Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 User manual

Manual

ENGLISH
KOMPLETE AUDIO 6
Manual

Table Of Contents
1 WelcometoKOMPLETEAUDIO6! ................................................................................................................. 4
1.1 What is Included in the Box? ........................................................................... 4
1.2 Manual Conventions ....................................................................................... 4
2 Safety Considerations.................................................................................................................................. 6
2.1 Warning......................................................................................................... 6
2.2 Caution ......................................................................................................... 6
2.3 Important Notes............................................................................................. 7
2.4 Disposal Notice.............................................................................................. 7
3 Software Installation ................................................................................................................................... 8
3.1 System Requirements..................................................................................... 8
3.2 Installation .................................................................................................... 8
3.2.1 InstallingKOMPLETEAUDIO6onWindows7 .......................................... 8
3.2.2 InstallingKOMPLETEAUDIO6onWindowsXP/Vista ...............................11
3.2.3 InstallingKOMPLETEAUDIO6onMacOSX...........................................14
3.3 Registration ..................................................................................................19
4 BasicConguration.................................................................................................................................... 20
4.1 SelectingtheKOMPLETEAUDIO6asYourSystem’sDefaultAudioOutput
Device..........................................................................................................20
4.1.1 WindowsXP ........................................................................................ 20
4.1.2 WindowsVista,Windows7.................................................................... 20
4.1.3 MacOSX............................................................................................ 21
4.2 UsingtheKOMPLETEAUDIO6asanAudioOutputDevicewithMusic
Software ......................................................................................................21
5 The Hardware in Detail............................................................................................................................... 22
5.1 Front Panel...................................................................................................22
5.2 Rear Panel ...................................................................................................23
5.3 Top Panel .....................................................................................................24
6 AdvancedConguration............................................................................................................................. 26
6.1 AdvancedCongurationonWindows(ControlPanel).........................................26
6.1.1 Audio Settings Page ............................................................................. 27
6.1.2 Diagnostics Page ................................................................................. 30
6.2 AdvancedCongurationonMacOSX(AudioMIDISetup) .................................33
6.2.1 Input Pane .......................................................................................... 33
6.2.2 Output Pane........................................................................................ 34
7 UsingtheKOMPLETEAUDIO6(SetupScenarios) ..................................................................................... 35
7.1 Connecting Speakers .....................................................................................35
7.1.1 Connecting Active Monitor Speakers ...................................................... 35
7.1.2 UsingKOMPLETEAUDIO6inaSetupwithPassiveSpeakers.................. 36
7.2 Connecting Headphones ................................................................................36

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7.3 KOMPLETEAUDIO6inaRecordingSetup......................................................37
7.3.1 Connecting a Condenser Microphone ..................................................... 37
7.3.2 Connecting a Dynamic Microphone ........................................................ 40
7.3.3 ConnectingaGuitar/BassGuitar(withheadphones)............................... 42
7.3.4 Connecting Line Level Equipment
(Synthesizer/Computer/Tapedeck/MixerLineOut).................................... 44
7.4 KOMPLETEAUDIO6withMIDIDevices..........................................................45
7.5 Using the Digital Input and Output..................................................................47
7.5.1 Connecting a DAT Tapedeck...................................................................47
7.5.2 ConnectingaSynthesizerviaDigitalI/O ................................................. 49
8 Troubleshooting.......................................................................................................................................... 50
8.1 SolvingHardware-relatedProblems.................................................................50
8.2 HowtoCheckWhethertheKOMPLETEAUDIO6DriversareInstalled
Correctly ......................................................................................................50
8.3 USBTroubleshooting .....................................................................................51
8.3.1 USB 2.0 required..................................................................................51
8.3.2 TryanotherUSBcable...........................................................................51
8.3.3 UsingapoweredUSB2.0hub .............................................................. 52
8.3.4 RecommendedUSB-ports(MacBookOnly)............................................. 52
8.3.5 DisableUSBEnergySavingMode(Windowsonly) ................................... 52
8.3.6 Update the Driver ................................................................................ 52
8.4 HowtoavoidGroundLoops............................................................................52
8.5 PhysicallyRe-conguringtheKOMPLETEAUDIO6 ..........................................53
8.6 CheckyourIRQs(Windowsonly).....................................................................53
9 GettingHelp................................................................................................................................................. 54
9.1 Readme/KnowledgeBase/TechnicalSupport ................................................54
9.2 Forum ..........................................................................................................54
9.3 Updates .......................................................................................................54
10 Appendix...................................................................................................................................................... 55
10.1TechnicalSpecications ................................................................................55
10.2AboutLatencyandBuffers.............................................................................55
10.3DifferentTypesofASIO(Windows)..................................................................56

4–KOMPLETEAUDIO6–Manual
1 WelcometoKOMPLETEAUDIO6!
ThankyouforyourpurchaseofKOMPLETEAUDIO6.Itistheultimatehardwarecomple-
mentforavarietyofhomestudioandDJapplications.TheKOMPLETEAUDIO6provides
thefollowingfeatures:
• 24-bitanalog-to-digital/digital-to-analogconverters
• 2analoginputswithXLR/1/4”jackcombosockets,48Vphantompower,andindi-
vidualinputgaincontrolknobsontheinterface’sfrontpanel
• 2additionalbalancedinputswith1/4”TRSjacksocketsontheinterface’srearpanel
• 4 analog and 2 digital outputs
• 1/4”TRSjackheadphonesocketwithbuttontoswitchbetweensourceoutputs1/2
and3/4
• S/PDIFDigitalI/O
• Upto96kHzsamplingrate
• 15statusLEDindicatorsformonitoringtheinterface’sconnections
• ASIOandCoreAudiolow-latencydrivers
1.1 WhatisIncludedintheBox?
Thepackagingcontains:
• 1xKOMPLETEAUDIO6audiointerface
• 1xUSB2.0cable
• 1xinstallationdisc
• AsoftwarebundlecomprisingKOMPLETE7ELEMENTS,TRAKTORLE2,andCu-
base5LE
• Aprintedcopyofthismanual
1.2 Manual Conventions
Thismanualusesparticularformattingtopointoutspecialfactsandtowarnyouofpotential
issues.Theiconsintroducingthefollowingnotesletyouseewhatkindofinformationisto
beexpected:
Wheneverthisexclamationmarkiconappears,youshouldreadthecorrespondingnote
carefullyandfollowtheinstructionsandhintsgiventhereifapplicable.
Thislightbulbiconindicatesthatanotecontainsusefulextrainformation.Thisinforma-
tionmayoftenhelpyoutosolveataskmoreefciently,butdoesnotnecessarilyapplyto
thesetuporoperatingsystemyouareusing;however,it’salwaysworthalook.

KOMPLETEAUDIO6–Manual–5
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Furthermore,thefollowingformattingisused:
• Textappearingin(drop-down)menus(suchasOpen…,Save as…etc.)andpathsto
locations on your hard drive or other storage devices is printed in italics.
• Textappearingelsewhereonthescreen(labelsofbuttons,controls,textnexttocheck-
boxesetc.)isprintedinlight blue.Wheneveryouseethisformattingapplied,youwill
ndthesametextappearingsomewhereonthescreen.
• Important names and concepts are printed in bold.
• Referencestokeysonyourcomputer’skeyboardyou’llndputinsquarebrackets
(e.g.,“Press[Shift]+[Return]”).
►Singleinstructionsareintroducedbythisplaybuttontypearrow.
→Resultsofactionsareintroducedbythissmallerarrow.

6–KOMPLETEAUDIO6–Manual
2 Safety Considerations
Pleasereadthefollowingsectionsthoroughly,astheycontainimportantinformationregard-
ingtheuseoftheKOMPLETEAUDIO6.
2.1 Warning
TheKOMPLETEAUDIO6,incombinationwithanamplier,headphonesorspeakers,can
producesoundsindecibelrangesthatmaycausehearingdamage.Forprotection,setall
volumelevelstoaminimumbeforeusingKOMPLETEAUDIO6.Graduallyraisethevolume
controlswhilemusicisplayingtosetthedesiredlisteninglevel.Ifyouexperienceanyhear-
ingproblemsorringingintheears,consultahearingspecialistimmediately.
2.2 Caution
• BeforeconnectingtheKOMPLETEAUDIO6hardwaretootherelectroniccomponents,
turnoffthepowerforalldevices.Beforepoweringyoursystemupordown,setall
volume levels to minimum.
• TheKOMPLETEAUDIO6hardwarecontainsnouser-serviceableparts.Donotopenitor
attempttodisassembleormodifyanyinternalcomponents.Ifthereappearstobeahardware
malfunction,immediatelystopusingthehardwareandcontactNativeInstruments.
• DonotexposetheKOMPLETEAUDIO6torain,anddonotuseitnearwaterorin
damporwetconditions.Also,neverplaceanythingontopoftheunit,andbecareful
thatnoobjectsorliquidsofanykindentertheunit.
• TheKOMPLETEAUDIO6hardwareispoweredviaUSB.Operationcanbeguaranteed
onlywhentheinterfaceistheonlypieceofequipmentconnectedtoaparticularUSB
2.0controller,orifitisconnectedtoaself-poweredUSB2.0hub.
• DonotplacetheKOMPLETEAUDIO6hardwareinanunstablepositionwhereitmight
accidentallyfalltotheground.
• BeforemovingtheKOMPLETEAUDIO6hardware,removeallconnectedcables.
• Neversubjecttheunittoextremetemperatures(e.g.,directsunlightinanenclosed
vehicleornearaheatsource)orhighlevelsofvibration.
• Donotuseexcessiveforceonthebuttons,knobs,switchesorconnectors.
• WhencleaningtheKOMPLETEAUDIO6hardware,useasoft,drycloth.Donotuse
paintthinner,solvents,cleaninguids,orchemically-impregnatedwipingcloths.

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2.3 ImportantNotes
• Disclaimer:NativeInstrumentsGmbHcannotbeheldresponsiblefordamageordata
losscausedbyimproperuseof,ormodicationto,theKOMPLETEAUDIO6hardware
orsoftware.Itisyourresponsibilitytobackupdatayoudonotwanttolose.
• Specicationssubjecttochange:Theinformationcontainedinthismanualisbelievedto
becorrectatthetimeofpublication.However,NativeInstrumentsreservestheright
tomakechangestothespecicationsofsoftwareandhardwareatanytimewithout
noticeorobligationtoupdateexistingunits.
• Nameplatelocation:ThenameplateislocatedonthebottomoftheKOMPLETEAUDIO6
hardwareandliststheProductionID.
• Copyright:©NativeInstrumentsGmbH2010.Allrightsreserved.Thispublicationmay
notbereproducedinwholeorinpart,summarized,transmitted,transcribed,storedin
aretrievalsystem,ortranslatedintoanylanguage,inanyformorbyanymeanswithout
thepriorwrittenpermissionofNativeInstrumentsGmbH.
• Allproductandcompanynamesaretrademarksorregisteredtrademarksoftheir
respectiveowners.
2.4 DisposalNotice
Shouldthisproductbecomedamagedbeyondrepair,orifyouwishtodisposeit,pleaseob-
servetheregulationsofyourareaandcountrythatrelatetothedisposalofelectronicproducts.

8–KOMPLETEAUDIO6–Manual
3 Software Installation
InorderfortheKOMPLETEAUDIO6toworkproperlywithyourcomputer,thefollowingtwo
programsareautomaticallyinstalledonyoursystemduringthesoftwareinstallationprocess:
• TheKOMPLETEAUDIO6driver.Thishandlesthecommunicationbetweentheaudio
interfaceandyourcomputer.
• TheControlPanelsoftware.Thisallowsyoutoadjustperformancesettingsandcontrol
syncandpre-ampsettingsforWindows(inMacOSX,therelevantsettingsarecon-
trolledfromthesystem’sAudioMIDIsetup).
IfyouarefamiliarwiththeinstallationprocedureandthegeneralcongurationofUSB-
driven audio devices on your computer, you can skip this chapter and continue with
registration chapter 3.3.
3.1 System Requirements
Forlatestsystemrequirements,compatibilityandsupportofthelatestoperatingsystems,
pleasevisitourproductpageat:http://www.native-instruments.com/KA6
3.2 Installation
3.2.1 InstallingKOMPLETEAUDIO6onWindows7
DonotconnecttheKOMPLETEAUDIO6toyourcomputerbeforethesoftwareinstalla-
tionprocessisnished.
ToinstalltheKOMPLETEAUDIO6onWindows7:
1. Placetheinstallationdiscinyourcomputer’sCD/DVD-ROMdrive.
2. UseWindowsExplorertobrowsethecontentsofthedisc.
3. Double-clicktheinstallerle:“KOMPLETEAUDIO6SetupPC.exe.”

KOMPLETEAUDIO6–Manual–9
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4. Intheinstallationwelcomescreen,clickNext.
5. Tocontinue,youneedtorstacceptthelicenseagreement.Afteryouhavereadthe
licenseagreement,clickonthecorrespondingcheckbox.ThenclickNext.

10–KOMPLETEAUDIO6–Manual
6. TheInstallAwareWizardwillpromptyoutobegintheconguration.ClickNext to proceed.
7. Oncetheinstallationhasbeenperformedsuccessfully,clickFinish.
→Allsoftwarecomponentsarenowinstalled,andtheKOMPLETEAUDIO6shouldbe
readytouse.Proceedwithregistrationchapter3.3.

KOMPLETEAUDIO6–Manual–11
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3.2.2 InstallingKOMPLETEAUDIO6onWindowsXP/Vista
DonotconnecttheKOMPLETEAUDIO6toyourcomputerbeforethesoftwareinstalla-
tionprocessisnished.
ToinstalltheKOMPLETEAUDIO6onWindowsXP/Vista:
1. Placetheinstallationdiscinyourcomputer’sCD/DVD-ROMdrive.
2. UsetheWindowsExplorertobrowsethecontentsofthedisc.
3. Double-clicktheinstallerle:“KOMPLETEAUDIO6SetupPC.exe.”
4. Intheinstallationwelcomescreen,clickNext.

12–KOMPLETEAUDIO6–Manual
5. Tocontinue,yourstneedtoacceptthelicenseagreement.Afteryouhavereadthe
licenseagreement,clickonthecorrespondingcheckbox.ThenclickNext.
6. TheInstallAwareWizardwillpromptyoutobegintheconguration.ClickNext to proceed.
7. Duringdriverinstallation,aWindowssecuritywarningwillappear.Thisdoesnotindi-
cateaproblem.Toproceedwiththeinstallation,clickContinue Anyway(onWindowsXP)
or Install(onWindowsVista).

KOMPLETEAUDIO6–Manual–13
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8. Oncetheinstallationhasbeenperformedsuccessfully,clickFinish.
9. Aftertheinstallerhasnishedrunning,connecttheKOMPLETEAUDIO6toaUSB
2.0portonyourcomputerusingtheUSBcableincludedinthepackage.
10. WindowswillidentifytheKOMPLETEAUDIO6andbeginthenaldriverinstallationprocess.
11. Choose NoifWindowsasksyoutosearchtheInternetforadriver.
12. Choose AutomaticwhenWindowsasksyouhowtoinstallthesoftware.
13. Click Finish to complete the installation.

14–KOMPLETEAUDIO6–Manual
14. Afteryouhavecompletedthedriverinstallationprocedure,thedriverinstallerwillstart
again.Thisisintendedbehavior.Repeatsteps11to14inordertoinstallallrequired
driver components.
→Allsoftwarecomponentsarenowinstalled,andtheKOMPLETEAUDIO6shouldbe
readytouse.Proceedwithregistrationchapter3.3.
3.2.3 InstallingKOMPLETEAUDIO6onMacOSX
ToinstalltheKOMPLETEAUDIO6onMacOSX:
1. ConnecttheKOMPLETEAUDIO6toaUSB2.0portonyourcomputerusingtheUSB
cableprovidedintheKOMPLETEAUDIO6package.
2. Placetheinstallationdiscinyourcomputer’sCD/DVD-ROMdrive.Itsiconwillappear
intheMacOSXFinder.
3. Double-clicktheKOMPLETEAUDIO6discicontodisplaythecontentsofthedisc.
4. Double-clicktheinstallerle:“KOMPLETEAUDIO6InstallerMac.mpkg.”Theinstalla-
tionwillstart,andawelcomescreenwillappear.

KOMPLETEAUDIO6–Manual–15
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5. Click Continue to proceed.
6. ReadtheSoftwareLicenseAgreementandclickContinue to proceed.

16–KOMPLETEAUDIO6–Manual
7. IfyouagreetotheSoftwareLicenseAgreement,clickAgree to continue.
8. SelectthedriveyouwanttoinstalltheKOMPLETEAUDIO6drivertoandclickContinue.

KOMPLETEAUDIO6–Manual–17
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9. Click Install to install the driver.
10. MacOSXwillpromptyoutoauthenticatetheinstallation.Enterthenameandcorre-
spondingpasswordofauserwithadministratorprivilegesandclickOK. Another screen
willinformyouthatrestartingthecomputerwillbenecessaryaftertheinstallerhas
nished.Conrmagain.

18–KOMPLETEAUDIO6–Manual
11. Thenextscreeninformsyouabouttheprogressoftheinstallationprocedure.
12. Oncetheinstallationhasbeenperformedsuccessfully,youwillbepromptedtorestart
your Mac. Click Restart to restart your computer.
→Allsoftwarecomponentsarenowinstalled,andtheKOMPLETEAUDIO6isreadyto
use.Proceedwithregistrationchapter3.3.

KOMPLETEAUDIO6–Manual–19
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3.3 Registration
RegisteringtheKOMPLETEAUDIO6isnotmandatory.Nevertheless,registrationisrecom-
mendedforsupportinquiriesorincaseoftheft.Asaregistereduser,youwillalsobenet
fromexclusiveincentivesandinsiderspecials.
Registeryourhardware:ifyouregisteryourKOMPLETEAUDIO6now,youwilladdition-
allyberewardedwithavoucherforNIproducts,sodon’tsleeponit!
ToregisteryourKOMPLETEAUDIO6ontheNativeInstrumentswebsite,youwillneed
theserialnumberfromtheproductactivationsticker.Thisislocatedonthebottomside
ofyourKOMPLETEAUDIO6.
To register your KOMPLETE AUDIO 6, visit our registration page on: http://www.native-
instruments.com/registrationandfollowtheinstructions.