Behringer MDX4400 manual

MULTICOM ® PRO MDX4400 www.behringer.com E Users Manual Version 1.3 April 2001 ENGLISH[...]

2 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to important operating and mainte- nance instructions in the accompanying literature. Read the manual. SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS C A UT I O N : To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove the cover (or back). No user serviceable parts inside; refer servicing to qualified personn[...]

3 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 FOREWORD Dear Customer, Welcome to the team of MULTICOM PRO users and thank you very much for expressing your confidence in BEHRINGER products by purchasing this unit. It is one of my most pleasant tasks to write this letter to you, because it is the culmination of many months of hard work delivered by our engineering team t[...]

4 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 MDX4400 MULTICOM ® PRO Interactive 4-channel compressor/limiter/peak limiter of the reference class s IKA (Interactive Knee Adaptation) compressor concept combines the advantages of hard knee and soft knee characteristics s Switchable highpass filter in control signal path avoids low-frequency signals from domin[...]

5 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 T ABLE OF CONTENT 1 . INTRODUCTION . . ................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 T echnical Background ..................................................................................................................... 7 1. 1.1 Noise As A Physi[...]

6 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 1. INTRODUCTION In purchasing the MULTICOM PRO, you have acquired an extremely efficient and universal dynamics processor. The unit was particularly designed for those applications most frequently used in practice. Despite the extremely complex internal circuitry, the unit has a control surface which is clearly laid out and [...]

7 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 overall output signal so that no audible distortion occurs (program limiter). After the level falls below the thresh- old, the signal returns to the original value after a period of about 1 second. This IGC circuit proves to be extremely valuable as much for live work (loudspeaker protection) as for digital situations, where[...]

8 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 Ear Microphone Amplifier Power Amplifier T ape Recorder Radio Cassette Recorder P/dB 140 120 100 80 60 40 Fig. 1.1: The dynamic range capabilities of various devices It is therefore useful to keep the operating level as high as possible without risking signal distortion in order to achieve optimum transmission quality. It is[...]

9 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 1.1 .3 Compressors/Limiters By measuring the dynamic range of musical instruments in live recording situations, you will find that extreme amplitudes occur which often lead to overload in subsequent signal processing equipment. Especially in broadcasting and record cutting techniques, these signal peaks can lead to heavy dis[...]

10 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 2. THE DESIGN CONCEPT 2. 1 High Quality Components And Design The philosophy behind BEHRINGER products guarantees a no-compromise circuit design and employs the best choice of components. The operational amplifiers NJM4580 which are used in the MULTICOM PRO, are exceptional. They boast extreme linearity and very low distort[...]

11 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 3. INSTALLATION Your BEHRINGER MULTICOM PRO was carefully packed in the factory and the packaging was designed to protect the unit from rough handling. Nevertheless, we recommend that you carefully examine the packaging and ist contents for any signs of physical damage, which may have occurred in transit. Please also take t[...]

12 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 Unbalanced use of mono 1/4" jack plugs Ring Balanced use of stereo 1/4" jack plugs Balanced use with XLR connectors 1 2 3 2 1 3 Input Output Tip = Signal Tip = hot (+ve) Sleeve = Ground / Shield Sleeve = Ground / Shield Tip Ti p Sleeve Sleeve Strain relief clamp Strain relief clamp Ring = cold (-ve) For connection[...]

13 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 4. CONTROLS Fig. 4.1: MUL TICOM PRO front panel The BEHRINGER MULTICOM PRO has four identical channels. Each channel is equipped with 4 backlit push- buttons, 4 rotary controls and 17 LEDs. The COUPLE switches are for stereo operation of two channels. 4. 1 The Front Panel Control Elements 11 10 9 4 3 5 2 6 1 7 8 Fig. 4.2[...]

14 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 7 The 8-digit GAIN REDUCTION meter indicates how effectively the gain is reduced by the compressor, within a range from 1 to 30 dB. 8 The 8-digit INPUT/OUTPUT LEVEL meter informs youdepending on the setting of the I/O METER switchabout the current input or output level, within a range from -24 to +18 dB. When the swit[...]

15 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 4. 4 Rear Panel Control Elements Of The MULTICOM PRO 13 12 14 16 15 Fig. 4.5: Control elements of the rear panel 12 FUSE HOLDER / VOLTAGE SELECTOR . Please make sure that your local voltage matches the volt- age indicated on the unit, before you attempt to connect and operate the MULTICOM PRO. Blown fuses may only be replac[...]

16 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 5. APPLICATIONS In this section, several typical applications of the BEHRINGER MULTICOM PRO are discussed. The following basic settings can resolve most dynamic problems. They are the ideal starting point. Please take the time to study the application examples carefully, in order to be able to make full use of the MULTICOM [...]

17 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 5. 2 Compressor Section The task of a compressor is to reduce the dynamic range of program material and to control the overall level. The extensive controls of the Compressor section, provide a great range of dynamic effects: from musical and soft compression to limiting signal peaks, right up to extreme and effective compr[...]

18 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 5.2 .1 Initial Settings For The Compressor Section l o r t n o C g n i t t e S h c t i w s T U O / N IN I h c t i w s E V I T C A R E T N IN I h c t i w s R E T L I F C ST U O l o r t n o c D L O H S E R H TB d 0 2 + l o r t n o c O I T A R1 : 3 l o r t n o c T U P T U OB d 0 T ab. 5.1: Initial settings for the compressor s[...]

19 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 In pop music the dynamics of both kick drum and bass guitar are usually processed individually. The sidechain filter is therefore ideally suited to apply overall compression in the mixdown, to compress the music while increasing its loudness, but without having to accept the drawbacks described above. Please note that we of[...]

20 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 6. SPECIAL APPLICATIONS 6. 1 Using The MULTICOM PRO For Recording And Cassette Duplication In the recording and duplication field the goal should always be to achieve an optimum recording level onto the recording media. Too low or too high recording levels lead to side effects such as noise, distortion etc. In mastering and[...]

21 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 A speaker diaphragm is required to accelerate, slow down, smoothly change direction and accelerate again in normal operation. Distorted operation (clipping) leads to instant acceleration, instant stop, change of direction and instant acceleration again. Since speaker diaphragms are subject to the laws of physics, they will [...]

22 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 6. 3 The MULTICOM PRO In Broadcast The main aim of processing sound recordings for commercial radio and television is to achieve a maximum transmission volume at all costs. Owners of these radio and television stations strive to get bigger audience ratings, because principally, radio programs whose reception is louder than [...]

23 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 7. SPECIFICATIONS AUDIO INPUT Connectors XLR and 1/4" jack T yp e RF filtered, servo-balanced input Impedance 50 k Oh m balanced, 25 kOhm unbalanced Nominal Operating Level +4 dBu/-10 dBV switchable Max. Input Level +21 dBu balanced and unbalanced CMRR typ. 40 dB, >55 dB @ 1 kHz AUDIO OUTPUT Connectors XLR and 1/4&q[...]

24 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 INDICA TORS GAIN REDUCTION 8 element LED display: 1/3/6/10/15/20/25/30 dB INPUT/OUTPUT LEVEL 8 e l ement LED display: -24/-18/-12/-6/0/+6/+12/+18 dB Peak Limiter Threshold 1 LED for Indication of Limiter function Function switch LED indicator for each POWER SUPPL Y Mains V oltages USA/Canada 120 V ~, 60 Hz U.K./Australia 24[...]

25 MUL TICOM PRO MDX4400 8 . WARRANTY The information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording of any kind, for any purpose, without the express written permission of BEHRINGER Spez[...]