Tascam Digital Workstation Controller US-224 Owners Manual

							 
11
 
 
3. Installation 
 
 
3.1 System Requirements 
 
 
 
PC: Minimum requirements
: Pentium II - 266 
MHz (or equivalent) processor running 
W indows 98 (Second or Millennium Edition), 
W indows 2000 or W indows XP, 96MB RAM. 
Recommended
: Pentium II 300MHz 
processor with 128MB RAM or better. 
(These requirements are for use with 
Cubasis VST. Other applications will have 
different requirements. Consult your 
applications manufacturer for further 
information.) 
 
NOTE:  The US-224 is not supported under 
Windows 95. We also do not recommend 
Windows98 First Edition, due to its limited 
USB implementation. A fast EIDE hard disk 
is required for throughput of multiple audio 
tracks. 96MB RAM is the minimum 
recommended, but with all digital audio 
programs, you’ll have better results with 
more RAM. An SVGA graphics card is 
suggested (min. 256 colors, 800x600 
resolution or better). 
 
Although this product has been checked for 
use with standard configuration computers 
which meet the specifications above, we 
cannot guarantee the operation of the 
product, even with computers meeting the 
specifications, due to differences in 
architecture and implementation between 
computers. 
 
Chipsets are also a concern with USB audio. 
W e’ve found that the most dependable 
motherboards are ones which utilize Intel-
based chipsets. You can determine your 
chipset by going into the Device Manager. 
On the W indows 98 desktop, right click on 
My Computer, and select Properties. Click 
on the Device Manager tab, and then click 
on the plus (+) sign next to Universal Serial 
Bus Controllers. (see illustration 3.01) 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The following chipsets have been 
successfully run with the US-224: 
 
Intel 82371 AB/EB PCI to USB Universal 
Host Controller 
Intel 82371 SB PCI to USB Universal Host 
Controller 
Intel 82801 AA PCI to USB Universal Host 
Controller 
ALi PCI to USB Open Host Controller 
 
Some other chipsets, notably those 
specifying Open Host Controllers or OHCI 
(rather than Universal Host Controllers or 
UHCI), have been subject to occasional 
incompatibilities. W hile most OHCI systems 
have no problems with the US-224, 
occasionally some older OHCI systems will 
exhibit problems.  W e have found that, in the 
majority of these rare cases, a PCI-based 
USB card utilizing an Opti-chip controller will 
work dependably. These cards (also 
available in PCMCIA format for laptops) are 
available through a number of 
manufacturers. Please consult the TASCAM 
website for further information. 
 
 
 
Illustration 3.01 - Determining your USB Controller  
						

							 
12
 
MacOS: PowerPC running MacOS 8.6 or 
better, and a USB port. Any Macintosh 
computer with one or more USB ports 
running Mac O/S 8.6 or later (the US-224 
has not been tested with Mac O/S X as of 
this writing. Please check the website for 
updates). 
 
Very early iMac computers may need one 
(or more) firmware updates to use the US-
224. Which firmware update(s) is (are) 
needed depends on which Mac O/S version 
is installed in the early iMac. Apple provides 
details in its Apple Support Article #58174. 
 
PowerBook G3 Series (or later) with built in 
USB (or using a 3rd party PCMCIA USB 
Card) have been tested and work fine. 
Additionally, older PowerMac computers 
using 3rd party PCI-based USB cards also 
have been tested and work fine. Any iMac, 
G3 or G4 will work fine as well. A MacOS 
version earlier than 8.6 will not implement 
full USB support, and is not recommended. 
Again, plenty of RAM and fast drives are 
suggested. 
 
 
 
 
3.2 Installation 
 
 
 
Because the US-224 is a USB device, 
connection is pretty straightforward. Simply 
plug the USB cable into the US-224, and the 
other end into your computer.  
 
Make certain that your computer’s USB host 
port is enabled. (Normally, most standard 
PC BIOS settings default to enabled, but 
make certain that it hasn’t been turned off in 
the BIOS). 
 
NOTE:  Handle the enclosed CD-ROM with 
care. If it becomes dirty or scratched, it will 
be impossible for a computer to read it, and 
the software cannot be installed. If the disc 
becomes unreadable, a charge will be made 
for its replacement. 
 
Do not attempt to play the enclosed CD-
ROM using an audio CD player, as this may cause damage to hearing, as well as to 
speakers, etc.  
 
Use only the enclosed USB cable to connect 
the US-224 and the computer. Do not use 
other types of cable for this purpose, as 
some cables contain resistors. If you attempt 
to use such a cable, the audio input and 
output will not work properly, and the sound 
level will be inaudible or very faint. 
 
 
 
3.2.1 Windows  
 
 
The US-224 drivers are available on the CD 
as executable installers.  You’ll find two 
executable installer files on the disk, labeled 
as: 
“US224_Win98_Install_1_10.exe” 
 (for W indows 98 Second Edition and 
Millennium Edition) and 
“US224_Win2k_Install_1_10.exe” 
 (for W indows 2000 and W indows XP). 
 
Note that we have also included the 
individual driver files as a ZIP file, for users 
wishing to install via W indows Hardware 
Manager.  However, we recommend using 
the installers, as they will also locate and 
uninstall any files pertaining to older 
versions of the US-224 drivers. 
 
 
To install under Win98SE or ME:
 
 
Note: The US-224 will run under W in98 SE 
(Second Edition) or ME (Millennium Edition). 
Due to its limited USB capabilities, First 
Edition W in98 is not recommended. 
 
Note: Run the Installer with US-224 
turned OFF. 
 
Double click on the executable file 
“US224_Win98_Install_1_10.exe”. (The 
blue US-224 icon).  The installer will run. 
 
Click the Setup button. The W elcome 
dialog box will appear. 
 
Click the Next button. The driver files will 
be installed to your hard drive. 
  
						

							 
13 In some cases, Add Hardware W izard may 
ask for the file US224W DM.SYS. Should 
this occur, click Browse and direct it to the 
path Windows/System32/Drivers. 
 
In some cases, Add Hardware W izard may 
ask for your W in98 CD-ROM if it is unable to 
find all the needed system files. W e suggest 
you have it handy. 
 
The Setup Complete dialog will appear.  
Click Yes, I want to restart my computer, 
followed by the Finish button. The computer 
will reboot. 
 
Connect the US-224 to the computer, plug it 
in, and turn it on.  The W indows plug-n-play 
will notice a new USB device and start the 
Add New Hardware wizard, which will find 
the needed files on its own. This will take 
about 30-60 seconds. 
 
The drivers are now installed and the US-
224 is ready to operate. 
 
 
 
To install under Win2K or Windows XP: 
 
Note: Run the Installer with US-224 turned 
OFF. 
 
Double click on the executable file 
“US224_Win2k_Install_1_10.exe”. (The  
US-224 Setup icon).  The installer will run. 
 

 Click the Setup button. The W elcome 
dialog box will appear. 
 

 Click the Next button. The driver files 
will be installed to your hard drive. 
 
NOTE:  You may be prompted by a 
message informing you that the software 
you are about to install does not have a 
digital certificate.  Simply click “Continue the 
installation anyway” and proceed.   
 

 If you are prompted to restart your 
computer,  do so.  
 

 Connect the US-224 to the computer, 
plug it in, and turn it on.  The W indows 
plug-n-play will notice a new USB 
device and start the Add New Hardware wizard, which will find the three needed 
files on its own. This will take about 30-
60 seconds. 
 
The drivers are now installed and the US-
224 is ready to operate. 
 
 
 
To install using Windows New Hardware 
Wizard: 
 
 

 Unzip the driver files into a new (empty) 
folder on the hard disk.  
 

 Connect the US-224 to the computer, 
plug it in and turn it on 
 

 The W indows plug-n-play will notice a 
new USB device and start the Add New 
Hardware wizard. 
 

 Choose Search for a suitable driver for 
my device and press Next 
 

 Enter the path where the drivers are 
stored and press OK 
 

 After W indows finds the firmware 
download driver, click Next 
 

 Click Finish · The other driver 
components will be automatically 
discovered and loaded 
 

 Click Finish if prompted, and reboot if 
prompted 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Illustration 3.02 - Windows 98 New Hardware Wizard  
						

							 
14  
3.2.2 Macintosh  
 
 
Insert the CD-ROM into the computer, 
double-click on the US-224 installer, and 
follow its instructions. 
 
Connect the US-224 to the computer, and 
connect power to the unit. W hen the US-224 
is connected and powered up, the Mac will 
find the drivers itself. 
 
 
 
3.3 Setting Up OMS (MacOS 
Only) 
 
 
 
Cubasis, ProTools and several other 
applications rely on OMS for MIDI 
implementation.  OMS (Open Music System) 
is a standard for MIDI management on the 
Macintosh.  Since the US-224 relies on MIDI 
controller commands for its communication 
with the host computer, you will need to 
install OMS.  (The exception is Digital 
Performer, which utilizes FreeMIDI.  The v3 
drivers support OMS and FreeMIDI 
independently.) 
 
To set up OMS to work with the US-224: 
 

 First, run the OMS installer.  If you do 
not have the current version of OMS, it 
may be freely downloaded at 
www.opcode.com.  
 

 Locate the “US-224 Drivers” folder, 
which was placed on your desktop when 
you ran the US-224 installer.  In this 
folder, locate the US-224 OMS driver.  
Drag the US-224 OMS driver into the 
OMS folder inside your System folder.  
Do not drag this file into the Opcode 
folder on your hard drive – it will not 
work correctly. 
 

 Restart your computer.  Then turn on 
the US-224 and start the OMS Setup 
application (located in the Opcode folder 
on your hard drive).  

 Select “New Studio Setup” from the File 
menu.  W hen prompted to select a serial 
(modem or printer) port, leave both 
selections unchecked.  Click yes and 
continue.  OMS will assess all the MIDI 
ports attached to your computer and 
build OMS instruments for the ones it 
recognizes. 
 

 W hen the setup is complete you should 
see a list of all your connected MIDI 
ports.  At the least you should see three 
icons pertaining to the US-224 
specifically: the US-224 icon, US-224 
MIDI port and US-224 Control port. 
 
(US-224 Control is the “virtual” MIDI port 
with which the US-224 and its control 
surface communicate with your host 
application.) 
 
Once OMS setup is successfully completed, 
you can proceed with setting up the US-224 
with your chosen application.  Please refer 
to the specific documentation for your 
application for more details. 
     
 
 
3.4 Tuning Your PC 
 
 
A few words about computers and audio. 
Much has been written about the best ways 
to optimize your PC for handling audio 
applications, and generally speaking, it’s a 
much deeper topic than we’ve got space for 
in this manual. But here are a few basic 
points to help you get the best out of your 
audio programs: 
 

 Don’t run extraneous applications. W hile 
it’s likely you’ll sometimes use your 
computer for applications other than 
audio, it’s strongly recommended that 
you avoid running other applications at 
the same time you’re running audio 
programs. Processing digital audio 
requires considerable overhead from 
your computer, so don’t overtax the 
system by running other applications 
(especially graphics or internet tools) 
that can steal those resources. 
  
						

							 
15  

 Certain devices, such as network cards 
and W inModems, can cause conflicts 
with the native handling of USB. Should 
you experience such conflicts, the 
offending device can usually be 
temporarily disabled in the Device 
Manager. Refer to your W indows 
manual for detailed instructions on how 
to resolve conflicts. 
 

 Assuming your computer has an IDE 
hard disk (most do), enabling Direct 
Memory Addressing (DMA) on will 
improve performance. Some programs 
(such as Cubase VST) allow you to 
configure the DMA as enabled on install. 
If you’ve not already done this, here’s 
how to configure the DMA transfer 
mode: On the W indows desktop, go to 
the Start menu, Settings, Control Panel, 
System. In the System Properties 
window, select the Device Manager tab. 
Click on the plus sign next to Disk 
Drives, and highlight the IDE disk listing, 
then click on the Properties button. 
Check the DMA box under options. (see 
illustration 3.03) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In addition, a number of simple hardware 
modifications and enhancements can 
substantially improve your computer’s 
handling of audio, as well as your track 
count and DSP capability: 
 
 Increase the amount of RAM in your 
system. W hile most digital audio 
software will function with a minimum of 
32 MB, increasing your computer’s RAM 
to 96, 128 or even 256 MB will markedly 
improve performance. 
 

 Consider the addition of a dedicated 
hard disk for audio; preferably one with 
a high spindle rate (over 7200 RPM is 
recommended for most audio 
applications). Using different drives for 
program and audio data speeds up the 
seek time for the audio track data. (Note 
that simply partitioning a large drive will 
not have the same effect, as the 
computer will still be accessing the 
same physical drive.) For best results, 
add a SCSI or W ide-SCSI drive and 
SCSI controller card. SCSI (and 
particularly W ide and UW -SCSI 
protocol) are capable of considerably 
higher data transfer speeds; you’ll notice 
a dramatic increase in track count and in 
the amount of signal processing plug-ins 
your computer  can handle. Note that 
some of the recent UDMA-66 drives 
have proven to be almost as fast (and 
certainly cheaper); however, they are 
still limited in the amount of physical 
drives allowed and the bus length.  
 
 

 If you’re presently using a PCI-based 
graphics card, and your motherboard 
has an AGP slot, consider getting an 
AGP-based graphics card. This will 
decrease traffic on the PCI bus and 
allow for faster screen redraws. 
 
 
 
 
Special Note:  For even more detail on 
optimizing your PC for audio, please refer to 
the PDF document PC_Optimization.pdf
 
included on the US-224 CD-ROM.  This 
document is also available on the TASCAM 
website. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Illustration 3.03 - Enabling DMA on your IDE drives  
						

							 
16
 
3.5 Notes on USB interfacing 
 
 
The USB protocol is an extremely versatile 
one, and much has been made of the 
possibility of  using multiple (over 100) 
devices on a single bus. W hile this is 
certainly a possibility, we recommend using 
as few other USB devices as possible in a 
system equipped with the US-224. The 
demands placed on the USB bus by passing 
multiple tracks of audio through it are 
considerable, and adding additional devices 
will risk reducing that bandwidth. 
 
NOTE:  The drivers of many other USB 
devices, especially CD burners, scanners, 
printers, and cameras, are written to poll the 
USB buss on a regular  basis (usually once 
every millisecond).  This can lead to 
dropouts, clicks, pops and other artifacts in 
your audio.  We strongly suggest unplugging 
any non-essential USB devices while 
recording with the US-224.  (USB keyboards 
and mice are the notable exceptions – in 
most cases they are passive devices with 
very minor bandwidth requirements.)   
 
Another well-documented advantage of USB 
is the ability to “hot-plug” devices (that is, 
plug them in and out without powering the 
computer down). W hile this applies to the 
US-224 as well, we recommend against 
plugging or unplugging, or powering the unit 
on or off, while running your audio 
application. Doing so can result in audible 
pops, or even hanging or crashing the 
program. 
 
You’ll find a listing of web links and 
resources on hard disk recording on our 
website at www.tascam.com. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
						

							 
17
4. Hooking up Audio and 
MIDI to the US-224 
 
 
 
4.1 Hooking up audio 
 
 
To monitor output from your computer, 
connect the analog outputs of the US-224 to 
your mixer, amplifier or powered monitors. 
Output volume is controlled by the LINE 
OUT level pot. If you’ve got a digital mixer, 
external D/A converter, or other device with 
S/PDIF input, you may prefer to monitor via 
the US-224’s S/PDIF output. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
To record audio from the US-224 into your 
computer, simply connect a device to the 
appropriate input.  Microphones should be 
plugged into the INPUT A or B XLR inputs.  
 
Note that the US-224 does not supply 
phantom power, so if you’re using 
condenser mics, you’ll need an external 
preamp or power supply. You can connect 
line-level sources (e.g., keyboards and 
sound modules) into one of the two LINE 
INPUTS (A or B). If you wish to plug in a 
guitar, bass, or other high-impedance 
source, simply move the sliding switch 
below the Input Trim control to the “Guitar” 
position. Finally, digital sources (e.g., CD 
players, DAT’s etc) may be connected to the 
S/PDIF INPUT. 
 
The inputs of channels A and B are 
available as either balanced XLR mic-level 
inputs, unbalanced  (1/4”) line-level inputs, 
or S/PDIF digital inputs.  Digital output is 
taken directly from the stereo output of your 
digital audio application.  Digital input is 
chosen in the US-224’s Control Panel, as 
detailed in Section 5.1. 
 
W hile it’s possible to use both mic and line 
level analog inputs simultaneously on either 
input, in actual practice this is not 
recommended, as the signal level of the 
inputs will be summed and very likely 
interfere with each other. 
 
Inputs A and B are also switchable between 
the analog inputs and the S/PDIF digital 
input. The input source is selected in the 
US-224 Control Panel main page.  (See 
section 5.1 for details). 
 
Input level for analog sources is regulated 
by the TRIM level pots.  NOTE: The INPUT 
A and B TRIM controls do not affect digital 
input. Sampled audio from the S/PDIF digital  
Illustration 4.01 - Connecting audio to the US-224 
						

							 
18  
input is passed directly to the application 
without modification. To reduce the level of 
the digital audio signal at inputs A and B, 
you will need to reduce the output level of 
your digital source. 
 
Note about levels and gain structure here. 
The TRIM controls directly affect the input 
level at the A/D converters on the US-224, 
so it’s advisable to use the SIGNAL and 
OVER LEDs to help set your levels. Unlike 
analog tape, when recording digital audio, 
it’s important to keep your input level close 
to 0dB, but never to exceed it. If the input 
level is too high, the audio signal will clip - 
not a desirable sound. If the input level is too 
low, then the dynamic range that the US-
224’s A/D’s are capable of is not being used, 
and the signal will be closer to the noise 
floor than it needs to be. In either case, this 
can not be fixed after the tracks have been 
recorded, so it’s important to make this 
adjustment carefully. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.2 Hooking up MIDI 
 
 
The MIDI in and out jacks give you 16 
channels of MIDI I/O. Simply connect the 
MIDI out of your keyboard or other device to 
a MIDI in jack on the US-224, and vice 
versa. If you’ve got a MIDI sync box, you  can use the MIDI I/O’s to send and receive 
MTC (MIDI Time Code). This allows you to 
sync tracks from your MTC-capable 
Portastudio, DTRS multitrack, or any other 
machine that accepts time code with your 
digital audio software, for transferring tracks 
back and forth for editing and processing. 
 
  
4.3 Using the Input 
Monitoring 
 
 
In digital audio, the amount of time it takes 
for the input signal to pass through the 
circuitry of the unit and the software 
processing and arrive at the outputs will 
sometimes result in an audible delay. (This 
is commonly referred to as “audio latency”.)  
This added delay can be confusing when, 
for example, you’re trying to overdub to 
previously recorded tracks.  
 
The INPUT MONITOR mixer built into  the 
US-224 eliminates this problem by providing 
a way to listen to the signals you’re  
recording directly, without any computer 
processing delay. W hen the INPUT 
MONITOR  button is depressed, the first two 
channel faders control the input levels of 
inputs A and B to the US-224’s internal 
mixer. Changes in these levels affect the 
monitor and  headphones outputs, but have 
no effect on the audio levels seen by the 
audio software  application. The first two 
MUTE buttons also affect the inputs, and 
PAN is also  available in this mode; the 
inputs come up panned to center, but can be 
SELected  and PANned anywhere within the 
stereo field.  
 
NOTE:  In INPUT MONITOR mode faders 3-
4 are inactive. 
 
NOTE: All the controls mentioned here are 
also accessible via the ASIO control  panel, 
which displays the current status of the 
INPUT MONITOR section. 
 
 
 
 
 
Illustration 4.02 - Input trims and level indicator LED’s 
						

							 
19
 
4.4 Monitor vs. Master Level 
 
 
 
It’s important to make a distinction between 
MONITOR LEVEL control and level of the 
stereo bus output, as controlled by the 
MASTER FADER.  
 
W hen using the US-224’s analog inputs, 
only the TRIM controls actually affect the 
input level to the audio software  application. 
W hen using the US-224’s Digital inputs, the 
digital audio data received at the US-224’s 
digital input is passed directly to the audio 
application without any gain or other 
modifications.  
 
W hen monitoring audio playback from the 
application via the US-224, the level is 
controlled by that track’s software gain 
control (which, in turn, is controlled by the 
US- 428’s channel FADERs), the MASTER 
FADER, and the LINE OUT or PHONES 
OUT level controls. 
 
The LINE OUT and PHONES level controls 
directly affect the audio levels that appear  
on the LINE OUTPUT and PHONES jacks, 
respectively. The audio level produced at 
the DIGITAL OUTPUT is not affected by 
either control. 
 
The MASTER FADER is the final level 
control affecting the digital stereo output to 
the application, consequently changes made 
to the MASTER FADER level will also affect  
the output level to the speakers. 
 
Thus, if you want to simply reduce the 
volume of your listening environment, you’ll 
want  to use the MONITOR LEVEL control 
to do this without affecting the level of your 
stereo  mix. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
						

							 
20
5. The US-224 Control 
Panel 
 
5.1  Main Page 
 
 
In the Control Panel’s main page, you can 
specify a number of options of the US-224’s 
ASIO handling. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Control Surface Protocol setting 
governs the type of MIDI messages used to 
send fader and button information from the 
US-224 to applications. The corresponding 
drop-down box allows you  to select from 
US-224 Native or US-428 emulation modes. 
For more information US-428 emulation 
mode, refer to chapter 8.  For use with most 
DAW  applications, it’s recommended that 
you leave the default “US-224 Native” 
selection. 
 
The Master Fader always sends changes in 
position via MIDI. It can also be used to 
make the US-224 itself change the output 
level coming from an application. (This is 
useful for programs that  do not  have their 
own master volume control, such as Sound 
Forge.) In Cubasis, select the MIDI only 
option. 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Input selector toggles the source of the 
US-224’s inputs from analog (via any of the 
mic or line inputs) to digital (via the S/PDIF 
input). 
 
The Status area provides a view of the US-
224’s current settings: 
 
Clock source:   Internal or Digital In 
Sample rate:   44100 or 48000 
Resolution:   24 Bit or 16 Bit 
 
Digital input: 
 
 
Signal:  
Red - no digital input 
Green - digital input active 
 
Fmt:    
Red - improper format 
Green - proper S/PDIF format 
 
Lock:    
Red - digital in not ready to record, 
Green - digital in ready to record
 
 
 
The Input Monitor area is a viewable and 
controllable version of the US-224 INPUT 
MONITOR mixer. Here you can control the 
level and position of each US-224 input as it 
will appear on the LINE OUTPUT, DIGITAL 
OUT, and PHONES connectors. Three 
controls (level, pan and mute) are available 
for both inputs. Note that these controls can 
also be changed from the US-224 by 
pressing the INPUT MONITOR switch on 
the unit, and using channel strips 1and 2. If 
you make the changes this way, the controls 
displayed in the US-224 Control Panel will 
be updated to reflect the new values. 
 
Any settings shown in the input monitor 
section of this control panel can be saved as 
one of four Snapshots. To save your 
settings as snapshot number 1, for example. 
click  on “Save” and then click on “1”. Any 
snapshot can then be recalled by just 
clicking on its corresponding button. 
Illustration 5.01 - Control Panel Main Page