IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS The lightning flash with an arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS This equipment 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 residential installations. 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.
TABLE OF CONTENTS introduction Motofader 64 Introduction Important Safety Instructions & Certificate of Conformity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .a-b Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Quick Setup Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Front Panel Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Rear Panel Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Introduction . . . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION "No compromise"........... could be the headline for EQ Station, while all components, both hardware and software, are simply as good as it gets. The extreme conditions a live product are operated in due to heat, moisture and humidity, and the high demands for sonic performance and wide dynamic range, simply means that nothing but the best is good enough - and that is what you get with EQ Station.
QUICK SETUP REFERENCE ... if you just need a quick basic setup guide. Basic Analog setup - with a single EQ Station • Connect power and signal cables according to the illustration above. • Go to the Setup Page: I/O Configuration-Local I/O SetupI/O Mode and select “1-8 Thru” or “Mix/Matrix” according to your application: - 1-8 Thru - typical mode for monitor applications. - Mix/Matrix - typical mode for Front Of house applications. • Set relevant Inputs to Analog.
QUICK SETUP REFERENCE Network of 2 or more EQ Stations ......and setup the following: • Rename all EQ Stations with different names such as; EQS#1, EQS#2 etc. In EQ Station networks all units must have unique names. • Set Cluster. The Cluster defines a group of EQ Stations. There can be more Clusters in a network. Per default the Cluster is set to set to “A” - for this example, - leave all EQ stations at this setting. • Set Device Number on all EQ Stations.
QUICK SETUP REFERENCE Cluster Auto Setup Now to the easy part. • Enter the Global page on any unit; select: “I/O Settings” and press OK • Select “Auto Setup” and press OK. If a Motofader 64 is connected to one of the EQ Stations, it will be able to monitor and adjust Graphic EQ on all available channels. The Motofader 64 can be connected to the RS232 connection on any of the EQ Stations in the network.
FRONT PANEL POWER On/Off Heavy duty POWER switch. The EQ Stations auto sensing power supply accepts 100 to 240V. NETWORK Indicates that network is established - as commonly seen on network connection cards. ACTIVITY Indicates network activity - as commonly seen on standard network connection cards. CHANNEL - On/off Overall processing On/off for the selected channel. In “Off” position the Input signal is passed directly to Output. Press and hold to activate/deactivate.
FRONT PANEL CHANNEL SELECT wheel Use the CHANNEL SELECT wheel to select which channel to process. When more EQ Stations are connected in a network, all channels can be accessed from any EQ Station front. RECALL Press to initiate Recall operations. EQ station operates with both individual Channel presets and global Scene presets. STORE Press to initiate Store operations. Both individual Channel presets and Scene presets can be stored.
REAR PANEL EQ Station with fully expanded Analog I/O slots Analog I/O’s Depending on the configuration, up to 8 channels of analog I/O are available. More on EQ Stations Analog I/O EQ Station offers some of the finest converters available on any studio or live processor today. The wide dynamic range of these converters is complemented by analog domain gain scaling, so the full resolution of the converters can be used regardless of the operation level of the surrounding equipment.
REAR PANEL Digital I/O With the optional Digital I/O card installed up to 8 channels of digital I/O is available. The back-panels “option area” is already prepared for this and the I/O card is easily installed at your local TC Electronic Service center. The digital I/O's are accessed through a standard D-SUB 25-pin connector with a similar pin-layout as found on e.g. System6000 and any Yamaha digital AES/EBU I/O cards. A 25-pin Sub-D to XLR connectors is supplied as standard.
PROCESSING OVERVIEW - SIGNAL FLOW Introduction The audio-processing features in EQ Station is made in the highest quality possible, with internal 48bit processing giving a large headroom for EQ changes, and a noise floor well below the AD/DA performance, no matter how extreme EQ settings you require. The internal headroom also makes it literally impossible to have internal overloads, and the Peak Limiter on the Outputs will make sure that no nasty digital noises ever occur in your speakers.
GRAPHICAL EQ TYPES IN THE EQ STATION Introduction A simple question Why are graphical EQs so different? Even with the same gain range and center frequencies they sound different and respond differently to user settings. Why? This section describes the fundamental differences of the 3 graphical EQ structures provided within the EQ station. To fully utilize the Graphic EQ section of the EQ station a basic understanding of these structures and how they influence the processed signal, is necessary.
GRAPHICAL EQ TYPES IN THE EQ STATION Reduce the Q of the BP filter by a factor. Either of these methods solve the boost/cut symmetry problem to mathematical perfection: Figure 4 - Asymmetry between '1 + BP´ and '1 - 0.5 BP' and symmetry error.
GRAPHICAL EQ TYPES IN THE EQ STATION Q mapping: Constant or progressive Q, and which? Two single-band EQs with the same center-frequencies and the same slider settings may differ greatly depending on the designer's choice of Q as a function of Gain setting, as the following 3 examples will show: Naturally there is an infinite number of possible Q mappings, the examples shown are rather extreme.
GRAPHICAL EQ TYPES IN THE EQ STATION Hybrid parallel/cascade structure A compromise between the pure parallel and the pure cascade structure is possible too.
GLOBAL VIEW Global - View Press..... ....and select between I/O settings or Channel config. I/O settings Global page - Introduction The Global page offers functionality for setting up a network cluster of up to 64 EQ channels. The advantage of setting up multiple EQ Stations in a network cluster is, that it becomes very easy to monitor and adjust all channels in the cluster from any of the User Interfaces available (front panels, Motofaders or VirtualEQ Station).
GLOBAL VIEW Basic Operation • Press GLOBAL to access the Global View - Cluster overview page. Use the CHANNEL wheel to scroll through channels and view channel settings. • Select I/O Settings or Channel Config. depending on which settings you wish to edit and press OK. • Select parameter/field to edit using the CURSOR keys and set value using the ADJUST wheel. Cluster position Indicates which position in the Cluster the selected Input channel is routed to. Status LED Green indicates : No conflicts.
LOCAL VIEW Local page - Introduction The Local page supplies you with an overview of what is assigned and processed to the Inputs on the physically selected device. This means that the Local page is static on the individual devices, and cannot be accessed from other devices! The Local page can be used to get an overview of the I/O's on the individual devices, e.g. which Cluster Channel numbers they are assigned to, and whether Input and Output signal is present.
LOCAL VIEW Mix Matrix mode Basic Operation • Select channel using the CHANNEL wheel • Adjust value using the ADJUST wheel Notice that this is a Local page. Only the channels on the device you are operating is displayed here. Analog/Digital Input indicators Indicates when signal is present on the Inputs. In Level Range: -120dB to 0dB Input Level Trim for the processing channels. On/Mute Mark and press OK (or turn ADJUST) to mute the selected pair of Input channels.
EDITING Channel View Edit - Delay/Limiter Channel Limiter The EQ station features an individual High Quality Limiter for each channel. The Limiter is a Peak type and operates on Channel Outputs Internal Overflow Indicator Threshold Range: -30 to 0dBFS Threshold setting for the selected channel or pair of channels. Release Range: 20ms to 700ms. Sets the Limiter release time. In/Out Meters Depending on whether you are looking on a single channel or paired channels one pr two meters are displayed.
EDITING Parametric EQ Edit The six-band Parametric EQ is an easy to operate highquality algorithm supplying a precise response. Basic Operation • Select Band using the CURSOR keys and select filter type using the ADJUST wheel. • The Orange square indicates the current selected band. • Adjustment of Frequency, Bandwidth and Gain is done with the dedicated encoders on the front panel. Band types: • Lo band: Full parametric or low shelving type. • Band 1-4: Full parametric or notch filter type.
EDITING Graphic EQ Edit The Graphic EQ is a 29 band 1/3-octave type ranging from 31Hz to 20kHz with +/-12dB gain range. In addition to the Graphic EQ an adjustable LoCut, ranging from Off to 600Hz, is also available. Example 1 Graphic EQ Type Selector There is big differences in behavior and response between various industry standard analog graphic EQ's. With the EQ Station you now have the option to select the response type you prefer.
EDITING Bandwidth knob functions. Via the menu point “GraphEQ width” in the Utility menu you can assign which of the following three functions should be assigned to the BANDWIDTH knob: Frequency: The function of the FREQUENCY knob is duplicated to the BANDWIDTH knob. Sweep: Set gain and sweep this gain setting through the frequencies using the BANDWIDTH knob. Width: In Width mode the BANDWIDTH knob can be used to increase the frequency area with center in the selected frequency.
EDITING CrossOver 2 Range: Off to 16kHz Defines the Crossover point between the mid and high compression bands. Low point is Limited by the Frequency set by Crossover 1. Input Drive Range: -6 to 18dB Level compensation in the Input of the Dynamic EQ for the level change applied by the Parametric and Graphic EQ sections. EQ Type Select between 3-Band or Paradyn. 2 band ParaDyn - Parametric EQ Example: With a Ratio setting of 2:1 the compressor will reduce every 2dB above the Threshold point to only 1dB.
CONTROL SECTION SELECT ARROW keys OK key For entering and confirmation ADJUST wheel for parameter adjustment Basic Operation in the Control Section • Press RECALL, STORE, SETUP or UTILITY to access these pages. • Navigate using the ARROW keys. • Use the ADJUST wheel to change parameter values. Settings are instantly active. Setting up Names, Device Number and Subnet Masks etc: • Select the parameter using the ARROW keys and press OK. • A display similar to the illustration below then pops up.
CONTROL SECTION Channel presets The Channel presets hold information for a full channel setup, including Parametric, Graphic and Dynamic EQ, Delay, Limiter, Levels and on/off state for the various blocks. The channel presets are useful for storing and recalling settings for e.g. a specific monitor wedge, speaker or In Ear Monitor. A Channel preset can be loaded into as many channels as required. • Presets are organized in folders as on common computer operating systems.
CONTROL SECTION Delete The Delete function can be used to delete specific presets. If protection for the preset is set to “on” the preset cannot be deleted. (see below) Handling Presets - Recall Protection Each preset can be overwrite-protected. To later release the protection of the preset, - place cursor on the preset and select protection again. System paramemeters are NOT stored with presets. These parameters can be stored by performing a System backup.
CONTROL SECTION Setup page The Setup page contains functionality parameters and device configuration. These settings will normally be "set-and-forget" functions, not meant to change very often.
SETUP PAGE Max DA Out Level: Range: 3 to 30dBu in 3dB steps Max DA Out level should be set to match the Input level sensitivity of the connected downstream device. Max DA out can be set on individual output pairs. DA Output 1-8: Three options are available - Balanced Use this setting when connecting to common balanced gear.
SETUP PAGE Mute When a Clock Error occurs the Output channels are muted. Clock is passed through Output channels. Network and Device Serial Number The Serial Number of the EQ Station. Cut Clk & mute (Cut Clock & mute) When a Clock Error occurs the Output channels are muted. Clock is cut and NOT passed through Output channels. Software Version Indicates currently loaded software.
SETUP PAGE System Backup MIDI MIDI MIDI MIDI UI Channel select Ul Prog Mode select UI Ctrl Mode select UI CC Number select MIDI Scene Channel MIDI Scene Prog Mode MIDI Scene Map From MIDI MIDI MIDI MIDI Chnl Chnl Chnl Chnl Channel Prog Mode Bank Mode Map From MIDI Sys Ex Id MIDI Sys Ex In MIDI Sys Ex Out A System backup is ideal, not only as a backup, but also when cloning units. Settings for the following parameters are included when a System store/recall is performed.
UTILITY PAGE In - Channel select on the EQ Station can be controlled externally by a received MIDI CC value. Per default values 0-63 on the set CC Number (0-119) selects channels 1-64. However, the offset parameter can be used to interface with devices sending values from starting from 1. The Utility page holds a variety of operation and performance features. Out - When channels are selected locally a MIDI CC value on the set controller will be sent on MIDI Out.
UTILITY PAGE Channel Recall The Channel Recall features allow you to recall channel settings from or on external devices. MIDI Channel Range: 1-16 or Omni Defines on which MIDI channel the EQ station can receive MIDI program change messages for channel recall. Prog. Change Off: - No response to MIDI program changes and no MIDI program changes are sent at Channel recall.
EDIT CONTROL Show Preset Name Framerate On/ Off - Sets whether the preset name should be displayed in the edit screens (Channel/Param EQ/Graph EQ/DynEQ). Show preset name is set to “On” as default but you may prefer to use the “Off” setting if you never use presets and thereby get a “cleaner” look on the Edit pages. Via the Channel page a delay per channel can be set. The Delay time is shown on the channel page in ms, feet, meters and frames.
EDIT CONTROL A yellow dot in the top of the display indicates when max. settings are reached. This typically occurs when a combination of adjustments on a specific band are made in both the Global window and on an individual channel. Copy Paste function Example: The 1kHz band is boosted 7dB via the All page but was previously boosted 6dB via the regular channel page.
EQ STATION IN A LOCAL AREA NETWORK 37
EQ STATION IN A LOCAL AREA NETWORK Introduction This section describes basic elements of a standard LAN (Local Area Network), and how to apply these when setting up one or more EQ Stations in a network. This is relevant when updating EQ Station software from a PC or when controlling EQ Stations e.g. via a Tablet PC in live applications or when using more than 8 channels. Basic terms TCP/IP address The TCP/IP address is unique to each unit connected in the network.
EQ STATION IN A LOCAL AREA NETWORK • Select Internet protocol (TCP/IP) and “Properties” • Mark “Use the following IP address.” The EQ Station Subnet Mask can be altered, to match your network Subnet Mask if this differs from the standard 255.255.255.0. Please see the section: Updating EQ Station Software To update EQ Station and Motofader 64 software they must be correctly setup in a network with a PC according to the previous section. Software can be downloaded via www tcelectronic.
VIRTUAL EQ STATION The VirtualEQ Station enables full control of all features from a Stationary PC, Laptop or Tablet PC via LAN. A PC with a wireless system gives the ultimate flexibility with “no strings attached”. Virtual EQ Station is designed to meet the busy live-engineers need for an “easy-to-learn Editor. If you are familiar with the EQ Station already you will find the Virtual EQ Station extremely easy to operate.This manual section describes the additional features in the software editor in detail.
VIRTUAL EQ STATION The drop down menus Open the drop down menus easily using the keyboard by pressing ALT followed by the first letter in each of the dropdown menu headlines. Example: To enter the Edit menu press ALT followed by “E” which is marked with and underscored as “Edit”. Edit Flat: Flattens the EQ curve for the current selected channel. Shortcut: Ctrl+X Copy: Copies the current EQ settings for the selected channel. Shortcut: Ctrl+C Paste: Pastes copied EQ settings to the selected channel.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS EQ Station Analog Input to Output Connectors: Input Impedance: Output Impedance: XLR balanced (pin 2+, pin 3-) 11/4 kohm (Balanced/unbalanced): 40/20 ohm (Balanced/unbalanced) Max Input Level: Max Output Level: +15 to +30dBu with analog domain scaling +15 to +24dBu balanced with analog domain scaling Dynamic Range: THD: Frequency Response, +0/-0.
MIDI IMPLEMENTATION EQ STATION - MIDI IMPLEMENTATION 09/03-04 Function Transmitted Recognized Basic Channel Default Changed 1 1-16 1 OMNI-1-16 Mode Default Messages Altered X X True Voice X X X X Velocity Note ON Note OFF X X X X After Touch Key’s Channel X X X X Pitch Bend X X Control Change O O Prog Change O O SysEx X X Note Number Common Song Pos Song Sel Tune X X X X System real time Clock Commands X X X X Aux Messages Local ON/OFF All Notes OFF Active Sense R
MOTOFADER 64 The Motofader 64 is a quick-access module remote dedicated to solely control the Graphic EQ part of the processing in EQ Station. The layout is very straight-forward and enables fast and direct operation of multiple Graphic EQ's, for applications where physical faders are the most reliable way of making adjustments. The Motofader 64 connections include mains voltage (build-in power supply) and serial RS232 connection for EQ Station.
MOTOFADER 64 ALL, GROUP, COPY/PASTE ALL Allows adjustment of ALL channels in the the network (up to 64) to be adjusted simultaneously. When pressing the ALL button the faders will move to 0dB. Changes on the faders will be applied to all channels relatively to their current state. E.g. if a channel is set to -3dB at 250Hz and 250Hz is moved to +2dB at the ALL display, the new actual setting will be -1dB for the channel.
MOTOFADER 64 I/O Use the arrow CURSOR keys for general navigation and adjustment on the Motofader display, e.g. for adjusting levels and LoCut. MOTORIZED FADERS The I/O button gives access to adjust LoCut and I/O levels. Select of function and adjustment is done with the ADJUST wheel and ARROW keys. A/B Press COMPARE to compare current settings with the settings from the loaded preset. A - is the settings from the stored preset. B - is the adjusted preset.
MOTOFADER 64 Store/Recall via Motofader 64 It is possible to store and recall Channel and Scene presets via the Motofader 64. These functions are particular useful e.g. when EQing wedges while standing in front of them. Presets can be loaded and handled ONLY to and from the physical EQ Station unit that the Motofader 64 is connected to. Step by step: • Press HOME to enter the preset handling features. • Use the two CURSOR keys to select function and the ADJUST wheel to set value.
