Introduction - M-Audio Octane User Manual

English
Thank you for choosing the M-Audio Octane Microphone/Instrument Preamplifier. Octane offers you eight independent channels of studio-

Introduction

quality high-gain, ultra-low noise mic preamps in a rugged, compact 2RU design. With eight inputs on balanced XLR connectors and eight
channels of ADAT optical output, Octane has been designed to be the ideal analog front end for your digital recording environment.
Octane is packed with a host of professional features normally found only in higher-priced, exotic microphone preamps – features like
independent instrument preamps on channels 1 and 2, Mid-Side matrix encoding on channels 7 and 8, switchable +48V phantom
power, and word clock I/O on BNC connectors. With up to 70dB of gain and 129dBm EIA noise performance, Octane is the perfect high-
performance, cost-effective, multi-channel solution for the personal, project or professional studio.
Your Octane box contains the following items:
What's in the Box
Octane Microphone/Instrument Preamp
18VAC 3500mA Power Supply
Users' Manual
Octane is a multi-channel microphone preamp, offering eight channels of low-noise, high-gain, professional quality preamplification in a two-
About Octane
space rack mount chassis.
Each channel has its own input level control, 20dB pad, and three-color LED level meter, with rear panel inputs on balanced XLR
connectors. Octane also offers eight independent analog Preamp Outputs on rear panel balanced/unbalanced TRS connectors, along
with 8 channels of A/D Line Inputs. These inputs are half-normalled (plugging a connector into the A/D Line Input will interrupt the signal
from the XLR input to the lightpipe output, but plugging a connector into the Line Output will not), and can be used as insert returns, or
to allow Octane to function as a standalone A/D converter.
Octane gives you front-panel high impedance instrument-level inputs on channels 1 and 2, using independent preamps and level
control for superior performance and better Signal-to-Noise ratio. Channels 7 and 8 offer M-S Matrix Encoding circuitry for Mid-Side
stereo recording. Each of Octane's even-numbered channels (channels 2, 4, 6 and 8) offers a Phase Reverse switch for easy stereo
pairing, and +48V phantom power is switchable in two groups of four channels.
Eight channels of high-quality, low-noise microphone preamps
Features
Eight balanced XLR inputs
Separate mic level, pad and three segment LED meters on each channel
Switchable +48V phantom power
Two front-panel unbalanced high impedance instrument inputs with independent level controls
Mid-Side matrix encoding on channels 7 and 8
Eight balanced/unbalanced analog preamp outputs on TRS connectors
Eight balanced/unbalanced channel A/D line inputs on TRS connectors serve as inserts or standalone A/D converters
Phase reverse switch on even-numbered channels, low-cut filter on channel 1
ADAT lightpipe digital output
Front panel sample rate/external clock selector
Word clock I/O with low jitter Phase Locked Loop
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