SoundCraft Spirit Live 3-2 manual

A Harman International Company[...]

Thank you for purchasing a SPIRIT LIVE 3 2 mixer, brought to you with pride by the SPIRIT team of Graham, Simon, James, Chris, Colin, Andy, Peter, Martin, René, Roland and Kevin, with the support of many others - we hope you will have as much fun using it! © Spirit By Soundcraft 1995 All rights reserved Parts of the design of this product may [...]

Page 1 INTRODUCTION T hanks for purchasing a SPIRIT LIVE 3 2 mixer. Owning a Soundcraft console brings you the expertise and support of one of the industrys leading manufacturers and the results of over 22 years experience supporting some of the biggest names in the busi- ness. Designed by engineers who understand the individual needs of musicia[...]

Page 2 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PA MIXING T here was a time when the P.A. system and the operator existed only to increase the overall volume of the performers, so that they could be heard in a large room or above high ambient noise levels. This just isnt true any more. The sound system and the sound engineer have become an integral part of the perfo[...]

Page 3 The terms PRE and POST are often used in the context of Inserts, Equalisers and Auxiliary Sends, and describe whether that facility is placed before (Pre) or after (Post) another particular section. This is explained further in the detailed description of facili- ties. A mixer is often judged, amongst other factors, by the amount of Headroom[...]

Installa tion and Safety Precautions Installing the Mixer C orrect connection and positioning of your mixer is important for successful and trouble- free operation. The following sections are intended to give guidance with cabling, connec- tions and configuration of your mixer. o Choose the mains supply for the sound system with care, and do not sh[...]

Page 5 CONNECTING IT UP The diagram below shows various equipment that would be connected to a SPIRIT Live 3 2 USERMAN.QXD 13/06/97 12:27 Page 5[...]

WIRING IT UP MIC INPUT T he mic input accepts XLR-type connectors and is designed to suit a wide range of BALANCED or UNBALANCED low-level signals, whether from delicate vocals requiring the best low-noise performance or close-miked drum kits needing maximum headroom. Professional dynamic, condenser or ribbon mics are best because these will be LOW[...]

Page 7 STEREO INPUTs, STEREO RETURNS Accept 3-pole `A gauge jacks, or 2-pole mono jacks which will automatically ground the cold input. Use these inputs for sources such as keyboards, drum machines, synths, tape machines or as returns from processing units. The input is BALANCED for low noise and immunity from interference, but you can use[...]

Page 8 AUX OUTPUTS The Aux outputs are on 3-pole A gauge jack sockets, wired as shown on the left, and incorporate impedance balancing, allowing long cable runs to balanced amplifiers and other equipment. HEADPHONES The PHONES output is a 3-pole A gauge jack, wired as a stereo output as shown, suitable for headphones of 200 W or greater[...]

Page 9 Faul t Finding Guide Repairing a sound mixing console requires specialist skills, but basic Fault Finding is within the scope of any user if a few basic rules are followed. l Get to know the Block Diagram of your console (see page 27). It is just like following a road map. The Block Diagram is a representative sketch of all the components of[...]

Page 10 GETTING TO KNO W YOUR CONSOLE INPUT CHANNEL T wo inputs are available to the mono input channel, via XLR connector (normally for microphone sources) or 3-pole 1/4 A gauge jack socket for higher level signals such as keyboards, drum machines, synths or tape machines. Both input sockets are permanently active, and may be used simply [...]

Page 11 The centre two pairs of knobs are arranged as HI MID and LO MID frequency sec- tions, with a cut/boost control (lower knob) of +/- 15dB, and a SWEEP(frequency) con- trol which determines at which frequency the boost/cut action will be centered. These MID sections, with a combined frequency range from 75Hz to 15kHz are particularly versatile[...]

Page 12 When the PFL switch is released the LED on the channel serves as a PEAK indicator, to warn when an excessively high signal level is present in the channel. The signal is sampled at three points in the channel, immediately after the Hi-Pass Filter (PRE- INSERT), PRE-EQ and POST-EQ. The Peak LED will illuminate approximately 4dB before clippi[...]

Page 13 15 PFL When the PFL switch is pressed, a mono sum of the pre-fade signal is fed to the headphones and L & R meters, where it replaces the normal Mix L/R or Mono signal. The PFL/AFL ON LED on the master section illuminates to warn that the headphones and the meters are now responding to the PFL/AFL selection and the PFL LED on the input [...]

Page 14 23 22 19 20 18 17 21 22 +48V & PSU MONITOR The +48V switch with its associated LED applies phantom powering to all of the microphone XLR sockets on the input channels. NOTE: Phantom powered mics should not be plugged in with the +48V switched on. Also you should be aware that some microphones draw an unusu- ally large current which may [...]

USING YOUR SPIRIT LIVE 3 2 CONSOLE T he final sound from your P.A. system can only ever be as good as the weakest link in the chain, and especially important is the quality of the source signal because this is the starting point of the chain. Just as you need to become familiar with the control functions of your mixer, so you must recognise the imp[...]

Page 16 l Listen carefully for the characteristic sound of `feedback. If you cannot achieve satis- factory input level setting without feedback, check microphone and speaker place- ment and repeat the exercise. Note: The initial settings should only be regarded as a starting point for your mix. It is important to remember that many factors affec[...]

Page 17 Applica tion 1 - LIVE SOUND REINFORCEMENT This drawing shows a typical configuration for sound reinforcement, with the main PA fed from Mix L/R and a separate voice cluster fed from the Mono output. The illustration shows the flexibility of the inputs to the mixer and how the Record Output and Stereo Return can be used to link to a cassette[...]

Page 18 APPLICA TION 2 - LIVE SOUND - MONO SYSTEM ( E.G. CHURCH) This configuration is similar to application 1, but is a mono system. In this configuration Mix Left and Mix Right are used as subgroups by pressing the MIX TO MONO switch. As an example, one group could contain a small band, while the other might contain a choir or vocals, and the Le[...]

Page 19 APPLICA TION 3 - LIVE SOUND WITH MONO FILL This is a similar set-up to Application 1, but with the Mono output used to drive a separate amplifier and speaker to provide a mono fill. This can be fed via a delay unit if required, depending on the position of the speakers. USERMAN.QXD 13/06/97 12:28 Page 19[...]

Page 20 APPLICA TION 4 - HOME RECORDING / BROADCAST In this example the desk is used to provide a final mix for stereo recording (or FM radio broadcast), mono recording (or AM radio broadcast) or laying tracks on a multitrack recorder by tapping off the channel insert points. A separate back-up recording can be made using the Record Out sockets. Ef[...]

Page 21 CARE OF YOUR MIXER General Precautions l Avoid storing or using the mixer in conditions of excessive heat or cold, or in positions where it is likely to be subject to vibration, dust or moisture. l Keep the mixer clean using a soft dry brush, and an occasional wipe with a damp cloth or ethyl alcohol. Do not use any other solvents which may [...]

Page 22 highpass filter a filter that rejects low frequencies. impedance balancing a technique used on unbalanced outputs to minimise the effect of hum and interference when connecting to external balanced inputs. insert a break point in the signal path to allow the connection of external devices, for instance signal processors or to another mixer.[...]

Page 23 TYPICAL SPECIFICA TIONS NOISE Measured RMS, 22Hz to 22kHz Bandwidth Line inputs selected at unity gain and terminated 150R MIX 16 ch. routed to Mix, input faders down, masters up - 85 dBu AUX Output at max., input faders down - 90 dBu E.I.N. Microphone Input, Maximum Gain, terminated 150R -129 dBu CROSSTALK @ 1kHz Typical Channel Fader Atte[...]

Page 24 dim. ’x’ dim. ’y’ Console 8 channel 12 channel 16 channel 24 channel 456 mm (18.0") 572 mm (22.6") 688 mm (27.1") 920 mm (36.3") 381 mm (15.0") 497 mm (19.6") 613 mm (24.1") 845 mm (33.3") dim ’x’ dim ’y’ 86.1 mm (3.39") Width without end trim (for flight case mounting) 590.5 mm ([...]

SPIRIT LIVE 3 2 EXPANDER Installa tion INSTRUCTIONS Page 25 Equipment required: o Screwdriver: No. 1 Pozidriv o Spanner: 5/16 AF Open (8mm.) o Spanner: M4 o Nut spinner M3 o Spanner M3 (open) Installa tion Kit (packed with expander) o 6 off M5 x 12 Pozi Pan Screws (Part No. NA0159) o 12 off M5 Flat Steel Washer (Part No. NC0216) o 6 off M5 Nyloc Nu[...]

Page 26 6. Using the M3 screw, washer and nut provided, secure one end of the earth lead supplied to the screw hole on the left hand side of the Expander front panel, underneath the arm rest as shown. Ensure that any paint overspray is removed from the inside of the panel to provide a good electrical contact with the panel. 7. Using the M5 screws, [...]

Page 27 PREQ AUX2 PST AUX1 AUX1 AUX3 PRE AUX2 PRE AUX2 PRE AUX3 PST MONO MIX AUX4 PRE PA N F ADER PFL PK MONO ON MIX 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 AUX1 AUX2 PRE AUX2 POST AUX3 PRE AUX3 POST AUX4 MIX LEFT MONO MIX RIGHT PFL/AFL MONO RIGHT AUX1 AUX1 AUX2 PRE PRE AFL MIX TO MONO MONO L-R AFL AFL AFL AUX2 AUX3 AUX3 AUX4 AUX4 PHONES L / MONO / PFL METER R / MONO / [...]

USERMAN.QXD 13/06/97 13:09 Page 28[...]

JUMPER SETTINGS The settings for internal jumpers, as fitted in the factory, are as follows: MONO INPUT (SC3611) PEQ Not Fitted PRE Fitted OUTPUT/FX/STEREO (SC3612) SUM L Fitted for LEFT Output SUM R Fitted for RIGHT Output MASTER (SC3613) J1 Not Fitted J2 Fitted (Mono On Record) USERMAN.QXD 13/06/97 13:09 Page 29[...]

A Harman International Company[...]