!896 Manual/Win Page 1 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM MOTU 896 ™ User’s Guide for Windows 1280 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 Business voice: (617) 576-2760 Business fax: (617) 576-3609 Tech support phone: (617) 576-3066 Tech support fax: (617) 354-3068 Tech support email: techsupport@motu.com Web site: www.motu.
!896 Manual/Win Page 2 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR OTHER MOISTURE. CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL. WARNING: DO NOT PERMIT FINGERS TO TOUCH THE TERMINALS OF PLUGS WHEN INSTALLING OR REMOVING THE PLUG TO OR FROM THE OUTLET.
!896 Manual/Win Page 3 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM CHAPTER Contents 5 Quick Reference: MOTU 896 Front Panel 6 Quick Reference: MOTU 896 Rear Panel 7 Quick Reference: MOTU FireWire Audio Console 9 About the MOTU 896 13 Packing List and Windows System Requirements 15 IMPORTANT! Run the MOTU 896 Software Installer First 17 Installing the MOTU 896 Hardware 35 MOTU FireWire Audio Console 43 ASIO-compatible Audio Software 49 Windows Multimedia-compatible Audio Software 53 Performance
!896 Manual/Win Page 0 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM About the Mark of the Unicorn License Agreement and Limited Warranty on Software TO PERSONS WHO PURCHASE OR USE THIS PRODUCT: carefully read all the terms and conditions of the “click-wrap” license agreement presented to you when you install the software. Using the software or this documentation indicates your acceptance of the terms and conditions of that license agreement. Mark of the Unicorn, Inc.
This toggle switch provides phantom power for a condenser mic plugged into this input. Up is on. 0 If you have +4 inputs for which you’d like to maintain unity gain (for levels up to +18dBu), set the rear-panel 3-way switch to +4/FIXED. You can use either an XLR or quarter-inch plug. For -10dB (unbalanced) inputs (like synths) or +4 (balanced) signals, set the rear panel 3-way switch to LINE and use the trim knob to adjust the level. You can use either an XLR or quarter-inch plug.
Analog outputs 1 and 2 are duplicated on the MOTU 896’s main outputs (to the left), as well as the front panel stereo headphone jack. However, these outputs do not include any live CueMix™ Plus audio. MIC: This setting feeds the input signal (XLR or quarter-inch) to the built-in preamp for additional gain. Use it for any microphone or unamplified instrument pickup. Engage phantom power for condenser mics with the front-panel 48V switch (up is on).
!896 Manual/Win Page 7 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM 0 Quick Reference: MOTU FireWire Audio Console CHAPTER Determines the master clock source for your entire MOTU 896 system. If you’re just using the analog ins and outs, set this to ‘Internal’. The other settings are for digital transfers via AES/ EBU or external synchronization via the ADAT SYNC in or Word Clock port. If you have multiple MOTU FireWire interfaces, you’ll see all eligible clock sources from all available interfaces.
!896 Manual/Win Page 8 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM 8
!896 Manual/Win Page 9 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM CHAPTER 1 About the MOTU 896 OVERVIEW The MOTU 896 is a computer-based hard disk recording system for Mac OS and Windows that offers 18 simultaneous inputs and outputs. The MOTU 896 consists of a standard 19-inch, double-space, rack-mountable I/O unit that connects directly to a computer via a standard IEEE 1394 FireWire™ cable. The MOTU 896 offers the following: ■ Operation at 44.1, 48, 88.
!896 Manual/Win Page 10 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM ■ BNC word clock input and output ■ Two 1394 FireWire jacks 18 simultaneous inputs and outputs All MOTU 896 inputs and outputs can be used simultaneously, for a total of 18 inputs and outputs (8 analog + 8 ADAT optical + 2 AES/EBU). Analog The analog inputs are equipped with 24-bit, 64x oversampling A/D converters. The analog outputs have 24-bit 128x oversampling D/A converters. All audio is carried to the computer in a 24-bit data stream.
!896 Manual/Win Page 11 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM numeric keypad, which toggles recording in Digital Performer. Therefore, pressing the foot switch is the same as pressing the 3 key. The MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel software lets you program any keystroke you wish. 1394 FireWire The two 1394 FireWire jacks accept a standard IEEE 1394 FireWire cable to connect the MOTU 896 to a FireWire-equipped Macintosh or Windows computer.
!896 Manual/Win Page 12 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM or more. Standard third-party SCSI acceleration products can also help you achieve higher track counts.
!896 Manual/Win Page 13 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM CHAPTER 2 Packing List and Windows System Requirements PACKING LIST WINDOWS SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS The MOTU 896 ships with the items listed below. If any of these items are not present in your MOTU 896 box when you first open it, please immediately contact your dealer or MOTU.
!896 Manual/Win Page 14 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM 14 P AC K I NG L I ST AND W I NDO W S SY ST E M R E Q UI R E M E NT S
!896 Manual/Win Page 15 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM CHAPTER 3 IMPORTANT! Run the MOTU 896 Software Installer First OVERVIEW INSTALL THE MOTU 896 SOFTWARE FIRST! The MOTU 896 ships with the following software and drivers for Windows 2000/Me/XP: Before you connect the MOTU 896 audio interface to your computer and turn it on, insert the MOTU 896 software CD and run the MOTU 896 Software Installer. This ensures that all the MOTU 896 components are properly installed in your system.
!896 Manual/Win Page 16 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO CONSOLE ASIO MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO DRIVER The MOTU FireWire Audio Console application is placed by the installer in the folder you specify during the installation process. If you aren’t sure where it is on your hard drive, use the Find command in the Windows Start menu. ASIO stands for Audio Streaming Input and Output.
!896 Manual/Win Page 17 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM CHAPTER 4 Installing the MOTU 896 Hardware OVERVIEW CONNECT THE MOTU 896 INTERFACE Here’s an overview for installing the MOTU 896: 1 Plug one end of the MOTU 896 FireWire cable (included) into the FireWire socket on the computer as shown below in Figure 4-1. Connect the MOTU 896 interface . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Connect the MOTU 896 audio interface to the computer with the supplied FireWire cable.
!896 Manual/Win Page 18 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM CONNECT INPUTS AND OUTPUTS The MOTU 896 audio interface has the following input and output connectors: ■ 8 XLR analog outputs ■ 8 Neutrik™ XLR/quarter-inch analog inputs ■ 2 XLR main outs ■ AES/EBU input/output ■ ADAT optical input/output Analog inputs The MOTU 896 analog inputs are Neutrik combo connectors that accept either a male XLR plug or a quarter-inch plug.
!896 Manual/Win Page 19 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM A TYPICAL STUDIO SETUP (NO MIXER) Here is a typical MOTU 896 studio setup. This rig can be operated without an external mixer. All mixing and processing can be done in the computer with audio software. During recording, you can use the MOTU 896’s CueMix™ Plus no- latency monitoring to listen to what you are recording via the main outs. The MOTU FireWire Audio Console software lets you choose the input (or input pair) that you wish to monitor.
!896 Manual/Win Page 20 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM USING THE MOTU 896 WITH A MIXER While there are many ways to use the MOTU 896 with an external mixer, typically the MOTU 896 serves as a multi-channel “pipeline” between the mixer and the computer. If your mixer is analog, connect the analog section of the MOTU 896 to your mixer. If your mixer is digital, and it has ADAT optical I/O, you can connect them optically as shown below in Figure 4-4.
!896 Manual/Win Page 21 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM MAKING SYNC CONNECTIONS If you connect devices digitally to the MOTU 896, or if you need to synchronize the MOTU 896 with an outside time reference such as SMPTE time code, you must pay careful attention to the synchronization connections and clock source issues discussed in the next few sections.
!896 Manual/Win Page 22 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM DO YOU NEED A SYNCHRONIZER? Whether or not you’ll need a synchronizer depends on your gear and what you will be doing with your MOTU 896 system. The following pages give you specific information about common sync scenarios. At least one of them will likely apply to you. Here are some general considerations to help you figure out if you need (or want) a synchronizer for you MOTU 896 system. You don’t need a synchronizer if...
!896 Manual/Win Page 23 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM SAMPLE-ACCURATE SYNC Your MOTU 896 system provides you with the most advanced, accurate synchronization possible with Alesis ADATs (Type I and II) or any device that supports ADAT sync. Figure 4-8 below shows a few best-case scenarios for syncing the MOTU 896 with ADATs (in ABS time). Below is a brief explanation of the benefits you achieve with these setups.
!896 Manual/Win Page 24 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM SAMPLE-ACCURATE SYNC WITH ADATs What this setup provides The MOTU 896 can achieve sample-accurate sync with Cubase VST or any ASIO 2.0-compatible audio software that also supports sample-accurate sync. Connect the MOTU 896 to the end of the ADAT chain and make the software settings shown below in Figure 4-10.
!896 Manual/Win Page 25 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM ADAT SYNC WITH NO SYNCHRONIZER Even if you don’t have an ADAT synchronizer, you can achieve sample-accurate sync between ADATs, the MOTU 896, and any sample-accurate software. Just connect the MOTU 896 to the end of the ADAT sync chain as shown below. But without the synchronizer, you don’t get transport control from your computer, nor can you slave the system to external SMPTE time code.
!896 Manual/Win Page 26 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM SYNC TO SMPTE, WORD CLOCK, VIDEO second (367 samples at 44.1 KHz). But if you are running your synchronizer under its own internal clock (triggering it via MMC from your software), you will probably get even tighter timing than that — perhaps as good as ±50 samples.
!896 Manual/Win Page 27 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM SYNCING OPTICAL DEVICES For ADATs or other devices that support ADAT sync, synchronize them with the MOTU 896 as described in the previous sections of this chapter. The word optical is our short-hand way of referring to any device that connects to the MOTU 896 via an optical cable. But we make a further distinction: an optical device is also one that doesn’t care about sample location. An example is a digital mixer.
!896 Manual/Win Page 28 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM SYNCING AES/EBU DEVICES If you would like to transfer stereo audio digitally between the 896 and another device that has AES/ EBU I/O, connect it to the 896’s AES/EBU jacks with balanced, AES/EBU grade audio cables. AES/EBU clock and sample rate conversion The 896 AES/EBU section is equipped with a realtime sample rate converter that can be used for either input or output.
!896 Manual/Win Page 29 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM Not phase-locked Phase-locked Device A Device B Figure 4-14: When transferring audio without sample rate conversion, two devices must have phased-locked audio clocks to prevent clicks, pops or other artifacts. Without sample rate conversion, there are two ways to achieve phase lock: slave one device to the other, or slave both devices to a third master clock.
!896 Manual/Win Page 30 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM Clocking scenarios for AES/EBU input There are three possible clocking scenarios for the 896 AES/EBU input: 1. Simple transfer (slave the 896 system clock to the AES/EBU input signal — no sample rate conversion). Simple AES/EBU input transfer (no rate convert) 896 clock source setting: AES/EBU Other device Master AES/EBU OUT AES/EBU IN 896 Slave 896 Sample Rate Conversion setting: None 2. Sample rate convert the AES/EBU input.
!896 Manual/Win Page 31 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM SYNCING TO WORD CLOCK The 896 Word Clock input and output connectors allow you to synchronize the 896 with other devices via standard word clock connections. Figure 4-20: The Sample Rate Conversion option in the MOTU FireWire Audio Console gives you access the AES/EBU output clock options. The last option is either “x2” or “÷2” depending on the system sample rate.
!896 Manual/Win Page 32 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM Audio clock Master MIDI Timepiece AV Word clock OUT 896 clock source: word clock Word clock IN Slave 896 Figure 4-22: To slave the 896 to SMPTE time code, use a dedicated synchronizer such as a MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital Timepiece. For the 896’s clock source, choose ‘Word clock’. You could also use ADAT SYNC from the MTP AV connected to the ADAT SYNC IN port on the 896.
!896 Manual/Win Page 33 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM CONNECTING MULTIPLE MOTU 896 INTERFACES You can daisy-chain up to four MOTU 896 interfaces on a single FireWire bus, with the restrictions described in the following sections. Most computers have only one built-in FireWire bus (even if it supplies multiple FireWire sockets). Connect them as follows: Multiple 896s in the MOTU FireWire Audio Console The MOTU FireWire Audio Console displays the settings for one 1296 I/O at a time.
!896 Manual/Win Page 34 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM Word clock connections are not necessary Each 896 in the system gets its clock from the Audio Wire cable connection (unless it is the master clock itself). There is no need to make word clock connections between multiple 896 I/Os. your computer. In may be possible to add additional MOTU FireWire interfaces connected to such a third-party product, depending on the performance of the product and the performance of your host computer.
!896 Manual/Win Page 35 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM CHAPTER 5 MOTU FireWire Audio Console OVERVIEW Peak Hold Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 The MOTU FireWire Audio Console provides access to all MOTU 896 settings. Disable Interface option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Accessing the MOTU 896 settings . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Monitoring live input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 MOTU 896 Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
!896 Manual/Win Page 36 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM MOTU 896 SETTINGS Sample Rate Choose the desired Sample Rate for recording and playback. The MOTU 896 can operate at 44.1 KHz (the standard rate for compact disc audio), 48 KHz, 88.2 kHz or 96 kHz. ☛ Mismatched sample rates cause distortion and crackling. If you hear this sort of thing, check the sample rate settings in your hardware and here in the MOTU FireWire Audio Console.
!896 Manual/Win Page 37 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM digital clock master. In this case, you would set the MOTU 896 clock source setting to ADAT 9-pin, as described below. ADAT 9-pin The ADAT 9-pin clock source setting refers to the ADAT digital audio synchronization format. It allows the MOTU 896 to slave to an ADAT — or ADAT sync chain — via its ADAT sync 9-pin connector. ADAT sync also carries precise, sample location information, which allows Cubase VST or other sample-accurate ASIO 2.
!896 Manual/Win Page 38 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM Samples Per Buffer A sample buffer is a small part of computer memory that briefly holds digital audio samples as they are passed between the computer and the MOTU 896. The Samples Per Buffer setting lets you control the size of these buffers in the MOTU FireWire Audio Driver.
!896 Manual/Win Page 39 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM The Enable full Wave support for legacy (MME) software (less efficient) option forces the MOTU 896 multimedia driver to expose all channels as stereo pairs, providing full MME support. If your host audio software does not directly support WDM audio and instead only supports legacy MME drivers, use this option to access multiple MOTU 896 input and output channels.
!896 Manual/Win Page 40 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM 896 system clock. For further details about this option, see “Syncing AES/EBU devices” on page 28. Programmable Meters This option lets you choose which bank you wish to monitor with the eight programmable meters on the MOTU 896 front panel. Your choices are: Analog Out, ADAT In or ADAT Out. The ‘Clip Hold Time’ option controls how long this LED remains illuminated. This LED lights up momentarily. Figure 5-2: The Clip Hold Time option.
!896 Manual/Win Page 41 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM Word Out If you are running a MOTU 896 interface at a high sample rate (96 or 88.2), this option appears at the bottom of the interface settings. It lets you choose a word clock output rate that either matches the global sample rate (e.g. 96 kHz) or halves the global rate (e.g. 48 kHz instead of 96 kHz).
!896 Manual/Win Page 42 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM 42 M O T U F I R E W I R E AUDI O C O NSO L E
!896 Manual/Win Page 43 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM CHAPTER 6 ASIO-compatible Audio Software OVERVIEW WHAT IS ASIO? The MOTU 896 includes an ASIO driver that provides multi-channel I/O with any ASIOcompatible audio software. ASIO is an acronym for Audio Streaming Input and Output. The ASIO MOTU FireWire Audio driver allows the MOTU 896 to provide multi-channel audio input and output for any audio application that supports ASIO drivers. What is ASIO? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
!896 Manual/Win Page 44 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM and it lets you enable the optical input and output, if needed. For details, see chapter 5, “MOTU FireWire Audio Console” (page 35). Enabling the MOTU FireWire Audio ASIO driver in Cubase To activate the MOTU FireWire Audio ASIO driver in Cubase: 1 Choose System from the Audio menu. 2 Choose MOTU FireWire Audio from the ASIO device menu. 3 Make the other settings in the dialog as need for your system and synchronization scenario.
!896 Manual/Win Page 45 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM As another example, if you are using analog, AES/EBU and ADAT optical, you need 18 channels (the maximum number of simultaneous channels provided by the MOTU 896). In Cubase, set the number of channels in the System dialog (as shown above in Figure 6-2).
!896 Manual/Win Page 46 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM displayed under Latency in the Audio System dialog shown in Figure 6-2.) There are several ways to reduce — and eliminate — this audible monitoring delay. For details, see “Monitoring live input” on page 41.
!896 Manual/Win Page 47 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM 2 In Cubase’s Synchronization window, set the Sync Source Time Base to ASIO 2.0 as shown below: The ASIO 2.0 MMC setting in Cubase The Timecode Base menu shown above in Figure 6-4 includes a setting called ASIO 2.0 MMC, which provides sample-accurate transport control of the MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV (or other MMC-compatible synchronizer) from the transport buttons in Cubase itself.
!896 Manual/Win Page 48 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM 48 ASI O - C O M P AT I B L E AUDI O SO F T W AR E
!896 Manual/Win Page 49 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM CHAPTER 7 Windows Multimedia-compatible Audio Software OVERVIEW The MOTU FireWire Audio WDM driver provides standard multi-channel input and output for audio software running under Windows 2000, Windows Me or Windows XP. WDM and Wave driver compatibility. . . . . . . . .49 Installing the MOTU FireWire Audio WDM driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Enabling Wave (MME) compatibility . . . . . . . . .
!896 Manual/Win Page 50 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM 2 Click the Drivers tab. 3 Highlight the MOTU 896 inputs and outputs that you wish to use and unhighlight the ones you don’t as shown in Figure 7-2. Figure 7-2: Activating the MOTU FireWire Audio driver in SONAR by highlighting inputs and outputs.
!896 Manual/Win Page 51 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM and output. If you don’t see the optical inputs and/ or outputs, check the MOTU FireWire Audio Console to make sure they are turned on. If you don’t plan to use the optical input or output, turn it off to conserve computer bandwidth. TRIMMING THE ANALOG INPUTS Figure 7-3: Make sure you have chosen a MOTU 896 input and output for the playback and recording timing master settings.
!896 Manual/Win Page 52 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM SYNCHRONIZATION If your audio software has the ability to slave to SMPTE time code, then it can take advantage of the synchronization features in the MOTU 896. As you read through the following sections to decide what form of synchronization you might need with other devices in your studio, be sure to consult “Making sync connections” on page 21 for the proper hardware connections.
!896 Manual/Win Page 53 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM CHAPTER 8 Performance Tips & Troubleshooting CD player will not play through the MOTU 896 Playback from an audio CD on the PC requires a physical connection between the CD player and your sound card. The MOTU 896 does not have an internal CD connection. Why does the start sound not play through the MOTU 896? The MOTU 896 will only playback audio at a sampling rate of 44.
!896 Manual/Win Page 54 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM up configured to record from their analog inputs. You won't be able to record from the MOTU 896 to a tape deck until it is switched to digital input. Alesis blackface (classic) ADAT optical sync If you are using a Classic (black-faced) ADAT as a sync master in your MOTU 896 setup, and you want to record sample accurately into it, you must configure it to use its internal clock, instead of slaving to the optical input.
!896 Manual/Win Page 55 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM we receive your card, you’ll be placed on our mailing list for free software updates and information about new products. REPLACING DISKS If your MOTU 896 software CD-ROM becomes damaged and fails to provide you with fresh, working copies of the program, our Customer Support Department will be glad to replace it. You can request a replacement disc by calling our business office at (617) 576-2760 and asking for the customer service department.
!896 Manual/Win Page 56 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM 56 P E R F O R M ANC E T I P S & T R O UB L E SH O O T I NG
!896 Manual/Win Page 57 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM 02R mixer 27 connecting 20 1394 connector 6, 11, 17 24-bit 3rd party software 47, 52 analog recording 10 optical 6 recording 11 A Aardvark Aard Sync 32 ADAT 9-pin 10, 37 ADAT lightpipe 27 ADAT optical 6, 10 clock source setting 37 connecting 18 syncing with 36 ADAT Sync 10 connector 6 sample-accurate 23, 24, 25 sync setting 37 AES In option (sample rate conversion) 39 AES Out ÷ 2 option 39 AES Out slave to AES in option 39 AES Out x 2 option 39 AE
!896 Manual/Win Page 58 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 5:02 PM Pedal 10, 38 3rd party software 45 configuring 7 Phantom power 5, 10, 18 Phase-lock 21 Phones 5 Programmable meters option 40 Punch in/out 10 R Registration 13 S Sample rate 7, 36 Sample Rate Conversion option 39 Sample-accurate sync 10, 23, 24, 25, 46 Samplers connecting 19 Samples per buffer 7, 38 SMPTE sync 21, 22, 23, 26 Sound control panel rate (bit resolution) 36 Sound Manager 11, 43 bit resolution 36 Studio setup (example) 19 Sync sample-a
