MOTU 896 User Manual

!896 Manual/Mac Page 1 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

MOTU 896

User’s Guide for Macintosh

™

1280 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
Business voice: [phone]
Business fax: [phone]
Tech support phone: [phone]
Tech support fax: [phone]
Tech support email: [e-mail]
Web site: www.motu.com

!896 Manual/Mac Page 2 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS

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 896 COULD CAUSE AN ELECTRICAL SHOCK.

The MOTU 896 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 896 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

3-prong plug

Make sure this is connected
to a known ground.

Grounding prong

Properly grounded 3-prong outlet

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 896 plug.

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS

1. Read instructions - All the safety and operating instructions should be read before operating the MOTU 896.

2. Retain instructions - The safety instructions and owner's manual should be retained for future reference.

3. Heed Warnings - All warnings on the MOTU 896 and in the owner's manual should be adhered to.

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

5. Cleaning - Unplug the MOTU 896 from the computer before cleaning and use a damp cloth. Do not use liquid or aerosol cleaners.

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

7. Power Sources - This MOTU 896 should be operated only from the type of power source indicated on the marking label. If you are not sure of the type of power supply to your location, consult your local power company.

8. Power-Cord Protection - Power-supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be 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 MOTU 896.

9. Lightning - For added protection for the MOTU 896 during a lightning storm, unplug it from the wall outlet. This will prevent damage to the MOTU 896 due to lightning and power line surges.

10. Servicing - Do not attempt to service this MOTU 896 yourself as opening or removing covers will expose you to dangerous voltage and other hazards. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.

11. Damage Requiring Service - Unplug the MOTU 896 from the computer and refer servicing to qualified service personnel under the following conditions.

a. When the power supply cord or plug is damaged.
b. If liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the MOTU 896.
c. If the MOTU 896 has been exposed to rain or water.
d. If the MOTU 896 does not operate normally by following the operating instructions in the owner's manual.
e. If the MOTU 896 has been dropped or the cabinet has been damaged.
f. When the MOTU 896 exhibits a distinct change in performance, this indicates a need for service.

12. 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.

13. Safety Check - Upon completion of any service or repairs to this MOTU 896, 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°)

AVOID THE HAZARDS OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK AND 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.

INPUT

Line Voltage: 100 - 120 volts AC, RMS (US and Japan) or 220 - 250 volts AC, RMS (Europe). Frequency: 47 - 63 Hz single phase. Power: 7 watts maximum.

CAUTION: DANGER OF EXPLOSION IF BATTERY IS REPLACED. REPLACE ONLY WITH THE SAME OR EQUIVALENT TYPE RECOMMENDED BYMANUFAC­TURER. DISPOSE OF USED BATTERY ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER’S INSTRUCTIONS.

!896 Manual/Mac Page iii Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

CHAPTER

Contents

Quick Reference: MOTU 896 Front Panel

5

Quick Reference: MOTU 896 Rear Panel

6

7

Quick Reference:
MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel

9

About the MOTU 896

Packing List and

13

Macintosh System Requirements

Installing the MOTU 896 Hardware

15

33

Installing the MOTU 896 Macintosh Software

MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel

37

45

The MOTU 896 and Digital Performer

The MOTU 896 and AudioDesk

51

The MOTU 896 and Other Audio Software

57

Sound Manager

63

Troubleshooting

67

III

!896 Manual/Mac Page 0 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

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 Notice

Copyright © 2001 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 NINETY
(90) DAYS from the date of original retail purchase. This warranty applies only to
hardware products; MOTU software is licensed and warranted pursuant to
separate written statements.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Relocate or reorient the receiving antenna

• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver

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

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

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

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

!896 Manual/Mac Page 5 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

These lights indicate the global sample rate at which the

MOTU 896 is operating. Use the MOTU FireWire Audio

Control Panel to set the sample rate or to choose an external

clock source, from which the sample rate will be derived.

When no sample clock is currently present, these lights

flash. For example, if you’ve set the MOTU 896 to slave to an

external clock, such as ADAT, but there is no clock signal

currently being detected, these lights will flash.

These meters can be programmed to display either

AES/EBU input or output. Use the MOTU FireWire

Audio Control Panel to choose. The LEDs to the right

indicate what you are currently monitoring.

These meters

display the level for

the 896’s main outs.

FireWire is a “plug-and-play”

protocol. That means that you

can turn off the MOTU 896

and turn it back on (or even

unplug it) without restarting

your computer. Keep in mind,

however, that if you wish to

change the MOTU 896’s

settings in the MOTU FireWire

Audio Control Panel, the

MOTU 896 needs to be

plugged in and switched on.

Connect a standard foot switch

here for hands-free punch-in and

punch-out during recording. For

details about how to set this up,

see “Enable Pedal” on page 40.

This is a standard

quarter-inch stereo

headphone jack. Its

output matches the

main outs on the

rear panel.

The volume knob controls

the headphone out and, if

the toggle switch is up, the

main outs, too. If the

toggle switch is down, the

volume knob only affects

the headphone out.

The light that is illuminated here tells

Quick Reference: MOTU 896 Front Panel

you which bank (analog in, ADAT in, or

ADAT out) you are monitoring with the

programmable meter bank to the right.

This bank of level meters can be programmed to

display one of three different banks: analog

output, ADAT optical input, or ADAT optical

The MOTU 896 lets you

monitor any analog or AES/

EBU input (or input pair) via

the main outs (and the

headphone out). This knob

controls the level of this

monitored signal. This

feature is called CueMix

Plus™.

output. Use the MOTU FireWire Audio Control

Panel to choose which bank you’d like to view

with these meters. The LEDs to the left show

which bank you are currently monitoring.

These eight trim knobs provide gain adjustment within a range of about 40dB for

each analog input (when the 3-way switch on the rear panel is set to either MIC or

LINE. If the 3-way switch is set to +4/FIXED, the corresponding front-panel trim pots

is bypassed). Because each input also has a microphone preamp, you can plug just

about anything into them: a microphone, a guitar, a synth — you name it.

For a microphone or unamplified instrument pickup, set the rear-panel 3-way switch

to MIC, plug in your mic (XLR or quarter-inch plug) flip on 48V phantom power (if

necessary) and use the trim knob as needed to adjust the level.

For -10dB (unbalanced) inputs (like synths) or +4 (balanced) signals, set the rear

panel 3-way switch to LINE and use the trim knob to adjust the level. You can use

either an XLR or quarter-inch plug. (Note: the complete trim range, from all the way

down with the MIC setting to all the way up with the LINE setting is around 55dB

total. The MIC setting provides a 40dB range (approximately -37dBu to +5dBu) and

the LINE setting offers a 30dB range (approximately -16dBu to +15dBu) with some

overlap between them.)

If you have +4 inputs for which you’d like to maintain unity gain (for levels up to

+18dBu), set the rear-panel 3-way switch to +4/FIXED. You can use either an XLR or

quarter-inch plug.

These 10-segment level meters are dedicated

solely to the 896’s eight analog inputs. The top red

‘over’ LED lights up when the signal reaches full

scale—for even just one sample—and remains

illuminated until you clear it in the software. The

second ‘over’ LED below only lights up momen-

0

tarily so that you can continue to adjust level even

after clipping has just occurred.

This toggle switch

provides phantom power

for a condenser mic

plugged into this input.

Up is on.

!896 Manual/Mac Page 6 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

Analog outputs 1 and 2 are duplicated on the MOTU

896’s main outputs (to the left), as well as the front

panel stereo headphone jack. However, these outputs

do not include any live CueMix™ Plus audio.

Quick Reference: MOTU 896 Rear Panel

These two XLR jacks serve as the MOTU

896’s main analog outputs. You can

0

If you are using the MOTU 896 with an ADAT, use this standard ADAT SYNC INPUT to connect the MOTU 896 to the end of your ADAT sync

chain. For example, if you have three ADATs, chain the ADATs in the usual fashion (SYNC OUT to SYNC IN, etc.), and then connect the

connect them to a set of powered studio

monitors and then control the volume

The MOTU 896’s eight analog outputs are XLR connectors with

+4 / -10 switchable output (600 Ohm impedance). They are

equipped with 24-bit, 128x oversampling enhanced multibit

A/D converters capable of 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96 kHz recording.

last ADAT’s SYNC OUT to this SYNC IN. This connection allows you to make sample-accurate audio transfers between AudioDesk (or

other sample-accurate software) and the ADATs. If you have a MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital Timepiece, make it the master of the

ADAT SYNC chain so that you can control everything from AudioDesk (or your other MIDI Machine Control compatible software).

from the front panel “Volume” knob.

The signal that comes out of these

outputs is a mix of analog outputs 1 and 2

and any live CueMix™ Plus input that you

have chosen to monitor from a MOTU 896

input (or input pair). To hear disk tracks in

your audio software on these main outs,

assign the disk tracks (and master fader)

to Analog Outs 1-2.

These eight analog inputs are Neutrik™ combo connectors that accept either an XLR plug or a

quarter-inch plug. They have 24-bit, 64x oversampling converters. Each input is equipped with a

3-way input level switch with three settings:

LINE: Use this setting for +4dB or -10dB inputs, such as synthesizers or consumer audio equipment.

Adjust the input level as needed with the corresponding front panel Trim control and level meter for

this input. This setting offers a trim range of around 30dB (approximately -16dBu to +15dBu).

Connect the MOTU 896 to

the computer here using

the standard 1394

FireWire cable provided

with your MOTU 896.

These ADAT optical

digital I/O connectors

can be connected

either to an ADAT or

any ADAT-compatible

“lightpipe” device

(such as a digital

mixer). ADAT optical

+4 / FIXED: Use this setting for +4 balanced inputs for which you do not wish to modify the gain. This

position disengages the front panel trim knob. This setting also provides slightly more attenuation

than the LINE setting, allowing levels up to +18dBu.

supplies eight channels

of 24-bit digital I/O at

MIC: This setting feeds the input signal (XLR or quarter-inch) to the built-in preamp for additional

gain. Use it for any microphone or unamplified instrument pickup. Engage phantom power for

condenser mics with the front-panel 48V switch (up is on). Use the corresponding front-panel trim

knob and level meter to adjust the input level as needed. This setting offers a trim range of around

40dB (approximately -37dBu to +5dBu).

Daisy-chain up to four 896’s to a

single FireWire bus. You can also

connect a MOTU 828, Glyph

M Project FireWire hard drive or

other FireWire device. For details,

see “Connecting multiple MOTU

Use the word clock input

and output for digital

transfers with devices

that cannot slave to the

clock supplied by their

digital I/O connection

896 interfaces” on page 31.

with the 896.

These AES/EBU connectors

can handle any supported

sample rate (44.1, 48, 88.2 or

96), and they are also

equipped with a sample rate

converter so you can input or

output at a different rate than

the 896. For details, see

“Syncing AES/EBU devices” on

page 26.

The 896 power supply is

switchable between 115V and

240V operation. It should

already be set to the proper

voltage for your country, but

you can check the setting and

adjust it if necessary with the

red switch just to the left of

this power cord receptacle (on

the side of the metal chassis).

!896 Manual/Mac Page 7 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

0

Quick Reference:
MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel

CHAPTER

Determines the master clock source for your entire
MOTU 896 system. If you’re just using the analog ins
and outs, set this to ‘Internal’. The other settings are for
digital transfers via AES/EBU or external synchroniza­tion via the ADAT SYNC in or Word Clock port. If you
have multiple MOTU FireWire interfaces, you’ll see all
eligible clock sources from all available interfaces.

Choosing a smaller setting here reduces the delay
you may hear when listening to live input that you
are running through effects plug-ins in your
software. But lower settings also increase the strain
on your computer. For details, see “Samples Per
Buffer” on page 39.

If you have multiple MOTU FireWire audio interfaces
connected to your computer, each interface appears
in this menu, which displays the settings for the
chosen interface below. Use the ‘Disable’ check box
to take the interface off-line without shutting off its
power. Doing so frees up FireWire bandwidth.

This menu provides several options for the MOTU
896’s AES/EBU sample rate conversion. For further
details see, “Syncing AES/EBU devices” on page 26.

Lets you choose what to monitor with the 896’s
programmable front panel meters.

If you are running a MOTU 896 interface at a high
sample rate (96 or 88.2), this option appears at the
bottom of the interface settings. It lets you choose a
word clock output rate that either matches the
global sample rate (e.g. 96 kHz) or halves the global
rate (e.g. 48 kHz instead of 96 kHz).

If any of these settings are grayed out (not available), see
“If MOTU 896 settings are grayed out” on page 43.

Choose the global sample rate for the system here.

If you want to hear your Macintosh system beeps, as well as the
audio output of any Sound Manager-compatible software,
through the MOTU 896 (instead of the built-in speaker in your
Mac), check this box and choose the desired MOTU 896 input and
output from these menus. If the global sample rate (above) is set
to a high sample rate (96 or 88.2), these Sound Manager options
disappear because Sound Manager doesn’t support them.

If you have a foot switch connected to the MOTU 896, these
settings let you map the foot switch to any Macintosh keyboard
key for both the up and down position.

Choose the desired optical format you’d like to use for the optical
input and output. For the 896, the choices are ‘ADAT’ or ‘OFF’.
Turning them off frees up FireWire bandwidth for other devices.

This is the MOTU 896’s no-latency CueMix™ Plus monitoring
feature. The inputs you choose here will be mixed with the main
outs and can be controlled with the ‘Monitor Level’ knob on the
front panel.

The Clip Hold Time controls how long the top-most red LED
remains illuminated after clipping. Choose ‘Infinite’ if you want to
be able to clear the LED from Digital Performer. The Peak Hold
Time controls how long the highest illuminated LED remains lit
before going dark.

Digital Performer

AudioDesk

How to access these settings

The MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel gives you
complete control over the settings in your MOTU
896 hard disk recording system. There are several
ways to access these settings. But the settings
are the same, regardless of how you access them.

■ From the Mac OS Apple menu, choose

Control Panels>MOTU FireWire Audio.

■ From within AudioDesk™ or Digital

Performer™, go to the Basics menu and
choose MOTU Audio System options>
Configure Hardware Driver.

■ Click on the MOTU FireWire Audio icon in

the Macintosh Control Strip.

The MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel above is the same as the “Configure
Hardware Driver” dialogs found in AudioDesk and Digital Performer (in their
Basics menu). For details about the ‘Auto Monitor’ option, see “Auto Monitor” on
page 47 for Digital Performer and “Auto Monitor” on page 53 for AudioDesk.

7

!896 Manual/Mac Page 8 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

8

!896 Manual/Mac Page 9 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

CHAPTER

1

About the MOTU 896

OVERVIEW

The MOTU 896 is a computer-based hard disk
recording system for Mac OS and Windows that
offers 18 simultaneous inputs and outputs. The
MOTU 896 consists of a standard 19-inch,
double-space, rack-mountable I/O unit that
connects directly to a computer via a standard
IEEE 1394 FireWire™ cable. The MOTU 896 offers
the following:

■

Operation at 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96 kHz

■

Eight 24-bit analog outputs individually

switchable between +4 and -10dB operation

■

Eight 24-bit analog inputs equipped with
Neutrik “combo” jacks and independent 3-way
level switch for MIC, LINE or +4/FIXED inputs

■

Eight-channel ADAT optical digital I/O

■

AES/EBU with sample rate conversion

■

Two extra analog main outs

■

10-segment programmable LEDs for analog

output, ADAT input or ADAT output

■

10-segment programmable LEDs for AES/EBU

input or output

■

Switchable power supply (110V or 220V)

With a variety of I/O formats, mic preamps,
no-latency monitoring of live input and synchroni­zation capabilities, the MOTU 896 is a complete,
portable “studio in a box” when used with a
Macintosh or Windows computer. The MOTU 896
system includes AudioDesk™, full-featured audio
workstation software for Mac OS that supports
both 16-bit and 24-bit recording. Also included is
an ASIO driver for multi-channel operation with
any Macintosh audio software that supports ASIO
drivers.

THE MOTU 896 I/O REAR PANEL

The MOTU 896 rear panel has the following
connectors:

■

Eight mic preamps (one on each input)

■

Independent 48V phantom power for each input

■

Independent front-panel trim for each input

■

Sample-accurate ADAT sync input

■

Word clock input and output

■

Two FireWire jacks for chaining multiple units

■

Foot switch input for hands-free punch-in/out

■

Front-panel Headphone jack

■

Main volume knob (for headphone + main outs)

■

CueMix™ Plus no-latency monitoring

■

10-segment LED level meters for each input

■

Eight 24-bit XLR analog outputs, each equipped
with an independent 2-way output level switch (+4
or -10dB)

■

Eight 24-bit Neutrik “combo” (XLR + balanced
quarter-inch) analog inputs, each equipped with
an independent 3-way level switch (MIC, LINE,
+4/FIXED), mic preamp, front-panel 48V
phantom power switch, and front-panel trim knob

■

One set of ADAT optical ‘light pipe’ connectors
(8 channels of ADAT optical input and output)

■

AES/EBU input and output

■

Two XLR main analog outputs with volume
knob (on the front panel)

■

One 9-pin ADAT SYNC IN connector

9

!896 Manual/Mac Page 10 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

■

BNC word clock input and output

■

Two 1394 FireWire jacks

18 simultaneous inputs and outputs

All MOTU 896 inputs and outputs can be used
simultaneously, for a total of 18 inputs and outputs
(8 analog + 8 ADAT optical + 2 AES/EBU).

Analog

The analog inputs are equipped with 24-bit, 64x
oversampling A/D converters. The analog outputs
have 24-bit 128x oversampling D/A converters. All
audio is carried to the computer in a 24-bit data
stream. Each output can be individually switched
between either +4 or -10dB operation. Each input
can be individually set to one of three input levels:
MIC (feeds the mic preamp and includes
front-panel trim and switchable 48V phantom
power), LINE (for -10dB inputs with front-panel
trim) and +4/FIXED (for +4 “hot” inputs for which
no gain adjustment in the 896 is desired).

Mic preamps

All eight analog inputs are equipped with a mic
preamp on a Neutrik™ combo-style connector that
accepts either an XLR or quarter-inch plug.
Defeatable 48V phantom power is supplied by a
front panel switch. In addition, each input has its
own trim knob, which provides a trim range of
approximately 40dB.

Main Outs

For main stereo output, analog outputs 1 and 2 are
duplicated as a stereo pair of XLR jacks. If an input
(or input pair) is being monitored via the MOTU
896’s CueMix™ Plus monitoring feature, the
monitored signal is summed with the main outs.
You can control the volume of the main outs with
the front panel volume knob. You can
independently control the CueMix Plus monitored
signal with the Monitor level knob on the front
panel.

ADAT optical

The MOTU 896 optical jacks support eight
channels of 24-bit ADAT optical digital audio input
and output at either 44.1 or 48 kHz.

AES/EBU with sample rate conversion

The MOTU 896 rear panel provides standard
AES/EBU digital inputs and outputs that support
digital I/O at 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96 kHz. In addition,
input or output can be sample-rate converted to
any of these sample rates in situations that call for a
different rate than the 896’s global sample rate.

ADAT sync: sample-accurate synchronization

The MOTU 896’s standard 9-pin ADAT SYNC IN
connector provides sample-accurate synchroni­zation with all Alesis ADAT tape decks connected
to the system—or any device that supports the
ADAT sync format. For example, if you digitally
transfer a single track of material from an ADAT
via light pipe into audio workstation software on
the computer, and then transfer the track back to
the ADAT, it will be recorded exactly at its original
location, down to the sample.

Word clock

The MOTU 896 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 MOTU 896
global sample rate is set to 96 kHz, the word clock
input can resolve to a “low” rate of 48 kHz.
Similarly, when the MOTU 896 is operating at
96 kHz, the MOTU 896 FireWire Audio Control
Panel lets you choose a word clock output rate of
48 kHz (“System clock ÷ 2”).

Punch in/out

The quarter-inch Punch in/out jack accepts a
standard foot switch. When you push the foot
switch, the MOTU 896 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

10

ABOUT THE MOTU 896

!896 Manual/Mac Page 11 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

numeric keypad, which toggles recording in
Digital Performer. Therefore, pressing the foot
switch is the same as pressing the 3 key. The MOTU
FireWire Audio 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 MOTU
896 to a FireWire-equipped Macintosh or
Windows computer. Both jacks can be used
together to connect up to four 896’s (or other
MOTU FireWire audio interfaces) to a single
FireWire chain.

THE MOTU 896 FRONT PANEL

Headphone output and main volume control

The MOTU 896 front panel includes a quarter-inch
stereo headphone output jack and volume knob.
The headphone output matches the main stereo
outs. An accompanying switch allows you to
control the volume of the phones only (down) or
both the phones and the main outs (up).

inputs. The right-hand bank shows one of three
different banks, which you can specify in the
MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel software:
Analog out, ADAT input, or ADAT output. A status
LED to the left shows which bank you are currently
viewing.

The 896 front panel also displays stereo meters for
the main analog outs and AES/EBU. The AES/EBU
meters can display either input or output as
specified in the MOTU FireWire Audio Control
Panel software. A status LED to the right shows
whether you are viewing input or output.

16-BIT AND 24-BIT RECORDING

The MOTU 896 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 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96 KHz via any of the MOTU
896’s analog or digital inputs and outputs (except
optical, which only supports 44.1 or 48). 24-bit
audio files can be recorded with any compatible
host application that supports 24-bit recording.

CueMix™ Plus no-latency monitoring

The MOTU 896 provides CueMix™ Plus
no-latency monitoring from any input (or input
pair). The CueMix monitored signal, mixed with
outputs 1-2, appears on the main outs and
headphone jack. An independent volume knob is
provided for the monitored signal.

Input trim knobs and phantom power switch

The front-panel input trim knobs provide
independent trim for the eight analog inputs. The
phantom power switch for each input provides 48V
phantom power. Up is on; down is off.

Metering

The front panel of the MOTU 896 displays two
eight-channel banks of 10-segment ladder LEDs.
The left-hand bank always shows the eight analog

ABOUT THE MOTU 896

AUDIODESK

AudioDesk is a full-featured, 24-bit audio
workstation software package included with the
MOTU 896 system (for Macintosh 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 (in
the MOTU Audio System and Adobe Premiere
formats), background processing of file-based
operations, sample-accurate editing and
placement of audio, and more.

DIGITAL PERFORMER

The MOTU 896 system is fully integrated with
MOTU’s award-winning Digital Performer audio
sequencer software package.

11

!896 Manual/Mac Page 12 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

OTHER HOST AUDIO SOFTWARE

The MOTU 896 system includes a standard
Mac OS Sound Manager driver for stereo I/O with
any audio application that supports Sound
Manager.

The MOTU 896 also includes a Macintosh ASIO
driver for multi-channel compatibility with any
audio application that supports ASIO drivers.

A COMPUTER-BASED SYSTEM

Regardless of what software you use with the
MOTU 896, the host computer determines the
number of tracks the software can record and play
simultaneously, as well as the amount of real-time
effects processing you can apply to your mix. A
faster computer with more RAM and faster hard
drives will allow more simultaneous tracks and
real-time effects than a slower computer with less
RAM and slower hard drives. Today’s fastest
computers can typically play as many as 32 tracks
or more. Standard third-party SCSI acceleration
products can also help you achieve higher track
counts.

12

ABOUT THE MOTU 896

!896 Manual/Mac Page 13 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

CHAPTER

2

Packing List and
Macintosh System Requirements

PACKING LIST

The MOTU 896 ships with the items listed below. If
any of these items are not present in your MOTU
896 box when you first open it, please immediately
contact your dealer or MOTU.

■

One MOTU 896 I/O rack unit

■

One 1394 “FireWire” cable

■

Power cord

■

One MOTU 896 Mac/Windows manual

■

One AudioDesk Manual

■

One cross-platform CD-ROM

■

Product registration card

MACINTOSH SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

The MOTU 896 system requires the following
Macintosh system:

■

A G3/300Mhz Power Macintosh or faster
equipped with at least one FireWire port

■

At least 64 Mb (megabytes) of RAM (128 Mb or
more is recommended)

■

Mac OS version 8.6 or later (MacOS 9 or later is
recommended)

■

FireWire Enabler and FireWire Support system
extensions 2.4 or later

■

A large hard drive (preferably at least 8 Gb)

PLEASE REGISTER TODAY!

Please send in the registration card included with
your MOTU 896 system. As a registered user, you
will be eligible to receive on-line technical support
email and announcements about product
enhancements as soon as they become available.
Only registered users receive these special update
notices, so please, complete and mail this
registration card!

There is also an AudioDesk software registration
card found at the beginning of your AudioDesk
manual. Please be sure to fill out and return this
card as well, so that you will be eligible to receive
on-line technical support email and
announcements about AudioDesk software
enhancements as soon as they become available.

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

13

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14

PACKING LIST AND MACINTOSH SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

!896 Manual/Mac Page 15 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

CHAPTER

3

Installing the MOTU 896 Hardware

OVERVIEW

Here’s an overview for installing the MOTU 896:

Connect the MOTU 896 interface . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Connect the MOTU 896 audio interface to the
computer with the supplied FireWire cable.

Connect inputs and outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Make optical and analog connections as desired.

A typical studio setup (no mixer) . . . . . . . . . . . .17

An example setup for computer-based mixing/FX.

Using the MOTU 896 with a mixer . . . . . . . . . . .18

An example setup for a mixer-based studio.

Making sync connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

CONNECT THE MOTU 896 INTERFACE

1

Plug one end of the MOTU 896 FireWire cable
(included) into the FireWire socket on the
computer as shown below in Figure 3-1.

2

Plug the other end of the FireWire cable into the
MOTU 896 I/O as shown below in Figure 3-1.

If you need to resolve the MOTU 896 with other
devices in your studio, make the necessary
synchronization connections.

Do you need a synchronizer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Sample-accurate sync. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Sample-accurate sync with ADATs . . . . . . . . . . .22

ADAT sync with no synchronizer . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Sync to SMPTE, word clock, video . . . . . . . . . . .24

Syncing optical devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Syncing AES/EBU devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Syncing to word clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Syncing large systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Connecting multiple MOTU 896 interfaces . . .31

Figure 3-1: Connecting the MOTU 896 to the computer.

15

!896 Manual/Mac Page 16 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

CONNECT INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

The MOTU 896 audio interface has the following
input and output connectors:

■

8 XLR analog outputs

■

8 Neutrik™ XLR/quarter-inch analog inputs

■

2 XLR main outs

■

AES/EBU input/output

■

ADAT optical input/output

Analog inputs

The MOTU 896 analog inputs are Neutrik combo
connectors that accept either a male XLR plug or a
quarter-inch plug. You can use either type of plug,
regardless of whether its a mic, synth, or whatever.
Set the 3-way input level switch as follows:

For a microphone or unamplified instrument
pickup, set the rear-panel 3-way switch to MIC,
plug in your mic (XLR or quarter-inch plug) flip on
48V phantom power (if necessary) and use the
trim knob as needed to adjust the level.

For -10dB (unbalanced) inputs (like synths) or +4
(balanced) signals that may need to be boosted, set
the rear panel 3-way switch to LINE and use the
trim knob to adjust the level. You can use either an
XLR or quarter-inch plug. (Note: the complete
trim range, from all the way down with the MIC
setting to all the way up with the LINE setting is
around 55dB total. The MIC setting provides a
40dB range and the LINE setting offers a 30dB
range with some overlap between them.)

Figure 3-2: the MOTU 896 rear panel.

If you have +4 inputs for which you’d like to
maintain unity gain, set the 3-way switch to +4/
FIXED. Use either an XLR or quarter-inch plug.

Analog outputs

Connect an XLR cable and set the desired output
level with the 2-way level switch (+4 or -10dB).

ADAT optical

Use standard ADAT optical cables. Reminder:
optical goes OUT to IN and IN to OUT, like MIDI.

AES/EBU

Connect standard AES/EBU input and output.
High sample rates (88.2 & 96 kHz) are supported.

Main outs

The main outputs, as well as the headphone output
on the front panel, match the output from Analog
outputs 1-2. In addition, any live inputs that are
being monitored via CueMix™ Plus are summed to
the signal on the main outs. The main out volume
can be controlled by the main volume knob on the
front panel (when the switch is up). In a typical
studio, the main outs are intended for a pair of
monitors. However, if you are using the MOTU 896
in other ways, such as in a live performance
situation, you could use the main outs for stage
monitors while outputs 1 and 2 are used for the PA.

Using an external mixer

The MOTU 896 can be used without a mixer, as
shown on the opposite page in Figure 3-3. In this
setup, all mixing and effects processing occurs in
the audio software running on the computer. If
you’d like to use external mixing, see “Using the
MOTU 896 with a mixer” on page 18.

16

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

!896 Manual/Mac Page 17 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

A TYPICAL STUDIO SETUP (NO MIXER)

Here is a typical MOTU 896 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 MOTU 896’s CueMix™ Plus no-

DAT deck

AES/EBU

monitors

sends to

FX unit
(in rack
below)

latency monitoring to listen to what you are
recording via the main outs. The MOTU FireWire
Audio Control Panel software lets you choose the
input (or input pair) that you wish to monitor.
Guitar can be processed with plug-ins on the
computer, or with an amp.

other outputs

(stage

monitors,

etc.)

headphones

Headphone jack (on front panel)

Pedal jack (on front panel)

ADAT optical

ADAT

Mac

FireWire

quarter-inch analog outs

synths, samplers, effects units, etc.

foot switch

mic

guitar
(with or without amp)

quarter-inch analog outs

synthesizer

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

Figure 3-3: A typical MOTU 896 studio setup.

17

!896 Manual/Mac Page 18 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

USING THE MOTU 896 WITH A MIXER

While there are many ways to use the MOTU 896
with an external mixer, typically the MOTU 896
serves as a multi-channel “pipeline” between the
mixer and the computer. If your mixer is analog,
connect the analog section of the MOTU 896 to
your mixer. If your mixer is digital, and it has
ADAT optical I/O, you can connect them optically
as shown below in Figure 3-4. Add more 896’s for

Mac

FireWire

additional banks of eight-channel I/O. The MOTU
896’s available analog and AES/EBU inputs and
outputs can serve as an extension to the mixer I/O,
but then you will probably find yourself mixing in
two places: the mixer and the computer. A word of
advice: if you would like to use the MOTU 896 with
an external mixer, use the mixer for mixing. Trying
to mix large multitrack projects in two places can
become very cumbersome very quickly.

18

8-channel digital I/O

ADAT optical

synths, samplers, etc.

synthesizers

digital mixer

Figure 3-4: Using the MOTU 896 with a digital mixer.

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

!896 Manual/Mac Page 19 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

MAKING SYNC CONNECTIONS

If you connect devices digitally to the MOTU 896,
or if you need to synchronize the MOTU 896 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 MOTU 896?

If you will be using only the MOTU 896’s analog
inputs and outputs (and none of its digital I/O),
and you have no plans to synchronize your MOTU
896 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
MOTU 896 Macintosh Software” (page 33). After
you install the MOTU 896 software, you’ll open the
MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel and set the
Clock Source setting to Internal as shown below in
Figure 3-5. For details, see chapter 5, “MOTU
FireWire Audio Control Panel” (page 37).

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 MOTU 896’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. Otherwise, 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 3-6: When transferring audio, two devices must have phase­locked audio clocks to prevent clicks, pops or other artifacts.

Figure 3-5: You can run the MOTU 896 under its own internal clock
when it has no digital audio connections and you are not synchroniz­ing the MOTU 896 system to an external time reference such as
SMPTE time code.

Situations that require synchronization

There are three general cases in which you will
need to synchronize the MOTU 896 with other
devices:

■ Synchronizing the MOTU 896 with other digital

audio devices so that their digital audio clocks are
phase-locked (as shown in Figure 3-6)

■ Slaving the MOTU 896 system to SMPTE time

code, such as from a video deck or an analog multi­track tape recorder

■ 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 3-7: To keep the MOTU 896 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 MOTU 896.

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

19

!896 Manual/Mac Page 20 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

DO YOU NEED A SYNCHRONIZER?

Whether or not you’ll need a synchronizer depends
on your gear and what you will be doing with your
MOTU 896 system. The following pages give you
specific information about common sync
scenarios. At least one of them will likely apply to
you. Here are some general considerations to help
you figure out if you need (or want) a synchronizer
for you MOTU 896 system.

You don’t need a synchronizer if...

As explained earlier, the MOTU 896’s digital audio
clock must be phase-locked (synchronized) with
other connected digital audio devices to achieve
clean digital transfers between them. Can this be
accomplished without an additional digital audio
synchronizer? It depends on the nature of the other
devices, and what you want to do with them. You
don’t need a synchronizer if the device has a way of
locking itself directly to the MOTU 896’s clock (via
ADAT lightpipe or AES/EBU), AND if the device
carries no sense of location in time. A digital mixer
is a good example: it can slave to its ADAT lightpipe
connection from the MOTU 896, and it has no
sense of time; it just passes audio through for
mixing.

compatible synchronizer such as MOTU’s MIDI
Timepiece AV, as discussed in “Sample-accurate
sync” on page 21. If you are simply using the ADAT
as a backup medium where you transfer eight
tracks at a time and don’t care about their exact
location, no synchronizer is required. You can
simply slave the ADAT to the optical output from
the MOTU 896 as explained in “Syncing optical
devices” on page 25.

Transport control from your computer

If you have ADATs or other digital recording
devices connected to the MOTU 896, your audio
software — if it supports MIDI Machine Control
(MMC) — allows you to control the transports of
everything from your computer. Most advanced
audio programs support MMC. To do this, you’ll
also need an MMC-compatible ADAT
synchronizer such as a MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV
or Digital Timepiece. Synchronizers like these
allow you to play, stop, rewind and locate all of your
tape decks using the transport controls in the audio
software. If your audio software supports ASIO 2,
you can do so with sample-accurate precision. The
following pages show you how to achieve MMC
control, where possible.

An ADAT, on the other hand, does have a sense of
location in time, either via SMPTE time code or via
its own sample address time format (ABS). If you
want to fly tracks back and forth between your
computer and ADAT tapes while maintaining the
audio’s position in time, the ADAT SYNC port on
the MOTU 896 lets you do so without a separate
synchronizer — and with sample-accurate
precision (if you’re using AudioDesk, Digital
Performer, or an ASIO 2.0-compatible program
that supports sample-accurate sync). Just connect
the MOTU 896 directly to the ADAT as discussed
in “ADAT sync with no synchronizer” on page 23.
But if you also want transport control over the
entire rig (including the ADAT) from your audio
software, you’ll need a MIDI Machine Control-

20

Continuous sync to SMPTE / MTC

If you need to synchronize the MOTU 896 (and
your audio software) to SMPTE time code, this
requires a dedicated synchronizer, which
continuously resolves the MOTU 896 to SMPTE
time code, while simultaneously resolving your
audio software to MIDI Time Code. When the
MOTU 896 is continuously resolved, audio
playback will never drift with respect to the time
code. Again, the MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV and
Digital Timepiece are affordable examples of this
type of synchronizer. The following pages illustrate
how to set up this type of synchronization with
various kinds of gear. Regardless of the specific
equipment you have, you can follow the basic
connections shown.

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

!896 Manual/Mac Page 21 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

SAMPLE-ACCURATE SYNC

Your MOTU 896 system provides you with the
most advanced, accurate synchronization possible
with Alesis ADATs (Type I and II) or any device
that supports ADAT sync. Figure 3-8 below shows
a few best-case scenarios for syncing the MOTU
896 with ADATs (in ABS time). Below is a brief
explanation of the benefits you achieve with these
setups.

Sample accurate locating

With sample accurate locating, when you transfer
audio between AudioDesk (or any other sample­accurate host software such as Digital Performer)
and ADATs, the audio will not drift in time — even
by as little as one sample. This is the tightest
possible synchronization between digital audio
devices. The timing in your audio will not be
affected in any way by the process of transferring it
between the MOTU 896 and your ADATs. Sample­ac curate loca ting is o nly p ossi ble with s oftw are that
supports this feature, such as AudioDesk, Digital
Performer, Cubase VST or other ASIO 2
compatible audio software.

Transport control from your computer

If you have a MIDI Timepiece AV, Digital
Timepiece or any ADAT synchronizer that also
supports MIDI Machine Control (MMC), you can
play, stop, rewind and locate all of your ADATs
using the transport controls in the audio software
running on your computer. This includes cueing
features like markers, position bars, playback
wipers, time rulers, etc.

Continuous sync to SMPTE / MTC

This means that the MOTU 896 can be
continuously resolved to SMPTE time code (or
MIDI Time Code) via a dedicated synchronizer,
such as the MIDI Timepiece AV. When the MOTU
896 is continuously resolved, audio playback will
never drift with respect to time code.

Figure 3-9: AudioDesk and Digital Performer support sample­accurate transfers with ADATs.

Tape recorder/
Sync format Software Synchronizer

ADAT AudioDesk, Cubase VST

ADAT AudioDesk, Cubase VST

ADAT AudioDesk, Cubase VST

Figure 3-8: These recommended combinations of hardware and software offer the tightest sync possible between the MOTU 896 and digital
audio tape decks in the form of sample-accurate locating between the software and the tape decks. Sample accurate locating is possible with
ADATs even without a MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital Timepiece, although you give up transport control from the computer without them.

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

or Digital Performer

or Digital Performer

or Digital Performer

MIDI Timepiece AV
or Digital Timepiece

BRC (or any MMC capa­ble ADAT synchronizer)

None Yes No No

Sample
accurate
locating

Yes Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes

Transport
control
from computer

Continuous sync
to SMPTE / MTC

21

!896 Manual/Mac Page 22 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

SAMPLE-ACCURATE SYNC WITH ADATs

The MOTU 896 can achieve sample-accurate sync
with AudioDesk, Digital Performer, or any ASIO

2.0-compatible audio software that also supports
sample-accurate sync. Connect the MOTU 896 to
the end of the ADAT chain and make the software
settings shown below in Figure 3-10. If you will be
using the ADAT for its analog inputs and outputs
only (you won’t be using any tapes in the ADAT),
treat it as an ‘optical’ device. See “Syncing optical
devices” on page 25.

In AudioDesk or Digital Performer:

1. Choose Receive Sync the Basics
menu.

2. Choose the Sample-accurate
option shown to the left.

Macintosh computer running
AudioDesk or Digital Performer

USB or serial cable (bi-directional MIDI

connection) bearing MMC transport

commands from AudioDesk or

Digital Performer to the

MIDI Timepiece AV (or other synchronizer)

FireWire

FireWire

If you have a MOTU
synchronizer, set its
sync mode to Internal.

ADATs

ADAT

Sync Out

Sync In

Sync Out

Sync In

Sync Out

Sync In

Sync Out

Sync In

Digital Timepiece, MIDI

Timepiece AV, Alesis BRC or

any other MMC-compatible

ADAT

sync cables

etc.

What this setup provides

Sample-accurate locating between all ADATs, the MOTU

✓

896, and AudioDesk or Digital Performer.

Transport control of everything from the computer.

✓

OR

✓ Continuous sync to SMPTE time code and other sync sources

(the other source is the transport master in this case).

To set the MOTU 896 hardware clock source for
sample-accurate sync:

1. Choose MOTU Audio System>Configure
Hardware Driver from the Basics menu in
AudioDesk or Digital Performer, or run the MOTU
FireWire Audio Control Panel.

2. Choose ADAT 9-pin from the Clock Source menu
as shown to above.

3. Make sure the Sample Rate setting matches the
tape decks and synchronizer.

ADAT synchronizer

For sample-accurate sync settings in Cubase VST, see
“Sample-accurate sync to ADAT” on page 61.

AudioDesk automatically scans the
DTP or MTP AV for ADATs, and they
appear here. Just make sure you
have the DTP or MTP AV in your
FreeMIDI setup.

The above is also
true for any version
of Digital Performer
later than 2.42.
(The MOTU 896
requires Version

2.42 or higher.)

In AudioDesk or Digital
Performer, turn on MIDI
Machine Control by
pressing this button (to
make the arrow black).
This brings on line all the
tape decks connected to
the DTP or MTP AV.

Figure 3-10: Connections for sample-accurate sync between one or more ADATs and the MOTU 896.

22

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

!896 Manual/Mac Page 23 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

ADAT SYNC WITH NO SYNCHRONIZER

Even if you don’t have an ADAT synchronizer, you
can achieve sample-accurate sync between ADATs,
the MOTU 896, and any sample-accurate software
(such as AudioDesk or Digital Performer). Just
connect the MOTU 896 to the end of the ADAT
sync chain as shown below. But without the
synchronizer, you don’t get transport control from
your computer, nor can you slave the system to
external SMPTE time code. Instead, you have to
play, stop, rewind and cue the system from the
transports on your ADAT (or via an Alesis LRC). If

In AudioDesk or Digital Performer:

1. Choose Receive Sync from the
Basics menu.

2. Choose the Sample-accurate
option shown to the left.

Macintosh computer running
AudioDesk or Digital Performer

With no synchronizer, the ADAT that is the

FireWire

master of the ADAT sync chain becomes

transport master over everything, includ-

ing your audio software.

ADATs

you will be using the ADAT for its analog inputs
and outputs only (you won’t be using any tapes in
the ADAT), treat it as an ‘optical’ device. See
“Syncing optical devices” on page 25.

What this setup provides

Sample-accurate locating between all ADATs, the MOTU

✓

896, and AudioDesk or Digital Performer.

No transport control of everything from the computer

✗

✗ No continuous sync to SMPTE time code and other sources

To set the MOTU 896 hardware clock source for sample-accurate sync:

1. Choose MOTU Audio System>Configure Hardware Driver from the
Basics menu in AudioDesk or Digital Performer, or run the MOTU
FireWire Audio Control Panel.

2. Choose ADAT 9-pin from the Clock Source menu as shown to above.

3. Make sure the Sample Rate setting matches the tape decks and
synchronizer.

In AudioDesk or Digital Performer:

1. Make sure that Slave to External Sync is checked in the Basics menu.

2. Click the play or record button. The software will then wait for you to
start your ADAT.

3. Press the Play button on the front panel of your ADAT to initiate
playback or recording.

Sync Out

Sync Out

Sync Out

FireWire

Figure 3-11: Sample-accurate sync between AudioDesk or Digital Performer
and one or more ADATs — without an ADAT synchronizer.

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

Sync In

Sync In

Sync In

ADAT

sync cables

etc.

For sample-accurate sync settings in Cubase VST, see
“Sample-accurate sync to ADAT” on page 61.

23

!896 Manual/Mac Page 24 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

SYNC TO SMPTE, WORD CLOCK, VIDEO

To synchronize (continuously resolve) the
MOTU 896 with SMPTE time code, word clock,
video or blackburst, you will need a MOTU Digital
Timepiece, MIDI Timepiece AV or any other
universal synchronizer equipped with word clock.
The synchronizer resolves continuously to the
chosen time base, and the MOTU 896 slaves to the
synchronizer via word clock. In addition, the audio
software running on the computer slaves to MIDI
Time Code generated by the synchronizer. How
accurate will transfers be between your audio
software and other audio devices? As good as the
resolution of MIDI time code, which — at 30 fps —
provides quarter frame resolution of 120th of a
second (367 samples at 44.1 KHz). But if you are

In AudioDesk or Digital Performer:

1. Choose Receive Sync from the
Basics menu.

2. Choose the SMPTE time code
option shown to the left.

running your synchronizer under its own internal
clock (triggering it via MMC from your software),
you will probably get even tighter timing than that
— perhaps as good as ±50 samples.

What this setup provides

No sample-accurate locating

✗

✓ Timing accuracy that is at least as good as MIDI time code

(quarter-frame)— and maybe even tighter

No transport control of from the computer

✗

✓ Continuous sync to SMPTE time code and other sync sources

(the other source is the transport master in this case)

Video deck generating

video and SMPTE

To set the MOTU 896 hardware clock source for

Macintosh computer running
AudioDesk or Digital Performer

FireWire

FireWire

Figure 3-12: Resolving the MOTU 896 to an external time base, such as SMPTE time code, word clock, or video. In this
example, an S-VHS video deck is supplying SMPTE time code (address) and video (as the time base). For examples of
other sources, consult the MIDI Timepiece AV manual (or other synchronizer).

USB or serial cable sending
MIDI Time Code to AudioDesk
or Digital Performer from the

MIDI Timepiece AV (or other

synchronizer)

MOTU Digital Timepiece,

MIDI Timepiece AV or similar

synchronizer

Word Clock

Out

Word
Clock In

SMPTE

time code

and

video

BNC cable

resolving the MOTU 896 to a synchronizer:

1. Choose MOTU Audio System>Configure
Hardware Driver from the Basics menu in
AudioDesk or Digital Performer, or run the
MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel.

2. Choose Word clock from the Clock Source
menu as shown to above.

3. Make sure the Sample Rate setting matches
the tape decks and synchronizer.

In AudioDesk or Digital Performer:

1. Make sure that Slave to External Sync is
checked in the Basics menu.

2. Click the play or record button. The software
will then wait for you to start your video
deck or other master sync source.

24

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

Mac

!896 Manual/Mac Page 25 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

SYNCING OPTICAL DEVICES

The word optical is our short-hand way of referring
to any device that connects to the MOTU 896 via
an optical cable. But we make a further distinction:
an optical device is also one that doesn’t care about
sample location. An example is a digital mixer.
Since a digital mixer is not a recording device, it has
no sense of sample location like an ADAT does. An
ADAT can cue to a specific sample number (e.g.
sample number 43,478, 103) — as can any device
that supports ADAT sync, but most digital mixers
simply mix and process audio digitally, with no
sense of a specific sample location. There are many
other devices that fall into this category, including
digital effects processors, synthesizers, A/D
converters, and many more.

MOTU 896

ADAT Optical OUT

ADAT Optical IN

Digital mixer

or other optical

device

MOTU 896

For ADATs or other devices that support ADAT
sync, synchronize them with the MOTU 896 as
described in the previous sections of this chapter.

For optical devices, such as digital mixers, all you
have to do is make sure that their digital audio
clock is phase-locked (in sync with) the MOTU

896. There are three ways to do this:

■ Slave the optical device to the MOTU 896

■ Slave the MOTU 896 to the optical device

■ Slave both the optical device and the MOTU 896

to a third master clock (such as a Digital Timepiece
or MIDI Timepiece AV synchronizer)

Digital mixer

or other optical

device

ADAT Optical OUT

ADAT Optical IN

With this setup, in the MOTU
FireWire Audio Control Panel, be
sure optical input is enabled and
then choose the ADAT Optical clock
source setting. The MOTU 896
slaves to the optical device via
their optical cable connection.

MOTU 896

Clock Source setting = ADAT

optical

MOTU 896

Clock Source setting = Internal,

or any clock source setting except

ADAT Optical. The optical device

slaves to the MOTU 896 (via its

optical cable connection).

Figure 3-13: Three setups for synchronizing an optical device with the MOTU 896. You can slave the optical device to the MOTU 896 or vice
versa with their optical connections. For more elaborate setups, you can slave both to a digital audio synchronizer like the Digital Timepiece.
Don’t use any of these setups for an ADAT or other optical device that records. Instead, see “Sample-accurate sync with ADATs” on page 22.

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

MIDI Timepiece AV

set to Internal

Digital mixer

or other optical

device

Word Clock Out

Word Clock IN

bi-directional

optical

ADAT Sync out

ADAT sync in

MOTU 896

Clock Source setting =

ADAT 9-pin

Computer with MOTU 896

25

Mac

!896 Manual/Mac Page 26 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

SYNCING AES/EBU DEVICES

If you would like to transfer stereo audio digitally
between the 896 and another device that has AES/
EBU I/O, connect it to the 896’s AES/EBU jacks
with balanced, AES/EBU grade audio cables.

AES/EBU clock and sample rate conversion

The 896 AES/EBU section is equipped with a real­time sample rate converter that can be used for
either input or output. This feature provide a great
deal of flexibility in making digital transfers. For
example, you can:

■ Transfer digital audio into the 896 at a sample

rate that is completely different than the 896 system
clock rate.

MOTU 896

Internal (when transferring from the

AES/EBU

MOTU 896 to the AES/EBU device)

■ Transfer digital audio into the 896 without the

need for any external synchronization
arrangements.

■ Transfer digital audio out of the 896 at double or

half the 896 system clock rate.

Rate conversion does not add any appreciable noise
to the audio signal (under -120 dB).

Digital audio phase lock

Without sample rate conversion, when you transfer
digital audio between two devices, their audio
clocks must be in phase with one another — or
phase-locked — as demonstrated below in
Figure 3-15. Otherwise, you’ll hear clicks, pops,
and distortion in the audio, or perhaps no audio at
all.

MOTU 896

Clock Source setting =

AES/EBU (when transferring from

the AES/EBU device to the MOTU 896)

MOTU 896

Clock Source setting =

AES/EBU

DAT deck

or other AES/EBU

device

MIDI Timepiece AV

set to Internal

Word Clock IN

DAT deck

or other AES/EBU device

Figure 3-14: Two setups for synchronizing an AES/EBU device with the MOTU 896. In the top diagram, sync is achieved via the AES/EBU connec­tion itself. In this case, you have to choose AES/EBU as the MOTU 896’s clock source when recording from the AES/EBU device. If you don’t want
to have to worry about switching the Clock Source setting depending on the direction of the AES/EBU transfer, you can slave the AES/EBU device
to word clock from the MOTU 896 or vice versa (not shown). The Word Clock connection maintains sync, regardless of the direction of the trans­fer.

Word Clock Out

AES/EBU

ADAT Sync out

ADAT sync in

Computer with MOTU 896

MOTU 896

Clock Source setting =

ADAT 9-pin

26

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

!896 Manual/Mac Page 27 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

Not phase-locked Phase-locked

Device A

Device B

Figure 3-15: When transferring audio without sample rate conver­sion, two devices must have phased-locked audio clocks to prevent
clicks, pops or other artifacts.

Without sample rate conversion, 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 3-16: Without sample rate conversion, you need to choose a
clock master to which all other devices slave. Each slaved device
remains continuously resolved to the master, meaning that there will
be no drift over time.

Master

Slave Slave

DAT deck (AES/EBU IN) using SRC. Notice that
with SRC, the DAT deck is not slaved to the 896’s
system clock. Instead, their clocks are running
completely independently of one another. But also
notice that the DAT deck must still slave to the
sample-rate-converted output from the 896 for a
clean digital audio transfer (unless it has its own
rate converter on its AES/EBU input).

896 master clock

896 Sample
Rate converter

Input

clock

Output

clock

DAT deck

(master)

(slaves to 896 master clock)

(master*)

(slaves to 896 SRC output clock)

Audio phase lock as shown above in Figure 3-16
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.

Another benefit of direct master/slave clocking
(without sample rate conversion) is that each
slaved device remains continuously resolved to the
master, which means that there will be no gradual
drift over time. This form of synchronization is
best for audio that needs to remain resolved to film,
video, etc.

Sample rate conversion

With sample rate conversion (SRC), an extra level
of master/slave clocking is added to the equation,
as demonstrated below in Figure 3-17, which
shows the clocking going on when you transfer
digital audio from the 896 (AES/EBU OUT) to a

Figure 3-17: Clock relationships when sending audio from the 896 to
a DAT deck using sample rate conversion. The DAT deck needs to be
slaving to its AES/EBU input. *Note: the 896 AES/EBU output can
actually be clocked from a number of different sources. In this
example, it is resolved to the 896 system clock. For details about other
possible clock sources, see “Clocking scenarios for AES/EBU output”
on page 28.

System clock, AES clock & rate convert settings

When you are setting up AES/EBU input and
output with the 896, pay careful attention to the
following settings in the MOTU FireWire Audio
Control Panel (see the quick reference overview on
page 7):

■ Clock source

■ Sample rate conversion

These options are mentioned briefly in the
following sections. For further details, see “Clock
Source” on page 38 and “Sample Rate Conversion”
on page 41.

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

27

!896 Manual/Mac Page 28 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

Clocking scenarios for AES/EBU input

There are three possible clocking scenarios for the
896 AES/EBU input:

1. Simple transfer (slave the 896 system clock to the
AES/EBU input signal — no sample rate
conversion).

2. Sample rate convert the AES/EBU input.

3. Use word clock to resolve the 896 system clock
and the other AES/EBU device with each other.

These three AES/EBU input scenarios are
summarized below.

Scenario 1 Scenario 2 Scenario 3

Description

896 clock
source setting

Sample rate
conversion

Simple
transfer

AES/EBU Any setting

None AES In None

Rate
convert

except
AES/EBU

Use word
clock

Word Clock

setting

Required
896 cable
connections

Are the devices
continuously

AES/EBU In AES In AES/EBU In

Yes No Yes

and Word
Clock In

resolved?

Is the signal
being sample

No Yes No

rate converted?

Example
application

Simple digital
transfer into
the 896 from
DAT deck or
digital mixer.

Transfer from
digital mixer
running at a
different
sample rate.

Both the 896
and other
AES/EBU
device are
slaved to
‘house” word
clock.

Some example scenarios are demonstrated below.

Simple AES/EBU input transfer (no rate convert)

Master

AES/EBU OUT

AES/EBU IN

Slave

Figure 3-18: Slaving the 896 to an AES/EBU device. For the 896’s clock
source, choose ‘AES/EBU’.

Other device

896

896 clock source

setting: AES/EBU

896 Sample Rate

Conversion setting: None

AES/EBU input with rate conversion

Master

AES/EBU OUT

AES/EBU IN

Slave

Figure 3-19: Rate-converting AES/EBU input.

Other device

896

896 clock source
setting: Internal

896 Sample Rate

Conversion setting:

AES In

AES/EBU input with word clock

‘House’ word clock master

(Slave)

Word clock IN

Other device

AES/EBU OUT/IN

AES/EBU IN/OUT

896 clock source:

word clock

Figure 3-20: In this scenario, the 896 and other AES/EBU device are
both resolved to one another via a third master word clock source.

(Slave)

Word clock IN

896

896 Sample Rate

Conversion setting:

None

Clocking scenarios for AES/EBU output

The 896 AES/EBU output can also employ sample
rate conversion. The output options, shown below
in Figure 3-21, are briefly summarized in the
following sections. For further details, see “Sample
Rate Conversion” on page 41.

28

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

!896 Manual/Mac Page 29 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

Figure 3-21: The Sample Rate Conversion option in the MOTU
FireWire Audio Control Panel gives you access the AES/EBU output
clock options. The last option is either “x2” or “÷2” depending on the
system sample rate.

None

To make the AES/EBU output sample rate match
the System sample rate, choose None. No sample
rate conversion occurs when this setting is chosen.

SYNCING TO WORD CLOCK

The 896 Word Clock input and output connectors
allow you to synchronize the 896 with other
devices via standard word clock connections.

Do you need word clock?

If you will be using only the 896’s analog inputs and
outputs, and you have no plans to synchronize
your 896 system to SMPTE time code, you don’t
need word clock.

Situations that require word clock sync

If either of the following situations are true, you’ll
need to use the 896’s word clock sync features:

■ You need to resolve the 896 with other digital

audio devices so that they share a common
timebase.

AES Out slave to AES in

To make the AES/EBU output sample rate match
the sample rate currently being received by the
896’s AES/EBU input, choose AES Input. This
setting requires a connection to the 896’s AES/EBU
input from a device that is transmitting an AES/
EBU clock signal.

☛ Be careful when both the 896’s AES/EBU

input and output are connected to the same
external device: this option is likely to create a
clock loop.

☛ When you are using the AES/EBU input as a

clock source for sample rate conversion on the
AES/EBU output, you cannot use the AES/EBU
input for audio input.

AES Out x 2 / AES Out ÷ 2

Choose one of these sample rates when the desired
AES/EBU output rate needs to be twice the 896
system clock rate (when the system clock is at
either 44.1 or 48 kHz) or half the system clock rate
(when the system clock is at 88.2 or 96 kHz). For
further details about this option, see “Sample Rate
Conversion” on page 41.

■ You need to synchronize the 896 system to

SMPTE time code, such as from a video deck or an
analog multi-track tape recorder, as explained
earlier in “Sync to SMPTE, word clock, video” on
page 24.

Choose a digital audio clock master

In either of the above cases, you need to choose an
audio clock master (as explained in Figure 3-16 on
page 27). 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 3-22 and
Figure 3-23.

Master

Word clock OUT

Word clock IN

Slave

Figure 3-22: Slaving another digital audio device to the 896. For the
896’s clock source, choose any source.

896

Other device

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

29

!896 Manual/Mac Page 30 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

Audio

clock

Master

Slave

Figure 3-23: To slave the 896 to SMPTE time code, use a dedicated
synchronizer such as a MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital Timepiece.
For the 896’s clock source, choose ‘Word clock’. You could also use
ADAT SYNC from the MTP AV connected to the ADAT SYNC IN port on
the 896.

MIDI Timepiece AV

Word clock OUT

Word clock IN

896 clock source:

word clock

896

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

The 896 has the ability to slave to a word clock
signal running at half the 896’s current system
clock. For example, the 896 could be running at
96 kHz while slaving to a 48 kHz word clock signal
from a MOTU Digital Timepiece. Conversely, the
896 could run at 48 kHz and slave to 96 kHz word
clock.

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

■ Half the 896 system clock

■ Twice the 896 system clock

For example, if the 896 is running at 96 kHz, it
cannot slave to word clock running at 44.1 kHz.

The 896 offers several audio sync formats

Remember, you have several ways to slave an 896 to
a synchronizer like the Digital Timepiece. You can
use word clock (connected to the 896 itself), ADAT
SYNC (connected to the PCI-324 card) or Digital
Timepiece Control Track (connected to the
PCI-324 card). These latter two connections free
up the Digital Timepiece’s word clock output for
another device that only supports word clock.

SYNCING LARGE SYSTEMS

If you are connecting the MOTU 896 to a lot of
other digital audio gear, get a Digital Timepiece. It
can synchronize a wide variety of devices, and it
offers sample accurate synchronization for devices
that support it, such as ADATs. You will also be able
to control everything from the transport controls
of your audio software. If you have even more
devices than a single Digital Timepiece can
support, consider a word clock distribution device,
such as the Aardvark Aard Sync™ II video-to-word
clock converter. Products like this offer multiple
word clock outputs and an extremely low-jitter
clock.

■ The same as the 896 system clock

30

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

!896 Manual/Mac Page 31 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

CONNECTING MULTIPLE MOTU 896
INTERFACES

You can daisy-chain up to four MOTU 896
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:

Mac

FireWire

FireWire

Multiple 896s in the MOTU FireWire Audio
Control Panel

The MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel displays
the settings for one 1296 I/O at a time. To choose
which I/O you are looking at, choose it from the
Inter face menu shown below in Figure 3-25.

FireWire

FireWire

FireWire

FireWire

FireWire

FireWire

Figure 3-24: Connecting multiple 896’s to a computer.

Figure 3-25: Choosing which 896 you are working with in the MOTU
FireWire Audio Control Panel.

Synchronizing multiple 896s

The entire 896 system gets its clock from whatever
you choose from the Clock Source menu in the
MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel. When you
connect multiple 896 I/Os or other MOTU
FireWire interfaces, all of their respective sync
sources are displayed in the menu as shown below
in Figure 3-26.

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 HARDWARE

31

!896 Manual/Mac Page 32 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

Figure 3-26: The entire 896 system gets its clock from a single master
sync source on any connected 896 (or other MOTU FireWire inter­face). After you choose a source from this menu, the entire system,
including all connected 896s, synchronizes to it.

Word clock connections are not necessary

Each 896 in the system gets its clock from the
Audio Wire cable connection (unless it is the
master clock itself). There is no need to make word
clock connections between multiple 896 I/Os.

Connecting a MOTU 828

You can add a MOTU 828 to the end of a MOTU
896 FireWire daisy chain (because the 828 has only
one FireWire port), or you can mix and match
multiple 896’s and 828’s using a standard FireWire
hub. Up to four interfaces can be combined on one
FireWire bus.

Operating multiple 896 interfaces at high
sample rates

Four MOTU 896 interfaces (or mixed and matched
896 and 828 interfaces) can operate at 44.1 kHz or
48 kHz on a single FireWire bus. When operating
896 interfaces at a high sample rate (88.2 or
96 kHz), ADAT optical becomes disabled (because
it does not support these sample rates). As a result,
the 896 carries 10 channels of audio (8 analog and
2 AES/EBU). At a sample rate of 88.2 kHz allows
you to run up to three 986s (with 10 channels
each). At 96 kHz, you can operate no more than
two 896s 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”) adaptor 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 the
performance of the product and the performance
of your host computer.

Managing the IDs of multiple interfaces

As shown in Figure 3-25 on page 31, multiple
MOTU 896 interfaces are identified by number (#1,
#2, #3, etc.) Interfaces are ID’d (given a number) by
the order in which they are first powered up after
being connected. This information is stored in the
MOTU FireWire Audio preferences file. Once ID’d,
they retain the same number regardless of the
order in which they are powered up. You can
disable an interface at any time with the Disable
interface option shown in Figure 3-25 on page 31.
Doing so frees up the FireWire bandwidth required
by the interface without turning it off. Switching off
an interface accomplishes the same thing. To get
the MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel to forget
about an interface entirely, you’ll see a Forget
button in the MOTU FireWire Audio Control
Panel. Just click the Forget button and the MOTU
FireWire Audio Control Panel will no longer
consider the interface to be present but off line
(turned off).

32

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CHAPTER

4 Installing the MOTU 896 Macintosh

Software

OVERVIEW

The MOTU 896 ships with the following software
components:

Software
component Location Purpose

MOTU FireWire
Audio Driver

MOTU 896
Enabler

MOTU
Folder

MOTU FireWire
Audio Control
Panel

MOTU FireWire
Control Strip

Extensions
Folder

Extensions
Folder

Apple menu
(Control Panels
Folder)

Control Strip
(Control Strip
Modules
Folder)

Allow the MOTU 896 to
establish communica­tion with the computer.

Contains the MOTU
hard disk recording
engine. Required for
MOTU 896 operation
with AudioDesk and
Digital Performer.

Provides access to all of
the settings in the
MOTU 896 hardware.

Provides access to all of
the settings in the
MOTU 896 hardware.

Running the MOTU 896 software installer . . . .33

MOTU FireWire Audio Driver and Enabler . . . 33

MOTU Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel . . . . . . . . 34

MOTU FireWire Control strip module . . . . . . .35

AudioDesk workstation software . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

ASIO MOTU FireWire Audio Driver . . . . . . . . . 36

RUNNING THE MOTU 896 SOFTWARE
INSTALLER

Insert the Macintosh and Windows compatible
installer CD-ROM into your Macintosh and run
the MOTU Audio/AudioDesk installer on the CD.
It will guide you through the installation. If you are
unsure about what components to install, refer to
the rest of the sections in this chapter, which
explain the purpose of each software item.

AudioDesk
Workstation
Software

ASIO MOTU
FireWire Audio
Driver

AudioDesk
Demo Project

Top level of the
startup disk

In the ASIO
Drivers folder of
your audio soft­ware—other
than AudioDesk
or Digital Per­former

Anywhere you
want

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

Allows ASIO-compliant
audio software to do
multi-channel input and
output with the MOTU

896. Only required if you
are using Cubase VST or
another ASIO-compati­ble program.

Provides a multi-track
mix that you can open,
play, and mix in
AudioDesk. Optional.

MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO DRIVER AND
ENABLER

These two MacOS System Extensions allow the
MOTU 896 to communicate with the computer.
They must always be enabled in your extension set,
along with any MacOS FireWire system extensions.

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MOTU FOLDER

The MOTU Folder goes in the Extensions Folder
inside the System Folder on the Macintosh startup
disk.

The MOTU Folder contains the hard disk
recording engine for AudioDesk and Digital
Performer. It also holds the real-time effects
processing plug-ins used by AudioDesk and Digital
Performer.

Figure 4-1: The MOTU Folder contains the MOTU hard disk recording
engine for AudioDesk and Digital Performer.

MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO CONTROL PANEL

The MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel is
placed by the installer in your Mac’s Apple menu
(under Control Panels). It gives you access to all of
the settings in the MOTU 896 hardware, such as
the sample rate. For complete details, see chapter 5,
“MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel” (page 37).

34

Figure 4-2: The MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel gives you access
to all of the settings in the MOTU 896 hardware.

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 MACINTOSH SOFTWARE

!896 Manual/Mac Page 35 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

MOTU FIREWIRE CONTROL STRIP MODULE

The MOTU FireWire Control Strip module is
placed by the installer in your Mac’s Control Strip.
Just like the MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel,
it gives you access to all of the settings in the
MOTU 896 hardware. For complete details, see
chapter 5, “MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel”
(page 37).

Figure 4-3: The MOTU FireWire Control Strip module gives you access
to all of the settings in the MOTU 896 hardware, just like the MOTU
FireWire Audio Control Panel.

AUDIODESK WORKSTATION SOFTWARE

The MOTU 896 installer places AudioDesk on the
top level of your Macintosh’s startup volume.

AudioDesk is an advanced workstation software
package for the MOTU 896 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, sample­accurate synchronization with ADATs, 24-bit
recording, and much more.

See the AudioDesk manual included with your
MOTU 896 system for details.

INSTALLING THE MOTU 896 MACINTOSH SOFTWARE

Figure 4-4: AudioDesk.

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ASIO MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO DRIVER

ASIO stands for Audio Streaming Input and Output.
The ASIO MOTU FireWire Audio driver allows
MOTU 896 to provide multi-channel input and
output for Steinberg’s Cubase VST software, or any
other audio application that supports ASIO
drivers.

The ASIO MOTU FireWire Audio driver is only
required if you are using Cubase VST (or another
audio program that relies on the ASIO driver to
support multi-channel I/O with the MOTU 896).

☛ Digital Performer and AudioDesk support

ASIO, but they also access the MOTU 896 directly
through the MOTU Audio System, so it is not
necessary to use the ASIO driver with these MOTU
applications.

The ASIO MOTU FireWire Audio driver should be
placed in the ASIO folder of Cubase VST or other
ASIO-compliant software that you are running as
the software “front end” for the MOTU 896.

For details about using Cubase VST with the
MOTU 896, see chapter 8, “The MOTU 896 and
Other Audio Software” (page 57).

Figure 4-5: The ASIO MOTU FireWire Audio Driver.

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CHAPTER

5 MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel

OVERVIEW

The MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel
provides access to all MOTU 896 settings. These
settings can also be accessed from the MOTU
FireWire Control Strip module or from the
Configure Hardware Driver command in
AudioDesk or Digital Performer (Basics menu).

Accessing the MOTU 896 settings . . . . . . . . . . . .37

MOTU 896 Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Sample Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Clock Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Samples Per Buffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Enable Sound Manager driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

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

ACCESSING THE MOTU 896 SETTINGS

There are several ways to access the MOTU
FireWire Audio Control Panel settings:

■ From the Apple menu, choose the MOTU

FireWire Audio Control Panel

■ From the MacOS control strip, click on the

MOTU FireWire Control Strip Module

Interface menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Disable option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Optical input/output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Monitor input — CueMix™ Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Sample Rate Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Programmable Meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

AES/EBU Meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Clip Hold Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Peak Hold Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Word Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Monitoring live input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

If MOTU 896 settings are grayed out . . . . . . . . .43

■ From within AudioDesk™ or Digital

Performer™, choose Basics menu>MOTU Audio
System options>Configure Hardware Driver

■ From within Cubase (Version 5 or higher), click

the ASIO Control Panel button in the System Setup
dialog as shown in Figure 8-3 on page 59.

■ From within other ASIO-compatible programs,

refer to their documentation.

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It doesn’t matter which way you access the MOTU
896 settings. They are the same in all three places.

MOTU 896 SETTINGS

Clock Source

The Clock Source determines the digital audio clock
that the MOTU 896 will use as its time base. For a
complete explanation of synchronization issues,
see “Making sync connections” on page 19. The
following sections briefly discuss each clock source
setting.

Internal

Use the Internal setting when you want the MOTU
896 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 MOTU 896 system on its internal
clock, and then slave the DAT deck to the MOTU
896 via the AES/EBU connection (usually DAT
decks slave to their AES/EBU input when you
choose the AES/EBU input as their record source).

Figure 5-1: The MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel gives you access
to all of the settings in the MOTU 896 hardware.

Sample Rate

Choose the desired Sample Rate for recording and
playback. The MOTU 896 can operate at 44.1 KHz
(the standard rate for compact disc audio),
48 KHz, 88.2 kHz or 96 kHz.

☛ 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
the MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel.

If you would like help determining if this is the
proper clock setting for your situation, see “Do you
need a synchronizer?” on page 20.

With ADAT devices, however, you usually want an
external digital audio synchronizer, such as the
MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital Timepiece, to be the
digital clock master. In this case, you would set the
MOTU 896 clock source setting to ADAT 9-pin, as
described below.

ADAT 9-pin

The ADAT 9-pin clock source setting refers to the
ADAT digital audio synchronization format. It
allows the MOTU 896 to slave to an ADAT — or
ADAT sync chain — via its ADAT sync 9-pin
connector. ADAT sync also carries precise, sample
location information, which allows AudioDesk and
Digital Performer to transfer audio to and from
ADATs without drifting by as much as one sample.

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Use this setting when you are using the MOTU 896
with one or more ADATs. Make sure the MOTU
896 is connected to the end of the ADAT sync
chain.

You should also use this setting if you have a MIDI
Timepiece AV, which allows you to drive your
entire system from the transport controls of
AudioDesk, Digital Performer or other computer
software.

You could also use ADAT sync to continuously
resolve the MOTU 896 to SMPTE time code, video,
and word clock via a synchronizer like the MOTU
MIDI Timepiece AV. Word clock can accomplish
the same thing.

For further details, see “Sample-accurate sync with
ADATs” on page 22, “ADAT sync with no
synchronizer” on page 23 and “Sync to SMPTE,
word clock, video” on page 24.

This setting is also useful if you just need to make a
simple, click-free digital transfer between the
MOTU 896 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 about this setting, see “Syncing
optical devices” on page 25.

AES/EBU

The AES/EBU clock source setting refers to the
AES/EBU input connector on the MOTU 896. This
setting allows the MOTU 896 to slave to another
AES/EBU device.

Use this setting whenever you are recording input
from a DAT deck or other AES/EBU device into the
MOTU 896. It is not necessary in the opposite
direction (when you are transferring from the
MOTU 896 to the DAT machine).

ADAT optical

The ADAT optical clock source setting refers to the
clock provided by the MOTU 896’s optical input,
when it is connected to an ADAT optical device.
This setting can be used to slave the MOTU 896
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
ADAT optical compatible device that has no way of
synchronizing digitally to the MOTU 896 or an
external synchronizer such as the Digital
Timepiece. In this case, the ADAT Optical clock
source setting lets you slave the MOTU 896 to the
device itself via its digital input to the MOTU 896.

If the ADAT Optical setting does not appear in the
menu, it means that the MOTU 896’s optical input
is currently turned off. If so, choose the ADAT
format from the Optical input menu (Figure 5-1 on
page 38).

For further details about this setting, see “Syncing
AES/EBU devices” on page 26.

Word Clock In

Choose this setting to slave the MOTU 896 to an
external word clock source. For details, see
“Syncing to word clock” on page 29.

Samples Per Buffer

A sample buffer is a s ma ll par t o f c omput er m emor y
that briefly holds digital audio samples as they are
passed between the computer and the MOTU 896.

The Samples Per Buffer setting lets you control the
size of these buffers in the MOTU FireWire Audio
Driver. A higher setting reduces the processing
load on your computer; a lower setting reduces
monitoring latency, which is the slight delay you
hear when patching live audio through the MOTU
896 and your audio software. (See “Monitoring live
input” on page 43 for further explanation.) For
example, you might want to listen to the vocals you
are recording with a little bit of reverb on them

MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO CONTROL PANEL

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from a plug-in in your audio software. The signal
that gets recorded to disk is ‘dry’, but the signal in
your headphones is ‘wet’. Since the vocal material
recorded to disk is dry, you then have the flexibility
to apply real-time reverb to the track after
recording and change it at any time (since the
reverb is not ‘printed’ in the track). You can even
automate changes to plug-in effects over time (if
your software supports plug-in automation).

At a sample rate of 44.1 kHz, a Samples Per Buffer
setting of 512 produces a round-trip delay
(monitoring latency) of approximately 23
milliseconds (ms). A setting of 256 produces
monitoring latency of around 12-13 ms, and the
delay starts to become inaudible.

Monitoring latency has no effect on recording

It is important to note that monitoring latency only
applies to the live signal as it is being monitored. It

has no effect whatsoever on the timing accuracy of
the material being recorded to hard disk. The
system is precisely calibrated to record and play
back hard disk audio perfectly on time.

Choosing the right ‘Samples per buffer’ setting

If you would like to process live inputs with plug-in
effects in your software (such as putting a reverb
plug-in on a vocal mic input or a guitar amp
simulation plug-in on your guitar signal), make the
Samples Per Buffer setting as low as possible. How
low you can go depends on how fast your computer
is and how much plug-in processing (and other
processor-intensive tasks) you are using in your
recording project. Try settings below 512 and if
your computer begins to act sluggish, try raising
them again to the next highest buffer setting until
the computer feels responsive. If your computer
doesn’t allow you to go low enough, try cueMix™
Plus monitoring (“Monitor input — CueMix™
Plus” below) and then apply plug-in processing to
the disk track after it has been recorded.

Changing the ‘Samples Per Buffer’ setting

If you are at a point in your recording project where
you are not currently working with live, patched­thru material (e.g. you’re not recording vocals),
switch to a higher Samples Per Buffer setting.
Depending on your computer’s CPU speed, you
might find that settings in the middle work best
and that your computer is much more responsive.

CueMix ™Plus monitoring

The MOTU 896’s CueMix™ Plus no-latency
monitoring feature completely eliminates
monitoring latency. For further information, see
“Monitoring live input” on page 43.

Enable Sound Manager driver

Check the Enable Sound Manager option if you
would like to route Sound Manager audio to and
from the MOTU 896. For example, you could listen
to an audio CD playing in the CD drive of your
Macintosh through headphones connected to the
MOTU 896. As another example, you could route
audio from a pair of MOTU 896 inputs into a third­party Sound Manager-compatible audio
application. Use the menus provided to choose the
desired MOTU 896 inputs and outputs you would
like to route to/from Sound Manager. For further
details, see chapter 9, “Sound Manager” (page 63).

Enable Pedal

Check the Enable Pedal option if a foot switch is
connected to the MOTU 896 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 trigger 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.)

Interface menu

The general settings above this menu apply
globally to all connected MOTU 896 interfaces
(and other MOTU FireWire audio interfaces). The
settings below this menu apply to a specific 896

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interface. If you have several 896’s (or other MOTU
FireWire audio interfaces) connected, you can view
the settings for each interface by choosing it from
this menu.

Disable option

Check this option to temporarily take an interface
off line. Doing so frees up FireWire bandwidth for
other devices without turning off the disabled 896.

Optical input/output

The Optical input and Optical output settings let
you choose between ADAT (‘lightpipe’) or OFF.
Turning it off frees up FireWire bandwidth. In
other words, it opens up resources on the FireWire
bus for other devices connected via FireWire.

Monitor input — CueMix™ Plus

The Monitor input settings enables the MOTU 896
CueMix™ Plus feature (Figure 5-4 on page 43),
which lets you route an analog or AES/EBU input
or input pair directly to the MOTU 896 main outs,
where it is mixed with the signal on the main outs.
Routing occurs with virtually no monitoring
latency (audible delay), and the signal is passed
through dry (with no signal processing of any
kind). In addition, the CueMix Plus signal volume
can be controlled (relative to the main mix volume)
with the Monitor Level knob on the MOTU 896
front panel. For information about other ways to
handle input monitoring, see “Monitoring live
input” on page 43.

Sample Rate Conversion

This option lets you control AES/EBU sample rate
conversion. Each option is explained below.

None

No sample rate conversion occurs. Both the
AES/EBU input and output match the sample rate
of the 896’s system clock.

AES In

The AES/EBU input locks to the sample rate of the
input signal (whatever it happens to be) and
converts it to the 896 system clock rate. The Rate
Conversion LEDs on the 896 front panel indicate
the incoming sample rate and that rate conversion
is occurring.

AES Out slave to AES in

To make the AES/EBU output sample rate match
the sample rate currently being received by the
896’s AES/EBU input, choose AES Input. This
setting requires a connection to the 896’s AES/EBU
input from a device that is transmitting an
AES/EBU clock signal.

☛ Be careful when both the 896’s AES/EBU input

and output are connected to the same external
device: this option is likely to create a clock loop.

☛ When you are using the AES/EBU input as a

clock source for sample rate conversion on the
AES/EBU output, you cannot use the AES/EBU
input for audio input.

AES Out x 2 / AES Out ÷ 2

Choose one of these sample rates when the desired
AES/EBU output rate needs to be twice the 896
system clock rate (when the system clock is at
either 44.1 or 48 kHz) or half the system clock rate
(when the system clock is at 88.2 or 96 kHz). Either
way, the AES/EBU output remains resolved to the
896 system clock. For further details about this
option, see “Syncing AES/EBU devices” on
page 26.

Programmable Meters

This option lets you choose which bank you wish
to monitor with the eight programmable meters on
the MOTU 896 front panel. Your choices are:
Analog Out, ADAT In or ADAT Out.

MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO CONTROL PANEL

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AES/EBU Meters

This option lets you choose to monitor either
AES/EBU input or output with the programmable
AES/EBU meters on the MOTU 896 front panel.

Clip Hold Time

The Clip Hold Time option controls how long the
top red LED remains illuminated after clipping
occurs (see Figure 5-2 below).

The ‘Clip Hold Time’ option controls
how long this LED remains illuminated.

This LED lights up momentarily.

Figure 5-2: The Clip Hold Time option.

If you want the ability to clear the LED manually
from your host audio software or the Cue Mix
Console, Choose Infinite from the Clip Hold Time

menu. In Digital Performer or AudioDesk, you can
clear the 1296 clip LEDs by choosing Audio
menu>Clear All Clipping Indicators.

Peak Hold Time

The 896 front-panel level meters support standard
peak/hold metering, where the LED for the highest
level recently measured on the channel remains
illuminated for a brief period of time while the rest
of the LEDs below it remain fully dynamic. The
Peak Hold Time controls how long the peak-hold
LED remain illuminated before going dark again.

Word Out

If you are running a MOTU 896 interface at a high
sample rate (96 or 88.2), this option appears at the
bottom of the interface settings. It lets you choose a
word clock output rate that either matches the
global sample rate (e.g. 96 kHz) or halves the global
rate (e.g. 48 kHz instead of 96 kHz).

4. Mic signal (with plug-in processing, if
any) is routed to the main outs (or other
MOTU 896 outputs that you’ve chosen in
your audio software).

1. Live input (from mic, guitar, etc.)
enters the MOTU 896.

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

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

Mac

Figure 5-3: There are two ways to monitor live audio inputs with the MOTU 896: 1) through the computer or 2) via CueMix™ Plus hardware
monitoring. This diagram shows method 1 (through the computer). When using this method, use the MOTU 896’s ‘Samples Per Buffer’ setting
to reduce the slight delay you hear when monitoring the live input, but don’t lower it too much, or your computer will act sluggish.

896 with reverb or other
plug-in effects, if any.

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MONITORING LIVE INPUT

There are two ways to monitor live audio input with
the MOTU 896: 1) through the computer or 2) via
CueMix™ Plus hardware monitoring. Figure 5-3
on page 42 below shows method 1, which allows
you to add effects processing such as reverb and
guitar amp effects via plug-ins in your audio
software. See “Samples Per Buffer” on page 39 for
details about how to reduce — and possibly
eliminate — the audible monitoring delay that the
computer introduces.

Figure 5-4 shows how to use CueMix™ Plus
hardware-based monitoring, which lets you hear
what you are recording with no monitoring delay
and no computer-based effects processing. (You
can add effects later, after you’ve recorded the live
input as a disk track.) To learn more, see “Monitor
input — CueMix™ Plus” on page 41.

If the material you are recording is suitable, there is
a third way to monitor live input: use both methods
(Figure 5-3 and Figure 5-4) at the same time. For
example, you could route vocals to both the

computer (for a bit of reverb) and mix that
processed signal on the main outs with dry vocals
from CueMix Plus.

IF MOTU 896 SETTINGS ARE GRAYED OUT

If the MOTU 896 FireWire driver is currently in use
by an audio program (or Sound Manager), some of
its settings cannot be changed and are therefore
grayed out in the MOTU FireWire Audio Control
Panel menus. (Settings that cannot be changed are
ones on which audio applications continuously
depend for smooth, error free operation.) If you
find that a MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel
setting that you wish to change is grayed out,
simply quit all MOTU 896-compatible audio
programs (which may include Sound Manager­compatible programs, too, if you are using the
MOTU 896 with Sound Manager). Once you have
quite all applications, all MOTU FireWire Audio
Control Panel settings will be available (not grayed
out).

3. Mic signal is mixed with the main outs,
and you can control the volume (relative to
the rest of the mix) with the ‘monitor level’
knob on the front panel of the MOTU 896.

1. Live input (from mic, guitar, etc.)
enters the MOTU 896.

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

Figure 5-4: This diagram shows the signal flow when using CueMix™ Plus no-latency monitoring. Notice that this method does not allow you
to process the live input with plug-ins in your audio software while it is being monitored. You can, however, add effects later — after recording
the live input as a disk track. CueMix™ Plus lets you hear what you are recording with no delay and no computer-based effects.

MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO CONTROL PANEL

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CHAPTER

6 The MOTU 896 and Digital Performer

OVERVIEW

This chapter provides a brief overview of Digital
Performer’s basic I/O and synchronization
operation with the MOTU 896 hardware. Digital
Performer Version 2.42 or higher is required for the
MOTU 896. Version 2.42 supports all of the
advanced features of the MOTU 896, including
sample-accurate synchronization with ADATs.

Setting up your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

The MOTU 896 settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Be sure you have enough voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Trimming the analog inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

24-bit operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Fine-tuning I/O timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

MIDI Machine Control (MMC). . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Reducing delay when monitoring live inputs . .49

Using a foot switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

SETTING UP YOUR SYSTEM

As described in chapter 4, “Installing the MOTU
896 Macintosh Software” (page 33), the Digital
Performer and MOTU 896/AudioDesk 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 your FreeMIDI setup.

THE MOTU 896 SETTINGS

The MOTU 896 settings can be accessed by
choosing MOTU Audio System options>Configure
Hardware Driver from the Basics menu. If you don’t
see the MOTU 896 settings as shown below in
Figure 6-1, choose MOTU 896 from the menu at
the top of the Configure Hardware dialog. For
complete details about the important settings in
this window, see chapter 5, “MOTU FireWire
Audio Control Panel” (page 37).

Exchanging projects with AudioDesk. . . . . . . . .50

Sound Manager and Digital Performer . . . . . . .50

The following sections provide a brief explanation
of each MOTU 896 setting for use with Digital
Performer. For a more complete overview, see
chapter 5, “MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel”
(page 37).

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Soundbites window with a red ‘X’ on its move
handle to indicate that it cannot be played. Use the
commands in the Soundbites window mini-menu
to sample rate convert the files, if desired.

Clock Source

This setting is very important because it
determines which audio clock the MOTU 896
system will follow.

If you do not have any digital audio connections to
your MOTU 896 (you are using the analog inputs
and outputs only), and you will not be slaving
Digital Performer to external SMPTE time code,
choose Internal.

Figure 6-1: The ‘Configure Hardware Driver’ menu item produces the
MOTU 896 settings shown above. This window provides all of the
settings for your MOTU 896 hardware.

Sample rate

Choose 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96 KHz as the overall
sample rate for the MOTU 896 system and Digital
Performer. Newly recorded audio in Digital
Performer will have this sample rate. Imported
audio or soundbites in existing files that do not
match this sample rate will be displayed in the

If you are slaving the MOTU 896 to the ADAT sync
In or Word Clock In connector, choose ADAT 9-
pin or Word Clock In, respectively.

If you have digital audio devices connected to the
MOTU 896, or if you are not sure about the clock
source of your setup, be sure to read “Making sync
connections” on page 19 and “Clock Source” on
page 38.

Samples Per Buffer

The Samples Per Buffer setting can be used to
reduce the delay — or monitoring latency — that
you hear when live audio is patched through your
MOTU 896 hardware and Digital Performer. For
example, you might have MIDI instruments,
samplers, microphones, and so on connected to
the analog inputs of the MOTU 896. If so, you will
often be mixing their live input with audio material
recorded in Digital Performer.

Smaller Samples Per Buffer settings reduce latency,
but they also put more demand on your computer’s
processor (as shown in the Performance Monitor
window). For best results, try 256 samples or lower,
which reduces latency enough to be inaudible for
most audio material. If Digital Performer gets
sluggish, try the next higher setting until the

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computer feels responsive enough to you. Keep an
eye on the Processor meter in the Performance
monitor when making this adjustment. Be sure to
try playing some audio, too, as the processor meter
can jump up significantly during playback at lower
settings. You can also use Cue Mix Plus no-latency
monitoring as described in “Monitoring live input”
on page 43 and “Monitor input — CueMix™ Plus”
on page 41.

Figure 6-2: When adjusting the ‘Samples Per Buffer’ to reduce
monitoring latency, watch the ‘processor’ meter in the Performance
Monitor. If you hear distortion, or if the Performance meter is
peaking, try raising the Samples Per Buffer setting.

Optical input and output

To make a MOTU 896 optical input or output
available in Digital Performer, turn them on in the
optical input and/or output menu. If you won’t be
using the optical connectors, turn them off.

3 In the Audio Monitor window, turn on Audio
Patch thru by enabling the headphone button
shown below.

Figure 6-3: To enable the CueMix™ Plus Auto Monitor feature in
AudioDesk or Digital Performer, be sure the ‘Direct hardware playth­rough’ option is chosen, and be sure audio patch thru is turned on.

☛ Remember: the Auto Monitor feature only

responds to tracks whose output setting is Analog
1-2 (since the MOTU 896 CueMix Plus feature

sends audio only to the main outputs).

Auto Monitor

The Auto Monitor option (Figure 6-1 on page 46)
automatically changes the MOTU 896 CueMix™
Plus monitor input when you record-enable a track
in Digital Performer whose output assignment is
Analog 1-2. For example, if you record-enabled a
track called guitar in your Digital Performer
project, its audio output assignment is Analog 1-2,
and its audio input assignment is analog 2, the
MOTU 896 CueMix Plus Monitor Input setting (see
“Monitor input — CueMix™ Plus” on page 41) will
automatically be changed to analog input #2.

The Monitor Input option requires the following
additional settings shown below in Figure 6-3:

1 From the Basics menu, choose MOTU Audio
System options>Input Monitoring Mode.

2 Choose the Direct hardware playthrough option.

THE MOTU 896 AND DIGITAL PERFORMER

Auto Monitor playthrough is ‘dry’

As you can see in Figure 6-3 above, there are two
ways to monitor live audio input in Digital
Performer: 1) directly through the audio hardware
(the MOTU 896 only) or 2) through Digital
Performer’s virtual mixing environment, which
may include real-time plug-in effects processing on
the live input signal. The Auto Monitor option
discussed in the previous section requires
method 1, and therefore does not allow plug-in
effects processing. You can, however, employ both
types of monitoring at the same time (both ‘dry’
hardware monitoring and ‘wet’ monitoring
through Digital Performer) by choosing the
Monitor record-enabled tracks through effects
option shown in Figure 6-3 above and then
manually choosing a Monitor Input in the MOTU
FireWire Audio Control Panel (as discussed in

47

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“Monitor input — CueMix™ Plus” on page 41).
For further information about monitoring live
input, see “Monitoring live input” on page 43.

BE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH VOICES

Go to the Basics menu and choose MOTU Audio
System Options>Configure Studio Size. Then check

to make sure you have enough mono and stereo
audio voices for the work you need to do. Consult
the MOTU Audio System chapter in your Digital
Performer manual for further information about
the settings in this dialog.

TRIMMING THE ANALOG INPUTS

The MOTU 896 analog inputs provide trim knobs
on the front panel. To calibrate an audio input:

1 Record-enable a track in Digital Performer.

2 Choose the desired MOTU 896 input for the

track.

remain exactly at its original sample location
(unless you move it in Digital Performer, of
course).

Occasionally, you may encounter a situation in
which you observe a slight offset of one sample —
or maybe a few — caused by inherent latencies in
the devices you are using with the MOTU 896.
Usually, these offsets will be consistent, and you
can compensate for them in Digital Performer. To
do so, choose MOTU Audio System Options>Fine-
tune Audio I/O Timing from the Basics menu as
shown in Figure 6-4.

3 Open the Audio Monitor window.

4 As you feed signal to the input, adjust the input’s

corresponding trim knob on the front panel of the
MOTU 896 until peaks in the level meter are as
high as possible without clipping (hitting zero dB).

24-BIT OPERATION

Your MOTU 896 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 Basics menu, choose MOTU Audio
System options>Configure Sample Format, and
choose 24-bit recording as the sample format. This
setting is saved with the Digital Performer project.

FINE-TUNING I/O TIMING

The MOTU 896 system has the ability to be sample
accurate. This means that when you transfer audio
between Digital Performer and an ADAT, for
example, you can record the audio back and forth
as many times as you want between them and it will

Figure 6-4: Fine-tuning the timing of audio playback and recording.

SYNCHRONIZATION

Digital Performer can run under its own transport
control or slave to an external sync source, such as
SMPTE time code or ADAT sync (sample address).

Running DP under its own transport control

If you do not need to synchronize Digital
Performer with time code or another recording
device, such as a tape deck, just leave the Slave to
External Sync command in the Basics menu
unchecked.

However, even though Digital Performer is not
slaving to external sync, you still need to be
concerned with the synchronization of the MOTU
896’s digital audio clock with other devices
connected to it digitally (if any). For example, if
you have a digital mixer connected to the MOTU
896 via an ADAT optical lightpipe cable, you need
to make sure that their audio clocks are phase-

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locked. For details, see “Syncing optical devices”
on page 25 and “Making sync connections” on
page 19. If you don’t have any digital audio devices
connected to the MOTU 896, digital audio phase­lock does not apply to you.

Slaving DP and the MOTU 896 to SMPTE time
code

If you need to slave Digital Performer and the
MOTU 896 system to SMPTE time code, choose
Receive Sync from the Basics menu and choose the
MTC (MIDI Time Code) option. Then make sure
that the Slave to External Sync command in the
Basic menu is checked. To ensure that your audio
tracks don’t drift out of sync with your MIDI tracks
— or time code, use a hardware synchronizer like
the MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital Timepiece to
slave the MOTU 896 hardware to the SMPTE (or
MIDI Time) Code as well. An ADAT-compatible
digital audio synchronizer like the MOTU MIDI
Timepiece AV is required for drift-free SMPTE/
MIDI time code sync. Make sure the MOTU 896
Clock Source setting (Figure 6-1 on page 46) is set
to Word Clock In and you’ll need the synchroni-
zation setup shown in Figure 3-12 on page 24.

☛ If you have an ADAT or ADAT sync-

compatible device, don’t use SMPTE time code.
Instead, use sample-accurate sync as described in
the next section.

Sample-accurate sync to ADAT

Together, Digital Performer and the MOTU 896
system provide you with sample-accurate transfers
with ADATs and any other devices that support
standard ADAT sample address (ADAT Sync).

A sample-accurate transfer is one in which the
original location of the audio is preserved in the
transfer, down to the sample.

Performer’s Receive Sync dialog (Basics menu), and
make sure that the Slave to External Sync command
is checked in the Basic menu, too.

To control the transports of everything together
from Digital Performer, see the next section.

MIDI MACHINE CONTROL (MMC)

If you have ADATs and a MMC-compatible ADAT
synchronizer like the MIDI Timepiece AV or
Digital Timepiece, you can control everything
from your computer screen with Digital
Performer’s transport controls and cueing features
(like Markers, the playback wiper, etc.)

See the MIDI Machine Control chapter in your
MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital Timepiece manual
for details on how to set this up.

REDUCING DELAY WHEN MONITORING
LIVE INPUTS

If you have live audio inputs connected to the
MOTU 896, such as MIDI synthesizers, samplers,
microphones or other live instruments, you might
hear a slight delay when their audio is being
patched through your MOTU 896 hardware and
Digital Performer. There are several ways to reduce
— and eliminate — this audible monitoring delay.
For details, see “Monitoring live input” on page 43.

USING A FOOT SWITCH

Use a foot switch connected to the MOTU 896 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 FireWire Audio Control
Panel. (See “Enable Pedal” on page 40.)

For details on how to set up sample-accurate sync,
see “Sample-accurate sync” on page 21. Be sure to
choose the Sample Accurate Sync option in Digital

THE MOTU 896 AND DIGITAL PERFORMER

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EXCHANGING PROJECTS WITH AUDIODESK

Digital Performer (Version 2.6 or later) can
exchange files with AudioDesk 1.0. For example,
you can transfer a file from Digital Performer to
AudioDesk, and back again. Just use Save As in
Digital Performer’s File menu and choose the
AudioDesk file format. To open AudioDesk files in
Digital Performer, just use the Open command.
(No conversion is required beforehand in
AudioDesk.)

If you have an earlier version of Digital Performer
(2.5 or earlier), you can open your Digital
Performer files in AudioDesk (with the Open
command in the File menu), but Digital Performer

2.5 or earlier cannot open AudioDesk files.

SOUND MANAGER AND DIGITAL
PERFORMER

Digital Performer includes a MOTU Audio System
plug-in called AudioTap that allows you to route
any Sound Manager audio into Digital Performer’s
mixing environment. From there, you can route it
to your MOTU 896 interface via any of Digital
Performer’s extensive audio routing features. For
details, consult your Digital Performer documen­tation.

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CHAPTER

7 The MOTU 896 and AudioDesk

OVERVIEW

This chapter provides a brief overview of
AudioDesk’s basic I/O and synchronization
operation with the MOTU 896 hardware. For
complete information about all of AudioDesk’s
powerful workstation features, see the AudioDesk
manual included with your MOTU 896 system.

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

The MOTU 896 settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Be sure you have enough voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Trimming the analog inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

24-bit operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Fine-tuning I/O timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

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

MIDI Machine Control (MMC). . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Reducing delay when monitoring live inputs . .55

Using a foot switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Exchanging projects with Digital performer. . .55

AudioDesk and MIDI sequencing . . . . . . . . . . . .56

SETTING UP YOUR SYSTEM

As described in chapter 4, “Installing the MOTU
896 Macintosh Software” (page 33), the MOTU
896/AudioDesk software installer will properly
install everything for you.

If you will be using AudioDesk’s MIDI Machine
Control (MMC) or MIDI Time Code sync features,
FreeMIDI must be installed. (You can do this from
the MOTU 896 installer CD.)

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

THE MOTU 896 SETTINGS

The MOTU 896 settings can be accessed by
choosing MOTU Audio System options>Configure
Hardware Driver from the Basics menu. If you don’t
see the MOTU 896 settings as shown below in
Figure 7-1, choose MOTU 896 from the menu at
the top of the Configure Hardware dialog. For
complete details about the important settings in
this window, see chapter 5, “MOTU FireWire
Audio Control Panel” (page 37).

The following sections provide a brief explanation
of each MOTU 896 setting for use with AudioDesk.
For a more complete overview, see chapter 5,
“MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel” (page 37).

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Clock Source

This setting is very important because it
determines which audio clock the MOTU 896
system will follow.

If you do not have any digital audio connections to
your MOTU 896 (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 are slaving the MOTU 896 to the ADAT sync
Input or Word Clock Input connector, choose
ADAT 9-pin or Word Clock In, respectively.

If you have digital audio devices connected to the
MOTU 896, or if you are not sure about the clock
source of your setup, be sure to read “Making sync
connections” on page 19 and “Clock Source” on
page 38.

Figure 7-1: The ‘Configure Hardware Driver’ menu item produces the
MOTU 896 settings shown above. This window provides all of the
settings for your MOTU 896 hardware.

Sample rate

Choose either 44.1 or 48 KHz as the overall sample
rate for the MOTU 896 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 its
move handle to indicate that it cannot be played.

Samples Per Buffer

The Samples Per Buffer setting can be used to
reduce the delay — or monitoring latency — that
you hear when live audio is patched through your
MOTU 896 hardware and AudioDesk. For
example, you might have MIDI instruments,
samplers, microphones, and so on connected to
the analog inputs of the MOTU 896. If so, you will
often be mixing their live input with audio material
recorded in AudioDesk.

Smaller Samples Per Buffer settings reduce latency,
but they also put more demand on your computer’s
processor (as shown in the Performance Monitor
window). For best results, try 256 samples or lower,
which reduces latency enough to be inaudible for
most audio material. If AudioDesk gets sluggish,
try the next higher setting until the computer feels
responsive enough to you. Keep an eye on the
Processor meter in the Performance monitor when
making this adjustment. Be sure to try playing
some audio, too, as the processor meter can jump
up significantly during playback at lower settings.

52

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!896 Manual/Mac Page 53 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

You can also use Cue Mix Plus no-latency
monitoring as described in “Monitoring live input”
on page 43 and “Monitor input — CueMix™ Plus”
on page 41.

Figure 7-2: When adjusting the ‘Samples Per Buffer’ to reduce
monitoring latency, watch the ‘processor’ meter in the Performance
Monitor. If you hear distortion, or if the Performance meter is
peaking, try raising the Samples Per Buffer setting.

Optical input and output

To make a MOTU 896 optical input or output
available in AudioDesk, turn them on in the optical
input and/or output menu. If you won’t be using
the optical connectors, turn them off.

Auto Monitor

The Auto Monitor option (Figure 7-1 on page 52)
automatically changes the MOTU 896 CueMix™
Plus monitor input when you record-enable a track
in AudioDesk. For example, if you record-enabled
a track called guitar in your AudioDesk project, its
audio output assignment is Analog 1-2, and its
audio input assignment is analog 2, the MOTU 896
CueMix Plus Monitor Input setting (see “Monitor
input — CueMix™ Plus” on page 41) will
automatically be changed to analog input #2.

The Monitor Input option requires the following
additional settings shown below in Figure 7-3:

1 From the Basics menu, choose MOTU Audio
System options>Input Monitoring Mode.

2 Choose the Direct hardware playthrough option.

3 In the Audio Monitor window, turn on Audio

Patch thru by enabling the headphone button
shown below.

Figure 7-3: To enable the CueMix™ Plus Auto Monitor feature in
AudioDesk or AudioDesk, be sure the ‘Direct hardware playthrough’
option is chosen, and be sure audio patch thru is turned on.

☛ Remember: the Auto Monitor feature only

responds to tracks whose output setting is Analog
1-2 (since the MOTU 896 CueMix Plus feature

sends audio only to the main outputs).

Auto Monitor playthrough is ‘dry’

As you can see in Figure 7-3 above, there are two
ways to monitor live audio input in AudioDesk: 1)
directly through the audio hardware (the MOTU
896 only) or 2) through AudioDesk’s virtual
mixing environment, which may include real-time
plug-in effects processing on the live input signal.
The Auto Monitor option discussed in the previous
section requires method 1, and therefore does not
allow plug-in effects processing. You can, however,
employ both types of monitoring at the same time
(both ‘dry’ hardware monitoring and ‘wet’
monitoring through AudioDesk) by choosing the
Monitor record-enabled tracks through effects
option shown in Figure 7-3 above and then
manually choosing a Monitor Input in the MOTU
FireWire Audio Control Panel (as discussed in
“Monitor input — CueMix™ Plus” on page 41).
For further information about monitoring live
input, see “Monitoring live input” on page 43.

THE MOTU 896 AND AUDIODESK

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BE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH VOICES

Go to the Basics menu and choose MOTU Audio
System Options>Configure Studio Size. Then check

to make sure you have enough mono and stereo
audio voices for the work you need to do. Consult
the MOTU Audio System chapter in your
AudioDesk manual for further information about
the settings in this dialog.

TRIMMING THE ANALOG INPUTS

The MOTU 896 analog inputs provide trim knobs
on the front panel. To calibrate an audio input:

1 Record-enable a track in AudioDesk.

2 Choose the desired MOTU 896 input for the

track.

3 Open the Audio Monitor window.

4 As you feed signal to the input, adjust the input’s

corresponding trim knob on the front panel of the
MOTU 896 until peaks in the level meter are as
high as possible without clipping (hitting zero dB).

Occasionally, you may encounter a situation in
which you observe a slight offset of one sample —
or maybe a few — caused by inherent latencies in
the devices you are using with the MOTU 896.
Usually, these offsets will be consistent, and you
can compensate for them in AudioDesk. To do so,
choose MOTU Audio System Options>Fine-tune
Audio I/O Timing from the Basics menu as shown
in Figure 7-4.

Figure 7-4: Fine-tuning the timing of audio playback and recording.

SYNCHRONIZATION

AudioDesk can run under its own transport
control or slave to an external sync source, such as
SMPTE time code or ADAT sync (sample address).

24-BIT OPERATION

Your MOTU 896 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 Basics menu, choose MOTU
Audio System options>Configure Sample Format,
and choose 24-bit recording as the sample format.
This setting is saved with the AudioDesk project.

FINE-TUNING I/O TIMING

The MOTU 896 system has the ability to be sample
accurate. This means that when you transfer audio
between AudioDesk and an ADAT, for example,
you can record the audio back and forth as many
times as you want between them and it will remain
exactly at its original sample location (unless you
move it in AudioDesk, of course).

54

Running AudioDesk under its own transport
control

If you do not need to synchronize AudioDesk with
time code or another recording device, such as a
tape deck, just leave the Slave to External Sync
command in the Basics menu unchecked.

However, even though AudioDesk is not slaving to
external sync, you still need to be concerned with
the synchronization of the MOTU 896’s digital
audio clock with other devices connected to it
digitally (if any). For example, if you have a digital
mixer connected to the MOTU 896 via an ADAT
optical lightpipe cable, you need to make sure that
their audio clocks are phase-locked. For details, see
“Syncing optical devices” on page 25 and “Making
sync connections” on page 19. If you don’t have any
digital audio devices connected to the MOTU 896,
digital audio phase-lock does not apply to you.

THE MOTU 896 AND AUDIODESK

!896 Manual/Mac Page 55 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

Slaving AudioDesk and the MOTU 896 to
SMPTE time code

If you need to slave AudioDesk and the MOTU 896
system to SMPTE time code, choose Receive Sync
from the Basics menu and choose the MTC (MIDI
Time Code) option. Then make sure that the Slave
to External Sync command in the Basic menu is
checked. To ensure that your audio tracks don’t
drift out of sync with the SMPTE time code, use a
hardware synchronizer like the MIDI Timepiece
AV or Digital Timepiece to slave the MOTU 896
hardware to the SMPTE (or MIDI Time) Code as
well. An ADAT sync-compatible digital audio
synchronizer is required for drift-free
SMPTE/MIDI time code sync. Make sure the
MOTU 896 Clock Source setting (Figure 7-1 on
page 52) is set to Word Clock In and you’ll need the
synchronization setup shown in Figure 3-12 on
page 24.

☛ If you have an ADAT or ADAT

sync-compatible device, don’t use SMPTE time
code. Instead, use sample-accurate sync as
described in the next section.

Sample-accurate sync to ADAT or Control Track

Together, AudioDesk and the MOTU 896 system
provide you with sample-accurate transfers with
ADATs and any other devices that support
standard ADAT sample address (ADAT Sync).

A sample-accurate transfer is one in which the
original location of the audio is preserved in the
transfer, down to the sample.

For details on how to set up sample-accurate sync,
see “Sample-accurate sync” on page 21. Be sure to
choose the Sample Accurate Sync option in
AudioDesk’s Receive Sync dialog (Basics menu),
and make sure that the Slave to External Sync
command is checked in the Basic menu, too.

To control the transports of everything together
from AudioDesk, see the next section.

MIDI MACHINE CONTROL (MMC)

If you have ADATs and a MMC-compatible ADAT
synchronizer like the MIDI Timepiece AV or
Digital Timepiece, you can control everything
from your computer screen with AudioDesk’s
transport controls and cueing features (like
Markers, the playback wiper, etc.)

See the MIDI Machine Control chapter in your
MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital Timepiece manual
for details on how to set this up.

REDUCING DELAY WHEN MONITORING
LIVE INPUTS

If you have live audio inputs connected to the
MOTU 896, such as MIDI synthesizers, samplers,
microphones or other live instruments, you might
hear a slight delay when their audio is being
patched through your MOTU 896 hardware and
AudioDesk. There are several ways to reduce —
and eliminate — this audible monitoring delay. For
details, see “Monitoring live input” on page 43.

USING A FOOT SWITCH

Use a foot switch connected to the MOTU 896 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 FireWire Audio Control Panel. (See
“Enable Pedal” on page 40.)

EXCHANGING PROJECTS WITH DIGITAL
PERFORMER

AudioDesk 1.0 can exchange files with Digital
Performer (Version 2.6 or later). For example, you
can transfer a file from Digital Performer to
AudioDesk, and back again. Just use Save As in
Digital Performer’s File menu and choose the
AudioDesk file format. To open AudioDesk files in

THE MOTU 896 AND AUDIODESK

55

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Digital Performer, just use the Open command.
(No conversion is required beforehand in
AudioDesk.)

If you have an earlier version of Digital Performer
(2.5 or earlier), you can open your Digital
Performer files in AudioDesk (with the Open
command in the File menu), but Digital Performer

2.5 or earlier cannot open AudioDesk files.

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.

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CHAPTER

8 The MOTU 896 and Other Audio

Software

OVERVIEW

The MOTU 896 includes an ASIO driver that
provides multi-channel I/O with any ASIO­compatible audio software.

ASIO driver support is required. . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Check your setup with AudioDesk first . . . . . . .58

Check the MOTU FireWire Audio ASIO driver 58

Check the MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel . 58

Enable the MOTU FireWire Audio ASIO driver. .
58

Number of audio channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Working with MOTU 896 inputs and outputs .59

Trimming the analog inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Using a foot switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Changing MOTU 896 settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Reducing delay when monitoring live inputs . .60

Audio clock source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

ASIO DRIVER SUPPORT IS REQUIRED

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

allows the MOTU 896 to provide multi-channel
audio input and output for any audio application
that supports ASIO drivers.

☛ For multi-channel operation with third-party

audio software, the MOTU 896 requires ASIO
compatibility. If your host audio program does not
support ASIO, contact the developer.

Sample-accurate sync

The MOTU FireWire Audio ASIO driver supports
sample-accurate sync (via the MOTU 896’s ADAT
sync feature) for applications that support it.

Attention: Digital Performer users

Digital Performer supports ASIO, but it also
accesses the MOTU 896 directly through the
MOTU Audio System, so it is not necessary to use
the ASIO driver with Digital Performer.

MIDI Machine Control (MMC). . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

24-bit operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

Attention: Cubase VST users

Cubase VST Version 5 is used for the examples in
this chapter. However, there is no significant
difference between the Version 5 examples shown
and what you see in Version 4. The basic
procedures are the same.

Attention: Other software users

Cubase VST is used for the examples in this
chapter. However, the basic procedures are the
same and can be easily applied to any ASIO­compatible software. Just follow the general
descriptions at the beginning of each main section
in this chapter. Consult your software
documentation for details about each topic, if
necessary.

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CHECK YOUR SETUP WITH AUDIODESK
FIRST

Before you run your third-party audio software
with the MOTU 896, launch AudioDesk and play
back the demo project to make sure that the
MOTU 896 hardware and software drivers are set
up properly. The AudioDesk demo project is
located on the MOTU 896 Installer CD-ROM.
Drag it to your hard drive before opening it in
AudioDesk, as your CD-ROM drive probably will
be too slow to play the audio.

CHECK THE MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO ASIO
DRIVER

For Cubase and most other ASIO-compatible
programs, the ASIO MOTU FireWire Audio driver
should be placed in the ASIO folder of the ASIO­compliant software that you are running as the
software “front end” for the MOTU 896. To check
this quickly, use your computers search utility
(Sherlock or other utility) and search using the
word ASIO. Drag the ASIO MOTU FireWire Audio
driver to the appropriate folder, if necessary. If you
can’t find it, run the MOTU 896 installer again and
do a Custom Install.

CHECK THE MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO
CONTROL PANEL

Before you run your audio software, launch the
MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel to configure
your MOTU 896 hardware. The MOTU FireWire
Audio Control Panel lets you choose the audio
clock source, and it lets you enable the optical input
and output, if needed. For details, see chapter 5,
“MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel” (page 37).

Figure 8-1: If your A SIO-compatible audio software has a folder
called ‘ASIO Drivers’ at the time that you install the MOTU 896
software, The MOTU 896 installer puts the ‘ASIO MOTU FireWire
Audio’ driver in the ASIO Drivers folder.

58

Figure 8-2: The MOTU FireWire Control Panel gives you access to all of
the settings in the MOTU 896 hardware, including the clock source,
optical I/O enable/disable and CueMix™ Plus monitor input(s).

ENABLE THE MOTU FIREWIRE AUDIO ASIO
DRIVER

Once you’ve made the preparations described so
far in this chapter, you’re ready to run your audio
software and enable the MOTU FireWire 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 ASIO drivers that may be in your system.
Choose the MOTU 896 from this menu.

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Enabling the MOTU FireWire Audio ASIO driver
in Cubase

To activate the MOTU FireWire Audio ASIO driver
in Cubase:

1 Choose System from the Audio menu.

2 Choose MOTU FireWire Audio from the ASIO

device menu.

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

For example, if you are using analog only, you only
need 8 channels. If you are using analog and
AES/EBU, you need 10 channels.

As another example, if you are using analog,
AES/EBU and ADAT optical, you need 18 channels
(the maximum number of simultaneous channels
provided by the MOTU 896).

In Cubase, set the number of channels in the
System dialog (as shown above in Figure 8-3).

WORKING WITH MOTU 896 INPUTS AND
OUTPUTS

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

Figure 8-3: Act ivating the MOTU FireWire Audio ASIO driver in
Cubase. The Audio Clock Source setting shown here is for the MOTU

896. You can also choose the clock source in the MOTU FireWire Audio
Control Panel or Control Strip module.

NUMBER OF AUDIO CHANNELS

Be sure to configure your audio software so that it
has enough audio channels (or voices) to cover the
18 channels of input and output provided by the
MOTU 896:

■ 8 channels for analog I/O

■ 2 channels for AES/EBU

■ Zero or 8 channels for optical, depending on

whether you have optical turned off or on

THE MOTU 896 AND OTHER AUDIO SOFTWARE

MOTU 896 inputs/outputs in Cubase

Once you’ve chosen the MOTU FireWire Audio
ASIO driver in the Audio System dialog, choose
Audio Inputs from the Audio menu to see the
MOTU 896 inputs. To activate them, click the
Active light next to each input. Once you’ve
activated the MOTU 896 inputs, you can then
assign them to Cubase audio channels in the
Monitor window in the usual fashion (by
command-clicking on the input button at the top
of each channel strip). MOTU 896 outputs appear
in the Master window as output assignments for
the master fader and busses.

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Figure 8-4: Use the output buttons at the bottom of each channel
strip to assign MOTU 896 outputs to busses. You can then assign
channels in the Monitor window to each bus as desired.

TRIMMING THE ANALOG INPUTS

The MOTU 896 analog inputs provide trim knobs
on the front panel. Use the level meters on the 896’s
front panel to calibrate these inputs before
recording. As you feed signal to the MOTU 896
analog input, adjust the input’s corresponding trim
knob on the front panel until peaks are as high as
possible without clipping (hitting zero dB).

USING A FOOT SWITCH

Use a foot switch connected to the MOTU 896 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 the MOTU FireWire Audio
Control Panel. (See “Enable Pedal” on page 40.)

CHANGING MOTU 896 SETTINGS

You can change the MOTU 896 settings at any time
by accessing either the MOTU FireWire Audio
Control Panel or the Control Strip module. (See
“Accessing the MOTU 896 settings” on page 37.)
However, some settings are grayed out and cannot
be changed when the MOTU FireWire Audio ASIO

driver is active (when a program is currently using
it). Therefore, you may need to quit your audio
software to change the desired MOTU 896 setting.

REDUCING DELAY WHEN MONITORING
LIVE INPUTS

If you have live audio inputs connected to the
MOTU 896, such as MIDI synthesizers, samplers,
microphones or other live instruments, you might
hear a slight delay when their audio is being
monitored through your MOTU 896 hardware and
your host audio program. (In Cubase, this delay is
displayed under Latency in the Audio System
dialog shown in Figure 8-3.) There are several ways
to reduce — and eliminate — this audible
monitoring delay. For details, see “Monitoring live
input” on page 43.

AUDIO CLOCK SOURCE

If you have devices connected to the MOTU 896
digital inputs (optical or AES/EBU), or if you need
to synchronize MOTU 896 digital audio and your
host audio software to an external sync source, be
sure the MOTU 896 clock source is set properly.
For complete information, see “Making sync
connections” on page 19 and “Clock Source” on
page 38.

SYNCHRONIZATION

If your audio software has the ability to slave to
SMPTE time code or perform sample-accurate
digital audio transfers with Alesis ADATs, then it
can take advantage of the synchronization features
in the MOTU 896.

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 19 for
the proper hardware connections. Use the
synchronization diagrams to be clear about how
you will be synchronizing your audio software and
the MOTU 896 to the other components of your
system.

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Synchronizing digital audio connections

If you have devices connected to the MOTU 896
digital inputs (optical or AES/EBU), you need to be
concerned with the synchronization of the MOTU
896’s digital audio clock with other devices
connected to it digitally (if any). For example, if
you have a digital mixer connected to the
MOTU 896 via an ADAT optical lightpipe cable,
you need to make sure that their audio clocks are
phase-locked. For details, see “Syncing optical
devices” on page 25 and “Making sync
connections” on page 19. If you don’t have any
digital audio devices connected to the MOTU 896,
digital audio phase-lock does not apply to you.

Slaving to SMPTE time code

If you need to slave your audio software and the
MOTU 896 system to SMPTE time code, follow the
instructions in your software’s manual for slaving it
to MIDI Time Code (MTC). To ensure that your
audio tracks don’t drift out of sync with your MIDI
tracks or the time code, use a hardware
synchronizer like the MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV
or Digital Timepiece to slave the MOTU 896
hardware to the SMPTE (or MIDI Time) Code as
well. A digital audio synchronizer is required for
drift-free SMPTE/MIDI time code sync. Make sure
the Clock Source setting in the MOTU FireWire
Audio Control Panel is set to Word Clock In. For
examples of how to set this up, see “Sync to
SMPTE, word clock, video” on page 24.

For details on how to connect your hardware for
sample-accurate sync, see “Sample-accurate sync”
on page 21. For software setup, consult your audio
software documentation.

Sample-accurate sync with Cubase

For sample-accurate sync in Cubase, set up Cubase
as follows:

1 In Cubase’s MIDI System Setup window, set
OMS compatibility to No OMS. VST does not
appear to be able to achieve sample-accurate sync
when running under OMS.

2 In Cubase’s Audio System Setup window (Audio
menu), choose an Audio Clock Source setting of
ADAT 9-pin.

3 In Cubase’s Synchronization window, set the
Sync Source Time Base to ASIO 2.0 as shown
below:

Sample-accurate sync to ADAT

If your audio software supports sample-accurate
synchronization, the MOTU 896 provides sample­accurate digital transfers between the computer
and ADATs, or any other device that supports
standard ADAT sample address (ADAT Sync).

A sample-accurate digital transfer is one in which
the original location of the audio is preserved in the
transfer, down to the sample.

THE MOTU 896 AND OTHER AUDIO SOFTWARE

Figure 8-5: Setting up sample-accurate sync via ASIO 2.

4 Enable SYNC in the Controls window.

Figure 8-6: Enabling the SYNC button.

5 Begin playback from the sample-accurate sync
source (ADAT, etc.) Transport control is handled
by the sample-accurate sync source.

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The ASIO 2.0 MMC setting in Cubase

The Timecode Base menu shown above in
Figure 8-5 includes a setting called ASIO 2.0 MMC,
which provides sample-accurate transport control
of the MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV (or other
MMC-compatible synchronizer) from the
transport buttons in Cubase itself.

MIDI MACHINE CONTROL (MMC)

If your audio software supports MIDI Machine
Control (MMC), and you have ADATs and a
MMC-compatible ADAT synchronizer like the
MIDI Timepiece AV, you can control everything

from the transport controls and cueing features in
your audio software (like the playback wiper, etc.)
See “Sample-accurate sync to ADAT” on page 61
for details on how to set this up.

24-BIT OPERATION

Your MOTU 896 hardware fully supports 24-bit
recording in any audio software that supports it.
Simply enable 24-bit operation as instructed by the
software. The MOTU 896 system always supplies
the software with a 24-bit data stream, and when
you enable 24-bit operation, it simply uses all
24-bits supplied by the MOTU 896 hardware.

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CHAPTER

9 Sound Manager

OVERVIEW

Sound Manager is a standard Mac OS System
Extension that provides stereo sound capabilities
on your Power Macintosh. The MOTU 896 system
extensions support Sound Manager. This support
allows your Power Macintosh to use any pair of
inputs and outputs (analog or digital) on the
MOTU 896, instead of the Mac’s built-in audio
inputs/outputs (if any).

Using 3rd party audio software . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Sound Manager is stereo only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Sound Manager supports 44.1 and 48 kHz only. .
63

Enabling Sound Manager I/O. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

The Sound control panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Changing the inputs or outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Monitoring live inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

AudioTap™ and Digital Performer . . . . . . . . . . .65

USING 3RD PARTY AUDIO SOFTWARE

Just about every application for Macintosh that
supports audio also supports Sound Manager.
Once you’ve installed the MOTU 896 software, you

can use any pair of MOTU 896 inputs and outputs
(analog or digital) to record and play back audio
from any Sound Manager compatible program.

SOUND MANAGER IS STEREO ONLY

Sound Manager currently only supports stereo
input and output. Therefore, Sound Manager
compatible programs can only record two channels
at a time with your MOTU 896 hardware. Similarly,
they can play back audio through one stereo output
pair on the MOTU 896, although most multi-track
audio applications can internally mix more than
two tracks to stereo. Consult your software’s
documentation for details.

SOUND MANAGER SUPPORTS 44.1 AND
48 KHZ ONLY

The MOTU 896 can run at 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96 kHz.
However, Sound Manager only supports 44.1 kHz
and 48 kHz (in OS8 and OS9 — future versions
may support higher sample rates). Therefore, you
must set the MOTU 896 to run at 44.1 or 48 kHz to
use it with Sound Manager.

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ENABLING SOUND MANAGER I/O

Use the MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel or
Control Strip to enable Sound Manager I/O and
choose the inputs and outputs that you wish to use
for Sound Manager I/O.

Figure 9-1: Lower the alert sound volume to avoid getting blasted by
it through your MOTU 896 hardware.

3 Lower the Alert volume. This prevents the
Macintosh alert sound from blurting out of the
MOTU 896.

4 Choose Input from the menu and click MOTU

896.

THE SOUND CONTROL PANEL

Set up the Sound control panel for the MOTU 896
as follows:

1 Open the Sound Control Panel.

2 Choose Alert Sounds from the menu.

64

Figure 9-2: Choosing the MOTU 896 for Sound Manager input. This
allows any Sound Manager compatible software to receive audio
from a MOTU 896 input (that you’ll choose later in this procedure).

5 Choose the desired MOTU 896 input source
from the menu provided (as shown above in
Figure 9-2).

6 Choose Output from the menu and click MOTU

896.

SOUND MANAGER

!896 Manual/Mac Page 65 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

That’s it. You can now run any Sound Manager
compatible audio software, and play back audio
through the MOTU 896 outputs you’ve chosen in
the MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel.

CHANGING THE INPUTS OR OUTPUTS

Change the MOTU 896 inputs or outputs being
used by Sound Manager in the MOTU FireWire
Audio Control Panel or Control Strip module.

MONITORING LIVE INPUTS

If you would like to listen to live inputs as you are
recording them into your Sound Manager
application, you need to use the MOTU 896’s
CueMix™ Plus feature. For details, see “Monitor
input — CueMix™ Plus” on page 41.

AUDIOTAP™ AND DIGITAL PERFORMER

Digital Performer includes a MOTU Audio System
plug-in called AudioTap that allows you to route
any Sound Manager audio into Digital Performer’s
mixing environment. From there, you can route it
to your MOTU 896 interface via any of Digital
Performer’s extensive audio routing features. For
details, consult your Digital Performer documen­tation.

SOUND MANAGER

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CHAPTER

Using Pro Tools, Sound Manager and -50 error

When using Sound Manager, Pro Tools software
will only allow audio input via the Macintosh's
Built-in hardware. Therefore, you cannot use the
MOTU 896 as the input device to Pro Tools
software. If the MOTU FireWire Audio driver is
selected as the input device in the Sound Control
Panel, Pro Tools will return a -50 error and not
launch. You can, however, select Built-in as the
input device and the MOTU 896 as the output
device in the Sound Control Panel. After doing so,
you can run Pro Tools and monitor your output
through the MOTU 896.

Sample accurate sync in AudioDesk and Digital
Per former

When you first use sample accurate sync, be sure to
go to the Receive Sync dialog in Digital Performer
or AudioDesk and switch from “MTC” to “Sample­accurate.”

Apple CD Player will not play through audio
interface

The Apple CD Player in OS 8.6 or earlier is
programmed to only output to the Built-in Sound
Manager hardware. The Apple CD Player in OS 9
and later is capable of playing audio to any Sound
Manager compatible audio hardware. There are
also several 3rd party CD audio applications
available that are capable of playing audio to any
Sound Manager compatible audio hardware.

10 Troubleshooting

Can’t authenticate AudioDesk

When installing software off the CD-ROM, the OK
button does not become active until you have
entered in your name and a valid keycode. Your
name must contain at least 3 characters, and you
must enter the keycode exactly as it appears in your
AudioDesk manual (on the inside of the back
cover).

MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel or Control
Strip module settings are grayed out for no
apparent reason

Some settings cannot be accessed while the MOTU
896 is active. Quit all audio software that uses the
MOTU 896 (including any Sound Manager
applications, if any), and then the MOTU 896
settings should no longer be grayed out.

ADAT-compatible tape decks - converting 48kHz
tracks to 44.1kHz

If the audio on your ADAT tape was recorded at
48kHz, then you must transfer that audio into your
host software at 48kHz. If you plan to digitally mix
this data and burn an audio CD, you must convert
your audio to 44.1kHz with your host software.
Once you sample rate convert your audio to

44.1kHz, you will have to set the sample rate in the
console back to 44100 so you can play the file. You
always want your digital clocks and sample rates to
match when dealing with any kind of digital audio
transfer or synchronizing.

Cubase - MOTU 896 inputs and outputs are not
visible in Cubase

You probably need to enable them in Cubase.

Monitoring MOTU 896 input via Sound Manager

With the MOTU 896 and Sound Manager, you
monitor input via CueMix™ Plus. For details, see
“Monitor input — CueMix™ Plus” on page 41.

ADAT-compatible tape decks - device order in
MIDI Machine Control window

When powered on, most modular digital multi
tracks ‘wake up’ configured to record from their
analog inputs by default. You won't be able to
record from the MOTU 896 to a MDM until it is

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switched to digital input. Tip: configure this in
ClockWorks or AudioDesk if you want your decks
to come up in the right mode when powered on.

The order of devices in the DTP panel of the MIDI
Machine Control window is not controlled by the
order of connections to the MOTU 896. This can
be confusing unless you make them match when
connecting the system.

No input on an ADAT tape deck

If you are having trouble recording on your ADAT
tape deck from the MOTU 896, check the Digital
input setting. After power cycling, tape decks often
come up configured to record from their analog
inputs. You won't be able to record from the MOTU
896 to a tape deck until it is switched to digital
input. Tip: configure this in ClockWorks or
AudioDesk if you want your decks to come up in
the right mode when power cycled.

ADATs and the DTP - lock up time allowances

ADATs can take a while to sync to the DTP. For
example, when recording from the MOTU 896 to
the ADATs, they may appear to chase and lock, but
the record button continues to flash. Recorded data
on the tape won’t be sample accurate until the
record light stops flashing. Solution: add more pre­roll time.

Alesis blackface (classic) ADAT optical sync

If you are using a Classic (black-faced) ADAT as a
sync master in your MOTU 896 setup, and you
want to record sample accurately into it, you must
configure it to use its internal clock, instead of
slaving to the optical input. To do this, hold down
the SET LOCATE button and press the DIGITAL
IN button. This will toggle the ADAT between
external sync (shown as “diG”) and internal sync
(“int”). Note that the ADAT will return to the “diG”
setting each time it is powered off.

Alesis ADAT track offset

If you find that sample accurate transfers from an
ADAT are displaced by a small amount, try to reset
the ADAT to its factory default state. This is
accomplished by powering on the ADAT while
holding down the RECORD and PLAY keys simul­taneously. The ADAT lx uses a ‘soft’ power key so lx
users will have to unplug and plug the ADAT lx
while holding down the RECORD and PLAY keys.

Clicks and pops under word clock sync

Many problems result from incorrect word
clocking. It is essential that all digital devices in the
system be word locked. Consult “Making sync
connections” on page 19 for detailed information
on how to word clock your gear. Whenever there is
any weird noise or distortion, suspect incorrect
word lock.

Clicks and pops under ADAT Sync

Sometimes, the ADAT sync cable seems to be
plugged into the MOTU 896, and it partially works.
But it isn’t really all the way in. This can cause clicks
when slaved to ADAT 9-pin. Make sure the ADAT
Sync cable plug is really seated firmly.

Clicks and pops due to hard drive problems

If you have checked your clock settings and you are
still getting clicks and pops in your audio, you may
have a drive related problem. Set your Clock
Source to Internal and try recording just using the
analog inputs and outputs of the MOTU 896. If you
encounter the same artifacts you may want try
using another drive in your computer. Clicks and
pops can also occur when the drive is severely
fragmented, the disk drivers are outdated, or if you
are using a SCSI accelerator that is not optimally
configured for working with audio.

68

TROUBLESHOOTING

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Connecting or powering gear during operation

It is not recommended that you connect/
disconnect, or power on/off devices connected to
the MOTU 896 while recording or playing back
audio. Doing so may cause a brief glitch in the
audio.

No optical inputs or outputs are available in host
audio application

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

Monitoring - How to monitor inputs?

Please refer to the documentation for the audio
application that you are using. If your application
does not support input monitoring, you will need
to use the MOTU 896’s hardware-based CueMix
Plus monitoring feature. Please see “Monitor input
— CueMix™ Plus” on page 41.

Controlling monitoring latency

See “Monitoring live input” on page 43.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

If you are unable, with your dealer’s help, to solve
problems you encounter with the MOTU 896
system, you may contact our technical support
department in one of the following ways:

■ Tech support hotline: [phone] (Monday

through Friday, 9 am to 6 pm EST)

■ Tech support 24-hour fax line: [phone]

■ Tech support email: [e-mail]

■ Web site: www.motu.com

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

■ The serial number of the MOTU 896 system.

This is printed on a sticker placed on the bottom of
the MOTU 896 rack unit. You must be able to
supply this number to receive technical support.

■ Software version numbers for:

— AudioDesk

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

We are happy to provide customer support to our
registered users. If you haven’t already done so,
please take a moment to complete the registration
card included with your MOTU 896. When we
receive your card, you’ll be placed on our mailing
list for free software updates and information
about new products.

REPLACING DISKS

If your MOTU 896 software or AudioDesk CD­ROM becomes damaged and fails to provide you
with fresh, working copies of the software, our
Customer Support Department will be glad to
replace it. You can request a replacement disc by
calling our business office at [phone] and
asking for the customer service department.

— The version numbers of the items in the MOTU
Folder (in the Extensions Folder of your startup
disk), including the MOTU 896 Enabler and
MOTU FireWire Audio driver

■ A brief explanation of the problem, including the

exact sequence of actions which cause it, and the
contents of any error messages which appear on the
screen.

■ The pages in the manual which refer to the parts

of the MOTU 896 or AudioDesk with which you
are having trouble.

■ The version or creation date of the system

software you are using to run the Macintosh. This
can be found by choosing About this Computer
from the Apple menu.

TROUBLESHOOTING

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We’re not able to solve every problem immediately,
but a quick call to us may yield a suggestion for a
problem which you might otherwise spend hours
trying to track down.

Our technical support department is dedicated to
helping registered users solve their problems
quickly. In the past, many people have also taken
the time to write to us with their comments,
criticism and suggestions for improved versions of
our products. We thank them; many of those ideas
have been addressed in our development efforts. If
you have features or ideas you would like to see
implemented, we’d like to hear from you. Please
write to the MOTU 896 Development Team,
MOTU Inc., 1280 Massachusetts Avenue,
Cambridge, MA 02138.

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02R mixer 25

connecting 18
1394 connector 6, 11, 15
24-bit

3rd party software

analog recording 10

AudioDesk 54

Digital Performer 48

optical 6

recording 11

62

A

Aardvark Aard Sync 30
ADAT 9-pin 10, 38
ADAT lightpipe 25
ADAT optical 6, 10

clock source setting 39

connecting 16

syncing with 38
ADAT Sync 10

connector 6

sample-accurate 21, 22, 23

sync setting 38
ADAT sync

sample-accurate
AES In option (sample rate conversion) 41
AES Out ÷ 2 option 41
AES Out slave to AES in option 41
AES Out x 2 option 41
AES/EBU 10

clock source setting 39
AES/EBU Meters option 42
Analog inputs/outputs 6

converters 10

making connections to 16

trimming in 3rd party software 60

trimming in AudioDesk 54

trimming in Digital Performer 48
Analog metering 11
Apple CD Player 67
Apple menu 33
ASIO 36, 57

ASIO 2.0 MMC option 62

ASIO 2.0 option 61

driver location 58

MOTU FireWire Audio ASIO driver

ASIO Control Panel button 37
Audio

bit resolution

input/output timing 48, 54
AudioDesk 11, 33, 35, 51

896 settings 51

accessing 896 settings 37

MMC control 22

MOTU 828 settings 7

optical input/output 53

sync settings 22
AudioTap 65
Auto Monitor

AudioDesk

49, 55

33

38

53

Digital Performer 47

B

Balanced analog 16
Bias Peak 57

C

CakeWalk 57
Calibrating audio input/output 48, 54
Clip Hold Time 42
Clock source 7, 19, 38

ADAT 9-pin 23, 24

AudioDesk 52
Condenser mic input 5
Configure Hardware Driver 7, 37
Configure interface 31
Connecting multiple 896s 31
Control Panel (MOTU 828) 7
Control Panel (MOTU FireWire Audio)

Control Strip 33
Control Strip module (828) 7
Control Strip module (FireWire Audio) 37
Control Strip module (MOTU FireWire)

Converters 6, 10
Cubase 57

CueMix Plus 11, 40, 41

Customer support 69

34, 37

35

896 inputs/outputs 59

enabling the MOTU FireWire Audio

troubleshooting 67

choosing inputs 7

output jacks 6, 16

volume control 5

ASIO driver

59

D

DAT

connecting
Digital mixer

connecting
Digital Performer 11, 45

896 settings for 45

accessing 896 settings 37

clock source 46

MMC control 22

MOTU 828 settings 7

Optical input/output 47

sample rate 46

sync settings 22
Digital Timepiece 22
Disable option 41
Disc

replacing

17

18

69

E

Enable Sound Manager 40
Expansion 31

F

Fine-tune Audio I/O Timing command 48,

54

FireWire 11

connecting 15
connector 6

Foot switch 10, 40

3rd party software 60
AudioDesk 55
configuring 7
Digital Performer 49
jack 5

Forget button 32

G

Guitar

connecting

17

H

Headphone jack 5, 11
Headphones

connecting

17

I

Input gain 11
Inputs

analog

6

optical 6

Installation

hardware
software 33

Installer CD

replacing
Interface menu 40
Internal (sync setting) 38

15

69

L

Latency 11, 39, 40, 46, 52

CueMix Plus 7

w/3rd party software 60
LEDs 11
Level meters

configuring
Lightpipe 25
Logic Audio 57

42

M

Main outs 10

choosing CueMix monitor inputs 7

jacks 6

making connections to 16

volume 5
Main volume 5
Metering 11
Metering options 42
Mic inputs

connecting

phantom power 5
Mic preamps 10
Mic/line inputs 16
MIDI Machine Control 20, 21, 49, 62
MIDI Time Code sync 20, 21
MIDI Timepiece AV 22
Mixing

using an external mixer
MMC 20, 21, 49, 62

17

16

INDEX

71

!896 Manual/Mac Page 72 Tuesday, November 27, 2001 4:20 PM

Monitor input 7, 41
Monitor level 5
Monitoring 11, 39, 40, 43

thru main outs 16
w/3rd party software 60

MOTU

Digital Timepiece
MIDI Timepiece AV 22

MOTU 828

rear panel overview

summary of features 9
MOTU 828 Control Panel 7
MOTU 828 Control Strip module 7
MOTU 896

expansion

installing 15
MOTU Audio System

bit resolution

Fine-tune Audio I/O Timing 48, 54

input/output timing 48, 54

location 34
MOTU FireWire Audio

ASIO driver
MOTU FireWire Audio Console 33
MOTU FireWire Audio Control Panel 34,

37

MOTU FireWire Audio Driver 33
MOTU FireWire Audio driver 33
MOTU FireWire Audio Enabler 33
MOTU FireWire Control Strip module 35,

37

MOTU Folder 33

location 34
MTC sync 20, 21

22

9

31

38

36

O

Optical

connectors

enabling/disabling 7, 41

overview 10

sync 25
Outputs

6, 16

analog

6

optical 6

P

Packing list 13
Peak 57
Peak Hold Time 42
Pedal 10, 40

3rd party software 60
AudioDesk 55
configuring 7
Digital Performer 49

jack 5
Phantom power 5, 10, 16
Phase-lock 19
Phones 5
Pro Tools 67
Problem-solving 67
Programmable meters option 41
Punch in/out 10

R

Registration 13

S

Sample rate 7, 38

AudioDesk 52
Sample Rate Conversion option 41
Sample-accurate sync 10, 21, 22, 23, 61
Samplers

connecting
Samples per buffer 7, 39, 46, 52
SMPTE sync 19, 20, 21, 24
Software

installation
Sound Control Panel 64
Sound control panel

rate (bit resolution)
Sound Manager 57, 63

bit resolution 38

enabling 40

input/output timing 48, 54

17

33

38

Studio setup (example) 17
Sync

sample-accurate

Synchronization 19, 29

3rd party software 60
AudioDesk 54
Digital Performer 48

Synths

connecting

System requirements

minimum
recommended computer 12, 13

21, 22, 23

17

13

T

Technical support 69
Timecode Base menu 62
Trim (input) 11
Troubleshooting 67
TRS connectors 16

U

Unbalanced analog 16

V

Video sync 19, 24
Volume

headphone

VST 57

11

W

Word clock 10, 19, 24, 29
Word Clock In

Clock Source setting

Word Out option 42

Y

Yamaha 02R

connecting

Yamaha 02R mixer 25

18

39

72

INDEX