Important Hints to the C-Box PCIe
128 driver version 1.03 for Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista
1.
System Requirements
2.
New Installation
3.
Driver Update
4. Driver Uninstall
5. What's new
6. Operation in Windows Vista
7.
MME, DirectSound and "Classic MME"
8.
Software Sampler and Synthesizers
- Microsoft Windows 2000 SP3, Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server,
Windows Vista each with the 32-bit version
- Microsoft DirectX 9b
- Start your PC after installing your hardware.
- Log in using administrator privileges.
- Windows automatically recognizes at startup the newly
installed device and starts the Hardware Wizard.
- During the start of Windows the Hardware Wizard searches for
new drivers. Click "Next" to start the search.
- Enable the "Search for the best driver for your device" option
and confirm by clicking "Next".
- Insert the supplied CD in your CD-ROM drive.
- Confirm the next dialog with "Next"
- Confirm the next window also with "Next"
- Ignore the message "Digital signature not found" and continue
the installation with "Yes"
- Windows now copies the driver files.When you are asked to
overwrite a newer "maasio3.dll", "masias.dll" answer "No" to keep the
newer version of that file.
- After finishing the installation click "Finish".
- Start your PC after installing your hardware.
- Log in using administrator privileges.
- Insert the supplied CD in your CD-ROM drive.
- Windows automatically recognizes at startup the newly
installed device and starts the Hardware Wizard.
- Enable the option "Install Software automatically" and confirm
by clicking "Next".
- Ignore the next message and click "Continue"
- Windows noew copies the driver files.When you are asked to
overwrite a newer "maasio3.dll", "masias.dll" answer "No" to keep the
newer version of that file.
- After finishing the installation the C-Box PCIe 128 is ready
to be operated without having to restart the system.
2.3 Windows Vista
- After the hardware installation the message "Found new
hardware" appears. Click on "Locate and install driver software
(recommended)".
- If the User Account Control requests you acceptance, then
click "Continue".
- If your computer has not a permanent connection to the
internet, then now you have the opportunity the choose "Do not search
online". In any other case the Windows Installer now begins to search
Windows Update for a new driver version. This may need upto some minutes.
- Then you are requested to "Insert the disk that came with your
Multimedia Controller". Insert the driver disk of your MARIAN Sound System
and the Windows Installer searches the disk for new drivers.
- If you get the message "Windows can't verify the publisher of
this driver software" click on "Install this driver software anyway".
- The drivers are now installed. When you are asked to overwrite
a newer "maasio3.dll", "masias.dll" answer "No" to keep the newer version
of that file.
- Finally, another dialog will tell you the end of the
installation process. Click on "Close" here.
- Unzip the driver update package ("cbox-nt6-101.zip") with the
included subdirectory structure to any folder.
- Uninstall the driver software like described in "Driver
Uninstall".
- Restart Windows
3.1 Windows 2000/XP/2003
- Logon with administrator privileges again.
- Now, the Windows Hardware Wizard starts with a "New hardware
found" dialog.
- Do NOT use the option "Install software automatically". Use
the option "Install from list a specified location"
- Click "Next" and choose the folder where you have unzipped the
driver update package.
- Follow the instructions of the Windows Hardware Wizard until
the end of the installation process. When the Hardware Wizard states "...
has not passed the Windows Logo testing" then click "Continue Anyway"
- During the copy process the windows hardware wizard may ask
you to overwrite a newer "cboxui.exe". Answer "yes" to overwrite this
file. When you are asked to overwrite a newer "maasio3.dll", "masias.dll"
answer "No" to keep the newer version of that file.
- After the driver installation a restart could be necessary.
- After these steps it might be necessary to update the firmware
of the C-Box PCIe 128. It can only be determined after the installation of
the new driver if a firmware update is needed. If that is the case, the
update will then be performed automatically and will have to be finished
with a restart of the PC-system.
- Subsequently to a successful firmware update, Microsoft
Windows 2000/XP will find a new hardware after reboot, since the hardware
ID of the C-Box PCIe 128 will have changed due to the firmware update.
Since the driver files have already been installed, you only need to
choose "install software automatically" in the appearing windows hardware
wizard.
3.2 Windows Vista
- After the restart the message "Found new hardware" appears.
Click on "Locate and install driver software (recommended)".
- If the User Account Control requests you acceptance, then
click "Continue".
- If your computer has not a permanent connection to the
internet, then now you have the opportunity the choose "Do not search
online". In any other case the Windows Installer now begins to search
Windows Update for a new driver version. This may need upto some minutes.
- Then you are requested to "Insert the disk that came with your
Multimedia Controller". Click on "I don't have the disk. Show me other
options".
- In the following dialog click on "Browse my computer for
driver software (advanced)".
- Now choose the folder where you have unpacked the driver
update package and click on "Next".
- If you get the message "Windows can't verify the publisher of
this driver software" click on "Install this driver software anyway".
- The drivers are now installed. During the copy process the
windows hardware wizard may ask you to overwrite a newer "cboxui.exe".
Answer "yes" to overwrite this file. When you are asked to overwrite a
newer "maasio3.dll", "masias.dll" answer "No" to keep the newer version of
that file.
- Finally, another dialog will tell you the end of the
installation process. Click on "Close" here.
- After these steps might be necessary to update the firmware of
the C-Box PCIe 128. It can only be determined after the installation of
the new driver if a firmware update is needed. If that is the case, the
update will then be performed automatically and will have to be finished
with a restart of the PC-system.
You can uninstall the driver software using the program
"cboxui.exe". The most recent version of this program can you find on the
installation disk or in installation package and on the harddisk in the
folder "\windows\system32".
4.1 Windows 2000/XP/2003
- Ensure you are logged on with administrator privileges
- Start "cboxui.exe" and follow its instructions.
- After that program has finished its work, please restart
Windows.
4.2 Windows Vista
- First uninstall the driver software using the Windows Device
Manager. You can start it right away with a right-click on "Computer" in
the start menu. Then choose "Manage" and acknowledge the question of the
User Account Control with "Continue".
- In the Device Manager under "sound, Video and Game Controller"
right-click on "MARIAN C-Box PCIe 128" and choose "Uninstall".
- In the next dialog activate the option "Delete the driver
software for this device" and start the uninstall with "Ok".
- Now start "cboxui.exe" mit a right-click on the program file
follows by a click on "Run as administrator". Acknowledge the warning of
the User Account Control with "Allow".
- Now follow the instructions of the uninstaller.
- After the Uninstaller has finished, you only have to restart
Windows if you want to install another driver.
Version 1.03:
- Supports HW Revision 2 (New Clock Management)
- Samplerate limited to 8 kHz
- Following System Error when ASIO/MASIAS
Application crashes removed.
Version 1.01:
- Extended Remote ADDA Initilization
- Works with PCIe Hardware Revision 02
- Activates inactive TOSLINK Outputs at Driver Startup
- FPGA: if no lock is detected, incoming audio data are set to
silence
Version 1.00:
- Because of the new audio architecture in Windows Vista, the
"Classic MME Drivers" cannot be supported anymore.
- On Windows Vista audio applications, who do not use ASIO or
WSAPI, are not able to set a certain samplerate or sample format. Instead,
sample rate and sample format is set in the advanced settings of an audio
device in the windows control panel. This leads to the following:
- If the desired samplerate of an audio application is
not equal to the current set samplerate, a samplerate conversion with
possibly an audible loss of quality will be the result!
- When using an audio device of the sound system with
the samplreate x and additionally attempting to use another device but
with a samplerate y, an error message will appear, since the soundcard
may only be used with one samplerate at a time. Unlike Windows
2000/XP, Windows Vista undertakes no sample rate conversion in this
case!
- In order to operate several devices with a certain
samplerate, this samplerate has to be set up in the advanced settings
of an audio device in the windows control panel for each device
separately. As concluded from the previous point – no device of the
soundsystem should be in use, or else a change will be rejected!
- If you want to set the sample format for the audio
devices, first start with the playback devices and afterwards with the
recording devices. Background: When you open the tab "Recording",
Vista starts a recording with each recording device in the list to be
able to show the input levels. In this case your MARIAN Audio System
is in use with a certain sample rate! If you now change back to the
tab "Playback", Vista wil not stop the recording and a change to
different sample rate for a playback device will fail.
7.1 MME und DirectSound:
Audio applications, who do not use ASIO, GSIF or direct WDM-Audio,
now communicate with Microsoft MME or Microsoft DirectSound drivers instead
of communicate with the MARIAN drivers directly. The Microsoft drivers in
turn communicate with the MARIAN drivers.
For audio applications, who use these Microsoft drivers, apply:
- They can playback simultaneously using one playback device.
The Microsoft Kernel Mixer mixes the playback signals of the applications
into one stereo stream and routes it to one physical output device. If
playback takes place with different samplerate, the Microsoft Kernel Mixer
converts the samplerate of the playback streams to the highest samperate
required.
Hint: You can improve the quality of this conversion! (See Control
Panel | Sounds and Audio Devices | Audio | Sound Playback | Advanced |
System Performance) - The described simultaneous playback of
different applications fails, if the output device is already in use by
ASIO, GSIF, "Classic MME" or direct WDM-Audio.
- The number of the available recording and playback devices is
limited:
- under Windows 2000 to 10 devices each (20 channels)
- under Windows XP to 32 devices each (64 channels)
This limitation applies to the number of all audio devices installed
in the system.
You can use "Classic MME" or ASIO to walk around this limitation. - The
minimum possible latency is limited to app. 20..30ms through the Microsoft
Kernel Mixer architecture.
Use ASIO or GSIF to walk around this limitation. - Microsoft
DirectSound or Microsoft MME devices (MME via WDM-Audio) does not work
with the driver's options for start/stop synchronization. Activate the
options "Synchron" and "SyncBus Synchron" only, if you use ASIO, GSIF or
classic MME devices. Else the entire WDM-Audio system may "freeze". This
issue can not be compensated by our software.
Attention: The Windows System Sounds use MME via WDM-Audio in case
you have not chosen a classic MME device. - Some audio
applications show additional audio devices with theirs names appended by
"(3+4)" or "(5+6)". This is caused by an anomaly of the Microsoft
MME/DirectSound system. Please ignore these devices and do not use them.
- Some audio applications require the MARIAN driver because of
its additional hardware support functions:
- Hardware Punch In Monitoring
- Hardware Pitch Support
- Hardware Audio Signal Routing
- Hardware Audio Signal Level Measurement
These functions are not supported by the Microsoft drivers. Please
supply this audio applications with the "Classic MME" devices.
7.2 "Classic MME"
(not available in Windows Vista)
The MARIAN driver enables you to use the MME driver interface of
the previous driver versions in addition to all other driver interfaces.
From now, we call this interface "Classic MME". You can activate "Classic
MME" within the C-Box PCIe 128 Manager "Settings | Audio Options". If this
driver interface is active, then you get additional recording and playback
devices with the appropriate device lists. These devices have the name
suffix "(MME)".
The "Classic MME" device have these advantages:
- The number of the recording and playback devices available is
NOT limited (see above)
- These devices support the MARIAN hardware support functions
(see above)
- These devices are working much faster and you achieve better
latency values
- These devices guarantee exact start/stop synchrony. This can
never be made with DirectSound or WDM-Audio devices
Software samplers and synthesizers normally supply MIDI output
devices for other audio applications who want to use the software sampler as
an instrument. If such an application starts, then normally this application
opens the MIDI output devices and this in turn causes the software sampler
to initialize its audio engine with the configured audio outputs.
THIS OCCURS EVEN IF YOU HAVE NOT STARTED THE SOFTWARE SAMPLER
APPLICATION.
In the described situation the software sampler and the other audio
application may conflict, if they use the same audio output. You can use the
C-Box PCIe 128 with different audio applications at the same time but never
the same output device simultaneously.
Therefore this hint:
- First start the software sampler/synthesizer and setup an
audio output device which will NOT be used by the other audio application.
Start the audio application (sequencer) afterwards.
- If you start an ASIO or GSIF application the first time, then
it will use the device "C-Box 1-2" for recording and playback.
The Windows Multimedia System also supplies a software synthesizer
called "Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth". This synthesizer has also a
MIDI output port with the same name. Since there is no explicit setup for
the output device, the "Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth" always uses the
standard playback device configured in "Control Panel | Sounds and
Multimedia | Audio".
(c)
MARIAN Digital Audio Electronics, MARIAN GmbH, Leipzig 02-04-2010