The following instructions describe the use of Symphony I/O with Pro Tools HDX, HD Core/Accel and HD Native PCI cards. Note that with Release 4.2 and greater, Symphony I/O (in Pro Tools HD audio interface mode) emulates an Avid HD I/O interface. With Release 4.1 and lower, Symphony I/O emulates an Avid 192 interface.
When working with Pro Tools software and Symphony I/O, it may be helpful to keep in mind the following principles of operation.
Each installed I/O Module is detected in Pro Tools' Hardware Setup as an Avid HD I/O interface, and transmits and receives 16 channels of audio with the Pro Tools HD PCI card.
When 1 I/O Module is installed (or 1 I/O Module plus a Mic Pre Module), Symphony I/O is detected as 1 HD I/O, providing 16 bi-directional audio channels.
When 2 I/O Modules are installed, a single Symphony I/O is detected as 2 HD I/Os, providing 32 bi-directional audio channels (as shown below).
Symphony I/O's clock source is set from Pro Tools software; Symphony I/O's sample rate is set by the Pro Tools session.
Any other Pro Tools hardware commands (mosty in the Hardware Setup window) are ignored by Symphony I/O.
Other Symphony I/O settings, such as levels and formats, are made in Apogee Maestro software, which communicates with Symphony I/O via the USB connection. Symphony I/O is detected in Apogee Maestro as a USB device.
Once Symphony I/O has been connected to a Pro Tools HD PCI card (see Connecting to Pro Tools HD PCI Cards), open the Pro Tools application.
Pro Tools' Hardware Setup window is used to configure Avid HD I/O hardware settings - since most of the settings aren't relevant to a Symphony I/O, they have no effect on Apogee hardware. Symphony I/O's hardware settings should be made in Maestro 2. The only exception to this rule is Clock Source, found in Pro Tools' Hardware Setup and Session Setup windows.
To ensure that Pro Tools' Delay Compensation works properly with Symphony I/O, make the following settings in the Hardware Setup window.
1. Choose Setup > Hardware.
2. In the Peripherals pane, check that each Symphony I/O Module is detected as an HD I/O. Choose the first HD I/O in the Peripherals list.
3. Click the Main tab, then click Set To Default. (When using a 2x6 IO Module, a custom setting, shown below, is used).
4. Under Digital Format, click the S/PDIF radio button.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for each HD I/O in the Peripherals list.
The following diagrams show the correspondence between 1) Hardware Setup Clock Source settings and Symphony I/O clock inputs 2) displayed HD I/O audio inputs and outputs and actual Symphony IO Module inputs and outputs.
2x6 Analog I/O + 8 Optical I/O + AES I/O
To provide a better correspondence between displayed HD I/O settings and actual 2x6 IO Modules inputs and outputs, configure the Hardware Setup window as shown below. This configuration reflects the actual routing between the 2x6 IO Module I/O and Pro Tools:
IO Module Analog Inputs 1-2 = Hardware Setup Input 1-2
IO Module Analog Output 1-6 = Hardware Setup Output 1-6
IO Module AES Input/Output 1-2 = Hardware Setup Input/Output 7-8
IO Module ADAT Input/Output 1-8 = Hardware Setup Input/Output 9-16 (at 88k2-96kHz, IO Module SMUX Input/Output 1-4 = Hardware Setup Input/Output 9-12).
Note that Optical inputs and outputs (including the Opt In 1 ADAT clock setting) are not available at 176.4-192k sampling rates.
Note that IO Module Optical Out paths are shown as Analog paths in Pro Tools. Though this does not affect the transmission of digital audio, Delay Compensation values added by Pro Tools to channels using these outputs won't be accurate.
Note that IO Module Optical In paths are shown as Analog paths in Pro Tools. Though this does not affect the transmission of digital audio, Delay Compensation values added by Pro Tools to channels using these inputs won't be accurate.
Pro Tools' I/O Setup window is used to route 16 channels of hardware I/O per interface to Pro Tools software channel I/O.
Choose Setup > I/O and click the Input tab.
Delete all paths by Option-clicking the audio paths column on the left side of the window, then click Default.
Click the Output and Insert tabs and repeat step 2.
Once you've grasped audio routing between Symphony I/O and Pro Tools software using the I/O Setup default labels, it's suggested to modify the labels to more closely correspond with the actual inputs and outputs on connected Symphony I/Os. For example, if an 8 Analog + 8 Optical and an 8 Analog + 8 AES module were installed in a Symphony I/O, the labels in the I/O Setup window should be modified as shown below.
