************************************************************************* Important Hints to the Prodif PLUS driver v4.01 for Windows 95/98 ************************************************************************* 1. The first installation of the Prodif PLUS and related drivers 2. Update from older drivers to this driver version 3. How to unistall all driver components ? 4. What's new ? 5. Attention: Windows System Sounds 6. Attention: Multicard Users ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. The first installation of the Prodif PLUS an related drivers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * If you want to install a Prodif PLUS for the first time, then go ahead as follows: - Switch off your computer and open the cover. - Put one or more (max. 4) Prodif PLUS's into free PCI slots. - Close the cover and switch on you computer. - Start Windows95/98 amd follow the instructions on the screen. - First, the Windows operation system may not find a driver, because it doesn't exists at the root directory of you installaton disk. - Search for the language directory of you choice und click "Ok." - Under Windows95b/c it may happen, that you have to choose the correct installation directory once again. - Now you can choose a specific driver for installation. Choose here "Prodif PLUS Sound System v3.04 English (NEW)". That's right if you have no Prodif PLUS driver installed. - After you have installed the drivers, the Prodif PLUS Sound System is ready for action. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Update from older drivers to this driver version ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * If you have an older driver already installed the go ahead as follows: - Choose "Properties | Driver | New Driver" within the windows device manager. - Follow the instructions on screen. - Choose the directory of the new driver files. - Do not install the default driver but the Update-Driver which you can find within the list of alternate drivers: "Prodif PLUS Sound System v3.04 English (UPDATE)" - Follow the instructions on screen. - Restart windows. - After windows has rebooted the Prodif PLUS Sound System is ready for action. * You can update your older drivers by the old method too. First uninstall the old driver like described in the next section. Then install the new driver like described under 1. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. How to unistall all driver components ? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * If you want to uninstall all driver components so go ahead as follows: - Start Windows and remove the Prodif PLUS entry from device managers device list. (recommend for users with ONE card ONLY) O R - Start Windows in SAFE MODE (recommend for users with MORE THAN ONE card) - Start the Prodif PLUS Deinstaller (PDPLUSUI.EXE), which is located in root directory of you installation disk and (after a successful installation) in windows system directory. ------------------------------------------ 4. What's new ? ------------------------------------------ Version 4.01: * GSIF Support for NemeSys GigaSampler/GigaStudio - Use the options in "Prodif PLUS Manager | Settings | DirectSound/GSIF" to optmize playback latency and playback stability for your computrer system. * Complete SyncBus implementation including start/stop synchronization * Improved ASIO - Performance/Stability - Driver takes full control of the Monitor Settings (see Prodif PLUS Manager) The appropriate user settings will be partial overwritten, when an ASIO/GSIF application is running and restored, when an ASIO/GSIF session has finished. - The Driver checks the availability of the activated ASIO devices, when a ASIO application starts the driver. If another application uses activated ASIO devices, the driver pops up the ASIO setup dialog to gives you the opportunity to deactivate such used devices. - Uninstaller (pdplusui.exe) now removes ASIO application related driver settings. (activated devices, buffersize, streaming priority) * 32 Bit Audio Data Transfer Format for MME applications * Problem with trucated error messages solved. Now these messages can be read completely. Version 3.04: * Bug in Output Volume Control fixed Version 3.03: * ASIO 2.0 Support * Installation problems on some AMD K7 systems solved. * Windows start/shutdown problem solved. Version 2.11: * A mistake, caused by some changes we made in previous version, occurs in v2.10: Record from Digital Input didn't work. We solved this. Sorry for any inconveniences. Version 2.10: * Warning/Error messages about Sample/Device Conflicts default changed to disabled. If you encounter problems like these: - Your Playback/Reocord doen't start - Your Playback/Record takes the wrong samplerate - Your applikation reports an error like "Unknown external error" the turn the error messages on! (Prodif Plus Manager - Settings -> Misc) * The analog Record/Playback samplerate is restricted to 44100/48000 Hz if the card operates in ADAT mode and if the analog devices are connected TOGETHER with ADAT playback with clock generator 1. (see Prodif PLUS Manager - Settings - Clock) The card operates in ADAT mode under these circumstances: - Clockgenerator 2 is "Synced to ADAT" or/and - ADAT monitoring activ or/and - ADAT Input Window with activated peakmeters is open or/and - ADAT Record/Playback is running * New option implemented: "Default Samplerate" for clock generators (see Prodif PLUS Manager | Settings | Clock) This gives you the opportunity to determine a samplerate für the Prodif PLUS devices in case that no application is using the Prodif PLUS. This is useful in the following situations: - with this samplerate the signal monitoring will be done - external digital devices will get this samplerate if no audio application is running with th Prodif PLUS. Therefore this devices will keep its clock also if a previous running application was using a samplerate which was out of range for the external digital devices. In case of a ADAT-Setup please determine here the samplerate you want to use with the external equipment. That is, after a system start all device will be locked to the samplerate which you determine (and not an assumed rate which could(!) match). * New DirectSound option "Available devices limited to:" implemented: (see Prodif PLUS Manager - Settings - DirectSound) If you use an application which is not capable to determine a DirectSound Playback Device, now you have the opportunity to setup your desired device here. But - this device will be the ONLY one which you can use by DirectSound! Choose "No device available" if you don't wish a DirectSound support at this card. This option is very(!) important for the Sampler Output of NemeSys GigaSampler! Choose your GigaSampler Output HERE and take care that no other application is using this GigaSampler Device - whether or not GigaSampler is running! Proper DirectSound Setup for NemeSys GigaSampler: - Set Latency manually to 3ms or 4ms (exactly) More about "Working with GigaSampler" and "Working with multiple applications at the same time" see at www.sekd.com within the next few days (today: 05-05-2000) * Possible Hang or Blue Screen on Windows Start/Shutdown solved. Version 2.09: * DirectSound driver problem solved, which was the cause of very strange appearances and possible system crashs while using DirectSound applications. * Additional DirectSound Option "Restrict Playback Format" implemented: (see Manager - Settings - DirectSound) In interaction of some DirectSound Applications and the DirectX System it may occur, that the hardware driver is used with another sample format by DirectX that requested by the application. A realtime sample format converting is the consequence. This may have a negative influence to the sound quality and the overall system performance. So, if you get the impressiom that it didn't sounds like you expect (like a bad format converting), please close your application, open the Prodif PLUS Manager and set the sample format you need in "Settings - DirectSound - Restrict Playback Format". This setting forces the DirectX System to use the hardware driver with this sample format only. Therefore a realtime format converting by DirectX will not happen. But, if an application uses another sample format than you have set, the realtime format converting of DirectX will be done again. * Now you can disable the error messages about Device Conflicts (ADAT against Digital), like the messages about Sample Rate Conflicts. Please see Prodif PLUS Manager - Settings - Misc. This is useful when using programms which does a functionality test with all available wave devices. (eg. emagic Logic Audio, Steinberg VST) But please note that this doesn't remove the cause of such messages. If an error occurs and you have switched off the error/warning messages it is much harder to find its cause. * With the previos driver version is was possible to drive analog record and play with 96kHz. (a mistake). This samplerate exceeds the specification of the used AD/DA converters. Thats why we restricted the maximum possible samplerate for analog to 48kHz again. Version 2.08: * DirectSound Support * The Prodif PLUS Manager (Mixer) Application is now available at the taskbar (not in Control Panel). Please double click the appropriate icon to activate this application. * The "Setting Panel" was moved to the main window of the Prodif PLUS Manager and strongly redesigned. Please check there "Settings" to show and manipulate alle settings of the Prodif PLUS such as Clock Setup, Start/Stop Synchronization, DirectSound and more. (Earlier the settings were found at the drivers properties dialog of "Multimedia Devices") * New PunchIn- and AutoRecord Monitoring (see Input sections of Prodif PLUS Manager) (Not new: all monitoring is supported by the hardware and thats why handled without any latency ("zero latency monitoring")) * Independent ADAT Record Devices - see Settings|Synchronization (makes multiple separate recording session with single ADAT record devices possible) * Settings|Clock - Sync to ADAT now causes a immediately switch to ADAT operation mode of the card. (after "Ok or "Apply"). After a restart of the operating system the card will synchronize itself to an incoming ADAT data stream and will be therefore in ADAT operation mode again. (O2R/O3R users will enjoy this ...) While in this operation mode, NO S/PDIF or AES/EBU recording/playback is possible! The new clock setup shows this by visual deactivating the digital wires and devices. - If you link any device with the clock of the digital input, the card will go into the S/PDIF or AES/EBU operation mode and synchronizes itself to an incoming S/PDIF or AES/EBU data stream. While in this operation mode, NO ADAT recording/playback is possible. The new clock setup show this by visual deactivating the appropriate ADAT controls. - If neither the first or the second described sync option is used, the card behaves normal which means that it chooses the correct operation mode automatically depending on what you want - record/play using ADAT or S/PDIF or AES/EBU. * The ADAT Monitor Mode, accessable via "Analog Out" Window, will not be terminated, when you close the "Analog Out" Window. The Driver keeps this mode in mind and will restore this mode after an Windows restart. This causes the card to be in ADAT operation mode too. * Through this two opportunities mentioned above, we eliminated the setting "ADAT operation mode at windows start". * Additional procedures to check successful hardware initialization at windows start * Developers Interest Only: - Call of several waveOut-fuction by DevId Version 1.16 * FPGA Design changed to v1.13 Version 1.15 * Error at the Channel Status Bits of the Digital Transmitter removed * Installation Problem of the driver version 1.14 fixed, which caused the Windows Device Manager to classify the Prodif PLUS as an unknown device class. (German Version Only) * Number of the max. possible Prodif PLUS Cards for Multi Card Support raised from 3 to 4. Version 1.14 * System "Freeze" problem, caused by an incompatibility between some mainboards and the souncard hardware (PCI controller) solved. * Compensation of a Windows95a error while handling floating point operation (Exception 7 (Blue Screen) during driver installation or windows start) * New driver tests to ensure a proper hardware configuration by windows. * Some DAT Recorders locked out while in AES/EBU mode - solved. * Some DAT Recorders denieds recording (Copy Prohibited) - solved. * New setting for Default Operation Mode (ADAT or Digital) after Windows Start (O2R User Request). See: Control Panel->Multimedia->Devices->Prodif PLUS...->Properties->Settings * Messages about samplerate conflicts now can be disabled. See: Control Panel->Multimedia->Devices->Prodif PLUS...->Properties->Settings Version 1.13: * FPGA Design changed for hardware revision serie Version 1.12: * IRQ Sharing The Prodif PLUS now is able to share a IRQ with other PCI components. That means of course other Prodif PLUS's and Prodif 96 PRO's too. Except from IRQ Sharing are PCI components which doesn't support IRQ Sharing (the most of it support it). * The Samplerate, which can be used to record or play, now are restriced to the device spezific capabilities. Analog In/out: 11025-48000 Hz (if supported by the connected clock generator) Digital In/Out: 32000-96000 Hz (if supported by the connected clock generator) ADAT In/Out: 44100-48000 Hz (if supported by the connected clock generator) ------------------------------------------ 5. Attention: Windows System Sounds ------------------------------------------ * After the first installtion of an audio device driver, Windows NT switchs on the Windows System Sounds per default. The system will playback these sound if a message box appears or a windows will be minimized or maxminized. The use of this system sounds may cause some problems in conjunction with running audio applications. * Per default the driver takes care of a synchron start and stop of all devices of the Prodif PLUS. This is a really important feature for each multichannel harddiskrecording program but it may cause conflicts with the windows system sounds. If a running playback- or recording session will be interrupted by a system sound (because of a message box or window actions) the playback- or recording session will STOP too and the related audio application will hang (under specific circumstances) in a undefined state. You can solve this behavior by switching off the system sounds (Control Panel->Sounds) or by deactivating the Start/Stop Synchronization Option of the Prodif PLUS driver. ------------------------------------------ 6. Attention: Multicard Users ------------------------------------------ * If you get an error message at windows start which shows an harware initialization error, please remove ALL card from you computer and test each card alone. This is the only safe way to find out the defect card! Please request your hardware dealer to Exchange of the defect card against a new one. * NEVER disable or remove a Prodif PLUS entry from windows device manager's list! This may cause problems in interaction with the Prodif PLUS Manager and Driver. System crashs may be the consequence. This problem will be solved in the next driver update. * Please install a driver update ONLY like described under 2. Leipzig 04-09-2001