Mark of the Unicorn 8pre User's Guide

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Page 1

MOTU 8pre

User’s Guide for Windows

™

1280 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02138

Business voice: (617) 576-2760

Business fax: (617) 576-3609

Technical support: (617) 576-3066

Tech support fax: (617) 354-3068

Tech support email: techsupport@motu.com

Web site: www.motu.com

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SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS

CAUTION! READ THIS SAFETY GUIDE BEFORE YOU BEGIN INSTALLATION OR OPERATION. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS COULD RESULT IN BODILY INJURY OR EQUIPMENT DAMAGE.

HAZARDOUS VOLAGES: CONTACT MAY CAUSE ELECTRIC SHOCK OR BURN. TURN OFF UNIT BEFORE SERVICING.

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR OTHER MOISTURE.

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

WARNING: DO NOT PERMIT FINGERS TO TOUCH THE TERMINALS OF PLUGS WHEN INSTALLING OR REMOVING THE PLUG TO OR FROM THE OUTLET.

WARNING: IF NOT PROPERLY GROUNDED THE MOTU 8pre COULD CAUSE AN ELECTRICAL SHOCK.

The MOTU 8pre is equipped with a three-conductor cord and grounding type plug which has a grounding prong, approved by Underwriters' Laboratories and the Canadian Standards Association. This plug requires a mating three-conductor grounded type outlet as shown in Figure A below. If the outlet you are planning to use for the MOTU 8pre is of the two prong type, DO NOT REMOVE OR ALTER THE GROUNDING PRONG IN ANY MANNER. Use an adapter as shown below and always connect the grounding lug to a known ground. It is recommended that you have a qualiﬁed electrician replace the TWO prong outlet with a properly grounded THREE prong outlet. An adapter as illustrated below in Figure B is available for connecting plugs to two-prong receptacles.

Figure A Figure B

Grounding lug

Screw

3-prong plug

Grounding prong

Properly grounded 3-prong outlet

3-prong plug

Mak e sur e th is i s con nec ted to a known ground.

Adapter

Two-prong receptacle

WARNING: THE GREEN GROUNDING LUG EXTENDING FROM THE ADAPTER MUST BE CONNECTED TO A PERMANENT GROUND SUCH AS TO A PROPERLY GROUNDED OUTLET BOX. NOT ALL OUTLET BOXES ARE PROPERLY GROUNDED.

If you are not sure that your outlet box is properly grounded, have it checked by a qualiﬁed electrician. NOTE: The adapter illustrated is for use only if you already have a properly grounded two-prong receptacle. Adapter is not allowed in Canada by the Canadian Electrical Code. Use only three wire extension cords which have three-prong grounding type plugs and three-prong receptacles which will accept the MOTU 8pre plug.

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS

1. Read these instructions. All the safety and operating instructions should be read before operating the 8pre.

2. Keep these instructions. These safety instructions and the 8pre owner’s manual should be retained for future reference.

3. Heed all warnings. All warnings on the 8pre and in the owner’s manual should be adhered to.

4. Follow all Instructions. All operating and use instructions should be followed.

5. Do not use the 8pre near water.

6. Cleaning - Unplug the 8pre from the computer and clean only with a dry cloth. Do not use liquid or aerosol cleaners.

7. Ventilation - Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

8. Heat - Do not install the 8pre near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or another apparatus (including an ampliﬁer) that produces heat.

9. Overloading - Do not overload wall outlets and extension cords as this can result in a risk of ﬁre or electrical shock.

10. Grounding - Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding-type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not ﬁt into your outlet, consult and electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

11. Power cord - Protect the 8pre power cord from being walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against them. Pay particular attention to cords and plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the 8pre.

12. Power switch - Install the 8pre so that the power switch can be accessed and operated at all times.

13. Disconnect - The main plug is considered to be the disconnect device for the 8pre and shall remain readily operable.

14. Accessories - Only use attachments/accessories speciﬁed by the manufacturer.

15. Placement - Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket or table speciﬁed by the manufacturer, or sold with the 8pre. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

16. Surge protection - Unplug the 8pre during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

17. Servicing - Refer all servicing to qualiﬁed service personnel. Servicing is required when the 8pre has been damaged in any way, such as when a power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the 8pre, the 8pre has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

18. Power Sources - Refer to the manufacturer’s operating instructions for power requirements. Be advised that different operating voltages may require the use of a different line cord and/or attachment plug.

19. Installation - Do not install the 8pre in an unventilated rack, or directly above heat-producing equipment such as power ampliﬁers. Observe the maximum ambient operating temperature listed below.

20. Power ampliﬁers- Never attach audio power ampliﬁer outputs directly to any of the unit’s connectors.

21. Replacement Parts - When replacement parts are required, be sure the service technician has used replacement parts speciﬁed by the manufacturer or have the same characteristics as the original part. Unauthorized substitutions may result in ﬁre, electric shock or other hazards.

22. Safety Check - Upon completion of any service or repairs to this MOTU 8pre, ask the service technician to perform safety checks to determine that the product is in safe operating conditions.

ENVIRONMENT

Operating Temperature: 10°C to 40°C (50°F to 104°)

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK OR FIRE

Do not handle the power cord with wet hands. Do not pull on the power cord when disconnecting it from an AC wall outlet. Grasp it by the plug. Do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture. Do not place objects containing liquids on it.

AC INPUT

100 - 240VAC ~ • 50 / 60Hz • 7 Watts.

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About the Mark of the Unicorn License Agreement and Limited Warranty on Software

TO PERSONS WHO PURCHASE OR USE THIS PRODUCT: carefully read all the terms and conditions of the “click-wrap” license agreement presented to you when you install the software. Using the software or this documentation indicates your acceptance of the terms and conditions of that license agreement.

Mark of the Unicorn, Inc. (“MOTU”) owns both this program and its documentation. Both the program and the documentation are protected under applicable copyright, trademark, and trade-secret laws. Your right to use the program and the documentation are limited to the terms and conditions described in the license agreement.

Reminder of the terms of your license

This summary is not your license agreement, just a reminder of its terms. The actual license can be read and printed by running the installation program for the software. That license agreement is a contract, and clicking “Accept” binds you and MOTU to all its terms and conditions. In the event anything contained in this summary is incomplete or in conﬂict with the actual click-wrap license agreement, the terms of the click-wrap agreement prevail.

YOU MAY: (a) use the enclosed program on a single computer; (b) physically transfer the program from one computer to another provided that the program is used on only one computer at a time and that you remove any copies of the program from the computer from which the program is being transferred; (c) make copies of the program solely for backup purposes. You must reproduce and include the copyright notice on a label on any backup copy.

YOU MAY NOT: (a) distribute copies of the program or the documentation to others; (b) rent, lease or grant sublicenses or other rights to the program; (c) provide use of the program in a computer service business, network, time-sharing, multiple CPU or multiple user arrangement without the prior written consent of MOTU; (d) translate, adapt, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise alter the program or related documentation without the prior written consent of MOTU.

MOTU warrants to the original licensee that the disk(s) on which the program is recorded be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase as evidenced by a copy of your receipt. If failure of the disk has resulted from accident, abuse or misapplication of the product, then MOTU shall have no responsibility to replace the disk(s) under this Limited Warranty.

THIS LIMITED WARRANTY AND RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT IS IN LIEU OF, AND YOU HEREBY WAIVE, ANY AND ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, BOTH EXPRESS AND IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE LIABILITY OF MOTU PURSUANT TO THIS LIMITED WARRANTY SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE REPLACEMENT OF THE DEFECTIVE DISK(S), AND IN NO EVENT SHALL MOTU OR ITS SUPPLIERS, LICENSORS, OR AFFILIATES BE LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE, OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY THIRD PARTIES EVEN IF MOTU HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS WHICH MAY VARY FROM STATE TO STATE. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

Update Policy

In order to be eligible to obtain updates of the program, you must complete and return the attached Mark of the Unicorn Purchaser Registration Card to MOTU.

Copyright © 2006 by Mark of the Unicorn, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any human or computer language, in any form or by any means whatsoever, without express written permission of Mark of the Unicor n, Inc., 1280 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, U.S.A.

Limited Warranty on Hardware

Mark of the Unicorn, Inc. and S&S Research (“MOTU/S&S”) warrant this equipment against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of NINETY (90) DAYS from the date of original retail purchase. This warranty applies only to hardware products; MOTU software is licensed and warranted pursuant to separate written statements.

If you discover a defect, ﬁrst write or call Mark of the Unicorn at (617) 576-2760 to obtain a Return Merchandise Authorization Number. No service will be performed on any product returned without prior authorization. MOTU will, at its option, repair or replace the product at no charge to you, provided you return it during the warranty period, with transportation charges prepaid, to Mark of the Unicorn, Inc., 1280 Massachusetts Avenue, MA 02138. You must use the product’s original packing material for in shipment, and insure the shipment for the value of the product. Please include your name, address, telephone number, a description of the problem, and the original, dated bill of sale with the returned unit and print the Return Merchandise Authorization Number on the outside of the box below the shipping address.

This warranty does not apply if the equipment has been damaged by accident, abuse, misuse, or misapplication; has been modiﬁed without the written permission of MOTU, or if the product serial number has been removed or defaced.

ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED IN DURATION TO NINETY (90) DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THE ORIGINAL RETAIL PURCHASE OF THIS PRODUCT.

THE WARRANTY AND REMEDIES SET FORTH ABOVE ARE EXCLUSIVE AND IN LIEU OF ALL OTHERS, ORAL OR WRITTEN, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. No MOTU/S&S dealer, agent, or employee is authorized to make any modiﬁcation, extension, or addition to this warranty.

MOTU/S&S ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM ANY BREACH OF WARRANTY, OR UNDER ANY LEGAL THEORY, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, DOWNTIME, GOODWILL, DAMAGE OR REPLACEMENT OF EQUIPMENT AND PROPERTY AND COST OF RECOVERING REPROGRAMMING, OR REPRODUCING ANY PROGRAM OR DATA STORED IN OR USED WITH MOTU/S&S PRODUCTS.

Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of implied warranties or liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. This warranty gives you speciﬁc legal rights, and you may have other rights which vary from state to state.

MOTU, Mark of the Unicorn and the unicorn silhouette logo are trademarks of Mark of the Unicorn, Inc.

This equipment has been type tested and found to comply with the limits for a class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio or television equipment reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by any combination of the following measures:

• Relocate or reorient the receiving antenna

• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver

• Plug the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected

If necessary, you can consult a dealer or experienced radio/television technician for additional assistance.

PLEASE NOTE: only equipment certiﬁed to comply with Class B (computer input/output devices, terminals, printers, etc.) should be attached to this equipment, and it must have shielded interface cables in order to comply with the Class B FCC limits on RF emissions.

WARNING: changes or modiﬁcations to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.

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Contents

Quick Reference: 8pre Front Panel

Quick Reference: 8pre Rear Panel

Quick Reference: MOTU Audio Setup

About the 8pre

Packing List and Windows System Requirements

IMPORTANT! Run the 8pre Software Installer First

Installing the 8pre Hardware

MOTU Audio Setup

Front Panel Settings

Cubase, Nuendo and Other ASIO Software

SONAR and other WDM Software

GigaStudio and GSIF

Reducing Monitoring Latency

MOTU CueMix Console

MOTU SMPTE Setup

Performance Tips & Troubleshooting

Index

III

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From the factory, its output matches the main outs on

the rear panel. But it can be programmed to mirror any

other (optical) output pair. It can even be programmed

to serve as its own independent output. Use the volume

knob above to control its level.

gain for both the lo-Z XLR mic input and the hi-Z TRS

guitar/instrument input. Both inputs have preamps, so

you can plug just about anything into them: a micro-

phone, a guitar, a synth. Use the trim knob and the

analog input level meters over in the metering section to

calibrate the input signal level. The meters cover both

the TRS and XLR input.

power for condenser microphones. Down is off; up is on.

6. This is a standard quarter-inch stereo headphone jack.

7. These eight trim knobs provide approximately 40 dB of

level. Flip it up to disengage the pad.

8. The 48V phantom power switches provide phantom

9. Flip the PAD switch down to apply a -20 dB reduction in

6789

volume. The middle row of green LEDs (third from the

bottom) performance a similar role for the main out

volume adjustment.

and the computer is turned on, the 8pre functions as an

4. When the 8pre is connected to computer via FireWire,

LEDs indicate

Conver ter

and

Interface

audio interface. When the computer is off or not

connected, the 8pre functions as a digital-to-analog

converter. The

which mode the 8pre is in.

sample rate. Choose 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96kHz to operate

5. The CLOCK LEDs indicate the current clock source and

(for 88.2

optical in 2x

(for 44.1 or 48 kHz) or

or 96 kHz). If you are resolving to optical at 2x, choose

optical in 1x

the 8pre under its own internal clock at the chosen

sample rate. To resolve the 8pre to another digital audio

device via connection to its optical input, choose either

Type II for MOTU products or Type I for third-party

products, as described earlier in item number 2.

1 3

Push in and hold the knob for 3 seconds to enter a

mode where you can change the clock source. In this

mode, the CLOCK LED ﬂashes, turn the knob to change

the clock mode. Push it again to exit clock mode.■Push and hold the knob for 5 seconds to enter a mode

where you can change 2x optical input and output

(88.2 or 96kHz) to Type I (for 2x optical connection to

SMUX-compatible products) or Type II (for 2x optical

connection to MOTU products). The bottom LED in the

“1” or “2” column ﬂashes. Turn the volume knob to

switch between Type I and II, respectively.

for the mic/instrument XLR/combo inputs on the rear

panel. When you turn the volume knob, which is a digital

rotary encoder, the row of amber LEDs, second from the

top, provides general feedback regarding the headphone

level as you turn the knob. The scale goes from left to

■

3. These eight 5-segment meters show input signal level

right, where all LEDs are illuminated at full headphone

Quick Reference: 8pre Front Panel

1. Each analog input has individual front panel controls,

including an input gain (trim) knob (approximately

40 dB of gain), 48 volt phantom power on/off switch (up

is on) and -20 dB pad switch (down is engaged).

as well as turned:

2. The VOLUME knob is a rotary encoder that can be pushed

Turn it to adjust headphone volume. In the LED section

■

to the right, the row of amber LEDs, second from the

top, provides general feedback regarding the

headphone level as you turn the knob.■Push in the knob twice (so that it clicks two times) and

then turn it to adjust the volume of the main outs on

the rear panel. In the LED section to the right, the

middle row of green LEDs, third from the bottom,

provides general feedback regarding the headphone

level as you turn the knob.

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main outputs. You can connect them to a set of powered

studio monitors and then control the volume from the front

4. These two balanced, quarter-inch jacks serve as the 8pre’s

When the 8pre is operating at the 1x sample rates (44.1 or 48

kHz), the optical output in the bottom row mirrors the

8-channel optical output in the top row, allowing you to send

). You can also use CueMix

Main Out 1-2

panel volume knob. To hear disk tracks in your audio software

on these main outs, assign the disk tracks (and master fader)

to these main outs (

the 8pre optical output to two different destinations in your

studio, if needed.

DSP to monitor live 8pre inputs here as well.

a cable with a quarter-inch plug. Both the low-impedance

XLR jack and the high-impedance TRS jack are equipped with

5. These eight XLR/TRS combo jack accepts either a mic cable or

Connect the 8pre’s MIDI OUT port to the MIDI IN port on the

other device. Conversely, connect the 8pre’s MIDI IN port to

the MIDI OUT port on the other device. You can connect differ-

2. Connect a MIDI device here using standard MIDI cables.

ent devices to each port, such as a controller device to the IN

40 dB of front-panel trim control. Each XLR (mic) input can be

supplied with 48V phantom power or -20 dB pad via its corre-

sponding front-panel switches.

port and a sound module to the OUT port. You can also daisy-

chain MIDI devices, but be sure to manage their MIDI

channels (so that they don’t receive or transmit on the same

channel).

1394 FireWire cable provided with your 8pre. Use the second

FireWire port to daisy-chain up to four MOTU FireWire audio

3. Connect the 8pre to the computer here using the standard

interfaces to a single FireWire bus. You can also connect other

FireWire devices to daisy-chain them to the computer, with

the computer serving as the Firewire host.

Quick Reference: 8pre Rear Panel

1 2 3 4 5

provide eight channels of digital input and output at 44.1 and

48 kHz. At the 2x sample rates (88.2 or 96 kHz), the top row

provides channels 1-4 (in and out) and the bottom row

provides channels 5-8 (in and out). When operating the

optical ports at a 2x sample rate, be sure to choose either Type

I or Type II operation, as explained in item 2. on the previous

page.

When the 8pre is connected to a computer, these optical ports

provide digital input and output to and from the computer.

When the 8pre is not connected directly to a computer (via

FireWire), the optical input is disabled and the eight optical

output channels mirror any incoming signal on the 8pre’s

eight XLR/TRS combo jack analog inputs. By connecting the

8pre to another device, such as another ADAT-optical

equipped interface or a digital mixer, you add an additional

eight mic inputs to your system.

When the 8pre is slaving to its optical input, it resolves to the

input in the top row, even when operating at the 2x sample

1. The two ADAT optical (“lightpipe”) ports in the top row

rates (88.2 or 96 kHz).

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Quick Reference: MOTU Audio Setup

CHAPTER

Click the tabs to access general MOTU interface settings or settings speciﬁc to the 8pre (or other connected interface.)

Determines the clock source for your 8pre. If you’re just using the analog ins and outs, set this to ‘Internal’. The other settings are for digital transfers (via optical) or external synchronization to other systems.

If you have a foot switch connected to another MOTU FireWire interface, these settings let you map the foot switch to any computer keyboard key for both the up and down position. This setting does not apply to the 8pre, which does not have a foot switch input.

Check this option if the audio software you are using with the 8pre does not support Windows WDM drivers and instead only supports legacy MME (Wave) drivers. When checked, this option makes all of the 8pre inputs and outputs available to legacy Wavedriver compatible audio software.

This menu lets you choose what you will hear from the headphone jack. To mirror the main outs, choose Main Out 1-2. Or you can mirror any other output pair. To hear the phones as their own independent output, choose Phones 1-2.

Choose the global sample rate for the system here.

When operating the 8pre as an interface, choosing a smaller setting here reduces the delay you may hear when listening to live input that you are running through effects plug-ins in your software. But lower settings also increase the strain on your computer. For details, see “Samples Per Buffer” on page 25.

This option should always be left on (checked). There are only a few rare cases in which you would want to turn it off. For details, refer to the MOTU tech support database at www.motu.com.

Click the 8pre tab to access these settings.

Lets you enable or disable the optical input and/or output to conser ve FireWire bus bandwidth. For details, see “Optical input/output” on page 26.

How to access these settings

There are several ways to access these settings:

■ From the Windows Start menu, choose

Programs>MOTU>MOTU Audio Setup.

■ From within Cubase SX, go to the Device

Setup window, click the VST Audiobay and then choose MOTU Audio from the menu. Then click the MOTU Audio list item to access the Control Panel button.

■ From within other applications, refer to

their documentation.

Device Setup in Cubase SX

Page 8

Page 9

About the 8pre

CHAPTER

OVERVIEW

The 8pre is and audio interface that can operate in two gene ral mode s: as a FireWi re aud io interf ace o r as an analog-to-digital converter.

With a standard 19-inch, single-space, rackmountable I/O form factor, the 8pre connects directly to a computer via a standard FireWire cable or to another interface via an ADAT optical cable.

As a FireWire audio interface, the 8pre is a complete computer-based hard disk recording system for Mac OS X and Windows that offers eight high-quality mic inputs and at any standard sample rate up to 96kHz, plus one bank of ADAT optical digital I/O that provides 8 channels of digital I/O at any sample rate up to 96 kHz. At 88.2 or 96 kHz, a second bank of dedicated ADAT optical jacks provide input and output on channels 5-8.

When the 8pre is not connected to a computer via FireWire, it operates as an analog-to-digital converter. By connecting the 8pre’s optical ports to another audio interface, digital mixer or other digital audio system that supports 8-channel ADAT optical I/O, the 8pre becomes as an 8-channel analog to optical expansion interface that adds eight high-quality mic inputs to the system.

The 8pre offers the following features:

■

Eight-channel ADAT optical digital I/O at

sample rates up to 96 kHz

■

MIDI I/O

■

On-board SMPTE synchronization

■

Headphone jack

■

Main volume knob (for headphone + main outs)

■

Front-panel 5-segment input meters

■

Front-panel mode and clock status LEDs

■

No- late ncy ana log t o di gital conve rsion f rom th e eight analog inputs to the eight ADAT optical digital outputs

With its XLR/TRS combo jack inputs, mic preamps, no-latency monitoring of live input and synchronization capabilities, the 8pre is a complete, portable “studio in a box” when used with a Macintosh or Windows computer. A WDM driver is included for audio applications running under Windows XP. Also included is an ASIO driver for multi-channel operation with any Windows audio software that supports ASIO drivers.

THE 8PRE I/O REAR PANEL

The 8pre rear panel has the following connectors:

■

Two gold-plated, balanced +4dB quarter-inch (TRS) analog outputs (with 24-bit 96kHz converters)

■

Eight 24-bit analog combo XLR/TRS mic/ instrument inputs with preamps, each equipped with individually switchable 20 dB pad and 48V phantom power

■

Two 24-bit analog TRS main outputs

■

Eight 24-bit analog combo XLR/TRS mic/ instrument inputs with preamps, each equipped with individually switchable 20 dB pad, 48V phantom power and 24-bit 96kHz converters

Page 10

■

Two sets of ADAT optical ‘light pipe’ connectors (8 channels of ADAT optical I/O at all supported sample rates)

■

MIDI IN and MIDI OUT

■

Two 6-pin FireWire jacks

16 inputs and 12 outputs

When operating as a FireWire audio interface, all 8pre inputs and outputs can be used simultaneously, for a total of 16 inputs and 12 outputs:

Connection Input Output

Mic preamps 24-bit 96kHz on XLR/TRS combo 8 -

Main outputs 24-bit 96kHz on bal/unbal TRS - stereo

Headphone output - stereo

ADAT optical digital (from 44.1 up to 96 kHz) 8 8

Total 16 12

All inputs and outputs are discrete. In other words, using a mic input does not “steal” an input from the ADAT optical I/O bank. The same is true for the headphone outs and the main outs.

The two banks of ADAT optical ports provide eight chan nels of i nput and out put at 8 8.2 or 96 kHz . The upper bank provides channels 1-4 and the lower bank provides channels 5-8.

The headphone output can operate as an independent output pair, or it can mirror any other 8pre output pair, such as the main outs.

Mic inputs with 48V phantom power

Eight rear-panel combo (XLR/TRS) jacks with preamps, phantom power and 20 dB pad let you to connect a microphone, guitar or any quarter-inch input. The XLR jack serves as a low-impedance mic input, and the TRS jack serves as a high-impedance guitar/instrument input. Dedicated front-panel trim knobs allow you to adjust each input indepen-

dently. Defeatable 48V phantom power and 20dB pad are supplied by convenient front panel switches.

Converters

All eight analog inputs are equipped with 24-bit 96kHz, 64x oversampling A/D converters. The main outs have 24-bit 128x oversampling D/A converters. All audio is carried to the computer in a 24-bit data stream.

Main Outs

The main outs are equipped with 24-bit 128x oversampling D/A converters and serve as independent outputs for the computer. The main outputs are on balanced TRS +4dB quarter-inch jacks. Both of these jacks can also accept unbalanced plugs.

Optical

The 8pre provides two banks of optical “lightpipe” jacks that support the ADAT optical digital I/O format. At 44.1 or 48 kHz, the upper bank provides eight channels of 24-bit digital audio, and the lower bank simply mirrors all 8 channels of the upper bank.

At 88.2 or 96 kHz, the upper bank handles channels 1-4 and the lower bank handles channels 5-8 via the industry Standard S/MUX (“Type I”) protocol for third-party product or MOTU’s own “Type II” protocol for connecting the 8pre optically to any MOTU audio interface. For details, see “Setting the 2x optical mode” on page 27.

MIDI I/O

The 8pre’s standard MIDI IN and MIDI OUT jacks supply 16 channels of MIDI I/O to and from the computer via the 8pre’s FireWire connection.

1394 FireWire

The two 1394 FireWire jacks accept a standard IEEE 1394 FireWire cable to connect the 8pre to a FireWire-equipped Macintosh or Windows computer. The second jack can be used to daisy

ABOUT THE 8PRE

Page 11

chain multiple interfaces — up to four MOTU FireWire interfaces — on a single FireWire bus. It can also be used to connect other FireWire devices without the need for a FireWire hub.

On-board SMPTE synchronization

The 8pre can resolve directly to SMPTE time code via any analog input, without a separate synchronizer. The 8pre provides a DSP-driven phase-lock engine with sophisticated ﬁltering that provides fast lockup times and sub-frame accuracy.

The included MOTU SMPTE Setup™ software provi des a complete set of t ools to gene rate SMPTE for striping, regenerating or slaving other devices to the computer. Like CueMix DSP, the synchronization features are cross-platform and compatible with all audio sequencer software that suppor ts the ASIO2 sample-accurate sync protocol.

Clock

The clock source.

li ghts indi cate the g loba l sample rate and

16-BIT AND 24-BIT RECORDING

The 8pre system handles all data with a 24-bit signal path, regardless of the I/O format. You can record and play back 16-bit or 24-bit audio ﬁles at any supported sample rate via any of the 8pre’s analog or digital inputs and outputs. 24-bit audio ﬁles can be recorded with any compatible host application that supports 24-bit recording.

HOST AUDIO SOFTWARE

The 8pre system ships with a standard WDM Windows driver that allows you to record, edit, play back and mix your 8pre projects using your favorite Windows audio software. In addition, this driver provides legacy Wave/MME compatibility for older applications that do not yet support WDM.

THE 8PRE FRONT PANEL

Preamp trims, 48V phantom power and pad

The 8pre front panel provides convenient, individual trim control, 48-volt phantom power switch and 20 dB pad switch for each analog input.

Headphone output and main volume control

The 8pre front panel includes a quarter-inch stereo headphone output jack and volume knob. The volume knob also controls the rear-panel main outs. Push the knob to toggle between them.

Metering section

The front panel of the 8pre displays input metering. The ﬁve-segment input meters provide dedicated multi-segment metering for their respective analog inputs.

Mode

The currently operating as a FireWire audio interface or an analog-to-optical converter.

lights indicate whether the interface is

The 8pre also includes a ASIO and GSIF drivers for multi-channel compatibility with any audio applications that support these drivers.

A COMPUTER-BASED SYSTEM

Regardless of what software you use with the 8pre, the host computer determines the number of tracks the software can record and play simultaneously, as well as the amount of real-time effects processing you can apply to your mix. A faster computer with more RAM and faster hard drives will allow more simultaneous tracks and real-time effects than a slower computer with less RAM and slower hard drives. Today’s fastest computers can typically play as many as 72 tracks or more. Standard third-party high-performance hard drive solutions can also help you achieve higher track counts.

ABOUT THE 8PRE

Page 12

ABOUT THE 8PRE

Page 13

CHAPTER

Packing List and

Windows System Requirements

PACKING LIST

The 8pre ships with the items listed below. If any of these items are not present in your 8pre box when you ﬁrst open it, please immediately contact your dealer or MOTU.

■

One 8pre I/O rack unit

■

One set of removable rack ears

■

One 6-pin to 6-pin IEEE 1394 “FireWire” cable

■

Power cord

■

One 8pre Mac/Windows manual

■

One AudioDesk Manual

■

One cross-platform CD-ROM

■

Product registration card

WINDOWS SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

The 8pre system requires the following Windows system:

■

A 1 GHz Pentium-based PC compatible or faster equipped with at least one FireWire port

PLEASE REGISTER TODAY!

Please register your 8pre today. There are two ways to register.

■

Visit www.motu.com to register online

■

Fill out and mail the included product

registration card

As a registered user, you will be eligible to receive technical support and announcements about product enhancements as soon as they become available. Only registered users receive these special update notices, so please register today.

Thank you for taking the time to register your new MOTU products!

■

A Pentium III processor or faster is recommended

■

At least 256 MB (megabytes) of RAM (512 MB or more is recommended)

■

Windows XP

■

A large hard drive (preferably at least 20 GB)

Page 14

PACKING LIST AND WINDOWS SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Page 15

CHAPTER

IMPORTANT! Run the 8pre Software

Installer First

OVERVIEW

Install the 8pre software ﬁrst! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Installing the 8pre software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

MOTU Audio Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

MOTU ASIO driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

MOTU WDM driver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

MOTU GSIF driver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

MOTU CueMix Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

MOTU SMPTE Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

INSTALL THE 8PRE SOFTWARE FIRST!

Before you connect the 8pre audio interface to your computer and turn it on, insert the 8pre software CD and run the 8pre Software Installer. This ensures that all the 8pre components are properly installed in your system.

If Windows asks you to locate the drivers

If you’ve already connected the 8pre to your computer and switched it on, Windows probably issued an alert notifying you that the 8pre requires drivers, followed by another window asking you to locate the drivers on disk. If this happens:

Cancel the driver search.

Switch off the 8pre.

INSTALLING THE 8PRE SOFTWARE

To install the 8pre software, insert the MOTU Audio CD-ROM and follow the directions it gives you on your computer screen. Also be sure to read the Read Me ﬁle for installation assistance. The 8pre ships with the following software and drivers for Windows XP:

Software component Purpose

MOTU Audio Setup Provides access to all of the settings in

MOTU CueMix Console Gives you complete control over the

MOTU SMPTE Setup Provides access to the 8pre’s SMPTE

MOTU ASIO Driver Allows Cubase or other ASIO-com-

MOTU WDM Driver Allows any WDM-driver compatible

MOTU GSIF Driver Allows you to use your 8pre with Tas-

MOTU MIDI Driver Provides MIDI input and output via

the 8pre hardware.

8pre’s CueMix DSP feature, which provides no-latency monitoring of live inputs.

time code and video sync features.

pliant software to do multi-channel input and output with the 8pre. Only required if you are using Cubase or another ASIO-dependent program.

audio software to do multichannel input and output with the 8pre.

cam GigaStudio.

the 8pre MIDI ports.

Run the 8pre Software Installer as instructed in

the next section.

Page 16

MOTU AUDIO SETUP

MOTU Audio Setup (available in the Start menu) gives you access to all of the settings in the 8pre, such as the clock source and sample rate. For complete details, see chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Setup” (page 23).

Figure 3-1: MOTU Audio Setup gives you access to all of the settings in the 8pre hardware.

MOTU ASIO DRIVER

ASIO

stands for The MOTU ASIO audio driver allows 8pre to provide multi-channel input and output for Steinberg’s Cubase SX and Nuendo software, or any other audio application that supports ASIO drivers.

The MOTU ASIO audio driver is only required if you are using Cubase SX (or another audio program that relies on the ASIO driver to support multi-channel I/O with the 8pre).

The MOTU ASIO audio driver is installed by the 8pre Software Installer and properly registered with Windows, so you don’t need to be concerned about its installation or location.

Audio Streamin g Inp ut

and

Output

For details about using Cubase SX and Nuendo with the 8pre, see chapter 7, “Cubase, Nuendo and Other ASIO Software” (page 29).

MOTU WDM DRIVER

The MOTU WDM audio driver provides standard multi-channel input and output for audio applications running under Windows XP. See chapter 8, “SONAR and other WDM Software” (page 35) for details.

The MOTU Audio installer CD installs the MOTU WDM driver into Windows for you.

MOTU GSIF DRIVER

The MOTU GSIF audio driver allows you to access the 8pre as an audio interface for Tascam GigaStudio and related products. The GSIF driver features low-latency multi-channel performance. See chapter 9, “GigaStudio and GSIF” (page 41).

MOTU MIDI DRIVER

This driver allows you to access the 8pre’s MIDI input and output ports. The ports are published in Windows and are available to all MIDI software.

MOTU CUEMIX CONSOLE

This program provides a mixing console that gives

you control over the 8pre’s no-latency CueMix DSP features. For details, see chapter 11, “MOTU CueMix Console” (page 51).

MOTU SMPTE SETUP

The MOTU SMPTE Setup software provides a complete set of tools for resolving the 8pre to SMPTE time code, and to generate SMPTE for striping, regenerating or slaving other devices to the computer. For details, see chapter 12, “MOTU SMPTE Setup” (page 59).

IMPORTANT! RUN THE 8PRE SOFTWARE INSTALLER FIRST

Page 17

CHAPTER

Installing the 8pre Hardware

OVERVIEW

Here’s an overview for installing the 8pre:

Connect the 8pre to your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Connect the 8pre to the computer.

Connect audio inputs and outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Make optical and analog connections as desired.

Connect MIDI gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Connect a controller, synth or control surface.

Operating the 8pre as an interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

An example setup for computer-based mixing/FX.

Operating the 8pre as a converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

An example setup for a mixer-based studio.

Syncing optical devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

CONNECT THE 8PRE TO YOUR COMPUTER

Plug one end of the 8pre FireWire cable (included) into the FireWire socket on the computer as shown below in Figure 4-1.

Plug the other end of the FireWire cable into the 8pre I/O as shown below in Figure 4-1.

Figure 4-1: Connecting the 8pre to the computer.

Page 18

CONNECT AUDIO INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

The 8pre audio interface has the following audio input and output connectors:

■

8 combo XLR/quarter-inch analog mic/guitar/

instrument inputs

■

2 balanced, +4 dB quarter-inch TRS main outs

■ 2 pair of ADAT optical (“Lightpipe”) in/out

Here are a few things you should keep in mind as you are making these connections to other devices.

Mic/guitar/instrument inputs

Connect a microphone, guitar or other similar instrument to any XLR/quarter-inch combo jack input on the rear panel. If your microphone requires phantom power, move the 48V phantom power switch on the front panel to the up position (enabled). Use the trim knobs on the front panel to adjust the input level as needed for each input. The trim knob provides approximately 40 dB of gain. Use the input level meters on the front panel (labeled Analog In) to calibrate the level. These meters register for both the XLR and TRS input.

If a line level signal is still too hot with the trim turned all the way down, engage (ﬂip down) the 20dB pad switch on the front panel.

Main outs

The main outputs serve as independent outputs. The main out volume is controlled by the volume knob on the front panel. Push the knob to toggle between phone and main out volume control. In a standard studio conﬁguration, the main outs are intended for a pair of studio monitors, but they can also be used as additional outputs for any purpose.

Reminder: optical goes OUT to IN and IN to OUT. Input and output are independent. For example, you could connect ADAT optical input from your digital mixer and connect the output to an audio interface connected to your computer.

Optical operation at 44.1 or 48 kHz

When connected to an ADAT “lightpipe” compatible device, the two optical connectors in the top row provide eight channels of digital input and output at 44.1 and 48 kHz.

In a ddit ion, wh en ope rati ng the 8pre at a 1x sample rate (either 44.1 or 48 kHz), optical output is duplicated on the second (lower) optical output. This lets you send the 8pre’s 8-channel ADAT optical output to two separate destinations in your studio, if needed.

Optical operation at 88.2 or 96 kHz

When operating the 8pre at the 2x sample rates (88.2 or 96 kHz), the top row of optical connectors provides channels 1-4 (in and out) and the bottom row provides channels 5-8 (in and out) when connected to another optical device that supports

88.2/96 kHz optical sample rates.

When operating the optical ports at a 2x sample rate, be sure to choose either Type I or Type II operation, as explained in “Setting the 2x optical mode” on page 27.

Using optical I/O when operating the 8pre as an audio interface

When the 8pre is connected to a computer (Figure 4-4 on page 20), these optical ports provide digital input and output to and from the computer.

Optical

The 8pre provides 8-channel digital input and output at 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96 kHz. The 8pre rear panel provides two sets of ADAT optical (“lightpipe”) connectors: an top row and a bottom row.

Using optical I/O to operate the 8pre as an 8-channel expander

When the 8pre is not connected directly to a computer via FireWire, the optical input is disabled and the eight optical output channels mirror any incoming signal on the 8pre’s eight XLR/TRS

INSTALLING THE 8PRE HARDWARE

Page 19

combo jack analog inputs. By connecting the 8pre optical output to another device, such as another ADAT-optical equipped interface or a digital mixer, you add an additional eight mic inputs to your system, as demonstrated in Figure 4-5 on page 21. This can be done at any sample rate up to 96 kHz.

To set the sample rate (or clock mode) when operating as an 8-channel optical expander, see “Setting the clock source in converter mode” on page 27.

Connecting additional gear with MIDI THRUs

If you need to connect several pieces of MIDI gear, run a MIDI c able from the MIDI THRU of a de vice already connected to the 8pre to the MIDI IN on the additional device as shown below in Figure 4-3. The two devices then share the 8pre’s MIDI OUT port. This means that they share the same set of 16 MIDI channels, too, so try to do this with devices that receive on only one MIDI channel (such as effects modules) so their receive channels don’t conﬂict with one another.

CONNECT MIDI GEAR

Connect your MIDI device’s MIDI IN jack to the 8pre’s MIDI OUT jack (Connection A below). Conversely, connect the MIDI device’s MIDI OUT jack to the 8pre’s MIDI IN jack (Connection B).

8pre

rear panel

MIDI OUT

Connection A

MIDI Device

Figure 4-2: Connecting a MIDI device to the 8pre.

MIDI

cables

MIDI INMIDI

OUT

One-way MIDI connections

MIDI devices that do not receive MIDI data, such as a dedicated keyboard controller, guitar controller, or drum pad, only need Connection B shown in Figure 4-2. Similarly, devices that never send data, such as a sound module, only need Connection A. Make both connections for any device that needs to both send and receive MIDI data.

MIDI

Connection B

8pre

rear panel

MIDI OUT

MIDI

MIDI Device

Figure 4-3: Connecting additional devices with MIDI THRU ports.

MIDI

THRU

MIDI

cable

MIDI IN

Additional device

INSTALLING THE 8PRE HARDWARE

Page 20

OPERATING THE 8pre AS AN INTERFACE

Here is a typical studio setup for using the 8pre as an audio interface. All mixing and processing can be done in the computer with audio software. During recording, you can use the 8pre’s CueMix™

8pre front

panel

monitors

FireWire

8pre back

panel

Optical

In Out

DSP no-latency monitoring to listen to what you are recording via the main outs, headphone outs, or any other output pair. You can control monitoring from the included MOTU CueMix Console software.

headphones

mic

other inputs

(mics, guitars, etc.)

Optical

Out

Digital mixer

Optical

synthesizer

quarter-inch

analog outs

MIDI IN/OUT

Figure 4-4: A typical 8pre studio setup.

guitar (with or without an amp)

INSTALLING THE 8PRE HARDWARE

Page 21

OPERATING THE 8pre AS A CONVERTER

As explained earlier in “Using optical I/O to operate the 8pre as an 8-channel expander” on page 18, the 8pre can serve as an 8-channel analogto-digital converter when disconnected from the computer and instead connected to another device equipped with an ADAT optical input. For example, you could connect the 8pre optical output to the optical input on a MOTU audio interface, such as the 828, 828mkII, Traveler, 896, 896HD or UltraLite. The 8pre then serves as an 8-channel expander that adds an additional 8 mic inputs to the interface. The beneﬁt of connecting the 8pre in

USB2

828mkII-USB (UltraFast USB 2 audio interface)

ADAT optical In

this manner (instead of as another FireWire interface) is that you can seamlessly integrate the 8pre’s inputs into the on-board no-latency CueMix monitor mixing in the interface, since the 8pre’s inputs are fed into CueMix via the interface’s optical inputs.

If the device to which you are connecting the 8pre supports 2x optical sample rates (88.2 or 96 kHz), you’ll need to use both banks of connectors as discussed in “Optical operation at 88.2 or 96 kHz” on page 18.

ADAT optical Out

8pre rear panel

Figure 4-5: Using the 8pre as an optical converter.

INSTALLING THE 8PRE HARDWARE

quarter-inch

analog outs

synthesizer

other inputs

(mics, guitars, etc.)

mic

guitar (with or without an amp)

Page 22

SYNCING OPTICAL DEVICES

The word optical is our shor t-hand way of refer rin g to any device that connects to the 8pre via an optical cable. An example is an audio interface with optical connectors on it. There are many other devices that fall into this category, including digital mixers, digital effects processors, synthesizers and many more.

When you are operating at the 1x sample rates (44.1 or 48 kHz), use the top two connectors.

When you are operating at the 2x sample rates, (88.2 or 96 kHz), use both sets of connectors. The top row provides channels 1-4 and the bottom row provides channels 5-8, as indicated by the blue labeling on the rear panel (Figure 4-7).

When connecting optical devices, make sure that their digital audio clock is phase-locked (in sync with) the 8pre. There are two ways to do this:

■ Slave the optical device to the 8pre

■ Slave the 8pre to the optical device

Two banks of optical

The 8pre has two banks of optical connectors: a top row and a bottom row:

Figure 4-7: Two optical banks.

8pre Clock Source setting = Internal, or any clock source

setting except Optical. The optical

device slaves to the 8pre (via its

optical cable connection).

Setting the clock source

In ADAT optical clock mode (as demonstrated in the right-hand diagram below), the 8pre always resolves to the optical input in the top row, even during 88.2 or 96 kHz operation. So be sure to connect the device that is the ADAT optical clock master to the 8pre’s optical input in the top row.

Optical bank mirroring

When the 8pre is operating at the 1x sample rates (44.1 or 48 kHz), the optical output in the bottom row mirrors the 8-channel optical output in the top row.

With this setup, in MOTU Audio Setup, choose the Optical clock

source setting. The 8pre slaves to

the optical device via their optical

cable connection.

8pre

ADAT Optical OUT

Audio interface or other optical

device

Figure 4-6: Two setups for synchronizing an optical device with the 8pre.

ADAT Optical IN

Audio interface

or other optical

device

8pre

INSTALLING THE 8PRE HARDWARE

ADAT Optical OUT

ADAT Optical IN

8pre Clock Source setting = optical

Page 23

CHAPTER

5 MOTU Audio Setup

OVERVIEW

Accessing the 8pre settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

’General’ tab Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Sample Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Clock Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Samples Per Buffer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Enable Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Wave support for legacy (MME) software . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

‘8pre’ tab settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Optical input/output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Phones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

ACCESSING THE 8PRE SETTINGS

There are several ways to access MOTU Audio Setup settings:

■ From the Windows Start menu, choose

Programs>MOTU>MOTU Audio Setup

■ In Cubase SX or Nuendo, open the Device Setup

window, click VST Audiobay and choose MOTU Aud io from the Master ASIO Driver menu. Then click the MOTU Audio item in the list and click the Control Panel button as shown below.

General tab settings

The General tab provides settings that apply globally to all connected MOTU interfaces.

8pre tab settings

The 8pre tab provides settings that apply to a speciﬁc 8pre interface. If you have several 8pres (or other MOTU audio interfaces) connected, you’ll see a separate tab for each one.

■ From within other ASIO-compatible programs,

refer to their documentation.

Page 24

’GENERAL’ TAB SETTINGS

Sample Rate

Choose the desired Sample Rate for recording and playback. The 8pre can operate at 44.1 (the standard rate for compact disc audio), 48, 88.2 or 96 kHz. Make absolutely sure that all of the devices connected digitally to the 8pre match the 8pre’s sample rate. Also make sure that your Digital Timepiece, MIDI Timepiece AV or other digital audio synchronizer matches it as well.

☛ Mismatched sample rates cause distortion and

crackling. If you hear this sort of thing, check the sample rate settings in your hardware and here in MOTU Audio Setup.

Clock Source

The Clock Source determines the digital audio clock that the 8pre will use as its time base. The following sections brieﬂy discuss each clock source setting.

Internal

Use the Internal setting when you want the 8pre to operate under its own digital audio clock. For example, you may be in a situation where all you are doing is playing tracks off hard disk in your digital audio software on the computer. In a situation like this, you most often don’t need to reference an external clock of any kind.

ADAT optical

The ADAT optical clock source setting refers to the clock provided by the 8pre’s optical input, when it is connected to an ADAT optical device. This setting can be used to slave the 8pre directly to the optical input connection. In this scenario, the ADAT Optical clock source setting lets you slave the 8pre to the other device via its digital connection to the 8pre.

☛ The 8pre has two banks of optical connectors:

a top row (for 8-channel operation at 44.1 or 48 kHz) and a bottom row (for channels 5-8 at 88.2 or

Figure 5-1: MOTU Audio Setup gives you access to all of the settings in the 8pre hardware.

MOTU AUDIO SETUP

Page 25

96 kHz). In ADAT optical clock mode, the 8pre always resolves to the optical input in the top row, eve n during 88.2 or 96 kH z operat ion. So be sure to connect the ADAT optical clock master to the optical input in the top row.

If the ADAT Optical setting does not appear in the menu, it means that the 8pre’s optical input is currently turned off. Choose the ADAT optical format from the Optical input menu (Figure 5-1 on page 24).

For further details about this setting, see “Syncing optical devices” on page 22.

SMPTE

Choose this setting to resolve the 8pre directly to SMPTE time code (LTC) being received via any analog input. For details, see chapter 12, “MOTU SMPTE Setup” (page 59).

Samples Per Buffer

The Samples Per Buffer setting lets you reduce the delay you hear when patching live audio through your audio software. For example, you might have a live microphone input that you would like to run through a reverb plug-in that you are running in your host audio software. When doing so, you may hear or feel some “sponginess” (delay) between the source and the processed signal. If so, don’t worry. This effect only affects what you hear: it is not present in what is actually recorded.

Adjusting the Samples Per Buffer setting impacts the following things:

■ The strain on your computer’s CPU

■ The delay you hear when routing a live signal

through your host audio software plug-ins

■ How responsive the transport controls are in

your software

This setting presents you with a trade-off between the processing power of your computer and the delay of live audio as it is being processed by plug-ins. If you reduce the Samples Per Buffer, you reduce patch thru latency, but signiﬁcantly increase the overall processing load on your computer, leaving less CPU bandwidth for things like realtime effects processing. On the other hand, if you increase the Samples Per Buffer, you reduce the load on your computer, freeing up bandwidth for effects, mixing and other real-time operations. But don’t set the Samples Per Buffer too low, or it may cause distortion in your audio.

If you don’t process live inputs with software plug-ins, leave this setting at its default value of 1024 samples. If you do, try settings of 256 samples or less, if your computer seems to be able to handle them. If your host audio software has a processor meter, check it. If it starts getting maxed out, or if the computer seems sluggish, raise the Samples Per Buffer until performance returns to normal.

Yo u c an u se Samples Per Buffer setting to reduce this monitoring delay—and even make it completely inaudible.

☛ If you don’t need to process an incoming live

signal with software plug-ins, you can monitor the signal with no delay at all using MOTU CueMix Console, which routes the signal directly to your speakers via hardware. For details, see chapter 11, “MOTU CueMix Console” (page 51).

MOTU AUDIO SETUP

If you a re at a point in your record ing projec t wh ere you are not currently working with live, patchedthru material (e.g. you’re not recording vocals), or if you have a way of externally monitoring input, choose a higher Samples Per Buffer setting. Depending on your computer’s CPU speed, you might ﬁnd that settings in the middle work best.

The Samples Per Buffer setting also impacts how quickly your audio software will respond when you begin playback, although not by amounts that are

Page 26

very noticeable. Lowering the Samples Per Buffer will make your software respond faster; raising the Samples Per Buffer will make it a little bit slower, but barely enough to notice.

Monitoring live inputs without plug-in effects

As mentioned earlier, CueMix Console allows you to monitor dry, unprocessed live inputs with no delay at all. For complete details, see chapter 10, “Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 45).

Enable Pedal

This setting applies to other MOTU FireWire audio interfaces, but it does not apply to the 8pre.

they are not in use. This frees up the FireWire bus for other devices that may also be connected to the bus (such as additional interfaces).

Phones

The Phones setting lets you choose what you will hear from the headphone jack. Choose Main Outs 1-2 if you’d like the headphone output to match the main outs. Choose Phones 1-2 if you would like the headphones to serve as their own independent output, which you can access as an independent output destination in your host audio software and as an output destination for the four on-board CueMix DSP mix busses.

Wave support for legacy (MME) software

Windows only exposes the ﬁrst two channels of a multi-channel WDM audio stream to applications which use the legacy (MME) multimedia interface. The Enable full Wave support for legacy (MME) software (less efﬁcient) option forces the 8pre multimedia driver to expose all channels as stereo pairs, providing full MME support.

If your host audio software does not directly support WDM audio and instead only supports legacy MME drivers, use this option to access multiple 8pre input and output channels.

If your host audio software does directly support WDM audio, leave this option unchecked for optimal performance.

This option is only available when the multimedia driver has been installed, and it defaults to being not checked.

‘8PRE’ TAB SETTINGS

Optical input/output

The Optical input and Optical output settings let you enable or disable the optical ports. For example, when operating the 8pre as an audio interface, you can conserve FireWire bus bandwidth by disabling the optical ports when

Disable interface

You can disable an interface at any time with the Disable interface option. Doing so frees up the FireWire bandwidth required by the interface without turning it off. Switching off an interface accomplishes the same thing. To get MOTU Audio Se tup t o forg et ab out a n int erface enti rely, you’ll see a Forget button in MOTU Audio Setup. Just click the Forget button and MOTU Audio Setup will no longer consider the interface to be present but off line (turned off).

MOTU AUDIO SETUP

Page 27

CHAPTER

6 Front Panel Settings

OVERVIEW

The VOLUME knob is a rotar y enco der that can be pushed as well as turned. By pushing it repeatedly, or by pushing and holding it in for varying amounts of time, you can adjust several 8pre settings as described in the following sections.

Figure 6-1: The VOLUME knob is a push-button rotary encoder.

Except where noted, all of the features described in this chapter are available when the 8pre is operating as either an audio interface or an optical converter.

ADJUSTING HEADPHONE VOLUME

Turn the VOLUME knob to adjust headphone volume. In the Analog In LED section to the right, the row of amber LEDs, second from the top, provides general feedback regarding the headphone level as you turn the knob.

right, the middle row of green LEDs, third from the bottom, provides general feedback regarding the headphone level as you turn the knob.

Figure 6-3: When you adjust main out volume, the top-most green row of LEDs, third from the bottom, provides feedback as you turn the rotary encoder.

SETTING THE 2X OPTICAL MODE

Push and hold the knob for 5 seconds to enter a mode where you can change 2x optical input and output (88.2 or 96kHz) to Type I (for 2x optical connection to SMUX-compatible products) or Type II (for 2x optical connection to MOTU products). The bottom LED in the “1” or “2” column ﬂashes. Turn the volume knob to switch between Type I and II, respectively.

Figure 6-2: When you adjust headphone volume, the amber row of LEDs (second from the top) provides feedback as you turn the rotary encoder.

ADJUSTING MAIN OUT VOLUME

Push in the knob twice (so that it clicks two times) and then turn it to adjust the volume of the main outs on the rear panel. In the LED section to the

Figure 6-4: Setting the optical mode.

SETTING THE CLOCK SOURCE IN CONVERTER MODE

When the 8pre is operating as an optical converter (when it is not connected to a computer via Firewire), push in and hold the VOLUME knob for 3 seconds to enter a mode where you can change the clock source. In this mode, the CLOCK LED

Page 28

ﬂashes, turn the knob to change the clock mode. Push it again to conﬁrm the current clock setting exit clock mode.

FRONT PANEL SETTINGS

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CHAPTER

7 Cubase, Nuendo and Other ASIO

Software

OVERVIEW

The 8pre includes an ASIO driver that provides multi-channel I/O and sample-accurate synchronization with Steinberg’s Cubase family of digital audio sequencers, including Cubase SX and Nuen do.

What is ASIO? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Run MOTU Audio Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Choosing the MOTU ASIO driver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Number of channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

ASIO Direct monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Other System dialog settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Viewing and managing 8pre inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Viewing and managing 8pre outputs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Changing 8pre settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Processing live inputs with plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Syncing to SMPTE time code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

MIDI I/O via the 8pre MIDI ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

24-bit operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Monitoring system performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

WHAT IS ASIO?

ASIO is an acronym for Audio Streaming Input and Output. The ASIO MOTU Audio driver allows the

8pre to provide multi-channel audio input and output for any audio application that supports ASIO drivers.

If your audio software doesn’t support ASIO

If your host audio software does not support ASIO, but instead supports WDM (or legacy Wave) audio drivers, refer to the next chapter.

PREPARATION

To make sure that everything is ready for Cubase, install Cubase ﬁrst (if you haven’t already done so), and then see these chapters before proceeding:

■ chapter 3, “IMPORTANT! Run the 8pre

Software Installer First” (page 15)

■ chapter 4, “Installing the 8pre Hardware”

(page 17).

RUN MOTU AUDIO SETUP

Before you run Cubase, launch MOTU Audio Setup to conﬁgure your 8pre hardware. MOTU Audio Setup lets you conﬁgure your audio interface, and it lets you enable optical inputs and outputs. Only enabled inputs and outputs will be available to Cubase, so this is an important step. For complete details regarding MOTU Audio Setup, see chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Setup” (page 23).

Attention: Other software users

The 8pre ASIO driver also provides multi-channel I/O with any ASIO-compatible audio software. Cubase is used for the examples in this chapter. However, the basic procedures are the same and can be easily applied to any ASIO-compatible software. Just follow the general descriptions at the beginning of each main section in this chapter. Consult your software documentation for details about each topic, if necessary.

Page 30

Figure 7-1: MOTU Audio Setup gives you access to all of the settings in the 8pre hardware, including the clock source, sample rate and optical I/O enable/disable.

For complete details about the 8pre settings, see chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Setup” (page 23). The following sections provide a brief explanation of each 8pre setting for use with Cubase.

Sample rate

Choose the desired overall sample rate for the 8pre system and Cubase. Newly recorded audio in Cubase will have this sample rate.

Clock Source

This setting is very important because it determines which audio clock the 8pre will follow.

If you do not have any digital audio connections to your 8pre (you are using the analog inputs and outputs only), and you will not be slaving Cubase to external SMPTE time code, choose Internal.

If you have digital audio devices connected to the 8pre, or if you are not sure about the clock source of your setup, be sure to read “Syncing optical devices” on page 22 and “Clock Source” on page 24.

If you are slaving the 8pre and Cubase to SMPTE time code via the 8pre itself, choose SMPTE and follow the directions in “Setting up for SMPTE time code sync” on page 62.

☛ If you are using an ASIO host application

other than Cubase or Nuendo, it must support the ASIO 2.0 sample-accurate positioning protocol in order to support the 8pre’s direct SMPTE sync (and sample-accurate sync) feature.

Samples Per Buffer

The Samples Per Buffer setting can be used to reduce the delay — or monitoring latency — that you hear when live audio is patched through your 8pre hardware and Cubase. For example, you might have MIDI instruments, samplers, microphones, and so on connected to the analog inputs of the 8pre. If so, you will often be mixing their live input with audio material recorded in Cubase. See chapter 10, “Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 45) for complete details.

Optical input and output

To make a 8pre optical input or output available in Cubase, choose ADAT from the optical input and/or output menu. If you won’t be using the optical connectors, turn them off.

Phones

This 8pre setting lets you choose what you’ll hear from the headphone jack. For example, if you choose Main Outs 1-2, the headphones will duplicate the main outs. Or you can choose any other output pair. If you choose Phones 1-2, this setting makes the headphone jack serve as its own independent output pair. As a result, you’ll see Phones 1-2 as an additional audio destination in Cubase’s audio output menus.

CHOOSING THE MOTU ASIO DRIVER

Once you’ve made the preparations described so far in this chapter, you’re ready to run your audio software and enable the MOTU ASIO driver.

CUBASE, NUENDO AND OTHER ASIO SOFTWARE

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Check the audio system or audio hardware conﬁguration window in your software. There will be a menu there that lets you choose among various ASIO drivers that may be in your system. Choose the MOTU ASIO driver from this menu.

Nuendo, Cubase SX and V-Stack

To activate the 8pre driver in Nuendo or Cubase SX, go to the Device Setup window, click VST

Aud iob ay and choose MOTU Audio from the Master ASIO Driver menu as shown below. Make

the other settings in the dialog as need for your system and synchronization scenario.

Figure 7-2: Activating the 8pre ASIO driver in Nuendo and Cubase.

ASIO DIRECT MONITORING

The ASIO Direct Monitoring option (Figure 7-2) allows you to monitor inputs directly in the 8pre hardware with no drain on your computer and near zero latency. When you enable this option, Cubase uses the 8pre’s CueMix DSP monitoring features whenever you use Cubase’s monitoring features. For further information, see “Controlling CueMix DSP from your audio software” on page 49.

OTHER SYSTEM DIALOG SETTINGS

Consult your Cubase or Nuendo documentation for details about the rest of the settings in this dialog.

VIEWING AND MANAGING 8PRE INPUTS

Once you’ve chosen t he MOTU Audio driver in the Audio System dialog as explained earlier, click VST Inputs beneath the MOTU Audio item (Figure 7-3). The list on the right displays inputs supplied by the 8pre, as well as any other connected MOTU audio interfaces. If the list does not match what you expect to see, click the Reset button.

NUMBER OF CHANNELS

In Cubase, be sure to choose enough channels in the System dialog (as shown above in Figure 7-2) to cover the 16 channels of input and 12 channels of output provided by your 8pre — although the number of channels may depe nd on how your 8pre is conﬁgured:

■ 8 channels for analog input and output

■ Zero or 8 channels for optical, depending on

whether you have optical turned on or off

For example, if you are using analog only, you only need 8 voices. If you are using analog and optical, you need 16 voices.

In Cubase, set the number of channels in the System dialog (as shown above in Figure 7-2).

CUBASE, NUENDO AND OTHER ASIO SOFTWARE

Figure 7-3: Creating 8pre inputs in Nuendo or Cubase SX.

The “Mix1 1-2” input

In the Cubase Inputs window, you’ll see an 8pre input called Mix1 1-2. This input source delivers the output of CueMix DSP “MIX1” (the ﬁrst mix bus of the four on-board no-latency monitor mixes

Page 32

in the 8pre) back to your computer. This input serves, for example, as a convenient way for you to record the 8pre’s MIX1 monitor mix back into Cubase (for reference and archiving purposes). Further, if you are sending audio from Cubase to the same output pair as MIX1, you can choose to either include or exclude the audio from the computer in the stream being sent back to Cubase. For details on how to do this, see “Mix1 Return Includes Computer” on page 55.

☛ Warning: the Mix1 1-2 input can cause

feedback loops! DO NOT assign this input to a track that shares the same 8pre output pair as MIX1.

VIEWING AND MANAGING 8PRE OUTPUTS

To view and manage 8pre outputs, click VST Outputs beneath the MOTU Audio item

(Figure 7-4).

CHANGING 8PRE SETTINGS

To change the 8pre settings at any time, go to the De vi ce S etu p w ind ow i n Nue ndo or C uba se S X an d click the ASIO Control Panel button, as shown in Figure 7-2 on page 31. Be sure to click the Reset button after making any changes.

PROCESSING LIVE INPUTS WITH PLUG-INS

If you patch a live input (such as MIDI synthesizer) through a VST plug-in effect in Cubase, you might hear a slight delay. There are several ways to reduce this delay. For details, see chapter 10, “Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 45).

SYNCING TO SMPTE TIME CODE

Cubase or Nuendo can run under its own transport control or slave to SMPTE time code via the 8pre. For details, see “Resolving Cubase or Nuendo to SMPTE time code” on page 63.

MIDI I/O VIA THE 8PRE MIDI PORTS

Once you’ve run the 8pre’s software installer as explained in “Installing the 8pre software” on page 15, the 8pre MIDI ports will appear as a input source and output destination in the MIDI input and output menus of your ASIO-compatible host software.

Figure 7-4: Working with 8pre outputs in Nuendo or Cubase.

The “Phones 1-2” output

If you’ve chosen to treat the 8pre headphones as an independent output, you’ll see Phones 1-2 as a 8pre output destination. Audio tracks assigned to this output pair will be heard on the headphone jack only. For further explanation, see “Phones” on page 30.

24-BIT OPERATION

Your 8pre hardware fully supports Cubase and Nuendo’s 24-bit recording capabilities. Simply enable 24-bit operation as instructed in your Cubase or Nuendo manual. The 8pre always supplies a 24-bit data stream, and when you enable 24-bit operation in Cubase or Nuendo, it simply uses all 24-bits supplied by the 8pre hardware.

MONITORING SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

Because it has so many inputs and outputs, the 8pre may push the limits of your computer’s processing power. Keep the VST Performance window open to keep tabs on the load on your CPU and disk buffers. If the meters get too high, you can reduce the load by reducing the number of inputs and

CUBASE, NUENDO AND OTHER ASIO SOFTWARE

Page 33

outputs you are working with. Use MOTU Audio Setup to disable the optical I/O, if it is not being used.

Figure 7-5: Keep the Audio Performance window open to keep tabs on your computer’s processing power and hard disk performance.

CUBASE, NUENDO AND OTHER ASIO SOFTWARE

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CUBASE, NUENDO AND OTHER ASIO SOFTWARE

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CHAPTER

8 SONAR and other WDM Software

OVERVIEW

The 8pre WDM driver provides standard multichannel input and output for WDM-compatible audio software running under Windows XP.

WDM and Wave driver compatibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Installing the MOTU Audio WDM driver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Enabling Wave (MME) compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Making settings in MOTU Audio Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Enabling the MOTU Audio WDM driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Number of channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Working with 8pre inputs and outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Changing 8pre settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Reducing delay when monitoring live inputs . . . . . . . . 39

MIDI I/O via the 8pre MIDI ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

24-bit operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

WDM AND WAVE DRIVER COMPATIBILITY

WDM is an acronym for Windows Driver Model. The MOTU Audio WDM driver allows the 8pre to provide multi-channel audio input and output for any audio application that supports WDM audio drivers.

Attention: Cakewalk users

Cakewalk SONAR is used for the WDM driver setup examples in this chapter. If you prefer to use the 8pre ASIO driver with SONAR, refer to the previous chapter.

Attention: other software users

SONAR and Sound Forge are used for the WDM driver setup examples in this chapter. However, the basic procedures are similar and can be easily applied to any WDM-compatible software. Consult your software documentation, if necessary.

INSTALLING THE MOTU AUDIO WDM DRIVER

The MOTU Audio Installer CD installs the MOTU Audio WDM driver into Windows for you. That’s pretty much all the preparation you need. See chapter 3, “IMPORTANT! Run the 8pre Software Installer First” (page 15).

ENABLING WAVE (MME) COMPATIBILITY

If your host audio software does not yet support Windows WDM drivers, enable Wave driver compatibility in the MOTU Audio WDM driver so that all of the 8pre’s inputs and outputs show up in your software. For details, see “Wave support for legacy (MME) software” on page 26.

☛ If your host audio software does support

WDM audio drivers, don’t enable Wave driver compatibility.

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MAKING SETTINGS IN MOTU AUDIO SETUP

Before you run your audio software, launch MOTU Audio Setup to conﬁgure your 8pre hardware. MOTU Audio Setup lets you choose the audio clock source, and it lets you enable the optical input and output, if needed. For details, see chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Setup” (page 23).

Figure 8-1: MOTU Audio Setup gives you access to all of the settings in the 8pre hardware, including the clock source, sample rate and optical I/O enable/disable.

For complete details about the 8pre settings, see chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Setup” (page 23). The following sections provide a brief explanation of each 8pre setting for use with SONAR.

Sample rate

Choose the desired overall sample rate for the 8pre system and SONAR. Newly recorded audio in SONAR will have this sample rate.

Clock Source

This setting is very important because it determines which audio clock the 8pre will follow.

If you do not have any digital audio connections to your 8pre (you are using the analog inputs and outputs only), and you will not be slaving SONAR to external SMPTE time code, choose Internal.

Samples Per Buffer

The Samples Per Buffer setting can be used to reduce the delay — or monitoring latency — that you hear when live audio is patched through your 8pre hardware and SONAR. For example, you might have MIDI instruments, samplers, microphones, and so on connected to the analog inputs of the 8pre. If so, you will often be mixing their live input with audio material recorded in SONAR. See chapter 10, “Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 45) for complete details.

Optical input and output

To make a 8pre optical input or output available in SONAR, choose ADAT from the optical input and/or output menu. If you won’t be using the optical connectors, turn them off.

Phones

SONAR AND OTHER WDM SOFTWARE

Page 37

ENABLING THE MOTU AUDIO WDM DRIVER

Once you’ve made the preparations described so far in this chapter, you’re ready to run your audio software and enable the MOTU Audio WDM driver. Check the audio system or audio hardware conﬁguration window in your software.

Enabling the MOTU Audio WDM driver in SONAR

To activate the MOTU Audio WDM driver in SONAR:

1 Choose Aud io from the Options menu.

2 Click the Drivers tab.

3 Highlight the 8pre inputs and outputs that you

wish to use and unhighlight the ones you don’t as shown in Figure 8-2.

Figure 8-3: Enabling the ASIO driver instead of the WDM driver.

Other audio settings in SONAR

There are a few other settings in SONAR that impact 8pre operation:

1 In the Audio Options window, click the General tab.

2 Choose a 8pre input and output for recording and playback timing as shown below in Figure 8-4. It doesn’t matter which input or output you choose.

Figure 8-2: Activating the MOTU Audio WDM driver in SONAR by highlighting 8pre inputs and outputs.

Enabling the MOTU ASIO driver in SONAR

As an alternative to the 8pre’s WDM driver, you can use the 8pre’s ASIO driver. Note, however, that you can only use one audio interface at a time under ASIO. Go to the Advanced tab and choose ASIO from the Driver Mode menu:

SONAR AND OTHER WDM SOFTWARE

Figure 8-4: Make sure you have chosen a 8pre input and output for the playback and recording timing master settings.

Page 38

3 In the General tab, click the Wave Proﬁler button and run the Wave Proﬁler. This process chooses the optimum settings for the 8pre hardware.

■ 8 channels for analog input and output

■ Zero or 8 channels for optical, depending on

whether you have optical turned on or off

For example, if you are using analog only, you only need 8 voices. If you are using analog and optical, you need 16 voices.

Figure 8-5: Running the Wave Proﬁler in Cakewalk’s SONAR.

Enabling the MOTU Audio WDM driver in Sound Forge

To activate the MOTU Audio WDM driver in Sound Forge, go to the Preferences window, click the Audi o tab, and then choose MOTU Audio from the Audio device type menu as shown below.

Figure 8-6: Enabling the 8pre driver in Sound Forge.

NUMBER OF CHANNELS

If your audio software requires that you specify the number of audio input and output channels, be sure to choose enough to cover the 16 channels of input and 12 channels of output provided by your 8pre — although the number of channels may depend on how your 8pre is conﬁgured:

WORKING WITH 8PRE INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

Once you’ve enabled the 8pre inputs and outputs, 8pre audio inputs and outputs will appear in your host software’s input/output menus, and you can set them up and use them as any standard audio input and output. If you don’t see the optical inputs and/or outputs, check MOTU Audio Setup to make sure they are turned on. If you don’t plan to use the optical input or output, turn it off to conserve computer bandwidth.

The “Mix1 1” input

In your host software’s Input Drivers list, you’ll see an 8pre input called Mix1 1-2. This input source delivers the output of CueMix DSP “MIX1” (the ﬁrst mix bus of the four on-board no-latency monitor mixes in the 8pre) back to your computer. This input serves, for example, as a convenient way for you to record the 8pre’s MIX1 monitor mix back into the computer (for reference and archiving purposes). Further, if you are sending audi o fr om t he c ompu ter to t he s ame out put pai r as MIX1, you can choose to either include or exclude the audio from the computer in the stream being sent back to your host software. For details on how to do this, see “Mix1 Return Includes Computer” on page 55.

☛ Warning: the Mix1 1-2 input can cause

feedback loops! DO NOT assign this input to a track that shares the same 8pre output pair as MIX1.

SONAR AND OTHER WDM SOFTWARE

Page 39

The “Phones 1-2” output

CHANGING 8PRE SETTINGS

You can change the 8pre settings at any time by accessing MOTU Audio Setup.

— this audible monitoring delay. For details, see chapter 10, “Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 45).

MIDI I/O VIA THE 8PRE MIDI PORTS

REDUCING DELAY WHEN MONITORING LIVE INPUTS

If you have live audio inputs connected to the 8pre, such as MIDI synthesizers, samplers, microphones or other live instruments, you might hear a slight delay when their audio is being monitored through your 8pre hardware and your host audio program. There are several ways to reduce — and eliminate

24-BIT OPERATION

Your 8pre hardware fully supports 24-bit recording in any audio software that supports it. Simply enable 24-bit operation as instructed by the software. The 8pre system always supplies the software with a 24-bit data stream, and when you enable 24-bit operation, it simply uses all 24-bits supplied by the 8pre hardware.

SONAR AND OTHER WDM SOFTWARE

Page 40

SONAR AND OTHER WDM SOFTWARE

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CHAPTER

9 GigaStudio and GSIF

OVERVIEW

The 8pre includes a GSIF driver that provides multi-channel I/O with Tascam’s GigaStudio family of virtual sampler products.

What is GSIF? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Run MOTU Audio Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Choosing the MOTU GSIF driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Enabling 8pre outputs & inputs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Changing 8pre settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

MIDI I/O via the 8pre MIDI ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

24-bit operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

WHAT IS GSIF?

GSIF is an acronym for Giga Sampler Interface. The MOTU Audio driver allows the 8pre to provide multi-channel audio input and output for the Tascam GigaStudio family of products.

Figure 9-1: MOTU Audio Setup gives you access to all of the settings in the 8pre hardware, including the clock source, sample rate and optical I/O enable/disable.

PREPARATION

Install GigaStudio ﬁrst (if you haven’t already done so), and then see these chapters before proceeding:

■ chapter 3, “IMPORTANT! Run the 8pre

Software Installer First” (page 15)

■ chapter 4, “Installing the 8pre Hardware”

(page 17).

RUN MOTU AUDIO SETUP

Before you run GigaStudio, launch MOTU Audio Setup to conﬁgure your 8pre hardware. MOTU Audio Setup lets you conﬁgure your audio interface, and it lets you enable the optical inputs and outputs. Only enabled inputs and outputs will be available to GigaStudio, so this is an important step. For complete details, see chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Setup” (page 23).

Sample rate

Choose the desired overall sample rate for the 8pre system and GigaStudio. This should match the sample rate at which you intend to operate GigaStudio.

Clock Source

This setting is very important because it determines which audio clock the 8pre will follow.

If you do not have any digital audio connections to your 8pre (you are using the analog inputs and outputs only), choose Internal.

If you have an ADAT optical digital audio device connected to the 8pre, or if you are not sure about the clock source of your setup, be sure to read “Syncing optical devices” on page 22 and “Clock Source” on page 24.

Page 42

Samples Per Buffer

The Samples Per Buffer setting can be used to reduce the delay — or latency — that you hear when playing GigaStudio from your MIDI controller or MIDI sequencer. In general, you have better timing accuracy with lower buffer settings, but the trade-off is that lower buffer settings require the computer that is running GigaStudio (with the 8pre) to work harder. So in general, you want to keep the buffer size a low as possible while still maintaining the performance you need from GigaStudio.

Optical input and output

To make a 8pre optical input or output available in GigaStudio, choose ADAT from the optical input and/or output menu. If you won’t be using the optical connectors, turn them off.

CHOOSING THE MOTU GSIF DRIVER

Once you’ve made the preparations described so far in this chapter, you’re ready to run GigaStudio and enable the MOTU GSIF driver. To activate the 8pre GSIF driver, go to the File menu, choose System Settings and click the Hardware tab. In the Hardware Adapter section, choose MOTU Audio from the menu.

Phones

This 8pre setting lets you choose what you’ll hear from the headphone jack. For example, if you choose Main Out 1-2, the headphones will duplicate the main outs. Or you can choose any other output pair. If you choose Phones, this setting makes the headphone jack serve as its own independent output pair. As a result, you’ll see Phones 1-2 as an additional audio destination in GigaStudio’s audio output menus.

Figure 9-2: Activating the 8pre GSIF driver in GigaStudio.

ENABLING 8PRE OUTPUTS & INPUTS

To enable 8pre inputs and outputs for use with GigaStudio, click in the Enable column to put a check mark next to each input and output you wish to use. Here is how you can identify each input and output. Inputs are always listed in the same order as follows:

Input Channels

Analog 8 1-8 -

Mix1 2 9-10 See “The “Mix1 1-2”

ADAT 8 (at all sup-

ported sample rates)

List position Comment

input” below.

11-18 If the optical bank is

set to None, then no ADAT inputs are displayed.

GIGASTUDIO AND GSIF

Page 43

Outputs are listed in this order:

Output Channels

Main outs 2 1-2 -

List position Comment

☛ Warning: the Mix1 1-2 input can cause

feedback loops! DO NOT assign this input to a track that shares the same 8pre output pair as MIX1.

Phones 2 3-4 -

ADAT 8 (at all sup-

ported sample rates)

5-12 If the optical bank is

set to None, then no ADAT outputs are displayed.

The “Mix1 1-2” input

In the GigaStudio Inputs list, you’ll see an 8pre input called Mix1 1-2. This input source delivers the output of CueMix DSP “MIX1” (the ﬁrst mix bus of the four on-board no-latency monitor mixes in the 8pre) back to your computer. This input serves, for example, as a convenient way for you to record the 8pre’s MIX1 monitor mix back into GigaStudio (for reference and archiving purposes). Further, if you are sending audio from GigaStudio to t he sa me out put pair as MI X1, you can choose to either include or exclude the audio from the computer in the stream being sent back to GigaStudio. For details on how to do this, see “Mix1 Return Includes Computer” on page 55.

MIDI I/O VIA THE 8PRE MIDI PORTS

Use the MIDI Port Conﬁguration section (Figure 9-2) as instructed in your GigaStudio manual to use the 8pre’s MIDI ports with GigaStudio.

CHANGING 8PRE SETTINGS

To change the 8pre settings at any time, run MOTU Audio Setup (Figure 9-1 on page 41).

24-BIT OPERATION

Your 8pre hardware fully supports GigaStudio 24-bit operation. Simply enable 24-bit operation in the Hardware Adapter section (Figure 9-2). The 8pre always supplies a 24-bit data stream, and when you enable 2 4-bit operation, it simply uses all 24-bits supplied by the 8pre hardware.

GIGASTUDIO AND GSIF

Page 44

GIGASTUDIO AND GSIF

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CHAPTER

10 Reducing Monitoring Latency

OVERVIEW

When operating the 8pre as an audio interface, monitoring latency is that slight delay you hear

when you run an input signal through your host audio software. For example, you might hear it when you drive a live mic input signal through a reverb plug-in running in your audio sequencer.

This delay is caused by the amount of time it takes for audio to make the entire round trip through your computer, from when it ﬁrst enters an 8pre input, passes through the 8pre hardware into the computer, through your host audio software, and then back out to an 8pre output.

If you don’t need to process a live input with plug-ins, the easiest way to avoid monitoring latency is to use the 8pre’s CueMix DSP feature to patch the input directly to your monitor outs via the 8pre audio hardware. This is just like bussing inputs to outputs in a digital mixer. For details, see “CueMix DSP hardware monitoring” on page 48.

If you do need to process a live input with plug-ins, or if you are playing virtual instruments live through your 8pre audio hardware, you can signiﬁcantly reduce latency — and even make it com pletely inau dibl e, reg ardl ess of what host audi o application software you use. This chapter explains how.

Monitoring live input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Adjusting the audio I/O buffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Lower latency versus higher CPU overhead . . . . . . . . . . 48

Transport responsiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Effects processing and automated mixing . . . . . . . . . . . 48

CueMix DSP hardware monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Two methods for controlling CueMix DSP. . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Using MOTU CueMix Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Controlling CueMix DSP from your audio software . . 49

It is impo rta nt to not e tha t monito ring delay has no effect on when audio data is recorded to disk or played back from disk. Actual recording and playback is extremely precise.

☛ Monitoring latency does not occur when

operating the 8pre as an optical expander (in converter mode).

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MONITORING LIVE INPUT

There are two ways to monitor live audio input with an 8pre: 1) through the computer or 2) via CueMix™ DSP hardware monitoring. Figure 10-1 below shows method 1, which allows you to add effects processing such as reverb and guitar amp effects via plug-ins in your audio software. See the next section, “Adjusting the audio I/O buffer” for details about how to reduce — and possibly eliminate — the audible monitoring delay that the computer introduces.

Figure 10-2 on page 47 shows how to use CueMix™ DSP hardware-based monitoring, which lets you hear what you are recording with no monitoring delay and no computer-based effects processing. (You can add effects later, after you’ve recorded the

4. Mic signal (with plug-in processing, if any) is routed to the main outs (or other outputs that you’ve speciﬁed in the software).

live input as a disk track.) See “CueMix DSP hardware monitoring” later in this chapter for details on how to use CueMix DSP with your audio software, or with the included MOTU CueMix Console software.

If the material you are recording is suitable, there is a third way to monitor live input: use both methods (Figure 10-1 and Figure 10-2) at the same time. For example, you could route vocals to both the computer (for a bit of reverb) and mix that processed signal on the main outs with dry vocals from CueMix DSP.

1. Live input (from mic, guitar, etc.) enters the MOTU interface.

3. Mic signal is

2. Mic signal goes immediately to the computer (dry, with no effects processing).

Figure 10-1: There are two ways to monitor live audio inputs with an 8pre: 1) through the computer or 2) via CueMix™ DSP hardware monitoring. This diagram shows method 1 (through the computer). When using this method, use your host software’s buffer setting to reduce the slight delay you hear when monitoring the live input, but don’t lower it too much, or your computer might get sluggish.

‘patched thru’ back to the audio interface with reverb or other plug-in effects, if any.

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY

Page 47

ADJUSTING THE AUDIO I/O BUFFER

A buffer is a small amount of computer memory used to hold data. For audio interfaces like the 8pre, buffers are used for the process of transferring audio data in and out of the computer. The size of the buffers determines how much delay you hear when monitoring live inputs through your audio software: larger buffers produce more delay; smaller buffers produce less.

Buffer size adjustment is made in MOTU Audio Setup, as shown in Figure 10-3 via the Samples Per Buffer setting.

Figure 10-3: Lowering the ‘Samples Per Buffer’ setting in MOTU Audio Setup reduces patch thru latency. But doing so increases the processing load on your computer, so keep an eye on the Performance Monitor in your host audio software.

1. Live input (from mic, guitar, etc.) enters the MOTU interface.

3. Mic signal is mixed with the main outs, and you can control the volume (relative to the rest of the mix) with the mic’s fader in CueMix Console.

Figure 10-2: This diagram shows the signal ﬂow when using CueMix™ DSP no-latency monitoring. Notice that this method does not allow you to process the live input with plug-ins in your audio software while it is being monitored. You can, however, add effects later — after recording the live input as a disk track. CueMix™ DSP lets you hear what you are recording with no delay and no computer-based effects.

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY

2. CueMix™ DSP immediately patches the live mic signal directly to the main outs (or other output), completely bypassing the computer (dry, with no effects processing).

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Lower latency versus higher CPU overhead

The buffer setting has a large impact on the following things:

■ Patch thru latency

■ The load on your computer’s CPU

CUEMIX DSP HARDWARE MONITORING

The 8pre has a more direct method of patching audio through the system. This method is called CueMix DSP. When enabled, CueMix activates hardware patch-thru in the 8pre itself. CueMix DSP has two important beneﬁts:

■ Possible distortion at the smallest settings

■ How responsive the transport controls are in

your audio software

The buffer setting presents you with a trade-off between the processing power of your computer and the delay of live audio as it is being patched through your software. If you reduce the size, you reduce patch thru latency, but signiﬁcantly increase the overall processing load on your computer, leaving less CPU bandwidth for things like realtime effects processing. On the other hand, if you increase the buffer size, you reduce the load on your computer, freeing up bandwidth for effects, mixing and other real-time operations.

If you are at a point in your recording project where you are not currently working with live, patchedthru material (e.g. you’re not recording vocals), or if you have a way of externally processing inputs, choose a higher buffer size. Depending on your computer’s CPU speed, you might ﬁnd that settings in the middle work best (256 to 1024).

■ First, it completely eliminates the patch thru

delay (reducing it to a small number of samples — about the same amount as one of today’s digital mixers).

■ Secondly, CueMix DSP imposes no strain on the

computer.

The trade-off, however, is that CueMix DSP bypasses your host audio software. Instead, live audio inputs are patched directly through to outputs in the 8pre itself and are mixed with disk tracks playing back from your audio software. This means that you cannot apply plug-ins, mix automation, or other real-time effects that your audio software provides. But for inputs that don’t need these types of features, CueMix DSP is the way to go.

On the other hand, if you really need to use the mixing and processing provided by your audio software, you should not use CueMix DSP. Instead, reduce latency with the buffer setting (as explained earlier in this chapter).

Transport responsiveness

Buffer size also impacts how quickly your audio software will respond when you begin playback, although not by amounts that are very noticeable. Lowering the buffer size will make your software respond faster; raising the buffer size will make it a little bit slower, but barely enough to notice.

Effects processing and automated mixing

Reducing latency with the buffer size setting has another beneﬁt: it lets you route live inputs through the real-time effects processing and mix automation of your audio software.

TWO METHODS FOR CONTROLLING CUEMIX DSP

There are two ways to control CueMix DSP:

■ With MOTU CueMix Console

■ From within your host audio software (if it

supports direct hardware monitoring)

You can even use both methods simultaneously.

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY

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Using MOTU CueMix Console

If your host audio software does not suppor t direc t hardware monitoring, you run CueMix Console side-by-side with your audio software and manage your monitor mix in CueMix Console.

CueMix Console allows you to create up to four separate 8pre monitor mixes, or any other desired routing conﬁgurations. These routings are independent of your host audio software. For complete details, see chapter 11, “MOTU CueMix Console” (page 51).

Controlling CueMix DSP from your audio software

Some ASIO-compatible audio applications, such as Cubase and Nuendo, allow you to control CueMix DSP monitoring from within the application (without the need to use CueMix Console). In most cases, this support consists of patching an 8pre input directly to an output when you recordarm a track. Exactly how this is handled depends on the application.

CueMix DSP routings that are made via host applications are made “under the hood”, which means that you won’t see them in CueMix Console. However, CueMix DSP connections made inside your host audio software dovetail with any other mixes you’ve set up in CueMix Console. For example , if your host appl icat ion route s aud io to an output pair that is already being used in CueMix Console for an entirely separate mix bus, both audio streams will simply be merged to the output.

Follow the directions below in the section that applies to you.

Controlling CueMix DSP from within Cubase or Nuendo

To turn on CueMix in Cubase SX or Nuendo, enable the Direct Monitoring check box in the Device Setup window (Figure 7-2 on page 31).

Other ASIO 2.0-compatible host software

If your ASIO-compatible host audio software supports ASIO’s direct monitoring feature, consult your software documentation to learn how to enable this feature. Once enabled, it should work similarly as described for Cubase (as explained in the previous section).

Using CueMix DSP with WDM- or Wavecompatible software

Run CueMix Console (chapter 11, “MOTU CueMix Console” (page 51)) and use it to route live input s di rect ly to output s, con trol the ir vo lume and panning, etc. If necessary, you can save your CueMix Console setup with your project ﬁle.

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY

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REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY

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CHAPTER

11 MOTU CueMix Console

OVERVIEW

When operating the 8pre as an audio interface, MOTU CueMix Console provides access to the ﬂexible on-board mixing features of the 8pre. CueMix lets you route any combination of inputs to any stereo output pair. These mixes can be set up ent irel y ind epen dently of your host aud io so ftware . CueMix allows you to set up four completely independent mix conﬁgurations with the 8pre. You can also save and load mix conﬁgurations.

CueMix Console can be used independently of host audio software, or together with it. CueMix mixing dovetails with the direct monitoring (hardware patch thru) features of your host audio software, allowing you to seemlessly mix in both environments.

Message center

Advantages of CueMix monitoring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

CueMix Console installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Cuemix Console basic operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Working with a mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Shortcuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Copying & pasting (duplicating) entire mixes . . . . . . . . 53

Message center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Saving and loading presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Saving and loading presets to/from disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Talkback and listenback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Mix1 Return Includes Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Phones menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Control Surfaces menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

CueMix in optical expander mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Talkback and listenback

Input name

Input scroll bar

Input mute/solo

Input pan

Talkback/listen

back channels

Input volume

Mix tabs

Input section

Figure 11-1: MOTU CueMix Console is a virtual mixer that gives you control over the 8pre’s on-board mixing features.

Solo indicator

Master mute (enable/disable)

Mix output

Master fader

Output level

Grow box

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ADVANTAGES OF CUEMIX MONITORING

CueMix Console provides several major advantages over monitoring live inputs through your host audio software:

■ CueMix has no buffer latency. Thanks to the

8pre’s DSP chip, CueMix provides the same throughput performance as a digital mixer.

■ CueMix imposes absolutely no processor drain

on the computer’s CPU.

■ CueMix routing can be maintained

independently of individual software applications or projects.

CueMix Console does not provide effects processing. For information about using your audio software’s native plug-ins together with CueMix, see chapter 10, “Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 45).

Viewing one mix at a time

CueMix Console displays one mix at a time. To select which mix you are viewing, click its tab at the bottom of the window, as shown in Figure 11-1. The mix name appears in the tab. Double-click the name to change it.

Each mix is completely independent

Each mix has its own settings. Settings in one mix will not affect another. For example, if an input is used in one mix, it will still be available in other mixes. In addition, inputs can have a different volume, pan, mute and solo setting in each mix.

Widening the CueMix Console window

To view more input faders at once, drag the righthand edge of the window to the right.

WORKING WITH A MIX

Each mix has the following components:

CUEMIX CONSOLE INSTALLATION

CueMix Console is installed with the rest of your 8pre software.

CUEMIX CONSOLE BASIC OPERATION

The CueMix console is simple to operate, once you understand these basic concepts.

Four mixes

CueMix provides four separate mixes: Mix1, Mix2, Mix3 and Mix4. Each mix can have any number of inputs mixed down to any 8pre output pair that you choose. For example, Mix1 could go to the headphones, Mix2 could go to the main outs, Mix3 could go to a piece of outboard gear connected to optical outputs 7-8, etc.

Many inputs to one output pair

It might be useful to think of each mix as some nu mbe r of input s al l mi xed dow n to a st ere o outp ut pair. CueMix Console lets you choose which inputs to include in the mix, and it lets you specify the level and pan for each input being fed into the mix.

■ A stereo output with master fader

■ Name

■ Master mute (to enable/disable the entire mix)

■ Any number of mono or stereo inputs

■ Pan, volume, mute and solo for each input

These elements are visually grouped together in the lightly shaded area in the lower half of the CueMix Console window.

Viewing a mix

To view a mix, click its tab at the bottom of the window, as shown in Figure 11-1. The mix name appears in the tab.

Naming a mix

Double-click the mix name in the tab.

Master mute

The master mute button (Figure 11-1) temporarily disables (silences) the mix.

MOTU CUEMIX CONSOLE

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Master fader

The master fader (Figure 11-1) controls the overall level of the mix (its volume on its stereo output). Use the individual input faders to the left to control individual input levels.

Output level meters

The OUT level meters show you the output for the mix’s physical output, which may include audio from your host audio software. The clip indicators clear themselves after a few seconds.

SHORTCUTS

Hold down the following modiﬁer keys as shortcuts:

Shortcut Result

Shift key Applies your action to all inputs in the mix.

Control key Applies your action to the stereo input pair

Space bar Applies your action to all busses

Double-click Returns the control to its default value (pan

center, unity gain, etc.)

Input section

The channel strips to the left of the master fader represent each input in your 8pre. Use the input scroll bar to view additional inputs.

Input mute/solo

To add an input to a mix, or remove it, click its MUTE button. To solo it, use its SOLO button. To toggle these buttons for a stereo pair, hold down the control key while clicking either channel. The Solo indicator LED (Figure 11-1) lights up when any input is soloed (including inputs that may currently be scrolled off-screen).

Input volume and pan

Use the input fader and pan knob (Figure 11-1) to adjust these settings for the input in the mix. Again, all settings within the gray-shaded channel strip area belong to the mix currently being viewed. Note that an input can have different settings in different mixes.

To adjust the volume or panning for a stereo input pair, hold down the control key while dragging the fader or knob for either the left or right input.

COPYING & PASTING (DUPLICATING) ENTIRE MIXES

To copy and paste the settings from one mix to another:

1 Select the source mix (Figure 11-1) and choose Copy from the ﬁle menu (or press control-C).

2 Choose the destination mix and choose Paste from the ﬁle menu (or press control-V).

MESSAGE CENTER

The Message Center displays ﬂy-over help for items in the CueMix Console window. It also displays messages regarding the overall operation of the 8pre.

SAVING AND LOADING PRESETS

The 8pre can store up to 16 presets in its on-board memory. A preset includes of all CueMix DSP settings for all for mix busses, but it excludes global settings like clock source and sample rate.

The Load Preset and Save Preset commands in the CueMix Console ﬁle menu let you name, save and load presets in the 8pre.

MOTU CUEMIX CONSOLE

SAVING AND LOADING PRESETS TO/FROM DISK

The Save and Load commands in the CueMix Con sole Fil e menu allow you to save 8pre presets to and from your hard drive. This allows you to save an unlimited number of 8pre presets on disk. (Use

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the Load Preset and Save Preset commands to get presets from — and save them to — the 8pre itself.) Click the Save button to save the current conﬁguration; click the Load button to open an existing conﬁguration that you have previously saved on disk.

TALKBACK AND LISTENBACK

CueMix Console provides Ta l k b a c k and Listenback buttons. Talkback allows an engineer in the control room to temporarily dim all audio and talk to musicians in the live room. Conversely, Listenback allows musicians to talk to the control room.

Hardware setup

Figure 11-2 below shows a typical hardware setup for Talkback and Listenback. For Talkback, set up a dedicated mic in your control room and connect it to a mic input on your MOTU audio interface. For Listenback, set up a dedicated listenback mic in the live room for the musicians and connect it to another mic input. For talkback output, set up a headphone distribution amp or set of speakers in the live room, and connect it to the 8pre’s headphone out, as demonstrated below in Figure 11-2.

CueMix Console setup

To set up Talkback and/or Listenback in CueMix Console, choose File menu> Talkback settings> Conﬁgure Talkback/Listenback to open the window shown in Figure 11-3:

Figure 11-3: Conﬁguring Talkback and Listenback.

Control room

Talkback mic

Phones

Live room

Headphone distribution amp

Listenback mic

Figure 11-2: Typical hardware setup for Talkback and Listenback.

Main

outs

MOTU CUEMIX CONSOLE

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Talkback / Listenback Mic Input

Choose the audio input to which your Talkback and/or Listenback mic is connected. These inputs are labeled with a purple and blue swatch, respectively, just above the channel fader.

These labels identify the Talkback and Listenback mic inputs.

Figure 11-4: The purple label identiﬁes the Talkback mic input; the blue label indicates the Listenback mic. Use the input fader to control the mic volume.

Engaging/disengaging Talkback and Listenback

To engage Talk back or Listenback, press on the Talk or Listen buttons and then release to disengage. Talkback and/or Listenback is engaged for as long as you hold down the mouse button. Hold down the spacebar and click to make the buttons “sticky” (stay engaged until you click them again — so you don’t have to hold down the mouse). If you would like to engage both Talkback and Listenback at the same time, enable the Link button.

Figure 11-5: The Talkback and Listenback buttons.

Talkback / Listenback Monitor Dim

Choose the amount of attenuation you would like to apply to all other audio signals (besides the talkback/listenback volume) when Talkback and/ or Listenback is engaged. To completely silence all other CueMix audio, move the slider all the way to the left (-Inf). Audio playing back from disk (your host software) is not affected.

Talk / Listen signal routing

As shown in Figure 11-3, check the boxes next to the outputs on which you’d like to hear the Talkback mic and/or Listenback mic. For example, as demonstrated in the diagram in Figure 11-2, to hear the Talkback mic on the headphones in the live room, check the Phones check box in the Tal kb ac k O ut p ut s column as demonstrated in Figure 11-3. To hear the Listenback mic on the main monitors in the control room, check the Main Outs check box in the Listenback Outputs column, also demonstrated in Figure 11-3.

MOTU CUEMIX CONSOLE

Controlling Talkback and Listenback volume

To control the volume of the Talkback and/or Listenback mics, adjust their input fader in CueMix Console. This fader controls the volume of the input, regardless of which bus mix is being displayed in the CueMix Console window. In other words, once an input has been designated as a Talkback or Listenback input, its fader becomes global for all CueMix buses.

MIX1 RETURN INCLUDES COMPUTER

The Mix1 return includes computer output item in the CueMix Console File menu refers to the Mix1 bus that the 8pr e driver prov ides as an input to ho st audio software. This input source delivers the output of CueMix DSP “MIX1” (the ﬁrst mix bus of the four on-board no-latency monitor mixes in the 8pre) back to your computer. This input serves, for example, as a convenient way for you to record the 8p re’s MI X1 mon ito r mi x ba ck into you r ho st audio software (for reference and archiving purposes).

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When the Mix1 return includes computer menu item is checked, any audio being sent from your audio sof tware on the comp uter to the same o utput as Mix1 will be included in the Mix1 return bus. When it is unchecked, computer output is excluded.

This menu item is essentially a pre/post switch for the computer audio insert to the stream of audio going to Mix1’s 8pre output pair (and also back to the computer).

PHONES MENU

The Phones menu allows you to choose what you will hear on the headphone output, just like the Phones setting MOTU Audio Setup. However, this menu provides one extra option that is exclusive to CueMix Console: Follow Active Mix. This menu item, when checked, causes the headphone output to mirror the output of the current mix being viewed in CueMix Console. For example, if you are currently viewing Mix3 (the Mix3 tab is active), the headphones will mirror the Mix3 output (whatever it is assigned to).

Share surfaces with other applications

When the Share surfaces with other applications menu command is checked, CueMix Console releases the control surface when you switch to another application. This allows you to control your other sof tware with the cont rol surface. Here’s a simple way to understand this mode: the control surface will always control the front-most application. Just bring the desired application to the front (make it the active application), and your control surface will control it. When you’d like to make changes to CueMix Console from the control surface, just bring CueMix Console to the front (make it the active application).

When this menu item is unchecked, your control surface will affect CueMix Console all the time, even when CueMix Console is not the front-most application. In addition, you will not be able to control other host audio software with the control surface at any time (because CueMix Console retains control over it at all times). This mode is useful when you do not need to use the control surface with any other software.

CONTROL SURFACES MENU

CueMix Console can be controlled from an automated control surface such as the Mackie Control™. Use the commands in the Control Surfaces menu to enable and conﬁgure this feature.

Application follows control surface

When checked, the Application follows control surface menu command makes the CueMix

Console window scroll to the channel you are currently adjusting with the control surface, if the channel is not visible when you begin adjusting it. The same is true for the bus tabs: if you adjust a control in a bus that is not currently being displayed, CueMix Console will jump to the appropriate tab to display the control you are adjusting.

Mackie Control Surfaces

CueMix Console includes support for the following control surface products:

■ Mackie Control™

■ Mackie HUI™

■ Mackie Baby HUI™

Use the sub-menu commands in the Mackie Control Surfaces menu item to turn on and

conﬁgure control surface support, as described brieﬂy below.

Enabled

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

MOTU CUEMIX CONSOLE

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Conﬁgure…

Choose this menu item to conﬁgure your control surface product. Launch the on-line help for speciﬁc, detailed instructions for conﬁguring CueMix Console for operation with your control surface product.

When operating the 8pre at a 2x sample rate (88.2 or 96 kHz), the two optical output banks work in concert to provide channels 1-4 and 5-8, respectively, for a total of 8 channels of highresolution.

Figure 11-6: Refer to the extensive on-line help for details about conﬁguring CueMix Console for operation with your control surface product.

CUEMIX IN OPTICAL EXPANDER MODE

When the 8pre operates as an optical expander (as discussed in “Operating the 8pre as a converter” on page 21), CueMix is hard-wired to route each analog input to its corresponding optical output channel (analog in 1 to optical out 1, analog in 2 to optical out 2, and so on).

In a ddit ion, wh en ope rati ng the 8pre at a 1x sample rate (either 44.1 or 48 kHz), the analog input signals are duplicated and sent to both optical output banks. This lets you send the analog input signals to two separate optical destinations, if desired.

MOTU CUEMIX CONSOLE

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MOTU CUEMIX CONSOLE

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CHAPTER

12 MOTU SMPTE Setup

OVERVIEW

The 8pre can resolve directly to SMPTE time code via any analog input, without a separate synchronizer. The 8pre can also generate time code via any analog output. The 8pre provides a DSPdriven phase-lock engine with sophisticated ﬁltering that provides fast lockup times and subframe accuracy. Direct time code synchronization is supported by Cubase, Nuendo and other audio sequencer software that supports the ASIO2 sample-accurate sync protocol.

Any analog input and output on the 8pre can be used for time code (LTC) input and output, respectively.

MOTU SMPTE Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Clock/Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Frame Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Reader section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Generator section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Setting up for SMPTE time code sync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Resolving Cubase or Nuendo to SMPTE time code. . . 63

MOTU SMPTE SETUP

The included MOTU SMPTE Setup™ software provi des a complete set of t ools to gene rate SMPTE for striping, regenerating or slaving other devices to the computer.

CLOCK/ADDRESS

The Clock/Address menu (Figure 12-1) provides the same global Clock Source setting as in MOTU Audio Setup (“Clock Source” on page 28 in the 8pre manual), but it includes additional information: each setting shows both the clock and the address (time code or sample location), separated by a forward slash ( / ). To resolve the 8pre to SMPTE time code, choose the SMPTE / SMPTE setting in the Clock/Address menu. This means that the system will use SMPTE as the clock (time base) and SMPTE as the address.

FRAME RATE

This setting should be made to match the SMPTE time code frame rate of the time code that the system will be receiving. The 8pre can auto-detect

The Reader section provides

settings for resolving to video

and/or SMPTE time code.

Figure 12-1: SMPTE Setup gives you access to your 8pre’s on-board SMPTE time code synchronization features.

The Generator section

provides settings for striping

SMPTE time code.

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and switch to the incoming frame rate, except that it cannot distinguish between 30 fps and 29.97 fps time code. So if you are working with either of these rates, make sure you choose the correct rate from this menu.

READER SECTION

The Reader section (on the left-hand side of the window in Figure 12-1) provides settings for synchronizing the 8pre to SMPTE time code.

Status lights

The four status lights (Tach, Clock, Address and Freewheel) give you feedback as follows.

Freewheel Address

Freewheeling occurs when there is a glitch or drop-out in the incoming time code for some reason. The 8pre can freewheel past the drop-out and then resume lockup again as so on as it receives readable time code. Choose the amount of time you would like the 8pre to freewheel before it gives up and stops altogether.

The 8pre cannot freewheel address without clock. Therefore, the Freewheel Addres s setting will always be lower than or equal to the Freewheel Clock setting, and both menus will update as needed, depending on what you choose.

Ta c h

The Tach light blinks once per second when the 8pre has successfully achieved lockup to SMPTE time code and SMPTE frame locations are being read.

Clock

The Clock light glows continuously when the 8pre has successfully achieved lockup to an external time base, such as SMPTE time code or the optical input.

Address

The Address light glows continuously when the 8pre has successfully achieved lockup to SMPTE time code.

Freewheel

The Freewheel light illuminates when the 8pre is freewheeling address (time code), clock or both. For details about Freewheeling, see “Freewheel Address” and “Freewheel clock” below.

SMPTE source

Choose the analog input to which the SMPTE time code source is connected. This is the input that the 8pre “listens” to for time code.

Keep in mind that freewheeling causes the system to keep g oin g for as lo ng a s th e du rat ion you ch oos e from this menu, even when you stop time code intentionally. Therefore, if you are starting and stopping time code frequently (such as from the transports of a video deck), shorter freewheel times are better. On the other hand, if you are doing a one-pass transfer from tape that has bad time code, longer freewheel times will help you get past the problems in the time code.

The ‘Inﬁnite’ freewheel setting

The Inﬁnite freewheel setting in the Freewheel Address menu causes the 8pre to freewheel

indeﬁnitely, until it receives readable time code again. To make it stop, click the Stop Freewheeling button.

Freewheel clock

Freewheeling occurs when there is glitch or drop-out in the incoming SMPTE time code for some reason. The 8pre can freewheel past the drop-out and then resume lockup again as soon as it receives a stable, readable clock signal.

MOTU SMPTE SETUP

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The ‘Inﬁnite’ freewheel setting

The Inﬁnite freewheel setting in the Freewheel Clock menu causes the 8pre to freewheel

indeﬁnitely, until it receives readable time code again. To make it stop, click the Stop Freewheeling button.

Figure 12-2: Setting the time code start time.

Click here to edit the start time, or drag vertically on the numbers.

Stop Freewheeling

The Stop Freewheeling button stops the system if it is currently freewheeling.

GENERATOR SECTION

The Generator section (on the right-hand side of the window in Figure 12-1) provides settings for generating SMPTE time code.

Level

Turn the level knob to adjust the volume of the SMPTE time code being generated by the 8pre. The level knob disappears when the Destination is set to None.

Tach light

The Tach light blinks once per second when the 8pre is generating SMPTE time code.

Destination

In the Destination menu, choose the analog output from which SMPTE time code will be generated. This is the output that sends time code.

Stripe

Click this button to start or stop time code. To set the start time, click directly on the SMPTE time code display in the Generator section and type in the desired start time. Or drag vertically on the numbers.

Regenerate

This option, when enabled, causes the generator to generate time code whenever the 8pre is receiving SMPTE time code.

MOTU SMPTE SETUP

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SETTING UP FOR SMPTE TIME CODE SYNC

In summary, the 8pre system can resolve directly to SMPTE time code. It can also generate time code and a time base, under its own clock or while slaving to time code. Therefore, the 8pre can act both as an audio interface and digital audio synchronizer. You can use the 8pre to slave your audio software to SMPTE as well, as long as your software supports ASIO2 sample-accurate sync, which is the means by which the software follows the 8pre. The accuracy may not be sampleaccurate, but in most cases it will be very close.

Choose SMPTE as the clock source in the MOTU Audio Setup. This setting can also be made in the MOTU SMPTE

SMPTE time code source

audio cable bearing LTC (Longitudinal Time Code)

Setup software (shown below).

Use this setup if you have:

A SMPTE time code source, such as a multitrack tape deck.

✓

Host software that supports sample-accurate sync.

✓

This setup provides:

No sample-accurate locating.

✗

Continuous sync to SMPTE time code.

✓

Sub-frame timing accuracy.

✓

Transport control from the SMPTE time code source.

✓

Any analog input

8pre interface

When lockup is achieved, the CLOCK light illuminates and the TACH light blinks once per second.

FireWire cable

Windows computer running Cubase or

other sample-accurate ASIO2 software

Figure 12-3: Connections for synchronizing the 8pre directly to SMPTE time code.

In Cubase SX, go to the Sync Setup window and choose the ASIO Audio Device option.

Launch the MOTU SMPTE Setup and specify the SMPTE Source, which is the input receiving the SMPTE time code. Also, conﬁrm that the Clock Source/Address is SMPTE/SMPTE.

MOTU SMPTE SETUP

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RESOLVING CUBASE OR NUENDO TO SMPTE TIME CODE

To resolve your 8pre directly to SMPTE time code with no additional synchronization devices, use the setup shown in Figure 12-3. Make sure the Clock Source setting in the MOTU Audio Setup window is set to SMPTE. Also, make sure that you’ve connected an LTC input signal to an 8pre analog input, and that you’ve speciﬁed that input in the SMPTE Setup.

MOTU SMPTE SETUP

Page 64

MOTU SMPTE SETUP

Page 65

CHAPTER

13 Performance Tips & Troubleshooting

The computer freezes when it starts up

If the computer is unable to boot up, it may be a conﬂict with the WDM Driver. As soon as the computer boots up, Windows will try and initialize the WDM Driver. If this fails, your computer will hang. To determine if the WDM Driver is the problem, boot up in Safe Mode or remove the MOTU Audio software with the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel then restart. Reinstall the 8pre soft ware and choose only to insta ll t he MOTU ASIO driver, not the WDM Driver. Restart again.

‘New hardware detected’ window

If you connect your 8pre before running the 8pre Software Installer CD, Windows will prompt you that new hardware has been detected. Cancel this, and run the 8pre Software Installer, rather than allowing Windows to locate the drivers.

Audio in SONAR speeds up or slows down

This could be caused by having incorrect SMPTE/ MTC Sync settings when you record audio into SONAR. These settings are located in the Advanced Tab in the Audio Options window, accessed from SONAR’s Options menu. Make sure that you have the SMPTE/MTC Sync set to “Trigger and Freewheel” before recording audio while slaved to external time code.

8pre inputs and outputs are not available in SONAR

Make sure that the inputs and/or outputs that you want to use are enabled in SONAR in the Audio Options window under the Drivers tab.

8pre inputs and outputs are not available in Cubase

Make sure that the inputs and outputs are enabled in Cubase in Device Setup> VST Aud iob ay>MOT U Aud io> VS T input s/out puts.

Sound Forge and ‘Smooth Scroll’

If the Smooth Scroll option under the Options menu is turned on, you may experience clicks and pops or other anomalies in the audio playback. This gets worse as you zoom in more to the waveform while playing. For the best quality playback, turn this option off.

Clicks and pops due to hard drive problems

If you have checked your clock settings sync cable connections and you are still getting clicks and pops in your audio, you may have a drive related problem. Set the 8pre Clock Source to Internal and try recording just using the analog inputs and outputs of the 8pre. If you encounter the same artifacts you may want try using another drive in your computer. Clicks and pops can also occur when the drive is severely fragmented, the disk drivers are outdated, or if you are using a SCSI accelerator that is not optimally conﬁgured for working with audio.

Connecting or powering gear during operation

It is not recommended that you connect/ disconnect, or power on/off devices connected to the 8pre while recording or playing back audio. Doing so may cause a brief glitch in the audio.

Monitoring - How to monitor inputs?

Please refer to the documentation for the audio application that you are using. If your application does not support input monitoring, you will need to use the 8pre’s hardware-based CueMix DSP monitoring feature. Please see chapter 10, “Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 45).

Page 66

No optical inputs or outputs are available in host audio application

Check to make sure you have the desired optical inputs and/or outputs enabled in MOTU Audio Setup.

Controlling monitoring latency

See chapter 10, “Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 45).

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

We are happy to provide customer support to our registered users. If you haven’t already done so, please take a moment to register your 8pre either on line at www.motu.com or by ﬁlling out and mailing the included product registration card. You’ll be placed on our mailing list for free software updates and information about new products.

REPLACING DISKS

If your 8pre installer CD becomes damaged and fails to provide you with fresh, working copies of the program, our Customer Support Department will be glad to replace it. You can request a replacement disc by calling our business ofﬁce at (617) 576-2760 and asking for the customer serv ice department. In the meantime, you can download the latest drivers from www.motu.com.

■ The serial number of the 8pre system. This is

printed on a sticker placed on the bottom of the 8pre rack unit. You must be able to supply this number to receive technical support.

■ Software version numbers for the audio software

you are using, the MOTU Audio WDM Driver, MOTU ASIO driver, etc.

■ A brief explanation of the problem, including the

exact sequence of actions which cause it, and the co ntent s of any er ror mes sag es wh ich app ea r on the screen.

TECHN I C A L SUPPORT

If you are unable, with your dealer’s help, to solve problems you encounter with the 8pre system, you may contact our technical support department in one of the following ways:

■ Tech support hotline: (617) 576-3066 (Monday

through Friday, 9 am to 6 pm EST)

■ Tech support 24-hour fax line: (617) 354-3068

■ Tech support email: techsupport@motu.com

■ Web site: www.motu.com

Please provide the following information to help us solve your problem as quickly as possible:

PERFORMANCE TIPS & TROUBLESHOOTING

Page 67

Index

02R mixer 22 1394 connector 6, 10, 17 24-bit

3rd party software optical 10

recording 11 48V phantom power 5 8pre

installing

rear panel overview 9

software installation 15

summary of features 9

tab 23

Activity LEDs 11 ADAT optical 10, 22

clock source setting 24

connecting 18 Analog activity lights 11 Application follows control surface 56 ASIO 15, 16, 29 Audio

bit resolution

Buffer Size 25, 47

Clock LEDs 11 Clock source 7, 24

setting in converter mode 27 Combo jacks 6 Condenser mic input 5 Control surface support 56 Controller

connecting Converter mode

clock setting

setup/example 21 Cubase 11, 23

8pre settings 7

choosing the 8pre driver 31

clock source 30

enabling the 828 ASIO driver 37

Optical input/output 30

sample rate 30

synchronization 32 CueMix Console 48, 51

Application follows control surface

Listenback explained 54

listenback settings 54

Mackie control surfaces 56

Share surfaces with other applica-

talkback settings 54 CueMix DSP 48 Customer service contact info 66

tions

Delay (latency) 45 Digital converter (see Optical converter)

Disable interface option Disk

getting a replacement

Drivers

ASIO

Enable Pedal 7, 26

Feedback loops 32, 38, 43 FireWire 10

connecting 17 connector 6

SMPTE Console 59 Follow Active Mix 56 Forget button 26 Freewheel

address

clock 60

infinite 60, 61 Front panel

meters

VOLUME rotary encoder settings 27

General tab 23 GigaStudio 41

clock source 41

Optical input/output 42

sample rate 41 GSIF driver 15, 16, 41 Guitar

connecting

Headphone jack 5 Headphones

connecting

controlling output 26

jack 11

volume 27

Infinite freewheel 60, 61 Installation

hardware

software 15 Internal (sync setting) 24

Keyboard controller

connecting

Latency 25, 30, 36, 42, 45, 47, 48

w/3rd party software 39 LEDs 5 Lightpipe 22

2x mode 27 Listenback

explained

Mackie control surfaces 56 Main outs

jacks making connections to 18 volume 27

volume control 5 Main volume 5 Meters 5 Mic inputs 6, 18

connecting 20

phantom power 5 MIDI

devices, connecting

jacks 6

Windows driver installation 16 Mix1 1-2 42

Cubase 31, 38

GigaStudio 43 Mix1 return includes computer 55 Monitoring 46

thru main outs 18

w/3rd party software 39 MOTU Audio Setup 7, 23 MOTU CueMix Console 48, 51

Nuendo 11, 23

8pre settings 7

choosing the 8pre driver 31

clock source 30

Optical input/output 30

sample rate 30

synchronization 32

Optical

2x mode

connectors 18

enabling/disabling 26

LEDs 11

overview 10

sync 22 Optical converter mode 27

setup/example 21 Optimization 48

Packing list 13 Patch thru

latency Performance 48 Phantom power 5, 18 Phones 5, 26, 43

Phones 1-2

Phones menu 56

25, 48

Cubase 30

GigaStudio 42

Nuendo 30

SONAR 36

Cubase

32, 39

Regenerate 61 Registration 13

S/MUX 27

INDEX

Page 68

Sample rate 7, 24 Samplers

connecting Samples per buffer 7, 25, 30, 36, 42, 47 Share surfaces with other applications 56 SMPTE

clock source setting

Console 59

overview 59

source setting 60

sync 59 SMPTE sync 62 Software installation 15 SONAR 11

clock source 36

Optical input/output 36

sample rate 36 Sony

Sound Forge Sound Forge 38 Sound module

connecting

Stop Freewheeling 60 Stripe button 61 Studio setup (example) 20 Synchronization

Cubase

Nuendo 32

Synths

connecting

System requirements

minimum recommended computer 11, 13

TACH

light (SMPTE Console)

Talkback

explained

settings 54 Tech support contact info 66 Technical support 66 Time code sync 59, 62 Troubleshooting

feedback loop TRS/XLR jacks 6 Type I, II optical mode 27

32, 38, 43

USB2

Wave driver

16, 35

Video sync 59 Volume

headphone VOLUME knob 27 V-stack 31

Wave driver 16, 35 WDM driver 15

XLR/TRS jacks 6

INDEX

Mark of the Unicorn 8pre User's Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Quick Reference: 8pre Front Panel

Quick Reference: 8pre Rear Panel

Quick Reference: MOTU Audio Setup

About the 8pre

OVERVIEW

THE 8PRE I/O REAR PANEL

16 inputs and 12 outputs

Mic inputs with 48V phantom power

Converters

Main Outs

Optical

MIDI I/O

1394 FireWire

On-board SMPTE synchronization

16-BIT AND 24-BIT RECORDING

HOST AUDIO SOFTWARE

THE 8PRE FRONT PANEL

Preamp trims, 48V phantom power and pad

Headphone output and main volume control

Metering section

A COMPUTER-BASED SYSTEM

Windows System Requirements

PACKING LIST

PLEASE REGISTER TODAY!

OVERVIEW

INSTALL THE 8PRE SOFTWARE FIRST!

If Windows asks you to locate the drivers

INSTALLING THE 8PRE SOFTWARE

MOTU AUDIO SETUP

MOTU ASIO DRIVER

MOTU WDM DRIVER

MOTU GSIF DRIVER

MOTU MIDI DRIVER

MOTU CUEMIX CONSOLE

MOTU SMPTE SETUP

Installing the 8pre Hardware

OVERVIEW

CONNECT THE 8PRE TO YOUR COMPUTER

CONNECT AUDIO INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

Mic/guitar/instrument inputs

Main outs

Optical

Connecting additional gear with MIDI THRUs

CONNECT MIDI GEAR

One-way MIDI connections

OPERATING THE 8pre AS AN INTERFACE

OPERATING THE 8pre AS A CONVERTER

SYNCING OPTICAL DEVICES

Two banks of optical

Setting the clock source

Optical bank mirroring

5 MOTU Audio Setup

OVERVIEW

ACCESSING THE 8PRE SETTINGS

General tab settings

8pre tab settings

’GENERAL’ TAB SETTINGS

Sample Rate

Clock Source

Samples Per Buffer

Enable Pedal

Phones

Wave support for legacy (MME) software

‘8PRE’ TAB SETTINGS

Optical input/output

Disable interface

6 Front Panel Settings

OVERVIEW

ADJUSTING HEADPHONE VOLUME

SETTING THE 2X OPTICAL MODE

ADJUSTING MAIN OUT VOLUME

SETTING THE CLOCK SOURCE IN CONVERTER MODE

OVERVIEW

WHAT IS ASIO?

If your audio software doesn’t support ASIO

PREPARATION