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Cymatic Audio uTrack 24 User's Manual

1. uTRACK24 Line Qut 3 Line Qut 3 uTRACK24 Line Qut 4 Line Qut 4 uTRACK24 Line Qut 5 Line Qut 5 uTRACK24 Line Qut amp Line Qut 6 uTRACK24 Line Qut 7 Line Qut 7 uTRACK24 Line Qut amp Line Out 8 uTRACK24 Line Out 9 Line Qut 10 Line Qut 9 Line Qut 10 Line Qut 11 Line Out 11 Line Out 12 Line Out 12 Line Out 13 Line Qut 13 ine Qui Line ui ulrack Include device name in ASIO display name Double click an entry in the channel name column to modify the output channel names as they will appear in your DAW Click on the checkbox labeled Include device name in ASIO display name if you wish for the channel output names to be prepended with the device name USING THE UTRACK 24 AS A COMPUTER AUDIO INTERFACE Settings Vievv About Tab uTrack24 Mixer Panel Morta UTRACKZ4 dd 1kHz USB 2 0 Sunc Source Internal Syne Status locked Output Channels About l Mixer Panel for uTrack24 Revision 1665 uTrack24 c
2. TA UTrack va Cymatic audio 10 RECORD Button Press the RECORD button to begin a new recording The uTrack 24 is always ready to start a new recording as soon as the RECORD button is pressed Note when the uTrack 24 is neither playing back nor in playlist mode it will automatically switch to pre recording mode This means that it will constantly buffer a minimum of 2 7 seconds depending on the number of recorded channels sample rate and resolution of the incoming audio signal and write this audio data to the recorded file once you have pressed the record button This means that if you do not remember to press RECORD until the band actually starts playing you Will still have all of the first song s audio recorded as long as you press RECORD within a few moments of the downbeat of the first song In short the uTrack24 allows you to capture the whole performance even if you pressed the RECORD button a few seconds too late 11 Meters The 24 separate LED meters display the signal strength for incoming signals during recording and display outgoing signals during playback The meter LEDs work in two different ways When recording or playing back audio the 24 separate LEDs represent the input output levels of channels 1 24 Each channel s LED illuminates in three separate colors acting as a 3 segment meter o Green 30dB o Yellow 6dB o Red Overload When working with the onboard monitor mixer for recording or p
3. e When exported this playlist file will automatically be named autoplay play and placed in the Multitrack PLAYLIST or Music ZPLAYLIST folders here can only be one autoplay playlist per project GETTING STARTED WITH RECORDING AND PLAYBACK 17 18 YA 13 11 a CyMatic audio UTrack This playlist will automatically be loaded and begin playing back whenever the ulracR 24 is powered up On the uTrack 24 in the Playback Settings menu enable the AutoPlay feature it is disabled by default Playback Menu La Stereo Mode Continuous jutoplar on boo B 9bK Stereo Once the autoplay the feature is enabled on the uTrack 24 on startup it will look for an autoplay play file in the playlist folder within the multitrack folder and if not found looks into the playlist folder within the stereo music folder If a Playlist is found the playback of the playlist is automatically started The process works exactly as if you had manually loaded the playlist and then pressed the PLAY button Looping Playback between In and Out Points The ulracR 24 can create a playback loop by setting a marh in and mark out point when playing back a take These are separate from the markers described above and are not stored with the multitrack take To set a mark in and mark out point e Press the PLAY button to begin playback e Press the MENU LOOP button to call up the loop points overlay on the display
4. at least 2 7 seconds of audio that occurred BEFORE you pressed record So if you hear the first song of a performance starting and are careful to press record quickly after you do you never have to miss the start of a recording again Note that the Pre Recording feature can be toggled on off in the uTrack 24 s Recording menu 13 5 24 Channel Input Metering The front panel of the uTrack 24 contains 24 separate LEDs each one serves as an individual 3 segment input level meter for the corresponding record channel This allows you to monitor the incoming signal level for each track and adjust the output level of the signal source accordingly 13 6 Adding Markers During recording the uTrack24 allows you to add up to 99 markers per take Markers are locational references that help you remember different spots in the recording song 1 song 2 verse chorus etc To add a new marker while a recording is taking place press the PLAY button A new marker will be created and the Markers field on the screen will increment by one digit If supported by your DAW these markers will be visible in the DAW session after you have imported your files The markers can also be used to split your recordings at the marker points when using the WavTool to copy the recording from your USB device 16 GETTING STARTED WITH RECORDING AND PLAYBACK UTrack Cymatic audio 13 Gapless Recording The uTrack 24 has the ability to perfor
5. 1 2 and 23 24 Playback Menu La 8 96K Stereo Ch 3 4 14 49K Stereo Ch 19 20 Output tten 0 dE Output Attenuation The uTrack 24 s analog outputs are configured at 22dB allowing them to feed the balanced line inputs of a wide variety of professional audio equipment However all 24 channels of analog output can be electronically attenuated reduced in volume by up to 30dB in 1dB increments Adjust this menu if you are sending the uTrack 24 s audio outputs to the inputs of an audio device that requires lower signal levels such as a consumer level audio mixer 22 5 Utilities Menu The Utilities menu contains assorted global settings and functions as follows Date Time Allows you to set your local date and time The uTrack 24 will then use this to set a time stamp metadata field in the recorded take This metadata can be useful in a variety of ways when later importing the wave files into your preferred DAW software Delete Single Song Allows you to delete a song from an attached USB drive Once selected the file browser will show and let you select a song to delete Format USB The format USB command will format erase any USB drive that is connected to the front panel USB port It is highly recommended that you use this utility to format all USB drives that you plan to use with the uTrack 24 as opposed to formatting them on your Windows or OS X computer Doing so will format the drives more reliably than doing so
6. 16TB 2 Front Panel Display This monochrome LCD screen displays assorted useful information while recording and playing back audio as well as when working with the settings menus 3 Encoder Wheel Rotate the encoder wheel to adjust various settings it also contains a push function allowing it to work as button 4 MENU LOOP Button Press the MENU LOOP button to bring up the ulracR 24 settings menus allowing various adjustments to the products settings When playing back audio this button helps to setup the playback loop 5 BACK Button Press the BACK button to navigate backwards through the menu trees Pushing it multiple times will return you to the home screen 6 BROWSE Button Press the BROWSE button to switch the BROWSER screen on off In the BROWSER screen you can navigate the files on the attached USB drive and select them for playback 7 Skip Back Forward Buttons During playback press the skip back skip forward buttons to navigate among saved markers in an audio take recording When playing back a playlist press the buttons to navigate among the different songs in the playlist 8 STOP Button Press the STOP button to stop a current recording or to stop the unit from playing back audio 9 PLAY Button Press the PLAY button to begin playback of the currently loaded audio project When recording each press of the PLAY button will add a new marker at the current timeline location UTRACK 24 FRONT PANEL
7. 24 may not have come installed with The 2469 firmware build adds some news features to the unit and also adds compatibility with the uRemote remote control software Download the latest uTrack 24 firmware at www cymaticaudio com downloads then follow the steps on the firmware file s accompanying instructions to install the new firmware on your uTrack 24 6 UTRACK 24 FEATURE LIST 24 Channel Multitrack Recorder Allows connection of 24 channels of balanced input output through 25 pin D Sub connectors Alternate format 24x24 audio I O using future optional digital expansion modules e Up to 24 bit resolution 96kHz sample rate e Records directly to standard USB drives attached to convenient front panel USB port e 3 segment hardware input metering per input channel also works as 24 segment full scale meter e Large easy to use illuminated front panel transport buttons e Internal DSP mixer offers stereo monitor mix of all 24 inputs through front panel headphone output and rear panel monitor outputs with dedicated level controls Adjust level panning mute and solo for all 24 inputs while enjoying detailed 24 segment hardware input output metering all with no external mixer required e Synchronize two uTrack 24 recorders for a total track count of 48 tracks e BNC Word Clock Input Output allows integration into larger digital systems Large detailed LCD screen dedicated menu buttons and rotary push control allow for fast and
8. 48 kHz To change any of the above settings navigate to the RECORDING menu See section uTrack 24 System Menus for more details To begin a recording simply press the front panel RECORD button The uTrack 24 will immediately begin writing the audio from its internal buffers to the attached USB drive The screen will switch to the RECORD screen For the first two seconds the number of active recording channels are displayed on the screen and the corresponding channel LEDs will blink The screen then continues with showing the recording time 13 4 Pre Recording Mode When recording a live event sometimes you may find you have accidentally forgotten to press record before the beginning of the first song You hear the band start playing and desperately lunge for the record button but it is too late Your recording is now missing the very beginning of the first song The uTrack 24 has a unique feature designed to prevent this problem from ever occurring the Pre Record feature When the uTrack 24 is neither playing back audio nor is in playlist mode it will automatically operate in pre recording mode This means that it will constantly buffer a minimum of 2 7 seconds of the incoming audio signal depending on the number of recorded channels sample rate and resolution and is constantly recording this buffered signal The real world result is that when you press the record button your recording will always contain
9. and then use that I O with your own A D and D A converters of choice e Add a digital I O format to the uTrack 24 that allows 24x24 channels of networked audio allowing the unit to conveniently integrate into large setups with a single cable For details of which specific Digital I O Option cards will be available please visit www cymaticaudio com 2 Analog Inputs 1 24 Connect the 24 separate audio signals that you wish to record to these inputs the 24 separate audio signals can then be recorded to either e A USB drive connected to the front panel USB port e DAW software running on a computer connected to the rear panel USB port 3 Analog Outputs 1 24 These 24 outputs carry 24 channels of audio either from e A multi track audio project from a USB drive connected to the front panel USB port e A multitrack DAW session running on a computer connected to the rear panel USB port Both the analog inputs and outputs operate at balanced line level 20dB and are configured as three separate 8 channel 25 pin D subminiature connectors The D sub connectors are wired to the Tascam Standard as shown below LU 12h IE aL d5h Aeh dk deh LLLA H HOT CC COLD G GROUND 4 Main Outputs The main outputs carry a two channel signal that can be sourced from either The stereo output of the onboard 24 channel monitor mixer In this scenario the main outputs allow you to monitor a stereo mix of the 24
10. be used for two different functions e Updating the uTrack 24 s firmware over a network connection e Controlling the uTrack 24 from the uRemote software running on an iPhone iPad or Windows OS X computer that is connected to the same local area network Future firmware updates will allow for the uTrack s recording playback and mastering functions to be controlled by computer and or tablet software running on a device connected to the same network 11 Power Connector Connect the included external power supply to this connector Do not connect any other power supply except the one that was supplied with your uTrack 24 Note that the uTrack 24 does not contain an on off power switch this is by design as it reduces the possibility of accidentally shutting down the unit during a critical recording from pressing a power switch As long as the power supply connector is attached and connected to a wall power source the uTrack 24 will always be powered on UTRACK 24 REAR PANEL 11 YA cyrnatic audio UTrack 11 USING THE UTRACK 24 WITH A MIXER TO RECORD A LIVE CONCERT 24 Channel Analog Mixer Mixer Line QQ Inputs 00 J o 0000 000000 O Jo 0000 000000 CD o coco coeococo0o0 CDO O 0000 000000 O CD 0000 000000 O O 0000 000000 O Q 0000 000000 O 0000 000000 O O 0000 000000 O 0000 000000 O CD BUT ey ee D O 0000 000000 O CDU e cooeo eT e D O 0000 000000 O CD CD O 0000 00000
11. computer audio interface Using the uTrack 24 as an Audio Interface with Microsoft Windows Minimum System Requirements Operating Systems 32 or 64bit e Windows XP SP2 Windows Vista Windows 7 Windows 8 Microsoft NET Framework 4 0 usually installed automatically by Windows update e For Windows versions where the NET Framework 4 0 is not already installed the installation wizard will automatically start when the mixer control panel is started for the first time e The ulrack 24 device drivers do not require the NET Framework Hardware e Pentium IV 1 2 GHz or better e 512 MB Ram 1GB or more recommended e 1 free USB2 0 compatible port on PC NOTE The speed of your computer s processor amount of RAM and the capacity size and speed of your hard drives will greatly affect the overall performance of your recording system A faster processor and more RAM can reduce signal latency delay and improve overall performance WDM and ASIO driver installation Before connecting the uTrack 24 to your PC please download the driver package from the download section at the Cymatic Audio website http www cymaticaudio com After the download has finished e Unzip the downloaded archive to a folder on your PC e Inthe resulting folder double click the setup exe file and follow the on screen instructions It is strongly recommended that you exit all other programs before running the uTrack 24 driver installation
12. document is the full user s manual Refer to it for the most comprehensive information about the uTrack 24 and all of its operations e An 8 page printed Quick Start Guide is included in the box Refer to the quick start guide for a concise how to lesson on getting started with the product e The uTrack 24 works with free downloadable software named WavTool that allows you to convert the uTrack 24 s multi channel broadcast wave files into standard mono wave files Download the WavTool and its user s manual at www cymaticaudio com downloads The uTrack 24 also works with the free downloadable playlist editor software which allows you to create custom playlist that can be played back on the uTrack 24 Download the Playlist Editor and its user s manual at www cymaticaudio com downloads e The uTrack 24 can be controlled by the free of charge uRemote software which allows you to control your device and view its functions using a large color screen of your iPhone iPad or laptop desktop computer Full documentation for uRemote is available www cymaticaudio com downloads Available in future firmware update WHAT S IN THE BOX YA 3 cyrnatic audio UTrack 9 UTRACK 24 FRONT PANEL 1 USB Port This port allows connection of a standard off the shelf USB drive The ulracR 24 records and plays back up to 24 tracks of audio to from the connected USB drive The uTrack supports USB drives from sizes ranging from 2GB to
13. input or output channels on a pair of connected monitor speakers e Output channels 1 2 of your favorite DAW software In this scenario the main outputs allow you to monitor a stereo mix of your DAW session when using the uTrack 24 as a computer audio interface in a recording studio The main outputs are balanced 74 tip ring sleeve TRS connectors operating at 4dB 5 Word Clock Input The ulrack 24 can be slaved to an external word clock signal by connecting it to the BNC word clock input This allows the uTrack 24 to be properly integrated into a larger complement of digital audio equipment where the clock signals of all connected equipment need to be synchronized 10 UTRACK 24 REAR PANEL Cymatic audio uTrack o Adjust the uTrack 24 s Word Clock menu to configure it to slave to an incoming external clock as opposed to running on its own internal clock The settings bar at the top of the LCD screen will indicate whether the uTrack 24 is using an internal or external clock signal 6 Word Clock Output This connector outputs a standard digital word clock signal running at the sample rate that the uTrack 24 is currently set to The word clock output is useful when you want to use the uTrack 24 as a clock master and wish to slave other digital equipment to its internal clock signal 7 Synchronization Input Output Connectors Not Yet Functional in version 1 0 Firmware These are used t
14. intuitive adjustment of various settings e RJ 45 Network connection allows comprehensive control of uTrack 24 using uRemote software available for iPhone iPad OS X and Windows For more information on uRemote please visit www cymaticaudio com Available in future firmware update INTRODUCTION a UTrack Cymatic audio 24 Channel Multi Track Player Play back 24 tracks of audio perfect for virtual sound checks or expanding live performances with individual pre recorded tracks e Synchronized Play back of Standard MIDI Files Edit song order on the fly during playback directly from the front panel e Playback start and stop via optional footswitch e On the fly loop playback and mark in mark out points allows for easy looping e Free downloadable playlist editor allows you to easily create custom audio playlists with customization capabilities such as o Assigning an audio file s output channel o Creating set lists o Set pause times between songs o Assigning continuous play between songs 24 input 24 output Computer Audio Interface Dedicated control room and headphone outputs with individual hardware level controls e 24 bit 96kHz support e Compatible with OSX Windows and iOS rd WHAT S IN THE BOX Your uTrack 24 comes with the following materials e Uulrack 24 e AC DC Power Adapter and power cable e Removable Rack Ears e USB Cable e Printed Quick Start Guide 8 HOW TO USE THIS USER S MANUAL This
15. may often exceed the 2GB file size the uTrack 24 incorporates an intelligent system for file splitting every time your recording reaches the critical size of 2 GB the uTrack 24 will automatically create a new multichannel wave file Chunk This is done in a gapless fashion without losing a single sample of your recording All the chunks are stored in the current recording folder The above process also allows you to record without limits in time or file size The only limiting factor would be your storage space for instance a 500 GB USB drive allows you to do a 70 hour non stop recording in CD quality When playing back a take the uTrack 24 seamlessly transitions playback from the end of one chunk of multichannel file to the beginning of the next one The multiple chunks inside a take are played back exactly the same as one long linear recording In order to easily import these multi channel wav files Cymatic Audio offers a free download of its WavTool and Playlist Editor application which perform two functions e Convert ulrack multi track wave files into separate mono wave files Automatically join together the separate chunks into a single linear file ulrack 24 Audio to DAW BM BN c Drag and drop files into DAW Output on External Hard Drive Separate multi track wave file chunks are converted into standard linear mono wave files Copy with automatic conversion to computer
16. menu setting While the transport is stopped press the front panel MENU LOOP button the display will switch to the Settings Menu page and show a scrollable list of settings e Rotate the encoder to highlight the specific set of settings menus you wish to adjust the menu categories include o Clock Source Foot Switch Recording Playback Utilities Load Settings o Save Settings Press the encoder to select the desired menu category then push the encoder to enter the category page e Rotate the encoder to navigate to the specific parameter you wish to adjust and press the encoder to highlight it for adjustment The parameter highlight will flash on off to show it is ready to adjust e Rotate the encoder to adjust the highlighted parameter then push the encoder to save the new setting Cr O Q Press the BACK button to navigate back one or more menu levels 22 1 Clock Source Menu This menu allows you to choose the clock source that the uTrack 24 will utilize offering choices appropriate for when it is used on its own vs when it is used as part of a larger system of digital audio devices Internal The uTrack 24 will run off its own internal sample clock you are free to select from four different sample rates to run the internal clock at When running from the internal clock the settings bar will display Int to reflect this internal clock setting Wordclock The ulrack 24 will slave to an external word clock signal that
17. or Mac which has to be connected to the same network open an Internet Browser e g Google Chrome type the IP address into the browsers address bar and hit return After a short moment the following page should appear in your browser Eos J E 192 168 4 61 install x Wach gt C 192 1684 61 install i Apps EJ Google FiIrmwareupdate You can download the latest firmware for your device from the internet Burning flash UPDATING THE FIRMWARE OF YOUR UTRACK 24 5 Click the green Start button and after a moment this screen will appear 192 168 4 61 install x VE C O 192 168 4 61 install ss Apps El Google Firmwareupdate You can download the latest firmware for your device from the internet Firmware successfully updated REBOOT 6 Locate the Firmware Update file you previously saved to your hard disk and either drag and drop it onto the orange SELECT FILE button or click the SELECT FILE button and select the file with the file browser that opens 7 Click the green UPLOAD FIRMWARE button that appears The update process starts and you will see the following screen BEA 192 168 4 61 install c Q D 192 168 4 61 install Apps EJ Google Firmwareupdate You can download the latest firmware for your device from the internet Burning flash UPDATING THE FIRMWARE OF YOUR UTRACK 24 Cymatic audio UTrack 8 After the update has s
18. 0 O CD o coco cocococo e CD CD RUT 000000 e CD o coco eeeeee e CD o coco coeoco00o0 D O 0000 000000 O CD e coco EILIT CD CD 0 coco c00000 CDO O 0000 000000 O CD Rete ey e CD CD CD CD CD CD Mixer Direct Outputs ulrack 24 Outputs i otereo Headphones The ulrack 24 is the perfect tool for capturing 24 individual tracks of a live concert which can then be imported into your DAW software of choice The physical connections work as follows Connect 24 balanced direct outs of an analog mixer to the analog inputs of the uTrack 24 e Connect a pair of headphones to the uTrack 24 s front panel phones jack or a set of monitors to the rear panel main output You can monitor and adjust an onboard stereo mix of the 24 track recording without the hassle expense and cabling of connecting an outboard monitor mixer e Atthe same time the ulrack 24 allows you to play back 24 channels of multi track audio back into the live sound console perfect for performing a virtual sound check using recordings of previous performances or for expanding live performers with individual pre recorded tracks e Connect the analog outputs of the uTrack 24 to the line inputs of the mixer The FOH operator can switch to the mixer channel s line inputs to monitor the uTrack 24
19. Interface with an OS X enne 40 Minimum System Reg iremenis lai iii e 40 EINES VAN ION canina iaia 40 Using the uTrack 24 as an Audio Interface with an Apple iPad sauna Lee 41 Minim m System NEE a ciccia 41 Driver le zie iii iaia 41 Gonto Room gi cim tO OR 41 UPDATING THE FIRMWARE OF YOUR UTRACR 24 41 Firmware update using the USB connection PC ONlY iaia air aaaaaeaaraaenaarnee 41 Firmware update using a Network Connection PC amp Mac 42 LEGALDISCEAIMER cura iii Ri 45 YA S cyrnatic audio UTrack 1 SAFETY PRECAUTIONS 1 1 AC adapter operation Be sure to use only an AC adapter which supplies 12 V DC 1000 mA and is equipped with a center plus plug The use of an adapter other than the specified type may damage the unit and pose a Safety hazard Connect the AC adapter only to an AC outlet that supplies the rated voltage required by the adapter When disconnecting the AC adapter from the AC outlet always grasp plug itself and do not pull at the cable During lightning or when not using the unit for an extended period disconnect the AC adapter from the AC outlet 1 2 Environment To prevent the risk of fire electric shock or malfunction avoid using your uTrack 24 in environments where it will be exposed to e Extreme temperatures Heat sources such as radiators or stoves High humidity or moisture Excessive dust or sand Excessive vibration o
20. Mode indicator displays which of four different pages the uTrack 24 s screen displays at any given moment The four modes are e STOP When the unit is idle it is in the STOP mode It is possible to enter any of the other three modes from the STOP mode e RECORD The RECORD page is active any time the unit is recording audio it displays various parameters related to the recording For more information see the RECORD Page section e PLAY The PLAY page is active any time the unit is stopped or playing back audio It displays various parameters related to playback of the currently loaded audio project For more information see the PLAY Page section e MIX The MIX page displays and allows control of the settings for the built in 24 channel internal mixer For more information see the MIX Page section 2 Track Count In STOP and RECORD mode it displays the number of tracks channels the uTrack24 has been configured to record In PLAY mode it displays the number of tracks being played 3 Sample rate Displays the sample rate that the uTrack 24 will record audio at or the sample rate of any audio project that is currently in playback Available sample rates include 44 1 48 88 2 and 96 kHz 4 Bit Depth Displays the bit depth that the uTrack 24 will record audio to or the bit rate of any audio project that is currently in playback Available bit depths include 16 bit and 24 bit 6 Clock Source Displays the dig
21. Playlists FR Stereo Audio Files d Browser Hill Farmers Blues av MT 2songs plavlist plav fa Take0oo The screenshot above shows the browser window containing all three types of files A stereo wave file a playlist and a MultiTrack take Any of them can be selected by rotating the encoder to highlight the file name then pressing the encoder to load it for playback 26 LOADING AUDIO FILES FOR PLAYBACK TA UTrack Cymatic audio 20 PLAY PAGE The play screen is shown any time the uTrack 24 is currently playing back a multitrack audio take as well as when the transport is currently stopped It displays various parameters related to the playing back of audio from an attached USB drive PLAY 2CHI 46 24 mm gt OTake0005 2 Hest TakeDOD6 4 A 00 07 17 Rem 00 08 55 1 Take Number Displays the take number of the recording that has been loaded for playback 2 Next Take Displays the name of the next take that is available for playback residing in the same directory on the attached USB drive When the transport is stopped you can use the skip forward skip back buttons to navigate among different available takes allowing you to quickly and easily call up different takes for playback This is very useful when playing back different songs during a virtual sound check or band expansion since you can quickly navigate to and start playing back the multitrack file you wish to 3 Elapsed Time Displays
22. Qa sa cyrnatic audio ulrack EE Firmware Version 2469 USER S MANUAL Firmware Build 2469 April 2015 YA e a cyrnatic audio UTrack TABLE OF CONTENT det 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 9 1 6 DN ZD 10 11 12 13 13 1 13 2 13 2 1 13 2 2 13 2 3 19 9 13 4 13 5 13 6 13 7 13 8 13 9 13 10 13 11 JAFET T PRECAUTION anna pi 4 nig CAD CO DC OU BEE 4 EO FU ec ee ei ii 4 OA e AEE ESEE RR 4 Connecting cables and input and output jacks iii 4 EE Ae 4 Viele EE 4 USA GE FRECAUTON LE 5 Electrical e re 5 AE sass stn EA ir 5 Wi RE CC EE 5 NTROPOUC HON rca 6 UPDATING YOUR UTRACK 24 TO THE LATEST FIRMWARE_ seen eee 6 UTRACK 24 FEATURE GIO E 6 WHAT S IN THE E T HOW TO USE THIS USER S MANUALE UTRACK 24 FRONT PANEL celiaci 8 UTRACR 24 REAR PANEL criniera ei ra b feit dw stop Ra vara aea 10 USING THE UTRACK 24 WITH A MIXER TO RECORD A LIVE CONCERT 12 USING THE UTRACK 24 WITH A RECORDING SPLIT OUTBOARD MIC PREAMPS 13 GETTING STARTED WITH RECORDING AND PLAYBACK eee 14 Preparing the attached USB drive for recording nennen 14 USB Hard Drives vs USB Flash Drives eese nennen nennen 14 USE Nard DIVE 14 USB AE RE 15 uie Bree of USB Drive Eege 15 SANG a RECON E 16 Se ele e Be TEE 16 24 Channel Input Meteri
23. RTED WITH RECORDING AND PLAYBACK 13 1 Preparing the attached USB drive for recording The uTrack 24 records 24 separate tracks of 24 bit audio directly to any off the shelf USB drive No computer required The attached USB drive must be formatted in the Fat32 format In order to ensure that the USB drive is optimally formatted for audio recording it highly advised that you format the attached USB drive using the uTrack 24 s Format USB Drive menu function To do so press MENU scroll to UTILITIES then press the encoder to select Format USB Drive After verifying you want to do so you will see the following screen Utilities Menu Formatting Drive LW Ll When formatting has completed you will see this screen Utilities Menu Format Drive Succeeded If no drive is connected and you attempt to use the format command you will see this message Utilities Menu Ho Drive Connected NOTE As there are many different ways and systems to format drives we STRONGLY SUGGEST you format your USB storage with the uTrack 24 s format menu BEFORE recording This will ensure that your storage is formatted in an optimal way for recording Using your own computer to format the USB drive for recording may lead to a decrease in storage performance and or loss of audio NOTE All existing data and partitions on the drive will be lost when formatting 13 2 USB Hard Drives vs USB Flash Drives When recordi
24. Repeat All All audio files in the USB drive s folder will play back and then the group of files will repeat again from the beginning e Shuffle All audio files in the USB drive s folder will play back in a random order AutoPlay on Boot When this mode is tuned on the uTrack 24 will automatically begin playback of a playlist file if the file is titled in a certain manner and located in a certain placed on the attached USB hard drive For more details on preparing a file to work with the autoplay mode refer to the user s manual for the uTrack 24 s playlist creation software available for download at www cymaticaudio com downloads 88 2 96 kHz Stereo amp 44 1 48 kHz Stereo When playing back a stereo audio file the uTrack 24 allows you to select which specific pair of rear panel outputs the file will play out of Output pair choices include 1 2 3 4 21 22 23 24 UTRACK 24 SYSTEM MENUS 31 YA S cyrnatic audio UTrack This feature allows you to connect any physical output pair you wish to a stereo tape input of your FOH mixing console with the ability to route stereo break music to that pair of outputs The stereo output channel pair can be selected individually for the single sample rates 44 1 kHz and 48 kHz and doubled sample rates 88 2 kHz and 96 kHz e For the 88 2 96 kHz sample rates you can select any pair between outputs 1 2 and 7 8 e For the 44 1 48 kHz sample rates you can select any pair between outputs
25. SB2 0 connector on the rear panel and an available USB2 0 port on your Mac The device will now be selecteable in the Audio MIDI Setup application which can be found in the Applications Utilities folder 800 Audio Devices Built in Input e 2in Oout A UTRACK24 Built in Qutput Clock source internal 0 in 2 out rap UTRACK24 BUTS Output 24 inf 24 out Source Default Format 48000 0 Hz v 24ch 24bit Integer Chivolume Value dB Mute Thru CJ bel O rr rop a pmkWnr S Note that no custom uTrack 24 mixer control panel is available for the Mac as there is when using the uTrack 24 with Windows The internal mixer of the uTack 24 is not available when connected to a Mac so all monitoring must be done through the DAW software 40 USING THE UTRACK 24 AS A COMPUTER AUDIO INTERFACE UTrack cymatic audio 23 3 Using the ulrack 24 as an Audio Interface with an Apple iPad 23 3 1 Minimum System requirements Operating Systems e JOSE 5 or higher Hardware iPad 2 or newer e Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter 23 3 2 Driver Installation There is no driver installation for the iPad necessary Simply connect the uTrack 24 to your iPad by connecting the supplied USB cable to the uTrack 24 USB2 0 connector on the rear panel and the iPad using the appropriate Apple USB adapter The uTrack 24 can now be used as a 24 inout 24 output aud
26. ally created each time a new recording is initiated by pressing the RECORD button 2 Elapsed Time Counter Displays the elapsed time of the recording that is currently taking place As the recording progresses the elapsed time increases allowing you to see how long a recording you are making 3 Markers Display Displays the number of the most recent marker you have created while recording a take For more information on markers see the Adding Markers section in Getting Started with Recording 4 Droputs Display If Applicable Displays the number of dropouts in a recording if any have occurred The uTrack 24 is designed to record up to 24 tracks of audio with any standard USB hard drive and do so without any glitches or dropouts However if you have attached a USB drive whose data transfer speed is too slow to keep up with the required data flow dropouts may occur The dropouts display allows you to have a concrete verification if this has occurred The droputs display only occurs while the recording is occuring it does not persist once the transport is stopped However if any dropouts have occurred a dropouts log will be written to the attached USB drive residing in the same folder as the take The log gives details of how many dropouts there were and at what point in time they occurred See the section USB Hard Drives vs USB Flash Drives for detailed information on what types of hard drives to use in orde
27. cted channel with a higher level of resolution MIX PAGE 25 a 3 cyrnatic audio UTrack 19 LOADING AUDIO FILES FOR PLAYBACK Press the BROWSE button on the front panel to switch the display to the BROWSER screen 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 The BROWSER screen will show a folder named MultiTrack that contains all of the multitrack audio files that can be selected for playback on the uTrack 24 Browser kulti rack Rotate the encoder to highlight the MultiTrack folder then press it to select You will then see a list of all of the different MultiTrack takes that have been saved to the Multitrack folder MultiTrack takes are denoted with this icon Di Browser fa ake QO02 fa Take QO0S Rotate the encoder to select the desired take and then press the encoder to load it for playback The selected take will now be shown on the PLAY screen and it is ready for playing back simply by pressing the PLAY button If the highlight bar hovers over a song without being moved to another song for more than 2 seconds it will be preloaded in order to start playback without delay A popup screen will appear to show this has occurred STOP BC HI 44716 mm gt Pre Loading Song In order for this feature to operate the Pre recording feature needs to be disabled in the menu settings The attached USB drive may also contain two other types of files that can be loaded for playback e
28. e configured using free Playlist Editor software available for download at www cymaticaudio com The PLAYLIST screen displays various parameters that are unique to the playlist workflow STOP 2CHI 4 8 m Playlist Top HL 3 Live ls e Hext H Lost And Found 1 Playlist Name Displays the title of the playlist that has been loaded and is currently playing back 2 Take Displays the name of the specific take that is currently playing within the current playlist 3 Next Displays the name of the take that will play next once the current playlist is completed 4 Playback Mode N Indicates that the device is in Playlist Mode 5 Elapsed Time Displays the amount of time that the current take has been playing for 6 Remaining Time Displays the amount of time left in the current take 7 Pause Mode Displays the mode which is used to transition to the next song The following icons are possible e Wait for key press the device waits for the user to press the play button or footswitch before the next song is started e Wait period the device waits the indicated number of seconds before starting the next song e No icon there is no pause between the previous and the next song 28 PLAYLIST SCREEN UTrack 3 cyrmatic audio 22 UTRACK 24 SYSTEM MENUS The uTrack 24 contains a set of menus that allow you to adjust various settings Settings lock Source Internal FootSwitch Play Recording To adjust a
29. e Rotate the encoder to change the mark in point then press the encoder to choose it e Rotate the encoder to change the mark out point then press the encoder to choose it Selecting the mark out point starts the playback loop between the two points e To cancel the playback loop and clear the mark in mark out points press the BACK button Looping between the mark in and mark out points is useful when playing back a take for a virtual sound check When the FOH engineer reaches a section in the sound check they wish to work on extra carefully they can quickly set in and out points then loop between them The looped playback audio will allow them to concentrate on dialing in the live mix for that section perfectly Note When operating in playback loop mode pressing the skip forward backward buttons will cause the playback cursor to jump to the next or previous marker respectively If no marker is available pressing the skip backward buttons will cause the playback cursor to jump to the beginning of the song GETTING STARTED WITH RECORDING AND PLAYBACK Ulrack 14 UTRACK 24 FILE FORMATS The ulrack24 is specifically designed for continuous capturing of audio over longer periods of time When recording the uTrack24 stores data from multiple input channels into a single multichannel wave file Many audio editing programs DANYS can only handle a maximum file size of 2GB cyrnatic audio Since the length of your recording
30. e for walk in music break music walk out music etc The uTrack 24 goes into stereo mode any time you load an audio file that resides anywhere OUTSIDE the MultiTrack folder on the attached USB drive When operating in stereo mode the uTrack 24 offers different playback transport modes that affect how the audio files are played The modes are continuous shuffle repeat one and repeat all For details see uTrack 24 System Menus Playback menus 15 3 Default Mode When the uTrack 24 first powers up the current folder is always the MultiTrack Folder When you use the BROWSE button to choose a song from any other folder outside the multitrack folder the system goes into stereo Mode A prompt on the screen notifies you of the change Browser Switching to Stereo Mode Play Mode Continuous You can always go back to multitrack mode by pressing the BROWSE button and choosing the multitrack folder and will see the following g prompt Browser Switching to Multilrack Mode Play Mode Single UTRACK 24 FILE PLAYBACK MODES 21 YA S cyrnatic audio UTrack 16 SETTINGS BAR The uTrack 24 contains a settings bar at the top of the screen that is always present on all recording and playback screens It shows important settings at a glance of the key aspects of your recording Playback PLAY DACH 48 24 D o 0 00 00 O9 Recording FEC I2 4 CHI 48724 Rem 00h37m 1 2 314 6 8 1 Home Page Mode The
31. e name field controls what device name will appear in your DAW software The default name is uTrack 24 but it can be modified to the name of your choosing Sample Rate Click on this field to select what sample rate you wish to operate the uTrack 24 at when using it as an audio interface Choices include e 441kHz e 48kHz e 88 2kHz e 96kHz Sync Source Display This field displays the current synchronization source Choice include e Internal e Word Clock USING THE UTRACK 24 AS A COMPUTER AUDIO INTERFACE 35 Settings Vievv Buffers Tab The control panel s buffers screen allows adjustment of the ASIO buffers used by your ASIO compatible DAW software uTrack24 Mixer Panel T IUTRACE24 Sample Rate 44 1kHz USB 7 0 Sync Source Internal Sync Status locked Output Channels About Buffer Settings ASIO Statistics Drop outs detected 46 USB Streaming Mode Adjust this value to set the basic mode of operation of the uTrack 24 drivers ASIO Buffer Depth Adjust this setting to configure the size of the ASIO buffer measured in samples When using an older slower computer you may need to set your latency value to a higher amount This will reduce the overhead to the computer s CPU and allow your DAW session to run more smoothly but will result in a higher amount of delay between the original incoming audio signal and the DAW software When using a newer faster computer the buffer depth can be set to a lowe
32. entioned in this document are the property of their respective owners LEGAL DISCLAIMER 45 sa cymatic audio ulreck Cymatic Technologies B V P O Box 208 6590 AE Gennep The Netherlands www cymaticaudio com Support For Europe support EMEA cymaticaudio com Rest of the world support cymaticaudio com USER S MANUAL Firmware Build 2469 O copyright 2015 Cymatic Audio B V April 2015
33. for the take that the uTrack 24 will display UTRACK 24 FILE FORMATS 19 cyrnatic audio UTrack DAW Audio to ulrack 24 PBA cymatic audio una que Sin oui n e Oo MM m ge Copy vvith automatic conversion to Export individual audio i Plug and Play USB drive GE from DAW y gt external USB drive using the g on mid k24 WavTool or Playlist Editor For more information please refer to the respective user manuals of the WavTool and the Playlist Editor downloadable at www cymaticaudio com 20 UTRACK 24 FILE FORMATS TA UTrack 3 cyrmatic audio 15 UTRACK 24 FILE PLAYBACK MODES When playing back audio the ulracR 24 offers different playback modes The ulracR 24 switches to a given playback mode depending on what type of audio file is loaded for playback The different modes work as follows 15 1 Multitrack Mode When a USB drive is attached to the uTrack 24 a folder labeled Multitrack is automatically created on the drive Any time you load a song that resides within the multitrack folder the uTrack 24 treats it as multitrack audio When in Multitrack Mode there is only one playback option which is Single Play When the current take finished playing the transport stops and will not automatically begin playing a different take 15 2 Stereo Mode This is a different playback mode intended for playback of stereo program material you may wish to us
34. hard drive using the WavTool or Playlist Editor Record on uTrack 24 connected hard drive Content on uTrack Storage Take 0001 Multitrack Wave files automatically separated into 2GB chunks m Th Th m Th Track 01 Track 02 Track 02 Track 04 Track 24 Th Th a m a rack 01 rack 02 rack 02 rack 04 rack 24 Time 00 00 00 00 Time XX XX XX XX ipy Channel AAA Channel AAA Channel AAA Channel bwav fil bwav fil bwav fil bwav fil o o o o Both applications the WavTool and the Playlist Editor perform these functions as they copy the uTrack 24 s recordings from the external USB drive to your computer As a result you are left with 24 separate standard mono wav files each one running the length of your entire take The applications allow this process to work in reverse as well If you have a collection of separate mono wav files they allow you to e Combine the separate channel wave files into a single multi channel wav file or several multi channel wav file chunks if the 2GB file size limit would be exceeded that the uTrack 24 is capable of playing back for virtual sound checks or band expansion e Automatically split up the wav file into 2 gigabyte chunks as needed and combine these chunks into a single take that the uTrack 24 can select and play back e Type a custom name
35. io interface with the iPad and appropriate multi channel iOS recording software 23 4 Control Room Features The uTrack 24 contains a main out audio output path that is very useful when using it as a computer audio interface it allows for monitoring your DAW mix over speakers and headphones with no external mixer required When streaming from a DAW channels 1 24 will output to the 24 physical outputs of the rear panel d sub connectors However DAW outputs 1 2 which most often contain the DAW s main stereo mix are also output to both the 1 4 stereo main outs as well as the front panel phones connector Both the main outs and the phones connector have their own dedicated volume controls allowing you to quickly and easily adjust the listening level of both connected headphones as well as powered studio monitors With the above control room features you are free to use the uTrack 24 as a computer audio interface with no external mixer required No extra equipment and cabling is needed 24 UPDATING THE FIRMWARE OF YOUR UTRACK 24 Please regularly check the Cymatic Audio website www cymaticaudio com for available firmware updates for your uTrack 24 The uTrack 24 s currently installed firmware version can be determined through the Utilities System Details menu see chapter uTrack 24 System Menus If you determine that your uTrack24 firmware version number is lower than the version number of the downloadable
36. is connected to the word clock in BNC connector on the rear panel When using an external clock the settings bar will display Ext to reflect this setting However if you have selected external clock in the settings menu but no valid external clock is actually connected to the word clock input connector the Ext label will flash on and off to reflect that the clock signal is missing and no recording will be allowed to take place If you try to record when the unit is set to external clock but no clock source is connected no recording will take place Instead the following message will temporarily appear STOP CH 96 24 pg gt Recording Error Clock not in Sy ne UTRACK 24 SYSTEM MENUS 29 YA S cyrnatic audio UTrack Similarly if you try and play back audio when the unit is set to external clock and no clock source is connected playback will not occur and the following message will temporarily appear STOP 6CHI 96 24 ant D Song Plav Error Clock not in 5vn NOTE When set to Wordclock the uTrack 24 does not automatically change its sample rate to the rate of the incoming external clock You must choose the proper sample rate that matches with the external clock you have connected If the external clock is set at to a different sample rate than the one you have set the internal clock to the clock will not get locked and recording will not occur To avoid this always make sure to
37. is equipment has been tested and found to comply with the requirements C of 47 CFR of PART 15 limit for radiation and conduction emission relating to FCC rules Part 15B 2010 USAGE PRECAUTIONS YA cyrmatic audio UTrack 4 INTRODUCTION Congratulations on your purchase of the Cymatic Audio uTrack 24 The uTrack 24 is three powerful products in one e A 24 track solid state recorder A 24 track digital audio file player e A 24 input 24 output computer audio interface Never before has such a powerful combination of features been available at such an affordable price and in such a compact footprint The uTrack 24 records to and plays back from standard off the shelf USB drives while offering a large complement of professional features With its large detailed display and generous complement of dedicated front panel hardware controls operation is extremely intuitive and straightforward Recording is never further away than a single push of the dedicated front panel Record button The uTrack 24 is also ready for the future a dedicated expansion slot allows for alternate audio I O to be added while a network port allows for alternate control mechanisms D UPDATING YOUR UTRACK 24 TO THE LATEST FIRMWARE The uTrack 24 also offers user installable firmware upgrades so that new features and capabilities may be added in the future This user s manual s information is specific to Firmware build 2469 which your uTrack
38. ital clock source that the uTrack 24 is using Choices include internal Int and External Ext Note If you have selected external clock source in the recording menus and no valid external clock source is connected the ext label will flash on off as a reminder that no external clock source is actually available 22 SETTINGS BAR TA UTrack a cyrmatic audio Playback PLAY 124CHI 48724 D 5 Markers Displays how many markers have been recorded to the current take s multi track broadcast wave file 7 Playback Mode Displays current playback mode please refer to chapter PLAY Page for an explanation of the Playback Mode Symbols Recording FEC I2 4 CHI 48724 Rem 00h37m O OO OO oO 0 1 2 314 6 8 8 Remaining time Displays the amount of available recording time remaining on the attached USB drive This figure will adjust dynamically as you change the track count bit depth and sample rate you plan to use showing the actual remaining time on the drive as you adjust those specific settings SETTINGS BAR 23 YA 3 cyrnatic audio UTrack 17 RECORD PAGE The RECORD page is shown any time the uTrack 24 is in recording mode it displays important aspects of the recording process and allows you to monitor your recording REC l2 4 CHI 48724 Fiem 1Bh D 7m OT ake0015 Markers Or 1 Take Name and Number Displays the name and number of the current take that is automatic
39. layback the meter bridge operates as a single 24 segment input output meter for the currently selected channel channel focus mode 12 Main Output Volume Control Rotate to adjust the listening level of the rear panel s main outputs which carry the stereo signal of the onboard monitor mixer standalone recorder player mode or outputs 1 2 of your DAW software Computer Audio Interface 13 Headphone Volume Control Rotate this control to adjust the listening volume level of the front panel headphone output which offers the same signal path as the main outputs 14 Headphone Connector Connect a pair of headphones to listen to the onboard monitor mix or channels 1 2 of your DAW software The uTrack 24 s onboard headphone amplifier outputs a strong clean signal to the connected headphones 15 Footswitch Connector Connect a standard two position footswitch to this connector for hands free operation of various functions For specifics see footswitch in the menus section of this document UTRACK 24 FRONT PANEL S cyrnatic audio UTrack 10 UTRACK 24 REAR PANEL 1 Option Card Slot Not Yet Functional in version 1 0 Firmware The uTrack 24 can be fitted with an optional 24 input 24 output option card that provides an alternate audio I O path from the onboard analog I O This option brings a powerful level of flexibility to the uTrack 24 allowing you to e Expand the unit with 24 channels of digital I O
40. m gapless new recordings meaning that a new recording can begin without losing a single sample of digital audio This feature is usually only available on recorders costing much more and allows you useful capabilities such as e Splitting up a live recording into different takes for organizational purposes knowing that each and every moment of the event will be recorded without any gaps Allows a group of recorded tracks to be played back gaplessly when played back from within a playlist To create a gapless recording Press the RECORD button while currently recording Anew take will be created beginning one audio sample after the last sample used in the previous recording The recording parameters of the new take are the same as the previous take 13 8 Playing Back Audio To playback a take you have just recorded simply press the front panel PLAY button To navigate to a different take on the attached USB drive you can either Usethe skip back and skip forward buttons or the rotary encoder to navigate among the available different takes Press the BROWSE button use the encoder to navigate to the folder that contains the audio data and then select the specific take you wish to load for playback 13 9 Instant Playback The uTrack 24 has an instant playback feature due to its ability to Pre Load audio files while playing back a current audio file This means that when playing back and audio file the
41. n press the BACK button MIX 24CHI op ou pm gt The MIX screen contains the following five parameters you can adjust 1 Channel Number This represents the input channel or playback channel that you can then adjust volume mute solo and panning for 2 Channel Volume Adjusts the relative listening volume of the currently selected channel 3 Mute On Off Mutes the currently selected channel removing its audio from the monitor mix Note that the channel will always still be recorded muting it simply removes it from the monitor mix 4 Solo On Off Solos the selected channel This is very useful when fine tuning a microphone position allowing you to hear the individual channel s signal without the distraction of the other channels in the monitor mix Alternate Solo Method Press and hold the rotary encoder as a quick way to instantly solo the currently selected channel This method allows you to quickly select and solo channels one by one with fewer steps Note that soloing of a selected channel is temporary it only lasts as long as the channel is selected When a different channel is selected the solo status of the previous channel is cleared 5 Pan Control Adjusts the selected channel s pan position in the stereo field Metering When in the MIX page the front panel metering LEDs act as a single 24 segment level meter for the currently selected channel This allows you to fine tune the signal level of the sele
42. next audio file that is cued to be played is pre loaded into memory It can then be played back instantly without any gaps when it is time for that audio to be played such as when pressing the play button or when the next song comes up in a playlist that is playing back This feature is extremely useful in any environment where audio needs to be played back without any gaps or delays such as nalive set where the end of one song needs to seamlessly transition to the next one natheater environment where the operator wants to trigger different musical or sound cues and needs to time the beginning of their playback very precisely Pre loading operates under the following conditions with the uTrack 24 e Instant Playback is always enabled when the uTrack 24 is playing back in Playlist mode Instant Playback is always enabled when the uTrack 24 is playing back in normal mode but only if the uTrack 24 s pre recording is switched OFF Instant Playback is enabled when the Pre Recording feature is switched off 13 10 Autoplay on Startup The uTrack 24 has the ability to automatically playback a playlist upon powering up This feature can be very useful when the uTrack 24 is used in installed sound setups where a certain playlist should always be playing when the device is on To do so using the Playlist Editor Create your desired playlist Check the Autoplay on device boot up checkbox below the Playlist Name field
43. ng ii 16 E ART 16 Gapless Recording ERE CS 17 Playing Back AUdIO EE 17 Ierger 17 A Hire ee ug de EE 17 Looping Playback between In and Out Points AA 18 14 15 15 1 15 2 19 9 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 22 1 22 2 22 3 22 4 22 5 22 6 22 1 295 23 1 23 1 1 23 1 2 23 09 23 2 23 2 1 23 2 2 23 3 29 5 23 9 4 23 4 24 24 1 24 2 29 TA UTrack t cyrmatic audio UTRACK 24 FILE FORMATS EE 19 UTRACK 24 FILE PLAYBACK MODES eeeemH Hmmm nemen 20 LUMEN 20 EEO MOUE ues EN i ee CC ORA I ns 20 DEUN ode 21 ETUNG O BAR E 22 RECORD TPA E EE 24 UR EE 24 LOADING AUDIO FILES FOR PLAYBACK ea 26 E EN 21 PLAYLISTS CREBN 28 UTRACKZ4SYSTENEMENUS bugia iii 29 COCK QUE CNC O O AI 29 xoc iue ia MENTRE T IT 30 sese MON O n 30 Playback MoU PRO RR 2 Bid RR TCT OHEH m 32 Beie lee E 32 VE O E A 32 USING THE UTRACK 24 AS A COMPUTER AUDIO INTERFACE mme 33 Using the uTrack 24 as an Audio Interface with Microsoft Windows duana ena 33 Minim m System Requirements 1s ions sions EEE EE EErEE EE a E 33 WDM and ASIO driver installation ie 33 EE 247 Gontrol Faneldo EPG critico nilo 33 Using the uTrack 24 as an Audio
44. ng audio with the uTrack 24 and a connected USB drive it is important to understand the difference between the two key types of USB drives available in the marketplace 13 2 1 USB Hard Drive A USB hard drive is a traditional moving parts hard drive that records its data on spinning platters This is the recommended type of USB drive to use with the uTrack 24 as its data read write speeds are the most reliable and consistent You are free to use two different types of USB hard drives with the uTrack 24 14 GETTING STARTED WITH RECORDING AND PLAYBACK UTrack Cymatic audio 13 2 2 USB Flash Drive A USB Flash drive is a USB drive that uses flash memory and contains no moving parts Examples of a USB flash drive would be e USB thumb drives or keychain drives small in size and available in capacities of 4GB through 128 GB e USB Solid State Drives aka SSD commonly houses in a 2 5 drive enclosure and commanding a price premium Common sizes include 120 Gigabytes through 1 Terabyte It is NOT recommended to use the uTrack 24 with either of the above two types of USB flash drives the nature of these drives results in them offering unreliable read write speeds Although they can offer very fast AVERAGE data read write speeds they are subject to occasional pauses in data writing This is not practical for a device like the uTrack 24 that needs to constantly write a data stream to the attached disk in order
45. o larger than you actually require you can keep the size of your recorded files down since you will not be recording empty tracks that do not have any audio signal feeding their corresponding rear panel inputs Pre Recording When this function is set to on the uTrack 24 will always pre record a few seconds of audio even before you have actually pressed the record button The pre record function acts as a protection mechanism if you did not quite press record in time when a musical performance has started As long as you press record within a few moments of the beginning of the performance the entire set will be recorded 22 4 Playback Menu This menu offers choices for how takes are played back when a stereo wave file is loaded into memory on the uTrack 24 Stereo Mode When operating in stereo mode the following options are available e Continuous As each audio file finishes playback the uTrack 24 automatically begins playback of the next audio file in the same folder in numerical alphabetical order This mode is useful for playing back a collection of songs for walk in break walk out music without needing to specifically craft a playlist using the playlist software e Repeat One The currently playing song will repeat over and over as long as the transport is running This mode is useful for playing back a loop of music you wish to repeat or a pre recorded announcement that is meant to be heard repeatedly etc
46. o or working in a post production context 48kHz is more traditional 88 2 kHz and 96 kHz sample rates are also available Some users prefer to record at these higher sample rates and then also mix at the higher rate within their DAW software The final high resolution mix can be distributed on different high resolution formats such as hi res digital downloads Super Audio CD or Blu Ray Audio Discs UTRACK 24 SYSTEM MENUS 30 UTrack Cymatic audio Note When using sample rates of 88 2 kHz or 96 kHz the uTrack 24 is limited to recording of 8 tracks maximum When selecting one of these sample rates the following message will temporarily appear Recording Menu Track Count Changed to Bit Depth Selects the bit depth of the recording Choices include 16 bit and 24 bit It is always recommended to use the 24 bit setting as that will allow for increased dynamic range and superior sound quality over 16 bit The most traditional workflow is to record and mix down at 24 bit and then perform a 24 bit to 16 bit dithering operation as the last step of the mastering process in order to maintain compatibility with the 16 bit nature of compact discs and digital downloads Track Count Determines how many separate tracks will be used in the multi track broadcast wave file that the uTrack 24 generates during a recording Choices include stereo 2 track 4 8 12 16 20 and 24 tracks By selecting a number of tracks n
47. o synchronize multiple uTrack 24 units into a larger 48 track recording system The synchronization function is not yet activated in the uTrack 24 1 0 firmware 8 MIDI Output Connector Not Yet Functional in version 1 0 Firmware The MIDI output connector outputs MIDI data from a SMF Standard MIDI File that resides in the same folder as a project s audio files This allows the uTrack 24 to output MIDI data to a software synthesizer MIDI controlled lighting system effects switching system etc synchronized and in time with audio data that is played out of the uTrack 24 s audio outputs 9 USB Connector The rear panel USB computer connects to the USB port of a Windows or OS X computer as well as to the USB port of an iPad camera connection accessory Upon doing so the uTrack 24 acts as a 24 input 24 output computer audio interface The ability to record 24 separate audio inputs to your favorite DAW allows you to record a large musical ensemble while still keeping each player and instrument separated for maximum flexibility The 24 separate outputs allow for great flexibility in routing outputs from a DAW session such as sending many separate headphone mixes to an external headphone amplifier or sending 24 separate channels of audio to an external analog mixer for mixing out of the box 10 Network Connector This RJ 45 connector allows connection of the uTrack 24 to a standard Ethernet network The network connection can
48. on your computer and ensure the best chance of the attached drive working reliably Note that formatting an attached USB drive will ERASE all data AND partitions currently on the drive Make sure you have copied backed up any data you do not wish to lose System Details This menu displays various information about your uTrack 24 including e Device Name Displays the name assigned to your particular uTrack 24 This name can be edited using the uRemote software e P Address Displays the IP address that has been assigned to the uTrack 24 when it has been connected to a local area network Firmware Version Displays the version number of the firmware loaded into your uTrack 24 22 6 Load Settings Selecting the load settings command will load all of the settings you last saved using the saved settings command This command can be used to return the uTrack 24 back to a familiar state that you had last saved it as 22 Save Settings Selecting the save settings command will save all of the current menu settings to an onboard memory slot that can later be loaded back into memory 32 UTRACK 24 SYSTEM MENUS 23 23 1 23 1 1 23 1 2 23 1 3 USING THE UTRACK 24 AS A COMPUTER AUDIO INTERFACE ta UTrack Cymatic audio USING THE UTRACK 24 AS A COMPUTER AUDIO INTERFACE The uTrack 24 can be connected to a personal computer or iOS device via its rear panel USB port and operate as a 24 input 24 output
49. onnected Ai cymafic audio powered by ari huave Serial number x 750043420005 Driver version 6 16 0 Firmware version 1650 2014 Cymatic Audio Www cymaticaudio com Revision Displays the revision number of the control panel itself uTrack 24 Displays the connection status for the uTrack 24 indicating if the device is connected and recognized by the computer Serial Number Displays the specific serial number of the connected uTrack 24 unit Driver Version Displays the version number of the installed device driver Firmware Version Displays the current firmware version of the connected uTrack 24 unit USING THE UTRACK 24 AS A COMPUTER AUDIO INTERFACE YA 3 cyrnatic audio UTrack 23 2 Using the uTrack 24 as an Audio Interface with an OS X 23 2 1 Minimum System Requirements Operating Systems e Mac OS X 10 8 or higher Hardware e Any Mac hardware compatible with OS X 10 8 or higher e 512 MB Ram 1GB or more recommended e 1 free USB 2 0 compatible port NOTE The speed of your processor amount of RAM and capacity size and speed of your hard drives will greatly affect the overall performance of your recording system A faster processor and more RAM can reduce signal latency delay and improve overall performance 23 2 2 Driver Installation There is no driver installation for Mac Computers necessary Simply connect the to your Mac by connecting the supplied USB cable to the uTrack 24 U
50. program e When prompted by the installation program connect the uTrack 24 to your PC by connecting the supplied USB cable to the uTrack 24 USB 2 0 connector on the rear panel and an available USB2 0 port on your PC uTrack 24 Control Panel for PC The uTrack 24 driver installation program will automatically install the uTrack 24 Control panel on your PC You can launch it by clicking on the uTrack 24 icon that will be present in the Windows task bar or by locating the program s entry in the Windows start menu The Mixer control panel allows adjustment of the uTrack 24 s internal DSP mixer When connected to a computer and operating as a USB interface graphical control of the internal DSP mixer is offered for quicker and easier adjustments You can use the internal DSP mixer to generate a monitor mix that has a lower latency delay when monitoring tracks you are recording than is often possible when monitoring through your DAW software 33 34 ta Cymatic audio Mixer Vievv 1 BE Mixer Panel o o A e d1AaWN USB connection indicator Input level meters Faders Monitor panning Mute Solo Channel link Control room output level Display device settings USING THE UTRACK 24 AS A COMPUTER AUDIO INTERFACE UTrack t cyrmatic audio Settings View Synchronization Tab se uTrack24 Mixer Panel Sample Rate amp Synchronization Source ieee TM intemal e Device Name The devic
51. r amount and latency will be minimized ASIO Dropout Statistics This display field indicates how many drop outs have occurred if any with the currently selected buffer settings Dropouts indicate that your computer s CPU cannot keep up with the demand that is placed on it by the current buffer depth If any dropouts occur increase the size of the buffer depth and or change the streaming mode until no more dropouts are reported USING THE UTRACK 24 AS A COMPUTER AUDIO INTERFACE UTrack t cyrmatic audio Settings View Input Channels Tab se uTrack24 Mixer Panel lemina uTRACK24 uTRACK24 uTRACK24 UTRACK24 uTRACK24 Include device name in ASIO display name Double click an entry in the channel name column to modify the input channel names as they will appear in your DAW Click on the checkbox labeled Include device name in ASIO display name if you wish for the channel names to be prepended with the device name USING THE UTRACK 24 AS A COMPUTER AUDIO INTERFACE 37 38 cyrmatic audio Settings View Output Channels Tab se uTrack24 Mixer Panel uTRACK24 Output Channels Channel Name Line Out 1 Line Out 2 __ Line Out 1 Line Qut
52. r shock 1 3 Handling Never place objects filled with liquids such as vases on the uTrack 24 since this can cause electric shock Do not place naked flame sources such as lighted candles on the uTrack 24 since this can cause fire The uTrack 24 is a precision instrument Do not exert undue pressure on the keys and other controls Also take care not to drop the unit and do not subject it to shock or excessive pressure Take care that no foreign objects coins or pins etc or liquids can enter the unit 1 4 Connecting cables and input and output jacks You should always turn off the power to the uTrack 24 and all other equipment before connecting or disconnecting any cables Also make sure to disconnect all connection cables and the power cord before moving the uTrack 24 1 5 A Alterations Never open the case of the uTrack 24 or attempt to modify the product in any way since this can result in damage to the unit 1 6 Volume Do not use the uTrack 24 at a loud volume for a long time since this can cause hearing impairment SAFETY PRECAUTIONS UTrack 3 CyMatic audio 2 USAGE PRECAUTIONS 24 Electrical interference For safety considerations the uTrack 24 has been designed to provide maximum protection against the emission of electromagnetic radiation from inside the device and protection from external interference However equipment that is very susceptible to interference or that emits powerful electromagnetic wa
53. r to guaranatee your recording will be dropout free 18 MIX PAGE When recording it is crucial to monitor an in the field stereo mix of the recording in progress For this purpose the uTrack 24 contains a built in 24 input stereo monitor mixer allowing you to monitor a stereo mix of the incoming 24 channels of audio while adjusting various mix parameters The mixer is active only for the currently active recording channels The adjustments you make affect the monitor mix only they have no effect on the actual recording taking place Only during playback the built in monitor mixer mixes the outgoing 24 channels of audio The mixer parameters are taken from the settings file present in the audio project Once the playback stops the mixer works on the incoming channels and the previous mixer settings are loaded back The stereo mix can be monitored from both the front panel headphone output as well as the rear panel s main outputs both outputs have their own dedicated volume level controls 24 RECORD PAGE UTrack Cymatic audio To bring up the monitor mixer and adjust the parameters for each channel Press the front panel rotary encoder The display will switch to the MIX screen as shown below e Once in the MIX screen press the rotary encoder to move between the various parameters e When on a parameter it will be highlighted and can by adjusted by rotating the encoder e To exit the monitor mixer scree
54. s 24 channels of playback 12 USING THE UTRACK 24 WITH A MIXER TO RECORD A LIVE CONCERT UTrack 3 cyrmatic audio 12 USING THE UTRACK 24 WITH A RECORDING SPLIT OUTBOARD MIC PREAMPS 24 Channel 3 8 Channel otereo Stereo Splitter Snake Microphone Headphones Powered Preamplifiers Monitors In some instances you may wish to use the uTrack 24 in a higher end remote recording setup with a dedicated recording split of the stage snake as opposed to the mixer s direct outputs In this case the connections would work as follows The stage microphone signals are connected to a microphone splitter containing a dedicated split of recorder outputs Connect the recorder outputs mic level signals to the inputs of the microphone preamplifiers e Connect the line level outputs of the microphone preamps to the analog inputs of the uTrack 24 e Connect a pair of headphones to the front panel phones jack to monitor a stereo mix of the ulrack 24 s multi track recording e f you are working in an acoustically separated space from the musicians themselves you can also connect a pair of powered monitors to the uTrack s rear panel main outputs This will allow you to monitor the onboard stereo mix on a pair of powered monitors speakers and also adjust the monitoring volume using the front panel volume control USING THE UTRACK 24 WITH A RECORDING SPLIT OUTBOARD MIC PREAMPS 13 YA cyrnatic audio uTrack 13 GETTING STA
55. se a USB hard drive do NOT use a USB flash drive e Format the attached drive using the uTrack 24 format utility do NOT format the drive using your computer Perform a test recording using your planned USB hard drive making sure the test recording is as long or longer than the event you plan to record Check that you do not see any dropouts reported on the recording page at the end of the recording and that you do not see a dropouts log file in the take folder of the USB drive when you mount the drive on your computer e Always re format the USB hard drive using the uTrack 24 format utility each and every time you record a new event Although this is technically not required it reduces the chance of cluttering up your hard drive with multiple recordings from different dates and causing disk fragmentation As long as you do not see any dropouts during your test recording and you reformat your drive on the uTrack 24 before the real recording your recordings should be error free each and every time Since the read write speed of a freshly formatted USB hard drive is a consistent and known quantity that never changes unlike a USB flash drive you can be confident that the real recording will occur exactly as the test recording did GETTING STARTED WITH RECORDING AND PLAYBACK 15 YA Cymatic audio UTrack 13 3 Starting a Recording The uTrack 24 defaults to the following settings for a recording e 24 tracks e 24 bit e
56. set the uTrack 24 s internal clock to the same sample rate as any external clocks you plan to use NOTE When playing back a previously recorded take it will always play back at the sample rate it was recorded at If the uTrack 24 is currently set to a different sample rate the unit will automatically revert back to the sample rate set in the menu after the take has completed playback 22 2 Footswitch Menu This menu allows you to configure what specific function occurs when you step on a footswitch attached to the front panel footswitch connector Different functions can be operated in a hands free manner useful when using the uTrack 24 to play back expansion tracks alongside live musicians Play Pressing the footswitch mimics the front panel PLAY button and begins playback Play Pause If the song is stopped footswitch press starts a playback If playing the footswitch press pauses it Record Pressing the footswitch mimics the front panel RECORD button and begins a new recording 22 3 Recording Menu This menu contains various settings that determine the parameters of the uTrack 24 s recordings Sample Rate Selects the sample rate of the recording when the uTrack 24 is set to its internal clock Choices include e 441kHz e 48kHz e 88 2kHz e 96kHz If you are recording a music project destined to be released on compact disc or digital download 44 1 kHz is an appropriate choice If you are recording audio for vide
57. the elapsed time of the take currently playing back 4 Playback Location This horizontal black stripe represents the timeline of the take currently being played back while the black square represents the current location of the play head the take s current playback location Rotate the encoder to move the play head to a different position on the timeline then press the encoder to start playing back the take at the new time location you have moved the play head to 5 Time Remaining Displays the remaining time of the take that is currently playing back 6 Playback Mode Displays the current Playback Mode Stereo Mode e Continuous BE When the current take has finished playing the next take will automatically begin playing Repeat One HN Playback of the current take will continue repeating over and over Repeat All NS When all of the takes in the current directory have completed the device will start over with the first song in the directory e Shuffle gt S All of the takes in the current directory will play back in a random order Multitrack Mode Multitrack Mode E The device is in Multitrack Mode Only one take is played on pressing the PLAY button PLAY PAGE 21 YA cyrnatic audio UTrack 21 PLAYLIST SCREEN The playlist screen is shown any time the uTrack 24 is currently playing back a playlist of audio takes a pre configured list of takes that automatically play one after the other Playlists can b
58. to avoid dropouts 13 2 3 Auto Detection of USB Drive Type When a USB drive is attached to the front panel USB port the attached drive is mounted and then the uTrack24 optimizes itself for reading and writing the drive With large drives it may take around half a minute to complete this process The default recording parameters for the uTrack24 are 24 tracks 24 bit 48 kHz e A USB hard drive is most often fast enough to handle these settings with no dropouts whatsoever It is still recommended to always perform a test recording the length of your planned recording using the same drive you will use at the event e Ifthe drive reports itself as a USB flash drive the uTrack 24 will additionally show a warning screen which alerts you that dropouts may occur with this type of USB drive TEST I24CHI 48 07 24 Dropouts expected with Recordings The uTrack 24 then automatically sets the recording parameters to a lower value of 16 bit 16 tracks in case they were preset to higher values These settings require less data throughput from the attached drive and are thus more likely to work correctly with a flash drive You are still free to then change the recording settings using the RECORDING menu but again you should perform a long test recording to make sure the USB drive you plan to use is sufficiently fast In summary to have confidence that your recordings will be 100 dropout free each and every time follows these steps e U
59. uTrack24 firmware on the Cymatic Audio website please perform a firmware update 24 1 Firmware update using the USB connection PC only When you are using your uTrack 24 together with a PC you can perform the firmware update through USB using the rear panel USB connector Before starting the update process please make sure that the uTrack 24 device drivers are installed on your system and the uTrack 24 is connected to your PC using the supplied USB cable Locate and download the uTrack 24 USB Updater Application on the Cymatic Audio website Once the download has finished double click the downloaded application and follow the on screen instructions UPDATING THE FIRMWARE OF YOUR UTRACK 24 41 42 cyrmatic audio UTrack 24 2 Firmware update using a Network Connection PC amp Mac lf your uTracR 24 is connected to a network using a standard network cable connected to the RJ45 network connector on the uTrack 24 rear panel and the network router of your home or business network you can perform the update through the network using any Internet Browser e g Google Chrome 1 Locate the Firmware Update file on the Cymatic Audio home page 2 Download the file and save it to your computer s hard disk 3 Open the Utilities System Details Menu on the uTrack 24 and write down the IP address shown on the screen if the IP address reads 0 0 0 0 the device is not properly connected to the network 4 On your PC
60. uccessfully finished your browser will show the following Seles 192 168 4 61 install xW C 192 168 4 61 install zt Apps Google Firmwareupdate You can download the latest firmware for your device from the internet Firmware successfully updated REBOOT 9 Click the green REBOOT button The connected uTrack 24 will reboot which concludes the update process The screen will show the version number of the updated firmware 44 UPDATING THE FIRMWARE OF YOUR UTRACK 24 TA UTrack 3 cyrmatic audio 25 LEGAL DISCLAIMER Technical specifications and appearance are subject to change without notice and accuracy is not guaranteed Cymatic Audio accepts no liability for any loss which may be suffered by any person who relies either wholly or in part upon any description photograph or statement contained herein Colors and specifications may vary from the actual product Cymatic Audio products are sold through resellers only Fulfillers and resellers are not agents of Cymatic Audio and have absolutely no authority to bind Cymatic Audio by any express or implied undertaking or representation Apple Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Inc registered in the U S and other countries Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries ASIO is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH All other trademarks product names and company names m
61. ves should not be placed near the uTrack 24 as the possibility of interference cannot be ruled out entirely With any type of digital control device the uTrack 24 included electromagnetic interference can cause malfunctioning and can corrupt or destroy data Care should be taken to minimize the risk of damage 2 2 Cleaning Use a soft dry cloth to clean the Live Recorder uTrack 24 If necessary slightly moisten the cloth Do not use abrasive cleanser wax or solvents such as paint thinner or cleaning alcohol since these may dull the finish or damage the surface Please keep this manual in a convenient place for future reference 3 LIMITED WARRANT Y For the applicable warranty terms and conditions and additional information on Cymatic Audio s Limited Warranty please see complete details online at www cymaticaudio com warranty CERTIFICATIONS This product complies with the European Union Council Directives and Standards relating to Directive 2004 108 EC for Electromagnetic compatibility EMC and Low Voltage Directive 2006 95 EC Ro HS This product is compliant vvith the EU Directive 2011 65 EU for the Restriction of the use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment No lead Pb cadmium Cd mercury Hg hexavalent chromium Cr 6 PBB or PBDE is intentionally added to this device Any traces of impurities of these substances contained in the parts are below the RoHS specified threshold levels Th

Cymatic Audio uTrack 24 User's Manual

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