DRAWMER MC7.I SURROUND MONITOR CONTROLLER CONTENTS Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 ..................3 Safety Consideration ...........3 Radio Frequencies Statement Chapter 1 - Introduction Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Power Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Portable Appliance Testing . . . . . . . . . .
DRAWMER 2
COPYRIGHT This manual is copyrighted © 2017 by Drawmer Electronics Ltd. With all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, no part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, stored in a retrieval system or translated into any language in any form by any means, mechanical, optical, electronic, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of Drawmer Electronics Ltd. ONE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY Drawmer Electronics Ltd., warrants the Drawmer MC7.
DRAWMER MC7.1 CHAPTER 1 Surround Monitor Controller MULTIPLE SOURCE STUDIO MONITOR CONTROLLER FOR 7.1/5.1 SURROUND & STEREO APPLICATIONS The Drawmer MC7.1 Surround Monitor Controller is a combined 7.1/5.1 and stereo monitor controller. It has the same pristine & transparent design as others from the Drawmer monitor controller pedigree, with a rugged desk top "wedge" form factor as used in the popular MC3.1.
The ability to "mix down" the surround mix to the FL and FR speakers OR the independent Stereo main speakers combined with the comprehensive cut or solo matrix means any combination of the surround channels can be listened to in the front mains.
DRAWMER Input Channels 20 Output Channels 15 (+8 through) Analog Inputs 1 8 2 1 x DB-25 (Surround A), x 1/4" Jack (Surround B), x XLR/Jack Combi (Stereo), x 1/8” Stereo Jack (Aux.
POWER CONNECTION The MC7.1 unit will be supplied with an external switching mode power supply that is capable of 100-240Vac continuous (90-264Vac max) and so should work globally. We strongly advise that the power supply that has been supplied with the MC7.1 is used, rather than one with the equivalent ratings. In addition, should the power supply fail for any reason we strongly advise that you contact Drawmer for a replacement rather than repairing the unit yourselves.
DRAWMER AUDIO CONNECTIONS • Interference: If the unit is to be used where it maybe exposed to high levels of disturbance such as found close to a TV or radio transmitter, we advise that the unit is operated in a balanced configuration. The screens of the signal cables should be connected to the chassis connection on the XLR connector as opposed to connecting to pin1. The MC3.1 conforms to the EMC standards.
TYPICAL CONNECTION GUIDE MC7.
CHAPTER 2 DRAWMER CONTROL DESCRIPTION 10
The MC7.1 Controls 1 SOURCE SELECT Comprises of two sections: Surround and Stereo. It is within this section that the input sources a selected and mix down of the surround signals occurs. Surround: Mode Switch: Selects the surround inputs from (9) or (10) to be in either 7.1 or 5.1 modes. In this way the 7.1 channels can be ‘mixed down’ to 5.1 at the press of a button on the MC7.1 rather than having to reconfigure are re-wire the outputs of the workstation.
DRAWMER 3 STEREO CONTROL This section allows the eng ineer to test various aspects of the stereo mix without having to alter the signal prior to the MC7.1 and potentially effect the recording, and is a very thorough and versatile checking tool. The switches are especially useful when used in conjunction with each other. Band Solo: The three switches allow the engineer to easily solo the Low, Mid and High frequencies of the stereo mix.
Stereo to SPKR 1: With this switch active the stereo signal is routed through to L and R of the surround speaker outputs (12), effectively converting your surround speakers to a stereo pair. This allows for A/B comparisons for the stereo mix without the need for rewiring or the expense of more monitors. Note that the low frequencies are extracted from every active stereo channel are sent to the Sub/Mono speaker output on the rear rather than the LFE. 4 LEVELS Input D: A stereo 3.
DRAWMER An additional benefit is derived when using a sub-bass. If the sub-bass is attached to the SUB/MONO (Speaker 3) output on the rear of the MC7.1, speakers 1 and 2 could deliver the higher frequencies and allow for A/B (or in this case 1+Sub/ 2+Sub) comparisons between the two monitor setups by pressing the Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 switches simultaneously and leaving SUB always active.
Before you can make full effective use of the Volume control it is necessary to calibrate the entire monitoring system (see the ‘Monitor Calibration’ section) - this allows for accurate level control. Note that the actual output levels, including the maximum output level and the position of unity gain (0dB) around the knob, will alter depending on the calibration of the monitors. WARNING: It is recommended that you turn the volume control down to a lower level before turning the MC7.
DRAWMER 8 POWER The MC7.1 will be supplied with an external switching mode power supply that is capable of 100-240Vac continuous (90-264Vac max) and so should work globally, but is supplied with a cable suitable for domestic power outlets in your country. We strongly advise that the power supply that has been supplied with the MC7.1 is used, rather than one with the equivalent ratings. The push button switch turns the MC7.1 on/off. (see Power Connection).
10 INPUT B (7.1) Another set of eight balanced inputs for 7.1 surround monitoring is attached via eight balanced 1/4” jacks. As with the d-sub input the configuration can be anything from 1 to 8 inputs. Note that these inputs are also numbered 1 to 8 as well as L, C, R, LFE etc., a feature that can also be seen on the speaker outputs above (11), and also the Surround Control section (2). Note also that these inputs do not have a through output.
DRAWMER 8 SPEAKER CALIBRATION TRIM CONTROLS On the underside of the MC7.1 there are eleven rotary controls that allow the individual speaker level calibration of your system. Each speaker output has a control, separated into three sections: the Surround (Spkr 1), Stereo (Spkr2) and Mono/Sub (Spkr 3), and correspond to the outputs found on the rear panel. To alter the speaker level use a small screwdriver to turn - counter-clockwise turns the speaker level down, and clockwise up.
MONITOR CALIBRATION Whether you are installing one, two or three sets of speakers it is imperative that your system is calibrated, not only to centre the surround/stereo image and to ensure that all sets of speaker levels are the same, but also to ensure that you are mixing your music at industry standard listening levels. The MC7.1 can calibrate the speakers of any system as it has individual rotary level trim controls for every speaker attached (found on the underside of the product).
DRAWMER Holding the SPL - Set the meter to C weighted and on the slow scale. Start by sitting in your normal mixing position, hold the SPL meter at arm’s length and at chest level with the microphone of the meter facing toward the monitor to be calibrated. Maintain this position throughout the calibration process - this could be easier if it is fixed via a stand and bracket, and moved only to point at the relevant speaker.
The Procedure: The following procedure is specifically designed for stereo calibration, however, a surround setup is much the same but may involve different SPL levels per speaker depending on the type of surround that is required, i.e. 7.1, 6.1, 5.1 etc. In which case refer to the specific surround procedure, (i.e. Dolby Digital, DTS, THX etc.) for further instructions. 1. Begin by turning off the monitoring system and ensuring that all inputs and speakers are correctly connected. 2.
DRAWMER 12. To calibrate each speaker repeat steps 7 to 11 - replacing the speaker on step 7 for each set. For surround control use the switches in the Surround Control (2) to Cut/Solo the various speakers. 13. To calibrate the sub - play the 40-80Hz signal, but this time have only the SUB switch active - Left and Right Cut need not be active as the frequency of the signal is limited to only the sub. 14. On the underside of the MC7.
Mix Checking Tips Due to the versatility of the MC7.1, and it’s thorough array of controls, some very useful techniques for checking your mix can easily be achieved, especially for stereo mixes, that can help improve the balance within a mix, pinpoint stereo width, phase and mono problems, and also aid when monogising. The following are a few handy tips to help eradicate problems and bring about a balance within the mix: Not too loud Give your ears a break.
DRAWMER Cut It Out... Using the left and right cut switches will highlight the stereo balance of each channel. In stereo the mix sounds ok, however, it may be that you want an instrument to be panned so far left that it doesn’t occur at all in the right channel, by cutting the left and only hearing the right channel you will hear whether the instrument bleeds across, and panning adjustment can be made. Phase Reverse Make use of the phase reverse switch.
Any situation where more that one microphone is used to record a source - on a multi-miked drumkit two mics may pick up exactly the same signal and cancel each other out. It may sound unlikely but one handy tip is to adjust the panning of your drums whilst in mono - suddenly all the phase cancellation of the drums will improve, and sound even better when reverted back to stereo.
DRAWMER Going Solo Whilst working on a mix you can get so used to hearing the entire audio as a whole that it’s difficult to pinppoint any problems in certain frequency ranges, using the low, mid and high solo buttons can really help. A common problem within many mixes is that there is too much going on in any given frequency range leading to an unbalanced mix. Perhaps the bass is overpowering the vocals, or there is an undesirable noise somewhere that you can’t quite put your finger on.
CHAPTER 3 MC7.1 GENERAL INFORMATION IF A FAULT DEVELOPS SPECIFICATION For warranty service please call Drawmer Electronics Ltd. or their nearest authorised service facility, giving full details of the difficulty. A list of all main dealers can be found on the Drawmer webpages . On receipt of this information, service or shipping instructions will be forwarded to you. CROSSTALK >80dB THD & NOISE 0.01% @ 0dBu FREQUENCY RESPONSE 20Hz-20kHz +/- 0.
DRAWMER Drawmer Electronics Ltd, Coleman St, Parkgate, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, U.K.
