F. A. Q. - Frequently Asked Questions

Product

PHASE 88 Rack FW

Status

22.09.2004

Version

1.0

Questions and Answers

13

Please make sure that you are using the latest driver version.

You can find them on our web pages or you can obtain them from the TerraTec Support Department by sending an envelope stamped with €1.44 in postage.

Internet

TerraTec Electronic GmbH

http://www.terratec.com

Herrenpfad 38

ftp://ftp.terratec.de

D-41334 Nettetal

Overview of questions...

Question 1:
What operating systems are supported?

Question 2:
What does “Multi-Client” mean?

Question 3:
What levels do the analog outputs deliver, and what SNR do they reach??

Question 4:
What level can be applied to the analog input, and what SNR does it reach?

Question 5:
Why is the "Digital In" channel disabled (grayed out) in the Control Panel?

Question 6:
How can I send AC3 or DTS to an external decoder when playing DVDs?

Question 7:
The MasterClock won't adjust to the sample rate of the file to be played. What can I do about it?

Question 8:
The volume controls in the Control Panel don't work.

Question 9:
How long is the included FireWire™ cable, and can I replace it with a longer one?

Question 10:
What latencies can I achieve in ASIO mode?

Question 11:
I get noise (clicks) when recording and during playback.

Question 12:

Why does the PHASE 88 Rack FW have two FireWire™ ports?

 

Question 13:

Can I use the PHASE 88 Rack FW "stand alone" as an A/D or D/A converter?

 


 

Question 1:

What operating systems are supported?

Answer 1:

Windows XP SP1 and higher

MAC OS X 10.3.6 and higher (only PPC)

MAC OS X 10.4 and higher (also Intel Hardware)

 


y

Question 2:

What does “Multi-Client” mean?

Answer 2:

Various audio applications can access the same PHASE 88 Rack FW hardware channels (input or output) at the same time. In doing so it doesn’t matter what kind of driver interface will be used (DirectSound, MME, WDM Kernel-Streaming, ASIO or GSIF). It is only important to set the hardware and all audio application to the same sample rate.  


y

Question 3:

What level do the analog outputs deliver, and what SNR do they reach?

Answer 3:

The line level output is approximately 2.2Vrms.  

The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is typically around 109dB(A) @ 48kHz.


y

Question 4:

What level can be applied to the analog input, and what SNR does it reach?

Answer 4:

The PHASE 88 Rack FW features high-quality balanced mono analog inputs. The gain amplification can be set at the front-panel.

Line level gain range:     150mVrms up to 3,6Vrms

MIC level gain range:     2mVrms up to 95mVrms


y

Question 5:

Why is the "Digital In" channel disabled (grayed out) in the Control Panel?

Answer 5:

This channel is only available if a signal has been applied to the digital input and the Master-Clock switch is set to "External".


y

Question 6:

How can I send AC3 or DTS to an external decoder when playing DVDs?

Answer 6:

The playback of AC3- or DTS-steams (e.g. of a software DVD player) can be activated within the used software application.

y

Question 7:

The Master-Clock won't adjust to the sample rate of the file to be played. What can I do about it?

Answer 7:

Unlike PCI cards, the PHASE 88 Rack FW system cannot automatically synchronize to the required sample rate. Select the sample rate manually using the dropdown menu in the Control Panel to avoid a SRC. The sample rate set in the control panel will always be applied.


y

Question 8:

The volume controls in the Control Panel don't work.

Answer 8:

As the controls in the Control Panel directly control the hardware mixer, the digital mixer must be routed to one of the outputs


y

Question 9:

How long is the included FireWire™ cable, and can I replace it with a longer one?

Answer 9:

The included cable is 4m long, and the maximum permissible cable length is 4.50m. If you want to use longer cable length a repeater is necessary.


y

Question 10:

What latencies can I achieve in ASIO mode?

Answer 10:

Latencies of less than 4ms are possible on modern, well-configured systems.


y

Question 11:

I get noise (clicks) when recording and during playback.

Answer 11:

In most cases this problem is the result of the interrupt (IRQ) assignment. Please check the IRQ of your IEEE1394 (FireWire™) port. If you need help doing so, please refer to the driver CD for the document "Interrupt Request Tutorial" which covers these problems. The document is also available in our support area.

If the problem is not the result of a resource conflict, increase the buffer sizes in the ASIO Control Panel or in the host applications (Wavelab, Cool Edit Pro, etc.).


y

Question 12:

Why does the PHASE 88 Rack FW have two FireWire™ ports?

Answer 12:

Unlike USB, FireWire™ is a bus system. In other words, every FireWire™ device has a full-featured port for further equipment, so that individual devices can also be connected in series. OK, it's currently only possible to link 64 devices in practice, but who has that many peripherals?  Hubs—like those used by USB devices—are therefore superfluous as long as the cable length between the individual devices does not exceed 4.5 meters or a total of 72 meters, as this would cause problems due to signal attenuation. The connected devices will still work if one of the intermediate devices is turned off—the remaining devices will continue to communicate via the ports. Please ensure that you don't create a loop—at some point you must have a final device without a further connection.        

The PHASE 88 Rack FW also has two connections for this reason. Which of the two ports you use to connect it to your computer is up to you—the sockets are identical.

Be careful nevertheless, there are a number of potential stumbling blocks. The values listed above are theoretical. Most camcorders, for example, do not comply with IEEE 1394 and transmit their data without consideration of standards or potential losses. You should also consider that a complex audio production may use the full bus width (400 Mbps in theory, but it may be considerably lower in practice). Should you have problems with additional FireWire™ devices connected to the PHASE 88 Rack FW, please connect them to a different controller port.


y

Question 13:

Can I use the PHASE 88 Rack FW "stand alone" as an A/D or D/A converter?

Answer 13:

The PHASE 88 Rack FW stores the last settings used in the Control Panel and can apply them when it has power, even without being connected to a computer. It can then be used as a high-quality A/D or D/A converter.


y


TerraTec Electronic GmbH
Herrenpfad 38
D-41334 Nettetal

tel: +49-2157-81790
fax: +49-2157-817922
hotline: +49-2157-817914
ftp: ftp://ftp.terratec.de
web: http://www.terratec.com