Rme RPMMAC User Manual

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User’s Guide Mac OS X Version

Hammerfall® DSP System

24 Bit / 96 kHz üü

SyncAlign

Mobile Turntable / CD / MIC / MIDI Interface

RPM

TotalMix

ZLM®

PCI Busmaster Digital I/O System

PCI and CardBus Interface

24 Bit / 96 kHz

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 Analog................................................................... 4

5.3 MIDI...................................................................... 5

5.4 Power Supply........................................................ 5

6 Hardware Installation

6.1 PCI Interface......................................................... 6

6.2 CardBus Card ....................................................... 6

7 Driver Installation ................................................... 7

8 Flash Update .......................................................... 7

9 Features and Limitations....................................... 8

10 Mac OS X FAQ

10.1 Round about Driver Installation............................ 9

10.2 MIDI doesn't work................................................ 9

10.3 Which Sample Rates are supported....................10

10.4 Repairing Disk Permissions................................10

10.5 PCI card and PCI slot compatibility.....................10

11 Operation and Usage

8.1 Connections .........................................................11

8.2 Recording.............................................................12

8.3 Analog Inputs .......................................................12

8.4 Analog Outputs.....................................................13

12 Configuring the RPM ............................................14

13 Disconnect Mode ..................................................15

14 Bypass Mode.........................................................15

15 TotalMix: Routing and Monitoring.......................16

15.1 Elements of the Surface.....................................17

15.2 Tour de TotalMix ................................................18

15.3 Submix View ......................................................19

15.4 Mute and Solo....................................................19

15.5 Hotkeys..............................................................19

15.6 Quick Access Panel............................................20

15.7 Presets...............................................................21

15.8 Menu Options.....................................................22

15.9 Level Meter ........................................................22

16 The Matrix

16.1 Elements of the Surface.....................................23

16.2 Usage.................................................................23

16.3 Advantages of the Matrix....................................24

17 TotalMix Super-Features

17.1 Selection and Group-based Operation ................24

17.2 Copy Routings to other Channels .......................25

17.3 Delete Routings..................................................25

18 Notes on Laptops and CardBus...........................26

19 Hotline – Troubleshooting....................................27

21 Accessories...........................................................27

22 TECH INFO ............................................................28

23 Warranty ................................................................29

24 Appendix ...............................................................29

25 Block Diagram RPM..............................................30

26 CE / FCC Compliance............................................31

User’s Guide HDSP System RPM © RME

1. Introduction

Thank you for choosing the RPM. This unique audio system is the perfect tool for DJs, home recording and professional entertainers. It connects microphone, turntable, CD player and other analog sources directly to a computer. Installation is simple, even for the inexperienced user, thanks to the latest Plug and Play technology and full interrupt-sharing. 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 Mac OS X 10.2.8 or higher. 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 System's 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

RPM:

• I/O-box RPM

• Quick Info guide

• RME Driver CD

3. System Requirements

• Mac OS 10.2.8 or up

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

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

User’s Guide HDSP System RPM © RME

4. Brief Description and Characteristics

• 2 high quality phono inputs with RIAA compensation

• 1 microphone input with Class-A frontend

• Level adjustment in hardware ensures highest dynamic ratio

• All settings can be changed in real-time

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

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

• Enhanced ZLM for latency-free submixes

• SyncAlign guarantees sample aligned and never swapping channels

• 1 x MIDI I/O, 16 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: 102 channel mixer with 40 bit internal resolution

5. Technical Specifications

5.1 Digital

• Internal sample rates: 32 / 44.1 / 48 / 88.2 / 96 kHz

• Internal resolution: 24 Bit

5.2 Analog

AD Phono Input

• Resolution AD: 24 Bit

• Frequency response (RIAA), ± 1 dB: 40 Hz - 20 kHz

• Maximum input level (0 dBFS), 1 kHz: -23 dBu, 54 mV

• Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR): 87 dB RMS unweighted, 96 dBA

• THD: < -93 dB, < 0.002 %

• THD+N: < -83 dB, < 0.007 %

• Channel separation @ 1 kHz: > 100 dB

• Input impedance: 30 kOhm

• Input capacity: 220 pF

AD Line Input

• Resolution AD: 24 Bit

• Frequency response AD @ 44.1 kHz, -0.5 dB: 5 Hz - 20.7 kHz

• Frequency response AD @ 96 kHz, -0.5 dB: 5 Hz - 32 kHz

• Signal to Noise ratio: 10 dB RMS unweighted, 106 dBA

• THD: < -100 dB, < 0.001 %

• THD+N: < -93 dB, < 0.002 %

• Channel separation @ 1 kHz: > 100 dB

• Input: RCA, unbalanced

• Input impedance @ Line 0 dB: 30 kOhm

• Input impedance @ Line -6 dB: 2 kOhm

• Input level for 0 dBFS @ Line 0 dB: +2.5 dBu, 1 V RMS

• Input level for 0 dBFS @ Line –6 dB: +8.5 dBu, 2 V RMS

User’s Guide HDSP System RPM © RME

AD Mic Input

• Resolution AD: 24 Bit

• Frequency response AD @ 44.1 kHz, -0.5 dB: 5 Hz – 20.7 kHz

• Frequency response AD @ 96 kHz, -0.5 dB: 5 Hz - 32 kHz

• Signal to Noise ratio (SNR): 100 dB RMS unweighted, 106 dBA

• THD: < -100 dB, < 0.001 %

• THD+N: < -93 dB, < 0.002 %

• Input: 6.3 mm TRS (stereo) / XLR combo jack, servo-balanced

• Input impedance: 2 kOhm

• Resolution DA: 24 Bit

• Signal to Noise ratio: 108 dB RMS unweighted, 111 dBA (unmuted)

• Frequency response DA @ 44.1 kHz, -0.5 dB: 5 Hz – 20.9 kHz

• Frequency response DA @ 96 kHz, -0.5 dB: 5 Hz - 35 kHz

• THD: < - 98 dB, < 0.0013 %

• THD+N: < -91 dB, < 0.002 %

• Channel separation: > 100 dB

• Maximum output level RCA unbalanced: +8 dBu, 2 V RMS

• Maximum output level TRS balanced: +14 dBu, 4 V RMS

• Output impedance: 220 Ohm

Phones

• Resolution DA: 24 Bit

• 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)

• Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR): 108 dB (RMS unweighted, unmuted), 111 dBA

• THD: < - 98 dB, < 0.0013 %

• THD+N: < -91 dB, < 0.002 %

• Channel separation: > 100 dB

• Maximum output level: +8 dBu

• Ouput impedance: 30 Ohm

5.3 MIDI

• 1 x MIDI I/O via 5-pin DIN sockets

• PCI bus based hi-speed operation

• Separate 128 byte FIFO for input and output

• MIDI state machine in hardware for reduced interrupt request load

5.4 Power supply

• The CardBus card does not provide power to the RPM. Therefore a hi-tech switching power supply is included

• The PCI card operates as power supply for the attached RPM via the FireWire cable

The RPM draws a high startup current of more than 2 A during initialisation. Current at 12 Volt operating voltage: unloaded 250 mA (3 Watts), loaded 560 mA (7 Watts). Supply voltage range DC 10 V – 15 V. The center pin of the AUX jack is Plus. The unit includes protection against reversed polarity of the power supply.

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 RPM 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 RPM 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 RPM.

4. Connect power cord to power supply, plug into AC outlet. The green LED of the power supply and the red LED of the RPM 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. Driver 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 in the folder 'Hammerfall DSP'. Installation works automatically by a double-click on the file hdsp.mpkg.

In case a newer driver version was downloaded from the RME website: Double-click onto hdsp_xx.gz to expand the archive file to hdsp_xx.tar and the folder HDSP,

which includes the driver file hdsp.mpkg. Installation works automatically by a double-click on this file.

The folder HDSP also includes the Settings dialog and the HDSP mixer (TotalMix). These two programs can be copied into any folder, but have to be started at each boot at least once, in order to transfer the stored settings to the hardware. We recommend to add both programs to System Preferences/Login Items. Using the option ’Hide’ both programs stay minimized in the Dock when booting. Note: since 10.3 (Panther) Login Items is found in System Preferences/User.

Reboot the computer when installation is done. In case of a driver update it's not necessary to remove the old driver first, it will be overwritten

during the installation. But please check the entries for the Login Items, to prevent the older settings dialog from being loaded unnoticed.

8. Flash Update

The Flash Update Tool updates the HDSP PCI and CardBus card to the latest version. It requires an already installed driver.

Start the program HDSP Flash. The Flash Update Tool displays the current revision of the HDSP interface, and whether it needs an update or not. If so, then please manually select if a PCI card (desktop computer) or a CardBus card (laptop) shall be flashed. Next simply press the 'Update' button. A progress bar will indicate when the flash process is finished. The bar moves slowly first (program), then faster (verify).

If more than one interface card is installed, all cards can be flashed by changing to the next tab and repeating the process.

After the update the PCI/CardBus cards need to be resettet. This is done by powering down and shutting off the PC. A warm boot is not enough!

PCI card revision 1.8 or up (black PCB): When the update fails (status: failure), the card's second BIOS will be used from the next cold boot on (Secure BIOS Technology). Therefore the card stays fully functional. The flash process should then be tried again on a different computer.

All other PCI cards and all CardBus cards: When the update fails (status: failure) the flash process should be repeated several times, until no error message occurs anymore. If the failure message is displayed nonetheless, the interface will most propably no longer work when the computer is switched off and on again. The interface then has to be re-programmed at the factory. We have invested a lot of work to prevent the system from getting in this state. If it happens despite our efforts, the best advice we can give is to not switch off the computer! As long as it is not switched off the old programming of the PCI/CardBus interface will stay active, and you can continue to work with the system using the old drivers.

9. Features and Limitations

This driver was tested under Jaguar 10.2.8 and Panther only. Older versions of OS X are not and will not be supported.

This OS X driver operates in non-interleave mode. It works for example using iTunes, Cubase

SX, Nuendo, Live 1.5.2, Peak 3.1, VSamp 3.2.7, Spark (from version 2.6), Logic 5.4 and Reason 2.5.

Via System Preferences / Audio-MIDI Setup the hardware can be configured for the system wide usage. Programs that don't support card or channel selection will use the device selected as Standard-Input and Standard-Output. (Soundstudio, Mplayer, Amplitube etc.).

In the lower part of the window, the audiohardware's capabilities are shown and can be changed in some cases. On the record side no changes are possible. Programs that don't support channel selection will always use channels 1/2, the first stereo pair.

Since OS X 10.3 playback can be configured freely and to any of the available playback channels. This is done via Speaker Setup. Even multichannel playback (Surround, DVD Player) can be set up easily.

Multicard Operation

OS X supports more than one audio card, even when used at the same time. Please note that at this time the only multicard-capable software known to us is Digital Performer.

As the RPM does not include digital interfaces – and therefore no synchronization capabilities an operation of multiple RPM will lead to a slow drift of the units. Each RPM uses an internal quartz as time reference. These quartz are not completely identical. A long-term playback or a recording on multiple tracks will have deviations in form of small position differences (timing drift).

Synchronisation

The RPM can be synchronized to MTC or MIDI clock. In both cases, the used software is repsonsible for proper synchronization to other devices. In case a project includes audio tracks, the software must be capable of recalculating the audio data in realtime to the speed of the MIDI data (Sample Rate Conversion, resampling).

10. Mac OS X FAQ

10.1 Round about Driver Installation

The driver with the file suffix gz provided by RME is a compressed TAR archive. TAR bundles multiple files and folders into one file, but does not save memory space nor download time. Both TAR and gz are supported natively by OS X, a double click on the file is all you need to do.

Older browsers do not recognize gz as an archive, loading the file as a document. This results in a cryptic looking text within the browser window. Downloading the file can be done via the right mouse key, Save Target as. Despite this procedure, some older browsers like Netscape

4.78 will not save the file correctly - the archive will be corrupted. The driver consists of a package file (pkg), which contains various folders and files, similar to

TAR. A double click will start the OS X installer. To save you the hassle of installing both audio and MIDI drivers separately, the HDSP series driver contains an additional meta package (mpkg), that points to the single packages. Those single packages are not shown in the Finder, as they reside within the invisible folder '.contained_packages'. Only the mpkg is visible. Important: an installation can only be done with the complete folder. If only the mpkg is copied to a different place, it will not find the single driver packages!

The actual audio driver appears as a kernel extension file. The installer copies it to System / Library / Extensions. It's name is HammerfallDSP.kext. It is visible in the Finder, allowing you to verify date and driver version. Yet, in fact this again is a folder containing subdirectories and files.

Nonetheless, this 'driver file' can be removed by simply dragging it to the trash bin. This can be helpful in case a driver installation fails. An incomplete installation can currently (10.3.2) only be detected indirectly: The installation routine does not open a message window with a note about a restart of the computer. This indicates that the driver file was not copied and the driver was not installed!

Several users have observed that the installation routine occasionally stops and no longer works correctly. This can be fixed by removing the corresponding extension file prior to installation. In some cases, also (or only) a repair of the disk permission will help.

We have also received reports saying the driver update could not be installed on the system disk - shown red crossed during the installation. Repairing permission may also help here. If not, we're sorry, but have to recommend to contact Apple. Our driver has no knowledge of folders, disks etc., the installation is handled completely by the OS X installer.

10.2 MIDI doesn't work

In some cases MIDI does not work after the installation of the HDSP driver. To be precise, applications do not show an installed MIDI port. The reason for this is usually visible within the Audio MIDI Setup. It displays no RME MIDI device, or the device is greyed out and therefore inactive. Mostly, removing the greyed out device and searching for MIDI devices again will solve the problem. If this does not help, we recommend manual removal of the MIDI driver and reinstallation of the complete driver. Otherwise repairing permissions may help.

The HDSP MIDI driver is a plugin. During installation it will be copied to Library / Audio / MIDI Drivers. It's name is Hammerfall DSP MIDI.plugin. The file can be displayed in the Finder and also be removed by simply dragging it to the trash bin.

10.3 Which Sample rates are supported?

RME's Mac OS X driver supports all sampling frequencies provided by the hardware. This includes 32 kHz and 64 kHz, and even 88.2 kHz and 96 kHz for the RPM.

But not every software will support all the hardware's sample rates. For example Spark does not display 32 kHz and 64 kHz. The hardware's capabilities can easily be verified in the Audio

MIDI Setup. Select Audio devices under Properties of: and choose the RME card. A click on Format will list the supported sample frequencies.

Selecting a sample rate will immediately set the device to this frequency, which can be verified in the RME card's settings dialog (System Clock). Format thus allows you to activate any sampling frequency quickly and easily.

10.4 Repairing Disk Permissions

Repairing permission can solve problems with the installation process - plus many others. To do this, launch Disk Utility located in Utilities. Select your system drive in the drive/volume list to the left. The First Aid tab to the right now allows you to check and repair disk permissions.

10.5 PCI card and PCI slot compatibility

Unfortunately not every RME card will work in every PCI slot of an Apple computer. To our knowledge, the current Hammerfall DSP systems can be used in any PCI slot of all G4 and G5 models. In case additional PCI cards of any manufacturer are used, it might happen that the RME card is no longer found from the system. Swapping cards between slots can be helpful in this case.

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Rme RPMMAC User Manual

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