Steinberger Nuendo 9652DSP User's Manual

Nuendo 96/52 DSP

PCI Busmaster Digital I/O Card

2 + 24 Channels Stereo / ADAT Interface

24 Bit / 96 kHz Digital Audio

ADAT Sync In

MIDI I/O

User Manual

Nuendo 96/52 DSP

The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.

All product and company names are ™ or ® trademarks of their respective owners. Windows 2000 and Windows XP are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. The Mac logo is a trademark used under license. Macintosh is a registered trademark. Mac OS X is a registered trademark.

Nuendo 9652 DSP

5 Introduction 5 Package Contents 6 System Requirements 6 Windows PC 6 Macintosh-Computer 6 Brief Description and Characteristics 7 Technical Specifications 7 Digital 7 Digital Interface 7 MIDI 8 Transfer Modes: Resolution / Bits per Sample 9 Hardware Installation 10 Driver Installation 10 Windows 98/SE/ME 10 Windows 2000/XP 11 Macintosh Computer 15 Operation and Usage 15 External Connections 16 Internal Connections 17 Windows MME Playback 19 Windows MME Recording 21 DVD-Playback (AC-3/DTS) under MME 22 Low Latency under MME (Buffer Size Adjustment) 23 Macintosh Computer – Digital Recording 24 Nuendo 96/52 DSP Configuration – Windows PC 24 General Information 28 Clock Modes - Synchronization 32 Nuendo 96/52 DSP Configuration – Macintosh 32 General Information 35 Clock Modes - Synchronization 39 Word Clock 39 Technical Description and Usage 39 Cables and Termination 40 General Operation 41 Using more than one Nuendo 96/52 DSP 42 Special Characteristics of the S/P-DIF Output 43 Operation under ASIO 2.0

Nuendo 96/52 DSP

43 General 44 Performance 46 Synchronization 47 Known Problems 48 Operation under GSIF (Gigasampler Interface) 48 Windows 98/SE/ME 48 Windows 2000/XP 50 DSP Mixer: Routing and Monitoring 51 Elements on the User Interface 52 DSP Mixer – An Overview 54 Submix View 54 Mute and Solo 55 Hotkeys 56 The Quick Access Panel 60 Monitor – A Function of the Windows MME Driver 61 Level Meter 63 Problems & Solutions 63 General 65 Installation – Windows PC 66 Installation – Macintosh Computer 67 Software and Hardware Compatibility – Macintosh Computer 68 Warranty 69 Appendix 70 Diagrams 70 Block Diagram Nuendo 96/52 DSP 71 ADAT Track Routing, ASIO at 96 kHz 72 ADAT Track Routing, MME at 96 kHz 73 Block diagram DSP Mixer 74 CE and FCC Compliance Statements

Nuendo 9652 DSP

Introduction

Thank you for choosing the Nuendo 96/52 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 S/P-DIF, AES/EBU or ADAT optical. The numerous unique features and well thought-out Settings dialog positions the Nuendo 96/52 DSP at the very top of the range of digital audio interface cards. Installation is simple, even for the Windows novice, thanks to the latest Plug and Play technology and full interrupt-sharing.

The package includes drivers for Windows 98/2000/XP and Mac OS.

Our high-performance philosophy guarantees maximum system performance: All functions are directly executed by the hardware and not by the driver (i.e. the CPU).

Package Contents

Please check that your Nuendo 96/52 DSP System's package contains each of the following:

• Nuendo 96/52 DSP PCI card

• Nuendo 96/52 DSP expansion board

• User Manual

• Driver CD

• Adapter cable (D-type to D-type/phono)

• MIDI breakout cable

• Internal cable (2-core)

• Flat ribbon cable (14-core)

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

Nuendo 96/52 DSP

System Requirements

Windows PC

• Windows 98/SE/ME, Windows 2000/XP

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

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

Macintosh-Computer

• Mac OS X 10.2, running on a compatible computer.

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

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

Brief Description and Characteristics

•0 percent (zero!) CPU load, even when all 52 ASIO channels are used

• All settings can be changed in real-time

• Enhanced mixed mode: ADAT In, S/PDIF 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

• Latency-free submixes and perfect ASIO Direct Monitoring

• 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

• DSP Mixer: 1352 channel mixer with 40 bit internal resolution

Nuendo 9652 DSP

Technical Specifications

Digital

• Low jitter S/P-DIF: < 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

Digital Interface

• Phono input and output ground-free transformer coupled

• Connectors: optical (TOSLINK), phono, BNC

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

• Formats: S/P-DIF (Consumer and Professional), ADAT optical

MIDI

•2 x MIDI I/O via breakout cable

• PCI bus based hi-speed operation

• Separate 128 byte FIFO for input and output

• MIDI state machine in hardware for reduced interrupt request load

Nuendo 96/52 DSP

Transfer Modes: Resolution / Bits per Sample

Windows PC

ASIO:

• 24 or 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.

MME:

• 16 bit, 2 byte (stereo 4 byte)

• 20 bit, 3 byte MSB (stereo 6 byte)

• 20 bit, 4 byte MSB (stereo 8 byte)

• 24 bit, 3 byte (stereo 6 byte)

• 24 bit, 4 byte MSB (stereo 8 byte)

• 32 bit, 4 byte (stereo 8 byte)

Macintosh Computer

• 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. Internally, the card uses 32-bit format, but audio data transfer is limited to 24-bits.

Nuendo 9652 DSP

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Hardware Installation

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!

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

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

Important: Before removing the Nuendo 96/52 DSP from its protective bag, discharge any static in your body by touching the metal chassis of the PC.

Connect the Nuendo 96/52 DSP card with the Expansion Board using the supplied flat ribbon cable. Note: The connectors on the cable cannot be plugged in the wrong way round.

Insert the Nuendo 96/52 DSP firmly into a free PCI slot, press and fasten the screw.

Insert the Expansion Board and fasten the screw.

Close the computer's housing.

Reconnect all cables including the power cord.

• Note: If neither Word clock I/O, MIDI I/O nor a third ADAT I/O is required, it is not necessary to install the Expansion Board at all (i.e. leave out steps 4 and 6).

Nuendo 96/52 DSP

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Driver Installation

Windows 98/SE/ME

If the PCI card has been installed correctly (see "Hardware Installa-

tion" on page 9), and the computer has been switched on, Windows

will recognize the new hardware component and start its “Add New Hardware Wizard”. Insert the Driver CD into your CD-ROM drive and follow the instructions displayed on your computer screen. During installation, locate the driver files in the respective directory on the Driver CD.

Windows will install the Nuendo 96/52 DSP System driver and register the card in the system as a new audio device. The computer should now be re-booted.

Sometimes the CD-ROM path (i.e. its drive-letter) must be typed in again manually during the copy process.

Using the Nuendo 96/52 DSP’s Settings dialog (see page 24), you can easily configure the Nuendo 96/52 DSP system.

Windows 2000/XP

If the PCI card has been installed correctly (see "Hardware Installa-

tion" on page 9), and the computer has been switched on, Windows

will recognize the new hardware component and start its “Hardware Wizard”. Insert the Driver CD into your CD-ROM drive and follow the instructions that appear on your computer screen. During installation, locate the driver files in the respective directory on the Driver CD.

Windows will install the Nuendo 96/52 DSP System driver and register the card in the system as a new audio device. After a reboot the Nuendo 96/52 DSP is ready for use.

Using the Nuendo 96/52 DSP’s Settings dialog (see page 24), you can easily configure the Nuendo 96/52 DSP system.

You can safely ignore alert messages like “Digital signature not found”, "Do not install driver”, "Not certified driver”. Simply continue with the installation.

Nuendo 9652 DSP

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Macintosh Computer

If an older version of the driver is already installed, first make sure to remove all old files. To do so open the Extensions folder that resides in your System folder. Drag the old driver onto the Trash to delete it. Also delete the Nuendo 96/52 DSP Settings file.

After you have installed the hardware (see "Hardware Installation" on

page 9) and restarted your computer, you can install the drivers from

the Driver CD.

If you have downloaded a newer version from the Steinberg website, double click on the archive file to unpack it.

After unpacking the driver files reside in a virtual drive on your desktop. The Installation process is identical, no matter if you install from here or from CD.

You can copy the files “AL96 and 9652 DSP Mixer” and “AL96 and 9652 DSP Settings” to any desired location on your hard drive. You can e.g. create a special folder for them.

Open the CD or virtual drive window.

Nuendo 96/52 DSP

Then drag these two files from the CD or virtual drive window onto the desired location, e.g. into the newly created folder.

After the installation of the driver files and a computer reboot, as described hereafter, you can double click on the files that you just dragged, to either bring up the card’s DSP Mixer or its Settings dialog.

Start driver file installation by double clicking on the file “al96_9652dsp”

The following Introduction dialog is displayed.

Click on the “Continue”button.

Nuendo 9652 DSP

This dialog is used to select the drive that holds the System that you intend to use. Click on the desired drive icon. Then confirm by clicking “Continue”.

When you have completed these preparatory steps, you can now start the actual installation process from this dialog.

When the installation process has finished, this dialog is shown.

You must now restart your computer to enable the computer to load the newly installed drivers and make them available to the System.

Do so.

Nuendo 96/52 DSP

Setting the Nuendo 96/52 DSP is done in its Settings dialog. This can e.g. be started from within any ASIO compatible software (in Nuendo you would e.g. open the Device Setup dialog from the Devices menu, select VST Multitrack and click onto the Control Panel button).

Nuendo 9652 DSP

Operation and Usage

External Connections

Nuendo 96/52 DSP consists of the main PCI board and an Expansion Board. All the essential electronics are located on the PCI card, so it will also work without the Expansion Board.

The main board's bracket has two ADAT optical inputs and two ADAT optical outputs, as well as a 9-pin D-type socket. Coaxial S/PDIF input and output requires plugging in the adapter cable, whereby the red phono socket is the output. The ADAT1 I/O next to the D-type socket can also be used for optical S/P-DIF, if this mode is selected in the Settings dialog.

S/P-DIF configuration is done in the Settings dialog, which may e.g. be opened from within the respective ASIO host application (in Nuendo and Cubase SX you will find it under the path Devices menu/Device Setup/Control Panel button. The Nuendo 96/52 DSP card accepts all common digital audio sources; S/P-DIF as well as AES/ EBU. Channel status and copy protection are ignored.

In S/P-DIF mode, identical signals are available at both the optical and the coaxial outputs. An obvious use for this would be to connect two devices, thus using the Nuendo 96/52 DSP as a splitter.

Nuendo 96/52 DSP

To receive signals in AES/ EBU format, an adapter cable is required. Here Pins 2 and 3 of a female XLR plug must separately be connected to the two pins of a phono plug. The cable shielding may only be 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 to all devices, and perfect hum rejection.

The Expansion Board's bracket provides a third ADAT optical input and output as well as Word clock I/O. Next to the two BNC sockets is an LED, that displays the Word clock input lock status. When you connect tje included breakout cable to the 9-pin Mini-DIN connector, it provides two MIDI inputs and outputs.

Internal Connections

The internal digital input (connector ST3 on the circuit board, CD IN) can be connected to the digital output of an internal CD-ROM drive. This allows for direct transfer of digital audio data within the computer.

The connectors SYNC1, SYNC2 and ST9 have no function at this time. They are reserved for future enhancements.

X4 is a connector used to program the card in the factory.

Nuendo 9652 DSP

Windows MME Playback

The Nuendo 96/52 DSP system can only play back audio data in the formats (sample rate, bit resolution) that it supports. If an unsupported format is used, an error message will appear (for example at 22 kHz and 8 bit).

First, you must select the Nuendo 96/52 DSP as output device in your audio application. This can often be done in the Options, Preferences or Settings menus using functions that may be named Playback Device, Audio Devices, Audio etc. To make full use of the Nuendo 96/52 DSP’s potential, we recommend that you use 24-bit resolution for playback.

We strongly recommend that you switch all system sounds off:

• Under Windows 98/SE/ME you can reach the appropriate dialog from the Start menu (via Settings/Control Panel/Sounds).

• Under Windows XP these settings can be accessed from the Start menu via Settings/Sounds, selecting the Audio Devices Sounds tab and opening the respective pop-up menu.

Nuendo 96/52 DSP should not be selected as the “Preferred or Standard Device” for system sound playback, as this could cause loss of synchronization and unwanted noise.

• Under Windows 98/SE/ME you will find the respective parameter under Settings/Control Panel/Multimedia/Audio tab, Preferred Device pop-up.

• Under Windows XP you must open the Start menu and use the path Settings/ Sounds and Audio Devices/Audio tab, Standard Device pop-up to make the corresponding setting.

If you feel that you can not do without system sounds, you should consider buying a cheap Blaster clone and then select this as Preferred/ Standard Device.

Nuendo 96/52 DSP

The illustration below shows a typical configuration dialog as used by a standard (stereo) wave editor. After selecting a device, audio playback is sent either to S/P-DIF or to the ADAT ports, depending on which has been selected as playback device.

Increasing the number and/or size of audio buffers may prevent the audio signal from breaking up, but also increases latency i.e. output is delayed. For synchronized playback of audio and MIDI (or similar), be sure to activate the checkbox “Get position from audio driver”. Even at higher buffer settings, in a mixed Audio/MIDI environment, sync problems should not occur as the Nuendo 96/52 DSP always reports the correct current play position (even while recording – essential for chase lock synchronization).

The Nuendo 96/52 DSP system’s ADAT optical interface allows sample rates of up to 96 kHz using a standard ADAT recorder. At this frequency a “Sample Split” method is used: single-channel data is distributed onto two ADAT channels. This reduces the number of available ADAT channels. Instead of previously 24 only 12 channels are available.

Under Windows MME and in double-speed mode, channels are routed to ADAT devices as follows:

• Only the stereo pairs (1+2) and (3+4) of each ADAT port are available

Nuendo 9652 DSP

• Channel 1 is routed to channels 1 and 2, channel 2 is routed to 3 and 4 etc.

Please refer to the diagram “ADAT Track Routing, MME 96 kHz” in the “Diagrams” section that starts on page 70. Record and playback routing is identical.

Windows MME Recording

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, the Nuendo 96/52 DSP system offers two unique features: a comprehensive I/O signal status display (showing sample frequency, lock and sync status) in the Settings dialog and the protective Check Input function.

If a 48 kHz signal is fed into the input and the application is set to

44.1 kHz, Check Input will prohibit recording. This is designed to prevent faulty takes, which may not sound bad, but use the wrong playback sample rate. This error would otherwise often go unnoticed until a later production stage.

The sample frequency shown in the Settings dialog (see the illustration on page 25) offers a quick overview of the current configuration (of the card itself and all connected external equipment). If no sample frequency is recognized, a “No Lock” message is displayed in the dialog.

This makes it simple to configure any suitable audio application for digital recording. When you select the required input, Nuendo 96/52 DSP displays the current sample frequency. This parameter can then be changed in the audio application’s Audio Attributes (WaveLab) or a similar dialog.

Nuendo 96/52 DSP

The screenshot to the right shows a typical dialog (taken from WaveLab) used for changing basic parameters such as sample frequency and resolution in an audio application.

Any bit resolution can be selected, providing it is supported by both the audio hardware and the software. Even if the input signal is 24 bit, the application can still be set to record at 16-bit resolution. The lower 8 bits (and therefore any signals circa 96dB below maximum level) are lost entirely. On the other hand, there is nothing to gain from recording a 16-bit signal at 24-bit resolution - this would only waste precious hard disk space.

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

"DSP Mixer: Routing and Monitoring" on page 50).

Nuendo 96/52 DSP also includes a useful automatic real-time monitor function, see "Monitor – A Function of the Windows MME Driver"

on page 60 for details. Activating record or record-ready status in the

application causes the input signal to be routed according to the current mixer settings.

Two solutions are currently available to enable an automated control of real-time monitoring.

• Steinberg’s ASIO protocol with the Nuendo 96/52 DSP ASIO 2.0 drivers and any ASIO 2.0 compatible program. When "ASIO Direct Monitoring” is active and Recording starts, the input signal will be routed to the output in real-time.

• ZLM (Zero Latency Monitoring) allows monitoring in Punch I/O mode. In this mode the system behaves like a tape machine. This method has been implemented in all versions of Samplitude (by SEK’D) and can be activated using the global track option 'Hardware monitoring during Punch'.

Nuendo 9652 DSP

DVD-Playback (AC-3/DTS) under MME

Via the Nuendo 96/52 DSP's S/P-DIF output, popular DVD software players like WinDVD and PowerDVD can send their audio data stream to any receiver capable to digest AC-3/DTS. For this to work, the S/P-DIF output wave device of the Nuendo 96/52 DSP must be selected in "Control Panel/Sounds and Multimedia/Audio” under Windows 98/SE/ME. Also activated "use preferred device only”.

If you use Windows XP, follow the path Settings/Sounds and Audio Devices/Audio and select the S/P-DIF output wave device of the Nuendo 96/52 DSP there.

You will notice that "S/P-DIF Out” or "activate S/P-DIF output” have now become available in the DVD software's audio properties. When you select one of these, the software will play back the non-decoded digital multichannel data stream via the Nuendo 96/52 DSP card.

This "S/P-DIF” signal sounds like chopped noise at maximum level. It is therefore essential that you check "Non-audio” in the card's Settings dialog. Most S/P-DIF receivers will then not process the signal directly, which prevents damage to any attached equipment.

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Setting the card so that it’s used as system playback device is against our previous recommendations as professional cards shouldn't be hampered by system events and are not specialized to play back system sounds. After DVD playback is over, you should therefore make sure to re-assign the previous settings. As an alternative, you could also disable any system sounds (Sounds tab, "No audio” setting).

• Note: The DVD player will be synced from the Nuendo 96/52 DSP card. This means if AutoSync and/or Word clock are used, playback speed and pitch will change according to the incoming clock signal/sample frequency.

Nuendo 96/52 DSP

Low Latency under MME (Buffer Size Adjustment)

Under Windows 95 or 98 the MME buffer size was nothing to worry about. Latencies below 46 ms were not possible. Meanwhile both computers as well as the operating system have become much more powerful, and since the advent of Windows ME/2000/XP far lower latency values can be used under MME. Among the applications that support such small latency values are WaveLab version 3.04 or newer, Sequoia version 5.91 or higher as well as SAWStudio and Sonar.

In the Nuendo 96/52 DSP's Settings dialog, the MME buffer size (more precise: the DMA buffer size) is set with the same buttons as the ASIO buffer size. Our test computers allow settings down to 64 samples without causing clicks. Please note that this setting only defines the latency of the hardware. The true and effective latency is configured within the MME application!

Attention: the DMA buffers must not be larger than the application's buffers. This can easily happen when you use ASIO and MME at the same time (multi-client operation) and ASIO is set to 186 ms while the buffers in the MME application are still set for a lower latency. Audio playback will stutter and be distorted.

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• Example: when you set the Nuendo 96/52 DSP to 512 you can't use 128 in any program. But setting DMA to 128 allows you to use 128 and all higher values within the software.

Please also note that this is a "you're welcome to try” feature. We can't guarantee that you will be able to use 3 or 6 ms with MME. Simply try out the lowest settings that your system and software allow. Some motherboards with insufficient PCI bandwidth (especially VIA based) suffer from crackling noise at settings below 512. In such a case, make sure to set the buffer size to 512 or higher.

Nuendo 9652 DSP

Macintosh Computer – Digital Recording

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, two unique features have been included in the Nuendo 96/52 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 displayed in the Settings dialog (see the Settings dialog illustration on page 32) offers a quick overview of the current configuration (of the card itself and all connected external equipment). If no sample frequency is recognized, a “No Lock” message is displayed in the dialog.

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

"DSP Mixer: Routing and Monitoring" on page 50).

For automated real-time monitoring function the Nuendo 96/52 DSP System supports ASIO Direct Monitoring (ADM) in ASIO 2.0. If “ASIO Direct Monitoring” has been switched on the input signal is routed to the output in real-time whenever recording starts.

Nuendo 96/52 DSP

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