Owner’s manual Model 4CH DIGITAL MIXER WITH DSP EFFECTS Introduction Thank you very much for having purchased the Fostex VM04. This unit is a digital mini-mixer so the internal signal processing is all done digitally. Its input section consists of four analog input channels including two that can take a microphone. The output section, in addition to normal analog outputs like two channel stereo outputs and a headphone output, also has an S/P DIF digital output via an optical format with a 44.
VM04 Owner’s manual CAUTION: CAUTION TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK, MATCH WIDE BLADE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN OF PLUG TO WIDE SLOT, FULLY INSERT. ATTENTION: POUR EVITER LES CHOCS ELECTRIQUES, CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, INTRODUIRE LA LAME LA PLUS LARGE DE LA FICHE DANS LA BORNE CORRESPONDANTE DE LA PRISE DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). ET POUSSER JUSQU' AU FOND. NO USER - SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
VM04 Owner’s manual Precautions (please read before use) Table of Contents Power supply Precautions..............................................................................3 * When unplugging the AC adaptor from the outlet, be sure to grasp the adaptor. Attempting to unplug it by pulling on the AC cable may damage the wiring. Let’s examine the VM04 in more detail...........................4 1. Input Section................................................................5 2. Buss Section..........
VM04 Owner’s manual Let’s examine the VM04 in more detail. The basic rationale of an audio mixer is to be able to add more than two sounds together. The size of the mixer depends on the number of input and output channels it has, but the mixer’s role remains basically the same. There are various types of mixers depending on their purposes, e.g., recording mixers and P.A. mixers (Public Address system for live performances).
VM04 Owner’s manual 1. Input Section As Channel 1 and 2 are identical in the VM04, let’s take Channel 1 as an example. In the VM04 block diagram, the input is on the left and output is on the right, i.e., the audio signal goes from left to right. First, look below where it says INPUT 1. You will see (-10dBV~-50dBV) written there. This is the signal voltage level that the input phone jack terminal can take. It is a range of voltage from as low as a microphone (-50dBV) to line level (-10dBV).
VM04 Owner’s manual Before and after the FADER, there are two lines pointing downwards and to the right. These are the selector switches. In the diagram the line after the FADER has an arrow touching it. The line before the FADER is labeled PRE. The line after the FADER is labeled POST. With these switches, you can decide whether to send the audio signal to the internal EFFECT either before or after the FADER. If you choose “PRE”, the audio will be sent to the EFFECT even if you turn down the FADER.
VM04 Owner’s manual After the MASTER FADER, there are two arrows pointing downwards and to the right labeled “METER”. The VM04 will extract the signal level at this point and display it in the LCD Display L/R level meters. In the opposite direction, upwards and to the right, there are two lines leading to the S/P DIF output square. This square sends out the digital signal via the optical output. The digital signal for the VM04 output is a 44.1kHz, 20 bit signal. Next in line are two rectangles labeled D/A.
VM04 Owner’s manual 1.
VM04 Owner’s manual 8. TRIM knobs 19. CHANNEL EDIT key These volume knobs control the input gain of INPUT 1 and 2 according to the incoming signal level. Range: -10dBV~-50dBV. When you turn it clockwise, the gain will increase so that the Input socket can take low level signal inputs. Press this key to enter the CHANNEL EDIT MODE. See CHANNEL EDIT MODE (page 15). 20. FADER ADJUST key When you have recalled a Scene, if the Fader position is different from the Scene setting, this key will flash.
VM04 Owner’s manual 2. Before Use 2-1. Remove the insulation paper The VM04 employs a memory back up battery inside the unit. When you have newly purchased the unit, you will find a piece of insulation paper Insulation paper attached to avoid voltage dissipation in transit. So, when you start using the unit for the first time, turn ON the power and then remove the insulation paper in that order. 2-2.
VM04 Owner’s manual 3. Applications Application 1: To expand the Analog channel input for recording You will be able to record up to 4 Analog channels on the FD-8 at once by connecting the VM04 S/P DIF output to the FD-8 DATA IN. You can also take advantage of the high quality internal digital effect functions while recording.
VM04 Owner’s manual Application 5: For one take live studio recording You can use the VM04 to send the mixed digital audio via the S/P DIF to a DAT or PC with Digital In. You can also add the internal digital effect when mixing audio.
VM04 Owner’s manual 4. Initial Setting When you first power up the VM04, the LCD Display will show the following initial setting. Scene Number display Character section of the LCD Display Master Fader display It will show , then, “Init.Mix”. This part will numerically indicate the Master Fader position on a range from 00 to 99. The initial setting will show as 00. This section will numerically indicate the Scene Memory number on a range from 00 to 20.
VM04 Owner’s manual 5. Normal Mix Mode This is the mode in which only the INPUT and MASTER Faders will work. Raise both the INPUT Fader of the channel that has the incoming signal connected and the MASTER fader. The audio signal will start coming out at the STEREO OUT L and R and S/P DIF Optical output. If you have a pair of headphones connected to the Headphone Jack, you can hear the same audio signal here as well. Also, you can adjust the headphone level with the volume knob next to the Jack.
VM04 Owner’s manual 6. Channel Edit Mode This mode is used to set the PAN, EQ, EFFECT SEND and EFFECT POST/PRE on each input channel. The CHANNEL EDIT key on each input channel has exactly the same mode of operation. Therefore, we will discuss their functions using Channel 1 as an example. Press the Channel 1 CHANNEL EDIT Key. The key itself will light up so that you will be able to confirm you have entered into the CHANNEL EDIT MODE. The LCD display will show the following message.
VM04 Owner’s manual 6-2. EQ Lo Setting 2. Rotate the DATA ENCODER. 1. Press the VIEW key so that the LO dot is flashing on the VIEW Status Indicator. If you turn it clockwise, the display on the Character section will change to +1dB -> +18dB from 0dB and the bass sound will become louder. At the same time, the two dots on the EQ Lo indicator at the center of the bar-graph will become a single dot and move upwards (to MAX).
VM04 Owner’s manual 6-4. EFFECT SEND setting 1. Press the VIEW key so that the EFF dot is flashing on the VIEW Status Indicator. 2. Rotate the DATA ENCODER clockwise. The display on the Character section will change to 00 ~ 99 and the Effect sound will become louder. At the same time, a flashing dot will appear on the Channel 1 VIEW display and move upwards. The LCD Display will show the following message: Character section This will display “1-Eff: 0”.
VM04 Owner’s manual 7. Effect Mode The VM04 carries 20 types of internal digital effects. You can also alter their parameter settings in detail. We will discuss the digital effects here. To fully understand their versatile effect functions, we recommend that you listen to the actual sound while reading the explanations below. The DSP effect section inside the VM04 employs the A.S. P.
VM04 Owner’s manual 7-1. EFFECT TYPE setting SCENE RECALL STORE SCENE No CH MASTER MAX R OL 0 6 FADER ADJUST EFFECT 12 TYPE EQ PARAMETER 4 24 48 1 2 3 4 LEVEL L R 1 2 3 VIEW 4 L MIN PAN LO HI EFF EQ SETUP VIEW CHANNEL EDIT 1 2 3 4 EXIT ENTER MASTER DATA 1 MAX MAX MAX MAX MIN MIN MIN MIN You can see the following Effect types one after another. Only the indicators are changing at this stage. You can choose just one type from among them at any one time. 2.
VM04 Owner’s manual 7-2. EFFECT PARAMETER setting You can alter the parameter setting according to the Effect type. The parameters available in each Effect type. The available parameters differ according to the Effect type. These are discussed here. 1. Reverb related Effects 5. Combined Chorus/Reverb Effect The 12 Effects from 1:HallRev1 to 12:Stadium2 are the Reverb related Effects. They have five parameters: 18:Cho+Rev is the Effect you get when Chorus and Reverb are combined together.
VM04 Owner’s manual To show you how the EFFECT PARAMETER KEY functions we will use “Hall Rev 1” as an example. The “Hall Rev 1” has the following five parameter settings: 1. Reverb Level 2. Reverb Time 3. Pre-Delay Time 4. High Dump 5. Early Reflection Balance 3. Pre-Delay Time setting 1. Reverb Level setting Press the EFFECT PARAMETER key. Press the EFFECT PARAMETER key once again. The key will light up and the character section will read “RevLv: 80”. This means you can now adjust the Reverb Level.
VM04 Owner’s manual 5. Early Reflection Balance setting Turn the DATA ENCODER clockwise. Use this to adjust the initial echo level of the reverb. The Early Reflection Balance value will increase on the display and the initial echo level Reverb sound will become louder. The adjustment range is from 0 to 99. Press the EFFECT PARAMETER key once again. The character section will read “ErBal:50”. This means you can now adjust the Early Reflection Balance.
VM04 Owner’s manual The store process has been completed. The stored Scenes are kept even after powering OFF. If you want to quit the Scene Store in the middle of its process, press the EXIT key. You can return to the Normal Mix mode any time. You can press the STORE key instead of the ENTER key to store the Scene. If you do this, you won’t quit the Scene Store mode, i.e., you won’t return to the Normal Mix mode. So, you can carry on storing more Scenes one after another 5.
VM04 Owner’s manual 8-3. Fader Adjust mode When you recall a scene, all the settings will be recalled including the audio level according to the Fader setting that was stored in each Scene. However, the physical Fader position won’t be recreated. The Fader Adjust mode is used to correct these discrepancies manually. The fader adjust mode will also function in the normal mix mode, in addition to scene recall.
VM04 Owner’s manual You can enter the Scene Direct Recall mode from whichever mode you are in , e.g., Normal Mix mode, Channel Edit mode or Effect mode. Caution The audio may momentarily disappear or some clicking noises be heard when you recall the Scenes using any of the methods described above. This is not a fault. It is due to the VM04 resetting its internal circuit (DSP) according to the Effect type stored in the Scenes. Caution The Scenes that you can recall are from 01 to 20.
VM04 Owner’s manual 3. Press the ENTER key after having confirmed the mode you want is shown on the character section. Channel Fader Recall (chRCL) ON : Default setting OFF If you set this mode to OFF when recalling the Scenes, the INPUT Channel Faders will not recall their stored positions, but their settings before recalling the Scene will remain effective. The INPUT Faders will work normally in all modes including the Scene Store mode, regardless of whether this setting is ON or OFF.
VM04 Owner’s manual CH MASTER SCENE RECALL STORE SCENE No MAX R OL 0 6 FADER ADJUST EFFECT 12 TYPE EQ PARAMETER 24 48 1 2 3 4 LEVEL L R 1 2 3 VIEW L MIN 4 PAN LO HI EFF EQ SETUP VIEW CHANNEL EDIT 1 2 3 4 EXIT ENTER Press the EFFECT PARAMETER key while holding the EXIT key and ENTER key.