MOTU 896HD User's Guide

™ MOTU 896HD User’s Guide for Macintosh 1280 Massachusetts AvenueCambridge, MA 02138Business voice: (617) 576-2760Business fax: (617) 576-3609Te chni

ABOUT THE 896HD 10 Two XL R main analog outputs with volume knob (on the front panel) One 9-pin ADAT SYNC IN connector BNC word clock input a

CUEMIX CONSOLE100

CHAPTER10113 TroubleshootingUsing Pro Tools, Sound Manager and -50 error (OS 9 only)When using Sound Manager, Pro Tools software will only allow audio

TROUBLESHOOTING102Connecting or powering gear during operationIt is not recommended that you connect/disconnect, or power on/off devices connected to

INDEX10302R mixer 25connecting 18115V/220V switch 61394 connector 6, 11, 15192kHz operation 382408mk3Word Clock In setting 39, 4724-bitAudioDesk 64Di

INDEX104audio input/output 40Input gain 11Input level meters 5Inputsanalog 6optical 6Installationhardware 15software 34Installer CDreplacing 102Interf

105WWord clock 11, 19, 24, 292x or one-half x 30connectors 6sync setting 39, 47Word Clock In setting 39, 47Word Out 7, 43, 51XXLR connectors 16YYamah

ABOUT THE 896HD 11 to the system—or any device that supports the ADAT sync format. For example, if you digitally transfer a single track of material

ABOUT THE 896HD 12 The 896HD front panel also displays stereo meters for the main analog outs and AES/EBU. The AES/EBU meters can display either inpu

CHAPTER 13 2 Packing List and Macintosh System Requirements PACKING LIST The 896HD ships with the items listed below. If any of these items are not p

PACKING LIST AND MACINTOSH SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 14

CHAPTER 15 3 Installing the 896HD Hardware OVERVIEW Here’s an overview for installing the 896HD: Connect the 896HD interface . . . . . . . . . . . .

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE 16 CONNECT AUDIO INPUTS AND OUTPUTS The 896HD audio interface has the following audio input and output connectors: 8

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE17CONNECT A FOOT SWITCHIf you would like to use a foot switch with your 896HD, connect it to the PUNCH IN/OUT jack. See

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE18USING THE 896HD WITH A MIXERWhile there are many ways to use the 896HD with an external mixer, typically the 896HD serv

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE19MAKING SYNC CONNECTIONSIf you connect devices digitally to the 896HD, or if you need to synchronize the 896HD with an

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR OTHER

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE20DO YOU NEED A SYNCHRONIZER?Whether or not you’ll need a synchronizer depends on your gear and what you will be doing wi

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE21synchronizer. The following pages illustrate how to set up this type of synchronization with various kinds of gear. Re

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE22SAMPLE-ACCURATE ADAT SYNCThe 896HD can achieve sample-accurate sync with ADATs, Alesis hard disk recorders or any ADAT

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE23SAMPLE-ACCURATE ADAT SYNC WITH NO SYNCHRONIZEREven if you don’t have an ADAT synchronizer, you can achieve sample-accu

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE24SYNCING TO VIDEO AND/OR SMPTE TIME CODETo synchronize (continuously resolve) the 896HD with SMPTE time code, word cl

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE25SYNCING OPTICAL DEVICESThe word optical is our short-hand way of referring to any device that connects to the 896HD vi

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE26SYNCING AES/EBU DEVICESIf you would like to transfer stereo audio digitally between the 896HD and another device that h

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE27Figure 3-15: When transferring audio without sample rate conver-sion, two devices must have phased-locked audio clocks

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE28Clocking scenarios for AES/EBU inputThere are three possible clocking scenarios for the 896HD AES/EBU input:1. Simple t

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE29Figure 3-21: The Sample Rate Conversion option in the MOTUFireWire Audio Console gives you access the AES/EBU output c

III Contents 5 Quick Reference: 896HD Front Panel 6 Quick Reference: 896HD Rear Panel 7 Quick Reference: MOTU FireWire Audio Console 9 About the 896H

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE30this causes problems. Instead, use a dedicated synchronizer like the Digital Timepiece or a word clock distribution dev

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE31CONNECTING MULTIPLE MOTU FIREWIRE INTERFACESYo u c a n d a isy-chain up to four MOTU FireWire interfaces on a single

INSTALLING THE 896HD HARDWARE32Make the Clock Source settings for each interface as follows: For the master interface, click its tab (as demonstrated

CHAPTER334 Installing the 896HD Macintosh SoftwareOVERVIEWSoftware installation for Mac OS X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Software install

INSTALLING THE 896HD MACINTOSH SOFTWARE34SOFTWARE INSTALLATION FOR MAC OS 9Install the 896HD software as follows:1 Insert the MOTU FireWire Installer

INSTALLING THE 896HD MACINTOSH SOFTWARE35Figure 4-2: The MOTU FireWire Control Strip module gives you accessto all of the settings in the MOTU FireWi

INSTALLING THE 896HD MACINTOSH SOFTWARE36AUDIODESK WORKSTATION SOFTWAREThe MOTU FireWire installer places AudioDesk on the top level of your Macintosh

CHAPTER375 MOTU FireWire Audio Console (Mac OS X)OVERVIEWAccessing the 896HD settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37896HD Settings

MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO CONSOLE (MAC OS X)38 From within other ASIO-compatible programs, refer to their documentation.General tab settingsThe General tab

MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO CONSOLE (MAC OS X)39 All digital I/O is disabled (there is no optical and no AES/EBU input/output). The 896HD provides 8 channe

IV About the Mark of the Unicorn License Agreement and Limited Warranty on Software TO PERSONS WHO PURCHASE OR USE THIS PRODUCT: carefully read all t

MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO CONSOLE (MAC OS X)40information, which allows AudioDesk and Digital Performer to transfer audio to and from ADAT-sync compatible r

MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO CONSOLE (MAC OS X)41Figure 5-2: The Mac OS X sound preferences let you use the 896HD forgeneral stereo audio input and output for

MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO CONSOLE (MAC OS X)42NoneNo sample rate conversion occurs. Both the AES/EBU input and output match the sample rate of the 896HD’s s

MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO CONSOLE (MAC OS X)43Word OutThe Word O ut menu appears when the 896HD is operating at a 2x sample rate (88.2 or 96kHz) or 4x sam

MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO CONSOLE (MAC OS X)44Figure 5-5: 896HD channel names as they appear in DigitalPerformer.

CHAPTER456 MOTU FireWire Control Panel (Mac OS 9)OVERVIEWThe MOTU FireWire Control Panel provides access to all 896HD settings. These settings can als

MOTU FIREWIRE CONTROL PANEL (MAC OS 9)46 From within other ASIO-compatible programs, refer to their documentation.It doesn’t matter which way you acc

MOTU FIREWIRE CONTROL PANEL (MAC OS 9)47are doing is playing tracks off hard disk in your digital audio software on the computer. In a situation like

MOTU FIREWIRE CONTROL PANEL (MAC OS 9)48synchronizing digitally to the 896HD or an external synchronizer such as the Digital Timepiece. In this case,

MOTU FIREWIRE CONTROL PANEL (MAC OS 9)49them. If your host audio software has a processor meter, check it. If it starts getting maxed out, or if the

0 Quick Reference: 896HD Front Panel This is a standard quarter-inch stereo headphone jack. From the factory, it matches the signal going to the main

MOTU FIREWIRE CONTROL PANEL (MAC OS 9)50At the 4x sample rates (176.4 and 192kHz), the headphone output can be assigned to any analog output pair or t

MOTU FIREWIRE CONTROL PANEL (MAC OS 9)51Peak Hold TimeThe 896HD front-panel level meters support standard peak/hold metering, where the LED for the h

MOTU FIREWIRE CONTROL PANEL (MAC OS 9)52

CHAPTER537 Digital PerformerOVERVIEWThis chapter provides a brief overview of Digital Performer’s basic I/O and synchronization operation with the 896

DIGITAL PERFORMER54Figure 7-1: The 896HD settings in Mac OS 9.896HD settings in Mac OS XIn Mac OS X, choose the 896HD as your audio input output devic

DIGITAL PERFORMER55existing files that do not match this sample rate will be displayed in the Soundbites window with a red ‘X’ on its move handle to i

DIGITAL PERFORMER56As another example, if you are using analog, AES/EBU and ADAT optical, you need 22 voices (the maximum number of simultaneous outpu

DIGITAL PERFORMER57Occasionally, you may encounter a situation in which you observe a slight offset of one sample — or maybe a few — caused by inhere

DIGITAL PERFORMER58Similarly, with the help of a MOTU Digital Timepiece, Digital Performer and a 896HD can perform sample-accurate transfers with Tasc

DIGITAL PERFORMER59can route it to your 896HD interface via any of Digital Performer’s extensive audio routing features. For details, consult your Di

0 Quick Reference: 896HD Rear Panel These AES/EBU connectors can handle any supported sample rate up to 96 kHz, and they are also equipped with a sam

DIGITAL PERFORMER60

CHAPTER618 AudioDeskOVERVIEWThis chapter provides a brief overview of AudioDesk’s basic I/O and synchronization operation with the 896HD hardware. For

AUDIODESK62THE 896HD SETTINGS896HD settings in Mac OS 9In Mac OS 9, the 896HD settings can be accessed by choosing MOTU Audio System options>Configu

AUDIODESK63For complete details about the 896HD settings, see chapter 5, “MOTU FireWire Audio Console (Mac OS X)” (page 37) or chapter 6, “MOTU FireW

AUDIODESK64 Zero or 8 channels for optical, depending on whether you have optical turned off or set to ADAT opticalFor example, if you are using anal

AUDIODESK65FINE-TUNING I/O TIMINGThe 896HD has the ability to be sample accurate. This means that when you transfer audio between AudioDesk and an AD

AUDIODESK66☛ If you have an ADAT sync compatible device, don’t use SMPTE time code. Instead, use sample-accurate sync as described in the next section

AUDIODESK67AudioDesk Version 2 projectsIf you are running Digital Performer 4 on Mac OS X, you can exchange files with AudioDesk Ve r s i on 2. Just

AUDIODESK68

CHAPTER699 Other Mac OS X Audio SoftwareOVERVIEWThe 896HD provides multichannel audio and MIDI input and output for all Mac OS X audio applications. T

CHAPTER 7 Quick Reference: MOTU FireWire Audio ConsoleDetermines the clock source for your 896HD. If you’re just using the 896HD by itself, choose In

OTHER MAC OS X AUDIO SOFTWARE70If you do not have any digital audio connections to your 896HD (you are using the analog inputs and outputs only), and

OTHER MAC OS X AUDIO SOFTWARE71Figure 9-3: Enabling the 896HD in Logic Audio.Other audio softwareFor other audio applications, the procedure is simil

OTHER MAC OS X AUDIO SOFTWARE72Most programs will likely address this issue in future updates. In the meantime, here is how you can identify each inpu

OTHER MAC OS X AUDIO SOFTWARE73TRIMMING THE ANALOG INPUTSThe 896HD analog inputs provide trim knobs on the front panel. To calibrate an audio input:1

OTHER MAC OS X AUDIO SOFTWARE74

CHAPTER7510 Cubase, Nuendo and OS 9 ASIO SoftwareOVERVIEWThis chapter explains how to use the 896HD with Mac OS 9 ASIO-compatible audio software such

CUBASE, NUENDO AND OS 9 ASIO SOFTWARE76chapter. However, the basic procedures are the same and can be easily applied to any ASIO-compatible software.

CUBASE, NUENDO AND OS 9 ASIO SOFTWARE77Sample rateChoose the desired overall sample rate for the 896HD system and Cubase. Newly recorded audio in Cub

CUBASE, NUENDO AND OS 9 ASIO SOFTWARE78Driver menu as shown below. Make the other settings in the dialog as needed for your system and synchronization

CUBASE, NUENDO AND OS 9 ASIO SOFTWARE79features. For further information, see “Controlling CueMix DSP from within Cubase or Nuendo” on page 91.OTHER

8

CUBASE, NUENDO AND OS 9 ASIO SOFTWARE80Figure 10-5: Activating 896HD inputs in Nuendo.ASSIGNING INPUTSOnce you’ve activated the 896HD inputs as shown

CUBASE, NUENDO AND OS 9 ASIO SOFTWARE81ASSIGNING OUTPUTSOnce you’ve chosen the MOTU FireWire ASIO driver in the Audio System dialog as explained earl

CUBASE, NUENDO AND OS 9 ASIO SOFTWARE82The “Phones 1-2” outputIf you’ve chosen to treat the 896HD headphones as an independent output, you’ll see Phon

CUBASE, NUENDO AND OS 9 ASIO SOFTWARE83example, in Figure 3-12 on page 24, word clock is being used to resolve an 896HD interface, so the Clock Sourc

CUBASE, NUENDO AND OS 9 ASIO SOFTWARE84MTP AV (or other MMC device). In this scenario, transport control is handled by Cubase or Nuendo itself.5 In C

CHAPTER8511 Reducing Monitoring LatencyOVERVIEWMonitoring latency is that slight delay you hear when you run an input signal through your host audio s

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY86MONITORING LIVE INPUTThere are two ways to monitor live audio input with an 896HD: 1) through the computer or 2) via CueM

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY87computer (for a bit of reverb) and mix that processed signal on the main outs with dry vocals from CueMix DSP.ADJUSTING

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY88Figure 11-4: In Cubase SX or Nuendo, choose Devices menu> DeviceSetup and click VST Multitrack to access the window ab

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY89increase the buffer size, you reduce the load on your computer, freeing up bandwidth for effects, mixing and other real-

CHAPTER 9 1 About the 896HD OVERVIEW The 896HD is a computer-based hard disk recording system for Mac OS and Windows that provides 18 separate inputs

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY90independent of your host audio software. For complete details, see chapter 12, “CueMix Console” (page 93).Controlling Cue

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY91because you enjoy the benefits of CueMix DSP patch thru, plus separate, independent mixing under CueMix Console, thanks t

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY92

CHAPTER9312 CueMix ConsoleOVERVIEWCueMix Console provides access to the flexible on-board mixing features of the 896HD. CueMix lets you route any combi

CUEMIX CONSOLE94ADVANTAGES OF CUEMIX MONITORINGCueMix Console provides several major advantages over monitoring live inputs through your host audio so

CUEMIX CONSOLE95Viewing a mixTo v ie w a m i x, click its tab at the bottom of the window, as shown in Figure 12-1. The mix name appears in the ta

CUEMIX CONSOLE96SHORTCUTSHold down the following modifier keys as shortcuts:COPYING & PASTING (DUPLICATING) ENTIRE MIXESTo c opy a nd p a s t e

CUEMIX CONSOLE97This menu item is essentially a pre/post switch for the computer audio insert to the stream of audio going to Mix1’s 896HD output pai

CUEMIX CONSOLE98EnabledCheck this menu item to turn on control surface operation of CueMix Console. Uncheck it to turn off control surface support.Con

CUEMIX CONSOLE99STAND-ALONE OPERATIONAll settings, including all mix settings and global settings, are saved in the 896HD’s memory, and they remain i