Reference Manual

Table Of Contents

Introduction...3
Welcome!.... 3 About the FirePort 1394 and FST/Connect software...4 Important features of FirePort 1394 and FST/Connect. 4 Key Features of the FirePort 1394 and FST/Connect software.... 6 How to Use This Manual...7
Important Safety Instructions.9
Important Safety Instructions (English)..9 Safety symbols used in this product.. 9 Please follow these precautions when using this product:. 9 Instructions de Scurit Importantes (French)...11 Symboles utiliss dans ce produit... 11 Veuillez suivre ces prcautions lors de lutilisation de lappareil:.... 11 Lesen Sie bitte die folgende Sicherheitshinweise (German)..13 Sicherheit Symbole verwendet in diesem Produkt.. 13 Folgen Sie bitte diesen Vorkehrungen, wenn dieses Produkt verwendet wird:... 13 CE Declaration Of Conformity..15 FCC Compliance Statement..15
Chapter One: Getting Started..17
Unpacking the FirePort 1394... 17 Materials You Will Need..17 System requirements.... 17 Connecting/Disconnecting the FirePort 1394.. 18 Installing FST/Connect...20
Chapter Two: Operations..21
The FST/Connect Main Window..21 The Drive window... 21 The Project window... 22 The Song window.... 23 The Transfer window... 24 The Format window... 26 The Pull-Down Menus..27 Drive.... 28 Project.... 28 Song.... 28 Transfer.... 28 Help.... 28
Essentials of Exporting and Importing..29 Exporting and Importing SD2 files.. 29 Exporting and Importing DIG/SD files.. 30
Chapter Three: Applications..33
Tips and Tricks..33 HD24 memory conservation... 33 Window Navigation and Shortcuts... 34 Free Space Preview: Using the numeric keys.. 34 Selecting certain tracks for import/export.. 35 Making imported tracks go where you want.. 35 Useful Information...35 How the PC views your FST Drive.. 35 Starting and restarting FST/Connect and FirePort 1394. 36 Naming things: Characters you can use.. 36 Naming things: Forbidden characters.. 36

Troubleshooting...37

Troubleshooting Index... 37
Warranty/Contact Alesis..39
Alesis Limited Warranty.... 39 Alesis Contact Information... 40

Introduction

Welcome!
Thank you for selecting the Alesis FirePort 1394, the perfect complement to your Alesis Adat HD24 hard disk recorder. Since 1984, we've been designing and building creative tools for the audio community. We believe in our products, because we've heard the results that creative people like you achieve with them. One of Alesis' goals is to make high-quality music technology available to everyone. This Reference Manual is an important part of that, because in it we try to present the FirePort 1394s features in a way that is easy to understand and remember. If a feature were not properly documented, you might not discover its potential benefits for some time. So we strive to write our manuals as carefully as we build our products. The goal of this manual is to get you the information you need as quickly as possible, with a minimum of hassle. We hope we've achieved that. If not, please drop us an email and give us your suggestions on how we could improve future editions of this manual. We hope your investment will bring you many years of creative enjoyment and help you achieve your goals. Sincerely, The people of Alesis

Track Preview

With the proper sound card installed in your PC, tracks of any sample rate may be previewed individually from the PC or directly from the FST drive. This is helpful in determining ahead of time which track or set of tracks you would like to transfer into the PC for editing, or transfer back into the FST drive for mixdown.
Key Features of the FirePort 1394 and FST/Connect software
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Lightning-fast file transfer over industry-standard FireWire connections. Transfer anywhere from 1 to 24 tracks of audio at one time between your FST drive and your computer. Supported audio file formats include.wav,.aif,.sd2 and.dig/.sd. Straightforward, easy-to-use interface, with all of the important information about your hard drives, Projects and Songs readily available. Connect up to four FST drives at once. Format an FST drive from your PC. Hard drive sizes up to 2 Terabytes are supported. Give each hard drive its own name. Free Space Preview shows the amount of memory available on the hard drive at a glance. 99 Projects and 99 Songs on one hard drive for extensive archival capability (file system 1.10 only). Create, name, and delete Projects and Songs. Song, Project, and hard drive names up to 64 characters in length (file system 1.10 only) Song length, track depth, sample rate and bit resolution readily visible. Write-protection for Songs with a single mouse-click. Track preview for auditioning individual tracks from the PC or from the FST drive 16-bit transfer option for exporting tracks to the PC

How to Use This Manual

This manual is divided into the following sections describing the various functions and applications for the FirePort 1394 and FST/Connect. While it's a good idea to read through the entire manual once carefully, those having general knowledge about computer software and hardware should use the table of contents to look up specific functions. Chapter 1: Getting Started. This chapter covers the basics of connecting the FirePort 1394 to your computer and installing the FST/Connect software. System requirements are listed here as well. Chapter 2: Operations will take you on a detailed tour of the various features of the FST/Connect software. It covers everything from hard drive formatting and naming to the selection and transfer of individual or multiple tracks, detailing Project and Song functions along the way. Chapter 3: Applications could also be named Tips and Tricks. It shows a number of ways to use FST/Connect to solve the varied needs that may arise in the course of working on a given project. It also covers in greater detail some of the particulars related to formatting an FST drive using Windows (dont!), as well as starting and restarting FST/Connect and/or the FirePort 1394. Also included is a list of characters that can be used in naming a hard drive, Project, or Song. Near the end of the manual are some troubleshooting tips. Turn here if you are experiencing any difficulties with FST/Connect.

When something important appears in the manual, an exclamation mark (like the one shown at left) will appear with some explanatory text. This symbol indicates that this information is vital when operating the FirePort 1394. Helpful tips and advice are highlighted in a shaded box like this.
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Important Safety Instructions
Important Safety Instructions (English) Safety symbols used in this product
This symbol alerts the user that there are important operating and maintenance instructions in the literature accompanying this unit.
This symbol warns the user of uninsulated voltage within the unit that can cause dangerous electric shocks.
This symbol warns the user that output connectors contain voltages that can cause dangerous electrical shock.
Please follow these precautions when using this product:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Read these instructions. Keep these instructions. Heed all warnings. Follow all instructions. Do not use this apparatus near water. Clean only with a damp cloth. Do not spray any liquid cleaner onto the faceplate, as this may damage the front panel controls or cause a dangerous condition. 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 amplifiers) that produce heat. 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 are provided for your safety. When the provided plug does not fit 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. Use only attachments or accessories specified by the manufacturer. Continued next page

10. 11.

12. Use only with a cart, stand, bracket, or table designed for use with professional audio or music equipment. In any installation, make sure that injury or damage will not result from cables pulling on the apparatus and its mounting. If a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over. 13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time. 14. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as when the 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. 15. This unit produces heat when operated normally. Operate in a well-ventilated area with at least six inches of clearance from peripheral equipment. 16. This product, in combination with an amplifier and headphones or speakers, may be capable of producing sound levels that could cause permanent hearing loss. Do not operate for a long period of time at a high volume level or at a level that is uncomfortable. If you experience any hearing loss or ringing in the ears, you should consult an audiologist. 17. Do not expose the apparatus to dripping or splashing. Do not place objects filled with liquids (flower vases, soft drink cans, coffee cups) on the apparatus. 18. WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture.

CE Declaration Of Conformity
See our website at: http://www.alesis.com

FCC Compliance Statement

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. 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 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.

1 Getting Started

Unpacking the FirePort 1394
In addition to this manual, you should find the following items inside the FirePort 1394s box: The FirePort 1394 Four bracket stands, each with raised nubs on one side. These serve as feet for your FST drive, for the sake of traction and air circulation. Theyre also indented on the other side so you can stack FST drives securely. One FireWire cable A +5v/+12V AC/DC power adapter and power cord A CD-ROM, which contains the files you need in order to install FST/Connect on your computer

Materials You Will Need

Its easy to begin transferring HD24 tracks into your PC using the FirePort 1394, but you will need to provide a couple of key components in the chain. First, youll need an interface card with at least one FireWire port properly installed your computer. If you have more than one FirePort 1394, you can use their secondary FireWire ports to connect them together. Just be sure that at least one FirePort 1394 is connected directly to the PC! Second, youll need an FST drive to connect to the FirePort 1394. An FST drive is a hard drive that has been formatted for use with the ADAT HD24 hard disk recorder. Of course, we hope you already own an HD24, but its entirely possible that you could be working with material sent to you by someone else who owns one!

It isnt necessary to have audio material recorded on the hard drive already; you can transfer tracks from your PC to the FST drive if they are in one of the supported formats.

System requirements

Third, you will need an IBM-PC compatible computer that meets the following conditions: A properly installed FireWire/IEEE 1394 interface card (yes, we mentioned that already, but its important!) Windows XP or Windows 2000 operating system (sorry, no Windows ME) 64 megabytes of onboard RAM 10 megabytes of available hard drive space (minimum) A sound card (optional). This will be necessary if you want to preview tracks from the FST drive or the PC.

Getting Started

Connecting/Disconnecting the FirePort 1394
The first thing to do is attach the four bracket stands to the FST drive caddy, one to each corner, as illustrated below:
These raise the FST drive off the table or desk slightly, which will help keep air circulating around the drive and prevent overheating during use. The bracket stands, or feet, also help the FST drive not to slide around while youre attaching it to/detaching it from the FirePort 1394. Important! Be certain the power switch on the FirePort 1394 is set to OFF before you perform any of the following steps.

First-time connections

Heres what to do the first time you hook up the FirePort 1394: 1. Make sure the power switch on the FirePort 1394 is set to OFF. 2. Connect the 6-pin connector of the power adapter into the jack on the FirePort 1394 labeled Ext. +5V +12V DC-IN. Then plug the other end of the power adapter into a properly grounded and rated AC power supply socket. 3. Run a FireWire cable from the computers FireWire interface card to either of the FireWire ports on the FirePort 1394. 4. Connect the FST drive to the FirePort 1394. 5. Turn the power switch on the FirePort 1394 to ON. 6. Install FST/Connect (the instructions are on page 20).

WARNING!

The power switch to the FirePort 1394 must be turned OFF before you connect the FST drive or any cables.

Operations

Routine connections
Once you have everything working, these are the steps to observe when connecting an FST drive to the FirePort 1394: 1. Make sure the power switch on the FirePort 1394 is set to OFF. 2. Connect the FST drive to the FirePort 1394. 3. Turn the FirePort 1394s power switch to ON. 4. Start FST/Connect. (If you were swapping FST drives, this step is not necessary because FST/Connect can be left active while you do so.)
Disconnecting an FST drive
When you want to spin the FST drive down and take it back over to an HD24, or if you would like to connect another FST drive with the FirePort 1394, follow these steps: 1. Use the Add/Remove Hardware utility in the Control Panel and go through the procedures to unplug a device. At the final step of this process, check the box that says Show Unplug/Eject icon on the taskbar. You will only have to do this step the first time you disconnect the FST drive. 2. If youve already gone through step 1 above in previous disconnections, move your cursor to the lower right-hand portion of your monitor (the taskbar) and look for the following symbol:

You dont have to shut down FST/Connect when swapping hard drives. Therefore, if FST/Connect is already running when you want to disconnect, simply follow the disconnect procedure and leave FST/Connect active.
Click on this icon and watch for a prompt to arrive on the screen that looks like this:
Click on that prompt, and a message will be displayed on the screen that tells you that the FST drive may be safely removed from the system. This means its okay to turn off the power to the FirePort 1394. After the power has been turned off you may disconnect the FST drive from the FirePort 1394.

Installing FST/Connect

The brain behind the FirePort 1394s brawn is FST/Connect. This is a software program developed by Alesis, and you will find it on the CD-ROM that was in the box with the FirePort 1394. Installing FST/Connect is simple. Put the CD-ROM into your PC, navigate to the CD drive (usually the D drive), and locate the file called setup.exe. Clicking on this application and responding appropriately to all of the prompts will run the InstallShield Wizard, which will automatically choose the files needed to make the FirePort 1394 work in conjunction with FST/Connect on your computer. To uninstall FST/Connect, use Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel folder. The big picture Below is an example of what you might see during a typical session with FST/Connect.

2 Operations

The FST/Connect Main Window
The main window of FST/Connect has four major subdivisions, each of which contains between two and nine functions. There are also five pull-down menus with additional functions. Everything you can do with FST/Connect happens from here, so lets go through the windows and menus one by one.

The Drive window

The boxed-in section in the left upper half of the main window is called the Drive window. It looks like this:
Window Navigation and Shortcuts
If you are new to using a PC, you may want to check out the section on window navigation and keyboard shortcuts found in Chapter Three: Applications. There are keystrokes that will be very familiar for long-time Windows users that you may find to be very useful. To see this information, turn to page 34.

From this window you can see the name of the selected FST drive, its file system version, the number of projects it contains, and how much recording time it has available. The Drive window has three sub menus that allow different choices. The first, Name, has a pull-down arrow on the right side that allows you to select which FST drive you are using. This is for use with multiple FirePort 1394 systems. The second and third sub menus with selectable options are inside the Free Space Preview (FSP) window. As you can see, the smaller box Length does not have a pull-down arrow to its right; it will change automatically as you adjust the two boxes immediately below it. The At box allows you to select between four sample rates for the FSP reading (44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96). The For box allows you to select the track depth for the FSP reading: its choices can be 2, 6, 8, 12, 16, and 24 (depending on the sample rate selected in the At box). So on this particular hard drive you would have one hour, 30 minutes and 17 seconds available for recording a 24-track song at 48 kHz.
It is possible to give the FST drive a name of up to 64 characters in length. This and other functions are handled inside the Drive pull-down menu. See page 28 for details.
To get the FSP reading for recording time available at 96 kHz, click anywhere in the window to the right of the At box and select the number 96 from the menu. If your 48k song has 16 or 24 tracks, the number in the For box will change automatically to 12. Thats because 12 is the maximum number of tracks an FST drive can hold at a 96 kHz sampling rate. The Length, however, will remain the same in the example shown (half as many tracks at twice the sample rate uses exactly the same amount of memory).
You can use the numeric keypad as a quick way to select the sample rate or track depth for the Free Space Preview window. For more information, see page 34.

The Project window

This is a small window with a big view: it allows you to call up the various Projects, or sets of Songs, that reside on the FST drive. It looks like this:
The window labeled Name is used to select the current Project. If your hard drive uses file system 1.10 or higher, there can be up to 99 of them! Use the numeric keys, the cursor keys or the pulldown menu on the Name windows right side to make your choice. And as you call up each Project, the second window shows how many Songs the Project contains.

The Song window

As stated earlier, each Project can hold up to 99 songs if youre using file system 1.10. The Song window is the one that allows you to choose the current Song within the Project. But it also contains five other fields that hold important information: the number of tracks in the song (also called track depth), the length of the Song, its sample rate and word length (sometimes referred to as bit depth), and a checkbox for write-protecting the current song.
It is possible to give the Song a name of up to 64 characters in length (file system 1.10). This and other functions are handled inside the Song pulldown menu. See page 28 for details.
Selection of the Song within the Project is handled in the same way it is with other right-side pull-down menus. Click anywhere on the Name window and it will explode, showing you up to nine Songs out of the possible 99 in the Project. If there are more than nine Songs available, a scroll bar on the right side will allow you to navigate through the Song list until you find the right one. As with other windows, you can use the numeric keys to type in the number of the song you wish to access. You may also call up Songs one after the other by using the cursor keys. The Up and Left buttons decrement the choice, while Down and Right increment the choice. You can also race through the list by holding down one of the cursor keys.

The Transfer window

Occupying over half of the main window, the Transfer window sports a majority of the features found in FST/Connect. It is here you will select which tracks to send which way, decide where they will wind up, and determine what their format will be when they get there. Heres one view of the window:
Well go through the functions contained in this window one by one, starting with The Transfer tabs At the top of the window there are two tabs: adat FST PC and PC adat FST. These determine which direction transferred files will go. Selecting the adat FST PC tab means you are able to transfer tracks from the FST drive into your computer (export), while selecting PC adat FST means FST/Connect is ready to send tracks from the computer into your FST drive (import).
To switch between the two tabs, click on one or the other with the cursor, or use the Left and Right cursor keys. Youll notice that as the tabs change, the button below the Preview box will change automatically from Export to Import or vice versa. The Directory window & Browse button The skinny little bar right below the Transfer tabs is called the Directory window. It displays the path you would follow to find the files related to the larger Track window immediately below. This needs some careful attention, because the Directory path means different things depending on which Transfer tab is selected. If the PC adat FST tab has been selected, the Directory path indicates the source folder on the PC from which audio files will be transferred into the FST drive. This is known as the Import option. However, the illustration on page 24 shows the adat FST PC tab having been selected. (This is also known as the Export option.) Those familiar with a PC will know at a glance that C:\ProgramFiles\Audio\Demo Project means that the tracks about to be exported from the FST drive will wind up on the C drive (a hard drive inside the PC) inside a folder called Program Files, and that further inside that folder is another folder called Audio, wherein resides a folder called Demo Project. This folder will be the final destination of any exported track. Unless you do something about it. There are two ways to select a different import/export folder. First, the Directory window has one of those pull-down arrows on the right side. If you click on that you will see up to five different paths. These are the last five folders youve selected as an import/export path. The second way to choose a new import/export folder is to use the Browse button immediately to the right of the Directory window. Click on that to navigate to a new folder on one of your computers hard drives. This new location will show up as an available choice in the Directory window list. One other point regarding the Directory window: unlike the other skinny windows, you cant explode the Directory list by clicking within the Directory field. Doing this will highlight the entire Directory path. A second click will place the cursor at that spot in the Directory path name, ready for editing. Selecting and Previewing (single tracks) There are several methods for selecting a track within the Track window. The first few are obvious: click on a track, or use the Tab key until the cursor lands in the Track window. After that you can use the cursor keys to select different tracks; the Up and Left keys move the cursor up through the Track list, and the Down and Right keys move the cursor down.

Pressing the C key will access the Create sub-menu of the Project pull-down menu, as shown. Each pull-down menu provides most of the features and information found in the corresponding window, with the exception of the Transfer window. However, all of the pull-down menus offer features that are unavailable anywhere else in FST/Connect. These features are described on the next page.
There are five options here: Select Switch between multiple FirePort 1394 systems Format Completely erase or format an FST drive Upgrade Convert 1.0 FST drives to 1.10, leaving data intact. This option is grayed out if the FST drive is 1.10. Properties View FST drive model, size, and give it a name Exit Quits FST/Connect

Project

This menu has four options: Select Switch between Projects via the usual keys Create Make a new Project Delete Choose and throw away a Project and its Songs Properties Name the Project and view how many Songs it has
There are four options here: Select Switch between Songs via the usual keys Create Make a new Song; define sample rate & track depth Delete Select and delete a Song Properties Name the Song and view its track depth, length, sample rate, word length, and write-protect status

Transfer

Only one choice here: Options Choose whether exported files will be 24-bit or 16bit. If you have an audio editor that cant open 24bit files, select the 16-bit option. FST/Connect remembers this setting after you shut down.
Only one choice here as well: About Displays the revision number of FST/Connect

Naming conventions

Names can be up to 64 characters in length (file system 1.10 only), and may contain any letter, number, or character with certain exceptions. An error message will let you know if you have used an illegal character.
File system 1.0 allows only 10 characters in a name, and only letters, numbers, and spaces may be used in the names.
Essentials of Exporting and Importing
There are still some very important things to cover regarding exporting and importing. They are mostly related to the differences in the ways files are handled by PC and Macintosh computers. You probably wont have to do anything special to WAV and AIFF files, but the other two formats require a little more effort on your part.
Exporting and Importing SD2 files
Sound Designer II (SD2) files are used by many professional audio applications such as Digidesigns Pro Tools. But an SD2 file taken straight from one platform to the other generally wont be recognized properly without a little bit of doctoring. Flattened vs. un-flattened files Generally, Macintosh files have two forks: the resource fork and the data fork. The resource fork contains header information that tells the Macintosh about the contents of the data fork. On the other hand, PC files have no resource fork. All the essential information is there, but it is contained in a single stream of data. This is what is known as a flattened file; i.e., it is all one file, laid out in a row like dough flattened by a rolling pin. Conversely, a dual-forked Macintosh file is known as an un-flattened file. So in order for a PC to view a Mac file as one of its own, so to speak, the Mac file must be flattened. And in the case of a PCgenerated SD2 file, in order for the Mac to handle the PC file properly the PC file must be un-flattened. Exporting SD2 files to a Macintosh application The first thing to do is use the Internet to locate a free software utility called MacBinary II+. It is a Macintosh application that alternately flattens and un-flattens files, depending on the initial state of the file. As of this writing, MacBinary II+ is available at http://www.mac.org/utilities/macbinary. Once you have done that, follow this procedure to make the PC file Mac-ready: 1. Export the file from the FST drive using FST/Connect. Make sure the Format button is set to SD2. 2. Using a network connection or a form of storage medium recognized by both the PC and the Mac, get the file into the Macintosh. 3. Inside the Macintosh, drop the file onto the MacBinary II+ icon. An un-flattened file will be generated. 4. Open the un-flattened file inside the Macintoshs audio editing application.

Attention Mac users! Dont forget to add the two- or three- letter extension name to the files you are trying to import (.sd2,.aif, etc.). Otherwise you wont be able to see the files in the Track window.
The Import/Export functions can be used to reclaim unused hard drive space on the FST drive. For an explanation of this concept, see page 33.
Warning! Importing a track will overwrite the destination track on the FST drive. Be sure this is what you want to do before initiating the import process.
Be careful! A number in the filename not intended as a track number may lead to loss of data! It could cause FST/Connect to overwrite a track on the FST drive that you wanted to keep. A final screen prompt will show you the tracks destination; be sure to read this before you import the track.

3 Applications

In this chapter weve compiled some points of interest about FST/Connect. They are divided into two categories: Tips and Tricks, with some timesaving tips and practical uses for FST/Connect, and Useful Information, which offers details about the way FST/Connect is integrated into the Windows environment on your PC. No doubt you will develop some unique procedures of your own. If you come across something you think will help people get even more out of their FirePort 1394 systems, please e-mail the suggestions to us! We may include them in a later version of this manual, or put them on our website.
Tips and Tricks HD24 memory conservation
As you may know, when you create a song on an FST drive you define the track depth, or number of tracks in the song, from the very beginning. Even if you only record on one track, the HD24 will reserve hard drive space for each of the as yet unrecorded tracks in the song. This goes a long way toward preventing hard drive fragmentation, which in turn ensures that the HD24 will be able to access your tracks with a minimal amount of delay, no matter how far apart your locate points may be. But occasionally you may discover that you reserved too many tracks; for instance, you may decide that a given song sounds better with fewer tracks than you originally anticipated. Instead of 24 tracks, youve only used 16 or less. So are you stuck? Is there nothing you can do to reclaim the unused memory? The old standby method was to transfer the tracks to another Adat-compatible device through the optical ports in real time, and then back the same way. Besides being somewhat time-intensive, this process also requires a couple of extra Adats! The FirePort 1394 will be a great help in scenarios like this. To solve this problem even more quickly and accurately, export all the songs tracks into your PC, create a new 16-track song at the same sample rate, and send the tracks back to the FST drive. After you delete the original song, this will have freed up the hard drive space being occupied by 8 tracks of audio for the entire length of the song. For a 48k track of 4 minutes in duration, thats a lot of memory freed up!

Applications

As you work with FST/Connects main window, youll want to remember that there are a number of keystrokes and key combinations that can make FST/Connect even easier to use. The first thing to know is that you can jump from one window to the next by using the Tab key. Weve also built in several ways to select the different options in the smaller internal windows that have pull-down arrows to their right. For example, once youre at the desired window, you can use the Up/Down or Left/Right sets of cursor keys to increment and decrement the choices. Holding one of those keys down will race through the list. Exploding windows Another option is to hold the Alt key and press the Down cursor key to make that windows list explode. That will show you a list of some or all of the choices available at that window. Then you can use the cursor keys to select an option from there. When youve made your choice, either hit the Return key or hit the Escape key to close the list. There are some keyboard shortcuts that are more specific to their functions. They are listed on the pages in Chapter Two where those functions are first introduced.
Free Space Preview: Using the numeric keys
You can use the numeric keys as an aid when selecting the sample rate or track depth for the Free Space Preview window. Once youve chosen the kHz window, press 9 to select 96k, press 8 for 88.2k, or press 4 repeatedly to toggle between 48k and 44.1k. The For window has different sets of responses to the numeric keys, depending on the selected sample rate. As stated earlier, if the sample rate is 44.1k or 48k you can have up to 24 tracks, but you can have no more than 12 tracks for the higher sample rates of 88.2k and 96k. Some of the available choices are different for that reason. So once youve clicked somewhere in the "For window, your choices are as follows: for 44.1k/48k, press 2 repeatedly to toggle between 2 tracks and 24 tracks; use the 6 key to select 6 tracks, the 8 key to select 8 tracks, or the 1 key to select 16 tracks. for 88.2k/96k, press 2 to select 2 tracks, press 6 to select 6 tracks, press 8 to select 8 tracks, or press the 1 key to select 12 tracks.

Selecting certain tracks for import/export
When youre working in the Track window, you dont have to select only tracks or files that are all in a row. If desired, you can leapfrog over tracks which you do not want to import or export. To choose specific tracks, click on the ones you want to transfer while holding the Control key. Another selection shortcut is to Select All (Control A) and then de-select the tracks you dont want to transfer by clicking on those tracks while holding the Control key.
Making imported tracks go where you want
An easy way to tell FST/Connect where you want certain tracks to be placed on the FST drive is to navigate within Windows to the folder that contains them, and then rename them using the desired track numbers somewhere in the file names (before the two- or three-letter extensions).
Useful Information How the PC views your FST Drive
When you start using a hard drive with FST/Connect for the first time, you should use FST/Connect to format it. If you use Windows Disk Management utility to format the drive, you will still need to format it using FST/Connect before you will be able to use it with FST/Connect. Once you have used FST/Connect to format the drive, it will show up as an unrecognized drive in Windows. This means you will not be able to locate it using Windows Explorer. Also, your PC will not recognize the FST drives format when you look at it using the Disk Management utility. It will be identified as Unknown. After there is FST data on the drive, you should not attempt to format the FST drive using Windows. If you do you will destroy your adat FST data. It is also not possible to partition the hard drive so that it contains a combination of an FST partition and a Windows partition. The two formats are incompatible. Neither should you attempt to defragment the FST drive using any form of disk utility. The Alesis file system was designed to keep file fragmentation to the absolute minimum. Besides, the FST drive has a proprietary method of file organization that a third-party disk utility would be highly unlikely to interpret properly.
Starting and restarting FST/Connect and FirePort 1394
You may start and restart FST/Connect without turning off the power to the FirePort 1394. But if you want to turn its power off you should dismount the hard drive first using the taskbar tool, as described on page 19, and then turn off the FirePort 1394. But if you only go halfway by dismounting the FST drive without shutting off the FirePort 1394, then when you start FST/Connect again the program will display No Drive Communication in the Drive Name window. You will not see any Project, Song, or Track window information from the FST drive even though it has spun up normally. In order for everything to operate as it should once more, youll have to shut down the FirePort 1394, wait a few seconds, and then turn it back on.

For more effective service and product update notices, please register your HD24 online at: http://www.alesis.com/ support/warranty.htm

Warranty/Contact

Alesis Contact Information
Alesis Distribution, LLC Los Angeles, CA USA E-mail: Website: support@alesis.com http://www.alesis.com
Alesis FirePort 1394 Reference Manual Revision 1.0 by Randy Lee Copyright 2002, Alesis Distribution, LLC. All rights reserved Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. FirePort 1394 and FST/Connect are trademarks of Alesis Distribution, LLC. Specifications subject to change without notice. All trademarks are the property of their respective holders. 7-51-0134-A 10/11/2002

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