miniDSP 2x4 and Kit
Contents
1. H z bO gt A single biquad like this can perform a great many functions including all of the functions of a single parametric EQ filter one 6 or 12 dB octave high pass or low pass filter and more Biquads are combined in series cascaded to create more complex filters The function that each biquad performs is determined by just five numbers a1 a2 a0 b1 and b2 These numbers are called the coefficients 4 12 2 Using custom biquad programming If the plugin supports custom biquad programming each crossover block or PEQ filter has a selector that O Basic Advanced switches it to advanced mode miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 40 In advanced mode the biquad coefficients are pasted directly into the user interface These coefficients must be calculated using a filter design program see the following sections for suggestions Parametric EQ advanced mode In the parametric EQ blocks advanced mode allows each individual filter to be specified by its coefficients After pasting in the biquad coefficients click on the Process button for them to take effect PARAMETRIC EQ BAND 1 Basic Advanced biquadl bO 1 25229279597669023 b1i 1 47142270606621111 b2 0 3403628025319285 a1 1 4714220606621111 a2 0 5926557617988308 BYPASS Parametric EQ file import REW integration All filters in the block can be set at once2. Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 20 nin 3 1 2 Mac OS X On versions of OS X from 10 7 Lion and later you will need to inform the GateKeeper program that it is OK to install and run this software Go to System Preferences then click on Security amp Privacy and select the General tab 1 Click on the padlock icon in the lower left corner and enter your password in order that you can make changes to the settings 2 Under the text Allow applications downloaded from click on Anywhere Allow applications downloaded from _ Mac App Store _ Mac App Store and identified developers e Anywhere ef Click the lock to prevent further changes Then download and install the following programs You will need to accept the license agreements in order to successfully complete the installation e Latest version of Adobe Flash e Latest version of Adobe Air To install the miniDSP software open the Mac folder of the download and double click on the MiniDSP_ plugin_name dmg file to open it in a new window Then double click on the Install MiniDSP plugin_name app installer program Once installation is complete the plugin user interface will automatically start miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 21 SNNN DSP 3 2 HARDWARE CONNECTIVITY AND CONFIGURATION 3 2 1 Connecting power The miniDSP Balanced 2
3. Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 38 SN 4 10 MONO STEREO MODE Available in 2Way Advanced 21 SUB OUTPUT MODE Toggle between Mono and Stereo Mode Mono Mode Stereo Mode The 2Way Advanced 21 plugin supports mixing of two output channels allowing this plugin to be used in 2 1 applications where a mono subwoofer signal is derived from a stereo signal To access this selection click on the System Settings tab In Mono Mode output channels 1 and 2 will be mixed together Note that mixing occurs at the end of the signal processing chain so usually you will need to use the Copy function to copy settings from channel 1 to channel 2 In Stereo Mode the two output channels are independent that is the plugin behaves as a two way crossover 4 11 KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS The plugins support the use of the keyboard for many operations Tab The Tab key moves the focus to the next user interface element A light blue surrounding box indicates the user interface element with the focus if it is a text entry box a button or a block in the signal flow diagram Shift Tab moves the focus in the opposite direction Up down arrows The up down arrow keys adjust the value of the parameter with the focus For example e Input and output channel gain e Crossover frequency and filter type e PEQ filter frequency gain and Q Space The Space bar toggles buttons that hav
4. and in electrically noisy environments 1 1 THE MINIDSP CONCEPT The miniDSP concept is one hardware unit one software plugin audio processing solution This concept leverages the inherent flexibility of DSP digital signal processing to deliver a range of flexible but cost effective solutions Hardware Software Audio processing unit plugin solution Hardware unit In this case the hardware unit is the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or miniDSP Balanced Kit It has two analog inputs and four analog outputs The internal processor converts the analog input signal to digital form processes it according to the instructions from the plugin and then converts it to analog again for the outputs See Choosing the right miniDSP for more information on miniDSP hardware Software plugin The software plugin is installed on your PC or Mac and determines the processing that the DSP will perform It provides a friendly user interface and downloads instructions into the miniDSP hardware unit that tell it how to process the incoming audio signal See Choosing a plugin for more information on plugins miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 7 1 2 CHOOSING THE RIGHT MINIDSP The miniDSP Balanced 2x4 and miniDSP Balanced Kit provide two balanced analog inputs and four balanced analog outputs They are a simple cost effective DSP solution for many audio processing needs They are
5. cable shield must be connected to the terminal on the miniDSP input whereas on the output side the is not connected NC source output miniDSP output L i Amplifer input miniDSP input miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 25 Ni 3 2 5 Input sensitivity The miniDSP Balanced 2x4 and Balanced Kit board have onboard jumpers to select their input sensitivity For the Balanced 2x4 the enclosure will need to be opened to access the jumpers is Input sensitivity i arm atalala erarararare jumpers a aa jees A f i High sensitivity Low sensitivity High sensitivity Low sensitivity Max 1 8 VRMS Max4 0VRMS Max 1 8 VRMS Max 4 0 VRMS 1 8V position The maximum input signal voltage allowed before clipping the A D convertor is 1 8 Volts RMS for either unbalanced or balanced input 4V position The maximum input signal voltage allowed before clipping the A D convertor is 4 0 Volts RMS for either unbalanced or balanced input Note that the input sensitivity jumper setting does not affect the maximum output signal it is always 4V RMS for a balanced connection or 2V RMS when taking an unbalanced connection The table below summarizes Max input Max output Setting Unbalanced Balanced Unbalanced Balanced 1 8V 1 8V 1 8V 2V 4V 4V 4V 4V 2V 4V The input sensitivity jumper can help you optimize the gain structure of
6. ear For more information see the Wikipedia article Dynamic range compression miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 37 4 8 HIGH PASS AND LOW PASS FILTERS Available in Mixer Rear Center channel LOW PASS FILTER SETTINGS OUT1 Cut off frequency ians Filter Type Bypass filter HIGH PASS FILTER SETTINGS OUT2 Cut off frequency Za Filter Type Bypass filter 500 1000 2000 5000 10000 20000 High pass and low pass filters are a subset of crossover functionality These blocks have a single input and a single output Each filter can be individually set to one of the available filter types or bypassed The filter types are e Butterworth 12 dB octave e Bessel 12 dB octave e Linkwitz Riley 24 dB octave Note the Mixer plugin has the high pass and low pass filters in separate blocks The net result is the same 4 9 MATRIX MIXER Available in Mixer OUT 1 OUT 2 OUT 3 OUT 4 The matrix mixer provides arbitrary mixing of the two input channels to the four output channels The position of the control knob indicates the level at which input channel 1 or 2 is mixed into each of the four outputs For example in the above screenshot input 1 is mixed fully to output 1 not at all to output 2 and partially into outputs 3 and 4 Input 2 is not mixed to output 1 mixed fully to output 2 and mixed partially to outputs 3 and 4 miniDSP Ltd
7. of the filter settings to the corresponding PEQ block in the other channel Import REW File This button selects a file exported from Room EQ Wizard s automatic equalization function For more information see the app note Auto EQ tuning with REW and the section Custom biquad programming miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 34 ANANN DSP 4 6 CROSSOVER Available in 2x4 Advanced 2Way Advanced 2Way Advanced 21 4Way Advanced Stereo Graphic EQ 4Way GEQ 2 WAY CROSSOVER CH1 BandPass filter OUT1 So Basic Advanced LOW PASS FILTER SETTINGS Cut off frequency 1000 B Filter Type LR 48dB oct v Bypass filter BYPASS HIGH PASS FILTER SETTINGS Cut off frequency 1000 8 Filter Type LR 48dB oct v 3 BYPASS Bypass filter 30 10 20 50 1000 2000 5000 10000 20000 CH1 BandPass filter OUT2 Bandpass fitter OUTPUT1 Bandpass filter OUTPUT2 Crossovers split the frequency band to send to different drivers In a two way loudspeaker for example a low pass filter is used to remove high frequencies from the signal sent to the woofer and a high pass filter is used to remove low frequencies from the signal sent to the tweeter The above screenshot shows a two way crossover In a four way crossover the signal is split into four frequency bands FOUR WAY CROSSOVER BandPass filter OUT1 BandPass filter OUT2 Bandpass filter OUT3 Ba
8. your system For more information on gain structure see the app note Gain Structure 101 miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 26 ANNANN DSP 4 PLUGIN ARCHITECTURE AND FEATURES This section describes the functions available in the plugins Different plugins have different functions so each section also includes a note on which plugins support that function 4 1 SYSTEM SETTINGS Available in all plugins MINI DSP 2 WAY CROSSOVER ADV AUDIO ON HELP SYSTEM SETTINGS LOAD CONFIGURATION SAVE CONFIGURATION DEFAULT CONFIGURATION Imported Frequency Response Load a previously saved Save the current configuration on Restore your MiniDSP back to Import Frequency Response to Left or xml configuration to the your PC Remember to save as a factory default Warning this step Right Channel The graph will be MiniDSP board xml file format will clear all configuration settings shown on the corresponding graphs Left Right Plugin version v1 10 ANALOG DIGITAL INPUT Toggle between the on chip ADC or 12S input signal Analog input Digital input 12S External Volume Control Enable only when potentiometer in place Enabled Load Configuration Loads a configuration file This changes all the settings to match the settings saved into the file o Ifthe plugin is in online mode the configuration settings will be downloaded immediately to the mi
9. BALANCED 2X4 2 IN 4 OUT BOXED AUDIO PROCESSOR BALANCED KIT 2 IN 4 OUT AUDIO PROCESSOR BARE BOARD User Manual miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 1 Revision history Revision Description Date Input Output sensitivity tables V2 1 New version combining Balanced 2x4 15 April 2015 with kit board New DC power connector 20 April 2015 Updated photo new 2x4 Advanced 15 May 2015 plugin miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice nin TABLE OF CONTENTS important informat ON eiciia naaa EEEE E ened sans E ARENAEN EATERS EEEE ETE ELEN 5 System REQUIEN S siisii ARARA R 5 Boe VY AGIA S A 5 Wara TO eaa AAA OOA AOA T AOE OEA OAA OAE E E E 6 PIO CSOT IMS Mel Ra a A A A E E EE E A 6 DF OCC OVerVE W esep ERES EEEE E EEEE EEEE E EEEE EEEE EE ENRE EEEE EENE ERREEES EERE 7 1 1 TOC MMD P CONC ED o E 7 1 2 Choosing ihe nieht 01g D gt cate nn nr nn tn ee ENEE EEEE ee 8 1 3 Gl gre ler p TUE E eee enn ee ene en ern ere eee ee ee ee ee eee 9 1 3 1 Two way crossover plugins sssssssessessesresrrsreseserserrrsrrsersreressrsersrrresrrseestererrseeserserreseeseerererserseene 9 1 3 2 Four way crossover PIUBINS cccceccsecceccesccseceeccsecescceucceeceseeeecceeceueeseceseeeueeseseeeeeueteeseeeeuceseeenes 10 1 3 3 Non crossover PIUBINS cccceeccsecescceeccsecencceeccseceuecece
10. ION 6 1 SPECIFICATIONS Computer connectivity Digital Signal Processor ADC DAC resolution and sample rate Analog Audio Input Maximum input level lt 1 THD ADC dynamic range un weighted Input impedance Analog Audio Output Maximum output level lt 1 THD DAC dynamic range un weighted Output impedance Certification Power supply Mounting Enclosure material Dimensions H x W x D Driverless USB 2 0 control interface 28 56 bit Digital Signal Processor Engine double precision internal processing 24 bit 48 kHz 2 channels balanced on Phoenix connectors 1 8 VRMS 7 dBu or 4 0 VRMS 14 dBu Jumper selectable input sensitivity gt 99 dB 47 kQ each leg to ground 4 channels balanced on Phoenix connectors 4 0 VRMS 14 dBu for balanced output 2 0 VRMS 8 dBu for unbalanced output gt 99 dB 560 Q CE FCC certified ROHS compliant 12 VDC power supply minimum 150 mA capacity Keyhole mounts allows installation of enclosure on walls or under tables Strong aluminum casing for installation in tough environments 41 5 x 146 x 105 5 mm miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 49 SN 6 2 TROUBLESHOOTING The following table lists the most common causes of issues with the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit If following this table does not provide a solution see Obtaining Support below Symptoms Troubleshooting reco
11. P website Download and install your plugin as described in Software download and installation on page 20 2 2 FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE PLUGIN Before connecting your computer to the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit board it s worth familiarizing yourself with the user interface presented by the plugin When it starts you will see the plugin screen as shown below This particular example is the 2way Advanced plugin but they all share a common layout Master Mute Connect amp Synchronize Help y Y MINI MSP 2 WAY CROSSOVER ADV System tabs AUDIO ON HELP d s tO Flow diagram Help Page Detail pane MiniDSP Basics Main tab More Functions in detalis This software is organized in 4 main sections Crossover Advanced Mode Users can now manually input the filter coefficients for Audio Settings Contains all the controls to the MiniDSP audio algorithms filtering For Crossover manual input please click on the below button Standard System Settings Gives aoness to the basic Load Save configurations and reset back to Input Format to see the input template An error message will be prompted when factory default Enabled button is pressed when potentiometer in place to contro the your input is wrang volume of miniDSP Biquad Calculator Calculate the Crossover PEQ biquad values so that you can manually input or import your own values miniDSP com Immediately browse cur website ta get the latest updates an
12. RESSOR Available in 2x4 The compressor reduces the gain of an output channel when the audio signal reaches a certain level as specified by the Threshold parameter The gain of the channel will be progressively reduced as the signal increases above the threshold according to the Ratio parameter This can be used to limit the power delivered to speakers and thus reduce the risk of damage from overdriving This screenshot shows an example Compressor setting Compressor OUTPUT CHANNEL 1 ThresholdidBFs 70 Ratio 2 Attack Time ms 40 Holdi ms o Release Time ms 100 Infinity Bypass Note that the compressor algorithm is bypassed by default so click on the Bypass button to see the curve as shown here In this example the threshold is set to 20 dB so the compressor will activate when the signal on that channel reaches 20 dB relative to full output The ratio is set to 2 so if the input signal level to the compressor then increases by 10 dB the output level will increase by only 5 dB If the input signal level to the compressor is at full scale 0 dB then the output level will be limited to 10 dB Two additional parameters control the action of the compressor the attack time and the release time These two parameters govern how quickly the compressor activates when the signal level exceeds the threshold and how quickly it deactivates when the signal level reduces The optimum settings may need to be tuned by
13. a shielded pair cable to each set of screw terminals This diagram illustrates the connections for balanced input and output S is the shield wire and and are the positive and negative signal leads For making unbalanced connections take note of the wiring in the following diagram For inputs connect the S terminal to the terminal For outputs connect to only the S and terminals Jumper from the S terminal to Only connect to ige and p Note that you can use a mixture of balanced and unbalanced connections in any combination Be aware however that signals levels on the outputs will be different After all connections to the terminal blocks are secure firmly re insert the terminal blocks See also Wiring tips below miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 24 Ni 3 2 4 Wiring tips If connecting the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit to equipment that uses XLR connectors suitable cabling can often be made quickly by cutting XLR XLR or microphone cables in two The two halves are then used for input and output as shown here Source output Ef miniDSP output Hii miniDSP input Amplifer input l 0 If connecting to equipment with RCA connectors suitable cabling can often be made quickly cutting RCA cables in two Note the connection scheme shown in the diagram and explained on the previous page the
14. also an excellent starting point for learning about DSP for audio applications The miniDSP Balanced 2x4 is a self contained miniDSP in a box The miniDSP Balanced Kit consists of just the circuit board without the external chassis The board can be integrated into any build that requires the addition of flexible yet cost effective audio processing miniDSP make a large and growing number of hardware platforms for particular needs If the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit is not the most suitable hardware then other options are available miniDSP 2x4 and miniDSP Kit This platform uses the same set of plugins but provides unbalanced audio connection with RCA sockets This enables simple connectivity to typical home audio equipment Other platforms miniDSP makes many other hardware units with up to ten output channels with sophisticated digital room correction capabilities and with inbuilt amplification plate amps Many are available in either kit or boxed form See the full range of miniDSP products miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 8 nin 1 3 CHOOSING A PLUGIN The plugin that you choose depends on the specifics of your application Currently there are eight plugins available for the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 and miniDSP Balanced Kit 1 3 1 Two way crossover plugins A two way crossover splits the audio frequency band into two Typical
15. anced 2Way Advanced 2Way Advanced 21 4Way Advanced PARAMETRIC EQUALIZER INPUT CHANNEL 1 10 20 10000 20000 aR EQ BAND SELECTION PARAMETRIC EQ BAND 2 EQ Freq 50 EQ2 Freq 300 Basic Advanced Filter type EQ3 Freq 2000 EQ4 Freq 10000 Frequency 300 Gain 6 Q 3 EQS Freq 10 O ee a jea EQ6 Freq 10 The parametric EQ PEQ block provides five or six parametric filters five in 2x4 Advanced six in 2Way Advanced 2Way Advanced 21 4Way Advanced each of which can be set for a peaking or notch filter high shelf filter and low shelf filter The top section of the control panel shows the overall response curve of all PEQ filters in the block Hovering the mouse over the curve brings up an overlay showing the frequency and the gain at that frequency E Frequency 457 Hz Ga ee Gain 7 dB The example above shows by way of example this is not a typical setting a response curve with four filters e A low shelf filter with 6 dB boost centered at 50 Hz e A peaking filter with 6 dB cut gain set to a negative value centered at 300 Hz e A peaking filter with 6 dB boost centered at 2 kHz e Ahigh shelf filter with 6 dB cut gain set to a negative value centered at 10 kHz miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 33 nnn EQ band selection Click on the radio buttons EQ1 EQ2 etc to display the parameters for that filter Basic Advanced By d
16. by importing a coefficient file from Room EQ Wizard REW See Room EQ Wizard below Crossover advanced mode The Crossover blocks have eight biquads on each output channel allowing a high pass and low pass filter of up to 48 dB octave in Basic mode In Advanced mode all eight biquads need to be specified After pasting in the biquad coefficients click on the Process button for them to take effect Basic Advanced Bypass biguadl bO 0 015587863328155852 b1 0 0271757276656267704 b2 0 015587863328155852 a1 1 5407408818274464 az 0 5950923351399818 bigquad bO 0 014019983917498 b1 0 028059967834996 b2 0 0140199839174986 a1 1 589759450758751 a2 0 6458193864287429 bigquads For a cut and paste example of the biquad format click on the Help button and then the Crossover Input Format button miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 41 4 12 3 The plugin calculator Plugins that support custom biquad programming include a basic biquad coefficient calculator Click on the Biquad Calculator tab to access it Biquad Calculator biquadi b0 0 5432735204701702 bi 0 7925293054904992 b2 0 28903612839333126 ai 1 6010997950714874 a2 0 6408801384444895 Frequency 2900 Gain 6 The calculator supports single parametric EQ bands as shown in the above screenshot To use the calculated biquad simply copy the coefficients into the PEQ
17. cations subject to change without prior notice 22 Ni 3 2 2 Connecting USB A USB connection to your computer is needed to go into online mode Simply connect the supplied USB cable from a free USB port on your computer to the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit board In the case of the kit see also USB connectivity INPUT 2 INPUT 1 USB Mini B connector USB Type A connector The USB cable can safely be connected and disconnected while the miniDSP is powered on 3 2 3 Audio inputs and outputs Input connections are made to Phoenix terminal blocks on the front panel of the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 and output connections to Phoenix terminal blocks on the rear panel For the Balanced Kit board the connections are made to the corresponding terminals on the board The specific use of input and output connections depends on your application and the plugin chosen INPUT 2 INPUT 1 2 ee OUTPUT1 OUTPUT2 OUTPUT3 OUTPUT4 aieleisisis ole ECE wlalelelale eleleleiele Analog inputs Analog outputs AN When making audio connections make sure that all equipment being connected is powered off miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 23 Connections are made with bare wire ends into the push in Phoenix terminal blocks First remove the terminal blocks from the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit board Connect individual wires from
18. channels to the four output channels in arbitrary combinations Each input channel also has a 31 band graphic EQ and high pass and low pass filters For more information see the datasheet 1 3 4 Subwoofer applications For subwoofer applications we usually recommend the use of the 2x4 Advanced plugin because of its flexibility and ability to handle many different subwoofer configurations This flexibility is provided by the use of the matrix mixer which maps and mixes input channels to output channels Here are four common subwoofer scenarios and the recommended routing for each Mono subwoofer from stereo signal and high passed speakers In this configuration the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit is used to generate a single mono subwoofer feed from a stereo signal as well as to high pass the main speakers The connection diagram is shown as follows Source Amplification gt Right speaker Lan ones Left Preamp L 1 miniDSP speaker gt 2x4 Ri Subwoofer To accomplish this configuration use the matrix mixer to mix input channels 1 and 2 to output 1 and to send input 1 to output 3 and input 2 to output 4 OUT 1 OUT 2 OUT 3 OUT 4 miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 11 hn Stereo subwoofer from stereo signal To derive a separate left and right subwoofer signal from the stereo left and right signals input channel 1 is sent to outputs 1 an
19. d 2 and input channel 2 is sent to outputs 3 and 4 this is essentially the same as a two way crossover Amplification Source 4 Right Speaker 3 f Right sub Preamp miniDSP L 1 2x4 Left Speaker 2 gt af Left sub To accomplish this configuration use the matrix mixer to send input channel 1 to outputs 1 and 2 and input channel 2 to outputs 3 and 4 OUT 1 OUT 2 OUT 3 OUT 4 One to four subwoofers from stereo signal If the miniDSP is used only for subwoofer control EQ up to four separate subwoofer signals each with different delay and EQ can be generated from a stereo signal Source od ub R 2 Preamp mMiniDSP 2 gt Sub 2 _ _ gt 2x4 3 Sub 3 4 Sub 4 To accomplish this configuration use the matrix mixer to mix both input channels to all four output channels OUT 1 OUT 2 OUT 3 OUT 4 miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 12 hn One to four subwoofers from mono signal e g AVR If you have an A V processor or A V receiver it has already combined various signals together to generate a single subwoofer signal The miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit can generate up to four subwoofer signals with different EQ and delay from the AVR subwoofer output Source Sub 1 Sub out AVR E Sub 2 3 gt Sub 3 Sub 4 To accomplish this configuration the routing matrix sen
20. d products The Control Toolbar Use the control toolbar to scoess controls of each section of the audio flow Import Frequency Response Users can now import your measured frequency Input gain RMS Mute Digital Gain response with maximum 331 points to the graphs Choose left or right to left right Parametnc Equalizer 6 bands parametric equalizer for input channel 1 amp 2 and channels and follow the template to import a text file Please check on the button output channel 1 2 amp 3 4 Copy function is added to duplicate the values te Import Template to see the template The left value is the frequency and the corresponding channels right value is the magnitude FRD format is also compatible Crossover Controls for the bandpass filters for 4 output channels Delay RMS Outputs Controls for the digital gain polarity delays and mute for all for channels Import REW Format Import 6 biquads by loading a rew format file into 3 PEQ page Please click the below button REW Input Format for details miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 14 nin System tabs These tabs access various screens to provide access to different types of functionality Control buttons Synchronize Master Mute Help The Synchronize button connects the user interface to the miniDSP hardware unit downloading configuration data and putting it into online mode The Master Mute button e
21. ds input channel 1 to all four output channels OUT 1 OUT 2 OUT 3 OUT 4 Two to four subwoofers from dual mono signal e g AVR Some A V processors and A V receivers provide two subwoofer outputs You can send each input to any of the outputs For example this routing screen illustrates the case where input 1 is sent to output 1 and input 2 is sent to outputs 2 through 4 OUT 1 OUT 2 OUT 3 OUT 4 More advanced subwoofer applications There may be cases where you need more features than provided by the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 and miniDSP Balanced Kit for example higher signal levels longer delays or more output channels In that case please see the more powerful miniDSP units 10x10 Hd nanoDIGI 2x8 b nanoAVR HD and nanoAVR HDA miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 13 ANANN DSP 2 THEMINIDSP WORKFLOW While each plugin is different there is a common procedure or workflow that we recommend for all of them Please follow the steps below carefully for best results from your new miniDSP Download and install the plugin Familiarize yourself with the plugin Go into online mode Perform initial configuration Get audio up and running Fine tune your configuration Continue to operate offline aa Se Se 2 1 DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL THE PLUGIN When your order ships your ordered plugin will be available from the User Downloads section of the miniDS
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23. e Setup any essential equalization e Mute unused input and output channels At this point save your initial configuration to a file A configuration is the set of all audio processing parameters You should save your configuration to a file on a regular basis to ensure that you do not lose your work if you inadvertently restore the miniDSP to default settings For more information on configurations see System settings 2 5 GET AUDIO UP AND RUNNING With the initial configuration done and now that you are familiar with the various controls it s time to connect the miniDSP into your system Before doing so remove power from the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit board 2 5 1 Make audio connections Input connections are made to Phoenix terminal blocks on the front panel of the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 and output connections to Phoenix terminal blocks on the rear panel For the Balanced Kit board the connections are made to the corresponding terminals on the board The specific use of input and output connections depends on your application and the plugin chosen INPUT 2 INPUT 1 OUTPUT 1 OUTPUT 2 OUTPUT3 OUTPUT 4 sisisisiels ole HCE elelelelele eleleleiele 12VDC IN Analog inputs Analog outputs AN When making audio connections make sure that all equipment being connected is powered off For more information on the specifics of using the Phoenix terminal blocks see Audio inputs and outputs on page 23
24. e two states such as Bypass Invert and Mute If the light blue highlight is one of the blocks in the signal flow diagram then the Space bar will open the control panel for that block Keyboard shortcuts are helpful for making rapid or fine adjustments For example in the input and output controls blocks of the advanced plugins click on the gain slider then on the Up and Down arrow keys to adjust the gain in 0 1 dB increments miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 39 SN 4 12 CUSTOM BIQUAD PROGRAMMING Available in 2x4 Advanced 2Way Advanced 4Way Advanced 2Way Advanced 21 Custom biquad programming is available in the PEQ and Crossover blocks of the Advanced plugins Its purpose is to allow you to directly provide the low level parameters aka biquad coefficients that control the digital filters of the miniDSP thus providing an almost infinite degree of flexibility For example you can create hybrid crossovers with more than one cutoff frequency create crossover filter types beyond those provided in the easy to use basic interface implement a Linkwitz transform or mix crossover and filtering biquads in the same block 4 12 1 What sa biquad A biquad is the basic unit of processing that is used to create digital filters It can be described either with an equation or with a signal flow diagram as shown here bo bz bo z 1 a 27 aoz
25. e without prior notice 19 nin 3 INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIVITY 3 1 SOFTWARE DOWNLOAD AND INSTALLATION When your order ships your ordered plugin or plugins will be available from the User Downloads section of the miniDSP website This link is visible from the dropdown menu at the top right of the website page You will need to be logged into the site with the account you created when purchasing Your Name Here User Downloads User Orders Account Maintenance CG Logout Download the plugin or plugins that you purchased from the User Downloads section and double click to unzip Then follow the installation procedure below according to your computer type Note the Adobe Air framework may need a network connection the first time the plugin is used If the plugin does not start properly see Troubleshooting 3 1 1 Windows Prior to installing the miniDSP software download and install the following programs You will need to accept the license agreements in order to successfully complete the installation e Microsoft NET framework version 3 5 or later e Latest version of Adobe Flash e Latest version of Adobe Air To install the miniDSP software open the Windows folder of the download and double click on the plugin_name exe program We recommend accepting the default installation settings Once installation is complete the plugin user interface will automatically start miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com
26. eded by the 2x4 Advanced plugin see above miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 9 nnn 2way Advanced 21 The 2way Advanced 21 plugin is similar to the 2way Advanced plugin but it also allows two of the output channels to be summed together to provide a mono subwoofer feed It is therefore used to derive a mono subwoofer signal from a stereo signal or to create sub sat systems For more information see the datasheet Note in most applications this plugin is superseded by the 2x4 Advanced plugin see above 1 3 2 Four way crossover plugins A four way crossover splits the frequency spectrum of a single input channel into up to four distinct bands Frequency bands can overlap if needed as all crossover filters are independently specified Two miniDSP Balanced 2x4 units or miniDSP Balanced Kits are needed for stereo as shown in this diagram a protection Capacitor on each tweeter is optional but generally recommended Right speaker gt 1 gt d 2 R 2 miniDSP Preamp L 2x4 gt _ gt Amplification Source To second miniDSP 2x4 for left channel 2x4 Advanced The new 2x4 crossover plugin provides parametric EQ on both inputs and on all four outputs fully independent crossovers filters with a wide range of filter slopes up to 48 dB octave on all four outputs and a matrix mixer Three way and four way active loudspeakers are among t
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28. efault each filter is in basic mode and shows the controls described below Advanced mode enables custom biquad programming for almost infinite flexibility in filter implementation This is described in Custom biquad programming Filter type Selects the type of filter PEAK Create a dip or a peak in the frequency response LOW_SHELF Reduce or increase part of the frequency spectrum below a given frequency HIGH_SHELF Reduce or increase part of the frequency spectrum above a given frequency Frequency For the PEAK filter type this is the center frequency of the peak or dip For the HIGH SHELF and LOW_ SHELF filter types this is the frequency at which the gain is half of the set value Gain For the PEAK filter type this is the gain in dB at the center frequency For the HIGH SHELF and LOW_ SHELF filter types this is the gain in dB reached at high or low frequencies respectively A filter has no effect if its gain is set to 0 Gain can be adjusted in increments of 0 1 dB up to 16 dB Q controls the sharpness of the filter For the PEAK filter type lower Q gives a shallower peak or dip while higher Q gives a narrower peak or dip For the HIGH SHELF and LOW_ SHELF filter types Q controls how quickly the filter transitions from no gain to maximum gain Bypass Clicking on the Bypass button disables that filter All other filters are still operational unless individually bypassed Copy to Clicking this button copies all
29. ements of 1 dB Meter Displays the current output signal level The level is displayed in dB FS that is relative to full scale output voltage which is 0 9 V RMS Make sure to keep the signal below O dB FS red and keep enough headroom to avoid distortion Delay Specified a delay of up to 7 5 ms on that output channel 4 ms for the Rear Center plugin This is used to time align drivers in an active speaker system to adjust the timing of specific channels to match other speakers or to adjust relative phase for better subwoofer integration When a delay is set the plugin also displays the equivalent distance that is the distance that sound travels in the given time Mute Mutes that output channel This is helpful when testing and refining your configuration For example mute the tweeter to test the woofer and vice versa miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 30 Polarity Inverts the polarity of the output channel In crossover applications some slopes e g 12 dB octave typically require that one of the output channels be inverted In subwoofer applications this can be helpful to improve integration with the main speakers The Mixer plugin has a simplified output control block OUTPUT CHANNEL 1 Infinity MUTE The Rear center channel plugin has an additional delay block that applies to both output channels A delay of up
30. filter set to Advanced mode and click on the Process button When calculating a crossover filter the calculator will produce four biquads for the low pass filter and four for the high pass filter Paste each set into the crossover input screen set to Advanced mode and click on the Process button 4 12 4 Biquad calculation spreadsheet The community developed biquad calculation spreadsheet allows more filter types to be calculated including notch filters Linkwitz transforms and filters with arbitrary Q factor Access this spreadsheet here requires Microsoft Excel http www minidsp com images fbfiles files All digital coefs v1 20101026 zi 4 12 5 Room EQ Wizard REW Room EQ Wizard is a free acoustic measurement and analysis tool available for Windows Mac and Linux platforms It includes the ability to automatically generate a bank of parametric EQ biquads based on a measurement These coefficients can be saved to a file from REW and loaded directly into a PEQ bank in a miniDSP plugin Room EQ Wizard can be downloaded here http www roomeqwizard com downloads For guidance on using this feature please refer to the app note Auto EQ with REW 4 12 6 Active Crossover Designer ACD Active Crossover Designer ACD by Charlie Laub performs the complete set of functions for active crossover design and generates biquad coefficients as its output Download it here requires Microsoft Excel e http audio claub net so
31. ftware ACD ACD html miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 42 5 K t DOCUMENTATION The miniDSP Balanced Kit is a bare circuit board that can be incorporated into your own chassis and combined with other electronics components This section documents the supported connectivity and configuration of the kit board 5 1 BOARD LAYOUT AND FEATURES This diagram shows the key features of the board DC power USB mini Balanced input connection Type B input connector Input sensitivity jumpers Expansion connector 1 Expansion connector 2 Master Slave jumper Reset button Volume control header Balanced output connectors miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 43 SNNN DSP 5 2 POWER The miniDSP Balanced Kit cannot be powered from USB and must have a 12 VDC power supply connected 5 2 1 Standalone mode In standalone mode when the miniDSP Balanced board is used without a miniDIGI or miniAMP 12 VDC power must be supplied either to the Phoenix connector or the round barrel connector depending on the version as shown here Ground 12 VDC 12 VDC on center pin m Fer i fe seats wane MEFE i is Fax AN Double check that power connections are the correct polarity before applying power 5 2 2 Stacked with miniDIGI When stacked with a
32. hat the miniDSP is in reset mode To initialize the DSP press the button again and the DSP will return to normal processing LED flashing While it is a handy feature to test certain configurations beware that in DSP bypass mode audio inputs 1 and 2 are routed directly straight through to outputs 3 amp 4 We therefore recommend not pressing the reset button unless you know exactly what you are about to do miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 46 SN 5 6 VOLUME CONTROL Master volume control of all output channels can be accomplished with a 10 kQ linear potentiometer connected to the designated 3 pin header standard 0 1 2 54mm pitch The wiring diagram for the potentiometer is shown in the diagram below No attenuation maximum volume is applied when pin 2 of the header is at 3 3 V while maximum attenuation minimum volume is applied when pin 2 is at O V For your convenience a suitable potentiometer already wired to a 3 pin female connector can be purchased together with the kit board or separately from the Accessories section of our website Potentiometer Diagram Ground Center tap LF The connection to the volume header must be performed with the board powered down If your volume control operates in reverse i e volume decreases as the pot is rotated clockwise turn off connected equipment remove power from the miniDSP board and reverse
33. he wide range of applications supported by this plugin For more information see the datasheet 4way GEQ The 4way GEQ plugin provides a 31 band 1 3 octave graphic equalizer on the input channel as well as fully independent crossovers of 12 or 24 dB octave The graphic equalizer interface may be preferred by those more familiar with hardware graphic equalizers For more information see the datasheet 4way Advanced The 4way Advanced plugin provides parametric EQ on one input channel and on all four output channels as well as fully independent crossovers with a wide range of filter slopes up to 48 dB octave It is typically used to build a fully active three way or four way active loudspeaker two miniDSP hardware units required for stereo For more information see the datasheet Note in most applications this plugin is superseded by the 2x4 Advanced plugin see above miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 10 nin 1 3 3 Non crossover plugins Two plugins provide specialized audio processing functions Rear Center Channel The Rear Center Channel plugin provides a summed L R or difference L R or R L signal for use in deriving center or rear channels from a stereo signal It also provides a 31 band graphic EQ high pass and low pass filters and long delay total 31 ms For more information see the datasheet Mixer The Mixer plugin mixes the two input
34. iaaea ns 37 4 8 High pass and low Pass filters ccccecceeccseccsececeneceneceucceecenceeceeeceneeeceuceseceeeeeucteeceeeeueteeeseeeneteeeages 38 4 9 PV Ve CCV ar E S 38 4 10 Mono stereo mode sisisi ta cacesicestacncnaecactadheseaniesiutaseaaatweduaectaaadacudlbe ston dislenseuncivensincn nausnamansm dsc aenacsaaddvansancuanieat 39 ALL Keyboard SOM CUTS rcccecceetececouctaentatenececacntenctsietecadetetacecetaaesdadeeten sunt uct mae unos anonsnsuen seme msaeenpnsh E 39 412 Custom OIG CAG OSA UN WAS scysaccercaccecace cece asana Saa aN 40 A1 VV Met S20 Mauad seceatncssmacceanesanessessaessosaseetaenaneusensseasanasueaneenrareceresnnceuecencerneonocardenpaceeserconecauecnrss 40 4 12 2 Using custom biquad DOP FEMMING sissssassscsinssteseseecssandeaceasrbsaebsaeesaeeaeea aaa eee 40 Ao Tepme 610 F210 gaa enema ee Oa CE Onn at nC CSS ne ne ae Ne eee nae a ee eee oe ee 42 4 12 4 Biquad calculation spreadsheet siscrsserssassevesensasnsensircwiedenseneeeebedubsduesinesieerdesedsenterstebedensteesbebetebeds 42 4 12 5 Room EQ Wizard REW siscssiccsscsasccssacssacsascennocasacssacaandeannssiasaanasantaaaeyanseaniesnieaiaeaieearesnaseiaesiaeeants 42 4 12 6 Active Crossover Designer ACD ccccccccseccsseccsecescceseceeceuceenceeceeecteuceeneeeeeeeesteuceeneeaneeegeets 42 Kit Documentation s sessessssssesesesesesrsrsrsrsrsesrsssersrsrsrsrsrsrserersrsrororsrsrsrsrsrsrsesereserorororerersrsrsrsrsesesererererereene 43 5 1 B ard layo ta
35. ions like active crossovers and subwoofer integration are best optimized with the aid of acoustic measurements The miniDSP UMIK 1 is an ideal accessory for this purpose and works with any measurement program including the free Room EQ Wizard For active crossovers Measure each driver individually at typically a distance of 0 5 or 1 meter 1 5 or 3 feet Use these measurements to adjust the parametric equalizer for each driver and to fine tune the crossover frequency and slope settings miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 18 nnn For subwoofer integration Measure the subwoofer with the microphone placed at the listening position Typically moving the subwoofer to find the best response without EQ will yield best performance after EQ The REW auto EQ function can be used to quickly generate an optimum equalization setting For room correction Measure the response of the system with the microphone placed at the listening position Apply equalization using either the graphic equalizer or parametric equalizer Adjustments can be confirmed by measurement as well as listening For more detailed information on these topics see our extensive collection of application notes on acoustic measurement and digital crossovers Be sure to save your configuration on a regular basis while working on fine tuning it Configurations can be saved to different files in orde
36. l is displayed in dB FS relative to maximum input voltage Make sure to keep the input signal below 0 dB FS red and keep enough headroom to avoid distortion Mute Mutes the input channel This is helpful when testing and refining your configuration For example mute each input channel while testing the other channel Most plugins have two input control blocks The 4 way plugins 4Way Advanced and 4Way GEQ have a single input control block and an additional control to choose which input to use Select which channel Left or Right you want to filter Input 1 Left Input 2 Right miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 29 ANNIN 4 3 OUTPUT LEVEL DELAY AND METERING Available in all plugins simplified version in Mixer OUTPUT CHANNEL 3 Output delay in ms 0 7 5ms 0 12 Distance 0 041 meters Polarity 6 8dB Infinity MUTE INVERT Each output channel has a gain control together with a level meter active while the plugin is in online mode adjustable delay a mute button and a button for polarity inversion Level Adjusts the level on that output channel This control is typically used to ensure equal levels on all channels in an active crossover In the advanced plugins 2x4 Advanced 2Way Advanced 2Way Advanced 21 4Way Advanced gain adjustments are in increments of 0 1 dB In all other plugins gain adjustments are in incr
37. l level from the source or change the input sensitivity jumpers to the 4V setting Check the output meter and ensure that you are not overloading the outputs If necessary reduce the output gain and or the amount of boost in the EQ blocks miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 50 nnn 6 3 OBTAINING SUPPORT 1 Check the forums on miniDSP com to see if this issue has already been raised and a solution or solutions provided 2 Contact miniDSP via the support portal at minidsp desk com with a The specific product you are having an issue with b Aclear explanation of the symptoms you are seeing c A description of the troubleshooting steps see Troubleshooting above you performed and the results obtained miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 51
38. ly this is used to feed high frequencies to tweeters and low frequencies to woofers A single miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or miniDSP Balanced Kit is used for stereo as shown in this diagram protection capacitors on the tweeters are optional but generally recommended Amplification Source 41 i Right 3 speaker R 2 gt Preamp miniDSP L l 2x4 gt 2 gt Left 1 D speaker 2x4 Advanced The 2x4 Advanced crossover plugin provides parametric EQ on both inputs and on all four outputs fully independent crossovers filters with a wide range of filter slopes up to 48 dB octave on all four outputs and a matrix mixer Two way active loudspeakers are among the wide range of applications supported by this plugin For more information see the datasheet Stereo Graphic EQ The Stereo Graphic EQ plugin provides a 31 band 1 3 octave graphic equalizer on both input channels as well as fully independent crossovers of 12 or 24 dB octave The graphic equalizer interface may be preferred by those more familiar with hardware graphic equalizers For more information see the datasheet 2way Advanced The 2way Advanced crossover plugin provides parametric EQ on both inputs and on all four outputs as well as fully independent crossovers with a wide range of filter slopes up to 48 dB octave It is typically used for building fully active two way loudspeakers For more information see the datasheet Note in most applications this plugin is supers
39. miniDIGI or miniAMP the miniDSP Balanced board can receive its power over the expansion header cables In that case the other board requires a 12 to 18 VDC connection A higher voltage is acceptable in this case as a voltage divider allows a wider range of supply voltages AN The stack must not be supplied with greater than 18 V or overheating and damage may result miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 44 ANNIN 5 3 EXPANSION HEADER AND 12S CONNECTIVITY The expansion header 2 is available for expansion purposes It carries in addition to power and ground the full set of analog signals and their digital equivalents in 12S format The pinout of this header is shown below Pin Expansion Connector 2 C Description Analog out 4 Analog out 2 Ground Ground MCLKIN I2S_DATA_IN3 amp 4 I25S_DATA_IN7 88 I2S_IN_BCLK PIN2 I2S_DATA_OUT3 amp 4 PIN IS2_DATA_OUT7 amp 8 I2_ OUT_BCLK GND GND Analog In 1 N A Pin Description Analog out 3 Analog out 1 Ground Ground I28_DATA_IN1 amp 2 Potentiometer input 10k 100kQ I2S_IN_LRCLK I2S_DATA_OUT1 amp 2 I2S_ DATA_OUT5 amp 6 I2S OUT_LRCLK 3 3V 3 3V GND Analog In 2 N A 12S also known as Inter IC Sound is an electrical serial bus used to interface digital audio devices at the chip and circuit board level Note that 12S is not a plug and play protocol and requires atte
40. miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 17 2 5 2 Reconnect to the plugin With the connected equipment still turned off apply power to the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit Reconnect the USB cable if you have removed it Then click on the Connect amp Synchronize button again This time be sure to select the Synchronize option from the dialog box A miniDSP kit with Serial 900026 was detected Please choose from one of the following options The miniDSP is now in online mode again 2 5 3 Initial audio check Power on your connected equipment first on the input side e g preamp then on the output side e g power amps Turn the volume on your source and or amplification down low and start playing music or a pink noise test signal Gradually increase the volume until your hear audio quietly coming from the speakers Verify that the plugin is performing the intended function For example if you are implementing a two way crossover confirm that the tweeter is playing high frequencies and that the woofer is playing low frequencies If you have a measurement microphone and software that allows real time spectrum analysis then by all means use it 2 6 FINE TUNE YOUR CONFIGURATION With your initial setup running you can now proceed to fine tune and optimize your system Although there are some applications where you can perform tuning by ear applicat
41. mmendation Cannot install software Cannot connect to the board Missing biquad error Cannot load a configuration No audio on outputs No signal showing on input meters Audio sounds distorted Confirm that you downloaded and installed the required frameworks first see Software download and installation If using an external DC supply try connecting with USB power only Quit the plugin In the My Documents or Documents on the Mac folder locate the miniDSP folder and within it the folder with the plugin name Delete this folder Restart the plugin Reload your saved configuration Confirm the format of your file xml Check that you are loading a file saved with the same plugin Check the input meters are showing signal if not see item 6 Check that master mute is not enabled Check that the mute buttons in the output control blocks are not enabled Crossover plugins only Check that your crossover frequencies are correct e g that you don t have high pass and low pass frequencies incorrectly set Mixer plugin only Check that the matrix mixer controls are not set to zero Check that the mute buttons in the input control blocks are not enabled Check that your source is playing audio Check that your source is not muted and is not playing at too low a level e g volume control Check the input meters and ensure that you are not overloading the inputs If necessary reduce the signa
42. nables or disables all audio processing Finally the Help button brings up the help screen shown above Flow diagram The flow diagram or block diagram is a schematic representation of the audio processing that takes place in the miniDSP hardware unit Audio flows through the diagram from the inputs on the left to the outputs on the right Clicking on each block will show its control interface in the detail pane underneath it Detail pane The detail pane shows the control interface of the processing blocks in the flow diagram For the specifics of each type of processing block see Plugin architecture and features Now is a good time to explore the plugin and become familiar with all of the controls in each of the signal processing blocks Click on each of the blocks in the block diagram to see what the controls are At this time the plugin is still in offline mode so any changes you make will not be downloaded into the miniDSP hardware Since we will reset all of the processing parameters in the next section you can feel free to experiment with the user interface at this point miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 15 i a g D4 N C puu v s Fm E D a i gt Y 2 3 GO INTO ONLINE MODE A Don t connect other equipment to the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit board at this stage That will be done after correctly ini
43. nd shows the controls described below Advanced mode enables custom biquad programming for almost infinite flexibility in crossover filter implementation This is described in Custom biquad programming Cutoff Frequency Sets the nominal cutoff frequency of the crossover In actual fact of course the crossover has a more or less gradual transition from full on to full off as determined by the filter slope Filter type Selects the type and slope of the filter The steeper the slope the more quickly frequencies above or below the cutoff frequency are attenuated There are three types of filter Butterworth BW Available in 6 12 18 24 30 36 42 and 48 dB octave Butterworth crossover filters are 3 dB down at the cutoff frequency Linkwitz Riley LR Available in 12 24 and 48 dB octave Linkwitz Riley crossover filters are 6 dB down at the cutoff frequency Bessel Available in 12 dB octave only a Bessel filter gives a more gradual roll off through the crossover region AN The Stereo Graphic EQ and 4way Graphic plugins are limited to 12 dB octave Butterworth 12 dB octave Bessel and 24 dB octave Linkwitz Riley Bypass Clicking on the Bypass button disables that high pass or low pass filter All other crossover filters are still operational unless individually bypassed miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 36 a e ar 1 SS P 4 7 COMP
44. ndTeatUreS vecaccccecaetecececeaccccateccaatennnenecadecacedetedecatacatecaamnsnead sind aunt a06 eene sane anonsneeenaeeensaeneeeas 43 5 2 EO hese eaves rears vere nce cot a E earner etc a ere ecco ore cect a eae cates etre relent otc gun ot T T 44 5 2 1 SUING AROS 110 OG os cenansscnmasmsapnsemosnconnecanoeseoannsansanceamesanbeumanasatosacaneraderadocstorararavacndeandauedenesenodeconnee 44 5 2 2 AO CUI WMI iste Sages ets stearic tcp E E EEE E ere peeeoane 44 5 3 Expansion header and 12S connectivity ccc ceeccecceseceeccsecseccseceuceeccseeeuceeeceseeeucteeceeeeuctseeeeeeeueeeeeeges 45 5 4 USB COMMS OY seater eter eeccereeecremee rtieaieti va cntcceaewrer ot eneg ence rennet rawaatna niu perc dt oun tne bins ineisins otra incites pure dtountnentas aa estaas 46 5 5 BAN 7 E r EEEE E Or en 46 5 6 VONE CON ce oeann E A E 47 5 7 Master Slave master clock SCIOCTION cccseccsecceccceccescescccccsceuseeeceesceesececeesceuseeeeceeceeseeeeeueceuseeacenecs 48 Additonal Monna ON ee nn E enn a ne ee ee E E ee 49 6 1 SEC CONS anen E E 49 6 2 TOUDE NOONE seer AAAA ONA aR 50 6 3 ODN SU OI eoa EEEE 51 nnn IMPORTANT INFORMATION Please read the following information before use In case of any questions please contact miniDSP via the support portal at minidsp desk com SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS To configure the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit you will require a Windows PC or Apple Mac OS X computer with the following minimum specifica
45. niDSP hardware unit o Ifthe plugin is in offline mode the configuration settings will be downloaded to the miniDSP hardware unit the next time it is put into online mode provided that the Synchronize option is selected from the dialog box The configuration file must have been saved with the same plugin You cannot load a l configuration file that was created with a different plugin miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 2 nin Save Configuration Saves the current configuration to a file The file name must end in xm recognize the file when trying to load it so that the plugin will Default Configuration Restore the configuration to the factory default settings o Ifthe plugin is in online mode the defaults settings will be downloaded immediately to the miniDSP hardware unit o Ifthe plugin is in offline mode the default settings will be downloaded to the miniDSP hardware unit the next time it is put into online mode Imported Frequency Response Click on the Import button to load a frequency response file The required file format has on each line the frequency and the response magnitude A maximum of 331 frequency points are allowed For an example of the file format go to the Help screen and click on the Import Template button Once the response is loaded it appears in the frequency response graphs of the relevant PEQ blocks In the
46. ntion to technical details such as clocking and wire layout It is a solution that we make available for advanced DIYers with suitable knowledge skills and measurement equipment to use it For more information please read the 12S technical note available in the download section of our website miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 45 SN 5 4 USB CONNECTIVITY The miniDSP kit board has a 5 pin header standard 0 1 2 54mm pitch located just behind its on board USB connector for use in builds requiring a panel mount USB connector oc USB Inputs Pin 1 Vcc 5 V Pin 2 D Pin 3 D Pin 4 Gnd Pin 5 Gnd APin is here This header will interface to common off the shelf cable assemblies typically used in computer hardware Although this is a standard connector you should nonetheless confirm the pin out with the manufacturer or you could easily cause damage to your computer or miniDSP kit In most cases pins 4 and 5 can be identified by a black wire but once again DO check the manufacturer s spec of the connector to prevent any short circuits To make things simple we provide a suitable cable for purchase in the accessories section of our website 5 5 BYPASS RESET A reset button is available on board and will bypass all processing by the DSP IC If pressed once the onboard LED will stop flashing indicating that processing has stopped and t
47. r to archive different versions or to enable auditioning of alternative configurations See System settings for more information on configurations 2 CONTINUE TO OPERATE OFFLINE With your miniDSP hardware and software configured you can continue to operate the miniDSP in offline mode that is without the computer connected To do so simply turn the connected equipment on again source and preamp first then power amps The miniDSP remembers the configuration last set and will continue to operate without the computer Note while in offline mode the configuration can still be modified in the plugin interface These changes will of course not be downloaded to the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 So e When the miniDSP is next put into online mode selecting the Synchronize option will download all changes to the miniDSP hardware unit e lf you do not wish to have these changes downloaded to the miniDSP hardware unit for example you are just fiddling around in the user interface then make sure that you have saved the configuration to a file before making any changes Then reload the saved configuration before synchronizing again The configuration contained in the miniDSP hardware unit cannot be uploaded back to the computer Therefore you must save your configuration to a file if you wish to recover from any changes you make while in offline mode miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to chang
48. sic Advanced LOW PASS FILTER SETTINGS Cut off frequency 5000 D Filter Type BW 18dB octj v Bypass filter BYPASS HIGH PASS FILTER SETTINGS Cut off frequency LONN na Filter Type LR 48dB oct v BYPASS 30 100 200 500 1000 2000 5000 10000 20000 Bypass filter I Bandpass filter OUT1 Bandpass filter OUT3 Bandpass filter OUT4 ii Bandpass filter OUT2 A Bandpass filter OUT4 In most plugins each output channel has a high pass filter and a low pass filter each of which can be set to one of a range of filter types and slopes or individually bypassed Clicking on the bars labeled CH1 Bandpass Filter OUT1 and so on displays the filter parameters for that output channel Unlike conventional analog crossovers the flexibility of DSP allows a completely arbitrary mix of different filter slopes and types Filters can be set at any frequency or even disabled completely This allows maximum flexibility in matching your crossover to the acoustic characteristics of the loudspeaker drivers that you are using miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 35 The graph at the right of the display shows the frequency response of the output channels Hovering the mouse over the curve brings up an overlay showing the frequency and the attenuation at that frequency Frequency 1096 Hz J Gain 10 dB Basic Advanced BY default the crossover is in basic mode a
49. the connector A single potentiometer can be connected to multiple miniDSP kit boards This allows master volume control of eight or more output channels This diagram illustrates the wiring for master volume control of multiple boards miniDSP kit 1 miniDSP kit 2 Finally to enable the master volume control use the Enable button in the System settings tab of the plugin user interface This must be disabled if no potentiometer is in place miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 47 5 7 MASTER SLAVE MASTER CLOCK SELECTION The MCLK jumper located in the center of the board selects the source of the master clock e lf the board is used standalone it generates its own master clock In this case the jumper must be in the Master position e lf the board is used with an external device that generates the 12S signals the board must slave to the external clock In this case the jumper must be in the Slave position S oO Jumper in MCLK Slave position M Jumper in MCLK Master position Examples Board used standalone or with miniAMP only Set jumper to Master Board used with miniDIGI or with miniDIGl miniAMP Set jumper to Slave Board used with USB interface and direct 12S connection Set jumper to Slave miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 48 nin 6 ADDITIONAL INFORMAT
50. tializing the configuration To go into online mode first apply power to the miniDSP See Connecting power on page 22 for more information Connect the USB cable Start the plugin if it is not already running and click on the Connect amp Synchronize button Connect amp Synchronize N AUDIO ON HELP n em a The following dialog will appear A miniDSP kit with Serial 900026 was detected Please choose from one of the following options Click on the Restore to Default button This is essential the first time you connect to the miniDSP as it ensures that the miniDSP hardware unit contains an internal set of data that it understands Subsequently you will generally use the Synchronize button Provided all goes well you will see a confirmation dialog The plugin is now in online mode Any change that you make in the plugin user interface will be immediately sent to the miniDSP hardware unit so the change will take effect in real time miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 16 nin 2 4 PERFORM INITIAL CONFIGURATION As long as you pressed Restore to Default above your plugin and the onboard software in the miniDSP hardware have been set to their default state Depending on your plugin and application you may now need to change these settings to fit your specific application For example e Set crossover frequencies and slopes
51. tion Windows e PC with 1GHz or higher processor clock speed Intel Pentium Celeron family or AMD K6 AMD Athlon AMD Duron family or compatible processor recommended e 512 megabytes MB of RAM or higher e Keyboard and mouse or compatible pointing device e USB 2 0 port e Microsofts Windows Vista SP1 XP pro SP2 Win7 Win8 1 e Microsofte NET framework v3 5 or later e Adobe AIR environment latest version e Adobe Flash player latest version Mac OS X e Intel based Mac with 1 GHz or higher processor clock speed e 512 megabytes MB of RAM or higher e Keyboard and mouse or compatible pointing device e Mac OS X 10 4 or higher e USB 2 0 port e Adobe AIR environment latest version e Adobe Flash player latest version DISCLAIMER WARNING miniDSP cannot be held responsible for any damage that may result from the improper use or incorrect configuration of this product The miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit is a powerful tool and can easily generate signals that will damage your audio system if not used properly Please read this manual carefully to ensure that you fully understand how to operate and use this product To avoid mishap be sure to configure the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit before connecting anything to its outputs as described in the section The miniDSP workflow This will ensure that the software is correctly configured and will greatly reduce any chance of causing damage to your s
52. to 27 ms can be set Main Delay Output delayl in ms up to 2 ms 5 76 Distance 1 981 meters miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 31 ISN DSP 4 4 GRAPHICEQ Available in Stereo Graphic EQ 4Way GEQ Mixer Rear Center GRAPHIC EQUALIZER CHANNEL 2 EQUALIZER SETTINGS BYPASS Link channels 10 500 1000 2000 5000 10000 20000 Frequency 250 315 400 500 630 800 ik ik2 k 2k 2k5 Ski 4k Sk k3 8k 10k 12k 16k 20k ii E unnm e k ee ee The graphic equalizer block GEQ presents a 31 band 1 3 octave EQ similar to a traditional analog EQ The top section shows the overall response curve of all EQ bands Hovering the mouse over the curve brings up an overlay with the frequency and gain at that frequency Frequency 427 Hz Gain 11 dB Control sliders The sliders in the lower half of the control panel adjust the boost or cut of the signal around that frequency The maximum control range is 12 dB Bypass Clicking on the Bypass button disables the graphic EQ processing Reset Clicking the Reset button resets all sliders to O dB Link channels If selected the slider positions are applied to both audio channels miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 32 ANNANN DSP 4 5 PARAMETRIC EQ Available in 2x4 Adv
53. two way crossovers the response will be displayed in either the left or right channel per the selector Analog Digital Input Selects between analog and digital input If using the miniDSP Balanced Kit board with an external data source via 12S for example the miniDIGI digital I O card setting this to Digital input will select the external data source instead of the onboard A D convertors If using the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 always leave this set to Analog input External Volume Control Enables master volume with a potentiometer With the miniDSP kit board this option should be enabled if an external volume control potentiometer is connected see Volume control Do not enable this option when using the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 in a box miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 28 SIN 4 2 INPUT SELECTION LEVEL AND METERING Available in all plugins INPUT CHANNEL 1 O 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 0 0dB Infinity MUTE Each input channel has a gain control together with a level meter active while the plugin is in online mode and a mute button Level Adjusts the level on that input channel In the advanced plugins 2x4 Advanced 2Way Advanced 2Way Advanced 21 4Way Advanced gain adjustments are in increments of 0 1 dB In all other plugins gain adjustments are in increments of 1 dB Meter Displays the current input signal level The leve
54. ve included hyperlinked cross references throughout the manual In addition a table of contents is embedded in the PDF file Displaying this table of contents will make navigation much easier e In Adobe Reader on Windows click on the bookmarks icon at the left The table of contents will appear on the left and can be unfolded at each level by clicking on the icons e In Preview on the Mac click on the View menu and select Table of Contents The table of contents will appear on the left and can be unfolded at each level by clicking on the triangle icons LP Important Information LP 1 Product Overview P 1 1 Typical system configurations P 1 2 How Dirac Live works P 1 3 The DDRC Dirac Live design process P 2 Installation and Setup ca P 2 1 Hardware connectivity P 2 2 Software installation El LP 3 Acoustic Measurement 1 P 3 1 Loudspeaker and microphone P 3 2 Connections for acoustic measurement 5 P 3 3 Configuring for measurement P 3 3 1 Sound System tab LP 3 3 2 Mic Config tab P 3 3 3 Output amp Levels tab P 3 4 Running the measurements P 3 5 Saving and loading projects E P 4 Filter Design E P 5 Using the DDRC E P 6 Additional Information Adobe Reader on Windows prreeeeeeeeeeenemenrnrntnrnrmeeneemneeseenentnrnenininrennemrmensenmentntnrntnennennennnnnnnsnenenenentnennnnenni W Go Tools Bookmarks Windo Content Only X 981 r Q_ Q_ Thumbnails 82 Vie
55. w Zoom MAME mea Gece X33 DDRC User Manual 9hlights and Notes 1384 Contact Sheet 985 gt Important Informati Y 1 Product Overview 1 1 Typical system configurations 1 2 How Dirac Live works 1 3 The DDRC Dirac Live design process Y 2 Installation and Setup gt 2 1 Hardware connectivity 2 2 Software installation v 3 Acoustic Measurement Pst Loudspeaker and microphone positioning 3 2 Connections for acoustic measurement v 3 3 Configuring for measurement 3 3 1 Sound System tab 3 3 2 Mic Config tab 3 3 3 Output amp Levels tab gt 3 4 Running the measurements 3 5 Saving and loading projects gt 4 Filter Design gt 5 Using the DDRC gt 6 Additional Information Preview on Mac miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice 6 1 PRODUCT OVERVIEW Thank you for choosing the miniDSP Balanced Kit board or the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 audio processor Combined with an extensive range of plugins the miniDSP Balanced Kit and miniDSP Balanced 2x4 offer a compact inexpensive yet powerful and flexible platform for many audio applications e Active crossovers e System equalization with graphic or parametric EQ e Subwoofer integration e Audio mixing and routing e Center and rear channel synthesis The balanced input output connections allow easy connectivity to balanced audio equipment Balanced connections also provide additional immunity to noise over long cable runs
56. x4 and Balanced Kit require that 12V DC power be supplied Power is always required as the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 and Balanced Kit cannot be powered from the USB bus The 12V DC supply must be able to supply a minimum of 150 mA There are two versions of the DC power connector Currently shipping units have a round DC power socket center positive A suitable DC power supply is available as an option when purchasing the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 orBalanced Kit Fit the correct pins for your country and connect the DC plug to the 12 VDC power socket Aan ANN f AJ YY INPUT 2 INPUT 1 olelejejojo HCE 7 a o Yer pi a a Older units use a two terminal Phoenix socket for DC power This is a removable connector that accepts bare wire via screw in terminals with polarity as shown in the diagram below 7 O ka A INPUT 2 INPUT 1 eeleelee ACE J S S USB _ C g 12 VDC Ground A Always double check that power connections are the correct polarity before applying power The miniDSP does not have a power switch We recommend that it simply be left powered on as power consumption is very low If you do decide to power the miniDSP off or on please ensure that you turn connected amplification off before disconnecting power from the miniDSP and connect power to the miniDSP before turning connected amplification on miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifi
57. ystem Once again miniDSP cannot be responsible for any damage the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit may cause to your system miniDSP Ltd Hong Kong www minidsp com Features and specifications subject to change without prior notice ANNIN Finally note that the miniDSP Balanced 2x4 or Balanced Kit is a very flexible device and many of the questions we receive at the tech support department are already answered in this user manual and in the online application notes on the miniDSP com website So please take the time to carefully read this user manual and the online technical support And if an issue arises with your unit please read through the Troubleshooting section first Thank you for your understanding WARRANTY TERMS miniDSP Ltd warrants this product to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year from the invoice date Our warranty does not cover failure of the product due to incorrect connection or installation improper or undocumented use unauthorized servicing modification or alteration of the unit in any way or any usage outside of that recommended in this manual If in doubt contact miniDSP prior to use A NOTE ON THIS MANUAL This User Manual is designed for reading in both print and on the computer If printing the manual please print double sided The embedded page size is 8 x 11 Printing on A4 paper will result in a slightly reduced size For reading on the computer we ha
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