Tascam Digital Workstation Controller US-224 Owners Manual

							 
31
8. Other Applications and 
US-428 Emulation Mode 
 
As we’ve mentioned throughout this manual, 
the US-224 is an extremely versatile device.  
Its capabilities as a controller go well beyond 
those we’ve described thus far with the 
bundled Cubasis program.   
 
Since the US-224 is based on TASCAM’s 
very popular US-428, it is capable of 
providing basic functionality in most of the 
applications supported by the US-428 
(subject to its hardware limitations). 
 
Clearly it would be impossible to fully 
document the US-224’s operational details 
with each application.  If you want to operate 
the US-224 with a US-428 supported 
application in US-428 emulation mode, 
please refer to the specific chapter in the 
US-428 manual for details on setup and 
operation with that application.  
 
It’s also important to note that the US-224 is 
fully functional as a 16- and 24-bit audio 
interface and 16 channel MIDI interface with 
virtually all W indows and MacOS compatible 
applications.  Even those applications which 
do not support the US-224 as a controller 
can still use the US-224 as an audio and 
MIDI interface.   
 
Since the US-428’s release, TASCAM has 
been working together with developers 
throughout the professional audio industry 
and beyond to create support for new 
applications; much of this research will also 
benefit users of the US-224. Since the 
development of new support for the US-428 
and US-224 is ongoing and expanding, we 
recommend you visit the Computer 
Recording area of 
www.tascam.com for 
current news and information, and check out 
the online users’ forum as well.   
 
These individual documents are also 
available on the CD-ROM, as well as on our 
website.  As new application support 
becomes available, we will be posting the 
information for free download.  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
						

							 
32  
8.1 Setting up Sound 
Manager Support 
(for use with 
ProTools Free and Other MacOS 
Applications)  
 
The Macintosh Sound Manager is a 
standard 2-channel software interface for 
playing and recording sound on a Mac. The 
audio inputs and outputs (speakers) that are 
built into any Macintosh use the Sound 
Manager interface, and essentially every 
Mac application that uses sound supports it. 
This includes not only audio recording and 
editing programs, but also games, video 
editors, web browsers, MP3 players, and 
even Macintosh beeps and system sounds. 
Even some audio-oriented program only 
support Sound Manager I/O, such as 
Digidesign’s Pro Tools Free. The Sound 
Manager input and output sources are 
selected by control panels. The control 
panels used are different in MacOS 8.6 and 
9.0, and are explained separately below. 
 
 
MacOS 9.0 
 
The “Sound” control panel in MacOS 9.0 is 
used to select Sound Manager inputs and 
outputs. W ith this control panel active, click 
on the left of the window where it says 
“Output” to display the possible Sound 
Manager output devices. On the right, click 
on “US-224” to select it as the Sound 
Manager output. The US-224 has its own 
output volume controls, so the output 
volume slider can only be able to mute or 
enable sound output. Moving the volume 
slider to the right or clicking on it will send a 
system beep out the US-224 outputs. 
 
W hen you click “Input” on the left, the 
available input devices appear on the right. 
Click on “US-224” to select it as the Sound 
Manager input device. Below it is “Input 
Source”: select A:B.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
W hen an application is using the Sound 
Manager inputs, this “Input Source” field is 
grayed out, displaying the current inputs but 
preventing you from changing them here. 
You can still change the input pair without 
quitting your program, however. To do this, 
bring up the US-224 control panel and go to 
the System tab. You will find a selection 
there labeled “Sound Manager Input.” Here 
you can change the input pair at any time, 
even when an audio program is active. The 
grayed out “Input Source” field in the 
“Sound” control panel “Input” section will 
display any input changes you make. 
 
 
MacOS 8.6 
 
The “Monitors and Sound” control panel in 
MacOS 8.6 has a “Sound” section. It 
displays the currently selected Sound 
Manager output and lets you select among 
several “Built In” input sources. It cannot be 
used to select the US-224 as the Sound 
Manger input or output. 
 
The “Sound” control panel has a selection 
line at the top to let you choose among 
“Alert Sound,” “Sound In,” “Sound Out,” and 
“Volume” windows. (Note: If your “Sound” 
control panel does not have all these 
options, you should use the alternate 
“Sound” control panel found in Apple 
Extras/Sound Control Panel.) W ith “Output” 
selected, you can choose “US-224” as the 
Sound Manager output. Since the US-224 
has its own output volume control, its slider  
						

							 
33 under “Volume” in this control panel is only 
used to enable or mute the US-224 output. 
 
Under “Sound In” you can select the “US-
224” instead of the Mac’s Built-in sources.  
You can also do this under the “US-224” 
control panel’s “System” tab. There you will 
find a field labeled “Sound Manager Input”. 
You can change this setting at any time, 
even while a program is using the Sound 
Manager I/O. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
						

							 
34
9. Technical Support 
 
 
9.1 Troubleshooting 
 
 
 
W hen installing the US-224 for the first time, 
if you experience any unusual behavior, 
here are some things to check: 
 
 
Audio Drivers   
 
In Control Panel / System / Device 
Manager
 (W in98SE/ME) or Control Panel 
/ System / Hardware / Device Manager 
(W in2000/XP), find the Audio control panel. 
Its called Sound, Video And Game 
Controllers in W in98SE, or Sound & 
Multimedia in W 98ME and W in2K. You 
should see two entries for the US-224: 
 

 TASCAM US-224 

 US-224 W DM Interface  
 
In Control Panel / Multimedia, select the 
Audio tab. 
 
Under Playback, US-224 Out should 
appear in the drop down menu 
Under Recording, US-224 A:B should 
appear in the drop down menu 
 
 
MIDI Drivers:   
 
In Control Panel / Multimedia, select the 
MIDI tab. W hen Single Instrument is 
selected, you should see:  
 

 US-224 Port 1 

 US-224 Control  
 
In Control Panel / Multimedia, select the 
Devices tab. Under
 Audio Devices, you 
should see: 
 

 Audio for US-224  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Under Midi Devices And Instruments you 
should see: 
 

 MIDI for US-224.  
 
Expand by clicking on the plus (+) sign and 
you should see: 
 

 US-224 Port 1 

 US-224 Control 
 
(Port 1 corresponds to the US-224s 
physical MIDI I/O ports. US-224 Control is 
the virtual USB MIDI port with which the 
US-224 and its control surface communicate 
with your application.)  
 
 
 
 
9.2 Tech Support Contacts 
 
 
If youre unable to solve an installation 
problem, youve got several options for help.  
 
First, we recommend you visit our website at 
www.tascam.com, and check for any 
updates, FAQ or support news.  
 
Also on our website, youll find our always 
lively Online User Forums. TASCAM 
Product Specialists are on line to field 
questions, but don’t be surprised if your 
question is answered by another user.  The 
BBS is also a forum for discussion, 
comments and ideas on the US-224 and 
US-428. You’ll find users of a variety of 
software platforms, so someone’s likely to 
be familiar with your program of choice.  
 
 
 
 
  
						

							 
35  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Also, since many of the situations you’re 
likely to encounter will be related to the 
software you’re using, it’s a good idea to 
check not only our website, but the websites 
and resources of the software program’s 
manufacturer as well. 
 
You can also email us at 
[email protected], or contact our 
telephone support.  Outside the US, please 
see the Contact page of our website for 
worldwide contact information.  
 
 
Before Contacting Us 
 
Before contacting us with your query, please 
have the following information available:  
 

 Type of Computer (PC or Mac), 
processor type and speed, and (if 
possible) motherboard 

 Type of USB Host controller (see the 
US-224 manual for details) 

 Installed RAM, type of hard drive(s) 

 Type of graphic card  

 W hat OS are you running?  

 If running W indows98SE, have you 
installed the HotFix?  

 W hat other hardware is installed in this 
computer? SoundBlaster or other audio 
cards? Other USB devices/hubs? 
Scanner, CD burners, W inModem, etc?  

 W hat application(s) are you running?  

 If running the bundled Cubasis 
application, is/was another version of 
Cubase or Cubasis installed?  

 W hat plugins to you have installed?  
 
Please provide us with full details of your 
problem, including: 
 

 Any errors or oddities encountered 
during setup and installation Items listed 
above that do not appear  

 Any error messages encountered. 
Please try to copy or quote them in full. 

 Any behavior that may cause errors, 
especially repeatable ones. 
 
9.3 Troubleshooting FAQs 
 
 
NOTE: W hile this manual contains some 
basic FAQ’s, you will find a much more 
detailed FAQ document on the US-224 CD-
ROM.  The FAQ is also updated on a 
regular basis, so we suggest you check the 
TASCAM website for the current version.     
 
 
Q. I don’t see the US-224 in Cubasis’ 
Audio Control Panel. 
A. Check to see if the US-224 is installed 
correctly within your OS. In W indows, go to 
the  Device Manager (My Computer/Control 
Panel/Setup), and click on the Sound, video  
and Game controllers tab to make sure the 
US-224 is installed and operating correctly.  
Also check to see that your USB cable is 
connected securely, and that the unit is 
powered up before booting Cubasis.  
 
Q. I’ve connected audio to the US-224, 
but can’t hear anything. 
A. Make sure your input levels are sufficient. 
The green INPUT LED’s should light to 
indicate the presence of analog audio signal 
at the inputs. Make sure your monitor or 
headphone levels are turned up, and 
connected correctly. 
 
Q. My audio is distorted. 
A. Check to see if the signal is overloading. 
The red OL LED’s should only occasionally  
flicker. In the case of a digital input, try 
reducing the output level of the source. 
 
Q. I can see a response on screen from 
Cubasis to the US-224, but I don’t hear 
any audio. 
A. Make sure your audio signal path is 
correctly routed. Make sure the channels 
you’re  trying to monitor are not in Input 
mode. Make sure your output level is turned 
up. Make  sure that the US-224 ASIO driver 
(16 or 24 bit) is selected. 
 
Q. I can hear audio, but I see no response 
to the US-224 on screen. 
A. Make sure you’ve got the US-224 
selected in the VST Remote menu. Make 
sure  you’re looking at the correct BANK of 
faders on screen.  
						

							 
36
 
Appendix A - MIDI Implementation Chart 
 
 
       
 
Function  Transmitted Recognized Remarks 
Basic Channel    Default Changed  X 
X X 
X Through 
Mode 
 Default 
Messages 
Altered X 
X 
…… X 
X 
 Through 
Note  
Number  
True Voice X 
…… X Through 
Velocity Note ON 
Note OFF X 
X X 
X Through 
After Touch  Keys 
Channels X 
X X 
X Through 
Pitch Bender    X  X  Through 
Control Change    X  X  Through 
Program Change   
True # X 
……  X Through 
 
System Exclusive    X  X  Through 
 
System Common  :Song Pos 
:Song Sel 
:Tune X 
X 
X X 
X 
X Through 
System  
Real Time :Clock 
:Commands X 
X X 
X Through 
Aux Messages  :Local ON/OFF 
:All Notes OFF 
:Active Sense 
:Reset X 
X 
X 
X X 
X 
X 
X Through 
 
Mode 1  :  OMNI ON, POLY    Mode 2  :  OMNI ON, MONO     O:Yes 
Mode 3  :  OMNI OFF, POLY    Mode 4  :  OMNI OFF, MONO     X: No 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
						

							 
37
 
Appendix B – Control Protocol 
 
 
 
Purpose 
 
Provide simple, effective integration between the US-224 and host software applications. 
 
 
Introduction 
 
The US-224 provides digital audio I/O, MIDI, and control surface functions in a single affordable 
USB-based product. W hile the audio and MIDI I/O follow established which are easily interfaced 
with host applications, full integration of the control surface aspects of the US-224 requires a set 
of messages to be defined which permits two-way communication of control information between 
the host application and US-224. 
 
 
Functional Groups 
 
The US-224s control surface are divided into several major functional groups: 
 

 Transport and Locate switches and status LEDs 

 Per-channel controls (faders, switches, and LEDs) 

 Bank switching buttons and LEDs 

 Function switches, LEDs and continuous data wheel 
 
 
Communication model 
 
Standard MIDI controller and sysex messages will be used to communicate between the host and 
US-224. In many cases, the commands transmitted by the US-224 are identical to those 
generated by the JL Cooper CS-10 controller. In general, it is desired that overall system state 
information be maintained by the host application, rather than in the US-224. As an example, 
here is how a change in transport state from STOP to PLAY might be communicated: 
 

 User presses PLAY button on US-224. 

 Play-button command is sent via USB to host application as MIDI . 

 Application receives Play message from the US-224 Control Midi input device. 

 Application switches to PLAY mode, just as if user had performed the operation with a 
mouse-click. 

 Application sends Transport Update message to US-224 Control Midi output device, which 
is sent via USB to the US-224. 

 US-224 interprets transport-update command, and responds by activating the PLAY LED. 
 
In this example, the US-224 doesnt know the state of the transport. It has simply sent  
command indicating the button-press, and responded to the transport-update command from the 
host by lighting the appropriate transport LED. 
 
 
 
 
  
						

							 
38 Transport/Locate command set 
 
The US-224 contains a set of standard transport switches: REW , FFW D, STOP, PLAY, and REC. 
In addition, dedicated status LEDs are used to communicate the current transport state to the 
user. The LEDs indicate REW , FFW D, PLAY, and REC. (Note that there is no LED to indicate 
STOP.) Additionally, there are three locate switches, which can be used to set and locate to 
markers established on the host applications timeline. SET is intended to be used as a SHIFT 
key, along with either the < or > button to drop a marker at the applications current time. 
 
 
US-224 to Host Messages (transmitted at button-down):
 
 
• TRANSPORT_REW IND 
oButton-down: BF 13 7F 
oButton-up: BF 13 00 
• TRANSPORT_FFW D 
oButton-down: BF 14 7F 
oButton-up: BF 14 00 
• TRANSPORT_STOP 
oButton-down: BF 15 7F 
oButton-up: BF 15 00 
• TRANSPORT_PLAY 
oButton-down: BF 16 7F 
oButton-up: BF 16 00 
• TRANSPORT_REC 
oButton-down: BF 17 7F 
oButton-up: BF 17 00 
• LOCATE_LEFT (non CS-10) 
oButton-down: BF 18 7F 
oButton-up: BF 18 00 7. 
• LOCATE_RIGHT (non CS-10) 
oButton-down: BF 19 7F 
oButton-up: BF 19 00 
• SET_LOCATE (non CS-10) 
oButton-down: BF 1A 7F 
oButton-up: BF 1A 00 
 
 
Host to US-224 Messages (transmitted when host transport-state changes:
 
 
• UPDATE_TRANSPORT_LED: 
 
oState is REW IND: F0 4E  12 01 13  F7 
oState is FFW D: F0 4E  12 01 14  F7 
oState is STOP: F0 4E  12 01 15  F7 
(Note: US-224 has no STOP LED: message is defined for future devices) 
oState is PLAY: F0 4E  12 01 16  F7 
oState is REC: F0 4E  12 01 17  F7 
 
W here: 
•  is device ID. Should be transmitted as 0 for now. 
•  == 0 turns LED OFF 
•  == 7F turns LED ON 
 
  
						

							 
39
 
Per-channel Control command set 
 
 
The US-224 includes a set of 4 channel-strip controls and LEDs. Each channel-strip includes the 
following controls: 
 
a.  linear fader for gain control 
b.  Mute/Solo switch and LED 
c. Record-enable LED 
d.  Select switch and LED 
 
Three modifier switches affect the channel strip indicators: 
 
a.  A momentary NULL switch and LED (to aid the user in matching the fader sliders with the 
virtual value maintained by the application software). W hen the application receives a 
NULL button-down message, it compares its internal fader values with the most recently-
received physical fader positions for the currently- active bank of eight channels, and 
sends out messages which light the REC and SELECT LEDs to indicate the direction the 
user needs to move each of the faders to agree with the applications virtual fader levels. 
W hen the user releases NULL, the application sends REC and SELECT LED update 
messages which will cause them to revert to their native function (indicating record and 
channel-select status). 
 
b.  A REC (record) button which acts as a shift key, enabling the track select switches to 
affect the record-enable status of the corresponding track in the application software. 
 
c.  A MUTE/SOLO mode button, which toggles the function of the mute buttons and 
indicators, making them activate a SOLO function on their associated track. 
 
 
US-224 to Host Commands:
 
 
 
1.  FADER_POSITION: BF 4x vv x = [0..3], vv = [0..3F] 
2. MUTE_SW ITCH: 
a.  Button-down: BF 0x 7F 
b.  Button-up: BF 0x 0 x=[0..3] 
3. SELECT_SW ITCH: 
a.  Button-down: BF 2x 7F 
b.  Button-up: BF 2x 00 x=[0..3] 
4. NULL_SW ITCH 
a.  Button-down: BF 28 7F 
b.  Button-up: BF 28 00 
5. REC_EN_SW ITCH: 
a.  Button-down: BF 29 7F 
b.  Button-up: BF 29 00 
6. SOLO_SW ITCH: 
a.  Button-down: BF 2A 7F 
b.  Button-up: BF 2A 00 
 
 
 
 
  
						

							 
40 Host to US-224 Messages:
 
 
Note: In these messages, is a number in the range [0..3], corresponding to the 
channel-strip #, and is either 0x00 (LED OFF) or 0x7F (LED ON) . Transmit as 
0 for now. 
 
1.  UPDATE_MUTE_LED: F0 4E12 02  F7 
2.  UPDATE_SEL_LED: F0 4E 12 03  F7 
3.  UPDATE_REC_LED: F0 4E 12 04 F7 
4.  UPDATE_NULL_LED: F0 4E 12 05  F7 
5.  UPDATE_SOLOMODE_LED: F0 4E 12 06  F7 
 
Note: following message forces US-224 to send current fader position messages to host via the 
US-224 Control Port 
 
6.  DUMP_FADER_POS: F0 4E12 10  F7 
 
 
Bank-Switching Command Set 
 
The US-224 has two switches that allow the user to select the bank of application channels that is 
addressed by the four channel-strips. For example, an application with 32 virtual tracks would 
define eight banks of four channel strips each. The Bank-L and Bank-R switches let the user 
quickly shift the control surface to address any bank of four channels. There are two LEDs 
adjacent to the Bank-L and Bank-R switches, which indicate that pressing the button will cause 
the application software to switch to the next lower or higher bank, respectively. It is OFF when 
there are no further virtual fader banks available in that direction. 
 
 
US-224 to Host Commands
 
 
• BANK_LEFT: 
oButton-down: BF 10 7F 
oButton-up: BF 10 00 
• BANK_RIGHT: 
oButton-down: BF 11 7F 
oButton-up: BF 11 00 
 
 
Host to US-224 Messages:
 
 
1.  UPDATE_BANK_LEFT_LED: F0 4E 12 07 F7 
2.  UPDATE_BANK_RIGHT_LED: F0 4E 12 08 F7 
 
where is either 0x00 (LED OFF) or 0x7F (LED ON) is device ID. Should be 
transmitted as 0 for now. 
 
 
Continuous data wheel 
 
A data wheel is provided for general-purpose parameter modification. In addition to the pan level 
setting described above, the data could be used for scrubbing, locating, or any other purpose the 
application programmer desires.