Personal Mixer User Guide Publication AP8997 User Guide – AP8997 iss.
Limited One Year Manufacturer’s Warranty This product is warranted to be free from defects in materials or workmanship for period of one year from the date of purchase by the original owner. To ensure a high level of performance and reliability for which this product has been designed and manufactured, read this User Guide before operating. In the event of a failure, notify and return the defective unit to the place of purchase.
READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST: Safety instructions Before starting, read the IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS sheet supplied with the product and downloadable from the Allen & Heath web site. For your own safety and that of the operator, crew and performers, follow all instructions and heed all warnings printed in the sheet, this guide and on the product. Sound levels This product is capable of producing high sound levels which may be harmful to your hearing.
Operating firmware The function of the ME-1 mixer is determined by the operating firmware that runs within it. Firmware is updated when new features are added or improvements made. Check the Allen & Heath web site for the latest version available. This can be downloaded, transferred to USB key and then loaded into the ME-1 mixer using the Firmware Setup menu. www.allen-heath.
Packed Contents The following items are included in the box when the ME-1 mixer is shipped: ME-1 Personal Mixer The mixer. DC Power Supply for the ME-1 mixer A universal voltage mains power supply unit is provided. This comes with a choice of 4 different worldwide plug adapters. The adapter clips into the power unit. Microphone stand side mounting bracket The mixer has a built-in 3/8” thread to mount it to the top of a microphone stand.
8. Contents 1. Setting up ME-1 .................................... 23 8.1 Patching mixer outputs to ME-1..... 23 1. Contents .................................................. 6 8.2 Setup mode.................................... 24 2. Introduction ............................................. 8 8.3 Adjusting the brightness ................ 24 3. A first look… .......................................... 11 8.4 The About screen ........................... 24 4. Front Panel .................
ME-1 is part of the Allen & Heath ME personal mixing system. ME-1 can work with Allen & Heath GLD, iLive and Qu mixers, or with third party systems via the ME-U hub. Any number of ME-1 mixers can be positioned on stage or anywhere personal control is needed. ME-1 receives multiple channels of audio via a Cat5 cable link from the main console and mixes it to its own outputs typically feeding headphones, in-ears or local speakers.
2. Designed for the application Compact and smart on stage Easy to read OLED screen Backlit keys for viewing in the dark Surface, plinth or mic stand mounting Built-in top of stand mount Side of stand bracket provided Headphones hook provided Introduction Easy for the musician to operate Press a Select key.
GLD Daisy chain Channels Stereo links Auto names External power units 40 from GLD from GLD Use dSNAKE, Monitor or Expander ports GLD Parallel connection Channels Stereo links Auto names Standard switch PoE switch iLive 40 from GLD from GLD Use dSNAKE, Monitor or Expander ports From Port B ACE Channels Stereo links Auto names Standard switch PoE switch iLive Standard PoE switch External power units or PoE via switch 40 use groups use local names Standard or ME-U iLive
External power units Daisy chain Channels Stereo links Auto names 40 from Qu from Qu From rear panel dSNAKE port Parallel connection Channels Stereo links Auto names Standard switch PoE switch PoE or external power 40 from Qu from Qu Standard or ME-U From rear panel dSNAKE port Expander port From AB168 AudioRack Channels Stereo links Auto names External power units 40 from Qu from Qu dSNAKE Use AB168 Expander port External power units From AR2412 AudioRack Channels Stereo link
3. A first look… We recommend you read through this user guide first. However, if you are keen to get started right away then follow these brief instructions: Local Mic Master Level ALLEN&HEATH PK! Config: Master EQ and Limiter ME Shift Check the contents – Check against the Packed Contents list and read the Safety Instructions sheet. Power up the ME-1 mixer – Fit the correct power unit plug adaptor for your local mains supply. Plug in and apply power.
4. Front Panel Local Mic – Built-in microphone to add stage sound and hear fellow musicians who come up and talk to you. Separate Level control. Not affected by Master Level control. Option to disable the mic. Screen – Illuminated screen for big display of selection name, level and pan and stereo signal meter. Also used for master EQ and Limiter, config and preset information and the Setup menu.
5. Rear Panel Phones – 3.5mm mini-jack and ¼” TRS stereo jack to connect to one or two headphones or earpieces, or to line level equipment such as wireless in-ear transmitter or powered speakers. Includes the mix and local mic signal. Tip = Left, Ring = Right. Mono Out – Balanced TRS jack to connect to mono line level equipment such as a powered speaker or drum throne. The output is the mono sum of the Left and Right mix. Does not include the local mic signal. Aux In – 3.
6. Installing ME-1 6.2 Cat5 cable 6.1 Mounting the unit Out Link In To next ME-1 (If daisy chained) Surface mount – Non-slip feet Note Do not place near hot equipment. From mixer or hub Use STP (shielded twisted pair) CAT5e or higher cables. Those with both foil and braided screens provide shielding from interference and are generally more rugged. Stranded core cables are less prone to damage when kinked or repeatedly coiled.
6.4 Connecting audio 2x Headphones or ear piece Mono Out Stereo Headphones – Two output sockets allow plugging in headphones or ear pieces with either a large (1/4”) or small (3.5mm) stereo plug. Headphones with impedance between 16Ω and 600Ω are recommended. Lower impedance headphones tend to be louder. You can choose which socket to use or use both at the same time, for example to feed two musicians with the same mix.
7. Operating ME-1 Screen Local Mic Local Mic level Shift Key User label Master Level Shift Recall key Select keys 1-16 Master Level ALLEN&HEATH Exit Menu Store Preset Menu Recall Group Rotary Trim All Standby Solo Master key Master Mute Level / Pan (push) 1 2 3 4 5 Drums Bass 9 10 Strings Guitars 11 Group key 6 7 8 GTR _ ACOU _ ME Room Talkback iPod 12 Keys 13 Solo key Andy Sammy Grace 14 15 16 Mute key 7.1 Turning the mixer on or off 7.
7.5 Screensaver 7.8 Adjusting Master Level Displays a moving Config Name if the keys or rotary are left untouched for more than 10 minutes. Audio is not affected. Operate any control to instantly access its function. Press Shift to exit without changing function. Turn the Master Level control to adjust output volume. This is a global control that is not stored with presets. It affects the mix level but not the local mic level. The meter is pre-level so is not affected by this control.
If a channel is assigned to a Select key and is also a member of a Group then a pointer on its level bar shows the current group master level setting: 7.10 Selecting sources Press a Select key. Depending on how it is assigned the following screens may appear: Piano L PK! Pan Level AuxIn L PK! Pan Level Drums L PK! Level Key unassigned L PK! Channel source – One of the 40 Cat5 inputs. Level and pan are available Aux Input – From rear panel stereo input socket.
7.13 Muting a source or master 7.15 Adjusting Group master level Press a Select key or the Master key. Press the Mute key to turn the selected audio on or off. The key lights red when the source is muted. If a source is muted but not selected its Select key flashes to remind you that it is muted. Adjust the overall group level. Select a source.
7.17 Adjusting the Master EQ 7.19 Presets Press the Master key. The mix master 3-band EQ curve and Limiter settings are displayed: ME-1 provides up to 16 presets. Each Select key can be assigned a preset mode by the system engineer to allow store and recall or recall only. Presets can also be stored to and recalled from USB key and transferred between ME-1 mixers.
7.21 Recalling a Preset from USB 7.23 Storing a Preset to USB Hold the Recall key. If a USB key is plugged in then a list of presets found on the key will be displayed: Hold Shift and press the Recall key to enter Store mode. If a USB key is plugged in then the ‘To USB’ item will be highlighted on the screen: Recall: START1 START2 TEST Or press a key Store: Or press a key While holding Recall turn the Rotary to scroll through and highlight the preset to recall. Press the Rotary to select the preset.
To clear the preset name – Scroll to the X. Press the Rotary to clear all characters. Store: Preset4 Clear Preset SO NG4 To Clear the preset contents and name – Scroll to Clear Preset and press the encoder. Store: Preset4 Clear Preset Clearing a preset clears it contents and resets its name to blank (no name). If you attempt to recall a preset that has been cleared then a ‘Preset is blank’ message will appear.
8. Setting up ME-1 The system engineer configures ME-1 to suit the operating requirements of the user. Patch mixer outputs Link channels as stereo Name channels USB key: Transfer presets Export/import config Update firmware Screen Press Shift + Group to enter Setup Menu. Local Mic Master Level ALLEN&HEATH Return to previous Press Group to exit Setup Menu. Shift Exit Menu Store Preset Menu Recall Group Scroll selection or value. Push to select.
8.2 Setup mode 8.5 Assigning Key Sources Hold Shift and press the Group key to enter the Setup Menu: The audio source for each of the 16 Select keys can be freely assigned to suit your application. Dimmer About Key Setup System Setup Press Group to exit Select the Key Setup Source screen: Source: Name: Members: Preset: Use the Rotary to scroll through the list and press to select a menu item. Press the Master key to return to the previous screen. Press the Group key to return to Normal mode.
Only the odd (left) channel of a linked pair is shown in the Key Assign and group Members lists. 8.6 Auto Names and Stereo linking Names Channel names created at their source and sent via the Cat5 cable can be detected and used by the ME-1 mixer. Source: Name: Members: Preset: Stereo linked channel examples – Link sources such as stereo keyboards, effects returns, audience microphones.
Other Sources ME-1 can be connected directly to: Names and stereo links are available from all Qu system dSNAKE ports: Aviom® A-Net 16 – Any third party dSNAKE port – If it is not being used for system providing an Aviom® output (16 channels) with stereo link capability. Names are not available. Note Power over the Cat5 cable (PoE) is not available if you are connecting via an Aviom® hub. Use the power unit provided with the ME-1 mixer. digital snake connection to a remote rack.
8.7 Setting up Groups 8.8 Key assignment Auto Mode Any Select key can be assigned as a Group. This means you can set up to 16 groups. You can assign any number of the 40 channels as ‘members’ of a group. Note A channel can be assigned to only one group. However, it can also be assigned as a single source to any key. The ME-1 can automatically assign available Cat5 channel sources to its keys. One or more keys can be assigned to Auto Mode.
8.9 Assigning key Names 8.10 Assigning key preset mode Scroll to and select the Name screen: Source: Name: Members: Preset: Scroll to the Preset item: 17-18 SyntL Synth Source: Name: Members: Preset: StoreRecall A preset is available at each of the 16 keys. Each can be set for one of two operating modes. Press the Rotary to toggle mode. Store/Recall – Able to store and recall, or Recall only – Not able to store. Press each key in turn to set the option. Press the Master key to exit the menu.
Exporting the Config file – Plug in a USB key. Check the key is recognised. 8.11 Working with Configurations The ME-1 Configuration stores the current settings, all assignments and all presets. Hold Shift and press the Group key: Name Export Import Dimmer About Key Setup System Setup Press Group to exit The ME-1 will automatically create a ME1CFG folder on the USB key if one does not already exist. Edit the Name if you want to change it. Select Export and OK on the confirmation screen.
8.12 Changing the Unit Name 8.13 Local Mic Mute Option The ME-1 mixer can be given a Unit name to identify the hardware. Hold Shift and press the Group key to open the Setup Menu. The built-in local mic is useful to add stage sound to the mix or to hear fellow musicians when they walk up and talk to the user. If you do not need this function then it can be disabled by setting the Mic Mute option. Factory default is Mic Mute turned off.
9. Reference 9.1 Working with USB keys 9.2 To Reset the ME-1 We recommend that you start with a reformatted USB key. Check the key - Plug in and check that the key is recognised by the ME-1. To do this press the Recall key. The screen should display a list of presets already on the key or the following message if blank: To perform a hard reset: Hold down the Shift + Recall + Master keys and power up the mixer. Release the keys once the following screen appears. Confirm to reset the mixer.
9.4 Specification Stereo Out – Stereo ¼” and 3.5mm jacks for: Headphones >16 Ω , power 300+300mW into 100 Ω load, or line out max +21dBu Mono Out – Balanced TRS jack, nom 0dBu, max +18dBu Aux Input – Stereo 3.5mm jack, nom -8dBu, max +10dBu, impedance >10kΩ Residual Output Noise - -95dBu (level min) Freq Response - +0/-1dB 10Hz to 20kHz Mains Power Unit – 100-240V AC 50/60Hz, +12V DC 1.
