Page 2 - User Guide
Introduction 3 What’s in the Box? 3 About the ProFire 2626 FireWire Audio Interface 4 ProFire 2626 Features 5 System Requirements 6 Minimum System Requirements/Specifications 6 Compatibility 6 Recommended System Specifications 6 Hardware Controls and Connectors 7 Front Panel 7 Rear Panel 9 Architect...
Page 4 - Introduction; Your ProFire 2626 package contains:
User Guide 3 ProFire 2626 Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of the ProFire 2626 audio interface ProFire 2626 is part of M-Audio’s award winning series of FireWire-based digital recording solutions and features solid hardware design, robust driver technology, and a powerful Control Panel ...
Page 5 - About the ProFire 2626 FireWire Audio Interface
User Guide 4 ProFire 2626 About the ProFire 2626 FireWire Audio Interface The ProFire 2626 interface is a super-highway of audio inputs and outputs for your computer Like a highway, there are a certain number of “audio lanes” going to and from your computer—these “lanes” are referred to as streams P...
Page 7 - System Requirements; Minimum System Requirements/Specifications*; Pentium 4 2GHz
User Guide 6 ProFire 2626 System Requirements Minimum System Requirements/Specifications* PC: Windows XP** (SP2) or Windows Vista (32-bit) Pentium 4 1 6GHz 512MB RAM (1GB RAM with Windows Vista) FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) port ** Home and Professional Edition only. Windows Media Center Edition is not...
Page 8 - Hardware Controls and Connectors; Front Panel; These unbalanced 1/4” jacks are used for connecting high impedance; Setting Gain Levels; NOTE
User Guide 7 ProFire 2626 Hardware Controls and Connectors Front Panel 1 Instrument Inputs (Channels 1/2): These unbalanced 1/4” jacks are used for connecting high impedance instrument-level signals (i e , electric guitars and basses) to ProFire 2626 When using these inputs, make sure that the Mic/I...
Page 9 - Phantom Power Buttons:; These two buttons apply; Headphone Level Knobs:; These knobs adjust the; Master Volume Knob:; This knob controls the
User Guide 8 ProFire 2626 5 Phantom Power Buttons: These two buttons apply +48V phantom power to XLR inputs 1-4 and 5-8 The top button activates phantom power on XLR inputs 1 through 4 while the bottom button activates phantom power for inputs 5 through 8 The LED next to each button will illuminate ...
Page 10 - Rear Panel; Power Supply Connector:; Connect the included power supply here; Optical Connectors:; effects processing
User Guide 9 ProFire 2626 Rear Panel 11 Power Supply Connector: Connect the included power supply here Use only the power supply provided with the interface or an equivalent power supply with the same rating and polarity 12 FireWire Port: Connect the ProFire 2626 interface to your computer using one...
Page 11 - Architecture of ProFire 2626; Hardware Inputs
User Guide 10 ProFire 2626 Architecture of ProFire 2626 ProFire 2626 is much more than a simple audio input and output device Its high quality signal path, DSP mixer, and flexible router allow the interface to become the central nervous system of your studio The block diagram below illustrates audio...
Page 12 - Software Returns; – This block represents the audio; DSP Mixer; – This is the 18 input, 16 output DSP; Router; – The Router is a device that lets you select; Hardware Outputs; – These are the physical outputs; About Software Returns:
User Guide 11 ProFire 2626 Software Returns – This block represents the audio outputs of your audio application Software returns can be routed to the DSP Mixer and the Router (both described below) DSP Mixer – This is the 18 input, 16 output DSP mixer contained within the ProFire 2626 interface The ...
Page 13 - ProFire 2626 Operation at High Sample Rates; ) to create four high bandwidth channels; Sample Rate
User Guide 12 ProFire 2626 ProFire 2626 Operation at High Sample Rates ProFire 2626 can operate at high sample rates including 88 2/96 kHz and 176 4/192 kHz However, the number of available inputs and outputs is reduced when operating at these rates and certain input and output ports are disabled as...
Page 14 - Tip
User Guide 13 ProFire 2626 MAC OS X: 88.2/96 kHz Operation K(Z/PERATION-AC X $30-IXER 2OUTER 3ELECTSOURCEFOREACHHARDWAREOUTPUT (ARDWARE/UTPUTS 3OFTWARE2ETURNS (ARDWARE)NPUTS \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ ! N A L O G ! N A L O G ! $ !4 ! 3...
Page 16 - TIP
User Guide 15 ProFire 2626 Windows XP/Vista: 88.2/96 kHz Operation K(Z/PERATION0# X $30-IXER 2OUTER 3ELECTSOURCEFOREACHHARDWAREOUTPUT (ARDWARE/UTPUTS 3OFTWARE2ETURNS (ARDWARE)NPUTS \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ ! N A L O G ! N A L O G ! $...
Page 18 - Control Panel Application; Mixer
User Guide 17 ProFire 2626 Control Panel Application ProFire 2626 provides adjustable parameters for many of its features Some of them can be accessed directly from the ProFire 2626 front panel, such as input gain, phantom power, and output levels However, there are additional parameters that cannot...
Page 19 - and mute buttons; Useful Tips and Shortcuts:
User Guide 18 ProFire 2626 It is important to note that any changes made to the DSP Mixer will only affect what is audible from the mixer’s outputs—the DSP Mixer does not affect the signals that are sent to the audio application for recording For example, if you are recording a vocalist and he/she t...
Page 20 - Why are software returns disabled?
User Guide 19 ProFire 2626 Why are software returns disabled? When the interface operates at higher sample rates (i.e., 88.2/96 kHz or 176.4/192 kHz), certain hardware input and output ports become disabled due to S/MUX II and S/MUX IV operation. When this happens, the Control Panel automatically sc...
Page 21 - Active Software Returns
User Guide 20 ProFire 2626 Router The ProFire 2626 Router tab contains a variety of parameters affecting how audio is routed through the interface These parameters are grouped into categories as explained on the following pages Active Software Returns configuration options for Windows users.
Page 22 - Output Source Routing; Windows users; : Note that inputs and outputs will always appear
User Guide 21 ProFire 2626 Output Source Routing This section lets you select the audio source for each hardware output pair on the interface The Router has four columns of drop down menus: These columns (from left to right) represent the Analog Outputs, the first set of ADAT Outputs, the second set...
Page 23 - Windows; : The ProFire 2626 Control Panel for; Input Channel Order; CAUTION; Windows Users; : Software return channels always
User Guide 22 ProFire 2626 Active Software Returns ProFire 2626 allows for a maximum of 26 software returns The Control Panel software allows you to reduce the number of software returns in order to minimize the demands placed on the FireWire bus and decrease the amount of system resources used by P...
Page 24 - Settings
User Guide 23 ProFire 2626 Settings The Settings tab contains several parameters that govern the operation of ProFire 2626 These options are grouped in the following categories: Windows only: Buffer Size drop-down menu.
Page 25 - Hosted Mode
User Guide 24 ProFire 2626 Hosted Mode The parameters in this section of the Control Panel govern the operation of the interface when it is connected to a computer using a FireWire cable (i e , Hosted Mode) Sync Source This drop-down menu determines the clock source to which ProFire 2626 is synchron...
Page 26 - Attention Vista Users
User Guide 25 ProFire 2626 Sample Rate This drop-down menu sets the sample rate of ProFire 2626 Note that when using the interface with an ASIO or CoreAudio application, the sample rate can also be determined by your audio application This parameter may not be editable from within the ProFire 2626 C...
Page 27 - Optical Port B Mode; Auto; – This parameter sets the
User Guide 26 ProFire 2626 Optical Port B Mode This portion of the Control Panel determines how the second pair of optical ports on the rear of the interface will operate Setting this parameter to “ADAT” will allow ProFire 2626 to receive or send 16 channels of 44 1/48kHz signals, eight channels of ...
Page 28 - Master Volume Knob; WARNING
User Guide 27 ProFire 2626 Master Volume Knob These checkboxes determine which analog output pair(s) will be affected by the Master Volume knob (8) on the front panel of the interface: If a box is checked, the volume level of its corresponding outputs will be controlled by the Master Volume knob; if...
Page 29 - Mixer Peak Meters; Mode; Off; This setting turns the peak hold function off; Second; Peak levels are held for one second; Seconds; Peak levels are held for three seconds; Infinite; Peak levels are held until the meters are cleared; Standalone Mode; Sync Source
User Guide 28 ProFire 2626 Mixer Peak Meters This section of the Control Panel configures the operation of the meters within the DSP Mixer Mode This drop-down menu determines the behavior of the meters of the ProFire 2626 DSP mixer Pre-fader – When this parameter is set to “Pre-fader” the meters wil...
Page 31 - Converter Mode
User Guide 30 ProFire 2626 Converter Mode ProFire 2626 can operate in two different ways while in Standalone Mode Each mode is described separately below: A/D – D/A Mode: When this parameter is set to “A/D - D/A” mode the interface operates like a standard analog-to-digital (A/D), digital-to-analog ...
Page 33 - About; File
User Guide 32 ProFire 2626 About The About tab provides version information for the Control Panel, driver, and any connected ProFire 2626 interfaces This page also features convenient links to driver updates, downloadable manuals, FAQs, tech support, product registration, and the M-Audio home page N...
Page 34 - Digital Clocking
User Guide 33 ProFire 2626 Digital Clocking 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 size—16-bit or 24-bit, depending on your selected resolution—each with a beginning a...
Page 35 - Scenario 1: ProFire 2626 as Clock Master; Master
User Guide 34 ProFire 2626 Scenario 1: ProFire 2626 as Clock Master By selecting “internal” as the sync source in the Control Panel, you designate ProFire 2626 as the clock master You will then need to select “external” (or “slave” on certain devices) mode on each of your other digital devices (this...
Page 36 - Scenario 2: ProFire 2626 Slaved to an Optical Input; Slave
User Guide 35 ProFire 2626 Scenario 2: ProFire 2626 Slaved to an Optical Input If you prefer to use another device as clock master, you will need to configure that device to act as master and select that device’s input on ProFire 2626 as the sync source This locks (or “slaves”) ProFire 2626 (and any...
Page 37 - Scenario 3: ProFire 2626 Slaved to S/PDIF Input
User Guide 36 ProFire 2626 Scenario 3: ProFire 2626 Slaved to S/PDIF Input You may need to use a two-track device as clock master This is because many two-track digital devices, such as consumer CD players, are not designed to be locked to other devices due to their lack of digital inputs Configure ...
Page 38 - MIDI
User Guide 37 ProFire 2626 MIDI ProFire 2626 provides 16 channels of MIDI I/O over standard 5-pin DIN connectors found on the breakout cable These I/O ports can be used to connect MIDI-compatible devices to your computer such as controller keyboards, drum machines, or sound modules Alternatively, th...
Page 39 - Connection Diagram and Example Scenarios; computer
User Guide 38 ProFire 2626 Connection Diagram and Example Scenarios ProFire 2626 is a flexible interface with a variety of inputs and outputs This flexibility allows ProFire 2626 to be used in a many different applications ranging from studio multi-tracking and on-location recording to multi-channel...
Page 40 - • Attach up to two pairs of headphones to the Headphone jacks (7).
User Guide 39 ProFire 2626 • If you are recording the direct output of any electric guitars or basses, connect these instruments to Analog Inputs 1 and 2 (1) on the front panel Be sure the Mic/Inst Button (2) is in the “in” position for each channel that is using the front panel inputs If any 1/4” l...
Page 41 - Hardware Input and Output Connections
User Guide 40 ProFire 2626 Example Scenario #1: Recording a Duo This example demonstrates how ProFire 2626 can be used to record a duo consisting of a guitarist/vocalist and a percussion player In this scenario, the guitarist/vocalist is playing an electric guitar while singing into a microphone The...
Page 42 - Hardware Input; • Output Connections:; Hardware Output
User Guide 41 ProFire 2626 • Input Connections: The electric guitar is recorded “direct” by connecting it to the first channel’s front-panel Instrument Input (1) with a standard 1/4” TS instrument cable When using a front panel input, make sure that the Mic/Inst button (2) for that channel is in the...
Page 43 - Configuring the Mixer, Router, and Settings tabs; Setting up the DSP Mixer:; DSP Mixer Input Channel; Routing the DSP Mixer outputs:
User Guide 42 ProFire 2626 Configuring the Mixer, Router, and Settings tabs Setting up the DSP Mixer: The default input channel configuration of the DSP Mixer should work well for most recording scenarios (including this one) You can verify and/or change the mixer input assignments by clicking the d...
Page 44 - Configure the Master Volume Knob to Control Your Studio Monitors:; Using the DSP Mixer to create Cue Mixes; The faders along the bottom are used to create the mix heard on the
User Guide 43 ProFire 2626 Configure the Master Volume Knob to Control Your Studio Monitors: Since the studio monitors are connected to analog outputs 5/6, make sure that the “Analog Out 5/6” box is checked under the “Master Volume Knob” section of the Settings tab Make sure that the “Analog Out 1/2...
Page 45 - UBWOOFER
User Guide 44 ProFire 2626 Example Scenario #2: Mixing in Surround This example demonstrates how ProFire 2626 can be used to create a six-channel surround mix. In this scenario, your audio application must have provisions for multi-channel surround mixing (such as surround panners and a 6-channel ma...
Page 46 - Surround Left / Surround Right; Note
User Guide 45 ProFire 2626 Input Connections: Since we are simply mixing for this scenario and are not recording anything, we do not have to use any inputs. Since the optical and coaxial (S/PDIF) inputs are not being used in this scenario, these inputs should be disabled from the Router tab of the C...
Page 47 - Routing your DAW application outputs:; Configuring and Using your DAW to create a Surround Mix
User Guide 46 ProFire 2626 Routing your DAW application outputs: In this scenario, your audio application will output a mix consisting of six channels The ProFire 2626 Router must be correctly configured so that these channels leave the interface through the correct analog outputs To make sure all o...
Page 48 - Troubleshooting; computer Try the following to see if the issue resolves:
User Guide 47 ProFire 2626 Troubleshooting Problem: No sound. Possible Cause 1 : Power supply not connected Verify that the ProFire 2626 power supply is properly attached to the interface and plugged into a working AC outlet Next, make sure the interface is powered on using the Power Button (9) Poss...
Page 49 - working order
User Guide 48 ProFire 2626 Problem: No visual activity on Signal/Clip LED indicators. Possible Cause 1 : Poor quality cabling Verify that your audio cables are plugged in properly and are in good working order Possible Cause 2 : The output volume of your audio source is set too low Raise the volume ...
Page 50 - Possible Cause
User Guide 49 ProFire 2626 Problem: Windows users experience high latency and limited performance when using Steinberg Nuendo or Cubase SX. Possible Cause: Cubase SX and Nuendo may be using the default “ASIO Multimedia Driver ” While this driver will allow you to use ProFire 2626, it does not provid...
Page 51 - Warranty; Warranty Terms; defects or other reproductive harm
User Guide 50 ProFire 2626 Warranty Warranty Terms 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 specif...
Page 52 - Benelux
M-Audio USA 5795 Martin Rd., Irwindale, CA 91706 Technical Support web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.m-audio.com/techtel (pro products) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(626) 633-9055tel (consumer products) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (626) 633-9066fax (shipping) . . . . . . . ...
