User Manual-Windows

INSTALLING THE PCI-424 HARDWARE
31
Figure 4-4: A recommended setup for a digital mixer with ADAT
optical I/O, one TDIF device, a DAT deck and analog devices.
Figure 4-5: A recommended setup for a full blown setup of three ADAT
optical devices, three TDIF devices, analog and SPDIF.
Connecting analog devices with -10 dB signals
From the factory, the 2408mk3 provides +4 dB of
headroom for analog input signals. However, if
you’re connecting a synthesizer, drum machine,
sampler, or other device with a -10 dB analog input
signal, you can switch it’s analog input pair to
-10 dB. For details see “2408mk3 interface options”
on page 70.
Mixing live inputs with CueMix DSP
The PCI-424 system is ideal for computer-based
studios where mixing is done entirely in the
computer and for more advanced installations built
around a digital mixer of any size. For the
computer-based studio, the PCI–424 card features
CueMix DSP™, a flexible DSP-driven mixing and
monitoring matrix that provides the same near-
zero monitoring latency as today’s latest digital
mixers.
CueMix DSP gives you a great number of choices
for mixing and monitoring inputs in your studio.
For example, you could connect the analog output
of a synth module to a pair of 2408mk3 (or other
interface) analog inputs, and then bus that signal
via CueMix DSP to a pair of analog outputs
connected to an effects processor – say a rack-
mount reverb unit. The output from the effects
processor could then be fed back into a second pair
of 2408mk3 inputs (just like an aux return) and
then routed to audio software running on the host
computer, as well as the 2408mk3 main outputs.
The result is that you can apply hardware reverb to
the live synth input, listen to it on your studio
monitors with no audible delay while also
recording it into your workstation software (either
wet or dry), also with no delay. The performance of
this signal path is the same as an send/return loop
on a conventional digital mixer. CueMix DSP
completely eliminates the buffer latency associated
with monitoring live inputs on host-based
recording systems, and it places no processor drain
on your host computer.
If you have a fast computer, CueMix DSP can, of
course, be combined with signals monitored
through host-based effects as well. A fast computer
allows you to drop the host buffer settings low
enough to greatly reduce – and even eliminate –
audible buffer latency. The combination of CueMix
DSP and host-based monitoring with effects
processing provides a flexible, powerful system.
For more information, see chapter 10, “Reducing
Monitoring Latency” (page 91).
2408mk3 interface
Bank A Bank B Bank C
Mixer
(ADAT optical)
TDIF SPDIF
Analog
2408mk3 interface
Bank A Bank B Bank C
ADAT
TDIF
Analog
ADAT
TDIF
ADAT
TDIF
SPDIF