Massive Audio CORE-1 User Manual

User’s Manual

Introduction:

Congratulations! And thank you for purchasing the CORE-1 Signal Processor, a complete
audio signal processing and power management solution for whose seeking performance,
customization and OEM integration. The CORE-1 features the newest Analog Devices DSPs for
state-of-the-art music reproduction, at the same time providing you with endless tweaking capabilities
by the infinite settings and combinations of Parametric Equalizer, Time Alignment, Multiple Crossover
choices and much more. Additionally, the CORE-1 fully protects your vehicle’s electrical system and
audio system components against low battery voltage and blown speakers.

Features:

1) 8 Fully configurable output channels capable of 4V RMS (12.5Vpp) RCA output swing.

2) 8 Summing Input channels compatible with Low-Level & High-Level input types;

3) Bluetooth Audio Streaming with Apt-X codec for audiophile audio quality;

4) State-of-the-art Audio Reproduction:

 24-bit resolution ADC / DACs;
 56-bit double precision signal processing
 Frequency Response from 10 to 22Khz +/- 1 dB
 THD < 0.003%
 SNR > 93 dB

5) Audio Signal Processor:

 Precision Crossover System: Linkwitz-Riley, Bessel and Butterworth topologies,
 12, 18, 24, 36 and 48 dB / octave crossover slopes available;
 Full Pass / High Pass / Low Pass / Band Pass / Peaking / Shelving filters;
 Up to 96 Parametric Equalizer Bands with adjustable Frequency and Bandwidth;
 Full Time Alignment Correction and Phase rotation;
 R.M.S. Limiter with adjustable Threshold, Attack and Decay

6) Power Management Processor with fully automated actions for Low Battery and Very Low

Battery conditions, with adjustable voltage threshold levels.

Installing the CORE-1 Signal Processor:

WARNING:

Installation of this mobile audio device requires experience with a variety of mechanical and

electrical procedures. If you don’t have the required knowledge / experience to complete

the installation, please consult an authorized Massive Audio dealer about professional

ALWAYS connect the REMOTE of the amplifiers to the CORE-1.

installation option. Before you begin, please note the following:

1) Install the software BEFORE you connect the USB cable. Insert

the CD Software, open “Core1_Installer.exe” and proceed clicking

“Next” till the end. Please consult “Software Installation”.

2) Connect CORE-1 directly to the battery (12Volt DC). Do not
power it from the ignition switch or any type of switch.
Please consult “Power Source Connector”.

3) Make SURE that your vehicle’s battery is fully charged. We

strongly recommend using a battery charger during the setup
process. If the battery voltage is lower than 11.5V, the CORE-1

protection features will kick in and may cause confusion. Please
consult “Power Manager”.

4) If you use the High Level Input, you don’t need to connect the
remote wire input “REM”. CORE-1 features “auto-remote.” Please
consult the “Wiring Diagram” for High Level audio inputs.

5)
Never from the Head Unit. Utilize outputs “REMOTE OUT” 1 to 4.
Please consult “Remote Outputs”.

6) Set the GAIN of the Power Amplifiers to ZERO to avoid “hiss”
noise. CORE-1 already pre-amplifies the signal. Always prefer to
adjust the gain utilizing the software. Please consult “RCA Audio

Outputs”.

OVERVIEW / HARDWARE INSTALLATION:

INPUT PANEL:

 Power Source Connector

 Computer USB Connector
 Bluetooth Audio Connector
 Bluetooth Audio Volume
 RCA Audio Inputs

OUTPUT PANEL:

 RCA Audio Outputs
 Memory Select Button
 Remote Connector
 Remote Outputs

REMOTE CONTROL & LED INDICATORS:

 Memory Slot Indicators
 Memory Select Button
 Gain control Knob
 Limiter Actuation LEDs
 Power Indicator LEDs

SOFTWARE INSTALLATION

UTILIZING CORE-1:

INPUTS / OUTPUTS TAB:

 Master Input Gain
 Sound Stage Depth
 Output Group Type
 Output Gain
 Balance Control
 Time Alignment Controls
 Time Alignment Calculator
 Crossover Settings
 Output Type
 Output Phase

V.U. Meters / RMS LIMITER TAB:

 V.U. Meter
 R.M.S. Limiter

o Threshold
o Attack
o Decay

GROUP EQUALIZERS (1 to 4) TABs

 EQ Bands
 Reset EQ
 Side Selection: (L+R), (L), (R)
 Boost / Cut
 Frequency
 Bandwidth
 Parametric
 Hi-Shelf
 Lo-Shelf

POWER MANAGER TAB

 Voltage Readings
 Power Source Selection
 Low Battery Condition
 Very Low Battery Condition
 Volts: Set (Action Start Voltage)
 Volts: Clear (Action Stop Voltage)
 Action to take (automatic action)
 Startup Delay (sequential Power On)
 Manually Selecting Remote ON / OFF

TOP MENU:

 SAVE / LOADING settings to / from CORE-1
 Frequency Response Graph
 Language Selection
 COM PORT Selection

TROUBLESHOOTING:

 Device Driver Software
 Amplifiers won’t turn ON
 Amplifiers being shutdown randomly
 Music Volume Level varying
 Power LEDs are Orange / Red / OFF
 Limiter LEDs constantly ON
 Excessive HISS noise
 “POP” and / or “THUMP” noise
 Absence of sound when using High Level Input
 Non Synchronized Power ON / OFF with Head Unit
 Bluetooth Volume Level doesn’t Match Head-Unit’s
 Bluetooth Audio sounds “noisy”
 Can’t Pair my Phone with CORE-1 Bluetooth

OVERVIEW / HARDWARE INSTALLATION:

GND: Connect to vehicle’s ground;

Input Panel.

Power source connector: Connect to your vehicle’s battery and head-unit. Utilize a small flat
screwdriver to secure the wires connection to the plug. The plug is connected “up side down” to the
Unit, so make sure to follow the correct connection order as shown on the picture bellow:

REM: Remote wire input, connect to the Head Unit blue wire.
DO NOT use in case CORE-1 is being used with a
“High-Level” audio source.

+: Connect directly to +12V of the vehicle’s battery. DO NOT
power Core-1 from a switched power source. CORE-1

needs constant power in order to work properly,

AUX: If you have an auxiliary battery, connect to the +12V.

Tip: Voltage readings can be observed at the “Power Manager” tab on the software.

Computer USB Connector: Connect to the computer after successful software installation.
This is how CORE-1 communicates with your computer. Make sure that you have successfully
installed CORE-1 software, only then, you should proceed connecting the CORE-1 unit to the
computer using the supplied USB cable.

Bluetooth Audio Connector: Insert the provided Bluetooth Audio module. By utilizing the
supplied Bluetooth Audio module, you will be able to stream high-quality audio directly to CORE-1 by
pairing it with your cellphone. Make sure that the Bluetooth is enabled on your phone. Search for
Devices and you will find CORE-1. If not successful, please refer to the Troubleshooting item 13.

Bluetooth Audio Volume: Begin by setting it to the middle. This volume control is meant to
help you balance the volume of your Bluetooth audio device with your Head-Unit. Although CORE-1
comes with the volume set at the maximum level, we strongly recommend that you set the volume at
the middle and then, proceed making small adjustments to satisfy your listening preference.

RCA Audio Inputs: Connect to the audio output of your head unit, which can be either a
factory or an aftermarket model. These inputs are also compatible with Low Level audio, which you
should use with good quality RCA cables, as well as compatible with High Level audio, which you

should use the supplied “RCA to High Level” adapter cables. The inputs are “summed”, which

guarantees perfect compatibility with factory head-units by combining the frequencies of each
channel, resulting in the reconstitution of the full-range audio that will be further processed by the
CORE-1.

 In case you’re using Low Level (or line level), make sure that you connect at least one pair (Left /

Right) of RCA cables from the RCA Outputs of your Head-Unit to the RCA Inputs of CORE-1.

 In case you’re using High Level (or speaker level), use the supplied “RCA to High Level” adapter

cables to connect CORE-1 to the speaker wires of your head-unit. Please make sure to properly
match the phase (+/ -) and sides (left / right) in order to have a good listening experience. We
recommend to place the supplied “Dummy load” resistors across the (+) and (-) wires of the head
unit speaker output, basically “taking place” of the speaker that was originally installed. Please
consult the “Wiring Diagram” here. Some cars need this to “trick” the Head Unit into thinking that
the speaker is still present, thus allowing music to be played through the speaker wires. Equally
important, please do not use the REMOTE input of the Power source connector. The CORE­1 features “AUTO-REMOTE”, which exempts the use of the REMOTE wire because it senses
when the factory head-unit has been turned ON or OFF.

Output Panel.

RCA Audio Outputs: Connect to the RCA Inputs of your amplifiers, observing the correct Left
and Right sides, as well as the output group numbers (1 to 4). Capable of up to 4 V R.M.S. (12.5
V.P.P.), the CORE-1 is an efficient Line Driver that will ensure that the signal is pre-amplified enough
before reaching your amplifiers, consequently, better overall Signal-to-Noise ratio is achieved,
ensuring the best music enjoyment with dynamic, clear, and low-noise signal. Make sure that the
gain control of your power amplifier is set to the minimum, to prevent your amplifiers from
saturating due to the strength of the signal output by CORE-1. In case of hiss or noise, please consult

Troubleshooting Item 7.

MEMORY Select button: Use to switch “on-the-fly” between the 3 available Memory slots.
Once you have successfully created and saved your personal settings to the Memory slots of CORE­1, you can always choose which Memory slot you would like to use at any time, without needing the
computer. Please consult “Saving / Loading settings to / from CORE” section.

REMOTE Connector: Connect to CORE-1 Remote control by utilizing the supplied cable.
With the CORE-1 Remote control you will be able to operate the MEMORY Select button as
described above, as well as adjust the Gain of the Output group(s) chosen by you, which could be the
gain of your Subwoofer for example.

Please observe that the Remote outputs (1 to 4)

are associated to the RCA output groups (1 to 4) by the

accordingly. For example, if your amplifier is connected

to RCA Output Group 2, proceed connecting its remote

Audio and Remote controls belong to the same group.

REMOTE OUTPUTs: Connect to the Remote Input of your amplifiers. Utilize a small flat
screwdriver to secure the wires connection to the plug. The CORE-1 must be able to manage the

amplifiers in order to ensure “pop” / “thump” free operation. We recommend only one amplifier per

output, thus maximum of 4 amplifiers. However, you can definitively use two amplifiers per output,
allowing for a maximum of 8 amplifiers.

Power Management System of CORE-1. Therefore,
please make sure to connect to your amplifiers

input to the Remote Output 2 of CORE-1, so both the

Tip: Power On delay and state configurations available at the “Power Manager” tab on the software

Remote Control TOP (Left), Remote Control FRONT (Middle), CORE-1 Indicator LEDs (Right)

MEMORY Slot indicators: The Green, Yellow and Red LEDs are indicators of which of the
three available Memory presets is being used by the CORE-1. These LEDs are present both on the
unit itself (see image above, at the right side), as well as on the Remote Control unit.

MEMORY Select button: Use to switch “on-the-fly” between the 3 available Memory slots.
Once you have successfully created and saved your personal settings to the Memory slots of CORE­1, you can always choose which Memory slot you would like to use at any time, without needing the
computer. This button is present both on the unit itself (as previously mentioned) as well as on the
Remote Control unit. Please consult “Saving / Loading settings to / from CORE” section.

GAIN CONTROL knob: Use to control “on-the-fly” the gain (volume) of the

By default, CORE-1 comes with the knob assigned to all four output groups,

example picture on the left.

desired output group(s).

however you can (and should) change it at any time by utilizing the software. On

Limiter Actuation LEDs: Please consult the “Limiters” section. Whenever the Limiter(s) start
compressing the music signal to protect your system, the corresponding Yellow LED(s) will light up.
Each LED corresponds to its respective Output Group. For example, if the Limiter of Group-2 starts to
work, the Limiter LED number 2 will light up.

the lower left corner of the software, you can use the check-boxes to select the

output group(s) that the knob will be able to control. For example, if you’re utilizing

a subwoofer on Output Group-1 and you wish to control its volume with the knob,
then you check only “1” and leave the other groups unchecked, as shown by the

POWER Indication LEDs: Please consult the “Power Manager” section. These LEDs notify
you of your vehicle’s battery condition. If the battery voltage level is OK, these LEDs will be Green. If

the battery voltage level is running low, LED(s) become orange. If battery voltage level is very low,
LED(s) become Red for selected actions other than “shutdown”, or, if the “Power Manager” shuts
down the remote output(s), the corresponding LED(s) will be OFF.

SOFTWARE INSTALLATION:

Step 1:

Please install the CORE-1 Software by advancing through the installation process as indicated:

Wait for completion

of the first
installation part.
Following that,
automatically
another installer
window will open to
install the necessary
Microsoft.NET Chart
Control component.

Please advance

through the
installation process
as indicated:

If the device driver installation

Step 2:

If CORE-1 hardware unit is already properly installed on your vehicle, go ahead and turn your Head­Unit ON, make sure you set the Volume all the way down. The CORE -1 will take about 7 seconds to
initialize in the following sequence:

1- Power LEDs going up and down (alternating green color): Boot sequence;
2- Memory LED blinking: Opening Memory Slot;
3- Power LEDs solid green and Memory LED solid: Ready to use.

If Power LEDs aren’t solid green, please consult the Troubleshooting Item 5.

Step 3:

Once CORE-1 has finished initializing, please make sure that the CORE-1 software has been
successfully installed according to Step-1. Now, please proceed connecting the USB cable between
CORE-1 and your preferred computer’s USB 2.0 / 3.0 port. Please be patient and allow a few
minutes while Windows automatically installs the correct device driver software. A baloon should
appear as follows:

process don’t complete

successfully, please consult
the Troubleshoot item 1.