User Manual - Brauner Microphones
Contents
1. VM1 lite and a VMx lite The VM1 lite and the VMX lite are technically almost identical with the exception of a little detail that makes a huge difference Both sounds differ through their unique character What they both share is their high resolution of finest sonic detail and the enormous depth and space around the sound The VM1 lite has the sound that made Brauner famous Wide open and transparent with all the resolu tion and detail you can dream of and its homogeneous imaging over the whole frequency range In contrast the VMX lite offers a sound that has a soft and silky top end and its slightly pronounced High Mid and Bottom range Still not coloured still all the resolution and de tail but just to give honour to the spirit of the most fabulous old vin tage microphones You will love this sound for male vocals But that is just one example Both sounds are useful for a huge variety of appli cations depending on weather you like it more soft silky and warm or shiny wide and clear It is hard to verbally describe the sonic cha racteristics of a microphone and as we are talking about subtle nu ances these might not instantly become obvious after just toggling the switch and also a frequency plot does not tell a big difference But your ears will Listen closely Get into the sound Huge isn t it Tell us about your favourite applications that you like to use our mi crophones on If you like to share your experience with othe2. and so the spirit of non compromising quali ty attention to detail precision and endurance Important things that get lost along marketing strategies that loose their sense for real va lues more and more each day A trend that might end up in the loss of individualism one day A high price to pay Through your purchase of this quality product you have set an examp le and clearly dissociated yourself from supporting this trend There is an endless number of microphones available on the market today but there is only one Brauner Its technical specifications are at the edge of physics and define a quality standard that is only made possible th rough highest precision crafting technology smallest tolerances and enormous efforts in selecting the best components Sure you paid a lot of money for this product but we did the same because we build to a standard not to a price There is rarely any microphone available today that contain such ex pensive components as those being used in Brauner microphones We do anything to ensure maximum endurance reliability and high est sonic quality in regards to our products Brauner microphones got nothing in common with industrial mass products Every single micro phone is build by hand and with passion from people who love buil ding microphones and who believe that this is the only way to make a product carry a spirit and to become invaluable Our philosophy is to consider recording as an art r
3. part in it Do not let this be your cables In the bottom case you will find the microphone the elastic suspension and the re mote control power supply unit Please first take out the suspension and attach itto a suitable microphone stand which is capable of handling the heavy weight of the mi crophone such as a good boom stand with a counterweight on the other end of the boom Such a stand will also allow you to place the microphone in an overhead posi tion 2 3 The suspension Let us now take a look at the microphone suspension Many people have problems handling it in the beginning It turns out that those people have often not read the manual carefully and just tried by themselves and ran into problems But handling the suspension is guick and easy once you are used to it The suspension was designed to ensure several important tasks At first it should ensure a good acoustic decoupling and should also ensure that the microphone can be positioned very easily If used correctly you can rotate the microphone 180 verti cally so you can always find the right spot in accordance to the sound source After you have taken the suspension from the case you should mount it on a suitable microphone stand as such which was described in the last paragraph At the backsi de of the suspension you find a lever to tighten or loosen the tension with which the suspension is held in place This lever is a bit unusual but comes very handy No
4. Always secure the microphone with your hands while you insert it or take it out of its suspension Doing so becomes much easier when you slightly turn the micropho ne body left and right while getting it in or out of the suspension 5 0 Technical specifications Microphone category tube microphone Pattern omni and cardioid Acoustical principle Dual large diaphragm pressure gradient transducer Freguency range 20 Hz to 22 KHz Sesitivity 28mV Pa 1KHz 1m Impedance 200 Ohm Self Noise less or equal 11dBA IEC 651 21dB CCIR 468 4 Signal to noise ratio 83 dB A 1Pa 1KHz 1m Maximum SPL Type of impedance converter Frequency range of converter 142 dB SPL 0 390 THD Ultralinear Class A 10Hz 120KHz linear in Frequency amp Phase Tube type Dimensions of the microphone EF 86 EF 806 S EF 732 or Brauner CMVT1 Height 8 66 inches Diameter 1 97 inches Weight of the microphone 1 23 lib Supplied accessories VM1 lite VMX lite microphone suspension PSU remote unit microphone cable 24 60 ft user manual amp aluminum case Technical specs are subject to change without notice brauner vm1 lite brauner vmX lite 13 6 0 Warranty regulations 14 Limited warranty Brauner microphones will provide warranty and service for this unit in accordance with the following warrants Brauner microphones warrants to the original purchaser that this product and the components th
5. User Manual brauner vm1 lite brauner vmX lite m brauner microphones 2 miss RONN WZ Dy NI NN Top lid of the aluminum case Main cable User manual Microphone Suspension Remote control Cable a N 5 J i f in 4 f p N t o lt S o 2 E u W we a_ sb ke pubes Y OF s gt Uu q yw 1 0 Table of contents brauner vm1 lite brauner vmX lite User Manual VM1 lite VMX lite Seite 1 0 Table of contents 3 1 1 Introduction 4 2 0 Safety regulations 5 2 1 Setting up 5 2 2 The aluminum case 6 2 3 The suspension 6 2 4 Inserting the microphone into the suspension 7 2 5 Connections 7 3 0 The remote 8 11 3 1 The front panel of the remote 8 3 2 The pattern switch 9 3 3 The phase reverse switch 10 3 4 The back panel of the remote 11 3 5 The ground lift switch 11 3 6 Adjusting the voltage selector changing fuses 11 4 0 Maintenance and care 12 5 0 Technical specifications 13 6 0 Warranty regulations 14 7 0 Finally 15 D gt llin W brauner microphones 1 1 Introduction Thank you for purchasing this original Brauner microphone and con gratulations on your wise and advised decision Through your support of highest quality products you ensure to keep up the good work and help to keep an important part of the world famous German enginee ring art and culture alive
6. and Freguency response we have not included filters into the microphones signal path So ifyou need i e a low cut filter please use an external one that you know is good 3 1 The front panel ofthe remote On the front panel you find the switch for chaning the pattern and the switch for the phase reverse Also on the front panel there is the ON Off switch 3 2 The pattern switch You can choose between two different pattern The OMNI and the CARDIOID pattern Following now is a short description of the different pattern and their behaviour for people that have no further experience in using microphones yet If you are a profes sional user you might proceed to the next paragraph now Please notice that the in formation on this subject given here can only be an introduction You should refer to dedicated literature for further and more detailed information The best thing to gain experience in working with microphones is being curious about what happens when you change the microphone its placement and pattern as well as the whole recor ding environment or chain It might help to think of a microphone as a camera A microphone in OMNI characteristics will pick up sonic information about equally from either side This pattern is ideal to get a very life impression of recorded mate rial and it contains a lot of sonic detail of the ambience in which the recording takes place In the early days monaural recordings where often made wit
7. ather than a science So we perceive mi crophones as creative tools for the artist using them Nevertheless we put a lot of effort into setting the benchmark in regards to important technical issues such as lowest self noise highest possible dynamic range and proper impulse response but the thing that matters the most is definitely the sound You can not entirely evaluate sound with the audio measurement ca pabilities given today For this reason the most important part in buil ding our microphones is a severe listening test No Brauner micropho ne leaves our factory unless it passed the critical and unforgiving ears of our engineers that do not tolerate even the smallest deviation from our highest standards This has created the high reputation and es teem that the name Brauner became synonymous for An esteem we deeply feel committed to Our target is to make each Brauner micro phone a perfect tool to give you distinctive and unsurpassed sound reproduction quality Experience a sound that will surely change your recording life forever Due to its high resolution you might hear de tails in your recordings that you probably never even noticed before We wish you all the greatest joy in the world with this wonderful mi crophone that we have paid all our love and attention to May it be your reliable companion for many years to come and may it give many unforgettable moments to you Moments that money can t buy The difference between a
8. be microphone You got taste man and you have no experience with this type of microphones you should careful ly study this manual It contains many valuable hints that can save you a lot of time and that will help you to professionally handle this micro phone to get the best results out of it in daily use These hints are prin ted in bold letters so you can quickly locate them in the text 2 2 The aluminum case Brauner microphones get delivered in a sturdy aluminum case containing the mic rophone and all its accessory parts in a foam wadding that was made to effectively protect them When not used for a longer period of time or during travel or transport you should keep the microphone in its case for optimum protection You should also keep the microphone cables in this case The cables are located behind the snap lid that you will find as part of the top lid of the case On the top end in front of the snap lid you will find a black latch that secu res the flap that holds the lid in place Just turn the latch and flip up the flap Then pull down the snap lid to the front while holding the top of the case with your other hand Behind the lid you find the microphone cable the mains cable this user ma nual and the keys for the case Important See how carefully the cables have been wound and stored here by us You should always treat the cables as good as that Re member that your whole audio chain can only be as good as the weakest
9. e inside or if any damages occurred do not power the unit up again and get in contact with your service department 13 Always keep the desiccant bag in the transport case It is filled with activated clay that is non toxic and has an excellent long term stability and very high absorption potential for humidity Al ways place this bag close to the microphone when you keep it in the case It will avoid moisture damages when the microphone is exposed to temperature changes as they occur during transport shipping or storage in place with high humidity 14 Be sure to use a microphone stand that is suitable to support the weight of the microphone In example a boom stand that is equip ped with a counterweight Ensure that the microphone can not loose its balance and fall to the ground 2 1 Setting up Are you experienced When you have experience in working with tube microphones using this microphone should not be a big deal for you In that case just get the cables from behind the lid in the top of the case and at least read the chapter on how to use the microphone suspension properly as de scribed in chapter 2 3 The suspension which might save you some time and hassle since the suspension supplied with this microphone has some special features and handling gualities that you should fa miliarize yourself with and that will become very useful once you are used to it It will pay off From the beginning If this is your first tu
10. e of Ger man engineering art that is made to an ideal and not to a budget Our products are manufactured according to the highest industry standards and set the benchmark in their category There is further eguipment that is being released by Brauner in the future Equipment that will fulfill the same high demands and excels as well as the eguipment we already released and that made the name Brauner world famous Facts that will always enable you to clearly perceive the difference our products make The re are many microphones but there is only one Brauner To take full advantage of the extraordinary capabilities of your Brauner microphone you should have a solid background on the usage of microphones Beside some litt le basic theory the thing that matters the most is experience Be creative be skepti cal and be willing to experiment Stunning new sounds have never come from people that just do what others do Or as a good old friend of ours would say Bruce Swedi en Find and develop your own audio personality Have Fun Sincerely yours Dirk Brauner Imprint Release June 2006 Text and images Dirk Brauner Proof reading D Kahlen B Rosen Design www darda designprojekt de 15 16 AJ brauner microphones LI 3 ms Dirk Brauner R hrenger temanufaktur R merstra e 11 D 46499 Hamminkeln Tel 49 0 28 52 50 90 19 Fax 49 0 28 52 50 89 71 info brauner microphones com www brauner microp
11. ereof will be free of defects in workmanship or material for a period of 24 month from the date of purchase Brauner microphones will without charge re pair or replace at its option defective product or component parts upon prepaid de livery to the factory service department or authorized service center accompanied by proof of purchase date in the form of a valid sales receipt Exclusions This warranty does not apply in the event of misuse or abuse of the product or as a re sult of unauthorized alterations or repairs This warranty is void if the warranty seal is altered defaced or removed Brauner microphones reserves the right to make changes in design or make additions to or improvements upon this product without any obligation to install the same on products previously manufactured Brauner microphones shall not be liable for any consequential damages including without limitation damages resulting from loss of use For units purchased outside the Federal Republic of Germany an authorized distributor of Brauner microphones will provide service In case of any specific questions please refer to Brauner Microphones Romerstral e 11 D 46499 Hamminkeln Phone 49 0 28 52 50 90 19 Fax 49 0 28 52 50 89 71 E Mail info brauner microphones com Service E Mail service brauner microphones com Internet www brauner microphones com 7 0 Finally Finally we want to thank you once again for purchasing another finest piec
12. es are required DIN 41662 time lag You should always take care to use the right voltage and fuse configuration when using your microphone while you are travelling and working in countries with diffe rent mains voltages You should configure to the appropriate voltage setting of the country you are travelling to before you start travelling and should configu re for home use again before travelling home Also you should always carry some spare fuses with you as they are specified in this manual 11 4 0 Maintenance and care When you follow all these recommendations you will always have great pleasure in using your Brau ner microphone and it will reliably last a very long time If nevertheless you should you run into any problems that reguire service our customer support will assist you as soon as possible service brauner microphones com 12 We take great care and loving attention when we manufacture our microphones We only use the highest guality components available many of which are exclusively ma nufactured according to our specification and individual needs Apart from that all components must pass our severe OC and selection processes without which the pro duction of such a delicate microphone setting the benchmark in what is the edge of physics today would never be possible Even the material that we use for the dia phragms of our capsules is especially made for us and withstands an extremely wide moistu
13. etails you find the MAINS in put with the fuse holder and the XLR output OUT with pin 2 carrying thein pha se signal Pin 2 hot Connect this output to your console or microphone preamp using a high guality cable Check our websie for recommendations lt www brauner microphones com gt On the right side of the XLR output you find the 8 pin Tuchel connector for the con nection to the microphone Below there is the ground lift switch see paragraph 3 5 Between the Mains input and the XLR output you find a voltage selector 3 5 The ground lift switch The ground lift switch is located on the right side of the XLR output that you find on the back of the power supply remote see picture for details It detaches the ground pin pin 1 of the XLR output from ground Safety earth is of course never detached in any position By the way you should under no circumstances detach the safety earth from any of your cables or plugs It can lead to lethal accidents if you do so and the manufacturer of this product is in no way responsible for such damages Refer to the safety regulation for further details With using the ground lift switch you can solve hum problems caused by potential differences as they might occur in on location re cordings or when the equipment you use is supplied with power from different sour ces To avoid hum problems you should be sure to use proper power and wiring techniques with one central grou
14. h just a sing le omni mic in the right place You should listen to the decent quality of such recor dings and their charming quality With one or more microphones in omni placed at the right spot you can create recordings that have a distinct beauty and a very holis tic detailed and natural feel Omni microphones are ideal to capture the whole image of a recording and its ambience Also you can place omni microphones in the room as ambience microphones to add their signal to the mix to make it come more alive Try feeding the signal of the ambience microphones into an equalizer effects unit or dis tortion unit to see what happens Microphones in CARDIOID characteristics are the ones being used the most The cha racterisstic is activated in the upper switch position presented by the cardioid sym bol that looks a bit like a kidney Cardioid microphones are more directive than omni microphones and have their highest sensitivity when the sound is coming from the front While omni microphones have about the same sensitivity in any direction When the sound is coming from the side i e 90 degrees from the front the sensiti vity is only about half the front sensitivity On the back of the microphone it is only about one tenth of the sensitivity in the front of the microphone This means that in formation is being dampened the more it is coming from the side and even more from the back Cardioid microphones can be used as spot or solo micro
15. hone power sup ply to the input of your mixing console or microphone preamp You should use a high quality microphone cable of an appropriate length The shorter the better Check the product section of our website for recommended cables www brauner microphones com After connections have been made and have finally being checked properly you can now power up the microphone by switching on its power using the illuminated switch on the back of the power supply Do not use phantom power with this product Since this is a tube microphone that comes with its own power supply it does not require phantom power The microphone should be ready to use about 20 seconds after powering up Howe ver we recommend to let it warm up for at least 15 minutes before use since the sound of tube devices can change audibly during warm up time the sound gets more rich and detailed au brauner microphones Ka 3 0 Theremote The microphones power supply remote unit is build into a modular housing The PSU remote should be placed near the console to take advantage of changing para meters during the rehearsal session in order to make changes to the pattern or to ac tivate the phase reverse in case it is needed without having to go into the recording room again to access the microphone which enables a better work flow in the studio and lets you hear changes more guickly Since one of the major strengths of Brauner microphones is their excellent Phase
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17. mains supply 5 This eguipment must be grounded Never disconnect or bypass the safety ground from your powersupply 6 Check the voltage adjustment of the eguipment before powe ring up See details in chapter 3 7 Adjusting the voltage selector changing fuses 7 Exchange only with the same type of fuse At 115V mains voltage 800mA time lag and at 230V mains voltage 400mA time lag ac cording to DIN 41662 8 Servicing this equipment is allowed by qualified service personal only Breaking the internal warranty seal will void your warranty 9 Always take good care about the cables supplied with the equip ment Frequently check the cables for damages and handle them carefully and exchange cables right away if they are damaged Ne ver use a damaged cable as this might damage the equipment or even lead to severe injury 10 Avoid to use the equipment under extreme environmental conditi ons i e in environments that are extremely dusty or with high hu midity 11 Avoid dropping and punching the equipment If the equipment is not in use keep it in its transport case for safe storage Never use the equipment if it is broken Contact the service department right away when the equipment is damaged 12 If the equipment has been dropped power off immediately and disconnect it from the mains Wait for about 15 minutes and then carefully check for any visible damages Then shake the equip ment carefully If any parts became loos
18. more fiddling around with coins screwdrivers warn out screws and such trouble Just a quick move and the suspension sits right in place or is being moved to a new position anywhere from 0 to 180 in the vertical Axis What is also special about this lever is that you can rotate the lever itself by just grabbing it by its center Axis and lift it until you can rotate it without tightening or loosening the suspension itself See picture for details The lever is suspended by a spring Just let it snap in at its new position After getting used to this changing the vertical position of the microphone becomes very easy From time to time we talk to customers that have not yet discovered this feature until today Sometimes it does make sense to read a manual 2 4 Inserting the microphone into its suspension The suspension is tighten correctly to the stativ Now you take the microphone and push it with both hands carefully but with a certain higher pressure into the inner halfring of the suspension As you see it on the picture it is a good way to hold and fix the microphone with yout thumbs while the forefingers provide the right counterpressure The microphone is now securely fixed into the suspension In some cases e g at a si tuation where the microphone is arranged in a floating position you can safeguard the microphone with an additional hook and loop tape After the microphone has securely being placed into its suspension it need
19. nd and earth potential and no ground loops in between The ground lift lets you cut such loops without effecting your safety The positions are as follows 1 Right position H ard ground The ground pin Pin 1 of the XLR connector is conductively connected to the ground center of the internal circuit 2 Mid position Ground L ift The ground pin is now completely disconnected from the ground 3 Left position S oft Ground The ground pin is now connected to the ground via a safety capacitor that decouples the AC portion of the hum to ground 3 6 Adjusting the voltage selector changing fuses Before operating this device you should check for the correct setting of the mains vol tage This can be set to either 115V or 230V If you are not sure about the voltage in your environment you should ask a qualified technician or electrician To change the voltage setting you have to switch off and disconnect the power supply remote from the mains plug first Afterwards you can change the voltage switch to the desired voltage using an apropriate tool such as a screwdriver Please note that you should change the fuse when you change the voltage setting The fuse is located in a fuse holder that is part of the MAINS voltage input connection device You can pull it out to the front using a screwdriver to unlock it from its compartment and put it back in in the reverse order For 115V operation 800mA fuses and for 230V operation 400mA fus
20. phones to cap ture sources without being influenced too much by information coming from the back or from the side JV brauner microphones 3 3 Thephase reverse switch 10 The phase reverse switch is located on the front panel of the remote and can be used to invert the phase of the audio signal 180 When the switch is in the lower position 09 the non inverted signal of the transformer outputs at Pin 2 of the XLR connector standard compliant Pin2 hot While most of the microphone preamps expect the non inverted signal at Pin2 some products in particular US products are expecting the non inverted signal at Pin3 One might think that due to the symmetric layout of the preamplifiers and the microphones that doesn t matter However practical experience shows that there are big differences in sound when using the false pin assignment This means if you have connected your microphone standard compliant Pin2 hot to product where Pin 3 is hot and the sound is thinner compared to other preamps then you should turn the phase reverse switch into the 180 position You will recognize that the microphone sounds better now The phase reverse might also be used for diagnosis purposes in case you are working with many different preamps alternately So you will find out which products are compliant to the standard and which are not 3 4 The back panel of the remote On the back panel of the remote see picture for d
21. re and temperature range and will show now aging effects even after many ye ars of operation Since your Brauner microphone is almost made for eternity and has good chances to survive you when you treat it good you should look for someone you love to pass it to when you stop working with it at a time in the far away future Nevertheless you should recognize some important facts to keep the value of your de licate investment and to ensure its long term stability and operation over a long peri od of time Always store the microphone in its case when it is not being used for a longer peri od of time and keep a good desiccant bag in the case when you store it in places with higher humidity Such as the one supplied from the factory which is long term reli able and non toxic according to MIL D 3464 DIN IEC 55473 A Don t use the microphone under extreme environmental conditions Avoid high hu midity and dusty environments Do not smoke when using microphones Cigarette smoke contains acids that can harm the microphones diaphragm when it is exposed to it over a long period of time The smoke can also condensate on the diaphragm and build up high resistance short cuts there which can lead to a loss in signal quality and can increase the noise As you can see smoking is also harmful to microphones as well The cable supplied with your microphone is custom made and of very high quality It has a very low self capacitance and a very low resi
22. rs we might publish it on our websites knowledge base where we will re port about user experiences frequently 2 0 Safety regulations Tube equipment in comparison to transistor equipment is running on fairly high voltages which in case of direct contact with the human body can be lethal Brauner products comply to all international safe ty regulations and are severely tested and therefore can be run safely and without any risk as long as they are properly used and the safety regulations are met So please take some time to read them carefully 1 Before using this equipment carefully read these safety instruc tions and always keep them in reach for further reference 2 The manufacturer will in no way be able to be held responsible for damages of any kind whatsoever when these occur from uninten ded use of this equipment or occur from any changes to the equip ment that have been made by people that are not explicitly autho rized by the manufacturer 3 Never open the equipment when it is powered up Always discon nect from the mains before opening this eguipment No user ser viceable parts inside Unauthorized opening will void your warran ty 4 The eguipment contains high voltage capacitors that charge volta ges up to 230V even when the eguipment is switched of and dis connected from the mains Through internal resistors these capa citors discharge within about 10 minutes after disconnecting the eguipment from the
23. s to be connected Now it is time to check all cables that are being used for damages again Never use cables that show damages refer to safety regulations paragraph 2 0 Take the black 8 Pin Tuchel cable out of its compartment and attach the female con nector to the microphone Make sure the connector sits tight and is properly plugged and screwed onto the male plug that sits inside the center of the microphone bottom See picture for details Plug the 8 Pin male connector into the female plug onthe backside of the power supply and secure it the same way as the one on the micropho ne It is very important to properly screw the connectors to their appropriate plugs Otherwise hum or interference problems may result Before connecting the mains lead next make sure the right voltage is set and change the voltage setting if neces sary Refer to paragraph 3 6 Adjusting the voltage selector Changing fuses In Eu rope this should be 230V while in the US it should be 115V Refer to an Electrician in case you are not sure about the correct mains voltage After it is made sure that the mains voltage settings are correct plug in the mains ca ble at the back of the power supply and attach the other end to an appropriate wall outlet or power bar which must be earthed Never detach or bypass the earth con nection from your mains cables Refer to safety regulations in paragraph 2 0 Now connect the output of the microphone on the back of the microp
24. stance while it has a perfect shiel ding and is still very flexible It took years to develop this special cable and it can only be as good as your treatment of it will allow Never extremely bend or knot a cable in a sharp angle Avoid twisting and tearing it and do not guide it over sharp edges that can cut or damage it Never drop the Tuchel connectors to the ground becau se this might damage them and you will not be able to securely screw the connectors to the plugs once they are deformed Always wind the cable in bigger slopes and free of twists so as you find it when it is delivered from the factory You should always tre at your cables like this to avoid damages of the shielding and inside wire leads Always keep in mind that the overall quality of your audio chain can only be as good as the weakest part of it which is many times the bad cables and wiring that people use Never use any aggressive detergents to clean the surface of your microphone or its ac cessories Never let any liquids get inside your microphone or the power supply and never clean it while it is powered up Do only use a soft dry cloth to clean the surface Never drop the microphone or its accessories or hit or punch them If your micropho ne or the power supply has been dropped or hit or being punched power it off imme diately and check for any damage Also check the safety regulations of this product for further reference that you find under paragraph 2 0
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