Behringer F-Control Audio FCA202 User manual

Operating Manual
Version 1.0 August 2005
ENGLISH
F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202

2
F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
CAUTION: To reduce the risk of electric shock,
do not remove the top cover (or the
rear section). No user serviceable
parts inside; refer servicing to
qualified personnel.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric
shock, do not expose this appliance
to rain and moisture. The apparatus
shall not be exposed to dripping or
splashing and no objects filled ith
liquids, such as vases, shall be
placed on the apparatus.
This symbol, herever it appears,
alerts you to the presence of
uninsulated dangerous voltage
inside the enclosurevoltage that
may be sufficient to constitute a
risk of shock.
This symbol, herever it appears,
alerts you to important operating
and maintenance instructions in
the accompanying literature.
Please read the manual.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
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DETAILED SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Read these instructions.
2) Keep these instructions.
3) Heed all warnings.
4) Follow all instructions.
5) Do not use this apparatus near water.
6) Clean onl with dr cloth.
7) Do not block an ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturers instructions.
8) Do not install near an heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including
amplifiers) that produce heat.
9) Do not defeat the safet purpose of the polarized or grounding-t pe plug. A polarized plug has two blades with
one wider than the other. A grounding t pe plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the
third prong are provided for our safet . If the provided plug does not fit into our outlet, consult an electrician
for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
10) Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularl at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the
point where the exit from the apparatus.
11) Onl use attachments/accessories specified b the manufacturer.
12) Use onl with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified b the manufacturer, or sold with the
apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injur from
tipping over.
13) Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
14) Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged
in an wa , such as power suppl cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the
apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normall , or has been dropped.
15) CAUTION - These service instructions are for use b qualified service personnel onl . To reduce the risk of
electric shock do not perform an servicing other than that contained in the operation instructions unless ou are
qualified to do so.

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
FCA202
F-CONTROL AUDIO
Ultra low-latency 2 In/2 Out 24-Bit/96 Hz FireWire® Audio
Interface
sUltra-flexible audio interface connects your instruments, mixer etc. ith your computer for
recording and playback
sHigh-resolution 24-bit/96 kHz converters for high-end audio quality
sUltra lo -latency drivers for Windo s® XP and Mac OS® X included
sStereo headphone output ith dedicated level control
sDual high-band idth FireWire® connectors for absolute flexibility
sPo ered via FireWire® bus or included po er adaptor for use ith 4-pin FireWire® PCs
sPo erful DAW soft are included (Kristal, Audacity®)
sPo er and FireWire® status LEDs on front panel
sStandard port for Kensington® security lock provided
sHigh-quality components and exceptionally rugged construction ensure long life
sConceived and designed by BEHRINGER Germany
All Trademarks mentioned belong to their respective owners and are not affiliated with BEHRINGER®

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
ENGLISH
FOREWORD
Dear Customer,
elcome to the team of F-CONTROL AUDIO users, and thank you very
much for expressing your confidence in us by purchasing the FCA202.
It is one of my most pleasant tasks to rite this letter to you, because it is
the culmination of many months of hard ork delivered by our engineering
team to reach a very ambitious goal: to develop a first rate unit, hich is
flexible enough to be used mobile as ell as ithin studio setups.
The task to design our ne FCA202 certainly meant a great deal of
responsibility. You, the discerning user and musician, ere the focus
of our entire development efforts. It also meant a lot of ork and night
shifts to accomplish this goal. But it as fun, too. Developing a product
usually brings a lot of people together, and hat a great feeling it is
hen everybody ho participated in such a project can be proud of
hat eve achieved.
It is our philosophy to share our joy ith you, because you are the most important member of the
BEHRINGER family. With your highly competent suggestions for ne products youve greatly
contributed to shaping our company and making it successful. In return, e guarantee you
uncompromising quality as ell as excellent technical and audio properties at an extremely favorable
price. All of this ill enable you to fully unfold your creativity ithout being hampered by budget
constraints.

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
We are often asked ho e can make it to produce such high-grade devices at such unbelievably
lo prices. The ans er is quite simple: its you, our customers! Many satisfied customers means
large sales volumes enabling us to get better conditions of purchase for components, etc. Isnt it
only fair to pass this benefit back to you? Because e kno that your success is our success,
too!
I ould like to thank all people hose help on Project F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202 has made it all
possible. Everybody has made very personal contributions, starting from the designers of the unit
via the many staff members in our company to you, the user of BEHRINGER products.
My friends, its been orth the trouble!
Thank you very much,
Uli Behringer

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
ENGLISH
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 9
1.1 Before you get started ....................................................................................................... 10
1.1.1 Shipment ..................................................................................................................... 10
1.1.2 Initial operation ............................................................................................................. 11
1.1.3 Online registration .......................................................................................................11
2. INSTALLATION .......................................................................................... 12
2.1 System requirements ........................................................................................................... 12
2.2 Installation under Windo s® XP .......................................................................................... 13
2.3 Installation under Mac OS® X .............................................................................................. 13
2.4 Hard are connection .......................................................................................................... 14
3. OPERATING ELEMENTS AND CONNECTIONS ......................................... 15
3.1 Front panel ........................................................................................................................... 15
3.2 Rear panel ............................................................................................................................ 16
3.3 FCA202 CONTROL PANEL .................................................................................................. 17

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
4. WORKING WITH THE FCA202 .................................................................. 20
4.1 Device drivers and latency ................................................................................................. 20
4.2 The FCA202 in studio operation .......................................................................................... 22
4.3 The FCA202 as a portable laptop recording device ........................................................... 24
5. AUDIO CONNECTIONS .............................................................................. 25
5.1 Cabling ith jack cables ...................................................................................................... 25
5.2 Headphones socket ............................................................................................................. 27
6. TECHNICAL DATA ...................................................................................... 28
7. WARRANT ................................................................................................ 30

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
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1. INTRODUCTION
Thank you for expressing your confidence in our products by purchasing the F-CONTROL AUDIO
FCA202. With the FCA202, you have purchased a high-performance audio interface that includes
a FireWire® connection. With its unbalanced ¼" jack inputs and balanced outputs, this sound card
is ideal for laptop computers. In addition, it provides an essential playback/recording component for
studio environments that involve desktop computers.
The high-resolution 24Bit-A/D and D/A converter can process signals up to 96 kHz. Totally reliable
drivers for Windo s® XP and Mac OS® X guarantee an extremely short latency. Thanks to its ultra-
stable metal construction and the small dimensions of the housing, the FCA202 is also ideal for
traveling. Thanks to the separate headphone output, you can play back your recordings at any
time, even if you dont happen to have any loudspeakers available. The second, 6-pin FireWire®
socket means you can connect additional FW devices such as hard drives. To provide po er to
laptops ith 4-pin sockets, simply use the mains adapter provided. A POWER LED and a FW LED
give you a quick check that the FCA202 is properly connected to the mains supply and to the
computer. The security port plus a suitable security lock from Kensington® provide top protection
against theft hen youre on the road.
The FCA202 is the ideal extra for every computer musician.
1. INTRODUCTION

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
1.1 Before you get started
1.1.1 Shipment
The FCA202 package includes:
sone FCA202 hard are unit
sone external mains adapter
sone FireWire® 400 cable, 6-pin to 6-pin
sone FireWire® 400 cable, 6-pin to 4-pin
sone handbook
sone installation CD, hich includes drivers/soft are
Your FCA202 as carefully packed at the assembly plant to assure secure transport. Should the
condition of the cardboard box suggest that damage may have taken place, please inspect the unit
immediately and look for physical indications of damage.
+Damaged equipment should NEVER be sent directly to us. Please inform the
dealer from whom you acquired the unit immediately as well as the
transportation company from which you too delivery. Otherwise, all claims for
replacement/repair may be rendered invalid.
+Please always use the original pac aging to avoid damage due to storage or
shipping.
+Never let unsupervised children play with the BEAT800 or with its pac aging.
1. INTRODUCTION

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
ENGLISH
+Please dispose of all pac aging materials in an environmentally friendly fashion.
1.1.2 Initial operation
Be sure that there is enough space around the unit for cooling. To avoid overheating, do not place
the FCA202 on top of po er amps or near radiators, etc.
The connection to the mains can be made either using the mains adapter provided or via the
FireWire® interface. It complies ith the required safety regulations.
1.1.3 Online registration
Please do remember to register your ne BEHRINGER equipment right after your purchase by
visiting .behringer.com (alternatively .behringer.de) and kindly read the terms and
conditions of our arranty carefully.
Should your BEHRINGER product malfunction, our goal is to have it repaired as quickly as possible.
To arrange for arranty service, please contact the retailer from hom the equipment as
purchased. Should your BEHRINGER dealer not be located in your vicinity, you may directly contact
one of our subsidiaries. Corresponding contact information is included in the original equipment
packaging (Global Contact Information/European Contact Information). Should your country not be
listed, please contact the distributor nearest you. A list of distributors can be found in the support
area of our ebsite ( .behringer.com/support).
Registering your purchase and equipment ith us helps us process your repair claims quicker and
more efficiently.
Thank you for your cooperation!
1. INTRODUCTION

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
2. INSTALLATION
IMPORTANT NOTES CONCERNING INSTALLATION ON A PC!
+To ensure that your FCA202 wor s properly, ma e sure you install the drivers
before connecting the hardware to the computer. Otherwise, the hardware will
not be correctly identified and in some circumstances will not wor correctly.
+If you have already cable-connected your interface, brea the connection
between the FCA202 and your computer, and then restart your system. Then,
install the drivers as described in Chapter 2.2. Connect your audio interface
only after you have successfully completed the installation.
2.1 System requirements
To ork ith the FCA202, your computer must fulfill the follo ing minimum requirements:
PC MAC
®
Intel
®
or AMD
®
CPU, 1 GHz or higher G4/G5, 800 MHz or higher
minimum 512 MB RAM minimum 512 MB RAM
6-pin or 4-pin FireWire
®
interface 6-pin or 4-pin FireWire
®
interface
Windows
®
XP SP2 Mac OS
®
X 10.3.9 (Panther) or higher
2. INSTALLATION

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
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2.2 Installation under Windows® XP
sClose all unnecessary programs before beginning the installation process.
sInsert the driver CD. Use Windo s Explorer to select the drive that contains the CD, and then
start the setup file.
sFollo the on-screen instructions and confirm that you ant to continue ith the installation
until this has been completed.
sWhen the installation has been successfully completed, connect the hard are interface ith
the computer via an unused FireWire® socket. The hard are inputs and outputs are no
available to you in every audio application.
+During the installation process, you may be given a Windows® message that the
equipment drivers that are to be installed have not passed the Windows® Logo
test. Confirm this message and proceed as usual with the installation. Your
Windows® installation will not be affected by this in any way.
2.3 Installation under Mac OS® X
With the Mac OS® X, you can use the FCA202 immediately, ithout having to install additional
drivers. Connect the hard are to your Mac® via an unused FireWire® socket. OS X (from version
10.3.9) ill automatically recognize the equipment. The inputs and outputs on the interface are no
available to you in every audio application.
2. INSTALLATION

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
2.4 Hardware connection
Connect the FCA202 to your computer using one of the t o FireWire® cables provided. Some
computers have 6-pin sockets hich allo the po er supply for the FireWire® hard are to be
made directly via the bus, hile others offer reduced 4-pin sockets. Depending on the arrangement,
there are various ays in hich you can operate your FCA202.
sOperation without a mains adapter on a computer with a 6-pin soc et
This is a typical setup for most computers, hich can provide adequate po er supply for
the FCA202 via the FireWire® interface. Use the appropriate cable ith the 6-pin plug
connectors. If your computer cannot ensure an adequate po er supply, use the mains
adapter that is provided.
sOperation with a mains adapter on a computer with a 6-pin soc et
Use the appropriate cable that includes t o 6-pin plug connectors. In this case, the FCA202
ill be provided ith current via the mains adapter. This option is suggested if you have a
laptop ith a 6-pin socket but dont ant to add another burden on the computer battery
hen running the computer from the battery, or if your computer cannot provide enough
po er to operate the FCA202.
sOperation with a mains adapter on a computer with a 4-pin soc et
This is the typical setup for most laptop computers. Use the appropriate cable that includes
a 6-pin and a 4-pin plug connector. In this case, you ill have to use the mains adapter
provided to supply the po er to the FCA202.
2. INSTALLATION

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
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3. OPERATING ELEMENTS AND CONNECTIONS
3.1 Front panel
Fig. 3.1: Front panel FCA202
You can connect standard commercial headphones fitted ith a ¼" TRS jack plug to the
socket.
Use the LEVEL control to adjust the headphone volume. Turn the control fully to the left before
you connect the headphones. This helps you avoid the damage that is caused by high volume
settings.
3. OPERATING ELEMENTS AND CONNECTIONS

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
The POWER LED indicates that the equipment is ready to operate. It lights up as soon as the
FCA202 is provided ith po er from the mains adapter or via the FireWire® socket.
The FW LED lights up as soon as the FCA202 is correctly connected by a FireWire® cable to
a computer that is in operation. If the LED does not light up, check the FireWire® connection to
the computer. You can find more information on hard are and driver installation in Chapter 2.
3.2 Rear panel
Fig. 3.2 back of the FCA202
Use the DC IN socket to connect the mains adapter provided. For further information, please
carefully read through Chapter 2.4.
The LOCK port in combination ith a suitable security lock from Kensington® offers you a
very good ay to protect your equipment against theft. For further information, visit
.kensington.com.
3. OPERATING ELEMENTS AND CONNECTIONS

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
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Make the connection to your computer using one of the t o 6-pin FIREWIRE® sockets. You
can run other FireWire® devices such as hard drives, from the second socket. This means
that you al ays have a free FireWire® port available, even if your computer has only one
FireWire® socket.
You can connect balanced or unbalanced audio cables ith ¼" jack plugs to the BAL/UNBAL
OUT sockets.
You can connect unbalanced audio cables ith ¼" TS jack plugs to the UNBAL IN sockets.
3.3 FCA202 CONTROL PANEL
In addition to the device drivers on the PC, a CONTROL PANEL is installed during the installation
process. If you use an ASIO® driver, use this soft are to configure the FCA202. Youll find more
information on the drivers in Chapter 4.1.
In Windo s® systems, the panel can be accessed from the Start Menu. In the Start Menu,
choose Control Panel, and then look for the entry FCA202. Alternatively, you may find that the
audio soft are you use has a dialog for opening up the panel. For more information, please refer
to the manual for your audio application.
With Mac OS® X, you first have to select the FCA202 in System Settings under the entry sound.
You can then directly configure the card from the audio application that you use. For more information,
please refer to the appropriate soft are documentation.
3. OPERATING ELEMENTS AND CONNECTIONS

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
Fig. 3.3: CONTROL PAN L window
3. OPERATING ELEMENTS AND CONNECTIONS

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
ENGLISH
The ABOUT section gives information about the driver versions that are used. Compare the
version numbers given here ith the drivers available via Internet from .behringer.de.
If you have any problems, you should al ays try to install the ne est driver soft are.
Use the LATENCY SELECT slider to set the desired latency. Click the APPLY button to accept
the selection made.
+You can only set the latency from the CONTROL PANEL if you are using an ASIO®
driver. Very short latency values can lead to audio dropouts. If this happens, pull
the slider further to the right so that you set up higher values. Youll find further
information in Chapter 4.1.
The SAMPLING FREQUENCY selection menu allo s you to set the sample rate for the digital
converter. The available frequencies are 44.1 kHz, 48.0 kHz and 96.0 kHz.
The iring diagram is provided as additional information. It sho s the signal flo in the
FCA202.
+Depending on the audio software used, you may have to restart your application
in order to activate any changes that you made in the CONTROL PANEL. If you
want to be sure that your settings have been correctly accepted, configure
your Windows® system before you start the audio application.
3. OPERATING ELEMENTS AND CONNECTIONS

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F-CONTROL AUDIO FCA202
4. WORKING WITH THE FCA202
4.1 Device drivers and latency
A device driver is an interface that ensures communication bet een the soft are (audio application)
and the hard are (the FCA202). In recent years, the PC platform has itnessed the establishment
of several different driver models for sound cards. Some of these drivers cannot be used for
simultaneous recording and playback or for orking ith soft are plug-ins, since they do not
support the full range of functions provided by professional sound cards and cause a long time
delay (latency).
The FCA202 soft are provides a number of driver models for Windo s® platforms and for
professional recording. With standard Windo s®-applications, you dont need to orry about hich
driver is currently being used by the operating system. You only need to select the correct
playback device via the Windo s® Control Panel. Ho ever, as soon as you start to produce or
record computer-based music and ork ith special audio soft are such as Cubase®, Live®,
Logic®, Tracktion®, or others, you should make sure that you selected an ASIO® driver. This driver
model supports the full range of functions offered by your hard are and gives you the best
performance. You ill normally find the selection of a driver model for the FCA202 hard are in an
audio setup menu or in the standard default settings of the soft are you are using. If necessary,
check the documentation for your soft are.
If you ork ith the program Sonar® from Cake alk®, you can also use the WDM KS driver, since
this achieves comparable latencies to the ASIO® driver. In case of doubt, check hether the ASIO®
or the WDM KS driver gives better results ith your Sonar® system.
4. WORKING WITH THE FCA202