User Manual - Studio Manuals
Contents
1. Please Note This page replaces same page in the user guide Read First CAUTION RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN Warning Safety First Please read complete and return by mail the Warranty Registration Form entitling you to technical support and service under warranty Your new L2 package contains 1 L2 Ultramaximizer 4 This user guide 2 2 Power cables amp spare fuse 5 3 sets of 4 mounting bolts 3 Warranty Registration card 6 4 rubber feet NOTE THE POWER SUPPLY IS NOT AUTO SWITCHING You must check to make sure the voltage rating shown directly on the back panel of your L2 is appropriate for your electricity connection see diagram below To change Voltage pull out gently the fuse compartment it can be pull out by inserting screwdriver under it and pushing out gently insert it back to the desired voltage according to the 3 diagrams below make sure that the desired voltage marking is at the bottom of the compartment Important safety considerations please read 1 Securely mount L2 in a 19 studio rack away from rain moisture liquids heat sources or fire using the supplied four mounting bolts plastic washers prevent scratching or rubber feet for desktop use 2 In case of damage to L2 due to spilled liquids physical damage from knocks or dropping repairs should be performed by qualified service personnel only 3 Read a2. MILI Chapter 9 Troubleshooting 8 Frequently Asked Questions There are little clicks and pops like some type of static when using L2 This is nearly always a synchronization issue Make sure that your Sync selection is proper If you are using Digital inputs you should select D for Digital sync to lock to the selected digital input This gives the lowest jitter performance and should solve any clock problems If for some reason you have the Sync set to Internal while using a Digital input it is nearly guaranteed you ll have clicks and pops I want to use UV22 or Sony Super Bit Mapping on my DATs then use L2 for my final mastering step or vice versa Is there any conflict or problem with this Not at all Waves was very particular to make sure that IDR did not have any of the problems some other technologies in the business have been plagued with and that it would not cause any problems upstream or downstream You can safely use IDR before or after any other previously dithered or proprietarily processed signal without any deleterious effects Waves IDR was designed to have a minimal accumulation characteristic and is truly an uncorrelated stereo wordlength reduction system If you wish to use some other wordlength reduction system instead of IDR please make sure you read the Important IDR information section in Chapter 4 What is true uncorrelated stereo dither Uncorrelated simply means that t
3. Make sure you have read the safety instructions in the beginning of this guide before attempting to plug in and switch on L2 The power supply is not auto switching so make sure you check the voltage selection carefully see Read First page 1 This Quick Start assumes you know how to connect L2 to your other audio equipment If you are relatively new to digital audio processing equipment please read Chapters 2 and 5 respectively entitled Connecting L2 and Controls amp Displays in order to get L2 up and running 1 Make sure audio is passing through L2 We assume you ve read the previous chapters plugged in the cables correctly and found the power switch on the back You ll know it s working when the li e lights come on Now to the fun part 2 Leave L2 s IDR section set to the default settings Quantize 24 Dither typel Noise shaping Normal and that the ARC auto release is ON 3 For now just leave the Out ceiling control set to the default value 0 0 dB Listen to the output of L2 Set the threshold of the limiter by turning the Threshold rotary control counterclockwise 4 You ll notice that as you turn the Threshold down the output level goes up When the threshold is exceeded by the signal you will see the Gain Reduction indicated on de Attenuation meter to the right Set the threshold about 4 to 6dB lower than the peaks in the Threshold meters input You will see that you have from 4 to 6dB of peak limiting indicated o
4. Out ceiling Range is 30 0 to 0 0dB calibration 0 1dB steps Rotate this knob counterclockwise to lower the output ceiling A dedicated numerical display located next to this knob indicates the exact output ceiling level measured in dB below Full Scale 0dB FS Release with push button Range is 0 01 to 1000ms logarithmic Rotate this knob clockwise to increase the Release time A dedicated numerical display located next to this knob indicates the exact release time in milliseconds ms If you want to employ L2 s ARC feature Auto Release Control push the Auto release button located next to the Release rotary knob the LED will illuminate to show ARC is engaged We recommend that ARC be used by default for best results Analog input trim Range is 10dB Use this to adjust your input level If possible it s best to leave this control at the center 0 and adjust the device that is feeding signal to the L2 then use these controls for small trim and balance adjustments Front panel displays All bar graphs have infinite peak hold front panel push button resets all Push on the Peak reset button to reset the current peak hold values Input bar graph range 0 0 to 96 0dB Output bar graph range 0 0 to 96 0dB Atten bar graph range 0 5 to 12 0dB i Chapter 6 Details of using IDR IDR Increased Digital Resolution Requantizer Dithering and Noise Shaping System About IDR IDR is Waves proprietary noise s
5. 5 wordlengths available for output from 16 to 24bits in 2bit increments Of course the most common is 16bit for Compact Discs and DATs However there is an increasing number of high resolution mastering and storage media available in the world of pro audio Since many high end users may want to use their own D A converters for monitoring offering such wordlengths as 18 20 and 22bit gives increased flexibility to these users for optimum monitoring conditions For example a user with their favorite 20bit D A converter may set the L2 output to 20bit quantization On the other hand if someone wishes to archive at 24bit wordlength using the L2 set to 24bit quantize along with using IDR to reduce the internal 48bit data will deliver the highest possible quality 24bit signal for storage Most certainly it must be clear that if you are recording to a 16bit medium such as DAT or CD then you must set the Quantize to 16bit Setting it to 18bit will not result in 1 8bits recorded to the medium this may seem like common sense but it s not The 18bit output could be used for a situation where someone might be using their favorite 18bit D A converter for monitoring In short set the Quantize output to be the same as the wordlength of the recording medium you are using a or to the maximum wordlength accepted by the device connected to the L2 s output Most common scenarios For all three examples assume Dither typel Noise shaping Nor
6. clips or overs whatsoever Example B Digital source to digital media Recording a program from DAT to digital audio workstation through L2 16 bit digital m 24 nn ei LU m AENEA Digital Source to Digital Media Psic As stated it is simply best to always use the L2 s IDR wordlength reduction system in order to capture the best possible output from the internal 48bit data You can optimize the signal level using L2 s limiter If you have a sound track recorded on a DAT machine L2 can increase the signal level recording to your DAW or editor through a computer sound card Example C Analog mixing desk insert recording mixing T 24 bit A D L2 Ultramoximizer Analog Mixing Desk Insert 24 bit D A Connection Connect the DAT s digital output to L2 s digital input Connect L2 s digital output to your computer sound card s digital input Apply limiting using L2 s limiting feature see Chapter two Quick Start Set the IDR section to match the bit depth wordlength that you are recording to hard disk If your system records 16bits to disk set Quantize 16bit Dither typel Noise shaping Normal If your system records 20bits to disk use the same settings except set Quantize 20bit If your system records 24bits to disk use Quantize 24 Set the Threshold similarly to the recommendation in example A Analog Source to Digital Media Example D Digital mixing d
7. for one stage CD mastering can produce unwanted side effects Waves typel technology however is the first optimized for use at every processing stage allowing for the effects of cascading and subsequent signal processing if needed 3 IDR type2 dither This dither is a narrow band dither adds virtually no audible noise and so is nearly 5dB quieter than typel but with some low level distortion However this distortion is generally much lower than with no dither at all type2 is of a unique kind designed to minimize the amount of noise added thereby giving a lower noise level than the IDR typel process but at the expense of some low level distortion type2 does have some advantages for high quality mastering as well and it is purely your choice whether the ultimate in low distortion of typel is preferred or the additional reduction in noise of type2 Noise shaping Another way to decrease the perceived level of noise is to shape the frequency content of the noise so it matches the ear s sensitivity curves In basic terms noise shaping shifts the noise to the frequency ranges where we hear it the least The three options of Noise shaping provided on L2 push more of the noise energy to higher Feud above 15kHz and toward Nyquist where our ears are least sensitive and reducing the noise energy at lower frequencies The three Noise shaping options progressively differ in the amount of this shifting action The L2 features ninth order noise shap
8. that requires maximization of the level and resolution of a signal can be enhanced by using the Waves L2 We recommend applying L2 to your signal right at the end of your chain of sound processing techniques such as equalization compression etc Failure to p aa this rule will compromise the full benefits of absolute brick wall limiting and IDR requantization L2 features m 48bit internal processing m Up to 96kHz sampling rates m The 2nd generation of the lookahead peak limiter from Waves L1 software plug in m Waves ARC Auto Release Control technology for dynamically controlling release times m Waves proprietary IDR Increased Digital Resolution dithering technology now with 9th order noise shaping for optimum wordlength reduction quality Applications Waves L2 hardware processor combines the following components Precision high quality brickwall limiter IDR Increased Digital Resolution wordlength reduction system 2 bit digital VO High quality 24bit resolution analog I O converters L2 performs all digital processes with 48bit internal precision double precision The high quality limiting is followed by requantization wordlength reduction from the internal 48bit data to 16 18 20 22 or 24bit output wordlengths The system can also be used to requantize 24bit input signals to 16bit suitable for 16bit recording equipment an ideal function for DAT and CDR applications L2 also enhances the perceived sound quality b as mu
9. you d most certainly use IDR The same is true inside the Mackie mixer which has built in dithering by UV22 The mixer has an internal 32bit resolution to send the best quality signal to the L2 box you should set the mixer for a 24bit output not 16 as this would truncate the signal Then the L2 receives this 24bit input performs processing at 48bits then reduces the wordlength down to your final 16bit output to the DAT recorder In this example the L2 is after the Mackie not inserted The signal is dithered twice but at different bitdepths at 24 inside the Mackie and at 16 inside the L2 this preserves the maximum quality at all steps This example would also be true for any digital console set the console output for 24bit output with dither if available then use IDR in the L2 to reduce the 48bit signal to the final wordlength of your master recorder o n y Waves Sales and Tech Support Before writing or calling Waves for technical support please first check www waves com for technical support issues and the latest information E mail tech support is preferred and is more efficient in being able to provide complete documentation to you 306 West Depot Avenue Suit 100 Knoxville TN 37917 USA tel 1 865 546 6115 fax 1 865 546 8445 tech support us waves com sales info us waves com Wwww waves com Rest of the world ksWaves Ltd headquarters Azrieli Center 1 Tel Aviv 67021 ISRAEL tel 9
10. 2 1kHz 0dBFS Distortion 1kHz 0dBFS 0 075 Scaling 20dBFS 4dBm Maximum Output 24dBm Output Line Driver gt 500 Q Output Impedance lt 50Q 1kHz A D A combined Crosstalk 99 5dB with full scall 1kHz source THD N 20 22kHz unweighted 0 003096 Frequency response 96kHz 24dBFS 1dB 9 5Hz 0 0 5dB 20Hz 24 6kHz 1dB 32 5kHz 3dB 45kHz Frequency response 44 1kHz 24dBFS 0 0 3dB 20Hz 20kH 3dB 21 2kHz Noise Unweighted 20 Hz 22kHz 101 4dBFS at any sample rate Weighted 400Hz IEC A 104 dBFS Weighted CCIR RMS 400 Hz 95 6dBFS Analog output stage Maximum Output 22dBm Output Line Driver gt 500 Q Output Impedance 51Q Latency in samples Digital to Digital 706 sampling rates 134 x2 sampling rates Analog to Digital 73 x1 sampling rates 137 x2 sampling rates Digital to Analog 69 x1 sampling rates 13362 sampling rates Analog to Analog 135 x1 sampling rates 199 x2 sampling rates Front Panel Buttons T O selector Analog S PDIF RCA AES XLR Syne Internal Digital external word syne Sample Rates 44 1 48 x1 x2 Double the chosen sample rates yielding 88 2 or 96kHz Quantize 16 18 20 22 24bit Dither typel type2 off Noise shaping moderate normal ultra off Link Unlink For two mono limiters or one linked stereo limiter Auto Release To engage the ARC system functions Bypass 24bit clean hardwire bypass Peak reset Resets all infinite peak hold m
11. 72 3 608 1648 fax 972 3 608 1656 tech support ks waves com sales info ks waves com WWW Waves com 1999 Waves All rights reserved worldwide All features and specifications subject to change without notice as robust as possible If further processing is applied to Ultra processed masters there are no problems or contraindications only that it is not the ideal use of wordlength reduction technologies or extreme noise shapers Example F Using L2 as a D A converter for monitoring Digital Monitoring MO a analog output cc A 0 Or other digital output Converter Application Connection Connect the output from a DAW or computer sound card to L2 s digital inputs Connect L2 s analog outputs to your monitoring system at the least some type of level control a power amp and speakers If you are doing absolutely no limiting whatsoever and only wish to use the L2 as a D A converter you should turn IDR off Quantize 24 Dither Off Noise shaping Off However as you probably might want to use the limiter as well we don t recommend it as detailed previously in this manual It is bese to simply put IDR to these settings for best 24bit monitoring and 24bit digital output Quantize 24 Dither typel Noise shaping Normal If you want to monitor directly from the L2 and use IDR to reduce the wordlength say for 16bit DAT recording of masters then you must set the IDR controls to the Quantize valu
12. Power cables amp spare fuse 5 3 sets of 4 mounting bolts 3 Warranty Registration card 6 4 rubber feet NOTE THE POWER SUPPLY IS NOT AUTO SWITCHING You must check to make sure the voltage rating shown directly on the back panel of your L2 is appropriate for your electricity connection see diagram below To change Voltage pull out gently the fuse compartment it can be pull out by inserting screwdriver under it and pushing out gently insert it back to the desired voltage according to the 3 diagrams below make sure that the desired voltage marking is at the bottom of the compartment Important safety considerations please read 1 Securely mount L2 in a 19 studio rack away from rain moisture liquids heat sources or fire using the supplied four mounting bolts plastic washers prevent scratching or rubber feet for desktop use 2 In case of damage to 12 due to spilled liquids physical damage from knocks or dropping repairs should be performed by qualified service personnel only 3 Read all operating instructions Do not allow children to use L2 without adult supervision 5 Avoid placing L2 where there may be radio or TV interference 6 Do not overload audio inputs or outputs Waves will not be responsible for damage caused to other studio equipment such as speakers through misuse 100 Voltage 110 Voltage 220 Voltage fuse amp power cable fuse amp power cable fu
13. ays be to use Ultra noise shaping but in some situations heavy noise shaping of the Ultra kind can theoretically have some disadvantages and the alternate settings such as Normal or Moderate may be better For 16bit applications Ultra shaping should be avoided in the following situations a Subsequent digital editing when the signal is subjected to later editing At the edit points an extreme noise shaping might cause low level yet audible clicks in rare cases when played on very inexpensive CD players An example application in which you would avoid use of Ultra shaping would be on CD s with production music or sound effects libraries that would certainly be subject to further digital editing b Poor Error Correction i e when a signal is destined for a carrier medium with poor error correction such as CDs essed in pressing plants with poor quality control When errors that are not properly corrected occur the Ultra setting fie all forms of heavy noise shaping and other resolution enhancement technologies tends to cause audible background crackles especially on very cheap CD players While these effects generally don t occur on the majority of mid or hi fi CD players they can be noticeable on very cheap products The amount of such crackles on poor pressings is greatly reduced by the Normal noise shaping Of course it can be argued that listeners with very cheap players may not be interested in high quality reproduction at all
14. c Subsequent equalization before duplication not by the user when heavy treble boost equalization is subsequently employed Again we re referring to EQ by a pre mastering person before duplication not if the user boosts the treble on their system For the user to do so is fine and is up to them This can cause the strongly boosted higher frequencies used by Ultra noise shaping to become so high in level that they might feed excessive noise energy into loudspeakers Therefore Ultra shaping is best avoided in situations where subsequent equalization may be used in pre mastering such as in a compilation However if the mastering is done correctly the first time large treble boosts would be quite unnecessary and is somewhat moot in this context Much less HF gain is used with the Normal and Moderate noise shapers all of which could be observed on a real time analyzer such as Waves PAZ Psychoacoustic Analyzer Recommended IDR settings Any combination of dither and noise shaping can be used but the following settings are particularly recommended for different applications m General Purpose high quality use including material liable to be edited EQ d and re dithered typel Normal m Lowest Noise type2 Ultra m Low Noise Highest quality final production masters typel Ultra m Low noise while allowing editing EQ type2 Normal m High Quality with lowest risks of spurious noises on edits or cheap CD players typel Moderate m Lo
15. ch as 18dB For example 16 and 20bit masters will have the perceived sound quality of 19 and 23 bit signals when starting with high resolution source masters The Quick Start chapter includes a basic L2 application but you can use L2 in many other setups according to your needs such as 1 Mastering 2 Recording a mix through L2 to your master recorder 3 Recording a program to a digital audio workstation through L2 4 Inserting L2 into an analog or digital mixer desk channel 5 A D and D A conversion 6 Live sound FOH 7 Broadcasting or Netcasting BD Chapter 2 Connecting L2 Mains Power Supply 100 110 or 220 volts THE POWER SUPPLY IS NOT AUTO SWITCHING You must check to make sure the voltage rating shown on the back panel of your L2 is appropriate for your electricity connection See Read First Page 2 The power cable socket and fuse box with voltage settings are all located together pones on the back panel of L2 Plug the supplied cable into your electricity connection and the back of L2 Switch on the power using the on off power switch on the back of L2 When you switch the power on the front panel LED displays will illuminate Replacin the fuse i fus power cable If the fuse blows switch off the power pull off the fuse box see diagram above Voltage selector replace the fuse and do not forget to replace it back with the proper voltage sel
16. compare the L2 processed track to the original If the Bypass is illuminated on you will hear unprocessed audio Push the button off the LED will switch of and you will hear L2 processed audio The Bypass is 24bit clean hardwire bypass for digital to digital 1 0 Peak meter reset PH reset Push on this button to reset the infinite hold peak readings on all the LED displays Auto release To engage or disengage ARC Auto Release Control When ARC is engaged the LED illuminates There is one button each for the and right channels These buttons are locare next to the Release If the L2 is linked then the left ARC controls the status of both channels You can see the ARC button s location on the Front Panel Rotary Controls diagram below The last settings used are recalled when powering the unit up Bar graph displays La Veces a o OS OA N 9 2M 39 Losas la omm Le o N N Numerical displays Front Panel Rotary Front panel dedicated rotary controls Threshold Range is 30 0 to 0 0dB calibration 0 1dB steps Rotate this knob counterclockwise to lower the Threshold level Gain goes up equally as the Threshold is lowered You ll notice some attenuation in the Attenuation display as the Threshold drops below the signals The numerical display located next to this knob indicates the exact Threshold level measured in dB below Full Scale 0dB FS y
17. d dithering to your inal output The resulting resolution is as good as you can get preserving as much detail as possible My material is all destined for radio Is there any advantage to limiting beforehand when the signal is just going to hit the broadcast limiters It is not necessary to try to beat them to it and slam the mix However hot CDs have been limited for quite some time and if it helps your production voiceover commercials music etc stand out a bit on the radio that s good A little of a good thing goes a long way so don t overdo it In some places the L2 can serve as an on air processor in an all digital processing chain I have already processed a mix through L2 using ype 1 dither with Ultra noise shaping I need to correct a fade Should I go back through L2 to the DAT and if so what dither settings should I use The absolute best thing to do is go back and repeat the entire process using the original source If you are mastering you should have all your settings anyway However if you have no choice then you can use typel Normal for this master just in case you change your mind again I have the new Mackie Digital 8 Bus mixer with the built in UV22 process Should I disable the IDR when mixing to DAT thru the L2 No Remember this everytime you have a long wordlength like the 48bits inside the L2 and need to reduce it to 16bits for the DAT you must dither in order to preserve resolution So in this case
18. duction values the ARC allows very heavy limiting with astoundingly clear sound Maximum resolution In the L1 and L2 processors the level and peak limiting takes place at high resolution in the case of the L2 with 48bit precision At that point you must decide how you want to reduce this long wordlength for the output First we must discuss a little about resolution of digital audio in a more general way Any digital signal processing that alters the original digital data mixing gain changes EQ dynamic processing etc generally increases the number of bits required to represent the signal Conventional truncation results in a loss of signal resolution each time the signal is processed The solution is to properly dither and noise shape a signal each time the wordlength is increased then reduced such as nearly every digital signal process will require Proper dithering is simply this before the requantization reduction of the wordlength a precisely controlled amount of noise termed dither is added to the signal This can convert the low level nonlinear distortion caused by truncation into a simple steady hiss thereby removing all traces of low level non linearity but at the expense of a very slightly increased background noise Obviously increased noise levels are not ideal in high quality audio applications but fortunately the perceived level of this dither noise can be greatly reduced by shaping the noise in
19. e for your master recorder In the case of a DAT set Quantize 16 Dither typel Noise shaping Normal The L2 s analog outputs will be monitoring the 16bit IDR processed signal which is the same signal being sent to the digital outputs These are merely recommendations for Dither and Shaping for more information on using other settings please refer to the IDR chapter A WAVES
20. ection Mounting L2 Before connecting L2 be sure to securely mount it in a standard 19 studio rack mount away from heat and moisture We recommend using the S ppied plastic washers between L2 and the mounting bolts to protect L2 s front panel from scratches Alternatively for desktop use attach the four rubber feet to the bottom of the L2 Audio Connections Back Panel A Analog In Out L2 accepts two types of connector for analog input and output Each type has two inputs and two outputs for left and right channels The connectors are 1 XLR connector type for balanced inputs and outputs 2 1 4 jack connector type for unbalanced inputs and outputs Left and Right Channel Analog Input Output Connectors B Digital In Out L2 accepts two types of digital inputs and outputs 1 XLR type input and output connectors for AES EBU signals type inputs and output connectors for S PDIF signals Ss opt Di ro Wordclock Input 1 m sence Users can connect L2 to an external clock source or use L2 s internal O clock source The external clock source connector is BNC type Using mr seor A 9 an external wordclock is for applications that require synchronization 5 ANS with other digital audio devices Internal clock should be used only when O N SE 74 using L2 s analog inputs RS 232 For service personnel only Digital Input and Ourpu Chapter 3 Quick Start Using L2 as a limiter
21. edited ain However with many thousands of L1 processed masters L1 is e software pl in that led to the deor of the L2 hardware no such situations have been reported or observed Since it is theoretically possible we wish to inform you of it You can hear the effect of Noise shaping by itself by setting Dither type to Off and selecting one of the Noise shaping options while monitoring the output OF course the effect of Noise shaping is even greater when used with typel or type dithering since Noise shaping reduces the audibility of the added dither noise Now try the full effect of IDR technology by listening to the same material with both IDR types and different kinds of noise shaping The most obvious places to examine are notes or reverb during the end of the sound or tail It is during this time that quantization error is most audible although it is present on all low level signals such as elements that are soft in a mix etc If you don t feel you fully understand the tradeoffs between IDR and Noise shaping settings the option that will WAN ANITA generally work well for CD mastering is typel with Normal noise shaping For minimum noise with 16bit and greater sources type2 Ultra for maximum resolution typel Ultra The noise reduction figures given here apply to sampling rates of 44 1 or 48kHz They are even better for doubled sampling rates If audibility of noise were the only factor the choice would almost alw
22. esk insert recording mixing 24 bit Digital L2Ultramaximizer Or digital mixer Connection This will depend on the mixer that you are using but in general the issue of synchronization is the main difference between various studios Connect a send from the mixing desk to the appropriate digital input of the L2 If your console has wordclock it can be used although it is easier to simply select D Digital on the L2 s front panel Syne selector This gives quite reliable results and if you are simply trying wordclock and have some timing issues or problems such as clicks and static then disconnect the wordcl fing and use Digital Sync Your mixer will be the master clock in either situation Set Threshold for the desired amount of limiting Adjust Ceiling for appropriate return signal level If you want inier gain processing set Ceiling to be exactly equal to Threshold With light to medium limiting your return ignal will be very nearly unity gain with eye controlled peaks With heavier limiting you ll have to increase the ne Ceiling level to have the same perceived loudness as before the L2 s limiting f ie n VRAT UW I Example E Digital domain mastering Kf 16 bit L2Ultramaximizer Monitoring Analog output ao BB Digital to Digital Here are the basic steps of using L2 in a 16bit 44 1kHz application These steps wou
23. etering on the L2 front panel Front panel dedicated rotary controls Threshold Range is 30 0 to 0 0dB calibration 0 1dB steps Ceiling Range is 30 0 to 0 0dB calibration 0 1dB steps Release Range is 0 01 to 1000ms logarithmic the push button toggles ARC feature on off Analog trim controls Range is 10dB for analog input adjustment Front panel dedicated numeric displays Thresh 30 0 to 0 0dB Ceiling 30 0 to 0 0dB Release 0 01 to 1000 0ms Front panel displays Input meter range 0 0 to 90dB Output meter range 0 0 to 90dB Attenuation meter range 0 5 to 12 dB All bar graphs have infinite peak hold front panel push button resets all meters Back Panel Analog input output Balanced XLR unbalanced 1 4 2 conductor phone plug Digital input output AES XLR S PDIF RCA External word clock BNC connector Mains power supply NOT AUTO SWITCHING Supplied with one 1 of the following 100VAC 110VAC 220VAC All three are 50 60Hz compatible Power switch On Off If you need help with this you might want to consider a different type of work another career some other century Dimensions Box Width behind the front panel Metric 440 mm Imperial 17 3 8 Height Metric 85 mm Imperial 3 3 8 Depth Metric 220 mm Imperial 8 5 8 2U 19 Standard Rackmount L2 s front panel contains four 6mm diameter bolt fastening holes Weight 4 0kg 8 8 pounds Ill UU gt un
24. gital inputs and in the Digital Sync mode this light will illuminate automatically Quantize Options 16 18 20 22 24bit Push this button to set the final bit depth This function is not related to the input bit depth All internal processing is done with 48bit resolution Dither Options Off T1 and T2 Push this button to select dither type or no dither Off Dither types T1 IDR dither typel yields lower distortion greater linearity T2 IDR dither type2 yields lower noise level T2 IDR dither type2 yields lower noise level Noise shaping Options Off Moderate Normal and Ultra Push this button to select Noise shaping Here are the approximate behaviors of the various noise shaping curves all HF noise gains are stated for 44 1kHz Moderate 6dB improved perceived resolution 9dB HF noise gain Normal 12dB improved perceived resolution 15dB HF noise gain Ultra 18dB improved perceived resolution 23dB HF noise gain Link For stereo linked or dual mono unlinked When this button is off not illuminated use each channel separately When it s on illuminated L2 s left and right channels are linked i e when you adjust the left channel the right channel will receive and display the same exact settings In this mode the limiting is determined by information from L and R channels then applied equally to both hana so that the stereo image and center channel stability is preserved Bypass Use this to
25. haped dithering system co developed with Michael Gerzon a world authority in psychoacoustics The IDR component in L2 can be used to maximize the digital resolution of the resulting audio IDR s design is a result of Mr Gerzon s long term researches dating back to 1982 with many of the other leading experts in digital resolution enhancement technologies In the industry IDR and such systems are interchangeably referred to as wordlength reduction systems bit depth reduction systems dithering systems and proprietary processes They are sometimes incorrectly referred to as pe which relates only to sample rate The end result is the same no matter the name to capture more detail into a shorter wordlength output IDR controls The Waves IDR system in L2 can be implemented using the following three push button controls 1 Quantize 2 Dither 3 Noise shaping E Select Quantize level for desired output 24 22 20 18 16 by pushing the Quantize button to toggle through the choices m Select Dither typel type2 Off by pushing the Dither button typel gives no nonlinear distortion type2 exhibits lower dither level The choice between low distortion or lower level is up to you m Select the type of noise shaping Moderate Normal Ultra Off by pushing the Noise shaping button For optimum results level maximization should also be done This is why the L2 includes both advanced peak controlling and IDR together Quantize There are
26. he items being compared have no relation to each other that they are separate and distinct In this case we re talking about a random signal unlike the pseudo random or periodic signals of some technologies which by definition can not be truly uncorrelated What s the big deal Stereo image is the bottom line If you take Left and Right channels and take a signal that is similar or worse yet exactly the same such as mono dither as some popular finalizing products have then add it to both channels you have made them more similar at low levels of detail than they were This causes these details to be more alike and therefore the stereo image of these low level signals could be collapsed inward slightly Such problems remove important auditory cues reduce the apparent stereo image of low level detail and will slightly alter reverb quality and more Waves IDR has completely random L and R signals in order to preserve as much independent quality on each channel as possible What is the advantage of 48bit resolution when all of my audio ends up at 16bit It s a great advantage even if you start with 16bit audio which most of the world will do for awhile Just think of it as more accurate audio math because it is Using 48bit math simply keeps track of more detail while the processing is going on Multiply 2 decimal numbers together and nearly always you get a number with a longer decimal that is precisely what is happening with 48bit audio an
27. ime In many uses of limiters and other dynamic processes the exact choice of time constants attack and release is set as a careful choice of reaction to RMS and peak transients Peak transients are sudden sharp sounds such as drum attacks or any sound with a sharp beginning RMS means root mean square which represents the average level To allow more gain reduction with less artifacts the release time must change to control different parts of the signal In ARC similar to the human ear RMS and peak transients are analyzed and reacted to differently In general the release is faster for peak transients and dover for the overall RMS level Fast release times with certain signals such as bass signals or high RMS levels can produce unwanted distortion artifacts so the Waves ARC system automatically updates the right release time constantly for the best possible sound no matter what the input is In the case of the L2 fast control of transients and slower release times for sustained energy RMS above the threshold are equally essential to achieve maximum level and minimum distortion or artifacts The ARC technology can be switched in and out as some users will need the L2 only for light limiting however we recommend leaving the ARC auto release controls in at all times This ensures that even for light limiting the release time is as fast as possible with minimum artifacts Additionally for some of today s demanding music genre and pro
28. ing for optimal wordlength reduction quality 1 Off No noise shaping resulting in more audible noise and distortion if dither is not used The result has equal noise distortion ye at all frequencies which is not optimal from a psychoacoustic point of view 2 M Moderate This typically reduces perceived hiss or distortion if dither is not used by around 6dB The HF noise gain is about 9dB for 44 1kHz 3 N Normal This typically reduces perceived hiss or distortion if dither is not used by around 12dB The HF noise gain is about 1548 br 44 1kHz In addition to being very suitable for creation of Production Masters using Normal with typel dithering was also designed to be excellent for masters that would be processed again for any reason including consecutive re dithering with an accumulation characteristic that is optimized to be minimal 4 U Ultra This gives the greatest perceived hiss distortion reduction typically 18dB The HF noise gain is about 23dB for 44 1kHz Ultra is a very high quality setting suitable only for use at the very last stage of mastering high resolution audio 16bit and longer wordlengths targeted for high quality digital media It is best to use Ultra in the last stage of audio preparation Production Master Due to the HF gain it is theoretically possible that the relatively high amount of high frequency energy could cause undesirable side effects if the signal is going to be processed or digitally
29. ircuit The same could be done for using only the limiter although it must be said that IDR should be used even for 24bit digital or analog outputs basically all the time in order to achieve as much as 27bit perceived resolution It s quite simple as the internal L2 resolution is 48bit you want the best possible 24bit output of that 48bit data In other words you d want to do this if you were feeding L2 s output into any box that expected a 24bit input even a separate wordlength reduction or dithering box In this manner the L2 IDR has given the downstream component a 3bit increased digital resolution This is also true for monitoring via L2 s bit D A converter you should use IDR for the best 24bit signal Quantize 24 Dither typel Noise shaping Normal There s actually only one reason to completely turn IDR off Quantize 24 Dither Off Noise shaping Off which is to provide a bit transparent processor when the limiter is also not being used Threshold 0 0 Ceiling 0 0 Why would someone want this For example to take the L2 out of the chain for one song without having to physically unpatch it or without using the Bypass function A purist application such as mastering requires a bit transparent device so there are two ways to get such performance from the L2 Some users will want to proof the processor in this way although the most logical thing to do is simply push Bypass n 7 PrP UU AES SPDIF A Inpu
30. ise energy across the spectrum This optimization is according to the ear s sensitivity This means a decrease in noise whether distortion or hiss in the car s sensitive areas 1 to kHz is exchanged for an increase of noise in less sensitive areas above 15kHz toward Nyquist Hopefully this has helped you see that in both techniques the issue is about exchanging the character and frequency content of noise hiss amp distortion according to subjective criteria How do these processes help capture 3 more bits of detail The easiest analogy is to point to dithering in graphics which is exactly the same process and exactly the same type of psycho perceptual model The brain is capable of perceiving detail that is lower than a noise floor in this case dither However quantization noise is highly correlated to the signal in other words it is related to and governed by the signal Dithering makes this noise become uncorrelated as dither is a random signal therefore allowing the brain to perceive the detail The noise shaping then helps to shift the energy of the noise to a less sensitive area of hearing Dither 1 No dither lt off gt This is normal truncation and gives a high degree of nonlinear distortion at low levels There is actually no reason to turn dither Off in normal use The singular reason would be to provide a 24bit transparent perfect clone output from the input it s easier to just use the Bypass button Even
31. it you are using an external dithering system to achieve your final desired wordlength you should use the L2 s IDR to dither to a 24bit output 2 IDR typel dither This dither is a wide band dither typel adds a certain amount of noise causing a 5dB increase in background noise compared to no dither It completely eliminates all low level distortion and signal dependent modulation effects The result is a very transparent and clean low level sound with a high resolution most resembling the steady low level hiss of an excellent quality analog system and in lieu of digital quantization noise This is the purist technology It is designed for no nonlinear distortion or modulation noise at low levels and combines optimal dither noise with psychoacoustic noise shaj ping el is also optimized to cause minimal side effects when used with stereo signals typel is the recommended choice for use when processing high quality mastering applications By combining level maximization peak controlling and IDR processing 16bit audio created from 20 or 24bit masters this way can have an apparent resolution of 19 bits more than an 18dB improvement When signals might be subjected to more than one stage of processing and quantization back to 16bits the design of resolution enhancement must satisfy additional requirements than a technology designed just for one stage use If applied several times in succession a digital resolution enhancement technology optimized
32. ld also apply to 20bit mastering and or for higher sample rates All processing EQ sample rate conversion dynamic changes etc MUST be done before L2 processing The L2 Ultramaximizer should be the last process before your Master Recorder or before bouncing to a Production Master file If the left and right channels need to be balanced adjust the Input levels by using the input knobs if using analog inputs For digital inputs you must adjust the balance by controlling the source that feeds the L2 s input Set the Threshold for desired peak limiting In general set Threshold for about 4 6 dB of Gain Reduction although the L2 is capable of much heavier limiting than this for a demanding music genre or client Of course you ll eventually squish the punch right out ofthe mix if you wish Now set the Output Ceiling to the maximum peak output you desire You can take this Output all the way to 0 0 dB without any clipping with no overs whatsoever For CD s a recommended setting is 0 3dB This helps to avoid clips in the analog side of a cheap or poorly designed D A converter but is only a recommendation Setting Ceiling to just below 0 0 helps avoid inaccurate over indicators on equipment that doesn t explicitly define what an over really is Set the Auto Release buttons to the On position We strongly recommend that you leave the release time to the ARC system for best possible result If you wish to have a specific type of effect
33. ll operating instructions 4 Do not allow children to use L2 without adult supervision 5 Avoid placing L2 where there may be radio or TV interference 6 Do not overload audio inputs or outputs Waves will not be responsible for damage caused to other studio equipment such as speakers through misuse 100 Voltage 110 Voltage 220 Voltage fuse amp power cable fuse amp power cable fuse amp power cable Voltage selector Voltage selector Voltage selector Digital peak limiter and IDR Wordlength Reduction for Maximum Level and Highest Resolution www waves com tA Contents Jj O Read First O Addendum O Chapter1 Introduction O Chapter2 Connecting L2 Chapter3 Quick Start Using L2 as a Limiter O Chapter4 A Bit About level amp Resolution in L2 O Chapter 5 Controls amp Displays O Chapter 6 Details of Using IDR Increased Digital Resolution O Chapter 7 Examples of Applications O Chapter 8 Technical Specifications O Chapter9 Troubleshooting and FAQ s O Waves Sales and Tech Support 20 22 24 Read First CAUTION RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN Warning Safety First Please read complete and return by mail the Warranty Registration Form entitling you to technical support and service under warranty Your new L2 package contains 1 L2 Ultramaximizer 4 This user guide 2 2
34. mal 16bit If you are saving the final output to DAT or CD recorder then set the Quantize to 16bit The Quantize setting captures the best data possible for the selected bit depth 20bit If you are saving the final output to 20bit storage medium such as the Sony 20bit Master Recorder or Genex MO recorder set the Quantize to 20bit 24bit If you have a 24bit archival medium or intend on a 24bit bounce for later work set the Quantize setting to 24bit About Dither and Noise shaping Dithering and Noise shaping are two independent but complementary techniques to improve the perceived quality d sound after it has been re quantized As will be explained here in some detail each technique is responsible for the improvement of a different subjective quality of the noise imposed by re quantization Therefore each can be used separately to improve that specific quality Dithering is done in order to change the character of the quantization noise to more closely resemble analog hiss rather than digital quantization noise The main effect of dithering is to reduce or in case of type virtually eliminate all correlation between the quantization noise and the original signal thus reducing eliminating non linear distortion typical of digital quantization noise The dithering process exchanges these distortions for a steadier analog hiss quality signal Noise shaping is done in order to optimize the distribution of overall no
35. n the Attenuation meter 5 Notice that you have significantly increased the output level If you set threshold to 12dB then you have pushed the signal up 12dB With moderate gain reduction the maximum audio level can be significantly increased with minimal audible effect Only the signal above the threshold is limited all signal below the threshold has a constant gain change that is controlled by the difference between the Threshold and the Out Ceiling It is this function of L2 that allows you to maximize the level with the amount of headroom desired Leave Out ceiling set to 0 0 for maximum output level We recommend that you leave the ARC auto release system engaged at all times as this will update the release time constantly for the best possible sound quality and minimum distortion gt E o c GUY I A UM Chapter 4 A Bit About Level amp Resolution in L2 Maximum level The maximum level of a digital signal is generally governed by the source s highest peak Today s demanding production environments require the average levels obe much higher than in the past and with the accompanying risk of digital clipping comes the need for precision control of the maximum peak level The L2 s brickwall peak limiter acts as a protected gain control It lets you increase the gain as you choose as well as define a maximum output ceiling which the signal is never allowed to exceed The L2 limiter only red
36. ring box In this manner L2 s IDR has given the downstream component a 3bit increased digital resolution This is also true for monitoring via the L2 s 24bit D A converter you should use IDR for the best 24bit signal Quantize 24 Dither typel Noise shaping Normal There s actually only one reason to completely turn IDR off Quantize 24 Dither Off Noise shaping Off which is to provide a bit transparent processor when the limiter is also not being used Threshold 0 0 Ceiling 0 0 Why would someone want this For example to take the L2 out of the chain for one song without having to physically unpatch it or without using the Bypass function A purist application such as mastering requires a bit transparent device so there are two ways to get such performance from B Some users will want to proof the processor in this way although the most logical thing to do is simply push Bypass Example A Using L2 as an A D converter Recording an analog mix to DAT DAW through L2 16 bit dithered L2Ultramaximizer g Monitoring Analog output olo Using L2 as a A D converter You can use L2 to perform high quality A D conversion using the 24bit internal resolution converters You can then maximize signal levels and requantize the 24bit processed or unprocessed signal to a 16bit signal which is suitable for DAT or other 16bit recording medium ll IM Hall Hine u ui However if
37. s Ignore the DAT the L2 is accurate IMPORTANT The XLR Analog Outputs are intended to be used with BALANCED inputs ONLY The 1 4 Analog Outputs can be used to drive UNBALANCED or BALANCED inputs but are intended for unbalanced use What can happen Loss of 6 dB distortion or slight loss of headroom signal quality was a higher priority than foolproofing Both the XLR and 1 4 Inputs are balanced and are happy with either unbalanced or balanced inputs The normal operating level in all cases is PRO 4 dBm not 10 semi pro and consumer You will probably need to really crank up the input gain with some semi pro and consumer gear Chapter 1 Introduction Welcome to the L2 Ultramaximizer manual Be sure to read the safety considerations on page 1 of this manual before you plug in and switch on L2 s power The following pages explain how you can use L2 to significantly increase the average signal level and resolution of typical audio signals without introducing audible side effects Waves digital brickwall limiter allows you to increase the level significantly and the IDR wordlength reduction system a requantization process to increase the perceived resolution of the signal by as much as 3bits over 18dB You can also employ L2 s more than adequate limiter parameters to deliberately limit your audio for a variety of applications including pre mastering recording and mixing live sound and more Any pro audio task
38. se amp power cable Voltage selector Voltage selector Voltage selector i Addendum HINT To compare L2 Limiting to BYPASS at similar levels Set the THRESHOLD and CEILING to the same values NOW toggle BYPASS Set the THRESHOLD so that the far right Gain Reduction LED meter shows 4 to 8 dB of gain The THRESHOLD knob started out at 0 0 and is probably reading something like 8 5 Just set the CEILING to 8 5 or whatever the THRESHOLD now reads This allows you to A B compare limiting to bypass at similar volumes Easy Many new users are initially thrown by this because it is not like a typical analog limiter They simply want to do a confidence check on the limiter and verify for themselves when the limiting becomes audible and how Usually you can get 5 or 6 dB louder very transparently on music already normalized It shouldn t take too long learning to interpret the meters and developing a trust in the L2 IMPORTANT To record to the digital input of a Panasonic DAT machine you MUST use the AES EBU input on the DAT The Panasonic S PDIF inputs are not compatable with the L2 but this is the only incompatability we know of The 3700 and 3900 S PDIF outputs can feed the L2 for playback The 3700 requires the proper dip switch setting and the 3900 is set up in the menus Use the DAT manuals It is easiest and best just to use the AES EBU I O s and relax Some DAT meters may not agree with the L2 meter
39. such a way that it falls into an area of the audio spectrum where the human ear is least sensitive The main point of maximum resolution is simple to capture the best possible quality into a shorter wordlength smaller bitdepth from a longer wordlength higher resolution Inside L2 all data requires 48bits to represent the signal even when L2 is processing a 16bit input signal In fact all L2 processing including IDR is with 48bit resolution Therefore even if you want a 24bit output from L2 for some other device you must use the IDR system to capture up to 27bits of perceived resolution for the output signal Otherwise you will truncate the 48bit internal signal resulting in a rounding error which produces a distortion at low signal levels and a permanent loss of digital resolution that can never be recovered The human ear uses this low level information to construct a mental image of the stereo soundstage so any compromise in this area manifests itself as a loss of spaciousness and transparency Waves IDR prevents this loss of critical low level detail Important IDR information For all applications whether analog or digital output you should know that the L2 is 24 bit clean if controls are set to null values For example if you want to use only the IDR section for wordlength reduction and not use the limiter simply set both the Threshold and Out Ceiling to 0 0 the limiter section would be bit transparent i e out of the c
40. t selector Sample rate of on o o 46 18 20 22 28 Quantize 00000 O Noise shaping Oz oz Front Panel Push Buttons Front Panel Buttons Input selector Options A Analog SPDIF S PDIF RCA AES AES XLR Push on the Input selector button to toggle through the selection according to the type of audio input signal you are using Sync Options Int Internal D Digital S PDIF RCA or AES XLR Ext External word clock synchronization If the Sync mode is set to Digital then you cannot change the sampling rate The L2 will lock to incoming signals and display the incoming digital signal s sampling rate Push on the Sync button to set clock synchronization The Internal setting uses L2 s internal clock Digital synchronizes with the digital input senal External requires an external word cock source connected to L2 s BNC Wordclock input located on the rear panel When L2 does not have lock onto an incoming signal the lights for the sample rate functions will flash When lock is established then the lights stay on steadily Sample rate Options 44 1 48kHz You can only change the signal sample rate when L2 s Sync mode is set to Internal The L2 will automatically detect and display sample rate for all other Sync modes x2 Options 88 2 96kHz Push this button to double the 44 1 and 48kHz sample rates when using analog inputs see the above Sample rate button description When using 88 2 or 96kHz di
41. uces the applied gain locally when it anticipates a clip is about to occur By transparently controlling signal peaks the entire level of the source can be raised several more dB resulting in a higher average signal level For realtime processing the normalization process of disk based systems is not possible as it is nearly impossible to know the highest peak of a source Therefore to try to have control of peaks that is overshoot free with minimal artifacts is essential L2 avoids the possibility of overshoot by utilizing a look ahead technique which actually introduces a short delay This iique lets L2 anticipate and reshape peaks in a way that produces a minimum of audible artifacts As there is no possibility of overshoot L2 can be used with absolute confidence in situations where brick wall limiting is important As a result the sound has a very small delay of approximately 1 5ms ARC Auto Release Control Waves ARC technology is part of the system that enables greater maximum levels and like the look ahead technique does so with a minimum of artifacts unwanted distortion The ARC Auto Release Control algorithm is designed to dynamically choose the optimum limiter release value for a wide ranging input ARC reacts much like a human ear and can produce significantly increased RMS average levels with excellent audio clarity The release time is simply how fast the limiter stops limiting and the ARC system controls this release t
42. use the manual release option by disengaging the auto release button ARC will always have the fastest release time possible based on the input with minimal distortion or artifacts Set Quantize output to the desired wordlength 16 for CD masters or DATS 20 or 24 for archives intermediate storage or a DVD Audio format that supports long wordlengths Set Dither type typel or type2 IDR typel is recommended for most high resolution applications it very nearly eliminates all non linear distortion type2 has other features that are detailed in the IDR section Set Shaping Moderate Normal Ultra Off Ultra and Normal are recommended for most high resolution applications Normal should be used for any master that might be edited again Ultra can be used for final production masters that will not have any further processing however Waves has taken great care to make IDR Chapter 8 Technical Specifications Analog Input stage Analog Input Gain 10dB Input Impedance Balanced Input 17 1kQ 1kHz Maximum Input 0dB Input Gain 24dBm clips at 425 2 dBu 1 THD ADC 644 1kHz Frequency responce unweighted 20Hz 20kHz 0 0 0 01dB 1dB 21kHz Noise 112dBFS 18 3 bits THD 3rd Harmonic 130dBFS 1kHz 10dBFS lt 0 0060 Scaling 0dB Input Gain 4dBm 20dBFS DAC 044 1kHz Frequency response unweighted 20Hz 20kHz 0 0 01dB 05dB 21Khz Noise 101dBES 16 5 bits THD Noise 0 00
43. w noise with lowest risk of spurious noises on edits or cheap CD players type2 Moderate i Chapter 7 Examples of Applications This chapter contains the following L2 application examples which are just part of what can be done with the L2 a Using L2 as an A D converter b Digital source to digital media c Analog mixing desk insert recording mixing d Digital mixing desk insert recording mixing e Digital domain mastering Using L2 as a D A converter for monitoring Important IDR information For clarity this critical information is repeated from Chapter 4 For all applications whether using analog or digital outputs you should know that L2 is 24 bit clean if controls are set to null values For example if you want to use only the IDR section for wordlength reduction and not use the Limites simply set both the Threshold and Out Ceiling to 0 0 the limiter section would be bit transparent i e out of the circuit The same could be done for using only the limiter although it must be said that IDR should be used even for 24bit digital or analog outputs basically all the time in order to achieve as much as 27bit perceived resolution It s quite simple as the internal L2 resolution is 48bit you want the best possible 24bit representation of that 48bit data In other words you d want to do this if you were feeding the L2 output into any box that expected a 24bit input even a separate wordlength reduction or dithe
44. your DAW is capable of 20bit then you should set Quantize for 20bit alternately if you have one of the double speed 24bit DAT recorders then set Quantize to 24bit Connection Connect the L R output of your mixing desk to L2 s analog inputs Connect the digital outputs from L2 to your DAT or other recorder If possible adjust the signal being sent to the L2 so that the highest expected peaks are between 12 and 6dB leave some headroom to avoid clipping the analog input Then use the L2 front panel analog trim controls for small trim and balance adjustments Set the Quantize button to 16bit for 16bit DATS etc If you are only using L2 to down reduce the wordlength of the signal the Threshold and Output Ceiling controls should be set to OdB To use the limiter simply set Threshold to the desired amount of limiting adjust the Out Ceiling to an appropriate value for your application See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about some applications For mixing we recommend that L2 be used only as a safety limiter not necessarily to slam your mixes It s better to do that in mastering if it s what you want to do Instead the L2 creates some headroom that can not be clipped in the digital domain on your DAT As an example set the Threshold to 12 0 then adjust your input so you get a little limiting on the loudest section of each song Your DAT master will be hot have a 19bit perceived resolution and will have no
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