Full Text Searchable PDF User Manual
1
pocket tools
dual mix
user manual
2
pocket tools
dual mix
user manual
Contents Page
1. Introduction
3
2. Safety Instructions
4
3. Controls and Connections
4
4. Operation Summary
5
4.1 Cabling and Starting-up
5
4.2 Level Adjustment
5
5. Functional Characteristics
5
5.1 Inputs Channel 1 and Channel 2
5
5.1.1 Signal sources and preamp selection
5
5.1.2 Dual-band Equalization
6
5.2 efx – Effects Section Muliteffect
6
5.3 aux in
6
5.4 master
6
5.5 DI-out
6
5.6 24V-Phantom-Power
6
6. Technical Specifications: pocket tools dual mix
7
7. Circuit Diagram: pocket tools dual mix
8
3
1. Introduction
Welcome to AER!
Thank you for purchasing an AER
Pocket Tool
. You are now the owner of a professional audio preamp,
designed and manufactured to the highest pro audio technical specifications; capable of shaping, ma
-
ximizing and delivering the tonal character of your instrument. At AER our complete focus, some say
obsession, is on the ‘true’ reproduction of natural acoustic sound. A lifetime spent listening to and wor-
king with acoustic instruments helps us to create and refine the very best devices available; to enable
you to craft your own unique acoustic identity. Make your instrument the very best it can be ...
Please take a moment to read this brief manual. We want you to understand how our product works
and what it can do for you. We want you to gain benefit from its many features but most of all we
want you to ENJOY it!
The
dual mix
is a high-quality „two-channel“ preamplifier for instrument/line or microphone signals.
The unit offers simple, efficient features just like a small mixong console:
–
two inputs
, each for one microphone or instrument and line-level signal with
switchable
24V-phantom-power
– separate active
two-band EQ networks
for each input
– a
4-preset multi-effects-unit
with two reverbs, one echo and one chorus
– a
stereo aux-in
–
line-out
and
DI-out
– plus a
stereo-headphone-preamplifier
This makes the
dual mix
especially suited for the following applications:
- as
channel extension
in connection with AER-amplifiers (the line output of the dual mix is connected
e.g. with an amp‘s effects return)
- as
instrument/microphone stage preamp
(the line out or DI-out of the dual mix is connected directly
to the mixing-desk/stagebox)
- as
headphone rehearsal amplifier
in connection with a stereo headphone set
All
pocket tools
need energy for their high-grade circuits and are powered by
24V-power-supplies
. An
appropriate supply is included in delivery.
Read on and have fun using your
dual mix
!
4
3. Controls and
Connections
2. Safety Instructions
The following guidelines shall help minimize the risk of
injury through fire or electric shock.
1. Carefully read these safety notes before you use the
device!
2. Keep these safety notes in a safe place.
3. Pay attention to all warnings, instructions and addi-
tional texts on the unit.
4. Do not install or use your device in close proximity to
water or if you are wet yourself.
5. Use your device in a safe place where nobody can
step on cables or trip over and damage them.
6. Always pull the mains plug before cleaning your de-
vice. Use only a dry cloth for cleaning. Avoid the use
of detergents and do not let any liquids seep into the
unit.
7. Never install your device close to units with strong
electromagnetic fields such as large mains transfor
-
mers, revolving machines, neon illumination etc. Do
not lay signal cables parallel to power current cables.
8. There are no user-serviceable components inside
the unit. To avoid the risk of an electric shock, the unit
must not be opened. All maintenance, adjustment and
repair works should be carried out by qualified staff
only. Any unauthorized tampering will void the 2-year
warranty.
9. In keeping with the EMV regulations screened cables
with correctly fitted connectors must be used for all si
-
gnal connections.
10. Always use an earthed power supply with the cor-
rect mains voltage. If you are in doubt about the power
outlets ground, have it checked by a qualified techni
-
cian.
11. Cable up your device only when it is powered off.
Top side
gain
input level control
clip
overload indicator
line/mic
signal source selector switch (combo socket):
line
(only via 6.3 mm jackplug) for instruments
(pickup) and other line level sources
mic
(only via XLR-connector) for microphones
high
treble control
low
bass control
efx
4-preset multi-effects unit
level
level control internal effect
pan
effect signal distribution control
select
effect select button with led-indicators
aux in
stereo-input for additional signal sources
level
stereo input level control
master
master level control
Rear side
dc 24 V
power supply connector socket (24 Volt DC)
24V phantom power
ch. 1
24V phantom power switch channel 1
ch. 2
24V phantom power switch channel 2
line out
signal output, 6.3 mm mono jack socket
headphones
stereo-headphones socket
DI out
signal output, symmetrical, XLR-socket
DI level
DI out signal level control
Front side
channel 1
signal input – combo socket for 6.3 mm mono
jackplug and XLR connector
channel 2
signal input – combo socket for 6.3 mm mono
jackplug and XLR connector
aux-in
stereo input for additional signal sources
(e.g. CD-player), RCA-sockets
(white = left channel, red = right channel),
parallel: 3.5 mm stereo jack socket
power
on/off-status indicator
channel
1
clip
clip
line/mic
channel
2
channel 1
channel 2
efx
aux
in
aux in
gain
gain
high
high
pan
select
power
24V phantom power
line out
out
level
head
phones
foot
switch
DI
ch.2
dc 24 V
1 = gnd
2 = pos
3 = neg
ch.1
master
low
low
level
level
line/mic
tools
dual
mix
5
4.2 Level adjustment
The
dual mix
is equipped with two high-quality pre-
amps which can handle line and microphone signals
and have therefore a wide input sensitivity range.
Having selected the appropriate preamp function (
mic
or
line
) and with the
gain
controls set fully counter
clockwise (minimum gain), turn up the
gain
whilst
playing your instrument until the red
clip
indicator
LED lights up occasionally with heavy strumming. Now
turn down the
gain
control (or the volume control on
the source) by a tiny amount to allow additional head-
room for undistorted reproduction.
During play, the
clip
control LED should only flicker in
-
termittently at most. With
line
(signal sources with a
sufficient input signal level) the
gain
controls will pro-
bably sit between minimum gain and the 10 o’clock
position. It’s likely that in the
mic
position the setting
will be significantly higher. Please keep in mind that
the filter stages are partly active and thus have an in
-
fluence on the ove
rall adjustment of the dual mix.
5. Functional Characteristics
5.1 Inputs Channel 1 and Channel 2
5.1.1 Signal Sources and Preamp Selection
Various signal sources may be connected to the XLR/
line combo sockets (
channel 1 und 2
). To
Line
(6.3 mm
jack socket): all types of active and passive pickups for
acoustic instruments, electromagnetic pickups, key
-
boards, samplers. To
XLR
socket: all dynamic and con
-
denser (vocal or instrument) microphones. The corres
-
ponding preamp is selected by the
line/mic
-switch.
4. Operation Summary
4.1 Cabling and Starting-up
Before connecting to the mains, please ensure that
your local mains voltage (e.g. 230V in mainland Eu
-
rope, 120V in the USA) is suitable for the voltage in-
put range of the included power supply. The relevant
specs and safety symbols are printed on the rear side
of the unit.
Note: 24V power supply
The included 24VDC power supply is a certified wide-
range model, capable of handling input voltages
between 100V and 240V. A substantial amount of re-
search, effort and testing went into the selection of
this power supply. It is critical to the function of the
preamp – please use no other power supply!
Also please bear in mind that any device powered
from a power supply (as opposed to battery operati
-
on), may suffer interference carried by the electricity
supply itself. To avoid this, always try and keep signal
cables as short as possible.
We have opted for a “non-earthed power supply“ (class
2 with protective insulation) in order to avoid unwan-
ted earth or ground loops that occur when using sever-
al earthed mains powered devices in a signal chain.
Please ensure that
gain
-,
level
- and
volume
-controls
are turned all the way to the left
and all other cont-
rols are in their middle position (centre detent). The
pushbuttons should be off, i.e. not pushed.
Now select the appropriate preamp function (
line/mic
)
and make all required cable connections:
1) Instruments (1/4“ jack or XLR) or Microphones (only
XLR) to
input channel 1
and/or
channel 2
of the
dual mix
2)
line-out
of the
dual mix
e.g. to effects
return
of the
effect loop of an AER amplifier or to the input of a
downstream device
You may also want to connect:
1) the
DI-out
of the
dual mix
to a mixing-desk input or
a stagebox (use balanced cables for this)
2) a CD/MP3 player to
aux-in
or
3) a stereo headphone set to the
headphones
output
Note: Level adjustment
By setting the level correctly we mean that the signal le-
vel in one or several devices in a signal chain is neither
too high nor too low. This applies equally to all compo-
nents of a unit (here
e.g. high
and
low
).
Consequently, care must be taken that no part of the
circuit is overloaded, or that distortion is unintentio-
nally added to the signal. We have carefully designed
the circuit to achieve this objective whilst also provi-
ding potentiometers (
gain
,
level
,
volume
) for „manu-
al” intervention.
6
5.1.2 Dual-band Equalization
The dual-band equalizer of your
dual mix
provides
you with an active and high quality sound interaction
tool that supports the natural tone of instruments and
voice whilst simultaneously offering you the possibili-
ty of a controlled interaction.
With all controls in mid position the filters are set to
produce a very pleasing and natural sound impression.
The
high-
(treble) and
low-
(bass)controls allow you to
modulate the sound as desired.
5.2 efx – Effects Section Multieffect
The
dual mix
has an onboard digital effects unit with
four presets
:
1 = short reverb
,
2 = long reverb
,
3 =
delay 320 ms
and
4 = deep chorus
, which are called
up with the
select
effects selector switch. Each pres-
sing of this switch will shift the preset selection by
one setting.
With the
pan
control
the effect is assigned to the
channels. In its centre position both channels will
receive the same amount of wet signal, turned
fully
counterclockwise only channel 1
, turned
fully clock-
wise only channel 2
will get a wet signal. The
level
control adjusts the effects loudness in the master si-
gnal.
5.3 aux-in
The
aux-in
is a stereo signal input (RCA/3.5 mm ste
-
reo jack, frontside) e.g. for a CD- oder MP3-player or
a drum computer. Using the
level
control, the signal
which is present here is blended with the master si-
gnal.
5.4 master
The
volume
control adjusts the loudness of
line-out
and
headphones
together.
5.5 DI-out
The
DI-out
yields a balanced output signal whose le-
vel can be adjusted by the
level
-control.
5.6 24V Phantom power
The
24V phantom power
switches are located on the
rear side of the housing. These provide phantom po-
wer to the XLR inputs for devices that require it, e.g.
condenser mics.
The 24V phantom power supply of your AER device
complies with the DIN EN 61398 regulations in view
of a 24V phantom power supply.
Please note the adjacent text.
Supplement to article 5.6
Information about the use of 48V or 24V phantom
power (phantom power = remote supply, here: po-
wering an audio device via the connected audio line)
Turn on the
phantom power
only if the unit con-
nected to the XLR socket is designed to handle it!
In general, suitable units are e.g. condenser mi-
crophones, active DI boxes and other special au-
dio devices, whose power supply is drawn from the
phantom power. Such devices are also labelled accor-
dingly; please heed the permissible power consump
-
tion (max.10mA). High-quality dynamic microphones
with a balanced signal need no phantom power, but
can handle it anyway. Other devices which have not
been designed explicitly for phantom power opera-
tion can suffer from considerable malfunctions, and
damage may result as well.
Examples of devices that may be damaged by incor-
rect application of phantom power include:
Low-cost dynamic microphones with a mono jack
plug (unbalanced signal) that were fitted afterwards
with an XLR connector. Audio devices with a balan
-
ced XLR output (e.g. DI boxes, effects devices, instru
-
ment preamps with a DI output etc.) which are not
protected against phantom power applied to their
XLR output. (The DI connectors on AER products are
protected against applied phantom power.)
Other audio devices (such as preamps, effects pedals
etc.) whose unbalanced line output was replaced by
an XLR socket.
If in doubt please consult the manufacturer of the
device you are using.
Experiment and enjoy your new route to alternate
soundscapes!
Any questions or suggestions? Please do contact us
at: tachauch@aer-amps.com
Thanks for reading!
7
6. Technical Data: pocket tools
dual mix
Technical data
Inputs
Switchable microphone or line input
Combo socket, XLR and ¼“ jack (6.35 mm)
line mode (jack input)
Unbalanced high impedance input for
instrument pick-ups and line-level sources
Gain adjustment range: +3…+20 dB
Min. input voltage: 100 mV (–20 dBV)
Max. input voltage: 3 V (+10 dBV)
Input impedance: 2.2 M
|| 60 pF
Signal-to-noise ratio, A-weighted
Min. gain: 108 dB
Max. gain: 98 dB
Frequency response: 20 Hz…20 kHz /
1 dB
THD + N (1 kHz): < 0.3%
mic mode (XLR input)
Balanced microphone input
1 = ground, 2 = positive (+), 3 = negative (–)
Gain adjustment range: +4…+40 dB
Min. input voltage: 10 mV (–40 dBV)
Max. input voltage: 3 V (+10 dBV)
Input impedance: 2.1 k
Unbalanced:1.1 k
Signal-to-noise ratio, A-weighted
Min. gain: 108 dB
Max. gain: 93 dB
Frequency response: 20 Hz…20 kHz /
1 dB
THD + N (1 kHz): < 0.1%
Phantom power: 24 V, R = 1.2 k
per
terminal, switchable for each channel,
total current max. 10 mA per channel,
short circuit protected
Warning: External equipment may be
damaged by inappropriate use of
phantom power. In case of doubt keep the
24 V phantom power switch off (not
pushed).
channels 1
and 2
Clip indicator
Red LED
Headroom: 8 dB
aux in
Auxiliary stereo input (mono-mixed), e.g. for
CD player
Cinch (RCA) sockets (left / right) and 3.5 mm
stereo jack socket.
Level control
Min. input voltage: 2 x 250 mV (–14 dBV)
Max. input voltage: 2 x 10 V (+20 dBV)
Input impedance: 10 k
Outputs
line out
Unbalanced line output after master
Mono jack, ¼” (6.35 mm)
Nominal output voltage: 1 V (0 dBV)
Max. output voltage: 9 V (+19 dBV)
Output impedance: 47
Min. load impedance: 2 k
Residual noise (master fully anticlockwise):
A-weighted: 1
μ
V (–120 dBV)
headphones Headphones output
Stereo jack, ¼” (6.35 mm)
Output power, 1 kHz, THD = 1%:
Typ. 2 x 40 mW / 32
Residual noise (master fully anticlockwise):
A-weighted: 3.3
μ
V (–110 dBV)
Warning: Suitable for headphones with
stereo jack only. Do not connect any mono
jacks.
DI-out
Balanced XLR output
1 = ground, 2 = positive (+), 3 = negative (–)
Level control
Nominal output voltage (differential),
adjustment range:
41…410 mV (–28…–8 dBV)
Output impedance:
47
each terminal to ground
Min. load impedance (differential): 1 k
Residual noise (both channels in line mode),
A-weighted: 3.3
μ
V (–110 dBV)
Tone controls
low
12 dB at 100 Hz (shelf type)
channels 1
and 2
high
13 dB at 10 kHz (shelf type)
Effects
Built-in
effect
Digital effect processor with 4 presets
1 = Reverb with short predelay
2 = Reverb with long predelay
3 = Repeating delay
4 = Chorus
Footswitch connector
footswitch
Connector for a dual footswitch
Stereo jack, ¼” (6.35 mm)
Tip = footswitch for muting channel 1
Ring = footswitch for muting channel 2
Sleeve = ground (common)
Function: Switch ON = channel muted
Power
Supply
voltage
24 V=, 0.5 A
Use only supplied mains adapter.
Mains
adapter
Mains voltage: 100-240 V~
Power consumption when used with Dual
Mix: max. 10 W
General
Metal
housing
Aluminium
Finish
Anodized black
Dimensions
65 mm (2.56“) high
105 mm (4.13“) wide
135 mm (5.31“) deep
Weight
480 g (1.06 lbs)
Definitions and conditions
Input and output voltages are RMS values for a sine signal
and 1 kHz unless stated otherwise.
Tone controls in neutral position unless stated otherwise.
Min. input voltage: Input voltage for nominal output
voltage at line out with gain and master fully clockwise.
Max. input voltage: Permissible input voltage that does not
cause distortion more than the rated THD + N (assuming
suitable control settings).
Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR): Ratio of nominal output voltage
to noise voltage at line out, at specified gain setting,
master fully clockwise, input shorted, 20 Hz…20 kHz.
Note: The SNR found at line out may be less than the SNRs
specified for the channels because both channels
contribute to the output noise.
Residual noise: Noise voltage at an output when all gain
and level settings are minimal.
THD + N: Total harmonic distortion + noise for nominal
output voltage at line out
Specifications and appearance subject to change without
notice.
TD20111123
8
7. Circuit Diagram: pocket tools
dual mix
B
0
9
0
5
2
9
B
_
2
0
1
1
1
1
1
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2
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notes
9
10
notes
11
notes
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DualMix - 2011_11_GB