Creative Emu 0404 Usb Manual

							Tutorials
0404 USB 2.0 Owner’s Manual41
3 - Recording Audio into Ableton Live
1. Select an empty Audio Track with no clips.
2. From the View Menu on Ableton Live, select In/Out. 
(Alternatively, you could also click the “Show/Hide In/Out Section 
button” as shown in the diagram on the previous page.) Several 
more options now appear in the mixer strips.
3. Input channels 1/2 are selected by default (stereo). If you 
want to record a mono track select input 1 or 2 from the  
drop-down menu. 
4. Feed an input signal into the 0404 USB 2.0 from a guitar, keyboard, CD player 
or other audio source. A mini-meter appears in the input selection field. 
The mini-meter should appear green. If not, reduce the input level.
NOTE
Direct monitoring can be 
turned Off on the 0404 USB 
2.0 since we’re monitoring 
through Ableton Live 
(Auto).5. Press the Arm Session Record button located at the bottom of the strip. 
The button turns red. You should now hear your input signal if Monitor is set 
to Auto.
6. Start one of the Drum Clips and practice playing along with a short riff.
7. When you’re ready to record, click on the empty circle   in one of the empty 
clips in Track 2. Recording begins immediately. After recording a bar or two, 
hit the Space Bar to Stop.
8. Double-click on the audio clip you just recorded and it appears below the 
mixer section as shown below. Play both clips back by clicking Play button  
above the mixer section. Make sure your recorded loop plays in time with the 
drums. If not, delete the audio clip and re-record it.
9.Click and drag the 1 Warp Marker over to the beginning of your recording as 
shown below.
TIP . . .
If your clip doesn’t loop, 
make sure the Loop button 
is pressed.
10.Next, drag the Loop End marker to make your loop the desired length.
11.Press Play. Your loop should now play in time with the drum loop.
1 Warp Marker
Loop End Marker 
						

							Tutorials
42E-MU Systems
4 - Running Proteus VX VSTi from Ableton Live (Windows only)
NOTE
These instructions also 
apply to Proteus X or 
Emulator X.These instructions explain how to run Proteus VX from within Ableton Live Lite 4. 
Ableton Live’s forte is making it easy to combine pre-recorded audio and MIDI 
clips in new and exciting ways. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use a MIDI 
keyboard or the pre-recorded MIDI loops that come with Ableton Live Lite 4 to 
play Proteus VX.
1. Select New Live Set from the File menu. A new Ableton Live set opens with 
two audio tracks and two MIDI tracks such as the one shown below. If the 
window doesn’t look like the one below, click the Session View button.
Select Proteus VX as a Virtual Instrument
2. Click on the Plug-in Device Browser button   on the left side of the window. 
The list of Ableton Plug-ins appears at the left side of the window.
3. Select Proteus VX from the Plug-ins list and drag it 
over the MIDI Track heading as shown above. Wait a 
second or two, then you’ll see the Proteus VX VSTi 
appear in the MIDI Track View area below the mixer.
Load the Proteus VX Bank
4. Click on the wrench icon   on Proteus VX in the area 
below the mixer. See the image at right.
1. Click
Here
to open
Plug-ins
2. Drag
Proteus VX3. Drop Here
Session View button
Step 2:
Plug-in Device BrowserStep 4:
Select Wrench Icon 
						

							Tutorials
0404 USB 2.0 Owner’s Manual43
5. The Proteus VX application window shown below appears.
Load the Proteus X Composer Bank
6. Proteus VX is now running, but you need to load a bank of sounds.
7. Choose Open from the File menu on Proteus VX. Locate and load the Proteus 
X Composer bank, which is located here: (“Program Files/Creative Profes-
sional/E-MU Sound Central”). This big bank takes a few seconds to load.
Play the Proteus X Composer Bank
TIP . . .
If you’re not hearing sound, 
go to the Ableton Prefer-
ences and make sure that 
the Driver Type is set to 
ASIO and the Audio Device 
is set to ASIO E-MU 
0404|USB.8. Bring up the mini keyboard  by clicking the icon on Proteus VX and play a 
few notes.
9.Change the Preset using the preset inc/dec keys.   Cool sounds! 
Whenever you’re ready, drag the Proteus VX window off to the side so you can 
access the Ableton window.
10. From the View Menu on Ableton Live, select In/Out. Several 
more options now appear in the mixer strips.
11.Select E-MU 0404 in the “MIDI From” field and turn Monitor 
On as shown at right. Now you can use your MIDI keyboard.
12. Feel free to play around for awhile and don’t worry about 
losing anything. Nothing is made permanent until you Save 
the bank.
13. When you’re ready to move on, set the Monitor to Auto, select preset P0004 A 
KuStq, then close the Proteus VX editor by clicking on the close box  .
Play MIDI Clips
14. Locate MIDI Loops by Keyfax in the Factory Content section of the Ableton 
Live Lite 4 Browser. 
15. Click on the folder to open it. You’ll see a bunch of other folders.
16. Open the first folder, BRK_120. Next, open the next folder BRK-Bass.mid. 
Now, you’ll see a MIDI file named BRK-Bass.
Mini Keyboard
Step 14:
Locate MIDI Loops 
						

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44E-MU Systems
17.Click and drag BRK-Bass over one of the clip slots in the 3 MIDI strip as 
shown below.
18. Now click on the Clip Launch Button (little triangle)   on the MIDI clip you 
just dragged over. The MIDI bass loop begins playing the bass preset on 
Proteus VX. To stop playing, press the Stop button.
19. Find some other MIDI loops and drop them into the other slots of the track. 
Hint: look in different folders. Click on the Clip Launch Buttons to switch 
between clips.
Add Another MIDI Track
Ableton Live Lite 4 allows four MIDI tracks, so let’s play a different MIDI loop and 
sound on track 4 MIDI.
20. Choose a different MIDI loop such as House-Lead, (located in the HOUSE-
120 folder) and drop it onto one of the 4 MIDI clip slots.
21. Currently, the MIDI To box reads “No Output”. Instead, select 3-MIDI. 
Another option box labeled “Track In” now appears beneath 3-MIDI.
22. Click on the Track In box to see the list of MIDI channels.
Show/Hide In/Out Section
Stop
Select 
3-MIDI 
						

							Tutorials
0404 USB 2.0 Owner’s Manual45
23. Select MIDI Channel 2 as shown at right.
24. Click on the Clip Launch Button   on the 4 MIDI clip to get it started. You 
won’t hear anything because you haven’t yet assigned a preset to MIDI 
channel 2 on Proteus VX.
Choose a Sound for MIDI Channel 2
25.Click on the 3 MIDI heading to show the Proteus VX VSTi. Next, click on the 
wrench icon   again (in the MIDI Track View) to open Proteus VX.
26.  Select MIDI Channel 2 using the channel inc/dec keys  .
27.Select a Preset on Channel 2. Place the cursor in the preset number field and 
use the up/down arrow keys on your computer keyboard to scroll through the 
list until you find a preset you like.
•Note: There are several ways to select presets. See the Proteus VX Operation 
manual for details.
28. Now you should be hearing the sound you chose on channel 2. If not, check 
to make sure both clips are playing (green triangle). Each clip plays a different 
preset.
Add MIDI Clips
NOTE
Proteus VX sounds are 
called Presets or Programs. 
Ableton Live Programs are 
offset by +1 from Proteus 
VX.29. Drop a few more MIDI clips into both MIDI channel slots. Play around with 
the Clip Launch buttons.
Preset Change
Here’s another way to change the MIDI Program (Preset in E-MU speak) without 
going into the Proteus VX editor.
30.Double-click on one of the currently playing MIDI clips. The Clip View 
appears at the bottom of the window.
31. Select the Show/Hide Notes Box   located in the lower left corner of 
the Clip View window. The Notes box appears in the Clip View section. 
32.Select a Program number. You’ll hear the Proteus VX sound change. Keep 
selecting until you find one you like.
•Hint: Use the Up/Down Arrow keys to select Programs. Use Sub-Banks 2-8 
to select presets higher than 128.
33. As an added bonus of selecting programs this way, the program (sound) you 
selected is now associated with the MIDI clip. Whenever you select this MIDI 
clip, the sound will also be selected.
34. Select another clip and assign a different program number. Notice that the 
Preset changes when you switch back and forth between clips.
Save the Set
35. Save your work by selecting Save Live Set As… from the File menu. The next 
time you load the set, the Proteus VX bank will automatically load as well.
Record a MIDI Track using your MIDI Keyboard
36. You can use the MIDI Track you set up on MIDI channel 2. Make sure there is 
at least one empty slot in the MIDI track. (Select and hit backspace to delete a 
clip.)
Select
PresetNotes Box 
						

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46E-MU Systems
37. Set up the MIDI track as shown at left.
a. Select the 0404|USB in the “MIDI from” field.
b. Set the input to listen to MIDI channel 2.
c. Monitor should be set to Auto.
d. This field routes the MIDI data to track 3 (which contains Proteus VX).
e. Set the output to MIDI channel 2.
f. Turn record On (red).
38. Set your MIDI Keyboard to transmit on MIDI channel 2.
39.Play the keyboard. You should hear Proteus VX playing the last sound you 
selected on channel 2. Go ahead and change the sound if you wish. (Double-
click the top of Track 3, then click the Wrench icon on the Device Title Bar. 
Make sure you’re changing the sound on channel 2.)
Ready to Record
40. Start up the bass line on track 3 MIDI and practice playing along with it.
41.Optional: You can set the Global Quantization value to time correct your 
playing. Set it to anything other than “None”.
42. Click one of the round MIDI Clip Record buttons to begin recording.
43. Click the Clip Launch button, the Clip Stop button, or the Spacebar to stop 
recording.
On Your Own
Now you’ve had a taste of what Proteus VX and Ableton Live Lite 4 can do. But 
don’t stop now! Read the Proteus VX Operation Manual pdf to learn all about this 
exceptional instrument.
Ableton Live Lite 4 includes several excellent hands-on tutorials to help you learn 
all the features of this ground-breaking music application.
Other Cool Tips
•To control Proteus VX with the knobs on your MIDI keyboard: 
Go to the MIDI Preferences on Proteus VX (Options, Preferences, Controllers 
tab) and make sure the MIDI Continuous Controller numbers match the ones 
your keyboard is sending. You can change the controller numbers on either 
your MIDI keyboard or Proteus VX, just as long as they both match.
•To control Proteus VX with the Assignable X/Y Controls in Live: 
Simply select the Proteus VX Channel and Proteus VX controller letter A-M for 
each axis of the X/Y controller. Open Proteus VX to see what controllers A-M 
are controlling. For more information about MIDI controllers please refer to 
the Proteus VX pdf manual.
a
b
c
d
e
f
Quantize
Assign Controllers 
						

							Using Dolby AC-3 Pass-through
0404 USB 2.0 Owner’s Manual47
USING DOLBY AC-3 PASS-THROUGH
The coaxial or optical digital output of the E-MU 0404 USB 2.0 can pass Dolby 
AC-3 encoded 5.1 surround sound audio from your computer to an AC-3 decoder 
such as a surround sound AV receiver. This feature allows you to watch DVDs on 
your computer and enjoy 5.1 surround sound.
To utilize this feature you’ll need:
• DVD playback software that supports Dolby Digital 5.1 
(such as WinDVD for the PC or DVD Player on the Mac)
• An AC-3 decoder such as an AV receiver or preamplifier.
• A surround sound playback system.
To Listen to a DVD in 5.1 Surround Sound
1. Connect the S/PDIF coaxial or optical output of the 0404 USB 2.0 to the 
digital input of your AC-3 receiver.
TIP . . .
If you don’t get AC-3 
passthrough, turn off the 
DVD player, then set the 
sample rate of the 0404 
USB to match the sample 
rate of the DVD (usually 
48kHz).WinDVD
2. Make sure the 0404 USB 2.0 is the Default Sound Playback Device” in the 
“Sounds and Audio Devices” Control Panel on your PC.
3. Setup your DVD software to, “Output digital S/PDIF to external processor.”
Mac DVD Player
4. Select Preferences... located under DVD Player on the Menu Bar.
5. Select the Disc Setup tab.
6. Select Digital Out - E-MU 0404 USB 2.0 as the Audio Output.
7. Click OK
Receiver
8. Set your AV receiver to input from the 
proper digital input.
9. Play the DVD. You should be hearing 
audio through your system.
10. When the 0404 USB 2.0 is receiving 
AC-3, the Direct Monitor and S/PDIF 
LEDs will NOT be lit. In addition the 
Sample Rate and Sync Source fields in 
the Control Panel application will be 
greyed out. Otherwise, the 0404 USB 
2.0 is not receiving valid AC-3.
0404 USB 2.0 Control Panel  
						

							Troubleshooting
48E-MU Systems
TR O U B L E S H O O T I N G
Can’t hear Windows Media Player in Windows
If you have, or ever have had, another audio device installed in your PC, you may 
have to set the E-MU 0404 USB 2.0 as the “Default Audio Device”.
1. Open the Control Panel, then select Sounds and Audio Devices.
2. Click the Audio tab and select the E-MU 0404 USB 2.0 as the Default device 
under Sound Playback.
3. Click the Volume button under Sound Playback and turn up Wa ve  vo lu m e.
You cannot record or monitor ASIO and WAVE at the same time. The first audio 
application you open controls the E-MU 0404 USB 2.0.
Lost Communication
Should you lose communication between your E-MU 0404 USB 2.0 and an audio 
application (Ableton Live, Cubase, Sonar, etc.), the E-MU 0404 USB 2.0 drivers 
may need to be re-selected in your application.
1. Go to your applications I/O settings, de-select the E-MU 0404 USB 2.0 for 
both input and output.
2. Apply these changes and exit the dialog.
3. Re-enter the applications preference settings and re-select the E-MU 0404 USB 
2.0 drivers. If this doesn’t work, the application may need to be restarted.
Ground Loops
In digital audio devices and computers, audio ground loops may appear as pitched 
tones, digital hash in the background, as well as the familiar 60 cycle hum.
Ground loops are caused by a difference in ground potential between two pieces of 
equipment. Computer audio devices are particularly susceptible to ground loops 
because most computers were not designed with high quality audio in mind.
The E-MU 0404 USB 2.0 contains built-in “ground lift” switches for both analog 
inputs in order to safely break the loop if a ground loop occurs in your setup.
The ground-lift switches are located on the bottom of the unit, close to the front 
panel. The input ground is lifted when the A or B slide switch is closest to the GND 
LIFT label.
Pops & Crackles
Pops and crackling noises in the audio are most often caused by having the ASIO 
Buffer Size set too low. Adding audio tracks and VST plug-ins increases the load on 
your computer’s CPU. If your computer cannot keep up with all the tasks you are 
asking it to perform, pops and crackles may occur. In effect, increasing the ASIO 
buffer gives your computer “more time” to complete its assigned tasks. The 
hardware Direct Monitor feature of the 0404 USB 2.0 allows you to increase the 
ASIO Buffer setting without the associated latency problems during recording and 
overdubbing.
USB hubs can create problems with digital audio and should be avoided whenever 
possible.
B-GND LIFT A-GND LIFT
No Input Ground
Grounded Input 
						

							Troubleshooting
0404 USB 2.0 Owner’s Manual49
No S/PDIF I/O (OS X)
S/PDIF is not available at the 88.2/96 kHz sample rates. When these higher sample 
rates are selected in the OSX Audio MIDI Setup, 2-channel mode is automatically 
selected. When you switch the sample back to 44.1/48 kHz, 2-channel mode 
remains in effect. To remedy the situation:
1. Click Go -> Utilities from the menu bar.
2. Double-click Audio MIDI Setup.
3. Select the 44.1/48 kHz sample rate and select 4-ch-24bit for the Audio Input 
and Audio Output.
Simultaneous WDM/ASIO/AC-3 Playback (Windows only)
The 0404 USB 2.0 only supports playing back 1 stream format at a time. Each of 
the 3 mentioned stream types has a priority associated with it. If a higher priority 
stream type is opened while a lower priority stream is already playing, the lower 
priority stream will stop playing. The stream priorities, from highest to lowest, are 
AC-3, ASIO, WDM.
USB 2.0 vs. USB 1.1 Operation (Windows only)
The 0404 can operate in USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 mode. 96 kHz and 192 kHz sample 
rates are only available while operating in USB 2.0. The included E-MU USB Audio 
Control panel software includes an indicator to let the user know which mode the 
device is running in.
0404 USB comes up in USB 1.1 mode (Windows only) 
Always turn the 0404 USB power off before connecting or disconnecting the USB 
cable. Hot-plugging the unit with the power on can cause the 0404 to power-up in 
USB 1.1 mode. If you see the Windows message, This device could perform 
faster…, simply turn power off, wait a few seconds, then turn power on again. 
						

							Troubleshooting
50E-MU Systems
Internet References
The internet contains vast resources for the computer musician. A few useful sites 
are listed here, but there are plenty more. Check it out.
Software Updates, Tips & Tutorials.http://www.emu.com/support
Setting up a PC for Digital Audio....http://www.musicxp.net
MIDI Basics.......................................... Search for “MIDI Basics” (many sites)
MIDI & Audio Recording...................http://www.midiworld.com
MIDI & Audio Recording...................http://www.synthzone.com
Sonar Users Group............................  http://www.cakewalknet.com/index.php
Cubase, ASIO & Digital Audio..........http://www.steinberg.net
ASIO, Cubase & Digital Audio..........  http://www.steinbergusers.com/cubasele/
le_support.php
Cubase Users Group..........................http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/
cubase/messages
Forums
Unofficial E-MU Forum.....................  http://www.productionforums.com/emu
Sound-On-Sound Forum..................http://www.soundonsound.com
Computer Music Forum....................http://www.computermusic.co.uk/main.asp
Home Recording Forum....................http://homerecording.com/bbs
Studio Central Forum........................http://www.tweakheadz.com
KVR Forum..........................................http://www.kvr-vst.com/forum/search.php
MIDI Addict Forum...........................  http://forum.midiaddict.com/search.php
Sound Card Benchmarking...............http://audio.rightmark.org
Driver Heaven Forum........................http://www.driverheaven.net