ALESIS 320USB - Manual (Page 7)

5
Tip: While in Sounds and
Audio Devices, we
recommend turning off
Windows system sounds
so they do not interfere
with your audio while in the
middle of a session. You
can do this by clicking on
the
Sounds tab and
selecting No Sounds
under the Sound Scheme
pull-down menu.
CONFIGURATION UNDER WINDOWS
The M1Active 320 USB speakers are plug-and-play under Windows XP/Vista so there is no
special driver installation necessary. Simply power on the speakers, connect them to your
computer’s USB port and all the necessary drivers will be automatically installed.
When you first plug the speakers into your computer, you will
see a few messages similar to the one shown on the left. Allow
the process to complete.
Once the process has completed, you will see the
message displayed on the left. Your speakers are
now ready to use.
You may choose to use the M1Active 320 USB
speakers as the default audio output for your
computer. To access your computer’s default audio
preferences, go to Start
Control Panel
Sounds and Audio Devices and click on the
Audio tab.
You will see the screen displayed on the right.
To select the speakers
as the default
playback device,
choose USB Audio
CODEC under Sound
Playback.
To select the speakers
as the default
recording device,
choose USB Audio
CODEC under Sound
Recording.
ABOUT LATENCY & THIRD-PARTY ASIO DRIVERS
“Latency” is the delay between the moment when audio is generated and the moment when
you actually hear it. Higher latency means a longer delay.
The M1Active 320 USB speakers feature zero latency direct monitoring so you don’t have to
worry about latency when monitoring input sources connected to the rear of the speakers.
However, latency may become an issue when using software synths and instruments.
Generally, you want to keep latency as low as possible while still allowing your equipment to
operate without glitches. Latency and buffering is usually adjusted in your software’s
Preferences settings.
If you still experience too much latency or “lag” when using software synths and
instruments, you might want to download one of the free and widely available ASIO (Audio
Stream Input/Output) drivers from the Internet. In general, ASIO drivers may perform better
and with lower latency since they create a more efficient communication between audio
devices and software. You may download and install the free ASIO4ALL driver (PC) by
visiting www.asio4all.com.