USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information Sound Devices, LLC 300 Wengel Drive • Reedsburg, WI • USA +1 (608) 524-0625 • fax: +1 (608) 524-0655 Toll-Free: (800) 505-0625 www.sounddevices.com support@sounddevices.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information Table of Contents Table of Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Computer System Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Quick Start Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Sound Card Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Front Panel Descriptions . . . . . .
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information Copyright and Release All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the expressed written permission of SOUND DEVICES, LLC. SOUND DEVICES is not responsible for any use of this information.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information Quick Start Guide Sound Card Connection 1. Attach the “A” plug of the (supplied) USB cable into an available “A” socket on the computer. Attach the “B” plug of the USB cable into the “B” socket on the USBPre 2. The USBPre 2’s meter LED’s will illuminate sequentially, indicating the USBPre 2 is connected and booting up properly. 2. Check to see that the operating system has recognized the USBPre 2 and designated the USBPre 2 as the default sound card.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information Input 1 set to Mic (XLR) Input 2 set to Line (1/4” TRS) 4 6. If the PRE Meter Source LED is not illuminated, press the Meter Source button to change the meter source to display input levels. 7. For analog input sources, adjust the Input Gain Control corresponding to the input being recorded. Input Gain Controls do not affect digital input levels. The meters will show the audio level of the input. 8. Launch an audio application on the computer.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information Front Panel Descriptions 2 1 4 3 5 6 1) Input Gain Controls Adjusts input gain. Gain is minimized (not turned off) at full counter-clockwise setting. Gain control only affects analog input sources. 2) Low-Cut LED Illuminates when low-cut filter is engaged on either mic input. See DIP Switch Options. 3) 15 dB pad LED Illuminates when 15 dB pad is engaged on either mic input. See DIP Switch Options.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information Input and Output Panel Descriptions 1 2 4 3 1) Mic Inputs Active-balanced XLR inputs accept lowimpedance microphone-level signals. 5 6 7 5) AUX Output Audio output to feed powered loudspeakers, CD Recorders, Camcorders, or Portable DVD Recorders. RCA connectors. Computer audio only. 2) Line Inputs Accepts balanced line-level signals. 6) S/PDIF (Coaxial) Input and Output Coaxial digital input and output connectors.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information DIP Switch Options The DIP switches on the back panel of the USBPre 2 can control various features. To adjust an individual switch, carefully move the switch with a slender tool.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information Mac OS Installation and Connection Before connecting the USBPre 2, quit all open applications that use audio. An application that is running when the USBPre 2 is connected may not recognize the USBPre 2 until the application is restarted. Screen shots show Mac OS 10.5 OS X Audio / MIDI Setup 1. Follow Applications> Utilities> Audio MIDI Setup to open the Audio MIDI Setup dialog. 2.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information 2. Select the USBPre 2 from the Properties For dropdown menu, then set the sample rate, channel count, and bit depth as desired from the dropdown menus in the Audio Input section and the Audio Output section. Windows Installation and Connection The USBPre 2 is an Audio Device Class USB standard peripheral. No proprietary drivers are required to operate the USBPre 2 under Windows.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information Adjusting Sample Rate in Windows 7 and Vista 10 1. Follow Start> Control Panel> Sound. 2. Click the Playback tab. Highlight (Single click) the entry labeled “USBPre2” and then Click the Properties button. 3. Click the Advanced tab. Select the desired bit depth and sample rate from the dropdown menu. Features and specifications are subject to change. Visit www.sounddevices.com for the latest documentation.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information Windows XP Sound Control Panel 1. Follow Start> Control Panel. The control panel view will be be in either “Classic view” or “Category view”. 2. If category view is enabled, click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices, then click Sounds and Audio Devices. Skip to step number 4. 3. If classic view is enabled, click Sounds and Audio Devices.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information 4. Click the Audio tab. Select the USBPre 2 from the Default device dropdown menu in the Sound playback section. Select the USBPre 2 from the Default device dropdown menu in the Sound recording section. Inputs Input Source Selection The USBPre 2 has two available input channels. The source for each input is independently selected using the Input Select Buttons on the front panel.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information Input Pad With some combinations of microphone sensitivity and sound pressure levels, the microphone input of the USBPre 2 can become overloaded even when the input gain is at its lowest level. A 15 dB pad can be engaged on the microphone input to reduce its sensitivity. See DIP Switch Options.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information Outputs and Monitoring Headphone Output The USBPre 2 has a high current headphone amplifier for monitoring analog input audio, computer audio, or a mix of both. The Headphone Volume Control adjusts the level of the signal to the headphones. The Headphone Volume Control knob and the Output Gain Control knob can be swapped with the back panel DIP Switches. See DIP Switch Options. Caution: The USBPre 2 is capable of driving headphones to dangerously high levels.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information source is set to PC the meter displays the audio level for signal coming from the computer. In this mode, the top row of the meter displays the left channel level and the bottom row displays the right channel level. When the meter source is set to PRE, the meter displays the audio level for signal at the active inputs.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information same sample rate as that of the incoming digital signal (See Installation and Connection section for your operating system). If the USBPre 2 senses a discrepency in the incoming digital signal such as a clocking error, the Meter Source LED will flash until the Meter Source button is pushed. Setup Examples Test and Measurement The high quality preamplifiers and portability of the USBPre 2 make it a perfect interface for test and measurement applications.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information High Performance Playback The USBPre 2 can provide high-quality audio output from a computer to reference monitors in a studio control room or a home stereo system. Depending on the connectivity of the monitors, the balanced XLR outputs, unbalanced RCA outputs, or digital S/PDIF outputs can be used to send computer audio to the monitors.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information Block Diagram 18 Features and specifications are subject to change. Visit www.sounddevices.com for the latest documentation.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information Specifications Frequency Response (reference 1 kHz tone. 192 kHz sample rate) Any input to PC recording: • 10 Hz - 40 kHz, +/- 0.5 dB • -3 dB at 65 kHz THD+N (22 Hz - 22 kHz measurement bandwidth) • 0.05% max (any input to PC recording, gain control at min, input driven to -6 dBFS) • 0.009% max (AUX output, 0 dB V output, 100k ohm load) • 0.05% max (HEADPHONES output, 2 V rms output, 600 ohm load) E.I.N.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information Warranty and Technical Support Warranty & Service Sound Devices, LLC warrants the USBPre 2 against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ONE (1) year from date of original retail purchase. This is a non-transferable warranty that extends only to the original purchaser. Sound Devices, LLC will repair or replace the product at its discretion at no charge. Warranty claims due to severe service conditions will be addressed on an individual basis.
USBPre 2 User Guide and Technical Information CE Declaration of Conformity According to ISO/IEC Guide 22 Sound Devices, LLC 300 Wengel Drive Reedsburg, WI 53959 USA declares that the product, USBPre 2 Portable Computer Audio Interface is in conformity with and passes: EN55103-1, 1997 EMC-product family standard for audio, video, audio-visual and entertainment lighting control apparatus for professional use.
USBPre 2 Rev. 1.0 - Printed in the U.S.A.