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Direct Pro 24/96 Owner’s Manual
MAIN CONTROL PANEL
This will be the first screen you see when you click the Direct Pro 24/96 Control Panel icon on your
desktop.
1) Input Trim Adjustments
These settings provide real-time gain ad-
justments to the analog inputs. They oper-
ate exactly like trim adjustments on an
analog mixer. Each of the 4 input channels
have their own separate 3-stage analog
input gain adjustment to make each ana-
log input on the Direct Pro 24/96 universal. It is truly versatile because each input accept either an XLR
Mic or 1/4 inch connector, and a very wide range of gain adjustability is provided.
The numerical display shows the gain in dB of the input signal. This is assuming that MC1 & MC2 are
used with a microphone input on the XLR connector, and the LN gain stage is used with a line level on
the 1/4” connector.
MC2 MC1 LN
Mic (far away) Mic (normal) Line Level (either –10dBv
or +4dBu)
Gain Range: Gain Range: Gain Range:
+75 dB to +52 dB +55 dB to +32 dB +9 dB to –14 dB
For XLR input connector only. For XLR input connector only. For 1/4” input connector only.
LN (Line Level 1/4” Input)
This setting should be used for the line level inputs from any tape machine, mixer, analog multitrack or
keyboard analog outputs with either +4 dBu (professional) or –10 dBv (consumer) level. You can set the
gain adjustment knob to get 0 dB gain (no gain) or you can tweak the level up +9 dB from the original or
cut the signal down -14 dB.
MC1 (Normal Microphone Gain)
This setting can be used for any normal microphone gain setting such as guitar, vocals or drums. It will
add a typical gain that you would find on many mixers with a fine tune adjustment to bring the overall
gain up +32 dB all the way to +55 dB.
It is also normal to use this setting for –10dBv line level signals that are very low. This extra gain may
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Direct Pro 24/96 Main Control Panel Direct Pro 24/96 Main Control Panel - Input Select
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improve recordings from portable CD players or other devices that output only a low level consumer
audio signal so there is enough signal to provide for better recordings.
MC2 (Low Level Microphone Gain)
This setting can be used for any low level microphone or room ambiance mics that need extra boost in
the mic preamplifier. This adds more than normal gain to microphones for the few specific applications
that require more gain to get a good level signal into the computer. The knob will allow +75 dB to +52 dB
gain on the input.
2) Input Select
The input strips Analog 1 and Analog 2 are always for the physical inputs on the front of the Direct
Pro 24/96. However, the Analog 3 and Analog 4 input strips can be switched between the Analog 3
and Analog 4 inputs on the front of the Direct Pro 24/96, OR it can be the digital S/PDIF input that is
located on the PCI host card.
To record S/PDIF digital, use the bottom RCA connector on the PCI card and click on the white box at
the top of input strips 3 and 4. This will change the 3, 4 input to record S/PDIF. Then you can easily
record or add effects to any digital signal in your studio.
EFFECTS
Our effects are processed by the Direct Pro 24/96’s dedicated DSP chip. Unlike plugins, these effects
bypass the CPU, allowing zero-latency monitoring of effects. Each input channel has a dedicated com-
pressor and EQ, and all input and output channels share the same master reverb.
Coarse adjustments of effects can be performed by clicking the knob, and dragging it to the desired
position. Then, you can make fine adjustments by highlighting that knob and using the left and right
arrow buttons on your keyboard.
Note: If you choose to record in 96 kHz, you will not be able to use the Direct Pro 24/96’s DSP effects.
You must never plug in a +4dB professional level audio signal into the XLR connector.
This can damage the Direct Pro 24/96!!