Presonus FIREstation User Manual

FIREstation FireWire™ Recording Interface User's Manual VERSION 2.0 PreSonus Audio Electronics

42.5 Internal Mix Mode Created,Designed andManufacturedIn The USAPOWERLINE OUTPUTS - TRS BALANCED1 3 5 72 4 6 8ADAT™opticalINOUTLINE INPUTS - TRS BAL

52.6 External Mix Mode Created,Designed andManufacturedIn The USAPOWERLINE OUTPUTS - TRS BALANCED1 3 5 72 4 6 8ADAT™opticalINOUTLINE INPUTS - TRS BAL

62.7 Stand-Alone Mode (Special ADAT Mode) MIXER SPDIF-80 +106PHONES MAIN OUTdB00 12ADATADAT TOmLANSPDIF TOmLANMASTER CONTROL The FIREstation can be

72.8 Stand-Alone Mode (With DigiDesign 001™) Created,Designed andManufacturedIn The USAPOWERLINE OUTPUTS - TRS BALANCED1 3 5 72 4 6 8ADAT™opticalINOU

82.9 ADAT Mode MIXER SPDIF-80 +106PHONES MAIN OUTdB00 12ADATADAT TOmLANSPDIF TOmLANMASTER CONTROL Another stand-alone mode occurs when just the ADAT

93.1 FEATURES The following is a summary of the features of the FIREstation: 3.2 Switchable Preamps The two preamps on the FIREstation can be switch

10 3.6 mLAN/FireWire The FIREstation utilizes the mLAN protocol. This standard allows the unit to be connected to and share information with a multit

11 of audio, at up to 24-bit 48k resolution, to be transferred simultaneously in one direction. 3.10 S/PDIF The S/PDIF I/O allows the FIREstation to

12 4.1 FRONT PANEL -32 -1648VPAD-3MIXERSPDIF32k 44.1k 48kPREAMP 1MIC/INSTRUMENT10202610 54GAINTUBEDRIVE-32 -1648VPAD-3PREAMP 2MIC/INSTRUMENT10202610

13 4.4 Meters The input meters above the preamps indicate signal strength. Turning the preamps gain control too far clockwise could cause the preamp

i Presonus Limited Warranty Presonus Audio Electronics Inc. warrants this product to be free of defects in material and workmanship for a period of o

14 4.7 Zero-Latency Line Mixer -80 +100ONE TWOMonoMIC/LINE IN 1/2-80 +100THREE FOURMonoLINE IN 3/4-80 +10CPAN LEVELStereoLINE IN 5/6-80 +10CPAN LEVEL

15 4.9 mLAN Return The last knob of the FIREstation line mixer is dedicated to channels assigned to the unit by the computer. These channels are the

16 monitor what you have already recorded in conjunction with what is currently being recorded. The signals sent to these four channels are set on th

17 be synched to the FIREstation by either using the BNC Word Clock output, the ADAT output, or the FireWire output. The EXT mLAN mode causes the uni

18 NOTE: if the mixer button is not engaged, the computer sets the volume of mLAN returns one and two. In other words, the mLAN return knob (potentio

19 4.17 Clock 32k 44.1k 48kEXT INTCLOCKBMC mLAN ADAT 4.18 External Control (Slave Mode) When the FIREstation is set to EXT, Word Clock is determined

20 4.21 ADAT ADAT mode would slave the FIREstation(s) to an external device that utilized an ADAT optical output. The unit would automatically sync i

21 5.1 BACK PANEL Created,Designed andManufacturedIn The USAPOWERLINE OUTPUTS - TRS BALANCED1 3 5 72 4 6 8ADAT™opticalINOUTLINE INPUTS - TRS BALANCE

22 The IEEE1394 ports are 6-pin connectors. Both ports are bi-directional. They send and receive data from the other interconnected devices. IEEE 139

23 sync can prevent pops, clicks or distortion on external recording devices (such as mini-disk recorders, DAT recorders, or CD Recorders). 5.6 MIDI

ii Limited Warranty Outside of The U.S. Presonus Audio Electronics products are warranted only in the country where purchased, through the authorized

24 5.9 Footswitch Input The footswitch on the back of the unit allows the user/engineer to start and stop recording at any desired moment. Every dif

25 5.11 TRS Preamp Sends The TRS sends are designed for use with balanced or unbalanced 1/4” cables. The sends are direct outputs from the preamp tha

26 6.1 TOP PANEL 6.2 Analog To Digital Converter Line Level Adjust 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8Analog to Digital ConverterLine Level Adjust There is typically a

27 7.1 SOFTWARE 7.2 Operating Systems The FIREstation is designed for use with Windows XP and Macintosh OS 9.x. Other operating systems are not curr

28 8.1 TROUBLESHOOTING 8.2 The ADAT Input/Output Doesn’t Support Optical S/PDIF The ADAT input/output does not support optical S/PDIF. Optical S/PDI

29 The S/PDIF Inputs Cannot Be Routed to Other Channels on the Line Mixer By default, the S/PDIF I/O is ALWAYS assigned to channels seven and eight

30 8.8 MIDI If your FIREstation's MIDI I/O does not function or functions irregularly, please first check that all cables are connected properly

31 computer/software manufacturer may need to be contacted for performance issues. 8.11 Drivers Currently the FIREstation supports multi-channel rec

32 8.14 Line Mixer Doesn’t Work When Using FIREstation As Stand-Alone A-D When using the FIREstation as an Analog to Digital (A-D) converter, the lin

33 9.1 TECHNICIAL SPECIFICATIONS Preamp Bandwidth...10Hz to 50kHz Preamp Input Impedance...

iii Table of Contents 1.1 Introduction...1 1.2 Notes on Computer-Based Recording.

iv 4.6 Pad 13 4.7 Zero-Latency Line Mixer... 14 4.8 Channels One-Eight.

v 6.1 Top Panel...26 6.2 Analog To Digital Converter Line Level Adjust...

11.1 INTRODUCTION Thank your for purchasing the Presonus FIREstation. We feel that we have created a reliable, versatile and affordable piece of audi

22.1 BASIC SETUP & APPLICATIONS 2.2 Computer Setup Place the provided driver’s software in your computer after powering it up. If an install wiz

3specific FIREstation. If a different FIREstation is added, it will need to be rerouted. 2.3 Recording When recording the headphone output can be us