Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product Pro Channel Art
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Pro Channel TUBE MIC PREAMP / COMPRESSOR / EQUALIZER USER’S GUIDE.
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- 2 - Contents FEATURES ......................................................................... 5 OVERVIEW ........................................................................ 6 W HY USE AN EXTERNAL PROCESSING CHANNEL ? .........................
- 3 - C LIP I NDICATOR .............................................................................. 13 E QUALIZER C IRCUIT ........................................................................ 13 Low Control ......................................
- 4 - G ROUNDING .................................................................................... 21 TUBE REPLACEMENT ..................................................... 21 WE’RE ON-LINE! .......................................................
- 5 - Fe a t u r e s The Pro Channel is a unique product. It c ontains three independent, award-winning circuit designs: one of the finest tube mi crophone preamplifiers available, one of the finest optical tube compressors available, a nd one of the m ost flexible EQs you’ve ever used.
- 6 - Ov er view Why use an external processing channel? The best way to get a signal to tape is by using the shortest signal path. In most cases, the shortest path is as follo ws: mic to preamp to compressor to EQ to tape.
- 7 - The compression circuit features a VCA- less design and utilizes either optical (Vactrol®) or tube, dual triode electronics for superior musical performance.
- 8 - Installation The Pro Channel may be employed in a number of setups, including: • between a microphone and a digital reco rder, mixer, or analog recorder; • in a mixer’s channel insert poin.
- 9 - F r ont P anel Contr ols and Indica tor s Preamp Circuit Gain Control The Gain control sets the Pro Channel’s input gain. Turn the control clockwise to increase gain and counter-clockwise to decrease it.
- 10 - before disconnecting microphones. Another Note: Most dynamic microphones won’t be affe cted or damaged if they are plugged into the Pro Channel when phantom power is turned on (we haven’t run across any). However, if the mic doesn’t need it, don’t use it .
- 11 - +10dB of gain (when turned fully clockwise). When setting up the preamp, start with the Pre amp Output at its “0” position. Once you get the Gain control set the way you want it to sound, use the Preamp Output control to set the level out of the preamp (much like using the master volume control on a guitar amplifier).
- 12 - Attack Switch The Attack switch selects th e attack characteristics of both the tube and optical compressor circuits. The Fast position (in) allows the co mpressor to react quickly to fast-rising attacks. Note that the tube circu it has an inherently fa st response and can be aggressive on signals with quick transients , such as snare drums.
- 13 - clockwise increases the level to a maximum of +20dB of gain. While you can use the compressor to add gain to a signal, it is better to add gain before the compressor for the best signal to noise ratio.
- 14 - “weight” or “beef” to a week vocal and cutting it can “thin out” a signal that takes up too much room in the low end. Lo-Mid Control The Lo-Mid control is a dual concentric pot (i.e., there are two controls – one outer and one inner).
- 15 - “surgical” cutting of a frequency band without affecting adjacent frequencies too much. High Control The High control adjusts a shelving filter with a selectable corner frequency of either 6KHz or 18KHz. The two frequencies are se l ected with the High switch (see below).
- 16 - Master Contr ols Master Output Control The Master Output control sets the final output level leaving the Pro Channel. When the control is fully counterclockwise, there is no output. Turning the control clockwise increases the output level to a maximum gain of +10dB.
- 17 - R ear P anel Connections Input and Output Connections The Pro Channel’s XLR connectors follow the AES standard: Pin 1 = Ground, Pin 2 = Hot (+), and Pin 3 = Cold (-). The unbalanced ¼” phone jacks are the typical Tip = Hot (+) and Sleeve = Ground.
- 18 - The loops may also be utilized to “re-patch” the compressor and equa lizer circuits in a different order (i.e., signal flow = preamp to equalizer to compressor ). For information on how to do this, see Loop Connection Examples, below. Preamp - Compressor Loop A loop is provided between the preamp’s output and the compressor’s input.
- 19 - A pplica tions The Pro Channel’s main application is as a processing channel for a microphone, instrument, or line level source. To use th e Pro Channel as a mi c or line preamplifier only, simply press the B ypass switches to bypass the compression and equalizer circuitry.
- 20 - What is the best way to use EQ? There are two schools of thought on EQ: 1) Use as much as you need to make things sound good. 2) Don’t use any EQ. Most people follow the suggestion of “if it sounds good, it is good.” You need to use your ears and judge for yourself as their ar e no steadfast rules fo r EQ’ing.
- 21 - Special Effects For industrial, metal, or just “flavor” te xtures, experiment with the Pro Channel. Overdriving the preamp, compre ssor, and equalizer circuitry can add interesting textures when blended with vocals and other instrume nts. Purposely placing signals out of phase can also yield interesting resu lts.
- 22 - W e’r e on-line! For Product information, questions, applica tions, tips, answers and general discussion with ART employees, look for ART on the Internet. Email us at support@artproaudio.com and check out our Web Site at www.artproaudio.com .
- 23 - 2) If you believe the ART unit is at fault, go to www.artproaudio.com . You may contact Customer Service for more as sistance, or directly request a Return Authorization for service in the “resources ” area of the website. 3) If you are returning the unit for service, pack the unit in its original carton or a reasonable substitute.
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- 25 - A R T Pr o Channel Specifica tions Dimensions 6.5"D x 19"W x 3.50"H Weight 12.0 lbs. Maximum Gain XLR to XLR: 83dB, ¼” to ¼”: 65dB Dynamic Range >100dB (20-20KHz) Frequency Response 20Hz to 20KHz (±0.
- 26 - www.artproaudio.com support@artproaudio.com Pro Channel – Tube Mic Preamp / Compressor / Equalizer 215-5004-102.
An important point after buying a device Art Pro Channel (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought Art Pro Channel yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data Art Pro Channel - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, Art Pro Channel you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get Art Pro Channel will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of Art Pro Channel, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime Art Pro Channel.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with Art Pro Channel. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device Art Pro Channel along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
