Copyright: © Voyetra Turtle Beach, Inc.


Welcome
Turtle Beach™ Santa Cruz Control Panel

Welcome to
Santa Cruz Control Panel Help!

Santa Cruz represents the ultimate in DSP-accelerated, multiple channel audio hardware for the PC, featuring:

•	Cirrus Logic SoundFusion® DSP architecture offloads audio tasks from your PC's processor.

•	High-resolution converters provide crystal-clear reproduction of MP3, WAV, CD, DVD and Internet Audio.

•	Spectacular home-theater surround sound with programmable ambience effects on 2, 4 or 6-speaker systems.

•	Sensaura™ Virtual Ear™ Technology optimizes 3-D positional audio for enjoying surround sound with headphones.

•	Supports industry-standard 3-D positional audio for interactive PC gaming (Sensaura™, EAX™, A3D™, DirectSound3D™, IA3D).

•	Exceptional MIDI and digital audio performance turns your PC into a pro-quality music and sound editing tool.

•	A versatile array of digital/analog inputs and outputs to handle the most sophisticated PC audio requirements.

To learn more about using the Santa Cruz, please proceed to the Santa Cruz Control Panel Overview.


Overview

The Santa Cruz Control Panel provides a tabbed interface for easy access to the advanced features of the Santa Cruz including 3-D audio playback, support for 2, 4 or 6 speaker configurations, EQ and audio effects.

System Presets allow you to optimize the Santa Cruz for audio tasks such as recording, playing games or business applications including two-way web audio conferencing. The presets let you call up these optimized settings when you need them.

Right-click anywhere on the Control Panel and a pop-up menu will appear, providing controls for general settings such as turning ToolTips on/off or adding/removing devices from the Mixer tab.

Each Tab in the Control Panel interface contains controls for the various functions.  Click on the Tab's name to see its description:

• Main Tab	• Mixer Tab
• EQ Tab	• Synth Tab
• Effects Tab	• Other Tab
For users of Microsoft Windows NT 4.0…

The features accessible from the EQ, Effects, Synth and Other tabs are not supported in Windows NT 4.0. Because of this, these tabs will not be visible when using the Santa Cruz Control Panel under Windows NT 4.0.


Main Tab

The Main Tab offers controls for setting the master volume level, the record input level and for selecting the output configuration for the Santa Cruz.

Master Volume Controls:

Master Volume:
Adjusts the output level of the Santa Cruz, setting the overall volume of the PC audio system.

Mute (master):
Silences the master output.

Pan L/R (master):
Adjusts the balance between the Left and Right speakers.

Fade F/B (master):
Adjusts the balance between the Front and Back speakers when using a four or six speaker configuration.

6 Speaker Controls:

The following controls appear when in 6 Speaker mode only (otherwise they remain hidden)

Center:
Controls the volume level of the center speaker in 6-speaker mode.

Sub:
Controls the volume level of the sub woofer speaker in 6-speaker mode.

Virtual 5.1:
When playing games containing 3-D audio with a 6 speaker setup, Center and Subwoofer outputs are synthesized from the 4 speaker surround signal to provide a 6 speaker experience.

When Virtual 5.1 is enabled, Center and Subwoofer channels are derived from the front and rear channels. Channel 5 (VersaJack tip conductor) carries the Center channel signal, which is a summed mono signal of the front outputs (Front L+R). If Virtual 5.1 is not enabled, the Center and Subwoofer will only be active when playing 6-channel content (i.e. a software-decoded Dolby Digital soundtrack from a DVD or the output of a high-end audio application capable of accessing multiple outputs). It is therefore recommended that you leave Virtual 5.1 off when playing software-decoded Dolby Digital movie soundtracks.

It is further recommended that when using PC games with 3-D Positional Audio that you either turn off Virtual 5.1 – or – if you do enable Virtual 5.1, turn the Center channel all the way down. The latter will give you the Subwoofer effects but will not interfere with the surround sound positional information.

Tech Tip:

When Virtual 5.1 is enabled, Channel 5 (VersaJack tip conductor) carries the Center channel signal, which is a summed mono combination of the Front Left and Front Right signals (Front L+R). Channel 6 (VersaJack ring conductor) carries the subwoofer signal, which is a summed mono combination of the Front Left + Front Right + Rear Left + Rear Right signals. This Channel 6 subwoofer signal is full range, meaning that no low pass filter (treble roll-off) has been applied. The subwoofer speaker itself will have the necessary crossover circuit built in.

Record Settings:

Record Level:
Adjusts the amount of input signal when recording. Adjust this fader so that the peak meter indicators are averaging in the yellow area. If the level is set too high the recording will be distorted; if set too low the volume level will be too low when played back.

Pan L/R (record):
Controls the right/left balance when recording a stereo file.

Record Source:
Selects the input source for recording. For example, if you would like to record from a microphone, select "Microphone" as the record source. The Record Source settings are:

Telephone – Use this input when you want to record a conversation from a Telephony or "Internet phone" application. When using the Telephone Input as the Record Source, the Santa Cruz will record from the internal TAD input (green 4-pin connector on the soundcard circuit board).

Auxiliary Volume  – Choose this input when you wish to record from the AUX Input (white 4-pin internal connector on the Santa Cruz card itself).

Compact Disc – Choose this input when you want to record from an audio CD.

Line In – Choose this input when you want to record from a device that is connected to the Santa Cruz Line In (blue 1/8" stereo phone jack).

Synth Daughter Card – Choose this input when you want to record a MIDI file playing through a MIDI Synthesizer Daughter Card (such as the Turtle Beach Cancun) attached to the Wavetable Header.

Microphone – Choose this input when you want to record from a microphone connected to the Mic Input (pink 1/8" phone jack).

Output Mix – Choose this setting when you want to record from a mixture of sources, called a "mix". For example, you can connect a microphone to the Mic Input and play a CD, and record yourself singing along on top of the CD.

In the Mixer tab, be sure to Mute any inputs you do not wish to hear in your recording. Adjust the levels of the sources you do want to record.

Peak Level Meters:

These indicators show the input level for the left and right channels. If the meters are averaging in the red area while recording, lower the Record Level. If they are averaging in the green, raise the Record Level.

Output Configuration Controls:

The Santa Cruz provides a tremendous amount of flexibility in the configuration of its inputs and outputs. The following controls allow you to customize the output configuration.

Speaker Mode:

Selects the speaker output mode.  The following options are available:

2 Speaker – Sets up the Santa Cruz for two speakers and will optimize 3-D games for a virtual 3-D audio experience using two speakers.

Headphones (Front) – Sets up the Santa Cruz for headphone listening using the Front (green) connector. This option will optimize 3-D games for a virtual 3-D audio experience using headphones. Note: When the Speaker Output is set to Headphones, the VersaJack is automatically set to Analog Out.

Headphones (Rear) – Sets up the Santa Cruz for headphone listening using the Rear (black) connector.

Headphones (VersaJack) – Sets up the Santa Cruz for headphone listening using the VersaJack (yellow) connector.

4 Speaker – Sets up the Santa Cruz for four speaker output.  All 3-D audio sources will be routed to the four speaker channels (Front Speakers plus Back Speakers).

6 Speaker – Sets up the Santa Cruz for six speaker output. Note: When the Speaker Output is set to Six Speakers, the VersaJack is automatically set to Analog Out 5/6, which will be used for the Subwoofer and Center Channel speakers. The Front and Back Speakers are configured similarly to 4 Speaker mode above.

Digital 4.1 – This is a hybrid digital/analog output mode designed for use with those few speaker systems that are equipped with a digital input for the Front Speaker pair and an analog input for the Rear Speaker pair. Digital 4.1 mode sends the Front L/R audio signals to the VersaJack Digital Out (ring conductor) and the Rear L/R audio signals to the Back Speakers output.

VersaJack:

The VersaJack is a configurable connector (yellow) that can be set up for any of the following:

Digital Out – Use this connector to output PCM or AC-3 digital audio data to compatible 5.1 surround speaker systems equipped with a digital input.

Analog In – Use this as a second analog line-level input for recording from a line level source such as a tape recorder or external CD player.

Analog Out – This setting shows that when activated, the VersaJack is being used as the channels 5/6 analog outputs or as the Headphones output. This setting is only activated when the Speaker Mode is set to 6 Speaker or Headphones (VersaJack).  Use this to output analog, line level audio to an amplifier, tape recorder or headphones.

Output Connectors Display:

This graphic shows a diagram of the audio connectors found at the back of the computer and their current output configuration based on the Speaker Mode and VersaJack settings.

When the Speaker Mode in the Output Configuration area is set to 2 Speaker, 4 Speaker or 6 Speaker mode, the VersaJack will automatically set itself to Analog Out. However, the VersaJack Analog Out is only active when the Speaker Mode is set to 6 Speaker.

When the input of a digital audio device is attached to the VersaJack, set the VersaJack: dropdown to Digital Out.

 See Also…

Adjusting the Volume and Speaker Balance

Recording with the Santa Cruz

Speaker Setups

How Do I Use the Santa Cruz for DVD Playback?

Using Headphones

Using the Digital Outputs

Connectors on the Board


Mixer Tab

The Mixer tab provides controls for each output source on the Santa Cruz including CD-Audio output, Digital Audio Wave output, MIDI Music output, etc. These controls allow you to set the levels of the various sound sources independently so that they will sound balanced with each other.

Note that this mixer determines the levels of the sounds you hear (the "outputs or "playback devices"), which are not necessarily the sounds that are recorded. The Output Mix record setting on the Main tab selects the total output of the mixer for recording, so that you can record the mixture of sounds you hear to your hard drive as an audio file. For instance, if you want to record yourself singing over a 'backing track' playing from the Santa Cruz's internal MIDI synthesizer, choose the Output Mix from the Record Source drop down list in the Main tab. Then open the Mixer tab to adjust the levels of the Microphone and internal Synthesizer sources.

The sliding fader controls for each source include:

Volume – Adjusts the volume level for that source.

Pan – Adjusts the left/right balance for that source.

Fade – Adjusts the front/back balance for that source.

Mute Button – Turns off the output for that source. When the Mute button appears with a red circle and slash symbol on it, that source will be muted (you won't hear it). Click on the Mute button again, and the red symbol will disappear, indicating that the source is now active.

Advanced Button – Some sources, such as CD Audio and Microphone, have extra controls that can be accessed via the Advanced button (the buttons with " … " on them).  Clicking on the Advanced buttons will bring up a dialog box with additional controls for the pertinent source.

The Mixer Input sources are:

Wave Out – This is the digital "WAV" audio source, such as a Wave file playing from your hard drive. This source is typically used for audio in games and other multimedia applications.

Synthesizer – This is the Santa Cruz DSP Wavetable MIDI Synthesizer used by many games, multimedia and music applications to create musical soundtracks.

Auxiliary – Any audio signal source connected to the rear-panel VersaJack Analog In or the internal Auxiliary Line Input (white plastic, 4-pin connector labeled "AUX"). The VersaJack Analog In can be used as a secondary input for external, line level stereo equipment such as tape decks or Walkman™ style players. The internal Aux connector is used for stereo audio from an internally mounted DVD drive or a second CD-ROM drive. For best performance, only one of these two connectors should have a device attached to it. For instance, if you are using an external player attached to the VersaJack Analog In, disconnect any devices connected to the internal Aux Input.

Compact Disc – This is the audio coming from the output of an internally mounted CD-ROM drive. The CD audio enters the Santa Cruz in either analog format - when connected to the internal, black plastic, 4-pin CD Audio input header on the Santa Cruz - or in digital format - from the internal, two-pin S/PDIF IN header on the Santa Cruz.

Line In – Any audio signal source connected to the back panel Line In jack (blue). For example, if you connected the output of a tape recorder to the Santa Cruz Line In, the Line Input fader would control the listening level.

Synth Daughter Card – The audio from an optional wavetable daughter card connected to the "Wavetable Header" on the Santa Cruz card. If you do not have an optional wavetable daughter card, the level control for this source will not be used.  If this is the case, you may want to remove this control from the Mixer tab as described below.

Microphone – A monitor source for listening to the Mic In (the pink jack on the back panel of the Santa Cruz). If you connect a microphone to the Santa Cruz microphone input, this fader will control the listening level.

Telephone – This is the audio signal coming from a modem's audio output connected to the internal TAD (telephone) input on the Santa Cruz. This is an internally mounted, dark green, four-pin connector. Depending on how your system is configured, this connection may or may not be used. If unused, you may want to remove the Telephone fader control from the Mixer tab, as described below.

Adding/Removing Input Sources from the Mixer:

You can change which audio sources are displayed on the mixer by right clicking on the control panel and selecting Mixer Controls from the menu. This will display a dialog box with a list of all the available sources. To select which controls will appear on the mixer, put a check mark in the box next to the source you want displayed. Note that a maximum of eight faders (volume control "sliders") can be displayed on the Mixer tab at any one time.

 See Also…

Mixer Controls


EQ Tab

The EQ tab provides controls for the graphic equalizer (Graphic EQ). The EQ controls the tone of the Santa Cruz via 10 frequency level controls. By adjusting these faders you can remove or add treble, bass and midrange frequencies according to your preference.

There are eight buttons that provide common EQ settings. Try these settings by clicking on them, or create your own and save them as part of the main System Presets.

The Output Frequency Display shows the output level for each of the 10 frequencies.

To Turn On/Off the Equalizer Feature:

To enable the Equalizer, click once on the Enable button and it will light up red.

To disable the Equalizer, click on the Enable button again and the red light will go out.

    NOTE:

The Equalizer function will only work on audio being sent to the Front Speakers or Headphones (Front). Audio sent to the Back Speakers, Headphones (Rear) or Headphones (VersaJack) will not be affected by changes in the EQ settings.


Effects Tab

The Effects tab provides controls for the Santa Cruz digital effects processors. These DSP-generated effects can be applied to the various output sources to simulate the Reverb of a concert hall, or to add other special effects such as Chorus or Flanging.

There are two effect channels, allowing you to combine two different types of effects. For each effect channel there is a set of controls, which include the following:

Level – Adjusts the amount of effect to be mixed in with the normal "dry" signal.

Pan – Adjusts the left/right balance of the effect.

Fade – Adjusts the front/back balance of the effect.

Effect Selection – Selects the type of effect to be used.

Mute – Turns off the effect for that channel.

Advanced – Displays a dialog containing controls for adjusting each individual effect "send". For example, if you would like to put an Auditorium reverb effect on a Compact Disc but not on Wave audio:

•	Make sure the Effect 1 Mute button is not set to mute the effect.

•	Choose Auditorium from the Preset: drop-down list box.

•	Click on the Advanced button ( … ) below the Effect 1 fader.

•	Go to the Analog 2 Record fader on the right side of the Effect Level Mix panel. Choose Compact Disc from the drop-down list. Make sure the Mute button just above the list box is set not to mute the effect.

•	The Compact Disc fader should be up and the Wave Out fader should be down or muted.

    Note:

The Santa Cruz audio effects are inserted at the Pre-Fader Listen (PFL) point in the signal path. This means that if you have a reverb effect on the MIDI Synthesizer and you mute the MIDI Synth in the Mixer, you will still hear the reverb effect through your speakers or headphones. This is normal.

 See Also…

System Presets


Synth Tab

The Synth tab provides controls specific to the Wavetable MIDI Synthesizer on the Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz synthesizer operates in two modes:

1.	Hardware Mode, in which the DSP generates the synthesizer voices.

2.	Software Mode, which generates synthesizer voices in "software", meaning that the computer's CPU generates the voices.

When playing a complex MIDI file, the DSP generates up to 64 voices. If the composition requires more voices, software voices will be added. The maximum number of software voices is limited only by the power available from the computer's central processor unit (CPU).

You can set the maximum number of voices available from Hardware Mode (described below).

Current Synth Bank  – Lets you select and download an alternate MIDI synthesizer sound palette. The Santa Cruz supports DLS compatible sound palettes.

Memory Resident – The instrument resources can be dynamically cached from the hard drive or can be maintained in memory (RAM) while the system is running. For the resources to remain in memory, the Memory Resident box must be checked (recommended).

Voices:

Maximum Hardware Notes:
Sets the maximum number of synthesizer voices to be generated by the Santa Cruz hardware synthesizer.

Maximum Software Notes:
Sets the maximum number of synthesizer voices to be generated by the Santa Cruz software synthesizer.

Voice Allocation:
This feature determines how voices are allocated in the synthesizer. The DLS standard allocates a fixed number of voices even if they're not required for playback. This can use up valuable resources. Choosing Dynamic (recommended) provides a more advanced algorithm for allocating voices and therefore will use fewer resources.

NOTE:

The very first time a MIDI file is played using the internal synthesizer of the Santa Cruz, the default sound bank will need to load before the MIDI file can be played back. This process may take up to about 20 seconds. Once the sound bank has loaded, the MIDI file will play normally. This will only happen the first time the Santa Cruz internal synthesizer is used — after that, MIDI files will play back without delay.

 See Also…

What is MIDI?

What is DLS?


Other Tab

The Other tab provides controls for setting various preferences including:

General Options:

Enable 3-D Enhancement – The 3-D Enhancement feature provides a spatial enhancement effect for three-dimensional audio effects when listening with two speakers or headphones.

Enable Legacy DOS Game Support – Under Windows 95 or 98, the Santa Cruz provides support for older MS-DOS games by emulating a Sound Blaster® Pro model ISA sound card. Support for 'legacy' DOS games requires these extra resources from your PC:

•	One Interrupt Request or "IRQ" (typically IRQ 5)

•	One Direct Memory Access "DMA" channel (typically DMA 1)

•	Two Input/Output Ranges (typically at memory addresses 220h and 388h)

You can quickly uninstall the Legacy DOS Game Device by clearing this checkbox. This will make it possible for other devices in your system to use these resources.

Enable DirectSound Acceleration – The Santa Cruz can provide acceleration for DirectSound enabled games. This feature takes the workload off the CPU, which enhances the performance of your games.

Sensaura™ Virtual Ear™ – This new technology lets you choose a preset profile for 3-D listening in headphones, or you can create a new, personalized profile by clicking on the New Profile button. This launches the Virtual Ear Setup Wizard, which leads you through a short series of tests that will optimize the program to your own ears and hearing characteristics. After saving your customized settings as a preset, you can call them up by clicking on the name of your profile in the Sensaura Virtual Ear drop-down list box.

  NOTE:

•	The Virtual Ear Setup Wizard automatically sets the Santa Cruz Output Configuration to Headphones (Front). If you run the Virtual Ear Setup Wizard and then try to play sound through your speaker setup, you won't hear anything from the Back Speakers. This is because audio will be routed to the Front Speakers only, as the Output Configuration will be set to Headphones (Front) mode.  Simply reset the Output Configuration to 4 Speaker and the rear speakers will play.

•	DirectSound Acceleration must be enabled in order to use the Sensaura Virtual Ear feature.

Acoustic Echo Cancellation

Echo cancellation is a special feature used for Internet voice and video conferencing with software such as Microsoft's NetMeeting®.  Echo cancellation allows for two-way communication using your speakers rather than a headset microphone or headphones.  If Echo Cancellation were not used, the sound from the speakers would echo back through the microphone to the caller's system, creating an echo effect.

There are three options. You can set up the Santa Cruz to use echo cancellation…

•	Always – The feature is always loaded

•	When needed – The feature automatically loads when it detects an application that requires it

•	Never – Never loads the feature

 See Also…

Sensaura™ 3-D Positional Audio

HRTF


System Presets

The System Presets store your customized settings in the Santa Cruz Control Panel. There are three categories of System Presets: Games, Music and Business, containing presets to enhance your gaming, music and business audio experiences.

For example, the "Audio Enhancement (Quad Speaker Setup)" preset in the Games category uses the Santa Cruz's advanced panning and effects algorithms to turn a typical stereo game into an incredible, four speaker, surround audio experience!

Presets in the Business category set up your system for recording voice files to be used in a presentation, or for setting up full duplex audio for an internet conferencing session.

The Music presets add new dimensions to your MP3 and CD audio listening. Hear your favorite CD artist perform in a concert hall by selecting an "Ambient" preset or add extra low end punch to your MP3 files with the "Bass Boost" preset.

Restore Default Settings – This option will reset the Santa Cruz control panel settings to the factory default values.

Using the Presets

Selecting a Preset:

Click the Preset button and choose from one of the fly-out menu categories (Games, Music and Business).

The bottom of the Preset menu holds the four most recently used Preset configurations. You can choose one of these if you like.

Modifying and Saving a Preset:

Make your changes. Click the Preset button and select Save. You will be prompted to choose from a Preset Category and enter a name for the new Preset.

All settings in the Control Panel are saved with the exception of the Master Volume, Master Mute, Speaker Mode and VersaJack configuration.

Deleting a Preset:

Click the Preset button and select Delete from the menu to display the Delete Preset dialog box. Select the preset type folder (Games, Business, Music) followed by the preset you wish to delete. Then click the Delete button.

 See Also…

Right Click Menu

Load Last Preset at Startup


Connectors on the Board

Here is a look at the Santa Cruz board, with its external and internal connectors:

Internal Connectors:

•	TAD - Telephone Answering Device connector
Connects to modems equipped with internal audio inputs and outputs, for use as a computerized answering machine.

•	CD - Compact Disc audio connector
Connects to the MPC-2 (four-pin) plug from the analog audio output of a CD-ROM drive. Please refer to the Santa Cruz Getting Started Guide.

•	AUX - Auxiliary analog audio input connector
Allows other internally mounted audio devices (such as DVD-ROM drives) to play through the Santa Cruz.

•	CD S/PDIF IN - Digital CD input connector
Two-pin connector allows direct digital transfer of CD audio from CD-ROM drives equipped with a Digital Output (S/PDIF Output).

•	VERSA - VersaJack™ connector
May be used in four different ways:
   - Stereo Headphone Output
   - Center/Subwoofer Output
   - Secondary Record Input
   - Digital Output

•	MIC - Microphone Input
Connects to monaural dynamic or condenser microphones with 1/8" mini-phone plug connector. Tip connector is for audio signal, ring connector is for condenser mic bias voltage.

•	LINE IN - Stereo Line Level Input
Connects to the analog, line level outputs of consumer audio equipment such as cassette decks, CD players, stereo receivers, MiniDisc recorders, DAT recorders, VCR's, etc.

•	FRONT - Front Speakers output
Connects to the main pair of powered speakers (front speakers).

•	BACK - Back Speakers output
Connects to the second pair of powered speakers (Back or Rear speakers).

•	UPGRADE HEADER -
For future expandability of the Santa Cruz.

•	WAVETABLE MIDI HEADER - 26-pin Wavetable Header

See Also:

Main Tab

Setup for Two, Four or Six Speakers

How Do I Use the Digital Outputs?

How Do I Use the Six Outputs?

How Do I Record from the Microphone Input?

How Do I Record from the CD Audio Input?


How Do I Use the Santa Cruz for DVD Playback?

  DVD Playback directly from the six outputs of the Santa Cruz:

When used with a compatible software DVD decoder/player, software-decoded Dolby Digital Surround streams can be routed to the 6 analog outputs of the Santa Cruz. These outputs may be connected to a discrete, 5.1 speaker system to provide a 6 channel surround audio experience without the need for an external Dolby Digital (AC-3) decoder.

The software DVD player you use must allow you to choose "5.1" or "6 Speaker" as a valid playback option. This is accomplished using Microsoft's Wave Format Extensible structure for controlling multichannel audio from within Windows applications.

The Santa Cruz will also provide 4-channel surround playback of DVD movie soundtracks. You must be able to choose "4 Speaker playback" or similar from within your software DVD player application.

Virtual 5.1 On/Off:
Depending on the program material, there are times when the Virtual 5.1's synthesized Center channel information might throw off the positional aspects of the audio program. In such cases, the Virtual 5.1 button allows you to turn the center signal on or off.

When the red light is lit on the Virtual 5.1 button, the Santa Cruz will enable its synthesized Center and Subwoofer channels. When the light is unlit, the Virtual 5.1 synthesis will be disabled.

With the Virtual 5.1 button off, playback of software-decoded Dolby Digital (AC-3) soundtracks is still possible, including all Center channel and Subwoofer (LFE) channel information in the soundtrack.

DVD Playback from Santa Cruz to 5.1 Surround Speakers with Digital Input:

If you have an external 5.1 surround speaker system with a coaxial digital input, and your software DVD player allows you to send the digital audio data out through a soundcard's Digital Output, you should be able to send the DVD digital audio data out through the Santa Cruz VersaJack. To do this:

1.	Obtain a shielded audio cable with a 1/8" stereo (3-conductor) mini-phone plug on one end and a stereo pair of RCA phono plugs on the other. One RCA plug will be red, while the other will be white or black.

2.	Red RCA phono plug = Ring connector on stereo 1/8" mini-phone plug

3.	White or Black RCA phono plug = Tip connector on 1/8" on stereo 1/8" mini-phone plug

4.	Plug the 1/8" stereo mini-phone plug into the VersaJack (yellow jack) and plug the red RCA phono plug into the Coaxial Digital Input on your 5.1 Surround speaker system.

5.	Go to the Main tab in the Santa Cruz Control Panel and choose Digital Out in the VersaJack: drop down list box.

6.	In your software DVD player, choose the option to send the DVD audio data out of the Santa Cruz Digital Output.

You should now be able to play a DVD movie on your PC and hear the decoded Dolby Digital Surround audio from your home entertainment system.

NOTE:

When the VersaJack is set to Digital Out in the Main tab of the Santa Cruz Control Panel, it is actually two digital outputs on a single 1/8" phone jack.  In this mode, the VersaJack is wired in this manner:

•	Tip connector = PCM Digital Out: Connects to White or Black RCA plug

•	Ring connector = AC-3 Digital Output: Connects to Red RCA plug.

How the 5.1 channels are allocated to the 6 outputs on the Santa Cruz:

•	Front Left = Santa Cruz channel 1 (green 1/8" jack, left channel)

•	Front Right = Santa Cruz channel 2 (green 1/8" jack, right channel)

•	Rear Left = Santa Cruz channel 3 (black 1/8" jack, left channel)

•	Rear Right = Santa Cruz channel 4 (black 1/8" jack, right channel)

•	Center Channel = Santa Cruz channel 5 (yellow 1/8" jack, left channel)

•	Low Frequency Enhance (Subwoofer) channel = Santa Cruz channel 6
(yellow 1/8" jack, right channel)

Notes on DVD Software:

If you are using a software DVD player that does not provide an option for 5.1 playback and the Santa Cruz is connected to a 5.1 speaker setup, the Santa Cruz SoundFusion DSP will send appropriate signals to the Center and Subwoofer channels.  In such cases, both the Front and Back (rear) speaker pairs will receive the same stereo signal.

Most software DVD players require a PC with at least a Pentium II or Celeron® processor and an AGP video card installed.

See Also…

Main Tab

Six Speaker Setup


Setup for Two, Four or Six Speakers

The outputs on the Santa Cruz are very flexible and allow for 2, 4 or 6 speaker configurations.

Two Speaker Setup

In a two-speaker configuration the speakers should be connected to the green jack. Also, the Speaker Mode on the Main tab of the control panel should be set to 2 Speaker.

In this configuration the Santa Cruz will provide "virtualized 3-D listening" for games that support 3-D audio.

Four Speaker Setup

When using four speakers, the front speakers should be connected to the green output jack and the rear speakers to the black jack. Also, the Speaker Mode on the Main tab of the control panel should be set to 4 Speaker.

In this configuration the Santa Cruz will provide discreet audio positioning for games that support 3-D audio. In addition, many of the Control Panel Presets provide a four speaker enhanced audio experience when playing back a stereo game or music CD.

Six Speaker Setup

When using six speakers, connect the front speakers to the green output jack, the rear speakers to the black jack and the sub woofer (right channel / connector sleeve) and center speaker (left channel / connector tip) to the yellow jack. Also, the Speaker Mode on the Main tab of the control panel should be set to 6 Speaker.

When used with 3-D audio streams (e.g. game audio) or stereo streams (e.g. MP3 music files), the center and sub-woofer channels are automatically generated by the Santa Cruz along with the quad signals for the front and back speakers. This effectively utilizes all of the speakers in a discrete 6-speaker system.

Many of the Control Panel Presets provide a multi-speaker audio experience when playing back a stereo game or music CD.

When used with a DVD software decoder, the Santa Cruz can provide a 6 speaker surround audio experience without the need for an external decoder.

 See Also…

Main Tab

System Presets


How Do I Use the Santa Cruz with Headphones?

The Santa Cruz allows you to leave both speakers and headphones plugged in at the same time. You can switch between them by simply selecting the desired output from the Main tab in the Santa Cruz Control Panel. This eliminates the need to reach around the back of the computer to plug in the headphones each time you want to use them.

If you have stereo speakers connected to the Front Speakers output (lime green jack) you can plug headphones into either the Back Speakers output (black jack) or the VersaJack (yellow jack).

If you have a 4-speaker setup using the front speakers plugged into the Front Speakers jack (lime green) and the rear speakers plugged into the Back Speakers jack (black), you can keep your headphones plugged into the VersaJack.

Set the Output Configuration to "VersaJack (Headphones)" and the VersaJack to "Analog Out" to use headphones plugged into the VersaJack (yellow jack).

When headphones are used with the VersaJack and Back Speakers Output, the analog microphone and TAD audio will not be heard. These signals are only available on the Front Speakers output.

 See Also…

HRTF

What is Sensaura™ 3-D Positional Audio?

Other Tab


How Do I Adjust the Volume and Speaker Balance?

There are two types of volume controls on the Santa Cruz: Master and Mix.

Adjusting the Master Volume:

The master volume control on the Main tab is the main volume adjustment. Use this fader (slider control) to change the overall level of the Santa Cruz. Keep in mind, if you have powered speakers that they may also have a volume control.

Adjusting the Mix Volume:

The Santa Cruz has a number of audio subsystems that generate sound. These include Wave Audio, MIDI Wavetable Synthesis, CD-Audio, etc. It may be desirable to adjust the relative level of these subsystems. For example, if the CD-Audio is consistently too soft compared to the other sounds in your computer, you can raise the level of the CD-Audio while leaving the other levels untouched. Levels can be adjusted in the Mixer tab of the control panel. Simply select the Mixer tab and adjust the volume fader for the desired source.

Adjusting the Left/Right and Front/Back Speaker Balance:

The Main Tab provides Left/Right Pan and Front/Back Fader controls above the master volume fader. These allow you to adjust the audio balance for the main output.

Each source on the Mixer tab also has "Quad Panning". Generally these controls should remain in the center position. However, they can be used to set up special configurations for gaming and music listening and then stored as Presets. For example, a game can be set up so the Wave audio is panned to the front speakers and the MIDI or CD music is panned to the back to create a fuller audio listening experience.

 See Also…

Mixer Controls

Mixer Tab


How Do I Add Effects to the Audio?

The Santa Cruz has two powerful effects processors to enhance your listening experience.  Effects can be used to simulate a concert hall setting for listening to music, or to create a "dark cavern" like environment for games.

The easiest way to take advantage of the Santa Cruz' effects processing is to use the Presets. However, you can also create your own custom effects mix from the Effects tab.

The Effects tab provides controls for both effects processors.  To add effects to the main output, select the type of effect from the Effect Presets combo box and increase the effect with the level fader. Note that the effects can be panned left/right and front/back as well.

Adjusting the Effect Level for Individual Sources

Effect levels can be adjusted for individual sources. For example, you can put more effects on the synthesizer and less on the CD if you like. Click on the advanced button (marked "…") to display the effect sources window. There are a number of faders (effect sends) which allow you to adjust the relative volume levels for the effect. Each of the two effect processors has it's own set of effect sends. This also allows you to set up an input source with one type of effect while adding a completely different effect to another source.

Example: Set Effect 1 to Large Hall, then set the CD source in the advanced box all the way up and mute the other sources. Only the CD source will have the reverb effect on it.  Effect 2 can be set to a different effect such as Chorus. With the Digital Audio source all the way up and the other sources muted only the digital audio signal will have the Chorus effect. In this configuration the CD will have a reverb effect and the digital audio will have a chorusing effect.


How Do I Load Last Preset at Startup?

If you have a favorite preset that you use frequently, you can have the system load it automatically by turning on the Load Last Preset at Startup option. Right-click anywhere on the control panel to display the right-click menu options. Select Load Last Preset at Startup. Do the same when you would like to turn it off.


How Do I Record with the Santa Cruz?

There are many options available to you when recording audio with the Santa Cruz. You can record from a Microphone, Analog CD, or even the Telephone input. There are also two discreet stereo line input devices available for live four-track recording. The software application you use for audio recording will dictate what is needed to properly set up the Santa Cruz for recording. The information below provides an overview of the most common types of recording operations and how to set up the Santa Cruz for recording.

Third Party Recording Applications

To record from most digital audio applications you will need to set the record source and the input level on the Santa Cruz.

From the Record Controls section on the Main tab, choose the source (microphone, CD, line input, etc.) you would like to record from the Record Source: drop down list. Begin playing back the source (CD or tape deck for example), or speaking into the microphone and adjust the record input level fader so that the record level meters are averaging in the yellow area.

If you're recording from a microphone and you are listening back through speakers at the same time, you may need to lower the playback volume level of the microphone to prevent "feedback" or "squeal" from the speakers. Select the Main tab and adjust the volume fader for the Microphone.  The Main tab faders control the output levels

The Santa Cruz is now ready for recording.

Hook-up to External Home Stereo Equipment

You can record to your PC's hard disk from high-fidelity stereo equipment you may already own, including cassette decks, CD players, AM/FM tuners or stereo receivers.

To do this you will need a stereo Y-cable to connect from your stereo to the Santa Cruz (available from electronics stores.

•	Plug the Y-cable's 1/8" mini phone plug into the Line In on the Santa Cruz card (light blue 1/8" jack).

•	Plug the RCA plugs (male) into the appropriate RCA jacks (female) on your external audio device.

 See Also…

How Do I Record from the Microphone Input?

How Do I Record from the CD Audio Input?

Main Tab


How Do I Record from the CD Audio Input?

To record from the analog Compact Disc input:

First make sure the internal CD audio cable is connected from the line level (analog) audio output on your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive to the internal CD Audio input on the Santa Cruz card. The CD Audio input is the black plastic, 4-pin connector at the top of the Santa Cruz card.

1.	In the Main tab of the Santa Cruz Control Panel, choose Compact Disc in the Record Source drop down list.

2.	Click on the Mixer tab. Make sure the Compact Disc input is not muted. There should not be a red circle on the small speaker icon below the Compact Disc fader (sliding volume control).

3.	Click on the Advanced Control button underneath the Compact Disc fader. The Advanced Controls have a button with three dots  (  . . .  ). Make sure the Advanced Control is set to Automatic or Off/Analog.

4.	Open your digital audio recording application and place it in Record/Pause or Input Monitor mode (refer to the application's online Help for more detailed information).

5.	Place your audio Compact Disc in your CD-ROM drive. Open your CD Player application (the Windows CD Player is located in Start > Programs > Entertainment > CD Player).  Click on the Play button to start playback of the audio CD.

6.	You should now be able to see the level meters lighting up in time to the music on the Compact Disc in both your digital audio application and in the Santa Cruz Control Panel > Main tab > Record Settings.  Set the best level by Record Input Level fader (sliding volume control) in the Main tab of the Santa Cruz Control Panel.

7.	Stop both the CD Player and the recording application and 'rewind' the CD to the beginning of the track you wish to record.

8.	In your audio recording application, press the Record button to start recording.

9.	Press Play to start playback of the Compact Disc.

10.	You should now be recording the audio from the Compact Disc. Save the file to a location on your hard drive when finished. Most audio files are stored in Wave (*.wav) format.

 See Also…

Recording with the Santa Cruz

Main Tab


How Do I Record from the Microphone Input?

1.	Make sure a suitable monaural microphone with a 1/8" phone plug is connected to the Microphone Input jack (pink 1/8" jack) on the back panel of the Santa Cruz.

2.	Go to the Main Tab in the Santa Cruz Control Panel.

3.	In the Record Settings area, choose Microphone in the Record Source drop down box.

4.	Speak into the microphone. The record level meter display should light up with the sound of your voice. It's usually best if the yellow indicators light up fairly often, but the red indicators should not stay lit for too long or the sound may be distorted due to overload. Raise or lower the volume level control in the Record Settings area as necessary.

5.	Open your audio recording software. We'll use the Windows Sound Recorder in this example. For information on how to use Windows Sound Recorder, refer to its on-line Help.

6.	Click on the red Record button. Speak into the microphone. You should see the green 'waveform' display grow larger with the sound of your voice.

7.	Save the file to your hard drive (File > Save). Play back the file by pressing the play button (with right facing arrowhead).

 See Also…

Recording with the Santa Cruz

Main Tab


How Do I Use the Six Outputs?

The 6 Speaker mode of the Santa Cruz is configured to play back 5.1 surround audio, with the DSP sending the Center Channel and Subwoofer Channel signals through the VersaJack Analog Out 5/6.

For advanced multimedia music authoring, the Santa Cruz can also provide true 6-channel output from its three stereo outputs. To configure Santa Cruz for 6 discrete output channels:

•	Open the Santa Cruz Control Panel to the Main tab.

•	Choose 4 Speaker as the Speaker Mode in the Output Configuration section.

•	Choose Analog Out in the VersaJack section.

This makes It possible to send six separate audio 'tracks' from a multi-track audio editor directly to the three stereo outputs on the back of the Santa Cruz. In this configuration, the three stereo outputs from the Santa Cruz should be connected to an external mixer where they can be processed and finally mixed down to a stereo signal.

You should now be able to select the discreet output devices from the audio output port selector in your digital audio editing software.

You can also view these output devices from the Windows Control Panel. Press Start | Settings | Control Panel. Double-click on Multimedia Properties. In the Playback area of the Audio Tab, click on the Preferred Device drop-down list box. You should see the Santa Cruz Front Out 1/2, Santa Cruz Rear Out 3/4 and the VersaJack Out 5/6 as three discreet stereo outputs.

 Important:

You must set up the Santa Cruz Control Panel Output Configuration (on the Main Tab) as follows:

Speaker Mode: Set to 4-speaker mode. This should NOT be set to Headphones or 6 Speaker mode.

VersaJack: This setting should be set to Analog Out.

 See Also…

Recording with the Santa Cruz


What is a 5.1 Speaker Setup?

The term "5.1 Surround" refers to a six channel playback system where:

1.	A pair of full range speakers is placed in front of the listener, one to the left (Front Left) and one to the right (Front Right).  This is the same as a standard stereo pair of speakers.

2.	A pair of full range speakers is placed behind the listener, one to the left (Rear Left) and one to the right (Rear Right).

3.	A Center Channel speaker is placed directly in front of the listener. This Center Channel is usually used for playback of dialog in movie soundtracks.  The Center Channel speaker is usually optimized for midrange clarity and will usually not have very deep bass response.

4.	A Subwoofer is usually placed in the front area of the listening room. This channel receives only low bass frequencies for enhancing the sound of explosions and rumbles in movie soundtracks. In a 5.1 speaker setup, the Subwoofer channel is often referred to as the Low Frequency Enhancement or LFE channel.

The Channels 1/2 (Front Speakers) lime green 1/8" jack on the back of the Santa Cruz corresponds to the Front Left and Front Right channels of the 5.1 speaker setup.

The Channels 3/4 (Back Speakers) black 1/8" jack on the back of the Santa Cruz corresponds to the Rear Left and Rear Right channels of the 5.1 speaker setup.

The Channels 5/6 VersaJack (yellow 1/8" jack) output on the back of the Santa Cruz corresponds to the Center Channel (channel 5) and Subwoofer (channel 6) of the 5.1 speaker setup.

The illustration below shows the speaker positioning for a typical 5.1 speaker system setup:

Note:

Playback of DVD movies with 5.1 surround decoding is not directly supported in Microsoft Windows. As a result, playback of DVD movies with 5.1 soundtracks will require special software. This software is usually supplied with the DVD drive. Please refer to your DVD drive's documentation for more detailed information.

 See Also…

How Do I Use the Santa Cruz for DVD Playback?

What is Dolby Digital (AC-3)?


Right Click Menu

Right-click anywhere in the Santa Cruz Control Panel and a pop-up menu will appear. There are five selectable items in the right-click menu:

1.	Load System Tray – By selecting this with a check mark, the Santa Cruz tray applet will appear as a blue speaker icon in the Windows System Tray (in the task bar next to the clock).

•	A single click with the left mouse button will bring up a master volume control that will raise or lower the volume of the entire audio system. Clicking once on the Mute button will silence the audio.

•	Double-clicking on the Santa Cruz tray applet will launch the full Santa Cruz Control Panel application.

2.     Load Last Preset at Startup – By selecting this with a check mark, the currently active Preset will be loaded into the Santa Cruz Control Panel the next time you start up your computer.

3.	Enable ToolTips – Checking this option will enable ToolTip "mouse-over" effects. With ToolTips enabled, holding the mouse pointer for a few seconds over an item in the Santa Cruz Control Panel will cause a small explanatory caption to appear.

4.	Mixer Controls… – Click on this option and a dialog box will appear with a list of the inputs and outputs available on your system. If you uncheck an item in the list, that item will not appear in the Mixer tab.  Checking an item will make it appear in the Mixer tab.

5.	About… – This brings up the About dialog box, with information about the Santa Cruz Control Panel and how to contact Voyetra Turtle Beach, Inc.

6.	Exit… – Click on Exit to close the Santa Cruz Control Panel application.

 See Also…

System Presets


What is a "Fader"?

A "Fader" is a sliding volume control of the type that is typically found on mixing consoles and graphic equalizers. The name "fader" comes from this type of control's usefulness for applying a slow "fade out" to the level of a piece of music or a video signal, as in "slowly fade to black".

In car stereos, audio/video receivers and other multi-speaker consumer audio systems,  a "Fade" control is used to adjust the balance between the Front and Rear stereo speaker pairs.


What is an "Effects Send"?

An "Effects Send" is the output from an audio mixer that goes to an effects processor (like a graphic equalizer or echo unit).  It's easiest to think of the audio signal being "sent" out of the mixer through the "Send", and brought back to the mixer through the "Return".


"Dry", "Wet" and "Mix" Signals

The Dry signal is the portion of the audio signal that has no effects applied to it. In a signal with a reverb effect added, the dry portion of the signal will have no reverberation on it.

The Wet signal is the portion of the audio signal that has no dry signal present. In a signal with a reverb effect added, the wet signal will be all reverberation, with none of the original sound present.

The Mix signal is the final combination of both the dry and wet signals.


Mixer Controls

The Mixer tab of the Santa Cruz Control Panel displays a row of "faders" (sliding volume controls) that control the relative volume levels of the devices connected to the inputs and outputs of the Santa Cruz sound card.

 See Also…

Mixer Tab


Three-Conductor Stereo Audio Cable
Three-Conductor ("Stereo") Audio Cable

This refers to a shielded audio cable that carries two channels of audio for stereo.  A special plug is required, such as the 1/8" stereo mini phone plug pictured below:

The TIP conductor on the mini phone plug is connected to the left channel 'hot' wire. On a typical soundcard or Walkman™ type stereo "Y" cable, this corresponds to the center pin (hot) on the white or black RCA plug.

The RING conductor on the mini phone plug is connected to the right channel 'hot' wire. On a typical soundcard or Walkman™ type stereo "Y" cable, this corresponds to the center pin on the red RCA plug.

The SLEEVE conductor on the mini phone plug is connected to the common ground wire that connects to the 'shield' connector on both channels' RCA plugs.

 See Also…

Shielded Cables

Connectors on the Board

Stereo Y-Cable


What is DSP?

DSP is an acronym for Digital Signal Processor, a powerful device that processes digital audio in real time, inside your PC.

Conventional sound cards use devices that can process only certain types of audio calculations such as 3-D audio, wavetable synthesis or special effects. The Santa Cruz DSP is a flexible device that can reconfigure itself to process many different types of audio tasks, freeing your computer's CPU to perform other tasks such as 3-D graphics rendering or full motion video.

Examples of how the Santa Cruz DSP can help your PC perform better multimedia processing:

•	When playing a PC game, the DSP accelerates the playback of 3-D audio streams, freeing your PC to handle the processing of rapidly changing video and graphics within the game.

By incorporating a programmable DSP, the Santa Cruz is engineered for the future. DSP features can be upgraded via a software upgrade, so your PC audio investment will pay off over a longer time.


What is S/PDIF?

S/PDIF (pronounced "spih-diff" or "ess-pee-diff"):

   Is an acronym for Sony/Philips Digital Interconnect Format.

S/PDIF is an industry standard format allowing consumers to transfer audio between digital audio recorders and players without converting the audio data from digital to analog format and back again.  By always keeping the audio data in the "digital domain", highest fidelity and lowest noise can be maintained throughout the audio signal path.

A S/PDIF digital input is a common feature on today's home entertainment equipment, such as Dolby Digital decoder/receivers and surround-sound speaker systems.  Other devices that often have a S/PDIF input and/or output include Compact Disc and MiniDisc players, as well as CD-Recordable, MiniDisc and DAT recorders.

There are two types of connections used for performing audio data transfers via S/PDIF:

•	Coaxial (Electrical) – "Co-ax" connectors usually use RCA plugs and jacks similar to what you will find on a typical stereo receiver.

•	Optical (Toslink) – An optical S/PDIF connection requires a special glass fiber cable with optical connectors. The optical connection eliminates an annoying problem called "ground loops" which can cause data errors in complex audio systems.

  NOTE:

The digital output mode of the VersaJack provides a modified form of Coaxial (Electrical) S/PDIF that is meant to connect to most Dolby Digital decoder/receivers and surround-sound speaker systems.

 See Also…

Using the Digital Outputs

What is Dolby Digital AC-3?

What is PCM?


How Do I Use the Digital Outputs?

The Santa Cruz includes two S/PDIF Digital Outputs for connecting digital audio data streams to a variety of external digital audio devices such as digital speaker systems and Dolby Digital receivers or decoders.  The two Digital Outputs are accessible on the VersaJack.

•	The Primary Digital Output is generated by the DSP and is accessible on the VersaJack "ring" connector. This AC-3 digital audio stream is typically assigned to pass Dolby Digital encoded audio data for decoding by an external Dolby Digital decoder in a multimedia system. This output may also be accessed by digital audio applications by choosing the Santa Cruz VersaJack S/PDIF Out device. This device also appears in the Audio tab of the Windows Multimedia Control Panel, in the "Preferred device:" drop down list.

•	The Secondary Digital Output is generated by the Santa Cruz Front Out 1/2 audio device and is accessible on the VersaJack "tip" connector. This PCM digital audio data stream is generated by the Front channel 'codec', which is the same audio as would normally play from the Front Speaker 1/2 output (lime green jack), but in digital form instead of analog.

•	Both the Primary and Secondary Digital Outputs are fixed at a resolution and sampling rate of 16 bits, 48 kHz.


Two Speaker Setup

Here is an illustration of a suggested two-speaker setup.  Other combinations of inputs and outputs are possible.  The VersaJack may be used as a digital output to a Digital Speaker setup or Dolby Digital decoder, or it may be used as line level, analog, stereo input or output.

The order of external 1/8" mini-phone jack connectors on the Santa Cruz is (from top to bottom):

1.	Yellow – VersaJack

2.	Pink – Microphone Input

3.	Blue – Line Input

4.	Lime Green – Front Speakers Out

5.	Black – Back Speakers Out

 See Also…

How Do I Use the Santa Cruz with Headphones?


Four Speaker Setup

Here is an illustration of a typical four-speaker setup using the Santa Cruz.

•	Set the Output Configuration to 4 Speaker in the control panel > Main tab > Output Configuration.

•	The VersaJack should be set to Analog Out.

The order of external 1/8" mini-phone jack connectors on the Santa Cruz is (from top to bottom):

1.	Yellow – VersaJack (set to Analog Out in the Output Configuration section of the control panel)

2.	Pink – Microphone Input

3.	Blue – Line Input

4.	Lime Green – Front Speakers Out

5.	Black – Back Speakers Out

 See Also…

How Do I Use the Santa Cruz with Headphones?


Six Speaker Setup

Here is an illustration of a typical six-speaker setup for playback of 5.1 surround soundtracks from DVD movies.   You must have a DVD drive and a software DVD player/decoder that can be set to play through a 5.1 speaker system.

•	Set the Output Configuration to Six Speaker in the Main tab > Output Configuration.

•	Set the VersaJack to Analog Out. This will send the Channel 5 (center channel) and Channel 6 (subwoofer) signals to the VersaJack.

The order of external 1/8" mini-phone jack connectors on the Santa Cruz is (from top to bottom):

1.	Yellow – VersaJack (set to Analog Out in the Output Configuration section of the control panel)

2.	Pink – Microphone Input

3.	Blue – Line Input

4.	Lime Green – Front Speakers Out

5.	Black – Back Speakers Out

    NOTES:

•	Six separate, powered speakers may be used with the Santa Cruz external outputs. Since some stand-alone powered speakers are equipped with RCA phono jack inputs, appropriate stereo Y-cables will be required.

•	Since all outputs will be connected to speakers in this configuration (including the VersaJack), it will not be possible to leave headphones connected to the Santa Cruz when listening to a Six-Speaker setup.

 See Also…

What is Dolby Digital (AC-3)?

What is a 5.1 Speaker Setup?

Main Tab


What is Dolby Digital (AC-3)?
What is Dolby Digital® (AC-3)?

Dolby Digital and AC-3 are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.  These processes allow six discreet channels of digital audio data to be encoded into a standard, two-channel stereo data stream. The functions of the six channels are assigned as follows:

Channel 1 :	Front Left
Channel 2 :	Front Right
Channel 3 :	Rear Left
Channel 4 :	Rear Right
Channel 5 :	Center (for on-screen dialog)
Channel 6 :	Low Frequency Enhancement (for subwoofer)

There are also 4-channel and 2-channel versions of Dolby Digital Surround sound, which simulate the sound of the full 5.1 surround setup using fewer speakers.

Other "Surround Sound" formats:

Game Audio:

PC games with 4-channel audio require that both the game software and hardware provide support for 3-D positional audio formats.  Examples of these PC game-only formats include Sensaura™, EAX™ and A3D™.  The Santa Cruz supports these formats.

Dolby Pro Logic®:

This format simulates surround sound from a standard stereo signal.  Any standard player (including the Santa Cruz) will play Dolby Pro Logic-encoded audio, through either two speakers or four.


Shielded Cables

A shielded cable is made of insulated wire(s) inside a copper braid or aluminum foil shield, housed inside a single sleeve. The braid or foil is connected to signal ground and 'shields' the inner wire(s). Shielding prevents unwanted hum and/or radio frequency interference (RFI) from being injected into the audio signal.

Shielded cables are used for connecting line level audio devices like CD players, VCR or TV audio outputs, MiniDisc players or cassette tape decks to amplifiers or other players and recorders.

Shielded cables should not be used for connecting speakers or headphones to amplifiers. This may cause the output circuits of some amplifiers to overheat.

    Remember!

Shielded Cables are for Line Level

Unshielded Cables are for Speakers or Headphones


What Is HRTF?

HRTF is an acronym for Head Related Transfer Functions, which are the calculations required to process audio data to create the effect of three-dimensional space in stereo (two-channel) speakers or headphones.


What is Sensaura 3-D Positional Audio?
What is Sensaura™ 3-D Positional Audio?

Santa Cruz uses DSP-accelerated Sensaura™ technology to provide three-dimensional sound effects in headphones and stereo or quad speaker systems. Unlike other systems that use simple panning to place sounds in quad speakers, Sensaura uses HRTF processing applied to all 3-D audio streams, placing the 3-D sound source in the X, Y and Z planes for true 360º positional audio, including complete horizontal and vertical cues.

Sensaura is compatible with the following 3-D positional audio standards:

EAX™ 1.0/2.0 – Proprietary Creative Labs extensions to Microsoft DirectSound3D which strives to improve the sensation of true 3-D space by adding reverberation effects to the basic DS3D API.

A3D™ 1.0 – Emulation of the Aureal 3-D positional API.

I3DL2 – Interactive Special Interest Group (IASIG) specification for 3-D interactive audio which includes support for environmental reverb, occlusion and obstruction, and an improved distance model.

MacroFX™ – Sensaura's extension to the DirectSound3D API which identifies sounds that are very close to the listener and places them in "zones" around the head (Near Field), allowing game developers to offer special 3-D sound effects like whispering in the ear, wind noises, etc.

MultiDrive™ – Sensaura's innovative 4-speaker solution that provides superior HRTF positioning for realistic movement of sound between front and rear speakers.

Virtual Ear™ – A proprietary technology from Sensaura, which optimizes 3-D effects for playback in headphones, complete with the ability to adjust itself to the hearing characteristics of individual listeners.


What is DLS?

DLS is an acronym for Down-Loadable Sounds, a technology that allows multimedia music authors to upload instrument patches to the end user's sound card. This allows you to hear the soundtrack in a PC game with the exact instrument sounds that the composer intended for you to hear, not just the instruments you happen to have in your sound card.

DLS instrument sets are also user adjustable. You can change the default DLS instrument set ("Synth Bank") from within the Synth tab of the Santa Cruz Control Panel, by choosing Browse… in the drop-down box beneath Current Synth Bank.

 See Also…

What is MIDI?


What is MIDI?

MIDI is an acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a standard that allows musical synthesizers to be controlled by a computer or other MIDI synthesizers.

A MIDI file stores the instructions that your computer sends to the synthesizer on a sound card or in a keyboard. These instructions tell the synthesizer exactly what note to play, what sound to play, how long to play it, and how loud to play it. The synthesizer plays the actual sounds.

Santa Cruz includes an external MIDI interface (called the Santa Cruz Virtual MPU-401) allowing connection to a keyboard synthesizer or controller. Once connected, playing the keyboard can play the Santa Cruz DSP Wavetable Synthesizer or a wavetable daughterboard attached to the internal Wavetable Header. This setup requires a special Joystick to MIDI Adapter Cable, available from Turtle Beach.

For more information, please visit the Turtle Beach website at www.turtle-beach.com.

 See Also…

How Do I Connect a MIDI Keyboard?


What is "Panning"?
What is a "Pan" Control?

Short for "Panorama", a Pan control (often called a "pan-pot") allows the "audio image" of a monaural audio signal to be moved continuously from left to center to right in a two-speaker, stereo sound field.

A Pan control works something like the Balance control on a typical stereo amplifier, but keeps the apparent loudness of the audio constant at all points in the travel of the control.

A stereo Balance control works by reducing the level of one channel or the other, i.e. when you move a balance control to the left the right channel's level is reduced, while the left channel's level remains unchanged.


What is an "IRQ"?

An Interrupt Request Line (IRQ) is a channel through which devices connected to your computer try to talk to the Central Processing Unit (CPU or main processor). There are 16 IRQ channels in total, but only a few are available for peripheral devices such as add-in cards, storage devices or controller cards (or sound cards!).

Unfortunately, the CPU can only talk to one device at a time or it gets totally confused and 'crashes'. Fortunately, the CPU is able to 'talk' really fast, so as long as it can talk to each device in turn, everything works.

An IRQ Conflict happens when two devices try to 'talk' to the CPU through the same IRQ channel at the same time. For instance, if you have both a sound card and a SCSI controller card installed on IRQ 5, it is likely that neither will work properly. This is because the CPU gets 'confused' when both devices start 'talking' to it at the same time, and the whole system may crash. The solution is to make sure each device has its own 'channel' or IRQ.

For more PC configuration tips, go to the Voyetra Turtle Beach Knowledge Base on the Turtle Beach website, at www.turtle-beach.com.


What is a "DMA" Channel?

A Direct Memory Access (DMA) channel is a chip built into your computer's motherboard that allows legacy ISA peripherals to send data directly to main system memory. There are eight DMA's in a PC, numbered 0 through 7.

Older ISA-bus (Industry Standard Architecture) sound cards used a DMA to send audio data to the computer's CPU (central processing unit).


What is "PCM"?
What is "PCM" Digital Audio?

PCM is an acronym for Pulse Code Modulation, which is the process that transforms analog audio into binary data that can be processed by a computer. An example of a PCM digital audio format is CD Quality audio, which is binary data divided into 16-bit chunks or data 'words', written to or read from a storage medium 44,100 times per second, referred to as a 'sampling rate' of 44.1 kHz.


What is Chorus?
What is a "Chorus" Effect?

A Chorus effect is produced when a short delay and a slight undulating pitch bend are mixed in with the original sound. This simulates the sound of many voices singing together.


What is a "Flanging" Effect?

A Flanger effect is produced when a short delay and a slowly varying pitch bend are mixed in with the original sound. This produces a 'swooshing' frequency sweep effect.


What is a "Reverb" Effect?

Reverb (short for reverberation) is an effect produced by superimposing a complex assortment of echoes and delays on to a sound. Reverb effects can simulate the ambience of small or large rooms and concert halls.


What is "MP3"?

MP3 is an acronym for MPEG-1 Layer 3. This is a file compression algorithm developed by the Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) for encoding digital audio data into a small file size for delivery over limited bandwidth networks such as the Internet. MPEG audio files will usually have the extension ".MP3" at the end of their filenames.

MP3 encoded files are typically ten times smaller in size than uncompressed PCM Wave files, but can sound almost identical in quality.

There are other MPEG compression formats for both audio and video data. MPEG video files generally have an extension of ".MPG" or ".MPU".


What is a Stereo Y-Cable?

The input and output connectors on the back of the Santa Cruz are three-conductor 1/8" stereo jacks ('female' connectors). These are meant to interface with 1/8" stereo phone plugs, which look like this:

Most home stereo equipment is equipped with RCA 'phono jacks'. These are meant to interface with RCA phono plugs, which look like this:

If you wish to connect home stereo equipment such as a CD player, AM/FM tuner, cassette deck or stereo receiver to the Santa Cruz, you will need to obtain an appropriate stereo 1/8" plug to two RCA plug "Y" adapter cable. Here is an illustration of a typical stereo Y-cable:

The 1/8" stereo plug is plugged into the appropriate Santa Cruz back panel jack.

The RCA plugs are plugged into the appropriate RCA jacks on your stereo equipment.

Cables such as these are available from most home electronics stores, or directly from Turtle Beach. For more information on setting up your Santa Cruz sound card with external audio equipment, please visit the Turtle Beach online Knowledge Base, under Sales & Support at www.turtle-beach.com.

 See Also…

Shielded Cables

Connectors on the Board

Three-Conductor Stereo Audio Cable


How Do I Connect a MIDI Keyboard?

To connect a MIDI keyboard synthesizer to the Santa Cruz you will need to obtain a Joystick/MIDI Adapter Cable such as the one pictured below:

1.	Start with the computer and keyboard synthesizer powered off.

2.	Plug the male 15-pin, D-sub connector into the joystick port on the back panel of the Santa Cruz sound card.

3.	Plug the 5-pin DIN plug labeled MIDI IN into the MIDI OUT port on your keyboard.

4.	Plug the 5-pin DIN plug labeled MIDI OUT into the MIDI IN on your keyboard.

5.	Open the Windows Control Panel (Start · Settings · Control Panel). Then open the Multimedia Control Panel.

6.	In the Multimedia Properties screen, click on the MIDI tab.

7.	In the MIDI Output area, make sure Single Instrument is checked. Click once on Santa Cruz External MIDI to highlight it.  Then click Apply at the bottom of the Multimedia Properties window.

8.	Connect headphones or powered speakers to the appropriate output(s) on your keyboard synthesizer.

You should now be able to play a MIDI file in an appropriate software application (such as Windows Media Player or Voyetra Digital Orchestrator) and hear the synthesizer playing.

Once you have your keyboard connected to the Santa Cruz, you can also use the internal Santa Cruz Wavetable Synthesizer as a musical instrument.

The Joystick/MIDI Adapter Cable is available direct from Turtle Beach, at www.turtle-beach.com.

Note:
The Santa Cruz external MIDI port is connected to both the external gameport/MIDI port connector that appears on the outside of the Santa Cruz and to the Wavetable header on the card itself.  Since these two devices share the same port, playing MIDI data through the Santa Cruz external MIDI will play any synthesizer attached to either one of these ports.

The Santa Cruz external MIDI port is labeled Santa Cruz External MIDI or Virtual MPU-401 in the driver software and Synth Daughter Card in the Santa Cruz Control Panel application.

 See Also…

What is MIDI?

What is DLS?

Mixer Tab


Male D-Sub Connector

This is a "D" shaped, metal covered connector with 15 pins. The 'male' is the one with the pins sticking out. This is the plug coming from the joystick or MIDI adapter cable that should be inserted into the Joystick/MIDI port on the back panel of the Santa Cruz.


5-Pin DIN Plug

This is the round plug (male) with 5 pins arranged inside a round metal housing. This is the standard plug used for connecting MIDI synthesizers and keyboards.


Pre-Fader Listen (PFL)
What is Pre-Fader Listen (PFL)?

This means that an audio signal is inserted or taken before the fader (volume control) in a particular audio channel or track.

If an audio effect is introduced "Pre-Fader", that channel's fader in the Mixer will adjust the level of the source but not of the added effect.

AFL ("After-Fader Listen") means that the signal is inserted or taken after the fader. If an audio effect is introduced "Post-Fader", that channel's fader in the Mixer will adjust the level of both the source and the effect.

In the Santa Cruz Control Panel, effects are located at the Pre-Fader position in the Mixer.