www.radialeng.com True to the Music ® PreComp ™ 500 Series Preamp and Compressor User Guide ® True to the Music www.radialeng.com Radial Engineering Ltd. 1588 Kebet Way, Port Coquitlam British Columbia, Canada, V3C 5M5 tel: 604-942-1001 • fax: 604-942-1010 email: info@radialeng.
WARNING NOTICE TO USER! Although preventative safety measures have been designed into Radial 500 series products we strictly advise against hot-swapping modules or plugging and unplugging them when the Workhorse or other 500 series racks are powered on. Hot swapping can cause connection sparks at the card-edge connector that could send damaging transients to other equipment. This also reduces the life span of the contacts. Damage due to hot swapping is not covered under warranty.
® True to the Music Radial PreComp ® ™ 500 Series Preamp and VCA Compressor Channel Strip Table of Contents Page Overview.......................................................................................................................1 Features .......................................................................................................................2 Making Connections .....................................................................................................
® True to the Music OVERVIEW As the name implies, the PreComp is a combination preamp and compressor jammed into a single wide 500 series module. By housing both processors together we can optimize each gain stage so that it works with minimal fuss. This accelerates setup times and eliminates many of the challenges that make getting compression to sound right.
® True to the Music FEATURE SET 1. GAIN: Used to set the gain of the mic preamp. Accustate gain control sets the input sensitivity and gain at the same time to optimize signal to noise at all settings. 1 2. 180° REVERSE: Inverts the polarity to help phase align two microphones when recording in stereo. 2 3. HIGH-PASS FILTER: Gently rolls-off low frequencies below 100Hz to reduce rumble which can muddy up a recording. 4 3 4.
® True to the Music MAKING CONNECTIONS Although the PreComp is easy to use, we suggest you follow these simple instructions before getting started. As with all audio equipment, always ensure levels are turned down and equipment is turned off before making any connections or inserting the PreComp into a 500 series power rack. This common practice ensures turn-on transients will not damage more sensitive components such as tweeters.
® True to the Music GAIN GETTING STARTED WITH THE PREAMP Once you have the PreComp safely mounted in your rack and patched into your recording system, set the controls on the front panel as shown here on the right. This ‘starting position’ removes the compressor from the signal chain to enable you to first set the preamp to optimize signal-to-noise. Minimum MAX ABOVE MIN BELOW Off (out) 100Hz RATIO THRSH Power on the audio system and turn up the volume on your monitors.
® True to the Music ADDING COMPRESSION From the starting position, as described on page four, activate the compressor by depressing the IN switch. There should be little or no difference in the sound with these settings. BELOW ABOVE +10dB - +10dB - THRESHOLD LEVEL 0dB - BELOW ABOVE Threshold: This control is used to set the signal level where compression will occur. The middle and bottom LEDs on the three stage meter are used to help set the threshold level.
® True to the Music Gain: As you increase the amount of compression by lowering the threshold or raising the ratio, the dynamic range is reduced and less output is produced. The compressor gain control is used to compensate for this and is sometimes called a ‘make-up’ gain because it replaces the gain lost in compression. Simply adjust the gain control to bring the output level back to where it was before adding compression. Try comparing the pre and post compressed effect by using the in/out switch.
® True to the Music USING THE OMNIPORT™ If you are using the PreComp in a Radial 500 series power rack you can use the Omniport function. The Omniport is configured as an unbalanced insert point that gives you access to the signal between the preamp and compressor. It allows you to insert an audio processor, like an equalizer, in between the preamp and compressor or use the preamp and compressor independently, as if two separate modules.
® True to the Music RADIAL PRECOMP 500 SPECIFICATIONS* Preamp circuit type: .....................................Accustate input with variable gain front end. Compressor circuit type: ..............................Feed forward VCA compressor with true RMS sidechain. Frequency response: ...................................20Hz ~ 20kHz (-1.5dB @ 20Hz) Total harmonic distortion:.............................<0.003% Dynamic range: ...........................................112dB Input impedance: ...............
THREE YEAR TRANSFERABLE LIMITED WARRANTY RADIAL ENGINEERING LTD. (“Radial”) warrants this product to be free from defects in material and workmanship and will remedy any such defects free of charge according to the terms of this warranty. Radial will repair or replace (at its option) any defective component(s) of this product (excluding finish and wear and tear on components under normal use) for a period of three (3) years from the original date of purchase.
