MIDIDSP C-DSP 8X12 User Manual

8-in 12-out advanced in-car audio processor

Advertisement

Quick Links

C-DSP 8
12
X
8-
12-
A
I
-C
A
P
IN
OUT
DVANCED
N
AR
UDIO
ROCESSOR
User Manual
1
miniDSP Ltd, Hong Kong /
www.minidsp.com
/ Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading
Need help?

Need help?

Do you have a question about the C-DSP 8X12 and is the answer not in the manual?

Questions and answers

Summary of Contents for MIDIDSP C-DSP 8X12

  • Page 1 C-DSP 8 DVANCED UDIO ROCESSOR User Manual miniDSP Ltd, Hong Kong / www.minidsp.com / Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice...
  • Page 2 Revision history Revision Description Date V0.1 Preliminary version 15 February 2017 V0.2 Corrected specifications 16 February 2017 V0.3 REW at 192 kHz info 20 February 2017 V0.4 Revised preliminary based on 1.0 plugin 14 May 2107 V1.0 First release version for 1.0 plugin 22 May 2017 miniDSP Ltd, Hong Kong / www.minidsp.com...
  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    ONTENTS Important Information ...............................5 System Requirements .............................5 Disclaimer/Warning ..............................5 Warranty Terms ..............................6 FCC Class B Statement ............................6 CE Mark Statement ..............................6 A note on this manual ............................6 Product Overview ..............................7 Typical usage ..............................7 The miniDSP concept ..........................8 Plugin feature summary ..........................8 The miniDSP workflow ............................9 Software installation ............................
  • Page 4 5.8.5 Restoring to defaults ........................39 Keyboard shortcuts ..........................39 5.10 Remote trigger timing ..........................40 Using the C-DSP 8x12 ............................41 Status indicators ............................41 Controls ..............................41 Infrared remote control........................... 42 Additional information ............................43 Specifications ............................43 Input sensitivity setting ...........................
  • Page 5: Important Information

    MPORTANT NFORMATION Please read the following information before use. In case of any questions, please contact miniDSP via the support portal at minidsp.desk.com. YSTEM EQUIREMENTS To configure the miniDSP audio processor, you will require a Windows PC or Apple Mac OS X computer with the following minimum specification: Windows •...
  • Page 6: Warranty Terms

    CE M TATEMENT The C-DSP 8x12 has passed the test performed according to European Standard EN 55022 Class B. NOTE ON THIS MANUAL This User Manual is designed for reading in both print and on the computer. If printing the manual, please print double-sided.
  • Page 7: Product Overview

    Four complete processing configurations are stored on-board and can be selected from the wired remote or by infrared remote control. 1.1 T YPICAL USAGE The C-DSP 8x12 typically connects to a head unit with up to six output channels and directly drives power amplifiers for multiple loudspeakers or drivers. miniDSP Ltd, Hong Kong / www.minidsp.com...
  • Page 8: The Minidsp Concept

    The software plugin is installed on your PC or Mac, and determines the processing that the DSP will perform. It provides a friendly user interface, and downloads instructions into the miniDSP hardware unit that tell it how to process the audio signal. Currently, the C-DSP 8x12 supports a single plugin (see below).
  • Page 9: The Minidsp Workflow

    3. Upgrade the DSP program Drop down the Restore menu and select Upgrade DSP program. This ensures that the DSP processor in the C-DSP 8x12 is running the latest software that matches your installed plugin. 4. Familiarize yourself with the plugin At this point, the plugin is online –...
  • Page 10 1. Power on your connected equipment, first on the input side (e.g. head unit), then on the output side (e.g. power amps). 2. Turn the volume on your C-DSP 8x12 down low (view the Master Volume display in the plugin while turning the knob on the wired remote counter-clockwise) and start playing music or a pink noise test signal.
  • Page 11: Software Installation

    The User Downloads link is visible from the dropdown menu at the top right of the website page: Navigate to the C-DSP plug-ins section and download the zip file under the heading C-DSP 8x12 plugin. Unzip the downloaded file: on Windows, right-click and select “Extract All...”; on Mac, double-click.
  • Page 12: Mac

    Note 1: The Adobe Air framework may need to connect to the Internet the first time you run the plugin. Note 2: The first time you run the plugin, you may see a warning from Windows Firewall asking whether the software should be allowed network access.
  • Page 13: Hardware Connectivity

    ARDWARE CONNECTIVITY Connections to the C-DSP 8x12 are made on the front and rear panels. 4.1 A NALOG INPUTS 4.1.1 Low-level inputs Low-level analog connections are made directly to the RCA jacks on the front panel. Be sure to take careful note of the channel numbering shown in this diagram and on the front panel.
  • Page 14: High-Level Inputs

    4.1.2 High-level inputs High-level (speaker-level) connections can be made by connecting bare wire ends to the push-in terminal block. Remove the terminal block, and connect individual positive and negative wires to each screw terminal. After all connections are secure, firmly re-insert the terminal block. The high-level inputs have an input impedance of 68 Ω...
  • Page 15: Digital Input

    4.2 D IGITAL INPUT Two digital sources can be connected via the S/PDIF coax (RCA) connector and the TOSLINK (optical) connector. Switching between sources can be done from within the plugin or with a remote control. The left and right channels of the selected digital input are mixed with the analog inputs as specified by the cross-points on the Routing tab (page 23).
  • Page 16: Dc Power

    4.4.1 Powered on power (position 1) To power on the C-DSP 8x12 whenever 12 V DC is applied to the DC IN terminals, set the REMOTE MODE switch to position 1. Typically, power is provided from the main vehicle supply (always on).
  • Page 17: Wired Remote

    The wired remote can be positioned anywhere in the vehicle and is connected via the supplied RJ11 phone cable. The plugs on each end simply plug into the base of the remote and into the rear panel of the C-DSP 8x12.
  • Page 18: Configuring The Processor

    ONFIGURING THE PROCESSOR The C-DSP 8x12 processor is configured with the C-DSP 8x12 plugin / user interface program. Once fully configured, the computer is no longer required and the unit can be controlled with the wired remote or an infrared remote control. If desired, however, the plugin can remain connected during use for real-time (“live”) control of all audio processing.
  • Page 19: Master Mute

    The first time you connect, or if you have made any changes to any data in the user interface, the following dialog box will appear: The options are: Synchronize Config Download the currently selected configuration into the corresponding configuration preset of the processor.
  • Page 20: Subwoofer And Master Volume

    5.3 S UBWOOFER AND ASTER VOLUME The C-DSP 8x12 has two modes of volume control operation: • Master volume mode. In this mode, the wired remote and infrared remote control the master volume i.e. all output channels. • Subwoofer volume mode. In this mode, the wired remote and infrared remote control the volume of just a selected set of channels.
  • Page 21: Inputs Tab

    5.4.1 Digital input selection When the plugin is connected to the C-DSP 8x12, the currently selected digital input appears above input channel strips 7 and 8. Click on the current input name to drop down a selector menu, from which you can select the input.
  • Page 22: Input Channel Strips

    5.4.2 Input channel strips Channel label Each input channel has a customizable label, which is shown at the top of the channel strip. This label also appears on the Routing matrix. To change the label, click on it, type a new label (up to eight characters), and press the Return key.
  • Page 23: Routing Tab

    The input channels are labeled along the left and the output channels along the top. The labels that appear along the left and the top can be changed on the Inputs and Outputs tabs. The routing tab is the key to the extraordinary flexibility of the miniDSP C-DSP 8x12. This is the default routing tab: When a cross-point is turned on, the input signal (at the left) is routed to the output channel (at the top).
  • Page 24: Routing To Multiple Outputs

    Example 2 – active speakers The C-DSP 8x12 can create complex active speaker systems. Each audio channel is routed to two or more output channels. Here is an example for three-way speakers: On the output channels, crossovers must be set up on the Xover screen (see page 30 for details): •...
  • Page 25: Cross-Point Gain And Inversion

    5.5.3 Cross-point gain and inversion At each cross-point, the gain of each signal being mixed can be set to a value between -72 and +12 dB. To set the gain, right-click on the cross-point and a gain control will appear. Set the gain by moving the slider, or alternatively, type the value in directly into the entry box below, press the Enter key, then click the close button.
  • Page 26: Output Tabs

    5.6 O UTPUT TABS There are two output tabs: one for channels 1 to 6 and one for channels 7 to 12. Each displays a row of output channel control strips. All output channels are identical. miniDSP Ltd, Hong Kong / www.minidsp.com / Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice...
  • Page 27: Channel Strip Layout

    5.6.1 Channel strip layout Each output channel has a complete "strip" of controls. 5.6.2 Channel label Each output channel has a customizable label, which is shown at the top of the channel strip. This label also appears on the Routing tab. To change the label, click on it, type a new label (up to eight characters), and press the Return key.
  • Page 28: Parametric Eq

    5.6.4 Parametric EQ Parametric equalization (PEQ) is a flexible type of equalization filter. It can be used to correct for errors in loudspeaker output, to compensate for acoustic room/cabin effects, and to tailor the overall system response for best sound. Click on the PEQ button to open the parametric equalizer settings window: There are 10 parametric EQ filters on each input and output channel.
  • Page 29 EQ band selection Click on the tabs EQ1, EQ2, etc. to display the parameters for that filter. Basic/Advanced By default, each filter is in basic mode and shows the controls described below. Advanced mode enables custom biquad programming for almost infinite flexibility in filter implementation. This is described in Custom biquad programming on page 34.
  • Page 30: Crossover

    5.6.5 Crossover Each output channel has independent high pass and low pass crossover filters. Click on the Xover button to open the crossover settings window: Crossovers “split” the frequency band to send to different drivers. In a two-way loudspeaker, for example, a low pass filter is used to remove high frequencies from the signal sent to the woofer, and a high pass filter is used to remove low frequencies from the signal sent to the tweeter.
  • Page 31 Basic/Advanced By default, the crossover is in basic mode and shows the controls described below. Advanced mode enables custom biquad programming for almost infinite flexibility in crossover filter implementation. This is described in Custom biquad programming on page 34. Cutoff Frequency Sets the nominal cutoff frequency of the crossover.
  • Page 32: Compressor

    5.6.6 Compressor The compressor reduces the gain of an output channel when the audio signal exceeds the level specified by the Threshold parameter. The gain of the channel will be progressively reduced as the signal increases above the threshold, as specified by the Ratio parameter. This can be used to limit the power delivered to speakers and thus reduce the risk of damage from overdriving.
  • Page 33: Time Delay

    5.6.7 Time delay A delay of up to 25 ms can be applied to each output channel. To set the delay, click in the delay entry box for a channel. The delay value can be entered numerically by typing in the entry box. The up and down arrows can be used to change the delay in small increments.
  • Page 34: Custom Biquad Programming

    5.7 C USTOM BIQUAD PROGRAMMING Custom biquad programming is available in the PEQ and Xover (crossover) blocks. Its purpose is to allow you to directly provide the low-level parameters aka biquad coefficients that control the digital filters of the processor, thus providing an almost infinite degree of flexibility.
  • Page 35 IMPORT button.) This file can be generated by Room EQ Wizard (REW) or by other programs. The design program must be set for a 192 kHz sample rate for the C-DSP 8x12 plugin. The number of filters is limited to a maximum of six.
  • Page 36: Biquad Design Software

    For guidance on using this feature, please refer to the app note Auto EQ with REW. Note: as of writing, REW does not have a dedicated setting for the C-DSP 8x12. To generate filters in the correct format: • Select the “Generic” filter type.
  • Page 37: Working With Configurations

    5.8 W ORKING WITH CONFIGURATIONS The data that controls the audio processing C-DSP 8x12 is called a configuration. Four configuration presets are stored in internal memory. Presets can be selected with the wired remote panel or with an infrared remote.
  • Page 38: Saving And Loading Configurations

    5.8.4 Loading configurations from microSD card The C-DSP 8x12 can load a set of configurations from a microSD card. This can be used to load new configuration sets without requiring a computer connection.
  • Page 39: Restoring To Defaults

    4. Eject the (micro) SD card from the computer. 5. Power off the C-DSP 8x12 if it is on. Insert the microSD card into the slot on the C-DSP 8x12 rear panel. (It pushes in and latches.) Power on the C-DSP 8x12.
  • Page 40: Remote Trigger Timing

    On the screen, enter the desired value for each time delay parameter and press the Enter key. When finished, click the close “X” icon at the top right, and the settings will be downloaded to the C-DSP 8x12. (Note that the default settings are suitable 90% of installations. So there’s no need to change from the defaults if it’s working fine for you.)
  • Page 41: Using The C-Dsp 8X12

    C-DSP 8 SING THE Once configuration is complete, the computer is not required and can be disconnected. The wired remote and/or an infrared remote can be used to control: • Master volume • Master mute • Preset selection • Volume mode selection 6.1 S TATUS INDICATORS The currently selected preset is indicated by a blue LED in one of the selection buttons.
  • Page 42: Infrared Remote Control

    6.3 I NFRARED REMOTE CONTROL By default, the C-DSP 8x12 is programmed to accept control codes from the miniDSP infrared remote. It can also learn codes from any other remote that supports one of the following remote control codes: •...
  • Page 43: Additional Information

    DDITIONAL INFORMATION 7.1 S PECIFICATIONS Computer connectivity Driverless USB 2.0 control interface for Windows and Mac OS X • Analog audio inputs 6 x high-level differential on terminal Block, max 8/12 VRMS (switch-selectable) • 6 x low-level differential on RCA connectors, max 2/4 VRMS (switch-selectable) Input impedance Low-level inputs: 10 kΩ...
  • Page 44: Input Sensitivity Setting

    7.2 I NPUT SENSITIVITY SETTING The sensitivity of all inputs can be changed with a set of DIP switches internal to the unit. All inputs can have the sensitivity set independently. To change input sensitivity settings, remove the top cover. Referring to Figure 3 below, move both switches for each input to the desired setting.
  • Page 45: Troubleshooting

    7.3 T ROUBLESHOOTING The following table lists the most common causes of issues. If following this table does not provide a solution, Obtaining Support below. Item# Symptoms Troubleshooting recommendation (Windows) Confirm that required frameworks are installed Cannot install software (see Software Installation).
  • Page 46: Obtaining Support

    3. Contact miniDSP via the support portal at minidsp.desk.com with: a. The specific product you are having an issue with (in this case, C-DSP 8x12). b. A clear explanation of the symptoms you are seeing. c. A description of the troubleshooting steps performed and your results.

Table of Contents