DigiDesign FWx FireWire
Record/Playback Option
Card Manual Download Page 2

Legal Notices

This guide is copyrighted ©2008 by Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc. 
(hereafter “Digidesign”), with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this guide 
may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of 
Digidesign.

003, 003 Rack, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 192 I/O, 888|24 I/O, 
882|20 I/O, 1622 I/O, 24-Bit ADAT Bridge I/O, AudioSuite, Avid, Avid DNA, 
Avid Mojo, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS, Avid Unity MediaNetwork, Avid Xpress, 
AVoption, AVoption|V10, Beat Detective, Bruno, Command|8, Control|24, 
D-Command, D-Control, D-Fi, D-fx, D-Show, DAE, Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack, 
DigiBase, DigiDelivery, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign 
Intelligent Noise Reduction, Digidesign TDM Bus, DigiDrive, DigiRack, DigiTest, 
DigiTranslator, DINR, DV Toolkit, EditPack, Impact, Interplay, M-Audio, 
MachineControl, Maxim, Mbox, MediaComposer, MIDI I/O, MIX, MultiShell, OMF, 
OMF Interchange, PRE, ProControl, Pro Tools M-Powered, Pro Tools, 
Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, QuickPunch, Reel Tape, Reso, Reverb One, ReVibe, 
RTAS, Smack!, SoundReplacer, Sound Designer II, Strike, Structure, SYNC HD, 
SYNC I/O, Synchronic, TL Space, Velvet, and X-Form and Xpand! are trademarks 
or registered trademarks of Digidesign and/or Avid Technology, Inc. All other 
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Product features, specifications, system requirements, and availability are 
subject to change without notice.

9321-58786-00 REV A 2/08

Comments or suggestions regarding our documentation? 
email: [email protected]

Communications and Safety Regulation Information

Compliance Statement
This model Digidesign FWx FireWire Option Card complies with the following 
standards regulating interference and EMC:

FCC Part 15 Class B

EN 55103-1 E3

EN 55103-2 E3

AS/NZS 3548 Class B

CISPR 22 Class B

Radio and Television Interference

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class 
B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.

DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY

We Digidesign,
2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard, Suite 200
Daly City, CA 94014 USA
tel: 650-731-6300
declare under our sole responsibility that the product
FWx FireWire Option Card 
complies with Part 15 of FCC Rules. 
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:  (1) this device may not 
cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference 
received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Communication Statement

NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a 
Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are 
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a 
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio 
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the 
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, 
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. 
If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television 
reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user 
is encouraged to try and correct the interference by one or more of the following 
measures:

Reorient or locate the receiving antenna.

Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which 
the receiver is connected.

Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Any modifications to the unit, unless expressly approved by Digidesign, could 
void the user's authority to operate the equipment.

Canadian Compliance Statement:

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003. 

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du 
Canada.

Australian Compliance

European Compliance

FWx FireWire Option

Summary of Contents for FWx FireWire Record/Playback Option Card

Page 1: ...99 Technical Support USA tel 650 731 6100 fax 650 731 6375 Product Information USA tel 650 731 6102 tel 800 333 2137 International Offices Visit the Digidesign Website for contact information Website www digidesign com FWx FireWire Record Playback Option Card For VENUE Systems 9321 58786 00 REV A 2 08 ...

Page 2: ... been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY We Digidesign 2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard Suite 200 Daly City CA 94014 USA tel 650 731 6300 declare under our sole responsibility that the product FWx FireWire Option Card complies with Part 15 of FCC Rules Operation is subject to the following two conditio...

Page 3: ...ming FOH Rack FWx Card Installation 5 Mix Rack FWx Card Installation 6 Confirming Mix Rack FWx Card Installation 8 Powering Up and Powering Down VENUE System and Pro Tools 9 Installing Pro Tools LE 9 Using Lower Versions of Pro Tools LE with FWx 9 Chapter 3 Using FWx 11 Overview 11 D Show Signal Routing for FWx Recording 11 D Show Signal Routing for FWx Playback 13 Using Synchronization and Time C...

Page 4: ...FWx Record Playback Option Card iv ...

Page 5: ...e includes the following items FWx card installs into the VENUE FOH Rack and Mix Rack FWx card ribbon cable Pro Tools LE software Digidesign Registration Information card A FireWire cable six pin 1394 System Requirements The following are required to use the FWx Option with your installed and configured VENUE system A compatible FireWire equipped computer running Windows XP Vista or Mac OS X A com...

Page 6: ...le menu Options System Config In the D Show software screen click Options to display the Options page then click the Sys tem Config tab Ctrl N Hold down the Control key and press the N key Ctrl click Hold down the Control key and click the mouse button User Tips are helpful hints for getting the most from your D Show system Important Notices include information that could affect data or performanc...

Page 7: ...to the FOH Rack 4 Remove the front panel faceplate by unscrewing its mount ing screws 1 Phillips Keep the screws nearby for remount ing the front panel later 5 If your system has an HDx TDM Option card installed dis connect its ribbon cable and remove the card 6 On the back panel of the FOH Rack remove the faceplate on any available expansion slot by removing the screws holding it in place Keep th...

Page 8: ... the left 12 Attach the included ribbon cable to the ribbon connector socket labelled FireWire on the first Mix Engine card the rear most card when viewed from the open front panel Make sure that the ribbon cable connector s notch is facing you when attaching the connector 13 Attach the other end of the ribbon cable to the ribbon con nector socket on the FWx card Make sure that the notch on the ri...

Page 9: ...ion do the following 1 In the D Show software go to the Options Devices page 2 Confirm the FWx card s presence in your FOH Rack When successfully installed the FWx card is detected and FWx is shown on screen in the lower right of the FOH Rack graphic FWx card indicated in the FOH Rack icon in the Devices page If the FWx card is not displayed power down the system and check all cables and connectio...

Page 10: ...e front panel later 5 On the Mix Rack back panel remove the top expansion slot cover by unscrewing its mounting screws Keep the screws nearby in order to secure the FWx card to the Mix Rack 6 Remove the FWx card from its packing material Hold the card by its edges For FOH Rack installation instructions see FOH Rack FWx Card Installation on page 3 Front of the Mix Rack Mounting screws remove all Fa...

Page 11: ...p tie that secures the expansion card power cable to the chassis being careful not to cut the wires 11 Attach an available internal power cable plug to the power socket on the FWx card by holding the socket on the FWx and pushing the plug firmly into the socket When the power ca ble plug is correctly attached to the FWx card the yellow wire should be the first wire from the left Installing the FWx...

Page 12: ...ack 16 Power on all system components Proceed to Confirming Mix Rack FWx Card Installation on page 8 Confirming Mix Rack FWx Card Installation After you have installed the FWx card in your Mix Rack you can confirm that you have installed it properly To confirm FWx card installation do the following 1 In D Show go to the Options Devices page 2 Confirm the FWx card s presence in your Mix Rack When s...

Page 13: ... FWx Option to install all software and drivers for FWx recording and playback For information on installing Pro Tools LE and configuring your Pro Tools system refer to the 003 003 Rack Getting Started guide located on the Pro Tools Installer disc Using Lower Versions of Pro Tools LE with FWx This section details software installation requirements for FWx with lower versions of Pro Tools LE Pro To...

Page 14: ...FWx Record Playback Option Card 10 ...

Page 15: ... Show Signal Routing for FWx Recording You can assign any mono or stereo D Show channel to FWx channels including channel Direct Outputs Mains Auxes mono or stereo Groups Matrix outputs and PQ outputs Use the Patchbay Outputs page to route D Show output busses or Direct Outputs to FWx channels 1 18 for recording Using Direct Outputs lets you record discrete channels from the pickoff point you choo...

Page 16: ... 5 Configure Pro Tools for stereo recording To use an Output bus to route a submix to Pro Tools 1 In the D Show Patchbay go to the Outputs page 2 Click the Mains Aux Group Matrix or PQ tab to the left of the grid to display the type of bus you want to use 3 Click the Pro Tools hardware tab at the top right of the grid to show the available FWx channels 4 Click in the grid to route busses listed on...

Page 17: ...tracks as follows If Pro Tools is only being used for recording make sure the recording tracks are assigned to an available FWx channel pair or If simultaneously using Pro Tools to record and play back audio check output routing to avoid potential feedback loops Make sure record enabled tracks do not share the same output assignment as any playback tracks Assign output of the recording tracks to a...

Page 18: ...FWx Record Playback Option Card 14 ...

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