Rme DIGIFACE User Manual

™

User’s Guide - Macintosh

Hammerfall® DSP System

24 Bit / 96 kHz üü

SyncAlign

2 + 24 Channels Stereo / ADAT Interface

24 Bit / 96 kHz Analog Stereo Monitor

Digiface

TotalMix

ZLM® SyncCheck®

PCI Busmaster Digital I/O System

PCI and CardBus Interface

ADAT Sync In

Contents

1 Introduction............................................................ 3

2 Package Contents..................................................3

3 System Requirements............................................ 3

4 Brief Description and Characteristics................... 4

5 Technical Specifications

5.1 Digital.................................................................... 4

5.2 Digital Interface..................................................... 4

5.3 Analog Output....................................................... 4

5.4 Transfer Modes: Resolution/Bits per Sample......... 5

5.5 Power supply......................................................... 5

6 Hardware Installation

6.1 PCI Interface......................................................... 5

6.2 CardBus Card........................................................ 5

7 Software Installation.............................................. 6

8 Operation and Usage

8.1 Connections .......................................................... 8

8.2 Recording Digital................................................... 9

9 Configuring the Digiface

9.1 General Information............................................. 10

9.2 Clock Modes - Synchronization............................ 12

10 Word Clock

10.1 Technical Description and Usage....................... 14

10.2 Cables and Termination..................................... 14

10.3 General Operation............................................. 15

11 Using more than one Hammerfall DSP ............... 15

12 Special Characteristics of the SPDIF Output...... 15

13 Operation under ASIO 2.0

13.1 General ............................................................. 16

13.2 Performance...................................................... 16

13.3 Synchronization................................................. 17

13.4 Known Problems................................................ 17

14 TotalMix: Routing and Monitoring

14.1 Elements of the Surface.................................... 18

14.2 Tour de TotalMix............................................... 19

14.3 Submix View..................................................... 20

14.4 Mute and Solo................................................... 20

14.5 Hotkeys............................................................. 20

14.6 Quick Access Panel........................................... 21

14.7 Presets.............................................................. 22

14.8 Level Meter....................................................... 23

15 Notes on Laptops and CardBus.......................... 24

16 Hotline - Troubleshooting

16.1 General............................................................. 25

16.2 Installation......................................................... 26

17 Software and Hardware Compatibility ................ 26

18 Accessories.......................................................... 27

19 TECH INFO ........................................................... 28

20 Warranty ............................................................... 29

21 Appendix............................................................... 29

22 Diagrams

22.1 Block Diagram Digiface..................................... 30

22.2 ADAT Track Routing, ASIO 96 kHz................... 31

22.3 Block Diagram TotalMix .................................... 32

23 CE / FCC Compliance........................................... 33

User’s Guide HDSP System Digiface © RME

1. Introduction

Thank you for choosing the Hammerfall DSP. This unique audio system is capable of transferring digital audio data directly to a computer from practically any device equipped with a digital audio interface, be it SPDIF, AES/EBU or ADAT optical. The numerous unique features and well thought-out configuration dialog puts the Hammerfall DSP at the very top of the range of digital audio interface cards.

The package includes drivers for Windows 98/2000/XP and MacOS. An ALSA driver for Linux is planned to be available soon (see chapter 7).

Our high-performance philosophy guarantees maximum system performance by executing all functions directly in hardware and not in the driver (i.e. the CPU).

2. Package Contents

Please check that your Hammerfall DSP Systems package contains each of the following: PCI Interface:

• PCI card HDSP

• Quick Info guide

• RME Driver CD

• Cable IEEE1394, 4.5 m (15 ft)

• Internal cable (3 pin)

CardBus Interface:

• CardBus card

• Quick Info guide

• RME Driver CD

• Cable CardBus to IEEE1394, 4.5 m (15 ft)

• 12 V car cable

• Battery cable

• Power supply 12 V / 1.25 A and power cord

Digiface:

• I/O-box Digiface

• Quick Info guide

• RME Driver CD

• 3 optical cable (TOSLINK), 2 m (6.6 ft)

3. System Requirements

• MacOS 8.6 or greater. G3 300 MHz recommended

• PCI Interface: a free PCI rev. 2.1 Busmaster slot

• CardBus Interface: a free PCMCIA Slot type II, CardBus-compatible

Note: Information on compatibility and performance of notebooks/laptops is included in RMEs Tech Infos about notebooks, HDSP System – Notebook Basics and Tests.

User’s Guide HDSP System Digiface © RME

4. Brief Description and Characteristics

• Hammerfall design: 0% (zero!) CPU load, even using all 52 ASIO channels

• All settings can be changed in real-time

• Enhanced mixed mode: ADATs In, SPDIF In, and all outputs can be used simultaneously

• 8 available buffer sizes/latencies: 1.5 / 3 / 6 / 12 / 23 / 46 / 93 / 186 ms

• Sample Split technology for 12 channel, 96 kHz/24-bit record/playback via ADAT optical

• Slave and master clock modes

• Automatic and intelligent master/slave clock control

• Unsurpassed Bitclock PLL (audio synchronization) in ADAT mode

• Word clock input and output

• ADAT Sync in (9-pin D-type) for sample-accurate transfer

• Zero Latency Monitoring: Hardware bypass per track, controlled by Punch in/out

• Enhanced ZLM for latency-free submixes and perfect ASIO Direct Monitoring

• SyncAlign guarantees sample aligned and never swapping channels

• SyncCheck tests and reports the synchronization status of input signals

• 2 x MIDI I/O, 32 channels high-speed MIDI

• 1 x Analog Line/headphone output, separate output for independent submix

• DIGICheck DSP: Level meter in hardware, peak- and RMS calculation

• TotalMix: 1456 channel mixer with 40 bit internal resolution

5. Technical Specifications

5.1 Digital

• Low jitter SPDIF: < 3 ns in PLL mode (44.1 kHz, optical in)

• Low jitter ADAT: < 2 ns in PLL mode (44.1 kHz, optical in)

• Input PLL ensures zero dropout, even at more than 40 ns jitter

• Bitclock PLL for trouble-free varispeed operation in ADAT mode

• High-sensitivity input stage (< 0.2 Vss input level)

• Output voltage 0.8V (consumer mode, phono) or 2.3V (professional mode)

• Sample frequencies: 32 / 44.1 / 48 / 88.2 / 96 kHz and variable

5.2 Digital Interface

• Phono input and output ground-free transformer coupled

• Connectors: optical (TOSLINK), phono, BNC

• Clocks: ADAT Sync In, word clock I/O

• Formats: SPDIF (Consumer and Professional), ADAT optical

5.3 Analog Output

• Analog output level +8 dBu @ 0 dBFS

• Dynamic range: 108 dB (RMS unweighted, unmuted), 112 dBA

• THD+N: -100 dB / 0.001%

• Frequency response DA, -0.1 dB: 20 Hz - 20.8 kHz (sf 44,1 kHz)

• Frequency response DA, -0.5 dB: 10 Hz - 44 kHz (sf 96 kHz)

• Sample rates playback: 32 / 44.1 / 48 / 64 / 88.2 / 96 kHz and variable (word clock)

• Ouput impedance: 75 Ohm

• Channel separation: > 110 dB

User’s Guide HDSP System Digiface © RME

5.4 Transfer Modes: Resolution / Bits per Sample

• 32 bit, 4 byte (stereo 8 byte) This format is compatible with 16-bit and 20-bit. Resolutions below 24-bit are handled by the

audio application. The card works internally with 32-bit data, but audio data transfer is limited to 24-bits.

5.5 Power supply

• The CardBus card does not provide power to the attached I/O-box. Therefore a hi-tech switching power supply is included

• The PCI card operates as power supply for the attached I/O-box

The Digiface draws a high startup current of more than 2.5 A during initialisation. Current at 12 Volt operating voltage: unloaded 170 mA (2 Watts), loaded 430 mA (5.1 Watts). Supply voltage range DC 7 V – 38 V, AC 7 V – 27 V.

6. Hardware Installation

6.1 PCI Interface

Before installing the PCI card, please make sure the computer is switched off and the power cable is disconnected from the mains supply. Inserting or removing a PCI card while the computer is in operation can cause irreparable damage to both motherboard and card!

1. Disconnect the power cord and all other cables from the computer.

2. Remove the computer's housing. Further information on how to do this can be obtained from your computer´s instruction manual.

3. Important: Before removing the card from its protective bag, discharge any static in your body by touching the metal chassis of the PC.

4. Insert the PCI card firmly into a free PCI slot, press and fasten the screw.

5. Replace the computer's housing.

6. Reconnect all cables including the power cord.

7. Connect PCI interface and Digiface using the supplied cable (IEEE1394). This is a standard Firewire cable (6-pin).

6.2 CardBus Card

Before inserting the CardBus card make sure the complete HDSP system is ready for operation!

1. Connect the CardBus card with the Digiface using the supplied cable.

2. Insert the CardBus card with the Hammer logo up into a PCMCIA slot.

3. Plug the power jack of the supplied switching power supply into the connector labeled AUX, on the rear of the Digiface.

4. Connect power cord to power supply, plug into AC outlet. The green LED of the power supply and the red LED of the Digiface will light up.

5. Switch on the notebook and boot the operating system.

The small 15-pin connector of the CardBus card is coded. Only the supplied special cable can be plugged in, and only when the metal sleeve is up. Any kind of violence when plugging in and out can cause damage to the CardBus card.

7. Software Installation

First fit the card (see 6. Hardware Installation), then switch on the computer and install the drivers from the RME Driver CD. The driver files are located on the CD in the folder 'Hammerfall DSP'.

In case a newer driver version was downloaded from RME's website double-click the 'madsp_x.sit' archive to decompress it into separate files (using 'Aladin Stuffit Expander').

If you already installed an older version of the driver first make sure to remove all old files. To do so open the 'Extensions' folder which is inside your 'System' folder. Remove the file 'Hammerfall DSP Driver'. Also remove 'Hammerfall DSP Settings' from the directory where it was copied to. Remove the 'Hammerfall DSP ASIO' driver file from any 'ASIO Drivers' folder.

After unstuffing the archive the driver files are found in folders. The name of the folders tell where to copy the files! The driver installation is done manually in 5 steps:

1. Drag the file Hammerfall DSP

Driver from 'into System folder'

into the System folder. It will be installed automatically into the 'Extension' folder. Confirm the system's message to complete the installation. Now the driver file should be found in the 'Extension' folder, see example to the right.

2. Copy the files Hammerfall DSP Settings,

Hammerfall DSP ASIO and Hammerfall DSP ASIO 96 kHz from 'into ASIO Drivers folder' into all

'ASIO Drivers' folders found on your computer. As every ASIO software has its own ASIO Drivers folder, the files most propably have to be copied several times.

Configuration of the Hammerfall DSP is done through the Settings dialog, which can be called from within any ASIO compatible software (for example Audio/System/ASIO Control Panel). To be able to call up the Settings dialog at any time we recommend to create an Alias on the desktop. To create an Alias select 'Hammerfall DSP Settings' with the mouse cursor, press and hold the Apple and Alt keys on your keyboard, and drag Hammerfall DSP Settings to the desired location.

3. Copy the complete sub-folder Hammerfall DSP, found in the folder 'into Preferences folder',

to the system folder 'Preferences'. This way the files related to the HDSP system reside in their own folder, without cluttering the Preferences folder. Additionally deleting those files is much easier in case of a driver update. Hammerfall DSP contains 10 files:

default.mix: Default settings for TotalMix default.vol: Default settings for Digiface/Multiface, as long as TotalMix isn't started preset1.mix to preset8.mix: Presets for the HDSP mixer

4. The file Hammerfall DSP TotalMix can be copied to any place. When started the HDSP

mixer comes up and allows you to configure the digital real-time mixer of the Digiface.

TotalMix requires Carbon Library 1.1, which is part of the operating system since MacOS

9.1. After installation of Carbon Library 1.1 TotalMix can even be run on older systems (down to 8.6).

5. Using the MIDI ports of the Digiface requires an installed OMS (Open Music System) from

Opcode. The latest version 2.3.8 can be downloaded for free at http://www.opcode.com After the installation of OMS, copy the file HDSP_OMSDriver, found in the folder 'into OMS

Folder folder', into the system folder 'OMS Folder'. To finish installation reboot the computer. After re-boot the MIDI driver is installed, but not yet activated. To activate it create a new OMS

Studio setup. Using 'Search' the MIDI driver of the Digiface should be found and added to the list. Now it can be activated.

Linux/Unix An ALSA driver for Linux/Unix is planned to be available soon. Further information on ALSA is

available at http://www.alsa-project.org

8. Operation and Usage

8.1 Connections

The front of the I/O-box Digiface has the second MIDI input and output, the analog stereo output of the digital mixer, and several status LEDs:

MIDI State indicates sent or received data separately for each MIDI port Input State indicates a valid input signal separately for each input. RME’s exclusive

SyncCheck shows through a blinking LED, which of the input signals is locked, but not in sync to the others. See chapter 9.2, Clock Modes - Synchronisation.

The red HOST LED lights up when the power supply or the computer is switched on, this signalling the presence of operating voltage. At the same time it operates as Error LED, in case the I/O-box wasn’t initialised, or the connection to the interface has been interrupted (cable not connected etc.).

Phones is a low impedance line output of highest quality, which can produce a sufficient volume undistorted even in connected headphones.

The back of the Digiface has the first MIDI input and output, the power supply connector AUX (only needed with CardBus operation), and all digital inputs and outputs:

ADAT I/O (TOSLINK), 1 to 3. The ADAT1 I/O can also be used for optical SPDIF, if this mode is selected in the Settings dialog.

SPDIF I/O coaxial (phono) Wordclock I/O (BNC) ADAT Sync In (D-sub 9-pin)

The SPDIF inputs are selected via the Settings dialog (started by clicking on the hammer symbol in the system tray). The HDSP system accepts the commonly used digital audio formats, SPDIF as well as AES/EBU. Channel status and copy protection are ignored.

In SPDIF mode, identical signals are available at both the optical and the coaxial outputs. An obvious use for this would be simply connecting two devices, i.e. using the HDSP as a splitter (distribution 1 on 2).

To receive signals in AES/EBU format, an adapter cable is required. Pins 2 and 3 of a XLR plug are connected individually to the two pins of a phono plug. The cable shielding is only connected to pin 1 of the XLR - not to the phono plug.

The ground-free design using transformers for digital inputs and outputs enables trouble-free connection even to AES/EBU devices, and perfect hum rejection.

8.2 Recording Digital

Unlike analog soundcards which produce empty wave files (or noise) when no input signal is present, digital I/O cards always need a valid input signal to start recording.

To take this into account, RME has included two unique features in the Hammerfall DSP system: a comprehensive I/O signal status display (showing sample frequency, lock and sync status) in the Settings dialog, and status LEDs for each input.

The sample frequency shown in the Settings dialog (see chapter 9, screenshot Settings) is useful as a quick display of the current configuration (the board itself and all connected external equipment). If no sample frequency is recognized, it will read ‘No Lock’.

With this configuring any suitable audio application for digital recording is simple. After selecting the required input, Hammerfall DSP displays the current sample frequency. This parameter can then be changed in the application’s audio attributes (or similar) dialogue.

It often makes sense to monitor the input signal or send it directly to the output. This can be done at zero latency using TotalMix (see chapter 14).

For an automated real-time monitoring function the HDSP System supports ASIO Direct Monitoring (ADM) in ASIO 2.0. When 'ASIO Direct Monitoring' has been switched on the input signal is routed in real-time to the output whenever Record is started.

9. Configuring the Digiface

9.1 General Information

Configuring the HDSP system is done using its own settings dialog, the program Hammerfall DSP Settings.

The Hammerfall DSP’s hardware offers a number of helpful, well thought-of practical functions and options which affect how the card operates - it can be configured to suit many different requirements. The following is available in the 'Settings' dialog:

• Input selection

• Output mode

• Output channel status

• Synchronization behaviour

• Input and output status display

• Time code display

Any changes made in the Settings dialog are applied immediately - confirmation (e.g. by clicking on OK or exiting the dialog) is not required. However, settings should not be changed during playback or record if it can be avoided, as this can cause unwanted noises. Also, please note that even in 'Stop' mode, several programs keep the recording and playback devices open, which means that any new settings might not be applied immediately.

The status displays at the bottom of the dialog box give the user precise information about the current status of the system, and the status of all signals. ‘SyncCheck’ indicates whether there is a valid signal for each input (‘Lock’ or ‘No Lock’), or if there is a valid and synchronous signal (‘Sync’). The ‘AutoSync Ref’ display shows the input and frequency of the current sync source.

'Time Code' displays time information received from the I/O-box ADAT Sync port. This is convenient for checking whether the system is running in time with the transmitting device (e.g. ADAT).

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Rme DIGIFACE User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

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