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RME Audio Multiface User manual

Other manuals for Multiface: User Manual
Manual is about: PCI Busmaster Digital I/O System PCI and CardBus Interface 8 + 8 + 2 Channels Analog / ADAT / Stereo Interface 24 Bit / 96 kHz Analog Stereo Monitor ADAT Sync In

Summary of Multiface

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    User's guide hammerfall ® dsp system multiface the most compact professional multitrack recording system ever! Pci busmaster digital i/o system pci and cardbus interface 8 + 8 + 2 channels analog / adat / stereo interface 24 bit / 96 khz analog stereo monitor adat sync in totalmix ™ 24 bit / 96 khz ...

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    2 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme general 1 introduction............................................................ 6 2 package contents .................................................. 6 3 system requirements............................................ 6 4 brief description and characte...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 3 driver installation and operation - mac os x 19 driver and flash update 19.1 driver installation .............................................. 32 19.2 driver update .................................................... 32 19.3 flash update ....................

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    4 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 29 totalmix: the matrix 29.1 overview............................................................61 29.2 elements of the matrix view ...............................61 29.3 usage.................................................................61 29.4 advanta...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 5 user's guide multiface general.

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    6 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 1. Introduction thank you for choosing the rme hammerfall dsp system. This unique audio system is capa- ble of transferring analog and digital audio data directly to a computer from practically any de- vice. The latest plug and play technology guarantees a ...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 7 4. Brief description and characteristics • hammerfall design: 0% (zero!) cpu load, even using all 36 asio channels • all settings can be changed in real-time • analog, adat and spdif i/os can be used simultaneously • 8 buffer sizes/latencies available: 1.5 ...

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    8 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 5.3 notes on power supply • the cardbus card delivers no power to the multiface. Therefore a hi-tech switching power supply is included. • the pci card operates as power supply for the attached multiface via the firewire cable. An external power supply is n...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 9 6.2 quick start after the driver installation (see chapter 10 / 19) connect the trs-jacks with the analog signal source. Try to achieve an optimum input level by adjusting the source itself. Raise the source’s output level until the peak level meters in tot...

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    10 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme the mobile operation of the hdsp system can cause problems. Explanations and solutions on digital noise, ground loops, headphone operation and line out wiring, power supplies and the mobile operation with battery can be found in the tech info: hdsp system:...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 11 8. Warranty each individual hammerfall dsp undergoes comprehensive quality control and a complete test at rme before shipping. The usage of high grade components allow us to offer a full two year warranty. We accept a copy of the sales receipt as valid war...

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    12 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme ce / fcc compliance statements ce this device has been tested and found to comply with the en55022 class b and en50082-1 norms for digital devices, according to the european council directive on counterpart laws in the member states relating to electromagn...

  • Page 13: User'S Guide

    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 13 user's guide multiface driver installation and operation - windows.

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    14 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 10. Driver and firmware 10.1 driver installation after the interface has been installed correctly, connected to the multiface (see 5. Hardware installation), and the computer has been switched on, windows will recognize the new hard- ware component and sta...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 15 10.4 firmware update the flash update tool updates hdsp pci cards or cardbus cards to the latest version. It re- quires an already installed driver. Start the program hdsp_fut.Exe. The flash update tool displays the current revision of the hdsp interface, ...

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    16 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 11. Configuring the multiface 11.1 settings dialog configuration of the hdsp system multiface is done via its own settings dialog. The panel 'set- tings' can be opened: • by clicking on the hammer symbol in the task bar's system tray the mixer of the hamme...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 17 mme check input verifies the current digital input signal against the settings in the record program. When de-activated a recording will always be allowed, even with non-valid input signals. Check input is valid for mme only. Syncalign guarantees synchrono...

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    18 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme i/o box state this field displays the current state of the i/o-box. Error: i/o-box not connected or missing power detected: the interface has found an i/o-box and tries to load the firmware connected: communication between interface and i/o-box operates co...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 19 the hammerfall dsp's adat optical input and the spdif input operate simultaneously. Be- cause there is no input selector however, the hdsp has to be told which of the signals is the sync reference (a digital device can only be clocked from a single source)...

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    20 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 12. Operation and usage 12.1 playback the hdsp system can play back audio data only in supported modes (channels, pcm) and formats (sample rate, bit resolution). Otherwise an error message appears (for example at 22 khz and 8 bit). In the audio application...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 21 12.2 dvd-playback (ac-3/dts) under mme ac-3 / dts when using popular dvd software player like windvd and powerdvd, their audio data stream can be sent to any ac-3/dts capable receiver, using the hammerfall dsp's spdif output. For this to work the spdif out...

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    22 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 12.3 low latency under mme (buffer size adjustment) using windows 95 or 98 the mme buffer size was nothing to worry about. Latencies below 46 ms were not possible. Meanwhile both computers and operating system have become much more powerful, and since wind...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 23 12.5 digital recording unlike analog soundcards which produce empty wave files (or noise) when no input signal is present, digital i/o cards always need a valid input signal to start recording. To take this into account, rme has included three unique featu...

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    24 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 12.6 analog recording for recordings via the analog inputs the corresponding record device has to be chosen (hdsp analog (x+x)). Apart from the three reference levels, the multiface has no means to change the input level. This would make no sense for the d...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 25 when using more than one hdsp system, all units have to be in sync, see chapter 15. Else a periodicly repeated noise will be heared. 13.3 synchronization to achieve sample-accuracy between the adat recorder and hammerfall dsp while running cubase, connect ...

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    26 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 14. Operation under gsif (gigasampler interface) windows 2000/xp the gsif interface of the hammerfall dsp allows direct operation with gigastudio, with up to 18 channels, 96 khz and 24 bit. The new gsif 2.0 is also supported with both audio and midi. Gigas...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 27 16. Digicheck the digicheck software is a unique utility developed for testing, measuring and analysing digital audio streams. Although this windows software is fairly self-explanatory, it still includes a comprehensive online help. Digicheck 4.4 operates ...

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    28 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme playback works, but record doesn’t • check that there is a valid signal at the input. If so, the current sample frequency is dis- played in the settings dialog. • check whether the hdsp system has been selected as recording device in the audio appli- catio...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 29 18. Diagrams 18.1 channel routing asio at 96 khz this diagram shows the signal paths in asio double speed mode (88.2 / 96 khz). The devices available via the asio driver have been designed to avoid conflicts in normal operation. Re- cord and playback are i...

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    30 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 18.2 channel routing mme at 96 khz this diagram shows the signal paths in mme double speed mode (88.2 / 96 khz). The devices available via the mme wave driver have been designed to avoid conflicts in normal operation, which is why channels 5, 6, 7 and 8 of...

  • Page 31: User'S Guide

    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 31 user's guide multiface driver installation and operation – mac os x.

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    32 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 19. Driver and flash update 19.1 driver installation first fit the card (see 5. Hardware installation), then switch on the computer and install the driv- ers from the rme driver cd. The driver file is located in the folder hammerfall dsp. Installa- tion wo...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 33 all other pci cards, and cardbus with 15-pin flat connector when the update fails (status: failure) the flash process should be repeated several times, until no error message occurs anymore. If the failure message is displayed nonetheless, the inter- face ...

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    34 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme spdif in defines the input for the spdif signal. 'coaxial' relates to the rca socket, 'optical' to the optical toslink input. Spdif out the spdif output signal is constantly available at the phono plug. After selecting 'optical' it is also routed to the op...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 35 system clock shows the current clock state of the hdsp system. The system is either master (using its own clock) or slave (see autosync ref). Synccheck synccheck indicates whether there is a valid signal (lock, no lock) for each input (word clock, adat1-3,...

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    36 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme if several digital devices are to be used simultaneously in a system, they not only have to op- erate with the same sample frequency but also be synchronous with each other. This is why digital systems always need a single device defined as ‘master’, which...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 37 21. Mac os x faq 21.1 round about driver installation the driver with the file suffix gz provided by rme is a compressed tar archive. Tar bundles multiple files and folders into one file, but does not save memory space nor download time. Both tar and gz ar...

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    38 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 21.3 supported sample rates rme's mac os x driver supports all sampling frequencies provided by the hardware. Besides 96 khz this also includes 32 khz and 64 khz. But not every software will support all the hardware's sample rates. For example spark does n...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 39 multicard operation os x supports more than one audio device. Their simultaneous usage within one program had been limited to motu's digital performer until 10.3.9. Since 10.4 (tiger) core audio offers the function aggregate devices, which allows to combin...

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    40 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 23. Diagram: channel routing at 96 khz this diagram shows the signal paths in double speed mode (88.2 / 96 khz). The last four chan- nels of the adat port have no function anymore in core audio, but are used by the hardware to transmit data at double sampl...

  • Page 41: User'S Guide

    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 41 user's guide multiface disconnect mode, connections and totalmix.

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    42 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 24. Disconnect mode rme's exclusive disconnect mode lets you adjust level, input selection and signal mix via your computer, and simply detach the multiface afterwards. With this, a stand-alone operation of the multiface gets possible. When the multiface h...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 43 25.2 line outputs the eight short circuit protected, low impedance line outputs are available as 1/4" trs jacks on the back of the unit. The electronic output stage is built in a servo balanced design which han- dles unbalanced (mono jacks) and balanced (s...

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    44 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 26. Digital connections 26.1 adat the adat optical input of the hdsp system is fully compatible with all adat optical outputs. Rme's unsurpassed bitclock pll prevents clicks and drop outs even in extreme varipitch op- eration, and guarantees a fast and low...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 45 the multiface’s new output header is optimized for largest compatibility with other digital de- vices: • 32 khz, 44.1 khz, 48 khz, 88.2 khz, 96 khz depending on the current sample rate • audio use, non-audio • no copyright, copy permitted • format consumer...

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    46 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 27. Word clock 27.1 technical description and usage in the analog domain one can connect any device to another device, a synchronization is not necessary. Digital audio is different. It uses a clock, the sample frequency. The signal can only be processed a...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 47 the word clock input of the hammerfall dsp is a high-impedance type ensuring maximum flexibility, and is therefore not terminated. If normal termination is necessary (e.G. Because hammerfall dsp is the last device in the chain), simply connect a t-adapter ...

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    48 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 28. Totalmix: routing and monitoring 28.1 overview the multiface includes a powerful digital real-time mixer, the hammerfall dsp mixer, based on rme’s unique, sample-rate independent totalmix technology. It allows for practically unlimited mixing and routi...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 49.

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    50 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 28.2 the user interface the visual design of the totalmix mixer is a result of its capability to route hardware inputs and software playback channels to any hardware output. The multiface provides 18 input channels, 18 software playback channels, and 20 ha...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 51 28.3 elements of a channel a single channel consists of various elements: input channels and playback channels each have a mute and solo button. Below there is the panpot, realized as indicator bar (l/r) in order to save space. In the field below, the pres...

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    52 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme you see, it is very easy to set up a specific submix for whatever output: select output channel, set up fader and pans of inputs and playbacks – ready! For advanced users sometimes it makes sense to work without submix view. Example: you want to see and se...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 53 you will certainly have noticed that the signal at the outputs 7/8 did not change while you were routing channel 4 to other outputs and setting different gain values for those. With all analog and most digital mixing desks, the fader setting would affect t...

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    54 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 28.7 the quick access panel this section includes additional options, further improving the handling of totalmix. The master buttons for mute and solo have already been described, they allow for group-based working with these functions. In the view section...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 55 mouse: the original factory presets can be reloaded by holding down the ctrl- key and clicking on any preset button. Alternatively the files described above can be renamed, moved to a different directory, or being deleted. Keyboard: using ctrl and any numb...

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    56 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 28.9 the monitor panel the monitor panel provides several options usually found on analog mixing desks. It offers quick access to monitoring functions which are needed all the time in typical studio work. Monitor main use the drop down menu to select the h...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 57 main monitor dim: amount of attenuation of the main monitor output in db. Activated by the dim button in the monitor panel. Stereo pan law the pan law can be set to -6 db, -4.5 db, -3 db and 0 db. The value chosen defines the level attenuation in pan cente...

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    58 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 28.12 hotkeys in many situations totalmix can be controlled quickly and comfortably by the keyboard, making the mixer setup considerably easier and faster. The shift-key for the fine mode for faders and panpots has already been mentioned. The ctrl-key can ...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 59 28.13 menu options always on top: when active (checked) the totalmix window will always be on top of the win- dows desktop. Note: this function may result in problems with windows containing help text, as the totalmix window will even be on top of those wi...

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    60 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 28.14 level meter the multiface calculates all the display values peak, over and rms in hardware, in order to be capable of using them independent of the software in use, and to significantly reduce the cpu load. Tip: this feature, the hardware level meter...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 61 29. Totalmix: the matrix 29.1 overview the mixer window of totalmix looks and operates similar to mixing desks, as it is based on a conventional stereo design. The matrix display presents a different method of assigning and routing channels, based on a sin...

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    62 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 29.4 advantages of the matrix the matrix not always replaces the mixer view, but it significantly enhances the routing capa- bilities and - more important - is a brilliant way to get a fast overview of all active routings. It shows you in a glance what's g...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 63 30.2 selection and group-based operation click on the white name label of channel 1 and 2 in totalmix. Be sure to have channel 3's fader set to a different position and click on its label too. All three labels have changed to the colour orange, which means...

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    64 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 30.5 recording a subgroup (loopback) totalmix supports a routing of the subgroup outputs (=hardware outputs, bottom row) to the recording software. Instead of the signal at the hardware input, the signal at the hardware out- put is sent to the record softw...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 65 recording a software's playback in real world application, recording a software's output with another software will show the fol- lowing problem: the record software tries to open the same playback channel as the playback software (already active), or the ...

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    66 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme unfortunately, very often it is not possible within the record software to assign a different input channel to an existing track 'on the fly'. The loopback mode solves this problem elegantly. The routing scheme stays the same, with the input channel 1 sent...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 67 when full lc display support is turned off, only a brief information about the first fader of the block (channel and row) is sent. This brief information is also available on the led display of the behringer bcf2000. Tip for mac os x users: lc xview ( www....

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    68 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 31.5 simple midi control the stereo output faders (lowest row) which are set up as monitor main outputs in the monitor panel can also be controlled by the standard control change volume via midi channel 1. With this, the main volume of the multiface is con...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 69 user's guide multiface technical reference.

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    70 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 32. Tech info not all information to and around our products fit in a manual. Therefore rme offers a lot more and detailed information in the tech infos. The very latest tech infos can be found on our website, section news & infos, or the directory \rmeaud...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 71 33. Technical specifications 33.1 analog ad • resolution: 24 bit • signal to noise ratio: 101 db rms unweighted, 106 dba • thd: • thd+n: • channel separation: > 100 db • frequency response ad @ 44.1 khz, -0.5 db: 5 hz - 20.7 khz • frequency response ad @ 9...

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    72 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 33.3 digital inputs spdif - aes/ebu • 1 x rca, transformer-balanced, galvanically isolated, according to aes3-1992 • high-sensitivity input stage ( • spdif compatible (iec 60958) • accepts consumer and professional format, copy protection will be ignored •...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 73 33.6 transfer modes: resolution / bits per sample asio • 24 / 32 bit 4 byte (stereo 8 byte) this format is compatible with 16 bit and 20 bit. Resolutions below 24 bit are handled by the audio application. Mme • 16 bit 2 byte (stereo 4 bytes) • 16 bit 4 byt...

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    74 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 34. Technical background 34.1 lock and synccheck digital signals consist of a carrier and the data. If a digital signal is applied to an input, the re- ceiver has to synchronize to the carrier clock in order to read the data correctly. To achieve this, the...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 75 34.2 latency and monitoring the term zero latency monitoring has been introduced by rme in 1998 for the digi96 series of audio cards. It stands for the ability to pass-through the computer's input signal at the inter- face directly to the output. Since the...

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    76 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme note: cubase and nuendo display the latency values signalled from the driver separately for record and playback. While with our former cards these values equalled exactly the buffer size (for example 3 ms at 128 samples), the multiface displays an addition...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 77 34.4 aes/ebu - spdif the most important electrical properties of 'aes' and 'spdif' can be seen in the table below. Aes/ebu is the professional balanced connection using xlr plugs. The standard is being set by the audio engineering society based on the aes3...

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    78 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 35. Changing the jumper settings the multiface has internal jumpers, which allow to change input sensitivity and output level per channel. More information on these settings can be found in chapter 25.1 and 25.2. Please note that those jumpers are not thou...

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 79 a drawing showing the jumper position for each level setting is found on the left side (under- neath the flat cable) on the analog board. To prevent the loss of jumpers in –10 dbv mode, we recommend not to remove them com- pletely, but to mount them at the...

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    80 user's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 36. Diagrams 36.1 block diagram multiface.

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    User's guide hdsp system multiface © rme 81 36.2 connector pinouts trs jacks of analog input / output the stereo ¼" trs jacks of the analog inputs and outputs are wired according to international standards: tip = + (hot) ring = – (cold) sleeve = gnd the servo balanced input and output circuitry allo...