34-in/36-out FireWire Lightpipe Interface

User Guide

English
Table of Contents English. 2
Introduction. 2 Whats in the Box. 2 About ProFire Lightbridge. 3 ProFire Lightbridge Features. 4 System Requirements. 5 Controls and Connectors. 6
Front Panel. 6 Rear Panel. 7
Driver Installation. 8 Hardware Connections. 8
Audio. 8 MIDI. 9 Word Clock. 9
Using ProFire Lightbridge. 9 The Software Control Panel. 10
Hardware Page. 10 About Page. 13
Word Clock Synchronization. 14
Understanding Word Clock. 14
Specications. 18 Warranty. 19
Warranty Terms. 19 Warranty Registration. 19
M-Audio ProFire Lightbridge User Guide

Introduction

hank you for purchasing M-Audios ProFire Lightbridge interface. ProFire Lightbridge uses the ADAT optical I/O standard to bring extensive digital connectivity to your studio. With its four ADAT optical inputs, four ADAT optical outputs, S/PDIF coaxial input and output, and stereo analog outputs, ProFire Lightbridge lets you connect a variety of devices to your FireWire-equipped digital audio workstation. Using the high-bandwidth, industry-standard FireWire (IEEE1394) protocol, ProFire Lightbridge gives your DAW up to 34 audio inputs and 36 outputs while connecting to your computer via a single cable. This makes it perfect for multi-channel transfers to and from external multitrack recorders. ProFire Lightbridge is also ideal for linking your DAW to an external digital mixer, or for connecting to another computer hosting soft synths and signal processors. This manual will explain the features and operation of ProFire Lightbridge. Even if you are an experienced recording enthusiast, please take a moment to read this guide and familiarize yourself with all of the unique features of your ProFire Lightbridge.

Whats in the Box

Your ProFire Lightbridge package contains each of the following:
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ProFire Lightbridge audio interface Printed Quick Start Guide M-Audio FireWire Series CD-ROM FireWire 400 6-pin cable 6 ft. FireWire 400 4-pin cable 6 ft. 12V DC 1A power supply
ProFire Lightbridge User Guide
About ProFire Lightbridge
roFire Lightbridge is a 1U, half-rack audio interface designed to greatly expand the power of your digital studio. It provides a total of 34 digital inputs and outputs plus two analog outputs over a single FireWire connection. The interfaces four optical inputs, four optical outputs, and S/PDIF input and output let you connect all of your digital gear to your Windows or Mac computer and send and receive audio from all of these devices at the same time. If your Windows PC is not equipped with a native FireWire port, you can purchase a FireWire add-on card at any computer electronics retailer. All compatible Macintosh computers have built-in FireWire ports. Each of the ProFire Lightbridge interfaces optical I/O ports can transmit multiple channels of digital audio using the ADAT Optical Standard. This format supports eight channels of audio when operating at a sampling rate of 44.1 or 48kHz, or four channels of high-resolution audio at 88.2 or 96kHz using S/MUX mode. Two channels of S/PDIF I/O are also provided via coaxial RCA connectors, as well as two channels of balanced analog outputs on 1/4 TRS connectors. By default, the analog outputs will mirror the S/PDIF outputs; however, the analog outputs can be congured as independent outputs via the software control panel. Finally, ProFire Lightbridge has a front-panel headphone output with its own dedicated level control. This interface includes a multitude of word clock synchronization options and can operate as either a clock master or slave. As a word clock slave, the interface can sync to a digital source from any of its optical or S/PDIF inputs. Furthermore, the interface can sync to incoming word clock via its BNC word clock input, or output word clock via the BNC output. ProFire Lightbridge is also equipped with on-board MIDI I/O ports, enabling you to connect your MIDI-compatible devices to your DAW through the interface. Use these ports to hook up a MIDI controller keyboard, synth module, or to input/output MIDI Time Code (MTC) to synchronize your hardware or software sequencer.
IMPORTANT: ProFire Lightbridge comes with premium six-pin-to-six-pin and four-pin-to-six-pin FireWire cables. We strongly suggest you use one of these cables to connect the interface to your computer. If you must use another FireWire cable, please use a high-quality cable to ensure optimum audio performance. If your computer is equipped with a six-pin interface, use the six-pin-tosix-pin cable; if your computer has a four-pin interface, use the four-pin-to-six-pin cable. Note that when using the four-pin cable, the external power supply must be used. However, a six-pin cable draws power from the FireWire bus and therefore does not require the power supply.

NOTE: Some computer manufacturers may use a different nomenclature to refer to their FireWire connections, such as Sonys iLink, or simply 1394. These connectors are compatible with ProFire Lightbridge.
ProFire Lightbridge Features
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Four ADAT optical Lightpipe inputs and outputs Two channels of coaxial S/PDIF I/O Stereo balanced 1/4 analog outputs with dedicated level control All 34 inputs and 36 outputs can be used simultaneously Front-panel stereo headphone output with dedicated level control Optical ports are S/MUX capable for high-resolution audio Supports sample rates of 44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96kHz at up to 24-bit resolution 16 channels of MIDI I/O Word clock I/O on BNC connectors Activity LEDs show enabled ports and valid data at the optical I/O ports Sample rate LED indicators Word clock source LED indicators MIDI I/O LED indicators External power supply input

System Requirements

Minimum System Requirements 16 channels of ADAT Lightpipe at 16-bit/44.1kHz
Windows: Pentium IV 1.8 GHz 512 MB RAM 7200 rpm HD (8 MB buffer) Available FireWire port or FireWire expansion card Windows XP (SP2) Macintosh: Power Mac GGHz (G4 accelerator cards not supported) 512 MB RAM 7200 rpm HD (8 MB buffer) Native FireWire port Mac OS X 10.3.9 / 10.4.7
Recommended System Requirements 32 channels of ADAT Lightpipe at 24-bit/48kHz or 16 channels of ADAT Lightpipe S/MUX at 24-bit/ 96kHz
Windows: Pentium IV 2.8 GHz 1 GB RAM 7200 rpm HD (16 MB buffer) Available FireWire port or FireWire expansion card Windows XP (SP2) Macintosh: Power Mac G5 Dual 1.8 GHz 1 GB RAM 7200 rpm HD (16 MB buffer) Available FireWire port Mac OS X 10.3.9 / 10.4.7

Controls and Connectors

Front Panel
Headphone Output Accepts a standard 1/4 stereo headphone connector. This output always mirrors the analog line output. The headphone level is independent of the line output level, and is controlled by the headphone level knob (2). Headphone Level Controls the volume level of the Headphone Output jack (1). Output Level Controls the output level of the rear panel analog Line Outputs (16). Sample Rate Indicator LEDs These LEDs display the sample rate of the current digital input signal, showing 44.1kHz or 48kHz. When the Sample Rate Multiplier LED (5) is lit, the sample rate indicated by these LEDs is doubled to 88.2kHz or 96kHz. Sample Rate Multiplier LED This LED is used in conjunction with the Sample Rate Indicator LEDs (4) to display the sample rate of the current digital input signal. When the Sample Rate Multiplier LED is lit, the sample rate shown by the Sample Rate Indicator LEDs (4) is doubled. Sync Source LEDs These LEDs light to indicate the master word clock synchronization source. The available sources are: internal word clock, external word clock via BNC input, optical input, or S/PDIF input. The associated LED will light steadily if the interface is receiving a valid clock signal, or it will ash if the interface is receiving a faulty signal. MIDI Indicator LEDs These LEDs light to indicate activity at the MIDI input and output ports. Optical I/O Activity Indicator LEDs When lit, these LEDs indicate the presence of a valid digital audio signal at the associated input or output. Power LED This LED illuminates when the unit is powered on.

2. 3. 4.

7. 8. 9.
10. Power Switch Turns ProFire Lightbridge on and off.

Rear Panel

11. Power Supply Connector Connect the 12V DC 1A power supply here. Use only the power supply provided with the interface or an equivalent power supply with the same rating and polarity. If you are using the six-pin-to-six-pin FireWire cable to attach ProFire Lightbridge to your computer, the interface will draw power from your host computer. It is recommend that you leave the power supply disconnected while operating ProFire Lightbridge on a bus-powered 6-pin FireWire port. NOTE: Your computers 6-pin FireWire port may not be able to supply adequate power to ProFire Lightbridge if additional devices, such as external FireWire harddisks, are powered through the same FireWire port. Also, 6-pin FireWire ports on PCMCIA FireWire expansion cards for laptops are generally not bus powered. Use the power supply or connect the ProFire Lightbridge to a different FireWire port to remedy potential low power problems you may encounter. 12. Kensington Lock Connector Connect a standard laptop-style locking security cable here to protect your ProFire Lightbridge from theft or accidental breakage. 13 FireWire Port Connect ProFire Lightbridge to your computer using one of the supplied FireWire cables. 14. MIDI, S/PDIF, Word Clock Multi-Pin Connector Connect the included breakout cable to this multi-pin connector. The breakout cable provides the following connections: S/PDIF coaxial (RCA) digital input and output MIDI input and output connectors Word clock BNC input and output connectors 15. Optical Inputs and Outputs Each of these optical inputs and outputs can support eight channels of digital audio at 44.1 or 48kHz, or four channels of digital audio at 88.2 or 96kHz. NOTE: These inputs and outputs do not support the two-channel S/PDIF optical format. 16. Line Outputs These 1/4 TRS connectors output a balanced, line-level analog signal. By default, these outputs mirror the S/PDIF digital output, but can be congured in the control panel to appear as an independent set of outputs for your DAW. The analog line outputs signal level is controlled by the front-panel Output Level Control knob (3). NOTE: The Headphone Output (1) always mirrors the signal that is coming out of the Line Outputs.

Driver Installation

or detailed instructions on installing ProFire Lightbridge drivers, please refer to the printed Quick Start Guide.
IMPORTANT: Do not connect ProFire Lightbridge to your computer until you have installed the driver les. If you have already connected the interface to your computer, please disconnect it and follow the driver installation instructions as detailed in the Quick Start Guide.

Hardware Connections

Connect your ADAT-optical digital audio devices to any of the four ADAT optical inputs and outputs of the ProFire Lightbridge. The front-panel optical input activity indicator LEDs (8) light to show the presence of a valid digital audio input signal. The front-panel output activity indicator LEDs (8) light to indicate the output of a valid digital audio signal. Attach the included breakout cable to the rear-panel multi-pin connector (14) and connect a S/PDIF digital audio device to the S/PDIF ports on the breakout cable. Connect the 1/4 analog outputs of ProFire Lightbridge to your mixer, powered monitors, or any other device with line level inputs. If you would like to use headphones, connect them to the 1/4 headphone output on the front panel of the interface. IMPORTANT: Be sure to check the word clock settings on all connected digital audio devices to make certain there is only one sync master. For more information on word clock synchronization, see Chapter 11 below.
Connect a MIDI device to the MIDI I/O connectors on the breakout cable. The interfaces MIDI connection appears as a standard MIDI data port in your audio workstation software. This connection can be used to connect any MIDI compatible synthesizer, drum machine, or controller to your computer. Alternatively, this connection can be used to input and output MIDI Time Code (MTC) and other synchronization formats for locking to a hardware or software sequencer.

Word Clock

Connect a valid word clock generator or other word clock-compatible device to the word clock BNC connectors on the breakout cable. This connection can be used to synchronize with any word clock-enabled device.
Using ProFire Lightbridge
epending on your DAW software, the inputs and outputs of the ProFire Lightbridge will appear in your program as multiple stereo pairs, typically in blocks of eight. Some applications label these as Input 1/2, Input 3/4, etc., while others may refer to them as Input 1L, Input 1R, etc. In some applications, ProFire Lightbridge will be recognized as a single, multichannel device, while others may see it as multiple separate devices (e.g., Device A being the rst bank of eight I/O, Device B being the second bank of eight I/O, etc.). The ProFire Lightbridge interfaces control panel gives you the option of enabling and disabling various digital ports. Disabling unused ports helps cut down on the processing demands placed on your computer. These options vary depending on whether you use a Mac OS X- or Windows XP-based computer: Macintosh: On OS X, all inputs and outputs can be individually enabled or disabled. Once a port is disabled, that port will not appear in any of your audio applications. Windows: On Windows XP, digital inputs can be enabled or disabled individually, while all output ports remain active. Your audio software will display all inputs and outputs regardless of each ports status, but any audio received on inactive input ports will be ignored. NOTE: This is normal behavior for this device on this platform due to the way Windows currently handles enabling and disabling of audio channels. You can conserve signicant amounts of processing power by enabling and disabling digital ports wisely. For example, if you currently only own one ADAT device, disabling the unused ports allows you to free up processing power for other tasks such as running additional virtual instruments. Alternatively, when mixing a project, you might not require any inputs, but may want to run many plug-in effects. Temporarily disabling unused ports will free up your computers processing power to help run those plug-ins.

Information on conguring the interface can be found in Chapter 10.
The Software Control Panel
fter installing the ProFire Lightbridge drivers, you can use the control panel software to congure various parameters of the interface.
To access the control panel in Windows, click the red M-Audio icon in the system tray, or click Start > Control Panel and select the ProFire Lightbridge control panel icon. On the Mac, the control panel can be accessed by double-clicking the M-Audio FireWire icon in the Applications folder or by selecting the M-Audio FireWire icon in System Preferences > Other. Your DAW software may also allow you to access the control panel from within the program.

Hardware Page

Windows

Macintosh

Sample Rate Detected This window displays the incoming sample rate of the sync master source. This is an information-only displaythe incoming sample rate must be changed through your audio software (if the sync source is set to internal), or by changing the sample rate output of the designated master device (if your sync source is set to any of the external options). Note: This window will show mismatch if the ProFire Lightbridge detects different sample rates on at least two of its digital input ports. It is mandatory that all incoming digital audio streams are synchronized for proper operation. See chapter 11 for more information on word clock synchronization Adat S/MUX mode The ADAT format carries eight channels of audio when operating at standard sampling rates of 44.1 or 48kHz, or four channels when operating at high resolution sampling rates of 88.2 or 96kHz. This high resolution mode is known as S/MUX and is enabled when an ADAT source toggles a special bit in its output stream. This bit tells the destination device to switch to S/MUX mode in order to receive the high resolution signal correctly. Unfortunately, some devices do not toggle the S/MUX bit and as a result, the ProFire Lightbridge may be unable to automatically detect whether the incoming signal is standard resolution or high resolution. The Auto-Detect and Override buttons allow you to resolve this issue: Auto-Detect This is the default setting and should work in most cases. When this mode is selected, ProFire Lightbridge observes the S/MUX bit of an incoming signal and automatically switches between standard and high resolution modes. Override This mode forces all of the ADAT ports of the ProFire Lightbridge to operate at high resolution. You should only select this mode if ProFire Lightbridge is unable to detect a high resolution ADAT input signal when Auto-Detect is selected.
ASIO/WDM Buffer Size (Windows Only)

In this eld you can select the buffer size you wish to work with. Lowering the buffer size will result in lower latency (latency refers to the time it takes for your input signal to pass through your audio software and appear at the outputs). However, this may cause slower systems to become unstable or to generate clicks and pops in its audio streams. The default buffer size setting is 256 samples, but you may want to experiment with lower settings in order to minimize the latency of your system. If you experience stuttering or crackling in your audio playback, increase the buffer size until these artifacts disappear. Active Ports These checkboxes allow you to enable and disable various digital ports. Disabling unused ports not only helps to reduce the processing demands placed on your host computer but also provides a way to block out signals from connected, but currently unsynchronized external digital devices. This, in turn, helps to avoid conicts between incompatible or unsynchronized digital clocks and provides for uncompromised word clock stability. NOTE: Some DAW applications support only a limited number of physical inputs and outputs. If you are using a program that limits the number of inputs and/or outputs to fewer than the interfaces 34 inputs or 36 outputs, you may not be able to access the S/PDIF I/O or analog outputs, depending on the channel order conguration (see page 14). Sync Source In this eld you can select the source of your master word clock. (For more information on sync source, see chapter 11.)
internal ProFire Lightbridges internal clock acts as the word clock master. This is the default selection. word clock in Word clock is derived from the BNC word clock input. coaxial in (spdif) Word clock is derived from the coaxial S/PDIF input. adat Word clock is derived from one of the ADAT optical inputs.

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NOTE: The sync source options for Word Clock, Coaxial, and ADAT 1-4 are only available if the input ports are active (these options are grayed out if the ports have been disabled). Analog Output This eld lets you select the source for ProFire Lightbridge interfaces analog outputs:
mirrors spdif output The analog outputs play back the same signal as routed through the S/PDIF output. In this conguration, the analog outputs do not appear in your DAW software as independent outputs. If this box is left unchecked, the analog line outputs appear in your DAW as a separate, assignable output. The headphone output always follows the analog output source. This means that if the mirrors spdif output box is checked, then both the analog outputs and the headphones mirror the S/PDIF output. If this box is left unchecked, then the S/PDIF and analog outputs are independent of each other and the headphone output only mirrors the analog outputs. NOTE: This setting must be selected before launching your DAW application in order for the analog line outputs to appear correctly in the DAW application.

Channel Ordering

spdif channels rst If this box is active, the interfaces S/PDIF port will appear in your DAW rst, followed by the optical, and then the analog outputs. That is, the S/PDIF port will be assigned to audio channels 1-2, while the optical ports are assigned to 3-10, 11-18, 19-26 and 27-34. By default, the analog outputs are congured to mirror the S/PDIF output and will carry signals sent from your DAWs output channels 1-2. If the mirrors spdif output checkbox is deactivated, then the analog outputs will be designated to output channels 35-36. adat channels rst When this box is active, the interfaces optical ports will appear in your DAW rst, followed by the S/PDIF and analog outputs. That is, the optical ports will be assigned to audio channels 1-8, 9-16, 17-24 and 25-32, with the S/PDIF and analog outputs assigned to 33-34. If the mirrors spdif output checkbox is left unchecked, the S/PDIF outputs will be assigned to 33-34, while the analog outputs will be designated to output channels 35-36. Note: When running Mac OS X, the channel numbering and port arrangement may vary, depending on the number of active digital ports.

About Page

This page contains information about your hardware and current driver software versions. This information may be helpful, should you ever need to contact technical support. Clicking the M-Audio web links will take you directly to the designated page on our website (you will need an Internet connection to use this feature).
Word Clock Synchronization

Understanding Word Clock

Your computer-based DAW stores and manipulates music as digital samples. Those samples are sent to and from your DAW as snapshots of data. These snapshots are all the same size16- or 24-bit, depending on your selected resolutionwith a beginning and an end, and are sent one after the other as a stream of data. Think of this data stream as a sentence, made up of a series of words of identical length. Precise, accurate timing in sending and receiving those words is critical. Each device in your interconnected digital world must share the same timing in order to communicate correctlythat is, their clocks must be synchronized. This synchronization is achieved by designating one device as the timing master, and all other connected devices as slaves, locking the slaves to the master. Only one device in the chain can be the master, and all other devices must slave to that master. All devices must be running at the same sample rate as well. For example, if the master is running at 44.1kHz, no other device can be set to 48kHz. Word clock is an important part of digital studios but is often overlooked by engineers new to digital recording. It is crucial to set up word clock correctly because without precise synchronization between your digital devices, your digital audio signal will be lled with clicks and pops, (if, in fact, it plays at all).

Scenario 1: ProFire Lightbridge as Word Clock Master By selecting internal in the control panel, you designate ProFire Lightbridge as the word clock master. You will then need to select slave mode on each of your other digital devices (this is usually an internal menu setting on that device). In Figure 1 below, digital multitracks are connected to optical ports 1 and 2 of the ProFire Lightbridge, and a DAT machine to the S/PDIF I/O. ProFire Lightbridge is selected as the master, and each of the other devices set to slave.

Master

S/PDIF
Figure 1 ProFire Lightbridge as clock master
Scenario 2: ProFire Lightbridge Slaved to an Optical Input
If you prefer to use another device as word clock master, you will need to congure that device to act as master and select that devices input on ProFire Lightbridge as the sync source. This slaves ProFire Lightbridge (and any other devices connected to the ProFire Lightbridge) to that master device. In Figure 2 below, a digital multitrack recorder is congured as clock master, with ProFire Lightbridge and other devices (a DAT machine and another multitrack recorder, in this case) congured as slaves.

S/PDIF (RCA)

Figure 2 External device on optical input as clock master
Scenario 3: ProFire Lightbridge Slaved to S/PDIF Input
You may need to use a two-track device as word clock master. This is because many two-track digital devices, such as consumer CD players, are not designed to be slaved to other devices and must be selected as the word clock master when inputting a digital audio signal. In Figure 3 below, the digital two-track is congured as the clock master, with ProFire Lightbridge and other devices congured as slaves.
Figure 3 External Device on S/PDIF input as clock master
Scenario 4: ProFire Lightbridge Slaved to Word Clock BNC Input
In many larger digital setups, a master word clock generator is employed to provide an accurate timing reference to the entire setup. In this case, ProFire Lightbridge can be slaved to the word clock generators BNC output, with other devices congured as slaves and receiving their word clock distribution via ProFire Lightbridge. In Figure 4 below, ProFire Lightbridge is slaved to a master clock generator, with additional devices slaved to the same master clock through ProFire Lightbridge.

Figure 4 ProFire Lightbridge slaved to master clock, providing clock distribution
For more information on selecting the word clock synchronization source, see the Software Control Panel section of this manual.

Specications

D/A Converters Supported Bit Rates Digital Inputs Digital Audio Outputs
44.1, 48, 88.2, 96kHz 16-bit, 24-bit 4 optical Lightpipe stereo coaxial S/PDIF 4 optical Lightpipe stereo coaxial S/PDIF
Line Outputs Output Impedance Maximum Output Level Channel-to-Channel Crosstalk SNR Dynamic Range THD+N Frequency Response
1/4 TRS balanced/unbalanced 300 Ohm balanced/150 Ohm unbalanced +10.2 dBu (2.5 Vrms) balanced +2.0 dBV (1.26 Vrms), unbalanced < -110 dB @ 1kHz -109 dB, A-weighted 109 dB, A-weighted 0.00127 % (-98 dB) @ -1 dBFS, 1 kHz 20 Hz to 20 kHz, +/- 0.1 dB @ 48 kHz sample rate 20 Hz to 40 kHz, +/- 0.2 dB @ 96 kHz sample rate
Headphone Output Maximum Output Working Range Impedance Crosstalk THD+N SNR Dynamic Range Frequency Response -3.0 dBV (1.71 Vrms) into 32 ohms 32 to 600 ohms 75 Ohm < -85 dB 0.011% (-79 dB) @ -1 dBFS, 1 kHz -108 dB, A-weighted 108 dB, A-weighted 20 Hz to 20 kHz, +/- 0.1 dB @ 48 kHz sample rate 20 Hz to 40 kHz, +/- 0.2 dB @ 96 kHz sample rate 48 kHz sampling rate unless otherwise stated

Warranty Terms

Warranty
M-Audio warrants products to be free from defects in materials and workmanship, under normal use and provided that the product is owned by the original, registered user. Visit www.m-audio.com/warranty for terms and limitations applying to your specic product.

Warranty Registration

Thank you for registering your new M-Audio product. Doing so immediately both entitles you to full warranty coverage and helps M-Audio develop and manufacture the nest quality products available. Register online at www.m-audio. com/register to receive FREE product updates and for the chance to win M-Audio giveaways.

ProFire Lightbridge

Tested to comply with FCC standards

FOR HOME OR STUDIO USE

WARNING: This product contains chemicals, including lead, known to the State of California to cause cancer, and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.
2006 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specications, system requirements and availability are subject to change without notice. Avid, M-Audio and ProFire Lightbridge are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

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34-in/36-out FireWire Lightpipe Interface

Quick Start Guide

English
Installation Instructions for Windows XP
PLEASE NOTE: Make sure the ProFire Lightbridge interface is detached from your computer when beginning the installation. The following instructions will indicate when you should connect the interface to your computer. 1. We recommend that you download the most recent ProFire Lightbridge drivers by going to the Support > Drivers page at www.m-audio.com. This ensures that you have the newest drivers available. If you do not have Internet access, insert the FireWire Series CD-ROM into your computer to install the drivers that came with the interface. a. If you are installing drivers from the FireWire Series CD-ROM, the computer will automatically display the interactive install screen 1 when the CD-ROM is inserted. If your computer fails to launch this application, you can manually start it by clicking on Start > My Computer > FireWire Series CD-ROM. Next, select your product from the menu and click Install.
b. If you are installing drivers from www.m-audio.com, simply double-click the le once it has nished downloading. 2. 3. Follow the driver installers on-screen instructions. At various points in this installation process, you may be notied that the driver being installed has not passed Windows Logo Testing. Click Continue Anyway to proceed with the installation. Once the installer has completed, click Finish. Shut down your computer. Connect ProFire Lightbridge to an available FireWire port using one of the provided cables. If you are connecting to a 4-pin FireWire port on your computer, then you will also need to connect the included power supply to provide power to the unit. 1

4. 5. 6.

10. 11. 12.
Turn on ProFire Lightbridge rst, then turn on your computer. Windows will identify the interface and will ask if you want to search the Internet for a driver. Select No, not this time and press Next 2.
Windows will display a Found New Hardware Wizard 3.
Choose Install software automatically and click Next. Once the Wizard has completed, click Finish. Once the installation is complete, you will see a message stating, Your new hardware is installed and ready to use.
Windows may require you to repeat steps 8 to 11 of the installation process. This behavior is normal.
ATTENTION: Connect and disconnect your ProFire Lightbridge only when your computer is powered off. Hotplugging may have adverse effects on the interface, your computer, or both. For more information about this issue, please visit the M-Audio knowledge base at www.m-audio.com.
Installation Instructions for Mac OS X
1. We recommend that you download the most recent ProFire Lightbridge drivers by going to the Support > Drivers page at www.m-audio.com. This ensures that you have the newest drivers available. If you do not have Internet access, insert the FireWire Series CD-ROM into your computer to install the drivers that came with the interface. a. If you are installing drivers from the FireWire Series CD-ROM, a CD-ROM icon will appear on your desktop once the disc is inserted into your computer. Double-click this icon to view the contents of the disc. Next, double-click Open Me. Finally, select your product from the drop-down menu on the welcome screen and click Install. b. If you are installing drivers from www.m-audio.com, the downloaded le should automatically mount and display its contents on the desktop. If this le does not mount automatically, simply double-click the le once it has nished downloading to view its contents. Next, double-click the installer application. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Follow the driver installers on-screen instructions. When the installer has completed the installation, a prompt will appear stating that you must restart your computer. Restart your machine. Shut down your computer. Connect the interface to an available FireWire port using the provided 6-pin cable. Turn on ProFire Lightbridge rst, then turn on your computer.
Connecting Your Analog Equipment
In addition to its 34 channels of digital I/O, ProFire Lightbridge provides a 1/4 headphone monitoring output and a pair of balanced 1/4 analog line outputs for connection to a mixer or powered monitors. The headphone and line outputs always carry identical signals and bring the interfaces total number of independent outputs to 36. Since the ProFire Lightbridge interfaces analog outputs can either mirror the S/PDIF outputs or be available as an independent pair of outputs in your DAW, you may need to make appropriate changes within your audio software to make sure the correct signals are being routed to the analog outputs. Please consult your DAWs documentation for instructions on this.

Connecting Your Digital Equipment
This section explains the importance of synchronizing interconnected digital devices. While there are many different ways to synchronize digital devices, this section will cover a few common scenarios to help users understand the concept of digital synchronization. Please consult the ProFire Lightbridge User Guide on the FireWire Series CD-ROM for a more complete explanation of this subject. ProFire Lightbridge has four ADAT optical inputs and one S/PDIF input, all of which can be used simultaneously. However, if you are using multiple inputs, all digital audio devices must be synchronized to each other in order to avoid timing glitches. These glitches can result in various audio problems including clicks, pops, and bursts of white noise. The most important rule to remember when making digital connections is that one device must be set to generate the synchronization signal (known as word clock) that all other devices will lock to. The generating device is commonly called the word clock master, while all other devices are known as slaves. All slave devices must be set to receive the word clock signal provided by the word clock master and use that to synchronize all their audio streams.
Figure 2: Three digital devices, uni-directional connection This setup is identical to the previous example with one difference: ProFire Lightbridge now passes the received sync signal through the second ADAT output port to device 2. Device 2 is also congured as a slave to listen and sync to the incoming signal. All three devices are now running on the same clock. Additional slave devices can be connected to the ProFire Lightbridge interfaces ADAT optical output ports 3 and 4 and to its S/PDIF output port if these devices are set to listen/sync to the incoming word clockall interconnected devices will be synchronized.
Figure 3: Three or more digital devices, bi-directional connection Figure 1: Two digital devices, uni-directional connection In this example, Device 1 generates word clock and transmits it via an optical cable to the ProFire Lightbridge interfaces rst ADAT optical input port. As a result, the interfaces rst ADAT optical input needs to be congured as the sync source. This makes ProFire Lightbridge the word clock slave. The digital audio streams coming from device 1 and the digital audio streams from ProFire Lightbridge are now running in sync. In the previous examples, the digital signal only traveled in one direction: away from the device congured as the word clock master. In practical use, you may want to transmit digital audio signals to and from any device at any timeand you can still do so without problems. While keeping the Master/Slave congurations exactly as indicated in example 3, simply connect and return the digital output of any device back into the digital input of the device that it receives its signal from (See dotted lines in gure 3).

The only difference between examples 2 and 3 is that digital signals are now looped back to the device of their origin. This does not require any additional settings when it comes to word clock syncthe conguration steps in example 2 ensure that all digital audio streams (including any looped back connections) are already synchronized. Attention: Digital audio devices are commonly cross-linked (i.e., the output of device A is connected to the input of device B while the output of device B is connected to the input of device A) to allow synchronization, audio, and other data to be shared between both devices. There is no problem with creating such loops within your digital equipment. However, doing so opens the possibility of inadvertently creating loud, distorted feedback loops that can damage your speakers. When cross-linking equipment, be careful to avoid feedback loops by planning your signal paths carefully and avoiding situations in which one audio signal will be passed back and forth between two (or more) devices in an endless loop.
Accessing the Control Panel
The control panel allows users to congure various parameters and features of ProFire Lightbridge. Windows XP users can access the control panel by double-clicking the M-Audio icon in your computers system tray. 4
Double-click here to launch the FireWire Control Panel
Mac OS X users can launch the control panel by clicking the M-Audio icon found in the System Preferences panel. 5
Use the control panels hardware tab to congure ProFire Lightbridge to synchronize to its own internal clock or to any one of its digital inputs as explained in the previous section. For more detailed information about the parameters in the control panel, please refer to the ProFire Lightbridge User Guide on the FireWire Series CD-ROM.
Additional Information and Support
The M-Audio website (www.m-audio.com) contains the latest drivers and program updates as well as useful links to news stories, FAQs, and technical support. We recommend checking this site regularly to ensure you have the latest drivers and most up-to-date information about your M-Audio product.

ProFire Lightbridge

Tested to comply with FCC standards

FOR HOME OR STUDIO USE

WARNING: This product contains chemicals, including lead, known to the State of California to cause cancer, and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling. 2006 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specications, system requirements and availability are subject to change without notice. Avid, M-Audio and ProFire Lightbridge are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
Click here to launch the FireWire Control Panel

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