Waves Audio Allen and Heath M-Waves User Guide

M-WAVES AUDIO INTERFACE

ALLEN & HEATH M-WAVES CARD

USER GUIDE

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M-WAVES AUDIO INTERFACE

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

1. Hardware and Connectors 7

2. Installation and Conguration Overview 8

2.1 Installing the M-Waves Card 8

2.2 Conguring the M-Waves in MultiRack SoundGrid 9

2.3 Conguring the M-Waves in SoundGrid Studio 10

2.3.1 Setting Up SoundGrid Studio 10

2.3.2 Firmware Status and Updates 14

3. M-Waves Control Panel (V2 and M-DL-WAVES3) 15

3.1 Clock Page 15

3.2 About Page 16

3.3 System Info Page 17

3.4 Saving, Loading and Identifying 17

4. Working with Two M-Waves Cards 18

M-WAVES AUDIO INTERFACE

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for choosing an Allen & Heath M-Waves Card for SoundGrid systems. In order to get the most out of your M-Waves
product, please take some time to read this user guide. We also suggest that you become familiar with the Waves support site
(www.wavesupport.net), where you will nd an extensive answer base, the latest tech specs, detailed installation guides,
software updates, and current information about licensing and registration.

About SoundGrid and the Allen & Heath M-Waves Card

SoundGrid is a scalable infrastructure that provides a variety of cost-eective, high-quality solutions for recording studios. It can be
congured in many ways and with many hardware possibilities to provide a very exible work environment. This framework is man­aged by the SoundGrid Studio Application, which congures the network, assigns and manages I/Os, controllers and servers, and
patches audio throughout the system. Any user, anywhere on the SoundGrid network, has access to any of the network’s I/O de­vices. Adding a SoundGrid DSP server enables recording and monitoring with very low latency and moves processing away from the
host computer to the server.

The following M-Waves cards are available:

■ M-Waves V1 or V2 for Allen & Heath iLIVE and GLD consoles

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■ M-DL-WAVES3 for Allen & Heath dLIVE consoles

These cards enable integration of Allen & Heath consoles with Waves SoundGrid systems via a single Ethernet cable.

Live sound engineers can use SoundGrid technology for low-latency plugin processing, multitrack recording and playback,
and audio networking. M-Waves V2 and M-DL-WAVES3 also feature Clock Sync-over-Ethernet for syncing multiple consoles and
performing digital splits.

Please note: You can use M-Waves V1, V2 (using M-DL-ADAPT card adapter) with dLive consoles.

■ Super-low-latency networking platform for processing, playback and recording

■ Each M-DL-WAVES3 card provides 128 channels of bi-directional audio. M-Waves V1 and V2 cards allow for 64 channels

■ Connects via a single Cat5e or Cat6 Ethernet cable

■ Clock Sync-over-Ethernet for digital splits (M-Waves V2 and M-DL-WAVES3)

■ Connects to SoundGrid systems and SoundGrid-compatible devices via a single Ethernet cable

■ Compatible with standard computers and switches

M-WAVES AUDIO INTERFACE

StageBox

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Redundancy and recovery options

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Built-in 3-port Gigabit switch for direct connection to multiple devices

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ASIO/Core Audio drivers for recording and playback

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Uses MultiRack SoundGrid, eMotion LV1, or SoundGrid Studio software for setup and control

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Networks with consoles that have M-Waves V1or V2 installed

Typical Uses

The M-Waves card can be used in both SoundGrid and Native congurations, as follows:

SoundGrid: In a SoundGrid conguration, the M-Waves card is used in order to connect to a SoundGrid network for plugin
processing and simultaneous DAW playback/recording. The SoundGrid conguration uses a dedicated SoundGrid DSP server to
power the plugin processing, enabling super-low latency, high plugin counts, and networking capabilities, with the option of an
additional backup DSP server.

Please note: A SoundGrid DSP server is required for SoundGrid processing.

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MultiRack SG

DAW / SG Studio

Allen & Heath dLive Digital Console

Server

M-WAVES AUDIO INTERFACE

StageBox

Native: In a Native conguration, the M-Waves card is used in order to connect a console to the SoundGrid ASIO/Core Audio driver
for plugin processing and/or DAW playback/recording. Since the Native conguration utilizes the computer’s CPU to power the
plugin processing, plugin count and overall system latency depend on the computer’s CPU and sound driver capabilities.

Please note: A SoundGrid DSP server is not required for Native processing.

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Allen & Heath dLive Digital Console

MultiRack Native /

DAW / SG Studio

M-WAVES AUDIO INTERFACE

Native/SoundGrid Comparison Table

Features Native SoundGrid

Low Latency

Processing

Recording

Simultaneous Recording and Processing

CPU Load Your DAW computer's CPU Dedicated SoundGrid DSP server

Backup DSP Server

Networking

I/O M-Waves M-Waves

Plugin Host Software MultiRack Native MultiRack SoundGrid, SoundGrid

Plugin Licenses Native SoundGrid

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studio and eMotion LV1

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