I’m using Google Chrome as my default browser, and when I click the Help button on the Lyra Control Panel app, I notice that some functions of the Contents pane don’t work.

Recent versions of Chrome include a security measure which ensures that all frames of a web page originate from the same domain. Unfortunately, locally hosted pages incorrectly trigger this safeguard since they have no domain.

The effect of this is that the navigation pane on the left-hand side of the help does not operate correctly: you can click on the main chapter headings, and navigate to these, but you can’t expand them to view or access the subsections. You have to scroll down through the subsections using the arrow buttons in the main pane. This problem only affects Chrome, and only when displaying pages from the local computer.

Workarounds include:

  • Use a different default browser
  • Access the help pages via this website, or a local webserver
  • Use the PDF manual instead
  • Start Chrome with the -allow-file-access-from-files switch

How do I use Lyra with Windows Media Player?

In order to use Lyra with Windows Media Player and other Windows sound apps, you must install drivers version 1.03 or higher.

Please also ensure that you have firmware 1.03 or later installed.

Can I use Lyra stand-alone?

It is possible to operate Lyra without a connection to a host computer, for example, in a hi-fi set-up. This is done by setting up the unit as required using the Lyra Control Panel app from a host computer, then re-starting it without the computer.

The steps to achieve this are as follows:

  • Connect the Lyra to the host computer using the USB connection
  • Configure the Lyra using the control panel application so that it works how you want it to
  • Place Lyra in standby by pressing the standby button (far right on the front panel)
  • Disconnect Lyra from the host computer USB connection and the power source
  • When the unit is re-powered and detects that no USB connection is active, it reloads the settings which were last used.

All of the outputs on the Lyra have mixers which determine how the output is derived from the various input signals. This allows you to connect the digital input pair to one or more analogue output pairs, and to connect the analogue input pairs to the digital output pair. Thus stand-alone mode can be used to configure a stand-alone D/A converter and A/D converter, with static mixing if required.

When in stand-alone mode, if Lyra is set to use an external synchronization source, (eg, a digital input, Wordclock or ADAT), then the sample rate will follow the sample rate of the external source. If the designated synchronization source is not connected, Lyra will use its internal clock at the selected sample rate.

How do I measure the round-trip latency?

It is very easy to measure the round-trip latency of your audio interface using a DAW and a digital cable.

Use these steps:

  1. Open your DAW and select your audio interface driver.
  2. Create a track with outputs set to the interface DO (i.e. outputs 9 & 10).
  3. Select a clip with a sharp attack, like a snare hit.
  4. Create another track with inputs set to the interface DI (i.e inputs 9 & 10).
  5. Arm recording on the second track.
  6. Connect the digital ports back-to-back using a suitable digital cable.
  7. Use your transport bar to play & record simultaneously. You will see the clip recorded on the second track, delayed by the round-trip latency.
  8. Most DAWs have a ‘delay’ value that can be set on the second track. Use this to offset the record time.
  9. Continue changing the delay time & re-recording the clip until the two clips line up perfectly.

Your delay value will be the precise round-trip latency.

You can verify the delay with a null test. Invert the recorded track & mix with the original; the samples will cancel out exactly.

Why are there only 4 ADAT channels at 96kHz?

The ADAT format allows 8 channels of digital audio on a single optical connector, but only at sample rates up to 48kHz.

At 88.2kHz and 96kHz, the S/MUX format must be used instead. S/MUX is a way of squeezing higher frequency signals into an ADAT carrier. Twice as many samples are transmitted for each channel, so there can only be half as many channels.

How do I set the buffer sizes?

Starting with driver version 1.05, there are two settings for the buffers. These relate to Windows operation only; you don’t need to set buffers on a Mac as it’s handled automatically. The “base” setting is for the USB connection and relates to both WDM and ASIO operation. The ASIO buffer settings have no effect on the WDM drivers. The default settings are designed to be safe with any modern PC and will only need adjusting if you want to reduce the latency in the system or if you are experiencing glitches. In either case, please see the technical note on buffer settings in Windows USB drivers for a more detailed discussion.

Can I connect multiple boxes to my Mac?

Yes.

You will need to create an aggregate device

For best results, ensure that you set one box as the clock master and the others as slaves. On the USB Audio control app, ensure that the Slave boxes are sync’d to the master with a WCK or DI connection.

If you do this, you should uncheck the ‘Drift Correction’ box.

Multiple Titan and Atlas units can also be connected to a Pro Tools | HDX card, Pro Tools | HD Native PCIe card or Pro Tools | HD Native Thunderbolt unit, and they will to operate in sample sync in Pro Tools | HD software. These interface devices work as Core Audio devices that can be used with software other than Pro Tools | HD.

Multiple Titan and Atlas units fitted with MDIO-Dante modules will operate in sample sync when connected to a Dante system and synchronised correctly. Dante Virtual Soundcard or a Dante PCIe card both can be used as the host interface in system like this.

Can I connect multiple boxes to my PC?

Operating over USB under ASIO and WDM – No. The ASIO and WDM Audio drivers connect to the first box that the PC detects on the USB bus.

Multiple Titan and Atlas units can be connected to a Pro Tools | HDX card, Pro Tools | HD Native PCIe card or Pro Tools | HD Native Thunderbolt unit, and they will to operate in sample sync in Pro Tools | HD software. These interface devices come with ASIO drivers that can be used with software other than Pro Tools | HD.

Multiple Titan and Atlas units fitted with MDIO-Dante modules will operate in sample sync when connected to a Dante system and synchronised correctly. Dante Virtual Soundcard or a Dante PCIe card both can be used as the host interface in system like this.

How do I use ASIO drivers on Windows with Pro Tools?

Pro Tools requires that you use a power-of-two buffer size: 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024.

You need to set this buffer size in the USB Audio control app before you open Pro Tools.

Once you have done this, you should find that Pro Tools allows you to select Prism Sound USB Audio Class 2.0 as the audio device.