User's Guide MADIface Pro Crafted with Passion and a lot of Channels ™ 24 Bit / 192 kHz 9 TotalMix ™ SteadyClock III ™ SyncCheck USB 2.
General 1 2 3 4 5 Introduction ...............................................................6 Package Contents .....................................................6 System Requirements ..............................................6 Brief Description and Characteristics.....................6 First Usage - Quick Start 5.1 Connectors – Controls – Display ............................7 5.2 Quick Start ..............................................................9 5.3 Operation at the Unit .................
17 Mac OS X FAQ 17.1 MIDI doesn't work ................................................ 34 17.2 Repairing Disk Permissions................................. 34 17.3 Supported Sample Rates..................................... 34 17.4 Channel Count under Core Audio ....................... 34 17.5 Various Information.............................................. 35 18 Using more than one MADIface Pro...................... 35 19 DIGICheck Mac........................................................
Technical Reference 25 Technical Specifications 25.1 Analog ..................................................................74 25.2 MIDI......................................................................75 25.3 Digital ...................................................................75 25.4 Digital Input ..........................................................75 25.5 Digital Output .......................................................75 25.6 General ..............................................
User's Guide MADIface Pro General User's Guide MADIface Pro © RME 5
1. Introduction Thank you for choosing RME’s MADIface Pro. This unique portable desktop audio interface is capable of transferring analog and digital audio data directly to Windows and Mac computers. The latest Plug and Play technology guarantees a simple installation, even for the inexperienced user. Numerous unique features put the MADIface Pro at the very top of the range of computer-based audio interfaces. The package contains drivers for Windows Vista / 7 / 8 / 10 and Mac OS X x86 (Intel).
5. First Usage – Quick Start 5.1 Connectors – Controls – Display The top of the MADIface Pro features a hi-precision rotary encoder, 6 buttons, 4 LED bands and 6 status LEDs. The four LED bands show the current gain, the input and output level, and the channel to be set, all dependent on the current mode. The lowest LEDs signal phantom power (+48 V, orange) and DIM, the highest one overload (clip, red). The rotary encoder is used to change various parameters directly at the unit.
The output channels 3/4 feed two Phones outputs via two independent driver circuits, optimized for high (TRS 1/4”, 6.35mm) and low impedance (TRS 1/8”, 3.5mm) headphones. Their unbalanced output signal is – in terms of quality – identical to the ones at the XLR line outputs, but lower in level. In case the phones output is to be used as line output an adapter TRS plug to RCA phono plugs, or TRS plug to two TS plugs is required. More on cable codes and pinouts can be found in chapter 27.2.
5.2 Quick Start After the driver installation (chapter 7 / 15), connect the inputs to the analog signal source. The analog input sensitivity can be changed at the unit (IN, SELECT) or in TotalMix FX (Tools, Gain). To achieve the best signal to noise ratio, adjust your analog source to its highest output level and then decrease the input gain in TotalMix or at the MADIface itself to make sure that the loudest signal reaches about -3dBFS.
DIM Works on the hardware output defined as Main Output in TotalMix FX. Therefore the DIM LEDs will not be lit when stepping through the other two outputs. The applied attenuation is the one defined in TotalMix FX. DIM can also be used as hotkey for many other actions, among the switching to Speaker B or Talkback. Use the Options/Key Commands dialog in TotalMix FX to assign one of them to DIM. Recall Pushing DIM for two seconds sets the Main output volume to the value formerly saved for Recall.
User's Guide MADIface Pro Installation and Operation – Windows User's Guide MADIface Pro © RME 11
6. Hardware Installation To simplify installation it is recommended to first install the drivers before the unit is connected to the computer. But it will also work the other way round. In case the level meters of the MADIface Pro show CC during power-on: the unit is in Class Compliance mode and will not work under Windows. Remove the USB cable, hold SELECT and DIM button down, plug-in the USB cable or the power supply. This procedure changes between CC and normal mode.
7.2 De-installing the Drivers A de-installation of the driver files is not necessary. Thanks to full Plug & Play support, the driver files will not be loaded after the hardware has been removed. Unfortunately Windows Plug & Play methods do not cover the additional autorun entries of TotalMix, the Settings dialog, and the registration of the ASIO driver. These entries can be removed from the registry by a software de-installation request.
8. Configuring the MADIface Pro 8.1 Settings Dialog - General Configuration of the MADIface Pro is done via its own settings dialog.
Buffer Size The setting Buffer Size determines the latency between incoming and outgoing ASIO and WDM data, as well as affecting system stability (see chapter 9.1 / 10). USB Diagnosis shows specific USB transmission errors (CRC5, usually 0) and general errors. If the unit detects a record or playback error the number shown will no longer be 0. An audio reset is performed automatically. The counter is reset on start of playback/record. More information can be found in chapter 26.3.
8.2 WDM Configuration Some background first. In the older manuals one will find this explanation why it makes sense to get rid of some WDM devices: WDM Devices Not before Vista the OS had been capable of handling more than 32 WDM stereo devices. Therefore under W2k/XP it often makes sense to intentionally limit their number. Otherwise some channels or MIDI ports might vanish from the system. Today Microsoft gives us even more reasons to deactivate WDM devices that are unused.
Option WDM Devices The WDM Devices configuration has one button to enter the edit dialog, a status display showing the number of currently enabled WDM devices, and a listbox to select between Stereo or Multi-Channel devices. The number represents both record and playback devices, so ‘1’ means one input and one output device. The screenshot to the right shows the stereo WDM devices available with the MADIface Pro, and that only Analog 1/2 has been activated. Any number can be activated.
Changing to the tab Speaker presents a list of all currently activated WDM devices. Any of these can now get the Speaker property. Please note that defining more than one device as Speaker usually makes no sense, and the speakers also don’t get numbered or renamed in Windows, so it is impossible to find out which one is which. After leaving the dialog with OK the WDM devices are reloaded so Windows sees their new properties. You can now assign any playback mode, from stereo to 7.
9. Operation and Usage 9.1 Playback In the audio application being used, MADIface Pro must be selected as output device. It can often be found in the Options, Preferences or Settings menus, as Playback Device, Audio Devices, Audio etc. We recommend switching all system sounds off (via >Control Panel /Sound<). Also MADIface Pro should not be the Preferred Device for playback, as this could cause loss of synchronization and unwanted noises.
9.2 DVD-Playback (AC-3/DTS) AC-3 / DTS When using popular DVD software players like WinDVD and PowerDVD, their audio data stream can be sent to any AC-3/DTS capable receiver via the MADIface Pro. For this to work, an output device has to be selected in >Control Panel/ Sound/Playback< and be set as Default. The DVD software's audio properties now show the options 'SPDIF Out' or similar. When selecting it, the software will transfer the non-decoded digital multichannel data stream to the MADI output.
9.3 Channel Count under WDM The MADIface Pro MADI optical interface offers sample rates of up to 192 kHz. For this to work single-channel data is spread to two or four MADI channels using the Sample Multiplexing technique. Therefore the number of channels is reduced to 32 or 16 respectively. Whenever the MADIface Pro changes into Double Speed (88.2/96 kHz) or Quad Speed mode (176.4/192 kHz) all devices no longer available vanish automatically.
9.5 Analog Recording For recordings via the analog inputs the corresponding record device has to be chosen (MADIface Pro Analog (x+x)). Channels 1 and 2 of the MADIface Pro have digitally controlled microphone preamps of the highest quality. The digital control offers a gain setting in steps of 1 dB within a range of 0 dB to +65 dB. The configuration is done either directly at the unit via the rotary encoder, or via the Settings panel of the input channels 1 and 2 in TotalMix, with the knob Gain.
9.7 Clock Modes - Synchronization In the digital world, all devices must be either Master (clock source) or Slave (clock receiver). Whenever several devices are linked within a system, there must always be a single master clock. A digital system can only have one master! If the MADIface Pro’s clock mode is set to 'Internal', all other devices must be set to ‘Slave’. The MADIface Pro utilizes a very user-friendly, intelligent clock control, called AutoSync.
10. Operation under ASIO 10.1 General Start the ASIO software and select ASIO MADIface USB as the audio I/O device or the audio driver. The MADIface Pro supports ASIO Direct Monitoring (ADM). The MADIface Pro MIDI I/O can be used with both MME MIDI and DirectMusic MIDI. 10.2 Channel Count under ASIO The MADIface allows the use of sample rates up to 192 kHz via the MADI interface. For this to work single-channel data is spread to two or four channels using the Sample Multiplexing technique.
10.3 Known Problems If a computer does not provide sufficient CPU-power and/or sufficient USB-bus transfer rates, then drop outs, crackling and noise will appear. Such effects can be avoided by using a higher buffer setting/latency in the Settings dialog of the MADIface Pro. Furthermore PlugIns should be deactivated temporarily to make sure they do not cause these problems. More information can be found in chapter 26.3. Another common source of trouble is incorrect synchronization.
12. DIGICheck Windows The DIGICheck software is a unique utility developed for testing, measuring and analysing digital audio streams. Although this Windows software is fairly self-explanatory, it still includes a comprehensive online help. DIGICheck 5.81 operates as multi-client ASIO host, therefore can be used in parallel to any software, with both inputs and outputs (!). The following is a short summary of the currently available functions: • Level Meter.
13. Hotline – Troubleshooting The input signal cannot be monitored in real-time • ASIO Direct Monitoring has not been enabled within the DAW, and/or monitoring has been disabled globally (TotalMix Options). The 64 MADI channels don’t seem to work • The MADI I/O has been switched off in the Settings dialog. Playback works, but record doesn’t • Check that there is a valid signal at the input. If so, the current sample frequency is displayed in the Settings dialog.
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User's Guide MADIface Pro Installation and Operation – Mac OS X User's Guide MADIface Pro © RME 29
14. Hardware Installation Connect computer and MADIface Pro with the supplied USB cable. Mac OS X detects the new hardware as MADIface Pro (serial number). In case the level meters of the MADIface Pro show CC during power-on, and Settings dialog and TotalMix FX refuse to start: the unit is in Class Compliance mode. Remove the USB cable, hold SELECT and DIM button down, plug-in the USB cable or the power supply. This procedure changes between CC and normal mode.
15.2 De-installing the Drivers In case of problems the driver files can be deleted manually by dragging them to the trash bin: /Applications/Fireface USB Settings /Applications/Totalmix /System/Library/Extensions/FirefaceUSB.kext /Users/username/Library/Preferences/de.rme-audio.TotalmixFX.plist /Users/username/Library/Preferences/de.rme-audio.Fireface_USB_Settings.plist /Library/LaunchAgents/de.rme-audio.firefaceUSBAgent.plist Under the latest Mac OS the User/Library folder is not visible in the Finder.
16. Configuring the MADIface Pro 16.1 Settings Dialog Configuring the MADIface Pro is done via its own settings dialog. Start the program Fireface USB Settings. The mixer of the MADIface Pro (TotalMix FX) can be configured by starting the program Totalmix. The MADIface Pro’s hardware offers a number of helpful, well thought-out practical functions and options which affect how the card operates - it can be configured to suit many different requirements.
Clock Mode Sample Rate Used to set the current sample rate. This is the same setting as in the Audio MIDI Setup, just added here for your convenience. Clock Source The unit can be configured to use its own clock (Internal = Master) or the digital input signal (Optical = Slave). If the external source isn't available (Input Status No Lock), the unit will change to the internal clock. The current clock source is displayed as Current.
17. Mac OS X FAQ 17.1 MIDI doesn't work In some cases the applications do not show the MIDI port. The reason for this is usually visible within the Audio MIDI Setup – MIDI Window. It displays no RME MIDI device, or the device is greyed out and therefore inactive. In most cases removing the greyed out device and again searching for MIDI devices will solve the problem. The MADIface Pro is class compliant. Therefore it comes without a driver.
17.5 Various Information The driver of the MADIface Pro requires at least Mac OS 10.6. Programs that don't support card or channel selection will use the device chosen as Input and Output in the System Preferences – Sound panel. Via Launchpad – Other – Audio MIDI Setup the MADIface Pro can be configured for the system wide usage in more detail. Programs that don't support channel selection will always use channels 1/2, the first stereo pair.
19. DIGICheck Mac The DIGICheck software is a unique utility developed for testing, measuring and analysing digital audio streams. Although this Windows software is fairly self-explanatory, it still includes a comprehensive online help. DIGICheck 0.690 operates in parallel to any software, showing all input data. The following is a short summary of the currently available functions: • Level Meter. High precision 24-bit resolution, 2/8/68 channels.
20. Hotline – Troubleshooting The unit and drivers have been installed correctly, but playback does not work: • Is MADIface Pro listed in the System Profiler? (Vendor ID 2A39). • Has MADIface Pro been selected as current playback device in the audio application? The 64 MADI channels don’t seem to work • The MADI I/O has been switched off in the Settings dialog. Playback works, but record doesn’t: • Check that there is a valid signal at the input.
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User's Guide MADIface Pro TotalMix FX User's Guide MADIface Pro © RME 39
21. Routing and Monitoring 21.1 Overview The MADIface Pro includes a powerful digital real-time mixer, based on RME’s unique, samplerate independent TotalMix technology. It allows for practically unlimited mixing and routing operations, with all inputs and playback channels simultaneously, to any hardware outputs. TotalMix FX adds 3-band parametric equalizer, low cut, echo and reverb. Here are some typical applications for TotalMix: • Setting up delay-free submixes (headphone mixes).
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21.2 The User Interface The visual design of the TotalMix mixer is a result of its capability to route hardware inputs and software playback channels to any hardware output. The MADIface Pro has 68 input channels, 68 software playback channels, and 68 hardware output channels: TotalMix can be used in the above view (View Options 2 Rows).
21.3 The Channels A single channel can be switched between mono and stereo mode. The mode is set in the channel settings. Channel name. The name field is the preferred place to select a channel by a mouse click. A double click opens a dialog to assign a different name. The original name will be shown when activating the option Names in the View Options. Panorama. Routes the input signal freely to the left and right routing destination (lower label, see below).
The lowest field shows the current routing target. A mouse click opens the routing window to select a routing target. The list shows all activated routings of the current channel by arrows in front of the listed entries, the current one is shown in bold letters. An arrow is only shown with an activated routing. A routing is seen as activated when audio data is sent. As long as the fader is set to −∞ the current routing will be shown in bold letters, but not have an arrow in the front. Trim Gain.
A click on the tool symbol opens the channel’s Settings panel with differing elements. For example the Option PAD exists only in input channel 1/2, and the MADI channels do not offer the phantom power option. Stereo. Switches the channel to mono or stereo mode. 48V. Activates phantom power at the corresponding input. Serves as power supply for high quality condenser mics. This option should stay off with other sources to prevent failure by spikes. PAD. Applies -11 dB damping for the XLR input signal.
Loopback. Sends the output data to the driver as record data. The corresponding submix can be recorded then. This channel’s hardware input sends its data only to TotalMix, no longer to the recording software. Another difference to the input and playback channels is the Cue button instead of Solo. A click on Cue sends the respective Hardware Output’s audio to the Main Out, or any of the Phones outputs (option Assign / Cue to in the Control Room section).
Preset. Settings of the EQ and the Low Cut can be stored, loaded, and copied between channels at any time. A click on Preset opens a menu with several entries: ¾ Recall: Presets stored before by the user can be selected and loaded ¾ Save to: There are 16 storage places available (EQ Preset 1 to 16) ¾ Import: Loads a previously stored TM EQ file (.tmeq) ¾ Export: Stores the current state as TM EQ file (.
21.4 Section Control Room In the section Control Room the menu Assign is used to define the Main Out which is used for listening in the studio. For this output the functions Dim, Recall, Mono, Talkback, External Input and Mute FX are automatically applied. On the unit the button DIM also follows this assignment. Additionally the channel will be shifted from the Hardware Outputs into the Control Room section, and renamed Main. The same happens when assigning Main Out B or the Phones.
21.5 The Control Strip The Control Strip on the right side combines different functions that are either required globally, or constantly used, and therefore should not be hidden in a menu. Still using the menu entry Window, Hide Control Strip, the Control Strip is shifted out of the visible area to gain more space for other elements. The areas described in the following chapters can be minimized by a click on the arrow in their title bar. Device selection.
21.5.1 View Options The field View Options combines different functions of routing, the level meters and the mixer view. Routing Mode ¾ Submix: The Submix view (default) is the preferred view and delivers the quickest overview, operation and understanding of TotalMix. The click on one of the Hardware Output channels selects the respective submix, all other outputs are darkened. At the same time all routing fields are set to this channel.
21.5.2 Snapshots - Groups Snapshots. Snapshots include all mixer settings, but no graphical elements like window positions, window size, number of windows, visible EQs or Settings, scroll states, Presets etc. Only the state wide/narrow of the channels is registered. Moreover the Snapshot is only temporarily stored. Loading a Workspace causes the loss of all stored Snapshots, when these all had not been saved before in a Workspace, or separately via File / Save Snapshot as.
21.5.3 Channel Layout - Layout Presets To maintain overview within TotalMix FX channels can be hidden. Channels can also be excluded from being remoted. Under Options / Channel Layout a dialog lists all I/Os with their current state. Selecting one or several channels enables the options to the right: ¾ ¾ ¾ Hide Channel in Mixer/Matrix. The selected channels are no longer shown in TotalMix FX, nor are they available via MIDI or OSC remote control. Hide Channel in MIDI Remote 1-4.
After finishing those settings the whole state can be stored as Layout Preset. A click on Store and the desired memory slot makes the current channel layout recallable anytime. The button All makes all channels temporarily visible again. With a simple click on a button it will then be possible to easily switch views of only the channels involved with the mixing of the drum section, the horn section, the violins, or any other useful view.
21.6 Reverb and Echo A click on FX in the View Options / Show or the DSP Meter brings up the FX panel. Here all parameters for the effects Reverb and Echo are accessed. The MADIface Pro uses a DSP engine within its FPGA for all the calculations of all the EQs and Low Cuts, in parallel to the TotalMix DSP mixing engine. However, Reverb and Echo are calculated on the host CPU - the computer. On current computers, this will not cause any noticeable CPU load.
General Settings PreDelay. Delay of the reverb signal. Adjustable from 0 ms up to 999 ms. Low Cut. High-pass filter before the reverb generation, removes low frequency signals which should not cause a reverb sound. Adjustable from 20 Hz up to 500 Hz. High Cut. Low-pass filter after the reverb generation. A reduction of the treble often lets the reverb sound more natural. Adjustable from 5 kHz up to 20 kHz. Smooth. Softens the reverb effect, affects stereo width, density and sound colour.
Echo. Activated by the On button. Type. Lists different echo algorithms for selection. Available are: ¾ Stereo Echo. Separated echo generators on left and right channel. As a result the echo follows the sound source within the stereo field. ¾ Stereo Cross. Echo generator on left and right channel with cross coupled feedback which is only working for the stereo parts of the input signal. In case the input signal is only left or right the Stereo Cross acts exactly like the Pong Echo. ¾ Pong Echo.
21.7 Preferences The dialog Preferences can be opened via the Options menu or directly via F2. Level Meters ¾ Full scale samples for OVR. Number of consecutive samples to trigger an over detection (1 to 10). ¾ Peak Hold Time. Hold time of the peak value. Adjustable from 0.1 up to 9.9 s. ¾ RMS +3 dB. Shifts the RMS value by +3 dB, so that full scale level is identical for Peak and RMS at 0 dBFS. Mixer Views ¾ FX Send follows highest Submix. Locks the FX Send knob to the channel fader.
Graphics ¾ Use D2D (Change requires restart). Default on. Can be deactivated to use a compatible but CPU-taxing graphics mode, in case graphics problems show up. ¾ Brightness correction. Set TotalMix FX screen brightness to your taste, matching the monitor setting or the environment. Store Setting for (Windows only) ¾ All Users (Restart required). See next chapter. Special Options ¾ Lock User Interface. Default off. Can be activated to freeze the current mix state.
21.8 Settings The dialog Settings can be opened via the Options menu or directly via F3. 21.8.1 Mixer Page On the mixer page some typical settings for the mixer operation are set, like Talkback source, Dim amount when Talkback is active, the stored main volume or the input used for the External Input function. Talkback ¾ Input. Selects the input channel of the Talkback signal (microphone in control room). Default: None. ¾ Dim. Amount of attenuation of the signals routed to the Phones in dB.
21.8.2 MIDI Page The MIDI page has four independent settings for up to four MIDI remote controls, using CC commands or the Mackie Control protocol. Index Select one of four settings pages and thus remote controls. Settings are remembered automatically. To activate or deactivate any of the four remote controls check or uncheck ‘In Use’. MIDI Remote Control ¾ MIDI In. Input where TotalMix receives MIDI Remote data. ¾ MIDI Out. Output where TotalMix sends MIDI Remote data. ¾ Disable MIDI in background.
21.8.3 OSC Page The OSC page has four independent settings for up to four MIDI remote controls via Open Sound Control (OSC). This is a network based remote protocol that can be used for example by Apple’s iPad with the app TouchOSC or Lemur to wirelessly remote control TotalMix FX running on a Mac or Windows computer. Index Select one of four settings pages and thus remote controls. Settings are remembered automatically. To activate or deactivate any of the four remote controls check or uncheck ‘In Use’.
21.8.4 Aux Devices The RME OctaMic XTC is a highly flexible hi-quality 8-channel microphone, line and instrument preamp with integrated ADconversion to ADAT, AES/EBU and MADI, plus 4 channels of DA-conversion for monitoring. It can be used as universal front-end for the MADIface Pro and other interfaces. To simplify operation the most important parameters of the XTC (gain, 48V, Inst/PAD, AutoSet) can be controlled directly from the TotalMix FX input channels.
21.9 Hotkeys and Usage TotalMix FX has many hotkeys and mouse/hotkey combinations to speed up and simplify the usage. The below description refers to Windows. On Mac substitute Ctrl in the below list with the command key (u). The Shift key enables a fine-tuning of the gain with all faders and in the Matrix. On all knobs it will speed up the setting. A click on a fader with held down Shift key adds the fader to the temporary fader group.
21.10 Menu Options Deactivate Screensaver: When active (checked) any activated Windows screensaver will be disabled temporarily. Always on Top: When active (checked) the TotalMix window will always be on top of the Windows desktop. Note: This function may result in problems with windows containing help text, as the TotalMix window will even be on top of those windows, so the help text isn't readable. Enable MIDI / OSC Control: Activates external MIDI control of the TotalMix mixer.
¾ Total Reset. Playback routing 1:1 with mixdown to Main Out. Switches off all other functions. 21.11 Menu Window Zoom Options 100%, 135%, 200%. Depending on the size of the monitor and the current resolution TotalMix FX might be much too small and the controls too tiny to easily operate them. Together with the 2 Row mode these options give a lot of different window sizes that suit all monitors and resolutions currently existing. Hide Control Strip.
22.3 Operation Using the Matrix is a breeze. It is very easy to indentify the current crosspoint, because the outer labels light up in orange according to the mouse position. ¾ If input 1 is to be routed to output 1, use the mouse and click one time on crosspoint In 1 / AN 1 with held down Ctrl key. Two green 0.0 dB field pop in, another click removes them.
23.5 Copy and Paste everywhere The above three tips use functions found in the right click context menu available on all channels of the TotalMix FX mixer view. These menus are also available in the Matrix, but only directly on the channel labels. They are self-explanatory and automatically adjust to where the click is performed. The input channels offer Clear, Copy input, Paste the input mix and Paste its FX. On a playback channel Copy, Paste and Clear the playback mix are available.
The block diagram shows how the software's input signal is played back, and fed back from the Hardware Output to the software input. The block diagram also shows why with activated Loopback the EQ of the Hardware Output is now within the record path. The setting DSP – EQ for Record is still working and can be used to activate/deactivate LC/EQ here as well.
24. MIDI Remote Control 24.1 Overview TotalMix can be remote controlled via MIDI. It is compatible to the widely spread Mackie Control protocol, so TotalMix can be controlled with all hardware controllers supporting this standard. Examples are the Mackie Control, Tascam US-2400 or Behringer BCF 2000. Additionally, the stereo output faders (lowest row) which are set up as Main Out in the Control Room section can also be controlled by the standard Control Change Volume via MIDI channel 1.
24.3 Setup Open the Preferences dialog (menu Options or F3). Select the MIDI Input and MIDI Output port where your controller is connected to. When no feedback is needed select NONE as MIDI Output. Check Enable MIDI Control in the Options menu. 24.4 Operation The channels being under Mackie MIDI control are indicated by a colour change of the name field, black turns to brown. The 8-fader block can be moved horizontally and vertically, in steps of one or eight channels.
24.5 MIDI Control The hardware output set up as Main Out can be controlled by the standard Control Change Volume via MIDI channel 1. With this, the main volume of the MADIface Pro is controllable from nearly any MIDI equipped hardware device. Even if you don't want to control all faders and pans, some buttons are highly desirable to be available in 'hardware'. These are mainly the Talkback and the Dim button, and the monitoring options (listen to Phones submixes).
Examples for sending MIDI strings: - Set input 1 to 0 dB: B0 66 68 - Set input 5 to maximum attenuation: B1 6A 0 - Set playback 1 to maximum: B4 66 7F - Set Output 3 to 0 dB: B8 68 68 Note: Sending MIDI strings requires the use of programmer's logic for the MIDI channel, starting with 0 for channel 1 and ending with 15 for channel 16.
User's Guide MADIface Pro Technical Reference User's Guide MADIface Pro © RME 73
25. Technical Specifications 25.1 Analog AD, Microphone/Line 1-2 • Input: XLR, electronically balanced • Input impedance balanced: 2 kOhm, 5.2 kOhm with PAD • Input impedance unbalanced: 1 kOhm, 2.6 kOhm with PAD • Signal to Noise ratio (SNR): 113 dB RMS unweighted, 116 dBA • Frequency response @ 44.1 kHz, -0.1 dB: 18 Hz – 20.8 kHz • Frequency response @ 96 kHz, -0.5 dB: 7 Hz – 45.8 kHz • Frequency response @ 192 kHz, -1 dB: 5 Hz – 92 kHz • With PAD active : -0.1 dB 8 Hz, -0.
• • • • Output: 3.5 mm TRS jack, unbalanced Output impedance: 2 Ohm Output level at 0 dBFS, 1 kOhm load: +7 dBu Max power @ 0.1% THD: 70 mW 25.
25.6 General • • • • • • • • • Power supply: USB bus power or external power supply Idle power consumption: 3.1 Watts MADI Off, 4.0 Watts MADI On Max. power consumption: 6.3 Watts Current at 5 V bus power operation: 620 mA (3.1 Watts) Current at 12 V external power: 266 mA (3.1 Watts) Dimensions (WxHxD): 108 x 35 x 181 mm (4.25" x 1.4" x 7.1") Weight: 680 g ( 1.5 lbs) Temperature range: +5° up to +50° Celsius (41° F up to 122°F) Relative humidity: < 75%, non condensing 26. Technical Background 26.
26.2 Latency and Monitoring The term Zero Latency Monitoring was introduced by RME in 1998 for the DIGI96 series of audio cards. It stands for the ability to pass-through the computer's input signal at the interface directly to the output. Since then, the idea behind has become one of the most important features of modern hard disk recording.
Note: Cubase and Nuendo display the latency values signalled from the driver separately for record and playback. The values do not exactly equal the buffer size (for example 3 ms at 128 samples), instead a higher value is shown, including the time needed for the AD/DA-conversion. Playback shows an even higher value – see Safety Buffer. Safety Buffer An additional small Safety Buffer on the playback side has proven to be very efficient and useful.
Especially with notebooks it can happen that all internal devices and all the sockets/ports are connected to the same controller, with the second controller not used at all. In that case all devices have to use the same bus and interfere with each other. 26.4 DS - Double Speed When activating the Double Speed mode the MADIface Pro operates at double sample rate. The internal clock 44.1 kHz turns to 88.2 kHz, 48 kHz to 96 kHz. Resolution is still 24 bit.
26.6 Noise Level in DS / QS Mode The outstanding signal to noise ratio of the MADIface Pro's AD-converters can be verified even without expensive test equipment, by using record level meters of various software. But when activating the DS and QS mode, the displayed noise level will rise from -113 dB to -105 dB at 96 kHz, and –79 dB at 192 kHz. This is not a failure. The software measures the noise of the whole frequency range, at 96 kHz from 0 Hz to 48 kHz (RMS unweighted), at 192 kHz from 0 Hz to 96 kHz.
26.8 MADI Basics MADI, the serial Multichannel Audio Digital Interface, has been defined already in 1989 as an extension of the existing AES3 standard following several manufacturers' wish. The format also known as AES/EBU, a balanced bi-phase signal, is limited to two channels. Simply put, MADI contains 28 of those AES/EBU signals in serial, i. e. after one another, and the sample rate can still even vary by +/-12.5%. The limit which cannot be exceeded is a data rate of 100 Mbit/s.
27. Diagrams 27.
27.2 Connector Pinouts TS jack analog instrument input The 1/4" TS jacks of the universal line/instrument inputs are wired according to international standards: Tip = + (hot), Ring = GND, Sleeve = GND. XLR Connectors The XLR sockets of the analog I/Os are wired according to international standards: 1 = GND (Shield), 2 = + (hot), 3 = - (cold). The servo-balanced input circuitry allows to use monaural TS jacks (unbalanced) with no loss in level.
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User's Guide MADIface Pro Stand-Alone and Class Compliant Mode User's Guide MADIface Pro © RME 85
28. General The MADIface Pro operates in three different modes: driver-based USB 2 (Windows, Mac OS X), stand-alone mode (without being connected to a computer), and Class Compliant mode, mainly for iPad® connectivity. The latter describes a standard that is natively supported by operating systems like Mac OS X and Linux. No proprietary drivers are required, the device will be directly recognized when CC mode is activated.
30.1 Useful hints If the unit is not in CC mode, the iPad will detect an incompatible USB device, and display a message saying “Cannot Use Device – The connected USB device is not supported”. In newer iOS versions even the device name and its serial number will be shown. When the power supply for the MADIface Pro is insufficient, iOS will complain about the attached unit drawing too much power.
30.2 Class Compliant Mode under Windows and Mac OS X On a Windows PC, Class Compliant mode is indicated by a missing “RME“ in the device name shown in the Device Manager. In the correct mode (PC) and with installed drivers, the full name including RME is shown, without serial number. Windows does not support USB Audio 2.0 directly. The MADIface Pro will be detected when in CC mode, but automatic driver installation will fail. Mac OS X supports Class Compliant USB Audio 2.0, even with more than 2 channels.
31. Supported Inputs and Outputs 31.1 Class Compliant Mode In Mac OS X, either the first four or all channels will work, depending on the choice in the Audio MIDI Setup. When connected to an iPad, the analog mic/line input 1 works with mono apps, inputs 1 and 2 with stereo apps (both dual mono and stereo), and up to 8 inputs with 8-channel applications like MultiTrack DAW and Music Studio. Garage Band supports all 24 inputs, but only two at a time. Auria and Cubasis can record all 24 inputs simultaneously.
One of the most typical stand-alone applications of the MADIface Pro is to insert it into a MADI stream and monitor any channel, or to add a microphone channel for communication to that stream. To make this possible MADI is handled differently than the analog I/Os.
48V Phantom power on/off Use IN to select Ch 1/2. Use SELECT to choose left, right or both channels. A push on SET will activate Phantom power and turn on the orange LED labeled P48. Switch digital output format (64 <> 56 channels) Use OUT to select the optical output (Opt.). Push SET. The level meter will signal 64 channel mode with 6+4 LEDs, 56 channel mode with 5+6 LEDs turned on. Use SELECT to switch between them.
Chapter 31.2 explains the mixing with MADI input. * All settings are stored within the unit and do not get lost until the next time CC mode or stand-alone mode is used. 33. Application Examples for Stand-Alone Mode Here are two examples of setting up and using the MADIface Pro in stand-alone mode. Analog Microphone Preamp Activate phantom power if necessary, then set the Mic gain as needed. Set the MADIface Pro to Master 192 kHz for widest frequency range and lowest delay.
User's Guide MADIface Pro Miscellaneous User's Guide MADIface Pro © RME 93
35. Accessories There are several items available for the MADIface Pro: Part Number Description Optical MADI cables: MADI0.5S MADI1S MADI3D MADI6D MADI10D MADI20D MADI50D MADI Optical Cable, Simplex, 0.5 m (1.6 ft) MADI Optical Cable, Simplex, 1 m (3.3 ft) MADI Optical Cable, Duplex, 3 m (9.
37. Appendix RME news, driver updates and further product information are available on our website: http://www.rme-audio.com Worldwide distribution: Audio AG, Am Pfanderling 60, D-85778 Haimhausen, Tel.: (49) 08133 / 918170 Trademarks All trademarks, registered or otherwise, are the property of their respective owners. RME, DIGICheck and Hammerfall are registered trademarks of RME Intelligent Audio Solutions.
38. Declaration of Conformity CE This device has been tested and found to comply with the limits of the European Council Directive on the approximation of the laws of the member states relating to electromagnetic compatibility according to RL2004/108/EG, and European Low Voltage Directive RL2006/95/EG. FCC This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
