SoundCraft MADI-USB Combo Card User manual

User Guide
by HARMAN
®
MADI-USB Combo Card

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Soundcraft MADI-USB Card User Guide 0914
© Harman International Industries Ltd. 2014
All rights reserved. Parts of the design of this product may be protected by worldwide patents.
Part No. 5049248
Soundcraft is a trading division of Harman International Industries Ltd. Information in this manual is subject to
change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of the vendor. Soundcraft shall not be
liable for any loss or damage whatsoever arising from the use of information or any error contained in this manual.
No part of this manual may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any
means, electronic, electrical, mechanical, optical, chemical, including photocopying and recording, for any
purpose without the express written permission of Soundcraft.
Harman International Industries Limited
Cranborne House, Cranborne Road, POTTERS BAR, Hertfordshire, EN6 3JN, UK
Tel:[phone]
Fax:[phone]
http://www.soundcraft.com
IMPORTANT
Please read this manual carefully before using
your card for the rst time.
Warning: Any modication or changes made to this device, unless explicitly approved by Harman, will
invalidate the authorisation of this device. Operation of an unauthorised device is prohibited under
Section 302 of the Communications act of 1934, as amended, and Subpart 1 of Part 2 of Chapter 47
of the Code of Federal Regulations.
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception,
which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
* Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna
* Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver
* Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
* Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help
For further details contact
Harman International Industries Ltd, Cranborne House, Cranborne Road, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 3JN, UK
Telephone [phone] Fax [phone] email: [email protected]
[email protected]
This equipment complies
with the EMC Directive
2004/108/EC and LVD
2006/95/EC
This equipment complies with the EMC directive 2004/108/EC
This product is approved to
EMC standards
EN55103-1: 2009 (E2)
EN55103-2: 2009 (E2)
by HARMAN
®

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Soundcraft MADI-USB Card User Guide 0914
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
Read these instructions.
Keep these instructions.
Heed all warnings.
Follow all instructions.
Do not use this apparatus near water.
Clean only with a dry cloth.
Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions.
Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other
apparatus (including ampliers) that produce heat.
Do not defeat the safety purpose of a polarised or grounding type plug. A polarised 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 are provided for your safety. If
the provided plug does not t into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of
the obsolete outlet.
Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience
receptacles and the point where they exit from the apparatus.
Only use attachments/accessories specied by the manufacturer.
Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket or table specied 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.
Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
Refer all servicing to qualied 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 fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain
or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
NOTE: It is recommended that all maintenance and service on the product should be carried
out by Soundcraft or its authorised agents.Soundcraft cannot accept any liability whatsoever
for any loss or damage caused by service, maintenance or repair by unauthorised personnel.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of re or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to
rain or moisture. Do not expose the apparatus to dripping or splashing and do not place
objects lled with liquids, such as vases, on the apparatus. No naked ame sources, such
as lighted candles, should be placed on the apparatus.
Ventilation should not be impeded by covering the ventilation openings with items such as
newspapers, table cloths, curtains etc.

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Soundcraft MADI-USB Card User Guide 0914
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a
commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause
harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential
area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to cor-
rect the interference at his own expense.
This Class B digital apparatus meets the requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing
Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil numérique de la ClasseB respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le
matériel brouilleur du Canada.

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Soundcraft MADI-USB Card User Guide 0914
FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY AND TO AVOID INVALIDATION OF THE WARRANTY
PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY.
SAFETY SYMBOL GUIDE
For your own safety and to avoid invalidation of the warranty all text marked with
these symbols should be read carefully.
WARNINGS
The lightning ash with arrowhead symbol, is intended to alert the
user to the presence of un-insulated “dangerous voltage” within the
product’s enclosure that may be of sufcient magnitude to constitute
a risk of electric shock to persons.
CAUTIONS
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended
to alert the user to the presence of important operating and
maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying
the appliance.
NOTES
Contain important information and useful tips on the operation of
your equipment.
HEADPHONES SAFETY WARNING
Contain important information and useful tips on headphone
outputs and monitoring levels.

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Soundcraft MADI-USB Card User Guide 0914
INTRODUCTION
The Soundcraft® MADI-USB Combo card offers digital audio connection between an Si series
console*1 and Apple® Mac® or PC with a USB port as well as any of the Soundcraft range
of Stageboxes via Soundcraft’s proprietary Cat 5 MADI connection.
Audio capability across the USB link is 32 channels in and 32 channels out at 48KHz, whilst
the Cat 5 MADI port can be used simultaneously with up to 32 inputs and 32 outputs. More
channels can be transported via MADI at the expense of the USB connection for a maximum
of 64 MADI input/output paths.
Connection and setup of the card to a PC is made simple with the use of the Soundcraft
digital audio driver and associated control panel. USB connection to a Mac requires no extra
software or drivers.
The MADI-USB Combo card is an ideal platform from which to record and use a Stagebox
at live situations where recording and remote I/O is a must.
.
NOTE: Only a maximum of 32 channels of the USB can be used. Standard conguration
allows for 32x32 channels of USB and 32x32 channels of remote I/O simultaneously.
NOTE: The packaging, in which your card arrived, forms part of the product and must be
retained for future use.

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Soundcraft MADI-USB Card User Guide 0914
INSTALLING THE DRIVERS (PC ONLY)
To use the MADI-USB Combo
Card on PCs additional drivers
are necessary. Soundcraft’s
MADI-USB Combo card
audio drivers can be found
on the Soundcraft website
(www.soundcraft.com). The
install package includes
WDM and ASIO drivers for
low-latency operation with
a control panel to congure
driver settings for best performance.
Before you install the PC drivers, insert the MADI-USB Combo Card into the console, connect
the PC to the MADI-USB Combo card and boot the console.
Once the drivers are installed, shortcuts for the control panel are available on the desktop
or under all programs, Harman Pro, Soundcraft, Multichannel USB Audio.
When the card is connected to the computer, taskbar icons will indicate a device has been
detected and clicking the icon will open the appropriate control panel.
When the drivers are installed onto your PC, you will need to restart your machine for the
install process to be complete.
NOTE: Additional drivers are not needed for Mac as the MADI-USB Combo card uses
Apple®’s Core Audio drivers for USB recording.
CONFIGURING THE AUDIO SETTINGS
The Soundcraft Audio Driver
settings can be found in
the Soundcraft USB Control
Panel. Within this menu,
there are options to adjust
the streaming mode of the
MADI-USB Combo Card
and the buffer size from
64 samples up to 8192
samples.
Recommended buffer size will vary depending on application, however higher buffer sizes
should be used when monitoring from the DAW is not necessary. For most live recording
applications, a standard buffer size of 1024 samples is enough to ensure reliable operation
and clean audio.
The streaming mode settings modify the behaviour of the USB driver for maximum
optimisation when set in conjunction with the buffer size setting. The buffer size modies
the amount of audio data that is stored before being released into the application.A large
buffer size results in higher latency to your DAW. A small buffer size reduces the latency to
your DAW but can cause audio glitches and errors.
1394 control panel, similar for USB

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Soundcraft MADI-USB Card User Guide 0914
To adjust the buffer size of the MADI-USB Combo card, both the streaming mode and the
buffer size settings need to be set correctly corresponding to one another.
For example, by setting the streaming mode to ‘Reliable’ and then the buffer size to 1024
samples, the system will then be running at 1024 samples and the audio will be clean.
For lower buffer sizes, the streaming mode should be set to ‘Low Latency’ and the buffer
size to 128 samples.
A mismatch between Streaming mode and buffer size could cause artefacts in the audio
and could corrupt the audio recording. A mismatched buffer setting such as setting the
streaming mode to ‘Reliable’ and the buffer size to 64 samples would result in distorted
audio in your recording.
To avoid artefacts and to produce a reliable recording you should select the appropriate
buffer size for the streaming mode. When a mismatch occurs, a dialogue will appear at
the bottom of the control panel menu with instructions of where to go from the current
setting to make a compatible setup.
NOTE: The ability to set low buffer sizes depends mostly on CPU Performance. A
high-performance computer with a dedicated USB bus will be able to achieve small
buffer sizes.

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Soundcraft MADI-USB Card User Guide 0914
FINDING THE CORRECT CABLE
The USB port on the MADI-USB combo card
is the ‘B type’ connector (the standard type
for peripheral devices). USB host devices
use the rectangular ‘A type’ connector. As
such, a ‘Type A to type B’ USB cable is
required.
NOTE: USB cables come in many forms.
Please ensure you use the correct cables
for your system for optimal performance.
DIP SWITCH CONFIGURATIONS
Dip switches on the card provide extra exibility depending on the application. The card is
sent out of the factory in a standard conguration that allows for 32 channels of Stagebox
connectivity and 32 channels of USB recording located on channels 1-32 and 33-64
respectively.
If an application requires a different setup than standard then there are a few more
options. There is a ledger on the PCB that displays the options that are achievable. This
can be seen below:
The standard conguration
Switch 1 alters the syncing interaction between the
MADI-USB Combo card and the mixer. As standard,
the card should be set to sync to the mixer and so,
switch 1 should be set OFF.
To connect two consoles together using two
MADI-USB Combo cards, for a master/slave type
operation, the card within the master console should
be set to sync to the Mixer (switch 1 OFF), and the
slave console/card set to sync to the Card (Switch
1 ON). The consoles will then need to be set to
INTernal and OPTion clocking respectively.
Switch 2 determines what channel the USB is sent
out from on the USB portion of the option card. USB
OUT corresponds to output paths on the console
that are patched to USB. This switch should be set to correspond with the input range of
the USB. As standard, this switch should be set to ON (33-64).
USB Type A to B
SW1,4 and SW1,3 is short for switches 3
and 4 respectively on the rst dipswitch on
the option card.
This is the standard conguration which
allows for 32 channels of Stagebox
connectivity and 32 channels of
simultaneous USB recording.

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Soundcraft MADI-USB Card User Guide 0914
Switch 3 and 4 together determine the input range and positions of the MADI and USB
streams on the 64 channel total. Using these switches and the graph provided on the
card itself, the MADI and USB streams can be moved to either ranges 1-32 or 33-64.
Asstandard, switch 3 should be set OFF and switch 4 should be set to ON.
Alternative setups: (MADI 64x32, USB 0x32)
By using the graph,it is also possible to achieve 64 channels of Stagebox input connectivity
via MADI at the expense of the USB Input channels. It is possible to receive 64 channels
of MADI while also sending 32 channels of USB outputs, allowing for 32 channel USB
recording while simultaneously using a Soundcraft Stagebox up to a 64x32 conguration.
To achieve this, switches 3 and 4 should be set to OFF and switch 2 should be set to ON
or OFF depending on where the USB channels should be occupied (1-32 or 33-64).
As standard USB outputs should be set to inputs 33-64 (Switch 2 set to ON)
The standard conguration is a setup that allows for the most common of use cases and,
for the most part, the card is a plug-and-play type operation.
If more than 32 channels are required for Stagebox connectivity, then all 64 channels can
be connected to a Stagebox at the expense of the USB channels. For this setup switches3
and 4 must be turned OFF.