Creative Emu 1820m Manual

							5 - Effects
E-MU PowerFX
E-MU Digital Audio System101
E-MU PowerFX

E-MU PowerFX are not 
available at 96kHz and 
192kHz sample rates.The hardware-accelerated effects of the E-MU Digital Audio System can also be used as 
VST inserts in Cubase LE. E-MU PowerFX allow you to use PatchMix DSP effects from 
within Cubase LE with minimal load on your CPU.
E-MU PowerFX incorporate smart time alignment technology which automatically 
compensates for system latencies and ensures proper synchronization of audio 
throughout the VST chain (if the host application supports this feature).
fCubase SX/SL/LE 2.0, 
Nuendo and Sonar (using 
the Cakewalk VST 
adapter 4.4.1) implement 
VST 2.X auto delay 
compensation.
Parameter Description
PowerFX On/Off Enables or bypasses E-MU PowerFX.
FX Palette Select from a single “Core” effect or a Multi -Effect.
FX Inserts Drop Effects from the FX Palette here.
Signal Present LEDs These indicators turn blue to show the presence of input and 
output signals.
FX Parameters Select the desired effect in the center insert section, then adjust 
the wet/dry mix and parameters for the effect.
FX Presets Select from the list of preprogrammed effect presets here.
Preset Editing Click here to Save, Delete, Rename or Overwrite a User Preset. 
See the “
User Preset Section” for more information
Input Signal Present
Output Signal Present
FX PresetsFX Parameters
FX Palette
E-MU PowerFX On/OffPreferences
Preset Editing
FX Inserts  
						

							5 - Effects
E-MU PowerFX
102Creative Professional
To Setup & Use E-MU PowerFX:

Using any driver other 
than “E-MU ASIO” may 
produce undesirable 
results when using E-MU 
PowerFX.Setup Cubase LE
1.Launch Cubase LE.
2.Instantiate E-MU PowerFX in an Insert or Aux Send location within Cubase (go to 
the EMU folder in VST plug-ins).
3.Press the Insert Edit button  in Cubase to bring up the E-MU PowerFX plug-in 
window shown on the previous page.
E-MU PowerFX
4.Make sure the Insert Enable button  is illuminated, indicating E-MU Power FX 
is on. The blue “Signal Present” indicators will be illuminated if E-MU PowerFX is 
properly patched into a signal path.
5.Drag the desired effects from the Effects Palette to the center Insert strip.
6.Click on the Effect you wish to edit in the center Insert Strip (it will be highlighted in 
yellow), then adjust the effects parameters in the right section of the window.
7.You can also select or edit User Presets from the section below the FX parameters. 
See the “
User Preset Section” for more information.
Delay Compensation
If you are using Cubase VST 5.1, or another older sequencer without automatic delay 
compensataion, you will have to insert an E-Delay Compensator into any other audio 
tracks to keep them time-aligned.
8.Simply insert an E-Delay Compensator plug-in into the same insert location you 
used for E-MU PowerFX on any other audio tracks. That’s it.
Preferences The Preferences menu allows you to:
• Toggle the Tooltips On or Off
• Extra Buffers - Check this box if excessive stuttering occurs when 
using E-MU PowerFX in your VST Host application. This box 
should be checked when using Fruity Loops.
• Render Mode - Induces realtime rendering in applications 
which do not support realtime rendering (WaveLab, Sound-
Forge). Parameter Description    
						

							5 - Effects
E-MU PowerFX
E-MU Digital Audio System103
Automating E-MU PowerFX

Steinberg Cubasis 
does not have the control 
automation feature.E-MU PowerFX can be automated in Cubase LE (or other recording host) just like any 
other VST effect. When “Write Automation” is activated in Cubase LE, control changes 
made in the PowerFX window during playback will be recorded on a special “Audio 
Mix” track located at the bottom of the Arrange Window. When “Automation Read” is 
activated, the recorded control changes will be played back.
To Record PowerFX parameter changes in Cubase LE
1.Add E-MU PowerFX as a Channel Insert.
2.Rewind the song and enable “Automation Write” by pressing the WRITE button 
 on, illuminating it. (Refers to Cubase LE. If you are using another application, 
refer to the documentation.)
3.Bring the E-MU PowerFX window to the front and select the Effect you want to 
automate. The effect parameters appear in the TV screen. Make sure the blue “On” 
button is lit.
4.Press the Play button on the Cubase LE Transport control. The song begins playing.
5.Adjust the E-MU PowerFX controls to achieve the effect you want. Rewind the song 
when finished.
6.Disable “Automation Write” and enable “Automation Read”  . Playback the 
song to hear and view your changes.

Once you have 
recorded or drawn 
automation, do not 
delete or move effects 
from the Insert Strip. 
Doing so will result in 
unpredictable behavior. 7.To edit Automation, first enable both “Automation Write” and “Automation Read” 
and press Play. Cubase LE begins overwriting as soon as you change a control.
8.If you don’t like the results and want to try again, select Show Used Automation 
from the Project menu. The Automation Subtrack appears. Next, click in the 
Parameter Display and select Remove Parameter. 
Note: This only erases one automation parameter from the Automation Subtrack. 
To erase multiple control edits, repeat the procedure above. See the Cubase LE 
manual for more specific information about automation editing.
E-MU PowerFX Resource Availability
Because different collections of VST plug-ins and PatchMix Sessions can be run simulta-
neously, it is possible to load a Cubase Song or PatchMix Session for which resources 
are not available. If DSP resources are NOT available for an existing setup:
•E-MU PowerFX loads a Hardware I/O Path and simply passes audio through 
without any effects. The effects insert slot(s) in E-MU PowerFX will be “redded out”.
•If no Hardware I/O Paths are available, the plug-in will be disabled and run in a soft 
pass-through mode. The effects insert slot(s) in E-MU PowerFX will be “grayed out”.
•If DSP resources ARE available, but no Hardware I/O Paths are available, the plug-in 
will run in soft pass-through mode.
•If the sample rate is changed in the middle of a E-MU PowerFX session, E-MU 
PowerFX plug-ins will be bypassed, since the hardware effects cannot operate at 
96kHz or 192kHz.   
						

							5 - Effects
E-MU PowerFX
104Creative Professional
E-MU PowerFX Compatibility Chart
Application NameCompatible?NoteRenderExtra 
Buffers
Steinberg Cubase VST 5.1Ye sOffOff
Steinberg Cubase SX 1Ye sOffOff
Steinberg Cubase SX 2Ye sInstrument 
Freeze triggers 
error if 
not in render 
mode.OffOff
Steinberg Cubase LEYe sOffOff
Steinberg Cubase SLYe sOffOff
Steinberg WaveLab 4Ye sOnOff
Steinberg WaveLab Lite (ver 4)Ye sOnOff
Steinberg WaveLab 5NoPops & clicks 
may occur. 
(Try 8 buffers at 
1024)OnEither
Sony Acid 4Ye sOnOff
Sony Vegas 5Ye sOnOff
Sony SoundForge 7NoPower FX 
crashes when 
launched.OnOff
Adobe Audition 1.5NoAudio 
distortion & 
immediate 
lockup.AnyAny
FruityLoops Studio 4.5Ye sOffOn
Ableton Live 3.5NoDistortion 
when FX 
parameters are 
changed.OnOff
Cakewalk Sonar 3Ye sOffOff 
						

							5 - Effects
Rendering Audio with E-MU PowerFX
E-MU Digital Audio System105
Rendering Audio with E-MU PowerFX
Rendering (sometimes called Export) is a mixdown process performed by the host 
application, which creates a new digital audio file from a multitrack song. Rendering 
allows a virtually unlimited number of VST effects to be used because the audio 
processing is performed out of realtime.
E-MU PowerFX and the PatchMix DSP effects are strictly realtime processes. When E-MU 
PowerFX are used while rendering audio, the rendering process must proceed at 
realtime rate. Some host applications are not designed to handle realtime rendering and 
this can cause problems. E-MU PowerFX can be used with these applications if you are 
willing to follow certain guidelines.
General Tips for Rendering using PowerFX
•If an error message occurs, increase the “ASIO Buffer Latency” setting located in 
the device Setup dialog box. Depending on your setup, you may have to 
increase or decrease the Buffer Latency settings to find the setting that works.
•Instead of rendering with E-MU PowerFX, bounce the E-MU PowerFX processed 
tracks to another track in realtime.
•Check “Realtime Render” in the Render dialog box when using Cubase LE, 
Cubase SX2 or Cubase SL2. This setting will give the best results.
Tips for using Freeze Mode on Cubase LE
•Make the project length as short as possible. Freeze always renders the entire 
project length, even if the MIDI track being rendered is shorter. 
•Great Tip: Temporarily bypass E-MU PowerFX (and any other effects) even 
when “Freezing” another track. This will allow the track to Freeze faster than 
realtime.
Using E-MU PowerFX with WaveLab and SoundForge
Stuttering in the audio can occur when rendering with SoundForge or any version of 
Steinberg WaveLab. This problem is caused by discontinuities in the first few audio 
buffers as they are fed by WaveLab to E-MU PowerFX. The problem can be eliminated by 
following these guidelines.
•Check “Render Mode” box in the E-MU PowerFX preferences. See page 102.
•We recommend that you only use the MME/WAVE E-DSP Wave [xxxx] drivers.
•Reduce the “Buffer Size” in the WaveLab, Audio Preferences dialog box. This 
moves the stuttering to beginning of the file.
•Pad the beginning (and/or end) of your audio file with silence (.5 to several 
seconds depending on the file). This action causes the buffer discontinuities to 
occur 
before the song begins. 
						

							5 - Effects
E-MU E-Wire VST
106Creative Professional
E-MU E-Wire VST
E-Wire is a special VST/ASIO Bridge which allows you to route digital audio via ASIO to 
PatchMix and back again. 
E-Wire VST incorporates smart time alignment technology that automatically compen-
sates for system latencies and ensures proper synchronization of audio throughout the 
VST chain. In addition, E-Wire also allows you to insert outboard audio gear into the 
VST environment.
ENote: It’s easier to use 
E-MU PowerFX instead of 
E-Wire if you just want to 
use the hardware effects. 
(E-Wire was the precursor 
to E-MU PowerFX.) 
However, E-Wire can be 
very useful because it 
allows you to route VST 
inserts or Sends to 
Physical Inputs and 
Outputs via PatchMix DSP.E-Wire has three main components:
•A VST plug-in which handles the audio routing to PatchMix DSP.
•An ASIO mixer strip in PatchMix DSP configured to route audio to the E-Wire 
plug-in. You simply drop the effects you want to use into this strip.
•For hosts that don’t support automatic delay compensation, a manual delay-
compensation plug-in can be inserted in Cubase tracks or channels that don’t use 
E-Wire to compensate for ASIO delay.
The diagram below may give you a better idea of how E-Wire works:
Stereo Reverb
ASIO Send
E-Wire VST plug-in
PatchMix DSP 
Strip configured
for E-Wire
Send to Strip 
Return to VST
E-Wire bridges the gap between hardware I/O and the VST world. The E-Wire VST plug-in sends 
audio to a strip containing the desired effect. An ASIO Send routes the audio back to E-Wire VST. 
						

							5 - Effects
E-MU E-Wire VST
E-MU Digital Audio System107
To Setup and use E-Wire:
Setup PatchMix DSP
1.Open PatchMix DSP application.
2.Insert an ASIO Input mixer strip into PatchMix DSP. (Alternately, you can select 
“New Session”, select “E-Wire Example” and skip to step 6.)
3.Mute the strip or turn the Fader all the way down.
4.Insert an ASIO Send plug-in into one of the inserts on your ASIO strip.
5.Name your ASIO strip as an E-Wire strip.
6.Insert the desired PatchMix DSP effects into slots above the ASIO Send.
7.Save the Session.
Setup Cubase LE
8.Launch Cubase LE.
9.Instantiate E-Wire VST in an Insert or Aux Send location within Cubase.
10.Edit the E-Wire plug-in and activate the plug-in by pressing the blue button.
11.Set the ASIO Send and Return on the E-Wire plug-in to match the strip you set up 
for E-Wire.
12.Done.
E-Delay Compensation
An E-Delay Compensator must be inserted into any other audio tracks that are not using 
E-Wire in order to keep them time-aligned.
13.Simply insert an E-Delay Compensator plug-in into the same insert location you 
used for E-Wire on any other audio tracks. That’s it.
E-Delay Compensator
As audio is transferred back and forth between the VST host application and the E-MU 
sound hardware, a delay in the audio stream is incurred. Normally this delay is compen-
sated for automatically by the host application, but not all VST host applications 
support this automatic compensation.
A host will support PowerFX and E-Wire’s plug-in delay compensation if it supports the 
SetInitialDelay feature of the VST 2.0 specification.  
						

							5 - Effects
E-MU E-Wire VST
108Creative Professional
Currently automatic delay compensation is supported by the Steinberg 2.0 family 
(Nuendo 2.x, Cubase SX 2.0, Cubase LE 2.0,), Magix Samplitude 7.x, and Sonar (using 
the Cakewalk VST adapter 4.4.1), but not by Steinberg Cubase VST 5.1 and Cubasis.
The E-Delay Compensator utility plug-in is used to manually compensate for the 
transfer delay for hosts that DO NOT support plug-in delay compensation.
The E-Delay Compensator plug-in is used to delay the “dry” tracks (tracks without a 
PowerFX or E-Wire as an insert effect) or auxiliary (send) channels. For each dry track or 
send, add an E-Delay Compensator plug-in to re-align the track. The E-Delay Compen-
sator is automatic and requires no user interaction to operate.
For example, consider a Cubase VST session with two audio tracks. If PowerFX or E-Wire 
is applied as an insert effect to the first audio track, but not to the second, the first track 
will be delayed in relation to the second track. The E-Delay Compensator should be 
added as an insert effect on the second track in order to provide delay compensation.
E-Delay Units Parameter
The Units value in the E-Delay dialog box should be set for the number of times you 
send ASIO down to the PatchMix DSP mixer and back in a single track. A single 
PowerFX insert chain with any number of effects only requires one delay unit because 
there was only one trip to the hardware and back. If you use two Cubase inserts in series 
on a track both using PowerFX or E-Wire, you would set the number parameter to 2 on 
all other audio tracks. Each trip down to PatchMix DSP and back to Cubase equals one 
unit.
Track 1
Cubase VST or Cubasis
PatchMix
DSP
E-Wire
Track 2
E-DelayE-Delay
Track 3
InsertInsert
Insert
E-Delay Compensator Use
For host applications that don’t support automatic 
delay compensation.
1.
An E-Delay Compensator should be used 
when unprocessed audio tracks are played 
alongside tracks using a PowerFX or E-Wire 
plug-in.
2.Simply insert an E-Delay Compensator into 
each track that doesn’t use a PowerFX or 
E-Wire send. 
						

							5 - Effects
E-MU E-Wire VST
E-MU Digital Audio System109
In practical use, however, you’ll probably never need to use more than one E-Wire VST 
on a single track since PowerFX effects can be placed in series. We have included this 
feature “just in case” you need it.
Here’s one more example of how to use the E-Delay Compensator with different 
numbers of PowerFX/E-Wire sends on each track. The delay compensation on each track 
must equal the track with the maximum number of PowerFX/E-Wire sends. See the 
diagram below.
Since track 1 uses two PowerFX/E-Wire inserts, the delay of all the other tracks must 
equal two. Track 2 has one PowerFX/E-Wire insert and so adding one unit of E-Delay 
keeps it time aligned. Track 3 doesn’t use a PowerFX/E-Wire insert and so it needs two 
E-Delay Units to remain in alignment.
Grouping Tracks
When several tracks require E-Delay Compensation, you can send the output of each 
track to a group or bus and use a single E-Delay Compensator on the output of the 
group or bus.
•E-MU Digital Audio System and PatchMix DSP must be installed.
•E-Wire is compatible with Cubase SX/SL/LE, Cubase VST, Wavelab, and Cakewalk 
Sonar (via DirectX-VST adapter) among others.
Tr ack 1
Cubase VST or Cubasis
PowerFX
or E-WirePowerFX
or E-Wire
Track 2
E-Delay
1
Track 3
Insert
Insert
InsertInsertInsert
PowerFX
or E-Wire
PatchMix
DSP
E-Delay
2 
						

							5 - Effects
E-MU E-Wire VST
110Creative Professional