SOUNDFIELD SPS200 Software Controlled Microphone User Guide Version 1.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide TABLE OF CONTENTS Safety Information - - - - - - 3 SoundField History - - - - - - 5 What Is In The Box? Introduction - How Does It Work? Interfacing The SPS200 - - - - - Microphone Positioning and Orientation Guide The ‘SPS200 Surround Zone’ Software - - Quick Start Guide: TDM (Pro Tools® HD) Quick Start Guide: VST (Nuendo) - Warranty - - - - - - - - 4 6 7 8-10 11-12 13-19 20-23 24-25 - - - - 26 10 Pin A-Format Output Wiring Deta
SoundField SPS200 User Guide SAFETY INFORMATION • This equipment must be EARTHED. • Only suitably trained personnel should service this equipment. • Please read and take note of all warning and informative labels. • Before starting any servicing operation, this equipment must be isolated from the AC supply (mains) by removing the incoming IEC mains connector. • Fuses should only be replaced with ones of the same type and rating as that indicated.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide WHAT IS IN THE BOX? • SPS200 Microphone • SPS200 Microphone Cable - 10 pin to four XLRs • SPS200 Mic Holder • Professional Carry Case • ‘SPS200 Surround Zone’ Plug-In for TDM or VST • User Manual What is in the box? Page 4
SoundField SPS200 User Guide SOUNDFIELD HISTORY In 1933, British scientist Alan Blumlein was issued a patent that stands today as a landmark in the development of stereophonic recording and reproduction. Among its numerous declarations, it defined the basis for all coincident microphone techniques, including the Mid/Side and crossed bidirectional configurations. (The latter, in fact, is commonly referred to as a “Blumlein Stereo” pair.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide INTRODUCTION The SPS200 microphone has been developed for high quality music recording, both in studio environments as well as on location, and is ideally suited to the capture of live performances in acoustically compatible venues, both in stereo and 5.1 surround.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide HOW DOES IT WORK? The SoundField SPS200 Four Capsule Array The capsules are placed as closely together as possible to eliminate the phase problems associated with ‘spaced' multi-microphone set-ups where further processing compensates for the small spacing that remains between the capsules, effectively creating a single-point pickup. The source sound is received equally effectively from all directions, reproducing a realistic listening experience.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide INTERFACING THE SPS200 The SoundField SPS200 Software Controlled Microphone breaks-out to four standard XLR connectors using the supplied SPS200 microphone cable. The SPS200 cable connects to the microphone with a circular 10-pin screw lock connector where the four capsule signals from the SPS200 microphone are labeled: 1. Left Front – referred to as LF 2. Right Front – referred to as RF 3. Left Back – referred to as LB 4.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide Interfacing the SPS200 in a Studio Environment The SoundField SPS200 microphone is ideally suited for recording in studio environments (where DAWs such as ProTools HD or Nuendo are used), with sources ranging from drums to vocals.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide Interfacing the SPS200 with Portable Recorders The SPS200 microphone can also be connected directly to portable recorders providing they include four mic pre’s with phantom power. This allows the capture of the AFormat signals for later post production using the ‘SPS200 Surround Zone’ software in a studio environment.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide MICROPHONE POSITIONING AND ORIENTATION GUIDE As with any other microphone, putting the mic in the right place is the first step to making a good recording. Admittedly you have more post-production opportunities to correct problems if you use a SoundField microphone but taking the time to locate the best mic position always pays off.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide Keys to proper placement of SoundField microphones The SPS200 microphone captures sound in all three dimensions, therefore the orientation of the microphone is very important.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide THE SPS200 ‘SURROUND ZONE’ SOFTWARE Explanation of Controls Input Section: • The input LEVEL control adjusts the input gain of all four AFormat channels simultaneously and ranges from –30dB to +10dB. • The A-Format INPUT signals are displayed via the four 16 segment bargraphs. • The INVERT mode maintains the correct three-dimensional perspective in both surround and stereo when the microphone is suspended upside down above the sound source.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide The surround sound section has six different surround sound modes plus an info page for each of these six modes, referred to as the ARRAY pages. The six modes include three 5.1 presets, a 6.1, a 7.1 and an 8 channel preset (8 channel for VST users only). The following controls are identical for all six surround modes: • Independent Channel Gain Each discrete output channel has an independent gain control in the form of a slider and ranges from -30dB to +10dB.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide • REAR PATTERN The REAR PATTERN control allows the user to vary the polar pattern of the rear surround channels on all but the 8-channel surround mode. Cardioid or hyper-cardioid may be selected to optimise localisation or figure-of-eights for a more enveloping sound depending on application and personal preference. • FRONT & REAR WIDTH These controls allow the front and rear stage width to be varied.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide 2. The 5.1 figure-of-eight pre-set provides three frontal cardioids (L/C/R) and two rear figure-of-eights (SL/SR), plus a truly omnidirectional LFE-channel. This pre-set only differs from the 5.1 cardioid in the rear-pattern control setting and has also been level adjusted to suit standard 5.1 playback, levels can however be user adjusted to suit requirements. This pre-set is ideally suited for creating an enveloping surround feel, whilst maintaining a stable front image. 3.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide The output is fully compatible with standard 5.1 playback systems yet adds the enhancement in localisation a rear-centre channel brings. This pre-set has been level adjusted to suit standard 6.1 playback, however, individual levels can be adjusted to suit requirements. 5. The 7.1 pre-set provides a seven-cardioid microphone array, plus a truly omnidirectional LFE-channel. The output is fully 5.1 compatible yet adds the enhancement of two extra playback channels.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide STEREO SECTION The stereo section provides the user with highly flexible and configurable stereo outputs. Features include variable stereo width and polar pattern control, which are visually represented on the Stereo page. Also provided is a fully variable high-pass filter (20Hz to 250Hz), an M/S encoder and the SoundField controls, ROTATE, TILT and ZOOM.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide • MID/SIDE ENCODER When the Mid/Side button is enabled the stereo outputs will be M/S encoded. The Left output channel provides the Mid signal and the Right output channel provides the Side signal. • HIGH PASS FILTER This filter is included in the Stereo Section to remove any unwanted Low frequency rumble, such as wind noise. The filter is only enabled when the filter button is illuminated and is a 3rd order Butterworth highpass filter.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide QUICK START GUIDE: TDM (PRO TOOLS® HD) Installation: The Surround Zone plug-in is available for both PC and MAC (PowerPC and Intel Mac) based Pro Tools HD systems. Installers for both versions of this software are available on the product CD-Rom or on our website (always check the website for the most recent version of the software before commencing the install).
SoundField SPS200 User Guide Getting started with the Surround Zone plug-in for Pro Tools: The SoundField Surround Zone plug-in for Pro Tools can be inserted in any Pro Tools project. The plug-in has four audio inputs for the SoundField A-Format signals and up to eight audio outputs depending on the output format selected within the plug-in, ranging from Stereo to 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1. The Surround Zone plug-in follows the Pro Tools internal surround channel mapping ('FILM' format).
SoundField SPS200 User Guide 6.1: • Using I/O setup, create a 6.1 output configuration. For each instance of the Surround Zone create a 6.1 bus configuration. • Create a 6.1 aux input track. Set the input to this track to be the 6.1 bus. Set the output from this track to be the 6.1 output interface. • Insert the Surround Zone plugin into the aux input track by selecting "multi-channel TDM plugin > Surround Zone (6.1)" • Create 4 mono audio tracks to accommodate the A-Format audio.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide • Route each mono track output to the 7.1. bus. In doing this, a surround panner will appear for each mono track.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide QUICK START GUIDE: VST (NUENDO) The Surround Zone plug-in is available for both PC and MAC (Power PC and Intel Mac) based VST hosts and installers for both versions of this software are available on the CDROM or on our website (always check the website for the most up to date version of the software before commencing installation).
SoundField SPS200 User Guide Getting started with the Surround Zone plug-in using Nuendo: The SoundField Surround Zone plug-in can be inserted in any Nuendo project. The plugin has four audio inputs for the SoundField A-Format signals and up to eight audio outputs depending on the output format selected within the plug-in, ranging from Stereo to 5.1 to 6.1 etc.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide WARRANTY Limited Liability SOUNDFIELD LTD., HEREIN AFTER KNOWN AS THE MANUFACTURER, GUARANTEES THIS EQUIPMENT FROM DEFECTS IN MATERIAL AND WORKMANSHIP UNDER NORMAL USE AND SERVICE FOR A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR. THIS GUARANTEE EXTENDS TO THE ORIGINAL PURCHASER ONLY AND DOES NOT APPLY TO FUSES OR ANY PRODUCT OR PARTS SUBJECTED TO MISUSE, NEGLECT, ACCIDENT OR ABNORMAL CONDITIONS OF OPERATION.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide SHIPPING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE Authorised returns should be prepaid and must be insured. All SoundField products are packaged in specially designed containers for the best possible protection. If the unit is returned the original container should be used. If this is not possible, a new container can be obtained from SoundField Ltd.; please specify the model number when requesting a new container.
SoundField SPS200 User Guide 10 PIN A-FORMAT OUTPUT WIRING DETAILS 10 Pin Mic Cable XLR Pin 1 Core 1 RED Pin 2 RED (LF) Core 2 RED Pin 2 YELLOW (RF) Core 3 RED Pin 2 GREEN (LB) Pin 2 Core 1 WHITE Pin 4 Core 2 WHITE Pin 6 Core 3 WHITE Pin 8 Core 4 WHITE Pin 3 Pin 5 Pin 7 Pin 9 Pin 10 Core 4 RED GND of cores 1 & 2 GND of cores 3 & 4 10 Pin A-Format Output Wiring Details Pin 3 RED (LF) Pin 3 YELLOW (RF) Pin 3 GREEN (LB) Pin 2 BLUE (RB) Pin 3 BLUE (RB) Pin 1 of RED & GREEN Pin 1 of
SoundField SPS200 User Guide TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Specification for each individual capsule: Frequency Response Sensitivity Signal to Noise Ratio Equivalent SPL DIN/IEC Maximum SPL Technical Specifications 40Hz-20KHz 14mV/Pa DIN/IEC 12dB 130dB 82dB Page 29
SoundField SPS200 User Guide SPS200 ACCESSORIES Windshields: Rycote Windshield Kit for SPS200 SPS200/RY High Wind Cover 430-399 Comprising: Pistol Grip with suspension, set of mic clips, 105mm diameter windshield, windjammer, SPS200 Anti-vibe Rycote cable Cables: SPS200 5 Metre Microphone Cable (multipin to 4 male XLRs) SPS200 5 Metre Extension Cable (multipin to multipin) SPS200 10 Metre Extension Cable (multipin to multipin) SPS200 20 Metre Extension Cable (multipin to multipin) SPS200 50 Metre E
