Phonic FIREFLY 302 USB User manual

Firey 302 USB
Portable USB Audio Interface

1. Read these instructions before operating this
apparatus.
2. Keep these instructions for future reference.
3. Heed all warnings to ensure safe operation.
4. Follow all instructions provided in this document.
5. Do not use this apparatus near water or in locations
where condensation may occur.
6. Clean only with dry cloth. Do not use aerosol or liquid
cleaners. Unplug this apparatus before cleaning.
7. Do not block any of the ventilation openings. Install
in accordance with the manufacturer ’ s instructions.
8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators,
heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including
.
9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or
grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades
with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug
has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide
blade or the third prong is provided for your safety. If
the provided plug does not into your outlet, consult
an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
10. Protect the power cord from being walked on or
pinched particularly at plug, convenience receptacles,
and the point where they exit from the apparatus.
11. Only use attachments/accessories by the
manufacturer.
12. Use only with a cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or
table by the manufacturer, or sold with
the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution
when moving the cart/apparatus
combination to avoid injury from tip-
over.
13. Unplug this apparatus during lighting
storms or when unused for long
periods of time.
14. Refer all servicing to service personnel.
Servicing is required when the apparatus has been
damaged in any way, such as power-supply 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
normally, or has been dropped.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK,
DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK)
NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL
The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an
equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the
presence of uninsulated “ dangerous voltage ” within the
product ’
magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is in-
tended to alert the user to the presence of important operat-
ing and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature
accompanying the appliance.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of or electric shock, do
not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture.
CAUTION: Use of controls or adjustments or performance
of procedures other than those may result in
hazardous radiation exposure.
The apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing and that no objects with liquids, such as vases,
shall be placed on the apparatus. The MAINS plug is used as the disconnect device, the disconnect device shall
remain readily operable.
Warning: the user shall not place this apparatus in the area during the operation so that the mains switch
can be easily accessible.
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN

Portable USB Audio Interface
Firey 302 USB
INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................4
FEATURES..........................................................................................4
INSTALLATION.........................................................................................5
QUICK START ..................................................................................................5
FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTION............................................................................6
REAR PANEL DESCRIPTION.............................................................................7
USB 2.0 INTERFACE....................................................................................9
DR IV ER INSTALLATION ...................................................................................9
CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT................................................................................1 5
OPERATINGWITHDAWSOFTWARE.......................................................................1 5
PC OPERATION...................................................................................16
MAC OPERATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9
APPLICATION..............................................................................................22
SPECIFICATIONS.........................................................................................24
DIMENSIONS...........................................................................................25
BLOCK DIAGRAM....................................................................................25
Phonic preserves the right to improve or alter any information within this document without prior notice.
V1.0 NOV 7th, 2008

Firey 302 USB
4
Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of one
of the newest members of the Phonic
Firey series of recording interfaces, the
Firey 302 USB. Through the Firey’s
ultra low-noise microphone input and
two line inputs, together with the USB
2.0 interface, users are able to digitally
transfer their audio to a computer in high
resolution audio that meets today’s mod-
ern production standards (24-bit, with a
sampling rate selectable up to 192 kHz).
Never again will you have to worry about
loss of audio, as the Firey is the only
tool you need to transfer those analog
recordings to digital.
Light, easy to use, and with no problem-
atic conguration necessary, the Firey
certainly shines when it comes to simplic-
ity and mobility.
We know how eager you are to get
started – wanting to get the product out
of the box and hook it all up is probably
your number one priority right now – but
before you do, we strongly urge you to
take a look through this manual. Inside,
you will nd important facts on the set up,
use and applications of your brand new
Firey. If you do happen to be one of the
many people who atly refuse to read
user manuals, then we just urge you to
at least glance at the Instant Setup sec-
tion. After glancing at or reading through
the manual (we applaud you if you do
read the entire manual), please store
it in a place that is easy for you to nd,
because chances are there’s something
you missed the rst time around.
Features
● 5 x 6 24-bit/192kHz USB stream
I/O
● 2 x 2 analog operation (RCA)
● Front-panel microphone in (XLR)
with +48V phantom power
● Headphone output with dedicated
level control
● Near-zero latency ASIO software
direct monitoring
● Power indicator LED
● DC power supply included
● Easy-to-see signal and clip LED
indicators for input and output
● Mac OSX and Windows XP / Vista
compatible

5
Firey 302 USB
Installation
1. Turn your computer on and connect
the Firey 302 USB to the computer
via the included USB cable. It is
recommended not to turn the unit’s
power on just yet, however.
2. Run the setup.exe le on the included
driver CD, and follow the installation
instructions displayed on screen.
3. When prompted to “disconnect and
reconnect” the Firey, change the
power select switch on the rear of
the device to DC IN.
4. Continue to follow the on-screen
installation instructions to nalize the
setup.
5. Open your audio editing / DAW soft-
ware, and check the Firey’s ASIO
driver has been read successfully
by the program. This is usually done
in the “Devices” submenu. You may
also want to edit the Firey’s proper-
ties. This is usually done by clicking
on the Tools pull down menu, and
selecting “Properties”. In this area,
you can usually select the Firey’s dif-
ferent inputs and outputs, and assign
them to various channels. This, of
course, depends on the software you
are using, so check the software’s
user’s manual for more information.
Quick Start
1. Connect the DC converter to the 9-
12V jack in and change the power
selector switch to the DC IN posi-
tion.
2. Plug your USB cable into Firey’s
USB port and the other end into any
available USB port on your computer.
Provided you have already installed
the required driver, the computer
should detect your Firey 302 USB.
3. Connect a microphone to the XLR
input connector. Talk into the mic and
check the LED sig and clip indicators.
Adjust the Mic level control as you
see necessary.
4. Connect any analog line inputs you
wish to use. We advise that you do
not attempt to use the 1/4” and RCA
connectors on any one input channel
at the same time.
5. Open your audio software and cong-
ure it so the Firey 302 USB is set as
your input/output device. Please note
that the analog and S/PDIF outputs
cannot be used to output the signal
from the computer simultaneously.
6. Plug your headphones into the head-
phone output of the Firey to monitor
the return signal.
7. Now you are ready to design high
resolution audio productions.

Firey 302 USB
6
Front Panel Description
1. Power LED Indicator
When you connect the DC power converter
and change the power switch to the DC IN
position, the unit will be powered and the
front power LED will be illuminated.
2. Headphone Output Jack and Control
All the audio signals that are mixed on
computer can be monitored with the Head-
phone output. You can also control the
level of this signal with the corresponding
level control.
3. XLR Microphone Connector
This is a balanced microphone XLR 3-pin
connector, which you can use to connect
dynamic or condenser microphones.
Phantom power may be applied to allow
condenser or ribbon microphones to be
connected.
4. Mic Gain
Turn this knob clockwise to increase the
Microphone input’s gain. You have 44dB
of possible gain with this knob, so please
take care when applying gain to ensure the
Mic Clip LED does not light up.
5. Gain 1 and 2
These knobs control the input gain for the
RCA and 1/4” plug input jacks located on
the rear panel. Turn them clockwise to
increase the signal level gain or turn them
counterclockwise to lower the input levels.
Gain 1 controls the Analog In 1 RCA and
1/4” TRS input jacks, and Gain 2 controls
the Analog In 2 RCA and 1/4” TRS input
jacks. Each gain control is independent
of the other, so you can easily match your
input levels.
6. +48V Phantom Power
Pushing this button will activate +48V of
phantom power on the microphone input,
allowing users to connect condenser mi-
crophones, ribbon microphones, or other
input devices that require +48V power to
operate. If you are not entirely sure if your
mic requires phantom power, please refer
to the microphone’s operation manual or
consult the manufacturer.
7. Signal / Clip Indicators
These LED indicators give users an idea of
when their analog and mic inputs and out-
puts are receiving a signal (sig) and when
that signal reaches high peaks just prior
to the signal being dynamically clipped,
which may cause undesirable effects to
the integrity of your audio (clip).
12 3
4
6 5 7

7
Firey 302 USB
Rear Panel Description
8. Analog 1/4” TRS Inputs 1 and 2
These are balanced 1/4” TRS Line Inputs
and can be used to connect any line level
devices, such as CD players or DAT re-
corders.
9. Analog RCA Inputs 1 and 2
These are RCA inputs and can be used to
connect any device like CD players, DAT
recorders, turntables, and even analog
mixers (taking the signal from a mixer’s
Record or 2 track outputs).
Important Note: Keep in mind that the two RCA
inputs are completely independent of one an-
other; however these inputs should not be used if
the corresponding 1/4” analog 1 and 2 inputs are
used, as doing so would have quite undesirable
results. You can, however, mix and match these
inputs. If, for example, you wanted to use Input
1’s RCA connector and Input 2’s 1/4” connector
that would not cause any problems.
10. Analog 1/4” TRS Outputs 1 and 2
This are balanced 1/4” TRS Line Outputs
with line level signal (+4dBu). Use them to
get a stereo output channel and connect
them to active monitors (such as the Pho-
nic P8A), or perhaps to an amplier and a
passive pair of speakers. You could also
use them with signal processors, mixers
or other external devices.
11. Analog RCA Outputs 1 and 2
These are RCA line outputs. They accept
RCA cables and can be connected to any
external device that uses RCA connectors.
This could include tape recorders and MP3
recorders.
12. S/PDIF In/Out
These are a standard S/PDIF Digital Audio
Input/Outputs that can be use with digital
mixers, DAT recorders, or any external
device that uses this Digital format. The
S/PDIF’s output sampling rate is deter-
mined by the sampling rate set by the
Firey control software. Please use a 75
ohm coaxial cable with RCA plug if you are
using the S/PDIF connection, as the most
common problems associated with glitches
in digital interfaces are the result of using
poor quality cables.
13. MIDI In/Out
You can have 16 simultaneous MIDI in-
put/output channels sent to and from your
computer through the Firey 302 USB.
8910 11 12
13 14 15 16

Firey 302 USB
8
14. USB Port
This is a digital USB 2.0 connector that
you can use to connect to your computer.
Doing so allows users to send their audio
signal from the Firey to the computer, and
vise-versa.
15. 9-12VDC Input Power Jack
Connect the supplied DC converter to this
jack to feed the unit. Please only use this
DC converter in order to ensure no damage
is done to the Firey. If for any reason your
converter gets lost or damaged and you
need a replacement, please contact your
local Phonic dealer.
16. Power Switch
Use this switch to turn the Firey 302 USB
on and off.
8910 11 12
13 14 15 16

9
Firey 302 USB
USB Interface
System Requirements
The following are the minimum required specications for use with the Firey 302 USB.
If your computer does not meet these requirements, you will experience lagging of au-
dio and possible freezing of your computer when attempting to operate the Firey.
Windows
• Microsoft® Windows® XP (with SP2) or Microsoft® Windows® Vista
• Available USB 2.0 port
• Intel Pentium® 4 processor or equivalent AMD Athlon processor
• Motherboard with Intel or VIA chipset
• 5400 RPM or faster hard disk drive (7200 RPM or faster with 8 MB cache recom-
mended)
• 256 MB or more of RAM (512 MB recommended)
Macintosh
• OS X Leopard 10.5.1 or later with USB support
• Intel Core 2 Duo or later processor (G4 processors are not supported)
• 256 MB or more of RAM (512 MB or more recommended)
Driver Installation
To use the Firey efciently (or at all) on any computer, it is important to install all the
necessary drivers from the included CD. We advise that users read all instructions
carefully before continuing on to each step of the installation process, as they will be
asked to, howev disconnect and reconnect their Firey.
Windows XP (with Service Pack 1 or 2)
1. It is recommended that you quit all applications before starting the installation pro-
cess.
2. Connect the Firey 302 USB to the computer, leaving the power of the unit off.
3. Insert the installation CD included with your Firey into the CD-ROM drive of your
computer. If the CD does not automatically start the installation process within a
few moments, then navigate to “My Computer” → your CD-ROM drive → “Firey-
302USB_Driver” → double-click “setup.exe” to begin the installation manually. The
Firey Control Panel software also will be installed at this time.
4. Follow the on-screen installation instructions, turning the Firey on when asked to
‘disconnect and reconnect’ the unit.

Firey 302 USB
10
Make sure no other programs are running on your PC and click “Next”.
Read and accept the terms of the License Agreement and click “Next” to continue.

11
Firey 302 USB
Either select a new destination for the installation,
or else click “Install” to accept the default directory.
The installation will then commence.

Firey 302 USB
12
Connect the Firey 302 USB to the computer and push ‘Finish’ to complete the installation.
If a message is displayed indicating that the software has not passed
Windows Logo test, click “Continue Anyway.”
After installation is complete, an installation complete message
will appear on screen. Click ‘Finish’ to exit.

13
Firey 302 USB
Mac OSX Driver Installation
1. It is recommended that you quit all applications before starting the installation process.
2. Do not connect the Firey 302 USB to the Mac until after you have installed the driver.
3. Insert the installation disc into the CD drive of your computer. If the CD does not auto-
matically start the installation process, navigate to your CD drive → “Phonic” → “Firey-
302USB” → then run “PHONIC_FireyUSB.mpkg” to begin the installation manually. The
Firey Control Panel software also will be installed at this time.
4. Follow the on-screen installation instructions.
5. After installing the Mac driver, connect the Firey 302 USB to the Mac’s USB port.
Select “Change Install Location...” to select a new destination for the Mac software.
If not, the software will automatically be installed to the default location.

Firey 302 USB
14
Click ‘Close’ once the installation has completed.

15
Firey 302 USB
Channel Assignment
When using a Digital Audio Workstation
on a PC, and within the included Phonic
Firey 302 USB control panel software,
the following names have been attributed
to the input channels of the Firey.
If you would like to use the Firey 302
USB as your default audio output device
on your PC, simply go into the Windows
control panel and select “Sound and Au-
dio Devices.” Select the Audio tab, and
use the pull-down menu to select one of
the Firey 302 USB’s inputs from the list of
available output devices. The Firey 302
USB can also be selected as the default
output device for individual programs by
editing said programs’ settings / options.
Operating With DAW Software
After successfully completing the installa-
tion process, the following process must
be followed to work efciently with the
Firey 302 USB. In the following exam-
ple, we are using Cubase - however most
other software should be similar.
1. Open the program.
2. Go to the ‘Devices’ pull-down menu and
select ‘Device Setup’. On the left, select
‘VST Multitrack’.
3. From the ASIO Driver drop-down list se-
lect the ‘Firey302USB ASIO Driver’. A
pop-up box will ask you if you want to
switch to the ASIO driver. Click ‘Switch’.
This completes the basic setup.
4. The following steps should be followed
to activate audio tracks received from or
sent by the Firey 302 USB.
a. Go to the “devices” pull-down menu
and select ‘VST Inputs’. This will dis-
play the various inputs (“Analog In 1”,
“Analog In 2”, etc.)
b. Activate channels by clicking the “Ac-
tive” button located next to each chan-
nel name.
5. For further instructions on the operation
of Cubase, please consult the owner’s
manual by pressing F1 while the pro-
gram is open.
If you wish to reset the Firey ASIO driver,
simply go to the ‘devices’ pull-down menu
and select ‘device setup’. Simply click ‘reset’
and select the ‘Firey302USB ASIO Driver’.
Click ‘ok’ to continue and the Firey 302 USB
should once again become functional.
Channel Name Firey Channel
Analog In 1 1/4” and RCA Analog Input 1
Analog In 2 1/4” and RCA Analog Input 2
Mic In Microphone Input
Mic In Microphone Input
S/PDIF In S/PDIF Input
S/PDIF In S/PDIF Input
Midi In MIDI Input

Firey 302 USB
16
Windows Operation
The Firey control panel on the PC can be
accessed at any time by entering choosing
the shortcut from your Programs menu.
This program will not only allow users to
alter their device and channel names and
properties, but will also let them adjust
buffer settings, change sampling rates,
and so forth.
Sample Rate
In this menu, users are able to adjust the
sampling rate of the Firey 302 USB. The
sampling rate can be chosen between
44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192 kHz.
Press ‘apply’ once a new sampling rate is
selected.
Buffer Settings
The Buffer Settings menu is used to ad-
just the Streaming Buffer, as well as the
buffer settings when using the ASIO and
WDM drivers.
The ‘Streaming Buffer’ can be adjusted
between Minimum (1 millisecond), Small
(2 milliseconds), Large (4 milliseconds)
and Maximum (8 milliseconds). The se-
lection of the Streaming Buffer size will
determine the size of the ASIO and WDM
buffer sizes, as displayed in the table at
the bottom of this page.
When selecting a new buffer size, users
can click ‘Apply’ to apply the newly select-
ed buffer setting to the device.
Streaming Buffer Setting
Minimum (1 ms) Small (2 ms) Large (4 ms) Maximum (8 ms)
Minimum 1.5 ms
66 samples
3.0 ms
132 samples
6.0 ms
256 samples
12.0 ms
529 samples
Small/Smaller 2.0 ms
88 samples
4.0 ms
176 samples
8.0 ms
353 samples
16.0 ms
706 samples
Large/Small 3.0 ms
132 samples
6.0 ms
256 samples
12.0 ms
529 samples
24.0 ms
1058 samples
Maximum/Standard 4.0 ms
176 samples
8.0 ms
353 samples
16.0 ms
706 samples
32.0 ms
529 samples
ASIO / WDM Buffer Setting

17
Firey 302 USB
Devices / Device0
In the Devices section, users are able
to view and edit the name of any Phonic
USB Devices connected to the computer.
The Device0 menu offers device info as
well as a S/PDIF pass through function for
users to take advantage of. There is also
two driver-integrated mixers that users
are able to utilize to better customize their
input/output levels to suit their computer.
Hardware Inputs Mixer
This software-based mixer allows users
to adjust levels and routing options of all
input signals of the Firey 302 USB. All
of the outputs from this mixer can then be
utilized by DAW and other suitable appli-
cations.
Level meters are incorporated into the
mixing software. Users are given visual
depictions of current incoming and outgo-
ing signals from this software mixer.
Software Inputs Mixer
This mixer allows users to monitor and ad-
just the levels (and routing) of the output
signals from the PC. Like the Hardware
Inputs Mixer, users are able to adjust
volume levels and mute output tracks as
necessary. Also like the Hardware mixer,
level meters are provided on the software
mixer’s inputs and outputs.

Firey 302 USB
18
Input Channels
The Input Channels section allows users
to view and edit the name of the various
input channels received from the USB in-
put. Please note that the channel names
used in the picture below may differ from
your unit’s.
Output Channels
By entering the Output Channels section,
users can view and edit the names of the
two analog output channels and two S/
PDIF output channels that are sent from
the computer to the Firey.
Driver Information
This section allows users to check the
version of their currently used driver and
the interface. New drivers will be made
available from time to time on the Phonic
document center, and an announcement
will usually be made on the Phonic home
page.

19
Firey 302 USB
Mac Operation
After installing the Firey 302 USB driver
and software to your Mac computer, enter
the Audio MIDI Setup application and you
should be able to select the Phonic Firey
302 USB as your default input and output
device.
Also in the Audio MIDI Setup, you will be
able to adjust volume levels of your vari-
ous input and output signals, as well as
the sampling rate and resolution you want
to use. Users are able to select between
44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192 kHz
sampling rates. Resolution can be se-
lected between 24-bit, 20-bit and 16-bit.
Both the sampling rate and resolution can
be adjusted in your DAW software as well
(depending on what software you use).
Also in the Audio MIDI Setup, tracks can
be muted at will, and input signals can be
set to ‘thru’, which - put simply - will return
the input signals directly back to their cor-
responding outputs.
The input and output channel names listed
correspond with each of the Firey’s input
and outputs. Channels 1 to 6 on the input
correspond, in order, with analog inputs 1
and 2 (listed in the Audio MIDI Setup as
channels 1 and 2), the microphone input
(channels 3 and 4) and the S/PDIF left
and right input signals (channels 5 and 6).
The output channels 1 to 4 are, in order,
analog outputs 1 and 2 and S/PDIF out-
puts left and right.
MIDI Setup
Also in the Audio MIDI Setup section, us-
ers are able to adjust the Firey’s MIDI
functions by selecting ‘MIDI Devices’ at
the top of the window. Within the MIDI
Devices section, a ‘Firey 302 USB’ icon
should be present and users can select it
to get the following screen.

Firey 302 USB
20
Firey 302 USB Control Panel
As many of the Firey’s features are ad-
justable through the Audio MIDI Setup
section, the Firey302USB Control Panel
serves a few very specic surfaces. As
seen in the image below, the main page
of the software allows users to view a few
important details on the product, including
the driver version, serial number, etcet-
era.
Users can also select one of the two in-
ternal mixers that the Firey’s software
offers.
Monitor Mixer
The Monitor Mixer, in essence, allows you
to adjust your Firey’s input signals before
sending them off to your DAW software.
All of the inputs are listed; the SPDIF 1
and 0 inputs that are listed in the software
are representative of the S/PDIF left and
right input signals, I2S 3 and 2 are both
the microphone input, and the I2S 1 and 0
channels are analog inputs 1 and 2 on the
Firey 302 USB.
You can opt to adjust your device’s input
signals in this mixer, or you can just opt to
leave it alone all together and rely on your
DAW software’s level controls.
In case you’re wondering why there’s only
one microphone input, but two micro-
phone channels on the Firey - this func-
tion allows you to make a stereo mix of
your microphone signal!
Playback Mixer
The control panel software also offers
a Playback Mixer. This is the ‘software
mixer’, allowing users to adjust the signal
they send out to the Firey 302 USB’s out-
puts. All of the output signals from your
DAW software can be adjusted individu-
ally before being sent out their respective
outputs on the Firey.