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TC Electronic DBMAX - V 2 User Manual

Digital broadcast maximizer
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USER’S MANUAL
DBMAX - V 2
DIGITAL BROADCAST MAXIMIZER

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Summary of Contents for TC Electronic DBMAX - V 2

  • Page 1 English USER’S MANUAL DBMAX - V 2 DIGITAL BROADCAST MAXIMIZER...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Fade ..... . . 38 TC Electronic, Sindalsvej 34, DK-8240 Risskov - tcdk@tcelectronic.com Rev 2 - SW - V 2.02...

  • Page 3: Quick Start Guide

    We recommend you read the entire manual before using the DBMAX, but if you’re anxious to get started we suggest you take the following steps in the described sequence.

  • Page 4: Introduction

    We hope that you will have as much pleasure using it as we had making it. info@tcelectronic.com Please keep informed on the latest updates either via our internet site at www.tcelectronic.com or contact TC Electronic directly. General features in the DBMAX version 2.02 Useful features for Production...

  • Page 5: Front Panel

    DEFINED OVERLOAD User defined overload LED. ELECTRONIC POWER SWITCH CLIP LED OUTPUT PPM »Easy touch« Indicates that Output High resolution meters. Keep pressed for more than is clipped. 2 seconds to turn device off. PC CARD SLOT INDICATORS INPUT PPM EXPANDER GAIN REDUCTION LIMIT...
  • Page 6 ADJUST wheel Sets parameter values and preset numbers. FUNCTIONS SECTION PROGRAM SECTION CONTROL SECTION MAIN PAGE RECALL This key allows you to edit Recall presets. Confirm operations the entire signal flow, from and switch individual blocks on/off. Input to Output. STORE Store and name presets.

  • Page 7: Rear Panel

    BALANCED INPUTS SYNC DIGITAL AUDIO RS485 BALANCED OUTPUTS WARNING CAUTION TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN AVIS: RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE-NE PAS OUVRIR.

  • Page 8: Signal Flow Diagram

    DBMAX INPUT PPM OUTPUT PPM Defined Overload Left Left In Level Right Right Trim Input Input Trim Output Selector Fader Out Fine L/R Left Ins 1 Ins 2 Ins 3 COMP Ins 4 ANALOG ANALOG INPUTS OUTPUTS [balanced] [balanced] Right Digital Out Gain Ext.

  • Page 9: Dbmax Setup

    DAB production or FM Production suite Transmission...
  • Page 10 Surround Production Suite Note: Adjusting the L/R balance can cause serious changes to the surround encoded signal. TV continuity/Transmission...

  • Page 11: Reference Levels

    The Reference level settings are the heart of the DBMAX. If these parameters are not set properly, the DBMAX may not perform correctly. So please take the time to go through these level settings and make sure they are set correctly. Basic operation Load Setup Save Setup...
  • Page 12 Ref. Level Output Gain Overload Abs. Peak max Integration In Level 0dBFS Trim Input Peak Hold Trim Output Clip LED def. Out Fine L Out Fine R Att. Input Gain Thru...

  • Page 13: Reference Levels Illustration

    OPERATING LEVELS: ____________________________ Ref. Level 0dBu (dBFS) -18dB Abs. Peak max +9dBu (dBFS) -9dB ____________________________ ANALOG LEVELS : In level 0dBFS +18dBu Trim Input Trim Output Out Fine L 0.0dB Out Fine R 0.0dB Analog In Analog Out Digital In Digital Out DIGITAL LEVELS: Input Gain...

  • Page 14: Recall

    Bank indication Select which blocks to load from the new preset Select Preset Category Preset name Preset number Read only/On air indication Press the RECALL key to enter the Recall page. To recall/activate a preset: Factory Your own Your own Presets Presets Card Presets...

  • Page 15: Store - Delete And Preset Names

    Storing a preset with the same name Storing a preset with a new name Bank selection Mode selection Flag information for Name line preset protection Name Edit line When storing a preset, you may give it two flags: Note: The READ ONLY flags may be disregarded if you wish to replace the entire RAM bank from the Utility page.
  • Page 16 Global Parameters Setup Parameters...

  • Page 17: Input

    Input INPUT EXPANDER COMPRESSOR LIMITER OUTPUT Black box indicates Input page 1 selected block Page select Master Input Delay in frames pr. second Input type Delay on/off selector switch Sample Rate Clock Master Input delay converter on/off select in milliseconds Input page 2 Process both channels (normal) or only Left or Right...
  • Page 18 Input Basic operation Clock - Output Sample Rate Sample Rate LED’s Note: Blinking LEDs indicate a lock error condition. The Outputs of the DBMAX will be muted and the digital audio Inputs and the BNC wordclock Input may be used as a synchronization source for the analog Inputs (AES 11).
  • Page 19 Input Reference Level Note: The Delay setting is NOT recalled with a preset, but the Attack compensation is. Low Cut Process Hi-Cut If very “hot” digital Inputs are used for FM transmission, we recommend trimming the digital Input level down by 1dB on the Ref. Levels page in order to prevent overloading the Input filters.

  • Page 20: Inserts

    Inserts 1-3 On the following pages the different Insert options are explained. Please use this illustration for overview of the level handling in accordance to various parameters in the DBMAX .

  • Page 21: Agc

    Inserts 1-3 INPUT EXPANDER COMPRESSOR LIMITER OUTPUT Automatic Gain Min/Max Gain Control. Maximum/minimum gain limit you allow the AGC to perform on your signal. Low Level Target Low level limit for the AGC. Target Ratio Hold Release: Target level for AGC Release rate in dB/sec.
  • Page 22 Inserts 1-3 Target Select Insert 1, 2 or 3 by pressing the BLOCK keys Basic operation Ratio Hold Note: You can not use the same Insert type in two different Insert blocks at the same time. Release Basic operation EQ Ranges Filter Types Frequency Bandwidth/Slope...

  • Page 23: Dynamic Equalizer

    Inserts 1-3 INPUT EXPANDER COMPRESSOR LIMITER OUTPUT Black box indicates selected block Dynamic Equalizer CURVE Gain reduction Sets the frequency Indicates the actual characteristics of the dynamic gain reduction damping filter. performed by the Threshold Frequency Dynamic EQ. Ratio Sets the working Attack frequency of the Release...
  • Page 24 Inserts 1-3 Threshold Ratio Max added Width Attack Added Width Release Curve...

  • Page 25: Normalizer

    Inserts 1-3 INPUT EXPANDER COMPRESSOR LIMITER OUTPUT Normalizer Consecutive samples clipped. Counts the number of clipped samples within a 1 sec. time period. Normalizer Gain On/off switch Active Will blink when active. MS Decoding MS-Decode on/off switch. Mid-Side balance control MS Encoding Fine balance adjust MS Encode on/off switch...
  • Page 26 Inserts 1-3 Gain On/off Mid/Side Balance Control Act. - Active MS Decode on/off Consecutive Samples Clipped Fine Balance MS Encode on/off Try lowering the Mid signal by a few dB. This is what is perceived as an enhancement of the overall Stereo image.

  • Page 27: Expander

    Expander INPUT EXPANDER COMPRESSOR LIMITER OUTPUT PAGE 1 Expander page select Gain Reduction Shows the actual gain reduction on each of Selected band indication the 5 individual bands. A dot indicates selected band or bands. By default all bands are selected, but you can adjust each band Threshold Range...
  • Page 28 Expander Expander Bypass Press Menu keys to select page 2 Attack Select EXP by pressing the BLOCK keys Release Ratio Threshold Out Basic Operation Press MENU keys to enter Page 3. This page is common for the Compressor, Expander and Limiter. Please see the description on page 33. Threshold Example: Range...

  • Page 29: Compressor

    Compressor INPUT EXPANDER COMPRESSOR LIMITER OUTPUT Flag indication PAGE 1 Gain Reduction Page select Shows the actual gain reduction on each of the 5 individual bands. The Edit guide Arrow direction indicates whether the parameter value Less/More has been increased or Adjusts the intensity decreased since last Recall.
  • Page 30 Compressor Select COM by pressing the BLOCK keys Basic operation Note! Please refer to page 19 for additional info on delay thru the unit. About the Compressor Gain Reduction Press MENU keys to enter page 2 Threshold Ratio Band Level Less/More - Compression Out Level Flag indication...
  • Page 31 Compressor INPUT EXPANDER COMPRESSOR LIMITER OUTPUT PAGE 3 Crest This parameter determines whether the Compressor should react to peaks, RMS (average) or something in between. Attack Hold Release Individual Attack From 10-200ms. Individual Release times for times for each of each of the five bands.
  • Page 32 Compressor Press MENU keys to enter the Cross-over Press MENU keys to enter page 3. frequency page (Xovr) Attack Cross-over point 1-4 Hold Release Number of Bands Crest Slope Types Cross-over frequency Cross-over point Note: The Cross-over points are common for the Compressor, Limiter and Expander.

  • Page 33: Limiter

    Limiter INPUT EXPANDER COMPRESSOR LIMITER OUTPUT PAGE 1 The Edit guide Arrow direction indicates whether the parameter value has been increased or decreased since last Recall. Limiter Threshold Limit on/off A dot indicates no changes. Separate Threshold Bypass Limiter on adjustment on each of individual bands.
  • Page 34 Limiter Select LIM by pressing the BLOCK keys Press MENU keys to enter the Cross-over frequency page (Xovr) Basic operation Cross-over point 1-4 Threshold Number of Bands On/Off Press MENU keys to enter page2. Slope Types Attack Cross-over frequency Release Cross-over point Note: The Cross-over points are common for the Compressor, Limiter and Expander.

  • Page 35: Transmission Limiter

    Post Dynamic Inserts INPUT EXPANDER COMPRESSOR LIMITER OUTPUT Transmission Limiter Insert especially for Transmission or Transmission emulation. Softclipper Emphasis First letter - Analog Second letter - Digital Lin/Linear - when type is set to off. Emphasis type Dynamic Limiter Release time pr. 50µ, 75µ...
  • Page 36 Post Dynamic Inserts HF-compensation Soft Clip Transmission Limiter with integrated Dynamic Emphasis and Soft Clip. Gain Reduction Emphasis ATK setting PPM: ATK setting FAST: ATK setting TX: Soft Clip Rel/s...

  • Page 37: Output

    Output INPUT EXPANDER COMPRESSOR LIMITER OUTPUT FADE SECTION CURVE sets the fade-out curve TIME sets the fade-out time FADE up/down/stop LEVEL set fader level manually. Note: Select no. of bits dithered to: If an external fader is connected, all of the above 8 bit parameters are disabled.
  • Page 38 Output Note: The Dither Resolution parameter is always reset when changing the primary Output. Dither Type Auto Fade Note: The Pedal Function in the Utility menu must be set to Fader for external control.

  • Page 39: Flow

    Flow Flow When a block is overloading, use the parameter keys to select the current block and press OK for direct access. Internal levels (ppm) Surround meter Surround meter...

  • Page 40: Peak-Hold Meter

    Peak-Hold Meter Peak Numeric readout of peak values Phase Meter (correlation) Phase Meter Plus means that the two channels are in phase. Minus means that the two channels are out of phase. Time/division Time/division Curve speed...

  • Page 41: Digital I/O

    Digital I/O - DIO RECEIVED STATUS BITS Pre-emphasis indicator: On/off Source device: DAT, CD, mixer etc Number of audio bits received Copyright: None, One copy only, Infinite copies Status bit info Copy status Calibration Tone Calibration tone Level Tone...
  • Page 42 DIO & Calibration Tone S/PDIF This display has various indicators describing the received digital signal. Pre-emphasis From Input Source device (Category code) Audio data For optimal level handling in your signal chain, correct calibration of all meters is essential. Copyright (Copy inhibit). The DBMAX can be used to generate a calibration tone.

  • Page 43: Utility

    Basic operation Viewing Angle Based on fps. Lock...

  • Page 44: Reset Page

    Your PIN-code If you should forget your PIN-code, please enter the Reset page. This will release the DBMAX from the locked state. (You do not have to run any of the reset functions). locked RAM to Card RAM protect Card to RAM Warning: This action will destroy all existing RAM presets of the DBMAX.
  • Page 45 Store and load your own default settings Enter User data page Reset system parameters Clear all user presets Test Programs Type your name here and your phone number DONE Confirms/enters the printed data Basic operation Set User Name and Phone number Load User Default Store User Def.

  • Page 46: The Wizard

    Select source type: Music/Vox/Mix. Select degree of compression: Soft/Medium/Hard. Optimized gain - Auto Normalize If this option is selected the DBMAX will adjust the Normalizer level. Application Select Production or On-Air. Optimized gain To get an easy starting point for your own sound-tailoring you may invoke the Wizard function.

  • Page 47: Troubleshooting

    Troubleshooting...

  • Page 48: Self Test

    Self test Press the BYPASS key while powering up to access MIDI I/O test the self-test and select “ RUN TEST PROGRAM”. Use the ADJUST wheel to scroll through the different self tests. Key test Pedal test ADJUST wheel test PCMCIA Card test LED test Note that all data on the PC Card will be destroyed.

  • Page 49: Technical Specifications

    Digital Inputs and Outputs Connectors: XLR (AES/EBU), RCA Phono (S/PDIF) Formats: AES/EBU (24 bit), S/PDIF (20 bit), EIAJ CP-340, IEC 958 Output Dither: HPF TPDF dither 8-24 bit Word Clock Input: BNC, 75 Ohm, 0.6 to 10 Vpp Sample Rates: 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz Processing Delay: 0.5 ms @ 48 kHz...

  • Page 50: Tutorial

    Tutorial...
  • Page 51 Tutorial info@tcelectronic.com...

  • Page 52: Glossary

    Glossary AES/EBU Dither S/PDIF Tos-link ADAT/TDIFF House Clock Brickwall type limiter Master Clock Bits & Bytes Make up gain Compressor Overshoot Sample Rate Cross-over point dBFS De-essing System Exclusive MIDI Commands Pre-emphasis De-essing...
  • Page 53 Certificate Of Conformity DBMAX Digital Broadcast Processor • Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. • Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. • Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. •...

  • Page 54: Note

    Soldering instructions MIDI Cable DIN CONNECTOR DIN CONNECTOR 5POLE - MALE 5POLE - MALE max. 10m 45 degrees 45 degrees SHIELDED CABLE (3 or 5 wires + screen) Note Note NOTE! On TC units with RS485 interface pins 1 and 3 on the DIN connectors are reserved for RS485 connection. Therefore, if you are connecting the unit to other equipment that use these pins, please make sure to use 3-wire standard MIDI type cable (not a five wire MIDI-PLUS type).
  • Page 55 Soldering instructions XLR - XLR Jack (unbalanced) - XLR Jack (balanced) - XLR Pin 1 - Pin 1 (Ground) Sleeve - Pin 1 (Ground) Sleeve - Pin 1 (Ground) Pin 2 - Pin 2 (Hot) Tip - Pin 2 (Hot) Tip - Pin 2 (Hot) RING Pin 3 - Pin 3 (Cold)

  • Page 56: Preset List

    Name Main Function Typical Level Setup Applications EBU Limiter Limiter EBU Broadcast OB, PP, VE NTSC Limiter Brickwall Limiter NTSC Broadcast OB, PP, VE EBU Comp & Lim Optimize & Limit EBU Broadcast OB, PP, VE NTSC Comp & Lim Optimize &...
  • Page 57 Name Main Function Typical Level Setup Applications Wide Outlet Optimize & Limit Studio Outlet Energy Outlet Optimize & Limit Studio Outlet Energy Outlet2 Optimize & Limit Studio Outlet Car Radio Optimize & Limit Studio Outlet Talk 1Band Voice Processor NTSC Broadcast OB, PP Talk 2Band Voice Processor...

  • Page 58: Optional Master Fader

    In order to work the Master Fader accurately, the DBMAX must be calibrated:...

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