MOTU 8pre User Manual Download Page 1

Page: 1 / 68

™

MOTU 8pre

User’s Guide for Windows

1280 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02138

Business voice: (617) 576-2760

Business fax: (617) 576-3609

Technical support: (617) 576-3066

Tech support fax: (617) 354-3068

Tech support email: [email protected]

Web site: www.motu.com

Summary of Contents for 8pre

Page 1: ...Windows 1280 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge MA 02138 Business voice 617 576 2760 Business fax 617 576 3609 Technical support 617 576 3066 Tech support fax 617 354 3068 Tech support email techsupport motu com Web site www motu com ...

Page 2: ...loutletsandextensioncordsasthiscanresultinariskoffireorelectricalshock 10 Grounding Donotdefeatthesafetypurposeofthepolarizedorgrounding typeplug Apolarizedplughastwobladeswithonewiderthantheother Agrounding typeplughastwobladesandathirdgroundingprong Thewideblade orthethirdprongareprovidedforyoursafety Iftheprovidedplugdoesnotfitintoyouroutlet consultandelectricianforreplacementoftheobsoleteoutle...

Page 3: ...antthisequipment againstdefectsinmaterialsandworkmanshipforaperiodofNINETY 90 DAYS fromthedateoforiginalretailpurchase Thiswarrantyappliesonlytohardware products MOTUsoftwareislicensedandwarrantedpursuanttoseparatewritten statements Ifyoudiscoveradefect firstwriteorcallMarkoftheUnicornat 617 576 2760to obtainaReturnMerchandiseAuthorizationNumber Noservicewillbeperformedon anyproductreturnedwithout...

Page 4: ... System Requirements 15 IMPORTANT Run the 8pre Software Installer First 17 Installing the 8pre Hardware 23 MOTU Audio Setup 27 Front Panel Settings 29 Cubase Nuendo and Other ASIO Software 35 SONAR and other WDM Software 41 GigaStudio and GSIF 45 Reducing Monitoring Latency 51 MOTU CueMix Console 59 MOTU SMPTE Setup 65 Performance Tips Troubleshooting 67 Index ...

Page 5: ...left to right where all LEDs are illuminated at full headphone volume The middle row of green LEDs third from the bottom performance a similar role for the main out volume adjustment 4 When the 8pre is connected to computer via FireWire and the computer is turned on the 8pre functions as an audio interface When the computer is off or not connected the 8pre functions as a digital to analog converte...

Page 6: ...ded 2 Connect a MIDI device here using standard MIDI cables Connect the 8pre s MIDI OUT port to the MIDI IN port on the other device Conversely connect the 8pre s MIDI IN port to the MIDI OUT port on the other device You can connect differ ent devices to each port such as a controller device to the IN port and a sound module to the OUT port You can also daisy chain MIDI devices but be sure to mana...

Page 7: ...tings specific to the 8pre or other connected interface When operating the 8pre as an interface choosing a smaller setting here reduces the delay you may hear when listening to live input that you are running through effects plug ins in your software But lower settings also increase the strain on your computer For details see Samples Per Buffer on page 25 Click the 8pre tab to access these setting...

Page 8: ...8 ...

Page 9: ...ality mic inputs to the system The 8pre offers the following features Eight 24 bit analog combo XLR TRS mic instrument inputs with preamps each equipped with individually switchable 20 dB pad and 48V phantom power Two 24 bit analog TRS main outputs Eight channel ADAT optical digital I O at sample rates up to 96 kHz MIDI I O On board SMPTE synchronization Headphone jack Main volume knob for headpho...

Page 10: ...ipped with 24 bit 96kHz 64x oversampling A D converters The main outs have 24 bit 128x oversampling D A converters All audio is carried to the computer in a 24 bit data stream Main Outs The main outs are equipped with 24 bit 128x oversampling D A converters and serve as independent outputs for the computer The main outputs are on balanced TRS 4dB quarter inch jacks Both of these jacks can also acc...

Page 11: ...Mode lights indicate whether the interface is currently operating as a FireWire audio interface or an analog to optical converter The Clock lights indicate the global sample rate and clock source 16 BIT AND 24 BIT RECORDING The 8pre system handles all data with a 24 bit signal path regardless of the I O format You can record and play back 16 bit or 24 bit audio files at any supported sample rate v...

Page 12: ...A B O U T T H E 8 P R E 12 ...

Page 13: ... 1 GHz Pentium based PC compatible or faster equipped with at least one FireWire port A Pentium III processor or faster is recommended At least 256 MB megabytes of RAM 512 MB or more is recommended Windows XP A large hard drive preferably at least 20 GB PLEASE REGISTER TODAY Please register your 8pre today There are two ways to register Visit www motu com to register online OR Fill out and mail th...

Page 14: ...P A C K I N G L I S T A N D W I N D O W S S Y S T E M R E Q U I R E M E N T S 14 ...

Page 15: ...the next section INSTALLING THE 8PRE SOFTWARE To install the 8pre software insert the MOTU Audio CD ROM and follow the directions it gives you on your computer screen Also be sure to read the Read Me file for installation assistance The 8pre ships with the following software and drivers for Windows XP Software component Purpose MOTU Audio Setup Provides access to all of the settings in the 8pre ha...

Page 16: ...X and Nuendo with the 8pre see chapter 7 Cubase Nuendo and Other ASIO Software page 29 MOTU WDM DRIVER The MOTU WDM audio driver provides standard multi channel input and output for audio applications running under Windows XP See chapter 8 SONAR and other WDM Software page 35 for details The MOTU Audio installer CD installs the MOTU WDM driver into Windows for you MOTU GSIF DRIVER The MOTU GSIF au...

Page 17: ...r control surface Operatingthe8preasaninterface 20 An example setup for computer based mixing FX Operatingthe8preasaconverter 21 An example setup for a mixer based studio Syncingopticaldevices 22 CONNECT THE 8PRE TO YOUR COMPUTER 1 Plug one end of the 8pre FireWire cable included into the FireWire socket on the computer as shown below in Figure 4 1 2 Plug the other end of the FireWire cable into t...

Page 18: ...d 96 kHz The 8pre rear panel provides two sets of ADAT optical lightpipe connectors an top row and a bottom row 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 audio interface connected to your computer Optical operation at 44 1 or 48 kHz When connected to an ADAT li...

Page 19: ...keyboard controller guitar controller or drum pad only need Connection B shown in Figure 4 2 Similarly devices that never send data such as a sound module only need Connection A Make both connections for any device that needs to both send and receive MIDI data Connecting additional gear with MIDI THRUs If you need to connect several pieces of MIDI gear run a MIDI cable from the MIDI THRU of a devi...

Page 20: ... s CueMix DSP no latency monitoring to listen to what you are recording via the main outs headphone outs or any other output pair You can control monitoring from the included MOTU CueMix Console software Digital mixer Optical Out quarter inch analog outs synthesizer monitors guitar with or without an amp Figure 4 4 A typical 8pre studio setup headphones other inputs mics guitars etc MIDI IN OUT PC...

Page 21: ...nal 8 mic inputs to the interface The benefit of connecting the 8pre in this manner instead of as another FireWire interface is that you can seamlessly integrate the 8pre s inputs into the on board no latency CueMix monitor mixing in the interface since the 8pre s inputs are fed into CueMix via the interface s optical inputs If the device to which you are connecting the 8pre supports 2x optical sa...

Page 22: ...the bottom row provides channels 5 8 as indicated by the blue labeling on the rear panel Figure 4 7 Setting the clock source In ADAT optical clock mode as demonstrated in the right hand diagram below the 8pre always resolves to the optical input in the top row even during 88 2 or 96 kHz operation So be sure to connect the device that is the ADAT optical clock master to the 8pre s optical input in ...

Page 23: ...up In Cubase SX or Nuendo open the Device Setup window click VST Audiobay and choose MOTU Audio from the Master ASIO Driver menu Then click the MOTU Audio item in the list and click the Control Panel button as shown below From within other ASIO compatible programs refer to their documentation General tab settings The General tab provides settings that apply globally to all connected MOTU interface...

Page 24: ...urce setting Internal Use the Internal setting when you want the 8pre to operate under its own digital audio clock For example you may be in a situation where all you are doing is playing tracks off hard disk in your digital audio software on the computer In a situation like this you most often don t need to reference an external clock of any kind ADAT optical The ADAT optical clock source setting...

Page 25: ...sole page 51 Adjusting the Samples Per Buffer setting impacts the following things The strain on your computer s CPU The delay you hear when routing a live signal through your host audio software plug ins How responsive the transport controls are in your software This setting presents you with a trade off between the processing power of your computer and the delay of live audio as it is being proc...

Page 26: ...n is only available when the multimedia driver has been installed and it defaults to being not checked 8PRE TAB SETTINGS Optical input output The Optical input and Optical output settings let you enable or disable the optical ports For example when operating the 8pre as an audio interface you can conserve FireWire bus bandwidth by disabling the optical ports when they are not in use This frees up ...

Page 27: ...he knob twice so that it clicks two times and then turn it to adjust the volume of the main outs on the rear panel In the LED section to the right the middle row of green LEDs third from the bottom provides general feedback regarding the headphone level as you turn the knob Figure 6 3 When you adjust main out volume the top most green row of LEDs third from the bottom provides feedback as you turn...

Page 28: ...F R O N T P A N E L S E T T I N G S 28 flashes turn the knob to change the clock mode Push it again to confirm the current clock setting exit clock mode ...

Page 29: ... audio software Cubase is used for the examples in this chapter However the basic procedures are the same and can be easily applied to any ASIO compatible software Just follow the general descriptions at the beginning of each main section in this chapter Consult your software documentation for details about each topic if necessary If your audio software doesn t support ASIO If your host audio soft...

Page 30: ...ost application other than Cubase or Nuendo it must support the ASIO 2 0 sample accurate positioning protocol in ordertosupportthe8pre sdirectSMPTEsync and sample accurate sync feature Samples Per Buffer The Samples Per Buffer setting can be used to reduce the delay or monitoring latency that you hear when live audio is patched through your 8pre hardware and Cubase For example you might have MIDI ...

Page 31: ...s If you are using analog and optical you need 16 voices In Cubase set the number of channels in the System dialog as shown above in Figure 7 2 ASIO DIRECT MONITORING The ASIO Direct Monitoring option Figure 7 2 allows you to monitor inputs directly in the 8pre hardware with no drain on your computer and near zero latency When you enable this option Cubase uses the 8pre s CueMix DSP monitoring fea...

Page 32: ...gure 7 2 on page 31 Be sure to click the Reset button after making any changes PROCESSING LIVE INPUTS WITH PLUG INS If you patch a live input such as MIDI synthesizer through aVST plug in effect in Cubase you might hear a slight delay There are several ways to reduce this delay For details see chapter 10 Reducing Monitoring Latency page 45 SYNCING TO SMPTE TIME CODE CubaseorNuendocanrununderitsown...

Page 33: ... O S O F T W A R E 33 outputs you are working with Use MOTU Audio Setup to disable the optical I O if it is not being used Figure 7 5 Keep the Audio Performance window open to keep tabs on your computer s processing power and hard disk performance ...

Page 34: ...C U B A S E N U E N D O A N D O T H E R A S I O S O F T W A R E 34 ...

Page 35: ...er setup examples in this chapter If you prefer to use the 8pre ASIO driver with SONAR refer to the previous chapter Attention other software users SONAR and Sound Forge are used for the WDM driver setup examples in this chapter However the basic procedures are similar and can be easily applied to any WDM compatible software Consult your software documentation if necessary INSTALLING THE MOTU AUDI...

Page 36: ...SMPTE time code choose Internal If you have digital audio devices connected to the 8pre or if youarenotsure abouttheclocksource of your setup be sure to read Syncing optical devices on page 22 and Clock Source on page 24 Samples Per Buffer The Samples Per Buffer setting can be used to reduce the delay or monitoring latency that you hear when live audio is patched through your 8pre hardware and SON...

Page 37: ...the MOTU Audio WDM driver in SONAR by highlighting 8pre inputs and outputs Enabling the MOTU ASIO driver in SONAR As an alternative to the 8pre sWDM driver you can use the 8pre s ASIO driver Note however that you can only use one audio interface at a time under ASIO Go to the Advanced tab and choose ASIO from the Driver Mode menu Figure 8 3 Enabling the ASIO driver instead of the WDM driver Other ...

Page 38: ... WORKING WITH 8PRE INPUTS AND OUTPUTS Once you ve enabled the 8pre inputs and outputs 8pre audio inputs and outputs will appear in your host software s input output menus and you can set them up and use them as any standard audio input and output If you don t see the optical inputs and or outputs check MOTU Audio Setup to make sure they are turned on If you don t plan to use the optical input or o...

Page 39: ...audio is being monitored through your 8pre hardware and your host audio program There are several ways to reduce and eliminate this audible monitoring delay For details see chapter 10 Reducing Monitoring Latency page 45 MIDI I O VIA THE 8PRE MIDI PORTS Once you ve run the 8pre s software installer as explained in Installing the 8pre software on page 15 the 8pre MIDI ports will appear as a input so...

Page 40: ...S O N A R A N D O T H E R W D M S O F T W A R E 40 ...

Page 41: ...re your 8pre hardware MOTU Audio Setup lets you configure your audio interface and it lets you enable the optical inputs and outputs Only enabled inputs and outputs will be available to GigaStudio so this is an important step For complete details see chapter 5 MOTU Audio Setup page 23 Figure 9 1 MOTU Audio Setup gives you access to all of the settings in the 8pre hardware including the clock sourc...

Page 42: ... can choose any other output pair If you choose Phones this setting makes the headphone jack serve as its own independent output pair As a result you ll see Phones 1 2 as an additional audio destination in GigaStudio s audio output menus CHOOSING THE MOTU GSIF DRIVER Once you ve made the preparations described so far in this chapter you re ready to run GigaStudio and enable the MOTU GSIF driver To...

Page 43: ...n Includes Computer on page 55 Warning the Mix1 1 2 input can cause feedback loops DO NOT assign this input to a track that shares the same 8pre output pair as MIX1 MIDI I O VIA THE 8PRE MIDI PORTS Use the MIDI Port Configuration section Figure 9 2 as instructed in your GigaStudio manual to use the 8pre s MIDI ports with GigaStudio CHANGING 8PRE SETTINGS To change the 8pre settings at any time run...

Page 44: ...G I G A S T U D I O A N D G S I F 44 ...

Page 45: ... 8pre audio hardware This is just like bussing inputs to outputs in a digital mixer For details see CueMix DSP hardware monitoring on page 48 If you do need to process a live input with plug ins or if you are playing virtual instruments live through your 8pre audio hardware you can significantly reduce latency and even make it completely inaudible regardless of what host audio application software...

Page 46: ...with the included MOTU CueMix Console software If the material you are recording is suitable there is a third way to monitor live input use both methods Figure 10 1 and Figure 10 2 at the same time For example you could route vocals to both the computer for a bit of reverb and mix that processed signal on the main outs with dry vocals from CueMix DSP 1 Live input from mic guitar etc enters the MOT...

Page 47: ...so increases the process ing load on your computer so keep an eye on the Performance Monitor in your host audio software 2 CueMix DSP immediately patches the live mic signal directly to the main outs or other output completelybypassingthecomputer dry with no effects processing 3 Mic signal is mixed with the main outs and you can control thevolume relativetotherest ofthemix withthemic sfader in Cue...

Page 48: ...the buffer size will make it a little bit slower but barely enough to notice Effects processing and automated mixing Reducing latency with the buffer size setting has another benefit it lets you route live inputs through the real time effects processing and mix automation of your audio software CUEMIX DSP HARDWARE MONITORING The 8pre has a more direct method of patching audio through the system Th...

Page 49: ...t you won t see them in CueMix Console However CueMix DSP connections made inside your host audio software dovetail with any other mixes you ve set up in CueMix Console For example if your host application routes audio to an output pair that is already being used in CueMix Console for an entirely separate mix bus both audio streams will simply be merged to the output Follow the directions below in...

Page 50: ...R E D U C I N G M O N I T O R I N G L A T E N C Y 50 ...

Page 51: ...ures of your host audio software allowing you to seemlessly mix in both environments AdvantagesofCueMixmonitoring 52 CueMixConsoleinstallation 52 CuemixConsolebasicoperation 52 Workingwithamix 52 Shortcuts 53 Copying pasting duplicating entiremixes 53 Messagecenter 53 Savingandloadingpresets 53 Savingandloadingpresetsto fromdisk 53 Talkbackandlistenback 54 Mix1ReturnIncludesComputer 55 Phonesmenu ...

Page 52: ...h mix as some number of inputs all mixed down to a stereo output pair CueMix Console lets you choose which inputs to include in the mix and it lets you specify the level and pan for each input being fed into the mix Viewing one mix at a time CueMix Console displays one mix at a time To select which mix you are viewing click its tab at the bottom of the window as shown in Figure 11 1 The mix name a...

Page 53: ... for a stereo input pair hold down the control key while dragging the fader or knob for either the left or right input SHORTCUTS Hold down the following modifier keys as shortcuts COPYING PASTING DUPLICATING ENTIRE MIXES To copy and paste the settings from one mix to another 1 Select the source mix Figure 11 1 and choose Copy from the file menu or press control C 2 Choose the destination mix and c...

Page 54: ...Talkback and Listenback For Talkback set up a dedicated mic in your control room and connect it to a mic input on your MOTU audio interface For Listenback set up a dedicated listenback mic in the live room for the musicians and connect it to another mic input For talkback output set up a headphone distribution amp or set of speakers in the live room and connect it to the 8pre s headphone out as de...

Page 55: ...gaging disengaging Talkback and Listenback To engage Talk back or Listenback press on the Talk or Listen buttons and then release to disengage Talkback and or Listenback is engaged for as long as you hold down the mouse button Hold down the spacebar and click to make the buttons sticky stay engaged until you click them again so you don t have to hold down the mouse If you would like to engage both...

Page 56: ... bus tabs if you adjust a control in a bus that is not currently being displayed CueMix Console will jump to the appropriate tab to display the control you are adjusting Share surfaces with other applications When the Share surfaces with other applications menu command is checked CueMix Console releases the control surface when you switch to another application This allows you to control your othe...

Page 57: ...der as discussed in Operating the 8pre as a converter on page 21 CueMix is hard wired to route each analog input to its corresponding optical output channel analog in 1 to optical out 1 analog in 2 to optical out 2 and so on In addition when operating the 8pre at a 1x sample rate either 44 1 or 48 kHz the analog input signals are duplicated and sent to both optical output banks This lets you send ...

Page 58: ...M O T U C U E M I X C O N S O L E 58 ...

Page 59: ... a complete set of tools to generate SMPTE for striping regenerating or slaving other devices to the computer CLOCK ADDRESS The Clock Address menu Figure 12 1 provides the same global Clock Source setting as in MOTU Audio Setup Clock Source on page 28 in the 8pre manual but it includes additional information each setting shows both the clock and the address time code or sample location separated b...

Page 60: ...Freewheeling occurs when there is a glitch or drop out in the incoming time code for some reason The 8pre can freewheel past the drop out and then resume lockup again as soon as it receives readable time code Choose the amount of time you would like the 8pre to freewheel before it gives up and stops altogether The 8pre cannot freewheel address without clock Therefore the FreewheelAddress setting w...

Page 61: ... for generating SMPTE time code Level Turn the level knob to adjust the volume of the SMPTE time code being generated by the 8pre The level knob disappears when the Destination is set to None Tach light The Tach light blinks once per second when the 8pre is generating SMPTE time code Destination In the Destination menu choose the analog output from which SMPTE time code will be generated This is t...

Page 62: ... the MOTU Audio Setup This setting can also be made in the MOTU SMPTE Setup software shown below SMPTE time code source audio cable bearing LTC LongitudinalTime Code FireWire cable Launch the MOTU SMPTE Setup and specify the SMPTESource which is the input receiving the SMPTE time code Also confirm that the Clock Source Addressis SMPTE SMPTE Windows computer running Cubase or other sample accurate ...

Page 63: ...SMPTE time code with no additional synchronization devices use the setup shown in Figure 12 3 Make sure the Clock Source setting in the MOTU Audio Setup window is set to SMPTE Also make sure that you ve connected an LTC input signal to an 8pre analog input and that you ve specified that input in the SMPTE Setup ...

Page 64: ...M O T U S M P T E S E T U P 64 ...

Page 65: ... inputs and outputs are not available in Cubase Make sure that the inputs and outputs are enabled in Cubase in Device Setup VST Audiobay MOTU Audio VST inputs outputs Sound Forge and Smooth Scroll If the Smooth Scroll option under the Options menu is turned on you may experience clicks and pops or other anomalies in the audio playback This gets worse as you zoom in more to the waveform while playi...

Page 66: ...replacement disc by calling our business office at 617 576 2760andaskingforthecustomerservice department In the meantime you can download the latest drivers from www motu com TECHNICAL SUPPORT If you are unable with your dealer s help to solve problems you encounter with the 8pre system you may contact our technical support department in one of the following ways Tech support hotline 617 576 3066 ...

Page 67: ... 56 Forget button 26 Freewheel address 60 clock 60 infinite 60 61 Front panel meters 5 VOLUME rotary encoder settings 27 G General tab 23 GigaStudio 41 clock source 41 Optical input output 42 sample rate 41 GSIF driver 15 16 41 Guitar connecting 20 H Headphone jack 5 Headphones connecting 20 controlling output 26 jack 11 volume 27 I Infinite freewheel 60 61 Installation hardware 17 software 15 Int...

Page 68: ...d module connecting 19 Stop Freewheeling 60 Stripe button 61 Studio setup example 20 Synchronization Cubase 32 Nuendo 32 Synths connecting 20 System requirements minimum 13 recommended computer 11 13 T TACH light SMPTE Console 60 Talkback explained 54 settings 54 Tech support contact info 66 Technical support 66 Time code sync 59 62 Troubleshooting feedback loop 32 38 43 TRS XLR jacks 6 Type I II ...

Search results

Summary of Contents for 8pre

Reviews:

Related manuals for 8pre

Brands by name

Popular brands

MOTU 8pre, User Manual

Search results

Summary of Contents for 8pre

Reviews:

Related manuals for 8pre

Brands by name

Popular brands