Nomad Preliminary Manual = • Zaxcom Inc.
Table of contents Overview ........................................................................................................................... 3 Microphone preamplifier.......................................... ........................ ................. ... ..... 3 Auto Trim . ................................. ........... ............................................................................. 4 Input limiters .....................................................................................
Warnings .. ......................... 23 . ..................................... 23 Input Levels . ................................................................. Internal and External slate level adjust ........................... ....................................... 24 Output Level s................................ .......... ..................... ............................................. 24 XLR 1-4 and TA5 1-6 output bus leve ls .. .... .................. .. .....................................
Overview Nomad is a new concept in location sound recording and mixing. It redefines the function of bag audio syste m. A simplified user interface eliminates the need for hardware trim controls, pan and PFlswitches. Nom ad eliminates any possi bility of clipping analog inputs; it provides wireless time code transmission, wireless IFB transmission, and wireless remote control to Zaxcom wireless un its.
Auto Trim Auto-t rim el imi nates the need for hardware trim knobs. The auto-t rim mod e is enabled in the Mode selection menu. When enabled, auto-trim will route the input trim fun ction to the menu knob based on the last fader knob that was adjusted. In ma ny of the home menus an input meter with a floating diamon d will show the current trim setting of the channel that will be adjusted by the auto trim function when the encoder is adjusted.
General graphic user interface operation All menu functi ons of nomad are accessed by push ing in the menu knob Adjustments are made by a combination of turning and pushing in the menu knob. Pushing in the headphone knob will act as a back key taki ng Nomad back on e level. Nomad's menu system is configured in the sa me way as a conventional mp3 player. A right pOinting arrow associated with any menu item indicates a path t o anothe r menu.
Software updates The Nomad software is easily upd ated . The operating system is "brick" proof. To update Nomad copy the current software from the Zaxcom web site to a compact flash card . The card should have a FAT32 format from a PC/ MAC or Zaxco m recorder product . Insert th e card in the mirror slot. With the power off, press and hold the "* /lkey, wh ich is located between the headph one and menu knob. Now switch on the power. After the display screen comes up the ...,11 key can be rel eased .
Meters 00:05:08:05 MON l TL 1111 :02:03 -. IHI IH I 1111 1111 !Il11II. Nomad m et ers are the most comprehensive of any location recorder there are several selectable meteri ng options to choose from. Th e co lor of the meter und er the · 20 level indicators will indicate the source type bei ng metered. Ught blue for input, Green for output busses and Purple for recorded tracks. The t rack name is indicated within the m eter itself to aid in chann el id entification.
Channel Setup CHI SETUP TYPE Mle DELAY HPF OFF OFF PH ASE NORMAL [ t LIM PHANTOM OFF OFF OFF HOTCH1 •• .,. .,. ·'. .i Pressing the setup key will enter the cha nnel setup menu. When in the channel setup menu, pressing any ofthe six multifunction keys located near each control knob will select the input channels one th rough ten . An input meter is provided in each setup menu to help adjust trim in each channel. Push and rotate the menu knob to select and cha nge each channel input fun ction .
Main Headphone Monitoring (1/4 inch j ack) Nomad's main headphone has 12 Monitor Memories. Nomad ca n be set up to monit or any combin ation of card tracks, output busses, or returns. If selected wireless microphone receivers can be monitored di rectly through the Zaxn et System on Nomad 6, 8 and 12. 1 2 4 3 5 6 7 8 I ICRD L OUT X RET J ICRD X R OUT RE T J ZAXHET To setup the monitor memory selection press menu knob and headphone knob at the same t ime.
cording Media selection Nomad current ly works best with 32 gig 133x CF cards. Sandisk, Transend, Kin gston and Delkin cards usu ally work well with Nomad. Con tact you r dealer to get recommendations on the best memory card s to use. Because there are 100s of ca rds available and the list constantly changes contacting the dealer is the best source of card information. Pur chasing higher performance media will not increase performance and may not be compati ble with Nomad.
Primary card recording PRIMARY CF DELETE LAST SEC ERASE CUR FOLDER FORMAT CF CARD PRIMARY FOLDER fOLDER > XlO2 > XU03 > XU"" SIZE 202 M8 20J til 2011 Ie .... 265 lIB 206 It! ",. '118 .. "05 XIII7 2117 HS SEes 22 • ",. 25 2. 27 " Nomad is unlike any other recorder. The Nomad 4 and 6 ca n record to t wo Compact Flash cards at the sa me time. The Nomad 8·12 can record to two Com pact Flash cards and either an external USB record ing device or to internal m icro SD card at the sam e time.
Mirror cord recording rUR 0 c START SEC 1 999 END SEC BWA U ~lOHO FILE TYPE FI LE RESOL UTION 24 BITS TC OFFSET g~s FORHAT MIRROR CARD > The mirror CF menu controls the recording of the mirro r CF card . Th e mirror ca rd wi ll record from the selected start segment to the selected end segment. The start segment will automat ically increment wit h each new reco rdi ng of the primary media. The file t ype and th e file resolution are set in the me nu.
Main Menu MA I N MENU r SLATE DISP LAY REC ORD EHAB LES FADER ASSIGH MY HOMAD (CARD/H IRROR) MOD E MEMORY STORE/R EC ALL ABO UT HOI1JlD ENG SETUP ) ) ) ) ) ) > ) From a home meter screen, press the menu knob t o enter the main m enu screen. Please note from some meter scree ns you may have to push and hold the menu knob for 1 second to enter the main menu . Met a Data M enu META DATA SR:48000 TC:23.
Slate Display This display is used to show a visual time code slate to a camera. Pressing the me nu kno b will freeze the displ ay and cause a 1 frame long beep tone in the audio on any bus that is selected for output tone . Th is is used to provide sync for the camera to match picture and sound . The slate numbers are intention ally up side down to make it easy for a cam era person to shoot the nu mbers correctly.
Fader Assign FADER ASSIGN 1 2 a 4 S 6 7 8 FAD1 IA FAD 2 A FADa A FAD4 A I T IA A A A FADS FAD6 The 6 hardware fad ers can be routed with the fader ro uting matrix. Go to the main menu and select "fader assign" to enter the matrix. Analog inputs 1-6, digital inputs 1-8 and analog trim controls can be routed to the faders. Ma sters ca n be m ade in order to better con trol surround microphones .
Mirror CF mode Mirror mode enable is f'lt the top of t he menu . When enabled, the Nomad will mirror its files to the mirror compact flash card. Two mi rror modes are available. The "ON " mode mirrors files when the nomad is in stop mode. This is ideal for "scene and take" style of product ion. The "CONTI NUOUS" mode mirrors whenever the p rimary card is recording and is best for continuous record ing like that of reali ty television . Th e segme nts to mirror are selected in the "M IRROR CF ,VlE NU" .
PRIMARY CF MENU PRIMARY CF DELETE l AST SEC ERASE CUR FOLDER FORHAT CF CARD > > > This menu allows for the co ntrol of the primary Compact Flash ca rd. Delete last segment erases the last recorded segment. Th is funct ion is not recomm ended as erasing f iles can create diffe rences between m irrored media and the primary ca rd . Erase current folder clears only the current folder leaving the other folders untouch ed . Format CF card will completely erase the contents of t he card.
M od M nu F M I" ,::·'F 486 :; ~; ; .. "i P.(u'l'.: (.IH ND!Hl lh. GPI REMOlE ROll OFF SLA TE SOURCE PRERECORD AUTO TRI M INTERNAL OFF OFF M[X8 OFr PAN 1/2 orr ~p J ;~ £ /!G T[ ::; U. I t mIl l ':U L! CF HIX 8 PAN 1/2 PAH 3/11 ! l~ -: J:!'{((l OFF OFF PH E~ECOR D IIUTO TRIM I/O COHF Ie OFF IE"" ) OFF OFF OFF Th is m enu is use d to set the operating modes of the Nomad . Sample rate, transport control.
Memory Menu MEMORY ~. STORE 2 STORE 3 CLEAR FADERS RECALL 1 RECALL 2 RECALL 3 RECALL FA CTO RY DEFAULTS STORE TO MIRROR CF > > > > > > > > This is used to save and recall the user settings. Three memori es are provided. A factory default memory is also provided to restore the Nomad to its factory defa ult settings. If factory defaults are reca lled you will need to reset the user settings. Nom ad allows for settings to be saved to the mirror compact flash card.
engi neering parameters. All of the parameters will not fit on the screen at one ti~e so the screen wi!! s:::,cl! as you move!O lh e lower parameters. Pressing the men u knob will select the cu rrent paramete r and highlight it. Press the men u knob to select the function . That function will be high light with a blue . ;J ckground on the menu screen. Rotat e the menu knob to change the selected .JJrameter. Press the headphone knob to exit th e function.
Limiter Enable LIMITER ENABLE CARD LIMITER EHABLE 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 8 I I I I 19-t I I I BUS LIMI TER EHABLE 123456 I I I I I I I In this menu you can choose which card track and wh ich output bus you wan t to engage the limiters on. Select the cross point in the matrix to enable the limiter. The limiter is imp lemented as a soft knee compresso r. The limiters settings are adj usted in the output limiter and card li miter menus. Output Bus and Card Limiter menus OUTPUT LIMITER DECA Y THR[SH "'" I .
Track Names TRACK NAMES 2 , CARO 2 3, I:ARO 3 ~, I:ARO 4 5 , I: ARO 5 \I: I:ARD I:ARO 7 8 , I: ARD 8 9, I:ARD 9 " • The track name menu allows for t he naming of reco rde d tracks. The track name s will be displ ayed within the card meters and are contained in the file meta data so post can easily identify the source of a record ed track. After the track name is entered you must pre s OK for Nomad to accept t he inputted name.
Warnings WARNINGS SETUP INT BATT THRES HOL D 5. 5U EXT BATT WARNING OFF EXT BATT THRESHOLD 10.5U HP BEEP LOUDNESS 20 HP BEEP BATTERY OFF HP BEEP LOW DI SK OFF HP BEEP REC /STOP OF F The Warnin gs setup menu allows for customiz ation of the Nomad warn ing system. Wa rnings a provided for battery and external power level as well as record ing time availabi lity. Intern al batte ry warning should be set to 7.0 volts for Nickle meta l hydride batteries and 8.0 volts for lithium batter ies.
Internal and External slate level adjust The internal slate microphone and extern al input connector input level adjust is continuously adjustabie. Set the level to a comfo rtable operating level. (It IS normal for the internal slate audio to have a high no ise floor. Th is is due to the audio routing within the Nomads digital wiring section .) Output Levels OUTPUT LEVELS XLR XlR Xl R lAS lA S lAS OU12 OU13 OU T4 OU11 DUl2 OU1 3 IRS OU14 lAS OUT5 "dOu OdBu ..
Transport Keys {Shifted/Unshifted} Nomad factory default is set t hat the TC, Auto mix and Zaxnet buttons pri mary fu nction are just that. And to go into record, stop or play you wi ll have to hold down the men u key, as a shift key, then press the corresponding key. Nomad will allow the REC/STOPjPLAY keys to be un-shifted to provide direct access to their functions . Meaning if un-shifted is selected and you tap the record, stop, or play keys th eir func tions will access immediately.
Nom ad conta ins a batte ry backed rea l time clock. Th is dock is used to maintain ;u!1ning time code. The battery should be changed every 2 yea rs in order t o ma int ain the ;:apability. Bus outin& BUS ROUTH('O w MOHO OUT TAP E OUT CARD MI;>; 1-4 CARD MJX 5- 8 CARD HI X 9- 12 HEADPHONE 2 PLAY OUTPUT ROUTE R PLAY HPH RO UTER > > > > > > > > Press the Bus key to enter the bus routing men u. This menu provides access to the routing of any inp ut to any output as well as the record card routi ng.
a 1 2 &~jX 4 5 6 7 8 x 1 , XX XX XX 2 3 ~. DI GITAL •s !-. , >~- ASSIGN Som e bus point selections may be indicated with the color red. This indicates t hat cross poi nts are not available in your current configu ration. Go to the Input Configu ration Menu to ch ange the digita l input sel ect ions. Pre Fader Listen STOP 0 1 :56:40:28 12- - - - AIR MA IL ON . 1 MI R10F20 TlO1:02 : 03 2 3 11 5 6 R1 R2 I I I I I I I I • lOUT Press the PFl key to ent er to pre fader list en function.
Com and Slate functions , -- - ---r- .UT1 R3 R4 s e T I ~ ___ X 0 UT' 0 UTl I 0UT4 X X 0UTS 0 U" AUX BUS ASS IGN The com and state keys are used to enable th e internal or ext ernal slat e m icrophone. Aud io is routed to the selecte d destinations by the bus rout ing menus. These keys will ro ute the audio fro m th e slate microph one to th e selected dest inations. Slate cross points are ind icated with an "S" at the top of the routing menu column.
ENG/EFP bag operation STOP HON 1 00:01:06:09 AIRMRIl OH H1R10F20 -~,..... TL ., : .2 :03 ·n ·n 1 2 3 _ 5 6 R1 R2 I I I I I I I HPUT 6 I lOUT r Select the EN G Hom e menu w ith the 8 chan nel routing matri x. This menu shows output busses 1 and 2 as well as t he input meter indicating the auto trim function. The pan routing m atrix reflects the bus routing o f busses 1 and 2 at all times .
10 chan . t?1 >nix operation :e> :08:05 'ION 1 Tl U1 : 82 :03 Inl I II I I II I !IJltlI. I II I .i~ Select th e 10 channel mix home me nu with input meters 7-10. Th ese meters incorporate 4 virtual faders. Pressing the men u knob will select an input fa der for adj ustment. Pressing the menu knob will cycle through inputs 7·10. Using the 6 input knobs and the 4 virtual faders 10 channels can be ea sily mixed with no need for external hardware fa der panels .
Nomad pin outs AES in/out OBiS male small profile (Use twi sted pairs where possible) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 RX34+ RXI2+ TX56+ RX78+ RX56+ TX12TX I2+ GROUND TX 34TX34+ RXI2 RX34TX5 6RX78RX56- All TA5 male input and output connectors 1 GROUND 2 CHA+ 3 CHA- 4 (H8+ 5 CH B- All XLR inputs and outputs 1 2 3 GROUND CH+ CH- 31
Mono and Tape out Tip Ring Sleeve Output No con nect Gro und ALL Headphone Outs TIP RING SLEEVE CHA CHB GROUND External slate mic in Tip INPUT+ Ring INPUTSleeve Grou nd (biased to SV) (biased to SV) (This is a ba lanced input. It can be used with dynamic micro phones. It can also be used unbalanced with powered low voltage microphones.
Specifications Input Ana log Inputs 6 M ic/Une·level w ith 48V phantom power 4 nne·level (c Olm er.! re tum or ml~ inputs) Input Connl'Ctors 6XlR, 2 TAS An;tlog Dynamic Range 115 dB Mic-level Range -56 to ·26 riBu Ll ne·levellnpu! Range ·10 to +8 dB DIsto rtion O.C1015~ Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 22 kHz ilt 48 kHl sample rate THO 0.
Head Room Selectable 12 to 20 d8 Effects o t060 mS In .1mS steps 2 band, 20 Hz to 20 kHz freqventY range adj usta ble Compreuor Type Soft Kntoe COMpres~OI Attack, Release, Threshold, Ratio, Ma ke·up Gain High Pa~s Adjus!ments I ·It!"r 20 Hz Ie 230 Hz Re
