Overview - Radial Engineering Cherry Picker User Manual

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True to the Music

OVERVIEW

The Cherry Picker is a device that enables you to connect your favourite microphone to as
many as four preamps and compare the sound between them. This is most often done when
comparing mic preamps for a vocalist. You will often fi nd that while one preamp may sound
great on a male vocal, it may sound harsh on a female. The Cherry Picker lets you quickly
compare preamps without having to mute, patch cables or reset levels. The immediate
transition between preamps keeps the sound fresh in your mind, making it much easier and
faster to make a decision. Having the artist involved during the selection process gives them
a sense of comfort which ultimately results in a better, more relaxed performance.
CONNECTIONS
The Cherry Picker is easy to set up. Begin by pushing in the MUTE switch. This will block any
noise from reaching your monitors while making connections. Connect your microphone to
the balanced input on the Cherry Picker and then connect the four outputs to your favourite
preamps. Make sure the phantom power on the four preamps is turned off. Connect the
outputs of the preamps directly to the inputs of your DAW, digital audio converters or
recording system to maintain the purity of the preamp's signal.
The Cherry Picker generates its own 48V phantom internally to power condenser microphones
and active direct boxes. Therefore you must ensure that the phantom power function is
turned off on the preamps as this will interfere with the functionality and likely cause switching
noise. Turning on the 48V phantom power is done by pushing in the recessed 48V switch. An
LED illuminates when phantom power is active. The switch is recessed to prevent accidental
turn-on while the Cherry Picker is in use, which could send a loud transient 'pop' to your
studio monitors or damage vintage ribbon mics.
MIC PREAMP 4
MIC PREAMP 3
MIC PREAMP 2
MIC PREAMP 1
While most of today's modern ribbon microphones and audio devices are not affected by
phantom power it's a good idea to only turn phantom power on when using a microphone
or DI that requires it, otherwise the phantom power should be turned off. Also turn off the
phantom power feature on your mic preamps. For best results the Cherry Picker should be
the only source of phantom power.
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