MOTU 896mk3 User's Guide

™ MOTU 896mk3 Hybrid User Guide for Windows 1280 Massachusetts AvenueCambridge, MA 02138Business voice: (617) 576-2760Business fax: (617) 576-3609Web

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CUEMIX FX100View controlsFigure 9-33: View controls You can show and hide the FFT display, spectrogram or EQ band response curves as desired using the

CUEMIX FX101one half of the entire frequency range is displayed. Pos determines which frequency is displayed at the center of the graph.In Min/Max mo

CUEMIX FX102View menuThe View menu (Figure 9-37) lets you choose how you wish to display the audio channel(s) being displayed.Display optionsThe Axes

CUEMIX FX103zero, denoted by the extra vertical graph lines surrounding it. There are two kinds of waveform recognition available: Type I and Type II

CUEMIX FX104HoldoffHoldoff defines a time interval during which the oscilloscope does not trigger. The most recent trace will be displayed during that

CUEMIX FX105To adjust the left and right edges of the measurement area, click and drag the blue bars in the graph, or click and drag the blue numbers

CUEMIX FX106transient is settled in the display and fairly stable, you may need to adjust the horizontal position to center it in the display. These s

CUEMIX FX107X-Y PLOTThe X-Y Plot window (Figure 9-43) graphs the amplitude of a stereo audio signal on a two-dimensional grid. For each unit of time

CUEMIX FX108View controlsThe View controls (Figure 9-44) provide several options for the X-Y Plot display.Figure 9-44: View controlsPausing the displa

CUEMIX FX109Figure 9-47: The Persistence controls.LengthLength (Figure 9-47) sets the number of recent samples to show on the plot. For example, when

CHAPTER 11 1 About the 896mk3 Hybrid Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11The 896mk3

CUEMIX FX110PHASE ANALYSISThe Phase Analysis window (Figure 9-49 on page 111) graphs frequency versus phase difference versus amplitude of a stereo si

CUEMIX FX111Pausing the displayThe Pause button in the upper right corner of the View section (Figure 9-50) allows you to freeze the display at any t

CUEMIX FX112AxesThe Axes control (Figure 9-50) sets the opacity of the grid displayed in the graph, from 100% (fully visible) down to 0% (fully hidden

CUEMIX FX113outside the critical frequency range of the instrument being recorded, you can avoid phase problems among the mic signals.Tun i ng PA sy

CUEMIX FX114TUNERThe Tu n e r window is an accurate and easy to use tuner.Opening the TunerEach 896mk3 interface has its own Tuner window. Choose the

CUEMIX FX115CONFIGURATIONS MENUA configuration is just like a hardware preset (a “snapshot” of all settings in CueMix FX and therefore the 896mk3 hard

CUEMIX FX116CONTROL SURFACES MENUCueMix FX can be controlled from an automated control surface such as the Mackie Control™. Use the commands in the Co

CUEMIX FX117Figure 9-58: Refer to the extensive on-line help for details aboutconfiguring CueMix FX for operation with your control surfaceproduct.896

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CHAPTER11910 MOTU SMPTE ConsoleOVERVIEWThe 896mk3 can resolve directly to SMPTE time code via any analog input, without a separate synchronizer. The 8

ABOUT THE 896MK3 HYBRID 12 With a variety of I/O formats, mic preamps, no-latency mixing and processing of live input and synchronization capabilitie

MOTU SMPTE CONSOLE120detect and switch to the incoming frame rate, except that it cannot distinguish between 30 fps and 29.97 fps time code, or 23.976

MOTU SMPTE CONSOLE121The 896mk3 cannot freewheel address without clock. Therefore, the Freewheel Address setting will always be lower than or equal t

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Part 3 Appendices896mk3 Hybrid book Page 123 Friday, August 19, 2011 2:04 PM

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APPENDIX125A Audio I/O referenceOVERVIEWThe MOTU Audio drivers supply text string labels for the 896mk3’s audio inputs and outputs to clearly identify

APPENDIX A: AUDIO I/O REFERENCE126Outputs at 1x sample ratesOutputs are always listed in the same order as follows, when operating the 896mk3 at 1x sa

APPENDIX A: AUDIO I/O REFERENCE127Inputs at 2x sample ratesWhen operating the 896mk3 at a 2x sample rate (88.2 or 96 kHz), inputs are listed as follo

APPENDIX A: AUDIO I/O REFERENCE128Outputs at 4x sample ratesWhen operating the 896mk3 at a 4x sample rate (176.4 or 192 kHz), outputs are listed as fo

APPENDIX129B TroubleshootingWhy does the start sound not play through the 896mk3? The 896mk3 will only playback audio at a sampling rate of 44.1, 48,

ABOUT THE 896MK3 HYBRID 13 phantom power and 20 dB pad are supplied by separate front panel switches for each input. In addition, each input has its

APPENDIX B: TROUBLESHOOTING130CUSTOMER SUPPORTWe are happy to provide customer support to our registered users. If you haven’t already done so, please

INDEX131Symbols+4dB analog input 2402R mixer 30-10dB analog input 241394 connector 8, 14, 21, 22192kHzmultiple interfaces 36operation 4020 dB pad 142

INDEX132Load Hardware Preset 98Mix1 return includes computer 98Peak/Hold Time 98Save Hardware Preset 98undo/redo 99FireWire 14connecting 21, 22connect

INDEX1332x mode 51choosing format (ADAT or TOSlink) 44connectors 8, 24metering 44overview 13sync 30Optical converter mode 51setup/example 27Optimizat

INDEX134EQ knobs don’t work 79feedback loop 58Tuner 115Type I, II optical mode 51UUltraLite-mk3connecting multiple interfaces 36Unbalanced analog 23Un

ABOUT THE 896MK3 HYBRID 14 On-board SMPTE synchronization The 896mk3 can resolve directly to SMPTE time code via any TRS analog input, without a sepa

ABOUT THE 896MK3 HYBRID 15 Programmable backlit LCD display Any 896mk3 setting, including the powerful CueMix FX on-board 16-bus mixer with effects,

ABOUT THE 896MK3 HYBRID 16 CueMix FX CueMix FX gives you complete control over the 896mk3’s CueMix FX on-board mixer, which provides no-latency monit

CHAPTER 17 2 Packing List and System Requirements PACKING LIST The 896mk3 Hybrid ships with the items listed below. If any of these items are not pre

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CHAPTER193 Installing the 896mk3 SoftwareOVERVIEWInstallation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS CAUTION! READ THIS SAFETY GUIDE BEFORE YOU BEGIN INSTALLATION OR OPERATION. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH SAF

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 SOFTWARE20MOTU AUDIO DRIVERSASIOASIO is an acronym for Audio Streaming Input and Output. The MOTU Audio ASIO driver provides mul

CHAPTER214 Installing the 896mk3 HardwareOVERVIEWHere’s an overview for installing the 896mk3:Connect the 896mk3 interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 HARDWARE22Figure 4-1: Connecting the 896mk3 to the computer via FireWire.☛ Make absolute sure to align the notched side of the F

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 HARDWARE23CONNECT AUDIO INPUTS AND OUTPUTSThe 896mk3 audio interface has the following audio input and output connectors: 8 co

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 HARDWARE24Combo jack summaryUse these general guidelines for the 48V phantom power, pad and trim settings for the combo inputs:A

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 HARDWARE25Using optical I/O to operate the 896mk3 as an 8-channel expanderWhen the 896mk3 is not connected directly to a comput

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 HARDWARE26A TYPICAL 896MK3 SETUPHere is a typical 896mk3 studio setup. This rig can be operated without a conventional mixer. Al

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 HARDWARE27OPERATING THE 896mk3 AS A CONVERTERAs explained earlier in “Using optical I/O to operate the 896mk3 as an 8-channel e

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 HARDWARE28MAKING SYNC CONNECTIONSIf you connect devices digitally to the 896mk3, or if you need to synchronize the 896mk3 with a

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 HARDWARE29SYNCING S/PDIF DEVICESS/PDIF devices will sync to the 896mk3 in one of two ways: Via the S/PDIF connection itself V

III Contents Part 1: Getting Started 7 Quick Reference: 896mk3 Front Panel 8 Quick Reference: 896mk3 Rear Panel 9 Quick Reference: MOTU Audio Consol

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 HARDWARE30SYNCING OPTICAL DEVICESWhen connecting an optical device, make sure that its digital audio clock is phase-locked (in s

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 HARDWARE31Sample rate conversionWith sample rate conversion (SRC), an extra level of master/slave clocking is added to the equa

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 HARDWARE32Some example scenarios are demonstrated below.Simple AES/EBU input transfer (no rate convert)Figure 4-14: Slaving the

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 HARDWARE33SYNCING WORD CLOCK DEVICESThe 896mk3 word clock connectors allow you to synchronize it with a wide variety of other w

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 HARDWARE34SYNCING TO SMPTE TIME CODEThe 896mk3 system can resolve directly to SMPTE time code. It can also generate time code an

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 HARDWARE35CONNECTING MULTIPLE MOTU FIREWIRE INTERFACESYou can daisy-chain up to three MOTU FireWire interfaces on a single Fire

INSTALLING THE 896MK3 HARDWARE36Figure 4-23: Choosing clock sources with multiple interfaces.Connecting other MOTU FireWire interfacesYou can mix and

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CHAPTER395 MOTU Audio ConsoleOVERVIEWMOTU Audio Console gives you access to basic 896mk3 hardware settings, such as sample rate, clock source, optical

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

MOTU AUDIO CONSOLE40‘GENERAL’ TAB SETTINGSSample RateChoose the desired Sample Rate for recording and playback. The 896mk3 can operate at 44.1 (the st

MOTU AUDIO CONSOLE41Master Clock SourceThe Master Clock Source determines the digital audio clock that the 896mk3 will use as its time base. For a co

MOTU AUDIO CONSOLE42synchronizer. In this case, the ADAT Optical clock source setting lets you slave the 896mk3 to the device itself via its digital i

MOTU AUDIO CONSOLE43 How responsive the transport controls are in your softwareThis setting presents you with a trade-off between the processing pow

MOTU AUDIO CONSOLE44Optical input/outputThe Optical input and Optical output settings let you choose between ADAT optical (‘lightpipe’) and S/PDIF opt

MOTU AUDIO CONSOLE45AES/EBU Out optionsChoose the desired AES/EBU Out sample rate options (Figure 4-17 on page 32) when the desired AES/EBU output ra

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CHAPTER476 Front Panel OperationOVERVIEWThe 896mk3 Hybrid offers complete front-panel programming via six rotary encoders and a 2x16 backlit LCD displ

FRONT PANEL OPERATION48MASTER VOL AND “(MAIN OUT)” PHONE JACKThe phone jack labeled (MAIN OUT) (Figure 6-1) is a standard quarter-inch stereo headphon

FRONT PANEL OPERATION49PROGRAMMABLE METERSThe programmable meter bank (Figure 6-4) lets you view the levels of any input or output bank (except analo

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FRONT PANEL OPERATION50896MK3 SETUP MENUTo access the 896mk3 SETUP menu, push the PAR AM kno b unt i l you s e e 896mk3 SETUP displayed in the LCD

FRONT PANEL OPERATION51up in the same state. AutoSave Status tells you the current state of this process: Change Detected, Saving… or Saved. If it sa

FRONT PANEL OPERATION52 OUT (outputs) MIX (Mixes) REVERB (reverb processor)Navigating the four main menusTo access the four main menus above, push

FRONT PANEL OPERATION53The OUT (Outputs) menuPush the CHANNEL button repeatedly until you see “O:” in the channel section of the LCD (Figure 6-10). T

FRONT PANEL OPERATION54REVERB — these are the reverb send and return controls for the bus master fader. Access them with the PARAMETER knob. Note: if

FRONT PANEL OPERATION55INPUTS MENU OUTPUTS MENUCHANNEL PAGE PARAMINPUTSAnalog 1-2Analog 3-4etc.INPUT PAIRPHASEL-R/M-S (stereo or M/S)SWAPWIDTHTRIMLIM

FRONT PANEL OPERATION56MIXES MENU REVERB MENUSTAND-ALONE OPERATIONAll settings, including all mix settings and global settings, are saved in the 896mk

CHAPTER577 Configuring Host Audio SoftwareOVERVIEWThe 896mk3 Hybrid provides multi-channel audio input and output for ASIO- and WDM-compatible audio ap

CONFIGURING HOST AUDIO SOFTWARE58If you do not have any digital audio connections to your 896mk3 (you are using the analog inputs and outputs only), a

CONFIGURING HOST AUDIO SOFTWARE59CHOOSING THE MOTU AUDIO DRIVEROnce you’ve made the preparations described so far in this chapter, you’re ready to ru

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CONFIGURING HOST AUDIO SOFTWARE60Reason and RecordIn Propellerhead Reason or Record, go to the Preferences window, choose Audio preferences from the m

CONFIGURING HOST AUDIO SOFTWARE61Figure 7-8: Enabling inputs and outputs in SONAR. Using the MOTU WDM driver1 Go to SONAR’s Preferences.2 In the Audi

CONFIGURING HOST AUDIO SOFTWARE62Sound ForgeIn Sony Sound Forge, go to the Preferences window, click the Audio tab, and then choose MOTU Audio from th

CONFIGURING HOST AUDIO SOFTWARE63features in CueMix FX to save the 896mk3 Hybrid settings as a file in your host project folder for instant recall of

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CHAPTER658 Reducing Monitoring LatencyOVERVIEWMonitoring latency is that slight delay you hear when you run an input signal through your host audio so

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY66MONITORING LIVE INPUTThere are two ways to monitor live audio input with an 896mk3: 1) through the computer or 2) via the

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY67ADJUSTING THE AUDIO I/O BUFFERA buffer is a small amount of computer memory used to hold data. For audio interfaces like

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY68Lower latency versus higher CPU overheadThe buffer setting has a large impact on the following things: Patch thru latenc

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY69Using CueMix FXIf your host audio software does not support direct hardware monitoring, you run the CueMix FX software s

Quick Reference: 896mk3 Front Panel 1. These 10-segment level meters are dedicated to the 896mk3’s eight analog inputs. The top red ‘HOLD’ LED illumi

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CHAPTER719 CueMix FXOVERVIEWCueMix FX is a cross-platform software application that provides graphic, on-screen control for the 896mk3 Hybrid’s flexibl

CUEMIX FX72A 16-BUS MIXER WITH EQ, COMPRESSION AND REVERBAll 896mk3 inputs and outputs can be routed to the on-board CueMix FX 16-bus (8 stereo bus) d

CUEMIX FX73CUEMIX FX INSTALLATIONCueMix FX is installed with the rest of your 896mk3 software.CUEMIX FX BASIC OPERATIONHere is a brief overview of th

CUEMIX FX74Each mix bus is independentEach mix bus has its own settings. Settings for one bus will not affect another. For example, if an input is use

CUEMIX FX75THE MIXES TABClick the Mixes tab (Figure 9-2) to gain access to the 896mk3’s eight stereo mix busses. The Mixes tab displays one mix bus a

CUEMIX FX76Bus muteThe bus mute button (Figure 9-2) disables (silences) the mix.Bus level meterThe bus level meter, which is post-fader, shows you the

CUEMIX FX77THE INPUTS TABThe 896mk3 provides many features for managing analog and digital input signals. Some of these features, such as the 896mk3’

CUEMIX FX78Input channel focusClick the channel focus button (Figure 9-3) to view and edit parameters in the channel settings section of the CueMix FX

CUEMIX FX79Figure 9-4: The EQ/Dynamics selectors.Click the selector (Figure 9-4) for the desired EQ band, low-pass (LP) filter, high pass (HP) filter o

Quick Reference: 896mk3 Rear Panel 1. These AES/EBU connectors can handle any supported sample rate up to 96 kHz, and they are also equipped with a s

CUEMIX FX80Output channel focusClick the channel focus button (Figure 9-6) to view and edit parameters in the channel settings section of the CueMix F

CUEMIX FX81THE CHANNEL SETTINGS SECTIONThe channel settings section in the CueMix FX window (Figure 9-1) displays three tabs for Channel, EQ and Dyna

CUEMIX FX82Stereo settingsInputs that have been grouped as stereo pairs in the Inputs tab (Figure 9-3) provide two stereo modes (Figure 9-8): Normal a

CUEMIX FX83The Bus Activity LEDs (Figure 9-9) show you which mix busses the input signal is being fed to. For example, LED #6 will glow under the fol

CUEMIX FX84the channel. In addition, each individual band of EQ has a Filter enable/disable switch (Figure 9-10), allowing you to enable as few or as

CUEMIX FX85amplitude scale is in dB and is adjustable between 3 and 24 dB using the vertical scale buttons (Figure 9-10).Showing and hiding filter cur

CUEMIX FX86Type IFigure 9-13: Type I EQ filter style.The Type I EQ filter has the least amount of Gain/Q interaction, providing the most precision and c

CUEMIX FX87Type IIIFigure 9-15: Type III EQ filter style.The Type III EQ filter increases Q as boost is applied. Therefore, lower amounts of boost prov

CUEMIX FX88Shelf filtersFigure 9-17: Shelf filter Q parameter overshoot.When two top-most bands in the EQ tab are set to their shelf filter setting (Figu

CUEMIX FX89Overshoot tends to produce more of what one would expect to hear when applying shelving and is therefore considered to be more musical tha

CHAPTER 9 Quick Reference: MOTU Audio ConsoleDevice Setup in CubaseChoosing a smaller setting here reduces the delay you may hear when listening to l

CUEMIX FX90The Dynamics tabThe Dynamics tab (Figure 9-21) displays the Dynamics processing settings for the input or output channel that currently has

CUEMIX FX91Peak/RMS modesIn RMS mode the compressor uses RMS values (a computational method for determining overall loudness) to measure the input le

CUEMIX FX92It is precisely this self-adjusting behavior that makes optical compressors the tool of choice for smoothing out vocals, bass guitar and fu

CUEMIX FX93displaying an input meter). Click Pre to view levels before any input channel processing besides trim; click Post to view levels after all

CUEMIX FX94OutputWhen the Split Point is set to Output, the sends in Output tab become active and the returns in the Mix bus tab gray out. This allows

CUEMIX FX95Assigning outputs to the monitor groupAny combination of outputs can be assigned to the monitor group. To include an output pair in the mo

CUEMIX FX96Figure 9-25: Typical hardware setup for Talkback and Listenback. Talkback / Listenback Mic InputTo configure the talkback mic in CueMix FX,

CUEMIX FX97SHORTCUTSHold down the following general modifier keys as shortcuts:Hold down the following modifier keys as shortcuts for the EQ tab and co

CUEMIX FX98EDIT MENUUndo/RedoCueMix FX supports multiple undo/redo. This allows you to step backwards and forwards through your actions in the softwar

CUEMIX FX99FFT displayChoose Show FFT from the Filter display options menu (Figure 9-10) to superimpose a real-time Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) freq