AKG PERCEPTION 120 USB User manual

Perception 120 USB
BEDIENUNGSANLEITUNG ....................................2
Bittevor Inbetriebnahme des Gerätes lesen!
USER INSTRUCTIONS........................................16
Please read the manual before using theequipement!
MODE D’EMPLOI...............................................30
Veuillez lire cette notic e av ant d’utiliser le système!
ISTRUZIONI PER L’USO.....................................44
Prima di utilizzare l’apparecchio, leggere il m anuale!
MODO DE EMPLEO ............................................58
¡Sirvase leer el m anual antes de utilizar el equipo!
INSTRUÇÕES DE USO........................................72
Favor lei a este manual antes de usar o equipamento!

Table of Contents
16
Perception USB
1 Safety ............................................................................................... 17
Environment ....................................................................................... 17
2 Description ....................................................................................... 18
Introduction ........................................................................................ 18
Scope of supply .................................................................................. 18
Optional Accessories ........................................................................... 18
Summary ........................................................................................... 18
3 Installation ........................................................................................ 19
Settin up the microphone .................................................................. 19
Connectin the microphone ................................................................. 19
4 Configuration / Volume control ......................................................... 2
WINDOWS XP ..................................................................................... 20
WINDOWS VISTA ................................................................................ 21
WINDOWS 7 ....................................................................................... 22
MAC OS X .......................................................................................... 23
Level settin s ..................................................................................... 24
5 Operation .......................................................................................... 25
Operatin instructions ......................................................................... 25
Control elements ................................................................................ 26
6 Cleaning ........................................................................................... 27
Microphone ........................................................................................ 27
7 Specifications ................................................................................... 28
Table of Contents

Safety
Perception USB
17
ATTENTION
Risk of dama e
Risk of dama eRisk of dama e
Risk of dama e
Please make sure that the piece of equipment your microphone will be
connected to fulfills the safety re ulations in force in your country and is
fitted with a round lead.
1) When the product reaches the end of its life, separate the housin ,
electronics and cables and dispose of all components in accordance with
local waste disposal re ulations.
2) The packa in can be recycled. Dispose of the packa in in a suitable
collection system.
1Safety
Environment

Description
18
Perception USB
Thank you for purchasin an AKG product. This Manual contains important
instructions for settin up and operatin your equipment. Please take a few
minutes to read the instructions below carefully before operating the
equipment. Please keep the Manual for future reference. Have fun and
impress your audience!
•Perception 12 USB microphone
•Table tripod
•Tripod adapter
•USB cable
•Quick Start Guide
Please check that the packa in contains all the components listed above. If
anythin is missin , please contact your AKG dealer.
For optional accessories, refer to the current AKG catalo or folder, or visit
www.ak .com. Your dealer will be lad to help.
The Perception 120 USB microphone expands AKG's successful Perception
ran e and is also the first USB-equipped condenser microphone from AKG.
With the widespread USB standard, ease of use and real plu -and-play, users
without any recordin experience can quickly and easily make hi h-quality,
professional recordin s usin PC or Mac - with no installation and no additional
equipment such as mixin desks or special sound cards.
The microphone features an inte ral analo -to-di ital converter. It is the only
USB microphone in its class to have a separate analo -to-di ital converter (24-
bit, 128x oversamplin ) instead of the normal sin le chip system, offerin
convincin sound quality and low noise.
The Perception 120 USB contains a 2/3" condenser capsule for clear,
transparent sound, an inte ral pop filter, a switchable bass-cut filter and an
attenuation switch.
NOTE
For further information about the features and use of USB microphones and
frequently asked questions, see the product description on the AKG website at
http://www.ak .com/perception120usb
2Description
Introduction
Scope of supply
Optional Accessories
Summary

Installation
Perception USB
19
Figure 1: Setting up the microphone
1) Screw the tripod adapter on to the table tripod.
2) Screw the microphone on to the tripod adapter.
Figure 2: Connecting the microphone
3) Connect the USB cable to the microphone and the recordin device (e. .
computer).
4) The LEDs on the selector switches li ht up to show that the power supply
is OK.
The computer operatin system detects the microphone and automatically
installs the device driver.
3Installation
Setting up the microphone
Connecting the
microphone

Configuration / Volume control
20
Perception USB
Figure 3: Sound settings in WINDOWS XP
1) Open the sound settin s in Control Panel.
2) Select the Audio tab.
3) Recommendation: The Sound pl yb ck device must be chan ed from
"Perception 120 USB" back to the ori inal playback device.
Figure 4: Volume control in WINDOWS XP
4) If the AKG Perception 120 USB is not selected automatically as the
default sound recordin device, select it usin the drop-down menu.
5) Open the volume control on your recordin software or click on Volume to
open the volume control window.
6) Use the slider to select the volume required for your recordin s, see Level
Level Level
Level
setti
settisetti
settings
ngsngs
ngs (Pa e 24).
4Configuration / Volume control
WINDOWS XP

Configuration / Volume control
Perception USB
21
Figure 5: Sound settings in WINDOWS VISTA
1) In the Control Panel open the "Hardware and Sound" cate ory and select
Sound.
2) Select the Pl yb ck tab.
3) Recommendation: The Sound pl yb ck device must be chan ed from
"Perception 120 USB" back to the ori inal playback device.
Figure 6: Volume control in WINDOWS VISTA
4) Select the Recording tab.
5) Ensure that the AKG Perception 120 USB is hi hli hted and the reen
tick is in place.
6) Click on Properties to open the volume control.
7) Select the Levels tab.
8) Use the slider to select the volume required for your recordin s, see Level
Level Level
Level
settings
settingssettings
settings (Pa e 24).
WINDOWS VISTA

Configuration / Volume control
22
Perception USB
Figure 7: Sound settings in WINDOWS 7
1) In the Control Panel open the "Hardware and Sound" cate ory and select
Sound.
2) Select the Pl yb ck tab.
3) Recommendation: The Sound pl yb ck device must be chan ed from
"Perception 120 USB" back to the ori inal playback device.
Figure 8: Volume control in WINDOWS 7
4) Select the Recording tab.
5) Ensure that the AKG Perception 120 USB is hi hli hted and the reen
tick is in place.
6) Click on Properties to open the volume control.
7) Select the Levels tab.
8) Use the slider to select the volume required for your recordin s, see Level
Level Level
Level
settings
settingssettings
settings (Pa e 24).
WINDOWS 7

Configuration / Volume control
Perception USB
23
Figure 9: Sound settings in MAC OS
1) Open the sound settin s in the system preferences.
2) Select the Output tab.
3) Recommendation: The Sound pl yb ck device must be chan ed from
"Perception 120 USB" back to the ori inal playback device.
Figure 10: Volume control in MAC OS
4) Select the Input tab.
5) If the AKG Perception 120 USB is not selected automatically on the list of
sound recordin devices, hi hli ht it in the list.
6) Open the volume control in your recordin software or use the slider to
select the volume required for your recordin s, see Level se
Level seLevel se
Level settings
ttingsttings
ttings (Pa e
24).
MAC OS X

Configuration / Volume control
24
Perception USB
Use your recordin software to set the volume. When usin the microphone or
recordin from a sound source, adjust the volume control and check the level
indicator.
For best results we recommend the hi hest possible volume settin to reduce
unwanted noise. The settin should not be too hi h, however, as this can
cause unpleasant distortion. This will normally be indicated in red on the
recordin software.
Carefully increase the volume until the level display in your recordin software
no lon er shows an overload (red).
For best results when recordin speech we recommend placin the
microphone 20 to 40 cm (8 to 16 inch) in front of the speaker(s).
Level settings
Figure 11: Volume control

Operation
Perception USB
25
The front of the microphone is the side of the
housin with the AKG lo o. The Perception 120
USB microphone has a cardioid polar pattern so
it records very little sound from the rear. Always
point the lo o towards the sound source to be
recorded. The microphone should be 20 to 40
cm (8 to 16 inch) from the speaker's mouth in
order to obtain the best results.
ATTENTION
Risk of dama e
Risk of dama eRisk of dama e
Risk of dama e
Keep the microphone dry.
Moisture directly enterin the capsule durin use of the microphone (sin in a
short distance away, hi h air humidity) can cause cracklin in the microphone as
tiny short-circuits can short-circuit the polarisation volta e.
When recordin wind instruments, speech or sin in ensure that you do not sin
or blow directly into the microphone.
NOTE
For optimum results, we also recommend the optional PF 80 pop screen to
prevent unwanted blowin and poppin sounds or moisture problems.
NOTE
When usin the microphone outdoors, use the optional AKG W 4000 windscreen
to protect the microphone from moisture and to reduce wind noise.
5Operation
Operating instructions
Figure 12: Dist nce from spe ker's mouth

Operation
26
Perception USB
The Perception 120 USB has attenuation and bass-cut selector switches.
Attenuation selector switch
Selector switch 1 on the right-hand side
of the microphone enables ou to
increase the control limit b 20 dB to
enable distortion-free recording of ver
loud sound sources and in close
proximit to sound sources. The
preattenuation pads prevent the
microphone's output level, particularl at
low frequencies, from over-loading.
Figure 13: Attenuation selector
switch
Bass-cut selector switch
Rumble or wind noises, etc. ma cause
distortion at the lowest frequencies. The
switchable bass-cut provides additional
distortion reduction. The filter slope is 6
dB/octave with a corner frequenc of
120 Hz. The bass-cut also counteracts
the proximit effect that can occur when
the microphone is onl a short distance
(less than 15 cm) from the sound
source.
Figure 14: Bass-cut selector
switch
Control elements

Cleaning
Perception USB
27
•Use a soft cloth moistened with water to clean the surface of the
microphone body.
Cleaning
Microphone

Specifications
28
Perception USB
Workin principle:
Condenser converter with 17 mm diaphra m diameter
Polar pattern:
Cardioid
Frequency ran e:
20 to 20,000 Hz
Attenuation pad:
0
-
20 dB
Bass
-
cut
filter:
6 dB/octave, 120 Hz
Supply volta e:
power supply via USB
USB support:
USB 1.1, 2.0
Scannin frequency:
44.1 and 48 kHz
Analo
-
di ital converter:
Hi h
-
quality, inte ral 24
-
bit analo
-
di ital converter
Oversamplin :
128x
Operatin systems supported: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS X
(from Version 10.4)
Surface: rey-blue matt
Dimensions:
ø 53 mm x 165 mm
Wei ht: 460 , net
This product conforms to the standards listed in the Declaration of Conformity. To order a free copy of the
Declaration of Conformity, visit http://www.ak .com or contact sales@ak .com.
Frequency response Polar diagram
7Specifications