400F

Getting Started

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ONYX

 

Even if you’re one of those people

 

 

who never reads manuals, all we ask

 

is that you read this page now before

 

you begin using the Onyx 400F. You’ll

 

 

be glad you did!

The Onyx 400F can be used in standalone mode, or connected to a computer with the FireWire connection. Either way, you will want to install the Windows drivers (PC only) and the Onyx 400F Console software on your computer first to get the internal routing setup. Refer to page 18 for instructions on installing the software.

Once you’ve installed the software, proceed as follows:

Zero the Controls

1.Turn down the channel GAIN controls, and the Control Room and Phones level controls.

2.Set all push button switches to their “out” positions.

3.Turn the POWER switch off.

Connections

This tutorial demonstrates how to route four input channels to your DAW and mix them down to a 2-track S/PDIF output to a DAT:

1.Plug a microphone into channel 1’s MIC input. You can plug additional microphones or instruments into channels 2-4.

2.Connect the FireWire connector from the Onyx 400F to the FireWire connector on your computer.

Note: The Onyx 400F is equipped with two 6-pin FireWire connectors and comes with a 6-pin to

6-pin FireWire cable. If your computer has a 4-pin FireWire connector, you can purchase a 6-pin to 4-pin FireWire adapter cable at many computer supply stores or online.

3.Plug in the detachable linecord, connect it to an AC outlet, and turn on the Onyx 400F’s POWER switch.

4.If the microphone is a dynamic microphone, leave the 48V switch out. If it’s a condenser microphone, push in the 48V phantom power button to turn on the phantom power for channels 1-4.

5.Open the Onyx 400F FireWire Conole software application.

6.Connect the S/PDIF output to the S/PDIF input on a DAT or other S/PDIF-compatible recorder.

 

6

ONYX 400F

 

 

 

Set the Levels

To set the channel GAIN controls (on channels 1-4), it’s not even necessary to hear what you’re doing at the outputs of the preamplifier. The following steps must be performed one channel at a time.

1.Play something into the selected input. This could be an instrument, a singing or speaking voice, or a line input such as a CD player or tape recorder output. Be sure that the volume of the input source is the same as it would be during normal use. If it isn’t, you might have to readjust these levels later.

2.Adjust the channel’s GAIN control so that the “–20” and “–10” LEDs light frequently or continu- ously, and the “OL” LED doesn’t light at all (or only flashes occasionally).

3.Repeat for each channel.

4.Since channels 5-8 and the S/PDIF inputs (chan- nels 9-10) don’t have an input GAIN control, their input levels must be adjusted at the source. You can monitor the input level either with the Onyx 400F Console (with the DSP Mixer turned on in the Set- tings tab), or with the input metering of your DAW software application.

5.Adjust the source level control so the meter indicates between –20 and –10. You want to avoid having the OL (Overload) LED light.

Set the Console Control Panel

1.Select the “Settings” tab in the Console control panel. Select 44.1 kHz sample rate, DSP Mixer On, and Headphones Mirror Outputs 1/2.

2.Select the “Outputs 1/2” tab. Make sure the MUTE buttons for Inputs 1-4 and the Master fader are deselected and the faders are all the way up (0 dB). Set the Pan for Input 1 full left, for Input 2 full right, Input 3 full left, and Input 4 full right (or adjust the Pan controls to your preference).

3.Select the “Outputs 9/10” tab (this is for the S/PDIF outputs). Set it the same way you did for Outputs 1/2 in step 2 above.

4.Connect a pair of headphones to one of the Phones outputs. Slowly turn up the Phones Level control while music is playing. You will be monitoring Out- puts 1/2. This should be the same mix as Outputs 9/10 if you set them up the same way, which goes to the DAT recorder.