The FireStudio can be set as the default sound output for your computer, bypassing your computer's internal soundcard. This is useful in that it allows you to switch between your DAW and normal computer operation without turning on or off, or switching, sets of speakers.
Windows 8 / 7 / Vista
- In the bottom-right corner of the Taskbar, locate the Volume Control. This is the small "Speaker" icon in the Notification Area, near the clock.
- Right-click the speaker and select Playback Devices
- The Windows Sound control panel should appear, set on the Playback tab. You should see all functional audio devices in this window, including the FireStudio; if the FireStudio does not have a green "check mark" symbol next to it, right-click it and select "Set as Default Device".
The FireStudio has now been set as the default device in Windows; all audio should pass through the unit, rather than through the computer's sound card.
Advanced Windows 8 / 7 / Vista Configuration
In Windows 8, 7, and Vista, there are some advanced options you'll most likely want to engage in order to get the best performance out of your device. From the Sound control panel, simply follow these steps:
- Select the FireStudio device
- Select Properties
- In the Properties window for the FireStudio, click the "Advanced" tab
- Set the Default Format to whichever sampling rate and bit depth you prefer to use with the unit. For instance, if you record predominantly at 48kHz at 16-bit, you would set the Default Format to 2 channel, 16 bit, 48000 Hz. For most users, this setting needs not to be changed from 44.1kHz, 16-bit; if you haven't manually changed the sampling rate of your device, you can skip this step.
- Disable Exclusive Mode. This will allow more than one program on your computer to utilize the FireStudio at the same time. Simply uncheck the box for "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device".
Windows XP
- Click Start
- Click Control Panel
- If in the category view, select Sound, Speech, and Audio Devices, then select Sounds and Audio Devices. If in the classic view, simply select Sounds and Audio Devices.
- A new window will appear for Sound and Audio Devices Properties. Select the Audio tab.
- For Sound Playback, change the default device to the FireStudio.
Mac OS X Snow Leopard - Lion - Mountain Lion
- Go to the Applications folder
- Go to the Utilities folder
- Open Audio MIDI Setup (AMS)
- In AMS, the default device for playback is designated as the device with the small black "Speaker" icon next to it. If your FireStudio does not have this icon next to it, right click or CTRL+click it and select "Use this device for sound output".
Mac OS X Tiger - Leopard
- Go to the Applications folder
- Go to the Utilities folder
- Open Audio MIDI Setup (AMS)
- Click "Audio Devices" at the top of AMS
- Under "System Settings", set the Default Output as the FireStudio.
A few more things...
In Windows, conflicts can sometimes occur between programs that utilize the WDM driver for the FireStudio. You may wish to not set the FireStudio as your default device when using these programs if conflicts occur.
