Avid Technology MobilePre User manual

MobilePre User Guide

Legal Notices
This guide is copyrighted ©2010 by Avid Technology, Inc., with
all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this guide may not be
duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of
Avid Technology, Inc.
Avid, Pro Tools, Pro Tools M-Powered, and M-Audio are either
trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc.
All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their
respective owners.
Product features, specifications, system requirements, and
availability are subject to change without notice.
Guide Part Number 9329-65019-00 REV B 05/10
Documentation Feedback
At Avid, we are always looking for ways to improve our
documentation. If you have comments, corrections, or
suggestions regarding our documentation, email us at
[email protected].

Contents iii
contents
Chapter 1. Introduction to MobilePre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MobilePre Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Hardware Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Conventions Used in This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Chapter 2. Controls and Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Front Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Top Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Back Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 3. MobilePre Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Installing MobilePre Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Hardware Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter 4. MobilePre Software Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Accessing the Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Latency Tab (Windows) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Sample Rate Tab (Windows) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
About Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Adjusting the Bit Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 5. Using MobilePre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Setting the Output Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Recording Microphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Recording Instruments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Setting Your Recording Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Direct Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Sample Rate and Bit Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

MobilePre User Guideiv
Chapter 6. Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Check Your Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Check the MobilePre Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Before Updating Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Music Software Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Appendix A. Compliance Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Environmental Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
EMC (Electromagnetic Compliance) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Safety Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Chapter 1: Introduction to MobilePre 1
chapter 1
Introduction to MobilePre
Congratulations on your purchase of M-Audio®
MobilePre™. This audio interface is powered by
a single USB connection to a computer, and
works with your favorite music software to de-
liver professional-quality recordings. You can
use it to capture your guitar and vocal perfor-
mances, voice-overs, podcasts, or anything else
you need to record.
Furthermore, its lightweight compact design
allows you to take MobilePre anywhere.
Please take the time to read this User Guide. It
will explain how to get the best performance out
of your MobilePre audio interface.
MobilePre Features
•2inputs,2outputs
• 24-bit, 48 kHz operation
• 2 front panel “Combo” input connectors (Mic
or Instrument)
• 48V Phantom power for condenser micro-
phones
• 2 “Front/Back” input selector switches
• Direct Monitor button
• 2 front panel Signal/Clip indicators
• 1/4-inch stereo headphone output with dedi-
cated volume control
• 2 back panel 1/4-inch TRS line-level inputs
• 2 back panel 1/4-inch TRS Balanced line out-
puts with dedicated output volume control
• USB bus powered operation
• Class compliant operation
• Pro Tools® M-Powered™ compatible

MobilePre User Guide2
System Requirements
Minimum system requirements and product
specifications can be found on the M-Audio
website at www.avid.com.
Hardware Registration
Please register your product online at www.m-
audio.com/register. By doing so, you become el-
igible to receive the following:
• Technical support information
• Software update and upgrade notices
• Hardware warranty information
Conventions Used in This
Guide
The following symbols are used to highlight im-
portant information:
User Tips are helpful hints for getting the
most from your system.
Important Notices include information that
could affect your data or the performance of
your system.
Cross References point to related sections in
this guide.

Chapter 2: Controls and Connectors 3
chapter 2
Controls and Connectors
Front Panel
1 Phantom Power Indicator (48V) This red LED
illuminates when the Phantom Power switch
(back panel) is set to the “on” position.
2 Microphone/Instrument Inputs These con-
nectors accept either a standard XLR micro-
phone cable, or high-impedance 1/4-inch TS
instrument cable.
3 Signal/Clip Indicators The green LED indi-
cates the presence of a signal at the correspond-
ing input. The red LED indicates “clipping” or
distortion.
4 Front/Back Input Buttons These buttons al-
low selection of the front or back panel inputs
for their corresponding channels.
5 Direct Monitor Button This button switches
Direct Monitoring on and off, which provides a
latency-free mix of the input signal and the out-
put of your music software. When Direct
Monitoring is switched off, you must use the
monitoring option in your music software.
6 Headphone Output Connect your stereo head-
phones to this 1/4-inch output. Set the volume
using the top panel Headphone control knob.
7 Power Indicator This blue LED indicates that
MobilePre is receiving power from the USB port
on the host computer.
2 3 4 5 61 7
Although phantom power can be used
safely with most microphones, it may dam-
age some ribbon microphones. Always turn
off phantom power and wait at least ten
seconds before connecting a ribbon micro-
phone.
For more information, refer to “Setting Your
Recording Levels” on page 12.
For more information, refer to “Direct Mon-
itoring” on page 12

MobilePre User Guide4
Top Panel
8 Channel Gain Knobs These knobs control the
input volume for their corresponding channels
when setting recording levels.
9 Headphone Volume Knob This knob controls
the level of the Headphone output signal
10 Line Output Knob This knob controls the
output level for both back panel Line Outputs.
8
8 9 10
For more information, refer to “Setting Your
Recording Levels” on page 12

Chapter 2: Controls and Connectors 5
Back Panel
11 Line Outputs These sockets allow you to con-
nect MobilePre to either a pair of powered stu-
dio monitors, a mixer, or stereo amplifier using a
pair of 1/4-inch TRS cables. The volume level for
these outputs is controlled by the Line Output
knob on the top panel.
12 Line Inputs These sockets allow you to con-
nect line-level instruments to MobilePre using
1/4-inch (balanced or unbalanced) cables. The
volume level for each input is controlled by the
Channel Gain knobs on the top panel.
13 USB Port This port is used for connecting
MobilePre to your host computer, using the sup-
plied USB cable.
14 48V Phantom Power Switch When this
switch is in the “on” position, 48V phantom
power is sent to both front panel inputs. This is
used with condenser microphones requiring ex-
ternal power. The Phantom Power Indicator LED
illuminates when phantom power is on.
11 12 13 14
Although phantom power can be used
safely with most microphones, it is possi-
ble to damage some ribbon microphones.
Always turn off phantom power and wait
at least ten seconds before connecting a
ribbon microphone.
Refer to the documentation for your
microphone for more information about
its power requirements.

MobilePre User Guide6

Chapter 3: MobilePre Installation 7
chapter 3
MobilePre Installation
Installing MobilePre Drivers
Follow these steps below to install the most cur-
rent drivers from www.avid.com.
If you do not have access to the Internet, the in-
staller can also be found on the MobilePre disc.
Windows
To install the MobilePre driver:
1 Make sure MobilePre is not connected to your
computer.
2 Download the latest MobilePre driver from
www.avid.com/support. If you do not have in-
ternet access, locate the installer found on the
MobilePre disc, and proceed to the next step.
3 Launch the installation by double clicking the
installer icon, and follow the on-screen instruc-
tions.
4 Once the installation is complete and your
computer has been restarted, connect MobilePre
to an available USB port on your computer.
5 Windows XP will ask if you want to search the
internet for a driver. Select “No, not this time”
and click “Next.”
6 When the Found New Hardware Wizard dia-
log appears, select “Install the software automat-
ically” and click “Next.”
7 Click “Finish” once the software has been
installed.
Mac OS X
To install the MobilePre driver:
1 Make sure MobilePre is not connected to your
computer.
2 Download the latest MobilePre driver from
www.avid.com/support. If you do not have in-
ternet access, locate the installer found on the
MobilePre disc, and proceed to the next step.
3 Double-click on the installer icon and follow
the on-screen instructions.
4 When the installation is complete, restart
your computer and connect MobilePre to an
available USB port on your computer.
You may be notified that the driver being
installed has not passed Windows Logo
testing, or asked whether the program you
wish to run is a trusted application. Click
“Continue Anyway” (Windows XP) or
“Install” (Windows Vista and Windows 7).
Windows XP users may encounter
additional dialog boxes. If so, proceed
with steps 5 through 7.
If the Found New Hardware Wizard
reappears, repeat steps 5 through 7.

MobilePre User Guide8
Hardware Connections
Once you have installed the driver and con-
nected your MobilePre to an available USB port
on your computer, microphones, instruments,
mixers or powered speakers can be connected to
the device as described below.
Front Panel
Microphones are connected to either of the
combination inputs on the front panel using
standard XLR microphone cables.
Instruments (electric guitar or bass) are con-
nected to socket in the center of the combina-
tion inputs using high-impedance 1/4-inch TS
instrument cables.
Connect a pair of stereo headphones to the
1/4-inch Headphone output.
Back Panel
The Line Output sockets are used to connect
MobilePre to the inputs of a mixer, stereo power
amplifier, or powered studio monitors using a
pair of 1/4-inch TRS cables.
Pressing the Front/Back Input buttons (see
Chapter 2, “Controls and Connectors”) allows
you to select the back panel inputs for connect-
ing line-level sources (synthesizer, CD player, DJ
mixer, etc.) using 1/4-inch TRS cables.
The USB socket is used for connecting MobilePre
to an available USB port on your computer using
the included USB cable.

Chapter 4: MobilePre Software Control Panel 9
chapter 4
MobilePre Software Control Panel
The Software Control Panel allows you to adjust
settings such as latency and sample rate.
Accessing the Control Panel
Windows
Double-click the M-Audio logo located in the
system tray, generally located at the bottom
right of your Windows desktop.
Mac OS X
The MobilePre Control Panel can be found in
System Preferences, under “Other.”
Latency Tab (Windows)
Latency is the time it takes for an input signal to
pass through your audio software and appear at
the outputs. This can result in a delay when
overdubbing to existing tracks.
The latency slider lets you adjust the buffer size
in units of samples. The default buffer size is 256
samples.
Smaller buffer sizes result in lower latency, but
may cause clicks, pops and dropouts on slower
systems. If you are experiencing clicks and pops
in your audio, try increasing the buffer size.
Mac OS X
In Mac OS X, the buffer size is normally adjusted
within the audio preferences of your music soft-
ware. For more information, refer to the docu-
mentation for your software.
The Software Control Panel is available
after the MobilePre drivers have been
installed as described in Chapter 3,
“MobilePre Installation”.
ASIO applications must be closed before
this setting can be adjusted.

MobilePre User Guide10
Sample Rate Tab (Windows)
This page allows you to select a sample rate of
44.1 kHz or 48 kHz. This is provided so that
MME applications in Vista have access to both
supported sample rates. ASIO and WDM appli-
cations allow you to change the sample rate
within the recording software, regardless of the
setting on this tab.
About Tab
This page contains information about your
hardware and current driver versions. This is
helpful should you ever have to contact techni-
cal support. Clicking the links takes you to use-
ful pages on the Avid website.
Adjusting the Bit Depth
The default sample bit depth for MobilePre is
24-bit. If you wish to record at 16-bit, the bit
depth setting can be changed in the audio pref-
erences of your music software.

Chapter 5: Using MobilePre 11
chapter 5
Using MobilePre
Setting the Output Level
Once the MobilePre Line Outputs have been
connected to a mixer, amplifier or powered
monitors as described in the MobilePre Quick
Setup Guide, the overall output volume is con-
trolled by the top panel Line Output knob.
Recording Microphones
If needed, use the “Front/Back Input” buttons to
select a front input socket. Then connect a mi-
crophone using a standard XLR microphone ca-
ble to the corresponding front-panel XLR input.
If you are using a microphone that requires
phantom power, activate the back panel 48V
Phantom Power switch after connecting a mi-
crophone to one of the front panel inputs.
In your music software, select the appropriate
MobilePre input as the source for the track you
will be recording to. For further information on
audio configuration and input selection, refer to
the documentation provided with your music
software.
Recording Instruments
If needed, use the “Front/Back Input” buttons to
to select a front-panel input socket. Then con-
nect an electric guitar, bass, or other instrument
using a standard 1/4-inch instrument cable.
In your music software, select the appropriate
MobilePre input as the source for the track you
will be recording to. For further information on
audio configuration and input selection, refer to
the documentation provided with your music
software.
Although phantom power can be used
safely with most microphones, it is possi-
ble to damage some ribbon microphones.
Always turn off phantom power and wait
at least ten seconds before connecting a
ribbon microphone.
Refer to the documentation for your
microphone for more information about
its power requirements.
For information on adjusting the input
gain, refer to “Setting Your Recording
Levels” on page 12.
For information on adjusting the input
gain, refer to “Setting Your Recording
Levels” on page 12.

MobilePre User Guide12
Setting Your Recording Levels
To set the gain levels for an input channel turn
the corresponding Channel Gain knob fully
counter-clockwise. While the sound source is
playing at its loudest levels, slowly turn the
knob clockwise until the red LED of the Sig-
nal/Clip Indicator for the channel begins to illu-
minate. Once this happens, turn the knob coun-
ter-clockwise until the Signal/Clip Indicator no
longer illuminates red. At this point, you should
be ready to record with the optimum gain set-
ting.
Direct Monitoring
When recording an audio signal into your music
software, there is often a slight delay before it
reaches the outputs of the software and Mo-
bilePre. This delay, called latency, is caused by
the computer processing required to convert
and record audio. Since this delay can be dis-
tracting, MobilePre provides a direct monitoring
path from the inputs to the outputs, which is ac-
tivated by pressing the Direct Monitor button.
When the Direct Monitor button is pressed, the
input signal is mixed with the output signal
from your music software, and routed directly to
the Line and Headphone Outputs. This allows
you to hear the “live” inputs without latency.
The Direct Monitor button has no effect on
what is being recorded by your software. When
using the Direct Monitor feature, make sure any
software monitoring option for direct (or “low
latency”) monitoring is disabled. This prevents
the software from sending the recorded signal
(post-disk) to the Line and Headphone outputs,
which would cause “double-monitoring.”
When “double-monitoring” occurs there will be
an increase in volume and an undesirable “phas-
ing” sound. For more details about its monitor-
ing function refer to your music software docu-
mentation.
Sample Rate and Bit Depth
MobilePre can operate at two sample rates
(44.1 kHz or 48 kHz) and two different bit
depths (16 bit or 24 bit) to accommodate a vari-
ety of projects. You should decide on a sample
rate and bit depth for your project before record-
ing, to maximize fidelity and avoid time con-
suming format conversions.
These settings can be changed in the MobilePre
Software Control Panel, as described in
Chapter 4, “MobilePre Software Control Panel.”
The following guidelines should help you
choose appropriate settings for your recording:
Music Projects
If the final mix will be played back on CD, or in
MP3 format, a resolution of 24 bits with a sam-
ple rate of 44.1 kHz is recommended.
Video Projects
If the final mix is intended for DVD, film or TV,
a resolution of 24 bits with a sample rate of
48 kHz is recommended.
The final output file will have to be con-
verted to 16-bit/44.1 kHz for playback on
CD and some audio player applications.
It is not possible to raise the fidelity of
previously recorded audio by increasing its
bit depth or sample rate.
Always use the highest possible settings that
are appropriate for your project.

Chapter 6: Troubleshooting 13
chapter 6
Troubleshooting
MobilePre has been designed and tested under a
wide range of systems and operating conditions
to give you high performance and professional-
quality audio. However, there is a large number
of operating scenarios that could affect your sys-
tem’s performance. Although this chapter can-
not cover all issues you may encounter, it does
offer some suggestions for dealing with com-
mon problems.
We recommend that you avoid connecting too
many devices via USB. The USB bus is a depend-
able protocol that is ideally suited for digital au-
dio. Nevertheless, it is important to remember
that audio and multimedia streaming can place
considerable demands on your processor and
the USB bus.
Check Your Connections
If you are having trouble getting audio in or out
of your MobilePre, check the following:
Make sure the device is connected via USB at
both ends, and that the computer’s USB port
is providing sufficient bus power (the blue
Power LED on MobilePre should be illumi-
nated).
Make sure your music software is receiving
audio signal. If you find that your recording
application is not receiving a signal:
• Check your connections and cables to
make sure everything is plugged in cor-
rectly.
• Try using a different USB cable and USB
port on the host computer.
• Check the Signal/Clip indicators for each
channel to see if an input signal is present.
• If your condenser microphone requires
phantom power, make sure the Phantom
Power switch is set to the “on” position,
and that the front panel Phantom Power
LED (48V) is illuminated.
For more troubleshooting tips, visit the
Knowledge Base at www.m-audio.com/faq.

MobilePre User Guide14
Check the MobilePre Drivers
If you are using MobilePre as a class compliant
device (using the drivers already built into the
computer’s operating system), download and
install the latest drivers from the M-Audio
website at www.m-audio.com/drivers. If this
does not resolve the issue, check to see if the
MobilePre drivers are properly installed:
Windows XP
• Go to the Windows Control Panel and
double-click the System icon (under Perfor-
mance and Maintenance if you are in Cat-
egory view) and then:
• Select the Hardware tab and click the
Device Manager button.
• Click the plus sign (“+”) next to “Sound,
video and game controllers,” and locate
the MobilePre listing.
• If you see a question mark or exclamation
point next to it, or if it is not listed, try us-
ing a different USB cable and/or USB port
on the host computer. If you still see the
question mark or exclamation point, you
may need to reinstall the drivers.
Windows Vista and Windows 7
• Go to the Windows Control Panel, double-
click the Device Manager icon, and do the
following:
• Click the plus sign (Windows Vista) or tri-
angle (Windows 7) next to “Sound, video
and game controllers,” and locate the
MobilePre listing.
• If you see a question mark or exclamation
point next to it, or if it is not listed, try us-
ing a different USB cable and/or USB port
on the host computer. If you still see the
question mark or exclamation point, you
may need to reinstall the drivers.
Before Updating Your System
Visit www.avid/support for a compatible driver
before installing Microsoft or Apple operating
system updates.
Before new device drivers are released, they are
tested for use with operating system versions
that are available at that time. When updates for
an operating system are released, all M-Audio
device drivers have to be re-tested and possibly
updated to ensure proper operation.
We recommend not installing operating system
updates until a driver has been posted to the
Avid website for that specific operating system.
The Avid website (www.avid.com) contains
the latest drivers and program updates, as well as
useful links to news stories, FAQs, and technical
support. We recommend checking this site
regularly to ensure you have the latest drivers
and most up-to-date information about this
product.

Chapter 6: Troubleshooting 15
Music Software Configuration
Make sure your music software has been con-
figured for use with MobilePre.
Windows
• Open the Sound Control Panel (Windows
Vista and Windows 7) or Sounds and Audio
Devices Control Panel (Windows XP), and
make sure MobilePre is set as the Default
Playback device.
• Check the audio preferences page in your
music software to see if the correct ASIO or
WDM drivers are selected.
Mac OS X
• Go to System Preferences > Sound, and
select MobilePre under the Input and
Output tabs.
• Open the audio preferences page in your
music software to see if the correct Core
Audio drivers are selected.
If MobilePre is correctly installed and config-
ured for your music software do the following:
• Check the signal path to make sure the
outputs are routed to your headphones,
amplifier, or powered monitors.
• Try using a different USB cable and/or USB
port on the host computer.

MobilePre User Guide16