Alesis MultiMix8FireWire Reference Manual
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Alesis MultiMix8FireWire Reference Manual

Alesis multimix8firewire audio mixers: reference manual
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Summary of Contents for Alesis MultiMix8FireWire

  • Page 1 Reference Manual...
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  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Table Of Contents Introduction...5 Welcome!... 5 About the MultiMix 8 FireWire ...6 All-In-One Mixer and Multichannel Computer Audio Interface ... 6 MultiMix 8 FireWire Key Features... 7 How to Use This Manual ...8 A Few Words for Beginners...9 Chapter 1: Getting Started ...11 Hooking up the MultiMix 8 FireWire ...11 Using Proper Cables ...12 Setting Levels ...12...
  • Page 4 Table Of Contents Chapter Three: Digital Effects Processor ...19 Effects Section Components ...19 Program Selection Knob ... 19 LED Display... 19 CLIP Indicator ... 19 SIG Indicator ... 19 Effect Descriptions...19 HALL ... 19 ROOM ... 19 PLATE ... 19 CHAMBER ...
  • Page 5 Audio playback or recording is at the wrong speed...51 Audio playback or recording stutters or drops out...51 Audio echoes during recording...51 Chapter Eight: Specifications...53 Chapter Nine: Block Diagram...55 Glossary ...57 Contact Information ...59 Alesis Contact Information... 59 Trademarks ... 59...
  • Page 6 Table Of Contents This page intentionally left blank.

  • Page 7: Introduction

    Introduction Welcome! Thank you for making the Alesis MultiMix 8 FireWire a part of your studio. Since 1984, we've been designing and building creative tools for the audio community. We believe in our products, because we've heard the results that creative people like you have achieved with them.

  • Page 8: About The Multimix 8 Firewire

    Introduction About the MultiMix 8 FireWire The MultiMix FireWire mixers are the latest in the large family of Alesis audio mixers and the second series that includes computer interfacing (following on the launch of the MultiMix USB mixers in 2004).

  • Page 9: Multimix 8 Firewire Key Features

    Introduction MultiMix 8 FireWire Key Features Multichannel Firewire (IEEE 1394a) input and output – routes each individual channel’s output, plus the MAIN outputs, through the FIREWIRE port, and receives two channels back from the computer, all in 24-bit, 44.1/48 kHz digital audio. ASIO and WDM computer drivers –...

  • Page 10: How To Use This Manual

    Introduction How to Use This Manual This manual is divided into the following sections describing the various functions and applications of the MultiMix consoles. While it's a good idea to read through the entire manual once carefully, those having general knowledge about mixing should use the table of contents to look up specific functions.

  • Page 11: A Few Words For Beginners

    A Few Words for Beginners We realize that some of you who have purchased the MultiMix 8 FireWire are fairly new to mixing, to computer-based recording, or both. We’ve written this manual with that in mind. We also designed the MultiMix 8 FireWire to be both powerful and easy enough to use that even a beginner can quickly pick up the basics.
  • Page 12 Introduction This page intentionally left blank.

  • Page 13: Chapter 1: Getting Started

    Getting Started Hooking up the MultiMix 8 FireWire This diagram will help you get the MultiMix 8 FireWire hooked up and ready to go. The equipment you use depends on personal preference and on whether you’re performing live or recording. For example, you’ll see below that the MAIN MIX OUT can be routed to a recording device for recording, to a PA system for live performance, or both.

  • Page 14: Using Proper Cables

    Getting Started Using Proper Cables When connecting instruments and other equipment to the MultiMix, it’s important that you use the appropriate types of cables. Here are some simple but important guidelines: For the mic inputs, use XLR cables. For the line inputs and all other 1/4” connections, use 1/4” mono TRS cables.

  • Page 15: Chapter Two: A Tour Of The Multimix

    A Tour of the MultiMix FireWire In this chapter, you’ll learn all about the MulitMix-8 FireWire’s components (except for the digital effects processor and computer connectivity, which are explained in later chapters). Please refer to the diagrams as you read each section to see which components we’re talking about.

  • Page 16: Line Inputs (Channels 5 - 8)

    A Tour of the MultiMix FireWire Line Inputs (Channels 5 – 8) Unlike channels 1 – 4, the line inputs on channels 5 – 8 are stereo inputs that have left and right inputs. If you’re using one of these channels as a mono input, plug your instrument into the left input.

  • Page 17: Channel Strips

    A Tour of the MultiMix FireWire This output usually carries the main mix. However, if you engage the 2TK TO CTRL ROOM switch, the CTRL RM OUT will carry the signal present at the 2-TRACK inputs. Channel Strips The eight channel strips are virtually identical to each other, with the only difference being that channels 1 –...

  • Page 18: Master Section

    A Tour of the MultiMix FireWire The MultiMix gives you three bands of EQ per channel. Using these knobs, you can tailor the channel’s signal by boosting some frequencies and cutting others. The LO and HI controls are shelving controls with fixed frequencies of 75 Hz and 12 kHz respectively.

  • Page 19: 2Tk To Ctrl Room Switch

    A Tour of the MultiMix FireWire 2TK TO CTRL ROOM Switch When you engage this switch, the signal coming in from the 2- TRACK jacks is routed to the headphones and to the control room output. This level is controlled by the HDPH / CTRL ROOM level control and cancels out any signal from the main mix.

  • Page 20: Rear Of The Mixer

    A Tour of the MultiMix FireWire Rear of the Mixer Here’s what you’ll find at the rear of the mixer. Power Input Here’s where you plug in your mixer’s external power supply. You should always connect your power supply to the mixer before you plug the power supply into an electrical outlet.

  • Page 21: Processor

    Digital Effects Processor Onboard your MultiMix 8 FireWire is a powerful effects unit that has 100 preset programs. We offer a few tips on where to use these, but don’t limit yourself to our suggestions. We recommend that you experiment with these effects to get a good feel for how they can improve your mixes.

  • Page 22: Chorus

    Digital Effects Processor CHORUS These create the effect of multiple voices (or instruments) sounding at once from a single input. FLANGE These create a sweeping, swooshing sound effect that you will probably recognize. DELAY These effects are based on a discrete repetition or echo of the input.

  • Page 23: Chapter Four: Traditional Mixing

    Traditional Mixing Your MultiMix 8 FireWire can be used in a wide variety of ways in both live and recording applications. You have several options for bringing sound into and out of the board. And when it’s brought in, you can route it to various parts of the mixer for certain desired effects, or even send it to an external processor or tape deck and back.

  • Page 24: Simple Two-Channel Recording Setup (Without Firewire)

    Traditional Mixing Simple Two-Channel Recording Setup (without Firewire) Again, connect your instruments and microphones to the mono and stereo channels and set the levels appropriately. To record directly from the mixer to a tape deck or other device, connect the MultiMix 8 FireWire’s 2-TRACK OUT jacks to the IN jacks of the recorder.

  • Page 25: Chapter Five: Firewire Recording

    Firewire Recording Important: download the drivers from http://www.alesis.com onto a folder on your desktop or insert the software CD into your computer’s CD drive BEFORE you plug your MultiMix into your computer for the first time. First-time connection instructions and driver installation Important: Follow these steps BEFORE you plug in your MultiMix FireWire mixer for the first time.

  • Page 26: Installing The Optional Applications

    Firewire Recording new hardware is installed and ready to use.” Do not cancel any of the installations, as they are all required for proper operation. Macintosh Mac driver installation is more straightforward, as only CoreAudio drivers are installed. Simply double-click the installer program to install the drivers.

  • Page 27: Firewire Inputs And Outputs

    Firewire inputs and outputs Channels sent from the MultiMix to the computer The Firewire port sends every individual mixer channel as well as the MultiMix’s MAIN OUT/2-TRACK OUT left and right signals to the computer. This means that, for the MultiMix 12 FireWire, 12 individual channels are sent to the computer along with the MAIN stereo pair (14 channels in total.) For the MultiMix 16 FireWire, 16 individual channels are sent to the computer along...

  • Page 28: Sound Setup Under Windows

    Firewire Recording Sound setup under Windows To use your MultiMix FireWire as your default Windows sound device, follow these steps: From the Windows Start menu, choose “Control Panel.” Depending on your Windows preferences, it will appear similar to one of the two pictures below: Choose “Sounds and Audio Devices”.
  • Page 29 Click the “Voice” tab. Change the voice playback and voice recording settings to the MultiMix. For voice recording, you may choose either the “MultiMix Main” or the “MultiMix Channels” option. Click “Apply” to apply these changes. Firewire Recording...

  • Page 30: Disabling Windows System Sounds

    Firewire Recording Disabling Windows System Sounds Windows System Sounds—the sounds that Windows plays to signal starting up, shutting down, alerts and so forth—can interfere with your audio recording. We strongly suggest that you disable these sounds. Click the “Sounds” tab of “Sounds and Audio Devices.” Under “Sound Scheme,”...

  • Page 31: Connections And Settings For Firewire Recording And Monitoring

    Connections and settings for Firewire recording and monitoring The best way to begin using the MultiMix for Firewire recording is to set up your system this way: Hook up your monitoring system to the MultiMix’s CTRL RM OUT jacks. Apply the MASTER section’s buttons as follows: 2 TK TO MIX: Leave UP.

  • Page 32: Choosing The Multimix As Your Audio Device

    Firewire Recording Choosing the MultiMix as your audio device Choose the menu option “Devices” | “Device Setup….” Click the “VST Multitrack” option. This discussion uses Steinberg’s Cubase software, but the principles provided here apply to all ASIO recording software.
  • Page 33 From within the ASIO Driver drop-down box, choose the MultiMix. Press “OK” to accept this setting. Firewire Recording Different versions of Cubase function similarly, but not exactly, to the examples shown here.
  • Page 34 Firewire Recording Now that the MultiMix is selected as the audio device, individual channels must be activated for use. Again, return to the “Devices” menu, and select “VST inputs.” Click the activation buttons for channel pairs that you want to use.
  • Page 35 Firewire Recording In Cubase, you can rename channels by clicking in the “Label” area. This is useful if, for instance, your lead vocals are always on channel 1, your bass drum is always on channel 2, etc.

  • Page 36: Creating A New Audio File

    Firewire Recording Creating a new audio file Now, you’re ready to create an audio project. Choose “File” | “New Project…” You can begin with a template or an empty file. For now, begin with an empty file.
  • Page 37 Cubase needs to know where to place audio. Choose a directory here. Now, you have a blank project. Add an audio track for recording by choosing “Project” | “Add Track” | “Audio.” Firewire Recording An excellent scheme for storing your projects is to create a directory called “audio projects.”...
  • Page 38 Firewire Recording Be sure that the “inspector”—a strip on the left-hand side of Cubase that shows all sorts of information about the selected track—is active. If your view is similar to that shown below, the Inspector is active. If you do not see all of the information on the left- hand side, the Inspector is not active.
  • Page 39 You will do most of your monitoring through the mixer. However, if you want to monitor with Cubase’s effects, or if you just want to hear what the computer is hearing, press the direct monitoring button next to the Record Enable button. Note that using direct monitoring causes a small delay as the digital audio is being processed.

  • Page 40: Working With The Asio Control Panel

    Firewire Recording Working with the ASIO control panel Accessing the ASIO control panel From within Cubase, select “Devices” | “Device Setup….” | “VST MultiTrack.” Then, click the “Control Panel” button to access the MultiMix’s ASIO control panel. Setting the mixer nickname You can change the name of the mixer as it’s seen by the recording program.

  • Page 41: Adjusting Latency By Changing The Buffer Size

    Adjusting latency by changing the buffer size “Latency” refers to the amount of time it takes for audio to get into and out of the computer. In the best of all possible worlds, there would be no such thing as latency—we would hear audio the moment it was created.

  • Page 42: Using The Multimix Firewire With Sonar And Other Wdm Applications

    Firewire Recording Using the MultiMix FireWire with Sonar and other WDM applications Choosing the MultiMix as your audio device Choose the menu “Options” | “Audio….” On the “General” tab, select any available MultiMix channels as the Playback and Record timing masters. Choosing the MultiMix as your audio device Unlike ASIO, WDM allows...
  • Page 43 Click the “Advanced” tab. For WDM operation, be sure that the “Driver Mode” is set to “WDM/KS.” (If you change this setting, you will need to exit and then restart Sonar.) Firewire Recording For applications like Sonar that support both WDM and ASIO modes, you may want to experiment with each to see if either mode offers...
  • Page 44 Firewire Recording Move to the “Drivers” tab. Click on each input pair and also on the output pair to make them available to Sonar.

  • Page 45: Assigning Inputs To Audio Tracks

    Assigning inputs to audio tracks Now, you’re ready to assign the MultiMix’s inputs to various channels. For each audio track that you want to record, click on the input section of the track and select the MultiMix channel that you want. Record-enable the tracks to be recorded (first arrow).

  • Page 46: Using The Multimix Firewire With Coreaudio On The Macintosh

    Firewire Recording Using the MultiMix FireWire with CoreAudio on the Macintosh Mac users can impress their friends with the following instructions for using the MultiMix with CoreAudio: Open the Mac’s “Audio MIDI Setup” utility. Choose the MultiMix FireWire as both input and output device.
  • Page 47 Troubleshooting: non-Firewire If you’re having problems operating the MultiMix 8 FireWire, this troubleshooting index will help you correct them. Symptoms No sound from the mixer. Audio signal is distorted. Cause Mixer is not plugged in or turned on. Channel levels are too low. Control room level is turned down The appropriate signal hasn’t...
  • Page 48 Troubleshooting: non-Firewire Audio signal carries an unwanted hum. Microphone level is too low. No or low sound from a channel. Internal effects aren’t working. Too much low-level noise in the mix. Interference from appliances such as air conditioners. Not using TRS cables. Phantom power is not turned on.
  • Page 49 IRQ assignment restrictions that must be resolved before audio can work correctly on them. See your Firewire chipset documentation for further information if required. Replace with correct power supply (only use Alesis- recommended AC output power supply).
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  • Page 51: Firewire

    Troubleshooting: Firewire Computer or audio application does not see the MultiMix FireWire Basic troubleshooting First, check that the MultiMix is seen by the computer: Under “Sounds and Audio Devices” (Windows) or “Audio MIDI Setup” (Mac), look for the MultiMix FireWire to be listed as an available device.
  • Page 52 Troubleshooting: Firewire The active tab at the top of this window is now the “General” tab. Click the “Hardware” tab. Then, click the “Device Manager” button. Finally, expand the “Sound, video and game controllers” section. “MultiMix Audio” should appear.

  • Page 53: Audio Playback Or Recording Is At The Wrong Speed

    No connection If “MultiMix Audio” does not appear, Windows does not see the mixer as being connected to the computer. Check your Firewire cable and try powering the mixer off and on again. Expand the “IEEE 1394 Bus host controllers” section. Check that your Firewire card is listed as properly working.
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  • Page 55: Chapter Eight: Specifications

    Specifications For the more technical-minded, here are some detailed specifications for the MultiMix’s operating levels. Input Channels Mic In Sensitivity Range: Line In Sensitivity Range: Mic/Line Gain Range: Equalization High-Pass Filter: High Shelving: Mid Bandpass/Band Reject: Low Shelving: Aux Sends Aux Send A &...
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  • Page 57: Chapter Nine: Block Diagram

    Block Diagram...
  • Page 58 Block Diagram This page intentionally left blank...

  • Page 59: Glossary

    Glossary Here are the definitions to some terms you’ll probably encounter while using your MultiMix 8 FireWire. Term aux (auxiliary) An additional set of outputs and inputs found on many mixers. These allow the addition of external effects and other audio sources. balance A control that lets you control the position of sound in a stereo signal by altering the relative levels of the left and right channels.
  • Page 60 Glossary gain level master section mic preamp mixer mono (monaural) phantom power post-fader pre-fader return send stereo unity gain The measure of extra amplification applied to an audio signal. Channels 1 – 4 on your MultiMix 8 FireWire have gain controls, which are useful for boosting mic and line signals.

  • Page 61: Contact Information

    MultiMix 8 FireWire Reference Manual Revision 1.0 by Edwin Erdmann, Fred Morgenstern Copyright 2005, Alesis Distribution, LLC. All rights reserved Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. “MultiMix” and “MultiMix FireWire” are trademarks of Alesis, LLC. Specifications subject to change without notice.

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