MOTU Audio Express User Manual
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MOTU Audio Express User Manual

Hybrid firewire and usb2 audio interface for mac and windows
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Audio Express
™
User Guide for Mac
1280 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
Business voice: (617) 576-2760
Business fax: (617) 576-3609
Web site: www.motu.com
Tech support: www.motu.com/support

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  • Page 1 Audio Express ™ User Guide for Mac 1280 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 Business voice: (617) 576-2760 Business fax: (617) 576-3609 Web site: www.motu.com Tech support: www.motu.com/support...
  • Page 2 Authorization Number on the outside of the box below the shipping address. That license agreement is a contract, and clicking “Accept” binds you and MOTU to This warranty does not apply if the equipment has been damaged by accident, all its terms and conditions.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Contents Quick Reference: Audio Express Front Panel Quick Reference: Audio Express Rear Panel Quick Reference: MOTU Audio Setup About the Audio Express Packing List and Mac System Requirements Installing the Audio Express Hardware Installing the Audio Express Mac Software MOTU Audio Setup...

  • Page 7: Quick Reference: Motu Audio Setup

    Phones 1-2. Click the General tab to access these settings. Check this option if you would like the MOTU Audio Setup application to open as soon as a This button opens another dialog MOTU interface is detected (switched on, that lets you assign your own plugged in, etc.)

  • Page 9: About The Audio Express

    About the Audio Express CHAPTER Overview ..........9 Coaxial S/PDIF digital I/O at sample rates up to ■...
  • Page 10 THE AUDIO EXPRESS REAR PANEL guitar/instruments inputs. Individual 48 volt The rear panel has the following connectors: phantom power and a 20 dB pad can be supplied independently to each mic input. The Precision Four gold-plated, balanced +4dB quarter-inch ■ Digital Trim™...
  • Page 11 In fact, these controls provide control of up to four separate mixes. Use the MIC, LINE and The included MOTU SMPTE Console™ software S/PDIF knobs to control input volume for each provides a complete set of tools for generating and mix;...
  • Page 12 24-bit recording. DIGITAL PERFORMER The Audio Express system is fully integrated with CUEMIX MIXING AND EFFECTS MOTU’s award-winning Digital Performer audio All Audio Express inputs and outputs can be sequencer software package. routed to the on-board CueMix 8-bus (4 stereo) digital mixer driven by hardware-based DSP.

  • Page 13: Packing List And Mac System Requirements

    Audio Express box when you first open it, please Visit www.motu.com/registration to register on ■ immediately contact your dealer or MOTU. line One Audio Express I/O rack unit ■ One 6-pin to 6-pin IEEE 1394 “FireWire” cable ■...
  • Page 14 P A C K I N G L I S T A N D M A C S Y S T E M R E Q U I R E M E N T S...
  • Page 15 3. Turn on other devices connected to the Audio An example setup for computer-based mixing/FX. Express. Connect multiple MOTU interfaces ....23 Connect additional Audio Express or other audio interfaces.

  • Page 16: Installing The Audio Express Hardware

    ☛ CONNECT THE AUDIO EXPRESS INTERFACE You can connect the Audio Express to an Your Audio Express audio interface is equipped 800Mbit “FireWire B” port using a 9-pin to 6-pin with both a FireWire A (400 Mbit/sec) connector FireWire B cable (not shown). However, the Audio and a hi-speed USB2 (480 Mbit/sec) connector, Express will still operate at its specified 400Mbit and you can use either port to connect the Audio...
  • Page 17 High Speed USB 2.0 versus USB 1.1 3 Plug the squared “type B” plug of the USB cable There are primarily two types of USB host into the Audio Express I/O as shown below in controllers widely available on current personal Figure 3-1.

  • Page 18: Connect Audio Inputs And Outputs

    fine-tuned adjustments in trim LED is illuminated on the front panel. approximately 1dB increments. You can also adjust trim in the MOTU CueMix FX software. See “Input 2 Turn the corresponding LINE knob to adjust trim” on page 59.

  • Page 19: Connect Midi Gear

    Main outs One-way MIDI connections In a standard studio configuration, the main outs MIDI devices that do not receive MIDI data, such are intended for a pair of studio monitors, but they as a dedicated keyboard controller, guitar can also be used as regular outputs for any controller, or drum pad, only need Connection B purpose.

  • Page 20: Connect And Sync S/Pdif Devices

    CONNECT AND SYNC S/PDIF DEVICES Bus power requirements The Audio Express draws all the power it needs DAT decks and other devices with S/PDIF digital from the FireWire bus connection to the computer. I/O will sync to the Audio Express via the However, the FireWire connection to the computer S/PDIF connection itself.
  • Page 21 direct connection to the power supply harness Audio Express. This is the most compact and inside your computer. This is the same power portable operating scenario. Running time is supply harness to which you connect internal hard determined by the capacity of the laptop battery. drives, CD/DVD drives, etc.

  • Page 22: A Typical Audio Express Setup

    A TYPICAL AUDIO EXPRESS SETUP audio software, or you can use the Audio Express’s Here is a typical Audio Express studio setup. In this CueMix™ no-latency mixer. You can control the example, no external mixer is needed. All mixing Audio Express’s four separate mixes from the front and processing can be done in the computer with panel or from the included CueMix FX software.

  • Page 23: Connect Multiple Motu Interfaces

    Doing so ensures that audio tracks being played or recorded by your MOTU interface will not drift apart from tracks on the other device during long playback or recording passes.
  • Page 24 Figure 3-10: To resolve a MOTU FireWire interface to another Core Audio device, choose the other device from the Clock Source menu in MOTU Audio Setup. In this example, the Audio Express will resolve to the Traveler. I N S T A L L I N G T H E A U D I O E X P R E S S H A R D W A R E...

  • Page 25: Installing The Audio Express Mac Software

    More specifically, MOTU SMPTE Console ....... 27 we use Core Audio to refer to Mac OS X’s standard...
  • Page 26 Core MIDI and Audio MIDI Setup Core MIDI is the “under-the-hood” portion of Mac OS X that handles MIDI services for MIDI hardware and software. Core MIDI provides many universal MIDI system management features, including MIDI communication between your Audio Express FireWire interface and all Core MIDI compatible software.
  • Page 27 Audio Express to SMPTE time code, and to generate SMPTE for striping, regenerating or slaving other devices to the computer. For details, see chapter 12, “MOTU Figure 4-3: Connecting devices to the Audio Express. In this example, SMPTE Console” (page 81).
  • Page 28 I N S T A L L I N G T H E A U D I O E X P R E S S M A C S O F T W A R E...

  • Page 29: Motu Audio Setup

    Default Stereo Input/Output......31 Then click the MOTU Audio Express item in the list Phones Assign ........32 and click the Control Panel button.

  • Page 30: Audio Express' Tab Settings

    “Connect and sync S/PDIF devices” on page 20. Figure 5-1: MOTU Audio Setup gives you access to all of the settings in the Audio Express hardware. M O T U A U D I O S E T U P...

  • Page 31: Default Stereo Input/Output

    Audio drivers” on page 23. Other audio devices (drivers) The MOTU FireWire Audio Driver has the ability Figure 5-2: The Mac OS X sound preferences let you use the Audio Express for general stereo audio input and output for your Mac.

  • Page 32: Phones Assign

    ‘GENERAL’ TAB SETTINGS Launch MOTU Audio Setup when hardware becomes available Check this option if you would like the MOTU Audio Setup icon to appear in the application dock as soon as a MOTU interface is detected (switched on, plugged in, etc.) Figure 5-3: The Edit Channel Names window.

  • Page 33: Audio Express Front Panel Operation

    Audio Express CHAPTER Front Panel Operation OVERVIEW VOLUME CONTROL FOR PHONES AND MAIN OUTS The Audio Express offers front-panel mixing via Push the PHONES knob repeatedly to cycle among six rotary encoders and a bank of status LEDs. three volume control modes, as indicated by the Push-button rotary encoders .
  • Page 34 MIXING WITH THE FRONT PANEL This means that for each Audio Express output CONTROLS pair, the volume of each input can be completely The Audio Express can operate as a mixer, and you different than it is for other output pairs. This can use the knobs on the front panel to control the allows you to create different mixes and send them mix.
  • Page 35 Use the following gestures for controlling pan for identically. For pan, it controls them using either the (stereo) S/PDIF input, or any inputs that are balance or width, as explained in the previous configured as a stereo pair by the CueMix FX section for stereo pairs.
  • Page 36 Using the Audio Express as a stand-alone mixer METERING AND ACTIVITY LEDS When the Audio Express is not connected to a The MIDI and SPDIF LEDs (Figure 6-2) indicate computer, it can operate as a stand-alone mixer, input and output activity on the MIDI and digital and you can use the front panel to control your audio jacks.

  • Page 37: Digital Performer

    Figure 7-1: Choose Setup menu> Configure Audio System> Configure Hardware Driver to open the dialog shown above and access the settings, open MOTU Audio Setup, as shown in Audio Express Core Audio driver. To access the rest of the Audio Express settings, open MOTU Audio Setup.
  • Page 38 WORKING WITH AUDIO EXPRESS INPUTS AND OUTPUTS determines which audio clock the Audio Express Once you’ve enabled the MOTU Audio driver as will follow. explained earlier in “The Audio Express settings” If you do not have any digital audio connections to...

  • Page 39: 24-Bit Operation

    ☛ Warning: the Mix1 Return inputs can cause WORKING WITH CUEMIX FX MIXING The Audio Express provides its own hardware- feedback loops! DO NOT assign this input to a track assigned to the Audio Express main outs. based mixing, which you can operate hand-in- hand with Digital Performer’s complete mixing For Mix1 Return 1-2, you can choose whether or environment.
  • Page 40 D I G I T A L P E R F O R M E R...

  • Page 41: Audiodesk

    Express settings, such as sample rate and clock source, but to access all of the Audio Express For complete details about the Audio Express settings, open MOTU Audio Setup, as shown in settings, see chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Setup” Figure 5-1 on page 30.
  • Page 42 WORKING WITH AUDIO EXPRESS INPUTS AND OUTPUTS will follow. Once you’ve enabled the MOTU Audio driver as If you do not have any digital audio connections to explained earlier in “The Audio Express settings” your Audio Express (you are using the analog...
  • Page 43 ☛ Warning: the Mix1 Return 1-2 return inputs WORKING WITH CUEMIX FX MIXING The Audio Express provides its own hardware- can cause feedback loops! DO NOT assign this input to a track assigned to the Audio Express main based mixing, which you can operate hand-in- outs.
  • Page 44 MIDI sequencing. Talk to your authorized MOTU dealer for details about upgrading from AudioDesk to Digital Performer. A U D I O D E S K...
  • Page 45 Preparing MIDI input and output ....45 Run MOTU Audio Setup ......45 Choosing the MOTU Audio Express Core Audio driver .

  • Page 46: Other Mac Os X Software

    Drivers tab and click the Core Audio tab as shown far in this chapter, you’re ready to run your audio in Figure 9-3. Choose the MOTU Audio Express software and enable the MOTU Audio Express from the Output/Input Device menus. For Core Audio driver.
  • Page 47 In Soundtrack Pro, access the preferences window, In Ableton Live, access the preferences window and click the Recording tab and choose MOTU Audio click the Audio tab. Choose CoreAudio from the Express from the Input and Monitor menu as shown Driver Type menu.
  • Page 48 Devices under the Audio preferences. Choose Preferences, choose Audio preferences from the MOTU Audio Express from the Audio Device menu and choose MOTU Audio Express from the Audio Device menu as shown below in Figure 9-8. menu. For information about the Buffer Size setting, see “Adjusting the audio I/O buffer”...
  • Page 49 Other audio software AUDIO INPUT AND OUTPUT NAMES For other audio applications, the procedure is The Audio Express Core Audio driver supplies text similar to that shown above. Consult your owner’s string labels for its inputs and outputs to clearly manual for further information.
  • Page 50 PROCESSING LIVE INPUTS WITH HOST PLUG-INS If you patch a live input (such as a MIDI synthesizer) through a plug-in effect in your host software, you might hear a slight delay. There are several ways to reduce this delay. For details, see chapter 10, “Reducing Monitoring Latency”...
  • Page 51 Reducing Monitoring Latency CHAPTER OVERVIEW Monitoring live input....... . . 52 Monitoring latency is that slight delay you hear Adjusting the audio I/O buffer .

  • Page 52: Reducing Monitoring Latency

    (or other outputs that you’ve specified in the software). 1. Live input (from mic, guitar, etc.) enters the MOTU interface. 3. Mic signal is ‘patched thru’ back to the audio interface with reverb or other 2.
  • Page 53 Digital Performer or AudioDesk manual for information about the Host Buffer Multiplier setting. 1. Live input (from mic, guitar, etc.) enters the MOTU interface. 3. Mic signal is mixed with the 2. CueMix immediately main outs, and you can...
  • Page 54 How responsive the transport controls are in ■ AudioDesk, Digital Performer or other audio software The buffer setting presents you with a trade-off between the processing power of your computer and the delay of live audio as it is being patched through your software.
  • Page 55 Effects processing and automated mixing From within your host audio software (if it ■ Reducing latency with the buffer size setting has supports direct hardware monitoring) another benefit: it lets you route live inputs through You can even use these methods simultaneously. the real-time effects processing and mix automation of your audio software.
  • Page 56 Controlling CueMix from within AudioDesk or 3 From the Studio menu, choose Audio Patch Digital Performer Thru, and choose any monitoring mode except Off. To turn on CueMix in AudioDesk and Digital Performer: Once enabled, CueMix monitoring is tied with Digital Performer or AudioDesk’s Audio Patch 1 From the Setup menu, choose Configure Audio Thru feature: when you record-enable a track, the...

  • Page 57: Cuemix Fx

    CueMix FX CHAPTER OVERVIEW ADVANTAGES OVER HOST-BASED MIXING AND PROCESSING CueMix FX is a cross-platform software CueMix FX provides several advantages over application that provides graphic, on-screen mixing and processing in your host audio software: control for the Audio Express’s mixing features. Essentially, it gives you on-screen control of the CueMix has no buffer latency.
  • Page 58 Many inputs to one output pair Each mix is independent It might be useful to think of each mix as some Each mix has its own settings. Settings for one mix number of inputs all mixed down to a stereo output will not affect another.

  • Page 59: Working With A Mix

    WORKING WITH A MIX approximately 1 dB increments. This includes the Each mix has the following components: digitally controlled analog trims on the two mic/ guitar inputs and the two quarter-inch analog A stereo output with master fader ■ inputs on the back panel. Here is a summary of input trim ranges for each type of Audio Express Name ■...

  • Page 60: Shortcuts

    Naming an input SHORTCUTS Click the input name at the top of the input channel Use these general modifier keys as shortcuts: strip (Figure 11-1) to edit the name. Input names Shortcut Result are global across all mixes. This name also appears Shift key Applies your action to all inputs or all out- in host audio software on the computer (if the...
  • Page 61 engaged. To completely silence all other CueMix Control room audio, turn them all the way down. Attenuation Talkback mic only occurs when talkback or listenback is engaged. Audio playing back from disk (your host software) is not affected. Main Talk / Listen signal routing outs Click the Talk/Listen routing button (Figure 11-3) to open the routing dialog (Figure 11-4).

  • Page 62: File Menu

    A preset includes all Hardware follows console stereo settings CueMix FX settings for all for mix busses, but it This File menu item applies to other MOTU excludes global settings like clock source and interfaces products and has no effect on the Audio sample rate.

  • Page 63: Devices Menu

    DEVICES MENU Scope channels The Scope channel selection menus (Figure 11-1 on If you are working with more than one MOTU page 58) let you choose what input channels will be audio interface product, this menu displays all fed to the CueMix FX audio analysis (scoping) interfaces that are currently on line.
  • Page 64 Figure 11-7: View controls ☛ Horizontal controls (frequency axis) The Show EQ controls item is for other MOTU The Horizontal controls (Figure 11-7) configure audio interfaces and is grayed out for the Audio the value range of the x-axis (frequency). Click and Express.

  • Page 65: Oscilloscope

    (see “View controls”). and largest displayed amplitude. Opening the oscilloscope Spectrogram controls Each MOTU audio interface has its own The Floor control (Figure 11-5) sets the amplitude oscilloscope. To open an oscilloscope, choose the threshold for the spectrogram display, from -144 Oscilloscope item from the Devices menu under the dB up to 1 dB.
  • Page 66 View controls Horizontal controls (time axis) The Horizontal controls (Figure 11-12) configure The View controls (Figure 11-11) provide several options for the oscilloscope display. the value range of the x-axis (time). Click and drag the values up or down to set them, or double-click to return to the default value.
  • Page 67 Waveform Recognition Trigger indicator The Waveform Recognition option searches Trigger menu through new audio data looking for a waveform Criteria check boxes which most resembles that which was previously displayed. The region where this takes place is a small window around the line marking time equals zero, denoted by the extra vertical graph lines Figure 11-14: Trigger settings surrounding it.
  • Page 68 Magnitude is enabled, the trigger will look for both Trigger indicator The Trigger indicator (Figure 11-14 on page 67) +0.500 and -0.500. You will see a second blue line displays the state of the trigger, and also provides a appear in the display when Magnitude is enabled to way to manually interact with it.
  • Page 69 Viewing transients such as drum hits To adjust the left and right edges of the If you loop a snare hit or other similar transient measurement area, click and drag the blue bars in audio clip and feed it through the oscilloscope, you the graph, or click and drag the blue numbers in can more or less “freeze”...
  • Page 70 If you are building a synth patch on a synthesizer Monitoring control voltage output from Volta (or forming similar highly periodic audio MOTU’s Volta instrument plug-in for Mac OS X material), you can run the audio signal through the turns your audio interface into a control voltage...

  • Page 71: X-Y Plot

    (blue) is displayed on the right. This meter Opening the X-Y Plot displays the correlation between the two channels. Each MOTU audio interface has its own X-Y Plot window. Choose the X-Y Plot item from the Devices menu under the desired interface (Figure 11-6 on page 63).
  • Page 72 Color/Grayscale Choosing a channel to display The X-Y Plot follows the currently chosen Scope In Color mode (Figure 11-18) the most recently channels (Figure 11-1 on page 58). displayed audio data is shown in red, which fades to yellow, green and then finally blue, before View controls disappearing.
  • Page 73 Persistence Using the X-Y Plot The Persistence controls (Figure 11-21) affect the The X-Y Plot helps you “see” the width of the stereo appearance of data from when it is first displayed field of a mix. It also helps you determine if a mix until it disappears from the grid.

  • Page 74: Phase Analysis

    The correlation meter will remain active while the display is paused. Opening the Phase Analysis Each MOTU audio interface has its own Phase A/B (stereo audio channels) Analysis window. Choose the Phase Analysis item The View section (Figure 11-24) displays the pair from the Devices menu under the desired interface of input or output audio channels you are viewing.
  • Page 75 Line/Scatter Rectangular/Polar Choose either Line or Scatter from the menu in the Choose either Rectangular or Polar from the menu View section (Figure 11-24) to plot each data point in the View section (Figure 11-24) to control how as either a single pixel or as a continuous line that audio is plotted on the Phase Analysis grid.
  • Page 76 Horizontal and vertical controls points in the line plot. For two adjacent The Horizontal and Vertical controls frequencies, if the distance (phase difference) (Figure 11-28) let you scale each axis of the grid between the two frequencies is greater than the and offset its zero point.
  • Page 77 Checking for phase issues in stereo tracks outside the critical frequency range of the You can use the Phase Analysis window to check instrument being recorded, you can avoid phase the overall polarity of a stereo mix. Figure 11-31 is problems among the mic signals.

  • Page 78: Tuner

    Opening the Tuner Reference frequency: sets the frequency reference Each MOTU audio interface has its own Tuner window. Choose the Tuner item from the Devices for the pitch A4, between 400 and 480 Hz. The menu under the desired interface (Figure 11-6 on default frequency is 440 Hz.

  • Page 79: Talkback Menu

    The Phones menu allows you to choose what you check mark next to it. will hear on the headphone output, just like the Phones setting in MOTU Audio Setup. However, Modifying a configuration this menu provides one extra option that is The name of the current configuration is displayed...
  • Page 80 Enabled that is not currently being displayed, CueMix FX Check this menu item to turn on control surface will jump to the appropriate tab to display the operation of CueMix FX. Uncheck it to turn off control you are adjusting. control surface support.

  • Page 81: Motu Smpte Console

    MOTU SMPTE Setup ....... . . 81 shows both the clock and the address (time code or sample location), separated by a forward slash ( / ).

  • Page 82: Reader Section

    auto-detect and switch to the incoming frame rate, SMPTE source Choose the analog input that is connected to the except that it cannot distinguish between 30 fps time code source. This is the input that the Audio and 29.97 fps time code, or 23.976 and 24 fps time Express “listens”...

  • Page 83: Generator Section

    External Sync command in the Studio menu is generate time code) or None (to turn it off). checked. Make sure the Clock Source setting in the MOTU Audio Setup window is set to SMPTE. Also, Stripe make sure that you’ve connected an LTC input Click this button to start or stop time code.

  • Page 84: Syncing To Smpte Time Code

    Any analog input Audio Express interface FireWire/USB Mac running AudioDesk, Launch the MOTU SMPTE Console to specify the time code frame rate and amount Digital Performer or other sample- of freewheel. Also, confirm that the Clock Source/Address is SMPTE/SMPTE. accurate software.

  • Page 85: Troubleshooting

    fill out and mail the registration card AudioDesk manual (on the inside of the back included with your Audio Express. Doing so cover).
  • Page 86 Audio Express Development Team, The serial number of the Audio Express system. ■ MOTU Inc., 1280 Massachusetts Avenue, This is printed on a sticker placed on the bottom of Cambridge, MA 02138. the Audio Express unit. You must be able to supply this number to receive technical support.
  • Page 87 Symbols Combo jacks Disc 5, 18 Condenser mic input replacing 5, 33 +main Configurations menu Dock .kext Configure Hardware Driver Drivers Configure interface installing FireWire drivers Connecting multiple Audio Expresses Dynamic mic 1394 connector 6, 11, 16, 17 Control Surfaces menu 24-bit Controller AudioDesk...
  • Page 88 Digital Performer Launch console when hardware becomes Mac OS X Mac OS X audio software available phones Launch MOTU Audio Setup when hard- Return Assign ware becomes available 6, 10 S/PDIF sample rate Level meter clock source setting...
  • Page 89 Studio setup (example) explained Undo/Redo 61, 79 Synchronization menu USB2 AudioDesk settings Digital Performer Technical support Video sync 81, 84 multiple interfaces Time code sync Volume Synths Tip positive/negative headphone connecting Traveler 5, 33 Volume control System preferences connecting to Audio Express sound input/output 7, 31 Trim...
  • Page 90 I N D E X...

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