MOTU 8450 UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid FireWire/USB 2.0 Audio User Manual

™

UltraLite

mk3 Hybrid

User Guide for Windows

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III

Contents

Quick Reference: UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid Front Panel

Quick Reference: UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid Rear Panel

Quick Reference: MOTU Audio Console

About the UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid

Packing List and Windows System Requirements

IMPORTANT! Run the UltraLite-mk3 Software Installer First

Installing the UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid Hardware

MOTU Audio Console

UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid Front Panel Operation

Cubase, Nuendo, Live and Other ASIO Software

SONAR and other WDM Software

Reducing Monitoring Latency

CueMix FX

103

MOTU SMPTE Console

107

Performance Tips & Troubleshooting

Quick Reference: UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid Front Panel

1. This XLR/TRS combo jack accepts either a mic cable or a

cable with a quarter-inch plug. It is equipped with

approximately +60 dB of boost for the mic (XLR) input

and +32 dB of boost for the instrument (TRS) input.

Separate settings are maintained for the XLR and TRS

inputs for saving with presets. The XLR (mic) input can

also be supplied with 20 dB pad and 48V phantom

power.

2. These two Precision Digital Trim™ rotary encoders

provide +60 dB and +32 dB of boost, respectively, for

the mic (XLR) and instrument (TRS) inputs on the front

and rear panel. Adjustment can be made in approxi-

mately 1 dB increments. Both have preamps, so you can

plug in just about anything: a microphone, a guitar or

even a synth. For +4 dB signals, use the rear panel TRS

inputs. Use the trim knob and input level meter in the

LCD to calibrate the input signal level. For the Mic (XLR)

input, Push the TRIM encoder to toggle a 20 dB pad; push

and hold to toggle 48V phantom power.

3. Turn the VOL knob to control the headphone volume. The

LCD provides visual feedback for the headphone volume

setting as you turn the knob. Push the knob once to view

the current volume setting in the LCD display; push it

again to control the UltraLite-mk3’s MASTER VOLUME

setting. From the factory, MASTER VOLUME controls the

(TRS) MAIN OUTS 1-2 on the rear panel, but MASTER

VOLUME can be programmed to control any combination

of outputs. See “The Monitor Group” on page 84 for

details.

4. When power is off, push the VOL knob to power on the

UltraLite-mk3; press and hold to turn it off. When

connected to the computer via FireWire, the

UltraLite-mk3 is powered by its FireWire connection to

the computer. When connected via USB, it must be

powered with the included DC power adapter.

5. The multi-purpose backlit LCD provides metering for all

of the UltraLite-mk3’s inputs and outputs. It also gives

you access to the UltraLite-mk3’s built-in mixer and

other settings. There are eight independent stereo mix

busses. Each mixes all inputs (or any subset you wish) to

a stereo output of your choice. The four knobs to the right

of the LCD correspond directly to the four labeled

sections of the LCD. Push the PARAMETER knob repeat-

edly to cycle through the three main LCD display modes:

METER, CUEMIX and SETUP.

METER mode provides level meters for each input and

output. The labels above and below the LCD refer to all of

the UltraLite-mk3’s inputs and outputs (both analog and

digital).

CUEMIX mode lets you program the UltraLite-mk3’s on-

board CueMix FX mixer. Use the CHANNEL knob to

choose the input, output or mix you wish to edit. Push it

to switch among inputs, outputs and busses, then turn it

to choose the desired channel or bus. Use the PAGE,

PARAM and VALUE knobs to access the settings for the

chosen channel.

SETUP mode lets you access general settings. Use the

PARAMETER knob to browse settings, and use the VALUE

knob to adjust them.

6. This is a standard quarter-inch stereo headphone jack.

From the factory, its output matches the main outs on

the rear panel. But it can be programmed to mirror any

other output pair (digital or analog). It can even be

programmed to serve as its own independent output.

Use the volume knob above to control its level.

7. Push the TRIM rotary encoder to toggle the 20 dB pad

independently for each mic input. Hold it in momen-

tarily to toggle 48V phantom power independently for

each mic input.

1 2 5

1. Connect a MIDI device here using standard MIDI cables.

Connect the UltraLite-mk3’s MIDI OUT port to the MIDI IN

port on the other device. Conversely, connect the

UltraLite-mk3’s MIDI IN port to the MIDI OUT port on the

other device. You can connect different devices to each

port, such as a controller device to the IN port and a

sound module to the OUT port. You can also daisy-chain

MIDI devices, but be sure to manage their MIDI channels

(so that they don’t receive or transmit on the same

channel).

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

and output at any sample rate up to 96kHz.

3. The UltraLite-mk3’s eight analog outputs are gold-

plated, balanced +4dB TRS (tip/ring/sleeve) quarter-

inch connectors that can also accept an unbalanced plug.

They are equipped with 24-bit, 128x oversampling

converters.

4. This XLR/TRS combo jack accepts either a mic cable or a

cable with a quarter-inch plug. Use the front panel MIC 2

trim encoder to apply up to +60 dB or +32 dB of boost,

respectively, for the mic (XLR) or instrument (TRS) input.

To toggle the 20 dB pad for the mic (XLR) input, push the

front-panel Mic 2 trim encoder. To toggle 48V phantom

power for the XLR (mic) input, push and hold the front-

panel Mic 2 trim encoder.

5. These two balanced, quarter-inch jacks serve as the

UltraLite-mk3’s main outputs. You can connect them to a

set of powered studio monitors and then control the

volume from the front panel volume knob. To hear disk

tracks in your audio software on these main outs, assign

the disk tracks (and master fader) to these main outs

(

Main Out 1-2

). You can also use CueMix FX to monitor

live UltraLite-mk3 inputs here as well.

6. Equipped with 24-bit 192 kHz converters, these six

analog inputs (3 through 8) are gold-plated, balanced

TRS (tip/ring/sleeve) quarter-inch connectors that can

also accept an unbalanced plug. They do not have micro-

phone preamps, so they are best used for synthesizers,

drum machines, effects processors, and other instru-

ments with line level signals (either -10 dB or +4 dB).

These inputs are also equipped with the UltraLite-mk3’s

Precision Digital Trim™ feature: digitally controlled

analog trims that let you adjust input level in 1 dB incre-

ments from either front panel LCD or the included

CueMix FX software. The trim can be adjusted over a

range of -96 to +22 dB.

7. Connect the UltraLite-mk3 to the computer here via

either FireWire or USB2, using either the standard 1394

FireWire A or USB cable provided with your

UltraLite-mk3. There’s not much difference, except that

FireWire offers bus-powered operation (without the DC

power supply).

Important note: it is best to turn off

the UltraLite-mk3 when plugging in the FireWire

cable, as this avoids the possibility of static

discharge, which can harm the electrical compo-

nents in the UltraLite-mk3 or your computer

8. This jack accepts any standard 10-24V DC power supply

with either tip-positive or tip-negative polarity.

Quick Reference: UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid Rear Panel

1 2 3

57 6

CHAPTER

Quick Reference: MOTU Audio Console

Device Setup in Cubase

Determines the clock source for your

UltraLite-mk3. If you’re just using the

analog ins and outs, set this to

Internal.

The other settings are for digital transfers

via S/PDIF or synchronization to time code

or other audio devices.

Choose the output pair you would like the

main outs to mirror, or choose

Main Outs

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.

Check this option if the audio software

you are using with the UltraLite-mk3

does not support Windows WDM drivers

and instead only supports legacy MME

(Wave) drivers. When checked, this

option makes all of the UltraLite-mk3

inputs and outputs available to legacy

Wave-driver compatible audio software.

Choose the global sample rate

for the system here.

Click the tabs to access general MOTU

interface settings or settings speciﬁc

to the UltraLite-mk3 (or other

connected interface).

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 31.

Click the UltraLite-mk3 tab

to access these settings.

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

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.

The UltraLite-mk3 driver provides a stereo

return back to the computer. This return

feeds the signal on any UltraLite-mk3

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 UltraLite-mk3

only, back into the computer.

CHAPTER

About the UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

The UltraLite-mk3 Rear Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The UltraLite-mk3 Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

16-bit and 24-bit recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

CueMix FX 32-bit ﬂoating point mixing and effects. . 12

Host Audio Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

OVERVIEW

The UltraLite-mk3 is a hybrid FireWire USB2

audio interface for Mac and Windows with on-

board effects and mixing that offers 10 inputs and

14 outputs. 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 UltraLite-mk3 is housed in a sturdy, compact

half-rack enclosure that connects directly to a

computer via a standard FireWire or USB cable.

The UltraLite-mk3 offers the following main

features:

■

Universal computer connectivity via FireWire or

high-speed USB2

■

Bus-powered operation (FireWire only)

■

Six 24-bit analog quarter-inch (TRS) inputs

■

Ten 24-bit analog quarter-inch (TRS) outputs

■

Two combo XLR/TRS mic/guitar inputs with

preamps, 48V phantom power, 20 dB pad, and

Precision Digital Trim™ preamp gain adjustment

■

Operation on all analog I/O at standard sample

rates up to 192 kHz

■

Digitally controlled analog trim for all analog

inputs

■

RCA S/PDIF digital I/O at sample rates up to

96 kHz

■

MIDI I/O

■

On-board SMPTE synchronization

■

Headphone jack with volume control

■

Front panel volume control of the Main Outs (or

any programmable combination of outputs)

■

CueMix™ FX no-latency mixing, monitoring,

and effects processing

■

Classic Reverb™ with ﬁve different room types,

three frequency shelves with adjustable crossover

points, shelf ﬁltering and reverb lengths up to 60

seconds.

■

Two forms of compression, including 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.

■

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. LP and HP ﬁlters are also supplied with

slopes that range from 6 to 36 dB.

■

Front-panel LCD programming for the mixer

and all other settings

■

Extensive front panel metering and status LEDs

■

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

■

CueMix FX cross-platform mixing software with

attractive graphic mixing, graphic editing of

parametric EQ and a convenient tabbed interface

ABOUT THE ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID

for quick access to all features in one window. Also

provides full-screen real-time FFT display,

spectrogram “waterfall” display, oscilloscope, X-Y

plot and linear or polar phase analysis.

With a variety of I/O formats, mic preamps and

no-latency mixing and processing of live input, the

UltraLite-mk3 is a complete, portable “studio in a

box” when used with a Mac or Windows computer.

THE ULTRALITE-MK3 REAR PANEL

The rear panel has the following connectors:

■

Ten gold-plated, balanced +4dB quarter-inch

(TRS) analog outputs (with 24-bit 192 kHz

converters)

■

Six gold-plated, balanced quarter-inch (TRS)

analog inputs (with 24-bit 192 kHz converters)

■

One combo XLR/TRS mic/instrument input

■

RCA S/PDIF in/out

■

MIDI IN and MIDI OUT jacks

■

One 1394 FireWire A connector

■ One high-speed USB2 connector

■ DC power jack

10 inputs and 14 outputs

All UltraLite-mk3 inputs and outputs can be used

simultaneously, for a total of 10 inputs and 14

outputs when operating at sample rates up to

96 kHz:

All inputs and outputs are discrete and can be

active simultaneously.

The headphone outputs can operate as an

independent output pair, or they can mirror any

other UltraLite-mk3 output pair, such as the main

outs.

Mic/guitar inputs with preamps

The two mic/instrument inputs (front panel and

rear panel) are equipped with preamps and

“combo” XLR/TRS jacks, which accept XLR

microphone inputs or quarter-inch guitar/

instruments inputs. Individual 48 volt phantom

power and a 20 dB pad can be supplied

independently to each mic input. The Precision

Digital Trim™ knobs on the front panel for each

mic/instrument input provide 60 dB of boost for

the XLR mic input and 32 dB of boost for the TRS

instrument input in precise 1 dB increments.

Analog

All six quarter-inch analog inputs are equipped

with 24-bit 192 kHz A/D converters. All eight

analog outputs have 24-bit 192 kHz D/A

converters. All audio is carried to the computer in a

24-bit data stream.

All ten analog outputs and six quarter-inch analog

inputs are on balanced TRS +4dB quarter-inch

jacks. All of these jacks can also accept unbalanced

plugs.

Precision Digital Trim™

All of the UltraLite-mk3’s analog inputs are

equipped with digitally controlled analog trims

that allow adjustments in 1 dB increments. The

mic/guitar input trims can be adjusted using front-

panel digital rotary encoders that provide feedback

in the front panel LCD with 60 dB of adjustment

for the mic input and 32 dB for the TRS input. All

analog inputs, including six rear-panel TRS analog

inputs, can be trimmed using the front panel LCD

or using the UltraLite-mk3’s included CueMix FX

Connection Input Output

Analog 24-bit 192 kHz on bal/unbal TRS 6 10

Mic preamps 24-bit 192 kHz on XLR/TRS

combo

SPDIF 24-bit 96kHz digital 2 2

Headphone output - 2

Total 10 14

ABOUT THE ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID

control software for Mac and Windows. This allows

you to ﬁne-tune trim settings for synths, effects

modules and a wide variety of analog inputs for

optimum levels. Different trim conﬁgurations can

then be saved as ﬁles on disk for instant recall.

S/PDIF

The UltraLite-mk3 rear panel provides RCA “coax”

S/PDIF input and output.

MIDI I/O

The UltraLite-mk3’s standard MIDI IN and MIDI

OUT jacks supply 16 channels of MIDI I/O to and

from the computer via the UltraLite-mk3’s

FireWire connection.

On-board SMPTE synchronization

The UltraLite-mk3 can resolve directly to SMPTE

time code via any analog input, without a separate

synchronizer. It can also generate time code via any

analog output. The UltraLite-mk3 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 any 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,

hi-speed USB2 has also developed into a widely

adopted standard for connecting peripheral

devices to personal computers.

To fully support both formats, your UltraLite-mk3

Hybrid audio interface is equipped with both a

FireWire A (400 Mbit/sec) connector and a hi-

speed USB2 (480 Mbit/sec) connector, and you can

use either port to connect the UltraLite-mk3 to

your computer. This gives you maximum ﬂexibility

and compatibility with today’s ever-expanding

universe of Mac and Windows computers.

The UltraLite-mk3 has the ability to power itself

from its FireWire connection to the computer, for

convenient, mobile bus-powered operation.

Power supply

If you do not want the UltraLite-mk3 to draw

power from the computer, and AC power is

available, you can power the UltraLite-mk3 from

any standard 10-18V, 12 watt DC power supply

with any polarity (tip positive or negative).

THE ULTRALITE-MK3 FRONT PANEL

Mic/instrument input

See “Mic/guitar inputs with preamps” on page 10.

48V phantom power and pad

See “Mic/guitar inputs with preamps” on page 10.

Headphone output and main volume control

The UltraLite-mk3 front panel provides a quarter-

inch stereo headphone output jack and volume

knob. The LCD display provides feedback as you

turn the knob. The VOL knob can be used to

control the volume of the main out jacks on the rear

panel. It can alternately be conﬁgured to control

any combination of outputs.

Programmable backlit LCD display

Any UltraLite-mk3 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.

ABOUT THE ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID

The LCD also provides activity metering for all

UltraLite-mk3 inputs and outputs.

16-BIT AND 24-BIT RECORDING

The UltraLite-mk3 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

UltraLite-mk3’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 UltraLite-mk3 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 UltraLite-mk3 hardware, independent of the

computer. Effects can even be applied when the

UltraLite-mk3 is operating stand-alone (without a

computer) as a complete portable 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 UltraLite-mk3’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 UltraLite-mk3’s ﬂexible effects architecture

allows you to apply EQ and compression on every

input and output (a total of 24 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 (included) allows you to keep tabs on the

UltraLite-mk3’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.

HOST AUDIO SOFTWARE

The UltraLite-mk3 system ships with standard

Windows drivers that allow you to record, edit,

play back and mix your UltraLite-mk3 projects

using your favorite Windows audio software.

CHAPTER

2 Packing List and Windows System

Requirements

PACKING LIST

The UltraLite-mk3 ships with the items listed

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

UltraLite-mk3 box when you ﬁrst open it, please

immediately contact your dealer or MOTU.

■ One UltraLite-mk3 I/O rack unit

■ One 6-pin to 6-pin IEEE 1394 “FireWire” cable

■ One USB cable

■ One set of removable rack ears

■ One UltraLite-mk3 Mac/Windows manual

■ One AudioDesk Manual

■ One cross-platform CD-ROM

■ Product registration card

WINDOWS SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

The UltraLite-mk3 system requires the following

Windows system:

■ A 1 GHz Pentium-based PC compatible or faster

equipped with at least one FireWire port

■ A Pentium III processor or faster is

recommended

■ At least 256 MB (megabytes) of RAM (512 MB

or more is recommended)

■ Windows XP or Vista

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

PLEASE REGISTER TODAY!

Please register your UltraLite-mk3 today. There are

two ways to register.

■ Visit www.motu.com/registration to register on

line

■ 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!

PACKING LIST AND WINDOWS SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

CHAPTER

3 IMPORTANT! Run the UltraLite-mk3

Software Installer First

OVERVIEW

Install the UltraLite-mk3 software ﬁrst! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Installing the UltraLite-mk3 software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

MOTU Audio Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

ASIO MOTU Audio Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

The MOTU Audio WDM driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

MOTU GSIF FireWire driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

MOTU MIDI Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

CueMix FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

MOTU SMPTE Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

INSTALL THE ULTRALITE-MK3 SOFTWARE

FIRST!

Before you connect the UltraLite-mk3 audio

interface to your computer and turn it on, insert

the UltraLite-mk3 software CD and run the

UltraLite-mk3 Software Installer. This ensures that

all the UltraLite-mk3 components are properly

installed in your system.

If Windows asks you to locate the drivers

If you’ve already connected the UltraLite-mk3 to

your computer and switched it on, Windows

probably issued an alert notifying you that the

UltraLite-mk3 requires drivers, followed by

another window asking you to locate the drivers on

disk. If this happens:

1 Cancel the driver search.

2 Switch off the UltraLite-mk3.

3 Run the UltraLite-mk3 Software Installer as

instructed in the next section.

INSTALLING THE ULTRALITE-MK3

SOFTWARE

To install the UltraLite-mk3 software, insert the

MOTU Universal Audio Installer CD and follow

the directions it gives you on your computer

screen. The UltraLite-mk3 ships with the following

software and drivers for Windows XP and Vista:

Software

component Purpose

MOTU Audio

Console

Provides access to all of the settings in the

UltraLite-mk3 hardware.

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 UltraLite-mk3.

MOTU ASIO

Driver

Allows Cubase or other ASIO-compliant

software to do multi-channel input and

output with the UltraLite-mk3. Only

required if you are using Cubase or

another ASIO-dependent program.

MOTU WDM

Driver

Allows any WDM-driver compatible

audio software to do multichannel input

and output with the UltraLite-mk3.

MOTU GSIF Driver Allows you to use your UltraLite-mk3

with Tascam GigaStudio.

MOTU MIDI

Driver

Provides MIDI input and output via the

UltraLite-mk3 MIDI ports.

IMPORTANT! RUN THE ULTRALITE-MK3 SOFTWARE INSTALLER FIRST

MOTU AUDIO CONSOLE

MOTU Audio Console (available in the Start

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

UltraLite-mk3, such as the clock source and

sample rate. For complete details, see chapter 10,

“CueMix FX” (page 61).

Figure 3-1: MOTU Audio Console gives you access to all of the settings

in the UltraLite-mk3 hardware.

ASIO MOTU AUDIO DRIVER

ASIO stands for Audio Streaming Input and Output.

The ASIO MOTU FireWire driver allows the

UltraLite-mk3 to provide multi-channel input and

output for Steinberg’s Cubase and Nuendo

software, or any other audio application that

supports ASIO drivers.

The MOTU ASIO audio driver is only required if

you are using Cubase (or another audio program

that relies on the ASIO driver to support multi-

channel I/O with the UltraLite-mk3).

The MOTU ASIO audio driver is installed by the

UltraLite-mk3 Software Installer and properly

registered with Windows, so you don’t need to be

concerned about its installation or location.

For details about using Cubase and Nuendo with

the UltraLite-mk3, see chapter 7, “Cubase,

Nuendo, Live and Other ASIO Software” (page 43).

THE MOTU AUDIO WDM DRIVER

The MOTU Audio WDM driver provides standard

multi-channel input and output for audio

applications running under Windows XP or Vista.

See chapter 8, “SONAR and other WDM Software”

(page 49) for details.

The MOTU Audio installer CD installs the MOTU

Audio WDM driver into Windows for you.

MOTU GSIF FIREWIRE DRIVER

The MOTU GSIF Driver allows you to access the

UltraLite-mk3 as an audio interface for Tascam

GigaStudio and related products. The GSIF driver

features low-latency multi-channel performance.

MOTU MIDI DRIVER

This driver allows you to access the

UltraLite-mk3’s MIDI input and output ports. The

ports are published in Windows and are available

to all MIDI software.

CUEMIX FX

This program provides a mixing console that gives

you control over the UltraLite-mk3’s no-latency

CueMix FX on-board mixing and effects

processing. For details, see chapter 10, “CueMix

FX” (page 61).

MOTU SMPTE CONSOLE

The MOTU SMPTE Console software provides a

complete set of tools for resolving the

UltraLite-mk3 to SMPTE time code, and to

generate SMPTE for striping, regenerating or

slaving other devices to the computer. For details,

see chapter 11, “MOTU SMPTE Console”

(page 103).

CHAPTER

4 Installing the UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid

Hardware

OVERVIEW

Here’s an overview for installing the

UltraLite-mk3:

Important note before you begin! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Take these precautions to prevent damage to your

computer, the UltraLite-mk3 and other

equipment.

Connect the UltraLite-mk3 interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Connect the UltraLite-mk3 to the computer.

Connect audio inputs and outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Make analog and digital connections as desired.

Connect MIDI gear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Connect a controller, synth or control surface.

Connecting and syncing S/PDIF devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Connect a DAT deck, effects processor or other

device with digital I/O, but be sure to make the

correct clock source settings.

Power options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Choose from among several convenient options.

A typical UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

An example setup for computer-based mixing/FX.

Connecting multiple MOTU FireWire interfaces . . . . . 26

Connect additional UltraLites or other audio

interfaces.

IMPORTANT NOTE BEFORE YOU BEGIN!

Before you begin installing the UltraLite-mk3 (or

any bus-powered device), take these important

precautionary measures to avoid damaging the

sensitive electrical components in your computer,

the UltraLite-mk3 or other devices being

connected:

■ Turn off the computer.

■ Turn off the UltraLite-mk3 (push and hold the

VOL knob.

■ Turn off the power of any other devices.

■ Touch the metal casing of the UltraLite-mk3 to

discharge any static electricity that you may be

carrying just before the installation.

After you have made all of the necessary

connections, as described in this chapter, turn on

the devices in this sequence:

1. Turn on the computer.

2. Turn on the UltraLite-mk3.

3. Turn on other devices connected to the

UltraLite-mk3.

INSTALLING THE ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID HARDWARE

CONNECT THE ULTRALITE-MK3 INTERFACE

Your UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid audio interface is

equipped with both a FireWire A (400 Mbit/sec)

connector and a hi-speed USB2 (480 Mbit/sec)

connector, and you can use either port to connect

the UltraLite-mk3 to your computer. This gives

you maximum ﬂexibility and compatibility with

today’s ever-expanding universe of Mac and

Windows computers.

Which should I use: FireWire or USB2?

If your computer does not have a FireWire port,

then obviously you will need to connect the

UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid to one of its hi-speed USB2

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 also

have, or bus power, as explained below.

Bus-powered operation requires FireWire

There is only one signiﬁcant difference between

FireWire and USB2 operation: bus power. FireWire

provides enough power on the FireWire bus that

the UltraLite can be powered solely by its FireWire

connection to the computer. For complete

information, see “Bus power requirements” on

page 23.

If you use USB2, you must also use the DC power

supply included with your UltraLite-mk3, as USB2

does not supply enough power by itself.

If you are connecting via FireWire

1 Before you begin, make sure your computer and

the UltraLite-mk3 are switched off.

2 Plug one end of the UltraLite-mk3 FireWire

cable (included) into the FireWire socket on the

computer as shown below in Figure 4-1.

3 Plug the other end of the FireWire cable into the

UltraLite-mk3 I/O as shown below in Figure 4-1.

Figure 4-1: Connecting the UltraLite-mk3 to the computer via

FireWire.

☛ Make absolute sure to align the ﬂat side of the

FireWire plug properly with the ﬂat side of the

FireWire socket on the UltraLite-mk3. If you

attempt to force the plug into the socket the wrong

way, you can damage the UltraLite-mk3.

INSTALLING THE ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID HARDWARE

If you are connecting via USB2

Some USB ports on computers are USB Version 1.1

ports, which support low-power, low-bandwidth

peripherals such as your computer’s mouse and

keyboard. USB 1 ports do not support the high-

speed operation necessary for the UltraLite-mk3. If

you are not sure if the USB ports on your computer

are Hi-speed USB2 or not, check your computer’s

documentation. Or check your computer as

follows:

■ On the Mac, you can run System Proﬁler (Apple

menu> About This Mac> More Info...) to view the

speciﬁcations for each USB port on your Mac.

Look in the hardware list for USB and click it. If the

USB bus description on the right-hand side says

USB High Speed Bus, then your Mac has USB2.

■ On Windows, open Device Manager and expand

the Universal Serial Bus section. There should be

an “Enhanced” USB host controller present.

☛ Due to the way all USB 1.1 and USB 2.0

devices share bandwidth, you will achieve better

overall performance by placing 1.1 and 2.0 devices

on separate busses, if possible. For details, refer to

the tech support database at www.motu.com.

1 Before you begin, make sure your computer and

the UltraLite-mk3 are switched off.

2 Plug the ﬂat “type A” plug of the UltraLite-mk3

USB cable (included) into a USB2-equipped socket

on the computer as shown below in Figure 4-1.

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

into the UltraLite-mk3 I/O as shown below in

Figure 4-1.

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

INSTALLING THE ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID HARDWARE

CONNECT AUDIO INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

The UltraLite-mk3 audio interface has the

following audio input and output connectors:

■ 10 balanced quarter-inch analog outputs

■ 6 balanced quarter-inch analog inputs

■ 2 XLR/quarter-inch “combo” analog inputs with

preamps

■ 1 pair of RCA S/PDIF in and out

Here are a few things you should keep in mind as

you are making these connections to other devices.

Mic/instrument inputs

Connect a microphone, guitar, instrument or other

analog input to the XLR/TRS combo jack with

either a standard mic cable or a balanced cable with

a quarter-inch plug.

☛ Do not connect a +4 (line level) XLR cable to

the front-panel inputs (because of the preamps).

Use a rear-panel quarter-inch input instead.

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 below will turn on or off

accordingly.

Tr im

The XLR mic input and the TRS instrument input

are equipped with 60 dB and 32 dB of trim control,

respectively. Use the digital trim encoders on the

front panel to adjust the input level as needed for

each input. The LCD provides visual feedback as

you turn the trim knob. The UltraLite-mk3’s input

trims are digital controlled, so they allow you to

make ﬁne-tuned adjustments in precise 1dB

increments. You can also adjust trim in the MOTU

CueMix FX software. See “Input trim” on page 67.

20 dB pad

The mic input (XLR jack) is equipped with a 20 dB

pad, so “hot” signals are best connected via an XLR

cable so that you can use the pad. To toggle the

20 dB pad for a mic input, quickly push its TRIM

rotary encoder. The green LED below will turn on

or off accordingly.

Since the pad is not available on the TRS jack, hot

signals connected via the TRS jack will probably

overdrive the input.

Combo jack summary

Use these general guidelines for the 48V phantom

power, pad and trim settings on the two combo

input jacks:

Quarter-inch analog

The quarter-inch analog inputs (3-8) and outputs

(1-8 plus main out) are balanced (TRS) connectors

that can also accept an unbalanced plug.

The quarter-inch outputs are calibrated to produce

a +4 dBu line level output signal.

Quarter-inch analog input trims

The quarter-inch inputs are calibrated to

accommodate either +4 or -10 dBu signals and are

equipped with digitally controlled analog trims

that provide +22 dB of gain and -96 dB of cut. You

can use either the front panel LCD or the included

CueMix FX software to adjust the input trim. To

Input 48V Pad Trim

Condenser mic On As needed As needed

Dynamic mic Off As needed As needed

Guitar Off n/a As needed

-10 dB Line level via TRS Off n/a As needed

-10 dB Line level via XLR Off -20 dB +12dB

+4 dB line level (XLR only) Off -20 dB Zero

INSTALLING THE ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID HARDWARE

adjust these trims using CueMix FX, see “Input

trim” on page 67. To adjust the trims using the

front panel LCD:

1 Push the PARAM knob repeatedly until you see

CUEMIX in the LCD display.

2 Push the CHANNEL knob repeatedly until you

see “I:” (which stands for Input) in the CHANNEL

section of the LCD (Figure 4-3).

3 Turn the CHANNEL KNOB until you see the

desired analog input or input pair. For example,

analog inputs 1-2 appear as “I:An 1-2”

(Figure 4-3), which means Input analog 1-2.

4 From the factory, analog inputs are grouped in

stereo pairs (1-2, 3-4, etc.) If you need to split a pair

to program it as two individual mono inputs, turn

the PARAM knob until you see PAIR in the

parameter section of the LCD (Figure 4-3). Turn

the VALUE knob to choose MONO. Then turn the

CHANNEL knob again to select the desired input.

Figure 4-3: The settings for analog inputs 1 and 2 (as a pair).

5 After splitting the stereo pair, if necessary, turn

the PARAM knob until you see the TRIM

parameter in the LCD (Figure 4-4):

Figure 4-4: Setting the input trim for a TRS analog input pair.

6 Turn the VALUE knob to adjust the trim.

Separate main outs

The main outputs operate as an independent pair

(they don’t share signal with any other output

pair). In a standard studio conﬁguration, the main

outs are intended for a pair of studio monitors, but

they can also be used as regular outputs for any

purpose. Their reference level is +4dB. Main out

volume is controlled by the VOL knob on the front

panel: push it repeatedly until you see MASTER

and then turn it to adjust the master volume

output. This knob can be programmed to control

any combination of outputs you wish.

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 “Connecting and

syncing S/PDIF devices” on page 22.

The UltraLite-mk3 on-board mixer also supplies

12dB of digital trim adjustment for the S/PDIF

input pair, which can be adjusted from CueMix FX

(“Input trim” on page 67) or the front panel (using

the same procedure as explained earlier for

“Quarter-inch analog input trims” on page 20.

CONNECT MIDI GEAR

Connect your MIDI device’s MIDI IN jack to the

UltraLite-mk3’s MIDI OUT jack (Connection A

below). Conversely, connect the MIDI device’s

MIDI OUT jack to the UltraLite-mk3’s MIDI IN

jack (Connection B).

Figure 4-5: Connecting a MIDI device to the UltraLite-mk3.

UltraLite-mk3

rear panel

MIDI Device

MIDI

cables

MIDI

OUT

MIDI

OUT

MIDI

Connection A

Connection B

INSTALLING THE ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID HARDWARE

One-way MIDI connections

MIDI devices that do not receive MIDI data, such

as a dedicated keyboard controller, guitar

controller, or drum pad, only need Connection B

shown in Figure 4-5. Similarly, devices that never

send data, such as a sound module, only need

Connection A. Make both connections for any

device that needs to both send and receive MIDI

data.

Connecting additional gear with MIDI THRUs

If you need to connect several pieces of MIDI gear,

run a MIDI cable from the MIDI THRU of a device

already connected to the UltraLite-mk3 to the

MIDI IN on the additional device as shown below

in Figure 4-6. The two devices then share the

UltraLite-mk3’s MIDI OUT port. This means that

they share the same set of 16 MIDI channels, too,

so try to do this with devices that receive on only

one MIDI channel (such as effects modules) so

their receive channels don’t conﬂict with one

another.

Figure 4-6: Connecting additional devices with MIDI THRU ports.

MIDI Thru when operating stand-alone

The UltraLite-mk3 has a MIDI Thru feature for

stand-alone operation. See “MIDI Thru in

standalone” on page 38.

CONNECTING AND SYNCING S/PDIF

DEVICES

DAT decks and other devices with S/PDIF digital

I/O will sync to the UltraLite-mk3 in via the

S/PDIF connection itself. Just connect it to the

UltraLite-mk3 via the S/PDIF connectors. When

the device records a digital audio signal (from the

UltraLite-mk3), it will simply synchronize to the

clock provided by the digital audio input.

On the other hand, when you transfer audio from

the S/PDIF device into the UltraLite-mk3, you’ll

have to slave the UltraLite-mk3 to its S/PDIF input.

Figure 4-7: The setup for synchronizing a S/PDIF device with the

UltraLite-mk3. Sync is achieved via the digital I/O connection itself. In

this case, you have to choose S/PDIF as the UltraLite-mk3’s clock

source when recording from the other device.

MIDI IN

MIDI

cable

MIDI Device

MIDI

THRU

MIDI

OUT

Additional device

UltraLite-mk3

rear panel

S/PDIF

S/PDIF device

UltraLite-mk3

Clock Source setting =

Internal (when transferring from the

UltraLite-mk3 to the other device)

UltraLite-mk3

Clock Source setting =

S/PDIF (when transferring from the

other device to the UltraLite-mk3)

S/PDIF

INSTALLING THE ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID HARDWARE

POWER OPTIONS

The UltraLite-mk3 can draw power from two

possible sources:

1. the computer via FireWire, or

2. a DC power supply.

If you use USB2 to connect to your computer, you

must also use the DC power supply included with

your UltraLite-mk3, as USB2 does not supply

enough power by itself.

Bus power requirements

The UltraLite-mk3 draws all the power it needs

from the FireWire bus connection to the computer.

However, the FireWire connection to the computer

must meet all of the requirements discussed below.

6-pin FireWire connectors

The UltraLite-mk3 can only draw power over the

FireWire bus from a 6-pin to 6-pin cable, or a 6-pin

to 9-pin (FireWire B) cable. It cannot draw power

from a FireWire cable with a 4-pin connector, as

shown below:

Figure 4-8: 4-pin FireWire connectors cannot be used for bus power.

When operating under bus power, daisy-chaining

is not recommended

The UltraLite-mk3 can be daisy-chained with

other FireWire devices from a single FireWire

connection to the computer. However, if the

UltraLite-mk3 is operating under bus power, this is

not recommended. If you need to daisy chain the

UltraLite-mk3 with other devices on the same

FireWire bus, power the UltraLite-mk3 with the

included power adapter. The other devices on the

chain should also have their own power supply. In

general, bus-powered FireWire devices should not

be daisy-chained.

FireWire adapter products must be powered

If you are using a FireWire adapter (a third-party

product that supplies one or more FireWire ports

to your computer), it must have direct access to a

power supply:

■ PCI FireWire cards — If you plan to connect the

UltraLite-mk3 to a PCI card and run the

UltraLite-mk3 under bus power, the PCI card must

have a direct connection to the power supply

harness inside your computer. This is the same

power supply harness to which you connect

internal hard drives, CD/DVD drives, etc.

■ PCMCIA or ExpressCard slot adapters — If you

plan to connect the UltraLite-mk3 to a PC card

FireWire adapter (inserted in the PC card slot in

your laptop), it must provide a 6-pin connection

and it must also have its own power supply. Most

commonly, these types of products have a DC

power adapter. As you can see, however, this

situation does not allow for remote battery

operation, as the PC card adapter requires AC.

Examples of bus- powered operation

Here are a few typical examples of bus-powered

UltraLite-mk3 operation:

Bus power from a desktop computer

Your desktop computer is running off of its usual

AC power connection, and the UltraLite-mk3

draws power from the FireWire cable connected to

the computer. There are no limits to running time.

Bus power from an AC-powered laptop

This scenario is identical to the desktop situation

described above: the laptop is powered by AC, the

UltraLite-mk3 is powered via the FireWire bus and

there are no limits to running time.

6-pin FireWire

4-pin FireWire

✓

✗

YES

INSTALLING THE ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID HARDWARE

Bus power from a battery-powered laptop

The laptop is being powered by its own battery, and

the UltraLite-mk3 is being powered by its FireWire

connection to the computer. So the laptop battery

is supplying power to both the laptop and the

UltraLite-mk3. This is the most compact and

portable operating scenario. Running time is

determined by the capacity of the laptop battery.

For extended recording sessions, bring extra, fully

charged laptop batteries.

DC power supply

If you do not want the UltraLite-mk3 to draw

power from the computer, and AC power is

available, you can power the UltraLite-mk3 from

any standard 8-18 volt, 12 watt DC power supply

with any polarity (tip positive or negative), and

amperage as shown below.

Bus power versus DC power

When you connect a DC power supply, the

UltraLite-mk3 could draw power from either

FireWire or the DC power supply. So which source

does it use? The answer is: the source that is

currently supplying the greatest voltage. But in

practice, it doesn’t really matter because the only

situation in which you need to be concerned about

the UltraLite-mk3’s power draw is when you are

operating it with a battery-powered laptop. And in

this situation, the only available power is from

FireWire. In all other situations, the computer has

its own power, so it doesn’t matter if the

UltraLite-mk3 is drawing power from FireWire.

Turning off the UltraLite-mk3

To turn on the UltraLite-mk3, push the VOL knob.

To turn it off, push and hold the VOL knob. When

the UltraLite-mk3 is turned off, it is really in a sort

of “sleep” mode, where it still draws just enough

power to detect the power switch (a digital

encoder) when the UltraLite-mk3 is turned back

on. But the amount of power that the

UltraLite-mk3 draws when it is turned off is so

small that it has very little practical impact. If you

are running a laptop under battery power, and you

are in a situation where you are not using the

UltraLite-mk3 and you need every last bit of laptop

battery power, unplug the UltraLite-mk3 entirely

from the computer.

Voltage Amperage

9 volts 1.33 amps

12 volts 1 amp

18 volts 0.66 amps

INSTALLING THE ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID HARDWARE

A TYPICAL ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID SETUP

Here is a typical UltraLite-mk3 studio setup. This

rig can be operated without an external mixer. All

mixing and processing can be done in the

computer with audio software. During recording,

you can use the UltraLite-mk3’s CueMix™ FX no-

latency monitoring to listen to what you are

recording via the main outs, headphone outs, or

any other output pair. You can control monitoring

either from the front panel or from the included

CueMix FX software.

S/PDIF

DAT deck

quarter-inch

analog outs

synthesizer

monitors

Figure 4-9: A typical UltraLite-mk3 studio setup.

headphones

Analog outputs (sends, stage

monitors, surround monitors, etc.)

MIDI IN

MIDI OUT

UltraLite-mk3

rear panel

mic

FireWire

or USB2

guitars (with or

without an amp)

Analog

returns

Compressor, reverb or other

analog outboard gear

INSTALLING THE ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID HARDWARE

CONNECTING MULTIPLE MOTU FIREWIRE

INTERFACES

You can daisy-chain up to four 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).

Figure 4-10: Connecting multiple MOTU FireWire audio interfaces.

Multiple interfaces cannot be bus-powered

Do not run the UltraLite-mk3 under bus power

when connecting it with other devices to the same

FireWire bus. See “Power options” and “Bus power

requirements” on page 23.

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 4-11.

Figure 4-11: To view the settings for an interface, click its tab.

Synchronizing multiple interfaces

All connected MOTU FireWire interfaces get their

clock from whatever you choose from the Clock

Source menu in the General tab in MOTU Audio

Console. When you connect multiple MOTU

FireWire interfaces, all of their respective sync

sources are displayed in the menu as shown below

in Figure 4-12.

FireWire

828mk3 or other

FireWire device

with multiple

FireWire ports

INSTALLING THE ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID HARDWARE

Figure 4-12: All MOTU FireWire audio interfaces get their clock from a

single master sync source on any connected UltraLite-mk3 (or other

MOTU FireWire interface). After you choose a source from this menu,

the entire system, including all connected UltraLites, synchronizes to

it.

Each FireWire interface in the system gets its clock

from the computer (unless it is the master clock

itself).

Connecting other MOTU FireWire interfaces

You can add an original MOTU 828 to the end of a

FireWire daisy chain (because the 828 has only one

FireWire port), or you can mix and match multiple

UltraLites with other MOTU FireWire interfaces

using a standard FireWire hub. You can also add

828mkIIs, 828mk3s, 896HDs, 896mk3s, Travelers

and UltraLites, which have two FireWire ports

convenient for daisy-chaining. Up to four

interfaces can be combined on one FireWire bus.

Operating multiple FireWire interfaces at high

sample rates

Four MOTU FireWire interfaces can operate at

44.1 or 48kHz on a single FireWire bus, although

you may have to disable optical banks (on

interfaces that have them) to conserve FireWire bus

bandwidth. At the 2x samples rates (88.2 or 96kHz)

and 4x sample rates (176.4 and 192kHz), you can

operate no more than two FireWire interfaces on a

single FireWire bus.

Adding additional interfaces with a second

FireWire bus

Third-party FireWire bus expansion products in

the form of a cardbus (“PC card”) adaptor,

ExpressCard adaptor or PCI card allow you to add

a second FireWire bus to your computer. In may be

possible to add additional MOTU FireWire

interfaces connected to such a third-party product,

depending on the performance of the product and

the performance of your host computer.

Managing the IDs of multiple interfaces

Multiple UltraLite-mk3 interfaces are identiﬁed by

number (#1, #2, #3, etc.) Interfaces are ID’d (given

a number) by the order in which they are ﬁrst

powered up after being connected. This

information is stored in the MOTU Audio

preferences ﬁle. Once ID’d, they retain the same

number regardless of the order in which they are

powered up. You can disable an interface at any

time with the Disable interface option shown in

Figure 4-11 on page 26. Doing so frees up the

FireWire bandwidth required by the interface

without turning it off. Switching off an interface

accomplishes the same thing. To get MOTU Audio

Console to forget about an interface entirely, you’ll

see a Forget button in MOTU Audio Console. Just

click the Forget button and MOTU Audio Console

will no longer consider the interface to be present

but off line (turned off).

INSTALLING THE ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID HARDWARE

CHAPTER

5 MOTU Audio Console

OVERVIEW

MOTU Audio Console gives you access to basic

UltraLite-mk3 hardware settings, such as sample

rate, clock source and more.

Accessing the UltraLite-mk3 settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

‘General’ tab Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Sample Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Clock Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Samples Per Buffer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Wave support for legacy (MME) software . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Enable Pedal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

‘UltraLite-mk3’ tab settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Phones Assign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Main Out Assign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Return Assign. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Disable Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

ACCESSING THE ULTRALITE-MK3 SETTINGS

There are several ways to access MOTU Audio

Console settings:

■ From the Windows Start menu, choose

Programs>MOTU>MOTU Audio Console

■ In Cubase or Nuendo, open the Device Setup

window, click VST Audio System and choose

MOTU Audio ASIO from the Master ASIO Driver

menu as shown below. Then click the MOTU Audio

ASIO item in the list and click the Control Panel

button.

■ From within other ASIO-compatible programs,

refer to their documentation.

■ From the front panel LCD (see chapter 6,

“UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid Front Panel Operation”

(page 35)).

General tab settings

The General tab provides settings that apply

globally to all connected MOTU FireWire

interfaces.

UltraLite-mk3 tab settings

The UltraLite-mk3 tab provides settings that apply

to a speciﬁc UltraLite-mk3 interface. If you have

several UltraLites (or other MOTU FireWire audio

interfaces) connected, you’ll see a separate tab for

each one.

MOTU AUDIO CONSOLE

‘GENERAL’ TAB SETTINGS

Sample Rate

Choose the desired Sample Rate for recording and

playback. The UltraLite-mk3 can operate at 44.1

(the standard rate for compact disc audio), 48,

88.2, 96, 176.4 or 192KHz. If you have a S/PDIF

device connected to the UltraLite-mk3, make sure

that it matches the UltraLite-mk3’s sample rate.

☛ 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.

S/PDIF at 4x sample rates (176.4 or 192kHz)

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

I/O remains active, but S/PDIF digital I/O is

disabled.

Clock Source

The Clock Source determines the digital audio

clock that the UltraLite-mk3 will use as its time

base. The following sections brieﬂy discuss each

clock source setting.

Internal

Use the Internal setting when you want the

UltraLite-mk3 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 UltraLite-mk3 system on its

internal clock, and then slave the DAT deck to the

UltraLite-mk3 via the S/PDIF connection (usually

DAT decks slave to their S/PDIF input when you

choose the S/PDIF input as their record source).

If you would like help determining if this is the

proper clock setting for your situation, see

“Connecting and syncing S/PDIF devices” on

page 22.

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

MOTU AUDIO CONSOLE

S/PDIF

The S/PDIF clock source setting refers to the

S/PDIF RCA input jack on the UltraLite-mk3. This

setting allows the UltraLite-mk3 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

UltraLite-mk3. It is not necessary in the opposite

direction (when you are transferring from the

UltraLite-mk3 to the DAT machine).

For further details about this setting, see

“Connecting and syncing S/PDIF devices” on

page 22.

SMPTE

Choose this setting to resolve the UltraLite-mk3

directly to SMPTE time code (LTC) being received

via the UltraLite-mk3’s quarter-inch SMPTE input

jack. For details, see “Syncing to SMPTE time

code” on page 106and chapter 11, “MOTU SMPTE

Console” (page 103).

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 microphone input that you would like to run

through a reverb 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 10, “CueMix FX”

(page 61).

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

■ 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 signiﬁcantly 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 ﬁnd that settings in the middle work best.

MOTU AUDIO CONSOLE

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 9,

“Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 55).

Wave support for legacy (MME) software

Windows only exposes the ﬁrst two channels of a

multi-channel WDM audio stream to applications

which use the legacy (MME) multimedia interface.

The Enable full Wave support for legacy (MME)

software (less efﬁcient) option forces the

UltraLite-mk3 multimedia driver to expose all

channels as stereo pairs, providing full MME

support.

If your host audio software does not directly

support WDM audio and instead only supports

legacy MME drivers, use this option to access

multiple UltraLite-mk3 input and output channels.

If your host audio software does directly support

WDM audio, leave this option unchecked for

optimal performance.

This option is only available when the multimedia

driver has been installed, and it defaults to being

not checked.

Enable Pedal

This setting applies to other MOTU FireWire audio

interfaces, but it does not apply to the

UltraLite-mk3.

‘ULTRALITE-MK3’ 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 the headphone output to

match the main outs. Choose Phones 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 eight

on-board CueMix FX mix busses.

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

UltraLite-mk3 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 UltraLite-mk3 appears in your

host software alongside all other UltraLite-mk3

inputs, wherever your host software lists them.

The UltraLite-mk3 stereo return bus can be used

for a variety of purposes. For example, you could

use it to send a ﬁnal mix being played through the

UltraLite-mk3 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 UltraLite-mk3 hardware via

CueMix FX (with or without CueMix effects

processing on the live inputs).

MOTU AUDIO CONSOLE

Disable Interface

You can disable an interface at any time with the

Disable interface option. Doing so frees up the

FireWire bandwidth required by the interface

without turning it off. Switching off an interface

accomplishes the same thing. To get MOTU Audio

Console to forget about an interface entirely, you’ll

see a Forget button in MOTU Audio Console. Just

click the Forget button and MOTU Audio Console

will no longer consider the interface to be present

but off line (turned off).

MOTU AUDIO CONSOLE

CHAPTER

6 UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid

Front Panel Operation

OVERVIEW

The UltraLite-mk3 offers complete front-panel

programming via four rotary encoders and a 2x16

backlit LCD display. All UltraLite-mk3 settings can

be accessed via these front-panel controls.

Push-button rotary encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Power switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Mic/guitar inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Main out volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Phones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Multi-function LCD display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

METER display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

AUDIO menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

SETUP menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

CUEMIX menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Inputs menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Outputs menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Mixes menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Reverb menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Stand-alone operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

PUSH-BUTTON ROTARY ENCODERS

All of the knobs on the UltraLite-mk3 front panel

are push-button digital rotary encoders. In many

cases, you can either push the knob, hold it in, or

turn it to make a setting or toggle the LCD display

(depending on the encoder and setting).

POWER SWITCH

Push the VOL knob to power on the

UltraLite-mk3. Push in and hold the VOL knob to

turn it off.

MIC/GUITAR INPUTS

The UltraLite-mk3 mic/guitar inputs are equipped

with many features to handle a wide variety of

recording situations.

For information about connections and settings,

see “Mic/instrument inputs” on page 20 in the

installation chapter.

For information about the many settings available

for the mic/guitar inputs, see:

■ “The Inputs tab” on page 66

■ “The channel settings section” on page 70

■ “The Channel tab” on page 70

■ “The EQ tab” on page 72

■ “The Dynamics tab” on page 80

Figure 6-1: The UltraLite-mk3 front panel mic/guitar inputs and phone jack.

ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID FRONT PANEL OPERATION

PHONES

From the factory, the PHONES jack (Figure 6-1) is

a discrete output at 44.1/48 kHz, but it can mirror

any other output pair (digital or analog) or serve as

its own independent output.

When you turn the phone VOL knob, the LCD

display provides visual feedback:

Figure 6-2: The LCD provides feedback as you adjust Phone volume.

To view the current setting without changing it,

just push the knob (without turning it).

MAIN OUT VOLUME

Push the VOL knob twice to view and control the

volume of the main outs on the rear panel.

Figure 6-3: The LCD provides feedback as you adjust Phone volume.

The MASTER volume adjustment can be

programmed to control any combination of

outputs. See “The Monitor Group” on page 84 for

details.

Figure 6-4: The UltraLite-mk3 front panel controls.

The LCD is divided into four

sections that correspond to the

four knobs to the left.

Push the PARAM knob to

cycle among three global

menus: METER, CUEMIX

(mixer) and 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.

ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID FRONT PANEL OPERATION

MULTI-FUNCTION LCD DISPLAY

The LCD provides access to the many

UltraLite-mk3 settings, as well as visual feedback

of the current parameter being modiﬁed.

Parameter “zooming”

For many settings, the LCD temporarily “zooms

in” to display a long-throw meter and alpha-

numeric display to give you precise, real-time

feedback as you adjust the setting. For example, if

you change the headphone volume, the LCD

displays a level meter and gain reduction reading

that updates as you turn the volume knob, as

shown in Figure 6-2 on page 36. After a brief time-

out, the display returns to its previous state before

you turned the volume knob.

Four global display modes

Push the PARAM knob to cycle the LCD among

four global display modes:

METER display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

AUDIO menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

SETUP menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

CUEMIX menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

METER DISPLAY

To access the METER display, push the PARAM

knob until you see METER displayed in the LCD.

The METER display (Figure 6-5) provides

comprehensive metering for each input and

output. The labels above and below the LCD

indicate the meters for each input and output pair,

including the S/PDIF input and output (labeled

DIG IN and DIG OUT, respectively).

Figure 6-5: METER mode.

AUDIO MENU

To access the UltraLite-mk3 AUDIO menu, push

the PARAM knob until you see AU D IO displayed

in the LCD. This menu provides basic audio-

related. Turn the PARAM knob to access each

setting. Each setting in the AUDIO menu has a

corresponding setting in the MOTU Audio

Console software, as shown below:

* If the UltraLite-mk3 is currently connected to a computer, this

setting cannot be changed from the front-panel LCD. It must be

changed in MOTU Audio Console instead. Or, you can disconnect the

UltraLite-mk3 from the computer to change the Clock Source from

the front panel.

SETUP MENU

To access the UltraLite-mk3 SETUP menu, push

the PARAM knob until you see SETUP displayed in

the LCD. This menu provides basic features for

managing the UltraLite-mk3 hardware. Turn the

PARAM knob to access each setting. The ﬁrst ﬁve

settings in the SETUP menu have corresponding

settings in the MOTU Audio Console software, as

shown below:

LCD Contrast

Turn the VALUE knob to adjust the LCD contrast.

Save/Name Preset

An UltraLite-mk3 preset holds all current

CueMix FX mix settings (everything in the

CUEMIX menu). SETUP 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

Audio menu item Where to find more information

Clock Source* “Clock Source” on page 30

Sample rate* “Sample Rate” on page 30

Phones Assign “Phones Assign” on page 32

Main Out Assign “Main Out Assign” on page 32

Return Assign “Return Assign” on page 32

ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID FRONT PANEL OPERATION

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

conﬁrm the save. To cancel the save operation at

any time, turn the PARAM knob.

Load Preset

Turn VALUE to choose the preset you wish to load

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

MIDI Thru in standalone

Turn VALUE to enable (Y) or disable (N) the

UltraLite-mk3’s MIDI Thru feature when the it is

being operated stand-alone (not connected to a

computer via FireWire). When MIDI Thru is

enabled, the MIDI IN jack passes MIDI data

directly to the MIDI OUT jack. This allows you, for

example, to play a sound module connected to the

MIDI OUT from a keyboard controller connected

to the MIDI IN, without a computer connected.

All Notes Off

The All Notes Off setting sends a MIDI All Notes Off

message, as well as a MIDI note-off message for

every note on every MIDI channel. This stops any

stuck notes that are currently playing. Push VALUE

to send the All Notes Off MIDI data.

AutoSave Status

All of the parameters in the UltraLite-mk3 are

periodically saved automatically in its memory, so

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

up in the same state. AutoSave Status tells you the

current state of this process: Change Detected,

Saving… or Saved. If it says Saved, it is ready to be

powered down. If it says Change Detected or

Saving…, wait until it changes to Saved.

Factory Defaults

Push VALUE to restore the UltraLite-mk3

hardware to its factory default settings. Push

VALUE again to conﬁrm, or turn PARAM to

cancel.

CUEMIX MENU

To access the CUEMIX menu, push the PARAM

knob until you see CUEMIX displayed in the LCD.

This menu displays the settings for the

UltraLite-mk3 CueMix FX mixer.

CueMix mixer basics

It is much easier to navigate the CUEMIX menu in

the LCD if you have a general understanding of the

CueMix FX mixer. We strongly recommend that

you review chapter 10, “CueMix FX” (page 61)

before learning the LCD, especially “CueMix FX

basic operation” on page 63.

CUEMIX menu organization

Mixer settings are divided into four sub-menus,

which correspond to the Inputs, Mixes, Outputs

and Reverb tabs in the CueMix FX software:

■ IN (inputs)

■ OUT (outputs)

■ MIX (Mixes)

■ REVERB (reverb processor)

Navigating the four main menus

To access the four main menus above, push the

CHANNEL knob repeatedly. Then turn the

CHANNEL knob to select the desired channel or

mix.

ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID FRONT PANEL OPERATION

The IN (inputs) menu

Push the CHANNEL button repeatedly until you

see “I:” in the channel section of the LCD

(Figure 6-6). This is similar to accessing the Inputs

tab in CueMix FX console (“The Inputs tab” on

page 66).

Figure 6-6: The IN (inputs) menu.

Choosing a channel

Once you see the Inputs menu (Figure 6-6) in the

LCD, turn the CHANNEL knob to select the

desired input that you wish to edit. This is roughly

equivalent to specifying an input channel strip to

work with in the Inputs tab in CueMix FX software

(Figure 10-3 on page 66).

Choosing a setting to modify

Once you’ve selected an input channel, you can

access the various settings for that channel using

the PAGE knob and PARAMETER knobs.

Turn the PAGE knob to scroll through channel

settings such as individual bands of EQ, the

compressor, reverb sends, etc. Push the PAGE knob

to jump to the next “section” of parameters or to

jump back to the beginning of the list. This is

roughly the equivalent of moving through the

various channel controls in an individual input

channel strip in CueMix FX (Figure 10-3 on

page 66), as well as the settings in the Channel tab

(Figure 10-8 on page 70).

Turn the PARAMETER knob to scroll through

individual parameters, such as the frequency for

the current band of EQ. This is roughly equivalent

to the parameters in the EQ tab (Figure 10-10 on

page 72), Dynamics tab (Figure 10-26 on page 80)

and Reverb tab (Figure 10-28 on page 83) in the

CueMix FX software.

Adjusting the value of a parameter

Turn the VALUE knob to adjust the value of the

current PARAMETER. Some parameters have

default values. If so, push the VALUE knob to cycle

through them.

Inactive items

If a menu item is inactive for some reason (perhaps

it doesn’t currently apply or it is disabled), it is

displayed in parentheses.

Copying and pasting

EQ, dynamics and Mix Assign settings allow you to

copy and paste settings between EQ bands and/or

channels. Push the VALUE knob to copy, scroll to

the other item and then push again to paste.

Pad and phantom power

If a quarter-inch plug is inserted into the XLR/TRS

combo input, the phantom power and pad settings

are disabled. When disabled, their corresponding

setting in the LCD menu will read N/A (Not

Applicable). All current phantom power and pad

settings for the mic input are reactivated and

restored when the quarter-inch plug is removed

from the jack.

Summary of Inputs menu settings

For a summary of Inputs menu settings, see

“Inputs menu” on page 41.

“ I: ” Indicates

the IN (inputs)

menu.

The current

channel.

“Pages” are groups of

channel settings, such

as one band of EQ.

Access individual parameters

here, such as the frequency

setting for a band of EQ.

Change the value of the

current parameter here

ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID FRONT PANEL OPERATION

The OUT (Outputs) menu

Push the CHANNEL button repeatedly until you

see “O:” in the channel section of the LCD

(Figure 6-7). This is similar to accessing the

Outputs tab in CueMix FX console (“The Outputs

tab” on page 68).

Figure 6-7: The OUT (outputs) menu.

Choosing a channel

Once you see the Outputs menu (Figure 6-7) in the

LCD, turn the CHANNEL knob to select the

desired output that you wish to edit. This is roughly

equivalent to specifying an output channel strip to

work with in the Outputs tab in CueMix FX

software (Figure 10-6 on page 69).

Working with outputs in the LCD

Once you’ve selected an output channel, you can

access the various settings for that channel using

the PAGE knob and PARAMETER knobs. The

knobs function the same as described for inputs in

“Choosing a setting to modify” on page 39 and

“Adjusting the value of a parameter” on page 39.

Summary of Output menu settings

For a summary of Inputs menu settings, see

“Outputs menu” on page 42.

The MIX (Mixes) menu

Push the CHANNEL button repeatedly until you

see “MIX 1” (or “MIX 2”, etc.) in the channel

section of the LCD (Figure 6-8). This is similar to

accessing the Mixes tab in CueMix FX console

(“The Mixes tab” on page 64).

Figure 6-8: The MIX (Mixes) menu.

Choosing a mix bus

Once you see the MIX menu (Figure 6-8) in the

LCD, turn the CHANNEL knob to select the

desired mix that you wish to edit. This is roughly

equivalent to choosing a mix in the Mixes tab in

CueMix FX software (Figure 10-2 on page 64).

Working with mix busses in the LCD

Once you’ve selected a mix, you can access the

various settings for that mix using the PAGE knob

and PARAMETER knobs. The knobs function the

same as described for inputs in “Choosing a setting

to modify” on page 39 and “Adjusting the value of a

parameter” on page 39. The PAGE knob scrolls

through the following mix bus settings:

■ MASTER — these are master fader settings,

such as the master fader output assignment, master

mute on/off, and the master fader volume. Access

them with the PARAMETER knob.

“ O: ” Indicates

the OUT

(outputs) menu.

The current

channel.

“Pages” are groups of

channel settings, such

as one band of EQ.

Access individual parameters

here, such as the frequency

setting for a band of EQ.

Change the value of the

current parameter here

The current

mix bus.

Here, choose master fader

settings, reverb settings, and

individual input channels.

Access individual parameters

here, such as input channel

settings.

Change the value of the

current parameter here

ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID FRONT PANEL OPERATION

■ REVERB — these are the reverb send and return

controls for the bus master fader. Access them with

the PARAMETER knob.

■ Individual channels — once you scroll past

MASTER and REVERB, the PAGE knob then

scrolls through all available inputs for the mix bus.

Once you choose an input, access its channel

settings using the PARAM knob and VALUE knob.

Summary of Mix menu settings

For a summary of Mix menu settings, see “Mixes

menu” on page 42.

The REVERB settings

Push the CHANNEL button repeatedly until you

see “REVERB” in the channel section of the LCD

(Figure 6-9). This is similar to accessing the Reverb

tab in CueMix FX (“The Reverb tab” on page 83).

☛ The REVERB processor is not available at

sample rates above 48 kHz. Therefore, when the

UltraLite-mk3 is operating at 88.2 kHz or higher,

the REVERB menu does not appear in the LCD.

Figure 6-9: The REVERB settings.

Once you’ve selected the REVERB menu, you can

access all settings using the PARAMETER and

VALUE knobs. The PAGE knob is not needed and

is therefore disabled when editing reverb settings.

Summary of Reverb menu settings

See “Reverb menu” on page 42 for a summary.

INPUTS MENU

CHANNEL PAGE PARAM

INPUTS

mic 1-2

Analog 1-2

Analog 3-4

etc.

INPUT PAIR

PHASE

L-R/M-S (stereo or M/S)

SWAP

WIDTH

TRIM

PAD

PHANTOM

(global)

ENABLE

COPY

PASTE

RESET

HPF

(High-pass)

ENABLE

SLOPE

FREQ

(Low w/shelf)

ENABLE

TYPE

FREQ

GAIN

WIDTH

LMF

(Low-mid)

ENABLE

TYPE

FREQ

GAIN

WIDTH

(Mid)

ENABLE

TYPE

FREQ

GAIN

WIDTH

HMF

(High-mid)

ENABLE

TYPE

FREQ

GAIN

WIDTH

(High w/shelf)

ENABLE

TYPE

FREQ

GAIN

WIDTH

LPF

(Low-pass)

ENABLE

SLOPE

FREQ

DYN

(Dynamics)

ENABLE

COPY

PASTE

RESET

COMP

(Compressor)

ENABLE

MODE

THRESH

RATIO

ATTACK

RELEASE

TRIM

LEVELER ENABLE

MODE

REDUCE

MAKEUP

REVERB SEND

SEND PAN (mono only)

ULTRALITE-MK3 HYBRID FRONT PANEL OPERATION

OUTPUTS MENU MIXES MENU

REVERB MENU

STAND-ALONE OPERATION

All settings, including all mix settings and global

settings, are saved in the UltraLite-mk3’s memory,

and they remain in effect even when the

UltraLite-mk3 is not connected to a computer.

This allows you to use the UltraLite-mk3 as a

stand-alone 8-bus mixer. You can make

adjustments to any setting at any time from the

front panel.

CHANNEL PAGE PARAM

OUTPUTS

Main

Analog 1-2

Analog 3-4, etc.

(global)

ENABLE

COPY

PASTE

RESET

HPF

(High-pass)

ENABLE

SLOPE

FREQ

(Low w/shelf)

ENABLE

TYPE

FREQ

GAIN

WIDTH

LMF

(Low-mid)

ENABLE

TYPE

FREQ

GAIN

WIDTH

(Mid)

ENABLE

TYPE

FREQ

GAIN

WIDTH

HMF

(High-mid)

ENABLE

TYPE

FREQ

GAIN

WIDTH

(High w/shelf)

ENABLE

TYPE

FREQ

GAIN

WIDTH

LPF

(Low-pass)

ENABLE

SLOPE

FREQ

DYN

(Dynamics)

ENABLE

COPY

PASTE

RESET

COMP

(Compressor)

ENABLE

MODE

THRESH

RATIO

ATTACK

RELEASE

TRIM

LEVELER ENABLE

MODE

REDUCE

MAKEUP

REVERB SEND

SEND PAN

MASTER MONITOR

TALKBACK

LSNBACK

CHANNEL PAGE PARAM

MIXES

Mix 1

Mix 2

etc.

MASTER ASSIGN

MUTE

FADER

COPY

PASTE

RESET

REVERB SEND

RETURN

ANALOG 1

ANALOG 2

etc.

(if mono)

MUTE

SOLO

(BAL/WID) - n/a

PAN

FADER

ANALOG 3-4

ANALOG 5-6

etc.

(if stereo)

MUTE

SOLO

BAL/WID

BAL

FADER

SP (S/PDIF) MUTE

SOLO

BAL/WID

BAL

FADER

CHANNEL PAGE PARAM

REVERB --- ENABLE

TIME

PREDELAY

WIDTH

CUT Hz

CUT dB

ROOM

REFSIZE

REF LEV

LO %

MID %

HI %

LO XOVR

HI XOVR

SPLIT

CHAPTER

7 Cubase, Nuendo, Live and Other

ASIO Software

OVERVIEW

The UltraLite-mk3 includes an ASIO driver that

provides multi-channel I/O and sample-accurate

synchronization with Steinberg’s Cubase family of

digital audio sequencers, including Cubase and

Nuendo.

What is ASIO? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Run MOTU Audio Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Choosing the MOTU ASIO driver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Direct monitoring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Other System dialog settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Viewing and managing UltraLite-mk3 inputs. . . . . . . . 46

Viewing and managing UltraLite-mk3 outputs . . . . . . 47

Changing UltraLite-mk3 settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Processing live inputs with host-based VST plug-ins. 47

Working with CueMix FX mixing and effects. . . . . . . . . 47

Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

MIDI I/O via the UltraLite-mk3 MIDI ports. . . . . . . . . . . . 47

24-bit operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

WHAT IS ASIO?

ASIO is an acronym for Audio Streaming Input and

Output. The ASIO MOTU FireWire Audio driver

allows the UltraLite-mk3 to provide multi-channel

audio input and output for any audio application

that supports ASIO drivers.

Attention: Other software users

The UltraLite-mk3 ASIO driver also provides

multi-channel I/O with any ASIO-compatible

audio software. Cubase is used for the examples in

this chapter. However, the basic procedures are the

same and can be easily applied to any ASIO-

compatible software. Just follow the general

descriptions at the beginning of each main section

in this chapter. Consult your software

documentation for details about each topic, if

necessary.

If your audio software doesn’t support ASIO

If your host audio software does not support ASIO,

but instead supports WDM (or legacy Wave) audio

drivers, refer to the next chapter.

PREPARATION

To make sure that everything is ready for Cubase,

install Cubase ﬁrst (if you haven’t already done so),

and then see these chapters before proceeding:

■ chapter 3, “IMPORTANT! Run the

UltraLite-mk3 Software Installer First” (page 15)

■ chapter 4, “Installing the UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid

Hardware” (page 17).

RUN MOTU AUDIO CONSOLE

Before you run Cubase, launch MOTU Audio

Console to conﬁgure your UltraLite-mk3

hardware. MOTU Audio Console lets you

conﬁgure your audio interface, and it lets you

enable the desired inputs and outputs. Only

enabled inputs and outputs will be available to

Cubase, so this is an important step. For complete

details regarding MOTU Audio Console, see

chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Console” (page 29).

CUBASE, NUENDO, LIVE AND OTHER ASIO SOFTWARE

Figure 7-1: MOTU Audio Console gives you access to all of the settings

in the UltraLite-mk3 hardware, including the clock source and

sample rate.

For complete details about the UltraLite-mk3

settings, see chapter 5, “MOTU Audio Console”

(page 29). The following sections provide a brief

explanation of each UltraLite-mk3 setting for use

with Cubase.

Sample rate

Choose the desired overall sample rate for the

UltraLite-mk3 system and Cubase. Newly recorded

audio in Cubase will have this sample rate.

Clock Source

This setting is very important because it

determines which audio clock the UltraLite-mk3

will follow.

If you do not have any digital audio connections to

your UltraLite-mk3 (you are using the analog

inputs and outputs only), and you will not be

slaving Cubase to external SMPTE time code,

choose Internal.

If you have a S/PDIF digital audio device

connected to the UltraLite-mk3, see “Connecting

and syncing S/PDIF devices” on page 22.

If you are slaving the UltraLite-mk3 and Cubase to

SMPTE time code via the UltraLite-mk3 itself,

choose SMPTE and follow the directions in

“Resolving Cubase or Nuendo to SMPTE time

code” on page 105.

☛ If you are using an ASIO host application

other than Cubase or Nuendo, it must support the

ASIO 2.0 sample-accurate positioning protocol in

order to support the UltraLite-mk3’s direct SMPTE

sync (and sample-accurate sync) feature.

Samples Per Buffer

The Samples Per Buffer setting can be used to

reduce the delay — or monitoring latency — that

you hear when live audio is patched through your

UltraLite-mk3 hardware and Cubase. For example,

you might have MIDI instruments, samplers,

microphones, and so on connected to the analog

inputs of the UltraLite-mk3. If so, you will often be

mixing their live input with audio material

recorded in Cubase. See chapter 9, “Reducing

Monitoring Latency” (page 55) for complete

details.

Phones

This UltraLite-mk3 setting lets you choose what

you’ll hear from the headphone jack. For example,

if you choose Main Out 1-2, the headphones will

duplicate the main outs. Or you can choose any

other output pair. If you choose Phones 1-2, this

setting makes the headphone jack serve as its own

CUBASE, NUENDO, LIVE AND OTHER ASIO SOFTWARE

independent output pair. As a result, you’ll see

Phones 1-2 as an additional audio destination in

Cubase or Nuendo’s audio output menus.

Main Out Assign

Use the Main Out Assign setting to determine what

audio you will hear on the TRS main outs of the

UltraLite-mk3. If you would like to treat them as

their own separate output pair, choose Main Outs.

CHOOSING THE MOTU ASIO DRIVER

Once you’ve made the preparations described so

far in this chapter, you’re ready to run your audio

software and enable the MOTU ASIO Driver.

Check the audio system or audio hardware

conﬁguration window in your software. There will

be a menu there that lets you choose among

various ASIO drivers that may be in your system.

Choose the MOTU ASIO Driver from this menu.

Nuendo, Cubase and V-Stack

To activate the UltraLite-mk3 driver in Nuendo or

Cubase SX, go to the Device Setup window, click

VST Audio System and choose MOTU Audio ASIO

from the ASIO Driver menu (Figure 7-2). Make the

other settings in the dialog as need for your system

and synchronization scenario.

Figure 7-2: Activating the UltraLite-mk3 ASIO driver in Nuendo and

Cubase.

Live

In Ableton Live, access the preferences window and

click the Audio tab. Choose ASIO from the Driver

Ty p e menu. Choose the MOTU Audio ASIO from

the Audio Device menu as shown below in

Figure 7-3. To enable or disable UltraLite-mk3

input or output channels, click the Input Conﬁg or

Output Conﬁg buttons. To access MOTU Audio

Console, click the Hardware Setup button.

For information about the Buffer Size setting, see

“Adjusting the audio I/O buffer” on page 57.

Figure 7-3: Enabling the UltraLite-mk3 in Live.

CUBASE, NUENDO, LIVE AND OTHER ASIO SOFTWARE

Sound Forge

To activate the MOTU Audio ASIO driver in Sound

Forge, go to the Preferences window, click the

Audio tab, and then choose MOTU Audio from the

Audio device type menu as shown below.

Figure 7-4: Enabling the UltraLite-mk3 driver in Sound Forge.

DIRECT MONITORING

The Direct Monitoring option (Figure 7-5) allows

you to monitor inputs directly in the

UltraLite-mk3 hardware with no drain on your

computer and near zero latency. When you enable

this option, Cubase uses the UltraLite-mk3’s

CueMix FX monitoring features whenever you use

Cubase’s monitoring features. For further

information, see “Controlling CueMix FX from

within Cubase or Nuendo” on page 59.

OTHER SYSTEM DIALOG SETTINGS

Consult your Cubase or Nuendo documentation

for details about the rest of the settings in this

dialog.

VIEWING AND MANAGING ULTRALITE-MK3

INPUTS

Once you’ve chosen the MOTU ASIO Driver in

Device Setup as explained earlier in “Choosing the

MOTU ASIO driver” on page 45, click MOTU

Audio ASIO in the left-hand list to see the

UltraLite-mk3 inputs in the port list on the right

(Figure 7-5). To activate an UltraLite-mk3 output,

create a bus in the VST Connections window and

assign the desired output to it.

Figure 7-5: Creating UltraLite-mk3 inputs in Nuendo or Cubase.

Return Assign

In the VST Inputs list, you’ll see an UltraLite-mk3

input pair called Return 1-2. This is a stereo feed

from the UltraLite-mk3 that matches the output of

one of its output pairs. Use the Return Assign menu

in MOTU Audio Console to choose which output

pair you would like to hear on this return. This can

be used, for example, to record back a ﬁnal stereo

mix that includes effects processing from the

UltraLite-mk3 DSP (such as the Leveler) for

reference and archiving purposes.

CUBASE, NUENDO, LIVE AND OTHER ASIO SOFTWARE

☛ Warning: the Return inputs can cause

feedback loops! DO NOT assign this input to a

track that shares the same UltraLite-mk3 output

pair as the returns.

Reverb return

The UltraLite-mk3 also supplies a return to your

host software that carries the output of its reverb

processor. This return can be used for any purpose

you wish.

VIEWING AND MANAGING ULTRALITE-MK3

OUTPUTS

To view and manage UltraLite-mk3 outputs, scroll

down below the inputs to see them (Figure 7-6).

Figure 7-6: Working with UltraLite-mk3 outputs in Nuendo or

Cubase.

The “Phones 1-2” output

If you’ve chosen to treat the UltraLite-mk3

headphones as an independent output, you’ll see

Phones 1-2 as a UltraLite-mk3 output destination.

Audio tracks assigned to this output pair will be

heard on the headphone jack only. For further

explanation, see “Phones” on page 44.

CHANGING ULTRALITE-MK3 SETTINGS

To change the UltraLite-mk3 settings at any time,

go to the Device Setup window in Nuendo or

Cubase and click the Control Panel button, as

shown in Figure 7-6 on page 47. Be sure to click the

Reset button after making any changes.

PROCESSING LIVE INPUTS WITH HOST-

BASED VST PLUG-INS

If you patch a live input (such as MIDI synthesizer)

through a VST plug-in effect in Cubase, you might

hear a slight delay. There are several ways to reduce

this delay. For details, see chapter 9, “Reducing

Monitoring Latency” (page 55).

WORKING WITH CUEMIX FX MIXING AND

EFFECTS

The UltraLite-mk3 provides powerful external

mixing, EQ, compression and reverb, which you

can operate hand-in-hand with your host

software’s complete mixing environment. For

example, the UltraLite-mk3 can serve as a monitor

mixer routing channels to musicians, or it can

serve as an integrated extension of your Cubase/

Nuendo mixing environment. If you program an

UltraLite-mk3 mixing and processing

conﬁguration that goes hand in hand with your

Cubase/Nuendo project, be sure to use the ﬁle save

features in CueMix FX to save the UltraLite-mk3

settings as a ﬁle in your Cubase/Nuendo project

folder for instant recall of all settings. See

chapter 10, “CueMix FX” (page 61) for complete

details.

SYNCHRONIZATION

Together, Cubase (or Nuendo) and the

UltraLite-mk3 have the ability to resolve directly to

SMPTE time code, without an additional time

code synchronizer. See “Syncing to SMPTE time

code” on page 106.

MIDI I/O VIA THE ULTRALITE-MK3 MIDI

PORTS

Once you’ve run the UltraLite-mk3 software

installer as explained in “Installing the

UltraLite-mk3 software” on page 15, the

UltraLite-mk3 MIDI ports will appear as a MIDI

input source and output destination in your host

software’s MIDI input and output menus.

CUBASE, NUENDO, LIVE AND OTHER ASIO SOFTWARE

24-BIT OPERATION

Your UltraLite-mk3 hardware fully supports

Cubase and Nuendo’s 24-bit recording capabilities.

Simply enable 24-bit operation as instructed in

your Cubase or Nuendo manual. The

UltraLite-mk3 always supplies a 24-bit data

stream, and when you enable 24-bit operation in

Cubase or Nuendo, it simply uses all 24-bits

supplied by the UltraLite-mk3 hardware.

CHAPTER

8 SONAR and other WDM Software

OVERVIEW

The UltraLite-mk3 WDM driver provides

standard multi-channel input and output for

WDM-compatible audio software running under

Windows XP.

WDM and Wave driver compatibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Installing the MOTU Audio WDM driver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Enabling Wave (MME) compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

WaveRT support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Making settings in MOTU Audio Console . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Enabling the MOTU Audio WDM driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Working with UltraLite-mk3 inputs and outputs. . . . . 52

Changing UltraLite-mk3 settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Reducing delay when monitoring live inputs . . . . . . . . 52

Processing live inputs with host-based VST plug-ins. 52

Working with CueMix FX mixing and effects. . . . . . . . . 52

MIDI I/O via the UltraLite-mk3 MIDI ports. . . . . . . . . . . . 52

24-bit operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

WDM AND WAVE DRIVER COMPATIBILITY

WDM is an acronym for Windows Driver Model.

The MOTU WDM Driver allows the

UltraLite-mk3 to provide multi-channel audio

input and output for any audio application that

supports WDM audio drivers.

Attention: Cakewalk users

Cakewalk SONAR is used for the WDM driver

setup examples in this chapter.

Attention: other software users

SONAR is used for the WDM driver setup

examples in this chapter. However, the basic

procedures are the same and can be easily applied

to any WDM-compatible software. Consult your

software documentation for details, if necessary.

INSTALLING THE MOTU AUDIO WDM

DRIVER

The MOTU Audio Installer CD installs the MOTU

WDM driver into Windows for you. That’s pretty

much all the preparation you need. See chapter 3,

“IMPORTANT! Run the UltraLite-mk3 Software

Installer First” (page 15).

ENABLING WAVE (MME) COMPATIBILITY

If your host audio software does not support

Windows WDM drivers, enable Wave driver

compatibility in the MOTU WDM Driver so that

all of the UltraLite-mk3’s inputs and outputs show

up in your software. For details, see “Wave support

for legacy (MME) software” on page 32.

☛ If your host audio software does support

WDM audio drivers, don’t enable Wave driver

compatibility.

WaveRT SUPPORT

The UltraLite-mk3 Windows driver also supports

WaveRT, a low-latency audio driver standard

developed by Microsoft. WaveRT is supported by

Sonar 8 and later, under Windows 7 and Vista. To

enable WaveRT, check the Use WaveRT for Windows

Audio option in MOTU Audio Setup.

Figure 8-1: The WaveRT option can be enabled in the MOTU Audio

Setup console.

SONAR AND OTHER WDM SOFTWARE

If you uncheck this box, WaveRT support is

disabled, and legacy WDM driver support is

provided instead.

MAKING SETTINGS IN MOTU AUDIO

CONSOLE

Before you run your audio software, launch MOTU

Audio Console to conﬁgure your UltraLite-mk3

hardware. MOTU Audio Console lets you choose

the audio clock source, sample rate, buffer size and

other hardware settings. For details, see chapter 5,

“MOTU Audio Console” (page 29). The following

sections provide a brief explanation of each

UltraLite-mk3 setting for use with SONAR.

Figure 8-2: MOTU Audio Console gives you access to all of the settings

in the UltraLite-mk3 hardware, including the clock source, sample

rate and headphone output assignment.

Sample rate

Choose the desired overall sample rate for the

UltraLite-mk3 system and SONAR. Newly

recorded audio in SONAR will have this sample

rate.

Clock Source

This setting is very important because it

determines which audio clock the UltraLite-mk3

will follow.

If you do not have any digital audio connections to

your UltraLite-mk3 (you are using the analog

inputs and outputs only), and you will not be

slaving SONAR to external SMPTE time code,

choose Internal.

If you have a S/PDIF digital audio device

connected to the UltraLite-mk3, see “Connecting

and syncing S/PDIF devices” on page 22.

Samples Per Buffer

The Samples Per Buffer setting can be used to

reduce the delay — or monitoring latency — that

you hear when live audio is patched through your

UltraLite-mk3 hardware and SONAR. For

example, you might have MIDI instruments,

samplers, microphones, and so on connected to

the analog inputs of the UltraLite-mk3. If so, you

will often be mixing their live input with audio

material recorded in SONAR. See chapter 9,

“Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 55) for

complete details.

Phones

This UltraLite-mk3 setting lets you choose what

you’ll hear from the headphone jack. For example,

if you choose Main Out 1-2, the headphones will

duplicate the main outs. Or you can choose any

other output pair. If you choose Phones, this setting

makes the headphone jack serve as its own

independent output pair. As a result, you’ll see

Phones 1-2 as an additional audio destination in

SONAR’s audio output menus.

Main Out Assign

Use the Main Out Assign setting to determine what

audio you will hear on the XLR main outs of the

UltraLite-mk3. If you would like to treat them as

their own separate output pair, choose Main Outs.

SONAR AND OTHER WDM SOFTWARE

ENABLING THE MOTU AUDIO WDM DRIVER

Once you’ve made the preparations described so

far in this chapter, you’re ready to run your audio

software and enable the MOTU Audio WDM

driver. Check the audio system or audio hardware

conﬁguration window in your software.

Enabling the MOTU Audio WDM driver in

SONAR

To activate the MOTU Audio WDM driver in

SONAR:

1 Choose Audio from the Options menu.

2 Click the Drivers tab.

3 Check the UltraLite-mk3 inputs and outputs

that you wish to use and uncheck the ones you

don’t as shown in Figure 8-3.

Figure 8-3: Activating the MOTU Audio WDM driver in SONAR by

highlighting UltraLite-mk3 inputs and outputs.

Enabling the MOTU ASIO driver in SONAR

As an alternative to the UltraLite-mk3’s WDM

driver, you can use the UltraLite-mk3’s ASIO

driver. Note, however, that you can only use one

audio interface at a time under ASIO. Go to the

Advanced tab and choose ASIO from the Driver

Mode menu:

Figure 8-4: Enabling the ASIO driver instead of the WDM driver.

Other audio settings in SONAR

There are a few other settings in SONAR that

impact UltraLite-mk3 operation:

1 In the Audio Options window, click the General

tab.

2 Choose any UltraLite-mk3 input and output for

recording and playback timing as shown below in

Figure 8-5. It doesn’t matter which ones.

Figure 8-5: Make sure you have chosen an UltraLite-mk3 input and

output for the playback and recording timing master settings.

3 In the General tab, click the Wave Proﬁler

button and run the Wave Proﬁler.

SONAR AND OTHER WDM SOFTWARE

This process chooses the optimum settings for the

UltraLite-mk3 hardware.

WORKING WITH ULTRALITE-MK3 INPUTS

AND OUTPUTS

Once you’ve enabled the UltraLite-mk3 inputs and

output, UltraLite-mk3 audio inputs and outputs

will appear in your host software’s input/output

menus, and you can set them up and use them as

any standard audio input and output.

Return Assign

In SONAR, you’ll see an UltraLite-mk3 input pair

called Return 1-2. This is a stereo feed from the

UltraLite-mk3 that matches the output of one of its

output pairs. Use the Return Assign menu in

MOTU Audio Console to choose which output

pair you would like to hear on this return. This can

be used, for example, to record back a ﬁnal stereo

mix that includes effects processing from the

UltraLite-mk3 DSP (such as the Leveler) for

reference and archiving purposes.

☛ Warning: the Return inputs can cause

feedback loops! DO NOT assign this input to a

track that shares the same UltraLite-mk3 output

pair as the returns.

Reverb return

The UltraLite-mk3 also supplies a return to your

host software that carries the output of its reverb

processor. This return can be used for any purpose

you wish.

The “Phones 1-2” output

If you’ve chosen to treat the UltraLite-mk3

headphones as an independent output, you’ll see

Phones 1-2 as an UltraLite-mk3 output destination.

Audio tracks assigned to this output pair will be

heard on the headphone jack only. For further

explanation, see “Phones Assign” on page 32.

CHANGING ULTRALITE-MK3 SETTINGS

You can change the UltraLite-mk3 settings at any

time by accessing MOTU Audio Console.

REDUCING DELAY WHEN MONITORING

LIVE INPUTS

If you have live audio inputs connected to the

UltraLite-mk3, such as MIDI synthesizers,

samplers, microphones or other live instruments,

you might hear a slight delay when their audio is

being monitored through your UltraLite-mk3

hardware and your host audio program. There are

several ways to reduce — and eliminate — this

audible monitoring delay. For details, see chapter 9,

“Reducing Monitoring Latency” (page 55).

PROCESSING LIVE INPUTS WITH HOST-

BASED VST PLUG-INS

If you patch a live input (such as MIDI synthesizer)

through a plug-in effect in SONAR, you might hear

a slight delay. There are several ways to reduce this

delay. For details, see chapter 9, “Reducing

Monitoring Latency” (page 55).

WORKING WITH CUEMIX FX MIXING AND

EFFECTS

The UltraLite-mk3 provides powerful external

mixing, EQ, compression and reverb, which you

can operate hand-in-hand with your host

software’s complete mixing environment. For

example, the UltraLite-mk3 can serve as a monitor

mixer routing channels to musicians, or it can

serve as an integrated extension of your SONAR

mixing environment. If you program an

UltraLite-mk3 mixing and processing

conﬁguration that goes hand in hand with your

SONAR project, be sure to use the ﬁle save features

in CueMix FX to save the UltraLite-mk3 settings as

a ﬁle in your SONAR project folder for instant

recall of all settings. See chapter 10, “CueMix FX”

(page 61) for complete details.

MIDI I/O VIA THE ULTRALITE-MK3 MIDI

PORTS

Once you’ve run the UltraLite-mk3 software

installer as explained in “Installing the

UltraLite-mk3 software” on page 15, the

UltraLite-mk3 MIDI ports will appear as a MIDI

SONAR AND OTHER WDM SOFTWARE

input source and output destination in your

WDM-compatible software’s MIDI input and

output menus.

24-BIT OPERATION

Your UltraLite-mk3 hardware fully supports 24-bit

recording in any audio software that supports it.

Simply enable 24-bit operation as instructed by the

software. The UltraLite-mk3 system always

supplies the software with a 24-bit data stream, and

when you enable 24-bit operation, it simply uses all

24-bits supplied by the UltraLite-mk3 hardware.

SONAR AND OTHER WDM SOFTWARE

CHAPTER

9 Reducing Monitoring Latency

OVERVIEW

Monitoring latency is that slight delay you hear

when you run an input signal through your host

audio software. For example, you might hear it

when you drive a live mic input signal through an

amp modeling plug-in running in your audio

sequencer.

This delay is caused by the amount of time it takes

for audio to make the entire round trip through

your computer, from when it ﬁrst enters an

UltraLite-mk3 input, passes through the

UltraLite-mk3 hardware into the computer,

through your host audio software, and then back

out to an UltraLite-mk3 output.

If you don’t need to process a live input with

plug-ins, the easiest way to avoid monitoring

latency is to use the UltraLite-mk3’s CueMix FX

digital mixer to patch the input directly to your

monitor outs via the UltraLite-mk3 audio

hardware. The UltraLite-mk3 even provides effects

processing (EQ, compression and reverb), which

can be applied on input, output, or even at the

bussing stage, just like a conventional mixer. For

details, see “CueMix FX hardware monitoring” on

page 58.

If you do need to process a live input with plug-ins,

or if you are playing virtual instruments live

through your UltraLite-mk3 audio hardware, you

can signiﬁcantly reduce latency — and even make

it completely inaudible, regardless of what host

audio application software you use. This chapter

explains how.

It is important to note that monitoring delay has no

effect on when audio data is recorded to disk or

played back from disk. Actual recording and

playback is extremely precise.

Monitoring live input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Adjusting the audio I/O buffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Lower latency versus higher CPU overhead . . . . . . . . . . 58

Transport responsiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Effects processing and automated mixing . . . . . . . . . . . 58

CueMix FX hardware monitoring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Two methods for controlling CueMix FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Using CueMix FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Controlling CueMix FX from your audio software . . . . 59

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY

MONITORING LIVE INPUT

There are two ways to monitor live audio input

with an UltraLite-mk3: 1) through the computer or

2) via the Ultralite-mk3’s CueMix FX hardware

mixer. Figure 9-1 below shows method 1, which

allows you to add effects processing such as reverb

and guitar amp effects via plug-ins in your audio

software. See the next section, “Adjusting the audio

I/O buffer” for details about how to reduce — and

possibly eliminate — the audible monitoring delay

that the computer introduces.

Figure 9-2 shows how to use CueMix FX hardware-

based monitoring, which lets you hear what you are

recording with no monitoring delay and no

computer-based effects processing. Instead, input

is routed directly to an output, either with or

without UltraLite-mk3-based effects processing

(EQ, compression or reverb). See “CueMix FX

hardware monitoring” later in this chapter for

details on how to use CueMix FX with your audio

software, or with the included CueMix FX

software.

If the material you are recording is suitable, there is

a third way to monitor live input: use both methods

(Figure 9-1 and Figure 9-2) at the same time. For

example, you could route guitar to both the

computer (for an amp model effect) and mix that

processed signal on the main outs with dry guitar

from CueMix FX — or perhaps with a touch of

UltraLite-mk3 Classic Reverb.

1. Live input (from mic, guitar, etc.)

enters the MOTU interface.

2. Mic signal goes immedi-

ately to the computer (dry,

with no effects processing).

3. Mic signal is

‘patched thru’ back to

the audio interface

with reverb or other

plug-in effects, if any.

Figure 9-1: There are two ways to monitor live audio inputs with an UltraLite-mk3: 1) through the computer or 2) via CueMix FX hardware

monitoring. This diagram shows method 1 (through the computer). When using this method, use your host software’s buffer setting to reduce

the slight delay you hear when monitoring the live input, but don’t lower it too much, or your computer might get sluggish.

4. Mic signal (with plug-in

processing, if any) is routed

to the main outs (or other

outputs that you’ve speciﬁed

in the software).

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY

ADJUSTING THE AUDIO I/O BUFFER

A buffer is a small amount of computer memory

used to hold data. For audio interfaces like the

UltraLite-mk3, buffers are used for the process of

transferring audio data in and out of the computer.

The size of the buffers determines how much delay

you hear when monitoring live inputs through

your audio software: larger buffers produce more

delay; smaller buffers produce less.

Buffer size adjustment is made in MOTU Audio

Console, as shown in Figure 9-3 via the Samples Per

Buffer setting.

Figure 9-3: Lowering the ‘Samples Per Buffer’ setting in MOTU Audio

Console reduces patch thru latency. But doing so increases the

processing load on your computer, so keep an eye on the Perfor-

mance Monitor in your host audio software.

2. CueMix FX immediately patches the live

mic signal directly to the main outs (or

other output), completely bypassing the

computer. This signal could be dry, or with

UltraLite-mk3 effects processing, such as

EQ, compression or Classic Reverb.

3. Mic signal is mixed with the

main outs, and you can

control the volume (relative

to the rest of the mix) with

the mic’s fader in CueMix FX.

Figure 9-2: This diagram shows the signal ﬂow when using CueMix FX no-latency monitoring. Notice that this method does not process the

live input with plug-ins in your audio software. Instead, you can apply UltraLite-mk3 effects, such as the reverb, EQ and/or compression.

1. Live input (from mic, guitar, etc.)

enters the MOTU interface.

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY

Lower latency versus higher CPU overhead

The buffer setting has a large impact on the

following things:

■ Patch thru latency

■ The load on your computer’s CPU

■ Possible distortion at the smallest settings

■ How responsive the transport controls are in

your audio software

The buffer setting presents you with a trade-off

between the processing power of your computer

and the delay of live audio as it is being patched

through your software. If you reduce the size, you

reduce patch thru latency, but signiﬁcantly 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 buffer size, you reduce the load on

your computer, freeing up bandwidth for effects,

mixing and other real-time operations.

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 processing inputs,

choose a higher buffer size. Depending on your

computer’s CPU speed, you might ﬁnd that settings

in the middle work best (256 to 1024).

Transport responsiveness

Buffer size also impacts how quickly your audio

software will respond when you begin playback,

although not by amounts that are very noticeable.

Lowering the buffer size will make your software

respond faster; raising the buffer size will make it a

little bit slower, but barely enough to notice.

Effects processing and automated mixing

Reducing latency with the buffer size setting has

another beneﬁt: it lets you route live inputs through

the real-time effects processing and mix

automation of your audio software.

CUEMIX FX HARDWARE MONITORING

The UltraLite-mk3 has a more direct method of

patching audio through the system. This method is

called CueMix FX. When enabled, CueMix

activates hardware patch-thru in the

UltraLite-mk3 itself. CueMix FX has two

important beneﬁts:

■ First, it completely eliminates the patch thru

delay (reducing it to a small number of samples —

about the same amount as one of today’s digital

mixers).

■ Secondly, CueMix FX imposes no strain on the

computer.

The trade-off, however, is that CueMix FX

bypasses your host audio software. Instead, live

audio inputs are patched directly through to

outputs in the UltraLite-mk3 itself and are mixed

with disk tracks playing back from your audio

software. This means that you cannot apply

plug-ins, mix automation, or other real-time

effects that your audio software provides. But for

inputs that don’t need these types of features,

CueMix DSP is the way to go.

On the other hand, if you really need to use the

mixing and processing provided by your audio

software, you should not use CueMix FX. Instead,

reduce latency with the buffer setting (as explained

earlier in this chapter).

TWO METHODS FOR CONTROLLING

CUEMIX FX

There are two ways to control CueMix FX:

■ With CueMix FX

■ From within your host audio software (if it

supports direct hardware monitoring)

You can even use both methods simultaneously.

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY

Using CueMix FX

If your host audio software does not support direct

hardware monitoring, you run CueMix FX side-

by-side with your audio software and manage your

monitor mix in CueMix FX.

CueMix FX allows you to create up to eight

separate UltraLite-mk3 monitor mixes, or any

other desired routing conﬁgurations. These

routings are independent of your host audio

software. For complete details, see chapter 10,

“CueMix FX” (page 61).

Controlling CueMix FX from your audio

software

Some ASIO-compatible audio applications, such as

Cubase and Nuendo, allow you to control

CueMix FX monitoring from within the

application (without the need to use CueMix FX).

In most cases, this support consists of patching an

UltraLite-mk3 input directly to an output when

you record-arm a track. Exactly how this is

handled depends on the application.

CueMix FX routings that are made via host

applications are made “under the hood”, which

means that you won’t see them in CueMix FX.

However, CueMix FX connections made inside

your host audio software dovetail with any other

mixes you’ve set up in CueMix FX. For example, if

your host application routes audio to an output

pair that is already being used in CueMix FX for an

entirely separate mix bus, both audio streams will

simply be merged to the output.

Controlling CueMix FX from within Cubase or

Nuendo

To turn on CueMix in Cubase SX or Nuendo,

enable the Direct Monitoring check box in the

Device Setup window (Figure 7-2 on page 45).

Other ASIO 2.0-compatible host software

If your ASIO-compatible host audio software

supports ASIO’s direct monitoring feature, consult

your software documentation to learn how to

enable this feature. Once enabled, it should work

similarly as described for Cubase (as explained in

the previous section).

Using CueMix FX with WDM- or Wave-

compatible software

Run CueMix FX (chapter 10, “CueMix FX”

(page 61)) and use it to route live inputs directly to

outputs, control their volume and panning, etc. If

necessary, you can save your CueMix Console

setup with your project ﬁle.

REDUCING MONITORING LATENCY

CHAPTER

10 CueMix FX

OVERVIEW

CueMix FX is a cross-platform software

application that provides graphic, on-screen

control for the UltraLite-mk3’s ﬂexible CueMix FX

on-board mixer and effects processing.

CueMix FX can be used independently of host

audio software, or together with it. CueMix

dovetails with the direct monitoring features of

your host audio software, allowing you to

seemlessly mix in both environments.

For information about programming the

UltraLite-mk3’s on-board mixing and effects using

the front panel LCD, see chapter 10, “CueMix FX”

(page 61).

A 16-bus mixer with EQ, compression and reverb. . . . 61

Advantages over host-based mixing and processing 62

CueMix FX installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

CueMix FX basic operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

The Mixes tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

The Inputs tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

The Outputs tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

The channel settings section. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

The Monitor Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

DSP meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Solo light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Talkback and listenback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

File menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Edit menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Devices menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Oscilloscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

X-Y Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Phase Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Conﬁgurations menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Talkback menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Phones menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Control Surfaces menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

A 16-BUS MIXER WITH EQ, COMPRESSION

AND REVERB

All UltraLite-mk3 inputs and outputs can be

routed to the on-board CueMix FX 16-bus (8

stereo bus) digital mixer driven by hardware-based

DSP with 32-bit ﬂoating point precision.

The CueMix FX mixer allows you to apply no-

latency effects processing to inputs, outputs or

busses directly in the UltraLite-mk3 hardware,

independent of the computer. Effects can even be

applied when the UltraLite-mk3 is operating

stand-alone (without a computer) as a complete

portable 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:

■ Classic Reverb with tail lengths up to 60 seconds

■ 7-band parametric EQ modeled after British

analog console EQs

■ A standard compressor with conventional

threshold/ratio/attack/release/gain controls

■ The Leveler™, an accurate model of the

legendary LA-2A optical compressor, which

provides vintage, musical automatic gain control

The UltraLite-mk3’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. DSP resources are allocated dynamically

and a DSP meter in the CueMix FX software allows

you to keep tabs on the UltraLite-mk3’s processing

resources.

CUEMIX FX

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.

ADVANTAGES OVER HOST-BASED MIXING

AND PROCESSING

CueMix FX provides several major advantages over

mixing and processing in your host audio software:

■ CueMix has no buffer latency. Thanks to the

UltraLite-mk3’s DSP chip, CueMix provides the

same throughput performance as a digital mixer.

■ CueMix mixing and effects processing imposes

no processor drain on the computer’s CPU.

■ CueMix routing can be maintained

independently of individual software applications

or projects.

■ CueMix routing can operate without the

computer, allowing the UltraLite-mk3 to operate as

a portable, stand-alone mixer with effects.

CUEMIX FX INSTALLATION

CueMix FX is installed with the rest of your

UltraLite-mk3 software.

Figure 10-1: CueMix FX is a virtual mixer that gives you control over the UltraLite-mk3’s on-board mixing features.

Tabs for inputs,

mix busses and

outputs

DSP

resources

meter

UltraLite-mk3

inputs

Mix bus

master

fader

Tabs for channel strip settings,

including EQ and dynamics, as

well as global settings such as

the meter bridge and reverb

processor.

Monitoring/

talkback

section

Monitor

group

metering

Mic inputs Inputs split

into mono

channels

Inputs grouped as

stereo pairs

Mix bus

Channel

settings

Channel

focus

Channel

scroll

bar

Solo

light

CUEMIX FX

CUEMIX FX BASIC OPERATION

Here is a brief overview of the CueMix FX mixer.

Eight stereo mix busses

CueMix provides eight stereo mix busses: Bus 1,

Bus 2, Bus 3, and so on. Each mix bus can take any

number of inputs and mix them down to any

UltraLite-mk3 output pair that you choose. For

example, Bus 1 could go to the headphones, Bus 2

could go to the main outs, Bus 3 could go to a piece

of outboard gear connected to analog outputs 7-8,

etc.

Many inputs to one output pair

It might be useful to think of each mix bus as some

number of inputs all mixed down to a stereo output

pair. CueMix FX lets you choose which inputs to

include in the mix, and it lets you specify the level,

pan and other input-speciﬁc mix controls for each

input being fed into the mix.

Viewing one mix bus at a time

CueMix FX displays one mix bus at a time in the

Mixes tab (Figure 10-2 on page 64). To select which

mix you are viewing, choose it from the mix bus

menu (Figure 10-2). The mix name appears above

the mix bus master fader (Figure 10-2), where you

can click the name to change it.

Each mix bus is independent

Each mix bus has its own settings. Settings for one

bus will not affect another. For example, if an input

is used for one bus, it will still be available for other

busses. In addition, inputs can have a different

volume, pan, mute and solo setting in each bus.

Input channels

The Inputs tab (Figure 10-3 on page 66) gives you

access to settings for individual UltraLite-mk3

inputs (or input pairs), such as phase, trim, EQ and

dynamics processing. Each input also includes a

send to the UltraLite-mk3’s global reverb

processor. These settings are applied to the signal

before it goes anywhere else (to a mix bus or the

computer).

Output channels

The Outputs tab (Figure 10-6 on page 69) gives you

access to settings for each UltraLite-mk3 output

pair, including EQ, dynamics processing and

send/return controls for feeding and returning the

output signal to/from the UltraLite-mk3’s global

reverb processor. These settings are applied to the

signal just before it is sent to the output.

Channel focus and settings

Click the focus button for a channel (Figure 10-1)

to view channel-speciﬁc parameters in the Channel

Settings section of the CueMix FX window

(Figure 10-1). Separate tabs are provided for

channel-speciﬁc settings (channel strip, EQ and

dynamics), plus the global meter bridge and reverb

processor.

Global reverb processor

The UltraLite-mk3 has a global reverb module

(Figure 10-28 on page 83). Once it has been

activated, you can feed signals to the reverb

processor from various points in the

UltraLite-mk3 mix matrix via input sends, bus

sends and output sends. Stereo output from the

reverb processor can then be fed back to mix

busses or output pairs using reverb returns.

Other features

CueMix offers many additional features, discussed

in this chapter, such as talkback/listenback,

extensive metering, graphic editing of certain

effects parameters, monitor grouping and more.

Widening the CueMix FX window

To view more input faders at once, drag the right-

hand edge of the window to the right.

CUEMIX FX

THE MIXES TAB

Click the Mixes tab (Figure 10-2) to gain access to

the UltraLite-mk3’s eight stereo mix busses. The

Mixes tab displays one mix bus at a time.

Viewing a mix

Choose the mix you wish to view from the mix bus

menu (in the Mixes tab itself, as shown in

Figure 10-2). The menu shows all mixes by name,

followed by the UltraLite-mk3 output pair to

which each bus master fader is currently assigned,

if any.

Naming a mix

Click the mix name at the top of the mix bus master

fader (Figure 10-2) to edit the name.

Assigning a mix bus output

Choose the desired output pair for the mix bus

from the bus output menu (Figure 10-2). The bus

output menu displays all current available

(enabled) UltraLite-mk3 output pairs. If a bus is

already assigned to an output pair, the bus name

appears next to the output pair name to indicate

that the output pair is already taken by a bus. Only

one bus can be assigned to any given output pair. If

you choose an output already assigned to another

bus, that bus output will become disabled.

Bus fader

The bus fader (Figure 10-2) controls the overall

level of the mix (its volume on its stereo output).

Use the individual input faders to the left to control

individual input levels.

Figure 10-2: The Mixes tab.

UltraLite-mk3

inputs

Mix bus 1

master

fader

Mic inputs Inputs grouped as

stereo pairs

Mixes

tab

Input name

Channel focus

Input pan section

Input fader

Scroll bar for input

channels

Bus output

Bus Reverb

send/return

Bus name

Bus fader

Bus mute

Bus level meter

Input mute/solo

Input level meter

Mix bus

CUEMIX FX

Bus mute

The bus mute button (Figure 10-2) disables

(silences) the mix.

Bus level meter

The bus level meter, which is post-fader, shows you

the output for the mix’s output.

Bus reverb send/return

The bus reverb send (Figure 10-2) feeds the output

of the mix bus, pre-fader, to the UltraLite-mk3’s

global reverb processor, where it is merged with

any other signals being fed to the reverb. The

reverb’s output can then be fed back into the mixer

at various return points, including the bus return

(discussed below).

The bus reverb return (Figure 10-2) feeds the

output of the UltraLite-mk3’s global reverb

processor into the mix bus, pre-fader. This includes

any other signals currently being fed to the reverb.

The bus reverb return is disabled (grayed out)

when the reverb Split Point is set to Output to

eliminate the possibility for feedback loops created

by reverb send/return loops. See “Split point” on

page 83.

Input section

The horizontally scrolling area in the Mix tab to the

left of the master fader (Figure 10-2) displays

channel strips for all currently enabled

UltraLite-mk3 inputs.

Input channel focus

Click the channel focus button (Figure 10-3) to

view and edit parameters in the channel settings

section of the CueMix FX window (Figure 10-7 on

page 70). Clicking the mix bus master fader focus

button brings the assigned output into focus, if

there is one.

Input pan section

The input pan knob (Figure 10-2) pans the input

across the bus stereo outputs. If the input itself is

grouped as a stereo pair (in the Inputs tab), two

forms of panning control are provided:

Balance

Balance works like the balance knob on some

radios: turn it left and the right channel dims, turn

it right and left channel dims. But the left channel

always stays left and the right channel stays right.

Width

Width spreads the left and right channels across the

stereo image, depending on the knob position.

Maximum value (turning the pan knob all the way

up) maintains the original stereo image: the left

channel goes entirely left and right goes entirely

right, without attenuation. The minimum value

(turning the knob all the way down) creates a

mono effect: equal amounts of left and right are

combined and sent to both outputs. In between,

the left out is a mixture of the left input and some of

the right input (and vice-versa) with the effect of

narrowing the ﬁeld.

Input fader and mute/solo

To add an input to a mix, or remove it, click its

Mute button. To solo it, use its Solo button. Use the

input fader (Figure 10-2) to adjust the level for the

input in the mix. Note that an input can have

different level, pan, mute and solo settings for

different mixes. Input channel level meters are

post-fader.

If any solo button on the current (active) bus is

enabled, the Solo Light (Figure 10-1) will

illuminate.

CUEMIX FX

THE INPUTS TAB

The UltraLite-mk3 provides many features for

managing analog and digital input signals. Some of

these features, such as the UltraLite-mk3’s digitally

controlled analog trims, are implemented in the

analog domain; others are implemented in the

digital domain as DSP applied to the digital signal

(after the A/D converter on analog inputs). Click

the Inputs tab (Figure 10-3) to access and control

all of these input channel settings for each

UltraLite-mk3 input or input pair.

Input tab settings are global

Except for the reverb send, all settings you make in

the Input tab are applied to the input signal before

it goes anywhere else (to a mix bus or the

computer). For example, if you apply EQ and

compression to the input signal, you will record the

processed version of the signal in your host audio

software running on the computer. If you need to

record a completely unprocessed input signal, do

not apply any changes to it in the Input tab. The

only exception to this is the reverb send, which

simply splits the input signal and feeds a copy of it

to the UltraLite-mk3’s reverb processor.

Signal ﬂows from top to bottom

Settings in each Input tab channel strip are

generally applied to the signal in order from top to

bottom. Input channel signal ﬂow is as follows:

trim, phase, stereo versus M/S decoding, width,

L/R swap, EQ, dynamics and reverb send.

Input channel focus

Click the channel focus button (Figure 10-3) to

view and edit parameters in the channel settings

section of the window (Figure 10-7 on page 70).

Mono/stereo pairing

Click the Mono button (Figure 10-3) if you would

like an input to be treated as a mono channel. If you

would like to work with it as one channel of a

linked stereo pair, click the Stereo button. Inputs

are grouped in odd/even pairs (mic 1-2, Analog

1-2, 3-4, etc.) Stereo pairs appear as a single

channel strip in the CueMix FX mixer (in all tabs).

Figure 10-3: The Inputs tab.

Input name

Channel focus

Mono/stereo paring

Invert phase

Input trim

EQ/dynamics graph

EQ/dynamics controls

EQ/dynamics

enable/disable

Reverb send

Input scroll bar

EQ band selectors

LP/HP ﬁlter selector

Compressor selector

Inputs tab

CUEMIX FX

Invert phase

The Phase button (Figure 10-3) inverts the phase of

the input signal. For stereo pairs, you can invert the

phase for the left and right channels independently.

Input trim

All UltraLite-mk3 inputs, both analog and digital,

offer continuously variable input trim. In all cases,

trim level can be controlled digitally in 1 dB

increments. This includes the digitally controlled

analog trims on the two mic/guitar inputs and the

six quarter-inch analog inputs on the back panel.

Here is a summary of input trim ranges for each

type of UltraLite-mk3 input:

Once you adjust the trim levels, you can save them

as a ﬁle on disk for future instant recall. See “Saving

and loading hardware presets” on page 87 and

“Conﬁgurations menu” on page 100.

Input EQ and dynamics

The UltraLite-mk3 lets you apply 7-band

parametric EQ and dynamics processing (DSP) to

any input, analog or digital.

The controls in the EQ/Compression section of the

Inputs tab (Figure 10-3) let you edit EQ and

compression settings within the context of the

channel strip. This is ideal when you are comparing

settings among neighboring channels, or perhaps

even applying the same setting across all inputs.

However, for more detailed editing of EQ and

compression settings for an input channel, you can

click its Focus button and view the settings in the

Channel Section of the CueMix FX window

(Figure 10-1). This section even provides graphical

editing of EQ curves and the compressor graph,

allowing you to click and drag directly on the

graphic. For details see “The channel settings

section” on page 70.

The EQ/Dynamics graph

The EQ/Dynamics graph for each input channel

strip (Figure 10-3) provides a thumbnail view of

the EQ curves or Compressor graph for the

channel. This graphic is for display purposes only;

it cannot be edited directly. To change the EQ

settings in this graph, use the two or three knobs

below, as explained in the following sections. If,

however, you would like to edit the EQ curves

graphically, you can do so in the EQ tab

(Figure 10-10 on page 72).

EQ/Dynamics selectors

The EQ/Dynamics selector buttons along the

right-hand edge of the EQ/Dynamics section

(Figure 10-3) allow you to choose what you are

viewing and editing in the EQ/Dynamics section.

Figure 10-4: The EQ/Dynamics selectors.

Click the selector (Figure 10-4) for the desired EQ

band, low-pass (LP) ﬁlter, high pass (HP) ﬁlter or

compressor to view it across all channels.

Input

Trim

cut

Trim

boost

Trim

Range

Mic/Guitar 0 dB 24 dB 24 dB

TRS analog inputs -96 dB +22 dB 118 dB

S/PDIF (RCA) 0 dB +12 dB 12 dB

EQ band selectors

LP/HP ﬁlter selector

Compressor selector

Colored knobs

Orange

Green

Blue

Red

Yellow

White

Black

CUEMIX FX

Figure 10-5: The Compressor controls.

☛ Shortcut: hold down the option key while

clicking an EQ selector button to show just that

band of EQ in the graphs. Click any selector again

to return to viewing all bands.

Using the EQ/Dynamics knobs

Once you have chosen the desired EQ band, or the

compressor, you can modify its settings using the

two or three knobs below the graph. The knobs

match the color of the currently selected effect, to

help remind you of which effect you are currently

editing.

☛ Important: before you can modify the settings

of an EQ band using the three knobs below the

graph, the EQ band must be enabled. This is done

in the EQ tab (Figure 10-10), as explained in

“Enabling EQ” on page 72.

EQ/Dynamics enable/disable buttons

Click the EQ or Dynamics button at the bottom of

the input channel (Figure 10-3) to toggle the effect

on or off. Note that you can program EQ and

compressor settings, even when the effect is

currently disabled. (You just won’t hear the result

until you enable it.)

Reverb send

The input reverb send (Figure 10-3) feeds the input

signal to the UltraLite-mk3’s global reverb

processor, where it is merged with any other signals

being fed to the reverb. The reverb’s output can

then be fed back into a mix or output pair. The send

occurs after all other settings in the input channel

strip (phase invert, EQ, compression, etc.)

THE OUTPUTS TAB

The Outputs tab (Figure 10-6) lets you apply EQ,

dynamics and reverb to any output pair, just before

the signal leaves the UltraLite-mk3. This is

processing that occurs at the very end of the signal

ﬂow, after everything else (host based effects,

UltraLite-mk3 input or bus processing, mixing,

and so on). Processing is done in the digital

domain, just before the signal goes analog through

the D/A converter. Output tab processing is

applied to the entire output mix (all signals being

mixed to the output from various sources).

Signal ﬂows from top to bottom

Settings in each Output tab channel strip are

applied to the signal in order from top to bottom.

For example, EQ occurs before Dynamics, which is

applied before the reverb send and return.

Output channel focus

Click the channel focus button (Figure 10-6) to

view and edit parameters in the channel settings

section of the CueMix FX window (Figure 10-7 on

page 70).

Output EQ and Dynamics

The EQ/Dynamics section in the Outputs tab

(Figure 10-6) works identically to the EQ/

Dynamics section for the Inputs tab (Figure 10-3).

See “Input EQ and dynamics” on page 67.

Output reverb send/return

The output reverb send (Figure 10-6) feeds the

signal for the output to the UltraLite-mk3’s global

reverb processor, where it is merged with any other

signals being fed to the reverb. The reverb’s output

can then be fed back into the mixer at various

return points, including the same output from

which it was sent (discussed below). The output

reverb send is disabled (grayed out) when the

Compressor

graph

Compressor

meter

Compressor

selector

CUEMIX FX

reverb Split Point is set to Mix to eliminate the

possibility for feedback loops created by reverb

send/return loops. See “Split point” on page 83.

The output reverb return (Figure 10-6) feeds the

output of the UltraLite-mk3’s global reverb

processor directly to the output. This includes any

other signals currently being fed to the reverb.

Both the send and return occur after EQ and

dynamics processing, but before listenback and

talkback.

Talkback/Listenback

Click the Ta lkback or Listenback buttons

(Figure 10-6) to toggle whether the output pair is

included in the Talkback or Listenback group. See

“Talkback and listenback” on page 85.

Monitor group assign

Click the Monitor buttons (Figure 10-6) to toggle

whether the output pair is included in the Monitor

group. See “The Monitor Group” on page 84.

Figure 10-6: The Outputs tab.

Output name

Channel focus

Outputs tab

EQ band selectors

LP/HP ﬁlter selector

Compressor selector

EQ/Dynamics graph

EQ/Dynamics controls

EQ/Dynamics

enable/disable

Output reverb

send/return

Talkback/listenback

enable/disable

Monitor group assign

CUEMIX FX

THE CHANNEL SETTINGS SECTION

The channel settings section in the CueMix FX

window (Figure 10-1) displays three tabs for

Channel, EQ and Dynamics settings for the

channel with the current focus. There are also two

global tabs: the Meter Bridge and the Reverb

Processor, as shown below.

Figure 10-7: The Channel Settings section.

The Channel tab

The Channel tab (Figure 10-8) displays settings for

input channels. Click any focus button in the

Inputs tab to view the Channel tab settings for the

channel.

Figure 10-8: The Channel tab.

Signal ﬂow

Settings in the Channel tab occur just before the

EQ, dynamics and reverb sends in the Input tab

channel strip (Figure 10-3 on page 66). Input

channel signal ﬂow is as follows: trim, phase, stereo

versus M/S decoding, width, L/R swap, EQ,

dynamics and reverb send.

Pad and phantom

The Pad and phantom settings become active

(ungrayed) when the focus is on a mic input (or

both mic inputs). These are the same 20 dB pad

and 48V phantom power settings that you can also

control from the UltraLite-mk3 front panel TRIM

encoders. There are separate settings for each mic

input.

Tabs for the channel that

currently has the focus

Tabs for the global meter

bridge and reverb processor

CUEMIX FX

Stereo settings

Inputs that have been grouped as stereo pairs in the

Inputs tab (Figure 10-3) provide two stereo modes

(Figure 10-8): Normal and M/S. M/S mode

provides decoding for a mid-side microphone

conﬁguration.

The Width knob (Figure 10-8) provides control

over the stereo imaging, going from a full stereo

image to mono (both channels panned equally).

See “Width” on page 65.

The Swap L/R button (Figure 10-8) lets you switch

the left and right channels.

Talkback section

Click the Ta lkback or Listenback button

(Figure 10-8) to toggle whether the input is the

Talkback or Listenback input. Only one input can

be the talkback input, and only one input can be

the listenback input. See “Talkback and listenback”

on page 85.

Reverb section

The Send in the reverb section (Figure 10-8) is the

same control as the reverb send in the Input tab

channel strip (Figure 10-3). See “Reverb send” on

page 68. If the input is currently not grouped as a

stereo pair in the Input tab (it is operating as a

mono input), use the reverb Pan knob

(Figure 10-8) to pan the mono signal for the stereo

reverb processor.

Input meter and bus activity LEDs

When the Channel tab is active (Figure 10-8), the

display above the tab provides a horizontal level

meter and eight bus activity LEDs (Figure 10-9).

Figure 10-9: Input meter and bus activity LEDs.

The input level meter (Figure 10-9) is the same as

the input meters in the Meters tab (Figure 10-27 on

page 82) with the Pre FX button engaged, which

shows the input level on the physical input itself,

before any processing of any kind occurs within the

UltraLite-mk3. This meter gives you the most

accurate reading of the actual signal level hitting

the input, regardless of any other settings.

The Bus Activity LEDs (Figure 10-9) show you

which mix busses the input signal is being fed to.

For example, LED #6 will glow under the following

conditions: the input is unmuted in mix bus 6, its

fader is up, and there is signal activity from the

input going into the mix bus.

Bus

activity

LEDs

CUEMIX FX

The EQ tab

The EQ tab (Figure 10-10) displays the EQ settings

for the input or output channel that currently has

the focus. Click any focus button in the Inputs or

Outputs tab to view the EQ tab settings for the

channel.

Vintage EQ

Inspired by legendary British large console EQs,

the UltraLite-mk3 Vintage EQ section

(Figure 10-10) gives you the look, feel and sound of

the most sought-after classic equalizers. Five bands

of center frequency parametric EQ ﬁltering are

provided, each with four EQ types that provide

current popular EQ styles and vintage analog EQ

styles alike. Two bands include shelf ﬁltering. Two

additional bands of variable slope low pass and

high pass ﬁltering are provided. The ﬁlter response

display provides comprehensive control and visual

feedback of the EQ curve being applied. With

64-bit ﬂoating point processing, the UltraLite-mk3

Vintage EQ has been carefully crafted and

meticulously engineered to produce musical

results in a wide variety of applications.

Enabling EQ

Each input and output channel has a global EQ

enable/disable button (Figure 10-3 and

Figure 10-6). This button enables or disables all

bands of EQ for the channel. In addition, each

individual band of EQ has a Filter enable/disable

switch (Figure 10-10), allowing you to enable as

few or as many bands as needed for each individual

channel.

Filter

handle

Q handles

(red lines)

Composite

curve

(white line)

Individual

ﬁlter curve

(colored area)

Filter response

display

Shelf ﬁlter

Parameter display

Vertical scale

Filter enable/disable

EQ Filter types

Slope

Low-pass ﬁlter

EQ ﬁlter

Figure 10-10: The EQ tab.

EQ tab

Filter display options menu

High-pass ﬁlter

High-pass frequency

CUEMIX FX

Vintage EQ Quick reference

Filter response display: Shows the response curve

for the current settings.

Vertical scale: Lets you zoom the vertical scale of

the ﬁlter response display.

Parameter display: Shows the precise numbers of

the parameter you are adjusting (or hovering over

with the arrow cursor). The labels (frequency, gain,

etc.) match the color of the ﬁlter being displayed.

When a ﬁlter handle is not selected and when the

cursor is not hovering over the display, the

parameter display shows the name of the current

channel being edited (the channel that currently

has the focus), as shown below:

Figure 10-11: When a ﬁlter handle is not selected and when the

cursor is not hovering over the display, the parameter display shows

the name of the current channel being edited (the channel that

currently has the focus).

EQ ﬁlter: one of ﬁve center bands of EQ that can be

independently enabled and programmed.

Filter type: Lets you choose from one of four or ﬁve

EQ styles for each independent band of EQ.

Low/High Pass ﬁlter: Both a low pass and high pass

ﬁlter are supplied with six different slope settings.

Slope: Lets you choose the slope (fall off) charac-

teristics of the low pass and high pass ﬁlter.

Q handle: Drag the Q handle lines to graphically

adjust the Q setting for the currently selected ﬁlter.

To select the ﬁlter, click its ﬁlter handle.

Filter handle: Drag this handle to graphically

adjust the ﬁlter’s boost/cut and/or frequency.

Composite curve (white line): shows the overall

response curve of the current settings in the

window.

Individual ﬁlter curve: Each ﬁlter has a color

(indicated by its knobs). When ﬁlter curves are

being displayed (the ﬁlter curve option is turned

on), each individual ﬁlter’s response curve is

displayed in the ﬁlter’s color.

Filter display options menu: Provides several

options for controlling the ﬁlter display.

Filter enable/disable: Turns the ﬁlter on or off.

How the vintage EQ works

The Vintage EQ operates like a standard EQ ﬁlter,

but with much more sophisticated processing

algorithms “under the hood”. There are ﬁve bands

of EQ, each with their own unique knob color, plus

additional low pass and high pass ﬁlters. Each ﬁlter

can be set to any center frequency you wish.

Each ﬁlter can be independently turned on or off

with the enable/disable button (Figure 10-10).

Each ﬁlter can be set to one of four different ﬁlter

types (I, II, III or IV). The two top-most ﬁlters

(orange and green) provide an extra low and high

shelf setting, in addition to the four standard band

settings. The additional low pass and high pass

ﬁlters (lower left) have gray cutoff frequency knobs

and six settings for slope (in octaves/dB).

Frequency response display

The frequency response display at the top of the

window displays the response curve of the current

settings in the window. The (horizontal) frequency

range is from 10 hertz to 20 KHz. The (vertical)

amplitude scale is in dB and is adjustable between 3

and 24 dB using the vertical scale buttons

(Figure 10-10).

The name of the

channel being

EQ’d.

CUEMIX FX

Adjusting ﬁlters in the display

Each ﬁlter has a handle, displayed as shown below

in Figure 10-12 (in the ﬁlter’s color), for adjusting

its boost/cut and/or frequency:

Figure 10-12: Drag the ﬁlter handle to adjust its frequency and/or

boost/cut. Drag the Filter Q handles to adjust the Q.

For the EQ ﬁlters, when you click the handle, you’ll

also see lines on either side for adjusting the Q

parameter, as shown above.

Filter display options

The Filter display options menu (Figure 10-10)

provides several options for the EQ ﬁlter display:

FFT display

Choose Show FFT from the Filter display options

menu (Figure 10-10) to superimpose a real-time

Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) frequency

measurement curve over the EQ ﬁlter display, as

demonstrated in Figure 10-13:

Figure 10-13: FFT display.

The FFT curve is post-ﬁlter. Therefore, the FFT

shows the results of the EQ ﬁlter(s) being applied.

Use the global EQ button for the input or output

channel (Figure 10-3 and Figure 10-6,

respectively) to toggle between the EQ’d and non-

EQ’d FFT display.

Spectrogram

Choose Show Spectrogram from the Filter display

options menu (Figure 10-10) to superimpose a

real-time spectrogram “waterfall” display in the

background of the EQ ﬁlter display, as

demonstrated in Figure 10-14:

Figure 10-14: FFT display.

The spectrogram scrolls from top to bottom, where

the top edge of the display represents what you are

hearing “now”. Color represents amplitude along

the left/right frequency spectrum. The amplitude

color scale runs from black (silence) to red (full

scale) as follows:

Figure 10-15: Spectrogram color-to-amplitude spectrum.

Menu option What it does

Show no analysis Turns off both the FFT and

Spectrogram in the Filter display.

Show FFT Shows/hides a real time FFT analysis

of the current signal being EQ’d,

post EQ filter.

Show Spectrogram Shows/hides a real-time spectro-

gram “waterfall” in the background

of the filter display, post EQ filter.

Show Band Response Shows/hides the colored area below

EQ filter points.

Show/Hide Full Window

Analysis

Shows/hides the enlarged filter dis-

play in the CueMix FX window.

Filter Q

(red line)

Filter handle

FFT curve

Black Blue Green Yellow Orange Red

Silence Full scale

CUEMIX FX

Using the full window ﬁlter display

Choose Show Full Window Analysis from the Filter

display options menu (Figure 10-10) to ﬁll the

entire CueMix FX window with the ﬁlter EQ

display for detailed inspection and adjustment of

the EQ ﬁlter, as shown in Figure 10-16.

You can show and hide the FFT display,

spectrogram or EQ band response curves as

desired using the Display Options menu options

(Figure 10-16). These settings are independent of

the small graph display options (Figure 10-10), so

you have the ﬂexibility to display different

combinations in each graph.

Show X-Axis Linear Scale

Check the Show X-Axis Linear Scale option in the

Display Options menu (Figure 10-16) to display

frequency on a linear scale, instead of the default

logarithmic scale. With a linear scale (checked),

frequency is constant, but the width of each octave

along the x-axis is different. With a logarithmic

scale (unchecked), octaves are displayed with a

constant width, but frequency is displayed

logarithmically within each octave.

The info box

The Show Info Box item in the full graph display

options menu (Figure 10-16) lets you display the

coordinates of any EQ ﬁlter point as you drag it in

the graph (Figure 10-17):

Figure 10-17: The Info Box.

The info box includes the industry standard

scientiﬁc note (pitch) name when the control point

is located at a frequency that resides within a

prescribed note range, where C4 is middle C. The

note number is accompanied by the number of

cents (±50) above or below the exact frequency for

the note. If the control point is dragged outside the

note range, only the frequency is shown.

Figure 10-16: Full window ﬁlter display.

Display

options

CUEMIX FX

EQ ﬁlters

The EQ ﬁlters have three parameters:

The Q setting does not have a unit of measurement.

Rather, it is the ratio of the ﬁlter’s center frequency

to the bandwidth of the ﬁlter. In addition, the

actual Q value for the EQ curve being applied is

dependent on three factors: the gain setting, the

ﬁlter style, and the Q setting.

Filter types

Each ﬁlter can be independently set to one of four

different ﬁlter types: I, II, III and IV. These, and the

additional shelf ﬁlters for the LMF and HMF band,

are discussed in the section “EQ ﬁlter styles”.

Returning to zero (or nominal frequency)

To return a knob to zero, or it’s nominal frequency,

double-click it.

EQ ﬁlter styles

EQ is one of the most widely used processing tools

and can be applied to many different situations,

from minor corrective tasks to highly creative

applications. Over the years, many EQs have been

engineered for speciﬁc applications or to achieve a

certain sound. The Vintage EQ has been designed

to be ﬂexible enough to cover a broad range of

applications. To that end, several different ﬁlter

types are supplied, varying mostly in the way they

handle the dynamic interaction between Gain and

Q. This crucial relationship has been modeled to

emulate the smooth and musical character of

classic analog EQ circuits, in which the Gain/Q

dependency was dictated by the actual circuit

design and electrical components used.

The following sections describe the character of

each type of EQ ﬁlter and their suggested

applications. In the illustrations for each ﬁlter style

(Figure 10-18 through Figure 10-21), the settings

for the three example curves are the same for the

purpose of comparison:

■ Frequency = 1.00 kHz

■ Q = 1

■ Gain = +3, +10 and +20 dB

Type I

Figure 10-18: Type I EQ ﬁlter style.

The Type I EQ ﬁlter has the least amount of Gain/Q

interaction, providing the most precision and

control of all the EQ ﬁlter types. Even small

adjustments in gain or reduction produce relatively

high Q. This EQ style is best for situations that call

for precise EQ adjustments requiring the

maximum amount of individual parameter

control. For more general shaping (e.g. full mixes)

or subtle control (e.g. vocals), the other styles

discussed in the following sections might be more

appropriate. This ﬁlter type is the most similar to a

standard parametric EQ.

Control unit range

Gain dB -20.00 to +20.00

Frequency Hertz 20 Hz to 20 kHz

Q n/a - see note below 0.01 to 3.00

CUEMIX FX

Type II

Figure 10-19: Type II EQ ﬁlter style.

The Type II EQ ﬁlter produces constant Q response

during boost or cut. The Type II style emulates

several classic legacy EQs and produces good

results for resonance control on drums and

percussion because it provides relatively high Q

values with more extreme gain or cut settings.

Type III

Figure 10-20: Type III EQ ﬁlter style.

The Type III EQ ﬁlter increases Q as boost is

applied. Therefore, lower amounts of boost

provide a softer, “wider” EQ effect (since the

affected frequency range widens), while higher

boost tends to sound louder and more “up front”,

due to the increase in Q as the gain is increased.

The more gentle Q curve at lower settings is well

suited for overall EQ ﬁlls and more subtle

corrections in instrument and vocal sources.

Boosting or cutting by small amounts will seem to

produce the effect that your ear expects, without

the need to adjust Q. As a result, this ﬁlter style, and

similar EQs with this characteristic behavior, are

often referred to as being more “musical”. More

speciﬁcally, this style emulates the classic Neve

EQs, their modern derivatives and later SSL G

series EQs. Many current popular outboard

“boutique” EQs exhibit this same gain/Q

relationship.

CUEMIX FX

Type IV

Figure 10-21: Type IV EQ ﬁlter style.

The Type IV EQ ﬁlter is a more extreme form of the

Type III ﬁlter. It exhibits a high degree of

interaction between Q and gain in order to

maintain as closely as possible an equal amount of

area under the response curve as gain is adjusted.

Type IV is the most gentle of the four EQ styles and

is ideal for large scale EQ adjustments, especially

on sub-mixes and complete mixes. This EQ style is

also ideal for any applications where subtle changes

in the overall character of the sound are desired.

For example, it can be used for mastering

applications, such as the overall adjustments that

must often be applied to entire tracks to match

other tracks on the album.

Shelf ﬁlters

Figure 10-22: Shelf ﬁlter Q parameter overshoot.

When two top-most bands in the EQ tab are set to

their shelf ﬁlter setting (Figure 10-10), the Q

parameter controls the amount of overshoot

applied to the response curve, as illustrated in

Figure 10-22. When Q = 0.01 (the lowest setting),

normal shelving is applied with no overshoot. This

produces the response provided by a ﬁrst order

shelf. When Q = 1.0 (the default setting), the

CUEMIX FX

response corresponds to a second order shelf, still

with no overshoot. This is the same response as

conventional parametric EQs. In some situations,

this form of accurate, clean shelving can sound

harsh, especially when compared to legacy analog

EQs. To soften the results, the overshoot is

increased as Q is increased, as shown Figure 10-22

for Q values of 1.00, 2.00 and 3.00. This overshoot

region produces a boost in frequencies just above

the cutoff, which compensates in a smooth, more

pleasing fashion for the perceived drop in low

frequencies being cut.

Conversely, when shelving boost is being applied,

overshoot cuts frequencies just above the cutoff to

again compensate in a smooth and pleasing fashion

for the perceived boost in low frequencies:

Figure 10-23: Overshoot when low shelf boost is applied.

Overshoot is also applied to high shelf boost and

cut:

Figure 10-24: Overshoot when high shelf cut and boost is applied.

Overshoot tends to produce more of what one

would expect to hear when applying shelving and

is therefore considered to be more musical than

shelving without overshoot. This effect, which has

gained tremendous popularity among audio

engineers, was ﬁrst made popular in original Neve

series EQs and later in the SSL G series.

At maximum the maximum Q setting of 3.00, the

overshoot peaks at half the total boosted (or cut)

gain. For example, with a maximum gain setting of

+20dB, the loss in the overshoot region is -10 dB.

Overshoot curves are symmetrical for both cut and

boost.

Low pass and high pass ﬁlters

The Vintage EQ low and high pass ﬁlters are similar

to those found in most conventional parametric

EQs (which usually have a ﬁxed slope of 12 dB per

octave), except that Vintage EQ provides six

different slope (roll off) settings: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30

and 36 dB per octave. This control over the shape

of the “knee” gives you a great deal ﬂexibility and

control for a wide variety of applications.

Figure 10-25: The low pass ﬁlter with three example slope settings.

Slope = 6

Slope = 18

Slope = 36

CUEMIX FX

The Dynamics tab

The Dynamics tab (Figure 10-26) displays the

Dynamics processing settings for the input or

output channel that currently has the focus. Click

any focus button in the Inputs or Outputs tab to

view the Dynamics tab settings for the channel.

Figure 10-26: The Dynamics tab.

Enabling Dynamics

Each input and output channel has a global

Dynamics enable/disable button (Figure 10-3 and

Figure 10-6). This button enables or disables all

dynamics processing for the channel. In addition,

the Dynamics tab has two different dynamics

processors, the Compressor and Leveler, which can

be individually enabled or disabled (Figure 10-26)

for the channel.

Compressor

The Compressor (Figure 10-26) lowers the level of

the input when it is above the threshold. The

amount of attenuation is determined by the Ratio

and the input level. If the input is 6 dB above the

Threshold and the Ratio is 3:1, then the output will

be 2 dB above the Threshold. When the input level

goes above the threshold, the attenuation is added

gradually to reduce distortion. The rate at which

the attenuation is added is determined by the

Attack parameter. Likewise, when the input level

falls below the Threshold, the attenuation is

removed gradually. The rate at which the

attenuation is removed is determined by the

Release parameter. Long Release times may cause

the audio to drop out brieﬂy when a soft passage

follows a loud passage. Short Release times may

cause the attenuation to pump when the average

input level quickly ﬂuctuates above and below the

Threshold.

These sorts of issues can be addressed by applying

the Leveler instead.

Graphic adjustment of the Threshold

The Threshold can be adjusted by turning the

Threshold knob or by dragging the Threshold line

directly in the compressor graph (Figure 10-26).

Input level meter

The Input Level meter (Figure 10-26) shows the

level of the input signal before it enters the

compressor. It shows either the peak level or the

RMS level, depending on which mode is currently

chosen.

Gain reduction (GR) meter

The Gain reduction (GR) level meter

(Figure 10-26) displays the current amount of

attenuation applied by the compressor.

Compressor

enable/disable

Leveler

enable/disable

Dynamics tab

Input

level

meter

Output

level

meter

Gain

reduction

meter

Threshold

Trim

CUEMIX FX

Output level

The Output Level meter (Figure 10-26) displays the

peaks of the output signal. Trim is applied before

the Output Level meter.

Peak/RMS modes

In RMS mode the compressor uses RMS values (a

computational method for determining overall

loudness) to measure the input level. In Peak mode,

the compressor uses signal peaks to determine the

input level. RMS mode will let peaks through

because the detector sidechain is only looking at

the average signal level. Peak mode will react to

brief peaks. Peak mode is generally used for drums,

percussion and other source material with strong

transients, while RMS mode is mostly used for

everything else.

The input meters show either the peak level or the

RMS level, depending on the mode.

Leveler

The Leveler™ (Figure 10-26) provides an accurate

model of the legendary Teletronix™ LA-2A®

optical compressor, known for its unique and

highly sought-after Automatic Gain Control

(AGC) characteristics. The UltraLite-mk3 Leveler

faithfully models the LA-2A using the on-board

DSP with 32-bit ﬂoating point precision.

A model of an optical compressor

The simplest description of an optical leveling

ampliﬁer device is a light shining on a photore-

sistor. The intensity of the light source is

proportional to the audio signal, and the resistance

of the photoresistor is in turn inversely

proportional to the intensity of the light. Photore-

sistors respond quite quickly to increases in light

intensity, yet return to their dark resistance very

slowly. Thus, incorporation of the photoresistor

into an attenuator followed by an ampliﬁer which

provides make-up gain produces a signal which

maintains a constant overall loudness.

Automatic gain control using light

The the Automatic Gain Control (AGC) circuit of

the LA-2A uses a vintage opto-coupler known by

its model number (T4). The T4 contains an

electroluminescent panel (ELP) and photoresistor

mounted so that the emission of the panel

modulates the resistance. An ELP consists of a thin

layer of phosphorescent material sandwiched

between two insulated electrodes to form a

capacitor. Making one of the electrodes

transparent allows the light to escape. These

devices are essentially glow-in-the-dark paint on a

piece of foil covered by metalized glass or plastic,

and are the same devices used in low-power night

lights. Unfortunately, these devices need high

voltages to operate, and are best driven by tube

circuits which can supply voltage swings of several

hundred volts.

Response characteristics

Once the light has faded away, the photoresistor

then decays back to its dark state. The shape of the

decay curve varies depending on how bright the

light was, and how long the light lasted. A general

rule of thumb is that the louder the program, the

slower the release. Typically, the release can take up

to and over one minute. One thing to keep in mind

when using these types of devices is that the typical

concepts of compression ratio, attack, release, and

threshold do not apply. The light intensity is

determined by the highly non-linear interactions

of the input signal, AGC circuit, and ELP, and thus

exhibit a strong program dependence that is

impossible to describe without the mind-numbing

mathematics of statistical mechanics. The actual

results, however, can be almost mystical: even

when you feed the same material (a loop perhaps)

through the Leveler twice, you’ll often see a new

response the second time through a loop, complete

with unique attack times, release times and

compression ratios. Furthermore, two different

input signals with the same RMS levels may be

leveled in a drastically different manner.

CUEMIX FX

It is precisely this self-adjusting behavior that

makes optical compressors the tool of choice for

smoothing out vocals, bass guitar and full-

program mixes without destroying perceived

dynamics.

Compressor/Limit buttons

The Comp and Limit buttons (Figure 10-26) model

the original LA-2A Limit/Compress mode switch.

The effect is very subtle, with the Limit option

behaving only slightly more like a limiter than a

compressor. The switch increases the level of the

input to the AGC model and runs the attenuator at

a slightly lower level. The Leveler then responds

more strongly to transients, but otherwise still

behaves like a leveling ampliﬁer.

Gain Reduction

Gain Reduction (Figure 10-26) sets the strength of

the signal sent to the AGC model.

Makeup Gain

Makeup gain (Figure 10-26) ampliﬁes the output

signal to make up for gain reduction.

Enabling or disabling the Leveler

The Leveler models the LA-2A so closely, it also

models the time it takes for an actual LA-2A to

“warm up” after it is turned on. Therefore, when

you enable the Leveler, give it a moment to “settle”

before you begin processing signals with it.

The Meters tab

The Meters tab (Figure 10-27) serves as a

comprehensive meter bridge for all inputs, outputs

and mix busses in the UltraLite-mk3. This tab gives

you a “bird’s-eye” view of all signal activity in the

UltraLite-mk3; it is ideal for conﬁrming your signal

routing programming and for troubleshooting.

Figure 10-27: The Meters tab.

Channel meter display

The channel meter display (Figure 10-27) provides

a long-throw meter for the input or output that

currently has the focus in the Input/Output tabs.

Bus activity LEDs (inputs only)

The Bus activity LEDs (Figure 10-27) are present

only for inputs. See “Input meter and bus activity

LEDs” on page 71.

Pre/post processing switch

The pre/post processing switch (Figure 10-27)

affects all input meters (and the meter in the

channel meter display above the tab, if this area is

Meters tab

Bus activity LEDs

(inputs only)

Pre/post

processing

switch

Channel meter

display

CUEMIX FX

displaying an input meter). Click Pre to view levels

before any input channel processing besides trim;

click Post to view levels after all channel processing

(EQ, compression, M/S decoding, L/R swap, etc.)

The Reverb tab

The Reverb tab (Figure 10-28) provides access to

the UltraLite-mk3’s single, global reverb processor,

which provides high-ﬁdelity reverberation and

graphic control over its parameters.

Figure 10-28: The Reverb tab.

Enabling reverb

Use the enable/disable button (Figure 10-28) to

turn the reverb processor on or off. Since reverb

uses considerable DSP resources, it is best to leave

it off when you are not using it.

Routing inputs, busses and outputs to the

reverb processor

The reverb processor is a single, independent unit

that provides stereo reverb. You can route multiple

signals to it from various points (sends) in the

CueMix FX mixer, but all incoming signals to the

reverb processor are merged and processed

together. The resulting stereo output from the

reverb can then be inserted into a mix bus or

output using stereo returns.

Reverb sends

The following signals can be sent to the reverb

processor via their corresponding sends (discussed

earlier in this chapter):

■ Mono or stereo inputs (Figure 10-3 on page 66)

■ Mix bus output (Figure 10-2 on page 64)

■ Outputs (Figure 10-6 on page 69)

Reverb returns

The stereo output from the reverb processor can be

sent to the following destinations via their

corresponding returns (discussed earlier in this

chapter):

■ Mix bus outputs

■ Outputs

■ The computer (via the Reverb Return bus)

Split point

The Split Point (Figure 10-28) prevents feedback

loops that would be caused by a signal being sent to

the reverb processor and then returned to the same

signal path.

Mix

When the Split Point is set to Mix, the returns in the

Mix bus tab become active and the sends in the

Output tab gray out. This allows you to send from

inputs and mixes and return to mixes and outputs.

Reverb

enable/disable

Mid band reverb

time handle

Crossover

handle

Low band

(yellow)

High band

(purple)

CUEMIX FX

Output

When the Split Point is set to Output, the sends in

Output tab become active and the returns in the

Mix bus tab gray out. This allows you to send from

inputs, mixes and outputs and return to outputs.

Primary controls

The Primary Controls section (Figure 10-28) in the

Reverb tab provides the following basic parameters

for programming the reverb.

Reverb Time

Reverb time determines the length of decay, or tail,

of the reverb. This is a global setting for the reverb

processor. You can further reﬁne the tails by

independently setting the reverb time of three

separate frequency bands, as discussed below in

the Reverb Design section.

PreDelay

PreDelay is the amount of time before you hear the

very ﬁrst reﬂections. If you are in a large room, it

takes a while before the ﬁrst reﬂections return.

PreDelay is useful for clarifying the original sound.

For example, with vocals, the reﬂections won’t start

until after the initial sound of a word has been

sung.

Shelf Filter

The Shelf Filter is a low-pass ﬁlter that controls the

high frequency characteristics of the overall effect.

Frequency sets the cutoff frequency for the ﬁlter

and Cut sets the amount of signal attenuation

applied by the ﬁlter.

Early reﬂections

Initial reﬂections give a space its unique sound.

The shape of the room, the angles of the walls, even

furniture in the room will produce a series of Initial

Reﬂections. Think of the early reﬂections and

room type as the “ﬂavor” of the reverb. You can

choose between several types of rooms. These are

acoustic models for simulating these different

types of spaces. The Size and Level parameters let

you control the size of the room and the strength of

the initial reﬂections.

☛ Here’s a tip: try using initial reﬂections

without any subsequent reverb (turn the reverb

time down as far as it will go). You’ll hear

interesting and unusual effects.

Reverb design

The Reverb Design section allows you to

independently control the reverb time for three

separate frequency bands (Low, Mid and High)

with adjustable cross-over points between them

(Low and High). The reverb time for each band is

speciﬁed in percent of the overall reverb time in the

Primary Controls section at the top of the tab.

You can edit these parameters graphically by

dragging the handles in the graphic display

(Figure 10-28).

Width does what its name implies: if you turn this

control all the way up, the result is maximum stereo

imaging. A position of 12 o’clock produces

essentially a mono image. Turning the control all

the way down completely swaps the stereo image.

THE MONITOR GROUP

The monitor group is a set of UltraLite-mk3 outputs

that can be controlled with the master Monitor

Level knob in upper right corner of the CueMix FX

mixer window (Figure 10-29), as well as the

MASTER VOL knob on the UltraLite-mk3 front

panel.

Figure 10-29: Monitor group volume control from CueMix FX and the

front panel MASTER VOL knob.

Monitor

group

presets

CUEMIX FX

Assigning outputs to the monitor group

Any combination of outputs can be assigned to the

monitor group. To include an output pair in the

monitor group, click its Monitor button in the

Outputs tab (Figure 10-6 on page 69).

Monitor group presets menu

The monitor group presets menu (Figure 10-29)

provides several presets for commonly used

monitor groups:

If you program your own monitor output group,

the presets menu displays the word Custom.

Monitor group meters

The monitor group meters (Figure 10-1 on

page 62) show levels for any/all output pairs that

are currently included in the monitor group. The

width of the meters scales proportionally so that all

current monitor group outputs will ﬁt within the

prescribed space for the meters. If many outputs

are included, then the meters will look fairly thin,

but they will all be included in the meter.

DSP METER

The DSP meter (Figure 10-1) shows how much of

the available DSP processing power is currently

being used by the UltraLite-mk3 for effects

processing. DSP resources are allocated in channel

order from the ﬁrst input to the last output. If there

aren’t enough DSP resources for all effects to be

enabled on a channel, none of them are allocated

on that channel or any following channel.

EQ on a stereo channel requires approximately

twice the DSP resources as the same EQ on a mono

channel. The Compressor (2.5 x 1 EQ band) and

Leveler (4 x 1 EQ band) require about the same

DSP resources for a mono or stereo channel.

SOLO LIGHT

The Solo light (Figure 10-1) illuminates when any

input in the current (active) mix bus is soloed

(even if it is currently scrolled off-screen).

TALKBACK AND LISTENBACK

CueMix FX provides Talkback and Listenback

buttons. Talkback allows an engineer in the control

room to temporarily dim all audio and talk to

musicians in the live room. Conversely, Listenback

allows musicians to talk to the control room.

Hardware setup

Figure 10-30 below shows a typical hardware setup

for Talkback and Listenback. For Talkback, set up a

dedicated mic in your control room and connect it

to a mic input on your UltraLite-mk3. For

Listenback, set up a dedicated listenback mic in the

live room for the musicians and connect it to

another mic input. For talkback output, set up a

headphone distribution amp or set of speakers in

the live room, and connect it to a pair of outputs.

For example, you might connect a headphone

distribution amp to analog outputs 7-8 on your

UltraLite-mk3, as demonstrated below in

Figure 10-30.

Monitor group preset Output assignment

Main Outs Main Out 1-2

Stereo Analog Out 1-2

Quad Analog Out 1-4

5.1 Analog Out 1-6

7.1 Analog Out 1-8

CUEMIX FX

Figure 10-30: Typical hardware setup for Talkback and Listenback.

Talkback / Listenback Mic Input

To conﬁgure the talkback mic in CueMix FX, go to

the Inputs tab (Figure 10-3 on page 66) and click

the Focus button for the input that the talkback mic

is connected to. Click the Channel tab (Figure 10-8

on page 70) and enable the Ta lk button.

Repeat this procedure for the Listenback mic,

except click the Listen button in the Channel tab.

Talk / Listen output

To conﬁgure the talkback and listen back outputs,

go to the Outputs tab (Figure 10-6 on page 69) and

enable the Ta lk button for any output pair on which

you’d like to hear the talkback mic. Similarly,

enable the Listen button for any output pair on

which you’d like to hear the listenback mic.

Talkback / Listenback Monitor Dim

Use the knobs next to the Talk and Listen buttons

(Figure 10-31) to determine the amount of

attenuation you would like to apply to all other

audio signals (besides the talkback/listenback

signal) when Talkback and/or Listenback is

engaged. To completely silence all other CueMix

audio, turn them all the way down. attenuation

only occurs when talkback or listenback is

engaged. Audio playing back from disk (your host

software) is not affected.

Figure 10-31: The Talkback/Listenback controls.

Engaging/disengaging Talkback and

Listenback

To engage Talk back or Listenback, press on the

Talk or Listen buttons (Figure 10-31) and then

release to disengage. Talkback and/or Listenback is

engaged for as long as you hold down the mouse

button. Alt-click to make the buttons “sticky” (stay

engaged until you click them again — so you don’t

have to hold down the mouse). Or use the Talkback

menu items.

If you would like to engage both Talkback and

Listenback at the same time, enable the Link button

(Figure 10-31).

Controlling Talkback and Listenback volume

To control the volume of the Talkback and/or

Listenback mics, adjust their input trim in CueMix

FX.

Listenback

mic

Control room

Talkback

mic

Main

outs

Live room

Outs

7-8

Headphone distribution amp

(front panel

mic input)

Talk dim

Listen dim

CUEMIX FX

SHORTCUTS

Hold down the following general modiﬁer keys as

shortcuts:

Hold down the following modiﬁer keys as

shortcuts for the EQ tab and controls:

FILE MENU

Saving and loading hardware presets

The UltraLite-mk3 can store up to 16 presets in its

on-board memory. A preset includes of all

CueMix FX settings for all for mix busses, but it

excludes global settings like clock source and

sample rate.

The Load Hardware Preset and Save Hardware

Preset commands in the CueMix FX ﬁle menu let

you name, save and load presets in the

UltraLite-mk3.

Peak/hold time

In CueMix FX, a peak indicator is a line

(representing a virtual LED) displayed in a level

meter that indicates the maximum signal level

registered by the meter. The Peak/hold time setting

(File menu) determines how long this indicator

remains visible before it disappears (or begins to

drop). To disable peak/hold indicators altogether,

choose Off from this sub-menu.

Mix1 Return Includes Computer

The Mix1 return includes computer File menu item

applies to other MOTU interfaces products and has

no effect on the UltraLite-mk3.

Hardware follows console stereo settings

This File menu item applies to other MOTU

interfaces products and has no effect on the

UltraLite-mk3.

EDIT MENU

Undo/Redo

CueMix FX supports multiple undo/redo. This

allows you to step backwards and forwards

through your actions in the software.

Copying & pasting (duplicating) entire mixes

To copy and paste the settings from one mix to

another:

1 Select the source mix (Figure 10-1) and choose

Copy from the Edit menu (or press control-C).

2 Choose the destination mix and choose Paste

from the Edit menu (or press control-V).

Clear Peaks

Choose Clear Peaks from the Edit menu to clear all

peak indicators in all CueMix FX meters.

Shortcut Result

Shift key Applies your action to all inputs or all out-

puts in the mix.

Control key Applies your action to the stereo input pair,

even when it is currently configured as mono.

Alt key Applies your action to all busses.

Shift-Alt Applies your action to all inputs and mixes.

Double-click Returns the control to its default value (pan

center, unity gain, etc.)

Shortcut Result

Shift click Applies EQ button change to all input or out-

puts.

Alt-click Applies EQ enable button changes to all

bands in that input or output.

Shift-Alt-click Applies EQ enable button changes to all

bands and all inputs or outputs.

CUEMIX FX

DEVICES MENU

If you are working with more than one MOTU

audio interface product, this menu displays all

interfaces that are currently on line. Choose any

device from the menu to edit its settings using the

CueMix FX software.

Below each device are three signal analysis tools:

Oscilloscope, X-Y Plot and Phase Analysis. Choose

one to open its window. For details on these

features, see the following sections.

Oscilloscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

X-Y Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Phase Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Figure 10-32: Opening the oscilloscope, X-Y Plot and Phase Analysis

windows.

OSCILLOSCOPE

The Oscilloscope (Figure 10-33) graphs the

amplitude of an audio signal over time.

Amplitude is displayed on the y-axis and time is

displayed on the x-axis. A thick white vertical line

marks where time equals zero; a thick white

horizontal line marks where amplitude equals zero

(Figure 10-33, below).

Level meters are displayed to the right of the graph.

One or two meters are shown, depending on the

current view mode (see “View controls”).

Opening the oscilloscope

Each mk3 series FireWire audio interface has its

own oscilloscope. To open an oscilloscope, choose

the Oscilloscope item from the Devices menu under

the desired interface (Figure 10-32).

Choosing a channel to display

The oscilloscope follows the currently focused

audio input or output. If you focus a mono channel

(e.g. Analog 3), its corresponding stereo pair will

be displayed (Analog 3–4).

View controls

The View controls (Figure 10-34) provide several

options for the oscilloscope display.

Figure 10-33: Oscilloscope

CUEMIX FX

Figure 10-34: View controls

View menu

The View menu (Figure 10-34) lets you choose how

you wish to display the audio channel(s) being

displayed.

Display options

The Axes control (Figure 10-34) sets the opacity of

the grid displayed in the graph, from 100% (fully

visible) down to 0% (fully hidden). The Show Ruler

option toggles the measurement items (see

“Measurement information” on page 91).

Pausing the display

The Pause button in the upper right corner of the

View section (Figure 10-34) allows you to freeze

the display at any time. To resume, click the button

again. The level meters will remain active while the

display is paused.

Horizontal controls (time axis)

The Horizontal controls (Figure 10-35) conﬁgure

the value range of the x-axis (time). Click and drag

the values up or down to set them, or double-click

to return to the default value.

There are two modes for the controls: Zoom/Offset

and

Min/Max. To change the mode, use the Horizontal

control menu (Figure 10-35).

Figure 10-35: Horizontal control menu

In Zoom/Offset mode, Zoom sets the display zoom

from

1/1000x to 10x, where the number represents the

number of pixels per sample. For example, when

the horizontal zoom value is 10x, 10 samples are

displayed in 100 pixels; when the horizontal zoom

value is 1/10x, 100 samples are displayed in 10

pixels. Offset moves the line marking time equals

zero left or right.

In Min/Max mode, Min and Max set the earliest

and most recent displayed time.

Time Units

The Time Units sub-menu (Figure 10-35) provides

the option to view the X axis in Seconds or

Samples.

Vertical controls (amplitude axis)

The Vertical controls (Figure 10-35) operate

similarly to the Horizontal controls, except that

they conﬁgure the y-axis (amplitude).

In Zoom/Offset mode, Zoom sets the display zoom

from

1/2 to 100x, and Offset moves the line marking

amplitude equals zero line up or down.

View menu setting What it displays

Left Left channel only

Right Right channel only

Split screen Left channel on top; right channel on the

bottom

Shared Left and right on top of each other; left is

green, right is red

Add Left and right channels’ amplitudes are

added together

Subtract L-R The right channel’s amplitude is sub-

tracted from the left channel’s amplitude

Pause button

View menu

CUEMIX FX

In Min/Max mode, Min and Max set the smallest

and largest displayed amplitude.

Waveform Recognition

The Waveform Recognition option searches

through new audio data looking for a waveform

which most resembles that which was previously

displayed. The region where this takes place is a

small window around the line marking time equals

zero, denoted by the extra vertical graph lines

surrounding it. There are two kinds of waveform

recognition available: Type I and Type II.

Figure 10-36: Waveform Recognition menu

Type I recognition provides the most stable display

of the waveform. It is the most resistant to change.

Louder transients, such as those produced by a

snare drum, are not displayed inside of the

waveform window. Type I is best for observing the

shape of a signal produced by a synthesizer or

observing the tone of a guitar through a chain of

pedals.

Type II recognition is less resistant to change. It will

include loud transients within the waveform

recognition window. Type II is better for observing

percussive music where the beat itself is to be

centered within the waveform window.

Trigger

When the Tri gg e r (Figure 10-37) is not enabled

(the Trigger menu is set to None), the graph

updates based on time: after every n samples of the

monitored audio signal, the most recent samples

are displayed. When the Trigger is enabled (set to

any mode other than None), the graph updates in

response to speciﬁc conditions in the signal. The

Trigger section deﬁnes that criteria and how the

graph will display the events that match.

Figure 10-37: Trigger settings

Criteria

The criteria check boxes (Figure 10-37) determine

the conditions that the trigger is looking for and

where it will look for them.

The Left check box causes the condition to be

looked for in the left channel of the signal; likewise,

the Right check box looks for the condition in the

right channel. One or both of these can be enabled

simultaneously. If neither is enabled, the criteria

will not be found because the trigger is not looking

at any audio signal.

The Pos and Neg check boxes determine the slope

of the event. When the Pos check box is enabled,

the trigger will look for an event where amplitude is

increasing; likewise, enabling the Neg check box

tells the trigger to look for an event where

amplitude is decreasing. One or both of these can

be enabled simultaneously. If neither is enabled,

the criteria will not be found because the trigger is

not looking for any particular kind of event.

The Level setting deﬁnes the amplitude threshold

that the trigger is looking for. The Level is indicated

on the graph by a blue horizontal line (or two blue

horizontal lines, if Magnitude is enabled). Events

which cross this threshold using the enabled

slope(s) in the enabled channel(s) will activate the

trigger. The response of the trigger is set by the

Trigger mode (see “Trigger modes”, below).

Trigger indicator

Trigger menu

Criteria check boxes

CUEMIX FX

Enabling the Magnitude check box tells the trigger

to look for both positive and negative Level values,

regardless of whether the Level value is positive or

negative. For example, if Level is set to +0.500 and

Magnitude is enabled, the trigger will look for both

+0.500 and -0.500. You will see a second blue line

appear in the display when Magnitude is enabled to

denote the second value.

Holdoff

Holdoff deﬁnes a time interval during which the

oscilloscope does not trigger. The most recent trace

will be displayed during that period. When the

period is over, the trigger is “re-armed’, i.e. it will

begin looking for the criteria again.

Click and drag this value up or down to set it, or

double-click to return to the default value.

Trigger modes

The Trigger menu (Figure 10-37 on page 90)

provides four modes:

Trigger indicator

The Trigger indicator (Figure 10-37 on page 90)

displays the state of the trigger, and also provides a

way to manually interact with it. The Trigger

indicator always displays one of three colors:

You can also click on the Trigger indicator to force

certain actions, depending on the Trigger mode. In

Auto and Normal modes, clicking on the Trigger

indicator causes the display to run freely; you may

click & hold to force this to occur for as long as

you’d like. In Single Sweep mode, clicking on the

Trigger indicator re-arms the trigger. When the

Trigger mode is None, clicking on the Trigger

indicator has no effect.

Measurement information

You can view detailed information about a

particular time range by using the measurement

bars.

Figure 10-38: Measurement information

Trigger mode What it does

None The Trigger is not active; this is the default mode.

The incoming audio signal will be displayed con-

tinuously as audio is received.

Auto The display is always updating, but when the

condition is met, the trigger event will be dis-

played centered around the line marking time

equals zero.

Normal The display updates only when the condition is

met; the last trace will be displayed until the next

matching event is found.

Single Sweep Similar to Normal mode, but the last trace will be

displayed until you manually arm the trigger by

clicking the Trigger indicator (Figure 10-37 on

page 90) or by pressing the spacebar.

Color Status

Green When the current Trigger criteria has been met

(including when the Trigger mode is None).

Yellow When the Trigger is armed, but has not yet found an

event which matches its criteria. Yellow can also indi-

cate that the graph has been manually paused using

the Pause button in the View section (see “Pausing

the display” on page 89).

Red When the Trigger is being held off, either because the

Trigger mode is set to Single Sweep or the Holdoff

time is not set to zero.

CUEMIX FX

To adjust the left and right edges of the

measurement area, click and drag the blue bars in

the graph, or click and drag the blue numbers in

the upper left or right corners. To reset them to the

default value, double-click the numbers.

Information about the measured area is displayed

at the center of the top ruler: the duration (in

seconds and samples), the approximate frequency,

and the scientiﬁc note name. If the measured area is

long enough, the approximate beats per minute

(bpm) is displayed.

Ideas for using the Oscilloscope

The Oscilloscope can be used in many useful ways

during the routine operation of your recording

studio. Here are just a few examples.

Analyzing and comparing harmonic content

The oscilloscope lets you “see” the nature of the

harmonic proﬁle in any audio material. You can

also view two signals side by side (in stereo mode)

to compare their proﬁles and, if necessary, make

adjustments to the source of each signal and view

your changes in real time.

Viewing transients such as drum hits

If you loop a snare hit or other similar transient

audio clip and feed it through the oscilloscope, you

can more or less “freeze” the transient waveform in

the oscilloscope frame. This can be useful, for

example, for viewing the results of real-time

compression that you are applying with an effects

plug-in, as demonstrated in Figure 10-39. In this

example, a snare hit is being compressed by Digital

Performer’s Dynamics plug-in. As you make

adjustments to the compression plug-in’s settings,

you can see the transient waveform change the next

time the Oscilloscope triggers. For compression,

this can be particularly useful for balancing the

effect of the attack on the transient, relative to the

decay portion of the waveform. Conversely, you

can see the effect of the threshold setting directly

on the decay portion, relative to the attack. In

effect, you can see as well as hear the results of your

compression adjustments.

To view a transient waveform in the Oscilloscope

display, turn off Waveform Recognition and use the

Normal Trigger mode. Adjust the level high enough

to encompass the vertical amplitude of most of the

transient. If the transient pulse sweeps across the

Figure 10-39: Viewing transients in the Oscilloscope

CUEMIX FX

screen, try raising the Holdoff level. Once the

transient is settled in the display and fairly stable,

you may need to adjust the horizontal position to

center it in the display. These settings are depicted

in the example in Figure 10-39.

You can also pause the display at any time and

adjust the horizontal bounds to locate a transient.

Clip detection

You can use the Oscilloscope to detect clipping in a

digital audio signal. To do so, enable all criteria

(Figure 10-37 on page 90), choose Single Sweep

from the trigger menu (Figure 10-37), set the level

to 0.999 and click the trigger indicator

(Figure 10-37) to arm it (yellow). As soon as the

signal clips, the trigger indicator will turn red, and

the display will show the offending clip at the line

marking time equals zero.

Viewing timing pulses

If you have two audio signals with recognizable,

timed pulses in them, and you wish to compare

their timing with respect to each other, you can use

Split Screen or Shared view to visually compare the

timing of the two signals. You can zoom in to the

sample level for sample accurate viewing.

Building synthesizer patches

If you are building a synth patch on a synthesizer

(or forming similar highly periodic audio

material), you can run the audio signal through the

Oscilloscope as you adjust its sound to check in real

time for undesirable (and possibly inaudible)

characteristics, which are easily seen in the

Oscilloscope display. A good example is DC offset.

If a signal develops DC offset, the apparent vertical

center of its overall waveform will drift above or

below the line marking amplitude equals zero. Try

setting Waveform Recognition to Type I and setting

Trigger to None.

Another example is waveform polarity. If you are

combining several raw waveforms, polarity is a

critical, yet not always obvious, factor in

determining the resulting sound. You can use the

Oscilloscope to easily view and compare polarities

to see if they are inverted from one another or not.

The Add and Subtract L - R View menu settings are

particularly useful here.

You can also use the Oscilloscope to help you apply

waveform modulation and keep it “in bounds”. For

example, you could easily see if pulse width

modulation is collapsing in on itself to choke the

sound, an effect that is readily seen in the

Oscilloscope display but not necessarily easy to

determine by ear when using multiple modulation

sources.

Guitarists can also visually observe the effects of

their pedals and processing, while playing. With

the Trigger mode set to None and Waveform

Recognition set to Type I, the waveform will be

tracks automatically.

When applying ﬁlters and ﬁlter resonance, the

visual effect on the waveform can be invaluable in

reinforcing what you are hearing as you make

adjustments.

Monitoring control voltage output from Volta

MOTU’s Volta instrument plug-in for Mac OS X

turns your audio interface into a control voltage

interface, giving you precise digital control from

your favorite audio workstation software of any

hardware device with a control voltage (CV) input.

The CV signals output from Volta can be

monitored in the Oscilloscope, giving you visual

feedback on LFOs, envelopes, ramps, step

sequencers, and more.

For more information on Volta, see

www.motu.com.

CUEMIX FX

X-Y PLOT

The X-Y Plot window (Figure 10-40) graphs the

amplitude of a stereo audio signal on a two-

dimensional grid.

For each unit of time (i.e. each sample), the

amplitude of the left channel is displayed on the x-

axis and the amplitude of the right channel is

displayed on the y-axis. A thick white vertical line

marks where left channel amplitude equals zero; a

thick white horizontal line marks where right

channel amplitude equals zero (Figure 10-40,

below). There are also thick white diagonal lines

for y = x and y = -x.

Metering

Level meters are displayed above and to the right of

the graph for the left (green) and right (red)

channels, respectively. An additional Correlation

meter (blue) is displayed on the right. This meter

displays the correlation between the two channels.

The higher the meter, the higher the correlation

between the two channels. Below are a few

examples:

Opening the X-Y Plot

Each mk3 series FireWire audio interface has its

own X-Y Plot window. Choose the X-Y Plot item

from the Devices menu under the desired interface

(Figure 10-32 on page 88).

Figure 10-40: X-Y Plot

Situation Meter

level

X-Y Plot graph Mathematical

relationship

Perfect

correlation

+1 Diagonal line going

from lower left to

upper right:

y = x

Zero

correlation

0 No discernible pat-

tern

None

Perfectly out

of phase

-1 Diagonal line going

from upper left to

lower right:

y = -x

CUEMIX FX

Choosing a channel pair to display

The X-Y Plot follows the currently focused audio

input or output. If you focus a mono channel (e.g.

Analog 3), its corresponding stereo pair will be

displayed (Analog 3–4).

View controls

The View controls (Figure 10-41) provide several

options for the X-Y Plot display.

Figure 10-41: View controls

Pausing the display

The Pause button in the upper right corner of the

View section (Figure 10-41) allows you to freeze

the display at any time. To resume, click the button

again. The level meters will remain active while the

display is paused.

Line/Scatter

Choose either Line or Scatter from the menu in the

View section (Figure 10-41) to plot each point

(sample) as either a single pixel or as a continuous

line that connects each plot point to the next, as

shown below in Figure 10-42.

Figure 10-42: The same X-Y Plot displayed in Line versus Scatter

mode.

☛ Line mode is signiﬁcantly more CPU intensive

than Scatter. You can reduce Line mode CPU

overhead on the X-Y Plot by reducing the Length

parameter (described below).

Color/Grayscale

In Color mode (Figure 10-41) the most recently

displayed audio data is shown in red, which fades

to yellow, green and then ﬁnally blue, before

disappearing. In Grayscale mode, data is ﬁrst

shown in white and then fades to gray. To adjust the

scale of this color/brightness change, see “Decay”

on page 96.

Axes

The Axes control (Figure 10-41) sets the opacity of

the grid displayed in the graph, from 100% (fully

visible) down to 0% (fully hidden).

Horizontal and vertical controls

The Horizontal and Vertical controls

(Figure 10-43) conﬁgure the value range of the x-

axis (left channel amplitude), and y-axis (right

channel amplitude), respectively. Click and drag

the values up or down to set them, or double-click

to return to the default value.

There are two modes for the controls: Zoom/Offset

and

Min/Max. To change the mode, use the menu

shown in Figure 10-43.

Figure 10-43: Setting the Horizontal or Vertical control modes.

In Zoom/Offset mode, Zoom scales the axis. Pos

moves the lines marking x = 0 left and right, or y =

0 up and down.

Pause button

CUEMIX FX

In Min/Max mode, Min and Max let you scale the

grid by moving the -1.0 and +1.0 points along the

axis. Min/Max mode lets you control the graph

boundaries directly.

Persistence

The Persistence controls (Figure 10-44) affect the

appearance of data from when it is ﬁrst displayed

until it disappears from the grid.

Figure 10-44: The Persistence controls.

Length

Length (Figure 10-44) sets the number of recent

samples to show on the plot. For example, when

Length is set to 10,000, the 10,000 most recent

samples are shown.

Decay

The brightness (in Grayscale mode) or hue (in

Color mode) of each sample on the plot is

determined by a linear scale, with the most recent

sample displayed at the maximum value and the

oldest sample displayed at the minimum value.

Decay (Figure 10-44 on page 96) determines the

brightness or hue of the minimum value. When

Decay is zero, the oldest sample is black. When

Decay is +1.000, the oldest sample is fully opaque

(in Grayscale mode) or red (in Color mode).

Warp

Wa rp (Figure 10-44) determines the position of

data points after they are ﬁrst drawn. When warp is

zero, data points remain in the same position.

When warp is positive, they contract towards the

origin (center of the grid). When warp is negative,

they expand away from the origin. The further the

warp value is from zero, the greater the effect.

Using the X-Y Plot

The X-Y Plot helps you “see” the width of the stereo

ﬁeld of a mix. It also helps you determine if a mix

has issues with polarity, as follows:

If a stereo signal is out of phase, it is not mono

compatible because it can cancel itself out, either

partially or nearly completely, when collapsed to

mono.

Figure 10-45: Checking polarity in a stereo signal with the X-Y Plot.

Activity on the X-Y Plot What it indicates

Signal activity occurs mostly

along the x = y axis (lower left

to upper right) and the Corre-

lation meter reading is high

Left and right channels are pre-

dominantly in polarity (the ste-

reo field is relatively narrow)

Signal activity occurs mostly

along the y = -x axis (upper left

to lower right) and the Correla-

tion meter reading is low (near

-1)

Left and right channels are pre-

dominantly out of polarity (not

in phase)

Signal activity occurs in a

seemingly random fashion

throughout the grid

No phase relationship exists

(i.e. it is probably a wide stereo

field)

n po

ut o

o po

CUEMIX FX

PHASE ANALYSIS

The Phase Analysis window (Figure 10-46 on

page 97) graphs frequency versus phase difference

versus amplitude of a stereo signal on either

rectangular or polar coordinates.

In rectangular coordinates, the vertical axis

represents frequency, and the horizontal axis

represents the phase of the left channel minus the

phase of the right channel (measured in radians).

In polar coordinates, the radius represents

frequency and the angle (theta) from the +y

vertical axis represents the phase difference of left

channel minus the right channel.

Correlation Meter

The blue Correlation Meter to the right of the

display shows the correlation between the two

channels. The higher the meter, the higher the

correlation between the two channels.

Opening the Phase Analysis

Each mk3 series FireWire audio interface has its

own Phase Analysis window. Choose the Phase

Analysis item from the Devices menu under the

desired interface (Figure 10-32 on page 88).

Choosing a channel pair to display

The Phase Analysis window follows the currently

focused audio input or output. If you focus a mono

channel (e.g. Analog 3), its corresponding stereo

pair will be displayed (Analog 3–4).

View controls

The View controls (Figure 10-47) provide several

options for the Phase Analysis display.

Figure 10-47: View controls

Pausing the display

The Pause button in the upper right corner of the

View section (Figure 10-47) allows you to freeze

the display at any time. To resume, click the button

again. The correlation meter will remain active

while the display is paused.

Figure 10-46: Phase Analysis

Pause button

CUEMIX FX

A/B (stereo audio channels)

The View section (Figure 10-47) displays the pair

of input or output audio channels you are viewing.

See “Choosing a channel pair to display” above.

Line/Scatter

Choose either Line or Scatter from the menu in the

View section (Figure 10-47) to plot each data point

as either a single pixel or as a continuous line that

connects each frequency data point to the next, as

shown below in Figure 10-42.

Figure 10-48: The same Phase Analysis displayed in Line versus

Scatter mode.

☛ Line mode is signiﬁcantly more CPU intensive

than Scatter. You can reduce Line mode CPU

overhead for the Phase Analysis display by

increasing the Floor ﬁlter and reducing the Max

Delta Theta ﬁlters (see “Filters” on page 99).

Color/Grayscale

In Color mode (Figure 10-47) signal amplitude is

indicated by color as follows: red is loud and blue is

soft. In grayscale mode, white is loud and gray is

soft.

Linear/Logarithmic

Choose either Linear or Logarithmic from the

menu in the View section (Figure 10-47) to change

the scale of the frequency axis. In rectangular

coordinates, the vertical axis represents frequency,

and in polar coordinates, the radius from the

center is frequency. With a linear scale, frequencies

are spaced evenly; in a logarithmic scale, each

octave is spaced evenly (frequencies are scaled

logarithmically within each octave).

Linear is better for viewing high frequencies;

logarithmic is better for viewing low frequencies.

Rectangular/Polar

Choose either Rectangular or Polar from the menu

in the View section (Figure 10-47) to control how

audio is plotted on the Phase Analysis grid.

Rectangular plots the audio on an X-Y grid, with

frequency along the vertical axis and phase

difference on the horizontal axis. Polar plots the

data on a polar grid with zero Hertz at its center.

The length of the radius (distance from the center)

represents frequency, and the angle (theta)

measured from the +y (vertical) axis represents the

phase difference in degrees.

Figure 10-49: Rectangular versus Polar display (with a linear plot).

Above, Figure 10-49 shows Rectangular versus

Polar display with a Linear plot. Below,

Figure 10-50 show s the same displays (and the

same data) with a Logarithmic plot:

Figure 10-50: Rectangular versus Polar display with a logarithmic

plot.

Axes

The Axes control (Figure 10-47) sets the opacity of

the grid displayed in the graph, from 100% (fully

visible) down to 0% (fully hidden).

CUEMIX FX

Horizontal and vertical controls

The Horizontal and Vertical controls

(Figure 10-51) let you scale each axis of the grid

and offset its zero point. Click and drag the values

up or down to set them, or double-click to return

to the default value.

There are two modes for the controls: Zoom/Offset

and

Min/Max. To change the mode, use the menu

shown in Figure 10-51.

Figure 10-51: Setting the Horizontal or Vertical control modes.

In Zoom/Offset mode, Zoom scales the axis. Pos

moves the zero line.

In Min/Max mode, Min and Max let you scale the

grid by moving the end points along the axis. Min/

Max mode lets you set the boundaries of the graph

directly.

Filters

The Filters section (Figure 10-52) lets you control

the density of the Phase Analysis display.

Figure 10-52: Filters

Floor

Floor (Figure 10-52) determines the amplitude

threshold for the display. When the amplitude of

both channels drops below this threshold, the

signal is not shown.

Max delta theta

Max delta theta (Figure 10-52) only affects Line

view (see “Line/Scatter” on page 98) and sets the

maximum difference in frequency between plot

points in the line plot. For two adjacent

frequencies, if the distance (phase difference)

between the two frequencies is greater than the

Max delta theta, then the line is not drawn.

Using the Phase Analysis

In the polar display (top row of Figure 10-53 on

page 100), stereo material that is predominantly

phase-aligned (correlated) appears along the

vertical axis, as demonstrated in the ﬁrst column

(Perfectly in phase) in Figure 10-53. If the vertical

line tilts left or right, this indicates general

differences in phase; the more the tilt (delta theta),

the more the phase difference. If the vertical line

points downwards in the polar display, this

indicates that the stereo image is predominantly

out of polarity, as demonstrated by the fourth

column (Inverted) in Figure 10-53. Delays appear

as spirals in the polar display.

The rectangular display (bottom row of

Figure 10-53) also shows a predominantly phase-

aligned stereo image along the vertical axis, and tilt

(or left-right offset) from the center vertical axis

represents differences in phase. If a signal is

predominantly out of polarity, it appears along the

theta = -1.0 or theta = +1.0 lines in the rectangular

display, as demonstrated in the fourth column

(Inverted) in Figure 10-53 on page 100.

Using Phase Analysis for multiple mic placement

The polar display can be very useful when

recording drums or another instrument with

multiple microphones. The slight delays caused by

the differences in distance to the source can often

create a comb ﬁltering (delay) effect between two

mic signals, due to phase cancellation. These comb

ﬁlter effects appear as spirals in the polar display. If

you arrange the mics so that the null points (where

the spiral pattern meets the negative y axis) are

CUEMIX FX

100

outside the critical frequency range of the

instrument being recorded, you can avoid phase

problems among the mic signals.

Tuning PA systems

The Phase Analysis window can also be used to

troubleshoot and tune PAs and sound

reinforcement systems by placing microphones in

strategic locations, comparing the two signals in

the Phase Analysis grid and looking for phase

issues at various locations.

Summing to mono

The Phase Analysis window is ideal for checking

stereo audio that needs to be summed to mono.

The Phase Analysis lets you see what frequencies

will be canceled out when summed.

In the rectangular view, any lines in the signal that

touch the +1.0 or -1.0 vertical lines in the grid will

be canceled out at the frequency where they touch,

when the signal is summed to mono.

In the polar view, any signal that falls on the

negative y axis (below zero) in polar view will be

canceled out when the signal is summed to mono.

Checking for phase issues in stereo tracks

You can use the Phase Analysis window to check

the overall polarity of a stereo mix. Figure 10-54 is

an example of a full stereo mix that has phase

issues, as indicated by the majority of the signal’s

energy, which is predominantly skewed to the left

side of the rectangular view (left) and spread along

the -y axis in the polar view (right).

Figure 10-54: A stereo mix with phase issues.

CONFIGURATIONS MENU

A conﬁguration is just like a hardware preset (a

“snapshot” of all settings in CueMix FX and

therefore the UltraLite-mk3 hardware itself),

except that it can be created and managed using the

CueMix FX software on your computer, completely

independently of the UltraLite-mk3 hardware. The

commands in the Conﬁgurations menu let you

create, save, load, import, export and otherwise

manage as many conﬁgurations as you wish.

Figure 10-53: Two identical audio streams in the Phase Analysis.

Perfectly in phase One-sample delay Twenty-sample delay

Polar view

Rectangular

view

Inverted

CUEMIX FX

101

Here is a summary of Conﬁgurations menu

operations:

Modifying a conﬁguration

The name of the current conﬁguration is displayed

in the CueMix FX window title bar. If you make any

changes to the settings in CueMix FX, an asterisk

appears in front of the name to remind you that the

current state of CueMix FX doesn’t match the saved

conﬁguration. If you wish to update the saved

conﬁguration with the new changes, use the Save

command. To save the current state of CueMix FX

to another conﬁguration, use Save To. To save as a

new, separate conﬁguration, use Create New.

Saving a CueMix FX conﬁguration as a

hardware preset

To save a CueMix FX conﬁguration as a hardware

preset:

1 Choose the conﬁguration from the

Conﬁgurations menu to make it the current active

conﬁguration.

2 Choose File menu> Save Hardware Preset.

3 Type in a name, choose a preset slot and click

OK.

Saving a hardware preset as a CueMix FX

conﬁguration

To save a hardware preset as a CueMix FX conﬁgu-

ration:

1 Choose File menu> Load Hardware Preset to

make it the current active preset.

2 Choose Conﬁguration menu> Create New (or

Save To) to save it as a conﬁguration.

TALKBACK MENU

Choose the commands in the Talkback menu to

engage or disengage Talkback or Listenback.

PHONES MENU

The Phones menu allows you to choose what you

will hear on the headphone output, just like the

Phones setting in MOTU Audio Console. However,

this menu provides one extra option that is

exclusive to CueMix FX: Follow Active Mix. This

menu item, when checked, causes the headphone

output to mirror the output of the current mix

being viewed in CueMix FX. For example, if you

are currently viewing mix bus 3, the headphones

will mirror the mix bus 3 output (whatever it is

assigned to).

CONTROL SURFACES MENU

CueMix FX can be controlled from an automated

control surface such as the Mackie Control™. Use

the commands in the Control Surfaces menu to

enable and conﬁgure this feature.

Application follows control surface

When checked, the Application follows control

surface menu command makes the CueMix FX

window scroll to the channel you are currently

adjusting with the control surface, if the channel is

not visible when you begin adjusting it. The same is

true for the bus tabs: if you adjust a control in a bus

Configurations

Menu item What it does

Create New Lets you name and save a new configuration,

which appears at the bottom of the Configura-

tions menu.

Save Overwrites the current configuration

(checked in the list at the bottom of the menu)

with the current settings in CueMix FX.

Save To Same as Save above, except that it lets you first

choose the configuration you wish to save to

(instead of the current one).

Delete Lets you choose a configuration to perma-

nently remove from the menu.

Import Loads all configurations from a configuration

file on disk.

Export Saves all current configurations as a file on

disk.

Configuration

list

Choose any configuration to load it. The cur-

rent (last loaded or saved) configuration has a

check mark next to it.

CUEMIX FX

102

that is not currently being displayed, CueMix FX

will jump to the appropriate tab to display the

control you are adjusting.

Share surfaces with other applications

When the Share surfaces with other applications

menu command is checked, CueMix FX releases

the control surface when you switch to another

application. This allows you to control your other

software with the control surface. Here’s a simple

way to understand this mode: the control surface

will always control the front-most application. Just

bring the desired application to the front (make it

the active application), and your control surface

will control it. When you’d like to make changes to

CueMix FX from the control surface, just bring

CueMix FX to the front (make it the active

application).

When this menu item is unchecked, your control

surface will affect CueMix FX all the time, even

when CueMix FX is not the front-most application.

In addition, you will not be able to control other

host audio software with the control surface at any

time (because CueMix FX retains control over it at

all times). This mode is useful when you do not

need to use the control surface with any other

software.

CueMix Control Surfaces

CueMix FX includes support for the following

control surface products:

■ Mackie Control™

■ Mackie HUI™

■ Mackie Baby HUI™

Use the sub-menu commands in the CueMix

Control Surfaces menu item to turn on and

conﬁgure control surface support, as described

brieﬂy below.

Enabled

Check this menu item to turn on control surface

operation of CueMix FX. Uncheck it to turn off

control surface support.

Conﬁgure…

Choose this menu item to conﬁgure your control

surface product. Launch the on-line help for

speciﬁc, detailed instructions on conﬁguring

CueMix FX for operation with your control surface

product.

Figure 10-55: Refer to the extensive on-line help for details about

conﬁguring CueMix FX for operation with your control surface

product.

CHAPTER

103

11 MOTU SMPTE Console

OVERVIEW

The UltraLite-mk3 can resolve directly to SMPTE

time code via any analog input, without a separate

synchronizer. The UltraLite-mk3 can also generate

time code via any analog output. The

UltraLite-mk3 provides a DSP-driven phase-lock

engine with sophisticated ﬁltering that provides

fast lockup times and sub-frame accuracy. Direct

time code synchronization is supported by Cubase,

Nuendo and other audio sequencer software that

supports the ASIO2 sample-accurate sync

protocol.

MOTU SMPTE Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Clock/Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Frame Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Reader section. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Generator section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Resolving Cubase or Nuendo to SMPTE time code. . 105

Syncing to SMPTE time code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

MOTU SMPTE SETUP

The included MOTU SMPTE Setup™ software

provides a complete set of tools to generate SMPTE

for striping, regenerating or slaving other devices

to the computer.

CLOCK/ADDRESS

The Clock/Address menu (Figure 11-1) provides

the same global Clock Source setting as in MOTU

Audio Console (“Clock Source” on page 30), but it

includes additional information: each setting

shows both the clock and the address (time code or

sample location), separated by a forward slash ( / ).

To resolve the UltraLite-mk3 to SMPTE time code,

choose the SMPTE / SMPTE setting in the Clock/

Address menu. This means that the system will use

SMPTE as the clock (time base) and SMPTE as the

address.

FRAME RATE

This setting should be made to match the SMPTE

time code frame rate of the time code that the

system will be receiving. The UltraLite-mk3 can

Figure 11-1: SMPTE Setup gives you access to your UltraLite-mk3’s on-board

SMPTE time code synchronization features.

The Reader section provides

settings for resolving to

SMPTE time code.

The Generator section

provides settings for striping

SMPTE time code.

MOTU SMPTE CONSOLE

104

auto-detect and switch to the incoming frame rate,

except that it cannot distinguish between 30 fps

and 29.97 fps time code, or 23.976 and 24 fps time

code. So if you are working with either of these

rates, make sure you choose the correct rate from

this menu.

READER SECTION

The Reader section (on the left-hand side of the

window in Figure 11-1) provides settings for

synchronizing the UltraLite-mk3 to SMPTE time

code.

Status lights

The four status lights (Tach, Clock, Address and

Freewheel) give you feedback as follows.

Tach

The Tach light blinks once per second when the

UltraLite-mk3 has successfully achieved lockup to

SMPTE time code and SMPTE frame locations are

being read.

Clock

The Clock light glows continuously when the

UltraLite-mk3 has successfully achieved lockup to

an external time base, such as SMPTE time code or

the S/PDIF input.

Address

The Address light glows continuously when the

UltraLite-mk3 has successfully achieved lockup to

SMPTE time code.

Freewheel

The Freewheel light illuminates when the

UltraLite-mk3 is freewheeling address (time code),

clock or both. For details about Freewheeling, see

“Freewheel Address” and “Freewheel clock” below.

SMPTE source

Choose the analog input that is connected to the

time code source. This is the input that the

UltraLite-mk3 “listens” to for time code.

Freewheel Address

Freewheeling occurs when there is a glitch or

drop-out in the incoming time code for some

reason. The UltraLite-mk3 can freewheel past the

drop-out and then resume lockup again as soon as

it receives readable time code. Choose the amount

of time you would like the UltraLite-mk3 to

freewheel before it gives up and stops altogether.

The UltraLite-mk3 cannot freewheel address

without clock. Therefore, the Freewheel Address

setting will always be lower than or equal to the

Freewheel Clock setting, and both menus will

update as needed, depending on what you choose.

Keep in mind that freewheeling causes the system

to keep going for as long as the duration you choose

from this menu, even when you stop time code

intentionally. Therefore, if you are starting and

stopping time code frequently (such as from the

transports of a video deck), shorter freewheel

times are better. On the other hand, if you are

doing a one-pass transfer from tape that has bad

time code, longer freewheel times will help you get

past the problems in the time code.

The ‘Inﬁnite’ freewheel setting

The Inﬁnite freewheel setting in the Freewheel

Address menu causes the UltraLite-mk3 to

freewheel indeﬁnitely, until it receives readable

time code again. To make it stop, click the Stop

Freewheeling button.

Freewheel clock

Freewheeling occurs when there is glitch or

drop-out in the incoming SMPTE time code for

some reason. The UltraLite-mk3 can freewheel

past the drop-out and then resume lockup again as

soon as it receives a stable, readable clock signal.

MOTU SMPTE CONSOLE

105

COMPANY

CONFIDENTIAL

MOTU

The UltraLite-mk3 cannot freewheel address

without clock. Therefore, the Freewheel Address

setting will always be lower than or equal to the

Freewheel Clock setting, and both menus will

update as needed, depending on what you choose.

The ‘Inﬁnite’ freewheel setting

The Inﬁnite freewheel setting in the Freewheel

Clock menu causes the UltraLite-mk3 to freewheel

indeﬁnitely, until it receives readable time code

again. To make it stop, click the Stop Freewheeling

button.

Stop Freewheeling

The Stop Freewheeling button stops the system if it

is currently freewheeling.

GENERATOR SECTION

The Generator section (on the right-hand side of

the window in Figure 11-1) provides settings for

generating SMPTE time code.

Level

Turn the level knob to adjust the volume of the

SMPTE time code being generated by the

UltraLite-mk3. The level knob disappears when

the Destination is set to None.

Tach light

The Tach light blinks once per second when the

UltraLite-mk3 is generating SMPTE time code.

Destination

In the Destination menu, choose either SMPTE (to

generate time code) or None (to turn it off).

Stripe

Click this button to start or stop time code. To set

the start time, click directly on the SMPTE time

code display in the Generator section and type in

the desired start time. Or drag vertically on the

numbers.

Figure 11-2: Setting the time code start time.

Regenerate

This option, when enabled, causes the generator to

generate time code whenever the UltraLite-mk3 is

receiving SMPTE time code.

RESOLVING CUBASE OR NUENDO TO

SMPTE TIME CODE

To resolve your UltraLite-mk3 and Cubase or

Nuendo directly to SMPTE time code with no

additional synchronization devices, use the setup

shown in Figure 11-3 on page 106. Make sure the

Clock Source setting in the MOTU Audio Console

window is set to SMPTE. Also, make sure that

you’ve connected an LTC input signal to an

UltraLite-mk3 analog input, and that you’ve

speciﬁed that input in the SMPTE Setup.

Click here to edit

the start time, or

drag vertically on

the numbers.

MOTU SMPTE CONSOLE

106

SYNCING TO SMPTE TIME CODE

The UltraLite-mk3 system can resolve directly to

SMPTE time code. It can also generate time code,

under its own clock or while slaving to time code.

Therefore, the UltraLite-mk3 can act both as an

audio interface and as a SMPTE time code

synchronizer to which you can slave other devices.

You can use the UltraLite-mk3 to slave your audio

software to time code as well, as long as your

software supports sample-accurate sync, which is

the means by which the software follows the

UltraLite-mk3. The accuracy may not be sample-

accurate, but in most cases it will be very close.

Figure 11-3: Connections for synchronizing the UltraLite-mk3

directly to SMPTE time code.

Choose SMPTE as the clock source in MOTU

Audio Setup. 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 cable

Launch the MOTU SMPTE Console and specify the SMPTE Source,

which is the interface receiving the SMPTE time code. Also,

conﬁrm that the Clock Source/Address is SMPTE/SMPTE.

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.

UltraLite-mk3 interface

Any analog input

quarter-inch jack

Use this setup if you have:

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

✓

An UltraLite-mk3 by itself, OR with another slaved device

(such as a digital mixer).

✓ Host software that supports sample-accurate sync.

This setup provides:

✓ Continuous sync to SMPTE time code.

✓ Sub-frame timing accuracy.

✓ Transport control from the SMPTE time code source.

CHAPTER

107

12 Performance Tips & Troubleshooting

Things seems like they are working ﬁne, but the

UltraLite-mk3 then just drops off line, and the

computer can’t see it anymore on the FireWire bus.

This is a common symptom when the problem is

that the UltraLite-mk3 is not getting enough

power. Check the power source for the

UltraLite-mk3. Make sure that the power

connection meets the requirements outlined in

“Bus power requirements” on page 23.

Why does the start sound not play through the

UltraLite-mk3?

The UltraLite-mk3 will only playback audio at a

sampling rate of 44.1, 48, 88.2. 96. 176.4 or

192 kHz.

The computer freezes when it starts up

If the computer is unable to boot up, it may be a

conﬂict with the WDM Driver. As soon as the

computer boots up, Windows will try and initialize

the WDM Driver. If this fails, your computer will

hang. To determine if the WDM Driver is the

problem, boot up in Safe Mode or remove the

MOTU Audio software with the Add/Remove

Programs Control Panel then restart. Reinstall the

UltraLite-mk3 software and choose only to install

the MOTU ASIO driver, not the WDM Driver.

Restart again.

‘New hardware detected’ window

If you connect your UltraLite-mk3 before running

the UltraLite-mk3 Software Installer CD, Windows

will prompt you that new hardware has been

detected. Cancel this, and run the UltraLite-mk3

Software Installer, rather than allowing Windows

to locate the drivers.

UltraLite-mk3 inputs and outputs are not

available in SONAR

Make sure that the inputs and/or outputs that you

want to use are enabled in SONAR.

Sound Forge and ‘Smooth Scroll’

If the Smooth Scroll option under the Options

menu is turned on, you may experience clicks and

pops or other anomalies in the audio playback.

This gets worse as you zoom in more to the

waveform while playing. For the best quality

playback, turn this option off.

Clicks and pops due to hard drive problems

If you have checked your clock settings sync cable

connections and you are still getting clicks and

pops in your audio, you may have a drive related

problem. Set the UltraLite-mk3 Clock Source to

Internal and try recording just using the analog

inputs and outputs of the UltraLite-mk3. If you

encounter the same artifacts you may want try

using another drive in your computer. Clicks and

pops can also occur when the drive is severely

fragmented or the disk drivers are outdated.

If you are using a FireWire drive on the same bus as

the UltraLite-mk3, it could be that the FireWire

bus is overloaded (too many devices on the same

bus). Try removing all devices except the

UltraLite-mk3.

Connecting or powering gear during operation

It is not recommended that you connect/

disconnect, or power on/off devices connected to

the UltraLite-mk3 while recording or playing back

audio. Doing so may cause a brief glitch in the

audio.

Monitoring - how do I monitor inputs?

Please refer to the documentation for the audio

application that you are using. If your application

does not support input monitoring, you will need

to use the UltraLite-mk3’s hardware-based

PERFORMANCE TIPS & TROUBLESHOOTING

108

CueMix FX monitoring feature. Please see

chapter 9, “Reducing Monitoring Latency”

(page 55).

Controlling monitoring latency

See chapter 9, “Reducing Monitoring Latency”

(page 55).

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

We are happy to provide customer support to our

registered users. If you haven’t already done so,

please take a moment to register on line at

motu.com, or ﬁll out and mail the registration card

included with your 8pre. Doing so entitles you to

technical support and notices about new products

and software updates.

REPLACING DISKS

If your UltraLite-mk3 installer CD becomes

damaged and fails to provide you with fresh,

working copies of the program, our Customer

Support Department will be glad to replace it. You

can request a replacement disc by calling our

business ofﬁce at (617) 576-2760 and asking for the

customer service department. In the meantime,

you can download the latest drivers from

www.motu.com.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

If you are unable, with your dealer’s help, to solve

problems you encounter with the UltraLite-mk3

system, you may contact our technical support

department in one of the following ways:

■ Tech support hotline: (617) 576-3066 (Monday

through Friday, 9 am to 6 pm EST)

■ Tech support 24-hour fax line: (617) 354-3068

■ Online support: www.motu.com/support

Please provide the following information to help us

solve your problem as quickly as possible:

■ The serial number of the UltraLite-mk3 system.

This is printed on a sticker placed on the bottom of

the UltraLite-mk3 itself. You must be able to supply

this number to receive technical support.

■ A brief explanation of the problem, including the

exact sequence of actions which cause it, and the

contents of any error messages which appear on the

screen.

■ The pages in the manual which refer to the parts

of the UltraLite-mk3 with which you are having

trouble.

■ The version of your computer’s operating

system.

We’re not able to solve every problem immediately,

but a quick call to us may yield a suggestion for a

problem which you might otherwise spend hours

trying to track down.

If you have features or ideas you would like to see

implemented, we’d like to hear from you. Please

write to the UltraLite-mk3 Development Team,

MOTU Inc., 1280 Massachusetts Avenue,

Cambridge, MA 02138.

INDEX

109

Symbols

+4dB analog input 20

-10dB analog input 20

1394 connector 6, 11, 18, 19

192kHz

operation

24-bit

3rd party software

recording 12

48V phantom power 41

4-pin FireWire 23

6-pin FireWire 23

828

connecting to UltraLite-mk3

896mk3

connecting to UltraLite-mk3

Ableton Live 45

Activity meters 12

All Notes Off (LCD) 38

Analog inputs/outputs 6

making connections to 20

overview 10

trim 67

Analog meters 12

Application follows control surface 101

ASIO 12, 15, 16, 43

software

clock source

Attack

compressor

Audio

bit resolution

Audio Setup software 29

AudioDesk

MOTU 828mk3 settings

AutoSave Status 38

Balance 65

Balanced analog 20

Buffer Size 31, 57

Bus

activity LEDs

71, 82

fader 64

Bus power 23

examples 23

requirements 23

Channel tab 70

reverb settings 71

Clear Peaks 87

Clock

192kHz operation

Clock source 7, 30

SMPTE setting 31

Combo jacks 5, 6

Comp button 82

Compressor 80

enabling 80

Condenser mic input 5, 20

Configurations menu 100

Configure interface 26

Connecting multiple UltraLite-mk3s 26

Control Surfaces menu 101

Controller

connecting

Converters 6

Copy/Paste 87

Cubase 12, 29

choosing the UltraLite-mk3 driver

clock source 44

Main Out Assign 45

phones 44

Return Assign 46

reverb return 47, 52

sample rate 44

synchronization 47

CueMix

CueMix FX 58, 61-102

Application follows control surface

101

Configurations menu 100

control surfaces 102

Control Surfaces menu 101

Cubase/Nuendo 47

CueMix control surfaces 102

Devices menu 88

Edit menu 87

File menu 87

focus 63

installation 62

Listenback explained 85

listenback settings 86

Mixer 35

output jacks 21

overview 61, 63

Phones menu 101

Share surfaces with other applica-

tions

102

shortcuts 87

signal flow 66

SONAR 52

stand-alone operation 62

Talkback menu 101

talkback settings 85, 86

Customer support 108

Daisy-chaining 23, 26, 27

DAT

connecting

22, 25

DC power supply 24

Delay (latency) 55

Devices menu 88

Digital Performer

828mk3 settings

Direct Monitoring 46

Disable interface option 27, 33

Disable option 27

Disk

getting a replacement

108

Drivers

Legacy MME (Wave)

DSP

meter

62, 85

resources 62, 85

Dynamic mic 20

Dynamics

enabling

68, 80

graph 67

inputs 67

outputs 68

tab 80

Early reflections 84

Enable full Wave support 32

Enable Pedal 32

enabling

68, 72

filter types 76

frequency 76

gain 76

graph 67

inputs 67

outputs 68

Q 76

tab 72

Expansion 26

Factory defaults 38

Feedback loops 47, 52

File menu

Clear Peaks

Copy/Paste 87

Hardware Follows CueMix Stereo

Settings

Load Hardware Preset 87

Mix1 return includes computer 87

Peak/Hold Time 87

Save Hardware Preset 87

undo/redo 87

FireWire 11

6-pin vs. 4-pin 23

additional busses 27

connecting 18, 19

connector 6

PC card adapters 23

PCI cards 23

Focus 63

Inputs tab 66

Mixes tab 65

Outputs tab 68

Follow Active Mix 101

Forget button 27, 33

Freewheel

address

104

clock 104

infinite 104, 105

Frequency

INDEX

110

Front panel 35

LCD display 11

Gain

reduction 80

reduction (Leveler) 82

General tab 29

GR (gain reduction) 80

GSIF driver 12, 15, 16

Guitar

connecting

20, 25

Hardware Follows CueMix Stereo Settings

Hardware follows CueMix Stereo Settings

Hardware reset 38

Headphone jack 5, 11, 36

Headphones

connecting

controlling output 32

HUI 102

In menu (LCD) 39

Infinite freewheel 104, 105

Inputs

analog

pan 65

reverb send 68

S/PDIF 6

tab 66

trim 67

Installation

hardware

software 15

Internal (sync setting) 30

Invert phase 67

Keyboard controller

connecting

Laptop operation 23

Latency 31, 44, 50, 55, 57, 58, 62

w/3rd party software 52

LCD

contrast

LCD display 5, 11, 37

Level meter

bus

monitor group 85

Leveler 80, 81

Limit button 82

Listenback

button (channel tab)

button (Outputs tab) 69

explained 85

Live 45

Load Hardware Preset 87

M/S 71

Mackie Control 102

Main Out Assign 32

Cubase/Nuendo 45

SONAR 50

Main outs

jacks

making connections to 21

volume 36

volume control 5, 11

Main volume 5, 11

Makeup gain 82

Master fader

mix busses

Master volume 36, 84

Metering 12

Meters

monitor group

Meters tab 82

Mic/guitar inputs 35

trim 67

Mic/instrument inputs 5, 6, 20

connecting 25

overview 10

phantom power 5

MIDI

connections

jacks 6

overview 11

Thru in standalone 38

Windows driver installation 16

Mid-side micing 71

Mix bus

activity LEDs

71, 82

level meter 65

master fader 64

mute 65

Mix1 return includes computer 87

Mixes tab 64

MME driver 7

Monitor group 84

assigning outputs 85

assigning outputs to 69

level 84

meters 85

presets menu 85

Monitoring 56

thru main outs 21

w/3rd party software 52

Mono button 66

MOTU

Audio Setup software

Audio System

bit resolution

MOTU Audio

ASIO driver

MOTU Audio Console 29

MOTU Audio Setup 7

MOTU SMPTE Setup 103

Multiple interfaces 26

Normal 71

Nuendo 12, 29

choosing the 8pre driver 45

clock source 44

Main Out Assign 45

Return Assign 46

reverb return 47, 52

sample rate 44

synchronization 47

Optimization 58

Output level (meter in Dynamics plug-in)

Outputs

analog

dynamics 68

EQ 68

reverb send/return 68

signal flow 68

tab 68

Packing list 13

Pad 20, 41

Paste 87

Patch thru

latency

31, 58

PCI

FireWire adapters

PCMCIA adapters 27

Peak mode 81

Peak/Hold Time 87

Performance 58

Phantom power 11, 20, 41

Phase 67

Phones 5, 11, 36

Cubase 44

menu 101

SONAR 50

Phones 1-2

SONAR

Phones 1-2 output

Cubase

Phones Assign 32

Polarity 24

Power supply 24

jack 6

Power switch 24, 35

Pre/post FX buttons 71, 82

Precision Digital Trim 10

PreDelay 84

Presets

naming/saving in LCD

Q 76

Ratio

compressor

Regenerate 105

INDEX

111

Registration 13

Release

Dynamics

Return Assign 32

Cubase/Nuendo 46

SONAR 52

Reverb 63

design section 84

early reflections 84

enabling/disabling 83

input sends 68

mix bus send/return 64, 65

outputs send/return 68

predelay 84

returns 83

routing to/from 83

send (channel tab) 71

sends 83

shelf filter 84

tab 83

time 84

trim (channel tab) 71

width 84

Reverb return 83

Cubase 47, 52

Nuendo 47, 52

RMS mode 81

S/PDIF 6, 11

clock source setting 31

connection 21

meters 12

sync 22

trim 67

Sample rate 7, 30

192kHz operation 30

Samplers

connecting

Samples Per Buffer 31, 57

Samples per buffer 7, 31, 44, 50

Save Hardware Preset 87

Setup menu (LCD) 37

Share surfaces with other applications 102

Shelf Filter 84

Shortcuts 87

Show

Band Response

FFT 74

no analysis 74

Spectrogram 74

Show X-Axis Linear Scale 75

Show/Hide Full Window Analysis 74, 75

Signal flow (CueMix FX mixer) 66

SMPTE

overview

103

Setup application 103

source setting 104

sync 103

SMPTE sync 106

Software installation 15

Solo

light

65, 85

SONAR 12

clock source 50

enabling the UltraLite-mk3 ASIO

driver

Main Out Assign 50

Return Assign 52

sample rate 50

Sony

Sound Forge

Sound Forge 46

Sound module

connecting

Split Point 83

Stand-alone operation 35, 42, 62

Stereo button 66

Stereo settings (Channel tab) 71

Stop Freewheeling 104

Stripe button 105

Studio setup (example) 25

Swap L/R 71

Synchronization

Cubase

multiple interfaces 26

Nuendo 47

Synths

connecting

System requirements

minimum

recommended computer 13

TACH

light (SMPTE Setup Console)

104

Talkback

button (Channel tab)

button (Outputs tab) 69

explained 85

menu 86, 101

settings 86

Tech support contact info 108

Technical support 108

Threshold

dynamics

Time code sync 103, 106

Tip positive/negative 24

Traveler

connecting to UltraLite-mk3

Trim 20, 67

Troubleshooting

EQ knobs don’t work

feedback loop 47, 52

TRS connectors 20

TRS/XLR jacks 5, 6

UltraLite-mk3

connecting multiple interfaces

expansion 26

installing 17

power switch 35

rear panel overview 10

SMPTE setting 31

software installation 15

summary of features 9

tab 29

Unbalanced analog 20

Undo/Redo 87

USB2 11

User def. (monitor group menu) 85

Video sync 103

Volume

headphone

V-stack 45

Wave driver 7, 16, 49

WaveRT 49

Width 65

reverb 84

Width knob 71

XLR/TRS jacks 5, 6

112

MOTU 8450 UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid FireWire/USB 2.0 Audio & MIDI Interface

Product's Documents

User Manual

Specifications

MOTU 8450 Questions and Answers