Troubleshooting - M-Audio Fast Track Ultra User Manual

Fast Track Ultra

10 Troubleshooting

Fast Track Ultra has been designed to give you high performance and professional-quality audio. It has been tested under a wide range
of systems and operating conditions. However, there are a virtually limitless number of operating scenarios, any of which could affect
your system's performance. Though this section cannot cover all possible issues you may encounter, we would like to offer you some
suggestions for dealing with common problems.
We recommend that you avoid connecting too many devices. The USB bus is a dependable protocol that is ideally suited for digital audio.
Nevertheless, it is important to remember that audio and multimedia streaming place considerable demands on your processor and the
USB bus.
If you are having trouble getting audio in or out of your Fast Track Ultra, please check the following:
If you have no sound:
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Check to see if Fast Track Ultra drivers are properly installed.
• In Windows XP, go to the Control Panel and double-click the System icon (under Performance and Maintenance if you
are in Category view).
• Select the Hardware tab and click the Device Manager button.
• Click the plus sign ("+") next to Sound, Video and Game Controllers, and locate the Fast Track Ultra listing. If you
see a question mark or exclamation point next to it, or if you don't see it listed, you may need to reinstall the driver
software.
Make sure your audio software has been set up to use Fast Track Ultra.
• Open your application's audio settings page and check to see if the correct ASIO, WDM, or Core Audio drivers have
been selected.
If you're certain Fast Track Ultra is correctly installed and configured for your audio software, check your signal path. Make sure
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your inputs are routed correctly by verifying that your application is receiving audio signal. Make sure your outputs are routed
correctly so that your signal is sent to your headphones, amp and/or monitors.
• Check your audio connections and cables to make sure everything is plugged in correctly.
• Check the LED Level Meters to see if input signal is present.
• Check the Control Panel to verify that the output volume levels are turned up, and that signal is present in the input
meters.
• Check to see that the power button is enabled, and that the USB cable is connected to the unit and the host computer.
• Check the Front/Rear input selector switch to verify that you've chosen the proper input.
If you're trying to record a digital input to Fast Track Ultra and have no sound, or are experiencing clicks and pops in your
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recordings:
• Make sure the input source on the Settings tab of the Control Panel is set to "external. " See the section about Word Clock
for more information.
• Make sure your input levels are not too hot, as this can cause distortion and clipping.
• Check the input level meters in your audio application.
• Try changing the buffer size (latency setting) in the Control Panel (Windows only).
• You might want to try using a larger buffer size (higher latency setting). Larger buffer sizes can increase input latency time,
but this is not an issue if you're mixing, for example. Increasing the buffer size can be helpful, particularly in the case of
older or lower-powered systems.
• If you are using a USB hub, try connecting Fast Track Ultra directly to your computer.
For more troubleshooting tips, visit the Knowledge Base at www.m-audio.com
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