Alesis MMFWFAQ05 User Manual

MultiMix FireWire

Frequently Asked Questions

& Troubleshooting Guide

September, 2005

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

MACINTOSH ISSUES

What system requirements does the MultiMix have?
How do I set the MultiMix as my recording and playback device?

How do I uninstall the MultiMix (usually in order to install a more current
driver)?

Clicking the “Control Panel” button in Cubase LE’s Devices | Audio Devices |
VST Multitrack… menu does nothing

What type of Mac drivers are available?

WINDOWS PC ISSUES

Which versions of Windows are supported?

What types of drivers are available?
When I insert the CD into my CD or DVD drive, nothing happens
When I try to open the control panel from within my audio application, an error

message appears
Sample rate error messages appear in my recording program
I cannot change the Windows XP volume using the Windows volume control

slider
How can I make the MultiMix my default audio device?
I think that I only installed some of the drivers, not all of them
When I was installing the MultiMix, I received an error message saying “A

problem occurred during device installation. Your hardware may not work
properly.”

I want to uninstall the MultiMix from my computer
What’s the difference between the MultiMix “Drivers” and the MultiMix

“Control Panel”? Why do I need both?
I’m having trouble with Sonar (or my other WDM-based audio application)

MultiMix Firewire FAQ & Troubleshooting Guide Page 2

GENERAL ISSUES

Can I use the MultiMix as a regular old analog mixer, without a computer?

I’m not sure if the MultiMix is being “seen” by my computer. How can I tell?
What’s the best way to connect my headphones and speakers and to monitor my

recordings?
Can I connect two MultiMix mixers together for twice the channels?
I hear an echo, like a slapback delay
My track has reverb effects, but they are not being recorded
I’ve heard that some audio equipment operates better if it is left on all the time.

Should I always keep my MultiMix on?
Why is the left input of my stereo line-in channel is being sent to both the left and

right channels in my audio application?
I would like to route audio from the computer to the MultiMix, apply the

MultiMix’s EQ and digital effects, and then record this audio back to the
computer. Is that possible?

Why are there two Firewire ports?
Does the MultiMix computer connection operate at FW400 or FW800 speed?
I’m getting hum or a digital glitch noise through my mixer when it’s connected to

my computer. Help!
I hear high-pitched screeches, static, wrong-speed playback, or other bad things
What is latency, and what are the best latency settings to use?
My system is unstable. Can you provide any tips?

MultiMix Firewire FAQ & Troubleshooting Guide Page 3

MACINTOSH ISSUES

What system requirements does the MultiMix have?

The MultiMix requires OS X 10.3 (Panther) or above.

How do I set the MultiMix as my recording and playback device?
Choose the Audio MIDI Setup control panel. Within it, choose the MultiMix for
both recording and playback.

How do I uninstall the MultiMix (usually in order to install a more current
driver)?

To uninstall the MultiMix driver, use one of the many “uninstall” tools available
for Mac.

Alesis has had good success with the program “Desinstaller.” The program is
freely available at http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/13955.

Clicking the “Control Panel” button in Cubase LE’s Devices | Audio Devices
| VST Multitrack… menu does nothing

This is normal. All settings for the MultiMix should be made through the Audio
MIDI Setup control panel, located under your system preferences.

What type of Mac drivers are available?

On Macintosh, the MultiMix uses CoreAudio drivers only.

MultiMix Firewire FAQ & Troubleshooting Guide Page 4

WINDOWS PC ISSUES

Which versions of Windows are supported?

Windows XP (Home and Professional) are the only supported operating systems
at this time.

What types of drivers are available?

As of September 2005, WDM, WDM/KS (for programs like Sonar), and ASIO 2
drivers are available. These are 32-bit drivers only (not 64 bit).

GSIF and GSIF2 are not supported at this time.

When I insert the CD into my CD or DVD drive, nothing happens
In order for you to see the various program and driver installation options, the CD
needs to “autoplay” (which means that it will launch a program when it is inserted
into your computer.)

If this “autoplay” does not occur, click the Windows Start button and go to My
Computer. (If My Computer does not appear under the Start menu, look for it on
your desktop.)

From there, you will see the Alesis disk listed under one of the Devices with
Removable Storage. Right click the disk and choose “Autoplay.” The disc will
begin its autoplay routine.

When I try to open the control panel from within my audio application, an
error message appears

Most likely, the control panel has not been installed. Your MultiMix will work in
many cases without it (so long as the drivers have been installed). However, there
are cases where it is required.

To solve this problem, insert the software disk that came with your MultiMix into
your computer. Follow the steps on screen to install the control panel.

Sample rate error messages appear in my recording program
Close your audio application. Then, open the MultiMix control panel. (In
Windows, click Start and All Programs. Then, find the Alesis MultiMix listing
and open the control panel from there.)

Set your preferred sample rate (usually 44.1k for music without video and 48k for
music plus video). Then, close the control panel.

MultiMix Firewire FAQ & Troubleshooting Guide Page 5