Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product dps24 Akai
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DIGIT AL PERSONAL STUDIO V er sion 1.6.
Important Notice The material in this document is copyright to AKAI professional M.I. Corp., and may not be quoted or reproduced in any form without written permission from the company. LIMITED SOFTWARE WARRANTY POLICY All the software provided with, or purchased especially for, AKAI professional products has been tested for functionality.
W ARNING: WHEN USING ELECTRIC PRODUCTS, BASIC PRECAUTIONS SHOULD AL W A YS BE FOLLOWED, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING: W ARNING The DPS 24 MK II is designed to be used in a standard household environment. Power requirements for electrical equipment vary from area to area.
W ARNING For U.K. customers only W ARNING THIS APP ARA TUS MUST BE EARTHED IMPORT ANT This equipment is fitted with an approved non-rewireable UK mains plug. T o change the fuse in this type of plug proceed as follows: 1) Remove the fuse cover and old fuse.
W ARNING FCC W ARNING 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.
iv T able of Contents T able of Contents INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 DPS24 STRUCTURE ................................................................................... 2 REAR P ANEL .
v T able of Contents TRANSPORT KEYS ......................................................................... 40 EDIT PLA Y KEYS ............................................................................. 41 AUTOLOCA TOR ............................
vi T able of Contents SOLO SETUP ................................................................................ 101 USING SOLO ........................................................................................................ 104 FX/AUX SETUP .
T able of Contents vii ADDING EFFECTS T O A CONTROL ROOM MONIT OR MIX ....... 151 ADDING EFFECTS T O A FOLDBACK MIX ................................... 151 PROJECT MODE ............................................................................... 152 LOADING PROJECTS .
viii T able of Content s SETUP MODE .................................................................................... 166 SAMPLE RA TE .............................................................................. 166 DIGIT AL SYNC ................
ix EXT SYNC KEY ................................................................................. 202 SETTING EXT SYNC OFFSETS ................................................... 203 INTEGRA TING ADA T ™ MACHINES ....................................
x T able of Contents v1.6 Operator ’ s Manual.
1 FEA TURES INTRODUCTION FEA TURES Thank you for purchasing the DPS24 24-track personal studio. The DPS24 is packed full of highly professional features that allow you to make digital multi-track r ecordings and mixdowns in one convenient unit.
2 DPS24 STRUCTURE DPS24 STRUCTURE Internally , the DPS24 is laid out much like any conventional recor ding studio: At the heart of this 'typical' studio is a lar ge, multi-channel mixer . This mixer has 46 channels: 12 mono + 1 ster eo inputs, 24 track returns and 4 stereo FX r eturns.
3 If you are familiar with this setup, then you alr eady understand most of the DPS24 as this is pretty much what the DPS24 offers! However , instead of separate analog units, all the above is done di.
4 REAR P ANEL REAR P ANEL The rear panel has a compr ehensive selection of connectors to interface the DPS24 with a wide range of analogue and digital equipment. These are: 1. INPUTS - BANK A Across the top of the r ear panel are the two banks of analog inputs.
5 REAR P ANEL ever , it is possible to patch other audio sources to appear at these outputs if you wish. 9. WORDCLOCK I/O When wordclock is selected as the sync sour ce, this BNC is set to receive wordclock. At all other times, this BNC is set to generate wordclock.
6 REAR P ANEL 19. AUX IN This is a balanced stereo input that can be used for a variety of purposes. It can be used to bring in an external sub-mixer (for example, to expand the number of input channels for sound modules, samplers, drum machines, etc.
7 FRONT P ANEL FRONT P ANEL 1. CD-R W/CD-R DRIVE BA Y An IDE CD-R W is installed here. It is also possible to install a removable IDE har d drive bay . 2. HI-Z GUIT AR INPUT An electric guitar (or bass guitar) may be DI'd into this high impedance input.
8 T op Panel T OP P ANEL GETTING AROUND THE DPS24 This section deals with the DPS24's contr ol surface. Although we would like to think that most of it should be fairly self-explanatory , please read this section to gain a full understand- ing of the DPS24's functions.
9 INPUTS INPUTS Across the top of the panel are contr ols associated with the twelve analog input preamps. The functions are: 48V ON/OFF Switches on 48 volt phantom power to Inputs A 1-4 allowing these chan- nels to be used with condenser mics. A/B The switches running along the top switch between Input A or B.
10 T op Panel RECORD/EDIT SELECT KEYS Below the inputs are the RECORD/EDIT SELECT keys for T racks1-24: These keys have bi-coloured LEDs and normally , when recording, they illuminate red and are used to select tracks for r ecord. However , when the EDIT mode is enabled, these keys illuminategreen and ar e used to select tracks for editing.
L/R AND GROUP ASSIGN KEYS 11 L/R AND GROUP ASSIGN KEYS Below the RECORD/EDIT SELECT keys to the left of the panel are the ASSIGN keys: These allow you to route signals to the gr oups and also to the stereo L/R bus. T o route any channel to a Group (and hence to the track(s)), press the desir ed GROUP key .
12 T op Panel SUB-GROUPING CHANNELS T O THE L/R MIX V ery often (especially during mixdown), it is very useful to be able to sub-group certain channels to the ster eo L/R bus via the Groups.
Q-STRIP FUNCTION KEYS/CHANNEL ENCODERS 13 Q-STRIP FUNCTION KEYS/CHANNEL ENCODERS Below the RECORD/EDIT SELECT keys to the left of the panel are the Q-CHANNEL key and the Q-STRIP FUNCTION keys: Directl.
14 T op Panel F ADER FLIP It is also possible to 'flip' (or swap) the faders and FX/Aux sends allowing you to set FX/ Aux sends using the motorized faders.
Q-CHANNEL SELECT / Q-CHANNEL ENCODERS 15 Q-CHANNEL SELECT/Q-CHANNEL ENCODERS In the centre of the panel is the Q-CHANNEL key: One of the most useful features of the DPS24 is that the r ow of encoders .
16 T op Panel Furthermor e, the function of the Q-STRIP FUNCTION keys described earlier also change when the Q-CHANNEL is enabled: The labelling underneath the keys denotes their function when in Q-CHANNEL 'mode' and you have 'hands-on' control to bypass the EQ and to switch FX/AUX 1-4 as pr e- or post-fade.
Q-STRIP / Q-CHANNEL ENCODERS 17 Q-STRIP/Q-CHANNEL ENCODERS Around the encoders is a collar of LEDs that show the encoder's value. As the control is moved, so do these LEDs illuminate to show its position. However , the way these LEDs illuminate depend on the control's function.
18 T op Panel F ADERS/F ADER BANKS Below the DPS24's Q-STRIP/Q-CHANNEL encoders are the channel faders and SELECT and ON/SOLO keys: Each channel is identical whether it's an input or a disk channel (the GROUP/FX channels are dif ferent and those dif ferences are described on the next page).
F ADERS / F ADER BANKS 19 The differ ent channels are selected using the F ADER BANK keys located above the trans- port keys. The types of mixer channel types are as follows: INPUTS 12 general purpose mixer channels which can be used to mix the DPS24's various input sources.
20 T op Panel MASTER SECTION T o the right of the channel faders is the MASTER fader: The MASTER section also has a long thr ow , touch sensitive, motorised fader .
MONITOR SECTION 21 MONIT OR SECTION Directly above the MASTER section is the MONIT OR section: The functions are (from top to bottom): MONITOR LEVEL Sets the level of the signal appearing at the MAIN or NEARFIELD monitor outputs. !!! SOLO !!! This LED flashes whenever a channel is solo'd.
22 T op Panel MONO This switches the monitor output to mono. Switching to mono does not affect the STEREO L/R outputs, only the monitor outputs (MAIN and NEARFIELD). Thus it is possible to check a mix in mono on the control room speakers without af fecting the STEREO L/R mix to the master recor der .
LCD “POD” 23 LCD 'POD' T op right of the meters. T o the right of the LCD are six Q-Link pots, Q1-Q6, used to set parameters on the LCD. Below the screen ar e six 'soft' keys, F1-F6, the functions of which change according to the screen being displayed.
24 T op Panel LCD LA Y OUT The layout of the LCD is divided in various sections or blocks. A typical LCD screen of the DPS24 would look like this: SOFT KEYS In all pages, at the bottom of the screen, the functions the softkeys F1-F6 ar e shown.
SA VE INDICA TOR 25 SA VE INDICA T OR Whenever something is changed in a project, it is autosaved. When this happens, a small "warning" icon appears in the FREE box at the top right of the display: When this icon appears, it is essential that you do not switch the DPS24 off.
26 T op Panel PROJECT O VERVIEW In the MAIN SCREEN, and also in the main page of EDIT/DSP modes, a Pr oject Overview is displayed in the lower portion of the screen: This shows a graphic r epr esentation of the 24 tracks of the project, scr olling fr om right to left accr oss the NOW T ime line during playback.
Q-LINK CONTROLS 27 Q-LINK CONTROLS In some pages, on the right side of the screen, adjustable parameters ar e available. Those parameters are adjusted using the corresponding Q1-Q6 Q-Link knobs dir ectly to the right of the screen. Those Q-link knobs can be used to: * enter parameter values.
28 T op Panel MO VING AROUND THE LCD Most pages pr ovide immediate access to parameters via the Q-LINK controls on the right. An example of this would be the FX pages: Here, you simply select the FX channel and the FX type with the cursor keys and set the parameters directly with the Q-LINK contr ols.
MOVING AROUND THE LCD 29 T o edit the value you can..... • Enter a number directly using the numeric keypad, followed by ENTER • Use the numeric keypad's +/- keys to nudge values • Use the Q6 as a typical DA T A ENTRY encoder In this example, however , you would probably prefer to use the Q-CHANNEL function to set the functions shown.
30 T op Panel N AMING It is possible to name things on the DPS24 from the fr ont panel. However , we thoroughly r ecommend that you connect a PS2 keyboar d as this makes naming MUCH easier and suitable keyboar ds for the purpose can be bought very cheaply at any high street stor e that sells computers.
PROMPTS 31 PROMPTS The DPS24 uses prompts to guide you thr ough certain function of the user interface. For example: The DPS24 also uses progress displays for functions that take time.
32 MAIN CONTROL SECTION MAIN CONTROL SECTION Here, you find the following functions: EXT SYNC This allows you to synchonize the DPS24 with external devices. When the key is pressed (and the LED illuminated), it enables the T ime Sync synchronization setting (Master or Slave, MIDI or SMPTE).
MAIN CONTROL SECTION 33 PROJECT SETUP CURSOR SHIFT UNDO/REDO PRE-ROLL Allows you to load, create, delete, copy , backup and restor e Projects. Its SHIFT function (V .TRACK) gives access to the 'V irtual T racks' func- tion. Allows you to set global parameters that affect the DPS24 as a whole.
34 MAIN CONTROL SECTION AUTO Activates the AUTO recor d function. When AUTO is switched on, moni- toring switches from disk to input at the IN time on the selected track(s) and switches back to disk playback at the OUT point. Thus you can rehearse the r ecording simply by switching AUTO on.
MIX SCENE KEYS 35 MIX SCENE KEYS In a single DPS24 project, you can store and r ecall up to 100 'Mix Scenes'. These are 'memo- ries' of the whole mixer's settings such as EQ, fader position, FX sends, etc.
36 MIX SCENE KEYS ST ORING A MIX SCENE T o store a mix scene, press ST ORE (the key will flash). Y ou will see something like this pop-up prompt: Y ou should use the CURSOR keys to move up or down the list of available mix scenes to select an 'unused' mix scene if you want to store a new scene.
RECALLING A MIX SCENE 37 REC ALLING A MIX SCENE T o recall a mix scene, if you know the scene number you want to use, r ecalling a scene is simply a matter of pressing RECALL (the key will flash), typing in a two-digit number (00 - 99) on the adjacent numeric keypad followed by pressing ENTER (which also flashes when RECALL is pressed).
38 MIX SCENE KEYS Pr essing F3 or F4: RESET MIXER resets the mixer to its default configuration. The default mixer settings applied when RESET MIXER is used are as follows: • Faders / Mute: - INPUTS.
RECALLING A MIX SCENE 39 Pressing RESET MIXER will reset the entir e mixer to 'flat' according to the option selected in RECALL CONTROLS as follows: ALL W ill reset all controls (faders, pans, sends, EQ, channel dynamics chan- nel on/off, FX/MBCX settings, etc.
40 MIX SCENE KEYS TRANSPORT KEYS A standard transport key layout is pr ovided. The functions are: REWIND Rewinds the project at x10 normal play speed. F AST FORW ARD Fast forwards the pr oject at x10 normal play speed.
EDIT PLA Y KEYS 41 EDIT PLA Y KEYS Above the main transport keys are special 'edit play' keys to audition edit points: From the curr ent NOW time (original location), their functions are: TO Rolls-back, plays up to the original location and stops.
42 MIX SCENE KEYS A UT OLOCA T OR Next to the EDIT PLA Y keys ar e the AUTOLOCA TE keys: Their functions ar e: GOTO Pressing this key allows you to locate to one of 100 (00-99) pr eviously stored loca.
USING THE AUTOLOCA T OR 43 USING THE A UT OLOC A T OR T o stor e a locate memory , the basic operation is as follows: pr ess the MEMOR Y key followed by a two-digit number followed by ENTER. This will store the curr ent NOW time into the selected locate memory .
44 MIX SCENE KEYS Once stored, they may be r ecalled using the GOTO key . Although the GOT O function is designed to be used 'blind' without referring to the LCD , when you press GOT O, a prompt is also shown on the LCD: Y ou can.
QUICK LOCA TE KEYS 45 Q UICK LOC A TE KEYS T o facilitate easier locating, 'quick keys' ar e also available. It is possible to use the numeric keypad 0-9 as Quick Locators without opening the GOTO/ MEMORY windows. T o Store Quick Locates, pr ess and hold MEMORY and press a numeric key 0 - 9.
46 MIX SCENE KEYS LOC A TE T O TIME Y ou can also locate to a specific timecode position by pressing SHIFT+GOTO. This will pop up a prompt wher e you can enter the timecode value using the numeric keypad: If DISPLA Y SELECT is set to BARS/BEA TS/CLOCKS instead of T ime Code, you can enter the locate time in Bars and Beats.
JOG/SHUTTLE WHEEL 47 JOG/SHUTTLE WHEEL The DPS24 features a combined JOG/SHUTTLE wheel: The outer shuttle wheel allows variable speed playback forward or backward at 2 x nominal speed whilst the inner jog wheel allows you to scrub audio. It is possible to scrub all 24 tracks.
48 POWERING UP THE DPS24 POWERING UP THE DPS24 Ensuring that you monitor amplifier's master level control is turned down, switch the DPS24 on using the rear panel POWER switch.
DPS24 MODES 49 DPS24 MODES Running below the LCD are the DPS24's 'mode' keys: These are: MAIN SCREEN This is the main operating scr een that one normally works in. It shows meters for all mixer channels and an overview of the active pr oject, as well as cur - rent Pr oject setup information (Sample rate, Bit depth, Frame rate).
50 MAIN SCREEN MAIN SCREEN When a project is loaded, pr essing the MAIN SCREEN key will show this screen: Y ou can see an overview of the project plus level metering of inputs, the eight groups, the FX and AUX sends, FX returns and disk tracks.
GRID(Graphic Interface Display) 51 GRID (GRaphic Interface Display) Pressing SHIFT+MAIN shows and expanded track display: Functionality is the same as the MAIN SCREEN except, of course, you can see the GRID more clearly .
52 EDIT MODE EDIT MODE Editing on the DPS24 is simple and non-destructive. Y ou simply mark an IN/OUT region and subject that region to editing. It is possible to edit multiple tracks.
EDIT MODE 53 When you press SHIFT and an EDIT SELECT track key , one track is shown: If you press SHIFT and quickly another EDIT SELECT track key , two tracks will be shown: Y ou can also use SHIFT+CURSOR UP/DOWN to increase (or decrease) vertical (i.
54 EDIT MODE Using SHIFT+CURSOR LEFT/RIGHT , you may zoom in/out on the waveform horizontally: At any resolution, you can use the numerical keypad's +/- keys or the Q5 knob, to nudge the NOW time forwar ds or backwards by one pixel increments to fine tune your edit points.
EDIT MODE 55 From the main EDIT mode, the F1-F6 softkeys provide access to the individual edit function pages. All EDIT function pages look more or less like this: In all EDIT function pages, you can see a graphic r epresentation of the selected EDIT function.
56 EDIT MODE EDITING AND A UT OMA TION When performing edits that cause audio to move, it is necessary to edit any automation data that exists in that region accor dingly . If automation data is left untouched by an audio edit, the mix will be wr ong.
COPY 57 The edit functions are as follows: COPY Pressing COPY [F1] displays this screen: Pressing COPY [F6] or the ENTER key will copy the region to the clipboard fr om where it may be subsequently pasted and/or inserted elsewhere in the pr oject. NOTE: It is possible to copy edits between projects that ar e stored on the same drive.
58 EDIT MODE CUT Pressing CUT[F2] displays this scr een: Pressing CUT [F6] or the ENTER key will r emove the selected IN/OUT region to the clip- board and close the gap, shifting all subsequent audio backwar ds.
INSER T 59 INSERT Pressing INSER T[F4] displays this screen: When pressing INSER T [F6] or the ENTER key , the contents of the clipboar d are inserted at the NOW time and all subsequent audio is shifted in time. Y ou can specify the number of times the inserted cue will r epeat when inserted using Q5, No.
60 EDIT MODE P ASTE Pressing P ASTE[F5] displays this screen: When pressing P ASTE [F6] or the ENTER key , the contents of the clipboard is pasted in at the NOW time. Please note, however , that the pasted audio will overwrite anything that exists after the NOW time.
MOVE 61 MOVE Pressing MOVE[F6] displays this scr een: Here, you can slip/move the selected edit r egion to the NOW time r efer enced either to its IN point or OUT point. IN > NOW [F6] moves the IN/OUT region to start at the NOW time. OUT > NOW [F5] moves the IN/OUT region to end at the NOW time.
62 EDIT MODE ORIGINAL Pressing F5 will move a recor ding to the timecode position at which it was originally r ecorded. NOTE 1: Any subsequent cues within the region on that track ar e moved such that they stay in the same place with r espect to the first cue.
W A V/AIFF IMPOR T 63 W A V/AIFF IMPOR T The DPS24 allows you to import audio files that have been recor ded/edited on other sys- tems. The IMPOR T function is available in the EDIT mode in the P ASTE and INSER T pages: The Source on Q2 allows you to select the sour ce of the P ASTE / INSERT .
64 EDIT MODE Audio files can be imported fr om any connected drive, except the current Project drive. The types of drives available are: IDE#0 : Internal HD IDE#1 : Internal CD (or Internal HD if usin.
W A V/AIFF IMPOR T 65 Pressing BROWSE [F6] shows a screen that displays the files on the selected drive: Folders on the disk are shown and these can be opened with the OPEN key on F5: Y ou will see the contents of the selected folder. In the example shown above, you can see the .
66 EDIT MODE Once you have located the file that you wish to import, press SELECT [F5] to select it. The selected file will be 'ticked' for confirmation.
W A V/AIFF IMPOR T 67 Y ou now have two options you can choose befor e you proceed. TO TIMEST AMP [F2/F3] : Allows you to have the .wav file automatically placed at its own original timestamp within the DPS24 project. With Br oadcast wavs (.wav or .bwf), it is possible to store the timestamp information as part of the file.
68 EDIT MODE IMPOR TING MUL TIPLE W A V FILES T O MUL TIPLE TRA CKS Importing multiple .wav files to multiple tracks is pr etty much the same as importing single files.
IMPROTING MUL TIPLE W A V FILES TO MUL TIPLE TRACKS 69 Now , as you select each file, you will see an indication of the tracks that each file will end up on shown to the right of the filename: In the .
70 EDIT MODE Also, if you are importing pr ojects from another system, it's quite likely that the tracks will have been named so it might be wise to use IMPOR T NAMES as well.
W A V/AIFF EXPOR T 71 W A V/AIFF FILES EXPOR T The DPS24 also allows you to export audio recordings to an IDE or SCSI CD-R (ISO 9660) or hard disk (F A T32/16), or to a computer via USB. Y ou can export up to 24 tracks in one pass. The export function is available as part of the COPY function in the EDIT pages.
72 EDIT MODE These options ar e: ST ART <> END Only the actual audio contained from the start of the first cue to the end of the last cue within the IN/OUT region will be exported. IN <> END The audio between the marked IN point and the end of the actual audio within the IN/OUT region will be exported.
W A V/AIFF EXPOR T 73 If the selected drive is a hard drive (Internal, External or Remote HD), you will see this screen: If the selected drive is a CD-R/RW drive, you will see this slightly dif ferent screen : The main export features ar e identical but CD and HD drives have some specific functions.
74 EDIT MODE Those options are the same as in the EXPOR T REGION screen and are duplicated her e for convenience. Also shown in the lower part of the display ar e: Edit T racks graphic : shows which t.
W A V/AIFF EXPOR T 75 If a file already exists on the CD/har ddisk with the same name as a file to be exported, a dialog will pop-up allowing the user to auto-rename the file. Auto-renaming consists of appending an incremental number onto the filename (e.
76 DSP MODE DSP MODE Pr essing SHIFT+EDIT gives access to the off-line DSP functions: As you can see, the scr een layout is virtually identical to the main real-time EDIT screen. Operation is also the same.... Jog over the point where you want the of f-line edit to start and mark an IN point as appr opri- ate.
DSP MODE 77 TIMESTRETCH This allows you to expand/compress the length of the edit r egion with- out changing its pitch. Pressing STRETCH [F1] displays this scr een: Using Q2, you can select the timestretch pr eset. All the stretch-related DSP pro- cesses have a series of presets optimised for certain types of material.
78 DSP MODE ROCK 1,2,3 Suitable for processing a wide range of musical styles that have a broad band of bass and high frequency content and rhythmic elements. SWING This works well on material with a wide frequency range that is not too percussive. ALLEGRO 1 This works well on orchestral music with lively dynamic strings and HF content.
DSP MODE 79 The process can be aborted at any time by pr essing F1. This will leave the original untouched. NOTE: This progr ess display is shown for all the off-line editing processes. PITCH SHIFT Allows you to change the pitch of the selected edit r egion without changing its length.
80 DSP MODE BPM This allows you to match the selected edit region to another tempo with- out changing its pitch. This is exactly the same processs as T imestretch, but this allows to enter a T empo instead of an amount in %.
REVERSE DSP MODE 81 Here, you can only adjust the amount of varispeed using Q4. V arispeed is a much simpler pr ocess than T imestretch or Pitch Shift and thus does not requir e to select a Preset nor Adjust. PROCESS [F6], or the ENTER key , initiates the process.
82 DSP MODE NORMALISE Allows you to normalise the selected edit region. The signal is analysed for its peak level and the edit region is then incr eased proportionally to obtain maximum level.
DSP MODE 83 F2 [SLIP] allows you to select whether audio after the processed r egion will slip in time to accommodate the varispeed. The main application of the Resample feature is to convert the sample rate of a region that is being pasted into a Pr oject set at a differ ent sample rate than the Project it was copied fr om.
84 MIXER MODE MIXER MODE Pressing the MIXER key shows this scr een: As in the MAIN screen, the top half of the MIXER scr een shows the meters for the 12 inputs, 8 groups, 8 FX/AUX sends, 4 ster eo FX returns and 24 disk tracks. Under the meters block, you can see an overview of a selected parameter for all the channels.
MIXER MODE 85 Channel ON (Mute): For this parameter , a clear circle indicates that the Channel is ON, while a black cir cle indi- cates that the Channel is OFF (muted).
86 MIXER MODE MIXVIEW T o see a more detailed overview of the mixer's status, pressing MIXVIEW [F2] in the main MIXER page shows this: Here, you can see the level, pan, mute status and FX/Aux send levels for the 24 disk tracks.
CHANNEL 87 CHANNEL In the main MIXER page, pressing CHANNEL (F1) will show the settings for the selected channel. NOTE: Enabling the Q-CHANNEL button automatically calls up the MIXER / CHANNEL page of the selected Channel on the LCD. Then , when disabling Q-CHANNEL, the display returns to the previous scr een.
88 MIXER MODE However , it is also possible to navigate the 'channel' window (i.e. pan, level, EQ, FX param- eters) using the CURSOR keys or Q5. For the field that is selected by the cursor: Y ou can set precise values from the numeric keypad or using the DA T A +/- keys.
CHANNEL 89 NOTE: The METER setting is the same global setting as in the MAIN/GRID pages. It selects the type of metering for all channels, as well as in the MAIN screen and Mixer scr een and akSys.
90 MIXER MODE FX/AUX SENDS In this section you can set the FX/AUX send levels and you can also set whether the sends are pr e-fader or post-fader . Above the PRE/POST controls, it is possible to override the 'global' FX/AUX bus routing.
CHANNEL 91 GROUPS Under the FX/AUX send section, you can see the group assignment for the selected channel. These may be changed in the P A TCH pages or more conveniently dir ectly on the console using the ASSIGN keys. The soft key functions on the CHANNEL EQ page are: EXIT [F1] T akes you back to the main MIXER page.
92 MIXER MODE CHANNEL D YNAMICS PROCESSOR Each input and disk track has its own dynamics processor which is accessed in the DYN page: When in the Compressor or Noise Gate sub-pages, instead of the EQ .
CHANNEL DYNAMICS PROCESSOR 93 Pressing N.GA TE [F3] shows the following screen: The parameters are: THRESHOLD Sets the threshold for the noise gate. HYSTERESIS Smoothes the closur e of the gate and prevents 'chatter' if the gate is rap- idly opening and closing with a decaying signal ar ound the thr eshold level.
94 MIXER MODE EQ / COMPRESSOR / GA TE PRESET LIBRARIES EQ/Compr essor/Gate preset libraries pr ovide a convenient way to stor e and recall your favourite channel pr ocessing parameters for use on another channel, or even in another pr oject. W e've provided a number of factory pr esets that you can r ecall and tweak to suit your own needs.
EQ / COMPRESSOR / GA TE PRESET LIBRARIES 95 The Compressor and Noise Gate pr eset libraries ar e used in exactly the same way . Let's look now at how to store Noise Gate settings as a User pr eset.
96 MIXER MODE Pr ess the STORE button to stor e the current noise gate settings as a new User preset. Y ou will see this screen: Give the preset a name (the name must be unique to the Noise Gate pr es.
EQ AND DYNAMICS SNAPSHOTS 97 EQ AND D YNAMICS SN APSHO TS In addition to using the global EQ, Compressor and Noise Gate preset libraries to shar e presets between channels and pr ojects, you can also store snapshots of channel EQ or Dy - namics (Compressor + Noise Gate) settings in each pr oject.
98 MIXER MODE T o recall the snapshot onto another channel, select the 'destination' channel by pressing its SELECT button. For example, selecting T rack 4 will show (something like) this: Pr ess the MIX SCENE RECALL button to display the SNAPSHOT RECALL page: Now select the snapshot you just stored.
EQ AND DYNAMICS SNAPSHOTS 99 Now T rack4 has the dynamics settings we stor ed earlier from T rack3. NOTE: T o store EQ or Dynamics pr esets from the global libraries as an automate-able snapshot, simply recall the chosen pr eset onto a mixer channel then store it as a snapshot.
100 MIXER MOD E STEREO CHANNELS Channels can be linked to act as a stereo pair . This is achieved simply by pressing and hold- ing an odd numbered channel's SELECT key and pr essing an adjacent even numbered chan- nel or vice versa.
SOLO SETUP 101 SOLO SETUP Back in the main MIXER mode page, pressing SOLO.SET [F3] takes you to the SOLO SETUP screen wher e you can set how the SOLO keys will function for the Monitor outputs. The differ ent SOLO modes are selected using F3 - F6.: PFL Pre Fade Listen - monitors the signal befor e the fader and ON switch.
102 MIXER MOD E SIP Solo In Place - monitors the signal after the channel's Pan pot thus al- lowing you to hear it in its stereo position. DSIP Destructive Solo In Place - also after the channel's Pan pot. All channels not in solo are muted, including in the Ster eo outputs.
SOLO SETUP 103 Y ou can isolate the channels that you don't want to be solo'd when SOLO is pr essed using the ISOLA TE key on F2. Pressing this will show this screen: Pressing MORE on F2 will show this scr een: Those channels that are 'ticked' will not be muted when another channel is solo'd.
104 MIXER MOD E Please note one important differ ence between this SOLO mode and the others... the clue is in the wor d 'destructive' (and the block diagram in the above screen). W ith the other SOLO modes (PFL, AFL and SIP), these merely affect what you hear on the MAIN and NEAR monitor outputs.
FX / AUX SETUP 105 FX/A UX SETUP Pressing FX/AUX SETUP [F5/F6] in the main MIXER page shows this screen: Here you can set up the configuration of the FX/Aux busses. The Q-Link functions ar e: FX/AUX 1/2 Allows you to configure FX/AUX 1/2 as two mono sends or one ster eo send.
106 MIXER MOD E Using the mono/stereo option for the sends, you can cr eate various differ ent foldback con- figurations and you can have the following setups: • 1 x mono foldback mix on either AUX 3 or AUX 4. • 2 x independent mono foldback sends each with a separate mix on each send.
P A TCH MODE 107 P A TCH MODE Pressing SHIFT+MIXER takes you to the P A TCH mode where you can route external and internal audio around the DPS24. The first page you see is the CHANNEL SOURCES: SOURCE The INPUT CHANNEL SOURCES fields at the top of the scr een allow you to select the input source for each of the 12 input channels.
- - - - - 108 P A TCH MOD E Assignments in this page (and all the other P A TCH pages) are made by using the cursor keys to move to the appropriate box and then using the DA T A +/- keys to select your options. The DISK RECORD SOURCES allow you to select audio sour ces to be recorded to the disk tracks.
- - - - - OUTPUTS 109 OUTPUTS Pressing OUTPUTS shows this scr een: Here, you can patch internal audio sour ces to any of the DPS24's outputs. Basically , in this page, any audio source within the DPS24 can be assigned to any of the physical output con- nectors on the rear panel.
110 P A TCH MOD E GROUPS Pressing GROUPS shows this scr een: INPUT CHANNEL GROUP ASSIGN allows you to decide which groups the input channels will be assigned to and any channel may be assigned to any gr oup 1-8. Note, however , that r outing is done in pairs.
L / R 111 L / R Pressing L/R shows this scr een: This page allows you to route channels to the L/R bus (and hence the master STEREO output). All channels (inputs, disk tracks, FX return and group outputs) can be assigned to the L/R bus. The options here are simple - off (- - - -) or L/R.
112 P A TCH MOD E P A TCH PRESETS P A TCH PRESETS [F5/6] provide access to patch presets and pr essing it shows this pop-up: Using the cursor keys or Q6, you can move up and down the list of available presets and, using the SELECT key [F6], totally re configure the DPS24's internal patching.
AUTOMA TION 113 AUT OMA TION Pressing AUTOMA TION shows this screen: Down the right are the various automation parameters that can be set. They ar e: RECORD EVENTS Allows you to choose which events will be recor ded. The options are: ALL All controls will be r ecorded FX/AUX SEND Only FX/AUX send control movements will be r ecorded.
114 AUTOMA TIO N NOTE: Of course, the above depends on the setting of the RECORD EVENTS parameter . If, for example, RECORD EVENTS is set to P AN, only P AN control movements will be r ecorded if any P AN controls ar e moved.
ABOUT THE AUTOMA TION 115 ABOUT THE A UT OMA TION T o record automation data, the automation must be enabled so set AUTOMA TION to ON. Also, use Q2 to select AUTO DROP or OVERWRITE r ecord modes. W ith OVER WRITE, it is necessary to select the channel(s) you wish to r ecord automation data on.
116 AUTOMA TIO N However , doing this kind of 'Automation drop-in' can be a potential sour ce of problems. For example, with this original fade data: Y ou punch-in/out some automation data as follows: The problem her e, however , is that the level at the punch-out does not match the original.
RECORD SAFE 117 RECORD SAFE The main panel shows the RECORD SAFE function. Here, you can 'pr otect' channels from being accidentally over-written when automation data is being r ecorded. Channels can be protected by moving the cursor to the appr opriate channel(s) and using the DA T A +/- keys ): to switch protection on (+) or off (-).
118 AUTOMA TIO N TRIM F ADERS Another way to edit automation data is to use TRIM F ADERS. This allows you to add or subtract values to previously r ecorded automation data. For example, you may have r ecorded a perfect set of fader movements only to find the whole thing needs to be 3dB higher .
TRIM F ADERS 119 The window shows the fader(s) selected for trimming. In the event of a mistake (or if you change your mind) you can reset all the channels using RESET ALL (F3/4) or you can use the CURSOR UP/DOWN keys or Q6 to select a particular fader and reset just that one using RESET SELECTED (F2/3).
120 AUTOMA TIO N CLEAR A UTOMA TION It is possible to clear dynamic automation on all or selected disk tracks. Pressing the CLEAR [F3] function key shows this scr een: Select the tracks using the EDIT SELECT keys. Alternatively , press ALL [F4] to select all disk tracks, or select ALL in the Channels [Q5] field to select all channels (i.
AUTOMA TED SCENE AND SNAPSHOT RECALL 121 A UT OMA TED SCENE AND SN APSHO T REC ALL In addition to dynamic automation, it is also possible to automate scene and snapshot recalls - that is, as the dynamic automation is running, scenes and snapshots can be recalled at any time as part of the automation.
122 AUTOMA TIO N USING A UT OMA TED SCENE/SN APSHO T RECALL Here ar e just a few things you can use automated scene/snapshot recall for: • Static EQ changes - change the settings of a channel's EQ using EQ Snapshot Recall at specific points in your project.
NOTES REGARDING AUTOMA TED SCENE RECALL 123 NO TES REGARDING A UT OMA TED SCENE REC ALL • Because scene recalls take a certain time to be effective, be sure to insert a scene recall a fraction in advance of where you want it to occur . Ideally , scene recalls should be inserted during a moment of silence on the channel(s) selected to be affected.
124 AUTOMA TIO N The chances are that in practice, you will use the dynamic automation for level contr ol and the r est of the automation will be switching 'static' controls such as pan, FX send, EQ, etc.
AUTOMA TION EVENT EDITOR 125 A UT OMA TION EVENT EDIT OR A simple automation event editor is available to edit scene recall, snapshot recall and chan- nel mute events, so that they can be placed accurately or deleted.
126 AUTOMA TIO N EDITING EVENTS Events can be deleted and/or moved. T o delete an event, simply press DELETE EVENT [F5/F6]. If you make a mistake and accidentally delete an event, you can use UNDO.
EFFECTS MODE 127 EFFECTS MODE Pressing FX shows (something like) this scr een: Y ou can see the four effects channels and the ef fect type assigned to them. A graphic depiction of the selected channel's effect is shown and the effect's parameters ar e available down the right side of the panel for editing.
128 EFFECTS MOD E are available for immediate editing. T o select effect types, move the cursor to the EFFECT list using the CURSOR > key: The cursor moves to the right hand column wher e you can select effects. T o select a different ef fect, use CURSOR UP/DOWN.
EDITING EFFECTS 129 EDITING EFFECTS T o edit an ef fect, no special mode is required - simply change the Q-LINK contr ols. The edit remains valid for the ef fects channel until either another ef fects preset is selected or another project is loaded/cr eated.
130 EFFECTS MOD E EFFECTS LIBRAR Y Another way to select effects is by way of the EFFECTS LIBRAR Y . The EFFECTS LIBRARY also allows you to stor e effects for recall in other pr ojects. T o select an effect from the library , first select the channel you want to assign the ef fect to.
FX LIBRAR Y F ACTOR Y PRESETS 131 Y ou may now select an ef fect and assign it to the selected FX channel using RECALL [F3]. It is possible to delete Custom effects using the DELETE key [F5] It is pos.
132 FX P ARAMETER S FX P ar ameters This section describes all types and parameters of the ef fects included in the DPS24's internal ef fects. The FX page shows a graphic r epresentation of the curr ently selected effect, and the parameters for that effect can be edited using the Q-Link knobs Q1-Q6.
REVERB 133 REVERB>SMALL ROOM This stereo reverb ef fect simulates reverberations in a small room. REVERB>BIG ROOM This stereo reverb ef fect simulates reverberations in a big room. REVERB>SMALL HALL This stereo reverb ef fect simulates reverberations in a small hall.
134 FX P ARAMETER S REVERB>STD PLA TE This stereo reverb ef fect simulates reverberations of a plate with standard character . REVERB>STD HALL This stereo reverb ef fect simulates reverberations in a hall with standard character . REVERB>DRUM BOOTH This stereo reverb ef fect simulates reverberations in a drum booth.
DELA Y 135 P ANPONG DELA Y This delay effect is a variation of the PINGPONG DELA Y , with a Center delay between Left and Right. An additionnal Mode parameter is available to set the direction of the panning effect: • Mode : LCR .......... Left, center , then right RCLR .
136 FX P ARAMETER S T APE ECHO This delay effect simulates a thr ee-head tape echo machine. Y ou can set three delay times individually . This effect has mono-in and mono-out; however , you can adjust the pan setting of the effect sound. • Head 1 (1ms - 1500ms) Adjusts the Delay time of Head 1.
COMBINED 137 COMBINED Those effects combine a modulation ef fect (Chorus, Flasger or Phaser) and a Delay . The parameters are : • Rate (0.1Hz - 10.0Hz) Adjusts the speed of LFO for the modulation ef.
138 FX P ARAMETER S CHORUS The common parameters for the chorus effects ar e: • Rate1 (0.1Hz - 10.0Hz) Adjusts the speed (rate) of LFO1 • Rate2 (0.
FLANGER 139 FLANGER The common parameters for the Flanger effects ar e: • Rate (0.1Hz - 10.0Hz) Adjusts the speed of LFO • Depth (0% - 100%) Adjusts the depth of LFO • Fdback (0% - 100%) Adjusts.
140 FX P ARAMETER S PHASER The common parameters for the Phaser effects ar e: • Rate (0.1Hz - 10.0Hz) Adjusts the speed of LFO • Depth (0% - 100%) Adjusts the depth of LFO • Fdback (0% - 100%) Adjusts the feedback amount MONO PHASER This is a typical phaser ef fect with mono-in and mono-out.
ROT ARY SPEAKER 141 ROT AR Y SPEAKER ROT AR Y SPEAKER This mono-in / stereo-out effect simulates r otary speakers for organ sound. • Rate1 (0.1Hz - 10.0Hz) Adjusts the rotation speed (Rate1) of the speakers. • Rate2 (0.1Hz - 10.0Hz) Adjusts the rotation speed (Rate2) of the speakers.
142 FX P ARAMETER S PITCH SHIFT This effect has a pitch shift with a range of +/_ one octave, and can be set for the left channel and the right channel independently . • L Semi (-12.00 - +12.00) Semitone adjustment of pitch shift for the L channel • L Cents (-12.
EQ 143 EQ Digital EQ This is a monaural, three-band parametric equalizer . • EQ Freq 1 (20Hz - 20kHz) Sets the center frequency for EQ1 • Gain 1 (-18dB - +18dB) Adjusts the gain for EQ1 • EQ Fre.
144 FX P ARAMETER S DYNAMICS COMPRESSOR / LIMITER This monaural effect compr esses signals above a certain level and limits the dynamic range. It also provides a noise gate that cuts noise during silence. • Link (ON/OFF) Links FX1 and FX2 (or FX 3 and FX4).
DYNAMICS 145 EXP ANDER GA TE This monaural effect limits signals at a certain level (thr eshold) or lower and expands the dynamic range, providing an ef fect opposite to the compressor effect. • Link (ON/OFF) Links FX1 and FX2 (or FX 3 and FX4). See previous page.
146 FX P ARAMETER S PITCH CORRECT OR Pitch Corrector This monaural effect corr ects the pitch of monophonic input signals in real-time. This is useful when you wish to correct the pitch of the vocal track.
PITCH CORRECTOR 147 User scale When USER Scale is selected, the custom scale is defined by the ScaleBits parameter which can be accessed by pressing the [F5] MORE softkey .
148 EFFECTS MOD E FX SN APSHO TS Snapshots of FX settings can be stored fr om any of the four FX unit channels in much the same ways as channel EQ and Dynamics. Recall of FX snapshots to any of the FX channels can also be automated. Here's an example, storing the settings on FX channel 2 to a snapshot, then r ecalling it onto FX channel 4.
FX SNAPSHOTS 149 T o recall the snapshot onto FX channel 4 select FX channel 4 in the FX page then press the MIX SCENE RECALL button to display the SNAPSHOT RECALL P AGE. Y ou can see that the default name for an FX snapshot is the name of the FX settings originally stored.
150 EFFECTS MOD E EFFECTS SEND/RETURN LEVELS Effects levels ar e governed by the amount sent to them via the FX sends on each channel. The MASTER FX/AUX SEND levels, however , ar e set using the default assignments in the USER BANK on Faders 1-4 (FX Sends 1-4) and Faders 5-8 (AUX Sends 1-4).
ADDING EFFECTS T O A CONTROL ROOM MONIT OR MIX 151 ADDING EFFECTS T O A CONTROL ROOM MONIT OR MIX V ery often, vocalists like to hear reverb on their vocals during the track laying process in order to have their performance 'flatter ed'. However , it's not a good idea to commit the re- verb to disk at that stage.
152 PROJECT MOD E PROJECT MODE Pr essing PROJECT shows this screen: Here, you can see a list of pr ojects which may be loaded into the DPS24. The list also shows the date it was created. Depending on the setting of the Project Info parameter in the SETUP / PREFERENCES, the sample rate and bit-depth of each project might also be shown.
PROJECT MODE 153 If you are working in a studio wher e the same basic mixer / patch setup remains constant between projects (for example, you have a sampler connected to inputs 1 / 2 in ster eo, a dru.
154 PROJECT MOD E RECORD / PLA YB A CK FROM EXTERN AL SCSI DISK DRIVES It is possible to recor d and playback using external disk drives connected via the optional IB - 24SCSI, 68pin wide-SCSI interface.
RECORD / PLA YBACK FROM EXTERNAL SCSI DISK DRIVES 155 • that might be loaded. to connect SCSI drives. NOTES ABOUT USING EXTERNAL DRIVES FOR RECORD/PLA YBACK Using SELECT DRIVE, the contents of an alternate drive can be viewed whilst playing back r om another .
156 PROJECT MOD E MAN A GING PROJECTS In the main PROJECT page, the PROJECT TOOLS key [F3/F4] pr ovides access to various 'pr oject management' functions: Here, you can copy , backup, r estore, delete and rename pr ojects. T o rename a project, use the CURSOR UP/DOWN keys to select the pr oject to r ename.
DISK COPY 157 DISK COPY Pressing COPY [F2] shows this screen: This page allows you to copy projects fr om a Hard Disk drive to another Hard Disk drive (with copies of the audio files used by the selected projects), or to copy pr oject data (without audio) on the same Hard Disk drive.
158 PROJECT MOD E PROJECT COPY VIA USB W ith akSysServer running on a computer connected to the DPS24 via the USB port, you will also be able to select HOST 0, 1, 2, etc.
BACKING UP FROM EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES 159 Before making the backup, you should set WRITE SPEED to the correct speed (SLOW if your CD-R/CD-R W is an older model, F AST if it is a later model) using Q5.
160 PROJECT MOD E REST ORING PROJECTS Pr essing RESTORE [F4] shows this scr een: This page allows you to r estore a backup from a CDR drive onto a Har d Disk Drive.
VIR TUAL TRACKS 161 VIR TUAL TRACKS Pressing SHIFT+PROJECT gives access to the 'virtual' tracks function: T o assign a virtual track to a 'physical' track, first select the 'physical' track you wish to re- place using the CURSOR UP/DOWN keys.
162 VIR TUAL TRACK S N.UNUSED Automatically finds the next unused 'virtual' track and assigns it to the selected 'physical' track. It is similar to the NEW T AKE function but without the auto-name process. ASSIGN Allows you to manually select a 'virtual' track and assign it to the se- lected 'physical' track.
USING THE VIR TUAL TRACKS 163 USING THE VIRTU AL TRA CKS T o make operation clearer , we'll run through a typical real-world application for the V -T rack function. OK.... we'll imagine you've just recor ded an electric guitar solo onto T rack 6.
164 VIR TUAL TRACK S Y ou can see that 'virtual' T rack 25 has been used and the original name has been given a unique numeric identifier at the end of the name -001 appended to the original now on V .T rack 6, and -002 for the new version assigned to 'physical' T rack 6.
OPTIONS 165 OPTIONS Pressing OPTIONS will show these extra functions: W ith INC PHYSICAL checked, when you assign a V .T rack to a physical track, the cursor will automatically move down to the next 'physical' track (and the next 'virtual' track).
166 SETUP MOD E SETUP MODE The SETUP page allows you to set certain functions that affect the DPS24 as a whole. Press- ing SETUP shows this page: Here, you can set the following functions using Q1-Q6: SAMPLE RA TE Here, you can set the sample rate for the DPS24.
SETUP MODE 167 Y ou should r espond accordingly . As the prompt advises, please bear in mind that changing the sample rate will cause the project to play back at the wrong speed.
168 SETUP MOD E Using SMPTE SLA VE, it is possible to record to timecode that is not playing at nominal speed, only if Digital Sync is set to Internal.. In this case, the DPS24 can recor d in sync with a fluctuating timecode source and will subsequently play back accurately .
MMC SETUP 169 MMC SETUP This page allows separate MMC device IDs to be assigned for MMC transmit and MMC Receive. Pressing MMC shows this page: SEND ID sets the MMC ID for transmission - this should match the ID of the machine you want to control. ID 127 is "Br oadcast" to all connected MMC machines.
170 SETUP MOD E TEMPO MAPS Pr essing TEMPO in the main SETUP page takes you to this page: Here, you can set up a 'T empo Map' so that a sequencer that is being synchronised to the DPS24 via MIDI CLOCK can follow time signature and/or tempo changes.
TEMPO MAPS 171 Y ou will see that ther e is a tempo and time signature entry at the start of the song. These determine the map's starting tempo and cannot be deleted. Y ou may edit them, however , to something more suitable simply by moving to the V ALUE field and entering the tempo and time signature.
172 SETUP MOD E PREFERENCES Back in the main SETUP page, pr essing PREFS [F3] takes you to this page: The options ar e: PLA Y TO Sets the 'pre-r oll' time for the PLA Y TO key . The PLA Y TO range is 0-99 seconds. PLA Y FROM Sets the 'post-roll' time for the PLA Y FROM key .
PREFERENCES 173 24-TRACK RECORD Enables/disables the 24-Track Record mode. Normally , when this parameter is OFF , the maximum number of audio sources you can r ecord simultaneously is 16. When it is ON, the 24-T rack Record mode allows you to recor d mor e than 16 separate sources at any one time.
174 SETUP MOD E W A VEFORM GENERA TION In or der for waveforms to be shown in ak.Sys, it is necessary to first enable a new parameter found in SETUP / PREFS / MORE. The W A VE FILE GEN [Q1] causes the DPS24 to calculate each audio files waveform for dis- play in ak.
TRACK NAMES IN GRID 175 Y ou should r espond accordingly . A similar message will be displayed if you start ak.Sys with waveform generation switched off.
176 SETUP MOD E SHUTTLE X5 MODE It is possible to select how FF and REW 'shuttle' will perform. A unique feature of the DPS24 is its ability to rewind and fast forwar d in PLA Y with 'tape chatter' just like analogue reel-to-r eel tape machines.
AUDIO SETUP 177 A UDIO SETUP If you select AUDIO SETUP [F3/F4], you will see this screen: The parameters are: SOURCE [Q1] Here you may select 2-TRACK L/R, DIGI IN L/R or AUX IN as the physical inputs for the 2-T rack Source. LEVEL [Q2] Here you can set the level of the incoming 2-track sour ce.
178 SETUP MOD E NOTE: The data str eam for the PROFESSIONAL format is identical to that used on AES/EBU format digital audio connectors. However , more often than not, such connectors ar e balanced. Y ou may need to make (or buy) a balanced jacl/XLR > phono cable or better , an adapter .
USER BANK 179 USER B ANK Pressing U-BANK in the main SETUP page will show this scr een: Here you can assign any channel to the 12 'user channels' of a User Bank.
180 SETUP MOD E It is possible to assign the following to any given channel: INPUT 1-12 TRACKS 1-24 GROUPS 1/2 - 7/8 (*) FX SEND 1-4 (*) AUX SEND 1-4 (*) FX RETURN 1-4 AUX INPUT L/R (*) MIDI CONTROLLE.
OS UPDA TE 181 Y ou can update the OS of the DPS24 from an ISO CD in the Internal CD drive (IDE#1). However , you also have the option to update your DPS24 OS from any connected drive - any valid drives will show up in the Upgrade Device [Q2] field (including SCSI and HOST drives).
182 SETUP MOD E DISK Pr essing DISK will show something like this screen: Here, you can see the list of drives connected to the DPS24, either internal IDE drives or external SCSI drives. When the DPS24 is connected to a computer via USB and either akSys T rackV iew V1.
CLEANUP DISK 183 CLEANUP DISK The Cleanup Disk function allows you to clear your disk of 'orphaned' audio. A piece of audio can become orphaned when cues are deleted fr om a project. For example, you make a recor ding onto a track which appears as a cue.
184 SETUP MOD E DISK FORMA T Pr essing FORMA T [F6] will show this prompt: FULL FORMA T [F2/3] will format the disk and will also perform a disk surface test checking for (and marking) bad blocks. It will erase all data from the drive. Depending on the size of your drive, this can take a long time.
AUDIO RECOVER Y 185 A UDIO RECO VERY When recor ding on the DPS24, audio is recor ded to disk and what you see in the track display is a visual representation of pointers to that audio that tells the audio files when and wher e to playback.
186 SETUP MOD E As in W A V Import, the DA TE RANGE parameter allows you to narrow down the number of files you will view when you pr ess the BROWSE key [F6]. The options are the same as for the W A V IMPORT function. If you want to r ecover all 'orphaned' audio, select ALL.
PERFORMING AN AUDIO RECOVER Y 187 PERFORMING AN A UDIO RECO VERY W e ar e going to assume the following scenario..... Y ou have just recor ded a guitar part on T rack 6 of the project NEW SONG 3 but you don't think it's very good so you delete it.
188 CD-RECORDE R CD-RECORDER The SETUP key's SHIFT function is CD-R and shows you this scr een: This page provides access to all the functions r elated to Audio CD creation.
CD-RECORDER 189 REGION Selects which portion of the selected tracks will be recorded to the CD- R/CD-R W . The options are IN/OUT or ALL. WRITE SPEED Specify the writing speed here. Y ou may select SLOW or F AST . SLOW writes at normal (real-time) speed.
190 CD-RECORDE R DO WNSAMPLING PROJECTS FOR CD MASTERING If you have made projects at sample rates other than 44.1kHz and/or you have pr ojects which contain recor dings made at bit-depths other than 16-bit which you want to master onto CD, you will need to convert them to 44.
HOW TO PREP ARE MA TERIAL FOR DISK-A T -ONCE 191 HO W T O PREP ARE MA TERIAL FOR DISK-A T -ONCE Assuming you have mixed down all the stereo masters you want to put on your CD, cr eate a project and, u.
192 CD-RECORDE R Even if your CD is made up of one long piece of music, you can place track markers at points throughout the piece. For example, if you have done a r emake of the 25 minute opus 'Supper's Ready' by Genesis, each 'section' can have track markers.
MIXING DOWN 193 MIXING DO WN It is not possible to mixdown a multitrack project dir ectly to CD-R so first, you should make a stereo mix to the DPS24's 'virtual 2-track r ecorder'.
194 SETUP MOD E MUL TI-B AND COMPRESSOR/EXP ANDER Included in the DPS24 is a multi-band compressor/expander (MBCX) that can be used to impr ove stereo mixes before writing to CD. The algorithm used is identical to that released in our QuadComp VST plug-in.
MUL TI-BAND COMPRESSOR / EXP ANDER 195 Pressing the COMP button on F2 will show this scr een: Each band (LF , LM, HM, HF) is selected using Q1. As you select each band, it is highlighted in the window to the left: In this way , it is clear to see which band of the compressor you are editing.
196 SETUP MOD E The compressor and expander have almost identical contr ols. These are: BAND Selects the frequency band. THRESHOLD Sets the level at which the processors have an ef fect. The results ar e differ ent for the compressor and the expander .
MUL TI-BAND COMPRESSOR / EXP ANDER 197 Another way to look at the relationship between the two is thus: NOTE: The compressor's thr eshold cannot be set below the expander's. Likewise, the expander's threshold cannot be set above the compr essor's.
198 SETUP MOD E LO ADING/SA VING MBCX PRESETS Several pr eset MBCX configurations are provided that cover a wide range of applications. These can be selected by pressing LIBRAR Y (F5) in the MBCX page. This will take you to a page wher e you can select the presets.
MASTERING ON THE DPS24 199 MASTERING ON THE DPS24 Although it is possible to use the MBCX when mixing down your 24-track project, you lose the possibility of using the internal effects. Therefor e, the best way to master your recordings using the MBCX is to first perform a ster eo mixdown as normal (i.
200 SETUP MOD E 7 Now press SELECT - this will take you to the this page: Here you can either select a pr oject you want to overwrite (for example, a ster eo mix you made previously which you ar e not happy with) or you can pr ess NEW to create a new mixdown project.
CD PLA YER 201 CD PLA YER Pressing CD PLA YER (F1/2) shows this scr een: Here you can play tracks recor ded on the CD-R/CD-RW using a simple user interface. Use the CURSOR UP/DOWN keys to select a track to play and use the CD player's 'trans- port' keys on F3-F6 to play , stop, pause or rewind/fast forward thr ough tracks on the CD.
202 EXT SYNC KE Y EXT SYNC KEY T o synchronise the DPS24 with external devices, the EXT SYNC key should be pressed: This key enables the T ime Sync [Q4] and T/C rate [Q3] selections made in the SETUP page: If T ime Sync is set to MTC MASTER or MIDI CLOCK OUT , the DPS24 will now generate MTC or MIDI CLOCK during playback.
SETTING EXT SYNC OFFSET 203 SETTING EXT SYNC OFFSETS Pressing SHIFT+EXT SYNC allows you to set a timecode offset. This prompt appears on the LCD: The first digit is highlighted and you should enter a value from the numeric keypad as ap- propriate. T o set the 'sign' (i.
204 INTEGRA TING ADA T MACHINE S NOTE: EXT . SYNC must be switched ON for external machine control. If EXT SYNC is not enabled, the DPS24 will not control the connected ADA T machines. W ith the IB-24ADT option board installed, the extra ADA T channels ADA T 9-24 become available in addition to ADA T1-8.
24-TRACK TRANSFER - ADA T TO DPS24 205 24-TRA CK TRANSFER - AD A T T O DPS24 Normally , the maximum number of audio sources the DPS24 can recor d simultaneously is 16. In order to r ecord 24 tracks simultaneously fr om the thr ee sets of ADA T input connectors, the 24- TK RECORD parameter in the SETUP / PREFERENCES should be switched ON.
206 INTEGRA TING ADA T MACHINE S W ith only the standard 8 channels of ADA T I/O, the DPS24 can send its master FX/AUX sends to the ADA T outputs and use the computer as global loop effects. But with the IB-24ADT option boar d, the DPS24 can send simultaneously its 24 tracks to the computer for individual track pr ocessing.
APPENDIX 207 APPENDIX MIDI Implementation Chart Date: 02-09-05 Model DPS24 V ersion: 2.0 Function T ransmitted Recognized Remarks Basic channel Default Changed X X X X Mode Default Messages Altered X .
208 APPENDI X Block Diagrams FX AUX GROUPS L/R SOLO BUS BUS BUS BUS BUS INV ATT DYN FADER ON PAN INV ATT DYN FADER ON PAN FADER ON BALANCE FADER ON ADC ADAT 1-8 SPDIF IN AUX IN ADC 1-12 SPDIF IN AUX I.
Block Diagrams 209 INV ATT DYN FADER ON PAN SEND 2 SEND 3 SEND 4 SEND 1 L/R GRP 1/2 GRP 3/4 GRP 5/6 GRP 7/8 SOLO INPUTS 1-12 ADC 1-12 ADAT 1-8 SPDIF IN AUX IN 2-TRACK IN FX 1-4 STEREO L/R BUS METRONOM.
210 APPENDI X 1 2 AUX bus 3 4 MAIN L MAIN R NEAR L SOLO bus NEAR R STEREO L/R bus PHONES Stereo L Stereo R Aux Send 1 Aux Send 2 Aux Send 3 Aux Send 4 Studio L Studio R Talkback TB Switch Mic MONO MONITOR LEVEL 2 Track input LEVEL 2 TRACK switch STUDIO > CR switch SOLO NEAR switch OUTPUTS v1.
Installation of Options - T o Services T echnicians 211 v1.6 Operator ’ s Manual.
212 APPENDI X Installation of Options - T o Service T echnicians IB-24L TC/IB-24ADT 1. Remove the screws for the cover of expansion slot and r emove the cover . Save the screws. 2. Slide the Option Boar d in along the guide gr oove and pr ess it firmly to ensur e secur e connection.
213 DPS24 OS Upgr ade via USB (PC only) Y ou can check the current O/S V ersion in the SETUP page. 1) From akaipro.com Operating System Download page, download: • the latest OS V ersion (dps24***.zip) • the OS Loader utility (dpsosldr .zip) if you haven't already installed it.
214 APPENDI X 6) Fr om the W indows Start menu, select Programs / Accessories / Command Prompt (W in- dows XP) or Programs / MS-DOS Pr ompt (Windows 98 ) -> This will open the DOS prompt window 7) Open the "Akai DPS24" folder (created in step 2).
215 DPS24 ASCII K e yboard Commands DPS24 AD A T™ LRC K e y Assignment • Hold “SET LOCA TE” and pr ess “IN or OUT” to set In/Out points • Press IN, OUT or RTZ to Goto In/Out points or Ze.
216 APPENDI X Specifications Power Supply AC 120V 60Hz (US, Canada), 220-240V 50Hz (Europe) 1 10W Operating T emperatur e 10 - 35 ° C Operating Humidity 10% - 60% (without condensation) Dimensions (mm) 726 (W) x 190 (H) x 579 (D) max. (with LCD tilted down) W eight 19.
Specifications 217 Impedance Mic mode 3k ohms (1 - 12ch) Line mode 12k ohms (1 - 12ch) Hi-Z 1M ohms ADC In 10k ohms AUX In 10k ohms 2-T rack 15k ohms Analog Audio Output Stereo Out 6.3mm Stereo Phone - balanced Main (monitor) 6.3mm Stereo Phone - balanced Nearfield (monitor) 6.
Printed in China.
An important point after buying a device Akai dps24 (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought Akai dps24 yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data Akai dps24 - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, Akai dps24 you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get Akai dps24 will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of Akai dps24, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime Akai dps24.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with Akai dps24. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device Akai dps24 along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
