TC Electronic M3000 User Manual
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TC Electronic M3000 User Manual

Studio reverb processor
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USERS MANUAL
M3000
STUDIO REVERB PROCESSOR

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Summary of Contents for TC Electronic M3000

  • Page 1 USERS MANUAL M3000 STUDIO REVERB PROCESSOR...

  • Page 3: Important Safety Instructions

    IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS The lightning flash with an arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.

  • Page 4: Certificate Of Conformity

    Certificate Of Conformity TC Electronic A/S, Sindalsvej 34, 8240 Risskov, Denmark, hereby declares on own responsibility that following product: M3000 Digital Signal Processor That is covered by this certificate and marked with CE-label conforms with following standards: EN 60065 Safety requirements for mains...

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    TABLE OF CONTENTS SAFETY & CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMITY INTRODUCTION Table of contents Introduction The Front Panel The Rear Panel The Signal Flow BASIC OPERATION Recall Recall & Snapshots Store The Reverb Wizard I/O - The Signal Page Levels Menu Routing Routing &...

  • Page 7: Introduction

    This is now known as the VSS™ Technology. The M3000 is first and foremost a reverb unit, but we have also included a long list of well-known, tested and loved algorithms from other TC products as listed below.

  • Page 8: The Front Panel

    Turn on the machine with a single light touch. To turn off the machine you must press and hold down the POWER key approx. 3 seconds, until the display reads M3000. This delay time is to avoid switching off the device by accident. PCMCIA-CARD Copy presets to/from a standard memory card.
  • Page 9 THE FRONT PANEL ENGINE 1 OR 2 RECALL Recall/activate the program you have selected. STORE Save and name your current preset. The M3000 holds 500 single factory presets and up to 250 Single user presets. EDIT Enter the edit mode. BYPASS Individual bypass key for each Engine.

  • Page 10: The Rear Panel

    Pin 2 is »hot« on all XLR’s (AES Regulations). If you are connecting the M3000 to unbalanced equipment, you must tie pins 1 and 3 together in the cable ends away from the M3000. (Please see Soldering Instructions on page 61).

  • Page 11: The Signal Flow

    You can dither to 22, 20, 18, 16,or 8 bit. (See the I/O section on page 15). The Digital Input gain circuit is capable of »lifting« the signal level. This is a very useful feature if you e.g. are feeding the M3000 with a DAT recording that is not fully leveled to 0dB.

  • Page 12: Recall

    The Recall Displays The Recall displays are the "homepage" of the M3000. Whenever you exit any other display this is where you return to. As illustrated below the Recall display holds a few of the most important parameters for each of the two Engines at the same time.
  • Page 13 Your own card presets PRESETS PRESETS Preset banks The M3000 contains four different preset banks plus two additional Card banks. Single ROM bank: This bank contains 500 Single factory presets. The presets are available from Engine 1 and Engine 2.

  • Page 14: Recall & Snapshots

    With the Snapshots you are able to switch between completely different configurations with the touch of a single key. Store a Snapshot When you want to store a Snapshot of your M3000 setup, press SHIFT followed by one of the four SNAPSHOT keys. Recalling a Snapshot...

  • Page 15: Store

    S-RAM Type 1 PCMCIA cards, with a minimum of 64 KB and a maximum of 2 MB memory. NOTE ! If the card holds other information than M3000 presets info, the card will automatically be formatted the first time you...

  • Page 16: The Reverb Wizard

    THE REVERB WIZARD The Reverb Wizard is a unique guide that helps you find the optimal factory preset for your program materi- al. By selecting an algorithm and the instrument type you wish to apply the reverb to, the Reverb Wizard suggests a selection of relevant presets.

  • Page 17: I/O - The Signal Page

    Sample Rate (from the selected Digital Input) or the External Sync (word clock). - Clock - which means that the M3000 is will lock to the selected input format. - Digital - If AES/EBU or S/PDIF is selected as your Input source, the M3000 will automatically switch the Clock parameter to Digital.
  • Page 18 Note: The different Status Bit standards do not affect the quality of the Audio Output from the M3000. Dither The M3000 can output dither from 8 through 22 bit resolution to off. The dither type is TPDF (Triangular Probability Density Function).

  • Page 19: Levels Menu

    Press the LEVELS key to access this menu. To achieve optimal performance of the 24 bit A/D converters in the M3000, the correct setting of these levels is important. Please check the technical specifications of the connected device. The Input Peak meter should read approximately -6 to -3dB for maximum performance.

  • Page 20: Routing

    M3000 can be used as two parallel effects on the same stereo source. You may also set the I/O menu to left Input to get two independent stereo out effects on the M3000 from a single send on the mixer. Dual Mono...

  • Page 21: Routing & Studio Setup Examples

    Engine 2. Using two different sends on your mix- ing console, you can now use the M3000 as two effect units sharing the same output. And - not to forget - you are saving a set of return channels.

  • Page 22: Utility And Midi

    Filter Sets whether the current section of the M3000 should respond to MIDI Control changes (CTRL) and MIDI Program changes (PROG) or not e.g. when Filter is set to PROG the M3000 will only respond to MIDI Program changes. PrgOffset With this parameter, you are able to add to or subtract from the incoming Program change;...

  • Page 23: Memory Backup

    Filter Sets whether the current section of the M3000 should send out MIDI Control changes (CTRL) and MIDI Program changes (PROG) or not. e.g. when Filter is set to PROG the M3000 will only send out MIDI Program changes. Offset With this parameter you are able to add to or subtract from the outgoing Program change.

  • Page 24: Midi Monitor

    MIDI Monitor Press SHIFT followed by UTIL/MIDI to access MIDI Monitor. In the MIDI Monitor, you are able to see all MIDI messages received by the M3000. The actions are displayed according to the current channels. Prog. Displays program changes.

  • Page 25: Tempo

    Which Engine to work on Define subdivision beat Tap Tempo The M3000 TAP TEMPO key can control various parameters: Delay time, Decay time, Chorus speed, etc. When you press the TAP key, a Tempo menu pops up. The Tempo menu will disappear a few seconds after the last adjustment has been processed.

  • Page 26: Edit

    EDIT CURSOR Parameter names Edit In the Edit display you use the CURSOR keys to select parameters and the ADJUST wheel to change values. In the VSS™ algorithm presets there are two Edit modes: User and Expert. Easy mode The first time you edit a VSS™ preset, this is the mode you enter.

  • Page 27: Dynamic Morphing

    Note: The Dynamic Morphing function is only available when routing is set to Parallel. When activated, the M3000 will morph between the two Engines Outputs according to your Input level. This is a function for quick seamless changes of an effect.

  • Page 28: Vss™ Introduction

    Certain “ambience” style presets might have little or no “tail”. That is up to you. The M3000 was designed to have the smoothest Reverb tail ever developed but it is the Early Reflections that define the “personality” of the room, so try to experiment with this relationship! By using these parameters correctly you can create a BIG sound without having a mix swimming in reverb wash.
  • Page 29 The VSS™ algorithm is basically a mono-input/stereo-output algorithm, but by using both Engines it is possible to turn the M3000 into a input/output Stereo Reverb. To justify the entire discussion of stereo reverb the source material must derive from two points.
  • Page 30 VSS™ INTRODUCTION...
  • Page 31 The Rev Delay moves the Reverb tail away from the source material. This is listed in many other reverb units as Pre Delay. In the M3000 the Pre Delay is the parameter that moves the entire Reverb section; Early Reflections as well as tail. We recommend using the Rev Delay as your first choice when moving the Reverb tail from the direct signal.
  • Page 32 Their focus has been the diffuse field of the Reverb rather than the important Early Reflections that define the sound of the room. While developing the M3000 VSS™FP and VSS™SR algorithms; tests, analysis and measurements have been made in three dimensional models of different rooms, to obtain knowledge of the reflections. The results have been used to recreate all these reflec- tions with the Early Reflection patterns.

  • Page 33: Vss™Fp - Film And Post

    VSS™FP - FILM AND POST Stereo VSS™FP Diagram overview of the VSS™FP reverb with Early Reflection generator and stereo reverb generator in parallel. For further details please see the illustration on page 28, and read the descriptions of the algorithms on the following pages.

  • Page 34: Vss™Sr - Surround

    Delay and Decay times in front and rear channels. One or both M3000 engines may run VSS™SR surround algorithms. When monitored through a ProLogic™ or other 4:2:4 surround decoders, convincing surround environments are generated.

  • Page 35: Reverb Programs

    VSS™3 Reverb Programs VSS™3, VSS™Gate, VSS™FP, VSS™SR, C.O.R.E. and Rev 3. These are the basic reverb algorithms in the M3000. VSS™3 Reverb The VSS Reverb is a multipurpose algorithm, that with the comprehensive amount of parameters in both the Early Reflection parts;...
  • Page 36 VSS™3 Reverb (tail) Rev Type (Smooth, Natural, Alive, Fast St., Fast Wd.) Adjust this parameter with the Early Lev turned all the way off and the Rev Lev all the way up. Change the type to get a feel of what each one sounds like. Diffuse (±50) This parameter gives you more or less diffusion than the algorithm designer intended for the given Decay time.

  • Page 37: Vss™Gate

    VSS™GATE Reverb Mod Type (Off, Smooth 1, Smooth 2, Perc, Wow, Vintage, Wild) Adjusts the type of modulation. Rate (-100, default, +100) Allows you to offset the speed of the LFO from the factory default assigned to each Type. Width (0% - 200%) Sets the Width of the modulation.

  • Page 38: Early Reflections

    VSS™GATE Gate Type (Level, Decay, Both) Selects what the Gate shall work on: Level takes down the Output level like a normal gate. Decay rolls off the Decay time according to the Gate Decay setting, but leaves the Output level unattached. Both will do Output level roll off and Decay roll off at the same time.
  • Page 39 VSS™GATE Reverb (tail) Rev Type: (Smooth, Natural, Alive) Adjust this parameter with the Early Lev turned all the way off and the Rev Lev all the way up. Change the type to get a feel for what each one sounds like.
  • Page 40 VSS™GATE Reverb Modulation Type: (Off, Smooth1, Smooth2, Perc, Wow, Vintage, Wild) Adjusts the type of modulation. Try all of them. First turn the Depth all the way up and turn the Early Lev off and the MIX to 100% so you are only listening to the tail of the verb.

  • Page 41: Vss™Fp

    VSS™FP - FILM & POST VSS™FP The VSS™FP (Film & Post-Production) reverb algorithm is a special version of VSS™3, incorporating dedicated Early Reflection types for motion picture use, e.g. Car, Bathroom and Conference Rooms. VSS™FP Reverb Decay (0.01 - 20s) The Decay time of the Reverb. Usually associated with the time it takes the Reverb tail to decay 60dB.
  • Page 42 VSS™FP - FILM & POST Early Bal (-100dB R, Center, -100dB L) the left/right balance of the Early Reflections. Allows you to offset the Early Reflections from the normal center position. Hi Color: Adjusts the spectral balance in the high end frequencies. This is actually a simple way of adjusting a complex selec- tion of frequencies.
  • Page 43 VSS™FP - FILM & POST Lo Damp Freq (20Hz - 200Hz) Sets the Lo Cut frequency for the next parameter, Lo Damp. Use these two parameters to take away any objectionable low frequencies entering the Reverb tail processor. Lo Damp (-18dB - 0dB) Sets the amount of cut in dBs.

  • Page 44: Vss™ Sr

    VSS™SR - SURROUND VSS™SR (Surround) The VSS™SR (Surround) algorithm is a unique room simulator with new facilities for surround production. The diffused field of the simulation is turned into a Front/Rear composition with separate Decay, Level and Predelay parameters for front and rear. The composite output of the simulator is compatible with mono, stereo and surround reproduction.
  • Page 45 VSS™SR - SURROUND Early Bal (-100dB R, Center, -100dB L) the left/right balance of the Early Reflections. Allows you to offset the Early Reflections from the normal center position. Hi Color (±50) Adjusts the spectral balance of the Early Type. The Hi Color parameter is actually an advanced Hi Cut parameter.
  • Page 46 VSS™SR - SURROUND Reverb Mod Type (Off, Smooth 1, Smooth 2, Perc, Wow, Vintage, Wild) Adjusts the type of modulation. Rate (-100, default, +100) Allows you to offset the speed of the LFO from the factory default assigned to each Type. Width (0% - 200%) Sets the Width of the modulation.

  • Page 47: C.o.r.e

    C.O.R.E. C.O.R.E. The C.O.R.E. algorithm is a well-known TC Reverb from the M5000, and is very good on short to medium decay times. C.O.R.E. has all parameters present at first layer (meaning no Expert mode). Try e.g. presets 69, 89 and 189 to experience the C.O.R.E algorithm.

  • Page 48: Rev-

    REV-3 Rev-3 : Reverb 3 is a well known TC algorithm from the M5000, and is very good at medium decay times. Rev-3 has all parame- ters present in the first layer (meaning no Expert mode). Try e.g. presets 77, 81, 83 and 84 to experience the Rev-3 algorithm.

  • Page 49: Additional Effects

    ADDITIONAL EFFECTS - DELAY & PITCH Delay The Delay presets are capable of performing up to 1350ms delay. The Feedback filters make it possible to control both high and low frequency feedback. Delay time Controls the length of delay time. Feedback Controls the amount of effect signal routed back to the Input.
  • Page 50 ADDITIONAL EFFECTS - EQ The EQ programs are all 3 band parametric types with separate high and low shelving bands. Frequency Low shelving filter ranging from 20Hz to 5kHz. High shelving filter ranging from 500Hz to 20kHz. Three band filters ranging from 20Hz to 20kHz. Band width Low and high shelving filters have 2 different slopes.

  • Page 51: Chorus-Flanger

    ADDITIONAL EFFECTS - CHORUS & FLANGER Chorus These presets are capable of producing a smooth natural sounding stereo Chorus effect. The Hi Cut filter gives you the ability to make the Chorus very warm. Speed The speed of the Chorus, also known as Rate. Depth Adjusts the depth of the Chorus, also known as Intensity.

  • Page 52: Tremolo

    ADDITIONAL EFFECTS - FLANGER & TREMOLO Mix between direct sound and effect. Out Level Controls the Output level of the block. Feedback Controls the amount of feedback in the Flanger. Note that this parameter can be negative, e.g. feedback in reversed phase.

  • Page 53: Phaser

    Example: If the Input signal suddenly drops 4dB below Threshold in no time, with the Ratio set to 4:1 and the Attack set to 20ms, the M3000 will use 20ms to reach a total gain reduction of 16dB. Release...

  • Page 54: Compressor

    ADDITIONAL EFFECTS - COMPRESSOR Compressor A Compressor is meant to reduce the dynamic content of the Input signal, and thereby keep a more constant level. When the Input signal exceeds the Threshold, the Compressor starts to reduce the signal according to the ratio. The Ratio describes how much the signal is reduced, e.g.

  • Page 55: De-Esser

    ADDITIONAL EFFECTS - DE-ESSER De-esser A De-esser is used for removing the sibilant sounds from instruments and especially voices. This is done dynamically, which means that it’s not a static EQ filter but a dynamic filter that only cuts into the sound when the high frequencies are loud in the material.

  • Page 56: The Reset Page

    User presets of the M3000. Store User Def When you have a perfect setup of your M3000, you are able to store this as your own Default setup. This function is very useful, for example when you have finished a special production and wish to return to normal setup.

  • Page 57: Self Test

    Analog I/O test Select Analog I/O test by pressing OK. Connect an M3000 Analog Output directly to the M3000 Analog Input, which has to be tested and press OK. Use a balanced cable. Press CANCEL to exit Analog I/O test Digital I/O test Select Digital I/O test by pressing OK.

  • Page 58: Troubleshooting

    - Hold the POWER switch pressed for at least 3 seconds. All programs sound “phased”. - You are using the M3000 in combination with a mixing console (send/return), but have not set Mix to 100%. You can do this permanently in the I/O page.

  • Page 59: Glossary

    16 bit. PRO/CONS LEVELS Depending on which equipment you are using along with the M3000, you must set the PRO/CON parameters correctly in the I/O setup menu. M3000 Analog Inputs: Consumer range: -16dB to +10dB, nominal level = -10dB...

  • Page 60: Technical Specifications

    APPENDIX - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Digital Inputs and Outputs Connectors: XLR (AES/EBU), RCA Phono (S/PDIF), Optical (Tos-link, ADAT) Formats: AES/EBU (24 bit), S/PDIF (24 bit), EIAJ CP-340, IEC 958, EIAJ Optical (Tos-link), ADAT Lite pipe Output Dither: HPF TPDF dither 8 to 24 bit Sample Rates: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz Processing Delay:...

  • Page 61: Midi Implementation Chart

    :Reset Notes O:YES Mode1: OMNI ON, POLY X:NO Mode 3: OMNI OFF, POLY For complete M3000 MIDI specifications, please visit our Internet Site at: www.tcelectronic.com Recognized Remarks Eng1: 1, Eng2: 2, Com: 3 1-16 from 10 and up Cntrl.#10: Mix (If available) Cntrl.#11: Output Level...

  • Page 62: Soldering Instructions

    APPENDIX Soldering instructions DIN CONNECTOR MIDI Cable 5POLE - MALE 45 degrees 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). Pedal Cable JACK PLUG Mono - male...

  • Page 63: Preset List

    M3000 PRESET LIST This is the preset list of all factory presets in the M3000. The M3000 holds 500 Single Engine and 100 Combined Engine presets. When you press and hold down the RECALL key on Engine 1 or Engine 2, an index display pops up.
  • Page 64 M3000 PRESET LIST Halls Preset #21 to 136. A group of presets covering probably the most used reverbs in music production. This preset-group is divided into a Natural section from #21 to #63, which are the most realistic and natural sounding reverbs, and a Super-natural part from #64 to #136, which are more like effect reverb presets.
  • Page 65 M3000 PRESET LIST Club Carib Kinky Chinks Bassed On What Snare Room Bright Slap Back Sax 1 Bar Snare Tap Drum Tile Space Dickey Dickey Smooth Garage Space Chamber Drums Big Wide Space Leader Of The band Medium Guitar Hall...
  • Page 66 M3000 PRESET LIST Nose Bleed Seats Big Ballad Vocal 2 Sweet Basil Vocal Blackface Amp Large Hall Clear Soupy Ballad Verb Ringy Wash Modulated Backwall Big Vocal 2 Crystal Clear XXL 12 String Reverb Big Guitar Verb Windamish Over Yonder Hill...
  • Page 67 M3000 PRESET LIST Real Room Lucho 2016 Good room Close Small Room Recital Room A Real Room Soft Guitar Ambience Big Soft Room The Studio Drum Stuff Tight vocal 1 Kick Bass Ambience Amb Rock Lead Gtr RMX Ambience Snare Room Long...
  • Page 68 M3000 PRESET LIST Bright Plate Drums Perc Soft1 Drum Perc Soft2 Oil Drum Drum Perc Soft3 Gated Reverb Presets Preset #205 to 211. The VSS-Gate algorithm is a very extensive type of gated reverb. Preset #205 to #211 are some examples on this. Here you find presets for both drums and vocal.
  • Page 69 M3000 PRESET LIST SRV Chorus Flanger Wild Flanger Slow Tremolo Wild Tremolo Slow Panner Fast Panner Wide Old Phaser Standard Phaser Weird Phaser Vocal De-esser Dynamic Hi Cut Dynamic Lo Cut Muted Engine Presets 251-500 uses the VSS™FP and VSS™SR algorithms.
  • Page 70 M3000 PRESET LIST Small rooms and spaces (Indoor Small) Presets #260 to 289. A selection of extremely natural and realistic small rooms. Domestic rooms like kitchens and living rooms, and more public rooms like offices are represented here. E.g. try preset 266 which is a preset simulating a standard small furnished living room.
  • Page 71 M3000 PRESET LIST Basement 1 Furnished Basement Wine Cellar Toilet Stall In The Shower Bathroom Stall Wide Garage Right Side Garage Conference Room Glass Office Large Office Office Empty Classroom Classroom Back Of The Glass Watch-Tower Inside Dialog 2 Dialog 3...
  • Page 72 M3000 PRESET LIST Band Practice Room Down The Hall Factory Dance Studio Empty Restaurant Tijuana Cantina Store Room Louvre Pyramid Hall Pentagon Corridor Airport PA Grand Ballroom Parking Garage Small Garage Mine Corridor Mine Chamber Tight+Natural Tight+Smooth Scoring Stage 1...
  • Page 73 M3000 PRESET LIST Subway Platform 2 Subway Tunnel Parking Distant Parking Garage Talk Parking Garage Ugly Parking Garage Indoor Parking Lot Public Toilet The Abbey Medium Church Concrete Maze Dark Tunnel Back There Really Smooth Hall Cars Presets #400 to 409.
  • Page 74 M3000 PRESET LIST Dock Long Cave Backyard Qntc Racetrack PA Very large outdoor settings (Outdoor XXL) Presets #430 to #439 give you a selection of very large outdoor places such as Empty Arenas and different courts. Slap Alley City Foot Chase...
  • Page 75 M3000 PRESET LIST Effect reverb settings Presets #460 to 469. A small block of special reverb settings that cannot be catego- rized into any real-world application. These presets can be used for sound effect purposes. Speaker In A Room Stinger 1...
  • Page 76 Presets #1 to 100. The combined preset bank offers a variety of suggestions on how to gain full benefit from the two-engine structure of the M3000. A lot of really unique reverb effects can be obtained. The categorization is not as strict as with the Single presets due to the many different applications these settings are designed for.
  • Page 77 M3000 PRESET LIST Rev Phased Delay Flanged Reverb De-essed Medium Hall Stereo Hall Large Stereo Studio 20x20 Stereo Studio 40x40 Stereo Large Hall De-essed Small Room Stereo Venue Clear Machine Room Tiny Submarine Very small Submarine Small De-S Wood Chamber 1...
  • Page 78 M3000 PRESET LIST Computer Voice 3 Computer in Space 1 Computer in Space 2 Reverb for Isato Pantheon Sewage System Military Base SR POW Camp SR Football Ground SR Seaside SR Large Cave SR...

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