echo Echo Layla 24 layla24_pc_manual1-0

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

LAYLA

Owner’s Manual Version 1.0 for PC

Layla24 is designed and manufactured in the U.S. by Echo Corporation

Important Safety Instructions

1. Read Instructions

instructions before operating this product.

2. Retain Instructions

be retained for future reference.

3. Heed Warnings

should be followed.

4. Follow Instructions

followed.

5. Moisture

- Water and moisture are detrimental to the continued good health of Layla24. Do not install or operate Layla24 near sources of water or moisture such as sinks, damp basements, leaky roofs, etc.

6. Heat

– Layla24 should be situated away from sources of heat such as

heaters or radiators.

7. Power Sources

power source indicated in this documentation or on Layla24. If you are unsure about the type of power at your location, contact your local power company.

8. Grounding

- Precautions should be taken so that the grounding capabilities of the Layla24 unit are not undermined. This equipment is provided with a cord having an equipment grounding conductor and grounding plug. This plug must be plugged into an outlet that is properly installed and grounded in accordance with all local rules and ordinances. Do not modify the plug provided with the equipm ent. If the plug will not fit into your outlet, have a proper outlet installed by a qualified electrician.

9. Power Cord Protection

they are unlikely to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against them. Pay particular attention to protecting the plugs, outlets, and the point at which the cord exits Layla24.

- Be sure to read all of the safety and operating

- The safety instructions and owner's manual should

- All warnings on Layla24 and in the Owner's Manual

- All operating and use instructions should be

- This unit should be operated only from the type of

- Power supply cords should be routed so that

10. Servicing

- Do not attempt to service this unit yourself, as opening the case will expose you to hazardous voltage or other dangers. All servicing should be referred to qualified service personnel.

11. Damage Requiring Service

- Unplug this unit and refer it to a qualified

service technician when any of the following occur:

a) Objects have fallen or liquid has spilled into the unit b) The product has been exposed to rain or water

c) The product does not operate normally or w hen a marked change in performance is noticed d) The product has been dropped or damaged in any way

Sending in your registr ation card – or registering online at allows us to register key information so that we may handle problems faster and inform you of advance information on upgrades and other news. Thanks in advance for filling out your registration card and sending it to us. We hope you enjo y your Echo produc t.

http://www.echoaudio.com/register.html

Limited Warranty

Echo Digital Audio Corporation warrants this product, when purchased at an Authorized Echo Dealer in the United States of America, to be free of defects in materials and manufacturing workmanship for a period of one year from the date of original purchase. During the warranty period Echo shall, at its option, either repair or replace any product that proves to be defective upon inspection by Echo. Final determination of warranty coverage lies solely with Echo. Echo reserves the right to update any unit returned for repair, and reserves the right to change or improve the design of the product at any time without notice.

This is your sole warranty. Echo does not authorize any third party, including any dealer or sales representative, to assume any liability on behalf of Echo or to make any warranty for Echo.

Service and repairs of Echo products are to be performed only at the factory (see below) unless otherwise authorized in advance by the Echo Service Department. Unauthorized service, repair or modification will void this warranty.

To obtain factory service:

Contact Echo Digital Audio Corporation at (805) 684-4593, 9AM to 5PM Monday through Friday (Pacific Time). If necessary, you will be given a return authorization number. Products returned without an RA number will be refused. Echo may, at its option, require proof of the original date of purchase in the form of a dated copy of the original authorized dealer’s invoice or sales receipt. Pack the product in its original shipping carton and attach a description of the problem along with your name and a phone number where Echo can contact you if necessary. Ship the product insured and freight prepaid to:

Echo Digital Audio Corporation

6460 Via Real

Carpinteria, CA 93013

DISCLAIMER AND LIMITATION OF WARRANTY

Echo makes no other warranties, express, implied, or otherwise, regarding Echo products, and specifically disclaims any warranty for merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The exclusion of implied warranties is not permitted in some states and the exclusions specified herein may not apply to you. This warranty provide s you with sp ecific legal rights. There may be other rights that you have which va ry from state to state.

In no event will Echo be liable for any lost profits, or for any consequential, direct or indirect damages, however caused and on any theory of liability, arising from this warranty and sale.

Echo® is a registered trademark of Echo Digital Audio Corporation

24, Mona, Gina®24, Layla®, Gina®, Darla®24 and Darla® are trademarks of Echo Digital Audio

Layla Corporation



ADAT Windows

is a registered trademark of Alesis Corporation

, Windows ‘95®, Windows ‘98®, and Windows NT® are registered trademarks of Microsoft, Inc.

Introduction

What You Should Have Received in the Layla24 Box 7

System Requirements 7

Layla24 Installation

System Check 8

System Sounds 9 Installing the Layla24 Hardware 10 Connecting to Layla24’s Rack-mount Audio Interface 13

Installing the Layla24 Software Drivers 17 Layla24 Audio Input & Output D e vices 21

The Echo Console

Console Controls 24 Monitor Controls 25 Output Controls 27 Adjusting Record and Playback Levels 27 Setting Clock Sources and Destinations 28 Synchronizing Multiple Devices 28 Digital Mode Switch 31

View ADAT Ctrls 31 The File Menu 32 The Preferences Page 33 Digital I/O – Selecting the S/PDIF Output Format 34 Digital I/O – Dither Input 34 General – Sync Wave D e vices 35 General – External box warning 35

Sample Rate Lock 36

MIDI Time Code (MTC) 36

Additional Configuration Settings

Show console on taskbar 39 Monitor during playback 39 Multi-client audio 40 Multi-client MIDI 40 DirectSound Settings 41

Table of Contents

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

Installing Cool Edit Pro

Cool Edit Pro: Assigning Layla24’s Inputs & Outputs

Cool Edit Pro: Optimizing Multitrack Perform ance

Contacting Customer Service

Special Edition

42 43 44

Appendix A: Appendix B: Appendix C: Appendix D: Appendix E: Appendix F: Appendix G: Appendix H: Appendix I:

Index

The Echo Reporter Software 47

General Troubleshooting Guide

54 Resolving Interrupt Conflicts 58 DirectSound FAQ 64

Multi-client audio FAQ 66 Multi-client MIDI FAQ 69

Audio Software FAQ 70 An Introduction to Digital Recording 74

Specifications 82

Introduction

Thank you for choosing Layla24. We think you’ ll find Layla24 to be an extremely flexible, high-performance tool for your computer-based hard disk recording system.

What You Should Have Received in the Layla24 Box

When you opened the Layla24 box, you should have found the following:

•

System Requirements

In order to use Layla24 you’ll need the following:

A Layla24 PCI card wrapped in an anti-static cover A Layla24 rack-m ount audio interface box A Layla24 interface cable A CD-ROM containing the Layla24 Windows 95/Windows 98 Drivers, the Echo Reporter Software’s Cool Edit Pro

and editing software, and demo versions of digital audio recording, editing, and processing software from a variety of manufacturers

The Layla24 owner’s manual Four adhesive backed rubber feet and four mounting screws with

collars.



system analysis software, Syntrillium





Special Edition multitrack recording

• An IBM-PC or compatible computer with PCI architecture expansion slots (version 2.1 PCI), a genuine Intel Pentium or faster CPU, a motherboard with an Intel chipset, and minimum 64Mb RAM (more highly recommended) running Windows 95 or Windows 98

• A fast, high-capacity IDE or SCSI hard disk drive

• Peripheral audio equipment, such as a mixer, microphones, studio monitors, musical instruments, etc.

Layla24 Installation

Complete Layla24 installation consists of performing a system check, disabling Windows system sounds, installing the Layla24 PCI card, connecting the audio interface to the card, installing the Layla24 Windows drivers into your system and, if necessary, installing a multitrack audio recording/editing application.

System Check

The first thing you should do is check the display settings for your computer. The Layla24 Echo Console software requires a minimum resolution of 1024x768 with small fonts to display properly.

To check your display settings, go to the

Panel

. In the

Control Panel

window you will find an icon titled “ After double clicking on this icon, the appear. Click the

Settings

tab at the top right of this window. At the

Start

button –

Display Properties

bottom right of the window you will see a box labeled

Screen area

. Inside the box is a slider that allows you to select different resolutions for your monitor. Y ou should set the resolution to at least 1024x768 and click the

Apply

button.

At this point, Windows will display a dialog box that will either ask you to restart windows or will merely tell you it is about to resize your desktop. Click the

button. Windows will now resize your desktop, either on the fly or by restarting Windows. If it resizes on the fly, it will ask if y ou want to keep this setting. Click

Display Properties

the should see a drop down window labeled “ click the this is set to

Advanced

Small Fonts

button on the bottom right of the window. Make sure

Yes

. If Windows restarted, y ou will need to open

window again and click the

Font Size

. If it isn’t, select

Small fonts

button. Windows will now restart. If you really need to use large fonts, then you should have a minimum resolution of 1152x864.

Next, you should consider the capabilities of your hard drive. Unless it is in the 2GB or smaller range, you should be fine. If it is an older, smaller drive,

Settings

Control

–

Display

window will

Desktop area

Settings

tab. You

.” If you do not, then

and click the

Apply

.”

or you would just like to check it out, then turn now to

Echo reporter Software

and follow the directions there. When you are

done, return here.

Appendix A: The

System Sounds

There is one final step to perform before installing the Lay la24 hardware. We suggest that you turn off your Windows system sounds prior to installing Layla24. Because most system sounds are sampled at very low sample rates, typically 11 to 22 KHz, each time they are played it will cause the sample rate clock on Layla24 to reset to the slow er speed.

To turn off the system sounds, first go to the Windows which can be found under panel you will find an icon titled “

Settings

from the

Sounds

icon, you will see a window labeled “

Schemes

Start

”. After double clicking on this

” near the bottom of the

Control Panel

button. On the control

screen. Click on the small down arrow to the right of the combo-box and select the “

No Sounds

” option. Then click on the Ok button.

Installing the Layla24 Hardware

Once you have verified that there are no problems with your system, it is time to install Layla24 into your computer.

IMPORTANT - Unplug your computer and detach all peripherals before proceeding with the following steps.

1. Remove your computer’s cover. This operation differs from computer to

computer. Refer to your computer’s manual for a further explanation of this step if necessary.

2. Select the PCI slot into which you will install the Layla24 card. Inside

your computer you will likely find two types of expansion slots, ISA and PCI. The PCI slots will be shorter and have a higher connector pin density than the ISA slots. You may use any of the available PCI slots in your computer for Layla24. Unscrew and remove the bracket covering the expansion slot where you would like to install Layla24. Put the screw in a safe place, as you will need it later to complete the installation.

3. Insure that you have fully discharged all static electricity from your body

before handling the Layla24 card. This can be done through the use of a grounding strap or, more simply, by touching your bare hand to the metal casing of the computer’s power supply. (For this latter method to work, the computer must be plugged in, though not turned on.) After you’ve discharged your static, unplug the computer before proceeding to the next step.

4. Remove the Lay la24 card from its protective anti-static bag. Handle the

card carefully by its edges and insert it into the selected expansion slot. Insure that the card’s edge connector (the protruding edge with the gold leads) is seated firmly into the slot. Centering the card over the slot and using a gentle rocking motion while pushing downward into the slot generally works well. Be careful not to force the card into the slot, or bend or twist it while it is being inserted, as this could result in the card being damaged.

5. Now use the screw that you removed earlier, from the protective back

plate, to attach the metal bracket on the Layla24 card to the computer’s rear panel.

6. OPTIONAL:

step.

If you have a Darla24 or Gina24, this would be a good time to attach

If you don’t have a Darla24 or Gina24, you can skip this

an Esync cable to the Layla24 PCI card. Esync is a proprietary form of super clock that allows you to sync together multiple 24-bit Echo products. Esync cables come with Darla24 and Gina24, and can be used to daisy chain several 24-bit Echo cards together. Simply attach the Esync cable to the two prong “Esync Out” connector on the Layla24 PCI card, and attach the other end to the “Esync In” connector on your Darla24 or Gina24 PCI card.

7. Replace the computers cover and secure it. Reattach its power supply

cord and reconnect any peripherals that you may have removed prior to beginning the Layla24 installation.

8. Locate the Layla24 rack-mount interface and the 9-pin interface cable.

Securely mount the interface into y our equipment rack. If you will not be mounting the box in a rack, remove the backing from the four rubber feet and place one in each bottom corner of the interface unit. Then be sure to locate the rack-mount box in a secure location.

Plug one end of the cable into the 9-pin connector on the Layla24 card that now protrudes through the back panel of your computer, and secure the cable using the built-in screws located on both sides of the connector. Attach the other end of the cable to the rear of the interface and fasten the cable securely with the screws.

Caution: Never connect the rack-mount interface to the computer while

either the interface or your computer is turned on.

9. You can now attach external audio devices to the interface box. Layla24

can accommodate eight analog input signals and can generate eight independent analog output signals. In addition, Layla24 provides stereo S/PDIF digital input and output via coaxial RCA or optical connectors, and eight channels of ADAT optical I/O. The analog and digital inputs and outputs on Layla24 are simultaneously active, except that the digital

mode must be set to either S/PDIF or ADAT.

cannot be used simultaneously

. This allows you to record up to 16

The S/PDIF and ADAT I/O

channels of audio (eight analog and eight digital) while playing back 16 channels (eight analog and eight digital) in ADAT mode, or record up to 10 channels (eight analog and two digital) while playing back 10 channels (eight analog and two digital) in S/PDIF mode. Additional information on attaching external devices to Layla24 may be found in the

Connecting to Layla24’s Rack-mount Audio Interface

section.

(NOTE: When connecting devices to the S/PDIF jacks on Layla24, do not use standard analog RCA audio cables. For reliable S/PDIF operation, 75ohm coaxial video cables are recommended).

Connecting to Layla24’s Rack-mount Audio Int erface

The back panel of Layla24’s rack-mount audio interface contains a wide variety of connections that allow great flexibility in the operation of Layla24. To achieve the optimal perform ance with Layla24, it is critical that the appropriate cabling and connectors are used.

Analog Inputs and Outputs

Layla24 has eight analog inputs and eight analog outputs on the rear panel. The input and output connections can accept unbalanced or balanced signals via ¼” connectors. For more information see “Unbalanced and Balanced Inputs and Outputs” in Appendix H.

Layla24’s front panel has a ¼” headphone output jack with a corresponding volume knob which m onitors analog outputs 1 and 2.

The Computer Connector

Next to the analog inputs and outputs is a connector labeled

COMPUTER

. This connector is known as a DB-9, and is similar to the serial port on a PC. It is the point at which the audio interface connects to the Layla24 PCI card inside your computer.

A cable was supplied with your Layla24 for this purpose. This custom made cable is manufactured to certain specifications and, if necessary, should only be replaced by a special Layla24 cable available only from Echo.

ADAT / S/PDIF Optical I/O

Next to the

OPTICAL, IN

COMPUTER

OUT

and

connector is a pair of connectors labeled

. These connectors are used to transmit digital

data among digital audio devices via an optical signal.

You can use this port for ADAT (8 channels) or for optical S/PDIF (stereo) I/O. NOTE: Layla24 is only capable of transmitting or receiving one type of digital signal at a time. You must choose either ADAT optical or S/PDIF (optical or RCA); you cannot use both simultaneously. The

Switch

can be found in the Layla24 Echo Console. For more information,

see the appropriate section in this manual under the heading “

Console

.”

Digital Mode

The Echo

S/PDIF

Next to the

OUT

and

. These S/PDIF connectors are used to transmit digital data among

ADAT

connectors is a pair of connectors labeled

S/PDIF, IN

digital audio devices via an electrical signal. S/PDIF data can use the full 24-bit sample width used internally on Layla24.

When connecting devices to the S/PDIF jacks on Layla24, the use of standard analog RCA audio cables is not recomme nded. For reliable S/PDIF operation, 75-ohm coaxial (RG59) video cables are recommended.

Word Clock

Next to the S/PDIF ports are the

Word Clock

connectors. These connectors allow you to synchronize one La yla24 to another Layla24, Layla, Mona or to other digital audio devices.

The word clock I/O uses a BNC connector. As with the S/PDIF I/O, a shielded 75-ohm (RG-59) coaxial video cable should be used. BNC connectors are widely used in the electronics industry for both video and computer networking. However computer networks use 50-ohm (RG- 58) coaxial cables and not the 75-ohm (RG-59) cable used by video. For reliable word clock operation, use only video grade cables with Layla.

MIDI

The last set of connections to the Layla24 interface is for MIDI. The MIDI ports can be used for receiving MIDI time code (MTC), or sending MIDI signals from your digital audio/MIDI sequencing software to external sound modules, etc.

MIDI cabling is highly standardized and widely available.

Installing the Layla24 Software Drivers

Now that you have com pleted the hardware installation, you need to install the software drivers that allow Layla24 to interact properly with Windows 95/98 and your audio recording application.

Turn on the power to the Layla24 box and your computer. After Windows 95/98 starts up, it will automatically sense the newly installed Layla24 card and indicate, via a pop-up Install Wizard window, that new hardware has been found. At this point, you should insert the Layla24 CD-ROM disc.

If you are using the original version of Windows 95:

Within the Install Wizard window are several options. Select the option

Driver from disk provided by hardware manufacturer

. The computer will now prompt y ou for the location of the driver files. These files are located in the root directory of the Layla24 CD-ROM. Click the button in the Install Wizard; this will cause the window to appear. In the field labeled enter the path

D:\

(depending on your system configuration, your CD-ROM

“Copy manufacturer’s files from:”,

drive may use a letter other than “D”). Click on

“Install From Disk”

to complete the

Browse

installation. Now skip over the next two paragraphs.

If you are using Windows 95 OS R2:

After you have inserted the Lay la24 CD-ROM disc and clicked

, you’ll see the message, “ Windows found the following updated driver for this device, Layla24 by Echo.” Click on the

Finish

button and Windows will attempt to locate the drivers on a disk labeled “Echo Install Disk.” This is caused by a bug in Windows 95 OS R2. So what you’ll see is a not-so-nice error message marked with a big red X. Ignore Windows’ rude behavior and click on the OK button. This will bring you to the window. Within the window is a field labeled

Copying Files . . .

Copy Files From:

into which you’ll need to enter the path name for the Layla24 drivers. Type in the letter name of your CD-RO M drive followed by :\ (for example,

, and Windows will complete the driver installation routine. Now skip

D:\

). Click on

over the next paragraph.

If you are using Windows 98:

After you have inserted the Lay la24 CD-ROM disc and clicked

, you’ll see the message, “ What do you want W indows to do?” Below that are two radio buttons. If it isn’t already selected, select the one labeled “Search for the best driver for your device (Recommended)”. Click on the

button and a dialog will appear with several check boxes indicating places where Windows will look. Since y ou are installing from your CD-ROM drive, click on the appropriate box. Be sure all other boxes are unchecked. Click on the and show you the installation.

button and Windows will locate the drivers on the install disk

Copying Files . . .

window as it completes the driver

After the drivers are installed, you should verify that Windows recognizes them. You can do this by checking in the Windows Control Panel as follows:

Begin by clicking on the Windows followed by At the top of the

Manager Game Controllers

Control Panel

System

. Now double-click on the icon labeled

window, you will see a tab labeled

; click on the tab. Now locate the line labeled

. Double-clicking on the “+” to the left of the line’s

Start

associated icon should reveal the line

button. Then select

Sound, Video, and

Layla24 by Echo

Settings

System

Device

; double-click on

that line. If everything is in working order, a message should now appear on your screen that matches the picture below. In the center of the Lay la24 Properties window will be a section called “Device Status.” Look for a message that reads: “T his device is working properly.” If you see it, give yourself a hearty pat on the back for a job well done!

Proper installation of the Layla24 drivers will result in the message, “This device is working properly.”

If the message does not appear, check Appendices A, B, and C in the back of this manual for help in isolating the cause of your difficulties.

You can now exit back to the Layla24 audio input and output devices that are available. In the

Panel

window, locate the

will bring the multimedia

Audio Preferred Device

tab to see a list of available playback and recording devices in the

fields.

Control Panel

Multimedia Properties

window into view. Select the

window to check the

Control

icon and double-click on it. This

You can view the Layla24 input and output devices in the Multimedia Properties/Audio window

Layla24 Audio Input & Output Devices

The Layla24 driver installs into your computer as a series of stereo .WAV devices. Pulling down the

Panels/Multimedia/Audio Playback

Preferred Device

section will reveal the available

menu in the

Layla24 devices. You will be able to select from:

Layla24 1/2 Analog Playback Layla24 3/4 Analog Playback Layla24 5/6 Analog Playback Layla24 7/8 Analog Playback Layla24 S/PDIF Playback Layla24 1/2 ADAT Playback Layla24 3/4 ADAT Playback Layla24 5/6 ADAT Playback Layla24 7/8 ADAT Playback

In the

Recording

section, the following choices will be available:

Layla24 1/2 Analog Record Layla24 3/4 Analog Record Layla24 5/6 Analog Record Layla24 7/8 Analog Record Layla24 S/PDIF Record Layla24 1/2 ADAT Record Layla24 3/4 ADAT Record Layla24 5/6 ADAT Record Layla24 7/8 ADAT Record

You’ll find these same input and output options available when using your audio record/editing software, with the devices assignable on a per-track basis. See your software owner’ s manual for details on how to make these device assignments. Instructions for ma king these assignments in Cool Edit

Control

Pro



Special Edition can be found in the special “

Cool Edit Pro

”

section at the back of this manual.

NOTE: Although both S/PDIF and ADAT devices are listed and selectable, they are not simultaneously active. The

Console

determines which digital devices are currently active.

Digital Mode Switch

in the

Echo

This completes the installation of the Lay la24 hardware and software.

The Echo Console

Included with your Layla24 is a “virtual control surface” application called the Echo Console. Every time you start Windows you will see it flicker across the screen as it loads. Then it will minimize itself to the taskbar. The Console allows you to control the audio I/O and clocking functions of Layla24, and it brings these controls to a single easy- to-use location. From the console you can control the output levels, select synchronization clocks, select the digital mode, and adjust input monitoring.

The Echo Console software was automatically installed at the same time that you installed the Layla24 driver for Windows 95/98. If installation was successful, you should see a red capital letter L in your Windows 95/98 taskbar (typically in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen). Doubleclicking on the “L” will activate the console program. It should look like this:

The console functions are grouped into three areas: inputs (in the upper left corner), monitors (directly below the inputs that are being monitored), and outputs (on the right hand side). The controls for a particular function/stereo pair are then further grouped into a box that contains selection buttons, faders, and other controls and displays as determined by the function.

Console Controls

Let’s take a look at the control surface. The input control area is located in the upper left portion of the console surface. For each input device pair you will find a pair of input meters. Each input also has a nominal level switch that switches between professional (+4dBu) and consumer (–10dBV) levels. This way you can connect either professional or consum er gear to each input. Make sure to set the nominal level switches to match the equipment that you have connected to Layla24’s inputs.

Monitor Controls

Below the input channels are the input monitor controls. The input monitor controls allow you to monitor the input signal via any of the available outputs on your Layla24. Each input channel pair has a corresponding monitor control pair directly below it on the console. At the top of each monitor pair are radio buttons that allow you to selectively mute (M) or solo (S) each channel. In the middle you will find a pair of faders that will allow you to set the levels of the monitor signals. A t the bottom of the control area there is a radio button that allows you to “gang” (G) the faders. Ganging the faders ties them together so that they will maintain their relative placement with regard to each other. Below each fader is its corresponding pan control. In the default pan positions (see example below) the signal from input 1(left) will be monitored by output 1(left), and the signal from input 2(right) will be monitored by output 2(right). Moving a pan control will determine how much of the input signal is sent to each output channel in the selected output pair. Both pan controls and faders can be reset to default by pressing

Ctrl

the

Instead of level meters, each monitor control has a series of numbered buttons. These buttons allow you to select which output channel pair controls are displayed, so you can adjust them.

button and left clicking on the control.

The monitors are one of the most powerful functions of the console. When you are recording, these controls allow you to set the level at which each input signal will be monitored at each of the outputs, independent of the main output level control.

When setting a monitor level, you must first select the input that will be monitored, and then select the output for which you will set the monitor level. Selection of the input is really just a ma tter of using the correct monitor control box. A monitor setting will always affect the input pair that is directly above it. To set the monitor for inputs 1/2, for example, simply go to the monitor control directly below inputs 1/2 and click on one of the buttons found in the center of the control.

Let’s say you want to set the level at which input pair 1/2 is monitored for each of the four stereo analog output pairs on Layla24. You would first find the monitor control that corresponds to inputs 1/2 (the control on the far left, directly below the input control for channels 1/2). Clicking on the button within this box labeled “1” causes the control box to display the currently selected levels at which inputs 1/2 are being monitored at outputs 1/2. Clicking on the button labeled “3” would cause the control box to display the currently selected levels at which inputs 1/2 were being monitored at outputs 3/4. You can move through the remaining buttons, setting the level at which inputs 1/2 are monitored at each of the four output pairs, as well as the S/PDIF “D” and ADAT “A#” outputs. The console program remembers any settings that you make, and all settings for all outputs are maintained independently.

Note:

You cannot monitor the S/PDIF inputs through the AD AT outputs and vice versa. This is because you can only use one digital m ode (S/PDIF or ADAT) at any given time. For more information, please see the section

Digital Mode Switch

“

” later in this manual.

Remember that all of the monitor controls remain in effect even when they’re not displayed. The degree of attenuation (or muting) of each level is set by the monitor controls. T he console program constantly ma intains a level setting for each of the monitor paths it controls. Clicking on an output selection button simply selects the settings that are displayed.

Output Controls

The right hand side of the console is dedicated to the controls for analog output channels one through eight (an output meter pair is included for the two S/PDIF output channels, but these levels are not adjustable). The output controls mirror those found on the monitor controls (Gang, Mute, Solo, & faders) with a few exceptions. Instead of pan controls you have nominal level switches that switch between professional (+4dBu) and consumer (–10dBV) levels. This allows you to connect either professional or consumer gear to each output. You will also find level meters in the middle area instead of the numbered buttons. Just like the monitor controls, the output faders can be reset to default by pressing the clicking on the fader.

Ctrl

button and left

Adjusting Record and Playback Levels

Layla24’s output volume adjustments are made in the digital domain. When you lower a volume fader below 0dB, you are actually decreasing the number of available bits, thereby taking away from the potential dynamic range of the system. When you raise a fader above 0dB then you m a y experience digital clipping. To avoid either problem, we suggest that whenever possible you leave the output faders set to 0dB, and perform any necessary attenuation on your external mixer. When the Layla24 playback volume controls are set to 0dB and the input signal approaches the maximum pre-clipping level, you can achieve the full 24-bit dynamic range of the system.

Setting Clock Sources and Destinations

At the very bottom of the Console there are buttons that allow y ou to select the synchronization clocks that are used by Layla24. The console program will detect which input clocking options are available, and automatically disable those that are unavailable. Depending on what external devices you have connected to Layla24, you may have as m a ny as four out of five options available.

Input clocks, Digital Mode Switch & View ADAT Ctrls are at the bottom of the Console.

If you are unsure which clock synchronization selections are appropriate for your installation, be sure to read the next section, which deals with the types of clocks that Layla24 supports.

Synchronizing Multiple Devices

Layla24 is designed to work alongside other audio equipment. If you are planning on using Layla24 with other audio equipment, please note the following:

The Layla24 Windows drivers included in this package support multiple Layla24s within the same system. In addition, your new Layla24 will operate alongside Mona, Layla, Gina24, G ina, Darla and Darla24. Layla24 can also peacefully coexist with audio equipment from other manufacturers, but be aware that operating operating

with

it. In order for accurate synchronization to occur, the other audio product(s) in your system must support a synchronization mode that is compatible with Layla24. Without such synchronization, the individual pieces of equipment will act independently of each other. This scenario may be fine for some musical applications; how ever, it is not appropriate for situations where sample-accurate synchronization is required.

alongside

another product is not the same as

For this reason, Layla24 supports many synchronization modes. Layla24 can slave to word clock, S/PDIF, ADAT, and MIDI Time Code (MTC). In addition, Layla24 can also generate these synchronization signals and Esync, as well as perform translation of one clock to another, such as transmitting Word while reading A DAT.

Let’s take a brief look at the various synchronization types.

Word Clock –

connector labeled

This is a synchronization signal that connects to the BNC

Word Clock

on Layla24’s back panel. This synchronization clock runs at the selected sample rate. Think of it as a kind of electronic metronome, which clicks back and forth at the digital sample rate. It is one of the most widely used forms of synchronization in digital audio. Layla24 is always generating Word Clock on its Word Clock output BNC connector. Although it can generate Word clock at any sample rate it is set to, Layla24 can only sync to Word clock if the master device is set to a sample rate between 30kHz and 100kHz. Otherwise you will get noise and/or loss of sync.

S/PDIF

– The Sony/Phillips Digital Interchange Format is a serial bitstream that has a clock signal embedded in the data stream. When recording from an S/PDIF source, whether via optical cables or RCA cables, Layla24 will utilize the synchronization clock that is embedded in the S/PD IF while it decodes the bitstream. Lay la24 can only sync to S/PDIF clock if the master device is set to a sample rate between 30kHz and 50kHz. Otherwise you will get noise and/or loss of sync.

Note:

When recording from a S/PDIF port, you must select

S/PDIF

as the input clock. For greater flexibility, this is not done automa tically. If you find that your S/PDIF recordings contain pops or skips, be sure that you have selected

S/PDIF

as your input clock.

ADAT

– The Alesis ADAT optical interface can send and receive up to 8 simultaneous channels of digital audio data over fiber optic cables. Unlike wire cables, fiber optic cables do not add noise or interference. Layla24 can send out (or “master”) ADAT clock as well slave to it. If you want Layla24 to slave to an ADAT clock, just set Layla24’s input clock to the

ADAT

setting. Layla24 can only sync to ADAT clock if the master device is set to

a sample rate between 40kHz and 50kHz. Otherwise you will get noise and/or loss of sync.

Note:

to use Layla24’s

To preserve the high audio quality of Lay la24’s converters it is best

Internal

input clock setting instead of synchronizing to an

external ADAT clock, which may add unwanted jitter to the signal.

MIDI Time Code (MTC)

– MIDI time code differs from the preceding synchronization methods. Instead of simply providing the rate at which things should proceed, it transfers information in an elapsed time format (HH:MM:SS.) In addition, MTC also transmits a frame number to give the fine definition that is needed. This longitudinal format has the benefit of including positional information; however, over time it tends not to maintain as tight a sync as sample based synchronization techniques.

Esync

– Esync is a proprietary form of super clock that is used to synchronize two or more Echo 24-bit products like Layla24, Mona, Gina24, and Darla24. While Gina24 and Da rla24 have both input and output connectors on their PCI cards, Layla24 and Mona only have the E sync output connectors. Layla24 is always outputting Esync clock. For more information please read step 6 in the section entitled “

Layla24 Hardware

” in this manual.

Installing the

Now let’s take a look at some possible configurations and how you might set them up from a synchronization standpoint.

Let’s start simple. Suppose that Layla24 is the only audio device used in your system. Since you have no other devices to synchronize with, simply select “Internal” for Lay la24’s input clock. Layla24 will then use its own clock to control its operation.

Now a little more complicated set-up: You have two Layla24s connected. Simply set Layla24 #1 to “Internal” for its input clock. Now connect the first Layla24 to the second one via a BNC cable running from Word Clock Out on Layla24 #1 to Word Clock In on Layla24 #2. Now select “Word” for Layla24 #2’s input sync. The second Layla24 will slave to the first one and your Layla24s will now operate in unison.

No matter how many devices you are synchronizing, the concept is essentially the same. Y ou are merely “daisy-chaining” devices together using compatible clocks. One device will operate as the source of the master clock, with each successive device using that clock to sync.

Digital Mode Switch

To the right of the Input clocks is a dropdown menu labeled “

Switch

Layla24 will use at any given time. The options are

Optical, and ADAT

When one of the two S/PDIF modes is selected, the “

.” This menu allow s you to select which digital inputs/outputs

S/PDIF RCA, S/PDIF

. Layla24 can only use one digital mode at a time.

View ADAT Ctrls

Digital Mode

” checkbox will be grayed out. You can only access the ADAT controls when the ADAT mode is currently selected.

Note:

Sample rates above 48kHz will not be available while ADAT mode is selected. This is because ADAT does not support sam ple rates higher than 48kHz.

View ADAT Ctrls

While you are in the controls at any time by checking the “

ADAT

digital mode, you can view the Console ADAT

View ADAT Ctrls

” checkbox. As seen below, these controls are the same as the analog input, monitoring, and output controls. The only exception is the lack of controls for the ADAT outputs. If you want to go back to the analog controls, just uncheck the

View ADAT Ctrls

“

” checkbox. You cannot monitor the ADAT inputs

through the S/PDIF outputs.

Note:

If at any time you switch the digital mode to one of the S/PDIF options, the ADAT controls will become unavailable and the Console will return to displaying the analog and S/PDIF controls.

The “View ADAT Ctrls” checkbox will display this window when checked.

The File Menu

At the top left of the Console window you will find the selecting the you. The first menu option is “ brings up the Console “

File

menu, several configuration options becom e available to

Preferences

Preferences Page”

.” The

window. We’ll get to that

window shortly, but first let’s go on to the rest of the

The second option under the

File

menu is “

Hide”

which closes the Console window. You can reopen the Console by clicking on the red “L” in the bottom left of the Windows taskbar.

The third option under the

File

menu is “

Exit”

which closes the current instance of the Console. This will not only close the Console window, but also shut down the Console application and remove it from the system tray. Don’t worry, if you want to bring the Console back you can do it by disabling, then re-enabling the

Show console on taskbar

File

menu. By

Preferences

File

menu options.

checkbox in the

option

Layla24 by Echo Properties

window (see below under “Additional

Configuration Settings”). It will also come back when you restart Windows.

The Preferences Page

The Layla24 Echo Console different categories: Digital I/O, General and Sample Rate Lock. After making any changes, you should always press of the settings for this page, then press the

Preferences Page

Set Defaults

contains controls in three

. If you want to reset all

button.

The Preferences Page is accessible through the Echo Console File menu.

Digital I/O - Selecting the S/PDIF Output Format

Layla24 can transmit digital information in either of two formats, “professional” or “consumer.” The primary difference between the two is in the implementation of the SCMS copy protection bit, which, in the

Consumer

copy.

Layla24’s S/PDIF output defaults to the recording from Layla24 into a consum er DAT deck, CD recorder, or Mini Disc recorder, the device may not be able to recognize the signal until you switch Layla24’ s output to

We have provided a software switch in the Layla24 driver that allows you to select which format Layla24 transmits. In the window that appears you’ll see a pair of check boxes in an area labeled one box is labeled appropriate format for your DAT, CD recorder, or Mini Disc recorder (if you don’t know which one to use and are having difficulties, simply try the one that is not currently checked).

Important note: Layla24 never transmits the SCMS bit, regardless of which format is selected.

format, prevents the user from making digital copies of a digital

Consumer

Professional

and the other

Professional

format. If you are

S/PDIF Out Format

. Select the

Digital I/O - Dither Input

In the top right is a checkbox labeled you to enable or disable dithering on the digital inputs (S/PDIF & ADAT). It is off by default. Most of the time you will want to leave this setting disabled. The only tim e you will want to use dithering is when you are receiving a 24-bit signal over the digital inputs, but you want to record it as a 16 bit wave file. In this case, dithering will im prove the audio quality.

Dither Input

. This checkbox allows

General - Sync Wave Devices

This is mainly for developers who are using tools like Visual Basic or Delphi and want the inputs and outputs to be totally independent. Unless you have a good reason to turn it off, you should leave this switch on.

If you have a program that is telling you that our hardware isn't full duplex, chances are you can fix this by either disabling this switch or enabling

Multi-client audio

(see below).

General - External box warning

This switch determines whether or not you will see the “No Layla24 box” warning message.

We recommend turning on your Layla24 box before turning on your PC. However, if you want to, you can leave your Layla24 box off when you start your PC. Whenever Window s boots up or an application tries to access Layla24 and the box is off, you will get a message that gives you three options:

OK, Retry

Ignore

Pressing

just means that you acknow ledge the message. The application will be told that Layla24 is not available. The only real problem here is that if you leave your Layla24 box off when you start your PC, Windows will itself repeatedly try to access the hardware, so you get bombarded with these messages. If this is the case, your best bet is to simply select

Ignore

and just be sure and turn your Lay la24 on when you

need it.

Clicking

Retry

means that you have turned your Layla24 box on and want

the driver to find it again.

Selecting

Ignore

is just like pressing OK, but with the added effect that y ou will never see this message again. The driver will always tell applications that Layla24 is not available, just as if you had pressed OK. If you press

Ignore

, and then later decide that you do want the messages, go to the Echo

Console

warning

Preferences Page

.”

and enable the check box labeled “

External box

Sample Rate Lock

These controls allow you to enable or disable the

Sample Rate Lock

feature, as well as set the sample rate you want to lock to. While the sample rate is locked, all sample rate change requests from applications will be ignored and the card will remain at that sam ple rate no matter what.

This feature is most useful in

Multi-client audio

mode (see below). Suppose you have locked the sample rate to 44100. If you are recording a project at 44100 and another sound tries to play at, say, 22050, the sample rate won't change. Sample rate locking only applies while Layla24 is set to Internal clock. This setting defaults to

unlocked

MIDI Time Code (MTC)

In the lower right corner of the that affect Layla24’s performance reading MTC.

Because of the somewhat coarse resolution of MIDI Time Code, and its ability to exhibit “wow and flutter” (fluctuations in timing and consistency), the sync signal may sometimes stray from optimal. The Layla24 driver will automatically correct for these inconsistencies. When and how these corrections are made is configurable.

Tolerance

The

setting lets you select how far you wa nt to allow the synchronization to stray before a correction is made. Many times, if left alone, the sync may correct itself by first straying in one direction and then going back the other way. If the tolerance is set too low, L a yla24 will correct the synchronization too frequently. This produces frequent j umps to correct the clock, introducing jitter. If the tolerance is too high, the synchronization will shift too far before a correction is made, which will also yield unsatisfactory results.

Preferences Page

you will find the settings

Damping

The

setting lets you configure how quickly the corrections described above take place. Once Layla24 has determined that a correction is needed, a low damping level will effect the correction rapidly. A high level of damping causes the correction to occur in a more gradual nature.

If you feel that a change is needed in the defaults for these settings because of poor MTC synchronization, it is generally wise to adjust the setting first. Use the satisfactory results with the

Damping

Tolerance

adjustment if you are unable to obtain

setting.

Tolerance

Additional Configuration Settings

In addition to those settings that can be made using the Echo Console program, there are a number of other configuration options you can access. These are found in the Windows Control Panel. To access these controls, begin by pressing the Windows

Panel

double-click on it. Click on the tab titled line titled

Layla24 by Echo Echo Properties

Layla24 Software Drivers” section of this manual.

We have previously seen the “ General” screen, so let’s move on to the “Settings” screen by clicking on the tab labeled

. In the Control Panel window, locate the icon for

Sound, video and game controllers

, and double-click. This will bring up the

window, which we saw briefly in the “Installing the

Start

button. Select

Device Manager

. Finally, locate the line titled

Settings

, then

System

. Now locate the

Layla24 by

Control

, and

Additional settings can be found in the “Layla24 by Echo Properties” page.

Show console on taskbar

The first selection in the

General

section of the

Settings

screen allows you to determine whether the Echo Console program will occupy a space on the Windows taskbar (the red “L” in the bottom right-hand corner of the Windows desktop).

Checking this option enables this feature, while unchecking will disable it.

Monitor during playback

In the default mode, Layla24 allows you to monitor your input signal whether you are recording, playing back, or simply idle. In some situations, such as when performing punch-in recording, it may be desirable to have the input signal muted until Record is enabled. In the

Properties during playback

window that appears you’ll see a checkbox labeled

. Uncheck the box to disable input monitoring during playback; recheck it to enable input monitoring during playback. The Monitoring controls are found in the

Echo Console

Layla24 by Echo

Monitor

(see above).

Multi-client audio

Multi-client audio lets you use different inputs and outputs on Layla24 w ith different audio programs at the same time. Otherwise, y ou would have to use a different soundcard with each audio application.

For example, suppose you own both Cubase VST (multitrack audio) and Reality (software synthesizer). Y ou can now set Cubase VST to play out through outputs 1 through 6, and set Reality to play out through outputs 7 and 8.

The default setting for Multi-client audio is disabled. Although this feature is very useful, it can also be difficult to use properly. We highly recommend that you read the appendix entitled “

Multi-client audio FAQ,”

found later

in this manual, before using this feature.

Multi-client MIDI

Multi-client MIDI allows more than one application to use the MIDI port at the same time. This is mainly useful if you are using MIDI-controlled plugins.

For example, suppose you are using a MIDI sequencer such as Cakewalk Pro Audio and a reverb plugin that can use an external MIDI controller. Before, the sequencer would have exclusive use of the MIDI input. Now, both the sequencer and the plugin can share the MIDI input.

The default setting for Multi-client MIDI is disabled. Although this feature is very useful, it can also be difficult to use properly. We highly recommend that you read the appendix entitled “

Multi-client MIDI FAQ,”

found later

in this manual, before using this feature.

DirectSound Settings

Click on the

DirectSound

tab. The window will change to look like this:

The first checkbox is called “

Enable DirectSound

.” This allows you to enable or disable the DirectSound driver for Layla24. For more information about DirectSound please refer to the appendix:

DirectSound FAQ

The second checkbox is labeled “

Lock DirectSound format

.” This allows you to force the Layla24 DirectSound driver to playback files at a certain sample rate and bit depth. It also allows you to lock it to stereo or mono.

This setting only applies if you are using softwa re that uses multiple DirectSound outputs simultaneously, such as the applications offered by Stage Research. For this reason, it defaults as disabled.

NOTE: Do not confuse this with the “sample rate lock” feature found in the

Echo Console





Installing Cool Edit Pro

Included with your Lay la24 system is a special version of Syntrillium Software’s Cool Edit Pro, a powerful multitrack audio recording and editing application. To install the software:

1. Insert the Layla24 CD-ROM.

2. Press the

Browse…

labeled “ drives to appear. Select your CD-ROM drive. On the CD-ROM is a folder called Syntrillium; double-click on this directory to open it. Now locate the file in the Syntrillium directory called SETUP. Select this program and run it.

Start

button, and select

At the top of the window that appears, you will see a box

Look In:”.

Clicking on this box will result in a list of your disk

Run…

Special Edition



from the menu. Now select

The SETUP program will copy all of the necessary files to your hard drive. It will also add a program group called “Cool Edit Pro – Special Edition” to

Program

the

Cool Edit Pro – Special Edition comes with very thorough on-line help, so you’ll be able to get up and running with a minimum of hassles (hopefully none at all!). We do, however, suggest that you familiarize yourself with the items under the

listings available from the

Quick Reference

heading in the program’s

Start

button menu.

Help

menu.

Cool Edit Pro: Assigning Layla24’s Inputs & Outputs

Layla24’s inputs and outputs are assigned to tracks in two different ways, depending on the viewstereo waveform or multitrackin which you are working. In the stereo waveform view, select the window that appears you can define the

Waveform Record

devices. Simply highlight the L ayla24 inputs and outputs you wish to use in the appropriate fields. These settings will apply for all files that you play or record when in the stereo waveform view. These device settings are saved as Cool Edit Pro preferences; as such, they will be used for all subsequent sessions until you change them.

In the multitrack view, the inputs and outputs are assigned on a per-track basis. Before making assignm ents, however, you’ll need to set up the

Preferred Multitrack Devices

. To do this, click on either of the small

numeral 1s at the far left of the track display; doing so will bring up the

Playback Device

Preferred Multitrack Devices

window. Click on the

. In the analog playback devices 1/2, 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8 into the 1 fields respectively. Assign the S/PDIF playback device into the 5 and assign Layla24 ADAT pl ayback d ev i ces 1 / 2 , 3/ 4 , 5 / 6, an d 7 /8 i n t o th e

, 7th, 8th, and 9th fields respectively. In the Analog Record devices 1/2, 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8 into the 1 fields respectively. Assign Layla24 S/PDIF Record to the 5 assign Layla24 ADAT record dev i ces 1 / 2, 3 / 4 , 5/ 6 , an d 7 / 8 i n to t h e 6

, and 9th fields respectively. Click

Okay

the multitrack view screen. These device assignments are saved as Cool Edit Pro preferences, and will be used each time you open a new session.

To set the playback and record devices for a specific track, click anywhere in the track’s blue-gray area at the far left of the track display. This will open the and

Track Info

Record Device

window. Click on the arrows in the

fields to select the desired inputs and outputs. If you are going to use mono files then make sure to set up tw o tracks for each Layla24 device and adjust the

Pan

control hard left or right accordingly.

Options/Settings/Devices

Waveform Playback

Device List

Playback

Record

button; you’ll see a list

fields, assign Layla24

, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th

and

field,

field, and

on each window to back out to

Playback Device

; in

, 7th,

Cool Edit Pro: Optimizing Multitrack Performance

Background mixingthe process Cool Edit Pro uses to allow a large number of tracks to play simultaneouslyrequires significant processing

power from your computer. With larger sessions, y our computer may become so occupied with mixing that you experience audio dropouts in multitrack playback. This will usually happen because the background mixing is not sufficiently complete (watch the is initiated. There are a few things you can do to help remedy this; however, be aware that you may still have to wait for a time before hitting the button when working with very large sessions.

The settings in

Options/Settings/Multitrack

the background mixing processes. In particular, pay attention to the

Playback Buffer Size

and the

Background Mixing Priority Level

key to determining how to adjust these settings is to watch the As a general guideline, if you notice dropouts occurring even though the

Mix Gauge

filled), try reducing the

Mixing Priority Level

seems reasonably complete (the meter is beyond ¾ of the way

Playback Buffer Size

(higher values reduce the priority level). Conversely, if you notice dropouts and see that the around the bottom “empty”), try increasing the lowering the

Background Mixing Priority Level

The goal in adjusting these settings is to achieve a balance between values large enough for the program to work properly and low enough to conserve the computer’s resources. The

Background Mix Priority

enough (lower settings produce a higher priority) to keep the mix ahead of playback, but not be so high as to adversely affect performance (by consuming too much of your computer’s resources). In short, the lower you can keep this setting while still keeping the the better. Raising the buffer size consumes more of your computer’s memory, so setting this too high can negatively affect performance.

When adjusting these settings, do so by small amounts, using decimal increments/decrements. Also, note that the settings will produce different results from session to session. As the number of tracks and the number of

Mix Gauge

) before playback

Play

play a big part in optimizing

. The

Mix Gauge

, and raising

Mix Gauge

Playback Buffer Size

the Background

is hovering

and

must be high

Mix Gauge

reasonably filled,

output devices vary, so may the settings you’ll need to use to maximize performance.

Use the Multitrack Settings shown above as a starting place when adjusting your system to optimize the performance of Cool Edit Pro.

Cool Edit Pro will take more time performing background mixing when you have your tracks assigned to multiple sets of Layla24’s outputs. In this scenario, Cool Edit Pro creates a separate mix for each output device (each Layla24 channel-pair). This additional mixing demands more processing power from your computer. This could result in longer mix times and possible skipping during playback. If your system is performing sluggishly, you can temporarily assign all tracks to a single channel-pair while monitoring to speed things up. When doing so, it is recommended that you check

32-bit Pre-mixes

mode in the

When monitoring to multiple output devices,

Options/Settings/Multitrack

16-bit Pre-mixes

is the

screen.

recommended mode.

Note that the 16-bit and 32-bit modes are playback settings only; that is, the data on your disk remains at the resolution at which it was recorded.

Contacting Customer Service

If you experience any trouble with your Layla24 system please go to the support area of our website at www.echoaudio.com

and check out the tutorials & troubleshooting FAQ’s we have there. If you can’t find a solution to your problem there, please fill out the provided technical support email form. This form will be sent to our technical support staff and they will respond to you quickly.

Please fill out the form completely.

The best way to get the help that you need is by giving us plenty of detailed information about your computer system, your audio software and the problem you are having.

We do ask you to please read through this manual and the support area of our website before contacting us. You may find an answer to your problem using the Appendices in the Layla24 owner’s manual and/or Cool Edit Pro’s on-screen help.

Thank you for buying La yla24!

Note:

All Cool Edit Pro  Special Edition support issues are handled

solely by Echo Digital Audio Corporation.

Software for technical support.

If you do, they will simply refer you to

Echo Digital Audio Corporation for help.

Please do not call Syntrillium

Appendix A: The Echo Reporter Software

Running the Echo Reporter Software

The Reporter is designed to provide you with an analysis of your computer system’s audio capabilities and its ability to work successfully with your Echo card. The program looks at such things as your BIOS version, your interrupt assignments, and your hard disk’s transfer rate. The Reporter will perform a limited series of compatibility tests.

your system will work with Layla24.

The only way to be sure is to install the card in your system and see if it works. Please note that we only support Intel CPUs and motherboards with an Intel chipset. Your system ma y or may not work with other CPUs or chipsets.

Be sure to run the Reporter before attempting to install Layla24

help you avoid installation problems down the road. To run the Reporter, simply double-click on the

Install Reporter

of the Layla24 CD-ROM. This will install the program onto your hard disk. The Reporter will then show up under the

Audio Utilities

. Select The

Echo Reporter

Once the program launches, you’ll see the screen. Press the

Proceed

button to initiate the disk speed test. This test will tell you if your hard disk is fast enough to support multitrack digital audio and, if so, approximately how many tracks of record and playback you’ll be able to achieve.

It cannot guarantee that

as it can

icon in the

Start

menu,

Reporter

Appendix B: General Troubleshooting Guide

Problem:

After installing Layla24, one or more of your peripheral devices

no longer functions properly.

Solution

interrupt conflict was created. Please see

Interrupt Conflicts

: During the installation of your Lay la24, it is possible that an

Appendix C: Resolving

for more information on this topic.

Problem

: You installed Layla24 and restarted Windows. Now Windows indicates that it has found new hardware and wants you to install a driver for it. This hardware was working perfectly well before you installed Layla24 and the driver for this hardware was already installed.

Solution:

It is possible that during the installation process you moved an existing card from one slot to another. Windows keeps track of installed devices, not only by peripheral type, but also by physical location. In moving a card from one slot to another, Windows will no longer recognize the card as one for which a driver is installed. You must re-install the driver for the card that was moved.

Problem

: You installed multiple Layla24s, and you get several error

messages telling you that Windows is unable to open the Mixer Library.

Solution:

You can ignore these error messages and click “ OK”. Now restart Windows. After you restart, everything should work normally. The error messages only appear when you install an additional Layla24. This will be fixed in a future driver release.

Problem

: You are unable to get your DAT recorder to recognize L a yla24’s

S/PDIF output.

Solution:

Digital information is transmitted in either of two modes, “professional” or “consumer.” The professional mode is usually implemented in devices that are likely to be used in professional recording

environments, whereas the consumer mode is commonly implemented on equipment designed for home use in the consumer market. The primary difference between the two modes is in the implementation of the SCMS copy-protection bit, which, in the consumer format, prevents the user from making digital copies of a digital copy. In most professional equipment, this copy-protection bit can be turned off or on according to the user’s needs. In consumer products, the SCMS bit is alway s enabled.

Unfortunately there is no way for the transmitting device to automatically detect which format the receiving device is able to accept. If you have a DAT deck that is not able to read the S/PDIF output from Layla24, chances are Layla24 is transmitting in the mode that the deck is not equipped to handle.

We have provided a software switch in the Layla24 driver that allows you to select which mode Layla24 transmits. To access this switch go to the Layla24

Echo Console

. Select

Preferences

under the

File

menu. In the

window that appears you’ll see a pair of check boxes in an area labeled

S/PDIF Out Format Professional

. Select the appropriate format for your DAT (if you don’t

; one box is labeled

Consumer

and the other

know which one to use, simply select the one that is not currently checked). Now click the

button and again try recording to your DAT.

Important note: Layla24 never transmits the SCMS bit, regardless of which mode is selected.

Problem:

When the Windows start-up sound plays, it plays at an altered

pitch.

Solution

: When Layla24 is set to sync with an external device, it will playback at the rate generated by that device. If the startup sound you are using was sampled at 8 kHz, but you are synchronized with a device running at 44.1 kHz, the startup sound will play back at this faster rate. You have four choices - ignore the altered pitch, switch to Layla24’s internal clock, use the sample rate lock feature, or use a different device for the startup sound playback. We suggest that you never use Layla24 for playback of any of W indows’ system sounds.

Problem:

Layla24 doesn’t seem to recognize the synchronization clock to

which it is connected.

Solution

: Although it may seem obvious, the first thing to check is that there is a physical connection between the device generating the clock and Layla24’s rack mount interface. Just because multiple devices are connected to the same computer doesn’ t mean they are synchronized. Next, be sure that you have selected the desired input clock source in the Layla24

Console

Echo

Problem:

Recordings made using the S/PDIF port contain occasional pops

or skips.

Solution

: When recording with the S/PDIF port, y ou must manually select the S/PDIF clock as the input clock. This can be done using the Layla24

Echo Console

Problem:

On Windows startup you hear a high pitched squealing sound or

your S/PDIF or ADAT signal has gone crazy.

Solution

: Reset the sample rate of Layla24. Windows always sets the sample rate to 11kHz at startup. Because neither S/PDIF nor ADAT support this rate, you will have problem s syncing until you reset Layla24’s sample rate to one within spec (like 44.1 or 48kHZ). You can do this by playing a wave file of the appropriate sample rate through Layla24s outputs. Then you will be able to sync properly.

Problem:

I installed my older Echo card (Layla, Gina, Darla, Darla24) and

it messed up my Layla24 installation.

Solution

: The old drivers (5-02 or earlier) for those cards will mess up a Layla24 install. Just uninstall Layla24, then install the older card and reinstall Layla24. You will be fine if you always install the older card first, then the newer one. We have fixed this problem with driver versions 5-04 and later.

Problem:

I can’t get Layla24 to record at 96 kHz.

Solution

: Set the Digital Mode to one of the S/PDIF options. You can change this setting from the Echo Console. When the Digital Mode is set to ADAT you are limited to the sample rates that are within the ADAT spec (such as 44.1 and 48kHz). Please note that you can only record above 48 kHz through the analog I/O. We will add support for recording through S/PDIF at 88.2 and 96 kHz in a future driver release.

Problem:

The sound cuts in and out, or the left or right channel doesn’t

work.

Solution

: You may have a bad audio cable. Try using a different cable in the problem channel.

Problem:

There is no sound unless I pull the audio plug out a little.

Solution

: Not all ¼” plugs are made to the exact sam e dimensions. Try a plug/cable from a different manufacturer.

Appendix C: Resolving Interrupt Conflicts

While Plug-and-Play is often called “Plug-and-Pray,” it actually works quite well most of the time. We estimate that 95% of Layla24 installations

will go without a hitchthat Plug-and-Play will properly assign resources to your card without any conflicts. T he other 5% of you may experience interrupt problems (mostly caused by non-Plug-and-Play ISA cards or PCI cards that don’t like to share). These problems can manifest themselves by causing your new Layla24 to not function properly; in some instances, devices will fail that were previously working just fine.

If you are having problems with your computer after installing a new Layla24 card (or if you are unable to successfully install the card at all), please read the sections below describing what interrupts are, how they are assigned, and how to work around interrupt conflicts. Hopefully, we’ll be able to help you solve your problem without too much trouble.

What is an Interrupt?

A computer has two ways of telling when a device, such as an audio card, is ready to exchange data with a program. One way is to have the computer periodically ask or “poll” the device to see if it’s ready to transfer new data. Since it is important to do the transfer as soon as it is ready, the program must poll the card quite often, which wastes the computer’s resources.

The other method is to have the card “interrupt” the program when it is ready to transfer data. It does this by sending a signal over one of the many interrupt wires connected to the slot into which it is plugged. X86 and Pentium PC’s have 16 possible interrupts (0 to 15), five of which are reserved by the motherboard for the keyboard, system timer, etc.

ISA and PCI Interrupts

There are two types of expansion connectors found on today’s computers. The older style connectors are called ISA (for Industry Standard Architecture) connectors. ISA connectors have 11 of the 16 PC interrupts

wired to them. Some ISA cards (also called “legacy” cards) have you select which interrupt is used by configuring jum pers on the card. Newer Plugand-Play ISA cards have their interrupts selected by either the com puter’s BIOS (the built-in program that starts the computer) or by Windows 95/98.

The newer PCI (Peripheral Connect Interface) bus transfers data faster than ISA and was designed to support Plug-and-Play from the start. PCI connectors have only four interrupts wired to them (A, B, C, and D). However, these interrupts can be shared by more than one PCI connector slot and each connector’s interrupt can be assigned or “steered” to one of the 11 available PC interrupts by either the BIOS or Windows 95/98. As far as the user is concerned, PCI interrupts use the same numbers and are assigned the same way as Plug-and-Play ISA interrupts. Note, however, that a PCI card can share an interrupt with another PCI card but not with an ISA card.

Plug-and-Play and Interrupts

When your computer first starts up, the BIOS will check each connector slot to see if a Plug-and-Play card is installed. Each Plug-and-Play card has built into it a list of what resources it requires including how many interrupts it needs and which ones it can use. The BIOS will then configure each card and, if needed, assign an appropriate interrupt. It does this for both ISA and PCI Plug-and-Play cards. Windows 95/98 will also check for and configure Plug-and-Play cards, possibly changing some of the settings to suit its needs.

Legacy Cards and Interrupt Conflicts

Problems can arise when the system contains older “legacy” ISA cards with their jumper-configured (or possibly hard-wired) interrupts. The computer’s BIOS and Windows 95/98 have no automatic way to detect these cards and determine which interrupts, if any, are being used. For example, you may have a MIDI card installed with its jumpers configured to use IRQ 9. Since the BIOS cannot detect the legacy card it will consider IRQ 9 to be a free interrupt. Consequently, it ma y assign IRQ 9 to Layla24. The next time you

try and use your MIDI card or play back audio via Layla24, neither device will function properly.

Or, maybe you have a SCSI card that had previously been assigned to IRQ

10. The BIOS may now decide to assign IRQ 10 to Layla24, and move the SCSI card to IRQ 9. An interrupt conflict now exists between the SCSI card and the older MIDI card.

PCI Cards and Interrupt Conflicts

Some plug & play PCI cards can also cause interrupt conflicts when they try to share an IRQ with another PCI card. Many PCI cards can share an IRQ with no problems at all, but some just don’t like to share. For example, you may have a network card installed, and Windows has it configured to use IRQ 10. Since that is the only card assigned to IRQ 10, Windows assumes that it is OK to let it share with the next PCI card that comes along. Consequently, it may assign Layla24 to share IRQ 10. This network card happens to be unfriendly and doesn’t like to share, so the next time you try to use it or Layla24, neither device will function properly.

Resolving Interrupt Conflicts

Although there is no way to automatically detect legacy interrupts, Windows 95/98 and some BIOS’s allow you to reserve specific interrupts for legacy use. Once an interrupt is reserved it will not be assigned by Plugand-Play to another card. Or, if y ou have a PCI card that doesn’t like to share you may be able to reassign it to a different IRQ.

The first thing to do if you think you have an interrupt conflict is to determine which interrupt and which card is causing the problem. To do this, run the Reporter software that came with your Layla24 card. For now, you can skip over the hard disk performance test since it has nothing to do with interrupts. Once the Reporter has finished the diagnostic routine, it will provide you with a list of all of the interrupts that Windows 95/98 recognizes are in use and the cards or resources to which they are assigned. Write down the interrupts that are listed and the devices that are assigned to them. Pay particular notice to the interrupt to w hich Layla24 is assigned.

Once you know which interrupt Layla24 is trying to use, you need to locate which card is potentially causing the conflict. To do this you may need to dig out the manuals for whatever ISA cards are installed and examine the jumper settings to determine which interrupts, if any, are used. Hopefully, at this point you will find an offending card that was not listed by the Reporter software but is using an interrupt that Windows has assigned to another device. If you don’t have any ISA cards, or your legacy ISA card is not causing the conflict, you should take note of which PCI card is assigned to the same IRQ as Layla24.

If you have lost your manuals and are having trouble figuring out which card may be causing a problem, you can try the brute force approach. Remove all cards from your system and then re-install them one at a time until the system quits working. The card that makes the computer stop working correctly will be the one that needs to be dealt with.

Once the offending card has been identified you have a few different options. One option is to simply remove the card from y our system. However, you’ve likely got the card in there for a reason, so unless it’s an old sound card you don’t care about keeping, y ou’ll probably want to use an approach to remedying the problem that allows the card to remain in the system.

If the offending card is a legacy ISA card, another option is to change the IRQ on the card to an IRQ that isn’t currently being used as reported by the Reporter program. While this may fix the problem at hand, the next time you add another new Plug-and-Play card you may wind up with another conflict. If you choose this option it is still a good idea to reserve the IRQ as described below.

If the offending card is a PCI card, you may want to skip to the section on “Reconfiguring an IRQ within Windows 95/98 - PCI” a few pages down.

Reserving an IRQ within the BIOS – Legacy ISA

Other than removing the offending legacy card, the next most effective method is to reserve the IRQ for legacy use within your BIOS. To do this

you will need to enter the BIOS configuration screen when your computer first starts up. This is usually done by pressing the

Delete

key or F1 key right after the memory test during the boot-up routine. Once you’re in the BIOS control panel, check to see if you are given the option of manually configuring your interrupts. Some BIOS’s, such as those from Award, allow you to choose between “Plug-and-Play” and “legacy ISA” for each interrupt. If you select “legacy ISA” for the interrupt that is being used by your legacy card, the BIOS will know not to assign that interrupt to a Plug-and-Play card.

Unfortunately, some BIOS’s don’t support this capability. If your BIOS is one of those, don’t worry: You still have another option.

Reserving an IRQ within Windows 95/98 – Legacy ISA

Windows 95/98 also allows you to reserve interrupts for legacy use. In most cases this works just as well as reserving the IRQ in the BIOS. However, you may still have problems if you boot up an older version of DOS from a floppy where Windows 95/98 can’t do its Plug-and-Play magic. To reserve an IRQ within Windows 95/98 do the following:

1. Click on the

Start

button and select

option.

2. Double click on the icon labeled

3. Select the tab labeled

4. Select the tab labeled

Request

5. Click on the

legacy card.

is selected.

Add

Device Manager Reserve Resources

button and enter the IRQ that is being used by your

6. Windows may prompt you that the IRQ is currently in use by another

device. Click on

Details

to see which device Windows currently thinks is using this IRQ. It should be Layla24 or whatever device is currently conflicting with your legacy card. If that is the case, go ahead and reserve the IRQ.

7. When Windows asks, reboot your m achine. When Windows restarts y our Plug-and-Play cards will not be assigned to the reserved IRQ.

Control Panel

System.

and click the

and make sure that

under the

Properties

Settings

button.

Interrupt

Hopefully, your system will now be functioning properly. If not, please refer to the “Contacting Customer Service” section of this manual. We’ll do our best to help you solve your problem.

Reconfiguring an IRQ within Windows 95/98 - PCI

Now that you have identified the offending card and the IRQ in contention, you will want to try to reconfigure its IRQ setting. To do this, you must open the Device Manager. Select

System

, and click the

Device Manager

Start

that is causing the problem, highlight it, and click the the properties window that appears, select the that “Use automatic settings” is unchecked, highlight “Interrupt Request,” and click the

Change Setting

button. Some cards will allow you to change the IRQ setting at this point, while others will give you a message saying, “This resource setting cannot be modified.” If you are allowed to change the IRQ, a window will appear that lets you choose from several different values. Scroll through the different values until you find one that says, “No devices are conflicting.” Choose that one and keep selecting Device Manager is closed, then restart Windows.

If you are unable to reconfigure the IRQ and you have a free PCI slot, you may wa nt to try moving Layla24 or the offending card to a different slot. Make sure your computer is off first, and follow the safety instructions in this manual for hardware installation. Sometimes this can help, because Windows will assign a different IRQ depending on which slot the PCI card is in.

Hopefully, your system will now be functioning properly. If not, please refer to the “Contacting Customer Service” section of this manual. We’ll do our best to help you solve your problem.

Settings

–

Control Panel

–

tab. Find the entry for the PCI card

Properties

Resources

tab. Make sure

button. In

until

Appendix D: DirectSound FAQ

Q: What is DirectSound?

DirectSound is an alternate method for a Window s application to access audio hardware. Previous Echo card drivers (for Layla, Gina & Darla) only supported wave (or multim edia) and ASIO. DirectSound typically provides much lower latencies than wave mode.

While DirectSound was designed to be used by games, a number of professional audio applications now take advantage of it.

Q: What are the limitations of DirectSound?

DirectSound can only use 8 or 16 bit samples. Also, our DirectSound driver is only for output; that is, you cannot record via DirectSound.

Q: Do I need anything special to take advantage of DirectSound?

You need to download the latest version of DirectX from

www.microsoft.com/directx

probably work, but we have only tested with DirectX 6.1 and 7.

If you are using an application that uses multiple DirectSound outputs, please refer to the section below on the DirectSound format lock.

and install it. Older versions of DirectX will

Q: How do I enable DirectSound support?

It's enabled by default. If you want to turn it off, go to the property pages for the card and select the DirectSound page. Clear the check box labeled “Enable DirectSound.”

Note that you must do this if you want to use Gigasampler (see the section on Gigasampler in the “Audio Software FAQ” below).

Q: Does this mean I can play games through Layla24?

Sure. The only snag is that ma ny games use CD audio for their background music. Since the Layla24 card does not have a CD audio connector, you won't hear the music. If you are really determined; it would be fairly straightforward to run a cable from the headphone jack on y our CD-ROM drive to the inputs on Layla24 and set up the monitors in the console.

Radio Shack sells a handy cable for this – 1/8” stereo connector to a pair of RCA male connectors. You will also need a pair of female RCA to male quarter-inch adapters.

Q: What's the story with the DirectSound format lock?

This setting only applies if you are using softwa re that uses multiple DirectSound outputs simultaneously, such as the applications offered by Stage Research.

It appears that DirectX 6.1 and 7 get confused when they see multiple DirectSound outputs. The first output pair gets set up correctly, but the rest of them don't. To work around this problem, just enable the DirectSound format lock and select the appropriate sample rate. In almost every case, you will want to leave the format set to 16 bit and stereo.

We are told that future versions of DirectX will resolve this problem, but for now just lock the format.

Note that this is not the same as the “sample rate lock” feature, which is documented in the

Echo Console

section of this manual.

Appendix E: Multi-client audio FAQ

Q: What is “Multi-client audio”?

Multi-client audio is a feature that lets you use different inputs and outputs on your Echo card with different applications at the same time. This way, you can use several different audio applications with just one Echo card. Otherwise, you would have to use a different soundcard for each audio application.

For example, suppose you own both Cubase VST (multitrack audio) and Reality (software synthesizer). Y ou can now set Cubase VST to play out through Layla24 outputs 1 through 6, and set Reality to play out through Layla24 outputs 7 and 8. In previous Echo card drivers, you had to choose between one software program and the other.

Note that all of the various interfaces are multi-client. You could have an ASIO application, a wave application, and a DirectSound application all running at the same time. It's very flexible.

If you want to use multi-client audio, you need to enable it in the main driver properties page. See the section entitled “Additional Configuration Settings” in this manual.

Multi-client audio can be difficult to use, depending on what combination of software applications you are using.

Q: So what's the catch?

The catch is this: all the apps using the Echo card at the same time must be set at the same sample rate. This is a limitation of the hardware.

Say that you didn't follow this rule in the previous example. Say that you initially had Cubase VST and Reality set up for 44.1 kHz- so far, so good. Then you load a song into Cubase that is set up for 48 kHz. Cubase will change the sample rate of the hardware. Unfortunately, this means that

Reality is now also coming out at 48 kHz, so all the sounds played out of Reality will sound higher in pitch.

If you're planning to use multi-client audio, the best thing you can do is to sit down and plan it out. Make a chart of each input and output on the Echo card and write down what application is going to use what input or output. Go through all the applications you plan to use this way and set them all up for the same sample rate and set up their inputs and outputs correctly.

You should also turn off your system sounds. Most system sounds tend to be at 11 kHz or 22 kHz. Imagine that you're recording the best guitar solo of your life and someone clicks on something on the screen. The 22 kHz system sound will play out of an unused output and drop the sample rate of the whole system to 22, ruining your take.

If you really want system sounds, go buy a $30 cheapo sound card and play them through that. Set the preferred device in the Multimedia control panel to the cheapo sound card and check “Use preferred devices only.”

Q: What are the rules that I should follow if I want to use multiple audio applications at the same time?

- Set all your applications to the same sample rate. (You can also use the “sample rate lock” feature in the Echo Console to help with this.)

-Turn off your system sounds.

- Figure out ahead of time which inputs and outputs each application is going to use. Inputs and outputs cannot be shared between applications.

Q: What I really want to do is use a software synthesizer or sampler like Gigasampler, Reality, or Retro AS/1. What's the best way to use this with an audio and MIDI sequencer like Cubase VST or Cakewalk?

The best thing you can do is run the synthesizer/sampler application first, then run the sequencer. Make sure that each application is set to use a different set of inputs and outputs.

Cubase VST is somewhat harder to get going in multi-client mode. For more information, please refer to the Cubase V ST section of the “Audio Software FAQ” in this ma nual.

Q: Can I run a Direct Sound program, an ASIO program, and a wave program all at the same time?

Sure. If you don't understand the question, don't worry about it.

Q: What's the downside to all this?

The main downside is that your computer may very well have a hard time keeping up! If you fire up three different audio apps at once, your computer is probably going to struggle unless you have a really hot machine. The key here is memory, more memory, and a fast CPU.

Appendix F: Multi-client MIDI FAQ

Q: What is “Multi-client MIDI”?

Multi-client MIDI means that m ore than one application can use the MIDI port at the same time. This is mainly useful if you are using MIDIcontrolled plugins. For example, suppose you are using a MIDI sequencer such as Cakewalk Pro Audio and a reverb plugin that can use an external MIDI controller. Before, the sequencer would have exclusive use of the MIDI input. Now, both the sequencer and the plugin can share the MIDI input.

If you want to use multi-client MIDI, you must enable it in the main driver property page.

Q: But how does it work?

Any MIDI bytes coming into the MIDI input are copied to each application that is using the MIDI input. For MIDI output, the applications simply take turns sending out MIDI data.

Q: What's the catch?

In this case, there really isn't one. I would advise against playing a MIDI sequence out from two apps at once because it would sound funny , but go ahead if that's what you really want – it will work.

Appendix G: Audio Software FAQ

Cubase VST and ASIO 2.0

Q: Can I use all Echo cards together at the same time in Cubase?

Not right now, but we will add this in a future driver update. Right now there are two different Echo ASIO drivers. One is for the Echogals cards (Layla, Gina, Darla & Da rla24). The other is for the new Echo24 cards (Layla24, Gina24 & Mona). We will be updating our ASIO drivers later this year to accommodate all Echo cards in Cubase.

Q: Can I use S/PDIF and ADAT simultaneously in Cubase?

No. The Echo24 cards (Layla24, Gina24 & Mona) can only use one digital mode at any given time (S/PDIF or ADAT). Y ou will need to choose which one you want to use before you start Cubase. If you change digital modes while Cubase is running, it will confuse the program and you will need to close it and restart.

Q: Wow, can I really use a buffer size of 128 samples in Cubase?

You're welcome to try. The smallest buffer size we have been able to use reliably is 1024 samples on a Pentium III 450 with 128 MB of RAM. Buffer sizes of 1024 or less should be considered experimental.

Q: What does ASIO 2.0 support do for me?

For our purposes, ASIO 2.0 adds ASIO D irect Monitoring. ASIO Direct Monitoring lets you control the monitoring features of your Echo card from within Cubase.

Q: What about using multi-client mode with Cubase VST?

Yes, this is quite possible. However, V ST can be kind of cranky when it finds that the audio hardware it wants is already in use. This can easily happen if you also have a MIDI synthesizer/sampler application installed

that is also set up to use our hardware. For more information on multi-client mode, please refer to the “Multi-client audio FAQ” in this manual.

Q: OK, so how should I deal with this?

Cubase VST comes with a program called “Setup MME”. You can find it if you select Start/Programs/Cubase VST. Run the “Setup MME” program .

Look at the list of MME outputs. Disable each entry that does not represent an actual piece of hardware. Specifically, if you see Retro AS/1, Reality, or Gigasampler listed, disable them (select the entry with the mouse, and then click the “Set inactive” button).

Go ahead and run Cubase. Make sure you can select our ASIO driver and that it works. So far so good, now exit Cubase.

The next step depends on what other software you have installed:

Reality and Cubase VST

If you want to use Reality with Cubase VST and our hardware, run the “Setup MME” program again. Set Reality as an active output.

Now, before you run Cubase VST , make sure you run Reality first. Then, make sure that Reality is not using outputs 1 and 2 of your card. Cubase will always try to use outputs 1 and 2. If some other program is using these two outputs already, Cubase will not be able to start the ASIO driver and you will get many error messages.

Once you've got Reality running and set up properly, go ahead and run VST.

Gigasampler and Cubase VST

NOTE:

Gigasampler does not currently support Layla24. Support will

soon be provided by a Layla24 driver upgrade and a patch to Gigasampler.

This is very similar to the directions for using Reality. Run the “Setup MME” program again. Set Gigasampler as an active output.

Now, before you run Cubase VST , make sure you run Gigasampler first. Then, make sure that Gigasampler is not using outputs 1 and 2 of your card. Cubase will always try to use outputs 1 and 2. If some other program is using these two outputs already, Cubase will not be able to start the ASIO driver and you will get many error messages.

Once you've got Gigasampler running and set up properly, go ahead and run VST.

If you want to use both Gigasam pler and Reality, you'd better have a really good computer. If you do, just make sure you start both of them before VST.

Retro AS/1 and Cubase VST

Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get Retro AS/1 to work with Cubase at the same time. This is mainly because we couldn't find a way to tell Retro AS/1 to use any outputs other than 1 and 2. Even if you start Retro first, both Retro and Cubase end up fighting over outputs 1 and 2 and nobody's happy.

We'll keep looking into this. You could easily use them both if you had two sound cards (either two of our cards or one of our cards & one from someone else).

Gigasampler

Q: I'm a Gigasampler user. Anything I should know about?

Yes. Unfortunately, G igasampler does not work with Lay la24, Gina24 or Mona at this time. Nemesys (makers of Gigasampler) will be releasing an update patch soon that will add support for Layla24, Gina24 and Mona. We will also be releasing a driver update at that time. Both the Gigasampler patch and the Echo driver update will be required to use Gigasampler with our new products.

Q: Once I get the update, is there anything else I should know about?

Yes. Gigasampler will not work if you have DirectSound enabled. You will need to go into the DirectSound property page and disable DirectSound. If you have more than one of our cards, you need to disable DirectSound for each card.

Reaktor

Q: I'm a Reaktor user. Anything I should know about?

Be sure that you enable multi-client audio in the driver property page, or Reaktor will tell you that the hardware can't handle full-duplex audio.

Appendix H: An Introduction to Digital Recording

Converting Sound into Numbers

In a digital recording system, sound is represented as a series of numbers, with each number representing the voltage, or amplitude, of a sound wave at a particular moment in time. The numbers are generated by an

digital converter

, or ADC, which converts the signal from an analog audio source (such as a guitar or a microphone) connected to its input into numbers. The ADC reads the input signal several thousand times a second, and outputs a number based on the input that is read. This number is called a

sample.

The number of samples taken per second is called the

On playback, the process happens in reverse: The series of numbers is played back through a

digital-to-analog converter

, or DAC, which converts the numbers back into an analog signal. This signal can then be sent to an amplifier and speakers for listening.

In computers,

binary numbers

are used to store the values that make up the samples. Only two characters, 1 and 0, are used. The value of a character depends on its place in the number, just as in the familiar decimal system. Here are a few binary/decim a l equivalents:

BINARY

DECIMAL 0000000000000000 0 0000000000000001 1 0000000000000010 2 0000000000000100 4 0000000000001000 8 1111111111111111 65,535

Figure A. Binary numbers and their decimal equivalents

Each digit in the number is called a

bit

, so the numbers in sixteen bits long, and the maxim um value which can be represented is 65,535.

analog-to-

sample rate

Figure A

are

Sample Size

The more bits that are used to store the sampled value, the more closely it will represent the source signal. In an 8-bit system, there are 256 possible combinations of zeroes and ones, so 256 different analog voltages can be represented. A 16-bit system provides 65,535 possible combinations. A 16bit signal is capable of providing far greater accuracy than an 8-bit signal.

Figure B

shows how this works.

Figure B. The more bits there are available, the more accurate the representation of the signal and the greater the dynamic range.

Layla24’s analog inputs use 24-bit ADCs, which means that the incoming signal can be represented by any of over 16 million possible values. The output DACs are also 24-bit; again, over 16 million values are possible. The S/PDIF inputs and outputs also support signals with up to 24-bit resolution. Layla24 processes signals internally w ith 24-bit resolution to insure that there is no degradation to the audio signal as it is processed through the system.

The number of bits available also determines the potential dynamic range. Moving a binary number one space to the left multiplies the value by two (just as moving a decimal number one space to the left multiplies the value by ten), so each additional bit doubles the maximum value that may be represented. Each available bit provides 6dB (see decibel section below) of dynamic range. For example, a 24-bit system can theoretically provide 144dB of dynamic range.

Sample Rate

The rate at which the ADC generates the numbers is equally important in determining the quality of a digital recording. T o get a high level of accuracy when sampling, the sam ple rate must be greater than twice the frequency being sampled. The mathematical statement of this is called the

Nyquist Theorem. When dealing with full-bandwidth sound (20Hz−20kHz), you should sample at greater than 40,000 times per second (twice 20kHz). Layla24 allows y ou to sample at rates up to 96,000 times per second.

If the sampling rate is lower than the frequency you are trying to record, entire cycles of the waveform will be missed, and the result will not resemble the proper waveform. When the sample rate is too low, the resulting sound has diminished high frequency content.

Figure C. Increased sample rates yield a more accurate reproduction of the source signal.

By the way, the circuits that generate the sample rate must be exceedingly accurate. Any difference between the sample rate used for recording and the rate used at playback will change the pitch of the recording, just as with an analog tape playing at the wrong speed. Also, any unsteadiness, or jitter, in the sample clock will distort the signal as it is being converted from or to analog form.

Storing Digital Data

Once the waveform has been transformed into digital bits, it must be stored. When sampling in stereo at 48kHz using a 20-bit word size, the system has to accommodate 1,920,000 bits per second. Though this is a lot of data, it is well within the capabilities of personal computers.

Most computer-based digital recording systems record the data directly to the computer’s hard disk. Today’s hard disks are capable of storing large amounts of data, though the performance of hard drives can vary substantially. The Echo Reporter program (included on the Layla24 CDROM) will give you a general idea what the capabilities of y our hard disk are and how much information it can successfully store and retrieve. The speed and size of your hard drive will be a major determining factor in how many tracks of audio you will be able to simultaneously record and playback.

Decibels

Audio signal levels are generally expressed in units called “decibels” w hich are abbreviated as “dB”. This is a “logarithmic” scale where each doubling of signal level is represented by an increase of 6 dB. Therefore a signal of 6 dB is twice as big as a 0 dB signal and a signal of 12 dB is four times as big as a 0 dB signal.

Since digital audio signals are represented by binary data, each bit of audio information represents 6 dB. A 16-bit number can represent a total range of 96 dB and a 24-bit number can represent a total range of 144 dB (6 times the number of bits). It’s much easier to say that one signal is 72 dB less than another instead of saying it is 1/4096 the size of the other one. It also more accurately represents the way we hear sounds, since the smaller signal in the above example will still be audible and not appear to be only 1/4096 as loud when we listen to it.

Just as there are different types of degrees used to represent temperature (Fahrenheit, Celsius, etc), there are different types of decibels used to represent the level of analog audio signals. The most com mon are dBu and dBV decibels. Both of these represent voltage levels and still double for every increase of 6 dB. It is only the reference point, or 0 dB level that is

different. A 0 dBV signal has a voltage level of 1.0 volts. A 0 dBu signal has a voltage level of .775 volts. Since .775 is approximately 2 dB less than

1.0, converting dBV levels into dBu levels is as simple as subtracting 2 dB (2.21 to be exact).

Signals are also occasionally represented with units of dBm. This is an older unit that measures power instead of voltage levels with 0 dBm representing 1 milliwatt. Earlier tube-based audio equipment used standardized input and output impedances of 600 ohms, so a 0 dBm signal was produced with a voltage of .775 volts. Since m ost of today’s equipment uses impedances other than 600 ohms, it is more useful to represent signals by voltages rather than power and the dBu unit was introduced. A signal level of 0 dBu is identical to a level of 0 dBm.

Digital signals, after they are recorded, no longer directly represent any physical quantity such as voltage or power and 0 dB is generally used to represent a “full-scale” or maximum signal level. All other signal levels are lower and are expressed as negative decibels. Most meters on digital equipment have 0 dB at the top and range downward from there. A signal that is 30 dB below full scale would simply be referred to as a –30 dB signal.

Nominal Signal Levels and Headroom

Today’s equipment is generally referred to as +4 dBu equipment (professional) or –10 dBV equipment (consumer). These levels are the typical or “nominal” signal levels you can expect to see with professional (studio) equipment such as mixers or with consumer equipment such as home stereos and CD players. A +4 dBu signal has a voltage level of 1.23 volts and a –10dBV signal has a voltage level of .316 volts.

The above nominal levels represent typical or average levels that are often exceeded when recording loud signals such as drum beats. The difference between the nominal level and the loudest signal that can be recorded without clipping is called “headroom”. Layla24 provides approximately 18 dB of headroom allowing a 22dBu signal (9.8 volts or 28 volts peak to peak) to be recorded.

Unbalanced and Balanced Inputs and Outputs

An unbalanced signal, commonly used for guitars and consumer electronics, contains two components, a ground signal and a “hot” or active signal. The ground is the barrel of a ¼” connector and the shell of an “RCA” style connector.

A balanced signal contains two active signals instead of one in addition to the ground. These are referred to as the “plus” and “minus” signals. A balanced input amplifier amplifies the difference between these two signals. Any extraneous noise picked up from pow er lines or other sources will appear equally on both the plus and minus inputs. T his is called “common mode” noise since it is common to both signals and the input amplifier will subtract the noise on the minus input from the noise on the plus input.

If the input amplifier is perfectly balanced and the noise on both plus and minus is precisely equal, the noise will completely cancel out. In the real world this is not the case and some of the common mode noise will still make it through, although at a m uch reduced level. How well an input amplifier rejects this com mon mode noise is called the “common mode rejection ratio” (abbreviated as CMRR) and is expressed in dB.

Balanced outputs typically drive the plus and minus components of a balanced signal in one of two ways. A “differentially” balanced output signal is one where the minus output is the mirror image of the plus output. That is, if the “plus” output is at +1 volt, then the “minus” output is at –1 volt. These outputs are typically found in more expensive gear and used by Layla24.

An “impedance” balanced output provides most of the benefits of a differentially balanced output at a lower cost. In this case only the plus component actually carries the signal. T he minus component is tied to ground through a resistor so that the output impedance matches that of the plus component. Since the impedances are matched, any noise added to the minus component w ill still be approximately the same as that picked up by the plus component and will be subtracted out by the input amplifier.

Balanced signals connect with either XLR connectors or TRS (tip, ring sleeve) connectors. Layla24 uses TRS connectors for connecting balanced line level signals.

The three sections of a TRS connector are used to transmit the three components of a balanced signal (T = plus, R = minus, S = ground). Layla24 will also accommodate the two conductor unbalanced style connector.

Dynamic Range

Dynamic range represents the difference between the maximum signal that can be recorded and the “noise floor”, or level of noise with no signal present. A system with a high dynamic range will be quieter than one with a lower dynamic range. Dynamic range is a very important specification and Layla24 uses converters that have very high dynamic range.

Theoretically, a 24-bit system has a dynamic range of 144 dB and a 16-bit system has a dynamic range of 96 dB. Two questions immediately come to mind:

1) Why does Layla24 only have a dynamic range of 115 to 116 dB?

2) For mastering 16-bit CDs with a dynamic range of 96dB, isn’t anything more than 96dB just overkill?

First, today’s analog to digital converters ty pically produce a full-scale input voltage with an input of +7 dBu. If they were to have 144 dB of dynamic range, they would have to be capable of resolving signals as sm all as –137 dBu (7 dBu – 144 dBu) or approximately 10 nano-volts. That’s 10

billionths

of a volt! Transistors and resistors produce noise in this range just by having electrons moving around due to heat. Even if the converters could be perfectly designed to read these levels, the low noise requirem e nts of the surrounding circuitry such as power supplies and amplifiers would be so stringent that they would either be impossible or too expensive to build.

one-

In answering the second question, consider the fact that music is often compressed or amplified after it is recorded, and that some headroom is necessary when recording to avoid clipping. The only way that 96 dB would be adequate is if all music were recorded so that the peaks were just under full-scale and no compressing or amplification wa s going to be applied after recording. Any time recorded music is amplified, so is the noise at the low end. Layla24 has enough dynamic range to allow sufficient headroom and post-processing to be applied while still keeping the noise either off the CD completely or down as far as possible.

Appendix I: Specifications

Audio Performance

Analog Inputs (x8 balanced TRS):

Frequency Response: 10Hz – 22kHz,

Dynamic Range: 115dB A - weighted

THD+n: <0.001%, 20Hz–22kHz A-weighted

Nominal Input Level: +4dBu

Maximum Input Level: +22dBu

Input Impedence: 10K

Analog Outputs (x8 balanced TRS):

Frequency Response: 10Hz – 22kHz,

0.25dB

Dynamic Range: 116dB A - weighted

THD+n: <0.002%, 20Hz–22kHz A-weighted

Nominal Output Level: +4dBu

Maximum Output Level: +22dBu

Hardware

Host Interface: PCI bus mastering card

Eight balanced ¼” analog inputs with precision 24-bit 128x oversampling analog-to-digital converters

Eight balanced ¼” analog outputs with high performance 24-bit 128x oversampling digital-to-analog converters

Fully differential outputs capable of driving 600 ohms

S/PDIF digital I/O with up to 24-bit resolution

ADAT optical digital I/O

Headphone output with volume control

On-board 24-bit Motorola DSP (100 MIPS)

24-bit data resolution maintained throughout entire signal path

Multiple sample rates from 8kHz to 96kHz

MIDI In/Out/Thru

Word clock I/O

Esync clock Output

Index

ADAT

· 14, 29, 31, 56, 70

adjusting record and playback

levels analog resolution analog-to-digital converter ASIO 2 audio software available devices

Background Mixing

· 27

· 75

· 74

· 70

· 21

· 44

Background Mixing Priority Level

· 44

balanced BIOS version buffer size

· 79

· 47, 52

· 70

digital-to-analog converter Direct Monitoring DirectSound DirectX dither

· 34

· 41, 64

· 64

driver installation dynamic range

· 70

· 17

· 80

· 74

Echo Console Echo Console controls Echo Reporter Esync

· 11, 30

File menu

· 23

· 24

· 7, 47, 52, 53, 77

· 32

cd-rom, contents

· 7

clock sources and destinations consumer mode consumer output setting contacting customer service contents

· 7

Cool Edit Pro installation Cubase

· 70

damping setting decibels

· 77

digital data digital mode switch digital recording

· 34, 54

· 34, 55

· 46

· 42

· 37

· 77

· 31

· 74

· 28

Gigasampler

· 65, 71, 73

hardware installation

· 10

input meters

· 24

install multiple Layla24s interface box, installing interface cable interrupt conflicts

Layla24 installation legacy

· 62

· 7

· 54, 58, 59, 60

· 8

· 54

· 13

legacy cards legacy ISA

· 59, 60, 61

· 61

MIDI MIDI time code MIDI time code settings monitor controls Monitor During Playback MTC multi client audio multi client MIDI

· 16

· 16, 30

· 36

· 25

· 39

· 16

· 40, 66

· 40, 69

no box warning

· 35

optical output controls

· 14

· 27

· 60, 63

PCI PCI card, installation PCI slots

· 10

Playback Buffer Size Playback Device Plug-and-Play

· 58, 59, 60, 61, 62

Preferences Page

· 10

· 44

· 43

· 33

Preferred Multitrack Devices Priority professional mode professional output setting

· 44

· 34, 54

· 34, 55

· 43

Reaktor Reality Record Device REPORTER program errors resolving interrupt conflicts Retro

· 73

· 71

· 43

· 52

· 58

· 72

S/PDIF S/PDIF cabling S/PDIF output format S/PDIF output setting S/PDIF recording S/PDIF resolution sample rate sample rate lock sample size SCMS copy-protection selecting a slot settings software Installation software synthesizer specifications static electricity, discharging summary screen synchronization

· 14, 15, 29, 31, 56, 70

· 12, 15

· 34

· 34, 55

· 54

· 75

· 74, 76

· 36

· 75

· 34, 55

· 10

· 38

· 17

· 68

· 82

· 10

· 50

· 28, 56

synchronizing multiple devices system requirements system sounds

· 9

technical support tolerance setting troubleshooting guide

· 80

TRS

· 7

· 46

· 36

· 54

· 28

rack-mount box, installing

· 11

unbalanced

· 79

website

· 46

Word clock

· 15, 29

echo Echo Layla 24 layla24_pc_manual1-0

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Important Safety Instructions

Limited Warranty

Table of Contents

Introduction

What You Should Have Received in the Layla24 Box

System Requirements

Layla24 Installation

System Check

System Sounds

Installing the Layla24 Hardware

Analog Inputs and Outputs

The Computer Connector

ADAT / S/PDIF Optical I/O

S/PDIF

Word Clock

MIDI

Installing the Layla24 Software Drivers

Layla24 Audio Input & Output Devices

The Echo Console

Console Controls

Monitor Controls

Output Controls

Adjusting Record and Playback Levels

Setting Clock Sources and Destinations

Synchronizing Multiple Devices

Word Clock

S/PDIF

ADAT

MIDI Time Code (MTC)

Esync

Digital Mode Switch

View ADAT Ctrls

The File Menu

The Preferences Page

Digital I/O - Selecting the S/PDIF Output Format

Digital I/O - Dither Input

General - Sync Wave Devices

General - External box warning

Sample Rate Lock

MIDI Time Code (MTC)

Additional Configuration Settings

Show console on taskbar

Monitor during playback

Multi-client audio

Multi-client MIDI

DirectSound Settings

Cool Edit Pro: Optimizing Multitrack Performance

Contacting Customer Service

Appendix A: The Echo Reporter Software

Appendix B: General Troubleshooting Guide

Appendix C: Resolving Interrupt Conflicts

What is an Interrupt?

ISA and PCI Interrupts

Plug-and-Play and Interrupts

Legacy Cards and Interrupt Conflicts

PCI Cards and Interrupt Conflicts

Resolving Interrupt Conflicts

Reconfiguring an IRQ within Windows 95/98 - PCI

Appendix D: DirectSound FAQ

Appendix E: Multi-client audio FAQ

Appendix F: Multi-client MIDI FAQ

Appendix G: Audio Software FAQ

Cubase VST and ASIO 2.0

Gigasampler

Reaktor

Appendix H: An Introduction to Digital Recording

Converting Sound into Numbers

Sample Size

Sample Rate

Storing Digital Data

Decibels

Nominal Signal Levels and Headroom

Unbalanced and Balanced Inputs and Outputs

Dynamic Range

Appendix I: Specifications

Index