Adding Effects While Direct Monitoring; Using The Aux Send As A Separate Monitor Mix - M-Audio Firewire 410 User Manual

Adding Effects While Direct Monitoring

This is an important feature of the FireWire 410, and something that sets if apart from many other audio interfaces. Direct monitoring is a
way of avoiding the latency inherent in through-the-program type monitoring, especially when building up a large number of tracks (where
buffer size and latency increase). The AUX SENDS in the FireWire 410 control panel allow you to add effects to the direct monitored signal.
You must have an outboard effects unit with a S/PDIF digital input and output (fairly common on the market today), an effects unit with S/PDIF
digital out only, or an A/D converter that would allow you to plug the output of the effects unit into the FireWire 410's S/PDIF input. The
following step-by-step instructions give you a basic setup, and continue on to an advanced setup for adding and monitoring effects.
NOTE: In this example, we would leave the sync source selection in the control panel's HARDWARE page set to "internal."
The outboard effects unit will get its clock from the FireWire 410's S/PDIF OUT, and therefore will lock to the internal clock.
When the effect unit returns to the S/PDIF Input, the S/PDIF Input should be in sync with the internal clock.
1. Connect the FireWire 410's S/PDIF Out to the S/PDIF input of your outboard effects unit. In the FireWire 410's OUTPUT page, click on the SPDIF
OUT channel's MAIN/AUX switch so that it displays AUX.
2. Since we're going to be monitoring the effect from the S/PDIF input, we must assign the SPDIF IN channel in the FireWire 410 MIXER page
to a destination. Select "1/2" as the destination, so that the effect is mixed in with other signals being monitored.
3. Set up your FireWire 410 to record with the analog inputs, using the instructions under the Setting Up Your Record Levels section, and either
the ASIO Direct Monitoring or Other Direct Monitoring sections.
4. Let's assume that you are using only the 1st ANALOG IN for recording (maybe a guitar on channel 1). After you have set up a reasonable
monitor level using the level fader on the Mixer's ANALOG IN and panned the channel (most likely center), add some level to the AUX L
control. That signal is being sent to the AUX OUTPUT MASTER channel, and then to the sPDIF OUT. Since we're adding an effect to a mono
instrument, set the AUX OUTPUT MASTER channel's PAN knobs to <C>, or center panned.
As you play the guitar, you should start to see level appear on the AUX OUTPUT MASTER channel as you add level to AUX L control on the
ANALOG IN. You should also start to see level appearing at the input of your effects unit, and hearing that effect level at the FireWire 410's
SPDIF IN. You can make adjustments to that monitor level using the SPDIF IN channel's level faders.
Now for the advanced setup. We've added an effect to the instrument that we're recording and direct monitoring. That's fine for recording,
but we might want to hear that same effect when we are playing back—at least while the recording process is going on. Once you're done
recording, you might want to disconnect the outboard effects unit, reset your FireWire 410 Mixer, and then use the software plug-in effects
from within your audio software.
Here's a suggestion for how you can hear the same effect on the guitar you are recording as you hear when playing back the track and
evaluating the performance.
1. Whichever track you are recording to, set that track's output to FW410 ANALOG 7/8.
2. In the FireWire 410 MIXER, set the destination on SW RTN 7/8 to 1/2. Then, match the level and the pan setting on SW RTN 7 to the ANALOG
IN channel 1. Also, match the level of the AUX L controls for both of those channels.
This way, when you play back a track that you've just recorded, you'll hear it in exactly the same way as you did while recording. This is very
useful for both the artist and the producer, and is generally better for judging the performance than having to shift your perception to listening
to the track without an effect or with a different effect (such as one provided by a software plug-in).
NOTE: If your effects unit does not have a S/PDIF input as well as output, you may substitute the FireWire 410 LINE OUT
7/8 for the S/PDIF output in this example. In that case, you will have to set the sync source selection in the control panel's
HARDWARE page set to "external." The FireWire 410 will have to slave to the clock signal that the effects unit is sending,
while that effect unit may be limited in the number of possible sampling rates.

Using the Aux Send as a Separate Monitor Mix

The AUX SEND can also be used to create an alternate monitor mix that is sent to a headphone amplifier. Sometimes the artist wants to hear
a different mix than the recording engineer, perhaps one with louder rhythm tracks or a quieter piano track—whatever they need to inspire
their performance.
1. In the FireWire 410's OUTPUT page, choose either the 7/8 OUT or the SPDIF OUT for your send to the headphone amp. Click that channel's
MAIN/AUX SWITCH so that it displays AUX. Connect that output to your headphone amp, and plug in headphones to monitor with.
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