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DigiDesign PRE Manual

DigiDesign PRE Manual

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PRE
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Version 8.0

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  • Page 1 ™ Version 8.0...
  • Page 2 Communications Statement This equipment has been tested to comply with the limits for a This guide is copyrighted ©2008 by Digidesign, a division of Class A digital device. Changes or modifications to this product Avid Technology, Inc. (hereafter “Digidesign”), with all rights not authorized by Digidesign, Inc., could void the Certification...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Configuring MIDI Studio Setup for PRE ........
  • Page 4 PRE MIDI Data ........

  • Page 5: Chapter 1. Introduction To Pre

    (1/4-inch), or direct instrument (1/4-inch) PRE is designed especially for use with Pro Tools • Selectable impedance settings for Mic input systems, but it can also be used as a stand-alone • Input gain variable from 0 dB to +69 dB, in microphone preamplifier.

  • Page 6: System Requirements And Compatibility Information

    When used as a stand-alone microphone pream- All Digidesign guides use the following conven- plifier, PRE is ready to use. tions to indicate menu choices and key commands: For remote control within Pro Tools, PRE requires: Convention Action ® • A Digidesign-qualified Pro Tools|HD File >...

  • Page 7: About Www.digidesign.com

    Development Partners and their plug- ins, applications, and hardware. News and Events Get the latest news from Digidesign or sign up for a Pro Tools demo. Pro Tools Accelerated Videos Watch the series of free tutorial videos. Accelerated Videos are de- signed to help you get up and running with Pro Tools and its plug-ins.
  • Page 8 PRE Guide...

  • Page 9: Chapter 2. Hardware Overview And Stand-Alone Operation

    Hardware Overview and Stand-Alone Operation This chapter describes the PRE front and back panels, and includes instructions for using its switches, indicators, and connectors for Stand-alone mode operation. To use PRE in Remote mode (remote con- trol of PRE by Pro Tools or a dedicated control surface), see Chapter 3, “Remote Operation.”...
  • Page 10 ± 0.3 dB depending upon the Remote “Lock-Out” LED current operating temperature. Allow the unit When lit (green), this LED indicates PRE is in Re- to warm up and stabilize the oscillator output mote Lock-Out mode. In this mode, PRE is con- before using it for calibration purposes.
  • Page 11 The Gain/Param control can be used to add gain Off When lit, the Peak Hold function is off. Clip to the input signal on one or more of the PRE’s LEDs will light during clipping, then clear eight channels, or to set the PRE’s MIDI chan- shortly after clipping stops.
  • Page 12 The Input Z switch sets the input impedance for Signal Present/Clip (SIG) LEDs a PRE channel to 1.5 kΩ, 15 kΩ, or 1.5 MΩ. These LEDs indicate the status of a channel’s in- The three Input Z LEDs indicate the current set- put signal.
  • Page 13 Mic Inputs can provide 48V phantom power for microphones that require it to operate. If Source PRE’s back panel has eight pairs of send and re- is set to Line or Inst, phantom power automati- turn jacks for inserting external processors (such cally disengages to avoid sending phantom as compressors or EQs) in the audio path.
  • Page 14 Channel Mute Switches and LEDs Line/Inst 1 and 2 Each PRE channel has a dedicated Mute switch The front panel includes two 1/4-inch to mute input signal. The respective Mute LED balanced/unbalanced TRS jacks, with Tip wired lights when muting is enabled.

  • Page 15: Pre Back Panel

    PRE Back Panel PRE has the following back panel connectors: Mic Inputs 1–8 Oscillator Output Line/Inst Inputs 1–8 Output Trims 1–8 Send and Return Inserts 1–8 DB-25 Outputs 1–8 MIDI In/Out/Thru Auto-switching power supply connector PRE back panel Mic Inputs 1–8 DB-25 Outputs 1–8...
  • Page 16 User Settings Stored in Memory connect the MIDI Out of one PRE to the MIDI In of the next PRE, and so on. You will also need to When PRE is powered down, it remembers its set each unit to a unique MIDI channel number last settings.

  • Page 17: Using Pre In Stand-Alone Mode

    Press the Channel Select switch for the Mic In- Mode put you will be using. PRE can be used without Pro Tools as a stand- Change the input source to Mic, by pressing alone microphone preamplifier. PRE stand- Source one or more times.

  • Page 18: Calibrating Pre And Other Devices

    DI (direct instrument) source into a Line/Inst Input on the front or back of PRE. These inputs accept balanced/unbalanced TRS Calibrating PRE and Other connectors.

  • Page 19: Adjusting Channel Controls

    For example, if the 48V LED is tion of each switch, see “PRE Front Panel” on off, pressing 48V will enable 48V phantom page 5. Input Gain is changed with the power on all the selected channels.

  • Page 20: Adjusting Input Gain

    To mute additional channels, press their corresponding Mute switches. Meters remain active, and Channel Status controls can still be changed. To quickly mute all channels, drag your finger across all the Mute switches. To unmute a channel: Press Mute again. PRE Guide...

  • Page 21: Chapter 3. Remote Operation

    • MIDI channel assignment the following: • Changing the Peak Hold setting of front panel Clip LEDs • Control PRE remotely from the Pro Tools Mix or Edit window • Clearing of Clips on the front panel • Muting individual PRE outputs •...

  • Page 22: Connecting Pre To A Pro Tools System

    To connect a PRE to a MIDI interface: Connecting PRE to a Pro Tools Connect a MIDI cable between the MIDI Out System port on your PRE and the MIDI In port on your MIDI interface. Audio Connections Connect a MIDI cable between the MIDI In...
  • Page 23 Make sure to connect the MIDI Out Turn on your Pro Tools audio interfaces. port of the last PRE to the MIDI In port of the MIDI interface. Turn on your computer. With multiple PREs, it is easier to keep track Turn on your speakers or monitor system.

  • Page 24: Configuring Ams For Pre

    Do one of the following: • Double-click the PRE icon. – or – • If there is no icon for the PRE, choose MIDI Devices > Add New External Device and do the following: Connecting the PRE to the MIDI interface in the AMS •...

  • Page 25: Configuring Midi Studio Setup For Pre

    The following are basic instructions for config- From the Output pop-up menu, choose the uring PRE in MIDI Studio Setup (MSS). For more output port on your MIDI interface that is con- information on MSS, see the Setup Guide for your nected to the MIDI In of the PRE.

  • Page 26: Configuring Pro Tools Software For Pre

    Choose Setup > Peripherals and click the Mic Software for PRE Preamps tab. Once PRE has been configured in AMS or MSS, it Choose PRE from the Type pop-up menu. can be declared in the Pro Tools Peripherals dia- From the Receive From menu, choose the log and mapped in the I/O Setup dialog, in order PRE’s source port and MIDI channel to receive...
  • Page 27 (for example, changing the Receive From destination in Remote Lock-Out Mode Sets PRE to ignore front the second row to PRE #2-2, will update the panel controls. Remote Lock-Out mode can be destination in the third row to PRE #3-2, disabled by deselecting this option in the and so on).
  • Page 28 Drag the PRE channel to the new location in the Grid. If you have multiple PRE units in I/O setups, the order in which the PRE paths appear corre- – or – sponds to the order in which they were assigned Command-click the PRE channel in the Grid in the Mic Preamps tab of the Peripherals dialog.
  • Page 29 Shift-click multiple channels, then drag the lows you to: channels to the new locations in the Grid. • Reset selected path names to PRE #1, PRE #2, – or – and so on, corresponding to the order that PREs appear in the Peripherals dialog.

  • Page 30: Mic Preamps In Pro Tools Edit And Mix Windows

    Default Path Order, Import Settings, Select an input path from the track Input Se- Export Settings lector. Make sure you choose an input that a PRE These options do not directly affect PRE settings, output was mapped to in I/O Setup.

  • Page 31: Viewing Mic Preamp Controls In Pro Tools

    Inputs tab of I/O Setups. When Mic Preamps View, Mix window these multichannel inputs use a physical input which has been mapped to a PRE output, their Both the Mix and Edit windows can be config- controls will become automatically ganged to- ured to show or hide PRE controls.

  • Page 32: Mic Preamp Controls

    This button applies an input pad to individual The Mic Preamps view provides all the essential channels to reduce input sensitivity by 18 dB. controls for a PRE channel in the Mix and Edit windows. Insert Button This button enables insert points on individual Source and Input Impedance Selector channels.

  • Page 33: Mic Preamp Window

    Mic Preamp windows provide standard selectors The Mic Preamp window provides all the essen- for PRE controls and other controls in the top tial PRE controls, plus a gain fader and access to area of the window. the channel strip Input Selector, as an alterna- tive to Mix and Edit window views.

  • Page 34: Adjusting Mic Preamp Controls

    10 will snap to +9 dB). To adjust PRE controls on multiple channels: Target When the Target icon is red, the next Hold Shift and select the tracks whose PRE window opened of the same type replaces the controls you want to adjust.

  • Page 35: Mic Preamp Remote Control With Digidesign Control Surfaces

    Edit/Assign section on the main unit for control that PRE channel will be displayed in the en- of all parameters of a single PRE channel in Pro coder row and can be adjusted with the rotary Tools. Multiple preamps can be adjusted if the data encoders.
  • Page 36 • If the channel with focus has a Mic Preamp, sign section; the default Mic Preamp name is the DSP Edit/Assign LED display updates PRE #1. Channel parameters and values are dis- with PRE parameter names and values (see played in the DSP Edit/Assign LED displays, as the table, below).
  • Page 37 DSP Edit/Assign area. To simultaneously change settings in multi- To reset all the parameters on a channel to their ple PRE channels, first press and hold defaults: SHIFT/ADD while selecting channels using Press F2 to enable the DSP Edit/Assign section the Select button on each track (or Shift- for Mic Preamp control.
  • Page 38 To This Channel.” mode (or returns Control|24 to its previous op- eration mode). When enabled, the REMOTE MIC PRE LED is lit, and the Channel Bar Display updates with the following message: “MIC PRE.” To set input gain using Channel-Wide Gain Control mode: Press REMOTE MIC PRE.
  • Page 39 To change settings in multiple PRE chan- lows: nels, first press the desired Channel Select buttons (or Shift-click track names in PRE Parameters in the Data Encoder LED Displays Pro Tools), then press and hold Parameter Names and Data Scribble...
  • Page 40 PRE Guide...

  • Page 41: Appendix A. Specifications

    appendix a Specifications Gain Range 0 dB to +69 dB, in approximately 3 dB steps. With Pad enabled, –18 to +51 dB. Input Impedance (Input Z): 1.5k ohm (low im- pedance); 15k ohm (mid impedance); 1.5M ohm (high impedance) Frequency Response: ±0.1 dB; 20 Hz to 20 kHz, @ +48 dB gain Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise <0.0005% @ 1 kHz, 0 dB gain @ 20 dB signal;...
  • Page 42 PRE Guide...

  • Page 43: Appendix B. Pinout Diagram For The Pre Db-25 Connector

    Pinout Diagram for the PRE DB-25 Connector DB-25 Connector Figure 1. DB-25 Connector pinouts Appendix B: Pinout Diagram for the PRE DB-25 Connector...
  • Page 44 PRE Guide...

  • Page 45: Appendix C. Midi Controller Numbers

    MIDI Controller Numbers If you do not have a Digidesign Control Surface, All values are in hexadecimal format and may you can use a third-party MIDI control surface need to be converted to decimal for some MIDI to control PRE in Pro Tools.
  • Page 46 Table 1. PRE MIDI Implementation Table 1. PRE MIDI Implementation Name Name Channel Channel Input Impedance 2 00h=1.5k, Input Impedance 4 00h=1.5k, 01h=15k, 01h=15k, 02h=1.5M 02h=1.5M 00h=out, 00h=out, 7Fh=in 7Fh=in Insert 00h=out, Insert 00h=out, 7Fh=in 7Fh=in 00h=off, 00h=off, 7Fh=on 7Fh=on...
  • Page 47 Table 1. PRE MIDI Implementation Table 1. PRE MIDI Implementation Name Name Channel Channel Input Impedance 6 00h=1.5k, Input Impedance 8 00h=1.5k, 01h=15k, 01h=15k, 02h=1.5M 02h=1.5M 00h=out, 00h=out, 7Fh=in 7Fh=in Insert 00h=out, Insert 00h=out, 7Fh=in 7Fh=in 00h=off, 00h=off, 7Fh=on 7Fh=on...
  • Page 48 PRE Gain Step Table Table 2. PRE Gain Steps Table 2. PRE Gain Steps Step Level dB Step Level dB PRE Guide...
  • Page 49 13 front panel 9 microphones 13 Pro Tools 28 PRE to a MIDI interface 18 PRE to a Pro Tools system 18 Control|24 remote operation 34 AC power 12 Activity LED 6 adjusting input gain 16 DB-25 Outputs 1–8 11...
  • Page 50 I/O Setup mapping paths in I/O Setup 25 resetting paths 25 mapping PRE outputs 23 Import Settings 26 Mic Inputs 1–8 11 input gain adjustment 16 Mic Preamp window 29 input impedance Mic Preamp Window switch 28 front panel 8...
  • Page 51 12 48V 9 Power Switch 5 Clear Clips 7 powering up PRE 13 HPF 9 powering up Pro Tools system with PRE 19 Input Z 8 ProControl remote operation 31 LEDs 9 MIDI Chan 7 Mute 10 OSC 6...
  • Page 52 DIGIDESIGN TECHNICAL SUPPORT (USA) PRODUCT INFORMATION (USA) INTERNATIONAL OFFICES Visit the Digidesign website 2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard Tel: 650.731.6100 Tel: 800.333.2137 for contact information Daly City, CA 94014-3886 USA Fax: 650.731.6375 Tel: 650.731.6300 Fax: 650.731.6399...

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