Waves DiGoGrid IOX User manual

User Guide
DiGiGrid IOX

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Contents
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................................................. 3
HARDWARE AND CONNECTIONS ................................................................................................................................... 4
GETTING STARTED........................................................................................................................................................... 6
Connect the Hardware ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
One I/O......................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Add I/Os ....................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Download and Install Software ........................................................................................................................................ 8
Configure the System ...................................................................................................................................................... 9
Manual Device Configuration ..................................................................................................................................... 10
Automatic Device Configuration ................................................................................................................................. 10
Device Firmware ........................................................................................................................................................ 11
Identify a Device......................................................................................................................................................... 11
IOX CONTROL PANEL..................................................................................................................................................... 12
Controls Page ............................................................................................................................................................ 13
Clock Page................................................................................................................................................................. 17
System Info Page and About Page ............................................................................................................................ 19
Presets....................................................................................................................................................................... 20
USING AN I/O DEVICE WITH A DAW .............................................................................................................................. 21
SPECIFICATIONS ............................................................................................................................................................ 22
RESETTING THE UNIT .................................................................................................................................................... 24
Waves Inc
2800 Merchants Drive, Knoxville, TN 37912 USA
1-865-909-9200
www.waves.com

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Introduction
The DiGiGrid IOX is a high-quality digitally controlled audio I/O for SoundGrid systems. It delivers high-resolution
recording and monitoring, whether you’re performing in the studio, listening in the control room, playing onstage, or
mixing the FOH. IOX has twelve mic/line inputs, six line outputs, and four independently adjustable headphone outputs.
This super-low-latency I/O is ASIO/Core Audio compatible.
SoundGrid is the Waves high-speed networking protocol for moving audio, clock, and other information between a host
system and I/O devices—and between I/O devices themselves. A SoundGrid host manages the network and assigns
servers and I/O devices to mix, process, and record, depending on the host. All SoundGrid devices connect to the host
with standard Ethernet cable.
SoundGrid is scalable. Connect one I/O device to a DAW and you have a high-quality sound card. Add more I/Os and
your system becomes more flexible and powerful. Depending on the host application, a SoundGrid host can assign up to
sixteen I/O devices. Complete SoundGrid systems can be networked together to share devices.
Add a server to a SoundGrid system to offload plugin processing from the host CPU to a SoundGrid DSP server. This
dramatically increases processing power and enables greater plugin counts—it also provides very low system latency.

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Hardware and Connections
IOX is a 1U rack-mounted device. Aside from headphone jacks, all connections are on the rear panel.
There are twelve Mic/Line input connections, six line output connections, word clock and Ethernet I/O.
IOX FRONT PANEL
Input clipping Red = Clipping (level can be set through the control panel)
Input signal present Green = Signal present
48V phantom powerOrange = Phantom On
Network status indicator
Blue: the device is recognized by the SoundGrid network.
Red: the device is not recognized by the SoundGrid network
Yellow: updating
White: unit malfunction (e.g., firmware did not load properly, unit did not boot properly).
Cycling through colors: used to identify the unit from the device rack or control panel.
Power switch/indicator
Four ¼-“ TRS headphone jacks with individual volume control knobs,(range: 8 to 600 ohms; gain: Off to +15 dB)

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IOX REAR PANEL
Mains input: 90VAC–240 VAC 50/60 Hz
Built-in 1GB Ethernet switch, two ports
The two-port Ethernet switch can connect IOX directly to a host computer and one other device without an external
Ethernet switch. For larger systems, a 1GB SoundGrid-approved Ethernet switch is necessary. It is not important which
of the Ethernet ports is used to connect to the SoundGrid network.
Recovery/reset button
Clock in and out (BNC connectors for external Word Clock)
12 mic/line inputs (combo XLR/TRS connectors)
6 line out ¼” TRS connectors

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Getting Started
Configure SoundGrid and assign your devices as follows, however large or small your system.
Connect the hardware
Install the software
Configure your system
Connect the Hardware
One I/O
In this example, one DiGiGrid IOX is connected directly to the SoundGrid host computer using a Cat 5e Ethernet cable or
better. The SoundGrid ASIO/Core Audio driver is used for plugin processing and/or DAW playback/recording.
Host computer with SoundGrid application
SoundGrid I/O device
The LAN port that’s connected to the SoundGrid network should be used for SoundGrid only. Do not share this port with
the internet or other networks.
In this configuration, all plugin processing is carried out on the host computer. The speed and power of the host
determines overall latnecy.

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Add I/Os
Adding I/O devices not only increases the number of I/O channels, but lets you have separate devices for stage and
FOH, or live room and control room. Use a "star" network configuration with a 1GB Ethernet switch to connect SoundGrid
devices. Only use switches tested and approved by Waves.
Host computer
I/O devices
1GB Ethernet switch
See this support article for a list of supported switches.
You can connect and assign up to 16 SoundGrid I/O devices to the network, depending on the SoundGrid host
application. All SoundGrid I/O devices, hosts, and servers are connected through the Ethernet switch. You can also add
more computers to enable audio streaming among hosts.
ADD A SERVER
To add a server to your SoundGrid system, just connect it to the Ethernet switch and configure it in your host application.
This moves all DSP processing from the host computer to the server, which provides a higher plugin count and enables
the eMotion LV1 and eMotion ST mixers. Visit the waves.com hardware pages to learn more about SoundGrid servers.
Consult your SoundGrid host application’s user guide to learn about using servers.
Consult your host application user guide to learn how to configure additional I/Os and servers.

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Download and Install Software
INSTALLING A NEW SOUNDGRID HOST SYSTEM
Installing the Waves SoundGrid host application will also install the SoundGrid ASIO/Core Audio driver and applicable
device drivers. Your devices will appear in the Inventory of your host system. If a device is not visible in the Inventory,
you may need to install a specific driver from Waves Central—please see below. First, however, check the device’s
connections and power.
ADDING AN I/O DEVICE TO AN EXISTING SOUNDGRID HOST SYSTEM
If you are already using a Waves SoundGrid host application and your device does not appear in the Network Devices
list, use Waves Central to update the host application, which also updates the device drivers—or install just the missing
device driver from Waves Central.1
Waves Central
All Waves software is downloaded and installed via the Waves Central application. To install a specific device
driver, launch Waves Central and follow these steps:
Choose All Products
Search for the driver by name
Choose the driver and click Install
If you are new to Waves products, begin by downloading the Waves Central installer from the Waves Download
Page. See the Waves Central User Guide for instructions on how to install drivers, plugins, and applications.
LICENSES
You do not need a license to use this device. However, many hosts or specific host configurations do require a license.
Refer to your host’s product page for details.
1The SoundGrid QRec host is installed with any I/O.

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Configure the System
A SoundGrid network is configured and devices are assigned in a host’s Setup window. At the heart of this window are
racks where devices are assigned. Any compatible device that’s part of the host’s SoundGrid network will be available for
assignment. This collection of devices is called the Inventory. Setup is similar with all hosts: identify the host’s LAN port,
select a device slot, and use the drop-down menu to choose an available device.
Please consult the user guide of your host application for specific instructions.
All SoundGrid devices are configured in a similar manner. Throughout this section, we show DiGiGrid IOS as an example.
SoundGrid QRec
SoundGrid Studio Setup Window

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Manual Device Configuration
You can assign, remove, and manage a device manually. Click on the plus or arrow
symbol in a device slot to open the Device Menu, then select a device.
Any device not already used will be available for assignment. If no other devices are
assigned, the current device will become your clock master. Drivers and servers are
assigned in the same manner.
See the user guide of your host system for specific instructions on device
assignment and I/O channel patching.
Automatic Device Configuration
Certain SoundGrid hosts—including SoundGrid Studio, eMotion LV1 or SuperRack SoundGrid—offer an Auto-
Config tool. Once your devices are connected and powered up, click Auto Config to begin the configuration.
Auto-Config chooses the correct LAN port on the host computer and scans the SoundGrid network for devices. It then
patches the devices to the host. We recommend that you let Auto-Config take care of things, at least when you are
getting started. If later you add, remove, or swap a device, Auto-Config will reconfigure your inventory and re-patch.
Note that SoundGrid Studio assigns the SoundGrid driver automatically. SuperRack SoundGrid and eMotion LV1 require
that the SoundGrid ASIO/Core Audio driver is assigned manually.
SoundGrid QRec
SoundGrid Studio

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Device Firmware
An I/O that is using outdated or incompatible firmware will not work properly in a SoundGrid network until its firmware is
updated. The color of the FW button in a device slot indicates the current firmware status.
If a device requires updated firmware, click on the FW button to start a hardware scan. Do not disconnect the device or
turn off the computer before Done appears. Once the update is ready, turn the device off and on to reset.
Identify a Device
Click on the ID button to activate a hard-to-miss LED on the panel of the
corresponding hardware device. You can also activate the LED from the top
bar of the device’s control panel.
GreyCompatible firmware
Blue Compatible firmware, but a newer version exists
Red Firmware not compatible and must be updated in order to use
SoundGrid Studio
SoundGrid QRec
SoundGrid Studio
SoundGrid QRec

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IOX Control Panel
There are two ways to open the device control panel:
FROM THE DEVICE RACK
Click on the Gear button on a device in the rack slot.
FROM THE DRIVER CONTROL PANEL
Open the driver control panel and then click the Hardware Control Panel button. The
driver control panel is located here in the host computer:
PC: C:\Program Files (x86)\Waves\SoundGrid\Driver Control Panel
Mac: System HD/Applications/Waves/SoundGrid
CONTROL PANEL PAGES
The About and System Info pages provide information about the unit, such as MAC address, SOE master MAC
Address, firmware version, and more. The Clock and Controls pages are used to set up and manage the IOC.
SoundGrid Studio
SoundGrid QRec

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Controls Page
This is where you configure the inputs and outputs of the IOX. Mic preamps, line inputs and outputs, digital I/O, level
control and metering.
The Controls page is divided into three sections:
Top Bar
Analog section
Focus section: input and output levels and 48V
phantom power for selected I/O channel are
controlled here.
Top Bar

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ANALOG SECTION
There are twelve mic preamp and line inputs and six line outputs. Each preamp channel is represented by a button that
turns the channel on or off. Each channel has a meter and a clip indicator. Select a channel and it will appear in the
Focus section, where preamp parameters are controlled.
Use the Focus section on the left side to adjust preamp levels and turn the
48V phantom on and off. The long meters range from -80 dBFS to 0 dBFS.
Mic/Line knob gain range: 0 dB to +52.5 dB in 7.5 dB steps
Fine knob digital gain range: 0 dB to +7 dB in 0.5 dB steps
A clip indicator holds for two seconds or for as long as clipping persists.
Peak hold persists until you reset it by clicking on the indicator or
switching to a different input.
An orange light on a channel button indicates that phantom power for that
channel is active. This status is also shown in the Focus section.

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REMOTE PREAMP CONTROL
You can control input preamp functions directly from the channel strip of SoundGrid applications, including eMotion LV1
and eMotion ST mixers, and SuperRack SoundGrid.
Control Function
48V Phantom On or Off
Preamp Gain Input Controls analog gain in an assigned I/O device that includes a
controllable preamp.
Input Polarity Mono channels have one polarity reverse button: s
tereo channels
have two. Buttons are latching and are colored
green when polarity is reversed.
Digital Input Trim Controls input level from digital sources. Separate
controls for L/R when input is stereo.
This allows you to control preamps “on the fly,” without leaving your monitor mixer. Refer to your host application’s user
guide for details.
ANALOG OUTPUT CONTROLS
In addition to meters and clip and peak indicators—which are identical to those in the input controls—
there is a Headroom switch that provides a -10 dB pad.
A green LED indicates a -10 dB pad on the analog output.

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CLIP INDICATION AND SMALL METERS
Clip Indication Threshold sets the level where clipping is shown on the meter in the Focus section. The threshold can be
set to 0 dB, -1 dB, -2 dB, or -3 dB. This setting is global: it affects level indication for all channels, inputs and outputs.
Each channel button—analog or digital, input, or output—has a small level meter that
indicates when signal is present and provides a rough idea of level. A red light on the channel
button indicates clipping.
Headphone output levels are indicated in the same manner
DIGITAL SECTION
Digital inputs and outputs can be switched on or off and controlled in the Focus section in the same manner as the
analog.

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Clock Page
Use the Clock page to set the clock source and sample rate for the device and to assess clock status.
SOURCE sets the requested clock source.
Internal The device itself provides the SEO clock.
External WC Clock is provided by an external device via the Word Clock Input connector.
Sync over Ethernet The device receives clock from the SoundGrid network.

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SAMPLE RATE sets the sample rate when Clock Source is set to Internal. Range: 44.1 / 48 / 88.2 / 96 kHz.
If the device is the network (SOE) clock master, as determined in the Device Racks of the
SoundGrid host, then this setting determines the sample rate of the SoundGrid network.
If Clock Source is set to an external clock source, you cannot change the sample rate from the host.
The Sample Rate menu is grayed out and inoperative.
CLOCK STATUS INDICATORS
Three windows on the right side of the Clock control panel help you to quickly assess the network status of the device.
When the device is a slave in the SoundGrid network, you will likely sync it to the SoundGrid network clock (via SOE).
Even when the device is an SOE slave, you can lock it to an external clock source. For example, if another SoundGrid
I/O device is the SOE master and is locked to a word clock device, you may choose to receive clock from the same
external device over word clock from the master device rather than via network SOE.
If the device is clocked to external source and that clock source fails, the device will seek an alternate source of clock, in
this priority: word clock, Digital 1, Digital 2, and then SOE. If this fails, the device will fall back to Internal.
Status Reports the presence or absence of sync between the IOX and the
SoundGrid network.
Current Clock
Source
Displays the current sync method. This may differ from the choice made in
the Source menu.
SOE
Indicates whether this IOX is the master or a slave in the SoundGrid
network. This mirrors the status information in the SoundGrid Studio
Device Rack

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System Info Page and About Page
The About page contains a description of the device. The System Info page contains technical details about the device,
including MAC address, firmware version, and module version. This information is useful for troubleshooting. Please
have this information handy if you contact Waves technical support concerning the device.

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Presets
The Top Bar is used to load and save device presets and to identify device hardware.
You can save and load presets of device settings. A saved preset includes all Clock and Control panels parameters.
Save IOX presets to use on future sessions or copy them to another computer to duplicate a configuration.
Click the Identify button to indicate which IOX hardware device belongs to this Control Panel. Clicking the button causes
the Network LED on the front panel of the IOX to flash in a rather psychedelic manner.