OPERATION MANUAL BALANCE AUDIO INTERFACE
Operation Manual by Fredrik Hylvander The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Propellerhead Software AB. The software described herein is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to any other media except as specifically allowed in the License Agreement.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 5 Welcome! 6 About this manual 6 Conventions in the manual 6 Adjusting input levels 20 About the Clip Safe function 21 Muting the audio outputs 22 Using the Direct Monitoring function 22 Support and FAQ 6 Box contents 7 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 23 Overview 7 System requirements 8 Mac OS X 8 Windows 8 SAFETY AND REGULATIONS 25 Important notice to consumers 26 GETTING STARTED 9 The FCC Compliance Statement 27 Setting up with Reason Essentials 10 Authorizing Reason Essentials with Propeller
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
Welcome! Thank you for purchasing Propellerhead Balance and Reason Essentials! Propellerhead Balance is Propellerhead's first hardware product, and the package brings a complete solution for home studio music-making and recording: the interface, the recording software, the virtual instruments and the sounds. We're very proud of the groundbreaking Clip Safe functionality and inputs for all your gear, the built-in Ignition Key, the good looks, how it feels in your hand and how it fits on your desktop, and...
Box contents When you purchase Propellerhead Balance, the box comes with the following items: WARRANTY ENGLISH 1. Propellerhead warrants to the end user Customer this hardware product against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one (1) year after the date of the original purchase from Propellerhead or from a channel authorized by Propellerhead, provided the hardware product is unused at the time of purchase. 2.
System requirements Below you will find the minimum computer system requirements for running the Propellerhead Balance interface together with Reason Essentials: Mac OS X • Intel Mac with dual core processor • 4 GB RAM or more • DVD drive • Mac OS X 10.7 or later • 3 GB free hard disk space (program may use up to 20 GB scratch disk space) • Free USB2.
CHAPTER 2 GETTING STARTED
Setting up with Reason Essentials ! Don’t connect the Propellerhead Balance audio interface to your computer before you have installed Reason Essentials! 1. Insert the enclosed Reason Essentials DVD into your computer. 2. On Windows, double-click Install Reason Essentials.exe and follow the on-screen instructions. The Reason Essentials installer will automatically install the Propellerhead Balance audio driver as well. D On Mac, drag the Reason Essentials folder and drop it on the Applications folder.
Authorizing Reason Essentials with Propellerhead Balance The Propellerhead Balance audio interface comes with a specially designed built-in protection key - the Ignition Key - which is a part of the Reason Essentials protection system. To be able to use the special Reason Essentials and Propellerhead Balance features, such as Clip Safe, you need to transfer your Reason Essentials license to the Ignition Key which is fitted inside the Propellerhead Balance audio interface.
Setting up Propellerhead Balance with other recording software If you are going to use the Propellerhead Balance audio interface with a recording software from another manufacturer on a Windows computer, you will have to install the Propellerhead Balance audio driver on your system. ! Note that this only concerns Windows computers. If you are using a Mac computer, no additional audio driver needs to be installed. Installing Windows audio drivers 1. Insert the Reason Essentials DVD.
CHAPTER 3 USING
Connecting headphones ! Before connecting your headphones to the Propellerhead Balance audio interface, make sure the Headphone Level knob is set to a low value to prevent hearing damage! The Headphones Level knob 1. Connect a pair of standard stereo headphones to the Headphones jack. Connecting a pair of headphones the Headphones output 2. Adjust the headphones volume by turning up the Headphones Level knob.
Connecting Propellerhead Balance to an amplification system ! Before connecting audio cables between Propellerhead Balance and an amplifier+speaker system, or powered monitor speakers, make sure the Main Out Level knob on the Propellerhead Balance audio interface is set to a low value and that the volume on your amplifier/powered monitors are set to a low value. Loud volumes could cause hearing damage! The Main Out Level knob 1.
Connecting microphones ! If you are going to use a ribbon microphone, make sure that the 48V Phantom Power is switched Off before connecting the microphone. Otherwise, the ribbon microphone might get permanently damaged! ! Before connecting a microphone to any of the MIC inputs, make sure you have either muted the Propellerhead Balance outputs (see “Muting the audio outputs”) or turned down the volume completely (or shut off) your powered monitor speakers/amplifier/headphones.
! Consult the manual for your microphone for information about specific power requirements. 48V Phantom Power switches Condenser microphone Connecting a condenser microphone to one of the MIC inputs and activating 48V Phantom Power When 48V Phantom Power is active on a MIC input, the corresponding 48V LED lights up on the front panel: The 48V LEDs for MIC inputs 1/Left and 2/Right on the front panel 4. Make sure the appropriate MIC Input Selector button is selected on the front panel.
Connecting instruments Connecting an electric guitar or electric bass 1. Connect your electric guitar/bass to one of the 1/4” jacks marked ‘GUITAR’. These jacks are designed especially for use with passive electric guitar/bass signals and are unbalanced. Connecting an electric guitar to one of the GUITAR inputs ! If your electric guitar/bass use active electronics (e.g. powered by an internal battery) it could be a good idea to activate the Pad switch for the corresponding GUITAR input.
Connecting keyboards, mixers or other electronic instruments 1. Connect your instrument/mixer to any of the 1/4” jacks marked ‘LINE 1’ or ‘LINE 2’. These jacks are designed especially for line level signals and accept balanced (TRS) plugs. However, it’s also possible to connect and use unbalanced cables with TS (Tip+Sleeve) plugs. D Connect both the LEFT and RIGHT inputs if your instrument has stereo outs (two mono cables).
Adjusting input levels Adjusting the input levels on the Propellerhead Balance audio interface is easy. The Input Level knobs move in distinct steps which makes it very easy to set the same level on both inputs in a stereo recording situation. The main thing to keep in mind when setting input levels is to refrain the signal from clipping. In this example we have connected an electric guitar to the GUITAR LEFT input of the Propellerhead Balance audio interface. 1.
4. Turn the Input Level knob back (counter clockwise) until the Signal/Clip LED switches to green again. When no more clipping occurs when you play your instrument, the signal level is good for recording. Just make sure the LED doesn’t turn red at any time. Optimal input signal level on the GUITAR 1/Left input About the Clip Safe function If you are recording using Reason Essentials you can use the unique Clip Safe function.
Muting the audio outputs Muting the audio outputs can be a good idea to prevent audio feedback loops when you record using microphones: 1. Press the Mute/Direct Monitoring button for a brief (less than 2 seconds) moment. The main audio outputs are muted and the Mute/Direct Monitoring LED turns red. ! Note that the Headphones output is not muted. Mute/Direct Monitoring The Mute function activated 2. Press the Mute/Direct Monitoring button again to disable the mute. The LED goes off.
CHAPTER 4 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Audio Inputs • 2 balanced XLR MIC inputs. Switchable 48VDC Phantom Power. • 2 unbalanced 1/4” GUITAR inputs. With switchable -9dB Pad. • 4 balanced 1/4” LINE inputs. Audio Outputs • 2 balanced 1/4” outputs. • Stereo Headphones 1/4” output. Digital Conversion • 2 channels, 24-bit. 44.1kHz/48kHz/96kHz. USB • USB2.0. Propellerhead Balance is powered via the USB bus and requires connection straight to a USB2.0 port of the computer. General • Dimensions (WxHxD): W=130 mm (5.2“), D=198 mm (7.
CHAPTER 5 SAFETY AND REGULATIONS
Important notice to consumers Avoid hearing damage Mind your ears! Using your headphones at a high volume may damage your hearing permanently. Adjust the volume of your Propellerhead Balance audio interface to a safe level to avoid this from happening. If you experience ringing in your ears, lower the volume or stop using your Propellerhead Balance audio interface. Connectors Do not force a connector into a jack! If the connector and the jack cannot be joined without force, they do not match.
The FCC Compliance Statement This device has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Notice regarding disposal (EU only) This symbol means that according to local laws and regulations your product should be disposed of separately from household waste. When this product reaches its end of life, take it to a collection point designated by local authorities. Some collection points accept products for free.
