ENGLISH CONTENTS CONTENTS................................................................................................................. 2 IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS .............................................................. 2 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................... 3 GETTING TO KNOW THE UNIT........................................................................... 3 REAR PANEL CONNECTIONS .............................................................................. 3 GETTING STARTED ................................................................................................. 4 FACILITIES AND CONTROLS ................................................................................ 5 DISCRETE CLASS A PRE-AMP........................................................................... 5 OPTICAL EXPANDER.......................................................................................... 6 VINTAGE HARMONICS...................................................................................... 6 OPTICAL COMPRESSOR.................................................................................... 7 TUBE SOUND........................................................................................................ 8 VOICE OPTIMISED EQ ........................................................................................ 9 DE-ESSER................................................................................................................ 9 OUTPUT SECTION ............................................................................................ 10 LATENCY-FREE MONITORING .................................................................... 10 DIGITAL OUTPUT OPTION............................................................................. 11 OBTAINING GOOD QUALITY SOUND ............................................................. 12 CORRECTING PROBLEMS................................................................................... 12 A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO COMPRESSION...................................................... 13 A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO EQUALISATION..................................................... 15 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ................................................................... 15 TROUBLESHOOTING............................................................................................ 17 CONTACTING US ................................................................................................... 17 SPECIFICATIONS..................................................................................................... 82 FOCUSRITE DISTRIBUTOR LIST ....................................................................... 86 RACK VENTILATION: AS THE VOICEMASTER PRO IS A CLASS A DEVICE, PLEASE ENSURE IT IS PLACED TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF YOUR EQUIPMENT RACK, WITH SUFFICIENT SPACE ABOVE AND BELOW FOR VENTILATION. This unit is supplied pre-configured to operate only at the voltage indicated on the rear panel. Ensure correct mains voltage is available and the correct fuse value is fitted before connecting to the mains supply. To avoid the risk of fire, replace the mains fuse only with the correct value fuse, as marked on the rear panel. The internal power supply unit contains no user serviceable parts. Refer all servicing to a qualified service engineer, through the appropriate Focusrite dealer. · IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS Please read all of these instructions and save them for future reference. Follow all warnings and instructions marked on the unit. · · · · · Do not obstruct air vents in the rear panel. Do not insert objects through any apertures. Do not use a damaged or frayed power cord. Unplug the unit before cleaning. Clean with a damp cloth only. Do not spill liquid on the unit. Ensure adequate airflow around the unit to prevent overheating. As this is a Class A unit, we recommend leaving a blank 1U panel above the unit to aid ventilation. Unplug the unit and refer servicing to qualified service personnel under the following conditions: If the power cord or plug is damaged; if liquid has entered the unit; if the unit has been dropped or the case damaged; if the unit does not operate normally or exhibits a distinct change in performance. Adjust only those controls that are covered by the operating instructions. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarised or grounding-type plug. A polarised plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wider blade or the third prong is provided for your safety. When the plug provided does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet. WARNING: THIS UNIT MUST BE EARTHED BY THE POWER CORD. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THE MAINS EARTH BE DISCONNECTED FROM THE MAINS LEAD. 2 ENGLISH INTRODUCTION The VoiceMaster Pro is a combined, high-performance microphone pre-amplifier, dynamics processor and equaliser. Although it has been specifically designed to enable the user to set up a great vocal sound, the VoiceMaster Pro is flexible enough to also be used when recording and mixing down a range of other instruments, such as guitars or drums. When recording, do not assume you must route your signal through a mixing desk: simply connect a microphone to the VoiceMaster Pro and connect the output of the VoiceMaster Pro directly into your sound card or recording device. This form of direct recording will ensure you record the cleanest signal at the highest quality, since it removes the possibility of noise being added to the signal when routing through a mixer. There are seven separate signal-processing sections in the VoiceMaster Pro: · Discrete Class A Pre-amp · Optical Expander · Vintage Harmonics · Optical Compressor · Tube Sound · Voice Optimised EQ · De-Esser To ensure the cleanest signal path to your recording medium, each section can be individually switched out of the audio path (`hard bypassed') when not in use. There is also a global PROCESS BYPASS control. GETTING TO KNOW THE UNIT When you are getting to know the unit, use it with a sound source with which you are familiar. For example, you could run a favourite CD through the unit, as working with a familiar track makes interpretation of the results easier. (Note, however, that tracks are already compressed for CD, so you may find it hard to hear the results of using the Optical Compressor.) If this is the case, try using samples instead, or record your own track uncompressed and then play it back through the VoiceMaster Pro. The easiest way to understand the creative power of the VoiceMaster Pro, particularly if you are not familiar with each of its separate parts, is to switch in each individual section, and try each control in turn. Finally try them all together to hear the creative power of the VoiceMaster Pro! REAR PANEL CONNECTIONS The VoiceMaster Pro features MIC INPUT XLR and LINE INPUT TRS connectors on the rear panel, with the MIC INPUT duplicated on the front fascia together with a 3 ENGLISH quarter inch jack INSTRUMENT INPUT. The INSERT SEND and INSERT RETURN quarter inch jack connectors on the rear panel allow an additional processor to be inserted into the signal chain between the pre-amp and the other processing sections of the unit. Outputs are provided on both XLR (balanced, +4 dBu) and quarter inch jack (unbalanced, -10 dBV), and there is also a PRE DE-ESSER output XLR (balanced, +4 dBu). Additionally, the VoiceMaster Pro includes a mono, unbalanced FX SEND and balanced stereo FX RETURN with quarter inch jack connectors, to allow an effects unit to be monitored, together with balanced stereo EXT MONITOR INPUT and MONITOR OUTPUT connections on quarter inch TRS jacks. See the LATENCYFREE MONITORING and the EXT MONITOR INPUT/MONITOR OUTPUT sections on pages 10-11 for further details. Finally, the ADC EXT INPUT (balanced, quarter inch TRS jack) allows an external signal to be routed to the second channel of the optional digital converter card. This allows the digital converter to be used for stereo mastering applications, as a standalone A/D converter, or simply to provide a second (line level) record input. For information on the optional digital output board, see page 11. GETTING STARTED 1. Ensure that nothing other than the mains supply is connected to your VoiceMaster Pro, then switch it on via the POWER switch on the right hand side of the unit. If your unit is permanently connected to a patchbay, ensure audio is not being fed to any connected speakers to avoid any turn-on speaker pops. 2. Connect the appropriate OUTPUT (either +4 dBu balanced XLR or ­10 dBV unbalanced jack) on the rear panel of the VoiceMaster Pro to your recorder or audio interface. If using the digital output option, connect the digital output to the digital input of your recorder or audio interface. See page 11 for more information on the VoiceMaster Pro digital output option. 3. Connect the MONITOR inputs and outputs to your external kit/monitor speakers. 4. Ensure that each processing section is switched out (IN switch disengaged and unlit), and that the PROCESS BYPASS switch is also disengaged (out). 5. Connect your input source as required. A microphone can be plugged into the XLR MIC INPUT on either the front fascia or the rear panel. If you wish to connect a line-level source (to use the VoiceMaster Pro's dynamics processing when mixing down, for example) connect this to the TRS LINE INPUT on the rear panel. Alternatively, you may connect an electric guitar or bass to the INSTRUMENT INPUT via the unbalanced quarter inch jack input on the front fascia. 6. Check that the correct input is selected in the DISCRETE CLASS A PRE-AMP section. If recording a line level source connected to the rear panel LINE INPUT, ensure the LINE switch is engaged. If a microphone is connected to either of the MIC INPUTS, or an electric guitar or bass is connected to the INSTRUMENT INPUT, ensure the LINE switch is disengaged. 7. Make sure the phase reverse (Ø) and HPF ( ) switches are disengaged and that the INPUT GAIN control is fully counter-clockwise. Set the OUTPUT FADER to the `0' position. 8. If using a condenser microphone that requires phantom power, engage the +48V switch. If you are unsure whether your microphone requires this phantom power, refer to its user guide. Phantom power can damage some microphones, especially ribbon microphones. 9. Increase the INPUT GAIN control, checking the input level meter LEDs and ensuring the red O/L LED does not illuminate, except occasionally and briefly when the loudest signal is present. 10. If using a microphone, ensure that the microphone placement is at its best. Before you start recording, alter the microphone placement until you get as close as possible to the sound you want. Note that moving the microphone may have an effect on the level of the signal entering the VoiceMaster Pro, requiring an alteration to the INPUT GAIN setting. 11. Add additional processing as required using the various signal-processing blocks, which may be individually switched in or out. For more information on the specific functions of the various sections, refer to the following section, FACILITIES AND CONTROLS. 4 ENGLISH FACILITIES AND CONTROLS - Turns the unit on. We recommend that the unit be powered up before connecting to any equipment that it is feeding, to avoid clicks or thumps which may harm output devices. It is also a good idea to allow the unit to stabilise for a couple of minutes before use to ensure that the internal circuitry is properly initialised. POWER (switch) - This provides +48V of phantom power for condenser microphones (affecting the MIC INPUT only.) If you are unsure whether your microphone requires phantom power, refer to its user guide before connecting, as it is possible to damage some microphones (most notably ribbon microphones) by providing them with phantom power. +48V (switch) DISCRETE CLASS A PRE-AMP - This is a high impedance 1/4" jack input that allows you to connect an electric guitar or bass guitar to the unit without loading the pickups, and without the need for a DI box. If both the mic and instrument inputs are connected, the instrument input will override the mic input. INSTRUMENT INPUT This part of the unit is a pre-amplifier, used to amplify the incoming signal being fed to the MIC INPUT or INSTRUMENT INPUT to a suitable level before any further processing is applied. - This allows the phase of the input signal to be reversed e.g. to correct phase problems when incorrect wiring polarity has occurred. Ø (Phase Reverse switch) - When engaged (in), this switch selects the rear panel LINE INPUT, and an LED is illuminated in the switch cap to indicate that the LINE INPUT is active. If this is disengaged (out), the MIC INPUT and INSTRUMENT INPUT are active. LINE ...