Place the 2488 Neo on a flat, stable surface like a table. There should be no obstruction to the ventilation grille on the rear of the Neo. Obstruction can cause overheating.
Connect the monitoring system, which is a combination of speakers or headphones and amplifier where applicable. If using powered speakers that don't require an amplifier, connect speaker cables to the output jacks on the back of the Neo. If using non-powered speakers, connect phono cables to the output sockets on the rear. Connect the phono cables to the amplifier and connect the amplifier to the speakers using speaker cables.
Turn on the recorder. The "On/Off" switch is on the right-hand rear panel. The hard disk indicator light will blink; this happens only the first time you power up. You will see a welcome screen. Once the light stops blinking, adjust the "Contrast" dial to set the screen to a resolution that suits you.
Connect an audio source. If you are recording live sound, like vocals or acoustic guitar, use an XLR microphone cable. Connect the female end of the XLR cable to the microphone and the male end to the XLR input jack on the Neo. If recording an instrument direct to the the mixer, connect an instrument cable to the 1/4-inch input jack on the channel strip.
Press "Rec" on the relevant channel strip to enable recording and hit "Record" on the control panel. If the channel strip warning light flashes red, stop recording and move the "Level" slider down. The light indicates that the signal is too strong. Once you've finished recording, hit "Save."
Navigate the control screen using the cursor buttons. This screen lets you make edits and perform other actions, such as "save," "export" and "delete." For each action you will receive a prompt. Respond to each prompt by pressing the "Yes" or "No" key. Repeat for each individual instrument until you have a full recording.
Press and hold "Record" and then press "Play." This records the collective audio to the "Master" channel, converting it from individual tracks to a master track.