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MOTU 896mk3 Hybrid

User Guide for Windows

1280 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02138

Business voice: (617) 576-2760

Business fax: (617) 576-3609

Web site: www.motu.com

Tech support: www.motu.com/support

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS

CAUTION! READ THIS SAFETY GUIDE BEFORE YOU BEGIN INSTALLATION OR OPERATION. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

COULD RESULT IN BODILY INJURY OR EQUIPMENT DAMAGE.

HAZARDOUS VOLAGES: CONTACT MAY CAUSE ELECTRIC SHOCK OR BURN. TURN OFF UNIT BEFORE SERVICING.

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR OTHER MOISTURE.

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO

QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

WARNING: DO NOT PERMIT FINGERS TO TOUCH THE TERMINALS OF PLUGS WHEN INSTALLING OR REMOVING THE PLUG TO OR FROM THE OUTLET.

WARNING: IF NOT PROPERLY GROUNDED THE MOTU 896mk3 COULD CAUSE AN ELECTRICAL SHOCK.

The MOTU 896mk3 is equipped with a three-conductor cord and grounding type plug which has a grounding prong, approved by Underwriters' Laboratories and the Canadian Standards Association.

This plug requires a mating three-conductor grounded type outlet as shown in Figure A below. If the outlet you are planning to use for the MOTU 896mk3 is of the two prong type, DO NOT REMOVE

OR ALTER THE GROUNDING PRONG IN ANY MANNER. Use an adapter as shown below and always connect the grounding lug to a known ground. It is recommended that you have a qualiﬁed

electrician replace the TWO prong outlet with a properly grounded THREE prong outlet. An adapter as illustrated below in Figure B is available for connecting plugs to two-prong receptacles.

WARNING: THE GREEN GROUNDING LUG EXTENDING FROM THE ADAPTER MUST BE CONNECTED TO A PERMANENT GROUND SUCH AS TO A

PROPERLY GROUNDED OUTLET BOX. NOT ALL OUTLET BOXES ARE PROPERLY GROUNDED.

If you are not sure that your outlet box is properly grounded, have it checked by a qualiﬁed electrician. NOTE: The adapter illustrated is for use only if you already have a properly grounded two-prong

receptacle. Adapter is not allowed in Canada by the Canadian Electrical Code. Use only three wire extension cords which have three-prong grounding type plugs and three-prong receptacles which

will accept the MOTU 896mk3 plug.

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS

1. Read these instructions. All the safety and operating instructions should be read before operating the 896mk3.

2. Keep these instructions. These safety instructions and the 896mk3 owner’s manual should be retained for future reference.

3. Heed all warnings. All warnings on the 896mk3 and in the owner’s manual should be adhered to.

4. Follow all Instructions. All operating and use instructions should be followed.

5. Do not use the 896mk3 near water.

6. Cleaning - Unplug the 896mk3 from the computer and clean only with a dry cloth. Do not use liquid or aerosol cleaners.

7. Ventilation - Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

8. Heat - Do not install the 896mk3 near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or another apparatus (including an ampliﬁer) that produces heat.

9. Overloading - Do not overload wall outlets and extension cords as this can result in a risk of ﬁre or electrical shock.

10. Grounding - Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding-type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade

or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not ﬁt into your outlet, consult and electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

11. Power cord - Protect the 896mk3 power cord from being walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against them. Pay particular attention to cords and plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the unit.

12. Power switch - Install the 896mk3 so that the power switch can be accessed and operated at all times.

13. Disconnect - The main plug is considered to be the disconnect device for the 896mk3 and shall remain readily operable.

14. Accessories - Only use attachments/accessories speciﬁed by the manufacturer.

15. Placement - Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket or table speciﬁed by the manufacturer, or sold with the 896mk3. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

16. Surge protection - Unplug the 896mk3 during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

17. Servicing - Refer all servicing to qualiﬁed service personnel. Servicing is required when the 896mk3 has been damaged in any way, such as when a power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen

into the 896mk3, the 896mk3 has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

18. Power Sources - Refer to the manufacturer’s operating instructions for power requirements. Be advised that different operating voltages may require the use of a different line cord and/or attachment plug.

19. Installation - Do not install the 896mk3 in an unventilated rack, or directly above heat-producing equipment such as power ampliﬁers. Observe the maximum ambient operating temperature listed below.

20. Power ampliﬁers- Never attach audio power ampliﬁer outputs directly to any of the unit’s connectors.

21. Replacement Parts - When replacement parts are required, be sure the service technician has used replacement parts speciﬁed by the manufacturer or have the same characteristics as the original part. Unauthorized substitutions

may result in ﬁre, electric shock or other hazards.

22. Safety Check - Upon completion of any service or repairs to this MOTU 896mk3, ask the service technician to perform safety checks to determine that the product is in safe operating conditions.

ENVIRONMENT

Operating Temperature: 10°C to 40°C (50°F to 104°)

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK OR FIRE

Do not handle the power cord with wet hands. Do not pull on the power cord when disconnecting it from an AC wall outlet. Grasp it by the plug. Do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture. Do not place objects containing liquids on it.

AC INPUT

100 - 240VAC ~ • 50 / 60Hz • 25 Watts.

3-prong plug

Grounding prong

Properly grounded 3-prong outlet

Grounding lug

Screw

3-prong plug

Adapter

Make sure this is connected to

a known ground.

Two-prong receptacle

Figure A Figure B

III

Contents

Part 1: Getting Started

7Quick Reference: 896mk3 Front Panel

8Quick Reference: 896mk3 Rear Panel

9Quick Reference: MOTU Audio Console

11 About the 896mk3 Hybrid

17 Packing List and System Requirements

19 Installing the 896mk3 Software

21 Installing the 896mk3 Hardware

Part 2: Using the 896mk3 Hybrid

39 MOTU Audio Console

47 Front Panel Operation

57 Configuring Host Audio Software

65 Reducing Monitoring Latency

71 CueMix FX

119 MOTU SMPTE Console

Part 3: Appendices

125 Audio I/O reference

129 Troubleshooting

131 Index

About the Mark of the Unicorn License Agreement and

Limited Warranty on Software

TO PERSONS WHO PURCHASE OR USE THIS PRODUCT: carefully read all the

terms and conditions of the “click-wrap” license agreement presented to you when

you install the software. Using the software or this documentation indicates your

acceptance of the terms and conditions of that license agreement.

Mark of the Unicorn, Inc. (“MOTU”) owns both this program and its documentation.

Both the program and the documentation are protected under applicable copyright,

trademark, and trade-secret laws. Your right to use the program and the

documentation are limited to the terms and conditions described in the license

agreement.

Reminder of the terms of your license

This summary is not your license agreement, just a reminder of its terms. The actual

license can be read and printed by running the installation program for the software.

That license agreement is a contract, and clicking “Accept” binds you and MOTU to

all its terms and conditions. In the event anything contained in this summary is

incomplete or in conﬂict with the actual click-wrap license agreement, the terms of the

click-wrap agreement prevail.

YOU MAY: (a) use the enclosed program on a single computer; (b) physically transfer

the program from one computer to another provided that the program is used on only

one computer at a time and that you remove any copies of the program from the

computer from which the program is being transferred; (c) make copies of the

program solely for backup purposes. You must reproduce and include the copyright

notice on a label on any backup copy.

YOU MAY NOT: (a) distribute copies of the program or the documentation to others;

(b) rent, lease or grant sublicenses or other rights to the program; (c) provide use of

the program in a computer service business, network, time-sharing, multiple CPU or

multiple user arrangement without the prior written consent of MOTU; (d) translate,

adapt, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise alter the program or

related documentation without the prior written consent of MOTU.

MOTU warrants to the original licensee that the disk(s) on which the program is

recorded be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a

period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase as evidenced by a copy of your

receipt. If failure of the disk has resulted from accident, abuse or misapplication of the

product, then MOTU shall have no responsibility to replace the disk(s) under this

Limited Warranty.

THIS LIMITED WARRANTY AND RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT IS IN LIEU OF,

AND YOU HEREBY WAIVE, ANY AND ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, BOTH

EXPRESS AND IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES

OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE

LIABILITY OF MOTU PURSUANT TO THIS LIMITED WARRANTY SHALL BE

LIMITED TO THE REPLACEMENT OF THE DEFECTIVE DISK(S), AND IN NO

EVENT SHALL MOTU OR ITS SUPPLIERS, LICENSORS, OR AFFILIATES BE

LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING

BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA OR

DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE, OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY THIRD

PARTIES EVEN IF MOTU HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF

SUCH DAMAGES. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS

WHICH MAY VARY FROM STATE TO STATE. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW

THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL

DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

Update Policy

In order to be eligible to obtain updates of the program, you must complete and return

the attached Mark of the Unicorn Purchaser Registration Card to MOTU.

transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any human or

computer language, in any form or by any means whatsoever, without express

written permission of Mark of the Unicorn, Inc., 1280 Massachusetts Avenue,

Cambridge, MA, 02138, U.S.A.

Limited Warranty on Hardware

Mark of the Unicorn, Inc. and S&S Research (“MOTU/S&S”) warrant this equipment

against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of TWO (2) YEARS from

the date of original retail purchase. This warranty applies only to hardware products;

MOTU software is licensed and warranted pursuant to separate written statements.

If you discover a defect, ﬁrst write or call Mark of the Unicorn at (617) 576-2760 to

obtain a Return Merchandise Authorization Number. No service will be performed on

any product returned without prior authorization. MOTU will, at its option, repair or

replace the product at no charge to you, provided you return it during the warranty

period, with transportation charges prepaid, to Mark of the Unicorn, Inc., 1280

Massachusetts Avenue, MA 02138. You must use the product’s original packing

material for in shipment, and insure the shipment for the value of the product. Please

include your name, address, telephone number, a description of the problem, and

the original, dated bill of sale with the returned unit and print the Return Merchandise

Authorization Number on the outside of the box below the shipping address.

This warranty does not apply if the equipment has been damaged by accident,

abuse, misuse, or misapplication; has been modiﬁed without the written permission

of MOTU, or if the product serial number has been removed or defaced.

ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF

MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE

LIMITED IN DURATION TO TWO (2) YEARS FROM THE DATE OF THE

ORIGINAL RETAIL PURCHASE OF THIS PRODUCT.

THE WARRANTY AND REMEDIES SET FORTH ABOVE ARE EXCLUSIVE

AND IN LIEU OF ALL OTHERS, ORAL OR WRITTEN, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.

No MOTU/S&S dealer, agent, or employee is authorized to make any modiﬁcation,

extension, or addition to this warranty.

MOTU/S&S ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR

CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM ANY BREACH OF

WARRANTY, OR UNDER ANY LEGAL THEORY, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS,

DOWNTIME, GOODWILL, DAMAGE OR REPLACEMENT OF EQUIPMENT

AND PROPERTY AND COST OF RECOVERING REPROGRAMMING, OR

REPRODUCING ANY PROGRAM OR DATA STORED IN OR USED WITH

MOTU/S&S PRODUCTS.

Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of implied warranties or liability for

incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not

apply to you. This warranty gives you speciﬁc legal rights, and you may have other

rights which vary from state to state.

MOTU, AudioDesk, Mark of the Unicorn and the unicorn silhouette logo are

trademarks of Mark of the Unicorn, Inc.

This equipment has been type tested and found to comply with the limits for a class B digital device,

pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection

against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can

radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual,

may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that

interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio

or television equipment reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the

user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by any combination of the following measures:

• Relocate or reorient the receiving antenna

• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver

• Plug the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected

If necessary, you can consult a dealer or experienced radio/television technician for additional

assistance.

PLEASE NOTE: only equipment certiﬁed to comply with Class B (computer input/output devices,

terminals, printers, etc.) should be attached to this equipment, and it must have shielded interface

cables in order to comply with the Class B FCC limits on RF emissions.

WARNING: changes or modiﬁcations to this unit not expressly approved by the party

responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.

Part 1

Getting Started

Quick Reference: 896mk3 Rear Panel

1. These AES/EBU connectors can handle any supported

sample rate up to 96 kHz, and they are also equipped

with a sample rate converter so you can input or output

at a different rate than the 896mk3. For details, see

“Syncing AES/EBU devices” on page 30. At the 4x

sample rates, (176.4 and 192kHz), AES/EBU is disabled.

2. These two XLR jacks serve as the MOTU 896mk3’s main

analog outputs. You can connect them to a set of

powered studio monitors and then control the volume

from the front panel MASTER VOL knob. These jacks are

always mirrored by the MAIN OUT headphone jack on

the front panel.

To hear disk tracks in your audio software on these main

outs, assign the disk tracks (and master fader) to these

main outs. Also make sure the Main Out Assign option is

set to Main Out 1-2. See “Main Out Assign” on page 44.

You can also use CueMix FX to monitor live 896mk3

inputs here as well.

3. The 896mk3’s eight analog outputs are XLR connectors

referenced to +19 dBU. They are equipped with 24-bit

D/A converters capable of 192kHz.

4. These XLR/TRS combo jacks accept either a mic cable or

a quarter-inch cable. The XLR jack is equipped with a

mic preamp. 48V phantom power and 20 dB pad can be

applied via the trim knobs on the front panel. The trim

knob provides 53 dB of gain. The quarter-inch jack can

accept a guitar or -10/+4 dB line level input. When

connecting a line level input, be sure to turn off

phantom power ﬁrst, and engage the -20 dB pad.

5. Connect the 896mk3 to the computer here via either

FireWire or USB2, using the standard 1394 FireWire B or

USB cable provided with your MOTU 896mk3. If you use

FireWire, you can use the extra FireWire port to daisy-

chain up to four MOTU FireWire audio interfaces to a

single FireWire bus, or to connect other FireWire

devices. Keep in mind that the 896mk3 uses more

FireWire bus bandwidth when one or both optical

banks are enabled, or when it operates at higher

sample rates. These operating conﬁgurations will limit

the number of devices you can daisy chain on a single

FireWire bus. For details, see “Connecting multiple

MOTU FireWire interfaces” on page 35.

6. These optical digital I/O connectors can be connected

either to an ADAT-compatible “lightpipe” device (such

as a digital mixer) or to a S/PDIF optical (“TOSLINK”)

compatible device, such as an effects processor or DAT

machine. Be sure to set the format in the MOTU Audio

Console software (or using the front panel LCD). (See

“Optical input/output” on page 44 for details.) ADAT

optical supplies eight channels of 24-bit digital

I/O per bank (4 channels per bank at 96kHz). TOSLINK is

stereo at sample rates up to 96 kHz.

One special note: you can choose independent formats

for each bank, A and B, as well as IN and OUT within

each bank. For example, you could choose ADAT for the

optical A IN (for, say, eight channels of input from your

digital mixer) and stereo TOSLINK for the optical A OUT

(for, say, your DAT machine).

7. These jacks provide stereo, 24-bit S/PDIF digital input

and output at all supported sample rates (up to 96 kHz).

8. Use the word clock input and output for digital transfers

with devices that cannot slave to the clock supplied by

their digital I/O connection with the 896mk3.

9. The 896mk3 is equipped with an auto-switching inter-

national power supply.

1 2 3

46789 5

Quick Reference:

MOTU Audio Console

Device Setup in Cubase

Choosing a smaller setting here reduces the

delay you may hear when listening to live

input that you are running through effects

plug-ins in your software. But lower settings

also increase the strain on your computer. For

details, see “Samples Per Buffer” on page 42.

Choose the output pair you would like the

main outs to mirror, or choose Main Out 1-2 to

operate them as their own independent pair.

This menu lets you choose what you will

hear from the PHONES jack. To mirror the

main outs, choose Main Out 1-2. Or you can

mirror any other output pair. To hear the

phones as their own independent output,

choose Phones 1-2 (at 44.1 or 48 kHz). At

higher sample rates, the phones must

mirror any other available output pair.)

Uncheck this option if the Windows audio

software you are using with the 896mk3

does not support Windows WaveRT drivers

and instead only supports WDM drivers.

Each optical bank can be conﬁgured

independently: ADAT or TOSLINK. Disable

them when not in use to conserve DSP

and FireWire/USB bus bandwidth.

Choose the global sample rate for the

system here.

Provides several options for the 896mk3’s

AES/EBU sample rate conversion. See,

“Syncing AES/EBU devices” on page 30.

Click the tabs to access general MOTU

interface settings or settings speciﬁc to the

896mk3 (or other connected interface.)

Determines the clock source for your

896mk3. If you’re just using the analog ins

and outs, set this to ‘Internal’. The other

settings are for digital transfers via AES/

EBU, S/PDIF or optical ports, or for slaving

the 896mk3 to word clock.

Click the 896mk3 tab to access these

settings.

If you have a foot switch connected to the

896mk3, these settings let you map the

foot switch to any computer keyboard key

for both the up and down position. For

details about how to set this up, see

“Enable Pedal” on page 43.

This option should always be left on

(checked). There are only a few rare cases

in which you would want to turn it off. For

details, refer to the MOTU tech support

database at www.motu.com.

How to access these settings

The 896mk3 driver provides a stereo return

back to the computer. This return feeds the

signal on any 896mk3 output pair directly

back to the computer, where you can record,

process, monitor or otherwise use it. This is a

great way to “bounce” full mixes, complete

with live audio routed through the 896mk3

only, back into the computer.

There are several ways to access these settings:

■From the Windows Start menu, choose

Programs>MOTU>MOTU Audio Console.

■From within Cubase, go to the Device Setup

window, click the MOTU Audio ASIO list item and

and click the Control Panel button.

■From within other applications, refer to their

documentation.

If you are running an 896mk3 interface at a

high sample rate (96, 88.2, 176.4 or 192

kHz), this option appears in the interface tab.

It lets you choose a word clock output rate

that either matches the global sample rate

(e.g. 96kHz) or reduces it to the correspond-

ing 1x rate (e.g. 48kHz instead of 192 kHz).

Lets you choose what to monitor with the

896mk3’s programmable front panel

meters.

The Clip Hold Time controls how long the

top-most red LED remains illuminated

after clipping. The Peak Hold Time

controls how long the highest illumi-

nated LED remains lit before going dark.

CHAPTER

1About the 896mk3 Hybrid

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

The 896mk3 Hybrid rear panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

The 896mk3 Hybrid front panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

16-bit and 24-bit recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

CueMix FX 32-bit ﬂoating point mixing and effects. . 15

Included software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Host audio software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

OVERVIEW

The 896mk3 Hybrid is a hybrid FireWire USB2

audio interface for Mac and Windows that provides

28 separate inputs and 32 separate outputs (at 44.1

or 48kHz). Both analog and digital I/O are offered

at sample rates up to 96 kHz, and analog recording

and playback is offered at rates up to 192 kHz. All

inputs and outputs can be accessed simultaneously.

The 896mk3 Hybrid consists of a standard 19-inch,

double space, rack-mountable I/O unit that

connects directly to a computer via a standard

FireWire or USB cable.

The 896mk3 offers the following main features:

■Universal computer connectivity via FireWire or

high-speed USB2

■Eight 24-bit XLR analog outputs

■Eight 24-bit analog inputs equipped with

XLR/TRS “combo” jacks

■Eight mic preamps (one on each input)

■Independent 48V phantom power and 20 dB

pad for each mic input

■Independent front-panel Precision Digital

Trim™ for each input

■Two extra XLR analog main outs

■Operation on all analog I/O at standard sample

rates up to 192 kHz

■Two banks of optical digital I/O that provide 16

channels of ADAT optical at 48 kHz, 8 channels of

S/MUX optical I/O at 96 kHz or two banks of

stereo TOSLINK at rates up to 96 kHz

■AES/EBU digital I/O at samples rates up to

96 kHz with sample rate conversion

■RCA S/PDIF at sample rates up to 96 kHz

■Word clock input and output

■On-board SMPTE synchronization via any

analog input and output

■Two FireWire jacks for chaining multiple units

■Foot switch input for hands-free punch-in/out

■Two phone jacks with independent volume

control

■Programmable master volume knob

■CueMix™ FX no-latency mixing, monitoring

and effects processing

■Front-panel LCD programming for the mixer

and all other settings

■Dedicated 10-segment LED level meters for all

eight analog inputs

■Dedicated 10-segment level meters for main outs

■Programmable 10-segment LED level meters

that display levels for any 8-channel input or output

bank, as well as AES/EBU or S/PDIF digital I/O

■Auto-switching international power supply

■Stand-alone operation

■Mac and Windows drivers for multi-channel

operation and across-the-board compatibility with

any audio software on current Mac and Windows

systems

A B O U T T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H Y B R I D

With a variety of I/O formats, mic preamps, no-

latency mixing and processing of live input and

synchronization capabilities, the 896mk3 Hybrid is

a complete, portable “studio in a box” when used

with a Mac or Windows computer.

THE 896MK3 HYBRID REAR PANEL

The 896mk3 Hybrid rear panel has the following

connectors:

■Eight 24-bit 192 kHz XLR analog outputs

■Eight 24-bit 192 kHz “combo” (XLR + balanced

quarter-inch) analog inputs, each equipped with a

mic preamp, front-panel 48V phantom power

switch, pad switch, and trim knob

■Two XLR main analog outputs with front-panel

volume knob

■Two sets of optical connectors (in and out),

individually switchable among ADAT optical

“lightpipe”, 96 kHz S/MUX optical or S/PDIF

“TOSLINK”

■AES/EBU input and output

■RCA S/PDIF in/out

■BNC word clock input and output

■Two 1394 FireWire B connectors

■One high-speed USB2 connector

28 inputs and 32 outputs

All 896mk3 inputs and outputs can be used simul-

taneously, for a total of 28 inputs and 32 outputs at

44.1/48kHz:

* The phone jack below the MASTER VOL knob is

hard-wired to (mirrors) the XLR main outs. The

PHONES output can operate as an independent

output pair, or it can mirror any other 896mk3

output pair, such as the main outs.

† The 896mk3 optical connectors support several

standard optical I/O formats, which provide

varying channel counts. See “Optical input/

output” on page 44 for details about optical bank

operation.

With the exception of the phone jack on the front

panel labeled “(MAIN OUT)”, all inputs and

outputs are discrete. For example, using the main

outs does not “steal” an output pair from the bank

of eight XLR analog outputs. The same is true for

the headphone outs.

Analog

All 10 analog inputs and outputs are equipped with

24-bit 192 kHz A/D converters. All audio is carried

to the computer in a 24-bit data stream.

Mic/guitar preamps

All eight analog inputs are equipped with a preamp

on a combo-style connector that accepts either an

XLR or quarter-inch (guitar) plug. Individual 48V

Connection Input Output

24-bit 192kHz XLR analog 8 8

24-bit 192kHz XLR main outputs - stereo

Headphone output* - stereo

ADAT optical digital† 16 16

AES/EBU 24-bit 96kHz digital stereo stereo

RCA S/PDIF 24-bit 96kHz digital stereo stereo

Total 28 32

A B O U T T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H Y B R I D

phantom power and 20 dB pad are supplied by

separate front panel switches for each input. In

addition, each input has its own trim knob.

Precision Digital Trim™

All of the 896mk3’s analog inputs are equipped

with digitally controlled analog trims, adjustable in

approximately 1 dB increments. The mic/

instrument input trims can be adjusted using

front-panel digital rotary encoders that provide

feedback in the front panel LCD with up to 53 dB of

boost. All analog inputs can be trimmed with the

front panel knobs or with the 896mk3’s included

CueMix FX control software for Mac and

Windows. This gives you ﬁnely-tuned control of

trim settings for a wide variety of analog inputs for

optimum levels. Different trim conﬁgurations can

then be saved as preset conﬁgurations for instant

recall.

Analog input overload protection

All eight mic inputs are equipped with V-Limit™,

a hardware limiter that helps prevent digital

clipping from overloaded input signals. With

V-Limit enabled, signals can go above zero dB

(with limiting applied) to as high as +12 dB above

zero with no distortion due to digital clipping.

Additional or alternative protection can be applied

to the mic/guitar inputs by enabling the 896mk3’s

Soft Clip feature, which engages just before

clipping occurs and helps reduce perceptible

distortion.

Main Outs

The main outs are equipped with 24-bit 192kHz

D/A converters and serve as independent outputs

for the computer or for the 896mk3’s on-board

CueMix FX mixes. The main out volume can be

controlled with the front panel volume knob.

Optical

The two optical banks provide 16 channels of

ADAT optical at 44.1 or 48 kHz, 8 channels of

S/MUX optical I/O at 96 kHz or two banks of

stereo TOSLINK at rates up to 96 kHz. The banks

operate independently, including input and output,

allowing you to mix and match any optical formats.

For example, you could receive 4 channels of

96 kHz S/MUX input on Bank A while at the same

time sending 96 kHz stereo optical S/PDIF

(“TOSLINK”) from the Bank A output.

AES/EBU with sample rate conversion

The 896mk3 rear panel provides a standard

AES/EBU digital input and output that supports

digital I/O at 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96 kHz. In addition,

input or output can be sample-rate converted to

any of these sample rates in situations that call for a

different rate than the 896mk3’s global sample rate.

The AES/EBU jacks are disabled at the 4x sample

rates (176.4 and 192kHz).

S/PDIF

The 896mk3 rear panel provides S/PDIF input and

output in two different formats: RCA “coax” and

optical “TOSLINK”. The RCA jacks are dedicated

to the S/PDIF format. The TOSLINK jacks can be

used for either TOSLINK or ADAT optical, as

discussed earlier.

Word clock

The 896mk3 provides standard word clock that can

slave to any supported sample rate. In addition,

word clock can resolve to and generate “high” and

“low” sample rates. For example, if the 896mk3

global sample rate is set to 96 kHz, the word clock

input can resolve to a “low” rate of 48 kHz.

Similarly, when the 896mk3 is operating at

192 kHz, MOTU Audio Console lets you choose a

word clock output rate of 48 kHz (the Force 44.1/

48kHz setting).

A B O U T T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H Y B R I D

On-board SMPTE synchronization

The 896mk3 can resolve directly to SMPTE time

code via any TRS analog input, without a separate

synchronizer. The 896mk3 can also generate

SMPTE time code via any XLR analog output. The

896mk3 provides a DSP-driven phase-lock engine

with sophisticated ﬁltering that provides fast

lockup times and sub-frame accuracy.

The included MOTU SMPTE Console™ software

provides a complete set of tools for generating and

regenerating SMPTE time code, which allows you

to slave other devices to the computer. Like

CueMix FX, the synchronization features are

cross-platform and compatible with all audio

sequencer software that supports the ASIO2

sample-accurate sync protocol.

Hybrid FireWire/USB2 connectivity

FireWire has long been recognized as a reliable,

high-performance connectivity standard for

professional MOTU audio interfaces. Meanwhile,

high-speed USB2 has also developed into a widely

adopted standard for connecting peripheral

devices to personal computers.

To fully support both formats, the 896mk3 Hybrid

audio interface is equipped with both FireWire B

(400 Mbit/sec) connectors and a high-speed USB2

(480 Mbit/sec) connector, and you can use either

port to connect the 896mk3 to your computer. This

gives you maximum ﬂexibility and compatibility

with today’s ever-expanding universe of Mac and

Windows computers.

THE 896MK3 HYBRID FRONT PANEL

Metering

The front panel of the MOTU 896mk3 displays two

eight-channel banks of 10-segment ladder LEDs.

The left-hand bank always shows the eight analog

inputs. The right-hand bank shows any other bank

you choose with the Meters knob: Analog out,

optical I/O (ADAT or TOSLINK) or digital I/O

(AES/EBU and S/PDIF). A status LED to the right

shows which bank you are currently viewing. You

can also adjust this setting in the MOTU Audio

Console software.

The 896mk3 front panel also displays stereo meters

for the main analog outs.

The Clock lights indicate the global sample rate (as

chosen in the MOTU Audio Console software).

The Rate Convert LEDs indicate if sample rate

conversion is being applied to the AES/EBU input

or output, and if so, the rate being converted to.

Input trim knobs, phantom power & 20 dB Pad

The front-panel input trim knobs provide 53 dB of

boost, -20 dB pad (by pushing the knob), and 48V

phantom power (by holding in the knob) for each

mic input.

Headphone output and main volume control

The 896mk3 front panel provides two independent

headphone jacks with independent volume knobs,

one of which also controls the XLR main outs on

the rear panel. Alternately, this MASTER VOL

knob can be programmed to control any

combination of outputs (analog and/or digital).

For example, it can control monitor output for an

entire 5.1 or 7.1 surround mix.

Foot switch

The quarter-inch Foot Switch jack accepts a

standard foot switch. When you push the foot

switch, the 896mk3 triggers a programmable

keystroke on the computer keyboard. For example,

you could program the foot switch to toggle

recording in your host software. The MOTU Audio

Console software lets you program any keystroke

you wish.

A B O U T T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H Y B R I D

Programmable backlit LCD display

Any 896mk3 setting, including the powerful

CueMix FX on-board 16-bus mixer with effects,

can be accessed directly from the front panel using

the four rotary encoders and the 2x16 backlit LCD

display.

16-BIT AND 24-BIT RECORDING

The 896mk3 system handles all data with a 24-bit

signal path, regardless of the I/O format. You can

record and play back 16-bit or 24-bit audio ﬁles at

any supported sample rate via any of the 896mk3’s

analog or digital inputs and outputs. 24-bit audio

ﬁles can be recorded with any compatible host

application that supports 24-bit recording.

CUEMIX FX 32-BIT FLOATING POINT

MIXING AND EFFECTS

All 896mk3 inputs and outputs can be routed to the

on-board CueMix FX 16-bus (8 stereo) digital

mixer driven by hardware-based DSP with 32-bit

ﬂoating point precision. The mixer allows you to

apply no-latency effects processing to inputs,

outputs or busses directly in the 896mk3 hardware,

independent of the computer. Effects can even be

applied when the 896mk3 is operating stand-alone

(without a computer) as a complete rack-mounted

mixer. Input signals to the computer can be

recorded wet, dry, or dry with a wet monitor mix

(for musicians during recording, for example).

Effects include reverb, parametric EQ and

compression/limiting. The 896mk3’s Classic

Reverb™ provides ﬁve different room types, three

frequency bands with adjustable crossover points,

shelf ﬁltering and reverb lengths up to 60-seconds.

Two forms of compression are supplied: a standard

compressor with conventional threshold/ratio/

attack/release/gain controls and the Leveler™, an

accurate model of the legendary LA-2A optical

compressor, which provides vintage, musical

automatic gain control.

CueMix FX also provides 7-band parametric EQ

modeled after British analog console EQs,

featuring 4 ﬁlter styles (gain/Q proﬁles) to

effectively cover a wide range of audio material.

Low-pass and high-pass ﬁlters are also supplied

with slopes that range from 6 to 36 dB. The EQ

employs extremely high precision 64-bit ﬂoating

point processing.

The 896mk3’s ﬂexible effects architecture allows

you to apply EQ and compression on every input

and output (a total of 58 channels), with enough

DSP resources for at least one band of parametric

EQ and compression on every channel at 48 kHz.

However, DSP resources are allocated dynamically

and a DSP meter in the CueMix FX software allows

you to keep tabs on the 896mk3’s processing

resources. Each input, output and mix bus

provides a send to the Classic Reverb processor,

which then feeds reverb returns to mix busses and

outputs, with a selectable split point between them

to prevent send/return feedback loops.

INCLUDED SOFTWARE

The 896mk3 software installer provides the

following including cross-platform software

applications for Mac and Windows.

MOTU Audio Console

MOTU Audio Console provides access to basic

hardware settings, such as sample rate, optical I/O

format selection, headphone output channel

selection, foot switch input programming, and

other settings.

MOTU SMPTE Console

MOTU SMPTE Console provides access to the

896mk3 system’s SMPTE time code synchroni-

zation features, including locking to time code,

generating time code, displaying a time code read-

out, and so on.

A B O U T T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H Y B R I D

CueMix FX

CueMix FX gives you complete control over the

896mk3’s CueMix FX on-board mixer, which

provides no-latency monitoring, mixing and

processing of live inputs through your 896mk3.

CueMix FX provides attractive graphic mixing,

graphic editing of parametric EQ and a convenient

tabbed interface for quick access to all mixing

features, digitally controlled trims and other

settings in your MOTU audio interface.

CueMix FX provides many advanced features, such

as an accurate instrument tuner and an extensive

arsenal of audio analysis tools, including a real-

time FFT, spectrogram “waterfall” display,

oscilloscope, and phase analysis tools.

HOST AUDIO SOFTWARE

The 896mk3 system ships with Windows drivers

that allows you to record, edit, play back and mix

your 896mk3 projects using your favorite Windows

audio software.

CHAPTER

2Packing List and

System Requirements

PACKING LIST

The 896mk3 Hybrid ships with the items listed

below. If any of these items are not present in your

896mk3 box when you rst open it, please

immediately contact your dealer or MOTU.

■One 896mk3 Hybrid I/O rack unit

■One 9-pin to 9-pin IEEE 1394 “FireWire” B cable

■One USB cable

■Power cord

■One 896mk3 Hybrid Mac/Windows manual

■One cross-platform installer disc

■Product registration card

WINDOWS SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

The 896mk3 system requires the following

Windows system:

■A 1 GHz Pentium-based PC compatible or faster

equipped with at least one USB2 or FireWire port

■1 GB RAM; 2 GB or more recommended

■Windows 7 or Vista, 32- or 64-bit; Vista SP 2 or

later required

■Available FireWire or USB2 port

■A large hard drive (preferably at least 250 GB)

PLEASE REGISTER TODAY!

Please register your 896mk3 today. There are two

ways to register.

■Visit www.motu.com/register

■Fill out and mail the included product

registration card

As a registered user, you will be eligible to receive

technical support and announcements about

product enhancements as soon as they become

available. Only registered users receive these

special update notices, so please register today.

Thank you for taking the time to register your new

MOTU products!

P A C K I N G L I S T A N D S Y S T E M R E Q U I R E M E N T S

CHAPTER

3Installing the 896mk3 Software

OVERVIEW

Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

MOTU Audio drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

MOTU Audio Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

CueMix FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

MOTU SMPTE Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

INSTALLATION

Before you connect the 896mk3 to your computer

and power it on, run the 896mk3 software installer.

This ensures that all the 896mk3 components are

properly installed in your system.

☛If you’ve already connected the 896mk3 to

your computer and powered it on, Windows may

issue an alert notifying you that the 896mk3

requires drivers, followed by another window

asking you to locate the drivers. If this happens:

1 Cancel the driver search.

2 Power off and disconnect the 896mk3.

3 Run the MOTU Audio Installer as instructed in

the next section.

Run the MOTU Audio installer

Install the 896mk3 Hybrid software as follows:

1 Insert the MOTU Audio Installer disc; or, if you

have downloaded the MOTU Audio installer,

locate the folder containing the download.

2 Read the Read Me le for installation assistance

and other important information.

3 Open the Setup Audio application.

4 Follow the directions that the installer gives you.

Drivers are installed, along with MOTU Audio

Console, CueMix FX, and other components,

summarized in the table below.

Software component Purpose For more information

MOTU Audio and MIDI drivers Provides multi-channel audio input and output for MOTU

FireWire and USB Audio devices with host audio software.

“MOTU Audio drivers” on

page 20

MOTU Audio Console Provides access to all of the settings in the 896mk3 and other

MOTU interfaces. Required for 896mk3 operation.

chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Con-

sole” (page 39)

CueMix FX Gives you complete control over the 896mk3’s CueMix FX on-

board mixer, which provides no-latency monitoring, mixing and

processing of live inputs through your 896mk3.

chapter 9, “CueMix FX” (page 71)

MOTU SMPTE Console Provides access to the 896mk3 system’s SMPTE time code sync fea-

tures.

chapter 10, “MOTU SMPTE Con-

sole” (page 119)

I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 S O F T W A R E

MOTU AUDIO DRIVERS

ASIO

ASIO is an acronym for Audio Streaming Input and

Output. The MOTU Audio ASIO driver provides

multi-channel audio input and output for

applications that support ASIO audio drivers, such

as Ableton Live, Avid Pro Tools, Cakewalk SONAR,

Cockos Reaper, Propellerhead Reason and Record,

Steinberg Cubase and Nuendo, and others.

For details about using the 896mk3 with ASIO, see

chapter 7, “Conguring Host Audio Software”

(page 57).

WDM

WDM is an acronym for Windows Driver Model.

The MOTU Audio WDM driver provides

multi-channel audio input and output for

applications that support WDM audio drivers.

For details about using the 896mk3 with WDM, see

chapter 7, “Conguring Host Audio Software”

(page 57).

WaveRT

Uncheck this option if the Windows audio software

you are using with your MOTU audio interface

does not support Windows WaveRT drivers and

instead only supports WDM drivers.

MOTU AUDIO CONSOLE

MOTU Audio Console (available in the Start

menu) gives you access to all of the settings in the

896mk3, such as the clock source and sample rate.

For complete details, see chapter 5, “MOTU Audio

Console” (page 39).

CUEMIX FX

CueMix FX (available in the Start menu) provides

control over the 896mk3’s no-latency CueMix FX

on-board mixing and effects processing. For

details, see chapter 9, “CueMix FX” (page 71).

MOTU SMPTE CONSOLE

MOTU SMPTE Console (available in the Start

menu) software provides a complete set of tools to

resolve the 896mk3 to SMPTE time code, and to

generate SMPTE for striping, regenerating or

slaving other devices to the computer. For details,

see chapter 10, “MOTU SMPTE Console”

(page 119).

CHAPTER

4Installing the 896mk3 Hardware

OVERVIEW

Here’s an overview for installing the 896mk3:

Connect the 896mk3 interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Connect the 896mk3 to the computer.

Connect audio inputs and outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Make optical and analog connections as desired.

Connect a foot switch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Connect a footswitch to trigger any keystroke.

A typical 896mk3 setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

An example setup for computer-based mixing/FX.

Making sync connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

If you need to resolve the 896mk3 with other

devices, make the necessary sync connections.

Syncing S/PDIF devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Syncing optical devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Syncing AES/EBU devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Syncing word clock devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Syncing to SMPTE time code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Connecting multiple MOTU FireWire interfaces . . . . . 35

CONNECT THE 896MK3 INTERFACE

Your 896mk3 Hybrid audio interface is equipped

with both FireWire B connectors (running at

400 Mbit/sec) and a high-speed USB2 connector

(480 Mbit/sec), and you can use either port to

connect the 896mk3 to your computer. This gives

you maximum exibility and compatibility with

today’s ever-expanding universe of Mac and

Windows computers.

Type B FireWire ports

The 896mk3 Hybrid has two FireWire Type B

ports, which provide the most reliable FireWire

connection available. The ports operate at 400

Mbit/s, and they can be connected to any available

FireWire port on your computer, either Type A or

Type B. If your computer has FireWire Type B

ports, use the included 9-pin-to-9-pin FireWire

cable. If your computer has either standard Type A

ports or miniature Type A ports, use the

appropriate 9-pin-to-6-pin or 9-pin-to-4-pin

FireWire cable (sold separately).

Which should I use: FireWire or USB2?

If your computer does not have a FireWire port,

then obviously you will need to connect the

896mk3 Hybrid to one of its high-speed USB 2.0

ports.

If your computer has both FireWire and USB2,

then it is your choice, and your decision may

depend mostly on other peripherals you may have.

If you are connecting via FireWire

1 Before you begin, make sure your computer and

the 896mk3 are switched off.

2 Plug one end of the 896mk3 FireWire cable

(included) into the FireWire socket on the

computer as shown below in Figure 4-1.

☛You can also connect the 896mk3 to a 400Mbit

“FireWire A” port using a 9-pin-to-6-pin FireWire

B cable (not included). The 896mk3 will still

operate at its specied 400Mbit (FireWire A) data

rate.

3 Plug the other end of the FireWire cable into the

896mk3 as shown below in Figure 4-1.

I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H A R D W A R E

Figure 4-1: Connecting the 896mk3 to the computer via FireWire.

☛Make absolute sure to align the notched side

of the FireWire plug properly with the notched side

of the FireWire socket on the 896mk3. If you

attempt to force the plug into the socket the wrong

way, you can damage the 896mk3.

High Speed USB 2.0 versus USB 1.1

There are primarily two types of USB host

controllers widely available on current personal

computers. USB 1.1 controllers support simple

peripherals that don’t require a high speed

connection, such as a computer keyboard, a

mouse, or a printer. USB 2.0 controllers support

high speed devices such as the 896mk3. Since the

896mk3 requires a high speed connection, it must

be connected to a USB 2.0 host controller or hub.

For the most reliable connection, it is

recommended that you connect the 896mk3

directly to one of your computer’s USB 2.0-

compatible ports. However, since USB 2.0 hubs are

compatible with both types of devices, the 896mk3

can be connected to a USB 2.0 hub along with USB

1.1 devices if necessary. The 896mk3 will not

operate properly if it is connected to a USB 1.1 hub.

Follow these instructions to determine whether

your computer supports USB 1.1 or USB 2.0:

1 Open the Windows Control Panel, and choose

Hardware and Sound.

2 In the Devices and Printers section, click Device

Manager.

3 In Device Manager, open the Universal Serial

Bus Controllers section.

4 Look in the list of USB devices. An Enhanced

USB Host Controller Interface (EHCI) represents a

USB 2.0 controller. An Open USB Host Controller

Interface (OHCI) or Universal USB Host

Controller Interface (UHCI) represents a USB 1.1

controller.

If you are connecting via high-speed USB 2.0

1 Before you begin, make sure your computer and

the 896mk3 are switched off.

2 Plug the at “type A” plug of the 896mk3 USB

cable (included) into a USB2-equipped socket on

the computer as shown below in Figure 4-2.

3 Plug the squared “type B” plug of the USB cable

into the 896mk3 I/O as shown below in Figure 4-2.

Figure 4-2: Connecting the 896mk3 to the computer via USB.

I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H A R D W A R E

CONNECT AUDIO INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

The 896mk3 audio interface has the following

audio input and output connectors:

■8 combo-style XLR/quarter-inch analog inputs

■8 XLR analog outputs

■2 XLR main outs

■AES/EBU input/output

■S/PDIF input/output

■ADAT optical input/output

Here are a few things you should keep in mind as

you are making these connections to other devices.

Analog inputs

Connect a microphone, guitar, instrument or line

level analog input to any XLR/quarter-inch combo

jack with either a standard mic cable or a balanced/

unbalanced cable with a quarter-inch plug.

Phantom power

If you are connecting a condenser microphone or

other device that requires phantom power, push

and hold the corresponding front-panel Trim

rotary encoder for a few seconds to toggle phantom

power. The red LED will turn on or off accordingly.

☛Always disable phantom power before

inserting a quarter-inch plug.

Trim

Both the XLR mic input and the high-impedance

quarter-inch guitar input are equipped with 53 dB

gain. Use the corresponding front panel trim knob

to adjust the input level as needed for each input.

The LCD provides visual feedback as you turn the

trim knob.

Figure 4-4: The LCD gives you feedback as you turn the TRIM knobs for

the analog inputs.

The 896mk3’s input trims are digitally controlled,

so they allow you to make ne-tuned adjustments

in 1 dB increments. You can also adjust trim in the

MOTU CueMix FX software. See “Input trim” on

page 80.

-20 dB pad

If the input signal is too hot with the trim turned all

the way down, engage the -20dB pad for the input

on the front panel. To toggle the -20 dB pad for an

input, quickly push its TRIM rotary encoder. The

green LED will turn on or off accordingly.

☛For line level quarter-inch inputs, turn on the

pad.

Figure 4-3: the 896mk3 front panel.

I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H A R D W A R E

Combo jack summary

Use these general guidelines for the 48V phantom

power, pad and trim settings for the combo inputs:

Analog outputs

For the XLR outputs, use high-quality shielded

cables.

Main outs

The XLR main outputs serve as independent

outputs. From the factory, the main out volume is

controlled by the MASTER VOL knob on the front

panel, although this knob can be programmed to

control any combination of outputs. For details, see

“The Monitor Group” on page 95. In a standard

studio conguration, the main outs are intended

for a pair of studio monitors, but they can also be

used as additional outputs for any purpose.

Optical

The 896mk3 rear panel provides two sets of ADAT

optical (“lightpipe”) connectors: Bank A and B

(Figure 4-5). Each bank provides an input and

output connector. All four connectors can operate

independently and offer two different optical

formats: ADAT optical or TOSLINK (optical

S/PDIF). For example, you could connect

8-channel ADAT optical input from your digital

mixer and stereo TOSLINK output to an effects

processor.

The 896mk3 supplies +12dB of digital trim (boost)

for each optical input, which can be adjusted from

CueMix FX (“Input trim” on page 78) or the front

panel (“The IN (inputs) menu” on page 52).

Below is a summary of optical formats:

Optical operation at 44.1 or 48 kHz

When congured for ADAT “lightpipe”, an optical

connector provides 8 channels at 44.1 and 48 kHz.

ADAT optical operation at 88.2 or 96 kHz

When congured for ADAT “lightpipe”, an optical

connector provides four channels at 88.2 or 96 kHz

(2x sample rates). When using the ADAT lightpipe

format at a 2x rate, be sure to choose either Type I

or Type II operation, as explained in “ADAT SMUX

Type” on page 51.

Input 48V Pad Trim

Condenser mic On As needed As needed

Dynamic mic Off As needed As needed

Guitar Off Off As needed

-10 dB Line level via TRS Off On As needed

+4 dB Line Level via TRS Off On As needed

Format 44.1 or 48 kHz 88.2 or 96 kHz

ADAT optical 8 channels 4 channels

TOSLINK stereo stereo

Figure 4-5: the 896mk3 rear panel.

I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H A R D W A R E

Using optical I/O to operate the 896mk3 as an

8-channel expander

When the 896mk3 is not connected directly to a

computer via FireWire or USB, the optical outputs

can be programmed (via the CueMix FX mixer) to

mirror the incoming signal on any combination of

the 896mk3’s inputs. By connecting the 896mk3

optical outputs to another device, such as another

ADAT-optical equipped interface or a digital

mixer, you add additional inputs to your system.

To learn how to program the 896mk3 when it is

operating as a stand-alone expander in this

fashion, see chapter 6, “Front Panel Operation”

(page 43).

Choosing a clock source for optical connections

Be sure to review the digital audio clocking issues,

as explained in “Syncing optical devices” on

page 30.

S/PDIF

If you make a S/PDIF digital audio connection to

another device, be sure to review the digital audio

clocking issues, as explained in “Syncing S/PDIF

devices” on page 29.

The 896mk3 supplies +12dB of digital trim (boost)

for the S/PDIF input pair, which can be adjusted

from CueMix FX (“Input trim” on page 78) or the

front panel (“The IN (inputs) menu” on page 52).

AES/EBU

Connect standard AES/EBU input and output. 2x

sample rates (88.2 & 96 kHz) are supported; 4x

samples rates (176.4 or 192kHz) are not supported.

Be sure to review the digital audio clocking issues,

as explained in “Syncing AES/EBU devices” on

page 30.

The 896mk3 supplies +12dB of digital trim (boost)

for the AES/EBU input pair, which can be adjusted

from CueMix FX (“Input trim” on page 78) or the

front panel (“The IN (inputs) menu” on page 52).

CONNECT A FOOT SWITCH

If you would like to use a foot switch with your

896mk3, connect it to the FOOT SWITCH jack.

See “Enable Pedal” on page 43 for information

about how to program the foot switch to trigger

any computer keystroke you wish.

I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H A R D W A R E

A TYPICAL 896MK3 SETUP

Here is a typical 896mk3 studio setup. This rig can

be operated without a conventional mixer. All

mixing and processing can be done either in the

896mk3, in the computer with audio software, or

both. During recording, you can use the 896mk3’s

CueMix™ FX mixer to apply reverb, EQ and

compression to what you are recording and

monitor it via the main outs, headphone outs, or

any other output pair. You can control everything

from the included CueMix Console software.

Figure 4-6: A typical 896mk3 studio setup.

Pedal jack (on front panel)

mic

AES/EBU

DAT deck

quarter-inch analog outs

synthesizer

monitors

guitar

quarter-inch analog outs

synths, samplers, effects units, etc.

sends to

FX unit (in

rack

below)

headphones

Headphone jack (on front panel)

other outputs

(stage

monitors,

etc.)

foot switch

MOTU 8pre and/or

other optical devices

Optical output

FireWire or USB

I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H A R D W A R E

OPERATING THE 896mk3 AS A CONVERTER

As explained earlier in “Using optical I/O to

operate the 896mk3 as an 8-channel expander” on

page 25, the 896mk3 can serve as a multi-channel

analog-to-digital converter when disconnected

from the computer and instead connected to

another device equipped with an ADAT optical

input. For example, you could connect the 896mk3

optical output to the optical input on another

MOTU audio interface, such as a Traveler, 828mk3

or even another 896mk3. The 896mk3 then serves

as a multi-channel expander that adds additional

mic/analog and digital inputs to the interface. The

benet of connecting the 896mk3 in this manner

(instead of as another FireWire interface) is that

you can seamlessly integrate the 896mk3’s inputs

into the on-board no-latency CueMix monitor

mixing in the interface, since the 896mk3’s inputs

are fed into CueMix via the interface’s optical

inputs.

If the device to which you are connecting the

896mk3 supports 2x optical sample rates (88.2 or

96 kHz), you can also use both banks of connectors

as discussed in “ADAT optical operation at 88.2 or

96 kHz” on page 24.

Expander

896mk3

ADAT optical Out

Figure 4-7: Using the 896mk3 as an optical expander. In this example, it is connected to another 896mk3.

FireWire or USB

Base

896mk3

ADAT optical In

I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H A R D W A R E

MAKING SYNC CONNECTIONS

If you connect devices digitally to the 896mk3, or if

you need to synchronize the 896mk3 with an

outside time reference such as SMPTE time code,

you must pay careful attention to the synchroni-

zation connections and clock source issues

discussed in the next few sections.

Do you need to synchronize the 896mk3?

If you will be using only the 896mk3’s analog

inputs and outputs (and none of its digital I/O),

and you have no plans to synchronize your 896mk3

system to SMPTE time code or other external clock

source, you don’t need to make any sync

connections. You can skip this section and proceed

to chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Console” (page 39),

where you’ll open MOTU Audio Console and set

the Master Clock Source setting to Internal as

shown below. For details, see chapter 5, “MOTU

Audio Console” (page 39).

Figure 4-8: You can run the 896mk3 under its own internal clock

when it has no digital audio connections and you are not synchroniz-

ing the 896mk3 system to an external time reference such as SMPTE

time code.

Situations that require synchronization

There are three general cases in which you will

need to resolve the 896mk3 with other devices:

■Synchronizing the 896mk3 with other digital

audio devices so that their digital audio clocks are

phase-locked (as shown in Figure 4-9)

■Resolving the 896mk3 system to SMPTE time

code from a video deck, analog multi-track, etc.

■Both of the above

Synchronization is critical for clean digital I/O

Synchronization is critical in any audio system, but

it is especially important when you are transferring

audio between digital audio devices. Your success

in using the 896mk3’s digital I/O features depends

almost entirely on proper synchronization. The

following sections guide you through several

recommended scenarios.

Be sure to choose a digital audio clock master

When you transfer digital audio between two

devices, their audio clocks must be in phase with

one another — or phase-locked. Otherwise, you’ll

hear clicks, pops, and distortion in the audio — or

perhaps no audio at all.

Figure 4-9: When transferring audio, two devices must have phase-

locked audio clocks to prevent clicks, pops or other artifacts.

There are two ways to achieve phase lock: slave one

device to the other, or slave both devices to a third

master clock. If you have three or more digital

audio devices, you need to slave them all to a single

master audio clock.

Figure 4-10: To keep the 896mk3 phased-locked with other digital

audio devices connected to it, choose a clock master.

Also remember that audio phase lock can be

achieved independently of time code (location).

For example, one device can be the time code

master while another is the audio clock master. But

only one device can be the audio clock master. If

you set things up with this rule in mind, you’ll have

trouble-free audio transfers with the 896mk3.

Not phase-locked Phase-locked

Device A

Device B

Master

Slave

Master

Slave Slave

I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H A R D W A R E

SYNCING S/PDIF DEVICES

S/PDIF devices will sync to the 896mk3 in one of

two ways:

■Via the S/PDIF connection itself

■Via word clock

S/PDIF devices with no word clock

If your S/PDIF device has no word clock sync

connectors, just connect it to the 896mk3 via the

S/PDIF connectors. When the device records

S/PDIF audio (from the 896mk3), it will simply

synchronize to the clock provided by the audio

input.

On the other hand, when you transfer audio from

the S/PDIF device into the 896mk3, you’ll have to

slave the 896mk3 to its S/PDIF input. If you have

other digital audio devices connected to the

896mk3, and they are not slaved directly to the

896mk3 itself, you may hear clicks and pops

resulting from their unsynchronized audio clock. If

so, just turn them off during the transfer.

S/PDIF devices with word clock

If your S/PDIF device has a Word Clock input, slave

the S/PDIF device to the 896mk3 via their word

clock connection. You can then freely transfer

audio between the 896mk3 and the S/PDIF device.

S/PDIF

DAT deck

or other S/PDIF device

896mk3

Master Clock Source setting =

Internal (when transferring from the

896mk3 to the S/PDIF device)

Figure 4-11: Two setups for synchronizing a S/PDIF device with the 896mk3. In the top diagram, sync is achieved via the S/PDIF connection itself.

In this case, you have to choose S/PDIF as the 896mk3’s clock source when recording from the S/PDIF device. If you don’t want to have to worry

about switching the Clock Source setting depending on the direction of the S/PDIF transfer, you can slave the S/PDIF device to word clock from

the 896mk3 or vice versa (not shown). The Word Clock connection maintains sync, regardless of the direction of the transfer.

896mk3

Clock Source setting =

S/PDIF (when transferring from

the S/PDIF device to the 896mk3)

SPDIF

DAT deck

or other SPDIF device

896mk3

Word Clock Out

Word Clock In

896mk3

Clock Source setting = Internal

With this setup, in the MOTU Audio Console window, choose Internal, or any other

clock source setting except SPDIF. The DAT deck (or other SPDIF device) slaves to the

896mk3 via word clock for SPDIF transfers in both directions.

I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H A R D W A R E

SYNCING OPTICAL DEVICES

When connecting an optical device, make sure that

its digital audio clock is phase-locked (in sync

with) the 896mk3, as explained in “Making sync

connections” on page 28. There are two ways to do

this:

1. Resolve the optical device to the 896mk3

2. Resolve the 896mk3 to the optical device

For 1), choose Internal (or any other clock source

except ADAT optical) as the clock source for the

896mk3 in MOTU Audio Console.

For 2), choose either ADAT Optical A or ADAT

Optical B as the 896mk3’s clock source

(Figure 4-12). Be sure to choose the optical port

that the device is connected to.

Figure 4-12: Resolving the 896mk3 to an optical device.

For details about using the clock source setting and

the MOTU Audio Console software in general, see

chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Console” (page 39).

Using word clock to resolve optical devices

If the optical device you are connecting to the

896mk3 has word clock connectors on it, you can

use them to resolve the device to the 896mk3,

similar to the diagram shown in Figure 4-11 on

page 29 for S/PDIF devices with word clock. Also

see “Syncing word clock devices” on page 33.

SYNCING AES/EBU DEVICES

If you would like to transfer stereo audio digitally

between the 896mk3 and another device that has

AES/EBU, connect it to the 896mk3’s AES/EBU

jacks with balanced, AES/EBU grade audio cables.

AES/EBU clock and sample rate conversion

The 896mk3 AES/EBU section is equipped with a

real-time sample rate converter that can be used for

either input or output. This feature provides a great

deal of exibility in making digital transfers. For

example, you can:

■Transfer digital audio into the 896mk3 at a

sample rate that is completely different than the

896mk3 system clock rate.

■Transfer digital audio into the 896mk3 without

the need for any external synchronization

arrangements.

■Transfer digital audio out of the 896mk3 at

double or half the 896mk3 system clock rate.

Rate conversion does not add any appreciable noise

to the audio signal (under -120 dB).

Digital audio phase lock

Without sample rate conversion, when you transfer

digital audio between two devices, their audio

clocks must be in phase with one another — or

phase-locked — as discussed earlier in “Be sure to

choose a digital audio clock master” on page 28

and Figure 4-10 on page 28. Otherwise, you’ll hear

clicks, pops, and distortion in the audio, or

perhaps no audio at all. Phase lock ensures a clean

digital audio transfer.

Another benet of direct master/slave clocking

(without sample rate conversion) is that each

slaved device remains continuously resolved to the

master, which means that there will be no gradual

drift over time. This form of synchronization is

best for audio that needs to remain resolved to lm,

video, etc.

I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H A R D W A R E

Sample rate conversion

With sample rate conversion (SRC), an extra level

of master/slave clocking is added to the equation,

as demonstrated below in Figure 4-13, which

shows the clocking going on when you transfer

digital audio from the 896mk3 (AES/EBU OUT) to

a DAT deck (AES/EBU IN) using SRC. Notice that

with SRC, the DAT deck is not slaved to the

896mk3’s system clock. Instead, their clocks are

running completely independently of one another.

But also notice that the DAT deck must still slave to

the sample-rate-converted output from the

896mk3 for a clean digital audio transfer (unless it

has its own sample rate converter on its AES/EBU

input).

Figure 4-13: Clock relationships when sending audio from the

896mk3 to a DAT deck using sample rate conversion. The DAT deck

needs to be slaving to its AES/EBU input. *Note: the 896mk3 AES/EBU

output can actually be clocked from a number of different sources. In

this example, it is resolved to the 896mk3 system clock. For details

about other possible clock sources, see “Clocking scenarios for AES/

EBU output” on page 32.

System clock, AES clock & rate convert settings

When you are setting up AES/EBU input and

output with the 896mk3, pay careful attention to

the following settings in MOTU Audio Console

(see the quick reference overview on page 9):

■Clock source

■Sample rate conversion

These options are mentioned briey in the

following sections. For further details, see “Master

Clock Source” on page 41 and “Sample Rate

Convert” on page 44.

Clocking scenarios for AES/EBU input

There are three possible clocking scenarios for the

896mk3 AES/EBU input:

1. Simple transfer (slave the 896mk3 system clock

to the AES/EBU input signal — no sample rate

conversion).

2. Sample rate convert the AES/EBU input.

3. Use word clock to resolve the 896mk3 system

clock and the other AES/EBU device with each

other.

These three AES/EBU input scenarios are

summarized below.

896mk3 master clock

Input

clock

Output

clock

896mk3

Sample Rate

converter

(slaves to 896mk3 SRC output clock)

(master)

(slaves to 896mk3 master clock)

DAT deck

(master*)

Scenario 1 Scenario 2 Scenario 3

Description Simple

transfer

Rate

convert

Use word

clock

896mk3 clock

source setting AES/EBU Any setting

except

AES/EBU

Word Clock

Sample rate

conversion

setting

None AES In None

Required

896mk3 cable

connections

AES/EBU In AES/EBU In AES/EBU In

and Word

Clock In

Are the devices

continuously

resolved?

Yes No Yes

Is the signal

being sample

rate converted?

No Yes No

Example

application Simple digital

transfer into

the 896mk3

from DAT

deck or digi-

tal mixer.

Transfer from

digital mixer

running at a

different

sample rate.

Both the

896mk3 and

other AES/

EBU device

are slaved to

‘house” word

clock.

I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H A R D W A R E

Some example scenarios are demonstrated below.

Simple AES/EBU input transfer (no rate convert)

Figure 4-14: Slaving the 896mk3 to an AES/EBU device. For the

896mk3’s clock source, choose ‘AES/EBU’.

AES/EBU input with rate conversion

Figure 4-15: Rate-converting AES/EBU input.

AES/EBU input with word clock

Figure 4-16: In this scenario, the 896mk3 and other AES/EBU device

are both resolved to one another via a third master word clock

source.

Clocking scenarios for AES/EBU output

The 896mk3 AES/EBU output can also employ

sample rate conversion. The output options, shown

below in Figure 4-17, are briey summarized in the

following sections. For further details, see “Sample

Rate Convert” on page 44.

Figure 4-17: The Sample Rate Conversion option in MOTU Audio

Console gives you access the AES/EBU output clock options.

None

To make the AES/EBU output sample rate match

the System sample rate, choose None (Figure 4-17).

No sample rate conversion occurs when this setting

is chosen.

AES Out slave to AES In

To make the AES/EBU output sample rate match

the sample rate currently being received by the

896mk3’s AES/EBU input, choose AES Out Slave to

AES In (Figure 4-17). This setting requires a

connection to the 896mk3’s AES/EBU input from a

device that is transmitting an AES/EBU clock

signal.

☛Be careful when both the 896mk3’s AES/EBU

input and output are connected to the same

external device: this option is likely to create a

clock loop.

AES/EBU Out options

Choose the desired AES/EBU Out sample rate

options (Figure 4-17) when the desired AES/EBU

output rate needs to be completely different than

the system clock rate or the AES In clock rate.

Master

Slave

AES/EBU OUT

AES/EBU IN

Other device 896mk3 clock source

setting: AES/EBU

896mk3 896mk3 Sample Rate

Conversion setting: None

Master

Slave

AES/EBU OUT

AES/EBU IN

Other device

896mk3 clock source

setting: Internal

896mk3 896mk3 Sample Rate

Conversion setting:

AES In

(Slave)

AES/EBU OUT/IN

AES/EBU IN/OUT

Other device

896mk3 clock

source: word clock

896mk3

Word clock IN

896mk3 Sample

Rate Conversion

setting: None

‘House’ word clock master

I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H A R D W A R E

SYNCING WORD CLOCK DEVICES

The 896mk3 word clock connectors allow you to

synchronize it with a wide variety of other word

clock-equipped devices.

For standard word clock sync, you need to choose

an audio clock master (as explained in “Be sure to

choose a digital audio clock master” on page 28).

In the simplest case, you have two devices and one

is the word clock master and the other is the slave

as shown below in Figure 4-18 and Figure 4-19.

Figure 4-18: Slaving another digital audio device to the 896mk3 via

word clock. For the 896mk3 clock source, choose any source besides

word clock, as it is not advisable to chain word clock.

Figure 4-19: Slaving the 896mk3 to word clock. For the 896mk3 clock

source, choose ‘Word Clock In’.

Don’t chain word clock

If you have three or more digital audio devices that

you need to synchronize, avoid chaining their word

clock connections (OUT to IN, OUT to IN, etc.), as

this causes problems. Instead, use a dedicated

synchronizer like the Digital Timepiece or a word

clock distribution device of some kind.

Slaving to a 2x and 1/2x word clock

All MOTU FireWire audio interfaces that support

96 kHz operation have the ability to slave to a word

clock signal running at either one half or one

quarter of their current clock rate. For example, the

896mk3 could be running at 96 kHz while slaving

to a 48 kHz word clock signal. Similarly, the

896mk3 could run at 88.2 kHz and slave to

44.1 kHz word clock.

Remember, the word clock signal must be one of

the following:

■the same as the 896mk3 clock

■half of the 896mk3 clock

Forcing a 1x word out rate

The 896mk3 can generate a word clock output

signal that either matches the current system clock

rate (any rate between 44.1 and 192kHz) or the

corresponding 1x rate. For example, if the 896mk3

is operating at 192kHz, you can choose to generate

a word out rate of 48kHz. For details on how to

make this word clock output setting, see “Word

Out” on page 45.

Master

Slave

Word clock OUT

Word clock IN

Other device

896mk3

Audio

Clock

Master

Slave

MOTU Digital Timepiece universal synchronizer

Word clock OUT

Word clock IN

896mk3

I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H A R D W A R E

SYNCING TO SMPTE TIME CODE

The 896mk3 system can resolve directly to SMPTE

time code. It can also generate time code and word

clock, under its own clock or while slaving to time

code. Therefore, the 896mk3 can act both as an

audio interface and as a digital audio synchronizer

to which you can slave other digital audio devices.

You can use the 896mk3 to slave your audio

software to SMPTE as well, via sample-accurate

sync (if your host software supports it).

Other digital audio device

slaved to the 896mk3

Figure 4-20: Connections for synchronizing

the 896mk3 directly to SMPTE time code.

Choose SMPTE as the clock source in MOTU

Audio Console. This setting can also be made in

the MOTU SMPTE Console (shown below).

SMPTE time code

source

audio cable bearing LTC

(Longitudinal Time Code)

FireWire or USB cable

Launch the MOTU SMPTE Console and specify the SMPTE Source,

which is the input receiving the SMPTE time code. Also, conrm that

the Clock Source/Address is SMPTE/SMPTE. For details about the other

settings, see chapter 10, “MOTU SMPTE Console” (page 119).

BNC

cable

audio

cable

Analog

out

Word

Out

Windows computer running Cubase or

other sample-accurate ASIO software

In Cubase, go to the Synchronization window and

choose ASIO Audio Device as the Timecode Base.

896mk3 interface

Any analog Input

(Input 8 in this example)

Use this setup if you have:

✓A SMPTE time code source, such as a multitrack tape deck.

✓An 896mk3 by itself, OR with another slaved device (such as a

digital mixer).

✓Host software that supports sample-accurate sync (such as

Cubase or Nuendo).

This setup provides:

✓Continuous sync to SMPTE time code.

✓Sub-frame timing accuracy.

✓Transport control from the SMPTE time code source.

I N S T A L L I N G T H E 8 9 6 M K 3 H A R D W A R E

CONNECTING MULTIPLE MOTU FIREWIRE

INTERFACES

You can daisy-chain up to three MOTU FireWire

interfaces on a single FireWire bus, with the

restrictions described in the following sections.

Most computers have only one built-in FireWire

bus (even if it supplies multiple FireWire sockets).

Connect them as follows:

Figure 4-21: Connecting multiple 896mk3’s (or other MOTU FireWire

audio interfaces) to a computer.

Multiple interfaces cannot be bus-powered

Do not run the Traveler, UltraLite or other bus-

powered interfaces under bus power when

connecting them with other devices on the same

FireWire bus.

Multiple interfaces in MOTU Audio Console

MOTU Audio Console displays the settings for one

interface at a time. To view the settings for an

interface, click its tab as shown below in

Figure 4-22.

Figure 4-22: To view the settings for an interface, click its tab.

Synchronizing multiple interfaces

When multiple MOTU interfaces are connected,

choose a Master Clock Source from the menu in the

General tab (Figure 4-23). You can choose any

available sync source from any connected interface

(as shown in Figure 4-23), giving you a great deal

of exibility in choosing a clock source.

A separate Clock menu is provided for any

interfaces not chosen as the master clock source, as

demonstrated with the 896mk3 Hybrid in

Figure 4-23. You can either resolve the interface to

the Master Clock Source or to one of its own digital

inputs or other sync sources. The latter scenario is

useful for externally resolving the interface with the

the interface chosen as the Master Clock Source.

FireWire

Word Clock Out

Word Clock In

Word Clock Out

Word Clock In

For two

interfaces,

slave one to

the other.

You can probably

get away with

daisy-chaining

three interfaces,

although a word

clock distribu-

tion device is

recommended.

Part 2

Using the

896mk3 Hybrid

M O T U A U D I O C O N S O L E

‘GENERAL’ TAB SETTINGS

Sample Rate

Choose the desired Sample Rate for recording and

playback. The 896mk3 can operate at 44.1 (the

standard rate for compact disc audio), 48, 88.2, 96,

176.4 or 192KHz. If you are operating at a sample

rate between 44.1 and 96kHz, make absolutely sure

that all of the devices connected digitally to the

896mk3 match the 896mk3’s sample rate. Also

make sure that your digital audio synchronizer

matches it as well. At the 4x sample rates (176.4 or

192kHz), all digital I/O on the 896mk3 is disabled.

☛Mismatched sample rates cause distortion and

crackling. If you hear this sort of thing, check the

sample rate settings in your hardware and here in

MOTU Audio Console.

Operation at 4x sample rates (176.4 or 192kHz)

At the 4x sample rates (176.4 or 192kHz),

operation of the 896mk3 is restricted, due to the

higher audio bandwidth demands, as follows:

■All digital I/O is disabled (there is no optical,

S/PDIF or AES/EBU input/output).

■The 896mk3 provides 8 channels of analog input

and 8 channels of analog output, simultaneously.

■The stereo return bus, as described in “Return

Assign” on page 44, can only be assigned to one of

the four available analog output pairs or main outs.

■The PHONES jack can only be assigned to one

of the four available analog output pairs or the

main outs.

■The MAIN OUT jack can only be assigned to

one of four analog output pairs or the main outs.

Figure 5-1: MOTU Audio Console gives you access to all of the settings in the 896mk3 hardware.

M O T U A U D I O C O N S O L E

Master Clock Source

The Master Clock Source determines the digital

audio clock that the 896mk3 will use as its time

base. For a complete explanation of synchroni-

zation issues, see “Making sync connections” on

page 28. The following sections briey discuss each

clock source setting.

Internal

Use the Internal setting when you want the 896mk3

to operate under its own digital audio clock. For

example, you may be in a situation where all you

are doing is playing tracks off hard disk in your

digital audio software on the computer. In a

situation like this, you most often don’t need to

reference an external clock of any kind.

Another example is transferring a mix to DAT. You

can operate the 896mk3 system on its internal

clock, and then slave the DAT deck to the 896mk3

via the AES/EBU connection (usually DAT decks

slave to their AES/EBU input when you choose the

AES/EBU input as their record source) or via the

896mk3’s word clock output (if your DAT deck has

a word clock input).

If you would like help determining if this is the

proper clock setting for your situation, see

“Making sync connections” on page 28.

Word Clock In

The Word Clock In setting refers to the Word Clock

In BNC connector on the 896mk3 rear panel.

Choosing this setting allows the 896mk3 to slave to

an external word clock source, such as the word

clock output from a digital mixer.

S/PDIF

The S/PDIF clock source setting refers to the

S/PDIF RCA input jack on the 896mk3. This

setting allows the 896mk3 to slave to another

S/PDIF device.

Use this setting whenever you are recording input

from a DAT deck or other S/PDIF device into the

896mk3. It is not necessary in the opposite

direction (when you are transferring from the

896mk3 to the DAT machine).

For further details about this setting, see “Syncing

S/PDIF devices” on page 29.

AES/EBU

The AES/EBU clock source setting refers to the

AES/EBU input connector on the 896mk3. This

setting allows the MOTU 896mk3 to slave to

another AES/EBU device.

Use this setting whenever you are recording input

from a DAT deck or other AES/EBU device into the

896mk3. It is not necessary in the opposite

direction (when you are transferring from the

896mk3 to the DAT machine).

For further details about this setting, see “Syncing

AES/EBU devices” on page 30.

ADAT optical A / B

The ADAT optical clock source settings (ADAT

Optical A and ADAT Optical B) refer to the clock

provided by the 896mk3’s two optical inputs, when

either one is connected to another optical device.

These two settings only appear in the Master Clock

Source menu when their corresponding optical

bank input is enabled and set to the ADAT Optical

format, as explained in “Optical input/output” on

page 44.

This setting can be used to resolve the 896mk3

directly to the optical input connection. Most of

the time, you can set up a better operating scenario

that uses one of the other synchronization options.

However, there may be occasions when you have an

optical device that has no way of synchronizing

digitally to the 896mk3 or an external

M O T U A U D I O C O N S O L E

synchronizer. In this case, the ADAT Optical clock

source setting lets you slave the 896mk3 to the

device itself via its digital input to the 896mk3.

This setting is also useful if you just need to make a

simple, click-free digital transfer between the

896mk3 and another device — where a time code

reference and shared transport control are not

needed — without having to set up an elaborate

synchronization scenario.

For further details about this setting, see “Syncing

optical devices” on page 30.

TOSLINK A / B

The TOSLINK clock source settings (TOSLINK A

and TOSLINK B) refer to the clock provided by the

896mk3’s two optical inputs, when either one is

connected to another optical device. These two

settings only appear in the Master Clock Source

menu when their corresponding optical bank input

is enabled and set to the TOSLINK format, as

explained in “Optical input/output” on page 44.

The TOSLINK clock source setting refers to the

clock provided by an optical S/PDIF device

connected to the 896mk3’s optical input. This

setting can be used to slave the 896mk3 directly to

the optical input connection. Most of the time, you

can set up a better operating scenario that uses one

of the other synchronization options. However,

there may be occasions when you have a

TOSLINK-compatible device that has no way of

synchronizing digitally to the 896mk3 or an

external synchronizer such as the Digital

Timepiece. In this case, the TOSLINK clock source

setting lets you slave the 896mk3 to the other

device via the 896mk3’s optical input.

This setting is also useful if you just need to make a

simple, click-free digital transfer between the

896mk3 and another device — where a time code

reference and shared transport control are not

needed — without having to set up an elaborate

synchronization scenario.

For further details, see “Syncing optical devices”

on page 30.

SMPTE

Choose this setting to resolve the 896mk3 directly

to SMPTE time code (LTC) being received via the

896mk3’s quarter-inch SMPTE input jack. For

details, see “Syncing to SMPTE time code” on

page 34 and chapter 10, “MOTU SMPTE Console”

(page 119).

Samples Per Buffer

The Samples Per Buffer setting lets you reduce the

delay you hear when patching live audio through

your audio software. For example, you might have

a live guitar input that you would like to run

through an amp simulation plug-in that you are

running in your host audio software. When doing

so, you may hear or feel some “sponginess” (delay)

between the source and the processed signal. If so,

don’t worry. This effect only affects what you hear:

it is not present in what is actually recorded.

You can use Samples Per Buffer setting to reduce

this monitoring delay—and even make it

completely inaudible.

☛If you don’t need to process an incoming live

signal with software plug-ins, you can monitor the

signal with no delay at all using CueMix FX, which

routes the signal directly to your speakers via

hardware. For details, see chapter 9, “CueMix FX”

(page 71).

Adjusting the Samples Per Buffer setting impacts

the following things:

■The strain on your computer’s CPU

■The delay you hear when routing a live signal

through your host audio software plug-ins

M O T U A U D I O C O N S O L E

■How responsive the transport controls are in

your software

This setting presents you with a trade-off between

the processing power of your computer and the

delay of live audio as it is being processed by

plug-ins. If you reduce the Samples Per Buffer, you

reduce patch thru latency, but signicantly increase

the overall processing load on your computer,

leaving less CPU bandwidth for things like real-

time effects processing. On the other hand, if you

increase the Samples Per Buffer, you reduce the load

on your computer, freeing up bandwidth for

effects, mixing and other real-time operations. But

don’t set the Samples Per Buffer too low, or it may

cause distortion in your audio.

If you don’t process live inputs with software

plug-ins, leave this setting at its default value of

1024 samples. If you do, try settings of 256 samples

or less, if your computer seems to be able to handle

them. If your host audio software has a processor

meter, check it. If it starts getting maxed out, or if

the computer seems sluggish, raise the Samples Per

Buffer until performance returns to normal.

If you are at a point in your recording project where

you are not currently working with live, patched-

thru material (e.g. you’re not recording vocals), or

if you have a way of externally monitoring input,

choose a higher Samples Per Buffer setting.

Depending on your computer’s CPU speed, you

might nd that settings in the middle work best.

The Samples Per Buffer setting also impacts how

quickly your audio software will respond when you

begin playback, although not by amounts that are

very noticeable. Lowering the Samples Per Buffer

will make your software respond faster; raising the

Samples Per Buffer will make it a little bit slower, but

barely enough to notice.

Monitoring live inputs without plug-in effects

As mentioned earlier, CueMix FX allows you to

monitor dry, unprocessed live inputs with no delay

at all. For complete details, see chapter 8,

“Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 65).

Use stereo pairs for Windows audio

Some legacy Windows audio applications require

audio channels to be grouped in stereo pairs. If you

are using old Windows audio software, and you are

having issues accessing Audio Express channels

from within the software, try enabling the Use

Stereo Pairs for Windows Audio option.

Use WaveRT for Windows audio

If your host software supports WaveRT, enable this

option. Consult your host application

documentation for details.

Enable Pedal

Check the Enable Pedal option if a foot switch is

connected to the 896mk3 and you would like to

trigger recording punch in/out (or other software

functions) with it. Use the Set buttons to determine

what keystroke is triggered by the pedal-up and

pedal-down positions. You can assign the pedal to

any two keystrokes you wish. (You are not

restricted to punch in/out.)

896MK3 TAB SETTINGS

Phones Assign

The Phones Assign setting lets you choose what you

will hear from the headphone jack. Choose Main

Out 1-2 if you’d like to route the Main Out stereo

pair to the PHONES jack. Choose Phones 1-2 if you

would like the headphones to serve as their own

independent output, which you can access as an

independent output destination in your host audio

software and as an output destination for the four

on-board CueMix FX mix busses.

M O T U A U D I O C O N S O L E

Optical input/output

The Optical input and Optical output settings let

you choose between ADAT optical (‘lightpipe’) and

S/PDIF optical (‘TOSLINK’) as the format for the

896mk3’s two banks of optical input and output

(Bank A and Bank B). Choose the format that

matches the device connected. If you are not using

the optical connections, it is recommended that

you turn them off (by choosing Disabled from the

menu) to reduce bandwidth and processing

overhead. Note that you can operate each optical

port independently. For example, you could use the

ADAT optical format on the Bank A input (for a

digital mixer) and optical S/PDIF on the Bank A

output (for a DAT deck).

Main Out Assign

Choose Main Outs from the Main Out Assign menu

to treat the Main Outs as their own independent

output pair. Choose any other output pair to cause

the MAIN OUT jacks to mirror (duplicate) the

output pair you choose.

Return Assign

The Return Assign menu lets you choose any pair of

896mk3 audio outputs. The audio signal from this

output pair is then sent back to the computer via

the Stereo Return 1-2 bus. This stereo return bus

from the 896mk3 appears in your host software

alongside all other 896mk3 inputs, wherever your

host software lists them.

The 896mk3 stereo return bus can be used for a

variety of purposes. For example, you could use it

to send a nal mix being played through the

896mk3 back to the computer, where you could

record it for mastering or archiving purposes.

As another example, you could use the stereo

return bus to capture tracks played from your host

software, along with live inputs being routed

directly through the 896mk3 hardware via CueMix

FX (with or without CueMix effects processing on

the live inputs).

Programmable Meters

This option lets you choose which bank you wish

to monitor with the eight programmable meters on

the MOTU 896mk3 front panel. Your choices are:

Analog Out, Optical A In, Optical A Out, Optical B

In, Optical B Out, or Digital In/Out. This last

option displays AES/EBU input, S/PDIF input,

AES/EBU output and S/PDIF output, in order

from left to right. You can also adjust this setting by

turning the METERS knob on the 896mk3 front

panel.

Sample Rate Convert

The Sample Rate Convert option (Figure 4-17 on

page 32) lets you control AES/EBU sample rate

conversion. Sample rate conversion is available

when the 896mk3 is operating at the 1x sample

rates (44.1 and 48kHz) or the 2x sample rates (88.2

or 96kHz). AES/EBU is disabled entirely at the 4x

samples rates (176.4 and 192kHz). Each option is

explained below.

None

To make the AES/EBU output sample rate match

the System sample rate, choose None (Figure 4-17

on page 32). No sample rate conversion occurs

when this setting is chosen.

AES Out slave to AES In

To make the AES/EBU output sample rate match

the sample rate currently being received by the

896mk3’s AES/EBU input, choose AES Out Slave to

AES In (Figure 4-17 on page 32). This setting

requires a connection to the 896mk3’s AES/EBU

input from a device that is transmitting an AES/

EBU clock signal.

☛Be careful when both the 896mk3’s AES/EBU

input and output are connected to the same

external device: this option is likely to create a

clock loop.

M O T U A U D I O C O N S O L E

AES/EBU Out options

Choose the desired AES/EBU Out sample rate

options (Figure 4-17 on page 32) when the desired

AES/EBU output rate needs to be completely

different than the system clock rate or the AES In

clock rate. For further details about this option, see

“Sample Rate Convert” on page 44.

Clip Hold Time

The Clip Hold Time option controls how long the

top red LED on the front panel metering remains

illuminated after clipping occurs.

Peak Hold Time

The 896mk3 front-panel level meters support

standard peak/hold metering, where the LED for

the highest level recently measured on the channel

remains illuminated for a brief period of time while

the rest of the LEDs below it remain fully dynamic.

The Peak Hold Time controls how long the peak-

hold LED remain illuminated before going dark

again.

Word Out

The Word Out menu appears when the 896mk3 is

operating at a 2x sample rate (88.2 or 96kHz) or 4x

sample rate (176.4 or 192kHz). This menu lets you

set the word clock output either to match the

current sample rate (System Clock) or force it to the

corresponding 1x rate (either 44.1 or 48kHz). For

example, if the 896mk3 were operating at

176.4kHz, choosing the Force 44.1/48kHz option

would produce word clock output at 44.1kHz.

CHAPTER

6Front Panel Operation

OVERVIEW

The 896mk3 Hybrid offers complete front-panel

programming via six rotary encoders and a 2x16

backlit LCD display. All 896mk3 settings can be

accessed via these front-panel controls.

Analog input controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Master vol and “(MAIN OUT)” phone jack . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Phones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Analog input meters with V-Limit™ compressor. . . . . 48

Programmable meters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Push-button rotary encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Multi-function LCD display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

896mk3 Setup menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Audio menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

CueMix menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Inputs menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Outputs menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Mixes menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Reverb menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Stand-alone operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

ANALOG INPUT CONTROLS

The 896mk3 front panel analog input controls

(Figure 6-1) allow you to work with a wide variety

of recording situations.

For information about connections and settings,

see “Analog inputs” on page 23 in the installation

chapter.

For information about the many settings available

for the mic/guitar inputs, see:

■“The Inputs tab” on page 77

■“The channel settings section” on page 81

■“The Channel tab” on page 82

■“The EQ tab” on page 84

■“The Dynamics tab” on page 91

Figure 6-1: The 896mk3 Hybrid front panel mic/instrument input controls.

F R O N T P A N E L O P E R A T I O N

896MK3 SETUP MENU

To access the 896mk3 SETUP menu, push the

PARAM knob until you see 896mk3 SETUP

displayed in the LCD. This menu provides basic

features for managing the 896mk3 hardware. Turn

the PARAM knob to access each setting, explained

brieﬂy below.

LCD Contrast

Turn the VALUE knob to adjust the LCD contrast.

Figure 6-8: In setup mode, the LCD displays a setup parameter in the

top row of the LCD and the current setting in the bottom row.

Save/Name Preset

An 896mk3 preset holds all current CueMix FX

mix settings (everything in the CUEMIX menu).

SETUP menu and AUDIO menu parameters are

not included. Turn the VALUE knob to move from

character to character in the preset name. Turn

PAGE to change the currently ﬂashing letter. Once

you’ve named the preset, push VALUE to save it,

turn it again to choose the desired preset slot you

wish to save it to (1-16), and then push again to

conﬁrm the save. Cancel the save operation at any

time by turning the PARAM knob.

Load Preset

Turn VALUE to choose the preset you wish to load

(1-16) and push VALUE to load it.

AutoSave Status

All of the parameters in the 896mk3 are

periodically saved automatically in its memory, so

that if you power down the unit, it will power back

Figure 6-6: The 896mk3 Hybrid front panel controls.

The LCD is divided into four

sections that correspond to the

four knobs below.

Push the PARAM knob to cycle

among three global menus:

CUEMIX (mixer), AUDIO

(settings) and 896mk3 SETUP.

When viewing CueMix settings in the

LCD, push the CHANNEL knob to cycle

among four main mixer menus: MIX,

IN (inputs), OUT (outputs) and

REVERB. Turn it to choose a channel.

Turn the PAGE knob to view settings for

each channel. Push it to jump to the

next section or back to the beginning.

Turn and/or push the

VALUE knob to adjust

the current setting.

Produktspecifikationer

Varumärke:	Motu
Kategori:	DJ-utrustning
Modell:	896Mk3 Hybrid

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