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Author Topic: Frontier Design waveCenter PCI (1998) w/ ADAT + midi interface built in  (Read 4774 times)

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Offline chrisNova777

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driver support for vista 32bit/64bit | macos9 driver dated 2004-dec-4th

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WaveCenter/PCI Specifications
Digital Audio

    1 ADAT optical input (8 channels)
    1 ADAT optical output (8 channels)
    S/PDIF stereo input from coax, CD-ROM, or the optical input
    S/PDIF stereo output to coax and/or the optical output
    All channels support 16-bit, 20-bit, 24-bit audio
    44.1 and 48kHz internal sample rate clock generation; locks to digital inputs from 39-51kHz
    Dynamically resamples 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, and 32kHz digital audio to 44.1 or 48kHz for output to digital tape machines or external converters

MIDI

    2 input ports and 2 output ports (32 channels in and out)
    Includes breakout cable to provide industry-standard MIDI jacks

Other

    ASIO 2.0 driver for low-latency performance with Steinberg's Cubase VST software
    Direct GigaSampler Interface driver for 8 channels of 24-bit audio from Nemesys' GigaSampler software
    Macintosh driver available (ASIO audio and OMS MIDI)
    WDM driver available for Windows XP, 2000, ME, 98SE
    Patchbay for input monitoring and digital audio format conversions (ADAT<->S/PDIF, for example)
    System requirements: one PCI short slot, one IRQ
    Easy plug-and-play installation
    Control panel software for status and feature control. Compatible with PC audio and MIDI applications, including Cakewalk Pro Audio, Sonar, SAWPro, Vegas, Samplitude Studio, Sound Forge, Cubase VST, and Cool Edit Pro.

manual: http://www.frontierdesign.com/download/pdf/WaveCenterPCI/WCPCI_Guide.pdf
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul98/articles/frontierwave.html
http://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/re-installing-wavecenter-pci-driver-windows/
https://www.frontierdesign.com/download/pdf/WaveCenterPCI/
windows 32bit driver (98se/ME/2k/XP/Vista)
Windows 64bit driver (XP64/Vista64)
Mac OS Driver (8.6-9.22)
more info + downloads (pdfs) http://www.frontierdesign.com/Products/WaveCenterPCI/Downloads


there was also an ISA version of this card released in 1996
http://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/what-differences-between-wavecenter-pci-original-wavecenter-isa-card/

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There's plenty of choice when it comes to audio cards for Windows 95/NT PCs – JANET HARNIMAN COOK finds out what sets the new WaveCenter from Frontier Design Group apart from the pack.

 

The WaveCenter, from US developers Frontier Design Group, is a multichannel audio card that offers up to 10 channels of simultaneous studio quality audio playback, eight channels of recording, and a choice of digital interface options. You can connect directly to ADATs, digital mixers, hardware effects processors, digital audio workstations (DAWs), digital video recorders, CD players, CD recorders and synthesizers. Thanks to the card's support for three digital I/O formats – Alesis optical, S/PDIF optical and S/PDIF electrical – ADAT users can transfer all eight tracks to the PC at a single pass, and the WaveCenter can also be used for format conversion between S/PDIF optical and RCA phono, and between Alesis ADAT Lightpipe and S/PDIF. The versatility of the card is further enhanced by the inclusion of a very capable 1-in/3-out MIDI interface, and if 10 audio channels aren't enough for you, two WaveCenter cards can be run in tandem on the same PC to give you a staggering 20 digital audio output channels.

To interface with the world of analogue audio, however, you will need some additional hardware, as the WaveCenter has only digital connections. Fortunately, Frontier Design Group offer two external converter boxes that add multichannel analogue inputs and outputs. The Zulu is a 4-in/8-out device, and the pro-orientated Tango offers eight analogue outputs, word clock synchronisation, and up to eight audio inputs. The possibility of the hostile PC electrical environment introducing noise into the analogue signal chain is eliminated, because audio data is transferred optically to the Zulu or Tango in either 8-channel Alesis ADAT Lightpipe or stereo S/PDIF format. Furthermore, as the Zulu or Tango can be positioned up to 10 metres away, the analogue electronics can be kept at a safe physical distance from the PC (see box for further details on the Zulu and Tango interfaces).
COMPATIBILITY

The WaveCenter can be used on PC computers running either Windows 95 or Windows NT; drivers for both systems can be found on the WaveCenter installation disk. The Windows 95 WaveCenter drivers are MME-compatible, so the card can be used with standard Windows stereo audio editing and recording software such as Steinberg WaveLab, Sonic Foundry Sound Forge and, significantly, with any applications that support multichannel audio cards. At the time of writing these include Steinberg Cubase VST, Cakewalk Music Systems Cakewalk Pro Audio 6, Emagic Logic Audio, IQS SAW Plus and SAW Plus 32, and Syntrillium Cool Edit Pro. The availability of multiple simultaneous audio inputs and outputs presents exciting possibilities to the computer musician – it makes it possible to feed audio in real time to outboard analogue devices such as mixers and effects processors, and record the processed signal to disk. You could also use different WaveCenter channels independently to monitor audio from several audio applications, for example when using a MIDI+audio sequencer, a multitrack audio recorder and a specialist wave editor at the same time.


THE WAVECENTER PACKAGE

Besides the card itself, the WaveCenter package includes a floppy disk for the Windows 95 and Windows NT drivers, a printed 72-page User's Guide, a MIDI breakout adapter, and a cable to connect the WaveCenter card to the digital output of a CD-ROM drive. As a 16-bit ISA card, the WaveCenter goes against the current trend in multichannel audio card design that favours the faster, cross-platform PCI bus. This seems to make little difference in practice, however, as the WaveCenter performs extremely well. The short length of the card means that lack of space should not be a problem with non-ATX PC systems.

The back plate of the WaveCenter contains two TDIF optical connectors that can function either in Alesis Lightpipe or S/PDIF mode, two RCA phono S/PDIF connectors, and a 9-pin D-connector for the MIDI interface. One slightly surprising omission is the lack of any form of analogue output monitoring. The slim printed manual contains clear step-by-step instructions to guide you through the installation and operation of the WaveCenter, and also contains useful information for the newcomer to digital audio.


SOFTWARE FIRST

Soundcards can be incredibly tricky to install, and with the WaveCenter it is important to install the software before the hardware. This allows Windows to (hopefully!) detect system resources that are available for use by the card. In general this works well, and installing WaveCenter on a larger, more populated PC should be a relatively simple matter as the card is relatively undemanding of precious Windows system resources; it requires only a single IRQ and a 16kB block address in the PC's upper memory area for all of its multiple channel audio and MIDI port activities. Sometimes, however, it may be necessary to first remove all the other devices that compete for the limited PC system resources – devices such as other soundcards, MIDI interfaces, video grabbers, samplers and SCSI cards – and install WaveCenter on the resulting 'vanilla' PC configuration.

For this review, I first installed WaveCenter on the PC in my music studio, and then on my more humble office machine. Inevitably, Sod's Law prevailed, and whereas installation on the office PC was no problem, I only managed to install the WaveCenter on the studio machine after a good deal of confusion – and after resorting to the 'vanilla' route. The problem in this instance proved to be my Adaptec 2940 PCI SCSI card, which I suspect of not telling the whole truth in the Windows 95 Device Manager about the system resources it commandeers!

Incidentally, you should take care when handling PC cards to avoid any damage that may be caused by static electricity from your hands or clothing. The safest way to pick up cards is by the edges or back plate, and at all costs avoid touching the components on the circuit board lest you corrupt the data programmed into the chips. If possible wear an anti-static strap, which are available from most electronic component suppliers for about £10.
WAVETRAY APPLET

When the WaveCenter installation is completed the WaveTray applet should be visible next to the clock in the Windows 95 Taskbar. WaveTray gives an at-a-glance overview of the readiness of the WaveCenter, including synchronisation, S/PDIF receive error indicators, and channel status. Clicking on the applet displays a list of WaveCenter configuration options that allows you to define the input and output modes. I found WaveTray useful and informative, but felt that it would be improved if it included meters for signal level monitoring. I found only one bug, which is that occasionally I could only initiate playback if I first closed the applet.


PERFORMANCE

As always with PC systems, the performance of the WaveCenter is dependent on the power of the host computer; Frontier Design Group recommend that you have at least a 486 or better CPU. The reference PC for this review, an Intel Pentium 233 MMX with 64Mb RAM, recorded and played back eight channels without a hitch.

The WaveCenter will play and record mono or stereo soundfiles at a sample rate of 44.1 or 48kHz, and can varispeed and track the clock of external audio devices at any sample rate from 39-51kHz. The input monitoring latency, ie. the delay between sound arriving at the card's inputs and the return of the monitored signal, is 1026 samples (approximately 22mS at 44.1kHz), which in practice is quite acceptable. By way of comparison this is roughly the same delay that you might experience with a 3-head open-reel tape deck running at 30ips.
CHANNEL ARCHITECTURE

The WaveCenter presents its audio channels as six stereo pairs: the ADAT optical output claims four pairs, while the optical and electrical S/PDIF channels have one pair apiece. Each port functions as if it was an individual full-duplex stereo audio device – not only can you play back and record simultaneously on all eight channels, but you can also bounce audio between channels.

Each WaveCenter audio port references a common clock, and consequently synchronisation between channels is rock solid. This contrasts with the synchronisation drift that is often experienced when running multichannel configurations from multiple soundcards, and which produces all manner of undesirable effects from a gentle flanging to bizarre arhythmic echoes reminiscent of Stockhausen on bad acid...

MAKING CONNECTIONS

The card's outputs can operate in either 4-channel mode, using the optical and electrical S/PDIF connectors, or in 10-channel mode using the ADAT optical and the S/PDIF phono sockets. You also have a choice of two input modes: stereo S/PDIF input, or 8-channel Alesis Lightpipe ADAT format input. Another way of getting audio into the card is to transfer tracks from audio CDs to the hard drive as Windows .WAV files, via an additional S/PDIF connector that connects to the digital output of a CD-ROM drive. Note that not all CD-ROM drives are blessed with a digital output, although it should be considered vital in a PC used for professional audio, and not all CD-ROM digital outputs work as well as others. The Mitsumi 24x speed drive in my review machine, however, worked fine. If you do not have a CD-ROM with a digital out, you might as well take advantage of this extra input connector, and create an external stereo S/PDIF digital input for a second DAT machine or a CD player. All you have to do is route the cable to a phono socket mounted on a blank PC back panel. If you're still in a DIY mood, you could follow the instructions supplied with the WaveCenter documentation for making an AES/EBU format adapter, allowing machines supporting that standard to be used with the S/PDIF RCA phono input.

To conclude, the WaveCenter is a very fine, sweet sounding and economically priced card that would fit in well with PC recording systems both at the professional and semi-professional level for a wide range of audio production demands.

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PC REQUIREMENTS

The performance of the WaveCenter audio card is, inevitably, directly dependent on the power of the PC in which it is used. Frontier Design Group recommend a minimum 486 processor, but more satisfactory results will be obtained using an Intel Pentium 166 MMX or better. This review was conducted on a machine with the following spec:

• Intel Pentium 233MMX with SuperMicro ATX motherboard.
• 512k pipeline burst cache.
• 64Mb RAM.
• 4Mb Virge DX PCI graphics card (running at 1080x868 resolution and 64k colours).
• 17" monitor.
• Digidesign SampleCell 2.
• Adaptec 2940 PCI SCSI card.

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Frontier Design Group announces WaveCenter/PCI™, a low-cost high-performance PCI soundcard that brings the flexibility and performance of ADAT lightpipe technology to a new level of affordability. WaveCenter/PCI integrates multichannel digital audio and MIDI I/O on a single card, making it the perfect solution for those who want to incorporate a compact digital mixer into their Windows or Mac-based recording studio. WaveCenter/PCI lets you connect 10 digital audio channels in each direction to your mixer while also providing MIDI I/O for automation and sequencing, and does it all with just a single PCI slot and only one IRQ!

WaveCenter/PCI supports industry-standard interfaces, including ADAT lightpipe, S/PDIF, and MIDI, so it's already compatible with your existing studio equipment. It includes Cool Edit Pro SE (a multitrack recording application from Syntrillium Software) so you're ready for computer-based recording right out of the box. (Update: Cool Edit Pro SE is no longer included with WaveCenter/PCI.) With WaveCenter/PCI, you can easily transfer digital audio between your computer and your ADAT tape machines, DAT recorders, minidisks and CD players. The MIDI interface also lets you easily connect synthesizers, samplers, and sound modules. For a complete hard-disk recording system with both analog and digital I/O, combine WaveCenter/PCI with either of Frontier Design's A/D & D/A converters - the 4-in, 8-out Zulu™ or the 24-bit 8-in, 8-out Tango24™.

WaveCenter/PCI builds on the success of the first ADAT-optical card for computers, Frontier's WaveCenter, and adds the latest digital audio technology of Frontier's Dakota™ product line, including an ASIO 2.0 driver for low-latency performance when using WaveCenter/PCI with Steinberg's Cubase VST. WaveCenter/PCI also has a direct GigaSampler Interface driver, and supports input monitoring and digital audio format conversions (ADAT <-> S/PDIF, for example).

WaveCenter/PCI has a pair of ADAT optical ports for 8 audio inputs and 8 audio outputs, and has S/PDIF digital audio I/O on gold-plated RCA connectors for an additional 2 audio inputs and outputs. WaveCenter/PCI also includes a breakout cable with 2 MIDI inputs and 2 MIDI outputs on standard DIN-5 connectors, and an internal CD-ROM digital audio cable for direct transfers of audio CDs. WaveCenter/PCI includes Windows 95/98 drivers and a control panel for displaying the card's status and for setting options such as input lock and audio routing. Macintosh support is also provided via an ASIO driver for digital audio, and an OMS driver for MIDI. WaveCenter/PCI supports 16-bit to 24-bit resolution and sample rates of 44.1 and 48kHz, and can dynamically resample 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, and 32kHz digital audio for playback through high-quality external converters.

WaveCenter/PCI, Dakota, Tango24 & Zulu are trademarks of Frontier Design Group, LLC. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Offline chrisNova777

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https://www.frontierdesign.com/Products/WaveCenterPCI
https://www.frontierdesign.com/Products/WaveCenterPCI/Downloads
drivers seem to support up to windows Vista (32bit?)
using the wavecenter pci with macintosh+cubase:
https://www.frontierdesign.com/download/pdf/WaveCenterPCI/CubaseMacWC.pdf
using the wavecenter pci with macintosh+vision:
https://www.frontierdesign.com/download/pdf/WaveCenterPCI/WCPCIVisionMac.pdf

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Compatible with Mac or Windows
Works with most popular recording, editing and sequencing software via ASIO
GSIF support for GigaSampler and GigaStudio
Easy to install and use
8-channel ADAT lightpipe input
8-channel ADAT lightpipe output
2-channel S/PDIF digital interface I/O
2x2 MIDI interface
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The tremendous flexibility of the WaveCenter PCI ADAT digital lightpipe card would make it an essential audio tool at any price. The fact that it's one of the most affordable recording devices out there for your digital studio means there no reason you can't experience the high-quality power and performance WaveCenter/PCI delivers. The WaveCenter/PCI features all-digital 24-bit I/O; it's compatible with both Windows and Macintosh computers. It combines eight channels of lightpipe I/O, two channels of S/PDIF, and a 2x2 MIDI interface on one compact PCI card. The versatility of the WaveCenter/PCI lets you use it in a wide range of situations. It's the perfect partner for your digital mixer: just install WaveCenter/PCI into your computer and connect it to the digital I/O on your mixer. That's all it takes, and you've got a full digital studio where you can track directly to hard disk, perform lightning-fast edits with your favorite software, and use your digital mixer to provide automated mixing, effects, and A/D and D/A conversion. You can also use it to transfer material from your digital tape recorder to your computer, edit, mix, arrange, etc, then transfer it back to a new tape. And this is only the beginning of the incredible creative options you'll tap into with the WaveCenter/PCI card!

• Four digital audio input modes:
1.)ADAT optical (8 channels)
2.) S/PDIF optical (2 channels)
3.) S/PDIF coax (2 channels) via RCA jack
4.) S/PDIF coax (2 channels) via internal CD-ROM cable

• Two digital audio output modes: (Software switchable)
1.) ADAT optical + S/PDIF coax (10 independent channels)
2.) S/PDIF optical + S/PDIF coax (4 independent channels)

• MIDI: 2 input (32 channels), 2 independent outputs (32 channels)
• Sample rates:44.1 and 48 kHz internal; varispeeds and tracks input devices from 39 to 51 kHz
• 16-bit and 24-bit audio data transfer modes
• There are only digital I/Os on this card, no analog.

• Cables included:
1.) External MIDI breakout cable (9-pin connector to 4 standard MIDI jacks)
2.) Internal CD-ROM digital audio cable (for 2-pin connector on some CD-ROM drives)

This card will work with the AMD K6 chips