SOUNDFIELD - Mastering Mansion
Contents
1. SOUNDFIELD SPS200 Software Controlled Microphone User Guide Version 1 01 System comprises SPS200 Microphone 5m Microphone Cable e Microphone Holder SPS200 Surround Zone Software e Professional Carry Case User Manual SoundField SPS200 User Guide TABLE OF CONTENTS Safety Information 3 What Is In The Box 4 SoundField History 5 Introduction 6 How Does It Work 7 Interfacing The SPS200 8 10 Microphone Positioning and Orientation Guide 11 12 The SPS200 Surround Zone Software 13 19 Quick Start Guide TDM Pro Tools HD 20 23 Quick Start Guide VST Nuendo 24 25 Warranty 26 Shipping and Quality Assurance 2 10 Pin A Format Output Wiring Details 28 Technical Specifications 29 SPS200 Accessories 30 Table of Contents Page 2 SoundField SPS200 User Guide SAFETY INFORMATION e This equipment must be EARTHED e Only suitably trained personnel should service this equipment e Please read and take note of all warning and informative labels Before starting any servicing operation this equipment must be isolated from the AC supply mains by removing the incoming IEC mains connector e Fuses should only be replaced with ones of the same type and rating as that indicated e Operate only in a clean dry and pollutant free environment Do not op2. STEREO ANGLE oie Q MASTER The Stereo Angle control allows the user to set the angle between the coincident stereo pair either live or after the recording has taken place For example a small stereo angle can be utilised to emphasise a soloist where as a wide angle can be used to create a wide stereo image such as that required for an orchestra The Polar Pattern control is continuously variable ranging from Omni through Sub Cardioid Cardioid Hyper Cardioid to Figure of eight and sets the polar patterns used for the stereo pair Both parameters are reflected in real time in the visual representation window The SPS200 Surround Zone software Page 18 SoundField SPS200 User Guide e MID SIDE ENCODER a When the Mid Side button is enabled the stereo outputs will be M S MID SIDE encoded The Left output channel provides the Mid signal and the 7 Right output channel provides the Side signal e HIGH PASS FILTER HEER FILTER s t This filter is included in the Stereo Section to remove any unwanted Low frequency rumble such as wind noise The filter is only enabled when the filter button is illuminated and is a 3rd order Butterworth high pass filter e SOUNDFIELD CONTROLS SPS200 SURROUND ZONE The effect of the SoundField controls in AE stereo mode differs slightly from their oe A operation in surround mode as described in the Surround Sound k section e ROTATE re defines the centre of the stereo
3. EQUIPMENT UNDER THIS GUARANTEE WILL BE REPAIRED OR REPLACED WITHOUT CHARGE ANY FAULT THAT HAS BEEN CAUSED BY MISUSE NEGLECT ACCIDENT ACT OF GOD WAR OR CIVIL INSURRECTION ALTERATION OR REPAIR BY UNAUTHORISED PERSONAL OPERATION FROM AN INCORRECT POWER SOURCE OR ABNORMAL CONDITIONS OF OPERATION WILL NOT FALL UNDER THIS GUARANTEE HOWEVER AN ESTIMATE OF THE COST OF THE REPAIR WORK WILL BE SUBMITTED BEFORE WORK IS STARTED THE MANUFACTURER SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE DIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL RESULTING FROM MACHINE FAILURE OR THE INABILITY OF THE PRODUCT TO PERFORM THE MANUFACTURER SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OR LOSS DURING SHIPMENT TO AND FROM THE FACTORY OR ITS DESIGNATED SERVICE FACILITY THIS GUARANTEE IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER GUARANTEES EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED AND OF ANY OTHER LIABILITIES ON THE MANUFACTURERS PART THE MANUFACTURER DOES NOT AUTHORISE ANYONE TO MAKE ANY GUARANTEE OR ASSUME ANY LIABILITY NOT STRICTLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ABOVE THE MANUFACTURER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES OR IMPROVEMENT IN THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THIS UNIT WITHOUT OBLIGATION TO MAKE SUCH CHANGES OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PURCHASER S UNIT ANY DISPUTE ARISING FROM THIS WARRANTY SHALL BE SUBJECT TO THE LAWS OF ENGLAND What to do if a fault is found If a fault develops in the unit notify SoundField Ltd or their nearest service facility giving full details of the difficulty On receipt of this information service o
4. Fire OFF Invert OFF With the microphone positioned as above the resulting output from the SPS200 Surround Zone will be as with conventional studio microphones There are however two alternative ways to orientate the microphone End Fire and Invert see diagram below Right Sound Source lise End Fire OFF Invert ON Left Inverted Side Address Mic With the microphone suspended upside down facing the sound source as shown in the above diagram the Invert mode on the SPS200 Surround Zone software must be enabled Right Sound Source arm End Fire ON Invert OFF End Fire Mic Left With the microphone positioned horizontally and pointing at the sound source with the logo facing down the End Fire mode on the SPS200 Surround Zone software must be enabled Right A Sound Source ie End Fire ON Invert ON Inverted End Fire Mic Left When making a recording with the microphone positioned horizontally and pointing at the sound source with the logo facing up the End Fire and Invert mode on the SPS200 Surround Zone software must be enabled Note When recording A Format in the Invert or End Fire orientation it is useful to label your tracks accordingly so you know which mode to enable in the SPS200 Surround Zone during post production Microphone positioning and orientation guide Page 12 SoundField SPS200 User Guide THE SPS200 SURROUND ZONE SOFTWARE Explanation of
5. SoundField Surround Zone plug in for Pro Tools can be inserted in any Pro Tools project The plug in has four audio inputs for the SoundField A Format signals and up to eight audio outputs depending on the output format selected within the plug in ranging from Stereo to 5 1 6 1 and 7 1 The Surround Zone plug in follows the Pro Tools internal surround channel mapping FILM format This means the channel output configurations are as follows 5 1 L C R Ls Rs Lfe 6 1 L C R Ls Cs Rs Lfe 7 1 L Lm C Rm R Ls Rs Lfe Stereo and 5 1 e Using I O setup create a 5 1 output configuration For each instance of the Surround Zone create a 5 1 bus configuration e Create a 5 1 aux input track Set the input to this track to be the 5 1 bus Set the output from this track to be the 5 1 output interface Insert the Surround Zone plug in into the aux input track by selecting multi channel TDM plug in gt Surround Zone 5 1 e Create 4 mono audio tracks to accommodate the A Format audio The tracks can be labelled LF RF LB RB Route each mono track output to the 5 1 bus In doing this a surround panner will appear for each mono track In order to route the A Format audio correctly to the plug in the panner settings must be arranged as follows p du 7 e gt r m LF track pan front full left 100 100 100 in panner window RF track pan front centre 0 0 100 in panner window LB track pan front
6. as RB The XLR Connectors are labelled and colour coded as follows sreen The input to the SPS200 Surround Zone plug in follows the identical channel order so it is recommended to record the four capsule signals in the above order to avoid possible confusion Each of the four capsules must be connected to a mic preamp with 48 Volt phantom power and it is important to observe the following criteria 1 nm pr Frew 3 nm 1 It is essential that the gains of all four channels are identical to ensure correct decoding High quality mic pre s that either have switched gain settings or allow gain linking are clearly simpler to manage in this respect Where the mic preamps have variable input gains they may be calibrated by feeding a fixed level test signal into each one then monitoring the output while making adjustments using an accurate level meter which in many cases is possible using an on screen DAW meter or metering plug in 2 Take care to ensure that the pad phase reverse and low cut filters on the preamp are not engaged Should a pad be deemed necessary ensure that it is switched in for all four channels 3 Do not adjust individual mic pre gains if the signal balance appears incorrect it is normal that some of the channels will show lower gain levels than the others depending on the location of the sound sources and the reflectivity of the environment Interfacing the SPS200 Page 8 SoundField SPS200 Us
7. full right 100 100 100 in panner window RB track pan rear full left 100 100 100 in panner window ili al i Ap eal ig al i AL Tip double clicking on the corresponding loudspeaker symbol in the panner window will automatically achieve the above settings The session is now correctly configured to use the Surround Zone plug in in 5 1 and stereo mode Due to limitations in the routing a 5 1 bus is required even when just using the stereo outputs Quick start TDM Pro Tools HD Page 21 SoundField SPS200 User Guide 6 1 e Using I O setup create a 6 1 output configuration For each instance of the Surround Zone create a 6 1 bus configuration e Create a 6 1 aux input track Set the input to this track to be the 6 1 bus Set the output from this track to be the 6 1 output interface Insert the Surround Zone plugin into the aux input track by selecting multi channel TDM plugin gt Surround Zone 6 1 e Create 4 mono audio tracks to accommodate the A Format audio The tracks can be labelled LF RF LB RB Route each mono track output to the 6 1 bus In doing this a surround panner will appear for each mono track In order to route the A Format audio correctly to the plugin the panner settings must be arranged as follows LF track pan front full left 100 100 100 in panner window RF track pan front centre 0 0 100 in panner window LB track pan front full right 100 100 100 in pa
8. recording system is preferred any recorders using data compression should be avoided as they can introduce artifacts that will compromise the decoding of the recording in post production Recording at 96kHz or higher sample rates ensure that the recordings will be future proofed though perfectly successful recordings may be made at the standard 44 1kHz and 48kHz sample rates Interfacing the SPS200 for Live Broadcast For real time broadcast applications the SPS200 can be partnered with the SoundField DSF 3 Digital Surround Processor where the latency introduced by a DAW would be unacceptable The DSF 3 is a rackmount 1U hardware unit which accepts digital A Format and outputs both stereo and 5 1 in real time To interface the SPS200 with the DSF 3 you will require four channels of mic pre and A D conversion SoundField microphone systems are widely used in broadcast to capture the ambience and excitement of large scale sporting events and concert performances Interfacing the SPS200 Page 10 SoundField SPS200 User Guide MICROPHONE POSITIONING AND ORIENTATION GUIDE As with any other microphone putting the mic in the right place is the first step to making a good recording Admittedly you have more post production opportunities to correct problems if you use a SoundField microphone but taking the time to locate the best mic position always pays off There s always a temptation just to put the mic up check the levels and get on with
9. the SPS200 makes an ideal front end for laptop recording providing a compact and highly versatile high end recording system perfectly suited to any application from simple mono vocal mic ing to capturing both live acoustic performances and their ambience in full surround There are a variety of firewire interfaces available that incorporate four or more mic pre s such as the MOTU Traveller the Focusrite Saffire Pro and the Prism Orpheus all are well suited to getting the four audio signals A Format generated by the SPS200 into your DAW of choice Both 5 1 and stereo monitoring options are provided by the SPS200 Surround Zone within a compatible surround savvy DAW environment Note The A Format signal is best recorded into a surround audio track capable of holding four or more streams as this prevents alignment errors being introduced when editing Where it must be recorded into four discrete tracks for any reason it is recommended the tracks be grouped to avoid accidental offsetting and that the DAW supports sample accurate editing Interfacing the SPS200 Page 9 SoundField SPS200 User Guide Interfacing the SPS200 with Portable Recorders The SPS200 microphone can also be connected directly to portable recorders providing they include four mic pre s with phantom power This allows the capture of the A Format signals for later post production using the SPS200 Surround Zone software in a studio environment A 24 bit
10. the job but a little more attention invariably produces better results Firstly be sure to select the appropriate orientation mode for the microphone as its capsule array enables it to be used in Invert or End Fire mode as well as right way up So be sure to tell the SPS200 Surround Zone software how the microphone is facing before you start to decode your recording Experienced SoundField users understand the importance of checking out your mic position in mono before you open the sound up to monitor in stereo or surround Set the Pattern control to Omni and the Width control to 0 and listen to the overall sound paying particular attention to the balance between the various elements the relationship of direct to reverberant sound and the presence of extraneous noises If it doesn t sound right move the microphone around until it does just as with any other mic You can also adjust the Pattern control to focus more on the sound source and less on the surrounding environment or vice versa if necessary Remember that the essence of SoundField microphones is based on the Mid Side technique where the Mid microphone provides the basic sonic balance Once the feed sounds good in mono it will sound fine in stereo but the converse is not necessarily true hence the importance of doing a mono check Only after you are satisfied with the mono pick up should you open up the microphone into stereo Set the Pattern control to
11. the polar pick up you think will be a good starting point then adjust the Width control for your desired stereo image You can adjust both controls to achieve exactly the right stereo perspective and ambience balance for your recording and you can refine your settings further during post production In acoustically lively venues pay particular attention to the perceived ratio of direct to reverberant sound Too much reverb makes a recording sound mushy and vague with a diluted sense of source placement The beauty of SoundField microphone systems 1s their unequalled clarity and articulation Don t waste this by including too much extraneous sound unless you have an artistic reason for doing so If you re from the analogue old school also leave yourself plenty of headroom with a 24 but recording resolution you can afford to leave at least 12dB of headroom on the DAW meters but also check that you have left adequate analogue headroom in the preamps Microphone positioning and orientation guide Page 11 SoundField SPS200 User Guide Keys to proper placement of SoundField microphones The SPS200 microphone captures sound in all three dimensions therefore the orientation of the microphone is very important The standard orientation of the SPS200 microphone is in side address with the microphone positioned vertical and the SoundField logo facing forward see diagram below Right Sound Source us G Left Side Address Mic End
12. 200 20 Metre Extension Cable multipin to multipin SPS200 50 Metre Extension Cable on drum multipin to multipin SPS200 100 Metre Extension Cable on drum multipin to multipin SPS200 Anti vibe Rycote Cable multipin to multipin SPS200 Microphone Cable by the metre Connectors 10 pin Female In Line Connector 10 pin Male In Line Connector Mic mount SPS200 Shock Mount System SPS200 Mic Holder Camera Hot Shoe to 3 8 adapter Camera Hot Shoe to 3 8 adapter with extension Cases SPS200 Professional Carry Case SPS200 Rycote Case Mise iLok USB Key for Surround Zone software SPS200 Accessories User Guide SPS200 RY 430 399 NN4001 NN4002 NN4003 NN4004 NN4005 NN4006 NN9204 310 500 410 401 410 402 HW4000 MSA 200 SCM 1 SCME 2 PFC200 PFC201 ILOK 1 Page 30
13. 4 hours mon fri We recommend obtaining your iLok licence before installing the plug in To install on your MAC based Pro Tools HD system Insert the CD ROM and browse for the Macintosh folder open this folder and double click the Surround Zone TDM MAC installer SPS200SZONETDM pkg this will start the installer Simply follow the on screen instructions to complete the installation this should take no more than a few minutes When running Pro Tools for the first time the licence will be picked up on your iLok dongle Should a licence not be present on your iLok USB dongle make sure you have loaded it from iLok com for further licence assistance contact support soundfield com To install on your PC based Pro Tools HD system Insert the CD ROM and browse for the Windows folder open this folder and double click the Surround Zone TDM PC installer SPS200SZONETDM exe this will start the installer Simply follow the on screen instructions to complete the installation this should take no more than a few minutes When running Pro Tools for the first time the licence will be picked up on your iLok dongle and you ll be good to go Should a licence not be present on your iLok USB dongle make sure you have uploaded it from iLok com for further licence assistance contact support soundfield com Quick start TDM Pro Tools HD Page 20 SoundField SPS200 User Guide Getting started with the Surround Zone plug in for Pro Tools The
14. Controls Input Section e The input LEVEL control adjusts the input gain of all four A Format channels simultaneously and ranges from 30dB to 10dB e The A Format INPUT signals are displayed via the four 16 segment bargraphs e The INVERT mode maintains the correct three dimensional perspective in both surround and stereo when the microphone is suspended upside down above the sound source Not selecting this mode with the mic suspended will result in the Left Right width information and Up Down height information being inverted e The END FIRE mode maintains the correct three dimensional perspective emmeme in both surround and stereo when the mic is used in the horizontal position pointing at the sound source like a flash light Not selecting this mode when the microphone is horizontally pointed will result in the Up Down height information and the Front Back depth information being reversed The Surround Section Bt g 84 EA ha amp stereo arie Fag Hyper INPUT A sj Dili MASTER SESE KRO SURROUND ZONE JOM REAR PATTERN FRONT WIDTH D O O SG The SPS200 Surround Zone 5 1 page The SPS200 Surround Zone software Page 13 SoundField SPS200 User Guide The surround sound section has six different surround sound modes plus an info page for each of these six modes referred to as the ARRAY pages The six modes include three 5 1 presets a 6 1 a 7 1 and an 8 channe
15. a licence not be present on your iLok USB dongle make sure you have loaded it from iLok com for further licence assistance contact support soundfield com To install on your MAC based VST system Insert the CD ROM and browse for the Macintosh folder open this folder and double click the Surround Zone VST MAC installer SPS200SZONEVST pkg this will start the installer Simply follow the on screen instructions to complete the installation this should take no more than a few minutes When running your VST host for the first time the licence will be picked up on your iLok dongle Should a licence not be present on your iLok USB dongle make sure you have uploaded it from iLok com for further licence assistance contact support soundfield com Quick start VST Nuendo Page 24 SoundField SPS200 User Guide Getting started with the Surround Zone plug in using Nuendo The SoundField Surround Zone plug in can be inserted in any Nuendo project The plug in has four audio inputs for the SoundField A Format signals and up to eight audio outputs depending on the output format selected within the plug in ranging from Stereo to 5 1 to 6 1 etc The easiest way to insert the plug in into a project is to open an 8 channel music track in which a four channel A Format track 1 is placed the plug in can then be inserted in this eight channel track independent of the output format chosen as long as enough audio channels are available on the selected
16. array plus a truly omni directional LFE channel The output is fully 5 1 compatible yet adds the enhancement of two extra playback channels Aimed at demonstrating the benefits in localisation and envelopment of an increased number of loudspeakers This pre set has been level adjusted to suit standard 7 1 playback individual levels can be adjusted to suit requirements 6 The 8 channel pre set provides an eight cardioid microphone array and is aimed at playback over a regular eight channel loudspeaker array Individual levels can be adjusted to suit requirements VST only On screen information for each of the surround modes can be obtained by clicking the array page tab followed by the relevant surround mode tab Note All LFE channels are low pass filtered using a 2nd order filter with a cut off frequency of 90Hz Users requiring a different LFE cut off frequency can achieve this by using a DAW provided filter The SPS200 Surround Zone software Page 17 SoundField SPS200 User Guide STEREO SECTION The stereo section provides the user with highly flexible and configurable stereo outputs Features include variable stereo width and polar pattern control which are visually represented on the Stereo page Also provided is a fully variable high pass filter 20Hz to 250Hz an M S encoder and the SoundField controls ROTATE TILT and ZOOM The SPS200 Surround Zone stereo page e STEREO ANGLE amp POLAR PATTERN
17. audio bus If required the plug in can also be introduced through an effects track using the Nuendo send and return paths 2 The plug in Will appear in the plug in insert list as shown on the image below No Effect Delay Directs Distortion Dynamics Filter Modulation Other Restoration Reverb Surround Fr Fr FF FF FF FY FY F F Tools s Sz0ne 1 A four channel wav file in this case containing SoundField A Format where LF RF LB amp RB correspond to track 1 2 3 amp 4 2 For more info refer to the Nuendo user manual Quick start VST Nuendo Page 25 SoundField SPS200 User Guide WARRANTY Limited Liability SOUNDFIELD LTD HEREIN AFTER KNOWN AS THE MANUFACTURER GUARANTEES THIS EQUIPMENT FROM DEFECTS IN MATERIAL AND WORKMANSHIP UNDER NORMAL USE AND SERVICE FOR A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR THIS GUARANTEE EXTENDS TO THE ORIGINAL PURCHASER ONLY AND DOES NOT APPLY TO FUSES OR ANY PRODUCT OR PARTS SUBJECTED TO MISUSE NEGLECT ACCIDENT OR ABNORMAL CONDITIONS OF OPERATION THE GUARANTEE BEGINS ON THE DATE OF DELIVERY TO THE ACTUAL PURCHASER OR TO HIS AUTHORISED AGENT OR CARRIER IN THE EVENT OF FAILURE OF A PRODUCT COVERED BY THIS GUARANTEE THE MANUFACTURER OR THEIR CERTIFIED REPRESENTATIVES WILL REPAIR AND CALIBRATE EQUIPMENT RETURNED PREPAID TO AN AUTHORISED SERVICE FACILITY WITHIN ONE YEAR OF THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE AND PROVIDED THAT THE GUARANTORS EXAMINATION DISCLOSES TO ITS SATISFACTION THAT THE PRODUCT WAS DEFECTIVE
18. d the basis for all coincident microphone techniques including the Mid Side and crossed bidirectional configurations The latter in fact is commonly referred to as a Blumlein Stereo pair In the 1970s British mathematicians Michael Gerzon Peter Craven and colleagues expanded upon the stereo concepts pioneered by Blumlein to develop the concept of a microphone system that could reproduce fully three dimensional audio Both Blumlein and Gerzon realised that only when a soundwave is captured at a single point in space can it be reproduced faithfully and without the phase distortion anomalies inherent in spaced microphone techniques Early SoundField prototype models were developed using Gerzon s theory in conjunction with the National Research Development Corporation of Great Britain and Calrec Audio Chief Designer at Calrec Ken Farrar and colleagues played a leading role in turning Gerzon s theory into a real product and Ken Farrar s contribution was later recognised by his appointment as a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers F LE E In 1993 the company SoundField Ltd was formed specifically to manufacture and further develop the range of products and their application in both stereo and multi channel audio environments SoundField Ltd is the owner of all patent and intellectual property rights relating to SoundField Technology Today the SoundField range enjoys a reputation as the ultimate microphones for record
19. er Guide Interfacing the SPS200 in a Studio Environment The SoundField SPS200 microphone is ideally suited for recording in studio environments where DAWs such as ProTools HD or Nuendo are used with sources ranging from drums to vocals In a studio environment there is usually a choice of mic pre s available to the recording engineer but while most good quality mic pre s are compatible with the SPS200 it is strongly recommended to use four identical mic pre s with either gain linking or switched gain settings for good gain matching If you use different types of mic preamp on the four outputs phase and frequency response errors may be introduced that could degrade the decoding process especially if some of the preamps incorporate transformers and others do not Once the four audio signals from the SPS200 microphone are at line level they can be fed into the DAW as usual using a soundcard or dedicated audio interface An interface with built in multiple microphone inputs may be used as long as you are satisfied with the audio quality and in most cases you ll have the reassurance that they are identical Once inside the DAW the SPS200 Surround Zone plug in takes the four signals generated by the SPS200 and provides the desired output format such as stereo or 5 1 for routing to the DAWs surround output busses Interfacing the SPS200 for Laptop Recording In combination with a Firewire audio interface and suitable mic preamps
20. erate in an explosive atmosphere e Do not allow any liquid or solid objects to enter the equipment Should this accidentally occur then immediately switch off the unit and contact your service agent Do not allow ventilation slots to be blocked Cleaning For cleaning the front panels of the equipment we recommend anti static screen cleaner sprayed onto a soft cloth to dampen it only Explanation of Warning Symbols The lightening flash with arrow head symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of dangerous voltages and energy levels within the product s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock or injury The exclamation mark within an equilateral triangle is intended to prompt the user to refer to important operating or maintenance servicing instructions in the documentation supplied with the product Safety Information Page 3 SoundField SPS200 User Guide WHAT IS IN THE BOX SPS200 Microphone SPS200 Microphone Cable 10 pin to four XLRs e SPS200 Mic Holder e Professional Carry Case e SPS200 Surround Zone Plug In for TDM or VST e User Manual What is in the box Page 4 SoundField SPS200 User Guide SOUNDFIELD HISTORY In 1933 British scientist Alan Blumlein was issued a patent that stands today as a landmark in the development of stereophonic recording and reproduction Among its numerous declarations it define
21. generated by the SPS200 microphone Controls include Output Format mono stereo 5 1 etc polar patterns rotation tilt zoom and width The software can operate in real time allowing for any latency inherent in the DAW or in post production environments As the A Format output is recorded prior to processing the recording can always be revisited and output in any desired surround format stereo or mono Furthermore live recordings may be adjusted to narrow or widen the polar pattern of the virtual microphone array making it possible to change the balance of direct to reflected sound or to steer the mic array to either side of centre Please read the SPS200 Surround Zone software section of this manual for more information a REAR LEF MASTER y REAR RIGHT SPS200 SURROUND ZONE RO DE REAR Le ZOOM REAR PATTERN FRONT WIDTH 388000G The SPS200 Surround Zone 5 1 page The SPS200 Surround Zone stereo page How does it work Page 7 SoundField SPS200 User Guide INTERFACING THE SPS200 The SoundField SPS200 Software Controlled Microphone breaks out to four standard XLR connectors using the supplied SPS200 microphone cable The SPS200 cable connects to the microphone with a circular 10 pin screw lock connector where the four capsule signals from the SPS200 microphone are labeled 1 Left Front referred to as LF 2 Right Front referred to as RF 3 Left Back referred to as LB 4 Right Back referred to
22. harlotte Street Wakefield West Yorkshire WFI1 1UH ENGLAND Tel 44 0 1924 201089 Fax 44 0 1924 290460 email info soundfield com www soundfield com Quality Assurance and Service Policy Over the years SoundField products have gained an enviable reputation for their quality of design performance and reliability however in the unlikely event that problems are encountered with this unit please contact SoundField Service at the appropriate address above or alternatively inform one of our world wide network of distributors who will be able to assist with any of your queries Shipping and Quality Assurance Page 27 SoundField SPS200 User Guide 10 PIN A FORMAT OUTPUT WIRING DETAILS es 10 Pin A Format Output Wiring Details Page 28 SoundField SPS200 User Guide TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Specification for each individual capsule Frequency Response 40Hz 20KHz Sensitivity 14mV Pa Signal to Noise Ratio DIN IEC 82dB Equivalent SPL DIN IEC 12dB Maximum SPL 130dB Technical Specifications Page 29 SoundField SPS200 SPS200 ACCESSORIES Windshields Rycote Windshield Kit for SPS200 Comprising Pistol Grip with suspension set of mic clips 105mm diameter windshield windjammer SPS200 Anti vibe Rycote cable High Wind Cover Cables SPS200 5 Metre Microphone Cable multipin to 4 male XLRs SPS200 5 Metre Extension Cable multipin to multipin SPS200 10 Metre Extension Cable multipin to multipin SPS
23. image by rotating the soundfield anywhere between 0 degrees and 360 degrees e TILT tilts the soundfield up or down by 45 degrees e ZOOM offers the effect of zooming in or further away from the front sound source as defined by the ROTATE angle e MASTER OUTPUT GAIN bo be d ben Lg revere hb 2 i j 60 ho dl MASTER 00 gg R aiarar The master output gain controls the gain of both stereo output channels simultaneously All changes are displayed on the 16 segment Left Right output bargraphs A stereo array page with further information can be accessed by clicking on the array page tab followed by the stereo mode tab The SPS200 Surround Zone software Page 19 SoundField SPS200 User Guide UICK START GUIDE TDM PRO TOOLS HD Installation The Surround Zone plug in is available for both PC and MAC PowerPC and Intel Mac based Pro Tools HD systems Installers for both versions of this software are available on the product CD Rom or on our website always check the website for the most recent version of the software before commencing the install iLok licence In order to run this plug in you will require an iLok account and USB dongle available as a SoundField accessory or from most pro audio dealers In order to obtain your iLok licence send an e mail to SPS200TDM soundfield com with your name iLok user ID and the SPS200 mic serial number A licence will then be deposited in your iLok com account within 2
24. ing both stereo and the new developing multi channel surround formats These unique microphones employ a proprietary four capsule array of closely spaced capsules to capture an acoustic event in three dimensions at a single point in space This single point source pick up principle avoids all of the time or phase related anomalies generated by spaced microphone arrays Thus surround recordings made with SoundField microphones can be collapsed to stereo or stereo recordings to mono without the phase problems that result in comb filtering phase cancellation distortions Furthermore a single point source system is the only one that allows a truly phase coherent sub channel to be derived Spaced microphone arrays are unable to be reduced without introducing significant phase errors unless some of the microphone signals are discarded which consequently results in loss of essential audio information SoundField History Page 5 SoundField SPS200 User Guide INTRODUCTION The SPS200 microphone has been developed for high quality music recording both in studio environments as well as on location and is ideally suited to the capture of live performances in acoustically compatible venues both in stereo and 5 1 surround The SPS200 is the first SoundField microphone in the company s history that doesn t require a dedicated microphone control unit it outputs the four discrete capsule signals without any decoding what we refer to as A Forma
25. l preset 8 channel for VST users only The following controls are identical for all six surround modes e Independent Channel Gain i ha GE Each discrete output channel has an independent gain control in the form of a slider and ranges from 30dB to Solo a ge 10dB A 16 segment bargraph meter is provided for level monitoring of each individual output channel SOLO and MUTE buttons are also provided for each individual channel o FRONTLEFT 00 dB e Master Output Gain The master output gain allows you to simultaneously increase or decrease the gain of all discrete output channels 7 and ranges from 30dB to 10dB The resulting changes in MASTER 00 ag gain will be displayed on all individual output channel bargraphs e The SoundField Controls The ROTATE TILT and ZOOM controls are unique to NE SoundField Technology and give the user a you are there Oy may ZOOM again post production experience with the opportunity to A po Q i tae gre a re position the microphone It can be rotated tilted up or down or zoomed in or out from the sound source TOS in ROTATE allows the user to rotate a captured three dimensional soundfield a full 360 degrees without losing any spatial information or introducing any artefacts audible or otherwise TILT allows the user to tilt a captured three dimensional soundfield by 45 degrees without losing any spatial information or introducing any audible artefacts ZOOM gives
26. nner window RB track pan rear full left 100 100 100 in panner window ile fue Tip double clicking on the corresponding loudspeaker symbol in the panner window will automatically achieve the above settings e Using I O setup create a 7 1 output configuration For each instance of the Surround Zone create a 7 1 bus configuration e Create a 7 1 aux input track Set the input to this track to be the 7 1 bus Set the output from this track to be the 7 1 output interface e Insert the Surround Zone plugin into the aux input track by selecting multi channel TDM plugin gt Surround Zone 7 1 e Create 4 mono audio tracks to accommodate the A Format audio The tracks can be labelled LF RF LB RB Quick start TDM Pro Tools HD Page 22 SoundField SPS200 User Guide Route each mono track output to the 7 1 bus In doing this a surround panner will appear for each mono track In order to route the A Format audio correctly to the plug in the panner settings must be arranged as follows LF track pan front full left 100 100 100 in panner window RF track pan front half left 50 50 100 in panner window LB track pan front centre 0 0 100 in panner window RB track pan front half right 50 50 100 in panner window Tip double clicking on the corresponding loudspeaker symbol in the panner window will automatically achieve the above settings Once the SPS200 Surround Zone plug in is inse
27. ound format is possible including those that incorporate height information To derive any of these output formats the A Format signals generated by the microphone need to be processed either at the post production stage using the SPS200 Surround Zone plug in or in real time using the DSF 3 hardware Digital Surround Processor By utilising SoundField s four capsule proprietary array and adding or subtracting the outputs from these four capsules in varying proportions all of these output formats may be generated with comprehensive control over all microphone parameters Introduction Page 6 SoundField SPS200 User Guide HOW DOES IT WORK The SoundField SPS200 Four Capsule Array The capsules are placed as closely together as possible to eliminate the phase problems associated with spaced multi microphone set ups where further processing compensates for the small spacing that remains between the capsules effectively creating a single point pickup The source sound is received equally effectively from all directions reproducing a realistic listening experience Essentially the outputs from the four capsules of the SoundField SPS200 once processed convey a three dimensional snapshot of an acoustic event width depth and height Pictured left the SPS200 capsule array The SPS200 Surround Zone Software The SPS200 Surround Zone software provides complete control over the decoding of the four audio signals
28. pre set is ideally suited for recordings where localisation is important such as movie sound effects The SPS200 Surround Zone software Page 15 SoundField SPS200 User Guide 2 The 5 1 figure of eight pre set provides three frontal cardioids L C R and two rear figure of eights SL SR plus a truly omni directional LFE channel This pre set only differs from the 5 1 cardioid in the rear pattern control setting and has also been level adjusted to suit standard 5 1 playback levels can however be user adjusted to suit requirements This pre set is ideally suited for creating an enveloping surround feel whilst maintaining a stable front image 3 The third 5 1 pre set 5 1 hyper provides a five hyper cardioid microphone array plus a truly omni directional LFE channel This pre set has been level adjusted to suit standard 5 1 playback levels can however be user adjusted to suit requirements R 4 The 6 1 pre set provides a six cardioid microphone array plus a truly omni directional LFE channel sc The SPS200 Surround Zone software Page 16 SoundField SPS200 User Guide The output is fully compatible with standard 5 1 playback systems yet adds the enhancement in localisation a rear centre channel brings This pre set has been level adjusted to suit standard 6 1 playback however individual levels can be adjusted to suit requirements 5 The 7 1 pre set provides a seven cardioid microphone
29. r shipping instructions will be forwarded to you No equipment should be returned under the warranty without prior consent from SoundField Ltd or their authorised representative Warranty Page 26 SoundField SPS200 User Guide SHIPPING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE Authorised returns should be prepaid and must be insured All SoundField products are packaged in specially designed containers for the best possible protection If the unit is returned the original container should be used If this is not possible a new container can be obtained from SoundField Ltd please specify the model number when requesting a new container If the specially designed container is not used ensure that a suitable rigid container of adequate size is used wrap the instrument in paper and surround it with a good thickness of shock absorbing material Claim for damage during transit The instrument should be thoroughly inspected immediately upon delivery to the purchaser If the instrument is damaged in any way a claim should be filed with the carrier immediately A quotation to repair shipment damage can be obtained from SoundField Ltd or their certified representative Final claims and negotiations with the carrier must be completed by the customer Applications problems SoundField Ltd will be happy to answer any applications questions to enhance your use of this equipment Please address all correspondence to SoundField Ltd Charlotte Street Business Centre C
30. rted correctly you are ready to begin The SPS200 Surround Zone plug in Pro Tools HD Quick start TDM Pro Tools HD Page 23 SoundField SPS200 User Guide QUICK START GUIDE VST NUENDO The Surround Zone plug in is available for both PC and MAC Power PC and Intel Mac based VST hosts and installers for both versions of this software are available on the CD ROM or on our website always check the website for the most up to date version of the software before commencing installation iLok licence In order to run this plug in you will require an iLok account and USB dongle available as a SoundField accessory or from most pro audio dealers In order to obtain your iLok licence send an e mail to SPS200VST soundfield com with your name iLok user ID and the SPS200 mic serial number A licence will then be deposited in your iLok com account within 24 hours mon fri We recommend obtaining your iLok licence before installing the plug in To install on your PC based VST system Insert the CD ROM and browse for the Windows folder open this folder and double click the Surround Zone VST PC installer SPS200SZONEVST exe this will start the installer Simply follow the on screen instructions to complete the installation this should take no more than a few minutes When running your VST host for the first time the licence will be picked up on your iLok dongle and you ll be good to go Should
31. t Instead of decoding hardware the SPS200 s A Format output is processed by means of the included post production SPS200 Surround Zone software to create the desired mono stereo or surround format and with the ability to effectively steer the microphone and adjust its pickup pattern after recording All the parameters normally controlled by a dedicated hardware control unit are available from within your DAW at the post production stage in the form of a software plug in that currently supports both TDM and VST hosts The SPS200 Surround Zone offers all the functionality of the highly regarded Surround Zone but also incorporates the capability to deal directly with the A Format signals generated by the SPS200 microphone This makes the SPS200 microphone ideal for use with high end DAW systems such as Pro Tools HD and Nuendo The SPS200 microphone ships with a dedicated microphone cable terminating in standard XLR connectors allowing it to be connected to four standard mic pre s of the user s choice To find out more about suited mic pre s and how to connect the SPS200 read the Interfacing the SPS200 section of this manual The SPS200 is designed to function as either a single variable pattern mono microphone a variable pattern variable width coincident stereo microphone or to generate full surround Because the A Format signal is recorded to four separate audio channels future decoding to any conceivable surr
32. the effect of zooming in or further away from the sound source 1 e it alters the front back balance without introducing any artefacts audible or otherwise The SPS200 Surround Zone software Page 14 SoundField SPS200 User Guide e REAR PATTERN REAR PATTERN The REAR PATTERN control allows the user to vary the polar pattern of the rear surround channels on all but the 8 channel surround mode Cardioid or hyper cardioid may be selected to optimise localisation or figure of eights for a more enveloping sound depending on application and personal preference e FRONT amp REAR WIDTH REARWDTH These controls allow the front and rear stage width to be varied FRONT WIDTH tipe Sine oo For example a wider front image may be desirable for a large orchestra whilst for a centre front positioned soloist a more S tw Narrow angle may be preferable 10 Tit 140 e SURROUND MODES The Surround Zone plug in offers the option of six different surround modes three 5 1 pre sets a 6 1 a 7 1 and an 8 channel pre set 8 channel for VST users only The two first 5 1 pre sets 5 1 cardioid and 5 1 figure of eight are variations on the same decoding scheme 1 The 5 1 cardioid pre set provides a standard five cardioid microphone array plus a truly omni directional LFE channel This pre set has been level adjusted to suit standard 5 1 playback however individual levels can be adjusted to suit requirements This
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