User Guide Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Basic Principles of PA Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Connections and Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fau lt Find ing Gu id e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Getting to know your console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Inpu t Channel . . . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION Congratu lations on you r p u rchase of a SPIRIT LIVE 4 m ixer. Ow ning a Sou nd craft console brings you the exp ertise and su p p ort of one of the ind u stry’s lead ing m anu factu rers and the resu lts of over 20 years exp erience su p p orting som e of the biggest nam es in the bu siness.
The fou r Ou tp u t Grou p s p rovid e su bm ixing to the Mix L/ R ou tp u ts or m ay feed external equ ip m ent d irectly. Each incorp orates stereo p anning and PFL m onitoring or bargrap h m etering and inclu d es an external Retu rn inp u t for effects or su bm ixing from external sou rces. The Master section p rovid es m aster level control for the Left, Right, Mono and Au xiliary Send bu sses, w ith sep arate AFL m onitoring on each Au xiliary Send and the Mono ou tp u t.
The Mixer As one w ou ld exp ect, the m ain p u rp ose of the m ixer is to com bine sou nd s, bu t u nd er p recise and sm ooth control. This is w hy long-throw fad ers are essential on any p rofessional p rod u ct. The fad ers p rovid e you w ith clear and instinctive control of the final sou nd balance and like an artist p laying an instru m ent you shou ld listen to the effect of you r fad er m ovem ents, not look at you r hand s.
Each inp u t channel and the three m ain ou tp u ts have an Insert ‘A’ gau ge jack socket, w hich is a break p oint in the signal p ath. It allow s the signal to be taken ou t of the m ixer, throu gh an external p iece of equ ip m ent and then back into the m ixer d irectly after its original exit p oint. The Insert p oint is norm ally byp assed by the ‘A’ gau ge jack socket contacts, and is only brou ght into op eration w hen a p lu g is inserted .
GETTING STARTED CONNECTIONS AND CONNECTORS Althou gh this m ay seem a sim p le su bject, faulty connectors and cabling are the source of most sound system problems. Correctly-m ad e cables of the p rop er typ e, w ith the right connectors for the job w ill ensu re p eak p erform ance from you r system w ith m inim u m noise p ick-u p . The follow ing section w ill help you to connect SPIRIT LIVE 4 correctly.
Ba la nced a nd Unba la nced All channel inp u ts are balanced , i.e. there are sep arate +ve(hot) and -ve (cold ) w ires for each signal p lu s a grou nd . The d esign of the d ifferential inp u t am p lifiers is su ch that interference p icked u p on these w ires is cancelled ou t. This is becau se, since both w ires are in close p roxim ity, the same interference w ill be p icked u p on each w ire and balanced inp u t am p lifiers w ill only am p lify the difference betw een +ve(hot) and -ve(cold ).
+ ✗ UNBALANCED + - - Source Device Mixer Ground loop through screen and chassis + - ✓ BALANCED INPUT + - GND Source Device Mixer If the u se of u nbalanced connections is u navoid able, you can m im im ise noise by follow ing these w iring gu id elines: • On IN PUTS, u nbalance at the sou rce and u se a tw in, screened cable as thou gh it w ere balanced . (see below ) • On OUTPUTS, connect the signal to the +ve ou tpu t pin, and the grou nd of the ou tpu t d evice to -ve.
Fa ult Finding Guide Repairing a sou nd m ixing console requ ires sp ecialist skills, bu t basic Fault Finding is w ithin the scop e of any u ser if a few basic ru les are follow ed . • Get to know the Block Diagram of you r console (see insid e rear cover) • Get to know w hat each com ponent in the system is su pposed to d o. • Learn w here to look for com m on trou ble spots.
INPUT GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CONSOLE Refer to the fold -ou t front p anel d iagram w hich show s the control fu nctions on the SPIRIT LIVE 4. Each facility is d escribed below , and is id entified by the reference nu m ber. FACILITIES INPUT CHANNEL 1. M IC RO PHO NE INPUT The Microp hone inp u t is via a stand ard fem ale XLR-3 connector and is available w hen the LIN E -20dB sw itch is released . It is d esigned to accep t a w id e range of balanced or u nbalanced low im p ed ance inp u t signals.
INPUT 3. LINE INPUT The LIN E Inp u t is a 3-p ole 1⁄4"‘A’ gau ge jack socket, to accep t balanced or u nbalanced line level sou rces w hen the LIN E sw itch(5) is p ressed . Unlike the low im p ed ance Microp hone inp u t, this stage p resents a high im p ed ance(>10kΩ) to the inp u t signal, enabling m any typ es of instru m ents to be p lu gged straight in w ithou t D.I. boxes or external p ream p lifiers.
INPUT 7. HI- PASS FILTER Pressing this sw itch inserts a 12d B p er octave 100H z H i-Pass Filter in the signal p ath, im m ed iately after the inp u t am p lifier. This is p articu larly u sefu l on live vocals, and its u se is strongly recom m end ed , even on m ale vocals. It can also be u sed for filtering ou t low frequ ency hu m . Frequency Response Curves of the Hi-Pa ss Filter HI-Pass Filter dB 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 -1.0 -2.0 -3.0 -4.0 20 8.
INPUT Frequency Response Curves of the Equa liser MID Section dB 20.0 15.0 10.0 5.0 0.0 -5.0 -10.0 -15.0 -20.0 20 100 Frequency/Hz 1k 10k 20k 1k 10k 20k HF Section dB 20.0 15.0 10.0 5.0 0.0 -5.0 -10.0 -15.0 -20.0 20 9. 100 Frequency/Hz AUXILIARY SENDS These controls rou te the inp u t channel signal to any one or m ore Au xiliary bu sses.
INPUT 10. PAN The PAN control d eterm ines the p osition of the signal w ithin the stereo m ix im age or m ay be u sed to rou te the channel signal to p articu lar ou tp u t GROUPS as selected by the ROUTIN G SWITCHES (13). Rotation fu lly anticlockw ise feed s the signal solely to the Left m ix bu ss or Grou p s 1 and 3, w hile rotation clockw ise sw eep s the im age to the right bu ss or Grou p s 2 and 4. 11.
STEREO STEREO SECTIONS 1. STEREO INPUTS Each Stereo Inp u t section com p rises a p air of sim ilar inp u ts. The inp u ts are electronically balanced and sep arate jacks are p rovid ed for the Left and Right sou rce signals. A m ono signal m ay be p lu gged into the u p p er socket only for each p air to be fed equ ally to left and right bu sses. 2. - 10 SWITC H The inp u t jacks are norm ally set to m atch +4d Bu nom inal signal levels.
STEREO 4. AUX SEND A single control feed s a m ono su m of the stereo signal to a choice of Au x Send bu sses (see 5 below ). 5. AUX SELEC TIO N The flexibility of the Au x send control (4) is m axim ised by a choice of d estinations on the tw o Stereo sections. On the u p p er section (Stereo 1) this sw itch rou tes the Au x Send to either AUX 1 (Prefad e) w hen released , or AUX 3 (Postfad e) w hen p ressed .
G RO UP 10. FADER Linear fad ers are p rovid ed for p recise and sm ooth level control for each Stereo section. GROUP SECTION 1. RETURN A m ono Retu rn is p rovid ed to each ou tp u t Grou p , w hich is intend ed for u se as a su b-m ix from another d esk or as an effects inp u t. The inp u t is electronically balanced on a stand ard 1⁄4" 3-p ole ‘A’ gau ge jack. 2.
M ASTER 7. G RO UP O UTPUT The Grou p ou tp u ts are d riven by grou nd com p ensated am p lifiers to a stand ard 1⁄4" 3 p ole ‘A’ gau ge jack socket. MASTER SECTION 8. D.C . PO WER SO C KET The cable from the p ow er su p p ly connects to the console via this 5-p in socket. Ensu re that you alw ays u se the correct p ow er su p p ly for you r console. The 12, 16 and 24 channel fram e sizes requ ire the DCP100 p ow er su p p ly and the 32 channel fram e u ses the CPS150 p ow er su p p ly. 9.
M ASTER 13. M O NO The level of the MON O ou tp u t (9) is set by a rotary fad er. The associated AFL sw itch w ith ind icating LED m onitors the final ou tp u t after the fader. 14. AUXILIARY M ASTERS Each of the Au xiliary Send bu sses is p rovid ed w ith a rotary m aster level control and an AFL sw itch w ith ind icating LED w hich m onitors the final ou tp u t after the fader. 15.
USING YOUR SPIRIT LIVE 4 CONSOLE The final sou nd from you r P.A. system can only ever be as good as the qu ality of the sou rce signal. Ju st as you need to becom e fam iliar w ith the control fu nctions of you r m ixer, so you m u st recognise the im p ortance of correct choice of inp u ts, m icrop hone p lacem ent and inp u t channel settings.
• If you cannot obtain a satisfactory setting, e.g. the gain control is right at the extrem e low end of the scale on Microphone Inpu t, try u sing the Line Inpu t instead . • Listen carefu lly for the characteristic sou nd of ‘feed back’. If you cannot achieve satisfactory inpu t level setting w ithou t feed back, check m icrophone and speaker placem ent and repeat the exercise.
APPLICATIONS SPIRIT LIVE 4 is d esigned p rim arily as a sou nd reinforcem ent m ixer, bu t m ay also be u sed for basic m u ltitrack record ing. The follow ing d iagram s show typ ical configu rations w hich w ill illu strate how the m ixer is connected to other equ ip m ent. Exa mple 1 - Public In this basic set-u p , an assortm ent of sou rces are connected to Address - Stereo Output the inp u t channels, m icrop hone to m ic. inp u ts, and a keyboard and gu itar to line inp u ts.
ou tp u t signal p ath via the Left and Right insert p oints. Exa mple 2: Public Address - Stereo + Centre Feed In this second exam p le the Grou p 1 Ou tp u t is u sed to d rive an ad d itional centre sp eaker, w ith ind ivid u al fad er control. The rou ting on the inp u t channels allow s ind ivid u al selection to the Centre ou tp u t by rou ting to Grou p 1. Exa mple 3: Public In this exam p le the console is u sed to feed lou d sp eakers in Address - Mono Output Mono only.
final ou tp u t. Exa mple 4: Stereo Recording The console m ay also be u sed for 2-Track or basic m u ltitrack record ing live or in the stu d io. The set u p is sim ilar to the p reviou s exam p les bu t w ith the Mix L/ R Ou tp u t feed ing a 2-track Tap e Machine. Au x 1 is u sed to p rovid e artists fold back on head p hones, and Au x 3 and 4 feed a reverb u nit 2 TRACK TAPE MACHINE REVERB w hich is retu rned to the console on RET1 and RET2.
CARE OF YOUR MIXER Genera l Preca utions Avoid storing or u sing the m ixer in cond itions of excessive heat or cold , or in p ositions w here it is likely to be su bject to vibration, d u st or m oistu re. Keep the m ixer clean u sing a soft d ry bru sh, and an occasional w ip e w ith a d am p cloth or ethyl alcohol. Do not u se any other solvents w hich m ay cau se d am age to p aint or p lastic p arts. Avoid p lacing d rinks or sm oking m aterials on or near the m ixer.
feedback the ‘how ling’ sou nd cau sed by bringing a m icrop hone too close to a lou d sp eaker d riven from its am p lified signal. foldback a feed sent back to the artistes via lou d sp eakers or head p hones to enable them to m onitor the sou nd s they are p rod u cing. frequency response the variation in gain of a d evice w ith frequ ency. (sub) group an ou tp u t into w hich a grou p of signals can be m ixed .
Selecta ble Options Remova l of +48V on Mic Inputs To d isable the +48V p hantom p ow ering on the m icrop hone inp u ts, rem ove link J3 from Inp u t PCB SC3209. This can be d one w ithou t rem oving the PCB as show n below , by carefu lly cu tting the lead s of the link above the PCB at the p oints m arked . To reinstate the +48V, fit a rep lacem ent link, Part N o. AZ2222, w hich is available from you r d ealer.
Reconfiguring Aux 2 a s a Post Fa de Send Au x 2 is configu red as a PRE FADE send at the factory, bu t m ay be altered to be POST FADE if requ ired by rep ositioning a link on the Inp u t PCB SC3209 as show n below . POST J2 J1 PRE J2 J1 INPUT BOARD SC3209 L10 C28 R56 PRE R50 R54 R51 C27 POST R52 R48 To change AUX 2 to POST FADE, rem ove the PCB from the console and carefu lly u nsold er link J1 u sing the m inim u m of heat to avoid the p ossibility of tracks lifting on the PCB.
SPECIFICATIONS Typ ical Figu res for a 16 Channel Console NOISE Measu red RMS, 22H z to 22kH z Band w id th Line inp u ts selected at u nity gain and term inated 150R MIX NOISE Inp u t fad ers d ow n, channels rou ted to L-R, Pans central, Masters at m axim u m Mix Left Mix Right -82d Bu -82d Bu AUX NOISE Inp u t fad ers d ow n, Au x ou tp u ts at m axim u m , Fou r Stereo sections rou ted to Au x 1 Au x 1 Au x 2 Au x 3 Au x 4 Au x 5 -81d Bu -84.5d Bu -84.5d Bu -84.5d Bu -84.
DISTORTION TH D m easu red at +20d Bu Line Inp u t to Mix Ou tp u t < 0.0025% @ 1kH z, < 0.
stereo 1 2 3 master 1 STE 1 MIC 15 DIRECT GRP 2 GRP 3 GRP 4 AUX 1 AUX 2 AUX 3 AUX 4 LINE RET 2 RET 3 RET 4 INS L 2 LINE -20dB 3 GAIN 9 10 MIX INS 1 2 INS 5 DC POWER INPUT AUX 5 MONO RET 1 4 8 1 STE 2 6 GRP 1 7 INS 2 INS 3 INS 4 INS R 11 1 -10 12 HF 7 LF 8 HF 4 5 6 MID AUX PRE AUX1 AUX3 PST GRP 1 BAL AUX 1 7 ON 9 10 AUX 2 GRP 3 AUX 3 LEFT GRP 4 AUX 4 AUX 5 MONO 13 AFL AFL AFL AFL AFL AFL L-R 1-2 TB MIC AUX 1 16 9 AUX 2 RET 1 PRE A
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