WARRANTY PreSonus Limited Warranty PreSonus Audio Electronics Inc. warrants this product to be free of defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of original retail purchase. This warranty is enforceable only by the original retail purchaser. To be protected by this warranty, the purchaser must complete and return the enclosed warranty card within 14 days of purchase. During the warranty period PreSonus shall, at its sole and absolute option, either repair or replace, free of charge, any product that proves to be defective on inspection by PreSonus or its authorized service representative. To obtain warranty service, the purchaser must first call or write PreSonus at the address and telephone number printed below to obtain a Return Authorization Number and instructions of where to return the unit for service. All inquiries must be accompanied by a description of the problem. All authorized returns must be sent to the PreSonus repair facility postage prepaid, insured and properly packaged. PreSonus reserves the right to update any unit returned for repair. PreSonus reserves the right to change or improve the design of the product at any time without prior notice. This warranty does not cover claims for damage due to abuse, neglect, alteration or attempted repair by unauthorized personnel, and is limited to failures arising during normal use that are due to defects in material or workmanship in the product. Any implied warranties, including implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, are limited in duration to the length of this limited warranty. Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, so the above limitation may not apply to you. In no event will PreSonus be liable for incidental, consequential or other damages resulting from the breach of any express or implied warranty, including, among other things, damage to property, damage based on inconvenience or on loss of use of the product, and, to the extent permitted by law, damages for personal injury. Some states do not allow the exclusion of limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights, which vary from state to state. This warranty only applies to products sold and used in the United States of America. For warranty information in all other countries please refer to your local distributor. PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc. 7257 Florida Blvd. Baton Rouge, LA 70806 (225) 216-7887 (800) 750-0323 www.presonus.com 2005, PreSonus Audio Electronics, Incorporated. All rights reserved. User's Manual Version 1.0 PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc., © 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Overview 1.1 Introduction 4 1 OVERVIEW 2 Installation and Set up 2.1 Computer Requirements 2.2 Installation of FIREBOX Drivers 2.3 FIREBOX Control Panel 2.4 FIREBOX Mixer 2.5 CUBASE LE ­ Quick Start Up 2.6 Testing your FIREBOX with Cubase LE 5 6 7 10 11 13 Thank you for purchasing the PreSonus FIREBOX. PreSonus Audio Electronics has designed the FIREBOX utilizing high-grade components to insure optimum performance that will last a lifetime. The FIREBOX is the most powerful recording interface of its size, with the ability to record and playback six inputs and eight outputs simultaneously at 24-bit/96K sample rate. Loaded with four analog inputs, including two PreSonus microphone preamplifiers and two line inputs, six balanced analog outputs, SPDIF I/O, MIDI I/O, and Cubase LE 48-track recording software, the FIREBOX is ready to go out of the box for professional-quality computer recording. For further flexibility, the FIREBOX can be bus-powered by a six-pin FireWire connector or externally powered by the included power supply. The FIREBOX is the perfect computer recording system that gives you the power for professional quality recordings in the palm of your hand. We suggest that you use this manual to familiarize yourself with the features, applications and correct connection procedure for your FIREBOX before trying to connect it to your computer. This will hopefully alleviate any unforeseen issues that you may encounter during installation and set up. Thank you, once again, for buying our product and we hope you enjoy your FIREBOX! 1.1 INTRODUCTION 3 Controls & Connections 3.1 Front Panel Layout and Descriptions 3.2 Back Panel Layout and Descriptions 16 18 4 Mixer 4.1 Mixer 4.2 Operation of Mixer 20 22 5 Application Notes 5.1 Microphones 5.2 Sample Hook Up Diagram 25 25 6 Technical 6.1 Trouble Shooting 6.2 Specifications 26 29 3 4 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP 2.1 COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS Below are the minimum computer system requirements for your FIREBOX. 2.2 INSTALLATION OF FIREBOX DRIVERS Windows XP Installation Steps: - Quit all currently running applications - Insert CD-ROM Driver Installation included with your FIREBOX into your computer. (DO NOT CONNECT YOUR FIREBOX AT THIS TIME.) - CD should auto run. (If not, navigate to CD and double click on FIREBOX_Installer.exe) Carefully read and follow the FIREBOX installation instructions. The installer will prompt you to connect your FIREBOX at the proper time. (NOTE: If you are you connecting the FIREBOX via a standard 6-pin Firewire cable, power for the unit will be supplied via the Firewire cable. If you are using a 4 to 6-pin Firewire cable, you will need to connect the included external power supply to power the FIREBOX.) This installation procedure will also install the FIREBOX Control Panel and Mixer software. Note: If at any point during installation a "Software Installation" message appears from Windows regarding Windows Logo testing click "Continue Anyway" to continue installation. Windows - OS: Microsoft Windows XP - Computer: Windows compatible computer with FireWire port. - CPU/Clock: Pentium, Celeron with 900Mhz or higher (Dual 1.2 GHz recommended) - Memory(RAM): 256 MB (512MB recommended) Macintosh - OS: MacOS X 10.3.7 or later - Computer: Apple Macintosh series with on-board Firewire port. - CPU/Clock: PowerPC G4/800Mhz or higher (G4/Dual 1 GHZ recommended) - Memory(RAM): 512 MB or more Note that the speed of your processor, amount of RAM and size and speed of your hard drive will greatly affect the overall performance of your recording system. Also, a more powerful system (faster processor with more RAM) will allow for lower latency (signal delay) that you might experience while monitoring audio or MIDI signals. 5 6 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP Macintosh OSX (10.3.7 or later) The audio drivers for the FIREBOX are included in the CORE AUDIO of Macintosh OSX 10.3.7 and later. Once you have verified that you are running OSX 10.3.7 or later, connect your FIREBOX to a FireWire port on your computer (power for the unit will be supplied via the Firewire cable). Your FIREBOX sync light should flash red and then stay blue to signify that your FIREBOX is properly sync'd to your computer. 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP FIREBOX HARDWARE CONTROL PANEL (Windows XP) 2.3 FIREBOX CONTROL PANEL WINDOWS XP Once you have successfully installed your audio drivers, the FIREBOX Control Panel will be available from your system tray (typically located at the bottom right hand corner of your screen near your clock). Sample Rate: Drop down the menu to select the sample rate of the FIREBOX ­ 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96k. This must be set to the same sample rate in your recording software. Double click on the FIREBOX Control Panel ICON to open the FIREBOX Hardware Control Panel. Clock Source: Drop down the menu to select the FIREBOX's digital sync source. INTERNAL SPDIF ­ Must be selected to use the SPDIF input. (Note that Control Panel settings will be saved upon power down.) Latency: ­ Sets the amount of delay time of your FIREBOX (1.5ms ­ 24ms). Latency is the time it takes for the computer to process audio. Lower latency settings demand more CPU resources. In the case of inconsistent audio, (i.e. drop outs, pops and clicks, digital distortion, etc) we recommend that you increase this setting. Input Level Boost: clicking this button will boost the input level of each corresponding analog input on the FIREBOX by +12dB. Use this feature for recording quiet instruments or devices with low output. 7 8 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP Macintosh - FIREBOX HARDWARE CONTROL PANEL The included CD-ROM contains Macintosh software for the FIREBOX Control Panel as well as the Mixer software. To install the FIREBOX Control Panel, drag and drop the following file to your hard drive: 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP High: Computer Processor 2GHz and higher Medium (default): Computer Processor 1GHz to 2GHz Low: Computer Processor 800MHz to 1GHz FIREBOX Control Once this file is saved to your hard drive, double click on it to launch the Control Panel. 2.4 FIREBOX MIXER WINDOWS XP Once you have successfully installed your audio drivers, the FIREBOX Mixer will be available in your program files. You can launch the Mixer by clicking: Start -> Program files -> PreSonus FIREBOX MIXER. (For details on the FIREBOX Mixer see chapter 4). Macintosh The included CD-ROM disk contains Macintosh software for the FIREBOX Mixer. To install the FIREBOX Mixer, drag and drop the following file to your hard drive: Input Level Boost: clicking this button will boost the input level of each corresponding analog input on the FIREBOX by +12dB. Use this feature for recording quiet instruments or devices with low output. FIREBOX CONTROL PANEL ADVANCED SETTINGS: You can "Right Click" on the FIREBOX control panel icon to select between three different computer optimization settings. These settings optimize the buffers and audio streaming settings based on the speed of your processor. If you are experiencing audio drop outs, it is recommended that you select a lower CPU setting. FIREBOX Control Once this file is saved to your hard drive, double click on it to launch the Mixer. (For details on the FIREBOX Mixer see chapter 4). 9 10 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP 2.5 CUBASE LE ­ QUICK START UP Once you have installed your FIREBOX drivers, if you plan on using the CUBASE LE software included with your FIREBOX, insert the CUBASE LE installation CD and run the installer. Make sure to keep your CD envelope sleeve handy to reference the serial number during installation. To select the FIREBOX in Cubase LE, go to Devices -> Device Setup 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP ASIO Driver (pull down menu) ­ select PreSonus ASIO Driver. Click Switch to save PreSonus Driver Selection Select VST multi-track. 11 12 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP 2.6 TEST YOUR FIREBOX WITH CUBASE LE In order to test your FIREBOX, do the following: Launch Cubase LE and make sure that you have selected the PreSonus FIREBOX ASIO driver as described above in Section 2.4. Create a new project: 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP Create one new audio track within your new project by clicking on Project ->Add Track-> Audio (or you can right click (ctrl-click mac) in the track space within the project: Record enable the track by pressing the Record Enable button. 13 14 2 INSTALLATION AND SETUP Plug a microphone into channel one and turn on 48V phantom power if needed for the microphone. Turn up the channel 1 trim control on the front panel of the FIREBOX while speaking into the microphone. You should see the input meter in the Cubase LE track info react to your speaking. Adjust trim so that the input level is at its maximum without clipping. Connect a set of headphones to the FIREBOX headphone output. Click the monitor button in Cubase LE for Audio 01 to arm the track's monitoring. PreSonus has also included a Cubase LE session file template on the internet at www.presonus.com/firebox.html 3 CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS 3.1 FRONT PANEL LAYOUT AND DESCRIPTION Note that online help available for Cubase LE by pressing F1 or visiting www.steinberg.net 1.Microphone / Instrument Pre-Amplifier. Your FIREBOX is equipped with two custom designed PreSonus microphone / instrument preamplifiers for use with all types of microphones including Dynamics, Condensers, and Ribbons as well as instruments and line level signals. The award winning PreSonus preamplifier design is a Class A input buffer followed by a dual servo gain stage. This arrangement results in ultra low noise and wide gain control allowing the FIREBOX user to boost desirable signal without increasing unwanted background noise. 2. 48 Volt Phantom Power. available for both preamps. The FIREBOX has selectable 48V Phantom power XLR connector wiring for Phantom Power Pin 1= GND Pin 2= +48V Pin3= +48V +22dBu Headroom. The FIREBOX mic-pre has +22 dBu of headroom. This feature gives you wide dynamic range and excellent transient response characteristics. Neutrik Combo Connectors. Both preamps of the FIREBOX have a Mic/Line connector using the Neutrik Combo connector. This revolutionary style connector l ...