Operations Manual iXm Recording Microphone (V1.2) www.facebook.com/yellowtec www.twitter.
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Thank you Thank you for purchasing the Yellowtec iXm Recording Microphone iXm is a broadcast quality recording microphone created by broadcasters for broadcasters. With intuitive operation and robust construction, iXm delivers pristine sound quality without the need to monitor levels or make other adjustments. iXm offers true simplicity – just turn it on, press record and you’re good to go! No need to watch level displays and constantly readjust your settings.
Table of Contents 4 iXm was designed to be the superior choice, providing: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • LEA Engine for pristine, hassle-free auto leveling Interchangeable microphone capsules (omni-directional, cardioid and super-cardioid) Mic head recognition for automatic DSP adjustments (e.g.
Table of Contents 6 WHAT ’S IN THE BOX 7 SAFET Y INSTRUC TIONS 8 BASIC FUNC TIONS 10 LAYOUT OF CONTROLS 12 DASHBOARD INDIC ATORS 15 RECORDING 18 PLAYBACK 20 POWER MANAGEMENT 21 MEMORY 23 MIC HEADS 24 LINE IN 25 LINE OUT 26 SOFT WARE 27 USB CONNEC TION 28 INSTALLATION 30 USER SOFT WARE 32 ADMIN SOFT WARE www.yellowtec.com I info@yellowtec.
What‘s in the box 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mic Head Recorder Wall Charger SD-Card USB Cable (Type-A to Mini USB) International Main Adapters 1 2 6 3 4 5 www.yellowtec.com I info@yellowtec.
Safety instructions Important! Reading the instructions is essential to prevent the prdocut from any damage. It helps to avoid false operation and secures successful and long lasting use of your product. Never use the iXm without having a Mic Head installed. It helps to prevent damage to the mounting thread and the electronic contacts. When twisting the Mic Head onto the Recorder hold the head straight and do not use excessive force. Twist the Mic Head gently tight.
Basic functions In order to operate the iXm in various recording environments you have a choice of different Mic Heads. Mic Heads can be exchanged easily by the TOTO mount (twisting-off-twisting-on). In order to protect the thread and the electronic contacts always make sure that you never use the Microphone Recorder without a Mic Head installed! Always hold the Mic Head straight and twist it gently tight. Do not risk cross-threading.
Basic functions Recording great audio with iXm is easy. There is no need to monitor a display as our amazing LEA Engine will always deliver a perfect levelling. iXm takes care of this automatically for you, producing broadcastready recordings at the touch of a button. Try it now - here‘s all you need to do: Power On Press and hold the RECORD Button and simultaneously press the STOP Button on the Playback Keypad. When the boot sequence starts you can release the buttons.
Basic functions Adjust Playback Level During playback, you can adjust the volume of your headphone. To increase the headphone level press and hold the STOP Button on the dashboard and press FORWARD, to decrease your level hold the STOP button and press REWIND. Each hit will cause a change of 3dB. NOTE: Before using headphones, make sure that you carefully set your playback level to an appropriate level to avoid temporary or permanent hearing damage.
Layout of controls Playback Keypad Fast Rewind Stop Play Fast Forward Port Panel HP/Line Out Line In Jack SD Card Slot USB Port Battery Compartment www.yellowtec.com I info@yellowtec.
Dashboard indicators 1. Boot Sequence When you turn on your iXm, the REC LED will flash green during boot sequence. Once the boot sequence is finished the MEM LED will flash red to indicate a memory check of the SD card. With no memory card inserted the MEM LED will continuously flash red to indicate that the iXm will not be ready to record. 2.
Dashboard indicators Triple flashes will indicate Record Ready with Voice Activation active: Once you have started your recording the REC LED will light red: The REC LED will illuminate green during PlayBack. Play Back can always be interrupted by hitting the REC Button. Once powered up iXm is always in one of the seleceted Record Ready modes. 4. Markers During recording you can use the REC Button to set markers. Due to it‘s click-free design you will not suffer from any audible noise.
Dashboard indicators 7. Remaining battery life When the remaining battery capacity gets down to approx. 1 hour the BAT LED will start quick flashing amber. Take a chance to insert fresh AA batteries or recharge your internal battery. 8. Out of temperature range NOTE: When you try to charge your iXm while it‘s out of it‘s temperature range the BAT LED will quickly flash red and charging will be automatically disabled. 9.
Recording How do I turn on my iXm? NOTE: Before turning on the iXm make sure that a memory card with some minimum storage capacity is properly inserted into the SD Card slot of the Port Panel Press REC (1) on the Record Keypad and STOP (4) on the Playback Keypad simultaneously. Your iXm‘s booting sequence now initiates. The Boot sequence may take up to 15 seconds depending on the memory capacity of the SD Card. Please refer to section `Layout of controls´ for explanation of LED Signals.
Recording How do I work with Pre-Roll Recording? Pre Roll Recording lets your iXm capture up to 30 seconds of your interview before you hit the REC Key. This mode avoids missing unexpected statements. NOTE: Use the iXm Admin software in order to enable this record mode. The setting allows you to determine the preroll time. It can be setup for pre recordings times of up to 30 seconds. (See section `User Software´).
Recording What happens after the recording? When you stop recording your iXm will transfer remaining audio to the SD memory card. Please wait until this process is finished and the REC LED stops flashing. NOTE: Be aware that this can take a couple of seconds. Never turn off the iXm before the red light stops flashing. How can I monitor my recordings? Connect a headphone to the green H/P output on the Port Panel. NOTE: To provide a zero latency signal the H/P signal will not be LEA processed.
Playback Is my iXm weather proof? The main body of the iXm is spray proof. You should take care of the capsule and the Port Panel though. The Port Panel should face down when it rains and the capsule should be protected by a windshield. The keys of your iXm are entirely water tight. For safe transport we recommend the iXm bag. Also recommended is the use of a wind shield when recording in certain weather conditions. NOTE: The iXm is not entirely waterproof. Can I adjust my headphone levels? Yes.
Playback Which file formats can I create? iXm can record standard *.wav (uncompressed and compressed / MPEG1 Layer) and Broadcast *.bwf file formats. The required file format needs to be selected in the User Software (see chapter `User Software´). How will my files be organized? The recorded files will always be organized by order of their index. How do I playback a recording? Connect your headphones to the green H/P output on the iXm‘s Port Panel.
Playback How do I navigate through my files? When playing back you navigate through your recordings via the FWW (6) and the REW (3) Keys on your Playback Keypad. The FWW and the REW Key have different functions: In Record Ready mode: Use the FWW and REW Keys on your Playback Keypad in order to jump through your recorded files. Pressing the STOP Key (2) on the Playback Keypad let‘s your iXm voice message the current file name to your headphones.
Power Management How do I check my battery capacity? When the iXm is powered up and you are not recording you can always recall the remaining battery power and the remaining memory capacity. To indicate the remaining time to go simply hit the STOP (2) button on the Dashboard. First, the BAT LED will slow-flash yellow followed by a yellow slow-flashing MEM LED. Each flash indicates the approximate equivalent of one hour of remaining BAT or MEM capacity.
Memory How can I extend my operating time? Insert three AA batteries to the battery compartment. Three AA batteries will provide a minium of 6 hours of operating time. Use the interal Li-Ion battery and the AA batteries together to get a minimum of 14 hours of recording time. NOTE: It‘s not recommended to use rechargable AA batteries. Which batteries can I use? Capactiy calculation will not work properly if you are using rechargable AA batteries.
Mic Heads How do I check my remaining memory? To check your iXm‘s remaining memory capacity hit the STOP Key (2) on the Record Keypad. The MEM light will flash amber once for every hour of recording time that is left. The BAT LED will work in the same way (see: How to check my battery capacity). NOTE: To check remaining capacities you need to be in REC Ready mode. How do I swap Mic Heads? Gently twist off the attached capsule by turning it counter clockwise.
Line in 24 How do I use my line in jack? The Line Input of your iXm is a balanced mono input. The input is a 3.5mm jack marked yellow on the Port Panel. The drawings show how to connect with the input. When your signal source is on an XLR connector you will need an adapter as shown. XLR balanced Mono balanced Mono 2 3 Mono Stereo balanced Mono 2 3 2 3 XLR balanced Stereo www.yellowtec.com I info@yellowtec.
Line out NOTE: When you insert the 3.5 mm jack the iXm will record the line input and switch off the mic input. NOTE: LEA Engine is not active when you use to record via Line-In. You can adjust the Line-In levels within the iXm‘s Admin Software. How do I transfer data from my iXm? You can simply use the provided USB cable to transfer data to your personal computer. You can also use your HQ/SD Card to transfer data to your computer. You need an SD memory reader for that.
Software Software Welcome to the iXm‘s Software Introduction. The following guide will introduce you to the iXm‘s User and Admin Software bundle. You will learn how to use the software and how to set up your iXm. The basic and advanced mode of your iXm‘s personal Software will be explained and you will be provided with a step-by-step Software Installation Guide. Please note that the Software is available both for Windows© and MacOS© To download your iXm‘s Software please visit: http://www.yellowtec.
USB Connection iXm‘s USB connection First you need to establish a physical connection to your Host Computer via USB cable. Your iXm can be used in two different ways: Use your iXm in Mass Storage Device Mode or in Setup Access Mode (Administration Mode) Mass Storage Device Mode When your iXm is connected to a host it will be charged automatically. The BAT light will flash yellow to inform you that your iXm is being charged.
Installation Software Installation Download the Software from our website and start the installation procedure. Follow the instructions on screen to install the software properly. After completion you need to install your iXm‘s drivers. Driver Installation: After the successful installation of your Software Windows/OSX will automatically recognize your connected iXm as new Hardware.
Installation Starting the Software The installation folder of your Software is set to C:\Programs\Yellowtec iXm You will find two Software Applications. The User Software and the Admin Software. To get more information about the difference between the Softwares please check out the Chapters: User Software and Admin Software. The User Software provides status information and fewer options to allow a fast setup for some of the most important settings needed for field operations.
User Software User Software The User Software displays the most important information of your microphone and allows you to set the basic parameters for field operations. NOTE: All changes in your User Software will be saved immediately and do not require a manual „save to device“ action. The User Software allows you to monitor and change some of the settings that are most useful for a field operator.
User Software The Preset Profile lets you setup several options that makes handling your iXm in the field more comfortable. (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) Select Accu or Battery as your preferred power source. Choose your green Jack on the Port Panel to be your Headphone, Line-out or balanced Line-Out.
Admin Software The Admin Software The Admin Software provides special parameters for the administrator. The intention of the Admin Software is to give the advanced user specific access to individual parameters. However in most cases there will be no need to use the Admin Software in order to succesfully use the iXm in field operations smoothly. The Software allows you to not only setup one configuration, but save up to nine different setup compositions. These setups can be saved to your iXm.
Admin Software (1) edit preset allows you to save up to nine different configurations of your iXm. In order to access presets you need to tick the box enable/ disable (2) preset. Note that you can send one preset only at a time. You should name your microphone with a suitable laben, the (3) Microphone Label. It appears in your software, if tagged (4) in your filename prefixes. All configurable parameters are organized by tabs (5). Most parameters will be self explanatory to the advanced user.
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