MOTU 828mk3 User Manual

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Page 1

MOTU 828mk3

User Guide for Mac

™

1280 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02138

Business voice: (617) 576-2760

Business fax: (617) 576-3609

Web site: www.motu.com

Tech support: www.motu.com/support

Page 2

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 828mk3 COULD CAUSE AN ELECTRICAL SHOCK.

The MOTU 828mk3 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 828mk3 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 su re th is i s con nec ted to a known ground.

Two-prong receptacle

Adapter

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 828mk3 plug.

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS

1. Read these instructions. All the safety and operating instructions should be read before operating the 828mk3.

2. Keep these instructions. These safety instructions and the 828mk3 owner’s manual should be retained for future reference.

3. Heed all warnings. All warnings on the 828mk3 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 828mk3 near water.

6. Cleaning - Unplug the 828mk3 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 828mk3 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 828mk3 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 unit.

12. Power switch - Install the 828mk3 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 828mk3 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 828mk3. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

16. Surge protection - Unplug the 828mk3 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 828mk3 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 828mk3, the 828mk3 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 828mk3 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 828mk3, 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 • 20 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 © 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 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 Unicorn, 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 TWO (2) YEARS 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 ser vice will be perfor med 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 TWO (2) YEARS 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, AudioDesk, 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: 828mk3 Front Panel

Quick Reference: 828mk3 Rear Panel

Quick Reference: MOTU Audio Setup

About the 828mk3

Packing List and Mac System Requirements

Installing the 828mk3 Hardware

Installing the 828mk3 Mac Software

MOTU Audio Setup

828mk3 Front Panel Operation

Digital Performer

AudioDesk

Other Mac OS X Audio Software

Reducing Monitoring Latency

CueMix FX

MOTU SMPTE Console

101

Troubleshooting

105

Index

107

III

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This section provides two ten-segment meters for the two front-panel mic/guitar inputs. The

meters show input levels from -42 to -1 in the ﬁrst column of LEDs, plus an additional range in a

second column from zero to +12 dB (including clip). Both inputs are equipped with V-Limit™, a

hardware limiter. With the limiter turned off, signals that hit zero or above will clip (a hard digital

clip). However, with V-Limit turned on, signals can go as high as +12 dB above zero with no

FireWire is a “plug-and-play”

protocol. That means that you

can turn off the 828mk3 and

turn it back on without

restarting your computer.

When the 828mk3 is resolv-

ing to SMPTE time code, the

LOCK/TACH LED glows when

lockup has been achieved.

The ADAT and MIDI LEDs blink

when there is optical audio or

These lights indicate the global

sample rate at which the 828mk3

is operating. Use the MOTU Audio

Setup software to set the sample

rate or to choose an external clock

source, from which the sample rate

will be derived. When no clock

signal is currently present, one of

these LEDs ﬂashes rapidly.

5-segment

metering for the

main outs. Use

the MASTER VOL

knob to control

output level.

4-segment

metering for

SPDIF input.

This bank of

input meters

is for the 8

analog TRS

input jacks on

the rear panel.

digital clipping. If the signal then goes above +12 dB, it will clip, even with V-Limit engaged.

These round LEDs indicate

signal presence on the 8 rear-

panel TRS analog and SPDIF

outputs. Their threshold is

around -42 dB. They do not

indicate clipping in any way;

use your host audio software

level meters to calibrate

output levels.

MIDI activity, respectively.

Quick Reference: 828mk3 Front Panel

This section controls the 828mk3’s built-in CueMix FX mixer and

From the factory, the

effects. There are eight stereo mix busses: each bus mixes all

PHONES jack is a discrete

inputs (or any subset you wish) to a stereo output of your choice.

output (at 44.1/48 kHz),

You can apply EQ, compression and/or reverb to inputs, outputs

but it can mirror any other

and/or mix busses. The four knobs to the left of the LCD correspond

directly to the four labeled sections of the LCD. Use the CHANNEL

knob to choose the input, output or mix you wish to edit. Push it to

switch among inputs, outputs and busses, then turn it to choose

the desired channel or bus. Use the PAGE, PARAM and VALUE knobs

to access the mix settings for the chosen channel.

output pair (digital or

analog). For example, at

88.2/96 kHz, it defaults to

mirroring the main outs.

As the primary phone jack,

it has its own dedicated

The multi-purpose backlit LCD shows

system settings or CueMix FX

settings, depending on which knobs

you turn. The labels above and below

the LCD refer to the four digital rotar y

encoders to the left of the LCD. These

knobs let you access and program all

settings in the 828mk3.

Push the CHANNEL knob repeat-

edly to cycle among the four

main sections of the mixer: mix

busses, inputs, outputs and the

reverb module. Push the PARAM

knob to enter the SETUP menu,

which provides global 828mk3

settings, such as the global

sample rate, etc.

volume knob.

These switches provide 48V phantom power

and 20 dB pad for their respective micro-

phone input. Down is off; up is on. The third

switch lets you choose between the low-

impedance XLR mic input and the high-

impedance quarter-inch guitar input.

These two trim knobs provide approximately 53 dB of gain for 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 microphone, a guitar, a synth — but don’t plug in a +4 signal

here (due to the preamps): use a rear-panel TRS input instead. Use the trim knob and the “MIC” input level meters over in the metering

section to calibrate the input signal level. The meters cover both the TRS and XLR input. These mic inputs are also equipped with the

828mk3’s V-Limit™ hardware limiter, which provides an additional +12 dB of headroom above zero with no clipping or digital distor-

tion. See “Mic/guitar inputs meters with V-Limit™ compressor” on page 42 for details.

These XLR/TRS combo jacks accept either a mic cable or

a quarter-inch guitar cable. If you plug in a guitar, ﬂip

the toggle switch up to the “INSTR. TRS” setting; for a

mic, ﬂip it down to “MIC XLR”. Both the low-impedance

XLR jack and the high-impedance TRS jack are

equipped with a preamp (so don’t connect a +4 line

level XLR cable!) 48V phantom power and 20 dB pad

can be applied via switches provided. The Precision

Digital Trim™ knob provides 53 dB of gain. Use the rear

The phone jack labeled (MAIN) is a standard quarter-inch stereo

headphone jack. Its output is hard-wired to mirror the XLR main outs on

the rear panel. From the factory, the MASTER VOL knob above it controls

the main outs and this jack, but MASTER VOL can be programmed to

control any combination of outputs. See “The Monitor Group” on

page 95 for details. Push the knob once to view the current volume

setting in the LCD display; push it again to mute the monitor group; push

a third time to return to the previous volume.Note: if the Monitor group

is programmed to not include the main outs, the MASTER VOL knob will

panel sends to route these inputs to your favorite

outboard gear. Use any rear-panel input as a return.

no longer control the volume of this phone jack, either.

Page 6

These are quarter-inch analog

SMPTE input and output jacks. Use

them to resolve the 828mk3

directly to time code and transmit

The 828mk3’s eight analog outputs are

gold-plated, balanced +4dB TRS (tip/

ring/sleeve) quarter-inch connectors

that can also accept an unbalanced plug.

Connect a standard foot switch

here for hands-free punch-in and

punch-out during recording. For

details about how to set this up,

time code to other devices.

They are equipped with 24-bit 192 kHz

converters.

see “Enable Pedal” on page 40.

These two XLR jacks serve as the

828mk3’s main outputs. You can connect

These two quarter-inch

balanced TRS send

Equipped with 24-bit 192 kHz converters,

these 8 analog inputs are gold-plated,

them to a set of powered studio monitors

outputs supply the pre

balanced TRS (tip/ring/sleeve) quarter-inch

and then control the volume from the

front panel MASTER VOL knob.

To hear disk tracks in your audio software

on these main outs, assign the disk tracks

(and master fader) to these main outs.

ampliﬁed input signal

from the mic/guitar/

instrument inputs on

the front panel. Use

them to insert your

favorite compressor, EQ,

connectors that can also accept an unbal-

anced plug. They do not have microphone

preamps, so they are best used for synthe-

sizers, drum machines, effects processors,

and other instruments with line level signals

(either -10 dB or +4 dB). These inputs are

You can also use CueMix FX to monitor

live 828mk3 inputs here as well.

reverb or other

outboard effect. Use

any TRS input as a

also equipped with the 828mk3’s Precision

Digital Trim™ feature: digitally controlled

analog trims that let you adjust input level

return.

in 1 dB increments from either front panel

LCD or the included CueMix FX software. The

trim can be adjusted over a range of -96 to

+22 dB.

Quick Reference: 828mk3 Rear Panel

These optical digital I/O connectors can be connected either to an ADAT-compatible “lightpipe” device (such as a digital mixer) or to a S/PDIF optical

(“TOSLink”) compatible device, such as an effects processor or DAT machine. Be sure to set the format in the MOTU Audio Setup software (or using the front

panel LCD). (see “Optical input/output” on page 39) for details.) ADAT optical supplies eight channels of 24-bit digital I/O per bank (4 channels per bank

at 96kHz). TOSLink is stereo at sample rates up to 96 kHz.

One special note: you can choose independent formats for each bank, A and B, as well as IN and OUT within each bank. For example, you could choose

ADAT for the optical A IN (for, say, eight channels of input from your digital mixer) and stereo TOSLink for the optical A OUT (for, say, your DAT machine).

These are standard word clock jacks. Use them for a

variety of applications, such as for digital transfers

with devices that cannot slave to the clock supplied by

their digital I/O connection with the 828mk3.

When the 828mk3 is operating at a high sample rate

(88.2 or 96 kHz), you can force the word clock output

rate (via software or the front panel) to 44.1 or 48 kHz.

Connect the 828mk3 to the computer

here using the standard 1394 FireWire

cable provided with your 828mk3. Use

the second FireWire port to daisy-chain

Connect a MIDI device here

using standard MIDI cables.

Connect the 828mk3’s MIDI OUT

port to the MIDI IN port on the

These jacks provide

stereo, 24-bit S/PDIF

digital input and

output at all

The 828mk3 is

equipped with an

auto-switching

international

up to four MOTU FireWire audio inter-

faces to a single FireWire bus. You can

also connect other FireWire devices.

other device. Conversely,

connect the 828mk3’s MIDI IN

port to the MIDI OUT port on the

supported sample

rates (up to 96 kHz).

power supply.

Keep in mind that the 828mk3 uses

more FireWire bus bandwidth when one

or both optical banks are enabled, or

when it operates at higher sample rates.

These operating conﬁgurations will

limit the number of devices you can

daisy chain on a single FireWire bus. For

other device. You can connect

different devices to each port,

such as a controller device to

the IN port and a sound module

to the OUT port. You can also

daisy-chain MIDI devices, but

be sure to manage their MIDI

details, see “Connecting multiple MOTU

FireWire interfaces” on page 28.

channels (so that they don’t

receive or transmit on the same

channel).

Page 7

Quick Reference: MOTU Audio Setup

CHAPTER

Determines the clock source for your 828mk3. If you’re just using the analog ins and outs, set this to ‘Internal’. The other settings are for digital transfers via S/PDIF or optical ports, or for slaving the 828mk3 to word clock.

This menu lets you choose what you will hear from the PHONES 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 (at 44.1 or 48 kHz. At higher sample rates, the phones must mirror any other available output pair.)

The 828mk3 driver provides a stereo return back to the computer. This return feeds the signal on any 828mk3 output pair directly back to the computer, where you can record, process, monitor or otherwise use it. This is a great way to “bounce” full mixes, complete with live audio routed through the 828mk3 only, back into the computer.

Click the tabs to access general MOTU FireWire interface settings or settings speciﬁc to the 828mk3 (or other connected interface.)

Choose the global sample rate for the system here.

Speciﬁes the stereo input and output pair when the 828mk3 is chosen for Mac OS X audio I/O.

Each optical bank can be conﬁgured independently ADAT or TOSLink. Disable them when not in use to conserve DSP and bus bandwidth.

Choose the output pair you would like the main outs to mirror, or choose Main Outs to operate them as their own independent pair (at sample rates up to 96 kHz).

If you are running an 828mk3 interface at a high sample rate (88.2, 96, 176.4 or 192 kHz), this option appears in the interface tab. It lets you choose a word clock output rate that either matches the global sample rate (e.g. 96kHz) or reduces it to the corresponding 1x rate (e.g. 48kHz instead of 192 kHz).

Click the General tab to access these settings.

Check this option if you would like the MOTU Audio Setup icon to appear in the application dock as soon as a MOTU FireWire interface is detected (switched on, plugged in, etc.)

This button opens another dialog that lets you assign your own customized names to each 828mk3 input and output. For example, if you have a lead vocal mic plugged into input 1, you could name it “Lead Vox”. Your customized names then appear in your host audio application (if it supports Core Audio input naming).

If you have a foot switch connected to the 828mk3, these settings let you map the foot switch to any computer keyboard key for both the up and down position. For details about how to set this up, see “Enable Pedal” on page 40.

In the standard Mac OS X fashion, the console appears in the dock when you launch it. If the Lau nch option is checked (as shown above), the icon appears as soon as you switch on your 828mk3 interface. If you click and hold on the dock icon (instead of clicking it) or control-click, a menu of hardware settings appears as shown to the right. You can view and conﬁgure any hardware settings from this menu, without opening the console window.

Page 8

Page 9

CHAPTER

About the 828mk3

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

The 828mk3 Rear Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The 828mk3 Front Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

16-bit and 24-bit recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

CueMix FX 32-bit ﬂoating point mixing and effects . . 13

AudioDesk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Digital Performer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Other Host Audio Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

OVERVIEW

The 828mk3 is a FireWire audio interface for Mac and Windows with on-board effects and mixing that offers 28 inputs and 30 outputs at 44.1 or 48 kHz. Both analog and digital I/O are offered at sample rates up to 96 kHz, and analog recording and playback is offered at rates up to 192 kHz. All inputs and outputs can be accessed simultaneously. The 828mk3 consists of a standard 19-inch, singlespace, rack-mountable I/O unit that connects directly to a computer via a standard IEEE 1394 FireWire™ cable.

The 828mk3 offers the following main features:

■

Two banks of optical digital I/O that provide 16 channels of ADAT optical at 48 kHz, 8 channels of S/MUX optical I/O at 96 kHz or two banks of stereo TOSLink at rates up to 96 kHz

■

RCA S/PDIF at sample rates up to 96 kHz

■

Word clock I/O

■

MIDI I/O

■

On-board SMPTE synchronization with dedicated SMPTE I/O jacks

■

Foot switch for hands-free punch-in/out

■

Two headphone jacks with independent volume control

■

Programmable master volume knob

■

CueMix™ FX no-latency mixing, monitoring and effects processing

■

Front-panel LCD programming for the mixer and all other settings

■

Extensive front panel metering and status LEDs

■

Eight 24-bit analog quarter-inch (TRS) inputs

■

Eight 24-bit analog quarter-inch (TRS) outputs

■

Two combo XLR/TRS mic/guitar inputs with preamps, individual sends, 48V phantom power, 20 dB pad, and Precision Digital Trim™

■

Two XLR main outputs

■

Operation on all analog I/O at standard sample rates up to 192 kHz

■

Digitally controlled analog trim for all analog inputs

■

Auto-switching international power supply

■

Stand-alone operation

■

Mac and Windows drivers for multi-channel operation and across-the-board compatibility with any audio software on current Mac and Windows systems

■

AudioDesk™, full-featured audio workstation software for Mac OS that supports both 16-bit and 24-bit recording

Page 10

With a variety of I/O formats, mic preamps, nolatency mixing and processing of live input and synchronization capabilities, the 828mk3 is a complete, portable “studio in a box” when used with a Mac or Windows computer.

THE 828MK3 REAR PANEL

The 828mk3 rear panel has the following connectors:

■

Eight gold-plated, balanced quarter-inch (TRS)

analog outputs (with 24-bit 192 kHz converters)

■

Eight gold-plated, balanced quarter-inch (TRS)

analog inputs (with 24-bit 192 kHz converters)

■

Two XLR “main” analog outputs with 24-bit

192 kHz converters

■

Two gold-plated, balanced quarter-inch (TRS) analog sends (for the front-panel mic/guitar inputs)

■

Gold-plated balanced TRS quarter-inch analog in/out dedicated for SMPTE time code

■

Two sets of optical connectors (in and out), individually switchable among ADAT optical “lightpipe”, 96 kHz S/MUX optical or S/PDIF “TOSLink”

■

RCA S/PDIF in/out

■

MIDI IN and MIDI OUT

■

Word clock in/out

■

Foot pedal jack

■

Two 1394 FireWire jacks

28 inputs and 30 outputs

All 828mk3 inputs and outputs can be used simultaneously, for a total of 28 inputs and 30 outputs when operating at 44.1 or 48 kHz:

Connection Input Output

Analog 24-bit 192 kHz on bal/unbal TRS 8 8

Mic/guitar 24-bit 192 kHz on XLR/TRS combo 2 -

Main outputs 24-bit 192 kHz on XLR - stereo

Headphone output* - stereo

ADAT optical digital† 16 16

RCA S/PDIF 24-bit 96kHz digital stereo stereo

Total 28 30

* The phone jack below the MASTER VOL knob is hard-wired to (mirrors) the XLR main outs. The PHONES output can operate as an independent output pair, or it can mirror any other 828mk3 output pair, such as the main outs.

† The 828mk3 optical connectors support several standard optical I/O formats, which provide varying channel counts. See “Optical” on page 11 for details about optical bank operation.

With the exception of the phone jack on the front panel labeled “(MAIN)”, all inputs and outputs are discrete. For example, using a mic input does not “steal” an input from the TRS analog I/O bank.

Analog

Al l analog inputs a re equipped wit h 24 -bit 192 kHz A/D converters. All analog outputs have 24-bit 192 kHz D/A converters. All audio is transferred to and from the computer in a 24-bit data stream.

All quarter-inch analog inputs can accept either a balanced or unbalanced plug.

ABOUT THE 828MK3

Page 11

The quarter-inch outputs are referenced to a +4 dBu line level output signal. The inputs have +22 dB of input gain and -96 dB of cut, allowing them to accommodate both -10 dBu and +4 dBu level signals.

Precision Digital Trim™

All of the 828mk3’s analog inputs are equipped with digitally controlled analog trims that allow adjustments in 1 dB increments. The mic/guitar input trims can be adjusted using front-panel digital rotary encoders that provide feedback in the front panel LCD with up to 53 dB of boost. All analog inputs, including eight rear-panel TRS analog inputs, can be trimmed using the front panel LCD or using the 828mk3’s included CueMix FX control software for Mac and Windows. This allows you to ﬁne-tune trim settings for synths, effects modules and a wide variety of analog inputs for optimum levels. Different trim conﬁgurations can then be saved as ﬁles on disk for instant recall.

Mic/guitar sends

Before A/D conversion, the pre-ampliﬁed signal from each front-panel mic/guitar input is routed to one of the two rear-panel quarter-inch analog sends, so that you can insert a favorite outboard EQ, compressor, amp or effects processor to the mic/guitar input signal before it is converted to digital form. The resulting output from the outboard gear can be fed back into the 828mk3 via one of the eight TRS analog inputs on the rear panel, for routing to the computer and/or inclusion in the 828mk3’s built-in monitor mixes.

Main Outs

The main outs are equipped with 24-bit 192 kHz D/A converters and serve as independent outputs for the computer or for the 828mk3’s on-board CueMix FX mixes.

Optical

The two optical banks provide 16 channels of ADAT optical at 44.1 or 48 kHz, 8 channels of S/ MUX optical I/O at 96 kHz or two banks of stereo TOSLink at rates up to 96 kHz. The banks operate independently, including input and output, allowing you to mix and match any optical formats. For example, you could receive 4 channels of 96 kHz S/MUX input on Bank A while at the same time sending 96 kHz stereo optical S/PDIF (“TOSLink”) from the Bank A output.

S/PDIF

The 828mk3 rear panel provides S/PDIF input and output in two different formats: RCA “coax” and optical “TOSLink”. The RCA jacks are dedicated to the S/PDIF format. The TOSLink jacks can be used either for either TOSLink or ADAT optical, as discussed earlier.

MIDI I/O

The 828mk3’s standard MIDI IN and MIDI OUT jacks supply 16 channels of MIDI I/O to and from the computer via the 828mk3’s FireWire connection. Timing accuracy can be sampleaccurate with host software that supports it.

On-board SMPTE synchronization

The 828mk3 can resolve directly to SMPTE time code via the quarter-inch SMPTE input, without a separate synchronizer. A SMPTE out jack is also provided for time code generation. The 828mk3 provides a DSP-driven phase-lock engine with sophisticated ﬁltering that provides fast lockup times and sub-frame accuracy.

The included MOTU SMPTE Console™ software provides a complete set of tools for generating and regenerating SMPTE time code, which allows you to slave other devices to the computer. Like CueMix FX, the synchronization features are cross-platform and compatible with all audio sequencer software that supports the ASIO2 sample-accurate sync protocol.

ABOUT THE 828MK3

Page 12

Word clock

The 828mk3 provides standard word clock that can slave to any supported sample rate. In addition, word clock can resolve to and generate “high” and “low” sample rates. For example, if the 828mk3 global sample rate is set to 96 kHz, the word clock input can resolve to a “low” rate of 48 kHz. Similarly, when the 828mk3 is operating at 96 kHz, MOTU Audio Setup lets you choose a word clock output rate of 48 kHz.

THE 828MK3 FRONT PANEL

Mic/guitar inputs with preamps

Individual 48V phantom power and 20 dB pad switches are supplied for each of two front-panel mic/guitar combo jacks, which are both equipped with preamps. Both inputs also include a switch that toggles between the low-impedance XLR mic input and the true (high-impedance) quarter-inch guitar input jack.

Punch in/out

The quarter-inch Punch in/out jack accepts a standard foot switch. When you push the foot switch, the 828mk3 triggers a programmable keystroke on the computer keyboard. For example, with MOTU’s Digital Performer audio sequencer software, the foot switch triggers the 3 key on the numeric keypad, which toggles recording in Digital Performer. Therefore, pressing the foot switch is the same as pressing the 3 key. The 828mk3 Control Panel software lets you program any keystroke you wish.

1394 FireWire

The two 1394 FireWire jacks accept a standard IEEE 1394 FireWire cable to connect the 828mk3 to a FireWire-equipped Mac or Windows computer. The second jack can be used to daisy 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. Keep in mind, however, that the 828mk3 uses more FireWire bus bandwidth when one or both optical banks are enabled, or when it operates at higher sample rates. These operating conﬁgurations will limit the number of devices you can daisy chain on a single FireWire bus.

As explained in “Mic/guitar sends” on page 11, the pre-ampliﬁed signal can be routed to external outboard gear before being routed back into the 828mk3.

Mic/guitar input overload protection

Both mic/guitar inputs are equipped with V-Limit™, a hardware limiter that helps prevent digital clipping from overloaded input signals. With V-Limit enabled, signals can go above zero dB (with limiting applied) to as high as +12 dB above zero with no distortion due to digital clipping.

Additional or alternative protection can be applied to the mic/guitar inputs by enabling the 828mk3’s Soft Clip feature, which engages just before clipping occurs and helps reduce perceptible distortion.

Headphone output and main volume control

The 828mk3 front panel provides two independent headphone jacks with independent volume knobs, one of which also controls the XLR main outs on the rear panel. Alternately, this MASTER VOL knob can be programmed to control any combination of outputs (analog and/or digital). For example, it can control monitor output for an entire 5.1 or 7.1 surround mix.

ABOUT THE 828MK3

Page 13

Programmable backlit LCD display

Any 828mk3 setting, including the powerful CueMix FX on-board 16-bus mixer with effects, can be accessed directly from the front panel using the four rotary encoders and the 2x16 backlit LCD display.

Metering section

The front panel of the 828mk3 displays several banks of input and output metering. The threshold for these lights is approximately -42 dB. The fourand ﬁve-segment input meters provide dedicated multi-segment metering for their respective inputs, as do the ﬁve-segment main out meters.

CUEMIX FX 32-BIT FLOATING POINT MIXING AND EFFECTS

All 828mk3 inputs and outputs can be routed to the on-board CueMix FX 16-bus (8 stereo) digital mixer driven by hardware-based DSP with 32-bit ﬂoating point precision. The mixer allows you to apply no-latency effects processing to inputs, outputs or busses direc tly in the 828mk3 hardware, independent of the computer. Effects can even be applied when the 828mk3 is operating stand-alone (without a computer) as a complete rack-mounted mixer. Input signals to the computer can be recorded wet, dry, or dry with a wet monitor mix (for musicians during recording, for example).

Two ten-segment meters for the two front-panel mic/guitar inputs show input levels from -42 to -1 in the ﬁrst column of LEDs, plus an additional range in a second column from zero to +12 dB (including clip). Both inputs are equipped with VLimit™, a hardware limiter. With the limiter turned off, signals that hit zero or above will clip (a hard digital clip). However, with V-Limit turned on, signa ls can go as high as +12 dB above zero w ith no digital clipping. If the signal then goes above +12 dB, it will clip, even with V-Limit engaged.

Clock

The

lights indicate the global sample rate (as chosen in the MOTU Audio Setup software). The LOCK and TACH LEDs provide feedback for the 828mk3’s on-board SMPTE synchronization features. The ADAT and MIDI LEDs indicate audio and MIDI activity, respectively.

16-BIT AND 24-BIT RECORDING

The 828mk3 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 828mk3’s analog or digital inputs and outputs. 24-bit audio ﬁles can be recorded with any compatible host application that supports 24-bit recording.

Effects include reverb, parametric EQ and compression/limiting. The 828mk3’s Classic Reverb™ provides ﬁve different room types, three frequency bands with adjustable crossover points, shelf ﬁltering and reverb lengths up to 60-seconds.

Two forms of compression are supplied: a standard compressor with conventional threshold/ratio/ attack/release/gain controls and the Leveler™, an accurate model of the legendary LA-2A optical compressor, which provides vintage, musical automatic gain control.

CueMix FX also provides 7-band parametric EQ modeled after British analog console EQs, featuring 4 ﬁlter styles (gain/Q proﬁles) to effectively cover a wide range of audio material. Low-pass and high-pass ﬁlters are also supplied with slopes that range from 6 to 36 dB. The EQ employs extremely high precision 64-bit ﬂoating point processing.

The 838mk3’s ﬂexible effects architecture allows you to apply EQ and compression on every input and output (a total of 58 channels), with enough DSP resources for at least one band of parametric EQ and compression on every channel at 48 kHz. However, DSP resources are allocated dynamically and a DSP meter in the CueMix FX software

ABOUT THE 828MK3

Page 14

(included) allows you to keep tabs on the 828mk3’s processing resources. Each input, output and mix bus provides a send to the Classic Reverb processor, which then feeds reverb returns to mix busses and outputs, with a selectable split point between them to prevent send/return feedback loops.

AUDIODESK

AudioDesk is a full-featured, 24-bit audio workstation software package included with the 828mk3 system (for Mac only). AudioDesk provides multi-channel waveform editing, automated virtual mixing, graphic editing of ramp automation, real-time effects plug-ins with 32-bit ﬂoating point processing, crossfades, support for many third-party audio plug-ins, background processing of ﬁle-based operations, sampleaccurate editing and placement of audio, and more.

DIGITAL PERFORMER

The 828mk3 system is fully integrated with MOTU’s award-winning Digital Performer audio sequencer software package.

OTHER HOST AUDIO SOFTWARE

The 828mk3 system includes a standard Mac OS X CoreAudio driver for multichannel I/O with any audio application that supports CoreAudio.

ABOUT THE 828MK3

Page 15

CHAPTER

Packing List and Mac System Requirements

PACKING LIST

The 828mk3 ships with the items listed below. If any of these items are not present in your 828mk3 box when you ﬁrst open it, please immediately contact your dealer or MOTU.

■

One 828mk3 I/O rack unit

■

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

■

Power cord

■

One 828mk3 Mac/Windows manual

■

One AudioDesk Manual

■

One cross-platform installer CD

■

Product registration card

MAC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

The 828mk3 system requires the following Mac system:

■

A G4/500Mhz Power Mac or faster equipped

with at least one FireWire port

■

At least 256 MB (megabytes) of RAM (512 MB

or more is recommended)

PLEASE REGISTER TODAY!

Please register your 828mk3 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.

Be sure to do the same for the included AudioDesk software, which must be registered separately. You can do so online or by ﬁlling out and mailing the included software registration card found at the beginning of your AudioDesk manual. Please be sure to register AudioDesk as well, so that you will be eligible to receive technical support and announcements about AudioDesk software enhancements as soon as they become available.

■

Mac OS X (version 10.4.9 or later)

■

A large hard drive (preferably at least 100 GB)

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

Page 16

PACKING LIST AND MAC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Page 17

CHAPTER

Installing the 828mk3 Hardware

OVERVIEW

Here’s an overview for installing the 828mk3:

Connect the 828mk3 interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Connect the 828mk3 to the computer.

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

Make optical and analog connections as desired.

Connect MIDI gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Connect a controller, synth or control surface.

Connect a foot switch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Connect a footswitch to trigger any keystroke.

A typical 828mk3 setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

An example setup for computer-based mixing/FX.

Operating the 828mk3 as a converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

An example of using the 828mk3 as an expander.

Making sync connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

If you need to resolve the 828mk3 with other devices, make the necessary sync connections.

CONNECT THE 828MK3 INTERFACE

Plug one end of the 828mk3 FireWire cable (included) into the FireWire socket on the computer as shown below in Figure 3-1.

☛

You can connect the 828mk3 to an 800Mbit “FireWire B” port using a 9-pin to 6-pin FireWire B cable (not shown). However, the 828mk3 will still operate at its speciﬁed 400Mbit (FireWire A) data rate.

Plug the other end of the FireWire cable into the

828mk3 I/O as shown below in Figure 3-1.

Syncing to SMPTE time code directly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Syncing to video and/or SMPTE time code using a

synchronizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Syncing S/PDIF devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Syncing word clock devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Connecting multiple MOTU FireWire interfaces . . . . . 28

Figure 3-1: Connecting the 828mk3 to the computer.

Page 18

CONNECT AUDIO INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

The 828mk3 audio interface has the following audio input and output connectors:

■

8 balanced, +4 dB quarter-inch analog outputs

■

8 balanced +4 dB quarter-inch analog inputs

■

2 mic/guitar combo jack inputs with preamps

■

2 quarter-inch sends for the mic/guitar inputs

■

2 XLR main outs

■

2 pair of optical in/out switchable between

ADAT (“Lightpipe”) or optical S/PDIF (TOSLink)

■

1 pair of RCA S/PDIF in and out

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

Mic/guitar inputs with preamps

Connect a microphone, guitar, instrument or other analog input to the front panel XLR/quarter-inch combo jack with either a standard mic cable or a balanced cable with a quarter-inch plug.

Phantom power

If you are connecting a condenser microphone or other device that requires phantom power, move the 48V phantom power switch just to the right of the jack to the up position (enabled).

Tr i m

Both the low-impedance XLR mic input and the high-impedance quarter-inch guitar input are equipped with 53 dB of digitally controlled analog trim. Use the detented trim knobs next to each jack to adjust the input level as needed for each input. The LCD provides visual feedback as you turn the trim knob.

Figure 3-4: The LCD gives you feedback as you turn the TRIM knobs for the two mic/guitar inputs.

Figure 3-3: Mic/guitar inputs.

☛ Do not connect a +4 (line level) XLR cable to

the front-panel inputs (because of the preamps). Use a rear-panel quarter-inch input instead.

Figure 3-2: 828mk3 front panel

The 828mk3’s input trims are digitally controlled, so they allow you to make ﬁne-tuned adjustments in 1dB increments. You can also adjust trim in the MOTU CueMix FX software. See “Input trim” on page 79.

20 dB pad

If the input signal is still too hot with the trim turned all the way down, engage (ﬂip up) the 20dB pad switch to the right of the input jack.

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 HARDWARE

Page 19

Quarter-inch analog

The eight quarter-inch analog inputs and outputs (Figure 3-5) are balanced (TRS) connectors that can also accept an unbalanced plug.

The quarter-inch outputs are calibrated to produce a +4 dBu line level output signal.

Quarter-inch analog input trims

The quarter-inch inputs are calibrated to accommodate either +4 or -10 dBu signals and are equipped with digitally controlled analog trims that provide +22 dB of gain and -96 dB of cut. You can use either the front panel LCD or the included CueMix FX software to adjust the input trim. To adjust these trims using CueMix FX, see “Input trim” on page 79. To adjust the trims using the front panel LCD:

1 Push the CHANNEL knob repeatedly until you see “I:” (which stands for Input) in the CHANNEL section of the LCD (Figure 3-6).

2 Turn the CHANNEL KNOB until you see the desired analog input or input pair. For example, analog inputs 1-2 appear as “I:An 1-2” (Figure 3-6), which means Input analog 1-2.

3 From the factory, analog inputs are grouped in stereo pairs (1-2, 3-4, etc.) If you need to split a pair to deal with it as two individual mono inputs, turn the PARAMETER knob until you see PAIR in the parameter section of the LCD (Figure 3-6). Turn the VALUE knob to choose MONO. Then turn the CHANNEL knob again to select the desired input you are adjusting.

Figure 3-6: The settings for analog inputs 1 and 2 (as a pair).

4 After splitting the stereo pair, if necessary, turn the PARAM knob until you see the TRIM parameter in the LCD (Figure 3-7):

Figure 3-7: Setting the input trim for a TRS analog input pair.

5 Turn the VALUE knob to adjust the trim.

Mic/guitar/instrument sends

Each front-panel XLR/TRS input has a corresponding send on the rear panel (Figure 3-5). The output from this send is the pre-ampliﬁed and calibrated signal from the corresponding mic or guitar input, which you can then route to any other device, such as compressor, guitar amp, outboard EQ, reverb unit, etc. Use any 828mk3 input (analog or digital) as a return back into the 828mk3. From there, you will be able to route the signal anywhere in the system, such as to the computer and/or to any CueMix FX mix bus.

Figure 3-5: 828mk3 back panel

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 HARDWARE

Page 20

XLR main outs

The XLR main outputs serve as independent outputs. From the factory, the main out volume is controlled by the MASTER VOL knob on the front panel, although this knob can be programmed to control any combination of outputs. For details, see “The Monitor Group” on page 95. 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.

Optical

The 828mk3 rear panel provides two sets of ADAT optical (“lightpipe”) connectors: Bank A and B (Figure 3-5). Each bank provides an input and output connector. All four connectors can operate independently and offer two different optical formats: ADAT optical or TOSLink (optical S/ PDIF). For example, you could connect 8-channel ADAT optical input from your digital mixer and stereo TOSLink output to an effects processor.

The 828mk3 supplies +12dB of digital trim (boost) for each optical input, which can be adjusted from CueMix FX (“Input trim” on page 79) or the front panel (“The IN (inputs) menu” on page 45).

Below is a summary of optical formats:

Format 44.1 or 48 kHz 88.2 or 96 kHz

ADAT optical 8 channels 4 channels

Using optical I/O to operate the 828mk3 as a 16-channel expander

When the 828mk3 is not connected directly to a computer via FireWire, the sixteen optical output channels can be programmed (via the CueMix FX mixer) to mirror the incoming signal on any combination of the 828mk3’s inputs. By connecting the 828mk3 optical outputs to another device, such as another ADAT-optical equipped interface or a digital mixer, you add up to sixteen additional inputs to your system (or eight inputs at the 2x sample rates).

To learn how to program the 828mk3 when it is operating as a stand-alone expander in this fashion, see chapter 6, “828mk3 Front Panel Operation” (page 41).

Choosing a clock source for optical connections

When connecting an optical device, make sure that its digital audio clock is phase-locked (in sync with) the 828mk3, as explained in “Making sync connections” on page 24. There are two ways to do this:

1. Resolve the optical device to the 828mk3

2. Resolve the 828mk3 to the optical device

For 1), choose Internal (or any other clock source except ADAT optical) as the clock source for the 828mk3 in MOTU Audio Setup.

TOSLink stereo stereo

Optical operation at 44.1 or 48 kHz

When conﬁgured for ADAT “lightpipe”, an optical connector provides 8 channels at 44.1 and 48 kHz.

ADAT optical operation at 88.2 or 96 kHz

When conﬁgured for ADAT “lightpipe”, an optical connector provides four channel s at 8 8.2 or 96 kH z (2x sample rates). When using the ADAT lightpipe format at a 2x rate, be sure to choose either Type I or Type II oper ation, as explained in “ADAT SMUX Typ e” on p age 44.

For 2), choose either ADAT Optical A or ADAT Optical B as the 828mk3’s clock source

(Figure 3-8). Be sure to choose the optical port that the device is connected to.

Figure 3-8: Resolving the 828mk3 to an optical device.

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 HARDWARE

Page 21

For details about using the clock source setting and the MOTU Audio Setup software in general, see chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Setup” (page 35).

Using word clock to resolve optical devices

If the optical device you are connecting to the 828mk3 has word clock connectors on it, you can use them to resolve the device to the 828mk3, similar to the diagram shown in Figure 3-18 on page 27 for S/PDIF devices with word clock. Also see “Syncing word clock devices” on page 28.

S/PDIF

If you make a S/PDIF digital audio connection to another device, be sure to review the digital audio clocking issues, as explained in “Syncing S/PDIF devices” on page 27.

The 828mk3 supplies +12dB of digital trim (boost) for the S/PDIF input pair, which can be adjusted from CueMix FX (“Input trim” on page 79) or the front panel (“The IN (inputs) menu” on page 45).

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 3-9. 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.

Connecting additional gear with MIDI THRUs

If you need to connect several pieces of MIDI gear, run a MIDI cable from the MIDI THRU of a device already connected to the 828mk3 to the MIDI IN on the additional device as shown below in Figure 3-10. The two devices then share the 828mk3’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 828mk3’s MIDI OUT jack (Connection A below). Conversely, connect the MIDI device’s MIDI OUT jack to the 8238mkII’s MIDI IN jack (Connection B).

828mk3

rear panel

MIDI

OUT

Connection A

MIDI Device

Figure 3-9: Connecting a MIDI device to the 828mk3.

MIDI

cables

MIDI INMIDI

OUT

MIDI

Connection B

828mk3

rear panel

MIDI

OUT

MIDI Device

Figure 3-10: Connecting additional devices with MIDI THRU ports.

MIDI

THRU

MIDI

cable

MIDI IN

CONNECT A FOOT SWITCH

If you would like to use a foot switch with your 828mk3, connect it to the PUNCH IN/OUT jack. See “Quick Reference: MOTU Audio Setup” on page 7 for information about how to program the foot switch to trigger any computer keystroke you wish.

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 HARDWARE

Page 22

A TYPICAL 828MK3 SETUP

Here is a typical 828mk3 studio setup. This rig can be operated without an external mixer. All mixing and processing can be done in the computer with audio software. During recording, you can use the 828mk3’s CueMix FX 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 either from the front panel or from the included CueMix FX software. The two front-panel guitar/mic inputs can be routed to outboard effects processors, such as a compressor, EQ or reverb, via the rear panel sends.

828mk3

back panel

guitar

MOTU 8pre and/or

other optical devices

828mk3

front panel

8-channel

ADAT optical

foot

switch

mic

sends to

FX unit (in rack below)

headphones

other outputs (stage

monitors, surround

monitors, etc.)

send

returns

headphones

monitors

to send returns

S/PDIF

DAT deck

Mac

MIDI IN/OUT

FireWire

Figure 3-11: A typical 828mk3 studio setup.

quarter-inch

analog outs

synthesizer

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 HARDWARE

Compressor, reverb or

other outboard gear

quarter-inch analog outs

synths, samplers, effects units, etc.

Page 23

OPERATING THE 828mk3 AS A CONVERTER

As explained earlier in “Using optical I/O to operate the 828mk3 as a 16-channel expander” on page 20, the 828mk3 can serve as a multi-channel analog-to-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 828mk3 optical output to the optical input on another MOTU audio interface, such as a Traveler, 896HD or even another 828mk3. The 828mk3 then serves as a multi-channel expander that adds additional mic, analog TRS and digital inputs to the interface.

The beneﬁt of connecting the 828mk3 in this manner (instead of as another FireWire interface) is that you can seamlessly integrate the 828mk3’s inputs into the on-board no-latency CueMix monitor mixing in the interface, since the 828mk3’s inputs are fed into CueMix via the interface’s optical inputs.

If the device to which you are connecting the 828mk3 supports 2x optical sample rates (88.2 or 96 kHz), you can also use both banks of connectors as discussed in “ADAT optical operation at 88.2 or 96 kHz” on page 20.

Base

828mk3

Expander

828mk3

Mac

FireWire

ADAT optical In

ADAT optical Out

Figure 3-12: Using the 828mk3 as an optical expander. In this example, it is connected to another 828mk3.

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 HARDWARE

Page 24

MAKING SYNC CONNECTIONS

If you connect devices digitally to the 828mk3, or if you need to synchronize the 828mk3 with an outside time reference such as SMPTE time code, you must pay careful attention to the synchronization connections and clock source issues discussed in the next few sections.

Do you need to synchronize the 828mk3?

If you will be using only the 828mk3’s analog inputs and outputs (and none of its digital I/O), and you have no plans to synchronize your 828mk3 system to SMPTE time code, you don’t need to make any sync connections. You can skip this section and proceed to chapter 4, “Installing the 828mk3 Mac Software” (page 31). After you install the 828mk3 software, you’ll open MOTU Audio Setup to conﬁrm that the Clock Source setting is Internal as shown below. For details, see chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Setup” (page 35).

Synchronization is critical for clean digital I/O

Synchronization is critical in any audio system, but it is especially important when you are transferring audio between digital audio devices. Your success in using the 828mk3’s digital I/O features depends almost entirely on proper synchronization. The following sections guide you through several recommended scenarios.

Be sure to choose a digital audio clock master

When you transfer digital audio between two devices, their audio clocks must be in phase with one another — or phase-locked. Otherw ise, you’ll hear clicks, pops, and distortion in the audio — or perhaps no audio at all.

Not phase-locked Phase-locked

Device A

Device B

Figure 3-14: When transferring audio, two devices must have phaselocked audio clocks to prevent clicks, pops or other artifacts.

Figure 3-13: You can run the 828mk3 under its own internal clock when it has no digital audio connections and you are not synchronizing the 828mk3 system to an external time reference such as time code.

Situations that require synchronization

There are three general cases in which you will need to resolve the 828mk3 with other devices:

■ Synchronizing the 828mk3 with other digital

audio devices so that their digital audio clocks are phase-locked (as shown in Figure 3-14)

■ Resolving the 828mk3 system to SMPTE time

code from a video deck, analog multi-track, etc.

■ Both of the above

There are two ways to achieve phase lock: slave one device to the other, or slave both devices to a third master clock. If you have three or more digital audio devices, you need to slave them all to a single master audio clock.

Master

Slave

Figure 3-15: To keep the 828mk3 phased-locked with other digital audio devices connected to it, choose a clock master.

Master

Slave Slave

Also remember that audio phase lock can be achieved independently of time code (location). For example, one device can be the time code master while another is the audio clock master. But only one device can be the audio clock master. If you set things up with this rule in mind, you’ll have trouble-free audio transfers with the 828mk3.

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 HARDWARE

Page 25

SYNCING TO SMPTE TIME CODE DIRECTLY

The 828mk3 system can resolve directly to SMPTE time code. It can also generate time code and word clock, under its own clock or while slaving to time code. Therefore, the 828mk3 can act both as an audio interface and as a digital audio synchronizer to which you can slave other digital audio devices. You can use the 828mk3 to slave your audio software to SMPTE as wel l, as long as your sof tware supports sample-accurate sync, which is the means by which the software follows the 828mk3. The accuracy may not be sample-accurate, but in most cases it will be very close.

First, choose SMPTE as the clock source in AudioDesk, Digital Performer, or MOTU Audio Setup. This setting can also be made in the MOTU SMPTE Console (shown below).

Use this setup if you have:

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

An 828mk3 by itself, OR with another slaved device (such as a

✓

digital mixer).

✓ Host software that supports sample-accurate sync.

This setup provides:

✓ Continuous sync to SMPTE time code.

✓ Sub-frame timing accuracy.

✓ Transport control from the SMPTE time code source.

SMPTE time code source

audio cable bearing LTC (Longitudinal Time Code)

SMPTE IN

quarter-inch jack

SMPTE

Word

out

Out

audio

cable

Other digital audio device

slaved to the 828mk3

Figure 3-16: Connections for synchronizing the 828mk3 directly to SMPTE time code.

BNC cable

FireWire ca ble

Mac running AudioDesk,

Digital Performer or other sample-

accurate software.

When lockup is achieved, the LOCK/TACH light glows.

828mk3 interface

In AudioDesk or Digital Performer:

1. Choose Receive Sync from the Setup menu.

2. Choose the Sample-accurate option. (If this option is grayed out, choose SMPTE as the clock source setting ﬁrst, as shown above.)

3. Make sure that Slave to External Sync mode is enabled.

Launch the MOTU SMPTE Console to specify the time code frame rate and amount of freewheel. Also, conﬁrm that the Cloc k Source/Address is SMPTE/SMPTE. For details about the other settings, see chapter 12, “MOTU SMPTE Console” (page 101).

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 HARDWARE

Page 26

SYNCING TO VIDEO AND/OR SMPTE TIME CODE USING A SYNCHRONIZER

If your host audio software does not support the 828mk3’s on-board SMPTE sync features (because your software does not support sample-accurate sync), you need a universal synchronizer, such as a MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital Timepiece. These dedicated sync boxes can read video and SMPTE time code and then convert it into word clock and MIDI Time Code (MTC). The word clock goes to the 828mk3 to resolve the audio hardware, and MIDI Time Code is fed to your host audio software, which locks to it, as shown below in Figure 3-17.

Use this setup if you have:

✓ Video and/or a SMPTE time code source.

✓ A Digital Timepiece, MIDI Timepiece AV or other universal

synchronizer.

✓ Host software that does not support sample-accurate sync

(although you can use this setup even if it does).

This setup provides:

✓ Continuous sync to SMPTE time code.

✓ Sub-frame timing accuracy.

✓ Transport control from the SMPTE time code source.

Video deck or other source for video and/or SMPTE time code

Audio cable bearing LTC (Longitudinal Time Code)

MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital Timepiece slaving to video and/or SMPTE time code

828mk3

Choose Word Cl ock In as the clock source in the MOTU Audio Setup application. If you have multiple interfaces connected, be sure to choose the Word Clock In option that corresponds to the interface receiving the clock signal.

Figure 3-17: If your host audio software does not support sample-accurate sync and the 828mk3’s built-in SMPTE sync features, use a universal synchronizer such as the MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital Timepiece.

Word OUT

word clock

Word IN

MIDI OUT

MIDI time code

MIDI IN

MIDI Time Code (Via FireWire)

Mac running any audio software

Set up your audio software to slave to MIDI Time Code.

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 HARDWARE

Page 27

SYNCING S/PDIF DEVICES

S/PDIF devices will sync to the 828mk3 in one of two ways:

■ Via the S/PDIF connection itself

■ Via word clock

S/PDIF devices with no word clock

If your S/PDIF device has no word clock sync connectors, just connect it to the 828mk3 via the S/PDIF connectors. When the device records S/PDIF audio (from the 828mk3), it will simply synchronize to the clock provided by the audio input.

On the other hand, when you transfer audio from the S/PDIF device into the 828mk3, you’ll have to slave the 828mk3 to its S/PDIF input. If you have other digital audio devices connected to the 828mk3, and they are not slaved directly to the 828mk3 itself, you may hear clicks and pops resulting from their unsy nchronized audio clock. If so, just turn them off during the transfer.

S/PDIF devices with word clock

If your S/ PDI F de vic e ha s a Word Cl ock input , slave the S/PDIF device to the 828mk3 via their word clock connection. You can then freely transfer audio between the 828mk3 and the S/PDIF device.

828mk3

DAT deck

or other S/PDIF device

S/PDIF

828mk3

Clock Source setting =

Internal (when transferring from the

828mk3 to the S/PDIF device)

Clock Source setting = Internal

828mk3

DAT deck

or other SPDIF device

With this setup, in the MOTU Audio Setup window, choose Internal, or any other clock source setting except SPDIF. The DAT deck (or other SPDIF device) slaves to the 828mk3 via word clock for SPDIF transfers in both directions.

the S/PDIF device to the 828mk3)

828mk3

Word Clock Out

Word Clock In

828mk3

Clock Source setting =

S/PDIF (when transferring from

SPDIF

Figure 3-18: Two setups for synchronizing an S/PDIF device with the 828mk3. In the top diagram, sync is achieved via the S/PDIF connection itself. In this case, you have to choose S/PDIF as the 828mk3’s clock source when recording from the S/PDIF device. If you don’t want to have to worry about switching the Clock Source setting depending on the direction of the S/PDIF transfer, you can slave the S/PDIF device to word clock from the 828mk3 or vice versa (not shown). The Word Clock connection maintains sync, regardless of the direction of the transfer.

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 HARDWARE

Page 28

SYNCING WORD CLOCK DEVICES

The 828mk3 word clock connectors allow you to synchronize it with a wide variety of other word clock-equipped devices.

828mk3 could be running at 96 kHz while slaving to a 48 kHz word clock signal. Similarly, the 828mk3 could run at 88.2 kHz and slave to

44.1 kHz word clock.

For standard word clock sync, you need to choose an audio clock master (as explained in “Be sure to choose a digital audio clock master” on page 24). In the simplest case, you have two devices and one is the word clock master and the other is the slave as shown below in Figure 3-19 and Figure 3-20.

Master

Word clock OUT

Word clock IN

Slave

Figure 3-19: Slaving another digital audio device to the 828mk3 via word clock. For the 828mk3 clock source, choose any source besides word clock, as it is not advisable to chain word clock.

MOTU Digital Timepiece universal synchronizer

Audio

clock

Master

Slave

Figure 3-20: Slaving the 828mk3 to word clock. For the 828mk3 clock source, choose ‘Word Clock In’.

Word clock OUT

Word clock IN

828mk3

Other device

828mk3

Remember, the word clock signal must be one of the following:

■ the same as the 828mk3 clock

■ half of the 828mk3 clock

Forcing a 1x word out rate

The 828mk3 can generate a word clock output signal that either matches the current system clock rate (any rate between 44.1 and 192kHz) or the corresponding 1x rate. For example, if the 828mk3 is operating at 192kHz, you can choose to generate a word out rate of 48kHz. For details on how to make this word clock output setting, see “Word Out” on page 40.

CONNECTING MULTIPLE MOTU FIREWIRE INTERFACES

You can daisy-chain multiple MOTU FireWire interfaces on a single FireWire bus, with the restrictions described in the following sections. Most computers have only one built-in FireWire bus (even if it supplies multiple FireWire sockets). Connect them as follows:

Don’t chain word clock

If you have three or more digital audio devices that you need to synchronize, avoid chaining their word clock connections (OUT to IN, OUT to IN, etc.), as this causes problems. Instead, use a dedicated synchronizer like the Digital Timepiece or a word clock distribution device of some kind.

Slaving to 2x and 1/2x word clock

All MOTU FireWire audio interfaces that support 96 kHz operation have the ability to slave to a word clock signal running at either one half or one quarter of their current clock rate. For example, the

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 HARDWARE

Page 29

Mac

FireWire

Figure 3-21: Connecting multiple 828mk3 interfaces (or other MOTU FireWire audio interfaces) to a computer.

Word Clock Out

Word Clock In

Word Clock Out

Word Clock In

Word Clock Out

Word Clock In

For two

interfaces,

slave one to

the other.

You can probably

get away with

daisy-chaining three interfaces, although a word

clock distribu-

tion device is

recommended.

This is risky. A

word clock distri-

bution device is

highly recom-

mended.

Figure 3-22: To view the settings for an interface, click its tab.

Synchronizing multiple interfaces

Mac OS X provides an advanced, ﬂexible driver model that allows multiple Core Audio drivers to be active at one time, accessed by multiple applications simultaneously. For example, you can run both FireWire and PCI audio interfaces at the same time, accessing all of their inputs and outputs from your host audio application — or even multiple applications — simultaneously.

A by-product of this more ﬂexible model is that multiple devices must be synchronized to one another in order to remain resolved to each another. Without synchronization, the audio streams going to each interface might drift with respect to one another. For example, the audio tracks playing back through the 828mk3 might drift out of sync with the audio tracks playing back through your 2408mk3 PCI interface. Synchronizing them to each other ensures that they remain as tightly and continuously phase-locked as if they were one uniﬁed interface.

Multiple interfaces cannot be bus-powered

Do not run the Traveler, UltraLite or other buspowered interfaces under bus power when connecting them with other devices on the same FireWire bus.

Multiple interfaces in MOTU Audio Setup

MOTU Audio Setup displays the settings for one interface at a time. To view the settings for an interface, click its tab as shown below in Figure 3-22.

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 HARDWARE

There are two ways to synchronize the 828mk3 with other devices, as discussed in the following sections: via the driver or via word clock.

Resolving to other Core audio drivers

The MOTU FireWire driver has the ability to resolve to other Core Audio drivers. This allows the 828mk3, and other MOTU FireWire interfaces, to resolve to other audio interfaces running simultaneously on the same computer, such as the Mac’s built-in audio, a PCI-424 core system, or even 3rd-party interfaces, without the need for external word clock connections between the devices. Doing so ensures that audio tracks being played or

Page 30

recorded by your MOTU FireWire interface will not drift apart from tracks on the other device during long playback or recording passes.

To synchronize multiple devices via the MOTU FireWire driver, choose one device (PCI, FireWire or otherwise) as the master clock and then slave the 828mk3 and other FireWire devices to it. All interfaces will remain resolved to each other via the master interface.

Make the Clock Source settings for each interface as follows:

Resolving to word clock

To resolve two 828mk3 FireWire interfaces with each other via word clock, choose one as the word clock master and then slave the second interface to the ﬁrst, as shown in Figure 3-21 on page 29. For three interfaces, you can probably get away with daisy-chaining them via their word clock connectors, but this may not always produce the most reliable results. For three or more devices, a word clock distribution device is highly recommended. In this case, the distribution box is the master, and all FireWire interfaces slave directly to it (instead of to each other).

■ For the master interface, click its tab in the

FireWire Console and choose any clock source you wish (except any of the slave interfaces, of course).

■ For each slave interface, click its tab and choose

the master interface from the Clock Source menu, as demonstrated below in Figure 3-23. This causes the slave interfaces to resolve to the master interface.

Figure 3-23: To resolve a MOTU FireWire interface to another Core Audio device, choose the other device from the Clock Source menu in the MOTU FireWire Audio Console. In this example, the Traveler will slave to the 828mk3.

If you have multiple 828mk3s, choose one as the master, and set its Clock Source to Internal. Then, click the tab of the other 828mk3s and set their Clock Source to the ﬁrst 828mk3.

Connecting other MOTU FireWire interfaces

You can add an original MOTU 828 to the end of a FireWire daisy chain (because the 828 has only one FireWire port), or you can mix and match multiple 828’s with other MOTU FireWire interfaces using a standard FireWire hub. You can also add 828mkIIs, 896HDs, Travelers and UltraLites, which have two FireWire ports convenient for daisy-chaining.

Operating multiple FireWire interfaces at high sample rates

Four MOTU FireWire interfaces can operate at

44.1 or 48kHz on a single FireWire bus, although you may have to disable optical banks to conserve FireWire bus bandwidth. At the 2x samples rates (88.2 or 96kHz) and 4x sample rates (176.4 and 192kHz), you can operate no more than two FireWire interfaces on a single FireWire bus.

Adding additional interfaces with a second FireWire bus

Third-party FireWire bus expansion products in the form of a cardbus (“PC card”) adapter or PCI card allow you to add a second FireWire bus to your computer. In may be possible to add additional MOTU FireWire interfaces connected to such a third-party product, depending on their performance with your host computer.

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 HARDWARE

Page 31

CHAPTER

4 Installing the 828mk3 Mac Software

OVERVIEW

Software installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

CueMix FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

MOTU SMPTE Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

AudioDesk workstation software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

The 828mk3 CoreAudio driver

CoreAudio is a term that refers to the software technology built into Mac OS X that provides all of its standardized audio features. More speciﬁcally, we use CoreAudio to refer to Mac OS X’s standard audio driver model. A CoreAudio driver allows the

SOFTWARE INSTALLATION

Install the 828mk3 software as follows:

1 Insert the MOTU FireWire Installer disc and launch the installer.

2 Follow the directions that the installer gives you.

828mk3 to establish audio input and output with any Mac OS X CoreAudio-compatible software.

Once the 828mk3’s CoreAudio driver has been successfully installed (by the installer), and you have chosen it for use in your host audio software, the 828mk3 wil l appear as a choice for audio inputs

What does the installer do?

and outputs in your software. The installer checks the computer to make sure it satisﬁes the minimum system requirements for your MOTU interface. If so, the installer proceeds with the OS X installation. Drivers are installed, along with the MOTU Audio Setup, CueMix FX, and several other applications, summarized in the

All MOTU audio hardware, including our PCI

systems and other FireWire and USB interfaces,

ships with CoreAudio drivers that allow them to

operate successfully with virtually all Mac OS X

audio software.

following table:

Software component Location Purpose For more information

MOTU FireWire Audio driver.kext /System/Library/

Extensions

Provides 828mk3 multi-channel audio input and output with all Mac OS X audio software

“The 828mk3 CoreAudio driver” on page 31

MOTU MIDI driver.kext /System/Library/

MOTU MIDI driver.plugin /System/Library/

MOTU Audio Setup Applications folder Provides access to all of the settings in the

CueMix FX Applications folder Gives you complete control over the 828mk3’s

MOTU SMPTE Setup Applications folder Provides access to the 828mk3 system’s

AudioDesk Applications/MOTU

AudioDesk Demo Project Anywhere you want Provides a multi-track mix that you can open,

Extensions

Audio/MIDI Drivers

AudioDesk

Provides 828mk3 MIDI input and output for all Mac OS X MIDI software

828mk3 and other MOTU interfaces. Required for 828mk3 operation.

CueMix FX on-board mixer, which provides no-latency monitoring, mixing and processing of live inputs through your 828mk3.

SMPTE time code sync features.

Provides complete multi-track recording, mixing and processing. Optional.

play, and mix in AudioDesk. Optional.

“CoreMIDI and Audio MIDI Setup” on page 32

chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Setup” (page 35)

chapter 11, “CueMix FX” (page 73)

chapter 12, “MOTU SMPTE Console” (page 101)

AudioDesk User Guide

Page 32

CoreMIDI and Audio MIDI Setup

CoreMIDI is the “under-the-hood” portion of Mac OS X that handles MIDI services for MIDI hardware and software. CoreMIDI provides many universal MIDI system management features, including MIDI communication between your 828mk3 FireWire interface and all CoreMIDI compatible software.

Audio MIDI Setup is a utility included with Mac OS X that allows you to conﬁgure your 828mk3 interface for use with all CoreMIDI compatible applications. Audio MIDI Setup provides:

■ A “virtual” studio on your Mac that graphically

represents your MIDI hardware setup and that is shared by all CoreMIDI-compatible programs

■ A simple, intuitive list of your MIDI devices

whenever you need it in any CoreMIDI-compatible program

Launching Audio MIDI Setup

1 Make sure your 828mk3 interface is connected and turned on.

Figure 4-1: The 828mk3 interface as it appears in the MIDI tab of

Audio MIDI Setup.

Connecting MIDI devices to the 828mk3

Once your 828mk3 interface appears in Audio

MIDI Setup, you are ready to add devices, indicate

how they are connected, and identify properties

they may have for particular purposes. This

information is shared with all CoreMIDI

compatible applications.

To add a device in Audio MIDI Setup:

1 Click Add Device.

2 Launch the Audio MIDI Setup utility.

This can usually be found in /Applications/ Utilities. If it has been moved, just search for Audio MIDI Setup.

3 Conﬁrm that the 828mk3 is present in the MIDI Devices tab of Audio MIDI Setup.

If the 828mk3 does not appear, or if it is grayed out, check your cable connections and click Rescan MIDI.

Figure 4-2: Adding a MIDI device.

2 Drag on its input and output arrows to draw

connections to the 828mk3 that match its physical

connection.

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 MAC SOFTWARE

Page 33

Figure 4-3: Connecting devices to the 828mk3. In this example, a controller keyboard is connected to the 828mk3’s MIDI IN, and a sound module is connected to the 828mk3 MIDI OUT.

CUEMIX FX

This program provides a mixing console that gives

you control over the 828mk3’s on-board mixing

and effects processing. For details, see chapter 11,

“CueMix FX” (page 73).

MOTU SMPTE CONSOLE

The MOTU SMPTE Console software provides a

complete set of tools to resolve the 828mk3 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 Console” (page 101).

3 Double-click the device to make settings, such as input and output channels, that further describe the device.

Figure 4-4: Device settings.

4 Repeat the above steps for each MIDI device connected to the interface.

AUDIODESK WORKSTATION SOFTWARE

AudioDesk is an advanced workstation software

package for the 828mk3 that lets you record, edit,

mix, process, bounce and master multi-track

digital audio recording projects. Advanced features

include real-time 32-bit effects processing, 24-bit

recording, and much more.

See the AudioDesk manual included with your

828mk3 system for details.

5 When you are ﬁnished, quit Audio MIDI Setup.

Your conﬁguration is automatically saved as the default conﬁguration, and it is shared with all CoreMIDI-compatible software.

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 MAC SOFTWARE

Figure 4-5: AudioDesk for Mac OS X.

Page 34

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 MAC SOFTWARE

Page 35

CHAPTER

5 MOTU Audio Setup

OVERVIEW

MOTU Audio Setup gives you access to basic 828mk3 hardware settings, such as sample rate, clock source, optical format and more.

Accessing the 828mk3 settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

‘828mk3’ Tab Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Sample Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Clock Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Default Stereo Input/Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Phones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Optical input/output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Main Outs Assign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Return Assign. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Word Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

‘General’ Tab settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Launch MOTU Audio Setup when hardware becomes

available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Edit Channel Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Enable Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

ACCESSING THE 828MK3 SETTINGS

There are several ways to access MOTU Audio

Setup settings:

■ Click the MOTU Audio Setup icon in the dock

■ Press on the MOTU Audio Setup dock icon to

open the menu shown below, or control-click it to

open the menu immediately

■ From within AudioDesk™ or Digital

Performer™, choose Setup menu>Conﬁgure Audio

System>Conﬁgure Hardware Driver (Note: this

dialog only provides access to basic settings such as

sample rate and clock source. For access to all

settings, use one of the techniques above.)

■ In Cubase or Nuendo, open the Device Setup

window, click VST Audio System and choose

MOTU Audio ASIO from the ASIO Driver menu.

Then click the MOTU Audio ASIO item in the list

and click the Control Panel button.

Page 36

■ From the front panel LCD as explained in

chapter 6, “828mk3 Front Panel Operation” (page 41).

828mk3 tab settings

The 828mk3 tab (Figure 5-1) provides settings that apply to a speciﬁc 828mk3 interface. If you have several 828mk3 (or other MOTU) interfaces connected, you’ll see a separate tab for each one.

General tab settings

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

‘828MK3’ TAB SETTINGS

Sample Rate

Choose the desired Sample Rate for recording and playback. The 828mk3 can operate at 44.1 (the standard rate for compact disc audio), 48, 88.2, 96,

176.4 or 192 kHz. Make sure that all of the devices

connected digitally to the 828mk3 match the

828mk3’s sample rate. Also make sure that your

Digital Timepiece, MIDI Timepiece AV or other

digital audio synchronizer matches it as well. At the

4x sample rates (176.4 or 192kHz), all digital I/O

on the 828mk3 is disabled.

☛ 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.

Operation at 4x sample rates (176.4 or 192kHz)

At the 4x sample rates (176.4 or 192kHz),

operation of the 828mk3 is restricted, due to the

higher audio bandwidth demands, as follows:

■ All digital I/O is disabled (there is no ADAT

optical, TOSLink or S/PDIF input/output).

Figure 5-1: MOTU Audio Setup gives you access to all of the settings in the 828mk3 hardware.

MOTU AUDIO SETUP

Page 37

■ The 828mk3 provides 8 channels of analog input

and 8 channels of analog output, simultaneously.

■ The stereo return bus, as described in “Return

Assign” on page 39, can only be assigned to one of the four available analog output pairs.

■ The headphone output can only be assigned to

one of the four available analog output pairs.

■ The Main Outs can only be assigned to one of

the four available analog output pairs.

Clock Source

The Clock Source determines the digital audio clock that the 828mk3 will use as its time base. For a complete explanation of synchronization issues, see “Making sync connections” on page 24. The following sections brieﬂy discuss each clock source setting.

Wor d C lo ck In

The Wor d C lo c k In setting refers to the Word Clock

In BNC connector on the 828mk3 rear panel.

Choosing this setting allows the 828mk3 to slave to

an external word clock source, such as the word

clock output from a digital mixer or another

828mk3.

S/PDIF

The S/PDIF clock source setting refers to the

S/PDIF RCA input jack on the 828mk3. This

setting allows the 828mk3 to slave to another

S/PDIF device.

Use this setting whenever you are recording input

from a DAT deck or other S/PDIF device into the

828mk3. It is not necessary in the opposite

direction (when you are transferring from the

828mk3 to the DAT machine).

Internal

Use the Internal setting when you want the 828mk3 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.

Another example is transferring a mix to DAT. You can operate the 828mk3 system on its internal clock, and then slave the DAT deck to the 828mk3 via the S/PDIF connection (usually DAT decks slave to their S/DIF input when you choose the S/PDIF input as their record source) or via the 828mk3’s word clock output (if your DAT deck has a word clock input).

If you would like help determining if this is the proper clock setting for your situation, see “Making sync connections” on page 24.

For further details about this setting, see “Syncing

S/PDIF devices” on page 27.

ADAT Optical A / B

The ADAT optical clock source settings (ADAT

Optical A and ADAT Optical B) refer to the clock

provided by the 828mk3’s two optical inputs, when

either one is connected to another optical device.

These two settings only appear in the Clock Source

menu when their corresponding optical bank input

is enabled and set to the ADAT Optical format, as

explained in “Optical input/output” on page 39.

This setting can be used to resolve the 828mk3

directly to the optical input connection. Most of

the time, you can set up a better operating scenario

that uses one of the other synchronization options.

However, there may be occasions when you have an

optical device that has no way of synchronizing

digitally to the 828mk3 or an external

synchronizer. In this case, the ADAT Optical clock

source setting lets you slave the 828mk3 to the

device itself via its digital input to the 828mk3.

MOTU AUDIO SETUP

Page 38

This setting is also useful if you just need to make a simple, click-free digital transfer between the 828mk3 and another device — where a time code reference and shared transport control are not needed — without having to set up an elaborate synchronization scenario.

For further details, see “Choosing a clock source for optical connections” on page 20.

TOSLink A / B

The TOSLink clock source settings (TOSLink A and TOSLink B) refer to the clock provided by the

828mk3’s two optical inputs, when either one is connected to another optical device. These two settings only appear in the Clock Source menu with their corresponding optical bank input is enabled and set to the TOSLink format, as explained in “Optical input/output” on page 39.

The TOSLink clock source setting refers to the clock provided an optical S/PDIF device connected to the 828mk3’s optical input. This setting can be used to slave the 828mk3 directly to the optical input connection. Most of the time, you can set up a better operating scenario that uses one of the other synchronization options. However, there may be occasions when you have an TOSLinkcompatible device that has no way of synchronizing digitally to the 828mk3 or an external synchronizer such as the Digital Timepiece. In this case, the TOSLink clock source setting lets you slave the 828mk3 to the other device via the 828mk3’s optical input.

SMPTE

Choose this setting to resolve the 828mk3 directly

to SMPTE time code (LTC) being received via the

828mk3’s quarter-inch SMPTE input jack. For

details, see “Syncing to SMPTE time code directly”

on page 25 and chapter 12, “MOTU SMPTE

Console” (page 101).

Built-in Audio

Choose this setting to resolve the 828mk3 to your

Mac’s built-in audio. Doing so will ensure that

audio streams playing back from or recorded by

the 828mk3 will not drift apart from audio streams

simultaneously played or recorded by the Mac’s

built-in mic, speakers or audio output.

Other audio devices (drivers)

The MOTU FireWire Audio Driver has the ability

to resolve to other Core Audio drivers. Doing so

will e nsure that audio stream s pl ayi ng b ack from or

recorded by the 828mk3 will not drift apart from

audio streams simultaneously played or recorded

by the other devices.

Default Stereo Input/Output

In the System Preferences window, Mac OS X lets

you choose third-party hardware such as the

828mk3 for your Mac sound input and output. The

system input and output can be used for alert

sounds and general audio I/O for applications like

iTunes, iMovie, etc.

For further details, see “Choosing a clock source for optical connections” on page 20.

MOTU AUDIO SETUP

Page 39

Optical input/output

The Optical input and Optical output settings let

you choose between ADAT optical (‘lightpipe’) and

S/PDIF optical (‘TOSLink’) as the format for the

828mk3’s two banks of optical input and output

(Bank A and Bank B). Choose the format that

matches the device connected. If you are not using

the optical connections, it is recommended that

you turn them off (by choosing Disabled from the

menu) to reduce bandwidth and processing

overhead. Note that you can operate each optical

port independently. For example, you could use the

ADAT optical format on the Bank A input (with a

digital mixer, for example) and optical S/PDIF on

the Bank A output (with a DAT deck, for example).

Main Outs Assign

Choose Main Outs from the Main Outs Assign

menu to treat the Main Outs as their own

independent output pair. Choose any other output

pair to cause the Main Outs to mirror (duplicate)

the output pair you choose.

Figure 5-2: The Mac OS X sound preferences let you use the 828mk3 for general stereo audio input and output for your Mac.

The Default Stereo Input and Default Stereo Output settings in MOTU Audio Setup (Figure 5-1 on page 36) let you specify the stereo input and output on the 828mk3 to be used when it is chosen as the audio I/O device in the system preferences.

Phones

The Phones setting lets you choose what you will hear from the headphone jack. Choose Main Outs if you’d like the headphone output to match the Main Outs. Choose Phones 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 eight on-board CueMix FX mix busses.

Return Assign

The Re turn As sign me nu l ets you ch oose a ny p air of

828mk3 audio outputs. The audio signal from this

output pair is then sent back to the computer via

the Stereo Return 1-2 bus. This stereo return bus

from the 828mk3 appears in your host software

alongside all other 828mk3 inputs, wherever your

host software lists them.

The 828mk3 stereo return bus can be used for a

variety of purposes. For example, you could use it

to send a ﬁnal mix being played through the

828mk3 back to the computer, where you could

record it for mastering or archiving purposes.

As another example, you could use the stereo

return bus to capture tracks played from your host

software, along with live inputs being routed

directly through the 828mk3 hardware via CueMix

FX (with or without CueMix effects processing on

the live inputs).

MOTU AUDIO SETUP

Page 40

Word Out

The Word Ou t menu appears when the 828mk3 is operating at a 2x sample rate (88.2 or 96kHz) or 4x sample rate (176.4 or 192kHz). This menu lets you set the word clock output either to match the current sample rate (System Clock) or force it to the corresponding 1x rate (either 44.1 or 48kHz). For example, if the 828mk3 were operating at

176.4kHz, choosing the Force 44.1/48kHz option would produce word clock output at 44.1kHz.

‘GENERAL’ TAB SETTINGS

Launch MOTU Audio Setup when hardware becomes available

Check this option if you would like the MOTU Audio Setup icon to appear in the application dock as soon as a MOTU interface is detected (switched on, plugged in, etc.)

Edit Channel Names

Click the Edit Channel Names button to open the Channel Names window (Figure 5-3). This window lets you edit the names of the 828mk3 inputs and outputs, as they appear in your host audio software. For example, when you click on a menu that displays the 828mk3 inputs (or outputs), you will see the names you specify in this window (e.g. “vocal mic”, “lead guitar”, etc.), instead of the default generic names (“Analog 1”, “A na l o g 2 ” , e tc . )

☛ Not all Mac OS X audio software supports

channel names. If not, you’ll see generic port names in your host audio software.

Figure 5-3: The Edit Channel Names window.

Figure 5-4: 828mk3 channel names as they appear in Digital

Performer’s Bundles window.

Enable Pedal

Check the Enable Pedal option if a foot switch is

connected to the 828mk3 and you would like to

trigger recording punch in/out (or other software

functions) with it. Use the Set buttons to determine

what keystroke is triggered by the pedal-up and

pedal-down positions. You can assign the pedal to

any two keystrokes you wish. (You are not

restricted to punch in/out.)

MOTU AUDIO SETUP

Page 41

CHAPTER

6 828mk3 Front Panel Operation

OVERVIEW

The 828mk3 is the ﬁrst FireWire audio interface to offer complete front-panel programming via six rotary encoders and a 2x16 backlit LCD display. All 828mk3 settings can be accessed via these frontpanel controls.

Mic/guitar inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Master vol and (MAIN) phone jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Phones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Meters and status LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Push-button rotary encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Multi-function LCD display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

828mk3 SETUP menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Audio menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

CueMix menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Inputs menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Outputs menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Mixes menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Reverb menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Stand-alone operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

MIC/GUITAR INPUTS

The 828mk3 front panel mic/guitar inputs are equipped with many features to handle a wide variety of recording situations.

For information about connections and settings, see “Mic/guitar inputs with preamps” on page 18 in the installation chapter.

For information about the many settings available

for the mic/guitar inputs, see:

■ “The Inputs tab” on page 78

■ “The channel settings section” on page 82

■ “The Channel tab” on page 82

■ “The EQ tab” on page 84

■ “The Dynamics tab” on page 91

MASTER VOL AND (MAIN) PHONE JACK

The phone jack labeled (MAIN) (Figure 6-1) is a

standard quarter-inch stereo headphone jack. Its

output is hard-wired to mirror the XLR main outs

on the rear panel. From the factory, the MASTER

VOL knob above it controls the main outs and this

jack, but MASTER VOL can be programmed to

control any combination of outputs. See “The

Monitor Group” on page 95 for details. Push the

kn ob o nce to view t he c urre nt volume set ting in th e

LCD display; push it again to mute the monitor

group; push a third time to return to the previous

volume. Note that if the Monitor Group is

programmed to not include the main outs, the

MASTER VOL knob will no longer control the

volume of the phone jack, either.

Figure 6-1: The 828mk3 front panel mic/guitar inputs and phone jacks.

Page 42

PHONES

From the factory, the PHONES jack (Figure 6-1) is a discrete output at 44.1/48 kHz, but it can mirror any other output pair (digital or analog) or serve as its own independent output. For example, at 88.2/ 96 kHz, it defaults to mirroring the XLR main outs. At 176.4/192 kHz, it defaults to mirroring analog outputs 1-2.

As the primary phone jack, it has its own dedicated volume knob.

As explained in the previous section, the LCD provides detailed feedback as you turn the knob (Figure 6-4). To view the current setting without changing it, just push the knob (without turning it).

If you would like the (MAIN) phone jack and the PHONES jack to output the same signal, assign the PHONES output to mirror the main outs. In this conﬁguration, both the MASTER VOL and the PHONES volume knobs control the PHONES volume.

METERS AND STATUS LEDS

The meters and LEDs (Figure 6-2) provide

complete status and metering information for all

828mk3 inputs and outputs.

Mic/guitar inputs meters with V-Limit™

compressor

The two ten-segment meters for the mic/guitar

inputs show input levels from -42 to -1 in the ﬁrst

column of LEDs, plus an additional range in a

second column from zero to +12 dB (plus clip).

Both inputs are equipped with V-Limit™, a

hardware limiter. With the limiter turned off,

si gnals t hat hit zero or above w ill c lip (a ha rd d igita l

clip). However, with V-Limit turned on, signals can

go as high as +12 dB above zero with no digital

clipping. If the signal then goes above +12 dB, it

will clip, even with V-Limit engaged. In either case,

the clip LED (above +12) will illuminate. For

further information about V-Limit, as well as

another feature called Soft Clip, see “Overload

protection (mic/guitar inputs only)” on page 83.

Analog

input

meters

Analog output activity LEDs Optical bank and

Figure 6-2: The 828mk3 front panel meters and LEDs.

S/PDIF digital

input

meters

S/PDIF output

activity

LEDs

Mic/guitar

preamp

inputs with

V-Limit™

828MK3 FRONT PANEL OPERATION

Main

out

meters

Time code

Lock/Tach

Sample

rate

MIDI I/O activity

Page 43

PUSH-BUTTON ROTARY ENCODERS

All of the knobs shown in Figure 6-3 are pushbutton digital rotary encoders. In many cases, you can either push the knob or turn it to make a setting or toggle the LCD display (depending on the encoder and setting).

MULTI-FUNCTION LCD DISPLAY

The LCD provides access to the many 828mk3 settings, as well as visual feedback of the current parameter being modiﬁed.

Parameter “zooming”

For many settings, the LCD temporarily “zooms in” to display a long-throw meter and alphanumeric display to give you precise, real-time feedback as you adjust the setting. For example, if you change the headphone volume, the LCD will display a level meter and gain reduction reading that updates as you turn the volume knob. After a brief time-out, the display returns to its previous state before you turned the volume knob.

Figure 6-4: The LCD provides feedback as you adjust volume.

Three global menus

Push the PARAM knob to cycle the LCD among

three global menus, described in the rest of this

chapter:

■ 828mk3 SETUP

■ AUDIO (se tti ngs )

■ CUEMIX (mixer)

When viewing CueMix settings

in the LCD, push the CHANNEL knob to cycle among four main mixer menus: MIX, IN (inputs),

OUT (outputs) and REVERB. Turn it to choose a channel.

Turn the PAGE knob to view settings for

each channel. Push it to jump to the

next section or back to the beginning.

Figure 6-3: The 828mk3 front panel controls.

828MK3 FRONT PANEL OPERATION

Push the PARAM knob to cycle

among three global menus:

CueMix (mixer), AUDIO

(settings) and 828MK3 SETUP.

Turn and/or push the VALUE knob to adjust

the current setting.

The LCD is divided into four

sections that correspond to the

four knobs to the left.

Page 44

828MK3 SETUP MENU

To access the 828mk3 SETUP menu, push the PAR AM k nob unt il y ou se e 828mk3 SETUP displayed in the LCD. This menu provides basic features for managing the 828mk3 hardware. Turn the PARAM knob to access each setting, explained brieﬂy below.

LCD Contrast

Turn the VALUE knob to adjust the LCD contrast.

Figure 6-5: In setup mode, the LCD displays a setup parameter in the top row of the LCD and the current setting in the bottom row.

Save/Name Preset

An 828mk3 preset holds all current CueMix FX mix settings (everything in the CUEMIX menu). SETUP menu and AUDIO menu parameters are not included. Turn the VALUE knob to move from character to character in the preset name. Turn PAGE to change the currently ﬂashing letter. Once you’ve named the preset, push VALUE to save it, turn it again to choose the desired preset slot you wish to save it to (1-16), and the push again to conﬁrm the save. To cancel the save operation at any time by turning the PARAM knob.

Load Preset

Turn VALUE to choose the preset you wish to load (1-16) and push VALUE to load it.

All Notes Off

The All Notes Off setting sends a MIDI All Notes Off message, as well as a MIDI note-off message for every note on every MIDI channel. This stops any stuck notes that are currently playing. Push VALUE to send the All Notes Off MIDI data.

Factory Defaults

Push VALUE to restore the 828mk3 hardware to its factory default settings. Push VALUE again to conﬁrm, or turn PARAM to cancel.

AUDIO MENU

To access the AUDIO menu, push the PARAM knob until you see AU D I O displayed in the LCD. This menu provides basic settings such as sample rate, clock source, optical bank format (ADAT versus TOSLink), and so on. These settings have corresponding settings in the MOTU Audio Setup software, as shown below:

Audio menu item Where to find more information

Clock Source* “Clock Source” on page 37

Sample rate* “Sample Rate” on page 36

Phones Assign “Phones” on page 39

Main Out Assign “Main Outs Assign” on page 39

Return Assign “Return Assign” on page 39

Optical In/Out A/B* “Optical input/output” on page 39

ADAT SMUX Type See below. This menu item is only

Word Clock Out “Word Out” on page 40

* If the 828mk3 is currently connected to a computer, this setting cannot be changed from the front-panel LCD. It must be changed in MOTU Audio Setup instead. Or, you can disconnect the 828mk3 from the computer to change the Clock Source from the front panel.

ADAT SMUX Type

When the 828mk3 is operating at either 88.2 or 96 kHz, the AUDIO menu includes an item called ADAT SMUX Type.

This setting lets you conﬁgure the optical ports for ADAT format operation at the 2x sample rates only (88.2 or 96 kHz).

There are two choices:

■ Type I — for 2x optical connection to 3rd-party

SMUX-compatible hardware products

available when the 828mk3 is operating at 88.2 or 96 kHz.

828MK3 FRONT PANEL OPERATION

Page 45

■ Type II — for 2x optical connection to MOTU

products that are equipped with optical ports and support 2x operation

Turn the VALUE knob to select an optical port and push the knob to toggle between the Type I and Type II setting.

The IN (inputs) menu

Push the CHANNEL button repeatedly until you see “I:” in the channel section of the LCD (Figure 6-6). This is similar to accessing the Inputs tab in CueMix FX console (“The Inputs tab” on page 78).

CUEMIX MENU

To access the CUEMIX menu, push the PARAM knob until you see CUEMIX displayed in the LCD. This menu displays the settings for the 828mk3 CueMix FX mixer.

CueMix mixer basics

It is much easier to navigate the CUEMIX menu in the LCD if you have a general understanding of the CueMix FX mixer. We strongly recommend that you review chapter 11, “CueMix FX” (page 73) before learning the LCD, especially “CueMix FX basic operation” on page 75.

CUEMIX menu organization

Mixer settings are divided into four sub-menus, which correspond to the Inputs, Mixes, Outputs and Reverb tabs in the CueMix FX software:

■ IN (inputs)

■ OUT (outputs)

■ MIX (Mixes)

■ REVERB (reverb processor)

Navigating the four main menus

To access the four main menus above, push the CHANNEL knob repeatedly. Then turn the CHANNEL knob to select the desired channel or mix.

“ I: ” Indicates the IN (inputs)

menu.

“Pages” are groups of channel settings, such

Figure 6-6: The IN (inputs) menu.

The current

channel.

as one band of EQ.

Access individual parameters

here, such as the frequency

setting for a band of EQ.

Change the value of the

current parameter here

Choosing a channel

Once you see the Inputs menu (Figure 6-6) in the LCD, turn the CHANNEL knob to select the desired input that you wish to edit. This is roughly equivalent to specifying an input channel strip to work with in the Inputs tab in CueMix FX software (Figure 11-3 on page 78).

Choosing a setting to modify

Once you’ve selected an input channel, you can access the various settings for that channel using the PAGE knob and PARAMETER knobs.

Turn the PAGE knob to scroll through channel settings such as individual bands of EQ, the compressor, reverb sends, etc. Push the PAGE knob to jump to the next “section” of parameters or to jump back to the beginning of the list. This is roughly the equivalent of moving through the various channel controls in an individual input

828MK3 FRONT PANEL OPERATION

Page 46

channel strip in CueMix FX (Figure 11-3 on page 78), as well as the settings in the Channel tab (Figure 11-8 on page 82).

Turn the PARAMETER knob to scroll through individual parameters, such as the frequency for the current band of EQ. This is roughly equivalent to the parameters in the EQ tab (Figure 11-10 on page 84), Dynamics tab (Figure 11-21 on page 91) and Reverb tab (Figure 11-23 on page 94) in the CueMix FX software.

Adjusting the value of a parameter

Turn the VALUE knob to adjust the value of the current PARAMETER. Some parameters have default values. If so, push the VALUE knob to cycle through them.

Inactive items

If a menu item is inact ive for some reason (perhaps it doesn’t currently apply or it is disabled), it is displayed in parentheses.

“ O: ” Indicates

the OUT

(outputs) menu.

“Pages” are groups of

channel settings, such

Figure 6-7: The OUT (outputs) menu.

The current

channel.

as one band of EQ.

Access individual parameters

here, such as the frequency

setting for a band of EQ.

Change the value of the

current parameter here

Choosing a channel

Once you see the Outputs menu (Figure 6-7) in the LCD, turn the CHANNEL knob to select the desired out put th at you wis h to edit. Th is is roug hly equivalent to specifying an output channel strip to work with in the Outputs tab in CueMix FX software (Figure 11-6 on page 81).

Copying and pasting

EQ, dynamics and Mix Assign settings allow you to copy and paste settings between EQ bands and/or channels. Push the VALUE knob to copy, scroll to the other item and then push again to paste.

Summary of Inputs menu settings

For a summary of Inputs menu settings, see “Inputs menu” on page 48.

The OUT (Outputs) menu

Push the CHANNEL button repeatedly until you see “O:” in the channel section of the LCD (Figure 6-7). This is similar to accessing the Outputs tab in CueMix FX console (“The Outputs tab” on page 80).

Working with outputs in the LCD

Once you’ve selected an output channel, you can access the various settings for that channel using the PAGE knob and PARAMETER knobs. The knobs function the same as described for inputs in “Choosing a setting to modify” on page 45 and “Adjusting the value of a parameter” on page 46.

Summary of Output menu settings

For a summary of Inputs menu settings, see “Outputs menu” on page 48.

828MK3 FRONT PANEL OPERATION

Page 47

The MIX (Mixes) menu

Push the CHANNEL button repeatedly until you see “MIX 1” (or “MIX 2”, etc.) in the channel section of the LCD (Figure 6-8). This is similar to accessing the Mixes tab in CueMix FX console (“The Mixes tab” on page 76).

The current

mix bus.

Here, choose master fader

settings, reverb settings, and

individual input channels.

Figure 6-8: The MIX (Mixes) menu.

Access individual parameters

here, such as input channel

settings.

Change the value of the

current parameter here

Choosing a mix bus

Once you see the MIX menu (Figure 6-8) in the LCD, turn the CHANNEL knob to select the desired mix that you wish to edit. This is roughly equivalent to choosing a mix in the Mixes tab in CueMix FX software (Figure 11-2 on page 76).

■ REVERB — these are the reverb send and return

controls for the bus master fader. Access them with the PARAMETER knob.

■ Individual channels — once you scroll past

MASTER and REVERB, the PAGE knob then scrolls through all available inputs for the mix bus. Once you choose an input, access its channel settings using the PARAM knob and VALUE knob.

Summary of Mix menu settings

For a summary of Mix menu settings, see “Mixes menu” on page 49.

The REVERB menu

Push the CHANNEL button repeatedly until you see “REVERB” in the channel section of the LCD (Figure 6-9). This is si milar to accessing the Reverb tab in CueMix FX (“The Reverb tab” on page 94).

☛ The REVERB processor is not available at

sample rates above 48 kHz. Therefore, when the 828mk3 is operating at 88.2 kHz or higher, the REVER menu does not appear in the LCD.

Change the value of

the current parame-

ter here .

Access individual parameters here,

such as reverb time.

Working with mix busses in the LCD

Once you’ve selected a mix, you can access the various settings for that mix using the PAGE knob and PARAMETER knobs. The knobs function the same as described for inputs in “Choosing a setting to modify” on page 45 and “Adjusting the value of a parameter” on page 46. The PAGE knob scrolls through the following mix bus settings:

■ MASTER — these are master fader settings,

such as the master fader output assignment, master mute on/off, and the master fader volume. Access them with the PARAMETER knob.

828MK3 FRONT PANEL OPERATION

Figure 6-9: The REVERB menu.

Working with reverb settings in the LCD

Once you’ve selected the REVERB menu, you can access all settings using the PARAMETER and VALUE knobs. The PAGE knob is not needed and is therefore disabled when editing reverb settings.

Summary of Reverb menu settings

For a summary of Reverb menu settings, see “Reverb menu” on page 49.

Page 48

INPUTS MENU OUTPUTS MENU

CHANNEL PAGE PARAM

INPUTS mic 1-2 Analog 1-2 Analog 3-4 etc.

INPUT PAIR

EQ (global)

HPF (High-pass)

LF (Low w/shelf)

LMF (Low-mid)

MF (Mid)

HMF (High-mid)

HF (High w/shelf)

LPF (Low-pass)

DYN (Dynamics)

COMP (Compressor)

LEVELER ENABLE

REVERB SEND

PHASE L-R/M-S (stereo or M/S) SWAP WIDTH TRIM LIMITER LOOKAHEAD SOFTCLIP

ENABLE COPY PASTE RESET

ENABLE SLOPE FREQ

ENABLE TYPE FREQ GAIN WIDTH

ENABLE SLOPE FREQ

ENABLE COPY PASTE RESET

ENABLE MODE THRESH RATIO ATTACK RELEASE TRIM

MODE REDUCE MAKEUP

SEND PAN (mono only)

Mic only

CHANNEL PAGE PARAM

OUTPUTS Main Analog 1-2 Analog 3-4, etc.

EQ (global)

HPF (High-pass)

LF (Low w/shelf)

LMF (Low-mid)

MF (Mid)

HMF (High-mid)

HF (High w/shelf)

LPF (Low-pass)

DYN (Dynamics)

COMP (Compressor)

LEVELER ENABLE

REVERB SEND

MASTER MONITOR

ENABLE COPY PASTE RESET

ENABLE SLOPE FREQ

ENABLE TYPE FREQ GAIN WIDTH

ENABLE SLOPE FREQ

ENABLE COPY PASTE RESET

ENABLE MODE THRESH RATIO ATTACK RELEASE TRIM

MODE REDUCE MAKEUP

SEND PAN

TALKBACK LSNBACK

828MK3 FRONT PANEL OPERATION

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MIXES MENU

CHANNEL PAGE PARAM

MIXES Mix 1 Mix 2 etc.

MASTER ASSIGN

REVERB SEND

MIC 1 MIC 2 (if mono)

MIC 1-2 (if stereo)

ANALOG 1 ANALOG 2 etc. (if mono)

ANALOG 3-4 ANALOG 5-6 etc. (if stereo)

SPDIF MUTE

ADAT A1-2 ADAT A3-4 etc.

ADAT B1-2 ADAT B3-4 etc.

MUTE FADER COPY PASTE RESET

RETURN

MUTE SOLO (BAL/WID) - n/a PAN FADER

MUTE SOLO BAL/WID WIDTH FADER

MUTE SOLO (BAL/WID) - n/a PAN FADER

MUTE SOLO BAL/WID BAL FADER

SOLO BAL/WID BAL FADER

MUTE SOLO BALD/WID BAL FADER

STAND-ALONE OPERATION

All settings, including all mix settings and global settings, are saved in the 828mk3’s memory, and they remain in effect even when the 828mk3 is not connected to a computer. This allows you to use the 828mk3 as a stand-alone 8-bus mixer. You can make adjustments to any setting at any time from the front panel.

REVERB MENU

CHANNEL PAGE PARAM

REVERB --- ENABLE

TIME PREDELAY WIDTH CUT Hz CUT dB ROOM REFSIZE REF LEV LO % MID % HI % LO XOVR HI XOVR SPLIT

828MK3 FRONT PANEL OPERATION

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828MK3 FRONT PANEL OPERATION

Page 51

CHAPTER

7 Digital Performer

OVERVIEW

This chapter provides a brief overview of Digital Performer’s basic I/O and synchronization operation with the 828mk3 hardware.

Setting up your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

The 828mk3 settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Working with 828mk3 inputs and outputs . . . . . . . . . . 53

24-bit operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

MIDI I/O via the 828mk3 MIDI ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Processing live inputs with DP plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Working with CueMix FX mixing and effects. . . . . . . . . 53

Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Using a foot switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Exchanging projects with AudioDesk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

SETTING UP YOUR SYSTEM

As described in chapter 4, “Installing the 828mk3 Mac Software” (page 31), the Digital Performer and MOTU 828mk3 software installers will properly install and update everything for you.

If you are using a MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital Timepiece for synchronization, be sure they are present in Audio MIDI setup.

THE 828MK3 SETTINGS

Choose the 828mk3 as your audio input output device by choosing Conﬁgure Audio System> Conﬁgure Hardware Driver from the Setup menu. This window shows some of the 828mk3 settings, such as sample rate and clock source, but to access all of the 828mk3 settings, open MOTU Audio Setup, as shown in Figure 5-1 on page 36.

Figure 7-1: Choose Setup menu> Conﬁgure Audio System> Conﬁgure Hardware Driver to open the dialog shown above and access the 828mk3 CoreAudio driver. To access the rest of the 828mk3 settings, open MOTU Audio Setup.

For complete details about the 828mk3 settings, see chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Setup” (page 35). The following sections provide a brief explanation of each 828mk3 setting for use with Digital Performer.

Page 52

Sample rate

Choose the desired overall sample rate for the 828mk3 system and Digital Performer. Newly recorded audio in Digital Performer will have this sample rate. Imported audio or soundbites in exist ing ﬁles that do not match this sample rate will be displayed in the Soundbites window with a red ‘X’ on their move handles to indicate that they cannot be played.

Clock Source

This setting is very important because it determines which audio clock the 828mk3 will follow.

If you do not have any digital audio connections to your 828mk3 (you are using the analog inputs and outputs only), and you will not be slaving Digital Performer to external SMPTE time code, choose Internal.

If you have digital audio devices connected to the 828mk3, or if you are not sure about the clock source of your setup, be sure to read “Choosing a clock source for optical connections” on page 20 and “Clock Source” on page 37.

If you are slaving the 828mk3 and Digital Performer to SMPTE time code via the 828mk3 itself, choose SMPTE and follow the directions in “Syncing to SMPTE time code directly” on page 25.

Buffer Size

The Buffer Size setting can be used to reduce the delay — or monitoring latency — that you hear when live audio is patched through Digital Performer. For example, you might have MIDI instruments, samplers, microphones, and so on connected to the analog inputs of the 828mk3. If so, you will often be mixing their live input with audio material recorded in Digital Performer. See chapter 10, “Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 67) for complete details.

Phones

This 828mk3 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 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 Digital Performer’s audio output menus. When operating at high sample rates, the phones must mirror one of the other output pairs.

Optical input and output

To ma ke a n 828mk3 ’s optical i nput s a nd/ or ou tput s available in Digital Performer, choose ADAT Optical or TOSLink from the optical input and/or output menus. If you won’t be using the optical connectors, turn them off.

Main Outs Assign

Use the Main Outs Assign setting to determine what audio you will hear on the XLR main outs of the 828mk3. If you would like to treat them as their own separate output pair, choose Main Outs. Note that when operating at 176.4 or 192 kHz, the main outs must mirror one of the TRS analog output pairs.

Return Assign

In Digital Performer’s audio input menus and the Bundles window, you’ll see an 828mk3 input called Return 1-2 (Figure 7-2). This is a stereo feed from the 828mk3 that matches the output of one of its output pairs. Use the Return Assign menu in MOTU Audio Setup to choose which output pair you would like to hear on this return. This can be used, for example, to record back a ﬁnal stereo mix that includes effects processing from the 828mk3 DSP (such as the Leveler) for reference and archiving purposes.

DIGITAL PERFORMER

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Figure 7-2: The stereo return and reverb return busses from the 828mk3 in Digital Performer’s Bundles window.

☛ Warning: the Return inputs can cause

feedback loops! DO NOT assign this input to a track that shares the same 828mk3 output pair as the returns.

Reverb return

The 828mk3 also supplies a return to Digital Performer that carries the output of its reverb processor (Figure 7-2). This return can be used for any purpose you wish.

WORKING WITH 828MK3 INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

Once you’ve enabled the MOTU FireWire Audio driver as explained earlier in “The 828mk3 settings” on page 51, 828mk3 audio inputs and outputs will appear in Digital Performer’s audio input and output menus, as well as the Bundles window (Figure 7-2). 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 either optical bank, turn them off to conserve computer bandwidth.

Phones 1-2

If you’ve chose n to treat the 828 mk3 headpho nes as an independent output, you’ll see Phones 1-2 in Digital Performer’s output menus. Audio tracks

assigned to this output pair will be heard on the headphone jack only. For further explanation, see “Phones” on page 39.

24-BIT OPERATION

Your 828mk3 hardware fully supports Digital Performer’s 24-bit recording capabilities, including both analog and digital 24-bit recording. If you would like to record and play back 24-bit audio ﬁles, go to the Audio Options in the Digital Performer Preferences (Digital Performer menu), and choose 24-bit recording as the sample format. This setting is saved with the Digital Performer project.

MIDI I/O VIA THE 828MK3 MIDI PORTS

Once you’ve followed the procedure for enabling the 828mk3’s MIDI features as explained in “Software installation” on page 31, the 828mk3 MIDI ports will appear as an input source and output destination in Digital Performer’s MIDI I/O menus.

PROCESSING LIVE INPUTS WITH DP PLUG-INS

If you patch a live input (such as MIDI synthesizer) through a plug-in effect in Digital Performer, you might hear a slight delay. There are several ways to reduce this delay. For details, see chapter 10, “Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 67).

WORKING WITH CUEMIX FX MIXING AND EFFECTS

The 828mk3 provides powerful external mixing, EQ, compression and reverb, which you can operate hand-in-hand with Digital Performer’s complete mixing environment. For example, the 828mk3 can serve as a monitor mixer routing channels to musicians, or it can serve as an integrated extension of your Digital Performer mixing environment. If you program an 828mk3 mixing and processing conﬁguration that goes hand in hand with your DP project, be sure to use the ﬁle save features in CueMix FX to save the

DIGITAL PERFORMER

Page 54

828mk3 settings as a ﬁle in your DP project folder for instant recall of all settings. See chapter 11, “CueMix FX” (page 73) for complete details. You can even set up your 828mk3 conﬁguration ﬁle as a DP startup clipping so that it automatically loads when you open the project. See your DP manual for details.

Resolving to video and/or time code with a dedicated synchronizer

To resolve your 828mk3 to video and/or SMPTE time code using an additional synchronization device, use the setup shown in “Syncing to video and/or SMPTE time code using a synchronizer” on page 26.

SYNCHRONIZATION

As you read through the following sections to decide what form of synchronization you might need with other devices in your studio, be sure to consult “Making sync connections” on page 24 for the proper hardware connections. Use the synchronization diagrams to be clear about how you will be synchronizing Digital Performer and the 828mk3 to the other components of your system.

Synchronizing digital audio connections

If you have devices connected to the 828mk3 digital inputs (optical or RCA S/PDIF), you need to be concerned with the synchronization of the 828mk3’s digital audio clock with other devices connected to it digitally (if any). For example, if you have a digital mixer connected to the 828mk3 via an ADAT optical light pipe cable, you need to make sure that their audio clocks are phase-locked. For details, see “Choosing a clock source for optical connections” on page 20 and “Making sync connections” on page 24. If you don’t have any digital audio devices connected to the 828mk3, digital audio phase-lock does not apply to you.

USING A FOOT SWITCH

Use a foot switch connected to the 828mk3 to trigger recording punch-in and punch-out, or any other feature in Digital Performer that is assigned to a computer keystroke. By default, the foot switch triggers the 3 key on the computer keypad (which toggles Digital Performer’s record button.) To trigger a different set of keystrokes with the foot switch, visit the MOTU Audio Setup. (See “Enable Pedal” on page 40.)

EXCHANGING PROJECTS WITH AUDIODESK

Digital Performer can exchange projects with AudioDesk. To open an AudioDesk project in Digital Performer, open it in same way you would a DP project. To export a project to AudioDesk, use DP’s Save As command and choose the AudioDesk

2.0 ﬁle format.

Resolving directly to time code (with no synchronizer)

If you need to slave Digital Performer and the 828mk3 to SMPTE time code, you can do so with or without a dedicated synchronizer.

To resolve your 828mk3 directly to SMPTE time code with no additional synchronization devices, use the setup shown in “Syncing to SMPTE time code directly” on page 25.

DIGITAL PERFORMER

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CHAPTER

8 AudioDesk

OVERVIEW

This chapter provides a brief overview of AudioDesk’s basic I/O and synchronization operation with the 828mk3 hardware. For complete information about all of AudioDesk’s powerful workstation features, see the AudioDesk manual included with your 828mk3 system.

Setting up your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

The 828mk3 settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Working with 828mk3 inputs and outputs . . . . . . . . . . 57

24-bit operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Processing live inputs through AudioDesk plug-ins . 57

Working with CueMix FX mixing and effects. . . . . . . . . 57

Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Using a foot switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Exchanging projects with Digital performer . . . . . . . . . 58

AudioDesk and MIDI sequencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

SETTING UP YOUR SYSTEM

As described in chapter 4, “Installing the 828mk3 Mac Software” (page 31), the AudioDesk and MOTU 828mk3 software installers will properly install and update everything for you.

If you are using a MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital Timepiece for synchronization, be sure they are present in Audio MIDI setup.

THE 828MK3 SETTINGS

Choose the 828mk3 as your audio input output device by choosing MOTU Audio System options>Conﬁgure Hardware Driver from the Setup menu. This window shows some of the 828mk3 settings, such as sample rate and clock source, but to access all of the 828mk3 settings, open MOTU Audio Setup, as shown in Figure 5-1 on page 36.

Figure 8-1: Choose Setup menu> Conﬁgure Audio System> Conﬁgure Hardware Driver to open the dialog shown above and access the 828mk3 CoreAudio driver. To access the rest of the 828mk3 settings, open MOTU Audio Setup.

For complete details about the 828mk3 settings, see chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Setup” (page 35). The following sections provide a brief explanation of each 828mk3 setting for use with AudioDesk.

Page 56

Sample rate

Choose the desired overall sample rate for the 828mk3 system and AudioDesk. Newly recorded audio in AudioDesk will have this sample rate. Imported audio or soundbites in existing ﬁles that do not match this sample rate will be displayed in the Soundbites window with a red ‘X’ on their move handles to indicate that they cannot be played.

Clock Source

This setting is very important because it determines which audio clock the 828mk3 will follow.

If you do not have any digital audio connections to your 828mk3 (you are using the analog inputs and outputs only), and you will not be slaving AudioDesk to external SMPTE time code, choose Internal.

If you have digital audio devices connected to the MOTU 828, or if you are not sure about the clock source of your setup, be sure to read “Making sync connections” on page 24 and “Clock Source” on page 37.

If you are slaving the 828mk3 and AudioDesk to SMPTE time code via the 828mk3 itself, choose SMPTE and follow the directions in “Syncing to SMPTE time code directly” on page 25.

Buffer Size

The Buffer Size setting can be used to reduce the delay — or monitoring latency — that you hear when live audio is patched through your 828mk3 hardware and AudioDesk. For example, you might have MIDI instruments, samplers, microphones, and so on connected to the analog inputs of the 828mk3. If so, you will often be mixing their live input with audio material recorded in AudioDesk. See chapter 10, “Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 67) for complete details.

Phones

This 828mk3 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 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 AudioDesk’s audio output menus. Note that when operating at high sample rates, the phones must mirror one of the other output pairs.

Optical input and output

To ma ke a n 828mk3 ’s optical i nput s a nd/ or ou tput s available in AudioDesk, choose ADAT Optical or TOSLink from the optical input and/or output menus. If you won’t be using the optical connectors, turn them off. Note: these settings can only be accessed in the MOTU Audio Setup application. For details, see “Optical” on page 20.

Main Outs Assign

Return Assign

In AudioDesk’s audio input menus and the Bundles window, you’ll see an 828mk3 input called Return 1-2 (Figure 8-2). This is a stereo feed from the 828mk3 that matches the output of one of its output pairs. Use the Return Assign menu in MOTU Audio Setup to choose which output pair you would like to hear on this return. This can be used, for example, to record back a ﬁnal stereo mix that includes effects processing from the 828mk3 DSP (such as the Leveler) for reference and archiving purposes.

AUDIODESK

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Figure 8-2: The stereo return and reverb return busses from the 828mk3 in AudioDesk’s Bundles window.

☛ Warning: the Return inputs can cause

feedback loops! DO NOT assign this input to a track that shares the same 828mk3 output pair as the returns.

Reverb return

The 828mk3 also supplies a return to AudioDesk that carries the output of its reverb processor (Figure 8-2). This return can be used for any purpose you wish.

WORKING WITH 828MK3 INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

Once you’ve enabled the MOTU FireWire Audio driver as explained earlier in “The 828mk3 settings” on page 55, 828mk3 audio inputs and outputs will appear in AudioDesk’s audio input and output menus. If you don’t see the optical inputs and/or outputs, check the MOTU Audio Setup to make sure they are turned on and set to the format you require. If you don’t plan to use either optical bank, turn it off to conserve computer bandwidth.

Phones 1-2

If you’ve chose n to treat the 828 mk3 headpho nes as an independent output, you’ll see Phones 1-2 in AudioDesk’s output menus. Audio tracks assigned to this output pair will be heard on the headphone jack only. For further explanation, see “Phones” on page 56.

24-BIT OPERATION

Your 828mk3 hardware fully supports AudioDesk’s 24-bit recording capabilities, including both analog and digital 24-bit recording. If you would like to record and play back 24-bit audio ﬁles, go to the Audio Options in the AudioDesk Preferences (AudioDesk menu), and choose 24-bit recording as the sample format for the project. This setting is saved with the AudioDesk project.

PROCESSING LIVE INPUTS THROUGH AUDIODESK PLUG-INS

If you patch a live input (such as MIDI synthesizer) through a plug-in effect in AudioDesk, you might hear a slight delay. There are several ways to reduce this delay. For details, see chapter 10, “Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 67).

WORKING WITH CUEMIX FX MIXING AND EFFECTS

The 828mk3 provides powerful external mixing, EQ, compression and reverb, which you can operate hand-in-hand with AudioDesk’s complete mixing environment. For example, the 828mk3 can serve as a monitor mixer routing channels to musicians, or it can serve as an integrated extension of your AudioDesk mixing environment. If you program an 828mk3 mixing and processing conﬁguration that goes hand in hand with your AudioDesk project, be sure to use the ﬁle save features in CueMix FX to save the 828mk3 settings as a ﬁle in your AudioDesk project folder for instant recall of all settings. See chapter 11, “CueMix FX” (page 73) for complete details.

SYNCHRONIZATION

As you read through the following sections to decide what form of synchronization you might need with other devices in your studio, be sure to consult “Making sync connections” on page 24 for the proper hardware connections. Use the synchronization diagrams to be clear about how you will be synchronizing AudioDesk and the 828mk3 to the other components of your system.

AUDIODESK

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Synchronizing digital audio connections

Resolving directly to time code (with no synchronizer)

If you need to slave AudioDesk and the 828mk3 to SMPTE time code, you can do so with or without a dedicated synchronizer.

To resolve your 828mk3 directly to SMPTE time code with no additional synchronization devices, use the setup shown in “Syncing to SMPTE time code directly” on page 25.

EXCHANGING PROJECTS WITH DIGITAL PERFORMER

To open AudioDesk Version 2 (or Version 1) ﬁles in Digital Performer, just use DP’s Open command. (No conversion is required beforehand in AudioDesk.) To export a Digital Performer project to AudioDesk, use Save As in Digital Performer’s File menu and choose the AudioDesk 2.0 ﬁle format. Then open the resulting AudioDesk 2.0 document in AudioDesk.

AUDIODESK AND MIDI SEQUENCING

AudioDesk can play audio as a background application, allowing you to run a sequencer at the same time in the foreground. However, there is no way to continuously synchronize — or resolve — a sequencer with AudioDesk, so the two programs will eventually drift out of sync, even if you manage to start them at the same time. If you’d like to do integrated MIDI sequencing, your best bet is Digital Performer, which offers pretty much all of the same features as AudioDesk, along with powerful, state-of-the-art MIDI sequencing. Talk to your authorized MOTU dealer for details about upgrading from AudioDesk to Digital Performer.

Resolving to video and/or time code with a dedicated synchronizer

USING A FOOT SWITCH

Use a foot switch connected to the 828mk3 to trigger recording punch-in and punch-out, or any other feature in AudioDesk that is assigned to a computer keystroke. By default, the foot switch triggers the 3 key on the computer keypad (which toggles AudioDesk’s record button.) To trigger a different set of keystrokes with the foot switch, visit the MOTU Audio Setup. (See “Enable Pedal” on page 40.)

AUDIODESK

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CHAPTER

9 Other Mac OS X Audio Software

OVERVIEW

The 828mk3 provides multichannel audio and MIDI input and output for all Mac OS X audio applications, including Apple’s Logic Pro, Logic Express, SoundTrack Pro and GarageBand. Other third-party software applications are also supported, such as Ableton Live, Propellerhead Reason, Steinberg Cubase and others.

Installing the 828mk3 Mac OS X drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Preparing MIDI input and output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Run MOTU Audio Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Choosing the MOTU FireWire Core Audio driver . . . . . 60

Working with 828mk3 inputs and outputs . . . . . . . . . . 62

Audio Input and output names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Number of channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

MIDI I/O via the 828mk3 MIDI ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Processing live inputs with host plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Working with CueMix FX mixing and effects. . . . . . . . . 64

Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Using a foot switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

and outputs will be available to your software, so this is an important step. For complete details see chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Setup” (page 35).

Figure 9-1: MOTU Audio Setup.

INSTALLING THE 828MK3 MAC OS X DRIVERS

To install the 828mk3’s Mac OS X audio and MIDI drivers, just run the installer on the MOTU Audio installer CD as detailed in chapter 4, “Installing the 828mk3 Mac Software” (page 31).

PREPARING MIDI INPUT AND OUTPUT

If you will be using the 828mk3’s MIDI input and output ports, be sure to follow the procedure in “Preparing MIDI input and output” on page 59.

RUN MOTU AUDIO SETUP

Before you run your host audio software, launch MOTU Audio Setup to conﬁgure your 828mk3 hardware. MOTU Audio Setup lets you conﬁgure your audio interface, and it lets you enable the desired inputs and outputs. Only enabled inputs

Sample rate

Choose the desired overall sample rate for the 828mk3 system and your host audio software. Newly recorded audio will have this sample rate.

Clock Source

This setting is very important because it determines which audio clock the 828mk3 will follow.

If you do not have any digital audio connections to your 828mk3 (you are using the analog inputs and outputs only), and you will not be slaving your host software to external SMPTE time code, choose Internal.

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If you have digital audio devices connected to the 828mk3, or if you are not sure about the clock source of your setup, be sure to read “Making sync connections” on page 24 and “Clock Source” on page 37.

If you are slaving the 828mk3 and your host software to SMPTE time code, follow the directions in “Syncing to video and/or SMPTE time code using a synchronizer” on page 26.

Phones

This 828mk3 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 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 you r host’s audi o out put menu s. When operatin g at high sample rates, the phones must mirror one of the other output pairs.

Optical input and output

To make a 828mk3 optical input or output available in your host software, choose the appropriate format (ADAT optical or TOSLink) from the optical input and/or output menu. If you won’t be using the optical connectors, turn them off.

Main Outs Assign

matches the signal of one of its output pairs. Use the Return Assign menu in MOTU Audio Setup to choos e wh ich outp ut pai r you woul d like to hear on this return. This can be used, for example, to record back a ﬁnal stereo mix that includes effects processing from the 828mk3 DSP (such as the Leveler) for reference and archiving purposes.

☛ Warning: the Return inputs can cause

feedback loops! DO NOT assign this input to a track that shares the same 828mk3 output pair as the returns.

Reverb return

The 828mk3 also supplies a return to your host software that carries the output of its reverb processor. This return can be used for any purpose you wish.

CHOOSING THE MOTU FIREWIRE CORE AUDIO 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 828mk3 Core Audio driver. Check the audio system or audio hardware conﬁguration window in your software. There will be a menu there that lets you choose among various drivers that may be in your system. Choose the MOTU 828mk3 from this menu.

Logic Pro and Logic Express

In Logic Pro and Logic Express, go to the Preferences window, click the Audio tab, click the Drivers tab and click the Core Audio tab as shown in Figure 9-2. Choose the MOTU 828mk3 from the Driver menu. For information about the I/O Buffer Size setting, see “Adjusting the audio I/O buffer” on page 69.

Return Assign

In your OS X host audio software audio input menus, you’ll see an 828mk3 input called Return 1-2. This is a stereo feed from the 828mk3 that

OTHER MAC OS X AUDIO SOFTWARE

Page 61

Figure 9-2: Enabling the 828mk3 in Logic Pro or Logic Express.

Soundtrack Pro

In Soundtrack Pro, access the preferences window, click the Recording tab and choose MOTU 828mk3 from the Input and Monitor menu as shown below in Figure 9-3.

Figure 9-4. For information about the Optimize for setting, see “Adjusting the audio I/O buffer” on page 69.

Figure 9-4: Enabling the 828mk3 in Garage Band.

Live

In Ableton Live, access the preferences window and click the Audi o tab. Choose CoreAudio from the Driver Type menu. Choose the MOTU 828mk3 from the Input Audio Device and Output Audio Device menus as shown below in Figure 9-5. For information about the Buffer Size setting, see “Adjusting the audio I/O buffer” on page 69.

Figure 9-3: Enabling the 828mk3 in Soundtrack Pro.

Garage Band

In Garage Band, go to the Audio/MIDI preferences and choose MOTU 828mk3 from the Audio Output and Audio Input menus as shown below in

OTHER MAC OS X AUDIO SOFTWARE

Figure 9-5: Enabling the 828mk3 in Live.

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Reason

In Propellerhead Reason, go to the Preferences window, choose Audi o preferences from the menu and choose MOTU 828mk3 from the Audio Output menu as shown below in Figure 9-6. For information about the Buffer Size setting, see “Adjusting the audio I/O buffer” on page 69.

Figure 9-6: Enabling the 828mk3 in Reason.

Other audio software

For other audio applications, the procedure is similar to that shown above. Consult your owner’s manual for further information.

WORKING WITH 828MK3 INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

Once you’ve enabled the 828mk3’s Core Audio driver, 828mk3 audio inputs and outputs will appear in your h ost s oftwar e wh ere ver aud io i nputs and outputs are listed. 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 either optical bank, turn it off to conserve computer bandwidth.

AUDIO INPUT AND OUTPUT NAMES

The 828mk3 Core Audio driver supplies text string labels for its inputs and outputs to clearly identify each one, but some applications do not display these labels. For example, in Cubase, the 828mk3 outputs are numbered like this:

Cubase and Nuendo

Go to the Devices menu and choose Device Setup. Click the VST Audio System item in the Devices list and choose MOTU 828mk3 from the Master ASIO Driver menu as shown below in Figure 9-7. Activate the inputs and outputs within Cubase or Nuendo as usual. For information about the Audio Buffer Size setting, see “Adjusting the audio I/O buffer” on page 69.

Figure 9-7: Enabling the 828mk3 audio driver in Cubase.

Figure 9-8: Some applications number the 828mk3 inputs and outputs, but don’t display which outputs they refer to.

The following sections show how you can identify each input and output in a numbered list like this.

OTHER MAC OS X AUDIO SOFTWARE

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Inputs at 1x sample rates

Inputs are always listed in the same order as follows, when operating the 828mk3 at 1x sample rates (44.1 or 48 kHz):

Input

Mic-Guitar 2 1-2 -

Analog 8 3-10 -

Reverb return

Stereo return

SPDIF 2 15-16 -

Optical A 8 ADAT

Optical B 8 ADAT

Channels List position Comment

2 11-12 See “Reverb return”

2 13-14 See “Return Assign”

2 TOSLink

17-24 17-18

25-32 19-20

on page 60.

These starting channel numbers assume that optical A is operating with the same format.

Inputs at 2x sample rates

When operating the 828mk3 at a 2x sample rate (88.2 or 96 kHz), inputs are listed as follows:

Input

88.2 / 96 kHz Channels List position Comment

Mic-Guitar 2 1-2 -

Analog 8 3-10 -

Reverb return

Stereo return

SPDIF 2 13-14 -

Optical A 4 ADAT

Optical B 4 ADAT

not available

2 11-12 See “Return Assign”

2 TOSLink

not available

15-18 15-16

19-22 17-18

not available

on page 60.

These starting channel numbers assume that optical A is operating with the same format.

Inputs at 4x sample rates

When operating the 828mk3 at a 4x sample rate (176.4 or 192 kHz), inputs are listed as follows:

Input

176.4 /192 kHz Channels List position Comment

Mic-Guitar 2 1-2 -

Analog 8 3-10 -

Reverb return

Stereo return 2 11-12 See “Return

SPDIF not

Optical A not

Optical B not

not available

available

not available

Assign” on page 60.

not available

Outputs at 1x sample rates

Outputs are always listed in the same order as follows, when operating the 828mk3 at 1x sample rates (44.1 or 48 kHz):

Output

44.1 / 48 kHz Channels

Analog 8 1-8 -

Main outs 2 9-10 If the main outs are

Phones 2 11-12 If the phones are assigned

SPDIF 2 13-14 If the phones are mirror-

Optical A 8 ADAT

Optical B 8 ADAT

2 TOSLink

List position Comment

assigned to mirror another output pair (such as the analog 1-2), they won’t be listed separately.

to mirror another output pair (such as the main outs), they won’t be listed separately.

ing, then subtract 2. If the main outs are mirroring, subtract another 2.

15-22 15-16

23-30 17-18

These channel number ranges assume that optical A is operating with the same format.

OTHER MAC OS X AUDIO SOFTWARE

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Outputs at 2x sample rates

When operating the 828mk3 at a 2x sample rate (88.2 or 96 kHz), outputs are listed as follows:

Output

88.2/ 96 kHz Channels

Analog 8 1-8 -

Main outs 2 9-10 If the main outs are

Phones Mirror only -- -

SPDIF 2 11-12 If the main outs are

Optical A 4 ADAT

2 TOSLink

List position Comment

assigned to mirror another output pair (such as the analog 1-2), they won’t be listed separately.

mirroring, then subtract 2.

13-16 13-14

MIDI I/O VIA THE 828MK3 MIDI PORTS

PROCESSING LIVE INPUTS WITH HOST PLUG-INS

If you patch a live input (such as a MIDI synthesizer) through a plug-in effect in your host software, you might hear a slight delay. There are several ways to reduce this delay. For details, see chapter 10, “Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 67).

Optical B 4 ADAT

2 TOSLink

17-20 15-16

These channel number ranges assume that optical A is operating with the same format.

Outputs at 4x sample rates

When operating the 828mk3 at a 4x sample rate (176.4 or 192 kHz), outputs are listed as follows:

Output

176.4/ 192 kHz Channels

Analog 8 1-8 -

Main outs Mirror only -- -

Phones Mirror only -- -

SPDIF Not available -- -

Optical A Not available -- -

Optical B Not available -- -

List position Comment

NUMBER OF CHANNELS

If your host audio software requires that you spec ify the numb er of audio voices or channels you will be using, be sure to choose enough channels to cover the 28 inputs and 30 outputs provided by your 828mk3 — although the number of channels may depend on how your 828mk3 is conﬁgured.

WORKING WITH CUEMIX FX MIXING AND EFFECTS

The 828mk3 provides powerful external mixing, EQ, compression and reverb, which you can operate hand-in-hand with your host’s mixing environment. For example, the 828mk3 can serve as a monitor mixer routing channels to musicians, or it can serve as an integrated extension of your host’s mixing environment. If you program an 828mk3 mixing and processing conﬁguration that goes hand in hand with your host project, be sure to use the ﬁle save features in CueMix FX to save the 828mk3 settings as a ﬁle in your host project folder for instant recall of all settings. See chapter 11, “CueMix FX” (page 73) for complete details.

SYNCHRONIZATION

As you read through the following sections to decide what form of synchronization you might need with other devices in your studio, be sure to consult “Making sync connections” on page 24 for the proper hardware connections. Use the synchronization diagrams to be clear about how you will be synchronizing your audio software and the 828mk3 to the other components of your system.

OTHER MAC OS X AUDIO SOFTWARE

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Synchronizing digital audio connections

synchronization devices, use the setup shown in “Syncing to SMPTE time code directly” on page 25.

Resolving to video and/or time code with a dedicated synchronizer

If your host software has the ability to synchronize to SMPTE time code but does not support Core Audio’s sample-accurate positioning protocol, you can slave your host software and the 828mk3 to video and/or SMPTE time code using a dedicated synchronization device. To do so, use the setup shown in “Syncing to video and/or SMPTE time code using a synchronizer” on page 26.

Resolving directly to time code (with no synchronizer)

If your host audio software supports Core Audio’s sample-accurate positioning protocol, then it can resolve to the 828mk3’s built-in time code synchronization feature. To resolve your 828mk3 directly to SMPTE time code with no additional

USING A FOOT SWITCH

Use a foot switch connected to the 828mk3 to trigger recording punch-in and punch-out, or any other feature in your host audio software that is assigned to a computer keystroke. By default, the foot switch triggers the 3 key on the computer keypad. To trigger a different set of keystrokes with the foot switch, visit MOTU Audio Setup. (See “Enable Pedal” on page 40.)

OTHER MAC OS X AUDIO SOFTWARE

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OTHER MAC OS X AUDIO SOFTWARE

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CHAPTER

10 Reducing Monitoring Latency

OVERVIEW

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 guitar input signal through an amp modeling 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 828mk3 input, passes through the 828mk3 hardware into the computer, through your host audio software, and then back out to an 828mk3 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 828mk3’s CueMix FX digital mixer to patch the input directly to your monitor outs via the 828mk3 audio hardware. The 828mk3 even provides effects processing (EQ, compression and reverb), which can be applied on input, output, or even at the bussing stage, just like a conventional mixer. For details, see “CueMix FX hardware monitoring” on page 71.

Monitoring live input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Adjusting the audio I/O buffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Lower latency versus higher CPU overhead . . . . . . . . . . 70

Transport responsiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Effects processing and automated mixing . . . . . . . . . . . 71

CueMix FX hardware monitoring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Two methods for controlling CueMix FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Using CueMix FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Controlling CueMix FX from your audio software . . . . 71

If you do need to process a live input with host software plug-ins, or if you are playing virtual instruments live through your 828mk3 audio hardware, you can signiﬁcantly reduce latency — and even make it completely inaudible, regardless of what host audio application software you use. This chapter explains how.

It is important to note that monitoring delay has no effect on when audio data is recorded to disk or played back from disk. Actual recording and playback is extremely precise.

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MONITORING LIVE INPUT

There are two ways to monitor live audio input with an 828mk3: 1) through the computer or 2) via the 82mk3 CueMix FX hardware mixer. Figure 10-1 shows method 1, which allows you to apply host-based effects processing 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 shows how to use CueMix FX hardware-based monitoring, which lets you hear what you are recording with no monitoring delay and no computer-based effects processing. Instead, input is routed directly to an output, either

with or without 828mk3-based effects processing (EQ, compression or reverb). See “CueMix FX hardware monitoring” later in this chapter for details on how to use CueMix FX with your audio software, or with the included CueMix FX 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 guitar to both the computer (for an amp model effect) and mix that processed signal on the main outs with dry guitar from CueMix FX — or perhaps with a touch of 828mk3 Classic Reverb.

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

3. Mic signal is ‘patched thru’ back to the audio interface

2. Mic signal goes immediately to the computer.

Mac

Figure 10-1: There are two ways to monitor live audio inputs with an 828mk3: 1) through the computer or 2) via CueMix FX hardware monitor-

ing. 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.

with host-based plug-in effects, if any.

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).

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY

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ADJUSTING THE AUDIO I/O BUFFER

A buffer is a small amount of computer memory used to hold data. For audio interfaces like the 828mk3, 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.

Under Mac OS X, audio I/O buffer size is handled by the host audio application (not the 828mk3 Core Audio driver). Most audio software applications provide an adjustable audio buffer setting that lets you control the amount of delay you’ll hear when monitoring live inputs or processing them with software plug-ins. Below are a few examples.

Figure 10-3: In Dig ital Per former a nd AudioDe sk, choose S etup menu> Conﬁgure Audio System> Conﬁgure Hardware Driver to open the dialog shown above and access the Buffer Size setting. Refer to your Digital Performer or AudioDesk manual for information about the Host Buffer Multiplier setting.

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

2. CueMix FX immediately patches the live mic signal directly to the main outs (or other output), completely bypassing the computer. This signal could be dry, or with 828mk3 effects processing, such as EQ, compression or Classic Reverb.

Figure 10-2: This diagram shows the signal ﬂow when using CueMix FX no-latency monitoring. Notice that this method does not process the

live input with plug-ins in your audio software. Instead, you can apply 828mk3 effects, such as the reverb, EQ and/or compression.

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY

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 FX.

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Figure 10-4: In Cubase or Nuendo, choose Devices menu> Device Setup and click VST Audio System to access the window above and the Audio Buffer Size setting.

■ How responsive the transport controls are in

AudioDesk, Digital Performer or other 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.

Figure 10-5: In Logic Pro or Logic Express, go to the Audio Driver preferences to access the Buffer Size option shown above.

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

■ Possible distortion at the smallest settings

Figure 10-6: When adjusting the buffer size to reduce monitoring latency, watch the ‘processor’ meter in Digital Performer or AudioDesk’s Performance Monitor. If you hear distortion, or if the Performance meter is peaking, try raising the buffer size.

If you a re at a point in your record ing proj ect 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).

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.

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY

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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.

CUEMIX FX HARDWARE MONITORING

The 828mk3 has a more direct method of patching audio through the system. This method employs the 828mk3’s CueMix FX digital mixer. When enabled, CueMix activates hardware patch-thru in the 828mk3 itself. CueMix FX has two important beneﬁts:

■ 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 FX imposes no strain on the

computer.

The trade-off, however, is that CueMix FX bypasses your host audio software. Instead, live audio inputs are patched directly through to outputs in the 828mk3 itself and are mixed with disk tracks playing back from your audio software. This means that you cannot apply host-based 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 FX 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 FX. Instead, reduce latency with the buffer setting (as explained earlier in this chapter).

TWO METHODS FOR CONTROLLING CUEMIX FX

There are two ways to control CueMix FX:

■ With CueMix FX

■ From within your host audio software (if it

supports direct hardware monitoring)

You can even use both methods simultaneously.

Using CueMix FX

If your host audio software does not suppor t direct hardware monitoring, you run the CueMix FX sof twar e sid e-by-sid e w ith you r audio softwa re a nd manage your monitor mix in CueMix FX.

CueMix FX allows you to create up to eight separate 828mk3 stereo mixes, or any other desired routing conﬁgurations. These routings are independent of your host audio software. For complete details, see chapter 11, “CueMix FX” (page 73).

Controlling CueMix FX from your audio software

Some audio applications allow you to control CueMix FX monitoring from within the application (without the need to use CueMix FX). In most cases, this support consists of patching an 828mk3 input directly to an output when you record-arm a track. Exactly how this is handled depends on the application.

The following applications are among those that support direct control over CueMix FX:

■ Digital Performer

■ Audi oDes k

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

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY

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Controlling CueMix FX from within AudioDesk or Digital Performer

To turn on CueMix FX in AudioDesk and Digital Performer:

1 From the Setup menu, choose Conﬁgure Audio System>Input Monitoring Mode.

2 Choose the Direct hardware playthrough option, as shown below in Figure 10-7.

3 From the Studio menu, choose Audio Patch Thru, and choose any monitoring mode except Off.

Figure 10-7: Enabling CueMix FX in AudioDesk or Digital Performer. Note: the ‘Only during recording...’ and ‘Always’ options are for AudioDesk 2 and DP4 only. Later versions of DP have expanded input monitoring features. Consult your documentation.

Once enabled, CueMix FX monitoring is tied with Digital Performer or AudioDesk’s Audio Patch Thru feature: when you record-enable a track, the track’s input is routed directly to its output (via CueMix FX in the 828mk3 hardware). For example, if you record-enable a track called guitar in your DP or AudioDesk project, and its audio input assignment is Analog in 2, and its audio output assignment is optical channels 7-8, CueMix FX no-latency hardware monitoring will automatically be set up from analog in 2 to optical outputs 7-8.

Controlling CueMix DSP from within other software

Consult the manual for your software.

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY

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CHAPTER

11 CueMix FX

OVERVIEW

CueMix FX is a cross-platform software application that provides graphic, on-screen control for the 828mk3’s ﬂexible CueMix FX on-board mixer and effects processing.

CueMix FX can be used independently of host audio software, or together with it. CueMix dovetails with the direct monitoring features of your host audio software, allowing you to seemlessly mix in both environments.

For information about programming the 828mk3’s on-board mixing and effects using the front panel LCD, see chapter 6, “828mk3 Front Panel Operation” (page 41).

A 16-bus mixer with EQ, compression and reverb. . . . 73

Advantages over host-based mixing and processing 74

CueMix FX installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

CueMix FX basic operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

The Mixes tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

The Inputs tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

The Outputs tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

The channel settings section. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

The Monitor Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

DSP meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Solo light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Talkback and listenback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

File menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Edit menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Devices menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Conﬁgurations menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Talkback menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Phones menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Control Surfaces menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

A 16-BUS MIXER WITH EQ, COMPRESSION AND REVERB

All 828mk3 inputs and outputs can be routed to the on-board CueMix FX 16-bus (8 stereo bus) digital mixer driven by hardware-based DSP with 32-bit ﬂoating point precision.

The CueMix FX mixer allows you to apply nolatency effects processing to inputs, outputs or busses directly in the 828mk3 hardware, independent of the computer. Effects can even be applied when the 828mk3 is operating stand-alone (without a computer) as a complete rack-mounted mixer. Input signals to the computer can be recorded wet, dry, or dry with a wet monitor mix (for musicians during recording, for example).

Effects include:

■ Classic Reverb with tail lengths up to 60 seconds

■ 7-band parametric EQ modeled after British

analog console EQs

■ A standard compressor with conventional

threshold/ratio/attack/release/gain controls

■ The Leveler™, an accurate model of the

legendary LA-2A optical compressor, which provides vintage, musical automatic gain control

The 838mk3’s ﬂexible effects architecture allows you to apply EQ and compression on every input and output (a total of 58 channels), with enough DSP resources for at least one band of parametric EQ and compression on every channel at 48 kHz. DSP resources are allocated dynamically and a DSP meter in the CueMix FX software allows you to keep tabs on the 828mk3’s processing resources.

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Each input, output and mix bus provides a send to the Classic Reverb processor, which then feeds reverb returns to mix busses and outputs, with a selectable split point between them to prevent send/return feedback loops.

■ CueMix mixing and effects processing imposes

no processor drain on the computer’s CPU.

■ CueMix routing can be maintained

independently of individual software applications or projects.

ADVANTAGES OVER HOST-BASED MIXING AND PROCESSING

CueMix FX provides several major advantages over mixing and processing in your host audio software:

■ CueMix has no buffer latency. Thanks to the

828mk3’s DSP chip, CueMix provides the same throughput performance as a digital mixer.

Solo light

Tabs for inputs, mix busses and

outputs

828mk3

inputs

Channel

focus

DSP

resources

meter

MIx bus

■ CueMix routing can operate without the

computer, allowing the 828mk3 to operate as a portable, stand-alone mixer with effects.

CUEMIX FX INSTALLATION

CueMix FX is installed with the rest of your 828mk3 software.

Mix bus

master

fader

Channel settings

Monitoring/

talkback

section

Channel

scroll

bar

Mic inputs Inputs split

into mono

channels

Figure 11-1: CueMix FX is a virtual mixer that gives you control over the 828mk3’s on-board mixing features.

Inputs grouped as

stereo pairs

Tabs for channel strip settings, including EQ and dynamics, as well as global settings such as

the meter bridge and reverb

processor.

Grow handle

Monitor

group

metering

CUEMIX FX

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CUEMIX FX BASIC OPERATION

Here is a brief overview of the CueMix FX mixer.

Eight stereo mix busses

CueMix provides eight stereo mix busses: Bus 1, Bus 2, Bus 3, and so on. Each mix bus can take any number of inputs and mix them down to any 828mk3 output pair that you choose. For example, Bus 1 could go to the headphones, Bus 2 could go to the main outs, Bus 3 could go to a piece of outboard gear connected to analog outputs 7-8, etc.

Many inputs to one output pair

It might be useful to think of each mix bus as some numb er of inp uts all m ixe d dow n to a st ere o output pair. CueMix FX lets you choose which inputs to include in the mix, and it lets you specify the level, pan and other input-speciﬁc mix controls for each input being fed into the mix.

Viewing one mix bus at a time

CueMix FX displays one mix bus at a time in the Mixes tab (Figure 11-2 on page 76). To select which mix you are viewing, choose it from the mix bus menu (Figure 11-2). The mix name appears above the mix bus master fader (Figure 11-2), where you can click the name to change it.

Output channels

The Outputs tab (Figure 11-6 on page 81) gives you access to settings for each 828mk3 output pair, including EQ, dynamics processing and send/ return controls for feeding and returning the output signal to/from the 828mk3’s global reverb processor. These settings are applied to the signal just before it is sent to the output.

Channel focus and settings

Click the focus button for a channel (Figure 11-1) to view channel-speciﬁc parameters in the Channel Settings section of the CueMix FX window (Figure 11-1). Separate tabs are provided for channel-speciﬁc settings (channel strip, EQ and dynamics), plus the global meter bridge and reverb processor.

Global reverb processor

The 828mk3 has a global reverb module (Figure 11-23 on page 94). Once it has been activated, you can feed signals to the reverb processor from various points in the 828mk3 mix matrix via input sends, bus sends and output sends. Stereo output from the reverb processor can then be fed back to mix busses or output pairs using reverb returns.

Each mix bus is independent

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

Input channels

The Inputs tab (Figure 11-3 on page 78) gives you access to settings for individual 828mk3 inputs (or input pairs), such as phase, trim, EQ and dynamics processing. Each input also includes a send to the 828mk3’s global reverb processor. These settings are applied to the signal before it goes anywhere else (to a mix bus or the computer).

CUEMIX FX

Other features

CueMix offers many additional features, discussed in this chapter, such as talkback/listenback, extensive metering, graphic editing of certain effects parameters, monitor grouping and more.

Widening the CueMix FX window

To view more input faders at once, drag the grow box (Figure 11-1) to the right.

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THE MIXES TAB

Click the Mixes tab (Figure 11-2) to gain access to the 828mk3’s eight stereo mix busses. The Mixes tab displays one mix bus at a time.

Viewing a mix

Choose the mix you wish to view from the mix bus menu (in the Mixes tab itself, as shown in Figure 11-2). The menu shows all mixes by name, followed by the 828mk3 output pair to which each bus master fader is currently assigned, if any.

Assigning a mix bus output

Choose the desired output pair for the mix bus from the bus output menu (Figure 11-2). The bus output menu displays all current available (enabled) 828mk3 output pairs. If a bus is already assigned to an output pair, the bus name appears next to the output pair name to indicate that the output pair is already taken by a bus. Only one bus can be assigned to any given output pair. If you choose an output already assigned to another bus, that bus output will become disabled.

Naming a mix

Click the mix name at the top of the mix bus master fader (Figure 11-2) to edit the name.

Mixes

tab

Input name

Channel focus

Input pan section

Input fader

Input mute/solo

Mix bus

Bus fader

The bus fader (Figure 11-2) 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.

828mk3

inputs

Mix bus 1

master

fader

Bus name

Bus output

Bus Reverb send/return

Bus fader

Bus mute

Input level meter

Scroll bar for input

channels

Mic inputs Inputs grouped as

Figure 11-2: The Mixes tab.

Bus level meter

stereo pairs

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Bus mute

The bus mute button (Figure 11-2) disables (silences) the mix.

page 82). Clicking the mix bus master fader focus button brings the assigned output into focus, if there is one.

Bus level meter

The bus level meter, which is post-fader, shows you the output for the mix’s output.

Bus reverb send/return

The bus reverb send (Figure 11-2) feeds the output of the mix bus, pre-fader, to the 828mk3’s global reverb processor, where it is merged with any other signals being fed to the reverb. The reverb’s output can then be fed back into the mixer at various return points, including the bus return (discussed below).

The bus reverb return (Figure 11-2) feeds the output of the 828mk3’s global reverb processor into the mix bus, pre-fader. This includes any other signals currently being fed to the reverb. The bus reverb return is disabled (grayed out) when the reverb Split Point is set to Output to eliminate the possibility for feedback loops created by reverb send/return loops. See “Split point” on page 94.

Input section

The horizontally scrolling area in the Mix tab to the left of the master fader (Figure 11-2) displays channel strips for all currently enabled 828mk3 inputs.

Naming an input

Click the input name at the top of the input channel strip (Figure 11-2) to edit the name. Input names are global across all mixes. This name also appears in host audio software on the computer (if the software supports channel names).

Input pan section

The input pan knob (Figure 11-2) pans the input across the bus stereo outputs. If the input itself is grouped as a stereo pair (in the Inputs tab), two forms of panning control are provided:

Balance

Balance works like the balance knob on some radios: turn it left and the right channel dims, turn it right and left channel dims. But the left channel always stays left and the right channel stays right.

Width

Width spreads the left and right channels across the stereo image, depending on the knob position. Maximum value (turning the pan knob all the way up) maintains the original stereo image: the left channel goes entirely left and right goes entirely right, without attenuation. The minimum value (turning the knob all the way down) creates a mono effect: equal amounts of left and right are combined and sent to both outputs. In between, the left out is a mixture of the left input and some of the right input (and vice-versa) with the effect of narrowing the ﬁeld.

Input fader and mute/solo

To add an input to a mix, or remove it, click its Mute button. To solo it, use its Solo button. Use the input fader (Figure 11-2) to adjust the level for the input in the mix. Note that an input can have different level, pan, mute and solo settings for different mixes. Input channel level meters are post-fader.

Input channel focus

Click the channel focus button (Figure 11-3) to view and edit parameters in the channel settings section of the CueMix FX window (Figure 11-7 on

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If any solo button on the current (active) bus is enabled, the Solo Light (Figure 11-1) will illuminate.

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THE INPUTS TAB

The 828mk3 provides many features for managing analog and digital input signals. Some of these features, such as the 828mk3’s digitally controlled analog trims, are implemented in the analog domain; others are implemented in the digital domain as DSP applied to the digital signal (after the A/D converter on analog inputs). Click the Inputs tab (Figure 11-3) to access and control all of these input channel settings for each 828mk3 input or input pair.

Input tab settings are global

Except for the reverb send, all settings you make in the Input tab are applied to the input signal before it goes anywhere else (to a mix bus or the computer). For example, if you apply EQ and compression to the input signal, you will record the processed version of the signal in your host audio software running on the computer. If you need to

record a completely unprocessed input signal, do not apply any changes to it in the Input tab. The only exception to this is the reverb send, which simply splits the input signal and feeds a copy of it to the 828mk3’s reverb processor.

Signal ﬂows from top to bottom

Settings in each Input tab channel strip are generally applied to the signal in order from top to bottom. Input channel signal ﬂow is as follows: trim , overload protection, phas e, stereo versus M/S decoding, width, L/R swap, EQ, dynamics and reverb send.

Naming an input

Click the input name at the top of the input channel strip (Figure 11-3) to edit the name. Input names are global across all mixes. This name also appears in host audio software on the computer (if the software supports channel names).

Inputs tab

Input name

Channel focus

Mono/stereo paring

Invert phase

Input trim

EQ/dynamics graph

EQ/dynamics controls

EQ/dynamics

enable/disable

Reverb send

Input scroll bar

EQ band selectors

LP/HP ﬁlter selector Compressor selector

Figure 11-3: The Inputs tab.

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Input channel focus

Click the channel focus button (Figure 11-3) to view and edit parameters in the channel settings section of the CueMix FX window (Figure 11-7 on page 82).

Mono/stereo pairing

Click the Mono button (Figure 11-3) if you would like an input to be treate d as a mono channel . If you would like to work with it as one channel of a linked stereo pair, click the Stereo button. Inputs are grouped in odd/even pairs (mic 1-2, Analog 1-2, 3-4, etc.) Stereo pairs appear as a single channel strip in the CueMix FX mixer (in all tabs).

Invert phase

Click the Phase button (Figure 11-3) to invert the phase of the input signal. For stereo pairs, you can invert the phase for the left and right channels independently.

Input EQ and dynamics

The 828mk3 lets you apply 7-band parametric EQ and dynamics processing (DSP) to any input, analog or digital.

The controls in the EQ/Compression section of the Inputs tab (Figure 11-3) let you edit EQ and compression settings within the context of the channel strip. This is ideal when you are comparing settings among neighboring channels, or perhaps even applying the same setting across all inputs. However, for more detailed editing of EQ and compression settings for an input channel, you can click its Focus button and view the settings in the Channel Section of the CueMix FX window (Figure 11-1). This section even provides graphical editing of EQ curves and the compressor graph, allowing you to click and drag directly on the graphic. For details see “The channel settings section” on page 82.

Input trim

All 828mk3 inputs, both analog and digital, offer continuously variable input trim. In all cases, trim level can be controlled digitally in 1 dB increments. This includes the digitally controlled analog trims on the two mic/guitar inputs on the front panel and the eight quarter-inch analog inputs on the back panel. Here is a summary of input trim ranges for each type of 828mk3 input:

Input

Mic/Guitar 0 dB 53 dB 53 dB

TRS analog inputs -96 dB +22 dB 118 dB

S/PDIF (RCA) 0 dB +12 dB 12 dB

ADAT optical 0 dB +12 dB 12 dB

S/PDIF (TOSLink) 0 dB +12 dB 12 dB

Trim cut

Trim boost

Trim Range

Once you adjust the trim levels, you can save them as a ﬁle on disk for future instant recall. See “Saving and loading hardware presets” on page 98 and “Conﬁgurations menu” on page 98.

The EQ/Dynamics graph

The EQ/Dynamics graph for each input channel strip (Figure 11-3) provides a thumbnail view of the EQ curves or Compressor graph for the channel. This graphic is for display purposes only; it cannot be edited directly. To change the EQ settings in this graph, use the two or three knobs below, as explained in the following sections. If, however, you would like to edit the EQ curves graphically, you can do so in the EQ tab (Figure 11-10 on page 84).

EQ/Dynamics selectors

The EQ/Dynamics selector buttons along the right-hand edge of the EQ/Dynamics section (Figure 11-3) allow you to choose what you are viewing and editing in the EQ/Dynamics section.

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Orange Green Blue Red

Yellow White Black

Figure 11-4: The EQ/Dynamics selectors.

EQ band selectors

LP/HP ﬁlter selector Compressor selector

Colored knobs

Click the selector (Figure 11-4) for the desired EQ band, low-pass (LP) ﬁlter, high pass (HP) ﬁlter or compressor to view it across all channels.

Compressor

graph

Figure 11-5: The Compressor controls.

Compressor

meter

Compressor

selector

☛ Shortcut: hold down the option key while

clicking an EQ selector button to show just that band of EQ in the graphs. Click any selector again to return to viewing all bands.

Using the EQ/Dynamics knobs

Once you have chosen the desired EQ band, or the compressor, you can modify its settings using the two or three knobs below the graph. The knobs match the color of the currently selected effect, to help remind you of which effect you are currently editing.

☛ Important: before you can modify the settings

of an EQ band using the three knobs below the graph, the EQ band must be enabled. This is done in the EQ tab (Figure 11-10), as explained in “Enabling EQ” on page 84.

EQ/Dynamics enable/disable buttons

Click the EQ or Dynamics button at the bottom of the input channel (Figure 11-3) to toggle the effect on or off. Note that you can program EQ and compressor settings, even when the effect is currently disabled. (You just won’t hear the result until you enable it.)

Reverb send

The input reverb send (Figure 11-3) feeds the input signal to the 828mk3’s global reverb processor, where it is merged with any other signals being fed to the reverb. The reverb’s output can then be fed back into a mix or output pair. The send occurs after all other settings in the input channel strip (phase invert, EQ, compression, etc.)

THE OUTPUTS TAB

The Outputs tab (Figure 11-6) lets you apply EQ, dynamics and reverb to any output pair, just before the signal leaves the 828mk3. This is processing that occurs at the very end of the signal ﬂow, after everything else (host based effects, 828mk3 input or bus processing, mixing, and so on). Processing is done in the digital domain, just before the signal goes analog through the D/A converter. Output tab processing is applied to the entire output mix (all signals being mixed to the output from various sources).

Signal ﬂows from top to bottom

Settings in each Output tab channel strip are applied to the signal in order from top to bottom. For example, EQ occurs before Dynamics, which is applied before the reverb send and return.

Naming an output

Click the output name at the top of the output channel strip (Figure 11-6) to edit the name. Output names are global and will also appear in host audio software on the computer (if the software supports channel names).

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Output channel focus

Click the channel focus button (Figure 11-6) to view and edit parameters in the channel settings section of the CueMix FX window (Figure 11-7 on page 82).

Output EQ and Dynamics

The EQ/Dynamics section in the Outputs tab (Figure 11-6) works identically to the EQ/ Dynamics section for the Inputs tab (Figure 11-3). See “Input EQ and dynamics” on page 79.

Output reverb send/return

The output reverb send (Figure 11-6) feeds the signal for the output to the 828mk3’s global reverb processor, where it is merged with any other signals being fed to the reverb. The reverb’s output can then be fed back into the mixer at various return points, including the same output from which it was sent (discussed below). The output reverb send is disabled (grayed out) when the reverb Split

Point is set to Mix to eliminate the possibility for feedback loops created by reverb send/return loops. See “Split point” on page 94.

The output reverb return (Figure 11-6) feeds the output of the 828mk3’s global reverb processor directly to the output. This includes any other signals currently being fed to the reverb.

Both the send and return occur after EQ and dynamics processing, but before listenback and talkback.

Talkback/Listenback

Click the Ta l k b a c k or Listenback buttons (Figure 11-6) to toggle whether the output pair is included in the Talkback or Listenback group. See “Talkback and listenback” on page 96.

Monitor group assign

Click the Monitor buttons (Figure 11-6) to toggle whether the output pair is included in the Monitor group. See “The Monitor Group” on page 95.

Output name

Channel focus

EQ/Dynamics graph

EQ/Dynamics controls

EQ/Dynamics

enable/disable

Output reverb

send/return

Talkback/listenback

enable/disable

Monitor group assign

Outputs tab

EQ band selectors

LP/HP ﬁlter selector Compressor selector

Figure 11-6: The Outputs tab.

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THE CHANNEL SETTINGS SECTION

The channel settings section in the CueMix FX window (Figure 11-1) displays three tabs for Channel, EQ and Dynamics settings for the channel with the current focus. There are also two global tabs: the Meter Bridge and the Reverb Processor, as shown below.

The Channel tab

The Channel tab (Figure 11-8) displays settings for input channels. Click any focus button in the Inputs tab to view the Channel tab settings for the channel.

Tabs for the channel that

currently has the focus

Figure 11-7: The Channel Settings section.

Tabs for the global meter

bridge and reverb processor

Figure 11-8: The Channel tab.

Signal ﬂow

Settings in the Channel tab occur just before the EQ, dynamics and reverb sends in the Input tab channel strip (Figure 11-3 on page 78). Input channel signal ﬂow is as follows: trim, overload protection, phase, stereo versus M/S decoding, width, L/R swap, EQ, dynamics and reverb send.

Stereo settings

Inputs that have been grouped as stereo pairs i n the Inputs tab (Figure 11-3) provide two stereo modes (Figure 11-8): Normal and M/S. M/S mode provides decoding for a mid-side microphone conﬁguration.

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The Width knob (Figure 11-8) provides control over the stereo imaging, going from a full stereo image to mono (both channels panned equally). See “Width” on page 77.

The Swap L/R button (Figure 11-8) lets you switch the left and right channels.

Overload protection (mic/guitar inputs only)

The Overload Protection section (Figure 11-8) provides two features that help prevent digital clipping on the two front-panel mic/guitar inputs. These options are only available on these two preamp-equipped inputs.

mono input), use the reverb Pan knob (Figure 11-8) to pan the mono signal for the stereo reverb processor.

Input meter and bus activity LEDs

When the Channel tab is active (Figure 11-8), the display above the tab provides a horizontal level meter and eight bus activity LEDs (Figure 11-9).

Bus activity LEDs

V-L imit™ (Figure 11-8) is a hardware limiter that helps prevent digital clipping from overloaded input signals. With V-Limit engaged, signals can go above zero dB (with limiting applied) to as high as +12 dB above zero with no distortion due to digital clipping. Click the Lookahead option for even better protection against sharp transients.

Additional or alternative protection can be applied to the mic/guitar inputs by enabling Soft Clip (Figure 11-8). When enabled, Soft Clip engages just before clipping occurs and helps further reduce perceptible distortion.

Ta l kb ac k se ct ion

Click the Ta l k b a c k or Listenback button (Figure 11-8) to toggle whether the input is the Talkback or Listenback input. Only one input can be the talkback input, and only one input can be the listenback input. See “Talkback and listenback” on page 96.

Figure 11-9: Input meter and bus activity LEDs.

The input level meter (Figure 11-9) is the same as the input meters in the Meters tab (Figure 11-22 on page 93) with the Pre FX button engaged, which shows the input level on the physical input itself, bef ore any pro ce ssing of any ki nd occu rs wi thin t he 828mk3. This meter gives you the most accurate reading of the actual signal level hitting the input, regardless of any other settings (such as V-Limit, Soft Clip and so on). The clip indicator, however, happens after V-Limit and/or Soft Clip. This allows you to see when clipping occurs, even with these overload protection features engaged.

The Bus Activity LEDs (Figure 11-9) show you which mix busses the input signal is being fed to. For example, LED #6 will glow under the following conditions: the input is unmuted in mix bus 6, its fader is up, and there is signal activity from the input going into the mix bus.

Reverb section

The Send in the reverb section (Figure 11-8) is the same control as the reverb send in the Input tab channel strip (Figure 11-3). See “Reverb send” on page 80. If the input is currently not grouped as a stereo pair in the Input tab (it is operating as a

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The EQ tab

The EQ tab (Figure 11-10) displays the EQ settings for the input or output channel that currently has the focus. Click any focus button in the Inputs or Outputs tab to view the EQ tab settings for the channel.

Vintage EQ

Inspired by legendary British large console EQs, the 828mk3 Vintage EQ section (Figure 11-10) gives you the look, feel and sound of the most sought-after classic equalizers. Five bands of center frequency parametric EQ ﬁltering are provided, each with four EQ types that provide current popular EQ styles and vintage analog EQ styles alike. Two bands include shelf ﬁltering. Two additional bands of variable slope low pass and

high pass ﬁltering are provided. The ﬁlter response display provides comprehensive control and visual feedback of the EQ curve being applied. With 64-bit ﬂoating point processing, the 828mk3 Vintage EQ has been carefully crafted and meticulously engineered to produce musical results in a wide variety of applications.

Enabling EQ

Each input and output channel has a global EQ enable/disable button (Figure 11-3 and

Figure 11-6). This button enables or disables all bands of EQ for the channel. In addition, each individual band of EQ has a Filter enable/disable switch (Figure 11-10), allowing you to enable as few or as many bands as needed for each individual channel.

Filter response display

Filter curve toggle Parameter display

EQ tab

EQ ﬁlter

EQ Filter types

Shelf ﬁlter

High-pass ﬁlter

Slope

Q handles

(red lines)

Filter

handle

Composite

curve

(white line)

Individual

ﬁlter curve

(colored area)

Vertical scale

Filter enable/disable

Low-pass ﬁlter

High-pass frequency

Figure 11-10: The EQ tab.

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Vintage EQ Quick reference

Filter response display: Shows the response curve

for the current settings.

Composite curve (white line): shows the overall

response curve of the current settings in the window.

Vertical scale: Lets you zoom the vertical scale of

the ﬁlter response display.

Parameter display : Shows the precise numbers of

the parameter you are adjusting (or hovering over with the arrow cursor). The labels (frequency, gain, etc.) match the color of the ﬁlter being displayed. When a ﬁlter handle is not selected and when the cursor is not hovering over the display, the parameter display shows the name of the current channel being edited (the channel that currently has the focus), as shown below:

The name of the channel being EQ’d.

Figure 11-11: When a ﬁlter handle is not selected and when the cursor is not hovering over the display, the parameter display shows the name of the current channel being edited (the channel that currently has the focus).

EQ ﬁlter: one of ﬁve center bands of EQ that can be

independently enabled and programmed.

Filter type: Let s you choos e from one of fou r or ﬁve

EQ styles for each independent band of EQ.

Low/High Pass ﬁlter: Both a l ow pass a nd h igh p ass

ﬁlter are supplied with six different slope settings.

Slope: Lets you choose the slope (fall off) charac-

teristics of the low pass and high pass ﬁlter.

Q handle: Drag the Q handle lines to graphically

adjust the Q setting for the currently selected ﬁlter. To select the ﬁlter, click its ﬁlter handle.

Individual ﬁlter curve: Each ﬁlter has a color

(indicated by its knobs). When ﬁlter curves are being displayed (the ﬁlter curve option is turned on), each individual ﬁlter’s response curve is displayed in the ﬁlter’s color.

Filter curve toggle: Shows/hides the colored ﬁlter

curves in the display.

Filter enable/disable: Turns the ﬁlter on or off.

How the vintage EQ works

The Vintage EQ operates like a standard EQ ﬁlter, but with much more sophisticated processing algorithms “under the hood”. There are ﬁve bands of EQ, each with their own unique knob color, plus additional low pass and high pass ﬁlters. Each ﬁlter can be set to any center frequency you wish.

Each ﬁlter can be independently turned on or off with the enable/disable button (Figure 11-10). Each ﬁlter can be set to one of four different ﬁlter types (I, II, III or IV). The two top-most ﬁlters (orange and green) provide an extra low and high shelf setting, in addition to the four standard band settings. The additional low pass and high pass ﬁlters (lower left) have gray cutoff frequency k nobs and six settings for slope (in octaves/dB).

Frequency response display

The frequency response display at the top of the window displays the response curve of the current settings in the window. The (horizontal) frequency range is from 10 hertz to 20 KHz. The (vertical) amplitude scale is in dB and is adjustable between 3 and 24 dB using the vertical scale buttons (Figure 11-10).

Filter handle: Drag this handle to graphically

adjust the ﬁlter’s boost/cut and/or frequency.

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Showing and hiding ﬁlter curves

To view a ﬁlter in the display, turn on the ﬁlter. The shape of the ﬁlter, according to its current settings, is shaded in the same color as the ﬁlter’s knob(s). Use the ﬁlter curve toggle (Figure 11-10) to show or hide them in the display.

Adjusting ﬁlters in the display

Each ﬁlter has a handle, displayed as shown below in Figure 11-12 (in the ﬁlter’s color), for adjusting its boost/cut and/or frequency:

Filter handle

Filter Q (red line)

Figure 11-12: Drag the ﬁlter handle to adjust its frequency and/or boost/cut. Drag the Filter Q handles to adjust the Q.

For the EQ ﬁlters, when you click the handle, you’ll also see lines on either side for adjusting the Q parameter, as shown above.

Filter types

Each ﬁlter can be independently set to one of four different ﬁlter types: I, II, III and IV. These, and the additional shelf ﬁlters for the LMF and HMF band, are discussed in the section “EQ ﬁlter styles”.

Returning to zero (or nominal frequency)

To return a knob to zero, or it’s nominal frequency, double-click it.

EQ ﬁlter styles

EQ is one of the most widely used processing tools and can be applied to many different situations, from minor corrective tasks to highly creative applications. Over the years, many EQs have been engineered for speciﬁc applications or to achieve a certain sound. The Vintage EQ has been designed to be ﬂexible enough to cover a broad range of applications. To that end, several different ﬁlter types are supplied, varying mostly in the way they handle the dynamic interaction between Gain and Q. This crucial relationship has been modeled to emulate the smooth and musical character of classic analog EQ circuits, in which the Gain/Q dependency was dictated by the actual circuit design and electrical components used.

EQ ﬁlters

The EQ ﬁlters have three parameters:

Control unit range

Gain dB -20.00 to +20.00

Frequency Hertz 20 Hz to 20 kHz

Q n/a - see note below 0.01 to 3.00

The Q setting does not have a unit of measurement. Rather, it is the ratio of the ﬁlter’s center frequency to the bandwidth of the ﬁlter. In addition, the actual Q value for the EQ curve being applied is dependent on three factors: the gain setting, the ﬁlter style, and the Q setting.

The following sections describe the character of each type of EQ ﬁlter and their suggested applications. In the illustrations for each ﬁlter style (Figure 11-13 through Figure 11-16), the settings for the three example curves are the same for the purpose of comparison:

■ Frequency = 1.00 kHz

■ Q = 1

■ Gain = +3, +10 and +20 dB

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Typ e I

Typ e I I

Figure 11-13: Type I EQ ﬁlter style.

The Typ e I EQ ﬁlter has the least amount of Gain/Q interaction, providing the most precision and control of all the EQ ﬁlter types. Even small adju stme nts in g ain or reduction produce relat ively high Q. This EQ style is best for situations that call for precise EQ adjustments requiring the maximum amount of individual parameter control. For more general shaping (e.g. full mixes) or subtle control (e.g. vocals), the other styles discussed in the following sections might be more appropriate. This ﬁlter type is the most similar to a standard parametric EQ.

Figure 11-14: Type II EQ ﬁlter style.

The Type II EQ ﬁlter produces constant Q response during boost or cut. The Type II style emulates several classic legacy EQs and produces good results for resonance control on drums and percussion because it provides relatively high Q values with more extreme gain or cut settings.

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Type III

Typ e I V

Figure 11-15: Type III EQ ﬁlter style.

The Type III EQ ﬁlter increases Q as boost is applied. Therefore, lower amounts of boost provide a softer, “wider” EQ effect (since the affected frequency range widens), while higher boost tends to sound louder and more “up front”, due to the increase in Q as the gain is increased. The more gentle Q curve at lower settings is well suited for overall EQ ﬁlls and more subtle corrections in instrument and vocal sources. Boosting or cutting by small amounts will seem to produce the effect that your ear expects, without the need to adjust Q. As a result, this ﬁlter style, and similar EQs with this characteristic behavior, are often referred to as being more “musical”. More speciﬁcally, this style emulates the classic Neve EQs, their modern derivatives and later SSL G series EQs. Many current popular outboard “boutique” EQs exhibit this same gain/Q relationship.

Figure 11-16: Type IV EQ ﬁlter style.

The Type IV EQ ﬁlter is a more extreme form of the Type III ﬁlter. It exhibits a high degree of interaction between Q and gain in order to maintain as closely as possible an equal amount of area under the response curve as gain is adjusted. Type IV is the most gentle of the four EQ st yles and is ideal for large scale EQ adjustments, especially on sub-mixes and complete mixes. This EQ style is also ideal for any applications where subtle changes in the overall character of the sound are desired. For example, it can be used for mastering applications, such as the overall adjustments that must often be applied to entire tracks to match other tracks on the album.

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Shelf ﬁlters

response corresponds to a second order shelf, still with no overshoot. This is the same response as conventional parametric EQs. In some situations, this form of accurate, clean shelving can sound harsh, especially when compared to legacy analog EQs. To soften the results, the overshoot is increased as Q is increased, as shown Figure 11-17 for Q values of 1.00, 2.00 and 3.00. This overshoot region produces a boost in frequencies just above the cutoff, which compensates in a smooth, more pleasing fashion for the perceived drop in low frequencies being cut.

Conversely, when shelving boost is being applied, overshoot cuts frequencies just above the cutoff to again compensate in a smooth and pleasing fashion for the perceived boost in low frequencies:

Figure 11-17: Shelf ﬁlter Q parameter overshoot.

When two top-most bands in the EQ tab are set to their shelf ﬁlter setting (Figure 11-10), the Q parameter controls the amount of overshoot applied to the response curve, as illustrated in Figure 11-17. When Q = 0.01 (the lowest setting), normal shelving is applied with no overshoot. This produces the response provided by a ﬁrst order shelf. When Q = 1.0 (the default setting), the

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Figure 11-18: Overshoot when low shelf boost is applied.

Overshoot is also applied to high shelf boost and cut:

Figure 11-19: Overshoot when high shelf cut and boost is applied.

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Overshoot tends to produce more of what one would expect to hear when applying shelving and is therefore considered to be more musical than shelving without overshoot. This effect, which has gained tremendous popularity among audio engineers, was ﬁrst made popular in original Neve series EQs and later in the SSL G series.

Slope = 6

At maximum the maximum Q setting of 3.00, the overshoot peaks at half the total boosted (or cut) gain. For example, with a maximum gain setting of +20dB, the loss in the overshoot region is -10 dB.

Overshoot curves are symmetrical for both cut and boost.

Low pass and high pass ﬁlters

The Vintage EQ low and high pass ﬁlters are similar to those found in most conventional parametric EQs (which usually have a ﬁxed slope of 12 dB per octave), except that Vintage EQ provides six different slope (roll off) settings: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 dB per octave. This control over the shape of the “knee” gives you a great deal ﬂexibility and control for a wide variety of applications.

Slope = 18

Slope = 36

Figure 11-20: The low pass ﬁlter with three example slope settings.

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The Dynamics tab

The Dynamics tab (Figure 11-21) displays the Dynamics processing settings for the input or output channel that currently has the focus. Click any focus button in the Inputs or Outputs tab to view the Dynamics tab settings for the channel.

Input level

meter

Output

meter

level

Gain

reduction

meter

Threshold

Tri m

Dynamics tab

Compressor enable/disable

Compressor

The Compressor (Figure 11-21) lowers the level of the input when it is above the threshold. The amount of attenuation is determined by the Ratio and the input level. If the input is 6 dB above the Threshold and the Ratio is 3:1, then the output will be 2 dB above the Threshold. When the input level goes above the threshold, the attenuation is added gradually to reduce distortion. The rate at which the attenuation is added is determined by the Attack parameter. Likewise, when the input level falls below the Threshold, the attenuation is removed gradually. The rate at which the attenuation is removed is determined by the Release parameter. Long Release times may cause the audio to drop out brieﬂy when a soft passage follows a loud passage. Short Release times may cause the attenuation to pump when the average input level quickly ﬂuctuates above and below the Threshold.

Levele r enable/disable

Figure 11-21: The Dynamics tab.

Enabling Dynamics

Each input and output channel has a global Dynamics enable/disable button (Figure 11-3 and Figure 11-6). This button enables or disables all dynamics processing for the channel. In addition, the Dynamics tab has two different dynamics processors, the Compressor and Leveler, which can be individually enabled or disabled (Figure 11-21) for the channel.

These sorts of issues can be addressed by applying the Leveler instead.

Graphic adjustment of the Threshold

The Threshold can be adjusted by turning the Threshold knob or by dragging the Threshold line directly in the compressor graph (Figure 11-21).

Input level meter

The Input Level meter (Figure 11-21) shows the level of the input signal before it enters the compressor. It shows either the peak level or the RMS level, depending on which mode is currently chosen.

Gain reduction (GR) meter

The Gain reduction (GR) level meter (Figure 11-21) displays the current amount of attenuation applied by the compressor.

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Output level

The Output Level meter (Figure 11-21) displays the peaks of the output signal. Trim is applied before the Output Level meter.

Peak/RMS modes

In RMS mode the compressor uses RMS values (a computational method for determining overall loudness) to measure the input level. In Peak mode, the compressor uses signal peaks to determine the input level. RMS mode will let peaks through because the detector sidechain is only looking at the average signal level. Peak mode will react to br ief peaks. Peak m ode is gen erally used for drums, percussion and other source material with strong transients, while RMS mode is mostly used for everything else.

The input meters show either the peak level or the RMS level, depending on the mode.

Leveler

The Leveler™ (Figure 11-21) provides an accurate model of the legendary Teletronix™ LA-2A® optical compressor, known for its unique and highly sought-after Automatic Gain Control (AGC) characteristics. The 828mk3 Leveler faithfully models the LA-2A using the on-board DSP with 32-bit ﬂoating point precision.

A model of an optical compressor

The simplest description of an optical leveling ampliﬁer device is a light shining on a photoresistor. The intensity of the light source is proportional to the audio signal, and the resistance of the photoresistor is in turn inversely proportional to the intensity of the light. Photoresistors respond quite quickly to increases in light intensity, yet return to their dark resistance very slowly. Thus, incorporation of the photoresistor into an attenuator followed by an ampliﬁer which provides make-up gain produces a signal which maintains a constant overall loudness.

Automatic gain control using light

The the Automatic Gain Control (AGC) circuit of the LA-2A uses a vintage opto-coupler known by its model number (T4). The T4 contains an electroluminescent panel (ELP) and photoresistor mounted so that the emission of the panel modulates the resistance. An ELP consists of a thin layer of phosphorescent material sandwiched between two insulated electrodes to form a capacitor. Making one of the electrodes transparent allows the light to escape. These devices are essentially glow-in-the-dark paint on a piece of foil covered by metalized glass or plastic, and are the same devices used in low-power night lights. Unfortunately, these devices need high voltages to operate, and are best driven by tube circuits which can supply voltage swings of several hundred volts.

Response characteristics

Once the light has faded away, the photoresistor then decays back to its dark state. The shape of the decay curve varies depending on how bright the light was, and how long the light lasted. A general rule of thumb is that the louder the program, the slower the release. Typically, the release can take up to and over one minute. One thing to keep in mind when using these types of devices is that the typical concepts of compression ratio, attack, release, and threshold do not apply. The light intensity is determined by the highly non-linear interactions of the input signal, AGC circuit, and ELP, and thus exhibit a strong program dependence that is impossible to describe without the mind-numbing mathematics of statistical mechanics. The actual results, however, can be almost mystical: even when you feed the same material (a loop perhaps) through the Leveler twice, you’ll often see a new response the second time through a loop, complete with unique attack times, release times and compression ratios. Furthermore, two different input signals with the same RMS levels may be leveled in a drastically different manner.

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It is precisely this self-adjusting behavior that makes optical compressors the tool of choice for smoothing out vocals, bass guitar and fullprogram mixes without destroying perceived dynamics.

Compressor/Limit buttons

The Comp and Limit buttons (Figure 11-21) model the original LA-2A Limit/Compress mode switch. The effect is very subtle, with the Limit option behaving only slightly more like a limiter than a compressor. The switch increases the level of the input to the AGC model and runs the attenuator at a slightly lower level. The Leveler then responds more strongly to transients, but otherwise still behaves like a leveling ampliﬁer.

Gain Reduction

Gain Reduction (Figure 11-21) sets the strength of the signal sent to the AGC model.

Bus activity LEDs (inputs only)

Channel meter display

Meters tab

Pre/post processing switch

Makeup Gain

Makeup gain (Figure 11-21) ampliﬁes the output signal to make up for gain reduction.

Enabling or disabling the Leveler

The Leveler models the LA-2A so closely, it also models the time it takes for an actual LA-2A to “warm up” after it is turned on. Therefore, when you enable the Leveler, give it a moment to “settle” before you begin processing signals with it.

The Meters tab

The Meters tab (Figure 11-22) serves as a comprehensive meter bridge for all inputs, outputs and mix busses in the 828mk3. This tab gives you a “bird’s-eye” view of all signal activity in the 828mk3; it is ideal for conﬁrming your signal routing programming and for troubleshooting.

Figure 11-22: The Meters tab.

Channel meter display

The channel meter display (Figure 11-22) provides a long-throw meter for the input or output that currently has the focus in the Input/Output tabs.

Bus activity LEDs (inputs only)

The Bus activity LEDs (Figure 11-22) are present only for inputs. See “Input meter and bus activity LEDs” on page 83.

Pre/post processing switch

The pre/post processing switch (Figure 11-22) affects all input meters (and the meter in the channel meter display above the tab, if this area is displaying an input meter). Click Pre to view levels before any input channel processing besides trim; click Post to view levels after all channel processing (EQ, compression, M/S decoding, L/R swap, etc.)

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The Reverb tab

The Reverb tab (Figure 11-23) provides access to the 828mk3’s single, global reverb processor, which provides high-ﬁdelity reverberation and graphic control over its parameters.

Low band

(yellow)

Mid band reverb

time handle

High band

(purple)

together. The resulting stereo output from the reverb can then be inserted into a mix bus or output using stereo returns.

Reverb sends

The following signals can be sent to the reverb processor via their corresponding sends (discussed earlier in this chapter):

■ Mono or stereo inputs (Figure 11-3 on page 78)

Crossover handle

Reverb enable/disable

Figure 11-23: The Reverb tab.

Enabling reverb

Use the enable/disable button (Figure 11-23) to turn the reverb processor on or off. Since reverb uses considerable DSP resources, it is best to leave it off when you are not using it.

■ Mix bus output (Figure 11-2 on page 76)

■ Outputs (Figure 11-6 on page 81)

Reverb returns

The stereo output from the reverb processor can be sent to the following destinations via their corresponding returns (discussed earlier in this chapter):

■ Mix bus outputs

■ Outputs

■ The computer (via the Reverb Return bus)

Split point

The Split Point (Figure 11-23) prevents feedback loops that would be caused by a sig nal being sent to the reverb processor and then returned to the same signal path.

Mix

When the Split Point is set to Mix, the returns in the Mix bus tab become active and the sends in the Output tab gray out. This allows you to send from inputs and mixes and return to mixes and outputs.

Routing inputs, busses and outputs to the reverb processor

The reverb processor is a single, independent unit that provides stereo reverb.You can route multiple signals to it from various points (sends) in the CueMix FX mixer, but all incoming signals to the reverb processor are merged and processed

Output

When the Split Point is set to Output, the sends in Output tab become active and the returns in the Mix bus tab gray out. This allows you to send from inputs, mixes and outputs and return to outputs.

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Primary controls

The Primary Controls section (Figure 11-23) in the Reverb tab provides the following basic parameters for programming the reverb.

☛ Here’s a tip: try using initial reﬂections

without any subsequent reverb (turn the reverb time down as far as it will go). You’ll hear interesting and unusual effects.

Reverb Time

Reverb time determines the length of decay, or tail, of the reverb. This is a global setting for the reverb processor. You can further reﬁne the tails by independently setting the reverb time of three separate frequency bands, as discussed below in the Reverb Design section.

PreDelay

PreDelay is the amount of time before you hear the very ﬁrst reﬂections. If you are in a large room, it takes a while before the ﬁrst reﬂections return. PreDelay is useful for clarifying the original sound. For example, with vocals, the reﬂections won’t start until after the initial sound of a word has been sung.

Shelf Filter

The Shelf Filter is a low-pass ﬁlter that controls the high frequency characteristics of the overall effect. Frequency sets the cutoff frequency for the ﬁlter and Cut sets the amount of signal attenuation applied by the ﬁlter.

Early reﬂections

Initial reﬂections give a space its unique sound. The shape of the room, the angles of the walls, even furniture in the room will produce a series of Initial Reﬂections. Think of the early reﬂections and room type as the “ﬂavor” of the reverb. You can choose between several types of rooms. These are acoustic models for simulating these different types of spaces. The Size and Level parameters let you control the size of the room and the strength of the initial reﬂections.

Reverb design

The Reverb Design section allows you to independently control the reverb time for three separate frequency bands (Low, Mid and High) with adjustable cross-over points between them (Low and High). The reverb time for each band is speci ﬁed in percent of the over all reve rb t ime in the Primary Controls section at the top of the tab.

You can edit these parameters graphically by dragging the handles in the graphic display (Figure 11-23).

Width does what its name implies: if you turn this control all the way up, the result is maximum stereo imaging. A position of 12 o’clock produces essentially a mono image. Turning the control all the way down completely swaps the stereo image.

THE MONITOR GROUP

The monitor group is a set of 828mk3 outputs that can be controlled with the master Monitor Level knob in upper right corner of the CueMix FX mixer window (Figure 11-24), as well as the MASTER VOL knob on the 828mk3 front panel.

Monitor group presets menu

Figure 11-24: Monitor group volume control from CueMix FX and the front panel MASTER VOL knob.

Assigning outputs to the monitor group

Any combination of outputs can be assigned to the monitor group. To include an output pair in the monitor group, click its Monitor button in the Outputs tab (Figure 11-6 on page 81).

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Monitor group presets menu

The monitor group presets menu (Figure 11-24) provides several presets for commonly used monitor groups:

SOLO LIGHT

The Solo light (Figure 11-1) illuminates when any input in the current (active) mix bus is soloed (even if it is currently scrolled off-screen).

Monitor group preset Output assignment

Main Outs Main Out 1-2

Stereo Analog Out 1-2

Quad Analog Out 1-4

5.1 Analog Out 1-6

7.1 Analog Out 1-8

If you program your own monitor output group, the presets menu displays the words user def. (user deﬁned).

Monitor group meters

The monitor group meters (Figure 11-1 on page 74) show levels for any/all output pairs that are currently included in the monitor group. The width of the me ters scale s prop ortionally so that all current monitor group outputs will ﬁt within the prescribed space for the meters. If many outputs are included, then the meters will look fairly thin, but they will all be included in the meter.

DSP METER

The DSP meter (Figure 11-1) shows how much of the available DSP processing power is currently being used by the 828mk3 for effects processing. DSP resources are allocated in channel order from the ﬁrst input to the last output. If there aren’t enough DSP resources for all effects to be enabled on a channel, none of them are allocated on that channel or any following channel.

TALKBACK AND LISTENBACK

CueMix FX 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 11-25 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 (or just use one of the mics you are recording from). For talkback output, set up a headphone distribution amp or set of speakers in the live room, and connect it to any 828mk3 output, as demonstrated below in Figure 11-25.

Control room

Talkback mic

Main

outs

Analog out 7-8

EQ on a stereo channel requires approximately twice the DSP resources as the same EQ on a mono channel. The Compressor (2.5 x 1 EQ band) and Leveler (4 x 1 EQ band) require about the same DSP resources for a mono or stereo channel.

Live room

Headphone distribution amp

Listenback mic

Figure 11-25: Typical hardware setup for Talkback and Listenback.

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Talkback / Listenback Mic Input

To conﬁgure the talkback mic in CueMix FX, go to the Inputs tab (Figure 11-3 on page 78) and click the Focus button for the input that the talkback mic is connected to. Click the Channel tab (Figure 11-8 on page 82) and enable the Ta l k button.

Repeat this procedure for the Listenback mic, except click the Listen button in the Channel tab.

Talk / Listen output

To conﬁgure the talkback and listen back outputs, go to the Outputs tab (Figure 11-6 on page 81) and enable the Ta l k b utto n for any out put pai r on which you’d like to hear the talkback mic. Similarly, enable the Listen button for any output pair on which you’d like to hear the listenback mic.

Talkback / Listenback Monitor Dim

Use the knobs next to the Talk and Listen buttons (Figure 11-26) to determine the amount of attenuation you would like to apply to all other audio signals (besides the talkback/listenback signal) when Talkback and/or Listenback is engaged. To completely silence all other CueMix audio, turn them all the way down. attenuation only occurs when talkback or listenback is engaged. Audio playing back from disk (your host software) is not affected.

Engaging/disengaging Talkback and Listenback

To engage Talk back or Listenback, press on the Talk or Listen buttons (Figure 11-26) and then release to disengage. Talkback and/or Listenback is engaged for as long as you hold down the mouse button. Option-click to make the buttons “sticky” (stay engaged until you click them again — so you don’t have to hold down the mouse). Or use the Ta l kb ack me nu it em s .

If you would like to engage both Talkback and Listenback at the same time, enable the Link button (Figure 11-26).

Controlling Talkback and Listenback volume

To control the volume of the Talkback and/or Listenback mics, adjust their input trim in CueMix FX.

SHORTCUTS

Hold down the following general modiﬁer keys as shortcuts:

Shortcut Result

Shift key Applies your action to all inputs or all out-

Command key Applies your action to the stereo input pair,

Option key Applies your action to all busses.

puts in the mix.

even when it is currently configured as mono.

Tal k d im

Listen dim

Figure 11-26: The Talkback/Listenback controls.

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Shift-Option Applies your action to all inputs and mixes.

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

center, unity gain, etc.)

Hold down the following modiﬁer keys as shortcuts for the EQ tab and controls:

Shortcut Result

Shift click Applies EQ button change to all input or out-

Option-click Applies EQ enable button changes to all

Shift-Optionclick

puts.

bands in that input or output.

Applies EQ enable button changes to all bands and all inputs or outputs.

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FILE MENU

EDIT MENU

Saving and loading hardware presets

The 828mk3 can store up to 16 presets in its onboard memory. A preset includes of all CueMix FX settings for all for mix busses, but it excludes global settings like clock source and sample rate.

The Load Hardware Preset and Save Hardware Preset commands in the CueMix FX ﬁle menu let you name, save and load presets in the 828mk3.

Peak/hold time

In CueMix FX, a peak indicator is a line (representing a virtual LED) displayed in a level meter that indicates the maximum signal level registered by the meter. The Peak/hold time setting (File menu) determines how long this indicator remains visible before it disappears (or begins to drop). To disable peak/hold indicators altogether, choose Off from this sub-menu.

Mix1 Return Includes Computer

The Mix1 return includes computer File menu item appli es to othe r MO TU i nte rfac es p rod ucts and h as no effect on the 828mk3.

Undo/Redo

CueMix FX supports multiple undo/redo. This allows you to step backwards and forwards through your actions in the software.

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 Edit menu (or press command-C).

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

Clear Peaks

Choose Clear Peaks from the Edit menu to clear all peak indicators in all CueMix FX meters.

DEVICES MENU

If you are working with more than one MOTU audio interface product, this menu displays all interfaces that are currently on line. Choose any device from the menu to edit its settings using the CueMix FX software.

Hardware follows CueMix Stereo Settings

This File menu item applies to other MOTU interfaces products and has no effect on the 828mk3.

Show meter in dock icon

This CueMix FX File menu item applies to other MOTU interfaces and has no effect on the 828mk3.

CONFIGURATIONS MENU

A conﬁguration is a “snapshot” of all settings in CueMix FX (and therefore the 828mk3 hardware itself). The commands in the Conﬁgurations menu let you create, save, load, import, export and otherwise manage as many conﬁgurations as you wish.

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Here is a summary of Conﬁgurations menu operations:

Configurations Menu item What it does

Create New Lets you name and save a new configuration,

Save Overwrites the current configuration

Save To Same as Save above, except that it lets you first

Delete Lets you choose a configuration to perma-

Import Loads all configurations from a configuration

Export Saves all current configurations as a file on

Configuration list

which appears at the bottom of the Configurations menu.

(checked in the list at the bottom of the menu) with the current settings in CueMix FX.

choose the configuration you wish to save to (instead of the current one).

nently remove from the menu.

file on disk.

disk.

Choose any configuration to load it. The current (last loaded or saved) configuration has a check mark next to it.

TALKBACK MENU

Choose the commands in the Talkback menu to engage or disengage Talkback or Listenback.

PHONES MENU

The Phones menu allows you to choose what you will hear on the headphone output, just like the Phones setting in MOTU Audio Setup. However, this menu provides one extra option that is exclusive to CueMix FX: Follow Active Mix. This menu item, when checked, causes the headphone output to mirror the output of the current mix being viewed in CueMix FX. For example, if you are currently viewing mix bus 3, the headphones will mirror the mix bus 3 output (whatever it is assigned to).

CONTROL SURFACES MENU

CueMix FX 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 FX

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 FX will jump to the appropriate tab to display the control you are adjusting.

Share surfaces with other applications

When the Share surfaces with other applications menu command is checked, CueMix FX releases the control surface when you switch to another application. This allows you to control your other software with the control 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 FX from the control surface, just bring CueMix FX to the front (make it the active application).

When this menu item is unchecked, your control surface will affect CueMix FX all the time, even wh en Cu eMix F X is not th e front- most applic ation. In addition, you will not be able to control other host audio software with the control surface at any time (because CueMix FX 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.

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CueMix Control Surfaces

CueMix FX includes support for the following control surface products:

■ Mackie Control™

■ Mackie HUI™

■ Mackie Baby HUI™

Use the sub-menu commands in the CueMix 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 FX. Uncheck it to turn off control surface support.

Conﬁgure…

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

Other HUI-compatible control surfaces

Any control surface that has the ability to emulate a HUI should be compatible with CueMix FX. Just add a Mackie HUI to Audio MIDI Setup and put the control surface hardware into HUI emulation mode. Consult the control surface manual for details about how put it into HUI emulation mode.

Other control surface hardware products

If you install other control surface drivers written for CueMix FX, they will appear as separate menu items at the bottom of the Control Surfaces menu, with the same sub-menu items described above.

Figure 11-27: Refer to the extensive on-line help for details about conﬁguring CueMix FX for operation with your control surface product.

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CUEMIX FX

MOTU 828mk3 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual