AEA RPQ500
Contents
1. Phantom On Off N 48 V Low Cut Filter 18 AAW 360 85 Hz ssoclates www ribbonmics com 626 798 9128 Handcrafted in Pasadena California Figure 2 RPO500 Single Line diagram RPQ500 Single Line API 500 series preamp with P48 and CurveShaper B Avero Engineering Minimum path high gain and impedance fast transient recovery JFET preamp cables can cause absence of signal which as Richard Heyser once com mented is 100 distortion Even more potentially damaging defective cables can cause loud pops or other noises which if the level is high can launch loudspeaker cones across the room Line Input Mode The P48 Phantom Power cannot and should not be applied to line level devices In Line Input Mode the inputs of the RPO500 will always be free from P48 Phantom Power even if it is accidentally engaged Never theless it is recommended to keep the Phantom Power off when the unit is used in this mode Output Connections The output of the RPQ500 emulates a transformer coupled output and can be used as either a balanced or unbalanced signal depending on how your cable system is configured When balanced the maximum output level is 28 dBu when unbalanced the maximum level is 22 dBu These are as measured into a 6009 load the recommended load is gt 10k2 0 dBu 0 7746 V rms When unbalancing the XLR output pin 3 must be tied to ground at the receiving end i e the2. J Audio Engineering Associates 1029 N Allen Ave Pasadena CA 91104 www ribbonmics com Phone 626 798 9128 Fax 626 798 2378 AEA RP0500 High Performance Preamp Owner s Manual December 2011 Shaper 4 7 LF In LF Filter P48 4 Mic Line Introduction The RP0500 module designed after the successful RPO preamp provides the same ultra clean high gain signal path that has earned AEA preamps their great reputation in a 500 series package The RP0500 has been enhanced with additional features turning it into a workhorse tool for your API 500 compatible rack The RP0500 delivers the bandwidth and guietness needed for high resolution recording JFET circuit topology provides all the dynamics subwoofer bass and fast transients that your microphones can record The input impedance of 10 000 Q means the RP0500 will not load down a mic and change its sound Low Energy Storage circuit design instantly recovers from overloads for superior dynamic performance The CurveShaper offers a natural option for sculpting your sound right at the start of the signal path Switchable and tunable low frequency LF and high frequency HF controls allow you to tame proximity problems and provide HF extension and slope control The high frequency CurveShaper excels at adding a touch of air or presence and the low frequency control can remove boxiness and boominess in a fast and unobtrusive way The bottom
3. A weighted 150 Q resistive source e Frequency response 3dB lt 1Hz and gt 100 kHz e THD lt 0 02 at 1 kHz e Balanced Microphone Input Impedance 10 KQ e Balanced Line Input Impedance 33 KQ e Input Gain control twelve position switch provides from 7 dB to 56 dB of gain for the preamplifier circuit as measured between the input and the before the output line driver e Output Gain control continuously variable from 64 dB to 19 dB of additional output gain following the CurveShaper circuitry e Switched LF Shelving filter 3 dB break frequency tunable from 18 Hz to 360 Hz maximum reduction 20 dB e Switched CurveShaper EO 3dB break frequency tunable from 2 1 kHz to 26 kHz HF gain adjustable from 0 dB to 18 dB the slope of the HF filter varies interactively and directly with the CurveShaper frequency and gain settings e XLR output maximum level into 600Q load 28 dBu balanced 0 dBu 0 7746 V rms e XLR connectors polarity pin 1 is ground pin 2 is high pin 3 is low e LED signal level indicators green snaps on at 6 dBu red snaps on at 23 dBu and yellow varies in brightness with level from 3 dBu to 20 dBu Physical e Zinc plated steel chassis with 0 125 anodized aluminum front panel measured without knobs and switches 1 488 w 6 033 d 5 247 h 3 78 cm x 15 32 cm x 13 32 cm e Weight 14 5 oz 411 g e Laser engraved front panel markings e Grayhill series 71 stepped gain switc
4. is active For ad ditional headroom the signal is attenuated by 6 dB prior to the EQ filter section and the Output Gain control The Output Gain control can either apply up to 19 dB of gain in the full clockwise position or can attenuate the signal as much as 64 dB just like a fader on a console The output line driver adds an additonal fixed gain of 6 dB following the Output Gain control The unity gain position can be found near the two o clock position Again the LED level indicators ref 1 monitor the signal level at a point in the signal path just prior to the input of the balanced output amplifier The green LED comes on in the presence of low level signal the red LED turns on when you are approaching signal overload or clip ping The yellow LED varies in brightness between the two to indicate the general signal level It is suggested to start with the Output Gain control in the one o clock position for a setting near unity gain Note however that if you subse guently apply HF boost you may need to reduce the Output Gain control correspondingly to avoid system overload Using the LF Filter The RPO500 was designed to complement ribbon microphones perfectly AEA Big Ribbon mics deliver sub woofer lows which the RPQ500 renders faithfully Such strong low frequency content can mask high frequency intelligibility so the tunable LF filter was engineered to reduce low frequency energy to appropriate levels Direction
5. line is a versatile channel strip that will deliver an unadulterated performance in any application The Line Mic switch bypasses the microphone gain stage and allows the EQ to be used for tracking with other preamps or during mixdown Add the output level control and the RPQ500 becomes a high quality processing tool that can be used for mixing and mastering when combined with summing racks and mixers such as the Purple Audio Moiyn or the Roll Music Folcrom The original RPQ with CurveShaper was designed to fully capture every nuance of ribbon microphones vintage or modern passive or phantom powered Engineers have discovered that the RPO also complements their moving coil tube and solid state mics By virtue of its sonic qualities and versatility the AEA RP0500 is the tool of choice for all microphones whenever a true and pristine signal path is needed The Front Panel 1 Audio Signal Level indicators The green LED snaps on at 6 dBu to indicate the presence of signal the red LED snaps on at 23 dBu to warn of approaching signal overload the yellow LED varies in bright RPO 500 Figure 1 AEA RPQ500 Front Panel Diagram ness with the signal level from 3 dBu to 20 dBu 2 HF Gain control This continuously variable control adjusts the HF gain from flat 0dB to maximum 20 dB the slope of the Curve Shaper EQ varies interactively and directly with the boost frequency and gain settings 3 HF In
6. losses that are inherent to most ribbon microphones the result of distant mic placement or an overly dry acoustical environ ment This circuit functions similarly to a conventional parametric shelv ing boost but with a significant difference the slope varies as both the HF Freguency and HF Gain controls are adjusted Once the HF In switch ref 3 is depressed to IN ON position adjust the continuously variable CurveShaper control ref 4 to tune the filter to the 3 dB break freguency at and above which you want to intro duce the boost Then dial in the amount of boost you desire with the HF Gain control ref 2 The two controls are interactive so as with the LF filter listen carefully to determine at what freguency and gain setting you achieve satisfactory results In Line Input Mode the CurveShaper becomes a versatile EQ to add presence or air to any line level signal on a mix or even mastering Be careful when you add HF gain because this also affects the overall gain structure of the preamplifier and could introduce overload distortion After you make this adjustment you may need to reduce the Input Gain control ref 10 correspondingly to compensate for the HF signal boost Specifications Electronic e 81 dB of gain at 1kHz balanced in to balanced out in Microphone Input Mode e Noise figure rms A weighted lt 2 dB e Noise figure rms unweighted lt 3 dB 20 kHz LPF bandwidth e EIN lt 130 dBu
7. switch OUT is bypass IN inserts the CurveShaper cir cuitry 4 HF Frequency control This continuously variable control adjusts the 3dB break frequency from 2 1 kHz to 26 kHz 5 LF In switch OUT is bypass IN inserts the 20 dB low cut shelving filter 6 LF Filter Frequency ontrol This continuously variable control adjusts the 3dB break frequency of the filter from 18 Hz to 360 Hz maximum LF reduction is 20dB 7 P48 switch OUT is off IN applies full spec P48 Phantom Power to the input The red LED above the switch will indicate when P48 Phantom Power is engaged 8 Mic Line switch OUT is mic input mode IN bypasses the mic preamp stage to accomodate line level signals The green LED above the switch will indicate when the Line Input Mode is engaged 9 Polarity Invert switch OUT is normal IN is inverted 10 Input Gain rotary switch This twelve position switch selects from about 7 dB to 56 dB of preamplifier gain as measured between the input and the unbalanced output 11 Output Gain control This continuously variable control provides up to 19 dB additional output gain in Mic Input Mode following the CurveShaper circuitry It acts as a fader and allows maximum attenua tion of the output signal in the full counter clockwise position Additonal 6 dB are applied by the balanced line driver in the output stage of the module Initial Setup The RPQ500 is a module designed for API 500
8. al microphones when moved closer on axis to a sound source become more sensitive to low frequencies This proximity effect other wise known as bass tip up becomes more pronounced the closer the distance With some large transducer microphones such as the RCA 44 BX proximity effect begins at six feet and is extremely pronounced at a distance of one inch LF filters tame proximity effect and reduce other unwanted low frequen cy noise such as air conditioning rumble traffic noise P pops and breath noise noise However a fixed frequency constant slope low cut filter cannot handle all situations effectively The RPQ500 offers a flexible LF filter that can be tailored to satisfy the varying and critical demands of both speech and music Pushing in the LF Filter switch ref 5 inserts a 20dB maximum low cut shelving filter The tuning control ref 6 adjusts the 3 dB break frequency of the filter Setting the filter is easy push in the LF Filter switch and adjust the tuning control until you like the sound Then toggle the LF Filter switch quickly to compare the result against the original In Line Input Mode the LF Filter can be utilized to reduce low frequen cy rumble and muddiness for more clarity and transparency Using the HF CurveShaper EQ The RPO500 features a unique CurveShaper circuit that enables you to add a little extra presence or air to the pickup to compensate for high freguency
9. h Specifications and details subject to change without notice WARRANTY Audio Engineering Associates its microphones and preamplifiers to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for one year AEA offers an additional two year extended warranty for products registered within 60 days of purchase at no charge These warranties cover the original owner who has purchased eguipment from an authorized AEA dealer and are not transferrable These warran ties do not cover user damage or abuse and are void if the product has been disassembled repaired or modified by anyone other than an AEA authorized service facility Peripheral items such as cases are not covered under these warranties No other warranties are expressed or implied For warranty service either an existing registration must be already on file with AEA or an invoice from an AEA dealer showing the product se rial number must accompany the eguipment when it is sent to AEA When returning eguipment for service please download and complete a repair form from www ribbonmics com Please pack the eguipment with at least three layers of large bubble wrap and ship to Repair Department Audio Engineering Associates 1029 N Allen Ave Pasadena CA 91104 AEA is committed to manufacturing guality products and reserves the right to make improvements to its products without notice or obligation N B DISCLAIMER FOR RPQ500 MODULES The RPQ500 is a module designed for API 500
10. input of the following device Do not tie pin 3 to ground directly at the output of the RPQ500 As noted above test your cables regularly to be sure that they are in proper working order Setting the Gain Microphone Input Mode As with any piece of audio eguipment setting and maintaining proper signal levels are critical to obtaining optimum performance if the level is too low you sacrifice noise performance if too high you risk overload distortion The AEA RPO500 provides an easy method for setting and monitoring the system gain The Input Gain control ref 10 provides from about 7 dB to 56 dB of gain for the preamplifier input stage The Output Gain control ref 11 adds another 19 dB of output gain following the CurveShaper circuitry for a total of 75 dB of gain At any gain setting the balanced line driver adds another 6 dB to the final output for a total of 81 dB of gain available The LED level indicators ref 1 monitor the signal level at a point in the signal path just prior to the input of the balanced output driver The green LED comes on in the presence of low level signal the red LED turns on when you are approaching signal overload or clipping The yellow LED varies in brightness between the two to indicate the general signal level Start with the Output Gain control ref 11 fully clockwise and the Input Gain control ref 10 fully counterclockwise Then with the microphone in position i
11. ncrease the Input Gain until the red LED turns on when the soundsource is at its loudest If the LED is illuminated too often or too long reduce the Input Gain control one step at a time until the red LED illuminates only briefly at the loudest peaks Once this setting has been determined reduce the Output Gain control to the one o clock position This will provide you with a little extra headroom for an optimum setting of the gain of the microphone preamplifier Note however that if you subsequently apply HF boost you may need to udio Precision RPO500 Mic Input 8 EQ Amplitude Frequency Response 12141 16 11 19 2 e E 40 Figure 3 Amplitude frequency responses of mic input and filters reduce the Input Gain control correspondingly to avoid system overload Also remember the energy and excitement generated during a perfor mance guarantees that it will always be louder than the rehearsal so after determining the gain during the sound check it is a good idea to set the Input Gain control one or two clicks lower for the performance to allow yet a little more margin for headroom Line Input Mode When using the Line Input mode the Input Gain control ref 10 is bypassed and only the Output Gain control ref 11
12. ol ref 11 The Line Input Mode is indicated by the illuminated green LED above the Line Mic switch Microphone Input Mode With ribbon microphones moving coil dynamic microphones and any other microphones that do not use phantom power it is recommended that the Phantom Power switch ref 7 is set to the OUT OFF position before and while they are connected to prevent possible damage to the microphones The LED above the Phantom Power switch will be lit in red when P48 Phantom Power is engaged The input impedance of the input is 10 KQ which means that the pre amp does not load down a microphone connected to its input This is particularly beneficial when using ribbon microphones because they are sensitive to low preamp input impedances A higher input impedance will generally yield higher bandwidth and higher output sensitivity To prevent damaging the equipment in your system it is a good idea to test your microphone cables regularly to determine whether they have any open shorted reversed or intermittent connections Defective Input Gain Curve Shaper Output Gain 20 Ter 40 dB Level LEDs Boost 64 ANW 19 Red snaps on at 24 dBu Yellow brightens from 0 to 20 dBu Line Input Ede 26 kHz 9 kHz l 2 1 kHz 0 Green snaps on at 6 dBu Input Impedance 33 kQ High Gain X Balanced XLR Out Ier Pin 2 High Max Gain 81 dB 6 dB 0 ZN o ES Input Impedance i 10ka Mic Input 1N
13. series consoles or racks Operation of the module in racks not compatible with the API VPR alli ance specification is not recommended and will void the warranty of the unit Carefully insert the module in an open slot of your 500 series console or rack and secure it with the two flathead Phillips screws supplied with your rack Do not place your rack on or in close proximity to any object that emits strong electro magnetic fields such as power transformers motors or RF transmitters Similarly do not place this unit on any surface that is hot to the touch or where it can become overheated Before turning on the power all connections to this unit should be made and the Gain controls ref 10 and 11 set at their minimum fully counterclockwise settings Also before powering up this unit be sure that the RPO500 module is properly seated within its rack or console and that the next item in the signal chain is turned down to prevent any sudden loud noises from damaging your system or hearing Input Connections The RPO500 can be operated either as a mic preamp with the optional EQ filter or as a standalone EQ filter and fader for line level signals The default mode is the Microphone Input Mode with the Line Mic switch ref 8 in the OUT position Depressing the Line Mic switch bypasses the first gain stage and routes the signal from the XLR input connector straight to the optional CurveShaper circuitry and the Output Gain contr
14. series consoles or racks Operation of the module in racks not compatible with the API VPR alli ance specification is not recommended and will void the warranty of the unit Other Products by Audio Engineering Associates KU4 The best unidirectional ribbon ever made made all over again A440 The first active 44 style microphone Finally the warm sound you love combined with the sig nal strength of a powered mic TRP High gain 2 channel half rack unit optimized for passive rib bon microphones RPO Two channels of ribbon preamp with CurveShaper in a full rack package RCA Working Reproduction Microphones and replacement parts AEA R44C Microphone Museum Quality Reproduction Our tribute to the classic RCA 44B using new old stock ribbon material AEA 44CX Microphone 6db more output for critical digital recordings AEA 44CE Microphone The R44CE and CXE contain the same motors as their mu seum quality counterparts but use a less expensive shell for those who are interested in having that 44 sound but would rather not pay for the museum quality trimmings AEA Ribbon Microphones R84 Studio Ribbon Mic A840 Active version of the award winning R84 R88 mk2 Stereo Ribbon Mic R92 Studio Ribbon Mic specifically designed for close micing and guitar Studio Microphone Stands and Booms Modular Microphone Positioners and Decca Trees Since 1983 AEA has imported and serviced the Coles 4038 studio rib bon microphone and
15. the 4104B lip mic for voice over work in high noise environments We sell service and stock replacement parts In North America AEA represents CB Electronics a leading world wide supplier of machine control eguipment to the sound for picture industry Their products specialize in professional control of and translation between bi phase 9 pin serial and time code machines Their SR line provides low cost multiple machine remote controls for RS 422 Sony and Tascam DA88 protocol machines G Audio Engineering Engineering Associates
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search