2-channel portable 44.1/48/88.2/96 kHz sampling 24-bit A/D Converter with mic/instrument preamp Owner’s Manual and UV22HR® License Agreement v1.
Mini•Me User’s Guide Table of Contents Warnings ...........................................................................................................................4 Registration & Warranty Information ...............................................................................5 Service Information...........................................................................................................5 Declarations of Conformity...................................................................
Mini•Me User’s Guide This manual was written by Jim Keller and revised by Richard Elen. Edited and produced by Richard Elen. SoftLimit and UV22HR are Registered Trademarks, and Push-IT is a Trademark, of Apogee Electronics Corporation. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders. Technology within the Mini-Me may be covered by one or more patents that are the property of Apogee Electronics Corporation.
Mini•Me User’s Guide Warnings CAUTION: To reduce the risk of electrical shock, do not remove the cover. No user serviceable parts inside; refer servicing to qualified personnel. To change the operating voltage or change the firmware EPROM, it is necessary to remove the cover of the unit. As a result, such operations must be carried out only by technicallyqualified personnel. WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock, do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture.
Mini•Me User’s Guide Registration and Warranty Information Be sure to register your Mini•Me , either by filling in the enclosed Registration Card or by completing the on-line registration form at our Web site: http://www.apogeedigital.com/register.html. If you do so, Apogee can contact you with any update information. As enhancements and upgrades are developed, you will be contacted at the registration address. Firmware updates are free for the first year of ownership unless otherwise stated.
Mini•Me User’s Guide Declarations of Conformity Declaration of Conformity—FCC Apogee Mini•Me This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits of a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Mini•Me User’s Guide Licensing and Legal Information Carefully read the following legal agreement prior to using the UV22HR process provided in the Mini•Me. Use of UV22HR constitutes your acceptance of these terms. If you do not agree to the terms of the agreement, promptly return the Mini•Me and the accompanying items, including written materials and containers to the location where you obtained them for a full refund. 1.
Mini•Me User’s Guide User’s Installation Notes Space left blank for user tracking of factory modifications, option installations, software upgrades, manual revisions/ addenda, internal settings, etc. About This Manual This manual was written to help you to use this product to its fullest potential. Although the Mini•Me is inherently simple to operate, it may contain features that may not be obvious from the front panel.
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Mini•Me User’s Guide Introducing The Mini•Me Front Panel • • • • • • • • • Left and Right Analog line/mic selection and Mic Gain knob. Input Meter LEDs. Line input level trim pots. Soft Limit and Push-IT switches. Sample rate and resolution selection knob. Power/+48 volt LED indicator. Power/+48 volt switch. Headphone monitor mix knob. Headphone volume knob. Rear Panel • • • • • • Power supply/battery input. AES/EBU output. S/PDIF output. USB Audio connector. 1/8 in Mini headphone jack output.
Mini•Me User’s Guide The New Compact Vision The smooth lines of the Mini•Me front panel begin to tell the story. Left and right input level controls feature a click stop at the far left that activates a preset line/cal level, set with multi-turn trimmers. Accurate LED indicators between the input level controls give a clear display of available headroom. Mic/Instrument Preamps The mic preamps are a high-quality design by the team that created our award-winning and widely praised Trak2 preamps.
Mini•Me User’s Guide Standard Interfaces The Mini•Me includes AES/EBU (XLR) and S/PDIF (RCA/coaxial) outputs which are available simultaneously, clocked by a high-stability reference crystal oscillator, making the Mini•Me an ideal master clock. Direct/Return Mix Monitor A comprehensive mono/stereo monitor section allows you to balance the direct sound you’re recording with audio returned via the USB port. Battery Power The Mini•Me ’s low power consumption makes it ideal for battery operation.
Mini•Me User’s Guide Quick Start Connect left and right analog inputs to the rear XLR or 1/4 in connectors. These inputs are to the far right as you look at the rear panel (If necessary, refer to rear panel diagram on p.11 for location. See below for detail on different analog sources and which input connection should be used.) Connect the digital output from the AES/EBU male XLR connector, S/PDIF female coaxial connector, or USB connector on the rear panel to your desired recording device.
Mini•Me User’s Guide *Note: When sending a line input into the Mini•Me, it is important not to use the 1/4 in inputs, as these inputs have additional gain, as is required for instrument inputs such as guitars or keyboards. If your source for line input is 1/4 inch, we suggest a 1/4 in to XLR cable to enable proper connection to the Mini•Me. Metering The front panel metering LEDs indicate the level of the input signal after A/D conversion.
Mini•Me User’s Guide USB Input & Output The Mini•Me offers USB Audio digital I/O for use with computer operating systems that support USB Audio devices. The audio can be handled in the operating system in different ways. Refer to your platform and OS below for detailed information on setup options for the Mini•Me. The Mini•Me also offers a unique feature that enables the unit to run at a different sample rate and bit depth than the computer recording software.
Mini•Me User’s Guide USB Audio with Sound Manager • Having connected the Mini•Me to your computer via USB, turn it on. To insure that the Mac recognizes the Mini•Me, go to the Apple menu and choose “Apple System Profiler”. Click on the “Volumes and Devices” tab. The Mini•Me should show up labeled “Apogee” as one of the USB devices. • • • • • Open the “Sound” Control Panel (in the Apple menu under “Control Panel”). Click on the “Input” tab. Choose “External Mic… USB Audio” Click on the “Output” tab.
Mini•Me User’s Guide • • • Connect the Mini•Me to the computer with a USB cable. Power on the Mini•Me. To ensure that the Mac recognizes the Mini•Me, go to the Apple menu and choose “Apple System Profiler”. Click on the “Volumes and Devices” tab. The Mini•Me should show up labeled “Apogee” as one of the USB devices. In your application, select the audio hardware preferences. Exactly what this looks like will depend on the application; the example shown here is from Logic.
Mini•Me User’s Guide correctly, but note that under Windows Me, the built-in drivers do not support 24-bit recording. We strongly recommend the use of the Windows Mini•Me ASIO driver. The same driver is utilized for all supported Windows versions. This driver offers operating system-wide support for the Mini-Me, allowing it to function correctly even with applications that do not use ASIO.
Mini•Me User’s Guide Soft Limit and Push-IT™ Soft Limit is an analog process that acts as a guard against digital ‘overs’ that can result from high-level transients in the incoming audio signal. When enabled, Soft Limit will round out peaks in the incoming signal in order to eliminate the undesirable effects of clipping the A/D converter chip. This rounding will begin on peaks at about –4dBFs and gradually smooth them out up to 0dBFs in order to safeguard the audio signal.
Mini•Me User’s Guide 3 (curve starts at –14 on the left axis) This shows the response curve of SLC setting Compression 3. Top switch in far right “SLC” position, bottom switch far right in curve “3” position. off (curve runs from the origin, bottom left, to +0/-0) Circuit bypassed. Top switch in far left “off” position. SL (curve runs from the origin to +2/-0) This shows the response curve of Soft Limit only. Top switch in center “SL” position. The bottom switch position is not relevant.
Mini•Me User’s Guide Applying the UV22HR Process UV22HR Encoding is best applied as the final step in the signal chain before the actual mastering device. Using the Mini•Me as the A/D converter to capture an analog mix to digital for Compact Disc, for example, you would set the word length to 16 bits. Notes • • • • Because UV22HR is essentially a “once only” process, we do not recommend that you use it more than once on a signal.
Mini•Me User’s Guide Analog Output Headphone Out: The headphone section of the Mini•Me is designed to offer flexible monitoring of the recording process. This output is a 1/8 inch mini headphone jack on the rear panel. You have the ability to monitor the analog inputs (before A/D conversion), the USB Audio return from the computer, or a mix of both signals. To monitor the inputs, turn the “Mix” knob on the front panel fully counter clockwise to the “Direct” position.
Mini•Me User’s Guide recording drums, explosive sound effects, etc. We suggest that you only change these jumper settings if you are actually experiencing overload conditions. Remove the top cover as described above. Now look to the rear of the unit, adjacent to the universal input connectors (see illustration below). You will see four pairs of jumpers, two pairs for each channel. You can configure each channel independently if you wish, but be sure to move all four jumpers for a channel.
Mini•Me User’s Guide Specifications Inputs Analog Inputs (two 3-pin/1/4 in TRS connectors on rear panel) Line Level: –10dBu (consumer) to +4dBu Microphone Level: Mic amp gain range 12-65 dB. Instrument Level: Instrument input impedance is 2.2MΩ. Digital Input (USB connector on rear panel) USB USB Audio from computer available at resolutions up to 24-bit and sample rates up to 48 kHz. Outputs Analog Output Headphones (1/8 in mini stereo headphone jack on rear panel): 0.3 Watts/Channel RMS out.
