Phase 26 usb manual

Given these encouraging results, I was expecting to see similarly good figures for bit recording but, try as I might, I could not get the Phase 28 to function in bit mode with RMAA at any sample rate. This said, tests using Wavelab and Cubase SX proved that bit recording was perfectly possible and experimentation in Wavelab showed that for bit, Subjective listening tests with a variety of sources at different bit depths and sample rates suggested that the playback quality of the Phase 28 was perfectly respectable.

Reproduction was clear and detailed and the stereo imaging appeared to be good. While there was a subtle, but noticeable, improvement in going from to bit at As can be seen from the product photographs, the right-front of the Phase 26 features a series of small LEDs with buttons that allow the user to select from its various operating modes.

The four operating modes provide bit stereo recording at The front-panel buttons can only be used to change these settings when the unit is not in use by an application. Only one input can be used at any time, so the Phase 26 is only capable of stereo recording. The Phase 26 USB provides stereo input, switchable between analogue, co-axial and optical, and six-channel output.

Installation of the Phase 26 USB required close attention to the manual, and again, Terratec could perhaps have done a better job for the novice user here. Driver files have to be copied from the install CD prior to connecting the unit. Once connected, the Phase 26 can draw its power from a USB 1.

The unit then has to be switched between its various modes and the usual Windows driver install process followed for each mode. Completing the ASIO driver install required a visit to the Windows Control Panel to 'update drivers' but, once done, everything seemed to be in order. I tested the Phase 26 USB using the same range of applications as the Phase 28, and in all respects the results were similar. In particular, on both the desktop and laptop PCs used, I was able to get down to latencies under 5ms, without either PC or laptop seeming too stressed out.

This made for very responsive real-time use of software instruments in both Cubase SX and Reason. My only real complaint would be the somewhat confusing relationship between the settings in the Phase 26 Control Panel which is very similar to that of the Phase 28 and the ASIO Control Panel see screen shot, below.

The latter is only accessible from within an ASIO host application and, as well as allowing you to set buffer sizes, also has controls that influence direct monitoring of audio arriving at the Phase 26 inputs. The description in the manual of how these should be configured left me reaching for a stiff drink. Fortunately, given the low latencies available on a suitably specified system, the Monitor button on the required Cubase SX Audio Track produced perfectly acceptable results, but again, new users could do with much clearer guidance on this aspect of the Phase However, the overall audio performance of the Phase 26 itself was a little disappointing in comparison with the Phase However, RMAA's frequency response, total harmonic distortion and stereo crosstalk figures for the Phase 26 were all very good.

In subjective recording and listening tests with a variety of sources including solo voice, acoustic guitar and orchestral, rock and dance mixes , despite the noise figures quoted above, and so as long as the input signal level is kept reasonably healthy, perfectly acceptable results could be obtained with the Phase There were no noticeably unpleasant frequency response issues and, as with the Phase 28, the stereo separation was good.

Personally, I'm still unconvinced by the arguments for kHz sample rates in all but the most esoteric of recording environments. And as with the Phase 28, if paired with a suitably specified computer, the low-latency drivers give good results when used with software instruments. In use, both the Phase 28 and Phase 26 produce decent results, and their particular combinations of features will undoubtedly fit the bill for numerous musicians.

WDM kernel streaming for Sonar and other suitable applications is supported. Pros Both units feature low-latency drivers for software instrument use. Good audio performance from the Phase Cons Documentation could be improved. Not sure about the merits of the hardware gain controls on the Phase Some stiff competition at this price point. The audio drivers support all bit rates between 8 and 32 bits with all common sample rates between 8 and 96 kHz. The Sample rate and Resolution bitrate set here affects the hardware directly.

Page 29 Some audio applications additionally couple the priority of the graphics board with the audio priority.

If this is the case, it may be better to lower the application priority in order to reduce crackling noises. What's more, the software complies strictly with Microsoft's WDM specification.

Furthermore, the Sound Manager is not supported. This problem has already been resolved with the introduction of Steinberg Nu- endo. The individual sliders here make direct adjustments to the hardware and correspond with the speaker settings of the Windows mixer.

There are separate sliders for each mono channel. This setting has no effect on the recording volume. Page 37 RIAA filtering is permanently activated. You thus have the option of applying custom filters when restoring shellac recordings, for example with special editing software that supports them. Tip: You can use the mouse to mark the contents of this page and copy them to the clipboard. Page 40 Once saved, you can find your personal color settings in the dropdown menu, which already contains a number of examples.

Page 42 If your audio software lets you adjust the sampling frequency and bit resolution, select 24 bit and Later, your audio software will have to convert the data to standard CD quality of Page 43 If you've recorded the complete sides of an LP from beginning to end, you may want to cut the recordings up into individual tracks using e.

Finally, you can burn your recordings onto a CD with your CD mastering software. A first-class magazine with excellent articles! Print page 1 Print document 48 pages.

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