The Amarra Preferences Window
Contents
1. Delete Amarra Preferences command use this utility to reset Amarra to a factory default setting Uninstall amarra command use this utility to uninstall Amarra and remove Amarra related files from your disc flac Folder contains the 2 FLAC components needed for FLAC file playback They are loaded into the Macintosh HD gt Library gt Components folder Scripts Folder contains scripts used during the installation of Amarra v E Amarra 2 6 w Amarra app v Extras W Amarra QuickSupport app E Amarra Remote app AmarraLicenseManager app gt AmarraSetup app amp Amarra FLAC Installer pkg Delete Amarra Preferences command gt scripts Sonic Studio Process 1 0 User Manual pdf f flac amp uninstall amarra command Amarra 2 6 Read Me pdf Amarra Activation Guide pdf Amarra 2 6 User Manual pdf amp Amarra FAQ webloc a Amarra Support webloc Manuals eAmarra Activation Guide pdf refer to this manual for Installation and Activation instructions Amarra 2 6 Read Me pdf important notes about Amarra version 2 6 eAmarra 2 6 User Manual refer to this manual for detailed information about operating Amarra eAmarra FAQ webloc link to our Am arra FAQ Amarra Support webloc link to the Amarra Support portal 2007 2013 Sonic Studio LLC All rights reserved No part of this document may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in an form or by any means without the2. The purist music player Omo pe eoo UD TN Ta TRACKS TV lt lt gt gt gt em Music Songs Albums Artists Genres Playlists Radio Match iPhone OWL CITY A LONELY LULLABY f Send Away the Tigers Hands All Over Delu The Black Parade pe re Single Manic Street Preachers Maroon 5 My Chemical Romance Owl City Owl City In Absentia The Duchess of Cool Rhino Hi Five Rickie Rated R Porcupine Tree Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones Rihanna Rihanna Good Time Owl C ty amp Sy Talk That Tal Rihanna KAM id bid Vv Heavy Nova Provision When the Sun Goes Wildflower Unknown Album Equinox A Different Kind of Tr Robert Palmer Scritti Politti Selena Gomez amp The Sc Sheryl Crow Stevie Wonder Styx Van Halen User Manual Software Version 2 6 It s Like Hearing Music For The First lime 2013 Sonic Studio www sonicstudio com info sonicstudio com Amarra 2 6 User Manual Table of Contents About This Manual Notice of Liability Notice of Rights 1 0 Welcome to the World of Amarra 2 0 Getting Started 2 1 Connecting to your output device 2 2 Launching Amarra the First Time 2 3 Launching Amarra Next Time 3 0The Amarra Horizontal User Interface 1 Transport buttons 2 Amarra Volume Slider 3 Amarra Ul Window 4 Playback Position Slider 5 Playlist Commands only visible when in Playlist mode 6 Artwork window 7 T Button Information Button
3. button on the Amarra Ul or choose Link Amarra window to iTunes in Am arra Preferences to link the Amarra and iTunes windows together NOTE Amarra plays most compressed files including FLAC MP3 AAC and Apple Lossless ALAC Amarra does not play some variable bit rate or low bite rate MP3 files p The Home Fire Album Version Louis Armstrong And The All Stars What A Wonderful World 210 CHE e 2 09 Q7 Search Library LIBRARY Songs Albums Artists Genres Radio Match A Music V Name oO Time Artist Album by Artist Kind H Movies o v Saturday Night Blues 2012 Remaster 6 15 Kenny Burrell Midnight Blue 2012 Remaster A E TV Shows da v Prelude Rhinegold 4 36 Duisburg Philharmonic Orche Wagner Dressler The Symphonic Ring A STORE V Guess I ll Get The Papers And Go Home AL 2 48 Louis Armstrong And The All What A Wonderful World A iTunes Store 10 The Home Fire Album Version amp 3 18 Louis Armstrong And The All What A Wonderful World Purchased v Hellzapoppin Single Version 2 34 Louis Armstrong And The All What A Wonderful World A v Hello Brother Single Version 3 31 Louis Armstrong And The All What A Wonderful World A anti V Give Me Your Kisses Album Version 2 00 Louis Armstrong What A Wonderful World A as Genius v Fantastic That s You Album Version 2 58 Louis Armstrong And The All What A Wonderful World A PLAYLISTS v The Eye of the Hurricane 6 02 Herbie Hancock Maide
4. 00 04 53 24 76400 04 Thriller wav 2 00 05 58 24 176400 05 Beat It wav 2 00 04 18 09 176400 Output Folder Default Output Folder is same folder as input soundfile SET FOLDER CLEAR ALL Sample Rate Conversion ADD PROCESS TE CLEAR ALL SEVE ET Ke di Process List Parameters Sample Rate Conversion Sample Rate 96000 Format AIFF Bit Depth 24 Filter Steep Dither TPDF Process Sample Rate Conversion Parameters Target Sample Rate 96000 hz Sample Rate Converter Target File Format AIFF gt Filter Curve Bit Depth 24 Dither Type Wait Run 0 0 Execute SSP Params Window Clicking the Execute button will start the conversion Page 23 8 3 The Que Manager Window You can track the progress of your job by clicking on the Que Manager button to display the Que Manager window G OC Sonic Studio Process Sonic Studio Abort ess ___________ _ _ Total Files ME Processes P Que Manager Window A detailed description on using Sonic Studio Process can be found in SSP User Manual located in your Amarra 2 6 gt Extras folder NOTE There are several functions documented in the Sonic Studio Process Manual that are not available in Amarra but are only available in our standalone separately licensed Sonic Stu dio Process These functions include e Decrackle Process e Sample Rate support above 192k e CAF File type support e Classic Sample Rate Converter e Additio
5. A 5 Windows Menu APPENDIX B The Amarra Preferences Window B 1 LAUNCH SETTINGS B 2 PLAYBACK SETTINGS B 3 CACHE SETTINGS B 4 DITHER SETTINGS B 5 PROCESSING SETTINGS B 6 HARDWARE SETTINGS B 7 ADDITIONAL SONIC HARDWARE SETTINGS APPENDIX C Your Amarra 2 6 Folder 21 22 22 22 23 23 23 24 25 26 27 27 28 29 30 30 31 31 31 31 31 32 32 32 34 About This Manual This manual as well as the software described in it is furnished under license and may only be used or copied in accordance with the terms of such license The information in this manual is furnished for informational use only is Subject to change without notice and should not be construed as acommitment by Sonic Studio LLC Sonic Studio LLC assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this book Except as permitted by such license no part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical record ing or otherwise without the prior written permission of Sonic Studio LLC Notice of Liability The author and publisher have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information herein However the information contained in this document is provided without warranty either express or implied Neither the authors Sonic Studio LLC nor its dealers or distributors will be held liable for any damages to be caused either di
6. Page 28 Extras submenu Close Window HW Cut Copy AC Paste HEV Enable Debugging Open Console Log Quit Launch Finder Purge OSX Inactive Memory Close Window NA Cut NA Copy NA Paste NA Enable Debugging Allows Amarra to log information on its operation to the Console Log Open Console Log Opens the Console Application to view the Amarra console log in Utilities Folder Quit Launch Finder Quits and launches the Finder Application Purge OSX Inactive Memory Releases Inactive memory that OS has not released A 3 Playlist Pulldown Menu JEVA Desk Windows Help Add Tracks From iTunes 3 Add Tracks From Finder 0 Clear Tracks xC Open Playlist Save Playlist Playlist Window Add Tracks From iTunes sft cmd i Adds tracks selected in iTunes into Playlist Add Tracks from Finder cmd 0 Select and add audio tracks from the Mac Finder Clear Tracks Clears the current Playlist or when used in Amarra iTunes mode clears any Pre loaded Tracks Open Playlist Open an existing Amarra Playlist Save Playlist Saves a Playlist to disk for later recall Playlist Window Opens the Amarra Playlist window A 4 Desk Window Windows Help Open Sonic EQ Setup Save Sonic EQ Setup Save As Default Mute THM Cache NC Open Sonic EO Setup Allows you open a previously saved Sonic EO Setup Save Sonic EQ Setup Allows you to save the current open Sonic EQ Setup Save As Default
7. Save the current open Sonic EO Setup as the Default EO The Sonic EQ Setup will be recalled on launch Mute opt cmd MI Turns Mute on and off Cache opt cmd M Turns CACHE Mode on and off A 5 Windows Menu Amarra TA iTunes VI Playlist VP Equalizer XE Amarra opt al Toggles the Amarra Window on and off iTunes opt i Toggles the main iTunes Window on and off Playlist opt p Toggles the Amarra Playlist Window on and off Equalizer opt E Toggles the Equalizer on and off APPENDIX B The Amarra Preferences Window This section describes all of the functions available via the Amarra Preferences window NOTE Deleting Amarra Preferences if Amarra quits unexpectedly or if you are seeing any un usual behavior try deleting your Amarra Preferences to see if this clears the issue e Quit Amarra and iTunes e Navigate to your Applications gt Amarra 2 6 gt Extras folder in Finder Double click on Delete Amarra Preferences command e Re launch Amarra when the process completes Amarra will launch iTunes NOTE By de selecting the Amarra Preference item Launch Quit Amarra with iTunes you will stop iTunes from automatically launching when you launch Amarra This is helpful if you wish to operate independent of iTunes using Amarra Playlists to play your music B 1 LAUNCH SETTINGS LAUNCH QUIT ITUNES Bon Preferences Forces iTunes to launch or quit with Amarra HIDE ON LAUNCH Amarra will hide on
8. more Additional Sonic Hardware Preterences NOTE Requires Sonic Studio Hardware and the Amarra Console Software Launch Quit Console Forces Sonic Console to launch or quit in syne with Amarra Dim Front Panel Dims the front panel display Page 32 Control Volume Interlocks Amarra s gain control with the hardware gain control so either can be used Gain Adjustment Set the system gain to match professional 0 dB or consumer electronic 10 or 14 dB stan dard Page 33 APPENDIX C Your Amarra 2 6 Folder This section describes the files installed in your Applications gt Amarra 2 5 folder in Finder as part of the Amarra installation process Amarra app The Amarra application Extras Folder bold items run only when launched manually e Amarra QuickSupport app remote login applica tion used for remote support sessions e Amarra Remote app for use with the Mac s In fared Remote Control e AmarraLicenseManager app use this app to manually manage backing up and removing your Amarra license AmarraSetup app use this app to manually go through the Easy Setup process of the Amarra installation Sonic Studio Process User Manual pdf refer to this manual for details on operating Sonic Studio Process Amarra FLAC Installer pkg use this Installer Pack age to manually install the FLAC components needed for FLAC file playback These are automati cally installed as part of the Easy Setup installation
9. playlist Save Opens a Finder window to save current Playlist for future recall Clear Button is also visible in Amarra mode and clears any Preloaded Tracks Page 8 6 Artwork window Displays available artwork Double click on the Artwork window to open a larger independent Artwork window NOTE Not all tracks contain artwork Use the Get Album Artwork command in iTunes to get additional artwork NOTE Amarra stores artwork in your Ma cintosh HD Library Applications Support Sonic Studio Artwork folder in Finder If you are missing artwork ensure you have proper permissions for this folder 7 T Button Information Button x Click to display your device information in the Amarra UI This is a good way to validate what device Amarra is outputting music to 8 CACHE Button Preloads tracks into RAM to minimize disk access and improve performance Available in both Amarra and Playlist modes Toggle button to turn Cache On and Off 9 Amarra iTunes Button AMARRA Indicates the engine being used to playback music from your iTunes library eAmarra in blue indicates Amarra is playing back your music iTunes in yellow indicates iTunes is playing back your music NOTE A great way to do an A B comparison between Amarra and iTunes is to simply tog gle the Amarra iTunes button 10 PLAYLIST Button eEnters Amarra Playlist mode and sets your Amarra Playlist as the source for y
10. prior written permission of the publisher Sonic Studio Amarra and the Sonic Studio and Amarra logos are trademarks of Sonic Studio LLC All other company or product names are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners Page 34
11. the file it does not make an additional copy of the file when adding to a Playlist e f you move your tracks to another location on your disk you will need to re do your Amarra Page 14 Playlists e Commands for Amarra Playlists can be accessed from the Amarra Ul the Amarra Playlist Ul or from the Amarra gt Playlist pulldown menu You will only be able to load tracks into an Amarra Playlist that Amarra can playback If you get a sample rate not supported message please check to make sure your Mac interface and DAC all support the sample rate of the track being loaded eYou can also use a drag drop method of loading tracks into your Amarra Playlist from either your iTunes library or a Finder window 5 1 2 Amarra Playlist Window Amarra Playlist mode provides an additional independent Playlist window optional to man age your Amarra Playlists There are some new buttons on the Amarra Playlist window to be aware of The Link Button LJ This button links the Amarra window to the Amarra Playlist window As you move the Amarra window the Playlist window will follow The Repeat Playlist Button This button has 2 states and determines what Amarra should do at the end of a Playlist Stop at end of Playlist ity Repeat Playlist amp All other buttons on the Amarra Playlist Ul have the same function as on the Amarra Ul 5 1 3 Entering Playlist Mode Entering Playlist mode is easy Simply press the Playlist butt
12. 8 CACHE Button 9 Amarra iTunes Button 10 PLAYLIST Button 11 TRACKS Button 12 EQ Button 13 Preload Tracks Button 14 LINK Button 15 Down Arrow Button 3 1 The Amarra Vertical Window 4 0 Basic Music Playback from your iTunes library 5 0 Additional Features to Further Improve your Sound 5 1 Amarra Playlists 5 1 1 General Information about Amarra Playlists 5 1 2 Amarra Playlist Window 5 1 3 Entering Playlist Mode 5 1 4 Loading tracks into a Playlist 5 1 5 Using your Amarra Playlist 5 1 6 Saving a Playlist for Future Recall 5 1 7 Opening an Existing Playlist 5 1 8 Clearing your Playlist 5 2 CACHE Mode 5 3 Amarra EQ 5 3 1 Displaying the EQ Window 5 3 2 Turning the EQ On 5 3 3 Adjusting EQ 5 3 4 Setting Amarra EQ via iTunes 5 3 5 Saving and Recalling EQ Settings 6 0 Playing FLAC Files 6 1 Playing FLAC Files Natively via Amarra Playlists 6 2 Playing FLAC Files from iTunes 6 2 1 Converting FLAC Folder to AIFF Format O OOOO O O GO AAA AAANAOOSA AA A 6 2 2 Converting FLAC Files to AIFF Format 70 Gapless Playback 71 Gapless Playback in Amarra iTunes Mode 72 Gapless Playback in Amarra Playlist mode 8 0 Sample Rate Conversion using Sonic Studio Process 8 1 Launching Sonic Studio Process 6 2 The Params Window 8 3 The Que Manager Window 9 0 Registering Your Amarra Software 10 0 Contacting Sonic Studio APPENDIX A Amarra Pulldown Menus A 1 Amarra Pulldown Menu A 2 File Pulldown Menu A 3 Playlist Pulldown Menu A 4 Desk Window
13. F Activation Audio Device Preferences Open Audio MIDI Setup Open Sonic Studio Process Check For Updates Sonic Studio Website Eject Disc E Extras gt Toggle Amarra iTunes Playback cmd 1 Toggles between Amarra and iTunes engine for play back in Amarra iTunes mode N A in Amarra Playlist mode Set Playlist for Playback cmd 2 Sets Amarra s Playlist as the source for playback Open Recent List of Recent Amarra Playlists for easy access Clear Tracks Clears Tracks from either Amarra Playlist or Preloaded Tracks Mute Mutes Amarra Convert FLAC File to AIFF Convert FLAC Files to AIFF Format see chapter 6 for details Convert FLAC Folder to AIFF Convert FLAC Folder to AIFF Format see chapter 6 for details Activation Opens the Activation Window refer to the Amarra Activation Guide for more in formation about Activating Amarra Audio Device Preferences Opens the Audio Device Preferences for managing your DAC Open Audio Midi Setup Open the Audio Midi Setup window for setting up your DAC Open Sonic Studio Process Opens Sonic Studio Process for Sample Rate Conversion Check for Updates Manually checks for availability of new versions of Amarra Setting the Amarra Preferences Check for Updates on Launch will automate this Sonic Studio Website Links back to the Sonic Studio Website Eject Disk Ejects CD from tray Extras Accesses additional features of Amarra
14. Tunes iTunes does not natively support Flac Files Your files will need to be converted to a format supported by iTunes in order to be loaded into your iTunes library Under the Amarra gt FILE Menu there are two commands available for this function You can convert a FLAC File to AIFF or convert an entire FLAC Folder of Music to AIFF such as an album from a high resolution mu sic download site Page 20 6 2 1 Converting FLAC Folder to AIFF Format Converting a FLAC Folder to AIFF is an easy 3 step process e Click on the Amarra gt File gt Convert FLAC Folder to AIFF e In the resulting Finder window navigate to and select the source folder containing FLAC files and click Open e In the next window specify the destination folder for the AIFF files You can create a tempo rary folder for this or choose an existing folder for your new AIFF files Click Open when done e Lastly you will have the opportunity to automatically add these files to iTunes and create a playlist using the dialog below Add to iTunes This will copy and organize if your iTunes Preferences are set with your iTunes library 6 2 2 Converting FLAC Files to AIFF Format Converting a FLAC FILE to AIFF is an easy 3 step process e Click on the Amarra gt File gt Convert FLAC FILE to AIFF e In the resulting Finder window navigate to and select one or more FLAC files to convert and click Open e In the next window specify the destination folder for the new AIFF file
15. ck The amount of RAM used for loading your tracks is displayed in the Amarra UI Window Choose the amount of RAM to use for CACHE Playback via the Amarra Preferences window Memory Amount item Note Currently Amarra will load a max of 2 8 Gb into Cache typically between 2 6 2 8Gb de pending on the track being loaded Amarra will only load complete tracks into CACHE NOTE Set Memory Amount to 1 3 to 1 2 of the available RAM on your machine for best per formance Page 17 5 3 Amarra EQ This section presents an overview of the Amarra EQ Use the Amarra EQ to alter the sonic characteristics of the sound Amarra provides three parametric filters to tailor your sound All processing is done using 64bit floating point arithmetic The parametric filters are classic three parameter versions with Resonant Frequency gain and Q Q or Quality Factor is defined as the resonant frequency or center frequency in the case of a symmetrical filter divided by the bandwidth The bandwidth is in turn defined as the one or two frequencies at which the filter response is 3 dB up or down from unity gain Expressing the width of a filter as a Quality Factor rather than bandwidth provides a more in tuitive sense of the filter s subjective sound since the same value of Q will produce different bandwidths at different frequencies The higher the frequency the wider the bandwidth will be for a given Q value which roughly corresponds to our audi
16. e recommend turning the iTunes EQ Off unless specifically using the iTunes EQ The iTunes EQ can be accessed from the iTunes gt Windows menu 5 3 5 Saving and Recalling EQ Settings The Amarra gt Desk menu items allows you to save and recall your EQ settings Set your EO Settings Go to the Desk menu and select Save Sonic EO Setup to save your settings Use Open Sonic EO Setup to open an existing EO saved setting To save a new DEFAULT setting Set the EO Preset menu to Default Make your desired adjustments to the Freq dB and Q parameters From the Amarra gt Desk pulldown menu click on Save as Default elf you quit with the Default EQ setting set next time you launch those values will be automatically recalled NOTE You will need to make the EQ the Active Window for the Amarra Desk menu items to be accessible Click on the top bar of the Amarra EQ Window to make the Amarra EQ Window ac tive Page 19 6 0 Playing FLAC Files Amarra supports the FLAC audio file format for playing back your music In addition Amarra has built in FLAC to AIFF file conversion to allow easy integration with your iTunes Library Why convert FLAC to AIFF e Easy integration with iTunes Integration with iTunes Metadata e Integration with Apple Remote e Simplified ease of us convert and forget e Less overhead on system resources 6 1 Playing FLAC Files Natively via Amarra Playlists Amarra provides for FLAC file playback
17. et the desired name for the Playlist e Click the Where pulldown item to navigate to the desired location for your Playlist e Saving a Playlist with the same name and location will overwrite the existing Playlist 5 1 7 Opening an Existing Playlist You can recall an existing Amarra Playlist in one of 2 ways You can either use the Open Button on the Amarra UI or drag drop an existing Playlist into the Amarra Playlist Window The Open Button _OPEN e Click on this button to access a Finder window e Navigate to your saved Playlist and click Open to load into Amarra Playlists OR e Drag Drop an existing Playlist from the Finder window into the Amarra Playlist Window NOTE Loading a new Playlist will clear any tracks currently in your Amarra Playlist 5 1 8 Clearing your Playlist To clear the contents of your current Playlist simply click on the Clear Button The Clear or Clear All Button e Click on either button to clear the current contents 4 your Amarra Playlist The Clear button also clears any Preloaded Tracks in Amarra mode 5 2 CACHE Mode The CACHE Button Cache mode pre loads songs into RAM to minimize disk access resulting in better sound qual ity Cache can be used in Amarra iTunes or Amarra Playlist Mode Simply click on the CACHE button on the Amarra UI prior to loading your tracks The button will turn yellow to signify that CACHE mode is engaged Amarra will first load your tracks into RAM and then begin playba
18. into an Amarra Playlist by selecting one track 5 1 5 Using your Amarra Playlist Choosing Tracks in your Playlist You can select tracks in your Playlist by doing the following e Select the track with your cursor and hit Play e Use the up or down arrow to move up and down in the Playlist e Use the gt gt and lt lt Transport buttons on the Amarra Ul to move to the next track to the head of current track or to the previous track You can also use the Tracks Button to see the list of tracks loaded and to choose a desired Track 7heRACKS BUTTON Vild Pulldown menu of the tracks either in your Amarra Playlist or Preloaded if in Amarra ilunes mode Deleting Tracks You can delete a track in the current Playlist by highlighting the track and hitting the De lete Key on your keyboard Moving Tracks You can move tracks up and down in the current playlist by highlighting the track and holding the mouse key down You will see a white line that you can move around in the Playlist and it indicates where the file will be placed when dropped Release the mouse to drop the file in place It will take Amarra a moment to rebuild the Playlist so please be patient 5 1 6 Saving a Playlist for Future Recall You can Save your Amarra Playlist for recall at a future time by using the Save button on the Amarra Ul on the Amarra Playlist Ul or from the Amarra gt Playlist pulldown menu Page 16 The SAVE Button HR e Press the Save button e S
19. ion on problems resources please visit our FAQ page http www sonicstudio com amarra amarrafag html For bug reports and support issues visit http www sonicstudio com amarra amarrasupport htm or email us support sonicstudio com To suggest new features for our products e mail us at support sonicstudio com Page 26 APPENDIX A Amarra Pulldown Menus The following section describes the Amarra Pulldown Menu Items Amarra File Playlist Desk Windows Help A 1 Amarra Pulldown Menu File Playlist About Amarra Preferences 8 Services b Hide Amarra 4H Hide Others SH Show All Quit Amarra 20 About Amarra Opens the modal About window This is useful for verifying the version number of Amarra that you are running Click anywhere in the window to close it Preferences Opens the Preference window for Amarra Services This menu proves access to any Services that are available to Amarra Hide Amarra Hides all Amarra windows To reveal the windows click on the Dock icon or tap the tab key to cycle through running applications to select Amarra Hide Others Hides all windows other than Amarra Show All Reveals all windows Quit Amarra Quits Amarra Page 27 A 2 File Pulldown Menu Playlist Desk Windows Help Toggle Amarra ITunes for Playback 1 Set Playlist for Playback 2 Open Recent gt Clear Tracks Xec Mute HM Convert FLAC File to AIFF Convert FLAC Folder to AIF
20. ion within a track Use the iTunes Playhead slider to move to a different location in the current track Modify the Time Display in the Amarra Ul e Pause playback e Double click on the Time element you want to modify AMARRA To Change Time Click On Seconds Drag Mouse left or right e ype in a new value and hit Return or e Click on a time element and drag your mouse left right or up down to modify e Click Return to save the new setting e Hit the Space bar or Play button to continue playback from the new location NOTE KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS Use the following key commands in place of menu com mands Cmd 5 6 Cmd 8 9 Cmd Cmd H Cmd Option H Cmd Q File Menu Cmd 1 Cmd 2 Option C Cmd Option M Cmd E Playlist Menu Cmd Shift I Cmd 0 Cmd Option C Option P Desk Menu Cmd Option M Cmd Option C Previous Track Next Track Down Up Volume Opens Preferences Window Hide Amarra Hide Others Quit Amarra Toggle Amarra iTunes for Playback Toggles Playlist for Playback Clears Tracks Mute Eject Disk Add Tracks from iTunes Add Tracks from Finder Clear Tracks Opens Playlist Window Mute Toggles Cache On Off Page 12 Windows Menu Option A Opens Amarra Window Option l Opens iTunes Window Option P Opens Playlist Window Option E Open EQ Window 5 0 Additional Features to Further Improve your Sound Amarra has many features that can be used to fu
21. launch LINK AMARRA TO ITUNES WINDOW Forces iTunes to remain attached to Amarra s main window LINK AMARRA EQ TO ITUNES EQ Forces Amarra to follow the EQ settings in iTunes CHECK FOR UPDATES ON LAUNCH Amarra will check for updates on launch OPEN PLAYLIST ON LAUNCH lf Amarra quits with playlist loaded will reload playlist on launch of Amarra VERTICAL WINDOW Vertical window restart required cr s m cr we cr hl av B 2 PLAYBACK SETTINGS PRELOAD TRACKS Enables loading of multiple tracks in Amarra Mode This allows gapless playback of Tracks COUNT Number of tracks to load for gapless playback Note Currently Amarra will load a max of 2 8 Gb and typically between 2 6 NOTE Disable SHUFFLE MODE in iTunes when us 2 8Gb depending on the track being ing PRELOAD TRACKS loaded Amarra will only load complete EE NERE tracks into CACHE B 3 CACHE SETTINGS mmmmmmmmmennenennnennenennenennnenneneene nian pre B 4 DITHER SETTINGS Amount of RAM dedicated to store audio in Cache Mode Settings are 512Mb 1Gb 2Gb and 3Gb We AUTO DITHER recommend between setting this to between 1 3 Automatically enables redithering when and 1 2 of your available memory Amarra s Volume is set to full volume Page 31 0 0 dB TYPE TPDF Enables Sonic Studio s Shaped TPDF Dither Shaped Enables Sonic Noise Shaped Dither Wordlength Sets number of bits for output This setting should match yo
22. n Voyage A 3 90 s Music v Dream A Little Dream Of Me Album Version 3 17 Louis Armstrong And The All What A Wonderful World A 3 Classical Music v Cabaret Single Version 2 47 Louis Armstrong And The All What A Wonderful World A o Music Videos v 10 Mike Garson Trio Blues outtake 6 37 W My Top Rated v 09 The Lady In My Life 4 58 Michael Jackson Thriller W io Recently Added v 09 Yerba Buena Bounce 3 54 Ww po Recently Played v 08 Rachmaninoff Symph Dances lento assai 14 31 W 5 amast plnylt v 07 Arnold Beckus the Dandipratt 10 47 W v 06 Weill Threepenny Opera Overture outtake 4 13 W x v 05 Walton Crown Imperial 10 33 W 2833 songs 9 3 days 92 39 GB You can verify that Amarra is playing back your music by seeing the Amarra button turn blue on the Amarra Ul If the button has turned yellow and displays iTunes it means that Amarra has passed control to iTunes for playback of the current track Amarra will automatically take over playback on the next track that it can play back natively Page 11 4 1 Navigating within a Track There are many ways to navigate within a selected track once you ve started playback e Use the Transport buttons to Play Pause and move to the next track beginning of current track or previous track The blue Playhead slider in the Amarra Ul is a song position slider that corresponds to the current location of playback within a track Drag the slider left or right to change the playback posit
23. nal Filter curves and Dither Types Page 24 9 0 Registering Your Amarra Software In order to receive warranty service you must register your product with Sonic Studio This may be done at any time with proof of purchase We strongly recommend that you register with Sonic Studio as soon as you purchase your unit Why 1 Your product will be registered with us Registration is used as proof of ownership if your product is ever lost or stolen 2 Sonic Studio updates Amarra software on a regular basis This allows us to keep you informed of updates as they become available We strongly encourage you to create a License Control Panel Account Please read the Amarra Activation Guide for information on this important feature Please register your Amarra software using our automated registration Web page at http www sonicstudio com and click on Support gt Register Alternatively our mail address Is Sonic Studio LLC Amarra Software Registration 1340 Mission Street San Francisco CA USA 94103 If you encounter issues using Amarra please refer to our Amarra Support Portal at http www sonicstudio com amarra amarrasupportportal html If none of these steps address your prob lem please contact your dealer or Sonic Studio support for more help Page 25 10 0 Contacting Sonic Studio Thanks for using Amarra Hifi We really appreciate your patronage and are always interested in your experiences with Amarra Hifi For informat
24. natively via the PLAYLIST function without using iTunes To playback FLAC Files via Amarra do the following e Obtain your music in FLAC format from one or more of a variety of providers such as HD Tracks among others As part of the download process please note where your music is be ing downloaded to Once the download completes this may take some time depending on the number and size of the tracks being downloaded move on to step 2 e Go into Playlist Mode see chapter 5 1 about using Playlists You can either Drag Drop your FLAC Files into the Playlist window or click on the Finder button in either the Amarra UI or the Playlist Ul or from the Amarra gt Playlist pulldown menu and select Open Tracks Via Finder If using the Finder window e Navigate to your FLAC files highlight the desired tracks Note The Finder window supports both the shift and command keys for making multiple se lections Once you are done making your selection s click on the Open button to add the files to your playlist Continue adding songs until you are satisfied with your playlist Select File gt Save Playlist to save your playlist giving it a meaningful name and saving it in a memorable loca tion To play your playlist just click on Amarra s Play button You can skip forward and back in the playlist by using the forward and back buttons using the Tracks list or by clicking on the Tracks in the playlist window 6 2 Playing FLAC Files from i
25. nch Amarra Simply select Yes when prompted and Amarra will launch as the installation process completes Amarra should find your sound output device automatically This can be verified by clicking on the I button on the Amarra User Interface Your device should be displayed in the Amarra Ul window Page 6 2 3 Launching Amarra Next Time After initial launch to launch Amarra in the future click on the Amarra icon in your dock or navigate to your Applications gt Amarra 2 6 folder in Finder and double click on Amarra app As long as your device is set as the device for sound output prior to launching Amarra Amarra should automatically find the device 3 0 The Amarra Horizontal User Interface Amarra has 2 different User Interfaces available one horizontal and one vertical The horizon tal user interface is the default Ul and is shown below To swap to the vertical Ul select Use Vertical Window in Amarra Preferences and restart Amarra To swap back de select Use Vertical Window in Amarra Preferences and re start Amarra GT GET Je m 7 8 9 Amarra Horizontal User Interface 1 Transport buttons lt lt gt gt e J Jna lt lt Go to head of current track double click to go to previous track Il gt Pause Play button gt gt Go to next track 2 Amarra Volume Slider Adjusts volume for Amarra playback If you are using an external device we recommend leaving the Amarra vol
26. on on the Amarra Ul The button will turn blue and typically the Playlist window is displayed If you do not see the Playlist win dow click on the Amarra gt Windows gt Playlist pull down menu item at the top of the screen The PLAYLIST BUTTON 5 1 4 Loading tracks into a Playlist There are 2 ways to load new tracks into an Amarra Playlist selecting tracks from your iTunes library or selecting tracks via Finder The ADD Button To select tracks via your lunes library please do the following e Bring your iTunes window to the front and select the desired tracks in iTunes You can Page 15 use the command key and shift key to select individual tracks or a range of tracks e Click on the Amarra Ul to bring Amarra to the front e Click on the ADD button The selected tracks in iTunes will load into your Amarra Play list The FINDER Button PHOST To select tracks using the Finder please do the following e Click on the Finder button on the Amarra Ul e Navigate to the tracks you like to load in the resulting Finder window Highlight the desired tracks and click Open to add the tracks to your Amarra Playlist NOTE Native FLAC File Playback Use the Finder button to load your FLAC files natively into an Amarra Playlist Navigate to your desired FLAC files select and click Open to add to your Playlist NOTE By using Preload Tracks you can Preload the desired number of tracks or an entire al bum
27. oncerts Disc 1 The Fillmore Concerts Disc 2 mer Eat A Peach The Aliman Brothers Band The Aliman Brothers Band GENIUS PLAYLISTS 90 s Music 153 Classical Music Eat A Peach gt 3 f Music The Allman Brothers Band 1972 My Top Rated Ain t Wastin Time No More Recently Added Les Brers In A Minor Recently Played Melissa 3 smart playlist Mountain Jam Top 25 Most Played One Way Out 192K TONES Trouble No More assorted 192k Stand Back assorted sr 96 ae Little Martha 0 Amarra Vertical Window with iTunes Page 10 4 0 Basic Music Playback from your iTunes library Playing music using Amarra is a very simple process Once you launch Amarra you should see both the Amarra and iTunes windows on the screen Amarra runs alongside Apple s iTunes program This allows you to manage and access all your music through the main iTunes Music Library or through custom Amarra Playlists You can use iTunes like you always have select the songs Playlists and play Amarra will automatically playback any track it can and seamlessly switches to iTunes for playing back of protected files or other files that Amarra may not be able to play back in your current configu ration NOTE If you don t see the Amarra window it is likely behind your iTunes window Make your iTunes window smaller or exit Full Screen Mode and you should find the Amarra window on screen Use the link
28. our music NOTE When in Playlist Mode Amarra is AL WAYS playing your music back TRACKS Button 11 TRACKS Active in both Amarra Playlist mode and when using Preload Tracks in Amarra mode Indicates the track being played back and the total tracks in your Playlist or Preloaded 12 EQ Button Turns the Equalizer window on and off Use Option click to Bypass EO NOTE This button only effects the display of the EQ window Use the EO button on the Equalizer to turn the EQ on and off 13 Preload Tracks Button Toggles the Preload Tracks function on and off 14 LINK Button gn a i eLinks the Amarra Ul to the iTunes window Move your iTunes window and Amarra will follow NOTE If you move your Amarra window iTunes does not follow This is useful if you Page 9 need to temporarily separate the windows 15 Down Arrow Button Toggles the Artwork Window on and off 3 1 The Amarra Vertical Window The Amarra Vertical Window is accessible via the Amarra Preferences window Simply click on Amarra Vertical Window and restart Amarra to use the Vertical window Ain t Wastin Time No More The Allman Brothers Band Eat A Peach Q7 Search Library h 0 40 CE e 3 01 RnR ee ma alas e a CICRARY l Songs Albums Artists Genres Radio Match J Music i Movies L TV Shows STORE iTunes Store Purchased DEVICES Greatest Hits Vol 1 Se n ar X The Fillmore C
29. p those who prefer languages other than English e Always launch Amarra first and let it launch iTunes to ensure proper operation DO NOT adjust the sample rate in Audio Midi Setup or set your DAC s sample rate manually to match the sample rate of the file Amarra will automatically set both Audio Midi Setup and your DAC correctly to match the native sample rate of the file being played back e f Amarra quits unexpectedly for any reason please delete your Amarra Preferences prior to launching Amarra See Appendix B for information on Amarra Preferences eA significant amount of additional information can be found at our support portal and on our FAQ Please visit our support page at http www sonicstudio com amarra amarrasupport html to access these resources e Holding the Mouse over any button will display a Help Tip displaying what the button does It s time to Enjoy the Music Page 5 2 0 Getting Started This section reviews the initial steps needed to ensure proper operation of Amarra 2 1 Connecting to your output device Ensure you have correctly set up the device you are sending your music to built in audio ex ternal DAC by selecting the desired device in Audio Midi Setup and setting it to be the device for sound output and sound input if available You can access Audio Midi Setup in the Appli cations gt Utilities folder in Finder As an alternative you can set the output device using the Sound item on the Sy
30. rectly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the software or hardware products described herein SONIC STUDIO LLC MAKES NO WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PAR TICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING THE APPLE SOFTWARE SONIC STUDIO LLC DOES NOT WARRANT GUARANTEE OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDINGTHE USE ORTHE RESULTS OFTHE USE OFTHE SONIC STUDIO LLC SOFTWARE INTERMS OF ITS CORRECTNESS ACCURACY RELIABILITY CURRENTNESS OR OTHERWISE THE ENTIRE RISK ASTOTHE RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE OFTHE SONIC STUDIO SOFT WARE IS ASSUMED BY YOU THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES IS NOT PERMITTED BY SOME STATES THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TOYOU IN NO EVENT WILL SONIC STUDIO LLC ITS DIRECTORS OFFICERS EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL INCIDENTAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS BUSINESS INTERRUPTION LOSS OF BUSINESS INFOR MATION ANDTHE LIKE ARISING OUT OFTHE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SONIC STUDIO SOFTWARE EVEN IF SONIC STUDIO HAS BEEN ADVISED OFTHE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAM AGES BECAUSE SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOWTHE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABIL ITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU Notice of Rights 2007 2013 Sonic Studio LLC All rights reserved No part of this document may be repro duced stored in a retrieval sy
31. rther improve your sound over using just the basic Sonic Studio Engine built into Amarra The following sections review the additional fea tures and what they do to improve sound NOTE There are many suggestions on our FAQ for configuring your Mac for best performance Please visit our website for access to the FAQ For Optimal Sound Quality in Amarra we recommend e Use CACHE Mode and select Memory Amount to about 1 3 to 1 2 of available memory up to 3Gb e Load your Tracks into a Playlist and Quit iTunes In Amarra Preferences select Gain Bypass and use your external device for gain control In Amarra Preferences select EQ Bypass if not using EQ e From the Amarra gt File gt Extras pulldown menu select Quit Launch Finder to quit Finder 5 1 Amarra Playlists HOO crear ate open f _ Peter Fram pton Fra mpton Comes Alive 00 05 56 02 Amarra and Playlist windows Using Amarra Playlists provides several benefits including e Processes your music more efficiently than in Amarra iTunes mode resulting in better sound quality Ability to run independently of iTunes e Ability to play FLAC files natively no conversion needed 5 1 1 General Information about Amarra Playlists e You can load tracks of different sample rates and different file types into the same Playlist without issue e Tracks can reside in more than one Playlist e Amarra only stores a pointer and some other information about
32. s e Lastly you will have the opportunity to again automatically add these files to iTunes and cre ate a playlist NOTE Converting FLAC Folders and Files to AIFF using Amarra is a non destructive process Your original FLAC files will remain intact and you will also have new AIFF files We recom mend copying your FLAC files off to your backup drive for retrieval in case of emergency Use your AIFF files for day to day playback This setup will provide better sound quality during playback and minimize the amount of space needed for backups Page 21 7 0 Gapless Playback Gapless playback is perfect for contiguous performances such as symphonic recordings or live performances Gapless playback is now available in both Amarra iTunes mode and in Amarra Playlist mode however there are some minor differences between how gapless playback is provided in each mode NOTE Uncompressed files are required for Gapless Playback Use AIFF WAV or BWF files 7 1 Gapless Playback in Amarra iTunes Mode To enable Gapless Playback in Amarra iTunes Mode ensure you select the Amarra Preference setting for PRELOAD TRACKS and set the COUNT parameter to the desired number of tracks or a full album in the gapless performance Once you ve selected PRELOAD TRACKS and a COUNT of tracks simply choose a track in iTunes and the number of tracks in the COUNT field will be loaded together based on current sort order and played back gaplessly NOTE The curren
33. stem Prefer ences window NOTE The table below reflects the sample rates supported by Amarra for the various inter fac es connecting your Mac to your DAC Output device Remember that Amarra does not do any realtime up or downsampling as we believe this to be an audiophile no no that results in non bit perfect potentially inconsistent output Ensure your DAC supports the desired sample rates natively and you should be all set Amarra Device DAC Sample Rate Support Interface connection between Mac and Device listed in order of 88 2 176 4 preference kHz kHz Firewire USB Optical Built in Audio Mac eee v DD Wireless Y Interfaces are listed in recommended order for best sound If your device supports 176 4kHz 192kHz 352 8kHz and 384kHz input via the Firewire or USB Interface on your device If your device accepts hi resolution input 176 4k or above only on it s S PDIF or Toslink interface you will need a FW or USB gt S PDIF or Toslink Converter Some earlier Macs do not support 88 2 khz Use Audio Midi Setup to verify sample rate support for Built In Audio on your Mac Optical Built in Audio Mac or Toslink is limited to a maximum output sample rate of 96kHz out of the Macintosh computer Amarra DAC Sample Rate Support Once you ve correctly set the device for sound output you are ready to launch Amarra 2 2 Launching Amarra the First Time As part of the installation process you will be asked to lau
34. stem or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher Sonic Studio Amarra Amarra Hifi Amarra Symphony Sonic Mastering EQ Model 302 Model 303 Model Four Model 305 and the Sonic Studio and Amarra logos are trademarks of Sonic Studio LLC All other company or product names are either trademarks or registered trade marks of their respective owners Page 4 1 0 Welcome to the World of Amarra Congratulations and welcome to the Amarra family By now you should have successfully downloaded installed and activated Amarra and are ready to listen to your music We have a few short notes to pass along to make your listening experience better e If you haven t Installed and Activated Amarra yet please do the following Double click on the Amarra Installer Package to launch the installer Follow on screen instructions for installation Enter system admin password when prompted Amarra will auto launch as part of installation e If you have any issues Activating Amarra please refer to the Amarra Installation and Activa tion Guide located in your Amarra 2 6 folder in Finder If problems persist please contact us at support sonicstudio com e Google Translate now provides for translating full documents into local languages Please visit http translate google com select the desired language to translate to and click on trans late a document It s not a perfect tool but it may hel
35. t sort order of your iTunes library is critical for gapless playback especially when attempting to Preload and play a full album Please ensure your ITunes library is sorted in the correct order when in Songs or List View prior to attempting to Preload Tracks For best performance when Preloading an Album sort your iTunes library by Artist by Album When Preloading a specified number of tracks sort your iTunes library by Song Name or Sample Rate Amarra will load tracks up to the specified number in Amarra Preferences or until the sample rate changes NOTE Please unsure that you have disabled SHUFFLE mode in iTunes when using PRELOAD TRACKS in Amarra 7 2 Gapless Playback in Amarra Playlist mode Using Amarra Playlists makes It very easy to have gapless playback All tracks in an Amarra Playlist will play back gaplessly as long as the sample rate is the same there is no need to set the PRELOAD TRACKS item in Amarra Preferences That said using the Preload Tracks function will allow you to load several tracks or an entire album by selecting only one track in iTunes Note Gapless Playback is designed to work with true gapless performances such as symphon ic recordings live performances and recordings that were mastered as gapless Gapless play back is not a substitute for mixing independent tracks together Note For best performance when Preloading an Album sort your iTunes library by Artist by Album When Preloading a specified number of
36. tory mechanism s ability to perceive a filter s action As an example a parametric filter with a Q of 1 has a bandwidth of 100 Hz when its center fre quency is set to 100 Hz but it has a bandwidth of 1000 Hz when the center frequency is set to 1000 Hz Using the EO takes 2 steps first display the EQ window and then turn the Equalizer itself on 5 3 1 Displaying the EQ Window Click on the EO button on the Amarra UI below the center window Use Option Click on the EQ button to bypass the EQ 5 3 2 Turning the EQ On Either click on the EO button in the Amarra EQ window or choose one of the many pre sets available from the pulldown menu 5 3 3 Adjusting EQ Choose one of the presets available or manually adjust the values in any of the 3 para metric filters by either moving the appropriate slider or typing the value in for Frequen cy Gain and Q factor Page 18 Amarra EQ Window 5 3 4 Setting Amarra EQ via iTunes e Select the Link Amarra EQ to iTunes EQ in Amarra Preferences e Either set the iTunes global EO or Select a Track in iTunes and using Get Info select the Options Tab and set the EQ Preset Amarra EQ will follow the iTunes EO presets NOTE You can use the Amarra Preference EQ Bypass to bypass any EQ processing by Amarra during playback Note The iTunes EQ is typically On by default which may effect playback even if the Link Amarra EQ to iTunes EQ preference is not selected W
37. tracks sort your iTunes library by Song Name or Sample Rate Amarra will load tracks up to the specified number in Amarra Preferences or until the sample rate changes Page 22 8 0 Sample Rate Conversion using Sonic Studio Process Amarra 2 6 uses the Sonic Studio Process application Sample Rate Conversion replacing the old Background Manager with a new more powerful integrated application 8 1 Launching Sonic Studio Process The Sonic Studio Process can be accessed from the Amarra gt File pulldown menu GI Playlist Desk Windows Hi Set Amarra for Playback 1 Set iTunes for Playback 2 Set Playlist for Playback 383 Open Recent gt Clear Tracks EC Mute NM Convert FLAC File to AIFF Convert FLAC Folder to AIFF Activation Rescan Audio Devices Open Audio MIDI Setup Audio Device Preferences Open Sonic Studio Process Check For Updates Sonic Studio Website Eject Disc HE Extras gt Choose Open Sonic Studio Process to launch Sonic Studio Process 8 2 The Params Window When you launch Sonic Studio Process you will be presented with a Params window which will allow you to add the source files you wish to convert use the Open Button the destina tion for your converted files use the Set Folder button and a series of parameters regarding the sample rate conversion Sonic Studio Process AE LAA T o i Sound File Name Channels Duration Sample Rate Bit Depth 06 Billie Jean wav 2
38. ume at full volume all the way to the right and use your volume control on your external device to adjust playback volume The speaker icons are hot spots for 0 and 144 dB iTunes and Amarra Volume are kept In sync NOTE You may notice a small delay or echo while the i Tunes Volume Is being moved 3 Amarra Ul Window Displays Track Name Displays Artist and Album Name Displays Gain level in dB 0 0dB to 144dB elf Cache selected Displays amount of RAM used to load selected tracks Displays file type 10 11 12 Displays sample rate of current track Displays position of Playhead via counter If Preload Tracks Preference set or in Playl ist mode then displays track playing and total tracks loaded elf EQ is on Displays current EQ setting NOTE If Gain is less than 0 0 dB dithering is enabled if auto dither is selected in Amarra Preferences 4 Playback Position Slider Blue Slider corresponds to current playback position and can be moved either direction to reposition the playhead for playback 5 Playlist Commands only visible when in Playlist mode See Section 5 for more details on using Am arra Playlists Add Adds selected tracks from iTunes into your Amarra Playlist Finder Opens a Finder window to navigate to and select files to add to an Amarra Playlist Clear Clears Playlist Also clears preloaded tracks when in Amarra mode Open Opens a saved Amarra Playlist clears current
39. ur DAC s word length For best quality enable Auto dither if a track less than 24 bits is being played Using dither can bring a bet ter sound when gain or EQ is being used When dither is enabled the output of Amarra will be dithered to the setting of the Output Wordlength specified This can be useful for providing a better sound when Gain is used or if your DAC only supports a limited word length 16 or 20 bits NOTE When the Output Wordlength is set to 24 bits the dither will be disabled if the Gain has not been modified at full volume Once the Gain is adjusted then dither is re enabled NOTE Amarra provides two dither options Sonic TPDF and Sonic s advanced psycho acoustic noise shaped dither Your personal experience may decide which one you prefer B 5 PROCESSING SETTINGS GAIN BYPASS Bypasses all gain adjustments made in Amarra Plays back tracks at full volume 0 0 dB EQ BYPASS Bypasses all Amarra EO processing currently in effect B 6 HARDWARE SETTINGS Follow Core Audio Settings Automatically follow Core Audio Settings when changed Amarra will use the same output device as specified in AMSU De select this Preference and use Audio Device Preferences to set your Output Audio Device to a different Audio Device independently of AMSU B 7 ADDITIONAL SONIC HARDWARE SETTINGS Amarra provides additional preferences when used with a Sonic Audio Interface These con trols allow integration of Analog Gain Control and
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search