording Software Installing the Mona Hardware Connecting to Mona’s Rack-mount Audio Interface Running the Echo24 Card Installer ASIO Driver Installation & Configuration 7 7 8 9 12 18 20 The Echo Console Input Levels Monitor Channels Setting Clock Sources and Destinations Synchronizing Multiple Devices Digital Mode Switch Show ADA
Introduction Thank you for choosing the Mona 24/96 Digital Studio. We think you’ll find Mona to be an extremely flexible, high-performance tool for your computer-based hard disk recording system.
Mona Installation Complete Mona installation consists of performing a system check, installing ASIO based multitrack recording software, installing the Mona PCI card, connecting the rack-mount audio interface to the card, installing the Mona Macintosh drivers into your system, and manually installing the ASIO driver to your multitrack audio recording/editing application(s). Checking your Macintosh 1. Do you have enough memory? With your mouse select Apple – About This Computer.
Install ASIO-based Multitrack Recording Software If you haven’t already, we recommend that you install your ASIO based software now. Mona currently does not support Sound Manager. It only works with audio software that supports ASIO. For a list of currently supported ASIO-based software please see Appendix B: ASIO Audio Software FAQ in this manual. We frequently update our drivers, so please check our website at www.echoaudio.com for new drivers and an updated software compatibility list.
Installing the Mona Hardware Once you have checked your system requirements, verified that there are no problems with your system, and installed your ASIO-based software, it is time to install Mona into your computer. Please refer to the section in your Mac manual for installing a PCI card. IMPORTANT - Unplug your computer and detach all peripherals before proceeding with the following steps. 1. Remove your computer’s cover. This operation differs from computer to computer.
Mona card to the computer’s rear panel. On some older Macs, the locking mechanisms used to hold down the PCI cards cause difficulties properly seating the cards. We recommend checking the card and making sure it is well seated and liable to stay that way. If the card is loose or being pushed around by the locking mechanism, we recommend loosening the hex screws that hold the back-plate of the card to the Mac.
Caution: Never connect the rack-mount interface to the computer while either the interface or your computer is turned on. 9. You can now attach external audio devices to the interface box. Mona can accommodate four analog input signals and can generate six independent analog output signals. In addition, Mona provides stereo S/PDIF digital input and output via coaxial RCA or optical connectors, and eight channels of ADAT optical I/O.
Connecting to Mona’s Rack-mount Audio Interface The front and back panels of Mona’s rack-mount audio interface contain a wide variety of connections that allow great flexibility in the operation of Mona. To achieve the optimal performance with Mona, it is critical that the appropriate cabling and connectors are used. Analog Inputs and Outputs Mona has four analog inputs on the front panel, and six analog outputs on the back panel.
Mona provides 48 volts of phantom power for microphones that require it. To enable phantom power press the button labeled +48V (the LED next to it will light up) and phantom power will be provided to all microphone inputs. Note: Phantom power will not be applied to any line level equipment or guitars plugged in using ¼” connectors.
Mona’s Guitar Input (1/4” Plug, Impedance: 100K, Trim: 10 – 50 dB) An input impedance of 10K is too low to record non-active guitar pickups so each input also has its own GUITAR switch. When the GUITAR switch is pushed in (green indicator lit), the input impedance is increased to 107K and the trim knob has a range of 10 to 50dB. The indicator will only light up if there is a ¼” connector plugged into the jack. This mode will still provide a balanced input when a TRS connector is inserted.
Each of Mona’s six outputs has one RCA and one XLR connector for your convenience. The RCA jack outputs a –10dBV (unbalanced) signal, while the XLR jack outputs a +4dBu (balanced) signal. Both connectors are active at all times. So the output signal will always go out of both jacks. The Computer Connector Next to the analog inputs and outputs is a connector labeled COMPUTER. This connector is known as a DB-9, and is similar to the serial port on a PC.
ADAT / S/PDIF Optical I/O Next to the COMPUTER connector is a pair of connectors labeled OPTICAL, IN and OUT. These connectors are used to transmit digital data among digital audio devices via an optical signal. You can use this port for ADAT (8 channels) or for optical S/PDIF (stereo) I/O. NOTE: Mona is only capable of transmitting or receiving one type of digital signal at a time. You must choose either ADAT optical or S/PDIF (optical or RCA); you cannot use both simultaneously.
When connecting devices to the S/PDIF jacks on Mona, the use of standard analog RCA audio cables is not recommended. For reliable S/PDIF operation, 75-ohm coaxial (RG59) video cables are recommended. Word Clock Next to the S/PDIF ports are the Word Clock connectors. These connectors allow you to synchronize one Mona to another Mona, Layla, Layla24, or to other digital audio devices. The word clock I/O uses a BNC connector.
Running the Echo24 Card Installer Now that you have completed the hardware installation, you need to run the installer for Mona to interact properly with the Mac OS and your ASIObased recording software. 1. Power up. Turn on the power to the Mona box and then power up your Macintosh. 2. Start the Installer. Insert the Mona Installation CD into your CD-ROM drive. Double click the icon called Install Echo24 Card. Click the Continue button.
4. Installation completed. You will now see a message telling you that the installation was successful. Go ahead and click the Quit button. If you do not see this message, then please turn to Appendix A: General Troubleshooting Guide in the back of this manual for help.
ASIO Driver Installation & Configuration Now that you’ve run the Echo24 Card Installer program, you will need to manually install the ASIO Echo24 driver. 1. Find it. Find the ASIO Echo24 file in the newly created Echo folder. 2. Copy it. Create a copy of this file. You will need one copy for every ASIO based software program you have installed. You can copy it by dragging it to the desktop (or another folder) while holding down the option key. 3. Move it.
The Echo Console Included with your Mona is a “virtual control surface” application called the Echo Console. The Console allows you to control the audio I/O and clocking functions of Mona, and it brings these controls to a single easy-touse location. From the Console you can control the input monitoring, select synchronization clocks, and select the digital mode. The Echo Console software can be found in the Echo folder that was created during installation.
Input Levels The Input Levels are located in the upper portion of the Console surface. Here you will find level meters for all of Mona’s analog and digital inputs. Since Mona has analog input trims on it’s rack-mount interface box, there are no other controls in this area of the Console. Monitor Channels Below the Input Levels are the Monitor Channel controls. The Monitor Channel controls allow you to monitor the input signals via any of the available outputs on your Mona.
The Echo Console will keep track of the settings for all sets of monitor controls, but is only able to display the settings for one output pair at a time. For example, when the 1-2 button is selected you will see the controls for monitoring all inputs through output pair 1-2. Selecting the 3-4 button will display just the controls for monitoring through output pair 3-4, etc. Take note that these controls are only for the routing of audio signals from Mona’s inputs to its outputs.
Remember that all of the monitor controls remain in effect even when they’re not displayed. The degree of attenuation (or muting) of each level is set by the monitor controls. The Console program constantly maintains a level setting for each of the monitor paths it controls. Clicking on an output pair selection button simply selects the settings that are displayed.
aware that operating alongside another product is not the same as operating with it. In order for accurate synchronization to occur, the other audio product(s) in your system must support a synchronization mode that is compatible with Mona. Without such synchronization, the individual pieces of equipment will act independently of each other. This scenario may be fine for some musical applications; however, it is not appropriate for situations where sample-accurate synchronization is required.
ADAT – The Alesis ADAT optical interface can send and receive up to 8 simultaneous channels of digital audio data over fiber optic cables. Unlike wire cables, fiber optic cables do not add noise or interference. Mona can send out (or “master”) ADAT clock as well as slave to it. If you want Mona to slave to an ADAT clock, just set Mona’s input clock to the ADAT setting. Mona can only sync to ADAT clock if the master device is set to a sample rate between 40kHz and 50kHz.
using compatible clocks. One device will operate as the source of the master clock, with each successive device using that clock to sync. Digital Mode Switch To the right of the Input clocks is a dropdown menu labeled “Dig Mode.” This menu allows you to select which digital inputs/outputs Mona will use at any given time. The options are S/PDIF RCA, S/PDIF optical, and ADAT optical. Mona can only use one digital mode at a time.
Show ADAT Controls While you are in the ADAT optical digital mode, you can view the Console ADAT controls at any time by checking the “Show ADAT Controls” checkbox. As seen below, these controls are the same as the monitoring controls. If you want to go back to the analog controls, just uncheck the “Show ADAT Controls” checkbox. You cannot monitor the S/PDIF inputs through the ADAT outputs or vice versa.
The Options Menu The first option General…, is grayed out because it is not currently supported. It will be used in future driver releases for such things as resetting the Console to its default settings. The second and third options are Set Input +4/-10… and Set Output +4/10… These options are also grayed out since they are not used for Mona. Instead of having these software options, Mona has input trim controls and dedicated +4dBu and –10dBV outputs on its rack-mount audio interface box.
ASIO Based Software and the Echo Console Depending on what software you use, you will have different options for monitoring your audio inputs. The more common type is software monitoring. With software monitoring, your audio application handles mixing inputs to outputs internally (i.e., on the PowerPC processor). Typically, this adds latency, meaning that the audio you hear on the outputs is delayed from the inputs. Your Mona hardware has an on-board DSP chip which can also handle mixing inputs to outputs.
I want to use software monitoring Run the Echo Console and mute all the monitors. This will disable hardware monitoring. Using hardware and software monitoring simultaneously won’t hurt anything, but you’ll get a noticeable delay effect in your outputs (kind of like a slapback echo) since the hardware and software monitors have different latencies. The best method, therefore, is to mute the monitors in the console and to control your software monitoring from within your audio application.
ASIO Control Panel In all ASIO programs you can access a special window that lets you control certain hardware settings for your Echo24 card. Each ASIO program has a different name for it (ASIO Device Control Panel, Hardware Settings, Driver Setup, etc…) and a different way of accessing it. There are two controls in this window that you can use. The Allow ASIO 2 Direct Monitoring checkbox does exactly what it say it does.
Contacting Customer Service If you experience any trouble with your Mona system please go to the support area of our website at www.echoaudio.com and check out the tutorials & troubleshooting FAQ’s we have there. If you can’t find a solution to your problem there, please fill out the provided technical support email form. This form will be sent to our technical support staff and they will respond to you quickly. Please fill out the form completely.
Appendix A: General Troubleshooting Guide Problem: You can’t get Sound Manager to recognize your Mona. Solution: The current driver does not support Sound Manager. It only supports ASIO based programs. We will be adding Sound Manager support to our driver at a future date. Problem: You upgraded your computer with a processor upgrade card and now Mona doesn’t work. Solution: Mona is not compatible with processor upgrade cards. It only supports genuine Apple processors without upgrades.
difference between the two modes is in the implementation of the SCMS copy protection bit, which, in the consumer format, prevents the user from making digital copies of a digital copy. In most professional equipment, this copy protection bit can be turned off or on according to the user’s needs. In consumer products, the SCMS bit is always enabled. Unfortunately there is no way for the transmitting device to automatically detect which format the receiving device is able to accept.
Mona’s rack mount interface. Just because multiple devices are connected to the same computer doesn’t mean they are synchronized. Next, be sure that you have selected the desired input clock source in the Mona Echo Console. Problem: Recordings made using the S/PDIF port contain occasional pops or skips. Solution: When recording with the S/PDIF port, you must manually select the S/PDIF clock as the input clock. This can be done using the Mona Echo Console.
Solution: You may have a bad audio cable. Try using a different cable in the problem channel. Problem: There is no sound unless I pull the audio plug out a little. Solution: Not all ¼” plugs are made to the exact same dimensions. Try a plug/cable from a different manufacturer.
Appendix B: ASIO Audio Software FAQ ASIO Software Compatibility List – 11/06/2000 Cubase 4.0 (or higher) Digital Performer 2.61 (or higher) Metro 5.0 (or higher) Peak 2.1 (or higher) We are currently working on ASIO driver compatibility with Logic and other ASIO based programs for future driver releases. Echo24 ASIO Driver and ASIO 2.0 Q: Can I use all Echo cards together at the same time in my ASIO program? No. There are two different Echo ASIO drivers.
Q: What does ASIO 2.0 support do for me? For our purposes, ASIO 2.0 adds ASIO Direct Monitoring. ASIO Direct Monitoring lets you control the monitoring features of your Echo card (low latency hardware monitoring) from within your ASIO program. Cubase VST version 4.1 is the first program to support Direct Monitoring, but other ASIO programs will probably support this feature in the future.
Appendix C: An Introduction to Digital Recording Converting Sound into Numbers In a digital recording system, sound is represented as a series of numbers, with each number representing the voltage, or amplitude, of a sound wave at a particular moment in time. The numbers are generated by an analog-todigital converter, or ADC, which converts the signal from an analog audio source (such as a guitar or a microphone) connected to its input into numbers.
Sample Size The more bits that are used to store the sampled value, the more closely it will represent the source signal. In an 8-bit system, there are 256 possible combinations of zeroes and ones, so 256 different analog voltages can be represented. A 16-bit system provides 65,535 possible combinations. A 16bit signal is capable of providing far greater accuracy than an 8-bit signal. Figure B shows how this works. Figure B.
Sample Rate The rate at which the ADC generates the numbers is equally important in determining the quality of a digital recording. To get a high level of accuracy when sampling, the sample rate must be greater than twice the frequency being sampled. The mathematical statement of this is called the Nyquist Theorem. When dealing with full-bandwidth sound (20Hz−20kHz), you should sample at greater than 40,000 times per second (twice 20kHz). Mona allows you to sample at rates up to 96,000 times per second.
Storing Digital Data Once the waveform has been transformed into digital bits, it must be stored. When sampling in stereo at 48kHz using a 20-bit word size, the system has to accommodate 1,920,000 bits per second. Though this is a lot of data, it is well within the capabilities of personal computers. Most computer-based digital recording systems record the data directly to the computer’s hard disk.
1.0, converting dBV levels into dBu levels is as simple as subtracting 2dB (2.21 to be exact). Signals are also occasionally represented with units of dBm. This is an older unit that measures power instead of voltage levels with 0dBm representing 1 milliwatt. Earlier tube-based audio equipment used standardized input and output impedances of 600 ohms, so a 0dBm signal was produced with a voltage of .775 volts.
Unbalanced and Balanced Inputs and Outputs An unbalanced signal, commonly used for guitars and consumer electronics, contains two components, a ground signal and a “hot” or active signal. The ground is the barrel of a ¼” connector and the shell of an “RCA” style connector. A balanced signal contains two active signals instead of one in addition to the ground. These are referred to as the “plus” and “minus” signals. A balanced input amplifier amplifies the difference between these two signals.
Dynamic Range Dynamic range represents the difference between the maximum signal that can be recorded and the “noise floor”, or level of noise with no signal present. A system with a high dynamic range will be quieter than one with a lower dynamic range. Dynamic range is a very important specification and Mona uses converters that have very high dynamic range. Theoretically, a 24-bit system has a dynamic range of 144dB and a 16-bit system has a dynamic range of 96dB.
Appendix D: Specifications Audio Performance Analog Inputs (x4): !"Frequency Response: 10Hz – 22kHz, ±0.25dB !"Dynamic Range: 110dB A-weighted !"THD+n: <0.001%, 20Hz–22kHz !"Nominal Input Level: +4dBu !"Maximum Input Level: +22dBu !"Microphone Input Level (balanced XLR): !"EIN: -129dBV !"Input Impedance: 1.
!"-10dBV Outputs (RCA): !"Nominal Output Level: -10dBV !"Maximum Output Level: +8dBV Hardware !"Host Interface: PCI bus mastering card !"Four high quality mic preamps with phantom power (+48v) !"Four universal analog inputs with precision 24-bit 128x oversampling analog-to-digital converters !"Six analog outputs (both XLR & RCA) with high performance 24-bit 128x oversampling digital-to-analog converters !"S/PDIF digital I/O with up to 24-bit resolution !"ADAT optical digital I/O !"Trim control and level me
Index digital data · 43 digital mode · 11, 23, 31, 38 digital mode switch · 27 digital recording · 40 digital-to-analog converter · Direct Monitoring · 30, 32, 39 driver installation · 18 dynamic range · 46 9 96kHz recording, problems · 36 A ADAT · 11, 16, 26, 27, 28, 36, 38 analog resolution · 41 analog-to-digital converter · 40 ASIO · 8, 20 ASIO 2.
interface cable · 6 Internal input clock · processor upgrade card · 7, 34 professional mode · 29, 34 professional output setting · 29, 35 26 L R latency · 30, 32 level meters · 14 line input · 13 rack-mount box, installing · recording, pops or skips · 36 M S memory · 7 mic preamps · 12 microphone input · 12 monitor controls · 22 multiple Echo cards · 38 multiple Monas · 24 multiple Monas, synchronization · S/PDIF · 11, 16, 25, 27, 36, 38 S/PDIF cabling · 11, 17 S/PDIF Consumer · 29 S/PDIF Pro · 29
word clock cabling · U unbalanced · 45 universal inputs · X 12 XLR · W website · 33 word clock · 17, 25 51 12 17
