User manual M-AUDIO TAMPA

[. . . ] TAMPA Manual version: Tampa-081602 Table of Contents Introduction . . 18 Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of the TAMPA, designed and manufactured by M-Audio. TAMPA is a professional, single channel microphone/instrument preamp unlike any other. That's because our design team set out to discover just why expensive tube technology sounds so good, and devise a way to land that sound at affordable solid state prices. It's a whole new technology called Temporal Harmonic AlignmentTM. [. . . ] Experiment with GAIN control while continuing to provide a representative source signal. Technically, you want to find a high GAIN meter reading without triggering the CLIP indicator. Since the threshold for the CLIP indicator is 4dB below digital clip, however, you may still have plenty of headroom available. Here again, you must use your ears to find the setting that sounds best. If possible, adjust the input stage of the mixer, recording gear or other devices that are connected to TAMPA's output in order to get an optimal signal. (Possible external device adjustments include operating level, trims, faders and pads. ) If TAMPA's GAIN adjustment is the only level adjustment in your signal chain, then adjust it according to the desired level on the device receiving the TAMPA's signal. NOTE: If you find that TAMPA's digital output is lower than desirable when compression is engaged, try summing the identical left and right digital outputs together. You'll get 6dB more overall level and 3dB greater signal-to-noise ratio. 9 8 About Soft Clipping and the 20dB Pad Switch: Soft clipping (often referred to as tube saturation in tube gear) is often desirable to add the perception of warmth to a recording. TAMPA exhibits a gradual soft clipping characteristic, where distortion increases with signal level. This distortion exhibits a non-linear curve as shown. Feel free to experiment with this feature. It may be something that you choose to use with one instrument or mic and not another. It's up to you and your particular taste and needs. NOTE: The 20dB PAD only affects the analog output circuitry. Engaging the pad will have no affect on the signal at the digital outputs--in the digital domain, the only way to avoid soft clipping is by running at lower signal levels. The Input Impedance Selector On some microphones, such as vintage or tube mics, you will want to match the TAMPA's input impedance to the output impedance of the microphone. On others, such as modern solid-state FET mics, the input impedance can be set to 10x the microphone's output impedance or more. TAMPA's Input Impedance selector is designed to optimize performance with different microphones. For vintage (older tube or ribbon mics) or modern tube mics, check the output impedance listed in the microphone's documentation, then set the INPUT IMPEDANCE selector to the closest setting. You may achieve varied results from alternate impedance settings, and the effect that you hear in tonal quality may be a desirable one. Using the Phase Invert Switch When a single microphone is in use, phase will rarely be a consideration and the PHASE switch should remain in the NORMAL position. When multiple microphones are in use, the positioning and acoustic relationship of the mics and the room can cause phase problems resulting in loss of level and tonality. This often manifests as an atypical "thin" or "hollow" sound. In this event, try switching the phase of one of the microphone preamps. To change the phase of TAMPA's output by 180 degrees, set the PHASE switch to the INVERT position. If the sound does not improve significantly, return the PHASE switch to the NORMAL position and look elsewhere for the cause. Using the Low-Cut Filter Unwanted low frequencies can sometimes be a problem when recording with a microphone. Moderate soundproofing, for example, tends to absorb 11 Soft clipping is tied to the internal signal level --a function of input level and gain. The OUTPUT LEVEL METER shows the internal signal level and is therefore a good indicator of soft clipping. In general, the more the OUTPUT LEVEL METER moves, the more soft clipping is present. [. . . ] The next page lists some typical settings for compressor use and is a good place to start in your experimentation. 13 Typical Settings Following are some starting points for different types of compression applications. As with many things in the audio realm, experimentation is required due to the differences between instruments, performers, style, microphones, recording environments and production styles. Remember to test dynamic extremes in the source material when setting the compressor. Also keep in mind that the compressor is also responding to the signal level it gets from TAMPA's input gain stage. [. . . ]