ZA2 Information

New ZA2 tech support information at the bottom of this page.

Direct digital record and playback
The ZA2 is a full duplex card, allowing simultaneous record and playback in applications which support this feature. In addition, you can record from any one of the three digital inputs, and send the signal to all three digital outputs and the analog output at the same time, turning your PC into a digital patch bay! Switching between inputs and selecting other features of the card are made even easier from the Win95/NT4.0 taskbar icon.
The Win95/98, NT4.0 and classic Win3.1 drivers let you record and playback digitally from inside the latest popular editing packages such as SAW+, Soundforge, Cooledit, Samplitude, Cakewalk Pro Audio, Cubase, Musicator, Logic Audio, Wavelab and many more. And for the diehard, we supply the original DOS utilities for recording and playback. Using the advanced 32 bit drivers under Win95 and NT4.0, two ZA2 cards can be locked together for 4 channels of playback without drifting.

Simplified installation
Under Windows 95/98, setup of the ZA2 is a breeze as most of the settings for the card are set by the Plug and Play system automatically. Even though the Plug and Play system automatically assigns DMAs and IRQs, you can still go back and tune the card for your specific needs.
All of the older DOS applications and the classic Win3.1 drivers can also be setup easily with the installation program which will automatically initialize the card for use under DOS and/or Windows 3.1.
All parameters in DOS, Win3.1, Win95/98 and Win NT4.0 can be easily adjusted and are documented in the ZA2 users manual. Several diagnostic utility programs are included with the ZA2 to test and fine tune its performance. And, of course, tech support is always available by phone or E-mail.

Technical information
The ZA2 is a 4.25 by 6.25 inch card designed for the traditional ISA (AT) bus. There are only 2 jumpers on the card itself as most hardware configuration is now done in software. This means that once the ZA2 is installed in your machine, adjusting parameters, resources or switching inputs can be done completely in software without opening up the computer or setting any DIP switches.
The backplane connector of the ZA2 has the RCA type connectors for coaxial digital input and output, the TOSLINK style fiber optic input and output connectors (compatible with most consumer grade DAT and Minidisk decks such as Sony), and the 15pin (VGA type) expansion connector. Included with the ZA2 is a one foot 'breakout' cable that connects to the 15pin expansion connector on the card. This cable has RCA connectors for the stereo analog outputs and XLR connectors for the AES/EBU input and output. All 3 digital I/O formats are available without having to swap cables. The analog output provides a clean 85dB line out signal for convenient monitoring.
The ZA2 uses 16bit DMA and can select (in software) any of the upper 3 DMA channels for input and output. If you do not need simultaneous record/play capability, you can get by with just one DMA for both input and output. The ZA2 also has a software selectable interrupt (IRQ# 10, 11 or 12) but at the moment the only program that requires it is the DOS MPEG (MP2) audio player. In the Win95 and NT4.0 drivers, use of the IRQ is completely optional. The two jumpers on the card allow you to select one of four base I/O addresses for the card, but we've found that 95% of the time the default setting works fine and you never need to touch it. Even if you already have other soundcards in the machine, as long as one upper DMA channel is free for the ZA2, you will be able to record and playback.
The core logic of the ZA2 is loaded into the card when the computer is first powered up. This flexible configuration allows us to compensate for strange motherboard bus timing and also permits future hardware features to be added by software upgrade. All future enhancements to the ZA2 either in programmable hardware or software/drivers will always be FREE and easily obtained from the internet on our web page.

Advanced Digital Signal Processing
The Digital Signal Processor chip (Crystal Semiconductor CS4922) is what really sets the ZA2 apart from the competition. Not only does the DSP give the ZA2 advanced processing power such as real time digital sample rate conversion and MPEG audio decoding, but it also contains a completely software programmable clock source which enables the ZA2 to not only support the traditional 32kHz, 44.1kHz and 48kHz sampling rates, but also special rates such as 44.056kHz for video. Actually, the DSP can synthesize any sample rate from 5kHz to 60kHz.
In addition to the programmable clock, the Windows driver will also up or down sample and pad the data so 11kHz, 22kHz, 8 bit or mono sound files can be played from any Windows program to a DAT deck at the standard 44.1kHz 16bit/stereo rate. Under Win95 and NT4.0, the DSP is automatically programmed to perform live sample rate conversion allowing you to record a 44.1kHz file to your hard disk even though you are connected to a 48kHz or 32kHz DAT! Conversion between any two sample rates during recording is completely automatic in Win95/98 and NT4.0, even if you are recording into an 8bit 8kHz mono file! The Win95/98 and NT4.0 drivers also support 20/24bit recording into programs such as Samplitude/Red Roaster, Wavelab and Cooledit Pro. All of the tools and source code for programming the ZA2 or the onboard DSP are available for free upon request.

And yet more handy utilities
Other utilities that come with the ZA2 allow simple conversion between digital I/O formats and also give the user complete control over all the S/PDIF subcodes (including the SCMS copy protection bit). There is a program that can decode the track information (Q subcode) from a CD player and synthesize DAT Start_IDs on the output so when you transfer from CD to DAT, you get all of the tracks (even if there is no silence between tracks)... and it can be done with or without SCMS.
The recording software can also be set to listen to the S/PDIF stream for DAT Start_IDs, and generate a CUE sheet for easy CD mastering. This CUE file contains all of the track times (PQ code) needed to directly burn a CD using Jeff Arnold's Disk-At-Once shareware. Soon the auto Start_ID feature will be supported by other programs such as Red Roaster and S.F. CD Architect.
MPEG conversion software (DOS) is included allowing you to compress the audio on your hard disk by up to 7:1 without a noticeable degradation in quality and the DSP can de-compress and play these .MP2 files in real time.
We also include DOS backup software which will let you save up to a Gigabyte of data from your hard disk to a standard audio DAT tape. The backup program uses additional Reed-Solomon error correction codes (above and beyond what is built into the DAT format) and checksums to make sure all data is safe. You can backup a single file, directory or the entire hard disk.

And in the future...
Then ZA2 was designed with expansion in mind. In addition to the upgradable hardware design and programmable DSP chip, the feature connector has additional pins connected to the ZA2's core logic and DSP. The connector also has a Super Word Clock input for synching to video equipment.

Now available: the Zefiro InBox! A portable high quality 20bit Analog to Digital converter with built in microphone preamps! Now sold through Opcode Systems

For great deals on the ZA2, check out some of the LINKS to our fine retailers!

Zefiro Acoustics ZA2, the next generation of DAT to PC hard disk recording!

* RCA style coaxial S/PDIF input and output connectors on the card.
* Toslink style fiber optic S/PDIF input and output connectors on the card.
* XLR style AES/EBU pro digital interface connectors with cable included.
* RCA style Analog stereo line out connectors with cable included.
* Direct digital recording at 48Khz, 44.1Khz, 44.056Khz, 32Khz
  or just about anything.
* Complete control over all CD and DAT subcode (including SCMS and Start_IDs).
* Windows drivers for complete compatibility with all of your windows
  audio applications (Win95/98 and Win NT4.0)
* Powerful 24bit Digital Signal Processor for live digital effects such as real
  time sample rate conversion, MPEG audio decoding or other special effects.
* 20/24bit recording in Win95/98 and NT4.0.
* Optional Super Word Clock sync available.
* Hard disk data backup to audio DAT, store 1.1Gigabytes on a 2 hour tape.

     Zefiro Acoustics             (949)-551-5833
     P.O.Box 50021                info@zefiro.com
     Irvine, Ca. 92619-0021       http://www.zefiro.com

First off, the VIA bug seems to be biting a lot of people who are upgrading to new motherboards. I wish there was more I could do on this problem but it seems to be a hardware issue in the VIA Apollo Pro 133 chipset and the folks at VIA in Taiwan have been extremely difficult to work with. The only solution seems to be to try a non-VIA motherboard. On the bright side, the problem does not seem to effect recording, just playback. During playback you would get a clicking on one channel (usually left) with a frequency related to the DMA buffer size. The sign bit on one sample per DMA buffer is being set which will cause a 50% chance of a major pop on one channel on one sample per DMA buffer... this could be from about 5 to 20 times a second depending on the DMA buffer size and playback speed.

Problem: I lost my diskette.
Solution: Download disk8.zip

Problem: I lost my manual.
Solution: Download za2manr8.zip

Problem: The computer locks up when I try to install ZA2.
Solution: This is a bug in the ZA2 installation routine. The ZA2 installer usually pokes at all 4 possible I/O ports for the ZA2 searching for the card... On rare occasion there is some other hardware in the system at one of the other 3 addresses that does NOT enjoy being poked at. You'll need to find out what the other finicky hardware is and remove it from the system. Then you should be able to install the ZA2 normally without problem. After the ZA2 is installed, go to the ZA2 resources tab in Device Manager and uncheck 'use automatic settings' to be sure the ZA2 driver never pokes anywhere but the pre-set I/O port (usually 310). Now you can re-install the other hardware and everyone should get along fine.

Problem: I can't install my Soundblaster AWE64 or SBLive and the ZA2 at the same time.
Solution: I don't have a solution... this doesn't happen often, but sometimes it seems that the ZA2 driver and the SB driver are using the same identifier which shouldn't be the case because we registered the ZA2's with Micro$oft. This doesn't happen very often so I think it must be related to something else in the system but I'm not sure what.

Problem: The computer says "No ZA2 cards were found"
Solution: This is the ZA2CPL32 'ZA icon' control program complaining that it can't find the ZA2... This is usually because the ZA2 driver never loaded. The most frequent culprit here is that the I/O port# set in the device manager doesn't match the actual settings on the card itself. Make sure the +100 and +40 jumpers on the card match the setting (210, 250, 310 or 350) in device manager and all should be well.

Problem: Playback gets stuck in an endless loop.
Solution: This is an IRQ conflict.. Either switch to a different 'basic configuration' in the ZA2 resources in device manager so you're not using an IRQ or free up a different IRQ (10, 11 or 12 only) and use that. Sometimes IRQ12 is stuck because the motherboard is holding it for a PS2 mouse even if you're not using a PS2 mouse... For some reason, Windoz doesn't report this. Sometimes you can free up IRQ 12 in the BIOS if you're not using a PS2 mouse but often it's a lost cause.. switch to IRQ 10, 11 or use the timer mode (non-IRQ).

Problem: It seems to be playing but I get no sound.
Solution: This is very rare, but you could have a DMA conflict... Try switching to a different DMA channel in the ZA2 resources in Device manager... When in doubt, go to Basic Configuration 3.. this is just one DMA and no IRQ.. You don't need two DMAs unless you are doing simultaneous record/play and you don't need the IRQ unless you have nasty DMA over-run errors or are using a midi sequencer with your audio (the sequencer likes to see a steady interrupt to sync the midi with the audio). And last but not least, double check the cables!!

I should point out that the ZA icon is a great diagnostic tool.. The 'generate test tone' and 'live display' are great playback and record tests that don't involve the hard disk. Also, when you put your mouse over the ZA icon, it will tell you what the ZA2 driver is currently doing.. ZA2 (310) N1... the 'N' means 'nothing' ie not recording or playing.. the '1' means mode one (usually playback mode.. mode 3 is recording and pass-through, mode 2 is only used in simultaneous rec/play.. this is all in your manual btw..) 'R' means the driver is recording, 'P' means the driver is playing back and 'S' means it's doing both (simultaneous or rather full duplex).

Problem: Simultaneous record/play doesn't work.
Solution: You need to select 'play/rec simultaneous' from the ZA icon menu instead of the usual 'play normal'. Also be sure you have a valid input signal (green ZA icon) and make sure you are using two DMA channels.. you can switch this in the ZA2 resources tab in Device manager.

Problem: The coaxial SPDIF input or output doesn't work anymore.
Solution: The RCA jacks used on the ZA2 suck. If put under a lot of force, the little plastic feet that hold it in place will break. If this happens, the jack could wobble if there is strain on the jack from the cord that is plugged in... If this happens, the solder joints on the PC board could break then you lose the connection to either coax in or out.... If you ask really nicely, and ship the card back to me, I'll fix it for you and ship it back to you... contact me for an RMA #.

Problem: My new motherboard doesn't have an ISA slot.
Solution: Ouch, can't help you there...

Problem: I plugged a VGA monitor into the ZA2's expansion port and let out the magic smoke.
Solution: Don't do that.

And last but not least, the biggest two problems of ALL TIME!
Problem: The right and left channels swap during playback or recording.
Solution: Buy a Macintosh (just kidding). The dreaded channel swap happens when some other hardware (usually inflicted by another driver) gets in the way of the PCI bus (and thus the ISA bus also) and causes the ZA2 card to be locked out for more than 1/96000th of a second. The ZA2 DMA moves samples L-R-L-R-L etc, if one gets lost then the buffer fills up backwards and you have what seems like a channel swap but is really a missing 1/2 sample. Over the years this could have been one of several things, but usually it was VGA related (see VGAKILLS on the /new page). Back in the old days it was some other ISA DMA device that hogged the DMA. Now that the USB guys are being hit by the same bug, it seems to be less frequent of VGA cards now. It seems that AGP cards are much less likely to have the problem. Another culprit lately has been the UltraDMA 66 IDE hard drives... If you suspect the hard drive, try turning off 'DMA mode' on the settings for the HD in device manager. In order to really diagnose the problem, you need to figure out who is causing it (VGA? HD? USB? SCSI?) The easiest way to do this is to run the TEST-TONE and record that to a DAT tape.. then record that test tape back into the computer and play with it.. any channel swapping will stand out like a sore thumb. Now you can try playing with other stuff in the system like the VGA (scrolling, moving windows etc) or HD (watch that blinking HD light.. does it match the swapping?) or other device while playing back that test file. Once you figure out who is causing the problem, that narrows down the effort tremendously. Happy hacking...

Problem: I get DMA buffer over-run errors and the ZA icon turns yellow.
Solution: This is caused by some other application or driver running in the computer that steals so much time that the ZA2 skips an IRQ! Unlike the DMA glitch/Channel swap which is a low level hardware problem on the order of 1/96000th of a second, the DMA Over-run happens when somebody else holds on to the CPU for over 1/20th of a second or so.. Usual culprits are things like screen savers, virus checkers, fancy disk caches etc... but more frequently now it seems to be other device drivers trying to talk to other devices.. like a ZIP drive or USB device that's not plugged in, or a network trying to contact someone else and holding up the computer in the process. The band-aid fix is just to increase the size of the DMA buffer and thus reduce the frequency of the IRQs.. this can be done on the 1.78 driver by running REGEDIT and searching for 'dmabufsize'.. the default is 0x0002000 (8192). Just type in 8000 for the new value and you'll get 0x0008000 (32768) thus bumping up the buffer size from 8k to 32k. On the 1.79 driver this is much easier because you can do it from the ZA icon... you'll need to restart the machine for the new setting to take effect. Of course the real solution is to figure out who's getting in the way, but this is often difficult. It seems that using an IRQ (a fixed hardware signal) is better than the timer mode/non-IRQ mode of the ZA2 in this regard. The timer mode simply asks windoz for a callback several times a second (as an IRQ would supposedly force, assuming someone else doesn't disable IRQs for too long). These windoz callbacks are the first to give up when someone is hogging the system.. IRQs need to be temporarily disabled in order to cause a problem like this.. usually only other device drivers can disable IRQs.

Phew.. that's enough for tonight. I should have done this years ago. P.S. I'll be out of the office from Sept 22-Oct 22, 2000 - Greg.