Owner’s Manual Complete recording solution
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS WARNING FOR YOUR PROTECTION READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS: KEEP THESE INSTRUCTIONS HEED ALL WARNINGS FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS The symbols shown above are internationally accepted symbols that warn of potential hazards with electrical products. The lightning flash with arrowpoint in an equilateral triangle means that there are dangerous voltages present within the unit.
Section Title IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY This unit conforms to the Product Specifications noted on the Declaration of Conformity. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: this device may not cause harmful • interference, and this device must accept any interference • received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Operation of this unit within significant electromagnetic fields should be avoided.
Service Info/Warranty Service Info If you require technical support, contact Lexicon® Professional Customer Service. Be prepared to accurately describe the problem. Know the serial number of your unit, found on a sticker attached to the bottom of the Alpha Studio™. If you have not already taken the time to fill out your warranty registration card and send it in, please do so now. Before you return a product to the factory for service, we recommend you refer to the manual.
Table of Contents Table of Contents Introduction.......................................... 8 Features...................................................................................8 Unpacking the Alpha studioTM. ............................................9 Computer minimum requirements.......................................9 Windows® .............................................................................................................. 9 Macintosh®. .............................................
Table of Contents macintosh® Software SetUp................................................17 Mac OS.................................................................................................................... 17 Using the Lexicon® Alpha STUDIO™....... 18 Section I – Recording Audio With the Alpha Studio™....................................... 19 A. Recording Using the Microphone/Line Input........................................... 19 B. Recording a Guitar using the Instrument Input...............
Introduction Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of the Lexicon® Alpha Desktop Recording Studio™. The Alpha Studio is a complete package of hardware and software that turns your USB-equipped computer into a professional multitrack recording workstation.
Unpacking the Alpha StudioTM unpacking the Alpha STUDIO™ The Alpha Studio™ is shipped in one carton, containing the Alpha Studio Interface hardware, Steinberg® Cubase® LE 4 and Lexicon® Pantheon™ plug-in software for Windows® and Macintosh® based systems. After unpacking, save all the packaging materials in case you ever have to ship the unit. Thoroughly inspect the Alpha Studio and packing materials for signs of damage.
The Front Panel Line 1 / Instrument Instrument Monitor Mix Control Line 2 / Microphone Monitor Mix Line 2/Mic Line 1/Inst Output Level Output Level Monitor Stereo Peak Mono Peak USB Direct 1/4˝ Instrument Input Jack Peak LEDs Playback Monitor Assign 1/8˝ Headphone Output Jack The FRONT Panel The Alpha Studio™ front panel offers the following features: ¼" Instrument Input Jack This ¼" jack accepts unbalanced, low-level, high impedance instrument sources such as electric guitar, acoustic g
The Front Panel the faders on the Mixer screen of the software. To hear only the live source input signals plugged into the Alpha StudioTM, turn the Monitor Mix knob fully left to Direct. To hear only the mix from the computer, turn the Monitor Mix knob fully right to Playback. The output from the Monitor Mix control is routed directly to the Line and Headphone outputs.
The Rear Panel USB Port Mic Input 1 Line In RCA Left/Right Line Outputs L 2 Line Out R Line Out R Alpha Studio is a trademark of Lexicon Pro, Inc. Mic Line In 1-2 L 1/4” Left/Right Line Outputs The REAr Panel The Alpha Studio™ rear panel offers the following features: USB Port The USB Port is used to connect the Alpha Studio to your computer and provides the Alpha Studio hardware with power. A standard USB cable is included. The Alpha Studio supports USB 2.0 full speed.
Connecting to the Alpha Studio Connecting to the Alpha studioTM The Alpha StudioTM is both a 2 x 2 x 2 mixer and a USB audio interface that can be used in a variety of audio setups. This section describes how to make basic connections for the following applications: • Monitoring Audio • Recording Audio • Connecting a Recorder for Mixdown Monitoring connections The Alpha Studio allows you to monitor audio from both the hardware inputs (Direct) and from the computer (Playback).
About Recording Connections about Recording connections Analog audio signals are created by microphones, synthesizers, mixers, and instruments with magnetic pickups. Of these sources, microphones and magnetic instrument pickups have the lowest output level, and generally require the most amplification. Keyboards, preamps, and mixers output “line level” audio, which varies with each device between the -10 dBV and +4 dBu standards.
Mixdown Connections Mixdown Connections For the cleanest recording, adjust the Gain so the Peak LED flashes only occasionally, on the loudest part of the performance. After you record and mix your sessions in either Cubase® LE 4 or other recording software, you may want to mix them down to a DAT, audio cassette, or other stereo 2-track recording device.
Connections Diagram connections diagram Mixdown Deck ¼" Instrument Chan 1/Inst Monitor Mix Chan 2/Mic Output Level Monitor Stereo Peak Peak Mono USB Windows® Software setup You must consult the Software Installation Guide on the included CD to ensure the successful installation of the recording software and USB drivers. If you haven’t already installed the Cubase LE 4 and Lexicon® Pantheon™ plug-in software, please do so before continuing on to the next section.
Macintosh Software Setup macintosh® Software SetUp You must consult the Software Installation Guide on the included CD to ensure the successful installation of the recording software and USB setup. If you haven’t already installed the Cubase® LE 4 and Lexicon Pantheon™ plug-in software, please do so before continuing on to the next section. Mac OS A USB device must initialize itself with the host computer to operate correctly.
Using the Lexicon Alpha Studio™ ® Using the Lexicon Alpha STUDIO™ ® 1. Start Cubase® LE 4. The first time you use Cubase LE 4 with the Alpha Studio™ you may be asked to run the Multimedia test as shown here. Deselect the check box, then click NO. 2. Cubase LE 4 may display the following warning that the configuration has not been tested. Click OK. 3. Once Cubase LE 4 opens, go to Devices>Device Setup. 4. Under Devices, click on VST Audio System and select Alpha ASIO if it is not already selected.
Recording Audio with the Alpha StudioTM Section I – Recording audio With the Alpha Studio™ The diagram below shows how the Alpha Studio™ is connected for this particular setup. A. Recording using the Microphone/line Input Line In 1 Instrument Chan 1/Inst Monitor Mix Chan 2/Mic Output Level Monitor Stereo Peak Peak Mic Input Mono USB Plug your microphone cable into the Mic Input XLR jack or line level audio source to the Line 1 ¼" jack on the back of the Alpha Studio.
Recording Using the Microphone/Line Input 3. Select Default and click OK. 4. Select a location to store the project (or use the default location) and click OK.
Recording Using the Microphone/Line Input To set the input of the track to record: 1. Click the Project menu and select Add Track | Audio. When the Add Audio Track dialog appears, click OK. 2. Make sure the Show Inspector button , located in the upper left corner of the screen is lit. The Inspector window appears on the left side of the screen.
Recording Using the Microphone/Line Input 3. In the Inspector, click the Left - Stereo In: box and select Stereo In - Left for the track input source. (Stereo In - Left relates to Line 1/Inst, Stereo In - Right relates to Line 2/Mic inputs.) 4. In the Track 1 window, the Record Enable button If it isn't, click it so that it turns red. 22 should already be red.
Recording Using the Microphone/Line Input 5. In the Track 1 window, click the Input Monitoring button lit.
Recording Using the Microphone/Line Input To check the input level from the microphone or Line Input: 1. If you are using a mic and have connected the Alpha Studio™ to studio monitors, turn them down or off to avoid feedback. 2. If you want to hear the audio source in headphones, turn up the Alpha Studio Output Level knob and turn the Monitor Mix knob counter-clockwise (towards the Direct side). Press the Monitor Assign button so it is in the Mono position.
Recording Using the Microphone/Line Input Rewind and Play Buttons 5. Turn the Alpha Studio™ Output Level knob to adjust the listening volume, and make sure the Monitor Mix knob is somewhere in the middle between Direct and Playback. To overdub a second track: 1. Click anywhere in the gray area (not on the buttons) of the Track 2 window (labeled as Audio 02). 2. In the Inspector, click the IN: box and select IN 1 or IN 2 for Track 2's input.
Recording a Guitar Using the Instrument Input B. Recording a Guitar using the Instrument input This section explains how to record using the ¼" Instrument input jack on the front panel. 1. Plug your electric, acoustic, or bass guitar into the Instrument input jack on the front of the Alpha Studio™ hardware.
Recording a Guitar Using the Instrument Input To set the input of the track to record from the 1-2 USB channels: 1. Click anywhere in the gray area (not on the buttons) of the Track 1 window (labeled as Audio 01). 2. In the Inspector, click the IN: box and select IN 1 for the track input source. 3. In the Track 1 window, the Record Enable button If it isn't, click it so that it turns red. should already be red. 4. In the Track 1 window, click the Input Monitoring button lit. so that it is not 5.
Using Software Input Monitoring Section II - Using software Input Monitoring The previous examples have turned off Cubase® LE 4’s Input Monitoring software switches while recording tracks, and used the Monitor Mix knob on the front of the Alpha Studio™ hardware to directly monitor an input without latency.
Using Software Input Monitoring 4. Left click on an Insert space and select Earlier VST Plug-ins, Lexicon®, and Pantheon™. 5. Choose Large Hall from the drop down menu at the top of the Pantheon™ Edit Window.
Using Software Input Monitoring 6. Because this is an insert effect, move the Mix slider to 50% (see the Pantheon manual for more details). 7. Change the level to about -52dB. Now you will record with the Lexicon® Pantheon Reverb on your track.
Adjusting the Buffer Settings Section III - Adjusting the Buffer Settings Audio latency is the minimum time required for a computer to store recorded audio from an audio interface into the recording application memory and playback that same recorded audio back out audio interface output. After the audio has been converted to the digital domain, it is passed to a buffer before it is processed by the driver and then passed to the audio application.
Adjusting the Buffer Settings B. Adjusting the Buffers in MAC® osX 1. Open Cubase LE 4 and go to Devices>Device Setup. 2. Click on VST Multitrack. 3. Click on Audio Buffer Size and select the Number of Samples. 4. When you are finished click OK.
Specifications Specifications Microphone Input: Input Impedance: GAIN: EIN: Maximum Input Level: Frequency Response: THD+N: Female XLR Pin 2 Hot 600 Ohms balanced +50 dB −115 dB A-weighted @ +50dB gain (150 Ohm source impedance) –7 dBu +0, −0.5 dB 20 Hz - 20 kHz, ref. 1 kHz <.005%, 20 Hz - 20 kHz Line Inputs: Input Impedance: Maximum Input Level: Frequency Response: THD+N: (2) 1/4" TRS balanced or unbalanced 20 kOhm balanced, 10 kOhm unbalanced +13 dBu +0, −0.5 dB 20 Hz - 20 kHz, ref. 1kHz <.
Lexicon Alpha Studio™ Signal Routing Diagram ® 35
Harman Music Group 8760 South Sandy Parkway | Sandy, Utah 84070 U.S.A. Phone: 801-566-8800 | Fax: 801-566-7005 Copyright 2007 Lexicon Professional® Alpha Desktop Recording Studio™ Questions or comments? Email us at: customer@lexiconpro.com or visit our World Wide Web home page at: www.lexiconpro.
