Owner’s Manual COMPLETE RECORDING SOLUTION
Warranty/Technical Support/Service WARRANTY 1. Please register your product online at lexiconpro.com. Proof-of-purchase is considered to be the responsibility of the consumer. A copy of the original purchase receipt must be provided for any warranty service. 2. Lexicon Professional warrants this product, when purchased new from an authorized U.S. Lexicon Professional dealer and used solely within the U.S., to be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service.
Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.....................................1 FEATURES..............................................1 UNPACKING THE ALPHA STUDIO...........2 COMPUTER MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS...2 THE FRONT PANEL.................................3 ¼" Instrument Input Jack..............................................3 Line 1/Inst.......................................................................3 Peak LEDs.......................................................................
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.
Introduction UNPACKING THE ALPHA STUDIO Thoroughly inspect the Alpha Studio and packing materials for signs of damage. Report any shipping damage to the carrier that delivered the product or dealer from whom you purchased the product at once. COMPUTER MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS The Lexicon Alpha doesn't require an extremely powerful computer to use.
The Front Panel 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 Monitor Assign Playback 1/8˝ Headphone Output Jack ¼" INSTRUMENT INPUT JACK This ¼" jack accepts unbalanced, low-level, high-impedance instrument sources such as electric guitar, acoustic guitar with a pickup, or electric bass.
The Front Panel and any audio coming back from the computer via USB (“Playback”). To adjust the playback mix coming back from the computer (previous tracks, effect returns, etc.), use the faders on the Mixer screen of the recording software. To hear only the live source input signals plugged into the Alpha Studio, 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 Rear Panel 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 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 – Monitoring Connections CONNECTING TO THE ALPHA STUDIO The Alpha Studio is both a 2 x 2 x 2 mixer and a USB audio interface that can be used in a variety of audio applications.
Connecting to the Alpha Studio – Recording Connections For the cleanest recording, adjust the Gain so the Peak LED flashes only occasionally, on the loudest part of the performance. DO NOT TURN DOWN A Gain CONTROL TO GET THE RIGHT MIX IN YOUR HEADPHONES OR MONITORS WHILE RECORDING. USE THE Monitor Mix CONTROL FOR THIS PURPOSE. RECORDING CONNECTIONS Analog audio signals are created by microphones, synthesizers, mixers, and instruments with magnetic pickups.
Connecting to the Alpha Studio – Mixdown Connections MIXDOWN CONNECTIONS After you record and mix your sessions in either Cubase® LE or other recording software, you may want to mix them down to a DAT, tape recorder, CD recorder, or other stereo 2-track recording device.
Connecting to the Alpha Studio – Connection Diagram CONNECTION DIAGRAM Mixdown Deck ¼" Instrument Chan 1/Inst Monitor Mix Chan 2/Mic Output Level Monitor Stereo Peak 9 Peak Mono USB
Software Setup SOFTWARE SETUP WINDOWS® If you haven’t already installed the Windows USB driver, Cubase LE, and included Lexicon® reverb plug-in software, please do so before continuing on to the next section. Consult the Software Installation Guide available at http://lexiconpro.com/ en-US/products/alpha#documentation to ensure successful installation of these software programs.
Using the Alpha Studio – Recording with the Alpha Studio USING THE ALPHA STUDIO RECORDING WITH THE ALPHA STUDIO A. RECORDING USING THE MIC OR LINE INPUTS This section explains how to record using the Mic or Line inputs on the back of the Alpha Studio. The diagram below shows how the Alpha Studio is connected for this particular application.
Using the Alpha Studio – Recording with the Alpha Studio B. RECORDING A GUITAR USING THE INSTRUMENT INPUT This section explains how to record using the ¼" Instrument input jack on the front panel. The diagram below shows how the Alpha Studio is connected for this particular application.
Using the Alpha Studio – Recording with the Alpha Studio C. RECORDING WITH CUBASE LE To create a new session and prepare Cubase LE to record: 1. Open Cubase LE. 2. To create a new empty recording session, select the Prompt for project location option. Select More>Empty, then click the Create button. 3. Select the location on the hard drive where you would like to create the new project; create a new folder if necessary. When done, click the Open button (or OK button if using Windows).
Using the Alpha Studio – Recording with the Alpha Studio 4. Go to the Devices menu and select the Device Setup option. 5. Click on VST Audio System and, if not already selected, select Alpha ASIO (for Windows) or Lexicon Alpha In/Out (for Mac). Click the Switch button to select the driver, then click OK. You are now ready to begin recording using your Alpha Studio and Cubase LE.
Using the Alpha Studio – Recording with the Alpha Studio To create an audio track and assign an audio input: 1. Click the Project menu and select Add Track>Audio. 2. When the Add Audio Track dialog appears, select the Mono configuration, name the track, then click the Add Track button. 3. Make sure the Inspector window is enabled, located in the upper-left corner of the screen. The Inspector window is displayed on the left side of the screen.
Using the Alpha Studio – Recording with the Alpha Studio 4. In the Inspector window, select the input you would like to record by clicking the Input Routing field then selecting the track input source. Select "Stereo In - Left" to record from the Line 1/Instrument input or "Stereo In - Right" to record from the Line 2/Mic input. 5. In the Track window, the Record Enable button should already be red. If it isn't, click it so that it turns red.
Using the Alpha Studio – Recording with the Alpha Studio 6. In the Track window, make sure the Input Monitor button is not lit. To start recording: 1. Click the Record button on Cubase® LE’s Transport control. Record Button 2. Speak, sing, or play the instrument. 3. When you are finished recording, press the Stop button. Stop Button 4. Press the Zero button to return to the beginning of the session then press the Play button to listen to the track you just recorded.
Using the Alpha Studio – Recording with the Alpha Studio 5. To overdub a track, create a new track as previously described then make sure the record button on the new track is enabled and any previously recorded tracks are not record enabled. This will allow you to record to the new track without affecting the previously recorded tracks. D. SETTING MONITOR LEVELS To set monitor levels for a comfortable listening level: 1.
Using the Alpha Studio – Recording with the Alpha Studio E. USING SOFTWARE INPUT MONITORING The previous examples have had Cubase LE's input monitoring turned off while recording tracks and used the Monitor Mix knob on the front of the Alpha Studio hardware to directly monitor an input without latency. Software input monitoring lets you listen to software-based effects in real time and adjust the headphone/monitor mix independently of the recording levels.
Using the Alpha Studio – Recording with the Alpha Studio 3. To assign an effect to the input, click the Edit Channel Settings button. 4. Left click on an Insert slot and select a plug-in from the list. If using a plug-in that offers a mix control, such as a reverb or delay, adjust the Mix control to change the ratio of dry (unprocessed) to wet (processed) sound. You're now ready to begin recording.
Using the Alpha Studio – Adjusting the Buffer Settings 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 of the 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.
Using the Alpha Studio – Adjusting the Buffer Settings ADJUSTING THE BUFFERS IN MAC OS X 1. Open Cubase LE and go to Devices>Device Setup. 2. Click on Lexicon Alpha In/Out. 3. Click on the Control Panel button. You can now select the buffer size. Selecting lower settings will decrease any monitoring latency. If audio playback has artifacts (clicking, popping), increase the setting slightly. 4. When you are finished, click Close, then OK and return to your project to test the results. 5.
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 @ +50 dB 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 <.
Signal Routing Diagram 24
PHONE: (801) 566-8800 WEB: lexiconpro.com SUPPORT: lexiconpro.com/en-US/support Alpha Owner's Manual PN: 5058238-A © 2016 Harman. All rights reserved. Lexicon is a registered trademark of Harman.
