DRAWMER CONTENTS Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Safety Consideration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 ...........3 Radio Frequencies Statement Chapter 1 - Introduction Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Power Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Portable Appliance Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . Audio Connection . . . . . .
DRAWMER 2
COPYRIGHT This manual is copyrighted © 2016 by Drawmer Electronics Ltd. With all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, no part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, stored in a retrieval system or translated into any language in any form by any means, mechanical, optical, electronic, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of Drawmer Electronics Ltd. ONE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY Drawmer Electronics Ltd., warrants the Drawmer MC3.
DRAWMER MC3.1 CHAPTER 1 Monitor Controller Building on the success of the MC2.1, the MC3.1 Monitor Controller is just as accurate and transparent and of the same build quality. It can still faithfully reproduce what has been recorded without colouring the sound, but comes with a much expanded feature set, including more inputs, better control, extended channel routing and a desk top 'wedge' form factor.
Can you trust the audio that your current monitor controller is providing? Is it colouring the sound? For all Drawmer monitor controllers it is imperative that what you record is exactly what you hear. The active circuit has been designed to faithfully produce the audio signal whilst removing many of the problems that a passive circuit will bring. There is one thing that should always be absolutely guaranteed - that you can rely on the accuracy of your monitor controller.
DRAWMER Compare the MC2.1 and MC3.1 Features INSTALLATION The MC3.1 is a free standing, desktop unit, with controls and headphone jacks on the front panel and all other inputs and outputs on the rear. Screwing the MC3.1 to a desk. Rather than having the MC3.1 free standing it can be fastened down to a desk by utilising the holes that hold the rubber feet to the underside.
POWER CONNECTION The MC3.1 unit will be supplied with an external switching mode power supply that is capable of 100-240Vac continuous (90-264Vac max) and so should work globally. We strongly advise that the power supply that has been supplied with the MC3.1 is used, rather than one with the equivalent ratings. In addition, should the power supply fail for any reason we strongly advise that you contact Drawmer for a replacement rather than repairing the unit yourselves.
DRAWMER AUDIO CONNECTIONS • Interference: If the unit is to be used where it maybe exposed to high levels of disturbance such as found close to a TV or radio transmitter, we advise that the unit is operated in a balanced configuration. The screens of the signal cables should be connec ted to the chassis connection on the XLR connector as opposed to connecting to pin1. The MC3.1 conforms to the EMC standards.
TYPICAL CONNECTION GUIDE MC3.
CHAPTER 2 DRAWMER CONTROL DESCRIPTION 10
The MC3.1 Controls 1 SOURCE SELECT Comprises of two sections: the MAIN (which is routed through the Main Volume control 6 and to the Speaker Outputs 12 ) and/or Headphones, and CUE (which is routed through the Cue Level 3 and to the Cue Output 13) and/or Headphones. Five switches select which of AUX 2 , I/P1, I/P2, I/P3 10 and DIGI 11 inputs are heard. Each can be operated individually or simultaneously and in any combination.
DRAWMER 5 SPEAKERS Four switches select which of the four speaker outputs A, B, C or SUB are heard (see 12 ). Each switch can be operated individually or simultaneously and in any combination and is perfect for performing A/B comparisons between various monitor setups. As the switches do not toggle between outputs when doing A/B comparisons both of those switches should be pressed at the same time i.e.
Both the volume knob and preset control circuit designs incorporate identical parallelled custom quad potentiometers, for excellent channel matching and a smooth feel, with a range from Off (-infinity) to +12dB of gain.
DRAWMER 8 MIX CHECKING The Mix Checking section allows the engineer to test various aspects of the mix without having to alter the signal earlier in the chain and potentially effect the recording, and is a very thorough and versatile checking tool. The switches are especially useful when used in conjunction with each other. In addition to the mix checking switches found on the MC2.1 the MC3.1 also incorporates Band Solo and L/R Swap switches.
Also, note that, when activating Left or Right Cut whilst using headphones the signal is not 100% panned one way or the other - i.e. the signal centre moves to the side but is not completely removed from the opposite ear of the headphone - this is so that the Left/Right Cut sounds a little more natural, after all, if listening through speakers with only the left speaker active some of the signal well reach the right ear a few milliseconds later.
DRAWMER 10 INPUTS ANALOGUE The MC3.1 has four analogue inputs comprising I/P1 & I/P2 - both balanced Neutrik XLR/jack combi (combining a 3 pole XLR receptacle and ¼" phone jack in one XLR housing), I/P3 - stereo RCA’s, and also AUX. - a 3.5mm stereo jack found on the front panel (see 2 & ‘Audio Connections’) . 11 DIGITAL In addition to the four analogue inputs the MC3.1 has a combined AES & SPDIF Digital input (upto 192kHz) via a Neutrik XLR (AES)/jack(SPDIF) combi.
EXTERNAL FOOTSWITCH: An external foot or hand switch can be connected to allow easier talkback operation. This works in parallel to the front panel switch ( 4 ) so when either are active the talkback will operate. TALKBACK OUTPUT: A dedicated ¼" mono talkback output jack can be found on the rear panel, so that, as well as being routed through the headphones, a talkback signal can be routed to other devices at the engineers discretion.
DRAWMER MONITOR CALIBRATION Whether you are installing one, two or three sets of speakers it is imperative that your system is calibrated, not only to centre the stereo image and to ensure that all speaker levels are the same, but also to ensure that you are mixing your music at industry standard listening levels. The MC3.1 can calibrate the speakers of any system as it has individual rotary level trim controls for every speaker attached (found on the underside of the product).
Holding the SPL - Set the meter to C weighted and on the slow scale. Start by sitting in your normal mixing position, hold the SPL meter at arm’s length and at chest level with the microphone of the meter facing toward the monitor to be calibrated. Maintain this position throughout the calibration process - this could be easier if it is fixed via a stand and bracket, and moved only to point at the relevant speaker.
DRAWMER The Procedure: 1. Begin by turning off the monitoring system and ensuring that all inputs and speakers are correctly connected. 2. Set all DAW/System controls to 0dB/unity gain - this should be left at this setting from now on. Remove all e.q. and dynamics from the signal path. 3. If you have active speakers with their own level control, or speakers with an amplifier, set all of these to maximum, so that they do not attenuate the signal. 4. On the underside of the MC3.
12. To calibrate each speaker repeat steps 7 to 11 - replacing the speaker on step 7 for each set - A,B or C. 13. To calibrate the sub - play the 40-80Hz signal, but this time have only the SUB switch active - Left and Right Cut need not be active as the frequency of the signal is limited to only the sub. 14. On the underside of the MC3.1 increase the Mono trim increasing the volume of the sub until the desired SPL meter reading is reached. 15.
DRAWMER Mix Checking Tips Due to the versatility of the MC3.1, and it’s thorough array of controls, some very useful techniques for checking your mix can easily be achieved, that can help improve the balance within a mix, pinpoint stereo width, phase and mono problems, and also aid when monogising. The following are a few handy tips to help eradicate problems and bring about a balance within the mix: Not too loud Give your ears a break.
Cut It Out... Using the left and right cut switches will highlight the stereo balance of each channel. In stereo the mix sounds ok, however, it may be that you want an instrument to be panned so far left that it doesn’t occur at all in the right channel, by cutting the left and only hearing the right channel you will hear whether the instrument bleeds across, and panning adjustment can be made. Phase Reverse Make use of the phase reverse switch.
DRAWMER Listening in mono also highlights problems with the stereo width and balance of the mix and is more apparent when you use a lot of stereo-widening or widthenhancing techniques and tools. Switching mono in and out fairly quickly may make it apparent that the centre of the mix is shifting to the left or right, something that may go unnoticed if only working in stereo.
Know your Left from your Right It is useful to get into the habit of using the Left / Right Swap button every now and then when working on a stereo mix. W e get so used to hearing a mix as it’s developing that its’s easy to get a stereo imbalance. If when pressing the Swap button the stereo image is mirrored around the centre, and you notice that it’s more prominent in a certain ear then the stereo image is likely to be out of balance.
DRAWMER CHAPTER 3 MC3.1 GENERAL INFORMATION IF A FAULT DEVELOPS SPECIFICATION For warranty service please call Drawmer Electronics Ltd. or their nearest authorised service facility, giving full details of the difficulty. A list of all main dealers can be found on the Drawmer webpages . On receipt of this information, service or shipping instructions will be forwarded to you.
BLOCK DIAGRAM Ref:1v00 C 23-02-18 MC3.
DRAWMER Drawmer Electronics Ltd, Coleman St, Parkgate, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, U.K.
