8pre User Guide Mac

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MOTU 8preUsers Guide for Mac OS X

1280 Massachusetts AvenueCambridge, MA 02138

Business voice: (617) 576-2760Business fax: (617) 576-3609

Technical support: (617) 576-3066Tech support fax: (617) 354-3068Tech support email: [email protected]

Web site: www.motu.com


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SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS CAUTION! READ THIS SAFETY GUIDE BEFORE YOU BEGIN INSTALLATION OR OPERATION. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH SAFETY INSCOULD RESULT IN BODILY INJURY OR EQUIPMENT DAMAGE.

HAZARDOUS VOLAGES: CONTACT MAY CAUSE ELECTRIC SHOCK OR BURN. TURN OFF UNIT BEFORE SERVICING.

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 SERVICQUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

WARNING: DO NOT PERMIT FINGERS TO TOUCH THE TERMINALS OF PLUGS WHEN INSTALLING OR REMOVING THE PLUG TO OR FROM TH

WARNING: IF NOT PROPERLY GROUNDED THE MOTU 8pre COULD CAUSE AN ELECTRICAL SHOCK.The MOTU 8pre is equipped with a three-conductor cord and grounding type plug which has a grounding prong, approved by Underwriters' Laboratories and the Canadian Standards Associatplug 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 8pre is of the two prong type, DO NOT REMOVE 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 qualied 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.

WARNING: THE GREEN GROUNDING LUG EXTENDING FROM THE ADAPTER MUST BE CONNECTED TO A PERMANENT GROUND SUCH ASPROPERLY 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 qualied electrician. NOTE: The adapter illustrated is for use only if you already have a properly grounded twreceptacle. 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 will accept the MOTU 8pre plug.

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS 1. Read these instructions. All the safety and operating instructions should be read before operating the 8pre.

2. Keep these instructions. These safety instructions and the 8pre owners manual should be retained for future reference.3. Heed all warnings. All warnings on the 8pre and in the owners manual should be adhered to.4. Follow all Instructions. All operating and use instructions should be followed.5. Do not use the 8pre near water.6. Cleaning - Unplug the 8pre from the computer and clean only with a dry cloth. Do not use liquid or aerosol cleaners.7. Ventilation - Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturers instructions.8. Heat - Do not install the 8pre near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or another apparatus (including an amplier) that produces heat.9. Overloading - Do not overload wall outlets and extension cords as this can result in a risk of re or electrical shock.10. Grounding - Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding-type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The

or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not t into your outlet, consult and electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.11. Power cord - Protect the 8pre power cord from being 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 the12. Power switch - Install the 8pre so that the power switch can be accessed and operated at all times.

13. Disconnect - The main plug is considered to be the disconnect device for the 8pre and shall remain readily operable.14. Accessories - Only use attachments/accessories specied by the manufacturer.15. Placement - Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket or table specied by the manufacturer, or sold with the 8pre. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-16. Surge protection - Unplug the 8pre during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.17. Servicing - Refer all servicing to qualied service personnel. Servicing is required when the 8pre has been damaged in any way, such as when a power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects hav

into the 8pre, the 8pre has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.18. Power Sources - Refer to the manufacturers operating instructions for power requirements. Be advised that different operating voltages may require the use of a different line cord and/or attachment plug.19. Installation - Do not install the 8pre in an unventilated rack, or directly above heat-producing equipment such as power ampliers. Observe the maximum ambient operating temperature listed below.20. Power ampliers- Never attach audio power amplier outputs directly to any of the units connectors.21. Replacement Parts - When replacement parts are required, be sure the service technician has used replacement parts specied by the manufacturer or have the same characteristics as the original part. Unauthorized substitut

may result in re, electric shock or other hazards.22. Safety Check - Upon completion of any service or repairs to this MOTU 8pre, ask the service technician to perform safety checks to determine that the product is in safe operating conditions.

ENVIRONMENT Operating Temperature: 10C to 40C (50F to 104)

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK OR 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. Do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture. Do not place objects containing

AC INPUT 100 - 240VAC ~ 50 / 60Hz 7 Watts.

3-prong plug

Grounding prong

Properly grounded 3-prong outlet

Grounding lug

Screw

3-prong plug

Adapter

Make sure this is connected toa known ground.

Two-prong receptacle

Figure A Figure B


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III

Contents5 Quick Reference: 8pre Front Panel

6 Quick Reference: 8pre Rear Panel

7 Quick Reference: MOTU Audio Setup

9 About the 8pre

13 Packing List and Macintosh System Requirements

15 Installing the 8pre Hardware

21 Installing the 8pre Mac OS X Software

25 MOTU Audio Setup

29 Front Panel Settings31 Digital Performer

35 AudioDesk

39 Other Mac OS X Audio Software

45 Reducing Monitoring Latency

51 MOTU CueMix Console

59 MOTU SMPTE Setup

65 Troubleshooting

67 Index
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CHAPTER

7

Quick Reference: MOTU Audio Setup

Determines the clock source for your 8pre. If youre just using the analog ins and outs, setthis to Internal. The other settings are for

digital transfers (via optical) or externalsynchronization to other systems.

Lets you enable or disable theoptical input and/or output toconserve FireWire busbandwidth. For details, seeOptical input/output onpage 27.

Choose the global sample ratefor the system here.

This menu lets you choose what you willhear from the headphone jack. To mirror themain outs, choose Main Out 1-2. Or you canmirror any other output pair. To hear thephones as their own independent output,choosePhones 1-2.

Click the tabs to access generalMOTU interface settings orsettings specic to the 8pre (orother connected interface.)

Check this option if you would like the MOTUAudio Setup icon to appear in the applica-tion dock as soon as a MOTU interface isdetected (switched on, plugged in, etc.)

If you have a foot switchconnected to another MOTUFireWire interface, thesesettings let you map the footswitch to any computerkeyboard key for both the upand down position. This settingdoes not apply to the 8pre,which does not have a footswitch input.

In standard Mac OS X fashion, MOTU AudioSetup appears in the dock when you launchit. If theLaunch MOTU Audio Setup whenhardware becomes availableoption is checked(as shown above), the icon appears as soon asyou switch on your 8pre interface. If you clickand hold on the dock icon (instead of clickingit) or control-click, a menu of hardwaresettings appears as shown to the right. Youcan view and congure any hardwaresettings from this menu, without opening theconsole window.

Click the General tab to access these settings.

This button opens another

dialog that lets you assign yourown customized names to each8pre input and output. Forexample, if you have a leadvocal mic plugged into input 1,you could name it Lead Vox.Your customized names thenappear in your host audioapplication (if it supports CoreAudio input naming).

Species the stereo input andoutput pair when the 8pre ischosen for Mac OS X audio I/O.


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CHAPTER

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1 About the 8pre

OVERVIEWThe 8pre is and audio interface that can operate intwo general modes: as a FireWire audio interface oras an analog-to-digital converter.

With a standard 19-inch, single-space, rack-mountable I/O form factor, the 8pre connectsdirectly to a computer via a standard FireWirecable or to another interface via an ADAT opticalcable.

As a FireWire audio interface, the 8pre is acomplete computer-based hard disk recordingsystem for Mac OS X and Windows that offers eight

high-quality mic inputs and at any standardsample rate up to 96kHz, plus one bank of ADAToptical digital I/O that provides 8 channels of digital I/O at any sample rate up to 96 kHz. At 88.2or 96 kHz, a second bank of dedicated ADAToptical jacks provide input and output onchannels 5-8.

When the 8pre is not connected to a computer viaFireWire, it operates as an analog-to-digitalconverter. By connecting the 8pres optical ports toanother audio interface, digital mixer or otherdigital audio system that supports 8-channel ADAToptical I/O, the 8pre becomes as an 8-channelanalog to optical expansion interface that addseight high-quality mic inputs to the system.

The 8pre offers the following features:

Eight 24-bit analog combo XLR/TRS mic/instrument inputs with preamps, each equippedwith individually switchable 20 dB pad and 48Vphantom power

Two 24-bit analog TRS main outputs

Eight-channel ADAT optical digital I/O atsample rates up to 96 kHz

MIDI I/O

On-board SMPTE synchronization

Headphone jack

Main volume knob (for headphone + main outs)

Front-panel 5-segment input meters

Front-panel mode and clock status LEDs

No-latency analog to digital conversion from theeight analog inputs to the eight ADAT opticaldigital outputs

With its XLR/TRS combo jack inputs, micpreamps, no-latency monitoring of live input andsynchronization capabilities, the 8pre is acomplete, portable studio in a box when usedwith a Macintosh or Windows computer. The 8presystem includes AudioDesk, full-featured audioworkstation software for Mac OS that supportsboth 16-bit and 24-bit recording.

THE 8PRE I/O REAR PANELThe 8pre rear panel has the following connectors:

Two gold-plated, balanced +4dB quarter-inch(TRS) analog outputs (with 24-bit 96kHzconverters)

Eight 24-bit analog combo XLR/TRS mic/instrument inputs with preamps, each equippedwith individually switchable 20 dB pad, 48Vphantom power and 24-bit 96kHz converters

Two sets of ADAT optical light pipe connectors(8 channels of ADAT optical I/O at all supported

sample rates) MIDI IN and MIDI OUT


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A B O U T T H E 8 P R E

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Two 6-pin FireWire jacks

16 inputs and 12 outputs

When operating as a FireWire audio interface, all8pre inputs and outputs can be used simulta-neously, for a total of 16 inputs and 12 outputs:

All inputs and outputs are discrete. In other words,using a mic input does not steal an input from theADAT optical I/O bank. The same is true for theheadphone outs and the main outs.

The two banks of ADAT optical ports provide eightchannels of input and output at 88.2 or 96 kHz. Theupper bank provides channels 1-4 and the lowerbank provides channels 5-8.

The headphone output can operate as anindependent output pair, or it can mirror any other8pre output pair, such as the main outs.

Mic inputs with 48V phantom powerEight rear-panel combo (XLR/TRS) jacks withpreamps, phantom power and 20 dB pad let you toconnect a microphone, guitar or any quarter-inchinput. The XLR jack serves as a low-impedance micinput, and the TRS jack serves as a high-impedanceguitar/instrument input. Dedicated front-paneltrim knobs allow you to adjust each input indepen-dently. Defeatable 48V phantom power and 20dBpad are supplied by convenient front panelswitches.

ConvertersAll eight analog inputs are equipped with 24-bit96kHz, 64x oversampling A/D converters. The

main outs have 24-bit 128x oversampling D/Aconverters. All audio is carried to the computer in a24-bit data stream.

Main OutsThe main outs are equipped with 24-bit 128xoversampling D/A converters and serve asindependent outputs for the computer. The main

outputs are on balanced TRS +4dB quarter-inch jacks. Both of these jacks can also acceptunbalanced plugs.

OpticalThe 8pre provides two banks of optical lightpipe jacks that support the ADAT optical digital I/Oformat. At 44.1 or 48 kHz, the upper bank provides

eight channels of 24-bit digital audio, and the lowerbank simply mirrors all 8 channels of the upperbank.

At 88.2 or 96 kHz, the upper bank handleschannels 1-4 and the lower bank handles channels5-8 via the industry Standard S/MUX (Type I)protocol for third-party product or MOTUs ownType II protocol for connecting the 8preoptically to any MOTU audio interface. For details,see Setting the 2x optical mode on page 29.

MIDI I/OThe 8pres standard MIDI IN and MIDI OUT jackssupply 16 channels of MIDI I/O to and from thecomputer via the 8pres FireWire connection.Timing accuracy can be sample-accurate with hostsoftware that supports it.

1394 FireWireThe two 1394 FireWire jacks accept a standardIEEE 1394 FireWire cable to connect the 8pre to aFireWire-equipped Macintosh or Windowscomputer. The second jack can be used to daisy chain multiple interfaces up to four MOTU

Connection Input Output

Mic preamps 24-bit 96kHz on XLR/TRS combo 8 -

Main outputs 24-bit 96kHz on bal/unbal TRS - stereo

Headphone output - stereo

ADAT optical digital (from 44.1 up to 96 kHz) 8 8

Total 16 12


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FireWire interfaces on a single FireWire bus. Itcan also be used to connect other FireWire deviceswithout the need for a FireWire hub.

On-board SMPTE synchronizationThe 8pre can resolve directly to SMPTE time codevia any analog input, without a separatesynchronizer. The 8pre provides a DSP-drivenphase-lock engine with sophisticated ltering thatprovides fast lockup times and sub-frameaccuracy.

The included MOTU SMPTE Setup softwareprovides a complete set of tools to generate SMPTEfor striping, regenerating or slaving other devicesto the computer. Like CueMix DSP, the synchroni-zation features are cross-platform and compatiblewith all audio sequencer software that supports theASIO2 sample-accurate sync protocol.

THE 8PRE FRONT PANEL

Preamp trims, 48V phantom power and padThe 8pre front panel provides convenient,individual trim control, 48-volt phantom powerswitch and 20 dB pad switch for each analog input.

Headphone output and main volume controlThe 8pre front panel includes a quarter-inch stereoheadphone output jack and volume knob. Thevolume knob also controls the rear-panel mainouts. Push the knob to toggle between them.

Metering sectionThe front panel of the 8pre displays input metering.

The ve-segment input meters provide dedicatedmulti-segment metering for their respective analoginputs.

The Modelights indicate whether the interface iscurrently operating as a FireWire audio interface oran analog-to-optical converter.

The Clocklights indicate the global sample rate andclock source.

16-BIT AND 24-BIT RECORDINGThe 8pre system handles all data with a 24-bitsignal path, regardless of the I/O format. You can

record and play back 16-bit or 24-bit audio les atany supported sample rate via any of the 8presanalog or digital inputs and outputs. 24-bit audioles can be recorded with any compatible hostapplication that supports 24-bit recording.

AUDIODESK AudioDesk is a full-featured, 24-bit audio

workstation software package included with the8pre system (for Macintosh only). AudioDeskprovides multi-channel waveform editing,automated virtual mixing, graphic editing of rampautomation, real-time effects plug-ins with 32-bitoating point processing, crossfades, support formany third-party audio plug-ins, backgroundprocessing of le-based operations, sample-accurate editing and placement of audio, and more.

DIGITAL PERFORMERThe 8pre system is fully integrated with MOTUsaward-winning Digital Performer audio sequencersoftware package.

OTHER HOST AUDIO SOFTWAREThe 8pre system includes a standard Mac OS XCoreAudio driver for multichannel I/O with any audio application that supports CoreAudio.

A COMPUTER-BASED SYSTEMRegardless of what software you use with the 8pre,the host computer determines the number of

tracks the software can record and play simulta-neously, as well as the amount of real-time effectsprocessing you can apply to your mix. A fastercomputer with more RAM and faster hard driveswill allow more simultaneous tracks and real-timeeffects than a slower computer with less RAM andslower hard drives. Todays fastest computers cantypically play as many as 72 tracks or more.


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Standard third-party high-performance hard drivesolutions can also help you achieve higher trackcounts.


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CHAPTER

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2 Packing List andMacintosh System Requirements

PACKING LISTThe 8pre ships with the items listed below. If any of these items are not present in your 8pre box whenyou rst open it, please immediately contact yourdealer or MOTU.

One 8pre I/O rack unit

One set of removable rack ears

One 6-pin to 6-pin IEEE 1394 FireWire cable

Power cord

One 8pre Mac/Windows manual

One AudioDesk Manual

One cross-platform CD-ROM

Product registration card

MACINTOSH SYSTEM REQUIREMENTSThe 8pre system requires the following Macintoshsystem:

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

At least 256 MB (megabytes) of RAM (512 MBor more is recommended)

Mac OS X (version 10.3.9 or later)

A large hard drive (preferably at least 20 GB)

PLEASE REGISTER TODAY!Please register your 8pre today. There are two waysto register.

Visit www.motu.com to register online

OR

Fill out and mail the included productregistration card

As a registered user, you will be eligible to receivetechnical support and announcements aboutproduct enhancements as soon as they becomeavailable. Only registered users receive thesespecial update notices, so please register today.

Be sure to do the same for the included AudioDesksoftware, which must be registered separately. Youcan do so online or by lling out and mailing theincluded software registration card found at thebeginning of your AudioDesk manual. Please besure to register AudioDesk as well, so that you will

be eligible to receive technical support andannouncements about AudioDesk softwareenhancements as soon as they become available.

Thank you for taking the time to register your newMOTU products!


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P A C K I N G L I S T A N D M A C I N T O S H S Y S T E M R E Q U I R E M E N T S

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CHAPTER

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3 Installing the 8pre Hardware

OVERVIEWHeres an overview for installing the 8pre:

Connect the 8pre to your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Connect the 8pre to the computer.

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

Make optical and analog connections as desired.

Connect MIDI gear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Connect a controller, synth or control surface.

Operating the 8pre as an interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

An example setup for computer-based mixing/FX.

Operating the 8pre as a converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19An example setup for a mixer-based studio.

Syncing optical devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

CONNECT THE 8PRE TO YOUR COMPUTER1 Plug one end of the 8pre FireWire cable(included) into the FireWire socket on thecomputer as shown below in Figure 3-1.

2 Plug the other end of the FireWire cable into the8pre I/O as shown below in Figure 3-1.

Figure 3-1: Connecting the 8pre to the computer.
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I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 P R E H A R D W A R E

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CONNECT AUDIO INPUTS AND OUTPUTSThe 8pre audio interface has the following audioinput and output connectors:

8 combo XLR/quarter-inch analog mic/guitar/instrument inputs

2 balanced, +4 dB quarter-inch TRS main outs

2 pair of ADAT optical (Lightpipe) in/out

Here are a few things you should keep in mind asyou are making these connections to other devices.

Mic/guitar/instrument inputsConnect a microphone, guitar or other similarinstrument to any XLR/quarter-inch combo jackinput on the rear panel. If your microphonerequires phantom power, move the 48V phantompower switch on the front panel to the up position(enabled). Use the trim knobs on the front panel toadjust the input level as needed for each input. Thetrim knob provides approximately 40 dB of gain.Use the input level meters on the front panel(labeled Analog In) to calibrate the level. Thesemeters register for both the XLR and TRS input.

If a line level signal is still too hot with the trim

turned all the way down, engage (ip down) the20dB pad switch on the front panel.

Main outsThe main outputs serve as independent outputs.The main out volume is controlled by the volumeknob on the front panel. Push the knob to togglebetween phone and main out volume control. In a

standard studio conguration, the main outs areintended for a pair of studio monitors, but they canalso be used as additional outputs for any purpose.

OpticalThe 8pre provides 8-channel digital input andoutput at 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96 kHz. The 8pre rearpanel provides two sets of ADAT optical

(lightpipe) connectors: an top row and a bottomrow.

Reminder: optical goes OUT to IN and IN to OUT.Input and output are independent. For example,you could connect ADAT optical input from your

digital mixer and connect the output to an audiointerface connected to your computer.

Optical operation at 44.1 or 48 kHzWhen connected to an ADAT lightpipecompatible device, the two optical connectors inthe top row provide eight channels of digital inputand output at 44.1 and 48 kHz.

In addition, when operating the 8pre at a 1x samplerate (either 44.1 or 48 kHz), optical output isduplicated on the second (lower) optical output.This lets you send the 8pres 8-channel ADAToptical output to two separate destinations in yourstudio, if needed.

Optical operation at 88.2 or 96 kHzWhen operating the 8pre at the 2x sample rates(88.2 or 96 kHz), the top row of optical connectorsprovides channels 1-4 (in and out) and the bottomrow provides channels 5-8 (in and out) whenconnected to another optical device that supports88.2/96 kHz optical sample rates.

When operating the optical ports at a 2x samplerate, be sure to choose either Type I or Type IIoperation, as explained in Setting the 2x opticalmode on page 29.

Using optical I/O when operating the 8pre as anaudio interfaceWhen the 8pre is connected to a computer

(Figure 3-4 on page 18), these optical portsprovide digital input and output to and from thecomputer.

Using optical I/O to operate the 8pre as an8-channel expanderWhen the 8pre is not connected directly to acomputer via FireWire, the optical input is disabled

and the eight optical output channels mirror any incoming signal on the 8pres eight XLR/TRS


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combo jack analog inputs. By connecting the 8preoptical output to another device, such as anotherADAT-optical equipped interface or a digital

mixer, you add an additional eight mic inputs toyour system, as demonstrated in Figure 3-5 onpage 19. This can be done at any sample rate up to96 kHz.

To set the sample rate (or clock mode) whenoperating as an 8-channel optical expander, seeSetting the clock source in converter mode on

page 29.

CONNECT MIDI GEARConnect your MIDI devices MIDI IN jack to the8pres MIDI OUT jack (Connection A below).Conversely, connect the MIDI devices MIDI OUT jack to the 8pres MIDI IN jack (Connection B).

Figure 3-2: Connecting a MIDI device to the 8pre.

One-way MIDI connectionsMIDI devices that do not receive MIDI data, suchas a dedicated keyboard controller, guitarcontroller, or drum pad, only need Connection Bshown in Figure 3-2.Similarly, devices that neversend data, such as a sound module, only needConnection A. Make both connections for any device that needs to both send and receive MIDIdata.

Connecting additional gear with MIDI THRUsIf you need to connect several pieces of MIDI gear,run a MIDI cable from the MIDI THRU of a device

already connected to the 8pre to the MIDI IN onthe additional device as shown below in Figure 3-3. The two devices then share the 8pres MIDI OUTport. This means that they share the same set of 16MIDI channels, too, so try to do this with devicesthat receive on only one MIDI channel (such aseffects modules) so their receive channels dontconict with one another.

Figure 3-3: Connecting additional devices with MIDI THRU ports.

8prerear panel

MIDI Device

MIDIcables

MIDIIN

MIDIOUT

MIDIOUT

MIDIIN

Connection A

Connection B

MIDI IN

MIDIcable

MIDI DeviceMIDIIN

MIDITHRU

MIDIOUT

Additional device

8prerear panel
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OPERATING THE 8pre AS AN INTERFACEHere is a typical studio setup for using the 8pre asan audio interface. All mixing and processing can

be done in the computer with audio software.During recording, you can use the 8pres CueMix

DSP no-latency monitoring to listen to what youare recording via the main outs, headphone outs,or any other output pair. You can control

monitoring from the included MOTU CueMixConsole software.

Digital mixer

OpticalOut

quarter-inchanalog outs

synthesizer

monitors

guitar(with or without an amp)

Figure 3-4: A typical 8pre studio setup.

headphones

other inputs(mics, guitars, etc.)

MIDI IN/OUT

Mac

8pre frontpanel

8pre backpanel

mic

FireWire

OpticalIn Out

OpticalIn


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OPERATING THE 8pre AS A CONVERTERAs explained earlier in Using optical I/O tooperate the 8pre as an 8-channel expander on

page 16, the 8pre can serve as an 8-channel analog-to-digital converter when disconnected from thecomputer and instead connected to another deviceequipped with an ADAT optical input. Forexample, you could connect the 8pre optical outputto the optical input on a MOTU audio interface,such as the 828, 828mkII, Traveler, 896, 896HD orUltraLite. The 8pre then serves as an 8-channel

expander that adds an additional 8 mic inputs tothe interface. The benet of connecting the 8pre in

this manner (instead of as another FireWireinterface) is that you can seamlessly integrate the8pres inputs into the on-board no-latency CueMix

monitor mixing in the interface, since the 8presinputs are fed into CueMix via the interfacesoptical inputs.

If the device to which you are connecting the 8presupports 2x optical sample rates (88.2 or 96 kHz),youll need to use both banks of connectors asdiscussed in Optical operation at 88.2 or 96 kHz

on page 16.

guitar(with or without an amp)

ADAT optical Out

Figure 3-5: Using the 8pre as an optical converter.

USB2

8pre rear panel

Mac

828mkII-USB(UltraFast USB 2audio interface)

ADAT optical In

quarter-inchanalog outs

synthesizer

other inputs(mics, guitars, etc.)

mic


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SYNCING OPTICAL DEVICESThe word optical is our short-hand way of referringto any device that connects to the 8pre via an

optical cable. An example is an audio interface withoptical connectors on it. There are many otherdevices that fall into this category, including digitalmixers, digital effects processors, synthesizers andmany more.

When connecting optical devices, make sure thattheir digital audio clock is phase-locked (in sync

with) the 8pre. There are two ways to do this:

Slave the optical device to the 8pre

Slave the 8pre to the optical device

Two banks of opticalThe 8pre has two banks of optical connectors: a toprow and a bottom row:

Figure 3-7: Two optical banks.

When you are operating at the 1x sample rates(44.1 or 48 kHz), use the top two connectors.

When you are operating at the 2x sample rates,(88.2 or 96 kHz), use both sets of connectors. Thetop row provides channels 1-4 and the bottom rowprovides channels 5-8, as indicated by the bluelabeling on the rear panel (Figure 3-7).

Setting the clock sourceIn ADAT optical clock mode (as demonstrated in

the right-hand diagram below), the 8pre alwaysresolves to the optical input in the top row, evenduring 88.2 or 96 kHz operation. So be sure toconnect the device that is the ADAT optical clockmaster to the 8pres optical input in the top row.

Optical bank mirroringWhen the 8pre is operating at the 1x sample rates

(44.1 or 48 kHz), the optical output in the bottomrow mirrors the 8-channel optical output in the toprow.

ADAT Optical IN

ADAT Optical OUT

Audio interfaceor other optical

device

8pre

8pre Clock Source setting =Internal , or any clock source

setting exceptOptical . The opticaldevice slaves to the 8pre (via its

optical cable connection).

Figure 3-6: Two setups for synchronizing an optical device with the 8pre.

8pre Clock Source setting = optical

ADAT Optical IN

ADAT Optical OUT

Audio interface

or other opticaldevice

8pre

With this setup, in MOTU AudioSetup, choose theOptical clock

source setting. The 8pre slaves tothe optical device via their optical

cable connection.


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CHAPTER

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4 Installing the 8pre Mac OS XSoftware

OVERVIEWSoftware installation for Mac OS X. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21MOTU CueMix Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23AudioDesk workstation software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

SOFTWARE INSTALLATION FOR MAC OS XInstall the 8pre software as follows:

1 Insert the MOTU Audio Installer disc andlaunch the installer.

2 Follow the directions that the installer gives you.

What does the OS X installer do?The installer checks the computer to make sure itsatises the minimum system requirements foryour MOTU interface. If so, the installer proceedswith the OS X installation. Drivers are installed,along with MOTU Audio Setup, MOTU CueMixConsole, and several other applications,summarized in the following table:

The 8pre CoreAudio driverCoreAudio is a term that refers to the softwaretechnology built into Mac OS X that provides all of its standardized audio features. More specically,we useCoreAudio to refer to Mac OS Xs standardaudio driver model. A CoreAudio driver allows the8pre to establish audio input and output with any Mac OS X CoreAudio-compatible software.

Once the 8pres CoreAudio driver has beensuccessfully installed (by the installer), and youhave chosen it for use in your host audio software,the 8pre will appear as a choice for audio inputsand outputs in your software.

All MOTU audio hardware, including our PCIsystems, Firewire interfaces and USB interfaces,ship with CoreAudio drivers that allow them tooperate successfully with virtually all Mac OS Xaudio software.

Software component Location Purpose For more information

MOTU FireWire Audio driver.kext /System/Library/Extensions

Provides 8pre multi-channel audio input andoutput with all Mac OS X audio software

The 8pre CoreAudiodriver on page 21

MOTU MIDI driver.kext /System/Library/Extensions

Provides 8pre MIDI input and output for allMac OS X MIDI software

CoreMIDI and AudioMIDI Setup on page 22

MOTU MIDI driver.plugin /System/Library/Audio/MIDI Drivers

Provides 8pre MIDI input and output for allMac OS X MIDI software

CoreMIDI and AudioMIDI Setup on page 22

MOTU Audio Setup Applications folder Provides access to all of the settings in the 8preand other MOTU interfaces. Required for8pre operation.

chapter 5, MOTU AudioSetup (page 25)

MOTU CueMix Console Appl ications fo lder Gives you complete control over the 8presCueMix DSP feature, which provides no-latency monitoring and mixing of live inputsthrough your 8pre system.

chapter 11, MOTU Cue-Mix Console (page 51)

MOTU SMPTE Setup Applications folder Provides access to the 8pre systems SMPTEtime code sync features.

chapter 12, MOTU SMPTESetup (page 59)

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

AudioDesk User Guide

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

AudioDesk User Guide


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CoreMIDI and Audio MIDI SetupCoreMIDI is the under-the-hood portion of MacOS X that handles MIDI services for MIDIhardware and software. CoreMIDI provides many universal MIDI system management features,including MIDI communication between your8pre interface and all CoreMIDI compatiblesoftware.

Audio MIDI Setupis a utility included withMac OS X that allows you to congure your 8pre

interface for use with all CoreMIDI compatibleapplications. Audio MIDI Setup provides:

A virtual studio on your Mac that graphically represents your MIDI hardware setup and that isshared by all CoreMIDI-compatible programs

A simple, intuitive list of your MIDI deviceswhenever you need it in any CoreMIDI-compatibleprogram

Launching Audio MIDI Setup1 Make sure your 8pre interface is connected andturned on.

2 Launch the Audio MIDI Setup utility.

This can usually be found in /Applications/Utilities. If it has been moved, just search for Audio MIDI Setup.

3 Conrm that the MIDI interface is present in the MIDI Devicestab of Audio MIDI Setup.

If the interfaces does not appear, or if it is grayedout, check your cable connections and click Rescan MIDI .

Figure 4-1: The 8pre interface as it appears in the MIDI tab of AudioMIDI Setup.

Connecting MIDI devices to the 8preOnce your 8pre interface appears in Audio MIDISetup, you are ready to add devices, indicate howthey are connected, and identify properties they may have for particular purposes. Thisinformation is shared with all CoreMIDIcompatible applications.

To add a device in Audio MIDI Setup:

1 Click Add Device.

Figure 4-2: Adding a MIDI device.

2 Drag on its input and output arrows to drawconnections to the 8pre that match its physicalconnection.


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Figure 4-3: Connecting devices to the 8pre. In this example, a control-ler keyboard is connected to the 8pres MIDI IN, and a sound moduleis connected to the 8pre MIDI OUT.

3 Double-click the device to make settings, suchas input and output channels, that further describethe device.

Figure 4-4: Device settings.

4 Repeat the above steps for each MIDI deviceconnected to the interface.

5 When you are nished, quit Audio MIDI Setup.

Your conguration is automatically saved as thedefault conguration, and it is shared with all

CoreMIDI-compatible software.

MOTU CUEMIX CONSOLEThis program provides a mixing console that givesyou control over the 8pres no-latency CueMix DSP

features. For details, seechapter 11, MOTUCueMix Console (page 51).

AUDIODESK WORKSTATION SOFTWAREThe MOTU audio installer places AudioDesk inthe Applications folder.

AudioDesk is an advanced workstation software

package for the 8pre that lets you record, edit, mix,process, bounce and master multi-track digitalaudio recording projects. Advanced featuresinclude real-time 32-bit effects processing, sample-accurate synchronization with ADATs, 24-bitrecording, and much more. See the AudioDeskmanual included with your 8pre for details.

Figure 4-5: AudioDesk for Mac OS X.


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5 MOTU Audio Setup

OVERVIEWAccessing the 8pre settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258pre tab Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Sample Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Clock Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Default Stereo Input/Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Optical input/output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Phones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28General tab settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Enable Pedal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Launch MOTU Audio Setup when hardware becomesavailable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Edit Channel Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

ACCESSING THE 8PRE SETTINGS

There are several ways to access MOTU AudioSetup settings:

Click the MOTU Audio Setup icon in the dock

Press on the MOTU Audio Setup dock icon toopen the menu shown below, or control-click it toopen the menu immediately

From within AudioDesk or DigitalPerformer, chooseSetup menu>Congure AudioSystem>Congure Hardware Driver (Note: thisdialog only provides access to basic settings such assample rate and clock source. For access to all settings, use one of the techniques above.)

In Cubase SX or Nuendo, open the Device Setupwindow, click VST Audiobayand choose MOTU Audio from the Master ASIO Driver menu . Thenclick the MOTU Audioitem in the list and click theControl Panel button.

8pre tab settingsThe 8pre tab provides settings that apply to a

specic 8pre interface. If you have several 8pres (orother MOTU audio interfaces) connected, youllsee a separate tab for each one.

General tab settingsThe General tab provides settings that apply globally to all connected MOTU interfaces.


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8PRE TAB SETTINGS

Sample RateChoose the desired Sample Ratefor recording and

playback. The 8pre can operate at 44.1 (thestandard rate for compact disc audio), 48, 88.2 or96 kHz. Make absolutely sure that all of the devicesconnected digitally to the 8pre match the 8pressample rate. Also make sure that your DigitalTimepiece, MIDI Timepiece AV or other digitalaudio synchronizer matches it as well.

Mismatched sample rates cause distortion andcrackling. If you hear this sort of thing, check thesample rate settings in your hardware and here inMOTU Audio Setup.

Clock SourceThe Clock Sourcedetermines the digital audioclock that the 8pre will use as its time base. Thefollowing sections briey discuss each clock sourcesetting.

InternalUse the Internal setting when you want the 8pre tooperate under its own digital audio clock. Forexample, you may be in a situation where all youare doing is playing tracks off hard disk in yourdigital audio software on the computer. In asituation like this, you most often dont need toreference an external clock of any kind.

ADAT opticalThe ADAT optical clock source setting refers to the

clock provided by the 8pres optical input, when itis connected to an ADAT optical device. Thissetting can be used to slave the 8pre directly to theoptical input connection. In this scenario, the ADAT Optical clock source setting lets you slave the8pre to the other device via its digital connection tothe 8pre.

The 8pre has two banks of optical connectors:a top row (for 8-channel operation at 44.1 or 48kHz) and a bottom row (for channels 5-8 at 88.2 or

Figure 5-1: MOTU Audio Setup gives you access to all of the settings in the 8pre hardware.


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96 kHz). In ADAT optical clock mode, the 8prealways resolves to the optical input in the top row,even during 88.2 or 96 kHz operation. So be sure toconnect the ADAT optical clock master to theoptical input in the top row.

If the ADAT Optical setting does not appear in themenu, it means that the 8pres optical input iscurrently turned off. Choose the ADAT optical format from the Optical input menu ( Figure 5-1 onpage 26).

For further details about this setting, see Syncingoptical devices on page 20.

SMPTEChoose this setting to resolve the 8pre directly toSMPTE time code (LTC) being received via any analog input. For details, see chapter 12, MOTUSMPTE Setup (page 59).

Macintosh built-inChoose this setting to resolve the 8pre to yourMacs built-in audio. Doing so will ensure thataudio streams playing back from or recorded by the 8pre will not drift apart from audio streamssimultaneously played or recorded by the Macs

built-in mic, speakers or audio output.Other audio devices (drivers)The MOTU FireWire Audio Driver has the ability to resolve to other Core Audio drivers. Doing sowill ensure that audio streams playing back from orrecorded by the 8pre will not drift apart from audiostreams simultaneously played or recorded by the

other devices.

Default Stereo Input/OutputIn the System Preferences window, Mac OS X letsyou choose third-party hardware such as the 8prefor your Macintosh sound input and output. Thesystem input and output can be used for alertsounds and general audio I/O for applications like

iTunes, iMovie, etc.

Figure 5-2: The Mac OS X sound preferences let you use the 8pre for

general stereo audio input and output for your Mac.

The Default Stereo Input and Default Stereo Output settings in MOTU Audio Setup (Figure 5-1 onpage 26) let you specify the stereo input and outputon the 8pre to be used when it is chosen as theaudio I/O device in the system preferences.

Optical input/outputThe Optical input and Optical output settings letyou enable or disable the optical ports. Forexample, when operating the 8pre as an audiointerface, you can conserve FireWire busbandwidth by disabling the optical ports whenthey are not in use. This frees up the FireWire busfor other devices that may also be connected to the

bus (such as additional interfaces).
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PhonesThe Phonessetting lets you choose what you willhear from the headphone jack. Choose MainOuts 1-2 if youd like the headphone output tomatch the main outs. Choose Phones 1-2if youwould like the headphones to serve as their ownindependent output, which you can access as anindependent output destination in your host audiosoftware and as an output destination for the fouron-board CueMix DSP mix busses.

GENERAL TAB SETTINGSEnable PedalThis setting applies to other MOTU FireWire audiointerfaces, but it does not apply to the 8pre.

Launch MOTU Audio Setup when hardwarebecomes availableCheck this option if you would like the MOTUAudio Setup icon to appear in the application dockas soon as a MOTU interface is detected (switchedon, plugged in, etc.)

Edit Channel NamesClick the Edit Channel Namesbutton to open theChannel Names window (Figure 5-3). Thiswindow lets you edit the names of the 8pre inputsand outputs, as they appear in your host audiosoftware. For example, when you click on a menuthat displays the 8pre inputs (or outputs), you willsee the names you specify in this window (e.g.vocal mic, lead guitar, etc.), instead of thedefault generic names (Analog 1, Analog 2,etc.)

Not all Mac OS X audio software supportschannel names. If not, youll see generic portnames in your host audio software.

Figure 5-3: The Edit Channel Names window.

Figure 5-4: 8pre channel names as they appear in Digital Performer.
http://-/?-http://-/?-


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6 Front Panel Settings

OVERVIEWThe VOLUME knob is a rotary encoder that can bepushed as well as turned. By pushing it repeatedly,or by pushing and holding it in for varyingamounts of time, you can adjust several 8presettings as described in the following sections.

Figure 6-1: The VOLUME knob is a push-button rotary encoder.

Except where noted, all of the features described in

this chapter are available when the 8pre isoperating as either an audio interface or an opticalconverter.

ADJUSTING HEADPHONE VOLUMETurn the VOLUME knob to adjust headphonevolume. In the Analog InLED section to the right,the row of amber LEDs, second from the top,

provides general feedback regarding theheadphone level as you turn the knob.

Figure 6-2: When you adjust headphone volume, the amber row of LEDs (second from the top) provides feedback as you turn the rotary encoder.

ADJUSTING MAIN OUT VOLUMEPush in the knob twice (so that it clicks two times)and then turn it to adjust the volume of the mainouts on the rear panel. In the LED section to the

right, the middle row of green LEDs, third from thebottom, provides general feedback regarding theheadphone level as you turn the knob.

Figure 6-3: When you adjust main out volume, the top-most greenrow of LEDs, third from the bottom, provides feedback as you turn therotary encoder.

SETTING THE 2X OPTICAL MODEPush and hold the knob for 5 seconds to enter amode where you can change 2x optical input andoutput (88.2 or 96kHz) to Type I (for 2x opticalconnection to SMUX-compatible products) orType II (for 2x optical connection to MOTUproducts). The bottom LED in the 1 or 2column ashes. Turn the volume knob to switch

between Type I and II, respectively.

Figure 6-4: Setting the optical mode.

SETTING THE CLOCK SOURCE INCONVERTER MODEWhen the 8pre is operating as an optical converter(when it is not connected to a computer viaFirewire), push in and hold the VOLUME knob for3 seconds to enter a mode where you can changethe clock source. In this mode, the CLOCK LED


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ashes, turn the knob to change the clock mode.Push it again to conrm the current clock settingexit clock mode.


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7 Digital Performer

OVERVIEWThis chapter provides a brief overview of DigitalPerformers basic I/O and synchronizationoperation with the 8pre hardware.

Setting up your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31The 8pre settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Be sure you have enough voices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Trimming the mic/instrument inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Working with 8pre inputs and outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3324-bit operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33MIDI I/O via the 8pre MIDI ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Processing live inputs with plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Syncing to SMPTE time code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Exchanging projects with AudioDesk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

SETTING UP YOUR SYSTEMAs described in chapter 4, Installing the 8pre MacOS X Software (page 21),the Digital Performerand MOTU 8pre 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 arepresent in Audio MIDI setup.

THE 8PRE SETTINGSChoose the 8pre as your audio input output deviceby choosing Congure Audio System> CongureHardware Driver from the Setup menu. Thiswindow shows some of the 8pre settings, such assample rate and clock source, but to access all of the8pre settings, open MOTU Audio Setup, as shownin Figure 5-1 on page 26.

Figure 7-1: Choose Setup menu> Congure Audio System> CongureHardware Driver to open the dialog shown above and access the8pre CoreAudio driver. To access the rest of the 8pre settings, openMOTU Audio Setup.

For complete details about the 8pre settings, seechapter 5, MOTU Audio Setup (page 25). Thefollowing sections provide a brief explanation of each 8pre setting for use with Digital Performer.

Sample rateChoose the desired overall sample rate for the 8pre

system and Digital Performer. Newly recordedaudio in Digital Performer will have this sample


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DP project. To export a project to AudioDesk, useDPs Save As command and choose the AudioDesk2.0 le format.


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8 AudioDesk

OVERVIEWThis chapter provides a brief overview of AudioDesks basic I/O and synchronizationoperation with the 8pre hardware. For completeinformation about all of AudioDesks powerfulworkstation features, see the AudioDesk manualincluded with your MOTU 8pre system.

Setting up your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35The 8pre settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Be sure you have enough voices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3624-bit operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37MIDI I/O via the 8pre MIDI ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Processing live inputs through plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Syncing to SMPTE time code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Exchanging projects with Digital performer . . . . . . . . . 37AudioDesk and MIDI sequencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

SETTING UP YOUR SYSTEMAs described in chapter 4, Installing the 8pre MacOS X Software (page 21),the AudioDesk andMOTU 8pre software installers will properly installand update everything for you.

If you are using a MIDI Timepiece AV or DigitalTimepiece for synchronization, be sure they arepresent in Audio MIDI setup.

THE 8PRE SETTINGSChoose the 8pre as your audio input output deviceby choosing Congure Audio System> CongureHardware Driver from the Setup menu. Thiswindow shows some of the 8pre settings, such assample rate and clock source, but to access all of the8pre settings, open MOTU Audio Setup, as shownin Figure 5-1 on page 26.

Figure 8-1: Choose Setup menu> Congure Audio System> CongureHardware Driver to open the dialog shown above and access the8pre CoreAudio driver. To access the rest of the 8pre settings, openMOTU Audio Setup.

For complete details about the 8pre settings, seechapter 5, MOTU Audio Setup (page 25). Thefollowing sections provide a brief explanation of each 8pre setting for use with AudioDesk.

S l O i l i d


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Sample rateChoose the desired overall sample rate for the 8presystem and AudioDesk. Newly recorded audio inAudioDesk will have this sample rate. Importedaudio or soundbites in existing les that do notmatch this sample rate will be displayed in theSoundbites window with a red X on its movehandle to indicate that it cannot be played.

Clock SourceThis setting is very important because itdetermines which audio clock the 8pre will follow.

If you do not have any digital audio connections toyour 8pre (you are using the analog inputs andoutputs only), and you will not be slavingAudioDesk to external SMPTE time code, chooseInternal .

If you have digital audio devices connected to the8pre, or if you are not sure about the clock source of your setup, be sure to read Syncing opticaldevices on page 20and Clock Source onpage 26.

If you are slaving the 8pre and AudioDesk toSMPTE time code via the 8pre itself, choose

SMPTEand follow the directions in Setting up forSMPTE time code sync on page 62.

Buffer SizeThe Buffer Sizesetting can be used to reduce thedelay or monitoring latency that you hearwhen live audio is patched through your 8prehardware and AudioDesk. For example, you might

have MIDI instruments, samplers, microphones,and so on connected to the analog inputs of the8pre. If so, you will often be mixing their live inputwith audio material recorded in AudioDesk. Seechapter 10, Reducing Monitoring Latency(page 45) for complete details.

Optical input and outputTo make a 8pre optical input or output available inAudioDesk, choose ADAT from the optical inputand/or output menu. If you wont be using theoptical connectors, turn them off. Note: thissettings can only be accessed in the MOTU AudioSetup application.

PhonesThis 8pre setting lets you choose what youll hearfrom the headphone jack. For example, if youchoose Main Outs 1-2, the headphones willduplicate the main outs. Or you can choose any other output pair. If you choose Phones, this settingmakes the headphone jack serve as its ownindependent output pair. As a result, youll seePhones 1-2as an additional audio destination inAudioDesks audio output menus. Note: thissettings can only be accessed in the MOTU Audio

Setup application.

BE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH VOICESGo to the Setup menu and choose Congure AudioSystem> Congure Studio Size.Then check to makesure you have enough mono and stereo audiovoices to cover the 16 channels of input and 12channels of output provided by your 8pre

although the number of channels may depend onhow your 8pre is congured:

8 channels for analog input and output

Zero or 8 channels for optical, depending onwhether you have optical turned on or off

For example, if you are using analog only, you only need 8 voices. If you are using analog and optical,you need 16 voices.

TRIMMING THE MIC/INSTRUMENT INPUTSThe 8pre mic/instrument inputs provide trimknobs on the front panel. To calibrate an audioinput:

1 Record-enable a track in AudioDesk.

2 Choose the desired 8pre mic input for the track Warning: the Mix1 1 2 input can cause


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2 Choose the desired 8pre mic input for the track.

3 Open the Audio Monitor window.

4 As you feed signal to the input, adjust the inputscorresponding trim knob on the front panel of the8pre until peaks in the level meter are as high aspossible without clipping (hitting zero dB).

WORKING WITH 8PRE INPUTS ANDOUTPUTSOnce youve enabled the MOTU FireWire Audio

driver as explained earlier in The 8pre settings onpage 35, 8pre audio inputs and outputs will appearin AudioDesks audio input and output menus. If you dont see the optical inputs and/or outputs,check MOTU Audio Setup to make sure they areturned on. If you dont plan to use the optical inputor output, turn it off to conserve computerbandwidth.

Phones 1-2If youve chosen to treat the 8pre headphones as anindependent output, youll see Phones 1-2inAudioDesks output menus. Audio tracks assignedto this output pair will be heard on the headphone jack only. For further explanation, see Phones onpage 36.

Mix1 1-2In AudioDesks audio input menus, youll see an8pre input called Mix1 1-2. This input sourcedelivers the output of CueMix DSP MIX1 (therst mix bus of the four on-board no-latency monitor mixes in the 8pre) back to your computer.

This input serves, for example, as a convenient way for you to record the 8pres MIX1 monitor mixback into AudioDesk (for reference and archivingpurposes). Further, if you are sending audio fromAudioDesk to the same output pair as MIX1, youcan choose to either include or exclude the audiofrom the computer in the stream being sent back toAudioDesk. For details on how to do this, see

Mix1 Return Includes Computer on page 55.

Warning: the Mix1 1-2 input can causefeedback loops! DO NOT assign this input to atrack that shares the same 8pre output pair asMIX1.

24-BIT OPERATIONYour 8pre hardware fully supports AudioDesks 24-bit recording capabilities, including both analogand digital 24-bit recording. If you would like torecord and play back 24-bit audio les, go to theSetup menu, choose Congure Audio System>Sample Format , and choose 24-bit recording as thesample format. This setting is saved with theAudioDesk project.

MIDI I/O VIA THE 8PRE MIDI PORTSOnce youve followed the procedure for enablingthe 8pres MIDI features as explained in Softwareinstallation for Mac OS X on page 21, the 8pre

MIDI ports will appear as a input source andoutput destination in AudioDesks MIDI I/Omenus.

PROCESSING LIVE INPUTS THROUGHPLUG-INSIf you patch a live input (such as MIDI synthesizer)through a plug-in effect in AudioDesk, you might

hear a slight delay. There are several ways to reducethis delay. For details, seechapter 10, ReducingMonitoring Latency (page 45).

SYNCING TO SMPTE TIME CODEAudioDesk can run under its own transportcontrol or slave to SMPTE time code via the 8pre.For details, see Resolving DP or AudioDesk to

SMPTE time code on page 63.

EXCHANGING PROJECTS WITH DIGITALPERFORMERTo open AudioDesk Version 2 (or Version 1) les inDigital Performer, just use DPs Open command.(No conversion is required beforehand inAudioDesk.) To export a Digital Performer project

to AudioDesk, use Save As in Digital Performers

File menu and choose the AudioDesk 2 0le


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File menu and choose the AudioDesk 2.0leformat. Then open the resulting AudioDesk 2.0document in AudioDesk.

AUDIODESK AND MIDI SEQUENCINGAudioDesk can play audio as a backgroundapplication, allowing you to run a sequencer at thesame time in the foreground. However, there is noway to continuously synchronize or resolve asequencer with AudioDesk, so the two programswill eventually drift out of sync, even if you manageto start them at the same time. If youd like to dointegrated MIDI sequencing, your best bet isDigital Performer, which offers pretty much all of the same features as AudioDesk, along withpowerful, state-of-the-art MIDI sequencing. Talkto your authorized MOTU dealer for details aboutupgrading from AudioDesk to Digital Performer.

CHAPTER9 Other Mac OS X Audio Software


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9 Other Mac OS X Audio Software

OVERVIEWThe 8pre provides multichannel audio and MIDIinput and output for all Mac OS X audioapplications, including Apples Logic Pro, LogicExpress, SoundTrack Pro and GarageBand. Otherthird-party software applications are alsosupported, such as Ableton Live, Propellerhead

Reason, Steinberg Cubase and others.

Installing the 8pre Mac OS X drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Preparing MIDI input and output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Run MOTU Audio Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Choosing the MOTU FireWire CoreAudio driver . . . . . 40Audio Input and output names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Number of channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Processing live inputs with plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

INSTALLING THE 8PRE MAC OS X DRIVERSTo install the 8pres Mac OS X audio and MIDIdrivers, just run the installer on the MOTU Audioinstaller CD as detailed in chapter 4, Installing the8pre Mac OS X Software (page 21).

PREPARING MIDI INPUT AND OUTPUTIf you will be using the 8pres MIDI input andoutput ports, be sure to follow the procedure inPreparing MIDI input and output on page 39 .

RUN MOTU AUDIO SETUPBefore you run your host audio software, launch

MOTU Audio Setup to congure your 8prehardware. MOTU Audio Setup lets you congureyour audio interface, and it lets you enable thedesired inputs and outputs. Only enabled inputsand outputs will be available to your software, sothis is an important step. For complete details seechapter 5, MOTU Audio Setup (page 25) .

Figure 9-1: MOTU Audio Setup.

For complete details about the 8pre settings, seechapter 5, MOTU Audio Setup (page 25). Thefollowing sections provide a brief explanation of each 8pre setting for use with Logic and other Mac

OS X audio software.

Sample rate be a menu there that lets you choose among


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pChoose the desired overall sample rate for the 8presystem and your host audio software. Newly recorded audio will have this sample rate.

Clock SourceThis setting is very important because itdetermines which audio clock the 8pre will follow.

If you do not have any digital audio connections toyour 8pre (you are using the analog inputs andoutputs only), and you will not be slaving your hostsoftware to external SMPTE time code, chooseInternal .

If you have digital audio devices connected to the8pre, or if you are not sure about the clock source of your setup, be sure to read Syncing opticaldevices on page 20and Clock Source onpage 26.

Optical input and outputTo make a 8pre optical input or output available inyour host software, choose ADAT from the opticalinput and/or output menu. If you wont be usingthe optical connectors, turn them off.

PhonesThis 8pre setting lets you choose what youll hearfrom the headphone jack. For example, if youchoose Main Outs 1-2, the headphones willduplicate the main outs. Or you can choose any other output pair. If you choose Phones, this settingmakes the headphone jack serve as its ownindependent output pair. As a result, youll see

Phones 1-2as an additional audio destination inyour host audio softwares audio output menus.

CHOOSING THE MOTU FIREWIRECOREAUDIO DRIVEROnce youve made the preparations described sofar in this chapter, youre ready to run your audiosoftware and enable the MOTU 8pre CoreAudio

driver. Check the audio system or audio hardwareconguration window in your software. There will

y gvarious drivers that may be in your system. Choosethe MOTU 8pre from this menu.

Logic Pro and Logic ExpressIn Logic Pro and Logic Express, go to thePreferences window, click the Audio tab, click the Driver s tab and click the Core Audiotab as shownin Figure 9-2. Choose the MOTU 8prefrom theDriver menu. For information about the I/O Buffer Sizesetting, seeAdjusting the audio I/O buffer onpage 47.

Figure 9-2: Enabling the 8pre in Logic Pro or Logic Express.

Soundtrack Pro Live
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In Soundtrack Pro, access the preferences window,click the Recording tab and choose MOTU 8pre from the Input and Monitor menu as shown belowin Figure 9-3.

Figure 9-3: Enabling the 8pre in Soundtrack Pro.

Garage BandIn Garage Band, go to the Audio/MIDI preferences

and choose MOTU 8prefrom the Audio Output and Audio Input menus as shown below in Figure 9-4.For information about the Optimize for setting, seeAdjusting the audio I/O buffer on page 47.

Figure 9-4: Enabling the 8pre in Garage Band.

In Ableton Live, access the preferences window andclick the Audio tab. Choose CoreAudio from theDriver Typemenu. Choose the MOTU 8prefromthe Input Audio Deviceand Output Audio Device menus as shown below in Figure 9-5. Forinformation about the Buffer Sizesetting, seeAdjusting the audio I/O buffer on page 47.

Figure 9-5: Enabling the 8pre in Live.

Reason Cubase SX and Nuendo
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In Propellerhead Reason, go to the Preferenceswindow, choose Audio preferences from the menuand choose MOTU 8prefrom the Audio Card menuas shown below in Figure 9-6. For informationabout the Buffer Sizesetting, see Adjusting theaudio I/O buffer on page 47.

Figure 9-6: Enabling the 8pre in Reason.

Go to the Devices menu and choose Device Setup.Click theVST Audiobayitem in the Devices list andchoose MOTU 8prefrom the Master ASIO Driver menu as shown below in Figure 9-7. Activate theinputs and outputs within Cubase or Nuendo asusual. For information about the Audio Buffer Size setting, see Adjusting the audio I/O buffer onpage 47.

Figure 9-7: Enabling the 8pre audio driver in Cubase SX.

Other audio softwareFor other audio applications, the procedure issimilar to that shown above. Consult your owners

manual for further information.

AUDIO INPUT AND OUTPUT NAMESh d d l

Outputs are similarly listed in the same order as


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The 8pre CoreAudio driver supplies text stringlabels for its inputs and outputs to clearly identify each one, but some applications do not display these labels. For example, in Cubase SX, the 8preoutputs are numbered like this:

Figure 9-8: Some applications number the 8pre inputs and outputs,but dont display which outputs they refer to.

Most programs will likely address this issue infuture updates. In the meantime, here is how youcan identify each input and output. Inputs arealways listed in the same order as follows:

follows:

As an example, ADAT output channels 1-2 will belisted as channels 5-6.

The Mix1 input pairThe Mix1input pair delivers the output of CueMixDSP MIX1 (the rst mix bus of the four on-boardno-latency monitor mixes in the 8pre) back to yourcomputer. This input serves, for example, as a

convenient way for you to record the 8pres MIX1monitor mix back into your host audio software(for reference and archiving purposes). Further, if you are sending audio from your host audiosoftware to the same output pair as MIX1, you canchoose to either include or exclude the audio fromthe computer in the stream being sent back to thecomputer. For details on how to do this, see Mix1Return Includes Computer on page 55 .

Warning: the Mix1 1-2 input can causefeedback loops! DO NOT assign this input to atrack that shares the same 8pre output pair asMIX1.

Input ChannelsListposition Comment

Analog 8 1-8 -

Mix1 2 9-10 SeeThe Mix1input pair below.

ADAT 8 (at all sup-ported samplerates)

11-18 If the optical bank isset to None, then noADAT inputs aredisplayed.

Output ChannelsListposition Comment

Main outs 2 1-2 -

Phones 2 3-4 -

ADAT 8 (at all sup-ported samplerates)

5-12 If the optical bank isset to None, then noADAT outputs aredisplayed.

NUMBER OF CHANNELSIf h t di ft i th t

PROCESSING LIVE INPUTS WITH PLUG-INSIf t h li i t ( h MIDI th i )


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If your host audio software requires that youspecify the number of audio voices or channels youwill be using, be sure to choose enough channels tocover the 16 inputs and 12 outputs provided by your 8pre although the number of channels may depend on how your 8pre is congured:

8 channels for analog input and output

Zero or 8 channels for optical, depending onwhether you have optical turned on or off

For example, if you are using analog only, you only need 8 voices. If you are using analog and optical,you need 16 voices.

If you patch a live input (such as MIDI synthesizer)through a plug-in effect in your host software, youmight hear a slight delay. There are several ways toreduce this delay. For details, see chapter 10,Reducing Monitoring Latency (page 45).

CHAPTER10 Reducing Monitoring Latency


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g g y

OVERVIEWWhen operating the 8pre as an audio interface, monitoring latencyis that slight delay you hearwhen you run an input signal through your hostaudio software. For example, you might hear itwhen you drive a live mic input signal through areverb plug-in running in your audio sequencer.

This delay is caused by the amount of time it takesfor audio to make the entire round trip throughyour computer, from when it rst enters an 8preinput, passes through the 8pre hardware into thecomputer, through your host audio software, andthen back out to an 8pre output.

If you dont need to process a live input withplug-ins, the easiest way to avoid monitoringlatency is to use the 8pres CueMix DSP feature topatch the input directly to your monitor outs viathe 8pre audio hardware. This is just like bussinginputs to outputs in a digital mixer. For details, seeCueMix DSP hardware monitoring on page 49 .

If you do need to process a live input with plug-ins,or if you are playing virtual instruments livethrough your 8pre audio hardware, you cansignicantly reduce latency and even make itcompletely inaudible, regardless of what host audioapplication software you use. This chapter explainshow.

It is important to note that monitoring delay has noeffect on when audio data is recorded to disk orplayed back from disk. Actual recording andplayback is extremely precise.

Monitoring latency does not occur whenoperating the 8pre as an optical expander (inconverter mode).

Monitoring live input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Adjusting the audio I/O buffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Lower latency versus higher CPU overhead . . . . . . . . . . 48Transport responsiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Effects processing and automated mixing . . . . . . . . . . . 49CueMix DSP hardware monitoring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Two methods for controlling CueMix DSP. . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Using MOTU CueMix Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Controlling CueMix DSP from your audio software . . 49

MONITORING LIVE INPUTThere are two ways to monitor live audio input

live input as a disk track.) SeeCueMix DSPhardware monitoring later in this chapter for


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There are two ways to monitor live audio inputwith an 8pre: 1) through the computer or 2) viaCueMix DSP hardware monitoring.Figure 10-1 below shows method 1, which allows you to addeffects processing such as reverb and guitar ampeffects via plug-ins in your audio software. See thenext section, Adjusting the audio I/O buffer fordetails about how to reduce and possibly eliminate the audible monitoring delay that thecomputer introduces.

Figure 10-2 on page 47shows how to use CueMixDSP hardware-based monitoring, which lets youhear what you are recording with no monitoringdelay and no computer-based effects processing.(You can add effects later, after youve recorded the

hardware monitoring later in this chapter fordetails on how to use CueMix DSP with your audiosoftware, or with the included MOTU CueMixConsole software.

If the material you are recording is suitable, there isa third way to monitor live input: use both methods(Figure 10-1and Figure 10-2) at the same time. Forexample, you could route vocals to both thecomputer (for a bit of reverb) and mix thatprocessed signal on the main outs with dry vocalsfrom CueMix DSP.

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

Mac

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

3. Mic signal ispatched thru back tothe audio interfacewith reverb or otherplug-in effects, if any.

Figure 10-1: There are two ways to monitor live audio inputs with an 8pre: 1) through the computer or 2) via CueMix DSP hardware monitor-ing. This diagram shows method 1 (through the computer). When using this method, use your host softwares buffer setting to reduce the

slight delay you hear when monitoring the live input, but dont lower it too much, or your computer might get sluggish.

4. Mic signal (with plug-inprocessing, if any) is routedto the main outs (or otheroutputs that youve speciedin the software).

ADJUSTING THE AUDIO I/O BUFFERA buffer is a small amount of computer memory
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bu e p yused to hold data. For audio interfaces like the8pre, buffers are used for the process of transferring audio data in and out of the computer.The size of the buffers determines how much delay you hear when monitoring live inputs throughyour audio software: larger buffers produce moredelay; smaller buffers produce less.

Under Mac OS X, audio I/O buffer size is handledby the host audio application (not the 8pre CoreAudio driver). Most audio software applicationsprovide an adjustable audio buffer setting that letsyou control the amount of delay youll hear whenmonitoring live inputs or processing them withsoftware plug-ins. Below are a few examples.

Figure 10-3: In Digital Performer and Aud ioDesk, choose Setupmenu> Congure Audio System> Congure Hardware Driver to openthe dialog shown above and access the Buffer Size setting. Refer to your Digital Performer or AudioDesk manual for information about the Host Buffer Multiplier setting.

2. CueMix DSP immediatelypatches the live mic signal directlyto the main outs (or other output),completely bypassing the computer(dry, with no effects processing).

3. Mic signal is mixed with themain outs, and you can controlthe volume (relative to the restof the mix) with the mics faderin CueMix Console.

Figure 10-2: This diagram shows the signal ow when using CueMix DSP 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 recordingthe live input as a disk track. CueMix DSP lets you hear what you are recording with no delay and no computer-based effects.

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

How responsive the transport controls are inAudioDesk, Digital Performer or other audio


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Figure 10-4: In Cubase SX or Nuendo, choose Devices menu> DeviceSetup and click VST Audiobay to access the window above and the Audio Buffer Size setting.

Figure 10-5: In Logic Pro or Logic Express, go to the Audio Driver preferences to access the Buffer Size option shown above.

Lower latency versus higher CPU overheadThe buffer setting has a large impact on thefollowing things:

Patch thru latency

The load on your computers CPU

Possible distortion at the smallest settings

gsoftware

The buffer setting presents you with a trade-off between the processing power of your computerand the delay of live audio as it is being patchedthrough your software. If you reduce the size, youreduce patch thru latency, but signicantly increasethe overall processing load on your computer,leaving less CPU bandwidth for things like real-time effects processing. On the other hand, if you

increase the buffer size, you reduce the load onyour computer, freeing up bandwidth for effects,mixing and other real-time operations.

Figure 10-6: When adjusting the buffer size to reduce monitoringlatency, watch the processor meter in Digital Performer or AudioDesks Performance Monitor. If you hear distortion, or if thePerformance meter is peaking, try raising the buffer size.

If you are at a point in your recording project whereyou are not currently working with live, patched-thru material (e.g. youre not recording vocals), or

if you have a way of externally processing inputs,choose a higher buffer size. Depending on yourcomputers CPU speed, you might nd that settingsin the middle work best (256 to 1024).

Transport responsivenessBuffer size also impacts how quickly your audiosoftware will respond when you begin playback,

although not by amounts that are very noticeable.Lowering the buffer size will make your softwarerespond faster; raising the buffer size will make it alittle bit slower, but barely enough to notice.

Effects processing and automated mixingReducing latency with the buffer size setting has

You can even use both methods simultaneously.


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another benet: it lets you route live inputs throughthe real-time effects processing and mix

automation of your audio software.

CUEMIX DSP HARDWARE MONITORINGThe 8pre has a more direct method of patchingaudio through the system. This method is calledCueMix DSP. When enabled, CueMix activateshardware patch-thru in the 8pre itself. CueMixDSP has two important benets:

First, it completely eliminates the patch thrudelay (reducing it to a small number of samples about the same amount as one of todays digitalmixers).

Secondly, CueMix DSP imposes no strain on thecomputer.

The trade-off, however, is that CueMix DSPbypasses your host audio software. Instead, liveaudio inputs are patched directly through tooutputs in the 8pre itself and are mixed with disktracks playing back from your audio software. Thismeans that you cannot apply plug-ins, mixautomation, or other real-time effects that your

audio software provides. But for inputs that dontneed these types of features, CueMix DSP is theway to go.

On the other hand, if you really need to use themixing and processing provided by your audiosoftware, you should not use CueMix DSP. Instead,reduce latency with the buffer setting (as explained

earlier in this chapter).

TWO METHODS FOR CONTROLLINGCUEMIX DSPThere are two ways to control CueMix DSP:

With MOTU CueMix Console

From within your host audio software (if itsupports direct hardware monitoring)

Using MOTU CueMix ConsoleIf your host audio software does not support direct

hardware monitoring, you run CueMix Consoleside-by-side with your audio software and manageyour monitor mix in CueMix Console.

CueMix Console allows you to create up to fourseparate 8pre monitor mixes, or any other desiredrouting congurations. These routings areindependent of your host audio software. For

complete details, see chapter 11, MOTU CueMixConsole (page 51).

Controlling CueMix DSP from your audiosoftwareSome audio applications allow you to controlCueMix DSP monitoring from within theapplication (without the need to use CueMix

Console). In most cases, this support consists of patching an 8pre input directly to an output whenyou record-arm a track. Exactly how this ishandled depends on the application.

The following applications are among those thatsupport direct control over CueMix DSP:

Digital Performer AudioDesk

CueMix DSP routings that are made via hostapplications are made under the hood, whichmeans that you wont see them in CueMix Console.However, CueMix DSP connections made insideyour host audio software dovetail with any othermixes youve set up in CueMix Console. Forexample, if your host application routes audio to anoutput pair that is already being used in CueMixConsole for an entirely separate mix bus, bothaudio streams will simply be merged to the output.

Follow the directions below in the section thatapplies to you.

Once enabled, CueMix DSP monitoring is tiedwith Digital Performer or AudioDesks Audio Patch


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Controlling CueMix DSP from within AudioDesk

or Digital PerformerTo turn on CueMix DSP in AudioDesk and DigitalPerformer:

1 From the Setup menu, choose Congure AudioSystem>Input Monitoring Mode.

2 Choose the Direct hardware playthroughoption,

as shown below in Figure 10-7.3 From the Studio menu, choose Audio Monitor ,and enable Audio Patch Thru (the button with theheadphone icon on it).

Figure 10-7: Enabling CueMix DSP in AudioDesk or Digital Performer.Note: the Only during recording... and Always options are for AudioDesk 2 and DP4 only. DP5 has expanded input monitoringfeatures. Consult your DP5 documentation.

Thru feature: when you record-enable a track, thetracks input is routed directly to its output (via

CueMix DSP in the 8pre hardware). For example, if you record-enable a track called guitar in your DPor AudioDesk project, and its audio inputassignment is Analog in 2, and its audio outputassignment is channels 7-8, CueMix DSP no-latency hardware monitoring will automatically beset up from analog in 2 to outputs 7-8.

Controlling CueMix DSP from within othersoftwareConsult the manual for your software.

CHAPTER11 MOTU CueMix Console
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OVERVIEWWhen operating the 8pre as an audio interface,MOTU CueMix Console provides access to theexible on-board mixing features of the 8pre.CueMix lets you route any combination of inputs toany stereo output pair. These mixes can be set upentirely independently of your host audio software.

CueMix allows you to set up four completely independent mix congurations with the 8pre. Youcan also save and load mix congurations.

CueMix Console can be used independently of host audio software, or together with it. CueMixmixing dovetails with the direct monitoring(hardware patch thru) features of your host audio

software, allowing you to seemlessly mix in bothenvironments.

Advantages of CueMix monitoring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52CueMix Console installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Cuemix Console basic operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Working with a mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Shortcuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Copying & pasting (duplicating) entire mixes . . . . . . . . 53Message center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Saving and loading presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Saving and loading presets to/from disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Edit channel names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Talkback and listenback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Mix1 Return Includes Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Show meter in dock icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Phones menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Control Surfaces menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

CueMix in optical expander mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Figure 11-1: MOTU CueMix Console is a virtual mixer that gives you control over the 8pres on-board mixing features.

Message center

Mix output

Master fader

Input mute/solo

Input pan

Input volume

Input nameInput scroll bar

Mix tabs

Master mute(enable/disable)

Grow box

Input section

Output level

Solo indicator

Talkback andlistenback

Talkback/listenback channels

ADVANTAGES OF CUEMIX MONITORINGCueMix Console provides several majoradvantages over monitoring live inputs through

Viewing one mix at a timeCueMix Console displays one mix at a time. Toselect which mix you are viewing click its tab at the


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advantages over monitoring live inputs throughyour host audio software:

CueMix has no buffer latency. Thanks to the8pres DSP chip, CueMix provides the samethroughput performance as a digital mixer.

CueMix imposes absolutely no processor drainon the computers CPU.

CueMix routing can be maintainedindependently of individual software applicationsor projects.

CueMix Console does not provide effectsprocessing. For information about using youraudio softwares native plug-ins together withCueMix, seechapter 10, Reducing MonitoringLatency (page 45).

CUEMIX CONSOLE INSTALLATIONCueMix Consoleis installed with the rest of your8pre software.

CUEMIX CONSOLE BASIC OPERATIONThe CueMix console is simple to operate, once youunderstand these basic concepts.

Four mix

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