M-AUDIO Digital Recording Interface Delta 44 - Manual (Page 11)

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preferred for semi-pro audio equipment and some consumer equipment that is
too ‘hot’ for the ‘-10’ setting. The ‘Consumer’ setting offers approximately 6dB
more headroom than does the ‘-10’ setting. Semi-pro and consumer devices’
signal levels vary from manufacturer-to-manufacturer and even product-to-
product, so a little experimentation between Consumer and -10 settings may be
required for optimal results.
NOTE: In order to preserve its high dynamic range and minimize
distortion, the Delta 44 does not have microphone pre-amplifiers
built into it. Therefore direct connection to a microphone is not
recommended.
Instead run the microphone signal into a
microphone pre-amp (such as the Midiman "Audio Buddy™") and
then connect the pre-amp output to the input of the Delta 44.
All jacks on the Delta 44 break-out box are of the 1/4” TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve)
variety. The TRS jacks allow connection to either balanced (typically professional)
or unbalanced (typically consumer or semi-pro) equipment. +4dBu balanced
configurations provide the highest performance and should be used whenever
possible. The Delta 44’s analog connections support combinations of balanced and
unbalanced, +4dBu, consumer, and -10dBV level signals.
The Digital Monitor Mixer
The Delta 44 Digital Recording System has a hardware digital audio mixer built into
its PCI controller chip. It accepts digital audio streams from all hardware inputs and
all outgoing software audio devices, mixes them with 36-bit internal precision and
then provides the mixed output to one or more locations. For the purpose of
monitoring, the output of the mixer may be routed to the first set of Delta 44 analog
outputs H/W OUT1/OUT2, as a stereo pair. At the same time the mixer may be used
for stereo mix-down, with the mixer’s output recorded into the user’s application
software. The digital audio mixer is configured and controlled by the included Delta
Control Panel Software.
The Patchbay / Router
In addition to the built-in monitor mixer, the Delta 44 Digital Recording Interface
includes an output patchbay/router. The patchbay/router allows each output to be
connected to several input sources. The Delta 44’s outputs may accept audio from
software sources (the output devices visible in your audio software applications) or
from hardware sources such as the analog inputs or the monitor mixer. This
capability makes the Delta 44 quite flexible for WAV output, monitoring, or directly
connecting inputs to outputs for “system test” purposes.