www.radialeng.com True to the Music WORKHORSE ™ 500 Series Rack & Mixer Order No. R700 0100 USER GUIDE Radial Engineering Ltd. 1588 Kebet Way, Port Coquitlam BC V3C 5M5 tel: 604-942-1001 • fax: 604-942-1010 email: info@radialeng.com • web: www.radialeng.com Specifications and appearance are subject to change without notice. Copyright © 2011 Radial Engineering Ltd. www.radialeng.
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Radial Workhorse™ 500 Series Rack and Mixer Congratulations and thank you for purchasing the Radial Workhorse, an innovative eight channel card frame and mixer designed to take full advantage of 500 series modules. This manual covers installation and operation of the Workhorse. We recommend that you take a few minutes to read through this manual in order to familiarize yourself with the many innovative features incorporated into the Workhorse.
1 MIXER SECTION: Ultra quiet built-in mixer lets you tap signals from each module and mix them to the main, monitor or headphones. FITS ALL MODULE SIZES: Both single and double wide modules will fit in the Workhorse. Removable tray for non-standard modules. EIGHT CARD SLOTS: Up to eight 500 series compatible modules may be loaded into the Workhorse and connected via standard card edge receptacle.
MAIN OUTPUTS: Jensen transformer isolated to eliminate noise and add warmth. Equipped with TRS insert jacks for effects. EXTERNAL POWER: High current external switching supply delivers 1600mA to the Workhorse plus separate 48V phantom feed for mic preamps. MONITOR OUTPUTS: Used to send signal to your nearfield monitors with choice of XLR and 1/4” TRS jacks. Features independent level control. EXPANSION BUSS: Expand the workhorse to 16x2 or larger by connecting one Workhorse into another.
True to the Music INTRODUCTION The Workhorse is an eight channel card frame and mixer designed for 500 series modules. Up to eight modules may be used at any one time. Once ‘plugged in’, the Workhorse automatically routes the module’s signal to the XLR, ¼” and D-sub connectors on the rear panel via a 15-pin card-edge connector and receptacle.
True to the Music FEATURE SET Feed Switch As you delve further into the functionality of the 500 series, you will find that the modular format allows all kinds of connectivity options. With older 500 series racks, connections between modules were done using an XLR cable whereby the output from one module would plug into the input of another. The Workhorse simplifies the process by introducing a Feed switch on the rear panel.
True to the Music The D-sub pin configuration is printed on the back panel so you can ensure the cable that is being used is properly wired. The good news is that today, most music shops carry these types of cables and they are usually wired correctly.
True to the Music D-Sub Summing Mixer Input One of the cool extras built into the Workhorse is the ability to use it as a stand-alone eight channel analog summing mixer. This feature also enables older 500 series modules to be hard wired into the Workhorse mix buss. A dedicated unbalanced 25-pin D-Sub input on the rear panel provides access to the eight mixer inputs and accepts both +4dB and -10dB line level sources.
True to the Music Power Supply and Capacity The Workhorse employs a universal power supply that will automatically convert the various voltages used around the world and regulate them before sending the power to the Workhorse. A standard male IEC/EIN power input connector makes it easy to travel as you need only change the cable to suit the local power connector type. Single Slot Modules 5 The Workhorse does not have a power switch.
True to the Music Slide-In Card Slot Tray Another innovative feature in the Workhorse is the slide-in tray for the card slots. The tray is designed to make sliding modules in and out easier while lessening the frustration of trying to line up the cardedge connectors. The tray is equipped with a series of guide tabs to help align single and dual width modules. The tray comes factory installed with slots 1 ~ 4 set up for single wide modules, and then 5/6 and 7/8 set up for double wide modules.
True to the Music With this in mind let’s track the signal flow and level as it passes through the Workhorse. The diagram below shows the signal chain starting with a microphone. MIC / DI PREAMP -50dB MIX-BUSS -10dB BUSS MAIN An example here could be connecting two limiters to tame a stereo drum track during mix down. Take the output from your recording system; plug it into the Workhorse XLR inputs and then take the direct output back from the same card slots. Adjust the limiter to suit.
True to the Music Using The Workhorse For Overdubs Begin by setting up a channel strip using a mic preamp, EQ and limiter. These are plugged into slots 1, 2 and 3. Set the FEED switch in the up position on modules 1 and 2 so that the signal is routed in series. Plug your mic in turn on the phantom power on the mic preamp if you are using a condenser microphone. Take the XLR output from card-slot 3 (limiter) and send this to your recorder.
True to the Music VARIOUS SETUPS USING THE WORKHORSE The following setups show how the Workhorse can be used in the studio or in a live recording environment. There are of course an unlimited number of possibilities… but these will give you some ideas of how you can use your Workhorse to create simple recording channels to advanced reamping systems as you mix and match various 500 series modules. Standard setup for a vocal track This setup uses a microphone, EQ and compressor.
True to the Music Crazy Sounding Vocal Track This is an example of how one can create a weird, wonderful, extreme vocal track by inserting guitar pedals into the mix and then creating a radical EQ curve using the Phazer™. This is done ‘live’ by connecting a mic into the PowerPre™ and feeding the signal using the feed function into the EXTC™ and Phazer™.
True to the Music FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q: How do I turn the Workhorse phantom power off? A: There is no reason to turn the phantom power off. Only modules such as mic preamps will connect to the phantom power supply on the edge card connector pins. Turning on or off phantom is usually done on the mic preamp module. Q: How do I know that there is sufficient power for all my modules? A: Most manufacturers specify the draw required to properly run their modules.
True to the Music TROUBLE SHOOTING 1. No Power: • Check the power 5-pin XLR connection on the rear panel. • Ensure the power supply is plugged into a working outlet. 2. No sound at individual XLR outputs outputs: • Check the front panel LED Power indicators and ensure the Workhorse is powered up. • Check that all modules are seated properly and secured. • Check audio cable connecting to and from the Workhorse. • If you are using the mixer section, ensure the it is setup correctly and the channel is on.
True to the Music SPECIFICATIONS Circuit type: Virtual earth mix buss integrated operational amplifier - Class AB Main Output: +4dB balanced stereo XLR and ¼” TRS outputs; Jensen™ transformer isolated Max output level: +22dB (20Hz to 20kHz) Main Inserts: ¼” TRS - tip = send; ring = return Voltage Gain: Up to +23dB on the main output Monitor Output: Distortion: 0.007% @ 1kHz with 10dB in and 10dB out 0.
True to the Music D-SUB CONNECTOR FOR CARD SLOT I/O 13 G G 1+ + -2 G 3 G + + 4 - G 5 G + + 6 - G 7 G + 25 D-SUB CONNECTOR FOR UNBALANCED SUMMING MIXER INPUT +1 13 G -8 G 1+ G + G 2 G G 3 G + + G 4 G G 5 G + + G 6 G G 7 G + CONNECTOR WIRING XLR Connector GROUND + HOT (+) 2 1 3 8 G 14 COLD (-) Pin # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Channel 8 Hot Channel 8 Ground Channel 7 Cold Channel 6 Hot Channel 6 Ground Channel 5 Cold Channel 4 Hot Channel 4 Ground
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.
