- Sonic Studio
Contents
1. to Bypass EO A ip NOTE This button only effects the display of the EQ window Use the EQ button on the Equalizer to turo the EQ on and E 13 iRC b Button to display iRC Filter Bank Em furs on and ofthe Amar When green dotis lit signifies that an fiter is engaged for playback IRC Fiter Bank 14 Preload Tracks Button for Gapless Playback Toggles the Preload Tracks function on and of See I1 Gaplees Playback in AmarraiTunes Mode on page 28 15 LINK Button to link Amarra window to iTunes Links tho Amarra UI to the Tunes window Move your Tunes window and Amarra wil follow 54 NOTE I you move your Amarra window Tunes does not follow This is useful i you need to temporarily separate the windows 16 Up Down Arrow Button to display Artwork window Toggles the Artwork Window display and off Chapter 4 0 Music Playback from your iTunes library Playing musie from an iTunes library on a recognized disk drive using Amara is very simple process Launch the first time and you l be asked if you want to launch Tunes Select Yes and you will see both the and iTunes windows appear Amara run with or without Apples iTunes program however for new users wa recommend initially using Tunes mode until you become familiar with the other features avaiable in This allows you to manage and access your music through the main Tunes M2. a playlist x A NOTE Converting FLAC Folders and Files to AIFF using Amarr is a non destructive process Your original FLAC will remain intact and you wil aiso have new AIFF fles We recommend copying your FLAC fles to your backup drive for retrieval n case of emergency Use your AIFF fles for day to day playback This setup wil provide better sound quality during playback and minimize the amount o space needed for backups 6 2 3 Aborting FLAC Conversions If you have any reason to terminate current or pending FLAC File or Folder conversion prior to completion you abart all currant and pending conversions by clicking on Amarra gt File PADO FLAC Conversions You will be asked to confirm your selection as part of tha process poem Confirm Selection Chapter 7 0 Gapless Playback Gapless playback is perfec for contiguous performances such symphonic recordings or live continuous performances Gapless playback is now available in bot AmarrafTunes mode and in Amara Payist made however there are some minor differences between how gapless playback is provided in each mode xi NOTE Uncompressed fles are required for Gapless Playback Use AIFF WAV or BWF files AA PreloadTracks is specifically designed for gapless playback in Amarra Tunes mode Using PreloadTiacks to load tracks not part of a gapless performance into an Amara Playlist may lead to unexpected resu
3. Playlist Pulldown Menu MEER wien pes Papi Save Fast Pi Wei x AddTiadis From Tunes rem Adds tracks selected in Tunes into Playlist AddTiadis from Finder emdeof Select and add audio tracks from the Mac Finde Preloaded Tracks Open Plaviist Open an existing Playlist Save Playlist Saves a Playlist to disk for later recall Playlist Window Opens the Amarra Playlist window Desk Window Windows Hep Open Sonic EO Setup Save Sorc tQ Setup Save As Deft ps Cache ES Open Sonic EO Setup Allows you open a previoushy saved Sonic EQ Setup Save Sonic EQ Setup Allows you to save the current opan Sonic EO Setup Clears the current Playlist or when used in Amarra Tunas mod clears any Save Ae Default Save the curent open Sonic EQ Setup as the Default EO Tho Sonic EO Setup will be recalled on launch Mute optsemdeMITums Mute on and of Cache optsemdeM Turns CACHE Made on and off A 6 Windows Menu LE XP Equalizer optta Toggles the Amara Window on and off Tunes opt Toggles the main Tunes Window on and off Playlist foptegl Toggle the Amarra Playlist Window and off Equalizer Jot Toggles the Equalizer on and off APPENDIX B The Amarra Preferences Window This section describes of the functions available via the Amarra Preferences window o NOTE Deleting Amara Preerence
4. both Amarra and Playlist modes Toggle button to tum Cache On and Off whan tumed on the next track loaded or many if reload Tracks is active will be loaded into Cache prior to beginning playback 9 Amarra iTunes Button to toggle between Amarra and iTunes Indicates the engine being used to playback musicfrom your Tunes library When the green dot is It and Amarra is displayed Amarra is the playback engine playing back your music When the button displays Tunes in grey une is playing back your music Use this button to exit Playlist modo and go back to AmarraliTunes moda NOTE A great way to do an A B Hid comparison between Amara and Tunes is to simply toggle the Amarrl Tunes button 10 PLAYLIST Button to enter Playlist mode usr Clicking on the Playlist button wil illuminate green dot and enters Amarra Playlist mode When in Amarra Playlist modo your Amara Playlist is tha source for your muse Use this button to bring the Amarra Playlist window to the font f hidden behind other Windows NOTE When in Playlist Mode Amara is ALWAYS playing your musie back 11 TRACKS Button Active in both Amara Playlist mode and when using Preload Tracks in AmarrlfTunos mode Displays list of tracks in your Playlist Preloaded Tracks are selectable from the TRACKS pulldown list 12 EQ Button to display EQ window Im P Equalizer window on and off Use
5. modified at ull volume Once the Gain is adjusted hen dither is re enabled 0 NOTE Amara provides two dither options Sonic TPDF and Sonie s advanced prycho acousti noise shaped dither Your personal experience may decide which one you preter B 4PROCESSINGSETTINGS FULL SONIC EQ Not Available Amara requires upgrade to Symphony Must be disabled ta use DSD Fiter for OSD playback Use EQ Bypass to improve performance if no EQ is being used GAIN Bypass Bypasses all gain processing in Amara Amara wil play back tracks at fll volume 0 0 Use Gain Bypass to improve performance if using external device for Gain contral BRICKWALL LIMITER Used to protect equipment from damage from some overloads presentin streaming audio ewnlosdatie fles Attenuates any playback over DdB to 0 5dB Playback levels below 048 Sre not effected DSD PUTER Used only for DSD dst and d fles fie playback emulating the low pass fitar option presant on SACD players Requires EQ Bypass o be de selected sp Gam Applies the selected gain to playback of dst and dff fles HARDWARE SETTINGS Follow Audio Midi Setup Enables Amara to follow Audio Midi Setup when changed to set output device Amara wil use tho same output device as specified in AMSU A re scan in Audio Device Preferences bo required To select a different Audio Device independent of Audio Midi Setup de select
6. or quit in APPENDIX C Your Amarra Folder This section escribes the files installed in your Applicatione Amarra folder in Finder ae of the Amara installation process REN EM IE entes 2 Duos Amara fenis command Son Susa Quiasapper vao Persia Donia met s Amara 30 Uer anal pd T Amira 30 Rad We at Re ente Ue Maia Amarra app The application FEH Measure app FEN meas calibration tool Support Folder these links take you to various Important webpages for support Download Amarra sQ webloc directs you to the Sonic Studio downloads page to access the Amara sQ Installer and Manuals Sonie_Studio_QuickSupporv8 app Amara support app allowing Sonic Studio to log into customer system and assume control of Lost Activation Code webloc directs you the Sonic Studio Activation Code Control Panel to find a lost license Amarra Videos well check out howto videos for Amana and IRC Amarra Support Poralwabloc access the AmarrssupportportalandFAQ agresteource ftachnieal information and assistance Amara Learning Centsrwebloc go directly tothe Amara FAQ Amarra SupportPage webloc direct access to the Amarra support pape with download Videos tips and tricks and ether information Extras Folder these items run only when Iaunched manually Amara 30 License Managerapp use this app to manually manage backing up and removing you
7. page 25 for detai Abort FLAC Conversior Aborts any active and pending FLAC file folder conversions Activation Opens the Activation Window referto the Amarra Activation Guide for more information about Activating Amara Audio Device Preferences Opens the Audio Device Preferences for managing your DAC i APPENDIXD Audio Device references Window on page 52 for details Open Audio Midi Setup Open the Audio Midi Setup window for setting up your DAC Check for Updates Manually checks for availability of new versions of Amarra Sening the Amara Preferences Check for Updates on Launch will automate this Sonic Studio Website Links back to the Studio Website Elect Disk Ejects CD from tray Extras Accesses additional features Quy taune finer rab Deana rot ree Close Window NA cut NA Cop NA Paste NA Open Console Log Opens the Console Application to view the Amarra console log in Utilities Felder Purge OSX Memory Purges Inactivate OSX Memory to improve overall performance This is checked each time Amarra launched When purging inactive memory Amara s temporarily available Quivtaunch Finder Quits and launches the Finder Application Enable Debugging Allows Amarr to log information on is operation to the Console Log Print Track Info Prints track information to the Console log When using Preload race prints rack information for all preloaded tracka
8. run either Amarra or Amara sQ but not both at the same time to avoid any playback issues between the two applications Jy NOTE you purchase Amara s0 during a ta you wil need to unl ether the tial a over to instali your permanent Keane or wat nti prompted to instali your permanent nsa when launching Amara s 8 1 Installing Amarra sQ To install Amara sO please click on the s Installar pg You con download the Installer frm hurar soniestudio com sone support DOWNLOAD Follow the on screen instructions to install your softwar You may uninstall the Amarra sQ as follows Fun Uninstall AmarraSQ app This wil ramova all components installed 8 2 Launching Licensing and Using Amarra sQ Te two methods for licensing sO 1 Trial Mode Free 15 day fullfunction trial 2 Permanent Activation You are delivered an Activation Cade after purchase A gu Learn For your security and convenience an Accounts required to use or uy Amara 20 Your personal account s frae secure and takas just few minutes o setup Amara sO software is protected with AntiPiracy s InterLok copy protection Learn more at Lok com Your Amarra sQ license is authorized on your Mac via Machine License or iLok2 USB Smart Please refer to the Amara sQ User Manual for detailed instructions for launching lensing and using Amarra in both trial mode and permanent activation The
9. to quit Finder tf you ae pr takes moment befor play back is av proce 5 2 Amarra Playlists Amana Amara and Playlist windows Using Amarra Playlists provides sevaral benefits including Processing your music moro efficientiy than in Amarra Tunes mode resulting in better sound quality Ability to run independently of Tunes Ability to play 050 and FLAC files natively no conversion for Tunes needed 5 2 1 General Information about Amarra Playlists Plast without issue Tacks can reside in more than ono Playlist Amara storas a pointer and some othar information about the fik maka an additional of the fie when adding to a Playist it doas not HE you move your tracka to another location on your sk you wil need to re do your Amara Plajits Commands for Amara De can bo accessed from the Amara Ul the Amara Fist Ul the Amata gt Playist pulldown menu You wil be able to load tracks into an Amara Playlist that can playback in the curent configuration can also use method of loading ack including saved Amara Det ito your Amara Pls fror either your Tunes ibrary Finder widow 5 2 2 Amarra Playlist Window Amara Playlist mode provides an additional independent Playlist window optional to manage your Amarra Playlists are some new buttons on the Amama Playlist window ta be aware E Fit ipio o B The name of your cur
10. Amarras0 User Manual an be found st tha link below sO User Manual Chapter 9 0 Sonic Studio iRC b Impulse Response Correction NOTE The Impulse Response Correction component of Amarr 3 0 is a paid add on xj NOTE You will need an omnidirectional fol bandwidth measurement microphone We recommend that the frequency response Is within 1 dB In the area of the speaker s frequency response range Failure to use a recommended microphone may result in false measurement information The XTZ Microphone Pro from XTZ Audio i a cost efficent microphone kit that we recommend Other recommended mics can be found in our FAQ have been t performance suffers The listening room is usually the weakest link of any sound system Loudspea designed for a certain placementin aroom butin an imperfect environ and ifs impossible get the ful benefit from your DAC amp and speaker investment Imaging Zem and bass tightness all affected by the limitations imposed by your listening room and he result that your listening experience can be significantly diminished Amarra now includes Sonic Studio EN Impulse Response Correction up to SODHz capability This leading edge room correction technology designed to optimiza the sound of your system in your environment and ta your taste Sonic Studio DEN measures the acoustic characteristics of your loudspeakers within your listening environ
11. Ba www sonicstudio com Amarra 3 0 User Manual Table of Contents Chapter 1 0 Welcome to Amarra 3 Chapter 2 0 Getting Started 2 Connecting to your output device 22 Launching Amarra the FirstTime 23 Launching Amarra the NextTime 24 Changing your Output Device Chapter 3 0 Amarra User Interface 1 Trangport Buttons 2 Amarra Volume Slide 3 Amara 4 Playback Position Sido 5 Clear Button and Playlist Commands 6 Anwork window TT Button Open ADP window M 8I Cache Button Turning on CACHE 9 Button to toggle between Amarra and iTunes HE 10 PLAYLIST Button to enter Playlist mode um RACKS Button 12 EQ Button to display EQ window 18 ECH Button to displ M PreloadTiacks Button for Gapless Playback 15 LINK Button to link Amarra window to 16 Up Down Arrow Button to display Artwork window Chapter 4 0 Music Playback from your iTunes library Navigating within Track M Chapter 5 0 Additional Features to Further Improve your Sound 5 1 Setting up your Mac for optimum performance t T S2 Amar Playlists orden dit Pra a IRC Filter Bank ec eh S CACHE Mode Amara Parametric EQ Displaying me Ea Window Saa adjusting EQ 45 Saving and Racaling Seng Chapter 6 0 Playing FLAC Files 6 1 Playing FLAC Files Natively via Playli Pl
12. DER Button select tracks using tf please do the following Click on the Finder button on the Amarra Ut Navigate to the tracks you d lato load in the resulting Finder window Highlight the de d tracks and click Oper to add the tracks to your Amarra Playlist ss NOTE Native FLAC File Playback Use the Finder button to load your FLAC files natively into an Playlist Navigate to your desired FLAC files select and ick to add to your Playlist 5 2 5 USING YOUR AMARRA PLAYLIST Choosing Tacks in your Playlist You can select tracks in your Playlist by doing the following Select the with your cursor and hit Play Use the up or down arrow to move up and down in the Playlist Use the gt gt and lt lt Transport buttons on the Amarra UI to move to the next track to the head of current rack or to the previous track You can also use the Tracks Button to see the list of tracks loaded andto select a desired Track You can delate a track in the current Playlist by highlighting the track and hitting the Delate Kay your keyboard Moving Tacks You can move tracks up and down in the current playlist by highlighting the track and holding the mouse key down You wil see white line that you move around in the Playlist and it indicates where the file will be placed when dropped Release the mouse to drop the in place It wil take Amarra a moment te rebuild the Playlist so ple
13. ELOAD TRACKS in Amara m 7 2 Gapless Playback in Amarra Playlist mode Using Amarra Playlists makes it very easy to have gapless playback will attempt to play al track in an Amara Playlist gaplesly ae long asthe sample rat s tha same DO NOT select Proload Tracka when using Amarra Playlist mode using Preload Tracks in Amarra Playlist mode produce unexpected result To load several racks or an album that is not gapless us ddFinder buttons in tha Amarra or Playlist window ordragldrop your Amarra Pay Note Gapless Playback is designed to work with true gapless performances such symphonie recordings live performances and recordings that were mastered 22 gapless Gopless playback is not a substitute for mixing Independent tracks together m Note To load an Album into an Amara Playlist do the following Disable Tacks From the songs tab in Tunes sort your library by Album by Arts In Mines move to the Album tab Select the album you d to load Into your Amarra Playlist Click the Playlist button to go into Amarr Playit mode T Click the Ad button the entire album wil be loaded into your Playlist m Chapter 8 0 Audio Playback from Streaming Sources Amarra introduces another new capability the ability to playbck audio from streaming sources such as Pandora Inernet Radio Spotify and YouTube among oth jq NOTE We strongly recommend that you
14. S ACCURACY RELIABILITY CURRENTNESS OR OTHERWISE THE ENTRE RISK ASTOTHE RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE OFTHE SONIC STUDIO SOFTWARE IS ASSUMED BYVOU THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES I NOT PERMITTED BY SOME STATES THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLYTOYOL IN NO EVENTWILL SONIC STUDIO LLC TS DIRECTORS OFFICERS EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS LIABLETO YOU FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL INCIDENTAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS BUSINESS INTERRUPTION 1055 OF BUSINESS INFORMATION ANDTHE LIKE ARISING OUT OFTHE USE OR INABLITYTO USETHE SONIC STUDIO SOFTWARE EVEN IF SONIC STUDIO HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES BECAUSE SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLYTOYOU Notice of Rights 2007 2014 Sone Studio LC Allright reserved No pat of his document may be reproduced stared navies system ee ey farm or by eas without be prior rien permission ol tha publisher onl Studio Amarr Amara Hi Amara Symphony Sonic Mastering EQ Model 302 Modal 303 Model Four Model 305 andthe Sonic Studio and Amara lago are tradamarka of Sone Studio LLC Al other company or product names are either or registered vademari a thelr respective owners Chapter 1 0 Welcome to Amarra 3 0 Congratulations and welcome to the Amarra family By now you should have successfully downloaded installed an
15. ase be patient 5 2 6 SAVING A PLAYLIST FOR FUTURE RECALL You can Save your Amarra Playlist for recall at a future time by using the Save button on the Amara Ul on the Amarra Playlist UI or from the Amarra gt Playlist pulldown menu The save nuron ISI Preas the Save button Set tho d ired name for the Playlist Click the Where pulldown tam to navigate to the desired location for your Playlist Saving a Playlist with the same name and location will overwrite the existing Playlist 5 2 7 OPENING AN EXISTING PLAYLIST You can recall an existing Amarra Playlist in of 2 ways You can either use the Open Button on the Amarra Ul an existing Playlist into the Amarra Playlist Window The Open Button Click on this button to access a Finder window Navigate to your saved Playlist and click Open to load into Amarra Playlists on Drag Drop an existing Playlist from the Finder window into the Amarr Playlist Window aap NOTE Loading a new Playlist will clear any tracks curently in your Amara Playlist 5 2 8 CLEARING YOUR PLAYLIST To clear the contents of your currant Playlist si ply click on the Clea Tre ror Gon au ooreen Click on either button to clear the current contents of your Amarra Playlist Clear button also clears any Preloaded Tracks in Amarra mode 5 3 CACHE Mode NEN BEEN Cache mode pre loads songs into RAM to minimize disk access resul
16. aying FLAC Filas from iTunes Chapter 20 Gapless Playback 71 Gaploss Playback in Amarra Tunes Gapless Playback in Amara Playlist mode Chapter 8 0 Audio Playback from Streaming Sources 3 1 stalling Amara SO nnn Run Uninstall AmarraSO app This wil remove all components installed 82 Launching Licensing and Using Amara Chapter 9 0 Sonic Studio DCH Impulse Response Correction 3 1 Using IRC Measure to Measure your Listening Environment ann 92 Using Sonic Studio use the Filtar Files create Chapter 10 Registering Your Amarra Software Chapter 11 Contacting Sonic Studio APPENDIX A Amarra Pulldown Menus Pulldown Menu A2 File Pulldown Menu Extras submenu t A4 Playlist Pulldown Mont 2 42 20 2 2 1 22 Aaaa poc ERE APPENDIX The Preferences Window B 3 LAUNCH SETTINGS DEORUM B2 PLAYBACK SETTINGS BA PROCESSING SETTINGS BS HARDWARE SETTINGS B6 ADDITIONAL SONIC HARDWARE SETTINGS APPENDIX C Your Amarra Folder APPENDIX D Audio Device Preferences Window NOTE Faneleton to oca language is available via google translate now lese visit transtste qooglscom 7tr f hi en and set the appropriate et language older in Finder and select the AboutThis Manual This manual as wall as the sofware described in it ie furnished under license and may on
17. by iTunes in order to be loaded into your ITunes library Under the Amarra gt FILE Menu there are wo commands available far this function You can convert FLAC File to AIFF or convert an entre FLAC Folder of Music to AIFF such as an album from a high resolution music Bownload site 6 2 1 Converting a FLAC Folder to AIFF Format Converting a FLAC Folder to AIFF is an easy proces 2 Click on the Amarra gt File pulldown menu at the top of the screen and select Convert FLAC Folder to AIFF In the resulting Finder window navigate to and select the folder containing FLAC files you want to convert and click Open In the next window specify the destination folder for the new AIFF fles You can create temporary folder for this or choose an existing folder for your new AIFF files Click Open when done Last you wil have the opportunity to automatically add these flos to Tunes and create playlist using the dialog below This will copy and organize if your iTunes Preferences are set with your iTunes brary 6 2 2 Converting FLAC Files to AIFF Format Converting a FLAC FILE to AIFF is easy proces Click on the Amarra gt File gt Convert FLAC FILE to AIFF In the resulting Finder window navigate to and select ona or more FLAC filas to convert and click Open Inthe next window specify the destination folder for the new AIFF i Lastly you will have the opportunity to again automatically add those filas to Tunes and
18. d activated Amarra and are ready to Iisten to your music We have ew short notes to pass along to make Your listening experiance bet Myou haven t Installed and Activated Amarra yet please do the following r Package to launch the installer Follow on sereen instructions for installation Double click on the Amarra Insta Enter system admin password when prompted Amarra will auto launch as part of installation Ifyou have any issues Activating Amara please rafar to the Amarra Activation Guida located in Your Amarra 3 0 falder in Finder If problems persist please contact us at support soniestudio GoogleTranslate now provides for translating fll documents into local languages Please visit mtpi ranslte google select the desired language to translate to and click on translate a document Ke not a perfect tool but it may help those who prefar languages other than English Always launch Amara first and letit launch iTunes to ensure proper operation If Amarra quits unexpectedly for any reason please delete your Amara Preferences prior to re aunching See Appendix B for Information on Amarra Preferences A significant amount of additional information can be found at our support portal and on cur FAO Please visit our support page at hit www sonlestudle com amara amarrasupport Bir to access these resources Holding the Mouse over any button will display a HelpTip displaying what the butt
19. evice You end to hit the Rasean bumon for the change to take eflect Tre nascan Buron Use this button to force Amara to rescan the Mac for Audio Output Devices Tre save ech Use this button to sava the curent Audio Device Preferences Settings Te Follow Audio Midi Setup Choco ERN Chock this boxto have Amarra follow the settings in Audio Midi Setup for determining Output device The Audio Midi Setup Button Use this button to open tha Audio Midi Setup Window The Audio Device Preference Display window Displays the flowing information Input Devics SoricSream is the input device used or streaming sudo Output Device ists the Output Device Amarr is sending output to Clock Source typically sted IntomalforAuto sample ato switching to occur Sample Fate adusts tothe sample rate of the fle boing played back down sampled vill show dovi sampled sample rite The Individual Davee Section Esch device wil have fs own section in the Audio Device Preferences window Ensure output channels are set correctly via the Out and Out2 pulldown menus rn ea ear o pe cent nin einai hora and Soni Sd w ner opr reda Sn Sd LL at open pot emer Amarra 3 0 Index ADP window 8 10 48 AMSU Anwo 10 12 Audia Device Preferences 29 44 Audio Device Preferences Window 8 1 44 48 Audio Midi Setup 139 44 CACHE pac 23 Delete 20 4246 9 43 44 TER ennen Fiter 2 34 Fine
20. fitar as a Quality Factor rather than bandwidth provides a more intuitive sense of the ftare subjective sound since the same value of Q will produce different bandwidths at different frequencias The higher the frequency the wider the bandwidth wil be fora given value which roughly corresponds to our auditory mechanism ability to perceive fers action As an example a parametric fitar with of 1 has a bandwidth of 100 Hz when its centar frequency is setto 100 Hz but it has a bandwidth of 1000 Hz when the center frequency is sat to 1000 Hz Using the EQ takes 2 steps first display the EQ window and then turn the Equalizer itself on 5 4 1 Displaying the EQ Window on the EQ button on the Amarra UI below the cantar window Use Option Click on the EQ 5 4 2 Turning the EQ On Ether cli on the EQ button in the Amarra EQ window or choose one of the many presets available from the pulldown menu 5 4 3 Adjusting EQ Choose ane of the presets available or manually adjust the values in any of the 3 parametric fitara by ether moving the appropriata slider or typing the value n for Frequency Gain and Q factor 5 4 4 Setting Amarra EQ via iTunes Select the Link Amara EQ to Tunes EQ in Amarra Preferences Either set the Tunos global EQ or Select aTrack in Tunes and using Gat Info Options Tab and set the EQ Preset Amara EQ wil follow the Tunes EQ preset 5 4 5 Saving and Recalling EQ Setti
21. he When in Amarra Playlist mode the following buttons will be displayed Note these are the ime functions found on the Amarra Playlist window and the pulldown Add Adds selected tracks from Tunes into your Amarra Playlist Finder Opens a Findar window to navigate ao and selac fies to add to an Amara Clear Clears Playlist Also clears preloaded ducks when in Amarta mode Open Opens a saved Amara Playlist clears currant playlist Save Opens a Finder window to save currant Playlist for future recall Soo Section 5 for moro details using Amarra Playlists 6 Artwork window Displays available artwork Doubie ciick on the Artwork window to opena larger independent Artwork window A dh NOTE Not tracks contain artwork Use the Get Alum Artwork command in unes to get additional artwork 7 Button Open ADP window Cli to display the Audio Device Preferences Window The Audio Device Preferences window is used to set your output device when using Streaming Playback and when setting output vices independent af Audio Midi Setup 8 Cache Button Turning CACHE CACHE mode is used to minimize disk access and improve performance by loading tacks into a specified amount of memory prior to beginning playback of the disk access is done at once before playback begins instead of loading tracks from disk during playback Available in
22. ing Obtain your musie in FLAC format from one or more of a variety of providers such as HD racks among others As part ofthe download process please nate where your music is being downloaded to Once the download completas this may take some time depending on the number and sie of tha tacks being downloaded move on to the next step Go into Playlist Mode see chapter 5 1 about using Playlists You can ether Drag Drop your FLAC Filas inte tha Playlist window use the Finder button in either the Amarra UI or the Playlist U or select Open Track via Finder from the ere Playlist pulldown 1t using the Finder window Navigate to your FLAC flas highlight the desired tacks Adi Note The Finder window supports both the shit and command keys for making 7 multiple selections Once you are done making your section s click on the Open button to add the fles to your playlist Continue adding songs unti you are satisfied with your playlist Select Fila gt Save Playlist to save your playlist giving it a meaningful name and saving itin a memorable locaton To play your playlist just click on Amarras Play button You can skip forward and back in the playlist by using the forward and back buttons using the Tracks list or by clicking on tha desired rack in the Playlist window 6 2 Playing FLAC Files from iTunes funes does not natively support Flac Files Your filas will need to be converted to a format supported
23. ior to playback Settings are 512Mb 1Gb 2Gb and ao We recommend between seting this to betwoen 1 3 and 1 2 of your available memory Playback will start when CACHE is loaded with selected tracks The last place of information Updated is the amount of CACHE used in the Amarra UL Please wait for this to complete before beginning playback Note Amar will Joad a max of 28 Gb and typically between 262800 depending on the rack being loaded Amara will only load complete tracks into CACHE m 3 DITHER SETTINGS oniy used if you are using the Amara volume slider to adjust gain When oe is selected dithering will bo automatically enabled when volume is set to something ther than volume TPDF Enables Sonic Studio s Shaped TPDF Dither Shaped Enables Sonic Noise Shaped Dither Wordlength Sete number of bis for output This sening should math your DAC word length For best quality enable Auto dihor if a trad loss than 24 bits is being played Using dither can bring better sound when gain or EQ s being used When dither s enabled the output of Amara will be dithered to the setting of the Output Wordiength specified This can bo useful for providing a benar sound when Gain is used your DAC only supports a limited word 16 or 20 itl NOTE When the Output Wordlength is set to 24 bits the dither wil be disabled H the Gain has not been
24. ith Sonic Studio as soon as you purchase your unit way een product will be registred with us Registration is used as proof of ownership if your product is ever lost or stolen 2 Sonic Studio updates Amarra software on a regular basis This allows us to keep you informed of updates as they become available We strongly encourage you to creato License Control Panel Account Please read the Amarra Activation Guide for information on this important featur Please register your Amarra sofware using our automated registration Web page at hp vrvovcsoniestudia com and click on Support gt Register Sonic Studio LLC Amara Software Registration 1240 Mission Street San Francisco CA USA 96103 If you encounter issues using Amarra please referto our Amarra Support Portal at hp ebe com smarr amarresupportporta html If none of these steps address your Problem please contact your dealr or Sonic Studio support for moro help Chapter 11 Contacting Sonic Studio Thanks for using Amara We really appreciate your patronage and are always intrested in vour experiences with Amarra For information on problems resources please visit our FAQ page iaoniestudio eom emarrsfamersfen html For bug reports and support issues visit hipilivewwisoniestudio com amarrafamarasupporthtml oremailus support soniestudio com for our products e mail us at mailto support soniestudio com APPENDIX A Amarra Pulldow
25. k you can Use theTransportbutons to Play Pause and move to the next track beginning of curent track or previous track The blue Playhoad slider in the Amarra 18 song position slider that corresponds to the currant location of playback within a track Drag the slider left or right to change the playback Position within a track Use the Tunes Playhead slider to move to different location in the current rack Modify theTime Display in the Amara UI Pause playback Double click on theTime element you want to modify Typo in a now value and hit Return Click on a time element and drag your mous leuright or upldown to Click Return to save the new seting Hit the Space bar Pay button ta continue playback from the new location commands cod Preise Tries Tk pe Prereces Window Emas Opion Hide Ober Option sc Option cM rd Option Option P Opin cM rd Opin Option sa Option P Option sE Option eR Toppie Payback Togpes Piin for Payback DE pen Pit Wino Cache pers Aram Widow pee ones Window pee Pit Window Open EO Wind Opens Sanie IAC window Chapter 5 0 Additional Features to Further Improve your Sound Efficiency is kay to getting great sound from a computer music layer and Amarra is purpose uito deliver as good a signal as possible to your output device This results in
26. lts We recommend disabling Preload Tacks select the desired tracks In Tunes and click the ADD button on the Amara Ulin Playlist mode 7 1 Gapless Playback in Amarra iTunes Mode To enable Gapless Playback in AmarraiTunes Mode Select the Amarra Preference sting for PRELOAD TRACKS and sat the COUNT parameter to Album or a specified number of racks for a gapless album or performance Typically an entire bum will be ether gapless or not ay NOTE We highly recommend only using Preload Tacks when loading an entire gapless album Ensure your Tunes library is sorted in the correct order for the gapless performance when Viewing your library from the SONG tab Sening up unes for Prelosding a Gapless Album Choose a track in Tunes and an Album or the number of tracks in the COUNT field will be loaded together bated on current sort order and played back Those tracks that part ofa trus gapless performance will be played back without gap NOTE The sort order of your Tunes library is critical for gapless playback especially loading a ful album Please ensure your unes library is sorted in the correct order when on the Songs tab prior to attempting to Preload Tracks For best performance when Preloading an Album sort your unes library by Artist by Album We recommend only using Preload Tracks with the Count field set to Album NOTE Please ensure that you have disabled SHUFFLE mode in Tunes when using PR
27. ly bo used or copied in accordance with the terms of such license The information in this manual is furnished for informational use only is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Sonic Studio LLC Sonic Studio LC assumes responsibility liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear n this book Excopt as permitted by such license no of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical recording or otherwise without the prior writen permission of Sanie Studio LLC Notice of Liability The author and publisher have made every to ensure the accuracy of the Information e However tha information contained in thia document a provided without warranty ether express or implied thor the authors Sone Studio LLC hor dealers or ditibutore wil be heid able for amy damages to be caused either ordre by the instructione contalnad in Ia boo or by ha Software or hardware products described herein SONIC STUDIO LLC MAKES NOWARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED INCLUDINGWITHOUTLIMTATION THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING THE APPLE SOFTWARE SONIC STUDIO LLC DOES NOT WARRANT GUARANTEE OR ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE USE OR THE RESULTS OF THE USE OF THE SONIC STUDIO LLC SOFTWARE IN TERMS OF ITS CORRECTNES
28. ment and then optimizes for timing phase and frequency anomalies imposed bby your room from 0 S00Hz The result is massively improved imaging and sound staging because now your room will be working with your sound system not against it Using Sonic Studio is a 2 step process First measure and calibrate your listening environment using the RC Measure calibration tool and create fitar fles iter suff for your Specific needs The second is to load ha fiter files into the Sonic Studio DCK fiter bank in Amara for uee during play back 9 1 Using iRC Measure to Measure your Listening Environment TheiRC b Measure application GRC Maasurelb app is installed as part of the standard Installation and can be found in your Applications Amarra folder in Finder Please referto the Studio RC and IRCIDI User Manual for details on installing and using the Measure pplication The manual can be found in your folder 9 2Using Sonic Studio iRC b to use the Filter Files created Fiter sets created by the IRCIb Measure application must be loaded into Sonic Studio tar bank The Studio IRC fitar bank window is accessed by pressing the SC button on the Amara User Interface Pressing the button will launch the Soni Studio PEN application check for a valid license and display the Sonic Studio DCH fitr bank see image below Remember to click the On Off buton on the fiter bank t
29. n Menus Tho following section describes the Amarra Pulldown Manu items Amara fie Desk Windows y Menu Bar A 1 Amarra Pulldown Menu Serie Hide Amara Hide Ores Quim About Amarrs Opens the modal About window This is useful for verifying the version number of Amarra that you are running Click anywhere in the window to close it Preferences Opens the Preference window for Amarra Seni This menu proves access to any Services that ara available to Amarra Hide Amarra Hides all Amarra windows To reveal the windows click on the Dack icon or tap the tab key to cycle through running applications to select Hide Others Hides all windows other than Amara Show All Reveal il windows Quit Amarra Quits Amara A 2 File Pulldown Menu Ee Dei Senor Pose 8 Fee w Toggle Amarafunes Playback Jr Toggles between Amarra and Playback in Amara Tunes mode Amarra Playlist mode Set for Playbacie emd 2 Sets Playlist as the source for playback Open Recent List af Recent Amarr Playlists for easy access angine for Clear ks Clears Tracks from either Amar Mute Mutes Ama Convert FLAC Fi Playlist or PreloadedTracks i AIFF Convert FLAC Files to AIFF Format o page 25 for details Convert FLAC Folder to AF Convert FLAC Folder to AIFF Format see
30. ngs The Amarra gt Desk menu items allows you to save and recall our EQ settings Sat your EO Settings Go to the Desk menu and select Save Sonic EQ Setup to save your setings Use Open Sonic EQ Setup to open an existing EQ saved setting To save a now DEFAULT setting Set the EQ Preset menu to Default Make your desi From the Amarra gt Desk pulldown menu lick on Save as Default 4 adjustments to the Freq dB and parameters you quit with the Default EQ seting set next time you launch those values will be automaticaly recalled NOTE You will need to make the EQ the Active Window for the Amara Desk menu tems to be accessible Click on the top bar of the Amarra EQ Window to make the Amara EQ Window active Chapter 6 0 Playing FLAC Files provides 2 means of playing back FLAC fles natively from an Amarra Playlist and converted fila in your Tunes library In addition Amara has built in FLAC to AIFF file conversion allow easy integration with your iTunes Library Why convert FLAC to AIFF Easy integration with Tunes Integration with Tunes Metadata Integration with Apple Remote Simplified ease of us convert and forget Less overhead on system resources 6 1 Playing FLAC Files Natively via Amarra Playlists provide for FLAC flo playback natively via the PLAYLIST function without using To playback FLAC Files via Amarra Playlists do the follow
31. o turn processing on and off jg NOTE Fiter names in the Studio DEN window will be set automaticaly according to the Youmamehere fiter flame in Finder Amarr IRCI fiter bank Tho Amara fiter bank has four 4 pre seection slots whore itar fi uide selection To load fiter fle an empty slot can be loaded for Double Cick on an empty fitar lot Tis opens Finder dialog whera you can navigate the folder where you stored your fitar los using tha Measure application Select the fiter fle that you want to load from the popup Finder window Adjust Gain to appropriate leval for the fiter you are using by typing in the box provided 1 1 NOTE A value of 00 dB is fuli volume positive numbers increase gain Listen to the result of applying the loaded fit by doing the following Play a track through Amara Tum on the Amarra DCH fiter bank by pressing the on off button until it reads On in blue Switch betwoon loaded fitars by clicking the corresponding fiter lot Tho active fitar slot has a blue indicator Note Deleting Preferences wil delete your pre selected fiters from Amara IRCH they will need to be reloaded Chapter 10 Registering Your Amarra Software In order to receive warranty service you must register your product with Studio This may be done at any time with proof ot purchase We strongly recommend that you registar w
32. on does Its time to Enjoy the Music Chapter 2 0 Getting Started This section reviews tho initial steps needed to ensure proper operation of Amarra 2 1 Connecting to your output device Ifyou are using and external DAC Digital to Analog Converter ensure your device is connected your Mac powered on and recognized by the Mac OS by verifying ftis isted in Audio Midi Setup or in the Sound ftam on the System Preferences window prior to launching Amarra You access Audio Midi Setup in the Applications Utilities folder in Finder Asan alternative you set the output device using the Sound item onthe System Preferences window Once you ve correctly connected the device for sound output you are ready to launch Amara 2 2 Launching Amarra the First Time As part of the installation process you wil be asked to launch Amarra Select Yos when prompted and Amarra will launch as the installation process completes You will be asked if you would like to launch rTunes as wall PT I you d like to run in Amarra iTunes mode or use iTunes to select your tracka select and Tunes wil launch If you d ke to run in Amarra Playlist moda select No and Amarra wil launch without Tunes In addition Amarra checks to seo if there is an excessive amount of Inactive OS Memory and asks if youd like to purge the inactive memory Doing can improve performance the process takes short time du
33. r Amara licens Setupapp runs the Amarra setup application allowing for personalized setup MacOSX Optimization _Setupapp launches the Mac OSX Optimize script Ensure you have sufficient knowledge of Mac OS and System Applications prior to using the Mac OSX Optimization scrip Delete Amarra Preferences command use his utility to reset Amarrato factory default SH Scripts Folder contains scripts used during installation of Amara installers Folder contains uninetallers for Amara IRC and the License Manage MicCalFlos Folder contains calibration file for the XTZ mic to be used with 18 Manuais Amara Activation Guide pdf referto this manual for Installation and Activation instructions Amara Read Me pdt important notes about Amarra version 3 0 User Manual refer to this manual for detailed information about operating Amara 180 18 1 Measure User Manual pdt refer to this manual for detailed information on using the Impulse Response Correction capability within Amarra APPENDIX D Audio Device Preferences Window Audio Device Preferences Window is powerful tool for you to manipulate the output of Amarra independent of the Macs Core Audio Settings Audio Device Preferences Window The ADP window has several capabilites explained below Drag the clock icon to your desired device to change your output d
34. r Bank 12 FLAC 17 25 26 27 99 9 17 24 35 43 44 a5 Playback 28 29 installation 6 7 30 34 48 IRC 33 36 35 48 Tunes 99 41 launch 6 7 8 24 34 41 42 48 Launch 20 40 MEMORY output device 7 playback 39 Payback Position 10 9 40 61 Preferences 38 39 Proond D 12 19 28 29 a a3 PRELOADTRACKS 28 29 43 sample rate 9 29 Transport 9 14 20
35. rently loaded playlist is listed in the centar window of your Amarra Playlist The defaut name is Playlist his button links the Amarra window to the Amara Playlist window you move the Amarra window the Playlist window wil follow The Plays Button This uten has 2 tates and determines what Amara should do at the end of a Playlist Stop at ond of Pot Tip Repeat All other buttons on the Playlist UI have the same function as on the Amarra UI 5 2 3 ENTERING PLAYLIST MODE Entering Playlist mode is easy Simply press the Playlist button on the Amara UL The button will display green dot and typically the Playlist window is displayed IF you do not sea the Playlist window on the Amarra Windows Playiist down menu itam at the top of the enaner 5 2 4 LOADING TRACKS INTO A PLAYLIST There are 2 ways to load new tracks into an Amarra Playlist selecting tracks from your iTunes library or selecting tracks via Finder The ADD Button To select tracks via your Tunes library please do the following Bring your Tunes window to the front and selact the desired tracks in Tunes You can use the command key and sif kay to select individual tracka range of Click on the Amarra UI to bring Amara to the front Click on the ADD button The selected tracks in iTunes will load into your Amara Playlist The FIN
36. ring which Amara is unavailable Yes to un this script You need to enter your system administration password to run the script Enter User Name and Password in the spaces provided and clik OK to purge inactive memory sem 2 3 Launching Amarra the Next Time Ar initial launch to launch Amarra in the future cl on the Amarra icon your dock or navigate to your Applications gt Amarra 3 0 folder in Finder and double click on Amara As longas your devices setas the device for sound output in Audio Midi Setup piorto launching Amarr Amara should automaticaly find the device 2 4 Changing your Output Device NOTE We strongly recommend pausing playback when changing output devices o to avoid any unwanted consequences To change output to a diferent device you can use Amara Audio Device Preferences Window Click the T button on the Amarra User Interface U to display the Audio Device Preferences window Drag the clock icon in the left hand column to your desired device to diract playback to that device You may have to press the Reecan button at the top of the window for the change to take In addition you plug in device after Amara has launched press the Reecan button to update the st of devices in the ADP window You can then the new device as your output device More details on using the Audio Device Preferences window can found in Appendix D Audio Device Preferences Windo
37. s f Amana quis unexpectedly or i you seeing any B 1 LAUNCH SETTINGS LAUNCH QUIT Amara with unes Forces iTunes to launch or quit when you launch or quit Amarra HIDE ON LAUNCH Amama windows wil not display when Amara ie launched LINK AMARRATO ITUNES WINDOW Forces Amara to remain attached to the Tunes main window Also activated via the tin buton on the Amarra U LINK AMARRA EQTO ITUNES Forces Amara EQ to follow the EQ settings in iTunes when set at the file level n Tunes CHECK FOR UPDATES ON LAUNCH Amara will check for updates on launch OPEN PLAYLIST ON LAUNCH Amara quis with an Amara playlist Ioaded tho playlist wl be reloaded when you re launch Amara B 2 PLAYBACK SETTINGS PRELOAD TRACKS Enables loading of multiple tracks in Amara Tunes Mode for gapless playback In Amarral Tunes mode Prload Tracks must be enabled for gapless playback See 71 Gaploss Playback in AmaraTun Mode on page 28 for details on Gapless Playback Number of racks to preload when tho reload Tracks preference is By seting count and Preload Tracks preferences Amarra will attempt to load the selected number of tracks Only racks with the same sample rae of the fiat rack will be loaded NOTE Disable SHUFFLE MODE and REPEAT MODE unes when using PRELOAD TRACKS CACHE MEMORY AMOUNT Used to minimize disk access reflects tho amount of RAM allocated to load tracts pr
38. the great sound You hear with Amarra right from the start That said Amara also has many features that can iod to further improve your sound The following sections review the additional features and what they to improve sound ss Ther are many suggestions our FAQ for configuring your Mac for best Pease visit our ntt for access to the FAQ 5 1 Setting up your Mac for optimum performance Ono of the addons to Amarra is a MacOSX Optimization script designed to allow you to some Operating System and System Application settings that may improve the overall performance of your Mac during Playback The script is located in your Amarra Extas folder in Finder and when launched displays the following window NOTE Although we recommend Disable All for best performance please ensure mite wi and Sytem Anton operation prior to using MacOSX Optimization Sit MacOSX Optimization Script In addition to using the MacOS Optimization Scrip we also recommend the following for best sound quali Use CACHE Mode and select Memory Amount to about 1 3 to 1 2 of available memory upto seb Load yourTrack into an Amarra Playlist and Quit Tunes In Amarra Preferences select Gain Bypass and use your extemal device for volume control In Amara Preferences select EQ Bypass if not using any EQ settings From the Amarra gt Fle gt Extras pulldown menu select QuitLaunch Finder
39. this Preference and use Audio Device Preferences to set your Output Audio Device o different Audio Device De eelecting Follow Audio Midi Setup i required for playback of streaming audio Audio Device Button Opens the Audio Device references Window Uso this window to set your output device when Follow Audio Midi Setup is deselected and when playing streaming audio Audio Midi Button Opens the Audio Midi Setup window Optimize Button Runs the Mac OS Optimization script allowing you to configure your Mac environment for Bost performance NOTE Although we recommend Disable for best performance please ensure you are familiar with OS and System Application operation prior to using the MacOSX Optimization Sept Mac 05 Optimatization Script B 6 ADDITIONAL SONIC HARDWARE SETTINGS Amara provides additional preferences when used with Sonic Audio Interface These Controls allow integration of Analog Gain Control and mare Additional Hardware Preference o Requires Sonic Studio Hardware and the Amara Console Software Launch Quit Console Forces Consol sync with Dim Front Panel Dims the font panel display Control Volume Interocks gain control with the hardware gain contro so either can bo used Gain Adjustment Set the system gain to match profesional 10 dB or consumer slectronic 10 or 14 dB standard launch
40. ting in better sound quality Cacho can be used in Amarra Tunes or Playlist Mode Simply cli on the C button the Amarra UI prior to loading your tracks Tho button wil display a green dot to signify that CACHE mode s engaged Amara wil first load your tracks Into RAM and then begin playback The amount of RAM used for loading your tracks is displayed in the Amarra UI Window Choose he amount of RAM to use for CACHE Playback via the Amarra Preferences window Memory Amount tem sau Note Currently Amara will oad a max of 2 8 Gb into Cache typically between 2 6 28Gb depending on the track being loaded Amara will only load complete tracks into CACHE We recommend setting Memory Amount to 1 3 to 1 2 of the available RAM on your machine for best performance 5 4 Amarra Parametric EQ This section presents an overview of the Amarra Parametric EQ Use the Amarra EQ to ator the sonic characteristics ofthe sound provides three parametri filters tailor your sound All processing is done using 64bit floating point arithmetic The parametri itare are classic three parameter versions with Resonant Frequency gain and Q or Quality Factor is defined as the resonant frequency or centar frequency in the case of a symmetrical itr divided by the bandwidth The bandwidth ntum defined asthe one or two frequencies at which the fiter response is 3 dB up or down from unity gain Expressing the width of a
41. usic Library and get the reat sound of Amarr for play back You can use Tunas like you always have select the songs Playlists and hit the play button on either the iTunes or Amara Ul Amara wil automatically playback any track it can and seamlessly switches to Tunes for playing back of protected files or other files that Amarra may ot be able to play back x js NOTE It you don t see the Amarra window Kelt behind your unes window Make your Tunes window smaller exit Full Sereen Mode and you should find the window on screen Use the Tink button on the Amare or choose Line Amarre window to Tunes in Amarr Preferences to ink the Amarra and Tunes windows together Aua NOTE Amara plays most audio formats including FLAC MPS AAC m4a Apple Lossless ALAC AIFF and WAV les In addition now supports playback of DSD files of type det andl Amara does not play some variable bit rate or ow bite rate fles You can varity that Amarra is laying back your music by sesing the Amarra button withthe green dot Iit on tha UL Ifthe buon has turned grey and displays Tunes means that Ararra has passed control to iTunes for playback of tho current track Amarra will automatically take over playback on the next track that it can play back Amara with Tunes 4 1 Navigating within a Track The many ways to navigate within a track Once you ve started playbac
42. w Chapter 3 0 Amarra User Interface no longer has the vertical UI available The horizontal user interface is the only UI and is shown below w 2 Amara User Interface 1 Transport Buttons lt lt Goto head ofcurent trad double click to go to previous rack 1 PausefPiny button gt Goto next track 2 Amarra Volume Slider Uso to adjust volume for Amara playback If you ara dave we recommend the Amara volume at fuli volume al way t the ih ang use your volum Playback volume The apeakar icons are hot spots for 0 and Er Tunes and Amarra Volume are kept in syne 21 NOTE You may notice a small delay echo while the Tunes Volume fe being moved Amarra UI Window Displays Track Artist and Album Name Displays Gain level in 0 048 Cacho selected Displays amount of RAM used to load selected racks Displays fle type Displays sample rate of currant track Displays position of Playhead via counter MH EO is on Displays current EQ setting 4 NOTE If Gain is less than 0 0 48 time ttt ME 4 Playback Position Slider Blue Slider corresponds to current playback position and can be moved either direction to reposition the playhead for playback 5 Clear Button and Playlist Commands Button is visible in Amara mode any ProlosdedTracks and Cac
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