User Manual

ABOUT THE 8PRE
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FireWire interfaces — on a single FireWire bus. It
can also be used to connect other FireWire devices
without the need for a FireWire hub.
On-board SMPTE synchronization
The 8pre can resolve directly to SMPTE time code
via any analog input, without a separate
synchronizer. The 8pre provides a DSP-driven
phase-lock engine with sophisticated filtering that
provides fast lockup times and sub-frame
accuracy.
The included MOTU SMPTE Setup™ software
provides a complete set of tools to generate SMPTE
for striping, regenerating or slaving other devices
to the computer. Like CueMix DSP, the synchroni-
zation features are cross-platform and compatible
with all audio sequencer software that supports the
ASIO2 sample-accurate sync protocol.
THE 8PRE FRONT PANEL
Preamp trims, 48V phantom power and pad
The 8pre front panel provides convenient,
individual trim control, 48-volt phantom power
switch and 20 dB pad switch for each analog input.
Headphone output and main volume control
The 8pre front panel includes a quarter-inch stereo
headphone output jack and volume knob. The
volume knob also controls the rear-panel main
outs. Push the knob to toggle between them.
Metering section
The front panel of the 8pre displays input metering.
The five-segment input meters provide dedicated
multi-segment metering for their respective analog
inputs.
The
Mode lights indicate whether the interface is
currently operating as a FireWire audio interface or
an analog-to-optical converter.
The
Clock lights indicate the global sample rate and
clock source.
16-BIT AND 24-BIT RECORDING
The 8pre system handles all data with a 24-bit
signal path, regardless of the I/O format. You can
record and play back 16-bit or 24-bit audio files at
any supported sample rate via any of the 8pre’s
analog or digital inputs and outputs. 24-bit audio
files can be recorded with any compatible host
application that supports 24-bit recording.
AUDIODESK
AudioDesk is a full-featured, 24-bit audio
workstation software package included with the
8pre system (for Macintosh only). AudioDesk
provides multi-channel waveform editing,
automated virtual mixing, graphic editing of ramp
automation, real-time effects plug-ins with 32-bit
floating point processing, crossfades, support for
many third-party audio plug-ins, background
processing of file-based operations, sample-
accurate editing and placement of audio, and more.
DIGITAL PERFORMER
The 8pre system is fully integrated with MOTU’s
award-winning Digital Performer audio sequencer
software package.
OTHER HOST AUDIO SOFTWARE
The 8pre system includes a standard Mac OS X
CoreAudio driver for multichannel I/O with any
audio application that supports CoreAudio.
A COMPUTER-BASED SYSTEM
Regardless of what software you use with the 8pre,
the host computer determines the number of
tracks the software can record and play simulta-
neously, as well as the amount of real-time effects
processing you can apply to your mix. A faster
computer with more RAM and faster hard drives
will allow more simultaneous tracks and real-time
effects than a slower computer with less RAM and
slower hard drives. Today’s fastest computers can
typically play as many as 72 tracks or more.
!8pre Manual/Mac Page 11 Tuesday, October 12, 2010 5:52 PM