TAMPA Manual version: Tampa-081602 Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Temporal Harmonic Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Dual Optical Servo Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Your TAMPA's Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Front and Rear Panel Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Front Panel Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Rear Panel Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Setup and Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 AC power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Connecting Your Tampa's Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Power-Up Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Connecting To Your Tampa's Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 TAMPA Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Setting Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 The Input Impedance Selector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Using the Phase Invert Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Using the Low-Cut Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Setting the Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 TAMPA Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Preamp Specs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Analog Compressor Specs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Technical Support & Contact Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Your TAMPA's Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of the TAMPA, designed and manufactured by M-Audio. TAMPA is a professional, single channel microphone/instrument preamp unlike any other.That's because our design team set out to discover just why expensive tube technology sounds so good, and devise a way to land that sound at affordable solid state prices. The result is far beyond tube modeling. It's a whole new technology called Temporal Harmonic AlignmentTM. Temporal Harmonic Alignment --the Secret Behind the Sound: In natural sound sources such as strings, drum heads and vocal chords, harmonics share a characteristic temporal (phase) relationship to the fundamental. Our ears exhibit the same qualities. Solid state electronics induce distortion in the form of additional harmonics that are out of phase with the original source. Tube-based devices strike the ear as having such a "warm" sound because the added harmonics have the same temporal relationship as natural mechanisms (although predominantly in the midrange).This results in a sweet spot that makes vocals, guitars and other midrange-rich content sound especially pleasing. TAMPA's revolutionary new Temporal Harmonic Alignment technology produces that same phase relationship found in both tubes and nature. And unlike tubes, TAMPA's sweet spot spans the full spectrum of your sound--from bass to cymbals. Dual Optical Servo Compressor TAMPA also includes a dual optical servo compressor that is worth the price alone. Three fundamental problems plague engineers in designing compressors--distortion, noise and accuracy.The VCA technology used in inexpensive compressors exhibits less than professional specs on all three counts. Simple optical servo technology is much more quiet and accurate, yet has its own issues with distortion. The dual optical servo technology we use in TAMPA yields low noise, consistent accuracy, low distortion and exceptional transparency--and it comes built-in to a great mic preamp. · Balanced/unbalanced TRS instrument input · 24-bit digital S/PDIF and AES/EBU output for direct connection to your digital recording gear · 20dB gain switch for an amazing maximum system gain of 66dB · 20dB passive output pad switch · Low-cut switch to eliminate rumble · Discrete, class A circuitry throughout · VU-style meters for output level and compression gain reduction · Clip indicator Front and Rear Panel Descriptions Figure 1 - TAMPA Front Panel Features Front Panel Features 1. POWER:Turns master power on/off for the unit. 2. +48V: Provides 48-volt phantom power to the XLR microphone input when engaged. Switch to the ON position when using a microphone requiring phantom power. 3. +48V INDICATOR: Lights when +48V switch is engaged to indicate that phantom power is on. 4. MICROPHONE/INSTRUMENT: Neutrix connector accepts both an XLR microphone input and a 1/4" TRS balanced or TS unbalanced instrument input. 5. INST/MIC: Switches between instrument and microphone inputs. Set to "INST" when using the 1/4" input jack, and set to "MIC" when using the XLR input jack.When INST is selected, the XLR input is disabled, and when MIC is selected, the 1/4" input is disabled. 6. INPUT IMPEDANCE: Allows user to select input impedances of 2400 ohms, 1200 ohms, 600 ohms or 300 ohms. This is particularly useful in conjunction with vintage mics requiring one of these impedances. For many modern mics, the recommended setting is 2400 ohms, though the load impedance setting is much more critical for vintage mics. 7. GAIN: Master preamp gain where fully counterclockwise yields minimum gain (0db) and fully clockwise delivers maximum gain (34dB). 8. +20dB: Provides an additional 20dB of preamp gain when engaged. 3 Your TAMPA's Features · Professional mic/instrument preamp with Temporal Harmonic Alignment · Built-in dual optical servo compressor · Balanced phantom-powered XLR mic input with variable impedance for optimized performance with vintage mics 2 9. LOW CUT: Rolls off 12dB per octave at 80Hz and below when engaged. Use this to avoid rumble from passing traffic, footsteps and so forth. 10. COMPRESSOR IN/OUT: Engages/disengages the TAMPA's entire compressor stage. When disengaged, TAMPA's compressor circuitry is removed from the signal path. 11. COMPRESSOR IN/OUT INDICATOR: Lights when the COMPRESSOR IN/OUT switch is set to the "IN" position to indicate that the compressor is on and is part of the signal path. 12. THRESHOLD: Threshold level at which the compressor engages. Range is from ­20dB to +20dB. 13. RATIO: Ratio of the input dynamic above the compression threshold to the output dynamic above the compression threshold. Range is from 1.1:1 to 10:1. 14. ATTACK: Controls the amount of time required for the compressor to reduce the gain once the threshold level is reached. Range is 1 millisecond to 11 milliseconds. 15. RELEASE: Controls the amount of time it takes the compressor to return to normal or zero gain reduction. Range is from 250 milliseconds to 5 seconds. 16. GAIN REDUCTION METER: Provides metering (in decibels) of the gain reduction resulting from compression, where 0 VU represents zero gain reduction. 17. OUTPUT METER: Provides metering (in decibels) of TAMPA's overall output level (prior to the 20dB PAD), where 0 VU represents +26dBu.This meter is unaffected by the 20dB PAD switch. Note that this is a `quasi-peak type' meter whose ballistics respond with approximately the same dynamics as the human ear. 18. CLIP: Indicator illuminates when output signal reaches +26dBu (approx. 0VU on OUTPUT METER).This is equivalent to approximately 4dB below the digital clipping level of 30.5dBu. 19. PHASE: Reverses the phase of TAMPA's output.The INVERT position forces TAMPA's analog audio output to be 180 degrees out of phase from the input, where the NORM position leaves the analog output in phase with the input. NOTE: Digital output is always in phase with the input. 20. 20dB PAD: When engaged, attenuates TAMPA's analog output by 20dB-- useful in avoiding the overload of subsequent equipment in the sound chain. The 20dB pad will also allow you increase the gain on the TAMPA preamp and force the signal into an area of greater soft-clipping/tube emulation.The 20dB PAD appears in the TAMPA circuit after the OUTPUT LEVEL METER. NOTE: Digital output level is not affected by the 20dB pad. 21. SAMPLE RATE:Adjusts the sample rate of TAMPA's digital outputs to match the sampling rate of the digital gear TAMPA is feeding. Settings are 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz and 96kHz. Figure 2 - TAMPA Back Panel Features Rear Panel Features 1. S/PDIF OUTPUT: Outputs a mono 24-bit S/PDIF signal on both left and right channels at the sample rate specified by the SAMPLE RATE selector. This female coaxial RCA jack accepts a digital coaxial cable with a male RCA plug, and connects to external gear that will receive a S/PDIF digital signal. 2. AES/EBU OUTPUT: Outputs a mono 24-bit AES/EBU signal on both left and right channels at the sample rate specified by the SAMPLE RATE selector. This male XLR jack accepts a digital coaxial cable with a female XLR plug, and connects to external gear that will receive an AES/EBU digital signal. 3. BALANCED/UNBALANCED 1/4" TRS OUTPUT: Outputs a balanced analog line-level signal when using a 1/4" TRS plug, or an unbalanced analog line-level signal when using a 1/4" TS plug. 4. BALANCED XLR OUTPUT: Outputs a balanced analog line-level signal on a male XLR jack, and accepts a standard audio cable with a female XLR plug. Pin 2 is positive. (You should verify that other equipment you are connecting is also wired with pin 2 positive.) 5. 12VAC: Power connector for TAMPA's external power supply. (WARNING: Do not use any power supply other than the model that shipped with your TAMPA, as damage to your equipment may result.) Setup and Connection Connecting TAMPA to your equipment is simple. AC power To route AC power to TAMPA, connect the external power supply that comes with TAMPA between the 12VAC jack on the rear panel and AC power. WARNING: Do not use any other power supply than the model that shipped with your TAMPA, as damage to your equipment may result. 4 5 Connecting Your Tampa's Outputs The TAMPA is a microphone and instrument preamplifier, outputting a linelevel analog and/or digital signal. It may be connected to a variety of devices, such as the line input to a computer sound card and other types of recording equipment, the line inputs of a mixing console, or the digital inputs of a sound card or D/A converter. NOTE: The balanced configuration will yield 6dB more level than the unbalanced configuration. Figure 4 - TAMPA to Mixer Line Input (XLR Out) To output to analog equipment: Connect either the 1/4" or XLR OUTPUT on TAMPA's rear panel to your mixing console, recorder or other line-level device. Using an XLR or 1/4" TRS connector will result in a balanced output, while a 1/4" TS connector will yield an unbalanced output. (Balanced cables help insure a cleaner signal--use balanced cabling when possible.) To output to digital equipment: 1. Connect either the S/PDIF OUTPUT or AES/EBU OUTPUT to your sound card, digital recorder or other digital device using an analogous connector and a good quality digital cable. 2. Use the SAMPLE RATE knob to select the sample rate matching that of the destination device. Set the destination device to receive it's sampling clock source from an "external device." CAUTION: While connected to digital equipment, disconnect any unbalanced analog output connectors in order to insure optimal digital performance. Figure 3 - TAMPA to Analog Sound Card (1/4" Out) (break-out box) Figure 5 - TAMPA to Digital Sound Card (SPDIF Out) 1/4" output may be used with TRS or TR cable for balanced or unbalanced output Note: AES/EBU may also be used to output digital signal 6 7 Power-Up Procedure Normal power-up procedure would be to turn on the TAMPA first, and then the rest of the gear in the signal chain, with power amps or powered speakers being last. 1. Turn off or turn down the volume on your monitors and/or the other gear that receives a signal from TAMPA. 2. Turn the GAIN control on TAMPA all the way down. 3. Set the POWER switch to the "POWER" position. The VU meters will illuminate to indicate that power is on. 4. Turn on or turn up each successive piece of gear that your TAMPA is connected to in the signal chain. Note: It is highly recommended to turn down the volume on your monitors and/or other gear that receives a signal from TAMPA before turning TAMPA on or off or making connections. TAMPA Controls Setting Levels TAMPA has the ability to provide a massive 66dB of gain. Due to TAMPA's Temporal Harmonic Alignment technology, higher overall levels (also called "soft clipping") bring increased levels of harmonics that commonly translate to the ea ...