User`s Manual - American Musical Supply
Contents
1. User s Manual Version 1 0 PreSonus Audio Electronics Inc 2005 W A R R A N T Y PreSonus Limited Warranty PreSonus Audio Electronics Inc warrants this product to be free of defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of original retail purchase This warranty is enforceable only by the original retail purchaser To be protected by this warranty the purchaser must complete and return the enclosed warranty card within 14 days of purchase During the warranty period PreSonus shall at its sole and absolute option either repair or replace free of charge any product that proves to be defective on inspection by PreSonus or its authorized service representative To obtain warranty service the purchaser must first call or write PreSonus at the address and telephone number printed below to obtain a Return Authorization Number and instructions of where to return the unit for service All inquiries must be accompanied by a description of the problem All authorized returns must be sent to the PreSonus repair facility postage prepaid insured and properly packaged PreSonus reserves the right to update any unit returned for repair PreSonus reserves the right to change or improve the design of the product at any time without prior notice This warranty does not cover claims for damage due to abuse neglect alteration or attempted repair by unauthorized personnel and is limited to failures arising during n2. Double clicking on the green line will reset the pan to the center Holding down ALT or CTRL or SHIFT while dragging PAN puts PAN into fine mode for more accurate adjustment of PAN Level fader Adjusts the input level of each input Double clicking on the blue fader automatically sets the fader to full gain Solo by pressing Solo all other input channels are muted Mute Mutes input channel Link links the input gain of adjacent channels If the two channels do not have the same level when the link button is pressed clicking on one of the faders will send the other input level to the same level as the channel that was clicked on 4 MIXER 23 Input software playback channel This is the audio return from your audio software The same functions are available as the other inputs including PAN balance between left and right channels LEVEL SOLO and MUTE This is a stereo channel This channel picks up the audio stream that is sent from your software and enables you to mix it with the direct input of your FIREBOX PLAYBACK Indicates the stereo stream output channels from your software 4 MIXER 24 OUTPUT SECTION Output Level fader Adjusts the output level of the mixer Global Solo Clear Clears ON or restores off solo s that have been selected in input channels Global Mute Clear Clears ON or restores off mute s that have been selected in input channels Playback to Phones
3. FIREBOX Drivers 6 2 3 FIREBOX Control Panel 7 2 4 FIREBOX Mixer 10 2 5 CUBASE LE Quick Start Up 11 2 6 Testing your FIREBOX with Cubase LE 13 3 Controls amp Connections 3 1 Front Panel Layout and Descriptions 16 3 2 Back Panel Layout and Descriptions 18 4 Mixer 4 1 Mixer 20 4 2 Operation of Mixer 22 5 Application Notes 5 1 Microphones 25 5 2 Sample Hook Up Diagram 25 6 Technical 6 1 Trouble Shooting 26 6 2 Specifications 29 1 OVERVIEW 4 1 1 I N T R O D U C T I O N Thank you for purchasing the PreSonus FIREBOX PreSonus Audio Electronics has designed the FIREBOX utilizing high grade components to insure optimum performance that will last a lifetime The FIREBOX is the most powerful recording interface of its size with the ability to record and playback six inputs and eight outputs simultaneously at 24 bit 96K sample rate Loaded with four analog inputs including two PreSonus microphone preamplifiers and two line inputs six balanced analog outputs SPDIF I O MIDI I O and Cubase LE 48 track recording software the FIREBOX is ready to go out of the box for professional quality computer recording For further flexibility the FIREBOX can be bus powered by a six pin FireWire connector or externally powered by the included power supply The FIREBOX is the perfect computer recording system that gives you the power for professional quality recordings in the palm of your hand We sugges
4. occur with high CPU loads ie running a large number of plug ins etc at low latency Windows XP try increasing your latency settings in the FIREBOX s hardware control panel 6 TECHNICAL 27 No Sync Red Macintosh Users Open Audio MIDI Setup and change the Format sample rate speed to anything different This will re establish synchronization and the Blue sync light will turn on Once you have the blue sync light you can then reset the Format sample rate to your desired setting Audio Drop Outs Can occur when the speed of your processor cannot buffer audio fast enough Windows XP Try lowering your FIREBOX s CPU to a lower setting by right clicking on the FIREBOX control panel icon in your system tray Preamplifier Q I have a microphone plugged into channel one or two but I am not getting any signal Possible Solutions 1 Check your mic cable 2 Make sure the microphone does not require phantom power If it does press the 48v button 6 TECHNICAL 28 Power Issues Q I just bought a FIREBOX from dealer name goes here in city and state go here and I live in Morocco When I plugged in my FIREBOX it caught on fire and smoke came out of the top What do I do A PreSonus has a distributor in almost every country Therefore PreSonus does not authorize or condone exportation of any of our products by US dealers If you have done this and your product has been damaged more than likely due to voltage irregula
5. ature gives you wide dynamic range and excellent transient response characteristics Neutrik Combo Connectors Both preamps of the FIREBOX have a Mic Line connector using the Neutrik Combo connector This revolutionary style connector lets you use either phone or XLR connectors in the same female input INSTRUMENT INPUTS Channels 1 and 2 The TS connector on channels 1 and 2 are for use with an instrument guitar bass and etc When an instrument is plugged into the instrument input the microphone preamplifier is bypassed and the FIREBOX becomes an active instrument preamplifier 3 CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS 17 NOTE Active instruments are those that have an internal preamp or a line level output Active instruments should be plugged into a line input 3 or 4 rather than into an instrument input In other words don t plug an active instrument into the combo jacks on channels 1 or 2 3 Input Gain Trim Control This knob provides the following gain structure for each channel Microphone Input XLR 45dB of variable gain 14dB to 55dB Instrument HiZ Input TS channels 1 and 2 only 45dB variable gain 8dB to 50dB Clip Indicator The clip indicator will light up if your input signal from the XLR Mic or line reaches 18dBu 0dBfs At this level your mic preamp line trim signal may not exhibit signs of clipping such as distortion However this level would cause the A D analog to digital conver
6. cy recording example 1 Record enable your desired track turn off input monitoring function or mute the track in your software 2 Select playback channels of the main output of your audio software in the SOFTWARE PLAYBACK channel of the FIREBOX mixer The input on this channel will be the output of your software 3 Connect your microphone to input 1 and turn on phantom power if needed 4 You can now adjust the levels of your microphone and your software playback to your desired levels for recording monitoring only 5 If using headphones select Mix under Mix to Phones this will send the output of the Mixer to the headphone output 6 In the MIXER OUTPUT section of the FIREBOX Mixer select the pair of outputs to send out of the FIREBOX for example studio monitors connected to outputs 1 2 6 inputs from the FIREBOX go directly to mixer and software Playback from Software Mixer Output to one of six stereo outputs on FIREBOX Headphone Output can be any playback stream from your software or the mix from the mixer 4 MIXER 22 4 2 O P E R A T I O N O F M I X E R The silver tracks represent the six possible inputs from the FIREBOX as well as the software playback The blue section contains information on the output of the mixer Each input has the following functions Pan green vertical line You can click drag the pan stereo image of each input by moving the green vertical line to the left or right
7. e manual of the software manufacturer to learn setup and usage of different MIDI applications Line Outputs 3 4 5 6 Balanced line level outputs These connectors will accept either balanced TRS Tip Ring Sleeve cables or unbalanced TS Tip Sleeve cables Main CR Output The level of this output is controlled by the Main volume knob on the front of the unit Line Inputs 3 and 4 These connectors will accept either balanced TRS Tip Ring Sleeve cables or unbalanced TS Tip Sleeve cables The Line Input can also be used as a standard line level input for devices that do not require pre amplification such as a CD player drum machine sampler and etc 4 MIXER 20 4 1 M I X E R The FIREBOX includes a software MIXER ROUTER for flexible monitoring and routing of the audio signal before it hits your software program This is helpful to avoid the time it takes to process the audio you are recording called latency Therefore you can mix the input signal going into the FIREBOX with the playback from your software for zero latency recording and monitoring NOTE The default settings pictured above for the FIREBOX mixer has all faders set to 0dB and all pans set to center with the Software Playback set to channels 1 2 the Mixer Output set to Bypass and the Playback to Phones set to channels 1 2 4 MIXER 21 FIREBOX Mixer Flowchart To set up your Mixer application for zero laten
8. g the external power supply FireWire Ports There are two firewire ports on the back of the FIREBOX Both FireWire ports are standard 6 pin firewire jacks If your computer has a six pin FireWire port you can power your FIREBOX from the FireWire connector If your computer has a 4 pin connector then you will need to get a 4 to 6 pin connector to connect your FIREBOX to your computer and use the external power supply Either port can be used to connect the FIREBOX to a FireWire port on your computer MIDI and S PDIF IN and OUT MIDI and SPDIF I O can be connected to this DB 9 connector breakout cable included The S PDIF I O allows the FIREBOX to receive and transmit audio from to other digital audio devices The S PDIF standard allows for two channels of audio to be transmitted at up to rates of 24bit 96Khz Word clock is the synchronizing signal that indicates the sampling frequency or rate of sample words over a digital audio interface Note When using SPDIF In you must select SPDIF in your FIREBOX Hardware Control Panel 3 CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS 19 MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface However the MIDI standard goes well beyond just instrumentation and sequencing The MIDI inputs and outputs allow connection and or communication with external MIDI equipment One function of this port is MIDI programming This port can also be used for MMC MIDI Machine Control and MTC MIDI Time Control Please consult th
9. ms Headphone Output 150mW Ch 20Hz 20kHz Phantom Power 48V 2V Power Supply Ext line Transformer Internal Switching Bus Power Six pin FireWire Port Analog to Digital Converters 24 bit up to 96khz ADC Dynamic Range 107db DAC 24 bit up to 96kHz DAC Dynamic Range 110db IEEE1394 Speed 400mbps As a commitment to constant improvement PreSonus Audio Electronics Inc reserves the right to change any specification stated herein at any time in the future without notification
10. nstall the FIREBOX Control Panel drag and drop the following file to your hard drive FIREBOX Control Once this file is saved to your hard drive double click on it to launch the Control Panel Input Level Boost clicking this button will boost the input level of each corresponding analog input on the FIREBOX by 12dB Use this feature for recording quiet instruments or devices with low output FIREBOX CONTROL PANEL ADVANCED SETTINGS You can Right Click on the FIREBOX control panel icon to select between three different computer optimization settings These settings optimize the buffers and audio streaming settings based on the speed of your processor If you are experiencing audio drop outs it is recommended that you select a lower CPU setting 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP 10 High Computer Processor 2GHz and higher Medium default Computer Processor 1GHz to 2GHz Low Computer Processor 800MHz to 1GHz 2 4 F I R E B O X M I X E R WINDOWS XP Once you have successfully installed your audio drivers the FIREBOX Mixer will be available in your program files You can launch the Mixer by clicking Start gt Program files gt PreSonus FIREBOX MIXER For details on the FIREBOX Mixer see chapter 4 Macintosh The included CD ROM disk contains Macintosh software for the FIREBOX Mixer To install the FIREBOX Mixer drag and drop the following file to your hard drive FIREBOX Control Once this file is saved
11. ons Insert CD ROM Driver Installation included with your FIREBOX into your computer DO NOT CONNECT YOUR FIREBOX AT THIS TIME CD should auto run If not navigate to CD and double click on FIREBOX_Installer exe Carefully read and follow the FIREBOX installation instructions The installer will prompt you to connect your FIREBOX at the proper time NOTE If you are you connecting the FIREBOX via a standard 6 pin Firewire cable power for the unit will be supplied via the Firewire cable If you are using a 4 to 6 pin Firewire cable you will need to connect the included external power supply to power the FIREBOX This installation procedure will also install the FIREBOX Control Panel and Mixer software Note If at any point during installation a Software Installation message appears from Windows regarding Windows Logo testing click Continue Anyway to continue installation 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP 7 Macintosh OSX 10 3 7 or later The audio drivers for the FIREBOX are included in the CORE AUDIO of Macintosh OSX 10 3 7 and later Once you have verified that you are running OSX 10 3 7 or later connect your FIREBOX to a FireWire port on your computer power for the unit will be supplied via the Firewire cable Your FIREBOX sync light should flash red and then stay blue to signify that your FIREBOX is properly sync d to your computer 2 3 F I R E B O X C O N T R O L P A N E L WINDOWS XP Once you have successfull
12. ormal use that are due to defects in material or workmanship in the product Any implied warranties including implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose are limited in duration to the length of this limited warranty Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts so the above limitation may not apply to you In no event will PreSonus be liable for incidental consequential or other damages resulting from the breach of any express or implied warranty including among other things damage to property damage based on inconvenience or on loss of use of the product and to the extent permitted by law damages for personal injury Some states do not allow the exclusion of limitation of incidental or consequential damages so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state This warranty only applies to products sold and used in the United States of America For warranty information in all other countries please refer to your local distributor PreSonus Audio Electronics Inc 7257 Florida Blvd Baton Rouge LA 70806 225 216 7887 800 750 0323 www presonus com 2005 PreSonus Audio Electronics Incorporated All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 1 Overview 1 1 Introduction 4 2 Installation and Set up 2 1 Computer Requirements 5 2 2 Installation of
13. rities then you will need to return the unit to the dealer in the United States The dealer can then return it to PreSonus for a non warranty repair After the unit is repaired the dealer will be billed accordingly and the unit will be returned to the dealer Cubase LE For help with Cubase LE press F1 while running Cubase LE or visit www steinberg com For additional trouble shooting information check online at www presonus com firebox html 6 TECHNICAL 29 6 2 F I R E B O X S P E C I F I C A T I O N S Preamp Bandwidth 10Hz to 50kHz Preamp Input Impedance 1 3k Ohms Instrument Input Impedance 1M Ohms Preamp THD lt 0 005 Preamp EIN 125dB Preamp Gain 45dB Line Input Impedance 10k Ohms TRS Output Impedance 51 Ohms TRS Main Outputs Impedance 51 Oh
14. selects the audio stream output coming from your software Mix to Phones Pressing this button sends the Mixer s zero latency output to the headphones Mixer Output sends the output of the mixer to the selected pair of outputs on the FIREBOX Save enables you to save your mixer setups Load loads your mixer setups note that you must first save a mixer setup before you load one 5 APPLICATION NOTES 25 5 1 M I C R O P H O N E S The FIREBOX works great with all types of microphones including dynamic ribbon and condenser microphones Dynamic microphones and ribbon microphones are generally lower output devices and require no external power source Condenser microphones are generally more sensitive than dynamic and ribbon microphones and typically require external 48V phantom power NOTE If you are using a ribbon microphone please check the manual for the mic before applying phantom power Applying phantom power to some microphones could cause damage to the microphone 5 2 S A M P L E H O O K U P D I A G R A M 6 TECHNICAL 26 6 1 T R O U B L E S H O O T I N G Please note that many technical issues can arise when converting a standard computer into a DAW Digital Audio Workstation PreSonus will only provide support for issues that directly relate to the FIREBOX interface It may be necessary to contact the manufacturer of the computer operating system and or software to obtain additional technical suppor
15. t PreSonus does not provide support for issues in regards to operating systems additional hardware or software Please check our website www presonus com regularly for software information and updates firmware updates and technical support Also technical assistance may be received by calling PreSonus at 225 216 7887 between the hours of 10 am and 8 PM Central Time Pops and Clicks The light on the front right panel of the FIREBOX is a clock sync indicator It lets you know if your unit is receiving word clock correctly Word clock is the manner by which digital devices sync frame rates Proper word clock sync prevents digital devices from having pops clicks or distortion in the audio signal due to mismatched digital audio transmission If the symbol is solid blue this indicates that your unit is in sync with the computer or a S PDIF device that is plugged into the S PDIF input on the back of the unit If the light is solid red this indicates that the FIREBOX does not have sync from the computer and that the unit might not be connected properly If the unit is flashing red and blue the unit is not receiving external sync This would be caused by the clock source in the FIREBOX control panel being set to S PDIF with no S PDIF sync source coming in Here are the three different light modes broken down once again Blue solid sync Red sync not present Flashing Red and Blue external sync not present Pops and clicks can also
16. t that you use this manual to familiarize yourself with the features applications and correct connection procedure for your FIREBOX before trying to connect it to your computer This will hopefully alleviate any unforeseen issues that you may encounter during installation and set up Thank you once again for buying our product and we hope you enjoy your FIREBOX 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP 5 2 1 C O M P U T E R R E Q U I R E M E N T S Below are the minimum computer system requirements for your FIREBOX Windows OS Microsoft Windows XP Computer Windows compatible computer with FireWire port CPU Clock Pentium Celeron with 900Mhz or higher Dual 1 2 GHz recommended Memory RAM 256 MB 512MB recommended Macintosh OS MacOS X 10 3 7 or later Computer Apple Macintosh series with on board Firewire port CPU Clock PowerPC G4 800Mhz or higher G4 Dual 1 GHZ recommended Memory RAM 512 MB or more Note that the speed of your processor amount of RAM and size and speed of your hard drive will greatly affect the overall performance of your recording system Also a more powerful system faster processor with more RAM will allow for lower latency signal delay that you might experience while monitoring audio or MIDI signals 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP 6 2 2 I N S T A L L A T I O N O F F I R E B O X D R I V E R S Windows XP Installation Steps Quit all currently running applicati
17. ters to clip Therefore it is highly recommended that you do not allow your converters to clip the clip indicators to light up as the sound quality would not be desirable 4 Main Level This knob allows control over the output level for the MAIN CR OUTPUT 1 and 2 on the back of the FIREBOX It has a range of 80db to 10dB 5 Headphone Symbol and Jack This is where you connect your headphones 6 Phones The Phones knob controls the amount of volume going to the headphone output on the front of the unit Notice the volume indicator goes to 11 loud Use this setting with caution 7 Red Blue Power Sync Light This light is a clock sync indicator It lets you know if your unit is receiving word clock correctly Word clock is the manner by which digital devices sync frame rates Proper word clock sync prevents digital devices from having pops clicks or distortion in the audio signal due to mismatched digital audio transmission Blue solid sync Red sync not present Flashing Red and Blue external sync not present 3 CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS 18 3 2 B A C K P A N E L L A Y O U T A N D D E S C R I P T I O N 12VDC Power Adaptor Input This is where you plug the provided power supply into the FIREBOX Please check the power supply to ensure that it is the correct voltage and plug type for your country Note that you can also power your FIREBOX with a six pin FireWire port from your computer instead of usin
18. the front panel of the FIREBOX while speaking into the microphone You should see the input meter in the Cubase LE track info react to your speaking Adjust trim so that the input level is at its maximum without clipping Connect a set of headphones to the FIREBOX headphone output Click the monitor button in Cubase LE for Audio 01 to arm the track s monitoring PreSonus has also included a Cubase LE session file template on the internet at www presonus com firebox html Note that online help available for Cubase LE by pressing F1 or visiting www steinberg net 3 CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS 16 3 1 F R O N T P A N E L L A Y O U T A N D D E S C R I P T I O N 1 Microphone Instrument Pre Amplifier Your FIREBOX is equipped with two custom designed PreSonus microphone instrument preamplifiers for use with all types of microphones including Dynamics Condensers and Ribbons as well as instruments and line level signals The award winning PreSonus preamplifier design is a Class A input buffer followed by a dual servo gain stage This arrangement results in ultra low noise and wide gain control allowing the FIREBOX user to boost desirable signal without increasing unwanted background noise 2 48 Volt Phantom Power The FIREBOX has selectable 48V Phantom power available for both preamps XLR connector wiring for Phantom Power Pin 1 GND Pin 2 48V Pin3 48V 22dBu Headroom The FIREBOX mic pre has 22 dBu of headroom This fe
19. to your hard drive double click on it to launch the Mixer For details on the FIREBOX Mixer see chapter 4 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP 11 2 5 C U B A S E L E Q U I C K S T A R T U P Once you have installed your FIREBOX drivers if you plan on using the CUBASE LE software included with your FIREBOX insert the CUBASE LE installation CD and run the installer Make sure to keep your CD envelope sleeve handy to reference the serial number during installation To select the FIREBOX in Cubase LE go to Devices gt Device Setup Select VST multi track 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP 12 ASIO Driver pull down menu select PreSonus ASIO Driver Click Switch to save PreSonus Driver Selection 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP 13 2 6 T E S T Y O U R F I R E B O X W I T H C U B A S E L E In order to test your FIREBOX do the following Launch Cubase LE and make sure that you have selected the PreSonus FIREBOX ASIO driver as described above in Section 2 4 Create a new project 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP 14 Create one new audio track within your new project by clicking on Project gt Add Track gt Audio or you can right click ctrl click mac in the track space within the project Record enable the track by pressing the Record Enable button 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP 15 Plug a microphone into channel one and turn on 48V phantom power if needed for the microphone Turn up the channel 1 trim control on
20. y installed your audio drivers the FIREBOX Control Panel will be available from your system tray typically located at the bottom right hand corner of your screen near your clock Double click on the FIREBOX Control Panel ICON to open the FIREBOX Hardware Control Panel 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP 8 FIREBOX HARDWARE CONTROL PANEL Windows XP Sample Rate Drop down the menu to select the sample rate of the FIREBOX 44 1 48 88 2 96k This must be set to the same sample rate in your recording software Clock Source Drop down the menu to select the FIREBOX s digital sync source INTERNAL SPDIF Must be selected to use the SPDIF input Note that Control Panel settings will be saved upon power down Latency Sets the amount of delay time of your FIREBOX 1 5ms 24ms Latency is the time it takes for the computer to process audio Lower latency settings demand more CPU resources In the case of inconsistent audio i e drop outs pops and clicks digital distortion etc we recommend that you increase this setting Input Level Boost clicking this button will boost the input level of each corresponding analog input on the FIREBOX by 12dB Use this feature for recording quiet instruments or devices with low output 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP 9 Macintosh FIREBOX HARDWARE CONTROL PANEL The included CD ROM contains Macintosh software for the FIREBOX Control Panel as well as the Mixer software To i
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