M-audio FAST TRACK ULTRA user guide

Fast Track Ultra

User Guide

1Introduction

Thanks for choosing M-Audio Fast Track Ultra. Fast Track Ultra has been designed to give you a professional, portable audio and MIDI interface for your Windows or Macintosh laptop or desktop computer. Using the convenience and dependability of the industry-standard USB 2.0 bus, Fast Track Ultra provides your computer with an exceptionally ﬂexible audio interface, offering unequalled routing power and versatility while delivering high-resolution, 24-bit audio to and from your computer

at sampling rates up to 96kHz, and its on-board DSP gives you a useful selection of reverb and delay effects and versatile monitoring options. Fast Track Ultra also gives you sixteen channels of MIDI in and out – all in a sleek, rugged, lightweight and highly portable design. It connects to your computer with a single USB cable – no tools needed, no cards to install.

Fast Track Ultra was created with the home or portable studio user in mind. With two high-quality microphone/instrument preamps and two more studio-grade microphone preamps, Fast Track Ultra gives you a great sounding, easy-to-use interface for your digital audio software. The convenient front panel combo XLR/TS inputs can accommodate microphone or instrument levels, with switchable phantom power and individual 20dB pads. The rear panel offers you insert points for inputs one and two, six balanced TRS analog inputs and six balanced TRS analog outputs, as well as dedicated S/PDIF inputs and outputs, for a total of eight inputs and eight outputs.

The front panel is also set up for easy monitoring, and features two headphone outputs with independent level controls, input signal and clipping indicators, MIDI input and output LEDs, and phantom power indicators, making Fast Track Ultra an ideal solution for beginning and advanced computer recording users.

Even if you’re an experienced musician and digital recording enthusiast, please take some time to read through this User Guide and familiarize yourself with the features and operation of Fast Track Ultra. You may also want to refer to your audio software’s documentation to better understand how Fast Track Ultra may be integrated with the program. Your experience and enjoyment of your Fast Track Ultra will be greatly enhanced by a good working knowledge of your audio software.

2What’s in the Box

Your Fast Track Ultra package contains the following:

Fast Track Ultra

Printed Quick Start Guide

M-Audio Fast Track Ultra CD, including drivers and this User Guide

Ableton Live Lite CD

USB Cable

5VDC 2000mA power supply

Fast Track Ultra

User Guide

3Fast Track Ultra Features

Two front-panel balanced/unbalanced Mic/Instrument Inputs on combo XLR/TS jacks

Two front-panel balanced Mic inputs on XLR jacks

Four Mic/Line input switches

Four high-quality microphone preamps, based on M-Audio’s acclaimed Octane technology

Six balanced/unbalanced line inputs on TRS jacks

Six balanced/unbalanced line outputs on TRS jacks

Two inserts on TRS jacks

Phantom Power switch with front-panel indicator LED

Stereo S/PDIF digital I/O on coaxial jacks

Two stereo headphone jacks with individual level controls

MIDI Input and Output with front-panel MIDI I/O indicators

Two-color front-panel Signal/Clip indicators

Supports sample rates up to 96kHz, with full 24-bit resolution

Four mic pre input level controls with 20dB pads

Output Level control for outputs 1/2

Power LED

Side-panel Kensington lock port

Flexible routing with 16x8 internal mixer

Onboard DSP effects

Driver support for WDM/MME, ASIO2 (Windows XP, Windows Vista (32-bit editions)) and CoreAudio (MacOS X (v10.3.9 / 10.4.10 or later)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Fast Track Ultra has been designed as a USB 2.0 device. It may be used with a USB 1.1 port, but will then only function as a 2-in/2-out device with sample rates limited to 44.1 and 48 kHz. This is due to the limitations of the USB 1.1 bus bandwidth.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Fast Track Ultra can be powered via the included AC power supply or via bus power from the host computer. However, when running on bus power, Fast Track Ultra will be limited to four inputs and four outputs. These are mapped to inputs 1/2, outputs 1/2, and the S/PDIF I/O.

Fast Track Ultra

User Guide

4Minimum System Requirements

Windows

Fast Track Ultra is supported under Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or later, or Windows Vista (32-bit editions). It is not supported under Windows 2000, Windows 98, 98SE or Windows ME. Visit the Windows update web pages to make certain you have the most current updates and ﬁxes supplied by Microsoft.

Minimum System Requirements*

Windows XP with SP2		Windows Vista (32-bit editions)
Windows XP with SP2		Windows Vista (32-bit editions)
•	1.6 GHz CPU	•	1.6 GHz CPU
	(CPU requirements may be higher for laptops)		(CPU requirements may be higher for laptops)
•	DirectX 9.0c	•	USB 2.0 port
•	USB 2.0 port	•	1 GB RAM
•	512 MB RAM

Mac

Fast Track Ultra is supported by PowerPC-based Macs running Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or 10.4.10, and by Intelbased Macs running Mac OS X version 10.4.10 or later.

Minimum System Requirements*

PowerPC		Intel
PowerPC		Intel
• Mac OS X – 10.3.9 / 10.4.10		• Mac OS X 10.4.10
•	USB 2.0 port	•	USB 2.0 port
•	512 MB RAM	•	512 MB RAM
•	G4 1GHz CPU**	•	Intel CPU

* M-Audio suggests that you also check the minimum system requirements for your software, as they may be greater than the above.

** G4 accelerator cards not supported

IMPORTANT NOTE: Fast Track Ultra has been designed as a USB 2.0 device. It may be used with a USB 1.1 port, but will only function as a 2-in/2-out device with

sample rates limited to 44.1 and 48kHz. This is due to the limitations of the USB 1.1 bus bandwidth.

A Note About System Upgrades: Please check the M-Audio driver download page at http://www.m-audio.com/drivers for the availability of an updated driver before you decide to install operating system updates.

Before new M-Audio device drivers are released, they are tested for use with the operating system versions that are available at that time. When updates for an operating system are released by Microsoft or Apple, all M-Audio device drivers have to be re-tested and possibly updated to ensure proper operation.

M-Audio recommends refraining from installing operating system updates until a driver has been posted to the M-Audio website for that speciﬁc operating system.

Fast Track Ultra

User Guide

5Controls and Connectors

Front Panel


1	. Microphone/Instrument Inputs 1 and 2 (Mic/Inst) – These combo connectors provide micor instrument-level
	inputs for analog channels 1 and 2. Each input will accept a low-impedance mic level signal on a standard three-pin
	balanced XLR plug, or a high-impedance instrument level signal on an unbalanced 1/4” TS plug.
2	. LED Level Meters – these dual-color LEDs glow green when an input signal of -20dbfs is present at the
	corresponding channel. Reduce the Input Gain level if the LED glows red.
3	. Microphone Inputs 3 and 4 (Mic) – these XLR connectors provide mic-level inputs for analog channels 3 and 4.
4	. Front/Rear (Mic/Line Level) Switches ( Front / Rear) – these switches select between the front-panel XLR
	inputs 1 , 3 and rear-panel line inputs 22 as the source for analog audio channels 1 through 4.

5 . Mic/Instrument Gain/Pad 1-4 (Gain) – these knobs adjust the mic or instrument level input gain for channels 1 through 4. Pulling the knob out will engage a 20 dB pad on the Mic and Instrument input. Pushing the knob in will disengage the pad.

6 . Headphone Output Knobs ( 1 / 2 ) – these two knobs control the volume level for the two headphone outputs 11.

7 . Power LED (Power) – this blue LED lights when the power button 13 has been pressed and power is being received, either from the USB bus or the external power supply.

8 . Phantom Power LED (48V) – this red LED lights to indicate that the phantom power switch 14 has been pressed, applying +48V phantom power to the mic inputs.

9 . MIDI Input LED (MIDI In) – this green LED lights when MIDI data is present at the MIDI input 19 .

10. MIDI Output LED (MIDI Out) – this green LED lights when MIDI data is present at the MIDI output 18 .

11. Headphone Outputs ( 1 / 2 ) – These two 1/4-inch stereo (TRS) jacks are independent of the main audio output level, and are controlled by the headphone output knobs 6 .

12. Main Output Knob (Main Output) – this knob controls the main output level (outputs 1/2).

Fast Track Ultra

User Guide

Rear Panel

13 . Power Button (Power) – Pressing this button will power on Fast Track Ultra, illuminating the front-panel Power LED 7 . The unit must be connected to a host computer’s USB bus, or to the external power supply.

14 . Phantom Power Switch (48V Phantom Power) – Sliding this switch activates the phantom power circuitry, illuminating the Phantom Power LED 8 and sending 48V power to the four front-panel XLR inputs 1 3 , for use with condenser microphones requiring external power.

15 . Power Input (5V DC) – Connect the included 5VDC 2000mA power supply to this jack.

•NOTE: Due to the limitations of the USB bus, powering Fast Track Ultra via the USB bus will limit its functionality to 4 input/4 output operation using analog inputs and outputs 1/2 and the S/PDIF I/O.

16 . Line Outputs (Outputs) – These six balanced 1/4-inch (TRS) jacks provide six analog outputs. The level of outputs 1/2 is controlled by the front-panel main output knob 12.

17 . USB Connector (USB 2.0) – Connect a standard USB cable to this port, connecting the other end to your host computer.

18 . MIDI Output (MIDI Out) – Connect to the MIDI input of your controller or other MIDI device.

19 . MIDI Input (MIDI In) – Connect to the MIDI output of your controller or other MIDI device.

20. S/PDIF Input (S/PDIF In) – Digital input on a coaxial (RCA-type) connector. This input will accept a digital input signal at any of the supported sample rates.

21. S/PDIF Output (S/PDIF Out) – Digital output on a coaxial (RCA-type) connector. This output will also support pass-through of AC-3 or DTS encoded surround formats.

•NOTE: When AC-3 or DTS encoded signals are passed through this output, all analog inputs and outputs will be muted.

22. Line Inputs (Inputs) – These six balanced/unbalanced 1/4-inch (TRS) jacks provide six analog inputs for channels 1 through 6. Inputs for channels 1 through 4 are selectable between these inputs and the front-panel combo/XLR

inputs 1 3 via the front/rear switches 4 .

23. Inserts (Inserts) – These 1⁄4” TRS jacks are conﬁgured to connect to an analog outboard compressor/limiter or other effect inserting the effect between the preamp and the A/D converter. These inserts are only active when a connector is inserted, and are otherwise bypassed. The TRS jack is conﬁgured as follows: Tip=Send; Ring=Return; Sleeve=Ground.

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