Orpheus Operation Manual by Ian Dennis This manual is also available as 'on-line help' from the Orpheus Control Panel applet. You can access the on-line help from the 'Help' button in the top right-hand corner of the applet.
Table of Contents Part 1 General information 2 Part 2 Introduction to Orpheus 6 1 Features ................................................................................................................................. 6 2 System ................................................................................................................................. requirements 7 3 About ....................................................................................................................
Input ....................................................................................................................................................... Setup tab Output ....................................................................................................................................................... Setup tab Mixer ....................................................................................................................................................... tabs ADAT .......
Part 1 General information
Prism Sound Orpheus 1 Operation Manual Revision 1.05 General information Manual revision history Rev 1.00 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 Date 8th October 2007 22nd April 2008 11th August 2008 4th September 2008 20th October 2008 Author I.G.Dennis I.G.Dennis I.G.Dennis I.G.Dennis I.G.Dennis Notes Product Launch Firmware Revision 1.02 Firmware Revision 1.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Statements of conformity This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against interference in a residential area. This device generates and uses radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause interference to radio or TV reception.
Part 2 Introduction to Orpheus
Prism Sound Orpheus 2 Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Introduction to Orpheus Orpheus is a FireWire multi-channel audio interface for Windows PC and Mac. As well as eight analogue line inputs and outputs, Orpheus provides four high-quality microphone preamplifiers, two high-impedance instrument inputs, a MIDI interface as well as a host of advanced synchronization and monitoring facilities.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 use as a stereo or surround monitor level control. 2.2 System requirements Orpheus will work with any modern host PC or Mac with a suitable operating system and FireWire 400 port. Macs (both Intel and PowerPC platforms are supported) must be running OS X 10.4 Tiger, 10.5 Leopard or later; PCs must be running Windows XP, Vista (32-bit) or later.
Part 3 Quick start guides
Prism Sound Orpheus 3 Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Quick start guides This section contains brief instructions to get up and running quickly. If you need more detailed instructions, see the Installation procedures section. 3.1 Quick start for Mac The Orpheus software can be installed on Macs with either PowerPC or Intel processors. You need a spare FireWire 400 (IEEE1394A) port. You must have OS X 10.4 Tiger, or 10.5 Leopard, or later.
Part 4 Installation procedures
Prism Sound Orpheus 4 Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Installation procedures This section contains detailed installation instructions for your Orpheus. If you are keen to get going quickly, you could use the Quick start guides section. 4.1 Mac installation The Orpheus Control Panel applet can be installed on Macs with either PowerPC or Intel processors. You need a spare FireWire 400 (IEEE1394A) port. You must have OS X 10.4 Tiger, or 10.5 Leopard, or later.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 · A copy of the Orpheus EULA will appear, which you should read: · Agree to the EULA by clicking 'Agree': © 2008 Prism Media Products Ltd 1.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 · Select a destination volume for the installation, if necessary: · Click 'Upgrade' to perform a basic installation:: © 2008 Prism Media Products Ltd 1.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 · You may need to enter an administrator's name and password. Click 'OK': · The installation process will then complete: · When software installation is complete, close the box and connect the Orpheus unit to the FireWire port of the Mac. The Orpheus device's ports should now be visible in Audio/MIDI Setup as Core Audio ports. NOTE: Do not connect the Orpheus unit to the FireWire port of the Mac until software installation is complete.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 routine Tiger online update process. A copy of the patch can be found on the Orpheus installation disc. Before installing the patch, ensure that your Mac has been updated to at least version 10.4.11. This should happen automatically if online updates are enabled. Locate and double-click the following patch package on the installation disc: AppleFWAudio-2.2.0f c9-e1.pkg The patch will overwrite files in he directory: /System/Library/Frameworks/FWAUserLib.
Prism Sound Orpheus 4.2 Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Windows installation The following procedure installs the Orpheus ASIO and WDM drivers, and the Orpheus Control Panel applet, on your Windows PC. You must have Windows XP, Vista (32-bit) or later, and a spare FireWire 400 (IEEE1394A) port. · Connect your Orpheus to the mains supply with the power-cord provided. DO NOT connect it to the PC yet. · Insert the installation disc into a DVD-ROM drive on your PC.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 · You will be asked to agree to the Orpheus EULA - if you agree, click 'Yes': · Choose the installation folder location by clicking 'Browse', if required, or else use the default (recommended); click 'Next': © 2008 Prism Media Products Ltd 1.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 · Installation will then proceed: · Orpheus' drivers are have not been submitted for Windows Logo testing, and so warnings of this will be issued during installation. Select 'Continue anyway' when these occur: © 2008 Prism Media Products Ltd 1.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 · During installation, you will be prompted to connect the Orpheus to the FireWire port of the PC. Do so, then click 'Next': The Orpheus device's ports should now be visible to Windows and any applications as both ASIO and WDM audio ports, and a bidirectional MIDI port. Note that only the first two ADAT ports (if enabled by the Orpheus Control Panel applet) are visible in the WDM case. · Remember to register your Orpheus at http://www.prismsound.com.
Part 5 Orpheus hardware
Prism Sound Orpheus 5 Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Orpheus hardware This section describes in detail the capabilities of the Orpheus hardware. 5.1 Signal path architecture The figure above is a simplified block diagram of the Orpheus audio signal paths. Orpheus is basically a sound card, with all inputs made available to the host computer via the FireWire bus, and all outputs likewise driven from the FireWire bus.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 The input mode and phantom power state of channels 1-4 is indicated on the front panel of the unit, and also in the Input Setup tab of the Orpheus Control Panel applet. Line, mic and instrument gains are also adjusted in the Input Setup tab, as is selection of the Overkiller, high-pass filter and MS matrix functions described in the following sections. 5.1.1.1 Overkiller All eight input channels include a switchable Prism Sound 'Overkiller' circuit.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 The Input Setup tab of the Orpheus Control Panel applet contains the control for selecting the RCA or TOSLINK connector for S/PDIF input, and also an indicator to show that the S/PDIF input is UNLocked (i.e. no S/PDIF carrier is recognized). The UNLock indicator is also shown beneath the digital meter on the unit's front panel (providing that the unit's meters are in Input mode).
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 control are all managed in the Outputs Setup tab of the Orpheus Control Panel applet. 5.1.4 Digital outputs RCA and TOSLINK connectors output two-channel digital audio in the S/PDIF format at any standard sample rate between 44.1kHz and 192kHz. The RCA output can also output digital audio in the AES3 (AES/EBU) format using the RCA-XLR adapter supplied.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Setting Action 24 bit All 24 bits sent to the digital output are transmitted from the S/PDIF or AES3 output. Channel Status is set to indicate 24 bit output. This setting can be used to pass Dolby or DTS data to an external decoder since it leaves the audio data from the host unchanged.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 using the Orpheus Control Panel applet, it is possible to use stand-alone mode to retain the mix features with no computer connected. For more information, see the Mixer tabs section of the Orpheus Control Panel applet, and the Stability and latency section. 5.1.6 Assignable level control Orpheus' front panel has a large assignable level control.
Prism Sound Orpheus 5.2 Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Synchronization This section seeks to clarify some potentially confusing issues to do with synchronization.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 If an external sync source such as DI or wordclock is selected, but is either absent or at a different rate from Orpheus' selected sample rate, all audio is muted. If the reference is later applied at the appropriate rate, audio is re-enabled. 5.3 Front panel Orpheus' front panel contains a limited number of physical controls and indicators. A greater degree of control is available using the Orpheus Control Panel applet software provided.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 inputs 3&4. The mic selection indicators change from green to orange to indicate that phantom power is switched on. See Analogue inputs. · Master indicator: this is lit when the device is sample clock master (from the FireWire bus point of view). If a device is configured to be clock master, but is itself slaved to a wordclock or DI reference which is absent or at a different frequency from the selected sample rate, the master indicator flashes.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 · Mic/line input combos 1-4: XLR for microphones, with 10dB to 65dB finely-adjustable gain and switchable phantom power; TRS jack for line inputs, with switchable +4dBu/-10dBV level, can operate in balanced or unbalanced mode. See Analogue inputs. 5.4.1 Fuses and ratings TO PREVENT SHOCK HAZARD, THE ORPHEUS HARDWARE SHOULD ONLY BE OPENED BY QUALIFIED PERSONNEL. REMOVE THE POWER LEAD FROM THE UNIT BEFORE REMOVING THE TOP COVER.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 position, the analogue outputs are fed directly from the ADAT inputs; in the Mix position, the analogue output mixer can be used to mix the ADAT inputs with any of the other Orpheus inputs. The ADAT inputs and analogue inputs are available to the host computer (if connected) for recording or monitoring if required. The ADAT outputs and analogue outputs appear to be available to the host computer (if connected) but are ignored by Orpheus.
Part 6 Orpheus software
Prism Sound Orpheus 6 Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Orpheus software This section describes the software supplied with Orpheus. 6.1 Orpheus Control Panel The Orpheus Control Panel applet is a program which can be used to adjust Orpheus' settings, and view its metering and status indicators, from the screen of the Mac or PC.
Prism Sound Orpheus © 2008 Prism Media Products Ltd Operation Manual Revision 1.05 1.
Prism Sound Orpheus 6.1.1 Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Unit and Global settings The upper area of the Orpheus Control Panel contains Unit Settings and Global Settings. Unit Settings are applied only to the Orpheus unit which the Control Panel is currently assigned to control, whereas Global Settings apply to all connected Orpheus units as a whole. The upper area also contains buttons for loading and saving Orpheus configurations, and for accessing the on-line help.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 allows Orpheus to operate as an eight channel analogue-to-ADAT and ADAT-to-analogue converter, as described in the Stand-alone operation section. NOTE: Changing the ADAT mode causes changes in the number of input and output channels reported to the host computer by Orpheus. It is therefore advisable to close your DAW application before changing the ADAT mode, and to restart it again afterwards, in order to ensure reliable operation.
Prism Sound Orpheus 6.1.2 Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Input Setup tab The Input Setup tab contains the controls and status indicators for all functions of the analogue inputs and S/PDIF inputs as described in the hardware section. Inputs 5-8 handle line-level inputs, whereas inputs 3&4 can operate as mic or line inputs, and inputs 1&2 as instrument, mic or line. Mode selection is handled automatically depending on which connectors are used.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Line output level is switched between +4dBu and -10dBV nominal by the '+4/-10' radio buttons. The stereo digital output has a versatile word-length control using TPDF dither or Prism Sound SNS (Super Noise Shaping), and the RCA connector can be switched to operate as either S/PDIF or AES3 as required. If the sample rate converter (SRC) is configured in the digital output, a separate sync source and sample rate can be selected.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Each input channel has a fader, a high-resolution peak meter, with overload indication 0.05dB below clipping, plus mute and solo buttons and a pan-pot. By engaging the 'Stereo' button beneath an input pair, the pair is controlled by a single stereo fader, mute button and solo button, and the pan-pots are replaced by a single balance control. The DAW contribution and output strip are always in stereo mode.
Part 7 Technical topics
Prism Sound Orpheus 7 Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Technical topics The following sections contain detailed discussions of various relevant technical issues. The content of these sections is not required to operate Orpheus, but is provided merely as background information. 7.1 Stability and latency Since audio production has found its way inside the computer, new problems concerning issues of stability and latency have arisen.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 In the case of Orpheus, problems of latency and stability are improved by a couple of useful features: First of all, the operator can control the buffer delays within the Mac and Windows drivers directly, irrespective of what buffering is employed by the user's particular audio software. It is generally recommended that these buffer delays are set long, in order to provide best stability.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 But why is clock jitter so important? Analysis of sampling jitter Analysis of sampling jitter (small variations in the sampling intervals of an A/D or D/A converter) shows that it produces a similar effect to phase modulation, where distortion components appear as ‘ sidebands’ spaced away from the frequency of a converted tone by the frequency of the jitter itself.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 In practice, it seems that the benefits of careful clock design are very apparent in listening tests. On the other hand, it can sometimes be difficult to expose the shortcomings of converters with poor clocks, because these units often have other analogue problems whose severity might obscure jitter-related effects.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 occurring, this is known as ‘rectangular probability distribution function’ (RPDF) dither, which in fact does not produce perfect linearization. We actually use ‘triangular probability distribution function’ (TPDF) dither, which is like throwing two dice with a resultant increase in the probability of medium sized numbers – totals of two and twelve occur much less often than seven.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 clearly not white – switching, say, from SNS1 to SNS4 sounds like shhhhh..ssssss as the noise is shifted towards the higher frequencies. However, this is not really a meaningful test since the sensitivity of the ear at different frequencies is very dependent on level, and the design of the more extreme shapers is in any case intended to render the noise floor completely inaudible at normal listening levels.
Prism Sound Orpheus 7.4 Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Analogue interconnections To maintain the high sound quality of Orpheus, it is important to follow some basic guidelines when making analogue connections to the unit. This section discusses some things to watch out for. © 2008 Prism Media Products Ltd 1.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Cable quality Use of good-quality, heavy duty audio cables is recommended. For microphone use, quad-twisted cables may give best results. Cables with heavy screens are recommended, especially for unbalanced use. Owing to mechanical differences between connectors from different manufacturers, it is advised to use cables with identifiable connectors from reputable manufacturers.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 emissions (airborne radio interference) can also be a problem, but it is less common that this will have such a serious effect on audio quality. Conducted power-line interference can cause problems in analogue equipment within the installation if its own power supply allows the transients to pass through to the audio circuits.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 · Ensure that signals passing between equipment do so at as high a level as is practical; · If switching interference is heard, try to identify the source equipment by unplugging things one by one. When you find the culprit, either re-plug it a long way from the audio equipment, or use a power filter, or both. © 2008 Prism Media Products Ltd 1.
Part 8 Specifications
Prism Sound Orpheus 8 Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Specifications Front Panel Instrument inputs 1&2: Two 6.3mm mono jack sockets, auto-select to analog inputs 1&2 when plugged Headphone outputs 1&2: Two 6.
Prism Sound Orpheus Analog Line Inputs Configuration: Input sensitivity: Input impedance: Unbalanced mode: Total harmonic distortion: THD+n: Dynamic range: Gain accuracy: LF roll-off: HF roll-off: Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Electronically balanced, with fully-balanced analog signal path Switchable ‘+4dBu’ (0dBFS=+18dBu) or ‘-10dBV’ (0dBFS=+6dBu) 14.5kR Automatic -117dB (0.00014%, -0.1dBFS) -111dB (0.00028%, -0.1dBFS) 116dB (-60dBFS) ±0.05dB -0.05dB at 8Hz; -3dB at <1Hz fs=44.1kHz: -0.05dB at 21.
Prism Sound Orpheus Analog Line Outputs Configuration: Output amplitude: Output impedance: Unbalanced mode: Total harmonic distortion: THD+n: Dynamic range: Gain accuracy: LF roll-off: HF roll-off: Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Electronically balanced, with fully-balanced analog signal path Switchable ‘+4dBu’ (0dBFS=+18dBu) or ‘-10dBV’ (0dBFS=+6dBu) 100R balanced, 50R unbalanced Automatic, with bootstrapping level compensation -107dB (0.00045%, -0.1dBFS) -106dB (0.00050%, -0.1dBFS) 115dB (-60dBFS) ±0.
Prism Sound Orpheus Physical Dimensions: Weight: Mains voltage: Power consumption: Fuse rating: Operating ambient: Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Table-top (including feet): 440x290x50mm 1U rack-mount (including ears): 483x290x44.5mm 3.7kg. 90VAC-250VAC, 50-60Hz 35W 0.5A(T), 20mm, glass 0 to 35ºC, 85% maximum relative humidity © 2008 Prism Media Products Ltd 1.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Performance Plots © 2008 Prism Media Products Ltd 1.
Prism Sound Orpheus Operation Manual Revision 1.05 Except where otherwise stated, audio performance data are typical, RMS, unweighted, 20Hz..20kHz figures, measured at 997Hz, using fs=96kHz and '+4dBu' sensitivity settings. In keeping with our policy of continual development, specifications are subject to amendment without notice. E&OE. All Trade Marks acknowledged. © 2008 Prism Media Products Ltd 1.
Index -2256x clock 28 -AADAT 27, 40 ADAT control 36 ADAT Direct mode 31 ADAT input 23 ADAT outputs 25 AES11 24, 26, 28 AES3 outputs 25 Analogue inputs 22, 38 Analogue interconnections 48 Analogue outputs 24, 38 Applet 34 Architecture 22 ASIO 17, 40 Assignable level control 27, 38 Asynch indicator 38 -BBalanced connections 22, 24 Base clock 28 Block diagram 22 Brightness, front panel 36 Buffer size 42 Buffer Time control 36 -CCascading multiple units 20 CleverClox 43 Clock Out control 36 Clocking 43 Cont
Input mode 22 Input selection indicators 29 Input Setup tab 38 Inputs, ADAT 23 Inputs, analogue 22, 27 Inputs, digital 23, 27 Inputs, S/PDIF 23, 24 Installation, Mac 12 Installation, Windows 17 Instrument inputs 22, 38 Interconnections 48 Interference 48 -NNoise-shaping -OOperation Manual 7 Operation without a computer Orpheus Control Panel 34 OS X 40 OS X Leopard 10, 12 OS X Tiger 10, 12 Output controls 38 Output mixers 26 Output Setup tab 38 Outputs, ADAT 25 Outputs, AES3 25 Outputs, analogue 24, 27 Out
Ref sync 24, 26, 28 Reference sync 24, 26, 28, 43 RIAA de-emphasis filter 23, 38, 48 Rubber feet 32 -SS/PDIF input 23, 24 S/PDIF output 25 Sample Rate control 36 Sample-rate converter 24, 25 Sampling jitter 43 Save button 36 SNS (Super Noise-Shaping) 25, 45 SNS Logo, use of 45 Software 34 Solo 26 Specifications 54 SRC 24, 25, 28 SRC control 36 Stability 42 Stand-alone operation 26, 31 Switched-mode power supplies 48 Sync Source control 36 Synchronization 24, 26, 28 System requirements 7 -TTechnical topics